Chapter 518: End of Cle

Who would have thought the impromptu concert would go over so nicely. The media attention surpassed even the squabble of Kyle and Igna. Broadcasted live, it felt hypnotic, the way the melody spoke to the soul, the way the mind buckled under the slow and heavy pressure – none could have wanted anything more. 

And so, curtains were pulled onto Cle. The amphitheater cleared into a desolate land of seats. The lifeless faces of those who sat before, a grave of some kind, or so thought the people who had to clean after the giant event. 

What kind of Fine-Dining institute would it be if not for a place to enjoy food. Lord Amsey, Chef Yuki, Chef Yanni, and their respective cooking staff took the ginormous kitchen. Half of the guests left as soon as the event ended, those remaining were of the upper-class demographic. 

'It's over,' thought Igna wandering along the lonesome ever-going corridors, '-what's the point of such large windows?' he wondered to a stop. Gazing out showed an instant drop, said part of the building was built over a cliff or some kind. The view onto the mountain-range gave a sense of comfort. 

"Hey cousin."

"Cousin Julius. The performance was very touching," he turned to Lizzie, "-you too, the piano was amazingly good, I felt my heart beating in my palms." 

"Big brother, you liked it?" she hid her hands in embarrassment.

"I loved it," he replied to a squat, "-was that an original piece?"

"No, no," she shook her head, "-it's a composition from Syndra Lordon."

"Syndra?" he turned to Julius who nodded in agreement. 

"She released it as a music sheet a few days ago, I don't know why but the piece is unusually sad. I can't help but think something's wrong with her."

"Do you know her personally?" he stood.

"No, I've only seen her in pictures. The daughter of the Medusa of Cooking, right?" he gestured to walk.

"Yeah," Igna followed, Lizzie held both their hands and hopped.

"Cousin," the tone sunk into seriousness, "-I know you said you didn't want to get involved in politics…"

"I rather not," the demeanor after remembering changed the perception a little. The thirst to know what was happening dried the tongue even more, "-still, as a Haggard, I guess I must know?"

"Good response," smiled Julius, "-thing is, the conflict between the Federation and the Empire hasn't gotten any better. I'm suspecting the first world war in the coming years. We're trying hard to alleviate the situation on democracy alone. Alphia and Marinda are neutral as far as I know. The problem lays in the Empire itself; their neutral provinces are moving in such a way to support Old Cray."

"I see," they stopped at a better view of the mountains, a small draft entered few steps away, "-Cousin, if I may be so bold, what's Arda and Oxshield thinking?"

"Arda's more or less neutral, lady mother hasn't said anything. Her companion sure is ready to wage war, the Blood-King faction's holding him in a strangle. He's dangerous, I feel it, but mother and big sister Eira don't want to admit it."

"What about Hidros?"

"Queen Gallienne is more preoccupied with her child. The continent is being run by a roundtable of representatives of the various allies of the Federation. Arda, Oxshield, Easel Run Gard, and Elendor have to move as one, else, it's chaos. I tell you, the ambitious nobles are annoying as hell, I so wish father was here to take firm hold of the falling alliance."

"The Federation is falling apart?" 

"No, not falling apart… I'd say we're growing distant. The common pillar we had hasn't made an appearance for six years."

"Come on," he sighed heavily, "-Cousin, are you not the son of King Staxius, take the reins and do something. I'm sure you can take his mantle. Queen Gallienne and Queen Shanna are best-friends, Queen Ela is another good person… the siblings ruling Easel Run Gard aren't that hard to convince. Honestly speaking," a tinge of intellect flashed across Igna's face, "-this coming war might be a boon. Remember, there are only two things that ally people strongly – love and war. They'll see the strength in wanting to help. I'm sure, King Staxius prepared the Federation in such a way that even when he died, those allied were obligated to help one another."

"Cousin," paused Julius holding a look of disdain, "-how do you know so much… are you hiding something from me?"

"No, no," he shook the head, "-it's what I came to after reading multiple articles on the subject. The Arcanum is a place of vast knowledge. Set that aside, what's Phantom going to do?"

"Up to Lady Elvira and aunt Courtney."

"Either way," smiled Igna, "-I can't do anything even if I wanted. There are more things to discover out there, I don't want to be bound by a single nation anymore. I might depart on a voyage after graduating from the Academy in a year."

"How so?"

"You said it earlier," laughed Igna, "-Marinda, the land of lost treasure, the land built on witchcraft and arcane knowledge of the wild and earth. There are rumors of floating islands and mythical animals. Arda's, no," he paused, "-the world's magic revolves around one's magical element, not in Marinda, their knowledge runs deeper than we know. Since we're more technologically focused now, even that piece of knowledge is lost."

"A quest for treasure?" wondered Julius bemused by the prospect.

"No, more of an adventure into the second tower of gods."

"Tower of gods?"

"Tis what the indigenous people refer to the Tower of Aris as."

"Oh boy," smiled Julius, "-cousin, do ease on the pace a little." The conversation broke shortly when Lizzie threw a tantrum about being hungry. "Excuse me, cousin," said he nodding, "-we'll part here, see you soon." 

"Likewise, cousin," the wave stopped as the prince turned the corner.

"Thanks for the save."

"No worries," replied Éclair, "-you successfully changed the subject to Marinda instead of the information about the kingdoms. Must be annoying how they're acting in such trying times."

