-Break-
Φ “Sir, where should I put my sculpture?”
“On the left, you will find a Zterytavis in section D to place your sculpture on.”
Walking away, the woman says, “Thank you.”
“Hello young man, what is the drop-off place for my kids.”
“We are loading the kids to sections based on the family names, so start from over there and continue down the rows of Zterytavises till you find the corresponding one, and if your kids have any allergies there are special Zterytavis that they have to ride on.”
“Thank you.”
As I let out a sigh, I hear Iancu beside me say, “Are you ok Orb, isn’t all this organisation hard.”
“No, it is alright, in fact, the more complex the rules and system are, the more I understand, and I definitely can’t lose to Elia,” I say looking at her. “Not only did she draw up this entire organisation system, but she is also making it run incredibly smooth, is she some sort of monster?”
Φ “Don’t bother trying to keep up with Elia, she is like a human calculator.”
“What’s a calculator?”
“Sometimes the primitive technology of the world really shocks me, Elpída was so much better, Though I guess at least the people actually smile on the outside.”
“You still haven’t answered my question.”
“A calculator is a machine that instantly does complex maths sums for you.”
Looking over to Orb I see his hair turn Coral with a face of utter disgust; pretty sure I have never seen this colour before.
“Who in god’s name would sully arithmetic by creating a machine that up-ends the process, have they no respect for the art form of arithmetic!” Orb says as he stomps towards me, causing me to walk backwards.
“I don’t know, take it up with the person in question.”
“I swear to god when I find the person who made such a thing, I will skin them alive, rip out their heart, then slaughter all their children.”
Under my breath a mumble, “The person is long since dead.”
Grabbing me, Orb shakes me back and forth Orb while he says, “Hey stop pretending like this doesn’t have anything to do with you, I am your friend and I need moral support.”
Φ Feeling a tapping on my back, I turn around to see Elia. When I face her, I instantly get slapped on the face, “Stop making noise you idiot, you are stressing all of the people out.”
“Sorry about that it won’t happen again.”
“Good,” Elia says with a smile as she hits me with a backhanded slap.
“What was that for!” Noticing her hand has not returned to her side after the slap, I look at it to see she is pointing towards Atalanta.
“She arrived just a moment ago.”
Walking towards Atalanta, I say, “Thank you!”
Φ Getting up from the floor I say to Elia, “Here I thought you came here to protect me.”
“Protect you, the one who should be protected is me I am just a frail girl.”
“Whatever you say you demonic ogre.”
Turning around she kicks me in my face and says, “Watch you, damn vampire, I ain’t so fragile where I can’t skin you alive!”
“Try you troll!”
Φ Standing in front of Elia I say, “I heard what happened to Dush this morning, are you ok?”
Turning to see me Atalanta says, “Lanta is super ok, I have no time to be sad since burying my friend is my first priority.”
“But still?”
“Stop being a lame worry wort Orb, Us died with quite a nice smile on her face so this isn’t the time to be sad about her life but to celebrate it in joy.”
Despite having a bright smile on her face, I see tears forming in her eyes so I say, “That’s good to hear then.”
“And besides I got stinking rich off of Dush, I probably don’t have to work another day in my life, I can just eat sleep and have sex all day long.”
“You’re deplorable, and here I thought we could be friends.”
“Don’t worry Orb me and you can never be friends, since from now till I die my only friend will be Dush.”
“Well, whatever, it is not like I wanted to be your friend or anything.”
Putting her arm around my neck, she says while pushing her finger into my cheek, “What, did you want to be my friend Orb, were you actually playing hard to get this entire time? That’s some maroon hair you have could that indicate jealousy.”
“No, it doesn’t I am just constipated.”
“Oh, blue hair now looks like the little boy is embarrassed, how cute.”
Throwing my hands up to break her grip I say, “Not in your wildest dreams, IDIOT!”
Giving me another hug from my waist Atalanta says, “She might be my only friend, but you are my little brother Orb.”
“I might catch an std by being related to you.”
Squeezing me tight, she says, “Oh looks like my little brother needs some discipline.”
“Lady Lanta.”
Turning me the face the direction of the voice we see it is Elliot, “Elliot are you ok?”
“Yes, lady Lanta I just came to inform you of something since we have finished packing.”
“Packing?”
“Yes, I and all of the Krik family staff will all be coming with you.”
“Wait what. Are you sure about that, it is not like I wouldn’t want you guys, it is just that I thought you would all rather stay on Skydust?”
“Well, that is what we planned but I read this.”
“That looks like.”
“It is the second letter that Dush wrote, and it is addressed. She apologized to us for how horrible a boss she was, and that she was thankful for us putting up with her.”
Seeing Elliot shaken up, Orb says, “Are you ok?”
