After the events of the day, when all those who could still be considered children were asleep, Amyris, Ellie, Vanessia, Riza, Vartra, and the Guildmaster gathered within the living room of Amyris' house to discuss matters. All of them had relaxed a bit, but still had serious expressions on their faces. Even Riza, who was normally aloof, wore one.
"Riza, you have been especially on edge since the ruins. Did you notice something?"
"Sorry, just...this kinda stuff irritates me a great deal. I much prefer to just bust down walls and go for a direct attack when it gets this serious".
"Dad, there is more to it then that...what do you know?"
Riza looked over at Vartra, and shook his head.
"Sorry, but I cant say. Not yet. Not at this time" he muttered, looking off into the distance.
I am going to need to keep an eye on this Zak...
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A few hours ago, right before they were planning on leaving the ruins.
Riza entered a side hallway, and watched Zak who was looking at some runes upon the walls.
"You made it, Riza".
"Well even if they were obnoxiously subtle, you did clearly want to talk with me" Riza muttered. "Exactly who are you? I know you are a Starfallen, that much is obvious. But there is more to that, isn't there? You knew it was this exact ruin even before we left the city. How did you know? Where are you getting your information".
"You, of all people, should understand that there are things both of us cannot go into detail about".
"Oh, I think I am an open book you know?" Riza said playfully. "Meanwhile, you shroud yourself in darkness".
"Open book my ass. You just shroud yourself in light instead of darkness" Zak mentioned. "Tell me, does your son and grandson know?"
Riza tilted his head questioningly, not sure where this was going. "Know what?"
"That you are one of The Hidden".
At those words, Zak felt himself telekinetically flung against a wall, pinned there as Riza clenched his fists and his eyes glowed yellow.
"Where did you hear such things?"
"Relax, I have not told anyone. Besides, we both know that you wont actually kill me".
Hearing those words, Riza released Zak and let out a sigh as he dropped to the ground.
"You are a really annoying bastard, you know that right? Still, you showed a bit of your own naivity there".
Zak seemed surprised this time. "What do you mean?"
"Because now I am certain about one of your wishes, specifically about what you did to gather this information".
Zak gulped as Riza walked over to him, and leaned right up next to his ear and whispered something into it. Zak froze, going white as a sheet for a moment when he heard those words. Riza then leaned back with a smile.
"You are not the only one who can figure things out".
"...truly frightening. That isn't something someone can figure out normally".
"Neither is any information about The Hidden. My guess is that this time is just so different things slipped through in the confusion".
"...well deduced. Still, Yellow of The Hidden, I suppose it would be odd for anyone to realize normally. After all, you really are not hiding at all. If anything, you attract too much attention".
"Well as you said, I shroud myself in light. So, what else did you figure out then?"
Zak let out a sigh.
"I know you are connected to the events of the Starfall. I even know why, to a degree, although I don't have all the pieces yet. A lot of the specifics were kept wonderfully shrouded. But if I were to hazard a guess, you did something the night of the Starfall. You knew it was going to happen ahead of time, and you went and manipulated it. Maybe you knew the original caster, or maybe someone tipped you off, but you did know the Starfall was going to happen ahead of time...and you used it for your own personal gain".
Riza listened to Zak's deductions, and let out a slight chuckle.
"Oh, you think so?"
"I know so. I know about the Third, Riza. I know the truth about you that you have kept buried and hidden for all these decades. I even know about that name".
Zak leaned in and whispered into Riza's ear this time. It only took a moment, but this time it was Riza who was overcome with shock.
"...you really work hard huh. Still, for you to know that name...there is only one circumstance where you could..."
"Perks of being a Starfallen I suppose".
"Indeed. It has been a long time since I heard that name. Still, to think you really do know about the Third. You understand that you can never utter that truth aloud right? If it were to be learned of by the wrong people..."
"Yeah, the chaos it would cause would be immense. Still, there is one thing I need to know. How did you know the Starfall was coming? Do you know who was behind it?"
