MEMORIES OF AN OVERLORD
by Victar (vctr113062 [at] aol [dot] com)
Victar's Archive: https://www.vicfanfic.com
"I remember when she told me, 'I wish I could be more like you. You're so skinny. Do you even bother to eat right or exercise? No matter how much I try, I'm fat and ugly and gaining weight. I can't stand it anymore.'
"Was that the first time she asked me for help, and I just didn't hear it?
"I made some horrible, disgusting joke about how she didn't need looks, if she wanted a guy then sure, I'd...
"I'm not repeating the rest. I feel sick just thinking about it."
Chapter Seventeen
Memories of a Musician: Threnody
Two days after the Holy Brand Aldea permitted Kreisia's most unlikely Savior to "wield" it against the Lesser Seal Fortina, the Savior and his companions spent the night at a traveler's stop. According to the Holy Brand, they were very close to the hidden shrine with its first pommel stone.
Anemos chose to stay awake later than the others. Leaning against the outside wall of the stop's humble cabin, the bard attempted to compose a new song.
He intended it to be a threnody, a song to honor the dead. He wanted to make it a plea for their souls to find peace, a promise that they would be remembered. He wanted it to be something that would console and comfort survivors, even as it expressed indebtedness to those who had passed on.
The music would not flow.
The harder he tried, the more discordant and scarred his creation felt. His fingers seemed to be at war with his own mind. He closed his eyes and tried to relax. Attempting to ease into the current of the melody he imagined only made his efforts feel more forced.
As much as I hide my hypocrisy, this is one venue where I cannot disguise it, the bard ruefully thought to himself.
Anemos sighed, and stopped trying to play his lute.
"You're not giving up already, are you?"
The bard was so startled he nearly jumped. He turned his head to see Savior Yusis, Kreisia's greatest hope, sitting on the stairs leading into the cabin.
Not again! I did not invoke your modified 'Savior gift' to awaken or summon you. I am certain that I did not.
This has been happening far too frequently. I risk raising suspicion.
"Ah, Yusis, I thought you were asleep."
"Well... I heard you working on a new song out here, and I kind of wanted to see how it would turn out. Creating music is really tough, I guess?"
Are you so vulnerable to Altean chants that you are summoned when I play anything, no matter how terrible it is!?
"All of the arts have their unique challenges," the bard admitted. "I apologize for disturbing your slumber."
The off-worlder flicked aside a stray trail of his disheveled hair. "Uh, don't worry about it. Really. Did you want to work on your song in private?"
"Perhaps later. I think..."
I think I am drowning in my own lies.
"Yusis, I would ask you a question."
"Sure, as long as it's not about my world. Aldea says I shouldn't talk too much about where I'm from, and it's probably right."
I swore to Laminah that I would not prematurely reveal what Kreisia's accursed cycle requires of you. Even if I had not made that oath, I still would not tell you; your ignorance makes you easier to manipulate for my mission.
Is it possible to learn...
Anemos cautiously selected his words. "If there were a way to permanently end the depredations of the cycle... to transform such a dream into reality, what price would you choose to pay?"
"One of those types of questions, huh?" Yusis closed his eyes and remained still for a moment. Then he opened his eyes and regarded Anemos with thoughtful appraisal. "I'll throw it back at you. What price would you pay?"
"My life would certainly be acceptable. More than that, I cannot say."
"I'm not sure I could give up my life like that. Not sure I couldn't, either. Death isn't fun to think about, so I try not to, as much as I can."
"...I see." I am no closer to learning the answer to my question. You do not know the answer yourself.
"Uh, it's not like I'm trying to disconnect from reality," the off-worlder hastily added. "Not anymore. I know this quest to save Kreisia is a matter of life and death. It's just... if I let myself think too much about bad stuff, then I won't be able to think about anything else. I have to block out the bad thoughts, or I won't be able to help anyone."
"Ah. That is a very practical attitude."
"Anyway, as long as we're asking questions, there's something I want to ask you."
"I am listening."
