Disclaimer: Mahou Sensei Negima, Dungeons & Dragons, Forgotten Realms, Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha, Kenichi the Mightiest Disciple, Mass Effect (Technology), and (possible) miscellaneous cameo characters are created and owned by their respective creators, not me. I write this for entertainment for the masses and to improve myself.

Part 5: Epilogue

Nodoka

The day after they parted ways with Brocca and Siregar, the Groundbridge portal that would take them back appeared. Orders came through and they went in.

Nodoka found herself in the courtyard of Castle Baenre, the three iconic giant stalagmites reaching up into the cavern ceiling, and the infamous spider-web wall behind. Nodoka could still see the arms of those who tried to touch it, only to find they could not break free. Those which had not been made into food for the spiders living there, at least.

So… I'm back here at House Baenre, Nodoka thought. I was hoping it was just a bad nightmare, but no…

Before the main entrance, were her Master Gromph, the Matron Quenthel, General Osyrimon of the githyanki legion placed for her protection, Kimmuriel Oblodra, and Valas Hune, members of the bodyguard unit assigned to her by Gromph. Osyrimon looked very much downtrodden compared to the others, while Oblodra and Hune merely had a look of boredom about them.

Quenthel and Gromph were focused on her, so Nodoka reckoned she had to talk to them first of all. But she had to be respectful, and cautious. Paranoia had taught her to have her artifact ready at nearly all times around the drow so she could react accordingly and not die. She could relax around the Matron and the Archmage, but it was going to be tough.

"So you have returned," Quenthel started as she approached them, "and with your eyesight restored."

Nodoka bowed before the Matron. "Yes, Matron."

"Any improvements over what it was, before?"

"Yes, Matron. A significant improvement over my previous eyesight," she told them. It was hard to keep a secret from these two. Whatever they demanded of her, they took it or coerced it out of her. It was… demeaning in a way.

"You can raise your head now," Gromph told her and she did. "Now, these past few days have had an impact on all of us. Vandree, the army of devils attacking, your eyes… we may have to acknowledge a remarkable change of pace in your training."

Nodoka just listened. Gromph was a harsh teacher, but he was efficient, as his methods did yield results. She had learned more spells than anticipated with him and they had many intellectual debates over the years they had been master and disciple. He could get frustrated, but primarily with her messing up the gestures she needed to do to cast spells. With rod and lash, she learned not to mess up again.

"In addition, I understand that you have much stronger foes than yourself to face in the future, after what general Osyrimon informed me in the aftermath of the devils' attack." She spared a glance at the githyanki general, who looked very nervous for some reason. "With that said," Gromph snapped her attention back to him, "we're going to have more intense training sessions from now on. We have four years left before evaluation. Do you think you can handle it? No complaints from this point on."

He was asking her right then and there if she was willing to undergo something harsher than before. She had put herself through hard training back home to get to a level of power where she could spar with Yue in the past in magic, but this was going to be tougher. He was going to break her down. It would be painful. It would be a struggle far beyond what she had gone through before.

She pictured it now. He was the master blacksmith in the forge, she was the ingot that he was going to turn from iron into a sharpened steel blade. It would be a hard effort for both of them. The harsh reality was that she didn't have a choice here. Well, there were options, but most of them could likely end up in death for her and she'd never see home again.

She'd never see Negi-sensei again.

Well, that was a no-brainer from the get-go.

"Master, I made that choice long ago," she told him. "And I haven't regretted it since. You may use me for your own gain, but in that, I gain power as well. This is a bargain. You get stronger, I get stronger. Even if I can't… I will handle it."

Gromph didn't smile. "Good." He gestured for the left, and Hune came forward with a chest. "We took the liberty of acquiring these." Hune opened the chest.

Books. Lots of books. In Latin, Ancient Greek, Old Armenian. These were books from her homeworld. The basics of elements, spells, and incantations for each of them and some advanced magic along with books on theories, hypotheticals, and practical appliances of magic. Some old scrolls in there as well.

It was a treasure trove of knowledge. "You have a talent for memorizing spells of Mystra's Art, so all you need to know about that is already in there," Gromph continued as she inspected the contents. "Therefore, what you should focus on is the magic you brought with you from your world.

"This is amazing," Nodoka muttered briefly in awe of how much they had acquired. "But… how did you even get all this-?"

