The Burning Flowers

Chapter XII

It was the morning following their arrival that Nigreos approached Abi and requested she come with him to speak to Neah. Given that Faye, Jessi, and Iris were in the room with her, he made no mention of The Angel, but a silent understanding passed between the two of them, telling him she knew that he didn’t intend to waste any of their precious time. Abigail accepted his invitation, swiftly darting back into the bedroom to collect The Angel’s canister, and when she returned to the door, they began walking down the dark corridor in the direction of the stairwell. All three of the Noctis siblings had their rooms in the western tower, which was adjacent to the palace floor where the guests were staying, so it only took them roughly fifteen minutes of silent walking to arrive at Neah’s bedroom. Nigreos took a deep breath, comforted by Abigail’s presence, then rapped his knuckles against the wooden door.

“Who is it?” Neah called from within.

“It’s me, Neah, and Abigail. Do you have a moment?”

“Oh yes! Please, come in!”

Nigreos smiled at how excited she sounded, but that joy lasted only a few seconds before he pushed the door open and found that Neah wasn’t alone, for Lunara was sitting just beside their littlest sister’s bed, gently brushing her hair. Naturally, it wasn’t that he had a problem with Lunara, but he had never mentioned the existence of The Angel, so he really didn’t want her present for the creature’s analysis of Neah’s condition.

But I don’t want to be rude and kick her out. If I do that, she’ll just get suspicious…

“Good morning, Brother! Good morning, Abi! Thanks for stopping by!” Neah was beaming with a joy so contagious that his momentary disappointment and irritation at seeing Luna was completely forgotten. “What can I do for you guys? Or are you just here to visit?”

“W-well…” Nigreos stuttered, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his black overcoat. “I thought you might be lonely up here, and since I’m only in Noctalus for a few days, I wanted to capitalize on the time we have together.”

He certainly didn’t miss the momentary suspicion that crossed Lunara’s features, telling him that while Neah seemed to buy it, the older of the sisters did not. Of course, he wasn’t lying, for he certainly wanted to spend as much time with Neah as he possibly could, but it was harder to hide his other motives than he expected it to be.

“Why not just be honest with her?” The Angel inquired in the silence of his mind, speaking in his own voice this time. “It’s not like Luna would ever tell anybody about me, and I’m sure she’s worried for Neah, too. It might ease some of her anxiety to know we have something like me helping?”

Nigreos internally snorted. Were you not the one who threatened us to keep us from revealing your secrets to other people?

“Yes, I was, but unfortunately, I copied your memories and personality onto myself, so I’ve developed my own version of love and concern for Lunara Noctis. That being said, I leave the decision to you.”

You don’t think she’ll be pissed I’ve been hiding you all these years?

“Just tell her the truth. Tell her that I ordered you to keep quiet in exchange for my help. She wouldn’t blame you then.”

Er, I suppose so, but—

“Uh, Nigreos?” Lunara interrupted his thoughts, her earlier suspicion only growing more prominent. “What’s wrong? You’re just staring into space…and kinda intensely, too. You have constipation or something?”

“N-no, I do not,” he stuttered, feeling his cheeks turning slightly red as she asked such an inappropriate question in front of Abigail. “I’m perfectly fine! Don’t worry about me!” He then glanced sideways at Abi, but when he found her looking at him with concern, too, he realized that The Angel must not have included her in the telepathic conversation. “Anyway, how are you feeling, Neah?”

Neah’s grin turned slightly somber as she gave a half-hearted shrug. “Same as always. I haven’t been able to walk for a couple months now, so Healer Ryre’s been wheeling me around the palace and helping take care of me. Even lifting my arms has become tough. I’m…” Despite what she said next, Neah still kept a positive expression. “I don’t think I’ve got much longer, Brother, so thank you for coming to see me.”

His chest tightened, his first instincts being to vehemently deny such a thing, but once again beating him to it, Lunara spoke firmly and confidently.

