The Burning Flowers

Chapter XII

Album was only ten years old when Neah Noctis’s condition first appeared, and just like the others, she felt terrible at how little she could do to help anybody. To a child, knowing that such an issue was unsolvable even to the grown-ups made it seem impossible to fix, and though their parents weren’t going to say as much outright, all of the Noctalus children knew how likely it was that Neah would die. Eko was the eldest of the five, so he had taken it upon himself to try and comfort them—to assure them that their parents would figure something out and that they needn't worry for Neah’s health. He had full faith in Masters Viiro and Acostav, and that confidence her older brother displayed enabled Album to better cope with it as well.

Nigreos, too, expressed confidence in their parents, though unlike Eko, he made it clear that just because the Masters might be able to handle it didn’t mean he was just going to sit back and wait for them to do so. That was the moment Album saw a shift in her dear friend, for Nigreos’s determination to study dark magic exponentially increased. As for Neah, despite only being four-years-old and in severe pain, she never seemed to let it bring her down. Whenever Album visited her in either her bedroom or the healing quarters, Neah laughed and smiled like she didn’t have a care in the world. It was inspiring, and when Album’s own condition surfaced around the same time, she wanted to face life the way Neah did—something she was never able to accomplish. Everybody around her was so confident and strong, so Album always felt like she truly was the shame of the palace. Nevertheless, she was the second oldest, so she felt it was her duty to at least try and behave like an elder sibling.

One summer morning, a few weeks after Neah was first taken to the healing quarters, Album had gone out to the courtyard in the light side of the palace to enjoy the warm weather when she found that Lunara was already there, crouching beside a small pond as she poked a stick through the water’s surface, her eyes locked onto the circular ripples it created. She hadn’t known much about how the middle Noctis was taking everything, but Luna had always been a tough kid, and when Album had recently seen her, she was going about her life like nothing was the matter. Yet, she couldn’t imagine that Luna was perfectly fine given she was only eight and had been present when Hell’s Shadows initially ravaged Neah’s body.

She has to be struggling, Album thought, so wanting to play her role as a big sister, she gathered her resolve and approached the solitary Lunara.

“Hey, Luna. Whatcha up to?”

She tried talking as cheerfully as she could, recalling how Eko always smiled and spoke reassuringly when he was trying to comfort them. She wanted to seem approachable and reliable. She wanted Lunara to know that she didn’t need to bottle anything up and that Album would gladly offer her whatever it was she needed, whether that be an ear to rant to, a shoulder to lean on, or even just a simple soothing hug. Unfortunately, the little girl didn’t even look up at her as she merely shrugged and murmured, “Nothing really”, before continuing to swirl the stick around in the pond.

Album stood there in an awkward silence for a few moments, unsure of whether to prod further or to turn around and leave.

No, I can’t just leave her! Come on Album, you know Eko wouldn’t walk away! You don’t have to pry into her business if you don’t want to, but at least keep her company! She shouldn't have to be alone right now!

“The weather’s really cozy today, isn’t it?” Album said in another attempt to spark conversation.

The other girl nodded. “I guess it is.”

Silence descended for a second time, causing Album’s cheeks to turn red from embarrassment. Her shoulders slumped as she kneeled down beside Lunara and joined her in absently watching the ripples in the water caused by her fidgeting. Multiple times did she attempt to come up with something to say, only to decide it would just bother Luna. Eventually, Album could only internally sigh at how lame she was.

Geez, I’m bad at this. Some sister I am… Maybe I should just get up and go.

But, to her relief, just as she was about to wander somewhere else, Lunara said something under her breath that she only barely made out.

“Album? Is Neah going to die?”

It was a question that caused her to tense up, for she hadn’t expected Lunara to say anything at all, let alone something like that. What was she supposed to reply with? After all, Album had a terrible feeling that Neah’s condition was worse than the adults were letting on, but she couldn’t tell Luna that. It completely defeated the purpose of being there since she wanted to ease her fears, not make them worse. At the same time, any hesitation would essentially confirm for the other girl that Album was thinking along the same lines, so she forced herself to answer with something that wasn’t a lie, but would still offer Luna some solace.

“Our fathers are going to help her, and they’re Masters of Ijiria, so they can do anything, right? That’s why Neah can’t die! It just wouldn’t make sense!” Album then smiled again, looking into Lunara’s doubt-filled amber eyes. “Nigreos also said he’s gonna help, and Eko thinks she’s gonna be fine, so with all those people working on it, I think Neah will be back on her feet before we know it.”