"Cynthia has told me that a 'golden light' magically sends the Savior back to his home world, when the Overlord is defeated. Do you think I could stay on Kreisia, instead?"
Anemos carefully prevented any hint of shock from showing on his face.
I knew the Priestess of Salvation was keeping secrets from you, but to tell you such a blatant lie-!
No. It is not a lie to her, is it? It cannot be. She would not intentionally deceive you in such a heartless manner.
Anemos thought of the long, difficult, and recent night when Cynthia had exhausted herself applying healing magic to the Savior, to ease his physical distress from the aftereffects of drawing upon the Holy Brand's power. Anemos had allowed both of them privacy. Maintaining an Altean chant to keep the Savior conscious, and therefore protect his mind, had required scarcely a whisper of effort from two rooms away.
You have said that she 'warped her own mind' over the loss of her birth parents. It is not difficult to imagine that 'warp' extending to you. This must be why the Holy Brand called her 'mind-addled'.
Yusis continued, "You and Cynthia taught me that the strength of magic can be affected by the target's will. After we beat the Overlord, can I resist this 'golden light' strongly enough to block it and stay? I want to find a way to keep the Overlord from coming back after ten years. Maybe I could help Cedric with his research? Maybe some or all of you would be interested in working on that project, too?"
Of course, you do not know that the companions pledged to your service must die and become Lesser Seals. I suspected as much, and now I have confirmation.
Anemos sighed, "My apologies, Yusis. I fear that I cannot satisfactorily answer any of your questions."
"I guess you might have other plans for what you'll do, after we beat the Overlord?" The off-worlder's tone might have been nonchalant, except for a slight variance that distinguished it from previous, more lighthearted conversations.
Are you trying to conceal your disappointment? You are not succeeding. "The truth is, I cannot bring myself to make any commitment at this time."
"Yeah, okay. I've also asked Cynthia if I could stay in Kreisia, if she'd want to do research with me after the Overlord is defeated. She said, 'Stop talking and bite down on this stick; I'm trying to reduce your seizures.'"
Yusis drew his knees up, and put his arms around them. "Maybe I should ask her again, when I'm not one Altean chant away from having my personality 'deleted'. Uh, did I remember to thank you for that?"
"Yes, you did, and there is no need for thanks."
"Well, I want to thank you again anyway. Really, I... I'm grateful."
"It is an honor to aid you." My master needs you to have a functional mind for our plan. If I were to let your mental faculties be destroyed, then I know not which would torment me worse - his punishment, or the ruination of our world.
"Hey, Anemos. Don't take this the wrong way, but..."
"Yes?"
"I don't like how quickly and easily you said, 'My life would certainly be acceptable.' Laminah's the same, I know; she'd give her life for her king, and she wouldn't think twice. I don't like that either, but it's who she is. I've no right to argue against her convictions, or yours; I just have to deal with it. And Cynthia..."
A touch of trepidation affected the off-worlder. "I'm starting to really worry about Cynthia. A lot. Your music didn't wake me up tonight; I was too worried to sleep at all. I'm not sure why I have so much anxiety; she's not acting scared or depressed. She's really happy that we're all working together to stop the Overlord. I can see it in the way she smiles."
"Indeed. I have witnessed that as well."
"I wonder if there's anything she really wants to do, after the Overlord is defeated. Will she go back to her village, and guard it along with her parents? Her adoptive parents, I mean. They're both really strong monster hunters, and she once said that they want her to learn how to ward away monsters. She still can't do that, not yet, but she's been working hard to improve her skill with holy magic. Today, she used her practice to help Laminah train me. Did you see any of our session?"
"Yes, I observed for a little while. Cynthia's ability to swiftly conjure temporary targets is quite impressive." Far more than your ability to strike those targets.
"Will she be her village's main protector after her parents retire, or something like that? I've sort of asked her about her plans for the future, but she didn't give an answer."
"Women are a mystery, are they not?"
"I don't know why it bothers me so much. I sure didn't have any plans for the future, before I came to Kreisia. I'm probably freaking out over nothing at all. It wouldn't be the first time I've been anxious for no reason."
