A/N: Here we go again. No action this time (at least nothing big) in this chapter, just walls of text. That happen to make up a few things, so pay attention.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, run this by me one more time, please." Asuna stated to Saber as they were in the castle's infirmary where they had stored Negi. Asuna, Konoka, Haruna, Yue, Yuuna, Ayaka, Eva and Chachamaru were standing in the room where the young teacher slept, on the big bed. And Saber had been trying to explain her own existence to them, for about the seventh time now. "You're actually some hero spirit brought to life spontaneously by simply heeding some magical call?"
Saber sighed for the sixth time in front of them. "No. I am a Heroic Spirit, an extraordinary individual that died eons ago as a mortal, but has been brought into the existing plane of living through a magical calling which manifested in those cards that Ashracai was carrying around. I am one of seven specifically chosen Heroic Spirits that have been chosen for this particular process out of practically millions out there. All of us, were chosen for our skill, courage, and our special specialty in combat." She explained to them calmly. "We were not chosen for our race, for that matter."
"I wasn't gonna say that." Asuna complained.
"You were thinking it." Saber countered, shooting the redhead down before she could try again. "Here is how it works." She made light bend together to form illusions of the Servant cards. "There are seven different Servants; Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Berserker, Assassin and Caster. Each of us have a specific role in battle. As I am Saber, I hold the position of main fighter. My job is very much the same as your role is, Kagurazaka Asuna-san. I hold the opposition in melee while my Master supports me from the rear."
"And I take it that Archer's job is to support the Master, in theory a fighter, to stave off ranged opponents or attack flying enemies?" Eva inquired of the Githyanki swordswoman, though she did not seem to have a weapon shown on her.
"It's in that direction." Saber answered. "From what I know, Archer was a brave young woman made an orphan, but raised among strong warriors. She found her bow and quiver when she was in her teenaged years, around yours, I believe, and used it to ferocious skill. Eventually though, she had a terrible injury on her leg, and left unable to use her bow. She turned to magic, studying from a powerful sorcerer. She later lost her life in a cataclysmic event that is known to us as the 'Spellplague'. Magic didn't work for us, and what did exist, turned rampant. Eventually, we regained control over magic, but thousands of magic users had lost their lives by then. On all sides that we knew had magi."
"And what of you, Saber-san?" Ayaka asked the Spirit gently. "Did you perish in that time as well?"
"No." Saber answered immediately. "I myself died millenia before the Spellplague occurred. I do not know how the others came into service, but I myself jumped at the chance to become a Servant, even though there were limitations."
"Wait, how did you get into it?" Haruna asked her.
"I feel curious as to how it turned out as well." Yue added, making the Gith woman sigh yet again.
"I heard once of a place called Mount Celestia that exists for heroes, but I did not enter such a place. All I knew, after I died, was endless darkness. Timeless, infinite, no sight or anything for eternity. Not able to move, not able to feel, nor feel the sweet scent of water in my lungs. Sheer torture for one's immortal soul." Saber told the girls. "But... in that darkness, I heard something at last. There was this voice that called out to me, making me curious about what it wanted. I felt a purpose again, and it asked if I wanted to continue having a purpose. Even though it told me that I would be forced to go into a form of forced labour for it, it did mean that I could feel and see again. I jumped at it. The next thing I knew, was that I found myself in this armor, kneeling to a mage. That mage was Ashracai. I thank him all my existence has to offer to him for setting me free."
"Hu-hu-hu..." Haruna just could not refuse laughing to herself, catching Saber's attention. "Just want to be clear on something. You thank Ashracai-san with all your existence has to offer, right?"
"Yes, that is what I just said." Saber answered the manga-ka.
"Would that also suggest that you and Ashracai are lovers of a sort?" Haruna's question caught the swordswoman off-guard, but then the manga-ka got thrashed by Asuna, Yue and Ayaka.
"Geez, Paru, you don't have to be blunt all the time!" Asuna scolded her.
"And what's with you going on about love and stuff like that?" Ayaka had to ask her. "It's indecent to ask something like that to someone you just met!"
"Haruna, don't go off like that." Yue scolded her as well.
"Heh." Eva could not help but grin. "You girls should talk. Most of you are gunning for Negi's position, anyway." That accusation got them blushing. "Still, it seems like you hit a nerve there with Saber-chan there." She addressed the far more older woman. "Mind telling us, Gith?"
"...He," Saber started nervously. "...He reminds me sometimes of... Zerthimon..." She said slowly. She wasn't blushing, not apparently, but she did seem touchy about the subject.
"Oh, so you did have a lover before." Yuuna exclaimed. "But hey, everyone finds someone special someday."
"It did not end well." Saber cut the basketball player immediately. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound angry. It did not go quite well between me and... Zerthimon," She hesitated saying his name. "when I was alive."
"Oh?" Eva inquired. "How did it go? Tried to kill him over something you couldn't agree on? 'No honey, I can't go out to buy some milk.' 'Oh dear, that means I'll have to kill you.' Slash, slash, slash?"
"I'd be smiling if I found that funny in any way possible." Saber said bitterly. "Do I look like I'm smiling?"
"...Oh." The vampire said, slightly disturbed with how the Gith woman was looking at her.
"Let's just say that I never wanted to see his face ever again and leave it at that." Saber said, making them agree on that without argument. At that time, the door opened to reveal Theodora come barging into the room.
"I came as soon as I heard from Collet." The Hellas princess said, but she stopped when she saw the Githyanki woman. "Eh? Who's that?"
"Long story short, she's under Konoka's control." Asuna explained abruptly. "What are you doing here?"
"I came here because I heard Negi was going to fight the Commander." Theo explained. "What happened?" Asuna explained to her and then she told the full story of what happened afterward. "So... so that's how it went." Theo said almost sadly, looking at the sleeping form of Negi. "Is he okay?"
"As far as we can tell, yes." Konoka noted. "He didn't have any stab wounds on him after what Saber-san did to him, but he's all bruised up. And worst of all, he hasn't woken up even after I healed him up with what I could."
"He's mentally exhausted." Saber explained. "Not surprised, given what was going on inside his mind when I fought him."
"Speaking of which, time for an explanation on what you did to him." Haruna said, gaining their attention onto her.
"I owe you that much at least." Saber said. "Put shortly, we eradicated the dark magic inside him." She told them.
"Wait... what?" Asuna had to make sure.
"...My ears must be starting to go." Eva checked her ears, saying that. "I thought you said you took away the Magia Erebea in him."
"We did." Saber said. "On long terms, the blade I used is specifically designed and enhanced to combat demonic magic. The white blade is set so that it drives out the dark out of whatever it hits, yet it will not harm the victim. On the contrast, the black blade is designed to infuse a target with the dark magic that the white has taken out. Our plan was to take out Magia Erebea out of the boy and infuse Ashracai with it, so that he could destroy it utterly."
"At the cost of his life, in a way of speaking." Eva noted, eyeing the necklace around the healer's neck. "How long are you going to hold on to that thing?"
"I don't mean to be rude, but he did ask me to wear it. I don't know for how long, but until something comes up and it's okay, then I'll take it off." Konoka answered, as the ruby was still beating vigorously.
"So... Negi doesn't have the Magia Erebea inside him any longer?" Asuna asked Saber, who nodded in return.
"Correct." The armored Knight answered her. "I can tell at least that your local vampire has objections against this, but we have reason to do so." Saber continued, reminding them that she too had mind reading capabilities. "Ashracai can tell the potential of a person with magic. That boy has a very bright future ahead of himself. He'll see life, joy, love, experience and good companionship with other great magi and fighters, such as yourself. He'll also see death, warfare, decay and strife with himself. As much as it seems strange to you, we could not let that dark power remain in him if he is to have such a future."
