Ch. 26 Lake Roccaluce

Bloom awoke at dawn, but it wasn't the sunlight that brought her around. A voice, rather insistent, pulled her from sleep. It took her a moment to orient herself, but everything came back in a rush and she was able to focus on the voice. Her sister's voice.

"Bloom. It is time. You must come to Lake Roccaluce. Hurry, little sister."

"Daphne?" She got to her feet to look around, incidentally rousing Sky. Daphne was nowhere in sight, which in retrospect didn't surprise her. Talking in my dreams again.

"Bloom? What's wrong?" He found his girlfriend staring into space and frowning slightly. "Bloom?"

"Hm?" She glanced at him, refocusing. Sky had enough to worry about. Watching her space out for no apparent reason wouldn't help matters. "Oh. Sorry, Sky. Daphne contacted me. She wants me at lake Roccaluce."

"This about the Dragon Fire?" He sat up, looking hopeful. There was no denying they could use some good news.

"Hope so." Bloom replied. "She enjoys being cryptic for some reason, but what else would it be about?"

He got to his feet and began gathering what few supplies they had and concealing their crude campsite to make them harder to track should any of the Trix' servants actually be doing so. "Let's get going, then."

Bloom shook her head. "Sorry, Sky, but I need to do this alone. I'm not sure how I know that; I just do." At least, that felt right, even as she said it. She wondered about the magic or mechanism behind that, but soon admitted it was beyond her limited knowledge of spells for mental communication.

"But-." Sky started to object but then shook his head and let it go. Magic wasn't his area, and he knew Daphne wouldn't hurt or mislead her sister deliberately. "Okay. I'll head on to Magix and see what's happening there. Maybe I can find some help. Do you want to catch up with me there or meet at Alfea?"

"I'll be able to find you when I have my magic back." She was fairly certain she could anyway. "I'll catch up. Right now, I really needed to get moving." Nodding to Sky, Bloom set off toward lake Roccaluce, leaving their scavenged supplies with him and taking nothing save her sword. That, also, felt right. Feelings with no source, she admitted privately, were really starting to annoy her.

She had never actually been there in the flesh, but she had looked up what information was available about the lake in Alfea's library after the session with Faragonda to learn more about it. So, she knew roughly where it was from her current location. It would take several hours of walking, however, even at her best pace and she found that she was really missing the wrecked levi-bike.

Fortunately, she saw no sign of the Trix' army of monsters during the trip and arrived at the shores of lake Roccaluce with no difficulties or unnecessary delays. Despite her efforts and the faith she had in them, Bloom worried constantly over what might be happening with Sky and with her friends back at Alfea, which meant she had rarely paused to rest and had pushed herself all the harder when she wasn't.

She found the edge of the lake and called to Daphne. Getting no response, she sighed and dived in, heading for the cave she knew was down there. Holding her breath long enough to get there wasn't easy, and she had to surface a few times while searching for it, but once she entered the cave, the need to breathe faded. Her sister was waiting for her.

"Hello, Bloom." The voice sounded normal. There was no distortion from the water, and Bloom wondered about it briefly before shoving the concern aside.

"Hello, Daphne." She took a moment to glance around her sister's apparent home, finding everything she might expect to find in an underwater cave and several things she didn't. While not lavishly appointed, the place had furniture and a few… decorations, she supposed, assuming the odd assortment of objects in the cave didn't have magical significance. To her surprise, she also saw several books, and wondered at the protection spells on them.

At her sister's direction, she took a seat across a stone table from her. "I really wish we could spend hours talking, I have so many questions, but time is running out for dealing with the Trix' army."

"I know." Daphne nodded regretfully. "But you won't be able to stop them until you get control of the Dragon Fire back." Daphne cut straight to the heart of the matter. "You basically lost control of it because you believed they could take it. Even knowing better here," she tapped her temple, "doesn't help unless you know it here." She placed a hand over her heart.

Bloom considered and then nodded. "I've been able to access it for brief moments, but only under extreme stress."

"It's a mental block," Daphne explained, "and may well be part of their plan."

"I doubt they're that subtle." Bloom snorted.

Daphne shrugged, dismissing the matter, though, she suspected her sister might be underestimating them. "Either way, I can help you with it. If you trust me."

Bloom answered without reservation, something even she hadn't expected. "I trust you. How do we begin?"

