Atlantis

[Bloodedge]

So many things had happened over the years for Diva. He'd long since given up on wishing for betterment in his own life, but those connected to him seeing harm was not something he could take. He was broken, broken, and broken again each time he had to bear witness to this. Seriri did what she could. Again, she acted as the sign of peace to his loved ones, even those who never got to know themselves in this world. And, at the end of it all, she sent them on their way just the same. This time around, Diva did not join the ritual. His watery eyes fixated on the cube at the room's center, and he slowly rose from the ground. He knew this cube; it called to him for years, until his mother was captured and bound to it. The object glowed the exact color of Diva's eyes, and his eyes glowed to match it in return. Tentative steps forward landed the lad before the cube, and in reaching out, he touched it gently.

A gentle pulse emerged from the Artifact. This pulse emitted a sound akin to that of a tuning fork, and resonated audibly throughout all of Atlantis. In fact, the wave may have gone even farther than Atlantis itself. Tremors began to shake the kingdom. They weren't majorly impactful, but the sources were numerous. Yes, it was time. The Guardians of Atlantis were waking up all around the kingdom, and now new ones would be born for the first time in generations. The birth would happen around Diva himself. For every sibling he had during their brief lifespans, a dark blue egg appeared in this very room. Each one looked no different from each other. They were all sporting the golden eye of True Atlanteans, surrounded by Ancient Atlantean runes. Wings sprouted from their sides, and from each of their tops emerged a tendril containing another golden eye at the end. These were quite small for Guardians - small enough that a human could fit within the eggs - but they were not of the usual sort; they called upon the souls of Diva's half-siblings to forge themselves, giving the last remnants of True Atlanteans the highest honor for such a lineage. There were two others grasping the souls of his mother and lover, but their forms were too large to manifest here and now.

The cube began absorbing itself into Diva, encompassing him in its glow while shrinking itself to a small enough size to be held. Through this seemingly simple act, something was changing within the lad. His vitals skyrocketed to what one would have expected of the once-esteemed True Atlanteans, and there was even more to it than that...

[Apollymi]

At the release of Diva's parents and half-siblings, something different would take place. The glowing of the cube, matched the glowing of the lad's eyes, and beyond this, it seemed he wanted to go for the object. Miki and Seriri both watched in awe as he walked towards it, and then reached out to touch it, ever so gently. 'Sou ka, it was his all along...' Miki thought as the resonating happened for the first time and the feeling of strong magic rippled through her very being. There were several sights happening here that she did not expect not the least of which was the rise of a horde of small guardians. Golems in the shape of eyes, which had to be related to the souls of Diva's lost relatives. What was more was the effect releasing this magic seemed to have on Diva himself.

Seriri looked at the lad strangely, as the cube shrank and seemingly merged with him. Given this his vitals all but skyrocketed. She couldn't immediately tell what all about him had changed, but it was as if his body at least had been given new life. Miki got a feeling for his vitality as well, in the sense that he no longer felt as close to death as he had when he'd first been brought back to the palace. She was stunned as well. It was said in game that Artifacts changed the person they were connected to, but to give this man such vitality after he'd been through so much was almost unreal. "Diva..." this was the only thing spoken by Seriri, and it fell just shy of a question.

[Bloodedge]

Diva looked into the cube, which in-turn looked into him. They seemed to repair each other in a strange way, with Diva's restored - even increased - vitality playing a minor role in what really occurred. By the end of the transference, Diva turned around to face Seriri, who spoke to him directly. The glow remained in his eyes, but there was a great deal more. His skin as well had a certain gleam to it, as if moistened by the Mana of Atlantis itself. Two more things...

He stepped forward, Approaching Seriri and no others. He still struggled to force eye contact, but after stopping in front of her, he managed to do so. His mouth opened numerous times, in very small ways before he steeled himself. His struggle was very specific... until it was over in a single moment. "A... ri... g-... ga... t-tou..." he said, an absolute broken mess of an utterance, but more than he'd spoken in literal years. With the full restoration of his body and soul, he was finally, finally capable of at least this. He could at least thank the one person going out of their way to assist him in such ways.

