Standard Disclaimer: I don’t own the series.

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AN: Yup, here’s the second chapter for the Adulthood story arc. Don’t you all feel special?

Oh, remember that I said that “Sari” was a nickname and that “Saria” was Sari’s real name? Okay, that will become important in a little.

Well, anyway, here’s the next chapter (smilies)

The isle of Shevat is one of the many island nations that are a part of the kingdom of Dragnier. Shevat wasn’t located near the capital; it was between the Pearl Kingdom and the northeastern tip of the Rhalpha Region. Though close to the Urkan Region, the isle of Shevat and the Urkan Tapa did not seem to have any quarrel with each other.

This was many due to the Governess of Shevat, Lady Saria la Crosse. The former Governor, Lord la Crosse, had passed away five years ago, and left the island nation under the rule of his only daughter.

Lady la Crosse was a very popular leader due to the fact that she was not as standoffish as most Brood noblemen.

Shevat itself is a very prosperous nation, despite it being one of the smaller islands. When one is talking about Shevat, they might also be referring to the massive city that is located on the island. Though a large city, Shevat is not covered with tall skyscrapers like one would think off.

Instead, the building in Shevat are smaller and made out of mostly wood or stone. The island is a tropical paradise, and is a very popular tourist attraction. It is well known for its natural and exotic beauty and generous hospitality. The cuisine is said to be up there with the best in the world.

Mostly, the people that live on Shevat are Brood, but there are many other clansmen that have relocated there. Creeping clansmen find the island especially good due to the fact that there are so many raw materials for their world famous meals.

As said before, Shevat does not have issues with the Urkans. In fact, they are allowed to pass through freely and Shevat even has trade of many goods with them. This makes Shevat unique, because the Urkans will not have anything to do with islands that are under the rule of Brood.

As it stands now, Shevat is playing intermediary between Dragnier and other nations not allied with the Brood Kingdom. Mainly Ceres and Urkan have voiced their concerns with the way that King Gideon Laurante has been acting as of late.

After the disappearance of his first born, Prince Demus, the king had been acting particularly weird. Though Ceres and Dragnier had not always been on the best of terms, after the Lahan Massacre, the leaders of Ceres decided to cut off ties with Dragnier. For a while, Dragnier was content to leave the nation alone, but now it seems like they are pushing for an alliance like never before.

As for the Urkans, Dragnier is currently experiencing a cold war with them. With the exception of Shevat, the Urkans will not enter Brood territory and vise versa, lest there be war. Also this was true ten years ago, it is law now.

So, this left Lady la Crosse with a very difficult situation. A situation she was mulling over to herself as she listened to the Director and Representative Trustee of the Godwin Foundation, Master Wyatt Godwin.

Apparently, while investigating the ruins of Lahan, his people were gunned down and killed by none other than Zaccheus Transell, Captain of the Royal Dragoons of Dragnier. This had not been reported to the Ceres officials, mainly due to the fact that the ruins were off limits to everyone.

So, in other words, neither group was supposed to be there. That was why Wyatt contacted Saria instead of Rosethorn on this matter. She didn’t know how it would help, though. It wasn’t like the incident could go public without both parties getting in serious trouble.

“Please explain to me again what exactly is it you want me to do,” Saria quietly said as she glanced at the screen of the computer that was sitting on her desk. She tented her hands and leaned back in her black leather chair.

The personal office of Saria la Crosse was only semi-fancy. Apparently, she was not one on over doing things. The office was only moderate size. The walls were painted a light lavender color and there was a couch against the left wall. Two chairs were in front of the large oak desk that Saria was sitting at.

Saria herself dressed modestly. That was another thing about her. She didn’t boast about being a noblewoman. She was currently dressed in a light yellow blouse and a pale green tier skirt that fell to her calves and black dress shoes. She had a slight tan and wore very little jewelry.

The most striking thing about Saria, and the thing she was known for the most, was her long, pale green hair. Her hair fell to about mid-waist, so she always wore it up in some kind of ponytail or bun. Her bangs were pushed out of her eyes and they fell to about her ears.

“I want that bastard to pay for gunning down my men!!!” the face of Wyatt Godwin said from the computer screen.

