radiantepoch

[radiantepoch]

Radiant Epoch: Chapter 36 - Lyra

The ocean waves looked as beautiful as they always had. As much as Paach had changed over the years, Rosewood Peak had remained the same untouched jewel. The magnificent cliff, devoid of any obtrusive trees or high shrubbery, maintained its perfect view of the northern ocean without any outside disturbance. Despite its tranquil nature, the peak had continued to remain desolate, avoided by most villagers because there was no practicality in the location. The waves were too strong for fishing, the soil too rough to farm, and the hunting prospects nonexistent. In a way, that made the cliff even more magical, as the only reason to go to Rosewood Peak was to appreciate its scenic beauty. The spot seemed eternally frozen despite being in a world destined to change. Though each crashing wave of the ocean was new and unique, not matching precisely any previous current that had landed upon the shore, they offered a calm sense of familiarity. Many generations had come and gone, and many would continue to come and go, but the ocean and Rosewood Peak remained the same. The waves would continue to crash upon the rocky cliff, no matter what may come. A constant and eternal tide, as unstoppable as the progression of time. In a way, it felt unfair that something so beautiful would continue to exist after so many who loved it would cease to, but even the ocean itself was a slave to the currents. In the end, each individual wave disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Even the eternal tide was unable to stop the inevitable.

 Tyce, Lyra, and Geneon were silent as they stared off into the infinite beyond. Though they had seen maps of their vast world, as far as they were concerned, the work of those cartographers were nothing but odd abstractions of the strange mysteries that existed outside of their shores. Yes, they generally understood the concept of exotic lands like Sakkah and Coro being real places that one could journey to, but to the three teenagers who had never left the greater limits of their hometown, those locales may have well been as real as the fictional realms they read of in novels. They existed, and yet they did not. The only thing that truly seemed real was the three of them, in that moment, looking out at the sparkling twilight sky.

 The sun began to rise. The glitter of the stars began to be erased by the early morning light. As much as the three of them may have wanted to freeze time, any wish would ultimately end up being futile. Time would continue to march onward. The seasons were going to continue to change. The sun would continue to rise and set. The waves of the ocean would continue to crash into the shore, just as they had done since long before any of them were born, and would continue to do so after all of them had long left their world. In the end, Tyce, Geneon, and Lyra were powerless to stop this eternal force. All they could do was pray that the future wouldn't come. But the future always comes. Time does not stand still. No exceptions are made by the cruel clock. Not even for a trio of loving friends.  No, regardless of one's wishes, the ticking hands of the clock continue to march onward, like an unstoppable empire against a lone soldier. One can try to combat it, but that would only lead to hardship, heartache, and disappointment. It is a harsh and bitter pill to admit such a defeat.

 Lyra felt so much futility as she mused these thoughts. She so desired to freeze this moment, just a little bit longer. The seconds were far too short. The minutes were far too fleeting. The hours were gone in a flash. If things could only slow down, come to a stop, even for just a moment, so that she could more fully savor each blade of grass swaying in the wind, cherish each breath from Geneon's lungs, adore each twinkle in Tyce's eyes, and revere each wave that crashed onto the rocks below, she would have been forever grateful. But it was not to be.

 Lyra desperately wanted to stop the sun from rising so that these moments of adoration didn't have to come to an end. She didn't want tomorrow to come. Tomorrow meant things changing forever. Tomorrow meant Geneon leaving for good. Tomorrow meant growing up. She wasn't ready. She wanted to remain a child, just a little bit longer. Why did today have to become tomorrow? She almost begged the universe to slow down, but she realized there was nobody to beg to. Any begging would fall upon deaf ears. Instead, she was forced to sigh and simply accept the inevitable.

 The sun continued its slow invasion of the sky. The horizon began to trickle with individual rays of golden light assaulting the the infinite air above. The rays had been creeping into the air ever so slowly. They began with a simple and small incursion, but as more and more time passed, the darkness began to vanish. Before long, the darkness was engulfed and destroyed. In its place was a bright and powerful sun, banishing the past night. The dawn had come.

 “It's beautiful,” said Geneon, finally breaking their silence.

 “It really is,” agreed Tyce.

 Both Tyce and Geneon seemed to be able to appreciate the beauty of that final sunrise. On an intellectual level, Lyra knew the sight was truly stunning and spectacular. She had to admit such. But even so, at that moment, there was nothing she hated more than the sight of that cruel sun. Why did it have to come? Why couldn't it have stayed away? Just for a little while longer. Why? Why?

 Why...?

Lyra thought back to memories of past visits to Rosewood Peak. Playing tag near the cliff. Tyce nearly falling off. Geneon catching him in the nick of time. Sharing sandwiches under the hot sun. Skipping stones onto the sea below. There were so many cherished memories shared by the three of them at this special spot, and this was to be the last one. Instead of happy memories, Rosewood Peak's last imprint on their minds would be one of sadness.

 An idea suddenly sparked to Lyra's mind. There was no reason that their final memory at the peak had to be such a bleak one. The talis had the ability to perfectly replay visions of the past. Instead of ruminating on them alone, she could share the magic of the talis with Tyce and Geneon. They could relive their most cherished moments one last time. All three of them. Together. It wouldn't stop the inevitable from happening, but it could at least serve as a chaser to bitter farewell.

 Lyra reached into her satchel and felt her heart sink. The talis was broken. She didn't even need to bring it out of the bag to know that it had been destroyed. She could feel the broken shards just from shuffling within. But when did it happen? It must have been when she fell atop it earlier. Why, oh why did she bring it with her? It would have been so much safer to leave it at home and find a hiding place for it later. If she had only left it at home, that incredibly rare talis would have remained intact. Her one chance at reliving memories with Tyce and Geneon was destroyed.  

 Foolish. Stupid. Idiotic.

Lyra chastised herself for her mistake of bringing the talis along with her to the show. But more than that, she was so upset because she knew it was her fault the talis broke. Nobody had bumped into her. Nobody had tried to snatch it or steal  the talis. No, it was because she succumbed to emotion that the memory talis broke. It was all her fault.

 The talis was so valuable. Rare. A once-in-a-lifetime find. So fragile. And now it was shattered and gone. As quickly as it had entered into her life, it had left. She couldn't even hold onto that.

 For a moment, Lyra thought that she might cry and fall victim to the power of her emotions yet again. She assumed her feelings of distress would overwhelm and consume her, as they had just a few hours prior. She did feel a great blow to her ego because of her foolish mistakes, and she felt the sadness of the lost prospects that came with the loss of the talis, but throughout those intense feelings Lyra found herself able to maintain a sense of calm. In the eye of the storm, somehow, she was able to find serenity. Acceptance. She knew there was naught to do, and instead of feeling further regret, Lyra simply acknowledged that the talis was no more. Today was yesterday, and yesterday was gone. The talis, and the ability to recapture the past, was part of yesterday. It wasn't meant to continue into today.

 “Is something wrong?” asked an observant Tyce. He had noticed Lyra had reached into her bag and had developed a distant look on her face.

 “It's nothing,” Lyra said as she took the shattered pieces of the talis out of her satchel. “Nothing at all.”

 She smiled softly. The talis had broken into three pieces. Somewhat jagged, but not sharp. Three pieces. It felt almost perfect, in a way.

 Of course. It had to be three...

 Lyra held the pieces of the destroyed relic in her cupped hands. She thought back to a distant memory, hoping that the talis might somehow still function, though in her heart she knew that it wouldn't. But it was okay. It was time to let go.

 “I'm not going with Troupe Astral,” Geneon declared weakly.

 “What?” asked a confused Tyce.

 “I can't do it,” said a teary eyed Geneon. “I can't leave you guys behind. You mean too much to me.”

 Tyce's eyes began to water.

 “Geneon...” croaked Tyce.

 “No,” said Lyra firmly. She refused to allow it. “Don't use us an excuse.”

 “Lyra?”

 As much as Lyra wanted Geneon to stay in Paach, and as much as she wanted things to remain the same as they always had, she knew that she couldn't cling onto the past any longer. None of them could. They could try, but the future was coming anyway, and instead of desperately holding onto what cannot be held onto, it was ultimately better to firmly grasp what lies ahead. Otherwise both would fall through their hands like grains of sand.

 “If it weren't for us, would you want to stay in Paach?” Lyra asked pointedly.

 “No,” answered an honest Genon. “Of course not.”

 “Well, there's no guarantee we'll be staying in Paach forever either.”

 “There isn't?” asked Tyce. This was the first he was hearing about this He had expected to become a blacksmith, just like everyone else in his family. Leaving Paach? Was that even possible? Where would he go? When? The idea had never once occurred to him. But if Geneon was able to leave Paach, then maybe it was possible for him too. Maybe there was a dream Tyce didn't even know he had, and maybe that dream was waiting for him out somewehre in the great unknown. Tyce thought it a wild possibility to even consider such a prospect, but in that moment, for the first time in his life, he did.

 “No. There's no telling what the future might bring. If my family's business makes enough money, Tyce and I could relocate to the imperial capital. Or we could sell off the shop and use the funds to travel the world. Or maybe we could stay here in Paach, settle down, and start a family. The point is, we don't know for sure what we're going to end up doing. We have no idea. Right now we're young. But we won't be young forever. These same opportunities won't last forever. And I don't want you making a choice about the rest of your life because of something we might do. You need to go and live the best life you can, even if it's without us.”

 “But Lyra....Tyce...you guys are...are...”

 “Geneon. Lyra's right,” said Tyce as he put his hand on Geneon's shoulder.

 “Tyce?” asked a shocked Lyra.

 “Geneon, you're...you're my brother. And because you're my brother, I want the best for you. No matter what. I want whatever is going to make you the happiest. I may not be the brightest, but even I know that you're miserable here. If you really wanted to stay, then I'd encourage you to stay. But I know you don't really want to, and I know that even with us by your side you'll be miserable. And though I'd be happier if you stuck around...I...I'd rather you live a good life without us than a miserable life with us.”

 Geneon shook his head in repudiation.

 “But it wouldn't be miserable if we were together. We'd have each other. That would make it all worthwhile, wouldn't it?”

 No.

 “You're making excuses because you're scared,” stated Lyra coldly. It was her attempt at tough love.

 “I'm not scared,” rebutted Geneon. “I...”

 Tyce squeezed Geneon in a tight hug.

 “It's okay. We'll miss you too.”

 Tyce thought that he might cry in that moment, but he did not. His watery eyes had dried. Perhaps he had begun to truly accept what was happening. Part of growing up was saying goodbye, and it was finally time to grow up.

 And Geneon, who was more prone to emotion than Tyce, was also able to remain steadfast and strong in that moment. That didn't mean the two of them didn't feel the power of the exchange, but rather that all the tears had already been cried the previous evening. The energy for such exertion was simply gone. There was nothing left.

 Lyra squeezed the talis shards tight in her right hand as she went to join in on the embrace.

 “I love you guys,” whispered Geneon.

 “I love you too,” whispered Tyce.

 “I love you, Geneon,” whispered Lyra.

 The embrace, which should have lasted an eternity, ended in what seemed like an instant. After the three of them parted their bodies from one another, all they found themselves able to do was stare and shift their legs awkwardly, unsure of what the next step was.

 “So, this is it, huh?” said Geneon.

 “Not quite,” declared Lyra.

 “Huh?” asked Tyce.

 “Here,” she said as she handed Tyce and Geneon each a piece of the broken talis.

 “What's this?” inquired Geneon as he examined the jagged object.

 “It's a talis.”

 “I don't get it,” said Tyce as he twirled the shard in his hands. “What's it do?”

 “It has the power to bring memories to life. Or rather, it used to. It's broken now. But that doesn't matter.”

 Lyra felt her voice crack a little as she continued.

 “It doesn't matter what this talis used to be. All that matters is what it is now. And what it is now is a keepsake, a memento, for each of us. A symbol of our friendship. One piece for each of us to hold onto for the rest of our lives. As long as we each have a piece of this talis, we'll always have a piece of each other. No matter where we end up going, a part of us will always be together.  No matter what.”

 “No matter what...”

 “No matter what.”

 The three friends embraced one last time. Each of them vowed to keep their talis shards forever. They sword that they would remain friends until the end of time. They promised that even if they were to venture far away, they would never truly be apart. Their bonds could not be broken by distance. Their love was stronger than the changing tides.

 And then, after letting go of their final embrace, the talis shards began to glow.

*** ------------------------------------------ ***

  End prologue.

[radiantepoch]

Radiant Epoch: Chapter 35 - Tyce

This certainly wasn't how Tyce had envisioned the evening going. While he wasn't typically one for a great deal of forethought, and he truthfully hadn't formulated any intricate scenarios in his head as to how he expected the Troupe Astral show to progress throughout the evening, he definitely had not considered the prospect of Geneon dressed in half a tree costume leading Lyra and him through a cramped backstage corridor. That was certainly an unexpected turn of events.

 The tension in the air was certainly thick. Though the crowd continued to roar as the show marched on, the three of them remained eerily and uncomfortably silent. As Geneon removed the remainder of his Enchanted Tree costume (revealing himself to be wearing his normal clothes underneath), the eyes of various troupe members gazed upon Tyce and Lyra with scrutiny, as if to ask “why are you still here?” Tyce was beginning to ask that question himself. Though there was certainly a part of him that missed Geneon, he couldn't bring himself to express those feelings to him. Tyce and Geneon never really talked like that. Feelings and emotions, those were the realm of girls, and he wasn't even good at discussing those with Lyra. The longer the silence remained the more he felt himself shell up and steel himself for whatever conversation was about to be had.

 Nobody said a word for the longest time. Tyce looked at Geneon, whose eyes were closed stoically. He was clearly trying to calm his nerves after the fiasco onstage. Tyce then turned to Lyra, who simply stared at Geneon with a look of hurt in her eyes. It looked like she felt some kind of betrayal, though Tyce wasn't sure how or why that would be the case. The way things had been left with Geneon, it was clear that he was the one who had wronged the two of them. At least that's the way that Tyce saw it.

 “Is...” said Lyra, finally breaking the silence. “Is there some place that's a bit more...private we can go?”

 Geneon finally opened his eyes. The hard stares of the troupe members were beginning to get to him too. He was wondering why none of them were commenting on what he did onstage, breaking the script for the act on his first ever show with the group, but none said a word. Perhaps they could tell that he shared history with the two that he had brought backstage. Being a performer meant one needed to be able to read a crowd, and Geneon thought it was possible that the troupe could read even a crowd of three. Three is a crowd, after all.

 “Yeah, follow me,” said Geneon gruffly.

 Geneon picked up the pieces of his Enchanted Tree costume and began walking further down the corridor, followed closely by Tyce and Lyra. Eventually they made their way outside the back of the performance tent and found themselves in the field of colored tents. The group made their way to a green tent, which Geneon promptly entered. Upon entering, both Tyce and Lyra were shocked to see Nora snoozing away on a soft pillow, though Lyra immediately thought to herself that there was no reason to be shocked by this. In fact, now everything made sense.

 So that's why he was looking for Nora...

 Geneon wanted to take Nora with him. He was leaving Paach for good to join Troupe Astral, and he didn't want to leave Nora behind. He didn't care about leaving her or Tyce behind, but no, the cat, he couldn't leave without the cat. Ouch. Lyra admitted that the thought behind Geneon's decision made sense in a way, but it didn't help at all with the blow to her ego. Geneon was really planning on leaving without saying goodbye or making amends. Perhaps their friendship meant less to him than she had given credit for.

 Tyce, meanwhile, was still distracted by the loud roar of the crowd. As still as their little world may have felt in that moment, the rest of the world was moving on, and the audience was continuing to cheer for the theatrics of the legendary troupe. Tyce wondered what kind of feats were being performed in their absence before his mind finally returned to his present situation. Clearly, if Lyra was willing to miss the rest of the show to talk with Geneon, then this was where she wanted to be, and this conversation was much more important to her than missing a once in a lifetime opportunity of seeing the troupe perform. And besides, he thought to himself, she was getting to converse with a member of the group. His mind kept alternating between considering Geneon as the friend he had known for so many years, to the Geneon who had turned his back on their friendship, to the Geneon who was now in Troupe Astral, and he couldn't quite figure how to view the large cordillan standing in front of him. It used to be easy for Tyce to define Geneon, but now, he was unsure of who he had become.

 “So you're in Troupe Astral now, huh? That's cool,” said Tyce breaking the silence.

 “Thanks,” said Geneon as he set his costume down in a corner.

 “Do you like it?” asked Tyce in a friendly tone. He was trying to read the room. Clearly Lyra wanted to reconcile, and while he wasn't excited at the prospect of an uncomfortable conversation, he had to admit that he missed Geneon too. No sense in holding onto anger. Truth be told, Tyce had forgotten the cruel things they had said to one another and only remembered the emotion behind them. If he couldn't remember the words of offense, Tyce felt there was no need to hold onto them.

 “I do,” replied Geneon coldly. “Better than hanging around you lot.”

 Screw him, thought Tyce in immediate response. Here he was trying to be nice, and Geneon was brushing him off like a stranger. As quickly as he had been to try to forgive and forget, Tyce felt anger rise within him. Now he was starting to remember why they fell out.

 “You know, you're a real jerk,” spouted Tyce without thinking. His anger had gotten the best of him. The wounds of the fight were still fresh in his spirit, even if the words were long lost from his mind. It was an instinctual response.

 “That means so much coming from you,” replied Geneon in a sarcastic tone. “If only I could be as morally righteous as Saint Tyce.”

 “Hey! Stop it!” yelled Lyra.

 Tyce had opened his mouth to retort, but Lyra's wail left him (and Geneon) speechless. She always had a way of dominating the room whenever the three of them were together. Lyra the peacemaker. Lyra the healer. Lyra, their best friend. Lyra...Tyce's girlfriend.

 “So...” began Lyra breaking the newfound silence. “That's why you were looking for Nora.”

 Upon hearing her name, Nora's ears perked up. She had woken up a few moments prior, unsure what to make of the arrival of guests in the tent. Nora barely made a movement and instead sat still while she continued evaluating the events as they unfolded.

 “You could have told me,” she said softly.

 “I could have. And I didn't,” replied an icy Geneon.

 “Huh? What are you two talking about?” asked Tyce, confused. How did Lyra know that Geneon was looking for Nora? Tyce hadn't heard anything about that.

 “I...I went to see Geneon earlier today,” Lyra admitted.

 Another unexpected turn of events. Lyra had gone to see Geneon and hid it from Tyce. It felt like a punch to the gut. Tyce was hurt. And shocked. Lyra never hid things from him, at least as far as he knew. Tyce had always thought of Lyra as good and honest. His mother had told him that relationships were built upon foundations of trust and honesty, and up to that point, he had never had a reason to doubt Lyra at all. But she if she was sneaking around his back, concealing something like this from him, there was no telling what else she was hiding.

 “And you didn't think to tell me?” Tyce asked with anger and indignation in his voice.

 “It...it just slipped my mind.”

 Liar.

 “I doubt that.”

 I can't believe you would lie to me, Lyra.

 “I thought you trusted me.”

 What was she doing with Geneon, anyway?

 “I do trust you! I just didn't want to upset you.”

 If you want to hang out with Geneon so bad then maybe you should date HIM.

 “Yeah, well that didn't work. I can't believe you went behind my back like that. I thought I could trust you.”

 “You can trust me!” pleaded Lyra.

 Tyce began pacing back and forth furiously. The more he moved the angrier he got. His breathing became heavy and ugly. How could Lyra have done this to him? How could he have been so foolish not to notice?

 “What were you doing with Geneon, huh?” he panted angrily.

 “We were looking for Nora,” said a wide-eyed Lyra. She didn't understand why Tyce had gotten so angry all of a sudden. Yes, she hadn't told him about her plans to heal their friendship with Geneon, but she had only been waiting to tell Tyce after she felt she had mediated things enough with Geneon where she could confidently gather all of them together. Surely Tyce could understand that.

 “If you were just looking for Nora, then you could have told me that. What else were you doing?”

 A scowl began to form on Lyra's face. Now she understood why Tyce was so upset.

 “Tyce, are you implying...?”

 “If you had nothing to hide, then you would have been up front and honest with me.”

 Lyra's jaw dropped. How could Tyce think so little of her? To think that she would be unfaithful to him, and with Geneon of all people? While Lyra had to admit Geneon's physique was impressive, she simply had no attraction to his face, and his lack of confidence made him wholly unappealing as a romantic partner. She loved him like a brother, yes, and as one of her closest friends, true, but nothing more than that.

 “Tyce, I wouldn't ever cheat on you! Is that seriously what you think?” asked Lyra. Like Tyce, now she had begun to feel hurt and angry. It was insulting to think that Tyce would question her integrity like that.

 “I don't know what to think!”

 “That's nothing new,” chided Geneon with a laugh.

  Tyce stopped his pacing to stand directly in front of Geneon. They glared at one another as Tyce pointed his index finger in Geneon's face.

 “And you...” fumed Tyce angrily. “I...you know what? I've got nothing to say to you. Screw this, I'm out of here.”

 “Tyce, wait!” cried Lyra as she reached out to him.

 Tyce was too swift and began heading towards the door, easily avoiding the grasp of Lyra's hand.

 Some date this turned out to be.

 “Let him go,” grunted Geneon.

 Tyce stopped after hearing Geneon's words.

 “Yeah, so I can leave the two of you alone, huh?” asked Tyce without turning around to face them.

 “Good point, for once,” replied Geneon. He turned to stare at Lyra. “You can go ahead and leave too.”

 Lyra could feel the venom in Geneon's words. As angry as Tyce was, what he said was only said with anger and jealousy. Geneon's words had an extra layer of malice and poison that stabbed far deeper into Lyra's heart. Dealing with both his and Tyce's barbs at the same time was beginning to move Lyra from feelings of anger to feelings of overwhelming sadness. This wasn't how things were supposed to go. Everything was breaking down and there was nothing she could do. She was failing. She was a failure. Sadness began to engulf and absorb her anger, and before she knew it, Lyra found herself on the brink of tears. The overwhelm she was feeling was quickly becoming unbearable and threatened to swallow her whole. She assured herself she could remain calm, but how long could she truly last?

 “Geneon, I-”

 “I don't care. I don't want to see either of you ever again and I can't wait to leave Paach behind forever in the morning.”

 “Forever?” asked Tyce, finally turning around to face Geneon again. The totality of such a statement had not been lost on him. This might be the last time they would ever see one another, and this was how it was to end. While part of Tyce thought it was a pity, the angrier part of him was more powerful and ultimately won control of his heart in that moment.

 “That's right. Troupe Astral leaves in the morning. I'll be leaving this dump and never coming back,”

 “Good riddance,” said Tyce curtly. “We won't miss you. Nobody will.”

 Finally it was Tyce who stabbed Geneon's heart. No, not only did he stab his heart, but Tyce twisted the blade as well. He could really hurt somebody if he put his mind to it.

 There's that trademark Tyce cruelty I've been waiting for. That's right. I know the REAL you. Not the face you put on for the rest of the world. The real Tyce.

 “Get out of my tent,” whispered Geneon. The rage within him was reaching a boiling point.

 “What's that?” asked Tyce with a grin.

 “GET OUT OF MY TENT!!!” screamed Geneon at the top of his lungs.

 Tyce's smirk turned into a full out laugh. He had broken Geneon's spirit. He had won. Geneon's hair may have been green, but his face was red with fury. It was a pathetic sight to see. Lyra, on the other hand, had finally begun to let loose a few teardrops from her eyes. Everything was falling apart in front of her. Tyce's instincts told him to console her, but then he remembered that she had lied to him and couldn't be trusted. Neither of them could. No. The only thing left to do was to leave.

 Tyce turned around to finally exit the tent, but his path was blocked. Nora, Geneon's faithful cat, had moved in front of the entrance while they were all fighting, and now sat there on its hind legs, staring into Tyce's soul with her single eye. Tyce almost flinched when he stepped backward in shock upon seeing Nora. Unlike everyone else in the tent, Nora seemed calm, cool, and collected. She simply sat there staring at Tyce with her unbreakable gaze.

 Tyce bent down and began petting Nora on the head. She was a good kitty, at least as far as he was concerned. Surprisingly, Nora accepted his petting and even began to purr. Nora didn't seem to comprehend the feud between the three of them, or rather, she didn't seem to care about it. She still viewed Tyce as favorably as she had before and from the cat's perspective, nothing had changed. Tyce had always considered Nora to be an extension of Geneon, but clearly she was not. She had her own thoughts, feelings, and emotions.

 However, she still loved Geneon. And she had always been affectionate to Lyra too. Granted, she was much more Geneon's cat than either of theirs, and Geneon was clearly Nora's favorite, but she loved all three of them.

 Tyce felt his anger begin to dissipate. It was hard to stay angry when petting a cat. He began to contemplate the idea that he may have been acting irrationally. Lyra would never cheat on him. He knew that now. He had been so blinded by rage that he began spouting out hurtful accusations without taking a moment to consider what he had been saying. Though it pained him to do so, he looked over at Lyra and saw that her crying hadn't ceased, but had instead increased. Part of it was definitely Geneon's fault, but part of was definitely his. If it had only been Geneon's hurtful words she wouldn't have succumbed to the point of tears, but she had, and Tyce knew that the fault lied with him.

 “Lyra...I'm sorry.”

 The floodgates continued to flow. Lyra tried to suck in her tears, but all she ended up doing was sneezing and wheezing in her failed attempt at steeling her heart. She was glad that Tyce had at least come to his senses, but her relief was bittersweet. He had still been so hurtful in that moment, and now she was completely vulnerable around a hostile Geneon. It was the worst predicament for her to be in. She knew that when her emotions were high, she could end up being just as cruel, if not more so, than both of the boys. She was determined to gather herself before she allowed herself to become a monster again and prayed that she would be able to become calm before Geneon sparred with her again. While she was initially hopeful that accepting Tyce's apology would calm her, it instead only intensified her feelings.

 “You know I'd never hurt you like that Tyce,” cried Lyra.

 “I know. I know,” said Tyce as he pulled in Lyra for an embrace.

 She gratefully accepted it. Lyra's tears and snot began to flow into Tyce's shirt. She squeezed her boyfriend as tight as she possibly could, and were she stronger, she might have ended up hurting Tyce a little with her grip. But Tyce could take it and was plenty happy to be offer his body to her as amends for his grievous words.

 “I'm sorry, Lyra. I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have said those things to you. I'm a jerk.”

 “I'm sorry for not telling you I went to see Geneon. I thought if I told you that you'd get upset. I wanted to talk to him and have us all meet so we could hash things out and all be friends again because I love you two more than anybody else in this world and I don't know what I'd do without you and I love you and I'm glad you're my boyfriend but I love Geneon too he's our best friend and I can't imagine my life without him and you and me and all of us together and I wanted all three of us to go back to being friends like we used to and oh god it just hurts so much I don't want to lose either of you. I don't want to lose us. Please forgive me for not telling youuuuuuu.”  

 Lyra's crying was becoming even more powerful. She had lost all control to her emotions. Any semblance of logic, tactics, and planning had completely gone out the window. She fell outside of Tyce's grasp and onto her knees, completely overwhelmed by the ache in heart. She wanted to forgive both of them and just be done with the ordeal, but the hurt was strong. Lyra lost herself so completely that she didn't notice that she fell onto her satchel. A cracking sound could be heard by all, but she was so focused on her crying that she didn't have time to grasp what she had just done in that moment. Even  if she had comprehended it, it was still possible she wouldn't care. As important as that object may have been, in that moment, finally mending their three broken hearts was the priority.

 “I just want this to be over,” she cried. “I just want us all to be friends again. Can we just stop this fighting? Please? Please?”

 “Of course. Of course. I'm sorry, Lyra,” said Tyce as he bent down to embrace her.

 “No,” sniffed Lyra. “Not just to me. Say you're sorry to Geneon. Say you're sorry so we can be done fighting. Say it. Say it!”

 Tyce turned his head to look at Geneon. At that point, Tyce's anger had completely left him. He knew how much this meant to Lyra and there was no sense in dragging this out any further. And truth be told, he wanted to be Geneon's friend again too. He agreed with Lyra that it was time for this silly feud to end.

 “Geneon, I'm sorry. For everything.”

 The ice around Geneon's heart began to melt. While he initially began to muse that the two of them were embracing without him, leaving him isolated and alone, he realized that Lyra had gone through all of this trouble because she cared about him enough to do so. It was worth all of that pain and heartache just to show love and affection to him. She had completely broken down because she loved Geneon so much. Even if Lyra didn't love him the way that he desired, she still loved him deeply. Geneon realized how cruel and selfish he had been acting. He had no right to assume Lyra's romantic affection belonged to him by right. He had no right to dictate whether she decided between him and Tyce, or him and anyone else for that matter. Lyra was her own person. She have chosen Tyce for a mate, but she chose both of them for friends. Tyce, for all his flaws, had been a good friend to Geneon for his entire life, and in that moment he had chosen Geneon too. Now it was only a matter of Geneon deciding if he was willing to reciprocate.

 Geneon turned to face Nora, as if hoping to find some sort of guidance from his feline friend, and to his surprise the cat seemed to respond with a gentle nod. He wasn't sure if he was just seeing things or if his cat had actually given an affirmative answer to the question plaguing his doubtful mind, but his decision was now clear. It was time to forgive and move on. That was all that mattered in that moment.

 “I'm sorry too. Tyce. Lyra. I'm sorry.”

 Geneon had taken a second to pause and look at each of them individually in the eye. Tyce responded with a quick smile. It was clear he had forgiven Geneon and all was good as far as he was concerned. And Lyra? Her smile was mixed with a lot more tears, but it was clear that she had accepted the apology too. There was an overwhelming sense of relief as she let out a combination cry/sigh. It was finally over.