"Then why the hell design a weapon and not some scroll or pointy stick to drive that kind of stuff out of people?" Yuuna demanded to know of her.
"...Ashracai has a clear intolerance for the use of demonic magic." Saber replied, thinking on that one.
"...Oh." The basketball player commented.
"Think badly on us about this if you will, but some action has to be taken for bad, in order for the greater good to thrive." Saber informed them. "Now, I recommend that we leave Negi here for now and let him sleep in peace. He deserves the rest and I doubt that your Commander would just sit idly by while he can get his hands on valuable information."
About an Hour later...
About an hour later, Setsuna sat stuck next to the coffin in the library. Of all the places Fate placed her, he had to pick the Coffin. Secured under a tight barrier, and even magically shackled to the box didn't improve her chances either.
Deserter... Setsuna thought to herself, remembering the charges Aris had invoked. Although I wasn't off campus, it could be considered true. I didn't report to them for days, I left my designated place alongside Konoka... The situation looked rather grim for herself. Am I going to get court martialled for this?
(Somewhere, in the vicinity, somebody was watching, having a bowl of popcorn, by the smell)
Oh, damnit, now I'm getting hungry as well...
Footsteps approached her, making the swordswoman stand up next to the big box, only to see Asuna come to her, flanked by two guys, one blonde haired and dressed in a blue shirt, the other was a bit more... odd. He had a hat with a feather on, in a matching suit. "Asuna-san..." Setsuna could only utter, seeing the redhead, not so happy about seeing her.
"Setsuna." Asuna said briefly. "First of all, before we go into anything, let me introduce you to Takeda Ikki," She gestured to the blonde guy, who gave a brisk salute. "And Kugenin Hibiki, also known as Siegfried or just Sieg." The one with the hat nodded at Setsuna. "We picked them up shortly after you took off."
"...I see." Setsuna could only reply to her.
"Now, that that's over, I'd like to get to the point." Asuna said, and Setsuna realized that she was going to scold her for leaving. "Boys, hold her tight on the arms."
"Got it." Takeda replied, taking Setsuna's left arm.
"Sure." Sieg acknowledged, taking her right arm.
Okay, being beaten by Asuna was going to hurt a lot...
The first blow was a classic punch, right on the chest, possibly cracking a rib or two on the raven-haired girl. "That, was for leaving without so much of a note." Asuna told her, sounding bitter as well. Setsuna coughed twice on that, feeling it real good on herself, but kept stable thanks to the guys holding her up.
And then came the knee strike on her gut. "That was making Konoka worry almost to her death. You could at least have thought about her first before taking off." The redhead scolded her, whilst Setsuna tried to get air.
"I need to lie down, I need to lie down." Setsuna told the guys and they gently just plonked her on the floor. "Ooow..." She managed to get out of herself first. "You haven't been skipping on your own Muay Thai practice, Asuna-san." She tried to lighten the mood, but got a kick on the stomach instead.
"And that's for making me worried!" Asuna replied back to a curling half-demon. "What were you thinking, leaving like that?" She knelt down to the swordswoman. "And thanks to you on a side note, Konoka has been forcing me to act like some person-pillow to her, since she thought it'd be embarrassing in public to buy one for herself." That got the two guys, at least Takeda off-guard. "Get your mind out of the gutter before I bash it back into you, Ikki." She paused to tell him that, and he stepped back with a fake smile. "The sheer embarrassment it's been on my part. I thank God that Negi has become a heavy sleeper now and is also too busy with keeping Alicia-chan away from sneaking into his bed."
(Whoever was munching on those popcorns, certainly gave a thumbs up on this.)
"Well," Setsuna coughed as a pause there. "What am I supposed to say? I'm sorry?" She asked, crawling to the side of the coffin. Asuna couldn't say anything at first, just faces passing her own.
"Just... I'm just... No. Just, zip it. Save it for Konoka when she gets here, and that's gonna be worse than what I put you through." Asuna finally said, getting up and starting to walk away. "Come on, guys. Let's give the spouses some time for themselves."
"Er... yes, ma'am." Sieg replied, starting to walk away first.
"Nice meeting you, Setsuna-san." Takeda said nicely to the sitting swordswoman.
"Likewise." Setsuna replied. Being left alone by the coffin, she couldn't help but lean on it because of Asuna's beating. As soon as her head bumped into the box though, something broke and gas of a sort hissed hastily out of the coffin. It sure gave Setsuna a shock, making her step back. It went out as soon as it came, so the danger was immediately over. But it got Setsuna curious as to what was inside, since it seemed okay to open it now. On a practical level, not morally. But she was curious.
She couldn't help but to get up, place her hands on the seemingly open lid and opened it up. Who? She thought, looking first at the middle. There was indeed a coffin, otherwise there wouldn't be a body there. Hold on. I know those legs. This is... She gasped, seeing who it was. But before she could look any further, the lock was slammed back down.
"Perhaps I should have placed you elsewhere, Konoe Setsuna." Fate told her, having his hand on the lock. He didn't seem angry, but you couldn't tell with his face. "A minor valve loosened, it seems. Nothing major to worry about." Walking up to where it had busted, Fate also snapped his fingers past Setsuna, and she didn't feel shackled to the box any longer. "You're free to leave for now. And I would appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about what you saw, understood?"
"Uh... yes." Setsuna wanted to be away from Averruncus as fast as possible, so she walked away from there as fast as she could without running. It didn't take long for her to walk right onto the one thing she didn't want to encounter today: A scolding from Konoka. "K-k-k-k-Kono-chan..." She stammered out of herself, frozen with fear.
(That person munching popcorns seems to have followed her by the noise.)
"My deepest apologies, Kono-chan!" Setsuna started, bowing deeply before the healer. "I did not plan fully upon sneaking off like I did. Well, okay, maybe, but I wouldn't have done it without making sure you knew where I took off! I only did it with the best interests for everybody here!" She quickly got out of herself, not looking up to see Konoka's expression. But she was more frightened of this than Asuna's beatings. Please don't hit me, please don't hit me, please don't hit me! One part of her shouted inside her whilst another simply said; Hold on, I probably deserve this...
Konoka didn't seem to say anything at first, wondering what to do with her own wife. At first, she just sighed and stepped closer in on the swordswoman. Setsuna let an audible gulp off, seeing the healer so close to herself, and embraced herself for the worst. She found hands instead guiding her torso upwards, and then she was caught in yet another tight hug, though this one seemed more gentle than the one she was given in the Himalayas.
"Secchan... just... tell me next time, okay?" Konoka said sadly, holding Setsuna close, but not looking at her face. "...Baka." She also added at last, making the swordswoman feel a big twinge of guilt on herself.
(Popcorn-eater had stopped eating for once and gave two thumbs up, seeing the two girls.)
"Master, may I dispose of the intruder on this moment?" Saber interrupted the two girls, holding someone seemingly invisible to them, but the 'Aargh!' gave it away that Saber wasn't joking with them.
"Hey, let go, you bitch." Rachel said, struggling to get down, but a snap from Setsuna made her stop and the two elder women looked at the raven-haired girl. "Se- Set-chan?"
"You... you..." Setsuna said, with flames gathering up around herself, after getting out of Konoka's grip. "...You..."
"It's a library." Rachel tried to calm her down, having been put down by Saber, but couldn't move out of fear. Saber merely went and opened the main a few meters away. "We're in a library!"
