AN: Hello readers! I have returned!
20 chapters and 5 months later, this has nearly reached 50 follows and 10,000 views! With this being my first fic, it's nice to see that and it's well appreciated:)
Well that's all I really have to say for today, so I hope you enjoy this chapter.
As always, please leave a review on anything you liked, think I should work on, or just any questions in general! I enjoy reading them and I will answer them at the end of the next chapter:D
Just in case you get confused: Magic Location POV/Time Thoughts [Memories/Flashbacks]
Disclaimer: I do not own Black Clover or any of its characters...the only things I own are:
1. My characters and
2. my ideas
Chapter 20: Nowhere Left to Hide
10 years ago…
Clover Castle
Skylar was on the floor within a corner of her room, sitting within darkness without any fear of what was around her. Lonely nights like these were ones that she had grown used to ever since her mother became the Azalea Rays captain, leaving her here within this lonely castle without any way of finding any escape.
She was drenched form head to toe, feeling water constantly drip down the sides of her face with no indication as to why water was steadily rolling down from her eyes.
'Why?' she thought to herself as she huddled in on herself tighter.
'Why?...do they all hate me and call me such mean names whenever I decide to leave here? Why can't they ever find it in themselves to love me as much as Mommy and Aunt Dinah do?'
'What did I do to deserve this from my family who are practically strangers to me?...who don't want me around?'
'I sometimes wonder if they even know my name, since I'm always called something other than it entirely, for which still doesn't make sense to me either.'
Skylar dwindled in her dark thoughts for a long while as no one else was there for her to talk to. Thinking and staying inside her head always seemed like the safest thing for her to do in order to distract her from the reality of what was occurring around her.
At some point, there was a knock on the door and even as young as she was, she was familiar with the mana presence behind it. She would usually run to the woman on the other side, always loving when she visited her if she wasn't doing an assignment on her squad along with her mother.
But…
She didn't want her to see her like this…
See her 5 year old niece who shouldn't be reveling in such dark thoughts of depression, guilt, and abandonment from those around her and should instead project the happy face that she always had from seeing her that was both genuine and covered up anything she didn't want her to see.
To see that she was miserable around the people that she had to call her 'family' no matter how foreign of a term that seemed to her as she didn't want them to try and fix that for her sake instead of their own.
"Skylar?" the woman asked on the other side of her door. "I know you're in there. Can you please let me in?"
Skylar didn't move from her spot, knowing that the woman could enter if she had wanted to with this as a small effort in getting her to open it herself.
Silence fell in the room for a long while before a long sigh sounded out behind the door, hearing it creak open as a green vibrance filled the area. Skylar kept her gaze to her feet even though she felt eyes burning through the top of her head, hearing footsteps getting closer and closer until whoever it was sat down beside her with a vibrant green flame within her hand.
Silence fell between them for a few moments before the woman next to her let out another sigh as she projected flames into both of her hands to dry off Skylar's body with her magic.
"Are you going to tell me what happened this time, since I don't remember my niece having that much of an interest in taking a swim in the middle of the night." She asked as her electric blue eyes tried to search for answers. "Unlike my sister or Mereoleona who both would probably go and pummel whoever it was, I promise I'll only do it by just verbal means…to an extent at least depending on who it is."
Skylar remained quiet at that as she tried to avoid her gaze and tried her best to keep her tears from falling once more.
The woman waited for a few moments longer as she dried off Skylar's body completely, suspending the flame within her hand into the air to allow the light to grow more throughout the room as she closed her eyes.
"You know Moeru and I are going to figure this out sooner or later." She said aloud as she leaned her back on the wall behind her. "As soon as she gets back from her mission, I bet she'll-"
"I don't know who it is, Aunt Dinah." Skylar said simply within her knees, stopping Dinah from saying anything else. "They're all strangers to me. I barely know any of their names but they're supposed to be my family somehow? Every time I leave here without either you or Mommy, I'm always called names, cursed at, a-and relentlessly tormented wherever I go…They all hate me and I feel so trapped here that going to the roof doesn't even work anymore."
Even though some would find it peculiar for a five year old to be up on the roof of somewhere like Clover Castle, Dinah knew Skylar could safely get up there with her magic. She always likes going to higher places like there or even as simple as a tree top, saying that it was the best place for her to think.
Skylar sat there curling more and more into herself before feeling Dinah wrap her hand around her back, feeling herself lean into her chest as her silver eyes went completely shut. Her ears were drew into the calming heart-beat of the woman holding her as she talked over the comforting haze within her mind.
