Altered Tundra

Crooked Young - An Altered Lies Production

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Okay, so that didn’t work. Now what?

Alexandros tried to get a word in, but when she started on a rant, it was difficult to get a word in - even for someone as forceful and charming as Alexandros. On top of everything she said, he heard that ping from her phone. Considering the timing of it, there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that it was from her Uber app. So, time really wasn’t on his side. It was foreign to Alexandros but he wouldn’t let that stop him nor would he allow her death glare to falter his resolve. Though, it did cause douts to enter his head, only for a moment.

That’s all she needed. By the time Alexandros had realized she was gone, she was clear across the hallway. His room was about ten yards away. No matter how fast he ran for her, she had a headstart, which made him chasing after her a tad difficult. Not to mention that, as she opened the front door and burst through it as only she could, Alexandros, who was still halfway down the stairs, saw that his parents had came back, Baltazar gasping as he nearly was knocked down.

“Oh, sorry--” Balt said, interrupted as Audrey dashed for the Uber that had just pulled up.

Alexandros had finally made it to the parking lot. But, of course, he was too late. By the time he was able to catch a glimpse of the car, it had already taken off, which caused Alexandros to scowl. Though he hid it well enough as not to break face with his parents, there was still that lingering question of who exactly that person was and what did Alexandros do to anger her so?

After a few moments, Alexandros came back into the house, closing the door behind him. Eyes were on him from his parents and then there was Ava who seemed somewhat regretful.

“What happened?” Adrianne asked, looking to her eldest son and only daughter.

“Your daughter is what happened.”

“Ava?”

She shrugged, “I only told that girl what she would find out eventually.”

“Which was?”

“That Alexandros here is a big manwhore and she was just going to be just another name to add to his list of conquests.”

“She’s different,” Alexandros snapped, almost seeming hurt by this whole ordeal.

“And who exactly was she?” Baltazar asked, shadowing his wife and looking to his children.

“Audrey Huntsberg.”

“The daughter of that famous doctor and that pretentious magazine editor’s granddaughter?”

“As if there’s any other Audrey Huntsberg.”

That came as a shock to Baltazar, though he recalled meeting Miranda a few times. She held herself well, but a bit of an uptight bitch. Not exactly someone who would approve her granddaughter having any relation with Alexandros. But her father seemed to be more forgiving. “I seem to recall meeting her mother once. She’s quite the beauty. If she took after her mother, then I can see why you took a liking to her.”

Adrianna rolled her eyes. She remained focused on Alexandros, gauging her son’s face. “I’ll see what I can do about this.” She told Alex, which warranted a surprised reaction from him. “I do not know this young woman, but she’s obviously different.” Adrianna commented, “I may not approve of all your ventures, but I trust you enough to learn from them. If this girl is, as you say, different from the rest, then you haven’t lost her completely.” She reminded him, approaching her son. “You are part-DiVale and part-Mossos, Alexandros.” She put her hand to his cheek. “Give me a week. If I cannot achieve what I’m planning on doing, then you may do whatever it is you wish to.” Adrianna made Alexandros promise her.

“Very well, mother.” Alexandros simply said, nodding to his mother.

“Good, now Ava..” Adrianna turned her attention to her daughter. “About what you said to our guest.”

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Since the fight in Archadia had ended and Dominic and the others were left to their own devices, they have since been on the path to recovery. Archadia, though out of its state of emergency, still required all hands on deck. Because of that and because of the bravery they’ve demonstrated, Emperor Roman Darcone awarded them - well, Dominic at the least - a complete pardon from all prior crimes and the recent one of breaking out of the Archadian Dungeons. Apparently Roman wanted to try and repair the damaged relations between the main, royal family of Darcone and their branch family, the Wards.

So, in the wake of the Judge Magisters seeing fewer numbers and Ixion the only remaining Judge of the initial five since Vincent’s tenure as Emperor, a royal decree went out that would name Lannit Terra, the Violet Needle, Shinto Sogeki, the Silent Sniper, and Dominic Ward, the Crimson Arc, all would take an empty spot as Judge Magisters of the Imperial Court of Archadia with Isaiah Darcone leading them as Supreme judge Magister, which has only belonged to those of ruling house of Archadia. It was the Solidors until the Darcone’s took over when they seized control of Archadia.

