The Obsidian Tale
Episode 38
[Opening 3 music]
~ Lament – castle’s throne room ~
“Rina Nora, daughter of the royal
kingdom of Lament, you are subject to dismissal, permanently.” [Music 34.1]
Everyone was startled by the blunt statement. Felix opened his mouth. “What are
you saying, sir?!”
Rina said nothing in return.
“Rina had yet again made another
promise to fulfill her mission and save the city. The only result was partial
destruction and the death to our beloved daughter.”
Felix gritted his teeth. “She was
only trying to help! You can’t blame her for everything. Blame me instead! I
didn’t stop Clyde in time!”
“It’s okay,” Rina interrupted him
without having to yell. “I deserve this punishment. I already told him to trust
me while the battle was still going, and I clearly messed up, again and again.
I’m going to do what he says and leave for good.”
She turned around.
“But you’re their daughter too!”
“We no longer have a daughter,” the
Blood Raven said in disappointment.
Rina was facing the ground, but she
did not cry. She continued to walk towards the exit and the rest of the group
followed along. Felix wanted to yell even more, but he knew now was not the
time.
By the exit, Rina stopped. Without
turning around, she began to speak, “The battle against Magnus is not over,
King Nora.” She did not even say ‘father’ this time. “I will SHOW you that I
can stop him and keep my promise. While you sit back and selfishly protect your
own little kingdom, I’m going to continue journeying through the world with my
friends- no, my family, and stop this
man once and for all!” [End music]
She raised her left arm, clenching
her fist with pride. Everyone in the group gave a light smile. With that, she
finally took a step out of the castle. King Nora made a slight gasp at how she
gave no respect at all. He watched her feet step out of the doorway, as if he
would never see her again.
Queen Nora watched with partial
guilt, but like usual, she did not speak up against the two of them. Rina was
being exiled, but she accepted it.
~ Mirror Lands ~
As the pathway began to disappear,
Rina looked up at the fading city of Lament. The gate was disappearing and the
wind blew past her face.
“Hey Rina?” Felix tried to grab her
attention. She did not turn to him yet. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry for yelling
at you when we were going into the city.” She still said nothing. “I should
have never called you self-centered nor should I have blamed you for burning my
backyard. In a way, you saved my mom actually. I was just angry, that’s all…”
“Suspenders,” She said sternly. “You
really are a dumbass.” She turned around with a laughter. The group wanted to
laugh with her. [Music 5.1]
Felix scratched his head. “Hah, I’ll
take it!”
As the nine of them arrived at the
shore towards Taujiko, they noticed that the two ships were still there. One
for the main group, and one from the Gammel army’s arrival after them. Two
people were also by the ship: Viola and Floir.
The main group made an abrupt stop
and Lionel gave a smirk. “Heh, so you decided to come back down with us, eh?”
Floir turned around. “Yes, it
appears you all made it safely.” She gave a cold eye towards the group,
especially Forrest. “Don’t think just because half of the lieutenants have
turned away from the army, that we can be friends.”
Forrest stuck his tongue out.
“Bleeeeh, I don’t want to anyway! You kidnapped my friends before!”
Floir felt guilty, but she said
nothing about it. “Lionel, Talbot, we are leaving!”
Viola said to her, “You three go
first. I will find you in Taujiko.”
“Oh?”
“I need to speak with the others for
a bit.”
Floir stared at her for a while, and
then she suddenly whispered something into Viola’s ear. Viola constantly nodded
which made the rest of the group slightly nervous.
Lydia gasped. “Wait, why can’t we
journey together? Aren’t we going after the same goal now?”
Lionel had his scythe ready for
combat. “Nah! I mean sure, but I’d rather not have you guys get in my way from
all the glory.”
“Master Magnus is our
responsibility. You must stay out of it at this point. If you would like to
request the return of the last shard, just know that only half of it remains.
There is no point in getting the shard.”
Professor Talbot fixed his glasses.
