STAGE THREE: FATHER
Ever since Alyon left, Kirin noticed that Freyja has been working harder than usual. At night, she wouldn't sleep. Instead, she would summon her aura and practice for what appears to be a spell that she's desperately trying to learn. Whenever he would ask her about it however, Freyja would just give her the usual reply of "I have to find Celestia as soon as possible."
After almost a week of travelling, they reached a rather worn out shrine near a lake. And Freyja, insisted on staying in a nearby monastery. She said she was tired. The monks offered them a simple room and a simple meal, which they accepted graciously.
Kirin could tell that something was going on.
That night he planned to secretly follow Freyja as she secretly snuck out just before midnight. But he was a step late. Before he knew it, Freyja had already gone to the woods, while Alaric slept soundly. Kirin clicked his tongue and headed out.
On his way to the woods, Kirin saw an old nun from the nunnery nearby. He approached her for directions, which she gladly helped him with. The nun gave Kirin a valuable piece of information unknowingly. "Be careful young man. It's dangerous out there. Don't disturb the spirits of the lake. Be as quiet as possible." She warned.
"Spirits of the lake?" Kirin thought, now having a very good idea why Freyja led them to that place. But why she wouldn't explain to them beforehand about her plan? That is what's bothering Kirin. "If you don't mind, ma'am, can you tell me more about it?" He politely asked.
The old woman smiled and urged Kirin to follow her. He did.
The old woman led Kirin to a small, shrine just beside the nunnery. It was about a fifteen-minute walk.
"This shrine may be old, but we hold a valuable treasure in here. You see, this is a place built by the gods themselves." The shrine lady lead Kirin to a room further in, as she spoke. "It is said that a long, long time ago, gods possessing white wings descended from the heavens to aid this small village. The entire village was suffering from drought but one night, the gods descended and summoned a lake for us to have water. And after that, they disappeared, leaving only a piece of a god's garment." The old lady opened a couple of locks and chains and let Kirin see a piece of scarf enclosed in glass. "That is said to be the god's scarf."
Kirin took a closer look at the worn-out muffler. It was a white muffler, with golden linings. It was very very old, and looks pretty much like ordinary cloth on the surface. However, when he used his aura, he saw a faint trace of white aura, exactly the same as Freyja's. "Hey old lady," Kirin said, forgetting his manners. "This thing is real. Aren't you afraid that I might steal it?" The old lady gave off a chuckle. "I find it surprising that a youngster like you would even believe that story. This shrine has been rarely visited because people no longer believe in that legend. So that piece of cloth is nothing more than a fraud in their eyes."
"It is real. Trust me, it is." Kirin smiled ever so subtly before heading out, to follow Freyja. "Thank you for showing me this. Please take care."
Just like the old lady's tale, Kirin rushed to the direction of the mysterious 'lake'. With his speed, it took him just about ten minutes before reaching the place. And he was right. Freyja was there, all by herself. She was staring blankly at the clear waters of the lake, reflecting the starry night sky. Quietly, he walked up to her. "Hey."
"YOU ALMOST KILLED ME!!" She huffed, surprised! "What are you doing here Kirin?"
Kirin saw the same faint white aura emanating from the lake. "What are you thinking about? What did Alyon tell you? Knowing you, you must be up to—"
Freyja looked at Kirin and chuckled.
"What?"
"Come to think of it, Kirin, you scold me so much."
"Well that's because you keep doing unbelievable things."
"You're more like a father than my own father." She mentioned, surprising him. Why bring that up now?
"You know Kirin, Alfiore never scolded me, not even once. Even I would have beaten the hell out of myself if I were him… but whenever I cried and threw tantrums, he would just hug me and have that silly expression on his face."
"silly?"
"Yup. It's as if he's going to cry too. So, I'd immediately stop and comfort him instead. I found it unthinkably sad to see Alfiore make that face because of me, so it kindda turns out that I scold myself. It's really weird right? Haha. That's why people would criticize him for spoiling me. Can't blame them though."
"Yeah, he is weird." Kirin gave off a soft laugh as well. "But it was effective, wasn't it? It is different for each of us, I guess. But he really is your father… I mean, to understand his daughter's heart to that extent. It's proof that he cares you so deeply… more than others could understand."
Kirin was expecting a calm answer from her, but much to his surprise, Freyja fell silent all of a sudden, her body trembling. "Freyja?"
