When talks of an island inhabiting ancient creature folk known as the Figments enticed Ardine and Claire of a potential moment of relaxation and recovery, none of them could have been prepared to realize that the entrance to the bridge connecting the island itself was located on the top of a mountain. The ascension toward the snow-drifted mountain made it nearly impossible for the two to keep up with Lyn and Alfaic, who transformed back into his sword form to ignore the tedious walk. Luckily, the sun was facing them, which balanced the temperature out as they trekked to D'Avuzel.
All the while, Lyn was admiring the texture of the snow and the wooden trees laden with frost. Ever since her conversation with Alfaic, she began taking his words to heart and explored the areas she crossed with her eyes. It gave her the motivation to fight for the change she and Alfaic desired for.
Once they finally reached the bridge, they paused to take a short break.
"What the hell is your definition of "island?" Ardine cracked on. "What kind of island is a million feet above ground level?"
Alfaic transformed back into his human form and reached the entrance to the bridge, scanning his eyes ahead. "I must have forgotten to mention that. Sorry about that." He said.
"You can say sorry to my legs," Claire said. "I'd really like that vacation... right just about now."
"Do you see anything?" Lyn asked.
"The first Figment should be here," Alfaic said. "Must be running late on schedule."
Lyn and the others dispersed after a few seconds, exploring the surrounding snow-drifted area. Misty fog began to settle in, blotting the sun rays from their now chilling skin. Alfaic turned back and approached Lyn, watching Ardine and Claire rest beside each other in the snow.
"How are you holding up?" Alfaic asked.
"I'm good," Lyn said. "Though you don't seem like it."
"Huh? Me? Nah, I'm just... a bit worried about my friend and the other Figments. They didn't deserve anything that happened to them, so... I'm just hoping for the best, to be honest."
"You tend to do that a lot."
"Do what?"
"Worry what other people think," Lyn clarified. "You worry about everyone, even if they aren't your friends."
"It's a habit. It was all I could think about with my family, constantly worrying about them if they were ever going to change. But those worries are all gone now. It's up to me to control that now."
"Up to us." Lyn corrected.
"Right." Alfaic agreed.
The high altitude howling winds from the mountaintop suddenly ceased until there was nothing but clear skies. The fog dispersed, and the sunlight beamed down upon them once more. Silence crept through the area, and the view across the wooden bridge seemed to connect endlessly from mountain to mountain. The disturbing silence caused Claire to stand up from her seat, wiping the snow off of her legs as she did so.
"Why did it get so quiet all of a sudden?" Claire asked.
Alfaic snickered, approaching the edge of the bridge once more. "I think I know." He said.
A rustling sound came from an undetermined destination around them. It was so subtle that everyone, with the exception of Alfaic, thought they had been imagining it. Ardine stood up and searched for the origin of the sound, but he searched in the wrong direction; as did Claire. Lyn looked at Alfaic as he stepped aside, leaving room at the edge of the bridge for whatever was about to happen.
The rustling sound increased in volume when suddenly, a surprising burst of movement came from beneath the snow they stood upon, right next to Alfaic. As a small pile of snow formed outside of the hole to shroud what was beneath it. It was the head of a thin creature adorned a floating humanoid mask made of orange feldspar, seized closely to its head by an tether of aether. Beneath the mask was a faceless energy entity that had no human features beyond it. The mask was chipped to reflect the mineral of feldspar, though its design closely resembled a slender female closing its eyes in peace.
"Hello. You here for D'Avuzel?" A serenading voice came from the Figment as it looked closely at Alfaic.
"We are," Alfaic said, turning to the rest of the group. "That's interesting. Chief taught you how to speak our language?"
"A fraction," The feldspar Figment said, pulling her entire body out of the snow. The rest of its body was made of pure orange crystal, mimicking clothing as it glowed in absolute holy radiance. Lyn, Ardine, and Claire marveled at the height of the Figment, almost reaching ten feet. Claire's neck almost strained itself trying to look up at her face because of her small stature. "You here for Chief, or humans?"
"Humans are in D'Avuzel?" Alfaic asked.
"Yes. Only a few. Visitors made small village aside from ours. They have home here."
As Alfaic continued to speak to the feldspar Figment, Ardine and Claire approached Lyn from behind, still stunned by the sight of the creature. The Figment seemed like a tourist attraction, rather than a being to them at the time.
"I didn't expect that at all." Claire commented.
"If there's humans in their village, then they must be friendly," Lyn said. "A place where the Rot can't reach... it's all starting to make sense now. They have to be strong."