"Unfortunately, as I have been telling you, I cannot tell you how. As for who...even I don't know that. But know this. The Empire, or at least a few powerful people in it, were involved in some way. At least, that is one possibility. But we have equal reports that the southern continent was also posssibly involved. Apparently both were using a huge ritual with Starfallen blood at the time. The timing is too great to be a coincidence".
"...a ritual using Starfallen blood?"
"Yeah. Starfallen have their bodies reconstructed during the Starfall process, not actually transfered over, which is why they always appear naked. Because of that, their bodies are rich in celestial power that helps to grant their wishes. But it also means its good for rituals and such".
"Yeah, I know that, but what ritual specifically?"
"You don't know?"
"Haven't gotten access to it yet".
"Well, unfortunately I don't know the specifics either. Everyone The Hidden has encountered that was involved in the ritual was already dead. Their throats were slit, except for one...the one we refer to as Crimson encountered a single person turned to solid gold".
"...shit. Fuck shit fuck!"
Zak became deeply concerned by this news.
"You know the cause of this weird golden statue?"
"The Cardinal Cataclysm of the West, he can turn anyone and anything he touches into gold. He has complete control of the power too. He basically has unlimited money and wealth, as well as the ability to instantly kill anyone he touches in a moment".
"So that was what he gained from his wish...that's going to be a problem. Leaving aside it could upset the balance of wealth and the worth of gold, that makes him absurdly dangerous".
"Indeed. For now, I think its best if we keep the kids within the kingdom right now, although this guy is cautious and methodical. Any Starfallen police officers and prison guards still around will be going after the guy, since they will understand quickly the danger he faces. So barring no unexpected developments, we have a hear or two".
"Then lets hope for the best...".
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Riza knew Zak was still holding out on him, but he couldn't risk pushing it at the moment. He had hoped to gather more information, but the fact that Zak knew that threw him off his game. And he was certainly holding on to more knowledge, as he seemed to be extremely careful.
Or maybe Zak was mad at Riza. Considering he knew about that, he knew the reasons Riza did what he did. Riza had even mentioned to him what would have happened otherwise, but...as expected, it probably wasn't something he or anyone else could swallow. Since it was, after all, Riza's decision to do what he did. Riza knew what he did was the best decision for everyone, but...it would certainly be a bitter thing to swallow for everyone involved. A lot of Starfallen would hate his guts should they learn about that truth.
He had to wonder how his family would take it. It might be hard on them as well. Ozlo would probably side with him, and he would help the rest settle down. Vartra would probably be emotionally distraught for awhile, but he would understand in time as well.
No, they are all so amazing. I am certain they will all understand in time. About everything. Although I am sure my wife will poke fun at me non-stop forever, and then she will probably gush over various new details.
Understanding the futile conflict, he considered telling them ahead of time, but decided against it. The information would leak, and it was...it was too early. For many reasons.
Right now, things are fine the way they are.
At the same time, Amyris was busy concluding the various magical details of his findings.
"So, we can probably expect Sebas to lash out against us over what we did today. Not soon though, he is far too careful to be overt like that".
Vartra summarized that based on the significance of the findings.
"He also won't want to attract attention with royal investigators on the way".
Riza naturally had reported this matter to the crown. Since it was sensitive material, he couldn't use magic transmissions, which was too easy to tap. The adventurer's guild used them, but as they were used to fight monsters, not people, they would transmit more non-classified material. Powering them was still rather expensive though, so it was used for business only, with carrier birds setting up meetings ahead of time so they could activate them in advance. There were private crystals as well, but they were expensive and were specific to pairs, but still had a risk of being intercepted if you knew the right methods. As such, any information that was even remotely sensitive had to be hand delivered. This was the same for important documents and the like, and naturally commoners relied on couriers as well.
Still, Riza had used a Razorwing hawk to deliver the message. They were capable of flying on average of up to sixty kilometers per hour, and bursts of speeds for a few seconds of up to one hundred and twenty kilometers per hour. They were outrageously expensive to use, partly due to how rare they were, but they were able to deliver messages to the royal capital fast. He was certain it would arrive before the sun rose on the capital, and he knew a confirmation would arrive soon after, followed by an investigation team sent by the royal family themselves. After all, the accumulation of activated Elven mechanical soldiers, and ruins connected to a mad elven alchemist, would raise enough alarms everywhere. Especially with the dormant armors still held within, it was going to be a hot mess.
