Chapter 8

The Dream

The boat northward cut silently through the morning waters, but Meredith found herself grateful that no urge to vomit greeted her. The calm allowed her to watch the shores of Lacardia as they pulled away, vanishing into the mist and distance. Eddie watched with her, and neither turned away until they felt the shuddering of wind that indicated they were passing through the barrier and officially leaving the country for good.

“Surprised no monsters attacked us,” Eddie commented once they had. He was digging into his pack while Meredith turned away, focusing on the goal ahead. “Must be because they’re wind-based, so they only take to the air.”

“Mm.” Meredith said no more. Her feet carried her to the opposite end of the boat, trying to find any approaching landmass. Many other passengers were either doing the same as her or leaving for the rooms below. Unable to find any sights, Meredith resorted to people-watching, her Soul Vision turned on. There was no surprise that each had strong, magical souls, but she dove no further, despite her curiosity wondering what they were all heading north for. “Eddie, what’s north of here?”

“Lots of smaller settlements, some ruins and the like,” Eddie said over the sound of the waves now lapping at the boat. From what Meredith could tell, a manufactured magic core was pushing them along the water at a decent clip, though she couldn’t sense it. “The trial, too, of course.”

“Wonder where they’re all going, then,” Meredith said, huffing into the air. Her breath was frosting upwards, and she began to feel the goosebumps radiate up her arms.

“Maybe a pilgrimage to the alchemic settlement? It’s a pretty popular place. The ruins are steeped in a lot of magical history, as well, though I don’t think there’s a magic core anywhere up here…” Eddie’s words trailed off, even as his voice grew louder from his approach. In his hands was the old map that he rolled out, attempting to hold on in the wind. Meredith looked it over, spying the path he had hastily marked. “Either way, we’re heading straight north, to this point.”

Eddie’s finger lit the way, and Meredith followed it. From the disembarking point near the northern mountains, past a couple settlements and the ruins of a city, to the clearly marked Twisted Towers. The land spread in both directions from that point, but Meredith was more interested in the western path, towards the alchemic settlement. It was enough to fire her up, but not enough to stop her from slinging her jacket on. As Eddie did the same, she contemplated telling him all she had learned, but the sight of what was approaching stole her breath away.

Glaciers and discs of ice were floating in the water, beginning to populate the frigid sea they were sailing across. Fire and heat suddenly came from the sides of the boat, the steam wafting upwards as it made them a safe path through the treacherous maze. Ahead of them was the great mountain range that separated the Metropolis from the Northern Wastes. It towered, casting a shadow along the surface of the water while the sun crept higher, a sign of how much day had passed, and how swift the journey had been. In the distance, land could be sighted, a small, wooden dock at its edge.

Many around the deck were as fascinated as Meredith, eager to explore the land to the north, as though it was largely uninhabited. The closer they drew, the more Meredith narrowed her eyes. Thinking about the settlements reminded her of why she’d set off again. She took another look at Eddie, but little time was left. The bell rang and a horn blew, announcing their arrival to the small portside town. Meredith wondered if it was like Lumarina, or something else entirely, but her ruminations meant nothing as the boat slowed. Eddie rolled up the map and stowed it inside before the craft they were on came to a stop.

There was no call for disembarking, or any other command given. The sole push of passengers leaving informed Meredith of the arrival to their destination. Her breath frosted upwards again, and Meredith slung her arm around Eddie, the two taking their steps off the boat together.

The first sound they heard was the crunch of the snow beneath their feet, similar to the Frostland, and Meredith didn’t concern herself with the terrain further; this would be nothing compared to their first trial. It didn’t stop her teeth from chattering, though. In that time, Eddie took the first steps down the ice-lined streets, and the path that led from town.

“We going, Mera?” he asked. Meredith kept her mouth shut, but nodded. Her gaze briefly traveled upward, noticing it was barely midday. There was plenty of light to burn. She kept her stance stable and fell in step with Eddie. “I’m not worried about blizzards here, but we should keep ourselves bundled.”