It didn't help her being tossed fast out of there. She was screaming out of fright once she was out of the bookplace, going off into the distance from where the girls saw her. Didn't take long until they heard a klong on the bottle wall.
"A most impressive throw, Lady Setsuna." Saber complimented the raven-haired girl. "I have not seen a throw like that for many centuries."
"...Thank you." Setsuna replied quietly. "I'll admit that I wasn't going to be complimented by a Githyanki."
"I am not Githyanki anymore. I am in some ways dead, and therefore unable to claim some form of heritage of race any longer."
"A-hem." A tanned tall woman with a staff came in through the door. "You don't know me, Setsuna-san, so I'll tell you. I go under the name of Freya, I lead the Valkyrie group here in the castle. The Commander said that he wants to see you in the botanical greenhouse, now. I'm to escort you."
Setsuna felt a big gulp in her throat at the moment, and she felt Konoka cling on to her back. "It's alright." Setsuna assured her. "I don't think it would be a serious punishment, at minimum."
"Best of luck then, I suppose." Saber told her. "I'll look after her whilst you're talking with the Commander."
"Thank you." Setsuna repeated to her and followed Freya out of the library.
Back in present day, in the city of Glathk
"My most humble apologies." Nodoka said, bowing before Lord Glathk with the two of them alone in his office.
"Hm?" The Githyanki lord merely looked at her first.
"I apologize for the destruction of the port towers when I was sailing off for Zuriith." Nodoka informed him in more detail. "I understand that they were vital to the city defense from the sea. That is why I submit myself to your judgment right now, and await some punishment for what I did to your town."
"...I'll send the bill for the first tower." Glathk answered her, making her just look at him in confusion. "I could throw you in jail for destruction, but you didn't do the destruction on purpose. You were just acting in self-defense of the ship you and your companions were aboard. What's more, those bounty hunters commandeered one of those towers are already working on restoring it and they're gonna pay for the materials it took to fix it." He explained to her calmly.
"I see..." Nodoka took it in.
"For you, however, I have a different task." Glathk got up from his desk. "Since your departure, I've been receiving refugees from local villages from the mountainsides and plains. This isn't something new to me, for I have done so before in the past four hundred years. However, we've just lost contact with a neighboring town to the east. No word, no call for help, zip. I'd call it an organized Hobgoblin raid, but survivors of past attacks describe some form of monstrous humanoid creatures mixed with ogres, undead and even some form of decaying dragons by all accounts."
"I'm failing to see where you are going with this, Glathk-sama." Nodoka said quietly, and Glathk took notice of the honorific.
"Since this is most likely an attack by some upstart sorcerer, or sorcerers, I'm sending a relief force of three-thousand soldiers led by Captain Ishin Saura to the east to find out what it is and eliminate it. I want you to take your forces with them, and once the battle is over, report this to the magocracy here in Samasal. From there, you're free to go wherever you like." The Githyanki lord informed her.
"Understood." Nodoka nodded at him.
"One last thing, though." He caught her attention. "I would prefer not to see you again in this town." He informed her. "I have good reason not to trust humans. They tried to take this city when I was still a young officer and have been trying ever since I was appointed the ruler of this realm. Even though you are different from what I've seen of you, my people still see me as a man opposing humans. I can't go around their backs with the Witch of Man, either." He paused to let her calculate where he was going with this. "However, the appeal in that I'm sending you is your magic. Albeit not much from what spies tell me, it's certainly powerful at least. That is why I'm assigning you and your troops to this relief force, understand?"
"Yes sir." Nodoka acknowledged him and turned to leave immediately.
"...Your men did at least behave here." He informed her when she reached the door. "I don't know what kind of training you put them through, but it's effective. Good work on that, at least. Give my regards to the drill sergeant too, would you?"
Nodoka regarded him with gentle eyes before answering. "...I'll tell him you appreciate what he's done then, Glathk-sama." With that, she left the room and went for the tavern where everybody else waited for her.
Back at the greenhouse
"Ah... there you are, Setsuna." Aristodemus greeted the young samurai girl. He was dressed in a light robe, with his right arm in a sling and bandaged. He had been given the opportunity to have it healed, but he seemed to have it the way it was. "I was beginning to wonder."
"Asuna-san and Konoka came to see me." Setsuna replied to him, being a bit confused seeing him like that. "Asuna-san gave me a beating, too."
"Ah. That explains a few things." He kindly said. "Now, don't suppose you would care to walk with with an old man in this serenity?" The tone he used was fake, but replicated enough of the 'Old frail man' look that she just couldn't refuse. So, the two went into the greenhouse, and generally admired the vegetation.
"Tell me, have you heard of the Character Alignment system, Setsuna?" Aristodemus asked of the Hanyou after a while in there, looking at a couple of birds.
"...I'm afraid not, Sir." Setsuna answered him as they walked down the lane filled with trees and birds flying about.
"Quick version, then." Aris responded and turned about. "The Character Alignment system is a two-dimensional grid from the role-playing game called Dungeons & Dragons. It has two axes, one which measures the 'moral' continuum between good and evil, and another 'ethical' between lawful and chaotic. There is also the idea of 'Neutrality', the side that goes in the middle of these ideas, who are indifferent, committing themselves to balance and all that. By this system, people can been seen as by nine different kinds of alignment: Lawful Good, Neutral or Evil, Neutral Good or Evil, and Chaotic Good, Neutral or Evil."
"Why only two Neutral choices, then?"
"You can't have Neutral Neutral, that one is seen as 'True Neutral'." Aris answered her. "Now, here's the idea: By learning that Lawful Neutral for example, is the school of which you follow orders, respect the law, yet want nothing to do with others and such, you will see where I'm going with this."
"You're saying that I'm just your average soldier if we follow those terms?" Setsuna questioned the elder commander.
"Oh, I wouldn't say that, Setsuna. I'd say you'd be more of the Lawful Good type. The Lawful Good are the ones who respect the law and order, believing it to be for the benefit of everybody. Honest and benevolent, they generally set themselves within a certain hierarchy of codes of honor and strives to work within the established system to make it fit for everybody, for the good of all. You are a good example of this, because you work within the system and codes set by your fellow members of the Ala Alba, to help make the world a better place, with the ultimate goal of finding Negi's father." Aristodemus explained to the young samurai who took in the information. "However..."
"Somehow, I'd knew you'd said that." Setsuna interrupted, the Spartan waited to hear that sentence and then continued.
"Did you choose to enter Ala Alba because of your own free-will, or because Konoka decided to do so, whilst you were just drafted in because she said it would be fun?" He accused her. "Your loyalty to Konoka as a Shinmeiryuu warrior takes place above your position in Ala Alba, leaving you more Lawful than Good in that opinion. It wouldn't be wrong to call you Lawful Neutral, once you start to think about it."
"Sir, now you've lost me." Setsuna replied to the man. "Does it even matter what alignment I am?"
"I'm getting to the point sooner or later, so bear with me." Aris told her. "Your mission to protect Konoka takes priority first, am I right?"
"...Yes, Sir." Setsuna answered him.
"And when you are faced with the dilemma of whether you should help an injured man, even though you know fully that he's evil, from certain death, do you do so, or leave him to his fate?"
"Do I have to answer that one, Sir?"
"Well, what if Konoka had told you to help him?"
"...Then I would have saved him, I suppose." Setsuna answered that one at least.
"Well, then, you are Lawful Neutral if you have to rely on what Konoka says." Aris informed her. "But this does leave you with two alignments, and we can't have that. So we're chucking the alignment system into the waste bin and get to another point of where I'm getting at."
