The Burning Flowers

Chapter I

“Your father is Nakoma Taurus, the Master of Fire.”

Ever since Ilirianna Iiji entered that private lounge on the top floor of the Jester’s Nirvana, she had been faced with more twists and turns than she had been prepared for. It began with Keskivaara revealing his treachery when he led her to a table at which sat Rotana Vesh and Tali Firrik, two of the highest members of the Kosah-Rei cult. Having been threatened into obedience by Vesh’s revelation that half of the Fifth Ring was cursed with the combustion magic, she and Ryokumo approached that table, the princess taking her seat as she mentally considered this situation and how she was going to get out of it.

Ilirianna and Ryokumo clashed with Vesh and Tali for a few moments before they reached the reason for the discussion, upon which the self-declared “Voice of Rei” began to make outrageous and nonsensical claims. Tali spoke of her control of time magic, telling them how she could see into the future. She told them of a vision she witnessed—that Ilirianna would someday become her friend and ally, and that they would join hands to overthrow the government of Ijiria. It made no sense to the princess, for she had always intended to start initiating change once she succeeded her father, King Markreas, and it was when she made that argument that Tali denied the statement, only to insist that Markreas was not her father. In a fit of frustration and rage, Ilirianna flew to her feet and vehemently accused her of lies and manipulation as she demanded to know who the young woman thought her father was, if not Markreas.

Tali’s answer struck her harder than she had any intention of admitting.

Uncle Nakoma? She’s saying that he’s my father? She’s insane. She’s actually just a madwoman. Does she think I’m a fool? Does she think I’d believe something so utterly ridiculous? Was this really what she intended to accomplish by luring me to this lounge? There’s just no way she’s that stupid!

Reaching down to her left hip, Ilirianna silently drew her emerald-colored blade, turning the point upon Tali without hesitation. The young woman didn’t so much as flinch, and it spoke to Vesh’s trust in the Voice that he didn’t raise his hand and remind Ilirianna of the victims he held hostage. Neither of them felt threatened, and even Rickori Keskivaara remained unmoving, though his eyes were directed down at his lap, as if he were trying to shut himself off from the events taking place around him. Behind Ilirianna stood Ryokumo, but since she could not see his face, she did not know what expression he had in reaction to the wild claim. A part of her considered making eye contact with him, but at the moment, she couldn’t bring herself to turn away from Tali Firrik.

“Given your delusional belief that we will become friends, I find your lack of respect for my intelligence insulting,” Ilirianna growled threateningly. “Markreas Iiji is my father. I know he is, and I’m not going to let a criminal like you get in my head and convince me otherwise.”

Tali nodded her understanding, fixing Ilirianna with yet another of her reluctant and sad smiles. “I was not so hopeful to think you would believe me so easily, but the proof is in your genetics. Your hair is a natural crimson concealed beneath the emerald color your mother so frantically gave you to hide her crimes. She’s lucky that the Iijis have such a tradition as to charm their hair, for if they didn’t, her disloyalty would have been exposed not long after your birth. Remove the color once you depart Stellareid, Liri, and you’ll know I speak the truth.”

“So you’re just gonna let me walk away then?!” the princess spat. “Or are you so confident that I would let you escape?”

Tali shrugged. “It’s not a matter of what you’ll let us do, as much as what I know will happen. Like I said before, my visions are set in stone, and no matter what we do, we can not escape the fate they show us. The fact that I have seen you and I in a city we are not currently in means that we cannot die in Stellareid. Somehow, someway, our deaths will be prevented by destiny itself.”

“Is that so?” she breathed. “Well, maybe you’re just saying that to prevent me from taking you captive right here and now.”

As she issued her threat, Vesh let out a bemused chuckle as he raised his eyebrows. “Now, Ilirianna, let’s not get out of control here. We still have this Ring at our mercy, so why don’t you sheath that sword and sit back down. I’ve let you threaten the Voice of our Goddess for long enough, but you’re testing my patience.”

“As you are testing mine!” she snarled, her blade now shifting towards the man. “I don’t know why the two of you thought this stupid little plan of yours would work, but I have no intention of doubting my mother! For all her flaws, she would never do something so immoral as have an affair behind my father’s back! Nor would Master Taurus ever betray his King the way you claim he has! You speak as if I haven't known them my whole life!”

