Outside of the Student Council and Lia's newfound group, nobody knew what even happened. Nobody knew their formation, and nobody even bothered to look it up in the first place. This also meant peace for the group. They had time to decorate their tower, and Ceiline also moved everything here, setting up her new, well-equipped 'laboratory.'
The first floor was turned into a spacious lounge area where they could rest, lying on big couches and sink into oversized beanbags before their newly built fireplace. They even had, by Raufon's request, a bar area, a pool table, and a fully stocked cabinet of drinks. Although the last part was reinforced with magic and locked away, the only key being with Ceiline as Lia immediately went to try to sneak a sip from some of the alcoholic beverages.
On the second floor, they created their 'Office,' where the leaders would come together, have their meetings, or interview newcomers who wanted to join the House of Misfits. It was open to every member of their organization, but only those who were prominent figures in the House of Misfits had a seat at the round table. Which, for now, meant everyone.
Going up another floor, it was completely remodeled, separated into eight rooms, and built up from the ground in the coming week. It was designed to house eight people with eight different rooms, all tailored to one of the elements. Opparu was hired with a bit of persuasion to etch a meditation circle into them. They would act as private rooms for the 'Eight Leaders,' heads of the different groups of Misfits. For now, only the Fire, Water, Darkness, Light, and Earth rooms were finished, the rest standing empty, waiting for their occupants. From this floor onward, future members could only come up with an invitation, especially because the next floors housed Ceiline's laboratory, their own little library, and the 'observatory,' which remained empty for now.
While they were marveling at their new base of operation, thousands of kilometers away, in the castle of the 1st branch of the House of Amarin, Reyra was standing in a circular, empty room. She stood on a complex formation, which was glowing in soft, white light. The empty room slowly darkened until the only light that remained was coming from below her naked feet. Soon, before her, five silhouettes started to manifest from nothing. All of them were see-through projections and fuzzy images at first before they took their correct shape.
At the outmost left of her field of view stood a tall and lean man, wearing a red, elegant robe, his hands crossed behind his back. His red hair cascaded down to his shoulders, propped up by two twirling horns growing from his forehead. He was the Head of House Nerifit, Kaznak, a mage at the 6th, Extremi level. It was rumored he was looking to break through, but those rumors were floating around already when Reyra started her adventure, traveling Meriath.
Next to him stood the projection of a woman, reaching to his chest only. His figure was shaped like an hourglass as she wore an outfit best suited for an exotic dancer, barely covering the most intimate parts of her suntanned body. Her long hair was braided into two strands, long enough to touch the ground behind her as with every move she made, her multiple jewels gave out chiming noises. She was the current head of the House of Ro, named Dalal, a mage at the 7th stage, a Supri.
As Reyra's eyes traveled forward, she glanced at another woman standing just as tall as Kaznak. She was wearing simple clothes, a thick sweater with joggers that barely could hide her curvy, well-adorned figure, making Reyra involuntarily click her tongue. She tried to only briefly glance at the woman named Rinzen. Her white hair, with a tinge of light blue, was messy beyond belief as she stifled a yawn, her eyes having dark circles under them. She was the current head of House Berison, and even though she was only at the 5th stage, Speciali, nobody would dismiss her actual prowess. Many said she was the best candidate to catch up to Reyra as she was only 17 years old and already was named the head of House Berison.
As Reyra moved her eyes, the following image finally stabilized, forming a colossal figure of a man, with a belly as if he had eaten someone whole. His bald head was tattooed with different images of stars and formations, and the black ink was as if it was flowing, moving in a mysterious pattern. He was wearing thick fur clothing, holding a big jug of beer in his right hand, and letting out an earth-shattering belch, making his holographic image flicker. Everyone just looked at him, but he ignored them in return, picking his nose with his free hand, letting the many more flowing tattoos show as his sleeve fell backward.
"Lakhmu…" Reyra murmured, finding it hard to hold back her laugh.
He was the leader of House Marduk, and he was already at the 8th stage, Magi Legendri when Reyra was born. Many say the two were the current competitors to decide who would lead the six families, but Reyra always looked up to him and would defer to his decision most of the time. She could not help but admire his nonchalant attitude and the free-thinking mindset with which he approached most problems. There was a part of Reyra that wished to fight him… to see who was the stronger… but that did not mean she would want to forcefully climb above him.
