Chapter 15: Home

Phew...It's been a long, hard road to get here.  I've dealt with work stress, getting dumped by dear friends, and having my life basically going on a non-stop emotional roller coaster, but after almost two months, I've got something new for anyone who wants to read.

This chapter was one of the most difficult I've had to revise.  See, it originally started very simply, with a lesson on magic from Aeon, an introduction to their old home, Gollia, and an attack which would lead into chapter 16.  However, looking back at it, it just wasn't very...engaging.  So, I had to add some more detail.  This chapter went through 2-3 re-writes and just as many revisions before I got it to where I wanted it.  The lesson from Aeon was expanded to show growth with Mina and introduce concepts of how magic works in this world as well as giving Mina a goal to work towards, namely, being able to properly control and mold magic rather than just using it willy nilly.  The introduction to Gollia was slowed down a bit to allow for some scenery, character moments between our female protagonists, and to try and get across how odd the place is.  The final part had to be cut.  Yes, I'm adding an additional chapter between 15 and 16 to smooth the transition.  I don't want to, but the original cut didn't make a ton of sense and I want some room to breathe.  Probably won't be more than 10-12 pages, but we'll see.  I'm back on a regular writing schedule, so finger's crossed that I can start getting these back out in a timely fashion.  Now, without further ado,

Chapter 15: Home.

Closing her eyes, Mina took several long, deep breathes.  Warmth seeped into her skin with each breath and gathered in the pit of her stomach.  As Leyline energy pooled in her belly, a shudder ran through Mina's body and loud gurgling emanated from within her.  Forcing her stomach to quiet itself, Mina exhaled and opened her eyes.  She held out both of her hands and tensed the muscles in her stomach, forcing the Leyline energy to rise into her chest.  The energy writhed within her, but Mina stilled it with practiced effort.  Carefully dividing the energy in two, she guided it through arms and into her hands.  A brief twinge of pain passed through her hands as Mina pushed the energy out of her palms.

Strong gusts of wind burst out of each of Mina's palms, rustling the leaves and grass of the Selvan glade around her.  When the wind subsided, Mina relaxed her muscles and fell backwards onto the flat rock she had adopted as her own during her training with Aeon.  Breathing a sigh of relief, she smiled and glanced over at the lich, who was resting his back against one of the Selvan glade's black trunked trees.

"Impressive," Aeon gave her a curt nod of approval.  "You have come farther in the last eight days than most would have in half a year's time." Stroking his chin with a bony finger, the green flames in Aeon's eye sockets swirled about.  "Your relentless practice every day seems to have paid off.  Not even Karl developed this quickly."

"Karl?" Mina tilted her head to the side.  "Is he another one of your comrades?"

The light in Aeon's eyes suddenly died and he grew somber.  "No.  Or rather, not anymore.  Though his skill was great," Aeon floated over to Mina and assessed her, "He lacked a key trait that all those I call comrades share.  As such, I banished him from my service."

"You...banished him?" Mina mumbled, furrowing her brow.  "Jeez, what was he missing?"

"A conscience," Aeon replied.  "But enough of that," the lich put his hand on Mina's shoulder.  "I think it is time for you to begin the next phase of your training."

"Alright!" Mina jumped up and beamed at Aeon.  "I'm ready!  Just tell me what to do!  I'll train every second I'm not working at the inn just so I can-"

"Calm down, Minava," Aeon let out an amused chuckle.  "You will need a clear head for this.  It will require not only hard work, but imagination as well."

"Imagination?"

"Yes.  This phase of your training will be devoted to teaching you how to control Leyline energy and how to mold Leyline energy.  You will need imagination to get the most out of either skill," Aeon said.

"But don't I already control Leyline energy?" Mina said.  "I gather it within me, guide it through my body, then expel it through my hands."

"Hmmmhmm, that is merely control in a general sense," Aeon retorted.  "Hands are powerful conduits for Leyline energy.  However, they are not the only places you can expel Leyline energy from.  If you improve your control, you could expel strong gusts of wind from your  mouth, your feet, or even from your skin."

"Ugh...that sounds a little over my head," Mina scratched the back of her head, feeling totally lost.  "I mean...expel wind from of my skin?"

Shaking his head, Aeon let out a sigh.  "I told you it would require imagination, Minava.  If it will help, I shall demonstrate."  Taking Mina's hand, Aeon placed it against his rib cage.

Slowly, Aeon began to rise higher into the air, pulling Mina with him as he rose.  When her feet left the ground, Mina gripped the lich's frigid bones with both hands.  However, as they climbed higher and higher, Mina felt something wafting out of them.  Her eyes widened and she let go in surprise. 

Falling roughly on her feet, Mina glanced up at Aeon with a mix of awe and elation.  "You...you're pushing air out of your body...and using it to hold yourself aloft!" she squealed, dashing around Aeon and looking him over.  "That's how you're able to fly!"

"Correct," Aeon nodded, descending until he was at his usual height.  "However, you need nearly perfect control of Leyline energy to perform such actions.  You must not only be able to gather and channel the energy, but to expel it at will from anywhere on your body and maintain it in a steady stream."

"Ooooohhh!  I can't wait to try myself!" Mina fidgeted in place, barely able to contain her excitement. 

Folding his hands behind his back, Aeon floated a few feet away from Mina.  "Do not get ahead of yourself, Minava.  You must also learn to mold Leyline energy before you will be ready to try something as advanced as flight."

"Right," Mina nodded.  "Daryl told me that by molding the energy, she can create her barriers or a sphere of light.  She told me that with concentration, she can give her energy shape.  I'm...still kinda shaky on how that works though." she blushed and scratched her cheek.

Aeon did not reply.  Instead, he raised his hand in her direction and the floating particles of light that filled the Selvan glade entered his body from all sides.  Before Mina could say anything, ice burst out of Aeon's fingertips, washing over her and engulfing her up to her neck in clear, cold crystal.

"A-Aeon!" Mina squealed, glaring at the lich and trying to stop her teeth from chattering.  "How about a little warning?!"

  Curling his hand into a fist, Aeon ground his fingers together before pressing his fist against his ribcage.  More Leyline energy flowed into his body and the ice imprisoning Mina seemed to melt and mold to her body, forming an intricately crafted suit of armor around her.

Flexing her fingers, Mina glanced at her backside, which was also covered in the ice mail.  "It's...not cold.  And I can move.  What just-"

 “Watch closely,” Aeon said, holding out his hand again and jutting two fingers upwards.

