An Isolated Mind

Welpen locked eyes with Isara and started to cry. He fell to the ground on his knees before running to her arms.

Welpen: “Isaraaaaa! I missed you so much! I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you in any way! Please forgive me!”

Isara: “W-Welpen? Wh-What are you doing here?”

Welpen: “I’m sorry. But, I-I found you. Astro helped. He led me all the way to you. I’m sorry it took so long.”

Isara: “Long? It hasn’t even been that long. I’m so confused. What are you doing here?”

Welpen: “I looked all this time for you. I wanted to apologize. I didn’t mean to break your sword and I didn’t mean to make you leave. I-I’m sorry! Forgive me!”

Isara: “Welpen, it’s okay. Relax. You didn’t do anything wrong. I didn’t leave because of you. Didn’t you get my note? Wait, where is Clara? Did she not come with you?”

Welpen: “Oh? I forgot to tell Clara. She’s going to kill me!”

Isara chuckled at this. Her fairies remained inside the sword, but were laughing and tearing up at the passion of the young boy.

Astro: “So you're the famous Isara? Forgive me. I’m not going to hurt you, but I need to touch your shoulder so I can mark you with a shadow. I can’t have this boy not know where you are. He’s caused all of us enough trouble. I’m sorry if you did not want to be found, but I made a promise to this boy that we would look for you.”

Ryoko: “Processing. Familiar person confirmed. Astro.”

Astro: “Huh?! Ryoko? How the hell?”

Welpen: “Ryoko? You’re from the games! How did you get here?”

Ryoko: “Hmm, won tournament. Came up here.”

Astro: “You talk a lot more robotically than you did before.”

Welpen: “I can show you around, Ryoko. Have you gotten used to everything?”

Ezekiel: “Hey, hey, hey. Nobody is showing him around. Ryoko is mine. I’m staying with him.”

Welpen: “Hi. My name is Welpen. Nice to meet you.”

Okasaki: “I’m Okasaki and this is Ezekiel. We were in the tournament as well…Let me talk for right now you cunning bastard. I know I have the same attitude as you, but don’t scare this kid off. He’s a friend of the girl’s.”

Ezekiel: “Don’t tell me what to do. When did you get all soft? We haven’t been up here more than a few days, maybe a week at most.”

Isara: “Welpen, I’m sorry I left. Truly, I am. I can’t believe you were able to find me so quickly. Literally, it’s only been a few weeks. I didn’t mean to make you upset either, but I have a goal and I have to accomplish that. If I don’t become stronger–strong enough to find the master blacksmiths–then I can’t come home. Only then will I show my face again. I owe it to Lihard as well.”

Welpen: “Let me come with you! I’ll come with you on your journey. I would’ve come if you asked in the first place. Don’t leave me again please.”

Isara: “Welpen. I–”

Ezekiel: “Oh blah, blah, blah. Leave the crying for later you two. You wanna come with us kid, then fine. Let’s get going. We don’t even know how long we are sticking around for. We might break off at any moment. Get your stuff and let’s go.”

Welpen: “Th-Thank you!”

Welpen grabbed everything that he needed and thanked Astro. He hugged him with all the strength he had. He rambled on to him for another minute or so before they ended up almost leaving him behind. He had promised Astro that when he saw him again, then he would be stronger than before, and be able to help him not only with future battles, but with the town as well that he grew up in and help the people there.

Astro did not cry, but he wasn’t happy either. He thought that completing this task would at least take off a fraction of the burden on his shoulders, but it didn’t. His mind raced with things to get done. Jobs to be accomplished. He was low on chaplets, and could not use anything to get back, so he walked away in the distance from Welpen who waved at him as they headed off for the Infinite Library.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Another day passed as many people gathered from many different towns, cities, marshes, forests, and other places to be a part of the scavenger hunt for chaplets this year. Everyone who had applied for a spot and was accepted stood outside the entrance of the Association.

There were hundreds of people waiting for their opportunity to find rare chaplets. The Association had to put a cap on the amount that could go though. In total, each group got 100 people per area, totaling 300. They lined up in rows of the selected city that they were to venture to.

