The request instantly came into Noble's Soul Sea, and a smile formed on her face as she accepted.
The belt expanded around Flint's waist and dropped to the ground around his ankles.
"Got you!" Noble lifted a little higher off the ground in triumph. "I can't believe that worked! I thought you would call my bluff for sure."
Flint blinked. "You…that was a lie?!"
"One you believed a little too easily," Child of Promise pursed her lips. "I would never mess with emotions in that way. It's cruel."
"That makes some sense," Flint nodded.
"Plus, if I wanted to mess with anyone like that, I would use my Ability, not some note that could be easily traced back to me." Noble grinned a little too widely for Flint's comfort. "But I'm glad my little trick was successful. Now I have a good idea of what to try next time."
"I won't be so easy to fool next time." Flint picked up the belt and slung it over his shoulder.
"We shall see." Noble shrugged.
Roan chuckled. "Well, now that that is settled and everyone is accounted for, we need to work on our next steps."
"Does that mean you think the Nightmare is centered here? Is it centered around what I brought to Syrce?" Helie knew this was their meeting point, but the group had gone out of their way to make sure that she found it.
The mission to deliver the relic also felt deeply important, and Helie was unwilling to dismiss the action easily.
Roan nodded slowly. "We think things are centered here, yes. All of us, except you, were guided to Syrce by some force that I can only assume is the Spell. We think the goal of the Nightmare is to create a space for these people to live. Lady Syrce believes that whatever is in that box will help achieve that goal."
"Do you have any idea what is in there?" Aether asked Helie.
"I was honest when I said I didn't look. Lyra was very wary of whatever was in there. She made me swear not to peek."
"Flint and I saw one piece of it, but it was very small. If all of the pieces are that tiny, the object would easily fit in a person's palm." Noble offered.
"What could be so powerful as to protect a group of people and still be so small. A wand, perhaps?" Roan tapped his chin.
"What would a demon need with a magic wand? Can't they just..make things happen?" Flint's question made the others pause.
Daemons were divine beings. Something like a wand might be useful for people like them of lower rank, but it was unlikely to give any advantage to Mirage.
"What if it was a conduit?" Aether held out his arm. "An extension of her being? The belt is a kind of conduit, so it has been done before."
Noble nodded.
"That's true. But that would mean it can only transfer the power of the person wielding it…unless Syrce knows a source of hidden power."
All the eyes slowly turned in the direction of Bastion. It was a Great Citadel in the Dream Realm. Was it considered that simply because one of the major Clans controlled it, or was that trait something it inherently held?
If the latter, had the home of Imagination inherited that distinction from Mirage before being absorbed into the Dream Realm?
Helie scratched her head. "You don't suppose Syrce is looking for some hidden power in those ruins. If that's the case, maybe we should scout it out before her?"
"There's the little problem of the dragon up there." Aether wiped his brow. "I'm not too keen to go up against that Remnant again without a plan."
"I forgot," Helie winced. "It seems so quiet up there that it's hard to believe."
"Well, believe it. Blondie almost became a piece of charcoal yesterday."
"Twice." Noble smiled, taking the sting of her words. "But back to the original topic. I don't think the item in Syrce's possession is a wand, but I do agree that things seem to revolve around her. This whole kingdom is depending on her and her sisters to save them. Rebuilding Bastion and making a place for those people to live while the Spell continues to devour their world seems like as good a conflict as any."
Child of Promise felt Helie's emotions spike. She turned to the brunette.
"Do you not agree?"
Clearing her throat, Helie shook her head. "It's not that. The three sisters..."
"What about them?" Noble felt her heart rate quicken.
"NO!" A loud scream burst through their barriers of silence, causing them all to call forth Memories.
"That's Syrce." Child of Promise lifted off the ground and rushed back toward camp.
The others followed with sparks surrounding them as their weapons and armor formed.
But when they got back into the circle of wagons, there did not seem to be any attackers. Every soldier looked just as confused and worried as they did.
Feeling for the Saint, Noble found the woman was still in her wagon.
'She's alone.' Child of Promise noted as she retracted her second sight.
Whatever had disturbed her was not due to a Nightmare Creature.
"Lady Syrce is fine. Just sad." Noble told the others.
"Should we check on her?" Aether looked for guidance from his cohort members.
"Don't look at me!" Flint took a step back. "It doesn't take a seer to know I will make that ten times worse."
"You have the rapport with her, Bel. Maybe she will tell you what is going on. The rest of us will strategize." Roan nodded.
"If it is what I think it is, Syrce will need you." Helie furrowed her brow.
Noble would have loved to stay and make plans with the others, but she could feel the fluctuating emotions of the woman inside the wagon. Fake or not, Syrce had become a real friend, and Child of Promise wanted to ease her pain.
Roan was the leader of the group, and she trusted that he would fill her in on anything that was discussed in her absence.
"I'll be back as soon as I can."
Leaving behind the others, Noble approached the back of Syrce's living quarters. Technically, they were her living quarters, too, right now, the floating Master reminded herself.
So why was she so nervous?
'Unhappy people are unpredictable people…'
Noble calmed herself.
As she approached the door, she could hear the Saint's voice whispering within.
"I just need to stay strong. Everything will be fine soon. Yes, if I just follow the plan, then…"
Feeling guilty for eavesdropping, Noble knocked three times lightly.
"Yes?"
Opening the door, Child of Promise poked her head inside.
"May I come in?"
Syrce was sitting at a small table wedged between the two beds, one on the far wall. She turned her head, tears still wet on her face.
"I guess you heard my outcry. Have I upset the camp?"
Noble tilted her head from side to side. "Well, they aren't exactly at ease just now. I have come to check on you. What's wrong?"
The Saint motioned to her friend, "Come in. We have a problem."