[Apollymi]

There was a great many things going on in this room not the least of which was the full restoration of Diva. It seemed that he and his artifact seemed to help each other out in a way, and this would be fully articulated by something rather simple taking place between the teal haired lad and Seriri. The Queen of Atlantis had addressed the lad rather directly and in turn she watched him struggle to make eye contact as he always seemed to. This was no problem, she wasn't looking for reassurance or anything else in this moment. But what happened next was almost astonishing to Seriri, because she heard it, for the first time. Diva's voice, from Diva's mouth spoken with his own tongue. Such a random occurance was enough to make new tears sprout in the eyes of the young Queen. She had nothing to do with his healing, but he'd been through so much already, seeing him better was one moment of true happiness for her out of this situation. Though just as broken as his earlier attempts at speech had been, he at least got out that one word. "It's fine really. It's good to hear your voice..." the girl managed to say. "Come on... let's get back," she finished up.

All of this was watched by Miki who looked put together once more though she was well and truly unnerved. "At least there's that..." she said softly. This day was something that would likely haunt her for a long time to come. Perhaps forever, still, she unconsciously found herself gripping onto Akashi's shirt and though she looked as she always did there was a small concession she needed in the moment. "Can we... go back to the palace now?" she asked of her Dragonoid protector. There was something in her eyes at this very moment that made her seem just slightly off center. Like she was seeing something in her head, that wasn't really in front of her. Whatever the case, Miki was done with this place, she'd seen the worst of this world, and she knew the name of the evil that caused it. All she was waiting for now, was for that evil to come waltzing up to her directly so she could finish it, in a way that would at least balance out the universe.

[Bloodedge]

"H-... H-..." Diva struggled yet again. It was odd, going from years of being tongueless to suddenly having one again. He could have gone the rest of his days without the ability to speak, and it was returned to him. This would take some getting used to. "H-Ha... Hai..." he finally said, agreeing with Seriri's desire to return. The Guardians of Atlantis were still waking, still causing tremors throughout the kingdom. Soon, they would settle in their proper positions around the land underwater.

Akashi was watching Miki once more. She was clearly having a difficult time returning to her normal state, even showing signs of weakness by tugging on his top. He inspected her closely without outward judgement, and when she requested a return to the palace, he did move. Alas, he did not return to the palace right away. He instead carried Miki into the streets of Atlantis, out by the marketplace. He wouldn't have her simply wait around in the palace for her target to appear; he would float around with her in tow, taking in the sights that were the fruits of her labor. It seemed, at the very least, that the market was quite busy in little to no time at all. Some may have been the Banker's doing, but much of it did seem to be citizens of Atlantis - both man and mer - finally acquiring goods at fair prices. It was something to be appreciated. "You've done well," he said simply.

[Apollymi]

Diva struggled with his speech once more, but Seriri didn't mind at all. "You can take your time, Diva..." she said about the lad's speaking as she motioned him along. They'd head back to the palace together at normal pace, though she spared one glance at Miki knowing the lass probably wouldn't feel right about what she'd seen for a while to come. Just the same, she'd seen the way Akashi had been handling her and figured, he could be left to tending to the lass' old wounds, even without knowing exactly what they were. Or maybe because he didn't know exactly what they were, he'd have an easier time getting her back to who she was.

Miki was stared at by Akashi for several seconds longer than was normally acceptable. The blonde young woman hadn't even noticed herself that she was clinging to him in a strange way. Though she was largely independent and relied on no one, especially not for emotional support, it seemed she'd given this role to Akashi without thinking much about it. Whatever conclusion he came to, he did move her, but not to where she'd asked to go. Instead he flew them back to the Market, and his movements within this space allowed Miki to witness the flow of business within the Kingdom of Atlantis. Such a sight was indeed a bit more calming for the lass, and beyond the connection to something she knew and understood well, there was a compliment from Akashi which gave her great pause. "Hm, it might be a bit too early to tell..." she said softly. Still she felt a strange tickle in her chest from the statement, like it was nice for her efforts to be noticed. "Thank you."

[Bloodedge]

Diva nodded as his gaze averted once more. The small Guardians floated around the lad, as if awaiting guidance. They eventually melded into the cube to be summoned by Diva personally at his discretion. With his 'siblings' physically gone, he was free to follow Seriri once again.

Meanwhile, Akashi and Miki were already moving through the streets. The blonde didn't seem as fully confident in her dealings as he'd come to expect, but considering what had so recently occurred, he couldn't well blame her for the reaction. He kept moving, having nothing to say to the girl's thanks. He did start watching her again. "You know your abilities better than that," was all he said. He knew her capabilities more than that, and he knew she did as well. It wasn't too early to tell; Miki's earlier certainty made that incredibly clear. This was, at minimum, a great success in the works. Her approach was really no different than his own when he dealt with puzzles and the like. "You're winning."

