Galaxy of Hyperion: Mystic Heir

Chapter Twenty-Four: Alba

Jayler could tell that something was different the instant that he arrived on Skylia. 

A few days had passed, and he had grown almost desperate to return to Hyperion to see what new information was waiting to be uncovered. Perhaps it was instinct that whispered to him that he could expect something different when he next arrived in Hyperion. Jayler didn't know for sure, but he didn't particularly care either. 

Something about the castle simply seemed off compared to how it usually was, and Jayler frowned as he took a step closer. Liathine was the one who had brought them to Hyperion this time around, and Jayler couldn't help but wonder why Tuila hadn't been the one to follow through with the regular routine that they had fallen into. The knowledge sat uncomfortably in Jayler's stomach, and he found himself shifting anxiously. 

"Why didn't Tuila come to pick us up?" Xia asked for the second time. She had questioned Liathine on the matter originally after the Metal mage first made an appearance, but Liathine had simply turned her gaze away and refused to answer. Xia's voice was starting to fill with agitation, and Jayler could practically feel her desperation from his place a few feet away. 

"Let's just say that Tuila has been dealing with other matters," Liathine finally answered after a long moment of silence. She shook her head soon afterwards, and Jayler couldn't help but wonder what it could have been. It wasn't like Tuila to leave something this important to someone else. Tuila trusted Liathine with the world and more, but it still seemed odd to him that she wasn't the one there to help the Clan Leaders get settled into the castle for the day. 

Xia darted forward when she realized that Liathine wasn't going to be offering a direct response, and Gemini took quick steps in her direction to make sure that Xia didn't find herself in any sort of trouble. The two girls worked together to push open the main doors to the castle, and Jayler trailed after them quietly. He could still sense that something was wrong, and he got the feeling that they felt the same way on the matter. 

"No way," Lex murmured as soon as the doors to the castle had been opened. Her jaw had dropped, and she looked shocked beyond imagination. Jayler studied her for a moment before turning his eyes towards the object of her confusion. 

Zelda was standing in the main area of the castle, Tavi at her side. Tuila was near them, and Valdez was resting behind her with his gaze as dark as usual. It appeared that the Clan Leaders had walked in on something incredibly serious, and Jayler immediately felt out of place. It felt as if Zelda's gaze was pinning him in place, and her eyes shifted to Lex soon afterwards before she forced herself to focus on Tuila once again. Tavi was somehow even more judgmental, and Jayler found himself wishing that the Death mage would simply leave him alone before he had even done anything. 

"The Fearbringers are back," Liathine finally explained, addressing no one in particular with her words. "They arrived a few days ago. We've been busy with trying to set everything up so that they can operate out of the castle with the other Hanilia that we've gathered thus far. They'll be our third group alongside the Clan Leaders and Draconic Superiors."

"Is the palace ready for occupation then?" Luke asked. He still refused to look up to Zelda and Tavi directly, and he had taken to messing with his glasses quietly to keep himself busy enough to justify blatantly not paying attention to them. 

"It is," Tuila replied. Her words were curt and stoic, and Jayler sensed a sudden edge to her demeanor that didn't sit well with him at all. He did his best to keep from openly cringing, but that was most certainly easier said than done. When Tuila was upset, it seemed like the entire world felt it, and Jayler had to admit that he had been hoping she would get better about it all after the war ended. It seemed such a blessing simply was not meant to be though.