Saturday, January 3, 2015

Remy - Character Page

Remy
- "Mama always says a good child is the one who stays indoors away from all the strangers. No problem. I'm always sick and in bed."

Characteristics - As an orphan in South Ouli Brye, Remy actually holds a major role in the plot in terms of saving Lydia. Because he gets sick often, his weakened body is used as a vessel by Lady Pria in order to telecommunicate with the main group. It is as if Remy can predict whether people are alive or not, with the help of Lady Pria. Personality-wise, Remy is kind but stubborn. He may laugh without knowing how embarrassed somebody else would feel in certain situations. Many adults would push him to the side, thinking he knows nothing at his age.

Appearance - Like Forrest's group of friends, Remy doesn't wear that many flashy colors. He keeps his hair combed in almost a bowl shape because it is easiest to manage rather than styling it. He has a wide green shirt that has the letter 'R', for 'Remy'. He also has beige shorts that were sowed by Hazel's maid in the orphanage. Remy could be one of the thinnest characters as he usually gets sick and lacks the will to eat.

Other information:
Episode Debut: 14
Episodes Shown: 3
Age: 11
Height: 4'9
Weapon: none

Story plot (contains spoilers) -
Remy is one of the twenty orphans in Hazel and the maid's orphanage. Out of all of them, he did not attend the park recess because he was too sickly in bed.

Later, he wakes up and manages to explain that Lydia is not actually dead, and that a spiritual woman in his head admit Lydia was alive. Remy was also told that there is someone out there who can help Lydia the best way possible, and it is assumed that Rina was that person.

Remy makes a surprise reappearance at the Yucan Tempa and states that he is waiting for Hazel, but nobody believes that Hazel is alive.

He no longer gains screen time for the remainder of the story; however, he is briefly mentioned to be raised after Hazel returns from the fall of Zozna.

Hazel Hayashi - Episode List

The Obsidian Tale:

Volume 1: Search - 0 episodes

Volume 2: Regroup - 2 episodes
Episode 14 - Unforgotten Memories [January 3, 2015]
Episode 15 - Crazy Axe Attack [January 10, 2015]

Volume 3: Secrets - 13 episodes
Episode 27 - The History of Waltzer [April 18, 2015]
Episode 28 - A Shameful Runaway [April 18, 2015]
Episode 29 - The Poison within the Fey [April 18, 2015]
Episode 30 - Reunion at Saradeli [April 25, 2015]
Episode 31 - Left Behind [May 2, 2015]
Episode 32 - Courthouse Vector [May 9, 2015]
Episode 33 - Suspicious Ally [May 16, 2015]
Episode 34 - Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire! [May 23, 2015]
Episode 35 - Reject Princess [May 30, 2015]
Episode 36 - Infiltrator of the Skies [June 6, 2015]
Episode 37 - Angel Wings [June 13, 2015]
Episode 38 - A Reason to Live [June 20, 2015]
Episode 39 - The Obsidian Tale [June 27, 2015]

Volume 4: Desertion - 12 episodes
Episode 41 - Too Cold for Comfort! [July 11, 2015]
Episode 42 - Unicorn Party [July 18, 2015]
Episode 43 - Coliseum - The Heart of Battle [July 25, 2015]
Episode 44 - The Group From 20 Years Ago [August 1, 2015]
Episode 45 - Race to the Frolix Volcano! [August 8, 2015]
Episode 46 - Amitt Archways [August 15, 2015]
Episode 47 - Airship Wolfram [August 22, 2015] 
Episode 48 - Tree of Revision [August 28, 2015]
Episode 49 - Lost Technology [September 5, 2015]
Episode 50 - Within the Lumious Chapel [September 12, 2015]
Episode 51 - Tower of Magnus [September 19, 2015]
Episode 52 - The Red Cape [September 26, 2015]

Volume 5: Innovation - 13 episodes
Episode 53 - The Change We Must Seek [October 3, 2015]
Episode 54 - Exiled Arrival [October 10, 2015]
Episode 55 - War of the Central World [October 17, 2015]
Episode 56 - To My Family and Friends [October 24, 2015]
Episode 57 - Conclusion to a Vivid Strife [October 31, 2015]
Episode 58 - The Seventh Tower [November 7, 2015]
Episode 59 - Last of the Hayashi's [November 14, 2015]
Episode 60 - How to Save Faith [November 21, 2015]
Episode 61 - Exodus Finale! [November 28, 2015]
Episode 62 - Trials of Zozna [December 5, 2015]
Episode 63 - 1,000 Years Ago [December 12, 2015]
Episode 64 - The Spirit of Confidence [December 19, 2015]
Episode 65 - Ruler of New Rhadessia [December 26, 2015]

