I apologize for the extreme lateness with this. A lot of real-life stuff has been getting in the way, and I sat on this one for way too long trying to make it the best it can be. Things will start going quite a bit faster after this, as the story really hits its stride(at least in my opinion), and I need to spend less time editing.
The chief problem with Erwine is that there's nothing to restrain her on. It's like Adrianne, technically she's done nothing wrong, and so far, she really hasn't. It's about what she might do, that's what I'm afraid of. The trauma she suffered from that loss has to be massive, and I am certain that when anyone tries to stop her from stopping this imaginary plan, she will lash out. Her life is now dedicated to this task, and I don't think that anything but experience will make her stray from it.
-Lord Inquisitor Eskel to Inquisitor Adramartis.
We have her! The message came from Estelle. Entered a building the day of the murder, hasn't emerged. We're hoping that this will at least be a decent lead. Erwine, Wei, Nadine, and I are going in on foot. Everyone else be prepared as backup.
Erwine moved off of Wei's lap. The two girls looked each other in the eyes. "You still like me, right?" Erwine asked.
Wei nodded. Erwine looked downcast. Wei could only have a frown on her face. She grabbed the girl's hand. "I'm here," she said, "Don't worry."
Erwine looked at the hand that held her own. On my way, she replied to Estelle. She brushed away the tears in her eyes with her spare hand. "Come on," She said, "Let's go."
Justinia was nowhere to be seen. Erwine retraced her steps, and found herself in the command room. Wei had to run to catch up. Once the two were there, Estelle waved them out, Nadine following as they hurried to the outside. They actually went towards the landing pad outside.
Looking down towards the undercity, "Wei, make this easier."
"A-a-a minute please," Wei said. She did need a minute to make the program, but Estelle frowned as she looked at the girl.
"Something wrong?"
"N-n-no, nothing wrong ma'am," Wei said. Estelle saw through the thin lie, but didn't ask what.
The glowing rings formed after a minute of Wei putting them together. Erwine was always amazed by how utterly useless a magic programmer was in the middle of combat, but how effective she was in any other situation.
Jumping in unison, they moved downwards at the same speed as they would normally. Hurtling faster and faster towards the depths of the city below, on a journey that would take much longer for a human to perform.
The glow beneath them flared up as they hit the ground, all the force dispersing into nothing as the rings shattered. They would land on the lower city floor. The undercity was not directly accessible from above. They would have to find an entrance down.
"About twenty or so minutes," Estelle promised, "Then we're there."
Sure enough, about twenty or so minutes later, they were at a small little building in the undercity. A long deserted street stretched out before them, the buildings cracked and breaking down.
Wei's arms were glowing as she prepared for battle. Erwine was armed, as were the other two girls. "Still nothing," Estelle said, "Not a trace of Liselotte."
Nadine moved in first, with Erwine right behind her. Wei was behind Erwine, with Estelle in the very back of the line. They entered the broken doorway, pushing aside the rubble as they moved into the shell of what was left.
It took only three minutes to slowly search the whole place. Then there was a small entrance to the basement. Opening it, Nadine moved in. They were all tense. They could only see thanks to their enhanced eyes, the oppressive darkness of the undercity was combined with the lack of light in this space.
A light switch was located. An old light flickered on. Just barely enough to illuminate the room. It reminded Erwine of a light she'd seen before. A light she'd seen every morning for fourteen years.
A girl was kneeling in the middle of the otherwise barren basement room. Liselotte was there. Estelle stepped forwards, looking her in the eyes. "Liselotte Arna, you are accused of nine murders in the first degree, any resistance shall result in that charge being upgraded to treason, how do you plead?"
Liselotte let her mouth spread into a tiny little grin. "Guilty as charged," she said neutrally. Estelle moved in, the girl was cuffed. "Call in the teleporters, get us out of here," she ordered.
It did not take any time at all to get back. Liselotte was now sitting in a cell. Erwine and Nadine were in there with her. Estelle had been convinced to let them try first.
"What did happen to you?" Estelle asked, choosing to not observe the interrogation in favor of speaking to Wei.
"Erwine did. We had a conversation. Things are better between us now…but it was just a bit shocking for the both of us. I'd prefer the details remain unknown, if that's alright with you."
"It's fine," Estelle said. "I just want to make sure you two can work together, that's all."
"We can," Wei promised, "Better than ever before."
Estelle was certainly interested now. But if Wei did not want to share, then there would no point in pushing the issue. It would have gone very quickly into being straight up impolite.
"Do you think this whole investigation will go anywhere?" Wei asked.
"Maybe," Estelle said, "Maybe not. I know that…I know that we have a lot of things to figure out. We have a lot of questions, and no answers to almost all of them. But we have Liselotte now. Hopefully she'll talk at some point. If she gives us something useful, then we can clean up the Hadiens Sect efficiently and smoothly."
"And if she doesn't?"
"Then we're in a lot of trouble." Estelle looked down at the ground, considering the possibility. She ended up shaking her head, and walked away. "Tell me when they're done, I just need some time alone."
Wei watched her go, and then leaned back against the wall, thinking to herself. She remembered what had just happened back there. With Erwine. The thought terrified her. She didn't want this. She didn't want any of it. But she also did.
Wei shuddered as the memory, that image, flashed through her head over and over again. The sensation, it kept coming back to her. Wei took a deep breath, then she walked away as well. She wouldn't have any idea, and felt a bit bad for betraying Estelle like this. But she needed time alone as well. Then she stopped.
With nowhere in the building to really go, Wei decided she had to stay where she was. At least she would be alone for the time being. She walked into the observation room, deciding to see what was occurring. The door was shut, and her eyes focused on the events inside.
Wei became a bit happier that Estelle was not watching. She would have had some things to say, entirely criticisms, of the way Erwine was acting in there at the moment. Wei looked at the cool, calm, collected look of absolute anger on Erwine's face.
She shuddered a little, and wondered if Adrianne hadn't really died back in that timeless void.
"All you have to do is answer the questions that we ask you," Erwine explained, leaning over the table, "And this will go very smoothly, with not any trouble at all."
Liselotte nodded. She sat in the chair, her arms behind her back still. "So please, do tell me why you came here, and killed those nine people."
Liselotte didn't answer. "Did you hear what I just said?" Erwine asked, cocking her head to the side, eyebrows raised.
"Was not a question," Liselotte replied. She shrugged, "Never said anything about commands."
"Touché," Erwine remarked. "Why did you kill those nine people?"
"For a reason," Liselotte replied.
"What did I just-"
"I gave you an answer," Liselotte said, a smug grin on her face, "You never said anything about what kind of answer."
Erwine took a deep breath. "Fine, we'll play it this way." She leaned in closer, grabbing Liselotte's throat. "You will answer my questions. I will decide if I like the answer or not. If I don't, then I will make that clear, and you can try to answer satisfactorily again, understand?"
Liselotte nodded. Erwine released her. She turned around, pacing backwards for a moment, before she stood facing the wall. "So, why did you kill those nine people?"
"For a reason."
"Interesting," Erwine said. She put on a new demeanor. She spun around, eyes boring into Liselotte's. "Why did you kill those nine people?" Her magic was poured into the sentence, and she could see Liselotte wince. But she only winced.
