Chapter 9: A Lot of Bad Things Happen at the Same Time

That would’ve been my last entry. I’m sitting here in my study with only hours to go before the plan is undertaken. I’m still not entirely sure why I started this. If any of this gets out, Chissler has promised that it will mean the death of whatever remains of my clan. In any case, that would have been all I have to say about the successes and failures of my lackluster life. But then just as I was about to set down my holojournal to contemplate my fate, he came back into my life. The one they call Desolate.

“And how is Éclair’s training coming along?” asked Leon.

Rachel kept herself from sighing. It was the first time she could remember having a nice conversation with Leon by herself for a change, and then he goes and ruins it by talking about Éclair.

“Does everything have to revolve around the ice princess? In case you haven’t noticed, I exist too,” Rachel groaned.

Leon gave her a bemused look, appearing as dapper as ever in his dark civilian vest and cape that resembled a nobleman’s wardrobe from Victorian England. As usual, he wore those silver-rimmed glasses over his pale face that made him seem so sophisticated and mature. His hair was dark, but his eyes were even darker, and always promised the intrigue of mystery whenever Rachel caught them. He rarely smiled, but when he did, Rachel always felt like her heart would melt. By the Caretaker, would she ever get over that? He was so debonair that she wished she’d worn something more fetching than her simple red armor.

That reminds me, Rachel thought to herself. I should put in a request for something more flashy than this First-Level gear. Higher-Grade Psionic Armor reserved for Top-Tier Seconds or Thirds. This gear does show off my figure pretty good, but it doesn’t have the panache as the suits that the upperclassmen use.

“Rachel, you know you have nothing to prove to me,” said Leon, bringing her thoughts back to his gorgeous, pale face. “I respect you as an equal, isn’t that enough?”

“I know. I know,” grumbled Rachel. “Sorry. Just the old, petty me bubbling to the surface again. Caretaker knows that I love my little sister, but I still don’t know what you see in her. Yeah, she’s talented, but she’s still a rookie in so many ways. When you were her age, you were a god. I’d think you’d want someone a little more up to your standards. Not to mention, a little more mature.”

Rachel almost wanted to take back what she said, but over the last couple of days, she and Leon had built more of an honest rapport with one another. It was actually kind of nice. True, he didn’t feel attracted to her, and he made that blatantly obvious, but he listened to her and respected her opinions. Damn it all! It would’ve been so much easier getting over him if he wasn’t so damn respectful to her.

Leon chuckled at Rachel’s bluntness, and she found herself loving him all the more for it. “I can’t say that I understand it myself. I don’t even know if I can call it love, the way I feel for her. I’m not sure if I’m even capable of feeling such a thing at this point.”

He said it so casually, but Rachel caught the fleeting look of despair flash on his face ever so briefly, though he continued smiling. Damn, but she still adored those sad eyes.

“But it’s not just one thing with Éclair ... it’s like she completes something in me that I’ve lost. Or maybe even something that was never there to begin with. I don’t know if it’s love, but I know that I have yet to understand what that thing I’m missing is, or why she embodies it in me. Though whatever I feel for her, it’s my duty to help her in her development as an Elemental. For now, that’s the only thing that matters.”

Rachel allowed herself a small sigh this time. Guess that’s as good an explanation as I’ll ever get. Why does he have to look so gorgeous when he’s letting me down easy?!

“You’re right, as usual,” she mumbled. “Éclair’s training comes first. We’ve been tasked with overlooking her development for the Final Phase, and that’s what’s important right now. I just wish I knew what my grandmother is so up in arms about.”

As they turned the corner while heading to her quarters, Rachel noticed something odd. There were guards in front of her father’s door. He had made a point of putting his quarters right next to hers. So far, he’d taken every opportunity to gush over her regardless of whether other Elementals were near or not whenever she passed his quarters. It was equal parts sweet, annoying, and humiliating to be honest, but she couldn’t fault the man for his persistence. She wasn’t sure how he always knew she was passing by. She suspected that he had put some sort of tracker on her. He was kind of a mad scientist, after all. But this time, her father was nowhere to be seen, and those guards sent an ominous chill down Rachel’s spine.

