Sun at Noon

Calm Before The Storm
Delst slid out of bed, the moon still shining white through the window. Jason and Chisuzu were sleeping soundly next to where he had just been, and he made sure not to wake them as he walked silently out of the room.

"Mama..." Jason turned in his sleep, his small hand landing on his mother's sleeping face, but neither of them woke. Delst slipped out of the room, walking down into the sitting room, where he saw Palmer, awake and looking at the fire.

"Oh...colour me surprised, I didn't think you were a night owl, Palmer." Delst chuckled lightly. "What has you awake?"

Palmer continued, "I've been thinking. And no, I haven't been thinking about bacon. But bacon is similar to what I have been thinking about. That Lacrima, you remember it? Well, it won't last long. That's why I may have to do a few adjustments."

"Failing?!" Within an instant, Delst was standing in front of Palmer, looking his long-tme friend dead in the eyes. "What do you mean it won't last!?" His voice was already one of desperation; he would not lose his son. "What can you do, Palmer?"

Palmer adjusted his glasses calmly. "It's no big operation or anything. It's just a spell that will allow me to modify it from the inside out. Before you ask, it's something I've been preparing for ten years and no, it isn't a regular spell- it's a forbidden magic cast from the soul that's only capable with a Lacrima heart as well."

"But wait..." Delst immediately caught onto the repercussions of this. "Palmer, doesn't that man you're going to...!?" He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence, but he knew now why his friend was awake at such an ungodly hour.

Palmer solemnly nodded. "Think nothing of it. This is my gift to you- it's time to pay you back for being my very first friend, Delst."

"Tch..." Delst gritted his teeth. He didn't want to let his best friend die like this, even if it was to save his own son. "I'm really sorry it has to end this way Palmer...you have my eternal gratitude." He couldn't say anything else. Or more, he didn't know what to say. "When is it going to happen?"

Palmer informed him, "It'll happen at the click of my fingers. It's not really notable so you don't need some big-ass ritual. Like I can do it right now. It's no big deal."

"Alright..." Delst stood up, dusting himself off. "Then why don't we take one final trip?" He cracked a grin. "You, my friend, will be the first human to step foot into the home of the Espers; Nethran Forest."

Palmer nodded. "...Huh, so it does exist? That's...surprising. Even though I know you wouldn't lie to me like that, I'm sure you had your reasons to keep it a secret. I have complete faith in you."

"Just give me a brief moment." Delst slipped out of the room, gently nudging Chisuzu awake.

Chisuzu slowly woke up, rolling over and falling straight out of bed, smacking her head on the carpet and the cold-hard ground underneath it. "...Ouch! ...Huh, what is it, honey...?"

Delst bent down, helping Chisuzu to her feet again. "Delst and I are going to be heading out for a few days. I want to take him to Nethran Forest."

"...Why are you taking a human? ...I know I'm not one to talk, But why?" Chisuzu was honestly surprised at all of this.

Delst sighed, placing a hand on the woman's shoulder. "I wanted to avoid mentioning this, but...Jason's life is in danger again. The Lacrima inside his body is failing, as we speak."

"..." Chisuzu was completely silent. "...I, I didn't know." Her eyes were obscured by her bangs, her tone was one of absolute shock. "...You need to hurry."

"Calm down." Delst forced a smile. "Jason will be fine. Palmer is going to help him, by swapping the Lacrima. Jason's failing Lacrima for the Lacrima inside his own body, which is much stronger and made to last." Delst's smile quickly vanished as he remembered exactly why he was taking Palmer to Nethran Forest to begin with.

Chisuzu nodded. "...I understand. Then you should hurry." While she was worried about Palmer, Jason took priority in any and all situations. "...I don't know how to feel about this. Is Palmer completely fine with this?"

"He seems to be." Delst looked away for a moment. "I can't say I'm fine with it...but letting Jason die isn't an option." He removed his hand from her shoulder, and quickly wrapped her in a tight hug. "All I know is, he and I need to take one last walk as friends before it happens."

"I-I see..." Chisuzu was at a loss for words. Maybe, Palmer was nicer than he acted towards her...a tsundere, perhaps? "...Tell Palmer I'd like to thank him for everything...And...I'm sorry."

"Of course." Delst nodded, and broke away from her, bending down to look at his sleeping son. "I'll be back soon, Jason." He whispered quietly. "And everything will be fine. Everyone is going to take care of you." With this, he slipped out of the room, heading back downstairs. "So...ready?"

Palmer was rather estatic about the whole thing. "...This is going to be great. Finally, I can see other Espers for myself!"

"Don't get too excited, we've got a bit of a walk anyway." Delst smiled in spite of himself. Palmer was eager to come with him, and he was happy he could give Palmer something to enjoy. "We can't just walk into the forest, nor can we teleport in. There's a halfway point we have to reach."

"Oh, teleporting's no problem. At least for you, right? You've got my back. I'm counting on you." He snarked in a deadpan manner, "Maybe you'll carry me like a princess. Hehehehehe. Oh you know I'm just messing with you."

Delst let out a small chuckle. Palmer's mood was making his worries die down, and they quickly departed from the Adorio Village in the moonlight, and began walking. It was after an hour that Delst spoke up again. "So...Palmer...why are you so willing to die for my son?"

Palmer chuckled, responding in a blunt manner, "Because we're friends. I'm sure that you'd do the same for me. It's that simple, isn't it?"

"I know that." Delst waved it off irritably. "I have two hearts, and would give you both willingly if it could save your life, Palmer. But...aren't you worried?" He frowned for a moment. "Don't you fear dying? You're still young."