Looking down at her body, Mina saw the armor detach itself from her body and twist around her, gathering as a single mass of ice at her torso.  The ice sprouted a serpentine head and slithered up her arm.  "Woah..." Mina mumbled, watching as the serpent hissed its forked tongue at her.  Save for being made of ice, it looked perfectly lifelike.  Aeon reached out his hand and the ice serpent slid up his skeletal arm, curling around his skull before disintegrating into snow and falling to the ground.  "Ummm..." Mina cocked an eye at Aeon.  "What...just happened?"

"So far, you have only tried pushing Leyline energy out of your body without giving it a distinct shape," Aeon said, lowering his hand.  "From now on, however, I want you to try and give form to your Leyline energy.  As your control improves, you will be able to not only give form to your energy, but also alter the size, strength, and element of the energy.  So you see, improving your control and learning to mold Leyline energy go hand in hand."

"Hmmm..." Mina took a seat on her rock, rested her chin on her palms, and looked up at Aeon.  "Those gestures you were making with your hands...will I need to learn them to use higher level magic?"

"Hmmhmmm," Aeon chuckled.  "In a manner of speaking.  Those gestures are for focusing ones thoughts.  They heighten concentration," the lich mused, floating over to Mina's rock and resting the base of his spine next to her.  "In time, you may develop some of your own to prevent your focus from wavering."

"Okay," Mina nodded, "So...how do I actually mold Leyline energy?  You still haven't told me."

"It is largely a mental exercise," Aeon replied.  "You must picture how you wish to mold the Leyline energy in your mind, synchronize with the natural world, and overlay the form onto the energy you have already gathered.  Once you have done that, you must maintain it until you expel the energy from your body."

"So...I picture it in my mind, concentrate really hard, and I have to...ugh..." Mina let out a groan and massaged her temples.  "Sorry...it's really hard to visualize what you're saying."

"Hmmhmm," Aeon smirked, "Use your imagination, Minava."

Rolling her eyes, Mina let out a sigh.  "Well of course I'm trying to picture it but...I...guess I could visualize a breeze flowing in a specific way and try to create that?" she glanced up at the lich hopefully.

"Do not just visualize it," Aeon murmured.  "You must synchronize your body with nature.  Use your senses to create the same feeling of the wind within yourself.  If a breeze spins around in a circle, like a tornado, your body must be able to replicate that feeling, in order to overlay it onto the energy."

"Right...right..." Mina grunted, allowing her shoulders to slump.  "I guess I can try that.  But...I won't be able to do what you do, will I?  You...can't really make armor or wings or a snake out of wind, can you?"

"You can," Aeon nodded, "It just requires imagination.  Something I know you have in great abundance."  The lich put his hand on Mina's shoulder and his skull twisted into what she assumed was an encouraging smile, though the lack of skin made it hard for her to tell.  Mina smiled back and sat up straight.

"Thank you," she whispered, touching his skeletal hand with her own.

"Before you get too discouraged, let me show you something."  Reaching down to the ground, Aeon scooped up a handful of blue soil in his right hand.  Holding out his left hand, Aeon sprinkled the soil over the front and pack of his skeletal palm.  Rather than falling, the dirt was batted about by two separate wind currents, spinning in opposite directions.

"Wow..." Mina gasped. "Thanks to the soil, I can actually see the way the wind is flowing!"

With a slight twitch of his hand, Aeon drew the two currents together.  They began to collide against one another, twisting about in Aeon's hand at first, but slowly, they intertwined, forming a miniature tornado, painted blue by the dirt which was kicking around inside it.  Straightening his fingers, Aeon stretched out his hand and the tornado began to expand and melt over his bones, forming a twister around Aeon's arm.

"Amazing..." Mina whispered, watching the wind become almost like a glove over Aeon's hand.  Suddenly, a pair of holes opened in the wind around Aeon's arm, like a set of eyes.  The holes narrowed at Mina and the front of the whirlwind opened up to reveal a set of fangs made of smaller cyclones.  It hissed at Mina and she fell backwards, eyes wide.

The wind dissipated and Aeon folded his hands behind his back.  "That is how you create a snake out of wind, Minava," he murmured.

Mina's mouth hung agape.  She glanced up at Aeon before slowly getting to her feet and dusting herself off.  "Okay...point taken," she swallowed hard before returning to her seat on the flat rock.  "I'm still not sure I understand how you did it though.  It seems like after creating the tornado, you just willed it around your arm."

"A bit of an oversimplification but yes, that is what I did," Aeon said.

"You...just willed it to?" Mina raised an eyebrow at the lich.

"Correct.  You see, I have very precise control over how my Leyline energy is molded, both inside and outside of my body," Aeon said.  "To mold it into a current of wind, I had to use my mind to replicate wind within me.  The feeling, the direction, the power, etc.  Once my mind had the idea of how the wind should react, I had to maintain that idea, and overlay it onto the form I wanted it to be.  It takes strict mental discipline to give it that kind of shape and a large reserve of Leyline energy built up from physical training and continued use.  For the moment, I suggest you use simple currents of wind to train wi-"

"I wanna create a tornado!" Mina grinned at Aeon.  The lich froze for a moment, before covering his eyeless sockets with a hand.  Stifling a giggle, Mina added, "I know what wind feels like, so I'll just imagine it flowing in two opposing currents, like what you just did.  Then, I just have to crash them together and keep one from overpowering the other.  I picture the tornado, I imagine how the wind feels, use that as a guideline, and overlay that onto my Leyline energy.  If I can maintain it, I should be able to create a tornado.  Simple."  She crossed her arms and nodded.

"Hmmmhmmm" a low chuckle escaped the lich's mouth.  "I should not be surprised," Aeon snorted, and shook his head.  "Do as you wish.  I should warn you, however, that trying to control something as unruly as a tornado at your current level will quickly drain your stamina."

"So I'll eat extra helpings at breakfast and dinner," she playfully stuck out her tongue at Aeon and laughed.  "I really wanna get this so...just let me try.  Alright?"

"By all means, try," Aeon shrugged.  "Even if you fail, it will still be good training for you.  Just remember to divide your training evenly between molding Leyline energy and improving your control.  They will both be needed if you are to advance."

"Gotcha!" Mina nodded and jumped to her feet.  "I'll start now!" 

Taking a deep breath, Mina felt warmth seep into her skin and guided the energy through her body and into her hands.  Cupping her hands together, Mina drew them apart and tried to imagine the feeling of the wind swirling around in a clockwise direction.  She flexed her bottom palm and Leyline energy flowed through it.  Keeping her idea of how the wind should flow at the forefront of her thoughts, Mina felt air twist out of her hand.  A bead of sweat ran down her forehead, but she kept her eyes focused on the thin, barely visible wisp of air as it slowly twisted around in a spiral.  The wind hit her top palm and she strained to hold it in place, using the energy she had gathered into her top hand to keep it steady. 