“We’re not going to turn a blind eye against it, however. It’s just no longer
our priority. This battle is no longer about the Obsidians. It seems they have
a newer source of energy to branch out of.” [End music]
“Branch
out of?” Hazel repeated.
“Think of the chemical Obsidian
energy as a little sapling within Clyde and Bailey’s bodies. Eventually, they
will sprout and become unstoppable demons. With just these two, they are easily
capable of tampering with the world of Rhadessia.” [Music 14.2]
Felix panicked. “What?! This is my
business too. I need to stop Clyde.”
“M-Me too! Bailey is still out there
somewhere.”
“Do what you wish to do,” Floir said
with her stern, strong voice. “However, you must not interfere with our
mission.” She headed into the ship with Lionel and Professor Talbot.
Rina glanced over at Viola. “Where
were you this entire time?” She asked with suspicion.
“Just helping around the castle
during the battle, that’s all,” Viola replied calmly. “Now, are we going or
not?”
Leo ran up to her. “Of course we
are!”
Warren ignored Leo’s excitement
while the rest of them rolled their eyes. “So,” Warren said, “where shall we go
next?”
Viola giggled. “So far, we have no
leads at all as to where Master Magnus is, but it would deem obvious to go to
the original source of Obsidian energy.”
Hazel checked the map and Lydia
spoke up, “That would be the Holy City of Celestia. It’s closely west from here
but we would have to walk across a few more shorelines past Mishu.”
“What’s Mishu?? It sounds like yummy
mashed potatoes,” Forrest commented.
Lydia giggled. “It’s just a holy
church for those who decide to pilgrimage between Taujiko all the way to the
cold lands. It hasn’t been used in decades ever since the segregation between
the tribal community of Taujiko, the Avians, and the Obsidians. Not that many
regular humans from the outer areas of the world walk through here.”
Rina looked slightly uncomfortable,
but she was not in the mood to complain this time.
With Felix noticing, he decided to
speak for her. “Um, wait… Viola disappeared without telling us when we needed
her in battle, and then she comes out of nowhere down here?”
Forrest followed along. “Oh yeah,
that’s right! She could be a meany liar!”
“Felix!” Lydia said with surprise.
“Er… I’m just saying!”
Viola shrugged. “I’m going to walk
to the city of Celestia either way. We’re just taking the ship back together.”
“I believe Viola. I’m going with her
too,” Lydia claimed. “I don’t know when she left while she was with you all,
but it doesn’t matter now. Floir’s quest is the same as ours, so Viola should
have no obligations against it.”
Hazel and Warren said nothing. Leo
easily agreed with her. [End music]
~ Taujiko – southeastern area ~
Lydia was in front of the group.
“Chief, I would like you to keep watch after your villagers. There is a
dangerous man on the loose and we don’t know where he is.”
“He’s probably sneaking up on you
right now,” The chief said. “So get out before you start affecting us too!”
Lydia grinned. “I just wanted to
suggest some help.”
“We don’t need your help! I’ll do
things myself.”
“I’m tired of this place,” Forrest
complained. “It’s filled with mean people. Everywhere is filled with mean
people on these islands…”
The chief rolled his eyes. Lydia
dragged Forrest along.
“Come on. We don’t need to spend
more time here, okay?”
As the group of eight went along
their journey, the chief noticed both Hazel and Warren. Hazel gave him a glance
and the chief panicked a little.
“We saved your village once before,
so show some respect,” Hazel said before leaving. The entire little village was
silent after the parents had recognized her face.
“Bleeeeh!” Forrest stuck his tongue
out. [End music]
~ Taujiko – western shoreline ~
Rina took a deep breath, smelling
the fresh air around her. Hazel suggested that they should wait until the tide
cleared so they could walk further.
In the meantime, Leo and Warren
helped search for food while Rina quietly worked on the campset’s fire. Felix
and Forrest kept watch all around the camp. Hazel was busy with her mapped-out
tactics sheet.
Guard Duty
Lydia watched everyone take on their
own roles. Viola sat by a tree furthest away from the group.
