Chapter Text
How long has she been so disappointed with her family’s decision, especially when she’s not around to discuss it?
Robin faces Sunday after the assembly between nations was held. She is barely back after a long absence, finding the bastion of Penacony is wrecked and countless lives are lost. The news of Penacony’s victory in the three year war is music to everyone’s ears, though only later Robin knows that the All Consuming Corruption is still active on the border and actively breaching.
Like Penacony, there are other nations in the world who battled All Consuming Corruption, but as they’re the closest to its impact area, the League of Preservations has announced Penacony to be the most hostile area. For three years, Robin can’t come back home, only listening to radio updates or passing stories as she tries to get back.
Penacony has won, they said, but it is far from the truth.
"This is not what we agreed on, brother." She is seething. She doesn't know her return to her homeland will eventually have her to be then 'sold' as a trophy wife to an esteemed hero who had ‘triumphed’ in the war against All Consuming Corruption and Dragon of Depths.
It is news to Robin that the one who conquered the bounty and brought the dragon's head will get fame, wealth, and many other things from the three nations which were driven to the brink. She returns solely for her brother, for their family, for their land, not to become a wife to some hero she doesn't even know the face of.
"There are things that you must do, Robin," Sunday regards her with a cold tone. "The decision is final."
"But, brother-!"
"As you can see, the All Consuming Corruption is still a threat out there," He isn't even trying to listen to her. "This act of goodwill is there to make sure the hero is satisfied, then they will continue on fighting on our behalf."
For three years, as they sung the tale of Penacony’s bravery and hardships out there, it was actually a hired mercenary who shouldered the burden to fight on front lines.
“Why would you do this, brother …?” Robin’s composure cracks. It is as though the resolute, composed leader she has known in the past was no more. His sunken features, his jagged behavior; he must’ve been thinking for the best for Penacony and the remnant of land that has yet to be consumed, and this act is only a tip of the iceberg.
And yet.
“Tomorrow, someone will fetch you to the bastion to meet the hero.” Sunday says calmly. “Isn’t this what you wanted, to defend our land?”
Robin let out a shaky breath. There is no use to keep trying to reason when Sunday is already set on letting Robin get everything on her own.
✼
No one knows exactly when it ‘came’ or ‘started’.
They named the threat who came from nowhere as ‘All Consuming Corruption’ after a meteor struck ground zero, torching everything within its hundred kilometer radius. With that crater, a black liquid sprouted down from the land, and it gave birth to denizens known as Destruction—Dragon of Depths.
Out of three nations who suffered the threat, Penacony was the worst. The prosperous land is silenced in mere hours, leaving them to quickly act and erect large, dam-like buildings known as ‘bastions’. Blessed by Preservations, the bastion was said to be a way to avoid black goo of ‘All Consuming Corruption’ to corrode the green land, and yet no normal humans can combat the horrifying effect of simply inhaling All Consuming Corruption’s fumes, or exposed to its high concentrated liquid.
But then, as the era called for desperate measures, the three nations issued a ‘bounty’ to help combat the effect of All Consuming Corruption, and the ‘hero’ is born among brave mercenaries who risked their lives for the rewards from said nations and League of Preservations.
Three years have passed since the rise of heroes. Another three years as Robin leaves Penacony to search for a way to help her land. And now, despite having the sufficient power to help the land, she will soon only be a trophy wife for the hero who helped Penacony to its temporary victory.
They may say Penacony won the war, but what happened was that they were merely able to stop the breach by sacrificing Penacony’s land. The so-called powerful hero torched the land with their power and the corruption slowed. While the effect lessened, there would still be Dragon of Depths—mechanical dragons born out of the muck—that would attack and harm living beings.
. . .