Her heart began to pound faster and her breathing grew labored.  The slow turning of the wind tickled her bottom palm as it came out and flowed into the skin of her top palm before disappearing.  As seconds ticked by, Mina felt her hands begin to tremble with the exertion of keeping this tiny current of wind swirling around at a constant speed.  Nevertheless, she narrowed her eyes and tried to form a second wind current that flowed in the opposite direction of the first.  She could feel sweat dripping from her face as a second spiral of wind, less than half as big as the first, lurched into being at the back of her palm.  Mina gulped in air, but kept her eyes focused on the two eddies of wind as she focused her energy and tried to nudge the tiny wind current into the larger one.  The instant the second current touched the first, however, Mina felt her muscles spasm and the wind burst out of control, shooting out of her cupped hands and knocking her on her backside.

Blinking her eyes at the blue sky overhead, Mina heard a cold chuckle emanate from Aeon and she scowled.  Rolling onto her side, she stumbled to her feet with a groan and glared at the lich, who was as impassive as always.  Gritting her teeth, she cupped her hands together and was about to try again when she heard someone yelling.

"Aeeeeeeeeeooooooonnnnnn!" Mina glanced over towards the entrance of the Selvan glade.  The bubble surrounding it rippled as the golden stairway leading down to Aeon's citadel flickered to life.  Skipping up the stairwell was Nerise, dressed in a hooded black robe that was too big for her and twirling her tiny scepter like a baton.  She passed through the bubble and skidded to a halt in front of Aeon.  "Ready to go?"

Mina's heart skipped a beat and she swallowed hard.  "G-Go?" she repeated.

"Be at ease," Aeon held up a hand.  "It is merely an errand that Neri, Vincent, and I run every few weeks.  We are not leaving Gesthal."

"Weissy's coming too!" Nerise laughed, pulling back the hood of her robe to reveal that her usually unkempt black hair had been neatly combed and had a large black bow adorning her head.  Two green lights briefly flashed in the loops of the bow.

Stifling a giggle, Mina shook her head and ambled over to Nerise.  "I didn't see him at first.  That's a good look for you, Weiss," she smirked.  The green eyes flashed at her but said nothing.

"Ah, Weissy's just shy because we're gonna see Granny," Nerise patted her bow.  "He said I should look nice for when we go."

"Granny?" Mina raised an eyebrow and turned to face Aeon.

To her surprise, it was Weiss, still in the form of a black bow, who spoke.  "My former guardian.  She is the caretaker of Gollia."

Furrowing her brow, Mina stroked her chin and tried to digest what Weiss had just said.  "Oooooookay..." she murmured, "Gollia's in the south of Telnumbra, right?  What business do you have there?"

"We are going to visit old friends," Aeon said.  "Gollia was our former home before Acacia was constructed.  Nerise, Vincent, Weiss, and myself have kept close ties with Gollia and its people, even after we struck out on our own."

"If you've got such close ties there then why did you leave?" Mina mused.

"That is not your concern," Aeon said matter-of-factly.

Twisting her face into an annoyed grimace, Mina loosed a single snort before shuffling back to her flat rock.

"Nerise," Weiss muttered from atop the little girl's head.

"Huh?  OH!  Right!" Nerise exclaimed.  She bounded over to Mina and grabbed her hands.  "I invited Dary to come with me to Gollia, but she said she'd only go if you and Celi come.  She went to ask Celi, so I said I'd ask you.  Will you please come with us?"

Mina's scowl melted immediately when she saw Nerise's exuberant face.  "Haha, I bet Celi'll love that," she chuckled, a smile returning to her lips.  "Why not?  I'd love to see your old home.  Errr..." turning her gaze towards Aeon, Mina's shoulder's slumped slightly, "If it's alright, that is.  I don't want to intrude and it's fine if you just want to spend time with your old friends ther-"

"I have no objections," Aeon shrugged, "However, Gollia can be an unsettling place for some.  You should be fine, but I am concerned for your friend."

"Why?  Is it dangerous?" Mina asked.

"Not...reeeeeeeeeally..." Nerise dragged out her words and averted meeting Mina's eyes.  "Everyone's nice and welcoming there.  We're like a big family.  We all might look different, but-"

"Gollia is known as the land of outcasts in Telnumbra," Aeon cut in.  "Provided they look after and protect one another, all are welcome there, regardless of gender, race, or social standing.  None are turned away."

For a moment, Mina tilted her head, nonplussed, but slowly realization dawned in her eyes.  "Oh!  So, I suppose there are teythens and all manner of apocra there, right?"

Aeon nodded.

"That explains it," Mina sighed, "Even if she is warming up to you, Daryl's still a church girl at heart."

"Dary's a good person.  I think she'll be fine," Nerise laughed and skipped over to the glowing stairwell.  "So, are you ready to go or what?"

"Sure," Mina said, climbing off her rock and following Nerise down the glowing stairwell.  A chill in the air behind her let Mina know that Aeon was at her back.

The four of them passed through the alcove underneath Aeon's tower and headed up the stone stairs towards the main entrance.  As they climbed, Mina cupped her palms together, then drew them apart.  Focusing all her attention on the energy in her hands, she created another current of wind between her palms.  Once Mina was able to maintain the tiny whirlwind at a steady speed, she flexed the muscles in her hands and was about to create a second wind current, however a loud creak drew her gaze to the entrance of Aeon's citadel.

With her attention divided, the wind in Mina's palms began to spin faster and faster.  After a few seconds, it spiraled out of control and burst out of her hands, knocking her backwards.  She would have toppled over if Aeon had not caught her.  The lich said nothing.  He merely righted Mina and floated past her as Vincent strode out of the citadel's open doors.

The teythen was shrouded in shadows due to a large cart heavily laden with various food stuffs, medical supplies, and bags of coins hovering a few feet above his right hand, which he held above his head.  Wringing her sore fingers, Mina glanced over at Vincent, who was garbed in a black and red tunic with a matching cloak.

"I see we've got company for this trip," Vincent nodded at Mina before wiping a drop of sweat from his brow.  "Glad to have you."

"Are our presents all accounted for, Vincent?" Aeon asked.

"Yeah," Vincent grunted and rose into the air with ponderous effort.  "I got everything they asked for during my last trip to the Umbran Bazaar.  It's heavy, but I ought to be able to get it all up to the relay."

