Within a plainly painted laboratory—colored all white and appearing congested due to the several apparatuses present within despite its very massive expanse—a Fairy stood behind a device.
She had peach pink colored hair, and her green eyes hidden behind lens were fixed on the button she pressed, as well as the massive generator that stood before her.
Jane Ursula, the Mad Witch as some knew her, was currently operating controls of the Remote Warp Device, or the RWD as she usually referred to it.
The device required intricate calculations, the right amount of energy output, and a proper wavelength analysis that proved difficult for anyone but her—its maker—to do.
Of course, she had assistance from tons of her Golems and Automatons, and they were all in their various stations, working on the various other parts of the machine.
Jane could have left this particular one to a highly competent Automaton as well, but she chose to handle it herself. Upon hearing her allies calling for her to ensure their return, she took full reign of the device, and after finally slamming a key in, a brilliant burst of light enveloped the room.
Like a swirling vortex invading the pure white room, a blast descended from the ceiling, and three silhouettes stood at the center of the energy storm.
Fortunately, the place they appeared in was a specially designed area meant to contain the spatial energy caused by such high-speed travel through worlds. As a result, the entire room remained safe from the torrents that manifested.
Jane's gaze left the machine and focused on the three entities within the dissipating storm. They were her comrades who had just returned from their latest expeditions.
"Serah, Maria, Ana… well done." Her voice was calm, and a smile formed on her face as she watched them step out of the containment area.
Ana and Maria had somewhat clouded expressions on their faces, but Serah still had her usual confident smile.
"Yeah. Good to be back home." Serah retorted, turning at the two younger women beside her. "Right, girls?"
Rather than giving a positive response that was similar to the vibe Serah was giving, what she got was the exact opposite.
"I guess…" Maria muttered.
"I'm more interested in your findings, Miss Jane. Is there any progress in the mapping? Have you detected anything?"
As expected, all of them were anxious about the results of their expedition. Other than fighting the Nether Beasts and purifying the target planet from any vestige of darkness, everything hinged on the results of the mapping.
No. One could say their search for their lost allies was the primary goal. Everything else came as a direct or indirect consequence of that.
"Relax, you three. The device is still analyzing the data. In the meantime, I'll need you to brief me on what happened." Jane tilted her glasses a little before speaking some more.
"Tell me everything.
*****
One would think it was impossible to cram several weeks of expedition into a briefing of less than an hour, but considering how most of what the trio did this time was similar to the other previous times, it didn't take all day to highlight their experiences there.
They spoke of the landscape, ecosystem, energy concentration, encounters with creatures, and how they spent their time. With each of the three offering perspectives of their journey, as well as a combined account of certain elements, the briefing was soon concluded before the one-hour mark.
"I see… I understand." Jane muttered, sighing more in the process.
For a moment, there was silence among all four within the private chambers where they now occupied.
It was also painted pure white, and it existed right beside the lab, but it was probably better to discuss in a private chamber than in a congested workspace.
"Even if you discovered vestiges of Nether, you still didn't find any definitive trace of Ciel or Legris…"
The Nether Element had been introduced to the world when The Nether Cult nearly destroyed it. With The Nether invading their world, and Ciel's twisted plans nearly succeeding, everyone in the room knew just how dangerous that power was.
Legris Damien also seemed to have some connection to it, which made the process all the more connected.
"I thought by searching specifically for Nether, we would narrow the scope, but we're still not any closer to finding them."
The only good news was the nigh elimination of any trace of Nether within the observable world around them.
"You don't need to beat yourself up too much, Jane. After the wedding, you worked your butt off to locate any trace of Legris and Ciel. You did your best." Serah's voice echoed within the room.
"Well, that isn't enough. Results are all that matter." Jane's thoughts harshly leaked out, but she quickly realized how insensitive she seemed.
She could see Serah's smile falter a little, and that gave her the reflection she needed
"Sorry, Serah. Thanks for the encouragement…"
There was an unspoken knowledge in the room that no one brought up, and everyone decided it was best to simply hide within themselves.
Out of everyone here… the one suffering the most was most definitely Serah Crimson.
"Haha! It's fine. I can understand your frustration." The red-haired woman laughed it all off like it was nothing.
But, even if no one else knew, Jane understood full well that her smile wasn't real.
It was a mask.
'I'm sorry, Serah… I understand.' Jane thought to herself, hiding the compassion in her eyes as she tried to imagine the pain her friend was experiencing.
On the day that was meant to mark the happiest moment of her life, she had lost the most important person in her life.
Her husband.
The Wedding, a day of celebration meant to signify a happy moment where two people would be unified, ended up causing far more chaos and tragedy than anyone bargained for.
And the biggest victim was the bride herself.
'I know you're trying to be strong for everyone, but… Serah, you can't keep hiding your pain like this.'
Jane knew full well the dangers behind that.
Something had to give, and it wouldn't be long now before all her hidden emotions would be revealed.
Jane could only pray that Serah wouldn't break when it finally happened.
"You three are the first to return from your expeditions too. The others are still not done completing their assignments. I should say congratulations, I suppose." Jane decided to change the direction of the conversation considering how depressing the mood was getting.
As much as she thought it was better to talk about their feelings, she knew none of the women in the room were in the right space to discuss losing their loved ones.
"Well, they probably had more difficult missions…" Maria mumbled.
"Don't tell jokes, Maria. It doesn't suit you, hahaha!" Jane's unusually loud voice overshadowed Maria's best efforts at modesty.
"Oh. My bad."
The mix between the brightness of Jane's tone, and the dullness of Maria's response slowly built up to something.
This was it! The spark that led to what she wanted.
"Hahahaha!" Everyone in the mood burst into laughter, all at the stoic-faced girl's expense.
Yes, the laughter was a bit strained and forced.
Yes, it was probably not the best moment to be laughing.
However, for these women who had lost the ones they loved and cherished most… it was probably for the best.
At the very least, that was what Jane Ursula thought.
*
*
*
[A/N]
I hope you enjoyed the read.
It might seem like I'm intentionally postponing the Jared story, but I want you readers to experience these things from the eyes of these women.
Cheers.
