To Gain Trust

“To the matter, then.”

Frein was becoming more and more convinced that a Meiyal Operated Bio-Integrated Life Enhancer could be compared to a brain operated mobile phone. He found the acronym coincidentally uncanny. And when Kristel had mentioned that the inventor of the device currently resided in Atlas Sid, Frein had been secretly struggling to contain his excitement.

For now, they needed to talk about Xiv.

Kristel’s M.O.B.I.L.E. projected a wider screen, a hologram of sorts, depicting a recording of Xiv during his time in captivity.

“This is Xiv Arcturus, Lord Knight of Vyndival. His expertise is with personnel monitoring and peacekeeping rather than monster hunting.”

“Meaning he fights people?” Frein asked.

“Correct.” Kristel seemed to understand his implications. “You don’t see it here in Irista Nation since we have a more efficient way of handling them, but bandits are more prevalent in Vyndival.”

“Bandits, pirates, terrorists. Vyndival is as chaotic as it gets, Son,” Garm followed up. “Most criminal organizations originate from that country. We’re very fortunate that our vigilant eyes in the High Palace Network always manage to catch these people whenever they try to migrate. I’m not all that well versed with the inner workings of it, but I appreciate their work nonetheless. Makes my job a lot easier, that’s for sure.”

Katherine’s M.O.B.I.L.E., S.A.M.—or Sentient Assistant M.O.B.I.L.E.—zipped through the air. The Lady caught it almost immediately and tucked it carefully in her jeans. “Sorry. Haven’t synced with it for a long while.”

No one else paid it any mind, but Frein just telegraphed his suspicions with a narrow stare. Katherine blinked slower than usual. A subtle indicator that she would explain later in private.

“So Xiv’s main job is to keep these people out of business,” Frein said, returning to the topic. “Makes sense how he’d manage to get his hands on royal secrets.”

“Before that,” Garm interrupted. “I am curious regarding the details of the assassination and if his remains are still here so we can study him.”

“Oh,” Frein and Kristel said at the same time. The Princess allowed him to continue.

“I’m sorry, Pa. I might’ve misspoke. The assassination attempt didn’t succeed. Katherine managed to save him.”

“Ah, then where is he now?”

“Asleep, in one of your guest rooms,” Kristel replied. She turned to Frill. “Can you wake him up?”

The Aria’s brow furrowed with worry. “I’ll try, but his recovery hasn’t improved that much since the surgery. He’s showing signs of narcolepsy.”

“That’s to be expected,” Katherine replied. “We don’t have a lot of cases but if I remember correctly, they all showed the same signs. It should be temporary.”

“Surgery?” Garm inquired.

“The assassin aimed for his meiyal core,” his daughter answered. “Despite his innate resistance to Meiyal Arts, this one pierced him clean with one shot.”

“How is he alive?”

Frein then, along with the rest of the group, turned to Frill who was mid stride out of the room. She turned back and answered.

“I gave him Liona’s core.” The Aria’s worried face begged all of them. “He still doesn’t know. I would like to keep it that way for now, please. All he knows is that Lady Katherine healed him.”

Frein and the rest gave her a silent nod. Frill bowed and left to fetch Xiv.

“Do we have any data on the weaponry?” Garm asked to pass the time.

“No. It vanished soon after,” Kristel replied. “Frill held it for only an instant, but she couldn’t discern any meiyal signature.”

“What if it’s not a Meiyal Art?” Frein asked and all heads turned to him.

“Meiyal Arts and Armaments both leave some sort of signature,” Garm said, implying his assumption along with a counterargument.

“It’s probably not Meiyal Armaments either. It could be Meiyal Weaving.”

“Master Midan’s discipline? The one he used to make the Vanguard?” Kristel’s tone brought with it a form of accusation. Frein was quick to grasp it.

“I know what you’re thinking, Kristel. I’m not proposing that it’s him or his students. It could be any of them, but I have no proof. What I’m trying to determine here, however, is the nature of the weapon used for the assassination, not to point fingers.”

Kristel visibly calmed down. “Alright. Apologies. Why Meiyal Weaving, then?”

“Well, for starters, Meiyal Weaving doesn’t leave a signature. You can observe the Vanguard all you want, but you won’t find any. Second is the weirdness of Meiyal Armaments, or Vyndivalians for that matter.”

Admiral Garm caught on Frein’s train of thought. The Visitor saw it and allowed the Admiral to present his idea.

“The Vyndivalians’ fortitude and resistance are specific to the Nightmare Lands and Meiyal Arts.”

Frein nodded. “At least that’s what the records say,” he pointed out, reminding himself and everyone of how pieces of information could be controlled when it came to documents and records.

“Still, if that is to be believed, then Meiyal Weaving could potentially be effective against their innate sturdiness. Ergo, Xiv being helpless against one. I didn’t find any description of the weapon aside from it taking the form of an arrow. We can probably find some clues from it if we have more details,” he finished as Frill re-entered the room.

“It’s crystalline in form,” she replied. “Dispersed into pure meiyal as soon as I got a hold of it.”

