The Missing Stone

A Secret Unfolded

"SHH!"

"Wha-"

"I said shh!"

The girl with green hair claps a hand over Mildred's mouth, muffling any more protests.

"How do you know my name?" The girl hisses, obviously quite displeased. Mao is cringing again.

"Mmpha mmphanemf?" Is all Mildred is able to squeeze out, but she meant to say, "What, Cethleann?" The girl stares at her with narrowed eyes before eventually pulling her hand away. She sighs, brushes herself off.

"I am Flayn," she says, bowing at the waist. "And you are...?"

"Mildred," Mildred breathes, remembering Seteth's explanation for their different names and familial bonds. Her ears droop in shame. "I'm sorry."

"Oh it's okay!" Flayn forgives easily, all cheery again.

Right...why are we hiding, and from who?

Chester and Aelura sigh simultaneously. "Later," Mao says.

Okay.

"...Do you like fish?" Flayn asks, pulling Mildred by the arm inside and out down the hall.

"Uh-" Mildred stumbles. She used to be so much smaller... "Yeah. I like fish."

Flayn smiles, pleased. She pushes Mildred into a large, decorated room. Flayn closes the door quietly before flouncing to the bed and flopping onto it. Mildred stands awkwardly in the middle of the room.

Why am I always being dragged into places?

Chester actually blushes, and Mao cackles at his reaction. Aelura rolls her eyes, smiling too.

"Now tell me," Flayn starts, smoothing down her dress. "How do you know my name?"

Mildred breathes and plays her card. "Remember when we used to go fishing early in the mornings? Remember when I was there when you caught your first fish with your mother?" Flayn blinks slowly, before realization dawns on her. She leaps from the bed and nearly tackles Mildred with her momentum, hugging her tight with no sign of letting go.

"Is it really you?" She whispers, a hiccup making its way out of her throat. "Fa- brother said that it was only Rhea, our uncles, and ourselves..." Mildred kneels to her level and returns the embrace, patting her back in an attempt to soothe her. Tears of relief streak Flayn's face when she pulls away.

"But you look so different!" She says, pointing to Mildred's ears. She touches them subconsciously, looking at Flayn in confusion.

"What did I use to look like?"

Flayn bounces around to the other side of Mildred, lifting up her tail. "Well, you didn't have this before!" Then she taps the spot between her shoulder blades. "And you used to have wings! Like Tim- wait. Where are the others?" Mildred blinks, remembering that this isn't her body before realizing.

"Oh! They're right here," Mildred cups Mao's amulet in her hand and takes her left glove off to show Aelura's ring. "Chester's watch is in the coat pocket." Flayn sags visibly in relief, tears welling up in her eyes again.

"Wait- but Chester didn't have a pocket watch?" She points out, making Chester wince. Mildred turns a burning glare on him.

"What do you mean?" She doesn't know who she's asking. Chester takes off his glasses and rubs the lenses with the edge of his coat. Mao and Aelura have backed away, spectating with wide eyes.

"O-okay," he stammers, not meeting her eyes. "Let me explain. When Zanado was invaded by Nemesis' army-"

Nemesis?!

"LET ME EXPLAIN!" Chester shouts, surprising everyone in the room, including himself and Flayn. Mildred blinks at her reaction.

"You heard him?" Flayn nods.

"I can see him too," she points to exactly where Chester is, then to Mao and Aelura in the corner. "Only..." She stops, listening for something, then says in an almost inaudible voice. "Only female Nabateans can see spirits of the living. Males can see those of the dead. It's also possible that those with high concentrations of Nabatean blood can see glimpses or signs of ghosts or spirits. But only the Apostle of Light can see both and interact with them."

Mildred stays silent, processing and sorting information. Now she has hundreds of questions.

"But if only you can see the spirits of the living, then how can you see Chester?" She asks, positively baffled. Flayn blinks rapidly.

"Well I can't see him as well as Tim and Noa so..." Flayn gasps. "Wait, he's not alive?!"

"This is why I said, let me explain," Chester groans, exasperated and nervous. "After Zanado's invasion, Mother was...taken. That was when Cichol took you, Flayn, and your mother away from Zanado to protect you. Rhea was also away at the time. Both Macuil and Indech also fled, to where no one knows. As you remember, Mildred, you had fallen into a coma protecting Mao, Aelura and I. From then on we took you and ourselves to the monastery where we would use the Chalice of Beginnings to revive you. However the ritual failed and instead put us all into comas similar to yours. Later the monastery was also invaded by the Nemesis' bandits and their mages took our bodies. That's all I can remember." He sighs at the end, collapsing from a sitting position on the floor to on his side.

Mildred is still trying to pick her jaw up off the floor. "Chalice of Beginnings? What is that?" Flayn looks lost. Mildred sighs.

"I really need to get my memories back..." she groans, exasperated with everything right now. Mao and Aelura come back to her side, the former lightly smacking Chester with her wing.

"The Chalice of Beginnings is our creation," Aelura explains. "It was made in emergencies just like then. Basically it can bring people back to life." Flayn gasps, Mildred hums.

"Soo I can get your bodies back?" Mildred asks, throwing the idea out there. Chester moves from his spot on the floor.

"I mean, yes, you can for Aelura and Mao but not me because you don't have my...stone with you." Mildred blinks.

"What stone?"

"We'll worry about it when we get back to the monastery," Mao advises. "Remember, we can do whatever we need to do after the war."

"This is a lot to take in..." Flayn bemoans, frowning.

"Flayn?"

The door opens.

A/N: This is a good place to stop for now. Get some rest, eat some food. The story will wait for you :)