The group began to gather their things as they got ready to leave Estelle’s residence. Elara glanced at Noiro and Argon, eager to discuss her theory. She straightened out her blouse and turned to Miela and Estelle as they finished speaking.
“Thank you for the history lesson,” said Elara gratefully, shaking Estelle’s hand firmly. “Don’t be surprised if I stop by again for another lesson.”
“Please, do!” Estelle beamed. “It’s a nice change from my students who look bored to tears.” She turned to Argon. “Argon, please, don’t be a stranger.”
Argon nodded solemnly, a small smile gracing his face as he looked back at his sister.
Estelle walked with the group as they made their way to the front door, showing them out.
“Oh, one more thing,” said Estelle thoughtfully as she leaned against the doorway. “Argon, can you please do me a favor?”
Argon turned around.
“Would you mind holding onto this for me?” asked Estelle. She quickly backed into the sitting room, rummaging about for a moment before returning with a sealed package. It looked rather thick, and was neatly wrapped up in some sturdy brown paper.
“Oh?” Argon hummed. “No problem, I can do that for you.
Estelle beamed gratefully. “Thank you so much,” she said, handing the package over with a small chuckle. “Although, you should be thanking me for holding onto it for so long. It’s yours, you know.”
“What is it?”
“A book,” Estelle replied simply.
“A book?” Miela raised an eyebrow.
Estelle nodded. “One of a kind. It’s an old family heirloom from my grandfather’s own personal library.” She turned to Argon. “Dad left it to you when he died. You never came to pick it up from our library, though. It’s rightfully yours.”
“Oh,” Argon murmured, letting out a breath he wasn’t aware he was holding in.
“Keep it safe,” Estelle urged, placing a hand on the package. “It’s a part of our history. It’s a part of us.”
“I will,” Argon promised.
Estelle nodded gratefully.
They bid each other farewell, and the group parted ways from Estelle’s house.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Noiro let out a whistle. “That was quite an informative trip,” he said.
Elara scoffed. “That’s an understatement. Argon, that was a good move, asking her about the Diadem. I wouldn’t have even thought of asking her about that!”
Argon nodded. “She’s a history nut. Our whole family is, actually. I used to tease her about it when we were kids, but it turned out to be pretty useful today.”
Miela sighed, rubbing her temples. “All right, let’s start at the beginning,” she muttered, trying to organize her thoughts. “We know we risked our lives to get our hands on that Diadem in the future on one of the last missions. Why? And why do the elements keep popping up in our search?”
“Well… The Royal Family’s claim to the throne is based on the attribution of Elementals in their bloodline,” said Noiro. “It makes sense that they’ve embedded that lore within their own narrative.”
“But they’re not Elementals,” Miela pointed out.
“No, they’re not,” agreed Noiro. “Like Estelle said, there have been claims of Elementals popping up in their bloodline… But they’re not verified claims. But if we want to explore the reason why, then we have to go to the root of the issue.”
“And what’s the root of the issue?” asked Miela.
“The beginning. We need to trace back where Elementals begin to pop up in their narrative,” Noiro said firmly. “I have a few books on the royal history back in my cottage. I can do some reading and see what I can find.”
“That sounds like a good plan,” Miela noted. “Maybe we can find out what’s so special about that Diadem.”
Argon, who had been quiet for most of the conversation, softly cleared his throat. “I think we need to keep our voices down,” he whispered. “We might be overheard.”
“You’re right,” agreed Miela. “We can get into it more in Noiro’s cottage. I assume that’s where we’re headed?”
Noiro nodded.
Elara lowered her voice as they clambered back onto their boat. “Miela, what did Estelle say her complaint was about?”
“That’s what I actually wanted to bring up when we left her house,” said Miela. “It was about the package she gave Argon. Someone tried to break into her house, and her library was ransacked. She thinks they were after that book.”
“A break-in…for a book?” Elara frowned. Miela nodded. “Is it valuable?”
