Manifest War: The Weapons Within

The morning quickly arrived, which prompted a loud knock to strike Carmen’s door. The knock occurred three times, each hit being louder than the last. However, when no response was heard, the person behind the knock began to speak.

“Lady Carmen, it’s time for you to wake up.” Said the nurturing voice behind the door.

Once again, no response was heard. The individual outside opened the door and rushed over towards the bed. She gently, yet assertively shook Carmen awake. She opened her eyes and saw an elderly maid standing next to her.

She was a fairly short and stout lady with whitish gray hair rolled into a tight bun. Her maid outfit was incredibly decadent with various gold trims along the edge, accenting perfectly against the all black material and lacy white frills. Despite being a servant, it was clear that she held a very important position within this castle.

“It’s time to get up, My Lady. You've got a big day ahead of you.” She said in a soft, yet stern tone.

“Five more minutes Nadine, pleaseeeee…..” Carmen whispered with a sleepy groan, turning back over on her side. She gripped the silky covers and pulled them above her head, shrouding herself from the maid’s gaze.

Nadine, now clearly irritated and having had her patience tested, grabbed the covers of the bed and swiftly snatched them off, exposing Carmen to the sharp bite of her unusually cold room.

“Alright, alright, I'm up!!! Goodness Nadine, must you be so cruel?!” Carmen exclaimed.

Nadine gave her no reply while she simply walked over to the bathroom door, motioning for Carmen to follow. Carmen reluctantly got up and headed towards the entryway, sighing as she dragged her feet with each sleepy step.

Once inside, she undressed herself and entered the warm, pool sized tub that was filled with soapy bubbles. She rested her head on the edge and looked up at the skylight, admiring the sunlight that was now filling this extravagant and large castle.

Pristine marble floors, expensive tapestry layering the walls, jeweled light fixtures, and lavish artworks all defined the immense level of royalty presented here. Castle de Belouis was the name of this storied and grand home of the Royal Belouis family, long standing rulers of the nation known as Volaire. The castle towered over its surroundings within the capital city of Ariana and was the crown jewel of the nation, its tall and white marble walls being seen from many miles away.

After washing up, Carmen grabbed an outfit that was draped over her vanity chair and proceeded to get dressed. The outfit had long, black fingerless gloves, black leather boots that went past her knees, and black shorts. Her belt curiously tilted to the side as she fiddled with the compartment attached to it.

She then slid on her red, medium length, split cover up skirt and a sleeveless button up jacket. Carmen looked in the mirror and twirled around to see her new travel garbs, admiring the various gold trims throughout that accented against the black colors.

Once she felt satisfied with her new look, Carmen went over to her travel bag and made sure she had everything she needed. With a quick, yet thorough once over, she zipped up the bag and slung it over her shoulder, now fully ready to get this journey started.

Carmen bolted downstairs, but as she approached the grand hall, she noticed another one of her sisters having a conversation. It was Zalthia Belouis, the 2nd eldest daughter of the Royal Belouis family and commander of the Queen's Royal Guard known as The Six. Zalthia was easy to spot as she was wearing her signature, scarlet colored robes over top of her black uniform. While she talked, Zalthia ran her fingers through her long silver hair before gathering it all together and draping over her right shoulder.

Unsurprisingly, the individual she was speaking with happened to be the third ranked member of The Six, Asiah Dior or otherwise known as Asiah of Three. She had a similar black uniform as Zalthia but her jacket was sleeveless and a bit sleeker overall. On her left arm was a tribal style tattoo that raced around her bicep and down to the forearm, accenting perfectly against her tanned skin.

However, once Carmen reached the bottom step, an overly large white liger with similar markings to Asiah’s tattoo came into view. The oversized feline was laying on its side, resting its body on the cool marble tile.

Carmen’s eyes lit up as she ran over to say hello, eager to greet them. Upon her arrival, the seemingly fierce and dangerous-looking beast got on all fours and leapt onto Carmen, vigorously licking her face while purring loudly.

“Hello to you too Vera! Geez, you can stop licking my face now.” Carmen playfully quipped to the gentle giant.

Vera stopped her vicious assault and stepped to the side, motioning her head near Carmen’s hand, as though she were demanding pats and scratches. Carmen got to her feet and obliged, petting her soft liger friend while looking up at Asiah with a smile.

“Seems you two are still as close as ever. Even when you were a toddler, Vera couldn’t get enough of you.” Asiah chuckled.

“Probably because she kept sneaking food to her when she wasn’t supposed to. That Manifest of yours won’t ever forget that gesture.” Zalthia chimed in, shaking her head with slight annoyance. Carmen awkwardly laughed while she continued to scratch Vera’s chin.

