Chapter 19 S2

Lou and Niris flew at full speed towards their ship. After his smashing return from his discussion with Gizzare, Niris had left the elves behind without further explanation. He'd been so angry with them since he knew they'd lied to him that he hadn't even considered explaining the situation to them.

The elves hadn't tried to stop him either. Seeing the Blademaster's reaction, they'd certainly seen fit to let them go without making a fuss, rather than risk facing the wrath of the angel who'd so far let them do as they pleased. And they had certainly felt an ounce of guilt at their shameful lie.

If Niris hadn't clearly explained the reason for his anger, his words when he had returned from his talk with the dragon were clear enough for her to understand that he had discovered their scheme. The best thing to do was not to stand up to potentially dangerous enemies, but to let them go.

Niris was furious. He flapped his wings with a vigor that gave away his state of mind without a doubt. Inwardly, he was cursing those elves who had pushed him to do something extremely dangerous for the sole purpose of fulfilling their selfish expectations.

"So, you failed to wake the dragon? I'm sure you could have made contact with him even without performing the ritual," said Lou, who hadn't opened his mouth since his apprentice's return.

-Of course I made contact with him, he just didn't want to wake up for the elves," he replied in a growling voice.

The air around him had become electric. At a glance, she realized that the slightest provocation would set him off. She remained silent. The little prince would speak eventually, she knew.

-He gave me the location of Fin du jour, I'll send it to you," he said, landing right next to the Sukoï.

He opened his dematerialized chip and shared with Lou the geolocation the dragon had recorded on his chip. She in turn opened the map and frowned.

-Sanoterre? Is that where Fin du Jour is?

Niris nodded, then opened the door to the machine. Without wasting any time, he settled into the cockpit and switched on the instrument panel. Lou joined him after closing the door behind her. Quickly, the machine took off.

-We've got to get to the MH34 interstellar base to get what Egea has developed to counter Meiran's power," she reminded him as Niris began his ascent towards the sky and the elven shield.

He had threatened the angel with the destruction of their shield if she didn't deactivate it and let them pass. The look on the elf's face when he said this seemed to have been satisfying, as he left without adding anything more. If the council were still sane, they should have left their shields deactivated by the time the angels left Fiore.

-Okay," replied Niris a little curtly.

Once out of the planet's atmosphere, he put the GPS on automatic and leaned back against the back of his seat, sighing. No matter how many times he rehearsed what Gizzarre had told him, he still couldn't believe the elves could play them like that.

-How come the dragon knows where Fin du Jour is? I thought the elves were guarding Southern Voice... Lou finally asked, becoming impatient.

The angel clenched her fists at the mention of elves.

-Those dirty traitors! swore Niris, who couldn't hold back any longer.

He forced himself to calm down and explain the situation to his master.

-The elves don't have Southern Voice, Gizzarre does.

-Gizzarre?" asked Lou, a little puzzled to see his sword in the hands of a stranger.

Niris gave her a cautious look, then resumed cautiously.

-Don't you remember him?

She nodded. Niris sighed. There wasn't much he could do, except pass on the dragon's words.

-Gizzarre is the name of the dragon who sleeps on Fiore," he continued. He knows you. If he owns Voix du Sud, it's because you entrusted him with it before you... disappeared.

He glanced at his master to see her reaction. She was staring straight ahead, eyebrows furrowed. She obviously didn't remember anything.

-Anyway, he told me he was keeping Southern Voice with him, and that if you wanted your sword and memories back, you could come and see him when you were ready.

His last words echoed through the cabin like the last sounds of a world fading into cosmic nothingness. After a moment, she nodded gravely.

-I understand," she said simply.

An awkward silence settled over the cabin. After a moment, Niris stood up and ran a hand through his hair.

-We've got about thirty-seven hours of travel ahead of us. I'm going to take a shower and rest, this experience has exhausted me. Wake me up when we get to the interstellar station.