“Hey, what’s going on here? Is my grandmother in there?” Rachel asked, recognizing one of the men as her grandmother’s personal guard.

The two guards flanking either side of the door barely glanced at her. The one with dark hair was clean-shaven with a square jaw and a strong, handsome face with blue eyes. The other was ginger headed and appeared a bit older and gruffer with a thick grizzly beard and wary, green eyes. Both wore the heavily ornated red and gold armor and embroidered capes that indicated them as Fire Minister Guardsmen. All Fire Minister Guards were required to be at Level Four of Mastery, so there was no indication of rank on their armor.

“Sorry, Second. That’s classified. Move along, please,” said the clean-shaven one without emotion.

Rachel frowned. Sometimes, she wished she could just freeze the pants on obstinate guards like Éclair did. Of course, she’d have to be an arrogant diva to have the confidence to pull that off, which she wasn’t. And she’d also need freezing powers. Electricity to the junk might not be as treatable.

Leon grimaced, though that might’ve been his normal stoic but beautiful expression. “Something’s wrong with the Minister. I can sense...”

“Saria!” shouted a panicked voice from inside. Andrew’s voice. “Please sit back down on the gurney! You’re not ready to-”

The doors melted in a puddle of hot iron and out stepped the Minister of Fire. Or at least, she looked like the Minister of Fire, but her expression was all wrong. Instead of scowling, she was ... Saria was actually smiling. It was the goofiest grin that Rachel had seen on anyone’s face, the type of grin that only drunks wore after a long night of partying.

“Oh, Rachel! I’m so glad you’re here!” said Saria a bit too loudly as she stumbled forward, wrapping her arms around Rachel in a sloppy hug.

Leon stepped back, completely stunned. Even the guards seemed taken aback as their mouths hung open in shock. Rachel, for her part, could only stand there as the woman she respected and feared most started sobbing into her shoulder like an infant. All thought dissolved as Rachel’s mind went blank.

“Oh, Saria,” called Rachel’s father, stumbling over the pool of hot iron that used to be the door and seeming nearly at the point of hyperventilation. “I-I tried to tell you. The new anesthetic I made to reduce the discomfort might affect your judgement. Granted, I could’ve never predicted that it would affect you this much. Given your Elemental physiology, most anesthetics are useless to begin with, so I wasn’t quite sure of the right dosage. But if you would just ... please come back into the laboratory, I can fix this.”

Rachel’s poor father seemed on the brink of tears. Saria, who was in tears, reached up to put a forceful finger to his lips, shushing him loudly. “Hush, bearded man baby ... with your big words and techno mumbo jumbo. You always make me feel so dumb when you talk. I mean, I know I’m like hundreds of years old or something, but you don’t have to remind me how behind-the-times I am with all your techno talk.”

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Saria then burst into uproarious laughter. “Bearded man baby! That’s funny! Why didn’t I ever use that one before?”

Summoning what semblance of rationality she had left, Rachel took in a deep breath and said, “Grandma. It’s me, Rachel. Are ... uh ... are you feeling okay?”

“Oh, Rachel honey! I’m feeling great! Never better, in fact. Kind of reminds me of my younger days long before I was a Vessel and I could still have fun.” She then leaned in, giggling incessantly as she whispered, “And by fun, I mean going out drinking, but don’t tell anyone I said that. Most of these putzes are too young to remember that I was the party girl of the Ministry in my youth. Oh my God, that was like a thousand years ago or something. Nowadays, I have to act all mean and serious like the perfect Elemental to get anything done. Otherwise, these assholes won’t take me seriously, and then I won’t get anything done! How’s that for a vicious cycle?”

Rachel didn’t know whether she should be ecstatic or horrified. The woman she idolized was being humanized right before her very eyes. Ridiculously humanized.

“Was zur hölle did you do to the Minister of Fire,” cursed Leon in German, pointing an accusatory finger at Doctor Lanchester.