“I guess…” she whispered, more to herself than to Album. “But you don’t think our parents are just lying to us? I mean, would they really tell us if Neah was going to die, because I don’t think they would.”

Again, Album found herself agreeing with Luna, and again, she did her best not to let that fact show. “What does thinking like that accomplish though? We shouldn’t be pessimistic, Luna. We gotta think on the bright side of things! Neah is gonna be okay! And if you can’t trust our parents, then trust me! We’ll figure something out!”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you, but… No offense, Al’, but you weren’t there,” Lunara said, seemingly choking back tears. “You didn’t see those shadows ripping out of her, and you weren’t covered in her blood. You didn’t hear her screaming. I’ve been dreaming about that every night since. I can’t get it out of my head… Something that horrible can’t possibly be anything but deadly. I’m scared. I don’t want to lose my little sister, but there’s nothing I can do. What can I do that the Masters can’t?”

Her grip on the stick loosened enough for it to sink beneath water as Luna’s dam broke and her tears poured out. Album was taken aback, but recalling what Eko would have done in that moment, she leaned forward and pulled the younger girl into a gentle hug, letting her head rest against her chest as she ran her fingers through Luna’s black hair. Since Album knew very little for certain, there wasn’t much else she could say, so she instead decided that the best thing she could do was be there for her. She whispered soothing words and held her for an uncertain amount of time. Lunara was trembling with fear—a fear that Album was powerless to eliminate.

“Hey, why don’t you come stay in my room tonight, yeah?” she suggested. “We can have a little sleepover, and if you have any more nightmares, I’ll hug you again until they go away. Would you like that?”

Lunara couldn’t speak through her sobs, but Album felt her head nod a few times.

“Okay, we’ll do that,” Album said. “There’s not much I can do for you, but my door is always open. If you ever need a hug, you come right to me and I’ll give it. No matter what happens, I’ll be right here.

“I’ll always be right here, Luna. Everything is going to be okay.”

***

“ALBUM!”

Lunara’s vicious screech ripped through Album’s ears and pierced her brain, the pain spreading to every part of her body as she listened to a girl she loved spit her name like a poison—like she hated nobody else in all the realms more than her. Album never wanted it to come to this, and perhaps a stupid part of her still hoped that things would all work out somehow, but that was not possible. She understood that now. Even when she and Eko arrived at the top of the Observatory and witnessed Viiro Noctis murdered by his children, Album struggled to accept reality. She didn’t want it to be true, but then Eko was killed, too, and when Ilirianna arrived, Nigreos tried to kill her without even a second of hesitation. That was the moment when her brain finally caught up with what was happening, and she understood what it was she had to do. Eko had even stated it to Master Viiro before they split up back in the Fifth Ring.

“If they did this and you are unable to, I will kill them myself, as is the ancient duty of the House of Luz. I will not enjoy it, and I will forever regret that it came to that, but this... This is vile. If they did this, then they are dead to me.”

That’s right… The Luz took control of Noctalus because they were the only House that could keep the Noctis in check, even in the dead of night. Perhaps that fact was forgotten as our families became close over the centuries, but now, I must do what my brother could not. I will defeat the Noctis—our ancient enemies.

Her meager control of light magic could not take on Nigreos and Lunara together, but she trusted Ilirianna to handle the brother while she defeated the sister. That was why Album cast Ilumine, took Luna by surprise, grabbed her by the throat, and flashed them both over the side of the Grand Observatory with the full intent of putting as much distance between her and Nigreos as possible. Like her brother had said, she would not revel in what she was about to do. She would take no enjoyment, and her actions would haunt her for the rest of her life, but she did not have the ability to spare Lunara Noctis anymore. Her crimes were too great to be forgiven, and Album could not forgive her.

Lunara’s features were twisted into something hideous, and just like Album had noted before, she hardly resembled the girl she had grown up with. It was like she was gazing upon a stranger.

Maybe that will make this easier… For Father… For Eko… For everybody else you’ve murdered! I will strike you down!

Shadows exploded from Luna’s body, and though Album was still in her energy form, her hands were physical, so she frantically released her grip as the two of them split apart and crashed down into the First Ring of Stellareid. Lunara slammed into the poorly-maintained road so hard that she wouldn’t have survived without her shadows swirling around her body in a protective shield, the orb of darkness compressing like gelatin to break her fall. Album’s energetic form protected her fully, so she was able to land on her feet, her body instantly returning to flesh as she brought her power straight to her hands and uttered, “Luminey”. Twelve bolts of light spawned in the air around her, and not wanting to give Luna any time to recover from their fall, she cast Ilum, sending all of them flying straight for that ball of shadows without mercy. They shredded it, ripping through the darkness like it was made of paper, and if she had succeeded, the fight would already be over.

