Magic and keyholes

Despite what Flora believed, Felicia considered herself smarter. She had learnt from many people around her how to hide some tricks up her sleeve, so it shouldn't come as a surprise. Jacob always pressed her to perform her utmost, and she had to find new ways to conceal her blunders from Gunther, or else she'd be in trouble. When Lilith used to be a human, she was of great help at the stables of the fort. … She missed working with her.

The pink haired girl decided she'd visit her when she was over with her quest. Orochi really needed new clothes to hide her nationality, and Felicia needed to get off from some hook… Felicia may look innocent, but she wasn't as helpless as she was with her maid duties. … She could really have some help with those though. Where was Jacob anyway? Flora said she'd help stabilizing things back in their tribe, but their father didn't need her help that much. What was taking her so long?

"Um… Felicia. So you're in a relationship with Lord Corrin." Orochi repeated. Ever since she was made prisoner, she controlled her desires to gossip like crazy, and she was finally free to do it!

"That is right. It's still a recent event. Sometimes I even forget about it, but then I find him grinning at me, and I remember." The ponytailed girl confessed, letting her passion spill from her chest.

"Could you share me in with the details?! As Corrin's mother's former retainer, I feel like I must know EVERYTHING concerning to him." The diviner explained, popping the first excuse to cross her mind. There were no brakes for a busybody like her.

"If really want to know about him, you should extend the range to his whole family, and I might say that won't be any easy task." Felicia grinned, enchanted of being able to include herself in Corrin's family.

"You mean the nohrian r-royals? I'm afraid I don't have the nerve to introduce myself to them yet." The hoshidan desisted. "Besides, I already know the beaming Elise." She added, strengthening her argument, extending an arm. Felicia grabbed it and pull to resume their search.

"You don't have to be that shy! Oh, there she is." The maid murmured to herself. "Let's begin right away, shall we? I'm betting she will be delighted to provide you some clothes… if she doesn't kill you first." She whispered the later. "Lady Camilla!"

The princess was observing in silence how the last of the newcomers assaulted the shiny mansion she built for them. You could see pride and satisfaction in her looks, especially in her smile. When she attended the call, she discovered the woman who stole Corrin from him. She had thought of a hundred little ways to have her revenge on her. Even if someone asked her if that was the reason she wanted to go shopping with Felicia, she would swear she wouldn't make any comment about her modest complexion.

"Felicia, my dear! How can I help you?" The princess smiled. As she turned to face her new sister in law, she saw Felicia wasn't the only one gazing at her. There were two splashed ponytails coming from behind the maid, making her look like she had some kind of hat.

"I wondered whether you could help a friend getting some new clothes." The maid averted her eyes, making a petty smile. Felicia wished Flora could see the trickery she was performing.

"A friend? And who could that be?" Camilla asked, trying to peek over Felicia's shoulder.

"Come on. You should at least introduce yourself, don't you think?" The pink haired girl told her friend, shaking her off.

The diviner fought hard to keep hiding behind her, but Felicia tricked her and managed to leave her exposed. Camilla's eyes widened as she understood who she was. Orochi couldn't take the pressure of the princess stare and grabbed her scrolls to hide her face halfway.

"My name is O-Orochi. I am a d-diviner of Hoshido." When their eyes met, Orochi looked away. "I was captured by your group back in Cheve. … I was touched by your recent actions with those performers and I decided that if I am not going to stand in your way anymore, I could as well lend you a hand for neutral tasks." She managed to say, unsure about how the princess would react.

"Corrin has already approved it, and since Orochi is on our side now, we wouldn't want the king's soldiers to mistake her for an enemy." Felicia added, giving some support to the woman who was going to take her place in the hook.

Camilla continued observing the diviner a little longer, not uttering a word. It was obvious she didn't trust the hoshidan. Why would she?

"But of course! I don't think that will be possible!" Orochi hurried to resume, sensing a murderous aura coming from the princess. "I know Corrin is too trusting, and I didn't even need the gods guidance to tell he would agree with this… but I should have known better as to believe… … I'm sorry I ever asked." Orochi bowed to her, respectful. Even though fear should be dominant, disappointment was greater.

"Orochi…" Felicia muttered, wincing a little and then giving a look to the princess, checking their odds. The few they had, that is.

Camilla returned her the look, asking her whether she found making friends of the enemy to be prudent. The maid wasn't ready to speak her mind up freely enough to disagree, so she just kept silently wincing.

The wyvern rider heaved a sigh. The fact that she had tried multiple times to murder a fellow nohrian just because she mistrusted him showed her how extreme her preventive measures could be. Maybe she wasn't wrong about Orochi, but she'd have to investigate it further before swinging her axe yet again.

"I don't know about letting you take part in the fights, but Felicia is right about you needing other outfits. I can still smell the stink of Cheve's battlefield in you." The princess commented as she approached her threateningly as always. Orochi froze like a scared bunny. "I may have something for you in my room. Shall we head there?" She mercifully smiled at the rabbit woman.