“You have fire magic. I think we’ll be fine.” He answered her proclamation with a confident turn of his lips, but she ignored the cockiness. She watched her fellow passengers for a moment. Some of them turned into hotels to warm up, the little lights shining from ice-encrusted windows. Others, like them, made to leave the town. Following those people, Meredith noticed that some turned in the direction of the mountains, while others disappeared into the wastes beyond. “Wonder why it’s called the Northern Wastes…”

“Probably because it’s really, really cold. And ruins. Lots of ruins.”

“You know a lot? Something you learned from the others?”

“Nah, just a guess.” Eddie laughed, his breath also visible. Meredith frowned, but kept pace with her friend. Her arms folded across her chest once they reached the border and crossed into the frozen grass beyond.

That made her waver and step back. It wasn’t snow they were stepping on, but literal frozen grass, closer to tiny icicles than any form of vegetation. Yet under that ice, it was still living. She pondered for a second if it would produce an earthy form of magic, or ice. The thought made her fingers twitch with anticipation.

“Well, I don’t think we’ll want to be caught in the freezing cold. There’s a town north of here. The Twisted Towers are about two days ahead of us,” Eddie said. Wind blew across the wastes, causing Meredith to shiver. She closed the distance before her and Eddie, mashing her body against his for the extra heat.

“Sounds great…can you light your body on fire?”

“Nope, but, uh…” Eddie reached up to scratch at his nose, resulting a sneeze. “Can’t you connect to my magic and heat yourself?”

“You can heat yourself?!” Sparkles surfaced in her eyes, making Eddie recoil. She didn’t allow him to get away, throwing her arms around him as they stumbled northward. In her peripheral vision, Meredith spied the frosted path that led from settlement to settlement. It was in a single direction, with no branches, offering only one way forward. That allowed Meredith to focus on the heat she hoped to gain.

“Kind of…I guess…?”

“Kind of? That’s not an answer!”

“Well, it’s like…since I use fire magic, I focus on that, and instead of externalizing it, I internalize it,” Eddie said. Meredith let go, the explanation sounding familiar, or at least close to what she had learned at Lacardia, too. “It’s something I learned from the classes. Magical Matter focused on creating things externally, while there was a whole class on internalizing magic and storing it. I had a hard time, though. It’s hard to keep a tight focus on just one element without letting the other elements intermingle. You have the same problem?”

“Couldn’t say…” Meredith fully extricated herself from Eddie and rubbed her hands together. They were starting to look blue in the cold and she searched for gloves. As she patted the gloves together, she mused on how she compared to Eddie magically. “I think I might have the opposite problem.”

“Magic is an endless learning experience, huh?”

Meredith couldn’t disagree with that. To have touched on it herself, she could feel those endless possibilities within each soul. Internalizing was easy; it was the only way to keep a hold on things inside her. Externalizing was a different question, but one she hoped to master with answers.

Her eyes slid over to Eddie’s form, the boy walking with greater confidence than ever, and visualized his soul in its many hues. At the very least, she could internalize the heat inside that he was working so hard to maintain. Her soul reached out, touching to Eddie’s and gaining immediate acceptance, the fire passing between them. Heat rushed through Meredith’s body and she gave a cheer.

“Ooh, that’s nice! Let’s go!” Whether Eddie knew she was doing it or not, he never said, but the two of them quested forward along the path so cold, it was brittle beneath them.

Unlike the Frostland before it, the winds here didn’t bring snow and decreased visibility. Instead, the wind brought more cold air that the duo staved off with the heat inside of them. Unfettered by the cold, the two were able to ignore the wind and concentrate on the path in front of them. To Meredith’s surprise, she didn’t miss a beat, and it wasn’t until the settlement that they were hoping to reach became visible that she realized it had become second nature to maintain the heat.

Maybe I have a thing for internalizing magic, after all…Doesn’t help with externalizing it, though, Meredith thought to herself. Eddie, on the other hand, didn’t look to be struggling at all, and she peered at him suspiciously. He was far too relaxed about a subject he thought he wasn’t very good at. Then there was the mention of his dream. More questions arose, and Meredith opened her mouth to ask them.