Wait.

Stop.

They had books of the occidental magic of her homeworld's style. They had only gained this knowledge straight from her. So there was only one logical conclusion to reach. She put the books down and faced Gromph and Quenthel.

"Master, Matron, where exactly did you go to get these books?"

Both drow flinched at the question. They should have seen it coming. They should have expected her to ask that. These were only surface thoughts initially, but then the gates opened.

And then, she learned. Pulled straight from their memories, she saw everything.

Their infiltration of Mahora Academy.

"You went to my home?!" She whispered, horrified at the potential damage. They flinched at the tone for some reason.

She saw everything that they did. Every interaction, every conversation, every decision.

The battle itself was revealed to her. Even if for her sake, they had attacked her home. Her home was damaged and she didn't know how the others were faring. What if someone back home had died? Someone she knew?

YU-

RU-

SE-

NAI.

"Whose idea was Plan B?" Her tone wasn't one of curiosity, despair, happiness, or even that of frustration.

It was rage. Everyone had their limits, and Nodoka had just crossed hers for what she could tolerate. She could stand being tortured, she could tolerate being targeted for pranks, she could live with being alone in a city full of psychopaths. But the one thing she would consider unforgivable was to hurt those she considered friends and family.

Menzoberranzan had very few rules in its chaotic state, but one stood out from all the rest: If there is nothing that confirms you were there, you didn't do it. It's why when eliminating each other, everyone made sure to terminate witnesses, destroy evidence, or outright lie about the circumstances of someone's death.

Well, Nodoka's artifact sees that rule and tells it to fuck off, because it draws out confessions and solid evidence straight from their minds and souls straight to her, much thanks to her acquired items to compensate her diary's shortcomings. No one could hide what they had done from her. She didn't need to hear any witness accounts or see conclusive evidence.

Her book told her everything she needed. And she didn't even need to read it.

She turned her gaze on Kimmuriel. It may have been Gromph and Quenthel's idea to go there in the first place, but they had the plans of making it a quiet infiltration. Kimmuriel was a pragmatist, a cold-hearted person who thought little of others and saw the need to ensure things went his way, regardless.

They were all guilty for taking part anyway, but no way was she going to exact retribution on all of them. It made for a better compromise to exact it on the one person who suggested Plan B in the first place.

Besides, there was no way she was going to let this go and it would hamper her training in the future if she did.

Kimmuriel's expression turned to one of concern as he too realized she knew it was him. He tried his best to escape via his psionic powers when-

Wham!

Enough…

Enough…

Enough…

Nodoka had straight-up enough of things going wrong for her. Because of Oblodra, her home was in tatters. Because of him, her friends were hurt. Because of him, her…

No matter how small his role was in this, it was his fault. He was going to pay.

For everything.

Nodoka just stuck to punching him. She targeted soft spots on him, for the elven body was very similar to the human body and Nodoka had top marks in biology. Of course, with each punch came an unincantated Magic Arrow, which increased the amount of damage she did to him. Even with his psionic barrier shielding him from the blows, he would still feel them.

A lot of eyes were on her now. Some in awe, some in fear, others in confusion. She didn't care. What mattered was that she got revenge for what had been done. After ten years of her life being miserable, of not seeing Yue, Haruna, Asuna-san, Konoka, Ku Fei-san, Kaede-san, everyone… It was high time Nodoka did something to make herself feel better. Even if it meant beating the crap out of the leader of her bodyguard. And ten years of training meant that she had become quite good with her magic. And biology meant she knew exactly where and how to hurt this guy.

Her final blow sent Oblodra to the floor. He lay still, though still alive and awake.

"Practe Bigi Nar," she started, "undetrigina spiritus lucis." As instructed, balls of light circled around her, ready to strike on her command.

Kimmuriel stared weakly at her with an extended hand, eyes pleading for mercy. Nodoka's instincts told her she wanted to give him that, but why would she do that? He hurt everyone back home. Why should he get off just like that?

"You shouldn't have tried to hurt Negi-sensei back-"

Wait.

"Nope!"

He had fled. As soon as he had seen Negi-sensei, Oblodra had fled. He was a pragmatist. He knew when he could not win. What's more, he had orders not to hurt Sensei. So he ran. He ran and did not in any way hurt Negi-sensei.

So who did?