The diviner doubted whether she had done right: before, Orochi could have been rejected, but then, she was invited to the lion's den. Felicia tried to sneak away, but Camilla grabbed her arm before she could do that.

"Of course, you're coming too, my dear. I want to take your measures to make another maid suit for you!" Camilla beamed, trapping the scared Orochi with her other arm.

"Eh? B-but I have other things to take care of right now…" The maid tried to justify herself, close to the precipice of defeat.

"Don't worry about that! That other butler arrived this morning. He said he wanted to take care of everything himself, so you should be free!"

As Camilla dragged the two sobbing girls along, Felicia cursed her mentor. Why, of all times, did Jacob have to find the astral realm at that precise moment? As revenge, she could take him to meet Peri. … On second thought, better not.

I was a little surprised, to be honest. Since I got up that morning, I had been asked for help at every corner. When I decided to become their psychologist, my plan was to first introduce myself to everyone around, proving that I didn't bite –maybe making a joke out of my name– and then getting closer to those who I thought that needed my help the most so I could make them open to me. … Okay, except for Peri. She gives me the chills, and I don't think she herself knows what is going on with her. … What am I going to do with her…? *Sigh*

Oh well. Every place I travelled to, people were always reluctant to trust me their secrets. Showing a stranger your wounds so carelessly isn't the safest thing to do. What if I judged them? *Theatric voice* By showing me their weaknesses, they're giving me the means to destroy them as well. … Of course, that fear wasn't enough to stop all of them. I mean, in those cases, after a whole week people would start coming to me. But with Corrin's group, all it took was three days. Three. Days.

If I had to explain that occurrence… I'd say it is because we fought together. I trusted my life to them –which was the obvious thing to do, owing to the circumstances–, and they trusted their lives to me –which I strongly recommend they didn't–. It makes me uneasy that I am getting to know them better than they know me… How can they trust me? *Burbles*

No matter that, the fact that Niles was asking me for help once again exalts my already swollen pride. However, I never expected him to be followed by the emotional disaster Beruka is. Talking about emotions, she may think she had none, but the disgust that guided her attitude towards the archer was quite evident, whereas Niles was annoyingly glad about that. That sadist…

I was following them towards the other side of the realm. I hadn't adventured over that area, so I opened my senses to learn my way around things. The buildings were no longer simplistic: there were signs everywhere about the identity of what they were, like blacksmith's, clothing stores and even bakeries.

"Did you enjoy your meal, dear?" Niles suddenly asked to the assassin. Her eyes lived up to that title when she glared at him. "Now, now! Be gentle. I just gave you a banana; there's nothing wrong about feeding others some sturdy fruits, is there?" Aaand Niles strikes back. Sturdy bananas… I wish I didn't understand what he was talking about. What catastrophe has he casted now?

"Do you think I am an imbecile? You looked to be enjoying your time as you pressed the plantain against my mouth. There's no way I could eat that fast!" The blue haired bloodthirsty girl replied, gripping the handle of her axe. Like mistress like retainer.

I glared at Niles with repulsion. When he directed his eye to me, he seemed a little surprised about my sudden change of attitude. That was to be expected: I was usually quite forgiving with his mischiefs, after all. …

"You should have known what you had coming!" Knowing Niles, that last word wasn't as innocent as it could appear… "What did you expect? What idiot told you to have others feed you?" Niles laughed, trying to get his way by changing the subject. Ouch. Beruka fell silent and glimpsed at me. In her dead-fish eyes, it was hard to find anything at all, but I sensed something: insecurity. She doubted about the efficacy of the therapy.

"That idiot is me." I sighed, speeding up with annoyance. "Are you sure you need an idiot's help, Niles? Because I was in the middle of something I was looking forward." I replied with apathy. I was mad at him. That and that I needed to show undying resolve in front of Beruka. If she believed I even considered the possibility of her therapy being useless, then that would be the end of her collaboration. Probably.

"You can go if you want. It's not like my life was the one in danger here." The white haired man grunted, looking away with disinterest. That caught me off-guard. There was someone's life in danger? Whose?

Luckily for us, especially for Niles, that last comment killed the conversation. I began pondering about the kind of place they were taking me to. Beruka probably knew something about what Niles spoke about, judging by her absence.

On our way, we found a pair of remarkable people. The man was a noisy blonde whose spirits were higher than the highest of snowy peaks! And the woman was a prideful ponytailed redhead showing off a dark red dress with frills. Since Beruka and Niles were looking in opposite directions, I was the only one to notice that those two were holding hands. I would have called them, but the way they looked at each other made me understand they were busy. … The rest of the way, I couldn't help smiling like a douche. Am I at fault?

That smile, nonetheless, was soon erased when we reached a horrendous shadowy building: the prison. Each step I took to follow them was probably the hardest I had taken in a long time. Every fiber of my being demanded me to turn round and go back. Niles guided us through the corridors of cells. I tucked my head and stared at the floor tiles all the time. From time to time, I would peek at Beruka's now covered legs, but the memories of Selena punching my guts was enough to make me desist and return to the boring floor.

