The Burning Flowers

Chapter VIII

Five days after the previous meeting of the Masters, they were once again summoned to the Chamber late in the evening by King Markreas, and given their short time constraints, Nakoma Taurus already had an idea of what the meeting would be about. It was almost certain that Ilirianna had finally made her decision regarding her team, which meant that everything would be in order to depart for Hiriech in just a few days. The Master of Fire was the first to arrive in the Chamber, and over the next handful of minutes, the others all entered the room as well, with the only exception being Nyx Rana, who had already left Erika for Hiriech the morning after the last meeting. Once they were all present, the Masters waited in silence for Markreas and Ilirianna to arrive, and every once in a while, Nakoma glanced at the seat to his left at Koroha. They had already spoken to one another regarding the upcoming mission, and as always, the Master of Wind didn’t seem particularly bothered, having expressed her faith that Nakoma and Ilirianna could handle the mystery of the odd combustions.

“You’ve dealt with worse, Nakoma,” she had said to him with a wry smile. “In fact, I would say that babysitting the princess is going to be a much larger challenge than the actual investigation will be.”

He knew she was mostly joking, but part of him felt that there was some truth to her words. Ilirianna was brilliant and powerful, but she had yet to develop proper patience, and the upcoming trip would be a delicate situation. After all, they had to investigate the matter behind Lord Malloway’s back without giving him any indication that they were distrusting of him. For better or for worse, keeping the cooperation of the city lords was important for the Citadel, so they had no choice but to hide their intentions and would have been forced to do so even if they didn’t have to conceal the truth from the Council as well.

Nakoma sighed softly, and soon enough, the king and princess entered the Chamber. As was etiquette, they all got to their feet, bowed, then took their seats to wait as Markreas settled down into his throne. Meanwhile, Ilirianna stood silently beside him, her hands folded behind her back as she gazed out at those present, and despite her shortcomings, Nakoma couldn’t help but be proud as he stared back at the princess. She had a mature and commanding presence already, and he felt that she was well on her way to becoming a great leader someday. Her blue eyes briefly shifted toward him and she grinned, which he returned with a nod of his head.

“Alright, let’s begin,” Markreas stated firmly. “This will be a quick meeting so you will not be kept long. That being said, I wanted to go over the details of the Hiriech investigation once more before the departure in a few days. However, first, my daughter would like to make her announcement.”

The king motioned toward Ilirianna, indicating that she had permission to speak, and in that moment, a sense of anticipation spread throughout the room, particularly from Viiro and Acostav, who despite clearly trying to hide their feelings, were eagerly waiting to hear what the princess had to say. But Nakoma was already quite certain of which decision she had settled on, so when she finally did make her announcement, he could only smirk with satisfaction.

“Yes, after all of this time, I have chosen my team from among the Academy first years,” she began confidently. “I have decided I will be working alongside Nigreos Noctis, Album Luz, Ryokumo Caeli, and Abigail. They will serve as my royal team for the foreseeable future.”

Good job, Liri, Nakoma thought. Despite everything, that was the correct choice, and I do think those four will serve you well.

A quick scan of the Masters showed that while Koroha and Sinna didn’t have much of a reaction, Viiro, Acostav, and Grunly were all quite pleased.

“Thank you, My Princess,” the Master of Light was quick to say with a bow of his head. “I assure you that you have not made the wrong choice and that Nigreos and my daughter will be perfect partners for you.”

Ilirianna smiled back at him, but to Nakoma, it was very clearly devoid of any pleasant emotions. “Yes, I would hope so, Master, and I suppose we won’t have to wait very long to find out. This investigation will be a perfect opportunity for the four of them to prove their worth, and if they can’t live up to my expectations, I do reserve the right to change my mind.”

Acostav’s features tensed in clear disdain, but naturally, the Master of Light refrained from making any harsh comments while in the presence of King Markreas. “N-naturally. But I do not fear that result.”

“Good.” Ilirianna then stepped back and nodded to her father, indicating that she had said all she wanted to say and that he could retake the lead of the conversation.

“Now,” Markreas began with a clap of his hands, “with my daughter’s team officially decided, the last preparations for this trip will be finalized. I have already sent a letter to Headmaster Tykon describing the basic details of this ball, and tomorrow morning, we will inform the students themselves of what is taking place. At the end of the week, Ilirianna, the team, and Nakoma will make for Hiriech. Since Nyx should already be in the city, we will hopefully have some idea of what is happening from her by the time they arrive.”

