Music for today:
Rok Nardin - Her Gaze
https://youtu.be/M-JdWX-__aU
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Mid Morning - Early Spring : Year 24 : Ampelos
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- Krystallo Ragnarok ~
"Lady Krystallo," a voice so deep it rattled windows echoed over the inn as I walked outside. "I hope your day has been well."
Looking up, my gaze swiftly landed on a dark-scaled ancient whose head was bowed as low as it could go—a man of imposing stature, yet reducing himself with the word of his lord.
Even without looking at the crest donning his horn, I knew who he was.
Or rather, who he served. "Hooh..." Letting out one final breath to solidify the mask set upon myself, I nodded and forced an innocent smile.
"That's quite good to see." Finally posturing as if my nod were his command, he stepped aside to motion me into a carriage seemingly fitted for my draconic form; a massive, beautifully carved wooden room with an interior of velvet and gold, and a large handle fitted to the claws of the butler decorating its top.
It was an air carriage designed just for me.
Stepping inside, feeling my claws sink into the cushion like the world's most perfect pillow, I curled my tail with a mask of pleasure before sitting down, letting the butler close the door behind me before the latticed windows tinted. -They're quite serious about this, huh...-
*Fssshh-Clack...* Feeling the room jostle with the activation of runes, the glow of light through the windows steadily lessened, until it seemed that motion itself ceased entirely.
Had my aura not been able to pierce the thin mythril plate beneath the cushion, and feel the ground slowly lift away, I never would have known we had even begun moving.
But such was the point.
Today, I wasn't going to the Spathi estate as I had had many times previously, but rather leaving Ampelos entirely, heading to an estate the Spathi family, even after gaining their trust enough for them to seriously propose marriage with their son, refused to let me figure out the location of.
That was at least in their eyes.
Although they had no idea, Hera and those in the inner circle of the cabinet knew exactly where I was headed.
Buried in a small range of mountains to the far west of Ampelos, atop terraced cliffs decorated with endless, fruit-laden vineyards, there was a large brewery known for making a type of wine quite well known throughout Bahamut and the noble human world, but being well outside of major airways, and owning just shy of a million and a half square kilometers of land, it was one of the most desolate areas of Bahamut, a place people knew and told stories of, but never saw with their own eyes.
But that was partially because they had no reason to.
Having existed for a few thousand years at that point, the brewery had been trusted for generations, and being in an incredibly dry stretch of land thanks to the northwestern winds only curling clouds over their terraces and the ocean beyond, no one cared to settle there. Over time, the family just basked in their seclusion, while investing everything they made into purchasing more and more land.
While odd, in Hera's words, an investment was an investment, and even after accumulating enough land to make the wealthiest families drool, they were never really questioned for it.
That was at least until a few days ago, when Hera found a letter in the Spathi estate indicating some sort of connection between the families.
Digging some more, we inevitably found letters indicating that the brewery was preparing for the Spathi heir's arrival, and through inference, mine as well.
So, rather than truly being confused as to why I was trapped inside the sense-suffocating box for a few hours rather than minutes, I had to act the part, wasting time by idly wandering around and looking flustered before sparking conversation with the butler carrying the carriage outside—dulling his senses with his own sympathy before trying to weasel out whatever information I could.
But, his knowledge was quite limited.. and by the time I managed to dig up details I could maybe piece into information, we arrived.
*Thunk... Tssss* Feeling the pressure shift as the carriage was finally laid back on the ground, a cool draft slid under my scales, and the door cracked—true sunlight returning to the lattice of windows carved in cedar and gold for the first time in hours. -Finally...-
But, rather than the expected scent of fruit gracing my nose, as dry wind swept through the door, the lifeless scent of stone was the only thing to greet me. -What the...-
It was the eve of spring.. but not even a subtle note of blooming fruit graced the air.
Though.. it made sense when I finally stepped out.
Pressing my paws, used to the plush warmth of the cushions inside the carriage, against the hard, frigid granite outside, my eyes rushed to adjust to the bright afternoon sun, only to find my gaze drifting over a terrace so wide it blocked the horizon, laden with endless rows of dead vines.
The entire place was absolutely lifeless.. left baking in the sun like a neglected carcass.
And while I wasn't sure why at the time.. it made my gut churn.
"Lady Krystallo." Eventually folding before me, the butler pulled my attention away with another deep bow. Past him, a small procession waited—decorated stewards, armored knights, and at their head, the one I'd come to meet.
The key to the Spathi family's connections.
But, like the vineyard, he was different from what I expected.
Sitting at the head of the procession, he did not posture—his wings laid flat against his side, and his disinterested, exhausted expression was more truthful than any other I could see.
He, unlike the guards and servants, wasn't wearing a mask.
"Welcome." Not bothering to even force a smile, he slowly stood with a gentle rustle. Up close, he looked more weathered than the description from his parents allowed—his lacquered scales were kept immaculate, yes, but the edges of his eyes told a very different truth. "I hope the journey wasn't too taxing."