“It’s one of a kind,” murmured Argon, echoing what Estelle had said to him earlier.
“What’s in that book that would be worth breaking into someone’s house for?” Miela pondered.
“There’s only one way we’ll find out what they were after,” said Elara, reaching for the package. “We need to open it.”
“Not here!” Argon yelped, his eyes darting around. “Once we get back to Noiro’s.”
“Fine,” Elara sighed.
Miela shuddered. “Whatever it is, I have a feeling Yun Zeru is involved.”
“That makes me wonder,” Noiro began, scratching his head. “When we visited Estelle in the future, there was someone in her house. Someone who scared her enough to try and kill us, and so terrified when she failed that she slit her own throat.”
“You don’t think…” Argon trailed off, his eyes widening, heart beating faster as he saw his sister, lying face down in a pool of her own blood, bright and clear in his mind’s eye. “You don’t think that Yun Zeru himself was there in the future, do you? Do you think he might be after the book?”
Noiro looked at Argon. “It’s possible. In the timeline that we saw, we never showed up to Estelle’s house to ask her questions in the beginning. If we had never shown up, then she would have never been able to pass the book along to Argon.”
“And with the conversation around the Queen’s Diadem… Do you think that that’s what Yun Zeru was after? The Diadem?” Elara asked.
“I don’t think so,” replied Noiro. “In the future, he kept demanding for ‘the Elemental.’ It sounded like he was after a person.”
“Strange,” Miela hummed. “Especially when there aren’t any Elementals… At least, none that we know of.”
Elara sighed. She was relieved that they were making progress with understanding the upcoming war. But the more they learned about the future and what it held, the more questions she had.
The elements certainly popped up frequently enough in their mission’s research. Why was it important? Why was the Aether Stone so important? What did Yun Zeru want with an Elemental?
The sun was setting as they neared Noiro’s cottage. She looked at the silhouette of Polaris Castle, shining brightly amidst the clouds which were painted in an array of light pastels as the sun slowly descended in the sky. It was difficult to imagine the magnificent castle, standing in all its glory before her, be the burial grounds for everyone around her.
Out of everyone in that horrible war, the sole survivor was a three year-old.
“Oh,” Elara breathed suddenly. “I have to pick up Helia!”
“It is getting late.” Noiro nodded understandingly. “There’s only so much playing a toddler can do with a handful of puppies.”
“I can’t believe I almost forgot,” Elara said in dismay, stopping in her tracks. She fumbled with her satchel, flustered as she tried to consolidate her plans. “I’ll pick her up, and then I can—oh, wait, I promised Helia that I’d…” Elara pinched the bridge of her nose as she mumbled to herself. “I can come after I—”
“Elara. Go,” insisted Miela. She squeezed Elara’s arm. “You’re doing the best you can. Go.”
“It’s best we all take a break, anyhow,” Noiro agreed. “We can meet up later this week. That way, I’ll have some time to do some extra reading on the Royal Family.”
“I�
�ll also be meeting Inana for dinner this week,” Argon reminded them. “I can update you on what I find out when we meet next.”
“And the package?”
“I’ll hold on to the package for now,” said Argon, tucking it under his arm. “We can open it together when we meet next.”
“All right,” Elara said, smiling gratefully at her friends. “I’ve gotta go!” She hastily waved goodbye, and quickly turned around and set her course for Tami’s house.
Elara’s mind raced as she sped away. Trying to balance Helia along with her other duties was difficult. She bit her lip guiltily at the thought. She couldn’t help but feel like a bad parent.
Helia turning up out of the blue had certainly turned everyone’s lives upside down; trying to stop an impending war was only the cherry on top.
“Elara! Elara, wait!”
Elara snapped her head around at the sound of her name. Argon jogged lightly behind her, trying to catch up with the woman’s hastened steps. She paused, politely waiting for the man to reach her where she stood.
“I was hoping I could join you,” Argon said, coming to a stop as he reached her.
