The Outer Frontier sprawled for thousands upon thousands of miles. Old, barren roads that hadn't been kept or cleaned in almost a century disappeared behind rolling hills, wildflowers growing agrestal through the cracks. Occasionally, creeping vines covered the path entirely, forcing Dr. Alde, Delphina, and Frankie to jump over them.
Under the heat, Frankie had removed Dr. Alde's coat, folding it and placing it in his bag, leaving the doctor in a blue sleeveless vest—a golden clasp just under his throat—revealing the scarred and burned flesh where Dr. Alde's left arm was missing.
Delphina sported a wetsuit, a tulle skirt and scarf hanging off the metal belt on her hips and wrapping around her arms. Metal gloves and greaves armored her limbs, clanking with each step.
Frankie wore a long-sleeved crop top and shorts, complete with black-and-white striped socks that stopped just under the knee. He fiddled with the bolts protruding from his neck, forming the rear of their lineup as he kept an eye out for anything dangerous.
After a long walk, Dr. Alde stopped, raising his arm. "Look, over there. See that?"
Delphina shifted her gaze to meet where he was pointing, squinting at a tall, dark gray castle that stood proudly in the far distance, squinting at the tall, dark gray castle that stood proudly. Large holes gaped in the roofs in many of the spires, the castle seemingly on the edge of collapse.
"What is that?" Delphina asked, breathlessly.
"The Stars Kingdom," Dr. Alde replied. "It was infamous for its innovative technology, but now it's abandoned. Perfect for us."
"I see. And… that dark cloud over there?" Delphina pointed a little to the right. "What is that?"
Dr. Alde turned to see where she was pointing, catching sight of a dark, twisting mass. He raised his gloved hand to his chin, musing. "Hmm… no idea…"
"Miasma." Frankie piped up, voice barely above a whisper. He shuddered, running a finger along the stitches in his neck. "Dr. Stein tried to experiment with it…"
"So that's the miasma…" Delphina breathed. "I've heard of this before… Bitte told me she tried treating a patient who'd had a run in with it but… there was nothing she could do in the end."
"The magic leylines flow in such a way that it protects the Inner Frontier from the miasma that has been growing in the Outer Frontier," Dr. Alde stated, before moving again "Not to worry, though. It's a bit far off, so we should be fine."
They continued pressing onward, keeping an eye on the miasma in the distance as they grew closer to the decaying castle, the former shell of the once industrious Stars Kingdom. The large gates were opened slightly, revealing the barren, battered village. Decrepit houses, surrounded by crumbling walls, lined the path towards the main entrance. The entrance doors had begun to rot away, leaving holes that the three of them easily squeezed through.
Inside, the castle's main hall was vast and empty, save for the mold-covered carpets, cobwebs, and a thick layer of dust. Underneath the carpets were black tiles, speckled with white and golden flecks, similar in appearance to the stars in the night sky.
The trio proceeded through the castle, past the ransacked kitchen and dining hall, through corridor upon corridor until they reached a tall, spiraling staircase.
"Are you sure no one's come up here?" Delphina asked, her voice echoing in the stairwell.
"I'm sure someone's been here," Dr. Alde answered. "But I doubt this kingdom's been stripped entirely of its metal and technology yet. After all, all of the kingdoms believe strongly in the taboo surrounding the Stars Kingdom."
Delphina nodded, deciding not to say anymore as they continued their ascent up the spire, pausing every now and then to let Dr. Alde catch his breath. When they finally reached the top of the spire and stepped into the room, Dr. Alde strode forward and sat down at a vanity shoved into the corner.
"Such an advanced kingdom, you'd think they'd have less stairs," Dr. Alde muttered. The floor was made of the same black tile in the main hall, with tiny fluorescent lights embedded into the grout, spiraling from the edge of the room towards the center. Pushed against the far left wall was an unkempt bed, riddled with moth-eaten pillows, the sheets tossed carelessly to the floor in a pile. The bed sat beneath a wide, cracked window, shattered glass sprinkling the floor. Tiles were scattered on the bed and floor, fallen from the giant, gaping hole in the roof.
