Walking into the ruins, a four-meter tall, black obelisk was waiting for them, undamaged, without the stain of ashes or dust. It provided a stark contrast to the primarily white background, and as they looked at it, Hajna's voice came from the disk in Lia's hands.
"This is the fifth. We can't activate it yet."
"But we can take it with us!" Lia grinned, and with her sword, she drew a circle, simply cutting it out with its base and all. "Luckily, gravity works funnily here!" When it was floating in the air, she tied a rope around it, giving it to Keily, who dragged it after them like a weird balloon.
"You never cease to amaze me," Simbad said, smacking his lips, watching the bizarre scene as they were leaving the remains of the arena.
"I solve problems~!" Lia proudly showed a V-sign before tapping on the golden disk. "This is a big find! I will send you to the Silly Fox after we are out!"
"Who is that?" Hajna asked, curious.
"My teacher! He knows a lot and has some… connections!" She thought about Somia at once, as the two's existence were similar in Lia's eyes, and she was sure that the weird woman would find Hajna's presence interesting.
"Not to your mom?" Keily asked with surprise.
"She can go and study it at Lucian's place! It needs to go to the expert who can work with it, not to someone whose expertise lies in a different field!"
"I agree." Before anyone else could reply, Hajna said, "You would have been at home in our Empire."
"Speaking of Empires, I want to know more about the Golden Claw Sect!" Lia urged her while they jumped and flew through empty space, heading directly towards another floating rock in the distance.
"Not about Soulbound Sect?" Hajna asked back with surprise in her voice.
"I know enough about them." She grumbled, waiting for her to continue.
"Well… okay. But I don't know their secrets. I only know surface-level information and things they shared with us when we were at war with the Immortals."
"Good enough." Lia nodded, and the rest were also listening in curiously as this was like opening a lost codex, detailing the hidden history of Meriath.
"They were either the second strongest sect or tied the first place with Soulbound. Of course, I can only say this because we are gone… if not, I would have never acknowledged this."
"Because of pride?" Ceiline asked.
"Because of pride." Hajna's voice repeated her words with a tinge of sadness in it. "They were playing the mediators in all conflicts that broke through a threshold, in wars that affected us or our interests."
"Yeah, the balance bullshit," Lia answered, rolling her eyes.
"Yes. They were fair and reasonable. Or at least, if you looked at it from a certain angle." Hajna continued.
"And if you did not?" Keily asked curiously.
"Then they were more manipulative than any of the big powers. Their goal was to keep the balance because that way, they could also remain at the top. I have no proof, but we did suspect that multiple wars were instigated by them or by their agents. Then they played the mediator's role when it got too big and had to settle before affecting us in a way. From the outside, they were a very peaceful and cordial Sect. From our perspective, they were keeping their cards close to their chest."
"Let me guess," Simbad mused sarcastically, "They somehow always had some good come out of any trouble reaching your level. Good for them, I mean."
"Mostly... They always had an influence or a friend in most other groups." Hajna replied, agreeing with him, indicated by the change in the tone of her voice, "Somehow, everyone was in their debt one way or another. Even we owed them a few for their help in the past. They never raked it in forcefully but always reminded us of it if they thought we were forgetting their… interventions."
"I don't like them." Lia grumbled, "Not a bit."
"They were not evil." Hajna concluded in the end, thinking for a little while, "They were looking out for their own interest, like the rest of us. At least they never stabbed their allies in the back."
"They didn't come to your help either," Keily said, and his words clearly pointed at something Hajna was uncomfortable with.
"They… did not. But nobody else did either… And it happened really fast."
They were about to land when an explosion shook another floating rock nearby. Looking at it, they saw a giant orchid made of ice bloom before it was shattered into millions of pieces.
"That had to be Rinzen!" Lia shouted, already propelling herself forward with fire, followed by the rest of the group.
"There is an obelisk there!" Hajna chimed in after they got really close, and when they finally descended, they met up with Rinzen and Aurora.
"You found them! Good." Aurora signed, clearly exhausted, and looking around, they could see the destruction and the frozen land, with the black obelisk in the middle.
"It's the first one," Hajna said at once, surprising the two girls, looking at the disc in Lia's hand.
"I'll fill you in soon!" She giggled, "Did you fight with a flaming body of a little girl too?"
"Yes." Rinzen nodded, tilting her head, "She was strong, melting through my attacks… so I used my full strength."