Palmer rolled his eyes. "I don't fear death. You know why? I won't die just because of this little thing. Cides, when I die, I can be content. Jason's due for great things. What I've left in my wake is a great legacy. Not to mention, it saves the kid you're so proud of. So it's no biggie."

Delst felt immense gratitude wash over him, and was felt extremely lucky he'd met Palmer when they were young. "Palmer...I really can't thank you enough..."

"It's fine, it's fine. C'mon, let's just get moving. There isn't any time to waste, am I right?" Palmer brushed his comment off so flawlessly.

"Right." They kept walking in silence for a few hours, until they reached a small hill. By this time, the sun was beginning to creep over the horizon, the moon having set, but the light was still soft and the air crisp. "Here we are. This is the halfway point."

Palmer looked out, amazed. "...Wow. Ain't that great?" He looked at his watch which he had created via Lacrima, "...So, now what happens? I'm interested."

"Watch closely." Delst instructed, and he removed a glove off his hand, revealing a large scar that was very old. He removed a small knife from his pouch, and slashed his hand, blood splattering onto the ground everywhere.

"...What's happening?" For somebody so smart, that action was beyond Palmer's comprehension. "Don't cut yourself though. Only losers self-harm." Completely missing the point.

"You're missing the point, Palmer." Delst gestured to what at first appeared to be empty air before them, in fact, his hand kept phasing through it as if nothing was there; yet droplets of blood hung like holiday baubles. He withdrew his hand, and a small white glow appeared, before stretching upward and downward into a large line, which then opened like a door. "This was an idea of my mother's." Delst said darkly as a large gust of wind blasted in their faces. "I told you when we first met; Espers were decreasing in number, and we had to hide. Why hide where someone can see you? And on of the offchance someone finds you, why make it easy to get it? My mother ensured that anyone daring to venture in would have to weaken themselves first, even fellow Espers returning home."

"Oh, I see." Palmer took all of that advice in. "...That's interesting. But Espers are decreasing in number, eh? That reminds me." He took out a small device. "Why not CLONE them?" He paused. "...But seriously, what's the deal with the cutting your hand and drawing blood and it hit the ground?"

"Well..." Delst frowned. "My mother is technically a pacifist, and this situation presents an ironically cruel choice. Slash yourself, spilling blood and gaining entrance to the forest, or simply turn away and lose what you came to find. She gives you a choice, weaken yourself and simply become easier to kill should you prove an enemy, or turn away and be safe."

"Oh, gotcha. Well, you know, I wouldn't kill any of you forest elves- I mean espers." Palmer chuckled.

"I know, hence why I am bringing you in here with me." Delst explained. "Now, let's take a step into the light." He and Palmer entered through the door, and their feet then quickly hit grass.

The Forest Of Origin
As the two wandered into the forest, Palmer noticed how tranquil it was. It was like something out of a fantasy fairy tale- upright flowers everywhere, a calming atmosphere, and it even seemed that the trees were fluorescent. It was too peaceful that he'd be suspicious if it wasn't hewn from the Espers. "...Why is this so happy and lovey-dovey? It's just irritating!"

Delst breathed in the air, so cool, much cleaner than the air breathed by humans. If a human with asthma were to live here, their condition would quickly and drastically improve. "This is Nethran Forest, the home of Espers."

Two small children were running across the grass, wearing what appeared to be small robes of silk. "Delst!" The little girl smiled, giggling. "You've returned!" The girl wrapped her small arms around Delst's waist, squeezing tight.

"Elise, you've grown so big." Delst patted her head, smiling. "And Luka, it's nice to see you're growing up fine." The other child, a young boy, nodded shyly.

Palmer grinned evilly. "So, can I dissect them?" He paused, before chuckling to himself. "Well, I thought it was hilarious. Anyway," he gestured hammily. "Take me to your leader! I mean no harm!"

"Palmer, your sense of humor won't register here." Delst warned him quickly, and indeed, the children looked at Palmer warily.

"Delst, you brought a human...?" Luka murmured quietly. "Why would you bring a human here, to our forest?"

"Luka, calm down." Delst urged. "This man is my friend, he's just tactless. I want him to meet someone. Take me to her?"

"O-of course!" Luka nodded quickly, and he and Elise walked briskly away. "Come on, Palmer, let's follow them. And touch nothing."

"...Not like I can anyway, everything's nailed down. It's impossible to steal anything that's nailed down, y'know." Palmer sighed, following Luka and Elise.

The children led through the forest, and it was silent enough that only the sounds of nature could be heard; wind in the trees, the creeks flowing, grass crunching. Several individuals looked on at Palmer in curiosity, and Delst with a bit of reverence. They were greeted by other Espers, the only sentient creatures in this forest, but they hardly seemed to be plentiful.

"....Again, I never have seen so "many" Espers in my life." Technically that wasn't a lie. But that heavy dose of sarcasm was definitely unneeded. "Is it like, nobody can get it up or something?"

"Palmer!" Delst admonished him with a snap of his voice. "It's different than that. We're being killed. Why else would our species hide itself from the world? There's only about 200 of us left right now."

"I thought you were gonna respond "oh my god you can't just ask a race why they're going extinct". Everyone always does. Hell, it happened to those moon people as well. But then, you need to start breeding!" Palmer felt as if he couldn't experiment on them, he'd help them return to their former glory.

The group proceeded towards the largest tree in the entire forest. Simpy standing under it, once felt insignificant as they looked upon it's strange, pure white bark that wound higher and higher into the heavens, branches with similar spiral white bark jutting out from the side. "Welcome, Palmer. This is the living space for all Espers, the sacred White Tree."