"This is one of the spires we saw from outside," Delphina breathed. She turned towards Dr. Alde, who was already fiddling with a tablet rested atop the vanity. Frankie was still by the entrance, lingering around a large bookshelf littered with worn down books, leafing through yellowing pages.
The screen Dr. Alde was tampering with finally clicked on—an eerie, neon blue color—humming loudly as its interface powered on and finally flickered into view. Turning to Delphina, Dr. Alde ushered her over.
"Look here, Delphina." Dr. Alde turned back towards the screen, scooting the seat over to allow Delphina better visage. She stepped up next to him, looking at the string of foreign letters. "This is the Primordial language, said to be the language of the gods. Very few mortals know how to read it, but many say it's a language that's been imbued with magic itself."
"Can you read it?"
Dr. Alde chuckled. "No. Not at all. Give me a second, Delphina, I'll figure out how to use this."
Delphina stepped back, giving him space, and looking back at Frankie. He was, however, now engrossed in reading. Sighing, she walked towards the bed, studying its condition. As dirty as it was, she could use a rest from all their walking.
Flopping down on the mattress, she tugged on the sheets bundled up on the ground, only to find them weighed down by something. Furrowing her brow, Delphina tugged even harder, causing the blanket to come loose and sending her and loads of dust and cobwebs flying.
As well as a body.
It tumbled to the floor, causing Delphina to shriek and jump onto the bed, pointing and stammering at the limp figure now sprawled across the tiles. Dr. Alde and Frankie turned to look as well, shocked by Delphina's screams.
The creature was small in stature, and its skin a sickly pale blue. A long, smooth tail with a translucent dorsal crest curled around its body, the tip brushing lightly against its nose. Feathery gills sprouted between tufts of light pink hair, as well as on the side of its head.
Dr. Alde glanced at Frankie, waving him forward. "Frankie… go see if the body is alive."
Frankie nodded, swallowing nervously and scratching at his neck. "As you wish, master." He strode forward, legs shaking with each step. Kneeling by the body, Frankie outstretched a trembling finger, but before he could poke it, the body rolled over, groaning heartily as it did so. Quickly rescinding his hand, Frankie glanced back at Dr. Alde, who shrugged.
"Who…" the creature sat up, shaking cobwebs from its head, before blinking open its many, beady eyes and sweeping its gaze around the room. Struggling to their feet, it stretched and yawned loudly. "Where… am I? This isn't Cephoxa."
"Um… you're… this is the Outer Frontier," Frankie finally replied. Delphina slowly lowered herself from the bed, and Dr. Alde rose to his feet and approached. "My name is Frankie. That is Delphina and Dr. Alde."
"Who are you?" Dr. Alde asked, looking down at the creature with curious eyes.
The creature smiled, their shoulders relaxing. "Call me Syzygy. Now, I apologize for leaving so suddenly, but I have a date to–" Syzygy reached to their side, their expression suddenly falling, "–to… attend…"
Syzygy turned around, rifling through the sheets and pillows, peeking under the bed and trotting around the room.
Delphina couldn't help but watch. This creature felt so foreign. So alien. And yet also so familiar. She spoke up, gently, "Do you need help finding anything?"
Stilling, Syzygy looked up at her and nodded frantically, "Yes. My interdimensional portal device is missing, it seems. I need it to get back home."
"We'll help you find it." Delphina glanced around the room. "Um… what does it look like?"
Syzygy's gills twitched as they replied, "It has a curved handle on a long pole. The portal maker itself is like… a canopy. When it's closed, it's all folded up and wrinkled, but when it's open, it's like a giant dome."
"Oh. Like an umbrella?"
"Interdimensional portal device."
"...got it."