How would you react, if you knew what her destiny is? Would you accept an eternity of undeath to change her fate?
The bard ventured, "She means a great deal to you, does she not?"
"Yeah, she does." The off-worlder's unease receded. He smiled, tilted his head, and closed his eyes. "She really does. All three of you do. You're the best friends I've ever had."
If I play the false role of your 'friend' for one moment longer, then I will be physically ill.
"Yusis, I believe the day's fatigue is overtaking me. Goodnight."
The off-worlder opened his eyes and straightened his head. "Okay, goodnight. Don't give up on that song, though? I think it has potential."
The next morning, Aldea guided the Savior and his companions to a mysterious hidden shrine, not created by mortal hands. The holy sword hovered in midair as it pointed toward the structure's entrance.
*I do not detect the presence of any enemies within, but stay alert,* Aldea soundlessly warned. Laminah led the way inside, followed by Yusis and the others. They soon found what they were after.
"This is Aldea's pommel stone? It's just sitting here, in an empty shrine?" Yusis picked up a sparkling red gemstone on a pedestal and studied it. "I thought there would be something guarding it, at least."
"A Lesser Seal used to be imprisoned here, within what was once a solid crystal," Laminah solemnly returned. She gestured to a haphazard scattering of transparent crystalline shards on the floor.
Laminah continued, "This Overlord's reign of terror has extended for too long. All three of the Lesser Seals awakened and left their shrines before you were summoned. The Savior often strikes one or more of them down, before they grow strong enough to shatter their own prisons. In some turns of the cycle, the Savior prevented the rampages of all three Seals."
*Give that to me, Savior.*
Yusis peered over his shoulder at the hovering Holy Brand. The shining ruby pommel stone levitated out of his hand, flew toward the sword's hilt, and locked into a socket.
"Uh, Aldea?" Yusis uncertainly addressed. "Why did the Lesser Seal just leave this gemstone for us to find?"
*The Lesser Seal had no choice. My pommel stone consists of concentrated holy power, the bane of the undead. Its influence is amplified by this shrine. Lesser Seals are restrained by more than their crystal prisons; their shrines and my pommel stones render them harmless for ten years.*
"How did the Lesser Seal get out?"
*The power of the Lesser Seals grows over time. The natural rise of Kreisia's miasma strengthens them, as it strengthens all undead monsters.*
"Is the Overlord like that, too?"
*Yes. So you are correct to desire as quick an end to the Overlord as possible.* The holy sword transformed into a whisper of golden light, and Yusis felt the impression of its consciousness recede.
Yusis pondered the extremely troubling fact that his nemesis was continually growing in power. He was so deep in thought when his group exited the shrine that the ambush took him completely unaware.
Laminah reacted well before he did, swinging her halberd at a lumbering monster that resembled a Varg with blazing yellow eyes and lizard-like scales covering its body. Her weapon's blade bit deep into the Varg-monster's chest. Miasma plumes burst from the wound, and the sheer force of her swing pushed the monster back an instant before its hook-clawed hands could rake Yusis' face. The Varg-monster's mouth worked, forming a single word.
%Help-!%
I've never heard a monster cry for help before? Yusis thought, in total bewilderment.
At nearly the same instant, a yellow-eyed, lizard-scaled Lunarl-monster lunged for Cynthia. A sudden blast of concentrated sound waves pushed the monster back. Cynthia yelped in surprise and summoned a burst of holy power to follow up Anemos' bardic magic. The Lunarl-monster also started to speak words.
%Help us-!%
They're asking us for help - is there any way we can - no, that one is attacking Cynthia! I have to fight!
Yusis moved to aid Cynthia. He heard spoken syllables - a hallmark of Altean chants - coming from two sources. One was Anemos; the other was a male Altean some distance away. Yusis paid little attention to either of them, and slashed at the Lunarl-monster with his steel sword. Miasma plumes escaped from the gash.
They really are undead monsters! Yusis thought, in dismay. Both of them have nothing but miasma inside their bodies. We can't help them. All we can do is free their souls.