"You are still an ugly bastard, inside and out." A voice spoke up as the last image stabilized.
It came from a relatively thin, old man, hunched forward, leaning onto a giant walking stick. He wore a huge turtle shell on his back, and his neck was just as elongated as a turtle's. His body was constantly shaking as if he was freezing, but nobody would dare to laugh at him or try and tease him. Maybe only Lakhmu. The last man was the oldest living person in all of Meriath. He was the head of House Honu, named Rangi, a mage at the 7th stage, Supri. He was already over 3000 years old. His master, from whom he inherited his position of Head of House Honu, was one of the original Sages, fighting alongside all of the other Houses' founders. He was their closest link to those ancient days and to the lost ages predating the Dark Ages.
"Ahahaha, you know me, geezer! I always say it is best to let it out than to bottle it up inside!" Lakhmu laughed, raising his mug, downing the bear in big gulps before throwing it back, and the sound of things shattering traveled forward. "Whoops!" He looked over his shoulder, laughing, shaking his head, "Well, whatever! So? What happened that you called us to a meeting Little Pepper?" he slapped his giant belly, letting it dance as he looked at Reyra.
The rest remained silent, even if they wanted to say something; his question diverted their thoughts, all looking at Reyra's image.
"Two things." She said, looking at them, "Let's get the unimportant one out of the way. I received a request from my daughter. She wants us to announce an official pardon for the old royal bloodline of Kalabas."
"Who?" Asked Kaznak, tilting his head and furrowing his brows.
"Never heard of them." Dalal crossed her arms, scratching her chin, trying to recall while Rinzen remained unbothered as if she was not even paying attention to the meeting.
"They are a small family that was punished by the previous ruler of the Institute," Rangi explained to them, and Reyra was not surprised he would know about it. She also had to look it up when she received her daughter's letter, but the old man only thought briefly before finding the necessary knowledge.
"Hunchy-munchy, is there a family you don't know about?" Lakhmu giggled, watching the projection of the old turtle beast folk, maybe the only of the Six who would dare speak to him like that.
"Unlike your cheese-filled head, I remember all the instances when our names are invoked on the outside! They were branded as a Heretic family." He continued, explaining the same history that Opparu told Lia.
"Beh, who cares? It was then! I'm okay with a pardon!" Lakhmu waved his hand.
"Agreed," Dalal said quickly while Kaznak also nodded. When Rinzen remained silent, Reyra finally scratched her throat, loud enough that it made her image flicker on their sides. It finally shook awake the quiet member of their meeting… as she was genuinely sleeping with her eyes wide open.
"Ah… yes? What is it?" Rinzen flinched, looking around, blinking her eyes, confused.
"Yes?" Reyra asked while she nodded, still not knowing what was happening. "Good!" She clapped, not wanting to start explaining or dealing with the weird girl at all. "Master Rangi?"
"Mhm." The old man nodded, "Let it be a unanimous decision. So… what is the real reason you summoned us? This is not something that you needed all of us for!"
"My firstborn has disappeared."
Her sudden words turned everyone's face serious, straightening their bodies, and even Lakhmu wiped off the grin that always hung on his face. They all knew Razael's strength, who was at the 6th level, an Extremi. He rebuilt his mother's group, taking up the name 'Vanquisher,' and was leading one of if not the strongest group of adventurers. If he went missing… there was trouble brewing.
"Is he…" Rinzen spoke up, but Reyra snapped at her.
"His candle is still burning in the Hall of Heroes." She said, shutting her up instantly by just the dark look she projected towards her. Finally, it softened as Reyra took a deep breath. "Sorry."
"It's fine…." Rinzen murmured.
"He was pursuing a group of Undead that was acting strange. I had lost contact with him for months by now. His last message was that they found an underground labyrinth and went in to pursue them. They were in your territory." Reyra turned towards Rangi, who raised his eyebrows.
"I don't know anything like that on my part of Meriath…." He murmured.