“And I am hurt to be the one to reveal their deceit to you!” Tali insisted as she jumped to her feet, her tone so genuine that Ilirianna wanted to close her ears from it. “Even in the vision I witnessed, I could hear in your voice how Queen Toranei and Master Taurus’s actions ripped you apart. I wish you trusted me now so that I could comfort you, but I know my words will only further tear your wound! I swear, the throne will not be yours by succession! You must take it if you desire it! The proof is in your blood!”

Losing what little patience she still had, Ilirianna drew her other sword, turning both blades upon Vesh and Tali at the same time. Still, neither reacted with fear, indicating that whether Tali’s visions were real or not, they at least believed they were.

“Tell me then,” Ryokumo began, breaking a silence that had been long for a man like him as he stepped forward to stand at Ilirianna’s side, his features barely repressing an anger of his own. “What other visions have you bore witness to, Firrik? What else have you seen in the future, and perhaps you could reveal what becomes of me?”

Seeming hesitant to turn away from Ilirianna, Tali nevertheless shifted her gaze to Ryokumo. “I have never seen you in the future, Caeli, but would you like me to try and look?” The woman extended her hand across the table, reaching out for Ryokumo to take. “I cannot control when the visions happen, but if I’m lucky, I may be able to gain something from this moment?”

Ryokumo eyed her tiny palm for a few seconds before snorting with disbelief. “No. I’m sure to refrain from inconveniencing yourself, you will claim to have failed in your attempt. I do find this all very amusing, though, for Liri’s right… Did you really think we’d buy this bullshit? And for that matter…?” The wind mage turned and glared down at Keskivaara with utter disgust. “Hey, People’s Mind? Did a man as supposedly intelligent as you buy into all of this? You don’t seem terribly shocked by what she’s saying, and I find your silence pathetic, so why don’t you join this discussion, huh?”

Keskivaara let out a sigh, his brown eyes full of desperation as he finally raised his head. “Whether I believe her or not is irrelevant. Yes, Firrik told me all of this even before I met with Mr. Noctis and Mr. Glaus last night. She said I was the best way to lure in Ilirianna because she was the only one in this city who would actually take me seriously. Firrik said she was different, and I did not believe her until she appeared in the middle of that protest and actually offered me a hand. I regret that I had to spit upon it the way I did, but it proved to me that, whether she can see the future or not, Firrik understands this world far more than I.”

“And I will admit, I wasn’t expecting Noctis and Glaus to do what they did,” Tali added. “Noctis, maybe, but Glaus’s actions were truly out of nowhere. Perhaps there are more allies within those teams than I had guessed.”

“Allies?” Ryokumo breathed venomously. “Get over yourselves! Stop spewing this nonsense! As if anybody in the royal team would stand beside you! You murdered Nigreos and Album’s mothers barely over a week ago, and I’ve already made my stance on Hiriech crystal clear!”

“No, Caeli, the implication in your logic is flawed,” Vesh corrected swiftly. “You’re saying Nigreos Noctis would never join us because we killed his mother, so I think I should tell you who actually marked Lady Nium and Lady Clara. I should tell you who activated the Teritus and sealed their fates.”

“Excuse me—!?”

“It was Lunara Noctis,” Vesh stated. “She’s the one who killed them. She is Kosah-Rei.”

Both Ilirianna and Ryokumo fell deathly silent. While the immediate and natural instinct would have been to deny it like they had been denying everything else, they were unable to do so because of what Abigail had told them back in the healing quarters.

Abi…said her sense got a bizarre reading of Luna, and nobody could find changeling magic inside of her. We were forced to conclude that she must have truly been Lunara Noctis, but if what Vesh said is true, then it was her, and Abi’s sense wasn’t incorrect…

“N-no,” Ryokumo murmured, but lacking his earlier fervor. “Lunara…wouldn’t ever join you...”

Vesh laughed mockingly. “Yet she did. Much like young Mallicent, Lunara was dissatisfied with her family. She was desperate to save little Neah, but Viiro Noctis was more than ready to sacrifice her life in exchange for his own convenience. Tali witnessed Lunara’s cooperation in a vision, so she approached her not long before she departed for her first year at the Academy, making an offer to help her save Neah—an offer Lunara accepted.”

All this time, ever since she started attending school… Luna’s been a traitor? Then, during the events in Noctalus, not only was Luna responsible for part of it, but she knew it was coming!