She darted her eyes back at Gromph and Quenthel, the two of them realizing they now faced her wrath. Wrath was a good word for what she felt right now. Her mother had taught her never to be angry with anyone for any reason, but reality had taught her that it didn't help to be passive and at ease all the time. Sometimes you had to take a stand. And right now, wrath was the only way she could process things.

But which of them did it?

She first looked at Gromph and his mind was an open book to her.

"Perhaps another time, Negi-kun."

He had met Negi-sensei but hadn't hurt him. Not in any way she would disapprove. A cantrip to make him grow tired was nothing, a punch on the shoulder. It wasn't him. He could have done it, but Master had restrained himself with Negi-sensei.

She turned her eyes on Quenthel next and her actions were revealed to the little wizard.

"HARM."

She was there when Negi got hurt for real. What's more, she saw that she had hurt her friends. To hell with who she was.

"Sagitta Magica," Nodoka spoke, finishing up the spell, and Quenthel frantically took a few steps back with an expression that revealed her sudden terror of the girl. "Series Lucis!"

Twenty-six arrows flew towards the Matron, the Archmage putting up a shield between him and her. But Nodoka held back three arrows for she had a follow-up prepared, taking out a small pebble with a clenched fist etched on. "My arm is iron, my fist is stone. I intend to break bones." Her left hand changed into a large clenched fist carved out of solid rock.

Quenthel had put up a shield against the arrows, though it was weak. About a quarter of the arrows fired slammed into it before the shield broke, exposing the priestess of Lolth to the rest. Which exploded on impact with her.

"Grrr," Quenthel growled, extending an arm at Nodoka. "You have the gall to attack the First-" She didn't even see Nodoka to her right until it was too late.

At this point, Nodoka hadn't mastered the shundo, but she could make a quick movement that was similar. Slower, but it was perfect for her needs here. She grabbed Quenthel's arm to lower it, and with her fury poured into it, punched Quenthel with her magic-arrow-enhanced Fist of Stone, aiming right for the jaw. Quenthel had barely registered what happened.

The First Matron may as well have been hit by a truck, because she went flying and spinning at the same time, to the shock and terror of nearly everyone watching the scene. It wasn't that the little human had sent someone flying. It wasn't that the little timid girl proved to be probably one of the most dangerous individuals there.

It was that she had struck the First Matron in full view of everybody.

Quenthel landed on her back on the smooth stone courtyard, twitching with the fingers and moaning in pain. And then Nodoka snapped back to herself, realizing just what she had done.

Before she could panic over the fact she had committed a serious felony, clapping was heard next to her. Gromph was clapping slowly.

"It seems very little escapes you these days, Miyazaki," he said. Nodoka was scanning his thoughts yet again, now that she focused on him. Those words made her focus again on what they had done.

"Correction, Master," She said with a tone that made him rethink what he just said. "Nothing escapes me." Now he was feeling squeamish. She knew about his interaction with Negi-sensei. She knew what he had done there. But she was going to do something else, which was probably even more humiliating for him.

She bowed before him. "Thank you for saving Negi-sensei's life."

Politically, she had just torn down the Matron and praised the Archmage for events that revolved around her. The Council of Eight would have thrown a fit for a female to praise a male. She was a surfacer, but female and a full resident of the First House, both of which dwarfed the first. He may be the Archmage, but every male in the city was below the Council. But with the First Matron just recently put out of commission, Nodoka had just made herself a devout follower of the Archmage's political faction for the duration of her stay.

Which put Gromph in the awkward position of having who was quite possibly recently revealed to be the (probably) strongest magic user in the city as a potential enforcer for arcane users, or a faithful watchdog to keep the priestesses in check, which would make him someone to observe even more because if he told her something that had nothing to do with her studies, the Council would take action. The playing field had just been leveled. And he hated every instance of it. He did, however, make a good show of not showing it.

He grunted first. "It would have been an inconvenience for you to lose your artifact. One should simply look to the goal before choosing a path, after all."

He was squirming, but he was holding it together better than most others whose cages she had rattled. He simply… had to adapt.

"Goal," she echoed, "I like that. It's a good way of putting what we need to do. The goal is to make me capable of handling the threats that come the way of me and my friends."

"Meaning we have to choose the path," he concluded. "Well, for starters, we should see about getting you your activation key. Can't be a wizard with just the beginner's key."

