Birthright (part 3 of 14)

a Shoujo-Ai Mascots fanfiction by Nathan Warford

Back to Part 2
For the next four days, Mia stayed at the campus medical center, 
recovering from her frightful ordeal. And for those four days, Arine 
never left the brunette's side. Even though she was missing all of her 
classes, the blonde felt that she needed to stay by Mia's side to make 
sure that the one she loved recovered completely

As soon as Mia was discharged, she and Arine walked back to their dorm 
room, relieved that Mia was healthy enough to go back to school. As Mia 
sat down on her bed, Arine sat down beside her and wrapped her arms 
around her girlfriend. "I'm so glad you're better, Mia," she said, close 
to crying tears of joy.

"So am I," said Mia, embracing Arine as well. "It took me two weeks to 
recover seven years ago."

"Why do you think it only took you a few days this time?" asked Arine.

Mia smiled and replied, "Maybe it's because I had you with me."

Arine looked into the brunette's brown eyes, again overcome with such 
happiness and compassion. Now knowing that Mia loved her just as much as 
she loved Mia, Arine closed her eyes and moved closer to her friend. Mia 
closed her eyes as well and the two girls met in a loving kiss.

----------

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, a secret meeting was being 
held. Several people sat around a large, round table. The light was dim, 
save for a bright light that illuminated the table. Although the 
lighting made it almost impossible for the members at the table to see 
each other, they all knew who the other members were.

"My brothers, my sisters," one of the older members spoke up. "I trust 
you know why you are all here. Lord Blake has fallen deathly ill. Our 
clan has done all that it can to help him, but the best we can do is 
keep his condition stable."

A female member continued, "The knowledge of our clan's origins has been 
passed down for ten millennia. You are all aware of the blood that runs 
through your veins, and you are all aware of the powers that that blood 
has endowed upon you."

"However," said another male member, "with all of the power that our 
clan possesses, we still are unable to improve our lord's condition. We 
must find the remaining gene sequences that have been lost to the 
passage of time."

"That will be no problem for me," another male voice spoke up.

"And why is that, Sir Johan?" asked the second male speaker.

"The Prophecy of Awakening is coming true in front of our very eyes," 
said Johan. "The elf is beginning to show his power."

"How would you know that, Sir Johan?" the first member asked. Johan 
reached inside his coat pocket and fished out a small object. He tossed 
it to the center of the table, the light illuminating it, revealing a 
brilliant, red ruby.

The members at the table stared at the jewel in awe. "Is that what I 
think it is?" the female member asked intently.

"Yes," replied Johan. "The fabled Red Ruby of Alvara. Just a moment 
before I received word of Lord Blake's attack, it activated." The clan 
members were becoming more and more interested by the second. "It was 
only for a moment, but it did shine the brilliant red that the myth said 
it would."

The second male speaker spoke up, "If the Red Ruby has indeed activated, 
it means that the elf has awoken, the one destined to bring about the 
new age of the elves, the one that holds the power to end our lord's 
suffering."

"But the real task is finding the elf," the female speaker noted. "The 
power of the Red Ruby reaches around the world. How will you know where 
to look?"

"I do not have to look," Johan said confidently. "The elf will come to 
me."

"And why is that?" asked the second male speaker.

"I have foreseen it. The blood in my veins has given me that power."

"We are happy to hear it, Sir Johan," said the first male speaker. "Take 
the Red Ruby back with you. Find the elf."

"Yes, Milord," Sir Johan acknowledged.

----------

The next morning, Mia and Arine woke up together, ate breakfast 
together, and went to European Literature class together. Mia was happy 
that Arine had become her cheerful self again and was not avoiding her 
like she had before.

At the front of the lecture hall, a familiar figure walked to address 
the students. However, it was not the person that Mia and Arine were 
expecting. "Professor Peridot?" Mia said quizzically."

"What's he doing at the front of the class?" Arine wondered.

