Warnings: Death, violence, past fantasy things, suffering
Prologue - From Blood, All is Divined
Elias had simply been gone one morning.
The college was not too concerned. People disappeared all the time and came back later. There were always substitutes, always classes, though Elias' was a bit hard to replace for. They were more fussed there was no note, no warning. Just a full class with no teacher and a rapid request for an audience from Chise. And it couldn't be helped. She didn't know what happened. She was not well versed enough in magic. Silky was not able to explain it.
But she was well-versed in things being taken from her. She finally had the strength to get them back.
In the face of that resolve, no one could resist her will.
Not even Cartaphillus, really. Though he certainly tried.
"You know," he'd told her in his cheerful, human voice. "There's been this strange wavelength coming from your home country. Very deadly, shall we say? Maybe he left you for something more interesting."
Chise would have been hurt by this once. Hurt but not surprised. Because the disappointment would have been worse than the pain that had been given to her. Right now,, however, it was only -
"I don't think that's true."
Filled with doubt.
"After all, he could have also gone to protect me from myself, but it's likely he would have interrogated me for information first."
Cartaphillus let out a laugh, bitter and squawking. "His feelings are quite skewed, aren't they? Just like a person's isn't he?"
"Mm." Chise exhaled. "You're probably right."
"You should go," he sang at her, fighting a yawn. "It'd be nice to get some uninterrupted sleep for once."
There was no should about it. She was definitely going. And he knew it, and he was pretending it didn't matter to him, that he would not be following her in her dreams, through her eyes, looking for the next bit of entertainment, the latest fun.
And honestly she was fine with that. Or she had been at the time, much to Ruth's dismay.
But any clue or hint towards Elias was worth pursuing. And she was stronger now.
… It still wouldn't hurt to give Stella a call when she settled in right? And Alice. Yeah. That was fine.
Cartaphillus giggled into his latest acquired pillow.
Japan was different from England.
That was a matter of course. She'd grown up here, shuffled anywhere with relatives with a pulse. This should feel familiar. But it didn't. It wasn't home. Home was Silky's well-cooked meals, Ruth shedding grumpily on spring cleaning, classrooms of magic, and Elias appearing from her shadow.
Home was Lindel and the dragons, the fairies calling her reckless, Cartaphillus laughing at her with his eyes. The college of mages.
"Into my shadow, Ruth," she reminded him as they neared the train station for another day of riding.
"I know, Chise." He wasn't happy about it of course but big hounds weren't allowed to be on train stations full of people, let alone train stations full of people. The great dog dove quietly out of sight, slinking in and taking care to not blink too much and startle some people. Normal dogs couldn't do that of course, but then, very little of Chise was normal.
She had the cursed arm of a dragon, the eye of an immortal, the sight of magic and fae, and the moniker Sleigh Beggy stalking her every breath. She knew spells, had many friends who practiced with familiars and summoned things under the hollows of the moon, and had a pelt that took upon the form her heart needed to survive. She had a staff safely stored in her knapsack as a wand and of course a familiar in Ruth, the Grimm dog.
The problem with spirits was, as a child, she could never define what they wanted or what they wanted her for.
Now she had a much better idea. Not that this brought her any comfort. But plenty of friends, people she loved, strange enemies, all sorts of things.
Things worth living for.
She stepped forward and up the stairs (remembering the stairs into tunnels of monsters that always wanted to eat her because they could) and hurried over the rumbling sound of the train rolling in.
"Am I allowed in the women's car?"
"I'm not kicking you out of it that's for sure. Just behave yourself."
"You first."
She settled in the chair and closed her eyes. Iwatodai and Gekkoukan High School awaited.
In her head, her eardrums, Cartaphillus laughed at her.
Thankfully, she was used to ignoring him by now.
Ken had not expected to open his eyes to see a lot of blue but as he stared at the windows of a train car, he couldn't deny either he was using old 3D glasses or he was practically swimming in blue light.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room," chimed the soft voice of a young girl.
Ken jerked his head to the left. A girl sat on a seat facing him. There was a book in her lap that looked decidedly heavy. She regarded him with cool, golden eyes.
"Greetings," she said in a melodious voice. "You may call me Lavenza, nemesis."
"... What the hell?" Ken managed to say this with aplomb. "What's… what am I doing in the Velvet Room?"
His memories of the Velvet Room were hazy from youth and high emotions but he remembered the color, remembered the pain and the feelings and the understanding of something much bigger.
He was sure it didn't look like this.
"My master requested one of you," the girl said simply. "Alas he is busy realigning situations for their scenarios. So be requested, with Elizabeth absent that I guide you instead. Humans are ever changing and a new path must be carved forward. By you perhaps or others, I know not. You are those who seek their own End. But death is only one pause. There are things beyond this. Search for them and perhaps you may find the answers you have missed and lost."
"... What do you mean?" He looked around the room. "And why are we on the train?"
Lavenza laughed, a tinkling but mocking sound. "Goodness, you expect me to speak for your own head. Don't flatter yourself. Now go, the Grimm awaits. The new story begins."
Ken woke up, heart racing and a tattered SEES armband on his chest.
A still too big SEES armband.
A/N: Don't me I love crossovers and this is fun. No determined length but it will be updated in two weeks and Robin will be updated in four and so on. Enjoy!