"I'll begin by examining you for any spells or magic affecting you. If there is anything, I may be able to remove it, but my abilities in this state are limited."

"Daphne? How-?" Bloom broke off. She wasn't sure how to ask, or even what to ask.

"It is… complicated," she said, her voice tinged with regret, yet firm. "And, it is a topic for another day." She began to move around Bloom, a soft light emanating from her hands as she passed them over her sister. After a moment of intense concentration, she let out a relieved sigh. "I find no traces of hostile magic interfering with your access to the Dragon's Fire. At least, nothing active. There may have been some 'push' for you to believe you could not access your magic, but I find no trace of it now."

"So, I should have full access, not just the 'sparks' I've been seeing." She frowned. "How do I get full control back?"

Her sister smiled. "You just need to believe it. I can help you with that." She moved to stand directly behind Bloom and placed her hands on her shoulders. "Listen to the sound of my voice."

Bloom could never remember later what her sister had said after that point. She just remembered drifting in state between sleep and waking, at peace. There were vague images floating around her as she drifted. She saw her birth parents, and they smiled down at her, speaking softly. Bloom realized later that it must have been her earliest memory.

She saw herself trying to learn to ride a bicycle with her adoptive father's help. That image faded and she saw him coming through the front door, home from work, and trying to hug her. He had smelled of smoke and she had shied away from him, feeling a vague sense of panic. That earned her a confused look until her mother had spoken sharply to him, telling him to go shower and that he knew better. She hadn't remembered the fire back then, and the image of her confused frown lingered for a few seconds.

Another scene. Dealing with Mitzy and her pack of bullies at school, playing with friends, sitting in class; small generic moments that she was no significance to, save that they all showed her interacting with people her own age, sometimes with positive results, sometimes with bad. More followed.

She saw herself putting on the Nervegear. What came after that was harder to bear. The courtyard in the Town of Beginnings where they had learned the truth about their inability to log out. Her first meeting with Heathcliff passed before her eyes. He'd been so handsome and charismatic. She wanted to scream a warning, tear his head off, vomit.

In the end, she couldn't do any of those things, and the memories continued to flow. It seemed limited to significant moments, but there were some whose inclusion she couldn't understand, seemingly random moments from her time in Aincrad. She saw quiet moments with friends, random snippets of battles with low-level monsters, and similar, almost innocuous scenes. There was little time to puzzle it out, though. Finally, they reached her first encounter with Stella and Knut.

She watched her first fight with the Trix in the alley near the restaurant where the girls had gone that first night. Some of the stress that had been building faded after the last scene from Aincrad played out, but knowing what was to come kept her from relaxing. Dealing with the Trix wasn't nearly as nerve wracking as some of the situations she had faced during her time in SAO. Nevertheless, she felt a growing pressure at each turn, knowing what the three witches would do and how much suffering it would cause.

Scenes, some crucial, some entirely random, passed before her eyes. She found herself wincing at some, wishing she could change the way she'd reacted or the words she'd chosen, but knowing such wishes were always pointless. The parade halted at the scene where her parents were being threatened by the witches. They were clearly terrified but were trying to keep up a brave front for her sake. Daphne spoke, sounding like a voice over for a TV show.

"We are our memories. Each one, every experience, shapes us for better or worse, but understanding why a memory is significant isn't always easy." Bloom examined the faces of the witches and her parents. She supposed she must have taken it all in, but didn't remember the specifics. There had certainly been no time to analyze them during the fight.

"You were frightened for your parents and at a disadvantage against the witches. They'd never been this kind of threat to you before. You hid it well, but for the first time in a long time, you felt vulnerable, helpless. Although I found no evidence of lingering spell effect, I believe Darcy may have subtly influenced and enhanced this feeling."

Bloom nodded. It made sense. Despite the seething rage she'd felt, she had known, on some level, that she was entirely helpless. That had been a very unwelcome feeling, one she hadn't experienced since initially being trapped in SAO. At first, she'd felt nothing but helpless. She was trapped in a virtual prison with monsters literally programmed to kill her. It was not a situation that was conducive to peace of mind and a good night's sleep.

Focusing on her sister again, Bloom nodded. "I think you're right. Question is, what to do about it? And was the death march down memory lane really necessary?"

"Recognizing the source of the problem is the first step. I can help you overcome it now." She ignored the last question, rolling her eyes slightly behind her mask. Once again, she moved behind Bloom and placed her hands on her shoulders. "Listen to the sound of my voice."

