Experimentation

"You mean to say one of the sorcerers has fallen ill?"

"No, Your Majesty." Lotte bowed, "As a precaution, we had spells prepared to evacuate Lady Moyana from the pocket dimension at the first sign of danger. You see, it's possible to prepare magical particles in such a way that they respond to-"

"I understand." Granda interrupted, "Then you have discovered the root of this sickness?"

"To say we have discovered the 'root' would be misleading. It's been concluded that the metal sphere was indeed the source of the Mu'un emission during the battle. However, it cannot be said that we understand how it creates Mu'un to begin with. Even beginning to understand such concepts would require us to dismantle the sphere--a venture far too dangerous for how volatile it seems."

"I don't suppose you will be able to keep it contained within that pocket dimension forever?"

"With a talented sorcerer assigned to its containment, that would not be a problem. However, considering the importance of sorcerers in this war, I don't think it would be practical to do so." Lotte answered, "-At the very least, the sphere is incapable of becoming dangerous without magical intervention. It's therefore surprisingly safe to carry around."

"I dread to ask, but…" King Granda paused, "Have you made any progress in creating a cure for those who remain afflicted with Mu'un?"

"Unfortunately, no."

"I appreciate your honesty on the matter." He replied, disappointed, "It seems, then, that the best course of action moving forward is to eradicate these so-called 'Emitters' before they can do any damage."

A great deal of intrigue had surrounded the metallic sphere brought into the city by Lotte and Yula. Of course, only the most trusted members of King Granda's court even knew of its existence, but the monarch had given those fortunate few full rein in studying the strange object, so long as they brought no harm to Gria's citizens. As was common for sorcerers and their like, a pocket dimension was created using high-level magic to experiment with the sphere in peace, where it could cause harm only to those who had entered the extra-dimensional space.

Reluctant to interact with the sphere in any way that could potentially damage it, the most that could be concluded from examinations was that, due to its weight, it was made of an exceptionally dense material--one unknown to and unused by Tor. The surface was polished to a remarkable smoothness after the remaining tendrils of muscle were removed. The most anomalous detail, however, continued to be that it was extracted from the body of a living creature. As expected, the Elven archives held no records of any Demons which matched the description of what Lotte had unearthed from the pile of corpses.

One of the researchers--Lady Moyana, eventually noticed that the sphere's perforated surface was double-layered. That is to say, the outermost 'container' of the sphere was immediately followed by another, and the two of them shared the same pattern of holes. By using magic to slide the cover, she explained, it would be possible to encase the heavy inner core of the sphere completely, though exactly what that would accomplish was anyone's guess. At Lotte's request, such an experiment was carried out promptly, with magical measures in place to evacuate Moyana from the pocket dimension if anything dangerous happened.

Immediately upon using telekinetic magic to slide the secondary layer of the sphere, there was a flash of blue light and a wave of heat as the core was fully contained. Reacting to the presence of an unknown factor, dormant magical particles in the air immediately teleported Lady Moyana out of the pocket dimension in a matter of milliseconds, leaving the team of sorcerers staring with intrigued eyes at the phenomenon unravelling on the other side of the dimensional Gate.

"It's the same colour…" Lotte muttered, "Are we safe here?"

"We only gave Lady Moyana permission to enter the Gate." Yula replied, "Nothing else should be able to come through."

"So that's Mu'un…" Lotte watched the blurry image of the sphere with a worried gaze, "Is it the light that causes the sickness? Or, is it simply a consequence of something happening within the sphere?"

"I don't understand." Yula placed a hand to her chin, "The second layer was moved to block the holes leading to the centre. How is it that containing the core causes such a reaction, as opposed to exposing it?"

"I fear that trying to understand it is pointless." He resigned, "We now know where the Mu'un originated from during the battle. That strange Demon we've never seen before…"

For lack of a better name, it was shortly agreed upon that such Demons would be called 'Emitters' in the future. With nothing else to consider in regards to the sphere's purpose, discussion began on whether it should be disposed of or kept within the castle for further research. Lotte would report to King Granda just a half-hour later.

"Our future is a bleak one indeed." The ageing monarch lamented, "I must reveal to Gria that guising this affliction as a common disease was a ruse to lower panic."

"Is there really a need for that, Your Majesty?"