 “Get over here, you!” she yelled.

 “What?” asked a shocked Geneon.

 “You heard her! Bring it in!” beckoned Tyce with a gigantic smile

 “But-”

 “No buts! Just do it!”

 Geneon acquiesced to the request and got down on his knees with Tyce and Lyra. The three of them positioned themselves in such a way where each of them could hug each-other all at once, with no one individual getting more of an embrace than the other. Lyra was still crying uncontrollably, and now that Geneon had let his guard down and forgiven his friends, he found himself unable to hold back and began crying profusely as well. He missed them. He had missed them so much.

 Tyce was the only one who wasn't crying. He felt a little bit awkward as being the only one to resist the tears of their reunion, but he simply didn't find it in himself to cry during this situation. He was happy that the conflict was over, but why cry over something that was good? Crying was for bad situations. Instead of joining in on the tears, he decided to try and console his companions.

 “It's okay, guys. It's all good. We're back together again. Everything's gonna be okay.”  

 “Is it, though?” asked Lyra.

 “What do you mean?” asked Tyce.

 “Geneon is leaving us in the morning. For good.”

 “Wait, what? You're still leaving?”

 Tyce was thoroughly confused. As far as he knew, the three of them had reconciled and everything was fine. There wasn't any reason for Geneon to leave anymore. He was only leaving because he was upset, right? Well, they were friends again. That meant everything could go back to normal. That had to be the case. Didn't it?

 “Yeah,” whispered Geneon.

 “But why?”

 “Tyce...Lyra...I love you guys, but-”

 “Tyce, there's no future for him in Paach,” Lyra began explaining.

 “Lyra...” Geneon croaked.

 “It's okay,” said Lyra as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “I get it. I really do. Tyce, you don't go to the cordillan district as often as I do. You don't know how tough Geneon and his people really have it. Especially in a town like this. Joining Troupe Astral might be the only opportunity Geneon can ever get for a better life. It's his one shot. He has to take it.”

 Tyce may have been dense, but he wasn't so dense that he didn't understand the gravity of those words. All of it made complete sense to him. In fact, he was a bit embarrassed he hadn't realized it himself moments prior. He truly felt like an idiot. But more than that, he came to realize that this was it. This was goodbye.

 “I...I understand,” Tyce breathed out softly. Tears began welling up in his eyes. It was, after all, a sad occasion.

 “I'm going to miss you guys so much!” cried Geneon as he burst into even more tears. His crying was now as loud and uncontrollable as Lyra's was previously.

 “I'm going to miss you too,” Lyra wept.

 “We both will,” said Tyce, joining in on the onslaught of tears.

 The three friends held one another, crying, for what seemed like both an eternity and an instant simultaneously. Nobody wanted that moment to end. As sad as it may have been, at least the three of them were finally together again. But that moment was fleeting, as all moments are. The tears eventually began to dry up, the breathing became less heavy, and the silence was eventually broken.

 “What time are you leaving?” asked Lyra.

 “Nine,” said Geneon.

 “Do you think...?” she began.

 “Do I think what?”

 “Do you think we can all go to Rosewood Peak and watch the sunrise? One last time?”

 Geneon looked over to Tyce. The look in his eyes said it all. Geneon turned back to Lyra and nodded. There was no place he'd rather be.

[radiantepoch]

Radiant Epoch: Chapter 34 - Geneon

“Fantastic...”

 Geneon's eyes were full of unbelievable wonder and awe. Prior to the evening's show, Geneon had painted a majestic and transcendent picture in his mind of what he thought a Troupe Astral performance would be like. He imagined there would be great feats, true, but the execution of their dazzling talents were far beyond what the young cordillan had expected, and it seemed as if every second there was something new and breathtaking to observe. Even with his limited view, both from being backstage and from his bulky costume's built-in restrictions, he was constantly being blown away by the group's performance. As good as he thought the show was from his vantage point, he knew that the audience had an even better view of the proceedings, and judging by the cheers and applause, they were enjoying the evening to an even more fervent degree than he. To think of how dull and boring his life had been up to that point, and then having the prospect of being surrounded by such magic on a nightly basis, felt like a dream come true. It was a dream he had never even considered, but for once in his life, Geneon allowed himself to believe that things were finally going in his favor.

 “So, Geneon. You'll be up soon. Do you need me to go over your part again?”

 Geneon would have turned to look at Maiker, but it was too much trouble given his current limitations. Geneon's costume allowed for very little movement and turning his head was not an option, lest he wanted to turn his entire body. Given how wide the suit was (including the branching extremities) and how narrow the corridor was, the decision to stay put until it was his time to go onstage was an easy one. His eyes remained fixated on the stage as he gave his response.

 “No, I've got it. The skit is “Legendary Hero” and I'm playing the Enchanted Tree. My job is to give the Masamune to the Legendary Hero and to make some goofy movements. That's all there is to it.”

 “You're sure you've got it? I know this is your first time onstage and all.”

 “Don't worry. I'm good.”

 Legendary Hero was apparently one of Troupe Astral's most popular skits. The theatrics behind that particular act were truthfully standard, or even slightly below the standard of the rest of the show, but the big appeal in the skit was that it involved audience participation. According to Maiker, Starr would begin the act by pulling a couple out of the crowd. The male was to play the character of the Legendary Hero, Tot, while the female was cast to play the role of Princess Fiter. The two audience members would act as part of the troupe during the skit, further enhancing the connection between the crowd and the performers. In a way, Geneon felt the simplicity of his role was akin to that of one of the audience volunteers, especially given how swiftly he was put into the position. However, Starr had insisted that the role of the Enchanted Tree was drastically important. Given that the tree was usually played by Fantastic Joe, the crowd knew to cheer wildly upon its appearance. Despite being completely hidden by the costume, the tree's personality was apparently enhanced greatly by Fantastic Joe's “world-famous-super-awesome-mega-masculine poses”. Geneon didn't know how Joe was able to move within the costume, but apparently he did, and the poses he would strike were a big hit audiences around the world. The Paach crowd didn't know that Joe was hurt and unable to perform that evening. Assuming Joe was playing one of his regular roles, the crowd would theoretically cheer upon seeing the tree if Geneon were to pose and make jocund. Starr told Geneon that he would receive his proper credit at the end of the evening's performance, and by then the crowd will have loved the show so much that they wouldn't care that a stand-in replaced Fantastic Joe for their show. Let the audience get invested first, then after they've already bought in, you can sprinkle in the tiniest of disappointments. Starr stated he had learned the trick many years ago at the first show he had ever attended, and it was a lesson he had kept with him his entire life.

 “And now, ladies and gentlemen, for our next act, I'm going to need two volunteers from our lovely audience. A man and a lady! Let's see...Let's see...Ah yes! You two!” shouted Starr from onstage.

 “Huh? Us?” asked a familiar voice.

 No. It can't be.

 “Yes! You two! The cute couple in the front! You'll be perfect for this next part! What do you say, ladies and gentlemen? Should these lovebirds join us onstage?”

 The crowd erupted with applause as Starr beckoned the couple in the front row to come onto the stage. As he took them both by the hand and into the spotlight, their identities were made clear; it was none other than Tyce and Lyra. Geneon's jaw dropped.

 Seriously? Out of all the audience members Starr could have chosen, it HAD to be those two...

 Geneon let out a deep sigh as Starr extended his hand invitingly towards the backstage area. Maiker came out into the open to help guide couple backstage. After securing them away from the sight of the crowd, Maiker positioned Tyce and Lyra directly next to Geneon and began explaining their role in the show.

 “The two of you are going to be playing the Legendary Hero, Tot, and fair Princess Fiter, in our skit “Legendary Hero”. Here, let me show you some notes. Don't worry, it's plenty easy.”

 Geneon's mind began to create a white noise that overrode his senses. He knew, on some level, that Maiker was busy going through the general outline of the skit with Tyce and Lyra. He could see that Lyra seemed excited and attentive while Tyce seemed aloof and confused. Yes, he was in the realm of reality on some level. However, as much as he may have been physically present, his spirit felt incredibly distant and cold. Here he was, inside a ridiculous costume next to his two former best friends, and they were none the wiser to his presence. It felt fitting in a way to have them not notice him. Perhaps he could get through the evening without the two of them being any the wiser as to his role in the troupe.

 “Oh, let me introduce you. This is our newest member, G-”

 “GrEaT tO MeeT yoU!” said Geneon in his best attempt at disguising his voice.

 “Woah! The tree really does talk!” exclaimed Tyce.

 “It's a costume, Tyce,” sighed Lyra.

 “I know that! But it's still weird to see a talking tree!” he said with a smile.

 “Speaking of talking trees, you guys are on next!”

 “What? Seriously? What about our lines?” asked Lyra. She was shocked by how little prep time they had. Though she was initially overjoyed and full of excitement at the prospect of being onstage with the troupe, she had no desire to embarrass herself.

 “Don't worry. Half the fun of this skit is the improvisation. Just follow the troupe's lead and have fun. You'll be awesome, trust me.”

 The musicians began to play a brass fanfare. The composition itself felt terribly awkward and dated, as if it belonged in centuries past, an anachronism meant to be lost to time, but the piece was played with such joyful conviction that it built a wonderful and fantastical atmosphere. In some ways the piece felt like a parody of traditional music from the Mage Wars era, but perhaps the antiquity of that epoch made even an authentic piece from the time period feel like a silly relic. However, the choice of playing such a piece was brilliant, as it transported the minds and imaginations of the audience into a long lost era. Whether or not the fanfare was newly composed or a forgotten classic, the playing of the piece allowed for a musical tapestry to be painted behind the narration of Troupe Astral's enigmatic leader.

  “A long time ago, in an age long forgotten by time, there lived a peaceful kingdom known as Chealld,” began Starr as he flamboyantly waved his hands in the air. Maiker, along with several other troupe members that Geneon couldn't see, swiftly moved a makeshift castle made of thick paper behind Starr to help set the scene. “One day, a dark and vile shadow rose over the gentle kingdom, and the beautiful Princess Fiter was kidnapped by the vile and villainous Dark Lord, Suward. What will become of the fair princess and the kind kingdom?”

 Starr held his hand to his forehead and gazed off into the distance. Suddenly, his face lit up with overabundant joy.

 “What's that? Could it be? No! I dare not say it! But ah! It is! It is! The legendary hero, Tot, has arrived!”

 Tyce waddled his way onto the stage as Livier, dressed in a full suit of armor, made his way to meet Tyce from the opposite direction.

 “Hello, good sir! I see by your badge that you are the legendary hero, Tot!”

 Tyce was silent. He awkwardly looked out at the crowd, then at Starr (who had since moved to the side of the stage), then back to Livier dressed as aknight, then back to the crowd, then back to the knight, then back to the ringmaster, and then finally, back to Livier. Tyce's tongue remained firmly in his mouth as he tried his best to recall exactly what he was supposed to be doing.

 “Great hero, you must save Princess Fiter and free our lands from the accursed Dark Lord!”

 Again, Tyce remained silent. His arms laid at his side like dead fish, offering no movement or weight, and were gravity a bit more powerful, he surely would have fallen to the ground. His lack of agency and urgency was staggering. A bead of sweat began to form on the right side of his forehead as he struggled to think of what to do next. He did not ask for this. He did not want this. But he wanted to make Lyra happy, so he did desire to make the best of this. However, he had zoned out during the “explanation” and simply had no idea what he was supposed to do here.

 “It's your line, kid,” whispered Livier.

 “What?” whispered back Tyce.

 “It's your line!” whispered Livier, louder.

 “Oh. Thanks!”

 Tyce turned to face the audience, opened his mouth to speak, and then promptly shut it. He turned back to face Livier.

 “Um...I kinda forgot it.”

 “There's cue cards, remember?” said Livier as he jerked his neck to the right, revealing Maiker holding a large piece of thick paper with some words written on it. However, Tyce couldn't make out what the large lettering said from his vantage point, so instead he opted to ask Livier again.

 “I'm having trouble reading it. What's it say?” he whispered.

 “Your line is, “But how am I to save the Princess without a legendary sword?” whispered Livier in response.

 “Oh. Gotcha. Thanks.”

 Tyce turned away from the knight to directly face the audience.

 “BUT HOW AM I TO SAVE THE PRINCESS WITHOUT A LEGENDARY SWORD?” yelled Tyce at the top of his lungs.

 “Good sir,” replied Livier as he toned things down a notch, “You are in luck, for we are close to the Enchanted Tree. Within it is the most legendary sword, the Masamune. Pull the Masamune from the Enchanted Tree and you shall be able to vanquish the Dark Lord Suward, save fair Princess Fiter, and restore peace to our kingdom!”

 “Wow! That sounds like a lot! I'm not sure I'll remember to do all of that but I'll try!”

 “That's not your line!” whispered Livier.

 “What? I didn't know I had a line there too! How many lines do I have?!” replied Tyce in his normal volume of speaking.

 “You're supposed to play the noble hero, not some aloof goon. Alas, if that's how you choose to play it, there's naught I can do. I just feel the narrative is being hurt by your lack of foresight and character motivation. Nevermind. This is why I can't stand this skit,” murmured the ever-so professional Livier.

 Livier let out of a loose cough to clear his throat before returning to a level of speaking that the audience could hear.

 “Ahem! Good luck, Sir Tot! The Kingdom of Chealld, nay, the world, is counting on you!”

 It was time. While the audience was distracted with Sir Tot and the knight, Maiker had helped position Geneon onto the stage discreetly, so that when the lights came to focus on the “Enchanted Tree”, the crowd had been none the wiser to the troupe's discreet staging. The transition had been pulled off seamlessly. The magic of theater, and done without any magic, or at least any magic that Geneon was aware of.

 As Tyce approached the “Enchanted Tree”, Geneon could feel himself begin to tense up. So this was to be his final interaction ever with Tyce.

 Tyce, the traitor.

 Tyce, the liar.

 Tyce, the scoundrel.

It was at this point in the show that Geneon was supposed to hand over the legendary sword to the “great hero” so he could get the girl, save the day, and plunder all the triumph. And where did that leave Geneon? It left him to be forgotten, and to once again act as nothing more than a joke. A mockery. Just as he always was. Yes, he would have his chance to leave all of Paach behind, but not before one final indignation.

 Tyce put his hand on the Enchanted Tree and looked down upon the mock sword protruding from it. The blade of the Masamune had an inscription written upon it, which Tyce then began to read:

 “Only the legendary chosen hero, pure of heart, may pull the Masamune from the tree.”

 He shrugged nonchalantly.

 “Well, here goes nothing!”

 Tyce grabbed hold of the blade's hilt, but the mock sword would not budge. Geneon had begun squeezing the prop sword between his legs tightly, not allowing the Masamune to move even a single inch. Though his positioning was far more awkward and uncomfortable, he was far stronger than Tyce, and far more determined. The Masamune would not be moved. Geneon was going to leave Paach behind, so there was no sense in worrying what others might think of him here. It was his turn to finally act upon his wounded pride.

 “Hey man, I'm pretty sure I'm just supposed to be able to pull the sword from the tree. That's what they told me backstage,” whispered Tyce with a grunt.

 Tyce attempted to free the blade from the tree again, but again, the sword (or rather Geneon) would not budge.

 “C'mon, man. Give it up!” bemoaned Tyce.

 The harder Tyce pulled one direction, the harder Geneon pulled the opposite. Harder and harder each side pulled until Geneon came up with the idea of loosening his hold ever so slightly before instantly returning to a tight grip. His trickery worked.  The momentum of the shift caused Tyce to fly backwards into a nearby pole, head first.

 “!!!”

 The crowd gasped. Tyce laid next to the pole with eyes closed and a newly formed bruise beginning to swell. Starr ran over to Tyce in a frantic hurry with a look of genuine concern on his face.

 “Maiker! Healing talis! Now!” yelled the ringmaster in a whisper.

 Starr looked at the nervous crowd. Some were cheering at the turn of events, while many seemed genuinely confused by what had just transpired. Starr let out a cough as a spotlight laid upon him and Tyce.

 “Don't worry folks, all part of the show!” he lied convincingly. It was enough to ease the burden of the audience's concerns.

 The spotlight returned to Geneon. The Enchanted Tree, using its branches as arms, pulled the sword from itself and triumphantly held the Masamune high in the air.

 “Only those worthy of the sword can rescue the princess!” yelled Geneon in his best Fantastic Joe impression. The crowd began cheering wildly.

 “Geneon, what are you doing?” asked a grumpy Starr as he approached.

 “Improvising. Trust me,” he whispered in response.

 Geneon began to do what he thought were Fantastic Joe's “world-famous-super-awesome-mega-masculine poses”, despite never having seen them. What he ended up accomplishing in his gyrations were far removed from Joe's displays. However, the audience was either unaware of what the real thing looked like, or thought they were seeing “new” poses for the first time. Either way, they loved what they saw, and it looked like Geneon had been able to whip the crowd into a frenzy. Starr was unable to resist the allure of the crowd and had to acknowledge Geneon seemed to know what he was doing.

 “Whatever,” said Starr in a deep gruff voice as he sternly crossed his arms. He made his way to the side of the stage to allow the Enchanted Tree to continue its moment in the spotlight.

 “Clearly Tot is not the chosen hero. I, the Enchanted Tree, will go and rescue Princess Fiter myself!”

 “We love you, Joe!”

 “Joe, you're the best!”

 “Joe! Joe!”

 Of course. The crowd isn't cheering for me. They're cheering for Fantastic Joe.

 Geneon looked over to the side of the stage. Tyce still seemed to be in a delirious daze. Maiker had yet to return with the healing talis, so it looked like his rival was down for the count. Just this once, Geneon wanted to be the one who won and got the girl. Even if he was in a giant tree costume, and even if he ultimately wouldn't win Lyra's heart, he could at least live out the fantasy for a moment.

 Go ahead and rest, Tyce. It's my turn.

 “In an unexpected turn of events, the chosen hero was rejected by the Enchanted Tree, who decided to go rescue the princess himself!” exclaimed Starr in his best attempt to sell the story change.

 The crowd didn't need much convincing. Everyone in the crowd assumed that the Enchanted Tree was none other than the legendary Fantastic Joe, and there were even a few in the crowd who noticed that Tyce was the boy who battled Joe in a dance competition earlier in the day. The few that noticed the reunion of the two felt satisfied that their hero was able to give the young upstart his well-deserved comeuppance. Besides, it was more fun to root for Fantastic Joe than some random local kid.

 “Go get her, Joe!”

 “You're the best!”

 “Joe, you're our champion!”

 “Joe! Joe! Joe!”

 “ENOUGH!!!”

 A dark, booming, ominous voice echoed throughout the theater. The musicians began to play an evil and sinister melody while chanting the most haunting words that Geneon had ever heard. He could not recognize the language that the musicians were singing in, but each and every syllable felt unholy and unnerving.

 STOMP! STOMP!

 A gigantic figure dressed in frightening black armor made his way to the stage. His helmet had horns that made him look like a demon, but Geneon knew that underneath the terrifying display was none other than Bruni the Strongman, who he had met shortly after getting into his own costume. Geneon hoped that Bruni wasn't going to be too upset with his improvisation. When they met backstage, Bruni seemed generally affable and easygoing, which made Geneon optimistic that the bulky muscleman would be willing to go along with the skit's new direction.

 “I AM THE DARK LORD SUWARD. WHO DARES ENTER MY DOMAIN?”

 “I do!” exclaimed the Enchanted Tree in a heroic tone. “I demand you free Princess Fiter!”

 “AND WHO ARE YOU TO MAKE DEMANDS OF ME?”

 “I am the Enchanted Tree! Wielder of the legendary Masamune!” yelled Geneon as he flailed the blade around like a madman.

 “A TREE? A TREE DARES TO COMBAT THE DARK LORD? SUCH FARCE!”

 Good. He's willing to play along. Thanks, Bruni.

 “Oh Enchanted Tree, please save me!” cried Lyra.

 That was unexpected. Geneon was so shocked in that moment that he flinched and nearly dropped the Masamune. He turned to look at Lyra and paused for a moment while he gazed into her eyes. It looked like she was willing to play along with the skit's new direction too. While the face she wore for the crowd was one of a frightened princess, Geneon could tell that she was having fun and thought the entire affair was a gas. Good. Not only was she willing to play along, but it also looked like she was having a blast. Everything seemed like it was in order. All that was left to do was to defeat the “dark lord” and save the girl.

 “Don't worry, princess! I'll save you from this monster!” exclaimed the Enchanted Tree.

 “MONSTER! YOU'RE ONE TO TALK!”

 Geneon was impressed with Bruni's improv. That was a good line.

 “IF YOU WANT THE GIRL, COME AND GET HER!”

 The Enchanted Tree let out a fierce battle cry and charged at Suward. With a swift slash (tap) of his blade, the dark lord winced in (pretend) pain and fell to the ground, instantly defeated in a single swipe from the legendary Masamune.

 “NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!”

 Flash!

 Bruni disappeared from the stage in an instant. The crowd cheered wildly at the marvel of the spectacle, with nobody noticing that Starr had been chanting a spell offstage that teleported the strongman to the backstage area. Starr had told Geneon that teleportation spells were fairly common throughout more developed parts of the world, but the talises for such were usually very visible and more often than not needed to be held by the person being teleported, unless they had purchased a very high end talis. The fact that Starr was able to pull off the feat without the talis and without anybody noticing simply added to the audience's willing suspension of disbelief.

 “You saved me,” cried Lyra. “Oh, thank you, Enchanted Tree!”

 “You're welcome, princess,” replied a satisfied Geneon. “Come, let us return you home!”

 Geneon turned his entire body the opposite direction and began stomping offstage. Victory was his. And victory felt good.

 “But wait!”

 Geneon turned his entire body around again to face Lyra. What now? The sketch was over, was it not?

 “Doth not my hero deserve a kiss for rescuing the fair maiden?”

 Geneon gulped. It looked like Lyra was really into playing along with the skit and felt a better ending was needed. Her disposition made sense. Lyra had always been more worldly and open-minded than anybody else he had ever known, so she was likely savoring every little bit of the experience. In addition, her bookwormish tendencies gave her a love for narrative, and even Geneon could agree that would make a far more satisfactory ending, and not just from his perspective. The audience was sure to feel a greater sense of catharsis with such a conclusion. Beyond all of that, in the most practical of terms, Lyra wouldn't feel any guilt for kissing a tree costume, especially as part of a performance. Geneon decided then and there that he would let his fantasy continue just a little bit longer.

 “Princess...”

 The Enchanted Tree wobbled over towards Princess Fiter, dropping the legendary Masamune along the way. He didn't need it anymore. This was his moment. Finally, after all these years, a kiss. Not the way he had imagined it, but still, it was a kiss nonetheless.

 The princess puckered up her lips as she slowly approached the Enchanted Tree. Then...

 POW!

 Geneon fell to the ground with a tremendous thud. A fully recovered Tyce had charged at Geneon, head-first. After he had darted around Lyra, Tyce made his way to his evergreen enemy, and his attack was driven with a great deal of force. The headbutt had landed directly in the center of Geneon's costume, causing the Enchanted Tree to fly back and land atop several audience members who ended up squirming in a combination of fright and pain.

 “That's my girlfriend, you jerk!”

 Tyce wiped his hands together in satisfaction. The healing talis had worked wonders. Tyce had felt completely rejuvenated, and completely vindicated, after taking out that jerk of a tree. The last time he had gotten angry at a tree was when he had fallen out of one five years prior, but even then, he'd never had such animosity towards an individual conifer.

 “Lyra!!” yelled Tyce as he ran to embrace his love.

 “Tyce!!” yelled Lyra in response. As much as she didn't want to break character, she had to admit she found his actions somewhat romantic.

 No! No no no no!!

 It wasn't fair. Geneon could never win. No matter what, Tyce always came out on top. Geneon might have been stronger than Tyce, and Geneon might have been smarter than Tyce, and he may have even been kinder than Tyce. But somehow, somehow, Tyce always came out on top. He was one of the lucky ones. Born a human. Born to get the girl. Even with Geneon stumbling into a great opportunity like Troupe Astral, there was no defeating Tyce in the universe's grand game. Lyra would never be his. Geneon would never beat Tyce.

 With a wail, Geneon picked himself off of the audience members he had been crushing with his weight and lunged at Tyce. Tyce, however, was more than prepared for the Enchanted Tree's offensive. He countered with a tackle, locking his arms with the tree's branches. The crowd roared with laughter and applause at the absurd spectacle. Furious grunts and yells were unleashed by both Tyce and Geneon as the two grappled one another for supremacy, until finally, the upper half of the Enchanted Tree costume fell off, revealing Geneon underneath.

 “Geneon?!” exclaimed a shocked Tyce.

 Lyra's jaw dropped.

 “Geneon?!?! YOU'RE in Troupe Astral?!” she sputtered out.

 Geneon and Tyce immediately stopped their bout as soon as Geneon's bare face had been exposed to the world. Tyce didn't know what to feel in that moment, but the emotion he ultimately landed on was shock. It had overriden his anger, though some of it still lingered.

 Geneon, in contrast, felt nothing other than total shame. He half expected gasps of surprise from the audience, but instead they simply laughed and cheered, as they had done throughout the whole fight. The entire thing was, as the dark lord had said previously, nothing more than a farce. They were loving every minute of it. Prior to Tyce's recovery, so had Geneon. But now his shame had returned. The same shame he had felt his entire life.

 “And that's the end of our tale, ladies and gentlemen! Let's give them all a round of applause!” interjected Starr before the chaos continued its escalation. He was determined not to let this mess continue any further. Besides, there were other acts that still needed to perform, and Starr was a stickler for his schedule.

 The crowd's cheers became even louder. They didn't care that Geneon wasn't Fantastic Joe. They loved what they saw, whatever it was. Tyce and Geneon let go of one another and pulled themselves off of the ground as Lyra slowly approached.

 “We need to talk,” she said softly.

  Both Geneon and Tyce nodded. Finally, something they could all agree upon. Lyra began walking towards the backstage area with both boys following closely behind. This senseless fighting needed to end and she was determined to finally make their long awaited peace happen.  

[radiantepoch]

Radiant Epoch: Chapter 33 - Tyce

 “Next!”

 Tyce and Lyra had finally arrived at the performance tent's entrance. A man in a sparkling blue outfit greeted them boastfully and then, in a more pragmatic tone, asked the two of them to display their tickets. After handing the tickets to the man in sparkling blue, his boastful nature returned. The man in sparkling blue smiled and extended his right hand invitingly towards the tent.

 “Go on in. Enjoy the show!”

 “Thank you,” replied Lyra excitedly. “Come on, Tyce! Let's go find a good seat!”

 Lyra swiftly grabbed Tyce's arm and dragged him into the massive multicolored tent. As crowded as the outside area may have been, the interior of the tent appeared to be housing an even larger mass of people. Perhaps some of that was merely perception, as the density of the group seemed to have difficulty fitting within the tent, which created an impression of the crowd being larger than it actually was. However, even with that in mind, it still felt as if there were more people inside of the tent than outside of it, and it made Lyra wonder how they would manage to fit the rest of the patrons in without the tent bursting at the seams.

 As far as seating was concerned, the setup was unlike anything Tyce or Lyra had ever seen in their little village, but the practicality behind the arrangement made sense instantly. In the center of the tent was a open circular space, and surrounding the circle were raised tiered rows of steel benches where the anticipating crowd stood, sat, and walked up to find their individual spot to stake claim for the duration of the upcoming evening show. Lyra had seen pictures of arenas in her various books, and while she didn't know exactly what she expected when coming inside of the Troupe Astral tent, she certainly hadn't expected this. Admittedly, when she reflected upon her idea (or lack thereof) of the tent's interior, the seating arrangements were quite obvious and she felt like a silly country bumpkin for being surprised by something as simple as raised metal seating, but the fact that the troupe was able to set something like this up in a place as remote as Paach was impressive, if just for the fact that she knew that somehow they had to carry all of the equipment required to set up the audience area. To be able to make this arrangement as portable as it would need to be was something she found genuinely impressive, and Tyce, who normally was not at all reflective about such matters, was too having thoughts about how difficult such a setup must be, and couldn't fathom how they could pull off such a feat. The two of them had already become thoroughly impressed by Troupe Astral simply by viewing the seating arrangements.

 While Tyce shared in the spectacle of the seats, one thing he did not notice (that Lyra immediately did) was the lighting situation. The inside of the tent was perfectly illuminated but there was nary a torch in sight. No, the inside of Troupe Astral's tent was completely illuminated by talises with a neutral glow that offered no artificial coloring to the interior but rather made the inside of the tent seem as bright as the daytime sun. The positioning of the lighting was subtle and spread throughout the tent in such a way that one would not notice the talises lest one put thought into wondering how such a venue could be so illuminated as the sky began to darken. Lyra was impressed by all the small little details she was noticing and wondered what else she might be missing that also remained in plain sight. Troupe Astral clearly had the intention of the audience not needing to notice the lighting by the way they positioned the talises, which made Lyra wonder what other steps they had taken to ensure the audience's immersion.

 “Where do you want to sit?” asked Tyce as he scoured the stands. The options were beginning to look more and limited. Everything near the front seemed to be taken up by that point, and while there were plenty of gaps in seating towards the top of makeshift arena, Lyra was hoping to find something a bit closer to the action. She scoured the middle sections of the stands, but none of them seemed to capture her fancy. After a minute or so of scanning the crowd, she saw a spot near the very front that had been obscured by a large man standing a row above it. After he had taken a seat, the pair of spots had been revealed to Lyra's eye, and she immediately bolted towards the prime seating with Tyce closely in tow.

 “How about right up front?” said Lyra with a tremendously triumphant grin.

 “Wow. Right in the center of the action, huh?”