-Okay," said Lou in a monotone voice.

Niris hesitated, then decided to leave her alone. What he'd just told her must be troubling her; she needed time alone. And he was really exhausted. He felt he could fall asleep instantly if he lay down anywhere.

Once the young prince had left, Lou found herself alone in the emptiness of space in which the sukoï-26 was progressing. She kept repeating the dragon's name over and over in her head. For some strange reason, the evocation of this name gave her an unpleasant sensation. Whether it was nostalgia or sadness, she couldn't say. What was certain, however, was that this name she had forgotten did not leave her indifferent. Deep inside her, something was reacting, even if she couldn't really say what.

She closed her eyes and sighed. A headache had suddenly taken hold of her and she wanted to rest her eyes to stop thinking about all those disturbing things. Before long, she found herself in the land of dreams, banishing the fatigue she had accumulated since their departure from Selanpe.

Thirty-eight hours later, on interstellar station MH34

-You're just in time. Sire Jabiru passed through a few hours ago before leaving immediately for Jieng, the new planet colonized by demons.

Niris and Lou followed their host as he sped through the corridors as if the walls would collapse at any minute. They had just arrived at their destination and had just left their ship. They had no time to lose, as they had to get to Cerine's wedding ceremony on time and still had a few hours' travel ahead of them.

Fortunately, Vick, the Lipution who had greeted them on arrival at the interstellar station, was aware of the situation and wasted no time. As soon as they stepped out of their craft, he led them through the station's corridors. He barely took the time to introduce himself as he walked, and Niris understood that he was the Supéfac of the interstellar station, in other words the person with the highest rank on the station.

-The object isn't very big, but it's extremely valuable, so I've set up a sophisticated surveillance system to prevent any theft attempts, but the sooner you get it back, the better.

Finally, he stopped in front of a door that blended perfectly into the wall for anyone who didn't know there was a door here. He typed in a quick code and scanned his retina into a small laser dial which appeared once the code was done. The dial disappeared, and after a few seconds the door unlocked.

He glanced left and right, then stepped aside. With a quick wave of his hand, he indicated to the two angels to enter the room. They complied. He slipped in behind them and closed the door carefully. The three found themselves in a dark room lit only by electric blue neon. In the center, a dematerialized safe sat, the room's only piece of furniture.

-This is the most secure room on the station. No member of staff other than myself has access to it.

He tapped the rectangular white safe and it opened with a magnetic click. The box slowly unzipped, revealing a tiny translucent box filled with liquid. The host grabbed it and held it out to Niris, who gently took hold of it.

Intrigued, the angel observed the box from every angle. There were in fact two compartments, and in each of them he could make out a small convex film floating in the liquid.

-They're contact lenses," clarified the host. At least, that's what they look like, and they're worn as such. However, they've been enhanced with natural energy to protect the wearer from Princess Meiran's power.

-They protect against her power of control? asked Niris, clearly suspicious.

Vick smiled in satisfaction. He seemed very proud of the quality of the object in his care.

-According to the organization's analysis, Princess Meiran's power comes essentially through her eyes and voice. Of course, it's extremely difficult to understand how a gift works, since mysterious and ancestral forces are at work and we've lost this knowledge, if we ever had it, but in any case, we've noticed that its power is diminished and controllable when the victim's eyes and ears are totally obstructed.

Niris and his master listened attentively. This was the first time he'd heard about the effects of his gift, even how it worked.

-Obviously, we can't force all demons to close their eyes and ears to avoid the influence of Meiran's sister," continued Lipution. But we have tried to develop a protection against the effects of the gift with natural energy.

He took the small box from the angel's hands and turned it over. The angel's eyes opened wide. From the center to the ends, iridescent blue and violet lines dotted the two lenses. Infinitely delicate, the work was worthy of a goldsmith.