"Boss! Welcome back!" A buffed rude-looking man greeted Niles. Telling from his clothes, it was evident he was a prisoner –though I wondered how his sleeves didn't burst open with such muscles–. I was lightning fast to check he had no shackles on. I couldn't help a sigh.

"Has she eaten anything yet?" Niles asked lamely, bored about that affair… and a little impatient?

"We've tried to make her do so, but to no avail, boss." His underling lamented, bowing his head.

"Have you pressed the food into her mouth?" Beruka asked, imagining that was the obvious thing to do for Niles' minions. After the banana incident, she wouldn't expect any less. The brutish man arched a confused brow.

"We showed her there ain't poison in it by having some of her food, but that twat- I mean, that girl won't react to anything we do." The prisoner explained nervously, gesturing as if he ate air. … I touched Beruka's hair to distract myself. There were a lot of things I didn't want to remember. The assassin's reaction: grabbing my wrist and twisting it so that I begged her forgiveness. Even that pain would do.

Niles turned to me and pointed at the figure of a curled woman resting on a bed made of straws. Without a word, he shook his head to tell me that was my mission. Understood. Before entering, I was quick to realize something.

"Take her shackles off, and then take'em where I cannot see them." I ordered him, neutral and focused –and caressing my wrist–.

"Don't you fear what that woman could do to you? Not that I were against hearing your screams." Niles grinned, trying to discourage me. I didn't please him with a response. I was dead serious about that. "Fine." With a head gesture, the archer ordered his minion to do as I said.

There were lots of reasons why you shouldn't try sweet-talking someone into doing something if that person wore shackles. I bet you can think of many of them yourselves, but I have to confess I had my own personal reasons. When I was about to step in, I stopped again.

"What's her name?" That's more important than any of the presents believed.

"Mamoru." Someone replied. When we looked at the opposite cell, I saw my death, or at least, the man that almost killed me. Kuma… gera, was it? I nodded at him, grateful. He was probably worried about his ally too.

Mamoru was dark haired young woman of about… um… let's say 22. Her cheeks were reddened, and she was curling up tightly, almost as if she refused to deal with her new environment. Unlike Kumagera, she had her hoshidan clothes still on, prove of the little cooperation Niles has got from her. … Should I call her 'Miss Mamoru'? … Oh wait. There's something more fitting for that occasion.

"Mamoru-san, can I have your attention, please?" I politely requested, sitting next to her. I had to move the dish of food away. It was a fine cooked piece of salmon. It made me hungry, but it wasn't the moment to lose focus.

I didn't even get an irritated grumble from her. Furthermore, she moved to face the wall. I saw the stains of blood painting her white and red robes, but she didn't look hurt herself.

"Who have you lost?" I asked aloofly, spacing out a little. She clenched her body in agony, but refused to answer. I wouldn't be getting any word from her, but she had lost someone. That is what her response meant. "As you probably hate me just because of the color of my hair, I'll get things straight. Do you want to die?"

The hoshidan shook a little more and, little by little, sat properly, staring at me with her blue eyes. Few nohrian women could show off such beautiful eyes: she was a mestizo. There was probably a long story behind that girl, but who hasn't a story to tell nowadays?

"I've been where you are more times than I would have liked, but the friends I've lost used to tell me to live on, and here I am." My life in a nutshell. "Do you think your comrades would want you to die?" I am not sure if that was the most adequate comment, but at the very least I'll make her reflect on what she was doing… and the yummy fish she was missing. *Stomach rumbles*

"You don't know them. Stop pretending like you did." Mamoru threw back at me with a pained deep voice. Never, EVER, contradict a mad person. That will only make them madder.

"Fair enough. Still, I can think of at least one person who doesn't want you dead, despite me not knowing any of your friends." I replied, looking directly at Niles. I mean, that is why he told me to come, isn't it? He wanted to save her life, and since he couldn't just be a gentle governor to his prisoners, he needed someone else.

My gaze continued to switch into another more and more surprised. I had realized what his deal was. My face revealed to him my discovery, making him turn violent.

"That's enough, you charlatan! Take him out of there." The pissed off archer commanded to his huge subordinate, scathing.

Rudely, I was taken out of the cell, leaving Mamoru alone. Beruka and the hoshidan rider exchanged a quick look before we left the corridors, leaving the task of putting her shackles back on in charge of Niles' boys. As I had intuited the truth about the 'monstrous' archer, he forbid me the access to his prison forever. And for good reason, isn't that right, mister monster? *Giggles*

In few words, Niles wanted to be considered a jerk and every insult his actions were worthy. The proof that he was acting was the fact that he was nice to his lord beyond any pretending. 'Why?' remains a mystery, but the truth was no other than he being worried over the hoshidan girl dying from starvation, thus he asked for my help, maintaining his kind manners hidden from everyone. That's why he hurried to kick me out when I threatened to unmask him.

