"It seems like attacking that caravan was the right way to send a message and get someone to this godforsaken castle… but where the hell is she!?"
─── ♡ ♢ ☀︎ ✩ ☽ ♧ ♤ ───
As they descended the staircase, Dr. Alde took note of the darkness that seemed to have grown more prominent from when they'd first entered. He paused, causing the others to stumble at his sudden stop. They peered at him curiously, before noticing the change in lighting as well.
"Miasma…" Frankie whispered. "Master, let me go ahead of you."
Dr. Alde shook his head. "No, no, I'll be fine. We just need to be careful. In miasma this thick, once could get attacked very easily, or begin hallucinating their greatest fears or their worst memory. I refuse to put you through that, so I will continue leading the way."
he continued descending the stairs at a noticeably slower pace from before, exercising caution with every step. Soon, the shadows overtook them, plunging the group into complete and utter darkness.
"Frankie," Dr. Alde called out, voice echoing in the emptiness, "could you summon Tempest for us?"
"I can try."
Silence. Then a low buzzing sound, reverberating through the darkened halls. A small, flickering light cast shadows against the walls as a small spark grew from Frankie's stomach cavity. The spark stretched and elongated, its features becoming more and more defined as it grew; a thin, tapered snout; pointed teeth; jagged horns; and long, angular whiskers. Its body zigzagged, cracking through the air and emanating a low heat. It turned its head around to examine the room, before looking up at Frankie expectantly.
"Tempest," Frankie extended a finger, scratching it under the chin. It tilted its head towards his hand, closing its eyes in pleasure. "We just need a light. Thank you, buddy."
Tempest blinked knowingly at Frankie before swiveling around to gaze at Dr. Alde, eyes widening as it looked over his shoulder. Dr. Alde turned, eyes squinting and straining to see through the darkness. A shadowy figure stood before him, cloaked in the miasma, before it stepped forward and into the faint light. Its appearance caused Dr. Alde to gasp and stumble backwards into Frankie, who caught him and steadied him.
A tall man stood before them. Long, black hair trailed down his back, his face was pale and sunken, and his skin clung to the sockets of his hollowed eyes. He wore a long, red coat—identical to the one that Dr. Alde currently donned—with a matching red hat, torn white pants and white boots pulled halfway up the calf.
The man stumbled forward, stooping down and raising his hands up to cup Dr. Alde's face. Dr. Alde was frozen in place, only able to stare in horror as he leaned in closer. He averted his gaze to the hands that held him gently, at the skin that rotted and peeled from his hands, revealing patches of bone hidden beneath.
"Why… aren't you looking at me…?" the man rasped, gripping Dr. Alde's face tighter and tugging him forward. "Don't you love me anymore…?"
His thumb trailed across Dr. Alde's cheek, towards his left eye. His other hand brushed the hair covering his right eye to the side, revealing burned flesh and an empty socket where his right eye should have been.
"You've already lost the right eye…" he giggled wickedly. "Why do you need the other one, too?"
Dr. Alde squeezed his eyes shut as the man's thumb began pressing down, his heart pounding in fear. Suddenly, he was yanked backwards, an arm snaking around his waist, hoisting him up and jostling up and down. Prying his eyes open, Dr. Alde looked down to see himself hanging over Frankie's shoulder now as his assistant ran, looking back at Delphina and Syzygy dashing after them. The shadowy figure stood in the distance, before dissipating into the darkness once again.
Blinking back tears he didn't realize had formed, Dr. Alde rested his head against the crook of Frankie's neck and whispered, "Thank you, Frankie."
"Of course, master," Frankie replied softly. "Always."
─── ♡ ♢ ☀︎ ✩ ☽ ♧ ♤ ───
"Seems like no one has been here for ages…" Asmodeus mused, eyes glittering even in the darkness. "And it looks like it's only going to get darker."
"Here, allow me to…" Altair unclipped a golden ring attached to his cape, affixing it above his head. It began to hover and emit a warm, radiating light: the heavenly, comforting light angels' halos were known for. "Guide us to the Panacea lily."
The light wavered for a moment before it narrowed, concentrating into a beam that pointed them down a dark hallway. Altair turned back to Asmodeus.
"There, my halo will guide us to the Panacea lily."