 “You know it! Tyce, this is the legendary Troupe Astral! I don't want to miss even a single second. There's a part of me that worries if I blink I'll miss something spectacular! No, this is perfect. Perfect!”

 “Your lass had the right idea,” said a middle-aged man standing beside them. “I saw Troupe Astral once years ago and it was the most phenomenal thing I've ever witnessed. I never thought I'd see them again, and in Paach of all places. You two are in for a real treat.”

 The middle-aged man was abound with restrained excitement. It was clear to see he was doing his best to contain the anticipation he had for the show, and while he did show himself to be more poised and proper than some of the other guests there to see the troupe, one wondered how long his veneer of calm could last. He eagerly looked at the stage with the same wonder as a small child, which in turn made Lyra and Tyce all the more excited for the upcoming event.

 “Jarvis,” said the man after a moment's silence. He seemed to think it was rude to end the conversation with but a single comment, so introductions were in order.

 “Tyce,” replied Tyce, taking the initiative to respond. “This is my girlfriend, Lyra.”

 Admittedly, it was still taking some getting used to referring to Lyra as his girlfriend. The title felt so official. She was still the same Lyra he had known his whole life, except now they did a few more things together than they did previously. His affection for her had grown, yes, but in some ways calling her his girlfriend felt like it was too big of a descriptor, yet in other ways it wasn't. Lyra was more than just his girlfriend. Lyra was his Lyra, and he was her Tyce.

 “Nice to meet you,” said Jarvis as he nodded his head.

 “A pleasure to meet you as well,” replied Lyra with a light curtsy.

 The three of them turned back to face the center area again. Tyce wondered how much longer it was going to be until the show started. The stage area looked largely barren, aside from two large poles on opposite ends of the circle and a wire above that connected said poles. Other than that, Tyce could not notice any props or setup and wondered if the troupe had yet to complete their preparations for the evening show. As he wondered how long it would take the group to prepare his mind began to wander from the boredom of waiting. Lyra, however, was more than happy to continue engaging with Jarvis for the time being. She could be quite sociable given the right circumstances, and the exciting energy of a Troupe Astral crowd was the perfect place to bring out the more extroverted side of her personality.

 “So you must be a traveler. Paach is a rather small village and I can't say I recognize you. Did you venture far to come here?”

 “Only about fifty miles. I live over in the Earis Hills with my family.”

 “The Earis Hills? I didn't know anybody lived out there!”

 Lyra's voice indicated more excitement than she actually felt, mostly for the sake of being polite and showing respect to Jarvis. The Earis Hills were a fairly uninteresting area known for beautiful sights and not much else. The soil was fairly unresponsive to any kind of large scale farming, and the wildlife there was generally scarce, so there was little reason for any to venture out that far aside from the pretty scenery. As uninteresting as the hills themselves may have been, however, she was indeed curious as to why somebody would bother living in the area.

 “We're the only ones that we know of out in that region. It's quiet and peaceful, just the way we like it. Nobody bothers us. Not even the empire.”

 That made sense. The Earis Hills offered essentially no resource wealth, was difficult to traverse, and had an almost non-existent population. If one wanted peace and quiet away from the reach of the empire's grasping hand, and one could find a way to live off the difficult land, then the Earis Hills would certainly be a fine place to make settlement. The appeal made sense in retrospect, though Lyra herself would never want to live in a place so greatly isolated.

 “Did you travel here with anybody else?” asked Lyra.

 “Nope. All on my own for this venture. My wife didn't want to make the trip and thought it was too much of a hassle to bring the children along,” explained Jarvis. “I tried to tell her that the show was going to be spectacular, and I even offered to take them myself if she wanted to remain home and rest, but she insisted that they were simply too young for the journey.”

 “How old are your children, if you don't mind me asking?”

 “My youngest is only a year old. My oldest a year his elder.”

 “That does seem a bit young for travel,” conceded Lyra. “And they're likely too young to retain any memories of the show anyway, even if you were to take them.”

 “Hahaha! You sound like my wife. That's exactly what she said. You two would get along famously,” proclaimed Jarvis. “Still, I really would have loved to have taken them with me. Becoming a parent changes you. When I was a lad I thought I never thought I'd be so attached to my kin. I never knew my father, so I had no idea what it meant to be one. But when I became one, I loved it more than anything else I had ever experienced in this life. And leaving them behind for the show, why, it felt almost impossible to do. When I was a single man I thought if I wanted to venture without my future children it would be simple and easy, but alas, it was much harder to leave them behind, even for a brief respite, than I thought. I almost didn't have the heart to do it. I told my wife that I didn't need to go to the show at all, that I would stay with her and the children, but she told me if I ended up not going I'd regret it, and she didn't want me to bare that lingering weight on my mind, so she told me to go and have fun. She's truly a loving woman, my wife is. I'm truly a lucky man to have such a kind spouse, and I'm truly  a lucky man to be seeing Troupe Astral again in my lifetime. I'll admit, just being here makes me feel like I'm ten years younger. It's like being awake during a dream.”

 Tyce noticed that the last sentence seemed to trigger something within Lyra. All of a sudden a flash of emotion overtook her face, though the exact emotion was something Tyce couldn't quite pinpoint. Whatever emotion it was, it was certainly different than the jovial and attentive demeanor she had been displaying just a few seconds earlier. She had placed her hand on the side of her satchel and began caressing it softly. However, just as quickly as Lyra's face flashed with the unknown emotion, it was replaced by the same attentive and friendly face she had donned just a few seconds prior.

 “You know, I was talking with some of the people outside, and it looks like lots of folks traveled to Paach for this show,” continued Jarvis. “I was surprised because I always remembered this village as being so small and quaint, but it looks like Paach is becoming quite the mecca for those traveling the Gadeu merchant routes. It's no Joyachieu, of course, but it's becoming an impressive little trade town.”

 Tyce couldn't remember the last time someone had dared refer to New Bismark by its pre-Hafen name, but one look around the tent and it was clear to see that Jarvis was in safe company. Everyone there seemed to be full of so much joy and excitement for the show that lips were loose and people were speaking freely without fear of repercussion from overly zealous imperial soldiers. The celebratory atmosphere of the room seemed to gift each individual with a sense of freedom and peace. Curiously though, Lyra looked like there was still some sort of lingering train of thought that continued to bother her, in spite of the jovial nature of all around her. It's not that it looked like she was having a bad time, but rather that she didn't look to be fully present. Something Jarvis had said had distracted her for a brief moment, and the distraction seemed to be lingering.

 However, that changed in an instant. The talis lights suddenly went dim and a deep, low hum began to emanate throughout the tent. As if driven by some primal instinct the crowd began cheering wildly as soon as the dark chord began to play. The conversation with Jarvis had ended abruptly, but neither Lyra nor Jarvis seemed to pay it any mind. Tyce, as excited as he was for the show, could not help but look to his side to see if Lyra still had any nagging thoughts eating away at her enjoyment, but to his pleasant surprise it looked like his girlfriend was fully captured by the moment and had let go of whatever worries she might have been carrying with her. Lyra looked like she was fully engrossed with the moment, and that, Tyce felt, gave him permission to do the same.

 Suddenly, a light shone on the center of the circle, revealing a lone man dressed like a rainbow. The top-hat wearing man looked up at the crowd and held out his arms, beckoning the crowd to shower him with applause, and the audience obliged his request with extreme enthusiasm. The man began to flutter his hands, asking the crowd for more cheers, and again they did as they requested. After feeling satisfied with the result, the man decided that it was finally time to begin.

 “Ladies and gentleman! Welcome to the greatest show in the world!”

[radiantepoch]

Radiant Epoch: Chapter 32 - Lyra

 “Do you think they have any food around here? I'm starving!”

 Of course you are.

 Lyra couldn't seem to go anywhere with Tyce without him proclaiming his hunger. On every date they went on, whether or not she told him to eat beforehand, at some point during the proceedings he would complain about his desire to eat. While Lyra had no ability to know about Tyce's exploits and exertion of energy earlier in the day, she did realize that their wandering around was occurring during the standard hours of a common mealtime, so his proclamation was a little bit more excusable in this particular instance. Beyond that, there did seem to be a large number of vendor stalls offering frivolities like balloons and wooden trinkets, so it was plenty plausible that there may be some food in the nearby vicinity as well.

 “Do you think they have any fish? I could go for some fish!”

 Lyra let loose a light laugh. She was fairly certain that Tyce didn't notice her giggle, given the size and volume of the crowd, and the fact that she had taken the lead in their exploration. Tyce was following closely behind, his hand holding onto Lyra's as she pulled him through the crowd, but he remained far enough behind that such laughter easily escaped his attention.

 The two continued bobbing and weaving their way through the crowd until they came across a vendor selling chicken kebob. Lyra was hungry too and hadn't given herself any time to eat outside of breakfast with her family, so she was happy to partake in a quick bite with her boyfriend. The two of them wolfed down their kebobs in an instant. Lyra's swift eating had caught Tyce off guard, as she usually tried to instill in him some sense of manners when it came to dining etiquette, but her sheer hunger negated the normal rules of proper eating. Besides, nobody would notice or care how quickly the two of them were devouring their meals in this massive sea of people, and there was still so much to see before the show began.

 Lyra had heard it was fairly commonplace for traveling vendors and local merchants to end up forming miniature festivals around Troupe Astral shows, and it looked like the rumors were in fact true. Paach had never been as lively as it was that evening, at least as far as Lyra could remember. Supposedly Troupe Astral was popular enough to draw crowds large enough to stimulate little mini economies for the day of their events, and while Tyce and Lyra were familiar with the kebob vendor as a local, there were many vendors who were not. Though it was fun to see their neighbors, Lyra was ultimately more curious to see what kind of travelers had been drawn to Paach for the festivities. It seemed as if most of the visitors were in the business of selling minor trinkets of the like she had seen earlier. Truthfully, almost none of the trinkets peaked Lyra's interest in the slightest, but she hoped that through her exploration she would eventually find a diamond in the rough.

 “Step right up! Play to win fabulous prizes!”

 Games were also aplenty. One vendor offered a game where the goal was to toss a green ball through a netted hoop while another offered a challenge where one tried to toss multicolored rings atop of bottles. Another game involved spinning a giant wheel that determined what kind of prize, if any, would be won by the player. There was even a machine that supposedly measured the strength of one's punching power. Lyra was generally skeptical of all of these games and contraptions, but she did admit that she found one that peaked her interest: the dartboard.

 “You there, young man!” yelled the portly game operator.

 “Huh? Me?” asked Tyce as he pointed to himself.

 “Yes! You! I saw your lady friend eye up my stall. Clearly she wants you to win one of our wonderful prizes for her!”

 “She does?”

 The portly game operator's grin grew as he twirled his mustache in anticipation. He had laid the bait and was reeling in his target.

 “Why yes! Look at her, the poor thing. She's probably longing to cuddle one of these adorable stuffed sheep, aren't you lass?”

 Lyra looked at the stuffed animals tied to the wall of the dartboard stand. She had to admit that the little sheep plushies were quite adorable, even as she thought she had outgrown such things. However, she hadn't even noticed them until the portly game operator had pointed them out to her the moment prior. Her interest and attention had been preoccupied with the dartboard itself.

 “So, what do you say? Up for a game?” asked the portly game operator as he held out a handful of darts.

 “Yes, thank you,” said Lyra.

  “Excellent, well it'll be one haftmark for a game,” exclaimed the game operator with glee.

 The rotund man held out his hands towards Tyce, one empty and the other full of the darts, but was shocked  when the entire exchange was handled by none other than Lyra. The portly man had incorrectly assumed that he was convincing Tyce to showcase his masculinity in a game of skill, but Lyra was the one who wanted to play, not him. Tyce had no interest in darts or archery. Lyra, however, was always up for a challenge.

 “Well well well! The lady wants to give it a try, eh? Do be careful now dear, those darts are plenty sharp!”

 Lyra tapped her index finger on the edge of the one of the darts. The man was lying; the tips of the darts were incredibly dull. She was going to have to throw them much harder than normal if they were to make any kind of indentation on the dartboard as opposed to merely bouncing off, likely as they were meant to. With a blank expression Lyra threw dart after dart in an instant. All of them landed dead center on the board, causing the portly game operator's face to drop in shock and disappointment.

 “What the...?”

 “So, is that enough for the sheep?” asked Lyra with a sly smile.

 “Y-yes, milady. Here you are,” he replied as he handed Lyra her prize.

 “Thank you!” chirped Lyra in a higher-pitch than normal. The man wondered if Lyra was speaking in an extra feminine tone to mock him, but rather than profess his insulted pride, the man decided it was best to just get the two teenagers out of his sight as quickly possible and chose not to press the matter.

 “So, Tyce, what do you think we should name him?” Lyra said as she triumphantly held up her spoils.

 “Hm...”

 Tyce stroked his chin as the two of them walked away from the dartboard stall. Lyra began snuggling and cuddling her stuffed sheep in an a more overt display of childlike emotion than Tyce had seen from her in ages. The jocund atmosphere of the festivities were finally allowing Lyra to let loose and have some real fun after all the tension of the day, and she was fully savoring each and every moment. Why not snuggle the results of her victory?

 “How about Flossie?” suggested Tyce.

 “Flossie...Hm...”

 Lyra looked at the stuffed sheep in the eye as if she were staring into the depths of its soul, determining whether or not Flossie was the appropriate name for hew new snuggle buddy. A large smile grew on her face as she felt confirmation from within her that yes, Flossie was indeed a good name for this little toy. Flossie the stuffed sheep. Yes. A perfect name.

 “I love it! Flossie it is!”

 “That actually reminds me,” said Tyce as he dug into his pouch. “I have something for you.”

 “You do?” asked a surprised Lyra.

 “Yeah. I was going to give it you  right away when I saw you, but I got distracted when that weird lady gave you that talis. Here,”

 Lyra's eyes widened when Tyce pulled a glowing blue flower out of his pouch. It was a glowstar, and it was both delicate and beautiful. Surprisingly, the glowstar seemed to be in fine condition despite being shoved into the tiny little pouch previously. Not a single wrinkle or unsightly bend was found on the splendid little flower. After carefully placing Flossie in her satchel, Lyra accepted the glowstar from her beloved.

 “Oh Tyce. It's beautiful,” said Lyra as her eyes lit up with wonder. “Thank you!”

 “I'm glad you like it! It's called a glowstar!” stated Tyce excitedly.

 I know what a glowstar is, Tyce.

 Rather than state such, Lyra decided to let Tyce have his moment of victory. Tyce often struggled with more traditional romantic gestures, not through any lack of effort, but simply because the process of doing such was very unnatural to him. The fact that he had gone out of his way to get her a flower for their date, let alone such a rarity, showed the amount of effort and thought put into the gift, and that's what Lyra truly appreciated. It wasn't the fact that it was a glowstar, but rather the fact that Tyce did whatever it took to get a glowstar for her.

 “I really hope you didn't go through too much trouble to get this for me,” said Lyra lovingly. She was truly enamored by the gesture. Tyce, for all his quirks and oddities, truly could show himself to be loving and caring.

 “No, it was no big deal,” Tyce replied nonchalantly. He saw no need to go into the details of his earlier escapades. Tyce thought that if Lyra knew about all he went through to get the flower that she would feel a degree of guilt for him having risked so much for it, and thus he felt it better to just leave that be. He wanted her to enjoy the gift without any external conditions weighing down the gesture.

 “Well, I love it,” Lyra cried jubilantly. “Thank you, baby.”

 Lyra shared another kiss with Tyce. Though he had already had  received several kisses from Lyra that evening, this one was by far the most passionate. The way Lyra's lips lingered on his felt like a fire gradually heating a frying pan the longer it remained. Each second Tyce felt himself get hotter and hotter. Eventually, Lyra pulled away, but not before leaving her boyfriend completely breathless.

 “I...uh...uhh...glad you like it...” panted Tyce.

 Lyra got a sly look in her eyes. If it were not for extreme excitement for tonight's show, she would have suggested they go elsewhere and continue their kissing in a more private venue, but as raging as her teenage hormones may have been, her desire to see Troupe Astral overrode her desire for other things. Those could wait, after all. Tyce was still going to be here after the show. Troupe Astral, however, were only going to be here for a single evening. After tonight, all of this would go away, so it was best to appreciate and experience it while she could.

 “What's that over there?” asked Lyra as her eyes danced over to a small black tent in the distance.

 “Oh that? I'm not sure. I saw a bunch of people line up in front of it earlier. It didn't smell like food so I didn't bother going over there.”

 “Let's go check it out,” Lyra said excitedly as she put the glowstar in her hair. “We still have some time before the show starts,”

 “I dunno, the line looks pretty long,” said Tyce as he eyed up queue.

 Lyra immediately shot Tyce a playful scowl. Tyce gulped and shook his head.

 “Nevermind. Let's go take a look. After all, we still have some time before the show starts!”

 “Excuse me,” said Lyra as she approached a man at the back of the queue. “What's this line for?”

 “Oh, this is a line to meet the legendary fortune teller Orthus. The most famous clairvoyant in all the lands!”

 “Ah, I see. Well, thank you very much,” replied Lyra politely.

 Lyra had read about Orthus when doing her research on Troupe Astral, and truthfully, he was by far the member of the troupe she had the least amount of interest in. Lyra had never seen a fortune teller in the flesh, but she had done plenty of reading on the subject. While her reading on psychics began initially as an honest curiosity into whether or not such a feat were possible, the more Lyra read on the subject the more cynical she became, as it seemed that more often than not psychics were nothing more than charlatans using parlor tricks to convince their clients that they had some kind of second sight. While she might have liked to have visited the reader for a laugh, Lyra felt such a diversion would not be worth it if she ended up missing a single second of the show. After coming to her decision, Lyra turned back around to face Tyce.

 “Well, we can skip this line then. Come on, let's go in and find our seats.”

 “Huh? You don't want your fortune read?” asked a surprised Tyce.

 “I don't believe in silly superstitions,” said Lyra as her more practical side began its return to the forefront. “Besides, if we wait in that long line we might miss the start of the show. I doubt anything that soothsayer has to say will be as interesting as the theatrics inside.”

 “Fair enough,” said Tyce as he held out his arm. “Well, shall we?”

 Lyra locked her arm with his.

 “Let's.”

[radiantepoch]

Radiant Epoch: Chapter 31 - Geneon

The Troupe Astral campgrounds were incredibly noisy upon Geneon's return. While none of the members of the group were visible to his eye, the sheer amount of chatter and conversation overwhelmed the area and was almost intoxicating in its continuous cacophony. The loud chatter seemed to be coming from the opposite side of the grand performance tent, which made the eerie silence of Geneon's side of the tent all the more unnerving. Nobody was to be found anywhere on the grounds and yet the roar of the crowd indicated that a great many people were nearby. Geneon wondered just how large of an audience had gathered for Troupe Astral's show and whether or not he would be able to handle his first public performance. He was not used to the idea of all eyes being upon him. Generally, the more attention he garnered, the worse things were for him. To invite attention for a change, nay, to demand it as part of theatrical exhibition, was to be unlike anything he had ever done before. He wondered if he was truly up to the task.

 “Where is everybody?” Geneon asked aloud.

 “Meow!”

 “Sorry. You're right, Nora. You wouldn't know any better than I would.”

 Geneon smiled as he looked down at his cat companion. He was happy that Nora was coming along with him on his newfound journey, wherever that may end up leading. Perhaps Geneon was going to end up hating the evening performance and would decide not to join the group after all, deciding that the showman life is simply not for him. Or maybe he would stay with the troupe until he arrived at a port he fancied and then would leave them behind to as travel freely his hearts contented. There was also the distinct possibility that he might have, through sheer happenstance, come across something he would love doing, and would remain a faithful member of the troupe for many years into the future. He didn't know what he was ultimately going to do in regards to his remaining in the group after the performance, but whatever may come his way, he knew that Nora would be at his side. Geneon was truly grateful for Lyra's assistance in finding her.

 Lyra...

 Geneon thought back to their parting moment. Should he had told her of his plans to leave Paach behind? After all, she had selflessly assisted him in finding Nora, all without the knowledge of why he wanted to find her so bad. Ultimately, Geneon's final moments with Lyra had been positive. She acted as a true friend and showed up for him when he needed her the most. Perhaps he owed her the dignity of at least being honest with her. Regret began to creep into his mind.

 “There you are!”

 Maiker's voice had abruptly shifted Geneon's attention away from rumination and back to the present. The lanky trapeze artist looked frantic and exasperated, as per usual, however he seemed to be slightly more distressed than Geneon had seen of him previously.

 “You're finally here. Cutting it close, are ya? Geez!” exclaimed Maiker.

 “I'm sorry I took so long. But didn't all of you say I needed to get my affairs in order before I left?”

 “Yes, but we didn't think you'd take so long!”

 “I thought he would take this long,” said Starr's voice from behind.

 Geneon, Maiker, and even little Nora, flinched at the ringmaster's unexpected arrival. All three of them immediately turned around to see Starr standing calmly with his arms crossed behind his back. The campgrounds were wide and spacious, and so while Geneon accepted that the noise from the crowd could have distracted him from Starr's footsteps, he still could not fathom how the little man had arrived seemingly out of thin air.

 “Ack! Starr, you nearly gave me a heart attack!” whined Maiker.

 “I'm sorry, my dear Maiker. I do have a tendency to sneak up on people, don't I? Again, my sincerest apologies.”

 “He does this all the time,” Maiker stated frustratingly as he turned his gaze to Geneon.

 “So. You must be Nora,” said Starr as he looked down at the one-eyed cat.

 Starr bent down and began gazing in Nora's lone eye. He smiled and ever so slowly blinked his eyes in a rhythmic fashion. After a few slow blinks, Nora reciprocated with a few slow blinks of her own. She began purring profusely and then rubbed up against Starr's leg. The ringmaster removed a single black glove and began petting the loving little cat, causing the purring to increase.

 “Incredible. I've never seen Nora warm up to anyone like that,” professed Geneon.

 “Animals tend to like me,” explained Starr. “And I like them.”

 Nora was loving the ringmaster's attention. She rolled on the ground and began writhing in joy as she allowed the ringmaster to rub her head with more and more vigor. Though Nora would let Tyce and Lyra pet her on occasion, she never embraced them quite as much as this. Perhaps it was a sign that Starr was to someone who could truly be trusted. Or that he was, at minimum, good at obtaining trust.

 “You know, Nora reminds me of a cat I knew a long time ago. Kindest creature I've ever met in all my travels. You're lucky to have such a companion,” said Starr with a warm smile. “Good companions are hard to come by. If you end up finding some, you must keep them close to your heart and never let them go. Even if life's journey takes you away for them, if they're in your heart, you'll never truly be alone.”

 Starr rose to his feet and returned the black glove to his hand.

 “Oh bother, I'm waxing philosophical again. I apologize for my monotonous musings. I'm sure I must be boring you. And I allowed my adoration of animals to distract me from the important task at hand. The show is nigh and we must get you prepared for your grand debut! I do apologize in advance for you not being listed on tonight's program. We did not have time to print new ones under such short notice, but I will ensure you are properly credited during the curtain call.”

 “It's not a problem,” said Geneon honestly. He had never even once thought about the program guide during the entirety of his affairs with Troupe Astral. Starr had made this offense out to be something of grave import and seemed to value honoring Geneon with how he handled the situation, but given Geneon's unfamiliarity with the concept, he had zero frame of reference as to how much he should care about such a thing. His suspicion was that Starr seemed overly concerned with something that ultimately amounted to minimal importance, but given how little he knew about the ins and outs of show business, it was entirely possible that Starr was attempting to be proactive in the bets of ways. It was also entirely possible that Starr was overthinking minuscule issues and over-explaining things that did not need as great of attention and focus.

 “Oi!”

 The group turned around to see Irwin approaching with a small black cage. Cruel and uninviting, the black cage was tiny and cramped, and beyond that, looked to be in poor condition and had begun to rust away. Jagged edges made it clear that the tiny box offered no solace or comfort. It was a dreadful little sight, and the dread only increased when Irwin turned their gaze to Nora.

 “Is this the cat?” asked Irwin as they moved closer.

 Nora immediately ran behind Geneon and began to quiver in fear. His heart sank for the poor terrified feline instantly. If Nora was to be his pet, he was determined to treat her well. She had spent her entire life up to that moment being free and Geneon would be damned if she were to be put in a cage now. He firmly held out his hand in the air to motion Irwin to stop their pursuit.

 “What?” asked the animal trainer coldly.

 “Nora doesn't need a cage. She'll be fine to room with me and won't cause any trouble.”

 “Uh-huh. Look, we've got enough trouble with Saru running around. We don't need any more critters wreaking chaos in the camp.”

 “Irwin,” said Starr as he put his hand on the tamer's shoulder, “If Geneon says that Nora does not require a cage, then there's no need to force the adorable little ball of fluff into one.”

 “But Starr-”

 “Geneon will take full responsibility for Nora. Isn't that right, Geneon?” asked Starr with a smile.

 Geneon nodded.

 “Of course. I'll make sure she doesn't get into any trouble. She's a good girl, aren't you Nora?”

 “Meow!”

 “Whatever,” said Irwin with a scoff. “Just don't let it wander near any of my beasts. Wouldn't want it to get eaten. That would be a real tragedy.”

 The sarcasm in Irwin's voice was blatant, but Geneon paid it no mind. He was simply happy that the cage issue had successfully been averted. However, the problem of the cage did force a thought into the forefront of Geneon's mind. Where exactly were he and Nora supposed to sleep and rest when this was all over?

 “Well, now that we have that settled, Geneon, please follow me, and be quick about it please,” demanded Starr in a tone that leaned more on the side of firm than polite, but truthfully danced on the edge between the two.

 Geneon nodded in obedience and tipped his head at Nora, who knew to follow in pursuit. In just a few short moments Geneon, Nora, Maiker and Starr found themselves in front of a bright green tent that almost seemed to match the color of Geneon's hair perfectly. Geneon looked at the tent in complete awe. Unlike his hole in the wall, which was made of crumbling stone and had to remain in place forever, the tent was fresh and clean. More than that, the tent was free to move when it needed to and wasn't restricted by the soils of Paach. It didn't look like a squatter's den: it looked like a home. An odd home, to be sure, but a home nonetheless. It was his.

 “Is this...?” asked Geneon is disbelief.

 “It is. This is your tent, my good boy. I know the life of travel can be rough and hard, but hopefully you will be able to find some semblance of comfort within the confines of this humble piece of cloth. Inside is bedding for you and for your friend. I didn't have much time to get it set up for you so please excuse its rushed appearance,” apologized Starr.

 “No. No, it looks great. Wonderful. Thank you, Starr.”

 “You're very welcome.”

 “I can't believe you went and made a green tent, just for me.”

 “We just pulled it out of storage,” replied Maiker matter-of-factly. “Starr likes to keep a lot of extra tents around in case we get new people joining the troupe.”

 “Always best to be prepared! Hope for the best but prepare for the worst!” proclaimed Starr jubilantly. “Little Nora should be able to comfortably rest in here while we perform the show. And speaking of such, we must make haste! You need to get into costume!”

 Geneon blinked twice. He had been so busy admiring the tent that he had lost track of what Starr had been saying.

 “Costume?”

[radiantepoch]

Radiant Epoch: Chapter 30 - Tyce

Lyra was late. Tyce had ended up arriving late as well. After Sophia's insistence that it might be wise to “freshen up” before his date, Tyce had returned home for a quick wash of his skin and change of clothes. The combined smells of sweat , Fantastic Joe's cologne, the Wily Ellmoth's kitchen scents and the musty fragrances of the underground cavern were certainly not a pleasant aroma pallet, especially taking them in all at once. Given how long the affair with the Blue Queen had lasted, Tyce ended up quite frantic in his freshening up duties, zooming through them as quickly as he possibly could to ensure that Lyra was not kept waiting. However, for the first time since Tyce could remember, he was the first to arrive on the scene and Lyra was in fact the one who was being waited on.

 It's not that Lyra never had things come up. On the contrary, more often than not her parents would keep her at the family shop for longer than their stated intentions, and when it came to her personal life her family would often drag their feet in any attempt of properly ensuring Lyra's punctuality. While Clive and Tara were quite punctual when it came to matters they found important (like a business meeting), they didn't place the same degree of respect on such protocol when it came to their daughter's personal affairs. It is because of this quirk of theirs that Lyra simply started lying to her parents about her plans (at least in regard to the timeframes involved) to ensure she always had enough wiggle room in her day to show up on time for whenever she was to meet with another person. Unlike her parents, she felt that everyone deserved the respect shown by punctuality, not just those with deep pockets. So, Lyra would tell her parents she needed to leave an hour or two before she actually said she did, and when her parents kept her later than they claimed they would (which was often the case), it would not impede her ability to show those she kept appointments the respect she felt they deserved. On most occasions, her parents would only keep her for an additional fifteen to thirty minutes longer than they would promise, but there were occasions where she had been forced to stay behind at the shop for far greater lengths of time. However, due to her diligence and careful planning, Lyra had ensured that she was always on time for all of her scheduled rendezvous without fail.

 Except for now. Somehow Lyra, the perfect picture of punctuality, was late for something, and Tyce was the one who found himself waiting. He had gotten so used to things happening as soon as he arrived on the scene that Tyce found he didn't quite know what to do with himself when faced with the prospect of actually having to wait on somebody else, especially someone he expected he would not have to wait on. Tyce anxiously tapped his foot and bounced back and forth like an over-excited toddler as he gazed over his surroundings. A large crowd had begun to gather outside of Troupe Astral's massive tent but Lyra was nowhere to be found in the sea of spectators.

 “Uwagh!”

