General Content Rating: 18+
Story
Content Warnings: Heavy Swearing, Blood and Gore, Death, Racism, Sexism,
Ableism, Homophobia, Transphobia, Exorsexism, Child Abuse, Underage
Shenanigans (Drinking, Smoking, etc.), Suicide
Current Chapter Content Warnings: Heavy Swearing, Sexism, Racism
Viewer Discretion is Advised
#13: Tales from the Past
Notes: A sentence written in English that is italicized in dialogue
means that a language other than English is being spoken, and has been
'translated' by the omnipotent narrator for your convenience.
"Please! Make
yourselves at home!" Alva cheered out, her eyes alit with excitement as
she scampered around her messy tent. "I'll give you my findings in a bit.
I need to sort through the translations first!"
Noriko, Brian,
and Aden stood behind the tent entrance, observing the carelessly thrown scrap
paper and wafer wrappings. There was nowhere to sit it was so messy.
Noting the
three teen's awkward, silent standing, she speedily brushed a few floor
cushions of random junk. "So sorry! It's kind of a mess in here! I'm usually
so focused on my work that I forget to clean this place up! You can sit on
these and wait."
"…You
don't get very many visitors I'm assuming?" Noriko questioned, quietly
settling down on a cushion with grace and ease. Brian tried to sit on one, but
found its comfort to be nonexistent, and scooted to the hard floor instead.
Aden settled down on his cushion, and rocked back and forth, spacing out and
observing every nook and cranny of the tent.
"No, not
really. Everyone just lets me attend to my own business." Alva explained,
taking a seat in her desk and opening one of the top drawers, surfing through
her files. "This is my very first big mission. I don't know many people
from the ship."
"What
exactly do you do?" inquired Brian. Not that he was actually interested.
The talking was just something for him to zone out to. Man, that food was good…
"I do a
lot of things, actually. I'm a historian, an archeologist, and a culturalist.
Basically, I study all things from the past." The elf answered, pulling out
a file and skimming through the pages contained inside. "Sometimes I do
field work; like traversing through ruins and collecting things I find
interesting. I study old languages and try to translate them. I develop
theories on how old civilizations functioned. That kind of thing." Alva
subtly nodded her head, and pulled out a few select pieces of written paper.
Setting the folder on top of her desk, she
moved from the said desk to a cushion in front of the humans. "Here they
are…let’s see…" She silently read through her translations for a bit, and
then eagerly nodded her head. "Yeah, this all seems too coincidental to
not be a possibility." She switched her attention to the gem on Aden's
hand. "So I noticed Brian and Aden have gems on their bodies. I imagine
that's not a normal thing for your kind?"
"No."
Noriko quickly shook her head, and then parted her bangs, showcasing the square
gem on her forehead. "I have one too. Diantha has one on her naval. We
have no idea how or why we have them." The one-armed girl straightened her
bangs again, trying to ignore the uncomfortable metallic feeling she was
noticing now that the topic was brought up. "They seem to be tied to our
powers however."
“Powers! Yes!
I remember you mentioning that." Alva suddenly exclaimed; her eyes wide at
the recollection. "What powers exactly?"
"Brian has
super strength, and also seems to be able to hear things from long distances.
That’s how he found you even though we were so far away." Noriko began to
explain, pointing her finger at Brian, who would have rather stated his
supposed powers himself and glared at Noriko with annoyance. "According to
Diantha and Brian, Aden can affect people’s emotions." Noriko flipped her
finger over to the other boy next to her, who wasn't paying attention to the
conversation. The one-armed girl noted this, and lightly shook the red-head's
shoulders, dragging his head out of the clouds.
Noriko
continued. "Diantha seems to have super speed…and maybe also…pyrokinesis?"
"Pyrokiwha?"
Slurred out Brian. "Speak English."
"Fire
powers." Noriko deadpanned, growing tired of Brian’s blatant stupidity.
"She set that stump on fire, remember?"
"So
that's why we saw that smoke trail!" Alva suddenly exclaimed, relieved
that one of the mysteries she had witnessed in her lifetime had been solved.
"Everyone was very nonchalant about it but I was too concerned to not
investigate it. The smoke was why I was out in the forest today in the first
place."
"…Hmph,
guess Diantha isn't completely useless after all." Muttered Brian,
crossing his arms and staring off to the side. Aden was now unusually focused
on the conversation, frantically glancing between the three individuals before
him and listening to every breath and sniffle.