As they swept the room again, Dr. Alde stepped back to the tablet on the vanity, ancient script speeding across the screen as he scrolled through pages of text. He scanned the letters carefully, finally turning back to the others.
"I think I understand now," he spoke, pressing a button on the tablet. In the center of the room, surrounded by the swirling lights, the tiles shifted and recessed into the floor splitting and disappearing to the sides. Left behind was a small circular pit, tiny lights spread across the rim.
Dr. Alde stepped away from the vanity to investigate, crouching down next to the side. It was only about two feet deep as he reached down, lifting object after object out, eyes lit up with each newfound discovery.
"Everyone, come here!" Dr. Alde ordered excitedly, standing up and dusting off his pants. "Delphina, look at all this metal."
Before them lay several objects and machines of different sizes: clocks, screens, sheets of metal, abandoned inventions… even an odd looking umbrella with a metallic sheen. Dr. Alde stood to the side, looking rather pleased with himself.
Frankie clapped his hands together. "Good job, Master Alde. Nice find."
Dr. Alde glowed with the praise, finding himself caught unawares when Delphina rushed forward and wrapped her arms around her small senior, lifting him up with ease and spinning him around.
"Dr. Alde! You found us some metal!" Delphina cheered. "I'm so happy! Do you think that's enough?"
Dr. Alde patted Delphina's shoulder, squeezing from her grasp and examining all the objects he'd laid out. "Not nearly… but I'm sure there are many more archives such as this hidden around the castle."
Syzygy had also abandoned their search to examine the objects curiously, gills perking up as they spotted a particular item. They snatched the umbrella up, hugging it tight.
"My portal maker! How did you get in there?" Syzygy unfurled the umbrella, twirling around in excitement. "Now, I must go and return to the stars! Farewell, every-"
The umbrella hummed, before fizzling and crackling. Syzygy blinked at it, turning the umbrella over and over again in their hands, shocked.
"It… it's broken?" Syzygy cried. "Two of the rods are broken… How am I gonna get home now? What am I gonna tell Peri…?"
"That umbrella," Dr. Alde piped up. "You can go to the stars with it?"
Syzygy pouted. "If it was working."
Dr. Alde nodded, looking at the umbrella and then back at the scraps piled up on the floor. "It appears to be made with the same material as this anemite… it's a material the Stars Kingdom used in inventions and technology. Perhaps…"
He moved closer to Syzygy, leaning towards the umbrella to study it closer. He reached his hand out—Syzygy surprisingly relinquished the object of its affection to him—and turned it over in his hand.
"If you give me some time," Dr. Alde said, returning the umbrella to Syzygy's eager hands, "I think I can figure out how to fix this. On one condition…"
Syzygy's tail curled around their legs. "Wh… what is it?"
"If I manage to repair your umbrella…" Dr. Alde glanced over at Delphina. "Please take my assistant, Delphina, with you. It is her dream to reach the stars, and my current goal is to help her fulfill that dream."
"Of course I can do that! You had me scared there, for a second, I thought I'd have to pay you with money… or my body." Syzygy smiled, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Absolutely not." Dr. Alde wrinkled his nose.
"But I would be delighted to offer your assistant a tour of the cosmos! Even my home planet," Syzygy added quickly, turning to Delphina as she squealed in delight.
"Frankie!" Delphina held her hands above her head. Frankie high fived her, hard, causing her to flinch and shake out her palms. Still, her smile never wavered as she turned back to Dr. Alde. "Dr. Alde! You really are the best!"
She pulled him into another hug, despite his souring expression. "Thank you so much! I… I can't wait to tell Bitte! She'll be so excited, too!"
Dr. Alde's face softened as he murmured gently, "Nothing's for certain. But I will do my best, as always."
Delphina beamed at Dr. Alde, causing him to look away in embarrassment. He turned to Frankie, waving him over.
"Frankie, please gather the objects on the floor here and put them in the bag. We'll start carrying them back."
