Chapter 1: Piagrado, Hello My New Beginning.

1

"Are you sure about this? Father would have my head if he knew." It was a cold morning, Philippe hugged the jacket that was enveloping him for warmth.

"That is exactly why he mustn't know, brother dearest." Genevieve on the other hand was tending to her doll, wearing her white and blue travel clothes. "And if you need some help with the deception, mother dearest would help your endeavor."

"Mother? You'd think she won't tell father immediately?"

"If she will, she'd have done it earlier instead of following us." Curious about her statement, Philippe turned his body before being stopped by Genevieve's words, "She's hiding within the bushes we passed earlier, far from the escalator to this station. If she had something to say, she'd have said it then."

Seeing the certainty in her eyes, Philippe couldn't help but chuckle. "It's not too late for you to become a Virtuoso. Mother would be delighted if a one were to appear in the family."

"Don't jest about that. You know full well my heart's an Artisan's." She was after all, his little sister. "The train's arriving."

Beyond the city, a vehicle of multiple cars attached to one another was driving up the suspended tracks. Genevieve had always seen this silhouette atop the tracks but never this close.

The train was made up of three driving cars and six passenger cars. The first, third, and last cart all had a gigantic gear in its middle to propel the vehicle forwards or backwards. The gears' teeth all revolve to latch onto the suspended tracks to push the train forward. While the size of the gears were magnificent feats by the Forgers, Genevieve's eyes were trained on the intricate details of the train.

How the gears, cogs, metals, and mechanical parts were interlocked to one another making the whole thing move with minimal energy. How the tracks were specifically designed so that the train would be able to move along it. Even the design of the cars themselves were prioritizing the comfort of the passengers, with each having a lower level for luggage and storage. It was a magnificent Magnum Opus that she wanted to take apart and rebuilt to see what makes it tick.

"Gen?" Philippe called out, breaking her trance.

She cleared her throat, "Forgive me, brother dearest. I've not seen one up close, it is exhilarating." Realizing her words, she asked her brother, "Have you seen them? You don't seem that excited."

"Excited? My beloved younger sister is leaving for a different city all by herself. It causes me no end of worry." He sighed. "Also, father invited me when he went to Rubatre, it was exhilarating." He added with a smirk.

Genevieve smacked her brother's shoulder. "Haha, sorry. However, I'm more surprised you weren't more excited at the suspended tracks. Don't you use Magicks for your…'dearest sister'?"

Genevieve turned to her doll. "A means to an end. At the end of the day, I'm an Artisan, brother dearest, not a Magus. The limitations of Magicks are just too restrictive for my liking on top of that." Genevieve motioned her fingers, causing her doll to pick up their luggage. "Well, I must be off then, brother dearest."

Philippe watched the girl board the train, not being able to say anything. He knew that whatever he said wouldn't deter her. That stubbornness was something that the two of them shared, a trait from their father.

Philippe rode the escalator down from the station. Each time he got on, he was always amazed that the escalator was not suspended with Magicks like the station. As he reached the ground of the fifth level, he saw the hazelnut hair of his mother. It seems, Genevieve knew their mother more than he does.

"You're too late to say goodbye, mother." He walked towards her.

"I know…I wouldn't want that anyway." Her eyes trailing the train leaving their city. "If I did, I wouldn't have let her go."

"Is that a bad thing? Most mothers would think letting her go on a trip like this to be the foolish decision."

"That's true but… Would you trust your sister to live without contempt if we stopped her?" Philippe shook his head. "Exactly. Who knows what would happen then?"

Philippe shrugged and walked back home before realizing that his mother was standing still. "We might want to go home before father and Melody wakes up." His mother did not move. "All we could do is hope and pray, mother."

"I know, son. I just wish…we could do something more."

The sun started to rise beyond the horizon. The plains in Genevieve's view lit up to a luscious green from its dark blue. It was not a rare sight, but watching it from the seat of the train caused her heart to tremble just a bit.