I sat on the drawbridge, thoughtful. That girl, Mamoru, she'd be probably fine. Kumagera's was the next cell to hers. They were part of the same unit. I don't know if they got along or not, but they were together in there. Niles would probably make sure of making her stay a living hell, making them reunite to survive him. I am starting to believe he's not even a sadist. … Have I finally gone mad? I never thought I'd say those words!

"Hey." Although I believed I was the only one kicked out, Beruka followed me quietly until she broke her silence. She kept standing. "I said I didn't care about how we work as people, but…"

"It could have been any other therapy, really." I interrupted her as I stood up. She was losing confidence in my credibility, and I couldn't permit her to ask anything I couldn't easily reply. "Selena told you to take interest in boys, remember? Although it would have been an unsettling thing to do in a forced way, its result would have been similar: building bonds with others." I resumed, facing her in order to be attentive to her reactions.

"Bonds? What does that mean?" She asked tilting her head, as if I had said something weird. … Right. Beruka doesn't usually bother to think in that kind of stuff, hence she wants to know my definition of that word. I scratched my chin and gazed upwards. Murky clouds again.

"It means that you like other people, you consider some of them 'friends' and maybe that you want to spend more time with them doing whatever." I patiently explained. Beruka narrowed her eyes as her confusion grew. "What do you think of Selena and Camilla?" I questioned, bringing a curious smile. I offered her to start walking with my arm, gesture that she seemed to understand. I wanted to resume my return to the library: magic awaits.

Although Beruka marched along, her silence was not that of who had nothing to say, but that of who tries to say something and fails. You know, her eyes sliding over the surfaces in search of the words she wanted to pull… her shoulders a little tense…

"They are the people I work with, and for; respectively." The bluehead finally responded robotically. It was a good answer, but her silence was far more meaningful. … Oh, I know how to check her real feelings! But I shouldn't do-

"What would you do if I told you I killed them during their sleep?" I tested with a mean and decomposed look, filled with bold hatred and ill-wills. … Don't ask.

As though a carriage had run over me, I felt violence overflowing as Beruka set her grim killer eyes on me. I gulped on instinct. Although my smile trembled at the edge of collapsing, I was strengthened by something relieving:

"That, Beruka, is a bond. Two bonds in this case! Make sure to treasure them." I cheered, speeding up unconsciously. I used a bad example, but its efficiency was excellent, given the results. The assassin stopped and kept glaring at me for a few seconds. When she realized I had been 'joking', she calmed down.

"Never do that again! I will kill you!" She warned me in the distance, clenching her fists. I just smirked cockily, taking nervy long steps. My wiggly knees made it hard to walk in a straight line. … One of these days, I'm really going to die to my carelessness, I tell you. Who says I wasn't dying that very same day, anyway?

Every game had its rules. Hide-and-seek had a set up time… kick the can needed a can to be played… and the likes of it. But magic was truly tiring. Leo wanted her to learn the most basic of basics to start, making sure she forgot everything she had learnt on her own thus far. When he discovered Azura was more of a distraction than a help, he asked her delicately to 'help Elise focusing'.

After the songstress left, Elise deflated like a balloon, making it hard for herself and for her brother. Leo had brought a little board in which he drew some pictures that were supposed to explain the lesson, but everything the princess saw were random lines.

"Considering these two last rules, all you have left to do is directing your inner energy to manifest itself in the shape of that you want to cast. From there on, the runes on the grimoires will give birth to the materialization of the magic particles. In your case, you should be able to build up many of them, after all the training you've had with magic staves, but the way to discharge the mental processes is substantially different."

Leo kept spouting boring words never-endingly, making Elise heave her fifteenth sigh. As her brother noticed her lack of attention, his patience took another blow. Luckily for her, he was used to it.

"Elise, have you understood at the very least the rules we've been talking about for the last thirty minutes?" The blonde asked, placing his hands on the table to make her wake up.

"The rules? Um… like… the ones you said you were going to teach me a moment ago?" The girl giggled, recollection whatever she could of her last memories. It was Leo's turn to sigh. "I'm sorry, Leo, but it's just too difficult for me to understand! I am just a good-for-nothing!" She cried, squeezing her ponytails with frustration.

"You do take your time to learn new jobs, but you were right. The sooner you can become an independent unit in battle, the more versatile it will be to have you rushing through the battlefield." He nodded, turning sideways and crossing his arms. The way he started ignoring his sister gave her a clue about his real intentions.

"So you're not doing this so I can protect myself in case I am in danger?" Elise wondered, placing a finger on her smiling lips.

"T-that is only a convenient side effect! It's not like that was something a strategy leader such as me should be concerned about!" He continued mumbling, turning to hide the hint of color showing on his face. Not even a table was enough to stop Elise from jumping to hug her loving brother. "What did I tell you about mushy hugs?" He grunted, trying to take her off by waving his arms around.

A desperate 'shhh' urged them to shut up. Students had enough bearing with the prince babbling about the confusing world of magic, the latest racket was the nail to most of their patience's graves.

"Let's get back to work." Leo told her sister, embarrassed of his own demeanor. A prince shouldn't be making a scene like that in a public library. Despite their royal titles, Elise couldn't get herself to stop giggling.