"…As for
me." Noriko continued. "I seem to be able to read people's minds, but
I've only done it once."
Alva absorbed
all the info she was presented with, and shook her head. "It isn't even a
theory anymore at this point. It just might be a straight up fact."
"Could
you quit with the bullshit and tell us what you think already?" Brian growled.
He just wanted to go back to their tent and sleep already.
Alva was
seemingly unbothered by Brian’s rude tone, and nodded her head. "Sorry,
sorry. I know you all are probably exhausted. I'll cut straight to the
chase." Alva cleared her throat, and showcased one of the papers in her
hands. "You saw these statues in the temple you woke up in, correct?"
Noriko, Aden,
and Brian strained their necks to study the simple sketches of the statues them
and Diantha had seen in the second floor of that white palace. The three nodded
in confirmation.
Aden subtly gripped the page, giving Alva
a pleading gaze. He didn't even need to say anything. Alva easily let Aden have
the paper, and the red-head stared intently at the sketches in awe.
"Those
statues represent four gods an ancient civilization, called the Natmakkal, used to worship; called the ‘Ti Nanku Natcattirankal’ or ‘The Four Stars.’ Interestingly
enough, according to various pieces of art from the other ruins back in
homeland, this ancient civilization was composed of beings similar to your
appearance, named ‘humans.’” Alva shook her head, realizing she was straying
from the topic. “Each one has a gem on a specific part of their body, shaped in
a particular way." Alva explained, and strained her arm; pointing at each
of the individual sketches. "Civappu matches Aden's gem placement, Nilam
matches Brian’s gem placement, Uta matches yours, and I'm assuming Ruj matches
Diantha's gem placement."
"So what
does this mean?" Noriko prodded for a clear, concise answer.
Alva cleared her throat, ready to truly
give her theory. "I think, and this is all just speculation. I haven't
translated all the text from the walls in that temple yet. I think…that you four
are reincarnations of the four gods I just described, or more likely chosen
vessels of some sort, since you seem to have general memories of a world unlike
our own."
…
"No way!"
Brian exclaimed, abruptly standing up from the floor and shuffling out of the
tent faster than Noriko could protest. "Nope! Nope! I'm done! Nope!
Goodnight!"
Aden clasped
his hands together, in fervent prayer. "Jesus,
God and Mary forgive me, I have been possessed by the Devil."The small boy tearfully muttered over and over
again in Spanish.
Noriko blinked
at the theory. "That's…" She trailed off, and after a few moments of
thought, widened her eyes as the idea…began to make sense. "That…could be
a possibility!" She surprisingly concluded.
It certainly
sounded farfetched in terms of the reasoning of Earth, but this wasn't Earth.
This was Kirakam, and if they somehow transported to a different world then
well…anything was possible!
"…But
why?" She prodded for more info. They had a theory to explain part of this
puzzle, but not all of it. "Why are we here? What are we supposed to do? How
do we return home?"
Alva lowered
her head somberly. "I do not know." The elf answered with half-lidded
eyes. "It’ll take time to complete my research of the temple. I’m sorry."
Noriko bit her
lip and let out a small, deep sigh, rubbing her hands against her temple.
"Of course. It’s fine. We can wait for more information. We don't really
have much of a choice."
The one
armed-girl turned her attention to the still praying Aden next to her, and she
gently tugged on the rain poncho they wore. Aden was snapped out of his panic and
gazed worriedly at Noriko. "N-Noriko! What I do?! Need holy water!"
"You’re fine,
Aden." She tried to reassure the small boy, standing up and pulling him
with her. "You’re not possessed by a demon."
"Yeah!
The demons are very reclusive. They live out in the hot desert near the center
of Periyatu. Doubt you'd find one here to kidnap you!" Alva joined in on
comforting Aden, and earned confused looks from both of the teens. "…Oh…are
you two talking about something different?"
"…I…think
Aden and I need to rest for a bit." Noriko reasoned, leading the still
anxious, yet much less panicky Aden towards the tent exit. "We can talk
more about this later, hopefully when Diantha is back on her feet so she can be
filled in."
"Is
Diantha ok?" Aden quietly questioned Alva with teary eyes.
The elf for once seemed to have an answer.
"Elfrida told me about her condition during dinner. Diantha hasn't awoken
yet, but she appears to be recovering." Alva reassured Aden as he
left with Noriko. "I hope you three rest easy now!"
Noriko and
Aden exited the tent, shivering at the cold breeze that blew against their
bodies.