Unfortunately, Album had never been that lucky.

Lunara burst from the shadows half a second before Album’s attacks struck home, her head snapping towards where her opponent stood before her mana erupted into the surrounding night, stealing control of the surrounding darkness to bend to her will.

“Devare!”

“Luminetta!”

From behind her, Luna’s shadows tore through the ground in a violent wave as Album let off a single, but more powerful, blast that should have sliced right through. She wasn’t sure if it was due to her poor ability or Lunara’s doubling of her mana, but the beam failed to break through the shadows, tearing away strips of darkness until it dwindled to nothing. Album was left with barely enough time to sputter out Ilumine before they engulfed her completely.

The light mage’s body returned to energy, preventing the darkness from harming her, and since Luna would be able to sense what Album had done, she altered her attack. The wave of shadows aiming to pierce her disintegrated on contact with her light, and the darkness all around them that Lunara had kept at the ready lifted from the walls and street, swirling and closing in around her. Instead of trying to shred her, the darkness began putting pressure on her in an effort to break the spell and turn Album physical again. Strips of darkness from the roiling shadows detached from the mass and tried to crush her, yet Album simply stood and weathered the assault. Every time a shadow made contact with her glowing form, it was destroyed, but Lunara had so much internal power and an environment bathed in darkness that she was creating shadows faster than Album could destroy them.

Damn it! I could sense her increased strength before, but now I really see what I’m up against here! She has full access to Neah’s mana, so if we get stuck in a battle of attrition, I’ll lose without question! Keeping her focus on retaining her energetic body, Album internally steeled herself, taking one brief moment to gather her thoughts and prepare. You’re got this, Album! Remember what Father’s taught you! Remember your sparring matches with Kumo! You’ve improved! You’ve become a better mage and this is your chance to prove it! She killed your family! She’s ruined everything, so harness that anger, and fight back!

“Ligeromagnus!”

That spell took the energy on her body and condensed it all on the surface, turning every part of her back to flesh except for the thin outer layer. From there, that layer exploded outwards in a repulsion that destroyed the entire onslaught of shadows and gave her a chance to rattle off Ilumine in order to flash to the other side of the street, her senses already reaching out in an effort to locate Lunara. Unfortunately, at some point while Album was stuck beneath that darkness, her opponent had faded into the shadows and merged with the night.

I know she’s here though. She has yet to flee, which means she wants me beaten as much as I do her. She’s not going to retreat, for better or worse. If I can’t locate her then I’ll be overwhelmed. Where is she?!

It was as Album was scanning around that she realized a few denizens of the First Ring were watching her from the alleys. None of them were out in the open, and any that had been almost certainly fled when she and Luna crashed into the road, but not all had done so. It was a dull reminder of why this fight was even happening in the first place, for Lunara Noctis had gazed upon slums like this one and chosen to kill for them. At the very least, if she followed her own ideals, Album wouldn’t have to worry about any more innocents becoming casualties.

Tendrils of sharpened shadows burst out from right behind Album, but having been as alert as possible, she was more than ready to cast Lichto as she spun around and created a shield of energy that destroyed the attack on impact. But the night’s darkness was practically infinite, so destroying a handful of shadows was like eliminating a tiny piece of the sun. Waves of darkness came crashing down from the sky above her, and even though Album used Ilumine to reach the other side of the street in the blink of an eye while burning the darkness that grazed her, the shadows pursued. They weren’t as fast as her, but it wouldn’t matter given Luna’s mana. Running from the shadows accomplished nothing, yet Album simply could not find where Luna was merged due to her signature having fused with the night itself.

Think, Album, think! There’s gotta be a way to turn this around!

Her father had taught her how fast light magic was, so long as she wasn’t fighting a fellow light mage, she would almost never be caught. Therefore, if she cast Ilumine rapidly and rarely remained in one spot, it gave her time to think mid-battle and analyze her opponent. Then, once she was satisfied, she could strike.

Fleeing from one onslaught, Album stood for just an instant near the wall of an old building before she sensed a surge of mana from within. The wall and the window exploded, numerous tendrils of darkness lancing out for her as she reflexively flashed to the middle of the large road. However, the shadows from the other side of the street swept out to encompass her in a semi-circle, too dense to simply burst through with Ilumine. Instead, she flashed to her left, just barely missing the wave of darkness, but as she was cornered between that attack and the previous one, she was given only so many directions she could run, allowing Luna to predict her movement.

