Chapter Six

The Romanichel Shrine

I had absolutely no idea what time it was. Ever since I had entered the castle, my concept of the day was

completely forgotten. My thoughts kept drifting back to the Davises’ house, and school, and Kandy, and even my hideous

house that I had hated so much--even it was wished for now. I was so alone, encircled by unfamiliar faces and

surroundings, with no hint at all towards any sort of passage home. But the quivering fear building in my stomach and

my brain’s determination to remain brave dried up any tears that formed in my eyes.

After the emperor had dismissed his guards, he had led me through a series of long, stone passageways, lit by

flickering candlelight, past several elaborate rooms and crowds of people, who all stopped what they were doing to stare

and whisper amongst themselves. The castle was even larger than it appeared to be outside, with a channel of

never-ending corridors and chambers decorated lavishly with expensive tapestries, paintings, and the obviously

reoccurring motif of eagles. I could guess what many rooms were used for, such as the enormous dining room with its

gigantic wooden table and hundreds of chairs or the kitchen filled with bustling cooks and chefs, but several others were

entirely unrecognizable; for instance, we passed by at least two rooms filled with cages suspended from the ceiling that

held the same type of rabbit creatures that I had seen in the forest. I was meaning to ask the emperor what such a

chamber could possibly be used for, but our entire journey had been in silence and I felt uncomfortable saying anything.

“Almost there, your eminence,” the emperor told me suddenly, leading me to the right and down a spiraling

stone staircase. “Forgive me for such a lengthy trek.”

I was about to answer when suddenly we entered into the room at the bottom of the stairway, and Nemasu

slipped his arm free of mine and took several steps forward. “Here we are, at last,” he announced, lifting his arms over

his head. Was he talking to me? “Quite a sight, eh?”

I slowly lifted my head and scanned the room. It was reasonably darker than the throne room, only lit by

horizontal strings of torches lining the gray brick walls, and much colder too, as if we had ventured dozens of feet under

the ground. In the center of the room was a massive statue of an eagle holding its wings open, with two scarlet gems

put in place for its eyes, atop a wide circular pedestal engraved with the unusual markings I could recognize from the

wall in my attic. A steady rivulet of water was flowing from it open beak into the ring-shaped pool it stood in, and

surrounding the outer banks of the stone pond were several ancient-looking books. The room echoed with the snapping

of flames and the trickling sound of water flowing into the pool.

“..........Wh....where are we....?” I asked softly, rotating in place to view the entire expanse of the chamber.

Now I could see the forms of angels and flying birds engraved into the ceiling over my head, misted slightly by the smoke

given off by the torches. My shadows cast in several directions across the floor shivered and waned in the flickering

light.

“‘Where are we?’” The emperor turned back around to face me and smiled. “...Why, we’re in the Romanichel

Shrine, of course.”

“...shrine....?” I looked around me once again, then directed my vision onto the statue positioned before me.

Something was engraved on its chest. “....And you....you think this ‘Roh-many-cher’ person is...me....?”

He had turned back about to face the center pedestal, but I could see him nod. “Most definitely. There cannot

be any doubt. The legends specifically foretell the appearance of a young girl from afar...who wears the legendary Eye of

the Blind. It is she who shall save the country from sudden destruction and overpower any attempts to summon the

apocalypse.” He smiled, then picked up a large, worn book with blue covers and at least several hundred pages and

opened it up. “...Accession of the Romanichel, page 152.”

I watched as he turned his attention back onto the book he held, flipping lightly through several pages, then

took several steps up towards the sculpture. I wasn’t quite sure what attracted my eyes to the statue....It was beautiful,

of course, and obviously very thoughtfully crafted, since every feather was specifically carved with obvious time and care

and I could even see the realistic muscle curves in the legs and feet. But that wasn’t it....Something about my eerie

crimson reflection shown in its sparkling ruby eyes caused me to feel lightheaded and dazed, like my feet were lifting off

the floor. And what in the world was that shape on its chest?

“....Captivating, isn’t it?” Nemasu said distantly, though not lifting his eyes from the book in his hands.