"Bonjour, students," the Frenchman greeted the class. "I know some of 
you might be surprised to not see your regular teacher here today, but 
Professor Mustanen has gone to visit his family in Finland. There was 
some kind of tragedy in the family. For those of you who do not know me, 
my name is Pierre Doulin, but my friends and students call me Professor 
Peridot. I have some expertise in the literature of Eastern Europe, so I 
shall be teaching this class until Professor Mustanen gets back. Just to 
make sure I'm up to speed, can someone tell me how far along you are?"

As one of the students near the front of the lecture hall told Professor 
peridot how far along they were in the class, Mia and Arine spoke 
quietly among themselves. "A tragedy in the family..." Mia whispered to 
Arine.

"We almost had a tragedy at the same time," Arine said.

"Two tragedies at the same time. One averted, the other not."

"It's almost as if..." Arine said, "...you were meant to survive." Mia 
and Arine looked at each other and smiled. They held hands, not wanting 
to let anything get in the way of their new, loving relationship.

"So," Professor Peridot said as the boy at the front of the class ended, 
"you've just gotten into Scandinavian literature. That's one of my 
specialties. I suppose we should start with--" Professor Peridot 
suddenly stopped speaking and a look of surprise and confusion came 
across his face. His head swiveled around the room, as if he was looking 
for something.

"What's going on?" Arine wondered.

Mia stood up and asked, "Professor?" Peridot looked up at the person 
that had spoken to him. "Is something wrong?"

As the professor recovered from...whatever had distracted him, he 
replied, "Uh, no. No, I'm fine. I...I thought I heard something." Acting 
as casual as possible, Peridot continued, "Moving on. I suppose we 
should start with the mythology of ancient Scandinavia."

----------

The rest of European Literature proceeded normally. As the students 
exited the lecture hall, Arine informed Mia, "I'm off to Astronomy."

"Okay, Arine," acknowledged the brunette, smiling. "See you at lunch, 
okay?"

"Okay," replied Arine. The two girls kissed, not caring if any of the 
other students noticed them. They were not afraid of their feelings any 
longer. "I love you," Arine said.

"I love you too," said Mia. After looking lovingly into each other's 
eyes for a moment, the two girlfriends went their separate ways.

As Mia got back to her room, she lied down on her back smiling happily 
to herself. "Arine," she said as if her girlfriend was in the room with 
her. "I'm so glad that I met you. I'm so happy that you love me like I 
love you."

In Astronomy class, Arine was smiling just as happily. "Mia," she said 
as if Mia was sitting next to her in class. "I'm so glad that I met you. 
I'm so happy that you love me like I love you."

----------

Back on the other side of the world, an elderly man lay unconscious in 
bed, hooked up to life support systems. Several witch doctors were 
standing around him, concentrating carefully, as if attempting to bring 
the man out of his lifeless slumber.

As the witch doctors did what they could to keep the old man's condition 
stable, Sir Johan entered the room. The witch doctors became aware of 
Johan's presence and stood out of the way so that the middle-aged man 
could be by the older man's side. Johan went to the bed and kneeled down 
beside it. "Lord Blake," Johan started. However, he stopped himself and 
referred to the head of the clan differently. "Uncle. It's me, Johan. I 
know you can hear me. Listen. The Prophecy of Awakening is coming true. 
Soon, the elf's powers will be revealed, and we will be able to bring 
you back to us. I promise that you will rule the world of men just as 
the elves did so many centuries ago. I have foreseen the future, and I 
know that in my travels, I will find the elf." Johan stood up from his 
uncle's side. "I must return, Uncle. Just wait. I will make sure that 
the power of the elves is ours." With that, Johan exited the room and 
the witch doctors went back to aiding Lord Blake.

----------

Arine sat down in the cafeteria, carrying her lunch on her tray. As the 
blonde started eating, she looked toward the entrance of the cafeteria 
just in time to see Mia enter. The two girls looked at each other and 
smiled as Mia walked to the vending area. Mia gathered her food as 
quickly as she could and made her way to Arine's table. "Hey, You," said 
the brunette as she sat next to Arine.

"Hi, Mia," said the taller girl.

"How was Astronomy?"

"Same old, same old. We talked about the life and death of stars."

"You mean like how they progress on the main sequence and then turn into 
red giants or go supernova?"

"More or less."

