Atlantis

[Bloodedge]

"... Hai," the teal-haired male managed. He had at least become capable of voicing confirmation with a simple word, not requiring much by way of tongue movement. He didn't look up to the girl, but he did heed her words. Diva paused, taking in deep breaths as he prepared for the next word he was to read aloud. Before he managed that, however, Kou stepped into the library.

"Ohayou~" Kou chanted as the brunette demi-human approached him. His arms opened, and he met her with a tight embrace. "You look busy. Didn't want to waste much time before starting your next random good deed?" he questioned as he released his hold on the girl. "I'm here because you're here. I'm going to make a thing for Fiona, and ideally, it would need the Mana of multiple different people who could affect its growth. If we could get yours, and maybe even Diva's into this crystal Miki handed me, I could forge it into something great."

[Apollymi]

At least there were some words now that Diva could say without getting too hung up on them. Hikari found herself oddly proud of his progress, in a manner she couldn't exactly explain why this was the case. Sure she was helping him out, but she didn't normally feel any great attachment to the types of activities she took part in that she considered good deeds. Soon after this thought, she was hugging her brother and being hugged back in return. A huge grin spread across her face right up until she was placed back on the ground. "Yep, yep, the grind doesn't stop. Besides, he's pretty cool, he deserves to be able to express himself... I know how frustrating that sort of thing can be..." chimed Hikari as she stretched. Her activities in helping Diva out were layered into her general personality. She'd do this, among other things and keep herself busy for most of the week, holding out the hope that not directly trying to interfere with the older teens would help them eventually make the lasting couple she thought they should be. She'd been entertaining this idea, at least gently since the rising of Akashi, after discovering that Miki had also become her Dragon and that they'd managed to keep each other entertained, she'd decided to mostly take a backseat in her meddling. While she thought these things over her brother expressed his reasons for finding her this particular morning. He claimed, that he was making some sort of thing for his pet Filolial and wanted Mana samples from several people to make it have a good affect on the creatures growth. "Sou ka, all of this for your chicken?" she asked rhetorically. "That is kinda doting, both of you are so weird," she mentioned of Kou and Miki who'd been so invested in their mini-game pet. "Though, I suppose you two do owe her something... I heard Diva spent a lot of time looking after here while you've been here..." she teased ever so slightly. "Alright, hand it over, I'll donate..." she said with her hands open and waiting for the deposit of this crystal he spoke of. In the meantime she spoke directly to Diva. "Oi, Diva! Nii-san is making something for is pet chick.... I mean, Filolial. Would you like to donate a Mana sample to the cause?" she asked of the lad, there wasn't any pressure in her words, she was only entertaining it as an option. The lad didn't seem like the type to turn down an opportunity to be helpful in this way, especially for a creature he'd been looking after.

[Bloodedge]

"Fair enough. Well, if anyone's going to benefit from anyone else's help in that sort of situation, I'd say you're the person to go to. I'd look your way," Kou commented as he finally released his hold on the demi-human. There was much credit to be given to Hikari for her efforts, as one who'd been in a horrendous living situation of her own for far too long.

Moving on, Hikari addressed the reasoning behind his approach. Once more, she decided to refer to the Filolial as a chicken. "Yare yare. Go on, stand there and tell me Fiona isn't absolutely fucking adorable. You know you get it," he said. Regardless of her opinion of the Filolial, Hikari offered her Mana to the crystal. In fact, she even addressed Diva to see if he would do the same, to which the teal-haired male hesitantly nodded. He rose from his chair, tentatively taking steps closer to the crystal. He didn't draw very close to Kou, choosing instead to stick by Hikari's side while reaching out to the crystal. Mana flowed down his arm, into the apparatus until its glow settled in, at which point Diva stepped away. "Hontoni arigatou, Diva," Kou said, bowing to the other male without forcing any amount of eye contact. "I guess I'll let you two get back to it."

[Apollymi]

"Good good. It's best you say that. After all, I can't have you denying my skills. It would be bad for morale~" Hikari mentioned. Beyond this it was mentioned by her brother that he knew she thought the Filolial was an adorable creature and she could only smirk in return waving him off. "Hai hai, I never said she wasn't cute. Also didn't say you spoiling her was bad or anything, both of you are cute when you do stuff like that I guess..." she said of the situation at large, knowing that if Kou was going so far, Miki was probably doing the same based on their similar personalities. With the crystal offered her, she applied on her Mana to it quite a bit before stopping and even managed to get Diva in on the activity with admittedly less coaxing than she initially thought he would need. A smile came to her face as he stood near her and offered his own power, he'd come quite a long way in the last couple of days, perhaps he'd eventually make it to regular conversation with someone besides herself and Seriri. Afterwards her brother thanked the lad and then mentioned leaving for the time being, assumably to craft whatever thing he thought to be making. "Hai hai, see ya' later. Don't forget what an awesome little sister I've been this past couple of weeks when it's time for Sibling Day~" she teased mercilessly, before heading back to the table to sit with Diva and continue his speech therapy. Though she didn't really put her brother on the spot so much anymore she still enjoyed teasing him a bit.