"Finally, some actual truth coming from my niece to allow me to get a gauge on what she's really feeling vs what she wants me or my sister to see." Dinah stated as her face fell slightly. "I know it's hard for you here. I was hoping with Moeru now promoted as a captain, they would actually try and respect her decision in not sealing off your magic to practically make it to where your magicless. But it seems they're even more hard-headed than she is and can't look past their own status within this kingdom and want to press their values onto others, including those who are supposed to be seen as their family…."
"You shouldn't let it get you down like this as their opinion should mean nothing to you as it doesn't reflect the person you actually are. Something I know quite well in fact from loving you the minute I saw you." Dinah stated as she stoked her hand through Skylar's violet hair, sending her closer and closer to falling asleep.
Dinah rambled on for a while before noticing how limp Skylar was in her hold, smiling at that fact as she looked down and saw her eyes closed shut and heard her snoring softly under her breath.
She gently lifted her up into arms and put her in the bed and tucked her in. She changed out of what she was currently wearing and into something more comfortable as she walked over to lay on the bed on the other side of Skylar, bringing her close to her chest as she instantly melted into it.
'Maybe Moreu is right,' she thought to herself as her expression fell on her face before she closed her eyes.
'Maybe she should leave and take Skylar into the Forsaken realm to get her away from this place….the capital included as it's really starting to take a toll on the both of them.
'She would probably have to step down as captain though, which would make me and Kaz's brother next in line as the Azalea Ray's Captain.'
'Moeru and Fuegoleon say I have what it takes….'
'While Nozel and Mereoleona continuously tell me not to doubt myself.'
'Even though I still am to some extent and don't think I could measure up to what Moeru could do, I know I'll have to be ready to do it in order to allow that reckless, hardheaded sister of mine and my usually happy and carefree niece some sort of release from the everlasting nightmare that they both can't escape from…'
Celestial Rays Hideout
Present
Skylar's POV
What did she….what did j-just ask me? Skylar thought as her eyes wavered, feeling her hand trembling on the door knob as her hold on it tightened. It felt like a pin had dropped in the room when it was encased by a suffocating silence, at least from her standpoint because it almost felt her breathing had stopped due to its weight.
Even though she kept asking herself that question within her head, she knew full well what Demetria had just asked her as she sat there unable to take in a deep breath to calm down, let alone utter a reply.
["Do you happen to have any knowledge or most importantly any relation to the woman who formerly led this squad when it was the Azalea Rays…Dinah Misuteru?"]
What even brought that into this conversation all of the sudden? She thought in genuine confusion at the fact she had been blindsided by it completely.
She hadn't expected it…
At least not at that moment as it seemed like this weird meeting of sorts had been finished with only minor fishing for her past that she had thought she had fully shutdown and derailed. She didn't know what to really do right now because she was too stunned and overwhelmed to collect her thoughts enough to actually figure it out.
Because for one of the rare times in her life, she couldn't tell whether Demetria knew of her relations and wanted her to say it aloud or she was just suspicious and had no actual clue if there were any basis to her claims.
The latter seemed to be the least bit possible though since Demetria was related to Captain Yami and would have some knowledge of her mother due to her being his vice-captain while simultaneously knowing Dinah from her being the captain of the Azalea Rays back then.
Then this would lead to the question of…
Why?
Why would she do this?
She was fairly certain neither Demetria or even Chikajo had truth-lie detection magic of any sort but even if they did, she has told the truth no matter how evasive she was when they were looking for a deeper meaning from her answers.
The only thing she could think of would be her name but…She hadn't really lied about that either since her family line was all but gone at this point for the exception of her, truly making her an orphan of Hage Village even if she wasn't one when she first came there.
Meaning in all fairness, she didn't have any right to claim a name that was basically dead at this point….something that she didn't think twice over considering her innate hatred of the name itself as she only clung to it due to her mother, aunt, and father.
Yes she was still technically a royal of this kingdom who was born from House Misuteru and Zeel, but now with the people forementioned being dead there was honestly no point in even going to pick it up to wave that flag anymore unless it was towards people that actually knew of her origins such as Noelle, Vanessa, Yami, Asta, and Yuno as those were the only people she knew that actually knew who she was.
Even if Yami had told her that his sister was pure at heart and would understand what she was going through, she just couldn't trust that from words alone as she needed to see it for herself.