"That is my main concern." Reyra nodded, "I already contacted some of your underlings for help and to verify the clues he left behind before going silent. There is no underground labyrinth where my son disappeared. There is NOTHING there."
Besides being surprised, everyone, including Rangi, felt a chill run down their spine. Nobody questioned the validity of the news. It was Reyra and Razael they were talking about. Someone like them would not make such a mistake.
"I'll look into it." The old turtle nodded heavily.
"Thank you, Master Rangi." Reyra bowed, "My husband is already on his way toward you, along with Parthorn. Please let them join in with you."
"No problem." He said, leaning on his walking stick.
"I'll send out my men," Lakhmu said, his voice booming. "We had many centuries laced with peace! You all know what the ancient always said in times like this!"
"It is the calm before the storm…." Kaznak whispered as it was his own ancestor who wrote those words down first. "I'll spread out my men too and search for clues. It can be a work of a dimensional trap; there were old tales about shifting pocket realms, leading to different parts of Meriath."
"Or to No-Space," Dalan added, but she just smiled before Reyra would divert an angry look at her. "My desert has such a ruin. It has been blocked off by us for over a millennium. You can come and visit it if you want. You may find clues here."
"I may do that." Reyra nodded, not wanting to leave everything to fate.
"I'll help too." Rinzen opened her mouth, yawning once again. "I am close to Master Rangi's territory."
"Oh?" The old turtle looked at her, "Are you out, traveling?"
"Yes." She said, tussling her hair. "I'll come soon…." Mubmled as she left first.
"If we find anything, we will contact you." Lakhmu pointed a thumbs up at Reyra, "Razael is a strong one, Little Pepper! Chin up!"
Soon the others also left, and the room returned to its natural colors, lighting up, chasing the unnatural darkness away. Reyra took a deep breath before walking out and her third son, Solren was waiting there. He was tall, reaching 180 centimeters in height. He was wearing a looser, black robe with a white shirt under it, displaying his well-built but not overly muscular body.
"How did it go, mom?" He asked, tucking his dark-blonde hair behind his ears, his blue eyes hiding his anxiousness. He returned as soon as he heard that his big brother had gone missing, wanting to bring a contingent of the 4th branch to the east.
"They'll help. We now need to wait. We can't do everything alone, so we Six split up Meriath between us."
"Damned zombies…" he clicked his tongue, walking with his mother, "I still say we should go and follow big brother's steps with a part of our army!"
"That is useless now. I'll go to the territory of House Ro and check on what Dalal mentioned."
"Take precautions, mother!" Solren warned, "We are not exactly on friendly terms with them…."
"Ahaha, we may not be best of friends, but you think they would do something against me?" Reyra laughed.
"There were times when Houses butted heads!" He warned again.
"I'm not against a little bit of fun and stretching my muscles if it comes to that! But I wouldn't think they would do something THAT stupid."
"Maybe." Solren said, tilting his head, sighing softly, "Maybe I'm too used to dealing with the corruption that the Undead spread… how they manipulate people and infect their minds like some kind of virus…."
"Take a break!" Reyra stopped, stretching up to rub her son's back. "Don't turn into a paranoid wreck, Solren~."
"I'll try my best, mother!" He smiled, leaning forward, hugging her firmly. "Maybe I'll go and visit the little chili bean! It was a long time since I saw her!"
"Good idea!" Reyra grinned, easing her and her son's mood, "Don't tell her what happened yet! She has to focus on school."
"..." Solren fell silent as… he couldn't bring himself to lie… and her mother knew that too. "I'll try to avoid the topic."
"That would be the best~" She giggled, looking up at him.
Corty Hans.Trondheim, A fellow author, and friend here made some really awesome chibi art for the story~ Check it out; I think they turned out awesome! As those of you who read the codex chapters may have seen the book's cover and the six images there and may have guessed they are the crests of the Six Houses~ Hans.Trondheim was kind enough to make it into a better image, giving it a little bit of flare with the trio's colors~!