"I'm here!" A blond man rushed to their side, huffing heavily. He wished he was in better shape. "Am I late?" Miles asked pressing his glasses back on.

"Hi, Miles! You're just in time!" Elise happily greeted, raising her arms over her head. Some student lost it, making the longest 'shhh' yet. "Hi, Miles. You're just in time." The princess repeated in a lower tone.

"As I highly doubt Elise is capable of doing it herself, I'll quickly review everything one last time for you." The prince announced, going back to the board and rubbing away the chalk. Miles sat on the table, trying to suffocate his heavy breaths. Elise sat next to him, paying him more than attention than to her brother.

"Magic itself has a vast depth regarding to its laws and rules, but the only ones you both need to understand to perform the easiest of magic are these two." Leo commenced smashing the rod of chalk against the board, torturing the few readers left in the library: the others had run away long ago. If Elise hadn't seen Miles so focused on Leo's teaching, she wouldn't have had any curiosity to listening to him. Finally having his sister's attention moved Leo a little, but he coughed to regain his composure.

"The first one: magic originates in us. We're both the catalyst and the reactant to any spell. As it depends on pure will, there are records of exceptional magicians that are capable of performing magic without grimoires. The logic behind its creation takes place in our thoughts. The way we think determines the way our magic flows from us. It is said that sorcerers reaches high level of wisdom thanks to molding their thoughts to the magic they want to perform."

"Is that why Odin always uses flashy spells that suits his dramatic and exaggerated attitude?" Miles asked, bringing a satisfied smile. Elise failed to understand anything, but the psychologist's comment helped her connecting ideas.

"Precisely." Leo grinned, pleased to see that at least one of his students was capable of following him. "Do you have any questions, Elise?" Leo repeated for the tenth time.

"Then it was useless to ask the spell book to cast the wind for me: I had to do it myself, right?" The princess asked, wincing with frustration over the wasted time she spent begging the book to do anything. She even offered it some of her dessert!

"It's not odd that you thought it that way, sister. With magic staves, it is them who do the healing work. You trained your ability to communicate with the magic stones, but, as you said, it is pointless to request anything from a book." The teacher asserted, satisfied with the progress he was finally getting.

"As for the second rule, it's about the role of the books we carry with us. Magic originates in us, but without a way to materialize it-

"Leo, what does 'materialize' mean?" Elise interrupted, a bit ashamed of showing her lack of comprehension.

"It means that something appears out of nowhere. To take form, to be created…" Miles exemplified. Elise's widened eyes were sign of her understanding. "Please proceed, Lord Leo." The novice smiled.

"Without a way to originate the spell itself, it would be nearly impossible for us to cast them. That is what grimoires are for. When they detect that their holder tries to perform a spell, they will try using the runes written in their pages to help the magician. However, if I attempted to make Brynhildr throw some flames, I'd be wasting my time. As the order of casting flames is not in any of its runes, the shape of that idea won't fit in any of the magic gates the runes are."

Elise raised her arm timidly.

"Um… could you repeat that last part?" She requested tensing her lips. Leo looked at his other student, checking if he could do that for him. Miles was flattered, and as such, he took a moment to gather his thoughts.

"You just have to think of runes like keyholes, and the spell you try casting like the key. If you force a key that doesn't fit in the keyhole, the door won't budge. However, if you use the appropriate key for its keyhole, the 'magic gate' will open, and magic will occur." He explained, expressing his hypothesis of what Leo meant with that lesson.

"Oh! I see! So that is what all the focalizing meant!" The girl burst in excitement. Miles grabbed her shoulders to press her against her seat. She seemed like flying from her joy.

"I am flabbergasted. How come that you- Wait, you went to college, didn't you?" Leo asked the psychologist, whose answer was a humble grin and a shrug of shoulders. "To conclude this lesson, I'll explain the particularities of each wizard. As it's our inner flow of thoughts what gives birth to magic itself, Odin's spells are noisy and, above all, unnecessarily overdone. Since few grimoires were able to satisfy the bursting exigencies his boisterous mind demands, he ended up writing his own spell book." And then Leo tucked his head, mumbling the next. "He put limited uses for his tome, forgetting about the basic runes for enlarging the formula. He claimed that he was familiarized with spell books, but that kind of mistake is not one he'd make willingly." Miles was quite interested in that reflexive parenthesis of his teacher.

"Is anything the matter, brother?" Elise asked, intrigued by the thoughtful look on Leo.

"It's nothing. Forget I said anything." He shook his head, focusing in resuming his teaching. "What you have to understand is that in the long run, the way you see the world will reflect on you magic. The first task I'll give you two is to cast your first spell. Here." Leo handed them two red books. Both of them had on its cover a symbol of wildfire. Under it, the word 'Ember' was inscribed in golden letters.

On one hand, Elise received it with disappointment: she had seen other apprentices practicing with it. It was the lowest of the low in terms of magic spell books. On the other hand, Miles' hands became sweaty from the emotion of finally accessing to the sacred knowledge of runes and magic casting. He himself was surprised about his nerves, but that book meant his first step as a magician: it was far from a light-hearted matter.