The news, of course, was met with mixed reactions, namely how three once-convicted criminals were now holding three positions of power. But despite this, it seemed as though Roman assured it was the right decision. However, one thing remained uncertain and that was if Dominic specifically would be able to act accordingly. His first mission was not proof of that. He was a hothead to say the least and when he got riled up, most feared what he’d do, especially since once he got going, it was hard to get him to halt.

Though it was apparent that Dominic’s new responsibilities would be a test of his character, the other two, at least, seemed to be handling their positions of authority better than their red-headed friend.

The three were roaming the streets as part of a plan that Roman put in place to ensure the safety and rebuilding of the city. However, just as they had rounded the sectors just a few blocks from where Roman was secured and protected by his cousin, Isaiah, a series of unfortunate events unleashed upon Archadia’s soils. First, a shaking that felt like a mild to moderate earthquake, then not long after, a great, dark cloud loomed over Archadia. Now, this wasn’t uncommon for the time of year it was, but from the cloud came shadows shaped like smoke shot down in the hundreds. Several beasts of various forms from hounds to bears to some the size of behemoths had started to tear apart the city, causing fear and panic all around as hell itself had been unleashed upon Archadia.

The three judges, whom, aside from Dominic who had been clad in some armor that covered all but his well-buit abs, gave a glance. Without warning, the three of them donned their respective weapons: Shinto had his trademark Silent Killer Rifle in hand, Lannit brandished his Magicite Needle Gun, and Dominic had his Gauntlets of Awesomeness. “TO VICTORY!” Dominic hollered out as he rushed towards the beasts of shadow.

Through a sigh, Shinto and Lannit followed suit, shooting their way through the hoards of the beasts. The fight for Archadia and Ivalice started tonight!

---

Isaiah felt the mist around him. He had no doubts there was something in the air that didn’t feel quite right. Ever since the day before last, he had felt something truly mysterious. Adrammelech felt it too, though he was a tad vague about it. Despite the two of them having bonded for quite some time and Isaiah donning the moniker of Isaiah, the Benevolent, it was still an interesting relationship between the two. Adram never was clear when speaking to his Chosen One and always seemed to snark at him when he had a chance. Not only that, but Isaiah and Adram both suffer from huge egos. The gods were cruel when they paired the two.

And yet, the feeling deep inside his gut couldn’t be ignored. Even the Wroth found it troubling. the snake awakens. Adrammelech spoke to Isaiah. That’s the Keeper of Precepts if you didn’t put it together. He spoke again, this time with a sass unlike any of the Scions.

Why me?

Isaiah inwardly sighed, though he glanced towards the door. In the past five minutes, more than a dozen of knights came and went from Roman’s office. The latter giving them orders to defend the people. Isaiah felt as though his place was there as well, fighting alongside the knights and the other judges, but there was also a sworn duty that the Supreme Judge Magister had to protect their Emperor.

“Roman, my esper, Addram--” Without warning, Adrammelech summoned himself as he parked it on the edge of the window. “What are you doing?”

“You were taking too long.” Adrammelech retorted. “Roman right? Look, I’ll tell you this as simply as I can: Zodiark—the real Zodiark, not the one that has been parading as him—has been awakened and that’s why your not-so-beautiful city is under its second attack in a single week.”

“I could’ve said that.”

“But you didn’t. Now, just shut up and let your Emperor respond before I lose my patience and throw you out the window.” He retorted nastily. Isaiah could tell that he wasn’t kidding either.

Isaiah scowled, looking to Roman.

Gods, why did you fate me with such an unbearable esper? Why!?

---

“What in the hell is going on?” Cassandra demanded to know, looking to Alistair as the three of them had just arrived in Archadia’s Aerodome.

“I..don’t know, my princess,” Alistair admitted, seeming disturbed by what was happening. To make matters worse, it seemed the Aerodome was on lockdown until what was happening was no longer the case. “But the Archadian Knights should be able to handle things until they are able to eliminate whatever is happening.

“Doubtful.” A red-headed girl said as she approached the three. Reia would recognize her as Nila, the redhead she met a few days ago.

“What makes you say that?” Cassandra asked, not pleased with the woman’s negativity.

