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Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.
AN: Hello! Yeah, the last chapter did seem kinda rushed and a little confusing in the end. You see, I changed something at the very last second and didn't have time to change it before posting. Originally, Momo was going to join the party at the end of the chapter, but I decided against that. Right-o. Anyway. It seems like I have had a really bad headache the past week or so... maybe that's why my writings have seemed to be a little rushed. Cuz right now, I really don't feel like writing... my head and eyes hurt by looking at the computer screen... But I really want to write this chapter, so yeah. I am writing the chapter!!! (smileys)
Anyway, the party goes back to Crete only to find out that Momo is missing and Legence has kidnapped Yui. Out of sheer irritation, Manna has joined the party. The party is now heading out to the Sea of Trees for the next Goddess Key.
Well, that about sums up the last chapter.
Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!
It all started when Yuki wanted to borrow Wyatt’s connection gear. The thing apparently was suppose to be some kind of handheld computer and in some cases, a portable phone. The latter of the options was the only thing that interested Yuki at the time. Wyatt, of course, did not want to relinquish his beloved toy to the vile woman, but she had grabbed him in a headlock until he gave her the device.
Of course, the next hour or so was spent trying to show Yuki how to use the blasted device. Apparently, Yuki was something along the lines of technology illiterate. Wyatt was able to grin smugly as the poor woman was force to listen to him for a third time. That third time was explaining how to turn the blasted thing on.
Wyatt was merely messing with Yuki. He wasn’t telling her how to turn it on correctly. Jin finally caught on and grabbed the thing from Yuki and flipped it on. From then on out, Yuki asked Jin to contact Shevat. Yuki, however, was not going to contact Saria. She had someone else in mind.
“Pardon?” a surprised Leon asked “You want to know WHAT now?”
“Who’s Nunnally?” Yuki asked. “I think that I was able to read Leggy’s mind and saw a young girl and the name Nunnally came up. I thought you might know something about that girl…”
Leon looked slightly uncomfortable. “What makes you think that I would know that name?”
“You were standing right next to her in that vision,” Yuki snapped. “Besides, the girl looked to be about five. She had long brown curly hair and was sitting in a wheelchair. Her eyes were also green. Like yours and Ryu’s. I have to know who she is.”
“Oh,” Leon said.
“Oh. Oh? Is that all you can say? Do you know her or not?!”
“Yes, I do,” Leon said. “The truth is, she’s actually…”
And with that, Yuki stared numbly at the holographic screen. “Ah… uh… shouldn’t he know about her? I mean…”
“You can’t say anything,” Leon warned. “If Gideon finds out that Ryu knows about Nunnally, it could go really bad for all involved parties. Ah, it could also be bad for her, the girl I mean. She most likely does not know what’s going on at this point, so… yeah.”
Yuki groaned. “I get it. But I think that Ryu still has the right to know about that girl.”
“Yeah, he does. But he has too much to worry about at this point. Lady Saria almost has a cure ready. But, there’s something else you should know. She said that not all of you will make it to the final confrontation with Gideon.”
“’They shall reap destruction upon the world in which they clash… thus the world shall turn to ash.’ I already know what will happen… well, not everything, but enough that I can change the outcome… I’m the only one that can, after all. That’s the true meaning behind the Soul Embrace, after all.”
“You know then?” Leon asked. “How?”
“Leigh…”
Getting back on track was something that Nina thought they would never get to. She knew that Jin had every right to be pissed off. His wife was captured right before their very eyes and his four-year-old daughter was missing. She expected that Jin would have charged Dragnier himself if he thought that he could. But that strange woman, Manna, had stopped him from doing so.
Jin had then calmed down and tried to shift his focus back to their original plan. He said that they needed to seek out the Yggdrasil’s help if they wanted to find the next Goddess Key. He also said that they would need a guide to get them through the Sea of Trees. The forest itself was protected by a magical barrier and only on that had the blessings of Yggdrasil could even navigate through the massive forest.
That led to only one person that they knew of. Sylvanus Bunyan was waiting for the party outside the entrance to the forest when they finally arrived. Yuki, Manna, and Jin really did make for great forms of transportation.
