Back To Pandora Part 1

”Must you really be so loud at this time of the night?” A certain summoner calmly inquired of the few spirits that for some reason had taken a liking to being in her room instead of doing whatever it was they did in their home realm. She had no need of them at that point in time. There was no combat to be found in the peaceful town she currently resided in, and with it as late as it was she desired no company. Only silence was what she wanted while she did her normal nightly routine of scribbling notes and such within her journal. Samira dared not turn away from the desk she sat in front of to actually see what they all were doing. Going by sound of thrown dice, shuffling of cards, tapping of board pieces, and the constant complaints that usually came from such an activity, they were all playing a board game. Well, most. One was lying on her bed away from the group shouting across the room to ask for help with a crossword puzzle.

”I would be quieter if Serqet would stop cheating!” Jing Wei shouted as she glared angrily and pointed at the scorpion-tailed spirit, who just grinned innocently at the accusation and shrugged her shoulders.

”I agree. Something off with scorpion’s victories.”

”Heeeeyyyy! It’s not my fault I’m naturally talented!”

”Well I guess you had to be talented at something eventually. You’re pretty useless for everything else. Oi! Samira! When are we actually going to stop hanging around with normal civilization and actually get back to, you know, slaying monsters or something? I’m bored! And I am running out of crossword puzzle books!”

”So buy another one.” Samira continued writing in her journal, un-phased and showing absolutely no concern towards the spirit’s crisis of boredom. “To answer your question…” Her sentence trailed off into nothing. How would she answer a question if she did not know the answer? With the very vague answer of “soon”? That was a lie and a cover up for the real answer of “I do not know.” Every spirit contracted and connected with her would instantly know it was a lie. Really she wasn’t sure why he was asking at all. The answer should have been clear to him before even asking. Maybe that was why. It served as a harsh reminder of certain things and could have been considered as a jab and a poke to get her moving again.

Things had stalled for Samira quite a bit. She had long since gotten over the sudden disappearance of her best friend, but the absence of her first and former guild was still heavy. Gisen, the guild master of Lamia Scale ever since Samira had been a member, had disappeared for some time. During that time, the guild had been disbanded. That left the two Aces of the monster hunting guild in charge, but after a certain amount of time it was apparent one of them would have had to take over as the newest guild master eventually. Or rather, Samira would have had to. The nine-tailed vixen had planned to part ways with Lamia Scale to join the ranks of Black Rose. For what reason the summoner did not know, and she never bothered to ask. The decision to disband the guild was made once she realized she was the only one that could reasonably take over. Everyone could go their separate ways, join new guilds, etc etc. It was all up to them. Samira wanted no part in being a full leader of a guild. Even the Ace role was pushing it with how much she was gone from the guild hall to do other things that required her. Most of them personal missions that came up one after another. She could say she felt a bit guilty for allowing the guild to make it onto the list of disbanded guilds, but at the same time she knew it was the best decision. That did not mean she didn’t miss it, however. Being a mage, a Wizard Saint even, without a guild was not something she was accustomed to. The others that were within the guild with her also often crossed her mind to wonder what they were all up to now. She hadn’t heard from any of them personally or heard of their names in the ongoing rumors that often took the streets. Although, Samira had crossed paths with Gisen back in River Village. That was it.

Ever since then, Samira had been mostly away from Fiore. Only the Magic Council could get her to return, as was evident with her last visit to Fiore, and to Era itself. That trip was interesting enough with the city being plagued by holiday monsters and Santa Claus. However, that was another story that had already been written in one of her notebook volumes. Currently she was in a typical inn within Minstrel. She had land there thanks to completing a mission that gave her some random noble title she was sure nearly every citizen had already, or was gifted to every outsider that “saved” the day, but she refused to stay there. It felt weird and strange. Alien even. The inn felt more cozy and comfortable. Other news from Fiore also reached her. Such as the disbandment of other guilds that made her think if some sort of guild crisis was going on, infecting guilds one after another. Black Rose had, the very guild her fellow Ace Aiyana had gone to, had also disbanded. Nothing had been heard from her since. The same went for other members Samira knew from that guild. Sakura, Charlotte, Jiyu… all missing or at the very least went into hiding or were laying very low. The famous Wizard Saints from that guild were also gone with the wind, including the two gods of Ishgar. Then Crystal Swan seemed to have trouble of its own as it too added to the list of guilds that time would soon forget. A new guild by the name of Aurora sprung up in its place, but Samira knew nothing about its details aside from having some of the Crystal Swan members within its ranks.

(Word Count: 1040)

The swordsman spirit that enjoyed doing crossword puzzles no matter how terrible he was at them looked up with an arched brow, taking the suggestion of buying more books seriously. As if he really needed to buy anything really as a spirit. Well, he may as well play along. ”Can I use your Wizard Saint discount?”

Samira flipped the page of her journal to start writing on the new clean one behind it. ”Even if such a thing did exist in a form that is not abused and considered theft like the last time Serqet and Ama used it, no.”

”Fair.” The spirit incarnation of Susano closed the crossword puzzle book and tossed it into the middle of the board game playing group. The game pieces slid everywhere and so the game would have to start completely over. The complaints and angry glares went ignored because he just didn’t care. “But I would have more money to spend if we would go out and do jobs. Remember when that used to be a thing we did? Instead of hanging out in inns and weird foreign towns everyday? Yea, I still remember that.”

”Spirits do not need currency from my world. I do not even think you need it in your own.”

”Okay, let me rephrase. You would need more money so you can buy me more books.”

”I do not require more money. The assets I have here and the ones I have been granted within other countries provide me with enough. I also do not intend on buying you more crossword puzzle books at this time. You can spend time completing the word search books instead.”

”Brother likes to say that staring at walls of randomly scattered letters will bring him blindness. I did not think you so cruel as to wish that upon him, Samira.” Despite the words she chose to use, the light spirit was very amused and obviously teasing as she normally did. She also made no motion to help put the board game back together even after she was rudely told to do so. Not that she was even doing much in the game to begin with aside from passing turns and pretending she knew what she was doing.

”Okay for one, that is actually a fact. I am pretty sure my eyesight got a severe downgrade from the last time I did a word search puzzle. For two…. Shit.” He was going to throw the puzzle book at Samira to get her attention and emphasize that it was an important conversation, but considering he had already thrown it onto the board game it was too late. He had to settle for throwing a pillow at her instead. The rectangular shaped fluff smacked the Saint on the back of the head, the sudden impact surprising her a bit and causing her pen to form a long line across the page instead of the small letter she had intended. Samira groaned and rapidly turned around in her seat. ”Susa-” A poofy bounce sound could be heard as Samira was smacked in the face by another thrown pillow. Then another fluffy poof sound as said pillow fell to the floor.

