As they all sat, Jericho went on to explain the process and how he achieved it with the knights of Righteous, taking about the time and method of training, with Erica assisting in the explanation when needed.
"that all sounding very complicated, and yet it's very intriguing… tell me Jericho, looking at all of us in this room, who do you sense this soul energy from the most?" king Leohart asked, with curiosity, focusing in the energy emanating from the room, Jericho got his answer fairly quickly…
"well apart from myself and Erica… I sense quit a bit coming from Clover, but in a really strange form, not the normal form, it's like how I sensed it from Sir. William" Ohs and Ahs filled the room after what Jericho said, Clover really didn't look interested, but she still gave Jericho all her attention…
"what about myself Jericho… do I possess it too" princess Diamond asked with a little excitement in her tone…..
"uh.. yes you do, you are actually the second highest I sense in this room after Clover" he replied, Princess Diamond eyes lit up, and she just went for it…..
"so are you saying I can really use it… (Jericho nods a yes)… really?!… so what do you think my element will be… and how do you think I will be able to use it, will it come naturally?" she asked with her voice getting higher and higher out of excitement, noticing how uncomfortable Jericho was looking, and looking around seeing the stares of surprise she was getting, she instantly turned red out of embarrassment and apologized before taking her sit…
"geez sis, you are too hyper sometime, no wonder you are close friends with princess Erica" Clover complained with a sigh..…
"hey what's that suppose to mean!?" Jericho was seen trying to hold in a laugh, which made Clover also smile when she saw that…
"w-well to answer your question, princess Diamond, I don't really know what your element may be, I really can't predict that, as it solely depends on you, and as for how you will be able to use it, unfortunately just as I previously explained you can't freely command it as it will be too dangerous, but with a catalyst you will be freely able to, just like Erica can" Jericho answered, princess Diamond looked fairly satisfied with the response she got, as the meeting continued…
"and you said, it is a bit of a waste to continue learning this soul energy without the proper weapons right?… as the energy passing through the weapon can be really immense for any ordinary weapon to handle.. (Jericho nods in responds)… so do you know of any material that will be compatible enough to handle a power like that?" emperor Riko asked, with everyone nodding along to his question as they too wanted to know…
"well yes, there is a material strong enough that we can make weapons out of, but it's location is the tricky part of the entire thing, and it won't be easy getting to it for any normal human at least" Jericho responded with the words of the six gods ringing in his head…
"does this material have a name?" king Leohart asked…
"yes, it's called the Lexton Star, and the amount we need, that should be enough for the weapon is located at the mist mountains" Jericho responded, the room instantly became gloomy at the mention of that island, the three kings exchanged looks and a clear sign of panic can be seen on their faces…
"I see now… that was why you said it won't be easy to get to it" emperor Riko lamented…
"indeed, that's the territory of the calamity dragon itself… Teleftaia Mera" hearing that name from king Leohart sent shivers down their spines…
"I-I thought that dragon was just a legend… do they really exist?" princess Diamond asked, hoping it was all just in jest…
"oh no, they are real, and there is a possibility they will be at that island" Jericho replied with a serious look on his face…
"then it's impossible to get it, we have to look for an alternative" king Gustavious suggested…
"oh that won't be necessary, I only said it won't be easy for a normal human to get to it… I am not a normal human, also Erica and the others… we will be fine… I only said it will be tricky cause of the inhospitable environment of that place, not really cause of the dragon, it is a huge place, chances of running into her are pretty low, the atmosphere is our biggest problem, but we should be fine… {I say that now, but I truly hope I didn't just jinks us too}" Jericho responded with a confident tone so the others won't be too worried but he was a bit skeptical on the inside….