“Not a chance, Neah. You’re a tough girl—tougher than most healthy people I know. You’re gonna keep fighting, and soon enough, we'll find a solution. Nigreos and I have been looking constantly, and I’m certain…” Luna paused, as if she suddenly wasn’t sure what to say next. “Well, I’m certain things are gonna start looking up. You’re not gonna die, you hear me? You can’t die…”

Nigreos and Lunara hadn’t spoken much about Neah since she started attending the Academy, so he was slightly thrown off by how passionately she spoke. Though, he knew he shouldn’t have been surprised. Lunara and Neah had always been very close to one another, so it was only natural that she would be just as desperate to do something as him.

“If you don’t mind…” Abi began. “May I take a quick look at you, Neah? I’m certainly not a professional, but I am a nature mage, so I might be able to do something.”

Nigreos nodded his agreement. “Yeah, Abi’s one of the best healers I know.”

“Of course,” Neah chirped. “Go ahead, though I don’t think there’s much you can do. Healing magic isn’t really designed for this sort of thing.”

Lunara got out of her chair and motioned for Abi to take her place while Neah turned her back towards them. Abigail then carefully pulled her shirt up and moved Neah’s hair over her shoulders before tenderly placing her hands against the bare skin on her lower back. Abigail took a deep breath, closed her eyes, then whispered, “Anala”. Her hands started to glow a dull green as she allowed her nature mana to enter Neah’s body. This particular spell was used to scan for anything that may be wrong internally so that the healer could detect damage taking place in spots that weren’t visible. Nigreos and Lunara stood side by side, watching the process, both of them knowing that Abigail probably wouldn’t be able to do anything that Healer Ryre could not. Eventually, Abi gave a disappointed nod and canceled the spell.

“I can sense the damage being done by the dark mana, and that’s certainly healable, but my magic isn’t made to stop the dangerous mana production,” she told them. “I’d say that’s the only way to do it, but…”

“Obviously we’ve tried that,” Luna murmured. “There was a time where we tried the mana-suppressing cuffs used to detain criminal mages, but it didn’t work. We aren’t really sure why, though, because when we tried it on other dark mages, they weren’t able to cast anything. We still have no clue why they wouldn’t suppress Neah’s.”

“Well, that’s almost certainly because her body is different,” The Angel commented in Nigreos’s mind. “I’ve seen those cuffs once or twice. They’re designed purely for the sake of containing the mana within the body. They don’t stop the production from taking place, they simply keep the mage from ejecting it. Since Neah’s body is incapable of containing her mana, the cuffs don’t make a difference. If you wanted to heal her, you’d need to permanently stop the production at the source, but as far as I know, you mages don’t have anything that can do that.”

Making it clear that The Angel had included Abi this time, the nature mage relayed this information to Lunara and Neah, speaking as if it were knowledge she already had.

“I guess that makes sense,” Neah said quietly. “Though, if we permanently stopped my mana production, I’d be kinda useless, wouldn’t I? I think Father would rather have a dead daughter than a magicless one.”

“He would not!” Nigreos stated before he could even think better of it. “I understand how it may look from here in Noctalus, but Father loves you. He does not want you dead.”

“You think so?” Lunara snorted, her brow furrowing in a disgust that once again surprised him. “I’m not so sure. Just look at how Master Acostav treated Album when her mana production was only weak. Could you imagine how they would have looked at her if she was magicless?”

“Luna…? You don’t mean that! Father—”

“I understand that you respect Father, but you’re too smart to keep lying to yourself. He doesn’t care about Neah. If he did, he’d be working on finding a cure, but instead, he’s too busy obsessing over his reputation to give a shit about her. A magicless daughter would destroy that reputation, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he killed her himself.”

“That’s not—”

“She's right, Son of Darkness. You heard the truth both in the past and in the waters of my spring. Why do you defend Viiro’s actions even now? At least Luna opened her eyes to the truth. A magicless Neah is less than worthless to Viiro Noctis. She truly would be a hindrance to him.”

