Chapter XLII: Dagon MagusA Chapter by OranThe last chapter didn’t mean anything at all. In fact, the story could have just gone along without it. Just think of it as an omake chapter or something, dear reader. The 41st chapter does not pertain to anything regarding to plot twists or foreshadowing for the main plot in the future, whatsoever.
Seriously, pay no mind to it.
Actually, just forget about the last chapter and pretend you didn’t read it at all because it wasn’t supposed to be in the story. Do not keep in mind anything about it that relates to the story’s plot because there is absolutely nothing to be curious about it.
Why do I get the feeling you don’t trust me?
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Now we are back to our main character. As he rests soundly on a bed covered in pink linen, his eyes slowly open.
His orange pyjamas were-
Oh, dang.
That’s not our main character. It’s Naiya back in Berial Magus.
“Morning.”
Her Anima, Maria, greeted her in her wake.
She was about to reply but something in the back of her head ached so bad that she was muted from her reply.
“Ouch”, Maria gasps. “Yeah, I felt that too”, she says, rubbing her head with her paw.
“The state of Equilibrium is growing unstable”, she explains to her cat while sitting up straight.
“Good evening, Miss Naiya”, Crisostomo arises from his post when he finds her awake.
“It’s this late already?”, she wonders whilst gazing out at the darkness on the window.
“Yes, you’ve been out cold for most of the day.”
“And I made sure this pervert didn’t touch you while you were knocked out.”
“It was an accident!”
“Sure it was, you creep.”
Naiya was worried about what they were talking about so she reacted.
“What accident? If it’s about the room, I took responsibility and restored everything-“
“No, it’s fine. You fixed it up pretty good. What I was talking about was...” Crisostomo pauses, clears his throat, and changes the subject. “More importantly, His Highness has ordered me to inform you that he has some questions for you and would like to meet you as soon as you are able.”
“Of course.”
Naiya slips off her sheets and climbs down the bed.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to go right now”, the Guard Captain reasons.
“It’s fine”, Naiya stands up straight. “Whether I stand or sit, the same effect shall persist so I’d like to meet him right now.”
“Very well.”
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Berial Magus was established 16 years ago, about a month or two before the Elemental Incident ensued. It all started with Dagon Adamant who came from a lineage of slave Aristocrats. Yes, there are slave Aristocrats because the meaning of the word is different from the one in your world, dear reader. To be of Aristocracy means you have the natural ability of controlling your mana, and there is an unlimited amount if potential for someone who learns this art.
Back then, The Upper Kingdom decided that these mages were too powerful to be kept within their walls, especially the mages of the Adamant clan. Before long, they’d treat these mages with cruelty and enslave them to break their spirit with enforced laws that break the bounds of justice among them.
Naturally, a revolution occurred, about a century later, but it would not have started without the ideas of Dagon Adamant.
His family sent him out to be educated at Novaliches, capital city of Anion, Region of Elementals. When he returned home he began writing reforms against the Monarchy that gave light to the government’s injustice.
Soon, the cries of revolution filled the air, and the only solution the officials could think of was to grant the mages sovereignty instead of letting them stay in power to rule The Upper Kingdom.
The result was Berial Magus, a region for mages, by mages, ruled by its king and founder, Dagon Adamant.
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“...And after that, Dagon Adamant married a lovely girl named Beatrice Bracken, and she bore him the most beautiful girl in the Known Regions.”
The King of Berial Magus looks to the bed as his daughter seemed sound asleep from his story.
“I love you, baby.”
He kisses her forehead and puts her under the cover of a blanket.
Rising from his bedside seat, he hears someone knocking at the door.
“Who is it?”, he asks after making his way to the door.
“It’s Crisostomo, Your Highness. The Elemental insisted on meeting you immediately.”
“I see. Is she there with you?”
“I am here, Your Highness”, Naiya answers.
“Good.”
He lets them in, curious as to what his guest would look like. To his surprise, she turns out to be a young girl wearing a school uniform with a matching skirt and a cape. There was also this white glowing cat following her around as he led her to sit on his table. As they take their seats, the King orders Crisostomo to get them some refreshments while he began with the discussion.
“It’s nice to finally meet you. You’re a lot younger than I expected”, the King starts.
“I am sixteen years old, sir”, she calmly states. “My name is Naiya.”