“And how exactly will we be investigating,” Nakoma inquired. “We obviously can’t just go up to the guards or to Lord Malloway and start asking questions. They’ll be suspicious almost immediately.”

“Yes, I was thinking about that as well,” Koroha agreed. “From my understanding, it is imperative that we prevent anybody from figuring out that this trip is for more than a mere birthday ball. So how will you get information without raising suspicion?”

Markreas nodded, silently acknowledging their point. “Yes, I will admit that the plan is not perfect, and it’s quite possible that we will fail to collect anything of value. But sometimes, all it takes is simple observation to gain what we need. Nyx will handle the more direct investigation while Nakoma and the royal team will simply watch and see if there’s anything odd taking place in Castle Aquesen. We are still uncertain what exactly Malloway knows, but I believe that Ilirianna might be able to get information out of him…or perhaps even his sons…”

“Meaning?” Koroha pressed.

“My father and I are almost certain that the lord seeks to try and build a relationship with his children and myself,” Ilirianna answered, a slightly disgusted look on her face. “Aside from Aeyir, he also has a sixteen-year-old son named Mallicent, either of which I’m certain the lord would love if I took an interest in. You get what I'm saying, Master Koroha?”

The Master of Wind grimaced with understanding as she leaned back in her seat and folded her arms. “Yes, I do. Lord Malloway, like any other power-seeking individual in this damn country, wants his children to marry into the royal bloodline.”

“So if you take advantage of that,” Grunly muttered, “then it's possible that in their attempts to gain your favor, they might let something slip.”

Ilirianna smiled slyly. “Exactly. So all I need to do is turn on the charm and make those boys think they have a chance with me, and perhaps I’ll be able to learn something that way. It’s not my favorite method of investigating, but with the limitations we have at the moment, it may just be the most effective.”

“Yes, I agree with that,” Sinna chimed in. “But I do have to ask regarding those limitations, has Kloras made any comments yet? Even if he hasn't stuck his nose in the trip for the ball, I doubt Nyx was able to leave without him making some sort of scene.”

Markreas chuckled smugly. “Well, something I hadn’t thought about before but that actually worked in our favor is that Kloras seeks a strong relationship with Nyx and thus, he was a little more hesitant to inquire about where she went. When we spoke, I could tell that he was suspicious, but he didn’t press as aggressively as he is known to do.”

Once Markreas had said it, Nakoma found he wasn’t surprised in the slightest. If Kloras truly wanted his son, Rennigan, to rise to the position of Master of Water then he would have to remain in Nyx’s good graces. If she came to despise him like most of the Masters did then it would be less likely that she would opt to give his son any influence among them.

Then Nyx really was the best choice for this role…

“Now, the last thing I want to say,” the king went on, glancing both at his daughter and at Nakoma, “is that unless absolutely necessary, I want to avoid any conflict. Even if you think you’ve found the perpetrators, unless you are absolutely certain, do not engage them. Like we’ve said, we’re walking a very thin line here. Of course, I do not intend to let them get away. If you have an identity, turn it over to Nyx and let her take care of the matter behind the scenes. Any sort of magic usage will be handled by her.”

Nakoma nodded his understanding, having assumed Markreas would give such an order. If either he or the royal team took action, it could expose the fact that they had attended the ball with ulterior motives, and even if they acted in the best interests of the country, the negative impacts might outweigh the positives, especially if Lord Malloway wasn’t involved in the combustions. Not only would they have shown the Great Cities that they were willing to go behind the backs of the Council, thus heavily damaging their trust, but it would also prove to Malloway that they didn’t trust him, and relations with Hiriech would become strained. Since nobody knew Nyx was in the city, she could act on her own and it would be much harder to link her actions to the Citadel without firm proof.

“Understood, My King,” Nakoma replied. “We won’t make a move unless we have no choice.”

“Good,” he stated, then rose to his feet to take one last long look at the mages sitting around the table. Once he seemed satisfied, he gave a tired smile and said, “In that case, I can bring this meeting to a close and excuse you all. Have a nice night, Masters.”

“Have a nice night, My King,” the six of them echoed, and once they had waited for Markreas and Ilirianna to depart the Chamber, they all began filing out of the room as well.

