The Forgotten Zodiac

Luen blinked, then quickly stood up and ran back to the house, taking human form and sitting down on a couch, where he let Diana come over and sit on his lap. He smiled over at Forin, closing his eyes for a moment and wagging his tail.

Seria had found her bag and was wrapped thick bandages around Cynyr's arms, making absolutely certain that all of the black goop inside was firmly bound up.

Welk was fidgeting around in his spot near Werr, excited but trying hard to stay calm. Which he was failing at. He took lion form and wiggled around next to Werr, laying his front paws over the boy's leg and rubbing his thick mane against Werr's side.

Tasia was leaning wearily against Nate, her chin resting on his shoulder and her eyes closed. She was making a soft, contented dragon hum in the back of her throat, her tail wrapped gently around Nate's leg.

Cici flew back in with delight, then moved the tablecloth that had been covering an assorted stack of peculiar items. "Tah-daah! In return for you all helping me, I decided to give you some of my old things. I definitely don't need them, and I realized that you all could use pretty much all of them." She giggled, then grabbed two items and handed them to Werr and Welk. "These are for you two. They're charms, of sort. I know you aren't apart very often, but if these charms are taken too far apart, they'll start feeding energy into whatever is in contact with them at the time. It's not enough to face an army with, but it's enough to keep you alive if you're near death." She handed them the charms, which looked like nothing more than small blue stones set on silver chains, a beautiful necklace.

"W-wow," Werr stared at it, his mouth open slightly. He shut it again and took the one that Cici was holding out towards him, putting it on at once. "Thank you..."

"Of course!" Cici smiled, then moved back towards the table. She brought out a shining golden sword, holding it out towards Cynyr. "This will never break for as long as the person weilding it remains alive. It will never fail you while you draw breath, nor will it ever grow dull." She smiled happily, waiting for the half-cat to take it.

Cynyr slowly extended his bandaged hand out and carefully closed his quivering fingers over the hilt of the sword, taking it from Cici's hands. He held it at arms-length, testing the weight and feel of it in his hands. He lifted his other hand and ran it along the blade, feeling the sharpness of the golden blade, then rested it on his knees. "...Thank you," he murmured, closing his eyes.

Welk took his necklace and held it for a moment, then grinned and slid it over his head, tilting his head from side to side to study it. "Thanks, Cici!" he said, getting up and running over to hug the light fairy. "It's great! I love it!"

Cici giggled and patted Welk on the head before pulling away. She grabbed the next thing off of the table, taking it over to Forin and Diana. "There isn't much I could give you to help you protect Diana, Forin, but I do have this." She held out a ring, smiling. "If Diana puts it in her mouth, then it'll start to track her heart; namely, her emotions. You can just dry it off and put it on your finger, Forin. I was just guessing, really...she doesn't seem to talk very much, so this way, you can know what she's feeling without her having to even smile." The ring was silver, with a single black stone set in the middle. It was small, but obvious.

"Thank you," Forin said quietly, then promptly stuck the ring in his own mouth. He dried it off on his shirt, then put it on Diana's thumb (her only finger the ring wouldn't slide off of). Cici blinked at them, but smiled anyways and went to get Luen's gift. She offered to him a single apple. "This is enchanted to fill you to your fullest with a single bite. It won't rot or ever go bad, but once it's gone, well...use it wisely. Honestly, you look like you could do with some more food in you, though." She giggled at him, then scooped up Seria's gift and carried it to her. It was a small vial of shimmering water. "This is Undoing Liquid," She said quietly. "There are a number of things you can use it for, but I was told that if you were to use it on yourself, you would lose most of your Divine powers and your cat form would be returned to you. It can't heal injuries, nor can it bring the dead to life, but...I'm sure you'll be able to find a use for it. Just remember, it only has one use, so think twice before you do anything. Which you already do," She grinned and gave Seria a hug.

Luen took the apple in one hand, blinking and staring at it for a moment before he smiled and tucked it down into his pocket. He watched Forin and Diana as they set up the ring, then smiled and rested his head on Forin's shoulder, lifting a hand and stroking Diana's hair tenderly.

Seria took the vial of held it close, feeling her lip tremble slightly at Cici's words and when the fairy hugged her. Her cat form. She could have it back? And she could actually be a full half-cat again. Not just a human with cat ears and a fluffy tail. She would be a half-cat again. But...she had given up her cat form for her Divine powers. Could she ever bring herself to give those powers away? Maybe someday. After they had defeated Obelisk. She glanced over at Cynyr, noting the way his eyes had taken on a distant look. Maybe...when they had time together again.

