The Obsidian Tale

Episode 65
[Opening 5 music]

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~ Zozna – post-western trial ~

The group of seven along with Clyde were waiting quietly for Lydia to appear from the portal. Those who have escaped from the portal showed the spirit of a true, strong heart that cannot be manipulated. Those who stay forever, have failed the trials that Magnus put them through – and could be stuck for eternity. [Music 39.1]

The group began to talk about their separate stories throughout the portal, but Felix couldn’t stop worrying about Lydia’s story.

The Common Rejection

Youthful Once More

It has been several minutes and Hazel walked ahead to the last portal – the final room before Magnus.

“Where are you going?” Felix asked her.

“The last trial involves Magnus himself. If Lydia is not coming out, then it is too late to save her. This is what I had anticipated, and is one of the main reasons why this trial must come last.”

“But we can’t leave without her! We’ve gone so far. Maybe she’s trying to find the person with the light!”

Rina was trembling. “H-Hazel is right… We can’t waste any more minutes just standing around. What if she never comes out?”

“Are you serious, Rina? Are you going to lose hope on her now?”

Rina clenched her fists. “Felix, you have to understand! Magnus is waiting for us. If we don’t hurry soon, he’ll brush us all off as if we lost, and will start the process of releasing more mutations!” She was not yelling, actually. She was speaking in a soft voice while complaining at the same time. “Lydia… Lydia wouldn’t want us to be held back because of her.”

“But…!”

Forrest wiped the tears away from his eyes. “I realize time is more important than anything. It’s not like she’s just going to pop out of that portal…”

“Ergh…”

Clyde patted Felix on the shoulder. “I’ll help – but I don’t think I have as much energy as before.”

“Thanks, but I guess you’re all right. We should keep going. Lydia wouldn’t want us to wait too long for her anyway. It’s… probably too late.”

Hazel nodded. “I really didn’t want things to come this way. Now, to the final trial.”

Leo watched as they all went ahead. Warren noticed Leo felt most uncomfortable, but Warren went onward.

Viola was last to move on. “Leo, is there something on your mind?”

Leo grinned. “I just… I know time is important, but how could they just leave Lydia that easily? I was most surprised by Felix and Rina – the ones who should be worried the most.”

Viola shrugged. “I know how you feel, but there are two main possibilities. One: they have so much faith in her, they’ll hope that she comes out alive. And two: there’s already a lot on their plate. They’ve been this far, and know there is no time to grieve. They will do that once this is all over. It was just like the time when Rina cried again after reading Faris’ letter.”

Leo sighed. “You’re right. Dear Lydia… Please be safe.”

As the group was right in front of the portal, Felix stopped one last time to check if Lydia was going to appear. There was silence. Then, Felix went forward with the rest of the group. [End music]

~ Zozna – final trial – Magnus’ Lair ~

“Uncle, show yourself!” Leo shouted.

A throne teleported to the end of the space given which was as large as a theater room. Everyone readied their weapons, but Felix was the least enthusiastic of all.

“Ah, Clyde. I saw the whole thing.”

Clyde glared angrily at Magnus. “How dare you scathe the heart of the weak?”

Magnus laughed. “I just wanted you to see your potential. Looks like you lost it. No matter, I no longer need you…”

Clyde clenched his fists.

Magnus then turned to the rest of the group. “I see you all passed the trials,” Magnus said, appearing from the throne. He was about 6’7 in feet height, and his entire body emitted darkness. He had an eye patch due to the loss of one of his eyes. “So you finally got to see what I have been through. If you surrender now, I will let it slide and have Zozna be recreated as the sacred lands, not the dead lands that you people see today.”

Felix took a step forward. “We understand what you went through. All of us suffered at one point in our lives, and I want us to live coincide with each other.”

“What kind of offer is that? You dare compare my past to yours? You pesky humans will just try to torture me again.”

“No we won’t! We are different than that. You see us suffering a lot – you had your fun. But… we don’t strive to kill the entire world for the sake of our own place and happiness. Vengeance doesn’t have to be about revenge and mass murder. My village was destroyed, but we are slowly bringing it back with physical labor, not by stealing the energies of others.” [Music 65.1]

Magnus wielded his katana. “I still do not believe you!” He only whacked the air and a large vibration flew against the crowd. The group looked as if they’ve been slapped in the face, literally. He then slashed at the air again.