Spoiler [collapse]As I said, he is also an author, and if you are into modern-day, slice-of-life stories sprinkled with a supernatural mystery in the form of time traveling, then check out his story here! The Ballad of the School Hallways
Outside of the Student Council and Lia's newfound group, nobody knew what even happened. Nobody knew their formation, and nobody even bothered to look it up in the first place. This also meant peace for the group. They had time to decorate their tower, and Ceiline also moved everything here, setting up her new, well-equipped 'laboratory.'
The first floor was turned into a spacious lounge area where they could rest, lying on big couches and sink into oversized beanbags before their newly built fireplace. They even had, by Raufon's request, a bar area, a pool table, and a fully stocked cabinet of drinks. Although the last part was reinforced with magic and locked away, the only key being with Ceiline as Lia immediately went to try to sneak a sip from some of the alcoholic beverages.
On the second floor, they created their 'Office,' where the leaders would come together, have their meetings, or interview newcomers who wanted to join the House of Misfits. It was open to every member of their organization, but only those who were prominent figures in the House of Misfits had a seat at the round table. Which, for now, meant everyone.
Going up another floor, it was completely remodeled, separated into eight rooms, and built up from the ground in the coming week. It was designed to house eight people with eight different rooms, all tailored to one of the elements. Opparu was hired with a bit of persuasion to etch a meditation circle into them. They would act as private rooms for the 'Eight Leaders,' heads of the different groups of Misfits. For now, only the Fire, Water, Darkness, Light, and Earth rooms were finished, the rest standing empty, waiting for their occupants. From this floor onward, future members could only come up with an invitation, especially because the next floors housed Ceiline's laboratory, their own little library, and the 'observatory,' which remained empty for now.
While they were marveling at their new base of operation, thousands of kilometers away, in the castle of the 1st branch of the House of Amarin, Reyra was standing in a circular, empty room. She stood on a complex formation, which was glowing in soft, white light. The empty room slowly darkened until the only light that remained was coming from below her naked feet. Soon, before her, five silhouettes started to manifest from nothing. All of them were see-through projections and fuzzy images at first before they took their correct shape.
At the outmost left of her field of view stood a tall and lean man, wearing a red, elegant robe, his hands crossed behind his back. His red hair cascaded down to his shoulders, propped up by two twirling horns growing from his forehead. He was the Head of House Nerifit, Kaznak, a mage at the 6th, Extremi level. It was rumored he was looking to break through, but those rumors were floating around already when Reyra started her adventure, traveling Meriath.
Next to him stood the projection of a woman, reaching to his chest only. His figure was shaped like an hourglass as she wore an outfit best suited for an exotic dancer, barely covering the most intimate parts of her suntanned body. Her long hair was braided into two strands, long enough to touch the ground behind her as with every move she made, her multiple jewels gave out chiming noises. She was the current head of the House of Ro, named Dalal, a mage at the 7th stage, a Supri.
As Reyra's eyes traveled forward, she glanced at another woman standing just as tall as Kaznak. She was wearing simple clothes, a thick sweater with joggers that barely could hide her curvy, well-adorned figure, making Reyra involuntarily click her tongue. She tried to only briefly glance at the woman named Rinzen. Her white hair, with a tinge of light blue, was messy beyond belief as she stifled a yawn, her eyes having dark circles under them. She was the current head of House Berison, and even though she was only at the 5th stage, Speciali, nobody would dismiss her actual prowess. Many said she was the best candidate to catch up to Reyra as she was only 17 years old and already was named the head of House Berison.
As Reyra moved her eyes, the following image finally stabilized, forming a colossal figure of a man, with a belly as if he had eaten someone whole. His bald head was tattooed with different images of stars and formations, and the black ink was as if it was flowing, moving in a mysterious pattern. He was wearing thick fur clothing, holding a big jug of beer in his right hand, and letting out an earth-shattering belch, making his holographic image flicker. Everyone just looked at him, but he ignored them in return, picking his nose with his free hand, letting the many more flowing tattoos show as his sleeve fell backward.
"Lakhmu…" Reyra murmured, finding it hard to hold back her laugh.
He was the leader of House Marduk, and he was already at the 8th stage, Magi Legendri when Reyra was born. Many say the two were the current competitors to decide who would lead the six families, but Reyra always looked up to him and would defer to his decision most of the time. She could not help but admire his nonchalant attitude and the free-thinking mindset with which he approached most problems. There was a part of Reyra that wished to fight him… to see who was the stronger… but that did not mean she would want to forcefully climb above him.