She smiled and tucked the vial down into her bag.

Cici moved back to the table again, picking up the next gifts. She gave little Spy a small key that Cici promised would work on any non-magical lock. The Chimera pocketed it at once, and jumped up on Cici and licked her face all over in thanks.

To Nate, she gave a shield; enchanted similar to Cynyr's sword, made to never break or dent. To Tasia, she gave a knife; it was shaped peculiarly, but Tasia would find that it bent itself to conform to her grip, making it possible for her to hold. "That one took a long time. It may not seem like much, but a good knife has a thousand uses. Nate can teach you some tricks, I'm sure." She smiled at them both before continuing on once more.

To Lily and Jag, she held out two small stones. One was black, the other white. "These are very, very special. Put them in your pockets or bags, and make sure it stays there. When you say the right words...well, watch!" She set the white stone down on the floor, and carried the other outside. She then ran back inside and tapped the white stone once, twice, then said, "Call thy pair!"

The black stone appeared next to it in the next second, without so much as a flash of light. It just materialized in the blink of an eye. "If it's touched by a living thing at the time that its called, anyone in direct contact with it will be transported, too. It works through your clothes, so don't worry about that."

Tasia took the knife and held it carefully, examining every detail and contour of it. She smiled and looked up at Cici, saying "Thank you," She looked over at Nate and scooted a little closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder again, one wing gently coming around to rest around his shoulders.

Jag watched the stones in amazement, blinking when the black one teleported right next to the white. When Cici handed them back, he took both and tucked the black one down into his pocket. With the white, he slid his hand down and took Lily's hand, lifitng it up and placing the white stone into it, then closed her fingers around it. He smiled at her, then gave her engagement ring a light tap and touched his lips to Lily's as gently as possible, moving his arms around to encircle her waist.

Lily wrapped her arms around Jag's neck, leaning into the kiss. She could still hardly believe it; after all that time of being trapped in Storaph Castle, tormented endlessly...and now she was free.

Cici turned away with a happy smile, and moved over to Airlia. She wrapped her arms around the girl in a hug; the rest of the presents were wrapped, mainly for Werr (and as guessed before, most of them were delightful pastries and foods that he would probably just share with the others). "You have a very special gift. Come, come with me!" She took Airlia by the hand and flew off with her, gone in seconds.

Werr watched her go before sitting back, letting out a heavy sigh. "Well...this stuff will be useful." He said with a smile, though he looked awfully weary. He pretty much ignored Lily and Spy; he had already spotted the engagement ring, after all.

"Galai! I brought Airlia!" Cici announced, dragging the winged girl into the throne room. "This is your present, Airlia." She said happily, hugging her tightly before letting go and flying away. Airlia froze on the spot, her eyes flicking from Galai to Titus in confusion and a bit of fear. What was going on?

Galai slowly stood up, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. She had been holding Titus' hand, but now she let go for a moment, walking forward to stand before Airlia. Her six wings were tucked tightly against her back, her hands folded and pressed to her chest. "Oh..." she breathed, moving her hands up to cover her mouth. "I've waited for so long to see you again. Airlia? That's your name, yes? Oh..." She slowly bent down and came to her knees, flaring her wings open slightly with the movement. "My daughter..." the queen murmured, extending a quivering hand towards the girl. "My long-lost little Amnairian...you're home."

Airlia backed up a few steps, trembling. "Wh-what? I don't understand..." She stammered, her fear increasing with her confusion. "I've been here for awhile, b-but this isn't my home. My home is with Cynyr...my master." She bit her lip, shaking her head and wrapping her wings around herself protectively.

Galai nodded slightly, saying "I know, I understand. It's confusion. But haven't you ever stopped to wonder about where you came from? Why you have wings and no normal human does? Your ability to increase your master's powers? It's because you are an Amnairian who was stolen from this place a long time ago, back when the war was first started. A human king brought his army of mages to the Eternal Garden and broken the gate, also chosing to steal a helpless newly-made Amnairian child while he was there. You, dear one. He snatched you in the chaos that ensued during the gate's breaking and took you away, where you grew to your current age. Because you didn't grow up here, in your homeworld, you didn't find your true form or recieve your Mark of Kinikaina and become a Guardian. But you're here now. My daughter. My little one." She made no move to touch Airlia, her eyes still brimming with tears.