“There ‘s practically a small army of shadow creatures out there. Our military is vast, but without harming the citizens, they won’t be able to do it. The source needs to be taken out.” The woman said.

“So what are we supposed to do?” Alistair inquired.

“Pray to the gods, I guess. Honestly, I’m not the one with the answers. All I know is that this is a fucked up situation and it’s only going to get worse before it gets better.”

---

Wesley’s last action bought him some time. But it wasn’t nearly enough nor as much as he would’ve liked. After ten minutes of running from the west to east wing of the Palace, he had to do away with even more of the shadow creatures. Shooting a holy and scathe spell every now and then purified them in the large numbers, so it allowed him more time to freely search for Nadeline.

He had checked the garden, the Grand Hall, and the multiple kitchens - and still nothing. So, he decided to go in the opposite direction. Only when he searched their rooms did he eventually find her. She was in Shion’s room, though as he saw it was only Nadeline and Shion, he wondered where Jaakuna was. Maybe he was out defending the streets of Rabanastre. Whichever the case, Wesley put that out of his mind. For the time being, he was relieved to see Nadeline was safe.

“I’m so glad you’re safe.” WEsley approached, seeing her kneeling down by Shion’s bedside. “We need to go, Nadeline.” Wesley said, summoning Hashmal without vocally calling out his name. He was more Hume-sized than he was his typical ten-foot height. Instead, he had shrunk down into a seventy-nine-inch height. “Hashmal, please carry Shion.”

“As you wish.” Hashmal bowed as he would grab Shion from her bed and carry her over her shoulder.

---

“No, that’s not it, Grant. I mean, yes, I sense that mist, but someone else is here. I’m not sure, but I’m positive it’s--”

Before Savayna could get that last thought out, they would be propelled faster due to Zeromus’ spell, which brought them to the room where Jaakuna and Emette were. And as they did, in front of them, was something neither of them was prepared for.Emiri and Jaakuna were doing battle. As Jaakuna had been clad in golden armor pieces and Emiri was in opposite, dark-colored armor, swords acting as wings, it struck something with Mateus.

“Zodiark has seized control of her body. She is his vessel now.”

Savayna turned back to face her Esper. “That’s not true!” Savayna refused to believe it, but what was in front of her was all the proof that she needed; for in front of her was a clash between powers that only the worst tales seemed to be capable of telling.

Jaakuna had gone after her with two swords of pure light and had unleashed several waves of heavenly fire that took the form of chains. “Begone from this world, you parasite!” Jaakuna’s voice spoke, but Savayna recognized it as someone else’s. But whose?

Men vs. Women Race to 1000

661

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

“What did you say Mateus?”

“Zodiark has awakened. As I’m sure, Zeromus feels it too.”

Savayna couldn’t believe they were going through this again. Back when Venat was believed to be Zodiark, they all thought the end was nigh. They all thought it was going to be the end of the world, but it wasn’t. Savayna wasn’t usually the optimistic one, but given the company: Grant was the resident pessimist of the group, so she couldn’t count on him being hopeful. Lorenzo was too stupid to understand what was happening, so no guarantee there. She was the only one who happened to know for a fact that, even though the realization of Zodiark being free wasn’t exactly the best-case scenario, she also knew that there was a possibility they could get out of this with their lives.

“Let’s just keep going, I’m sure--”

Suddenly, Savayna felt something deep, way deep in her gut. Added to the shaking that she felt, she saw soemthing tha tlooked like a towering beam of some kind, but she couldn’t quite make it out. The only thing that made sense was that she not only saw the slithering form of a snake, but she heard it..it..

“We have to hurry.” Savayna said out of urgency, “Zeromus, get your ass out here and make Grant cast an anti-gravity spell.”

“I don't think that's your call to make, Savayna,” Mateus stated.

“Shut up,” she quickly silenced him. “You hear me, Zero. Get it done! Zodiark isn’t the only thing we have to worry about..”

---

Atmospheric Music

The spell Jaakuna had cast over the entire group had done its part, but it appeared to have a greater effect on him and Emette. He didn’t understand why it enhanced their movements more than it did the others. That curious thought would soon leave his mind as fast as it seemed he was running because soon, in the limited illumination that the worn out magicite placed throughout the mines, a path was revealed to them where it seemed light was stronger, but there was also a presence of something ancient and vile - even more so than Venat.