It was so
dark, which way led to their tent again?
Before Noriko
could determine the answer to her question; a scream alerted the two humans,
and they quickly gathered towards the commotion not too far from where they stood.
A small crowd
surrounded a tiger cub, who was white as snow. He was curled up in a ball, mewling
in fear.
"Go away!" Whimpered the cub. "Don't hurt me!" Those were the
words that Aden heard from the poor little tiger.
Hyper alert
from the stress, Aden saw in the corner of his eye a soldier wielding a large,
sharp sword. Not the safe ones Elric and Gonzalo used in their duel. The
dangerous ones.
This soldier
marched towards the tiger cub. He warned the civilians to stand back and raised
his weapon; preparing to strike. In that moment the world slowed to a stop.
Aden only had
a few seconds; a few seconds to comprehend the situation before he zoomed
towards the cub and pulled it into a tight embrace. He curled up into a ball, shielding
it from any danger.
"No!" He screeched out with all his
might.
He heard a
thudding sound near him, and peaked open an eye when he heard the distressed
yelps off the soldier he protected the cub from.
A vigorous
vine was wrapped around the soldier’s wrists. The more he struggled, the tighter
the vine held onto his arms, practically immobilizing him.
Bramble bushes
protectively surrounded Aden, which grew out of thin air. His monstrous tiger-like
roar echoed across the camp; alerting the nearby elves separate from the commotion.
As for the
sword; it laid right in front of the small boy, embedded in the wet dirt.
For a moment,
there was only pure silence. Some were in awe. Others were beyond horrified at
what they witnessed.
A second
soldier quickly cut the first one free from the vine, and the first one picked
up his fallen sword, towering over Aden and sternly glaring at him. "Move
aside boy. That thing's dangerous."
Aden shook
like a leaf, speechless and on the brink of tears. He hugged the whimpering cub
closer to his body, and let out a frightened whine, hiding his face from the
guard.
It was at this
point that Noriko regained her senses and sprinted between Aden and the soldier,
previously in complete shock at the events that unfolded. She stood in front of
Aden defensively; her black skirt rubbed against the sharp bramble thorns.
"It's just a cub. It won't hurt anyone." She reasoned; trying to calm
the two soldiers down. "Let it go. If you kill it, its mother will smell
the blood and follow the scent, and then we'll have a truly dangerous creature
in the camp-"
"We can
handle a tiger, big or small." Countered the second soldier, glaring at
the tiny girl before her. "Kill them both and there'll be less predators
to hunt the food-"
"And
that's called damaging the ecosystem!" Noriko retorted, pointing at the
forest far behind her. "It's just a cub! Killing it would be pointless and
cruel-"
"What's
going on?!" Alva questioned with worry. She had heard the commotion, and quickly
stood by the girl's side. "What happened?!"
"That
tiny boy is holding a damn tiger cub!" Answered the first soldier.
"And this Lengese brat is trying to tell us that killing what will
eventually grow into a ferocious monster is wrong!"
"…Because
it is wrong!" Alva quickly defended the two teens, glaring sternly at the
two soldiers, her hands on her hips. "It’s just a cub! A defenseless baby!
Leave it alone! Let it go back to its mother-"
"And why
should I listen to the opinions of two women?!"
Noriko
widened her eyes at the remark, and Alva was completely stunned to silence. All
this time; the brambles around Aden overgrew and formed a protective dome
around him. He shook in fear and waited for the voices he couldn't discern to
subside.
***
Brian’s restless resting was interrupted
by a monstrous roar in the distance.
He figured a
good nap would clear his mind of the absurd theory that he was just given…it
looked like he wasn’t going to get that.
Although he
hated to admit it, that roar he just heard scared him to his very core. It
sounded…unnatural. It made his stomach twist.
Another roar;
louder and closer, filled Brian’s ears. Two names echoed in his head.
Aden! Noriko!
He
jumped up from his bedroll without a single thought and sprinted out of the
tent.
***
Alva grew to
become absolutely livid by what the soldier stated. Her voice was laced with
venom as her eyes darkened. "Now you listen here-"
“Why don't you
shut that pretty mouth of yours and prance back to your home town up north! I'm
sure there's plenty of Nordic suitors wanting your hand in marriage!” Even the
second guard was getting uncomfortable with his partner's statements, and
scooted a ways away from them as the first guard continued. “Ever since our
king passed the ERW Act 10 years ago our country has only gone downhill! Women among
the same level as men?! What absurd law will our king pass next?! Gay
marriage?! Equal Rights for Giant citizens?!” The first soldier turned to the
audience; as if trying to convince them of his reasoning.
