Cry of the Lost: A Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Tale

Chapter 14

"So, Mark, I gotta ask...how is it that you are traveling without a crystal orb?" Curt whispered to Mark who was sitting next to him on the driver's seat.

They had been on the road for over an hour, and Autumn and Paul had fallen asleep in the back of the wagon. Charlie Chocobo followed behind at his own pace, occasionally stopping to nibble on any gyshal greens - the favorite vegetation of chocobos - he saw.

"It's this..." Mark tapped a small crystal pendant he was wearing around his neck. "It's made of crystal, and I keep it filled with myrrh just like a crystal orb. It was given to me when I joined the Dragon Knight Order. All dragoons were given one. The pendants were created by a scientist named Sven, but he died and his advanced crystal creation techniques were lost. The myrrh lasts for nearly two months before I have to refill it."

"I've heard of Sven before...Uncle Cid told me about him once," Curt noted.

"Cid Valant?" Mark inquired.

"Yeah. You know my uncle?" Curt asked in surprise.

"Who doesn't? He was one of the original bunch who worked on creating the crystals," Mark replied, reaching into his coat and producing another crystal pendant like the one he had on. "Here...I want you to have this. It belonged to a dear friend. I've got a good feeling about you, Curt."

Mark made a gesture as if to place the pendant over Curt's head. Curt smiled, tilted his head to the side, and allowed Mark to slip the chain that held the pendant over his head.

"Thank you, Mark. I will consider it a great honor to wear this, and I will take good care of it," Curt said.

"You're most welcome," Mark returned.

"So what's the Dragon Knight Order...if you don't mind me asking?" Curt questioned.

"It was an elite group of knights created to protect the myrrh trees from destructive forces," Mark shared.

"Was?" Curt wondered aloud.

"It was disbanded when General Chilton passed away and a man named Richter Van Feldt took control of the Torenada military. The dragoons were each given leadership of a battalion. One other dragoon and I declined and chose to become wandering mercenaries protecting crystal caravaners," Mark related with a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Is that why you came to our aid?" Curt asked.

"Yes. Myrrh is supposed to be free for all. I was spying on those men for a while. I overheard the leader mention Sumira, and I intend to find out what's going on with these bandits. This is the second time I've come across men guarding a myrrh tree." Mark's voice now sounded angry.