The Obsidian Tale
~ Lament – southernmost port ~
This place was like no other. The
floor was made of cloud particles specially made to walk on. The gates were
made of pink arches and the sky was filled with stars that were actually shaped
like… stars with five pointy ends to them. Above was not a sky with clouds, but
a sky of pink aura that emitted across the border above like the Aurora
Borealis.
Many people flew all over the place
with joy and laughter. A few stopped once they saw Rina, a teenage girl with
small, white wings. Her backpack was still gripped by her upper arm.
“Could it be Miss Rina Nora,
daughter of the royal king and queen of Lament?!” One asked.
“It can’t be! How is she here?!”
Another said with surprise.
“Rina,” a loud voice was heard from
above. “Why have you returned?”
She spoke towards the sky up above.
She knew it was her father. “Dad, I am here to talk about the Obsidian. She and
her friends will arrive soon. Let me through the gates, now!”
“It’s the Blood Raven you’re
speaking to,” A flying man said with his angelic garb. He bowed down and said
to his friend, “Quick, pay your respects!”
Mr. Nora said from an invisible
aura, “You may only enter to speak of your mission. Depending on your success,
you may or may not stay here.”
Rina clenched her fists. She was
determined, however. “Very well. Open these gates!”
The gates’ arches separated into two
pieces. Each side went as high as twenty feet and it felt like a new world was
opening up for her, yet it was quite familiar to how she remembered it. Rina
began to run towards the castle way up ahead, and most of the civilians stared
at her, wondering why she couldn’t just fly to the castle on her own.
Meanwhile, Lydia and the rest of the
group reached the gate. Felix was last to appear, taking his time to get to
Lament.
“Whoa!” Forrest shouted. “We’re so
high up!! It’s kinda scary, you know?”
“I sure hope there are no bunnies
located in this vicinity,” Warren commented.
“State your purpose!” The Blood
Raven spoke.
Forrest bowed down. “It’s the man
from up above! We’re really talking to him!”
Lydia took a step forward. “Sir, my
name is Lydia Yager. I am the Obsidian.”
It was a different change of pace
for the group. Instead of running away and hiding Lydia’s status as an
Obsidian, Lydia decided to show herself for once. Now that they were on a
continent away from the Gammel army, she was free to express who she is.
“The Obsidian? My daughter told me
about you. You may enter. As soon as you do, only head to the castle – nowhere else!”
“These islanders sure are friendly,”
Viola joked. [End music]
~ Lament – castle’s throne room ~
Mr. Nora, also known as the Blood
Raven, had sharp gleaming eyes. His hair was pushed back a little, but it was
spiked outwards. Largely built, Mr. Nora stood tall and proud in the center. He
was your typical, intimidating full-fledged soldier and leader.
Mrs. Nora, seen as the White Swan,
stood next to him. She had cornrolls for her hair while wearing a pink-purplish
dress with white gloves. Mrs. Nora was your usual elegant queen of the country
who enjoyed tea parties rather than the public bars.
As for Rina’s sister, Faris, her
hair was curled up at the ends. She gave an angelic smile and her wings, unlike
Rina’s wings, were complete and white. She was seen as the princess of Lament
with both beauty and brains.
“Welcome, Rina! It’s so great to see
you!” The young daughter said. She ran towards Rina with grace but Mrs. Nora
grabbed her by the wings.
“Faris, stay put. We do not bother
with those who disgrace the family like so.”
Faris frowned. “Aw…” She was only
about two years younger, but she seemed just as tall as Rina.
Raven glared down at Rina. Rina actually
knelt and bowed to her parents. The Blood Raven spoke. “Rina, explain to me
what happened.” He did not sound concerned for her safety at all. He was only
asking, waiting to hear about her failures.
Rina said slowly, “The Obsidian… was
protected for seven years in hiding, but we were found. Her mind was shattered
into shards and I’ve only gotten six of the seven pieces.”
“The Obsidian has been tampered with?
Do you not realize that this is your mission? To protect the Obsidian?” [End music]
Rina stood up. “Daddy, I protected
her for seven years!” [Music 17.2]
“Seven years in hiding!! You were
supposed to bring her up here to safety immediately after you found her!”