OOOOOOOOOO

"It's an interesting idea." Kirito nodded from where he sat on the bench in the park in Alne, the same spot where he'd met Bloom when she turned up with the copy of Yui. He glanced back and forth between his daughters, who were sitting on either side of him, looking hopeful. "I know I'd love the opportunity."

"Think you can find a good number, daddy?" The Yui on the right asked with a smile, happy that it was going so well. "From what Techna said, the system can accommodate about 50 without much strain."

Her father chuckled. "The problem will be limiting it to 50."

OOOOOOOOOO

Prince Sky of Eraklyon hid in an alley as a group of the rot monsters passed by. He had fought these things up close and personal on several occasions, but he had never had the opportunity to step back and really take in their appearance.

Damn, they're ugly.

They were also, unfortunately, extremely dangerous and traveling in groups. He didn't have a way of hurting them, and to make matters worse, there had been no point in the trip. He had found Magix deserted. The entire populace was in hiding, had fled, or were dead. He had found the occasional strangely distorted body. They seemed to be wrapped or encased in something, but he had no way of analyzing it.

It was even possible, he supposed, that they were in some kind of stasis, but that seemed like wishful thinking. He concentrated on staying alive and out of sight. There were places in the city that would likely make decent shelters for large groups, where people might be hiding, but he was reluctant to draw attention to them by checking.

There were also places that might have useful tech, weapons or supplies. He didn't particularly want to make himself a thief, though. Or a grave robber. He shook off that thought, and reminded himself to be practical. At the very least, he'd need to commandeer a vehicle to return to Alfea. He wanted to learn as much as he could before going, however, so he began looking for a good vantage point. He wanted to know what the creatures were doing and why before he left the city.

The best option he saw was the top of an office tower near the outskirts of downtown. Magix was a large but neatly arranged city built to a plan. Getting in wasn't hard. People had fled in panic when the monsters arrived. The power was out over the majority of the city, so reaching and getting access to the roof took time. When he had, however, he could see the city for a dozen blocks in every direction.

The creatures moved in groups through the city. They seemed to be moving in a search pattern, or perhaps an established patrol route. He frowned. The things were strong but dumb as rocks, and how the witches guided them wasn't really clear. They passed up several places the witches would probably have been interested in raiding, like the Museum of Magic, so it was likely they were just holding the territory and looking for stragglers. They'd react to any attack on them, to be sure, but after nearly two hours of observation, he realized they didn't have any specific goal beyond holding the city for their masters.

That was best, he supposed. It kept the monsters here busy and out of the fight at Alfea, where the fairies, specialists, and witches were already badly outnumbered. He saw no sign of anyone else in the streets and decided if anyone was still in the city, they must be well hidden and inclined to stay that way.

Now. How do I get myself out of here?

OOOOOOOOOO

"The flame is there, before you. All you have to do is accept it." Her sister's voice, warm and caring and encouraging, helped her to focus her mind on what was in front of her, pushing aside other distracting thoughts.

Bloom took a deep, calming breath and carefully examining the image before her. It was a candle flame. It was a raging inferno. It was so much more and so much less than either. A source of life and hope, it was also a force of unparalleled destruction. She fought the scowl she could feel forming at the thought. Which is exactly what the witches want.

She could not allow them to keep it. Reaching out, she grasped the flame, taking it into herself. It felt like opening a door to a warm home after being out in the cold. It was like being greeted by an old friend with a warm hug. The power began to flow through her, opening doors for her that she hadn't even realized were closed. She took a few moments to carefully consider what she was seeing and feeling. The Dragon's Fire was there, and it had potential she had never imagined.

She frowned as she realized that it was fluctuating in a very worrying way. She searched for a reason and quickly found it.

"There are three other taps into the Dragon's Fire." She concentrated for a moment, but then frowned in frustration. "I can feel them, but I can't affect them. I can't shut them down."

"Not from here, you can't." Daphne agreed. "Symbolism is important in magic, if only for psychological reasons. Defeating the Trix in battle will be necessary to reclaim sole possession. It will affect their perspective, yours, and that of every person watching. The belief in their defeat will finish the task."

"Just as my belief that they could take it…" She trailed off in realization of what Daphne was saying.

"Exactly."

"I think I understand now." She nodded slowly. "I know what I need to do. Now, I really have to go." She began to rise through the water, aiming to take flight.

