Chapter 524: Land o' Dream

Friday the 12th – the day began per the downpour of rain. A disturbance in the weather was reported late at night. The extent of the rainfall eluded even the weather reporter's mind. 

Whatever happened didn't matter, suitcase in hand, backpack on the shoulder, and weapons on the table. An unbranded cap kept the hair from moving; a cheaply made long-sleeved dark-brown shirt, skinny jeans, and less than presentable shoes. For someone owning a lot of cash, caring about materialistic things could have been less of a worry. 

"Igna?" the door stumbled with minor yelps.

"Anna!" opening the door, "-why are you moving about?" she fell into his arms.

"Don't," said she trying to stand, "-I felt normal a few minutes ago. Got dizzy, that's all."

The explanation went in one ear and out the other, "-congratulations."

"For what… oh, wait," for a brief second, her hands braced for an eventual fall, "-huh?"

"Stop moving around so much," said Igna holding the young lady, "-heavier than you appear."

"Ha-ha," the sarcastic remark followed a pleasant smile, not overbearing or under shadowed; a perfect balance. "No commotions outside," said she.

"The rain," he pulled the curtains, "-pouring cats and dogs."

The television toggled to show the early morning news. Igna headed on to pack his bags, though, he did so before the day. Cross-checking was but a diversion. A less than gratifying sleepless night of utter insult and self-degradation left him exhausted mentally. The eyelids waned per each blink, the eyeballs itself burnt, uncontrollable yawns and achy joints, '-not the best start for today.' 

*Knock, knock,* slammed the door.

"Coming," replied he.

*Knock, knock,* slammed the door yet again.

"Said I'm coming," a brute pull had the visitor stumble inside on her knees. "Damn it," cried Igna, "-you've soiled the entryway."

"Shut the hell up," glared Ila quickly sorting her revealing outfit into more of a respectable one. 

"She's back for more," cried the local hoodlums, "-Ay, Igna," waved a certain familiar face.

"What's up," returned he.

"The girl's got stripes pink and white panties man," they laughed obnoxiously, "-don't get too close, else you'll end up in jail like Papa John."

"Got it, thanks for the advice," returned he courteously. Before closing, the door halted with an escaping wink and thumbs up.

"Was that necessary?" returned she with a listless visage.

"Not my fault you decided to wear skimpy outfits on a rainy day," he held her bags, "-thanks for moving in. Anna's going to need the help of someone trustworthy," he guided till his room, "-you'll stay here, I've cleaned up the place."

"Awesome," she entered, "-I'll take a shower, see you in a bit."

"Alright," he moved to the kitchen and readied a simple dish as well as lunch before leaving. Meanwhile, a documentary on the glamour of the Alphian's entertainment lifestyle had Anna clutching her pillow. Multiple famous figures gave snippets and interviews for the world to know. It looked like a fantasy, hanging out at the side of popular people, gaining their trust, learning about the secrets hidden deep within. 

"Excited for the journey?" wondered Anna half-an-hour later.

"Referring to the documentary?" asked he doing the dishes.

"Obviously, a friend of mine is going to the place of dreams. Can't help being hyped."

"Quiet down," said he pulling a bowl, "-have some soup. My rides on the way." 

At 09:30, Éclair received the call for departure. "I'll be off then," he stared into the hallway leading to the living room. Green-hair stood leaning over the tall-shoulders of Ila, the duo was pleased. 'Time to head out then.'

"Take care on the travels," said Anna.

"Break a leg," added Ila a bit too literally. 

Off the metal stairs and inside the restaurant, "-Mr. Kord, I'll be leaving."

"No worries kid," said he reading the special dishes, "-go there and conquer the world. The Academy is too small for someone who has so much potential. Don't forget, cooking doesn't have to bind you, do what the mind feels like doing – you'll eventually come across what was meant for you."

"Thanks for the advice." And so, a little sprint across the road led into a big-black car. Anna stared from on above, she waved and so did he. Rain slammed harder on the metal body, "-hello Igna," said Lia sat with legs crossed.

"Good morning."

"Let's go, driver," ordered Mr. Amsey. The Adventuring grew distant on the rear-view mirror. Heavy clouds atop felt more of a curse. How would he have known that the day he left; things wouldn't be the same ever again. The tension of those in the shadows had Leko and Haru bound to no ends. Lady Elvira's help was requested. 

"Where are we headed?"

"To Odgawoan, the land of cinema and entertainment empire of Scaica."

"Wasn't Melmark the center of attention?" wondered he.

"No, at one point yes… tis not that clean-cut. The growing market of entertainment needed a town of their own. Thus, rich businessmen laid claim to a small village a few decades ago and build tall buildings. More and more production companies, idol agencies, you name it, and most moved to Odgawoan. Tis mostly because of the independent rule – the town is its own state. Money talks, and here, it ordered."