"Wow…" Asmodeus whistled. "Is that how you found me?"
"Indeed." Altair nodded. "Come, let's-"
"Wait!"
A voice rang out, echoing through the corridor. Asmodeus and Altair jumped, whipping around to face the source of the sudden holler. A man in a tall, pointed cap was rushing towards them, tailed by a tall oni and a small girl.
Asmodeus opened his arms out wide, striding forward. "Igor! Long time no see!"
Ignis held his arms out as well, burying himself in Asmodeus' arms. They stood there for a moment before the demon released him, holding him by the shoulders to get a good look at him.
"You've healed up well!" Asmodeus commented. "Mind if I take a closer look at your eye?"
Ignis nodded. "Go for it."
Asmodeus motioned Altair forward, bringing the light closer. Brushing Ignis' hair to the side, the doctor examined the magician's eye, which was half closed due to thick scarring.
"Looks good. Of course… you'll have this burn scar for a while. Maybe even forever." Asmodeus' face became grim as he looked away. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more for you and the doctor."
"It… it's okay," Ignis said hoarsely. "We both survived thanks to you."
Asmodeus flashed him a smile. "I'm sure you both would have survived regardless. Believe it or not, I've tended to Dr. Alde many, many times. He always got into lab accidents, getting cut or scraped, or even burning his finger on a hot mug of coffee! You're both very resilient, I should say. Ah, speaking of Dr. Alde… how is he, Igor?"
Ignis' face turned red, glancing back at Ginger and Kintsugi, before whispering back, "I… actually go by Ignis now."
"Ah." Asmodeus' ears pricked. "Sorry about that. I'll be sure to remember next time."
"No worries," Ignis said, ignoring the snickering from Ginger and Kintsugi. He cleared his throat, forcing out: "Anyways, I… actually haven't seen the doctor in a while. It's actually been almost five years now…?"
"I see…" Asmodeus quickly changed the subject. "Well, me and Altair should get going now. I don't know what your purpose is here, but you should really exercise some caution."
"Ah, wait! That's… actually what I wanted to talk to you about," Ignis blurted. "I overheard you guys talking about the Panacea lily. I'm actually looking for it too."
"Oh?" Asmodeus furrowed his brow. "Ignis, I don't think you'll find what you're looking for with-"
"Please!" Ignis interrupted, grabbing Asmodeus by his scrubs. He quickly released Asmodeus, his voice soft and breaking with each word. "Please, just… just let me try…"
The demon conveyed no emotion as he looked down at Ignis, who had bowed his head. His hands and shoulders trembled. Finally, Asmodeus' expression softened, raising a hand to gently stroke the back of Ignis' head.
Ignis looked back up at Asmodeus, who readjusted his cap for him.
"Don't cry," Asmodeus soothed.
Looking away, Ignis muttered indignantly, "I'm not gonna cry…"
Asmodeus let out a laugh, releasing Ignis. "Why don't you come with me and Altair? It'll be good company."
Ignis nodded, waving his companions over. The two glanced sparingly at Ignis, opting not to say anything and resigning themselves to merely follow along. Asmodeus turned to his partner, Altair, bowing politely and gesturing forward.
"Let's depart. Altair, dear, please lead the way."
Their footsteps echoed down the marbled halls, the deepening darkness causing a thick, uneasy silence to fall on the group. Asmodeus and Altair took the front, guided by the light from Altair's halo, with Ignis, Ginger, and Kintsugi taking up the rear.
When the light grew brighter, the beam more focused, Altair looked up and around before turning to the others. "We're almost there. Just a little further now."
Altair turned back, light casting and distorting every shadow in the hallway.
Except one.
Asmodeus' eyes flicked towards the dark figure. It lunged forward, moving quickly, merely a blur that surged across the hall. It made no sound, yet Asmodeus' careful eyes tracked it as it moved towards…
"Altair!" Turning on his heels, Asmodeus barreled into Altair, causing the angel to stumble to the side and nearly lose his footing. He unfurled his wings, flapping them twice to steady himself.
"Azzy, what-" Altair cut himself off when he noticed the shadowy beast learning over Asmodeus, pinning the demon's arms down. The angel quickly drew his sword, the curved blade appearing out of thin air in a flash of light. The blade curved into hooks near each end.