At the very least, it was unlikely they would use it themselves. Based on the notes found, they needed the young adaptable brains and souls of children to power. Theoretically adults could work as well, but they would lose some of their power, magical ability, and communicative ability. All of that was part of what made them so terrifying, although perhaps someone could find a way to use the materials themselves for something useful.
The biggest worry was that the Empire might try to obtain and steal them away for themselves, and use them against the Kingdom. In fact, they couldn't deny the possibility that this was a plot by the Empire, as all the witnesses were dead, and the Kingdom would certainly leap to that. Even with the Demon King's revival, there were other places that would get hit harder first, especially since these kingdoms summoned the hero. And given how many heroes got summoned, a lot of people would be under a false sense of security. Combine that with the bad blood between the two nations, and it was likely a war would start. They didn't even know if the Demon King would be a big issue for them this time around. Supposedly, the maritime nation of Rakazia had one of its major port cities closest to the continent the Demon King should have revived in completely destroyed, and rumor had it that one of the great cities of magic, Zaknaktar, was destroyed. Both were likely due to that mysterious "three times a year" city destroying ability that the Demon King had, but since no one even understood how the ability worked, it was hard to say. Still, according to legend, it was incapable of targeting a nation's captial for whatever reason, and it couldn't target the area the heroes were summoned in. All that is known is that when it happens, a brilliant beam of light shoots up into the sky, and it only ever happens at night.
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So yes, conflict with the Empire was indeed a possibility. Despite everything, it was not something they could just ignore.
And that guaranteed the presence of royal investigators as a result.
"By this point, they should also know about the Starfallen too. They will be looking for them as well, given the alarming number. I can hide the kids fairly easily, but fully grown adults? Its really hard to make up excuses as for why they lack common sense".
Riza gave his frank opinion on the matter. He would have to send a report to the royal family, and they knew hiding the existence of the Starfallen completely was impossible. Typically, royal families didn't go after or do bad things to Starfallen. There were plenty of documents that even confirmed their existence to the public, although given how rarely they appeared and how they were not as important as heroes, it wasn't odd for them not to draw as much attention and for people to just not know about them either.
However, this situation was different. It was clear there had been many, far more then normal.
Riza bit his lip for a moment, before he decided to bring up a point.
"I will be honest, we got lucky".
"How so dad?"
"I have heard them talk. The city that was hit, had a population in the tens of thousands. Apparently, there are much bigger developed areas with populations in the millions. Places like New York City and Tokyo. Had either of them been hit..."
"...the world would be littered with Starfallen. The situation would be beyond severe" Amyris agreed.
"People would absolutely view that as some sort of invasion. I agree dad, it could have been so much worse. Why did you hesitate to say that then?"
"Because, it makes no sense why they didn't aim for a more populated city. Someone or something must have stopped them, but it also begs the question of why. There is no power in our world that could ever hope to harness and control that many Starfallen. Which makes me wonder...what was their true intentions? Did the Starfallen really scatter across the world by accident...or was that done to hide their true intentions?"
"You think there is either a play, or a player, we can't see?" Amyris asked. "But maybe thats why they didn't target a bigger city? Because they couldn't?"
"Maybe, or maybe...something went wrong. Someone somewhere interrupted the ritual, and something went wrong, and that is what caused this. It went well beyond their expectations. Both the caster, and the one who interrupted their ritual. Perhaps even a third party who hijacked it, tried to manipualte it, had no way of knowing just what would happen. Because I don't see how it could make sense otherwise".
"Unfortunately, there is just far too much we don't know. I think we need to change topics, we wont get anywhere at this point" Amyris concluded.
"Right, the royal investigators. I don't know who they will send. Since they are hand picked by the royal family, on average they are generally pretty good. Thankfully the kings keep selecting good heirs in this kingdom, but there is no guarantee that they are all incorruptible. Still, while likely not corruptible, they will do their due diligence, which could be bad for those of us who try to keep the peace in the background".