“Oh,” Elara’s breath caught in her throat.
Argon shook his head, his cheeks turning pink. “Er—I mean, I wanted to see Helia,” he explained quickly. “I wanted to join you and see Helia.”
Elara nodded, smiling faintly at Argon. “Sure.”
The two continued their path, Argon matching Elara’s quickened pace. It felt odd, having to walk with him without Miela and Noiro to break the tension. She peeked at him through the corner of her eyes, wondering if he felt the same way. She noticed that he was doing the same to her, his eyes quickly snapping back to the road ahead.
As they walked, Elara’s mind drifted to Helia. She wondered how the little girl would feel, seeing both of her parents coming to pick her up together.
A family.
Elara didn’t have much of a family. In fact, the only family she really had was Noiro and Miela.
She recalled Helia’s face once again, smeared in her father’s blood, screaming and crying horribly in her arms. She wondered if the little girl could fully comprehend the loss she felt as her father was snatched away from her, and then her mother.
Helia deserved a stable, happy family.
She looked at Argon again, and then cleared her throat. “Argon,” Elara began. He turned his head towards her, a small curl falling onto his forehead as the wind began to pick up. “I was wondering what your plans were tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” Argon thought for a moment. “I have a day off, tomorrow. I’ll probably be running a few errands… There’s a crack in my window that I need to replace.” Argon stopped himself, wincing internally. Why was he bringing up something so mundane? He was certain she didn’t care to hear about his errands.
“I was thinking about our conversation the other day,” Elara said. “About Helia.”
Argon felt his heart beat quicker.
“I was wondering what you were doing, because I wondered if you might like to join me and Helia for dinner.”
Argon tilted his chin, surprised.
“If you still want to see Helia, that is,” Elara added quickly, uncertainty beginning to creep up as he remained silent.
Argon snapped out of his silent daze, nodding eagerly. “Yes. Of course I want to see her.” He leaned in, breaking out into a smile.
“A little bit after sunset,” Elara suggested. “Does that work?”
“Yes.” Argon nodded. “I’d like that very much.”
“You can come over a bit earlier, if you’d like,” Elara offered. “You can spend some more time with her before dinner.”
Argon smiled. “I’ll be there.”
DINNER
“Is Dad here? Is Dad here yet, Mama?” Helia asked eagerly, trailing behind her mother.
“Not yet,” Elara answered in amused exasperation, carefully slicing a strawberry.
“Now? Is he here now?”
“In a few minutes,” Elara replied, finishing up the last of the strawberries and carefully placing them onto the cake. She licked some icing off from her thumb, and then bent down to brush her daughter’s hair back with her fingers. “Why don’t you go and wash up while I fix my hair?”
Helia stifled a giggle. “Your hair has custard!”
Elara gasped, quickly feeling around her head for some custard. She winced as her fingers sank into some soft mush, and quickly ran over to the bathroom to get a better look in the mirror. Sure enough, a decent-sized glob of bright yellow custard sat on a lock of her hair.
“Oh no,” Elara muttered in dismay as she quickly ran some water over the custard to get it out. She had been nervous when she first asked Argon to come to her house for dinner, but her anxiety continued to climb all throughout the next day as dinnertime drew closer.
She toyed with the idea of trying to dress up, but quickly berated herself for thinking of it. After all, Argon’s intent to come for dinner was to spend time with Helia, not with her. There was no need to try to impress him.
But, then again, she was the one to invite him over, and she certainly wanted to be a good host. She shook her head again, reminding herself that Argon was visiting Helia, not her. Besides, she wouldn’t put in any extra effort for Noiro or Miela.
Elara looked over at herself, making sure there was no more custard on any of her clothes or hair. She wore a simple pair of white trousers, and a soft blue blouse. She smoothed her hands over her blouse, peering closer at herself. Her clothes would have to do, and she refused to put in extra effort to impress his company any more than she would for Miela or Noiro. His visit had nothing to do with her.
But she could at least do something with her hair?