"I am a telepath. Your magic affects the mind. My defenses are still up." Liselotte explained, quite pleased with herself.
"You want to make this harder on yourself?"
"I won't break," Liselotte promised. "I killed those people in order to draw someone here."
"Me?" Erwine asked, "So that you could try to capture me?"
"How can one person do that?"
"You're not alone," Erwine countered, "As a matter of fact, where are those other six people?"
"Six?" Liselotte looked legitimately confused. "I don't know of any others. I came here alone. The ship I came in left long ago. They…they must be under Ishna, perhaps. Or some other force, I don't know."
"Do you have any evidence besides your word?" Erwine asked, "We can't exactly trust your word."
"No," Liselotte said.
"Then they are from the Hadiens Sect, in an attempt to capture me. You killed those people as a trap, but you also wanted to be caught by us. Would you like to explain any of this, or are you going to keep concealing things that we'll eventually figure out."
"You don't know if you'll really figure those things out, do you?" Liselotte wondered, "I wonder if you'll ever break me…"
Erwine spun around. She took just a couple steps. Her arm swung. Liselotte's vision was reduced. Red droplets flew through the air, landing mostly on the table. Splashes of the crimson liquid could be found on the long blade in Erwine's hand.
Liselotte had not moved at all. She did not react. "I see you've maximized your resistance to pain," Erwine observed, "So that won't do anything." The girl took a deep breath. She looked at Nadine, who had been waiting in the corner of the room.
The inquisitor stepped forwards, Erwine taking one back. "Tell me," Liselotte said suddenly. She was begging. "Has the Reiker Protocol been enacted?"
"Yes!" she cried, a satisfied look on her face now. "At least they're safe now."
"You're comrades back in Hadiens?" Nadine asked, "You don't think they'll come to get you?"
"Who said I was talking about them?" Liselotte asked, then pointed out"You still know nothing here."
"We know that you killed those people," Nadine pointed out, "You could get something of a reduced sentence if you help us find the others, and just cooperate in general."
"It's not happening," Liselotte shook her head, "Just get the sentence over with, I know I'm going to die."
"We're not going to kill you," Nadine explained, "We're going to find out what you know. One way or another, because you obviously know quite a lot." She put a finger on the girl's cheek, tracing little lines. "You know, magic is quite effective. You can't even feel this finger right now, you've disabled your feeling entirely."
"But did you know that massive surges of pain, or any sensation, can overcome such sensation. But it has to be truly massive, something fatal. We don't have the time for that." She kept tracing patterns. "There are many chaotic rune languages. Did you know? And generally in terms of these languages, words are power."
She traced something on the girl's cheek. Her finger started glowing, showing the presence of magic. She traced an incredibly elaborate symbol on the girl's cheek. It was something that made Erwine's eyes hurt. Her finger flowed brighter and brighter, more and more magic tracing the pattern.
She had to go over the thing a few more times, but then Liselotte screamed out. Her eyes rolled back into her head for a moment, and her head tipped back, her body starting to wildly shake. It ended after barely five seconds.
Nadine stepped away. She looked at Erwine. "That is something I picked up from Ishna. Being a reader generally means I have a very good photographic memory. She liked using that one on me, disables the resistance to pain."
"Do you know something that can break her mental resistance?" Erwine asked.
"No," Nadine shook her head, "You can't really do that. I'd need some…ritualistic substances, things that we wouldn't be able to get and not look like heretics."
"Well then," Erwine smiled, approaching the girl. "Let's see what you have to say now." For the first time in the entire talk, Liselotte did look rather worried.
She sat in her room on her bed. Her eyes looked out the window as she lazily leaned over. Her crossed legs, one atop the other, was where she rested her elbows. Despite the general laid-back nature she had at the moment, Estelle was worried.
There were so many thing occurring at the moment, more than she could even come close to understanding. Ma'am, is this a good time? Her astrotelepath.
Yes?
A message from the Hadiens system. Sender unknown, but proper codes were used. Forward to you? It came earlier, before the Reiker, but you were wrapped up in what was going on, so I let you have some time, but it relates especially now.
Estelle thought about it. The fact that she said it was urgent meant that it was urgent. She stood up, still hanging her head as she gritted her teeth and tightened her fingers into fists. Send it through, she ordered.
The message came. Estelle, this is Celestine. I am to relay a message from Arietta, surely you remember her. She is currently in charge of the Hadiens Sect. She created this message to inform you of an unfortunate betrayal that has occurred. Liselotte Arna did go for the Curia system some time ago, but it was not on orders of anyone else. The general belief is that she, for some reason, has gone rogue. Unfortunately, we had to make contact with the Sect, but we explained ourselves and they explained themselves. They are merely attempting to follow the leads they have, which are many more than what we have. I suggest that you get out of there as soon as you can, and try to return to Hadiens with Liselotte in tow. In addition, she was the only person believed to be there at the moment, so if there are any other issues, then either Liselotte is part of a wider conspiracy, or there is a third party present.
Estelle was shocked. Correct codes? She asked the astrotelepath.
Yes. Not anything about any kind of capture or coercion. Presumably it was relayed to Juno's girl, who sent it over here.
Can you confirm that it came from Juno's girl?
Yes I can. It carried those codes as well. A very small chance of this being faked.
Thank you, keep listening for anything else, but don't give any kind of reply yet, of course. Estelle spun around, looking at the door now. She hurried towards it, rushing out and heading straight for the interrogation room.
A gentle knock brought no reply. A few seconds of wait, then another knock. Still nothing. The door wasn't locked, she found as she turned the knob. Her eyes looked to the side to find a form resting on the bed. Sanae nodded, but still stepped into the room. Quietly, the door closed.
She did her best to not disturb the resting girl as she took a seat on the sofa in the room. Crossing one leg over the other, Sanae looked out the window, merely waiting. There wasn't anything to do at the moment. Investigating was not her area of expertise. Nor was interrogation. Truthfully, she was a bit bored.
Given Ayelen's sleep, it seemed the feeling was mutual. A few minutes passed before she stirred. From Sanae's estimate, the girl had been sleeping for a few hours now. Eyes flickered open, and quickly found the girl sitting there. "Oh, good…" Ayelen found the right word in a second, "Afternoon."
Sanae responded in kind. After giving the girl a few seconds to wake up, she wondered, "Bored as I am?"
Ayelen chuckled, "That is the case." She confirmed. Rubbing her eyes sleepily, she muttered the question, "Is Erwine done with that girl yet?"
Sanae shrugged. "I don't know, though I am wondering when she will be." Both wondered the same thing. Not if she'd get anything out of Liselotte. But what she'd do to get that information out of her.
"She's going to cause trouble, isn't she?" Ayelen asked.
There was no way Sanae could deny that. "It just depends on how bad it will be."
A sigh came from the brunette. "That girl…" Sanae frowned.
"Didn't you two once work together? I imagine that fell apart after she ran off?"
The other nodded. "Erwine can't stop going on about how much she's suffered. It just feels like she's making excuses for her completely irrational actions." Ayelen groaned and lay back. "And now she's going to bother us for a while."