"I see, I guess you are right dear Jericho, but still you should properly prepare before making a trip like that, don't let your guard down" King Leohart advised…
"of course uncle Leo, we will be ready"... as Jericho responded, someone was seen jumping out of their sit, it was Clover, as it looked like she just realized something very important… "JERICHO!!??… (he responded, a little bit startled)… what did you call that star again… (she asked and Jericho responded with it's name)… during one of our relics retrieval exposition, we came across some interesting looking weapons, they were two of them, one was a sword, and the other was some kind of pistol, but I couldn't get any of them to work, the sword was too strange and impossible to control by any of our military forces, while the pistol looking thing was just not working… I now know why after this meeting, it runs with soul energy, so does the sword… but in studying the pistol, I was able to create the weapon that shots out pebbles infused with electrical currents, but it's not safe yet, and overuse or less maintenance can be deadly for the person using it… as we saw with Captain Sirius… (sad sigh)… well if it's the same material we are talking about, then I think you guys needs it more if you are planning on making that trip to the Mist Mountains" Clover Concluded…
"this is so far the second time I have heard that word, could you please elaborate on that… what kind of relics are they exactly?" Jericho curiously asked, which was understandable by the others, as he was missing for Three and a half years…
"oh certainly… after the brutal war three and a half years ago, during our rescue and recovery efforts, we discover a few ruins, filled with really strange contraptions, devices never before seen, they were truly as strange as they were fascinating… but thanks to those discoveries, we were able to push the world to the level you see today, we aren't anywhere near where we want to be but, we are making great progress thanks to those relics… I also have a theory, I view those relics found as the biggest proof of an old civilization existing here on our earth way before us, a civilization that were already using soul energy in their day to day lives, a civilization so advanced in everything compared to us, as those relics I study feel so familiar to me, I could feel every dedication, care and passion that was used to make it, it was definitely done by a human, but not from our era" Clover concluded with a very compelling theory the other couldn't argue against…
"so what on earth might have drove such a well advanced civilization well into extinction, with just their impressive innovations left?" Erica pondered with a curious face expression…
"that is the main question that am also dying to know" Clover responded, as everyone's now really thinking about it…
"{this is so strange, who would have thought, they use to be a whole other civilization right here, and a well advanced one too… Hmm… this might be what the six gods stated they wanted to talk to me about, now am pretty curious about it}… hey Clover, I would like to see it, those relic weapons, if you don't mind" Jericho responded looking very impressed by Clover, she turned red a little and gave Jericho a smile before responding…
"of course"... "you know Clover, don't you think learning to control soul energy will really help your research" Jericho suggested, and Clover gave him a confused look…
"how do you mean Jericho?" she asked looking very confused, so too did everyone else in the room…
"well you just said it, most of this relics you find needs soul energy to function, so by learning how to control yours wouldn't it help you understand the inventions on a more deeper scale, that can not only help you study it more effectively, but you might also be able to improve upon it, and continue your goal of changing the world" Jericho concluded his suggestion, and Clover's face suddenly lit up blissfully, it was something she was so surprised she never thought of that way, she wasn't that invested in soul energy and was planning on testing her theories with the help of the twins, instead of doing it herself, but knowing she could actually do it herself opened up a lot of possibilities in her head..
"of course… you are right, I should start taking it seriously… thanks Jericho" Clover responded, now with her mind racing with possibilities...
"father?… did Clover just take someone else advice without questions, or is all this in my head?" princess Diamond asked in surprise…
"no, it's all real, it was bound to happen eventually, it's only fitting it was Jericho that caused it to happen" King Leohart chuckles as he answered…
"ha ha ha… very funny" said a sarcastic Clover…
"Konrad am sorry I didn't ask a bit sooner, but how is Vetra fairing now?" King Leohart asked, worried about his nephew….
"I was told he is now awake and he is more active, but he did lose an arm, other than that he is getting much better" Grand Duke Konrad responded, having a little more light on his face compared to when he first got the news about his son, even if he tried really well to hide it, it was still obvious he was worried about Vetra…
"am so sorry uncle Konrad, if I had listened to him and left sooner, he would have been in this room with us" Clover respond, still blaming herself…
"oh no my princess, it was never your fault, as a captain of one of our military forces, it's his job, plus if he had escaped the attack at the yard, am sure he would have gone back in the thick of things again, and who knows, he would have gotten injured, or worse there, so do not blame yourself princess, it was his honor to defend not only you but his great nation" Grand Duke Konrad stated, easing the mind of Clover in the process…
"Grand Duke Konrad… if it isn't any trouble I can definitely restore his lost arms, won't be a problem" they all turned their gaze towards Jericho, after hearing what he so casually just stated, the shock just kept coming with Jericho involved…
"d-did I say something offensive?" Jericho asked, confused by their reaction, Erica was holding in her laugh…
"are you saying you can restore an entire limb… from nothing?" emperor Riko had to ask again to make sure he heard right…
"w-well yes, it requires a lot of soul energy, but it's no trouble with the amount I currently possess" Jericho responded still confused by their reaction, to him, as they already know about soul energy, this kinds of information shouldn't be surprising anymore…
"oh Jericho, you keep forgetting, unlike us at Righteous who have been with you for close to two and a half months now, and seen everything, won't find what you said as shocking, but we are in Warmark right now, they literally just got a deeper insight to what soul energy is, so acting normal when you say stuff like that won't apply to them, I myself still don't believe it, even when I have seen it myself" Erica whispered to Jericho, and he instantly felt embarrassed, he apologized and explained how he is able to do something like that, telling them about the divine avatars of nature and how incredibly draining it is to summon just one of them, and how cause of that he is limited to just two a day, a huge sigh went across the entire room at once as he explained…
"even I didn't know you had that ability Jericho, what a surprise" king Gustavious stated still a little surprised…
"so that would mean, the divine entity that assisted at the front lines was you Jericho?… (he nods with a yes)… I wonder if the surprises will ever end with you my dear boy"
King Leohart adds with a smile...
