Zen was ultimately carried to the containment cells which she noticed were cold and damp. Not a place for a little girl like Edline. She was tossed into a cell and the woman sneered at her. “I’ll have your head for what you did to my daughter!”

Zen grinned. “You can try but you won’t succeed just like so many others.”

The woman ignored her and signaled the guards who made a face and lined up behind the woman again.

“You are as terrible as your daughter! Even your guards don’t like you!”

The woman turned to face Zen scowling. “I am a beauty of the clan. These guards will do as I say! That is all that matters to me.”

“Be careful that the dogs don’t bite the hand that feeds them,” Zen warned but the woman was already gone leaving her with a small bunk in a damp cell upon which to lie.

Ishevara tell me a story...your story?

Yes, Guardian. I started as a small girl on the planet Kalosis. I grew with my sisters to become a powerful mage. I could control time and unmake reality to an extent. Now we were world destructors used to conquer worlds by our father. We destroyed hundreds of worlds before we came upon Velora. She was the greatest of the Galacticals and had the power of transmutation. The power of transforming one being into something completely different. We fought her and as you can guess she made my sisters and me into crystals and cursed each of us with one of the carnal sins. Mine was avarice. Who so looks upon me shall want me and only the pure of heart shall want to use me not for themselves but for others' sake. I’ve traveled many millennia to finally meet my guardian you know.

Wow! Would you ever want to be free?

I would die an unsightly death if I’m ever freed. Part of my punishment I believe. I did terrible things. Your boyfriend has nothing on me.

Zen blushed and petted Ishevara who was hidden under her shirt. She’d let no one use her so terribly whether she had been a good person before or not, it didn’t matter now. She was her friend and she protected her friends. A soft tingle ran through her.

Thank you, guardian. I too protect my friends.

Zen smiled Think you can call me by my name?

I can try Guardi...Zen.

That’s much better! Do you like your name Ishevara or would you rather be called something else?

I can’t recall being called anything else other than Ishevara for centuries.

What about Ishe for short or Vara Shvara or anything you’d like?

Hmm no Ishevara is fine. I can live with the name but I wouldn’t mind the others.

Ok well then Vara it is for short, It fits your one-of-a-kind beauty.

You should see Oshira. Now that is a beauty you will not forget and is cursed with lust, unfortunately.

Zen chuckled

Fitting for one so beautiful I say.

Was she a vain person when she was free?

Was she! She combed her luscious hair thirty times a day to keep it as silky as she could! How she found the time, considering she loved to kill, was beyond explanation, and sometimes I wondered if I wasn’t the only one gifted with time powers.

Zen laughed. You would think bloodthirsty sorceresses would care more about world domination than their hair.

You would think so but not Oshira. She was the most laid-back of us. I loved my sisters even if they were a bit bloodthirsty.

What about you?

I followed my family but I regretted destroying the worlds that I did. Velora saw this and gave me the least punishment. Still, she was harsh for I had killed millions in my family’s name. All to fit in when I was different as night and day to them. In a way, I thank Velora for stopping my family and freeing me from murdering any more souls. I was slowly becoming someone who I despised.

Zen thought of how all she had wanted in the beginning was to please the Arrio and how she had found out the hard way about their double-crossing. It was a hard lesson to swallow but she had always risen above her troubles before. She would rise above this somehow too. At least she thought she would. She stared at the moldy ceiling of her cell and sighed. When are the others getting me out of here? It’s been a while already!

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The doors to the cells were opened and in walked three people. Two she was glad to see and one she was growing to despise as much as her daughter. She sat up on the bunk bed and waited for the dim lighting to reflect upon her.

“She hit Mira! I was only protecting our daughter!”

“Palomera! You should have come to me then not taken this girl, who I granted amnesty, in our custody! You’ve created a headache! Be gone with you!”

“But surely you’re not going to let that monster free! She hurt Mira!”

Rafael turned to face Palomera and huffed. “Our daughter has grown up into a spoiled brat no thanks to her mother. She got what she deserved. Now go!”

Palomera was shocked into complacency and slowly walked out of the room.

Rafael turned to Zen, key in hand, and unbolted the lock. She was tugged into a strong chest and smiled curling into it.