”The point I was trying to make is: join a guild. Do some jobs. Make some money. Get popular. Save the world. Hell, make more of those friends thing I keep hearing about. Just better ones this time around. I can live without you getting all gloomy and dark again.”

”What guild would Samira even join though? Most of the people we know have gone poof!”

”I am confused. Does it say anywhere that you have to know someone in a guild before you join one?”

”No, but save time during questioning.”

”Questioning?”

”For suspicious behavior.”

”That does seem like a waste of time…”

”Agree. Rock test just as good. Person survive blow to head, they become member.”

”That is probably one of the dumbest recruitment tests I have ever heard.”

The spirit of Skadi revealed a large block of ice that was hidden away… somewhere. The others were not too sure on how or where it had come to exist. They did not see her create it. It was just there. ”Also have ice rock. Is best used against girl spirit that thinks little of grand idea. Care to test?”

The threatened spirit‘s eyes went wide and then for her own safety left the group circle and hid on the other side of the bed. Jing peeked around it and pointed at Skadi as if the ice spirit were a criminal. ”You were banned from having those after you hit Serqet with one!”

”Scorpion was annoying. I fix.”

”She still is annoying! The only way bashing someone on the head with a rock would fix is if you hit them so hard they’re in a coma!”

”How about you don’t start giving her ideas on how to make her way of fixing things even more effective? She has hit me too…”

”Whatever. We were talking about guilds before, right? If I recall right then the offer of joining Sabertooth is still on the table. The guild master said you could back when you two went after that demon army in Lycan Woods.”

Sabertooth and the offer made by its guild master, Kite, made Samira cringe. The guild itself wasn‘t bad. It was still one of the more popular legal guilds around. It had its own history and background that made it famous, and even currently had some well known mages within its ranks. The guild‘s goal and motivations she wasn‘t quite sure on really. Something about protecting Fiore from outside sources or something along those lines. So, yes, a guild that wasn‘t one to toss aside as if it wasn‘t worthy of being considered. Her reaction to the suggestion was because of the guild master really. The two of them had worked together a couple of times, but to say they got along perfectly was overstating things. To join the guild and have him as her constant superior in the guild hierarchy or even have to work with him more was not exactly a point in the guild‘s favor. That served as a con. ”My reply back then was not a serious one. I mentioned that if something were to ever happen to Lamia Scale that I would consider Sabertooth. I never imagined that being a true possibility. It also was quite a while ago.”

”Eh, who cares how long ago it was? I don’t see them being very picky if a Wizard Saint walks through their doors and asks to join up.”

”I would be disappointed if they allowed me into their ranks based on status alone.”

”Okay, fine. They’ll let you in because you’re cute and hopeless. The magical power and Magic Council recognition is just a common bonus in comparison. Is that a better reason?”

”That is even more ridiculous than the first reason.”

(Word Count: 1161
Total So Far: 2201)

The next several minutes passed with more of the same type of back and forth comments regarding the guild and Samira completely dismissing the matter. Even other guilds that were mentioned during the conversation got tossed to the side. Fairy Tail, West Fiore Trading Company, Silver Wolf… all on the no pile. The truth of the matter was that Samira just wasn’t interested in being a part of one again. It was a decision based on trying to protect herself from the repeated past. She didn’t want to get close to anyone else or have a list of friends again that disappeared into whatever mysterious beyond they went to. Being in a guild tended to have that sort of friend making effect. Unless, of course, she just joined one for looks and appearances and never bothered to get to know anyone. She could technically do that. Ignoring mandatory assignments that may be given to her may be more troublesome to get out of, but then, it wasn’t as if she would mind getting removed from the roster if she decided to never show. Samira was already known to be hard to contact even back when she was within Lamia Scale’s ranks. Although, she planned to be even more absent in a new guild than she was there.

Looks and appearances. That’s all it would be. Jobs weren’t a necessity and would only be done to stop the complaints of her bored spirits. She had thought the Magic Council would keep her busy in that area, but it had been a while since she had been called by them. The monster attacks from before had died down, and there were others that tended to eliminate major threats regardless of her absence. The attack that occurred when that strange moon pollen fell from the sky was such an example. Her aid was not necessary. There was the thought of going to the Council herself and seeing if there were any incomplete assignments that were not for the average wizard, but that would soon prove to not be required.

The sound of Samira’s iLac buzzing and playing some silly music came from the nightstand beside the bed. Not really a call, but one of those message type of things. Not many people had her number, though. Summoner and spirits alike stared in silence at the device questioningly. ”I wonder who that-” As Samira began to rise from her chair, a swirl of familiar magic particles poofed into existence and spat out a letter. Thankfully, just a single letter. Not thousands like the time the new magic mail technology broke and littered the place. Still, another cringing memory for all within the room.

“MAIL FOR SAMIRA NASSAR!” The voice behind the “experimental” mail system shouted before the particles disappeared completely. A fancy looking envelope with the symbol of the Magic Council stamped upon it floated in the air until Samira took it for herself. Funny how things like that worked. Think about going to check in on the Magic Council for work, and they just immediately send a letter a second later. Did they have mind readers watching her or something? Very strange. ”A letter from the Magic Council,” Samira stated to those within the room as she stared at it, still having yet to even open it. The timing was indeed odd, but for another reason than some coincidence of her thinking about it just a second before. “Sent at the same time as that message on my iLac. Could you look and see what that is about for me?”

”On it!” Serqet quickly jumped from her seat on the floor and tackled into the nightstand where the lacrima device was. The fun task of checking Samira’s secret message of mysterious was hers! To make sure of that, her tail even swiped at Susano when he tried to take it for himself. The over exaggerated glare she sent him made him back off further because really… that was a little too crazy for him to want to mess with right then. With a giggle and victory grin, Serqet stood up and turned the iLac screen on to check the message. ”Oooooo!”

”Well? Who‘s it from”

”It’s from Ashawti!”

That name made Susano do a double take and have to ask for a repeat after pretending to clean his ears. ”Wait. That primitive knows how to use an iLac? Where did she even get one?!”