"he he he… am sorry?" Jericho felt like disappearing…
"so you are saying you can return the arm of my son… (he nods yes again)… you have my thanks Jericho" Grand Duke Konrad gave a light bow as he sincerely thanked Jericho…
"no need for that… you are welcome, Grand Duke" he responded with a nervous smile…
"well okay I think we have covered everything we needed to, we can talk about the construction of the academy on a later date, for now we deserve to rest, it's been a truly long day" as King Leohart pronounces, they all started taking their leave one after the other.
Out in the hallway, Jericho and Erica approach Clover to ask to see the relics she talked about again, then they all made their way to her lab, While princess Diamond excused herself from them.
Erica and Jericho closely followed behind Clover as she lead them to her lab, on getting there, the jaws of both Erica and Jericho instantly dropped, as what they saw was truly breathtaking.
They was a lot of relics in all shapes and sizes, the lab looked like a great library and every relic was on it's personal shelf, her work table had a magnifying glass and another strange kind of magnifying glass, and on it were blueprints of projects she was currently working on and also some more strange looking relic.
Jericho and Erica explore the lab more, moving slowly and taking everything they were seeing in…
"wow… did you really set all this up princess Clover?" Erica asked still taken aback by the lab…
"yes, but I still haven't gotten half way yet… you see all those relics on the shelf?… I haven't started studying those yet, cause the ones am currently working on is really complicated but I know when I crack it, it will be another huge help to the world" Clover responded, a bit talkative now as it is about something she is very much invested in…
"you are truly something else Clover" Jericho adds, extremely impressed by Clover, she gave a shy smile then quickly changed the topic before she lost her compose cause of Jericho's compliments…
"uh um… let me go get the relics I told you about" Clover quickly left, and then a couple of seconds later she returned with two boxes stacked up on one another, one was rectangle in shape, the other was square, she then placed both boxes on an empty table as Jericho and Erica gathered around it, she firstly opened up the squared shaped box, and in it was two sliver guns, designed with black trims around it, it was strange looking as it was unique.
Upon closer inspection, they saw an engraving of three birds flying in the v shape on it, and a writing just under it that spelled, "Flocks Tech"… it was as strange as it was interesting to see.
Then Clover proceeded to opening the second box which was the rectangle box, and in it was a long red sword with a Sliver hilt, and with an arm guard separating the hilt from the red blade designed with what looks like the sun shining brightly and a diamond shaped tip, and also a red shaft.
This sword looked like it instantly called to Erica when she laid eyes on it, to her it was as majestic as it was beautiful, she ran her fingers on it back and fort, then mouthed the word… "beautiful" Clover and Jericho exchange looks and smile as they saw how Erica reacted to the sword…
"hey, princess Clover, may I pick it up?" she asked with her eyes never leaving the sword…
"yes of course" Clover gave her consent, and then Erica slowly started to pick up the sword, and it really complimented her as she also have red hair.
She draw the sword, revealing a shiny red blade, Jericho looked really impressed by how beautiful the sword is, Erica couldn't stop smiling, as she took a few swings to test the weight of the sword, and it was very comfortable, it was as if the sword was crafted with her in mind…
"this is absolutely beautiful princess Clover… are you sure we can take something like this from you without anything in return?" Erica asked feeling bad for not having something worthy enough to trade with, cause to her the sword was priceless…
"it's fine, we are doing this for the world, not for me, so it's fine, just promise not to lose to anyone or anything while welding that sword" Clover stated and Jericho nods along…
"so I can have it?... (they both nodded yes… Erica smile got larger)… thank you… i promise to use this sword to protect the world, while you change it with your golden mind" Erica proclaimed with a huge smile…
"you should test it out with your ability"Jericho suggested…
"of course" Erica agreed…
"so what about the pistol?" Clover asked, as they both weren't that invested in it as they were with the sword…
"it is indeed a very nice piece, but am not sure there's anyone at Righteous with the experience to use a Soul Gun, I think it should remain with you till someone with more experience from Warmark comes along… am very sure someone will" Jericho responds with what seemed to be a valid point, Clover and Erica exchanged confused stares before simultaneously saying the words…
"Soul Gun?".….. "yes, that's what I'm choosing to call it… smart right?" Jericho asked looking very proud of it, the ladies exchanged looks again but this time they weren't on the same page, as Erica laughed as she remembered Jericho's first attempt on naming things, but this one was surprisingly really good which was strange, while Clover looked so impressed by Jericho her face was practically glowing…
"I-if that's what you want then from this day fort any future pistol we create will officially be going by that name" Clover proclaimed with a serious look on her face…
"see Erica, Clover gets it, it's a fantastic name" Jericho said to Erica looking proud, Erica just rolled her eyes…
"whatever, can we leave now, I can't wait to test out this beauty of a sword" said Erica placing her hand on it…
"of course, I will go with you… I want to see the ancient weapon in action" Clover responded…
"wait… before we do that I would like to visit the infirmary, I want to see Vetra" Jericho requested…
"oh right, of course, let's head over there first then… I too need to see him" Clover offered to take him, and also wanted to go so she can personally apologize to him, as she still felt bad…
"thank you Clover" said Jericho, then they exited Clover's lab and made their way to the infirmary, with Clover leading the way again.