Iki stood over the balcony while people cheered him on alongside Wally, Yahiko, and Natsuki, as well as another person that he had yet to show. A woman in her early 30’s leaned back against the wall. Even the shadow could not hide her gloomy appeal. She wore a dark green jumpsuit matched with a green tyrolean hat and 1 white feather sticking out of the top.

Next to her in the shadows on the ground was a small girl half her height. Her amber hair glistened even in the shadows with a green dress made out of leaves that flowed so beautifully in the wind. She held a short yellow umbrella in her left hand as she finally stood up next to the taller woman. She was not much older than Iki, but was invited to oversee these 100 people with this woman.

He introduced them all once again by their official titles before explaining what this hunt would entail. Those on the left side facing the castle were to go to Warden’s Woods with Sophia Rina and Peony Star.

Those in the middle would be going to Zara’s Valley with Yahiko and those on the right side, where Naoki and Souta stood, would be going to LesserCue City.

Iki assured them of their safety and the protection of the Association. Before they parted ways, fireworks burst in the sky and music started to play. People danced and ate before eventually departing midday in their selected groups.

The leaders of each group led their groups one by one inside where a large platform was on the second floor of this huge palace that Iki was in control of. Everyone stepped on it as he explained the advancements in technology that they have over many other nations, however that was just a front for a platform with a Blockade Chaplet and multiple Egress Chaplets that would transport them.

Yahiko’s group was first.

He put the Yellow Egress Chaplet inside the part of the platform and it teleported every single one of them to their desired location. However, it could not reverse the teleportation, so the chaplet remained on the platform. They would have to walk back to the Association, which would take a couple days after they were all said and done.

Sophia and Rina took their group who Iki still did not introduce and left swiftly. Some men began to gawk at the two women right before Iki’s eyes. He did not say a word, but was frustrated that these were the people he was helping.

Finally, Wally took his group to the platform where Naoki and Souta stood up front and looked Iki right in his eyes as they headed off for LesserCue. A place that nobody was really sure what they would find.

Naoki and Souta glanced at a broken down village along with the 98 other people that followed with them. The houses next to each other were abandoned with cobwebs and rusted material. Dust covered even the stone sidewalks. Some lights flickered in the distance, but it was the remains of broken glass from a mirror reflecting from the sun. Even with the daylight, the place still looked in shambles and its darkness bounced off of the walls.

Wally in his deep voice and viking aura spoke.

Wally: Welcome! Welcome! As the young master had explained to you all, please do go in pairs of 4. There should be 25 groups total and if you need help, then I will be of assistance. We have cleared this place out from what it previously looked like, but it is still not in the greatest condition. The sewers are a part of this place, so there may very well be chaplets down there. The nearby ravines will definitely contain some and you may even look near the waterfall a mile down to the east. Please stay within a mile only though. I can only track you all within a certain distance. Oh, and please avoid the forest near here. We will save that for later where I will take only those who volunteer to go. If you see a Relter, then please run away and do not enter Death’s Isle. I will say that again. DO NOT! Enter Death’s Isle.”

Some people laughed as Wally got serious, but nobody really spoke up to question him or go against his word. Groups formed and people went on their ways. Naoki and Souta did not want to team up, but the pair that they grouped with had the same idea. In fact, they did want to go to Death’s Isle to get a photo of the Relter’s for their collection. They agreed to split off back into duos once Wally was out of sight.

For now, they entered LesserCue to look for chaplets and take pictures of the meaningless town. Right off the bat, Souta picked up a Sphere Chaplet. It was a white looking ball with small orange, blue, and red triangles encompassing the outside of it.

He found it underneath a spiderweb sticking out of the dirt. It wasn’t necessarily rare, but its rarity was uncommon. Its abilities allow you to transform into any one object, but once you pick that object, then you are stuck with it every time that you use the chaplet. Souta had never seen this, but Naoki had told him previously that a chaplet like this was useful. It was basically a device that allowed you to blend in while concealing your mana almost fully.