"...Can I just ask one question?" Setsuna asked him.
"Of course." The Spartan responded kindly.
"What alignment would you be if we followed this system?"
"That, is for you to decide after I tell you of this one. Instead of using alignments, we're going to think of Allegiances."
"Difference being?"
"You must be an airhead on this sort of thing, aren't you?" Aris told her bluntly. "Okay, the allegiance idea makes you instead of following a certain faction, without regard to moral or ethical codes getting in the way, allowing you to do whatever you need to do in the faction's name. Therefore, it is entirely possible for people to commit virtually any task imaginable for the faction, as long as it fits the faction's bill."
"I see..." Setsuna didn't really grasp the full idea, but something in that direction at least.
"Since we're the only ones here, I'll use us as examples." Aris explained to her, starting with himself. "There are mainly three levels of Allegiance, namely which one you serve the most. For me, my first and greatest allegiance is to the Greater Good. I work and strive in order to make the whole world a better place. I also put a high value on life on an overall scale, as many people do nowadays. Above all, though, I prize innocents, generally speaking women, children and elderly folk, as well as the soldier who wants to help people instead of killing and following orders."
"And how does that justify you being against the Senate and all?" Setsuna inquired of him.
"Since the Senate doesn't seem to care about how many people will fall, as long as they get what they want for themselves." The Spartan answered her. "Which leads to my second allegiance: Traditions. As much as change is needed to preserve a working society, traditions are needed as well to make sure that people do not forget who they truly are or where they come from. That reflects my position as Grandmaster over the Knights. When Vespertatia was occupied by the Senate of Megalomesembria, our people got a major loss of morale. I simply can't stand idly by while they trample the refugees around, proclaiming the propaganda that Arika, my best student in decades, was the one who destroyed the capital. So, this cuts in with my third one: Monarchy. You get the idea on that one."
"I don't get it."
"It's okay, I didn't explain it fully. Basically, all three allegiances that I hold, allow me to make my master plan to bring them down. That does require a willing and living member of the Royal family. What I want is for them to gain a lot of popular support with the people, who make sure that the high officials stay in power, and therefore form a form of uprising. Now, the situation would leave the Senate with mainly two options: Either acknowledge the lost kingdom of Vespertatia as its own independent state once again and step down, or go to war." Aris explained to the swordswoman.
"And you think that the Senate would just stand idly by while your prodigy to the throne gets more and more support from their people?" Setsuna asked of him.
"I didn't say that." Aris replied almost immediately. "But they are faced with these options. And I learned this action a while back: The objective is not to win, but to eliminate every option the enemy has except the one to lose." Aris informed with a smirk for once.
"...You're gonna coerce them into submitting?"
"As much as the idea of assassinating people is disgusting, the appeal in it is that it works. I pay scores of assassins to stand ready by the Senate to get rid of them when I give the word. The senators are fully aware of my intentions to get rid of them, but they can't do the same trick to me. 'Cause... you know... immortal."
"Yeah. Like you being shot in the throat wasn't a hint enough. And that doesn't count your fight with Negi-sensei just yesterday where you lost thoroughly." Setsuna gestured to him.
"I do not deny that fact." Aris said. "There were over a dozen witnesses who saw that pile of rocks crushing me alive, not including you. But that's not the point. To them, I am a constant threat that cannot be removed, no matter what they try. They even tried to blow my house up once with me in it."
"They did?"
"I'd rather avoid that one." Aris told her. "Thing is, I've got nothing against war on a personal level, but you do need to consider all the amount of innocents that would get stuck in the middle of the conflict. So, would you have preferred that really bad men would be killed cowardly over that millions of good intentioned, decent people would be over a petty thing?"
Setsuna stammered on that answer. "...I suppose I would."
"See? Greater Good. End of story." Aris said. "Now it's your turn."
Setsuna didn't know what to say first to him. Allegiance? Alignments? Factions? What the hell? Oh, might as well go for it. "...I suppose my first allegiance, would be to Konoka-ojousama."
"Good start." Aris praised the girl. "Your greatest allegiance is to serve Konoka, and to protect her as to what Eishun asked of you when you transferred to Mahora. From there, it should be easy to determine what comes second, yes?"
"That would be... 3-A, yes?" Setsuna asked now. "My obligations to them as a fellow classmate?"
"Hooray! You're catching on!"
"Now, what would be my third one be?"
"That one doesn't matter right now." Aris told her. "Now, do you see where I'm going with this?"
"Has this something to do with me having been arrested for dereliction of duty after we healed Negi-sensei?"
"Something like that." The Spartan replied. "What I'm actually saying, is that you broke your allegiance to Konoka when you took off like you did, leaving her worried and without so much of a note." Those words struck true into the swordswoman. "Not very cool if you ask me."
"I'm to be punished for this breaking, aren't I?"
"Maybe, but only if you don't see where you went wrong." Aris informed her. "Breaking an allegiance could happen any day, but breaking your most important one is in some way a very serious moral crime. The Catholics take this in a really bad way. "The deepest circle in Hell is for betrayers" goes the saying. Unless one recognizes where you went wrong and betrayed that allegiance, chances are that in the afterlife, you'll be getting a ticket straight to the bottom. Fortunately, though, I'm not your executioner, but your moral judge. So I ask you this: Can you see where you went wrong and betrayed Konoka, or can you not?"
"...May I take my time, Sir?" Setsuna asked him kindly.
"I set up an Atonement shrine a bit ahead of us. Go pray there and you might find the answer." Aris pointed her in a direction to where the shrine was.
Upon approaching it, Setsuna's mind came alive about this. From the old records of the European lands, the Paladins used Atonement shrines when they felt themselves lost... They're the same as the Shinmeiryuu in Japan, so this shouldn't be much of a surprise. As expected of the Commander, seemingly prepared for anything, it seems... Setsuna couldn't help but kneel to the foreign shrine and meditate in front of it. I don't know if this is the proper way, but help me here at least, good shrine...
"How do you think she'll do?" Asuna asked the healer as they walked down the lane of pillars, followed closely by Saber. Archer was still with Kenichi, as the beautiful woman could be seen demonstrating her bow skills to Shinpaku.
"I think she'll do fine." Konoka said almost relieved. "Secchan is a strong girl. She'll manage."
"I can tell that you are however, nervous regarding the final outcome of her punishment, Master." Saber had to interrupt their talk, but sensing their disturbance, she left it there.
"Aren't you a bit worried over that woman?" Asuna whispered in Konoka's ear. "I mean, not to rude or anything, but she just creeps me out."
"Asuna, Saber-san is just doing her duty as a protector." Konoka replied. "As much as she's a Githyanki, she hasn't done anything really bad against us. As I am her Master until Ashracai comes back, she's following me around due to him being in here." She referred to the necklace she wore. "Plus, I do not know how to dismiss her."
"Okay..." Asuna said, getting a small distance away from the healer. "I'm just saying-Huh?" She stopped what she was saying to see a speck of light above them, making all three of them stop in their tracks. "What's that?"
"Ah." Saber noted and stepped forward. "They're here at last." As she finished saying that, three more Githyanki showed up, one with a cloak and data slate in hand, another with an assault rifle in hand and third had a big box across his shoulder.
"Okay, where are we now?" The first one asked, looking around before spotting Saber. "Oh, lady Saber. Found another Master?"
"Temporarily." Saber replied and then gestured to Konoka. "This is my current Master. She also has the phylactery." The Knight pointed as well to the ruby around the healer's neck.