Hazel Hayashi - Character Page

Hazel Hayashi
- "I have gone through quite a long journey, but it still feels as if I have a lot of learning to do. I may know the worldly dispute; but perhaps, I could still learn a few things or two from children."

Characteristics - Hazel, being one of the newer characters introduced after the first volume, actually has a lot of background to her. It was said that she took part in a adventure-long journey with past friends (including Warren) twenty years ago to stop the world from destruction. It is no wonder why she has experience with almost anything involving history. She is also quite strong and stern, being quite the skilled tactician along with Leo. Under all this, she struggles most with deciding what is a good plan versus what is a mistake.

Appearance - Hazel's color palette involves mostly green to represent the nature of Rhadessia that she once knew before her 20-year adventure. She wears a bandana over her head to cover herself from being known as 'that one lady who fought against a thousand soldiers', and is now a mother of an orphanage. Her weapon consists of a bow and arrows, almost never missing. However, it is known that she used another type of weapon in the past.

Other information:
Episode Debut: 14
Episodes Shown: 40
Age: 34
Height: 5'9
Weapon: bow
Occupation: mother of an orphanage

Story plot (contains spoilers) -
Hazel appears in South Ouli Brye after the large impact created at the capital behind North Ouli Brye. Felix met her by chance while resting at a park. Hazel is first seen taking care of several children from an orphanage including Remy, and invites Felix for lunch.

At the orphanage, Hazel introduces herself a little more and Felix explains the entire situation to her. She agrees- well, she forced herself to join the group in order to stop the Gammel government and help save Lydia.

However, on episode 15, she struggles to fight against the Terraineous, a ferocious beast contaminated by Obsidian energy. The untamed beast ravaged throughout the desert and in order to save Felix and Rina, Hazel sacrifices herself to fall into the abyss along with the Terraineous.

Hazel makes a surprise reappearance in volume 3's beginning. She had been in the airship the entire time but she didn't want to sneak up on them until they were calm. She becomes the prime importance in the Grandine Hillage arc for her pure knowledge of the plains. Hazel and Leo also become important tacticians together.

At the Mago'Ria Fey, Hazel reveals the truth about the Fey and how the poison was linked to the Village of Saradeli 20 years ago.

At the Village of Saradeli, she bonds with Warren and Mrs. Wolfram. She also develops the next plan to enter Vector.

As much as she wanted to distrust Viola, she opted out in voicing her opinion when Viola joined.

Hazel is paired with Warren at the Li'Opa Jungles as she constantly plays jokes on him. Overnight, after the main group rejoiced, Hazel watches as Lydia bonds with Viola, indicating that Viola could be trustworthy.

Hazel constantly tries to stop Felix from yelling at Rina and the Queen of Nora. Further into the mini-arc, Hazel follows Forrest to protect him against Bailey and Argus, but gets grazed in the process.

In the City of Celestia, Hazel pairs with Rina at the library to learn about any type of history that intrigues her. She stumbles upon the millenium wars and the Avian history.

After the separation in Celestia, Hazel appears to save the group from the cold at the Zweiland Mountains. When Forrest gets upset about Warren's decision to be a sacrifice, she calms him down, stating that he thought he lost Forrest, the last special person he truly cared for.

When Felix was revived, only Hazel was suspicious of his actions, and knew he was being controlled by Magnus. She fails to strike him down in the Crescent ship during the plan to stop Clyde and Magnus at Lumious.

At the battle of Lament, Hazel helps Forrest, Leo, Warren, and Viola defeat the mutants and the Igor octopus on the Mirror Lands. She gets tossed onto a battleship where Felix is facing Magnus, but at the ledge where she could fall into the water currents. Felix refused, and fought against Magnus's control, making Hazel respect his independence once and for all.

