Chapter 6: So You’d Like to Speak to a Human? Please Hold.

Layton was worried. The young costumed fairy was probably on her way to some sort of convention. Selene, the fairy, blinked with big blue eyes surrounded by startling ocean-blue hair. He wondered how she could dye her hair to that shimmering colour that seemed to shift in tone as she turned her head.

Her beautiful features were marred by bruising and some sort of strange makeup that made her look like she’d taken a nasty fall. Her head looked like it was bleeding bright green blood.

Layton was fascinated, but resisted the temptation to reach out and touch the paint.

But that wasn’t the only problem.

The problem was that, for a while now, Selene hadn’t blinked. He worried that if she kept going, her eyes would dry out.

After all, her eyes were as wide as saucers right now.

“Umm…” Layton prompted Selene, shocking her out of her weird daze.

Finally, Selene was able to squeeze out a coherent response. “W-Why are your ears that shape?”

Layton instinctively touched his ears.

“What? What’s wrong with my ears?”

Selene averted her eyes with a troubled look. “No, uhh… nothing.” She cleared her throat. “You must be tired… maybe hungry? How long have you been here?”

“No, I’m not hungry or tired, thank you.” Layton shrugged. “I’m not sure how long I’ve been down here.”

Half a day maybe?

Selene mumbled something under her breath.

“What?” Layton asked.

“Nothing, erm, would you mind if I just record this?”

What the heck is she talking about?

“Uhhh, sure?”

Selene quickly drew out a book and started writing something. Interested, Layton peeked over, but the characters seemed unrecognisable. The more he stared, the blurrier the characters got, making them swim sickeningly.

He blinked rapidly and looked away. Maybe he’d been reading too much recently and his eyes were tired.

She must be some sort of fiction writer.

Selene noted that Layton was peeking over and cleared her throat. “S-Sorry, I just had to note this down!”

“A flash of inspiration?” Layton asked with a smile.

Selene clutched the notebook to her chest. “Y-Yes, something like that!”

Ah, he thought slyly, she must be shy about revealing her work.

Which was all fine and dandy but he was starting to feel a bit claustrophobic.

“Do you know how to get out of here? I’m a bit lost.”

Surprised, Selene’s head drew back. “I’m… as lost as you are. I don’t know how to get out of here either.”

They lapsed into silence.

Layton chuckled, trying to play off his rising anxiety and jerked one of his thumbs behind him. “Well, I guess it’s just you, me and that statue over there…”

Selene peered past him and gasped.

“By the Goddess! Down here? Impossible!”

Without waiting for Layton to react, Selene jostled past him and stood in front of the statue. Her mouth was agape as she muttered a few things to herself her eyes looking like she wanted to eat the statue more than study it.

“After all this time, it shouldn’t be working… how…?” She furiously scribbled into her notebook, ignoring Layton’s puzzled look.

“Umm…” Layton tried to get her attention, but Selene was focused on the statue.

With not much else to do, Layton twiddled his thumbs and peered curiously down the passageway that suddenly appeared before him. He shifted his backpack on his shoulder and decided to look at the wall a bit.

He thought back to the Almathea and realised that it had been right. Just by waiting a while someone had already found him. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing after all. Although he was tempted to whip it out and ask it a bunch of questions, the wall captured his interest even more.

“Wow… what is this place?” He peered at wall that had shattered. The mosaics that had previously made up the wall had to have been intricate. There was still some stunning artwork left over. Although he couldn’t make out the centrepiece there was still some remnants of animals that were in startling detail. He felt that it was a slight pity that it was broken.

But… what kind of convention or place would put this much effort into this? The more he thought about it, the more implausible everything seemed to be.

“Where in the world am I?”

He couldn’t wrap his head around this situation.

Selene finally returned to him, interrupting his thoughts.

“May I ask you some questions?” Selene trotted towards him with an expression of barely concealed excitement.

Layton cocked his head. “No, yes, of course?”

Selene looked mildly confused but charged forward nonetheless.

“The ruins here, do you know anything about them?”

Layton shrugged. “One moment I was on a bus and the next I was here. I just woke up.”

“A bus?” She pronounced it loudly and strangely.

“Yes,” Layton continued. “You know, a vehicle?”

“A what?”

He could see it wasn’t getting through to her. “Well, anyway, I woke up here and now I’m lost. I want to get back home.”

