Notes: A sentence written in English that is italicized in dialogue means that a language other than English is being spoken, and has been 'translated' by the omnipotent narrator for your convenience.138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEn0GHPJ48c
"Please! Make yourselves at home!" Alva cheered out, her eyes alit with excitement as she scampered around her messy tent. "I'll give you my findings in a bit. I need to sort through the translations first!"138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFTKC7P3J9O
Noriko, Brian, and Aden stood behind the tent entrance, observing the carelessly thrown scrap paper and wafer wrappings. There was nowhere to sit it was so messy.
Noting the three teen's awkward, silent standing, she speedily brushed a few floor cushions of random junk. "So sorry! It's kind of a mess in here! I'm usually so focused on my work that I forget to clean this place up! You can sit on these and wait."
"…You don't get very many visitors I'm assuming?" Noriko questioned, quietly settling down on a cushion with grace and ease. Brian tried to sit on one, but found its comfort to be nonexistent, and scooted to the hard floor instead. Aden settled down on his cushion, and rocked back and forth, spacing out and observing every nook and cranny of the tent.
"No, not really. Everyone just lets me attend to my own business." Alva explained, taking a seat in her desk and opening one of the top drawers, surfing through her files. "This is my very first big mission. I don't know many people from the ship."
"What exactly do you do?" inquired Brian. Not that he was actually interested. The talking was just something for him to zone out to. Man, that food was good…
"I do a lot of things, actually. I'm a historian, an archeologist, and a culturalist. Basically, I study all things from the past." The elf answered, pulling out a file and skimming through the pages contained inside. "Sometimes I do field work; like traversing through ruins and collecting things I find interesting. I study old languages and try to translate them. I develop theories on how old civilizations functioned. That kind of thing." Alva subtly nodded her head, and pulled out a few select pieces of written paper.
Setting the folder on top of her desk, she moved from the said desk to a cushion in front of the humans. "Here they are…let’s see…" She silently read through her translations for a bit, and then eagerly nodded her head. "Yeah, this all seems too coincidental to not be a possibility." She switched her attention to the gem on Aden's hand. "So I noticed Brian and Aden have gems on their bodies. I imagine that's not a normal thing for your kind?"
"No." Noriko quickly shook her head, and then parted her bangs, showcasing the square gem on her forehead. "I have one too. Diantha has one on her naval. We have no idea how or why we have them." The one-armed girl straightened her bangs again, trying to ignore the uncomfortable metallic feeling she was noticing now that the topic was brought up. "They seem to be tied to our powers however."
“Powers! Yes! I remember you mentioning that." Alva suddenly exclaimed; her eyes wide at the recollection. "What powers exactly?"
"Brian has super strength, and also seems to be able to hear things from long distances. That’s how he found you even though we were so far away." Noriko began to explain, pointing her finger at Brian, who would have rather stated his supposed powers himself and glared at Noriko with annoyance. "According to Diantha and Brian, Aden can affect people’s emotions." Noriko flipped her finger over to the other boy next to her, who wasn't paying attention to the conversation. The one-armed girl noted this, and lightly shook the red-head's shoulders, dragging his head out of the clouds.
Noriko continued. "Diantha seems to have super speed…and maybe also…pyrokinesis?"
"Pyrokiwha?" Slurred out Brian. "Speak English."
"Fire powers." Noriko deadpanned, growing tired of Brian’s blatant stupidity. "She set that stump on fire, remember?"
"So that's why we saw that smoke trail!" Alva suddenly exclaimed, relieved that one of the mysteries she had witnessed in her lifetime had been solved. "Everyone was very nonchalant about it but I was too concerned to not investigate it. The smoke was why I was out in the forest today in the first place."
"…Hmph, guess Diantha isn't completely useless after all." Muttered Brian, crossing his arms and staring off to the side. Aden was now unusually focused on the conversation, frantically glancing between the three individuals before him and listening to every breath and sniffle.
"…As for me." Noriko continued. "I seem to be able to read people's minds, but I've only done it once."
Alva absorbed all the info she was presented with, and shook her head. "It isn't even a theory anymore at this point. It just might be a straight up fact."