“Viola?” She said, walking closer to
her.
“Hello.”
“Why are you sitting way over here?”
“I wanted to give Rina some space.”
“How thoughtful of you, hehe. Well,
it’s only a bit longer until she will be back to normal. Things are a little
rough right now for her.” Lydia watched as Viola began sharpening her lance
with a nearby rock. “Can I ask where you were at Lament?”
Viola paused. “After hearing the
announcements, I ran off to look for Lieutenant Floir. I wasn’t sure what she
wanted to accomplish, so I had to find her without telling anybody.”
“That’s it?”
“You thought I left to worsen the
Obsidian energy effect with Clyde?”
“For a second after hearing you left
without telling the group, kind of. Eheh…”
“Reasonable claim,” She said. “I
would have done so if the lieutenants have not talked to me sooner.”
“What do you mean?”
“After the incident in Bafuul, the
three lieutenants you saw earlier talked to me about Master Magnus’s suspicious
plans. From then on, we pretended to help him in order to find out what he
really wanted. Now, things have been made clear.”
“Why don’t you tell the group about
all this?”
“They believe what they believe. If
they do not trust me, I will not force my voice upon them by arguing. If I tell
the truth, they wouldn’t believe me either way.”
“I mean… you’d be telling the truth
though.”
Viola chuckled. “Yeah.”
Skin Versus Armor
“About what you told me back at
Bafuul…”
Viola suddenly looked uncomfortable.
“I’m sorry. I’m going to check if
Rina is alright. Stay safe, Viola!”
“Will do.” [End music]
After nightfall, the group of seven
banded together and Viola was still sitting by the tree. Lydia asked Viola to
sit closer, but she hesitated. Instead, Lydia grabbed a few lettuce-wrapped
chicken and headed over there herself. [Music 20.1]
Forrest raised his hand. “Let’s play
duck, duck, goose!”
Warren frowned. “I never liked that
game! I always lost.”
Leo glared into Forrest’s eyes.
“Truth or dare?”
Forrest shivered. “N-No… You look
like you are gonna ask some mean questions or make me do something really bad.”
“How about a survey-themed game?”
Felix asked. “Something that can help us get to know each other a little more.”
“Like what??” Forrest turned to him.
“Hum… Our greatest fears?”
Hazel pointed at Felix. “If you want
to play that game, then you start.”
Felix sighed. “Darn it… Fine.” He
thought about while the rest of the group began eating their dinner filled with
chicken, carrots, and potatoes. It was almost like curry, only without the
base…
“I would say seeing people die. They
try their best to live on every day, but there is always that one day when-“
“Ahem,” Hazel said, turning over to
Rina.
“I-I mean… uh!”
Hazel interrupted him. “I personally
do not like disorganization, just like how Warren was when he was younger.”
Warren gasped. “Hazel, please do not
bring that up!”
Forrest laughed. “Bahah! And you are
scared of bunnies, huh!”
Leo nudged Forrest by the arm. “I
bet you’re afraid of Rina the most, right?”
Rina suddenly gave a small chuckle.
She knew he was right anyway.
Hazel said to Leo, “And you’re
afraid of unsanitary things. How expected.”
“H-How dare you!”
Forrest licked his finger and then
he poked it into Leo’s hear. “I gotcha!”
“That’s dirty! Stop that!”
Hazel snapped her finger. “Exhibit
A!” [End music]
Felix, Forrest, and Warren all
laughed together. Felix noticed that Rina was trying to laugh as well. “Hey,
what’s your greatest fear?” [Music 1.4]
“I dunno, really,” She shrugged. “I
guess… when people touch my backpack? Heh.” She still had her backpack on even
though there was nothing to hide anymore. “I have it close to me because it was
the only remnant I had left when I snuck out of Lament the first time. Now, I
have this necklace too.” The necklace’s reflection glimmered with the moonlight
above.
“Ooooh… It looks cool!” Forrest ran
up to her. “Can I see it?!”