 Suddenly, Tyce felt someone squeeze him from behind. After the initial shock wore off he realized that the perpetrator was none other than Lyra, who had somehow managed to sneak up on him. She giggled blithely at his unexpected and frightful squeal. The laughter was contagious and Tyce instantly felt himself joining in on the joy of seeing one's romantic partner after a long and winding day. Lyra lifted his spirits like a bright ray of sunshine, and though he couldn't tell in that moment, Tyce had done the same for her. She needed something light and fun after everything that she'd experienced that day, and a merry excursion with her loving boyfriend served as the perfect antidote for the rest of the day's more serious persuasion.

 “Hey! You smell like fish!” exclaimed Tyce.

 “Oh. I'm sorry about that. I didn't have much time to get myself cleaned up and didn't want to keep you waiting for too long,” explained Lyra sheepishly.

 “It's no problem,” said Tyce as he gave his girlfriend a quick peck on the cheek. “I like fish!”

 “You like everything,” laughed Lyra.

 “Well, it makes it easier, right? Say, why do you smell like fish?”

 “Oh, you know how things are at the store. Zareck brought in some oddities,” said Lyra, intentionally choosing her words as to not lie per se, but rather imply an answer for Tyce to assume. Now was not the time to go into details about trying to rectify things with Geneon, especially given the fact that she still hadn't succeeded in her mission. Lyra ultimately felt  that there was no sense complicating things with a lengthy tale of her attempt at reconciliation, especially given that she was unsure if Tyce was ready to make amends with his estranged friend. Talking of Geneon, at least right now, seemed like a bad idea. All that would serve to do would be to bring down the mood, so why bother?  

 “Do you need to frrreshen yourrrself, little girrrl?” asked a woman passerby wearing a puffy red and brown dress.

 “Huh? Oh no, m'am,” replied Lyra politely. “I just had to carry some fish earlier today and a little bit of the smell is lingering on me, that's all. I'm sure it'll aroma will taper off soon. I'm sorry if it's bothering you, truly.”

 “You poorrr little village girrrls, alvays vorrrking so harrrd,” said the woman with a sympathetic yet judgmental face. “You rrremind me of how zings arrre in my home kountrrry. Girrrls vorrrk just as harrrd as men, if not harrrder. Herrre, little girrrl, take zis.”

 The finely dressed woman handed Lyra a small white sphere about half the size of a marble. Though Tyce assumed it was a mint candy of some kind, Lyra was more astute in her observation of the orb and deduced it was some kind of miniature talis from the Hafen mainland. However, like the Palace Relic, this one didn't seem to have an obvious catalyst either. After observing the tiny talis for a moment, Lyra returned her gaze to the foreign woman.

 “Oh, you just need to crrrush it in yourrr hands to get it to vorrrk.”

 It was at that point that Tyce caught up with Lyra and realized that the small orb had to be a talis. Tyce knew that Lyra had a strange fascination with talises and was far more willing to experiment with them than most of the people in Paach, but even he was surprised when Lyra instantly crushed the white orb in her hands after only a brief pause for consideration. Lyra was normally very cautious and studious when it came to her decision making, so to see her use a stranger's unknown talis without hesitation felt wildly unexpected. However, just as soon as she had crushed the talis, the smell of fish vanished. Beyond that, Lyra's clothes instantly became less wrinkled, her hair gained shine and volume, and her skin appeared perfectly fresh and clean.

 “Lyra! What are you doing?!” exclaimed Tyce.

 “Relax Tyce, it's just a baden talis,” said Lyra before she returned her attention to the foreign woman. “I've never seen one in-person before. In fact, I hadn't yet encountered any disposable talises. Thank you, m'am.”

 “You'rrre velkome, little girrrl. I'm surrrprrrised zese haven't made vay to yourrr village yet. Baden talises arrre essential forrr trrravel. It's such cheap and kompact vay to take karrre of yourrr clothes and hygiene. I do not know how you people live vithout zem.”

 “People in this village like their traditions and are afraid of trying new things,” Lyra explained. “Talises tend not sell well in Paach, unfortunately.”

 Lyra had fruitlessly tried to convince her father to get an import license for selling baden talises at the store. She argued that with the increased flow of travelers coming through the village that there would be high demand for portable orbs that freshened one's clothes and bodies in an instant. However, the guild strongly opposed Lyra's proposition, given the area residents' general fear of talis technology and the economic impacts it would have on the Barristen Soaping Company, one of the largest domestic traders in the region. There was no guarantee that the skeptical populace would even want to try these new contraptions of convenience, but angering the Barristen family was a sure-fire way to ensure a political fallout in the merchant guild and Lyra's father losing the title of guildmaster. As much as Clive may have wanted to modernize Paach, he also knew what limits not to push, at least for the time being.

 “Vell, hopefully yourrr people vill get vith times. Yourrr village is changing. Empirrre. Trrravelerrrs. Why, even grrreat Trrroupe Astrrral is herrre. I don't zink zis village vill be able to viv in past forrrever.”

 “I don't think so either.”

 “You arrre smarrrt girrrl. Futurrre is in brrright hands, forrr surrre. It pleasurrre to meet you. My name Svetlana. What is yourrr name?”

 “Lyra,” she said with a curtsy.

 “And who is yourrr boy?” asked the woman as she eyed up Lyra's escort.

 “Oh, my apologies. This is my boyfriend, Tyce.”

 Svetlana looked Tyce up and down again. After looking down at his waist she nodded with stern confidence and said, “He handsome and in good shape. Good forrr brrreeding. You vill make strrrong babies.”

 It was hard to tell which of the teenagers, Tyce or Lyra, was blushing more profusely after that comment. Tyce had been feeling awkward and uncomfortable the entire conversation, as he didn't feel like he understood Hafen culture (or any foreign culture) to a tenth of the degree that Lyra did, so he had simply kept his mouth shut during their exchange to avoid embarrassing Lyra with any social faux pas. He didn't want to come off as an ignorant country boy when discussing the finer points of talis culture, and while he was unsure if casual discussion of “breeding” was something normal in Svetlana's “ home kountrrry”, he certainly didn't want to even attempt any kind of response. From the look of things, Lyra didn't want to respond to the comment either, and it now seemed that Tyce was no longer alone in his discomfort. As cultured as Lyra had become, it looked like she had still retained some of that country humility.

 “T-thank you?” Lyra finally blurted out, not knowing what else to say.

 “You'rrre velkome. Vell, I must go. It vas nice meeting you, Lyra. Tyce.”

 With that, the finely dressed woman took her leave of the thoroughly embarrassed teenagers. The unease from the conversation lingered between the two of them the entire time that the foreign woman remained in their line of vision. After Svetlana disappeared into the ocean of people, Tyce finally felt comfortable enough to break the silence and speak on the subject.

 “Well, that was awkward,” he proclaimed.

 “Yeah. That was really weird,” laughed Lyra.

 “Who just goes around and says, “you two vill be good for breeding”?” said Tyce with a laugh.

 “Svetlana the Dancer, apparently.”

 “Huh? How did you know she's a dancer?” asked a bewildered Tyce. He hadn't picked up on that at all. While Tyce knew he was often aloof and inept when it came to deducing social clues, he couldn't think of anything about the foreign woman that indicated she was a dancer. In fact, the woman's outfit looked too puffy and fancy to dance in, unless it was that “ballroom dancing”stuff Lyra had told him about.

 “She's in the program,” said Lyra as she dug into her pouch and pulled out two blue paper booklets. “Here, I got you one.”

 Lyra handed Tyce one of the two booklets. The cover was simple enough, with the words “TROUPE ASTRAL: PROGRAM GUIDE” written in a bold yet easily legible script, and within were sketches of the various members of the troupe alongside short descriptors of their role in the show. Sure enough, “Svetlana the Dancer” was featured prominently inside.

 “Oh, thanks. Hey, why didn't you tell her you knew she was in Troupe Astral?” asked Tyce as he continued thumbing through the booklet.

 “I didn't want to act like a starstruck simpleton. I'm sure the troupe have fans clawing at them all the time. If I'm to meet anyone in Troupe Astral, I want to speak with them as people, not as icons,” explained Lyra.

 “Hm...” mused Tyce as he considered what he would want to do if he knew he had encountered a member of Troupe Astral. “I would've wished her good luck and told her to have a good show. I'd want someone to tell me to have a good show if I were a performer, I think. But that's just me.”

 “Oh Tyce, you don't say good luck before a show,” said Lyra as she shook her head. “Saying “good luck” is bad luck! You tell them to break a leg instead!”

 “But I don't want them to break a leg,” exclaimed a horrified Tyce. “Why would you want someone to get hurt?!”

 “No, Tyce, you don't want them to get hurt, it's just an expression. Oh baby,” said Lyra as she held her palm to her forehand. As frustrating as Tyce could be sometimes, she couldn't help but smile. Prior to them dating, she might have felt a bit more anger and annoyance at his naivety, but knowing the taste of his lips and the feeling of his skin on hers was enough for her to whisk away any negativity in favor of appreciation.

 Lyra smiled and pulled Tyce close. She gave her boyfriend a quick kiss on the lips and took in the sweet sensation of his body for a brief moment. Yes. That was why she didn't get as annoyed with him as she used to. As strong as the logical side of her brain was, Tyce had awakened her lustful side, and it was even stronger.

 “You're lucky you're cute,” said Lyra as she gazed into the attractive eyes of her boyfriend.

 She pulled him in for a deeper, more passionate kiss.

 “Really, really cute.”

[radiantepoch]

Radiant Epoch: Chapter 29 - Geneon

Walking alongside Lyra on the streets of Paach's cordillan district was something that Geneon never expected to experience ever again in his lifetime given the extreme nature of their falling out. The entirety of the day was feeling more and more surreal to him as it continued to progress. Beginning under the boot of the empire, venturing into the forest, sharing a meal with Nora, dodging Spag's attempts at criminal recruitment, joining Troupe Astral (even if temporarily), bidding farewell to Maiker after their tour of the grounds, returning to his hole for one last visit, and finally reuniting with Lyra on his last mission before departing Paach. Geneon always used to say that nothing of interest ever happened in his life and that every day felt more or less the same, but on this day, he certainly could not lay claim to such a belief anymore. So much was happening all at once. Perhaps big things could indeed happen in Paach, at least when the universe decided it was time for one to leave said village behind.

 Despite his philosophical musings, Geneon still felt a great deal of unease walking alongside Lyra. The tension had not loosened in the slightest. If anything, the prolonged delaying of their conversation left a lingering sense of discomfort in the air, waiting to be broken at a moment's notice. Geneon felt like he was walking on the edge of a cliff and could fall over into the abyss at any moment. He carried a degree of guilt within him due to how much of his attention was focused on Lyra as opposed to how much of his focus he felt Nora deserved in this scenario, but in the end Geneon was able to place his primary focus on the search, despite the constant intrusion of awkward tension temporarily making his attention stray elsewhere.

 His search partner, on the other hand, seemed as if she was completely comfortable with the arrangement, or at least hid it well enough under her intense focus on the task at hand. Unlike Geneon, Lyra seemed to be able to perform this particular duty without simultaneously obsessing over her unfinished apology. Her concentration, at least from the perspective of Geneon, seemed to be perfect. Lyra was seemingly able to separate herself from that whirlwind of emotions she was feeling in order to prioritize what she felt needed to be prioritized, and all without prodding Geneon as to why he needed to find Nora in such a swift manner. Her concern seemed to be solely with helping Geneon, and if there were still any lingering obsessions in her mind, she hid them so well that they were fully undetectable by him. Lyra appeared to be fully committed to the search and any hint of distressed emotion seemed to have evaporated away as her eyes darted round and round looking for any sign of the female feline.

 “Do you remember the last place you saw her?” asked Lyra as she ducked down to look under a decrepit building.

 “She came by the house a few hours ago,” replied Geneon awkwardly. “We shared some fish and then she walked over this way.”

 “So we've already been heading the “right direction”, huh?” said Lyra as she rose to her feet.

 “And she's a cat, so just because she went this way doesn't mean she stayed this way. Nora loves to roam.”

 “I assume you checked all of her usual spots?”

 “I did. I can't seem to find her anywhere.”

 Geneon's feelings of unease with Lyra seemed to lessen as they talked about Nora. However, the unease he felt with his estranged friend were simply replaced with tensions and concerns over the whereabouts of the missing cat. It wasn't usually this difficult to find Nora. There's the old adage that one can never find what one seems to be looking for, and as such Geneon considered that such an idiom might possibly apply in this particular circumstance, but given how thoroughly and swiftly he combed through the cordillan district, it seemed equally if not more plausible that something had happened to Nora. He had hoped that the cat was simply napping in a comfortable little hiding spot, but fears that his little friend might have gotten into some kind of trouble continued to grow and linger in the forefront of Geneon's mind.

 “I'm sure she's around here somewhere. It'll be okay,” said Lyra in a comforting tone. She desperately wanted to ease Geneon's concerned face, and despite knowing her words would be of little comfort, they were at least some comfort.

 “Thanks,” replied Geneon quietly. “I'm just worried about her. That's all.”

 “Don't worry. We'll find her.”

 Lyra smiled softly and place her hand on Geneon's shoulder. Her gentle caressing began to sooth and relax his worried mind. Lyra had always been there to support Geneon through whatever hardships he faced, be it his frustrations with the harassment of humans or searching for his lost cat. She truly had been a supportive friend over the years. As much as he wanted to deflect her hand away out of spite and hurt, Geneon felt himself unable to shake away her kind gesture. The feeling of overwhelming relief he felt from her touch was far greater than his heart's lingering resentment.

 Suddenly, Lyra's face lit up.

 “Oh! I have an idea!” she exclaimed.

 “What's that?” asked Geneon as Lyra removed her hand from his shoulder.

 “You have some fish back at your place, right? I smelled it while I was there.”

  “I do. What about it?”

 “Well, if we bring some along with us, the smell might lure Nora out from wherever she's hiding,” declared Lyra excitedly.

 “Lyra! That's brilliant!”

 Geneon was thoroughly excited, but not the least bit surprised. Lyra had always been the most clever and insightful of their little group. Though he felt a bit embarrassed for not thinking of the idea himself, Geneon decided to give himself a pass given the enormity of the day's events. There was a lot on his mind, so he used that excuse to justify his foolish lack of jumping to the most obvious of solutions. At least that was what he tried to tell himself while another part of his mind continued to insult him for failing to come to that realization on his own. Still, his excitement was abound with the prospect of finally finding Nora.

 “Alright. I've got the fish,” declared Geneon as he grabbed them out of his domicile.

 “Okay. Here, hand some to me,” said Lyra as she held her hands out.

 “Are you sure? This stuff smells pretty strong...”

 “I'm fine. If it helps up find Nora, then I don't mind getting a little smelly.”

 Although I do hope I have time to freshen up before my date. This is going to be cutting it close.

 Lyra shook her head to dispel any negative thoughts from her head. She was meeting Tyce with plenty of time to spare for the Troupe Astral show. It's possible she might run a little bit late meeting him, but she could always say that she was delayed by her parents at the store (a scenario that had happened enough times where the alibi would seem perfectly plausible). Tyce likely wouldn't mind her smelling of fish anyway. If anything, he'd insist on finding some fish to eat after the performance and would talk of nothing other than a craving for fish. He'd be fine, albeit a little annoying with how he'd likely want to discuss fish more than the show, but he ultimately wouldn't be upset with Lyra and that was all that mattered in that regard. She had little to lose by volunteering her assistance in this particular task.

 “Nora! Nora! Come out, Nora!” yelled Lyra.

 “Nora! Tch tch tch tch! Nora! Where are you, Nora?” yelled Geneon.

 “Mew mew!”

 “Nora!!” yelled Geneon.

 Out from around the corner came Nora, Geneon's loyal friend, trotting joyfully over to her cordillan companion. She ran right past Lyra, who was closer and had fish at the ready, and instead ran straight to Geneon. Nora began purring profusely as she rubbed her head against Geneon's leg. The fish may have have been what caught her attention, but it was clear Geneon was the one she was excited to see.

 “Nora! I'm so glad I found you. Here. Do you want some fish?” asked Geneon as he offered the fish to the cat.

 Shockingly, Nora simply smelled the fish but chose not to eat any of it. Instead, she rubbed up against Geneon's leg again. The purring was getting even louder. Upon closer inspection, Geneon could see that there were a few scrapes and cuts on Nora's back. It seemed as if she had gotten into some kind of trouble while he was gone and that was likely the reason why neither he nor Lyra were able to locate her. His heart began to ache when he noticed one of the cuts was still bleeding.

 “Oh Nora. What did you get yourself into this time?” moaned Geneon.

 Nora continued purring and rubbing as if nothing at all had happened. She just seemed overjoyed to be in the presence of her large green-haired friend. Any wounds she may have suffered were unimportant compared to her moment of blissful love.

 “She's bleeding. Poor thing,” said Lyra with a frown. “Here. Can I hand you these?”

 “Sure thing,” said Geneon as he took the fish back from Lyra.

 Lyra rubbed her hands together to try to get some of the fish residue off of her before reaching into her bag. After ruffling around for a moment, Lyra flinched and froze in place. Geneon was mostly distracted from the love and affection Nora was giving him, but even he noticed that something seemed off about Lyra.

 “Is something wrong?” he asked.

 “Huh. Oh, no. It's nothing.”

 Lyra went back to digging through her satchel, ditching her distracted look and returning to the present. After a few moments of searching Lyra's hands emerged from the bag holding a roll of thin white cloth. She unrolled a bit of the cloth and ripped off a piece, which she then used to wipe her hands clean of the remaining fish slime. After feeling her hands were thoroughly cleaned (or as clean as they could be given the situation), she ripped off another piece of the cloth and began dabbing it gently on Nora's back, soaking up the blood.

 “It doesn't look like it's too bad. She'll be fine,” said Lyra hopefully.

 “Thank goodness,” said Geneon with a sigh of relief.

 Geneon turned his head away from Nora and looked up at Lyra as she folded up the blood stained cloth. Though it was possible that he would have found Nora without her help, and it seemed likely that Nora didn't really require any serious medical attention, it was nice that Lyra was here giving her support and kindness to both of them. She truly was showing that she truly cared.

 For a brief moment, Geneon considered reconciling with Lyra. After all, she had been there to support him and help him in his time of need. She was attempting to make amends and had shelved her agenda in favor of selflessly helping him find Nora. However, as much as he wanted to heal and mend the wounds caused by hurting words, he knew that having such a heavy conversation was going to take a great deal of time. Time was something that Geneon did not have. He had to make it back to Troupe Astral's camp to prepare for the evening's show. Beyond that, if he stayed and talked to Lyra, it might convince him that he wanted her to remain in his life. It might convince him to stay in Paach. To stay in his hole. To stay in the impoverished part of town, waiting day after day for something to happen, until he finally dropped dead. Being in Troupe Astral meant leaving behind Tyce and Lyra. If he remained distant from them, then his heart would ache less. If he reunited with them and stayed in Paach, his spirit would get slowly crushed more and more over time. He had to leave, and making amends would only to make it harder to do so. It was at that moment he decided that he would internally forgive the two of them, but would never let them know aloud. If admitted such, and then had to leave, he simply would not be able to bare such heartache. Doing such would be far too painful.

 “Lyra, can I have a moment alone with Nora?” asked Geneon as he pet the cat's head softly.

 “Of course,” said Lyra in a kind and gentle tone.

 Lyra walked a short distance away and turned around so as not to intrude on Geneon's private moment with his cat. She softly smiled at the prospect of Geneon wanting to have a discreet conversation with the adorable little creature. Lyra had always felt that Geneon's love for Nora was endearing and sweet. She made no consideration to what the topic of their secret discussion would be and instead simply thought it precious that Geneon considered a private moment with a cat to be essential and deserving of discretion. Little did she know what Geneon was about to ask the one-eyed feline.

 “Nora. I'm going to leave Paach. For good,” whispered Geneon in Nora's ear.

 Nora stopped purring and looked up at Geneon with a concerned look on her face. Though most believed that dogs and cats couldn't really understand the languages of humans and cordillans, her facial expression made Geneon wonder if Nora somehow understood what he was saying. Perhaps she wasn't able to grasp the individual words, but the overall message and meaning, was something she seemed to fully comprehend. Nora seemed to know what this meant.

 “If you want to come with me, you can. If you want to stay here, you can. But I wanted to let you decide. Whatever it is you want to do, it's up to you.”

 Geneon took a step back and looked at Nora with loving eyes. This was it. Either Nora was about to officially become his pet, or they were going to be saying goodbye, likely for the last time. The decision ultimately rested in her paws.

 “Well, Nora? What do you want to do?”

 Nora stared at Geneon. Her pupils slowly became wider and wider. Then, in an instant, Nora pounced high into the air and effortlessly landed atop Geneon's head. The leap was truly impressive for a cat of her age, and the fact that she didn't dig any of her claws into Geneon's scalp was a pleasant surprise after he had gotten over the shock of what had just happened. Nora then proceeded to curl up into a loaf as she made herself comfortable atop of her companion. It was finally official: Nora was Geneon's pet cat. Geneon wondered if he should have just admitted that to himself all along.

 Now that the Nora situation had been resolved, there was only one thing left to do before returning to Troupe Astral. Geneon turned around and saw that Lyra was looking at the two of them with a tender smile drawn across her face. He wondered how long she had been looking at them, but then realized he had made a grunting noise when Nora  had made her leap onto his head. The shock of the jump had forced his involuntary verbal reaction, so it was likely at that moment that Lyra had turned to see what the commotion was. A soft smile like the one on her face indicated she had no awareness to the contents of his cat conversation, and as far as Geneon was concerned, that was for the better. There was no sense in making this any harder than it needed to be.

 “Thanks for all your help, Lyra,” said Geneon as Lyra approached.

 Nora exited her loaf stance and jumped down from Geneon's head, landing gracefully at his side. She stood proudly next to her traveling partner and stayed firm in her position as Lyra continued making her way towards the two of them.

 “You're welcome. Listen, Geneon, I-” began Lyra.

 “Lyra, I'm sorry. I've got to get going,” interrupted Geneon. He couldn't allow this to go any further. He knew what would happen if it did. This had to end here.

 “Oh...”

 It was hard to read the expression on Lyra's face. Shocked? Hurt? The emotion she displayed in that moment was subtle, but it was clear that she was disappointed. She considered for a moment that maybe she expected too much from Geneon after helping with his search, but Lyra felt that she had at least earned a brief conversation with him after all of her efforts. However, she thought to herself about what it truly meant to be selfless, and that meant helping others without any expectations in return. That didn't take away from the hurt, though.

 “Do you have a side-job tonight?” she asked, hoping to find an explanation for Geneon's abrupt refusal. She didn't want to believe he would so quickly cut her off after she had helped him on his search., at least without good reason. It's true that Geneon was angry with her, but surely he wouldn't snub her so glibly.

 “Yeah...you could say that,” replied Geneon as his eyes darted to the ground.

 Lyra knew he was lying. Or, rather, that he was keeping something from her. But then again, she was keeping something from him as well. She hadn't yet told him about the talis she was carrying in her satchel and the great powers that it possessed. Of course, the only reason she hadn't told him about that yet was because an apology was far more important than introducing her newest toy. While she desperately wanted to share her secret with him, it simply wasn't the time. Maybe, just maybe, that was also the case with whatever he was hiding too. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, she assumed that whatever Genon was hiding was being hidden for a reason. Though it pained her so, Lyra decided it was best to trust Geneon to do whatever he needed to do. Besides, she thought to herself, she could always catch up with him later.

 “Well, I won't keep you. But when you get a chance, can we please talk?”

 “Sure,” lied Geneon.

 “Thank you,” said Lyra as she began to turn away. “I'll see you around, Geneon.”

 “See you around, Lyra.”

[radiantepoch]

Radiant Epoch: Chapter 28 - Lyra

“Geneon!”

 Lyra's reaction upon seeing her estranged friend was immediate and instinctive. Like a steel ball bursting from a cannon, Lyra bolted to her feet full of excitement and joy. Her first inclination was to reach out and embrace Geneon, but before her instincts could fully take control, Lyra's more careful judgment kicked in and prevented her from proceeding towards him any further. As heightened as her emotions might have been, Lyra reminded herself that she needed to remain calm and not allow herself to act impulsively. This situation needed to be handled with the utmost care and delicacy if she was to succeed. Acting irrationally could just inflame things further, even if that irrationality was coming from a genuine place. Jumping in too fast and overwhelming Geneon would likely cause him to respond negatively and ruin this opportunity. Lyra knew she had to make the most of her time with him. It was paramount to exercise extreme caution with each proceeding word.

 “Lyra...” whispered Geneon tenderly.

 Lyra hadn't realized how much she had missed Geneon until that exact moment. His familiar presence had been a constant in her life for almost the entirety of her waking memory, and the lack of his presence, even for a short time, was greatly felt. The hole and void within her soul had yet to become so blatantly transparent prior to her being confronted with seeing him again, but upon that, Lyra awakened to the realization of how powerful the place in her heart was that Geneon alone occupied. As much as she thought that she had missed Geneon, being there with him at that moment made her realize she had been longing for his presence far more than she had previously thought. His friendship felt as essential as the air that she breathed. She had to fix this. She just had to.

 Lyra locked her eyes with Geneon's. A smile almost crept across Lyra's lips. She couldn't help it; Geneon's face looked as soft and gentle as it always had. A tender warmth seemed to be emanating from his being. For a moment, Lyra felt a degree of comfort looking at him. She almost allowed herself to give in to savoring the sweetness of the reunion. Again, she had to remind herself not to get lost in the mire of her own heart, lest it break even further. This was a time to heal, and healing required focus and attention.

 Geneon, in contrast to Lyra, was clearly taken aback by her unexpected arrival at his abode. Lyra had the advantage of preparation for the moment and was able to mentally fortify herself for whatever words were exchanged between the two of them. She had planned this reunion, after all, and had time to consider how she would engage. Geneon, however, was completely blindsided by the surprise and in that state of shock allowed his vulnerability to show, even if just for a brief moment. His face said it all: Geneon clearly still deeply cared for Lyra.

 However, Geneon realized that his gaze had been betrayed him. His vulnerabilities had been laid bare as soon as he looked into Lyra's eyes, whether or not he had any intention of doing so. His emotions had gotten the better of him in that moment, and like Lyra, he too was determined to refuse giving in to his baser feelings. Geneon didn't want to open his heart back up to Lyra. He wanted to remain protected and hardened so that she couldn't hurt him any further. His weaknesses had been exposed to his former friend and he certainly did not want them to be exposed any further. As quickly as Lyra had exploded with energy when she burst to her feet, so too did Geneon in that following moment, but in the opposite direction. He did not allow a burst of loving euphoria. No, instead Geneon hardened his spirit. With a shake of his head he was able to hide away any sense of kindness within him. His face became cold and distant in an instant. As quickly as a small flame vanishes after being doused by water, so too did his expression drop. Any love and warmth that Lyra might have felt immediately vanished and was replaced by the icy gaze of a fearsome stone statue. Geneon had now fully erected his barrier and refused to allow Lyra to penetrate his defenses any further. He would not allow her to hurt him again.

 “What are you doing here?” asked Geneon in a gruff and uninviting tone.

 The harshness of Geneon's voice barely phased Lyra. Her resolution and focus was unwavering. This was it. The moment she had been waiting for. The chance to revive their friendship. This was her chance to make amends and heal their wounded hearts, returning balance to their little trinity. Lyra finally had her chance to get Geneon back to where he belonged; alongside her and Tyce.

 “I came to talk to you,” said Lyra in a gentle and cautious tone.

 Geneon paused. It took him a moment to process what Lyra had said. The exact words were simple and clear enough to understand, of course. It was a straightforward six word sentence without much flourish or flash in the vernacular. However, the timbre of her voice, the inflection of the individual syllables and the breath that she delivered the message with made the subtext behind the simple sentence much more vivid and potent than the phrase itself might indicate based on the locution alone. No, this was less about what she had said but rather the way that she had said it. It was clear what Lyra was here to do. She wanted to apologize and make amends. Lyra wanted to rectify the wrongs of their falling out and take full responsibility for the breakdown of their bond, even if the fault wasn't solely hers. Indeed, Geneon knew some of the blame laid with him. A great deal, if he was being truthful with himself. But Lyra didn't seem to care about who was to blame. No, she was ready and willing to take the blow to her ego if doing so was what was needed to rectify the situation. Lyra valued their friendship far more than her pride and she was willing to do whatever it took to bring them back together.

 Deep down, this was exactly what Geneon wanted. Though he hated to admit it, he missed Lyra greatly. Tyce too. However, as much as he may have wanted to reconcile, he simply could not allow himself to accept Lyra's attempt at appeasement. The wound that had been dealt to his pride and ego was far too great to allow him to admit such a desire for reconciliation in front of her. No, Geneon refused to allow himself to show any additional weakness or vulnerability to Lyra, even if he so desperately wanted her back in his life. Instead of graciously accepting Lyra's olive branch for peace talks, Geneon opted to huff dismissively. It was a showcase of bravado in the face of enduring kindness.

 “I don't have anything to say,” lied Geneon.

 The angry youth turned away from the attempted apology and began walking in the opposite direction. Geneon had no belongings to be concerned about gathering from his hole. He was sure that he would be able to find food among Troupe Astral's ranks, so the fish could easily be left behind without much concern. Beyond that, he could see past Lyra and saw that Nora was nowhere in the vicinity. There was no sense in continuing to waste time around his soon-to-be former sleeping quarters. The sooner he escaped Lyra's gaze the sooner he could continue on with his search for Nora. Unlike Lyra, who he still harbored a great deal of resentment towards, Geneon felt no ill will towards his faithful feline companion. All of the love and affection within Geneon's being was directed towards his elusive cat friend and finding out where she had gone. The clock was ticking and there wasn't much time left to find her before the evening show. Geneon thought it ironic that he was so determined to make sure he didn't leave without ensuring his relationship with the local stray cat had proper closure (be it a farewell or having the cat join him on his ventures), and yet he was trying so hard to ensure that the door to his friendship with Lyra and Tyce remained closed. Perhaps he was being too harsh and should hear Lyra out? After all, they had been through a lot together.