Nodding, Frankie gingerly scooped the various artifacts into his arms, Delphina and Syzygy joining in to help as well. When everything was cleared out, Dr. Alde picked up the tablet as well, sliding it in his coat's pocket and guiding everyone down the stairwell, back to the foyer…
Blissfully unaware of the shadow shifting in the corner.
─── ♡ ♢ ☀︎ ✩ ☽ ♧ ♤ ───
An angel dropped down from above, landing next to Asmodeus who was waiting patiently next to one of the crumbling pathways.
"Altair!" Asmodeus exclaimed. The angel ran a hand through his thick, white locs, peeling them away from his sweat covered forehead. "I'm so glad you could come!"
Altair's skin was dark and flawless, with rippling muscles on his arms and half exposed chest. A loose white fabric fell from his left shoulder, tucked into a golden belt around his waist. A golden pauldron sat atop his right shoulder, strapped on with a black leather band that ran across his chest and disappearing beneath his white top. The pauldron held a regal purple cape in place, pierced with golden rings, hanging around his right arm. Altair quickly adjusted the golden cuffs around his wrist, matching the cuffs around his ankles. He was short in stature, looking up at Asmodeus with a stern look.
"Azzy," Altair said, pausing to brush off dust from his pristine white wings. "Asmodeus. Why did you call me here?"
"Good to see you too, Altair," Asmodeus teased. "The hospital is running low on certain ingredients we need to make medicine, and I didn't want to bother Alecko for their stock. I came out here to look for more. I thought you might like to keep me company… perhaps lend a hand?"
Altair studied him with his sharp blue eyes, the kind one—like Asmodeus—could get lost in, as if his eyes were as vast as the sky itself. He sighed, nodding, "Of course I will."
Asmodeus grinned, before pointing far off in the distance. "Over there is the Stars Kingdom. There are rumors that they grew a flower known as the Panacea lily and that, when turned into a medicine, it could heal anything and anyone!"
"Isn't it illegal to enter the Stars Kingdom without a permit?" Altair pointed out.
"I just wanted to go investigate! Surely it's okay. Besides, what are they gonna do? Lock me up?" Asmodeus laughed. "I've been through worse!"
Altair sighed again, nodding. "Fine. I understand. Shall we, then? Perhaps you can tell me of your family and friends back in Hell." He extended a hand to Asmodeus, who took it gently.
"Of course. If you tell me about yours in Heaven."
"It's a deal."
The two of them flew across the Outer Frontier, over rolling hills and broken paths. Wind whipped past, breeze blowing loudly in their ears. After a long stretch of flight in comfortable silence, they touched down near a small copse of birch trees, relishing in the little shade the thin canopy gave.
Asmodeus ran his hand along one of the trunks, gazing at its wood pattern. "Looks like eyes…" he remarked. "Right?"
"Right." Altair settled down on the ground, resting against one of the trees, eyes following Asmodeus as he stalked around the clearing before settling down next to Altair. Asmodeus sighed, slumping over and resting his head on Altair's lap.
Altair ran a nimble hand through Asmodeus' hair, weaving his fingers through soft strands and working them to massage at Asmodeus' scalp. He spoke low and soft, unsure if Asmodeus would even hear him: "Tell me about your friends and family… if you'd like. You don't have to talk about them…"
"No…" Asmodeus murmured. "I think it'd be good to talk about them. I do miss them dearly, after all…"
"I know…"
"Let's see…" Asmodeus shifted, facing towards the sky and gazing up at Altair. "Well, to start, my childhood friend is named Astaroth. He… has a short temper, and he's always getting into fights with the other demons. But he's really smart and good at math! He also wasn't born in Hell, but sent there. He always said he wasn't the best at controlling his anger…
"Now, my siblings… First is my half-sister, Leviathan, she's the oldest. She loves shopping, clothes, fashion designing, baking, gossiping, telling stories… oh, and the color pink! She's kind of bossy, haha… oh, but don't tell her I said that, or she'd freak out."