"That thing… ate my weapons." Aurora raised his favorite swords, and only their hilts remained in her hands. "I never seen something like that before."
"Well, it isn't from here!" Lia shrugged, watching Simbad touch the obelisk with his light magic, making it humm before going silent once again. "Let's go! We better find the rest of the gang and the obelisks! We won't go back empty-handed now!" She grinned, still gripping the golden disk with all of her fingers.
…
….
……
Out in the Cosmos, where endless clouds of pure energy swirled constantly and gave birth to countless realms, Kyu was sitting there, cross-legged. Below her was a dim, little star, the entrance to Meriath. It was obscured by the ironclad laws of nature, something she did not understand, no matter how hard she tried to comprehend it.
Her looks were enchanting, matching Rinzen's curves, wearing revealing black and white clothing and looking like a goddess, with her black and white hair reaching down to her ankle. The image of a pure and perfect being was only broken when she opened her eyes, frustrated to no end, and started rolling back and forth, throwing a monumental tantrum to nobody in particular.
"Uuuuu! I can't get in! I caaaaaan't! Unfair! Not fair! Bullies! Bad men! Dicks! Pricks! Smelly smellies!"
"Kyu!" Echoed a thundering shout, stopping her cries at once while a young-looking woman appeared in a purple flash of lightning. She was smaller than Kyu, looking like a teenager with a flat chest and long, white hair that she wore in a ponytail. Her violet eyes were smiling as she looked at Kyu tenderly. "You are still sitting here? I am amazed by your tenacity! You won't be able to get in anyway… Your head is not built for learning! Even I had no patience for it… Plus, I won't learn their laws just to spank some bitches! I have more important things to do, and so do you!"
“But… but… Mom! They hurt Yue!"
"They did." She nodded, her eyes flashing with lightning. "LeiLei already healed her… if she had died, their whole Realm would already be in pieces. Trust me." The way she spoke was filled with such force it made the clouds around her recede as if her mood was affecting them. Scaring them. "But we punished them good enough!" She broke into a smile at once, "If and when they return, we can talk about… peace. Come back home; my clone remains stationed here; we will know when it opens up!" She waved a hand, forming an exact copy of herself that sat down, meditating without saying a word.
“Hauh… okay…!” Kyu moaned, snuggling up to her mother, even though she was now way bigger than her. "Mom, mom… I found some interesting people there, you know! They are defeating my spell bodies, the ones that I left behind!"
"Oh, do they now?" She giggled, ruffling Kyu's hair, which she let her do with a silly smile. "Didn't you moan that they hurt you pretty bad? And Sect Head had to come in person to tend to your wounds? He was complaining to me about you being a crybaby!"
"Hauh... I did not cry! No! I am already grown up! Hmph! I hurt them more, anyway! I bet they are still crying! Yes, they cried, not me!"
"Sure!" She giggled before continuing, "This is why I said we will see who will emerge from that world the next time it opens! I am ready to bury the hatchet!"
"Who is Hatchet? When did we kill him?"
"Ahahaha… you blockhead!" She chortled, flicking her daughter's forehead before flashing away with her.
…
….
……
When the Misfits emerged from the destroyed Realm, they were exhausted as every obelisk was protected by a sentient flame, and they had to defeat it in battle. Worse… before being defeated, that thing wolfed down all of the resources they bought along. Koa even lost a holding bag to it, and she was still pissed off, remembering how satisfied that girl's face was, munching on it.
"Ah, good to be back!" Lia stretched, watching the natural night sky while Hajna appeared beside her.
"How weird. The air is very much different than in my time. I can feel it… too much time had passed."
"Simbad," Rinzen asked, walking up to him, "Can you tell how much time had passed for us?"
"I'm trying." He nodded, watching the sky, but then Keily simply picked out a communication jade and spoke into it.
"Lorin, do you hear us?" He asked, smiling like a little imp, watching Simbad and Rinzen from the corner of his eye.
"Bad boy," Koa whispered, pinching his butt, making him flinch.
"Copy...!" Came Lorin's yawning answer from it. "You are back…? Good, we tried to contact you, but I guessed that you found the sub-realm because it didn't go through!"
"How long were we gone?" Keily asked again, ignoring Koa's continued teasing and groping at inappropriate places.
"A week… I hoped it won't be longer; we have a serious situation here!"
"What happened?" Lia asked immediately, turning serious.
"Nobody died, but many of our people had fallen sick…"
"Poison?" Aurora wrote, and Sion asked for her.