"Good," Aeon gave the teythen a curt nod.  "I want you to go ahead of us.  Let everyone know we are on our way."

"And bringing cakes!" Nerise giggled, pointing to one of the satchels on the cart.

Vincent nodded and shared Nerise's smile.  "See you there," he said, floating higher and higher into the air until he was far above the tree tops. 

Mina watched him go for a moment, then felt a tug on the sleeve of her dress.  "No time for daydreaming," Nerise said, pointing to Aeon who was already disappearing into the forest separating them from Merkel's tower.

Taking Nerise's hand, Mina allowed the little girl to lead her into the forest after Aeon.  Holding her free hand out to the side, Mina gathered energy into her palm and tried to create a steady spiral of wind.  She grunted from the effort, unable to keep the wind current stable with only one hand.  The wind in her hand dissipated as Mina glanced over at a gigantic, scaly apocra with many segmented legs.  It seemed to be sleeping and merely snorted at Nerise when she waved to it.  As they went, Mina also saw a griffon fly overhead and several lamia waved to the two girls when they walked by.

After a few minutes, they entered the clearing that housed Gadius's field and tree, however the jela-vey was so busy tending his plants that he did not seem to notice them.  Nerise called out to him, but he only gave a half hearted wave while he weeded his garden.  On the far end of the field, Mina caught sight of Aeon who seemed to have slowed his pace somewhat.

Once they were all together, Mina pulled her hand free of Nerise and took up a slow gait behind her and Aeon.  Wiping sweat from her face, Mina took a deep breath, cupped her hands together, and created another current of wind in her palm.  Instead of pulling her hands apart, however, she kept the spiral of wind small and tried to increase the speed at which it spun.

When they broke out of the trees, there was a flash of light overhead and Mina instinctively looked up.  Merkel's tower loomed in front of her, Aeon, and Nerise, like a gigantic flower stem made of stone and rock.  A crystalline bulb at the top of the tower swiveled into view and slowly uncurled into a flower.  A beam of blue light rose out of the tower and shot into the flower before it was redirected into the sky.  When the beam had disappeared, the flower petals closed and it swiveled back into the tower.

"So that's what it looks like from down here..." Mina murmured, smiling broadly at the sight.  There was a tingling in her fingers and Mina glanced down at her hands.  They were trembling uncontrollably and her eyes widened slightly as the wind spun so fast within her cupped hands that it seemed to hum.  All at once, the wind burst out of her hands with such force that it blew her hair back and knocked Mina off her feet.

"AGH!" she grunted as she fell to the ground.

Floating over to her prone form, Aeon held out a hand.  "This is why I told you to start with something simple," he murmured.

Panting hard, Mina winced as she took Aeon's hand and climbed back to her feet.  "I-It's harder than I thought it'd be," she mumbled, rubbing her butt, "But I won't give up!  I'll make a tornado!  Just you wait!"

"Hmmm?" Aeon ran one of his skeletal fingers across Mina's cheek.  "Interesting...I look forward to seeing what you come up with."  Turning his back to her, Aeon floated over to the entrance to Merkel's tower, pulled the door open, and disappeared inside.

Placing her hand over her chest, Mina took a moment to catch her breath.  Nerise waddled over to her and rubbed the sleeve of her robe against Mina's cheek.  "You've got a small cut there," Nerise mumbled, a somber look adorning her usually cheerful face.  "You need to be more careful.  No matter what kind of magic it is, if you don't pay attention, it'll backfire on you."

Putting her hand to her cheek, Mina rubbed a few drops of blood between her fingers.  "Did...did I cut myself with the wind?" she murmured.

"Hehe, yeah," Nerise managed a giggle.  Spitting on her sleeve, she dabbed it against the cut.  "You compressed the wind too much.  It was so thin and sharp that when it burst out of your hands it was almost like a tiny blade."

Mina's eyes widened and she glanced down at her fingers.  There were a few small nicks on them which weren't bleeding, but which still stung when she clenched her hands.  "This might be harder than I thought," she sighed.

"OI!" Both girls looked up and saw Yuka standing in the doorway leading into Merkel's tower.  "Aeon's already at tha relay!  Ya comin or not?!"

"Y-Yes!" Mina stammered, grabbing Nerise's hands and rushing into the tower.  They followed Yuka up escalator and over to the platform Yuka had said was named the "go-uppater."

Mina sucked on her fingers while Nerise tore a few strips of cloth from her sleeves and handed them over to the green haired girl.  "It'll feel better if you wrap them up," she said with a smile.

"What's yer deal?" Yuka snorted, flipping the switch on the console attached to the platform.

"Ummm...hurt myself practicing magic," Mina stammered as she wrapped the black strips of cloth around her nicked fingers.

"Ah, right, right, just like Dem," Yuka nodded vigorously.  "One good thing bout bein a neeg is I ain't gotta worry bout that.  Anyway, good that yer here.  Daryl's been gettin a little antsy."

Rubbing her temples with her thumb and forefinger, Mina nodded and sighed.  "She does that..."

"Would you just shut up!" a voice from above yelled.  "I just...I'd feel better with you two around, okay?"

"Dawwww, the widdle princess needs her entourage," Celine's voice jeered as the platform neared the top floor.  "Hehe, I don't mind, Daryl, but...gotta say, this is a bit of a surprise."

When Mina, Nerise, and Yuka arrived at the top floor, they saw Aeon floating off to one side next to Merkel, while Celine and Daryl stood in the center of the glowing blue glyph on the floor.  Celine was poking Daryl in the shoulder, while Daryl stood stock still, her arms crossed and a scowl adorning her face.

"Dary!" Nerise called, waving her arms about as the three of them stepped off the platform.

A tiny smile broke through Daryl's scowl and she let out a contented sigh.  "Hey, Neri," she waved back.  "So, are you coming with us?" she nodded at Mina.

"Was there ever any doubt?" Mina chuckled and ambled over to Daryl's side.

She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, Celine reached over and stroked the cut on Mina's cheek.  Wincing as she did, Mina put her hand against Celine's.  Her eyes widened slightly when she realized that her nicked fingers, now wrapped in crude black bandages, were touching Celine's chestnut colored skin.

Celine narrowed her eyes and took hold of Mina's hand.  "What happened?" she murmured.

"You've started molding magic into shapes, huh?" Daryl smirked and yanked Mina's hand away from Celine to examine it.  "From the looks of it, you've still got a ways to go."

Color erupted across Mina's face and she lowered her eyes.  "G-gimme a break," she grunted, as Daryl poked and prodded her hand, "I just started today."