"Could you quit with the bullshit and tell us what you think already?" Brian growled. He just wanted to go back to their tent and sleep already.
Alva was seemingly unbothered by Brian’s rude tone, and nodded her head. "Sorry, sorry. I know you all are probably exhausted. I'll cut straight to the chase." Alva cleared her throat, and showcased one of the papers in her hands. "You saw these statues in the temple you woke up in, correct?"
Noriko, Aden, and Brian strained their necks to study the simple sketches of the statues them and Diantha had seen in the second floor of that white palace. The three nodded in confirmation.
Aden subtly gripped the page, giving Alva a pleading gaze. He didn't even need to say anything. Alva easily let Aden have the paper, and the red-head stared intently at the sketches in awe.
"Those statues represent four gods an ancient civilization, called the Natmakkal, used to worship; called the ‘Ti Nanku Natcattirankal’ or ‘The Four Stars.’ Interestingly enough, according to various pieces of art from the other ruins back in homeland, this ancient civilization was composed of beings similar to your appearance, named ‘humans.’” Alva shook her head, realizing she was straying from the topic. “Each one has a gem on a specific part of their body, shaped in a particular way." Alva explained, and strained her arm; pointing at each of the individual sketches. "Civappu matches Aden's gem placement, Nilam matches Brian’s gem placement, Uta matches yours, and I'm assuming Ruj matches Diantha's gem placement."
"So what does this mean?" Noriko prodded for a clear, concise answer.
Alva cleared her throat, ready to truly give her theory. "I think, and this is all just speculation. I haven't translated all the text from the walls in that temple yet. I think…that you four are reincarnations of the four gods I just described, or more likely chosen vessels of some sort, since you seem to have general memories of a world unlike our own."
…
"No way!" Brian exclaimed, abruptly standing up from the floor and shuffling out of the tent faster than Noriko could protest. "Nope! Nope! I'm done! Nope! Goodnight!"
Aden clasped his hands together, in fervent prayer. "Jesus, God and Mary forgive me, I have been possessed by the Devil."The small boy tearfully muttered over and over again in Spanish.
Noriko blinked at the theory. "That's…" She trailed off, and after a few moments of thought, widened her eyes as the idea…began to make sense. "That…could be a possibility!" She surprisingly concluded.
It certainly sounded farfetched in terms of the reasoning of Earth, but this wasn't Earth. This was Kirakam, and if they somehow transported to a different world then well…anything was possible!
"…But why?" She prodded for more info. They had a theory to explain part of this puzzle, but not all of it. "Why are we here? What are we supposed to do? How do we return home?"
Alva lowered her head somberly. "I do not know." The elf answered with half-lidded eyes. "It’ll take time to complete my research of the temple. I’m sorry."
Noriko bit her lip and let out a small, deep sigh, rubbing her hands against her temple. "Of course. It’s fine. We can wait for more information. We don't really have much of a choice."
The one armed-girl turned her attention to the still praying Aden next to her, and she gently tugged on the rain poncho they wore. Aden was snapped out of his panic and gazed worriedly at Noriko. "N-Noriko! What I do?! Need holy water!"
"You’re fine, Aden." She tried to reassure the small boy, standing up and pulling him with her. "You’re not possessed by a demon."
"Yeah! The demons are very reclusive. They live out in the hot desert near the center of Periyatu. Doubt you'd find one here to kidnap you!" Alva joined in on comforting Aden, and earned confused looks from both of the teens. "…Oh…are you two talking about something different?"
"…I…think Aden and I need to rest for a bit." Noriko reasoned, leading the still anxious, yet much less panicky Aden towards the tent exit. "We can talk more about this later, hopefully when Diantha is back on her feet so she can be filled in."
"Is Diantha ok?" Aden quietly questioned Alva with teary eyes.
The elf for once seemed to have an answer. "Elfrida told me about her condition during dinner. Diantha hasn't awoken yet, but she appears to be recovering." Alva reassured Aden as he left with Noriko. "I hope you three rest easy now!"
Noriko and Aden exited the tent, shivering at the cold breeze that blew against their bodies.
It was so dark, which way led to their tent again?
Before Noriko could determine the answer to her question; a scream alerted the two humans, and they quickly gathered towards the commotion not too far from where they stood.