"You are still an ugly bastard, inside and out." A voice spoke up as the last image stabilized.
It came from a relatively thin, old man, hunched forward, leaning onto a giant walking stick. He wore a huge turtle shell on his back, and his neck was just as elongated as a turtle's. His body was constantly shaking as if he was freezing, but nobody would dare to laugh at him or try and tease him. Maybe only Lakhmu. The last man was the oldest living person in all of Meriath. He was the head of House Honu, named Rangi, a mage at the 7th stage, Supri. He was already over 3000 years old. His master, from whom he inherited his position of Head of House Honu, was one of the original Sages, fighting alongside all of the other Houses' founders. He was their closest link to those ancient days and to the lost ages predating the Dark Ages.
"Ahahaha, you know me, geezer! I always say it is best to let it out than to bottle it up inside!" Lakhmu laughed, raising his mug, downing the bear in big gulps before throwing it back, and the sound of things shattering traveled forward. "Whoops!" He looked over his shoulder, laughing, shaking his head, "Well, whatever! So? What happened that you called us to a meeting Little Pepper?" he slapped his giant belly, letting it dance as he looked at Reyra.
The rest remained silent, even if they wanted to say something; his question diverted their thoughts, all looking at Reyra's image.
"Two things." She said, looking at them, "Let's get the unimportant one out of the way. I received a request from my daughter. She wants us to announce an official pardon for the old royal bloodline of Kalabas."
"Who?" Asked Kaznak, tilting his head and furrowing his brows.
"Never heard of them." Dalal crossed her arms, scratching her chin, trying to recall while Rinzen remained unbothered as if she was not even paying attention to the meeting.
"They are a small family that was punished by the previous ruler of the Institute," Rangi explained to them, and Reyra was not surprised he would know about it. She also had to look it up when she received her daughter's letter, but the old man only thought briefly before finding the necessary knowledge.
"Hunchy-munchy, is there a family you don't know about?" Lakhmu giggled, watching the projection of the old turtle beast folk, maybe the only of the Six who would dare speak to him like that.
"Unlike your cheese-filled head, I remember all the instances when our names are invoked on the outside! They were branded as a Heretic family." He continued, explaining the same history that Opparu told Lia.
"Beh, who cares? It was then! I'm okay with a pardon!" Lakhmu waved his hand.
"Agreed," Dalal said quickly while Kaznak also nodded. When Rinzen remained silent, Reyra finally scratched her throat, loud enough that it made her image flicker on their sides. It finally shook awake the quiet member of their meeting… as she was genuinely sleeping with her eyes wide open.
"Ah… yes? What is it?" Rinzen flinched, looking around, blinking her eyes, confused.
"Yes?" Reyra asked while she nodded, still not knowing what was happening. "Good!" She clapped, not wanting to start explaining or dealing with the weird girl at all. "Master Rangi?"
"Mhm." The old man nodded, "Let it be a unanimous decision. So… what is the real reason you summoned us? This is not something that you needed all of us for!"
"My firstborn has disappeared."
Her sudden words turned everyone's face serious, straightening their bodies, and even Lakhmu wiped off the grin that always hung on his face. They all knew Razael's strength, who was at the 6th level, an Extremi. He rebuilt his mother's group, taking up the name 'Vanquisher,' and was leading one of if not the strongest group of adventurers. If he went missing… there was trouble brewing.
"Is he…" Rinzen spoke up, but Reyra snapped at her.
"His candle is still burning in the Hall of Heroes." She said, shutting her up instantly by just the dark look she projected towards her. Finally, it softened as Reyra took a deep breath. "Sorry."
"It's fine…." Rinzen murmured.
"He was pursuing a group of Undead that was acting strange. I had lost contact with him for months by now. His last message was that they found an underground labyrinth and went in to pursue them. They were in your territory." Reyra turned towards Rangi, who raised his eyebrows.
"I don't know anything like that on my part of Meriath…." He murmured.
