Everyone Still Confused

As they soared through the air on the back of the lanner, the sorceress began recounting the tale of the Patron Saint Shiva. Her voice, carried by the wind.

"The young girl, destined to be the Patron Saint Shiva, was offered as a symbol of peace between her kingdom and that of the phoenix eikon, betrothed if i may say"

Adachi noted the work Eikon, but did not ask Shantotto about it.

Shantotto narrated. "She was five years older than the phoenix, Joshua was a just a new born when she was given away.

Her voice resonated with an enigmatic cadence. "Joshua, the fledgling phoenix, was not alone in his royal family. At the tender age of five, he had an older brother, born into the same fiery lineage. Yet, destiny played a capricious hand, for the elder sibling exhibited no signs of Eikonic powers."

"The older brother, devoid of the mystical flames that defined their heritage, became an unfortunate outcast to his mother. Fueled by the fervor of Eikon-driven power, she harbored resentment towards him for his apparent lack of abilities. However, contrasting this disdain, she showered affection upon Joshua, the younger brother, who exhibited the promising flames of an emerging phoenix."

"Now, mind you, Joshua's mother wasn't exactly known for her compassionate heart,"

she declared with a discerning tone. "In her eyes, anyone devoid of Eikonic powers was deemed as lowly as a mere servant. The young girl, betrothed to the burgeoning phoenix as a peace offering, found herself caught in with the older prince, devoid of power, she herself was a slave to the mother too."

"On the night of Joshua's coming of age, treachery unfolded in his kingdom," she narrated, her words carried by the breezy currents. "His own mother, fueled by betrayal, orchestrated an ambush, betraying the king and seeking to abduct her son back to her own home country. The dark echoes of deceit resonated as her royal servants severed the head of the king, plunging the kingdom into chaos."

"And then, in the midst of this turmoil, the phoenix eikon, still in his infancy, was confronted by another primal—an unbridled manifestation of fire known as Ifrit:; this was the first recoding in history of its appearance. The clash of these forces reverberated across the planes, an elemental fire that would seal the fate of everyone who stood close to them."

Shantotto's voice resonated with melancholy as she continued the tale, "As the echoes of battle subsided, and the flames of conflict dwindled, the once-majestic realm lay in ruins. No witnesses remained to attest to the tragic conclusion of the primal confrontation."

"The queen, guided by the smoke-kissed winds and the waning echoes, arrived at the scene. Gazing upon the aftermath from afar, she felt the cold realization settling in her heart. Her beloved son, Joshua, the phoenix eikon, was no more. The flames of his essence extinguished in the inferno of Ifirit."

In the haunting stillness, the fallen feathers of the phoenix lingered in the air, a poignant reminder of the extinguished flame.

Shantotto's narration continued, "The queen, bereaved and burdened by the weight of her choices, found solace in the survival of her older son. Yet, in the twisted corridors of her heart, love and disdain intertwined. She no longer saw him as a son worthy of royal inheritance. Instead, in the shadow of tragedy, she viewed him as a mere slave, a tool to be wielded for her own purposes."

"But enough about the brothers," she declared, her voice resuming its storytelling cadence. "I was talking about Jill, Or shall I Saint Shiva, her fate was no sealed farm from Cliff, the older prince." she sighted and then continued "She herself was sold as a sex slave to a group of darkness worshippers, she was only fifteen." 

"Locked in the embrace of a dungeon, Jill's fate took a chilling turn," Shantotto continued, "As she faced the torment of being violated, a single tear escaped her eyes, falling to the ground below. Little did she know, that drop held a great power."

Shantotto's voice carried a mix of awe and anticipation as she narrated the unfolding events. "That solitary tear transformed into a cascade of diamond dust, a glimmering testament to the extraordinary within the ordinary. The dungeon, once a realm of darkness, succumbed to the shimmering frost, freezing every man within its confines."

"Jill, bewildered by the sudden manifestation of power, found herself standing amidst the crystalline stillness. As if guided by an unseen force, she willed a flick, and the frozen figures crumbled to dust."

"In the crucible of adversity, the Saint was born. From the icy shards of despair, Saint Shiva emerged."

Shantotto, continued her narrative as Adachi pondered the elusive term "Eikon." "While Jill discovered the extent of her newfound abilities, she remained oblivious to the true nature of her powers. She attributed it merely to her mastery over what she believed was ice magic."

Adachi's curiosity lingered, but Shantotto pressed on with the tale. "As a young woman, her destiny took a twisted turn. The slavers, recognizing the potential within her, manipulated Jill as a pawn in their war. In a cruel twist of fate, she found herself in the company of her slavers, forced into a confrontation with a figure from her past – the older prince, her childhood friend."

Shantotto's words unfolded a scene. "Forced to battle against each other, the enslaved prince, driven by the bonds of friendship, hesitated to harm Jill. In response, his slavers, merciless in their pursuit of victory, unleashed a pack of wolves with a single command – to end her life alongside her captors."

Shantotto's narration carried a haunting tone as she depicted Jill's desperate attempt to escape the relentless assault of the wolves. "Drenched in the aftermath of her powers, drained and weakened, Jill found herself unable to fend off the relentless wolves any longer. In a desperate bid for survival, she trailed behind her slavers as they scaled a steep cliff."

The sorceress paused before delivering the tragic end. "However, her plea for salvation met a cruel twist of fate. As she reached out, her hand trembling in desperation, the slavers callously stepped on her outstretched limb. With a heartless shove, they cast her back into the waiting jaws of the wolves, sealing her fat..."

Adachi's frustration seeped into his voice as he interrupted Shantotto. "Wait a minute, Shantotto. Is this story real? What happened to Jill after that? What on earth does 'eikon' even mean? Why did she have to endure all of that?"

Shantotto, perceiving the confusion in Adachi's reaction yet sensing a peculiar warmth in it, responded with an enigmatic smile. "Jill is no more, but before her departure, she saved countless lives as the Saint Shiva." She paused briefly, allowing the weight of Jill's transformation to settle, before resuming her tale.

"Eikons are primal beasts, akin to the Fenrir we are about to confront. What sets them apart is their manifestation within humans. Throughout history, there are known to be eight of them. However, only Shiva and Phoenix are still held by humans. The mystery lies in the fact that the families possessing these Eikons are lost to time, passing the divine essence through the bloodline."

Feeling the chill in the air, Lion cut through the conversation, tugging at her father's cloak. "Papa, it's cold!" she looked at him, her breath visible in the frosty atmosphere.

Shantotto's gaze shifted, and a determined glint appeared in her eyes. She turned to Zeid and stated, "It's time." Shantotto then shifted her attention to Adachi, her voice carrying a mix of instruction and assurance, "You will stay with the young one. Me and Zeid will go for the hunt."

Adachi nodded in agreement, recognizing the decision. He understood that his presence, coupled with Lion's, might complicate the confrontation with Fenrir.