Altair nodded curtly. "I won't."
"Then there's my half-brother, Beelzebub. He's the second oldest, also kind of bossy but more so in a commanding way. See, he was the general of Solyst's army—Solyst is our father—before Hell was even created. I think he misses that… the fighting or challenge or something. I think I'm closer to him than any of our other siblings. He helped raise me and taught me magic and chess, and he was always kind to me… but I think there's a part of him that's… missing. He doesn't come up to the surface as much as the others, especially not after… that night…"
Asmodeus trailed off, before shaking his head and sighing. "Well, next is Mammon. She's my twin. I don't talk about her a lot, but she was born first and she always holds that against me! Her greed is relentless, she's always stealing mine and other people's stuff. She's always attracted to anything that shines or glitters and… let's just say she and Levi don't get along because of that.
"Ah, then there's Belphegor. They're younger than me, I think they've been attending school up here for a while now. They're a little slow, but they're super intelligent. You can ask them any question and they can answer it, it'll just take a while for them to respond.
"And finally, I suppose, is the twins. They're also my half-siblings. There's Lucifer—he was born first—and then Iblis. Lucifer is super into showbiz and magic tricks, while Iblis is more… quiet. But they aren't subdued! If you piss Ibbie off, you'll certainly hear a lot of colorful words from them."
Asmodeus closed his eyes, tilting his head back and letting a gentle smile spread across his face. "I think that means it's your turn, dear Altair. Tell me about the angels. What are they like? I've only ever been on the receiving end of an angel's weapon… you're the only one I've really talked to and gotten close with."
Altair smiled back amiably. "You're the only demon I've gotten close to. It's… hard to believe I was hunting you down only two years ago, trying to bring an "evil demon" to justice, so to speak. Of course, I never expected to find your kindness and appearance so striking and…"
He paused, weighing his choice of words, before finishing, "...breathtaking."
This, alongside Altair's firm expression, caused Asmodeus' face to turn bright red, all the way to the tips of his pointed ears. He turned his face, before mumbling sheepishly, "C-can you talk about your squad now…?"
Altair nodded as he began describing his fellow angels, "My squad is known as Squad G8. It is led by General Gabriel, who is rather tough yet gentle. He sometimes pops by to check up on me… I should send him an update soon. Then there's Uriel, the second-in-command, who's trained in several methods of fighting but loves using her rifle more.
"After her, I come next in the rankings. And after me is Jegudiel. They're on a self-proclaimed mission to protect the forest that borders the Clubs and Spades Kingdoms. I haven't seen them in a while, as they have not returned to Heaven since their mission began.
"Then, it's Rafaela and Taika. They're a pair. Rafaela is a musician and Taika is a magician, and they've been performing together for almost a century now.
"The youngest is Selaphiel. Right now, they're off building houses. I haven't seen them in a while either, but they still keep in touch at least.
"Our newest recruit is Alpine. He only joined about seventy or eighty years ago… I lost track. He's… a little odd. He never does something unless he's told to, but our Echinine isn't a very commanding god anyways. That being said, however, I do know that Alpine is constantly shadowing Echinine and has gotten quite good at braiding the young angels' hair."
Altair let out a soft chuckle at that, folding his arms as he thought a little longer. "I think that should be it. I suppose I haven't really been doing anything lately, even though the rest of the squad is busy helping others. I suppose I should find a service I could-"
He was cut off when he noticed Asmodeus leaning in close, a stern expression on the demon's face.
"Azzy-"
The demon cut him off again by cupping his face in his hands. "You've done a lot for me, Altair," Asmodeus spoke softly and gently, a solemn tinge in his voice. "And you like helping anyone you meet too, like catching thieves and returning the stolen goods, or fixing fences and playing with children or lifting heavy objects. You aren't doing nothing."