Rina stood in front of the group to cast a wind aura around them.

“Magnus has become persistent. The darkness within him is far too much and it is too late to change him,” Hazel shot at him with her arrows.

Felix gasped. “What are you doing?!”

Warren went along with both Rina and Hazel. “As adults, you have to decide whether the best option is to simply go by morals, or the realistic route of his eternal end!”

“But…!” Felix began to realize what was more important. You cannot easily trust someone by a simple truce. They knew full well that Magnus would strike again if they were to live in one world together.

With Rina’s other hand, she casted a fireball, and then a stack of ice. She continued to spam different magic attacks without feeling exhausted due to her holy ability. Forrest shot the sides of the rink to distract Magnus, also keeping him from running away.

Leo and Viola took the left end and blocked him from moving to their side while Warren was at the center with Hazel.

Clyde headed for the right end, “Felix, your support would be grand!”

Felix had no other choice as he headed next to Clyde in support. “F-Fine! Ergh…” He took out his crescent blade as they began to fight.

Clyde nodded. “It’s great to fight alongside with you for once.” He turned to Magnus, “This is for what you have done to me!”

Magnus laughed, stabbing the katana into the ground, unbalancing the entire colony of their space.

Everyone fell except for Warren from his weight, and Rina because she could easily float with her wings. Forrest rolled off to Felix’s side. Rina continued to cast her magic and Magnus slightly struggled with her. His katana sliced the ground and the rupture flew towards her. She was pushed on her back and Warren was knocked over. The rest of the group was about to stand up but Magnus made time to blast more dark energy around his body.

“Nobody can stop me now!” He teleported towards his toughest target: Rina. His katana was about to stab her through the same wound from before, but Warren jumped in front of her, hugging her to safety.

Rina’s eyes were closed, unsure of what happened next. All she could hear was the deep voice coming from Warren.

“I got you now – live on, Rina.” He said. Rina opened her eyes.

The katana stabbed through Warren and the endpoint was about an inch away from Rina’s eyes. Her eyes widened.

“Warren?!”

Magnus removed the katana. “Ahahaha! One down and I didn’t even break a sweat.”

“HOW DARE YOU!!” Leo began fighting Magnus in a physical brawl while Magnus’ other hand was deflecting every move that Viola tried to take. He spun, pushing the two to the walls. Felix and Clyde were next to fight while Hazel began to shoot her arrows.

“Warren, stay strong!” Rina began to cry.

Warren laughed. “It is… not like you to cry, Rina. Maybe… you should stay strong.”

Instead of fighting back, Forrest ran towards Warren to check his wounds. “Please don’t die! Don’t die, dad!” He closed his eyes, giving him a hug. “I don’t want another loved one to die!”

Warren was also falling into tears as the rest of the group was struggling to fight Magnus. As Warren was slowly closing his eyes, he suddenly felt a soft squeeze around his right arm. Rina slowly turned her head, seeing Lydia kneeling down to help him.

“I am no professional healer, but from what I’ve learned so far, it can suppress the pain and blood that Warren has!”

Forrest jumped. “Lydia!!”

Felix turned around. “You’re here!”

The Final Reunion

Magnus pushed Felix down, almost ready to slice him to pieces. Rina manipulated the ground below him, stunning him for a second. Then, she casted an electric shock that made him twitch.

“ERGH!”

Hazel smiled. “We got him from here! Thanks!” Due to the electric shock, his defense weakened. Hazel then shot him on the chest.

Lydia used Rina’s water magic to smoothen the pains that Warren had while Forrest continued to shoot at Magnus with his BB gun.

Magnus was finally breaking apart, and he could barely breathe.

“We got you now!” Viola said. “This is for manipulating my heart all these years!”

“And for murdering my father!” Leo punched him in the face. [End music]

As Magnus was almost knocked out and pinned down, only Felix was not as happy.

“Everyone…” Felix said slowly.

Clyde turned to him. “We finally did it!”

“No, we didn’t.”