"So we're in friendly territory, huh." The first one said.
"Aw man, I wanted to try this thing out." The one holding an assault rifle groaned.
"Is that a Vindicator?" The third one asked him.
"Yeah, it uses that new Mass Effect technology we found." The second replied. "Sweet gun. Rounds aren't as fast as solid bullets, but you can at least eyeball a target with this."
"Can we get on with this?" The first one said and handed the data slate with a pen to Konoka. "Okay to make things short, I need you to sign here." He pointed on the data slate. "Native writing is good, I can write your name in our language, too."
"Um, okay." Konoka responded, confused about what to do, but took the pen anyway and wrote on the bottom line in Kanji her name. "Okay, I'm done." She said, and the Gith took the pen away from her and proceeded to be ready to write down her name in his language. "It's Konoe Konoka."
"Konoka being surname, or?"
"Given name. Konoe is my surname." Konoka answered him and the Gith proceeded to write it down in his own language.
"Okay, last two things to do, is a stamp here," He pointed to a small circular area on the top of the data slate, which Saber filled with a stamp that came from the belt Ashracai had on himself before going boom. "...and a fingerprint signature here." A small blue luminescent space opened, which he gestured for Konoka to put her thumb on, making her identity be revealed to them. "And that's that. We're done. Here you go." The Gith said, having the third one carrying the box put it down. "Just do what lady Saber tells you to do, and things will be tickety-boo."
"Wait, what?" Asuna had to butt in. "What do you mean, tickety-boo? You just popped in here and didn't explain a thing."
"Hey, look here, Bells. I don't get paid to be all informative and being a boring source of talk. I just get paid to deliver the bodies. And we're done here." He told her, turning away from them and taking out a scroll. "And now we're off again."
"Hold on." Saber stopped them getting out of there. "Maybe you should hear what Ashracai has to say to you regarding your profession."
The first one sighed. "Fine. We'll stay and listen to the boss."
"Always old speech with her?" Asuna asked.
"You have no idea." He replied as he and the second Gith opened up part of the box to reveal a tall Githyanki male body, his face at least. This one had been seemingly granted white hair, long and unadorned, whilst its face was a structural masterpiece among Giths. "This seems about... two centuries old, at best." The first one noted.
"Master." Saber caught Konoka's attention. "Your part is to place the ruby on the body, so that it'll perform its part in this."
"Is that it?" Konoka asked of the Knight. "I just place it on him and it's good?"
"This simply must be Necromancy..." Asuna noted, actually poking at the body in the box.
"That is what you shall do." Saber told the healer. Konoka seemed almost reluctant to approach an actual corpse, if it could be called that. Taking off the ruby necklace, the healer held it out above the body's head, whilst it was flashing constantly. All of a sudden, a blinding flash came, making her drop the necklace, right on top of the head, and then the whole area seemed bright with light.
"...Ooooo... that was an interesting experience." A new voice said, coming from the box. "I'd rather not be blown up again. At least not in the next couple of centuries at least."
"Ashracai-san?" Konoka asked gently, catching the Archmage's attention.
"Yes. It is me." Ashracai answered her in his new body. "I seem to be still in the box this time. Where's Uzera?"
"Erm... you called, Mr. Boss?" Uzera, the first one in cloak asked. Getting a gesture to get closer, he did so. And then promptly got a punch that sent him up into the roof.
"I also pay you guys to keep the hair short. I mean," Ashracai pointed out for them. "...I'm not one of those fighters vying for high status among each other. What do you think of me, some death or glory-fellow, or maybe an 'Not the hair' blockhead!"
"See, this is why the insurance was so good when we take the job of delivering the bodies." The third one noted to Uzera, still stuck in the roof.
"No, it's the high risk of alien hostiles in the vicinity that's why the insurance is good." Ashracai said and got a chill down his body. He opened up more of the lid to check. "...You guys forgot to get this body some clothes... didn't you?"
"Not us this time!" The second brought up. "Blame those who maintain the hosts. They just make sure they get fed and be healthy, they're also the ones in charge of getting you clothes."
"Never mind." Ashracai sighed. "I noted that there was a bath here, anyway. I could use one, myself." With that, he was going to teleport.
"Wait, wait, there's one last thing we need to ask!" Asuna stopped him.
"What?"
"How do you dismiss Saber?"
"...Normally, one would say the magic words, but since you don't know them, you just gotta cut off her head. That usually works." With that, he teleported away to the castle's bath. Hopefully it was empty.
"Cut off her head?" Asuna repeated after that the Archmage had disappeared.
"Now we're out of here, before we're trapped in real hostile territory." Uzera told the other two guys, picking up the scroll again. "Teleport!" He utilized and they all disappeared from the three women there.
"Mou, now they got out of here too." Asuna groaned. "Why cut off Saber-san's head? Wouldn't that kill you?"
"No, it would not." Saber replied calmly. "I am already dead, in a way of speaking, and so I cannot be permanently killed. Beheading me only sends me back to a specific plane of existence for about another twenty hours before I can be summoned again." She then bowed to the redhead princess. "It may sound strange to you right now, but I would be honored to be beheaded by you, Princess Asuna."
"Huh?" Asuna recoiled at the Knight addressing her as princess. "How did you know that? I didn't tell you anything about that."
"My people are psionic by nature, and one more thing about Heroic Spirits. The more you speak of their abilities and believe that they are capable of anything, then those Spirits can do such things." Saber informed her. "As a hero to all Githyanki, the sky would be the limit for me. As such, I am very much able to read minds and divulge into a person's past."
"That's horrible." Konoka lamented.
"Ghhnnn... Mou, alright." Asuna gave in and summoned forth her harisen. "Technically speaking, you are a summon, and my artifact can just banish those away with a single blow."
"I see." Saber replied and waited for the blow to come. Asuna took a deep breath first and then swung her harisen around to give the Knight a good smack. It worked. The Githyanki woman faded strangely enough into sakura petals in front of them, before the magic energy from the petals and the tattoo on Konoka's arm formed back into a card, now revealing the swordswoman sleeping in tranquility.
"Whoa..." Asuna said, taking a look at the card. "Say what you want about these Githyanki fellows, but they can make some pretty awesome magic stuff."
"...Yeah." Konoka replied, whilst other classmates came to them wondering what the flash of light was. "They're kinda cool."
Setsuna found actually tranquility as well in that Atonement shrine, meditating in near silence, save her own breath and the sound of birds singing. The samurai could almost imagine in her head where she had gone wrong. Meeting up with Rachel that night, thinking about leaving in the first place, and even leaving Konoka's side...
That's it. She thought and got up from her sitting position. Taking a moment to bow and thank the shrine, she headed back to where the Spartan was.
"Ah... did you found out?" Aris asked her as she approached him.
"I... can see where I went wrong, Commander." Setsuna answered him. Upon that he didn't answer immediately, she continued. "I went wrong when the thought about leaving Earth prematurely to find Nodoka-san, and got confronted by Rachel-san about it." She told him. "She said that I would only be jotted down as an infiltration attempt if I left. That would be my excuse for leaving the others, I believe."
"Yet you lacked the actual stomach to leave Konoka's side." The Spartan accused her and she could only nod.
"What's more, I lacked a few certain 'Skills' according to Rachel-san and she decided to take me on as an apprentice instead. And from there, we lost track of time in the Himalayas."
"And hence why I had you arrested for desertion." Aris completed. "Are you now able to understand that breaking a vow is pretty much unforgivable?"