Nodoka had given that some thought, but so far, no words came to her that fitted. Yet. Perhaps now she could with the new goal in mind or something that harkened back to what Sensei once said…

"After that, we should mark your affinity, along with teaching you to fly a broom or staff. Then you should choose the style that fits you the most as a spellcaster," he finished.

Nodoka had always seen herself as a traditional style wizard, but there should be some wiggle-room for some other style, as well.

"Also, we should probably get you a new name to go by," he added, which caught her by surprise. "Can't have you stroll about with your private name in public."

"So I'm getting a public name alongside my private name?" She asked for clarification.

"Exactly," he confirmed. "You should only give your private name to those whom you trust completely.

"But before all of that, we have some things you need to take care of, first."

"Oh?"

He motioned for her to follow him, and they went inside the castle whilst Quenthel's daughter, nieces and other female attendants of House Baenre lifted her up and carried her inside. This was a slight they wouldn't forget soon. Still, they knew better than to take revenge the usual way.

"I took the liberty of doing another thing after we were done at Mahora," Gromph told her. "I hired a new instructor, someone who can help you become stronger at a pace I think we can accommodate. And since you agreed to the new training, you two are going to spend a lot of time together. We shall also have to get you new items that will help you get back on your feet faster.

"For now, I would like you to meet the instructor."

The instructor sat shamelessly on the throne in the great hall of House Baenre, a seat reserved for the Matron, legs spread wide open and reading a book that had a naughty-looking succubus on the front cover. The two of them locked eyes and Nodoka could instantly tell who it was.

"Hey Honya, how's it going?"


"I had no idea humans could actually run that fast," Gromph admitted.

"Only when they're absolutely terrified," said a very amused Eva, performing some interesting magic on the girl frozen in mid-sprint, about twenty miles away from Menzoberranzan.

"Nnnnnnnnnngh," Honya groaned, her expression frozen but her eyes darting all over the place.

"Relax, would you?" Eva told the bookworm. "I'm almost done here."

"Nnnngh?"

"Sorry, spoilers. Not telling you. Better you find out the hard way."

"Nnnnnngh."

"No clue, no hint, no cheating," Eva said. "But trust me, this will be most beneficial to you. And most amusing to me."

"Nnnng, nnnn."

"I love you, too."

To be fair, Gromph had expected Nodoka to run as fast as she could when she saw Evangeline outside of Mahora. What he had not expected was for her to not only be so fast but to run straight to a heavily faerzress covered zone. The radiation would hamper any teleportation and divination magic in use. Had she planned an escape route this whole time?

Didn't stop Eva from smelling her out and then stopping the two big minotaurs that Gromph had charmed into helping them capture her.

"There, I'm done," said Eva. "Alright boys, be gentle or I'll suck you dry." The two minotaurs picked up the frozen girl and carried her off back to Menzoberranzan. By the time the spell holding her in place ran out, it would be too late for her to run again.

"There is one thing that baffles me," said Gromph to the vampire as they were alone.

"Why?" Eva guessed, correctly at that. She huffed. "I have gone to so many timelines since I got hold of this," she held up a small watch that was very similar to what Chao Lingshen had used back at the Mahora Festival. "I saw the boy and his group go through the same routine, day in and day out, go through the same stuff generically. And it was so… boring. But when I came to see him this time and I saw you, I got curious. And now that I know the whole story, I figured… it'll make for a nice change of pace.

"Besides, I'm curious to see how far Honya-chan will go on her own." The vampire did some stretching. "I think I will enjoy this timeline for just a bit longer than usual."

Yue

Aboard the GPS II, Yue was in her little workshop mixing up potions.

Yue didn't have many drinks to go with on this planet and short of heading out and buying new ones, she had to ration her limited supply.

Not helping was the fact she couldn't speak the language and someone of her description using magic would make her stick out like a bonfire that just exploded.

But the empty plastic and cardboard containers were useful as short-term vials for alchemy. Just rinse out the contents within and you have a waterproof container that can hold whatever liquid you had.

The actual glass vials were gonna be used for her finished products. They were mainly going to help her maintain energy in battle and or serve as grenades in an emergency.