Now Laminah was next to Yusis; he did not need to turn his head to know that she had completely dispatched the Varg-monster. She started to swing her halberd at the Lunarl-monster.
As Yusis tried to attack again, his body suddenly became rigid, statue-like. He teetered off-balance and began to fall. Golden radiance enveloped Yusis an instant before the Lunarl-monster's long, hook-like claws stabbed at his collarbone, making a deep puncture.
Yusis hit the ground. He heard the hissing noise of more escaping miasma plumes, simultaneous with Laminah's enraged war cry. Anemos' chanting increased in volume. Cynthia called out a magical invocation.
Pain flared from Yusis' injury; it felt like a cross between being burned and shocked. His muscles seized up. The last thing he heard before he passed out was Laminah's furious bellow.
"ALTEAN COWARD!"
Yusis didn't recognize his immediate surroundings when he regained consciousness, but the avian emblem on the architecture above him seemed familiar. His eyes darted rapidly back and forth.
"Yusis, you're awake!" trilled Cynthia's beautiful, high-pitched voice. "It's okay, we're all safe."
"Where...?" Although Yusis tried to articulate a question, he could barely aspirate a single word.
"We're in the Royal Chanters' wing of the Royal Castle," Cynthia answered, brightly. "Anemos let Laminah use one of his teleportation beads. She teleported us right outside the Royal Capital's gate, and we brought you here."
Anemos gave up another teleportation bead?
Those aren't just expensive. I haven't seen them for sale in any supply shop. When I asked a shopkeeper about them, he said that almost no one has the talent and training to make them anymore, except for the most elite Royal Mages.
Anemos shared rare and powerful magic items to help us defeat Fortina, too. Even those anti-poison curatives he gave us are way beyond what supply shops carry.
Only Laminah questioned it before, but... where did Anemos get all of his stuff? He definitely wasn't telling the whole truth when he answered her.
Yusis tried to move, and fire-shock flared in his collarbone again. He realized that he was propped on a cot, with his shirt removed. A handful of Alteans milled about him. He recognized his three companions standing a short distance away.
"What... happened?" Speaking was difficult; he felt like the words would slur if he didn't take them slowly.
Laminah coldly stated, "An Altean ambushed us. He must have been one of the Ascendance Disciples; they are the only ones mad enough to willfully interfere with the duties of the Savior. He appeared to be controlling two monsters. Those monsters - things that were once people, but with scales and hooked claws - resembled the description of the ones that slew your military escort. We destroyed the monsters, but the Ascendance Disciple teleported away before I could serve justice."
The warrior glared at Anemos. "And you know more than you are telling about all of this."
"Laminah, stop!" Cynthia piped up. "Anemos protected me from one of the monsters, and his counter-chant broke the paralysis chant that Ascendance Disciple put on me!" She fingered her feathered hair ornament. "I didn't know my chant ward was so weak. Anemos, could you make it stronger?"
"I could try," the bard gently offered. "I should warn you that I cannot guarantee your complete protection. Wards against chanting can be only half as strong as the chanter who creates them. The heirloom ward that Laminah wears under her armor is so powerful that I expect it was crafted long ago, when the talent for chants was much greater in my people. It may even predate the cycle."
Cynthia looked curiously at Laminah. "You're wearing a-? I assumed you had a ward, nearly everyone does, but I had no idea how strong it was. I'm nowhere near as sensitive to chants or chant wards as I am to magic. I guess your ward protected you from the paralysis chant without any help from Anemos?"
Laminah did not respond with words, only a haughty snort. Then she turned to an Altean woman near Yusis and sternly requested, "How is the Savior?"
The woman respectfully answered, "There are no signs of miasma poisoning. The Holy Brand presumably protected him in that regard. We have dispelled the paralysis chant; the only chant remaining on him now is the Priestess of Salvation's 'Savior gift'. His other symptoms match the known effects of Ascendance poison."
Cynthia worriedly added, "Yusis, I healed your injury with holy magic, but something's still wrong."
