Ever since growing up, I always regarded little kids as adorable and cuddly. They are the kinds of creatures that you can always rely to in order to restore your depressive days and times by playing, talking, or even caring with them. Their cute and innocent behavior makes me want to adopt one (if I can) and I cannot truly begin to emphasize how I am easily captivated by their childish behavior.
Needless to say, indeed, I adore little kids.
However, after hearing that chilling phrase uttered by this gorgeous silver-haired woman in front of us, it made me question my personal preferences regarding kids.
Malthur and I became stiff when we heard Libra from her shocking revelation regarding her past. We stared at her with blank eyes while she tries to brush off the depressing tone of her words by laughing slowly.
I kept staring at her eyes when Malthur asked her:
"You… w-were… abducted?"
He said those words with an implication that Libra was just kidding with us.
However, from the looks of her stern expression of her face, it does not seem like she is lying to us.
"Correct, Malthur! I was abducted by her group and since then, my life…. became troublesome, to say the least."
Malthur took those words willingly, now understanding that she is not playing around with us, and resumed his way of contemplating about her story.
Now thinking about the girl in the picture of her story, it made me remember the horror that I felt when she entered on the plaza while we were doing the ceremony for the festival. I recalled vividly the feeling in my body where all of the angles of my being became extremely scared and it kept me from moving freely. She seemed to be refined from her actions and behavior, yet she is terrifyingly evil and cruel from her aura.
Who is she?
We need to learn the identity of this girl together with her cohorts in order to unravel the threat that they might impose in this city.
"Libra, you said that this girl abducted you… what is her name?"
Feeling that I must ask the query of my mind, I let my mouth do the talking.
In response to my curious query, Libra smiled palely and answered:
"Ah… Tori! I apologize but… I do not know the name of the girl that you ask..."
"Huh? Is that so? But why?"
This doesn't make sense.
"I told you before that I was abducted by the girl in my dear village. When I was already in her command, she forced my body and my mind to partake in a ritual that erased the fiber of my being and who I am as a person. As an effect, I hardly recall all of the things that I have done in my past, even the very concept of myself…"
Libra answered while still wearing her lonesome smile.
Once again, we fell silent.
"Indeed, I have a short recollection of what I had become when I was still a cohort of the girl, together with her other epigones… however, thanks to the person who defeated Effese, I was somehow rescued by your swordsfolk and I returned to normal…"
Wait a moment… I thought you were captured? Why are you thanking us like this?
When she was about to continue her words, she paused first and looked us seriously for the first time:
"I know why the two of you are here and that is to extract information from me…and in return…"
She stood in the table and turned away from us.
Wait… hold on… what are you…
"I will gladly help you."
HUH?
Both Malthur and I stared at each other when she faced us once again.
"I know that I stated earlier that I do not have any recollection of who I was when I became an adherent of the girl… but when I was rescued, slowly but surely, my memories came back. There are still other details in my mind that are fuzzy, but I will tell you what I do know for now..."
Malthur gulped from her sudden words and said:
"P-Please tell us."
When she heard his words, Libra smiled gleefully and said:
"My name is Libra… I am the third epigone of the tragic princess, bearing the name: Shelosh… or also known as 'The Balance'."
???
Tragic princess? Shelosh? Balance?
What is she talking about???
I know that from the beginning, her comrades are rather shady and unworldly (as according to their names) but I cannot imagine that they are rather odd as to this case!
"Uhhh… pardon us? Care to repeat those words that you have just uttered?"
Look, even Malthur does not get what is she saying!
When both of us looked puzzled from her words, Libra smiled once again and sat in the table in order to begin her tale of her true nature.
None of us were ready for her dark revelation.
The enigmatic girl that she just coined as a 'tragic princess' is a nobility that came from a faraway and unknown kingdom. From her childhood up to now, the princess was raised as a cold, cunning, and ruthless person in order for her to be fit for the throne of the kingdom. However, before she even became worthy to be the ruler of her own land, the kingdom fell into a great and unspeakable famine that ravaged all of her people and after some time, the kingdom fell into ruin. Libra was unsure about the great famine that befell the kingdom, but according to her, due to the sudden tragedy that she experienced for her people, she embarked on a quest in order to restore her kingdom.
You would think that as a person who suffered from a traumatic experience of losing her people, they would cry out for help for others in order to ask for help.
However, for this tragic princess, that is not the case.
After all, this princess was cruel and cold… and childish on top of that.
Due to her desperate hopes in order to mend the glory of her fallen land, the tragic princess formed her own epigones that will help her for her own goal:
Ravage each land that they may come across and retrieve their riches…
Libra specifically said that the tragic princess was uncannily gifted into the ways of the sword and hers is an odd one. Her sword, which is an eerie relic of her kingdom, can command the very body of her target and can make them bow on her will. A rather troublesome and scary sword is on her possession…
From her travels, she became curious to a talented young swordsmith of a small village and when she got her chance, she abducted her.
Libra is the 'third' of the princess' epigone. She was given the title of 'The Balance' while also bearing the name 'Shelosh'. As the name implies, her role for the princess is to provide balance for her small cabal. She tends to be neutral for all of her interactions towards the group and unlike her, the other epigones are rather brash and fearsome on their missions. She became neutral for the rest of her services for the princess until the time that she was saved…
And when I mean by 'saved', I am implying that time when she defeated by the Grandseer.
"Right now, I do not think that I can hurt anyone anymore. Since I am free from the control of her command, I can go back to my peaceful life. Ah! Also, since my memories are slowly resurfacing to my mind, all of my other techniques and ways on my own sword retained in my mind and they are fresh as new! Ha-ha!"