"Well, it's a beautiful morning, isn't it dearest sister?" She smiled happily. "Ah, such grace and elegance." She continued to mumble while fixing her synthetic hair.

Whilst she was doing so, she saw a bright blue color move past their seats. At any other point, she wouldn't have worried or wonder who or what that was. However, the owner of such bright blue was a short girl that reminded her of her sister.

"Stay here." She told her doll. She then followed the silhouette of the blue-haired girl out to the car behind hers, where the propelling gear was located.

There weren't many people on the car, but judging from the size of it more people could've join the car. There, she saw the small girl that was slightly younger than her own sister. It was that same girl who was in Arland's shop.

A girl as young as that in a train all alone was giving her a bad feeling, so she walked up to her, "Hello there, Lizbeth dear." She lowered herself.

"Miss Genevieve!" She called out happily. "Why are you here?"

"Just call me Gen, dear."

"Okay, Miss Gen!"

"Well enough, I suppose. I am here because I need to go to Piagrado. I have business there." She smiled warmly and kindly. "Are you alone, dear?"

The girl recoiled but immediately shook her head energetically. "I-I have my mother…with me…" Sensing the fear in her voice, Genevieve's eyes narrowed.

"Is that so, dear? Well, I should introduce myself, be right back." Lizbeth grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks.

"N-no! She's…in the bathroom now…so you can't…." Her words lost their power as she stared into Genevieve's cold eyes. "Y-you…can't…." She started to sniffle.

Slowly, her eyes started to water as she looked down towards her feet, not being able to meet her eyes. Genevieve lowered herself and hugged the girl tightly. "I'm not angry at you, Lizbeth dearest. I'm worried. Your mother would be too if she found out."

Lizbeth buried her face into Genevieve's shoulder cape, muffling her crying and sniffling. "Please, don't- don't force me back." She whispered.

With a sigh, Genevieve patted her head slowly and caringly. "I won't, not if you have a good reason."

It took Lizbeth a while to calm herself after sitting down between Genevieve and the doll. Luckily, the train cars tend to be big enough for three rows of three seats. As an aside, most would put away their opus in the storage room below the passenger cars. Genevieve is the only Artisan who would buy a ticket for her doll.

"Have you calmed down?" She asked Lizbeth.

"Y-yes…" She said meekly.

Genevieve patted her head. "That's good, dear. Now, how did you pay for the ticket? Better yet, how did they allow you to pay for the ticket?" She asked calmly.

Lizbeth looked guilty but decided to answer truthfully, "W-well…I'm a registered Artisan now." With that, the pieces of the puzzle fit. Many registered Artisans are given privileges that they wouldn't have had previously. One such thing, being able to buy tickets for a train even if one was underage. However, there are age-restricted works out there that does not have the same luxury.

"I see… They didn't provide you with a Guardian? I believe the government would provide one in the case of travel or similar needs." Genevieve inquired warmly.

"Y-yes, she's in the other car. I asked her where the bathroom was and….snuck to see the giant gear." She fiddled with her thumbs.

Genevieve gave a relieved sigh. "Here I thought you ran away from home. Well, I suppose there are parents who would let their children…." Her words were interrupted when she noticed Lizbeth's shifting in unease. "…You did ran away from home and didn't tell your Guardian, did you dear? That's why you stopped me earlier?"

She shook her head suspiciously. "Oh my…." Genevieve covered her mouth with one hand. "…Well, this is an interesting predicament. Come, let us see your Guardian."

"Wait, Miss Ge-"

"Forgive me, Lizbeth dear. However, as a fellow Artisan, I cannot allow that you are keeping information from your Guardian. It is their duty to guard you from all possible harm, lying to them is simply deplorable." She looked into Lizbeth's eyes intensely. "Do you understand, dear?" Lizbeth nodded silently.