 No. He wanted to stay strong. Geneon wanted to march onward and leave the two of them behind. They had hurt him and he was not willing to risk getting close again.

 “Geneon! Wait!” cried Lyra from behind.

 Don't look back, Geneon told himself.

 “And I don't care what you have to say either,” stated Geneon coldly.

 Ouch, Lyra thought to herself.

 As much as the comment may have stung, Lyra felt his words were fair. Under other circumstances Lyra would have retorted and chastised Geneon for his blunt cruelty, but given the callousness that she had displayed towards him alongside Tyce, she felt that she was in no place to lecture Geneon on the finer points of civility and tact. There was a small part of her that felt angry with Geneon for his tart behavior, and while it was true that she felt a great deal of tension grow within her, Lyra knew it was ultimately better to bite her tongue and remain patient in spite of the tedium of the process. She just had to keep reminding herself that Geneon did have a point and did in fact have legitimate reason to be upset, even if she felt that his growing escalation of the affair was starting to come off as a bit childish.

 Just keep at it. He'll cave eventually. Don't give into provocations. Stay calm and kind. You can do this.

 “Geneon, I came to apologize.”

 Don't insult him if he insults you. Don't fight back. Focus on the apology. Focus. Focus.

 Lyra had long been the peacekeeper in their friend group. Most conflicts between Tyce and Geneon simply required her remaining patient until she could talk the two of them down from their heightened states, and on the few occasions she had a war of words with Geneon himself, she knew that it was only a matter of holding out long enough for him to feel that he had been respected emotionally and calm down. Despite the difference in severity between this conflict and all of the previous others, Lyra felt that the same strategy used in those past scenarios was still prudent to use in this particular battle. All she had to do was keep deflecting his barbed words until she could finally break through. As angry as Geneon was, he had his limits and would never descend into true insults or venomous cruelty. The worst he could do was offer a chilled tone of voice and a hard stare. He always held himself back from saying the most hurtful of things, which is a feat that neither her or Tyce were able to stake claim to.

 “Geneon, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for hurting you. I'm sorry that Tyce and I lashed out at you without any consideration. We were cruel. We were awful. I'm truly, truly sorry,” cried Lyra.

 Lyra's tone of voice was too much for Geneon. Unable to resist, he turned around to see that Lyra's eyes had begun to well up with tears. As hard as she had been fighting to maintain control over her emotions, the dam was starting to break, and the early stages of a flood had begun. Little by little the heartbreaking water exited her eyes and revealed her sadness to him.

 Damn it, thought Geneon. Why do you have to look at me like that, Lyra? Why, Lyra? Why?!

 Lyra was breaking. Geneon was breaking too. The piercing gaze stabbed directly into Geneon's soul like a blade through the heart. His stone barrier was beginning to crumble as memories of his friendship with Lyra began cascading over his mind like a tidal wave. But, despite fond memories returning, Geneon also thought back to “the fight”, and he felt his resolve harden once more. This time, however, said determination was slight and minuscule, nowhere near the strength it had at the start of the conversation. At that point, Geneon was barely able to hold on to his anger and resentment, but his pride insisted that he hold onto it for as long as possible.

 “Look, I don't have time for this,” said Geneon as he turned away.

 Don't look at her, Geneon. Don't let her get to you. Just keep moving.

 “Wait! Hold on! Please!”

 Lyra ran in front of Geneon with her arms outstretched. Tears flew from her face and landed on Geneon's right arm. Upon impact the arm instantly recoiled and twitched. The forced contact, although unintended, forced Geneon to confront his feelings for Lyra. Part of her spirit had fallen upon his bare skin, and all of the emotions she had bottled up inside were now something he simply could not ignore. Geneon's gaze wandered to the pair of water droplets on his arm. A tsunami of emotions began to overwhelm him. It had been so long since he and Lyra had shared a physical embrace, but now, whether he wanted it or not, part of her had touched him. As strong as stone is, water erodes it. Guilt began to overwhelm his sense of pride. How could he continue to allow Lyra to feel this hurt? How could he continue to let Lyra, his friend, beg like this?

 My friend.

 As Geneon's resolved crumbled, Lyra's resolve became more firm. Tears were freely flowing from her eyes at that point, but her face had become strong like stone. If one had to describe Lyra's demeanor in that moment, using but a single word, then no word other than determined would suffice. She simply refused to give up. Not without a fight. Not without giving it her absolute all.

 “Geneon. Please. I'm begging you,” said Lyra as she placed her arms down at her side. “Just hear me out.”

 Her tone of voice had become more calm. The tears had slowed down. She still maintained an obvious air of sadness, but it felt like she had regained control of herself. However, unlike before, where she had done her best to try to override and overpower her emotions, it now seemed that Lyra had embraced her feelings and instead chose to act in tandem with them. She was going to work with her emotions, not against them. There was power in her feelings, and she could see that now.

 Damn it. Damn it.

 “Look Lyra,” said Geneon in a softening tone. “I'm sorry, but I'm busy right now. I really don't have time for this.”

 “But-”

 “If you need to talk, go talk to your boyfriend. I'm sure he has time for you,” said Geneon with regained snark, or at least as much as he could muster.

 Geneon brushed past Lyra with the intent of coming off as cold and stoic, but his movements were weak and frail. He felt laughably pathetic. Here he was, a massive and muscular cordillan, but when pushing past this small human girl she barely budged an inch. There was no strength left in him. Lyra knew she was close.

 “You mean Tyce?” she yelled from behind.

 Geneon flinched. It was a bold choice to say Tyce's name, but the decision had ultimately proven effective. Geneon found himself frozen in tracks, completely unable to move. He paused for a moment as he attempted to speak, but his mouth would not open, nor would his body move. He simply could not move forward no matter how much he tried.

 “Tyce, your childhood friend? Your friend that always shared his sandwiches with you? Your friend who carried you out of the woods when you twisted your ankle? Your friend who always had your back whenever bullies harassed you? That Tyce?”

 Damn it.

 “Because that Tyce loves you just as much as you love him! Even though neither of you stubborn lunkheads are willing to admit it.”

 Lyra immediately calmed herself and gently placed her right hand on Geneon's shoulder. The kindness in her touch was overwhelming. He couldn't bear it. Geneon's dam was beginning to break.

 “Geneon, the three of us have been best friends since we were little kids. We grew up together. I don't want to throw that all away. We have so much history and love between the three of us. ”

 Though he tried to resist, Geneon ultimately failed. The dam had broken. His heart had bested his ego yet again. As much as he tried to build up his pride, love remained a stronger force within him. Geneon turned around to face Lyra as the beginning of tears started forming in his eyes.

 “But there's more love between the two of you,” cried Geneon.

 “That doesn't mean that I don't love you. I can't bare to think of losing you, Geneon. I love Tyce. But I love you too. And there's nobody who can fill the place in my heart you occupy. You're the only Geneon that I love.”

 “I...I...”

 Lyra began moving in to embrace Geneon. Time seemed to slow down in that moment. Each creeping inch forward felt like it took an eternity to accomplish. As powerful as a single hand of Lyra's may have felt, the prospect of her arms surrounding his body was too much for Geneon to bare. He wasn't ready for their reunification.

 Geneon pulled away from Lyra. She looked hurt, but not surprised. The determination remained unflinching in her eyes.  

 “I'm sorry, Lyra. I can't do this right now. I need to find Nora.”

 “Nora? Is something the matter?” asked Lyra in a sudden shift of tone. She seemed genuinely concerned.

 Geneon didn't know if his statement was an attempt to throw off Lyra or if he had actually regained focus on finding his feline friend. The comment came from within him out of nowhere, instinctively. If it had been a ploy of Geneon's to distract Lyra from her mission, then the gambit was ultimately successful. Lyra's demeanor had changed completely to focus on solving Geneon's problem rather than attempting to mend her own issues with him.

 “No. I just need to find her. That's all,” said Geneon kindly. He couldn't hold onto his resentment for much longer.

 “Well, I'll help you find her,” Lyra declared with a sniff. Her tears were beginning to dry. “Two sets of eyes are certainly better than one, yes?”

 “No, really. I'm fine,” protested Geneon.

 Geneon didn't want to rely on Tyce or Lyra ever again. He wanted to be strong and stand on his own away from the denizens of Paach once and for all. But one look in Lyra's eyes, that look of fiery determination, and he knew that she wasn't going to take “no” for answer. The only option was to acquiesce.

 “Alright. Fine. But we need to hurry.”

 Lyra nodded firmly. Though she wanted to continue their conversation, Lyra knew that it had to wait. Friendship meant being there for your friends in their times of need. Geneon needed her, and she wasn't going to let him go it alone.

[radiantepoch]

Radiant Epoch: Chapter 27 - Tyce

“You know, I can't think of too many guys who'd fight off a fearsome beast to get flowers for his girlfriend” said Sophia from behind the lantern leading Tyce.

 Tyce turned his head around, almost as if he were an owl. A cheerful grin had grown across his face. Despite his turned head, Tyce's feet continued their trek forward without missing a beat.

 “In fairness, I had no idea that thing was down here! I might have had second thoughts had I known!”

 After returning his head to face back in front of him, Tyce let out a booming laugh than rang throughout the cavern. The sheer joy he absorbed from the completion of their successful mission was palpable. He felt truly triumphant. The once mysterious and intimidating cavern had completely lost its sense of danger now that he and Sophia had proven victorious over their trial.

 “Fair enough. But still, what you did back there was really impressive.”

 “Thanks,” said Tyce, taking the commentary at face value.

  Sophia smiled softly. Her attempts at making conversation with Tyce on their return trip had mostly followed a singular pattern. First, Sophia would initiate discussion with some kind of commentary. Second, Tyce would retort with a friendly yet quick response. Then, after his response, the conversation would immediately cease, allowing the lingering sounds of the drips and drops of the underground to fill the empty silence. But Sophia didn't mind. If anything, Tyce's honest nature made her feel more comfortable, and any gaps in the conversation felt like a distilled essence of truth. Rather than continuing on and on in a long-winded fashion, Tyce practiced brevity for no other reason than because it was his natural state of being, and Sophia appreciated how true he was to himself. Tyce was honest and real, and it had been far too long since Sophia had participated in a real conversation.

 “You know, it's funny. You and Lyra have been friends for the longest time and everyone in the village always thought you two would make such a cute couple. It always seemed inevitable,” said Sophia wistfully.

 “Huh? Seriously?”

 Tyce had never once thought about an inevitable romantic relationship with Lyra. In fact, Tyce hadn't even considered the prospect of such a thing until that night at the waterfall. Before that, he viewed Lyra largely the same way he viewed Geneon; they were his best friends. A best friend occupied an important place in one's heart to be sure, and while he certainly found Lyra more pleasant to look at than Geneon, the idea of romantically pursuing her had never arisen within him. Tyce found it odd that the townsfolk had, unbeknownst to him, been talking among themselves about the obviousness of that kind of relationship between him and Lyra given that he had been completely oblivious to the possibility.

 “Then, when it finally happened, it felt a little surreal,” Sophia continued. “It's like how everyone in the village believes in angels, but when you finally see one, well, I guess there's nothing that could prepare you for it, right? Even if you spend your whole life believing, when it finally happens, it truly is unbelievable.”

 Tyce didn't know how quite to respond to Sophia's musings. He hadn't thought much of angels either. The concept of faith in unseen forces was something he realized he had no true familiarity with, at least within the recesses of his own heart. To him, the world was always as it appeared to be at that exact moment. Nothing more. Nothing less.

 “Tyce, have you ever wondered what your life would be like if the two of you had never met?”

 “Huh? What do you mean?” asked Tyce, perplexed by the question.

 “I'm sorry, that came out weirder than I meant it to,” replied Sophia apologetically. “I mean...Have you ever wondered what things would be like if one of you had been born in a different village? How differently both of your lives would have turned out?”

 Tyce put his lantern-free hand to his chin as he briefly pondered his response.

 “Not really, no,” he answered swiftly. “I don't really see the point in thinking about “what ifs”. Things are the way they are.”

 Sophia smiled softly. A slight tinge of sadness began to creep over her face.

 “That's probably the smart thing to do. I guess I just can't help myself.”

 Tyce stopped in his tracks. Even he could notice the sudden shift in the tone of her voice. When he turned around and was confronted by her sad smile, Tyce knew that something inside of her had shifted. What it was, exactly, he had no idea.

 “Sophia?”

 The smile on Sophia's face continued to grow sadder. Though it seemed like she was fighting to maintain a veneer of optimism, the descent seemed inevitable. She attempted to speak but choked on her words, unable to formulate the right syllables. Instead a meek croak exited from her throat. After a quick cough, she was finally able to formulate her thoughts into words.

“Sometimes I think about what life would be like if the war never happened,” said Sophia softly. “I really love my Aunt Josie and Uncle Robb. They're the perfect parents. But I often wonder how I would have gotten on with my mom and dad. How they would have raised me differently. What kind of relationship we'd have if they were alive today...”

 Tyce was silent. He didn't know what to say.

 “I always heard about how vibrant and full of life they were. They were rebellious and feisty, always getting into and causing trouble, according to my aunt and uncle. If they were the ones to raise me, I wonder if I would have turned out more like them. Less demure. More of a rebel. I wonder if I'd even be the same person at all..”

 Sophia looked up at the roof of the cavern with glazed eyes. Though her body remained with Tyce in the underground walkway, her mind and spirit had gone elsewhere.

 “You know, sometimes I have dreams about it. About a world where Hafen never took over our lands. In my dreams I keep seeing this boy. Beautiful and handsome. I don't know who he is, but I often see him helping out his father in the market. Like his son, I don't recognize him either. I wonder if his father died in the war and that's why the boy was never born.”

 “The boy in your dream?” asked a perplexed Tyce.

“Right,” said Sophia with a nod. She brought her gaze down t Tyce's eyes, returning from wherever she had ventured off to. “I dream about a boy who never existed. It's absurd, isn't it? But think of how many children never got the chance to be born because of that war. All those hopes and dreams, never getting a chance to exist in the first place because of imperial ambitions. I just wonder...There are those who believe that every person has one soulmate...But I wonder if my soulmate was never born...and if he was never born, it makes me wonder what he would have been like if he was born....I know it's a silly thought. Do you believe in fate, Tyce? Destiny?”

 “I dunno. I haven't really thought about it,” replied Tyce truthfully.

 “Really?” asked a shocked Sophia.

 “Yeah. I'm not sure it really matters, though,” said Tyce as he turned around to kick a pebble.

 “How so?” questioned a genuinely curious Sophia.

 “If that stuff is real, and we're all slaves to fate and destiny,” said Tyce as he put his hands behind his head,  “then there's no point in worrying about it because whatever is going to happen is going to happen. You have no control, so there's no point in trying to force things to happen if everything is preordained. If that fate and destiny and all that stuff isn't real, then there's no point in worrying about something that doesn't exist. Either way, it doesn't seem to matter, so you might as well go on living your life the way you want to.”

 “Wow,” whispered an impressed Sophia. Though he had delivered his message with the same casual tone as discussing the weather or other such smalltalk, the profound nature of his musings touched Sophia in the core of her soul. The fact that Sophia also knew that Tyce himself didn't consider this way of thinking to be profound, but rather thought it natural and obvious, was another thing about him she deeply admired.

 “You know, Tyce, you're a lot wiser than you look,” laughed Sophia.

 “Thanks. I think?” replied Tyce quizzically.

 “The exit's just up ahead,” said Sophia as she focused her gaze on the light from behind Tyce. “Let's get out of here.”

 Tyce nodded with an enthusiastic smile. The two of them continued through the cavern, the light of day ever growing as they made their way out of the darkness.

[radiantepoch]

Radiant Epoch: Chapter 26 - Lyra

Temptation.

 An irresistible urge to succumb. The overwhelming desire to engage in compulsive behavior, sometimes full of risk and danger, in spite of one's better senses, is a powerful and mysterious force. Even those with the strongest of wills and highest moral character can be presented with a totem of temptation and fall pray to the whispering vice hidden in the dark chambers of the heart. The totem can be unknown to the tempted until it presents itself and sings a sinister siren song, luring their hypnotized prey into an inescapable trance. Temptation warps the mind and makes an honest actor lie, cheat, and steal, all to appease their darkened god. There are few, if any, forces in this world that have as much power as the dark seduction of that mysterious force. To resist such desires is one of the greatest challenges in existence.

 Lyra stared longingly at her new prize as she caressed the outer egg of the Palace Relic. As much as she may have desired to play with her new treasure, fear of her parents, or worse, a customer, discovering the power of the talis inadvertently was a strong enough motivator to allow her to resist the lure of Zareck's gift, at least for the time being. That isn't to say that the talis didn't offer an incredibly seductive allure. On the contrary, Lyra had to fight incredibly hard to resist the strong impulse of experimenting with the talis and reliving her favorite moments of the past. It was a constant battle inside of Lyra's mind to combat and quell thoughts of “just for a few seconds” and “maybe for a minute or two”. The urge to fall into the power of the talis was dangerously tantalizing, and had her parents not returned to the shop when they did, Lyra might just have succumbed to the magical artifact's siren song and accidentally revealed its secrets to them as they walked into the field of whatever vision she decided to be entranced by. Luckily, she had held out long enough.  

 “Lyra! We're back, sweetie!” declared her father as he opened the door to the shop.

 Instinctively, Lyra grabbed the Palace Relic and quickly hid it inside of her satchel. All at once feelings of guilt and paranoia began to overwhelm her. If Lyra's parents caught sight of the talis they were going to immediately question its usage. Lyra realized that she had spent so much time gazing longingly at her new toy that she had forgotten to come up with answers for the obvious questions that her parents would ask should the occasion arise unexpectedly. Despite her intention to avoid showing them the talis altogether and stating that she had turned Zareck down, Lyra knew that there should be a contingency plan if they do in fact discover the artifact. Beyond that, she didn't like the idea of hiding the Palace Relic from her parents. Doing such felt far more deceitful than excluding stories of visiting the cordillan district from dinner table discussions. Something about hiding her new talis felt a bit more dirty and dishonest, but there was little time to dwell on the guilt of the decision. Lyra's actions were ultimately quicker than her thoughts, and thus by the time her parents had her in their line of the sight, the talis had been safely tucked away.

 “Welcome back, father. Mother,” chirped Lyra in the most inviting tone she could muster.

 The paranoia inside of Lyra instantly grew exponentially. Was she too warm in her greeting? Would her overly cheerful tone make her parents assume she had accepted the talis from Zareck and lead to them questioning her? What would she say to them if they wanted to see the talis in action? If she lied and stated that the talis had a more benign power and did something it did not, how would she talk her way out of it when they asked for an example? Fears of different scenarios leading to the discovery of the talis, and its true power, instantly played in Lyra's mind. Though she tried to quell her nervous thoughts and told herself she was being overly paranoid for no reason, the attempts to calm herself were futile. She had an incredibly rare and fascinating talis that seemed to defy the known laws of magic, and it was indeed something worth hiding. In the end, she ultimately hoped that her parents had simply forgotten about the talis altogether and wouldn't have any questions in regards to it, lest she crack under pressure and reveal the truth about her encounter with Zareck.

 “Did you have any trouble while we were gone?” her father inquired.

 “No. None at all,” replied Lyra in a more measured manner. “I'm sure you encountered far more excitement while you were out.”

 “Was it that dull?” laughed Clive. “Surely Zareck at least regaled you with some interesting tales from his travels!”

 “We had a pleasant conversation,” said Lyra with a soft smile, praying her parents wouldn't ask for any additional details.

 “Well, I'm terribly sorry we kept you waiting so long, dear,” apologized Lyra's mother. “It looks like those Troupe Astral people are more popular than your father or I realized. There was apparently quite a crowd gathered around one of them in Market Street while we were out and we simply couldn't get through the sea of people! I've never seen anything like it in all my days in Paach!”

 “Yes, indeed. It looks like you have your finger on the pulse of the current culture and the hottest trends in ways us old folks simply do not,” boasted her father. He seemed overly pleased with how cosmopolitan his daughter had become. “I've now become a bit jealous your mother and I aren't able to attend! Do you have any interest in trading your tickets to us?”

 “Not a chance,” replied Lyra with a laugh. A real, sincere, tension-free laugh. She desperately needed that. Her nervousness had begun to vanish as she eased back into a comfortable state of normalcy with her parents.

 “Clive!” gasped Lyra's mother as she smacked her husband's arm.

 “Oh come now, Tara. I'm only joking! Well...a little bit.”

 The three of them shared a hearty laugh. More and more the tension seemed to vanish from Lyra's mind until she felt free to fully focus on the present.

 “Well, I know we've kept you a bit later than you probably wanted and now you'll be in rush to meet with Tyce. I'm very sorry for that dear. We'll let you run along and won't keep you a second longer,” declared Clive. “Have fun at the show, sweetie.”

 “Thank you, Father,” said Lyra as she made her way around the counter towards the freedom of the front door, but not before a quick hug and a quick kiss on the cheek for each parent. After bidding them farewell, Lyra graciously made her exit.

 Before leaving the shop Lyra had glanced at the wallclock and observed that it was thirty minutes to noon. Given that her parents were often exceptionally late when it came to matters of her personal life, this was a generally impressive window of opportunity she had been given to find Geneon compared to what she had been expecting. It was time to find him and finally make her amends. The totality of the affair was not lost on her. The same sinking feeling she had in her stomach earlier in the morning had returned when she thought about the prospect of reaching out to her estranged friend. Lyra's shameful guilt over hiding the memory talis had temporarily dissipated, but the compunction had been swiftly replaced by another equally potent anxiety. Despite her nerves, Lyra pressed onward and made her way to find Geneon.

 At that point in her life the cordillan district had become wholly familiar to Lyra, and likewise, the residents of the district had become familiar with her. Lyra had visited the area enough times where she had become as well known to the local cordillans as Geneon himself. At first, there was a level of shock to see a human girl casually walking their streets, but over time both eventually became comfortable with the other party. In her earliest ventures into Genenon's neighborhood, Lyra had felt the expected intimidation and nervousness of a small human girl visiting the “dangerous part of town”, but as her visits had become more and more frequent over the years, it had become as normal to her as visiting Market Street, much to the chagrin of her parents. The “reputation” associated with such behavior was something they adamantly disapproved of, but ultimately did little to stop other than occasionally spouting some passive-aggressive commentary. Beyond that, the gossip topic of Lyra visiting the poorest part of town usually faded into the background whenever a more juicy story rose in the ranks of the Paach populace, and thus Clive and Tara felt little damage to their own reputations. Lyra's escapades into the cordillan part of town had become so common that few in the village now gave them a second thought.

 “Hey girl!” shouted a stout cordillan. “Ain't seen you in a minute! How you been?”

 “I've been fine, thank you,” replied Lyra politely. “Have you seen Geneon around today?”

 “Geneon. Nah, I ain't seen him all day. Yo Pih! You seen Geneon today?”

 “Nah, haven't seen him,” replied his lanky friend. “That boy gets up way earlier than I do, though. Gyaha! You know how he is, always hustling for that coin. Gyaha!”

 Their answers were disappointing, but not unexpected. Lyra knew that Geneon was always struggling to find odd jobs and that, more than likely, he wasn't going to be found anywhere in the cordillan district at this time of day. However, she hoped that if she asked around she'd eventually encounter someone who had seen which way he had went and that her search could be narrowed down. There was no way she'd be able to comb the entirety of Paach in a single day to find where he was lending his labor, so Lyra felt her best bet was to ask around to see if anyone knew where in particular he'd gone. If she were lucky, Geneon would have finished his day's work and would be resting at his house, but Lyra knew that was an incredibly unlikely prospect given how early it was in the day. However, even if he wasn't home, one of his neighbors might have seen where he went or talked with him about his plans for the day. With no better leads, and Geneon's house became her next destination.

 “It looks like he's not home,” Lyra said to herself aloud. Again, this was what she expected, but she had been hoping that luck would be in her favor. After peeking her head inside of Geneon's abode, Lyra began asking the nearby neighbors if they had happened to see where he had ventured. Nobody seemed to recall where Geneon had went or when he had left. That is, until, Lyra spoke to a young cordillan boy named Argus.

 Argus was around the age of five and in many ways looked like a younger Geneon, except that his hair was orange, his skin was blue, and his splotches were red. Though his hair was far curlier than Geneon's, their faces were strikingly similar. Generally friendly and talkative, young Argus was always pleased when Lyra came to the cordillan district and was more than happy to talk with her, especially given his excitement in being able to assist the human teenager. Argus loved tales of heroic knights and fancied himself a hero himself whenever given the chance to assist others.

 “Yes, I saw Geneon earlier. Yes I did!” he exclaimed.

 “Did you happen to see where he went, Argus?” inquired Lyra.

 “He went that way!”

 Argus pointed his finger proudly, as if his declaration of “that way” was the ultimate clue that Lyra needed. Lyra couldn't help but smile at the young cordillan who thought himself so helpful. While it wasn't much to go on, at that point it was the best lead she had yet to come across, and it prompted her to inquire further.

 “That way, huh? Did you happen to see if he was with anybody?” she asked. Geneon usually left on his own in his search for odd jobs, but on occasion he would team up with another local to try to barter their labor as a package deal. Lyra was hoping for another clue.

 “Yeah huh! He was with a lollipop man!”

 “A lollipop man?”

 “Yep! A lollipop man and a stick man!”

 “A lollipop man and a stick man, huh?”

 Kids certainly have creative minds, Lyra thought to herself. Perhaps Argus hadn't seen Geneon at all and his imagination had simply taken the better of him. Though she would have wanted to stay and chat with the enthusiastic tyke a bit longer on an ordinary day, Lyra reminded herself that she needed to keep moving to find Geneon in time and not miss the show. After thanking the little lad for his help, Lyra continued venturing her way through the cordillan district.

   The continued searching yielded few positive results. The vast majority of people Lyra encountered had told her they didn't recall seeing Geneon in the morning. Lyra did encounter one cordillan, Roas, who did say that she saw Geneon early in the day when he was still looking for work, but alas was unaware of where he ended up for the day. Roas said that she had heard that there were Hafen soldiers harassing any cordillans who attempted to make their way to the merchant caravans, and thus didn't think that Geneon would be able to find work with the traders. Beyond that nugget, Roas didn't have any information that Lyra considered particularly useful in her search, and neither did anyone else. It felt like every corner Lyra turned in her search for Geneon were nothing but dead ends.

 After spending a bit more time searching, Lyra dug into her satchel and pulled out a small golden pocketwatch. Instantly upon viewing the time she cringed. It was already one thirty. She only had an hour and a half until she was to meet with Tyce for the show. With a hastened pace, Lyra moved through as much as the cordilan district as she could. After thoroughly exploring the area, she decided to once again make her way back to Geneon's house in hopes that he might have possibly returned home after his workday, but his domicile remained vacant. It looked like Lyra's mission to save their friendship was to end in failure, at least for the day.

 With a heavy heart and a heavy sigh, Lyra sat down in front of Geneon's hole. Immediately she began making plans to return to the spot bright and early in the morning so that she could ensure that she wouldn't miss Geneon before he began his day. That was her only chance. As far as the present day was concerned, though, Lyra decided that it was time to admit defeat. The only solace Lyra felt in that acceptance was the chance of success for her next attempt, but she also realized there was no guarantee that Geneon would have returned by then either.

 Lyra closed her eyes. Though she wanted to remain optimistic, her inability to even find Geneon, let alone speak with him, had lowered her spirits significantly. Her confidence had waned the longer the search went on. She considered that perhaps it was a futile errand attempting to reconcile that which cannot be reconciled. Lyra wondered if her hubris was too great, thinking that she could single-handedly save their friendship, whether or not Geneon wanted it to be saved. She thought of how egotistical it was to assume that Geneon would even be willing to talk to her, let alone resume their companionship as if nothing negative had occurred between the two of them. Or rather, the three of them. Would she truly have been able to mend their wounded friendship and reunite the trio? As she ruminated over her ego, a great sadness began to engulf Lyra. Depression sank in as Lyra's head sunk into her chest.  

 “Lyra?”

 Suddenly, Lyra's eyes burst open and her head jolted upwards. There he was. Standing in front of Lyra was none other than Geneon himself.

[radiantepoch]

Radiant Epoch: Chapter 25 - Geneon

Geneon and Maiker made their way towards another cluster of tents of four different color varieties: one red, one green, one blue and one purple.

 “These are the musician tents,” stated Maiker. “The blue one is Lemmy's. The green tent is Iggy's. Red's Jani's. And the purple one belongs to Franklin. Ol' purple eyes, we call him. Smoothest voice in all the lands, melts the ladies hearts like butter. I'm not sure where the boys are, but I'm sure they're getting in trouble, probably flirting with the girls at the local tavern. Any good pubs around here?”

 “None that cordillans can get into,” replied Geneon bitterly.

 “Well, that's never stopped Iggy and Jani before. They don't take “no” for an answer, and usually once they mention they're in Troupe Astral  the townsfolk roll out the red carpet for them, though usually not without mumbling some slurs under their breath. Those two are tough as nails though and pay the commentary no mind. Besides, with Franklin's popularity, there's nobody that'd be willing to turn them down when he's in tow.

“But as rough and tumble as the boys are, they can't compete with the insanity of this lot.”