"W-wait!" Asmodeus cried out. He squirmed, a deep, blue flame flickering in his palm. "I can-"
"Don't fight back, dear…" a sultry, feminine voice echoed from the beast, sliding its newly formed hands over Asmodeus', intertwining their fingers. It began to take on a more coherent shape as it pressed its voluptuous chest to the demon's and leaned in close. Asmodeus' eyes widened, his arms going limp, tears welling in his eyes. "I know you'll want this…"
Altair spun around, tossing his halo to the other three, pointing down the hallway and bellowing, "Take this and run! Now! I'll stay with Asmodeus!"
Ignis caught the halo, casting a worried glance at Asmodeus before running off.
Meanwhile, Asmodeus struggled futilely underneath the miasma beast, tears falling from his eyes to the floor as he cried out.
"No… not again. I don't want to. Not again…"
The beast leaned in even closer, soft features appearing on its face, strands of dark miasma falling from its head like long hair. "I'll make you feel really go-"
Shing!
Altair's blade sliced through the air, cutting off the beast's head with a clean precision. Before the head fell to the floor, it dissipated into thin air, its body following soon after. Even though the beast was gone now, Asmodeus refused to move, his chest rising and falling rapidly.
His breath came in short inhales and came out in gasps. Up. down. Up. down. Heave in. Heave out. Updownupdownupdownupdown, inoutinoutinoutinout.
Asmodeus let out a desperate cry, turning over on his side. He balled one hand into a fist, the other digging sharp nails into his side. He sobbed uncontrollably, tilting his head away to avoid showing Altair his sorry display.
Altair, however, knelt down beside him, placing a gentle hand on his chest and shoulder. He lowered his voice, moving and speaking calmly, gently, clearly, and firmly. "I'm going to sit you up against the wall."
Carefully lifting Asmodeus up, he carried him over and adjusted Asmodeus, tilting him to rest his back against the cold wall. Altair massaged Asmodeus' back, and yet Asmodeus could still only gasp and cry. His shoulders shook as he fell forward, burying his head into his trembling arms.
As he sobbed loudly, Asmodeus could only hear the pounding of his heart, the painful ringing in his ears, the stinging of his nails digging into his palm and his side, and…
The gentle, circular strokes of Altair's hand on his back. A familiar, soothing voice echoing in the back of his mind, "It'll be okay. Keep crying. Let it out. I'm here. Just breathe. Breath in… hold it… breath out…"
Asmodeus swallowed, his tongue feeling as thick as cotton in his mouth. His breath still came in shaky bursts but slowly… very slowly… he regained control over them, focusing on breathing in through his nose, holding it, and exhaling through his mouth. His sobs were eventually reduced to hiccups, his trembling reduced to shivers, and his clenched hands relaxing and finally releasing, returning the color to his knuckles. His tail, which had curled tightly around his leg, began to uncoil and stretch out across the floor.
Altair's hand remained on Asmodeus' back the whole time, the gentle rhythm of his massaging never letting up as he watched over Asmodeus with a softened gaze.
Raising his head slowly, as if it raised a ton, Asmodeus looked up at Alatair, his eyebrows scrunched together in a mix of fear and shame.
"I'm sorry-"
"Don't apologize to me," Altair whispered, soft yet firm. "There is nothing you need to be sorry for."
Asmodeus opened his mouth before closing it again, gnawing on his bottom lip before nodding shakily. He looked forward again, eyes growing distant before he shifted his body to allow himself to lay his head across Altair's lap.
"Is this okay?" Asmodeus croaked. "I feel… like I cannot move quite yet."
Altair's hand began to smooth out Asmodeus' hair, stroking his head. "Of course. We'll stay here as long as you need. The others have gone up ahead. They have my halo, so you have no need to worry about them."
The angel's wings unfurled, sweeping around his body and folding them around himself and Asmodeus, creating a soft, white tent for them both.
Asmodeus' silver eyes slowly closed, his breathing returning to normal until it deepened. Altair raised a finger to gently wipe away a lingering tear from Asmodeus' cheek.
He began humming a gentle lullaby—one that felt oddly familiar to Asmodeus—luring him to slowly drift off.
"Sweet dreams to you who lay their head, sleep as though the night were calm. As you fall asleep in bed, I'll protect you for forever and all eternity."