Moving to the next car, Genevieve saw and introduced herself to Lizbeth's Guardian – Julienne. After which, Genevieve explained to her about Lizbeth's predicament which surprised Julienne. "In my honest opinion, I think it might be better until we get off in Piagrado before discussing what to do with her." Genevieve suggested.

While she was extremely worried, she had to agree with the suggestion. "Yes…we need to check the schedule of the trains. Perhaps a hotel or inn to stay within too."

"No…" Lizbeth grumbled.

"What was that, Lizbeth dear?" Genevieve asked.

"I said, NO!" She glared at the two. "I-I know I did wrong, but, but, I'm an Artisan! I need to do something before going home!" Julienne stared at her like she was crazy and was about to scold her. "Just give me a day! Just today! I'll go home tomorrow, I swear! Just let me find what I'm looking for, Julienne!" She cut her off.

Seeing the girl, Genevieve can't help but smile. "Might as well. I can sympathize as a fellow Artisan. Your job is to guard her from harm, simply follow along with her adventures." She chuckled. "What is it you're looking for, Lizbeth dear?"

"Do not tell me how to do my duty!" Julianne bellowed. "However, I am also curious to what urged you to do something like this?" She added with a curious tone.

"Oh, uh, my- my mom said that she needed a metal called Mozium."

"Your mother…she's a Forger, is she not?" Julianne asked.

"Yes."

"Then, shouldn't she have procured said materials in a shop? Keepers would sell those back in Modrata."

"She's tried, but every shop in Modrata was waiting for a shipment of them from the Miners. Then, one shop owner said it'll be quicker to go to Piagrado to procure it, but mom said that it's better to wait for it which would take months."

"I'm guessing whatever she needed it for was urgent enough for you to go on a daring mission such as this?" Genevieve cut in.

"…Y-yeah...definitely..." Julianne pinched the bridge of her nose while Genevieve gave a wry chuckle. "Okay, maybe not. But, we are here now, we might as well buy it before we go home."

"She does make a fine counter offer. It's two birds with a singular stone." Genevieve defended.

While it was considered bending her duties a bit, Julienne can also understand that going home empty-handed would be worse. "Do not leave my sight for even a moment." She scolded the little girl who gave an energetic nod in return.

"Well, now that that's taken care of, I will leave you both to your devices." Genevieve curtsied.

"A moment, Miss Laurent!" Julienne called out, stopping Genevieve before she could leave the car.

"You know my family name?"

"Yes. The Laurents are a famous family, after all. Not to mention, the golden hair, the blue and white dress, and even your eccentrics – they fit your rumors so well, I had thought your closest friend was the one who spread them." She sighed.

"I'll take that as a compliment on my notoriety." Genevieve laughed. "So? What else can I help you with?"

"It is in my duties to take her back safely and to guard her from all harm." Genevieve hummed understandingly along with Julienne's words. "It is not my duty to help her search for the Mozium. If I were in my right mind, I'd take her home without the search but you've convinced me otherwise." She let the words hang in the air for Genevieve to understand its hidden meaning.

"Ah, I understand. I was the one who casted the die, it's only fair that I see where it lands, correct?"

"It's nice to know you're not as foolish as the rumors made you out to be. Yes, that is what I meant."

"Foolish?" Genevieve was appalled at her words. "I? A prodigy of my pedigree? Being called foolish? Oh, that won't do. That won't do at all, Julienne dear. Yes" – she took a seat next to Julienne – "Yes, I will help you and Lizbeth dear, but you must promise me to debunk any rumors that dared to call me foolish, deal?"

Julienne had a wave of relief washed over her when she saw Genevieve's change of expression. She wasn't the odd monster that she's heard after all – simply a weird human. "Yes, deal, Miss Laurent."

"Gen is fine, Julienne dear."

"Thank you, Gen."

2

The Mozium was not an extremely special metal in comparison to its brothers and sisters. It was more accurate to say they're about as common as iron or steel for Forgers and Artisans alike. However, Mozium was also much more pliable, making them the best metal to use for quick trials and errors. Many Forgers would have Mozium in their inventory in the case that any Artisan would require them to research and develop their opus.