On the surface, Demetria Sukehiro was nice all things considered when compared to that of the Black Bulls captain. But at the same time, she could tell that there was another motive overall of her being here…
With that Squad Pact trying it's best to hide whatever it is…
She bit down on the side of her cheek as sweat rolled down the side of her face, feeling her arm that was glued at her side clenching her hand into a fist tighter and tighter in an effort to keep her in the moment and not roam in her mind too much as that could lead to an admission that she still didn't feel ready to make.
Would Captain Demetria…Vice Captain Chikajo, or the rest of the Celestial Rays for that matter, be able to handle this bit of info relating to who I am? She thought, finding herself thinking back to one of the intense talks she had with one of the rookie mages of this squad.
["And if that's the case…." Skylar began, as a shadow fell on her face with her voice seething with an emotion that even Eyasei couldn't perceive. "Are we going to have any issues with that?"
"Don't know," Eyasei said as she shrugged her shoulders wearing a smirk that didn't quite reach her eyes as a small shadow fell on her face. "To be quite real with you, nobles don't bother me as much as I can usually ignore ones that try to overstep their boundaries upon a commoner like myself. It's those royals that I have to look out for, as I can say for a fact, I completely loathe and despise most of them completely…."]
Even though Captain Yami said I can trust her, I don't know if they would all fit that category as I haven't even told most of my own squad who I am…
But then again…she seems…different for some reason or another in comparison to most of the people I've met before within this kingdom. Kind of like Captain Yami and the Black Bulls in that sense but it could be due to them both being foreigners and not sharing this kingdom's usual standards of hierarchy when it comes to royals, nobles or anybody in general…
So with that…Should I?...
Sh-Should I say it?
I haven't said or heard her name in such a long time other than inside my own head, but the answer I naturally had came so suddenly to me as if I hadn't left the capital for 10 years….
But still…what will happen if I confirm my existence?
What will happen if I say I'm related t-to…
Aunt Dinah?
The world seemed to darken around her as her mind flashed to scene that always sent chills down her spine and was almost enough for her whole body to lose its strength of standing anymore. Her shaking gradually began to falter as she shifted her focus back to the present of what was happening as her trembling stopped.
No, I disowned that name and any claim to it in terms of my relation to her 7 years ago when my mother died…
After I blamed her for that occurrence and told her that I wished she was the one who died instead…and that…I-I hated her.
To this day I don't know what came over me to even speak that into existence. But still…
I lost any connection to her the moment…
I willfully allowed that to happen.
And have never once been able to take it back because she died before I could even apologize…
Wh-Which is just one of the numerous things that I regret and will hang over my head for the rest of my life.
Normal POV
A long drawn out silence befell the room for a long while as Demetria and Chikajo waited patiently for the answer that Skylar was going to provide for them, knowing upon the first moment that this hit her pretty hard from how much they could see her body shaking.
It was hard to tell that it was happening at first until they looked at the hand that was holding onto the door knob, hearing a clicking sound as the tremble of her hands moved it every which way.
Demetria bore a serious face as it hid the underlying anxiousness and worry of the apparent outcome of this direct attempt of getting the teen to admit to something that she knew would be personal for her as a test of sorts.
She needed to see where she was at mentally overall to confirm whether her suspicions were right or wrong relating to the deep scars from the events that transpired in her life and how she felt about her bloodline.
She also wanted to push out the doubt within herself in regard to if she is her late captain's niece as well as Moeru's daughter.
In contrast to the expression on Demetria's face, Chikajo had an abnormal amount of concern in which replaced the usual happiness that was usually sported upon it. She had an idea of what Demetria was trying to do maybe, but she couldn't help but feel this reaction was reminiscent to someone she knows personally.
After a while, they were drew further into anticipation on what Skylar was about to say when the shaking came to an abrupt end as they saw her head lower to the floor as she took in a deep breath.
"Dinah Misuteru you say? That's sort of random to ask about her to someone who has lived within the Forsaken realm practically all of her life." Skylar sighed aloud without turning towards them. "I think I remember seeing her name at some point in time inside a few books within my mother's study when she was around. But in terms of relation…"
She turned back wearing a smirk on her lips as her silver eyes wavered a different emotion that seemed to darken the features of face. "Like I said, I don't have any name to claim for myself within this kingdom, especially to someone of high royalty like she was. Logically meaning that I wouldn't have any relations to the woman you're referring to."
