MENSA, IOLITE

Three days before the attack on Iolite

Long, long ago, when Lucia was at the young age of ten, Gloria witnessed the magic of astonishing beauty. Like her father, Gloria had dark blue wings and hair braided into her left side. Her bangs barely covered her pointy ears.

It was within the castle walls, on the plains. Gloria was on her way from her quarters to check on her sister. The castle grounds were blanketed in snow since it was winter at the time. She spotted the green fairy rolling in the snow there.

“Lucia, your guard is down,” Gloria smiled, flying to her side. “Mother would be furious.”

Lucia was astonished, and her hair froze with fear. “I-I was merely studying with... You got me.”

“I won’t tell mother,” Gloria said. She skillfully twisted the snowflakes in her grasp, fusing them into a small snowman.

Lucia followed suit, shaping her creation as she probed, “Do you hate mother?”

Her heart was not burdened by hatred. Gloria knew better than that. Perhaps it was a sense of discontent. Nonetheless, in the face of her ten-year-old sister, she kept her emotions hidden under a placid smile. “Why would I be? I’m the proud Princess of Iolite. I have all I could ever ask for.”

Gloria reached out to pat the young fairy’s head, but her touch felt leaden, as if she were burdened by sorrow. “Gloria, look what I made!” The young fairy exclaimed, hoping to cheer her up.

Gloria stood there, watching the spectacle before her. With a wave of her hands, Lucia was able to summon blue flames from bare hands without the use of an arcane focus. The flames grew larger and exploded into hundreds of tiny butterflies. She couldn’t help but stare in amazement as the butterflies moved as one, almost as if they were alive. No matter how much Gloria tried, she will never achieve this level of arcane mastery. Yet Lucia could do it without trying.

From that moment onwards, Gloria understood that the palace was not the place where she belonged.

She was truly grateful that Lucia had been blessed with power. It allowed Gloria to leave the royal family behind. She wanted to be far away from the conniving advisors, the pressures of the throne, and most importantly, the weight of being a Princess.

Gloria took refuge in the Mensa Mountains, where she led a simple life of an inventor. From time to time, she descended from the mountains to help those in need, offering magical tools and objects she had devised to improve their lives.

When humans were being banished from the lands, she thought that the royal capital had gone insane. She couldn’t stop the senseless murder, but she secretly built an underground village to house the humans who remained in Iolite. She assisted them in fleeing to the safety of the Serenity Coast, where humans were treated better than in the rest of the world.

“Gloria,” a melodic tone called her name. There, a cheerful boy peeked from the bottom of Gloria’s workstation. The human child noticed that she was working hard on the next invention, but he didn’t care.

Gloria removed her goggles, revealing her sharp fairy eyes. “Boy-a, what is it? You better give me a damn good reason for interrupting me.”

“I mean, I’m leaving in a bit, so I thought I should say bye...?” The boy said, his voice trailing off uncertainly.

Gloria huffed, adjusting her goggles back onto her face. She remained silent, turning back to her work.

“How cruel. We’re the last remaining humans from Iolite, right? Once we’re gone, won’t you be alone? Also, we grew up together!” The boy pouted.

“Ara? Didn’t you mean you grew up? Boy-a, you’re like what, ten?” She asked, pointing the spanner at him.

“I-I’m thirteen!”

“Doesn’t matter, it’s not even one-tenth of my age. Go on and enjoy life on the coast so I can turn this bunker into my workshop.”

The teen smiled. “I’ll give you this if you remember my name,” he said cheekily, placing a jug of honey on the table.

“W-What? How did you even get the money to buy this?” Gloria almost dropped the spanner. She probably needed two arms to carry the jug. Her hands started trembling at the sight of the honey. Her eyes sparkled with delight.

“You’re always telling us to be resourceful, right? I took it from the bees in the trees. It took me two months, you know!”

Gloria smirked. This was the easiest way to get honey, ever. She removed her stuffy glove and placed her hand on the boy’s head, ruffling his brown hair. She studied his facial features intently, as if her life depends on it.

“Boy-a, your name is Richard,” Gloria said confidently.

The boy’s eyes remained in a straight line. “That was my grandfather’s name. I hang out with you every day, but you keep calling me boy-a, boy-a! I’m keeping this!” He pouted, snatching the honey away.

