Mr. Wolfram
- "Do you dare defy the government? I will have you arrested and sent into solitary confinement, furthermore into an asylum where you could only hear your own blood run through your body."
Characteristics - Known as an important figure for the Gammel army, he shows no mercy in his beliefs to preserve the world. It is said that he is strict enough to cause even his own son to dislike him. One of the most problematic reasons as to why Felix dislikes Mr. Wolfram is because Mr. Wolfram apparently left the family in poverty without a reason. Although he is seen as one of the most strict man in the government, we will learn more secrets about him as the plot progresses.
Appearance - Mr. Wolfram's notable appearance comes from his jawline. Entirely defined, it helps mold our opinions to believe he is to be feared by us towards the government. He wears a red beret, one of the top governmental attire for a Gammel unit. Although his outfit is not armor, he shows confidence that he doesn't need such material to walk outdoors as he has guards do all the protecting for him. In terms of Felix, the two of them have similar eye shapes - at least in correspondence to their age.
Story plot (contains spoilers) -
Mr. Wolfram first appears outside the Bafuulian bridge to discuss the plans to take Lydia into the basement and have her wait until the Obsidian extraction is ready. As a governmental unit in Gammel, he ordered Floir, Viola, and Clyde to move to specific areas of Bafuul.
It was later revealed that Mr. Wolfram knew Felix was coming, so he allocated the lieutenants in certain places just so Felix could easily run through. He also mentioned that he only left the Village of Saradeli so he could create a referendum to promote prosperity for the village and his family. He promises to only come home after the referendum is complete.
Mr. Wolfram appears during the battle of Lament within a battleship. Felix confronts him to help him escape the battleship. In a major turn of events, Magnus binds Felix's control and pulls the trigger on Mr. Wolfram, gawking at Felix for not helping his father. In the end, Mr. Wolfram gives Felix a wedding ring that was meant for a proposal to his wife after the battle was over, and then he passes away.
I finally had the chance to update everything that I have been lagging on the past 3 weeks. Here are some of the updates:
Episodes 19-21 are now up!
New characters such as Mrs. D'Alonzo, Mr. D'Alonzo, Ekaja, Mahaj, and Warren Oxner all have character pages.
Following this, all of them minus Warren (for plot reasons) have been entered in the character list on the tabs above. Warren will be on there after about four weeks or so.
All characters have been updated as of Episode 21.
Music list is updated.
Some of the characters now have quotes designated to their personality. On a side-note, Lydia's quote is the only quote so far that was taken directly from the series itself. Everyone else's quotes were not necessarily said, but something they would say.
Along with the quotes, I added 'occupations' under the Status section. This is to help readers identify and distinguish characters a little easier.
On the Extras tab, there is an Arc List and Story Division tab for those who prefer to divide the story their own way besides having volumes.
A large amount of information was added on the About page. It goes into detail about complex histories.
Episode titles for #28-37 were added. Hopefully, they won't spoil too much.
Of course, I have to mention what's in the process of updating!
Episode 22 is in progress but may not be posted on time due to a jam-packed weekend. I will try my best to work on at least most of it during the weekdays from now until Friday.
Two remaining characters from Opening 2 have yet to be revealed. I need to work on their character arts, pages, and episode lists.
On the About page, I plan to include a Scientific Research section to clarify what Obsidian energy is and how it is effective for the world. I figured if this story was on fantasy and sciencefiction, I best explain the science fiction.
A Fan-art section will be added under the Extras tab when time permits.
I will start planning Opening 3.
That should be it for now. The website's workload is getting complex due to more characters, longer plot, and extended information about the series, but I'll be able to pull through! For those who care, here are things that have been going on with my life which caused me to push back updates a little longer.
My father passed away several weeks ago, so I barely had time to take care of this website on the weekends since then because I didn't want to leave my mother alone. At that rate, I had to drive home from Riverside (a round trip is a total of 2 hours each). And, I wanted to spend time with her rather than be on the computer all day. She is healing, but still needs her children.
I had exams every week for the past 5 weeks (I also have one next Monday...), so I've studied plenty for them. It's strange to say that for 2 classes, I'm doing extraordinarily well (my scores were a bit too high), 1 class is exactly at the average score compared to others, and the last class I'm slightly below average. I will be busy focusing on the last class, so there will be lag times on episodes 22, 24, and especially 25 (that lands right before finals week). Episode 26 should be a breeze because I will be on Spring break.
But yes, until next time, we'll see how things are going! I'll be silent about my updates until episode 26, so I'm going to miss you all!
Lydia, Forrest, and Leo had just
landed on the docks of Loomin. Forrest ran out first, boasting about how he ate
the most due to Ekaja’s amazing cooking skills. Leo followed while pacing
himself, hoping to digest the food properly. Lydia turned around as she gave a
bow.[Music 20.1]
“Thank you so much for the meal,
mother.”
“Anything for my sweet little daughter,” Ekaja chuckled,
ironically being much shorter than Lydia. “Now, are you sure you will be safe
from here? Throughout the ride, you told me about your adventures, but seeing
that you have only four of the seven shards, you might need a little more
protection with the help of Leo and even Forrest.”
Lydia patted her own head. “Ehehe,
don’t worry about me. I’ve made it this far with and without my friends’ help,
I think? But, I’m sure I will be okay this time.” She gave a sigh. “So, you’re
really heading to the Village of Saradeli with Clyde’s parents, aren’t you?”
Ekaja turned her head towards the
top deck of the ship. Mr. and Mrs. D’Alonzo were swapping insults to each other
as a joke and laughing barbarically. Maybe they were just drunk from the extra
booze that they had in the ship?
“Yes, and I will be taking care of
them.” Ekaja gave a proud smile.
“That sounds like a nice thing to
do, mother!” Lydia gave Ekaja a hug, “I want to come back to the village and
visit you sometime soon if that’s okay! And by then, I’ll try to get all of the
shards back and be just the way you found me years ago.”
Ekaja tried not to shed any tears.
“Don’t you worry. I will always love
you, no matter what happens.” As she gave a friendly nudge to Lydia's forehead, she headed back into
the ship and Lydia waved goodbye to Clyde’s parents before they sailed off.
The moment Lydia turned around, she
accidentally watched Forrest throwing up into the nearest trash can after all
of that running. Leo had his palm against his forehead in shame. [End music]
Now after all that rejoice, the group had not noticed the sight of Loomin itself. Almost the entire town was clustered in debris and broken buildings. The only sounds that could be heard were the crows cackling in between the brown-leaved trees. The clouds were shrouded in the darkest gray and you could sense a slight rainstorm coming. [Music 21.1]
Lydia placed her hand against her chest. “The… town here feels a bit gloomy. What happened?” She suddenly started to cry.
Leo panicked. “Hey, don’t let this town get into your head!”
Lydia wiped her tears away. “S-Sorry… I still can’t control that part of me yet. It’s just that this town makes me a little frightened and it causes me to cry. At least, that’s how I feel.”
Forrest tip-toed his way in front of her. “So what shards are we looking for here?”