Daphne watched her go, the pride and worry clear on her face. "Take care, little sister." She whispered as Bloom broke the surface and took to the air. "We'll talk again soon."

OOOOOOOOOO

The heads of the three schools gathered for the arrival of their new allies. Faragonda looked to where Techna and Timmy were consulting over a computer, running final checks. After a moment, Techna glanced up and nodded.

"We're ready, Miss Faragonda. Everything is stable and redundancies are in place. Our new allies will have the run of the grounds." She doublechecked her figures. "The power cost is well within specified parameters. No strains on our systems."

"Then," Faragonda nodded, "let us begin."

Techna entered a few commands into her system and looked to the part of the school's front lawn that had been cleared for this. Anyone expecting a light show of some sort was disappointed, however, as a large group of people simply faded into existence. Most carried melee weapons of one sort or another, ranging from swords to war hammers, but some carried bows or other ranged weapons. Most, she realized after a moment, didn't appear human. In fact, some of them were quite inhuman. After a moment, she recalled that this was likely because she was seeing the 'game avatars' of the people who had come to help them.

Yui grew from her usual pixie form into a young human girl of approximately eight years. She ran to two of the projections, who welcomed her with open arms. Several of the others smiled at the scene before turning their attention to their hosts. A dark-haired young man and the red-haired girl, who had her arm about Yui's shoulders, approached.

"Hello. I'm Kirito. This is my wife, Asuna. Yui has told us of your situation. Anything we can do to help, just ask. We brought together the best fighters we could find."

The three heads of the schools came forward to greet them and introduce themselves to the group. Faragonda found it odd that they divided themselves into groups with odd names. She recalled the Knights of the Blood Oath from Bloom's tale, and there were five present who had been members, but there were others as well. A red-head named Klein introduced himself and three members of the Fuurinkazan.

A purple-haired girl called Zekken stood with several friends and introduced the group as the Sleeping Knights. Eight men and three women in red armor were introduced as Salamanders, and several delicate looking individuals identified themselves as Cait Sith and Sylph.

All in all, there were 50 people. Griffin, however, was quick to point out a problem.

"They're illusion. While they might make a nice distraction, they are of limited value. Once our enemies discover our new allies can't hurt them, they'll be ignored." She frowned thoughtfully. "There may be a way to remedy that, though."

"Really?" A tall dark-skinned man with a shaved head asked. "How's that?"

"I'll need to consult with my staff and a few of my students." She moved off to find her colleagues and gather a few specific pupils.

"What do you suppose she has in mind?" Asuna asked for the group.

"I'm not sure," Faragonda admitted.

The group of witches conferred quietly for a few minutes, and then Griffin, one of her staff, and three of her students approached the group. Griffin looked rather smug.

"We have a solution. There are certain spells that allow a witch to manifest an enemy's greatest fear. Others allow the creation of generic illusions. There are more complex spells that will give such projections substance. The more powerful the emotion and the magic, the longer the affect will last. I believe we can join our magics to make these warriors you have recruited 'real' for a time. They would be able to strike at our enemies but still not be at risk themselves."

"Sounds ideal." Faragonda nodded before turning to the nominal leader of their new allies. "Kirito?"

"The more help we can be in this fight, the happier we'll be." He turned to Griffin. "What happens when they disrupt the image? None of us are stupid enough to think that won't happen."

Cloud Tower's headmistress considered a moment. "Then, you will likely return to your own world. If I understand correctly, that is what happens in your game. This is not a game, but it is also not your fight. We understand that."

"We'll do the best we can for you." General Eugene assured her, stepping forward. "Our lives might not be on the line, but this is a matter of pride for us. We Salamanders take that very seriously."

"You will have the best effort each of us has to offer," one of the Cait Sith assured her. "When do you wish to cast the spell? If it only lasts a short time, it would be best to wait until they are beginning their attack. If it is a spell costly in terms of energy, it might be best to use it sooner and have time to recover."

Griffin raised an eyebrow. "You have some knowledge of magic. Interesting. It is best to wait, but once cast, especially here at Alfea, the effect will last for a time. About an hour, I should say. Since this will be a collaborative effort between several strong witches, the cost overall will not be debilitating, or even overly taxing."