"I think that she's suffered as well, so don't ignore that just because her actions aren't to your liking?" Sanae recommended.
"Are you on her side now?" Ayelen snapped, half-seriously.
"No, but I think that we need to consider all sides." Sanae looked out the window in thought for a few moments. "Suffering is like any emotion. It's relative. You see your suffering as greater than hers because you experienced it, while Erwine sees her suffering as greater than anyone else's because she experienced it."
Ayelen paused. The room was silent for a few moments. "Which one of us do you think suffered more?"
Sanae took a while to respond. Ayelen had already guessed the answer just from that. "Erwine, honestly. You can at least go to Laelia and talk to her normally. Perhaps you weren't as close, but you're still good friends, and you can still work together."
Only the faint sound of their breathing could be heard, then, "Erwine lost everything. Any image she had of the world was torn up before her eyes, and put back together in the way Adrianne and Ishna wanted it to be. And then just when she reconciled with Adrianne, Ishna took her away. Ishna took everything from Erwine, and then she took the most important thing of them all away. Herself. The only one who could explain to Erwine why all that had to happen." Sanae sighed, "I have to feel bad for her. Erwine thinks there's a reason behind all this, and she won't stop until she finds out what."
"But we were just played with too, weren't we?" Ayelen asked, somewhat rhetorically, till she herself realized, "Well, I suppose we weren't at the center."
"Right," Sanae concurred, "We were just bystanders. Everything centered around Erwine, and in her mind, everything still does."
"Yet, she's not necessarily wrong, is she?" Ayelen pointed out. That was something Sanae could not argue with.
Sechylia had never liked the city. It had always hurt her. The constant influx of data into her mind had always hurt her from the very start. She had to actually disable her magic in order to prevent anything from reaching her mind at the moment.
She'd never been much help, unless the situation was very specific. And when it was, she always carried the entire team on her back. But otherwise, she got to lounge around and wait. And this time, she was just waiting in her room, for her to be called on. She doubted it, as she was not even effective in combat.
She lay on her bed, facing the wall. A knock on the door. "Come in," she said. Didn't even know who it was, but she figured it would be Justinia. Sechylia had a rather petite figure. She was small, even for the body that a fourteen-year old should have.
Justinia, on the other hand, was actually tall for a fourteen year old girl. She was approaching six feet, and Sechylia wondered if the girl's body was one of an actual adult that she somehow could use magic in, as even her facial features made her seem much more mature than she actually was.
"Anything you need?" Sechylia asked. Justinia shook her head. Then she nodded.
"Sorry, just company. Everyone else is wrapped up in drama of their own," the girl's voice was low, the annoyance quite clear. Sechylia patted the spot on the bed next to her.
Justinia grinned a little and sat down. Sechylia didn't actually know what Justinia liked about her. It wasn't any kind of physical attraction, at least as far as the little girl could tell. Justinia would have made that very clear if it was true, given the way she handled secrets. But perhaps it was just that their personalities matched. They were both quiet people.
Justinia sat there, nothing else.
"Hey Justinia," Sechylia said. She sounded afraid. "Is something different?"
"What do you mean?"
"You've seemed different, for a very long time now," Sechylia said. "I know I've said nothing, but it seems so obvious right here…I just had to bring it up."
"What do you mean?"
"You've been even more quiet and stoic, and even more interventionist, ever since the whole Hadiens Incident...what happened to you?" Sechylia was truly concerned.
"It was…jarring for all of us. But I've been always thinking about the mysteries that had popped up since that…it just confuses me, and I'm running myself into the ground trying to solve them with what little we have." Justinia smiled sincerely, looking at Sechylia.
"You just used to care about Wei and me…but now it's everyone around you…what's going on, for real?" Sechylia was truly concerned.
Justinia looked Sechylia in the eyes. "I'm just worried. Ishna…whatever she planned and set up…it has to be really big. I want to keep everyone together. If we divide now, split up because of personal conflicts, then we can never win. I'm…I'm really worried." She did look sad.
Horror. That was the dominant emotion in Sechylia's mind as she saw the sadness. Justinia was never sad. The fact that she was now showed that she was actually very scared. Sechylia sat up, wrapping her arms around the girl.
"It's alright," she promised, "You'll never be alone." Justinia didn't reply to that promise.
Estelle burst into the interrogation room. Well, she had to knock on the door first. Nadine opened it. But after that point, she was bursting into the room hurriedly. She froze. What she saw before her was like something out of a nightmare.
"What the…" her words escaped her as she looked at the thing that Erwine stood over. The young girl was covered in another's blood, and the source of that vital fluid could be found right beside her. Liselotte was covered in wounds, big and small, but she was still alive, and mostly conscious.
"Mental defenses aren't down yet," Erwine said, "But you might have an easier time. She refuses to say anything, but we're getting there. I think if you start contributing, then we can figure things out."
"I just received word from Celestine. She conveyed a message from Arietta. Arietta says that Liselotte went rogue, and that no one else went with her. The other girls must have been working for Ishna. I think there has been a huge misunderstanding, and a lot of assumptions on our part." Estelle said, still a bit disturbed at what Erwine had done.
"You certain?" Nadine was skeptical. Estelle took note of how she was untarnished, not a single drop of blood on her.
"Certain, all the proper codes were used. It was an authentic message, and I trust Celestine to be right. Besides, this is far better than what we have here." Estelle looked at Erwine, knowing the girl would be the main source of opposition.
"What if they're lying to you?" Erwine asked, "What if Celestine and Laelia were caught. Did they explain the circumstances? The codes could be gotten out of them."
"Certainly a possibility," Estelle agreed, "But how would they capture Juno's astrotelepath? It came from her. If they captured her, then they are asking for the Inquisition to fully come down on them."
"We just have to question this," Erwine insisted, "We have something right here. I say we break Liselotte, get everything she knows, then present a case to Juno, and move from there. If the Hadiens Sect is already under suspicion, aligning ourselves with them is not going to make us look any better."
"But what if they aren't wrong. We should at least go try and figure this out. We have a lead to go off of here, and we might not be hurting ourselves by following it! Have you gotten anywhere with Liselotte?"
Erwine gritted her teeth. "No, I have not."
"Then why keep trying? She's obviously conditioned herself. She won't break for a long time, and I don't want to tear her mind apart finding whatever is inside. Not at the moment. We should wait and try to figure all of this out."
Erwine shook her head. "I'm tired of you giving me orders." She spat.
"Why is that?" Estelle questioned, anger making its presence known.
The silver-haired girl stared the inquisitor down. "Everyone thinks I'm just their pawn to be ordered around. I'm not!" She suddenly raised her voice.
"It was merely a suggestion," Estelle growled back. She stepped forwards, "Do you have some kind of problem with that?"
"You have no authority over me," Erwine said, as though it explained everything. She turned to face Liselotte once again.
"Actually I do," Estelle corrected her, "I am an inquisitor, you are an interrogator. I do have very real power over you."
Erwine gritted her teeth. "Fine, then watch as I don't respect it."
"Erwine!" Estelle shouted, "Is this what you've gotten from Adrianne, an inability to respect authority?!"