Skylar didn't wait for either of them to respond as she quickly turned back around to head through the door. She felt a sudden rise of mana come from behind her that she didn't even attempt to evade, feeling someone grasp onto her arm as she tried her best to keep it from trembling again.
"Well, this is a weird change of pace." Skylar sighed as she kept her gaze away from the woman behind her. "I'm used to being the fastest one in the room. I tend to forget that light tends to be faster when it comes to that of lightning or wind."
"Maybe, though considering you probably sensed me before I even got over here but decided not to try to get away, I'd say that statement is more of a theory for now." Demetria stated as her eyes narrowed with an unreadable emotion burning within her gaze. "But what isn't is by the fact of your own omission to something just a second ago. 'Logically meaning'…What about honestly speaking Skylar….Misusteru? Considering I worked with your Aunt for 5 years, that little tactic relating to dodging the truth won't work on me considering I bested the master herself on multiple occasions."
Skylar went deathly still and silent when she heard that before letting out a visceral snarl under her breath as she yanked her hand out of Demetria's grasp.
"Tch, shut up…you have no clue the amount of nonsense that just came out of your mouth." Skylar said darkly as she sent a glare that would stop anyone in their tracks. "I just told you that I grew up as an orphan within the Forsaken Realm, so why the hell are you trying to pin a name or relation onto me when I say I don't have anything here to claim for myself? What the hell is it that you want me to say to you? And what's the point in all of this other than trying to annoy and anger me immensely?"
Silence fell in the room as Demetria's solemn gaze was able to compete with Skylar's intensity, not even wavering for a second.
"I think you already know the answer to that question, kid." Chikajo said from the other side of the room as she leaned herself onto Demetria's desk. "You could probably lie to our faces about anyone else, but we can see through these half-truths of yours. You keep saying that you grew up in the Forsaken realm, but why is it that you can't say you were born there to make the matter of your origins less suspicious? Or that you can't say no outright of being related to Lady Dinah?"
Skylar remained silent at that comment before scoffing under her breath as she attempted to leave the room again.
"I don't have to explain myself to the likes of either of you. Now I have to go make sure a couple of idiots are actually going off to do the mission Captain Yami assigned us to do. And not screwing around like I think they are." Skylar said coldly.
"You know…That she would forgive you, right?" Demetria said aloud with enough conviction and underlying sadness to make the teen stop in her tracks. "Lady Dinah wouldn't want you to be hurting like this to the extent you can't even bear to say her name…. or that you were related to her or to your mother."
"Do you know how many times I've been told that before….even though I know full well that she would do that!?" Skylar asked lowly, clasping her hands into fists as her body began to shake again. "She was the type of person to lecture your head off to set you straight when you did something dumb or downright foolish…b-before forgiving you right after as if nothing happened. But why should I be forgiven? Or have any right to call her Aunt Dinah, when I was the very person who led to her sister's death but decided to blame it all on her instead? Basically told her to go to hell when she tried to comfort me…and th-that I hated her guts for not being able to come there faster or be of much help when she was the one who got injured from having to protect me from an attack I walked into?"
Demetria and Chikajo were shocked to some extent of her admittance but didn't allow it to appear on their faces as she continued on.
"Do you know how many times I've spent wishing I could take that all back these last 7 years since the last time I saw her…a-alive? I've spent every waking moment regretting the words I said to her." Skylar stated shakily as she leaned herself with hands planted on the door in front of her. "Tch, do you also know how many times I wish that she lost me instead of my mother since she wouldn't of had a little brat like myself tear her down in the worst ways possible? Hurt her only in ways that I would have only been able to do for being her niece, someone she probably loved more than anything in the same way I loved her?"
"Yeah she may have seemed cold and blunt in her wording at times, but that's only because she cared when you made a reckless mistake that could've costed you your life. Something sh-she always had to do when it came to my m-mother in which she almost always seemed to be the eldest one out of the two for whatever she would try to pull without her knowing…w-with that night being one of them when that damn mage came in to wreck and destroy my life into unfixable pieces that I've tried so…so damn hard to put back together somehow with the day I found out about her death still tearing me about as much as my mother's to this day…"
"To extent I've al-always felt that I-I sh-should've been the one taken or killed so that th-they could have finally been able to live their lives without having to worry about an insignificant person like myself that just so happened to be born with a rare mana condition sought after and feared by others because of its strength…"
Tears had been continuously dropping to the floor at this point as Skylar slumped further and further onto the door in front of her. She had tried so hard to get out of the subject of who she was to prevent all of these feelings and emotions from rising to the surface to retain at least some of her composure through this meeting before she went on her mission with Asta, Noelle, and Magna, wondering if this was what Demetria wanted her to do….