“I couldn’t. She was injured, and
the moment she healed a week later, a woman named Viola appeared. We were
forced out of the island and it was difficult to just go from the Meadow back
to the Mirror Lands. You have to understand!”
“There are no such excuses!!” His
voice roared across the throne room. There was utter silence. “You ran away to
prove yourself… yet you’ve failed.”
Rina turned to her mother, “Mom, you
understand, don’t you?! I’ve tried my best but…!”
Her mother said nothing.
“Mom…”
Faris turned to her parents in
confusion. “Mother, father?”
“Guards. Take her to the guest room,” Raven said. He held out his
arm and his cape flew past his wing.
Rina clenched her teeth. “The guest
room?! What happened to my room?!”
“We have a very special guest. Well,
two of them.”
“Huh?”
“They go by the names Clyde and
Pria. They have taken your room in order to help prospect research to replenish
Rhadessia.”
Rina looked away. “No… This can’t be
happening. You have to listen to me. It’s a trap! Clyde says he’s trying to
replenish the world, but the members of the Gammel army lied to him so he could
do the dirty work for them. Whatever he’s going to do would just worsen the
situation. You can’t trust someone you just met, as opposed to your own
daughter!”
Her father ignored her.
That was it. Rina had lost patience
for him. “DAD! LISTEN TO ME!!”
“Rina, you do not speak to your father
that way!” Mrs. Nora finally called out.
The soldiers saluted and called her
the White Swan. She was much more elegant than Rina had already remembered.
Faris was the same, but at least she showed concern for Rina’s safety. The
Blood Raven, however, was the complete opposite. He was fierce and frightening
to all of Lament, but was known to be a strong leader for their civilization.
Another soldier by the door called
out to him. “Sir, the last guests are here!”
“Bring them in!” [End music]
Rina turned around while she was
forcefully being dragged by the two soldiers beside her. “It’s them! They’re
here! They’re going to tell you!”
“Shut up and keep walking,” a
soldier said.
As Lydia entered, the Blood Raven
bowed down to her.
Forrest pointed at him. “It’s the
man from up above! So he really is real!”
The rest of the group paid their
respects as well.
“Dearest Obsidian, how goes you?”
Lydia examined the room and she
noticed that Faris was frowning. At that moment, she knew that Faris was Rina’s
sister, the sister that Rina had always talked about for the past seven years. [Music 34.1]
“Mr. Nora, I come on my behalf to
explain that Rina had done nothing wrong. She successfully protected me.”
“I heard about the shards. You are
still missing one.”
Lydia nodded. “Yes, and I believe
Clyde has the last one. He wants to use it to replenish the world, but he does
not know that his actions are only filled with deceit. Please, we must stop
him.”
“Obsidian,”
“Her name is Lydia!” Felix shouted.
“Silence! I will consider her as I
please!” He then said to Lydia, “Seven years ago, I was meant to come down,
take you away from Celestia, and bring you up here to protect you.”
The White Swan began to speak with
her kind voice, “We have heard about the genocide from the City of Celestia to
the west of here, and we decided that any Obsidians remain must be protected.”
Raven continued, “Rina believed she
was strong enough to do this on her own. She wanted me to stay and protect the
city as she took on the matter herself. She was only ten, so I thought her
suggestion was absurd. As a result, I was correct. She could not handle the
mission and I wholeheartedly apologize for her disgrace for running away on her
own without permission.”
Leo said quietly, “So Rina came down
as a guardian angel for Lydia all this time.”
“The puzzle pieces finally fit,”
Hazel said. “I’ve had a suspicion after hearing about how Lydia and Rina first
met. Has it never occurred to any of you that she literally came out of nowhere
when both girls visited Taujiko seven years ago?”
“That’s right,” Felix said. “That
selfish angel came from here to the Mirror Lands. She must have been able to
fly easier with her small wings because she was young.”
Forrest asked out loud, “Then why
does she still have small wings?? I saw everyone else. They have really big
wings!!”
Raven answered him, “That is because
she left at an early age. You see, being born as a part of the Avians serves
you wings. Being raised here in Lament provides mystical aura that helps the
growth of Avians. When being outside for months and years, the growth slows
down and comes to a stop. She can still grow her wings, but it would be an
extremely late sprout.”
Mrs. Nora held onto Faris’s
shoulders. “Honey, let us return to our bedrooms. These matters are for
adults.”