 The duo continued past the musician tents and had found their way to another grouping of four tents: one yellow, one orange, one beige, and one a combination of brown and orange in a swirled pattern. The four individuals outside of the tents again matched their outfits with the color of their lodgings. Perhaps it was Maiker's commentary, but Geneon sensed an essence of danger from the quartet as the two of them began their approach.

 It seemed like two of the performers were practicing swordplay with one another. The man on the left was dressed in a formal looking doublet and jerkin complimented by a puffy pair of trousers, though the shade of yellow of his ensemble forced one to assume it was a stage costume and not simply a radical fashion statement. However, given his fantastic twirled mustache and long curled black hair, he did indeed seem to have the charisma to pull off such attire.

 The man on the right was dressed in a simple one-piece spandex bodysuit, colored a wholly unappealing shade of beige. His hair was long too, but unlike his opponent his hair was thin, red, and brittle. The man in beige was an unattractive figure, despite being in fantastic physical shape for someone as thin as he. Alas, his clean shaven face did no compliments to his sunken cheeks and sharp nose. Upon closer inspection, Geneon noticed that the man in beige had pointed ears and was in fact a fellow cordillan. If not for his pointed ears, the man in beige would pass for a human with ease, and his long red hair could easily hide said ears without issue.

 However, the swift movement of the combat did not allow for hiding of one's features. Both men were weaving back and forth as they stabbed and parried in what looked like a mostly even duel, though it seemed as if a slight edge laid with the yellow fighter. While their movements seemed mostly equal in terms of skill and strength, the man in beige seemed like he was furiously attempting to keep up in a more frantic and erratic matter. The man in yellow, in contrast, had no fury in his movements but rather seemed to be overjoyed with the duel itself, truly in a state of bliss and euphoria.

 As exciting as the contest may have been between the duelists, the other two members of the motley quartet shockingly showed no interest. Both of them were cordillan women that seemed too preoccupied with their own distractions to care much about the feud between the boys. The purple haired woman wearing the orange and white striped jumpsuit was perfectly content throwing punches aimlessly in the air. Her outfit was baggy and loose, but it was quite apparent that she was quite thin.

 The other thin cordillan woman sported a brown tunic and orange tights that perfectly complimented her orange hair. Unlike her companion, she had a much more deliberate target: an actual target. Though one might expect such a large board to be used for archery practice, the tunic wearing woman instead was using it to practice throwing daggers. Her skill was impeccable. Each knife landed incredibly close to the bullseye without fail.

 Geneon's attention returned to the two dueling men. Suddenly, the man in yellow thrust his sword forcefully into his opponent's mouth! Geneon's jaw dropped in horror. Was Troupe Astral so lawless and chaotic that other members of the troupe would murder one another while their companions stand idly by? What kind of anarchy was Starr allowing under his watch?

 The beige clad cordillan grabbed the blade out of the yellow clad man's hand. With a wicked smile, he gently pulled the sword out of his mouth. After licking the blade, the beige fighter tossed the sword into the ground triumphantly. Both he and the man in yellow began to laugh heartily and embraced in a brotherly hug.

 “Absolute perfection, Teodor! Bravo! Bravo!” laughed the man in yellow.

 “You sold it well, Flynn. It's gonna kill at the show tonight!” responded the beige sword swallower.

 “Rossa! What did you think?” asked Flynn.

 “Huh? I wasn't paying attention,” said the purple haired cordillan in an airy tone.

 “Seriously?! What about you, Domitia?” asked the sword swallower in a desperate plea for approval.

 “It was great,” replied the knife thrower stoically as she continued to throw her blades. “You guys are really amazing. Wow.”

 “You're so mean!” he wailed in response.

 Suddenly, the sword swallower realized that Geneon and Maiker had been watching the whole time. His face immediately lit up with a sense of optimistic hope.

 “Hey! You guys saw our routine! Pretty cool, huh?” shrieked the man in beige.

 “Yeah, it was great!” replied Geneon enthusiastically. He'd never seen someone swallow a sword before, let alone live to tell the tale. To him, it truly was an incredible feat.

 “Awesome! You've got taste, kid! Unlike SOME people. By the way...who the hell are you?” asked the beige blade swallower.

 “I'm Geneon. I'm filling in for Joe tonight. Maiker is showing me around camp.”

 Maiker waved meekly and remained silent. He looked terrified of the lot. Geneon wondered why he was bothering to introduce them to him if he was so scared of the group.

 “Ah! Fresh blood!” laughed Teodor. “Well, I suppose introductions are in order, eh? I'm Teodor the Sword Swallower. This is Flynn the Master Combatant. That's Rossa the Living Cannonball. And that bundle of joy over there is Domitia the Blade Thrower.”

 “It's nice to meet all of you,” said Geneon warmly.

 “A pleasure,” said Flynn with a handshake.

 “Great to meet ya!” said Teodor when it was his turn to shake Geneon's hand.

 “Nice to meet you, Geneon,” said Rossa breezily with a soft handshake.

 “...Whatever,” said Domitia as she threw another blade at her target with a bored expression on her face. Unlike the others, she did not shake Geneon's hand. In fact, she didn't even bother turning to face him and return his gaze. Clearly she wasn't the most social member of Troupe Astral.

 “Well, we've got to get going. I'll see you all at the show tonight,” replied Maiker with a wave.

 After exchanging farewells (with everyone except Domitia), Geneon and Maiker were on their way. Once they had passed the quartet's range of sight, Geneon's guide let out a heavy sigh of relief. Though the new recruit didn't feel that he was owed any explanation, his senior still opted to provide one.

 “That lot. The combat specialists. They're a scary bunch of psychos. Best to avoid them if you can.”

 Though they seemed a bit rough around the edges, Geneon didn't feel that the combat specialists were unsavory characters. Or rather, he didn't find them to be that much more unsavory than  some of the other troupe members he had previously met. The combat specialists seemed to be playing with more dangerous of materials than the other performers, so perhaps that was what made Maiker uncomfortable, but as far as Geneon could tell they had total control over their dangerous items.

 After leaving the combat specialists behind, Maiker and Geneon made their way to the most unusual of all the tents they had seen thus far. While it was certainly one of the largest tents in the entire area, it was also the least flamboyant of the bunch. The lackluster tent was a dull shade of gray covered in various blotches of red and black and looked as if it had not been washed in ages. An odd smell came from the dirty tent, one completely unfamiliar to Geneon, but truthfully not entirely unpleasant.

   “Tysh druca eteudel siceleyhc! Drao'na ymfyoc pnaygehk so luhdnybdeuhc!” shouted a strident voice from within.

 “This tent belongs to Bunansa the Engineer. He's our tech guy. I have no idea where Starr found him. He speaks a strange tongue that I've never heard before. The only people in camp who can understand him are Teavani, Livier and Starr himself. Bunansa is a bit of a weird one, even for this crew, but he makes some very cool gadgets for us.”

 “E cfayn, dra haqd desa drao pnayg so csuga sylreha E's kuehk du csuga dras!” shouted Bunansa angrily from within. Geneon could hear the sounds of him angrily hammering away at a piece of metal.

 “I don't even wanna know what's going on in there,” said a scared Maiker. “Let's keep moving before something explodes.”

 Geneon nodded and hastened his pace. On a previous day, if he had heard such commentary, Geneon would have assumed the prospect of an explosion to be nothing more than joking hyperbole, but given all he had seen of the troupe thus far, any skepticism for such fantastical ideas had ceased. Anything and everything seemed possible.

 “So, where to next?” asked Geneon.

 “We're off to see the wizards. They're even scarier than the combat specialists. Especially Orthus. Make sure you show them respect.”

 Geneon nodded solemnly as they approached another grouping of tents. Three of the tents were very similar in size: one silver, one brown, and one white. However, there was a fourth tent, large, black, and imposing. The black tent towered high above all the others like a raven looming on a tower. Each of the four tents had their own aura that felt wholly different from the others, creating a cacophony of chaotic sensations, but the menace and terror of the black tent created by far the greatest sense of unease.

 “The silver tent over here belongs to Witz the Fire Breather. The brown tent belongs to Gihm the Puppeteer. The white tent belongs to-”

 “Jean Claude ze mahstair mahgeecian!” said a smooth voiced man emerging from the white tent.

 Dressed in a white jacket, white pants and black boots (all with golden trim), the bare chested magician was a sight to behold. His long blonde hair blew in the wind in a manner similar to Shan's, and upon reflection, Geneon realized how attractive this man would clearly be to the women in the audience. Jean Claude may have been a hair less handsome than Livier, but he was most certainly more muscular. While Livier had a slightly more attractive face, Geneon could see Jean Claude appealing to certain women more than the thespian based on his chiseled physique alone. Not that Livier was an unimpressive specimen, but rather that Jean Claude had a body closer to an athlete between the two of them.

 “So, ziss ees ze boy zat Orthus fahretahld of. Eet ees nice to meet you, Geneon,” said Jean Claude as he held out his hand.

 “How do you know my name?” asked a perplexed Geneon.

 “Orthus prahphesied your ahrreevahl, down to ze exahct secahnd.”

 “Orthus the Fortune Teller,” Maiker explained as he stared at the looming black tent. “He can predict the future with scary accuracy. Even Starr is afraid of him.”

 “Is that so?” asked Geneon as he felt a chill sliver up his spine.

“He ees waiteeng fahr you eenside hees tent,” proclaimed Jean Claude. “He's been verrry echsighteed to meet you, Geneon.”

 The muscular magician extended his hand in front of the black tent, inviting Geneon to enter. A sense of doom and dread immediately began to consume him. For some reason, as if innate to the core of his being, the black tent terrified Geneon in ways he couldn't fully comprehend. His instincts were telling him to run far away from the shadowy tent, and yet, he did not move, paralyzed in fear. The young cordillan threw a nervous glance at a shivering Maiker, who offered no solace or safety.

 “In the hierarchy of the troupe, the only one who has more power in our ranks is Starr himself,” explained Maiker. “All the new people need to meet with Orthus before their first show. It's tradition. To refuse a meeting with him is something he considers a great insult, and beyond that, Orthus doesn't like to be kept waiting.”

 Geneon turned his gaze back to the terrifying black tent. The hideous black fabric seemed to contort and twist as if possessed by some kind of demonic energy, yet at the same time it looked as if it were standing perfectly still. A sense of madness and insanity loomed over the lodgings. Geneon tried asking himself why he was so afraid. He didn't know anything about this Orthus character, other than that he was a fortune teller and that Starr was afraid of him. But why did he feel so scared just by looking at the tent? Why did he feel terrified instinctively?

“It's like ripping off a bandage,” continued Maiker. “Best to do it quickly and get it over with.”

 He patted Geneon on the back in a futile attempt at encouragement.

“Remember. Be polite and respectful. It'll be over before you know it. Hopefully.”

  That wasn't reassuring in the slightest. If anything, Maiker's commentary increased the tension the young cordillan was feeling. Still, there seemed to be no avoiding the meeting if he was to be in the good graces of the mystic. Geneon darted his eyes back and forth, hoping for some way to avoid his confrontation with the unknown, but neither Maiker nor Jean Claude offered any escape. With a gulp of fear, Geneon entered the foreboding black tent, alone.

 The sinister aura of the tent was ten times stronger from within. The inside was completely devoid of light, so much so that the entrance seemed to disappear from behind Geneon upon arrival. He turned back in hopes of being able to see the light of day, but it had vanished more swiftly than the oncoming of night. Frantically Geneon reached out in the darkness, hoping to grab the cloth of the tent and allow the sun's rays to pierce through, but he felt no fabric in any place he reached. Desperately he grabbed and clawed, hoping to find some source of light within this dark void, but all his attempts were futile. After he had given up hope, suddenly, a crystal orb began glowing a soft blue hue from within the darkness. With no place else to go, Geneon slowly approached the orb until he noticed a black hooded figure standing directly behind it. This, Geneon assumed, had to be the infamous fortune teller.

 “H-hello. Are you Orthus?” asked Geneon nervously.

 The hooded figure slowly nodded.

 “I'm Geneon. Though you already knew that, I suppose. Jean Claude said you wanted to meet me.”

 The hooded figure again nodded.

 “It's an honor to meet you,” declared Geneon with a shivering bow.

 “The honor is mine,” said the hooded mystic. Orthus' voice was husky and deep. Slow and full of power. Intense and controlled. It was nightmare inducing. Indeed, the tone of his voice only added to the terrifying atmosphere.

 A single pale white finger pointed at Geneon's right hand. Confused, Geneon offered his hand to Orthus thinking the fortune teller wanted a handshake, but the hooded figure simply shook his head in rejection. He pointed at Geneon's hand again.

 “The glove. Remove it,” ordered the wizard.

 Geneon obeyed and quickly removed the glove from his right hand. Orthus nodded impatiently at the exact moment Geneon realized that the mage still desired more from him and extended his bare hand. The mage grabbed Geneon's wrist with an icy grip and began examining the wary teenager's palm. Each second felt like an eternity in a twisted nightmare, but after a few brief moments of analysis, Orthus had gotten whatever information he needed from Geneon's palm and removed his chilled hands.  

 “Your future is very interesting, Geneon. Very interesting, indeed...I'm glad I finally got the chance to meet you after waiting all these years.”

 “You've been waiting y-years to meet me?” Geneon asked as he returned the glove to his hand.

 Orthus nodded in silence.

 “T-t-tell me. What do you see in my future?”

 Orthus was silent for a moment.

 “Are you sure you want to know?” asked Orthus as a formality, already knowing the answer.

 Geneon nodded.

 “Very well....Geneon...Your entire world is going to change in ways you cannot possibly fathom... Everything you think you know will be turned upside down and you will be forced into a new reality....and you will desperately try to return...”

 That seemed to make sense. Geneon knew that if he were to go with Troupe Astral his life was going to change drastically. The group had continued to find ways to surprise him, so the concept of this being the tip of the iceberg in terms of new sights and adventures was an idea that the logical side of his brain was able to fully comprehend. But why would he want to leave that new life behind? There was nothing for him in Paach. What would cause him to desire returning? And more importantly...

 “Will I succeed?” asked a fretful Geneon.

 Orthus cackled with a deep booming laugh.

 “You are an interesting case...Your fate is not fully written...Your path branches in ways unlike any spirit I've ever seen....One path leads to greatness....Another path leads to the death of the one closest to you...It's possible they might even be the same path....Your destiny is blurred in ways that elude even me...Like looking through a foggy piece of glass, I'm unable to see clearly, and that is truly unlike any spirit I've ever read...An enigma...A fascinating enigma...But I do know one thing....A choice....It will all come down to a choice...”

 A million questions began to ring through Geneon's head.

 “What choice? Who is the one closest to me? What else can you tell me?” he blurted out frantically.

 “I'm sorry, dear Geneon, but we are done here...For now, at least...”

 Before he had the ability to utter a single additional syllable, Geneon suddenly felt a flash of light engulf his entire being, and in an instant he found himself outside with Jean Claude and Maiker as if he had never even entered the tent in the first place. Had he gone in at all? Was all of that a fantasy that had flashed before his eyes, or was it all part of Orthus' mysterious magic?

 “Well well well, zat wahs fahst. I'll give Orthus ziss: he likes to get directly to ze point,” laughed Jean Claude.

 “What did he say?” asked a concerned Maiker.

 One glance from Geneon was enough to let him know the exact kind of fortune that had been delivered. Maiker frowned in disappointment, but he didn't look surprised either. The entire thing left Geneon feeling unnerved. On the one hand, the potential for greatness sounded like a great change from his previous life of desperate poverty. But Orthus said his future had many paths, and one possible scenario was the one closest to him perishing. But who was that person? Lyra? No, they weren't close at all anymore. He wasn't close to anyone at this point. Orthus had to be wrong about that point. He had to be. At least, that's what Geneon chose to tell himself.

 “Got it. I don't want to know. And I bet now that you've heard it you wish you hadn't either. Try not to dwell on it, okay? There's only a couple more tents for me to show you. Come on, kid.”

 Geneon and Maiker left behind the tents of the wizards and made their way onward towards their final stop on the tour. As they walked, Geneon reminded himself that he knew nothing about Orthus and could simply choose not to believe in the warlock's superstitions. While it was possible that Orthus was truly a powerful mystic, it was also equally possible that he was simply a showman offering vague cryptic phrases to impress and intimidate the meek. But then again, how did he know Geneon's name and time of arrival? Was that simply some kind of trick? But what it it wasn't? What if the cloaked figure truly could see the future?  As Geneon ruminated on these thoughts, his head began to ache and his stomach began to spasm in pain. Dwelling on such terror was not good for him.

 Luckily, there was not much time to dwell as the duo approached the final trio of tents. They truly were a magnificent sight. Interestingly, two of the tents were rainbow colored and about equal in size, though one of the tents had an oversized tophat at its peak and the other rainbow colored tent seemed to have an orange and yellow tint to the swirled pattern. The third tent, on the other hand, was much larger than the other two. The larger tent was a spectacular blue that looked as if it were made entirely out of crystallized gemstones, shining in the sun brighter than any magnificent ocean.

 There was only one individual standing in front of the trio of tents: a young cordillan woman dressed in an outfit similar to Starr's, but with an emphasis on oranges and yellows. Unlike Starr, whose pink blouse was airy and light, the thin cordillan woman wore a tight fitting yellow shirt that would likely have put emphasis on her more feminine features were her jacket not so oversized. In addition, her orange spiked mohawk and gigantic glasses gave her the appearance of an eccentric among eccentrics, which was truly impressive given everything Geneon had seen.

 “Oi! G'day mate! You must be the new bloke Starr 'old me about!” said the woman as she approached for a handshake.

 “Hi. I'm Geneon. Nice to meet you...?”

 “Concetta. Concetta the Prop Master. I'm in charge of keeping track of all the stuff we use for our shows, making costumes, all that good stuff. Gyahahaha! Y' need anything, anything t' all, y' let me know, 'y hear?”

 “Thanks,” replied Geneon in an attempt to be as warm and friendly as Concetta. Truth be told, he was still reeling from Orthus' predictions and wasn't feeling particularly sociable. The welcoming nature of the prop master was helping to calm his nerves though, and he was beginning to loosen up.

 “So, I assume that tent over there is Starr's?” asked Geneon as he looked at the tent with the tophat.

 “Indeed,” replied Maiker.

 “It's not the biggest tent,” observed Geneon curiously.

 “No, it isn't. I find it a bit odd too. I'm not sure why Starr chose to have a smaller tent than some of the other troupe members, because usually the ringmaster has the biggest tent. I've never asked him about it, but I've always wondered.”

 “So, that just leaves...”

 A man with a blonde spiked hair emerged from the crystal blue tent. Short and thin, the tiny man seemed to be swimming in his gigantic oversized sparkling blue jacket. The jacket seemed to be made out of a material even more fine and flashy than the tent itself, causing an almost blinding radiance to emit from the blonde man. Beyond that, his popped collar almost hid his handsome face completely, adding to the mystique and intrigue of the individual. Atop the sparkled man's breast was a fine blackened piece of leather attached to his jacket by a pair of fine golden buckles. The leather slab extended far down towards the tiny man's black boots and would have surely hidden his pants from sight were his trousers not so oversized. Like his jacket, his leggings were loudly flamboyant and sparkled with the same shade of extravagant blue. Of all the members of Troupe Astral, this man felt the most theatrical, putting all the others to shame. He truly looked like the star of the show.

  “Who is THAT?” asked a jaw-dropped Geneon.

 “Oh, him? That's Calc. He's our accountant.”

[radiantepoch]

Radiant Epoch: Chapter 24 - Geneon

 “Ah, yes. Of course. Right. I was showing you around. Sorry, I have a tendency to ramble sometimes.”

 Maiker was being far too apologetic, at least as far as Geneon was concerned. The more time Geneon spent around him the more he began to realize that Maiker was likely the “softie” and “pushover” of Troupe Astral's ranks. In general, Maiker seemed to be kind, courteous, sincere, and thoughtful. He was also equally meek and easily taken advantage of. Geneon pitied the poor fellow and made a mental note to try and be as kind as possible to him, as he truly did seem to be a good soul.

 “Alright, let's see.”

 Maiker led Geneon over to a large tent made of a vibrant purple fabric. The spectacular purple tent was large and imposing. It towered over the duo, as if they were standing in the shadow of a mountain. Still, as large as the purple lodgings were, it was nowhere near to the enormity of the rainbow colored performance tent.

“Over here is the tent of our strongman, Bruni. He's one of the oldest members of Troupe Astral, both in terms of length of time in the troupe and actual age. To be honest, I don't know how long he's been in Troupe Astral, but he's been here a lot longer than I have.”

 Geneon could hear the sounds of clanking metal and a man grunting from within the tent. When the curious cordillan leaned in a little bit closer, he could hear that the gruff voice from within the tent was counting, and had already reached the number “550”.

 “It sounds like he's in the middle of his exercise routine. Let's not bother him. He hates when people interrupt him while he's lifting. I'll introduce you to him later.”

 Geneon nodded in agreement. Best to stay on the good side of as many members of the troupe as possible.

 Maiker led Geneon to a pair of blue tents. These tents were much smaller than Bruni's, though one of the blue tents was slightly larger than the other.

 “These are the tents for the trapezists. This tent is mine,” said Maiker as he motioned to the larger of the two tents. “And this one belongs to my partner, Rekami.”

 “Oh! Your tent looks quite spacious,” said a hopeful Geneon. Perhaps Maiker did have some level of status and respect in the troupe.

 “Yes. My tent houses all the gear for the act, so that's why mine is bigger,” stated Maiker in a matter of fact manner.

 Geneon sized up the tents again. The difference in size between the two tents didn't seem like it would compensate for the storage space required for all the equipment required to perform a trapeze act, but Geneon ultimately knew very little about circuses aside from what he had read in Lyra's books. Perhaps the supplies required for trapezists to perform were compact and economical, but Geneon doubted that. This seemed to be just another example of Maiker being pushed around, at least as far as he could tell.

 Maiker read the expression on Geneon's face and immediately felt a sense of judgment. Though unintentional, the look of pity in his eyes was out in the open, and Maiker felt compelled to quickly defend himself.

 “Really, I don't mind sleeping with all of the gear. In fact, I like it. It makes it easier to guard from thieves and monsters if I'm right next to it. Besides, Rekami is a lady and she needs more personal space than I do. So it's fine. This is fine.”

 The trapezist nodded in an unnatural and abrupt manner. Geneon remained unconvinced, and it looked like Maiker wasn't able to sell the story to himself either.

 “You're not upset about our sleeping arrangements, are you Maiker?” asked a voice from behind.

 Startled, both Geneon and Maiker turned around to woman wearing a blue spandex bodysuit very similar to Maiker's, even down to the black markings. Though Maiker was tall and thin, the woman in blue was of average height with a firm and tone build. While the outfit did Maiker no favors, exposing the frailty and lankiness of his being, the spandex bodysuit seemed to enhance the beauty of the woman. She too wore a mask like her companion. The only parts of her that were exposed were her bright brown eyes, the lower half of gorgeous face, and her long brown hair that extended all the way to her lower back. The woman's shiny and luscious hair was braided into a lengthy ponytail that exited through a hole in the back of her mask, contrary to her male counterpart. Maiker's mask had no hole in the back and he had no visible hair protruding from his mask. As far as Geneon knew, Maiker could have been completely bald.

 “Of course not, Rekami. Like I said, a lady needs her personal space,” said the male trapezist curtly. Though the two of them were supposed to be partners, Geneon felt an odd tension between the aerial duo that made him feel awkward and uncomfortable.

 “Who's this?” asked Rekami as she looked at Geneon.

 The unnerving apprehension Geneon felt was completely overridden in an instant when Rekami turned her attention to him. Simply put, Rekami was stunningly beautiful, and Geneon found her to be so. When her eyes first made contact with his, Geneon's heart skipped a beat. To the young cordillan, Rekami was drop-dead gorgeous, and wearing an outfit that enhanced her feminine features in such a way caused Geneon's hormone laden teenage mind to wander places that felt uncouth to even think of.  

 “This is Geneon. He's a new recruit for the troupe. He'll be filling in for Fantastic Joe tonight.”

 “Pleasure to meet you, m'am,” said Geneon as he politely extended his hand, trying to shake away any indecent thoughts.

 “M'am? How old do you think I am, kid?” she asked in an offended tone.

 Geneon hadn't thought about it until that exact moment. It was very difficult telling Rekami's age based upon the little bit of her face he was able to see, but there were certainly no gray hairs to be found anywhere in her braided ponytail, so he assumed she was either in her twenties or thirties. That said, he knew better than to pry about a woman's age and decided to go for the most polite answer he could think of.

 “I figured you were around my age,” he said sheepishly.

 “Aw. You're cute,” she said as she pinched his cheek playfully. It felt wholly emasculating and embarrassing, but he also admitted to himself that he appreciated just being touched by her. A woman that beautiful had never touched Geneon before. She was clearly uninterested in him in any kind of romantic sense and viewed him as a nothing more than an adorable child, and though that wounded his pride, he could not help but appreciate just being in her presence. A warm sensation began to grow inside of the young cordillan. Quickly, before the sensation became too large, he began to think of puppies and kittens to distract his mind. There was no need to embarrass himself further with an awkward social faux pas, even one that could be excused to some extent by his age.

 “What's going on with Joe?” Rekami asked casually as she turned to Maiker.

 “He hurt himself in a dance battle,” he replied in a stoic tone. The tension was back.

 “Figures. Idiot.”

 Rekami flicked her ponytail behind her head and brushed past the two boys standing in front of her tent.

 “Well boys, I'm going to do some stretches. If you'll excuse me.”

 “Of course,” said Maiker with a bow, despite Rekami no longer looking in their direction. Geneon sensed even more tension between the two of them, but decided to wait until Rekami entered the tent before he dared speak on the matter.

 “So, what's going on between you and Rekami. What's her deal? Are you...?” asked Geneon curiously, wondering if it was romantic tension he sensed between the two of them.

 “Oh, she's my sister.”

 Definitely not romantic tension.  

 “Anyway, let's keep moving. There's lots to show you and I know you've got stuff to do,”

 “Thank you. I appreciate you caring,” said Geneon sincerely. It felt nice to know that Maiker was actually thinking of his well-being and was truly being considerate.

 “...I appreciate you noticing. And I appreciate you being so polite,” replied a taken aback Maiker. Geneon felt happy that some of his respect towards him was making an impact.

 The two began to approach a sparkling golden tent but stopped when they heard voices from within.

 “I can't believe you, Joe! Seriously? You put the entire show in jeopardy!” shouted Starr's voice from within.

 “Hey bub, when I feel the passion in my loins, I have no choice but to respond. For honor and love I cannot back down from a challenge!” exclaimed a voice from inside the tent that Geneon didn't recognize.

 “From what I heard, YOU'RE the one who challenged the kid in the first place. Seriously, man, on the night of a gig?”

 “Honor does not wait for gigs! Besides, I'm still fine to do the show!”

 Geneon and Maiker could see the shadow of a large man within the golden tent stand proudly before attempting to strike a flexing pose. Mere seconds after bulging his gigantic arms the large man fell to the ground with a tremendous wail.

“GAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!

 “Joe!!! Are you okay?!” yelled Starr.

 “I'm fine, muchacho. I'm better than fine. I'm fantastic...Fantastic Joe!”said the voice both painfully and flamboyantly.

 “...You're lucky you're hilarious,” laughed Starr.

 “It's best if we leave them be,” said Maiker quietly. Geneon nodded in agreement and the two went on their way.

 The next tent the duo approached was a garish combination of yellow and orange stripes that were so bright and loud that it almost felt painful to look at.

 “This is Teavani the Clown's tent. She might not look it, but she's one of the smartest people you'll ever meet. She knows six different languages and is the most well read member of the Troupe other than Starr and Orthus. And maybe Jean Claude. Livier reads a lot too, I guess. But yeah, Teavani may act silly, but she's a master of comedy and takes her craft very seriously. It doesn't look like she's here right now. Moving on.”

 Geneon and Maiker headed towards three women, all appearing to be in their early to mid twenties, stretching near their tents. Each woman seemed to be dressed in a color matching one of the respective tents, which made the assumption of which tent went with which individual much easier.

 The first of the three women Geneon noticed was a tall and slender woman wearing a checkerboard pink and black leotard. She wasn't quite as tall as Geneon or Maiker, but she was certainly taller than the average human woman. With her blonde hair tucked tight into a bun and her face covered in a thick powdered makeup that accentuated her already pale skin, she gave off a visage of elegant dignity and grace as she performed various simple leg stretches.

 The second of the three women had a much more tan complexion than the pale woman in pink and black. Her long black hair flowed freely in the wind like an untamed stallion. Of all the members of Troupe Astral Geneon had seen up to this point, this one had by far the most revealing outfit in terms of the amount of skin shown. The tan woman's green triangle shaped top may have covered her most of her stomach, but it offered no back covering other than the thinnest of strings. Her tight blue shorts did not even extend halfway to her knees and the only piece of clothing upon her feet was a small roped ankle bracelet. The tan woman was not too skinny nor too muscular but rather seemed perfectly fit and tone for her task, which seemed to be rotating a large green hoop around her stomach. Somehow this woman was even more stunning than Rekami.

 The third of the three women was the only cordillan of the bunch. Like Geneon, the woman had colored splotches atop her forehead, but they were hidden well underneath her long and colorful pink hair, which perfectly matched her glittering pink leotard. Her feat was the most impressive of the trio: the pink haired woman had somehow twisted her body into the shape of a pretzel and yet looked to be in no pain whatsoever. The twisting cordillan was definitely more muscular than the other two women, but she was by no means bulky either. Indeed, she was also stunningly beautiful and was probably the most attractive female cordillan Geneon had ever encountered.. The sheer number of beautiful women in Troupe Astral was astounding. He could see why the troupe was so popular.