Further into Shiu Jo, all of Hazel's heritage becomes controlled and mutated by mutated Celestial aura. However, to her, not all was lost, as she was not close to her tribe.

Back at the Village of Saradeli, she unintentionally discovers the 'center of the world' by mixing the world maps together: Zozna, in the southeast of the original map.

In the end, Hazel survives Zozna's events and decides to go back home to her orphanage to take care of children again, notably Remy. At least this time, she is finally at peace.

Episode 14 - Unforgotten Memories

The Obsidian Tale

Episode 14
[Opening 2 music]

~ ??? ~


            A sailboat was stuck in the middle of several peninsulas. From the distance, you could see grassland, but also mountains, and then deserts depending on which way your head was facing. This wouldn’t be considered the middle of nowhere, moreover… it is actually the middle of everywhere in a sense. It was quiet by now, and the shrill cries from all over North Ouli Brye stopped. Was it the distance away from the city? Either way, the only noise that could be heard was water flowing with the wind along the large basin.
            “Stupid sailboat control stopped working after that abyss almost crushed us.” Felix kicked the steering wheel and it broke apart. “Ugh…”
            Rina was sitting next to him without saying a word. She was looking at the wooden patterns below her without showing any emotion at all.
            “At least it’s the next morning and it’s bright outside, right Rina?”
            There was still no answer.
            “Did you get enough sleep by the way?” Felix waited for an answer, but Rina was still emotionless. “Hey…”
            “Leave me alone.” Rina looked away.
            Felix sat down with her. “I’ll give you some more time if you need it. With the direction of the wind, I think we’re slowly making our way to South Ouli Brye. I heard it’s a lot better there, hehe.” He gave a nervous laughter.
            Rina closed her eyes to avoid seeing anything of the like. “I couldn’t save Lydia.” [Music 14.1]
            “What are you talking about? She got the yellow shard. From what I remember, it was considered the ‘knowledge’ shard from the book you read at the Igor laboratory, right?”
            “If it weren’t for Talbot being so lenient on me, I would have totally failed. What’s even worse is that she’s not here with us right now. She’s probably at some far off land for all we know.”
            “Stop,” Felix interrupted her. “She’s still alive and that’s all that matters. You’ve tried your best and I think you succeeded.”
            “Succeeded? And what about you? You kept a vow to help Lydia, didn’t you? Where was your part in all this? Hah, throwing the yellow shard. Yeah, that was because it was handed to us. We didn’t earn it. I didn’t help. You didn’t help either.”
            Felix gasped. “W-Wait a minute, Rina.”
            “It’s your fault that we couldn’t do anything! You were just so busy fighting that damn guy that you couldn’t focus on what was more important!”
            “You mean Lionel? He distracted me!”
            “That’s because you weren’t strong enough!!!” She shouted. Felix felt insulted, and he stayed quiet.
            After the awkward silence, Felix stood up. “I’m still going to help Lydia. I’m going to look for those shards and find her.”
            “Why do you care? It’s all over. If we barely made it out of that abyss alive, who knows what could have happened to them? What if they’re not alive? There’s no point in searching.”
            “But weren’t you happy that she finally remembered you? Why did you suddenly change moods the next morning like that?”
            Rina began shaking. “Because moments after that, didn’t you see the abyss crack open even more?!”
            Felix stayed silent. He knew she had a good point. “So then… what are you planning to do now?”
            “Lydia and I already lost our home and the only thing I had left going for me was Lydia. If she’s gone, what now?”
            The two of them were almost at the docks for South Ouli Brye.
            “I don’t know,” Felix said, “Maybe start something new or continue hanging on even if you don’t know what’s next in store for your life? That’s exactly what I’m doing now.”
            Rina made her way to wooden edge of the docks. “That’s such a stupid thing to consider. Stay away from me, Suspenders. I’m not in the mood.”
            “R-Rina!” Felix was about to stop her, but he wanted to respect her decisions at the same time. “Damn it… This is all going wrong for us.” He kicked a nearby empty water bottle. “Clyde, what the hell was that anyway?!” [End music]
            A little girl whined. “You’re supposed to recycle that!”
            Felix ignored her and went onward down the docks.