"The curative power of holy magic is limited against nonlethal poisons," Anemos said, quietly. "Laminah, will you please allow me to treat him?"
"What is 'Ascendance poison'?" Laminah growled.
The Altean woman replied, "I did not expect you to be familiar with it. The Ascendance Disciples use it only on other Alteans. Vargs and Lunarls are immune to its effects. It would seem the Savior shares an Altean vulnerability.
"Ascendance poison is a manufactured substance that enfeebles the body, if it mixes with the blood. It does not kill, but it can cause lasting incapacitation. It also reduces the innate resistance that we Alteans have to harmful chants. I know of no treatment other than to support the patient's natural recovery. The Savior will be in no condition to resume his quest for days, at least."
"No, that's - no good," Yusis mumbled, thickly.
We can't delay for so long. The Overlord is constantly growing in power!
And those monsters... those monsters asked us for help. I couldn't do anything to save them, but-!
This time, I know I've been asked for help.
Even though the Overlord is the biggest threat, I can't put those monsters out of my mind. I won't. I can't let this go, and I can't do anything about it in this state!
"Need this - fixed - right away," Yusis managed to get out.
The Altean woman looked to Anemos, curiously. "What treatment do you have that the Royal Chanters do not?"
"It is a combination of herbal medicines and a chant specific to facilitating recovery from this particular substance," the bard smoothly explained. "I will gladly share the formula and the technique with the Royal Chanters, but in all honesty, none of you have quite as much... intrinsic ability as I do. It will not be as effective, if you perform it."
Cynthia begged, "Laminah, please-!"
"Enough," the warrior sharply returned. "All of you, do what you will. I shall make a full report of these developments to my king." She glowered at Anemos. "I will 'trust' you to treat the Savior. You know full well what will happen if you betray my 'trust'."
"Duly noted," Anemos replied. He turned to Yusis and calmly said, "My apologies, but it would be best if you were rendered unconscious for a time. If you would kindly accept a sleep spell, then we may begin."
The bard played his hauntingly beautiful nocturne on his lute.
"Don't - get weird - on me," Yusis muttered, closing his eyes. He became aware of a growing sense of lethargy, intertwined with the melody of the nocturne. He tried to strike a mental balance that would let him focus his thoughts into an earnest message, without overtly resisting the magical inducement to fall asleep.
Aldea... Aldea, I need your help. Please.
The Holy Brand's disdainful consciousness resonated in his increasingly drowsy mind.
*Your choice of companions has resulted in consequences, Savior.*
I know. Thank you for protecting me from miasma poisoning.
*You are not using your voice to communicate. Good. Perhaps you do understand how precarious your situation is. I am only speaking to you, at present.*
You've been watching over me all this time, haven't you? Just like you are right now.
*I am fulfilling my function. For the present, Kreisia needs you. While your companions were carrying you here, I contacted the king; he confirmed that no other candidate for Savior has been summoned yet.*
I understand.
*Understand this as well. You and your allies must not use my protection as an excuse to neglect your own vigilance. The preponderance of my power must be conserved for the destined battle against the Overlord.*
Is that why you didn't flat-out crush the ambush? I know you could have. Just like you could have crushed us when we woke you up.
*I was enraged when you awakened me, and I squandered more power than I should have. My excess expenditure that day has made the need to conserve my strength even more vital.*
Can't you draw on my strength, like you did before?
*That was only to create an illusionary display. You are neither worthy nor able to wield me as a weapon yet.*
Aldea, can you... can you confirm that Cynthia isn't mentally affected by any Altean chants? Or any mind-related magic? Laminah probably isn't, but can you confirm that, too?
*Their minds are not compromised by any outside influence, and you should have been concerned about that long before now. Answer honestly; why were you not concerned?*
I...
...I'm not sure. It's not like me at all. I usually have to force myself to not worry so much, to block out bad thoughts. I've gotten pretty good at that.
*And how practiced are you at 'blocking out thoughts' that are not 'bad'?*
Aldea... you know. And you know that I know.
*Yes.*
I can't keep any secrets from you at all, can I?