 “Geneon, allow me to introduce you to these lovely ladies. This is Elvie the Tightrope Walker. Shan the Hooper. Alga the Contortionist.”

 “Hi, you must be the new boy,” said the woman in pink and black as she shook Geneon's hand. “Elvie. It's a pleasure.”

 “Nice to meet you, Miss Elvie,” replied a polite Geneon.

 “Miss Elvie! Hahahaha!” laughed the woman in green and blue. “How's it feel, grannie? He must think you're ancient! Hahahaha!”

 “Shut it, Shan!” barked Elvie.

 “So, you're the new boy, huh?” Shan said sensually as she took her turn shaking his hand. “You're way cuter than the last one.”

 Shan winked at Geneon. He gulped and immediately began blushing profusely. Completely stupefied, Geneon stuttered and mumbled as he tried to articulate some kind of a response, but the overt comment left him completely tongue tied. The only flirting he had ever encountered was from the older cordillan women in the village, all of whom were very homely and dressed modestly. This was a whole new experience.

 “You know,” said Shan as she whispered into Geneon's ear. “Alga isn't the only one who's flexible.”

 Puppies and kittens. Puppies and kittens.

 “Stop messing with him, Shan!” yelled Elvie to break the tension.

  Geneon silently thanked Elvie for the interruption. He could tell that Shan was toying with him, but while his mind could recognize the entrapment, his teenage hormones had temporarily overrode his more logical side.

 “Oh come on. I'm just having a little bit of fun,” teased Shan. She turned back to face Geneon and put on a pouting face. “You like fun, don't you?”

 And in an instant the raging hormones returned. However, Geneon was to be swiftly saved yet again, but this time by the third member of the trio.

 “That's enough from you,” said Alga as she pushed Shan out of the way.  “Pay her no mind. Her mouth isn't the only thing that's loose.”  

 “Alga!” fumed Shan.

 “I'm Alga. Pleasure to meet you,” she said as she shook Geneon's hand, ignoring the insulted Shan. “Not all of us here are crazy. Well, at least not crazy in the same way.”

 “Huehe, thank you. Nice to meet you,” said Geneon as he finally regained the ability to speak.

 “So, zis is new boy?” asked a voice approaching from behind.

 Geneon turned around to see that the voice belonged a woman who looked to be in her late thirties.  Though she was clearly older than members of the trio, she retained a very youthful appearance and was in as fine a shape as any of her juniors. Had Geneon gotten closer, he might have noticed a few gray hairs mixed within the sea of blonde hair, but one would only be able to see them upon a very thorough examination. She may have had years on the other women, but she retained her beauty and proudly flaunted her well-toned bare midriff and athletic arms. Her outfit was composed of a tight red top, loose fitting brown pants, brown sandals, a transparent green scarf, gold wristbands and a spectacular belt made out of various gold medallions.

 “Geneon, meet Svetlana the Dancer.”

 Geneon nodded and shook her hand.

 “It pleasurrre to meet you. I glad to have you as parrrt ourrr family. If need anything, let me know.”

 “Thank you, Miss Svetlana. I mean Svetlana!”said Geneon attempting to correct his mistake.  

 “Miss Svetlana is fine. I a voman, not a little girrrl like zese babies. Voman deserve respect.”

 Svetlana turned to face the trio.

 “All of you vill be nice to new boy. Do you underrrstand? Especially you, Shan.”

 “Oh, I'll be nice to him alright,” Shan said mischievously under her breath.

 “Niet! You not skarrre new boy! You keep yourrr filthy claws to yourrrslf! Do you underrrstand me, little girrrl?”

 “Yes, Svetlana,” sighed Shan as she rolled her eyes.

 “Good. Vell, I must go prrreparrre forrr tonight's show. Da Svidaniya.”

 With that, Svetlana took her leave. After bidding the rest of the ladies farewell, Geneon and Maiker began the trek to their next destination:  a tent sporting a black and white checkerboard pattern. In front of the tent was a small wooden box, atop which a tan man with a handsome square jaw and slicked back black hair stood. He wore what looked like the formal wear of a member of the aristocracy, with fine black trousers and a wonderful black vest and jacket to compliment his puffed white shirt. Were it not for his surroundings, one could have been easily fooled into thinking this was a man of noble birth. The broad-chested man looked like royalty and carried himself with an air of authority and power, almost akin to Starr, though he seemed to lack the sense of whimsy and fun the ringmaster had.

 “Doth thou remember when thou was but a mere babe?!” yelled the man furiously as Geneon approached.

 “Um, what?” asked the confused teenager.

 “Nay, it is impossible for thee to remember, but in the distant past your entire being fit within the palm of my hand!”

 The tan man held his open palm to the sky with bulged eyes as he gazed up to the heavens.

 “I'd hold thee up and sayeth to thy mother, “This peat shall becometh the most wondrous flame in all the realms. This babe shall rise to greater heights than any soul I shall ever knoweth!"

 It was at this point Geneon realized that the man was performing some kind of monologue. Each orotund word from the tan man's lips was captivating, full of emotion, passion, fire and life. He was good. Very good. Phenomenal, actually. While Geneon had initially been confused by the man's fiery speech, once the teenage cordiallan realized he was watching a performance he instantly became mesmerized by the thespian's words.

“And thee did groweth to become valorous and wonderful!! Twas most wondrous just watching thee and every day watching thou grow to become a prideful man wast like a privilege. Then the time cometh for thee to beest thy own sir and taketh on the cosmos, and thee did doth! But somewhere 'long the treacherous path of life, thee did doth change. Thee did stop being thee. Thee let people stick a digit in thy visage, bite their thumbs at thee, and telleth thee that thou art without valor. The poison words of treacherous tongues unleashed their venom into thy pure spirit and thee allowed it to corrupt! And at which hour did trails becometh hard, thee did start looking for something to censure...like a looming shadow... from above...”

 The final words from the tan man's lips had become soft and full of sadness, as if he were on the verge of tears. As tender as the speaking may have been, the timbre of his voice ensured that every syllable resonated loud enough to be heard perfectly clear. It was clear Geneon was in the presence of a true master of the performing arts.

 “That's Livier the Actor,” whispered Maiker. “He's a bit of a legend in the theater world. Truth be told, we're not sure how Starr convinced him to take the gig with us, but we're grateful he's here.”

 “Maiker!” declared Livier with a jubilant smile as if he had suddenly awoken from a trance. “How are you, my good lad?”

 Livier stepped off of his wooden box and proceeded to warmly embrace Maiker in a powerful hug. The strong and friendly embrace was perhaps the greatest display of kindness Geneon had seen anyone make towards Maiker since their arrival at camp.

 “Good, Livier, good. I'm just showing the new guy around. He'll be filling in for Joe tonight.”

 “Oh! Will you, now? Excellent, excellent! You and I are to share the stage in the most famous, or perhaps infamous, skit in Troupe Astral's repertoire! I'm greatly looking forward to it, Sir...?”

 “Geneon.”

 “Sir Geneon! That is a fine name! A fine name indeed!” exclaimed Livier as he firmly shook Geneon's hand. “Truly a pleasure to meet you, lad! Say, would you like to go over the script for this evening's performance?”

 “He doesn't have any lines, Livier,” stated Maiker.

 “Oh, he may not have any lines, but there is blocking, and most importantly, understanding the tale! An actor must inhabit the role! Live it! Breathe it! Be it! Your entire essence and being must become one with the character!”

 “He can go over the script backstage, Livier. I gotta finish showing him around and then he's gotta head back home to take care of a few things. You know how it is with newbies.”

 “That I do. That I do. Though I would prefer we take some time to work on the material, I understand these necessities and know we will make due. It is not my first time working with a last minute understudy, but don't worry lad, the show will be excellent. All of us are seasoned professionals and we can carry the weight, so feel no pressure. And child, fret not, for we shall have plenty of occasions to work on the fine craft of performance as we travel the world together. I know you must take your leave, so I'll not keep you a second longer. Tis an honor to meet you, Sir Geneon! Fare thee well!”

 After exchanging parting tidings with the friendly actor, Geneon and Maiker left Livier to his soliloquies and continued on with their tour.

[radiantepoch]

Radiant Epoch: Chapter 23 - Geneon

 After being satisfied with his display of superiority, Starr lifted his tophat with one hand while gently grabbing Saru with the other. The ringmaster carefully placed the golden monkey on the ground before proceeding to pat the monkey's head softly with a smile and wink. Saru looked overjoyed at his protective “father” before turning to glance at Gatt, who gave a stiff nod of acknowledgment, as if to say “we're done here”.

 “Well, now that we have that settled, I'd like to introduce you to Troupe Astral's newest member. Say hello to Geneon!”proclaimed an enthusiastic Starr.

 Geneon meekly waved in response. All eyes were upon him now. It was an unfamiliar sensation to him. Geneon generally considered himself to be a rather shy individual, preferring to fade into the background and not draw too much attention to himself. As he contemplated his shyness, he realized he'd have to get over that quickly even if he were to only be a temporary member of Troupe Astral. It was not simply because of the demands of being a performer, but also because he would need to keep up socially with the likes of the lot he was falling in with.

 Irwin and Gatt stared at Geneon with blank expressions on their faces. While it was true that Gatt always had the same empty gaze on their face, Irwin's demeanor simply indicated a lack of being impressed by the new prospective performer. After sizing Geneon up and down, Irwin placed a hand on their hip, then sighed as they extended the hand forward.

 “Nice to meet you, Geneon,” said Irwin without the slightest bit of sincerity.

 “Nice to meet you, uh...?” said Geneon as he tried remembering the animal trainer's name.

 “Irwin. Irwin the Beastmaster.”

 “Nice to meet you, Irwin.”

 After being released from Irwin's unenthusiastic handshake, Geneon offered his hand to Gatt, who looked down at it with the same disinterest level of disinterest as Irwin had just a moment prior. However, after glancing over at Starr for a flicker of a second, Gatt immediately grabbed Geneon's hand for an overly bouncy handshake.

 “Hi Geneon. I'm Gatt the Juggler. Welcome to the family,” said Gatt trying to feign kindness. It wasn't fooling anyone, but nobody felt it was worth the effort to call it out in the open.

 Surprisingly, the friendliest response to Geneon's greeting came from little Saru. After Geneon had finished his handshake with Gatt, the little golden monkey ran up to Geneon, and, after examining him for a brief moment, decided that he was a fan of the young cordillan and proceeded to hug Geneon's leg the same way he had hugged Starr's. Unlike Irwin and Gatt, this affectionate greeting felt genuinely sincere and loving.

 “Aw...it looks like he likes you!” said Maiker with a smile.

 “Hmph. Then maybe he should be beastmaster,” Irwin pouted under their breath.

 Suddenly, Irwin's face lit up with a horrifying revelation.

 “Wait a minute, is this guy the new beastmaster? Are you replacing me? Am I being fired? Because I love Saru, the little rascal. He's such a cute little bugger, he is!” said Irwin, frantically trying to pile on as much charm as possible.

 “Oh, no no no. To my knowledge, Geneon has no extensive animal taming experience. Geneon, you're not an animal trainer, are you?” asked Starr.

 “No, sir. I mean, no Starr,” replied Geneon, quickly correcting his mistake.

 “Have you ever had any pets?” Maiker asked as Saru continued to warmly embrace Geneon.

 “No. Well, there's a stray cat in my neighborhood that comes to visit me often. I'd call us friends, but she's not my pet,” said a smiling Geneon as he looked down at the hugging monkey.

 Starr looked down at the Saru, still with the same exact warm smile he had when setting his companion on the ground just a moment ago.

 “Well, we'll just have to make sure you get to have a proper goodbye with your friend, the stray cat. And if she's so inclined, maybe she can come along with us. I'd hate to separate you from your friends,” said Starr.

 The words cut deeper than he could have possibly known. Geneon reflected on Lyra and Tyce again. This was it. If he was going to leave Paach and join Troupe Astral, he might never return to this village again for the rest of his life. Paach was growing, true, so there was a chance of the troupe someday performing in the village again at some point, but it was also equally likely that it proves to be impractical for the troupe to return, and he would be leaving Tyce and Lyra behind without a final goodbye. But then again, with the way things had been left between them, maybe leaving without a farewell wasn't such a bad conclusion to things.

 However, Starr had made a good point about Nora. As independent and strong as Nora was, Geneon was her only friend. He had never seen her around other cats, and even around other cordillans she seemed cold and distant. There was nobody else she'd rub up against and certainly nobody else who she would sit upon to sleep. Would she be lonely without him? Would he be lonely without her?

 Geneon resolved to find Nora before he left. Though he didn't think she'd be able to understand him the way that Saru understood Starr, perhaps he could find a way to “ask” her if she wanted to come along. It didn't feel right to leave her behind without giving her some say in the matter. It would be possible that she'd want to remain in Paach, given that it was the only home she'd ever known. By that same token, it would also be possible that she'd want to remain by Geneon's side, being that he was her only friend, and maybe, just maybe, she would like to officially become his “pet”.

 “What's the stray cat's name?” asked Starr.

 “Nora,” replied Geneon with a smile.

 “Nora. What a lovely name! You simply must find her before we leave in the morning!”

 “The morning?” asked a shocked Geneon.

 “Yes, my boy. We can't afford to stay in Paach for too long. There are much larger cities out there in the vast world, and there are those who live in lager cities who have much larger pockets than the denizens of small towns such as this. Paach is merely a pitstop on the way to much larger metropolises. Tomorrow morning we make our leave to go towards New Bismark, and after our performance there, we cross the sea to Sakkah!”

 Tomorrow morning. Leaving for the big city and then crossing the ocean to an entirely new continent. Wow. The thought of doing such a thing was so gigantic that Geneon had trouble comprehending the thought. Things were moving so much faster than he ever dreamed they could. If he did truly join Troupe Astral for good, he'd be leaving Paach in less than a full day. There was so little time left. For the entirety of his life, it felt like he was frozen in a singular moment, repeating the same motions over and over again. Now it felt like the broken clock of his life had suddenly sprung into action, but more than that, it was speeding so fast that he felt unable to keep up.

 “I didn't realize we would be leaving so soon,” Geneon said solemnly.

 “Do you need time to put your affairs in order?” asked a sincere Starr.

 Geneon almost laughed aloud at the thought. What affairs? He had nothing to his name. The only thing he had was his hole in the wall and his cat.

 My cat.

 It was the first time that Geneon had recalled ever thinking of Nora as “his cat”. Yes. Nora was his cat, and he couldn't leave without her. Or, at the very least, without saying goodbye.

 “Yes. I will need some time to take care of a few things,” replied Geneon softly.

 “Well, we'll keep the tour of the campgrounds brief so you have time to head back to your den and finish whatever business you have left in Paach.”

 Saru finally removed his grip from Geneon's leg and hopped atop Irwin's shoulder. His placement there seemed to be less based on affection and seemed more in line with the pragmatism of a coworker going to their assigned partner.

 “Irwin. Why don't you show Geneon around the grounds and introduce him to the troupe?” asked Starr gently.

 “What? Why me?” replied an the annoyed animal trainer.

 “Because I think you could stand to socialize a little,” replied Starr sarcastically. “Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to make some last minute preparations for the show now that Fantastic Joe is out of the picture for the evening.”

 “What?! Fantastic Joe isn't performing?! What happened?!” exclaimed Irwin.

 “A bit of foolishness caused by an inflated ego. He'll be fine, but I'll need to speak with him and take care of a few other matters. In the meantime, please show Geneon around and take him to the costume tent.”

 Starr began walking away, but before he got too far, he turned around and looked at Geneon.

 “And Geneon, don't worry. Your part in tonight's show is incredibly simple and we won't need to spend too much time prepping you. You'll have plenty of time to go back to your home and place your affairs in order before the show tonight. I promise you that.

 “Time is a peculiar thing. I've spent so many years of my life chasing it, never feeling that I've had enough time. But the secret is determination. If you're determined to get things done, you'll find the time for all of the things that truly matter. So whatever you end up taking care of will be what needs to be taken care of. Adieu, Geneon. I'll see you in a bit.”

 With that, Starr took his leave and began walking towards a golden tent with a large crystal insignia atop it. Once the ringmaster was completely out of sight, Irwin breathed a deep sigh of relief and dropped their shoulders, forcing little Saru to jump down onto the ground. The animal tamer then grabbed a cigarette and a small red rectangular talis from their pocket. Geneon shifted uncomfortably at the sight. He could never get used to the idea of talises.

 “Maiker, show the new guy around,” said Irwin as they pushed a button on the bottom of the talis. A flame spurted from the top of the rectangle, lighting the cigarette.

 “What? But Starr said you were supposed to-” protested Maiker.

 “Yeah, Starr says a lot of things. I'm not in the mood for babysitting.”

 Irwin looked down at Saru.

 “Any more than I have to.”

 “But Starr said-”

 Crack!

 Irwin swiftly cracked their whip right in front of Maiker's face. Maiker instantly recoiled in terror, placing his hands in front of his face for protection, but had Irwin stopped just short of making contact. If the beastmaster had wanted to hurt him, then a blow would have been made, but Irwin had showed both restraint and strength. At that moment, Geneon realized that Starr wasn't the only one in Troupe Astral who liked to flaunt their power plays.

 “And I said I don't feel like it! Now take the god damn kid and show him around the god damn camp!”

 Crack!

 Again, the whip stopped just short of Maiker's face. After a fearful flinch, he nodded in subservience to the beastmaster. Maiker had received the message loud and clear. In the hierarchy of Troupe Astral, it was clear that Irwin was above Maiker, at least whenever Starr wasn't around to keep the peace. Thus far, Troupe Astral didn't quite seem like the warm family atmosphere that Starr had described, but Geneon hoped that perhaps the other members of the circus were a bit friendlier. After Irwin finally left (with Saru following closely behind), Gatt took his leave as well, leaving only Maiker and Geneon.

 “Well, I guess let me show you around,” said a still nervous Maiker.

 “Thank you. I appreciate it,” said Geneon, trying his best to showcase some kindness towards Maiker. Geneon felt that the poor soul deserved it after the spiritual thrashing he had just received.

 “Not a problem. Really, it's my pleasure. Glad to do it,” Maiker replied. His nervousness had yet to dissipate.

 “So, does everyone here have their own tent?” asked Geneon as he saw Irwin and Gatt enter into separate tents.

 “In a manner of speaking, yes,” sighed Maiker.

 “What do you mean?”

 “Well, everyone has their own tent for storage of their equipment and costumes, and most of us sleep in the tents with our gear. Some members of the troupe, like Irwin for instance, have multiple tents so that they can separate their sleep tent from their work tent. Irwin doesn't care for the smell of the animals and refuses to sleep in the animal tent like our previous beastmaster.”

 “Previous beastmaster?”

 “Yeah. Margaret was her name. She was a true animal lover, that girl. Slept on the floor next to the animals and cuddled them up every night,” said Maiker wistfully.

 “What happened to her?” asked Geneon in an attempt to be polite, though he had a grizzly assumption. He figured that she must have been killed by one of the beasts.

 “Cancer.”

 Well, that wasn't the answer he expected.

 “It's a real shame. She was so young, too. Young and beautiful...”

 “Did she-” started Geneon before he stopped himself. Maiker clearly had a look of hurtful mourning on his face. Perhaps it was best to stop prying.

 “Did she what?” asked Maiker. Of all the members of Troupe Astral Geneon had met up to that point, Maiker seemed the most like an open book, willing to reveal anything if you asked. Rather than beat around the bush, Geneon decided to ask what was on his mind.

 “Did she use a lot of talises?” he finally blurted out.

 Though Lyra had told Geneon that the negative effects of talises were largely overstated, and had even provided him with reading materials to back up her claims, the skepticism around the new technology was something that Geneon shared in common with the Paach villagers. Perhaps it was simply in his nature to be skeptical, but there was something about talises that filled Geneon with a sense of unease.

 “No, she didn't. Margaret liked to keep things natural and was always buying stuff from the different apothecaries we'd pass in our travels. She was afraid of the talises giving her cancer, because she'd heard the rumors. Ironically, I think that whatever strange mushrooms she ate might have been the cause of her disease, and she might have been safer with a talis in the long run. An ironic shame, really.

 “You know, when she was getting sick, I tried to convince her to visit one of the doctors in Hafen. Starr offered to pay for all of her medical expenses and pushed her hard to go as well. But she insisted that she wanted to heal the natural way, not with those fancy “magic doctors” of Hafen. Starr even offered to do some of his healing magic on her, but she said that those kind of spells went against the laws of nature, and she wanted no part in it. She didn't get on well with the mages in our troupe. She was always cordial to them, but you could always tell that she didn't quite believe in their lifestyle. Margaret was an odd one for sure, even among our lot. But you couldn't help but love her.”

 The hurt in Maiker's eyes seemed to be growing. Geneon began to worry that Maiker might burst into tears at any moment. Though Geneon wanted to ask about Starr's “healing magic”, he assumed that going further down that line of questioning would only bring back more cursed memories for Maiker. Instead, Geneon thought it best to shift back to a lighter subject.

 “So, tell me about the rest of Troupe Astral.”

[radiantepoch]

Radiant Epoch: Chapter 22 - Geneon

“Welcome to Troupe Astral!”

 Starr jubilantly extended out his arms to exhibit Troupe Astral's camping grounds. Myriad rows of temporary lodgings extended out in clusters on top of what Geneon had previously only known as an empty field on the outskirts of town. The vast plain was now the home of these wandering performers, at least for the time being. Each wagon and tent was colored something loud and vibrant, akin to the cloth of Starr's jacket, and most triumphant of all was a large rainbow tent to the north that vastly eclipsed all of the others in size. This was the tent where the grand show was to take place, and hidden behind it, away from the gaze of the audience, was where the members of Troupe Astral made their camp.

 It was unlike anything Geneon had ever seen. The array of individuals zooming their way to and fro inside the miniature city of Troupe Astral was far more diverse than the likes of Paach's populace. Everyone in Geneon's village tended to look similar and dress in the same dull and muted tones, human and cordillan both, but the members of Troupe Astral all seemed like distinct individuals wearing loud colors that demanded attention. There were men and women of all shapes and sizes. Some were tall while others were short, there were those who were muscular and those who were slender, some thin and others fat, a mixture of both human and cordillan ---- all different and yet unified because of their differences. In Paach, differences were things one tried to hide, but in this setting, it seemed as if the distinctions between individuals were being flaunted and celebrated, all simply through the manner of dress and the confidence from which the members of the troupe carried themselves. Each of the members of Troupe Astral moved at a frantic yet deliberate pace, anxiously preparing for the evening's events.

 The first individual to catch Geneon's eye was a slim human with mildly muscular arms wearing a tight-fitting black tanktop, green trousers held up by red suspenders, thick brown gloves and even thicker brown boots. Ironically, while everyone else in the Troupe were wearing flashy and flamboyant outfits, this person seemed to be dressed far more for pragmatism than the others and in tones that were far more subdued than the rest of the group, though the outfit was still quite distinct and flashy by Paach standards. The only accessory that adorned the pragmatically dressed troupe member was a whip holstered to their side. The long black ponytail and soft facial features of the whip wielder made it difficult for Geneon to ascertain the gender of the person he was looking at, but the occupation was much easier to guess. This individual was clearly an animal tamer, as evidenced by its frantic chasing of a small golden yellow monkey that was hopping from tentpole to tentpole.

 “Saru! Get back here this instant!” yelled the animal tamer.

 The animal tamer stomped their right foot on the ground with a furious smack. The monkey ignored the pleas of the stressed trainer and continued its journey up and around the structures of Troupe Astral's camp. In frustration, the animal tamer unleashed another angry stomp. This time the stomp came paired with a motion of their index finger pointing to the ground, demanding obedience from the tiny troublemaker. The monkey almost seemed to delight in tormenting the animal trainer and instead climbed even higher upon the pole it had been ascending.

 “Irwin, is everything alright?” asked an approaching Starr with a friendly smile.

 “Oh, nothing that I can't handle once I get my hands on that little brat,” spat Irwin the animal tamer with a hint of malice in their voice. Irwin's vocals had an odd pitch to them that sounded like a higher pitched individual trying to speak in a deeper tone than what would come naturally, but for all Geneon knew, that might have been the normal timbre of their speaking.

 “Saru's giving you trouble again, I see,” laughed Starr.

 “No. This is fine. Everything's fine,” said Irwin in an attempt to sound calm, cool, and collected. It wasn't fooling anyone.

 Smack!

 A red ball whacked Iriwn in the side of the head with a large thud. While everyone had taken their  eyes off of him, Saru had stolen said ball from an angry nearby juggler. The juggler was truly odd in appearance, at least as far as Geneon was concerned. The enigmatic juggler was a strange pale faced individual with no nose, blank white eyes and a thick blue tongue hanging out from its mouth. The dress of the plump individual was far more flamboyant than Irwin's: a red suit of armor that seemed to be covered in glittering fur, topped with a red armored cap that covered the juggler's forehead. Upon closer examination, it seemed as if the juggler didn't possess any ears at all, unless one counted the faux pointed metal ears sticking out atop opposite sides of its cap, giving it an almost catlike appearance (at least as far as the metal ears were concerned).

 “Ooooh!!! You little monster!! Get back here!!!” yelled a furious Irwin, still reeling from the whack of the juggler's ball.

 Irwin lunged at Saru, who had finally descended to ground level, but missed and fell face first into the dirt. The monkey laughed and made its way atop another high flagpole, and then stuck out its tongue in open defiance of its trainer. As angry and frustrated as Irwin may have been with Saru, it was clear that the monkey had also caused offense to the blue-tongued juggler.

 “Saru! You've stolen my ball for the last time!” the juggler yelled at the mischievous monkey. Interesting enough, the juggler was able to speak with perfect clarity despite their tongue never receding into their mouth. “When I get my hands on you I'm going to cook you in a stew and eat every bit of flesh on your bones!”

 “Gatt, please! Isn't that a bit drastic?” asked Starr.

 “In my country, monkeys aren't pets. They're food! This miscreant would be far less annoying inside of my stomach!” argued Gatt the juggler profusely.

 “I'm starting to think Gatt might be on to something for once,” mumbled Irwin with a slight smirk.

 “Oh, hush now! You love Saru! You two are thick as thieves!” suggested Starr playfully.

 “No, you love Saru. The rest of us can't stand that little piece of sh-” started Irwin.

 “Saru! Saru! Oh, won't you come down?” yelled Starr in a gentle and loving tone.

 Saru, who had been quite indignant and abrasive up to that moment, suddenly changed his demeanor to loving and sweet. At the behest of Starr, the little yellow monkey hopped down from the tentpole and began hugging the ringmaster's pantleg as if it were a lonely child finally able to embrace a loving parent. Saru cooed softly as he shoved his head hard against Starr's leg, hugging with the totality of the love inside of his being. In a way, it reminded Geneon of his relationship with Nora. He wondered how she was doing and what she was up to.

 “Now now, did you miss me while I was out? Is that it?” asked Starr as he looked down at his little friend.

 Saru looked up at Starr and nodded. Geneon was shocked with how obedient the monkey had become as soon as Starr was the one who issued the command. Geneon then wondered if monkeys had similar intelligence to cats and dogs. He had never heard of a monkey being able to understand the common tongue, so the fact that it was able to so swiftly respond to Starr's request seemed highly unusual. Was this some kind of magical feat of the Troupe Astral ringmaster? Or perhaps there was something special about this little golden monkey? Was it simply a matter of discipline and training, like with any other pet? Were pet monkeys simply commonplace in the world outside Paach? Geneon hadn't even been in the camp for five minutes and already his head was exploding with questions.

 “I missed you too,” said Starr with a smile. Saru backed away from Starr momentarily as the ringmaster crouched down. Starr extended his arms out to properly embrace the little monkey in a warm and loving hug, allowing the little creature to be fully wrapped in the rainbow man's kind embrace.

 “However, you need to be kind to the other troupe members,” said Starr as he let go of the embrace and placed his hand on Saru's shoulder. “They're our family. Not the family we were born into, but the family we chose. We all may have been misfits and outcasts, and we all may have been hurt by the outside world, but we chose to come together, and we choose to treat each other well. There's no point in choosing a family if you're choosing to be cruel to them. We are kind and loving here. Do you understand?”

 Saru looked up Starr with what looked like the beginning of tears welling in his eyes. Though Starr had said his message in a kind manner, it was clear he was disappointed in the little troublemaker. How much of the lesson Saru understood was something that Geneon pondered, as he still felt unsure about the little monkey's ability to comprehend language. However, despite whatever misgivings Geneon may have had about Saru's comprehension skills, the golden monkey did solemnly nod in response to the ringmaster's lecture and proceeded to woefully walk over to the two troupe members it had previously wronged. Sheepishly, Saru held its hands behind its back and looked up at them with the same regretful eyes it had looked upon Starr with.

 “I'm sowy,” creaked out the little monkey.

 Did that monkey just talk?!

 Geneon was amazed at the sight. A talking monkey. A real, honest to goodness, talking monkey. It was incredible. Mind blowing. An amazing spectacle.

 “Yeah, whatever, I ain't buying it,” scoffed Irwin nonchalantly. “You're only apologizing because Daddy's here.”

 And to the members of Troupe Astral, this was completely ordinary. While Geneon thought that seeing a golden monkey with the ability to speak and comprehend language was something fantastic and extraordinary, it was clear that the troupe viewed it as normal and mundane. This talking monkey was just another part of everyday life in Troupe Astral.

 Saru hopped up on Irwin's shoulder and kissed the animal trainer on the cheek. Irwin, as angry as they might have been at the naughty tiny tyke, could not help but blush. Saru was an adorable little charmer, and as hardened and annoyed as Irwin might have been before that, it was hard to remain that way after an apologetic monkey kiss.