Altair quickly turned under the intensity of Asmodeus' kind smile and loving gaze, pressing his mouth into a tight line in embarrassment.
"Th-thanks, Azzy…" he tried to remark coolly. The cracks in his voice, however, betrayed him.
Asmodeus pulled Altair into a hug, running a pointed finger down the angel's spine and causing him to flinch. Laughing mischievously, Asmodeus wrapped his arms tighter around Altair, tail curling around Altair's leg. Altair surrendered to Asmodeus' arms, unfurling his wings and wrapping them around the both of them, feathers brushing against Asmodeus' ear in a gentle kiss and caging them in a soft, white canopy.
Altair locked eyes with Asmodeus, his voice firm and ernest as he whispered. "I want to serve you for eternity." Again, Asmodeus' face turned beet red, causing him to release Altair and cover his ears with his hands. Altair laughed, slipping his fingers around one of Asmodeus' hands and tugging him along.
"Come… let's keep going. Let's find that lily."
─── ♡ ♢ ☀︎ ✩ ☽ ♧ ♤ ───
Ahead of them lay a small shack in shambles. The ramshackle building—if it could even be called that anymore—was riddled with large holes, missing tiles in the roof and floors, the shattered window sprinkling the ground inside and out with glass. Slats of wood had begun rotting and withering away, leaving its own doorway next to the actual doorway, whose door had fallen off its hinges and splintered, laying before the house in pieces.
In a frenzy, Savant clambered down from Armel's shoulders, rushing and stumbling into his once proud hideout, turning what remained of the furniture over and over again to no avail. He reemerged from the wreckage, despondent, before collapsing face first into the soft grass.
"Savant?" Armel asked, concerned. He knelt down by the former professor, his downtrodden state a rare sight to see. "Are you…?"
"It's gone!" Savant declared dramatically, rolling over onto his back and throwing his hands up. "All of my work before I got sold to the mafia! Stolen! Reviled! Trashed! Who knows what else…?"
Armel ran a hand along the bottom of his chin. "Did you need them?"
"I needed the metal," Savant replied. "Anemite is a flexible material used in machines because of its ability to absorb magic and change its own properties to accommodate it. I use it in all of my inventions, but it's one of the harder materials to get because it was outlawed. After all, it was used mostly by the…"
Savant perked up, sitting up so fast he almost knocked his head against Armel's, who had been leaning over him.
"The Stars Kingdom."
"The Stars Kingdom?"
"The Stars Kingdom."
Staggering to his feet, Savant surveyed the landscape, before pointing towards the ominous structure. Far in the distance, and tiny against the vast expanse of the fields.
"That's our destination," Savant said, looking up at Armel. He motioned for Armel to kneel, then climbed upon his shoulders again. "Let's go."
─── ♡ ♢ ☀︎ ✩ ☽ ♧ ♤ ───
Uncapping a glass jar, Ignis gently plucked the petals from a red flower and dropped them in, filling the jar to the brim before recapping it and affixing it to his belt.
"It's quiet in the Outer Frontier," Ginger murmured as they kept walking. "I usually hear stories about shadowy figures in your peripheral, or monsters like mimics and miasmoths and marasites popping out and attacking you."
"Don't jinx us just yet." Ignis hummed, detourying off the path to pluck some pine needles from a tree. Ginger and Kintsugi followed him, dutifully standing watch as his bodyguards. "The miasma lurks everwhere… and it'll figure out your greatest fear and use it against you. Perhaps this peaceful feeling is a work of the miasma, too."
Ginger suddenly felt uneasy as Ignis picked his way through the brush, back to the path. He shook the jar of pine needles, displaying them to Giner and Kintsugi.
"Look, we could make pine soda when we get back," Ignis said cheerfully, before moving down the path again. Kintsugi and Ginger trailed him, keeping a watchful eye on the easily distracted magister.
While they were walking, Kintsugi leaned towards Ginger, keeping his voice low. "Is the magister normally this… uh…"
"Distracted? Impulsive? Unable to focus and stick to one thing?"