“If I may remind you, Master Wyatt, neither party was suppose to be there in the first place. Lahan is an off limits area to everyone, including citizens of Ceres. I believe there is very little I can do in ways of making Zaccheus Transell ‘pay’ when going public with this incident will just get both parties in serious trouble. Ceres is not known for liking Dragnier. It is an act of Ladon that they will associate with Shevat,” Saria said.

“Ugh… I know, I know. So… there’s nothing you can do?” Wyatt made a face. ”I know, I know.”

“Is there anything else I can do for you?” Saria asked.

“No, I just wanna tell you something you might find interesting,” Wyatt smiled. “I found a journal that talks about some of Aaron’s research. You know, that thing you asked me to look into a while back?”

Saria smiled slightly. “Yes, I do understand. Thank you for your assistance.”

Wyatt nodded. “Okay. I’ll let you know if we find out anything else.“

And with that, Saria’a monitor clicked off. Saria grinned slightly as the door to her office opened. A woman with shoulder length, braided red hair, dressed in a white blouse and a black skirt that fell to her knees, walked into the office.

“Wyatt Godwin, I presume?” the woman asked.

Saria nodded. She stood up and walked over to the large picture window. She turned her back to the woman and placed her hands behind her back.

“He seems very mad Salla,” Saria explained. “Zaccheus Transell attacked his people while they were doing research in Lahan a few days ago.”

Salla nodded. “I suppose that would make sense. Do you want me to gather a team and…”

“No,” Saria said. Salla gave her a questioning look. “I do not wish to draw attention to this. The last thing we need is Gideon or even Legence getting wind of this. Remember last time?”

Salla flinched, then nodded. Saria turned back around and looked at Salla. “There is very little we can do in this matter. We have managed to ‘keep quiet’ for the past ten years. It would be a pity if we failed now. Wyatt has uncovered Aaron’s research on Cymoison. If he can decode it, then we might be able to find a cure…”

“Then what are your orders, m’lady?” Salla said.

Saria smiled slightly. “Please ask Leon if he can go to Wyndia and find a certain Ranger. We will need help with this.”

Salla’s eyes lit up. She smiled and bowed. “As you wish, m’lady.”

Saria watched as Salla walked out of her office. The computer beeped, indicating that there was an incoming message. She sat back down and flipped the monitor on. On the screen was a young man with silver hair and tapered ears.

“Yes?” Saria asked.

“So, I was wondering how far you have gotten in that game yet?” the man said as he tried to keep a straight face. He failed.

“Game?” Saria questioned. The man nodded. Saria sighed slightly and gave the man a small grin. “I have not gotten very far on it. Though, I am curious as to why someone would create a character as a dark knight and name him Cecil. It does not seem like a very intimating name.”

The man nodded. “See? That’s what I said. I am finally glad someone agrees with me!”

“Is there a reason you contacted me on my personal line, Troy?”

Troy gave Saria a sheepish grin. “Ah, yeah and no. Well, I’m just passing the message along that we are ready when you are.”

Saria nodded. “Alright then. I have sent out Leon to gather the necessary people. Hopefully, she will try not to kill him.”

“She didn’t seem all that angry when she found out about you being Brood.”

“Yes, but I am a friend of hers. She barely knows Leon. When she finds out who he really is, she may try to kill him.”

“Hm. True. Well, let’s hope for his sake that he is very quick. She will be no doubt chasing him from here to kingdom come. Well, gotta go.”

And with that, the monitor once again flipped off. Saria placed her hands on her lap and turned her chair to be facing the picture window once more. Wyatt had found the book. This was more than she could have ever hoped for.

Possibly due to her unique nature, or even her powers, she was immune to the crystal disease. A dear friend of hers, however, wasn’t so lucky. She didn’t even know if he was still alive after ten years. She had done everything in her power to find him, but it was all for nothing. He seemingly vanished off the face of Asparia.

She had managed to revive him after he was shattered in his crystal form. It took a massive amount of power to do something that big. Oddly enough, she had not been able to reproduce that level of power since. As soon as she could, she found a tutor. She had originally gone to Bloom, but the fairy woman was not able to help her control her powers.

