Heliopsis (Unfinished version)

Chapter 4 - Flaria's Call

"I believe that is enough for today!" said Phineas at last. Flaria had just come running around the corner of the temple. Her legs were jelly and she was drenched in sweat. She reached the front steps of the temple and nearly collapsed when she sat down.

"Never...make me... do... a thousand laps... again," she panted.

Phineas chuckled. "You trained very hard this week. Both in mind and body. It is imperative that you take a good rest."

As Flaria departed, she pondered when she would be capable as a true Divine Champion. She had not dared to use her powers again since the New Year attack. But she could feel it - a drive coursing through her, growing ever impatient.

Outside a small tavern, two middle aged men engaged in a conversation of laughs and howls. Quite a couple of empty glasses sprawled about the round wooden table where they sat. As Flaria passed by, one of the men took notice.

"Ain't you the little thief who blew herself up on New Year?" he said with a sneer.

"Yeah!" said the other man, "show us that trick again!"

Flaria restrained everything within her to keep her cool and kept walking. But the men wouldn't have it. They sneered sadistically:

"Little bitch, you'll never be a real Champion!"

And just like that, Flaria let loose.

"How about I blow your faces off, huh?!"

Her face was red like fire. She wanted to burn them into ash so badly. A hot sensation welled up in her left arm.

"Hey now, let's not cause any trouble shall we?" said a sudden voice.

A young woman emerged from the tavern. She had long black hair and a height that exceeded Flaria's by a slight. Her attire consisted of a blue skirt and a white blue shirt complete with a black bowtie. 

"And what're ya gonna do about it, little lady?" sneered one of the men.

"Why don't we get going?" She turned to Flaria. Her silver eyes almost seemed to glow.

The two girls walked off, and Flaria felt the intensity recede from her arm.

"Um, thanks, I guess," she said to the mysterious woman.

"Of course! As a Divine Champion, I must stand up for others," the woman replied.

Flaria's eyebrows raised. "Wait, you're a Champion too?"

"Yes! I'm Aldrin Ipomia," she continued, "Champion of the Moon Goddess, Lumana."

"That's pretty cool! Well, if you must know, I happen to be-"

"Flaria, right? The new Champion of the Sun?" Aldrin finished her sentence, "You're the talk of the town from what I gather."

"Yeah, that's me..."

"Say, Flaria, would you happen to know where the remains of that golem are now?"

"Oh, oh yeah, of course! I'll show you!"

Flaria was too astounded to question. She was already meeting another Champion! There were so many things she wanted to ask, but now was not the time.

During reconstruction of the square, the townsfolk dumped what remained of the despicable golem in a ditch in the northern outskirts. To an outsider, it would appear to be nothing but an ordinary pile of boulders.

Aldrin analyzed the rocky remains down to the smallest fragment. One fragment in particular she took an interest in.

"Come look at this," she beckoned Flaria.

"What's so special about these rocks?" Flaria asked.

"Ah, you must not know much about magic, look closer!"

Upon closer examination, the fragment revealed strange symbols inscribed on its surface. They were a faint red color, barely visible to the naked eye.

"Animation magic leaves behind runic imprints," explained Aldrin, "think of it like footprints but for sorcery."

"Huh, neat. But what's so special about them?"

"This is a hint. A hint that will lead us to the culprit."

The culprit? Flaria recalled Kane's words from the other day. 

Aldrin continued. "Listen, Flaria, Thera is in danger. It wasn't just your town that was attacked. It's been happening all across Therea. Someone is terrorizing us and I'm going to bring them to justice."

"Then take me with you!" Flaria couldn't contain her outburst.

"Are you sure?" asked Aldrin, "I heard what happened to you."

"It's my fight too, ya know!" replied Flaria, "I'm in this mess because of them!"

"But your powers... they're..."

"I'll figure it out along the way! Besides, you can't do this alone can you?" Flaria raised her shield. "You're gonna need a little defense!"

Aldrin shook her head and gave a quiet smile. She looked at the boulders, then back at Flaria.

"You truly have the determination of a Champion of Iestrel."

Aldrin extended a hand. "Perhaps the sun and moon should band together for this journey."

"Right on! Let's do this!" Flaria shook it with great force. Aldrin nearly stumbled.

"How about we leave later tonight? That should give us time to prepare."

"Sounds good to me. I should probably let my family know too."

That night, Flaria prepared for her journey ahead. She gathered her food necessities and some extra clothing. Next, she went to her uncle's house. She explained the situation to him, hoping he'd understand. Unfortunately, things did not go quite as she expected.

"You are absolutely NOT leaving!" said Phineas.

"Oh come on! I can take care of myself!" protested Flaria

"You need to train until your powers are stable!"

"I'll figure it out!"

Both of them stood their ground, looking the other dead in the eyes.

"Do you realize how much trouble you'll be in if you leave?" asked Phineas scornfully, "The King could order you to be apprehended!"

"So what? There's someone out there killing people! I can't just sit around and do nothing!" screamed Flaria.

"Leave it to the authorities, Flaria!"

"I won't!"

"Flaria!"

Flaria was already out the door like a lightning bolt. She tried to contain her tears, but they were welling up too fast.

"Flaria."

It wasn't Phineas's voice this time. It was Kane's.

"I'm not listening to you either," Flaria said.

"You need to think this through."

"Well I can't because I'm tired of being number two! You hunt better than me. You fight better than me. Hell, you can even cook better than me! This is my only chance to prove I can do something useful!"

"Flaria, this isn't about-"

"I'm going. And nobody is gonna stop me."

Kane sighed. He looked at his cousin and shook his head.

"Then go," he said, "If this is what you truly want, then I can't stop you."

Flaria turned her face away from Kane.

"I'll show this town what I can do. Just you wait."

And with that, Flaria left a silent Kane behind. She reached the horse carriage at the southern gates of town.

"Are you ready?" asked Aldrin.

"Yeah."

The carriage set off, and Flaria watched as her hometown, the place of safety and comfort she knew all her life, slowly faded into the night.