"Hey, guys," said a male voice from the other side of the table. Mia and 
Arine looked across to see Sam sitting down opposite them.

"Oh, hi Sam," said Mia.

"Hi, Sam," said Arine.

"How have you two been holding up?" the boy asked concernedly.

"Not bad," Mia replied. "I'm glad to be better after..." the brunette 
hesitated to finish her sentence. "...what happened the other day," she 
managed to choke out.

"Mia," said Sam, "I feel that I should apologize for what happened."

"It's okay, Sam," Mia reassured. "I know that you didn't mean to hurt 
me.

"But you're alright, right?"

"I'm just fine," said the brunette, smiling. She then draped her arm 
around Arine's shoulder and said, "Especially with Arine by my side."

Arine spoke up, "Mia thinks that my staying with her was what helped her 
recover so quickly."

"Yes," Sam agreed. Turning to Mia, he asked, "I'm wondering. What would 
have happened if Arine hadn't told you how she felt?"

Mia put her finger to her chin and thought about the question for a 
moment. She eventually answered, "I don't know what would have 
happened." The two girls looked at each other. "Of course, I love her as 
much as she loves me." Mia turned back to Sam and continued, "But I 
think I was just as scared as she was."

Sam smiled, seemingly relieved. "Well, I suppose at least part of my 
debt has been repaid."

"Your debt?" Arine asked.

"I hurt Mia," the boy replied. "Even if it was unintentional, I can't 
forgive myself for being so blind. And I'm happy that I was able to give 
you a nudge in the right direction. I helped the two of you form a 
beautiful, loving relationship, and I feel that it makes up for my 
mistake."

"Aw," Mia said. "Thank you so much, Sam. You're so sweet." Mia reached 
across the table and embraced her childhood friend. "I almost wish I 
loved you like you love me."

"Mia?" Arine asked, becoming worried.

"Don't worry, Arine," said the brunette, kissing her girlfriend. "I 
don't love Sam any more than I love you."

"Mia," said Sam, pretending to be insulted. The three of them laughed at 
Sam's sarcastic remark.

----------

As 4:00 pm rolled around, Mineralogy students entered the Sciences hall. 
"This'll be the first time I've seen Professor Peridot twice in the same 
day," said Mia, sitting down.

"I wonder how he knows so much about European literature," said Arine, 
sitting down in the desk next to the brunette.

"He's French," Mia said. "Maybe he learned about when he was growing up 
in France."

"That does seem logical."

Professor Peridot walked to the front of the lecture hall and started 
off the class with his usual, "Bonjour, students. How are you all 
today?" The students gave their own replies, most of them indicating 
that they were well. "I'm glad to know that you are all well.

"...Thankfully," said Arine, thankful that Mia was also well, even after 
the incident that had occurred the week before. Mia and Arine held hands 
and smiled at each other.

"I believe," Peridot began, "that last time we were talking about the 
crystal lattice. Basically the crystal lattice is--" Then, just like 
that morning, Peridot suddenly stopped speaking with a surprised and 
confused expression on his face.

"What is up with Peridot today?" wondered Mia.

"He's acting like he did this morning," Arine noticed.

Again, Mia rose from her seat to ask what was happening. "Professor 
Peridot? What's going on?"

Professor Peridot looked at the person that had spoken. He saw Mia and 
just stared at her, right through her, his expression changing slightly, 
just a hint of realization in his eyes. "Nothing," the middle-aged man 
replied. "I thought I heard something." Smiling casually, he said, "My 
ears must be playing tricks on me at my age." Peridot continued the 
lecture. "Moving on. The crystal lattice is the arrangement of atoms in 
a crystal."

Mia and Arine talked among themselves. "Did he really hear something 
again?" Mia wondered.

"Something seems wrong about this," Arine said.

"I know what you mean."

----------

5:45 pm came and Mineralogy class ended. As the students stood up from 
their seats, Arine asked her friend, "Are you going back to the room?"

"Yes," replied the brunette. "What about you?"

"Since I was planning to go wherever you were going, I guess I'm going 
back to the room." The girls laughed and started walking toward the 
exit.