"Not really," shrugged he continuing the walk, "-I'm not a king nor a noble anymore. Just a cook who happened to wake up a few years ago. Anyway, what's the plan now?'

"No idea," sighed Éclair, "-Cle's over, the quest's been completed. I do have to ask where you went yesterday."

"Totrya," replied he, "-the land of monsters. Had to gather supplies for the event." 

Chants and mild bantering snuck from a light in the distance. The otherwise dark corridor lit per each step. Éclair's map showed the ball-room/reception area. Few suit-wearing figures stood along the paths with alcohol in hand. They cheered and laughed, the atmosphere felt light and peaceful. The same couldn't be said upon gazing to the main-castle gate. Reporters were fighting to get a look at the new chefs, the Arcanum erupted into an untamed beast. 

'Wow,' he turned the corner inside, mechanical and bronze. The design wasn't gold and overly obnoxious. Rather, the décor matched the cogs and wheels of a watch. It fondly suited the overall esthetic of the institute. 'Look at the participants,' thought he at the hurdled nobles flattering the chosen nine. Present or past, one thing never changed, people would lick another's boot just to advance in life. Naturally, the hurdle's size depended on who they sought after, and so, Kyle's army-like audience won. 

"Éclair," he paused at the entrance, "-do I really have to come here, let's just leave."

"Seriously?" wondered the spirit, "-no victory lap, nothing?"

"Not really," he stepped out almost instantly, "-have the bike be readied, we're going home."

"You're lucky," said Éclair, "I had the bike drive for day and night. Wait another hour or so, it's on the way."

"Fine." Reluctance to indulged the self-satisfying guests inside had him sat in a corner covered by rain. 

Rotherham boomed in activity, the potential calls to arms of war had multiple aircraft readied to takeoff. Cargo planes holding elite troupes were sent to Elendor as a way to scare any surprise attack. The last resort Pabruska V5, a potential province-ending nuke stayed at the ready. Tales and dates about its destruction were displayed in full during the annual convention of arms. Tis partly the reason why the Empire remained silent for so long. The Cobalt unit grew weak and without funds to run their research. Phantom sneakily stiffen away their stocks, profits, and customers. The Empire couldn't afford to entertain King Juvey's battle. A masterplan to take over the world of science. Scientists wanting to prove their theories were brought to Rotherham and contracted to the company. The living conditions were allowed inside the borders of the town, going beyond equated to betrayal which resulted in death. 

Amidst the chaos of a potential fight, the hospital in where rested Jen and the others shook. Anna's situation for having fought for so long grew dire. Jen's treatment and operations ended successfully. She opened her eyes on the 1st of February. Leonard who stayed in Rotherham and worked part-time jobs to make ends meet felt a sense of relief wash over. The same white décor felt livelier, he ran and ran until her new room. A quaint little rest area peering towards the skyscrapers. 

"Jen," stumbled he onto the door, "-is that you?"

"Leonard," smiled the doctor, "-she's fine now. We'll leave you, lovers, to it." On the way out, "-don't get too excited, she's just woken up."

"Leonard," her fatigued and shrunken face eyed him with much effort, "-what happened?" she listlessly stared her amputated arm, "-last I know we were stuck in the dungeon."

"Don't worry about that," he rushed to melt into her arms, "-I'm so happy you're alive!" 

"Come on," she coughed, "-don't get so rough," he stepped away and sat at her side. The visage showed discoloration, her right cheeks were paler than the overall complexion, the earlobe grew dark-blue which would light up periodically. "It's been I don't know, I forgot to keep track of time. What's important is you've woken up, the doctors had given up on healing you."

"Where are we though?" she stared about, "-it's a fancy hospital. That landscape is new and beautiful, are we still in Hidros?"

"We're in Rotherham," said he.

"How?" she coughed, "-Rotherham is supposed to be private to the public eye."

"No, not really," said he, "-as long as you have someone's permission, you can enter. We're here thanks to Igna, or I should say, Igna Haggard, he's a member of the Haggard Dynasty. Phantom falls into their heritage as well."

"I see," she tried to reach out, "-oh, my right arm isn't here." The left one moved sloppily to caress his cheeks, "-I'm sorry for the trouble I caused, forgive me."

"Stop it," he melted in her arms again, "-you're here, it's all that matters."

"What about the others," she asked hesitantly, "-are they safe?"

"Everyone's alive," he returned, "-except for Anna, her condition is degrading by the day. The doctors decided to save you instead of her. They don't know how long she's going to last."

"I see," unable to get angry or sad, "-are the others coming back?"

"I'll call them in a bit. The hospital has already informed the Academy and those close to Anna."

"Call Igna," said she taking a deep breath, "-he needs to know."

"No, we can't," he turned on the television, "-he's participating in Cle. Our boy is making waves across the media and Arcanum, just look at that coverage." 

"I see," she smiled, '-you've gone and became a better person. I'm sorry for the things I've thought and spoke about. Igna, you sure are a true friend.'

Over to the Institute, Éclair relayed the news of Anna's condition. "She's getting worse?" stood brusquely, "-let me guess, the product of the monster curse?"

"Yes, by what the report says."

"I need to return as fast as possible," demanded he, "-I know a way to contain the curse."

"Impossible," said Éclair, "-you can't use magic anymore."

"Doesn't matter," returned he confidently, "-I'll use a catalyst," he frowned, "-I know the perfect candidate."