In the meantime outside of this library, a girl with blue hair cut short was walking by. Her bike was parked in her makeshift lab further down the hall way but what she had in her hands was an older scroll which had some highly detailed half finished plans on it. She wanted to consult with a specific couple of individuals about her next project one which would likely benefit the whole group if she could get the smaller parts to work out properly. 'Ano, I need to see those magic circuits up close a bit more. And... figure out what to do about the top half of this particular creation. Hm... and maybe see if Miki wants anything specific to go into the set up, since it will be mostly her capital investing in it,' she thought there was quite the twinkle in her eye as she thought of lighting a cigarette upon reaching her destination.

[Bloodedge]

In her words of farewell, it seemed Hikari was content to bring up the topic of the coming Sibling Day. Of course, Kou hadn't forgotten that particular part of the festivities for a moment. If anything, it happened to be the day he was most excited for! Sure, Fiona deserved a present as something of a child figure, but Kou had been without his darling younger sister for nearly a year. He had hardly finished his mourning process before finding her in this world, so there was no way he'd avoid going above and beyond in a day dedicated to sibling bonding. For the moment though, Fiona took priority. There would soon be an entire day in which he intended to have only himself, and Hikari. Soon.

"Hai hai," he said to the girl while taking his leave, waving over his shoulder at her. "I'll keep that in mind, and I'll make sure a few days from now, I give you the toughest training regimen I can manage! That's how I show my thanks!" he said, though clearly in jest.

[Apollymi]

The face Hikari made at her brother's joke could have torn down buildings with its angst. She had no intention of doing any immediate training. Not that she'd mind such a thing any other time. More or less, she was simply happy to spend time with her brother, after spending an upwards of three years within this world alone. Regardless she stuck her tongue out at the lad also mostly in jest before going back to her business of helping out Diva.

In the meantime as Kou made his way around he might find himself able to pick up a strange type of energy signature. In fact, it was created in such a way that he would be the only person, besides its creator, to even notice it. Strangely it didn't seem to be anything of note initially. Even if one looked at it, it would appear to be a strange collection of drawings. It was three things which likely wouldn't make sense to anyone who couldn't read the information. And even if one was able to read the language, it really wouldn't make sense aside from one of the symbols. On top, was a symbol of a monument looking strangely similar to an Obelisk, in the middle a strange word in a language unknown 'min' and underneath an arrow pointing towards a path to be taken. Such a thing would likely seem strange, but if it was followed it would lead to the location of the Obelisk that used to belong to the Lich King. Strangely this monument was to a former King of Atlantis, made in his honor because he was a hero, and in its completely restored state, it seemed to be rushing with active magic. If one were to touch this statue now, they would feel the new order of Runes protecting this area of the sea with their presence, flowing in a manner smooth as water.

[Bloodedge]

Kou didn't need to look back toward Hikari; he knew she was making some sort of rude gesture at him, even if only meant playfully. Regardless, he was on his way out. There was much to be done, and the sooner he did it, the sooner he could spend most of this week relaxing. Alas, that was not to be. Kou's exit led him directly to a very strange phenomenon. Materialized Mana lay before him in the shape of some indistinguishable characters. The rest, though, was clear. He stared at this energy signature for quite some time, working out what it could have been. Perhaps the doing of Seriri? No, no, something was too wrong for that. This was Rune Magic.

Well, that made the idea of traveling to the obelisk more viable. The arrow, as he figured, led directly to the object's location. According to his memory, that was indeed the case, so simple process of elimination resulted in Kou redirecting himself along the desired path. He had already come to realize it was Rune Magic at work, and now, he knew there could be nothing malicious about it. Perhaps Miki intended to play a game of some sort. Whatever the case, having it not be a potential enemy made it worthwhile to follow the guidelines. Soon enough, he reached the obelisk in the streets of Atlantis. It no longer carried that same eerie aura it had previously, but now there was something entirely different about it. Of course, he reached out with his left hand, making direct contact and... feeling that cascading Mana flow back into his touch. In that very same moment, his eyes glowed, and his Mana reached outward in the way it did during use of his sensory ability. "Sou... ka," he muttered before a wide, toothy grin spread across his face. "Puzzle Time!"