Gloria couldn’t keep in her laughter. Oh, how she was going to miss this. “I’m joking. Thanks, Austin. I’ll see your family off.” Gloria said, accompanying him to the docks. His eyes lighten up. After placing the jug on her workbench, he gave her a tight hug.

“Thank you so much for helping us.”

Gloria felt a tinge of loneliness hit her as she hugged back. “I’ll miss you all. Safe trip over there.”

She watched as the last batch of humans sailed away on their ship, through the Gorge of Iolite. Once she launches the new project, it will surely attract the attention of the Royal palace. She can’t have them investigating the area when humans were around.

She gazed up to look at the near-transparent honey-colored web lines traversing across the mountains of the Gorge. It was her finest piece of invention, what she called the “Pier Pressure”. A supply chain utilizing pressurized geodes that cover the entire Iolite continent. With this, finally, the two halves of Iolite would be connected. Merchants do not need to go through the royal capital to trade anymore.

But there was a problem. Theft. Goods were being stolen left and right. There was no way of knowing how the goods were stolen. The villagers of Antlia at the west end had complained about their guts out to Gloria, but there was nothing much she could do.

There was a small alarm blip from her automaton. She was too busy sending off the humans that it slipped her mind. “Right, I was supposed to meet Krystol today.”

Gloria came out, shoving her junk to the floor, hoping there would be enough space for her guest to pass. Gloria’s room had a pair of human-like machines, each armed with a long sword, which she had created. It was a long-forgotten project that Gloria planned to resume once her issues with Pier Pressure were resolved. She hurriedly swiped a random rag she had retrieved from a nearby cupboard, hoping that the dust will go away on its own.

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She took a glance at her cupboard filled with magical items that she invented, feeling a sense of pride swelling in her. The Beads of Enchantments, Pole of Flexibility, Fan of Illusions, and the Orb of Direction. The Orb of Direction wasn’t really an invention. It was just a crystal ball that rolled in a certain direction. No matter how hard you threw it, it would not shatter but land gently on the floor and roll in a certain direction. What’s most important was it was the first magical item she made.

It’s the thought that counts, right?

She examined herself in the mirror. Personal hygiene was important, she reminded herself. Her braid was neatly tucked to one side.

“I’m sorry for keeping you waiting, Krystol-ya!” Gloria said in a cheerful tone.

The door swung open. A man dressed in dark blue bowed slightly and removed his top hat. His hands were adorned with a slew of bright red and blue rings. She noticed that he would occasionally remove his cloak and hat, but never that masquerade mask of his. His eyes sometimes glared from within the mask.

Krystol was the elf who sponsored her launch of the Pier Pressure project in exchange for moving his commodities to the front of the queue. Regardless, she enjoyed talking to him to pass the time.

“Lady Gloria, or ‘Inventor of Mundane Artifacts’, it’s been a while,” Krystol said as he followed Gloria into the house.

Gloria scowled. “Ara, since when do you speak to the townsfolk? Krystol-ya, what brings you here today?”

“Nothing really, just bringing some goods. How’s the Pier Pressure?”

“Brilliant,” she said.

Gloria guided him to an empty table by using minor telekinesis to push away the clutter. “I’m afraid I don’t have much, Krystol. But please help yourself to some fiery buns.”

Krystol took a quick look around her room and sigh slightly. It was difficult to believe that this was a room of former royalty. The books were stacked haphazardly, some shelves needed dusting, and her laundry was unfinished. Worst of all, she refused to meet outside of her lair, forcing him to enter her home. What a dilemma.

“Allow me,” Krystol sighed, lifting his hand.

His fingers emitted magical particles. The books were rearranged on the racks, and the dust was collected and released from the windows. The laundry was placed neatly in a nearby bucket. A tea set escaped from the cupboards, pouring him and Gloria a cup of tea.

After a few years, it was not an exaggeration to say that the room was clean. “You didn’t have to do that,” Gloria grumbled.

“A little neatness goes a long way,” Krystol said. He sipped her tea, hoping that the tea wouldn’t go to waste.

“You certainly did help yourself with tea,” Gloria said.

“I haven’t had one in a long time. Gloria, can I see the Pier Pressure?”

“Sorry, Krystol-ya, there’s too much theft going around. I have made it so that one can access the panel except for me,” Gloria conveyed.

“I might be able to assist you.”

Gloria gave out a fit of laughter. “I’m sorry, what? How could a businessman like you help me with this?”

“Maybe there was a problem with the controls.”