Shut the hell up! Nobody asked you!

“Look, Neah,” Nigreos began, moving to kneel next to the bed beside Abi so he could reach out and take his sister’s hand. “We’re going to save you. If finding a way to permanently deactivate your mana is what needs to happen then we’ll do it, and Father will not love you any less. You hear me, Sis’? I promise you.”

“Maybe… But I’m happy to know you’re trying so hard. I’m just worried you’re wasting your time.”

“I could never be!” he insisted. “You’re my sister, and I would do anything for my family. It’s not a waste. It’s just not!”

Neah glanced to the side, placing her other hand overtop his, but her expression was unreadable. He hated the thought that she had accepted her death—that she truly didn’t think she’d be surviving much longer. He wanted to comfort her. He wanted to make her happy and give her a reason to look forward to the future—to believe she was going to have a future.

“So are you going to let me out? I promise that those in this palace will not sense me, and I truly am willing to reveal myself to Luna. Just say the word, and I’ll do my job.”

Yeah, fine. Just give me a second to warn them. I don’t want to startle them.

“Alright, listen for a second.” Nigreos pushed himself back to his feet, motioning for Abi to pass him the canister. His teammate nodded silently, reaching into the inner pocket of her jacket before tossing the small cylindrical container, filled to the cap with a black and white goo, that he swiftly caught. “What we’re about to tell you is going to seem strange, sudden, and possibly even frightening, but I want you to know that I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t think it could help.”

Neah was gazing at the container with curiosity, but Lunara seemed on her guard, and understandably so given that The Angel had begun allowing its mana to be detectable—mana that would be indistinguishable from Nigreos and Album’s.

“Nigreos, what is that?” Luna demanded.

He gave her a reassuring smile then did the same for Neah before beginning his explanation. “What I’m going to tell you cannot leave this room. The only people who know we have this thing are in the royal team, and Princess Ilirianna has been firm in her decision to keep it a secret. I’m happy to finally be allowed to tell you both.” He took a deep breath, knowing that Lunara, at least, was going to be a challenge to convince. “This is a creature that Doctor Uma Miyon and Mallicent Malloway had been studying back in Hiriech.”

“Miyon?” Lunara parroted, her eyes going wide. “Hold on a second! If this was Miyon’s, then why do you have it? And for that matter, why are you trusting that it’s safe?”

“Because it was a captive of Miyon’s, not an ally,” Abi added, coming to Nigreos’s defense in an effort to help reassure them. “It holds no love for the Kosah-Rei and has been ridiculously cooperative in our attempts to find a cure for Neah.”

For a moment, Luna’s expression revealed a small bit of intrigue, and perhaps even a desperate hope, as she asked, “And has it figured anything out?”

“Somewhat,” Nigreos confirmed. “But without being able to take a look at her itself, we ran into a bit of a wall. That’s why we decided to bring it with us to Noctalus and that’s the real reason I’m here right now. I want this thing, The Angel, to try and cure her.”

As if deciding that was a good enough cue, the black and white goo within the canister popped the lid off and began to rise outwards, expanding rapidly as it shifted from a shapeless blob to a humanoid outline. Based on the masculine build it took, Nigreos was unsurprised when its features morphed into a younger version of his own, covering itself with a simple long black robe that came down to its feet. Neah’s jaw was hanging open with an adorable awe, but Nigreos sensed Lunara quickly draw her mana to her hand, as if to attack.

“I promise you, Luna, I will not harm anybody in this room,” The Angel assured her, putting up its hands to express its low threat level.

“Nigreos, why does it have your face?!” she demanded fiercely. “What is this thing?!”

The being of Cansi chuckled with amusement before shrugging. “It’s unfortunately a long story, but I’m more than willing to tell it once I’ve done my job. All I intend to do is give Neah a brief check-up, much in the way Abigail just did, in order to properly analyze how dangerous this condition is.”