I turned towards him at the sound of his voice, then glanced back up towards the statue. “...Y...Yeah.....What is

it...?”

“...The symbol of Cauchemar, my...er, this country,” he replied, flipping a page in the book without looking up

towards me. “Every country has a symbol that represents its strengths and people. For instance...” He held the book

out towards me, revealing a compass-shaped form surrounded by several pictures. “....Here, this is Cauchemar,” he

explained, pointing towards the eagle picture positioned at the ‘west’ point of the compass. “The eagle represents our

country’s speed and courage. And over here is Marais.” Now he pointed to the picture of a rather ferocious-looking fish

swimming beside the tip labeled ‘east.’ “This shows their incredible talents towards sneak attacks and ambushes, and

their strategic adjustment to nautical terrain. But it also shows that their battle tactics on land leave something to be

desired. To the north is Cienturon,” he continued, motioning toward the formidable drawing of an ox at the top of the

compass. “People from Cienturon have amazing strength and endurance, but their speed and intelligence are not quite as

incredible.” He flashed me another smile, then brought the book back down before him and continued to read.

“Hey, wait a minute!” I exclaimed. “There was another one....It looked like a dinosaur or something near the

south...”

Although he was still gazing down at the book, I could see his eyes narrow significantly with suppressed anger.

“.....That would be Fossoyeur,” he replied, his voice dark with restrained fury. “...The lizard represents cunning and

trickery. I would be careful not to mess with anyone from Fossoyeur, your eminence...”

“...Fossoyeur??” I echoed, clasping my hands before me. I knew I had recognized that name from somewhere.

“That’s where you said your dad was, right??”

He smiled again, but it appeared rather forced and cynical. “...Yes, indeed I did.....He is attending a peace

conference there for several days. The king of Fossoyeur has threatened an international war if trade routes are not

reinstated and if many other demands are not met.”

“...A...a war...?” I repeated dumbly.

He slammed shut the book in his hands, causing me to jump into the air, then placed it back down at the edge of

the pool and lifted up another one. “Those from Fossoyeur have never exactly been the most respectful sort. Slimy

scumbags, all of them! Wouldn’t doubt if they had something to do with Morelle....”

“Morelle? What’s that??”

Nemasu cringed noticeably, dropping the book to the floor with a heavy thud, then whirled about towards me.

“...F...forgive me, Romanichel, your ears must burn!! It slipped free of my lips, it will not happen again!” He wiped some

sweat from his forehead, then retrieved his book from the floor and, with trembling hands, continued to read.

I blinked. “Excuse me...?”

“Aha!!” he announced suddenly, so loud I could hear it echo several times off the brick walls and could almost

swear the flames in the torches swayed to one side. “I found it! I knew it was somewhere in one of these books...!”

“What??” I drew up beside him, standing on my tiptoes in an attempt to read over his shoulder. “What’d you

find...?”

“It’s all right here, your eminence!!” he exclaimed, holding the two open pages of the book out towards me.

“All that you asked to know about the Eye of the Blind....verbatim, right out of the legend in which it was written!!” He

cleared his throat loudly, then lifted the book to his chest and began to read:

“...I think that is about all that’s relevant to your question,” he finished, flipping over another page in the book. I

gaped over at him in silence, and I suppose he sensed my stare, because he glanced up towards me. “....Rather incredible,

I know,” he said reasonably, shutting the book and taking several steps towards me. “It is difficult for me to comprehend

as well, that finally the Romanichel has appeared to save my country.”

I remained motionless for a moment, then exhaled a weary, sarcastic laugh. “.....Ho...Hold on a second.....OK, so

this ‘Eye of the Blind’ thing....It now singles me out as a predestined heroine?”

He blinked, seemingly startled by my shock. “...That...that would be correct. Or so the legend says.”

“...And my job as this ‘Reh-mecha-cello’ person is to save your country from sudden destruction and inevitable

war??”