Faris frowned. “Fine, mother…”
Lydia opened out her arms. “But it
is okay now. Rina did a perfect job, Mr. Nora! Please do not punish her for any
‘failures’ that you consider.”
Raven stood tall and mighty.
“Obsidian, stand closer to the front.”
Lydia turned around and Felix
nodded, indicating that she should press onward.
As Lydia headed closer to the
throne, Raven said to her, “We are here to protect the Obsidian, you do realize
that, no?” Lydia waited. Raven then turned to his soldiers, “Take her to a bedroom.
You can throw the rest in prison.”
“What?!” Felix shouted. The rest of
the group gasped and readied their weapons, except for Hazel and Viola who
tried not to panic. Well, Viola didn’t really have to try.
Leo sighed. “Darn it. It seems like
we’re always going to jail.”
Forrest cried. “That’s twice in less
than a month!!”
Lydia gasped. “Sir, please let them
go! They helped me on my journey to get here! If it weren’t for them, I
wouldn’t have made it here alive.”
“Outsiders only cause trouble unless
they were partnered with a guardian. Lady Pria has returned with a man named
Clyde who assumes to protect Rhadessia.”
Lydia was in shock. It never
occurred to her that Lady Pria was also an Avian.
“Lady Pria?! What is she doing with
Clyde?” Felix yelled as the soldiers began to push him into the corridors.
Hazel and Warren turned to each
other. “Lady Pria…?” Warren whispered. Do these two know of Lady Pria? [End music]
Another soldier grabbed Lydia by the
arm. She wanted to fight back, but it would have been the worst presentation as
an Obsidian who was supposed to be protected by the Avians themselves. She
decided to obey, at least for now.
~ Lament – Rina’s guest room ~
Rina looked outside the window from
her room. Because of the wind pouring in, her hair was flowing to the right.
She had a grim look on her face, an expression that she rarely showed to the
group. This was the real Rina – a young teenage girl filled with concern and
dissatisfaction. If only her wings were larger, she could easily escape and fly
through the window. But, that was not possible.
There was a knock on the door.
“Who is it this time?” She rolled
her eyes, annoyed by the constant disgrace that has been thrown at her.
“It’s me, Faris!”
Rina quickly turned around and
opened the door. The two guards were right outside, but Faris had permission to
enter the bedroom.
Faris closed the door and Rina
whispered to her, “What are you doing here? Mom and dad would get mad if they
saw you talking to me.”
Faris shrugged. “Who cares. Why
should they get mad that I get to talk to my own sister? Hehe.”
“Then why are you here on your own
will?”
“Because…” Faris sat down by the
nearest chair. “I believe you.” [Music 30.2]
Rina blushed. “Huh?! Why? It has
been seven years and we barely know each other anymore.”
Faris shook her head. “You might
think that, but I know my sister. I know that she would never lie for the worst.”
Rina looked away. “I… did lie – to
all of my friends…”
“Let me guess: you didn’t want to
come back, so you lied to your friends about that Clyde guy coming here,
right?”
“How do you know that?”
“I heard parts of the conversation
outside with daddy and your friends. Rina, you only lied because it was hard to
tell them. It’s not all your fault that this became a dilemma. Anybody would be
scared to death especially by daddy.”
Rina slightly chuckled. She hadn’t
laughed in a long time. “Hahaha…! Yeah… you’re right.”
“But, I believe that you’re not
lying about Clyde’s evil tactics. It just doesn’t seem right to me for him to
come out of nowhere and do this. He doesn’t look trustable at all! It surprises
me that mommy and daddy trust him immediately, but when a human is partnered
with an Avian such as Lady Pria, you can’t help but trust those humans.”
Rina sighed. “Lady Pria… Hm, that
explains why she knows how to use magic. It’s all over though. Mom and dad
don’t believe us and now we are pretty much stuck, unable to do anything. We’ve
come this far only to fail, just like dad said.”
“No! You didn’t fail.” Faris grabbed
both of Rina’s hands. “Please, you musn’t give up. The ‘Rina’ that I knew would
never think this way. The sister I
knew seven years ago was much stronger than this. She knew what was right! She
was strong, and amazing. I’ve always looked up to her!”