Of course, one or two were gonna be spell potions; drinks that gave her access to delayed spells put within that could be cast immediately. Since the tournament finals in Ostia, delayed spells had been the rage among spellcasters to try and master in honor of Nagi Springfield, the master of delayed spell usage. Yue was going to put her own little twist in the matter. The hard part was going to make it work. In theory it should be working, but she hadn't really tried it out yet on this scale.

Clang! Bang! Bonk!

Hmm? That noise again?

"Ow."

Yue sighed and left her quarters to check out the noise from the cargo room. Ever since the communication from Chizuru and Akira that the Witch's 'fiancé' was challenged by the king of Kalamar to come and settle the dispute, poor Andreas-san had been down there, working on something. He had been quiet about what he was working on, mostly grumbling to himself as to why he was the one who had to go settle the matter.

If they needed a champion, then Yue could have just gone herself. With the right illusion magic, she could pass for a boy. Besides, they didn't know what the fiancé looked like.

"Nearly had it that time," she heard Andreas-san mutter as she entered the cargo hold. He was wearing some kind of black bodysuit with glowing lines spread throughout with little studs on the shoulders, the back, and the arms.

It was only now she saw what he was doing. She saw various orbs held in place atop poles, all glowing white and sparkling with lightning. His studs were glowing white in tandem and pulsated with magic.

"What are you doing?" Yue asked, startling him slightly.

"Yue-san?"

"Yes, it's me. What are you doing?" She repeated, and he threw his hands in the air.

"Short of making a butt out of myself, I am trying…" he fumbled with the words. "I'm trying to…" Then he just sighed. "I am trying to replicate what Nagi did back at the Ostian tournament." He pointed to the wall where there was a replay in slow motion of Negi-sensei, as Nagi-san, using his Lightning God form to pound Rakan into the dirt.

Yue didn't say anything at first, but she was observant. From what she could tell, the poles were acting as mana gathering posts from the immediate area. The suit studs were there to remotely access the mana stores within. And the suit itself was meant to generate the lightning armament passively so that the wearer wouldn't have to worry about their own mana reserves while maintaining the power-up.

The idea of remote access to mana stores wasn't that far-fetched, but it was mostly impractical on the grounds that you could only use it within a certain distance, mana was in short supply in the air, and they were vulnerable to attacks. Most mages didn't bother with them, so it was overlooked.

"I didn't know you could make remote access on such a scale."

"Well you can," Andreas defended. "It just takes a lot of items, effort, and patience on your part. I got lucky in that I worked out the body reinforcement enchantments for clothing and armor before all this happened."

"Have you worked out the range for this?"

"Yes, yes. I made the calculations, they're all synched together in a synapse link so I only need the one within the estimated target range, but they need to stay in range of each other for it to work properly. That was the hard part. Now I just need to make sure it lasts longer than two seconds of movement."

Yue grimaced. "You're not a lightning mage, are you?" He shook his head. "That would explain it. You're trying to power it up with magic you don't have the intricate knowledge for. You may have the knowledge, but you don't have the capacity."

Andreas grumbled. "...that's gonna set me back a few."

Yue sighed quietly again. "Just talk me through it." If Andreas-san was the one who was going to do this, then at least he should have some help with it. No sense in doing it alone.

A while later, Haruna came to the cargo haul. By that point, Yue and Andreas had overhauled the reception system. "Ah, there you are, Yue."

"Hey, Paru," Andreas hailed, fiddling with some runes on the right shoulder.

"Haruna," Yue said curtly. Haruna checked in on her every day. They were friends, but Yue could barely stand her these days. Same questions, same responses, same new thing to try and get her mind off... Yue was starting to think that the definition of insanity just didn't apply to her.

At least Collet gave her space when she needed it.

"So how are you, Yue?"

"Same old."

"You holding up?"

"Yes."

"Same here. What are you doing?"

"Helping Andreas-san here work out a body armament enchantment for his big show over in Kalamar."

"Oh, cool. Nice suit," Haruna praised their engineer.

"Thanks," Andreas replied, looking somewhat confused by the beige-ness of their conversation.

"I wrote a short story if you wanna read, Yue."

"If it's like the last one with me, Negi-sensei, and Madoka-san, with the illustrations for your 'highlights' of the story, and the interactive prop-up, I'm not interested."

"No no, this one's much tamer."

"...define, 'tamer'."

"Okay, you wanna go there?"