She shut it right away, flinging her hand out to bring them to a halt at the edge of the town. The fire fizzled out and the cold returned, but Meredith’s breaths were so short she didn’t realize.

“What’s wrong?”

Meredith didn’t answer. The fire may have gone away, but she kept her Soul Vision active, and there was something more than off. She stepped forward a little, close to the village and one of the houses that rested in plain view. A river ran near the town, but as Meredith observed it, she realized it was completely frozen.

There was no soul in it.

Meredith’s exhale was continuous, and she crept closer to the town. Eddie was silent behind her. The silence allowed sounds to emanate from the village, but they didn’t seem normal. Perhaps it had been her stay in Lacardia, but nothing emanating from the village were the sounds of daily activity from citizens. It sounded like…visitors.

Meredith grabbed to the edge of the building she was leaning against and craned her neck, her Soul Vision stretching out. That confirmed her own trepidation: there were fewer people than she’d have expected of a normal town. She pressed further to the building, and her hand slipped. Meredith tumbled toward the ground, but Eddie grabbed her pack, pulling her back up. The movement had sent a chunk of the house falling, though, breaking upon the ground with a loud echo, crumbling into ice. Meredith’s eyes widened.

“This place is frozen. The buildings are frozen,” she hissed.

Her voice wasn’t the only one.

“Check out that noise! There could be survivors.” Even in the howling wind, the voice was an unfamiliar and distinctly feminine one. Meredith clapped a hand over her mouth and pushed back against Eddie. He got the message.

The two ran backwards, keeping their eyes on the entrance they were leaving behind until they could get on the other side of the house. This time, Meredith was more careful, spying the entrance as two men appeared, dressed in worn fur coats and wearing disheveled expressions. The two took a look around for a moment and retreated back into the town.

Eager to find out more, Meredith motioned for Eddie to follow her and crept along the border of the town. Her Soul Vision remained open, keeping a track on the two that joined with the conglomeration of souls centered near the middle of town. They were visible through the gaps between buildings, allowing the duo to track their quarry until they arrived at their destination. The two forms paused, and Meredith squeezed between two of the buildings, careful to not slip. Soon, they were within earshot and visibility.

“There was nothing there, Maria,” one of the men said. Eddie bent his neck to get the same line of visibility as Meredith. There was no doubt they both caught sight of the same woman.

“Shame…if we could have found even one more…” the woman named Maria said, a sigh on her lips. She flicked her bushy brown hair, a jangling noise emanating from it as she did so. Meredith noticed she was seated on a frozen fountain that fed from the river, legs crossed as she regarded the men before her. They weren’t alone. A small band of people were there, with some dressed in the fur coats while others looked shaken. Maria’s movement caught Meredith’s eye and she noticed other details about the scene of the town, from broken pathways and frozen wood chunks, to a small wispy haze. “Guess we’ll have to make do with this. Any other towns nearby?”

“None that haven’t been reported on the news,” one of the men said. Maria scoffed.

“The news…they wouldn’t know what happens unless a flaming sign was presented to them,” she said. Her eyes flicked over to the alley where Meredith and Eddie were. The two teens pressed themselves down, hoping to not be caught. Meredith felt her breath quicken and release as Maria began to speak again. “They’re too busy focusing on the obvious signs of the Beastmaster’s activity to the west, despite him disappearing into the darkness. They’d hardly be aware of a place that was flash-frozen to cover up the evidence.”

Meredith looked to Eddie, wondering if he could confirm that statement, but he shrugged. They were in the dark. Maria appeared to sigh again, this time garnering a response from one of the men. “No worries, Maria. Rico won’t be angry.”

“Of course, he won’t! He saves his anger for the Beastmaster,” Maria said. She now flung herself from the fountain, landing without slipping. Her hand flicked her jingling hair again. Meredith felt her breath relax; at least they weren’t with the Beastmaster. “And the Metropolis clearly made him angry enough to go on a greater hunt. This is the first time he’s called all the Renegade factions together since we formed up as a unit.”