The one question that was in Genevieve's head was the fact that it wasn't, 'many shops didn't have it' but instead, 'all the shops didn't have it'. Such a thing was unheard of. Yes, some shops wouldn't have them and some Artisans or Forgers would not have them in their storage either – but not at this large of a scale.

Piagrado is known as the Forged city, seeing that many Forgers would love to spend their time here. Despite the name, the city itself is not one of steel and fire. It was a city filled with many Miners that would harvest the veins underneath the city. Even the city itself was not as intricate as Modrata was, sticking to a more open planning where the greens of plants and gravel roads remained untouched.

Genevieve was back in her own seat, looking outside of the window towards the city. Where Modrata was an amalgamation of centuries of Artisans' works turned into a city, Piagrado was the opposite.

It had modest looking houses, made of stone and wood. The roads were made of gravel that seemed to be maintained for ease of traversing. There were farms outside of the city walls, something that you would not see in Modrata – then again, Modrata had to import such produce.

Speaking of walls, it was one of the few things that Genevieve felt familiar in the city. It was made of steel with the gates being operated with gears and cogs. Within the city itself, was light fixtures that ran along the streets, reminiscent of the ones in Modrata. She was sure she might see more familiar things were she to look closer.

The train stopped and she left with her doll and luggage beside her. Once more, the station was suspended in the air with the help of Magick. However, while Modrata had escalators, all that greeted her was a humble staircase.

She spotted Lizbeth, thanks to her blue hair, and approached the two with haste. "I see…this is the rumored…" Julianne didn't finish her words, knowing the stories of her ire when the doll was involved.

"Well, shall we go into town then? Search for a hotel or an inn?" Genevieve asked while clapping her hands hopefully.

"Yes, I'll check the schedule for the trains later tonight. With hope, we can go back to Modrata before six in the morning." Hearing the time stated by Julianne, Lizbeth's face soured. "Don't be like that! The longer you are here, the more worried your mother will be." Those words caused Lizbeth to become quiet.

The four walked down the staircase with Lizbeth and Genevieve looking around the town excitedly. Admittedly, seeing the town from afar made Genevieve unenthusiastic about her search here. Now that she was seeing it up close, she can actually enjoy and appreciate the town a lot more.

It was much different than the stone roads of Modrata. The big buildings that would envelope the city, the levels that covered the skies, and the nonstop ticking were all missing in this town. In its place, the gravel roads, the warm sunlight, the myriad of velocipedes, and the modestly built houses.

The atmosphere was such a departure from Modrata, she felt exhilarated. "The nearest inn from here is one that's called, The Sleeping Dragon. We'll rent a room for tonight first." Julienne brought her back from her daydreaming.

"Hmm? Oh, yes, lodging! Right, is that the long building on that hill over there?" Genevieve asked.

"Yes, their target patrons are Virtuosos and Artisans, hence the atmosphere and size."

"You sure do know a lot, do you come here often, Julienne dear?"

"Not as often as other cities. It is the mark of a good escort when you can help your client with whatever they needed. A Forger would not necessarily want the same thing as an Artisan after all."

As they made their way to the inn, Genevieve noted something. "Does it get annoying? Traversing, I mean. The houses and even the buildings are all built on different elevation after all."

"Not necessarily. You get used to it as you would with the escalators of Modrata." Julienne answered. "On top of that, the ones who live here would have their own personal velocipede. Speaking of, stick to the sidewalks."

Genevieve followed Julienne's advice, seeing the reason for it. In the middle of the street, between the walking citizens, a man was using a velocipede that had bags attached to them and a cart being pulled by it. From a glance, it was obvious that he was a Miner with his equipment, and that his velocipede was different than what she was used to.

