4Disclaimer: Legend of Mana belongs to Square Enix, PLEASE revive this lovely franchise and turn it popular again.
Falling through the Sky
Up close, the Mana Tree blocked the sky. Its tower-like trunk constantly creaked and moaned as if it was breathing. The branches swayed, tossed, and danced restlessly in strong winds or still air. Through rains and fires and quakes, the Tree stood as the companion, protector, and eternal giver.
But today was different. The Mana Tree was motionless. Those who might spy it from afar would see only its dead silence.
The Mana Goddess waited in fear and hope, in madness and shattered clarity, for her destroyer.
Her Knight of Mana.
Ashes fell from the blue sky. All around him the bones of the past laid exposed under the indifferent sun. Survivors shuffled dejectedly in the ruins, looking for anything that can be salvaged. They were afraid to find another reminder of a happier time, yet unable to keep from hoping for just one last glimpse. A man moved to help one of the women. He lifted heavier pieces of debris aside and dug with bare hands at the scorched ground below until every nail bled. A child's toy block tumbled out of the upturned pile, colors faded into a muddled gray.
Vitus woke suddenly and reflexively checked the amount of sunlight pouring in through his window. Still not quite dawn, but Lisa would be up and about her business in the kitchen soon. The sprite sighed, thumped back onto his feathered pillow, before inhaling sharply and sprung right out of the warm covers, jumped into his clothes, and downstairs to stoke the fire.
The little elf girl stumbled down the attic ladder a few minutes after he got a nice cheery crackle going in the hearth. She gave him a sleepy smile, ducked into the kitchen, and emerged with the kettle and a rack of bread. As Vit took care of the toasting, Lisa measured out the tea leaves, some kind of heart mint blend, put the kettle on the hook, and clattered up the ladder again to wake her twin.
A host of thudding, stomping, and marginal yelling later, Bud was perched pouting on his usual chair, morosely staring out at the late winter scenery while Lisa busied herself setting the table.
Breakfast was always eaten in silence during winter, the hour too early and the weather too depressing to inspire much liveliness. Still, they managed to have a few quiet words after the meal about the day's chores before Vit headed out to check on the frosted, hibernating Trent. Bud accompanied his master for part of the way and continued to the workshops, head already spinning out the calculations and dimensions of his latest harp project. He would probably stop by the corral before he got started though, evidenced by the bulky treat he was 'hiding' under his coat.
The day proceeded as the one before, and Vit said as much in his little journal. Still, as he banked the fire that night and turned away to look out into the dark, why did it seem like he was waiting for something to happen?
He shook his head, attributing the niggling feeling to his strange dreams and the dismal weather, and went up to bed.
The next morning the sun shone bright and lively from behind wispy clouds, and Vit could finally feel shy spring in the air. The twins took a break from their normal routine and strolled with him down to Domina to visit with Teapo and Duelle. He stuck around to chat with Jennifer about the spring produce orders before he made his usual way across to the pub.
Rachel mouthed 'hello' to him and motioned for him to take a seat at the bar, a much-improved welcome considering how she was when she first started working there. He was passed his usual winter fare, the last of the applesocks cider, and left alone.
Even the bartender caught wind of his weird mood, Vit sighed inwardly. Still, he finished his drink cheerfully enough and went outside to collect his apprentices from the park.
The mood during the trek home was bordering on jolly until they reached the path in front of the homestead.
"Sproutling!?" all three shouted at the same time.
The small creature was almost brown from the cold dry air. Vit hurriedly scooped it up and sprinted for the house, the twins close behind.
Thank Goddess, the fire didn't die out. The water in the kettle was still warm too. Vit grabbed a pail from the kitchen and went to work.
Soon the air was as sweltering and moist as the Jungle on a summer day, and the Sproutling was reviving enough to drink the melted snow coursing down its face.
Vit leaned back on the bench and mopped his face, "Why aren't you with the rest of your fellows...wherever you were? How did you even get here?"
The Sproutling just continued to drink and basked in the warm air.
"That scared me, I thought it was going to die." Lisa leaned her arms on the table, "Can Sproutlings be considered...alive though?"