"Tell me if you have any difficulties with making those function." Leo said as he collected his belongings from the table. The lesson was over.

"Miles, Miles! Wanna go use them now?" Elise offered her partner, getting in front of him and literally seating on a divine tome. Leo pulled his poor Brynhildr from under his jumpy sister, dusting it with some pats. The psychologist blinked a few times, too thrilled to utter any word. "Let's go! It's written all over your face you want to!" The girl laughed as she took Miles' hands and pulled him to leave.

Leo followed them with his sharp eyes. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to have Elise learn with a partner. She seemed much more interested in that 'boring stuff' she chose to ignore before, and Miles presented an example from the manual.

Truth be told, he couldn't believe Corrin had hired a psychologist. On top of that, Camilla, the most protective guardian, had allowed it! Leo didn't consider himself an untrusting person, but it was beyond believable everybody accepted him that quickly. It was… suspicious even.

He'd order Niles to investigate his dirty rags. No one was without a past. … Odin was a special case. He had been with him for quite a long time now, and he had his total trust, even if Niles failed at finding out anything about him. … But that would be never revealed to him. Its confession would cause an earthquake named Odin Dark, and Leo wasn't one to be unwarrantedly cheesy.

La la laaa! La la liii! La la- Huh? Oh! I was just singing. Having my first grimoire was more exciting than I had anticipated, you know? I mean, I know magic books are usually used to fight, but at least I can think more uses for them compared to the sword Silas gave me, and I am not stabbing anyone with a book! *Laughs*

I supposed Elise was taking me to the training grounds. I once saw Odin there vaporizing a training dummy, followed by a good scold from Laslow. However, the little princess missed the way that led to said place. Instead, she took me outside the fort. I couldn't help asking where she intended to take me, but all she answered were giggles and 'it's a surprise'.

I reckon I had missed the feeling of stepping on grass. The pallid leaves were so unhealthy they even looked like silver when the light reflected on them. We walked up a hill and approached the shore of the southern sea. She seemed unsatisfied with something. Elise raised her hands as if she were holding a marionette and then something weird happened.

Out of nowhere, a green fog surrounded her, making her ponytails wave softly. A shine hit my eyes, making me shut them. When I reopened them, I saw the petite figure of Elise turning to me with a bright smile as the clouds no longer hid the sun. It wasn't perfectly over the horizon, but the impact of seeing the sun was quite high. You see, it's not the most common thing for any nohrian to see.

"Like this, we won't have to worry about anything we can't see! We can train freely!" She announced, spinning on her toes and hopping like a mad goat.

I was gawking a little over the fact that she used the power of a dragon vein just for that, but something about that made a lot of sense. … The white plates of her dress reflected the sunlight, but that wasn't everything to it. She emitted her own light. With sisters like her, it had to be hard for Corrin to falter. No wonder why he risked everything in Makarath to save her.

"Let's get to it, Elise!" I grinned, opening the magic book for the first time.

I quickly searched for the runes. As it was expected from a novice tome, there were hundreds of annotations and explanations on the sides to help beginners understanding what was what. Nonetheless, a good part of it was the bunch of theory Leo told us before. Out of curiosity, I checked it to please me eyes with something: Leo's 'little review' summed up almost fifty pages. All I can say is that he rocks more than he is usually told. I'd make sure to tell him next time.

"Ember!" With that shout, Elise created an awesome explosion of fire right next to me. I fell back from the surprise. When the flames extinguished, a dark rock was everything left. "Take that! At long last!" She beamed, jumping even higher. She really loved jumping. I got up to follow her lead.

"E-ember…" I muttered, raising my palm shyly. Nothing happened. Of course. Don't get frustrated, Miles. That's the worst thing you could do.

"Don't sweat it, Miles. Getting frustrated is the worst thing you could do. You'll get the hang of it in no time!" Elise cheered for me. I took a long breath.

"Ember." But nothing happened. Again.

"It's just a matter of keep trying. Don't mind! Don't mind!"

I glanced at her neutrally. Maybe too neutrally. I was a little afraid of being a failure even before starting with it. This, audience, is anxiety building up over suggestions born from impatience. *Sigh* … Even if I had to try for a whole week, I'll do it. Prepare yourself, Miles.

Now then, imagine yourself casting a fire like Elise's. Hot, dazzling and smoky. It materializes from my palm, growing with each second until reaching an acceptable size, to then be launched frontwards and beat the ground.

"Ember." As the word left my lips, a ball the size of my head started blazing in the direction I was pointing my hand. How to describe the power I felt? I mean, I know Elise's fireball was much bigger than mine, but I had actually done it! The first two times I had a blank in my mind. I had been too nervous.

"You did it! Yay!" Elise celebrated, pulling my arm with enthusiasm. I thought she was going to pull it… off. … It's so bad it cannot even be considered a joke, can it? *Contains laughter*

"Not yet. I have to overpass you!" I grinned conceitedly.