"As a ruler, it is all too easy for corruption to seep into my court." He answered, "-I will not hide within the safety of this castle when troubled times come knocking. We may have been decimated by Demonkind on this day, but thanks to the efforts of the Anti-Demon Leagues and your research, Sir Lotte, we have been given a chance to learn from our mistakes."

"Yes, Your Majesty. If we cannot cure the touch of Mu'un, then we will devise a strategy to avoid it altogether."

"I place my faith in your ability to consider all possibilities, Sir Lotte." He declared, "The Queen of Elves has requested your presence in the Great Hall. I believe she wishes to corroborate information found in the archives with your own conclusions."

"I'll go to see her immediately."

Rather than expend effort having court sorcerers conjure Gates to move between the two cities, Larion had opted to become a temporary resident of Gria's castle as opposed to ruling from the throne of Aelf'ahlnohma. She had spent much of her time communicating magically with Elven scholars in an attempt to understand more of the silver city's ancient archives. Her hope was that information crucial to ending the cycle of Demon Ages would be found in their documents, but as of yet, she had failed to discover anything conclusive.

"Your Majesty…" As he poked his head into the grand but mostly empty entrance hall, Larion was sat at a wooden table that had been dragged in a number of days ago, littered with scribbled pages of parchment paper, "You wanted to see me?"

"Ah, Sir Lotte…" She rubbed her eyes, "You must forgive me. I haven't had many opportunities to sleep these past few nights."

"If I may be so bold, it might be for the best if you retired to your chambers for the night." He replied, "Exhaustion does the mind no good, after all."

"I appreciate your concern. But researching the Elven archives does help to…" She fell silent, "...Well, please don't worry yourself. This is the duty of a queen, after all."

"His Majesty tells me you have something you'd like to discuss."

"Yes… it's in regards to Aeme'klen--or the Black Moon, as humans would call it."

"Aeme'klen… do you suppose it has something to do with all of this?"

"As you no doubt recall, a previous Hero was responsible for murdering the Elven King Avl II on his throne in broad daylight." Larion explained, "As he uttered the phrase 'Black Luna', it's written that the Hero flew into an uncontrollable frenzy. Despite having guards flanking him on either side, it doesn't appear as if they had a chance to react before the king was murdered."

"I suppose it's only natural to assume that Black Luna is yet another name for Aeme'klen?"

"Considering the similarities, it would not surprise me." She agreed, "However, the name strikes me as odd--Luna. It is neither a name nor a phrase in any of the world's tongues, not even those of the ancient past. Almost as if it originated from somewhere else."

"Why do you suppose it had such an effect on the Hero?"

"As if he was magically compelled to do so, his rage immediately subsided following the king's death." Larion continued, "Naturally, he was apprehended immediately and tried as a criminal. All records indicate that the Hero denied having any memories of the event, describing it as a 'black spot' in his memory."

"Was he trying to save himself?"

"No amount of divination magic could prove that he was telling a lie." She shook her head, "Sir Lotte… truth be told, I have not shared with you every document within our archives."

"You mean to say there's even more information to consider?" Lotte crossed his arms, "I won't question your wisdom, Your Majesty, but in such dire times, it's imperative that we share as much as we possibly can with one-another."

"Even so, there are records that have remained untouched for centuries, before even my birth. The so-called 'Black Books' which are kept under strict lock-and-key."

"Is there a reason for that?"

"It's said that…" Larion paused, "-That the truths contained within those tomes are capable of sending the world into an unrecoverable spiral of chaos. Just as my mother did before me, I have sworn an oath never to delve or divulge their contents to any living soul."

"...I presume this is a preface to saying that you couldn't help yourself?"

"The world is changing." She remarked, "With Aelf'ahlnohma revealed, I see little reason to perpetuate this cycle of grandiosity we have immersed ourselves within. Without the boldest of measures, Demonkind will overrun the fair lands of our nations and leave our cultures--our histories, smouldering wrecks to be picked at by what few survivors remain."

Lowering her head, she continued, "...I have only read a single page, but within even that much was a truth I could not comprehend. The records of that time, during King Avl II's reign, and the events following his death."

"...What did you see?" With apprehension, Lotte asked that simple question.

"That Hero--the man responsible for the assassination…" She began, "His name was Barion."