A dagger is launched at full speed toward Psaimone. The woman with black and white hair steps in with incredible speed and destroys the dagger with a movement of her hand. But another one appears from above, and she destroys it again, this time with her foot.
Bing.
A gunshot rings out, but she doesn't have time to stop the bullet.
— Damn!
As it was about to hit Psaimone, the bullet disintegrates almost instantly into ice dust before even reaching him. A blue metal firearm, in Lara's hands, emits a slight smoke from the fired shot. Her eyes glow with a yellowish light.
— Oops… looks like I missed my target.
she says with an almost childish tone, wearing a provocative smile. On the other side, her father was spinning a dagger between his fingers.
— Don't worry, we all have our bad days. For example, I forgot to coat my blades with my aura… that's stupid, right?
He wore a warm smile, yet strangely chilling.
Zoe apologizes to Psaimone for not managing to stop the bullet. But Psaimone holds nothing against her.
— Don't worry, as he just said, we all have our bad days, don't we?
His gaze rests on Lara as he touches his chin.
— From what I've seen, you're able to convert your energy into matter, then organize its particles to recreate an atomic structure identical to that of gold… is that correct?
A drop of sweat forms on Lara's face, but she keeps smiling.
— He understood how my technique works just by seeing it once… he even figured out that I can only create gold… this is really annoying…
The man's gaze turns toward the girl's father.
— And the father… Nova Apeche, commander of the imperial army of the kingdom of Varion.
The latter sticks his tongue out at him, without any respect, like a confident child.
— Neither one is any better than the other… like father, like daughter.
The patriarch takes his saber and throws it behind him. André catches it with his eyes closed.
— Can I know what all this means?
Psaimone apologizes.
— I haven't introduced myself, that's really rude of me. My name is Vandale… Vandale Psaimone. Nice to meet you.
The eyes of the patriarch and his old father André widen. This name was far too familiar to them. Diane asks David if he knows him.
— Yes… no… not really… well… I don't know…
André draws his saber in front of him. Anger is visible on his face. The blade reflects the light like a mirror. Psaimone continues.
— And her, that's Zoe Lapis. We are members of Sélestia.
With a face filled with hatred and disgust, Johan raises his hand as a massive silhouette emerges from his shadow.
— He's starting to annoy me, that one.
Johan's eyes light up, blazing flames covering his fists which gradually turn black. But Psaimone raises his hands in the air.
— You are really impatient people, you know.
Oliver steps forward, his aura unfolding into intense lightning crackling in his hands. The air around him becomes electric.
— You're both starting to piss me off. I'm going to rearrange your faces.
— Stop, Oliver. If I were you, I wouldn't attack him.
Lise's voice echoes behind him. Oliver, furious, asks why he shouldn't attack him.
— Haven't you noticed anything? Activate your perception and look up.
Eric, near them, listens and immediately looks upward. His eyes widen.
— What is that?
Outside, a massive oval silhouette with six pairs of wings is hidden in the clouds, floating above the capital.
— It's a familiar.
says Diane as she combs her hair with a black metal comb, barely paying attention to the rising tension. Apeche tells her she should be a bit more cautious.
— You're in no position to lecture me, my dear. And clearly, they have no intention of fighting.
— That's correct, we didn't come to fight. We are a diversion.
An incredible pressure is felt, surprising even Psaimone and Zoe. In the room, Eric begins to deploy his scarlet red aura around him, putting everyone on alert. He raises his hand and points it toward the enemies, using the other to adjust his glasses, his eyes glowing like burning embers.
— I've heard enough.
But fortunately, before he goes further, Charl and Elena intervene by grabbing his arm. Both having activated their aura to neutralize Eric's.
— Calm down, will you, son.
Still angry, he agrees and deactivates his aura. But this display only fuels Psaimone's curiosity, who becomes much more serious.
Iris places her hand on Oliver's shoulder and asks Johan to calm down and deactivate his technique as well. He complies.
Lise thinks she has a lead.
— To summon a familiar, you need to keep your aura active at all times to maintain it in the material world. Him, ever since he used that technique that blocked all the exits of the room, he hasn't reactivated his aura since.
Yuna, behind her, also speaks.
— I agree. In my opinion…
She points at Zoe.
— It's this woman who summoned that familiar.
Zoe narrows her eyes. Vega, still under the influence of alcohol but lucid, finally stands up from his chair with a loud yawn.