"So...it's just part of the magic training?" Celine raised an eyebrow, barely able to hide the relief in her voice.

"Yeah, so you can stop worrying, Celi," Mina rubbed her burning cheeks and forced herself to smile.  "I might get a cut here and there while training, but I'll be okay."

She saw Celine's eyes stray to Aeon, who was floating over to them.  "Are the four of you prepared?" he murmured.

"Yep!" Nerise giggled.

"I...suppose," Daryl swallowed hard.

"We are," Celine roughly clapped her hand down on Daryl's shoulder and winked at Mina.

"Good.  Yuka, Merkel, activate the relay."

"Tccch, took ya long enuff," Merkel snorted and stomped over to a panel below the crystalline flower, which was closed into a bulb, and pressed a button.  The roof of the tower twisted around to create a skylight and the flower rose into the air, unfolding as it went.

The blue glyph underneath their feet began to glow and Yuka waved to them after she had joined Merkel.  "Have fun!  Say hey to everyone for me!"

Aeon gave her a curt nod and folded his hands behind his back, as a tunnel of blue light formed around them.  Mina saw that Celine had her eyes firmly shut, while Daryl was peeking out of one.  Nerise seemed giddily unconcerned as their world was engulfed in cerulean radiance.  Forcing herself to not shut her eyes, Mina glanced upwards.  Above them, the tunnel of light was being drawn into the crystalline flower atop Merkel's tower.  Suddenly, the flower disappeared from sight and above them was another mystic circle, identical to the blue glyph that she and the others were standing on.

Mina's skin tingled as her body was pulled apart bit by bit and shot through the tunnel.  Glancing around at the others, she saw Daryl trying and failing to keep her composure, Celine trembling as her body was slowly undone, and Aeon without any visible hint of emotion.  Before she was completely pulled through the tunnel, Mina heard someone cry out in joy.

"Wheeeeee!" Turning what remained of her face towards Nerise, Mina saw the girl laughing as her body was unwound, swirled around the edges of the tunnel, and shot through it.

And then, it was over.  The tunnel of cerulean light disappeared and deposited the five of them in a grassy field underneath a black sky swollen with rain clouds.  A crash of lightning illuminated the sky above and a roar of thunder heralded a great downpour which swept over them. 

Mina and Celine tried to shield their faces from the rain with little success, while Daryl raised her hands above her and tried to form a barrier of light around them to keep out the water.  However, the rain swept down on them with such ferocity that Daryl was unable to concentrate long enough to finish forming the barrier. 

Aeon and Nerise seemed unconcerned that their clothes were getting soaked and Nerise began to sing and dance amidst the storm.  "It's raaaaaaaining, it's poooooouring...grannnnnny is snooooooring!" Nerise giggled, dancing about in the rain.  "But soon sheeeeeeeeee'll wake.  And haaaaaaaave some cake.  And talk wiiiiiiiith me till my heeeeeeeeart won't aaaaaaaaache!"  She giggled, splashing around in the mud until her robes were stained brown and her hair was plastered against her face.  "Haha, I've missed this."

"Indeed," Aeon nodded, raising a hand and snapping his fingers.

Mina felt something blow past her and suddenly, the rain stopped.  Wiping water and wet hair from her eyes, she looked up and saw that a small dome of wind had surrounded her and the others, invisibly guiding the rain away from them.

"Why didn't you do that from the start?" Celine grunted at the lich as she shook excess water from her skin and wrung out her dress.

"Teleportation spells will be disrupted if too much magic is in effect when they are cast," Aeon curtly replied.  "There was no other way.  Now, we should get moving."  He pointed to the west.  If she squinted her eyes, Mina could make out a large rock formation, like a short, but wide mountain against the gloomy horizon painted black by the fat rain clouds.

"That's Gollia?" Celine muttered, narrowing her eyes to try and get a better view of the rock formation.

"Yep!  Let's get moving!" Nerise cried, running ahead of them.  The instant she stepped out of the dome of wind Aeon had erected, the rain washed over her in great rivulets.

"Hey!" Daryl called at the departing figure before uneasily making eye contact with Aeon.  "Shouldn't we go after her?  She...she might get sick if she's left out in the rain!"

"There is no need to worry," Aeon nodded in Nerise's direction, "she has someone looking after her."

There was a flash of green and black light and the rain ceased to fall on Nerise, almost as if a pair of gigantic invisible hands were covering her, shielding her from the rain.  Before she disappeared from sight, Mina was certain she could see Weiss's green eyes shining brightly from atop Nerise's head.

"Oh..." Daryl stammered, shivering as she wrung out her dress.  "They really are close, huh?" she added, glancing over at Aeon before scooting closer to Mina and away from the lich.

"Yes," Aeon said and began to float forward.  The dome of wind surrounding the four of them moved with him. 

The girls followed after Aeon, but struggled to maintain his pace, as the heavy rain had turned the ground into standing pools of mud.  Mina and Celine hiked up their dresses and managed to keep up with the lich, even as the wet sludge clung to their legs, however Daryl was left stuck up to her ankles, as both her dress and her shoes were swallowed up by the mud.

"W-wait!  I-" Daryl started to say.

Stopping dead, Aeon glanced back at Daryl and cast a bored glance in her direction.

"Don't give her that look!" Mina snapped, reaching into the mud and pulling off her shoes.  "It's your fault for not warning us what the weather might be like," she said, stomping over to Daryl with considerably more ease.  "Here, let me give you a hand, Daryl."

"B-But my feet'll-" Daryl whimpered as Mina dunked her hands into the mud and tugged at the girl's shoes.

"Get over it, Princess," Celine grunted, pulling off her own shoes.  "Your dress is already a mess, so who cares about a little mud?  Sides, this is nothing compared to that time you twisted your ankle going home in a storm and Kano had to carry you-"

"Moving on!" Daryl flushed scarlet and tied her dress back just above her knees.

Floating over to Daryl, Aeon extended a hand.  "Here," he murmured, taking Daryl by the wrist and pulling her out of the mud.  "Now keep up.  I would rather not explain to Granny why we were late."

Daryl quickly averted her eyes from Aeon and uttered a quick, "Thank you," before falling into step behind Celine.  The lich led the way ahead of them without another word.

"You don't need to be so nervous," Mina whispered to Daryl with a quick smile.  "He looks grim, but he's got a heart of gold."

"I know...I've seen him protect us before, but...he's a lich, Mina!"