"That's one way to put it."
Ginger sighed. "Unfortunately, yes. He tends to get distracted by cool things, and although he jumps from one thing to another, at least he's… never lost focus when it comes to researching a cure for curses. He's very passionate about it, after all. Urgh… but he's terrible at motivating himself to do things he doesn't want to."
"Oh?" Kintsugi looked back towards Ignis, who had suddenly veered off the path to study a cluster of berries. "Like what?"
Ginger scrunched up her face, huffing, "Like eating, sleeping, sitting down, getting up, reading, cleaning-"
"I think I get the idea." Kintsugi cut her off before she kept rattling on and tanked her magister's reputation even further. "I suppose he's just… not what I was expecting from a so-called "master magician"."
"Don't get me wrong, he's a very talented sorcerer. He's very powerful and strong, he's just…" Ginger grimaced as Ignis, climbing back onto the path, tripped over his long cape. He huffed and stopped to readjust all of his clothes. "...he's just a bit peculiar is all."
"I see…" Kintsugi relegated himself to look after Ignis, keeping his eyes forward instead of on Ginger. "So… if Ignis is so powerful, why did he need a bodyguard?"
Ginger pressed her lips into a thin line before answering quietly, "Because he's lonely. Also he'd keep getting distracted and wouldn't get anything done!"
Kintsugi didn't respond. He merely studied Ignis and the way he kept looking back to make sure they were still following him. The way he'd exclaim in excitement when he found a plant not native to the Inner Frontier. The way he kept making sure his cap was straightened on his head and his gloves were unbunched around his fingers and wrist, and constantly readjusting his cape so it wasn't leaning too much to one side.
He thought back to before they set off, when Ignis insisted on taking pictures of the stove to make sure it was turned off, his candles to make sure they were all blown out, and the various entrances to make sure they were all locked and secure before they set off. Kintsugi had spotted Ignis pulling out his phone several times as they walked down the street, swiping through his photos to reassure himself.
"Perhaps he's just-" Kintsugi began, but was cut off by Ignis.
"Everyone!" Ignis had stopped, looking up at the dark, looming castle that had slowly gotten bigger and bigger as they approached. "Look, that castle is the Stars Kingdom. I heard that the former king kept an archive of preserved seeds, including a plant that no longer exists but can cure anything. But it's supposedly heavily guarded, no one's dared to even look for it. So…"
"You want to go to the dark and ominous castle, don't you?" Ginger muttered rhetorically.
"I want to go to the dark and ominous castle!" Ignis echoed excitedly. He adjusted his cap and gloves. "Don't worry, it should be safe."
Ignis spoke as though it would ease Ginger's worries. Unfortunately, it did not.
Of course, Ignis pressed forth anyways, and Ginger and Kintsugi could only follow.
"You know…" Kintsugi murmured, running a finger along the golden scar that ran across the bottom of his pecs. "I think I might understand Ignis… if only a little."
"Oh?"
Kintsugi nodded. "Not exactly the same, but… I spent so long trying to craft myself the perfect body. One that distanced myself from my past as much as possible. I think I adjusted and fussed over so many minor details that… well… no one would notice. But I still did it. I worried and fretted over parts of my body that I thought about all the time that no one else would think about even once. It left me with this face that I'm not quite happy with, but if I pushed any further, I'd probably end up breaking myself entirely."
Looking towards Ignis, Kintsugi breathed out a sigh.
"I think… Ignis is the type of person who worries about things that most people wouldn't concern themselves too much with," Kintsugi continued. "But I don't really know him as well as you do."
Ginger simply nodded. "I think you're right, I just… wish he'd talk to me about the thoughts that trouble him. But he still treats me like a child!"
"How old are you?"
"…Fourteen."
"I don't blame Ignis," Kintsugi said plainly. "You're much too young to talk casually with. I'm sure he doesn't want to weigh you down with all the gory details of his plight."