“That could be any aspect, then.”

“Aspect?” Kristel asked.

“As it turns out,” Frein began, producing Midan’s notes from his Spatiera. “Meiyal Weaving has specific attunements towards certain aspects. For Master Midan’s case—as well as his students’—their attunement is with earth and stone. This allows them to Weave those elements easier than, let’s say, water.

“But pure meiyal could be any aspect.” Frein placed the book on the center table. “He said I can use it however I want, so it should be alright to share.”

Frein noticed that Frill had gone back outside of the lounge during his explanation. She returned pulling somebody behind her.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

Xiv was listless for the first few seconds until he saw everyone in the room. He shot awake as though someone just splashed iced water over him.

“Should I be here?” he asked. “I’m sorry, Frill said it was important, but I don’t think I should be here.”

“We need to talk to you, Xiv,” Kristel commanded with a soft tone. “Can you handle a few questions?”

Frein could see the gradual realization from Xiv’s face. There was relief and sudden anxiety. And his eyes were wary of Admiral Garm. Kristel must’ve noticed it as well.

“This is Admiral Garm Militia, Katherine’s father. You can trust him as much as you trust us.”

“I’m sorry, I know you mean well,” Xiv said, holding up a hand. “But the more people are involved, the more risky things will get. And it will be a lot riskier if we record this.”

“Fine, no recording then.” Kristel tapped on her M.O.B.I.L.E.’s screen and it promptly disappeared. The orb then dimmed and she placed it on the center table so everyone could see it. “But I assure you, you can trust Garm.”

Xiv sighed. “Alright. I realize, at this point, I should risk it all the way anyway.”

Garm raised his hand, taking everyone’s attention. “Why are you willing to betray your kingdom, Xiv? If I may be so bold as to ask.”

The Vyndivalian shook his head. “I’m not here to betray Vyndival, Admiral. My long term goal is to establish a working relationship. The Void Encounter that ate half of my motherland pretty much ensured that the kingdom won’t survive for another year or two. The failed invasion of Minaveil pretty much made that possibility sealed in stone.

“During the battle, I took the chance to leave my kingdom so that by the time my foolish King realizes he has no other choice but to ask for your help, I may have then rectified whatever bad blood there is between our countries. I also wanted to help as much as I can to ensure that in the worst case scenario, there will be at least one nation left standing against the Nightmare Lands. Vyndival no longer has any hope for survival, so I’m risking it all for Irista Nation in the hopes that you’ll be open to help Vyndival when the time comes.”

Admiral Garm nodded his head and turned to Katherine. The Lady met eyes with her father and nodded as well.

“Very well. I’ve heard your resolve and find it worthy of my services. I am at your disposal.” Garm stood and extended a hand. “I’m sure the Visitor already told you about the handshake?”

Frein felt Xiv’s eyes turn to him for a brief moment before extending his own hand. “Yes. Thank you.”

“Good.” Garm gestured towards an open seat, allowing Xiv to sit first. Frill finally returned to her spot beside Kristel. “The floor is yours, Lord Knight.”

“I’ve been stripped of my title long before the invasion.”

“You’re a proper one in my eyes, Xiv. I will treat you as one.”

“Thank you.” Xiv eyed each of them before taking a deep breath. “Our immediate concern is the bombs. Princess, I believe you’ve seen them. Dystro was assigned to smuggle them into Central.”

“We’re sure they’re bombs?” Frein asked, purposefully interrupting the flow.

“No.” Xiv shook his head. “That’s the second problem. But regardless of what they do, we don’t want them in Irista Nation.”

“Good point,” Garm said. “What do they look like?”

Kristel picked up her M.O.B.I.L.E. and presented an image of the bombs. Frein observed them with a keen eye.

“Can I have a copy?” he asked. Kristel just swiped towards him and his device responded. “Thanks.”

Frein would rather call them orbs, or containers. They were about half Kristel’s size. Try as he might, Mesiffera couldn’t discern anything from the image. But the peculiar seals above each orb looked more like lids than a triggering mechanism.

“I can’t see anything that could set off these things,” he said. “Then again, I can’t just rely on what’s familiar. I think we should give it a proper name, though.”

“How did these things come about, Xiv?” Garm asked.

“It was given to the King by some mysterious entity. Clad in some black cloak that hides everything about the person. It was supposed to be a gift, the trump card.”

“What’s the plan with them?” Frein asked this time. There was nothing to be gained by asking about the mysterious person. There had been too many instances of that for Frein to care at this point. He filed it within his Mind Palace either way.

“The plan was to distribute them from Central. There are ten of them in total. Five are supposed to stay in the capital, and another five will be brought inside the High Palace. That was the original plan if we managed to breach Minaveil and Southshore without problems.”

“But you couldn’t breach Minaveil,” Kristel pointed out.

“No, we couldn’t. That fact alone may have altered their plan.”

“When do they plan to trigger it, or activate it, or whatever?” Katherine asked.

“On the night Monarch Denis dies, supposedly.” Xiv made an apologetic bow towards the Princess. “I’m sorry, but news of him becoming ill reached us as well.”

