It wasn't that Zafira suddenly appeared in a flash of light, or anything showy. One moment he was not present, and the next he was. There was no moment in which he was arriving, or in transit. He either was there or he wasn't, and that's all any of them could sense. He did look somewhat the worse for wear. As the concept of location was somewhat vague where they existed 'between', as was the concept of their well being… there was little to nothing that could be done about his condition. Nor should there have been.

The next to be present was Vita, who looked much the same way. Shamal followed her. There was a moment of expectation; a moment of something is coming… but then the moment had passed, and the presences inside the Book's dimension knew. Shamal continued her sobbing where she had left off to scream while she had still been not present. Zafira growled in the back of his throat as he stared at everything and nothing. Vita turned her head roughly to the side so that she was not facing any of the others.

She merely closed her eyes.

Even when you're not with us, we are with you. Good luck, Signum.

Separation

The Book snapped shut as it finished collecting. The Master scowled at the one remaining servant. "One lousy page short. You couldn't have gotten just the one more page on any of your little outings? Not that they were long enough by any means." She didn't seem to be looking for a response, so Signum remained silent and regarded the Master to watch for when she did expect some sort of response or action from her. "And I need one of you around while I'm still getting used to my new powers… so I can't just take it from you right now."

Signum was having trouble staying on her feet, but she was managing to keep this fact from her Master. A part of her surmised that it was possible that her Master would take her Linker Core if she knew how weak she was at that moment, but it was not a guarantee. She would serve at her Master's will… may that will for her to serve end soon. It was just another cycle. Just another time through the cogs of time that would meld into the rest of them once she had moved on like the others. No, she mustn't think of them, not and remain…

SLAP!

A stinging pain on Signum's cheek alerted her that her Master had slapped her across the face. She had apparently let her mind wander, even as she had tried to prevent herself from doing so.

"That's what you get for leading them here!"

Or maybe her master hadn't been what Signum should have been paying attention to.

"This is the Time-Space Administration Bureau. We have you surrounded. Come out and lay down your devices. If you surrender, you will be accorded the ability to defend yourself against your charges." It was a booming voice that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.

"You can take them, right?" the Master asked.

"I do not know what kinds of forces and resources they are leveling against us. I thus do not know how I would fare against said forces and resources."

The Master was not pleased with this response. "They're practically breaking down the door! You must have something that you can do to hold them off!" She didn't wait for an answer, instead attempting to start a Dimensional Transfer. Attempting futilely, as it turned out. "Damn it, they've blocked dimensional travel."

Signum wasn't surprised; they had managed to block dimensional travel in other encounters that the Wolkenritter had with them. Escape by flight was something of a best option more often than not. Sadly, her Master did not have the ability to fly… but…

"Master, I…"

"I do not want to hear your thoughts," came the snapped reply. Signum fell silent.

"If you do not comply, we will enter and subdue you by force! Last chance!"

"Cocky little-!" The Master groused, but she cut herself off. She snatched her deactivated Device from the chain that she had around her neck. "Fahrenheit, set up."

"Yes'm."

The Barrier Jacket that she formed from Fahrenheit wasn't all that much different from the brown robes that she normally wore. They gained red and black trim and a hood, but that pretty much ended the list of differences. Signum looked on silently, waiting for orders.

"We'll break through their line," the Master said once her Barrier Jacket was fully formed. "Through the front entrance. That's the least expected-"

There was a loud bang as the front door was forced open, revealing a pair of soldiers with Storage Devices with more behind them. They charged into the room, meeting with Signum head on.

Signum made quick work of the first two soldiers as they attempted to charge past her. She didn't have the time to meditate on this victory, as more soldiers were rushing into the room, and among them was the female Enforcer. The male Enforcer was nowhere to be seen, yet. While a single slash from Laevatein was plenty for any of the regular soldiers, the Enforcer could easily keep up with Signum's attacks, and the soldiers could get past her with Signum engaged.

"Why are you letting them through?" Signum heard her Master screeching from behind her, but there was nothing else she could do. She had only defeated the Enforcer with the help of the other – She didn't have that option, now. A slash met with a deflecting parry, a thrust met with quickly moving air. The battle quickly became a dance of barely deflected doom. There were sounds of struggle in the other part of the room, but Signum could pay it no mind if she wanted to win her bout.

She had three cartridges remaining… not that they would be very useful after this if she was captured, but she had no way to make more. When the soldiers started to provide support to her opponent, she realized that it was now or never for any other resources she had to use. "Laevatein!"

"Jawohl! Schlangenform!" her Device responded loyally, spending and ejecting her antepenultimate cartridge. Signum swung her lengthened Device out, keeping the soldiers at bay and forcing her primary opponent to leap back. She damaged the walls of the room, but there was little doubt that she wouldn't be in it for very much longer… one way or another.