[Apollymi]

Miki watched the flow of this newly created Market, and it set her at ease. Akashi's words about her knowledge of her own abilities was something strange. She could fully acknowledge having a very specific line of expertise, that being said, she was left to ponder the lad's statements under his watchful eye. Akashi didn't acknowledge her thanks, he didn't seem to do this regardless of the situations as they presented themselves so far, what was more he claimed that the look of this active Market Place was a sign of her winning. This statement alone gave her a bit of pause as they moved through the Market Place, the streets in this area teemed with a vigor they hadn't known before. "I know... it's just," she gave a pause to try and gather her thoughts. What was it about this situation that made it different. "It doesn't feel so much like winning," she said softly. This entire place looked exactly like what she expected it to, she knew how low the Banker would stoop so she'd taken every precaution to protect those who put their faith in her. But the confirmation of the extreme level of depravity and seeing that it wasn't just the Banker's attitude but those of his workers as well, was a bit overwhelming. Add that to her own feelings of inadequacy and she couldn't see the forest for the trees. "I know how businesses work. I can pick apart everything wrong by looking at how people treat those under their protection and those they do business with and how they choose to conduct business. But, even knowing how it works and how to fix it on this end. I know there are some things that can't be fixed, even with everything you need right in front of you." Miki's words had multiple meanings related to this situation and others, she knew the thoughts of people and attitudes that they'd put together couldn't be fixed. She knew people tainted by ill-will couldn't technically be brought back, so she'd done all she could so that the ones who worked could see the fruits of their labors and reach their goals with their own hands. She'd simply been reminded earlier of a thing she understood and could do nothing about and how the thoughts that tainted those involved remained long after the conclusion of the events.

[Bloodedge]

It didn't feel like a win, she said. Akashi disagreed. As far as he was concerned, the issues that would remain so long as the people who caused them existed, were mere asides to the overall plan of the blonde. She may not have been aboard so to speak, but that didn't much matter at present. Akashi was content to remain here in the marketplace, instead of bothering with a return to the palace. And so, he did exactly that. His path took them to the roof of the tallest building in the major city of Atlantis, second in height only to the palace itself. There he sat, facing the city at large. "Muda muda," he said, this time actually having more to add. "Dragons don't concern themselves with the lesser. There are more important things to deal with. If you spend time with those things, you'll never get anywhere. If you don't, you'll be... a Dragon."

[Apollymi]

Miki explained her stance in this moment the best way she knew how and didn't immediately receive an answer or reply from Akashi. It seemed that though she'd asked to return to the palace, Akashi himself was content to remain within the newly flourishing marketplace. His path took them to the top of the tallest building that could be found here, which was strangely only the second shortest building in the entirety of the Kingdom. When he finally sat down again, it left Miki the freedom to stretch out across his lap and he even took the time to speak, claiming that something was useless. Miki wasn't sure exactly what this meant, but she wouldn't be required to demand clarification. Akashi provided the clarity of his thoughts of his own accord and he seemed to be saying that if she spent too much time focusing on the small things that were outside of the realm of fixable, she'd never get to the overarching problems she needed to deal with. He claimed that the big picture view is what made a Dragon, and given his feelings about her, he was basically saying this attitude was one she should have.

From her spot within his lap, she looked out at the Kingdom for several seconds, and when she came to her conclusions about what Akashi said, her gaze shifted towards him instead. She stared at him quite a bit in a very direct manner. It was as if she was trying to see something within him in this moment which she hadn't been looking for before this moment. "Sou ka..." she said aloud. 'I suppose he's trying to make me feel better,' she thought there was something warm about that notion. 'I do feel better though...' she concluded. She couldn't really place it but she enjoyed that he'd tried this even when he had no reason to care directly. She couldn't really express that she fully understood exactly what he meant, but she accepted his advice and in doing so, seemed to relax a great deal. Perhaps this was what she enjoyed about the lad in general, it was obviously just a trait of his personality. She'd sit here with him, shifting her gaze back out to the city but she was no longer clinging to him directly like he was the only solid thing left in the world. Instead she sat quietly in his lap using him as emotional support in her moment of weakness taking in his words to strengthen herself and her mindset quite a bit more.

[Bloodedge]

As they sat there atop the building, Akashi remained mostly motionless. Miki didn't have anything to voice other than her understanding of his words, but that was alright for Akashi. It wasn't enough in general, though. Akashi didn't even consider consoling the girl, but something within him had brought him to do so. Beyond that, there was something else even deeper within. As Miki found her comfort to whatever extent she did, he spoke once more. "Someone says... if you try, that's what matters. Good people will rise with you to help snuff out the bad." It was as simple as that. The words of another emerged from Akashi's mouth, and he was conscious of it despite his earlier suppression of his other selves. Which one could it have been? One could wonder.