“It’s fine,” Kristel said, turning to the Admiral. “How was he before you left?”

Garm was alarmed. “That was a month ago, Princess. You do not check on your father regularly?”

“I do when I can, Admiral. I wanted to take your opinion.”

The relief that appeared on Garm told Frein he wasn’t convinced. So was he.

“The Monarch is not very well, I’m afraid. But he is not dying.” Garm Militia gestured for Frill to refill his cup. The Aria did so without interrupting the conversation. “They would be waiting for a long time.”

“Someone might assassinate him,” Frein said bluntly, gesturing at Xiv.

“Me? I didn’t—”

“No.” Frein waved a hand. “Someone assassinated you, remember? If they can afford to send a Nightmare in the middle of the safe zone, wouldn’t that mean they can get into the High Palace as well?”

Silence descended upon the room.

“Frein is right,” Garm said. “I’ll send word. We have ample security in the High Palace, but this is still too unprecedented to ignore.” He turned to Kristel. “While I’m at it, I would suggest visiting him as soon as you return to Central, Princess.”

Kristel’s face turned sour at the suggestion, but the Admiral insisted.

“This isn’t some militaristic advice, Princess. You may only see your father for the Monarch that he is, but I tell you now, his love for you far surpasses that of war or even the reaches of the Nightmare Lands.” He gestured to Frein and Katherine. “These two can show you only but a fraction of that love.”

Kristel blushed a little and sank into her chair.

“Very well, Admiral. I intend to see him anyway,” she said and quickly returned her attention towards Xiv. “What else should we worry about?”

“More spies, above any other possibilities. The biggest issue is identifying who’s who.”

“I can help with that,” Katherine said, smiling. “I have Heart’s Will, you see.”

“Wait,” Xiv interrupted. “You shouldn’t be telling that willy-nilly, right?”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. I used it on you the entire time and you didn’t even notice. If I knew we were having internal trust issues from the start, I would’ve used it on everyone. But at this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if the enemy knows about my Blessing anyway. Just treat it as a return gesture for your trust. And besides…”

Katherine trailed off. Frein caught her head slowly turning away from Xiv and towards Frill who was walking behind the Vyndivalian on her way back to her post. Frein nudged an elbow as subtly as he could.

“I know enough that you won’t go telling everyone about it.” She smiled slyly at Xiv who looked like he caught the message…or threat.

At that, Katherine hopped off the armrest with a jolly bounce. “Well then, I should start preparing lunch. Frill?” She motioned for the Aria to join her. “I’ll see you guys in about three hours. Pot roast beef with chili cheese pop potatoes.”

“That sounds lovely,” Garm commented as he looked on towards his daughter skipping out of the lounge.

Frein felt an intense stare. He quickly turned away from Xiv while purposefully raising a hand to hide his smile. He faked a frown to make it seem like he was in deep thought, but it didn’t rid him of the Vyndivalian’s spear-like stare.

“So, Frein,” Garm called, oblivious to the tension. “I would very much like a showcase of your combat abilities.”

Frein took it as an excuse to get out. “You want me to teach your rookies?”

The Admiral was almost taken aback. “How did you—no matter. Yes, a small sparring session, if you will, so long as any injuries are within the capabilities of a basic Samesia.”

“Frill keeps the training hall functional and well maintained,” Kristel said.

“Well, I’ll bring my kids over.” Garm rose to his feet. “I’ll meet you there after delivering some light scolding.”

“I’ll go check on Frill first so they know where to find us,” Kristel said, turning her attention to Xiv and then back to Frein. “You mind keeping an eye on him?”

“I won’t go anywhere,” Xiv protested.

“I know, but Frill said you’re suffering from slight narcolepsy. We hope it’s temporary, but for now, we should keep an eye on you so you don’t accidentally hurt yourself.”

“I got him. No problem,” Frein said as he rose to his feet. “I’ll see you guys over there.”

Xiv followed closely with questioning eyes. Frein entertained the thought of teasing him, but thought better than to complicate the situation.

“Don’t worry, Kat won’t say anything.”

“How could you be sure? Do you have Heart’s Will, too?”

“I wish.” Frein snickered. “I know her enough. She’s not the kind of person to meddle in personal affairs and relationships unless asked. That used to be her job.”

They arrived at the entrance of the training hall. But before he entered, Frein decided to give Xiv one final encouragement.

“Look, man. You’ve got a steep climb ahead of you. A Lord Knight falling in love with the royal retainer of his enemy country’s future ruler? I honestly thought you’d go for the Princess!”

He placed a hand on Xiv’s shoulder to stop him from complaining.

“I think you should go for it. Aim straight and true, my friend. Frill’s there, just waiting. If you don’t do anything, someone else will. You have no idea how famous she is. Country, duties, responsibilities be damned. If you really like her, you should let her know. If admiration turns to love, you’ll have gained something more important than just saving your country.”

“Is that why you’re here?”

Frein smiled and pushed open the steel doors of the training hall. “Oh, yeah.”

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