Chapter CCCXVIII: Sickness ~Lich

The mid-autumn weather was preparing for the chilly winter mornings, where the wind would cut through one’s bones like a knife through butter and the sunlight held little warmth; today was one of its practice runs. The trees that hated the cold were starting to slow down, turning to shades of brown-gold, dropping the leaves that they didn’t need before the onslaught of Pandora’s mild winter.

Dyluck T. Yoshi sat on his chair, his arms folded around his torso as he tried to add to the little warmth his plaid blue shirt provided, his elbows resting on the desk. His breath was drawn between his teeth – the schoolhouse only had one heater, and that was firmly directed at Syoro Yarapren’s desk. Around him, the human children were not as cold as he was, understandable as they did not have reptilian blood that remembered the millions of years it was cold.

Syo. Yarapren stood at the front of the room, his back turned to the children as he wrote a single word on the blackboard in big letters of white chalk: TIME. He turned around again, showing his pupils his wisened (but by no means elderly) features.

“What is this?” he asked, rapping the board with a knuckle.

“Time,” the class chorused, devoid of enthusiasm.

Syo. Yarapren stifled a chuckle. “Very observant. Perhaps what I should have said was, ‘What is time?’”

The older students, who had been through this lesson before as there was only one class and one teacher in Kippo, shot their hands into the air. Those of that group who were eager to impart their knowledge and show it off to the others were raising their buttocks out of the chairs and stretching their arms up straight like a pencil, gasping like panting dogs as they wanted to be picked. Dyluck, on the other hand, kept his hands around his chest and blushed slightly out of embarrassment – a clearing in the forest of limbs.

“Let’s ask someone who hasn’t put their hand up…Dyluck?”

The hands went down and the heads turned, all looking at him, the alien. He blushed even more – he didn’t need to keep himself warm with his arms now, though they remained there. Dogo, the class bully, grinned menacingly.

“I-i-it’s...” he stuttered as he madly searched his little mind for a suitable answer, trying to prove to Dogo he knew something. What he sought to answer passed laboriously. “I think…it’s…what a clock says, Syoro,” he answered slowly, the tops of his white cheeks turning crimson.

“Well…yes, that’s true, but that’s not what I’m looking…for,” Syo. Yarapren replied, shooting a frown at Dogo’s private laughter. “Time is a cycle. A circle. We say it’s best like a river.”

He turned around to the board again and began to draw furiously. Dogo turned his head around and sneered arrogantly at Dyluck. The Yoshi scowled in reply, which only made Dogo broaden it. He turned his head back in time for Syo. Yarapren to turn back to the class and suspect nothing had happened (even though he knew something had, privately, judging by the way Dyluck was frowning at the back of Dogo’s head).

“Quick lesson in geography. Take out your pencils and draw this and write it down – that includes you, Tayo.”

“But we–” Tayo started.

“I know you did it last year. But the more you write it down, the more you will remember. Now…”

Syo. Yarapren pointed at the top of a downward incline, marked with a series of small triangles that could only mean crudely-drawn mountains. “A river’s water begins up here in the mountains, and it flows dowwwwwn,” he moved his finger down the incline to a few strings of consummate “w”-s, which could only mean crudely-drawn waves; the sea, “to the ocean. There, the sun,” he quickly drew a circle and gave it dashes around it, “makes the sky suck up the water, just as it does to puddles, and forms clouds.” He quickly drew three little ones in random places above the “ocean.” “Then, the wind takes the clouds,” he drew a long arrow across the top of the diagram, pointed it and then drew a big cloud above the “mountains”, “back to the mountains, and there, they rain.” Dot-dot-dot-dot-dot-dot-dot-dot went his chalk as he drew the raindrops in.

“And the water forms the river, which flows back down to the sea, which turns into clouds and gets sent back to the mountains, where it rains and forms the river again. Time is like a river, and history repeats. Never, ever forget this. Some of you will go far away from this place to different lands when you grow up, and I assure you, time is just the same there. Time is like a river, and history repeats.”

* * *

Lich remembered that lesson well as he knelt on the soil of G’lirer, bent at the hips so that his elbows rested on the ground and his hands clutched his hair, the Diamond of Gokar resting on his thighs. He shook his head sadly.

“Not again…not – again…”

Footsteps ran towards him, a maroon blur just out of the top of his eyes. “You okay?” Naaro asked as he crouched beside him.

“Not again…not –hegerato– again,” Lich muttered. “I don’t want to lose him again…not again…”

“Lord, what dost thee want us to do?” Hl’garng asked.

“I don’t know,” Lich shook his head. “I just don’t know…not again, not again…”

“Here, come on…” Naaro said, clasping Lich’s left arm between his hands. He groaned as he tried to pull him to his feet, remembering the extra weight from his cybernetic implants Ark had told him about.

Hl’garng took the other arm around his shoulders, took the Diamond in his hand, and the two helped the chieftain struggle to his feet. Lich sat limply between the two of them as Naaro took Hl’garng’s lead and put his head under his arm so that it would rest on his shoulders also.

“Not again…not again…”

“There we are,” Naaro said. “I don’t think you can govern right now, Lich…I’m going to lead you to your bed, okay?”