"Haruna," Yue snapped. "Is there a point to this? You come see me every day, whether I'm doing my mental exercises, my workshop potions, or my sword training. It was nice the first few times, but now-" She stopped herself, seeing the look of concern on Haruna's face. It wasn't one she normally had.

"Oooh, so now you're wondering as to why I do it," Haruna said, adopting a look of annoyance all of a sudden. "I come to check on you every day because we're friends. Don't friends do that, anymore?"

"Wha-"

"And then there's you isolating yourself. You may have stuff to do, but that's you being on your own. Emily-chan tried to invite you over for an aerial patrol, you brushed her off with going over your notes. The catgirls offer to help you wash your hair, you reschedule your shower. You only answer to Fate when he wants to see you, and even then you're cold and to the point. He puts up with that because he knows you don't like him.

"But the rest of us? You're being like you were when we first met."

"So you check in because you want me to be with the others?" Yue asked and the third person in the room did not want to be listening in on this anymore.

"Yeah, and here's why: You're not the only one missing her."

Ah.

Yue's responses dwindled. Her logic stopped functioning for a brief moment. Yue had been trying so hard not to-

She turned to Andreas and he just nodded for her to head for the door. Without barely any hesitation, she bolted from the cargo hold, nearly running over Haruna.

No, no no no no no NONONO, NO NO NO NOOOOO.

Yue had kept herself busy because the last time she was thinking of how Nodoka was doing, she couldn't stop herself. Where was she, really? What was she doing? Did something happen to her? Was she safe? Was she in danger? Was she in one piece? Was she doing alright? Was she not? Was she with new friends? Was she captive somewhere? Was she even thinking of coming home? Was-

...no, she wasn't. Nodoka was too strong for that to be a thing.

Yue reached her room and slammed the door shut. The whole ship probably heard it. Yue didn't want to think of the horrid things that might have happened to her.

But she couldn't stop. And for every potential scenario, the prospect of finding her best friend was dwindling in her head.

Yue had come on this expedition because she wanted to be among the first people Nodoka saw from home again. They would be spending every minute discussing how things had been for them both and swap stories. Fairly certain Nodoka would flip on hearing about Negi-sensei and Theo-hime. And Yue would have near heart attacks about the things Nodoka had seen in her… travels.

But with everything that's been going on… Yue hated the fact she couldn't see her friend right now.

The door opened and Haruna came in. She didn't have a grin, she didn't have a smile, and she didn't have any tools to make a joke with. She had a look of concern instead.

"So how are you, Yue?" Haruna asked again, this time with a soft smile.

Yue felt her eyes water and flood over. They were friends. Friends checked in on each other.

And friends were there for each other when they needed a shoulder to cry on.

Ela

Thanks to the time dilation powers of this orb resort, Elacia Wysiwyg had been spending days in the castle, mostly reading as many books as she could as soon as she had gotten down Latin. Once that part was done - which was much thanks to study sessions on language patterns with her college roommate back at Greenwood's - she had been reading up a storm on the fundamentals of this world's magic. Very much different from what they learned back in Faerun.

She could use this for a lot of her own research. Developing new spells would be a breeze and publishing a thesis would certainly land her a position of her choice anywhere. Hell, she could probably even apply down south in Zakhara to become a Sha´ir. This was paradise.

The castle staff were all automatons and golems anyway and they had no issue tending to her needs, either. And they looked so pretty, too! That vampire must have made them and took her time because they looked so human. That's immortals for you: They can afford to spend that time on their hobbies because they can live for thousands of years.

Ela merely had to look forward to a measly two-hundred and forty years herself.

Of course, she had to figure out a way back home. Because of course the drow wouldn't let her come with them. Plus they'd be eager to get hold of what she knew. Now she just had to get friendly with the locals so they wouldn't freak in case they found out her real identity. Of course, she could reveal herself to them and that might do the trick. Honesty does go a long way, her father always said. That's how he met her mother. Now as to how they got together was a different story that they still wouldn't tell her.

Still, there were some things in here that she didn't know about, and that she couldn't find out on her own. Like… Why was there a coffin in a secluded part of the library?

She found the coffin on the second day, and it freaked her out. She couldn't open it, she couldn't deduce its materials. It was magical, that was for sure. Some kind of hardwood of a tree completely unknown to her with a density way thicker than any wood she had seen. The one thing she could make out was that it was occupied, meaning there was a dead body inside. Who it was, she could only guess. So she could only make the assumption that the coffin was keeping the body continuously fresh before it could be resurrected.