"A challenge! I wouldn't have it any other way!"

You wouldn't believe how fast time flew. At first, we competed over who could launch a fireball the furthest. Then, thanks to a little 'accident' from her side –firing a ball next to my feet a showering me in dirt–, we trying to bath the other in sand with fireballs.

The next stage was because of another accident. No quotation marks this time. My heart skipped a beat or two when I aimed higher than I should have and fired the ember directly to Elise. On instinct, Elise raised her arms, but the ball never got her: an invisible barrier protected her from the impact. After covering my mouth to make me stop apologizing heatedly, she explained to me that there was something called resistance. It was a natural ability to use your own magic as a protective barrier.

As I said, the next stage was related to that. In revenge, Elise fired at me rapid smaller balls. I dodged as many as I could because I had zero confidence in my ability to create that shield she mentioned. Hey, I got some good exercise done as well. *Cleans sweat*

"Elise! Let's have a break! Please!" I pleaded in agony. She sent a new wave of fireballs, however.

"If you want me to stop, what if you tell me how you got those scars on your back? A girl has to satisfy her curiosity! I'll tell you Camilla's favourite flower in exchange!" She giggled.

I raised a hand and slapped the fireball with it. I didn't get any burns. Maybe thanks to the defensive barrier I managed to cast around my hand, maybe because I switched mode. The thought of bombing her with flames crossed my mind, but I was soon horrified by it. Control, Miles.

"A bear."

"A bear?" Elise asked, halting her firing.

"I was attacked by a bear in one of my journeys."

"And why are you smiling about it?" The blonde quickly noticed. I wasn't fooling her that easily, it seemed. She had a great intuition. *Sighs*

"The bear made a funny face." I shrugged, desperate to change subject.

"And what kind of face was- Wait! Don't change topic on me like that! You promised you'd tell me all about it!" She complained, stealing my personal space. I moved backwards, always careful of not tripping on accident, but she kept glaring at me from up-close.

"Y-you could say… you can't bear so much intrigue." I regret nothing. Elise made an odd expression. I wouldn't dare to say she liked my pun, but she was unable to stay totally determined about making me speak.

"Then I should come for you at a later time, right?" Someone asked next to us. How many times has Corrin become my savior as of late? Behold the great hero, Corrin! *Cheers* … However, I shouldn't make it too obvious.

"What did you need from me, boss?" I asked in order to examine the urgency of his needs. Elise now glared at her brother, frustrated that he interrupted her inquires.

"I was going to offer you to have a stroll outside the realm and talk about some things, but I see you were busy right now." He sighed, turning back to the fortress. His back was a sad vision. Maybe that was what made the princess desist.

"It's okay. I'll let you have him this one time." Elise heaved a sigh, backing off. "But we are not over, Miles." She reminded me with a pointy finger. I averted my eyes aloofly. "Orochi said she needs gossip material after all!" The blond princess joked to help me relax. … I sometimes get the impression that she can read my mind. My my.

To be honest, I was a little sad about leaving Elise after all the fun we had, but Corrin sounded like he really needed to be heard, and after everything we've been through, I guess there ARE things he needs to talk about. Lilith opened a portal for us in exchange of a nice piece of raw meat. I didn't notice before how sharp her fangs looked, but at heart she was the same wary dragon fish girl.

Outside the realm, it was still night. It was unpleasant to have my perception of time messed up, actually. Corrin told me I'd get used to it, but I just knew that suddenly changing from nighttime to daytime is unhealthy at a physical level. … I'd have to look into the schedule to find a break for them to recover.

The whole kingdom of Nestra fell noiseless after the breakout of performers. No one would say that night blood was spilled, but I knew better. The prince took me to the outskirts of Cyrkensia. A nice field of vines sheltered us from the curious eyes, and the further we strolled out, the more privacy we found.

"So, what did you want to discuss?" I began, looking at him sideways. It went unnoticed before, but he was more tired than he looked. After that frenetic night, that was nothing to be surprised about. Corrin stopped his pace and leant on a tree. We had reached the entrance to a nearby forest.

"Did I really make the right choice?" The whitehead wondered, his gaze lost in the infinite.

"I could brainwash you about the conception of 'right' or 'wrong', but that wouldn't satisfy you, would it?" I guessed, meaning that there was no right or wrong choice in the world. If we measured something's weight by its consequences, the more we looked into it –objectively–, the more balanced our result would be. It's like throwing a coin.

"You said I would have to defeat Father sooner or later if I wanted to stop the war, but… for that I should have sided with Hoshido instead! That way I'd have fought against Father and all of his wrongdoings! I would have saved the chevois! No cyrkensian performer would have gotten hunted like dogs!" He linked each claim swiftly. … And I couldn't deny a single thing.