[Apollymi]

It seemed Kou had found a clue, but to what, one might wonder? Well, it seemed to be a path designated to show something rather interesting. Beyond this he was perfectly capable of catching on to its meaning and recognizing it as a friendly gesture. That was good, it would have put a damper on things if it'd seemed too suspicious. This particular first sighting was chosen with that possibility in mind. At the Obelisk the lad would receive confirmation of the benefit of following this 'good' thing laid out before him, as he was made privy to the changes within the Obelisk itself. Reforged and once again loved by the magic which granted order to the universe. Was it a puzzle though? Well, technically yes, it was exactly a puzzle but more like a scavenger hunt than anything else... what was the grand prize though? He'd have to work through it to find out. And speaking of working through the puzzle, there were more clues to be ascertained from this location in particular.

Along the wall to the left of the Obelisk, there were more of those invisible to the naked eye drawings. They maintained that same glow and strangely that same order, only this time, there were two unrecognizable words to be seen. There was a drawing atop of something which looked like an upside down triangle, and was related directly to the faith worshiped by those in Atlantis. Underneath that were the two new words which seemed to have no related meaning; 'yukainen' and 'yunque' appeared in that same strange language. Below those two words was an arrow pointing to the right. This was a clue after all, pointing the lad towards the Temple which housed the faith worshiped by Atlanteans in the olden times. This temple was a staple location of the Kingdom and housed an order of people known to take on the work of healers and priests. If he went to this place and entered the building, he would find within behind the central podium an Alcove made of stone with the physical relief of a statue of a young-Mermaid with a staff and open arms. Much like the Obelisk it would give off that same flowing and ordered magic. This person was one of the Seven worshiped within Atlantis, hailed as a hero who helped their Savior King and the people.

[Bloodedge]

Hunt or not, it would always be a puzzle in Kou's mind. So long as his brain had work to do, it would be treated as such. The obelisk truly had been altered in a way no physical description could tell. There was a certain tranquility about the structure now, and that was something which could only bode well for the future of Atlantis. At the very least, the citizens here wouldn't have to worry about the Lich King's influence. Kou kept contact with the obelisk, walking around it as his fingers trailed its surface. Almost a full counterclockwise trip around it, he took note of the next sign.

This was... very unfamiliar to him. He committed these strange phrases to memory, but where the previous message showed an image resembling the obelisk, this one had nothing more than an inverted triangle. Akashi would have recognized this. Kou, on the other hand, had not been around to see the ritual performed by Atlanteans, in which they passed on their deceased. 'Hmm. Some sort of rune? No, that's not right. The last one was obviously this structure here, but I have no idea what this one could mean. Miki wouldn't put something irrelevant up, I don't think. Hmm...' His mind was beginning to turn gears, which was always a good note in his book.

And so, off he was again, in the direction of the next arrow. He traversed the streets, looking for anything which resembled the sign he'd seen. 'Maybe Akashi saw this? I wonder if there's a way to find out,' he thought. That was the likeliest of scenarios, Akashi being the one who witnessed the symbol. Kou doubted he could access the Dragonoid's memories, though, considering he had even been locked out of consciousness during that last shift. Either way, he was near the temple, yet he did not enter right away. This was the end of the line, though. He could see nothing nearby that had even a sign of the symbol he sought, and there especially wasn't anything beyond where he currently was. Never did he stop looking around though, and eventually, this paid off.

At the steeple, he saw it. A priest had an exchange with a worshiper, and their parting moments came with a hand gesture that mimicked an inverted pyramid. 'A sign of faith...' he chanted in his mind. Well, it was the only lead he had. Into the temple he'd go, until he reached the altar where the Mermaid statue was placed. This was it; it had to be. Kou was also beginning to see the pattern taking place on this journey. Not wanting to offend any worshipers or people of importance within a faith, he scanned the surrounding area for onlookers. Upon finding no one who could take offense to his actions, the white-haired male reached out to make contact with the statue. Lo, there was his confirmation. He could feel it within himself, and within the very air around this structure. This object was his second mark of the day, and from it, he expected guidance to the third.

[Apollymi]

As Kou worked through the next clue, one might wonder what Miki was up to? Strangely the blonde lass, was leaning over filling a small bag with crystals similar to the one she'd handed over to the lad earlier in the morning. They were being gathered in a place within Atlantis' borders but a fair ways from the main portion of the City. When she'd thought she'd gathered enough, she took a deep breath and stood, stretching her spine just a bit. 'Aah!~' she mentally chimed looking off into the distance at nothing at all. 'Hm, I wonder if he made it to the Temple, yet? That one was a bit tricky,' she thought, giving a gentle bite of her bottom lip. Even so, she decided to believe in the lad's abilities, and mounted the Wolf at her side headed for another location entirely.