"No, I don't think so. We tried antidotes, but they had no reaction. I am well versed in potions, including venoms; this is not related to that! It is a work of some kind of… spell."
"So we have been… attacked?" Sion questioned as the group had already left their camp, immediately heading back to their headquarters after hearing Lorin's news.
"Pretty much. It acts like some kind of virus. Only... it does not spread. That is already lucky for us. I discovered the problem when Louise came back, collapsed, and almost died… her skin, the tissues under it, organs, and whatnot, all of it was damaged. I recognized it to be a spell's work right then! Her energy channels were invaded by foreign mana!"
"How's she?" Rinzen asked, worried, even though she did not know her personally.
"Fine. She woke up already, and she should be back on her feet in a week or two. The weird thing is that nobody realized there was a problem until they arrived back. The spell acts in a prolonged way; it may take hours or days for it to show its effects. It is extremely insidious!"
"Undead?" Simbad inquired, but everyone knew this had to be something else.
"I don't think so. They don't act like this, and why destroy a perfect host?" Lorin answered, clearly thinking about it, "Of course, we can't say for certain, but I wouldn't put my money on it. My current estimation is that it is a type of light-based magic. We need the two of you, Simbad and Sion! You could shed some light on this!"
"Good to hear your humor is intact," Sion answered, a bit calmer because if Lorin had time to make puns, the situation must not be that dire.
"We are on our way!" Simbad added too.
"Lorin," Lia asked, coming out of her contemplation, "Do we know where our people went before they were attacked?"
"Yes. I already isolated the incidents to a specific region! All who returned with these symptoms accepted missions at the same 800 square-kilometer area!"
"We will be back soon; prepare everything to brief us!" Lia said, and her voice carried strength and was a clear order.
"Yes, Ma'am!" Lorin replied as they heard him standing up from his bed before the connection was cut.
"It seems," Lia murmured, looking at the golden disk in her hands, "We will utilize your knowledge in light magic."
"Gladly," Hajna answered with a pleasant voice. "I was made to help, solve problems and questions. It is good to feel alive once again."
"Can you even do that?" Keily asked, without any malice in his voice, honestly curious.
"I don't really know." Hajna sighed a little, "I ask that myself many times too."
Walking into the ruins, a four-meter tall, black obelisk was waiting for them, undamaged, without the stain of ashes or dust. It provided a stark contrast to the primarily white background, and as they looked at it, Hajna's voice came from the disk in Lia's hands.
"This is the fifth. We can't activate it yet."
"But we can take it with us!" Lia grinned, and with her sword, she drew a circle, simply cutting it out with its base and all. "Luckily, gravity works funnily here!" When it was floating in the air, she tied a rope around it, giving it to Keily, who dragged it after them like a weird balloon.
"You never cease to amaze me," Simbad said, smacking his lips, watching the bizarre scene as they were leaving the remains of the arena.
"I solve problems~!" Lia proudly showed a V-sign before tapping on the golden disk. "This is a big find! I will send you to the Silly Fox after we are out!"
"Who is that?" Hajna asked, curious.
"My teacher! He knows a lot and has some… connections!" She thought about Somia at once, as the two's existence were similar in Lia's eyes, and she was sure that the weird woman would find Hajna's presence interesting.
"Not to your mom?" Keily asked with surprise.
"She can go and study it at Lucian's place! It needs to go to the expert who can work with it, not to someone whose expertise lies in a different field!"
"I agree." Before anyone else could reply, Hajna said, "You would have been at home in our Empire."
"Speaking of Empires, I want to know more about the Golden Claw Sect!" Lia urged her while they jumped and flew through empty space, heading directly towards another floating rock in the distance.
"Not about Soulbound Sect?" Hajna asked back with surprise in her voice.
"I know enough about them." She grumbled, waiting for her to continue.
"Well… okay. But I don't know their secrets. I only know surface-level information and things they shared with us when we were at war with the Immortals."
"Good enough." Lia nodded, and the rest were also listening in curiously as this was like opening a lost codex, detailing the hidden history of Meriath.
"They were either the second strongest sect or tied the first place with Soulbound. Of course, I can only say this because we are gone… if not, I would have never acknowledged this."
"Because of pride?" Ceiline asked.
"Because of pride." Hajna's voice repeated her words with a tinge of sadness in it. "They were playing the mediators in all conflicts that broke through a threshold, in wars that affected us or our interests."