"Alright," seeking no further information, Éclair took matters into his hands and researched the particular town. It went as far as to dig up a shady past; 

"Odgawoan, nestled near the Fuda Mountains, was previously thriving mining village that suddenly stopped about thirty years ago. The reserves were exhausted as stated by officials. The village remained dormant for the bitter part of two years until clever businessmen adventured deep into the Fuda Mountains. Many came and went; most were interested in easy money and bidden adventuring farewell. Not until estate agents wanting to reclaim the ghost village wandered about, traversing the forest and arriving at a valley. A gentle slope cut itself up the mountain, a pathway into a land of unknown. Stood at the peak, what they saw couldn't be described nor showed. A land of utter beauty, the trees were unlike anything they'd seen – some village's folk referred to it as the land of fairies. Then and there, the land was claimed and built to be a private refuge for the wealthy. So on and so forth, things led to another and Odgawoan became a place of pleasure and gamble. The elusive Cimier ruled the town for a decade until the rise of the entertainment market. Musicians, actors, directors, moviemakers, all needed a place to call home – Melmark did but few things, and thus, the gambling den evolved into the town of dreams. Active Raven Pictures, Golden Media Films, and Ecliprises were a few of the major names who did the first move. 

The cruise from the Adventuring Academy passed through the Azure-pass and northward. The more ground gained, the farther seemed the cloudy weather, and after a while, the weather came to a steady grey hue. The closest airport was one at Rosespire, a drive that would take more than 12 hours. Instead, the car pulled into a curving road off the highway. Here, the roads were narrow filled with overhanging trees. The latter was so overly present the road seemed as if a triangular tunnel. Long story short, a detour led to a small village where waited a helicopter. The journey took shy of one and a half hours. A private jet bearing Phantom's crest waited on a vacant airstrip. Numerous passenger planes were about, some landed and some taking off.

"Here we are," said Amsey taking off headphones, "-the journey back to Alphia's going be in style."

"Phantom's sponsoring the trip?" wondered Igna.

"Obviously," he laughed, "-as the sponsor of Cle, they tended to our needs. I must say," he smiled, "-the arm's company is friendly and accommodating," a red-carpet stretched to the jet.

"Anything to comment?" wondered Igna to Lia.

"Yes," she snapped out the dream-like gaze, "-I've called someone to be the liaison in Alphia. Since Lord Asmey's decided to have you become a model, you'll need assistants to help score jobs and stuff. Going on interviews per thy behalf, someone capable."

"I see," he smiled. 

They were off the grounds in mere minutes, the long trip to Alphia began. Igna decided to sit farther back to enjoy private time. The duo up front didn't ask why or how, the boy being there sufficed.

'Let's get to work,' thought he pulling out a laptop, '-thanks a bunch Anna for letting me borrow this.' The keyboard had heart-stickers and bunnies scattered around. 

"Good," commented Éclair, "-I'm connected to the laptop. What's the order."

"I'd like to know more about Odgawoan, the idyllic land of dream comments isn't doing it for me. I smell a dark underlying truth."

"Well-spotted," countless files and reports flashed onto the screen – all of which were deleted after Igna finished reading. Copies were stored on the phone instead. 'Murders, mysterious killings, a lack of integrity by the officers and unheard witness testimonies. The case file of Blair Riley, isn't that the movie Aceline was supposed to do?' further digging showed up a few interesting details, '-the production company went broke at 90% completion. Ecliprises decided to oust the directors and producers on drug-abuse charges half-way across. Not many people knew of the project. The last message ever sent by the director was, '-we've done it, it's a wrap. I'm coming home to celebrate, dearest baby Bella', kind of a weird thing to say.' 

"Any more reports I can examine?"

"No," said Éclair, "-I've dug deep into the police report, nothing came up. Not even a missing person's case. I did find a thing," a new article from a lesser-known publication stated, '-The Case file of Blair Riley, myth or truth?' The subheading read, '-is the world of the dream as innocent as it seems?' 

"Éclair, how's the underworld faction of the town?"

"Cimier ruled from the shadows for a decade, they could well still be controlling the town. Police officers are corrupt."

"I see," he paused, "-who's in charge of drug distribution in Alphia?"

"Lerado; they're only importers."

"I see," more he thought, the cloudier grew the picture. 'What could have happened to the filming crew. I remember the script went into details about Luna and the crimes done by the Patek's I think. People seem to think Aceline was murdered. I know she's alive, or was alive since we revived her… maybe leaving her alone here was a mistake. Six years is a long time, gathering information's going to be hard.'

"I found a hidden report," voiced Éclair, "-it's not related to Aceline."

"Go on," said he.

"It reads that on May 7th XX96, the body of a starlet Nesse Williams was found dead in her apartment on Huston Boulevard. The cause of death was ruled as natural. What's interesting is the investigation led by a private investigator named Engn Codd. He soon found the cause of death wasn't natural, instead, drugs were found in her body. The coroner, closely tied to the police and the underworld, most likely kept quiet. At some point, after following a very damning lead, brought Ecliprises under scrutiny. The evidence went on to show the leaders were in cahoots with Gyo Tune, a notorious mob-boss who's still prowling the streets. The investigation ended shortly as Engn Codd would die the same death as did the starlet. The case is closed, nothing more can be done, officially. Codd had a son, Odgar Codd, who's also a private investigator working in Melmark."

"Where did you get this information?"

"Odgar Codd was a member of Lerado's family. He'd hope to go against Gyo Tune using force as he believed they killed his father."

"Did he say that?"

"Yes, he bluntly stated why he wanted to join and was welcomed by the family. The mystery of Odgawoan is thicker than you might accept."

"Lord Amsey, where are we landing?" he asked thinking it'd be Melmark.

"Odgawoan."