“And you think I’m letting some freaky clone near my little sister!” Luna snarled. “You listen here—”

“Luna, I trust it.”

Upon processing Neah’s words, Lunara’s head snapped in her direction with a stunned expression. “You trust it?! Why?!”

“Because I trust Nigreos, and Nigreos trusts it. If he says this thing can help me, I’m willing to let it try.” The young girl’s warm smile returned to her features as she gazed back at Lunara. “Thank you for worrying though. It makes me happy that you would call out your mana for me even when in the presence of something as clearly powerful as this. I love you, Sister.”

Her shoulders slumping in defeat, Lunara let out a reluctant sigh, pulled her mana back inside of her, then folded her arms. “Okay, fine. Do what you want, I guess.”

The Angel grinned. “Thank you.”

It then walked to the spot where Nigreos had been moments before, an expression of love coming over it as it looked at Neah, reminding Nigreos that it truly had copied his personality. In that sense, he realized he didn’t have much to fear, for if it really was him then it wouldn’t harm Neah even slightly. It would have developed a love for her equal to his, and while a part of him hated that unsettling thought, he couldn’t deny its usefulness.

It means this thing will defend her at all costs.

Neah was clearly a bit more uncertain than she claimed to be, but she didn’t move as The Angel bent forward and placed its hands against her cheeks. A surge of mana resembling Nigreos’s emerged from it to enter Neah, and like when Abi used her magic moments before, all they could do was stand there quietly and wait to see what it had to say. The scanning took only ten seconds before The Angel stepped back and twisted its lips in thought.

“Well, it’s as I expected,” it admitted, leaving Nigreos unsure of whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. “Like I told you a long time ago, Son of Darkness, this condition forms out of the body/cell mismatch, leaving us with two options. The first is the one we discussed moments ago: research a means of canceling her mana permanently. The dark magic won’t hurt her if it isn’t produced.”

Abi shook her head. “That’s what we’ve been trying, though, and we’ve come up with nothing. Even setting aside the debate over what Master Noctis would think about that, permanently canceling mana just seems impossible.”

“And the second?” Luna pressed impatiently, her shaky breathing revealing her anxiety.

The Angel grimaced. “Well, this is also something I’ve discussed with the royal team. If changing her cells isn’t the answer, then changing her body is the only other option, and the only potential means of doing so is with biological magic.”

“So…a changeling? We need a changeling?”

Lunara practically whispered those words to herself, and Nigreos knew how she felt. As it had stated, this was a subject they had already discussed a long time ago and abandoned, for there were few options open to them. Biological magic was dangerous to use on oneself to begin with, requiring precise castings of the spells that relied heavily on one’s physical senses. That was why very few could use it on other people, and the ones who did only changed minor attributes like hair color or eye color. Finding somebody who could safely transform someone’s body to the extent required to save Neah would be one in a million.

And yet, we know somebody who can do it. Leiolai Sartella, the Kosah-Rei changeling who tried to kill Ryokumo and Master Rana—a woman hell bent on eradicating the Ijirian elite. She aided in the destruction of House Malloway, so she has no reason to save Neah. In fact, her philosophy and religion demand Neah’s death. In that sense, her very existence is a mockery of me.

“A changeling would be necessary, yes,” The Angel stated with a sigh. “However, even if we had one, I’m not even sure what to do to Neah. The easiest thing would be to permanently turn her into somebody else—someone who can handle dark magic. An option would be to make her a clone of you, Luna, but…”

“It still might not work,” Abi finished. “Because if the changeling doesn’t understand the issue, Neah might just become a copy of Luna who can’t handle it. It may be a biological process that nobody from Ijiria can properly comprehend.”

“So even that won't work?” Lunara breathed. “Then what the hell do we do?”