"I am, Sir." Setsuna answered with pride. "And I assure you, it will not happen again. And I figured out your alignment, should we follow that system."
"Hm?" The Spartan inquired.
"Given both axis, I'd say you are True Neutral. As much as you are willing to commit horrible 'evil' acts, you use them for the purpose of everybody else who has suffered through the years. You have also done genuinely good acts, considering what most people perceive as Good. However, if it is the most logical idea and the best way to preserve a greater innocence, based on what you've seen, you are keen to sacrifice your teammates in the event that it'll lead to a better future for everyone else."
"You reached that conclusion on your own?" Aris asked genuinely shocked at her gathered intelligence.
"Well, I had to go over the Alignment system in my head to think it through. But granted that True Neutral would be directly in the middle, I figured that's where you would fit in." Setsuna answered him meekly.
"Good. Now I can move on to my own verdict regarding your desertion."
"Oh, boy." The raven-haired girl couldn't help but slip.
"Come on. You might have avoided being shunned by Konoka and your own allegiance, but desertion is still a war crime. Thus, you are now under my jurisdiction." Aris informed her.
"...I plead guilty." Setsuna went for the easy route out of this.
"Very well." The Spartan said. "Well, here's your punishment: There has come up a special mission, one that I need some of the best for. In the event that you are one of them, you are assigned to this mission, by me personally. Now, I got some bad news, and I got some good news, and I got some more bad news."
"Erm... bad news, first." Setsuna requested of him.
"I'll take them in order. The bad news is that this is a one-way ticket. There's no turning back until the end of the mission, whether success or failure. You'll be cut off, on your own."
"Great. What's the good news?"
"The good news is that this means you're going to need a decent healer. And with your own little wife having expertise, natural talent and experience in the field, that means she'll on to this as well. I just need to ask her if it's okay." Aris told the raven-haired girl, who let out a breath of relief. "The more bad news is this: Fate Averruncus is in charge."
"...Crap." Setsuna said, being honest.
"Yeah, sucks to be you." The Spartan lamented. "By the way, exactly what was it that Rachel was teaching you in, to begin with?"
"Oh. It was Transmutation and transformation magic, primarily." Setsuna answered him. "She showed me how to change hair color and style without having to use mundane usage and- why are you looking at me like that?"
"Transformation, huh? Well, that could also help with a few issues as well." Aris said.
"Huh?"
"Rachel never told you that she had kids, herself?" He asked her. Once Setsuna put kids and transformation into the same pot, she just froze in spot, having a shocked visage on her face. "Setsuna?" The Spartan asked gently. "Setsuna? Set-chan? Hoooo-hoooo!" He waved his hand in front of her face. "Huh. So much for that court martial..." Without thinking, he pulled out a doodle pen.
In Glathk's local tavern
"Wahey." Raydan waved the Witch over to their table. "How'd it go with Lord Glathk?"
"A lot better than I expected." Nodoka answered him. "Never wanted to see me in this town again."
"Now that's pretty mild." Rev'keth noted. "Normally, he'd just put humans to death. Guess he saw the bigger picture of what was going on."
"That, I guess..." Nodoka said first. "And he gave us an assignment." She added as well, gaining their attention. "You've seen the refugees out in the streets. And recently a town to the east was attacked. Glathk-sama has ordered us to join up with an army he's sending there to investigate. From there, we're heading to the magocracy here in Samasal."
"Ah, shucks." Jashol lamented. "Those guys got their eyes on me. I would prefer that we avoid that place."
"If you're going to be such a wuss, Jashol," Symon commented on the new member's preference. "Perhaps you should take your chances elsewhere."
"I'd like to make it known by this stage that I'm only in it because both High King Rufus and High Queen Efromm of Druustya told me to." The bodyguard told them.
"Yes, yes." Hina noted down. "Well, this is what we must do for the people out there. So we'd best move out."
"Where's Boris, by the way?" Rev'keth asked the pink-haired girl.
"He went to fetch our stuff. Can't go into battle with protection, can we?" Hina answered him. "The priest should be getting our men as well. We'll move out as soon as Nodoka and I are ready."
"Right." Raydan said. "As much as facing Averruncus seemed great, we might want to face something more to our own level."
Facing Averruncus wasn't fun. The Gith knight thought to himself, having an unpleasant look on his face. Around that time, the door opened to reveal the big Russian, carrying a box in his arms. "Ah, Boris. Over here." He waved him over.
"I brought your equipment, Katsura-san, Miyazaki-san." Boris reported, reaching out the box.
"Ah, good." Hina replied and took the box. "You guys wait a moment. We gotta get ready."
"Knock yourselves out." Rev'keth said, reminding them that he had been stuck as their 'babysitter'. The two girls went into an empty room upstairs to change into their armor. "Well, can't complain too much, at least they can fight for themselves."
"Yeah, I noticed as much back in Zuriith-ma." Jashol said. "But how come they need armor?"
"Have you been hunted for so long that you've forgotten the very standard tactic you humans employ?" The Gith said. "If I recall correctly, humans have always worn armor to protect themselves in accordance to the environment and coming situations. And Hinagiku is a tough warrior, whilst her sister needs to learn how to command an army. She can't show up on a battlefield wearing naught but cloth."
"Naught but..." Jashol repeated and all three natives thought of that image, before shaking their heads rapidly. "No, no, no! We can't do that!"
"Nothing but bad things will come out of that!" Symon added.
"What were you guys thinking?" Rev'keth asked the guys. "Besides, if you were thinking in... 'that' alley, then her homeland Japan has a brand for you guys."
"Which is?" Raydan had to ask.
"Lolicon. Loosely translated, you're into underage girls."
Castle Leuben Scheult, Nightfall
Negi woke up, having a terrible dream. The contents of this dream was (dear readers, I try to keep things rated 'T' here) like that. Plus, he hurt almost everywhere. He cracked his neck for starters and only then did he notice that it was night. The moon was out, by the glow. Ooof... that really hurt. Negi thought to himself, trying to get his legs moving. I can barely recall what happened to me... Wait... did I see Fashtar out there? The image of the Githyanki with an eye patch sparkled in his mind yet again and he reeled from that, making him fall out of bed.
"Ow..." He got out, trying to get up. "That really hurt. Eh? Hold on, when did I be this tall?" He had to ask as he suddenly recalled that he could only barely reach the end of the rope holding up the bed curtains without jumping up. Now he could get it with ease. "I need a mirror." He stated, looking around for one. The one at the wall opposite the bed would do.
Taking a look, Negi noticed a lot of things about himself. Most of all, he seemed to have grown up. He wasn't like his fifteen year old looking self, nor did he seem like he was ten again. He seemed more in the middle, around thirteen now. His arms had grown longer, as had his legs. His abdomen had started to mold into the shape he would have when he was going to turn eighteen. His hair hadn't grown any longer, but his face was starting to adjust to this new appearance. "Huh. How long have I been out?"
Deciding that he needed to talk to someone, the young mage went for the door and it revealed Theodora leaning on the window railing, looking out over the view. Not to mention, that nightdress she was wearing caught Negi's eyes longer than he wanted to. Uh oh. Sudden attack of hormones and pheromones! The young mage thought to himself as he just couldn't get his eyes to stop staring at her... bottom. However, the princess noticed him awake and turned his way. "Are you well now... good husband?" She asked him gently, and yet that last one sounded almost, almost, seductively.
Oh, that's right... Theo and I are still married to each other... "Yes. I'm fine now, Theo." He replied to her kindly, trying for a smile. She didn't seem very convinced.