Hazel knew what he was talking about.

Felix said to them, “Before the body dies out, Magnus can still transport himself into another body of ours.”

“And,” Hazel added. The rest of the group listened to her. “he will stay alive as long as he has another body to use. The only way to kill him is to kill the new body that he enters.”

“What? Why can’t we just kill this body then?!” Clyde pointed at Magnus’ current vessel.

“That vessel died while trying to kick Magnus out of his mind. The power was too strong for his senses, and Magnus did a complete takeover. However, with our strong hearts, any of us can become the vessel and fight Magnus in their minds. While doing so, the rest of the group will have to kill the vessel.”

Warren was feeling better this time. Lydia focused her sight on the bigger group.

“But that would mean killing one of our friends!”

Warren coughed. “Let it be me. I am already...”

Hazel slowly raised her hand. “That is fine. I have lived long enough to see it all. I-…” The rest of the group wanted to interrupt her and volunteer themselves, seeing as they have reached their goals and endings already.

Rina became the strongest magician, possibly stronger than Lady Pria. Forrest wanted to avenge Jess, Leo felt this is a matter between family and friends – so he’s responsible, Viola already found the best friends she could ever meet, Clyde knew how much destruction he has caused, and Lydia’s Obsidian title was the sole reason why everything began. However…

“I’ll do it,” Felix volunteered. [Music 65.2]

Everyone was shocked to hear him say such a thing.

“The strongest heart will last the longest against Magnus when he enters the vessel. That gives a higher chance of succeeding to kill us both off before I give in and he takes over.”

Lydia disagreed with him. “No…” She ran towards him after finishing the healing process with Warren.
Felix gave a soft chuckle. "I'm sorry, Lydia."
Lydia disagreed with him. "No, you can't... You still have a future to see, so much to learn, so much to experience, and... I was so excited to see you reunite with your mother...!”

Felix handed the wedding ring over to Lydia. “Give this back to her, please? Only I can take on this task.”

Lydia grabbed onto the wedding ring without saying anything. Parts of her agreed that he had to be the vessel – because his heart became the strongest of them all, but the other part of her wanted to be selfish and have him stay in this world.

“I…” She was about to cry. Before she could, she gave Felix a kiss on the lips.

Felix’s eyes widened as his face turned red.

“Lydia!”

“If there is some crazy way you can survive this, then please come home! I know you can come out with the craziest tactics compared to all of us. You survived death once, and you can do it again.”

“I don’t know about that this time, hehe,” he said nervously. “This is about becoming a new vessel and being destroyed with it all. Just don’t think about me too much, okay?” He walked towards Magnus. The body was barely able to move, and Magnus’ soul was finally on his way to deciding the closest vessel to use.

Felix turned around as he said to the group, “Thanks for the adventure, everyone. I remember when I used to be the bad kid back at the village – poor, idiotic, innocent. But now… you’ve all taught me how to be stronger, smarter, and care for others. I became braver with the help of all of you. Rina, I honestly admire your dislike for lots of things in the world. I wish you would never change that.”

Rina only chuckled. Felix went on, “Forrest, you better grow up to be a man! You’ll be the coolest guy that every girl wants. Leo, I hope you live to be the ‘chill’ ruler that Ouli Brye should have. Hazel, you scare me sometimes – but that’s what I like about you. Don’t let anyone mess with you just because you’re older than the bunch. Warren, you’ve found people who care about you. You redeemed yourself as a true soldier, don’t ever let that fact go to waste. Viola, you’ve always been mysterious to me. But I know that deep down, you’re a very loving person and all you needed were friends who truly cared about you. Cherish them.”

Clyde took a step forward. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

Felix nodded. “Of course, Clyde. I have made my decision. I want you to go back to the village and make your parents happy! As for you, Lydia,” he turned to her. “Don’t forget who you are. You are a Celestian. Use that title for the greater good, help others – just like the Lydia I know would do. Find your peace – at last…”

Lydia frowned. “Felix…”

The group took several steps back and they could see a pink soul fly out of the old vessel, transporting itself into Felix’s heart. Forrest was crying, and Lydia clenched her teeth in disbelief. Viola’s eyes opened widely in dismay. Felix yelped in pain. The dark aura took over his body immediately, but Felix was fighting as best as he could against it. [End music]

“Do it… do it now!!!!!” [Music 65.3]

Hazel pointed her bow and arrow towards Felix’s heart.