"But...but..." Airlia stammered, her own eyes filling with tears. Galai was right; she had never seen any other humans with wings. Much less any human with her star mark, at that! She thought back, thinking about everything Galai had done for them so far. Why would she lie to her now? Airlia folded her wings back behind her, walking forward. She still looked scared and confused, and she shook horribly, but she walked forward anyways. It was a long moment before she wiped her eyes and put her small hand in Galai's large one. "P-please don't cry..."

Galai gently held Airlia's hand, keeping to her knees so she would be at eye-level with the girl. "I've missed it all," the queen murmured. "I've missed seeing you develop. You still have a ways to go, of course, but...I've missed seeing you grow from a baby to a young girl." She reached out and cupped Airlia's cheek in her hand. "You are an Amnairian," she said. "My little one. Resu, the Enternal Garden's protector, called you 'the Fallen', as you fell from our world when you were stolen. And..." Her eyes widened. "...as it turns out, you've already had your first summons! Growing up the way you did, however, your body had to find another way to allow summoning. Hence the 'masters' and the star-marks you gave them. Which means...which means Cynyr is your current summoner and you his summon, unorthodox as it is." She smiled at the girl, her tears finally escaping her eyes and falling down her delicate cheeks.

Airlia didn't know what to say. She was still terribly befuddled by all this. It seemed so reasonable, but illogical at the same time...she finally knew where she had come from; there was more to her past than an evil king and a helpful Seer, then. Was that even possible? That was literally everything Airlia could remember...

"D-don't," Airlia murmured, pulling a handkerchief from her pocket and using it to wipe away Galai's tears. "I don't like it when people cry..." She whimpered, then moved closer to Galai, wrapping her arms around the Amnarian queen.

Galai hugged her close,  cradling the girl against her delicate body. "My little one..." she whispered, stroking the back of Airlia's head and shoulders. She lifted her head and looked over at Touri, her guard, saying "Fetch Cynyr and bring him here. I want to thank him...for keeping Airlia with him for this long."

Touri nodded, then turned and galloped out.

Galai returned to hugging Airlia, saying "I won't make you stay here, of course, and I can't, seeings as your summoner obviously won't stay, but...before you go...I will give you what you didn't recieve before and help you find that which you don't have. Alright? I will make you an active Guardian and help you figure out your true form."

"Wha...I...I don't deserve it..." Airlia whispered, thinking about Luna's true form. So beautiful and powerful...

"You think you, a child of Amnarius, would be allowed to go throughout life without what all others have? A true form, a destined summoner...not even on Tartarus would I allow such injustice to one of my children without some form of retrebution." Titus snorted, gently running a claw down Airlia's back. It was far too easy to see the scars from the many whippings and 'punishments' the girl had endured. They were faint, but definitely there.

And with them, the poor girl bore eternal scars from her time in the castle.

Galai smiled up at Titus, rocking Airlia back and forth gently against her. The queen stood up, keeping her hands on Airlia's shoulders, then said "First things first. I will give you your true status as an Amnairian Guardian." She moved one hand up and placed it on Airlia's head, using her powers to give the girl what she would've given her long ago, if she hadn't been stolen from Amnairus.

The sun-shaped Mark of Kinikaina appeared on Airlia's forehead, glowing golden against her skin.

Once she was finished, Galai stepped back to see her handy-work and laughed. "Your mark has chosen well!" she said. "It's not so often that a mark decides to be bold and appear on the center of the forehead. It means you have a good soul, sweet Airlia."

Cynyr stalked in about this time, looking unsettled and disgruntled. As usual.

"Master!" Airlia perked up, turning to see Cynyr. She smiled widely. "Master, look! I'm an Amnarian, c-can you believe it?" Titus looked curiously at Cynyr's arm, but he said nothing. He was curious about the bandages; Seria wouldn't wrap something in bandages if she could heal it. So if it was something she could not heal...what was it?

But he dismissed the question as Airlia smiled again.

Cynyr flicked his ears up, forcing a very tight, thin smile over his mouth. It wasn't very good, as he had never had a reason to smile much during his tragicly painful life, but it was good enough for someone like him. "That's...amazing, Airlia. I had no idea," he said, moving forward to stand next to her. He stared at her for a moment, then slowly put together what that meant for him. "Wait...that means I'm...your summoner, then?" He blinked sharply, but seeming fine enough, except for the bandages. "Ah...nothing really changes, does it? Do I have to...well...do anything?"

"I don't think so," Airlia shook her head. "But I'm going to find my true form soon. I...I'm a little nervous, to be honest. Do you want to stay? I mean, you don't have to, but..." She rubbed her arm, looking downwards shyly. "N-nevermind, you probably are busy or something..."