“It seems you’ve made it,” said a familiar, perturbed voice. It was a voice Remi hoped she would have never heard again. Unfortunately, thought Remi.
Lady Theresa had walked up beside them. Her long golden hair, perfectly coiffed, fell upon her shoulders. She placed her hands on her hips and Remi gazed at the copper leather that wrapped her arms from wrists to shoulders, laced with black ribbon. Remi’s eyes flicked to her chest, which was prominently bigger than her own, and a spike of envy shot through her. She redirected her attention to Theresa’s long sword in an attempt to distract herself and tried to count the number of tiny black gems that adorned its crimson steel sheath.
“You’re late,” observed Theresa.
“Maybe if you hadn’t shredded my book into a thousand pieces, we would have gotten here sooner,” said Remi with heavy defiance.
Baelie’s mouth dropped, appalled by Remi’s blatant disrespect of Lady Theresa. “Please excuse my sister, Lady Theresa!” said Baelie and gave the Sorian salute. “My apologies for being late!”
Baelie’s apology irritated Remi more than anything else and she rolled her eyes.
“Ah, your book,” said Theresa. “Yes, I felt … pained by your loss.” Reaching into a tiny pocket on her short steel skirt, Theresa pulled out an exact copy of the book. “Here you are,” she said, and tossed it through the air.
Remi caught the book and all her feelings of hatred toward Theresa almost vanished. She still resented her for destroying something she had owned since she was little, but she was grateful that Lady Theresa had gone to the trouble of finding her a new one. That was, until she remembered that the book had been destroyed before Theresa had a chance to see which one it was. Or so she thought. Remi suspiciously looked the book over. The cover looked identical to the original book. She opened to the first page. Her eyes grew sharp and dark as she read the first and only line of the book.
“Ha ha … Sucker!”
“You jerk!” Remi screamed, launching the book straight at Theresa’s face. But the book flew and hit nothing but the ground; Theresa had vanished. A second later Remi felt someone’s hand on her shoulder. She turned to see tears streaming down the cheeks of Theresa, who was laughing so hard she looked like she would faint from lack of oxygen.
“I – was – hoping you would – open it here!!”
Losing all composure, Remi swung her fist straight towards Theresa’s face. She felt it smack hard into something and the bones in her frail little hand seemed to crack. Her stomach lurched with the sudden explosion of pain, and looking up Remi winced, realizing what had stopped her.
Standing before her was an exotic looking woman with chocolate brown skin and twisting white hair. Her face was stern and sharp. The solid steel wall Remi had struck was actually the woman’s palm. The woman now held her crushed hand in her grip. Desperately Remi tried to pull her hand free, but it felt locked within a deadly cage of twisting fingers. Her thoughts became dark and convoluted, as if the woman were snaking into her consciousness, piecing away the very secrets of Remi’s soul and skinning them bare with a sharp dagger. Another roil of nausea overcame her and Remi wished, at that very moment, that something would free her of the bitter torment.
The woman spoke in a harsh tone with clear enunciated words, all the while her violet eyes piercing their way into her own. “Do not think for a moment, young lady of the castle, that you would not be struck down where you stand for raising your hand against one of us. The Valyti, is our realm.”
“My apologies for my ignorant sister!” said Baelie, throwing another salute. Her face was flushed with embarrassment.
The woman before Remi gave her one more piercing look and released Remi’s fist. She stood next to Theresa, who was in tears on the ground, punching it with her fist.
The instant Remi was free her senses were released, as if she had been drowning and just barely reached the surface. With every ounce of her remaining strength, she forced back tears that were not from the physical pain of her hand but rather, the force of the girl’s mind.
“Theresa,” the woman said coldly, “get up. You’re out of line.”
“My apologies,” said Theresa, rising quickly yet still smirking.
Remi cradled her throbbing hand and took in the full view of the woman before her. Other than her distinguishing features of skin color and starlight hair, she wore a similar outfit to Lady Theresa; a beautiful silver breastplate with mythril leggings and blackish silver boots laced with black ribbon. However, she wore no leather over her arms, and where Theresa wore a steel-linked mini skirt, this one had a skirt made of daggers that wrapped around her upper thighs. She met her gaze and wished she hadn’t. There was something much, much different about this one compared to Theresa. She had an aura of force about her, and Remi felt microscopic vibrations from her body. Remi froze as she read the number etched in black ink on the girl’s shoulder.
She swallowed hard – it read in one elaborate black rune the number … 4.
“Learn your place, young one of the castle,” the woman said. “For this is not the time for rash decisions and unnecessary violence. With that being said, you need not fear this place. That is, unless you do not respect it.”
Remi bit back her pride and with it her anger for Theresa. She said nothing but nodded her head. A second later she felt a gentle touch on her shoulder and the pain from her hand nearly vanished. Auric traces of green energy lifted from Remi’s fingers and she looked up into the dark girl’s eyes. They were so surreal and so mesmerizing that Remi almost couldn’t pull away from them. The feeling from before was astounding in contrast, and this time she felt a warmth like that of waking up from a long soothing nap under the shade of a tree on the most beautiful day of spring. A smile crept across her face unknowingly.