Robin’s fate is sealed as before she is escorted by caravan, the mage embedded her wrist with an unknown sigil. It seems that it is a hero’s mark, making her bound to the hero unless the contract is broken. Sunday should be the one holding the contract but the mage says nothing and tells Robin to stay put. She doesn’t speak to the caravan members as she is brought in that caravan away from the main portion of Penacony capital straight to the ‘Dream’s Edge’.
Alongside with Robin, the hero is granted the piece of land for their ‘use’. It is a piece of land situated atop of the once lush hill, now guarded by a fence bearing similar power to bastion buildings. From that place above, you can see a beautiful stretch of Penacony’s villages and plantation, but nowadays all that’s left of it is merely sand and rubble. Dream’s Edge on the current time is indeed an ‘edge’ of Penacony, but rather than a place where happy dreams reside, it is their last hope. If All Consuming Corruption breached that place, Penacony soon will be consumed by almighty darkness, and the land of dreams is no more.
Robin can tell right away that while Penacony is indebted with hero’s deed, they can’t do anything to repay the mercenary contract, meaning Sunday has to ‘sell’ Robin, along with that piece of unneeded land, which is the last bastion of Penacony.
Is this really how things will go? The power she had after years of searching, will it be just in vain as she watches Penacony slowly succumb to its untimely end?
Robin doesn’t realize that she’s spacing out until the caravan shakes violently and stops. A loud, booming sound can be heard from a distance. Robin cranes her head to the nearest window to find a pillar of fire shields the outer bastion, then an armored knight jumps from one broken ledge to another to avoid mechanical dragon’s maneuver. It’s hard to witness the fight with the naked eye as the armored knight—shining silver under dull midday sun—moving so agile despite its humongous size.
“It’s them—the hero.” The mage points to the armored knight. Robin eyes follow as the mechanical dragon is burned to crisp, and they whisk back to the solid ground.
Another boom resounds nearby, shaking the caravan again, and Robin can’t help but to jump from the caravan and look around.
It seems that the mechanical dragon shoots a shard of All Consuming Corruption near them, and it is likely soon to become active and summon another dragon. Robin clenches her fists, taking a deep breath as she sings.
The ‘shell’ cracks under Robin’s singing, but it is not enough to stop them from evolving, spewing out a black goo. Robin steps back, clicking her tongue. She’s too late.
She only realizes that she has a guest, as there’s a hand around her shoulder—a big, cold metallic hand with artificial joints. The hero towers before Robin in an unyielding manner, assessing the situation as their visor glows a bright green.
“A Harmonics,” they say with a gruff voice. It is deep, yet feels clear as a bell. Robin can hear gentleness within it, but also underlying fierceness. “I see.”
They speak like they’ve used to Penacony’s antics—or Sunday’s, Robin can’t differentiate. Sunday is the leader there, so they should be working with Sunday for some time now, to the point that they are being regarded as ‘hero of Penacony’. From up close, though, they’re menacing. The title of ‘hero’ is not there for a show, not to mention how calm and composed they are in the face of impending danger.
“Do you think I can’t do anything at all?”
“Most of the time, the envoy only sends … unsavory things.”
‘Envoy’, Robin can hazard a guess that they mean it as Sunday.
“Well now, this ‘unsavory thing’ is somehow going to be your wife.” Robin says, showing the mark imprinted on her wrist, which is pulsing red as she is closer to the armed hero. “You can call me Robin.”
A beat of silence. It seems that the hero is not exactly a talker, but at least they’re dropping their aggressive stance and look around their shoulder, likely seeing Robin for the first time.
“... I’m known as Sam.” they reply with a neutral tone. “Also … wife? What nonsense did the envoy sprout this time?”
Robin is not amused, “I don’t know either, but it’s not like I can annul the marriage.”
Sam let out a dejected sigh, “This is getting silly.”
Robin points at the caravan behind her, and how everyone is already putting out their blaster guns forward as another mechanical dragon races to their way again, stating that she’s not there to be a band of smiles. Sam ponders for a bit before shrugging. They already assume ready stance, one of their fists raise up in alertness as they stand on their full height.