She quickly pulled it to the side, her long, wavy hair tousling down her shoulder and hanging just above her midriff. She ran her fingers through her locks and nodded at herself in the mirror, satisfied.
“Is he here now, Mama?” Helia peered into the bathroom.
“No,” Elara sighed. “Soon—” before she even finished, Helia had run out back to the kitchen. She was excited, and it made her nervous.
She wasn’t sure what to expect. Helia was beyond ecstatic that her father was coming over especially to see her, but Elara was afraid that perhaps she might be disappointed.
She closed her eyes.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“DAD’S HERE!” Helia shouted, running into the sitting room and jumping by the door. Elara inhaled deeply, following after Helia.
Putting on a smile, she turned the handle and opened the door.
“Dad! Dad!” Helia pushed past Elara and threw herself at him, squeezing his legs tight.
Argon’s mouth was pulled into a small smile, and he gently touched the toddler’s head as she hugged him even tighter. Helia looked up at him, beaming.
“You look nice, Dad. You look nice!” Helia said, clutching at Argon’s trousers. Argon was dressed quite casually, with a crisp, charcoal button-down shirt, some black trousers, and leather shoes. His curly hair was neatly combed back, with a small, stubborn curl resting out of place on the side of his forehead. “Do I look nice, Dad?”
Helia stepped back to show off her outfit. Elara bit her lip, feeling self-conscious. She hadn’t had time to go shopping for some more clothes for Helia, and rummaged up what she could find from Noiro’s old storage. Helia didn’t mind, however, and proudly showed off her pale yellow cotton overalls and a cropped white t-shirt.
“They were Mama’s. You like them? You like them, Dad?” Helia babbled happily.
“It’s very nice,” Argon remarked, smiling at the toddler. “You look lovely.”
“Please, come in,” Elara said, gesturing at the man. Argon nodded politely and followed them in. Helia grabbed his hand, happily wrapping her hand around his, and led the way into the sitting room.
“What’s that, Dad?” Helia asked, pointing to a bag in Argon’s hand.
“I have something for you,” Argon told her, looking up at Elara to make sure that it was all right with her. She looked curious and sported a small smile.
Good.
Argon retrieved a small package from the bag and handed it to Helia. The package was wrapped in brightly colored paper, with a small pink ribbon tied to the side. “Here you go.”
Helia clutched at the package and quickly ran over to her mother. “A present! Dad got me a present!” Helia squealed, excitedly shoving the bag towards Elara.
“How nice!” Elara squeaked, grinning at the toddler’s excitement and attempting to match it. “What do you say?”
“Can I open it?”
Elara chuckled. “First, say thank you.”
“Thank you!” Helia piped. “Can I open it?”
Argon smiled. “Go ahead.”
The little girl sat down onto the floor in the middle of the room and tore open the package. “A doll!” she gasped, clutching a rather large porcelain doll in her hands. It was slightly bigger than her torso, and had thick, chestnut brown hair that fell in waves, deep brown eyes, rosy cheeks, and a velvet red dress with a matching headband. Helia turned the doll over in awe, marveling at it before giving it a hug. “Mama, look!”
“It’s beautiful,” Elara breathed. She leaned forward, examining the delicate doll. “What do you say to Dad?”
Helia ran over to her father, throwing her arm around him while clutching at the doll with the other. “Thank you, Dad.”
“You’re welcome,” Argon replied with a smile, hugging the little girl. As a Guardian, he spent a lot of time around sullen-faced military men and a handful of grim case files to solve. This much emotion and affection was new, but he certainly enjoyed it.
Elara chuckled. “I’ll leave you two together. I need to check on dinner. It should be ready soon.”
Seeing Helia so happy with her father warmed Elara’s heart, and she smiled as she saw the same emotion dancing behind Argon’s usually solemn eyes. Even though Argon hadn’t spent much time with the toddler in their current timeline, their bond had somehow managed to span back across to them from the future.
The Elemental Page 19