"Heavenly Blow!"

Signum spun, Levantine coming up and forming into the more defensive "Schwertform!" before meeting the attack of the male Enforcer as she had before. Over the man's shoulder, she saw her Master was unconscious and captured. It figured.

The man grunted with the effort of keeping his weapon locked with Signum's. "Your Master has been captured. It's over. Surrender."

"We won't hurt you or your Master if you stand down now," the female added from behind her, just far enough away to be out of reach.

Signum thought for a moment. Her duty required her action and inaction in certain situations. This was an easy determination… though not an easy thing to do. She broke the connection between her and the Enforcer before laying Laevatein on the ground as she knelt beside him. "I surrender."

Just short.

Some Masters would have attempted to call me anyway.

The Book is usable at this point, though pages are spent as the power is released.

So close. Too close to give up ground.

So the Master has determined. But has she made the right decision?

Does it matter? In the end, the Book will devour her like it has every other who has been prideful enough to attempt to control it. Us.

Our flaw.

She'll even fade in our minds… leaving nothing left of her in the universe at all.

This is a bad thing?

No. Not for this one.

"Alright," the Admiral said. "keep me posted on anything you learn from either of them. Dismissed."

George and Tanya gave sharp salutes before turning around and leaving the bridge of the Hestia. The door shut behind them leaving them walking in the otherwise empty corridor. George was looking down at the floor in front of him, shaking his head. Tanya looked over at him. "What is it?" she asked him.

"I'm shocked, really," George said.

Tanya smiled at him. "Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. It could only be a guess as to when we should go in. Admiral Harlaown made the right decision is all. Did you expect otherwise?"

"No," George said to his mentor. "Of course not. I just expected it to be harder... even with the backup squad from the other ship that made it." He shook his head. "You say she used the Book to absorb the other Knights that we fought the same way that they have been attacking the mages?"

"Yes," Tanya confirmed. "I'm not sure why she kept the last one, though, if she hadn't completed it from the others."

George gave Tanya a somewhat incredulous look. "You expect any of these weirdos to exhibit logic?"

Tanya gave a short bark of a laugh. "Perhaps not…"

"And you think it's enough to separate the two of them?"

Tanya shook her head. "I don't know. There aren't any records of successful captures of the Master before the Book is completed, so I don't know what will help and what won't. I'm going by my gut here, mostly."

George nodded. "Separate ships for each of them is the safest bet on that front, though… who knows what they can manage without each other."

Tanya nodded. "That's why we have the other ship's Enforcers keeping tabs on the Knight. The two of us are for the Master. Divide and conquer in case of any problems. Plus, soon enough we'll be escorted by a veritable fleet." She sighed. "We're taking any precaution that any of us can think of, but all of it may not be enough. We don't know what they can and can't do. We don't know whether any of our colleagues have even gotten this far in a case with the Book of Darkness. We don't know."

The pair descended the stairs that led to the lower levels of the ship. "We're going to have to be as vigilant as possible. We're not going to be able to predict what kind of trouble either of them may be able to cause us, but we can try to be ready for anything." She opened the door that led to the brig, where precisely one cell was occupied.

Both Enforcers stopped as they found one of the soldiers that they had left with the Master of the Book of Darkness held up against the edge of the cell by… it seemed like the Master had her arm through him. There was no time to react. There was no time to shout. The Book had materialized next to him and had opened to a single blank page, that filled with writing before the Book snapped shut a moment after the door had opened. The Master's greedy and giddy gaze slid over to the newcomers. "You're too late," she told them.

The body of the soldier fell, but the Book remained and faced its cover toward the prisoner. "Guten morgen, Meister."

The Enforcers both began to draw their Devices out but the Master laughed at them. "Too late now! The Book is full and I have all the power that I need! All the power that I could possibly want now resides in this tome!" An explosion of a deep purple light caused the Enforcers to stop and flinch away. When they could see again, the Master was bathed in that light. Her tone suddenly took on a flat affect, which scared the Enforcers all the more.

"I am the Master of the Book of Darkness. Bring power to these hands of mine." The Book, which had disappeared in the purple explosion, appeared in her hand. "Seal, release."

George barely had the presence of mind to slap the alarm pad next to him.

I am called.

It is time, then. You must go and perform the duty that you are charged with.

For as long as I can keep my mind.

In the end, it is that loss that allows us to keep trying this.

You want to be stuck in this rut? You want to experience this sadness over and over?

No. I want to experience happiness. Just once.

So many times of sadness that none of us know any more how many times we've been through this… and you'll be satisfied with a single time of happiness?

Yes. That single time is worth it… especially if we can make it the last.

It is not this time.

No. But it may be the next.