If not for Abigail’s account, Ilirianna wouldn’t have accepted these claims either, but knowing Abi the way they did, neither she nor Ryokumo could oppose them.

“So tell me,” Vesh went on. “If Lunara could join us, why can’t Nigreos? We already suspect Abigail may become an ally someday, and we’d certainly welcome Miss Album. Ilirianna will join us, as she is destined to, so why not stand with her? Why not change this world together?”

“But Aeyir—!”

“Get over Aeyir!” Vesh roared, jumping to his own feet now. “Aeyir Malloway was on the path to corruption, so we sent him to Rei before he could destroy himself! He is in a better, happier place now within the loving arms of the Goddess!”

“You’re insane!” Ryokumo shouted back. “There is no Goddess! There is no paradise! You base your violent actions on a book full of fairy tales and use them to justify murder!”

Vesh’s magic surged across his body as he faced Ryokumo with a twisted and vile expression. “You watch your tongue, Heathen! I pray to the Goddess that a vision never appears that gives you significance. I want you to die, Caeli, for I honestly don’t see a world where I could ever stand beside scum like you.”

“Nor I you, Vesh,” Ryokumo spat before turning yet another disappointed look towards the People’s Mind. “Keskivaara! Are you not listening to all of this?! Is this really what you want?! If you were the peaceful man you were supposed to be, then you should be appalled by these people!”

But Keskivaara was already shaking his head. “I am appalled, but what am I to do, Caeli? I’ve been trying for years to petition Lord Cartigan, and all I’ve ever gotten was failure. Meanwhile, more and more people have been losing their lives. Haran Rala was just the most recent victim of the Companies' corruption. I have started wondering if violence is unavoidable. My people are dying while I sit on my ass and preach morality… Peace has failed me, so I am left with nothing to turn to but war.”

Ilirianna could hear the utter defeat in his voice, telling her that Rickori Keskivaara had exhausted every option first, and was still unsatisfied with the one he had finally settled on. He might not have said it aloud, but she got the feeling it wasn’t only his choice, and that he had been pressured by others in his organization. Vesh made an offer, and he was forced to take it.

As the lounge descended into yet another overwhelming silence, Ilirianna was frantically pondering what she was supposed to do. If Vesh was telling the truth then Castle Saientia was compromised by the Kosah-Rei, and if Lunara was willing to kill her own mother then nobody within that building was off the table. The Masters, the Cartigans, the royal team and those who accompanied them—everybody had the chance of meeting their fiery end should Vesh activate that ring. Lunara may try to free Uma Miyon, something they needed to prevent at all costs. In addition, Rennigan, Faye, Hiro, and Jessi were on their way to speak with Omorossa, whose allegiance in all of this was heavily up for debate. They could be marked, or in danger, and if Keskivaara had conceded to the cult, then that meant his followers might have as well.

I need to take them out… Vesh and Firrik cannot be allowed to escape this room. They’re attempting to get in my head with all this bullshit about visions, so I simply have to stop it from throwing me off. Firrik shouldn’t be a combatant, so if Kumo takes Vesh and I take Keskivaara, we could kill them and remove the threats they pose. Guilt then chewed at her heart, for she knew she would never hear the end of this humiliating failure. She had been Keskivaara’s strongest supporter within Saientia and the Citadel, and had now been stabbed in the back for it. I did not wish to become his executioner, and I will stand by my belief that Cartigan is responsible for what he does tonight. Even so, I will kill him should I find a way to get around the combustions…

The second that thought went through her head, she experienced the most powerful surge of mana she had ever felt at once. It was beneath her and all around her, a sudden and terrifyingly thick presence in the air that caused her throat to tighten and her palms to sweat. The feeling extended in all directions, growing by the minute like pressure being added to a bubble—one on the brink of popping. She exhaled sharply, believing Vesh to have activated his magic, but even he and Tali seemed surprised by what they were sensing. Keskivaara, too, shot to his feet as he glanced around the room with wide eyes.

“Vesh, what happened?!” the People’s Mind demanded. “Did you activate it?!”

The man shook his head. “No, this is earlier than planned, so I suppose one of the others must have been forced to do it prematurely. Oh well, my apologies, Ilirianna, Caeli, but it seems we’ll have to be going. The combustions have been activated and these buildings will be falling down in a matter of seconds. If you don’t want to be cooked alive, I suggest fleeing while you can.”