“Not again…not again…not again…”

“He’s in shock…pretty bad,” Naaro told Hl’garng.

“Yea, the symptoms of it appeareth,” the hunter replied. “His mind is disturb’d.”

Naaro nodded and surveyed the pandemonium the robot behemoth had left behind. Some of the huts had collapsed while others had holes in their walls, or part of their roofs had caved in. The Yoshies ran frantically, some gathering around Ung’grl as he sought to find answers, while others rushed towards the three of them in an ever growing crowd.

“What happened, lord?”

“What was that creature, lord?”

“Lord, where art the Hunter?”

“Dost thou know Markior’s changes, lord?”

Lich continued to mumble, spittle forming around his lips, the sounds around him coming into his ears as if he was underwater.

“He can’t answer right now, sorry,” Naaro told the crowd, hushing them. “Ask him tomorrow. He’s pretty upset.”

The crowd began to ask questions once more as the two warriors began to drag Lich towards his hut.

“By Adun…” came Markior’s voice nearby. “It’s…Multehx…”

Lich’s sagging head turned towards Markior, but then his eyes widened as he saw the figure lying on the ground at the spirit’s feet. His arms tensed and his legs straightened. It had landed on its side, but that was enough for Lich to see everything he needed to.

The figure was akin to a black sphere with legs and arms, wearing a green everything-proof jacket over a white shirt with red bowtie (though both of these were looking a little worn). Its boots were metallic, with a long, flaring, shield-like protrusion covering its thighs. One quarter of the sphere, resting on the ground, was also seemingly made of metal, with a blank robotic lens as its eye. The other eye was a diamond that looked lacklustre at that moment. All of this was crowned by a golden “M” on its head. Lich checked its Mana Presence, and gaped.

Even though there was some differences, it was Multehx.

Multehx, who had disappeared five years ago without a trace.

Multehx, who had nearly killed him in his youth.

Multehx, who had eventually taken the place of Ark in his absence.

And here he was again, right on cue, with Ark’s kidnapping. Ark was gone for many years during the time their friendship blossomed…this had to be a sign that Ark wasn’t coming back for a while…if at all…

No…it can’t be him…

It is!

No, it can’t be…this is not happening…Ark’ll come back soon.

It’s him!

No, it can’t…

The world spun and Lich’s eyes began to droop as his consciousness behaved like an overloaded computer. It crashed.

He grew limp again and collapsed with a sigh, the earth rushing up to meet his face.

* * *

…I speak to the Guardian of the Cyan Arc as the Guardian of the Water Palace…

Lich knew that Nase always referred to him by either his first name or his nick name, except when he was very stern and obstinate in his official role.

Something bad had happened.

…His Eminence, Salamando, has been searching the Field for the Presence of the Ruby of Erisot while Its Eminence, Lumina, has been searching for the Cyan Arc’s Presence. Both have found you at the same time – this has been helped by the Diamond of Gokar’s realisation.

If Nase was calling the Elementals “His/Her/Its Eminence”, then it must be really bad.

Can you hear me, Cyan Arc?

Lich moved his head with a groan.

“He’s coming round,” came a distant voice.

Fa’Diel is in grave danger, Cyan Arc. I do not need the Waters to tell me this…I know it is so.

“Thank the gods!”

“Get me some more water! Go, quickly now!”

The balance of Mana is tipped – Wind Palace, who can feel the world of the Sprites, claims that they are agitated and scared.

He could feel some pressure against his forehead, along with some moisture.

The Guardian of the Desert has rebelled, supported by other rebel Guardians…he attempted to assassinate Fire Palace. Fire Palace is weak, but still alive.

“How’s he doing?”

“Coming around…slowly…”

Lich groaned again.

Desert threatens to destroy all in his path…the Elementals are powerless to stop him…the obvious Guardians who support him are in hiding, but one cannot even trust a fellow Guardian as they may support him in secret…and we believe his numbers are ever growing…

“Come on, Lich…that’s the way…”

The legendary weapons of the Resurrection, those whose locations are known, are disappearing…Kakkara’s Bow, the Axe of the Dwarves, even Tasnica’s Whip went the other day…it is unknown if Desert or some other force is taking them…

“…No…” Lich moaned weakly.

“What was that?”

The Scorpion Army moves again…a bomb was set off in Northtown, eighteen killed…

Lich groaned again.

“What about the other one?”

“He is still out cold…hopefully he shouldst be able to tell us about him.”

Remember Galoki Thuten from school? He’s one of the dead.

“…No…not…”

“The lord speaketh! Listen!”

Cyan Arc…we are counting on you to reclaim the Sword of Mana…only when it is returned to its rightful place will Fa’Diel be safe once more…leaves are dropping from the Mana Tree…it’s dying without the Sword…

“No…”

“It soundeth akin to ‘ga’ or something…”

“‘Ga’? Try ‘gaa’…it means ‘no’ where he comes from.”

Please, Cyan Arc…please…find the Jewels…lest Fa’Diel be destroyed…

“N…Nase…don’t…go…”

“He’s still delirious…”

And there was blackness once more.