Lydia shook her head. “From what I remember when Rina read the book of shards back at the Town of Igor, I think we are missing the Courage, Love, and Instinct shards – Orange, Red, and Green in that order.”
“How do you control your sadness?” Forrest asked.
Lydia placed a finger on her lips as she looked up at the blackened clouds. “Um… all three seem to be relevant, so I’m not sure. With Courage, I can have the power to control sadness. With Love, there is no point in being sad. And with Instinct, I’ll directly have control of my actions.”
After each ‘caw’ from the crows, the group could barely hear footsteps from afar, yet nearby at the same time. After all, they were the only noises echoing across the town. Leo dragged both Lydia and Forrest behind a broken pillar that used to be some sort of monument for a church.
A Gift for Rina
Lydia: Look at all this stuff. What would be a great gift for Rina? Forrest: Um... This place is really ugly and old. Lydia: But we can make something useful out of it. Forrest: Oh okay. How about this? Wait what is this? Leo: That's a back scratcher. Forrest: I don't think she wants that. She has a backpack to take care of. Lydia: How about this one? It is green and beautiful. Leo: That's mold on a piece of bread from several years ago. Lydia: This will do. Forrest: I-It will?! Lydia: I told you. We can make something useful out of it. Forrest: How... Lydia: She hates Felix. She can feed it to him. Leo: Your concern for Felix really makes me wonder.
The Massage Artist
Forrest: Being on the ship for a while got me a little tired and dizzy. Leo: You need to rest? Forrest: Nah, I need a massage. Lydia: Oh! I'm good at massages. Can I try? Forrest: Really? You know how?! Lydia: Of course! I used to massage my mom, Ekaja, all the time! Forrest: Cool! Alright, try my shoulders. They hurt. Lydia: Alrighty! *starts massaging* Forrest: Ouch! Lydia: *almost crying* D-Do you not like my massages?! Leo: *whispers* Don't make her cry! Compliment her! Forrest: Th-They're nice... I just stepped on a nail. Lydia: Aren't you wearing shoes? Forrest: It's a really big nail. Lydia: Shall I massage your foot too? Forrest: Y-You know what? I think I'm feeling better!
Leo moved his head from each end of
the pillar, hoping to find where the footsteps were coming from. Lydia pointed
at a large man in a blue army jumpsuit. It was of Gammel attire, but as a
previous, worn-out model. It looked like a tight jumpsuit that was probably uncomfortable
for his large and built body. [End music]
“There,” she whispered.
Forrest had his bazooka cube ready
in case if the large man was a part of the Gammel army. Of course, his armor
represented one of the leaders of Gammel, but it was charred at the same time.
Forrest sneezed and the cube inflated into the bazooka toy.
The stranger turned around
immediately and he grabbed onto the handle of his weapon. Leo noticed that the
sheath was rather large, probably about a three-by-three foot cube of mass.
“My bazooka can handle this!!”
Leo covered Forrest’s mouth as soon
as possible, but the cautious man stood up, about six-foot seven. His nametag
was carved as ‘Warren Oxner’. For a lieutenant-looking individual, he didn’t
look confident at all. He had an emotionless look on his face as if he was
ready to fight for no cause. [Music 18.1]
Lydia gasped. “Wait, something is
not right about him.” She appeared from of the pillar.
“Stay away from this grave,” He
said. His voice was deep, yet you could hear the harmless cry from deep within
his speech.
“Lydia, what are you doing?!”
Forrest whined.
Lydia gave a bow from afar. “My name
is Lydia Yager. I mean no harm.”
“Yager? Quite unusual.” The tall
man’s hand peered away from the handle of his weapon. “Where are you from?”
“I used to live in the meadows
nearby. But… it's no longer a safe zone. I am here in search of something important.”
The man had no response to her
explanation. He turned back to the grave. “Please keep away from this grave.”
“That had no effect?!” Lydia’s voice
crackled. She became serious again, “Wait, do you know what happened to this
place?”
“For the past twenty years, I have
returned to her grave on her birthday. I… loved her so much. During the weeks
before she passed away, a massive destruction broke out by our very own Gammel
army, but it was kept in secret. This place,” he became enraged. “This place
was used as a research unit for a sacred source called the Obsidian!”
Lydia gasped. “What do you mean?
What did they achieve with this research?”
The man continued to speak, “So far,
they were able to learn how to extract energy from an Obsidian. I do not know
where this person is and where she went, but the Gammel army wanted to throw
her away at first not too long ago. After they realized that the Obsidian can
regain energy and even sprout more energy from newer memories, they decided it
was a better idea to kidnap her and extract more energy – constantly until the
day she dies.”
Lydia became silent.
“I objected to this idea. I felt
there could be other ways to sprout life to Rhadessia, but they insisted. Even
my lieutenant partner, Felisse, objected to my ideas. In the end… the Gammel
army decided it was best to drop me from the title completely.”
Forrest and Leo appeared from the
pillar and the large man did nothing.
“Now, I am merely nobody, waiting
for his own death where he can live in peace with his beloved woman whom he was
supposed to live with for the rest of his life.”
Lydia took a step closer.
“Lieutenant, I…”
“Do not call me ‘lieutenant’ any
longer. I do not deserve that title.” [End music]
“Mmph…” Lydia stumbled in her words.
“May I at least know your name?”
“My name is Warren, Warren Oxner.”
Lydia shook her head. “Mr. Oxner,
tell me something. You know about the genocide that happened seven years ago,
yes?” [Music 14.1]
Leo tried to stop her. Since that
incident, Leo and his royal family were to never talk about anything as tragic
as that. “Lydia, we’re not supposed to talk freely about such
a thing-…”
Lydia uncontrollably punched his
face. “I want to know! I have to
know.”
Warren answered her, “You want to
know why the Gammel army created a genocide even knowing the Obsidians were a great
source of energy?” Lydia was eager to listen. “That is because the Gammel army
wanted to monopolize their own army against the Lennox and Winstel armies. The
research center of the Gammel government was intelligent enough to extract
every Obsidian energy and kill off any remains. That way, only their army would
have the energy to help bring life to Rhadessia. In doing so, the rest of the
world could see Gammel as the hero in bringing continuous life.”
Forrest scratched his head. “But
wouldn’t everyone think they’re evil for killing off the Obsidian people or
whatever?”
“The Obsidians live on an isolated
land far west from here. No regular human was allowed in that city, therefore
anybody outside the city had no idea what was happening. At this point, some
believe that the Obsidians are still alive and most of the educated believe
that they are dying out due to a plague.”
Lydia was almost in tears, but she
knew now was not the time to do so. She tried to control herself.
Warren gave a grim chuckle. “But,
now that I am out of the military, there is no point in worrying about politics
and all. I am waiting for the end, hoping that if there is some end to Rhadessia with the lack of Obsidian energy, then at
least I will not die alone.”
The group of three had nothing else
to say.
“Hah, I do not even know why I am
telling a bunch of children about how I feel. I apologize in advance.”