"Miss Carver," said a voice behind them. Mia and Arine looked to see 
that it was Professor Peridot that had spoken. "May I speak to you for a 
moment?"

Although confused as to what Peridot wanted to talk to her about, Mia 
turned to Arine and said, "You go on ahead. I'll catch up with you 
later."

"Okay," said Arine.

The blonde started walking toward the exit again when Peridot said, 
"Miss Sylven, wait. This might concern you too."

----------

After the rest of the students had exited, Mia, Arine, and Professor 
Peridot met at the front of the lecture hall. Peridot sighed as the two 
girls waited patiently for what the professor had to say. "I don't know 
if I will be able to explain this, so I will just say it and hope that 
you understand," Peridot said. "What I am about to tell you is an old 
Norse myth, dating back many centuries. I speak of a time when elves 
walked the Earth."

"Elves?" Arine asked

"Elves?" Mia echoed.

"Elves," Peridot repeated, "the immortal creatures that gave life to the 
world." Mia and Arine listened intently. "A hundred centuries ago, the 
elves were isolated from the rest of the world, living only in the 
Scandinavian Peninsula. However, it was not long before humans explored 
into the territory of the elves. As humans and elves learned more about 
each other, it inevitably came to pass that the two races began to 
interbreed, giving rise to creatures that were neither human nor elf, 
but a hybrid race, possessing features of both humans and elves."

"Human-elf hybrids," Arine said, interested in Peridot's tale.

"Please," said Mia, "continue."

Peridot continued, "About a thousand years later, it was suggested that 
humans and elves should not mate. The immortal elves always outlived 
their mortal human partners, causing much pain and sorrow for the elves. 
And so, the humans and the elves isolated themselves each other."

"What happened to the hybrids?" asked Mia

"Depending on whom they preferred to be with," Peridot answered, "they 
mated either with other elves or other humans, eventually becoming 
integrated into either of the two cultures. About fifteen hundred years 
ago, Christianity began to spread through Europe. Because the elves were 
thought to be the children of gods, their existence undermined 
everything that the Christians believed in. Humans declared war upon the 
elves, but were defeated by the elves' mystical powers. In retaliation, 
the humans enlisted the aid of powerful sorcerers, using the mystical 
energies stored within crystals for their powers. These 'Jewel 
Summoners' used their powers to destroy the race of elves. It is 
believed that there were no survivors."

Mia and Arine were in awe of Peridot's tale. "It's a very sad story," 
said Arine, "but what does this have to do with us?"

"Even though it did not last long," Peridot continued, "there was still 
that thousand-year period in which the humans and elves interbred. 
Although the elfin genes have been diluted over the last ten thousand 
years, they still exist inside human chromosomes."

The girls became more intrigued. "And," Mia asked, "what happens to 
someone that carries a gene possessed by the elves?"

"Usually, nothing," replied the professor. "You see, there are two types 
of genetic material. There are the exons, which are used by the 
organism. However, the vast majority of genetic material in an organism 
are introns, which are not used by the organism at all. The exons are 
genetic sequences that determine a person's physical characteristics, 
including eye color, hair color, height, weight. The introns, on the 
other hand, are not seen in a person's complexion. It is believed that 
it is within the introns that the genes of the ancient elves exist. Even 
though these genes are dormant, every now and then, portions of 
chromosomes change positions. In rare cases, this switch causes one of 
these dormant genes to activate and become an exon."

Mia asked, more interested than ever, "And what happens to a human that 
carries an active elf gene?"

"It depends on the gene that that person carries," said Peridot. "It is 
not known exactly how many genes the elves carried that normal humans 
did not. But many of these genes granted their carriers mystical powers 
that the full-blooded elves possessed."

"Are you saying that there are humans with the powers of elves?" asked 
Arine.

"In a manner of speaking," Peridot replied. "Some humans do have the 
potential to use these powers, but they do not know how to use those 
powers because they were never taught how to. But I believe that either 
one or both of you possess elfin genes, and are able to use their 
powers."

"Us?" both girls exclaimed in unison.