“...Yes. And to protect the world from the resurrection of the apocalypse. And the fifth and sixth lines refer to

your collection of the other three Destiny Pendants.” I guess I had stopped trying to hide my vacant, gaping expression,

because he continued, “You see, the Eye of the Blind is only one of the four pendants necessary to prevent the

renaissance of the ultimate destruction and conclusion of the world. Millenniums ago, when the apocalypse was first

beginning to manifest itself, its power was harnessed into four separate magical jewels which were all in turn made into

four separate talismans: the Eye of the Blind, of course, along with the Lips of the Mute, the Ear of the Deaf, and the

Heart of the Stoic. These four talismans were then whisked away by a league of country renegades and hidden where no

one would be able to discover them again until there was a means of overcoming the apocalypse’s return.”

....My world!! I thought with a jolt. That’s the only place that no one from this world would be able to find

them! That would explain the hidden trapdoor in my attic and weird incantations smeared on the walls.... “...Does...does it

say anything about the ‘Roh-mandy-person’s’ means of getting back to where she came from??”

“.....The way she came, I expect,” he answered distractedly, his eyes still glued to the pages of his book. “After

all, the legend does state that the Eye of the Blind has the ability to cross time and space.”

The red light that came out of the necklace in the rain.....It surrounded me and made me feel like I was being

swept away, I thought distantly, gazing down towards my shoes. Was that the Eye of the Blind pulling me out of my

world and dropping me in this one...? But what’s the connection....? And how did I trigger it-- “...Hey!!” I exclaimed

suddenly, grabbing hold of the top of the book Nemasu held and pulling down to where I could see it. The two open

pages revealed an extremely accurate picture of what I could easily recognize as the geography of the earth I was familiar

with, with seven separate continents colored seven different hues and floating atop a vast sea of a deep green-gray shade.

“...That...that’s it!! That’s my world!! Why...why do you have a map of it in your book...?!”

Nemasu stared at me for a moment, then smiled. “...How flattering that you refer to it as your world, your

eminence,” he said. “But, of course, I do realize you hail from elsewhere, and I respect that.”

“What....no, no, that’s my world!!” I exclaimed hastily. “Here, right here, this is North America, that’s where I

live, and here--”

Nemasu cast me a sarcastic glance. “...But...but my dear, that...that would be Cauchemar.”

“...this is South Amer--what??” I stopped abruptly, gazing up towards his face. “Cauchemar??”

“Yes. And here, this is Cienturon.” He pointed to where I was expecting ‘North Pole’ to be written. “And all

the way over here, across the ocean, is Marais.” Sure enough, the map didn’t read “Europe” and “Asia” like I was used

to; instead, those words had been replaced by a large picture of a fish. “Simple geographic mistake, I’m sure, your

eminence, that anyone could have made--”

Cauchemar?? I thought in confusion, lifting the book closer to my face just to make sure I wasn’t mistaken.

This...this doesn’t make sense!! I don’t understand....Am I in a different time?? Or in a completely different universe

altogether??.....Where the hell am I?!

“...Your eminence...?” Nemasu was now gazing over at me with a degree of concern and surprise in his eyes,

but I was in no mood to deal with him now. “Your eminence, are you all right...?”

I lifted both hands to my hair, gawking blankly down at the eagle’s reflection in the pool by its feet. I could

recognize the symbol on its chest now -- a marquette of the pendant hanging abouut my neck, the Eye of the Blind. This

was insane. Why wasn’t I waking up...? What the heck...I don’t understand....This pendant...it supposedly has the power

to sweep its wearer away into some other world to have her become the subject of some bizarre myth and have an

entire country depend on her...?? No, no, Nikka, this is crazy--!!! “....So what the heck does this mean for me, then??”

“...Hmm...?” Nemasu gazed over towards me again, and then I realized I had unintentionally spoken amongst my

thoughts. “I beg your pardon?”

“You heard me,” I repeated, probably harsher than I meant to be. “What does this all mean, then?? What does

the ‘Rock-meanie-bell’ have to do?? And how does she get back to where she came from??”

“....I --” The emperor gaped at me in silence, then began to furiously ruffle through the pages in the book he

held. “...I....Forgive me, Romanichel, I’m looking --”

“No!!” I exclaimed impatiently, taking a firm step forward. “You know!! Tell me!!”