To recount her regrets and mistakes in her life that she probably thought she deserved for all the very facts she had just said aloud.
After a couple moments of wallowing in these feelings for a while, her entire body stiffened when she felt two arms around her as Demetria's silver bracelets came into her vision, biting down even harder on her cheek in response.
"Tch, I-I don't….w-want your pity. Or wanted to lie. I ju-just want to be left alone." Skylar said shakily without any of the usual strength backing her voice. "I know what I did was wrong and I'll always loathe myself for it. But I've been trying really…really hard to move past it enough to be there for my friends and n-now for my squad and leave that name and those damn houses behind. But I know you probably don't like me for wh-what I did to her, resent that I did it to the one person who didn't deserve it because the only one who does is me... And m-me alone. I don't understand why you or your brother even wanted me on-"
"No, you've got it all wrong. I'm not trying to pity you or resent you for something when you were younger and at your lowest. Even though I can't empathize completely with the loss of your mother, I can in fact do it when it comes to Lady Dinah. You probably didn't know about this but…"
"Chikajo and I were the ones who were with her on her last mission…"
Skylar's eyes widened at that before they were closed shut from remembering the words that Yami had given her before she had left.
["And whether or not you ask or she comes out and says the thing you want to know about, Demetri is probably the best person as any for whatever happens as she can and will be able to empathize with you in more ways than one."]
So th-that's… she thought as her knees buckled to fall towards the ground as Demetria kept her hold on her.
What he me-meant…
"One day when you're ready, I'll tell you of the details surrounding it. We're still trying to piece together all of it even to this day, but there's one thing I can at least tell you about her in her final moments." Demetria said with a solemn smile on her face. "She told me to tell that 'stubborn and reckless niece of mine, that I love her and know that she loves me in the same way as well. And to live for herself and not allow my and Moeru's deaths to hold her back because they wouldn't want you to suffer in such a way for their sakes."
The floodgates that had already been partially opened within Skylar's eyes opened all the way as a sob came from her throat, bringing up a hand to soften the cry as she stayed in Demetria's comforting embrace with Chikajo's hand clasping her shoulder a few moments later.
A little while later…
Hikairi's POV
Hikairi was returning from the medical bay within the hideout after she had retrieved a couple of medical supplies. Even though she had tried her best not to injure the teen all that much, she was pretty sure that a couple of Eyasei's ribs were either bruised or cracked from how hard she had punched her in her abdomen, feeling a slight aching in her own hand because of it.
She tried her best not to feel guilty since Chikajo reassured her before that Eyasei probably wouldn't care all that much about it, but she just couldn't help it due to her own personality.
The guilt inside of her wasn't shown on the outside though, humming a tune under her breath as she turned the corner into another hallway where someone suddenly crashed into her, causing them both to fall to the ground.
"Owie…./Owwww…." She grimaced aloud as the other person in front of did the same.
"Sorry, that was probably my fault. I guess I wasn't paying a-" The person paused as a stunned silence fell between them for a few moments. "Wait you're the girl from the other day, aren't you? I don't believe you gave me your name before."
Hikairi cracked one of her eyes open from hearing that, before immediately recognizing the violet-haired girl sitting in front of her as her piercing silver met with her soft gray eyes, prompting a smile to come on her face.
"Ohhhh, I remember you!" Hikairi said enthusiastically as she pointed. "You were the girl who nearly got into it with Rubi in front of the gates of the Colosseum before the Magic Knight's Exam! I charmed you with my great sense of humor and innate happiness to cool you off."
A small laugh slipped from the girl's lips from hearing that as she rose up to her feet and picked up the bandages that were spewed out on the floor. "That's a bit of an oversight on your part, but I won't deter you from believing that." She went over to Hikairi and brought out her hand as she carried the box with her other arm. "Name's Skylar by the way."
"Well, nice to meet you again Skylar." Hikairi remarked as she allowed her to bring her to her feet before she handed her the box of bandages back. "Sorry for not providing it before as I was kind of in small hurry that day, but my name is Hikairi Guregin."
Some surprise flashed in the silver eyes in front of her before resigning to the way they were before.