"Which means we will all be working overtime to keep everything in check" Ellie muttered.
Vartra let out a sigh. "I am too busy keeping watch over the Mage's Guild. And try not to burden my nephew too much either".
"Still, Sebas is the bigger issue. I don't know what he is up to, but the fact he never appeared himself and never left any trace of his name there...a prideful man like that?" Amyris questioned, worried. "I think to him, even that location was disposable".
"Disposable? With that level of security?" Riza responded, getting a bit pale.
"Yes. I suspect that whatever he is really after, its happening elsewhere. And I worry that if we wait too long, it will be too late when we discover the truth. He uses brute force, not elegant magecraft, to get his way, but he is annoyingly secretive when it matters. Up until now its mainly been petty stuff with some serious illegal stuff mixed in, but now I have to wonder...has he been playing us all along?"
Ellie shot a look out the window.
"You think he might have been hiding his true abilities? With his arrogance?"
"I think we should question everything we think we knew, because I never thought Sebas would be capable of the technical work those soldiers needed. So either he has been playing us, or someone is manipulating him from the shadows. Possibly even both. And in any of those cases, the situation has gotten way more serious then we realized".
All of them nodded, agreeing with the assessment. The Sebas they knew shouldn't have been capable of making the Elven Armors work. It was at a level they thought was beyond him. He had always acted arrogantly, but now they wonder if they had let such a perception cloud his true threat level.
Vartra seemed particularly worried.
"I will be letting my superiors know about this possibility. They already knew he was corrupt, but if they learn he has been secretly concealing just how capable he was...well, that is not a good combo. They might get involved with us too, but I think its worth the risk".
The others agreed with Vartra's words as well.
Still, Riza felt uneasy about everything.
"I don't like the way this is headed...damnit..."
"Riza..."
"Dad..."
"Ri..."
Everyone had known Riza for a long time now. Amyris, Vartra, and Ellie even longer then the others. So they knew he was holding something back, but they also knew how well he could keep a secret. If he didn't want to tell you something, you would never hear a peep out of him. From the way he was clenching his fists, to the point his nails were digging into his palms, they knew he had a burden he couldn't share. But seeing their old friend of several decades, the normally aloof grandpa who acted the age he appeared to be, childish and quirky, in such pain, they wanted to help as they could.
"Damnit...sorry, I think that has to be it for tonight. So Kuroki, Riku, you might as well go to sleep as well" Riza mentioned, resulting in hushed gasps from the other side of the wall. Kuroki then peeked his head out.
"So you noticed huh?"
Riza seemed to almost burst out of his seat, and hug Kuroki. It was such a big hug it actually caught Riku as well, as Riza cried into their shoulders a bit.
"R-Riza?!"
Kuroki was deeply confused. It seemed so sad, yet so warm. It was a familiar feeling he had not felt in a long time. Not since his mom disappeared, it felt like that last hug. Where she had been upset over what was going with him, but couldn't stop it. And then she just vanished. Kuroki reflexively hugged back, remembering the painful memory.
"Don't disappear Riza".
"Eh?"
Riza seemed a bit shocked.
"Please, just don't. I was abandoned once by my mom, when she disappeared. She was the good parent, and my dad pushed her away. So please, dont disappear. I don't want someone I care about to just disappear again. No. Don't disappear again".
Riza seemed shocked by those words, but instead he just held it for a bit longer before releasing them both.
"Listen to me Kuroki. There was no way your mother would ever abandon you".
Riza suddenly said that, leaving him baffled. Riza seemed to see that, so he kept talking.
"I may not have met her, but if she was such a person to give you that a reaction, then her love for you was real. And that means she would have never, ever abandoned you. But of course, I do understand...the truth this probably does reveal..."
Kuroki gulped as he heard Riza's words. He wasn't sure why they were cutting so deep, but it sounded like Riza was speaking of experience. That while there was no way he could have been there, he knew the truth.