Bunyan himself looked the same, except now he looked much older and much wiser. Jin had apparently contacted Bunyan ahead of time. Nina noticed that Bunyan seemed rather surprise to see both Jin and Manna with the party.
Nina was going to have to figure out what was so strange about that woman. From the little bits and pieces of the conversion that they had, she knew that Jin and Manna knew each other when Jin was a teenager and they had once traveled together. Manna apparently didn’t age or aged at a much slower rate. Nina remembered that Manna looked like she was in her mid twenties back when she and the others were just kids.
But at that point, Nina didn’t care. Manna could easily dismiss summoned shadows, so anyone that could do that was a-okay in her book.
Nina did notice that Manna did not join in with Yuki and Ryu when it came to teasing Wyatt. Wyatt did, however, look nervous every time Manna tried to talk to him. When asked why, Wyatt merely stated that the woman creeped him out. Yuki took full advantage of the situation and harassed him that much more.
Nina blinked out of her reverie when Bunyan came over to the group. Bunyan smiled at Jin and Manna.
“So, what brings the two of you out here?” Bunyan asked.
Ryu, who up until this time had remained hidden behind some trees, stepped forward. Bunyan’s eyes widened slightly out of surprise. “We need assistance in getting to the Yggdrasil. We needed a guide, so Jin contacted you.”
Bunyan took a step forward. “Ryu? Is that you?”
Ryu took a step back. “Don’t misunderstand the situation. We would have never involved you if we could have helped it. We just need your help in getting us to the Yggdrasil.”
“Ryu…” Bunyan looked slightly dejected. He quickly recovered and straightened up. “Alright, if you will all follow me, I will lead you safely through the woods.”
“Daddy must be worried about me by now,” Momo said. She looked up at the old coot she was currently traveling with.
The Professor smiled and nodded. “Yes, but he knows that you are safe, and that is the most important thing, is it not?”
“Yeah,” Momo sighed. “So, are we really going to build a giant robot, or were you just trying to get me out of Crete?”
The Professor grinned like a maniac. “Of course, Assistant #2! We are going to build the world’s most powerful robot! I, the great Professor, declare that we will!”
Momo merely shook her head. “Okay. Whatever you say.”
The Professor looked slightly offended. “Assistant #2? Do you not believe me when I say that we will build a giant robot?”
Momo nodded. “I believe you… but what will it be used for?”
“For the powers of love and justice!” the Professor laughed. “And… to fulfill an old friend’s dream.”
“Your friend?” Momo asked. “Who?”
“Why, the one that shares your name, of course!” the Professor laughed.
“Momo…?” Momo asked. “You knew another person named Momo?”
“Yes. And boy did she love machines, let me tell you! It was her dream to study them and learn all she could from them. The giant robot was my idea!”
“Your idea?” Momo asked.
“Yes!” the Professor said. “And I will make that dream a reality.”
The Sea of Trees was appropriately named. The massive forest made one think that they were actually walking around in a sea, instead of a massive forest. The forest itself was located on the same landmass as the Yraall and Ceres Regions. Around the forest was the Sima Sea, the ancient home of the Creeping Clan.
The Sea of Trees has existed since before the First Cycle. It is the seat of power for the Yggdrasil. There are many Yggdrasil trees located throughout the world, but the connection is the strongest at the heart of the Sea of Trees.
The Yggdrasil is also the patron god of the Grassmen and the Forest Clan. He is the embodiment of the element Wood. The best way to describe this god would be to say that he is the embodiment of the will of the planet. Usually takes on the form of a great wise tree. Yggdrasil is also referred to as the Tree of Life. The Grassmen are his eyes and ears on the mortal plane. The entire clan forms something akin to a giant collective consciousness that link them directly with each other, as well as Yggdrasil. The Grassmen are connected and in synch with nature and in turn, the very will of the planet.
During the reign of Death Evans, Yggdrasil sent Spar to aid Ryu Bateson and his companions. They arrived at the Sea of Trees, where the oldest of the Grassmen had rooted, and stopped a demon from destroying him and with him, the knowledge he had about the Destined Cycles.