They continued inside a dusty dining room containing a bar. Souta broke all the wine bottles on the ground claiming that he was looking for chaplets, but he knew he was doing it for fun. Nobody was really sure where to look, especially with what Naoki and Souta were looking for. They had no idea what it looked like. Naoki knew of almost all 70 chaplets besides a couple of the legendary ones, so he knew that this was going to take a long time or they needed a bunch of luck.

They headed over to the lake on the north end of the city where others pranced around looking for chaplets. The two men decided to head off to Death’s Isle while they went down and looked down into the water.

Souta: “What’s the move here, Naoki? I don’t even know where to look. It could be 500 feet below me right now underground. We have no clue.”

Naoki: “I know, but just let me think. Remember those patterns inside the wall on the edge of Deceased Paradise? It was right on the outside. This was years ago when we were too scared to enter.”

Souta: “Of course I do idiot, or else I wouldn’t believe you or be with you right now. Start speaking normally…Wait, let me get another lollipop. Okay, go ahead.”

Naoki: “Remember that split vision we had? It was fragments of a chaplet and a sword, but we really couldn’t piece it together. All this time I thought it was Kastor, and then we met Shin. But, let’s just say that Shin could input that vision into our minds, why? Why would he do that? He wants people to come into his land so that he can mess with them. And why wouldn’t he just come outside his border and take a peek at this?”

Souta: “I’m not following. Explain it like a kid explaining his favorite lollipop.”

Naoki: “Shin teleported us in Deceased Paradise when we went down to that god forsaken place. However, that’s twice now that he has not come to us.”

Souta: “Doesn’t matter. He might be lazy. Might be bored. Might have still sensed us, but didn’t care. A lot of those monsters in the land are enough to kill many people. What’s your point?”

Naoki: “My point is…Shin cannot exit outside of their domain. His power is stronger when he is closer to the castle and I don’t believe he can leave his own land or he will die.”

Souta: “Agh, my stupid lollipop broke…Oh, continue.”

Naoki: “That rules out that Shin caused the vision. He can’t operate outside of his realm, meaning whatever that was, was the Lost Chaplet. I was right!”

Souta: “...You’re delusional. Let me be the brains for once and stop you right there. There was a small square building with four walls. Inside was latin that we struggled to read, and a vision of the world being destroyed with a sword a chaplet shattered into pieces. The images were in black and white first off, so I have no clue what that color that chaplet is, and quite frankly, I don’t remember what the sword looked like. Regardless, the room was like a freaking infinite space. We walked forward and ended up back in the same spot with the same symbols everywhere. Nothing else. I do believe that this thing exists along with this sword, and you may even be right about Shin, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that this was the actual Lost Chaplet. It could be a standard chaplet. We could see no design and no color.”

Naoki: “No! It has to be. That has to be it. Where else would an anomaly like that exist? Have you ever in your 37 years of living walked into a random small building and no matter where you walked, you ended up back in the same spot? Have you ever been anywhere else that showed a vision of some random sword? Have you ever walked out of the same building and it disappeared before your eyes? No, that’s what I thought. Let me remind you why we are here. We are going to find this thing before I die and the three years we have been searching is not enough. We still have half the freaking world to search before I’ll be satisfied!”

Souta: “Raise your voice at me again and I’ll walk away right now.”

Naoki: “I-I’m sorry. This has been haunting me in my dreams now for a while. I’m afraid I am losing my temper.”

Souta: “I never said I didn’t believe you, but I stated what could’ve been the case. Someone very well could’ve played a trick on us by putting that there. Maybe they have the power to do so or a chaplet that causes delusions. I have no idea, but I’m just putting it out there. We haven’t found a shred of evidence since that says it exists…God, I need another lollipop. It broke again.”

Naoki: “I don’t question your loyalty, Souta. You can be stubborn, but I know you believe it exists too and you will help as best you can. Just don’t remind me of any other possibilities. I need tunnel vision to continue on with this mindset. If we don’t find it here, then we will head off again somewhere. We never finished checking Deceased Paradise, but that will be the last place based on my theory. Come on, let’s head over to the lake.”