"Good to know. I'm Alicia Rue, and I lead the Cait Sith." She gestured to two others, who were approaching them. "These are Sinon and Silica. Leafa suggested we test limits, make sure of what we can and can't do. I suspect that this spell you intend to cast won't support our own magics."

"It depends on what they are." Griffin allowed.

"Cait Sith mainly focus on magic that enhance the senses." Alicia answered. "The Sylph are masters of wind magic, and the Salamanders tend to use fire spells."

"I've seen that." Griffin offered dryly as a few of Alfea's teachers winced. "Bloom has tried to roast the renegades we face on more than one occasion."

There was a chuckle from General Eugene. "She does love that fire breathing trick, doesn't she?

We are ready when you are. We've already verified our flight systems, and simple spells work, but they will need to be tested after you cast your spell, so I would recommend not waiting till the last minute."

"A valid point," Saladin allowed as he turned away from a newly arrived Codatorta. "Which means we should cast it now."

Everyone turned to look at him.

"Saladin?" Griffin asked, seeing the grave expression.

"The latest scouting report just arrived. The Trix' army has been holding back, waiting. Now we know why. Icy, Darcy, and Stormy are approaching. Looks like they intend to lead the final assault personally."

"How long?" Alicia asked, taking in the old man's grave expression.

"They'll be within sight of the walls in 20 minutes."

OOOOOOOOOO

Sky was running. Dodging from cover to cover, trying to lose the monsters chasing him. He'd learned the hard way that he couldn't hurt them. If he knocked them down, they got up. If he cut one in half, he suddenly had two trying to kill him. Running was the only real option.

It had been bad luck. Just plain bad luck. All of the patrols he had seen consisted of the large creatures; none of the small ones around to watch for had made him, perhaps, a little careless. He really should have known better.

There were little ones around. The small, insect like creatures stuck to the shadows, usually high on the walls of various buildings, serving as lookouts. That was why he hadn't noticed them. Codatorta would be furious with him over such an oversight.

All of this passed through his head as he ran and dodged, trying to lose the pursuing beasts. The big ones made a fair amount of noise, but the small ones were almost silent, and a large enough group of small ones could become a large one within seconds.

For the last hour, he had been running and dodging, and had barely avoided being cornered by the monsters on several occasions. Slowing down to fight just let more of them draw closer and didn't slow the individual monsters down for more than a few seconds.

He hadn't been able to find a vehicle he could use. Breaking into one of the cars on the street and subverting the system so he could use it would not have been difficult, even if it was highly illegal. The problem was that it took time.

He had been discovered in the act of gaining access to a car by one of the insect-like creatures. It had immediately sent out a call that attracted the big ones. He had been running ever since. Despite long hours of training and building his endurance under Codatorta's merciless tutelage, Sky found that he was starting to tire. The monsters were relentless and apparently did not get tired.

Finally, they managed to corner him. In every direction he could run, there were monsters of various sizes closing in on him. There was no way around it. He was trapped. Gritting his teeth, he readied his sword, determined to go down fighting.

Before they could charge him en masse, several of the creatures grouped to the south burst into flame. A group to the north followed suit. Looking around in confusion, he soon found the culprit, and felt a smile nearly splitting his face. "Bloom!"

His girlfriend grinned at him and descended, even as the last of the monsters in sight burned to ashes. She threw herself into his arms, glad to see him safe.

"I almost didn't make it." Bloom shuddered in relief. She hated losing people, but the idea of losing him hurt in a way she hadn't felt before. Deciding not to examine that too closely, she quickly shoved those feelings away, knowing it wasn't the time. Still, she didn't object as…

He hugged her close. "You did make it. That's all that counts. And you got your magic back!" He grinned down at her, happy and trying to lighten the mood. "The Trix will never know what hit them."

Bloom tensed as she straightened from their embrace. "Oh. They'll know what's hitting them!"

Sky couldn't help it. Maybe it was the release of tension, or the fact that it sounded like a line from a really corny adventure novel. He laughed. Bloom looked startled for a moment before reviewing what she had just said and visibly wincing. That only made Sky laugh harder, and after a moment, she joined him.

"O-okay." She managed to calm down after a moment. "Cheesy lines aside, we need to get going."

"Agreed." Sky took a deep breath, still fighting a smile. "And now that you're here, I won't have to steal a car." Bloom couldn't help it. She started laughing again, even as she rose into the air and lifted Sky with a tendril of her magic. They set off for Alfea.