But if that was true, if she didn't abandon him...but she did disappear...then that would mean...
"...my father is truly a shitty person who hates losing..."
As much as he hated his father, this thought was so terrible and tragic, he couldn't say it directly. Certainly, he had thought about it a few times. But while he was a child beating scumbag...was he also a murderer?
But Kuroki felt like he knew that answer too. Because as careful as his father had been, Kuroki could have died from his torment if there had been a bad accident at the wrong time.
"...he killed her".
"Sorry...I need to go" Riza mentioned, heading out the door.
Riku looked at Riza run off, a confused expression adorned across his face.
"Why did he run off? What is wrong with him?"
Vartra looked sad, as he turned towards Riku.
"My dad...he witnessed his own grandma be murdered, protecting him when he was four years old. It seems to have left a mark on him. It probably stirred up some old emotions of his. Decades later, and any time he feels like he failed, this can happen".
"We saved everyone though, so how did he fail?"
Amyris shook his head.
"Riza likes to play the aloof child, but that's because he is an incredibly sensitive person. That hasn't dulled with age, even after six decades. Its why he always gets involved, why he likes to stay in the center of the action, why he always moves around from place to place. He doesn't have a hero complex thankfully, that would be too great a burden given how he can be...but while he has learned to manage most days, sometimes things like this happen".
Vartra knelt down and whispered into Kuroki's ear.
"And if he did know about the Starfall ahead of time...its possible he blames himself a bit for not being able to do more for everyone who forcibly arrived in this world".
"Right..."
Riza Luminar. Was he truly a great liar, or did he just understand people? What is the truth behind his facade? Only time would tell, but Kuroki was sure of one thing. No matter what, there was more to Riza's story then any of them knew.
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The Fourth Prince of the Kingdom of Ronia looked at the letter in front of him with great interest.
"Well now, it appears the Oracle's predictions were right" Aztazia Regaliaz mentioned, as the one who went by Aruu LeCross sat in the chair opposite of him.
"So the mechanical soldiers appeared in the south? With the Empire clearly up to something in our western regions?"
"Yes. We have detected movement from the small nation of Krankel that sits inbetween our northern western borders. The Empire has yet to conquer them officially, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were being manipulated to move against us as well".
The fourth prince of the Ronia Kingdom let out a sigh. Sebastian LeCross set down tea for them both.
"Master Aruu, His Royal Highness, what do you plan on doing with that letter? Which royal investigator will you assign to the area?"
Azta looked over at Aruu.
"Yes, tell me, head of the LeCross household, also the S-Ranked Adventurer known as Tamoya, don't you have a friend there? Riza Luminar?"
"Indeed. Although I believe you know him equally well, given he taught you how to hold a sword straight".
"True. Well then, I think given the situation, the royal family should handle this directly, backed up by the LeCross family".
"What a wonderful idea Azta. As expected of my best friend".
"Indeed, bestie" Azta replied, as the two smiled at each other.
"So, you both intend to go. I do hope you don't plan on going alone".
The two shook their heads.
"We will take the royal guard. Also, the city of Azralia has plenty of good practice areas for the heroes, so lets have them join us for a bit".
Sebastian let out a sigh.
"I see you two are up to no good. As expected of White of the Hidden, and the newest member of the Hidden, Garnet".
Azta frowned when he heard that.
"Why am I the gemstone?"
"Because you are a prince, and because you are new. And because Yellow is already taken by Riza".
"Right right. Well, anyways, the Oracle said the people down there could use our help. Apparently a rather nasty devil named Chianthias is plotting something in the future, and we would be best to be there when it does. Improves the odds of something going right".
"Yes. I will let Green know to handle things, and as for Black...once he finishes up where he is, I think I will ask him to look into the Oracle's situation. With the Demon king running around, I am a bit worried about what the dark side of hte Church might do, and...I think we might not want to leave the Oracle in the situation he is in".
"We can't do too much to save him. Not unless its an emergency. We are known to the public as 'The Hidden' for a reason'".