As Jaakuna and Emette ran, the blond male stopped as he felt something uneasy. He looked back, hoping to spot Savayna and the others, but the mines weren’t bright enough for him to see past ten paces behind him. Wherever they were, they were out of his periphery.

He shook off that feeling and continued forth, easily catching up to Emette as the two had continued their sprint to the eerie glow in front of them that made Jaakuna’s insides churn and twist. The thickness of the mist that was present would’ve made a normal man vomit and bend him to his knees. And yet, Jaakuna didn’t feel that. It was as if he was being drawn to it the closer he got to its source.

And when they entered a room that was boarded with wooden planks all around from wall to ceiling to the floors, it wasn’t exactly where he expected the end of the world to start. There was a statue in the center, which looked like a serpent of some kind, Lola and Keiran on opposing sides of it, and Emiri looking at it. He remembered Emette’s words about a ritual. He couldn’t shake the feeling that, somehow, they were too late. Call it a gut feeling or whatever, deep inside the pit of his stomach, he felt unease on top of dread rising from the pits of hell that evil crawled from.

“Emiri..” Jaakuna cautiously approached her.

The tension in the air as thick as the mist that clouded normal sight. His heart was pumping faster than usual and his mouth had gone dryer than the sands of Dalmasca’s Easter and Westerlands. The closer his feet moved towards her the worse his body reacted. Heheard every voice in his head from his conscious to Belias telling him to not go any closer, but Jaakuna refused to listen. She was right there and no matter what was happening, he had to save her. He had to get her away from Keiran and Lola. His urge to save her activated a light from his arm and arms were shining like the sun - the same brightness that it had when the sun first rose in dawn.

He was a mere five paces away from her and as he aimed to close that gap, a sequence of events halted that. She turned around, her eyes red like blood and then she spoke, but it wasn’t her voice - not really, anyway. Added with her own, peaceful tone, there was a gruff voice in there. Distorted. It was oddly familiar. It was as if he heard it before. Only when it spoke and it displayed crazy ideal did Jaakuna realize who it was. That male-sounding, vile, growly voice was Zodiark.

It’s time. Jaakuna heard Belias speak. Through his heartbreak was obvious and how Jaakuna seemed frozen in place, he nodded, accepting this as being the only chance.

He had his left arm outreached towards Emiri. As he did so, a glyph colored gold and white, with layers of red and black appeared. On it was the symbol of the Ram: a beast’s head with two spiraling horns with flames dancing around it. “Transcend from mortals, ascend from scion; burn with fire; extinguish the ire.” Jaakuna’s hand, in unison with the glyph, gathered the mist around, purifying it, and converting it with his own mist. Without warning, over a dozen sigils of the Ram appeared around the room, trapping those inside. Following that chains from all directions: the ceiling, the ground, the walls, and the ground, shot up and targeted those of who were the False Scions, trapping them in holy containment.

Jaakuna approached them, his hand still out, though there was something clearly different about him. His eyes, much like Emiri’s, changed. Where hers had become maroon, Jaakuna’s eyes had life in them. Like the surface of the sun, Jaakuna’s eyes were raging from pure white to gold; from dastardly fiery orange to blue and green. All colors that have been or will be associated with fire became present in his eyes.

“To grab life so many times, how foolish must you be, Keeper of Precepts?” Now Jaakuna’s voice was the one distorted, only this time his voice, though normally clear, was layered and echoed. His voice now was like that one would hear in a church - the kind that hymns try to emulate. “Our creators wished to see you destroyed, but your power was too great even for them, so they trapped you in your earliest form. And as luck would have it, the Dynast-descendent sealed you here in the statue. And yet, you still claw your way as only a parasite could.” Jaakuna was looking at the Zodiark-possessed Emiri. “Emet-Selch failed in her attempts to stop you, that is true. However, she is no longer the Scion she once was - not after having given her the majority of her powers. But, no longer will you threaten this world, for I, Lohgrif, the Transcendent, will cleanse you for good!”

In what seemed like the longest moment for anyone in the room, Lohgrif’s body was radiating with a bright, golden light that formed sharp, horn-shaped armor pieces on his shoulders, torso, and back, legs, and a golden helm with the same pattern that Belias’ horns had. Following that, though in the same moment, the chains that bound the False Scions and the Parasite, started to emit such a bright light that it not only converted the putrid mist but it shot a beam of golden mist from the ground all the way through the top of the Mines and undoubtedly from wherever they were in the mines to the surface of the surrounding area.