It seemed that her worries were for naught, as Kou made his way to the Temple and with a little observation managed to find the site of his next set of clues. This time the at the statue of a Mermaid that those of the faith in this place worshiped as one of its saints. The name engraved at the bottom of this statue was Serinis the Kind, and hers was a name recognizable to some from game lore, given she was one of the famed heroes of Atlantis. Her own rune stone had even been set up in this temple to acknowledge her as a minor deity. Many found themselves taking and making offerings before this statue for health and wellness. This statue was obviously another rune stone, though smaller than the great one on its own, it still maintained the warmth and tranquility of the other one, perhaps even a bit more vibrant than it had been before. And immediately to its left was more invisible writing.

This time the symbol on top would be viewed as a bit strange. It looked like a pair of crossed swords with a shield atop them, and again would be a symbol with no immediate reference. Beneath this two more unreadable words, though one, if memory served was repeated from earlier. The scripted Runic markings reading 'min' and 'canaque', would be seen. Underneath both of these, was two arrows one pointing left and the other pointing down. And it was meant the literal sense, as behind this Temple was a staircase, now freed by the Guardians which led down to the open Militia Base. And this base was housed, in its own air pod within the kingdom. Within the open courtyard of this, where there were no others was another statue, of the dual swords with a shield beneath them, in homage to the warrior who'd founded the base, but wanted no images of himself around. Instead this rune stone in his honor was left to his weapons which he used to protect this place and the lives of the people therein. There was a pattern beginning to take place here... but the strange connection between each of these stones was supposed to become clearer as time went on.

[Bloodedge]

"Serinis..." Kou muttered. This was a recognizable structure, or at least a recognizable name from Age of Eternity's lore. What was its purpose, though? Well, that was for Kou to find out over time, he supposed. The white-haired lad made a special effort to inspect the engraving, as well as the statue itself. He was curious how this related to the obelisk of the Lich King. A new set of glyphs was made visible to him, though. Rather...

No, these weren't new at all. At least, one of them was one he'd seen at the very beginning of this search. 'What sort of pattern is this? It looks like the subtitles used when Elves are speaking. When did she learn Elvish?' he wondered. Still, the puzzle was on. Two arrows, one left, one down. The logic of video games would have this be a combination of the two directions, but that was entirely illogical. As such, he decided to go for one after another, letting the runes he'd seen be etched into his memory for later use.

'Elvish characters. This Avatar is related to Druids, right? Never played one, but it makes sense if they're related to Elves down the line somewh-...' Kou's thoughts stopped, and so did his movements. He was standing at the top of the descending stairs, mind racing. 'The first Lich was a Druid. If that connected to Elves, then... No, Elves never go the path of the Lich; they're too arrogant to care for the balance in lore. They're all sorcerers who want to own everything, and a lot of them become... Warlocks...' He felt he was latching onto something, but nothing all too solid just yet. What could he do? Well, he could certainly begin by descending the stairs into the base that contained his next target...

[Apollymi]

Whatever was going on in the mind of the lad, he was indeed going in the right direction. The glyphs themselves were indeed written in Elvish though it wasn't a matter of this being some newly learned information. Strangely enough the words themselves were Druidish, which was something which the girl could naturally understand because of her connection to them. Of course, this did lead to the knowledge of the connection between the Druids and Elves but that was a matter of simple lore and could be explained in greater detail later.

It didn't matter at present because here in the courtyard the lad would come across another statue which happened to double as a Rune Stone dedicated to someone called Rainard the Guardian. The man who led the armies of Atlantis and was responsible for its protection, apparently shy or perhaps the kind of man who preferred to let the actions of his life speak for themselves. This one in the shape of a shield with two crossed swords in front of it, instead of a more obvious personal statue. When touched it would give the same kind of feedback that the other statues had given as well and to the left of this statue as well, another set of clues which would lead to a different location and give another set of hints. The first of these was a set of masks one with a smile and one with a frown and between them a lute or harp of some sort. This was meant to symbolize yet another place within Atlantis which was leading around the circumference of the Kingdom if one cared to notice there was a strange path being taken along the outskirts between different areas which was obviously a circular path though unconventional because of the domes of Atlantis itself. Beneath the masks and lute, was another pair of glyphs with another repeated character between them, 'yukainen' and 'lempe' both very visible, the first familiar from its earlier usage. Beyond all of this, there were more arrows pointing out towards something unseen over the horizon. Where was he going this time? As he walked he would see it appearing over the edge a dome which was filled strangely with an amphitheater and near its half-domed entrance would be a different statue. Theatrical in nature or perhaps it was a joke of some sort, as it was just a lute immortalized outside of the main hub of entertainment within the kingdom.