Lydia stepped closer. She tried to give
him a hug but she had trouble wrapping her arms around him. “Mr. Oxner, there is hope out there. We can find a way
together. You are not a bad man, and the Gammel army is wrong to think of you
that way. And, please don't give up on life. It's a beautiful world out there and I know there are people who wish you to live onward for them.”
“Wh-what?” Warren began to blush,
surprised that a young girl would try to lecture him. “Just… who are you?” Lydia’s
hug was warm – in contrast to the Loomin atmosphere.
Lydia took a step back. “I am the
last Obsidian remaining.”
Warren’s eyes widened. He began to
shake with concern. “Y-You?”
He fell to his knees as tears
dropped into the soil. “Dear Obsidian, please, please lead the world into
continuous harmony! The Gammel army had no idea how quickly their extracted
energy was depleting after using it for research and armies. However, the world
itself needs your help!”
Lydia was surprised. “I-I can’t do
that! I’m just a teenager.”
“Just because you are a teenager does not mean your opinions do not matter. You
can save the world, but at the same time… it would cost a lot of energy from
you. It would be terrible to ask for such a thing from you, but in a time like
this when there is still energy left in the world, I…”
Lydia held out her hand. “Mr. Oxner,
at this point, I don’t know what I should do to help save the world from its
dying source of energy."
Forrest questioned the situation.
“But, as long as Lydia is breathing, the world can be saved, right? How was the
world doing when many of the Obsidian people were still alive?”
Leo patted Forrest on the head. “Now
you’re thinking! However, you forgot that Lydia is just one person.”
Lydia grinned. “And the only way for
the world to prosper a little longer, I must be a sacrifice. I think merely
existing does give off energy, but my
death can help extract a large amount of Obsidian energy. But still, it would
be limited.”
Leo shook his head in
disapprovement. “Lydia, we can’t do that! You realize that even if you
sacrifice yourself, then the world would prosper only a few years longer, not
forever.”
Lydia panicked as she raised her
voice, “Then what am I supposed to do?! I didn’t choose to be born as an
Obsidian, and now everyone is depending on me to help save Rhadessia itself!
This world is going to die soon, and maybe I can help make it last a little longer.
In those extra years needed, maybe they can actually find something that can
keep Rhadessia alive – new technology! I’ll be the bridge of all this!”
Forrest began to cry, realizing that
Lydia would have to be a sacrifice.
Warren interrupted them. “We first
need to retrieve the shards that the Gammel army has. It’s the last source of
energy remain.” [End music]
Lydia turned to him. “Wait a minute…
that’s it! It would be a long shot, but it’s worth a try. If we get all the
shards, I will be complete and back to normal. However, I’m willing to lose a
spec of my energy for someone like Professor Nell. Maybe, just maybe she could
help find an extra source of energy!”
“Who’s Professor Nell??” Forrest
asked.
“From what I remember, she is the
sweetest and perkiest scientist ever. She lives in the Town of Igor. I would
love to see her again!”
“I’m afraid that is not possible,” a
familiar voice was heard from nearby.
Guns began to click. They were ready
to be shot from each end of the small graveyard. Gammel soldiers had snuck
their way in the vicinity of the group of four, and the only person that looked
notable from everyone else was Floir! [Music 7.2]
“Do not move,” Floir commanded.
“Gladly enough, we did not take too long to find you raspy lot.”
“What did you do to my friends?!”
Forrest asked angrily.
“They are still in Bafuul. Listen,
children! We overheard your little plan. There is no chance to get those shards
now. The red shard is being researched on while the orange shard has been moved
to a laboratory in Troiya. However, the research is almost complete, so there
is no time for you to get them!”
Lydia began to cry uncontrollably.
“What are you even trying to accomplish with them?!”
Floir chuckled. “To save the world,
of course.” She turned to a few soldiers, “Take that rotten ex-lieutenant to
Bafuul. We don’t need any more men leaking information about the Gammel army.”
Forrest whined. “Mr. Lieutenant!!”
Warren shouted at Lydia, Leo, and
Forrest, “Do not take another step! This issue is my responsibility.”
Lydia clenched her fists. “But why?!
You’re going to prison! You need to fight back.”
Warren sighed. “I do not deserve
vengeance.” He peacefully agreed to walk away from the crowd with a few
soldiers.
Floir took a shiny green object from
her pocket. “Now, where were we?”
Lydia was astonished. “Where did you
get that shard?!”
Floir rolled her eyes. “We’ve
learned to track these shards with a detector. Do you not realize that our
scientists are clever enough to anticipate the separation of shards?”
“Nope.”
“Not really.”
“Same here.” All three of them
replied.
“Silence!!” Floir shouted,
continuing her point. “We were actually lucky the shards did not float away
from this continent.”
Leo readied his fists. “They have
the rest of the shards!”
Floir stopped him by commanding a
few more soldiers to aim their guns towards him. “Ah, ah, ah~ I wouldn’t move
if I were you. Come to Bafuul with us and we will not shatter this shard.”
Leo whispered to Lydia, “She’s
bluffing. They need the shard to do more research.”
Lydia was trying her best to refrain
from crying.
As two soldiers were heading closer
towards Leo in order to handcuff him, Leo made a sneaky counterattack by
elbowing the soldier from behind. The soldier in front of him was gripped by
both hands and used as a shield. The soldiers were startled at how quick Leo
was. Forrest grabbed Lydia and dragged her behind Leo.
“Tch! My, aren’t we quick about
things?” Floir was frustrated.
The rest of the soldiers continued
to aim for the group.
The soldier that was held hostage
began to panic. “N-No, don’t shoot!”
Leo whispered to Forrest about some
sort of tactic and Floir decided to command every soldier to shoot anyway.
Leo dropped the soldier flat onto
the ground before anybody could get shot. A split second later, Forrest’s
bazooka cube inflated which helped negate the bullets for a few more seconds.
Forrest used his small handgun to aim for Floir’s hand.
Floir’s shoulder pad was grazed!
“Dang it, I missed!” Forrest panicked.
In surprise, Floir dropped the shard
and Leo ran across the graveyard. He skipped the grave that Warren held dear to
him and the soldiers shot every other grave in an attempt to catch Leo. As
Floir was about to pick up the green shard, Leo was right behind her and the soldiers
hesitated to shoot.
“I’m sorry for doing this!” Leo
rudely pushed her aside as he stole the green shard. As all the soldiers
focused on Leo and Floir, the two other group members had already made a run
for it.
Floir stood up. “You bastard! Your
own friends left you and now you are trapped. Put your hands up in the air-“
“Damn it!!!” A soldier yelped.
Everyone turned to him who was now
handcuffed.
“Heh, good job, Forrest!” Leo
thought to himself as he ran off during the distraction.
“RRRAAAGH!!!!” Floir exploded as she
said in a shrieking voice, “GET THOSE DAMN RUNTS!!!” [End music]
~ Aria River – northern point ~
After a while, Leo was able to catch
up to Forrest and Lydia, but what was in front of them was a large mass of
water streaming at an angle towards Troiya. Forrest took a step into the
shallow water and luckily, it was only a foot tall.