Ardine stepped aside. "Let's not stare and make it feel uncomfortable. I'm not a fan of doing so myself." He said.
The feldspar Figment stepped aside from Alfaic and took a single step forward, facing the other three. "You three," It spoke in a loud, booming voice. Lyn wondered how it could speak with a mask tethered to aether. "You must pass initiation test before you may enter. Fail, and you cannot enter."
Alfaic smirked, looking at the three with an enthusiastic, yet sinister grin.
"Oh, boy." Ardine commented.
Lyn remained silent.
"What kind of test?" Claire asked.
"You must answer three questions. You will have three minutes for each question. Only one correct answer will pass. Wrong answer will be accepted, but will not pass. One person must answer at a time. I choose who answers. Two others on bridge, they will ask for others." The female Figment said.
"It's a riddle... to be specific," Alfaic clarified. "You're smart enough to handle this, Ardine. At least I hope so, I bet."
"Oh, boy," Ardine complained. "Thanks for that. Even better."
"You." The Figment pointed at Ardine. "You are first."
Claire chuckled, watching Ardine's face drown in sorrow and embarrassment. She found amusement in it, and Lyn stepped beside her to join in on it as well.
Ardine dropped his rifle on the snow and stepped in front of the feldspar Figment. Her height seemed to reach even higher the closer he got to it. He watched as the Figment kneeled down with its slender legs, extending its crystalline palm out to form an orange aethereal magical field that surrounded Ardine's figure. Mystical binding energies surged through his veins, tickling his insides the more time passed.
"Just stay still," Alfaic said. "It's all part of initiation. The Figment's magic will bind to you after initiation and allow you to enter without harm. It's how they've been able to keep out the Rot."
"Whoa," Claire whispered to Lyn. "That's intriguing, to say the least."
"Will it really work on all of us?" Lyn asked Alfaic. "What if he answers it wrong?"
"The first riddle shall begin." The Figment intervened.
An orange magical field appeared beneath Ardine's and the feldspar Figment's feet, surrounding them with a binding mystical contract. Lyn and Claire stepped back, watching as the skies began to darken, despite it being early morning. Alfaic crossed his arms and leaned back against a set of snowy rocks, showing an expression of confidence written on his eyes.
"Show me what you got, then." Ardine taunted, looking directly up at the Figment.
"What is taken away by shifting eyes, bled away by drifting lies, but only gained as wisdom dies?"
Lyn and Claire exchanged glances. They were utterly speechless, as they felt they would not be able to answer it in time. Suddenly, a loud ticking sound played above their head. They shot their heads upward and found an orange-hued magically conjured antique clock timing Ardine above his head, ticking with each second passing.
"Come on, old man! You can do it!" Claire shouted.
Lyn observed Claire's actions and joined along with her. "It's just the beginning! Don't stress yourself out! You got this!" She called.
Ardine chuckled at Lyn and Claire's comment. "Let's see..." He began, looking at the Figment. "Taken away by shifting eyes... is that a metaphor for something? Drifting lies... wait, what does that even-"
Time froze around Ardine immediately after his last thought. His environment turned black and white, mellowing the environment with the magical contract binding his vision upward. He looked up, noticing how the sound of the clock continued. His breaths echoed as he caught a glimpse of the skies and a ghostly vision of someone in the distance staring down upon him.
It was foggy figure of a face that resembled Kaiden.
Time reverted itself, shocking Ardine to the core. He took an exasperated breath and looked back at the feldspar Figment with dangerously threatening eyes. To Lyn, Claire, and Alfaic, only a single second had passed since his initial reaction to the question, which oddly seemed out of place for his casual and laid-back demeanor.
"How... how did you know?" Ardine whispered.
"Two minutes." The feldspar Figment reminded him.
"Kaiden... you..."
There was silence as Ardine turned his head downward. To Lyn and Claire, it seemed as if he had given up. But suddenly, he turned his head upward and gave his answer to the Figment.
"Honor," He firmly said. "The answer is Honor."
"Correct," The Figment accepted. "Well done."
The orange energies around Ardine dispersed and combined into a singular fragment. The clock from above disappeared after spinning uncontrollably, exerting aether into the fragment to expand its radius. The Figment pressed its palm out and pushed the fragment toward Ardine's left hand, revealing itself to be a crystalline orange bracelet imbued with the Figment's magic. The same bracelet appeared on Lyn, Claire, and Alfaic's wrist.
"You all may enter. Good luck." The feldspar Figment stated before burying herself down into the snow once more.