Erwine whipped around. "No, it is not what I got from Adrianne. I got this from having been played with since before I contracted!" She screamed, "I try so desperately to have my own power, but I'm just powerless in the end, aren't I?!"
Estelle had no reply. Her eyes opened wide. "You want to control me, just like Adrianne did! Just like Ishna did! I won't allow it!" Erwine had tears in her eyes, "Do whatever you want to me, but I will solve this no matter what. If you're scared, then I don't need nor want you."
The inquisitor was silent. "Once the Reiker is over, MSOC-"
"Won't be hearing anything," Nadine interrupted. She stepped in to grab Estelle's shoulder. "Come on, let's not do something foolish now." Estelle resisted at first, but eventually conceded. Nadine gave Erwine a harsh look as well, before exiting the room with the inquisitor.
Erwine was left quietly sobbing as she stared at the bloodied body before. "By the Goddess…" She whispered, "I really am her."
The door quietly opened. A gasp coincided with Erwine looking over her shoulder. "Wei." She said simply as her eyes fell upon the girl there. The dark-haired girl quickly stepped closer to Erwine, before Erwine spoke solemnly. "Do you still think I'm a good person?"
She turned around to face Wei fully. "Do you still think you can forgive me?" Perhaps Erwine did not seek a real answer. She merely wondered how Wei would react. The fact that it took so long for a reply to come told her everything.
"I can," Wei said, though not with the same conviction as before. Erwine walked past her. "Erwine!" She turned around, grabbing the girl's arm. "Don't. Don't just run away again. That's what you're doing right now, is just running away." She was shuddering with every breath, but she wouldn't give up.
Erwine paused. She looked at Wei. "I'm nothing more than a pawn. Wei..." She searched for the right words, "Even if that's not really true. Do you want to spend time with someone as terrible as I am?"
"You're not that terrible," Wei countered, "Else I wouldn't even be here. You're doing exactly what you were doing before, trying to make me hate you because you don't want to feel better."
Erwine sighed. "You really think so?" She wasn't sure herself.
Wei grasped her tighter. "I do," She said, "I really do." Erwine just glared at her.
"You're going to regret this, sooner or later."
"We're magical girls. We're not supposed to regret anything." Wei said. That was the only response she had.
Erwine slowly turned towards Wei. "In that case, then don't leave me until then."
The wall resounded with the impact. Estelle had half a mind to fight back, but was more interested in seeing how far Nadine took this before truly replying. They stared each other down for a few seconds, before the older one released the younger.
"What was that for?" Estelle demanded.
"You're acting like a fool," Nadine explained.
"And Erwine isn't?!" Estelle cried, "Did you hear what she said? She's acting like some stupid little girl!"
"She's acting like a little girl because she is one!" Nadine shouted. That gave Estelle pause. "She's barely fourteen years old, and she's already been through more than many, many people go through in their entire lifetimes!"
"That doesn't give her an ex-"
Nadine interrupted her furiously. "It gives her every excuse." She didn't move, didn't make a single threatening gesture or motion. She just stood there and stared at Estelle. Still, the girl was shaken to the core. "What happened with Adrianne on Hadiens, and then with Ishna, tore her apart. She was just finished putting herself back together when the two people who could make her whole died in front of her, one by her own hands."
The two fell into silence. Estelle shook her head. "I'm just trying to help her. I just want to see her be happy."
"Your intervention won't help," Nadine said sadly. "Erwine's blind, not because of her own faults, but because she has a legitimate reason to be angry. The world has done nothing but play with her for such a long time. It's only right that she gets a chance to try things on her own."
Estelle nodded, somewhat understanding. "Then what do you think I should do?"
"Try not to intervene as much. Don't get angry at her." Nadine suggested, "You're angry that she's a little girl, then treat her like one."
Estelle sighed, "Fine."
"You owe her an apology, come on." Nadine said, grabbing the girl and pulling her along.
There was a knock on the door. Wei looked towards it, as did the girl beside her. Both knew who it was. The door unlocked, Estelle and Nadine entered. Erwine looked with annoyance at the former. Estelle met that gaze with a more neutral one.
"I apologize for that outburst," Estelle's humiliation was obvious.
It only increased when Erwine scoffed, "That's funny." She looked at Nadine, "You told her to do this, right?"
Seated on the bed beside her, Wei laid a hand on Erwine's shoulder, and gave her a worried look. "Erwine, are you just going to let what you did go?" Nadine asked in reply.
Erwine sighed. "Fine, I apologize as well for my outburst." She looked at Estelle, "Does that make you happier?"
"There's no need for this." Estelle snapped.
"No need?" Erwine questioned. "Oh, there's a need. You don't understand anything at all. You can't understand me, and I doubt you ever understood Adrianne."
Estelle's eyes shot open wide. "Cut it out, both of you." Nadine's cold voice doused both of the flames. "This is like watching insanity in action. There are more pressing concerns than your little squabble. Are you going to solve them, or keep running around like little children?"
Estelle looked at her with annoyance, but knew she was correct. "Come on, Erwine," She said, "It's time to go."
Erwine looked ready to say something more, but Wei intervened, "Give her some time, please." Estelle didn't argue with that.
As Nadine was about to leave, Erwine snapped, "And I suppose you've just switched sides now? Supporting me for the past half a year, but the moment you get scared for your own reputation you chicken out?" She scoffed, "And to think Adrianne had respect for you."
Nadine didn't say anything as she left. The door shut. "And there she goes," Erwine shook her head with a maniacal chuckle, "Betraying me. People seem to be found of doing that, trying to stop me. I understand how Adrianne felt."
Wei looked on helplessly as the girl lay on the bed. Despite how much she wanted to help, there wasn't a thing she could do. At least from the way things seemed, Erwine didn't appear to be wrong.
Incoming vessel! The message was passed from Branca towards Estelle and Nadine. Warp breach in five, four, three, two, one… The two were already rushing into the command center when the count reached zero.
It's coming as close as a ship possibly can. Branca was was faster. This was a serious issue. So it was better to use that method. Telepaths are directing it…it knows the Protocol is active.
Nadine and Estelle looked up at the hologram above the table, changing to show the incoming vessel. Branca frantically directed orders at those under her command, a bit of fear guiding her hand more than common sense. Clairvoyants on the case…it's identified. Imperial vessel, Inquisitorial. Response coming.
Branca frowned as the telepaths sent her the message. She sent it on to Nadine and Estelle. This is the Inquisitor Theodora Magnissia, I understand that the Reiker Protocol has been enacted, but I come investigating the recent string of murders. I understand that Inquisitor Adramartis has already taken the case, but I believe I have something very important to add. If you would allow me to approach, I believe we can sort things out.
Estelle's jaw dropped. Theodora…she muttered, still talking to Branca and Nadine. That's the girl we found on Vasillica. She was promoted to inquisitor? Let her approach, I want answers to this now, and she might just be helpful.
Are you certain we can trust her? Nadine asked.