"Sure it's alive, just look at it! Gulping down moisture like a lost man that just found an oasis." Bud slumped next to his sister and eyed the Sproutling, "But maybe we can dissect it to make sure…"
The creature looked up, alarmed, and tried to jump out of the bucket.
"Whoa, sorry, he was just joking, right?" Vit directed the last syllable behind him and got a drawling 'yeeeees' in reply, "I won't let anything happen to you. Just...tell me what you came for, okay?"
The Sproutling looked at the twins, at Vitus, then nodded at everyone in general as if to acknowledge their presence, "I'm waiting."
"For who?" they leaned closer, intrigued.
But the Sproutling shook its head, quietly splashing the water in the bucket. And that was that for the rest of the winter.
"It's SPRING!" Bud raced out of the door and to the corral as soon as he was finished gulping down breakfast.
"Careful and don't let Mandy scorch the fence!" Vit called after him. With no reply forthcoming, he just smiled lopsidedly and continued on his way to the orchard. It was the outer Trent's turn to be checked on, and his feet took the familiar paths without him needing to think on it.
Pale new blooms decorated the grass and the water rushed noisily beside him on its way from the mountains to the sea. The bad dreams and uneasiness of some weeks ago seemed already far behind him.
Trent greeted him sleepily, still not fully awake from winter hibernation. Vit set down his tools and began to peel back the covers he had wrapped around the massive trunk, carefully rolling up the mat for storage.
He was almost done. A trumming started down beneath his feet and he realized that Trent was surprised, "What is it-" he started to ask before he saw the foot.
Vitus dropped everything he was holding and ducked down below Trent's tangled roots. "Wha-what-what's-who-" he trailed off, bewildered by the sight.
A girl slept deeply there, arms curled almost protectively on one of the roots.
He blew out his breath in relief that she wasn't a stray corpse or zombine but sucked in another immediately. She was wearing only a pale, very see-through, shift.
Vitus clapped his hands over his eyes and retreated out of the root shelter, "Calm Vitus. Seriously, it's not like she's awake-"
"Who?"
"Wah!" he jumped three feet and spun around to see Lisa, an oversized picnic basket in her arms, tilted her head at him in question.
"Lisa! Don't scare me like that! What is it today, just one thing after another- hey!" Bud, who had moved up unnoticed, was ducking down behind him in curiosity, "Bud! Get out here this instant!" Vit darted out a hand and snagged the boy's collar before dragging him out like an unruly howler.
Bud's eyes were huge saucers in a red face, "Master, I- I didn't know you prefer blonds-"
"No! I mean I do, but-" Vit paused, took a deeper breath to collect himself, swung Bud up to hang from a nearby root, took off his outer coat, and handed it to Lisa, "Okay. Lisa, please go in there, cover her up, and try to wake her if you can. Seriously, I don't know who she is or what's going on, but we can find out after she's decent."
Lisa set down the basket and looked at her master doubtfully.
"I really don't know her!" Vitus massaged his temples. What kind of person do they think he is!
The girl had the temerity to shrug and shook her head! But at least she did as he asked.
"She's fine now." Lisa poked out her head a few minutes later, and both boys joined her in the small hollow.
The girl was still sleeping peacefully, despite all the ruckus they were making.
"Um, so what's next?" Bud asked no one in particular as they stared.
"She seems kind of...exhausted." Lisa said thoughtfully, "Look how pale she is. And I tried and shook her shoulders, no response. Unless you want to hold her nose?" she asked Vit.
"No, please don't suggest using Bud's waking tactics on perfect strangers, Lisa. We'll give her nightmares." He considered carrying her, but she looked so comfortable and at home on the grass…
"What's in the basket?" Vit switched his attention to his apprentices instead.
"What? Oh, just some lunch. I thought we could have a picnic after we were done with Trent…" Lisa answered confusedly.
"I just followed the smell of food," Bud answered a nonexistent question.
"...Okay. So let's have some early lunch then. We'll just have to wait for her to wake up on her own." Vit decided.
They got out to prepare the picnic blanket and spread the feast on the cloth. Some sandwiches, some stew made from the last of the jerky and hot drinks in mugs later, there was a shuffling from inside the hollow.
A sleepy head peered out and licked her lips, "Can I have some too?"