Over the course of five hundred years, the planet started to die due to the abuse of technology by humans. Almost all life was destroyed, until Myria stepped in and put a stop to the violence. Myria, however, didn’t stop there. She had the world basically in a stranglehold, and even went as far as to almost finish off the remaining Brood. Yggdrasil, desperate to break Myria’s hold, started to send out his emissaries. These creatures started to appear in Plant. Because they looked like giant onions, people there considered them mutants and were constantly disposing of them.
When the third Destined Child and his companions arrived at Plant, they were sent to take care of a mutant onion. They finished off the onion and in it’s place was Peco. The young onion traveled with the Destined all the way through the Desert of Death and even to Myria Station. There, Yggdrasil, through Peco, confronted Myria and challenged her along with the rest of Prince Ryu’s group. After the fall of the goddess, Peco planted himself in the ground of the vast desert in hopes of reviving the nearly dead world.
Humans had been forever in search of the ancient wisdom and secrets of the Yggdrasil. After what the human named Pallet had done to one of the Yggdrasil nodes, a great seal was placed on the forest to keep out anyone that would dare harm the Yggdrasil collective. Only those who were blessed by the Yggdrasil would be allowed to enter and transverse the forest unharmed.
As it stood, Ryu was beginning to understand why Jin had contacted his foster father to begin with. The forest was like one massive maze of trees. Ryu idly thought that they should have named the forest the Maze of Trees, instead of the more popular name, the Sea of Trees.
The Yggdrasil was as ancient as the world itself. What kind of knowledge and wisdom could it possess. Ever since he had came to live with Bunyan when he was still a child, he often wondered about that. The Yggdrasil was like a secondary god to him. But nothing came before Ladon.
Ryu frowned. Ladon. Ever since he was a child, he had worshipped Ladon, placed his faith and trust in Ladon. But his faith began to waver ever since he was shattered and separated from his loved ones by the very person that had once tried to kill him.
Bunyan had died because of his fight with Demus. If Saria had not been able to reject the damage done, then Bunyan would not have been alive and well today. The mere fact that he almost killed a loved one made Ryu want to scream in agony. He didn’t want to put anyone through that ever again. Too many past memories of hurting those he loved. Too many times he was able to re-account verbatim the many people that had died because of him merely existing.
The number of the list of causalities didn’t go high enough. Sara, Jade, Zog, Claris, Tiga, Ray, Valerie, Ganer, Jono, Gaist, Teepo…There were too many people that had died because of his existence. Because of the existence of the Destined Child and the Destined Cycles.
And now, there was a new Cycle and a new group of Destined. Jin’s wife had been captured and his daughter might be dead. Nina’a father was already dead. There was no telling how many more would die before he was able to stop Myria.
Ryu clenched his fists. The Urkans believed Myria to be a goddess of mercy. How could a goddess of mercy want to kill so many innocents? Ryu looked up and noticed that Manna was staring at him.
“Yeah?” Ryu asked.
“You are lagging behind,” Manna stated the obvious. “Come, we are falling behind.”
Ryu scowled and ran to catch up with Manna.
“I would like to listen,” Manna said.
“Huh?”
“You have something on your mind. Something that has been troubling you. I would like to listen, if you want to talk about it.”
Ryu smirked slightly. “What makes you think that something is bothering me? I thought that I was bothering you. That’s why you’re with us, isn’t it?”
Manna shook her head. “That’s part of the reason. But, enough about me for now. What has been troubling you?”
“Ah…” Ryu massaged his neck. “Well, I just don’t get why the gods have to drag us mortals into their fights.”
Manna merely nodded. “The exact nature of the gods is one of complete confusion to mortals. The gods are much more complex than one would think. Unfortunately, when they are having a squabble, the whole world is usually affected. When the gods move, the world moves with them.”
“That makes no sense whatsoever,” Ryu muttered darkly.
“It never does,” Manna said.
“Hn,” Ryu said. “…Legence is coming after me, you know? It’s like that everyone traveling with me is a target. Jin’s wife was taken. I somehow feel like that’s my fault. I dunno why. I just do.”
“I see,” Manna said. “However, you cannot blame yourself for something that doesn’t even involve you. Jin and Legence have rumbled before. It was almost seventeen years ago, if I am not mistaken.”
