Lyrical Nanoha: Pride of Belka
Disclaimer: Nanoha isn't mine.
Author's Notes: Just real quick, this is to help connect the lines in the story.
Tigra: An Excalibur Knight and a master of the bow. Her Device is Verhöckern Sie Flügel (Hawk Wing), which she just calls Flugel. A bow with a double loading Belkan Cartridge system and incredible range and power.
Astra Bedivere: Another Excalibur Knight originally holding seat number three out of the 13 Seats. He is the son of the Archmage Merlin and wields the jewelled Device, Grimhrist. He is close friends with Omega and assisted him in creating the Book of the Night Sky.
Omega Opel: His Device is called Legion, the heirloom Device of House Opel. He held seat number 13 on the Excalibur Knights during the Judas Rebellion. He once lead the Wolkenritter and holds a close bond with Signum as mentor and close friend. Legion consists of more than one single weapon and no one has ever seen them all. His signature technique is the Halbmond Blitze (Crescent Flash), a concentrated projectile of magical energy that takes the shape of his slashing strike.
Now on with the next chapter.
Chapter 4: Explanations and Information Pt. 1
The Hills of Mortalia . . . once a green pasture land known for its beautiful scenery. Now, the hillsides were covered in the dead and dying. Wounded lay everywhere. At the centerline of the battlefield, lay an oddly frozen circle of warriors and mages. The King of Belka leaned heavily on Tigra's shoulder. By her side knelt Astra, the son of Merlin. Astra glared daggers at their opposition. The King was severely wounded when one of their own, Mordred, had betrayed his Majesty, running him through with his spear after stealing Excalibur's sheath, Avalon.
Mordred had been joined by the leader of the rebellion, Judas. The two conspirators were accompanied by many of the King's former allies - now traitors. Tigra herself was also wounded, her bow Flugel, shattered and barely holding on.
"Well, well, his Majesty is on his knee. You've become weak, Sankt Kaiser!"
"The people of the nation will never tolerate your existence after this Judas. Mordred, you will forever be cursed for your treachery this day." The Belkan ruler coughed, spitting up blood with a wheezing voice. Tigra cradled her liege protectively.
"Your Majesty! Don't speak, conserve your strength. We'll retrieve Avalon."
Judas sneered and spat at the knight, earning a wicked glare from Astra.
"It's a little late for that Tigra of the Bow. Mordred, take Avalon and hide it while I finish this." The traitor nodded and began to leave.
Screams from the left flank of Judas drew everyone's attention. The battle still raged, but their little section of the war zone had been frozen until now. Bodies flew all over as something charged the group of Belkans. Tigra took her King and lunged away from the enemy as Astra did the same. Bright, pure white flashes of light pierced through the scores of knights, both friend and foe alike before dispersing just shy of their location. The sight brought all to still silence. Omega stood with blades surrounding him as he carried a woman bridal style toward the King. Tears of dried blood lined golden eyes as he held the woman all present knew. The Queen of Belka. The King choked on his words.
"Beloved . . . no . . ."
The Knight Noble disappeared, reappearing just before him as he knelt reverently before his liege. Gingerly laying her in his arms, he bowed his head to the bloodstained grasses.
"I'm sorry your Majesty, she wouldn't allow me to do anything but reunite the two of you. Forgive me."
"My Love." The King flinched, hearing his wife's voice. Taking her hand in his, her eyes weakly fluttered open. "Ah, there you are."
"Why? Why . . ."
"I love you. Isn't that enough?"
Judas grit his teeth. Had his assassins failed? No, he could see her wounds despite the red shroud the final heir of Opel had carefully wrapped her in. Grasping his sword, he rushed the kneeling man, aiming to skewer him and the woman beyond his form. The sudden blast of magical energy that radiated from his intended target blew him off his feet. Everyone with him was pushed back several feet as the knight turned to face them. Fury pulsated in his eyes.
"Astra," The Mage Knight looked to his friend with concern. Omega was nearly at his limit. The man's magical pulse was flaring like a candle just before it expired. "Take our Lieges away from this blood stained place. I will fell these ingrates. Ever since I felled Bloodbane, I vowed not to go full strength, nor fight to kill if I could come out victorious otherwise. I will break that oath now. For such evil, I will spare no mercy."
Astra swallowed. The only other time that he said that he had ever gone full power was against the demon dragon Bloodbane. Taking up the Queen, he nodded to Tigra, who reluctantly followed suit with the King before flying off as fast as they could in full retreat.
"All those who do not wish to die this day leave this unhallowed land." Omega's words forestalled Judas' command to fire at the retreating knights. Omega flared with power unfettered. "Judas and Mordred. Your corpses shall hang from the castle gates! Your followers shall reap what evil seeds you have sown! Legion!"