Lyn and Claire approached Ardine, who seemed tense despite answering the riddle correctly. Lyn pressed her palm against his shoulder, trying to comfort him. "Are you okay?" She asked.
Ardine released his tense stress from his shoulders with a light sigh. He seemed to have been snapped back into the reality of the situation, unbound by the magic that enchanted his vision with illusions of the past. It was peculiar to him how despite an initiation riddle with a time constraint, a clue was still handed out to him; a clue that was kept private among all but him, as a sign of something person that he needed to overcome. It was his own person demon.
"Yeah, I'm good." Ardine said, turning toward them.
"Only one answer too!" Claire complimented. "That was impressive, old man. How did you figure it out?"
"Because the question had to do with Kaiden." Ardine said.
"Who?" Claire asked.
"One of Ardine's best friends... who betrayed him for wealth and power," Lyn said. "He was the ruler of the Bountiful Sands before it became what it was today. It used to be called the Wastes, and he ruled with an iron fist."
"Luckily, Lyn was there to stop him," Ardine said. "A true Buchasa-bred warrior who shifted his eyes from the truth and lied to himself for all the power he could muster. He wasn't wise as well. He was dishonorable, and thus, that led to his death, and ultimately, my answer. It was honor that he lacked... until the end when I held him in my hands before he died."
Claire clutched her shoulder tightly, completely piqued by the riddle. "Why would the Figments ask that kind of question to you? That's absolutely cruel!" She yelled.
"Claire-" Ardine began.
"No! That's terrible! This isn't an initiation test! It's a sick joke!"
"I needed to get over it sooner or later," Ardine interrupted with his voice raising, pressing his hands down on her shoulders to calm her down. "It was... almost heartwarming to say the least to see him one last time in the clouds, looking down at me. It was like he was watching down from heaven... to give me the answer. Reminding me constantly... that he's still there somewhere even though he's gone and buried."
"Well," Claire's voice trailed off. "When you put it that way..."
"He was a good man who realized his mistake," Lyn said to both Claire and Ardine. "He deserved better."
Alfaic sighed, thinking about his brother Seth. "Sorry about that." He said.
"It's not your fault, Blade," Lyn said, approaching the bridge and staring off into the distance with the connected mountains in sight. "This riddle must be the wake-up call we need to face the Rot Mother. Because if we can't even face our past and our own battles, then how can we face her? I think the Figments are smart for this. A true test... to see if we're worthy."
Alfaic walked up to her, showing her his feldspar bracelet. "You nailed it on the spot." He said.
"Although... I'm not sure what kind of question it would ask me," Lyn's voice trickled in anxiety. "I don't even want to think about it."
"We'll get there when we get there," Ardine said, braving through the past with his newly found resolve. "Shall we go?"
Before the three could take their first initial steps on the bridge, Alfaic held them back with his left arm, preventing them from entering. "Now that we have a Figment bracelet, taking your first step on the bridge will probably freak you out. But just relax, and let nature run its course. If you have questions about anything, just hold them. Magic is the answer. That's what the Figments are good at." He said.
An unusual question, Lyn and the others thought, but they perceived it as a drastic shift in the difficulties of the question. But the moment Lyn and the others took their first step, an explosion of orange color detonated beneath the soles of their feet, nearly causing them to stumble over the rail-less bridge. Claire leaped back in surprise, while Ardine held onto her to prevent her from falling.
The detonation of color spread across the mountainous vista, reaching the outward spans of what seemed to be eternity. The lifeless and pale snow melted immediately as an invigorating orange aether wave blossomed the dead trees and thickets into vibrant tangerine groves reminiscent of autumn trees. The crimson sun reflected upon each individual leaf, setting a luminescent orange twilight over the tops of trees and grass alike.
The group's eyes widened in awe, marveling at the rare sight of it all.
"Wow..." Claire's mouth was agape.
"Absolutely beautiful..." Lyn followed after her.
"The land of the Figments..." Ardine said. "Never would have expected it to be like this."
"Now I'm excited," Claire said, rushing forward on the bridge. "An entire village of Figments? How would that even look like?"
"Don't rush it," Alfaic said, taking point. "You and Lyn still have to pass your initiation, remember?"
"Oh, right."
As the four passed through the rail-less bridge, the three newcomers to the village couldn't take their eyes off of the hypnotizing groves beneath them, sprawling with flora and fauna. Piles of massive boulders transformed into stone golems, moving together in packs with their little rock children. Crystals filled with aether pulsed energy, terraforming the area into hidden caves, crevices, and the awakenings of many sheltered amphibious creatures. Autumn leaves descended from the skies like blood droplets, bleeding color across the bridge when they landed beneath the soles of their feet.