“Shouldn’t we get moving then?”

A pause. Another sigh. Meredith breathed out. “Yeah, I guess. He’ll be waiting, and with the Beastmaster on the move, it’s best not to keep him delayed. Not as we gather.”

“We can always cut through the ruins.”

“No, straight north,” Maria commanded. At her proclamation, Meredith pushed on Eddie, a signal to retreat. He nodded and attempted to mute his footsteps as they pulled away. A brief flash of Maria’s eyes made Meredith wonder if the woman had caught sight of her, but she ignored it. Maria continued talking. “Now, you leftover citizens…are you planning on heading to civilization or sticking with us? We can always use scouts.”

Meredith finished her retreat and Maria’s voice faded from earshot. Once the duo was clear of the village’s border, their footsteps once more leading north, the revelation tumbled from Meredith’s lips. “Renegades…so they’re moving again…”

“Wasn’t aware they had factions,” Eddie said, his own breath coming in huffs. Gusts whipped through them, causing the two friends to huddle against each other. “Though I don’t think intersecting with them is a good idea. Maybe it’d be best to cut through the nearby ruins. It’d take us closer to the Twisted Towers…uh, Mera? You listening?”

She wasn’t. Not fully, at least. Her head was nodding, accepting Eddie’s changed course, but her mind was focused on the Renegades that had appeared in the village. Their words had indicated they weren’t behind whatever freak event had frozen everything in the village, but that the Beastmaster had surfaced there first.

“He must still be looking for those weapons and just wanted to make it clear to the Corps…” Meredith mused, her fingers on her chin. The new information fascinated her, leaving her barely aware when Eddie grabbed her arm and started to drag her through the frozen fields. “And the Renegades are going after him. No surprise there…but who knew there were factions. Wonder what happened there…”

“Yeah, it’s all super fascinating, except for the fact we don’t have a place to stay now.”

“Wait, what?” Meredith blinked, letting her mind come back to reality. Her eyes did, too, noticing they had left the village behind and were turning slightly east. “Aw, man! It’s gonna be cold!”

“Better than running into Renegades. They might not be bad people, but after what happened back in the desert, I’d rather you not chat with them again.” Eddie had a point. Meredith drew her arms around her figure, now moving of her own volition across the ice.

“Yeah, though I don’t think they’re from the desert. They hardly looked cold at all, and I don’t remember that Maria person, either. Wonder what Rico’s up to, though,” Meredith said. She was back to musing, but Eddie wasn’t interested in the conversation. He seemed more concerned with keeping his body heat up as trees began to fill the path they’d left, and frosted rocks dotted the landscape.

Feeling bad about leaving him to do all the work, Meredith also spied the landscape, looking for a proper area to make camp. It didn’t take too long to find a cluster of large rocks that would block the wind, though the sun was close to setting by the time they set up the tent and retreated inside.

The cold didn’t cease.

“I-I d-don’t think w-we’ll sleep…” Eddie chattered out, holding an orb of flame in his hand that permeated the tent. The two huddled as Meredith almost slipped to rest on his shoulder. “Anything you wanna talk about?”

“How cold it is? Because it’s cold. Colder than cold.”

“Yeah, I got that part, funnily enough.”

“Food then. Hungry.” Eddie’s sigh informed Meredith as to just how exhausted he was with her fading conversation skills. Breaths were becoming shorter as night enveloped the pair, and Meredith felt her eyes drooping, head sliding off of Eddie and on to floor of the tent. She hadn’t realized from the cold just how much her stomach was rumbling, but she lacked any energy to get food or even focus on connecting her soul to Eddie’s.

Meredith’s knees tucked inward, retaining her body heat as her brain shut down for sleep. Eddie yawned, but remained awake. She watched him a moment, rocking back and forth, and then asked the question she really wanted to. “Why did you come with?”

Eddie stopped rocking, and the fire vanished from his hands. The tent grew dark and cold. He breathed upward. “I told you. Promise to keep.”