~ Ouli Brye (bottom half) – Central district – Market ~


            Felix had a feeling that Rina was heading for the inn to rest for the day, so he decided to take it slow and ask around for any shards. It was strange to call this whole city ‘Ouli Brye’ without thinking about the wars that went on up north. He heard people whispering about the destruction of North Ouli Brye, but most did not really fear of it because they separated themselves like a steel wall. One part of Ouli Brye could not affect the other. Besides, they heard news that Ace, the true honorable member of the royalty, is now a part of the reconstruction plan. [Music 14.2]
            After an hour of asking around, Felix still didn’t have a single clue as to where the shards could be. He sat down by a dusty yet populated park nearby. Many of the children here looked like orphans, perhaps.
            “Hm? Where are all their parents?” He asked himself. “They all look like Forrest’s age…”
            He noticed one woman in particular. She had a bandana over her hair and curly bangs that rang down the side of her cheeks. Her build was quite thick and she wore a darkish green attire that looked tight on her. The woman stared back and then she smiled, welcoming him to join the playground.
            Felix walked on over as he asked her, “What’s happening here?”
            “What do you mean ‘what’s happening here’, silly?” She chuckled and answered his question, “This is an orphanage play day. Every once in a while, I take a bunch of children out to play and exercise. If no one else will take care of them, I will. We have a maid who also supports me whenever I am busy and out taking care of errands.”
            “Oh I see. So you work for an orphanage, huh…”
            “You seem a little too old to be a part of this, now that I think about it.”
            Felix jumped. “Whoa, wait no! I was just curious about what this was. I have a friend who said he might be from Southern Ouli Brye but his memory fogged up. It has been a while, I guess.”
            “How long ago was this?”
            “Almost around seven years, more or less.”
            The woman frowned. “I see… So this friend of yours was one of the very few who could escape.”
            Felix became interested in the conversation. “What do you mean by that?”
            “Sit, I will explain. My name is Hazel by the way, Hazel Hayashi.”
            “And mine’s Felix Wolfram. It’s nice to meet you, kind lady.”
            She laughed. “Oh, you and your flattery!” She kindly punched him but it felt like a boulder just hit him. “Anyway, around seven years ago, the Gammel army had been secretly abducting parents to use them for an experiment. They have not returned ever since, so something bad could have happened to all of those parents by now. Unless, they were sent to some unheard camp far away in the enemy territory. I assume you are not a part of the Gammel army, yes?”
            “How did you know?”
            “You seem very confused about the situation here. Plus, you’re young. So it is not likely that you are involved in the military.”
            Felix was amazed. He complimented her again. “Wow, nice deduction!”
            “Thank you. I get that quite a lot actually. Now, about that research experiment… They have a high-classed member named Talbot. He wanted to test Obsidian energy combined with humanoid functions. So far, it has created negative impulses on their decisions and they are working to improve and fix this matter. Rumors state that it can grow worse within humans, but it’s not exactly known yet.”
            Felix slowly slid away from the bench beside her. “Er… You seem to know a lot behind the Gammel government…”
            “Ahaha!” She gave another kind laughter. “You assume I am from the Gammel military?” Felix looked away. “You believe what you want to believe. I will tell you that I am not, and that I simply know too much about how their military works. If you’re wondering how I know, well… I once went into enemy territory but I found that the Lennox government here is more genuine and peaceful. Sure, we may be economically impaired, but at least we can live off of it.”
            “Ah, so you’re once from the lands that Gammel occupied up north.”
            “You could say that."


The Manipulator


            “Anyway, I need to take these children back to the orphanage for a quick lunch. You can stop by for lunch too if you want. I’d be glad to have you around since you bothered to listen. Teenagers who listen to elders are most important for the future’s sake.”
            “Elder? You don’t look that old.”
            “Oh, more flattery! I like you already, kid.” She punched him again, and this time, he fell off the bench. “Please do visit! Ohoho.”
            Felix watched as she was taking about twenty children to the orphanage not too far from here. He gave a soft smile of relaxation.
            “Finally… I meet someone who is very nice and not… strange I guess.” His stomach began to growl. “And I think I know where I’m going next.” [End music]