The sight that filled their eyes horrified them.
"Judas!!" Omega bolted upright with a scream. Tigra shrieked as she jerked away from him, falling over the coffee table and on her back. Astra popped his head inside the living room from the kitchen where he was finishing preparinig breakfast. The new master of Excalibur walked in from the patio with a confused look on his face.
"What's going on?" He looked at Tigra, who had her arms crossed over her chest with her feet in the air as she glared at the ceiling. Omega regained his bearings as he calmed his breathing. Looking to her sprawled figure, he made an apologetic face.
"Sorry Tigra, I didn't know you were there."
The black with violet tipped haired woman sighed and looked to him with understanding as she collected herself off the floor. Proceeding to the kitchen to help Astra, she waved Omega toward the bathroom.
"Wash up, you've been sweating in your sleep."
Apologizing again, he walked down the short hallway to the shower.
"What was that all about?"
The two knights turned to their new master and then to each other. Astra set down the knife he was working with.
"It was a past treachery that ended badly for both sides of the conflict. It still haunts us in turns. Seems last night was Omega's. It's an open wound for us still my liege."
"Please, Edwin will do. I'm not used to the whole caste system. In fact, part of it downright disturbs me."
"Very well Edwin."
"Thank you. I won't ask you to tell me what it was that gave him that nightmare, but who exactly were those two that you all reacted to?"
Astra and Tigra paused in setting the table. They could hear the shower down the hall.
"I think it would be inappropriate to speak on that matter while Omega isn't with us. He knows them best."
Edwin nodded before sitting down at the table. He paused for half a second as he took in all the food spread in front of him.
"Uh, isn't this a bit much for four people?" Tigra sat herself at the table and began serving herself. Looking at Edwin, she shrugged.
"Magic of Excalibur's scale takes a large toll on the user to keep us active. Even our own magic uses up a lot of energy. I don't think this will be too much." Astra sat across from her and fixed himself a full plate of food as well. Chewing a mouthful and swallowing before he spoke again, he motioned down the hall with his fork.
"I would agree. Edwin, you'd better get what you can before Omega gets back from freshening up. He's barely at half his full strength and still went into combat. I'll bet he's ravenous."
Taking that warning to heart, Edwin filled his own plate with a larger portion of food than he normally would eat, suddenly finding himself starving. Half way through his plate, Omega came into the dining room with a pair of black slacks with a simple white t-shirt. His crimson hair was still damp and covered with a towel.
"Astra, I can't believe you all started without me." His comrade gave him a smug look as Tigra glared at him in consternation.
"You're one to talk Omega, if we didn't start before you there'd be nothing left for us." Omega halted for a moment before slowly filling his plate. Eyeing Tigra as he placed a forkfull of food in his mouth, he took his time chewing before swallowing. She kept a devilish grin on her face the entire time.
"You're serious aren't you?" Tigra set her eating utinsils down and leered at him.
"You better believe I am."
Edwin watched as the two knights quieted down and proceeded to eat their fill. He noticed that they each ate in portion to the amount of effort they had put in the fight earlier the previous day. Astra ate the lightest despite taking on so many opponents. Tigra ate a fair share of the meal. After seeing her shootout with the instructor, it made sense. He had seen ten magical cartridges fall from the bow she fired. Her movement speed and her rate of fire was remarkable. She had only really hesitated after barely avoiding that killer magical blast that the TASB Instructor had fired. He made a mental note to ask Omega what happened after they teleported out.
Edwin swallowed another helping of food before flinching at Omega. He wasn't a noisy eater, in fact he was rather quiet, but somehow, he was on his third helping of breakfast. Glancing at Astra, the man smirked and shrugged, physically telling him, "I told you so."
'Then again, that exchange of blows with that swordswoman was pretty intense. I felt waves of power leave me. I guess Excalibur is the medium from which they gain most of their power. How did the King of Belka command thirteen knights like this?'
"Omega." The man paused with a slice of toast halfway to his lips.
"Yes?" He set down his food to give Edwin his full attention.
"I asked Tigra and Astra about it, but they insisted that you be present. Who were the two that you fought with? Also, what did you do to the mage that exchanged fire with Tigra?"
Omega took a deep breath and drank his entire glass of juice before leaning back in his chair.
"The small knight in red was Iron Knight Vita. Her device is Graf Eisen, the Iron Baron. She's a front lines destroyer, specializing in shield and barrier breaking. Most of the time she can be rough around the edges, but she has a good heart most of the time. The one in pink and white armor is the Sword Knight Signum and she wields the Demonic Flame Blade Levantine. She is the current commander of the Wolkenritter. They are the Guardian Knights in charge of protecting the mistress of The Book of the Night Sky."