"If you did that…" I began, looking up into the dark bluish sky. "…you would have had to face off your nohrian siblings instead. They would have felt betrayed, creating a horrendous wound in their hearts. In order to stop the dark evil empire, you would have forced your hoshidan soldiers to fight without casualties, resulting in their deaths. Even if you didn't invade Cheve yourself, it would have become a battlefield one way or the other: they were trying to rebel after all, weren't they? In this very night, you would have fought alongside with those hoshidans, breaking Nestra's neutrality either way." Things would have gone different, but things wouldn't have been necessarily better. War always meant trouble.

The draconian prince spaced out, considering my words cautiously. Judging by his face, it wasn't enough to raise his spirits.

"Besides, if you didn't return from Makarath, you wouldn't have visited Septembria in its time of need. Many would have died to the bandits' abuses, me included." I smiled, bolstering my gratitude towards him. Fate had its particularities, but it was never 'unfair' or 'cruel'. It was just the way it had to be. Those perceptions about its partiality are product to our individual circumstances.

I approached him and caressed his hair softly. His red eyes met mine. I took my glasses off.

"You're doing well, Corrin. I couldn't imagine things being better than they now are, no matter how hard I try." I whispered to him earnestly. I should have imagined he'd hug me. I would have liked that he did it because I was someone special or something, but I knew it was because he felt weak and unsure and I had just told him he was strong and reliable. *Sigh*

"I guess you're right then." He suddenly smiled as he released me. "If it were an option, I would have refused to side with anyone that day, but I'm glad making that choice has led me to meeting you. Thanks, Miles. I feel much better now!" Corrin thanked me from the bottom of his heart. … … Shit.

"You're welcome. Always." I replied, averting my eyes to the grassy ground. … I felt like I owed him all the explanations about my past. Hiding my back became a burden hard to endure, and his honesty made me feel like the pile of trash I always ignored that I was! I needed to confess who I really was! Tell him the reasons why he should have left me to die! "Corrin, there's something I need to tell you. It's about m-"

I stopped my words when a singing came to my ears. It was Azura's. It was obviously Azura's. Corrin heard it too. Not that far from us, the white-dressed princess waltzed into the forest, singing softly.

"It's Azura! Shall we go after her? I want to hear her song. It always manages to put a smile on me!" The spiky-eared boy told me by pulling my arm. I actually shared his wish. The little preview we had helped me smothering my mental breakdown from before. I really meant to sing. … Okay, I'm back. Heheheh.

We chased her in silence, taking care not to step on any noisy branches. After a fun pursue, we reached a small lake. The girl stayed in front of the mass of water, singing her lyrics to the emptiness. It was the very same tune she sang in the opera. Finally, Corrin suspected she could be the songstress that 'cursed' his father. I just giggled.

"Azura is the only person in a similar position. However, I can't fathom how painful it must be for her to fight against the family she grew up with. I want to support her at my best." Corrin told me in a low voice. I had never considered that. Azura was really fighting against her family. Maybe I should look into that later: any distraction of that caliber could mean her death in battle. That I had learnt in the past combats.

We were hiding behind the mushes, like any good spy would. I was ready to take my glasses off in case the princess decided to take a bath –which was quite probable, given the context–.

Nonetheless, a fully dressed Azura began walking into the lake, sinking progressively. Since she didn't stop even after her head disappeared under the surface, Corrin got worried about her drowning, hence he rushed to her rescue. I followed him after a moment of waver: I didn't want my bag to get soaked, especially when it had my new grimoire.

Light began sparkling from where the two of them submerged. I took some air to dive along with them, but when I was about to follow Corrin into that weird whirlpool, I was pushed away violently, making me exit the lake and fell on the shore's vicinity –on the water, thanks to god–.

"What the hell?!" I cursed anxiously and confused. There was something treacherously wrong going on! "Corrin! Azura!" I called in vain.

At the same point where Corrin and Azura vanished, a humongous splash announced the arrival of some new elements. I squeezed my eyes while I dried my glasses off, but I couldn't identify who the people swimming towards me were. After putting my spectacles back on… I wished I hadn't.

They were translucent warriors, and they didn't seem to be approaching me to ask for directions, precisely… unless wielding their weapons was a pretext for doing that in their homeland. Either way, I had the feeling that their homeland wasn't the nicest of places if that was a custom.

"Target lost. Proceeding to silence the witness." One of them murmured like a puppet.

The drops falling from my chin were from the lake's water, but there was some sweat along with it. I wouldn't be surprised if there were tears of fear too. A 5v1 wasn't even a fair match. The only thing clear about their invisible figures was their reddish eyes, and who they were glaring at. *Gulp*

"Um… … help? A-anyone?"

This will be everything for this chapter. … What? Did I leave something unfinished? Maybe. I have an odd feeling about this chapter anyway. I can't put it in words, and I'm not referring to that cliffhanger.

There were some scenes in this chapter I eliminated (from the original, I mean). I don't see the point in dwelling in those. I've stalled around enough, and as much I would like taking the time to tell literally everything, there's a story waiting. (Still, I'm afraid the extension of this story will be obscenely large, no sexual joke intended)

As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, blah blah… If you've read these end comments, you already know how this goes. Heheh! *Wink, wink* *Elbow, elbow*