"That name kind of sounds familiar for some reason or another." Skylar thought aloud. "Other than the part Rubi practically shouted it in my face before since it sounds like she knew who you were. But other than that…"
"Hehe, well…." Hikairi said with a strained smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "You've more than likely heard of my mother, Kiyomeru Guregin, then."
"No, that's not it, since I already knew that to some extent." Skylar said as she closed her eyes to contemplate it for a little longer. "I'm surprised I didn't notice the resemblance before. It's been a long while since I've seen her in person but I honestly didn't think she had a daughter, especially someone quite like you."
"Ehhh, what's that supposed to even mean? It kind of hurt my heart by the way you said it." Hikairi said with a sweatdrop as her form deflated, before shock filled her system when she looked back up at Skylar. "Wait you've met my mother?"
"Yeah I have."
Skylar went quiet in thought after that as Hikairi sensed something up with that comment that the teen didn't seem like she wanted to go much further into.
Not any ordinary person could see her mother in such a way, but there were a few exceptions including Hikairi herself since she was related to her by blood and carried on the family name in a way.
The next step below that would most likely be nobility or better yet royalty, since for some reason or another that had never clicked with her, a lot of people within the Clover Kingdom saw the Guregins in such a powerful position to almost be linked in with royalty. It was enough that Kiyomeru was the on-call doctor for all three houses as well as allowed Hikairi herself to stay within the grounds of the area by the Vermillion and Silva estate when she had used to live there before she became a Magic Knight after she had moved out of the Guregin Household.
With all that in mind, no one originating lower than nobility would even get Kiyomeru's attention unless it was a kingdom wide emergency. All she really perceived or knew of Skylar's origins was more or less what was spatted at her from Rubi's end when they were about to fight the other day, remembering that she called her a "wretched commoner" but still...
Something wasn't adding up.
Before Hikairi could call attention to it though, Skylar seemed to remember where she had known about her.
"Wait, were you the one who got all the captains to raise their hands for you a few years back?" She asked as it took a moment for that to register with Hikairi's brain.
"Oh y-yeah I was." She replied as she scratched her head nervously. "Still surprises me to this day. I heard someone else received that treatment as well recently. I also heard he's one of the rare few commoners to get into the Golden Dawn."
That seemed to get something burning through Skylar's system by the way she perked up from hearing that. An amused look fell in Hikairi's eyes from seeing at least a semblance of happiness from the fairly solemn girl who had bumped into her just a few moments ago.
"You're probably talking about Yuno then." Skylar stated fondly. "I haven't had the chance to talk to that foolish boy in a while."
"Oooooohhh! Is he someone you likey like?" Hikairi teased as Skylar's face became beet red.
"Oh nononno, not the kind of 'like' you're referring to!" Skylar stuttered as Hikairi laughed at her reaction.
"Well other than what you called him, your body language says otherwise. A skill that I said before that I can read pretty well at my ripe age of 17."
"No really! It isn't like that at all. He's just a childhood friend of mine. I've known him for almost 10-11 years at this point since I'm about turn 16 in a week or two. He's almost like a brother to me. He probably thinks of me in the same way, so the feeling is most likely mutual in that regard." Skylar reassured as Hikairi remained skeptical before she decided to let it go.
"Alright, if you say so."
"Well I should get going." Skylar remarked after a while. "I have to go play catch up with a few of my squadmates for a mission somewhere in the Forsaken Realm. From what it feels like, they still haven't made it there yet, but even with my speed it may take a while depending on how far of a distance I need to actually travel."
It was at this moment Hikairi took note of the squad robe Skylar was wearing, seeing the Black Bull's insignia displayed on its front.
"Oh so you're the visitor that the Vice-Captain told me about." She said as Skylar walked past. "I had my hopes out that Elle would come along with you today, but seeing you was just as nice."
"Elle?" Skylar questioned as she stopped walking before realization came on her face. "I think I may know who you're talking about. If it's Noelle, she's currently out with the two other idiots for this mission of ours."
"Oops, sorry. I am talking about Noelle. I'm so used to using that nickname that I tend to forget I'm the only one who calls her that." Hikairi said with small giggle as she turned back and sent a wave. "Well good luck on your mission. Oh, tell Nolle I said Hi for me. And that I may or may not drop by the hideout to see her either today or tomorrow depending on how busy I am."
Skylar sent her a nod as she turned around, before Hikairi called out to her once more.
"Oh one other thing! I know you have to go and all, but I'm kinda curious on how your meeting went with the captain." Hikairi stated amusedly.