She was still earnestly discussing with us when I interfered her words:
"Libra…"
"Huh? Yes, Astoria?"
"I thought you told us that you do not know a thing regarding the princess since your memories were wiped out?"
Then what happened to that lengthy exposition that you just blurted out regarding yourself and the princess?
"Hmmmm? But I believe that you only asked me regarding her name? When it comes to her identity, I have a tidbit of recollection since she talked us about herself but… regarding her name, none! I do not have any idea!"
I only sighed to our miniature misunderstanding.
I cannot blame her right now; I cannot just force her to remember all of her lost memories while she is recuperating. For that, I have to rely on what can she remember for the moment.
"Uh… Libra?"
"Hm? What is it, Malthur?"
I think it is time for Malthur's turn to speak.
"Can you tell us, what is the Effese? How can we beat it?"
Hmmm… an understandable query.
Upon hearing the serious query of Malthur, Libra placed her right hand under her jaw and assumed a thinking expression.
"Kuya Effese is one of us and like I watched from the recent battle that ensued against your champion, I would say that Kuya Effese was rather tired and beaten up even before fighting the big-looking uncle from before…"
Hmmm… I think she is referring to Pops.
"Kuya Effese is…nothing…"
Huh? What does she mean by that?
Kuya? Huh?
"P-Pardon me?" Malthur awkwardly asked.
"I am sure you heard its calling when it announced its name before the clash but… Kuya Effese is nothing. Look, literally speaking, Effese means 'nothingness' and it perfectly describes the being of it. I do not remember vividly, but the girl that kept us created the Effese- a being that is made out of nothing and will resurface from nothing!" she said while raising her index finger in front of us.
Malthur remained confused on her discussion.
Effese…nothingness…
Now that I heard it again, I do remember the meaning of its name when Pops discussed it to us.
It is a being that will resurface when there is a pure feeling of malice and change…
I tried to reconfirm it to Libra if the speculation about it is true and her response was:
"Indeed. It is correct!"
Ah, what a troublesome foe!
It can possess any being that has negative feelings and can control its overall body. In its purest form, the Effese is virtually invincible since… well… it is nothing. Its sword, which can also resurface upon its resurrection, has the power to call upon the waves of destruction and when used, it can leave a fatal blow to its target, resulting to its death and destruction.
Hmmm… just like what happened to the fight with Pops!
Knowing these troublesome capabilities, asking for its weakness is the right way to do.
"Hm? Kuya Effese's weakness? Huuuuu. It would be hurtful for Kuya if I blurted out its weakness! Kuya was the friendliest among of us, after all!"
Huh? Effese is friendly? I did not expect that!
Also, why are you being casual about this?
It seems that Libra was being friendly towards us and her former cohorts in the group. From her behavior, she is rather nice and looks like she can befriend everyone due to her natural kindness. I just noticed it as we go along from our talk but… she is indeed a neutral person.
After all, if her words are true, her personality and her own personal concept was given back to her when we saved her from the girl… so how come that she can act neutral about this?
Sher squirmed a bit from her sitting position when she finally continued in talking:
"Well… let us see… Kuya Effese can never be damaged in combat. However, given that Effese can only survive by relying on its host, that is the perfect time in order to pinpoint its one and only weakness… it sounds cliché but…the only weakness of it is its host…"
Hmmmm… is that so?
"If the host can successfully denounce their state of emptiness on their being, only then that Kuya Effese can be weakened and will be finally defeated. However, combating Kuya on its irresistible clutches is a hard task and from my experiences, none can actually best it! But if the host can miraculously do it, then, it can be weakened!"
Indeed. Hearing on how to confront this 'nothingness' gives me an incoming headache already.
We took the entire hour in discussing with Libra when we heard a loud thud outside the cell.
It must be Pops…is he calling us already?
"Ah? Perhaps our talk is being stopped from here?" Libra said when she was stopped from speaking.
Suddenly, the white metal door opened with a loud creaking sound and there stood Pops, waiting patiently for us while his face is turned away from us.
"Oh! So I was right! So uh… I am quite sad that our wonderful meeting will be cut short for this time so do not forget to visit me here soon, okay?"
"Yes!!! I will come here every day!" Malthur yelled enthusiastically.
"Ahaha! That makes me very happy! Thank you, Malthur! How about you, Astoria?"
"Errr… Tori is just fine… Uh, I will see what I can do…"
"That is good enough for me! Well then, thank you for visiting me!"
Libra waved happily with sheer cheerfulness in her expression as we were about to exit on her cell.
Looking her behave like this… it is too good to be genuine.
"Say, Libra…"
Malthur was already out when I blurted out something on the back of the waving girl in the cell.
"Hmmm? What is it, Astori- I mean uh… Tori?"
I faced her seriously and asked:
"You are not pretending to be nice, are you? "
Libra, now finally facing me, jumped out in surprise and completely denied the implication of my query.
"E-EH? Where did that question come from? O-Of course not, Tori!!! Why would I do that if I am already imprisoned here?"'
I only smiled from her relentless squirming and said:
"Ahaha. I am just kidding! Well then… see you soon."
Then, I closed the door.
I sighed heavily when I went out. Pops waited for me patiently, although from his facial expression, it seems like he is about to burst from boredom.
"Say, Pops…"
"What is it, kid?"
I recalled that genuine smile of Libra and said:
"Are we sure that she needs to be imprisoned here?"