Seeds of Discordia

Liam watched as the last person of the group entered through the door. It was Omira. Blair looked around to make sure no one was around, but only did so for theatrics since Eri had informed them no one was around that could hear them. Those that could were either asleep or preoccupied above deck.

Inside the room on Liam's left was Avery, Ariyana, and Gimmel. On his right was Artem, Mercer, and Val. Roman and Blair stood on both sides of the door making it look like they were listening for any potential eavesdroppers or wandering people. They weren't sure what she wanted to talk to them about or how important it was, but they also didn't want to take any chances if this was a set up.

Omira sat on the opposite side of the table. While she tried to look resolved and unfazed, Liam was able to see some slight fidgeting in her body and some uncomfortableness. No one said anything, allowing the young Fae woman to take her time to gather her thoughts and muster the courage she looked like she needed.

Once she was ready she looked at the others not laying her eyes on Liam and started, "First I'd like to ask what all Liam has told you about me?"

"He's giving us some cliff notes," Mercer cautiously replied. "However, I believe he didn't tell us everything due to what is yours is yours to share and not his. Just so there is nothing missed, can you please start from the beginning with what you and he spoke about?"

Omira nodded before she went into the retelling of their discussion. Liam hopped in when she looked like she couldn't remember something he or she had said in certain parts. While majority of them had certain areas in the story they were surprised, they weren't as surprised as Val who was completely in the dark of everything.

Artem, Avery, Ariyana, Blair, and Roman all gave looks of disbeliefs and scowls during the parts of her telling when it came to her own siblings trying to kill her. They all had siblings and couldn't believe what they were hearing. Roman looked less in disbelief than the others as he looked off to the side, almost as if he could relate in a way, but didn't voice anything which made Liam take note.

"Hm," Mercer started up after Omira had finished. "I want to make sure I have all of this right. First off, you're the third princess of the Faeheart Kingdom. You and your siblings are currently having a struggle for succession of the throne. The way that it is done is through merits and achievements. The more one has the more one has a bigger chance at receiving the prize, the throne."

Omira nodded her head, but didn't say anything as Mercer continued, "However, your siblings…How many siblings do you have again?"

"I have two older brothers, two older sisters, and three young siblings as well," Omira answered looking a bit embarrassed.

Ariyana blushed as Artem and Avery let out a cough trying to regain their composure from the shock. Roman on the other hand let out, "Holy shit. They weren't shy around each other now were they?"

Everyone glared at Roman who looked sheepish all of a sudden. Mercer shook his head before pressing forward once more, "I see now why you just say siblings. Are your younger siblings taking part in any of this?"

Omira shook her head. "No, not unless something happens to me and every one of my older siblings."

Mercer nodded at that. "Okay, so your older siblings have basically ostracized you and have attempted to try and end your life. However, they use others instead of doing this with their own hands. So you're not really sure who is on whose side and have basically been on your own."

"Yes," Omira said as she looked down at the table with a look of almost complete defeat on her face.

"Then that request for your head back on that one island was something that was organized by them?" Mercer questioned.

Omira shifted as she replied, "I'm not entirely sure if they had an actual hand in it since they don't have any proof of the path we are taking on the large open waters."

Mercer nodded. "And that's why you think there is a chance Key might be in one of their pockets correct? The same could be said about Sebastean. How well do you know the man?"

Omira thought about it for a long moment. After she was done she stated, "He's worked for my family for a certain amount of years, but I never really spent any time around him. He was usually found around my father as a barrier employee. Oh a Barrier employee is exactly what it sounds like. They basically stay by my father and use barrier magic if an attempt on his own life happens."

"How often does that happen?" Liam asked, genuinely curious.

"I haven't heard of any attempts so basically not at all?" Omira said with little belief in her own words. She then added, "I have heard kings and queens from before his rule were attacked, but that was because they had plenty of enemies they had made when they were young and stupid. My father doesn't have any that I know of."

Mercer nodded his head once more as he began to think. He then looked at Liam and said, "I can see why you're leaning more with Sebastean and believe Key is completely innocent."

Omira raised a brow as she looked at Liam. However, instead of Liam explaining Mercer did it for him. "Your thought process on thinking Key would be a good suspect in all of this is understandable since she is in control of our route. However, I and even Liam believe that if she was the one then why take a chance on assassins? She's powerful enough to do it on her own and she has a whole crew to back her up on covering any loose ends. Plus, if she was the one then she wouldn't have had us come along. It would be extra work for her, and she doesn't strike me as someone who would do things inefficiently."