Lydia closed her eyes. “FELIX…!!!!”

And with one strike, the arrow struck Felix’s heart. In an instant, Felix knelt down, and then he fell face-flat.

“Thanks for the adventure, everyone,” he thought. “Lydia… I…” His last thoughts stopped. His body was flat and lifeless on the ground.

“FELIX!!!!!!” Lydia screamed from the bottom of her lungs. She buried her face into her hands, bawling this time.

Forrest and Clyde were shedding tears, even Rina.

“No…” Rina sniffed. “That man… had the spirit I’ve never seen before.”

The field around them was warping and the sky was crumbling. Hazel, Viola, and Clyde quickly helped Warren up while looking for an exit. At that moment, the large Crescent ship crashed inward from the sky and Lionel used the microphone from the cockpit.

“Phew! Finally made it through! Garnett is slightly malfunctioning, but there’s nothing Talbot can’t do! I’m starting to get signals from Gunther stating that this orb is going to explode if we don’t hurry! Just hurry the hell up and get into the hatch!” Lionel called.

The group had no time to think. They hurriedly reached into the airship and Lionel wiped his forehead.

“Thank goodness you’re all okay. Hey, where’s the apple kid?”

The group was silent. No one had the proper words to explain the situation to him. He knew exactly what had happened though.

“Okay,” Lionel softened is voice. “to the Village of Saradeli then.”

~ Zozna – outer aura ~

The Crescent airship flew its way out of collapsing pillars and electrifying utility poles that scattered all over the little continent of Zozna. The orb was pulsing, and with each pulse, it was shrinking. Forrest and Rina were watching the soldiers on battleships fighting mutants like ants. Lady Pria continued to surround the remaining orb with her wind aura, but she was getting exhausted.

Gunther ordered most of his soldiers to fall back as the mutants were automatically vaporizing due to the original source’s destruction. The main airship made a stop, watching as the last bit of the orb implode and the entire continent was quiet again.

The clouded skies around Zozna separated and it became sunny. You could start hearing the cheering and yells coming from every soldier surrounded the continent.

“Thank goodness,” Warren wiped his forehead as he and Lionel finished steering by the cockpit.

Forrest did not look too happy, however. “Mr. Felix…”

Lydia eyed the continent, hoping for that little chance of Felix appearing safe and sound, but Rina grabbed onto her shoulders. Lydia turned to her with a concerned look, but Rina only closed her eyes in disappointment.

“This can’t be…” She placed her head against Rina’s chest, crying.

Warren heard from the speakers by the cockpit: a direct order from Gunther. They needed to be swift on their repairs of Rhadessia. First off, drop off any necessary person by the village and the rest of the lieutenants must return to Vector for their next mission.

Forrest stomped his foot. “Does this mean… everything is over?”

Rina nodded. “Yeah. I’ll stick around for a little bit, but only for a few hours. After that, I’m going back to Lament to see my parents.”

Viola patted Warren’s back. “Looks like we’re going to Vector.”

“Me too?” Warren blushed.

“You earned your place,” Lionel added.

Leo grinned. “I don’t want to separate either, but I have to check up on Ouli Brye now that Magnus is gone. Ace might need some help with the repairs, and we can request unity with the Gammel army.”

Hazel began stretching her arms. “I shall return to the Grandine Hillage and pay a visit to my mother, and then head for South Ouli Brye to reunite with the orphanage, especially Remy and the annoying little maid, heh.”

“Oh…” Forrest said. “And me...”

Lydia held his hands. “I think Mrs. Wolfram would love to have us stay and help the village out. It can be our new home.”

“Really?!”

“Of course! We will make Felix proud by working together and making the village as best as possible, okay?”

“Okay!”

Clyde smiled. “I will also be joining along. Everyone at the village usually depended on me most.”

Lydia giggled. “That is perfect!”

Rina opened her backpack, grabbing onto the blue teddy bear. “Lydia, I believe this is yours.”