She had sought help from Deis. She was known as the Goddess of Magicks after all. Deis had told her she was unfamiliar with the chaos magic of the fairies, however, and was unable to help her much. She had finally sought the help of a certain battle mage and had learned to control her powers with the help of the young woman.

Her powers had less to do with chaos and more to do with altering time and space. By ‘rejecting’ the event, she could reverse the damage. This turned into a very powerful healing move, as she was able to revive Bunyan, and even reverse the damage done not only to Ryu, but Salla, Demus, and Dr. Uzuki as well.

This power, she was told by her teacher, was a combination of Brood powers and fairy chaos magic. She could not transform into a dragon, though. Her teacher had told her that no mortal was meant to wield such power, not even the Avatars.

She was happy, though. She had no desire for such power. She had learned that through history that power corrupts. She did not want that to happen to her.

Incidentally, when she first started to learn about the nature of her powers, Miyuki had asked her what was this power called. She had said that Nina’s little light show was referred to as Eternal Session. Saria honestly did not have an answer for her. So, true to her nature, Yuki gave Saria’s power a name.

Six Princess Shielding Flowers is what Yuki had called the attack. Saria had asked Yuki where in Ladon’s name had she come up with that name. Yuki had said she has seen it off of some kind of cartoon. Saria told her that she would not name her attack after a cartoon.

Yuki said that an alternate form of the name was Six Flowers of the Hibiscus Shield. Saria had liked that one much more. As of yet, she hadn’t gotten around to naming her powers. She figured she never would.

Her powers also gave her a very special gift. She was immune to the crystal disease. She had never crystallized ever since she was infected with the disease ten years ago. Dr. Uzuki had said as much. He still didn’t know why she was left immune while other hybrids were not. He theorized it had something to do with the nature of her powers to ‘reject’ things.

(Incidentally, Yuki also asked Saria if she planned on yelling “I reject!” whenever she used her powers. Then the girl had burst out laughing. Saria said that she did not get the joke.)

Saria was pleased, though. If there was a cure in Aaron’s notes, then there was a chance they could heal Ryu.

That is, if they could ever find him.

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Fate was not going Siegfreid’s way. Not only had he been cheated out of his money, he was starving his butt off. If only he had not been cheated of his bounty. He could be dining out tonight.

‘Siegfreid Griffith’ was not an alias he enjoyed using. But seriously, what do you do when everyone is the whole freaking world wants you dead? You fake your own death, and hide like a coward.

Yup that was what Siegfreid was doing. He was hiding. But right now, he was on the run from the Rangers Guild. He did not want to risk the chance of getting caught. Besides, he could always track down Jaclyn again.

Siegfreid grimaced as his left arm twitched. He grabbed it and instead of soft flesh, he felt hard crystal. The arm twitched again, and he felt flesh again. It was common knowledge that he wore chain mail under his clothing. What was uncommon knowledge was why he did so.

He had been shattered one, thank you very much. There was no need to go through that again.

Siegfreid sighed and patted down his pockets. He felt some loose change in the back pocket of his pants. He took it out and counted. He had enough for one drink. After that bust back in Bount, he needed a drink.

He whistled tunelessly to himself as he approached a decent sized tavern on the outskirts of Wyndia city. He looked up at the plaque and noticed the name of the tavern was “Angel Wing.” Siegfreid grimaced again. Why did that name sound so familiar…?

He shrugged it off and pushed the oak double doors open. He chuckled to himself. What he had mistaken as a tavern was actually a nightclub.

The lights were dimmed. He was use to this by now. There weren’t too many people in the club yet, as it wasn’t even twilight yet. The people in the club were at several of the tables, enjoying their drinks.

He shoved his hands in his back pockets and walked down the stairs and into the actual main room of the club. Tables and chairs littered the far side of the room to the left and there was a wide area more towards the center and right of the room, probably for dancing. There was a massive stereo system near the right wall with giant speakers. Red sofas were next to the sound system. A counter with stools lined up against the back wall.

Siegfreid walked over to the bar and took a seat on a stool. A young woman with long dark purple hair with blue highlights, dressed in a black halter-top, a black lacy pleated miniskirt, black stockings, and black steel-toed boots, walked over to the young man and stared at him for a few seconds.