"Yeah, the balance bullshit," Lia answered, rolling her eyes.
"Yes. They were fair and reasonable. Or at least, if you looked at it from a certain angle." Hajna continued.
"And if you did not?" Keily asked curiously.
"Then they were more manipulative than any of the big powers. Their goal was to keep the balance because that way, they could also remain at the top. I have no proof, but we did suspect that multiple wars were instigated by them or by their agents. Then they played the mediator's role when it got too big and had to settle before affecting us in a way. From the outside, they were a very peaceful and cordial Sect. From our perspective, they were keeping their cards close to their chest."
"Let me guess," Simbad mused sarcastically, "They somehow always had some good come out of any trouble reaching your level. Good for them, I mean."
"Mostly... They always had an influence or a friend in most other groups." Hajna replied, agreeing with him, indicated by the change in the tone of her voice, "Somehow, everyone was in their debt one way or another. Even we owed them a few for their help in the past. They never raked it in forcefully but always reminded us of it if they thought we were forgetting their… interventions."
"I don't like them." Lia grumbled, "Not a bit."
"They were not evil." Hajna concluded in the end, thinking for a little while, "They were looking out for their own interest, like the rest of us. At least they never stabbed their allies in the back."
"They didn't come to your help either," Keily said, and his words clearly pointed at something Hajna was uncomfortable with.
"They… did not. But nobody else did either… And it happened really fast."
They were about to land when an explosion shook another floating rock nearby. Looking at it, they saw a giant orchid made of ice bloom before it was shattered into millions of pieces.
"That had to be Rinzen!" Lia shouted, already propelling herself forward with fire, followed by the rest of the group.
"There is an obelisk there!" Hajna chimed in after they got really close, and when they finally descended, they met up with Rinzen and Aurora.
"You found them! Good." Aurora signed, clearly exhausted, and looking around, they could see the destruction and the frozen land, with the black obelisk in the middle.
"It's the first one," Hajna said at once, surprising the two girls, looking at the disc in Lia's hand.
"I'll fill you in soon!" She giggled, "Did you fight with a flaming body of a little girl too?"
"Yes." Rinzen nodded, tilting her head, "She was strong, melting through my attacks… so I used my full strength."
"That thing… ate my weapons." Aurora raised his favorite swords, and only their hilts remained in her hands. "I never seen something like that before."
"Well, it isn't from here!" Lia shrugged, watching Simbad touch the obelisk with his light magic, making it humm before going silent once again. "Let's go! We better find the rest of the gang and the obelisks! We won't go back empty-handed now!" She grinned, still gripping the golden disk with all of her fingers.
…
….
……
Out in the Cosmos, where endless clouds of pure energy swirled constantly and gave birth to countless realms, Kyu was sitting there, cross-legged. Below her was a dim, little star, the entrance to Meriath. It was obscured by the ironclad laws of nature, something she did not understand, no matter how hard she tried to comprehend it.
Her looks were enchanting, matching Rinzen's curves, wearing revealing black and white clothing and looking like a goddess, with her black and white hair reaching down to her ankle. The image of a pure and perfect being was only broken when she opened her eyes, frustrated to no end, and started rolling back and forth, throwing a monumental tantrum to nobody in particular.
"Uuuuu! I can't get in! I caaaaaan't! Unfair! Not fair! Bullies! Bad men! Dicks! Pricks! Smelly smellies!"
"Kyu!" Echoed a thundering shout, stopping her cries at once while a young-looking woman appeared in a purple flash of lightning. She was smaller than Kyu, looking like a teenager with a flat chest and long, white hair that she wore in a ponytail. Her violet eyes were smiling as she looked at Kyu tenderly. "You are still sitting here? I am amazed by your tenacity! You won't be able to get in anyway… Your head is not built for learning! Even I had no patience for it… Plus, I won't learn their laws just to spank some bitches! I have more important things to do, and so do you!"
“But… but… Mom! They hurt Yue!"
"They did." She nodded, her eyes flashing with lightning. "LeiLei already healed her… if she had died, their whole Realm would already be in pieces. Trust me." The way she spoke was filled with such force it made the clouds around her recede as if her mood was affecting them. Scaring them. "But we punished them good enough!" She broke into a smile at once, "If and when they return, we can talk about… peace. Come back home; my clone remains stationed here; we will know when it opens up!" She waved a hand, forming an exact copy of herself that sat down, meditating without saying a word.