~ Ouli Brye (bottom half) – Western district – Orphanage ~


            There were the same twenty children running around the living room floor, playing tag together. It was not barbaric, but more of a childish act since the living room was twice as large as any other household’s living room. There were a few who opted out and sat on the couch to talk.
            Felix entered from the living room door and some of the children looked at him, already treating him like a new friend.
            “Come play with us! You can be Godzilla!”
            “Wait, what?”
            “Oh goodness, Felix! You really did come.” Hazel called for him from the kitchen. “I didn’t think you would actually be here.”
            Felix chuckled. “Eheh, sorry. When free food is offered, it would be hard for me to hesitate.”
            “Ohoho, with you being in that village, I’ll bet. But anyway, that will be a hundred gold.”
            Felix gasped. “What?! Really? I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”
            “I’m kidding. Eat up and help yourself for some seconds. I told the maid beforehand to make extras, and look where it’s going! Wonderful timing.”
            Felix took a step back. “Whoa, hold on. Is this fresh potato soup?!”
            “You bet it is! Just because we are economically unstable doesn’t mean we can’t make a farmland work around here in the near deserts.”
            “Oh, awesome!! I used to love them the most whenever my mom-…” He made a sudden stop. “Mom…”
            “Oh I don’t know. Maybe I killed her?” The exact words from Lionel rang in Felix’s head. [Music 8.2]
            “Is everything all right, Felix?”
            Felix shook his head. “Yeah.” He turned away. “She can’t be dead… Gammel can’t be that evil, can they?”


The Potato Soup Recipe


            “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to take a portion to one of the children in the bedroom.”
            Felix grabbed his bowl. “Which child?”
            “One of our orphans got extremely ill the other day, no biggie on your part.”
            “Oh… Does he need the extra soup that I have?”
            “Sit your butt down and eat your own. You must be exhausted as well.”
            Felix felt threatened for some reason. “O-Okay.”
            After a short while, Hazel came back from helping the sickened child. Hazel frowned.
            “How is he?”
            Hazel felt embarrassed. “I don’t understand. Even growing up, I could never work my healing techniques.”
            “You’re a healer?”
            “I’m supposed to know the finest medicines. I’ve been trying to study it ever since… well, ever since my travels have ended.”
            Felix became interested. “You used to travel? To where?”
            “Almost everywhere, I guess. There are places that I haven’t seen though. Or, maybe that’s just my modesty, ohoho.”
            As Felix finished his bowl of soup, he stood up. “I forgot. It has been a while.”
            “Hm?”
            “I need to find my friend. Her name is Rina, so if you see anyone dressed differently than what you people normally wear in Ouli Brye, it must be her.”
            Hazel crossed her arms. “Leaving so soon?”
            “Yeah, I’m sorry. I really have to find her because her best friend is in danger.”
            “What kind of danger?”
            “The Gammel soldiers are after her and-“
            “You can stop right there, kid.”
            Felix became confused. “Er, huh?”
            Hazel walked away from the kitchen into another room. While doing so, she said to her maid, “Hey, take care of the children around here.”
            “What? Where are you going? You’re going to leave all the sudden?”
            “Don’t complain or else you’re not getting dinner tonight.”
            “B-But ma’am, I’m the cook here.”
            Ignoring the maid, Hazel reappeared with a bow and a few arrows to her side-pocket. “Yes. I will accompany this teenager until he finds his friend, Rina.”
            Felix took a step back. “Whoa, whoa, wait a minute. What do you mean you’ll accompany me? I can look for her myself.”
            “Don’t be daft, child. You’re in a hurry to retrieve your friend from the Gammel army, yes?”
            “Yeah but… it doesn’t really concern y-“
            Hazel placed her hands on her hips. “Oh, don’t you talk to me that way. I know exactly what the Gammel army is up to. Heh! And to think I ran into the boy himself who got into the quarrel with the army and the Obsidian.”
            “HUH?! I didn’t even mention that Lydia is an Obsidian!”
            “And now I know her name. Face it kid, you cannot underestimate my knowledge. I know what the Gammel government is trying to do.”
            “H-How? Who are you exactly?”
            The maid raised her hand. “She’s just a mother of twenty-one! Tehe.”
            “How barbaric,” Hazel glared at her maid which scared her completely. “Anyway, I will be back soon.”
            Felix sighed. “Aw man. I’m bringing more people into my problem…” [End music]