Lydia grabbed onto the bear, thinking about it carefully. “Are you sure you don’t want to keep it for memories?”

“Heck no. I can always fly back and visit you anyway, but it won’t be often because I’ll be very busy with the sky unit. I want to request to father to open the gate for all people to visit, but we’re going to keep our security at top level.”

The two of them began to hug each other.

“Rina… thank you so much for being there for me. You are the perfect guardian, and nothing is going to change that.”

“I screwed up many times, so I still have a lot to learn.”

“The screw-ups are the lessons, and you fought through them. I think you’ve accomplished your mission as the Obsidian’s guardian. Look where we are now.”

Rina’s eyes were closed, but tears were rolling down her cheeks. “I’m going to miss you, Lydia. I don’t want this journey to be over, honestly.”

“I will miss you too. We’ve had so much fun, didn’t we? Now, you should go home… Make your parents proud!”

Lydia took a step back as she headed for the cockpit to look out the window. “Everyone, it looks like we are all separating from here. Hopefully, Gunther will know how to install the walkie-talkies so we won’t be completely separated.”

Forrest nodded. “Uh-huh! It was fun going around the world with everyone!!”

The rest of the group began to laugh, trying to stay strong – knowing that they have lost an important member of their group. Now, it was time for them to say their last goodbyes and separate… [End music]

One week later…

~ Village of Saradeli – north district ~

The screen shook, and then it crashed onto the floor.

“Oops!” Lydia squealed. “I still can’t get a hold of this thing.”

Forrest and his three friends were hanging around with Lydia in her bedroom at Mrs. Wolfram’s home.

Sydney was moving her legs back and forth. “What’s that ‘camera’ thingy you’re holding?”

“It was a gift from Hazel. Actually, Gunther gifted it to her to confess his love, but she didn’t know how to use it. So… she kind of trashed it to me.”

Bailey gasped. “Do you think Gunther is crying in his room instead of keeping watch for his country?”

Lydia shrugged.

Forrest read the letter that Hazel added along with the camera. “She said apparently it can record videos like the one we saw at the fa-ci-li-ty!”

“I know right? Let’s try it out!” She pressed the largest button at the top of the camera and the timer started. “Is it recording?”

Spencer clapped his hands. “Yay! I think it’s working.”

Bailey elbowed Lydia. “Say something to it, Lydia!” [Music 65.4]

“O-Oh yeah, okay! Hehe.” She fixed her hair and then she placed the camera onto the table. She then sat on her bed with the rest of the children. “Hey everyone! This is Lydia here. I’ve been receiving so many letters from around the world, thanks to being co-mayor with Mrs. Wolfram in the Village of Saradeli. Since everyone is so busy, I’ll have to be the one and summarize what you all are doing. I’ll try to send copies of this video if that’s possible.”

“Get to the good stuff, big sis!” Forrest commanded.

“Alright, alright already!” She began laughing. “So it seems…”

~ Vector – courthouse gardens ~

Lieutenant Floir had a microphone in her hand as she spoke to over a thousand soldiers in front of her. “I hereby announce Warren to earn the title of Lieutenant! He shall be crowned as our runner up for presidency here in Vector. Also, we shall raise the voice of our people – with Vector no longer running as a dictatorship! We will run as a democracy and let the civilians flourish with opinions and agreement!”

The whole crowd cheered. Lionel yawned. Viola stood by them, chuckling.

~ Lament – castle summit ~

“Get a move on it!! Slowasses!!!!” Rina shouted in the microphone.

Mrs. Nora gasped. “Rina, your language!”

Mr. Nora laughed barbarically. “Bahahah! That’s my daughter for you! Such a noble princess.”

“Ugh!” his wife scoffed at him. “That is not very lady-like for a princess!”

Rina shrugged. “Oh wells. With my orders, it seems like this city is doing just fine and it’s only been a week.”

“Eh, give it a few months.” Mr. Nora joked.

~ Ouli Brye – capital’s throne room ~

Ace raised his rapier. “I hereby declare Leonardo Van Roy as our next-…”

Leo jumped. “Wait what?! I don’t want to be leader, screw that! I just want to live in a nice house with a bar right next to it.”