The Master of Fire still had a few matters to get in order before leaving Erika, such as informing his apprentice, Plaseia, that he would be gone from the city for a few days, so his initial plan had been to head directly up to the residential floor where his quarters were located. However, as the Masters began heading off in all different directions, Nakoma quickly changed his mind, and instead of making his way toward the lift that would drop him off closer to his quarters, he followed after the two Masters he wanted to have a quick conversation with.

“Viiro! Acostav! Hold on a moment,” he called out, prompting the Masters of Darkness and Light to stop and glance back at him with clear annoyance, not bothering to hide the fact that they didn’t feel like talking to him. Nevertheless, Nakoma smiled pleasantly and fell into stride alongside them as they continued down the corridor.

“What do you need, Taurus?” Viiro grunted with disinterest. “Shouldn’t you be heading off to pack your things?”

The Master of Fire chuckled and shook his head. “Ah, don’t be like that. Yes, I’ve got things to take care of, but I still thought I’d quickly congratulate the two of you on your childrens’ accomplishments. Having been at the orientation with you, it was very clear how anxious you were, so I imagine the princess’s announcement was quite the relief.”

Viiro shrugged, his square-jawed features showing little emotion as he replied. “Yes, well, I expected no less of Nigreos. It was only a matter of time before Ilirianna came to her senses, after all. This will be a good experience for the boy, and I’m sure he’ll serve her quite well.”

Nakoma watched Viiro for a few more seconds, trying his best to gauge what was really going through the mind of the Master of Darkness, but like always, it was hard to see past his stone-cold mask. Viiro Noctis rarely ever showed emotion that wasn’t anger, and even his anger rarely ever came to the surface. He was stern, serious, and composed, and in some ways, Nakoma respected that about him. But at that moment, he couldn’t help but wonder whether Viiro felt anything at all in regards to his son’s success.

Though, if I had to guess, I bet he’s probably still irritated that Nigreos got eliminated when the commoners didn’t. He’s a prideful man, that’s for sure.

But while Viiro may be a hard man to read, Acostav wore his emotions on his sleeve, and so when the Master of Light broke the silence, there was no need to guess what he was feeling.

“Well, perhaps Viiro can stop stressing over the matter,” he snapped bitterly. “But I still have to worry about my fool of a daughter embarrassing me again. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn not two days after their departure that she somehow burst into flames as well. And after all of my work to get her in the princess’s good graces…”

As Acostav complained, the three Masters arrived at a lift, and Viiro was quick to take control of the silver disk.

“Well, Acostav, if it makes you feel any better, I’ll make sure your daughter is safe,” Nakoma assured him. “I do not wish for anything bad to befall Album, and if I’m being honest, this is probably the most ideal assignment to start her on.”

The Master of Light scowled. “How do you figure?”

“How do I figure? Did you not hear Markreas?” Nakoma chuckled. “We are merely supposed to be attending a birthday party. If all goes well, and I will make sure it does, then we shouldn't ever wind up in combat. We’ll investigate as subtly as we can, and if we are forced to fight, then we’ll inform Nyx and get the hell out of there.”

As the lift reached the residential floor and they continued on their way, Acostav’s features tightened. “Perhaps. But regardless, I won’t feel satisfied until the girl returns home alive. And even then, if she can’t pull her shit together, then her death will just be inevitable.”

“Not if she trains,” Nakoma told him. “Pinner’s Syndrome can be overcome, Acostav. If one learns how to use their mana the right way, they can eventually reach a point where the disorder is irrelevant. Have more faith.”

“Ha!” Acostav turned a furious sneer towards Nakoma, his black eyes narrowing in disgust. “You think I don’t know that? You think I haven’t dedicated every last connection of mine to snap that girl into shape? Give me a fucking break, Taurus! At this point, I’m starting to think she’s just a halfwit and I’ll be damned if you accuse me of not not trying hard enough! If Album could just—”

“Yes, yes, I’m sorry,” Nakoma quickly interrupted, not feeling sorry in the least but wanting to stop him from going off on an angry tangent. “Regardless, you both have my word that your children will be in good hands. That’s all I wanted to say.”

Acostav snorted once again and simply turned away, but at the very least, Viiro glanced down at the Master of Fire and nodded.

“Thank you,” he said softly.

“Of course.”