Rina began to cry. “Because she was
an incompetent ten year-old girl seven years ago! She grew up to realize that
the world is filled with hate, deceit, and destruction. There are bandits,
murderers, liars, every bad thing you could think of! In a way, I could be one
of the worst out there!”
Faris disagreed. “No, that is not
true. Don’t put yourself down like that. You must keep strong, Rina! I want to
prove to you that you are strong. Tell you what: do you remember that our
family has a secret weapon in the castle?”
Rina gasped. “The Stone of
Concealment! Our dad showed us a few times but mother would never let us touch
the weapon. They say it’s very dangerous and can only be used once in order to
negate and reverse any move created
by the enemy. I wonder what it actually does?” [End music]
Faris took a step back. “I was
thinking that if Clyde happened to destroy the world, I could-”
Rina interrupted her, “You could
steal the Stone of Concealment and let me use it?!”
“H-Huh?! You really want to use it?”
Rina agreed. “Of course! Maybe then,
I can prove to dad that I am strong, and that my tactics are perfectly drawn
out. Please, you have to help me take the stone. I will repay you with
anything!”
“Oh no! I can’t have you repay me.
Your return to Lament is payment enough. I will try my best to take the Stone
of Concealment.”
Rina hugged her. “You’re like, the
BEST sister ever! You make me feel so happy even at times like this. Sometimes
I wish I could go back in time and bond with you more…”
“You do?” She asked as she looked at
her own necklace from her… well, neck.
“Yeah… I regret that I was…
different than the rest of the family.” What kind of family member was she,
exactly?
~ Lament – castle prison ~
“Rina is… something else,” Mrs. Nora
said to the group of six who were in prison. Mrs. Nora was outside the cage,
keeping her distance from the humans that she found quite absurd. She had come
down to the prison to question Rina’s friends about her actions. She wanted to
know if Rina had changed at all. [Music 35.2]
Mrs. Nora continued, “She had always
acted like a tomboy. She used to get along extremely well with her father
because they both enjoyed boxing matches and air fishing together. She wanted
to learn more about the outside world that consisted of painless suffering –
how to fight and get stronger, and how to argue with those who are in the
wrong. Faris was the better child in the family. She listened to everything I
said.”
“And what stuff did you say?”
Forrest asked.
“I’m getting to that!!” Mrs. Nora replied
barbarically, making a hysterical scream as she suddenly turned back to normal,
“Anyways~” She said in her usual angelic tone, “Faris and I would have picnics
together, and she would always drink tea with me. Oh, she is such an amazing
daughter. She and Rina had a few arguments and each parent would take a child
and defend them. Now, her father was feared by the entire country. They all
knew how powerful and insensitive he was, yet the only person he was actually
kind to, was Rina. However, seven years ago, Rina and her father had their
first argument.”
She felt her forehead, taking a deep
breath. “Oooph, I’m sorry. It is getting a little hot in here.”
Forrest pointed at her, “It’s
freezing! Maybe’s because you have a lot of clothes on.”
“Silence, little devil child!!!!”
She shouted with her face on fire. She suddenly turned back to normal again,
“Dear me, I blame the heat, ohoho.”
Forrest hid behind Leo. “Like
mother, like daughter…”
Air Fishing
The Older and Younger Lingo
“As I was saying,” She went on,
“Rina wanted her first real mission to be about the last existing Obsidian. Her
father specifically said not to take on the mission because she was young, and she could easily let her emotions
get to her.”
“What do you mean by that?” Felix
wondered.
“Raven was meant to take on this
mission because he knew he could avoid expressing emotions. When you are
outside Lament, there are people filled with betrayal and deceit. As long as
you lack emotion, anybody would be afraid of you. That way, anybody would step
aside from the Obsidian and he can peacefully bring her back to this land. Rina
believed she could do it, but she clearly failed to do so.”
Viola said to the group, “I was
there. It was me. The two girls looked frightened when I appeared, so they ran
instead of returning to Lament, afraid that I was going to attack.” [End music]
“You?”
Mrs. Nora glanced over. “You’re the one who helped ruin the mission?” [Music 20.3]
Felix stepped up. “Wait a minute,
it’s not her fault either. I believe that there is a kind heart in both Viola
and Rina. They do not deserve any punishment, ma’am!”
“Any failure from the castle is very
denoting of unworthiness. We cannot let that matter stand.”