“They were activated?!” Ilirianna exclaimed. “I thought—?!”

But Vesh swiftly cut her off. “No, unfortunately we will have to stop here. Until next time—!”

“LIKE HELL I’M LETTING YOU GET AWAY!” Ryokumo screamed, half-a-second before he blasted off of the ground and lunged straight towards Rotana Vesh.

Ryokumo’s casting of Proto combined with the swelling threat of combustion magic to break the dam and finally unleash chaos. Vesh clearly hadn’t been ready for the combustions to go off since his attention had been turned more towards the mana surge and away from Ilirianna and Ryokumo. That was probably why her ally succeeded at getting the jump on him, wind magic swirling around his now unsheathed sword as he swung the blade straight for Vesh’s neck. From what Ilirianna could tell, the attack made contact, but Vesh must have cast some sort of protection spell, for rather than losing his head, his large body was launched backwards, crashing through the wall of the lounge and over the side, out of sight. To his credit, Ryokumo didn’t allow his failure to stop him from Protoing through the hole in pursuit.

Simultaneously, Ilirianna, Keskivaara, and Tali were forced to react as well, and despite the Voice of Rei being a higher priority target in the grand scheme of the war with the Kosah-Rei, Ilirianna knew that she could not allow a man as powerful as Rickori Keskivaara to get away with his life. Reluctantly pushing Tali from her mind, Ilirianna spun on her heel and used her momentum mixed with wind magic to swing her right sword straight for Keskivaara’s neck, but with ridiculously fast reflexes, her opponent’s hand shot upwards and seemingly caught her swing, stopping the blade from making contact with his skin. However, she quickly noticed that he hadn't actually touched her sword, rather he had cast a wind spell that created a shield in his palm that was exerting pressure against Ilirianna’s attack. For a split second, she gazed upon the defeated and depressed expression on his face before the floor beneath them exploded, sending the two of them tumbling downwards into a raging inferno.

Reluctantly, knowing she wouldn’t survive the flames if she didn’t protect herself, Ilirianna turned the wind magic she had been using against her opponent into shields all around her body as she descended through the wreckage of the Jester’s Nirvana, the suffocating heat still managing to slip through her defense and burn parts of her skin and clothes. Through the fires, she could see the structure crumbling around her as the building’s supports were taken out by the exploding patrons. She couldn’t hear the screams of the victims, for they were already dead, and anybody in that building that hadn’t been marked would have met their end to the fires that followed the destructive magic.

Vesh said fifty percent was marked, but even those who weren’t won’t live if they’re in close enough proximity…

It was too late, for what she knew was happening in the Fifth Ring of Stellareid at that moment made the tragedy of Aeyir’s ball pale in comparison. She hadn’t been able to stop this, though from the sound of it, there was nothing she could have done since Vesh indicated the other cultists had their own rings. Even if she’d ended Rotana Vesh’s life when she’d had the chance, this devastation would have occurred anyway.

But…this means he’s lost his leverage over me! I can fight them freely now! His captives are all dead, and I’ll finally get to tap into the power of the Iijis to strike him down! I’ll use my ancestral power to kill him and prove that I am the daughter of King Markreas!

“CORSIKEI!” she snarled, turning herself midair, sending her power down through her legs, and allowing a shockwave to erupt from her feet, ripping her socks and boots apart. The momentum created by the spell counteracted the momentum of her fall, allowing Ilirianna to spiral towards the remains of the walls and out of the club, bursting into the streets outside. As she expected and feared, she still could not escape hell. Naturally, the Jester’s Nirvana wasn’t the only building erupting into flames. The entire road was filled with screaming and destruction, smoke billowing up into the night sky as Stellareid ripped itself apart from within.

Having done her best to memorize Keskivaara’s mana signature, she was grateful that it was so powerful compared to the average person, for even in that blaze of mana, she could just barely identify him rushing north. Now that she had fresher air that wasn’t burning her throat and lungs, Ilirianna sucked in a large breath and fell towards the street, casting Proto the second her now bare feet made contact and propelling herself further down the road in pursuit of the People’s Mind.

That goddamn traitor! she shrieked in her head, doing her best to tune out the death all around her as she dodged and weaved past the fiery debris and chunks of stone raining down on her path. I wanted to help you! I wanted to stop something like this from happening, but you chose to plant your flag beside the Kosah-Rei!