“For as long as I am alive, only I have access over the panel of the Pier Pressure. You need not worry about that. The problem is always at the receiving end.” She said, placing her hand on her chest.

Krystol asked, “In the state of Antlia?”

“Yes, exactly! Just between you and me, the royal capital has not done much. The theft in Antlia is soaring. And I don’t exactly have the time to investigate it.” Gloria gave a long sigh.

“For a long time, we have known that the royal capital is incompetent,” the gentleman chuckled.

“Among all of them, only Lucia’s the one putting in the effort. I heard that she fully claimed the southern coast.” Gloria said with full admiration.

Krystol gave a smiling nod. “Do you want to look at the newest product I have? I may need a custom order of the geodes for this.”

Gloria was perplexed. “For you to bring it all the way here...”

“Oh yes, this is special,” Krystol said, pulling a carton from thin air. “I had to travel a long distance to get this.”

Gloria examined the box, asking, “Is it rare?”

“No,” Krystol replied, his smile turning vampiric as she examined. Gloria eventually found the clips at the top of the carton and yanked it open. It gave out a small creak as she peeked.

Rows and rows of purple bell-shaped flowers were neatly fitted as a brooch in the carton, ready to bloom at any moment. The flowers had a certain miasma surrounding them, seeping out of the carton. Gloria exclaimed in horror, “This... These flowers are...” Her wings stopped working as she fell to her back. That uncanny resemblance to a certain flower.

“Aren’t they lovely? Pieris flowers are simply enchanting. It could be used to charm and bend the will of the weak,” Krystol explained, placing his hand over Gloria’s shoulder. The grip made her jolt slightly.

“... only found in the Abyss,” Gloria muttered, realizing.

He could easily transport the flowers across the continent if he had access to the system she devised. Then, the entire kingdom would be in chaos. A single whiff of these flowers would derail the sense of morality in the Creations. Soldiers would slay the citizens before them, and citizens would start attacking each other.

Gloria shuddered at that thought. This was not what she created the system for.

“Sad, isn’t it? Like you, Pieris deserves to bloom everywhere.”

“Who are you?” Gloria asked as she rose to her feet and moved away from Krystol.

Krystol remained silent but maintained his arrogant smile. Gloria could almost hear his evil laugh. Her magic fizzed from the tips of her fingers, animating the surrounding automatons. He was aware of her system and inventions. But she just realized that she doesn’t know anything about him.

Her machines came to life, two warrior soldiers holding a long sword. With a few incantations, the blades lit aflame. The one to her right had red crimson flames, while the other had blue flames. It never crossed her mind that someone came from the Abyss.

Krystol faced Gloria and her two machines. The two machines were tall and imposing, wearing the armor of the royal guard. Gloria, on the other hand, was shorter and more fragile. Gloria began to chant her incantation in a soft murmur as the warriors moved to her will.

“Gloria, all you must do is control the Pier Pressure mechanism in Iolite. The Pieris flower would thereafter be bestowed on all Creations.”

The warrior with the blue sword lunged forward in a powerful thrust, while the one with the red sword flanked from his left. Krystol summoned a transparent shield to his use, deflecting their attacks. The force of the blows from the two warriors pushed him backward, but Krystol wasn’t fazed by that.

“Never,” Gloria responded. “I will never side with the Abyss.”

Gloria saw it as an opportunity to pray for a ‘wish’. She drew in her breath, drawing her power from deep within. This might take a decade or two off her lifespan, but it may be well worth it. Her voice box suddenly resonated with the voice of a haunting choir, “I wish...”

The ground shook, making her loose her balance. Crystalized rocks formed around her feet, pulling her down. As she was lodged on the ground, her concentration was lost for a second, stopping the movement of the warriors. Gloria gave a small scream, breaking her spell. The eyes behind his mask gleamed cyan blue and his lips muttered.

“I don’t take rejection well,” Krystol said.

“Have you tried removing your mask, or does it get worse?”

Gloria tried to move her machines once more, but strangely, it doesn’t move. She commanded them to move again, but it was futile. Her two warrior automatons were stuck in place.

“What have you done?” She asked with a calm voice.

“See for yourself,” Krystol chuckled.

Gloria took a glance around the room. Golden crystal rocks arranged themselves in a particular pattern of a strange runic symbol. A symbol she never seen before. She tried to pull her feet out of the crystalized rocks, but it only tightened its grip.

“Shatter.”