---

Things were eerie quiet in the Royal Palace of Alexander in Rabanastre. Without the loud hollers of Savayna, it was actually empty. Sure, there had been some noise coming from Cassandra, especially after Wesley had informed her of what Jaakuna told him he had set up. Before nightfall came, Wesley informed his sister that she would be shipped off to Archadia to have a formal dinner the following day with the Emperor. To make sure that she was on her best behavior, Wesley instructed Alistair accompany them. Truth be told, Wesley had some feelings of guilt about doing that. Alistair, whose family had faithfully served the Alexanders even before they became the Royal Family and Alistair himself, who proved himself a few years ago during a battle in Giza, had been reduced to a babysitter for Cassandra.

Do not feel too bad. At least she’ll be well-guarded.

Wesley was thankful for Hashmal’s council. Truth be told, at times, it reminded him of his father, although Hashmal’s blunter and handles his advice with less delicacy than Wesley remembered his father did. All the same, he did feel more at ease knowing that Alistair was with Cassandra to prevent her from doing anything crass like she had done earlier. According to what his mother told him, it got a bit ugly, though Reia took the tough love approach in dealing with his sister. If things kept at the pace they were going, Wesley might die from the stress. “I’m too young for this shi--”

Suddenly, as soon as Wesley felt a surge of powerful mist within the halls he was roaming (his Kingsguard behind him), beasts of shadow (much like those he remembered from that night in Archaida) had come up the walls. It only took Wesley a moment or so to hear the screams from throughout his city. These beasts were mindless and had only violence on their minds. He saw four of them approach him from both sides. Wesley had no weapon on him but he did have his fists and magick.

The beasts had circled around him and his five kingsguard knights. He looked for an opening and saw one just to the left.

“I can handle them. Please, go protect my mother.“

“But my king..”

“Go now!” Wesley ordered them as a pulse of mist was expelled from his right arm, completely exterminating one of the creatures of darkness.

The Dalmascan Knights pushed their way through as they did as Wesley commanded. The beasts tried to follow them, no doubt to stop them from leaving. Wesley wouldn’t allow that, however. He cast a haste spell as well as brave, shell, and faith. In a simultaneous motion, he shot out an enhanced version of scathe from each hand. The bright light not only paralyzed the beasts the moment the light came into existence, but as the spell shot forth that same light in opposite directions of each other, they were wiped out from their feeble existence.

Impressive, but more beckon you, Wesley.

Wesley saw them. At least five times as many were now en-route towards him. “I shall not rest until my kingdom is safe. But first, the vermin must be extinguished.” Wesley gathered mist from within him, his body glowing ethereally with gold and white. “By the majestic hand of the Gods, I dub thee intruders of the holy land.” Wesley’s arms started to move around as lines of holy mist began to follow along. The more motions he made with his arms the more lines became shaped like bolts. “Royal Judgement!” As he called out, the sky lit up over the palace and several dozen bolts of light rained down, piercing those of evil origin, and removing their miserable existence from Ivalice’s presence.

“Now, I must find my queen!”

And Wesley had raced off, in search of Nadeline. He prayed that she was safe and unharmed. And if these beasts did anything to her, they will know his name and remember it as they shiver at his might.

Crooked Young - An Altered Lies Production

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”Honestly, Ava this is why no one likes to play with you.” Alexandros coldly scolded her.Watching Audrey leave with as much class as she could, Alexandros let out a grunting sigh as he stood up. He gave Ava a slight scowl before following Audrey. He was still feeling the soreness of her nails digging into his thigh, but he still found the strength to walk at a reasonable pace. Through his slight hopping, Alexandros was able to catch Audrey just before she would turn for the stairs, though as she would glare at him, he could tell she was upset. Unlike before, it wasn’t the playful kind, either. Goddamn it, Ava. Now I have to clean up your mess.