“Sorry, we took so long but Rafael was in a meeting with other nomadic tribes in the area and couldn’t come. I promised Edline to get you out though so I did. Sorry, it took so damn long you shouldn’t have been there in the first place,” Stephan muttered kissing her head.

“I’m out and I’m fine just a little damp from the wet mattress. I’m glad Edline didn’t get contained. She could have caught something.”

Stephan nodded and held her hand. “Let’s get you back in the guest room. Edline is causing a storm over there and I don’t think the others can handle her like she is right now,” he said leading her out of the cell.

“Stephan I am sorry for Palomera’s rash actions. If she tries anything else. You have my permission to sink the bitch. She and Mira have gotten away with whatever they please and it stops now.”

Stephan turned to face Rafael. “Thanks. I don’t think either of them will bother us for a while but if either tries something against Zen...well I can’t guarantee your wife’s or child's safety.”

“Palomera and I are divorced. Have been for a long time. She only has guards because she had my children. I see that she’s abusing her power though. Should have guessed with her. She likes her power. Time to take her status as a beauty I think.”

“What is that,” Zen asked. “She mentioned being a beauty but I didn’t understand a word of it.”

“It’s status given to women. It’s the highest honor and those women all have special gifts. Palomera’s is the growing of the metal crystals we use as a food source. She can grow metal from the ground and we need that. Unfortunately, power has gone to her head”

“What about Mira?”

“Mira has my gift. The ability to create weapons out of metal. Don’t let her soft exterior fool you. She can fight with the best of us when she puts the effort into it.”

“Which is never,” muttered Stephan making Zen grin.

Rafael chuckled, “She might make an exception for your girlfriend Stephan.”

Zen blushed not quite used to being called that yet. Isn’t that what I am though? His girlfriend? The way he held her sure said so and he had no problems showing his affection for her in front of others either. He’s holding my hand again!

“Be careful with Mira. Don’t leave your necklace untended.”

“I can’t take Ishevara off,” she muttered clutching her friend close to her. Now that she knew Ishevara had once been a humanoid, it was harder to think of using her. She was a living breathing person once! She deserves some respect!

Zen kept Ishevara close to her, under her shirt so no one would see her and get the bright idea of owning her.

“You better head to your rooms then. Be careful and tell the young one to keep her temper hmm?”

Stephan grinned. “We’re working on it. So long as your daughter doesn’t put Zen in danger again, she should hold on to her temper.”

“She’s usually a sweet girl. I think the landing on a volcano kinda scared her and set her off.”

Stephan nodded. “Probably. It was a hard ride and Kuja exploded twice.”

Rafael grinned. “Having a metal manipulator onboard probably set her off again.”

Zen frowned but Stephan squeezed her hand gently and grinned. “Sorry, Val is not for sale. We better get going. Thank you, Rafael.”

“Yes, thank you for freeing me.”

“No problem. Be careful with Palomera she lurks outside.”

Stephan nodded and he and Zen began to climb down some stairs Zen hadn’t noticed before.

“She took me by another route. There were no stairs before.”

Stephan frowned and opened the doors straight in front of them. “She took you for the walk of shame? Were there a lot of people out?”

“I couldn’t tell…some people. They just turned their heads and kept working on the gardens I think they were.”

Stephan narrowed his eyes as they came to the main street and Palomera was pacing back and forth. She took one look at Zen and screamed. “What are you doing out of your cell!”

Zen grinned. “Your leader set me free.”

“How could he! You hurt his child! His only child left!”

Stephan sighed. “Palomera, Mira got what she deserved for trying to harm Zen, Now if you don’t move, I was given the liberty to use my abilities on you and your daughter if you come anywhere near my crew again.”

Palomera shrieked and pointed at Zen. “She has to go back in her cell! She is dangerous!”

A familiar glow encompassed Zen scaring Palomera. “I can be, now move you overgrown weed!”

Palomera moved and Zen stopped glowing. Stephan snickered and they both passed to the guest settlement.

“Overgrown weed?”

“She acts like the vilest garden weed I have ever come across. No can of weed killer can get rid of that thing!”

Stephan laughed and brought their entwined hands to his lips.

“You’re something else Zen. Come on Edline is probably shocking poor Isaias by now.”

Zen’s eyes widened. “That’s who you left her with!”

“Yeah? Why is that a problem?”

“You better hope the others do not kill you for this.”