The mass of shadows she’d just escaped suddenly swerved and merged with the darkness before her, forming a dome of black that rapidly closed in on her. Breaking through wasn’t likely, but with the light magic constantly surging throughout her body, Album was able to react faster than even she would have expected.

“Luminey!”

She thrust her arm forward, saturated with light mana, and sent a blast of bolts at the darkness before her. The dome remained, but she could make out holes in the wall closing in on her. So, bringing forth as much mana as she could in that one moment, Album cast Ilumine once again and burst through the shadows. Her light burned the dark away, fragments of night trailing past her as she turned physical and pivoted on the road slick with snow.

I’m faster than her individual attacks, but there’s just too many! It doesn’t matter if I evade one if there’s another waiting for me in its aftermath! If I could just lessen the darkness…

Standing in the middle of the street, Album raised her arm up and cast Luminey, summoning as many bolts of light as she could. She wasn’t Eko, and as such could not produce the amount of bolts at once that he could. Even so, she would keep casting the spell as many times as it took, over and over again, to shred the darkness. The night’s shadows were already bearing down on her as the prepared bolts of light shot out at once. They failed to do more than slow the onslaught, but Album was already summoning more. It became practically mindless as she sent off a bolt in a random direction as soon as it was formed.

While the shadows were not stopped, Album could sense less density within them. Her bolts either impacted against the thicker shadows or pierced through, singing the nearby structures and sending up small clouds of steam as they struck the snow with a hiss. She did not have the strength to maintain such a barrage, so as the less dense shadows struck from behind, she was forced to flash to the side.

Rather than be put on the run again, Album only dashed a short distance before turning physical and throwing a ball of light back at where she had been. Wanting to keep up her barrage, she quickly sent another volley of bolts that she could tell were losing their power. As more shadows lanced from the front, Album’s other arm snapped up and cast Lichto, the shield of energy repelling most of the attack. More small tendrils of dark struck like snakes for her left side and a second Lichto stopped them all. When a third wave of tendrils closed in from her right, Album countered with a condensed barrage of Luminey, the bolts weakening the attack just enough for Album to flash through without any trouble. It seemed Lunara was aiming for the same strategy, trying to overwhelm Album with a high number of smaller spells. That was a problem as she had a significantly higher amount of mana and she was in her ideal environment. Album would doubt her ability to win in a battle of attrition even if Luna had only her own mana to draw on.

I know Lunara Noctis better than almost anybody! I know her habits and her fighting style. She’s always been cautious and unsure of herself. Confidence is not something she exudes often, and even though she’s been behaving like she’s already won, I do think that deep inside, she’s scared of me. If I can drag her into the open and remove her safety, she’ll make a mistake in her panic. On top of that, she’s been trying to talk before resorting to combat both when confronting Eko and myself, so maybe…

“Luna, enough!” she called out into the sky. “You’ve made some noble claims here tonight, but let me ask you one more thing: what would Neah think if she knew what you were doing in her name?! What would Neah say if she knew you killed her father and Eko for her sake?! Do you really think she would take your side in all this?!”

The onslaught of shadows paused, allowing Album to take a momentary breath as she stood in the center of that road, her eyes flickering in every possible direction. The fact that Luna hesitated at all meant she had taken the bait.

“What she doesn’t know can’t hurt her. I’m well aware that when Neah wakes, should she learn of what I’ve done in Stellareid, she’ll never speak to me again. But at least she’ll be alive. At least she’ll get to live in Rei’s Utopia.”

Album had expected nothing less from the Lunara she’d been speaking with that night. Of course she wouldn’t care for Neah’s feelings. She and Nigreos had been acting solely on desperation. She wouldn’t even be surprised if Nigreos, himself, never pondered Neah’s opinion on the matter simply because it would be inconvenient for him. All her life, Neah had made it clear that she’d accepted the possibility of her death and had made a certain peace with it. She was more worried for her loved ones, so if she knew what her siblings had done in her name, Album was sure she would break. There was no doubt that Lunara intended to hide the truth once her sister returned.

“You’re a fool…” Album muttered with a scoff. “And so was I for never seeing just how warped you and Nigreos had become. I really did care for you, and when I told you I would always be there for you, I meant it. All I ever wanted for you three was happiness, but in exchange for your sister, you took my brother. Why should Neah get to live while Eko and I have to die? How is that fair?”

“It’s not,” Luna answered without hesitation. “I never said it was fair. But I also gave you the chance to walk away. You chose to fight me, and now you’ve forced me to abandon my brother to an Iiji. If he’s dead—”

“Then he deserves it,” she snapped, interrupting the other girl. “Whatever fate has in store for the Noctis is deserved. I hope he’s dead… I hope Liri makes him pay for everything he’s done… Nigreos Noctis is scum.”