“Get away,” She panicked. “It’s
Faris’ necklace!”
As Lydia returned, she said to them,
“Viola prefers to stay over there.”
“Oh, well um…” Felix said awkwardly.
“Is she okay with that?”
“Yeah. That’s what she told me.”
Leo stood up. “I shall sit next to
her!”
Hazel pointed her arrows at him.
“Sit down. We must give her some space.”
Forrest and Leo began to hug each
other in fear.
“She’s really gonna do it!” Forrest
cried.
“I second that assumption!” Leo
added.
With further laughter, the group of
seven sat together around the campfire, telling humorous an adorning stories
about their past. It went on for a few hours, and Forrest and Warren fell
asleep first. The rest of them continued to talk about random discussions about
the world along with their opinions and such. It was a night for them to
finally bond and get to know each other a little more. The only person missing from
this group was Viola who still sat by the tree.
The Cold Attempt
Late at night, the entire group fell
asleep. Lydia sat up after Forrest accidentally pummeled his hand onto her
back. He must have been sleep-punching. Rubbing her eyes, Lydia noticed that
Viola was gone. [End music]
She quickly stood up and headed over
to the tree. There were footsteps leading close to the shore behind several
other short palm trees.
Following the footsteps, she noticed
a small waterfall connected to a tiny lake with abandoned wooden bridges that have
been cut down from decades ago. There Viola was, showering herself in the lake.
“V-“ She stopped the moment she
heard sniffling. [Music 23.1]
“Mother… father…” She said to
herself. “Why did you leave so soon? Why did you leave me with gruesome
decisions at such a young age?”
“Is she… crying?” Lydia thought to
herself.
“At the same time… I thank you. I
have finally found my people.” She began to look up at the sky as if she was
speaking to her parents, “I know what to do now. Like that young, kind girl
told me, I have to decide my own path.”
Lydia could barely remember what she
had told Viola back at Bafuul.
“There
is clearly a distinction between right and wrong, regardless of who you side
with. You should know the difference and decide your own path.”
Then, she thought about what Viola
had said.
“You
side with those who have been there for you since the day you started becoming
lonely, and that’s because you feel like you owe your life to them.”
“It doesn’t matter if the group does
not accept me,” Viola said. “Being around them and watching people like them
put on a smile even through the vilest mission makes it all worth it. The
lieutenants in the Gammel army treated me well, but I felt as if they only did
their job of taking care of me, rather than love me for who I am.”
“Love?” Lydia repeated in her head.
She had to ask herself over and over: what is
love?
“The biggest thing I feared
throughout my entire life is now over. I am no longer alone, mother, father!”
Lydia made a gasp. She had no idea
that this was her sole reason for joining the group. It wasn’t because half of
the lieutenants began to work on the same goal as the main group here. It was
because Viola took a liking to what Lydia had told her in Bafuul, and
considered joining the group instead. Having Lydia trust in Viola no matter how
much has happened between the army and the main group must have triggered
Viola.
Lydia gave a smile as she quickly
headed back to the campfire. By the next morning, the group planned to head
over to Mishu once the tides lowered, and that it did. It was only a partial
distance to Mishu now. [End music]
~ Mishu – temple entrance ~
“Cream-city brick,” Forrest
mentioned. “Just like Ouli Brye!”
Leo patted Forrest on the head like
a young pup. “Looks like someone did his homework.” He yawned. “It may be using
the same material as Ouli Brye, but it’s not my kind of place. Where are the
bars?”
“Well, at least we know what kind of
person you are,” Hazel commented.
Warren shivered. “Did Mishu have
bunny monuments just like those from Taujiko?”
Lydia pointed at two of them at the
front. “It’s like these central islands pray to their sacred bunnies.”
“Ergh…” He said, feeling uneasy.
They began heading into the temple.
~ Mishu – inside the temple ~
Inside was a large tree that had
grown from the center. All around it were broken chains that used to bind the
tree together. Usually, these trees would be shaven periodically, but due to
its abandonment, it grew too much and struck through the temple off to the sides
and windows. Sunlight peered through the broken glass windows and a few birds
flew in, chirping.