“That was pretty brave, though, openly attacking a member of the Force in this place,” the woman said. “Maybe one day you’ll have a place among us.”
Remi managed to smile. Over my dead body, she thought.
Baelie collapsed to the ground beside Remi, her forehead flat against the ground and her arms by her sides. Those words had made her entire world come crashing down. She was the one who was supposed to be getting words like that from the Force, not her stupid older sister who didn’t care.
Remi looked at Baelie, happy that something had put her younger sister in her place for once. She tossed a wrathful look at Theresa, who raised her hands, grinning.
“Come,” said the woman, “we have a few minutes before Lady Enies, the Vice Captain, will meet with you.” Remi’s eyes flickered to the center of the room, back to the woman who had been punching the pillar. She could vividly remember her ravished and bloody knuckles. Terror shot through her. Just one glance at the woman called up a visual mirage of screaming demons erupting from the flames surrounding her. She shivered as she watched her from afar, light a long wooden pipe. The woman in the center of the room was definitely the Vice Captain.
“Thank you, Lady Arya!” Baelie said, and saluted once more.
Remi turned back to look at the woman who had blocked her punch. So this is Lady Arya – I’ve heard her name many times. She stopped suddenly, remembering something about Lady Arya saving a village in Falia from a rogue Kushala Flare. Her thoughts flashed back to the sinister words of Beliosr. Her eyes grew wider as she gazed on at Lady Arya. She’s the one … who captured him!
It was during her silent observations that Remi realized Maile was nowhere in sight. Casting glances back and forth she scoured the room for her little sister, gathering a sense of worry. She finally found her, standing in front of a strange crystalline structure not too far away. There appeared to be someone, a girl, sitting cross-legged inside of it. A bright red glow emanated from something clutched within her hands. Strange it seemed, and so Remi found herself walking closer. Even more bizarre was that small rays of light raced around the woman like st
ars trying to escape. Without realizing it, Remi found herself transfixed in front of the crystalline cage. Lady Arya cast a curious gaze their way before grinning, and followed, leaving Baelie saluting where she stood.
Remi gazed in awe at the spectacle before her. The girl sitting within the crystalline structure was a Force Corps soldier with the number 8 stitched onto the shoulder of her robes. She wore all black, including her leather gloves and boots. Even her hair was midnight in color, with the exception of several strands of bright blue. Her eyes were closed and her hands reached out before her, grasping something that looked to be an exceptionally bright ruby. It had dozens of perfect facets and no matter how hard Remi stared at it she could not conjure up a thought for what it was she was staring at. It was as if the gem itself were confounding her. Inside of the brilliant ruby, swirls of energy whirled like a storm over a hidden world. But most astounding of all were the tiny flashes of light she’d seen zipping around the container. As Remi leaned in for a better view, one of the lights came to a stop directly in front of her, and Remi came face to face with a tiny white creature. It stared at her innocently for a moment as it floated in midair, and it was in that moment that Remi came to the conclusion that she had found the absolute cutest creature that ever existed.
It looked like a tiny flying kitten, blanketed in fur of such perfect white that it seemed to glow. Except for its miniature pointed ears and tail, which were completely black, and its petite pink nose, the little creature looked as if it had spent hours rolling in freshly fallen snow. The blue of its eyes were so serene that Remi almost felt lost looking into them. The instant it had made eye contact with her a calm flowed through her body, as if not even death could stir an ounce of worry from her bones. She moved round and round the container, trying to get better glimpses of the creatures. She soon found that they had tiny wings that were black on the inside and white on the outside, so that when they landed they fell beneath their withers, giving the little creature the illusion that it had no wings at all.
A soft voice broke her concentration. “They are amazing, aren’t they,” said Arya, who had appeared next to her. Remi turned to see Arya leaning her hand on the glass container.
“Are they, what I think they are?” Remi whispered, not taking her eyes from the glass. Maile was the same, entranced by their pure nature.
“Tree Spirits?” answered Arya. “Yes, these beautiful creatures are the Tree Spirits of Soria.”
“Why do you trap them in the cage?”
“Trap?” she laughed, “One cannot hope to trap these creatures. They are timeless little spirits born of the Great Trees. They entered this cage of their own free will with one purpose. Lady Zeila, who is inside at the moment, is holding one of the Sacred—a stone that holds the soul of a creature who left this world with regret. Because of that, its soul was crystallized into its heart, which became the gem she now holds. The Sacred are lost souls and constantly cry out to the Tree Spirits who will seek them out wherever they are to return them to the Great Trees. Only when they are returned to a Great Tree can their souls truly find rest. This is a part of our training, young Remi.”
“How is that training?” asked Remi quickly, irritated that they were imprisoning such ridiculously cute creatures. No matter how she put it, it sure looked like they were being kept against their will. Why else would they be acting so crazy in there? Yet deep down, she felt the need to imprison one in her room forever.