“Here it comes, Harmonics. Please support me.”
Robin doesn’t play hooky and quickly synchronizes with Sam as the armored knight dashes forward, boosting themselves with power and fire. Robin sings her best, picking the offensive song magic suited for Sam’s element, and let Sam do their thing.
Harmonics—the lost art. The power that is said to heal the land by tuning oneself with the world. As the source itself is lost, the remaining Harmonics left in the world are scattered to help the place needed, and Robin was lucky enough to be able to inherit one of their ‘teachings’. While it came with a big price, Robin doesn’t really care. If it is for Penacony, she will do anything for her land to be free.
Channeling her power again, Robin is able to disrupt the mechanical dragon movement, leaving Sam ample room to launch their attack. Sam charges their fist with hot blaze, pushing it toward the dragon’s face until the firm-looking frame shatters. Blaster support coming from the caravan entourage rains on the mechanical dragon until it decays and fizzes out.
Robin sighs. This is their first time synchronizing, but it goes quite well. She doesn’t experience rejection from Sam, and they use the boost from Robin nicely to add their firepower.
“Miss Robin, we should proceed.” the mage of the caravan says. Robin doesn’t realize that she’s been staring at the sea of fire that Sam makes a beat too long.
“Wait, I need to talk with them. Just go without me.”
“But this place is dangerous, I’m sure the hero would like you to go to a safe place first.”
“I’ll be fine.”
The caravan eventually leaves after her request, and she approaches Sam as they stand motionless, likely surveying around the place until it is safe enough to leave. Robin doesn’t know either why the need to talk to them—or the need to simply apologize for being defensive by the first time they both talked.
Sam turns to Robin, the visor dims, and the fire engulfing part of their armor dissipates. “You’re still here.”
“I want to thank you,” Robin says. “And I’m sorry, for being a bit prickly.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Sam shakes their head. “You should go to a safer place. I need to resume my patrol first before I’ll deal with pleasantries.”
“Can I come with you, then?”
Sam seems to be surprised, as their gesture is guarded but unlike before. They look at Robin’s way, surveying the Halovian before them before they droop their shoulders. “As you wish, Harmonics.”
“Robin.”
“Robin,” Sam sounds unsure. They begin to walk, turning around the road or rubble trailing downwards, Robin trails beside them. “... You say that you’re going to be my wife?”
“Basically it’s arranged, by my brother,” she doesn’t want to say that she is ‘sold’ to the ‘hero’ as payment. “I hope you don’t mind—though if you do, you can complain to him.”
“So you’re his sister,” Sam says knowingly. “I’ve never known the Envoy has a sibling.”
“I haven’t been back in Penacony for three years.” Robin replies plainly. She doesn’t know why she starts to blab, and to the hero that she disdains in her mind just a moment ago, so to speak.
“I can’t annul the arrangement, I’m afraid. I’m bound to Penacony by contract because of Preservations.”
Robin sighs, “Guess we must somehow work things out, huh?”
“A question, though, Miss Robin.”
Robin looks up, the more they talk together, the more Sam doesn’t seem to be so distant, or like the hero they usually talk about in stories; the unbearable type who’d preach their achievement. Rather, Sam is true to their mission, like it was the duty embedded to themselves.
Is Sam perhaps a cyborg? But they don’t give off the ‘artificial’ vibe at all.
Robin’s line of thoughts are answered as soon as a green fire burns before her, Sam’s armor depletes to nothingness, leaving only a young lady standing before Robin. A sign of vein-like remnants glow on her face and her exposed skin as she ‘reverts’ from her armor. Iridescent-colored eyes open to seek Robin, though her expression remains placid, as though she expected Robin to walk away from her and go.
“Will it be okay if …” Robin now understands why she hears a clear voice, not an impatient, unreasonable gruff. “... if the ‘hero’ is not like you may have thought to be?”