 Gatt, on the other hand, could not be charmed so easily. When Saru went to approach the...cordillan? Geneon assumed that Gatt had to be a cordillan, despite looking unlike any other cordillan he had ever seen. In any event, when Saru when to approach Gatt for a hug, the armored hulk shifted its footing ever so slightly, which in turn frightened Saru enough to turn and flee to the safety of Starr's shoulder. Though Geneon had difficulty reading the mysterious Gatt, he felt a strange sense of unease from the juggler. The way Gatt looked at Saru was same the way a hungry predator looks at their prey, and at that moment, Geneon realized that Gatt may have been serious in his declaration of desiring to eat the little monkey.

 “I won't eat you, little monkey. Today.”

 Saru flinched in terror. Geneon had to admit he was a little terrified too. The way that Gatt delivered his sentence with his cold, pupil-less white eyes created a sense of malicious murderous intent and dread. The little golden monkey quickly lifted up Starr's tophat and climbed inside to hide from the white eyed juggler. Starr's hat began to wiggle back and forth due to the fearful shuddering of the little monkey hiding inside.

 “Gatt. My dear Gatt. You won't eat Saru, ever,” said Starr sternly. “If you do...”

 Starr raised his hand and formed a fist. In an instant, a red aura began to glow around his hand, almost looking like a flame but far more translucent. It was clearly another showcase of his magic. Unlike the display Geneon had witnessed prior, however, this seemed much more deliberate and controlled. On top of that, it seemed much more powerful, and because of that, much more terrifying. Gatt, who just a moment prior had been the one providing the frights, had become the one who was frightened. For the first time that Geneon had seen, the juggler swallowed their tongue and gulped in fear.

 “Well, you won't have to find out, because you two will get along, RIGHT?”

 Starr's face became painted with a wide and sadistic grin. His eyes widened as his pupils became thin, almost like the face of a cat, but with the malice of man. Mere minutes ago he was so soft, kind, and gentle with Saru, and now here he was displaying the sheer danger and power of his magical prowess. And again, there seemed to be no visible talis on his person. What exactly was the story behind Starr's magical powers? Who was he and where did he come from? Was the Hafen government aware of how powerful of a mage Starr was? Again, Geneon's head was a whirlwind of questions.

 “Y-yes boss! I'm sorry boss!”

 Gatt fell down and began bowing frantically on hands and knees to appease Starr.

 “It won't happen again. I'll be nice to the little fella! I promise!”

 The aura around Starr's fist disappeared as the evil grin turned back into a soft smile.

 “Good. And please, don't bother with the formalities. We're all friends here. Just call me Starr.”

 “Yes sir! I mean, yes Starr!” yelled Gatt as they rose to their feet.

 “He's new,” whispered Maiker in Geneon's ear. That made sense. Clearly Gatt hadn't yet learned which boundaries were unsafe to cross the leader of Troupe Astral. Geneon hoped that, unlike Gatt, he would be able to learn them quickly.

[radiantepoch]

Radiant Epoch: Chapter 21 - Tyce

 STOMP! STOMP!

 The creature's roar wasn't the only thing about it that was loud and thunderous. As the mysterious monster moved within the darkness towards Tyce and Sophia, the ground beneath them quaked. Each giant footstep made the cavern shake like a writhing worm. Tyce felt his anxiousness growing as the mysterious beast approached. Tyce frantically turned to Sophia, hoping for...answers? Comfort? A plan? Even he was unsure what he wanted in that moment.

 “Sophia, what's going on? What's that noise?” asked Tyce nervously. As uncommon as it may have been for him, in that moment he felt paralyzed with fear.

 “It's a Blue Queen,” she whispered back to him before blowing out the light in her lantern, hoping the fading light might allow them to remain undetected.

 “A what?”

 “A Blue Queen!” replied a frustrated Sophia as she set the lantern on the ground. She was having difficulty believing Tyce could truly be so dense. “Seriously, you don't know about Blue Queens? Didn't you pay attention in school?”

 “I might need a little refresher!” replied a quiet yet testy Tyce.

 “Okay! You know those blue beetles you see all around town?” whispered Sophia nervously.

 “ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!”

 The creature in the darkness had let out another fearsome roar as it continued its slow and menacing approach.

 “Yeah, what about them?” pried Tyce, hoping Sophia would get to the point.

 “Well, they breed in colonies and the mother of the colony is called the Blue Queen. They nest deep underground, far away from humans, in dark and damp places.”

 STOMP! STOMP!

 “In addition, Blue Queens happen to have very long lifespans and can grow to be quite a bit larger than their children.”

 The Blue Queen's head finally emerged from the darkness. Indeed, she was a giant blue beetle, just like the others Tyce had seen scampering through the cavern, but the queen was much larger in size, and much more frightening because of this. The giant blue bug was easily three times as large as Tyce, and as the rest of its body made its way into the light of the glowstars, the presence of the large creature filled the room in such a way to make the entire affair feel claustrophobic. The cavern itself was larger than any of the other underground areas Tyce had previously explored, but now with the Blue Queen inside of the grotto with them, the room felt cramped and dangerous. Though the smaller blue beetles might have appeared harmless and cute, there was something unnerving and menacing about this gigantic specimen.

 “They're also very territorial,” stated Sophia in terror.

 “ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!”

 The Blue Queen charged at the two teens. Tyce, acting on instinct, grabbed Sophia in his arms and jumped to the side, narrowly ensuring that Sophia avoided a gnashing bite from the beetle's fearsome fangs. There was little time to think or plan, and because of how forceful his jump was, the two plummeted to the ground with a tremendous thud.

 “Argh!” winced Tyce. “Are you alright?!”

 “I'm fine!” grunted a slightly bruised but grateful Sophia.

 SMASH!

 Tyce, still holding Sophia in his arms, rolled the two of them out of the way of the Blue Queen's stomping foot. If he had acted a moment later, the duo would have been crushed under the weight of the massive insect. However, Tyce's reflexes were sharp and quick, and in this situation his swift movements proved to be the literal difference between life and death.

 “Did you know this thing was down here?!” yelled Tyce as he rose to his feet.

 Sophia felt her entire body flush with embarrassment. She didn't want to admit to Tyce that she had failed to mention something so important. Sophia prided herself in being very attentive and astute, and she felt confident that she would have remembered to tell him had she not been distracted by the conversation with the old woman, but now was no time for excuses or ego. She was here to right the wrong of her mistake and help Tyce through this situation. There was no point in being untruthful.

 “I did! Yes! I'm sorry! I had heard rumors that there was a Blue Queen down here and meant to tell you before you left!”

 A sudden sharp anger rose within Tyce. He couldn't believe this. How could Sophia neglect to tell him something that important?

 “Seriously?!?! You forgot?! About this?!” he screamed.

 The Blue Queen snarled furiously. She charged directly at both Tyce and Sophia, both of whom jumped to opposite sides to avoid the oncoming onslaught.

 “I'm sorry! I was about to tell you but before I could the old woman started talking my ear off and by the time she was done you were long gone!” cried Sophia in feeble justification.

 Tyce still couldn't believe this. As livid as he might have been with Sophia, he had little time to focus on his anger. The Blue Queen was a threat that needed to be dealt with, and he still had yet to obtain a glowstar for Lyra. The giant insect was stomping all over the various flower beds, crushing the glowing blossoms under its feet, and Tyce knew that if he wanted to grab one of the flowers he needed to do so quickly. On top of that, he needed to get Sophia and him out of the cave before it was too late.

 “Y'know, it might have been better to lead with that piece of information instead of saving it for the end. Kinda a crucial detail!”

 “Well, if you weren't in such a hurry I would've had time to tell you!” huffed Sophia with her hands on her hips.

 “Whatever! I'll take care of it!”

 Tyce reached down to his waist to draw his katana from its sheath. As he grabbed onto the hilt of his sword, he briefly reflected on the fact that this was the first time in ages that he had to draw his blade against a beastly adversary without Geneon by his side. Whenever they were hunting in the woods together, Tyce knew that Geneon always had his back, and he always had Geneon's. It felt strange entering into combat without his trusted companion, but that moment of introspection only lasted for a brief flicker. The howling screech of the Blue Queen snapped Tyce back to the moment and the task at hand. With complete resolve, Tyce drew his weapon.

 The katana shimmered in the light of the remaining glowstars. The glittering glow of the blade seemed to serve as a beacon of sorts to the Blue Queen. Like a moth drawn to a flame, the Blue Queen focused all its attention upon the newly revealed shining sword. In an instant, the beetle charged at Tyce with vicious ferocity, completely ignoring Sophia and instead solely focusing on destroying the one with the glimmering blade. Despite the fury and speed of the attack, the Blue Queen completely missed her side-stepping target. Tyce's training with Ewald all those years ago was paying off in spades and he was able to dodge each of the Blue Queen's attacks while maintaining a firm grasp on his weapon. His deliberate and graceful evasion not only allowed him successful avoidance from injury, but it also offered him chances to strike at the monster with his katana, which he took full advantage of. However, each counterattack felt as useless as chopping his blade against hard stone. No matter how hard he struck, the blows simply bounced off the Blue Queen as if it had caused no injury to it whatsoever. She was a strong and mighty beast, and in terms of raw power, Tyce simply couldn't compete. However, despite all of her brawn and vigor, it seemed that the Blue Queen didn't have particularly good aim or accuracy, and in many ways it seemed as if Tyce and her were complete opposites in the realm of combat.

 Sophia, who at this point had been mostly acting as a spectator, charged at the Blue Queen with her white baton in hand. She successfully landed an impressive blow right atop the beetle's backside, but much like Tyre's attacks, it seemed to do nothing to the mother beetle other than aggravate it slightly. The insect had been largely ignoring her presence up to that point, but now that she had joined in the fray, the Blue Queen decided to charge at the new combatant. Despite her movements being nowhere near as swift as Tyce's, Sophia was still able to successfully dodge the march of the Blue Queen, but her sidestep was far less graceful and her dodging much more narrow in margin.

 “Sophia! Stay back! I'll handle this!” ordered Tyce with an outstretched arm. She was barely able to avoid the Blue Queen's attacks and he didn't feel comfortable with how many close calls he had just witnessed.  

 “No! I came to help you!”

 Sophia charged at the Blue Queen again with a swipe of her baton. This time, however, the Blue Queen was the one to dodge by swiftly averting itself to the side. The Blue Queen howled as it attempted to counter Sophia with a fearsome bite, but before it could execute its attack Tyce had run in-between the two of them and slashed the giant bug with his sword. Again, it did no apparent damage to the beast, but the attack distracted the monster long enough for both Sophia and Tyce to jump far enough backward to catch their breath for a moment.

 The Blue Queen screeched. Tyce looked around at the cavern and noticed it was becoming considerably darker. At that point, most of the glowstars had been crushed under the Blue Queen's massive feet. As she continued her rampage, more and more of the light became snuffed out and consumed by the darkness. Only a handful of the glowing flowers remained in the cavern. Tyce knew that if he didn't obtain one of them soon that they might all be destroyed and the entire trip would be for naught. However, finding time to grab a glowstar seemed nigh impossible. The relentless assault of the beetle beast made sure that Tyce was constantly on the defensive, and beyond that, he had to ensure that Sophia remained safe.

 “Sophia! Grab a glowstar and get out of here!” demanded Tyce.

 “What?!”

 Tyce kept his eyes on the Blue Queen. He couldn't afford any more distractions. As far as he was concerned, Sophia would do nothing other than weigh him down. The only useful thing she could do for him at this point would be to obtain the object he came there for in the first place. If she grabbed a glowstar for him and fled right away, that would give him the time and attention to focus on bringing down the Blue Queen without anything diverting his attention. If she stayed, she was only going to be a burden for him to look after.

 “Just do it! Please!”

 Tyce dodged another furious swipe from the gigantic beast.

 “No, I'm not leaving you here!”

 “I'll be fine! I can handle this creep by myself, but I can't fight the Blue Queen, protect you, and get a glowstar for Lyra all at the same time! You'll just get in the way! Now hurry up and get going!”

 Tyce lunged at the Blue Queen and brought down a mighty strike right between the beetle's eyes. Again, it seemed useless against the thick skin of the monster. Tyce tried to unleash a flurry of blows after the first one failed to do any damage, but before he could unleash a third strike the queen had charged forward again, forcing Tyce to jump backward defensively.

 “Tyce, there's no way you can't beat this thing on your own!” pleaded Sophia.

 Sophia jumped in front of Tyce, with her arms outstretched, holding one glass bauble in each hand.

 “Sophia?! What do you think you're doing?!”

 “This!! Hold your breath!!”

  Tyce knew he had no time to question Sophia, so he did as he was instructed and placed a single hand over his mouth and nose. With passion and fiery determination, Sophia threw the two baubles at the giant beetle.

 Crack!

 The glass baubles shattered atop the massive insect. The red liquid contents of the containers splattered all over the Blue Queen. One would have expected the monster to react with furiously, but instead it seemed that the red liquid served as some kind of calming sedative. The giant beetle now seemed to be slowing down slightly and acting quite a bit more lethargic. Sophia waved at Tyce to motion him to retreat backwards, and again, he followed Sophia's instructions.

 “What the heck is that red stuff?” asked Tyce as Sophia ran towards him.

 “Rayshee juice,” stated Sophia calmly before quickly realizing that Tyce would obviously be oblivious to this as well. “A liquid extracted from rayshee mushrooms. It's a powerful insecticide that many botanists use. However, you want to be extremely careful with it. Rayshee juice has strong sedative properties. If you inhale too much of the juice's fumes, you'll be out like a light.”

 The Blue Queen was stumbling back and forth like a drunkard, falling over itself and barely able to walk. It slashed its jaw wildly and aimlessly, not realizing how far away its targets were. Despite the attacks attempting to maintain the same level of ferocity as before, it was clear that the rayshee juice was working its wonders on the insect, and each failed strike seemed slower and more inept than the previous.

 “Is rayshee juice toxic?” asked Tyce.

 “In large enough doses, yes.”

 Suddenly, Tyce's face lit up. He had an idea.

 “Sophia, do you have any more of those baubles?” he asked.

 “I have three more,” said Sophia as she motioned to the baubles on her belt. “Why?”

 “Give me one of them. I have a plan.”

 Sophia reluctantly handed Tyce a bauble of rayshee juice. Though she had to admit she was impressed by his swordplay and combat prowess, she felt unsure about him as a tactician and wondered what he wanted to do with a bottle of the juice.

 “Rayshee juice is even stronger if it makes direct skin contact. Make sure you don't get any of it on you.”

 Tyce popped the cork off of the bauble and poured the rayshee juice onto the blade of his katana. Forgetting to hold his breath, Tyce felt lightheaded for a brief moment before he remembered not to breathe in any more of the fumes. Sophia's jaw would have dropped at the sight of Tyce's unorthodox use of the poison, but she was far too concerned with breathing in the toxic air to allow such a facial expression.

 “Now I'll be able to put this bed bug to bed!” exclaimed Tyce before falling into a fit of coughing.

 Sophia wanted to tell Tyce how idiotic she felt the plan was. The katana clearly wasn't strong enough to pierce the Blue Queen's hide, so adding the toxin to his dull sword made no sense if it couldn't penetrate the monster's skin. There were better ways of spreading the juice on the queen to make it fall into a slumber, like throwing the bauble directly onto it. On top of that, a good deal of the juice had fallen onto the ground and missed the blade completely, wasting a considerable portion. Had she not been conserving her breath, Sophia might have scolded Tyce for such a misuse of her valuable liquid.

 “Alright you big nasty, come and get some!”

 After another cough, Tyce charged forward at the Blue Queen. The bug screeched and howled as it tried alternating between chomps and swipes, but it was clear that the insect was becoming exhausted. Tyce had been able to dodge all of the Blue Queen's attacks previously, and now that the beast had been slowed down by the rayshee juice, it had become even easier to avoid damage.

 “Hitting it with the sword won't do anything, even if you put rayshee juice on the blade! Tyce!!” yelled Sophia.

 Whoosh!

 Tyce ducked to avoid a swipe from the Blue Queen's front foot. Though he was dodging all of the attacks with ease, Sophia found it curious that Tyce had yet to use his newly poisoned weapon. Perhaps he knew that dipping the blade in venom wasn't going to make a difference if it couldn't pierce through the Blue Queen's thick defenses? But then why did he drench the sword in rayshee juice in the first place? Just what was he thinking?

 “Alright you oversized matriarch! Eat this!”

 The Blue Queen let out another screeching howl. Tyce lunged forward with his blade towards the insect's open mouth, intent on forcing the bug to swallow the sword. The slowed comprehension of the beast did not allow it to react in time. The beetle's body twitched and jerked unexpectedly as Tyce forced the blade inside of the monster's throat.  After a series of muscle spasms, the Blue Queen finally fell unconscious. After a moment of silence, Tyce carefully removed the bloodless blade from the mother's mouth. Sophia was in complete and total shock.

 “Tyce!! You did it!!” she exclaimed. Somehow he had managed to pull it off. Perhaps there was more to Tyce than she had previously given him credit for.

 Sophia's jubilation was interrupted by realizing that Tyce still hadn't left the side of the Blue Queen. After sheathing his blade, he gently held his hand to the creature's head. Unsatisfied with this, he then placed his own head against the head of the Blue Queen, before nodding and then finally walking away.

 “She's just asleep. Her breathing is steady, so I think she'll make it through okay.”

 What? Tyce was concerned for the Blue Queen's survival? That seemed very unlike Tyce, as far as she knew. He was always off hunting with Lyra and the cordillan boy Geneon, so why was he sparing the life of a creature that had just tried to kill him? It didn't make sense. The enigmas of that boy continued to confound her.

 “You're not going to kill it?” asked Sophia as she gripped one of her remaining baubles.

 “Nah, we're in this thing's territory. She was just defending her home. Besides, if I can't eat it, what's the point of killing it?”

 Sophia did a double-blink. She couldn't believe this.

 “Seriously?” she asked in a slightly annoyed tone.

 “If I kill it, I eat it. That's my rule,” declared Tyce proudly, as if stating the core of his moral code.

 “You're a weird one, Tyce, but I like you!” laughed Sophia. He truly was unique among the denizens of Paach.

 “Thanks. I like you too,” he replied with a smile.

 Tyce turned around and saw that only two glowstars remained after the intense battle. With a sigh, he ducked down to the ground and plucked the final two glowstars. The first flower he placed gently in the pouch around his waistband. The second flower he handed to Sophia.

 “Here,” he said.

 “For me?” she asked in a shocked tone. She wasn't expecting Tyce to offer one of the only remaining glowstars to her.

 “You came to help me and I might not have made it out of here alive if it weren't for you and your rayshee juice,” said Tyce as he reflected on the events that had just transpired. While he previously had thought of Sophia as nothing more than a burden, her rayshee juice ended up saving the day, and he never would have known about the glowstars in the first place if it were not for her.

 “Thank you, Tyce,” said Sophia with a blush.

 “No, thank you.”

 The light of the glowstar made Sophia's eyes sparkle with wonder. She gazed lovingly at the flower and then turned her sight to Tyce before quickly turning away. A thought had briefly danced its way into her head, but she quickly shoved it away, knowing it wasn't appropriate to think such things. After realizing the nature of her thought, she snapped back to the present moment and noticed that the two of them had entered into a period of prolonged uncomfortable silence. To break it, Sophia let out a gentle cough.

 “We should get going. You don't want to be late for your date with Lyra.”

 “You're right,” said Tyce jubilantly. “Let's go!”

 Sophia then realized that she had been the only one to notice the moment of awkwardness. As far as Tyce was concerned, he was simply offering her a flower as a gesture of thanks for help with the battle and for the gift idea itself. He thought nothing else of the situation and didn't have the same ideas creep into his head that had crept into Sophia's. No, he was blissfully unaware of the flicker that had entered into Sophia's mind, and nothing of the sort was going to penetrate his head. She understood that now and admired that his thoughts, as simple as they may be, were pure. Lyra was a lucky girl.

[radiantepoch]

Radiant Epoch: Chapter 20 - Tyce

 Tyce had never gone to a sermon at the jeol in the entirety of his life, at least as far as he could remember. Ellen didn't make any attempts to instill any dogmatic beliefs into her son and religion itself was never even a topic of conversation in their household. There was a copy of the Tola among their minuscule book collection, as there was in almost every human home in Paach, but Tyce had never seen his mother reading the tome.

 Lyra once asked Tyce about his mother's faith and was shocked that he had no idea whether or not his mother worshiped Junim. Though curious, Lyra felt too shy to ask Ellen about this herself and instead simply theorized that Ellen was either a passive observer of the faith or that one of Tyce's relatives, perhaps his grandparents or his father, were believers and the text was simply an artifact of family history. Whatever the case may have been, Tyce felt no tradition or familiarity with the teachings of the junites and did not consider himself to be one. It wasn't that he had any inherent biases against the religion and their teachings, it's just that he was mostly unfamiliar with them and generally uninterested.

 Though Paach was beginning to increase in size due to the influx of Hafen soldiers, the town jeol had remained much the same as it had prior to the occupation. At one time, both Hafen and Gadeu shared very similar demographics when it came to the religions of their people. In the old days, their people's shared faith in junimism served as a shared identity and unified the populaces of both nations. The people of Gadeu considered the people of Hafen to be relatively the same as themselves and visa-versa. In some ways, the two groups considered themselves one people only separated by land. However, the Great Reformation didn't only lead to a swift and drastic change in Hafen's military prowess and technology --- it also led to a more secular populace with a proudly distinct culture. The rapid advances in science and technology led many in Hafen to disregard the religious traditions of their past as silly superstition with no basis in reality. This change had come incredibly swift to their culture and within a generation they had gone from a mostly religious society to a mostly secular one, all due to the public's amazement with the advances they were making by abandoning their previously held beliefs in favor of a new scientific method.

 This served as one of the greatest lines of division between Hafen and the occupied territories. Most of the conquered peoples still held onto their faith and traditions, unlike the secular citizens of the motherland. For the time being Hafen seemed more interested in gaining control of more lands and people rather than integrating them fully into their culture, and so to appease their new subjects they mostly allowed them to continue their same religious practices and cultural customs as long as they did not threaten the authority of the occupiers. Thus, the presence of Hafen was never felt within the walls of the town jeol. Beyond the official policy of allowing the local populaces to worship their gods as they pleased, the soldiers themselves had little interest in the superstitions of the locals, even if their parents and grandparents might have believed in those same superstitions.

 Though the town jeol was incredibly popular on the sabbath, on every other day of the week it was completely desolate. In some ways, the vacant atmosphere of the building made it look even more pleasant and peaceful when Tyce came upon it. Paach's jeol was a humble one, especially when compared to the massive temples closer to Fort Wilhelm. Many of Gadeu's grander jeols did not survive the war's collateral damage, but the humble little jeol in the humble little farm village still remained standing completely unchanged. The design was simple: white-painted bricks, a blue-tiled roof and multi-colored stained glass windows. At the center of jeol, just above the door, was a golden representation of the religion's primary symbol, the Eye of Junim, reminding the junites that their benevolent creator was always watching over them.

 Tyce circled around the back of the jeol to begin making his way towards the well. The closer he got to it, the more unkempt and wild the grass became. If the state of the grounds keeping wasn't a strong enough indicator of the well's inactivity, then the wooden boards covering the entrance certainly conveyed the message. Tyce briefly considered just stomping on the boards to open up the passageway but upon reflection decided against it. Though it was have been faster to simply destroy the boards with brute force, Tyce reasoned that the boards must have been put in place to stop children from falling in the well, and he didn't want to be the cause of a child's harm due to his hastiness. Instead of smashing the boards with his foot, he put forth the effort to dig underneath the boards with his fingernails until he could pry the boards off the entrance and then set the boards off to the side for him to restore later. After securing the rope firmly to a nearby boulder, Tyce finally made his descent into the well.

 The climb down was fairly straightforward and easy. Tyce found that the old structure was built excellently and that the pressure of his feet against the wall seemed to have no effect on it. As dark as it was down there, the light from the sun allowed him to see a raised stone area that was elevated slightly above the base of the well. Though he couldn't quite tell from his current angle, he assumed that raised area was the platform that led to the glowstar cavern given that it was the only part of the well's base that wasn't completely covered in water. When he did finally reach the platform, he discovered that he had accidentally landed in a puddle that the light of the sun did not allow him to see, which mildly annoyed him. Still, he was glad that he had managed to make his way down safely without much difficulty.

 The base of the well was actually quite cramped and limited in scope, aside from the platform that Tyce had landed on. The stone walls around him were solid and secure in their foundation and the water that surrounded the base was plentiful, but not deep enough for swimming. The only place that allowed for any kind of exploration was a large gaping hole in the stone border that seemed to have formed from some kind of natural erosion, which his stone platform led directly to. It was true that the path was incredibly straightforward and impossible to miss.

 After he had gotten his bearings, Tyce realized that he had forgotten to bring any kind of torchlight to help with his navigation inside the well. This would have been a problem, as the light of the sun did not extend into the dark passage in front of him, but luckily there seemed to be a faint blue glow emanating from off in the distance. This had to be the glowstars, Tyce assumed, and he made his way down the cavernous corridor.

 As he ventured down the pathway, it became more and more difficult to see. While it was true the glowing blue light was getting brighter as he approached, it simply did not provide the same illumination as the sun, and as he moved further and further away from the sun's rays he found that navigation became much more of a challenge. Slipping and tripping was becoming the norm as he ventured through the darkness. Tyce simply could not maintain his footing on the dark and uneven ground. He continually managed to prevent himself from crashing to down onto the hard cavern floor but one particular crack in the rock beneath caused a rather aggressive trip. To catch himself from falling face-first into the ground, Tyce grabbed hold onto the cavern wall, and after doing so he decided he would keep his hand to the cave's damp wall for the remainder of his trip in order to keep his balance.

 All signs of sunlight had completely vanished. The inviting glow of the soft blue light, however, was beginning to light up the path enough where Tyce could actually begin to see more of his surroundings through the darkness. There wasn't much to see, mind you, aside from some green moss, a few blue beetles and several small enclaves of white mushrooms. The biggest point of excitement for Tyce at that point was the ability to see the small puddles in front of him and being able to avoid stepping in them. His shoes and the bottom of his pant legs had started to become drenched due to his constant splashing, so nullifying any additional annoyance in that department was seen as a strong positive.

 The blue luminescence was getting stronger now. The soft light had illuminated the path in front of Tyce so greatly that he no longer need to strain his eyes in the slightest in order to see the path in front of him. His confidence of sight made him decide he had no need for his clinging to the wall and thus he freed his right hand from it. Excitement began to overwhelm Tyce. He picked up his pace, anxious to reach his destination.

 “Woah!”

 Tyce turned a corner and found himself inside of the cavern of the glowstars. The cavern itself wasn't particularly large. It was around the size of Lyra's family's shop, but the space seemed much more vibrant and alive due to the abundance of glowstars. There were hundreds of glowing blue flowers growing out the ground alongside what looked like ordinary grass and other common vegetation. It seemed as if the glowstars had given off enough light that the grass and other forms of plant life could grow down in the dark depths of this cave even without the slightest bit of sunlight, surviving solely off the radiance of the glowstar's luminous nature. The light of the glowstars was so strong that it seemed like midday sun within the darkness of the cavern, and yet it also felt soft enough where the luster was not blinding to the eyes. The entire scene was incredibly surreal and beautiful, yet simple and subtle at the same time. It was the beauty of nature and survival in even the oddest of places.

 Tyce bent down and began examining the glowstars. Though it initially seemed as if the flower's blue glow was a coming from their three triangle shaped petals, upon closer examination Tyce found that the light actually came from the radiating stigma in its center. Aside from the glow and the odd shape of the petals, Tyce also observed that glowstars looked just like an other flower one might encounter in the wild, with an ordinary green stem and ordinary green leaves. He found the flowers to be spectacular and was completely caught up in their beauty, which was definitely unusual for him. For a brief moment, he had forgotten that his mission was to get them for Lyra and was simply appreciating them himself, and upon remembering his mission he grew immediately excited. If he liked the flowers this much, then Lyra was going to adore them.

 Tyce began walking through the cavern in an attempt to find the “perfect” glowstar. There was a large passageway on the north side of the room, but no light seemed to be emanating from there, and thus Tyce assumed there were likely no additional glowstars that way, so he decided to focus his attention on the flowers within the cavern instead of exploring any further. He slowly paced through the room, examining the different cloves of glowstars, trying his best to gauge their quality. Though he tried to differentiate between the minor nuances of the flowers, he found that the variance between them were largely negligible, at least as far as he could tell. After some internal deliberation, Tyce decided that any of the glowstars would be perfect and that there was no sense in hemming and hawing over which ones to bring back. Tyce bent down to pick a glowstar when all of sudden, a noise from behind stopped him in his tracks.

 “Tyce!!” screamed a voice from behind.

 “Sophia?” said a surprised Tyce.

 Sophia had come running into the room, frantically out of breath, with a look of grave concern on her face. Unlike Tyce, she was carrying a small lantern with her to help guide her way through the darkness. Unusually, however, she also had a white baton sheathed onto her back. Tyce had never seen Sophia out and about with a weapon before. In addition to her baton, she also had several oval-shaped glass baubles tied to her belt, each filled with a strange red liquid.

 “What are you doing here, Sophia?” asked Tyce.

 “I forgot...to warn you...” she panted.

 “Warn me about what?”

“ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!”

 A giant, powerful, rumbling roar came from within the dark hole further north. The booming sound made the entire cavern quake with fury. A pair of giant eyes appeared in the shadows beyond. The piercing eyes were black, like the darkness itself, but burning with a raging fire. And what's worse, the eyes were getting bigger as they approached.

 “That,” cried Sophia faintly.