That name came as no surprise from Samira. More so that the message came through successfully, but the girl was not a dumb one. A matter of practice was all it took most likely. ”I gave her one when Lamia Scale departed from Pandora in case she ever needed anything. I had someone else instruct her on how to use it though. I think they even installed an app with her language in it to make it easier for her to use and understand it.” The native race within the continent of Pandora was a strange one, but they had allowed the guild to settle in and research what they could about the land, monsters, and its people until the disbandment. Samira had wanted to thank them by making sure to help whenever they needed it. What became of the buildings and such that were already built she did not know. She hadn’t been there in a long time or kept up to date with it. The assumption that everyone not native to it had left had been made when she herself departed. They didn’t exactly trust any other group, after all, so surely no one else would try and make a settlement there. Ashawti and her people would only tolerate so much, and that’s if anyone could manage to survive with all the monsters around. As far as Samira was aware of, the protective barriers were taken down.

(Word Count: 980
Total So Far: 3181)

”I can make a theory on what this is about based on the timeline of these messages. It would be a strange coincidence otherwise.” Samira opened the envelope and took out the slip of paper sealed within it and unfolded it to start reading. As she suspected. She continued reading with her frown getting deeper until her facial expression showed nothing but annoyance.

”I am assuming that this has something to do with that artifact you reclaimed for them before.”

”No. Although that is something to think about as well, and I had been putting it off. I should have heard something about that by now.“ Samira had expected to see the research regarding the artifact several weeks ago. It was one that once belonged to her family’s ancestors, so it wasn’t as if she was out of line with her expectations. That had even been a condition for her retrieving it. A condition that seemed to be going ignored. That matter would have to be addressed at a later time, however. Something else was going on that was affecting life on Pandora and that could not be put to the side over a personal matter. “On topic, it would seem our friends among the council want access to Pandora for something else. Possibly another artifact. The natives are being less than cooperative about it. Understandably so.” If this had been regarding somewhere other than Pandora Samira would have been quite annoyed to be bothered by another retrieval quest for a simple artifact. There was an entire guild made for that sort of thing. She would give the council some credit though. They were sure to bother her with retrieval missions that would hit her on a personal level instead of being a completely random assignment. It was also lucky and wise for the council to not waste time by asking Silver Wolf. If that guild had agreed and made trouble for the natives by stepping onto Pandora then Samira would have had to settle things personally regardless. Another guild had no place there, and the natives would likely start a battle if one tried.

Samira set the letter on her desk and then looked over towards Serqet. ”What does Ashawti’s message say?”

”Eh, something about some snobby and rude outsiders wanting access to an area of Pandora that’s off limits. It’s kind of hard to understand her way of talking in your language. I think there was some fight and they managed to hold off most of them back. I guess both sides are trying to use you as some sort of ambassador. That’s the right word, right?”

”More likely the case both sides want me to force the other to comply. Ashawti’s people want me to make sure they stay away from the restricted area, and those on the council want to use me to either persuade her people to let them through or to have me get permission to go in there myself. I can already guess the most likely solution of these possibilities.”

”You go yourself.”

”Yes, assuming even I could get access. I recall the area they are talking about. No one from Lamia Scale was allowed to enter throughout the entire time we were there. Not so much out of being sacred, but because they were afraid that we would wake something that had remained dormant for centuries. We could leave at any point if the land became too dangerous, but the natives would be stuck there to deal with the mess. Assuming they could. With their reaction anytime it was brought up I think they were afraid to risk it at all.”

”Great. So how are we going to deal with this then? I’m guessing pretending we didn’t get the mail won’t fly.”

Samira shook her head, holding back the urge to sigh at the suggestion. ”No. Even if I decided to ignore the ones we just received more would likely be sent until I did answer. The only logical approach is to find out what is going on. Starting with the Magic Council side of things. Only so much can be told within a letter. I wish to hear the full story and what it is they are looking for this time.”

(Word Count: 710
Total So Far: 3891)

”What do I reply to Ashawti then?”

”Nothing. I will do that myself. Give the iLac to me.” The spirit did so with a small shrug. ”Okie dokie!” It would have been more fun to send a crazy message herself, complete with those cute little emotes and acronyms that she didn’t even understand, but she could also see that was probably not the smartest of things. Ashawti probably would have translated it as an attack plan. ”Thank you.” Samira begun sending a reply to the urgent message with all of the spirits watching in silence. Not because they were respectful and allowing her to concentrate, but because it was fascinating. One would assume someone in Samira’s position would be handling the reply in rapid motions so she could move on to the next phase of whatever plan she had. Nope. Her way of hitting the letters on the screen was abysmally slow. Judging by her facial expressions and the taps of what must have been the backspace button, Samira must have made mistakes and hit the wrong letter even while going at such a slow pace.

The spirits leaned in to make their circle smaller and tighter to keep their whispers low. Even Susano had joined in. ”I don’t get it. I’m sure even I could make a message faster than that.”

”When was the last time she had to send a message in that format? Has she not been practicing so she could be quicker to respond?”

”She’s always been bad at using that thing. I don’t think any practice can help her.”

”She could be writing a very lengthy response. That has to be why it’s taking forever. With things like this you need to be careful of what you say. Or so I’ve heard. I have zero experience being all diplomatic.”

”I can hear you all still. I did not suddenly go deaf the moment I began my reply.” Samira hit the send button and put her iLac on the desk. She did not expect a reply and would not be making the time to read it if there were one present later on. ”Things on Pandora will be tense until I get there, but it should not get any worse if my advice is taken seriously. Surely they can all last the next twenty four hours.”

”Highly unlikely but not that I really care anyway. So, we leaving now or?”

”No.” Samira left the desk and hopped onto the bed to lie down and do what every other normal person did: sleep. ”There is no sense in rushing. With Janus’ abilities I can be in the city of Era in moments. It would be silly to be there at this time of night. No one to go over this matter will be there, and it would make sense to get rest before I set out on whatever madness they are all trying to drag me into. Do you all disagree?” The same could be said about heading to Pandora. The transportation spell to Pandora that Lamia Scale members had still existed. Her guild mark had never been removed even though the guild itself was gone. However, going there now would be getting ahead of her plan. Era first, and then Pandora. If only to keep the chaos and information as organized and easy to understand as possible.

The spirits themselves didn’t seem to agree or disagree one way or another. They were all content to just go with the flow of things. It would make life more interesting and less boring than sitting in some inn all day. Finally they would be back to doing something that could be considered important. Maybe even take out a few monsters here and there while they were on Pandora. Anything different than what they had been currently living. Each spirit dispersed into magic particles to return to their own home realm for the time being. Naturally they neglected to clean up their mess and left it there, but oh well. They could pretend to listen to Samira’s complaints about it in the morning. The lights went out, and all was quiet as Samira fell into a dreamless sleeping state until morning.