Forrest frowned. “I don’t know if we
can actually run in this.”
“They’re over here!” One soldier
called out.
Leo jumped ahead. “Well there’s no
time to be thinking about that now! Let’s go!” [Music 4.3]
Slowly running down the shallow
streams, a soldier tried to shoot Forrest by the leg but he missed. In shock,
Forrest accidentally dropped the shard.
Leo picked up it. “I got it!”
“Phew, thanks!”
“I think I ran out of ammo!” One
soldier said.
“Hey, same here! We’re gonna have to
tackle them down for Lieutenant Floir’s sake!”
Lydia clapped her hands. “Perfect!
They ran out of bullets.”
For several minutes, the group of
three were successful at running and keeping their distance away from the
soldiers. There were about seven left while a few other soldiers lost their
tracks. The water was getting deeper and Forrest could barely move onward. Leo
slowed down for him.
“Lydia, catch! I’ll help Forrest.”
Lydia yelped, “Huh?! But I can’t
ca-“ The green shard flew past her and she accidentally slid forward. She
rolled and eventually her bottom was doing the sliding. She screamed in a
panic. “AHHH!!!!”
“Crap, that’s not good,” Leo said.
The closest soldier grabbed Forrest
by the shoulder but Forrest inflated his bazooka which pushed him off the
tracks of the river. Once Forrest put his bazooka away, Leo dragged him down
the deeper water streams. The six soldiers continued to ‘run’ towards them.
Eventually, five of the soldiers
caught up with Leo and Forrest. This was no surprise as Leo was busy trying to
support Forrest. The sixth man already went ahead to catch Lydia.
Leo punched one of the soldiers in
the gut while Forrest tried to open his cubed bazooka. Without time, another
soldier grabbed Forrest from behind. The two of them struggled and fell down
the stream together. Leo followed along, ignoring the rest of the men.
The river knelt horizontally for a
short period. Lydia grabbed the green shard which was stuck by a moss rock
nearby the shallow river. “Thank goodness, I found it!”
“Yoink!” One of the Gammel men stole
the shard from her.
Without thinking, Lydia gave him an
uppercut from below the chin and he flew up. She kicked his stomach as he was
tossed into the sudden river stream that had a 45-degree angle. The man let go
of the shard and Lydia could barely catch it without having to accidentally
jump off as well.
She rose the shard towards the sky
as soon as possible. The shard was filled with green aura and Lydia’s whole
body was engraved in green. Even Forrest, Leo, and the soldiers could see the
light from afar. Lydia had her eyes closed, feeling the essence of green flow into
her. Once the light stopped, Lydia opened her eyes and she felt a bit more
complete! Suddenly, her collar was being tugged! [End music]
Floir appeared by surprised with her
hand gripped onto Lydia’s collar.
“You think you could get away from
me?”
“S-Stop it!” Lydia struggled with
her, but it was too difficult to push herself away. She relied on her lack of
instincts to uncontrollably punch and kick Floir away, but it seemed the
Instinct shard had already been instilled into her.
With the five remaining soldiers,
four were chasing Leo and one was still struggling with Forrest. The Gammel
soldier stole the cube from Forrest while they were rolling in a mud puddle. [Music 3.1]
“Hey! Gimme that back!!!”
“It’s mine now!”
“What are you, twelve?!” Forrest
grabbed the cube.
“And how old are you?!” The man stole it back.
“Probably older than you!” Forrest
whined as he took the cube again.
“That makes no sense at all!” The
man retaliated by taking the object.
“Jess told me not to say bad words,
but if I could, I would say so much to you right now!” Forrest kicked him in
the unmentionable area as he retrieved the bazooka cube! The man stopped at the
mud and Forrest kept running.
Forrest turned around and he quickly
opened it to blast the rest of the soldiers away.
Leo ducked into the mud. “Hey! Watch
where you’re shooting, Forrest!”
Two soldiers were blasted off the
river and the other two ignored Leo, aiming for Forrest. Forrest tried to shoot
again but he was losing his balance from the slippery stream of water. Leo
grabbed the second soldier’s leg and he tripped into the mud. Leo stood up as
he used one leg to step on the soldier’s back. The man’s face was in the mud.
Forrest and the last soldier stopped
running as they watched. The only sounds heard was the river and Leo’s
out-of-character barbaric laughter.
“BA-HAH-HAH-HAH! You fell for it!”
Leo continued to step on the soldier’s back after each word he said. “You.
Can’t. Beat. Me!”
Forrest said slowly, “Leo… um…”
“Oh that’s right!! The green shard!
I’m on my way, Lydia!!” Leo suddenly ran ahead and the soldier remembered what
he had to do.
Forrest was pushed back as the
soldier rushed past him. Without enough time, Leo accidentally tripped over
Forrest and the two of them were rolling down the stream, eventually falling
over the 45-degree angle of water. The last soldier stopped, hesitating to jump
down just for a green shard.
The two of them screamed in fear.
“WE’RE FALLING!!!!!!” They said
together. "Again?!" Forrest added before his voice faded away while remembering how he fell from the Silver Forest waterfall.
Leo screeched. “This isn’t how I
imagined our success!” He concluded. [End music]
It’s too bad they fell down the
river for nothing. It seems the green shard already returned to Lydia.
[Ending 2 music]
~~~
On the next episode of The Obsidian Tale, it seems things are finally picking up. Felix and Rina are now headed to Troiya... with Garnett? How awkward! Meanwhile, Forrest and Leo have both fallen down the Aria River which is right next to Troiya. What will happen to Lydia now that Lieutenant Floir took captive of her? Let's see what the two- no, three groups, will do on the next episode!
Warren Oxner - "I must repay the debts of my erroneous ways, even if it means my views mean nothing to the government, and I- eugh! Is that a rabbit?!"
Characteristics - Warren is an ex-lieutenant from the Gammel army. He is a handy gentleman, but rather reserved and strict at the same time. However, behind that stone heart is a heart filled with despair. He had been exiled for disagreeing with the entire Gammel government for using Lydia's Obsidian energy for selfish needs, and now that he no longer has duties to fulfill as a lieutenant, he feels empty inside. It is said that he was willing to take his own life after losing everyone important to him, until he met people like Lydia and Forrest. P.S. He is afraid of bunnies.
Appearance - Large and built, Warren looks rather intimidating. He still wears the older edition of the Gammel military attire - a full-on blue jumpsuit which is also a main garment of a shipping pilot. He has short, blond hair, groomed evenly which subtly indicates he cares about fashion, but he wouldn't rather talk about it otherwise. His weapon is a large hammer, and this bit of information is somewhat important to his habits as a Gammel lieutenant and his lack of interest in killing.
Story plot (contains spoilers) -
Warren Oxner's debut began in Loomin, at a graveyard to visit his late love, a woman who had been killed during the war twenty years ago. As Lydia, Forrest, and Leo arrive, Warren tells them to leave. However, Lydia trusted that his disheartened expression meant no harm to the group. Because of this, Warren decided to explain who he was - an exiled soldier of the Gammel army.