"I am a Jewel Summoner," Peridot continued. "A descendant of the 
sorcerers that destroyed the elves fifteen hundred years ago. Because of 
this, there are things that I can sense that others cannot. Only 
recently, I have sensed small disturbances in the mystical energies of 
this world. It happened last week when you two were out of school. It 
happened this morning in European Literature, and it happened this 
afternoon during Mineralogy. Both this morning and this afternoon, I 
noticed that the both of you were present. It is very possible that 
these disturbances are caused by small portions of mystical energy being 
emitted by either one or both of you."

As the professor spoke, Mia began to think. "Professor," she asked, 
"these elfin genes. Do any of them give the carrier any unusual physical 
characteristics?"

Peridot replied, "To my knowledge, information about the elves' physical 
attributes has not been passed down. However, elves are frequently 
portrayed as having pointed ears, which is probably a result of 
storytelling dating back to that era." Although hesitant, Mia knew that 
her unusual physical attribute may have held the key to her unknown 
origins. She pulled her hair back from her face and revealed her pointed 
ears to the professor. "My God!" cried Peridot at seeing the point at 
the end of the brunette's ear.

"Professor," Mia asked, "are these ears the result of one of these elfin 
genes?"

"It is very possible," Peridot said in awe. "It would explain the 
disturbances I have been sensing lately. Mia Carver, you are a 
descendant of the elves!"

----------

Peridot immediately took his cellular phone out of his coat pocket and 
hastily started dialing. As Mia and Arine sat at the front of the 
lecture hall, still trying to assimilate what the professor had told 
them, Peridot waited impatiently as the ring tone droned on. Finally, 
someone on the other end picked up. "Hallo?" a female voice said.

"Rosette?" asked Peridot.

"Pierre, is that you?" the woman asked.

"Rosette," Pierre cried, "I've found the elf!"

"Are you sure, Pierre?" Rosette asked intently.

"Yes, I am sure. The disturbances in the mystical energies of the world 
have led me to believe that the Prophecy of Awakening is coming true."

"And you think that you have found the Legendary Elf?" Rosette asked. 
"The one destined to being about a new age of the elves?"

"Only one that knows how to use the power of the elves can be 
responsible for these disturbances," said Peridot.

"I will talk with Lord Felix," said Rosette, "find out if the Blue 
Sapphire has activated."

"Thank you, Rosette," said Peridot. "Au revoir."

"Au revoir, Pierre."

Peridot pressed the "End" button on his cellular phone, hanging up. He 
went back to the girls and said, "My sister will find out if the Blue 
Sapphire of Alvara has activated."

"Blue Sapphire of Alvara?" Mia asked.

"What is that?" Arine asked right behind her girlfriend.

Peridot proceeded to continue his story. "While the Jewel Summoners were 
destroying the elves, a prophecy was made that a day would come when a 
person would be born that was destined to bring about a new age of the 
elves. Before all of the elves were destroyed, two precious jewels were 
excavated in Scandinavia, a ruby and a sapphire. Both ruby and sapphire 
are forms of a crystal known as corundum, aluminum oxide. It is among 
some of the hardest crystals known to man, second only to diamond. Only 
Jewel Summoners know of the connection between corundum and the elves. 
The Doulin clan has been charged with the duty of protecting the Blue 
Sapphire of Alvara that was excavated. The Prophecy of Awakening says 
that when the elf's power is used, the Red Ruby and the Blue Sapphire 
will activate. According to the prophecy, this activation is 
characterized by a bright glowing of the crystals. This glowing acts as 
a beacon, indicating the use of an ancient elfin power."

"So why do you protect the Sapphire of Alvara?" asked Arine.

"The Jewel Summoners were responsible for the destruction of the elves 
fifteen hundred years ago," Peridot said. "Since then, we have felt 
guilty for destroying an entire race simply because they were different. 
It is from this guilt that the Jewel Summoners have vowed to make sure 
that the Prophecy of Awakening comes to pass, to make sure that the 
elves will live once again."

"And how is it that this 'Legendary Elf' will bring about a new age of 
elves?" Mia asked.

"The prophecy says that when the elf awakens, the new age will begin. It 
is not known what will cause this awakening."