She placed her left hand on her hip. “Well, what do you want?” the woman asked.

Siegfreid grinned nervously. He was not going to be able to work his charm on this woman. He knew this because she seemed like she could see right though him. So, he decided instead of flirting, he could play it cool.

“Ah, well I would like your strongest drink,” he said in what he hoped was a cool voice.

From the expression on the woman’s face, he didn’t think that was the case. She raised an eyebrow and gave him an amused look. “You sure you can handle that?” she said in an almost mocking tone.

He grinned. Oh, she was a smart-ass then? Well, fine. Two could play this game.

“Oh, of course!” he laughed. “Didn’t you know? I am the one that slay the unstoppable behemoth! I swam against the mighty Drakens in the regions of the outer sea! I…”

The woman placed the mug down in front of the man. “You are an egotistical airhead,” the woman chuckled as she walked away from the man.

Siegfreid grimaced as he looked at the drink. The thing was very pink. He idly wondered if it was a cruel joke played by that woman. He shrugged and downed it. Crap! The stuff really was strong. He grinned as he thought he saw Jaclyn standing behind one of the tables…

“Oh shit!” Siegfreid yelled.

Jaclyn really was there! He suddenly felt himself being jerked up by her two Iron Orge bodyguards. He was jerked to his feet. He saw the Highlander just a few feet away, dagger at the ready.

Jaclyn smiled sweetly. She walked over to Siegfreid and placed her hand on his chest.

“You certainly are a very capable individual,” she purred as she traced her palm around his chest. Siegfreid tried to retch away from the hooker, but her men had him secure.

“Oh, does this mean that you want to have a second date with me?” Siegfreid muttered, trying his best not to vomit. “I don’t think that we should sleep together, though. There’s no telling where you have been!”

Jaclyn growled and took her hand away. “Oh, that is it, you street trash! Boys, he’s yours!”

“Oh, but I don’t swing that way!” Siegfreid made a face.

Jaclyn smirked as her two Builders punched Siegfreid in the stomach. He doubled over and gagged. He staggered to his feet and tried to reach for his long sword. He heard a chuckle from behind him and saw that the Highlander had taken his sword. He was now waving in the air at Siegfreid.

The young man staggered forward. The two Builders ran after him and he stumbled over his own feet. He fell and the two Builders ran into each other with enough force to knock them both out.

He laughed and glanced over at Jaclyn. “Maybe, you should think about hiring someone who can stay on their feet!

Jaclyn yelled and formed a fireball in her hands. Oh, a magic user…

Jaclyn screamed as she unleashed the fireball. The fireball turned quickly into a firewave and started to fire the interior of the nightclub. Patrons started to run for cover. He glanced around the area after the wave died down. Everything was scorched. Boy, that was going to be a bitch to clean up…

The purple-haired woman peeked up from behind the bar. She then stood up and looked over at the Highlander. With lightning fast reflexes, she grabbed the sword from the monkey and tossed it back to Siegfreid. She then turned her attention to Jaclyn.

The woman jumped the counter and held her hand out. A sudden wind gust started to pick up. Soon, the gust turned into a mini tornado. She launched the wind spell at Jaclyn and her men. The wind sent all four of them flying out of her nightclub.

She looked pleased. She dusted off her skirt and turned her attention to Siegfreid. He grimaced when he saw the look on her face. Boy, did she look pissed.

“I will only say this once…” the woman said. “Get out of my nightclub… NOW!”

Siegfreid nodded. He then remembered that he didn’t pay for his drink. He was going to say as much, but he figured that the woman wanted him out more than she wanted the zenny.

He staggered towards the exit. He pushed open what was left of the oak doors and left the general surroundings. That bitch had cost him yet another drink. He was going to have to take her down, one way or another.

He looked over at the horizon and saw Wyndia. Wyndia was the home of two of his dear friends. He wanted to go see them, let them know he was alive, but no. He couldn’t. Not after everything he had done. Not yet…

With a heavy sigh, Siegfreid shoved his hands in his back pockets and walked in the opposite direction of Wyndia.

 

To be continued…