Edwin sat straighter at that piece of information. He had heard of the spell tome of the Queen of Belka and could never find it whenever he came across a lead. This threw a huge wrench into the works. His research on Excalibur had revealed to him that the sword was useless against the wielder of the Book. It was a fail safe in case the King ever lost himself and turned on his beloved wife. Granted, that was only if Excalibur were brought to bear against the Book of the Night Sky in direct confrontation, but if the current mistress were to find that out, all his plans could be put down in an instant.
'The Knights of both items can still fight each other though. So long as I never directly oppose the person controlling the Book I should be okay.'
"How often did you associate with them? You all being the King's personal guards and they were the Queen's guard, both of your groups must have interacted with one another."
All three of them sighed, surprising Edwin.
"Omega and I organized and created the Book of the Night Sky and the Wolkenritter with His Majesty's permission." Edwin dropped his fork at Astra's words. "We know that Excalibur will cease its functions if you fight the current Mistress of the Night Sky directly. I know more about Excalibur and the Book than you realize. I was Merlin's son after all. However, concerning the members of the Wolkenritter, you'd best listen to Omega, as he trained most of them."
All eyes turned to the man as he looked to the ceiling.
"I trained Signum and Vita specifically to protect her Majesty the Queen. Signum adapted my general swordplay perfectly and mastered her own style swiftly without my help. Tigra taught her a bit of archery when she complained that wielding the sword left her with no long range means of attacking or defending. Vita was one who I helped polish her skills. Though she learned on her own, she based it very loosely around the general polearm combat techniques unique to Belka. Shamal is the rear lines supporter with the ring Klarer Wind. The Knight of the Lake for her ability to heal and provide logistic support in addition to capture or spy at long distances. Zafira is the guardian familiar to protect her."
"I was proud of them, and for a short, but pleasant time, I commanded them as the Commander of the Queen's Guard, the Wolkenritter." Omega's facial expression hardened as he glared at the table. "But that was all before the Judas Rebellion."
Edwin nodded, beginning to piece together all of the details. He had read about the Judas Rebellion in lost records he had found on Belka's home world. The civil war had been brutal and violent, with few superior warriors and mages gradually losing ground to the rebel nobility who had grown discontent with the King's pacifist reign.
"Changing the subject, what of the female instructor? What did you do before you followed us?"
Omega took his time fixing himself another plate of food. Tigra, though she'd been teasing him for his appetite, raised a hand in concern.
"Hey, Omega, I know you can eat a lot, but you're not this hungry are you?"
Looking at her just before sticking a fork full of pancakes in his mouth, he frowned.
"I used the Temperance Seal on the instructor."
Astra shot up from his chair and slammed his hands on either side of his plate, making everything on the table shake. Tigra slapped herself in the forehead as Edwin looked back and forth between the three Knights in utter confusion.
"What's a Temperance Seal? Is it really that serious?"
Astra sat back in his chair and suddenly appeared very tired. Reaching out, he took his plate and half filled it before silently eating while muttering under his breath. Tigra on the other hand shook her head and took her plate from the table back into the kitchen, signifying that she was done eating. Edwin was beginning to wonder just what he had gotten himself into. After a moment of awkward silence with Omega finishing his food, he spoke up.
"The Temperance Seal is a ritual magic spell that is known only to those of the House of Opel." Edwin had a feeling that this explanation would take a while, so he leaned back in his chair to hear it out.
Fate sat at a table with Arf and Vivio as they finished their breakfast. Well, Vivio was finishing her omelette as Arf finished her meat. The TASB Enforcer replayed the video of Omega engaging Vita and Signum at the graduation grounds over again. She wondered about the different Devices he switched out to and where they were coming from. Looking at the other two attackers, she could tell by the third replay that only the one called Omega was really putting serious effort into his fight. She didn't even notice the door open to the cafeteria until Vivio spoke up.
"Signum! Can you join us?" The Sword Knight smiled lightly and nodded before taking a seat.
"Shouldn't you be in classes right now?" Vivio nodded, but then looked to Fate with a small glance.
"Yes, but after the Headmaster heard the news, they excused me until Nanoha-mama recovers."