“No. You were happy, right? Lacardia was happy, right? This…cold…it’s not happy.” She knew her words were making little sense as she shivered, but Eddie smiled at her. He reached down, touching his hands to the floor of the tent. His face screwed itself in concentration and Meredith found her body warming up, like the tent had turned into a portable heater. She bit back a laugh.

“We’re friends. That makes me happy.” It wasn’t much of an answer, but all he could muster until he fell backwards, palms continuing to press to the ground. “I would have never made it to Lacardia without you. Would’ve never left home without you. You push me, Mera. So, I wanna help push you. Support you and everyone else who got me this far.

“That’s my dream.”

“Doesn’t sound like one.” Meredith turned her body to look up at him, eyes like slits in the darkness. “That sounds like an anti-dream. That’s nothing you want to achieve on your own.”

“But it’s all I need,” Eddie said. He was smiling now, staring up at the cream canvas above them. “I realized that. I could be anything in Lacardia, but what I want to do most of all is help people. Help the people who got me this far and repay them. By supporting them in their dreams, well…things’ll be just fine. That’s why I’m sticking with you to the end.

“Though…I wouldn’t mind if we explore some magical sites. I’d love to keep learning.”

“Yeah, sounds like you. Guess Lacardia didn’t change who you were…but your dream still isn’t all that unique.” He didn’t answer, and Meredith turned again, this time facing away from him. It may not have been unique, but it was still so very him.

Meredith didn’t say anything further, but she knew how aware Eddie was of her boundless gratitude. Neither spoke until the sun rose the next morning, and once they’d eaten, the duo was back on the road towards the approaching ruins.

“Wherever those Renegades went, they must have passed us,” Eddie said once they were back on the road. “The town’s a bit more worrisome, but I’m sure when we run into your brother again we can say something.”

“Mm. Yeah.” Meredith said nothing more, her eyes trained on the strange formation in the distance, beyond the sector of collapsed buildings that was filling in the space around them. She knew it was the trial site, but her mind was still cast to her conversation with Eddie. He knew it, too, the frown on his face speaking to it. Their feet slowed as a crumbled set of large buildings began to encompass them. “Eddie…”

“You’re not letting this go, are you?” he asked. She shook her head, her hair moving with it and flying into her face with the wind. The only thing she got from that, before Eddie sighed, was that the air had turned surprisingly warmer, despite them being further north.

“I’m just not sure where it all came from. I mean, one moment, you’re all excited about Lacardia and trying to find a dream. Then I don’t see you for a few weeks and you’re this experienced, dependable guy who wants to support me and others.”

“Are you saying I haven’t been dependable?”

“Long or short answer?” Eddie answered by kicking at some of the stones. They missed her. “Just…you’re sure, right?”

“Would I be here if I wasn’t?” She didn’t say, acknowledging the point. “To put it simply, working with A-Class…it made me realize how they’re all together as a group, but not all of them are the frontline. Look at Summer; she’s one of the most skilled in the class, but she helps out by giving support. I want to do that. Plain and simple. I also want to see this journey through to the end, and with this dream and that journey combined, both will be a reality.”

“Okay…I guess…”

“Guess better, Mera. Now, we gonna explore these ruins or what? The Twisted Towers are only a little north of here, so we have some time.”

“Okay, sure. I owe it to you, buddy.” Feeling a bit better after his explanation, Meredith thumped Eddie on the back and hooked her arm with his. She was still unsure, but chose to trust in him and plunge into the ruins together.

There wasn’t much to see.

After their experience with the ruins in the desert, Meredith felt these to be underwhelming. Having been reduced down to mere stumps and rocks, with very few walls intact, the structures, themselves, were uninteresting on the surface. In fact, the most fascinating thing about them was how wide they stretched, something which Eddie explained as they traipsed through.

“These once belonged to a great kingdom, or so history books say,” he said, their steps causing stones to tumble away from their path. “Long before the Corps was established, it’s said that the country fell to ruin because of an object that fell from the sky. It never recovered and was eventually lost to history. In time, the desertification made recovery impossible.”