“I am delighted to make your acquaintance, Miss Naiya. First and foremost, I’d like to thank you for finding my daughter. I cannot thank you enough for bringing her home safely. We were fortunate enough to have enough time to administer the shot to stop her from coughing up blood.”
“Is it true that you passed-out after seeing daughter?”, Maria questions while she hops on the table.
“Maria”, Naiya calls her.
“What?”
“You’re being rude.”
“It’s totally fine, Miss Naiya”, the king says. “Yes, I did pass out from disbelief that my daughter is still alive. Truthfully, I’d abandoned all hope of finding her when she went missing months ago.”
“It’s a good thing we found her, right Naiya?”
“Yes.”
[1] “Such fascinating energies...” The king observes closely at the white cat.
“What are you looking at?”, Maria suddenly turns to him.
“This... pet of yours seems to emanate with a large amount of-“
“Who are you calling a pet, you dirty old man!” Maria furiously antagonizes.
“Maria!”, Naiya scolds.
“But he just called me your pet! I’m not your pet, I’m your sister!”
“This one is quite lively, isn’t she?” The king remarks as he chuckled in amusement.
“Pardon this atrocious display of impoliteness, Your Highness. I will send her off immediately.”
“There’s really no need for that. Let her speak as she pleases. After all, you helped bring my daughter home safely, and for that I am very grateful and eager to repay you and Miss Naiya.”
“Did you hear that? He says he wants to repay us!” Maria excitedly hops around. “Make him order us some waffles ~ Make him order some waffles ~ Make him order some waffles!”
“I cannot make such a ridiculous request in the middle of the night-“
The king stood up, cutting her off mid-sentence, and headed toward a crystal orb at the corner of the room. He touched the surface of the orb and started speaking through it like a hotel guest calling for room service.
“Wake up Sheldon. Tell him to make two plates full of waffles.”
He touched the orb once again and headed back to his seat with a smile on his face.
“I... I love you!!!”
Maria hopped on his shoulder and snuggled herself on his cheek.
“Oh, dear. I see you’ve grown quite fond of me”, he says while petting her.
“Of course I have! I mostly grow fond of anyone who gives me food!”
Just then, Crisostomo came in with their tea on a silver platter.
Damn, it looks like Earl Grey. I hate Earl Grey.
He places two teacups with matching teaspoons and saucers on the table then pours some tea from the silver kettle.
“Thank you, Crisostomo”, the king says.
“If there is anything else, I’ll be right outside, sire.”
He exits and takes his post outside the door.
“Now, then...” He takes a sip of his tea as if it weren’t hot at all. “Why don’t you tell me about how you came to be? You seem to have gone a long way.”
“It’s quite a long story. Would you like to hear from the start?”
“Why, of course. I’d like to hear it all. We have all night to talk, my dear.”
“Right, then... Have you heard of Fortuna’s Citadel?”
“I’ve caught wind of it. I hear the place was ravaged by a plague of some sort.”
“Correct. All of the denizens died out, save for me.”
“I see... So you were living there at the time.”
“Yes. During the events of the Elemental Incident, an old lady escaped the city along with me and I ended up growing in the Citadel as a child. She taught me many things about the world as we lived a simple life in the Citadel.”
“This woman... Is she an Elemental?”
“Yes. I believe she mentioned that she is a Frost Elemental, although I have never seen her use her mana before for I had yet to discover of my powers.”
“Ah, so you didn’t know that you were an Elemental at the time.”
“No. I was only able to find out when the plague started. But it was no ordinary plague.”
“Let me guess... Demons?”
“Demons... although not directly.”
“What does that mean?”
“A genius apothecary was tricked into making a potion that could bring the dead back to life, but the results were rather unsettling.”
“And you suppose a Demon told him to do it?”
“I saw them handing him an ingredient, sir. He was my friend.”
“Hmm... And what was so unsettling about the... results of the potion?”
“It brought the dead back to life... But it made them ravenous for the taste of flesh.”
“So they... cannibalized each other?”
“They ate each other alive, Your Highness.”
“I... find that hard to believe.”
“I found it hard to believe, myself... But the people I used to live with had their flesh ripped from their bones. It was total horror for me.”
“You don’t seem shaken at all, though.”
“I lost my ability to fear a long time ago, sir.”
“Really, now?” He starts stirring his tea. “And how did you survive this... tragedy?”