Signum nodded. Nanoha was a generally well known person within certain circles in Mid Childa. Turning to face Fate, she noticed the screens she was looking at. Agito popped out from under her ponytail and waved at the little reincarnation of the King. Vivio smiled at the fire sprite. Normally Agito was mischievous and spirited, but today she was behaving herself. Truth be told, she felt partially guilty for not being there to help Signum the day before. When she apologized, Signum and shaken her head, mentioning that she felt that even with Agito, she doubted she could defeat Omega, much less two other Knights of the Round. Her comment had made Agito worry.
"Is this about Omega?" Signum nodded and the group got quiet. Fate turned to Vivio and Arf. "Vivio, could you and Arf leave us for just a bit?"
The girl shook he head firmly. Her eyes were determined as she spoke.
"No Fate-mama. I want to know too. You'll be fighting him right? I don't want something to happen to you too Fate-mama." Fate felt her determination in keeping Vivio out of it slip. Part of her was truly touched at her concern, yet another bit of her was shocked that she was comprehending so much so quick. As much as she wanted to, the instincts inside her told her to remove Vivio and try to make it up to her later.
"Testarossa, I think Vivio should hear this as well. It does have to do with her too, though Omega has yet to find out about her." Fate was about to protest when she remembered who exactly Vivio was. Quietly accepting that fact once again, she nodded toward Signum to start talking. Seeing that she was being allowed to stay, Vivio leaned toward the table a bit.
"First of all, Omega is the sole remaining member of House Opel. They were a pillar of Belka's aristocracy. So much so that our kings of that era may very well have been completely different if they weren't there."
Fate slowly took in the information. She already figured he was a pretty powerful person, but to know that it wasn't just magical, but political as well told her a bit of his mindset.
"He slew a demonic dragon on his own in order to retrieve the King's late son's sword," She held up Levantine in its pendant form. "Levantine."
Arf's tail and ears twitched as her eyes grew wide.
"Wait, Levantine's a royal sword? Why do you have it Signum?"
"I'm getting to that part Arf. When he returned, there was a lot of speculation because House Opel - at least to the public eye - had been banished. The reality was that they had received secret orders to hunt down the dragon Bloodbane, who had swallowed the sword, and retrieve the sword after slaying him. It cost them nearly the entire lineage."
Fate pinched herself mentally. He had lead a harsh life by the sounds of it.
"After the truth was revealed and he was officially reinstated, he revealed news privately to the King and Queen that we would be in for dark times and insisted on creating a personal guard for the Queen at all times. At that time he was a Knight of Round, the King's personal guard. When his Majesty permitted him to do so, he worked alongside the son of Merlin, Astra Bedivere to create three guardians and one primary controller. He would later integrate himself into the programs as well to serve as the command system. The last member was chosen by him when after he witnessed her fight off bandits attacking her family."
The group of listeners looked at Signum in concern. The sad nostalgia that crossed her features seemed so misplaced. They all knew she could show emotions, but this kind of expression was unusual.
"The final member was me." Fate frowned realizing the emphasis Signum put to herself. Arf sat a bit straighter.
"So he was the creator of the Wolkenritter and the Book of the Night Sky?" Signum looked to Fate thoughtfully.
"Of the Wolkenritter, yes. The Book of the Night Sky, not really. He did think up the original plan for it, but Astra was the one who created the main core of the system. He left Omega to fill in the Guardians. Omega was our commander back then, even though our ultimate oaths were to the Queen."
Vivio, quirked an eyebrow before raising her hand as if she was in class. The older women all looked to her.
"Wait, you said he created everyone, but chose you?"
Signum could only nod.
"Bandits attacked my family while we were travelling. They were about to end our lives when something inside me snapped. The next thing I remembered was Omega removing the broken blade from my hands and taking me into a sheltering embrace. I don't think I quite realized what I had done until several days later."
Some of the anger that Fate had inside her melted away.
'I don't think I can fight someone like this. He's nothing at all like I imagined, and hearing it from Signum only makes it worse. She's not one to lie and I can tell that she cares for him. So why is he doing this? Who's behind it all? I hope Hayate and Rein are having better luck than I am finding out what he was talking about with that incident twenty years ago.'
Sorry for the huge wait. But the economy's sucking all over right now. Work's tight and money's tight, so chapters may be far and few between, but they're there! Thanks and review!
Don't miss the Manga: Lyrical Nanoha ViviD, and the Fourth Season of Mahou Shoujo Lyrcial Nanoha Force. Currently in manga format, though it'll hit anime soon enough. For those of you reading, this takes place before Force and ViviD.
Sneak Peak at Next Chapter:
Nanoha comes to inside the Temperance Seal. Why is she back in Japan, and why is the city destroyed? Will she be able to withstand the trials of the Temperance Seal? What will the White Devil do when she finds that everything she holds dear has been ripped away from her? Find out next time on Belkan Pride.