She is the only person I know of who is still alive and well and was involved in the Vasillica Investigation. That planet, whatever was on it, was incredibly important to Ishna, and we know that some kind of ancient vault was there. So she knows something about all of this, and I wouldn't be surprised if she intentionally came here knowing that it was us who was here. Estelle explained, so while we can't necessarily trust her, we can be certain that she has something to add.
Branca gave the proper permissions, and Estelle turned to face Nadine. She opened an entirely private channel to the other inquisitor. The black-haired girl said, we need to be careful. Theodora was also tortured by Ishna, so something might have been left in her head as well. I don't know why she might have been given such a rank, but we should find that out first.
You suspect her of being a traitor?
Against her will or not, there's a good chance, given what happened to her. Estelle said.
Then you should apply that same logic to me. Nadine reminded her.
Estelle sighed as she was reminded of that fact. We'll handle that later, alright? For right now, we need to deal with Theodora.
The two waited as Theodora's vessel approached, watching the blip on the hologram like they might watch the approaching specter of death.
The inquisitor stepped down from the shuttle. Estelle was a bit surprised. The girl looked younger than she expected. Not mentally or in how she carried herself. But physically. Her stature was small. Not like Sechylia's, not that small, but she was just a bit shorter than Estelle was.
Her hair was the same as it had been, her twin tails being just a bit longer. The rest of her head was bare, save for the small; blue ribbons that were tied around the base of the tails. The tails went down to her waist, thinning out as they went. They ran over a blue coat, which reached down to her waist. It was open, unbuttoned, and revealed a bright white undershirt. A long red ribbon was tied around her neck, the bows reaching down her chest.
A dark black skirt covered down to her knees, giving way to dark black leggings. Small shoes, colored white, were on her feet. Gloves of that same bright hue were on her hands. The blue sleeves of the coat fit over the rest of her arms. Estelle caught the way Theodora turned her right hand inwards when she walked. There's her soul gem, she thought.
The inquisitor was followed by three other girls, who Estelle did not recognize. But that did not matter, as she was focused on what was the reason that shuttle had been allowed to land.
"Hello," Estelle said, stepping aside to greet the girl. "Inquisitor Magnissia,"
"Theodora works, of course," the girl smiled, "Nothing less for my saviors." Estelle saw the girl wince as she remembered that memory. Estelle herself shuddered, not being able to picture what over twenty years of torture could have felt like.
"You said you had something to add?" Estelle asked.
"Right to the point," Theodora observed, "I can work with that." She nodded, "Yes, I believe that there is something rather large going on here, but I assume you've seen hints of that."
"Yes," Estelle said.
Theodora looked at Nadine, "Ms. Edicossen, I trust you are feeling alright?"
"No worse than you can be," Nadine said with a smile.
Theodora chuckled. "True, true," she agreed. "Where's Erwine, surely she must be interested?"
"A falling out," Estelle explained, "She has a lot to get through."
"Understandable," Theodora said. She started walking forwards, "Where's this Liselotte?"
"I'll take you to see her." Estelle said.
Erwine lay back on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. Though Wei was beside her, she didn't pay the girl any mind. They'd been like that for a few minutes now. Both had turned their links to the outside off for the moment. Wei wasn't sure what to say. She wasn't sure if there was anything to say at all.
"I'm scared," Erwine admitted, breaking the long silence. "Really, honestly scared."
Wei looked at her with worry. Hastily, she asked, "Of what? What are you scared of?" Erwine frowned. It seemed difficult for her to say. "Please tell me," Wei begged.
"Failing Adrianne," She eventually admitted, "Not being able to stop Ishna, and failing." Her voice was down, "I…" She rolled over to face the wall, away from Wei. "The only way I'll stop is if I die, but…"
"Do you even know Ishna has a plan?" Wei asked. "Are you certain of that?"
Erwine nodded, "I am absolutely certain," She said. "And…And…" She could barely talk as she started sniffling. Then she gasped, as arms encircled her. She felt herself be embraced tightly by the girl behind her.
"If Ishna does have a plan, then I know you can stop it." Wei said quietly. "I believe in you. I believe that you can do anything, Erwine. You're strong, and you understand Ishna better than anyone."
A few seconds passed, Erwine relaxing. Then she sat up suddenly. She felt something at the edge of her mind. Like a message trying to arrive. Opening herself to it, she heard, Theodora has arrived, from Nadine. We are speaking to Liselotte now.
"What?!" Erwine leapt to her feet. Wei looked at Erwine frightfully.
"What's wrong?"
"Theodora. Theodora is here." Erwine said, "That girl, from Vasillica." Erwine took a deep breath, "What is she doing?"
Liselotte stared at her soul gem. She had been rather worried about it for the past few hours, as it was getting worse as it healed the terrible wounds Erwine had inflicted. The door opened. A girl came in, not anyone Liselotte knew.
"Well, someone important has come to see you," the girl, a healer, said, as she started fixing Liselotte up. "Broke the Reiker Protocol for you."
"What's her name? Who is she?" Liselotte asked.
"…Theodora Magnissia," The girl hesitated in her answer, "Does it matter?"
Liselotte shook her head as she titled it backwards. "Well, did not see that one coming. Guess this will be harder than I thought…"
The healer dismissed the words and went back to her duty. She left right as Liselotte heard others coming down the hall. Three people entered next.
Liselotte opened her eyes, looking first to see that Erwine wasn't there. Well, the worst has come to pass. Maybe I can salvage things. "This is it," Estelle said, "She surrendered herself to us, and has already confessed to her crimes. However, she refuses to say anything more."
Theodora approached the girl, stepping around the table. "You were telling me about another incident? An ambush of some kind?"
"Yes, we were attacked by what we estimate to be six other magical girls while investigating what we thought was the objective of the Hadiens traitors. The commander of the local girls was lost there. We believe her to be dead, but that cannot be confirmed. Liselotte insists that she knows nothing else about them."
"You trust her?"
"After what I heard from the Hadiens Sector, yes," Estelle explained further when Theodora turned around, perturbed. "Earlier today, before the Reiker, we got a message from the Hadiens Sect. At the moment, Laelia and Celestine are there in secret, investigating the strange behavior of the sect. Something caused them to come into contact with the leaders, which resulted in them clearing up the misunderstanding. Liselotte has gone rogue on her own. The other six that attacked us have never been part of the Hadiens Sect."
"This is true?" Theodora asked.
"The correct codes were used. Unless they were somehow gotten out of three different people involved in the sending, then it was all voluntary. I am inclined to trust Celestine and Laelia."
"Good," Theodora said, "Then that lines right up with what's going on with my investigation." She started to explain, "I was made inquisitor about seven months ago, by Juno Eskel. I was assigned to the task of hunting down the remaining fragments of what must have been a very wide-reaching network created by Ishna. I came here as soon as I heard of the murders. I was wondering if there was some kind of ritualistic purpose to the whole thing, and it seems that there is more going on."
"You guessed that?" Estelle asked, "We discovered that they do form what looks like the pattern of an eight-pointed star, but there's nothing more than that."
"I discovered other groups of cultists involved in ritualistic murders, and they were tied to Ishna. Btu this is the first case of a magical girl doing it." Theodora explained.
The dark-haired, just a bit taller, girl, nodded. "So you're saying that Liselotte is really involved with Ishna's followers?"