— Since she arrived here, she has never deactivated her aura… it's obvious that she's the one controlling the familiar she summoned.
Psaimone applauds softly.
— Bravo, I congratulate you. You figured it out without me having to explain. I especially salute that little girl with white hair… she's really intelligent for her age. It's very rare to see a child so perceptive.
Psaimone stands up.
— If any of you tries to leave this room, well this familiar above the capital will unleash an energy discharge and destroy all the cities. I know very well that the patriarch and the elder are capable of destroying this familiar… but to what extent would you be able to limit the damage?
The patriarch, who had remained silent until now, speaks in a cold and serious voice.
— You were sent to distract us. Your real target is Princess Atela, isn't it?
— Exactly. While our colleague finds the princess. I hope the person accompanying her has answered… otherwise…
Back in the slums.
Atela and Noa have just entered Fou's house. To their great surprise, the house of the so-called madman is extremely tidy.
— I was surprised the first time too.
Noa sits on a wooden chair. Atela walks past a shelf and notices a photo. In it, we see Fou… but not as he is now. He has a normal smile, full of joy, a sincere expression on his face. Next to him, a young woman with black hair, but the upper part of her face is not visible: the photo is damaged at that exact spot.
— Is that him?
Noa confirms that it is indeed him. Atela finds it hard to believe.
— He has nothing to do with the one I just met… he looks so happy.
She jumps as she realizes that Fou is right next to her, staring at her with wide eyes and his persistent big smile.
— No way… is he always like this?!
she asks while stepping back.
Noa stands up calmly.
— No, not always. He only makes that face when someone looks at him.
For demonstration, he takes a metal bucket nearby and places it on Fou's head, then waits a few minutes before removing it. His eyes are still wide open, but his smile has disappeared… before returning almost immediately.
— You see.
— Yeah… I see… but how is he going to lead us to the entrance of the undergrounds in this state?
Noa scratches his head.
— It's going to be complicated… we'll have to try to make him understand what we want.
— Do you have any idea how?
— Not really… but we can ask him to explain it to him.
— Who?
Suddenly, two gigantic hands emerge from the shadows, approaching Atela's body. They are so large that Atela looks like a doll next to them. She turns around, but without fear.
— Is it a familiar?
Noa confirms.
— That's right. It's his familiar, it's called Idau. If we want to make Fou understand something, we'll have to go through him.
But seeing those spectral hands again does not leave Noa indifferent. An image resurfaces in his mind: facing the setting sun, the gigantic familiar holding in its hands the lifeless body of a member of the Lost Order. His neck completely broken, his head hanging like that of a rag doll. On the back of the familiar, Fou was moving his head and legs rhythmically like a child, his unforgettable smile still present.
Noa touches his left eye.
Atela asks if they should directly ask the familiar to tell Fou what they want.
— Yes, that's it.
Atela asks the familiar to tell Fou if he can show them the entrance to the undergrounds and the kingdom. The familiar's hands move closer to Fou. He remains still. The familiar places its hands on his head. The man's eyes begin to glow before the arms disappear on their own.
— Alright… did he understand?
— Normally, he should have.
Fou lets out a slight shrill chuckle before heading toward the door and leaving the house. Noa and Atela exchange a glance, then follow him.
A few minutes later, they descend a large staircase carved into a huge pit, even deeper into the slums.
— Atela, where do you plan to go once you've completed your mission?
Atela walks just behind Fou, her gaze thoughtful.
— I think I'll just return to the kingdom of Garion.
— I thought there was a traitor among the generals who was after you.
Atela turns around, completely surprised, while continuing to walk.
— How do you know about that? Did the patriarch tell you everything in detail or what?
— Actually… I listened to your entire conversation. Don't ask me how or why, I don't intend to answer that question.
She looks away with a slight smile.
— Since we met, you keep asking me questions… and I've always answered you.
Noa points out that she still hasn't told him her last name. Atela tells him to drop it.
— Oh, and by the way… I also know that you're part of the Angel clan.
The young girl's face turns pale as snow.
— What?! Who gave you that information?!
— At no point did I or the patriarch mention this subject… how did he find out?
Our protagonist slowly approaches and whispers in her ear:
— I didn't know… it was just a theory.
He whispers again:
— And you just confirmed it.
— Huh?! What?! That's not fair, you can't do that !
Next chapter: where ?