(Word Count: 702
Total So Far: 4593)

The next morning did not go as planned. At all. The mess Samira actually did not mind and was used to by now. The problem came from the fact Janus was unavailable to be called upon. Not even taking his power for her own was going to work. For some reason he had become completely unusable. His presence within her mind was also gone and the connection between herself and him cut off. Whatever it was that was keeping him away had to be important. That or he was just taking the day off to nap or something. The others had no clue. Either way, this meant her quick way to reach Era no longer existed. The few second trip would now turn into several hours. Perhaps more. There had been no room in her plan for that sort of delay. There may have been time to prevent her going over the promised twenty four hours, but that was without any further delays. Maybe. First she had to think of a way to get back to Fiore quickly and then move onto Era to speak with the officials there, and see what it was the council wanted.

”For the last time I am not taking a train from Minstrel all the way to Fiore. I cannot even imagine how long that would take if one even went that far. The amount of stops between each station would be astronomical.” Samira had since left the inn she was staying at and was now walking the streets of Minstrel. There was no one beside or around that was talking to her, and so it looked as if she were talking to herself. She was now the strange crazy lady from Fiore that the council in their madness had promoted to Wizard Saint. The looks and gossip going around she ignored completely. It was nothing new. For some reason word never got around that whenever she talked to herself like that she was actually talking to the voices in her head…. Not that, that sounded much better actually. It was the truth though. The voices of all the spirits contracted and connected with her that made a place in her mind. ”There may be a flying ship somewhere around here, yes. This would be a lot easier if we knew where Salty ended up after Kaori and the rest disappeared. His ship and experience with piloting it would have been beneficial right now.”

Samira stopped walking and looked around for signs of some sort of station for airships and not trains. There weren’t any really. The country was known for its fanciness and wealth but as far as everything else not so much. Even their version of wizards was strange. She begun to ask some of the townspeople that were around but got mostly nothing from it. There were some tradeships that were known, but they did not often allow random passengers and even then their route was far from where she was heading. Anymore time spent trying to use that solution would wasteful. ”Where is Anhur? I always seem to misplace him anytime I need him.”

‘And he is always ‘misplaced’ for a good reason. You intend to use him as a sort of flying mount all the back to Fiore, didn’t you?’

”Of course. It is one of his many uses. I do not see why he would have a problem with it. He would be going there that way regardless. The only difference is that I would be-”

’The only difference is that you would be riding me as if I were a common horse! I despise that. The answer is no, and you won’t find me to force me to be your animal transport!’ The lion spirit’s connection then broke as he went silent. One pissed off lion he sure was, and Samira could not see the reason why. It wasn’t as if she asked him to be a method of transportation all the time, and she didn’t put a saddle on him or anything. ”He over exaggerates the torture I put him through. I have known many spirits and animal companions alike that do not mind having their owners make use of their natural ability to get to places faster.”  Now that she thought about what choices were left, Samira could technically fly there herself. It just took using one of her newer spells that she did not have much control of yet. Eh, that was actually a bad idea. The power disappearing while she was in the air to plummet to the ground did not sound pleasant. And then there were those cases of randomly exploding while having that power active. No, it was just easier to go to the next option. ”Kukul-”

(Word Count: 796
Total So Far: 5389)

‘Oh, you did not just let the fluffy feline get away with the no just so you can come asking me. Do I usually look like a creature that says ‘hop on, I am the nicest snake around’? No! I do not. You can walk your saintly ass back to Fiore. I am not a flying worm used for transporation.’

”Please?”

’Piss off. I’m not helping so save your breath.’

The feathered serpent may have been sounding as if she was giving a definite no, but Samira knew better than that. Unlike Anhur, Kukulkan kept her connection on knowing full well that the conversation would continue. The spirit wanted to be bribed into being a flying reptilian vehicle. It wouldn’t be the first time that had happened for other things. ”Fine. I guess your summoner asking nicely is not going to work like it should.“ Samira sighed and shook her head hopelessly. “What do you want?”

’How about we just go with an IOU? Once I want something I’ll let you know and you just give it to me or let me have it. No questions asked or any complaining. Sound good?’

”I am not letting you eat people. Or their pets.”

That statement was followed by a hiss that echoed within Samira’s mind. ’I don’t ALWAYS want that. It’s more of an intimidation factor when I threaten to do so. Most of you people out there probably taste disgusting. I’ll pass, thank you. So fine. No demands to eat people with this IOU. Do we have a deal or do you want to take my suggestion of walking to Fiore seriously? I would be okay with that too.’

”Fine. Have it your way.” Wasting time arguing with the spirit was not on the agenda. Samira needed a quicker ride and the last available spirit that was able to do so was offering. The condition may have been vague, but it was doubtful it would be that bad once it came time to pay up. Knowing Kukulkan, it would probably just be permission to beat up all the other spirits. Not that, that really required permission in the first place. She probably would have done that regardless. Getting the summoner’s permission just made it more legit and would redirect all complaints from the serpent towards the human that controlled it. What a day that was going to be. A day for future Samira to worry about. Present Samira had what she wanted now.

(Word Count: 413
Total So Far: 5802)

Samira then called upon the winged serpent spirit, Kukulkan…. In the middle of town. Her being in a hurry kind of made her gloss over the fact that she probably should have found a wider space that was away from town before calling on the spirit. Kuku’s portal appeared suddenly, causing many surprised reactions from the townspeople nearby as the magic sparked and particles flew. Some of the people even fled the scene shouting for one of the musketeers that kept the law around Minstrel. Honestly. It wasn’t as if one portal meant that she was summoning an army. The giant winged snake that came from the portal was also a cuddly one despite her attitude and appearances. Obviously anyone should have known that fact. Obviously.

The sky overhead became a dark grey as the clouds rolled in, an effect from summoning that particular spirit. The wind picked up, blowing everything and everyone a fair bit away. This included Samira’s long emerald colored hair that was now all over the place. Once again she had forgotten to tie it up before summoning… which really without Kukulkan it should have been tied up if she was to travel by air anyway. Details.

”Can you hurry up and get on already?” Kukulkan said, her voice being loud and demanding even if her jaws did not move to even indicate that she had been talking. She moved around Samira to make it clear for her that she needed to get on now. Her gaze kept on the people that were nearby, some musketeers included. ”I am starting to think that they are going to try and poke me with one of those metal sticks.” The metal sticks being the swords they were all so proud of. Such a thing did not intimidate that spirit. With her power she’d either blow them away with a gust of wind if it didn’t slice them up first if they got too close.