That was another point - how did they heal and bring people back alive on this world? Were people just dead forever when they died? Could they be brought back? Were there entities that could revive the dead as the living and not the undead? Were there necromancers here? Could they bring people back to life-life?

So many hypotheses, so little time. Well, maybe. She still hadn't finished her training with her master, she just went adventuring to help pay certain bills and expenditures. This expedition might just have screwed her over on time, but the proceeds from her research might just return that.

...assuming she ever did-

Something felt wrong all of a sudden. Like a shiver right up her spine that was colder than ice, if that was even possible. It was… wrong. It wasn't a corruption, it wasn't a twisted version of a feeling, it just… felt wrong. And Ela could tell where it was emanating.

From the coffin's area.

She shouldn't be heading there. It was dangerous and she wasn't a full fledged wizard yet. She didn't know what was there, she didn't know if her prepared spells were going to be enough for this. And she figured as much when she turned the corner.

A ghastly pale, dried and shriveled entity in a ragged robe with an eye pattern stood by the coffin. It had a black… best description would be a tiara, but with spires at the front. It carried a sword of unknown make by its side. The creature was human-esque, yet it was not. It was undead for certain, Ela could tell that much. But it wasn't dumb or slow in its uptake of its surroundings when they laid eyes on each other.

It also reeked of magic. Ela could only deduce that it being undead, soaked in magic power and intelligence meant it was one thing, since its skin wasn't hydrated enough to appear fresh in its appearance.

A Lich. Oh, shit.

The lich tilted its head when seeing her, and then smirked. Maybe it sensed her own power.

But the smirking, that wouldn't do. What's more, it was here to steal. Ela was here to learn and she was now a guest of the castle. If something was stolen, then at least she could justify having tried to defend it from this thing. Even if she was outclassed.

Nodoka may have had the highest grades from their graduation, but she had skipped Evocation classes and Ela was the finest Universal mage of the year. And more, Nodoka had admitted she was jealous of how good Ela was with the ray spells.

But Ela had something else in mind for this. A lich was immune to cold, electricity and mind-affecting spells. And they have spells in mind to protect themselves from fire.

So how about some noise?

She could only do it once, but that was all she needed. With a shrill cry, she sent her prepared Sound Lance at the lich. It wouldn't damage the books, but it would hurt this thing!

Or, that was the idea until the lance hit something in between them that was invisible. The Sound Lance is normally penetrative of barriers, but this was something else. This was above your usual barrier. Liches were powerful spellcasters in their state of undeath, but this was something else. Or it was something she hadn't read about back in school.

The lich flicked its finger and two skeleton men with swords and shields emerged in a bright light, as if summoned. You can summon the undead?!

The lich turned back to the coffin, leaving Ela alone with the skeletons. She backed away, while the bones approached. Outclassed, she could try some kind of flare and alert anyone outside. She wasn't expecting a fight today, her lance merely a precaution for an emergency. Then a bright flash from the lich as it spoke its words for yet another spell.

And just like that, it was gone. It and the coffin. Leaving her alone with the skeletons.

Thinking back, it might have been a good idea to have weapons sparring like Nodoka did, Ela admitted. Two on one, no melee weapon save a knife which was useless against skeletons, and no spells prepared for combat. She had one option: Run.

Of course, she wasn't expecting fire support from the side, obliterating the skeletons, thereby removing the problem she had in her situation.

A pair of mages she hadn't seen before, one sporting a knife and some kind of ranged weapon in hand, the other a bearded fellow with black colored eyeglasses, both in stylish men's clothes that were to the point in their design.

On one hand, she was grateful they shot the skeletons. On the other hand, she remembered her illusion was undone so it wasn't the best moment.

And that was when the weapon user pointed his weapon at her.

"Miss Sarah Lucaenus, we have some questions we would like you to answer."

Akira & Chizuru

"He said he wanted to meet with us?"

"Yes he did," said Rev'keth, "and no, he didn't specify why. That makes me nervous."

"You're not the one meeting him in private," Akira responded. "This is the king we're talking about."

"No, it's the High King. High King of Samasal," Rev'keth corrected her. "Ifrith is more than simply a king, he's the King of Kings around these lands. So a degree of decorum might be in order."