“We keep researching.” Making that declaration firmly and without room for debate, Nigreos straightened his back and eyed each person in that room. “We’ll keep looking. Neah, I know you’ll be able to hold yourself together, so we’ll all do our best. We’ll either make one of these options work, or we’ll find a third one! But no matter what…

“You will not die. Not so long as I can help it!”

***

Once The Angel had confirmed that the only couple of options they had at their disposal, it went on to reveal to Lunara and Neah everything it once told Nigreos and Album about the ancient civilizations of Cansi, as well as the fact that their family was descended from those very mages. Neah listened with the utmost fascination, but it was obvious that Lunara struggled to accept it, and Nigreos couldn’t really blame her. He knew that he would have been just as dubious if he hadn’t been under the calming aura of the pocket realm, but knowing his sister the way he did, he was certain she would come to accept it eventually. With Luna and Neah now fully in the know, Abigail excused herself to give them some privacy, collected The Angel back into its container, and departed the room with it. Since they would only be in Noctalus for three more days and would depart the day after the Festival, Nigreos opted to remain in Neah’s room so that he could spend as much time with her as possible. Lunara would be remaining in Noctalus until the start of the next semester, so she had much more time with her, but she stayed behind as well.

The Angel’s existence certainly put more strain on the following interactions than he had hoped, but the three Noctis siblings still managed to laugh and talk with each other all the way into the evening. As promised, Nigreos told Neah all about his adventures with the royal team over the last semester, though he refrained from discussing the events in Piriit due to how fresh those memories were, and she listened to him with excitement. It was obvious she genuinely loved hearing his stories, and he was more than happy to tell them. As for Luna, since her team wasn’t allowed to go on any assignments until her second semester, she simply talked of how the previous semester had gone. Luna’s orientation had been far less stressful than Nigreos’s, and she and her team handled themselves wonderfully, taking down their opponents and claiming first rank without losing a single member.

Not only were we unable to do that, but I was one of the members who fell. Honestly, in many ways, Luna’s a better mage at her age than I was.

“You know, I’m really proud of you,” he told her as he placed a hand on her shoulder. “You’ve already made it clear to everybody at that academy that it would be foolish to underestimate you.”

Lunara laughed to herself and shook her head. “Maybe, but I’m no royal team.”

“Only because you didn’t have the chance to be,” he pointed out. “If Ilirianna was picking right now, there’s no doubt in my mind that you would have been in my position. I know it as a fact.”

“He’s right, Luna!” Neah said confidently. “You’re amazing!”

He could see the redness in her cheeks stemming from her embarrassment. “Ah, shut up. I’m confident in my abilities but I don’t think I could have handled being on the royal team. It’s too much responsibility, and, well…” She hung her head, her shoulder-length hair falling forward to hide her profile from her brother. “I don’t have the mental strength you guys do. I really don’t… Neah, you’ve lived a hellish life and can still smile like this. Nigreos, you’ve been put in the position where you have to trust something as dangerous as The Angel, all for Neah’s sake. How did you do it? I would have been too scared to make a decision.”

Nigreos raised his eyebrows and snorted. “I honestly don’t know. I guess…I was more afraid of missing an opportunity than I was of The Angel. It told me it could help, and I knew that I would never be able to forgive myself if I let that chance pass. I’ve always said I would walk straight into hell for the two of you, and I felt that The Angel was fate’s way of testing that conviction.”

“I see…” she whispered. “I’d like to say I’d walk through hell for you guys, but when presented with the chance to do so, I don’t think I’d have the strength to do it. Even so, I’m always afraid—afraid of doing what I feel I should… The two of you have managed to press on in the face of everything, but I always come so close to giving up when things have gotten tough.”

“But you haven’t,” Nigreos reminded her. “It doesn’t matter how close you get to giving up so long as you don't. Remember that, Luna.”

She sighed, and for a second, it seemed as if she had something she wanted to say, but as the silence lingered, her shoulders slumped and all she managed to say was,

“Yeah. I’ll keep it in mind.”