~ Ouli Brye (bottom half) – Northwestern district – Riverbed ~


            It took both Felix and Hazel about an hour to find Rina, but they could see her sitting at the shoreline up northwest of Ouli Brye. She only sat beside a tree, watching the sea breeze slightly different due to the abyss. Rina was slightly awkward slanting against the tree with her backpack still on. It’s as if she never wanted to take it off in the first place.
            “Rina! I finally found you!” Felix ran up to her. He waited for her to turn around.
            Rina was holding onto the flail that she was supposed to give to Lydia when she became sane. She had a frown on her face.
            “Have you been eating?”
            There was no answer.
            Hazel said to them, “You can stay over at my place for the night if that is fine with the girl.”
            “See? I met this nice young woman,” Felix said as Hazel began chuckling at the flattery in the background, “and she is offering some hospitality.”
            Still, there was no answer.
            “You have to eat and sleep sometime, Rina. Please, come on. I’ll put that flail back into your bag for you-“
            As soon as Felix tried to grab the flail, Rina slapped his hand away.
            “Stay away from the flail. I’ll put it in the bag myself.”
            “Are you still mad at me?”
            “Of course I am. I’m even madder that you’d even think about touching my backpack.”
            “I wasn’t intending to touch it. I just wanted to put the flail back.”
            “Fine, whatever. I will eat and I will try to sleep. But just-“ She suddenly felt dizzy, making her way to the ground and fainting.
            Felix saved her fall. “What the?!”
            Hazel felt Rina’s forehead. “She must be extremely exhausted. We must take her back to the infirmary quickly!”
            “Damn it…! Rina, please be okay!”

~ Ouli Brye (bottom half) – Western district – Orphanage ~


            Felix barged into the orphanage living room while holding onto Rina. He accidentally banged her head against the doorway which caused him to screech especially if she found out.
            Hazel helped him to the room with the sickened child. In the bedroom, there were two large beds on each end, one already occupied by the boy who didn’t want to get up.
            The maid clapped her hands. “That was rather quick! I thought you were going out on a long quest again.”
            “Long quest?” Felix repeated. [Music 2.2]
            Hazel felt Rina’s forehead again and then she grabbed a towel from the drawer nearby. “It was a pretty nice ‘quest’, you could say. I’d rather not talk much about it. It left a dent in my life for years after…”
            “Sorry. I won’t ask.”
            The maid put her face in between Hazel and Rina in order to grab her attention, “Can I tell him?!”
            Hazel pushed her face away. “No. I will eventually if Felix decides to stay a little longer.”
            “I probably will for the night if that’s okay with you.”
            “Wait a minute.” Hazel yelled at the maid, “Why aren’t you watching the children?!”
            “Eheh, woopsies!! I forgot!” The maid ran off.
            “Excuse me for that. She is a helpful maid, but she sometimes trails off her duties with her klutziness. I know this may not be fair, but how about you tell me about yourself instead? I want to know more about this girl that the Gammel army is chasing after.”
            Felix took a deep breath. “Alright, well…”