"Certainly," Theodora agreed. She looked at the blonde girl, who was now distressed, "And she is lying when she says that she doesn't know those other six."
"So what do you want to do?"
"Well, I am going to request to take Liselotte along with me. I need to move on from here, and you seem to have this job wrapped up. If you could go and investigate the Hadiens Sect, just wrap things up there and retrieve your personnel, then we can certainly begin working together."
"Why not put Liselotte on trial right now?" Estelle wondered.
"She would-" Shouts outside interrupted them. Some people, the girls who had come with Estelle, were trying to deny someone access. And from the sound of the person who they were trying to stop, that person was Erwine.
She burst into the open room, seeing Theodora standing there. She was yanked back by the others. Let her go, the order came from the crimson-haired inquisitor. Erwine stormed back in, anger on her face. "You chose to not inform me?" She asked Estelle.
Estelle was about to snap back, but Nadine interrupted her. "We apologize, Erwine. Feel free to say what you have come to say."
"Why is she an inquisitor?" Erwine asked, pointing at Theodora while still looking at the other two.
"Why am I?" Nadine asked, "She went through a situation less suspicious than I did."
Erwine gritted her teeth, "Even then, why trust her? She shows up out of nowhere…what were you talking about?" She looked at Theodora.
"Erwine," Theodora explained, "I was going to take Liselotte with me in order to obtain as much as I can from her. Estelle and you all were going to go finalize things in Hadiens, before we could link back up and start cooperating on taking down what looks like a massive network organized by Ishna."
"You're going to believe what you hear from the Hadiens Sector?" Erwine asked, "Just accept it as truth, despite the evidence you have against them?" She turned to Estelle, "You're just blindly believing anyone who looks legitimate to you!"
Estelle shook her head. "Erwine, please calm down. Don't embarrass yourself." She looked at Theodora. "I think what you propose is a sound plan. I'll arrange the transfer. We were planning to leave tomorrow, for the sake of handling paperwork and official things, do you want to speed things up, given that you're not taking Liselotte to trial?"
Theodora looked at the girl sitting in the chair. "Well, I think we have some time. I want to be sure that we are all on the same page with this issue. In addition, we still need to find those other six girls, who are most likely still here."
"Alright then," Estelle said, "Shall we be going now, we can find some place to talk later tonight, perhaps?" She looked at Erwine.
"Certainly," Theodora said.
Erwine shook her head. "You people aren't listening to me at all…do you ever hear my words?!"
Estelle nodded, "Yes, we hear your words. But you're just one person with all these theories. Do you have anything to back up the idea that Theodora is lying to us?"
"Why would she want Liselotte now?" Erwine asked, backing towards the door as the three inquisitors advanced on her. "I don't know what's she doing, but this seems like a terrible idea. Why not investigate this planet, and find these other six girls that we are still missing?! We may need more than a single day to do that, given that we've no leads on their location. We're rushing through all of this!"
"Evidence!" Estelle demanded.
Erwine shook her head. She stepped aside from the door. "I've none, but if you people want to go ahead and believe the fantasy that you're being handed, then go on and do it already."
Estelle nodded, stepping out. Theodora paused before Erwine, "Erwine…believe me, I'm not lying to you as to what I'm doing, or what I will do."
"But you still have secrets," Erwine stated.
"We all have secrets," Theodora agreed, "But some secrets are not as volatile as others." She walked out, following Estelle. Her other girls followed her.
Nadine and Erwine were left. "I assume you're siding with them?" Erwine asked.
Nadine pulled Erwine out. She shut the door. Then she dragged Erwine into the observation room. The door was closed. "You need to listen to me, very carefully," Nadine said, "You are correct, there is more going on here than what Estelle thinks. But we don't know anything ourselves. We have to keep in line at this point. What do you think rebelling against her and Theodora will get us? We'll be kicked from this case, and do you really want that?"
"I want control of my life," Erwine explained, "I wished for that, if I remember correctly."
"Sometimes your wish doesn't come true," Nadine said.
"Then why do I have to do anything in exchange for it?" Erwine wondered. She smiled victoriously as she saw Nadine realize the validity of the question. "That's the contract, right? We give our souls to the Goddess in exchange for a wish. But my wish has yet to come true, and I don't see it coming true in the foreseeable future. So explain to me, why should I serve the Goddess?"
"You still have a duty to," Nadine explained, "We all do, no matter if we are a magical girl or not."
"Come on, Nadine," Erwine said harshly, "You're nothing. You've only held me back. I can do all of this on my own, and I will. You people can happily dance to the tune of the path Ishna has laid out for you. Do you even realize that? You know that she can see the futures of all of you, but not me. So as long as only I make the decisions, we can break free from whatever line Ishna has drawn." Erwine spat, "I am my own person, and you people…I do not need any of you."
"Erwine!" Nadine snapped again. Maybe it was just to humor her, but Erwine paused, and looked back at Nadine.
Speaking in a low voice, the inquisitor told her. "Remember, I am hamstrung by the fact that I am still under investigation. You have so many cards to play that you could kill another magical girl and only get put into therapy in reply." She smirked a little, giving Erwine a wink, "I warned you that this isn't going to be a pretty path, but if you're prepared to walk it, then I am not willing to stop you."
It was an expensive bar where the three inquisitors found themselves, along with one other. Erwine was quite obviously not pleased to be there. But she was there nonetheless, and was at least not making a fuss.
They sat off to the side, the staff very aware that they were all magical girls. They were also aware of the fact that they had serious looks on their faces as they sat there talking amongst themselves. So they were extra courteous.
Erwine was mostly silent, sitting there sipping her drink. "So you still have little idea of anything related to Ishna and her plan?" Theodora asked for clarity as Estelle finished explaining everything they knew, or thought they knew, about that girl and what she had been doing.
"Yes," Estelle confirmed, "But do you have anything more to add. Your experience while investigating Vasillica might be vital."
"Well, I can say that I know Ishna's plot, in some way, relates to whatever was there. However, I have no idea what. I went over everything that you learned about that system, and it all seems like one big impossibility. The mantle eruption was definitely caused by warp energy, but by some shard of a starship from another time that opened a tiny warp breach…it doesn't make any sense. However, that vault, it was definitely from the Golden Age. Not Old Night, the Golden Age."
"We figured as such, based on the defenders we found," Estelle said, "But is there anything more you know?"
"I have no idea how Ishna might have gotten through the defenses. It must have taken a long time, but even then, the place didn't seem to be designed to be opened from the outside."
"Matches with what Juno told us," Estelle agreed, "So there had to be something inside controlling it?"
"Of course, but the question is what that thing would be, and where it is now." Theodora said, "I doubt Ishna would have left it there, unless there was something far more important inside that vault. The only way it could have gotten away if it was…on that second ship that took part in the battle, otherwise, there's not a chance."
"We have yet to track that ship down from what I've heard," Estelle said, "But Juno hasn't said anything to me in about a week, so I'm not sure if that's changed. Not likely, however."
"All we can say is that whatever was on Vasillica was important enough to destroy a planet over. And even the method of destruction seems strange. Why have such an elaborate method when they could have just bombed the place from space?"