”I do not think that they would be that foolish.” With that said, Samira hopped onto the back of Kukulkan, making sure that she was not in the way of the wings and that she would not fall off once the serpent took off. One of the musketeers said something in the language of Minstrel, but Samira made no effort to actually translate it. Her guess by the tone of voice that was used against her, that it was a severe complaint or a direct order of some sort. She did not care at that moment. ”Any grievances you have with me can be redirected to the Magic Council of Fiore. I am already headed there for other matters. Goodbye.” And away the serpent and summoner went. Kukulkan took off into the air right after and ascended higher and higher from the ground until she was at a comfortable enough height from those below. Much of the day was spent making their way towards Fiore and then to Era where the headquarters of the Magic Council was located. It was uneventful and quiet aside from some comments here and there. Just how Samira liked it.

(Word Count: 522
Total So Far: 6324)

By the time Era had been reached, and even the headquarters itself, it was beginning to be on the late side of the day. Afternoon had already passed and the sun was begun to descend to mark the evening hours. Those within the building were content to end their day early even. That is, until an alarm went off about some creature heading towards the building and then right after that a giant winged snake burst through the doors. Perhaps Samira should have called beforehand. The letter didn’t actually tell her to go the headquarters in Era. It was the opposite. They had expected her to go to Pandora. Oh well. They would get over it eventually. Maybe. The amount of alarms and rune knights that gathered around was enough to make her think that they would hold the entrance against her for quite some time. Once they actually took notice of who she was anyway. When being told to halt and give her name Samira just ignored it and started to look around for the two council representatives that had contacted her the last time.

“M-Ms. Samira Nassar?!”

”Yes, that would be what most call me.” It wasn’t a statement to be rude or a smart ass, but just a fact. Dissatisfied that the ones she was looking for were not present, Samira focused her gaze on the knight that had first spoken. ”Can you tell me where the ones I spoke to the last time I was here are? I have forgotten their names. My spirits tell me that they go by Dumbass Number 1, and Dumbass Number 2, but I doubt that is what their names truly are.”

“But, you are supposed to be on Pandora!”

”So the letter I received said. I am not though and would like to speak to the ones I requested, if you do not mind. They are here, are they not? I do know that it is getting late. Feel free to give me their addresses and I will pay their home a visit instead if they are not here.”

“No, no, no! They are still here… I hope. But first could you-” The knight paused his words. He wasn’t in a leader position really. He was just a typical normal knight. Having to request something of a Wizard Saint seemed to be pushing what boundaries he could. It was very uncomfortable really. “Could you….”

”Yes?” Samira blinked innocently, unsure of what exactly was causing him to backtrack and refuse to finish his sentence. Something should have told her it was to remove the overly large snake that was bringing in destructive winds with it, but alas, Samira saw absolutely nothing wrong with Kukulkan’s presence.

The man scratched the back of his head and turned towards the other knights behind him. They all shrugged and took steps back. With the hissing and glare of the snake aimed at them, none of them really wanted to offend it, or the one that rode it. He wasn’t going to get any help. The man turned back to face Samira and took a deep breath before finally spilling it out. “I’m going to have to request that you remove yourself from that… uh…,” he was kind of lost. It was obviously a snake but it had two sets of wings and feathers. Was there another breed of snake he was supposed to categorize that as? “…reptile, and dismiss it as well.”

”Oh. Is that all? You should have mentioned it sooner.”

“Why would anyone have to mention to dismiss a creature that looks like it is about to devour everyone in the room and is already destroying parts of it?” Naturally he whispered that to himself as an out loud sort of thought. It was kind of unbelievable on how dense Samira was at that moment. Or always was. He really didn’t know for sure.

(Word Count: 651
Total So Far: 6975)

”He called me an ‘it.’ Can I eat this one?” Kukulkan’s tail swerved with its tip pointing right at the knight that had more guts than she would have originally gave him credit for. That would not save him though. How dare he refer to her as an “it.” Was she really offended as much as she led them to believe? Not really. She was just hungry after that long flight, which was a weird concept by itself given that she didn’t really need to eat at all.

”No. You may not.” Those words bringing great relief to the wide eyed knights that already had their weapons and defenses ready to go. They could have tried to interrupt her magic as they could with other mages, but such a thing would have been useless against Samira. Her raw magic levels required a bit more to be stopped than the typical spells they were used to using on other mages within Fiore. Samira jumped off of Kukulkan and walked forward to pat the snake at the base of her head where the bright pink feathers were. ”You have my gratitude though.”

”Gratitude. Fantastic. Can’t wait to add that to my diary. Dear diary, my summoner has rewarded me with gratitude this day. My life is forever complete. I have no need for anymore entries.”

”I was being nice. Technically you required bribing. You may return to the others now.”

”Yeah, yeah. Just remember you owe me. Anytime, anywhere, anything. Except food apparently.” The serpent gave one last look at the offensive knight and then disappeared in a swirl of particles that she had hoped everyone in that room would choke on. No such luck though.

”Kukulkan has been dismissed as requested. Now can you do what I have asked? I have wasted enough time as it is.”

(Word Count: 306
Total So Far: 7281)

The chain of events that followed after were normal given the circumstances. She had been escorted into a separate room where she would have to wait for the acquaintances she requested to arrive. There were even guards placed at her door. Whether they were there to keep her inside or others outside she didn’t know. If the former it was a bit laughable, but not because of what she could do with whatever power she supposedly had. It was laughable because she had no intention to leave. Being there was on purpose and not an accident. She had questions that needed answers and explanations, and so leaving before she got them would be indeed quite silly. They had also taken her keyring to ensure that she could not summon her spirits, but that was also a bit useless. Still, she played the part and handed them over. They probably wouldn’t even notice them gone before she left anyhow. The keyring was back with her within moments of them leaving her alone. Even then she didn’t really require the keys to call upon her spirits by this point in her mage career.

Samira took a seat on one of the chairs within the room. She recognized it well enough. It was the same room she had been in the last time she spoke with them and accepted that relic hunt. That time being to discuss the artifact known as Shai’s Heart. Considering the trouble she had already caused she wondered if now was the time to bring it up and the lack of information she had been given. Probably not. Those type of thoughts and the events behind that crossed her mind as she silently waited. For what seemed like hours. The sun’s light through the large windows vanished as night took over. Lacrima lamps within the room popped on as if they were on some sort of timer. Still Samira sat there waiting, tapping the armrests of the chair while looking at a clock on the wall every now and then. As patient as ever. Those on Pandora likely were not, and that was what was concerning. Forty eight hours would have been a better time estimate to give Ashawti.

Finally, the door to the room opened. One of the guards had done so, but he then stepped aside to let the two men that knew her grandfather and had their own connections to the council inside. Mr. Maes Jacobs and Mr. Kenneth Easton. Far from the "Dumbass" nicknames her spirits referred to them as. The door then closed behind them, leaving the three of them alone in the room. ”So you made an appearance, after all. I had begun to wonder if you two were even in town to begin with.” The two of them took their seats before giving a reply.