            Several minutes have passed and Felix told Hazel all about his journey with Rina, Lydia, Felix, Leo, and even Clyde.
            “How’s the village doing?”
            “Really? After I explained everything, you go back to talking about the village?”
            “Yes.”
            “Um, well it’s fine. Actually, I don’t know its condition right now because I was forced to escape while it was being taken over. Like I said, the Gammel army came by not to take over, but to find Lydia. In order to do that, they had to destroy a few places and I don’t know what happened to my mom. I’m also searching for Clyde and my father still.”
            Hazel pulled a blanket over Rina’s chest. “It’s good to hear you are still optimistic in finding them.”
            “Yeah… Can I ask you something?”
            Hazel turned around. “Hm?”
            “Well, it seems kind of quick that you caught on to my story that fast. The moment I talked about Lydia without mentioning her name or the fact that she’s an Obsidian, why did you respond with support so quickly?”
            Hazel blushed. “Well… I have a personal grudge against the Gammel army. I never trusted them really. Honestly though, that was just an impulse. I’d do anything to go against them, and if it meant helping even a teenager, then of course I would follow along!”
            Felix placed his hand on his forehead. “You got the brains and charisma to do things, but you do it for terrible reasons,” Felix said which made Hazel blush and laugh even more.
            Rina slowly opened her eyes while the maid rushed in with hot potato soup.
            “Food is ready for the infirmary- WOW!” She tripped and the bowl flew towards Felix. The soup scathed onto Felix’s face, causing him to panic.
            The sickened child from across the room watched him in surprise, and then he laughed. [End music]
            Hazel was shocked. “Remy!”
            Remy suddenly stopped laughing.
            “No, no, keep laughing.”
            “Th-Thanks a lot?!” Felix wiped his face with another towel.
            Remy coughed again without saying anything.
            After a while, Felix could finally speak without having to deal with the hot potato soup.
            “Why did you tell him to keep laughing?”
            “Remy is feeling very sick. He has been having trouble smiling lately, so it was a surprise when I got to see him laughing again.” She then whispered to him, “He just started going through puberty, and now his curiosity is going up the wall. He’s been wondering where his parents are ever since he saw a few mothers and fathers strolling around the park the other day. When he asked about his own, I couldn’t say anything. He then assumed they were dead, so he moped and stopped eating and sleeping properly…”
            “Oh… I’m sorry.”
            Hazel patted Felix’s shoulders. “Hey, you made the boy laugh. You’re like a miracle worker.”
            Rina sat up as well. “I thought it was pretty funny too.”
            Felix shrugged. “There she goes with her insults- Wait what?! Rina, you’re awake!” [Music 5.1]
            “Of course I am. I’m not letting some stupid exhaustion stop me.”
            Hazel smiled. “My work here is done. You’re a bit healed now, are you not?”
            “Just a bit. Thanks, I guess.” She turned away, pretending not to care.
            Felix ran in between them. “Oh hey, I forgot to introduce you both! Rina, this is Hazel. Hazel, this is Rina!”
            Hazel lent out her hand and Rina did the same but without looking. The maid giggled.
            “Awww! Bonding moments are always so nice!” She clapped her hands.
            “Clean the soup off the floor!” Hazel suddenly scowled at her.
            “Oh, oh right! Right! I’m sorry. I’ll get to that immediately!”
            Rina said angrily, “Wait, you didn’t take my backpack off, right?”
            “No, we didn’t. I know how special it is to you, so I tried my best not to move it.”
            “Good. I’m surprised you gave that into consideration, Suspenders.”
            She stood up from her bed. Felix tried to hold her but Rina only gave him an evil glare.
            “What are you doing? I think you should rest more.”
            “No. I think I should be going.”
            “Going where?”
            Rina threw the towel onto the bed. “I don’t know. Somewhere is better than nowhere.” She tried to walk out but she fell onto her knees.
            Felix tried to help her up. Hazel did the same but Rina only pushed Felix away.
            “Why do you keep rejecting my help?!” He became frustrated.
            “Because I’m done having you around with me. Dragging you along only made things worse!”
            “Worse?! All you can think about is me being a burden to you?! Is that it?”
            Rina turned around. “NO! Shut up, okay?! It’s because every time I drag people into my problem along with Lydia’s, they end up getting hurt!”
            Felix gasped. “W-What?”
            “That’s why you’re such an idiot, thinking you’ll make it out alive and fine just because you’re around me but in the end, you’re the one who’s going to get hurt if you keep following along. Now stop. I’m out of here!”
            “That’s enough, you two,” Hazel interrupted them. “I suggest resting at a table with food should solve the exhaustion between the both of you.”
            Rina said nothing, so she decided to continue walking, or well, limping after she stood up. Felix was worried, but he felt something warm tingle in his heart – was it happiness? Was it the realization that Rina was actually concerned for his safety?


Rina's History?


            The moment the three of them entered the doorway to the kitchen, the boy began to speak.
            “The girl’s name is Lydia, isn’t it?” [End music]
            Rina stopped without turning around. Felix shook his head. “Were you listening to my conversation?”
            Remy shook his head. “No. I heard you talking about the Obsidian before you said her name back in the kitchen a few hours ago. I’ll let you know something: she’s still alive out there for sure.”
            Hazel and Felix looked at each other in confusion as they said together, “Uhhhhh………………”
[Ending 2 music]
~~~
On the next episode of The Obsidian Tale, we might find out how Remy heard about Lydia! Where did her name come from? Where will Felix and Rina look for her? There is also something mysterious about the middle-aged woman, Hazel. Why does she know so much about the Gammel government? Find out on the next episode!
~~~