Omira thought over Mercers words. While she understood them she had a thought she wanted to bring up. "What about the Bear-folk? What if she hasn't made a move is because he is here?"

"Uncle Naro?" Liam inquired. "Both he and she are old friends. I think if she was thinking about doing something like that then she wouldn't have agreed to having us. Plus, and I say this now because I kind of forgot about it, but we had prior engagements to join her on this ship before you."

Mercer's eyes widened as he looked like he just remembered something. "That's right. We had to hop from port town to port town due to that huh."

Liam nodded. "That's why I think the circumstances make her look suspicious, but that's just it. However, that damn Elf guy…"

"It has to be him," Roman chimed in. "He's been nothing but odd. From the moment we met him he'd been accusing us as possible killers. I bet he's the one behind all of this."

Omira looked a bit uncomfortable once more as the others murmured their agreements. Liam and Mercer noticed the young Fae girl and saw she looked like there was something she wasn't tell them. The two shifted their gazes to each other before Liam nodded.

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Mercer looked at Omira and cautiously said, "Unless there is more going on than we know. Like for example the whole Lotan Spawn thing and what it is you are really doing or rather going to."

Omira stiffened at that. Everyone stared at her as she did . They remained quiet, waiting for Omira to speak up again. It took a couple of minutes before she started back up, "There is a possibility that it could be something else. I'm not entirely sure because I haven't seen them during the trip, but there is a chance it could be them."

"Them?" Roman questioned.

Omira shifted once more in her seat as she thought over what she was going to say. After thinking it over she said, "Before I tell you about who they are…" She looked at Liam and added, "I think I should answer the question I didn't give you last time we spoke."

Liam looked confused as he tried to think about what she meant, but after a few seconds he remembered and responded, "The Lotan Spawn?"

Omira nodded. "That and also what it is I am actually doing on this boat as well as why there aren't any Portals available on the islands we have visited so far."

Everyone's attention was fully focused on the teenaged girl. She felt their gazes on her and almost flinched. She quickly recomposed herself by taking a breath in and out before starting, "First, I'd like to thank you all. For not only saving my life back when those assassins attacked me but also treating me like a friend. Or at least as close to one that I could tell. I know I haven't been completely honest with you all, but as I have mentioned before it has been hard for me to trust or feel like I could get close to anyone. So when I say thank you I really mean it."

Omira took a moment to pause as she closed her eyes and take in another breath. Liam and the others had a look of pity on their faces. The looks quickly disappeared as they listened to her speak again as she opened her eyes back up. They could see she had fought back the tears that had threatened to spill moments ago.

"I told you all what I did as a gesture of me showing I have treasured the feelings you have given me and wish to actually be your friend. What I say next is me giving you all complete and total trust. The reason why I am not completely sure if the attempts on my life have been due to my siblings, Key, Sebastean, or this other group has to do with the reason of my…pilgrimage. It is considered a merit and achievement if I succeed to my family while it also holds a sort of religious and traditional event that can only be done by an Oceanic Fae with Faeheart Blood."

Liam felt his mind grow more and more curious the more she spoke. His curiosity for this girls full story had been nagging at him throughout the whole trip and it seemed he was now finally going to scratch that itch.

"Every year it is the duty of a Faeheart Royal who is a certain type of Fae to travel to the location that holds Fae Cultural importance related to their element to carry out a traditional ritual," Omira explained. "This ritual helps clean the element of nature that it is tied to and stops certain…evil creatures from appearing, at least for the next three years before having to do it again on the fourth year after it has been done. It also helps strengthen certain highly revered creatures as well."

Omira paused, giving them time to digest and see if they had any questions. She could see the wheels turning in each of their minds as they tried to piece it all together. The first to speak was Ariyana.

"A ritual that helps clean the element of nature that it is tied to?" Ariyana started slowly. "I'm going to go out on a limb and say this year has to do with water? Also stops certain evil creatures while also strengths certain revered creatures? I want to say that the certain evil creatures are the Lotan Spawns…"

Omira nodded. "Yes. Although I guess evil creature is more of a descriptive title we have given them due to their violent nature and actions. We have yet to actually see these creatures act in a friendly way and whenever they start to appear disaster follow suit. Like the Sea Parades for example. If these are left alone and not taken care of then ships, those who swim as their mode of transportation, and even islands are attacked indiscriminately."