“I was immune, sir. That’s what Edith... That’s what the old lady told me, because I am an Elemental like herself. She explained how powerful I am as a Void Elemental, how I had so much untapped potential in me. All I had to do was activate it but she told me I should only do so when the time was right. That’s how I survived.”
“So you were the only one who escaped the Citadel because you were immune?”
“No. We never escaped the Citadel on our own. She was immune as well, and when the plague started spreading, we made plans to escape the city along with some other people who were still unaffected by the air. However, they never made it out.”
“What happened to them?”
“We cut through the market square toward the exit of the Citadel, but we encountered the Demon who gave the apothecary the ingredients for the potion. I recognized him because he had the same eye-patch when I first saw him. He ordered his lackeys to murder my companions, including Edith, but they didn’t kill me for some reason. They seem to have been interested in the amulet that Edith gave me. It was supposedly part of a key that opens the gate to Hell, or so I’ve heard from them. They then seized me and took me and Maria to their dungeon.”
“A key that unlocks the gate to Hell? That sounds like Binomial Nomenclature to me.”
“Indeed, it is.”
She summons the orb and places it on the table.
“Quantum Entanglement? Very impressive”, the king compliments on her ability to summon her orb.
Naiya then phases her hand into the orb and pulls out a large book: Binomial Nomenclature.
Wait... The title reads “Harem Kings” not Binomial Nomenclature!
“This, Your Highness, is an originally published copy of Binomial Nomenclature which contains the denouement of the story. This is where I found out about my powers.”
“Why does the cover read ‘Harem Kings’?”
“I believe the original ending was made secret and they changed the cover in order to keep it hidden. If you’ll read the text it is the same as Binomial Nomenclature apart from the added ending.”
“Fascinating...” The king takes the book and skims through the pages. “It’s written in a different language.”
“It was published in Novaliches as an original copy, hence the language.”
“I don’t suppose you could summarize the ending for me.”
“There’s no need, Your Highness. There is a piece of paper at the back that summarizes the story in your language as well as a message left for me by someone claiming to be my biological father.”
“Let’s see”, he says as he checks the back part where he finds two sheets. He reads the first one and comments on the content. “This is an essay on the defence of incest between brother and sister.”
“Hey, isn’t that the thing you made back then?”, Maria tugs at Naiya’s cape.
“...How embarrassing... Please pay no mind to the contents of that composition. The other one is what you should be interested in.”
“I’ll... I’ll carry on, then.” He puts back the first sheet and reads the next one. It looked pretty weathered and the text looks like it was written with a quill.
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Naiya,
There are a lot of things that I want to tell you, but I don’t have much time so I’ll make it brief.
You are not Human. You are an Elemental.
By the time you read this, you should be eighteen years old and you’ll probably be the last of our kind because you are one of the few who received the immunity shot. The rest of us will be left here in Anion, the country where Elementals live, and fight while we can before the infection spreads. It’s too late for us, but you’re our last shot on saving the other races from what we’ve... unleashed.
If Edith was able to teach you our language, you probably have read the ending of the book where this note is attached. If not, the ending concludes with one of the mages sacrificing his life in order to become a vessel for the last key. That vessel will be Osiris Luno, who you might have already met. He’s a criminal looking to redeem himself and a good friend of mine. His daughter is one of the seven, most likely a Lightning Elemental. You’re going to need to find the others, seven in total, and merge each other’s powers to make the key. In addition to this, the amulet that Edith will give you is the half of another key; the other one is with your brother who is also one of the seven that you will have to find.
Your goal is to find the Equilibrium Gate and seal it with the keys. Once you’ve done this, the Demons will lose their powers and they won’t be able resurrect any longer.
I’m really sorry about this. I thought I’d be able to see you again, but it seems I have asked too much from God. My only wish is that you forgive me for what I’ve done.
I love you so much, and I’m going to miss you.
Tell your brother that I will miss him too.
Your father, Antonio Solidad, a.k.a. Anthony Redgrave
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“The letter says you should be eighteen”, the king remarks.
“There are a lot of things intended for me that were not followed in the letter. Another instance is the one about meeting this ‘Osiris Luno’ that I have never met. I have reason to believe she is Miss Yvaine’s father.”
“Well, she is a Lightning Elemental. I’ve heard reports of her but I am not familiar with how she looks. I understand that you will need her cooperation to form the key.”
“Yes, and it is proving quite difficult because of her attitude. I may need some help in convincing her.”
“Then we will help however we can. You have done a great service not only to me and my kingdom, but also to all of Humanity.”