"Yeah, and I'm a vagabond.  Your point?" Celine shrugged.  "You don't seem that upset by Nerise, and she's a necromancer."

Wiping wet hair out of her eyes, Daryl sighed.  "I know, but with her it's..."

"Easier to pretend," Aeon finished for Daryl, as they drew nearer to the rock formation.

For a moment, an embarrassed silence permeated the air.  Daryl's eyes widened slightly before she let out a small cough and mumbled, "I...I'm sorry."

"It is alright," Aeon said.  "If you wish to make it up to me, then do not be so discourteous to my comrades in Gollia."

"I'll try," Daryl muttered, "Nerise asked me to come with her, but-"

"Weren't really feeling up to it, were you, princess?" Celine grunted.

"Really?" Mina raised an eyebrow, "Then why did you come?"

"I...didn't want to disappoint Nerise," Daryl let out a nervous laugh and smiled at her friends.

"Hmmhmmm, she has a way about her, does she not?" Aeon chuckled.

"Yeah..." Daryl groaned.  "Although..." she mused, glancing at the rock formation as they approached a large opening leading into the mountain-like structure.

The outside of the rock formation seemed to have been carved into uniform terraces lined with trenches that overflowed with rainwater.  Around the edge of the formation were countless steepled wooden structures covering plots of tilled earth, some of which had crops growing from them.

"This place seems quite practical.  If the rain would let up, it might even be cheery," Daryl added.  "So, I have to wonder...if this is where she grew up, then why is Nerise's valley so...dreary?"

Stopping in place, Aeon glanced back at the three girls.  "She does not see it as dreary," Aeon retorted.  "Her valley was formed from a piece of Gollia, but Nazon's skull turned it barren.  Yet, the same void energy which has made it look so desolate is also what allows undead to live there without fear of being pulled back into the void.  To Nerise, that valley is a home for her comrades who have nowhere else to go.  It is a second Gollia."

Silence briefly overtook them as the three girls digested this new information.  However, their musings were interrupted by a yell from the opening leading into the rock formation.  "I was starting to wonder if you'd ever show up!"  Glancing back to the entrance, Mina saw Vincent waving to them from inside the cave.  He was leaning on a colossal archway carved out of the stone with the words "Gollia" in the center.

Aeon floated over to Vincent and the instant he was out of the rain the dome of wind around him dissipated.  "How were our gifts received?

Glancing past Aeon at Mina, Celine, and Daryl, who were carrying their muddy shoes in their hands and covered in grime up to their knees, Vincent jutted his thumb behind him at the cart, which was surrounded by people of all shapes and sizes, "Errr...see for yourself," he replied.

"Hmmm.  Vincent," Aeon said, floating past the teythen, "I wish to see that everyone gets what they requested.  Can I trust you to find Nerise and show our guests around?"

"Sure," Vincent replied, nodding at Mina and the others.  "C'mon.  Maybe we can find something to get you three cleaned up."

"Here, let me."  As Mina and the others passed under the archway, she saw something skitter down the walls.  Before she could get a good look at the creature, a silken towel was dropped on her head.  "Use these to dry yourself and clean off the mud.  Don't worry about getting them dirty," a soft, female voice murmured, "It's alright."

Scrubbing the excess moisture from her hair and face, Mina pulled the towel off her head and was about to wipe the mud from her legs, but stopped when a low pitched squeal reached her ears.  Glancing over at Daryl, Mina saw that her friend's eyes were wide and her mouth was hanging open.

"Oh...ummm...excuse me..." Turning towards the direction of the voice, Mina saw a woman with a pale humanoid torso suspended on six spindly legs covered in a hard black carapace.  Though she was garbed in a robe of blue silk and appeared to be quite slender, there was a large black thorax jutting out behind her.  Long grey hair fell over her eight red eyes, all of which were looking away from the three girls.  The woman was glowing a delicate shade of pink and biting her bottom lip.

"You're an arachne, right?" Celine mumbled, wiping her legs down without missing a beat.

"Ummm...that's right," the woman stammered.

"Pleased to meet you," Celine smiled broadly and held out her hand.  "Name's Celine.  Thanks for the towels."

"Errr..." the young woman stared at Celine's hand for a moment before slowly extending her own lanky arm which had long talons instead of nails.  "You're...welcome?"

"It's okay, Ceresa," Vincent nodded, "They won't bite."

The arachne tentatively took Celine's hand and shook it.  Slowly, her awkwardness subsided and she managed a weak smile.  "I...I'm sorry if I-"

"Don't worry about it," Mina cut in.  "I like your legs, by the way.  They're very pretty."

"Oh!  Th-thank you!" Ceresa squealed, sending Mina and Celine into a fit of giggles.

"Umm...miss?  What...are...?" Daryl mumbled.

"That's Ceresa, our resident weaver," Vincent said, putting a hand on Daryl's shoulder.  Mina frowned momentarily when she saw her friend stiffen at the teythen's touch.  " There's nothing to be scared of.  In fact, she actually wove the towels you're using from silk she spun herself."

"O-oh," Daryl stuttered, bowing at Ceresa.  "Umm...pl-pleased to meet you."

"Hmmmm...are you the jittery girl?" Ceresa bit the end of one of her black talons.

"What?"

"Neri asked us to not mind the jittery girl.  She said that she might be a little nervous, but that she's also really nice," Ceresa mumbled, casting two of her eyes on Daryl and the others on Mina and Celine.

"Yep, that's our princess," Celine smirked and slapped Daryl on the back.  "What'd Nerise call us?"

"Ummm...the tough girl and the magic girl," Ceresa blushed deeply.

For a few seconds silence fell over the five of them before Mina put her hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh.  "Well...it fits, I suppose."

"Neri..." Vincent let out a long sigh and smiled.  "I take it that while I was waiting for Aeon, she's been basking in the attention."

"What else does Neri do when she's here?" Ceresa chuckled and her long, thin legs clicked against cobbled stone as she stepped through the archway and into Gollia.  "Come on.  I'll take you to her."

Mina, Celine, Daryl, and Vincent followed Ceresa in relative darkness, along a stone pathway that felt cool against the girls' bare feet.  The only sound which accompanied them was the arachne's legs clicking against the pathway.  Less than a minute after they had passed through the archway, the roof grew taller and widened all around them, spilling light down from all sides.  Tilting their heads up, Mina and her friends could see thousands of torches, lamps, and braziers hanging from the ceiling, off the sides of walls, and from windows that had been carved into the rock.