“Were you one of the people that accompanied Jin to Lahan?” Ryu asked. “He mentioned that he was with other people.”
“Yes,” Manna said. “We were trying to stop Gideon from activating the Gate. Unfortunately, we were too late getting there.”
“How do you know Jin, anyways?” Ryu asked.
“That’s another story for another day,” Manna grinned slightly. “Besides, I thought we were talking about you and your problems.”
“Eh, right,” Ryu muttered. He shagged his shoulders. “Bunyan died once because of me. Too many people have died because of my existence. Too many people have died to keep me alive. Jin almost died trying to help me back in Lahan. Yuki and Nina have died back when we were kids and fighting in the Contest of Champions. Nina’s father is dead because of Transell…” Ryu shook his head. “I am tired of being responsible for people’s deaths.”
Manna looked thoughtful. “When your number’s up, its up.”
“That’s a rather harsh way of putting it.”
“Life’s never fair.”
“Too many factors are after the Goddess Keys,” Ryu said. “This…”
“We are all a part of the Grand Design. Even the humans,” Manna said. “Myria just seems to keep forgetting that. If you want to break the Cycles once and for all, you need to stop pointing the finger and start calling bullshit on people.”
“What?” Ryu asked. “But… isn’t Myria the bad guy here? I thought that she was the one that wanted the Destined to die.”
“Maybe so,” Manna said. “She does need to be stopped. But… the usual killing method isn’t working. It’s just justifying her stance that mortals need to be led around by the hand. That mortals are not strong enough to walk the line on their own power, with full knowledge of what it means. Gods do not die Ryu. The simply fade away. Myria is no different. She dies, yes. But then she is always reborn again.”
“As am I?” Ryu said mournfully. “I just don’t want anyone else dragged into this fight. Too many people have died because of it!”
“Ryu,” Manna said. “And what if you do not fight? Then what will happen? More people will die as a result.”
“Why did it have to be me?” Ryu said. “Why did it have to be us?”
Manna gave Ryu a solemn look. “Simply because,” Manna said. “Your ancestors chose this path. They might have been Ladon’s chosens, but they chose the path. As you now choose this path to walk. Nothing is stopping you, is there?”
“I… want to protect Nina and everyone,” Ryu said. “I can’t do that if I sit around and just wallow around in self pity. But… why did they become involved? I told them to stay out of this.”
“They chose to come, just like you did. They walk with you with full knowledge of what it means. You must not loose faith in the power of your friends. It will be what saves everyone in the end.”
“Manna?” Ryu asked. “What are you saying…?”
“You know what I am talking about, do you not?” Manna said. “The power of Ladon is one that combines the power of friendship. A little cheesy though, if you ask me.”
“Hn,” Ryu said.
Bunyan suddenly stopped. He quickly turned around and drew his large axe. “Something is wrong!”
Ryu suddenly felt the ground start shaking. There was a loud explosion and the ground seemed to rip apart from the force. Ryu suddenly understood what it meant. Someone had entered the forest and was trying to harm the Yggdrasil. Ryu jerked his head around when he heard a scream.
Standing a few feet from Yuki and Jin, was Wyatt. The little master was on his knees and holding his head in pain. The boy just kept screaming. Yuki tried to go to Wyatt, but Jin grabbed her from behind and stopped her.
“No… not now!” Wyatt screamed as a red aura engulfed him. The aura started to flicker wildly. It started to take on the form of a vague dragon-like shape. “St-stop… that noise…”
“I don’t hear anything…” Nina said.
Manna’s face twitched. “Jin, is that…?”
“Red Dragon…” Jin muttered darkly.
Wyatt screamed just as the aura formed into a massive transparent dragon. Yuki’s eyes widened in surprise, but she did not scream or rant. Someone was purposely harming Wyatt. When she found out who it was, she would kill them.
The aura around Wyatt suddenly exploded and sent everyone flying into opposite directions throughout the forest. The last thing that Yuki had thought was that the shape that Wyatt’s aura took reminded her of that night in Lahan, and the dragon that razed the ruined city.
To be continued…