“Thank you. I would like to start with-“
“Waffles!”, Maria exclaims after hearing a knock on the door.
“Your Majesty, the waffles you’ve ordered have arrived”, Crisostomo announces.
“Well, if you’ll excuse me”, the king gets up and opens the door.
At the sight of the platter with stacked waffles smothered in honey and topped with blue berries, Maria drooled from imagining how it might taste.
“Here, give this to Sheldon”, the king said as he gave him the coins left in his pocket while taking the platter.
“Right away, sir.”
The door is shut and the food is on the table.
“Go on ahead, Miss Maria”, the king prompts.
“Oh, I will.”
She ravages the dessert like there’s no tomorrow while the other two conclude their discussion.
“Now, where were we?”
“Our plan to find the Elementals, Your Highness.”
“Oh, yes. How shall we aid you, Miss Naiya?”
“I am not very familiar with the Known Regions because I have never travelled before in my life. The only way I was able to navigate my way through here was to follow the same wave of mana as your daughter to track you. Therefore, I’d like to request a guide, preferably one who has knowledge of the fastest route to The Lower Kingdom so that I may get there inconspicuously.”
“The Lower Kingdom? I don’t think it’s possible to go there without the danger of being attacked by those... things in Origami Canyon. I’m sorry but you can’t hope to get to The Lower Kingdom without stirring up whatever hell-borne creatures have surfaced in there.”
“Is... Is there really no other way?”
“Well, there might be but...”
“Please tell me”, she leans forward.
The king takes a sip of his tea then speaks.
“I have a prototype teleportation machine using [2] Xen Relay Waves, similar to the one proposed by Kliner more than a century ago. I was hoping to test it out, and coincidentally, we have a station ready within The Lower Kingdom where you may be transported if you are willing.”
“I accept”, she answers promptly.
“Are you sure? There could be dire consequences if the machine fails to work.”
“I will take the chance.”
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Early the next morning, Naiya and Maria were within the [2] Black Mesa North West Facility where countless types of mages were conducting experiments, one of which was a [2] Zero Point Energy Field Manipulator. They were inside a test lab along with the King, Crisostomo and some other guys working on the teleportation machine.
“Naiya, are you sure about this? We could die in that thing”, Maria asks, pointing at the machine.
It looked like some kind of telephone booth made of what looks like aluminium bars. There were wire sockets on the side where intricate wirings were plugged in and a light bulb glowing red on top.
“I’d rather take my chances with this machine than...”
“You’re scared of getting locked-up again, aren’t you?”
“It terrifies me to be in that place again. I just want to meet with my brother and feel safe knowing there is someone I can trust.”
“And you think he’s headed to The Lower Kingdom?”
“Not just him. A large concentration of Matrices seem to be going that way.”
The light suddenly turned green as the door to the machine’s exterior was opened.
“Now then, Miss Naiya?” One of the scientists calls out to her. “Please step inside and we can begin the sequence.”
The two step inside the machine and examine what the inside looks like.
“Ooh, pretty lights”, Maria comments.
“Get ready, you two.”
“Wait”, the king speaks.
“Your Majesty?”
“Crisostomo, go with them. Once you you find Yvaine, make sure you bring her back here after they’re done sealing the Demons to pay for the charges against her.”
“Yes, sire”, he complies and enters the machine.
“You may begin testing.”
The scientist nods and indefinitely presses some buttons that I can’t seem to understand, although it did get the door to close which must have activated the machine. It started to rumble with its light now flashing yellow, starting up the Xen Relay Wave sequence.
“System is at full capacity. Ready for displacement.”
“Do it”, the king commands.
With one press of a button, the lights within the machine flashed brightly at the same time. An explosive sound resonated within the room as the ground began to shake, and as the light slowly faded and the shocks underneath subsided, the test subjects were gone.
“Did it work?”, the king asks.
“Let me check, sir...” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Quoted from Rubick from Dota 2 by Valve & Ice Frog 2. From Half Life 2 by Valve © 2016 OranReviews
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1 Review Added on February 21, 2016 Last Updated on March 1, 2016 Author
OranSomewhere in the Philippines, My house, PhilippinesAboutI write stuff. - -Stop scrolling! You'll get lewd if you keep scrolling! Are you sure you want to keep on reading this? Okay, if you insist on knowing, I am from the deep and disgusti.. more..Writing
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