“You didn’t really give us a choice. Why did you come all the way out here? And on the back of a monster no less!”

“Calm down. I enjoyed the stories about the entrance myself, actually.” Easton, the taller and thinner of the two, said to the more irritated one that seemed to be having a hard time breathing while trying to remain calm.

“I am calm!”

(Word Count: 540
Total So Far: 7821)

The more composed man laughed as he watched the other huffing and puffing through his anger fit, but said no more to him otherwise. His attention went back to Samira. “Did you really have to knock the doors down in that style though? I offered to pay for the damages, but I can’t really do that all the time.”

”It was more efficient to do so.”

“I also caught wind of some reports of you summoning that same monster in the middle of a town square in Minstrel and causing a ruckus.”

”Overly exaggerated reports, mind you. I only summoned a method of transport. Nothing more. The side effects were very mild.“ If a few building decorations and people got blown around until they hit a wall it was acceptable. It wasn’t as if she called upon some natural disaster in the form of a great tornado or hurricane. Close given the power of the spirit, but not that damaging or harmful. To her anyway. Samira did unfortunately have that habit of not seeing the true strength of herself and spirits. The power of others she could see, but never anything of her own.

“Also, my spirits are not monsters. They are under control for the most part.” Naturally Samira neglected to mention the one that was not, but that was irrelevant to why she was even there. Plus, he was remaining dormant for the time being. He had not said anything or risen from that state in some time. For what reason he had when he was so active before she did not know, nor did she care. She’d take it. ”As for why I am here, why do you think? You send me a letter on behalf of the council telling me to go to Pandora. A land none of you have the authority to enter and yet did so anyway without approval from myself or the leaders of the natives that reside there. You expected me to get myself into a situation I knew nothing of, and to take your side of the matter when you should know well enough that I do not desire to anger Ashawti and her people or disrupt their way of life there. The treaty between Lamia Scale and Pandora ended and was torn to shreds when the guild disbanded. As far as I am aware, the guild found nothing of interest that would align with the council’s. We were not permitted to enter the forbidden zone to have knowledge of it. Yet, for some reason your people are wanting to venture into it for something that was not even specified thoroughly within the letter that I was sent. Ashawti also neglected to inform me, but I have my suspicions that she did not even allow time to be told what it was your people were after before she refused. Assuming they would have even told her to begin with. Now I have to ask, what is it that you all know that I do not? It is transparently clear to me that something is amiss, and possibly has been ever since my former guild first stepped foot on that continent.”

(Word Count: 529
Total So Far: 8350)

“I wouldn’t say it goes back that far,” Jacobs stated after a few moments of silence had passed. It was clear by his expression that he did not appreciate the tone or the fact that was to be the subject of conversation at all.

“Ah, I can see this will be a long discussion for all of us.” Easton added in with a sigh. “I suppose a better explanation is required.”

Jacobs‘ gaze switched from Samira to his companion that sat in the chair beside him. “Easton! You can’t possibly-”

“You forget, Jacobs. It is because of her grandfather’s research that we even know anything about this, and it is because of her that the council acquired that artifact. What was its name now?”

”The reports and documents called it Shai’s Heart. Based on the artifact having the name of a god of fate, I assumed its story and function to revolve around that concept.”

“You assumed? Come to think of it I recall you having to research to even find its location. Your spirits, despite what they are and how they were created, knew nothing of it.”

”Partially correct. Most of them suffer memory loss from that point in time. Only a select few have any knowledge and they refuse to tell me everything just because I ask. One gave the location and that was all. What the artifact does and its history I do not know. That was supposed to be provided to me from the research you all did. That had been part of the bargain.”

Jacobs scoffed at the mention of that bargain. Technically they never specified that they would give all of the information they acquired from the research of the artifact. “That agreement did not mean we would hand any and all information. Past relations and statuses only go so far.”

”There is a difference between little information and none at all. Had you kept me out of these current events I would not be here questioning it or the lack of details for a mission I completed months ago. Yet, here I am because you need me again. I do not act just because I am told to. You seem to have been misinformed that just because the council mistakenly gave me a title that I would be completely obedient. The title itself and the status that comes with it means very little, and even if I acted like a mindless weaponized soldier my spirits would intervene and take care of matters themselves regardless of my input.” Such was the way of things. Most summoners had perfect control over their summons and spirits. That was how that type of magic worked. They were considered by many to be tools for magic purposes and combat, While some spirits and summons could be rebellious and hard to control, a summoner only needed to get stronger and earn respect to become a master at it. They were beings with their own lives and thoughts, but such a thing could be countered with enough power to control. That was, of course, not going into whatever set of other laws that may keep that being that complacent.

As far as the spirits under Samira’s magic and contracts are concerned, they had no real set of laws. Even more troublesome was that no matter how strong her magic levels got or her experience with using it grew, her spirits worked the opposite way. She would never have full control over them. They were not simply tools like most other common spirit, and they had their own plans for their summoner. Anything that went against that plan or a situation arising that they did not care for they would act on their own. Sure Samira can most often restrict their ability to do so and keep them in check in most cases, but that was only ever temporary and only went so far. There was just never a situation that pushed them that far aside from one long ago. Although the current scene was agitating them as they listened in. Magic power filled the room, but not from Samira herself. It was the power from more of the easily angered spirits as they shifted halfway into the mortal plane to make those two aware of their existence and of their displeased attitude towards how things were going so far in the conversation. It only lasted for a few moments. Perhaps a few awkward and unsettling moments for the two otherwise average non-magical humans in the room.

(Word Count: 755
Total So Far: 9105)

”Do you all mind? This interruption can only make things worse, and makes us look terrible. Intimidation tactics should be frowned upon.” It was after that, that their energy disappeared, but not before telling her that of course they were terrible. She may have not cared about proper respect, but they did. Usually. It depended on if they could get a good laugh out of it, and right now none were smiling in their realm as they watched and listened. Something wasn’t right, and they were getting impatient as more suspicions grew.

Blink, blink went the two men as they remained silent. Easton was expressionless, but Jacobs had a bit of a worried look about him despite being mostly calm. A smile then appeared below that grey moustache upon Easton’s face. “Aha!” He clapped his hands together and then placed them on the arm rests of the chair to push himself up. “This is a fine time for some tea!”

“Tea?! Now?!”

“Tea is calming, my friend! And we have much to discuss. We will start with that artifact. Can you get the notes from my office?”

“You can go get your notes yourself if you really intend on just giving it away.”

“But I will be busy preparing the tea!”