“Are you ready to head out sis?” Zalthia added, noticing the travel bag next to Carmen.

“Yes, I’ve got everything I need packed. I’m a little nervous, but I know that everything’ll be fine. Can’t wait to awaken and get my Manifest!”

Carmen clenched her fist together and pumped it into the air, showing just how eager she was to leave.

“I see. Well, all I can say is to not rush things. It takes time to obtain a Manifest, so don’t get discouraged if it's been multiple months and you don’t really feel anything. That’s completely normal.”

As soon as Zalthia finished speaking, Azhane entered the grand hall. Asiah of Three quickly knelt and bowed upon her entrance, joined by Vera on her left side.

“Lift your head Asiah, I’m only here to see off Carmen.” Azhane quickly stated, as though feeling a tad annoyed by the theatrics. She walked over to Carmen and gave her another big hug before pulling an object out of a small, purple void.

“I’ve got to give you something before you leave. Put this on and don’t take it off until you obtain your Manifest.”

She carefully handed Carmen a small brown box. Carmen slowly opened the little box and saw a silver necklace with a simple cube shaped pendant. The craftsmanship was a little plain, not having anything special or interesting about it.

“Uhh, thanks, but what is this?”

Carmen examined the necklace with a perplexed expression. Azhane removed the necklace from the box and brushed Carmen’s hair to the side. She gently put the pendant around Carmen's neck and seconds later, she began to feel a tingling sensation on her face, tickling all over.

“This necklace may look a little plain, but this is a very rare illusory charm. It’s imbued with Core Energy and has the ability to alter the appearance of whoever wears it.”

Azhane reached her hand into another dark purple void and pulled out a mirror as the void faded away. She held it up to Carmen’s face and to her surprise she now had light brown hair, green eyes, and a fair number of freckles.

“WOAH!!!” she exclaimed, shocked by her new face. “But why do I need to hide my appearance?”

“Because you would stick out like a sore thumb. No one else in Alaira looks like us and we don’t need you becoming a target for someone trying to bring harm to the Belouis family.” Zalthia stated with a serious tone, making sure Carmen understood the severity of the outside world.

"Yeah, we all had to use some kind of disguise when we left home to go on our journeys. There are some dangerous people out there, so it's better to be safe than sorry." Azhane added.

“Oh, I see… Yeah that totally makes sense. I didn’t even think about that.”

Carmen nervously laughed, feeling slightly scared by the thought of getting killed while on her journey.

“If it makes you feel any better, I could accompany you to the first town. Would ensure your safety for the first leg of your journey at least.” Asiah chimed in, brushing her short curly hair back as she smiled. Carmen quickly shook her head, disagreeing with Asiah’s offer.

“No, I want to do this the right way. Having someone protect and watch over me would defeat the whole purpose of my first journey. I’ll be fine!”

Asiah gave her a firm nod and after a few more conversations, Carmen was ready to set off into the unknown and fully awaken her abilities.

“Well, looks like I’m off! Take care and I’ll try to be back as soon as possible.”

Azhane and Zalthia smiled, agreeing with her words and wishing her the best of luck. They waved goodbye as Carmen left the castle, now officially beginning her long journey.

While she walked the busy and bustling streets of Ariana City, Carmen reminisced about good times. Seeing all the familiar shops and roads that she often admired from the castle filled her with warmth and reassurance.

All around her, citizens were using a multitude of abilities and Manifests to assist with their day to day routines and jobs, showing just how reliant on the Core of Alaira everyone was. Core Energy was brimming everywhere in Ariana City and Carmen couldn’t wait to be among those that used their Manifests freely.

'I’ll really miss this place. Take care while I’m away!'

As Carmen maneuvered her way through the crowds of people, she couldn't help but feel nostalgic. The various cream colored walls and tan wooden roofs of each building hailed her every step of the way.

She eventually hit the city limits where a giant steel gate, brandished with the crest of Volaire, greeted her. The guard standing watch bowed his head and stepped aside, as though he were already aware of who she was and why she was there. He motioned to the guards on the side wall and they began to use their Core Energy to power a mechanism that lifted the gate up.

Carmen quickly stepped through to the other side and the gate slowly began to close, rumbling the ground as it shut. She was now outside of the city for the very first time in her life. The scene was picturesque with lush, green plains and a light blue, partly cloudy sky. Carmen dreamed of seeing this world for so long and now it was right at her finger tips, calling out to her with open arms. She grabbed a map from her travel bag and began to scan its contents.

“Hmm, now where was it? Ah, here we go. I think I’ll head to Olay Town first and then from there I can get to Cable Village. It should only take me about three days if I stay on the main path.”

Carmen gently folded up her map and after securing it inside of her bag, she took her first few steps out into the unknown.