“Don’t let their looks deceive you. The Tree Spirits are tenacious little creatures. They will do all in their power to bring the Sacred back to the Great Trees. This is a test of self-control. The Valyti is the Realm of the Force, but something much more than that. Here we train to overcome all the dark pieces of our souls. To cleanse ourselves of any evils and weaknesses. A Tree Spirit will only harass those who have traces of anger or greed in their hearts, for it is that which threatens the Sacred. It takes an enormous amount of patience to overcome this task, for they are relentless and will do everything in their power to overpower you. Even now, Lady Zeila is struggling immensely. I know, because I took the longest of all the Force to surpass this challenge.” Arya smirked, no doubt remembering times from her past within the cage.
Remi stared closely at Zeila and noticed that beads of sweat poured down her face. She was trembling, and bleeding from tiny bite marks and scratches from the Tree Spirits’ attacks. They had been moving so fast Remi didn’t notice they had been attacking Zeila. The idea of completing the task made her feel dizzy and slightly sick.
“How do you overcome the training?” she asked.
“Simple,” said Arya. “Once you have eradicated all anger from your heart, the Sacred will accept you and in turn, so will the Tree Spirits. They will become calm, like the tranquility of your heart when you stare in their eyes, and they will slowly, one by one, go to sleep at your feet. It is then that one has the chance of making a pact with the soul of the Sacred within. It is an alternative method for the soul of the creature to rest easily, but it comes with high risk.”
“I don’t think I could do it,” whispered Maile. “Do all of the stones glow that color red?” she then asked. She felt drawn to its radiance.
Arya nodded. “With the exception of a few Legendary Sacred, none of which I have ever seen, most are the color of rubies. We don’t even know if the Legendary Sacred exist. To be honest, if none have ever lived to witness the presence of one, how can they?”
“What do you mean by a pact?” Maile asked, still transfixed.
Arya was quiet for a moment. “An ancient art that allows one to bind the soul of a creature with their own… . It can be dangerous at times and can even prove fatal, for the souls of two were never meant to merge. Yet sometimes, very rarely actually, they complete one another. This allows certain abilities of the creature to become your own and ultimately, a power is gifted that is so great that you would not believe me if I were to tell you.”
Remi started. “You can’t be talking about–”
But before she could finish Baelie began shouting in the distance. “Hey, what’s this?!”
With a look of frustration, Remi turned to see Baelie standing at the base of a strange amber-colored tree. It had no branches, save for one that stretched far away from its trunk, and hanging from it was something that looked like a giant beehive. Remi watched Baelie strangely from afar, seeing her inch closer and closer to the tree. And just like that, Baelie ran and jumped, soaring off the ground until she clasped onto the beehive. Remi’s mouth dropped.
“Don’t go near that!” yelled Arya, and she vanished. Wind was all that remained. Remi blinked. How are they so freaking fast? She’d never get used to that.
“C’mon Maile,” said Remi, “Baelie is totally going to get in trouble!”
X – Lady Enies
The tree was far different up close. Its trunk was dark brown in color, almost like it was painted with tints of maroon, and decorated with hundreds upon hundreds of vibrant yellow streaks that gave Remi the impression of veins streaking in a dozen different ways up the tree. Shaking a sense of dizziness, Remi stared up at the massive, honey-colored beehive. It was releasing a smell so succulent she wanted to just climb up onto the branch and sit there, sifting her hand through its core, searching for the golden honey that seemed to be calling her name. With careful consideration and much effort she pulled back, remembering Arya’s warning. She felt there was something extremely dangerous about the tree, but she couldn’t pinpoint it. Nonetheless, it seemed to call for her from afar, and she had to try with all her might to not go to it.
“Shit,” muttered Arya, yet not moving closer. The three of them watched Baelie hanging from the beehive.
“Baelie, come down,” cried Maile. “That looks dangerous!”
“Can’t you get her down?” asked Remi. How did she even get up there? That’s a big jump. She thought.
Arya cur
led her lip in shame, “Unfortunately, I wasn’t especially great at this trial either. In fact, I’ve yet to pass it. It’s hard for me to stand from this distance. Good thing there are wards.”
“If you can’t do it … then what about Baelie?” asked Maile.
They watched Baelie wrap her legs and arms around the hive and smack her lips upon it as if she were a baby desperate for the milk of its mother. Remi couldn’t help but crack a smile at the memory of her sister in silver armor, soaring through the air with her arms stretched out and a smile of supreme happiness curved across her face.
“This … isn’t going to end well, is it,” said Remi.
“Not at all,” Arya said grimly. “I wouldn’t worry about her losing her life. That is, unless she cannot pull herself free of the temptation. If I step inside the wards, I will also lose all train of thought as she has. Only fear can save her now.” She looked around but it seemed that the entire Force had turned their heads. None seemed to want to get near the tree.
“Which test is this …” asked Remi cautiously.
Arya took a deep breath, “Greed.”
All the while, Baelie was crying out in elation and digging chubby fingers into the tiny holes, ripping them apart. It was as if she was possessed, and the only thing that mattered was gracing her lips and tongue with sweet, succulent honey. Remi noticed that Arya had stopped a good distance from the beehive, and began to seriously believe that it was dangerous. Staring at the beehive once more, she once again felt the strong urge to move towards it and struggled to shake the thoughts from her mind.
Curseborn Saga - Fade to Black Page 11