"That might be explained," Theodora said, "Ishna wouldn't have wanted to attract investigation. If she straight up committed exterminatus, then that would have been obvious. But something like that would be a natural disaster. A terrible one, but nothing worthy of looking into. An exterminatus would have attracted the Inquisition to the planet, who would have found the vault, and perhaps opened it before Ishna could get to it."
"Still, incredibly elaborate to ensure privacy," Nadine commented. "There might be something more, but I can't think of anything at the moment."
Erwine chuckled at the conversation. Estelle was going to snap back once again. Then Theodora cut in, "Erwine, please stop. If you have something intelligent to say, then we'd love to hear it. But don't make a sound if it's not going to be useful."
"You're trying to whip me into shape," Erwine observed, "After what I went through with Adrianne, I don't think that's a good idea. You invited me here so that you could bash on my bad behavior and try to change it, when you don't get that's not going to work."
"Then what would you prefer from us?" Nadine asked.
"Let me leave this planet, take Bolton's ship, and go figure this out myself," Erwine said. "Then I would have some respect for you all."
"That's not an option," Estelle shook her head, "We need you here, Erwine. You are a vital person in this case."
"Then treat me like that," Erwine begged, "Treat me like I'm my own person, with my own wants and needs and goals. Stop looking at me like I'm an idiot who can't think for herself. You don't respect my opinions in any way, simply demanding concrete proof, when you have none yourself."
She took a deep breath, "If you really want me to be your dog that bad…then perhaps you should actually do something. At least Adrianne had the initiative to brutally force me into line. You're trying to gently push me back."
"You want brutal force?" Estelle asked.
"I'd love it," Erwine said, knowing the girl wouldn't carry through.
"Calm down," Nadine said, looking back and forth, "A fight will get us nowhere. Erwine, I suggest you head back, and get some rest. We can keep talking tomorrow-"
"When, when you've thrown me in a bag and are carrying me back to Hadiens?" Erwine asked, "That's not happening. I'm going to get my way here, no matter how."
"Erwine, both you and Estelle are under huge amounts of pressure at the moment. I suggest you take a moment to relax, both of you, actually." Nadine spoke calmly and softly.
"Fine," Erwine said. She stood up. "I'll go back. Nothing is being done here."
She walked away. She exited. The three watched her till she was out of sight. "Where did I go wrong with her?" Estelle asked with regret.
"It's not where you went wrong, or where I went wrong," Nadine shook her head, "It's not even where Adrianne went wrong. Nothing went wrong here, Erwine has just been dragged along on a chain by fate itself for all her life. She's made a wish to try and give herself some leverage. She received none. She has every right to feel agony." Nadine inhaled and exhaled. "It depends on what she does with that agony."
The two had been staring at each other for a little over five minutes. Their eyes rarely met, but their gazes were always running over each other's bodies. Were it not for everything else about the two, it resembled an elaborate mating dance.
"What will it take for you to tell me what you know?" Erwine asked. She paused when there was no reply. "I think you know something about why Theodora's here, and what she's doing. You know who those six who came after me are, and you know why you did what you did. There's a lot of unanswered questions, and I won't allow Theodora to take you away."
Liselotte just grinned. "Then get me out of here. Help me escape, and I'll tell you everything." She explained.
Erwine nodded. She hesitated, however. "Then…I'll think on that offer."
Liselotte stayed silent as the girl strode out of the room.
She found Erwine in the observation room. Arms crossed, eyes glaring daggers at Liselotte through the one-way glass. Her face betrayed not a hint of emotion. "Erwine," she said meekly, "Are you alright?"
"No, I'm not," Erwine admitted. She didn't turn to look at the girl.
"Are you running away from something again?" Wei asked.
Erwine shook her head. "I'm trying to think of where to go. Estelle won't listen to me. Theodora's arrival is too perfect. She can't be trusted." Erwine narrowed her eyes at Liselotte. "She might be, however."
Wei didn't understand. "What do you mean? You think you can actually trust her? After what she's done?"
"Liselotte knows a lot. I'd say she knows almost everything about what's going on. If I ally myself with her, I might be able to know as well." Erwine mused.
Wei denied that, "You can't. What do you think you can do, let her go and run off?!"
Erwine shrugged, "Perhaps."
"Why would you want to do that?"
A long silence. Then, a solemn reply, "Because I want to be free. I want to be free from the curse of having to be controlled. Sure, I said that everyone else is just following Ishna's plan, but so I am." She sighed sadly, "In the end, we all are. This may be the only chance I have to change something. I don't want to die, so the only other thing I can do is go as far as I can."
"You're just going to become Adrianne," Wei warned her, "Don't you care about that fact?"
"I do. But that's not a fact. Adrianne wouldn't do this. She didn't understand when it was time to be calm. All she could do was rush into things, such was her anger. I'm playing a game against…well, fate itself at this point. I'm going to win."
"Why do you care so much?!" Wei screamed, "Can't you just let this silly desire of yours go?!"
Erwine looked down. "It was my wish." She looked at Wei for the first time since she came in. "I wished to achieve this. To escape from fate. Somehow, I told myself that just wishing for it would work." She shook her head, "But that's not what happened."
"I wanted power, power so that I could have control over my own life. So what does the universe do but throw me into a situation where I have no control whatsoever?" Erwine's eyes were filled with despair. "All I can do is strive to make that wish come true." She walked forwards. "Please, Wei, let me go."
Hesitating, Wei asked, "It's not because of me, is it?"
Erwine shook her head. She looked into Wei's eyes. "I swear, this isn't you. I can't even say it's specifically Estelle, or even Theodora, now that I think about. It's just that I've been holding myself back, trying to be a hero but…" Her words trailed off as she remembered that promise she made to her friend, which seemed to be in another lifetime. "But I can't ever be a hero if I don't solve this now. If I'm trapped in this maze forever, I can never get what I want. If I do something bad now, and spend my life making it up to the world, then I feel like I'll be that hero I want to be."
Wei nodded, understanding. "Don't worry. Erwine, even if you do something bad, I'll know that you're ultimately a good person." The two were quiet for a few moments.
Erwine whispered, "I'll come back, I promise." Both were crying a little, though neither wanted to admit it.
Wei took a deep breath. She took another one. "I'll have to stop you. I'll have to hunt you down. You know that, right?" Erwine nodded. "Then just…" She grabbed Erwine's hands, "Promise to survive. I don't care what you have to do, just please, make yourself happy."
Erwine gripped her hands tightly. "Goodbye,"
"You should hit me, maybe kill me, make it look like I didn't let you go like this," Wei suggested as they stepped apart. Erwine hesitated, then agreed. A few seconds later, Wei dropped to the ground a bloody mess. The door was already closed by the time she passed out.
"You're certain that you know what you're talking about?" Estelle asked Theodora. They were slowly walking about the outside of the restaurant, looking down at the city below. Estelle was reminded of that time with Adrianne, so long ago.
"I hope I do, at least," Theodora said, "What, Erwine putting doubts in your brain?"
Nadine was waiting alone. She seemed to be lamenting something, and it was not hard to figure out what. "I suppose. I know I ought to be giving that girl more respect, but…it's hard being a leader at times."
