Chapter 44 - Countdown to Climax

Somewhere on the water continent.

Mateo, the water essence swordsman apart of the Luminents, sat on the edge of a cliff atop a plateau, overlooking a beautiful mesa biome. With not a single other person around, he wrote song lyrics inside of a small journal that he carries with him in a satchel. The dry winds whistled as it blew across the open terrain.

"Found ya." Said an unknown man who seemingly appeared out of thin air behind Mateo.

His mask, which he had hanging from his belt, suggested that he too was a member of the Luminents. However, the paint on his mask illuminated a light gray. He also carried with him a long kite like object, which was roughly the same height as himself, but the body of it was folded into the middle.

"What are you doing here, Newt?" Mateo replied without looking at him.

"Well, looks like I drew the short straw. I'm here to bring ya the news."

"About?"

"You know exactly what about." Newt responded, walking beside him. "That option you were hoping wouldn't fall has officially been set into motion."

"..."

"Nothin'?" 

"What's there to say? It's not like I can do anything about it." Mateo responded, finally looking up to the sunrise.

"Y'know, I was expectin' more to be honest with ya." Newt stated. "Well, I'm sure you know when everything is supposed to go down if ya feel like watchin'. Who knows, maybe that lost soul could still throw a wrench in things."

After relaying the news, Newt leaned forward and dove off of the cliff, leaving Mateo once again on his own, but now lost in thought.

"I really hope he does." Mateo said, responding to the last thing Newt said.

.....

"Hey, Mother Nature wants to see us." Noya said aloud while using sign language.

Her sister Moya sat comfortably against a hazel tree in an open pasture and didn't even notice that her sister was speaking to her. Her attention was on a friendly kitten with black and white fur that was playing with her. Noya then released a light gust of wind from her palm, which blew off Moya's straw hat from her head. The hearing impaired sister finally took notice of Noya, who was standing just a few feet in front of her.

"Sorry, I didn't realize you were there." Moya responded in sign while also speaking aloud.

"Being deaf shouldn't make you oblivious to your surroundings, y'know. Actually, it should be the other way around. You should be more attentive to what's happening around you!"

"Mmmmm, I get it, I get it." Moya replied while getting up to retrieve her hat.

Moya covered her short brown hair once again with the straw hat, and as she was bent over, the kitten jumped onto her shoulder and made itself comfortable.

"That cat..." Noya said while inspecting the feline.

"It's a spirit." Moya stated as it rubbed its body against her face. "A Katashi Henshin, actually."

"Those are the shape shifting ones, right?"

"Yes."

"Ah! C'mon, Mother Nature is waiting for us!" Noya stated as she remembered what she came for. "She said a 'climax event' is happening soon."

"It's happening already?!" Moya exclaimed.

"Not today, but it should be any day now."

"Let's hurry then!"

Moya carefully took the kitten off of her shoulder and gently placed it into the tree. She then ran over to her sister and grasped both of her hands while wearing a cheerful smile.

"I don't like cats." Noya said randomly before before the two of them disappeared into thin air.

.....

"Now you know I never get mad about anything, no matter how frustrating some scenarios can be." N stated as he looked out into a yellow void from his normal white space. "Over the past three centuries, I've interfered with this world the least out of all of us. If it's anyone, you should be intruding on its Gamma and that parade of misfits he's been PHYSICALLY MEETING WITH! It's no secret, you know it just as well as I do! Yet you chose to mess with me and my two chess pieces? At least I'm meeting my people in my void. Interfere in my affairs again, Caph. I swear to Centauri, you'll regret it."

The mist in N's space converged over the opening until there was not any trace of it left. The faceless being stood, gazing off into nothing for a few seconds as he quietly composed himself.

"Aren't we all trying to achieve the same goal?" He questioned. "It's times like this where I wonder whose side are you even on. Now, I need to work around this climax event cause Gamma is impatient. I should've told Kaden back then that there are no more second chances. You can't afford to die again."

.....

"What do you mean I can't go up to the courtyard?" Kaden questioned. "They gave me special permission to enter whenever I needed to."

"And I have 'special commands' to not allow anyone, no matter who they may be, up there right now." Damien stated.

"Are they having a gathering?"

"No, only three of them are up there right now, but whatever the matter may be, which they are talking about, it must be highly important. Elder Aira left just a few moments ago before you came, and she did not look pleased."

"Any idea where she went?"

"Nope, none at all." Damien answered.

Sigh "Fine I'll go look for her myself." Kaden stated as he turned and walked away.

Meanwhile, tension inside the courtyard was at an all-time high.

"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU JUST TELLING US ALL OF THIS NOW!!!" Elder Mildred exclaimed in a furious fit of anger.

Elders Faye and Alexander were sat in their respective chairs in the courtyard, each displaying a different state of emotions. Liya Faye was slouched over in her chair and had both of her hands covering her face. Alexander Francis seemed very reserved and relaxed as he sat with his eyes closed as if he were resting.

"If that boy had never come to Aestus, would you have EVER told us about this?!"

"Please try to calm yourself, sister." Faye said shakily while keeping her face in her hands.

