CHAPTER 21: A Remainder
At long last, Orsel had finally made it to the top of the grand palace of Lum, only to find that he was face-to-face with an intricately carved door. He tried opening it and found that although it wasn’t locked, it was still considerably heavy. He wedged it open with his crookshank at first, and once it parted ways enough he threw his weight against the enormous, hinged slab of sandstone. Inside was an ornately decorated room that had certainly seen better days— stacks of paper were laid out haphazardly across various tables and the ground, scrawled with what looked like nonsense from afar. Four thick columns set at equal points from one another decorated the room, with a radio set up between the two on Orsel’s right. On the left side of the wall, just past an enormous pile of papers, was a weapon in a display case— a staff with a circular, hollow metal blade adorning its top. It was the only thing in the entire room that looked brand new. Amongst all of this, Orsel tried to find what could have caused the flashing he had witnessed outside. The only light he could find was at the center of the room— a column of starlight focused from a hole in the ceiling by an enormous machine made with metal and glass lenses, overlapping and wrapping around one another. Direct light was dangerous to Orsel, but he stepped forwards out of curiosity in order to get a closer look at the mechanism. He walked around it, perusing it from every angle. He was never one for mechanics, but he tried to learn what he could when it was possible. Just as he finished a lap around the column of light, Orsel heard frantic footsteps coming up from behind him, though the open doorway. As he turned around, he saw Vino and Jacob ascending the stairway, with Vino’s eyes lighting up at the sight of Orsel.
“There you are!” Shouted Vino, relieved, “We’ve been looking all over for you.”
“Where do you get off running away like that, huh?” Jake scolded.
“Look,” said Orsel, “I saw something up here, and I had to check it out. There was some flashing light, but I can’t seem to find what caused it.” Vino peered over Orsel’s shoulder, wide-eyed at what he was seeing.
“Orsel, do you know where we are?” He said, walking in and basking in its history.
“Not really, no.” Orsel replied
Vino put his hand on one of the columns next to the radio.
“This was Hope’s throne room. I’ve only ever heard stories about this place.”
Jacob inspected the piles of papers strewn about the place in disgust.
“Mmm, looks like the years haven’t been kind to this place.”
“Well, it’s possible we’re not the first ones who have come here since the lumans’… departure,'' Vino proclaimed, fiddling with the radio resting on its desk. “Likely some vagabonds or outcasts have made this place their home for a bit.”
“Of course they had to muss up the most important place in the city,” Jake scowled. “I mean, there’s like, what? Fifty houses down there? Could’ve crashed down there instead of the foyer of a grandess.”
Vino picked up a bale of papers to investigate their contents.
“Well, I suppose sometimes beggars can be choosers. I just hope whoever made this mess isn’t still here— although it would be helpful to have someone decipher these cabbit scratchings.” He said, slapping the paper he was holding with the back of his hand. Orsel slunk over to the pile of papers Vino was looking at and took one from the top of the bale. Almost immediately, he recognized it as something he had seen countless times in his line of work.
“These are building schematics!” Orsel realized, hastily pulling more sheets from the pile …”Or, at least, most of them are. I’ve never seen designs like this before.”
“Give me that!” Jacob said, swiping the paper from Orsel’s hand. “He’s right— this is a blueprint for a cloudscraper in Tallem!”
“Look, this is a map of the Aqu’arion islands!” Vino exclaimed, folding one of the sheets of paper out to double its size. “There’s step-by-step instructions for… something, but I can’t seem to make it out.”
“This is gettin’ weird.” Jake observed, rifling through some more papers. These in particular had sketches of people throughout Crux, accompanied by small descriptions about their professions and traits. “Whoever this fella is, he’s got his nose in a lot of people’s business.”
Orsel wanted to make himself useful by getting some more information about this mystery. Seeing how Jake and Vino were busy tearing through the main pile of documents, he searched for anywhere else some sensitive information might be held. He made his way to the half of the room opposite the entrance, being careful once again not to draw too close to the column of focused starlight. He noticed a particularly tantalizing looking box nestled next to the arm of a white marble throne.
In the seat of this great chair, however, lay a pile of silken fabric— a robe adorned with thick ribbons sporting a multitude of colors. Looking at it a little closer, Orsel noticed a lump protruding from the chest area of the garment. He shifted the fabric around to find that it was covering up a crystal-clear, triangular gem. As he uncovered more of it, Orsel saw that it was decorated with wavy, coiling patterns and indentations shifting around its surface— at this point, he realized just what was in front of him.
“Is that what I think it is?” Vino asked, sneaking up behind Orsel who whipped around to face him.
“I think so. It looks like a core, but I’ve never seen one that looks like this before.” Orsel admitted, scratching his head.
Jake lumbered over, arching over the throne to get a better look at the anomaly.