Alexandros kept cursing himself as he stood there across from Audrey, thinking of what to say. He saw her dialing a number. Peeking over her shoulder briefly, he saw that she was ordering an Uber. Apparently, it was past the point of her being convinced to stay. Fucking Ava, she always had to make everyone aware of his past mistakes. Yes, he knew the fucking the nannies was an unfortunate thing to do. Yes, he knew blaming it on one of his friends and getting away with it (though his parents still grounded him for it) was a mistake on his part. And yes, he knew that it would come back to haunt him, but why would Ava bring it up in the first place? It wasn’t her place and even more to the point, it was just flat-out cruel.

“You can’t honestly believe her, can you?” Nice, starting out with a lie to counteract what you hope to convince her was a lie, but actually was the truth. Classic Alexandros Mossos. “You know she has a reputation of fabricating ‘truths’ just to cause trouble. You might remember that whole story about how Benjamin Cross got into trouble with the law last year. He was caught dealing drugs and sold them to kids at West Bev.” Alexandros hoped this would work. “Granted, Benji Cross is kind of a tool and tends to work outside of authority, but the truth was that he and Ava fooled around and to get even, she used her own connections she’s made through the children of my father’s associates to set him up. Currently, he’s serving a 2-year sentence because of what she did.” Alexandros informed Audrey. “But do you know what the worst of it is? Benji was the best racer in my crew, so now I’m left sticking with some punk who doesn’t know how to drive to save his life.” Alexandros had turned what began as a case to prove that Ava was lying into how she screwed him over his best crew member.

HI!!!! :D SHIRO HERE!!! BUT SAY HI ON ONE CONDITION!!!! YoU GiVE mE HuGGLEs AND Cuddlezzz!!!! :3

The Guild alwasy attracts unique visitors, so I'm not surprised by anything these days. Regardless, welcome!

*waves* hiya, newbie here.

Hiya and welcome to the Guild! Happy RP-hunting~ :D

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Jaakuna was fully convinced, but Savayna was still on the fence. Even after Lorenzo explained the facts about that key on her necklace, she still needed more proof. It wasn’t until Emette would walk over to Savayna’s wall of ice did the proof of the second identity reveal itself. Just one hand on the ice and a single moment did the ice crack under the pressure. A gasp from Savayna was all that anyone would need. She was made a believer in that moment.

Emette revealed a path once again for the group, which caused them to give her varying glances. Some of the glanced were no doubt ones of acceptance, but the ones that came from Savayna was one still of disbelief, but not in the same way she had been before. The blonde taken a turn and as Mateus waited for her to make a move - any kind of move - she sighed and shrugged. That was the closest anyone had seen her get to admitting defeat.

“I suppose we should get going then.” Jaakuna suggested to the group. He would be the first one to follow Emette. Despite revealing herself as Justine and Emet, Jaakuna knew calling her either of those things wasn’t accurate. And yet, he could tell something about her was familiar. The Justine aspect aside, part of him felt comfortable - well, as comfortable as siblings were. But what did that mean for Jaakuna?

As he walked, Jaakuna found the area in front of him fade from the dark, musky mines into the site of the Tomb of Raithwall, Belias standing in front of him. His Esper would whisper something to him. After a few minutes of hearing it all, Jaakuna was in shock, though as the image of his esper left him, Jaakuna was running. Somehow, though he couldn’t quite understand it, he also knew why they were running. But what Belias told him was unsettling. If true, then there truly was no time to waste. “Hastega!” Jaakuna suddenly called out, several clock gylphs hovering over the entire group and they would find themselves moving three-times as fast as they were.

They truly had to make haste in order to prevent what was about to happen.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

After Grant had chimed in, echoing Savayna’s rather extreme stipulation of Emette telling her exactly who she was or no one would be able to go. DEspite it being ice and how the likes of Jaakuna could’ve gone through with ease, the additional strife between friends was something that he didn’t need. Besides, now was as good a time as any to get the truth out of Emette. Despite how the situation involving Emiri was getting direr as time went on, Jaakuna wanted to know as well.

And before Emette would state her real identity, she told them that she came up with the name Emette on the fly and how she had two names. She warned them that her real identity would probably throw them off guard. As much as Jaakuna doubted that, she would then explain, but first, she pulled out a necklace. It took Jaakuna a moment, but when he looked at it and heard her speak, it clicked with him. He figured out who she was just moments before she revealed her name.

Justine. It’s Justine.