Furthermore, he tells rather important information about the Gammel army and the fact that they're using Obsidian energy for selfish needs. Of many of the soldiers within the army, Warren was the only person who objected the idea of kidnapping Lydia and using her energy. As a result of his explanation, Floir appears by surprise and takes him into custody at Bafuul.
Warren returns in the series after being freed by the main group on episode 25. From there, he helped scout the rest of Bafuul for them due to his past experience from being on guard duty.
It is revealed on episode 27 that Warren is afraid of bunnies (of all animals). Yet, he refuses to tell the history of it. Warren also becomes one of the prime importances to the history of Waltzer.
At the Checkpoint, he tries to convince Felisse that the Gammel government is a part of a conspiracy, but she attacks him. Warren offers to be left behind so that the main group could enter Vector. Later on, however, Warren safely makes it to Vector without explaining what happened at the Checkpoint.
Warren slightly becomes relieved that Viola joined the group, now that he's no longer the only Gammel unit in the main group.
Within the Li'Opa Jungles, Warren is paired with Hazel to escape.
Warren questions Viola's true motives as a positive intent, assuming he knows how kind she truly is. After being set free from the castle prison, he helps Leo stop the mutated giants in the city of Lament.
Warren pairs with Forrest at the City of Celestia to understand what it is like to be a child again.
After the separation in Celestia, Warren appears by the Frolix Volcano, offering himself as a ritual sacrifice to the Winstel army. The main group did not condone this action, so they decided to enter the Wiserheim coliseum tournament to help set him free - and they succeeded.
At Amitt, it was revealed that Warren was a skilled airship pilot which made him reliable for the Crescent Airship. He also uses this to his advantage to steer against enemies at the battle of Lament.
Returning to the Village of Saradeli, Felisse makes an appearance and begs for him to change his actions. He becomes hostage in the Soma Springs near Shiu Jo, but he manages to break her control free from Magnus.
In the final battle, Warren sacrifices himself when Magnus throws a hard blow at the main group. Luckily, he barely manages to survive. He volunteers to become the next vessel for Magnus but Felix refuses and takes on the task.
After the events of Zozna, Warren rejoices with the remainder of the Gammel government to restart his new and profound position.
~ Stream north of Village of Saradeli ~ Writer's note: Due to Lydia regaining the Sympathy shard from episode 17, she is now able to show more emotion. For this result, her character images will now return to her smiling again. Also, Lydia is starting to act on her own such as speaking up against a crowd or fighting alongside the main group. Instead of 'Guest', her level system has returned.
We now shift back to Lydia, Forrest,
and Leo who are now riding on a mini sailboat down the stream north of the
Village of Saradeli. This stream is directly west of Lake City Prima and no
other soldier was able to follow them. [Music 20.1]
Lydia was standing off the edge of
the boat, feeling the cold breeze. Forrest and Leo were playing around with the
toy bazooka. They were laughing together every time the bazooka bounced out of
the cube.
A woman appeared from the bottom
floor. Her hair was clearly not combed. She had a tight shirt on while wearing sweat pants. It was as if she didn't care for fashion because it was a waste of her time. She'd rather do more physically things such as exercising. “Tea for Lydia and Leo. And for little Forrest, chocolate milk!”
“Yay!! Thank you Mrs. D-Alonzo!”
“No, no, it’s ‘D’Alonzo’. You don’t have to put much emphasis on the letter ‘D’, and the ‘A’...”
“I don’t get it,” Forrest rudely
replied.
Lydia grabbed the cup of tea. “Thank
you, Clyde’s mother. It is a surprise that you found us washing off the large
lake under Prima.”
The
three main party members were falling from Prima’s port. At the lake, Leo had
to carry Forrest before he started to drown. Who else could teach Forrest how
to swim if he grew up in the alleyway? Lydia’s lack of instinct made her
uncontrollably glide quickly to the nearest land and Leo had to follow her.
Funny enough, to Leo, Lydia looked like her own motorboat.
They
waited for minutes, hoping to lose sight of any Gammel soldier which included
Floir. At that point, they could see a sailing ship crossing by.
“That is no problem. Earlier, you
mentioned that the Village of Saradeli was under attack, yes? And that Clyde
seems to have turned to the Gammel army?”
Lydia shook her head as she frowned.
“I believe so.” She suddenly threw the glass cup onto the deck which caused
Forrest and Leo to startle.
“S-Sorry,” Lydia suddenly cried. “I
still can’t control myself! I feel so bad.”
Mrs. D’Alonzo giggle. “That’s fine.
We have plenty of cups. And, you told us the whole story about the Gammel army
and how they took your shards. We totally understand.”
Forrest smiled. He had chocolate
milk on his upper lips. “Clyde’s such a meanie but his parents are so cool!”
Leo asked her, “What are you going
to do now? The village might be much different from what you expected.”
Clyde’s mother sighed. “You do have
a point. My husband is so disappointed to hear the news about the village. He
said he wants to take a look very quickly.”
Lydia shook her head. “I’m sorry. We
are in a hurry to find Forrest’s friends in Bafuul and we hope to find Rina and
Felix. First, I want to stop by the meadow closest to here.”
“That is totally understandable. I
have an idea to solve both problems with you and my husband. First, we can take
you to the meadow and when you’re done with your business there, you want to
continue heading west if you want to get to Bafuul in the fastest way possible.
West of the meadow should be a destroyed town named Loomin. Since there’s
nothing there, you can skip ahead to the Aria River, and then to Troiya. At
Troiya, you can sneak a boat into Bafuul but that would be very dangerous.”
Leo raised his hand. “I’ll make sure
Lydia and Forrest are safe.”
“That is wonderful. After we drop
you off at Loomin, my husband and I will be returning to the Village of
Saradeli. If you need any help and are somehow capable of visiting the village,
please feel free to find us and let us know of your troubles.”
Lydia clapped her hands. “That is so
nice of you, Mrs. D’Alonzo!”
Forrest tilted his head. “Um,
Lydia…? What’s at the meadow?”
Lydia giggled. “It’s where I lived
for seven years before I met you all! Hehe.”
“I’m still not used to seeing Lydia
laugh more often,” Leo commented.
It’s true. Lydia showed more emotion
ever since she gained the shard back at the Lake City Prima.
Leo took a look at the Village of
Saradeli as they were passing by. He only saw destruction and dried out smoke.
“Can we see the village too?? Maybe Felix is there!”
Leo covered his vision by standing
in front of him. “I don’t think that’s a good idea right now. We can come back
later. Besides, I doubt Felix and Rina could have made it back to this village
that quickly.”
“Aw… fine…” Forrest whined.
Lydia pointed at the other end.
“That blue thing on the other side looks like a cave. Could that be the Mago
Ria’Fey?” [End music]
“Mago Ria who now??” Forrest tried
to repeat after her. [Music 20.2]
Mrs. D’Alonzo chimed in. “It is a
cavern filled with puzzles created by ancient civilization. It’s pretty much in
ruins now and no one really crosses it. It has been unintentionally blocked off
over time anyway, and it could be dangerous. Come on, drink your tea. We’re
almost at the meadow.”