Felix began to defend for Rina, “All
this time, I have been calling Rina selfish and self-centered. But I see why
she has been going through this problem. Your family depends too much on honor
and having a high reputation for power. You alienate your daughters into
thinking that any mistake is
wasteful, rather than a lesson to be learned!”
“Felix, settle down!” Hazel said.
Felix went on, “You have no respect
for the daughter that you raised. Hell, if you’re so disappointed in her, then
who’s fault was that?! The parents! You’re the one who brought up the problem and
are now blaming your own daughter for it!”
Forrest, Leo, and Warren became
quiet. Viola was busy looking out the window while Hazel was becoming
uncomfortable.
Mrs. Nora became frustrated with
him. “Excuse me? How dare you speak
to royalty that way! If it were not for the king and queen, this country would
not stand-“
Felix clenched onto the bars,
shaking them with anger. “And what are you
doing?! You’re sitting around having tea parties while hoping that Clyde will
not destroy the world! You trust Clyde just because he is paired with an Avian
like Lady Pria, but did you even question Lady Pria? Did she look happy, or did
you automatically assume any human paired with an Avian was trustable? You all
dislike humans and instead of negotiating, you run away from them by staying in
Lament, banishing humans. You’re not progressive at all!”
Hazel walked up to Felix, slapping
his cheeks. “Felix, that’s enough!”
“Erghh!!!” He said in frustration. [End music]
Mrs. Nora pouted. “Hmph. You do not
understand what it is like to be in royalty. It is good that you were forced
into prison.” She began to walk away.
Leo yawned. “I don’t understand what
it’s like to be in royalty either.” He turned to the side and he saw a rat.
“EAAAGH! Unsanitary beasts!”
Besides that, the rest of the group
were agitated.
~ Lament – castle treasury ~
Only Rina’s parents and Faris had
permission to enter the treasury room. Faris had a large pillow in her hands
and a towel over it. Two soldiers guarding the door stopped her with their
wings instead of their lances.
“What business do you have here?”
Faris held out her pillow. “I have a
family necklace that I want to give as an offering to the treasury.” She
removed the towel and there it was, Faris’s beloved necklace.
“That is generous of you, daughter
of Queen Nora.”
“Yes. May I please enter the
treasury room to drop this off?” [Music 10.3]
The soldiers kindly agreed as they
let her through. As Faris entered, she lightly closed the door and then she
moved one of the stone pillars off to the side. Behind it was a button that she
pressed. As a result, the wall in the center end of the room flipped
horizontally. There it was, the Stone of Concealment. Faris took her necklace
and she placed it back into her pocket.
She then got closer to the Stone of
Concealment. It was shining in glory and she could already sense the power
hidden inside of the stone. “Here it is. The sacred weapon that has been passed
down from generation to generation in the royalty of the Nora family. Finally,
this stone will show its true colors to the world.”
~ Lament – castle balcony ~
Mr. Nora was sitting by the balcony,
watching civilians fly across the city. It was in the afternoon now and he had
an uncomfortable feeling about the next coming hours.
“Raven,” Mrs. Nora called, “How goes
the inspections?”
Mr. Nora examined the gates. “It is
slightly discomforting. Loetta, there seems to be something coming from below.
The pathway between the Mirror Lands and Lament have not been closed because
Rina had not dispelled it. Those who enter through the pathway must dispel it
themselves. I sense a bad omen coming soon. Hours soon.”
Loetta placed her gloved hand onto
her mouth with surprise. “This cannot be… Shall we have Rina return to the gate
and close it?”
Mr. Nora sighed. “I would like to
send her to the gate, close it, and have her leave for good. However, we will
not make it in time. The omen will begin in only a few minutes.”
Mrs. Nora became worried. “What
shall we do?”
“We shall do our best to protect the
city and our family.”
The parents watched the city which
was still in peace. They sensed something bad was going to happen, and no other
could feel it. No one. [End music]
[Ending 3 music]
~~~
Next time on The Obsidian Tale, the battle of Lament will begin! Does Lament have what it takes to withstand against the humans after being caved into their own city for years? What will the Nora parents do to retaliate? It turns out Rina gets set free from her room, only to crash into her parents. With another argument brewing, how will it turn out? See you next week!
~~~
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