─── ♡ ♢ ☀︎ ✩ ☽ ♧ ♤ ───
White petals glowed in the dark, tiny particles of light floating in the air like stars in the blackened atrium. A timid finger reached out slowly, gently running a feathery touch across the silky petals.
He was tall, towering, muscled and powerful, but he had always preferred the finer, more delicate things. He'd always appreciated beauty and fragility, although he knew he couldn't get too close to anything out of fear of damaging it. Often, he would think back to his past and wish that he'd never made that first diamond.
As he strolled through the atrium, he also noted how well preserved it was. Although the Stars Kingdom had been long abandoned for nearly two centuries, the completely machine operated indoor garden had kept running, kept protecting and raising the beautiful flowers that only grew in the dark. The Stars Kingdom was truly a marvel of ancient engineering—almost alien since the fall had rendered people's opinions of technology negatively—such a shame that such magnificent technology was now regarded with such disdain by everyone.
Well, almost everyone.
In the corner of the room, cross-legged before a now defunct technological storage locker, was Savant. Ripping into the metal and carefully disassembling the circuit boards, the sorted pieces organized off to the side.
After roaming around, Armel returned to Savant, concern growing with each passing minute.
"Is this amount of darkness… normal?" Armal posed, sitting down to watch over Savant. The professor was hard focused on dismantling the machines, only responding after what felt like ages.
"No." Savant leaned back, turning to look at Armel. His eyes fell to Armel's hands, which twirled one of the glowing flowers between his fingers. "At least these flowers are giving us some light."
"Yeah… I wonder what this is." Armel raised the flower above his head, admiring the glowing pollen that drifted down.
"Lilium panaceam," Savant stated curtly. "It's a miracle drug that only grows in the dark. Of course… this much darkness is abnormal."
"Oh?" Armel leaned forward, closing in on Savant. "How do you know so much about this?"
Savant averted his gaze as he continued taking apart the machine before him. "A long time ago, my entire family became… very sick. Myself included. Every day kept getting worse and worse for all of us, and my parents kept getting more and more contentious. I eventually ran away and found myself here. In the Stars Kingdom. I bypassed the atrium's security—with relative ease, mind you—and found these flowers. As well as a giant storage filled with pills made from them, an incredibly advanced automatic farming system, and a guide on usage and regulations. The machines here were… incredible."
"Is that why you brought us back here? For the machines?"
"In a way, yes. Anyways, I popped one of those pills in my mouth and I was almost instantly cured. I took some back to my family and healed them."
Armel blinked. "Wait, so you just took a pill you knew nothing about?"
A smirk grew on Savant's face. "Of course. Why do you think my hair is white?"
"What!?"
Savant burst out laughing, a rare sight for Armel to see from his normally uptight and egotistical companion. "I'm messing with you," Savant chuckled. "But still…"
He turned around, sweeping his gaze over the countless rows of lilies. Sighing, Savant leaned his head back against the machine, exposing his throat. He laughed softly to himself, before looking back up at Armel.
"After I healed my family, I'd come back here all the time. I learned how to build machines like these, how to maintain them…" Savant sat up straight. "I even stuck some old inventions in a hidden compartment in the tallest spire! But those are old by now. Not my greatest of inventions either, so I don't have much attachment to them. Although… the materials could be useful…"
"And… what would you consider your greatest work?" Armel said a little too smugly, raising his eyebrows up and down.
Savant rolled his eyes. "Shut up. I know what you want me to say."
Armel smiled, looking down at his hands as he flexed them. Without the strength inhibiting cuffs on his wrists, he suddenly felt bare.
"I truly do think that they were your greatest invention," Armel whispered. "They let me feel normal for once."
Studying his face, Savant nodded curtly. "I see… I suppose I'll have to make you some new ones. Better ones, this time."
Perking up, Armel scooted even closer. He dared not try to pull Savant into a hug—especially because of how fragile the professor was—instead pressing his body against Savant's. "Really? You'd do that for me?"
Savant leaned away, pressing his mouth into a thin line. "Of cou- ahem. Well, I can't just have my assistant breaking my inventions now, can I?"
"Heh…" Back to normal, I see. "I suppose not."
Savant opened his mouth to say more, but tensed at the sound of distant voices. Armel looked over at him, hearing them too.