*No, you cannot. Your soul is bare to my sight.*
I didn't tell you because I was afraid of what you might do.
*Your fear nearly became manifest when you roused me from my slumber. I did not threaten to execute the bard on a whim. Interfering with the duties of the Savior is a crime against life itself. At first I believed that he had also manipulated the Priestess of Salvation, but I soon determined that her impairment is entirely self-inflicted.*
Aldea, what do you know about those monsters who begged us for help?
*Very little. I did attempt to communicate with them before they were destroyed; all I learned was that they had been abducted while alive, and then poisoned with miasma. There was not enough time to interrogate them about the specifics.*
Didn't you read their minds, like how you've been reading my mind?
*While I can contact proximate undead minds, I cannot read them. I can only read the minds of the living. You would be wiser to inquire about the organization responsible for the ambush; its members have invaded my shrine before.*
Okay. Please, Aldea, wake me up as soon as you can after this treatment's done. We don't have any time to waste. Lives are at stake.
*It seems my hope for your soul's potential was not in vain. Very well, Savior. I will grant your request, and consider any others that you may have when you awaken.*
Yusis willed himself to fully accept the encroaching lethargy of Anemos' sleep spell.
As Anemos conducted his ministrations upon the Savior, he meticulously demonstrated the chants involved to the Royal Chanters. They took extensive notes, asked a host of questions, and accepted an offering of his herbal supplies.
After all was done, the Altean woman who had made the initial inquiry into Anemos' techniques politely requested an additional portion of his time. He followed her into a secluded room filled with books and scattered papers.
She shut the door, invoked a brief chant, and said, "What we say now can't be overheard by any person, or detected with divination magic. Not without destroying the active chant, and alerting me that we are being spied upon."
"Ah, that sounds quite useful." Your overall talent for chants is substantially lower than mine, but from what I can sense, your mastery of concealment chants far surpasses my own expertise.
I wonder what motivated you to press your furthest limits in that specific skill? Most likely not anything pleasant.
"Perhaps a proper introduction would be appropriate," she contemplated. "You may call me Melinda Verid. That is the name I use as the lead Royal Chanter, in service to King Welkin. I do not dare give my real name to one of the Savior's companions, a future Lesser Seal."
Have you assumed that I am pledged to the Savior's service simply because I travel with him? I suppose there is no need to correct your misapprehension, at present.
"Melinda, it is an honor and a pleasure to make your charming acquaintance. My full name is Anemos Monochrome."
"I want to thank you."
"Indeed, my darling?" Anemos flashed his most dashing smile, snapped her a wink, and leaned forward.
She demurely held up one hand. "To quote the Savior, 'Don't get weird on me.'"
"He did not have to say that," the bard pouted, straightening. "My treatment was strictly professional. You were a witness."
"Yes, and with the knowledge you have given us, we can do more than hasten the recovery of patients afflicted with Ascendance poison. We can research anti-toxin wards, so that no Altean ever has to fear it again."
"It is a joy to be of service."
"I know you're an Ascendance Disciple."
"No, my darling Melinda. You do not know that."
"I'm not trying to make you admit it; that doesn't matter. No one has brought any of their secrets to light before! It's only because of King Welkin that the Royal Guards make any effort to protect us!"
Her eyes turned cold, and her voice turned hard and flat. "The Ascendance Disciples kidnapped my brother for speaking out against them. I fled to the Royal Capital before the same could happen to me.
"My brother was the last of my family, and I will never see him again. Their kidnapped victims never return. Now, the Ascendance Disciples are associated with certain undead monsters. Monsters that look like scaled, clawed people; monsters they control with domination chants. Where do you think they are getting these monsters?"
Anemos shook his head. "My darling Melinda, I have been wandering the world at large for years. I daresay you are far more knowledgeable about the Ascendance Disciples' most heinous activities than I would be."
"I think you know enough about how reprehensible they are, and that's why you chose to become a Lesser Seal. I hope you arise ten years from now and destroy them all, and I want to thank you for that, too."