Sleep-Deprived
Leo: Urgh... *sigh* Forrest: What's wrong Leo? Leo: I haven't slept properly since I left my house. Forrest: Since the i-so-lated house?! Why not? Leo: Someone's got to take care of you two. Lydia: You've been keeping watch while we slept it off? Leo: Yeah. And I'm very sleepy but I need to keep watch. Lydia: Don't worry! Clyde's parents can do that for us. Forrest: But they're busy getting drunk. Lydia: Why don't I tell you a story then? Leo: Zzzz... Lydia: Am I THAT boring? *starts to cry* Forrest: N-No! Don't cry! Lydia: 'Kay. Leo: *sleep-talking* When I grow up... I want to be a teapot... Forrest: What???????
~ Meadow ~
As the small sailboat docked onto
the edge of the large meadow, Lydia ran out immediately.
“Mother, I’m home!!” She said
without trying to yell. She began laughing but she suddenly tripped.
She knelt forward and looked at the
meadow in front of her. It was the same as ever, at least from what she
remembered. The land was about two to three acres long and you could see a
bunch of dandelions dispersing into the air through the passing wind. You
couldn’t hear any kind of human civilization, just the slight rumbling of the
Rhadessian nature followed by birds and more wind.
Mr. D’Alonzo appeared from the
doorway. “AHAH! WE ARE HERE.” He raised his arms into the air. He wore an unnecessary brown coat mostly because it looked 'hype' and he wore a sailor hat - also unnecessary as he was a simple voyage captain of two passengers: his wife and himself. The most notable thing was his killer mustache.
Mrs. D’Alonzo sighed. “Hun, must you
always yell when you arrive at a new destination?”
“I DON’T ALWAYS YELL. I ONLY DO IT
WHEN I HAVE TO.”
Forrest skipped his way off the
sailboat. “Wow. It feels really fresh out here.”
Lydia stood up. “From what I
remember, there’s supposed to be a dent at the front porch. Um…”
“Why did you stop? What’s wrong?”
Lydia sighed. “It’s just my family.
Hopefully my mother is doing well.”
“Was she not fine before?” Forrest
asked without any filter in his tone.
“Well, first, I want to see if she’s
okay, then I can tell you the whole story if she’s fine with it. It has to do
with Floir.”
Forrest became angry. “Floir… She
said she took my friends into this place called Bafuul, but I don’t know what
that place is like.”
Leo tried to ignore the
conversation. It seemed as though he had knowledge of the world of Rhadessia,
moreover… Bafuul. What was this place like anyway?
“Sorry, Forrest. I’ll try to make
this one quick, okay? I know we should hurry and save them so I’ll say hi to my
mom real fast.”
“Thanks,” Forrest said, trying his
best to relax.
“ALRIGHT KIDDIES, WE WILL WAIT HERE
FOR YOU. WE DON’T WANT TO INTRUDE YOUR TERRITORY.”
Mrs. D’Alonzo waved to them. “That
is right. It is our custom to be respectful to other places especially a
personal home.”
“WHILE WE WAIT, WHY DON’T WE GO MAKE
SOME FOOD? WE HAVE NOTHING BETTER TO DO.”
“Oh that’s right, hun! Good idea.” She
‘kindly’ slapped his back but it was rougher than a horse kicking you against
the floor. The two of them ran back into the sailboat and the group of three
could hear them crashing into several objects inside. Even a chicken clucked!
And… a cat too??
Lydia gave a nervous chuckle. “Eheh…
They’re quite the couple.”
The Size of a Royal Family
Forrest: Leo, since you're royalty, do you have a lot of friends? Leo: I dunno. I've been out for a year. It's hard to keep in contact with them all. Forrest: What about family? Where did everyone go? Leo: Eh, probably spending money from all around the world. Forrest: Oh I see! What are they like? Leo: A good half of them are probably snobby. Forrest: Really? How come? Leo: Well, let me tell you a story about one of them. Forrest: Okay! Leo: My uncle's sister's father's wife's son's aunt's... *voice fades in the distance* Forrest: I'm already lost... Leo: ... dog's owner's father's son was once very snobby. He... *voice fades again* Forrest: Which relative is this anyway??? Lydia: He's talking about himself. Forrest: How did you figure that out so fast?!
Old Enough to be a Father
Lydia: Hm... a brother... Forrest: What? Lydia: Sorry. I was just thinking what it would be like to have a brother. Forrest: Me! Me!! Lydia: You can be my little brother. Forrest: Yay!! And who's the father? Lydia: *stares at Leo* Leo: M-Me?! Forrest: Nah, I see him as more of a fun uncle. Leo: That's very nice of you. Is it because I'm not old? Forrest: Nah that doesn't matter. It's because you're not mature enough. Leo: ME?! NOT MATURE?! I'll have you know...! Lydia: I have two little brothers. *awkward giggle* Leo: I'm much older than you! Forrest: So you're old enough to be a father? Leo: NO!! Well, yeah probably, but not YOUR father!
They now headed towards Lydia’s
home. As Lydia reached the front porch, she whispered to her friends to take a
step back in case something happened to her mother. The creak of the door
sounded when Lydia pushed it open. [End music]
“Mother?”
There was no answer. The whole house
was made of wood and the only light coming in was from an open window from the
end of her sight. It was a bedroom with cut-up linen hanging against the
archway. It still smelled like the lake’s breeze.
“Mother…?”
Forrest and Leo waited by the front
door, hoping that Lydia would make it back safely before something happens.
Lydia grabbed onto the left side of
the archway as she said one more time, “Mo-“
A short, dark-skinned woman appeared
from the side of the room with a large paddle.
“Ah!” The woman screamed.
“AHH!” Lydia went along.
“AHHH!!!”
“AHHHIEEEE!” The woman impulsively
swung her paddle but Lydia’s lack of instinct kicked it away and out towards
the window. [Music 1.4]
The woman stopped and she saw
Lydia’s face. “Oh, oh my…”
Her voice was trembling. She was
getting very old. Her body was short and stocky, and her wrinkles were easily
seen through her skin tone. Her hair was put into a bun and she still had her
pajamas on in the middle of the day.
“Mother!!” Lydia gave the old woman
the tightest hug she could ever give.
“Oh, Lydia,” Her voice was soft. She
sounded as if she wanted to cry in happiness! “it is very good to see you,
oho-ho-ho.” The woman began to de-bun her hair. “Where is Rina?”
“She’s not with us, but I hope she
is safe somewhere else.”
“That makes me concerned…” Ekaja
tried to smile nevertheless. “But first, I need to make you something to
drink. I want you to tell me everything that happened. I'm worried about my poor Rina.”
“You don’t need to make anything. We’ve already
had something to drink. I'm sure Rina is safe. She can't go down that easily! I believe in her - I tell myself that everyday, knowing it should be true.” Lydia turned around. “Oh yeah! Forrest, Leo, come on
in!” She held onto her mother’s palms. “These are my friends who helped me come
back. I wanted to know if you were okay.”