From there, they walked on in silence, and soon enough, they had reached Viiro’s personal quarters. Nakoma and Acostav lived a little further into the floor, so the Master of Fire had been prepared to bid him goodbye and continue on his way, but before he could, the three of them noticed somebody standing just outside the door. Based on his attire of dark green robes with the sign of a feather and ink emblazoned on his back, Nakoma quickly concluded that he was with the Citadel messengers.

“Oh god, what now?” Viiro grumbled. “Messenger! State your business!”

The young man glanced back in surprise, but once he recognized Viiro, he was quick to rush toward them, reaching into the inner pocket of his robes to produce a scroll.

“Master Noctis,” he said with a bow before extending the scroll out to him. “I have brought a message from Noctalus sent by Lady Nium.”

“My wife?”

Viiro frowned, taking the parchment and swiftly unrolling it, his eyes shifting back and forth as he read through the words sent by Nium Noctis. The shift in Viiro’s expression was very subtle, and would have been mostly unnoticeable by most, but Nakoma was watching the Master of Darkness close enough to see it. A quick glance at Acostav showed that his earlier anger had diminished and was replaced by an uncharacteristically concerned expression.

“Viiro?” Acostav muttered. “Is everything alright?”

The man let out a soft breath as he rolled the parchment back up and tucked it into the inner pocket of his black suit. “To some extent, yes.” He then turned toward the messenger, who was awkwardly awaiting an order. “You, boy. I need you to immediately take a message down to the Academy of Erika and deliver it to my son. Can you do that?”

The young man straightened up and nodded firmly. “Er, yes, Master.”

Nakoma wasn’t sure if he should remain or not, but Viiro made no move to speak in private as he described the message he wanted sent to Nigreos, and as he did so, Nakoma felt his stomach churn.

***

No matter how hard Nigreos tried to focus on his homework, he just couldn’t stop his mind from wandering to the meeting with his father and Acostav. To know that not only were they likely to be picked by Ilirianna for the royal team, but that they would also have a mission at the end of the week, had his anxiety becoming almost too much for him. He was restlessly tapping his foot and even after an hour of sitting at his desk in the dorm’s bedroom, there wasn’t a single word written on the parchment before him. At that point, he was considering giving up, but since assignment was due the following morning, he knew he just had to grit his teeth and force himself to focus.

But how the living hell am I supposed to do that with so much going on?! Father was so damn vague so what are we even going to be doing?! What sort of assignment are we in for?

Part of him just wished that the two Masters hadn’t told them anything, for the vague warning they were given only allowed his imagination to run wild with theories. He sighed and leaned back in his chair, running his free hand through his hair and grimacing.

Damn it all. And not even Eko and Album had any idea of what to make of it.

On the trip back to the carriage, Album hadn’t bothered trying to theorize and seemed to have retreated into herself. Meanwhile, Nigreos had been able to see in just his expression that Eko was concerned for his sister’s safety. None of them had been prepared for an assignment barely two weeks into the semester, and they had thought Album had plenty of time to continue to train and hone her body to handle light magic. Now that they knew she had less than a week, it was unlikely that she would make any significant improvements.

So what do we do? I mean, I guess we just have to play it by ear and take each moment in stride. We can’t exactly turn Ilirianna down…

“Take care of my daughter, will you? …You don’t have to be stuck at the hip, but just make sure she has somebody there for her. Can you do that?”

Nigreos recalled what Lady Clara had said to him the morning he left Noctalus, and a feeling of unease overcame him. Yeah, it’ll be on me to keep Album safe. I didn’t have that option at orientation, but this time, I’ll stay close to her, and if anything happens, I'll make sure Album survives it. I promised her mother, and I promised myself, so I won’t fail. I can’t…

“You doing okay, Nigreos?”

At the sound of Ryokumo’s voice, Nigreos glanced over his shoulder where the wind mage was quietly sitting on his bed, reading a book and gazing back with some mild concern.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he grunted, pushing himself to sit up straighter. “Just struggling a bit with this homework assignment. You’d think I’d have an easier time writing an essay about my own damn city’s history, but here we are…”

Ryokumo chuckled. “Ah right, I forgot you took the easy route for your class requirements. ‘A History of Noctalus’… Truly, a perfect class for you. I’ll be disappointed if you don’t pass it with flying colors.”

“Yeah, well, strangely enough, I haven’t studied it well enough to remember every little detail,” Nigreos grumbled bitterly. “And I’ve still gotta write about four pages before tomorrow morning.”

“How much do you have written now?”

“The title.”