“Hauh… okay…!” Kyu moaned, snuggling up to her mother, even though she was now way bigger than her. "Mom, mom… I found some interesting people there, you know! They are defeating my spell bodies, the ones that I left behind!"
"Oh, do they now?" She giggled, ruffling Kyu's hair, which she let her do with a silly smile. "Didn't you moan that they hurt you pretty bad? And Sect Head had to come in person to tend to your wounds? He was complaining to me about you being a crybaby!"
"Hauh... I did not cry! No! I am already grown up! Hmph! I hurt them more, anyway! I bet they are still crying! Yes, they cried, not me!"
"Sure!" She giggled before continuing, "This is why I said we will see who will emerge from that world the next time it opens! I am ready to bury the hatchet!"
"Who is Hatchet? When did we kill him?"
"Ahahaha… you blockhead!" She chortled, flicking her daughter's forehead before flashing away with her.
…
….
……
When the Misfits emerged from the destroyed Realm, they were exhausted as every obelisk was protected by a sentient flame, and they had to defeat it in battle. Worse… before being defeated, that thing wolfed down all of the resources they bought along. Koa even lost a holding bag to it, and she was still pissed off, remembering how satisfied that girl's face was, munching on it.
"Ah, good to be back!" Lia stretched, watching the natural night sky while Hajna appeared beside her.
"How weird. The air is very much different than in my time. I can feel it… too much time had passed."
"Simbad," Rinzen asked, walking up to him, "Can you tell how much time had passed for us?"
"I'm trying." He nodded, watching the sky, but then Keily simply picked out a communication jade and spoke into it.
"Lorin, do you hear us?" He asked, smiling like a little imp, watching Simbad and Rinzen from the corner of his eye.
"Bad boy," Koa whispered, pinching his butt, making him flinch.
"Copy...!" Came Lorin's yawning answer from it. "You are back…? Good, we tried to contact you, but I guessed that you found the sub-realm because it didn't go through!"
"How long were we gone?" Keily asked again, ignoring Koa's continued teasing and groping at inappropriate places.
"A week… I hoped it won't be longer; we have a serious situation here!"
"What happened?" Lia asked immediately, turning serious.
"Nobody died, but many of our people had fallen sick…"
"Poison?" Aurora wrote, and Sion asked for her.
"No, I don't think so. We tried antidotes, but they had no reaction. I am well versed in potions, including venoms; this is not related to that! It is a work of some kind of… spell."
"So we have been… attacked?" Sion questioned as the group had already left their camp, immediately heading back to their headquarters after hearing Lorin's news.
"Pretty much. It acts like some kind of virus. Only... it does not spread. That is already lucky for us. I discovered the problem when Louise came back, collapsed, and almost died… her skin, the tissues under it, organs, and whatnot, all of it was damaged. I recognized it to be a spell's work right then! Her energy channels were invaded by foreign mana!"
"How's she?" Rinzen asked, worried, even though she did not know her personally.
"Fine. She woke up already, and she should be back on her feet in a week or two. The weird thing is that nobody realized there was a problem until they arrived back. The spell acts in a prolonged way; it may take hours or days for it to show its effects. It is extremely insidious!"
"Undead?" Simbad inquired, but everyone knew this had to be something else.
"I don't think so. They don't act like this, and why destroy a perfect host?" Lorin answered, clearly thinking about it, "Of course, we can't say for certain, but I wouldn't put my money on it. My current estimation is that it is a type of light-based magic. We need the two of you, Simbad and Sion! You could shed some light on this!"
"Good to hear your humor is intact," Sion answered, a bit calmer because if Lorin had time to make puns, the situation must not be that dire.
"We are on our way!" Simbad added too.
"Lorin," Lia asked, coming out of her contemplation, "Do we know where our people went before they were attacked?"
"Yes. I already isolated the incidents to a specific region! All who returned with these symptoms accepted missions at the same 800 square-kilometer area!"
"We will be back soon; prepare everything to brief us!" Lia said, and her voice carried strength and was a clear order.
"Yes, Ma'am!" Lorin replied as they heard him standing up from his bed before the connection was cut.
"It seems," Lia murmured, looking at the golden disk in her hands, "We will utilize your knowledge in light magic."
"Gladly," Hajna answered with a pleasant voice. "I was made to help, solve problems and questions. It is good to feel alive once again."
"Can you even do that?" Keily asked, without any malice in his voice, honestly curious.
"I don't really know." Hajna sighed a little, "I ask that myself many times too."