“Reading this note made my heart sink, Dush talks as if she was a plague brought upon us but in actuality, we all respected her so much, with very little education and no one to lean on she was able to keep the Kritz business operating for years, despite how she feels about herself not everyone could come close to doing this. I just wish I had more time to tell her how amazing she was.”
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Wiping the tears forming in his eyes Elliot says, “But that’s in the past now we have to look forward. All of us working for Dush have lots of experience running the Kritz family business, so we should be able to set up a business to provide the kids with money if necessary.”
With a smile, I say, “It is good to have you.”
“WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!” we hear someone scream.
This erupting voice pulls the attention of all of those close by to see it, “Suddenly all us kids have to leave Skydust with all our possessions, and you adults won’t even tell us the reason why.”
“Chris it isn’t that simple.”
With tears in his eyes, the young boy Chris says, “Then explain it to me, explain it to us!”
“It isn’t something you have to worry about.”
“But I am worried, everyone keeps acting and talking as if I will never see any of them again, all of this has been making my mind go crazy as if it is about to burst. WHAT IS GOING ON, WHY DO WE ALL HAVE TO LEAVE, MOM, DAD, I AM WORRIED ABOUT YOU GUYS, AND UNTIL YOU TELL ME I AM GOING TO SIT RIGHT HERE!”
As the boy sits down, all the kids in the area around us start to sit down as well, refusing to move.
“Elliot, did you do what I asked you to this morning?”
“I prepared it all before I came here!”
“Good. Orb, I am going to need your help.”
-Break-
Φ “Chris, please get u,p we need you to get on the Zterytavis as soon as possible.”
Crossing my arms I say, “I refuse! I won’t leave you two, not now, not ever.”
With a demanding voice, my father says, “CHRIS GET UP FROM YOUR ASS AND DO WHAT YOUR MOTHER SAID THIS INSTANT!”
Hearing my dad’s voice I shake and start to cry, but I say, “I refuse, if I get up and go now I feel like I will never see you two again, so NO!”
Suddenly I feel something wrapped around me. Turning my back I see a beautiful woman with red hair, as she stares directly into my face I blush.
“Little one, this scarf I just put around you will make sure you're connected to everyone else who wears it.”
Walking over to my parents she puts a scarf on both of them and says, “So no matter how far you go from your parents, you will always be attached to them, and the same goes for all of you who have been giving a piece of this scarf. From this point on every one of you are connected no matter if you like it or not.”
Looking around, I see all the people around us being handed a piece of the scarf as the lady says, “The lot of you all better keep those scarfs safe because the person who made this carried your creations all over the world, so I don’t want to see any crying just joyful smiles over the presents you have all been given.”
Getting down on their knees to give me a hug, my parents say, “You see Chris.”
“No matter how far we all are.”
“The three of us will always be connected,” I say unable to restrain my tears.
-Break-
Φ “Mime, where are we going?”
“We need to figure out a way out of Skydust.”
“But don’t you want to stay with everyone?”
“No, you idiot, don’t you remember our abiding principle? Thieves rule number 0; the only person you can trust is-.”
“Yourself.”
“And since me and you are one body one soul, we can only trust-.”
“Each other.”
“That’s right Anto, now we have to go!”
“Mime.”
“What is it Anto?”
“If you don’t want to stay with them, why are you crying.”
“Shut up idiot, your crying as well.”
“Because I don’t want to leave them.”
“Well too bad, last time we trusted people they stole all our inheritance and left us broke on the streets, so we only can trust each other.”
“So that’s why such young thieves are kids.”
“You idiotic brats.”
Before me and Mime can react to these voices we are both grabbed, then scarves are wrapped around us.
Shaking her body Mime says, “Orb, Atalanta let go of us!”
“I refuse, you both lost to us.”
“So, from this moment you are ours.”
“And anything I choose to have, I will protect it with my life!”
“I don’t believe you, Lanta over there hates us.”
Letting out a sigh, Lanta says, “You are both annoying as hell, but I think I would like to have you both around.”
“Hehe Mime, your crying face is so ugly.”
“So is your Anto!”
-Break-
Φ As everyone has been loaded onto the ship we all prepare to take off. “Iancu.”
“Already on it,” he says using his legacy on it.
“NOW TAKE OFF!” I scream as the ship goes into the air.
When we take off I see Suzuka and Cyrus run to the deck where they scream, “You guys better win!”
“D-D-Don’t lose!”
Though their voices are overtaken by the kids screaming back at their parents. But with my hearing, I hear Jeter scream back, “Thank you both so much!”
As Atalanta comes up beside me, I say, “Are you sure you wanted to break up Dush’s scarf like that?”
“Dush wanted to be a part of the community of Skydust so badly, and now I think she has become an irreplaceable part of it. So, I feel like this is the best option for it.”
“That’s good to hear,” I say as we walk back to the control room. While walking into the control room I see Elia and say, “Hello there.”