Rachel’s father shrugged, holding up his hands apologetically. “I helped her ... I think. She ... she asked me here to perform a procedure that would stabilize her bond with the Sacred Animal. It would give her better control over his powers and make it more difficult for a telepath to intrude into her psyche. Though I knew there might be a slight loss of inhibitions, I never imagined it would go to this extent.”

“Inhibitions!” Saria yelled with a laugh. “That’s a funny word!” She then started flipping Rachel’s lips up and down while making buzzing noises with her mouth the way a three-year-old might.

One of Saria’s guards took Lanchester roughly by the shoulder. Rachel might’ve objected, but she was having a difficult enough time as it was trying to keep Saria from slumping to the floor.

“Is there any way to reverse the side effects of the procedure?” he asked grimly.

“Yes, but I need my equipment, and it would be better if she were lying down on the operating table. I should also note that the effects will wear off on their own if you would rather wait it out.”

Suddenly, Saria sneezed over Rachel’s shoulder and a pillar of fire shot from her mouth, bursting into the hallway behind them, leaving the walls scorched and melting beyond recognition. An alarm sounded, and the automatic fire suppression system activated, drenching everyone in a white foam. Every Fire Ministry outpost was equipped in case of accidental explosions, but Rachel had never seen them used until now on account that most Fire Elementals possessed better self-control than that. Everyone started wiping off the white foam which was already dissolving.

After cleaning herself off mostly, Rachel patted her intoxicated grandmother on the back as the woman sniffed and rubbed sparks from her nose. “Yeah, that’s not gonna be an option.”

One of the guards, the clean-shaven handsome one, tentatively reached towards Saria. “My Lady Fire Minister. If you would come with us, we can take care of this.”

“Lyle! Is that you?” cried Saria, suddenly spinning and taking Rachel for a ride.

Rachael had forgotten how strong her grandmother was. Being a Physical-Type and bonded to a Sacred Animal made Saria’s physical strength far beyond that of even the strongest of Saurians. Under normal conditions, Saria would remember to control her strength, but these were hardly normal conditions.

Rachel was tossed like a rag doll, slamming into the metal hallway and making her head spin. The breath was knocked from Rachel’s chest, and it took her more than a moment to breathe normally again. Leon went to Rachel’s side as Saria pointed a shaky finger at her guard, Lyle. So that was his name.

“Lyle! You’re a good man that has served me well for over a century now,” she said calmly, and Rachel was almost tempted that the effects of the anesthetic had worn off.

“My Lady Minister, I-” he stammered before Saria cut him off.

“Don’t call me ‘my lady’,” she said with a slur, which seemed a good indication that the effects had yet to wear off. “I keep telling everyone that, but y’all never listen. It makes me feel all dainty and girlie, like I’m some delicate, pretty flower. DO I LOOK PRETTY TO YOU, MAN?!”

The Minister leaned forward with her fists on her hips as she spoke, only accentuating her considerable bosom, and tossed back her long brown hair which flowed elegantly over a pristine face and supple lips. Poor Lyle could only stand there in shock, not daring to grab Saria after seeing her toss Rachel without even trying.

“Don’t answer that. And secondly, don’t interrupt me, ‘cause I was about to say something important. Now, what was it again?” Saria staggered back, suddenly fascinated by her finger before regaining her focus. “Oh, yeah! I know you’ve been madly in love with me in secret for years now! You never let it interfere with your duty, so I never said anything! But now I just can’t stand the thought of a young dish like you wasting your time moaning over an old crow like me! So that’s why I’ve gotta tell you it’s never gonna work! You’re too young and too cute for me! You should stop hoping and go settle down with a nice Third or Fourth Leveled girl! With a face like that, it shouldn’t be too hard!”

Rachel couldn’t have imagined Lyle looking even more shocked, but he did. Lyle went slack jawed, his outstretched hands quivering slightly. The other guard awkwardly patted the frozen Lyle on the shoulder, and Rachel thought she heard the man say under his breath, “Told you so.”