[Bloodedge]

Onward and onward, Kou moved toward whatever answers he was to find. Within the base, he found the structure denoting a shield and crossed swords. What an interesting list this was, meshing together an obelisk, a Mermaid hero, a symbol of war. Were they connected? Kou would assume so, naturally, but he wasn't yet sure why or how. That was, however, part of the fun.

After making contact with this point of interest, and gaining the two glyphs and directions to move on, he did just that. He didn't yet think much of the pattern or path being taken, instead choosing to just push forward with a somewhat excited smile on his face. What lay ahead of him was a total mystery, composed of numerous smaller mysteries. This puzzle had thought behind it, and purpose within it. It was good. Moving forward, he eventually made his way to the amphitheater. The existing pattern dictated that there would be a statue of some sort in wait for him, and this one seemed to be... a lute? How strange. Nevertheless, he stepped up to it while letting his mind wander along the line he'd been following thus far. Some connection had to exist between this list of things, and he'd be sure to find it. In fact, he was somewhat surprised he hadn't figured it out already, and he'd likely be more shocked when he came to the realization in the end.

[Apollymi]

Perhaps the mystery of this day was one which would become clearer as time went on. In this case, upon reaching the amphitheater, and the statue of the singular lute, one could touch it and find it to be the same as touching the other statues this day. This particular lute was in honor of a specific bard, a man known previously as Syndraim the Soulful. This man sung the songs of his time, and beyond that provided the entertainment of the entirety of the Kingdom at some point in the past. This person was apparently very important, and came with a reasonable sense of humor considering the choice in monument.

Beyond this point was the next clue, the one which was put together like all of the others and came with a new symbol. A clam open with a set of three pearls in the middle. Underneath this, was an arrow pointing down again and another that strangely pointed right, bringing the circle around to the middle point. Underneath that was two glyphs both of which were repeats from a previous time, 'min' and 'canaque'. At the end of this it seemed to be some of these symbols repeated and others were standalone. There was a pattern here and it wasn't quite clear yet, but it would be eventually. The downward motion would take the lad to another platform but it wouldn't initially be obvious where he was going. But after a few moments at this time of day, several clams would begin to pop up in the area. This whole place seemed to be a tucked in alcove full of clams which came in and out of these places. The one in the most central of this area, was a statue of a large clam which had within it, had a statue of a young woman cloaked and hidden away. But beneath it was the writing which was the name attributed to her, Nerissa the Quiet. A lone lass who cared for this place and who didn't seem to have an obvious place in the group of people previously seen.

Where was Miki at a time like this? She was sitting in a quiet place overlooking the entirety of the Kingdom. 'About halfway by now? Maybe right. He should be all the way through the first word by now. Maybe... or a bit ahead?' she thought to herself with a chuckle. She considered that it might take quite a bit of time, but collecting the clues she thought would be worth while in the end.

[Bloodedge]

"... Who decides to leave a lute behind as their symbol in a nation's history?" Kou wondered aloud, entirely at random. All the other symbols were powerful in some way, denoting warriors, heroes, even pseudo-deities to the people. This one, on the other hand, reminded Kou only of... a bard. Who cared for bards? Maybe it was done for the sake of enlightenment, or maybe it was the choice of the individual in question. Regardless, it only reminded Kou of video games, and times during which he'd trip bards on purpose, just to see them drop their lutes and be silent. Those damn beggars.

No matter. This time, there was a repeat of two characters to be found. Somehow, Kou felt he recognized the pattern. What did it belong to, though? He couldn't make the connection. Maybe he was too stuck on the fact that this statue was of a lute. "Yare yare. Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the story..." Entranced was Kou during this clause, as if linking the existence of this lute to a certain reference. Why? It didn't matter. He was content to move on to the next marker.

A platform leading into the next clue was not too strange. The odd thing along this part of the journey was, of course, the rise of numerous clams. Clearly, his purpose would be found at or within the largest of clams. Indeed, within this clam was a figure of a cloaked woman. Kou paused to observe this one's opening, quirking a brow. "There's a reference here..." he thought aloud, hazarding a chuckle from his own chain of thought. Beyond this, he was mentally moving toward another matter. "Four of... seven? Seven. Repeated characters, or... no-"