But she gives me the most disgusted face I have ever seen, and says, “Don’t talk to me, I might puke! And to think I trusted you.”
“What the hell is her problem?”
“Oh, it might be that the scarf I gave you was the section we used Elia tights to make.”
“So, the scarf I have wrapped around my neck is-.”
Φ “Yes, it is Elia tights, and actually some of your hair as well. I guess she got pissed because this technically counts as something perverted, though it was unintentional on your part.”
Turning over to Orb I see his nose leaking blood like a waterfall. “How dirty-minded you are.”
Φ “I am nothing of the sort.”
“ORB!” I hear Iancu scream.
Running over to him I say, “What is the issue.”
“Look in front of us.”
Looking in front of the ship, I see a group of gryphons forming something of a blockade in our path. “It is Gevurah, tell everyone to get into battle positions.”
“Wait Orb,” Atalanta says. “Look at them they are parting in our direction.”
“Are they letting us through?”
As we fly through their enclosure, they immediately return to their positions completely ignoring us. Letting out a sigh I say, “That was a close call.”
Running into the room Cyrus and Suzuka, say “Orb come quickly.”
“If you are talking about the gryphons, it seems that won’t be an issue.”
“N-N-No not that, co-o-o-ome Orb.”
Following both of them, I go to the deck of the ship and to the far, far, right of us, I see a giant winged wonderbeast, it is so large that I think it is over twice the size of the bohemian whale on Elpída.
“What the hell is that!”
-Break-
Φ “When the gryphons let the kids through, tell them to scout over Skydust, we need to make sure they have no more flying wonderbeasts left. Koa make sure the encirclement around Mount Lock is airtight, we cannot let Percy escape no matter the cost.
We are going to siege them out of food we will make this a bloodless war, I refuse to let any lives be taken because of this, DO YOU HEAR ME!”
“YES SIR!”
Hearing a clapping sound, I look over to see a man say, “That was a nice speech General Maria, you really are wonderful.”
Looking at the man dressed in the robe I realize he is a cardinal; a high-ranking official in Gevurah who only answers to the king who holds the title of pope.
Koa says, “Cardinal Samson, we are in a wartime situation so would you please save anything you have for us later.”
“The reason I am here is regarding that. As of this moment, every single member of the Maria army is to return to Gevurah.”
“We are in a wartime situation like this I outrank you, so unless you have a papal decree, I don’t have to take orders from you.”
“You people really have no manners, but what can I expect from a refugee. Gevurah happily took you people in after your country was destroyed, yet you show such disrespect towards officials.”
Koa enraged says, “Unlike you Maria got her position through merit, not blood ties, so what right does scum like you have to insult her.”
“Sorry, it was stupid of me to expect people like you to understand the meaning of family lineage. Since the piece of crap kingdom that most of the Maria army was born in was completely crushed”
Koa shouts, “WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!”
Holding him back I say, “You can say whatever you want, but that doesn’t matter since I don’t see a decree on you anywhere. So come back when you have the authority of a 2nd seat.”
Letting out a little laugh the cardinal says, “I might not have a papal decree, but on the battlefield, there is one other way to outclass a 2nd seat.”
“No, it can’t be.”
“By Order of one of our country's seven 1st seats; Solaris the Dawn, as of this moment the war with Gevurah has ended and all parties are to return home.”
-Break-
Φ On the back of a giant flying wonderbeast a man with a gold mask on says, “Vedrfolnir, thank you for bringing me here.”
Standing up on the back of Vedrfolnir I say, “So this is the foolish country Skydust. To think you would risk war over something like, this how pointless. But fret not, I will make your pointless existence worth something as I use you as a warning towards Gevurah's future enemies.”
Holding my spear in my hands up I say, “Heed the call of Solaris the Dawn, now my legacy, Advent.”
Φ Suddenly while me Suzuka, Cyrus, Atalanta, and Iancu, look out at the giant wonderbeast we see a giant light fall towards Skydust, which causes Suzuka to scream wildly.
“THEY ARE ALL IN PAIN, THEY ARE ALL DYING, I CAN’T HANDLE THIS!”
As she starts to spasm, I try to hold her but she eventually collapses and falls unconscious and when she does the light from the heavens stops. Looking at the top of Mount Lock, I see the area where Skydust was, has been completely obliterated with only a crater remaining.
“What the hell, did somebody do this?”
Φ Seeing the light from the heavens stop, I hear the cardinal behind me say, “Looks like the vermin have been wiped out!”
Walking towards the mountain I start to run, but am held back by Koa who says, “Calm down.”
But in response, I just scream, “SOLARIS YOU BASTARD!!!”
3rd cycle, year 2026: On the 10th day of the fifth month Gemini, the country of Skydust declared war on Gevurah, and was then obliterated by Gevurah in less than 24 hours.
And in the library of Cordum, this tragedy was recorded as the Skyfall incident.
Arc 7 End