"Why are you smiling at me?" She pouted at him. "Shouldn't you spare that for when Nodoka-chan comes back into your arms?" She inquired instead.
"Huh?" Negi reeled back at that question. "Why are you asking me that out of the blue?"
"I managed to get a talk with someone regarding your little freak out earlier." Theo explained to him. "Apparently to them, you snapped out of it because you seem to have taken your time in actually developing a crush."
"Eeeeehhh!" The young mage exclaimed. "What do you mean, I've developed a crush!"
"Apparently, you have." Theo calmed down herself. "Your determination to save Nodoka-chan seems to have developed into some form of saving her out of love of some kind. Ghnn, that was what they told me, anyhow." She informed him. "That's why your Dark Magic went berserk: Because you wanted her back."
"That's …. that's why I went berserk?" Negi asked to know.
"I wasn't there when it happened, so I only know second-hand. Haruna thought immediately upon hearing that you've gone all Yandere or something like that. Doesn't seem far off." Theo said, leaving Negi speechless and unable to answer. "Mou, anyway, you seem okay now. I'm sure the old man would want to see you now. He's in the library right now, I think." She told him. "Go on, I'll be fine." She shoved him away, sending Negi walking away towards the library. Once he had passed the corner, she could finally let herself think. What the hell happened to him in there? I could practically smell those pheromones! And she was blushing like mad. But a simple twitch somewhere caught her angry mode again.
Around 1.8 seconds later, she had assaulted a disguised Nijima camouflaged as the wall, and had a longsword ready at his throat. "I got good ears, myself, Nijima! Not to mention I got full authorization to kill you myself should you mention this to anyone!" She informed.
"Understood, your Majesty..." Nijima got out of himself weakly. She didn't consider withdrawing her blade from him, just yet.
Meanwhile, Negi walked slowly to the library, taking in the area around him. He saw some of the Valkyrie girls notice him and waved at him, and he waved back at them. Upon seeing Chachamaru, he stopped briefly, but tried to walk past her quietly. Didn't work. She had glomped him out of concern and hugged him tightly. Afterward, after discussing things with her, the robot girl let him go. But he wasn't out of her sights just yet. She was definitely going to try something on him sooner or later.
"So you decided to wake up now, boya?" Eva asked of him, standing in his way. "If you can't answer, then don't. It's all the same to me." She said, and got close to him. "Mm-hmm... not bad. I like what I see on you, boya. Maybe losing that dark magic inside wasn't such a bad idea after all." She caught him off-guard there. "Something about demonic magic being really bad for you. I don't mind, myself, but what's done is done. Can't change the past even if you wanted to, now." That made him remember the broken Cassiopeia watch he still had. "Now you listen well, boya: Some mages has been forced to give up some of their power in order to save some big thing important to either them or the world itself. This is no different from them, or even your own mother when she sacrificed her own country to save the Magic World. But even so, even when covered with mud..."
"One must keep going forward." Negi finished for her. "Yes... this is not different than when others have faced big problems..."
"You get it, now?" Eva said, gaining his attention. "To live life like you mean it, is all mortals need, ever. Nothing's real until it's gone." She said, not looking at him at the moment.
Negi turned to face her and bowed deeply in front of her. "Thank you very much, Master. I will think deeply on those words." He said.
"...Go on, go see the old Greek, boya. I've given enough wisdom for one night, now." Eva replied and started to walk away. "Ahh, I feel like I want a drink..."
Leaving his master to her own business, Negi proceeded to the library. Once there, he searched high and low, okay not really, but he looked for where the Spartan was. He found him by a window as well, looking at the moon. He had a sling on him and a bandaged arm in it. "Um... Aristodemus-san?" Negi asked gently, getting the old man's attention.
"Oh... you're awake, Negi." Aris answered softly. There was no malice in his voice this time, he didn't seem like the vicious commander he used to be. A pregnant silence fell over them both, the two not knowing what to say to each other after what happened. "Um..." Both said at the same time, suddenly feeling very stupid as well. "Eh... you first, Negi." Aris relented and gave the word to the young man.
"I... I'm sorry." Negi started off. "I was being too selfish of myself, opposing the idea. I was just following my pledge to protect all of my students. I just couldn't stand by and let something like this happen without my consent. And furthermore, I gave Nodoka-san a vow that I would do my best to protect her from harm. I already failed once when Fashtar came and took her. I couldn't afford to let it happen again."
He's just screaming Neutral Good about himself... Aris thought to himself. "I'm... sorry as well." He said gently as well. "I did tell you that I was in a delicate position, and I have to maintain all sides happy. When this offer came by and jumped into my lap, so to speak, I forgot how important Miyazaki was to you at the moment. Morally speaking, I was a complete and utter bastard about it. But... what choice did I have at the time? We were in need of back up, in one way or another. It struck me that if the mundane governments wouldn't give me the aid we needed, then these Githyanki, not being part of the enemy we are facing, would."
"So... we were both wrong, in a way." Negi tried to ease the mood. "Me in the practical sense..."
"And me in the moral sense." The Spartan finished. "However, I must act on this, and they did say to 'strike her down'. As such, I've decided to actually allow a team to go to the Imperium's capital world." He said, making Negi surprised. "Now, now, Negi. I assure you this. They want us to 'strike her down', but to my ears, it means that they don't want her to get to whatever it is they have in their possession. Meaning simply..."
"...This is our chance to get her back here." Negi realized. "God, how could I have missed that option?" He berated himself.
"Took me a while to reach that conclusion as well." The Spartan commented as well. "I'll inform our new found allies of this. However, I can't let you go on this mission, Negi."
"Huh?"
"A few reasons, really. First of all, there is the chance that you would be spotted by the Imperium as they call themselves, and therefore they could certainly call in the big guns which I'm fairly certain they have for magi like you. No offense. Secondly, you're exhausted and bruised up. Even with Konoka patching you up, we don't know for certain that things will have worked out fully. And finally, you buried me alive, you little- Never mind." He tried. "Thing is, other sub-commanders are going to demand some form of punishment for this insubordination. I'm afraid I must oblige with them."
"I understand." Negi said, giving in.
"Very well. Negi Springfield, for medical reasons and for insubordination, you are hereby discharged from duty. Report to me in a week, real time that is, and I'll have you reinstated into the team. For now, take your time to rest. You need it." Aris informed him.
"...Could you excuse me? I need to go somewhere." Negi told him and the Commander nodded, giving him permission to leave.
Some time later, when everyone else was asleep
Sitting on the great cliff has always given him peace and quiet. Negi chose this spot for when they concluded about the 'Mourning time' for him so that he could focus better. He could see everything from there, what was going on in the courtyard, who was entering the resort and leaving, and the birds flying about in here. They tended to accompany him up on the cliff edge.
Discharged, huh? Negi thought to himself, wearing only his cloak and Chinese clothing. It doesn't mean much to me, but not able to save Nodoka-san... that's where the pain is. Looking up at the moon, he could see for a moment the bookworm's smile there, and that image seemed to bring him pain. Why? It's odd... whenever I think of her now, I can't stop... and my heart is... jumping like crazy when I begin to recall the times we've spent together... what does it mean?
"You know..." A new voice behind him said, the rustle of cloth was heard as well in the wind. "We didn't get a chance to actually talk, with everything else going on." Turning around, the young mage saw a new and tall Githyanki, this one with white hair, but the voice tone gave him away at least.
"Ashracai...-san?" Negi asked to be sure. The Gith merely smiled at him.