“It’s a Luman core!” He exclaimed. “I guess now we know who’s been living here and trashing up the place, but how’d one of them manage to slip by and stay here for this long?”
“I suppose it’s statistically probable that at least one of them managed to escape the slaughter and hide out here in the city for all these years,” Vino observed, gently picking up the core, “And judging by the looks of it, they’ve been quite productive with their time alone.”
Orsel moped a bit, examining the expanses of the room.
“Goodness… I can’t imagine having to spend all that time without anyone else. I mean, think about it, this guy’s just been up here on his own for the past decade!”
“Must be nice.” Jake chuckled. His attention then turned over to Vino, who was still examining the chunk of crystal, scrutinizing its recursive details and proving mesmerized by its patterns. “Careful with that, petals! That’s someone’s life in your hands.”
Jacob was correct, as an elemental’s core is the source of their continued existence on Crux. Each one may seem like nothing more than a hunk of gleaming rock; but within its crevices lies a mystical connection to its respective element, as well as its individual thoughts, feelings, and layout for its physical form as an elemental. It provided them with the means to see, hear, touch, and taste, to grow and learn, and to adapt to one’s surroundings. To put it simply, each one housed the soul of an elemental.
“I know, relax!” Vino defended, “It’s just been a while since I could see one of these up close. Goodness, you’d think they were made in a machine with how detailed they are.”
Orsel protested, tapping the side of the throne with the end of his crookshank.
“I’d put it back if I were you, Vino, This guy’s still asleep, and we’re not exactly comfortable with the idea of being… handled like this.”
“In a second,” said Vino, struggling to see a detail on the core’s bottom facet. “I’ll put it back right after I see this last bit. It just needs a little more light on it…”
As Vino walked closer to the beam of starlight in the center of the room, Jacob made a sudden realization.
“Wait… Light? VINO—”
Before he could act, The core grazed the edge of the beam while it was still in Vino’s leafy hands— and that was all it took.
CHAPTER 22: A Lone Light
A blinding flash of light erupted from the core as it was pulled from Vino’s hands by some unseen force. Vino was blown back, impacting Jake to the point that there was now a sizable flauna-shaped crater in his torso. The temporarily conjoined pair ducked behind the throne for a bout of shelter from the shining onslaught. Orsel screamed in pain as he tried to cover himself up, and threw himself behind the massive stack of papers in order to offer his body some relief from the torrent of light. The core was still as bright as a floodlight, suspended in the center of the room, but as the seconds passed, a form of pure light began to wrap itself around it. Waves of colors enveloped the room until finally, a luminous form remained standing.
Three eyes opened on a head adorned with hair as bright and bold as the sun on a clear summer sky. As the figure regained her bearings after a stretch that painted its form with a prismatic band of color, she realized that she wasn’t on the throne— or clothed. She let out a short shriek as she turned red and ran over to the chair and promptly dressed herself with the robes left out on it.
Jacob unstuck Vino from his torso like a pulled weed and peered around the corner of the throne, only to see a sight that nearly made him wheeze in shock.
“It’s HOPE.”
Vino went wide-eyed as he, in turn, looked over their barrier.
“Wh- how?”
“I don’t know, but we need to get out of here— we’re trespassing!”
“Alright!… Where’s Orsel?”
The two of them looked around their area to come to the debilitating conclusion that Orsel wasn’t with them.
“Crap.”
Behind the stack of papers, Orsel was still in the process of regaining his bearings from being subjected to a nearly lethal dosage of light. A voice from the other side of his hiding place, however, immediately caught his attention.
“These aren’t supposed to be here…”
Hope shuffled through her now-further disorganized notes, eventually noticing the open door to her throne room.
“That’s odd. I could have sworn I shut this thing earlier…”
As she made her way towards the door and shut it, Orsel took the opportunity to move from his position. To try and find Jacob and Vino. He slunk between the pillars and the shadowy corners of the room looking for his friends, when a noise caught his attention.
“Psst!”
Hearing it came from near the chair, Orsel looked over to find Vino hastily beckoning him over to behind the throne. Unfortunately, the CLUNK of the door’s lock spooked Orsel, who ducked behind the pillar nearest to the desk displaying the radio.
“Ugh, I must’ve had one too many bottles of Prizz last night.” Groaned Hope, shuffling over to her throne. Before she could take her seat, however, The radio next to Orsel sputtered to life, crackling and spraying static. He noticed one of his tendrils had somehow shifted onto the wire powering it, and quickly tried to silence it by yanking the plug from the wall. Needless to say, at this point, Hope was properly alerted.
“It seems as though I am not alone.” She said loudly, backing up towards the display case on the wall. She promptly unlatched it and grabbed the gleaming scepter from within its confines, brandishing it threateningly and spinning it above her head.