“You mentioned that before…” she muttered. “But wait, you don’t know how to get back home?”

Layton felt a bit annoyed. “I don’t even know how I got here! Do you?”

“Peace!” Selene held up her hands. “Yes, I got here by accident too! I apologise if I came off as insensitive.” She gestured back where she came from. “I came from that place, but now that I think about it, it might not be safe back there.”

Layton nodded, feeling quite overwhelmed. He wanted to get out of this dark place and the fact that the only other person was a costume-dressing wacko wasn’t helping.

“So you don’t know the way out.” It came out rhetorically mixed with a note of bitterness.

Selene eyed him carefully, seeming a bit awkward, but for some reason resolved as well. “Oh, erm… could I trouble to ask you another question before we get to that?”

Layton sighed. “What is it?”

“Are you a human?”

Layton frowned. What kind of question was that? He answered it anyway.

“Of course I’m human.”

Selene seemed to find that somehow awe-inspiring.

“Could you… prove it?”

Layton frowned. “Prove what?”

“Uhh, never mind!” Selene slowly closed her eyes and opened them again. She turned around and started examining the statue intently, but Layton could still overhear her.“Yes… of course. Here of all places.”

She drifted off into silence, brows furrowed in contemplation.

Layton was unable to hold his patience for a moment longer. She probably didn’t mean any harm but this person was certainly a bit of a scatterbrain. He strode up to her and waved an arm.

“Hello…?”

Selene shook her head and refocused on him. “Would you like to come with me? I’m sure we can find our way out of here if we work together?”

Layton briefly considered his option and then shrugged. There wasn’t a better solution to his current situation was there? He glanced up the corridor and then back at Selene.

“So where to? This place is a dead-end.”

Selene pointed towards the statue. “That might be our way out.”

She bounced towards the statue with vigour and crouched down behind it.

Selene was fiddling around with something around the base of the statue. From his angle he couldn’t really see what was going on. There were a couple of mumbles and some angry words that Layton (thankfully?) couldn’t make out.

Surprisingly, there was an audible snick and something gave way.

Selene moved aside what Layton could now see what some sort of thin stone panel that matched the rest of the statue.

How did she find a way to take that off? I didn’t see a switch or anything.

Layton approached, intrigued by her discovery. Was this some sort of elaborate puzzle room? How did he end up in one? So many conjectures and thoughts jumbled together that he could only follow Selene in a daze.

“There’s a small inscription here! Oh but I can’t work it out and my head is throbbing something fierce. I wish I had some poultice or ointment here.” Selene reached to her head and gingerly touched her makeup, grimacing as the paint came away on her hand. She retrieved a cloth from her bag to wipe away the paint residue and then continued to inspect the writing intensely.

As Layton approached Selene he reached out and tapped her on the shoulder. He almost immediately regretted it seeing her almost jump out of her skin.

“Oh!” She exclaimed, blue eyes wide with fright.

“Oh, sorry, I just wanted to know what you were working on…” He glanced at the strange writing and then back at her. “But more importantly I just…. Look, I know this would be out of character for you, but do you know how to get to the nearest city?”

“The city?” Selene frowned. “You mean the Capital?”

Layton grinned and nodded, deciding for now that it would be best to play along a little. “Yes, the Capital, I need to get home.”

Selene looked surprised. “Your home is in the Capital?”

“No… well, I just want to get outside so I can make a call.”

“A call?”

Layton scratched his head. Was she still playing a medieval setting?

“Never mind,” he said, scratching his head with a sigh. Maybe he should play along a little bit. He gestured to her ears. “Are you meant to be a fairy or something?”

Her pointed ears twitched slightly. Neat trick. “Yes..? I’m a pixie.”

“Pixie?” Layton cleared his throat. “Well, you have quite nice wings.”

Selene blushed and her wings fluttered.

His eyes widened as he took them in.

They look so real…

“Umm…” Selene broke the awkward silence. “About this call…”

“Oh, yes,” Layton continued, “I need to get in touch with my family. Seriously, I need this, I’ll be late home. I just need to get outside.”

“There are more of you?”

Layton gave her a tired nod. “Yes, yes. You are looking at one of many, many humans. So can you get me outside at least?”