"Yes, it is me." Ashracai answered him. He did not have his color changing cloak any longer, so he had taken one of Earth's magi cloak "Long story, why I'm a new body." He said, walking up to where Negi sat and took his own seat next to the young man. "I don't think I would have the time to explain it fully in just one night."
"I see..." Negi replied and looked out over the view again. "...Hey, I got a question... Konoka-san said that you're the one looking after Nodoka-san... I just want to know... is she doing alright back there?"
"Back on Tu'narath?" Ashracai asked. "Oh, she's doing great. I sent her up to the surface so she could live a simple life there." He told her. Best keep the war with Ifrith a secret from him for now... might tell him later if it becomes needed. "I figured that she could try the life style of an adventurer there until she can be taken home." Technically, that wasn't a lie.
"Huh..." Negi sighed. "And here I thought you'd be taking her under your wing to train..."
"Oh, I've given that idea some thought myself." Ashracai replied to him. "We did bring her a lot of magical instruction books so she could learn them on her own for the time being. Once I think she's gained enough experience being with Hinagiku and Boris in the big world, then perhaps I would take her on as a full-time apprentice. Just... not yet. I figured that she could learn more as well from how we live back home."
"Really?" Negi inquired of the alien. "Your homeworld must be wonderful, then, in comparison to how Earth is..."
"We've gone that road before. We didn't want to screw it up again." Ashracai informed him. "But Earth doesn't seem to be such a bad place, either. Okay, it's populated by humans, but nothing's perfect."
Negi handed that one to him. He knew from experience himself that humans weren't the nicest of species. This coming from a human to begin with was something. "But once you see the rest of the world, it's not too bad, is it?"
"...No." The Archmage answered him. "It's not a bad place. Makes me understand why you want to fight for it." After that, there was silence between the two magic users. Neither knew how to continue. "So, uh..." Ashracai tried again to break the ice. "...how have you been holding up since... Nodoka got taken away?"
"It's... been decent, if I have to put it lightly." Negi answered him. "I mean, I've learned a lot more than I originally suspected. Not of the Githyanki, as you guys have been impossible to track down, but of my own past. I never really got to know my parents, but I learned of my own mother only last year and there's a hoop of things I didn't know about her even then. Then came Aristodemus-san, and I learned that there was more to my family than I expected. And I don't think I'll be able to look at the girls the same way ever again."
"It happens." Ashracai commented. "Magic does have a tendency to sometimes screw up basic biology at times. But how's your mental health?"
"A lot is happening so fast. I don't know how to handle all these new hormones coming up to me. Maybe it's all in my head, I don't know this time, truly. But hearing the word love again makes my head going rapidly. It was no secret to me that Nodoka-san was in love with me, she said it out loud to me. I'll admit that she's not the only one. I also have Ako-san, Makie-san, well, let's say a few. But..." He paused there to gather his wits and words. "I don't think I would be able to reply to them, now. I got loads to worry about, so much that I doubt I would find the time. What's more, I don't know if I would be worthy of such affection."
"Hm?"
"I can't really think of myself as someone spectacular, and all of the girls are really nice to me. Almost too nice. But awful things keep happening to me, and I don't want to see any of them in danger. And now this is happening, an invasion of our home from magical extraterrestials, bent on conquest. So I can't see myself with any of them, because I don't want to see them hurt, or worse..."
"Hmm... that's a very basic and simple answer." Ashracai commented. "I need to think that one over."
"Really? You can see my point of view."
"Just thought it over and I have come up with an answer." The Githyanki replied immediately and when Negi wondered what it was, he promptly received a hard blow to the head. "Are you an utter moron?"
"Huh!" Negi exclaimed.
"Not worthy of their affection, you say." Ashracai scolded him. "That's the most idiotic thing I've ever heard since the idea of charging in broad daylight over a minefield. And that was a couple of millenia ago, mind you."
"...I don't get the message." Negi replied meekly.
"Look, young man, you are still a child, in a few perspectives. And when Nodoka and I did have our chats, when you came up as a topic, good Gods, that girl could talk my ears off on how brilliant and brave you are. But right now, I'm wondering if it was just all horsecrap. Because you're generally acting like a complete moron."
"Eh? She said that!" Negi exclaimed.
"Yes she did. And believe me, I couldn't help but be a bit admired of such raw power from such a young age. I figured it would be from your blood, much like my kind and our sorcerers. But mentally, you seem to have developed the flaw in thinking that everything has a reason for happening. Let me tell you this: You're wrong. Yes, there may be reasons, but not for reasons that you think have happened to you. Those were just the schemes and plotting of Man. Furthermore, don't undermine your own beliefs and values simply of something absolutely wonderful is right next to you. If you just choose to join a dance, even though you don't know all the steps, it doesn't matter to the other dancers. Do you think a person is worth based on what he or she builds, or buys? You can't judge one from the eyes of mere mortals, like ourselves. Look at someone through the eyes of Heaven or whatever it is you call it, and you'll see the true worth of a person." Ashracai told him. "Oh, Tarong All-mighty, here I am, discussing theology with a kid... I just hope Rad'na doesn't get a catch of this..."
"Huh..." Negi got out of himself, thinking over the Archmage had said. "I never really thought of it that way..." He stifled a yawn just then.
"One must always try new paths of life linked to the path one is destined to eventually take." Ashracai said, taking a deep breath. "It's probably not my place to say this, but when someone has a specific desire of say, 'mating' with someone else, for example, they do it because of a special reason. In this case, I think the reason is 'love'. A most peculiar emotion for some. In that she has love for you, and now with you growing up rapidly, I suppose that love is now starting to take a hold of yourself, even it is unnoticed right now. It took someone to tell you that it was happening. My advice is that you take your time in finding out what it means, and try out a few with your mate, even if she is accidental-" He stopped when he felt a bump on his arm, noticing that Negi had fallen asleep, and leaned on him.
For some reason, he couldn't help but smile. "...Humans sure sleep a lot." He picked up the young boy in his arms and teleported him to a room where he could sleep. Though he did mind to pick the room of one of Negi's partners.
A/N: Finally! I'm done! This took me a while to do. Had to go through a lot. Now, it be time for NOTES! - I didn't like the idea of Negi using Magia Erebea when the bad effects really showed up, so I got it out of the way. Plus, I had already given him something special so it needed to be leveled out so he doesn't get too powerful. And this is months after Ostia, I told you that before, therefore it was reasonable for me to do this. Plus, it wasn't complete in the manga when he had mastered it so far into the story.
-I took the system from Fate/ Stay Night as I confessed during the previous chapter, and I filled the positions with characters from various places. To help easing the confusion, I will now tell you who is who in the Servant system. I do not own any of these following characters: Saber: (Hinted with facts about herself. Easter egg, really). Archer: Cattie-brie (Salvatore's Drizzt Do'urden series) Lancer: Judith (Tales of Vesperia). Berserker: Kharn the Betrayer (40K). Rider: Innovindil (Drizzt Do'urden series). Caster: Eldrad Ulthran (40K). Assassin: Artemis Entreri (Salvatore's work again)
-I'm also using background discussions here, as mentioned with Theo's talk to Negi near the ending. For those who doesn't understand, she had a talk with Archer regarding Negi's berserk time as to why it was triggered.
-On that point, Love as an emotion is flexible. It's difficult to pinpoint, really. It's wonderful at first, but as Wynne from Dragon Age: Origins stated: "Love is ultimately selfish." I was THIS close to using it in the last chapter. Therefore, it can be perceived as a negative emotion at times. My opinion though and not proven, (as far as I've checked) but it is worth considering.
And uh... that's it for now. Went a lot faster than I expected.