"I don't think I can understand. I've been one for not very long. I haven't lost anyone, as I've only dealt with humans so far."
"How far does Ishna's network stretch, how deep?" Estelle wondered.
"Multiple sectors. From the sound of that incident on Hadiens, that grand witch was created with a massive number of cubes, and we're recorded a drain from five sectors. As for deep…well, we had to take out the governor of one planet, and on another, it was a bunch of idiots in the wilderness. We really have no idea when we come to the next planet."
"I wonder why…" Estelle said, then trailed off. She picked up after a second of organizing the thought, "Why Ishna made such a large network. Just for one event seems rather silly, pointless. There has to be more. We know that…well, the other high-ranking members of her group got away. They could still be engaged in some part of the plan."
"We've found no evidence of anything more," Theodora explained, "There seems to be no indication of some wider communication between these groups. There has been a constant of ritualistic killings, but that's all."
"Any actual serious rituals or events?"
"Nope."
"Then what are they doing?" Estelle wondered aloud, shaking her head, "Never mind, you don't have any idea."
They looked at one another, pausing in their walk around. "Well, how do you think things are going to go from here?" Estelle asked.
Theodora paused. She looked Estelle in the eyes. "You're a good person. Don't ever lose sight of why you're a good person. Erwine is a good person as well. Don't ever lose sight of why she's a good person." She smiled, then turned and walked away, leaving the question entirely unanswered.
Estelle watched her go. Her questions about Theodora were growing, but she wondered if the girl was really as helpful as she sold herself as.
It was dark inside the small room. Not that there was much to do. Liselotte could see anyways, but again, there was nothing for her to do in her current state. Her hands still cuffed behind her, and then those hands cuffed to the chair. She could have escaped if she wanted to, but there was nowhere for her to go.
Besides, if things went her way, she wouldn't have to wait there for long. But the chance of that…well, there's a good chance now, presuming that Erwine didn't get pulled back by them. Chances are we can…well, where do we go from there?
Can't get offworld, unless we can get up to the Rosie. That's our chance. Will be incredibly difficult, but I guess I'll just have to try. She took a deep breath, staring at the door, counting by the minutes in her head.
Eventually, it opened. A hand flicked the light on. Erwine stepped in, closing and locking the door quickly. She looked at the girl sitting there, "What do you honestly think of the situation at the moment?"
"Theodora…Theodora is entirely lying to you," Liselotte said quickly. She made herself sound desperate, which she was in a way. "She's actually working for Ishna, at least the completion of her plan. She's got Estelle on her side, and if she has Nadine too, then there's not much we can do to stop her."
"Why did you kill those people?" Erwine asked, "Give me the truth."
"We…we recovered a tablet from the asteroid. Juno did actually, and left it with us for further research. We've been working with her, as a matter of fact. Translating what we could, it said that the first key could be found when the nine were dead and the planet was in flames."
"So you killed those nine people in order to get this?"
"No, to draw out whoever wanted it. The prophecy mentioned things related to the Hadiens Incident, at least the creation of something. I think it referred to the fact that my magic mutated, as it did talk about 'new witchcraft'. We were hoping to find out who was looking for these keys, as other parts referenced later keys. We still have no idea what it's talking about, but I think that Theodora is looking for this one key. She's hoping to take me, get you all out of the system, then I don't know, set the planet ablaze and obtain the first key."
Erwine frowned. The explanation was complex. She felt like there were some things that just didn't make much sense. She could tell for certain that Liselotte was lying to her. "Those six girls?"
"Probably working for her, and she is working under Ishna, or whoever has replaced Ishna as leader of the larger organization." Liselotte explained. "If you want to get out of here, we have to go now. We can get up to the Rosie, and either convince or force Bolton to get us out."
"Alright," Erwine said. She approached. Her sword was out. The cuffs were cut. Liselotte quickly stood.
"Hold on," she held her hand up as she started to formulate a mental shield around the both of them. It took a few minutes. "Ready," Erwine was running for the door before the word was even finished.
Then they were moving for the landing pad. The nearest one, as Erwine didn't really care which shuttle they took. Her blade was out, as were the swords of Liselotte. They hoped to avoid bloodshed. But there was still a good chance it would occur.
All they knew was that a shuttle took off. They couldn't tell anything more. Wei already knew who would find her first. Stumbling through the halls, body coated with a bit of blood from the wounds Erwine inflicted, Wei looked like she was a lost little girl.
"Where is she?" Justinia asked. She seemed to appear from nowhere as Wei rounded the next corner. The telepathic network was alive with communications as everyone responded to the situation, but it wasn't nearly jammed up. Justinia just wanted to talk in person.
Wei looked down in shame. "Gone," She said quietly, "With Liselotte."
"You let her go?" Justinia guessed. Wei nodded. She had nothing to say. "Didn't you promise to stay with her, or something like that?"
Wei teared up suddenly, before bursting out into sobs. "I'm not really strong enough. The two of us aren't like Adrianne and Estelle at all. She's so strong, but I'm not strong enough to chase after her. All I can do is watch." She stumbled backwards as Justinia stepped towards her. "I shouldn't even have said anything to her in the first place! If only we'd never met, she…"
"It's not your fault." Justinia said. "Erwine's the one who ran away. Not from her problems, no, she's facing those head-on. But, she ran from you. Because she's scared of caring for you."
Wei didn't understand. "W-what do you mean?" she asked in astonishment, "I thought she said she would! She told me-"
"She's promised you things before. You gave her a second chance and it didn't even take her twenty-four hours for her to break the promise." Justinia said harshly. "It's not time to dawdle about and lament about her cruelty."
Wei wiped the tears from her cheeks, still sniffling. "I still want to be with her," She said, "I want to, but I know I can't."
"Are you sure?"
"I don't have the power! Besides, I can't make her come back-"
"Yes you can!" Justinia shouted. "You can make her come back. Be it by showing her how much you care, or by going and dragging her back by the ear, you can. Erwine's lost right now, and more than anything she needs someone to guide her." Her voice dropped low, "Estelle is the same, and I can't say what motivations Nadine has, but that girl isn't helping anyone." A pause, "You're the only person left who is close to Erwine, and who is someone she still trusts, at least I hope you are. You can do this, I promise you that."
Wei took a deep breath, bringing herself back to a state of calm. Her knees buckled and she leaned against the wall to hold herself up. "Then…" She trailed off into a long silence. "Then let's go. I will make Erwine fulfill her promise." Wei believed in Justinia. She could believe in Justinia more than she could Erwine. And she knew that Justinia believed in her. She reaffirmed the promise, "I will."
Over the past ten months, you have shown an incredible mental recovery from the extensive trauma you suffered. While this would normally be a cause for suspicion, numerous checks of your mind and body have revealed no signs of taint, nor any interference with your mind. Therefore, this council can only declare you fit for full service once again. Multiple recommendations have come from your comrades as to your elevation to the status of Inquisitor. An official review should be held within the next month to discuss that promotion, but until then, you are free.
-Lord Inquisitor Eskel, heading a tribunal on the Reinstatement of Theodora Magnissia.