Saria chuckled quietly, and mumbled, “Love. I almost remember what that was like. Caretaker take it all, I should’ve married Zand when I had the chance ... maybe then the jerk wouldn’t have left me all alone.” Saria rubbed her eyes, looking around in confusion. “Where’s Rachel? Where’s my granddaughter?”

She spun, just noticing Rachel as Leon carefully helped her back to her feet. “Oh, there you...”

Saria cut off as she saw Rachel rising painfully to her feet, rubbing her shoulder where she’d slammed into the wall.

Saria froze, all the joviality draining from her features as she said slowly, “I did it again, didn’t I? I hurt you because I wasn’t paying attention. That’s all I ever do to the ones I love. The people I should be protecting always get hurt because of me. First Sasha ... and now you.” Saria lowered her head, going completely silent.

Love? I think my grandmother kind of just said she loves me. I guess I always knew that deep down, but it’s still good to hear.

Rachel pushed Leon away gently and walked forward. She forced herself to stand up straight despite the bruises, giving no sign of pain. “It wasn’t that bad. Nothing I’ve never endured before in the harsh training you’ve subjected me to since I was a child,” she said with a chuckle.

Rachel meant it as a joke, but she soon wished she could take it back as Saria’s shoulder’s slumped even further, and she drooped to her knees, covering her hands with her face. She whispered to herself over and over, “I’m sorry, Sasha. I’m so sorry.”

Rachel pinched her lips tightly, refusing to let herself get emotional as she gently held her quivering grandmother by her shoulders, and brought her back to her feet. “Why don’t we let dad finish your procedure?”

Saria did not resist as Rachel slowly led her back to her father’s quarters with both guards flanking uncertainly on either side.

Suddenly, both Lyle and Leon cried out at the same time, clutching their heads and gasping for breath.

“What?! What is it?!” asked Rachel in alarm.

Both men stood up and stared at one another, something unspoken passing between them. The other guard took Lyle by the shoulder, and said softly, “It’s happening now?”

Lyle nodded slowly as if the universe itself was ending. The other guard took that as a sign for something and dashed down the hallway, grunting indistinguishable commands into his communicator.

“Will someone tell me what the hell is happening?” demanded Rachel more firmly.

“Lyle and I are both Mental-Types,” Leon explained. “While my talents lie in telepathy, his lie in clairvoyance. Our psionic abilities must’ve attuned to one another due to our proximity, because I just saw what he saw.”

“And what did he see?” Rachel asked, but almost wished she didn’t by the grim look on Leon’s face.

“Death.”

“Ryan! Ryan, can you hear me?” pleaded Éclair, growing increasingly concerned.

She stood over Ryan as he continued to convulse and grimace with his eyes closed. She realized that he lost consciousness as she started running her hands over his body, feeling his vitals with her psions. Her Medical Elemency allowed her to deduce any physical ailments a person could be suffering. True, her actual healing abilities were still limited to that of First Level Mastery, but she had enough first-aid knowledge to treat most rudimentary injuries. The trouble was, she couldn’t find any injuries, at least not any that could’ve caused Ryan to collapse like this. In the back of her mind, she kept wondering if she drove Ryan too hard, forced him to expend too many psions in their sparring match. But she could sense his psionic flow clearly, and he was nowhere near empty. In fact, Ryan possessed stronger psions than most Second Level Elementals, so she found it difficult to believe that he simply exhausted himself.

As Éclair worked frantically to find the cause of Ryan’s collapse, a furry hand took her hard by the shoulder and wrenched her back. “What in the Shadow Realm did you do to him, prissy?” demanded an enraged Torsha, looking angry enough to bite.

Éclair shoved her back just as angrily. “I don’t know if it was me or not, but I do know that he could die if you keep me from treating him!”

As she resumed her Medical Elemency, her hands glowing with a blue light from the effort, she barely noticed Grafael standing behind Torsha while looking down at Ryan with an unreadable expression. As she scanned his body, she sensed an abnormality accumulating in his cranium. There seemed to be ... no, that couldn’t be. She felt like there was another person’s psions intermingling within Ryan’s cerebral cortex. Could this be the work of some kind of telepathic attack?