That possibility did not cross my mind. Until now.
I wonder, would it truly happen that way? Or would I receive a welcome like Fortina's?
After speaking with Melinda, Anemos withdrew to just outside of the Royal Chanters' Wing. Cynthia soon joined him. While they waited for the Savior to recover, Anemos improved Cynthia's ward against Altean chants, and Cynthia strengthened the defensive spells that made Anemos' clothing protect him like light armor. She also reinforced the wards that safeguarded his lute from physical or magical damage, and kept it from easily falling out of his possession.
Cynthia humbly said, "I'm sorry. I should have done all of this a long time ago."
"There is no need to apologize," the bard kindly returned. "You are most gracious, and talented."
"I'm definitely getting better at casting protective wards. Laminah's enchanted armor is way beyond anything I can do, though. I've asked her why its magic is so strong; she said it used to be a Royal Treasury heirloom. Cedric gave it to her family after her uncle reconstructed techniques to make more like it. I wonder if it was originally made by a Lunarl, before the cycle. I think Lunarl magic was more powerful back then, just like Altean chants were. Maybe Vargs were stronger fighters, too?"
Anemos did not speculate upon an answer to her question. Instead, he offered to pass the time by playing music. Cynthia cheerfully thanked him, and listened to a medley of his songs. Perhaps an hour later, Anemos noticed that Yusis was approaching.
I suspected that my music would summon you as soon as you could walk, whether I willed it to or not. Sound carries far in these palace hallways.
The Savior's white shirt appeared to have been cleaned, but faded evidence of blood marred its collar. Anemos also observed that the Savior's movements were somewhat unbalanced.
Cynthia happily piped up, "Yusis, I'm so glad you're doing better."
"Uh, yeah," the Savior mumbled, swaying and touching his forehead. "Anemos? Thanks."
"There is no need for thanks. It is an honor to aid you," the bard smoothly replied, ending his music with a flourish. "The remedy appears to be taking effect more slowly on you than it would for an Altean, but I expect that you will return to full strength by tomorrow."
"Good to know." Yusis lowered his hand from his brow. "I'm going to hang out in the Royal Castle today, while I recover. We'll all set out for the shrine with Aldea's second pommel stone tomorrow. Just thought I'd tell both of you. So you can use today to take care of anything you need to do, in the Royal Capital."
"A day's respite from the traveling the roads does sound relaxing," Anemos mused.
Cynthia smiled, broadly. "I'll write a letter to my parents. I'm sure Laminah's uncle can see that it reaches them. He could have one of his workers give it to them the next time he sends my village a delivery."
Yusis returned her broad smile. He tilted his head and closed his eyes.
Anemos carefully kept his internal twinge of sympathy concealed.
Savior, your adoration for the Priestess of Salvation is heartrending to behold. Have you confessed your love to her? You certainly cannot hide it.
Is something holding you back? Do you doubt her feelings for you, or your own worth?
Perhaps for her sake, you truly would be willing to...
"See you later," Yusis said, with a good-natured nod. He unsteadily set off down one of the Royal Castle's hallways.
"Thank you so much for helping Yusis," Cynthia whispered to the bard. Then she took her leave.
Anemos spent the rest of the day cleaning, tuning, and restringing his lute. He searched the Royal Capital's shops for the highest quality materials, and took meticulous care to ensure that his instrument was in the best possible condition.
The bard occasionally checked upon the Savior with divination magic, linked to the resonance of the modified 'Savior gift'. Interference from the Royal Castle's wards prevented the conduit of any information other than the Savior's location. The Savior seemed to be wandering all about the Royal Castle, but not leaving it.
Late that night, Anemos withdrew to an alcove of the Royal Castle far from where the Savior slept. The bard tried to compose his threnody again.
The Savior cannot possibly hear my music across this distance, not through so many castle walls. This time, I will not be distracted by an unintended summon.
The song would not flow. It was even more broken and fragmented than before.
"Anemos?"
The bard nearly dropped his lute.
"Ah, Cynthia?"
The Priestess of Salvation showed a cheerful grin.