"Damn, that sounds bad," Roman commented as his eyes widened.

Omira nodded. "It has and can be. However, after completing a long and tedious ritual the wild portals that contain these specific spawns get destroyed and don't appear for a while until it is the year they are scheduled to appear again."

"What is this ritual," Mercer butted in. "I don't mean what it does, but rather where did you get this ritual and how does it actually work?"

Once more Omira shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I cannot give you the full details of how the ritual works…" Omira quickly raised both of her hands up in a slight panic as she saw the disappointed look in their faces as she explained. "It's not because I don't want to, but rather its due to my Goddess's strict rule."

"Your goddess?" Mercer questioned as he swiftly eyed Liam.

Omira nodded. "Yes. These rituals were given to us by the Deity who looks over or rules the area the ritual has to be done at. My Deity, Amphitrite, is the Goddess of the Sea and Sea Creatures and it is her demand that those who do not worship her and have nothing to do with the actual process of the ritual not know what is all entailed in it. However, what I can say is it requires a bunch of her followers and a lot of mana. So much mana that we have to have people cycling mana into those who have to cast the ritual to make sure they do not stop. The ritual lasts almost half a day."

Most of their jaws dropped at that admission. A few had muttered the words Holy shit or Damn as well. Mercer thought over what that meant. Like Liam, he too was still gauging the difference between the magical spells they could currently use and the ones everyone else can. The fact that this ritual needed multiple people, a way to replenish mana into those who needed to be topped without stopping, and a long time to cast meant this was a powerful thing.

Mercer looked at Omira and decided to ask, "I know you said that you are restricted on what you can say, but how does this ritual…" Mercer rotated his hand in front of him as he tried looking for the right word, "cleanse the elements of the area?"

Omira thought about his question and tried to find an adequate answer. However, after creasing her brows and thinking about it for some time she finally said, "I really don't know." She saw the looks on everyone's faces and swiftly said, "I really don't know. This is the first time I will be taking part in this ritual."

"Your first time?" Avery questioned.

Omira nodded. "Yes, the one before me passed away the day after she had performed this ritual four years ago."

Everyone looked shocked after hearing that. They all had one question after that but felt a bit uncomfortable asking it. Everyone except Roman that is. "How did she die?"

For once the others didn't want to admonish him. They were thankful he asked as Omira answered, "That leads to the group I believe could be behind this."

"Which is?" Avery asked.

"They call themselves The Children of the Sea," Omira responded. She waited to see if anyone had a reaction but then frowned as she remembered they were newly arrived people who knew nothing about the culture and organizations in this world.

She was about to open her mouth and speak but stopped as Gimmel inquired, "Wait…You mean the Children of the Sea are still around?"

Everyone looked at Gimmel with confusion on their faces.

"That can't be true. I heard they had been completely wiped off years ago," Val jumped in with a look disbelief. "Let me guess you're going to say the Children of the land, Air, and Fire are still running around as well?"

Omira gave her an uncomfortable look as she said, "Yes, we believe there is a chance they are."

"Bullshit!" Gimmel and Val shouted in unison.

Liam and the others looked at each other still confused on what was going on before they all looked at Mercer who gave them the same look they gave him. He shrugged before looking at Omira and asking, "Can you fill us in what these Children are?"

"Lunatics," Val said with a scowl. "Die hard, city destroying, same level as the current Seven Immoral Vice Lunatics. The only good thing about them is they hate each other and would fight each other before anyone else if they're in the same area."

Mercer stared at Val for a long moment giving her enough time to finish. Once she stopped speaking, he said with a measured and even tone of voice. "I thank you for the comparison, but that doesn't tell me anything about them other than they are really bad."

"You don't know the half of it," Gimmel scoffed.

Mercer glared at him and was about to say something, but stopped as Omira said, "The group as a whole is known to the world as The Children of the Primal Nature. A group of races that love nature more than anything led by Fae that worship not Deities, but Elemental Beasts that no one has ever seen before." She then placed a hand on her chin as she muttered, "I guess Elemental Beasts are not the exact name they are called. They are known as Primal Beasts. Giant, powerful creatures that reside in nature and wield Elemental powers that is related to the areas they reside in."

"Led by Fae?" Artem questioned.

Omira nodded. She then looked at Liam and said, "Remember when I said every race has an organization they aren't too proud of? Well this is ours."