A small crowd surrounded a tiger cub, who was white as snow. He was curled up in a ball, mewling in fear.
"Go away!" Whimpered the cub. "Don't hurt me!" Those were the words that Aden heard from the poor little tiger.
Hyper alert from the stress, Aden saw in the corner of his eye a soldier wielding a large, sharp sword. Not the safe ones Elric and Gonzalo used in their duel. The dangerous ones.
This soldier marched towards the tiger cub. He warned the civilians to stand back and raised his weapon; preparing to strike. In that moment the world slowed to a stop.
Aden only had a few seconds; a few seconds to comprehend the situation before he zoomed towards the cub and pulled it into a tight embrace. He curled up into a ball, shielding it from any danger.
"No!" He screeched out with all his might.
He heard a thudding sound near him, and peaked open an eye when he heard the distressed yelps off the soldier he protected the cub from.
A vigorous vine was wrapped around the soldier’s wrists. The more he struggled, the tighter the vine held onto his arms, practically immobilizing him.
Bramble bushes protectively surrounded Aden, which grew out of thin air. His monstrous tiger-like roar echoed across the camp; alerting the nearby elves separate from the commotion.
As for the sword; it laid right in front of the small boy, embedded in the wet dirt.
For a moment, there was only pure silence. Some were in awe. Others were beyond horrified at what they witnessed.
A second soldier quickly cut the first one free from the vine, and the first one picked up his fallen sword, towering over Aden and sternly glaring at him. "Move aside boy. That thing's dangerous."
Aden shook like a leaf, speechless and on the brink of tears. He hugged the whimpering cub closer to his body, and let out a frightened whine, hiding his face from the guard.
It was at this point that Noriko regained her senses and sprinted between Aden and the soldier, previously in complete shock at the events that unfolded. She stood in front of Aden defensively; her black skirt rubbed against the sharp bramble thorns. "It's just a cub. It won't hurt anyone." She reasoned; trying to calm the two soldiers down. "Let it go. If you kill it, its mother will smell the blood and follow the scent, and then we'll have a truly dangerous creature in the camp-"
"We can handle a tiger, big or small." Countered the second soldier, glaring at the tiny girl before her. "Kill them both and there'll be less predators to hunt the food-"
"And that's called damaging the ecosystem!" Noriko retorted, pointing at the forest far behind her. "It's just a cub! Killing it would be pointless and cruel-"
"What's going on?!" Alva questioned with worry. She had heard the commotion, and quickly stood by the girl's side. "What happened?!"
"That tiny boy is holding a damn tiger cub!" Answered the first soldier. "And this Lengese brat is trying to tell us that killing what will eventually grow into a ferocious monster is wrong!"
"…Because it is wrong!" Alva quickly defended the two teens, glaring sternly at the two soldiers, her hands on her hips. "It’s just a cub! A defenseless baby! Leave it alone! Let it go back to its mother-"
"And why should I listen to the opinions of two women?!"
Noriko widened her eyes at the remark, and Alva was completely stunned to silence. All this time; the brambles around Aden overgrew and formed a protective dome around him. He shook in fear and waited for the voices he couldn't discern to subside.
***
Brian’s restless resting was interrupted by a monstrous roar in the distance.
He figured a good nap would clear his mind of the absurd theory that he was just given…it looked like he wasn’t going to get that.
Although he hated to admit it, that roar he just heard scared him to his very core. It sounded…unnatural. It made his stomach twist.
Another roar; louder and closer, filled Brian’s ears. Two names echoed in his head.
Aden! Noriko!
He jumped up from his bedroll without a single thought and sprinted out of the tent.
***
Alva grew to become absolutely livid by what the soldier stated. Her voice was laced with venom as her eyes darkened. "Now you listen here-"
“Why don't you shut that pretty mouth of yours and prance back to your home town up north! I'm sure there's plenty of Nordic suitors wanting your hand in marriage!” Even the second guard was getting uncomfortable with his partner's statements, and scooted a ways away from them as the first guard continued. “Ever since our king passed the ERW Act 10 years ago our country has only gone downhill! Women among the same level as men?! What absurd law will our king pass next?! Gay marriage?! Equal Rights for Giant citizens?!” The first soldier turned to the audience; as if trying to convince them of his reasoning.