Selene had an awed look about her. “Umm, certainly, I can help you get outside. It’s just that I was trying to decode this inscription but… I couldn’t make out what language it is.”

Layton peered at the small writing tucked away behind the panel.

“Hmm… I can’t…” Layton’s words trailed off as the words suddenly rearranged themselves in front of his eyes. “What the…? How did they do that?”

Selene blinked at Layton. “What?”

He gestured at the text. “Well can’t you see that? That’s… the words are, wait…”

“Reality is grounded here. What does that mean?”

Selene glanced back and forth between Layton and the text. She shook her head slowly. “I’m not sure. Where did you read that?”

Fascinated by the moving words, Layton forgot to reply. The words were swimming around lazily. Layton slowly reached out and touched the letters.

Click.

It was as if something had switched on.

He felt an immense rush as if his body was being slowly filled with an intangible power. He didn’t feel stronger.

What was it like?

Maybe a glass becoming full?

Or more like waking up from a deep sleep?

No, he didn’t feel like it was something physical that was changing.

Or that he was becoming more powerful. It was just a feeling that he was something better. Something greater.

It was strange.

But exhilarating.

And all of a sudden, it was gone.

Layton fell back.

“What happened?” He mumbled to himself.

Click. Click. Click.

Clunk.

There were deep, resonating mechanical sounds echoing underneath his feet.

Selene glanced down in a panic.

“What’s happening? What did you do?!” she screamed.

“I don’t knooooooooaaaaahhhhh!”

With a jolting snap the ground disappeared as bricks underneath them gave way.

Unable to find purchase on the suddenly collapsing bricks, Layton and Selene fell. In a panic, he instinctively grabbed Selene with one hand and brought her close to his body.

There was a splashing sound, then before he could react he plunged into a world of wet. Something plucked at him, dragging him under.

Water?!

He struggled, unable to orient himself. Selene gripped him and then suddenly let go. Layton kicked upwards and then tumbled in the water, feeling a strong surge pull him away. There was a current here. A current? Some sort of river?!

No time to think! Breathe! I need to breathe!

He struggled desperately.

Get up, get up, get up.

Can’t breathe!

With an explosive movement, Layton broke through the surface and gasped in a mouthful of stale musty air. It felt euphoric in his burning lungs. Some water seeped its way in making him alternate between gulping water and gulping air.

He hacked a few times.

Wait, where is she?

“Selene!” He croaked out. The formless light still flooded the surroundings but it was getting weaker and weaker by the second. He wasn’t in a building anymore, this was some sort of underwater cavern.

“Selene!”

There was no reply.

The current tugged him along; Layton struggled to stay on top.

The rushing sound of water was getting louder and louder.

Heart in his mouth, Layton looked ahead and immediately wished he hadn’t. Light was at the end of the tunnel. But the end of the tunnel was a—

“Waterfall! You’ve got to be kidding meeeeeeee!”

Flung out of the mouth of the cave, Layton flew for the second time that day.

——————

“This may not be a Remnant Artefact.”

A collective sigh escaped from those seated around the circle.

“Although it contains an unusual energy, it is not similar to that of Remnant Artefacts.” A wizened harpy drew a shaking claw across the surface of the glass. “How utterly fascinating this is. It beats to a regular rhythm, almost as if it were counting something.” The harpy trailed off as he continued to stare at the object in silence.

After a few minutes, another harpy cleared his throat.

“Magister Gonna, what shall we do with this object?”

The village chief’s head was bowed respectfully. Though Magister Gonna was from this village, he could not afford to offend a Magister and certainly not a Magister that had chosen this village as his hometown. It was a point of pride that Magister Gonna went out of his way to make his home here. It even brought a certain amount of flight traffic their way, revitalising the small village.

Luckily, though Magister Gonna could have settled anywhere, this village was where he ended up.

Brown feathers were becoming slightly tattered in places, despite regular grooming. It seemed like Magister Gonna wasn’t going to be sticking around the village much longer…

“Mina and Kayla, was it?”

Both harpies shot up, nervous to be called out to by the Magister himself.

“Y-Yes!” They chirped in unison.

“I will give this back to you. Unfortunately this is slightly outside my area of expertise. It is not a Remnant Artefact, at least not that I know of. I am certain I would be able to identify one, especially in the field of Alchemical liquids, however I cannot make tip or tail of this. You will have to find the owner and ask them.”