Someone else was in the atrium.
The voices grew louder and clearer, several footsteps tapping lightly against the tiled floors.
"...beautiful flowers…" came a male voice. It was gentle and reverent, in awe of the lilies.
"Do we just need the petals?"
"Not quite, Ginger. These flowers are indeed incredible, but they lose all of their healing abilities and value if the head is separated from the stem. We need to carefully extract the entire plant down to the base of the roots like so-"
"Wait!" Savant suddenly shot to his feet, revealing himself to the strangers.
Before him were three figures who all turned to stare at the sudden intrusion. They looked wary, unsure of what to say or do.
"Don't… don't pull the flowers out." Savant's voice softened. He walked towards them, their dimly lit faces becoming more and more clear as he drew near. His eyes widened as he locked eyes with the tallest one, the oni with crimson horns.
Pointing at him, Savant's voice became drenched in ire. "You!" he spat.
Kintsugi let out a long, deep sigh. "Hello, Savant. Fancy seeing you here."
"You left us to fend for ourselves! They were going to kill us!"
The oni shifted, squinting into the darkness at the other figure that approached. "Ah… Armel. I see you're here as well."
"Unfortunately."
"Ah…" the other male, a scrawny young man that was barely taller than Savant with dark hair and a pointed cap rested on his hand, interjected. "You two know each other…?"
Sighing again, Kintsugi forced out a response through gritted teeth. "Yes… they were, ah… just former colleagues."
Savant tilted his head to look over at Ignis, frowning. "So this is your new genius? The one you left me and Armel behind for?"
"Leave behind? I didn't leave you guys behind! We weren't friends!"
"Well not anymore, it seems," Armel feigned dramatics. "I thought we were closer than this, Kintsugi. You guarded us so well all those years we were together, but apparently we're "just colleagues" to you."
Savant nodded, joining Armel in their verbal onslaught to the exasperated oni. "We got along, didn't we? You bore your heart to us, we bore our hearts to you. You told us about your ancestral curse, about your family, and we made you whatever invention you asked for! It's only fair you repay such kindness!"
Kintsugi cursed under his breath, turning around. "You guys figure out how to get the flowers. I'm going to wait outside."
"Wait wait wait! Don't go so soon." Savant held up a hand, before turning and striding to the right wall of the atrium, the rest of them following. The wall was taken up mostly by a giant, metal door, with a glowing, cracked screen resting before it. An old, foreign language littered the screen. Savant tapped on the screen, his long, thin fingers typing quickly. The doors began to creak and groan, sliding open painstakingly slowly. He turned back to the others. "There are seeds and pills stored here."
Ignis appeared at Savant's side, eyes wide as he gazed into the giant warehouse. Hundreds—maybe even thousands—of luminescent, transparent, pale green cubes were stacked upon each other, ten high and several long, lining the giant room. The flowers had been turned into pills, pastes, oils, and seeds, and stored within.
"Incredible…" Ignis murmured. "What a beautiful storage room… it makes one wonder, how did the Stars Kingdom fall so quickly when its technology and healthcare was so advanced?"
Savant shrugged. "Who knows? I've heard stories that King Icarus was so greedy, he locked away all of the medicine here and decreed they could only be used on him and his family. But that was over a century ago. Not many mortals live that long, and most of the immortals don't particularly care for mortal conflicts. I've also heard that Icarus himself became so powerful, he could only be struck down by the gods."
Ignis reached a hand out to touch one of the transparent boxes, only for its side to flicker and dissipate. He quickly drew his hand back as if he'd touched something hot, staring in awe as the box's wall flickered back on. He approached once more, this time committing to grabbing the small seed packet that was stored carefully inside."
"Incredbile…" Ignis whispered. "If we can grow this flower, we'll be able to cure anything."
"Not everything." A voice came from behind. Ignis and Savant whipped around to see a tall, young man with green skin and hair, carrying another man with red-and-blue two toned hair. Two Abyssrian looking people stood a little further behind, carrying a bag with an assortment of objects poking out.
"My inventions!" Savant rushed forward. "You- you guys broke into my-"
He turned to look at the short man being carried on the shoulder of the towering man, his eyes widening in recognition and his face flushing.
"Oh- doc… Dr. Alde, it's…" Savant stammered, face turning red. "It's… you… I… and…"
"In the flesh."