The velocipedes in Modrata were taller and had lighter frame. It was simply the Magnum Opus for traversing, while the ones here had bigger frame and thicker wheels. It was meant for traversing and transporting items, some even had carts being dragged along.

Genevieve hummed happily seeing the unfamiliar sight. "I see… Piagrado, the Forged city. A city where mining and miners reign supreme. To carry their harvest, they would need carts. To harvest in of itself, they need equipment. Should I assume the mines are beyond the walls? Past the farms? Which would mean…Ah, that man is selling his ores by the sidewalk. No buildings for it?"

Hearing her voice, Julianne can't help but narrow her eyes. "A prodigy...huh?" Hearing the word, Genevieve gave a smile and curtsy. With a sigh, Julianne continued, "A keeper would have a shop, yes, but they're mostly used for exportation. A Forger might want one from a Miner directly."

"Cut out the middleman, gain trust, and build reputation. I suppose I should assume it's the same no matter the city." Genevieve commented. "No factories? No, the equipment are all custom-made. Yet, the Velocipedes aren't. A marketplace then? A melting pot of Forgers, Artisans and Miners?"

The more she spoke, the more uncomfortable Julianne felt. "Yes, we're in the south of the city, near the exit and where tourists would come in. The north is where the marketplace is, where the equipment is produced. In some cases, entertainment."

"Virtuosos too?" Genevieve hummed.

'If I were to be the Nachash, where would I be? The marketplace? Close, but not quite there. There's something that I'm missing, some kind of first level of this town. Direct selling, marketplace, are there other outsourcing mediums? Counterfeiters? I wonder…' She thought to herself.

"What's wrong, Miss Gen?" Lizbeth asked.

"Oh nothing, Lizbeth dear. I was just thinking, a town like this where it's so open…and a marketplace where entertainment exists. Why, it must get rowdy at night, much more than Modrata, if anything." She shrugged. "Is that accurate, Julianne dear?"

Once more, she narrowed her eyes. "You're not wrong, but not accurate either. From testimonies of Artisans who I've escorted, the marketplace is much louder in the morning. When the new shipment of ores, equipment, and other such things have just came in. The night is when they're looking to unwind."

"Oh, really? Why that is absolutely horrid. I can't wake up early, after all." While it was not a lie, she'd be outside of her home before the sun would even come up. "So, if we were to find your Mozium, Lizbeth dear, it'd be early in the morning…" She put one hand on her cheek, showing her perplexed expression.

Lizbeth felt bad after seeing her expression. "N- it's fine, Miss Gen! I can wake up early and find it, then you can join us later." She said with a smile.

"Thank you, Lizbeth dear. You really are a sweet little girl." Genevieve smiled while patted her head.

"Thanks, Miss Gen." She smiled happily in return, oblivious to the fact that Genevieve made her say those words.

3

When the three came to the inn, Julianne recommended for a single room for the three. To this, Genevieve made a passing comment about how much of a light sleeper she was. Lizbeth, being the good girl she is, didn't want to wake her up early tomorrow after saying she could join them later. So, they were in separate rooms.

After setting up her watch and leaving her doll on the bed, Genevieve went to sleep before the sun had set. Her watch made a loud clicking noise as an alarm that she had set up earlier. She looked at the needle within her watch indicating it was two in the morning.

She got up, got dressed, and also prepared her doll to leave her room. Once more, while she may not be an early riser, she would leave in the dead of the night to arrive somewhere early. "Right then, the north, is it?" She whispered to herself. "Come, dearest sister. We need to see what makes this town ticks."

She left the inn and the first thing she noticed was the lights in the north. It wasn't the streetlights, they were brighter – much more than what was needed to light the streets. She didn't have a velocipede of her own which caused her to regret wearing heels.

"If this was supposed to be easy, I would've finished your creation years ago. Right, dearest sister?" No answer came to her. "A shame though, I'm not in the mood for walking right now." With a motion of her fingers, her doll lowered itself and had her arms outstretched. "Thank you, dearest sister."