“Oh, fine! Make your tea. I’ll get the notes. Why we can’t just use the lacrima screens or even take her to the research laboratory while we’re at it instead I don’t know.” Jacobs stood up from his own seat and followed Easton towards the door.

“That was going to be after!”

“I was being sarcastic! That is too much!”

The rest of their back and forth chatter faded as they opened the door and walked through it, closing it behind them and making their voices more muffled and low as they walked further down the hall on the other side. Eventually nothing could be heard at all. Samira didn’t really care for the tea that was being prepared, and really she questioned in her mind why someone just couldn’t be sent to the room with it. Surely the headquarters had people that did that sort of thing everyday. Maybe it was the time. It was only by looking at the clock on the wall that she remembered how late it was. No matter. Even if one decided to waste time on preparing a beverage, the other was at least doing something more in line with why she was even there in the first place.

(Word Count: 416
Total So Far: 9521)

’I do not trust these mortals. We should leave.’

’They did seem less willing to give any information than they did the last time. Was the bond from before just a ploy?’

’Obviously. They got Samira and us mixed into some random crap to get an artifact from some lost forgotten place no tourist would ever go, and while there we had to have fun with Amirah and her lackeys.’

’Did you forget about the wonderful guard dog that temple had? We never did manage to kill it.’

Every spirit cringed in memory of that thing. It wasn’t a dog at all. It was… something else entirely. A species of its own that they preferred not going back to further figure out how to classify the monstrosity. Probably one reason why most had chosen to forget it even existed. It was unkillable as far as they were aware and the strategy back then was to run. There weren’t enough jewels in the world that would convince them to go back, or to allow Samira to do so. Which was actually more worrisome than they wanted it to be. That artifact just had a creature guarding it. What was in the restricted area of Pandora? And what did that artifact have to do with it? With how their luck was it was probably something even more vague and dangerous than dealing with what was in that long lost temple of ancient past.

’If I leave then I find out nothing. Staying put to see what information is given is the best option, I believe. If you are concerned about any traps then you are being paranoid. They gain nothing from such a thing even if they were the type to attempt it.’ Samira responded in her mind rather than saying it vocally like she often did.

’You are too trusting. You should have learned already to not be so gullible.’

Samira chose to ignore what the spirit of Kukulkan was getting at. That was irrelevant. More importantly she very much doubted anything too suspicious that would lead to a trap of any kind would take place right there at the Magic Council Headquarters. She didn‘t think the big MC made a habit of tricking their Wizard Saints, which would mean Jacobs and Easton had their own agenda. If they did, then that was all the more reason to not act while in that very building. ’Even so, if there were to be traps of any kind then it would be on Pandora, not here.’

’And walking right into it is still the plan, correct?’

’I cannot very well ignore what is going on there, so yes. First we remain here and find out what I can. I may have Anhur stay afterwards to keep an eye on those two in case they mention something else that they neglected to pass onto me.’

’Ha! Spying now? Have you reached that point?’

’Yes and no. I will not be the one spying. That would be you. My conscience is clear and my innocence remains.’

’You do know that is not how it works, right?’

’Were you going to refuse the suggestion?’

’For once, no. I was going to do it anyway.’

’Then who am I to try and stop you? You are just another spirit that I cannot control properly.’

’That logic has several holes in it, but whatever helps you sleep at night. I’m not in the mood to debate this.’

’That is a first.’

(Word Count: 583
Total So Far: 10,104)

The mental conversation ended shortly after as the sounds of the door opening reached her ears. So entered Easton with a cart of freshly prepared tea. A cart that he pushed to where the chairs were, humming as he did so. Samira just stared at him as he continued his humming while he set up the tea party on the small table that stood inbetween the chairs they were all using. He was a strange character all of a sudden. From what she remembered from her last encounter with him he wasn’t so cheery. Really he was more neutral and stoic back then. Maybe putting on a smile and cheery personality was the way he handled uncomfortable situations or to relieve stress. Who knew? Being some sort of therapist or psychologist wasn’t in her resume. Most would probably say she needed to visit one herself really.

“So how is the life of a Wizard Saint these days? I haven’t heard much word about you lately.” Easton poured some tea into a cup and handed it to Samira. She took it, but only to be nice instead of showing much more rudeness than she already had. Not a single sip had been taken from it. Rather, she just held onto the cup and let it sit in her lap.

”Is this your way of humoring me with small talk while we wait for the other one to return?”

“Partially. I was also interested because of my past friendship with Souniro. Now that you mention it though Jacobs is taking longer than I thought. I wonder if he got lost on the way.”

”Well, there is nothing at all to be interested in. Everything relevant I am sure you have already heard. We should skip the conversation about me, and instead perhaps you can tell me what you know without having to look at notes.”

“I could.” Easton gave a slow nod. “Very well.” He took his own cup of tea and took a seat on his chosen chair once more. “To start with, that artifact. I remember mentioning when we first met that, that particular item’s research was given to us by your grandfather. He had many projects going on at the time, but he always did. Never did he just give away research with the reason that he did not have time for it. It was peculiar of him to do so then. But, with him being a recognizable figure in that line of work both Jacobs and I took what was left with us seriously. In time, our own research caught the interest of the council.”

”This is knowledge that I am already aware of.”

“Yes, but were you aware that Shai’s Heart is only one item of a set? We were only given information for one. It took time for us to realize the missing parts and other references related to others that are scattered. We had hoped to reclaim them all eventually. You could say the one we have is a type of locator device that leads to the others. Or so we thought.”

”You could not figure out how it worked?”

“Oh no. We figured that out, or as much as we could. That is covered in the notes. I think we are missing a key piece to the device.”

”And you believe this piece to be on Pandora, specifically the part we are all restricted from entering. I am confused on how you got that far in your conclusions if it is not working.”

“It displays a map. After taking into account the changes of the land throughout time we have concluded it to be a map of ancient Pandora. The notes left behind by Souniro also mention it, although not by the name of Pandora. That was the name your former guild called it. Not even the natives of the continent refer to it by that name.”

”I see.” Nothing that related to any place remotely similar to Pandora had been mentioned at all in the journals and research that had been left with her. Even if the names were different there would have been descriptions of it in some text. A large land mass full of giant sized monsters would have stuck out somewhere in the notes surely, yet there was never any mention at all. Most of his work was within their home continent. Her grandfather really must have completely abandoned the project and gave nearly everything about it to those two. Although, there really weren’t any mentions of other items either that she could remember. In fact, most everything he started working on went through to completion. This was a huge work in progress project. Samira had opened her mouth to ask a question when the sound of the room’s door opening again made her close it and turn her attentions towards that direction. Jacobs had returned with a large book of notes in his hand, as well as a bag full of even more notes. He was grumbling something, the volume of it too low for Samira to make out clearly but she could only assume at that point that he was complaining by how much of it there was, or because he had to get it at all and bring it.