"How- how'd you get into my stash of inventions? And into the atrium?"
"Your passwords weren't very hard to hack," Dr. Alde replied flatly, causing Savant to grimace as if he were a student being scolded by a teacher for having bad grades. "And the atrium was already unlocked."
"Ah… right. Yes, I… I see… did… did you… see anything I could improve…?"
Armel looked on from the distance, chuckling to himself. Kintsugi angled his body to him, cocking an eyebrow up. Noticing Kintsugi's curiosity, Armel began speaking fondly of Savant. "The professor is usually pretty good at keeping up his egotistical act, but it's funny to see him act like a desperate student when he's around his idol."
"Idol?" Kintsugi squinted. "Who, that guy?"
"Seriously? Haven't you heard of Dr. Alde? He invented steam power when he was only 21."
Looking away, eyebrows furrowing, Kintsugi huffed. "Well, I knew Dr. Alde invented steam power. I just, uh… never got around to knowing what his face looked like."
Ginger sighed beside them, going to join Ignis who was still in the storage room. "Ignis, look, did you see? Dr. Alde, the inventor of-"
"Y-yes. I… I see him, Ginger…" Ignis swallowed. Ginger looked up to see the shock and horror etched onto her magister's face. Ignis retreated further and further into the storage room, feigning nonchalance.
Tired of Savant's rambling, Dr. Alde looked up at Frankie. "Frankie, please let me down now. I saw someone I'd like to talk to."
Frankie obliged, carefully setting Dr. Alde on the floor, not removing the arm around his waist until both of Dr. Alde's feet were firmly planted.
Taking two shaky steps to regain his rhythm, Dr. Alde excused himself from Savant and looked around the room as he slowly approached the storage unit.
Impressive machinery… he thought to himself, before turning to catch a glimpse of the face peeking out from the storage room. They locked eyes for a split second, before Ignis disappeared back behind the wall.
"Igor," Dr. Alde called out. "Igor, I know it's you. Come out."
Sheepishly, Ignis stepped out from the dark storage unit, fixing the cap on his head and adjusting the gloves on his hands and smoothing out his pants and cape and straightening the glasses on the bridge of his nose and making sure his belt-
"Igor." Dr. Alde called out again. Ignis quickly walked up to Dr. Alde, face covered in dread. "I have not seen you in a while. It doesn't look like you've been eating well… you've gotten so thin…"
Ignis' face turned red as Dr. Alde studied him. "En- Dr. Alde, I'm…"
Dr. Alde looked up at Ignis, causing the young man to turn away. The magician couldn't stand to look into those eyes, the ones that once held such an intense and burning passion… one missing, the other now tired and bearing heavy eyebags. Ignis' lip quivered as he suddenly bowed his head, hat falling to the floor.
"Dr. Alde, I'm so sorry," Ignis blurted out. "I'm… so, so sorry… I wasn't there for you when you needed me most, and I know you hate magic and it seems like I suddenly left you behind to go study magic, but I just-"
Dr. Alde had bent down to pick up Ignis' cap, lightly dusting it off before setting it on Ignis' head. Ignis lifted his head up, still bowed over to look square at Dr. Alde, as the former master adjusted the cap on his former student's head until it was just right.
Tears began forming in Ignis' eyes as he whispered, "I'm so sorry, Dr. Alde. I still don't know how to cure you…"
"Dear child, when did I ask for that?" Dr. Alde cocked his head to the side. His voice was soft. Gentle. He always was, when speaking with Ignis. The doctor became solemn as he stepped closer to Ignis, running his gloved hand up and down Ignis' back. "I never needed a cure, I just wanted you to stay by my side."
Ignis stepped forward, allowing himself to bury his face in the crook of Dr. Alde's neck. "I'm… sorry. But I still want to try…" he whispered, voice frail and threatening to break at any moment. "I want to help other people, too. Not just you and me…"
Nodding, Dr. Alde patted his back gently. "I understand. Be sure to take care of yourself, though. I didn't raise you to shirk meals. And haven't I told you again and again to call me Enzo?"
Chuckling to himself, Ignis straightened up, quickly wiping his tears dry. "Says you," he retorted. "You only drink coffee for breakfast and lunch, and spend so long in the lab you forget to eat dinner."