“That thing, right…” Meredith puffed her cheeks. Her eyes drifted to the side and then a little forward. There were more intact walls here, some overtaken by grass and vines, while others were bare. Meredith was surprised to see any vegetation at all, and wondered if it had to do with the trial site, the tower becoming more visible as they walked through. “Wonder if one of those Legendary Weapons was ever here…”

“Maybe.” Eddie was just as clueless as her, and the ruins provided no answer.

Even slipping her Soul Vision on, just to see, Meredith could only sense regret inside the broken walls and fallen buildings. At least, she could only sense that as far as feelings went.

People were a whole different issue, and there were certainly plenty.

At first, she dismissed the presence as being fellow travelers; the ones they’d seen leave from the port town the day before. Getting closer, though, revealed a different story, with a larger conglomeration of souls than simple travelers would have provided. Her steps slowed a little, making Eddie reduce his speed.

Had the Renegades changed course? It wasn’t a favorable thing if they had, but Meredith wasn’t overly concerned. The walls here were getting high enough and full of enough twists and turns to elude their presence from those gathered, without stopping their progression. Meredith took solace.

“This way,” she said, pulling Eddie along and away from the group of souls.

“Is there a reason we’re sneaking around again?” His question was asked in hushed tones.

“I sense people, and I don’t want to tangle with groups of people gathered around. That can spell trouble.”

“Thought you liked trouble.” Meredith didn’t rise to the bait. “You’ve been really jittery ever since you started using magic, you know.”

“I have not! I just have a goal to meet. It’s not just me I’m doing this for!” Meredith claimed. She thumped her chest and expanded her cheeks to convey how indignant she was towards Eddie. He laughed, letting go of her and doubling over. The mirth echoed around the stone walls, and Meredith saw fit to place her hands on her hips, complemented with a glare. “Hey, it’s not funny! I promised Mr. Matthew that I’d forge this blade and give him the results. I’m pretty sure the soul inside would want me to do it, too.”

“So that’s what you were holed up doing for all those weeks? Here I thought you were staring into space, looking at souls or something. Or just books.” Eddie snorted, his chortles returning with greater volume. “Imagining you with books is funny.”

Meredith began turning away from her friend, now clutching to a wall for support. Trickles of stone emanated outward, but Meredith still didn’t deign to look at Eddie. “Glad I could be such a source of amusement for you, but I’m very good at schoolwork, thank you very much. I just prefer not to apply myself outside of more practical areas, which is what this is and-”

Meredith didn’t complete her statement, though she did complete her turn. As she finished, she found herself staring into the eyes of a black-robed individual. A clatter followed, and then a voice from beyond the walls, one she hadn’t heard.

“Did ya find something? Maybe that weapon Gaius wanted? I wouldn’t want to return to them without-”

“I found somethin’ all right…” Meredith’s hand instinctively grabbed for her sword. The robes were familiar; she’d seen them in the Metropolis before the Beastmaster attacked. Eddie was tensed, his soul alighting with magic. “Hey, you, what information you got on these ruins?”

“None I’d share with you,” Meredith snapped. She wasn’t the first to attack, but when the second guest entered into the picture, getting a good look at her and Eddie, she knew any hope of running was dashed. Mostly because he was fashioning a weapon out of the stone that rested there. “Take a hike, buddy. We’re just travelers.”

“Oh, they know somethin’…” the newcomer said, his own black robes floating out. “We’ve been lookin’ for anyone with info. Gaius’ll know how to get it out of ya. He’s been goin’ stir crazy with all this waitin’; I’m sure he’d love to have someone to torture.”

“And we’d get promoted! Perhaps Associate Priest level! Praise be the goddess.” Meredith officially clasped the tube of her blade. Eddie walked up behind her. Magic flared in their souls.

Meredith spat to the stone wall, her lips twitching. The looks on their opponents’ faces said it all as her body coiled for battle: where the World Restoration Order gathered, disaster followed. Only, with a look to Eddie, Meredith decided to make sure no disaster would follow them. So, she extended her sword and leapt into battle.