It didn't take long for a small chill to settle in the air as the area around Skylar seemed to grow colder with Hikairi's face falling from what she was detecting from how much her shoulders had deflated.
"It was okay…" Skylar said after a while in a low voice as she kept her gaze away from her. "I don't have much time to go into it, because I really have to go so I can't say much more than that….Captain Demetria will probably tell you about it today at some point."
Before Hikairi could say anything else, a bright, violet flash appeared in her view that blinded her for a couple seconds. When she looked back, Skylar was gone, though the sullen expression on her own face remained as she went off to walk towards Eyasei's room again.
I thought what I did was working before. Her mood seemed to brighten a little after I started talking to her. she thought as she paused in the middle of the hallway, looking back in the direction of Demetria's study room.
But why was it that before then and just right when she left…
That she just looked completely dejected and… depressed overall?
Normal POV
Chikajo was still staring at the door of the room before looking over at Demetria who was sitting at her desk and had her head lowered onto her hands.
"Do you think it wise to reveal that to her, Tria, especially before that mission she's going on." Chikajo asked. "I'm not usually against your decisions, but…we both know that was probably going to upset her in more ways than one. Which again, could indirectly set her off if it causes her magic to go out of control."
"Honestly," Demetria began as she let out a sigh, raising up her blue eyes to look over at her. "I'm not too sure myself, but I just couldn't let her go without saying anything. I just also…needed to know. I needed full confirmation that she is who we think she is to stop the part inside of me that was still questioning it to some degree…."
"But you're right and okay in doubting that though. It wasn't my intention to upset her like that, but it still happened nonetheless."
Silence fell between them for a while before Chikajo spoke up again.
"Are you going to tell me now why she was here in the first place? Especially this 'Squad Pact I'm just now hearing about?" She questioned as Demetria rose up to her feet. They both proceeded to leave the room.
"I will but it might be better for us to discuss it with both Tetra and Hikairi as well for right now. I would add Cassius, but he's currently at the capital. Skylar's Ki has gotten a far enough distance away that Rubi and Eyasei don't have to be supervised by them anymore." Demetria explained.
"We need to find out what happened on the missions they took together a while ago as well as the one Hikairi went by herself on. It'll hopefully make more sense as to why I did this versus with me just saying why outright. "
Chikajo nodded her head at that with curiosity still burning within her gaze as they turned down the hallway leading towards the bedrooms.
Somewhere near Saussy Village…
It was nice and peaceful for a while about a couple miles away from Saucy Village. That is until a shrill shriek of terror filled the air as Asta flailed in the wind on his way to crash to the ground.
This had probably been the second or third time that he had been pushed off of Magna's broom, 'The Crazy Cyclone'...
"Oh great, there he goes again…" Magna grumbled in annoyance before looking over his shoulder to look at the teen sitting behind him with her arms wrapped around him in a loose embrace. "Can you PLEASE stop pushing him off? If we keep having to go back for him, we're never going to finish this mission on time!"
"Hmph, well tell him to stop trying to hug me from behind." Noelle said aloud as she looked away.
"What? But you're uh-Tch, nevermind!" Magna groaned as he was about to turn them around to recover Asta before they both sensed an intense amount of mana come out of nowhere.
"AAAAHHHHHHHH!" Asta screamed as the ground grew closer and closer, imagining him going splat once he had reached its surface.
Just as he was about to, however, a quick flash of violet lightning came out of nowhere and swept him up into the air, sending both shock and confusion through his system once he realized he was climbing back up into the sky.
"Tch, I leave you three for just a little while, only to find one of you falling to your death for no reason at all." Skylar said in annoyance in front of him as his green eyes widened in surprise before a smile came on his face.
"SKYLAR!" He yelled in happiness as tears fell from his eyes, immediately hugging the girl in front of him. "THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!"
Skylar stayed silent during his thanks of appreciation as she let out a sigh, never once showing him her face as she flew her broom up to be paralleled with the one Magna and Noelle were riding on.
"Oh hey! When did you get here?" Magna asked in surprise.
"Just now actually. I've been keeping track of your mana ever since you guys left. By combining my lightning with my broom, it didn't take me all that long to catch up to you. It was actually faster than I anticipated." Skylar explained before turning her stoic gaze to look over at Noelle. "Hikairi wanted me to tell you hello by the way. She also told me that she may come to the hideout to visit you either today or tomorrow."