Ryokumo barely suppressed a laugh as he raised his book to cover his face, then fixed Nigreos with a look of pity. “Well, I wish you luck, my friend. I hope you don’t value sleep because if you don’t get started soon, you won’t be getting any.”

“No, I don’t suppose so.”

Shaking his head in an attempt to get himself to focus, Nigreos was about to turn back to his work when he heard a knock at the front door. Both boys glanced up before staring at each other, silently inquiring as to if they were expecting somebody. However, Ryokumo just shrugged and, needing a break from his work, Nigreos got up and headed to the front door to see who was there.

I guess it’s probably Abi, Album, or Eko, he thought to himself. Or maybe Rio’s stopping by to ask for more advice. I heard Rennigan absolutely wiped the floor with Yuahl and Pafran. I feel bad for them…

But when Nigreos pulled open the door, he found it wasn’t any of the people he had expected, rather it was a young man wearing the traditional garb of the Citadel messengers, looking worn out and tired.

A messenger? Has my father sent for me again?

“Uh, are you Nigreos Noctis?” the young man inquired.

“Yeah, that's me. How can I help you?”

Reaching into his robe, the man pulled out a rolled-up parchment and extended it to him. “You have a message from Master Viiro.”

His anxiety even further increasing, Nigreos took the parchment, thanked the messenger, and headed back into the dorm room to see what it said. At some point, Ryokumo had wandered into the front room and was watching him unroll the message with some interest.

“Does your father need you again?” he asked with a bemused look.

Nigreos just shrugged and at first, was only skimming the document. However, the moment he caught sight of the word “Neah”, his heart felt like it skipped a beat and he doubled back to the start to read it thoroughly. As he took in what it said, he felt like he was going to throw up, but as he continued on, he felt a small semblance of relief that it wasn’t as terrible as he had initially feared. He must have failed to hide his concern, though, as Ryokumo straightened up and frowned.

“Nigreos? Is everything alright?”

When he reached the end, Nigreos let out the breath he had been holding in before walking over and collapsing onto the couch.

“Hey! What’s the matter?!”

Thank god… She’s not dead…

Ever since leaving Noctalus, Nigreos dreaded that horrific letter that might arrive in Erika, informing them that Neah had finally succumbed to Hell’s Shadows and had passed away, so when he saw his sister’s name, he feared that this letter was it. Knowing she was alive was a great relief, but that didn’t make the letter any less terrifying.

The parchment had informed him that his mother sent word to his father that a few days after Nigreos and Eko left, Neah collapsed and had been unconscious for a little under a week. According to Healer Ryre, the Shadows made a rather aggressive and unprecedented attack on her heart, and nearly devoured the whole thing in a matter of days. Luckily, the Healer had been able to support Neah’s body and prevent it from killing her, and at the time of the letter’s sending, Neah was back to normal. His mother had only sent it because she had promised to keep them posted on everything relating to his youngest sister.

Thank god she’s alive… Though, while I wanted to keep Neah’s condition to myself, I doubt I can get away without telling Ryokumo eventually…

“Everything’s okay,” he muttered, turning a meek smile towards his roommate. “The message is just…about something personal, but it doesn't seem like anything I have to worry about. My imagination just went a little wild, is all.”

“But…? I mean, you looked terrified…”

Nigreos nodded firmly. “Y-yes… False alarm. Just a false alarm…”

Luckily, Ryokumo must have figured that he didn’t want to elaborate on the matter, so he didn’t press any further, but Nigreos could tell that his reaction worried him. At some point, he knew he would have to divulge Neah’s condition, but for the moment, he just wanted to keep it to himself.

Damn… I really didn’t need a scare like that on top of everything else, but it’s a good reminder of why I’m here! Yes, I want to live up to my family’s expectations, but at the end of the day, finding a cure for Neah is my number one goal! That was why I wanted to get onto Ilirianna’s team, and it seems I may have succeeded! I’m getting closer to having the resources I need!

Nigreos clenched his teeth and glanced back down at the parchment clutched in his hand.

And perhaps…I’ve been dealt an ideal hand. I’m seeking a cure for a disease the Citadel has never been able to fix. And I just so happen to have a teammate who cured a disease the Citadel couldn’t. At that moment, Abi’s cheerful and pretty features came to his mind. A prospect for Edwar Grunly’s successor… A damn talented healer…

Could Abi really be the one I need?