Anemos cleared his throat. "I rather expected you to be asleep."
"I just wanted to say one more time, thank you so much for helping Yusis. And for making this better." She touched her hair ornament. "And... I owe you an apology. I'm really sorry I was rude to you, on the day we first met. You've done so much for us."
"Ah, there is no need to apologize."
"Maybe Yusis was right. Maybe I have been too quick to assume the worst of Alteans. You're the first Altean I've ever made friends with. Before I met you, the only Alteans I saw were traveling merchants, and they never stayed in my village for long."
Our agent did not dare approach your village, and advised me to also stay well away. He warned me of two powerful monster hunters, whose divination magic monitored a wide area for potential threats. Our agent thought it unwise to for us to test our talent for concealment against their talent for detection.
Neither of us knew they were also your adoptive parents, but perhaps we should have made that inference. They may have raised, protected, and trained you personally because of your talent for holy magic.
The Overlord's monsters often stalk and slay Lunarls gifted in holy magic, especially priestesses capable of summoning a Savior. Heritable talent for holy magic is very likely why monsters targeted your birth parents in the previous cycle.
Cynthia contemplated, "After the restrictions on where Alteans could live were overturned, I assumed that no Alteans settled in my village because it was more at risk for monster attacks than the Royal Capital. Now, I wonder... is that really the reason? My parents keep the village so safe that no one there died last cycle."
You truly have 'warped your own mind' to believe that, have you not? Just as you cherish your fantasy of a 'golden light' that will safely return the Savior to his home world. How far do your delusions extend? Do you comprehend what the pledges you and Laminah made to the Savior truly mean?
Cynthia continued, "The Altean merchants who visited must have noticed how much fear and suspicion everyone had of them - well, almost everyone. The shopkeeper they did business with was pretty friendly, and my parents were never rude to any Alteans. I didn't learn that behavior from them. It was my own doing, maybe influenced by gossip and rumors."
I did not question our agent when he claimed that he could not infiltrate your village. Now, I realize that he could not have pretended to be a traveler; he was controlling the monsters that slaughtered your military escort. He could not separate too far from the monsters, or he would risk losing his link to the domination chant our master placed on them.
Our agent said that the monsters who slew your military escort were all destroyed in that skirmish. Did he keep two monsters in reserve? Or did our master supply him with more?
Our agent also let one of his monsters attack you, in spite of my express request to refrain from harming you in any way. Did he ignore me, or was his control over the monsters less than complete? Each monster did voice a plea from its own will.
If I had not possessed the foresight to keep a defensive spell ready to protect you...
Cynthia made a light shrug. "Well, that's all I really wanted to say. Don't stay up too much longer? I think Yusis may want to get an early start tomorrow."
"Cynthia, one moment please."
"Yes?" One of her delicate, furry ears perked a little.
Anemos articulated his inquiry with extreme care. "Would you kindly state, in your own words, what the destiny of the Priestess of Salvation is?"
"You don't have to put it like that," she sighed, shaking her head. "I know what you're trying to ask. Cedric and Laminah asked me the same thing, on the day I met them."
"Indeed?"
"When you joined our journey, Laminah told me you won't decide whether you'll also become a Lesser Seal until... sometime in the future? You promised her you'd choose before we fight the Overlord. I understand. If you can't do it, then I'm sure someone else will."
"So, you are aware that you must die and become a Lesser Seal. As must Laminah."
"It'll be okay. My parents are really strong monster hunters, and they'll have help from the Royal Capital. They'll stop me, just like we stopped Fortina. Laminah has faith in Cedric and the Royal Guards, too. They won't let the Royal Capital end up like Vatoren."
"Yusis does not know what the cycle requires, Cynthia."
"Please don't tell him," she pleaded, clasping her hands in a gesture of supplication and rapidly blinking her sorrowful eyes. "I don't want him to know. Let him go home to his world and be happy, after we defeat the Overlord."
"It seems I am quite the secret-keeper," Anemos sighed.
End of Chapter Seventeen: Threnody