"Oh did she now? I guess that means she's feeling better enough to actually be able to walk by herself." Noelle stated, hiding the relief within her tone. After she paused, surprise came over her face as she continued on. "Wait a second. Even though we were way out here before you even left their hideout, you could still sense us?"
"Yeah. I've been keeping active track of your and Magna's mana since I left the Black Bull's hideout. And with you being a royal and all, your magic is high enough that if I had lost it for a few seconds, I would've probably found it again right after." Skylar answered flatly.
"Well! At least with you here now and taking off my load, we can get there a little bit faster!" Magna shouted as he reeved up his broom. "Let's go go go go go!"
Noelle let out a shriek as her body jerked back, feeling both her and Magna whizzing by even faster as Skylar did her best to keep up.
As they neared the location of their mission, Asta looked over at Skylar's back in some concern, noticing something off about the girl in general.
She would have snapped at either him or Magna right about now for how much shouting they had been doing, but it was almost like she was too ingrained in whatever she was mulling over to even care.
She seemed to be in a decent enough mood before she had left earlier with him sitting behind her now and noticing how much that had changed in the little while she hadn't been with him and the others.
"Hey, Skylar." Asta said happily, trying his best to either pass the time or raise her spirits. "Did you have a blast on whatever Captain Yami gave you? I don't think it's everyday newbies like us get asked to see a captain like that so soon."
Skylar remained silent for a while as her head dipped forward. Asta was taken aback by that slightly before he felt her trembling in his hold, seeing her hands trembling even further.
"Skylar, what's wrong!? Did something happen?" He asked urgently.
"No, I'm fine. Asta." She answered as her trembling came to a halt instantly. "I j-just have a lot on my mind. Sorry if I alarmed you to warrant such a reaction like that."
Even though she tried her best to sound convincing, Asta was still skeptical and didn't buy this at all, able to still hear the slight tremble in her voice at the end of some of her words.
"Hey, you know you can-"
"Tch, ASTA! SHUT UP!" Skylar yelled, cutting him off completely as she turned to glare at him with her eyes taken over by an angry violet. "IT'S NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUSINESS, ALRIGHT!?
Asta let whatever he was going to say slip from his mouth as the smile usually plastered on his face fell completely.
"Oh…" He said glumly as he turned away. "I'm sorry."
Skylar felt regret rush into her system due to how quiet his voice had gotten. She hadn't meant to snap on him like that…
She bit down on the side of her cheek as her eyes returned to their normal silver, gradually turning back around.
"Please just….listen to me for once." She said after a while as a small shadow fell on her face. "Again, I'm fine. I'm just a little bit stressed out for this mission. That'll go way soon though so just keep yourself focused on our first mission and not just on me."
Asta let out a small hum as his reply, wrapping his warms further around Skylar's waist as she pushed the broom that they were riding on a little bit more to catch up with Magna and Noelle from afar.
Word Count of Chapter: 7709 |Pages: 14 pages |Reviews: 14 |Follows: 46 |Favorites: 42
Review Replies
KenosDC1: Thanks! Sorry for the cliffhanger. It was both intentional and unintentional since if I hadn't stopped there, the chapter would have probably ended around where this one did:)
Due to the new squad pact formed between the Rays and Bulls, each of the characters on both will interact with each other from time to time, maybe even to the benefit of Skylar's and Demetria's relationship.
Now, on the topic and theory relating to Eyasei…my lips are completely sealed Like hearing the connection you've made with that chunk of info Chikajo dished out relating to her background. Considering her background is even a mystery to Eyasei herself, you guys will learn more about it overtime, though there is one hint given that she may have a connection to someone else for unknown reasons as of right now.
savagemaster1999: Thanks! You were so so close on who Nozel had his heart out for. Fuegoleon and Demetria were actually implying the close relationship he had with Dinah. Dinah, Fuegoleon, and Nozel are around the same age while Mereoleona, Moeru, and Kazon (Skylar's father) were the eldest in comparison to them.
With how stoic he is, it's enough to say that he cared enough for her for both Fuegoleon and Demetria to find amusement in making him blush.
You will soon find out more things related to the cult that lead to the deaths of Skylar entire families as Tetra and Hikairi were prime scouts in learning more details surrounding it some time ago. The extent of the danger they pose remains to be seem.
The history behind Eyasei also remains to be seen as it seems a theory of her having a connection with the Diamond Kingdom has arisen. As I said in the reply before this, my lips will remain sealed until further notice lol. More details will come eventually;)
Thanks for your reviews!
-PurpleClover99