Chapter 106, Ardor

The door opens to reveal a large room with white walls and a chemistry table and alchemy area. What is this place? Could they be producing the Cloud Nine here?

"I told you! No matter what you do, I won't help you with the Cloud Nine!" The angry voice of a young man said and we turned to see an orange haired young man with purple eyes.

"Are you Ardor?" I asked.

"Oh? Who are you? You aren't the ones who threw me in here." He said.

"I'm Arata, the Le Fleur, we were investigating the Cloud Nine and also looking for you." I answered.

"Arata, someone's coming." Lucas said.

"Hide, quickly." Ardor said.

We all split up and hide using Vi techniques and our abilities. We watch as a man comes in, he was somewhat fat with black hair and white skin with black eyes. As I stared at him I felt a chill down my spine and an ominous feeling once again whelmed up deep inside me.

The man and Ardor seem to be arguing before he hits Ardor and leaves. What were they arguing about? The moment the door closes and we're sure the man is gone we come out and talk to Ardor.

"Are you alright?" I asked him.

"Yes. I'm fine." He answered.

"That man... I think he is the owner Gula Desidia." Theo said.

"Gula Desidia?" I asked.

"A famous company known for using underhanded and dirty ways to get where it is now." Will answered. "In other words, a terrible company of scumbags."

"Gula, Gluttony, Desidia, Sloth." Van said. "What a horrible name."

"So, what do we do?" Liam asked

"First, let's get Ardor out of here first." Will said but I stopped him. "Why?"

"Ard, if I were to guess he was demanding that you to make Cloud Nine correct?" I asked.

"Yes. He was demanding that I make Cloud Nine for him, but each time he came I denied him." He answered. "I will never create sonething that brings destruction to this world."

"Make him the drug." I answered which takes everyone by surprise. "Not the actual drug, but the medicine to it."

"You mean... we swap the drug for the antidote and have him supply it to the people, therefore healing them and freeing them from his clutches." Lyzander says and I nodded.

"Let's do it." He answered. "But I don't have the ingredients to make the antidote."

"We'll provide you with them." I answered and he nods.

While he makes the antidote I call out the girls and his siblings in my shadow and they hug each other and cry for a bit before they get to work. It seems taht the three are skilled in making medicine. With the girls' help they make the medicine but... it seems they need something.

"What do you need?" I asked.

"There's something in the blood that is foriegn making the grasp of the drug so powerful." Summer said and showed me a blood red crystal. "Whatever it is, it's so rich in Vi that it causes the blood to crystallize. Unless we have something capable of destroying this crystal we can't make the antidote."

"Why not?" Zhen asked.

"This crystal is the cause of the mind control, they plant themselves inside the body of a person and act as receivers of sorts that force the body to move the way the order wants them to." She answered. "It's basically the chip that is planted to control them."

"What if we break them?" Angie asked.

"That is also possible but... these seem to be unbelievably tough." Summer said. "And sometimes the crystals are so small you can hardly find."

"Hmm... how do we make them dissolve is the issue correct?" I asked.

"Yes." They answered.

I looked at the crystal made of blood for a while before noticing something. It's faint but... there's something inside the blood crystal that seems to remind me of the Obsidian Jade.

"Hmmm..." I was thinking of a way to destroy or dissolve the gem when a bright light flashed amd the Chronicle appeared before my eyes.

"What does it say?" Leon asked.

"Formed by the desires of laziness and lack of enthusiasm for work, the jewel of Sloth has the ability to provide the bearer with the ability of mind control using a medium." I answered and my heart sank.

"The jewel of sloth... the Black Quartz." Van sighed. "So, this crystal was made by the Black Quartz's power?"

"Does it say anything about cancelling it?" Van asked me so I read the pages.

"Hmm... it says, there are two ways to cancel it, one is the obvious choice of destroying the Black Quartz and the second is... to burn away the crystal." I answered.

"Burn away? How exactly?" Lucas asked.

"With the Vermillion Bird's Feather!" I exclaimed. "It should have the power to burn everything away."

"Yes. We'll try it out." They answered and came back with a red liquid and dropped it on to the blood crystal and the crystal disappeared. "It worked!"

We all rejoiced and while Ardor made the medicine, we all split up and searched for the Black Quartz and the leader of Gula Desidia. When we find him, I'll ask him how and where he got the Black Quartz. First the Obsidian Jade now the Black Quartz, I must know where the Gems of Sin are coming from.

"Arata!" Will's voice calls out to me so I turn to his general direction and when I arrive he makes me duck and look down and I see why.

The people have gathered at the plaza and are neing adminstered the drug. The man giving them the medicine is a different own from last time, he seems to be in his mid-forties and he had black hair and white skin and as he adminstereed the drug I couldn't help but feel that something was creeping me out of the man. Whatever it is, this is the best chance to watch them and Eleanor who their leader is.