“SHOW YOURSELF! I AM HOPE! GRANDESS OF LUM, AND I WILL NOT TOLERATE INTRUDERS!” She swung the weapon, kicking up a gust of wind and sand, and sending a flurry of papers fluttering about in the air. Seeing this, Orsel slunk further behind the pillar in fear and cowered under his hood. While Hope stalked the perimeter of the throne room, Vino breathed in some dust suspended in the air, and found himself in a coughing fit. Jake covered his mouth in a panic, but it was too late. Hope had caught wind that whoever was trespassing her home was, for certain, behind her throne. This had also caught Orsel’s attention, as he peered around the edge of the pillar to find that Hope was about to find his friends out.
“There you are, you scoundrel…” She taunted, grasping her staff with both hands and pointing it towards the unseen source of the noise. “You should know better than to intrude in someone’s home.” Just as she was about to peer behind the massive seat and find his friends, Orsel jumped out from behind the pillar.
“ALRIGHT, YOU CAUGHT ME. I GIVE UP!” Orsel screamed, waving his hands around in order to divert Hope’s attention. As she looked over at him with her three piercing white eyes, and her body glowing red with anger, Orsel considered that maybe this wasn’t the best idea. Although, if he was going to keep Vino and Jake from being found out, he would have to commit. He dropped his crookshank to the ground and continued his plea as Hope slowly stepped forwards, through the column of light in the center of the room.
“Scavengers are not welcome here.” Hope bristled with anger, tightening her grip on her weapon.
“I- I know that now,” Orsel replied, stepping backwards in tandem with Hope’s approach. “Look, I came into this tower to… Scavenge, and I guess I accidentally woke you up.”
Jake and Vino took a look at the commotion that was ensuing and found themselves quite shocked.
“What is he DOING?” Vino whispered.
Jake squinted at the scarlet form threatening Orsel.
“He’s saving our hides, that’s what. Now, let’s go.”
“We can’t just leave him here.”
“She’s a grandess! What are we supposed to do?”
“Well grandess or not, we need to help him! Try and find something heavy, I have an idea.”
Orsel and Hope’s dance continued until the shayd found himself backed against one of the room’s walls.
“Who sent you?” Hope asked, thrusting the bladed edge of the weapon closer to Orsel’s chest. He responded by flexing his torso away from the threat.
“Nobody sent me, I escaped! I found this city… alone, and I thought I’d hole up here for the night!”
“You said you came here to scavenge!”
Orsel’s core sunk
“I- I did say that, but I mean it when I say I mean you no harm! Just don’t hurt me.”
“Silence! You come here as a subject of Thead, no less, to take even MORE from me? It’s bad enough I have to hide myself away up here, surrounded by the fragments of my people, and you have the core to say you ‘mean me no harm?’ Shame on you!”
“I-uh, I didn’t…”
“May you never be reborn.” Hope said coldly as she lifted her weapon to strike a blow onto Orsel. As he sat there, against the wall, frightened and confused, bracing himself for impact, he found that such a thing never came. He waveringly looked up to see Hope still standing there, blade above her head. However, the longer he looked up at her, Orsel saw Hope’s hands begin to tremble, followed shortly by her face as it contorted from rage to what looked like sadness. The red that painted her body faltered from a furious scarlet into a soothing blue, and before Orsel could even respond, she fell to the ground and wept.
“I can’t do this.” She sobbed, burying her hands in her face, struggling to cover all three of her eyes. “I can’t keep living like this.”
Orsel’s terror eventually melted into empathy. He scooted over from the wall and prepared to put his hand on Hope’s shoulder to comfort her. However, he recoiled at the last second, worrying that he would somehow cause her more pain.
“I- I’m sorry.” Orsel consoled. “I really don’t know what to do here.”
“Neither do I.” Hope sniffed. “But I will say I will not kill you.”
“That’s a relief.” Orsel chuckled nervously. “Look, let’s just calm down. We’ll talk this out, alright?” At this point Hope seemed in a better state of mind. Her blueness had washed away and she glowed a pale yellow. It hurt for Orsel to look at, but he wasn’t about to go on complaining to this mysterious stranger.
“I think that would be for the best.” Hope gingerly stood back up, grabbing the staff to help her with her balance. As she turned around, however, she came face to face with a sight that just about put her back on the floor again— Vino holding a broken bottle and Jacob brandishing Hope’s entire throne as a weapon. At the sight of the Grandess’ recuperation, the two hastily tried to return to a picture of normalcy, smiling warily at Hope as she stood there, taken aback.
“Uhh, these are my friends.” Orsel explained. “They mean no harm as well.”
Hope closed her eyes and took a deep breath, moving her hands from the center of her body to facing her palms outwards.
“I think I’ll put on some tea.”