That realization came with a notable gasp from Jaakuna. It came at the right time as she had announced her other name, Emet-Selch, the Angel of Truth. She was the opposite of Zalera. And she was Emiri’s mother. It all made sense now. How could he had been so blind to this? The way she acted, the way she was towards Jaakuna, and how she knew so much about everyone - all of it was so obvious. As the Transcendent, Jaakuna should’ve been able to see this, yet he was as blind as he was when he was under Venat’s Influence.

“Bullshit.” Jaakuna suddenly heard Savayna speak. “Justine died in that explosion in the Stigma Mines. Even if you are her, how are we to believe you about your other name?”

“Emette did say not all of us would believe her.” Jaakuna mused. He turned his head to face Savayna. “She’s telling the truth.”

“You’re as gullible as ever, Jaakuna. She’s trying to bullshit us.”

“No she’s not.”

“And how do you know.?”

“That necklace of hers, specifically the key.”

“What about it?”

Jaakuna let out a single chuckle, looking at Emet. “It’s the key to the house that she and Emiri lived in before Karolina married into the royal family, isn't’ that right, Lorenzo?”

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

What just happened? The backup of Jaakuna, Grant, and Lorenzo was supposed to mean that Lola wouldn’t be able to escape, yet, as her body had faded into shadow after saying some interesting things, what did she do? Escape. None of them seemed to try and stop her. And that’s what Savayna had the real problem of coping with. Lola - or Nabriales - was right there and she could’ve been stopped with the joint efforts, but instead, they did nothing - not even an effort from Jaakuna.

“So, you’re the one who was talking to Emiri, huh?” Savayna approached the brunette, shoving past all of those who were in her way (Grant, Lorenzo, and Jaakuna). “Who are you?”

“Savayna, this is Emette.”

“Is that supposed to mean anything?”

Jaakuna shrugged, “I don’t know much about her except that she seems to know about what’s happening. And apparently, Emiri going to the place where the real Zodiark had been sealed befor--”

“Real Zodiark? You mean he’s here?” Savayna’s voice cracked, her attention now on Jaakuna. “What in the Gods do you mean?”

“Yes, Jaakuna, I am also curious.” Mateus echoed his Chosen One’s sentiments.

Jaakuna let out a sigh. “Earlier today, Emiri came to me after I received the Belias Sigil and told me about the things that happened to her: she grew taller, her bust got bigger, she has lines of silver in hair, and she had some sort of dream about a statue that resembled the common appearance that Zodiark had. Based on the legend of Ashelia B’nargin Dalmasca, he was originally here in Henne Mines, so we decided to check it out.” Jaakuna informed Savayna, feeling the continued glares from Grant and Emette. No doubt they felt it was a stupid plan.

“Wow.” That’s all Savayna could muster. She knew that Jaakuna was stupid, but she never thought he was this dumb. Absolute ignorance. “Let me guess, it was your idea?”

Jaakuna nodded.

Savayna shook her head. If she kept thinking about Jaakuna’s stupidity any longer, she was going to punch his lights out. Instead, she would focus on the other matter at hand - the matter that she was more interested in.

Her icy eyes glared at Emette. “I don’t know how, but you’ve convinced Jaakuna to follow you blindly, but why should we trust you, huh?” Savayna asked her, closing the gap between them. “I’m not denying that you know things about Emiri. Lola seemed to know you, so that much about what Jaakuna implied must be true, but some of this doesn’t add up. First off, you appear the same time Emiri and Jaakuna did. And from what I heard during your conversation, you seem to know exactly what’s going to happen and what could happen should Emiri go through her awakening. But here’s my problem, Emette,” Savayna scratched her head, glancing at Mateus who seemed to be on-board with Savayna’s thought. “Your place in this is too coincidental. Emiri has a dream about Zodiark - the real Zodiark - and somehow, at the same moment she comes with the buffoon here to investigate, you happen to be here too.” She continued, “so it’s time you tell me who you are?”

“Already tried that. She won’t do it until we go forward.” Jaakuna said, sounding almost disappointed.

“Yeah, well I’m not letting anyone go any further until I get some answers.” Savayna signaled Mateus and a wall of ice formed, blocking anyone from going any further. “Ball’s in your court, honey.” Savayna would give Emette an arm gesture as if letting her have the floor.