"He is… He is weird!" Freyja shouted, in a sudden burst of emotions. Her tears flowing. Its been a long while since he saw Freyja get that emotional. The last time was when Keon died years ago. Instinctively, Kirin pulled her into a hug, but she gently pushed him and ran away, as fast as she could. "FREYJA!" Kirin tried to chase after her, but all of a sudden, Alyon showed up and stopped him. "Let her be Kirin!"
"A-Alyon? What are you doing…Out of my way!"
"I came here because I'm feeling guilty of telling her such a—Wait, did she not tell you about what I told her?" Alyon was just as surprised as Kirin. He never thought that Freyja would keep a secret from Kirin of all people. "I guess I have to tell you myself." Alyon sighed. Kirin was hesitant to turn back, but he wanted to know what Alyon has to say. They headed back to the shrine, where they thought Freyja went.
~ o 0 o ~
After flying quite a distance, Freyja finally cleared her head and found herself standing in front of the lake again. Although she wanted to tell Kirin everything, she hated the idea of dragging him into such a dangerous and selfish act. It was unnecessary for their journey, if you think about it. The risk is so big, and there is no guarantee that they would even succeed. Even so, to Freyja, it's something she has always dreamed of ever since she regained her memories of the Alfiore.
"I want to see him." She said to herself, squeezing her chest. "I can do it, can't I?" Freyja looked over the lake, and stared at her reflection. "Alfiore… I want to see you. The more memories I gain, the more I want to go back."
She took a deep breath and took all of her clothes off, before slowly stepping into the lake. The water was ice-cold, and it was much deeper than she thought. Just a couple of steps, and she found herself deeply submerged into the lake, almost freezing her entire body. The medallion hanging around her neck glowed brightly, a barrier formed around her, repelling the cold water instantly. Then, she slowly floated back to the surface. Like a ghost in the middle of the night, she walked on the water until she reached the middle.
She was determined. Freyja called forth her four guardians, surrounding her, before she channeled her aura to them, and to the entire lake, tracing lines and lines of aura, forming a summoning circle on the lake itself.
"You can see him, you know."
Alyon's words gave her hope. And even if she fails, she's still going to do it. Recalling every single memory she had of him, Freyja's wish to see her father grew and grew, along with her power. Thick blankets of mist emerged from the lake's surface, covering the entire place.
"Kinju Alfiore Leafen of Celestia… descend!"
The lake's water started swirling violently. Freyja did it harder, she shut her eyes tighter, calling more and more of her aura out. "ALFIORE… FATHER!!!"
As she released more aura, her vision became blurry, and her knees trembled as if they were going to break. She felt her life sipping away from her flesh, but she kept on doing so, until an orb of light appeared before her. Her eyes couldn't take it any longer. Freyja passed out even before she saw the results of her summoning. All the guardians were dispelled, and the last thing she felt was the sudden splash of ice-cold water all over her naked body.
And a pair of arms catching her.
"Freyja! Freyja!" Kirin's shouted. He immediately regretted not following her sooner. After hearing from Alyon, he was still hoping to stop her from doing something so dangerous. After all, she will tear a piece of her life and soul, in order to summon her father. Quite a dangerous and uncertain feat.
"In Phrein, the story of Sera Fiega, Kinju Alfiore's former betrothed who died trying to resurrect her lover, served a warning tale to Reinis. But Freyja, is a Lenfiare. She should be able to do it safely. So—
Kirin! Wait!"
As soon as Kirin heard Alyon's explanation, he wasted no time and rushed to find her, to stop her. Kirin breezed through the woods until he finally reached the lake, now emanating with Freyja's aura, and an unusually thick mist surrounding it "It can't be…" He was too late.
"F…Freyja?" He slowly went closer, as soon as he saw a silhouette emerging from the thick mist. But it wasn't Freyja. The person revealed himself, stunning Kirin in an instant. "You are…"
It was a man that appeared to be in his early twenties, only a few centimeters taller than Freyja. His long jet-black hair was dripping wet, over his fair, naked body. His golden eyes were sparkling, as they pierced right through Kirin's emerald orbs. The man resembled Freyja so much, they could be twins.
He was wearing nothing, looking like he just emerged from nothingness. And on his arms, a fainted girl rests. A girl wearing nothing but the celestial medallion. "FREYJA!" Kirin ran to her, only to be halted by this mysterious man.
"You!" But the mysterious man sneered at Kirin. "Don't touch my daughter."
~ o 0 o ~