Ilirianna reached out with her fingers and grabbed hold of the pole of a street sign, using it to swing around the corner before casting Condite on the remains of a tall building up ahead. The ropes of wind that formed yanked her higher into the sky, and it was then that the sprinting silhouette of the People’s Mind came into view roughly fifty yards down the street. Power extending from her palms and into her swords, Ilirianna Iiji sent one last shockwave through her feet that increased her already rapid speed and closed the distance between her and her target in a matter of seconds.

“INFERNATIO!”

***

Even his spot deep underground could not prevent him from just barely making out the trembling of the earth, and knowing what he did, Uma Miyon was absolutely confident that they were caused by the activation of the combustions. The Battle of Stellareid that Tali Firrik foresaw had finally begun, leaving the man unable to stop the mad laughter that escaped his lips. Every Ijirian that confronted him since his confinement in Saientia’s dungeon had ridiculed him, reminding him that he was at their mercy and that he would never know freedom again. They tortured him, severed his legs so he couldn’t escape, forced him to relieve himself in his clothes, and gazed upon him like he was a pitiful animal. All the while, they were the ones at his mercy.

By Tali’s command, he was to intentionally get himself captured by Lord Cartigan’s people, for it was what would draw the royal team, as well as the Masters of Darkness and Light, to the City of Starlight. She promised him that he would live—that she had seen a vision of him after Stellareid was concluded, which meant that no matter what despair he faced in that lonely dungeon, he would live to see the aftermath of the Kosah-Rei’s greatest performance.

I simply wish it need not have been the Capital of Science, he lamented once more. A true pity for a place as special as this to suffer what it will, but it’s like My Lady said: The ones who will meet their fates tonight are not the ones mediating the progression of discovery.

He had known that it was the day of the battle when the Luz had showed up on his doorstep and revealed to him that Lunara Noctis was in the castle, for that was what Tali had predicted would happen on the promised day. Unfortunately, all Uma knew was that he survived Stellareid, so he wasn’t particularly certain what his role would be. For all he knew, he was going to miss all the fun in that dungeon and get released near the end. He might not even be freed until after the battle concluded since what Tali had seen was most likely far in the future. That was why he was pleased when he heard the sound of his cell door unlocking mere minutes after the combustions were activated.

That pleasure was momentarily soiled by the entrance of Ella Cartigan, but when the heir to Saientia flashed him a brief and subtle wink, he knew this woman was not the real deal.

“M-my Lady,” one of the guards was saying as he and his partner followed “Ella” into the room. “Are you sure about this? It sounds like something’s happening outside, so is it really wise to move Miyon now? There’s nowhere more secure than here!”

“Ella” rolled her eyes with impatience. “You say that like I’m not aware. These orders have come directly from my father, so I would implore you not to question me. Release him now!”

“A-at once, Lady Ella.”

Uma watched with satisfaction as the guard was puppeted to walk towards the bars dividing the room and begin unraveling the charm that prevented them from being touched. Once he did so, he unlocked the door off on the far right-hand side, then entered Uma’s half of the cell to undo his shackles. The doctor took pleasure in the scrunching of the man’s nose, for the smell was surely far from pleasant. He didn’t make eye contact with Uma as he kneeled down and released him before glancing over his shoulder for further orders.

“He can’t walk, so…?”

“Right, give me a second…” The imposter entered the cell, much to the man’s chagrin, but before he could protest, she removed the shortsword at her hip, sent wind magic through the blade, and swung it down onto his neck, serving his head in one clean swoop.

Blood was splattered across Uma’s grinning features as the soldier’s body collapsed to the cold ground and went limp. Meanwhile, the remaining guard positioned in the doorway cried out in shock, but before his magic could properly reach his hands, the long and familiar blade of a particular glave pierced through his armor and into his chest to almost certainly strike his heart. Once the blade was removed, that man, too, crumpled to the ground in a bloody heap as a distortion dropped to reveal a massive man in bright red armor standing just above the corpse.

Uma nodded to himself as “Ella” leaned down and pressed her hands to his body. When the magic that entered him was not mere nature magic, but biological magic, he received his confirmation on who the fake Ella Cartigan actually was.

“It’s good to see you guys again, Barron, Leio!” he said with a laugh. “And here I thought you’d force me to sit this one out. How so very pleased I am!”