“It’s so soothing in here…” Lydia
commented.
“Why was Sushi created?” Forrest
asked.
“Mishu,” Rina corrected. “You could
at least be close to the name.”
Hazel knelt down, touching the old
cement. “From what I remember, Mishu was a place for those who believed in
their own religion and prayed for prosperity between the Obsidians, Avians, and
humans. It was probably abandoned after people had lost hope from the
genocide.”
“Correct,” Viola finally spoke by
her own will. “The Temple of Mishu was deemed as one of the most sacred places
in the world. Due to the genocide… people in the central lands have stopped
their pilgrimage. The people of Taujiko already disliked other humans, but it
worsened after realizing what we have done.” [End music]
Forrest hid behind Leo, pointing at
Viola. “You killed those Obsidian people??” [Music 30.2]
“I was supposed to,” Viola said
quietly. “Seven years ago, I was only fifteen. They tried to force me into the
battle as my first mission of the genocide.” She headed towards the tree, watching
the birds feed their babies up above a nest. “I couldn’t get myself to kill a
human being. My parents always nurtured me as a regular girl, but the poison
that expended out of the Village of Saradeli twenty years ago caught them. The
virus was within them and they were slowly dying, much like a death sentence.”
“That’s horrible…” Lydia said.
“Twelve years after that, I turned
fourteen. Both my parents had passed away at almost the same time interval, and
that’s when I found the Gammel army in Vector. They trained me for a year and
thought it was appropriate to test me in a battle against the Obsidians.
Professor Talbot had a sensor and claimed only one Obsidian was alive, and that
she could have either gone north towards Phardia, or southeast to Taujiko.”
Felix was most interested in the
story. He began putting the pieces together from what Rina and Lydia had
already explained about their past.
“Lieutenant Floir was like my
step-sister. She ordered me to search for her. She knew this mission was too much
for me, so she decided I had to chase the easiest target – a little girl. I
knew Lydia was the Obsidian the moment I saw her in Taujiko, but I pretended I
saw nothing and went back to my quarters to claim I saw no Obsidian. It took
seven years, and them finding out about the Obsidian living in the Meadow was
out of my control. I could have lied back then and claimed that I slain the
Obsidian, but they had a tracker. As those seven years passed by, Lieutenant
Floir went on the search without me, partially looking down on me throughout
those years. Still, I stayed loyal to her because the Gammel army took me in as
their own, and fed me as their own.” [End music]
Rina gave a sigh of relief. [Music 38.2]
Lydia turned to the group. “See? She
never meant to kill anyone. She only did what she could do. She didn’t tell us this sooner because you all would have
thought the story was bogus during the time when all of the lieutenants were
against us. Nobody would listen, so she saved her breath until a moment like
this.”
Hazel laughed. “Hah. I had a feeling
she was trustable, but I wasn’t a hundred percent sure. Sometimes, Viola, you
don’t need a reason to join a group. You do it because you enjoy company.”
Viola gasped. “How did you know…?”
“I sense everything and know everything.
Do not underestimate my deductions.”
Viola began to cry. She covered her
mouth, surprised that she was being accepted at last.
Even Rina shrugged it off. “Eh, I
guess I was wrong about you after all. If what you say is true, then I see you
have subtly protected Lydia all this time. You deserve to be a part of us as
another guardian angel.”
“Everyone…” She could barely speak.
She had tears of joy, uncontrollable for her to stop.
The rest of the group gave a smile.
The mother bird from above a tree bark continued to feed her children. [End music]
[Ending 3 music]
~~~
Next time on The Obsidian Tale, the group of eight make their way to the City of Celestia. At least, they will enter the city that was once the prologue from the first episode. We will learn the full story and experience of what happened to the Obsidians seven years ago. As the group splits into pairs, they will bond and learn more about each other. However, a terrible fate may be coming soon...
~~~
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