"Our nation is home to many sins. Most of them, you would live a much happier life, not knowing." Alexander stated.

"IT IS NOT MY DUTY TO BE HAPPY, IT IS MY DUTY TO PROTECT AESTUS!" Mildred exclaimed. "How can I do that when you are withholding information from the rest of us!? And I will not be calm, Faye! Do you not understand what this means for us? Ignus will surely come here seeking a battle no matter what actions we make at this point. Is that the reason you've been meeting with the royal guards so frequently in the past few days? You've been preparing our people for war?!"

"Our people should've always been prepared for war!" Alexander replied. "Given our history with Ignus, did you really believe that the peace arrangement would've withstood the test of time? Tamara died in their land, and we didn't receive as much as a notice about her passing. When they went to Himawari to retrieve Mr. Hillinger, why do you think their first resort was a full-blown attack on the settlement? They're waiting to pounce on any reason to attack our land. If anything, we should be preparing our retaliation!"

"I thought the goal was to ensure that this generation wouldn't ever have to experience war." Faye stated as she lifted her head slightly away from her hands.

"..."

"... What other outcome is there?"

.....

Mai reflected on the conversation she had with Kaden as she approached the front entrance of her home. There were two lines in particular that kept replaying in her head.

"Now you're chasing after an impossible goal because you assume what they'd want from you, when all they probably do want is for you to become a good person... Unlike me, you're a good person, Mai."

The flustered Mai tightly gripped onto the handle of the door before guiding it open and casually entering. Upon entrance, Mai noticed her grandmother, who was in a similar state Faye was in. Maleah Aira was sat and leaning over the table with her left hand holding her head up.

"G-Granny, is everything alright?" Mai asked.

Maleah's eyes widened for a short moment before glancing up to see her granddaughter looking right back at her.

"... Come here for a moment, Mai." Maleah said while softly patting on the chair that was next to her.

Mai went over and took a seat next to her, which was followed by Maleah embracing her granddaughter with a gentle hug. Mai didn't question the sudden display of emotions from her grandmother. Instead, she just allowed it to happen.

"Granny, what kind of person was mom?" Mai suddenly asked.

"Hmm, where is this coming from?"

"I'm just curious."

"Well... to put it simply, your mom was a good person." Maleah answered while running her hand through Mai's long, dark blue hair.

That simple answer resonated with Mai, most likely because of her previous conversation with Kaden.

"She was one of the strongest water essence users that Aestus had ever produced. She had already surpassed me by the time she had you. However, even with that being the case, she remained incredibly humble. Her personality was very reserved, and she exuded this calm nature no matter the situation. And she loved little children. In fact, I always see your mother within you whenever I see you with Kumori and Kuria."

"What about dad?"

"Oh, he was a funny man." Maleah stated with a light chuckle. "He was also naturally gifted just like your mother, but that man was so lazy."

Mai joined her grandmother in a lighthearted laugh as she wasn't expecting that response from her.

"He had so much talent and potential, but the motivation just wasn't there. At least not at the start. Could you guess where he eventually got the motivation from?"

"Was it from mom?" Mai guessed.

"It was from falling in love with your mother." Maleah expanded. "He felt that he needed to become stronger if he were to ever stand side by side with her. So that's when he started to push himself."

"Mom must have been really amazing to have dad fall so hard for her that he quitted being lazy."

"Oh, she had more than just him chasing behind her. As you can see with yourself and I, the women of the Aira family have always been beautiful. Coincide with her mastery of water essence, and your mother became the most sought-after woman in the entire village. However, none of that was the reason your father fell for her."

"You know the reason?" Mai questioned.

"Yes, I do. You see, your father really loved blueberries. And your mom made this wonderful blueberry pie one day when your father hadn't eaten anything. He wasn't afraid to ask for a slice, and your mother, being the kind person she is, gave him just that. The pie tasted so amazing that your father knew he had to marry this woman."

"What! That's it?!" Mai exclaimed.

"That's it."

"I thought you were about to tell me this romantic story of how he fell in love with her personality or something."

"Oh please, a man's heart is easy." Maleah stated as she began laughing again.

"I almost regret asking about it." Mai said with a heavy grin.

"... You asked me, now it's my turn to ask you. Is everything alright, Mai?"

"... Granny... Are you proud of me?"

"Of course, I'm proud of you." Maleah answered in a surprised tone. "Why would you ever have to question that?"

"Do you think mom and dad would be proud of the person I am today?"

"They would be over the moon to find out that their daughter turned out the way she did."

"But I'm nowhere near as strong as they were."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Maleah questioned. "Mai, let me explain something to you. Neither of your parents would care about how strong you are, and I know that for a fact. Yes, both of them were extremely talented. That's undeniable, but that isn't what made them special. It was their character. Your mother was level-headed, caring, and supportive to a fault. Your father was kind-hearted, courageous, and patient. Those were the traits they loved most about each other, and I believe you inherited all of them."

The sullen aura that surrounded both Mai and Maleah seemed to have slowly faded away as the two were talking. Mai couldn't help but grin from ear to ear as she heard the words of reassurance from her grandmother.

"...Thank you, granny."