"That is my main concern." Reyra nodded, "I already contacted some of your underlings for help and to verify the clues he left behind before going silent. There is no underground labyrinth where my son disappeared. There is NOTHING there."
Besides being surprised, everyone, including Rangi, felt a chill run down their spine. Nobody questioned the validity of the news. It was Reyra and Razael they were talking about. Someone like them would not make such a mistake.
"I'll look into it." The old turtle nodded heavily.
"Thank you, Master Rangi." Reyra bowed, "My husband is already on his way toward you, along with Parthorn. Please let them join in with you."
"No problem." He said, leaning on his walking stick.
"I'll send out my men," Lakhmu said, his voice booming. "We had many centuries laced with peace! You all know what the ancient always said in times like this!"
"It is the calm before the storm…." Kaznak whispered as it was his own ancestor who wrote those words down first. "I'll spread out my men too and search for clues. It can be a work of a dimensional trap; there were old tales about shifting pocket realms, leading to different parts of Meriath."
"Or to No-Space," Dalan added, but she just smiled before Reyra would divert an angry look at her. "My desert has such a ruin. It has been blocked off by us for over a millennium. You can come and visit it if you want. You may find clues here."
"I may do that." Reyra nodded, not wanting to leave everything to fate.
"I'll help too." Rinzen opened her mouth, yawning once again. "I am close to Master Rangi's territory."
"Oh?" The old turtle looked at her, "Are you out, traveling?"
"Yes." She said, tussling her hair. "I'll come soon…." Mubmled as she left first.
"If we find anything, we will contact you." Lakhmu pointed a thumbs up at Reyra, "Razael is a strong one, Little Pepper! Chin up!"
Soon the others also left, and the room returned to its natural colors, lighting up, chasing the unnatural darkness away. Reyra took a deep breath before walking out and her third son, Solren was waiting there. He was tall, reaching 180 centimeters in height. He was wearing a looser, black robe with a white shirt under it, displaying his well-built but not overly muscular body.
"How did it go, mom?" He asked, tucking his dark-blonde hair behind his ears, his blue eyes hiding his anxiousness. He returned as soon as he heard that his big brother had gone missing, wanting to bring a contingent of the 4th branch to the east.
"They'll help. We now need to wait. We can't do everything alone, so we Six split up Meriath between us."
"Damned zombies…" he clicked his tongue, walking with his mother, "I still say we should go and follow big brother's steps with a part of our army!"
"That is useless now. I'll go to the territory of House Ro and check on what Dalal mentioned."
"Take precautions, mother!" Solren warned, "We are not exactly on friendly terms with them…."
"Ahaha, we may not be best of friends, but you think they would do something against me?" Reyra laughed.
"There were times when Houses butted heads!" He warned again.
"I'm not against a little bit of fun and stretching my muscles if it comes to that! But I wouldn't think they would do something THAT stupid."
"Maybe." Solren said, tilting his head, sighing softly, "Maybe I'm too used to dealing with the corruption that the Undead spread… how they manipulate people and infect their minds like some kind of virus…."
"Take a break!" Reyra stopped, stretching up to rub her son's back. "Don't turn into a paranoid wreck, Solren~."
"I'll try my best, mother!" He smiled, leaning forward, hugging her firmly. "Maybe I'll go and visit the little chili bean! It was a long time since I saw her!"
"Good idea!" Reyra grinned, easing her and her son's mood, "Don't tell her what happened yet! She has to focus on school."
"..." Solren fell silent as… he couldn't bring himself to lie… and her mother knew that too. "I'll try to avoid the topic."
"That would be the best~" She giggled, looking up at him.
Corty Hans.Trondheim, A fellow author, and friend here made some really awesome chibi art for the story~ Check it out; I think they turned out awesome! As those of you who read the codex chapters may have seen the book's cover and the six images there and may have guessed they are the crests of the Six Houses~ Hans.Trondheim was kind enough to make it into a better image, giving it a little bit of flare with the trio's colors~!
Spoiler [collapse]As I said, he is also an author, and if you are into modern-day, slice-of-life stories sprinkled with a supernatural mystery in the form of time traveling, then check out his story here! The Ballad of the School Hallways