Internally, Album really didn’t know whether she hoped Nigreos was dead or not, but she needed to say it to rile up Lunara—a ploy that worked flawlessly. There was a surge of mana on top of a one-story building roughly thirty yards down the street and to her left. Noticing it instantly, Album turned, raised both hands towards it, and uttered, “Solisei”. This was one of the strongest light spells, and in under a second, a huge beam of energy twenty inches in diameter exploded from her hands, reaching that position and tearing straight through it before continuing off into the sky and slamming into the outer wall of the Second Ring above. Album knew without question that she hit Luna, but she didn’t know how much damage she had done, so she cast Ilumine and flashed towards that rooftop, sensing Lunara’s presence down below immediately.

Despite herself and her conviction, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness when she saw that, even though Luna had dodged enough to avoid death, she was far from okay. Her left arm had been completely incinerated from the shoulder down, leaving nothing of it remaining as she spasmed and thrashed on the concrete from the pain. Her amber eyes flickered up to where Album stood on that roof, gazing at her now with terror as opposed to the false confidence and grandiosity she had back on the Observatory.

“I’ll always be right here, Luna. Everything is going to be okay.”

Album’s mind once again turned back to that moment in the gardens when she was ten—back to that scared girl who only wanted her little sister to survive. Guilt crawled back into her body as she realized just how untrue that wound up being. Everything was not going to be okay. It never would be again, for instead of being there for Luna, Album was going to be the one to take her down.

You’re a cruel bastard, Fate. Why must it have come to this?

Even so, as she stared down at that trembling little girl below, Album whispered, “Luminey. Ilum.”

Beams of light appeared in the air around her, only to be unleashed on the dark mage the second the next spell was cast. Shadows erupted around Luna in a ball, a futile attempt to protect herself, but like before, Album’s light ripped it all apart. She jumped from the roof, using Ilumine to plant her feet just at the base of the fading dome before slowly approaching the still form of Lunara Noctis. Her eyes were still open, but there was a daze to them, and her body was covered in small holes created by the attack. Her chest was shaking with ragged breaths, but Album shut herself off from the feeling elicited by this horrific sight.

“Album—”

“Shut up,” she growled, raising her hand directly for Luna’s chest, a ball of white already beginning to form within her palm. “You have no right to beg for mercy. None at all.”

“But…if you kill me,” she rasped, “then Neah will…die…”

It was then that an intrusive thought popped into her head, one Album had to swiftly shove out before it could fester. Eko’s already dead, so why should I care what becomes of Neah? Luckily, despite everything, Album managed to keep herself calm and think logically.

“You’re right,” she admitted. “Neah shouldn’t have to pay for what her siblings have done. I doubt she volunteered to be fused with you. I doubt she wanted to survive the way she has. So remember that, Lunara. I am not sparing your life. I am sparing Neah’s. I will drag your murderous ass back to the Citadel, we will find some way to get her out of you, and then you’ll be executed for your crimes. You deserve nothing less.”

Album could see that Lunara’s consciousness was already fading from the agony, and the relief that appeared in her eyes at the knowledge that Album wasn’t going to kill them seemed to be the last straw before her head leaned back and her eyelids closed.

The light mage lowered her hand and dismissed her summoned energy as she merely stood there and gazed at the unconscious girl for a few more seconds. Finally, Album crouched down and gently placed her hand over Luna’s heart, allowing her magic to enter her body and feel for the sister sleeping within. Album found Neah’s signature quickly, and as she had hoped, it did feel as if she was in some form of slumber—blissfully unaware of what was unfolding outside. A part of Album wondered if killing them both might not be the more merciful choice, for there was no question that Lunara and Nigreos would be either killed in Stellareid or executed after the fact. Either way, should Neah ever be freed from her sleep, she would emerge in a world where her family and her dear siblings were dead, and where people she cared about were killed in an effort to save her.

What might that do to Neah Noctis?

She was tough, but would she be able to handle that?

Would it not just be better to let her die peacefully in her sleep rather than wake up and physically suffer from Hell’s Shadows while mentally suffering from all the loss?

I don’t know… I really don’t…

Album knew that once her adrenaline wore off, she would break down completely, so she forced herself to move before that happened. Gently cradling Luna’s broken body in her arms, Album Luz looked to the sky, cast Ilumine once again, and began the ascent back to the Fifth Ring of Stellareid.