“Lydia, I am absolutely fine.” She
then smiled at Forrest and Leo. “Please make yourselves at home. My name is
Ekaja.”
Forrest ran towards a poster frame
on the wall. “Scriggly lines???”
“That’s when I first came here and
decided to draw something. It looks pretty weird, I know, hehe…” Lydia blushed.
Leo scratched his head. “Is
everything really okay?” He noticed Ekaja’s appearance which did not seem very
healthy to him. He was tip-toeing at every moment, finding the house being
quite unsanitary. It wasn’t always like this anyway.
Lydia had Ekaja sit down on the
couch. “Yeah, you don’t look very well, mother. Please, tell us. Ever since that day, have you been taking care of
yourself?”
Ekaja frowned. “Lydia… I want to
tell you the whole story, to you and your friends. Where should I begin?”
Forrest began to bounce onto the
couch. “How did you two meet? Evil Rina said something about living with you
too right??” [End music]
“Ohohoho, ‘Evil Rina’… I see she
hasn’t changed at all. Well… I guess I will begin with how I met Lydia and
Rina.” [Music 8.3]
In
a far off land within the jungles, there lie a small village named Taujiko.
Ekaja lived with the love of her life: Mahaj, along with both her own parents.
Everyone in the village knew each other. Growing up, it would be a ritual to
paint markings onto their faces and everybody would watch in celebration.
One
day, as a newborn was about to get his face painted, a girl came walking into
the village by the shore tides. At this time of the year, the tides were the
lowest. The girl fell onto the ground and she completely fainted!
Ekaja,
looking so young and healthy, along with Mahaj (who also wore a similar Taujikan attire), both ran up to her to see if
she was okay while the rest of the villagers didn’t know how to handle a
situation like this. They have been isolated for many decades, and for an outsider
to suddenly appear like this came as a surprise for them.
Immediately,
Mahaj carried her into their extra bedding in the chief’s hut. The little
girl’s face was filled with mud and debris until her face was noticeably dark.
The
chief walked in and said to them, “We need to take her somewhere else.
Outsiders are what causes problems to our village.”
Ekaja
tried to wipe the little girl’s face with a towel. “She’s just a little girl,
chief. We need to keep her here a little longer until she’s able to stand.”
“Er…
Alright. But, she can only stay until then!”
Overnight,
the girl opened her eyes. She noticed a lamp was the only thing lighting the
room next to her. The kind woman, Ekaja fell asleep by her bedside. The girl
poked the woman in confusion until she woke up.
“Ah…!
You’ve woken up.”
“Hi…
Um, where am I??” The girl’s voice was extremely high-pitched. Her straight,
dark hair was combed down to her shoulders and her eyes were as silver as the
moonlight.
“You
are in Taujiko, dear.”
“…Taujiko?”
“Yes.
What is your name?”
“My
name is… Lydia.”
“And
where are you from?”
Lydia
coughed. “Celestia. But… I don’t remember how much has happened. I knew
something bad happened and I had to run away, but… Mommy and daddy… What
happened to them?!”
Ekaja
tried to calm her down. “You don’t remember? Was this a slight coma that you
just had?” [End music]
Mahaj
barged into the hut and said to them, “Something is happening outside. You have
to see this, Ekaja!!”
Ekaja
quickly stood up as she was heading for the exit. “Lydia, dear, please stay
here and rest. The chief and my husband are calling for me.” [Music 20.3]
Lydia
placed her head back onto the pillow. She turned and noticed Ekaja’s parents
sitting on a long rocking chair together while reading old magazines.
“It’s
another girl?!” A man shrieked.
“What
is happening with this village? Two outsiders came at opposite directions, and
they’re both little girls,” Another complained.
Lydia
sat back up and she looked through the window. It really was another girl. She
looked slightly taller and her hair was short up to her neck with a ponytail.
Her hair was reddish and her whole outfit was worn as if she were a tomboy: a
pair of pants and a regular white shirt. She also had a backpack on. The only
difference between her and Lydia was that this girl seemed confident and not
exhausted from her run.
The
villagers were whispering to each other and the girl only stood there with an
angry expression.
“Tell
us your motive for coming here,” The chief commanded.
The
girl pointed at them all, “Tell me, where is the Obsidian?”
Lydia’s
heart skipped a beat. “M-Me?” She tried to get out of her bed but she only
tripped and fell. The elders watched in surprise but they could not move
quickly either.
Ekaja
kindly pushed everyone to the side as she appeared in front of the crowd. “What
do you want with her?”
“My
name is Rina. I have been ordered to protect her.”
“Just
take her away. We don’t need outsiders!” A man at the back of the crowd yelled.
More and more villagers began agreeing with him.
Ekaja
shook her head. “She is safe here. She just needs more time before she can
actually stand on her own.”
Rina
clenched her fists. “How long will that take?!”
“Probably
about a week. She went overboard on her running and it seems she strained her ankles.”
“A
week?!”
“You
can stay with us.”
The
chief gasped. “Ekaja, you’re thinking about keeping them both here?”
“If
that is okay with you, chief. It will only be a week and then we can figure
something out.”
Mahaj
asked Rina, “Where did you even come from?”
“From
a land, somewhere far away. It doesn’t matter. I just need to protect the
Obsidian.”
Ekaja
waved at her. “Follow me. She is here.”
Entering
the house, Rina could see Lydia sitting on the floor.
“Huh??”
Lydia gave the most confused look.
“Hey!”
Rina said to her. “My name is Rina.”
After
about a week, Lydia and Rina grew a close bond very easily. At one point within the week, Rina spotted Lydia with a baby bird, standing against Lydia's index finger. Rina could almost make out what Lydia was whispering to it. "Go on... fly, be free." The bird stayed still. "Don't worry. Even with small wings, you can accomplish anything. I believe in you!" She watched as the bird flew away. Although not as high, that bird still flew into the skies. Rina watched her carefully. There was something about this young girl whom people called 'Lydia'. How was she easily able to attract birds like that? Rina knew at that moment, Lydia was the girl that she had to protect.
There were some
struggles when Rina would get frustrated at Lydia’s kindness when accidentally
kicking hermit crabs by the shore and then crying about it, for example. By the
7th day, Ekaja wanted to test if Lydia’s legs were okay to move
again. She allowed the girls to play at the large field nearby the chief’s
house.
Lydia
picked a sunflower from the ground. “This is for you, Rina.”
Rina
blushed. “Why? It’s just a flower.”
“Flowers
are a symbol of love, right? You are my best friend.”
Rina
chuckled. “Oh, sure, I’ll take it. I’ll just let you know now though: I’m not
big on flowers.” The two girls began to laugh together.
Ekaja
called from afar, “Girls, lunch is ready!”
Lydia
ran first. “Yay! I can’t wait!” Her legs suddenly collapsed.
“Lydia!”
Rina crouched down for her. “Are you alright?”
“I’m
fine I think. Teehee. It just hurts a little, but I should be fine…” [End music]
The
moment Ekaja caught up to Lydia, they could hear a gunfire shoot into the sky.