With this light, Mina noticed that the stone pathway they had been walking on was neatly cobbled into a sort of road.  The road had small branches which led into impressively built multi-layered houses of stone which appeared to be carved out of the walls.  They were like gigantic spires lined up next to one another with rooms of different shapes and sizes to accommodate their specific residents.  Seen all at once, it looked like a huge stone castle that looped around the walls in a circle.  A few of the road's branches rose on inclines towards houses built higher up, but they all met in the middle, spiraling upwards until they disappeared into the ceiling, not unlike the spiral staircase in Aeon's tower.  What drew Mina's attention even more than the stone city was a gigantic hole beneath the spiraling streets in the middle of Gollia.  Lights dotted the inside of the hole and continued down for as far as she could see, almost as if another city lay underneath them.

"Wow..." she gasped.

"This is amazing!" Daryl exclaimed.  "You built all this?!" she beamed at Ceresa.

"Well, not exact-" Ceresa started to say, but Vincent grabbed her arm and jerked her aside as a boulder crumbled from a stone house several stories up.  The rock landed with a sharp crash where she had been standing only a few seconds before.

"Sorry," Vincent gingerly released Ceresa's arm and kicked the boulder sized rock off the road.  "Please, continue."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Celine held up her hands before glancing from Vincent to Ceresa, neither of whom seemed shocked in the least.  "Why are you acting like that's normal?!" she exclaimed

"Well...because it is," Ceresa laughed.  "For as long as I've been here remember, Gollia's been a city in a constant state of disrepair."

"What do you mean?" Mina muttered, stepping aside as a burly, grey skinned apocra bearing a single brown eye in the center of its skull brushed past her with a neeg and two golden haired jela-vey carrying wooden planks right behind. 

"Gollia houses all kinds of people," Vincent shrugged as the one eyed apocra carried the rock away and his companions entered the stone house.  "As best I can tell, when people started living here, Granny organized some architects to build dwellings for everyone.  But more people kept coming.  Some with...special needs.  So, the houses have to be regularly renovated to match their resident's needs and if they get damaged by their residents, the architects have to repair them, so that Gollia is safe for all.  It's a never ending cycle."

"What kind of special needs are you referring to?" Daryl mused aloud.

"I'd wager it's simple stuff for the different apocras.  Aerial access for griffons, larger rooms for trolls or cyclops', spots near water and sunlight so the vey can grow their gardens, you know, basic stuff," Celine shrugged.  "It's no different than you having that big bookcase in your room, princess."

"Ummm...it's a LITTLE different than-"

"Where do you live, miss Ceresa?" Mina quickly interrupted Daryl and got between her and Celine, flashing an innocent smile at her friends before turning to the arachne.

"Up there," Ceresa pointed to one of several towers hanging off the roof like gigantic stalactites.  Each tower was tethered to the walls and ceiling with long strands of silken thread.  "There's plenty of space for me to weave up there and I don't need to worry about prying eyes."

"Sure is a pain to visit though," a voice behind her called out.  A floating sphere covered in a red cloak appeared behind Ceresa and the others.  A set of eyes on long stalks rose out of the cloak and surveyed the three girls.  "So, what do we have here?  These new recruits, Vincent?"

"Hugo, would you stop eyeballing them!" Ceresa folded her arms and impatiently clacked her spindly legs on the ground.  "You're being rude!"

Mina quickly grabbed Daryl's hand and squeezed tightly when she saw the blood drain from her friend's face.  The floating sphere seemed to have sprouted a large mouth down the middle of it and more eye stalks appeared from underneath the cloak to glare at them, though to her immense relief, Vincent quickly got between the two girls and the creature.

"They're friends, not recruits, Hugo.  And they're not used to how we do things yet," Vincent growled at the creature.  "So back off."

Before the creature called Hugo could retort, Celine let out a whistle and smirked at it.  "You're a beholder, aren'tcha?  I haven't seen one of your kind in years.  Not since I holed up with old man Galeth.  Friendly enough, for a girl on the run, though the old git insisted I massage his scales as payment for a roof over my head and a bowl of soup.

To everyone's surprise, Hugo's mouth twisted into a smile and a single, giant eye opened just above his mouth.  "Haha, lucky bastard.  These damn things get harder to scratch every year," he mused, rubbing his eye stalks on a set of dirty brown and red scales that covered his spherical body.  "So...you sure you're not new recruits?"

"N-No...just friends," Mina squeaked, feeling color rush to her cheeks.

"Damn shame, then.  I was hoping for a show.  Karl and Shanalise always put on a good show for us."

"A show?" Celine raised an eyebrow.  "Do you mean magic?"

"Ah, knew I liked this girl for some reason.  Knows exactly how things're supposed to go.  Come on, love, give us a peak, eh?"

Celine glanced over at Daryl, who seemed to have regained her composure, and a sinister smile crossed her face.  "Sorry, old man, but I can't use magic.  My friend over there can, though.  Right, princess?"

Daryl squeaked in surprise as the floating sphere was suddenly eye to eye with her.  "Well?" he growled.

"Hugo!  Stop it or I'm taking back that cloak!" Ceresa grabbed the red cloth and pulled.

"Goddess...things never change, do they?" Vincent groaned.  He dragged his finger nails across his face before shooting Hugo an irritated glare which seemed to push him back slightly.

Daryl's heart was beating so loud that Mina could hear it, however she seemed to have composed herself enough to scowl at Celine, who was snickering to herself.  Shaking her head, Mina let out a sigh and moved between Vincent and Hugo.  "Here..." she said, cupping her hands together.  Taking a deep breath, Mina envisioned wind swirling in a spiral in her mind.  Reaching into her stomach, she felt energy bubble forth and carefully guided it into her hands.  Keeping the image of the vortex of wind, turning slowly in a counter clockwise direction, she pushed the energy out of her palms.  A light breeze wafted out of her bottom palm, turning around and around until it touched the roof of her top palm.  Slowly, she pulled her hands apart.  The wind in her hand was barely visible in the torchlight, but Hugo had seen it.  His large eye and all the eye stalks which came out of his cloak focused on the wind in her hands.

"You've improved," Daryl murmured, nodding at the tiny whirlwind in Mina's palm.

"Boring!" Hugo snapped.  "Is that all you can do?  Make it go faster!"

"Hey, step off!" Celine nudged Hugo dangerously close to his large eye.  "You wanted a show and you got one.  Begger's can't be choosers, ya know!"

"I-it's okay, Celi," Mina stammered, taking in a few quick breaths.  "It's good training for me."  Squeezing her eyes shut, she increased the speed at which the wind was turning in her hand.  The wind tickled her upper palm and both of her hands trembled from the effort of keeping the tiny vortex stable.  She felt her hair begin to rise and fall as the air around her seemed to be slowly drawn towards the whirlwind.