As if it wasn't something she had orchestrated, Genevieve lowered herself gracefully onto her arms. With the motion of her fingers, the doll stood tall and started moving.

In the attempt to make her 'dearest sister' to be the most perfect Magnum Opus it could be, Genevieve has made her with many specifications in mind. One such specification is the fact that she would be able to move her as quickly as possible and as strongly as possible. There are, of course, limitations to what she could do.

Were the doll to move as quickly as it could suddenly, her joints would not be able to keep up. Something that she knew full well when she made her play the piano as quickly and slowly as possible. A feat that was possible only to a master Virtuoso.

The doll's weight was surprisingly light for all the things it was capable of. It would jump the height of a building and used shock absorbers to land atop buildings without crashing into them. Something that was, in of itself, could be considered a Magnum Opus.

However, it was not enough. The abilities and utilities of her doll, something that was only a dream made up of ambitious Artisans, were not enough. What Genevieve wanted, was the perfect Magnum Opus. She wanted to create a living doll that could do anything and everything.

She saw the lights of the marketplace illuminating the night as if it was a color of paint. There was not as many people here than there were on the side of the road earlier. However, the ones that are here, moved with reason – with purpose.

Genevieve walked around the night market, looking through what parts they had on display this early. She listened to the murmurs and the whispers of the ones who haunted this place. What word they used, how they said it, and who they said it to.

She walked towards a seat, taking one with her doll sitting next to her. "If I were to sell my wares, I'd do so in a way where people would know my name. Of course, that is unless I don't want them to find out." She turned to her doll, thinking about what to do.

"I do not want any of their…filth to infect you, dearest sister. You know that, right?" She was given no answer. "Of course not, but if they hold a key to what we're looking for... If only a legendary Magnum Opus that was thought to be a fairy tale was easy to get a hold off."

Using her observational skills, Genevieve's eyes latched upon three different stores. They are the only ones that seemed to have questionable parts attached to them. "All right then, dearest sister. Please choose!" With the same expression, with the same mechanical movement that was dictated by Genevieve – The doll's arm raised towards one of the stalls.

Genevieve made her way to the stall with the doll following her closely. This one shop was the only one with a Keeper that didn't seem to care about selling their wares. However, they weren't opening up shop as if it was the motions, there was something else. Something that wasn't visible at all.

Seeing the girl approaching the Keeper greeted, "Welcome, there's my wares. Tell me which one you're interested in." She was unenthusiastic, yet, it was almost like she was waiting for something.

Genevieve leaned over her wares with her hand raised to her chin. "Yes, yes…let's see…" Genevieve had always been an observant person, but when it comes down to it, she had nothing else but her intuition. "Do you have a Nachash?"

The Keeper's eyes darted to her but she did not make a move. It was clear to Genevieve that she was holding herself back so she would not be read by her. "…Sorry, don't know what that is."

"Oh really? You've never been to Modrata then. Which one of these stalls have dealt with Modratans, if you don't mind my asking?" Genevieve provoked.

"We've all dealt with Modratans."

"Really? Why, that can't be true." She shrugged. "What kind of Keeper would not know of a Nachash if they've dealt with Modratans?"

"What kind of Keeper has one?"

"That's not what I'm saying, though." Hearing her statement, the Keeper raised her brow. "I'm saying, a Keeper that would not have it or even ridicule me is a dime a dozen. One who had never heard of it? Now, that's rare." She smiled.

The Keeper knew she was trapped with her words but she waved it off regardless. "Don't have, never heard of, same thing. You want something, pick it from my wares!"

"I guess you're right. No point in asking for something that isn't there." Genevieve then let out a smile. "What about some kind of clue of where it is, then?" She whispered.

The Keeper wanted to dismiss her once more, but she couldn't. Her eyes, her smile, and the creepy doll that was behind her. All of these things kept her mouth shut. "How much do you want for it?" Her voice was like the devils; sweet, smooth, and all too chilling.