Ace became frustrated. “Priorities, Leonardo! You must earn what you want. Plus, I bet you’re just sad because Viola is not here.”

“She will come, someday.” Leo cried. “Someday…”

“The Lennox army should really invest in our own airship.”

“Yeah…” Leo agreed.

The entire crowd was confused by their conversation and lack of professionalism. But hey, all three governments vowed to work together, so they had nothing to worry about, I guess…

~ Village of Saradeli – north district ~

Lydia was wrapping up her long speech for the camera.

Forrest interrupted her. “Hazel gave me a letter by the way! She said that she still thinks about me even when she’s at the orphanage! She’s a great mom, so I hope that Remy kid likes her!”

“Didn’t she mention that she would whip them if they won’t stop messing around?” Bailey saw the letter.

Forrest grinned. “Um… uh… I forgot about that part.”

Lydia placed her hand over Forrest’s face so he could stop talking. He was only mumbling now, trying to speak over her hand.

“A-Anyway!” Lydia panicked. “Clyde and his parents reunited, which is wonderful. They’re one of our strongest guards in the village. They’re trying to make peace with that merchant girl and her friends who keep being persistent with their sales above others. I’ll have to give you all a tour of the renovated village by the way.”

“Ouch!!!” Talbot yelled from another room.

“What are you touching?! I may be a fake, but that’s off-limits!” Garnett complained.

“Fine! Let me call in a woman to edit your parts. Perhaps you will be okay with Professor Nell.”

Lydia jumped in astonishment. “Eek! That scared me. So, those two are living with us but they’re kind of messy. Talbot is trying so hard to shift Garnett’s heart but he’s still working on it…”

Forrest gave Lydia a letter from Hazel. “This one says she wants you to request to Rina that they can create a partnership for their research on Lament’s history and with the technology from a thousand years ago.”

Lydia nodded. “Ah, I see. Did you hear that, Rina? I know you might be busy being the new princess of Lament, but Hazel still wants your help! Hehe.”

Lydia checked the world map as she showed it to the camera. “Oh yeah! You see down there where there’s some green? It is Lumious, and Lady Pria is currently there trying to restore its energy.” She then gave a huge sigh. “And last, but not least… Mrs. Wolfram is currently doing some paperwork to keep the village running. She didn’t take the news about Felix very well, but we’re all trying our best to cope. Of course, with the company of the D'Alonzo parents, she's feeling a little better.” [End music]

“Lydia!” Ekaja called. “Some strange person came by earlier to give you a letter.”

Lydia rolled her eyes. “Ugh. Another one, really?! Look, everyone, I have to stop the video now. I’ll come back later!”

She received the letter, read it, and then she made a huge gasp.

“What is it?” Forrest asked.

“You all stay here. I need to go somewhere!”

“Wha- Hey! Lydia!” Forrest tried to stop her. Forrest and his friends were left in the bedroom, confused.

~ Village of Saradeli – east district ~

Lydia barged into the abandoned house, but nobody was there. She tried to check around the house, but there was still no sight of anybody. She did, however, notice a few names on the wall. She could see her name along with Felix, Clyde, and Rina.

“Felix… did you write this?” She giggled, but she sniffled at the same time. “You have terrible writing.” She then continued to search the room. “I don’t get it. The letter said to go to the abandon house and find something out of the ordinary. I don’t see anything strange??”

There was silence in the room. It would have been a lot louder if Felix was there, but it just wasn’t the same. The old apples were still on the floor, and she remembered that was the moment when they first met. Lydia’s heart sank, feeling hopeless. This was the first time she had the privacy to mope about the loss of Felix, the first boy she ever loved.

“I’m so sorry things have to turn out this way. All these memories built up… and now you’re gone. There was so much to say, so much to reminisce about, but I don’t have you here to talk about it with… I…”

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. It slowly opened, and Lydia turned around.

Pages

Sunday, April 16, 2017

Final Farewell Notice

Friday, April 14, 2017

Final update notice

Friday, January 6, 2017

Volume 5 - The Final Chapter, coming soon! + new information

Friday, December 25, 2015

Episode 65 - Ruler of New Rhadessia

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