"There's one thing that I don't understand," said Mia. "The same gene 
that gives me my pointed ears gives me a weak heart. If this is a 
throwback from the age of the elves, how would the elves be able to 
survive with such a defect?"

Peridot replied, "My guess is that there is another gene that gave the 
elves strength, a strength that was able to counteract the detrimental 
effects of the gene that you carry."

"We have seen the powers that Mia has," said Arine. "She was able to 
alert me to the danger she was in before her attack. Does that mean that 
she's awoken?"

"Not completely," the professor replied. "The elf can only awaken once 
he..." Peridot realized that what he was saying was not entirely 
correct. "...once SHE is fully aware of her powers. At this point, Mia 
is only able to use her powers out of necessity."

Arine realized, "She called out to me because her life was in danger." 
Arine then realized that there was more to it than that. "Because I'm 
the one she loves."

"Love..." said Peridot to himself, as if having an idea. "Could that be 
the missing part of the equation?"

"What equation?" asked Arine.

Peridot turned to the brunette. "Mia. Concentrate your thoughts on 
Arine. Think about the love you have for her." Mia looked at Arine and 
did what the professor told her to do. Arine did the same, thinking 
about how much she loved Mia. Peridot closed his eyes and concentrated, 
feeling the mystical energies of the world flow about him.

After a moment, Peridot opened his eyes. Mia and Arine looked at him 
intently, hoping that something had happened. "Mia?" the professor 
asked. "Are you thinking about Arine?"

"Yes," the shorter girl replied.

"And I'm thinking about Mia too, just in case," said Arine.

"I'm not sensing anything," said Peridot to the girls' disappointment. 
"Maybe it's too soon. Someone has to teach Mia how to use her powers."

"But who can do that?" Mia said. "There aren't any elves alive to teach 
their descendants."

"We should just be patient for the time being," Peridot said. "The 
Prophecy of Awakening will come to pass, I am sure of it. Soon, you 
shall realize your powers and you will fully awaken. It could happen 
next week, or it may not happen for the next ten years, but it will come 
to pass. In the mean time, my advice is simply to go about our business 
as we always have."

Thinking about the origins of the Doulin family, Arine said, "If you 
don't mind me asking, Professor Peridot, can we see some of your Jewel 
Summoning skills?"

"Right this way," said Peridot, walking toward the specimen cabinet. 
Peridot took a key out of his coat pocket and unlocked the cabinet. In 
the cabinet was a wide variety of precious jewels. "Usually," the 
professor said, "the power that a crystal possesses is related to its 
hardness." Peridot picked up a pale blue crystal. "For my first 
demonstration, I shall use fluorite." Peridot raised the pale blue 
crystal and it started glowing blue. Within seconds, the entire room 
filled with a think fog. "Fluorite is a relatively weak crystal with a 
hardness of 'four'. It comes in handy if you want to catch your enemies 
off guard." The same blue glow shone from the fog and the fog dissipated 
just as quickly as it appeared. Mia and Arine were in awe of Peridot's 
ability to use the power of the fluorite crystal.

Peridot put the fluorite back and picked up another crystal, a green 
one. "Apatite is slightly more powerful than fluorite with a hardness of 
'five'. It is used mainly for determining direction. For example, if I 
wanted to find the nearest light source..." Peridot raised the apatite 
crystal and started glowing green. Peridot's arm rose as if the crystal 
was pulling him toward the ceiling lamp that was directly above them. As 
the crystal stopped glowing, Peridot placed it back in the cabinet.

Peridot took out a crystal with a megnta tint. "Quartz is one of the 
most common crystals on earth. It is a moderately powerful crystal with 
a hardness of 'seven'. It is mostly used for healing wounds. This 
particular variety of quartz is amethyst." Because nobody was injured, 
Peridot could not demonstrate his ability to use the quartz crystal. He 
placed the amethyst back.