In the infirmary, Vetra sat on his bed, resting his back on the wall and reading a book, he was patched up tightly as his wounds looks like it was healing, he lost an arm, but it doesn't look like it bothered him much.
As he was focused on his book, he heard the door of his room swing open, and at the corner of his eyes he saw princess Clover, his mood drastically changed to a very positive one, he was so happy he forgot he was still in pain and moved too quickly, he felt a shape pain again, Clover then rushed to him, trying to help as she was concerned…
"are you alright Vetra?… you should take it easy, your injuries are no joke" she said as she helped him rest his back on the wall again….
"{s-she really just used my name???… is this a dream… getting injured is officially the best thing that has ever happened to me}" he thought with a huge smile…
"w-what are you doing here princess, I hope you weren't hurt?" Vetra stated, feeling very happy but still hoping she was fine…
"no am fine, and it was also thanks to you.. sigh… I've come to apologize to you Vetra.. (he looked at her in confusion)… what happened to you was all cause by my stubbornness, if I had listened to you and moved when you asked me to, we would have missed that attacker, and you wouldn't have been in here right now… Vetra, I am truly sorry" Clover concluded her apology with a bow, this action took Vetra by a complete surprise, as he jumped out of bed again to stop Clover from bowing, reopening his wounds in the process…
"DARN IT!!!"… he screamed in pain…
"take it easy Vetra, I've told you" Clover exclaimed looking very worried…
"a-am fine… am fine princess… (he said as he rested his back yet again)… princess Clover, that wasn't your fault, even if we escaped that attack, I would have gone back to the thick of the battle, and anything could have happened to me then, I am still a captain of one of our prestigious military forces before all else, being this hurt or even losing my life is part of it, am just really glad my efforts weren't in vein, and you are fine, so I beg of you, stop blaming yourself" Vetra explained to Clover, really hoping she stops blaming herself, as he looked closely at her she was smiling, seeing that his heart skipped a beat, twice, that was the very first time he had seen her make an expression like that, and it was glorious in his eyes…
"w-why are you laughing princess?" he asked, still thankful for the blessing of seeing her smile for the very first time…
"do forgive me… it's just your father said the exact same thing to me… (sigh)… thank you Vetra, I promise to make it up to you… (she smiles, this time looking him in the eyes, this was overkill for Vetra, as he was hanging on by a tread to keep his composure)… oh yes, that was one of two reasons I came here to see you… (Vetra snapped out of his day dream after hearing what Clover said)… someone is here to see you, and they said they can fix your arm… (Vetra looked stun by what Clover side)… you can come in now" Clover called out, then Jericho and Erica walked into the room, seeing Jericho completely obliterated the blissful mood Vetra was in, and it looked like a dark gloomy cloud was above his head, it was such a drastic shift in mood that it was impossible to miss it, as Clover noticed almost immediately, but chose to ignore it, as she as already done what she wanted to do…
"Hello captain of the slingers… I don't believe we have officially been introduced… I am Jericho Von Menssai, I guess just calling me Jericho is more accurate at the moment… (he said with a light laugh)… and this is" Jericho concluded and pointed out to Erica, after setting her up for introductions too…
"I am the crown princess of Righteous, and the captain of the holy knights, Erica Von Righteous" ...
"it's an honor to meet your acquaintance… I am Vetra Von Warmark, the son of the prime minister of Warmark, GrandDuke. Konrad Von Warmark, and the captain of the slingers corp… thank you for all you did for our nation in our time of need, you were a huge help in our victory… and princess, I heard it was thanks to you, my princess Clover and the twins made it out, I am forever in your debt, you have my greatest of gratitude" Vetra stated feeling very thankful to Jericho and Erica, his mood might have shifted when he saw Jericho, but at this moment, he was truly sincere with everything he was saying…
"no need for thanks, am just glad I was there just in time" Erica responded, Vetra gave another bow, then he asked…
"so… sorry for getting straight to the point, but what brings you two here to see someone like me" Vetra asked as he stared at both Erica and Jericho….
"well Vetra I've come to have a look at your arm, you are a very valuable member of this great nation's military, and losing you especially after losing captain Sirius would be devastating for this nation, especially at a time like this… so captain Vetra, I beg of you, let me help you by restoring your arm" said Jericho, asking for the consent of Vetra.