"I've gotten better!" Dr. Alde insisted lightheartedly, casting a glance at Frankie, who was now admiring Kintsugi's muscles and scars. Delphina was talking to Ginger, who was admiring her long tail. And Armel and Savant were busy studying Syzygy's mechanical umbrella. Dr. Alde smiled. "I have someone who insists on cooking for me each day. Ah… I can't seem to refuse, either. It's rather delicious, after all."
Ignis flashed him a knowing smile. "How'd you come to take him in?"
Dr. Alde lowered his voice to a whisper. "He was one of Victor's experiments. I guess his parents brought him in when he died. Victor managed to bring him back to life, but his parents were disgusted by his new appearance, so they didn't want him. Victor didn't want him either, so he kicked him out. I found him a few years ago—kind of like how I found you—and since then, Frankie has been staying with me."
"I see…" Ignis cast a glance at Frankie again. Now, Kintsugi was admiring Frankie's stitches. "I'm glad to see you're being taken care of at least."
"And you as well?" Dr. Alde motioned to Kintsugi. "Or is he just for… how should I say… appearances? I know how independent and headstrong you are."
Ignis' face turned red as he let out a soft groan. "Ginger—ah, that young girl over there—insisted on him coming with us."
"Do you care for her a lot?" The corner of Dr. Alde's eye crinkled. "Even after only seeing her for a second, she already reminds me of a certain young assistant I used to have, too. He was a real troublemaker sometimes, but so full of passion and curiosity. Not to mention that strong desire to help."
"Ah… haha… I wonder who that troublemaker could be…"
"I'm sure he's grown into a fine young man." Dr. Alde smiled warmly. "I came over because I wanted to invite you to come back home… but it seems you've started creating a space of your own. A shame, too, seeing as I've left your bedroom untouched all these years."
Ignis looked away, nodding. "Those two… they have curses of their own as well. I'd like to keep trying to find a way to help them."
"I understand. But you won't find a cure for that here. These lilies can only heal physical sicknesses, and curses are afflictions upon the soul. They can't even heal scars, either, so I suggest you look elsewhere. Perhaps with the gods?"
"The gods…" Ignis echoed, before laughing. "What a monumental task. Although some of the gods are easy to find, like Dives, most of them are rather fickle about handing out blessings or help."
"It could be worth a shot. After all, visiting Dives is merely a short trip to the Diamonds Kingdom." Dr. Alde pointed out. "Although he's a fickle one, it would seem like your new friend over there might've already been blessed by him."
Ignis' eyes swept over Kintsugi's body again, eyeing his golden scars. "You think that's the work of Dives?"
"It's very likely."
"I see…" Kintsugi noticed Ignis staring at him, flashing a toothy grin and a wave. Ignis waved back, before turning to Dr. Alde again. "You must have come here for the same reason we did. Perhaps we all did."
"The Queen's decree."
"Indeed."
Dr. Alde rubbed a gloved finger on his chin. "It certainly doesn't bode well for the future… I'm sure the Queen will face major backlash for this, but she's powerful. Perhaps she believes she can fight back against the people… or perhaps a fight is exactly what she's looking for."
"The Queen is a very scary and contentious lady. She hasn't been seen in public, but her Royal Guard alone are enough to terrify-"
"On and on and on about that woman!" came a voice cutting through the darkness, echoing in the space. It was youthful, but dripped with vitriol. The darkness in the atrium grew even darker, the lights of the lilies dimming until they were completely swallowed in shadow, until only black remained. "She isn't even the rightful ruler. Surely you all realized that, or are you perhaps too self absorbed to even notice the comings and goings of the royal family? Or maybe you're all too hateful of royals to even care?"
Suddenly, everyone felt the ground beneath them disappear. A strong, slow heartbeat echoed through the dark. Any sound made was immediately drowned out by the strong and steady rhythm. No apologies after bumping into another person was heard. No questions asked to the mysterious voice, and no demands.
The darkness quickly relented, revealing they had all been transported to a large, open ballroom—somewhere still within the walls of the Stars Kingdom—with shadows dripping from the walls and the ceiling and chandelier. Everyone could see each other again, and—up a large, spiraling staircase, resting upon the railing of the balcony—the person who had brought them all there in the first place.