Some were shaking their heads in disgust
at the soldier’s words; a good majority however, surprisingly, were actually
cheering at the soldier's speech. The first soldier smirked at this. “Don’t you
see! We're weakening our war-ridden country by letting our potential mothers ‘play
historian-‘”
The first
soldier was suddenly wacked in the head with a black parasol. Dr. Elfrida stood
among the center of the gathering, her eyes glaring daggers at the moaning
soldier. “Keep your personal opinions out of official business, swine.” She
muttered in abhorrence.
She turned her
head to the second soldier, who flinched, curtsied, and quickly escaped to the
river. Dr. Elfrida then turned her gaze to the crowd; her voice booming out
commands. "We will release the cub back into the forest. Go about your
business."
And everyone
did. Even those who were on the first soldier’s side. Even the first soldier
himself, although begrudgingly.
It was clear
as day that Dr. Elfrida was not an elf anyone wanted to mess with.
The doctor hurriedly
paced towards Alva; who's anger had long since dissipated. What was left was a
saddened; insecure mess. The light-haired elf crossed her arms over her chest,
staring the oh-so-interesting ground. “…You shouldn’t have done that. You could
get in trouble.”
“You think I
care?” Dr. Elfrida scoffed, brushing her fingers through Alva’s hair. “Let them
report me to Gonzalo. I’ll tell them the basics of the situation and he’ll take
my side.”
Alva shrunk in size as the comments the
soldier made repeated in her head. The doctor noted this. "…Hey…don't
listen to him." She urged; cupping Alva's face and gazing at the historian
with soft eyes. "You deserve this job. You deserve to pursue this passion.
Your brother would be so proud of you right now."
Alva did not
respond, she continued to bite her lip, fighting back tears.
"Do you
want Gonzalo to know you were involved in this?"
Alva vigorously
shook her head, fidgeting with her loose ponytail. "He doesn't need to
know, besides, asking another man to defend me? That will only prove his point…"
Noriko watched
the surprisingly gentle Elfrida comfort and care for the distressed Alva, and
then glanced behind herself; beholding the bramble dome. After a moment of surprise
at the sight; she cautiously stuck her hand into the bushes, and pushed a hole
open. A still frightened Aden was found inside; who gently pat and cradled the
tiger cub.
"Are you
okay?" She asked in a soft whisper.
The red-head slowly nodded. He mewled at
the cub a question, who mewled back an answer. "…The cub fine too."
He added.
Noriko was
suddenly shaken from behind. She nearly fell to the ground; startled and
staring at the tall, grumpy Brian who decided to show his face.
"What happened?" He spoke
anxiously, turning his head side to side as if he was looking for something.
"To make
a long story short: Aden protected a tiger cub from a gruesome fate and
surrounded himself in this bramble dome." Noriko answered, quickly taking
the hand Brian offered and lifting herself back up on her feet. "We should
free the poor boy-"
Suddenly,
Noriko was pulled into a protective embrace; much to the poor girl's confusion
and discomfort. Brian’s panicked breathing set off all sorts of alarms in
Noriko, alarms that screamed ‘Something’s not right.’
Brian grimaced and flinched at the silent
air. "I hear something." He growled lowly; worsening Noriko's worry.
"I heard it a minute ago while I was sleeping. I don't fucking like it. It
sounds fucking hideous."
"What
does it sound like?" Noriko tried to ask as calmly as she could, but fear
was filling her body at Brian’s current mood. She had never seen him this distressed.
Brian winced
again, and his grimace worsened. Instead of answering; Brian gripped the nearby
bramble bush and tore out a large chunk with his super strength. Disregarding
his pricked, bleeding hands, he forcefully gripped the confused Aden and pulled
him close; so close Aden felt like he was being squeezed to death. "Stay
by me. You run off and I swear to fucking god…" He hissed his warning to
Aden, who shakily nodded in confirmation, and protectively cradled the tiger
cub in his arms.
"Children,
what's wrong?" Alva called out to the huddled teens, significantly calmer
from Dr. Elfrida's pep talk.
The three
didn't need to answer Alva's question. A distant, monstrous roar unheard of
before filled the cold night air.
The tiger cub
perked his ears up, and wagged his tail. "…Mama?"
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