All of this would not have been made possible without the Figment's magic, Lyn thought. When Alfaic had reminded her of such beauty still in the world, she assumed internally that this moment was the prime example of it all. A place as secret as D'Avuzel made her wonder what other enchanting mysteries were out there in METIS.
As they crossed the first bridge, they took a sharp connected turn to the second, catching another faint and foggy landscape in the distance obscured by another test. Alfaic approached the icy blue Figment resting on a tall, oversized wooden chair adorned with a crimson cloak on its back. The Figment was crossing its legs and reading an ancient slab of text, much like a human would casually read a book. Alfaic stepped to the side and looked at both Lyn and Claire, wondering who would be next.
"I think I'll take this one," Claire volunteered, approaching the blue Figment with her hands tied behind her back in nervousness, but piqued curiosity. "I... I think I'm prepared." She said with a slight hesitation in the tone of her voice.
"Are you sure?" Lyn asked.
"It's now or never," Claire said, looking up at the Figment. "Ask away!"
The blue Figment slowly set the text down beside its crystalline blue legs like a sloth would before standing up. The same energy field that wrapped around Ardine coursed around Claire, stunning her in place from the aether coursing through her veins. A clock appeared above her once more. Ardine stood beside Lyn, who wrapped his left arm around his waist while he thumbed the bottom of his lip in worry.
"What holds life dearly together, an eternity bound forever, but may shatter, when hearts lose their tether?"
The same time slowing sequence appeared for Claire, and she gazed into the mystical skies where stars formed patterns beyond the fog. Two completely unrecognizable figures formed from the fog, staring down upon Claire with a fervent smile. A deep voice found its way into her ear, echoing as if they pierced through her brain.
"Don't touch us!"
"Get away from us, you monster!"
"NO!"
They were barely made out in time before they were whisked away by the winds altogether when the time slowing sequence ended, bringing Claire back to reality.
"Claire, you got this!" Lyn shouted.
"Claire...?" Ardine whispered, noticing something was wrong.
She broke. All of the air inside her body seemed to whisk away. A crash of unreachable and unfathomable déjà vu ignited inside her soul, but there was no memory attached to it. She kept searching for it within her, but nothing came out. Sweat formed around her pores as the answer couldn't escape her open mouth. She clutched her chest and collapsed to the ground. She imagined her eye sockets popping out of her skull from all of the pressure amidst.
"Shit-" Alfaic rushed in to her aid, crashing through the magical barrier that housed Claire. Lyn and Ardine were about to reach out to aid them, but Alfaic shouted the answer out to the blue Figment. "LOVE! The answer is Love!"
"Correct," The Figment accepted. "Well done. Yet the intended contract was for her, not you. She may not enter. She has failed the test."
The blue energies around Claire and Alfaic dispersed and combined into a singular fragment, once more. It sent itself onto Lyn, Ardine, and Alfaic's wrist in the form of a blue bracelet combined with the orange, showing patterns of crystalline reflections when viewed from a different angle.
"What happened?" Alfaic asked, picking her up from the grass.
"I..." Claire choked. "I don't..."
Ardine rushed in and slid by her side. He pressed his palms against Claire's tear-riddled cheeks and lifted them until he had a closer view of her tense face. "Hey, breathe," He repeated. "Breathe, breathe. Look at me. Just breathe."
"Claire?" Lyn called, pressing her hand on her shoulder.
Ardine swayed his head back toward Lyn and Alfaic as a signal to give her space. They backed away immediately.
"I... saw them." Claire whispered, losing her balance and breath.
"Saw who? Who did you see?" Ardine asked.
"I think... they were my parents..."
"Your parents? You saw them?"
"They were in the skies. I heard voices too... telling me to get away from them. Calling me a monster... and not to touch them. I heard them screaming to go away..."
"It's okay, it's okay," Ardine said, drawing her close with a warm embrace. "It's over now. You're here. You're here with us."
Claire sobbed into Ardine's shoulders as Lyn and Alfaic watched together. But Lyn's approach to Claire's experience was different; she couldn't help but call familiarity to when she peeked inside Nia's device, recalling all of the little memories she experienced within herself that were trapped. She recalled peeking into Claire's nightmare, but chose not to dwell on it any further.
"Hey," Alfaic called to Lyn. "You okay?"
Lyn nodded. "Just... thinking about something. Fragments of something I can't really remember."