“A-About that…” Mina trailed off.

“What is it?”

Mina slowly and carefully explained how she came to get it.

Magister Gonna sighed. “Well, you did right in bringing it to me, young ones. I am certain that it would have been catastrophic if an unknown Remnant Artefact made its way into the village without my knowledge.”

The village chief beamed. “You did well! Both of you!”

Mina and Kayla broke into grins.

“Alright, since we cannot identify this artefact you will need to bring this back to Allendra.”

“Allendra?” Mina gasped. “Did we do something wrong?”

The wizened magister shook his head hastily. “No, no, girls, you didn’t do anything wrong. We just need you two to find the owner or give it to the Sanctum for safekeeping.”

Mina relaxed, although Kayla frowned.

“Allendra? The Sanctum?”

Mina turned to her friend and gave her a light slap in the head with her wing.

“Ow, hey, what was that for?!”

“Kayla, the Sanctum is one of the biggest vaults housing all the Remnant Artefacts on the continent. It’s in Allendra, the academic centre of the world, how do you not know this?”

“Only a bookworm like you would even be interested, let alone know!”

“I’m not a bookworm!”

“Sure do look like a worm though!”

“Take that back!”

“Girls!” The chief shook his head in exasperation. “You’re embarrassing us in front of the Magister!”

“Oh.” Kayla sank back down.

Mina followed suit while also dipping her head for good measure.

Magister Gonna merely chuckled and waved a wing weakly in response. “Pay it no mind, pay it no mind at all. It’s good to see the youth so lively. Reminds me of a time… well, never mind.” He pulled out a scroll from a weathered satchel at his hip. It was so small and unremarkable that Mina was surprised when the scroll, which shouldn’t fit into the satchel at all, came out fully intact.

“What…?” Kayla gawked at the trick.

Magister Gonna’s husky chuckle echoed around the room again. “Ah, girls, it’s a small thing, not worth noting. This is an introductory letter for my friend in Allendra. You should seek her out once you have time. She’s—” he caught himself. “No, pay it no heed, simply present this scroll to her.”

Mina raised a brow and spoke without thinking. “You have these introductory scrolls just lying around? And where did you get that pouch?”

“Mina!” the chief chided, but Magister Gonna simply dismissed it once again. He was a very tolerant harpy.

“No worries, I can take a bit of prying.” She thought she could detect a faint hint of pleasure in his voice. “Yes, well, frankly this was prepared a long time ago. I planned to use it myself, however… well time has ravaged my old self and there’s not much left except my name.”

“No, no,” the chief hurriedly interjected, “we are grateful that—”

“Pay it no heed,” Magister Gonna cut in with a sigh. “And I am content with my lot. Our many years together have been on purpose. I like this little village, but it is small in the eyes of the Empire and even smaller than that of the continent… and beyond. Perhaps I may have been annoyed if I was half my age and triple my ambition, but here is a chance that has come too late for my old self.”

He directed a gaze at Mina.

“Do you see this?” He pointed at the pouch at his hip.

Mina tilted her head. “Yes, of course…”

He leaned back, seemingly satisfied. “As I thought…”

Kayla couldn’t take the silence anymore. “What? What is he pointing at? Is there something special about that feather?”

Feather? Kayla can’t see the pouch?

Magister Gonna winked at Kayla as she pouted and then peered at Mina with a smug look. “So, want to learn more?”

Mina’s curiosity got the better of her. “Yes.”

“Then you will have to become my apprentice.”

Magister Gonna cocked his head in amusement at the stunned silence that followed. “Many harpies would be overjoyed about now.”

Mina snapped out of the daze she was in. “I… don’t know how to react to this, honestly.”

Magister Gonna nodded. “You need time to figure it out. Well, consider this an agreement that only spans one cycle. You need to head to Allendra soon anyway.”

“But I…”

“You don’t want to be my apprentice?”

“Of course she would!” Kayla jumped on the opportunity immediately. She gave her exasperated friend a wink. “Right, Mina?”

“I…”

Mina’s eyes shifted to the chief’s and they briefly locked. Up until now, he’d been deathly silent. Mina realised with an internal sigh that he’d known about it since the beginning. In the span of a few heartbeats, it felt like they both communicated a lot.

Finally, Mina made a decision.

“I accept.”