"To avoid them realizing who and what we truly are" the prince said, looking somber. "I hate lying to my family, but I understand its necessary. Very well. I will get some investigators and knights prepared. If we are going, we might as well make it official so we can throw my name around as needed. This seems like it will be an extended trip after all".
That was what Aztazia Regaliaz, also known as the Heroic Prince, and also a member of The Hidden, decided.
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At the same time, within a large workshop full of moving gears and various mechanical elements such as pistons, not to mention countless tools, a young boy was working on what appeared to be a large automaton.
He was Ayazi, also known as The Tempest, the mechanical prodigy who assisted Ozlo in the fight against Chianthias inside of Ozlo's own mind. As he was working, a young girl of similar age came into the room and passed him what appeared to be a wrench, only it was three times as big as any wrench from Kuroki's world.
"The last of the Starfallen with little to no inclination for combat have been safely moved. At least, those that wont be helping run your workshop at least".
"Thanks, Bellra. So I should be free to make my preparations to head towards Azralia then".
"Indeed...I would be happy to accompany you into battle this time as well" she said, a bit antsy. She appeared to be the same age as him, only she was wearing a pure white dress. Her blonde hair was let down, and her crimson eyes gazed at him with a great interest.
Ayazi seemed to sense this as well. He rolled out from under the golem, and raised his arm.
"I still need to work, so please just make it quick".
"Oh, thank you!" she said, as fangs emerged from her mouth and she bit into his arm, beginning to suck a bit of his blood. After about a minute, she let go, seeming rather satisfied.
Thankfully Ayazi was not wearing long sleeves either. He was wearing only a pair of overalls and nothing else, as he was even barefoot. The thirteen year old boy found it more comfortable like this when working on machines in his workshop, his green hair drooping down on his face.
"Still, I wonder if perhaps I should give him a call. I have been working rather hard on my creation after all, and I would love for him to become a beta tester".
"Isn't it still really hard to make them though? That is only the fourth successful prototype you made" Bellra asked, concerned.
"True. But I already planned to make one of them a beta tester, so might as well make Ozlo and Riza both do it. I would like to see the differences the two come up with".
He stood up and walked across the floor towards the workshop table, with Bellra in tow. She gazed down upon the magical device in question, looking very curious.
"Still, this is design is quite curious...why did you go with it?"
"It just...feels right to me" Ayazi mused, as he picked it up and held it into the light. "Yes, it definitely had to be this design".
Had any Starfallen seen it, they would have been shocked. After all, what he was holding shouldn't exist in this world. Or at least, what it appeared to be.
After all, what Ayazi was holding...appeared to be a fancy, ornate, decorated version of a smartphone.
Of course, it wasn't a true smartphone. That was impossible. There was no way anyone could truly recreate a smartphone in this world. It was just a series of spell anchors, a lot of gemstones, all put together into a strong case that was made of material similar to what the Elven Mechanical Soldiers were made of, and the glass was fairy glass. It had been given the ability to do an absurd amount of trivial functions, some card game functions, and all sorts of other things. It was also a magic casting medium, but that and its durability was probably the only things it had over regular smartphones. It obviously had no internet, and it required magic communication methods, which would be only risks. Even if he had an encryption system in it, no encryption is perfect and it would eventually get cracked and need to be reset if someone broke it.
But for Ayazi, it appeared to be enough.
"It took me ten years to update the specs, after twenty years of initial development. The costs and materials needed to make this probably put me in the red several times over. I will be lucky if I can ever even shorten it down to making a single one per year at this rate. But, finally...this invention will put me in the books for sure".
"Put you in the books?"
"Sorry, figure of speech".
Yes, it was a figure of speech...in another world.
"Now then, lets prepare for our journey".
"Yes!" she said, as she raced out of the room and down the hall. Ayazi meanwhile went over to a window and looked out, gazing upon the clouds as he held a smartphone in his hands.
"Forty long years...to think that smartphone addiction can't even be broken by that" Ayazi mused to himself, as he watched the clouds and sky at eye level...as he stood within his gigantic flying workshop, The Grand Aerial Forgeworks known simply as The Skyworks.
And so, another step was taken towards the future.