Elsewhere...

A white-skinned male Mershark stood among cowering subservient Merfolk, as well as various broken wares and supplies. It was none other than The Banker himself. Though he had the flesh of a shark, he boasted the torso and musculature of a human male. A pierced, humanoid tongue was affixed to his neck by a thin rope, and his left hand passively caressed it in a very odd way. It seemed he'd been in a bit of a tizzy recently, and in fact, he still was. "I don't care what sort of land-dweller magic is going on! If you can't take care of those bastards in the market, take care of the Merchant! Where is she!?" he demanded to know. A plaque containing recorded information of the 'Merchant' was handed to him. Did some young, human girl really think she could face off against him? He would see about that. Since his underlings were obviously useless to him in this situation, he decided it was time to take matters into his own hands. He'd lost so much money, so many goods, in a matter of hours. Something must be done, and he would start by locating the Merchant, wherever she was. Nothing good ever came from this decision by the Banker...

[Apollymi]

Akashi let Miki sit in his lap mostly without moving. He tended to do this quite often, which the blonde lass thought strange, but figured it was simply the part of him that was beyond human comprehension. As she settled into the lull of somewhat self-comfort, more words came from Akashi. He was oddly talkative in this moment, as it wasn't at all necessary for him to further try and make her feel better. But he seemed to have words to share which he acknowledged as not being his own. His claim was that trying was enough and that others would be around to help drown out the bad if it was needed. Miki's eyes widened and drifted away from the line of the cityscape. Doing so brought her eyes back to Akashi in quite a curious manner. It was obvious that he didn't feel the need to use such words with her, but the idea that he'd shared them regardless made the lass a bit happier still. Her eyes lightened in the moment and she exhaled a breath, what was left of the tension left her body and she managed to find proper comfort while she waited. "Hai, Arigatou..." she said of the advice while finding what she needed to steel her own resolve in this moment. The things which affected her about this moment hadn't disappeared from her mind, instead she was willing to try and face the next step and hope that if she faltered someone would rise to help her. In this case, the next step was a bit closer than she realized.

[Bloodedge]

Indeed, the time was near. The Banker was on the move as they spoke, and it wouldn't take long for him to reach the marketplace. Akashi's gaze trailed down, away from Miki and onto the streets. He could tell by movement alone that this was the man they sought. The Banker rushed around the streets, yet shied away from vendors he normally rejected the business of. Some of the vendors seemed afraid, until the moment they officially realized there was nothing he could physically do to them, thanks to Miki's bounded field. "It's time," Akashi said as his eyes followed the Mershark. "Are you ready?" he asked thereafter. Interestingly, he didn't intend to move if Miki wasn't mentally prepared to face the man. If she was though, he would move immediately, landing directly in front of the Banker in the middle of the man's search.

[Apollymi]

It seemed the time was indeed at hand, Akashi mentioned it, and Miki looked down towards the streets. Though she didn't retain superhuman eye sight by any means, she was more or less aware of the look of a singular rushing individual trying to find someone. She noted he couldn't actually go near those protected by her bounded field which helped further bolster their faith in her abilities. The blonde lass herself was rather quiet but when she looked up she had all the certainty within her eyes that she'd had before. After all, she'd made her current business partners a promise and she fully intended to keep it. "Hai!" was the only word she said, but it maintained the level of force her normal conversation did. She was after all, not necessarily in this for herself, so she could push aside her insecurities about the situation in the moment. Given that she'd said she was ready Akashi moved and they were stopped directly in front of the Banker. This was a Mershark the likes of which Miki hadn't seen before. She thought there was something a bit ironic about a loan shark being an actual shark, but at the present moment she couldn't find it in herself to laugh. "Looking for me?" she asked most rhetorically.

[Bloodedge]

Suddenly, the woman he sought was right before his eyes, taunting him even. He could clearly tell it was her by the full-fledged Dragonoid carrying her around, but... this was a mere child. How could she have rallied the traders to stand against him? It was madness! "You! A simple little girl!?" the Banker spoke in an outrage, stepping forward with more than enough intent to make Akashi hiss him away. He could have easily incinerated the Mershark at any given moment, but there was no point in that. This was Miki's time. If the Banker drew too close, too quickly though, he would have to... step in, as it were. "You think having that is enough to stop me? I AM the market! You are nothing but a whelp; you'll die broke and alone for what you've done!"