"Yesssssss," Hugo hissed.

Mina's eyes widened as she felt her hands give out.  The wind burst out of her palms and rose up in the air, briefly growing several times larger than she had kept it before disappearing entirely.  Feeling her shoulder's sag, Mina stumbled backwards and would have toppled over if Vincent and Daryl had not caught her.

"You alright?" Vincent whispered.

"Y-yeah.  I just need to get used to using Leyline energy like this, that's all," Mina grunted.

"Pffft, how sad," Hugo snorted.  "Karl and Shana were so much better than-" there was a sharp thwack and the beholder let out a strangled yelp.

"You're being rude.  Behave yourself or I'll really let you have it," a grizzled, but somewhat feminine voice called out from behind Hugo.

Immediately, the beholder fell silent and floated aside.  Mina's eyes widened and she felt her mouth drop open as a grotesque figure holding a wooden cane ambled into sight.  The creature appeared to be bent with age, however its body looked as if it were stitched together from the skins of various creatures.  Mina saw patches of silvery white skin, pale skin, tanned and purple skin, cream colored skin and even a few scales or furry apocra skins, all stitched together into some semblance of a person.  The skin seemed to flow unnaturally as the creature staggered forward, almost as if what was inside was completely disconnected from it.  Once she was able to control her shock and the rising nausea she felt in her gullet, Mina managed to make out that the creature had hair as white as snow from a few patches of skin on its head and that it appeared to be female.  However, when she looked into the creature's eye sockets, Mina saw nothing but blackness.  Glancing over at Daryl and Celine, she saw her friends in similar states of shock.  Daryl was trembling and her mouth was moving but words were not coming out, while Celine managed to keep her mouth shut, but was still looking on with disbelief and apprehension.

Sensing their fear, Vincent put on a big smile and stepped forward.  "Granny!" he called, kneeling down and giving the creature a gentle peck on the cheek.  "You're looking well.  I see a few more patches were donated to you while we were away."

The creature let out a cackle and wrapped malformed arms around Vincent in a hug.  "You look just as dapper as ever, Vincent.  Still wearing that old trinket of Austarine's eh?" the creature ran it's fingers under Vincent's bandana.  "You really ought to become her knight and leave this old woman be."

"Haha, as if I could ever do that," Vincent chuckled and shook his head.  "You and the others are family to me, granny."

"Ohhh...you'll make me blush...well, that is if I could," Granny cackled, "Now, who was my loud mouthed child causing trouble for?"

"Girls," Vincent mumbled, dragging Mina, Celine, and Daryl back to reality.  "This is Granny, the caretaker of Gollia."

Granny inclined her head slightly seemed to smile at them, but Mina was transfixed by the eye sockets which were filled with a swirling darkness far deeper than a moonless night.  She forced a smile to cross her lips and bowed respectfully.  When she was done, she pulled Daryl's hand and the purple haired girl did a short bow herself before looking on incredulously at the impossible creature before them.

"Not what you were expectin, huh?" Granny opened a toothless mouth and laughed heartily, filling the empty space with warmth.  Mina felt her body relax and noticed Celine looking a bit more at ease as well.  Daryl still looked very tense, but managed to compose herself.  "Don't worry," Granny mumbled, holding up her free hand, "Ya don't have to touch me.  It's alright.  I understand."

"Graaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnyyyyyyy!!!" Up the road, Mina and the others saw Nerise barreling towards the creature made of stitched up skin with a smile on her face.  Granny turned to face her just as the girl leapt into her arms.  Nerise squeezed Granny tightly, rubbing her cheeks against the loose skin of her face.  "I missed you!  Weissy missed you too."

"I did not, Nerise," the bow on her head intoned loud enough for everyone to hear.  "You should not lie like that."

"Still so solemn," Granny sighed and touched Nerise's bow.  As soon as her skin made contact with it, the bow began to writhe and contort before slithering off Nerise's head and transforming back into a gigantic, glassy, black, humanoid silhouette.  Weiss's green eyes narrowed at the sight of Granny. 

To Mina's shock, Granny's skin began to writhe, as if something were moving underneath it.  She felt her stomach contort and resisted the urge to gag, though Daryl was not so disciplined, and backed away a few paces while holding her hands over her mouth.  When Granny stopped moving, her eyeless sockets filled with orange light and she smiled at Weiss.

"Haha, you don't change, do you little one?"

"My name is Weiss," he murmured.  "I am not your child any longer."

"Yes, yes, I know.  You haven't been mine since Neri gave you your name," Granny smirked and ruffled Nerise's hair.  "Regardless, I'm glad you both came for a visit.  It'll lift everyone's spirits."

"Hmmm?" Weiss tilted his head to the side and mused aloud, "Is there a reason our brethren need their spirits lifted, grandmother?"

Gingerly setting Nerise down, Granny glanced over at Mina and the others, before shaking her head and sighing.  "It's nothing.  Just a minor inconvenience.  Besides, I'm sure your guests don't want to hear our petty troubles."

"Whatever's going on isn't petty, Granny," Vincent muttered.  "If you want to handle things on your own, fine, but it looked as if the gates were readying themselves for an attack when I arrived."

"I told you not to worry," Granny hissed.  The sound that came out of her mouth was so low and menacing that it made Mina's skin crawl.

"You guys are family, right?" Celine stepped up and crossed her arms.  "Well, family is supposed to be there to help you out at times like this," she nodded in Mina's direction.  "So out with it.  Maybe there's something we can do to help."

Absentmindedly stroking Nerise's hair, Granny stroked her deformed chin.  "What about you?  You feel the same?" she said, turning from Weiss, to Vincent, to Mina and Daryl.

"You have to ask?" Vincent smiled warmly and patted Granny's shoulder.

Weiss hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"Ummm...we'd like to help, if we can," Mina stammered and let out a nervous laugh.

"S-Sure," Daryl grunted, stumbling back over to Mina and the others while still holding her hand over her mouth.

"Hmmm..." Granny bowed her head.  "Ceresa, Hugo, I want you to tell everyone to head back to their homes for a while.  There'll be time for visiting with Neri later."

"But-!" Hugo started to object, but Mina saw Granny's eyes flash bright orange and the beholder bit his tongue.  Instead, he turned around and floated off, followed closely by Ceresa, who glanced back at them as she went.

"If we're going to discuss this, Aeon should be present," Granny said, turning on her heel and walking back towards the entrance arm in arm with Nerise.