Mahaj and the chief rushed out of the hut to see a teenage girl with purple
hair. She had long, straight hair and semi-full armor. She appeared by the
tides, the same direction as where Lydia came in from. [Music 17.2]
“W-Where
is the Obsidian?”
It
took a week for the villagers to get used to outsiders. The moment that they
became comfortable, a third human appears, but this time she didn’t look very
friendly. It was a different atmosphere than when Rina came in.
Once
Rina helped Lydia towards the hut, they took sight of the teenage girl. Lydia’s
eyes widened as she made a small yelp behind Rina.
“What?
What is it, Lydia?”
“That
girl… I feel like I’ve seen her trying to chase after me before. She seemed to
follow orders from an older woman. I just don’t remember much before that. I
just woke up at the end of Celestia and I had little chance to run away!”
Rina
glared at the woman by the shore. “Ergh. She must be the woman that I’m
protecting you from.”
“You
know her?”
“No,
but my dad said… never mind. They already found us, so we have to get out of
here.”
Ekaja
panicked. “You can’t do that. Lydia isn’t fully healed yet. Are you sure that
woman will hurt Lydia?”
Some
of the villagers whispered to Ekaja. “You need to kick those girls out. They’ll
just be the cause of our destruction!”
“But
they’re just little girls!”
“Who
cares?! We’ve been in isolation for decades and we were doing fine. Who cares
about anybody else?”
Ekaja
looked at her husband. “Mahaj…”
Mahaj
clenched his teeth. He was in a dilemma, but he knew what he had to do. “Ekaja,
we need to take them to our boat. Nobody else wants the girls here but us.”
Ekaja
gave a soft smile. “You also want them to stay?”
“Of
course I agree that they’re just little girls. I think it’s best that they go,
but we should go with them.”
Another
villager said to them, “Yeah, that’s right! If you care about those damn girls
so much, then you might as well leave with them.”
Ekaja
began to cry. “But our village… my parents…!”
The
chief stood in front of them. “Ekaja, I know this might be a tough decision,
but it will only be temporary. It can be as short as days and we will try to
send you a Taujikan signal from afar once this woman disappears. Remember: DO
NOT come back until we send the signal. That means the coast is clear.”
Ekaja
took the girls to the nearest boat before the woman by the shore could see. “Do
you really think this is a good idea?”
Mahaj
hugged her tightly. “This is the only way for safety.”
The
chief shook his head. “Don’t worry. I promise to protect this village.”
Ekaja
covered her face as she began to cry. “O-Okay. Promise me you will be okay!” [End music]
Back at the present time seven years
later, Ekaja had just finished her story about how she met Lydia and Rina. [Music 5.1]
“After seven years…” Ekaja sighed.
“They never sent the signal. It was all a sham to force us out without being
rude.”
Lydia remembered being told this
story several times over the years, but she still felt devastated hearing about
it again.
“Wait a minute. Who was that teenage
girl??” Forrest asked innocently.
“From what I remember, I’m not sure.
But remember Floir? She must have been giving orders to that girl, calling her
Viola Santa Lucia. Ever since then, I kept getting chronic dreams about Viola
trying to kill me.”
Leo scratched his scruffy beard.
“It’s also strange too – that Rina came in the same night when you appeared.
She said she needed to protect you. Now where did Rina come from?”
Lydia shrugged. “She never told me.
I didn’t want to ask because she could have been ashamed of where she came from
if she didn’t want to talk about it, you know?”
Leo turned to Ekaja, “And the
signal… it never sounded?”
“Never. I promised only to return
once I see it. But… it never showed above their village, not even after seven
years.”
“Shouldn’t you go check anyway?”
Forrest questioned her.
“That would be a nice idea, but our
ship broke the moment we reached Loomin, and then we took another abandoned
boat to this meadow for safety. Sometimes, we would go back to Loomin to take
any extra food that was left after its destruction two decades ago. Not too
long ago, we started seeing a few Gammel soldiers located there.” [End music]
Lydia began to frown. “And one of
them spotted us. So…” [Music 2.2]
Ekaja continued, “This happened
right before Lydia and Rina left. We returned to our meadow, but a few soldiers
followed us. Luckily, they only spotted me and my husband, Mahaj. I had to hide
Lydia and Rina in the bedroom closet as the woman with the French braid came in
to question us. By this time, Lydia had trouble breathing since it was a closed
space. Mahaj needed to hurry and he threatened the woman to leave. He began
arguing with the woman until he pushed her out the front door and this gave
time for me to force Lydia and Rina out the back door and onto our little boat.
At that moment, I could see my very own husband… shot through the chest by the
woman.”
Forrest began shivering. “That
woman… Floir…!” He was becoming uncontrollably angry now. The fact that she
mentioned his friends and now learning about the death of Mahaj made him very
uncomfortable.
Ekaja began to cry. “She looked
devastated, but it didn’t matter. She murdered my husband… And after… after
that, the woman felt convinced that we were telling the truth – that the
Obsidian was not with us, so she decided to leave. She was lying. I could see
her following down the path towards the river, knowing that I helped push Lydia
and Rina out of the meadow. From that point, I didn’t know what happened next.”
Lydia concluded, “That’s when the
boat crashed into a large boulder down the river and we were left at the Village
of Saradeli. That’s where we met Felix and Clyde.”
“That stupid woman!” Forrest yelled.
Leo tried to calm him while Ekaja
continued to cry.
Lydia hugged her mom, “Mother, thank
you for taking care of me though. We are in a hurry to stop the Gammel soldiers
from causing any more harm to innocent people like Forrest’s friends. We have a
sailboat to take us to Loomin to figure out what they are doing there.”
“Are you leaving now?”
Lydia clapped her hands. “I have an
idea. You should come with us, and go to the Village of Saradeli with Mr. and
Mrs. D’Alonzo! They are very nice people and they just want to have a peaceful
future in the village.”
“You mean I won’t be alone?”
“Not anymore, mother.”
“Oho… Lydia… That would be
absolutely wonderful. You are such a kind woman!”
“I was raised by the right family,”
She complimented Ekaja. “Hehe, now, we should hurry and make our way to Loomin.
From there, they could take you back to the village and we can also transport
any important things you have here – to the Village of Saradeli, okay?”
Ekaja nodded. “That sounds like a
wonderful idea. Lydia, I thank you for taking care of me.” [End music]
Lydia began to giggle while the two
boys were laughing along with them. They were now headed to Loomin while the
three parents planned to return to the village in prosperity. Without the main
group knowing, they were coincidentally getting closer to Troiya, the same
place that Felix and Rina were heading to.
[Ending 2 music]
~~~
Next time on The Obsidian Tale, we continue with Lydia's journey west towards Loomin. Her group's goal is to free Forrest's friends from Bafuul, the largest prison in the world. At the same time, they hope to retrieve more shards and find Felix and Rina along the way. However, in Loomin, they meet a new character who reveals more truth about the Gammel army! Find out what happens next!
Mr. Wolfram
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