Some were shaking their heads in disgust at the soldier’s words; a good majority however, surprisingly, were actually cheering at the soldier's speech. The first soldier smirked at this. “Don’t you see! We're weakening our war-ridden country by letting our potential mothers ‘play historian-‘”
The first soldier was suddenly wacked in the head with a black parasol. Dr. Elfrida stood among the center of the gathering, her eyes glaring daggers at the moaning soldier. “Keep your personal opinions out of official business, swine.” She muttered in abhorrence.
She turned her head to the second soldier, who flinched, curtsied, and quickly escaped to the river. Dr. Elfrida then turned her gaze to the crowd; her voice booming out commands. "We will release the cub back into the forest. Go about your business."
And everyone did. Even those who were on the first soldier’s side. Even the first soldier himself, although begrudgingly.
It was clear as day that Dr. Elfrida was not an elf anyone wanted to mess with.
The doctor hurriedly paced towards Alva; who's anger had long since dissipated. What was left was a saddened; insecure mess. The light-haired elf crossed her arms over her chest, staring the oh-so-interesting ground. “…You shouldn’t have done that. You could get in trouble.”
“You think I care?” Dr. Elfrida scoffed, brushing her fingers through Alva’s hair. “Let them report me to Gonzalo. I’ll tell them the basics of the situation and he’ll take my side.”
Alva shrunk in size as the comments the soldier made repeated in her head. The doctor noted this. "…Hey…don't listen to him." She urged; cupping Alva's face and gazing at the historian with soft eyes. "You deserve this job. You deserve to pursue this passion. Your brother would be so proud of you right now."
Alva did not respond, she continued to bite her lip, fighting back tears.
"Do you want Gonzalo to know you were involved in this?"
Alva vigorously shook her head, fidgeting with her loose ponytail. "He doesn't need to know, besides, asking another man to defend me? That will only prove his point…"
Noriko watched the surprisingly gentle Elfrida comfort and care for the distressed Alva, and then glanced behind herself; beholding the bramble dome. After a moment of surprise at the sight; she cautiously stuck her hand into the bushes, and pushed a hole open. A still frightened Aden was found inside; who gently pat and cradled the tiger cub.
"Are you okay?" She asked in a soft whisper.
The red-head slowly nodded. He mewled at the cub a question, who mewled back an answer. "…The cub fine too." He added.
Noriko was suddenly shaken from behind. She nearly fell to the ground; startled and staring at the tall, grumpy Brian who decided to show his face.
"What happened?" He spoke anxiously, turning his head side to side as if he was looking for something.
"To make a long story short: Aden protected a tiger cub from a gruesome fate and surrounded himself in this bramble dome." Noriko answered, quickly taking the hand Brian offered and lifting herself back up on her feet. "We should free the poor boy-"
Suddenly, Noriko was pulled into a protective embrace; much to the poor girl's confusion and discomfort. Brian’s panicked breathing set off all sorts of alarms in Noriko, alarms that screamed ‘Something’s not right.’
Brian grimaced and flinched at the silent air. "I hear something." He growled lowly; worsening Noriko's worry. "I heard it a minute ago while I was sleeping. I don't fucking like it. It sounds fucking hideous."
"What does it sound like?" Noriko tried to ask as calmly as she could, but fear was filling her body at Brian’s current mood. She had never seen him this distressed.
Brian winced again, and his grimace worsened. Instead of answering; Brian gripped the nearby bramble bush and tore out a large chunk with his super strength. Disregarding his pricked, bleeding hands, he forcefully gripped the confused Aden and pulled him close; so close Aden felt like he was being squeezed to death. "Stay by me. You run off and I swear to fucking god…" He hissed his warning to Aden, who shakily nodded in confirmation, and protectively cradled the tiger cub in his arms.
"Children, what's wrong?" Alva called out to the huddled teens, significantly calmer from Dr. Elfrida's pep talk.
The three didn't need to answer Alva's question. A distant, monstrous roar unheard of before filled the cold night air.
The tiger cub perked his ears up, and wagged his tail. "…Mama?"138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQRIb9LFE5i