“...I...I suppose you must search for the other Destiny Pendants,” he replied shakily, seemingly alarmed and

frightened by my sudden fury. “...Or...or at least that’s what the legend seems to suggest...”

“Oh yea??” I said, placing my hands on my hips. “And what’ll that do??”

“...W...well, the apocalypse will be unable to return without the proper power, like a fire will die without fuel,”

he answered reasonably. “If all four pendants are collected, there is no way Morelle will ever awaken again.”

“There you go again!!” I snapped angrily. “What in the world is Morelle?!”

I watched him cringe again, unintentionally ripping a corner of a page in the ancient book he held, then

squeezed his eyes shut tight. “......I...I can’t say...” he answered after a tight pause, and his uneasiness gradually caused

my sudden anger to die down slightly. “...If...if you do not know, my dear, it is better that it stays that way...”

“....I...” I fell silent as he turned his back to me, attempting to regain his senses. Although he cleared his throat

shakily and wiped the sweat from his forehead, I could still see the terror waning behind his eyes and decided it might be

better not to persist any further. “......So where are they?”

He started at the sound of my voice, then whirled about towards me. “...Wh...where are what...?”

“The other pendants,” I answered clearly, taking the Eye of the Blind into my hands and holding it up to stress

my point. “If the legend says that the ‘Ro--’....person who has this necklace has to find the other ones, that might mean

that after I find all four I can go home. There has to be some sort of hint to where the other necklaces are...?”

“...Er, well....” Nemasu seemed to be slightly more nervous and uncomfortable now, I don’t know if it was

because of my sudden outburst of anger or his terror of ‘Morelle,’ whatever that was. Whichever the case, he was

avoiding eye contact a lot more and seemed to be fidgeting and pacing more than before. He flipped over several other

pages, skimming over the words quickly. “...I...I suppose they’d all be hidden where no one determined to destroy the

world would be able to find them. Probably where you found the Eye of the Blind.”

...‘Where I found....’?! Wait a second, does he mean my world?? My hands unintentionally tightened around the

charm hanging around my neck. Oh my God....These three other pendants were all swept and hidden away somewhere

in my world, in three remote little spaces somewhere on the Earth?!! How in the world am I even supposed to know

where to begin looking...??! But I said, “Does it say anything a little more specific than that?”

“”I’m afraid not, your eminence,” he replied, flipping the last page of the book and closing its covers together,

placing it back onto the floor beside the pool. He turned towards me with a weary smile. “...Unfortunately, it appears

that there is nothing in reference to the locations of the other three Destiny Pendants in any of the books in this shrine.

But I’m sure there is something mentioned in one of the books in the library, and we can look tomorrow if you would

like.”

......‘Tomorrow’???!! Aww, heck no!! No way am I staying here overnight!!!! “...Umm, do...do you think we can

mosie on over there right now?” I questioned softly, wringing my hands together to hide the nervous quivering that had

spread throughout my fingers. “I’m...kinda in a hurry to get home, so if we can find out where these other necklaces

are--”

“Why are you in such a hurry to leave?” the emperor asked me suddenly, finally meeting my eyes and taking

several steps towards me. He gazed softly into my face, now no longer looking like a teenager, but a strong, majestic

ruler. “You’re appearance in Cauchemar has been a blessing to all those who have had a chance to make your

acquaintance. Please.....Give me and my country the honor of your presence, at least for a little while. We will find the

locations of the other pendants, and a route for you to return to your home, you have my word, my dear--but until then, I

implore you: stay here with us.”

I was taken aback for a moment, and after almost a minute I still had absolutely no idea what to say to that.

“...Er....well, I....” I stopped again, swallowed, then exhaled a quivering breath. “...All...all right. But only for a little

while, OK? And first thing tomorrow morning you’ll take me to the library to find these books.”

Nemasu smiled, placing a fist against his chest and bowing respectfully at the waist before me. “...As you wish,

Romanichel,” he replied dutifully, straightening upright again and holding an offering hand out towards me. “...Now

please allow me to escort you to your quarters.”

*Author's note ~ Just for the record, it's REALLY hard to think up rhyming couplets...o_O;;*

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