"It was comfortable," I replied softly, morphing the mask into a courteous smile as my eyes glossed over the vines once more. "Though, I hope the carriage wasn't too much."
Closing his eyes, he dipped his head once. "It was necessary..." Catching the breath of a steward trying to get his attention, he gently motioned them away without giving them so much as a glance. "Think of it as an apology for my parents uselessly wasting our time as they have... But we may as well use the opportunity to breath, right..?" Dismissing the guards with an unbothered flick, he started down the broad granite path before passing me and turning into the vineyard, motioning me to follow.
And despite my instincts flaring, I followed.
Though, it didn't take long to get distracted...
*Crunch...* The ground was indescribably brittle, and hollow. Where there should have been the damp sweetness of spring, there was the sting of dust and sterilized rot.
Eventually making it out to the edge of the terrace, I looked down over colossal steps that ran a perfect staircase down to the ocean—a thousand patient steps carved over centuries—only to find them all similarly dead.. and exhausted. Old stone gutters weathered by millennia of irrigation traced their edges, while shade frames stood like weathered scaffolding, and the towering fences lingered like rotting canvases.
It was beautiful once.. most certainly so...
But now it was nothing more than a dusty husk.
"You know, when the winds curled right, you could taste the fruit in the air from across the channel." Looking out over the vast, endless ocean, he spoke as if through a sigh. "There was once a time I'd cruise off the coast here.. to enjoy the view.. the air.. and the scents..." His voice was soft, as if to garner sympathy, only to cut itself with emptiness before it could reach me. "This place used to be the paradise I escaped to..."
"What happened?" I asked, letting my mask tilt as curiosity painted over my forced concern.
"It was a bet." Gently flicking a rock off the terraced cliff, he traced its path through the air before continuing. "A number of years ago now, the family that owned this place took a bet egged on by someone in the Elder Hall. It was the creation of a rather hopeful alchemist—a fungal inoculant that promised larger, more aromatic fruit..."
Slowly connecting the dots, my curiosity started easing. "I see... I assume the claims were a lie?"
"Hah," A chuckle instantly slipped his tongue. "Not quite..." Turning away, he continued, "The family approached it cautiously, testing their crop with it for years before spreading it across the plantation... But they never tested it here... Unfortunately for them, there wasn't enough moisture in the air or soil to dilute the solution in the inoculant, and it poisoned the entire crop..." Looking up, he seemed to want to fly into the sky. "It's almost a laughable oversight.. isn't it..?"
Not sure how to respond, silence settled...
And he didn't rush to fill it. He only turned his gaze to the haze blending the sea with the sky before nudging another pebble off the edge with a claw. *tik… tik… thud*
"It was a careless mistake," he repeated, softer. "But it made them belly up... When the crop failed, the family panicked. The elder in the Elder Hall offered a bridge, drafted paperwork promising compensation." His jaw loosened with a sigh. "Then he died, the Hall collapsed, he was named a traitor, and before a single coin could reach these hills.. the payment dissolved."
-How untimely…-
"Seeing the opportunity, my family stepped in," he said lightly. "It was at cost, but with access to the land.. and the secrecy it granted.. we gained far more than what that gold could buy..." His eyes fell to the terraces for a moment before turning up the mountainside ahead of us...
And upon following it, I finally noticed the towering columns of smoke.
"Ten years later, the books found their balance. The cellars stay empty, but the docks never sleep." His tail, lifted just over the ground, finally settled as his pace slowed. "Unfortunately though, despite my wishes to return this place to its former beauty.. the place I used to let my mind escape from reality never returned... It just became another reminder of what was to come..."
Unknowingly letting my expression darken with an understanding that pierced my mask, his gaze flicked to me, thinning with skepticism before dulling with understanding.
But the words he wanted to speak never left his mouth...
Instead, we walked... Tracing our steps around the grand estate I had yet to see.. both taking our time to sort our thoughts.
Until finally, my gaze settled on the distant smoke stacks, and the dark plumes formed questions. "So your family has found another purpose for this place..." My tone was blunt, but curious. "Given your family's recent developments, I assume it's related to ore..? Perhaps a singing metal?"
His tail stilled in an instant.
I froze as well. The words had been meant to probe—to make him believe his father had already spilled something to me. To see how far I could push.
But his reaction told me I'd missed the mark entirely.
"Miss…" His tone was steady, but there was a heaviness to it—an almost reluctant honesty. "I'm not sure what my father may have told you, but it seems you misunderstand."
The stillness around us deepened in an instant...
To the point that even the wind seemed to hold its breath. "The singing metal isn't an ore…"
The terraces stretched silent below, their dead vines clawing at the empty air.
The haze over the ocean blurred the horizon until there was no line between sea and sky.
And then—*Thum…*—the faintest vibration rippled through the stone beneath my paws, and his eyes found mine, calm yet laden with a weight I couldn't place.
"The singing metal…" His voice dropped, almost reverent. "…is Delphi's heartbeat."
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