-These traces are filaments of natural energy embedded directly in the lens material," explained the Supéfac. They've been tuned to the same wavelength as Princess Meiran's gift. Normally, they would intercept the effects of her gift and protect the wearer.

Niris was impressed. Lou, too, seemed surprised that such a feat had been made possible.

-And that's not all! added Lipution with uncontrolled excitement. Once placed on the cornea, the natural energy rays branch out on the wearer's skin and form a net around the ears to intercept the same rays from passing through. The wearer is thus totally protected from the gift of persuasion. The wearer is thus totally protected from the gift of persuasion, so he can pretend to be subject to its influence while remaining free of its movements and thoughts.

-Wow," the prince couldn't contain himself. That's...impressive! And you've managed to perfect such a thing in the space of just a few weeks?

Vick nodded seriously.

-It's all down to the hard work of the Organization's members, day and night, to achieve such a result. Of course, it has yet to be put to the test in a real-life situation, but we're confident that it will be effective.

The two angels remained silent. They had traveled a lot in the last month, and time had somehow seemed to stand still for them, even though they knew they were racing against the clock. Seeing that such a feat had been achieved during all that time spent between planets and galaxies was a real comfort.

-It's the only one we've got at the moment, and we're well aware that it's very difficult to protect an entire population with a means that's so hard to put in place," he admitted with a hint of pain in his voice, "but it's already a first step. Besides, it will mean that Seiran won't find himself isolated in Ornikarn. He'll be able to protect his guard with it, and that's already a very good thing.

Niris nodded silently. He was well aware of the considerable amount of work it would take to develop a technology that would be effective on a large scale against Meiran's gift of persuasion. But for now, it was a small victory.

-Thank you Supéfac, you'll certainly give Seiran a wave of hope with that.

-Don't delay then, make our work worthwhile and hand it over without fail!" he replied, urging them towards the door. It's time for you to leave. The station is well protected, but you never know, someone might locate it and attack you as you leave. The less you stay here, the safer we'll all be!

Niris let himself be pushed along without saying a word. He understood Vick's hurry. Interstellar stations were geostrategic hubs, and highly secure. They served both as relays for classified and secret information and as points of exchange for equipment, personnel or any other extremely dangerous or top-secret tool. Their location was a jealously guarded secret for the organization's intelligence service, and the slightest movement to and from them risked revealing the station's position.

It was therefore essential to keep visitors to the stations to a minimum. Lou and Niris had already been there for almost twenty minutes, so they shouldn't be delayed.

-It'll be done, don't worry," he assured them confidently.

-I have no doubt you are well accompanied, young prince," he smiled at the master of blades, who stood back with folded arms. Let me show you out now.

Niris tucked the small object away in his inner pocket, which he closed meticulously, and followed the Lipution, who hadn't slowed his pace. They ended up on the pontoon where they had parked their Sukoï.

-I wish you good luck," greeted the Supéfac.

Niris and Lou thanked him for his hospitality and hard work before climbing into their craft. Vick stood there for a moment, watching the ship pull away.

-You are our last hope, Lord Niris," he murmured, letting his words be carried by the wind caused by the Sukoï-26's takeoff.

He turned and was about to enter the building when a guard approached and greeted him. He gave him permission to speak, and the guard approached, holding out something. Intrigued, Lipution leaned forward to look. Then the guard's hand came down on him. He wanted to react when he realized the guard wasn't a real one, but too late.

With his hand pressed to Supéfac's throat, the guard strangled him and within seconds he was dead. Just then, something crawled up his gullet and out his mouth. A kind of black, slimy glass came out of the guard's mouth and into that of the Supéfac. Shortly afterwards, the guard's body collapsed to the floor as Lipution reopened his eyes.

He blinked and cracked his neck with a foul noise. Then he tried to take a few staggering steps before regaining his balance. He straightened up, took a few more steps, then made his way back to the entrance of the station, still staggering a little, but imitating Vick's movements better and better as he went along.