(Word Count: 882
Total So Far: 10,986)

“Oh! You managed to find your way back here. Splendid!”

“I wasn’t lost on the way back!” Jacobs shouted in frustration as he tossed the bag of journals and books onto the floor beside the tea table. “Your office is like a giant puzzle room where clues are scattered around to find what you are looking for. I almost left without finding any of this.”

“It isn’t that complicated. I‘d say you even overachieved. Only two of those journals were needed. The rest can be accessed through the lacrima screens.” Easton leaned over towards the bag and pulled out one of the books. “My, is this the one I had hidden away behind all the other books on the shelf? In that special compartment? The one that takes pulling a lever under the desk that can only be accessed after completing the password on the word making game board on the other side of the office? No wonder it took you that long.”

Jacobs face turned red from the ever growing angry and annoyance he was feeling. “’That long?! It would have taken longer to get past that ridiculous contraption if you hadn’t left the password written out on your desk!”

“I wrote it on a piece of paper and left it on my desk? That doesn’t sound like me at all.”

“No! You literally wrote it ON your desk. It’s carved into the wood! Do you know how much that is going to cost to replace?!”

Easton placed the book he held on the table and continued to dig through the bag. “We live in a world of magic, so, not much most likely.” He ignored the incoherent grumbling of Jacobs, who took a seat on the empty chair to sulk, and continued to go through the bag until his face lit up and he pulled an older looking journal out. The brown leather cover was torn in several places and worn out. There were a couple of names on the cover, however. One being Easton, but the one above was that of Samira’s grandfather. “Aha! Here we are. This one started as Souniro’s but he left it to me to continue writing in it as a present. It may look a bit worse for wear, but I only keep the most important things inside it.” The older man flipped the cover. The first thing Samira could see was a small stack of old photos. The top had been a black and white photo of the three of them together. The rest she could not see due to them being covered up by the first, and Easton did not waste time going through them to venture down memory lane. He grabbed them and gently placed them on the table to keep them out of the way.

He flipped through several of the pages and then stopped. He took a few seconds to read through it, as if trying to re-familiarize himself with the contents. He gave a simple nod to signify his satisfaction. “All right. Now I remember.”

And so finally began the explanations and details Samira had originally went there for hours ago. Pandora itself had gone by many names in its history, and had even had many civilizations lost throughout time that even the current natives knew nothings of. Only writings of old within some of the ruins scattered around the now monster filled continent gave any clues. During Lamia Scale’s stay, many of the writings had been recorded and sent back to the main continent for further research, but even their libraries that had been filled with books and research during the past incarnation of the guild that focused on knowledge did not have any way to translate properly. So, the information had been sent to the Magic Council for assistance. Surely they had an idea of someone that could be of help. That was when one of the connections to Pandora had been made. They had matched perfectly with some of the research notes in the journals that were left behind by Souniro.

Seoplunoa. An ancient name that land had been called by so long ago. Even then that land had its share of monster problems but of a different kind. The details about them were few in number, mostly in drawings that were carved into the walls and had become eroded or were incomplete, and in writings that were long faded. One thing was for certain was that they were even more dangerous than the current more modern monsters that roamed the land, and extinct as far as anyone was aware of. Well, as far as those from the main continent were aware of. The natives on Pandora had their own superstitions and was one of the reasons they made a part of the land off limits to all, including themselves.

(Word Count: 807
Total So Far: 11,793)

Drawn maps of the current Pandora and the map from the artifact were shown, and even lacrima screen versions that used some sort of updated magic technology that Samira couldn’t understand whatsoever were also shown with some lengthy explanation that she would have rather they left it at “See? They line up perfectly after you take into account some of these changes.” The off limits area was also highlighted. A specific point of it even marked and labeled. The missing piece to Shai’s Heart was unfortunately not anywhere near the border or even slightly inside the territory. It was deep inside and would likely not be easy or quick to reach. That part was concerning. They had no idea what was in there, but they were sending people in there anyway. Did they assume the natives would help them out after trying to force their way through? If they themselves even were aware of what was in there. It had been thousands of years or something. Samira didn’t really know the exact number for how long they kept themselves out of that area. Most of what they knew could be categorized as over exaggerated legend and myth with a tip of actual facts in there. Or, they could have been entirely correct and their warnings founded. Samira didn’t know, and it was one reason she was going to have to conclude that those trying to go there were idiots. It’d pretty much be a repeat of what happened to those that faced off against the unknown guardian monster that could not die by normal means. Also known as “congrats, you’re lunch.” That monster won then, and whatever was in those lands now would undoubtedly have the same feat for typical mages, knights, and whatever normal researchers got sent in to follow. It was a suicide mission, and they didn’t even acknowledge that or care.

Samira was also able to get a look at the relic itself. The three of them left the room and she was taken to a different sector of the building where Shai’s Heart was being kept. Like other important artifacts there was security around it, and even with her title and bond with the item she would have not been granted access without Easton and Jacobs with her. A shame really, but understandable. Once inside the room she was allowed to view it as she pleased without restriction.

It still had the same cube shape she remembered, but no longer was it covered by the dust of time. The item had been cleaned and the engravings easy to see much more clearly as well as its more golden color. She was shown how it worked, at least as much as they figured out thus far. It was a puzzle of sorts that had to do with the engravings and once certain ones were touched in a precise order they lit up, and from the top of the cube the circular pattern upon it activated and displayed a map made of a golden glowing light. Not just a map, though. Samira squinted her eyes and put her face closer to what was displayed. More symbols were displayed, but different ones than the engravings on the relic as well as the written language that was found within certain ruins of Pandora.

”What does this say?” Samira asked as she pointed at the small symbols underneath the glowing map. The pointed finger ended up going a bit too far and poked at the letters, going through the light and making them poof into particles for a moment. When they reformed they were of a different pattern entirely. ”Oh, there appears to be more. How many times does it change?”

“Several times actually. All in the same order. We have them copied and recorded somewhere in those notes. Although….. Hmmm.” Easton took a thinking posture as he stared at the new set of symbols that were displayed.

”Although?”

“That particular message is a new one. Peculiar.”

“Undoubtedly has something to do with the Nassar line. That is the only difference, and the relic is supposed to have taken part in the family history.” Jacobs added in.

”A family history that makes less sense every time I find more information about it. I almost miss knowing nothing.”


(Word Count: 716
Total So Far: 12,509)