Ginger looked at the ground, nodding. "I… understand. But I can handle it. Really, I can! I… know the struggle of having no one to turn to when thoughts are plaguing my mind…"
Kintsugi tilted his head but didn't probe. As they reached the towering gates of the Stars Kingdom, he realized Ignis had grown eerily silent during their trek. He picked up his pace until he reached Ignis' side, tilting his head to look down at the wizard who seemed lost in thought. Ignis' eyes stared off into the distance as he mumbled to himself, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Kintsugi wondered if he should snap him out of it, or let him keep babbling on like a madman.
Eventually, he chose the former.
"Hey, Ignis."
Ignis' eyes widened as he jumped at Kintsugi's sudden voice. He cleared his throat. "Ah… what is it?"
"Why're you trying to learn how to break curses?"
Ignis looked away, his eyes glazing over. "I want to break my master's curse."
"Oh. I see."
The magister simply nodded, averting his gaze and pressing forth into the cavernous halls of the Stars Kingdom.
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"We're here, Gordon. Do you know what this place is?" Cras unraveled itself from around Gordon's head, motioning towards the decrepit foyer that lay before them. Gordon looked up and around, shrugging.
"The Stars Kingdom, I think. I've heard some of the stories, but I was born in the desert. We didn't really care much about the Frontier's lore." Gordon continued walking, a tightening in his chest a telltale symptom of the corrupted magic that lurked nearby. A sinister pull on his heart, one he'd follow without a second thought had the Serpens vitae not wrapped around his body and took partial control of his limbs. "I can feel what you guys have been feeling. There's… a stabbing in my chest and gut, but I can't help but want to keep walking."
Hodie nodded. "That's the miasma for you: it slowly draws you in with promises of fulfilled wishes and desires, then preys on your biggest fear or trauma. Be careful proceeding forward, Gordon. We've got your back, but it doesn't hurt to exercise caution…"
Gordon's steps echoed through the desolate halls of the dimly lit castle. Forgotten sconces and furniture was covered in thick layers of dust and cobwebs. Anything valuable had already been stolen—evident by the fallen chandelier that was missing most of its decorative crystals—and carted away.
The darkness began to thicken, Gordon's chest tightening even more in response. Is this because the miasma is even thicker here…?
"It looks like the miasma is starting to take over the castle," Hesterno commented. "This growing darkness is a sign of that. We must hurry: even if our vision is lost, we can still find our way through by feeling."
Gordon braced himself before taking a step into the darkness, a thick weight pressing against his lungs and shorting his breath. Not even a moment had passed after the pitch black engulfed him when Cras suddenly cried out, "Gordon! Look out!"
Whipping around but seeing nothing, Gordon could only feel a piercing, burning sensation shoot up his arm. He quickly stumbled back out into the light, dragging whatever had latched onto his arm with him.
A strange lanky creature with thick, dark tendrils of miasma dripping from it had its fangs sunk deeply into Gordon's forearm, piercing through Hodie who had wrapped itself around Gordon's torso and arms. Hodie let out a hiss, writhing and struggling until the beast removed its grip on them both.
All of the snakes unraveled, lashing out at the beast and swarming it in a flurry of fangs and scales, biting and constricting with as much force as they could muster. The miasma beast let out a pitiful whine until its entire body had become wrapped by the serpents, struggling weakly until it took its final breath.
Gordon looked down at his arm, the wound already closed up. The snakes retired to their snug perches on Gordon's body, with Hodie pushing gently against his legs.
"I've got you, Gordon. Let us press forward now."
Nodding, Gordon silently vowed to never get on their bad side. He shuddered to himself, stepping around the beast's motionless body, and taking a deep, hearty breath before heading back into the darkness that seemed to have crept ever closer.
Gordon resigned to leave the beast laying there, confident that it was dead. The very beast that Gordon, had he indeed looked back, would have noticed was gone.