The professor then picked up a crystal that was colored a dark red. 
"This is spinel," he said. "With a hardness of 'eight', it is quite 
powerful. It was what was used fifteen hundred years ago when the elves 
were destroyed. I do not have the necessary training to effectively use 
a crystal as powerful as spinel, but it is used for creating physical 
manifestations for a short period." Peridot put the spinel back in the 
cabinet. He closed the cabinet and locked it back up. "Because I have 
not yet mastered spinel, I do not have any corundum in my specimen 
cabinet. With a hardness of 'nine', very few people know how to use 
corundum. I do not know the full extent of its power. But it is the 
crystal that the elves worshipped."

"What about diamond?" Mia asked.

"Diamond?" Peridot said, a little apprehensive when the name of that 
crystal was spoken. "Well, diamond is the hardest crystal known to man, 
with a hardness of 'ten'. Nobody I know can use the immense power of a 
diamond. Theoretically, a diamond could have any of the abilities of the 
other crystals. The problem is that diamond is so powerful that if 
anybody of insufficient training tries to use it, it could have..." 
Peridot trailed off. "...unfortunate results."

Mia and Arine were confused. "How unfortunate?" Mia asked.

Peridot simply answered, "His body could be ripped apart." The girls 
grimaced at the thought of a person getting dismembered and maimed by 
incorrect use of a diamond. Peridot continued, "And that is why not even 
the most powerful Jewel Summoners dare use a diamond."

With the professor's demonstration complete, Mia and Arine looked at the 
middle-aged man with awe. As she regained the ability to speak, Arine 
said, "Well, Professor. We have seen your powers. I'm a believer now."

"Thank you for your time, girls. I hope that you learn soon how to 
unlock Mia's dormant powers. In the meantime, get some rest and prepare 
for the coming test."

"Right." Now knowing Mia's true heritage and knowing what had to be 
done, Mia and Arine started walking toward the exit of the lecture hall.

'Those girls,' Peridot thought to himself. 'How are the elf's powers 
unlocked? I wish I knew.'

----------

As they got back to their room, Mia went to her bed and sat down, still 
with a stunned expression on her face. Arine sat down beside her friend 
and asked, "Are you okay, Mia?"

"Yes, Arine," Mia said softly. "I'm fine. It's just..." the brunette 
trailed off. "I never knew I was an elf. I didn't know that I was so 
important to the future of an entire race. And I don't even know how I'm 
supposed to fulfill this prophecy!"

Suddenly, Mia groaned and her body started to fall over. "Mia!" Arine 
cried, catching her friend's body before it fell over. "Are you all 
right?"

"I suddenly became very tired," said Mia. "The enormity of the situation 
must be putting stress on my weak heart."

"We could both use some rest," the blonde suggested.

"Yeah," Mia agreed.

Arine helped Mia lie down and lied down beside her, draping her arm over 
Mia's body. "We'll get through this somehow," the blonde said. "I have 
faith in you, Mia."

"Thanks, Arine," Mia said in no more than a whisper. "Thank you for 
loving me."

Arine replied just as quietly as Mia, "And thank you for loving me 
back." Mia and Arine both fell into a peaceful sleep.

----------

That night, Professor Peridot was at his computer, searching furiously 
on the Internet for the answer to the riddle of the elves. "I can't find 
it," he said to himself. "How in the world are the elf's powers supposed 
to be unlocked?" Just then, the lights in the house started flickering. 
"What's going on?" As Peridot asked the question, the lights went 
off...as did his computer. "Merde!" he cursed in French. "All of 
tonight's research, lost! I can't believe a blackout would come at a 
time like--" Then, the most unusual feeling came over Peridot. "What is 
this feeling?" he wondered. "I sense the activation of a crystal." Just 
then, his expression changed from confusion to terrible realization. "A 
Jewel Summoner!"

Suddenly, the wall behind Peridot was knocked down by a force so 
powerful that in not only destroyed the wall, but it threw Peridot, his 
desk, and his computer hard against the opposite wall. As Peridot came 
to his senses, he looked up toward the huge gap where his wall used to 
be. Standing against the blackness of night was an ominous figure 
approaching the dazed professor.

Then, Peridot's eyes shot wide open as he saw what the figure was 
holding in his hand. It was a ruby and it was glowing bright red. 'That 
crystal...' Peridot thought. 'It can't be...!'

Onwards to Part 4


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