"Between the three of us, Rev'keth-san," Chizuru replied, "I believe you would be the uncouth one. But we can look past that, can't we, Akira-san?"

Akira looked at her friend. "...yeah. I reckon we can."

It has been a full day since their dinner with the King of Samasal and the High King. After that disastrous discussion, the two monarchs had been on edge with each other. If anything, the king's dementia was some of the worst Akira had ever heard of. To say one's thoughts out loud was a bit much, especially when it came to how he wanted to have Chizuru in his bed.

Fairly certain Kotaro-kun would have killed him for it.

But now Ifrith, the High King, had summoned her and Chizuru for a private gathering. Perhaps to get to know them better. But these weren't the friendly kind of aliens. And if his temper at the dinner was anything to go by, Ifrith was very much not the kind of High King that allowed slights to go past without repercussion.

But the worst was his favored Knight, the one who didn't say anything. Never took off their helmet or armor, and only communicated with their telepathy. Even then, Akira couldn't work out if they were a man or woman underneath. They were… an anomaly as to their place in society.

Maybe Ifrith owed them a favor, or they were close friends once. But Akira would never really properly understand politics. That was… way out of her comfort zone.

The High King stood by a small pond in the castle garden, with his knight by his side. The knight spotted them first, but Ifrith made no indication to acknowledge their presence. He simply stood there, watching something in the water. "Ladies," he said.

Good thing they had practiced earlier, as they curtsied before him. Rev'keth bowed deeply.

"I would like to apologize for last night," Ifrith started. "That was…" he seemed to have trouble finding the right word.

"...uncalled for?" Chizuru suggested.

"Uncalled for," he repeated quietly. "Yes, that is one way to describe it. But who made it so?"

"It's a matter of perspective, your Majesty," Akira replied. He seemed to accept that answer with a smack of his lips.

"Shall we go somewhere… more tranquil?" He asked and then their world was white in a flash.

In that same flash, they were now standing in a gazebo, overlooking a large terraced mountain that sported paddy fields, in a lush environment. The gazebo was perfectly placed for oversight of the place, birds flying about without interference, cattle wading through the fields while not bothering the crop stalks, and there were no people about.

Chizuru also noticed that Rev'keth and Ifrith's knight hadn't come along.

"You can teleport, your Majesty?"

"Yes," he answered simply. "I can teleport. It's my specialty. In my old age, that is quite convenient. Even when you have the finest healthcare available, you can't escape the creaking of bones and the deterioration of muscle." He struggled now to get to a seat in the gazebo, and Chizuru gave him a helping hand. "Thank you, my dear." He gently sat down on a lavish, comfortable seat and gazed out over the valley below.

"I love that rice paddy," he said with a smile. "Atop that mountain is a small decanter that once got opened and left up there in a small clogged up crater and it produces endless water to this day. That water spilled over and filled this whole valley with life. Grass took root, the trees that longed for nourishment were given drink and they spread their seeds everywhere, inviting the wildlife to come here. From there, the people came and found the rice and the taro plants and found them edible. And ever since, the people of Kalamar have been cultivating rice and taro and providing nourishment for millions. All of that… because of some ancient mistake.

"I found this place last century and had that mountain investigated… Then they asked if I wanted the decanter removed. I still don't know why I said no, but… I can't bring myself to do that. That water isn't hurting anyone. That decanter has done more good for the people of the whole Clan on its own, than one person in the right place at the wrong time for all the right reasons can accomplish."

The girls sat down on a bench next to the High King's apparent favorite seat and listened. It was… odd to see this High King go on about the tranquility of this place caused by a little accident. But at the same time, he was being honest with them about how happy he was with the land. He was being honest with them. Then he just sighed.

"I hate humans," he said.

Well, that was rather blunt of him to say.

"Not for the reasons you think," he defended. "Humans are very versatile. You can be great miners, artists, dancers, soldiers, scholars… you fill out many a role that others are good or better at, yet you humans can do almost anything and everything. I like that.

"No, the reason I hate humans is this: Men have always said of my own people that we all look alike. There's no distinct difference between us, there's no different hair color, there's no change in skin pigment. That is not true, we have our own subtle differences. But when I see humans, I see the reverse: Every human, in existence, is unique. Except for twins, but that's weird.

"There's always something about humans that makes them different and I see it all. The hair colors are similar, but there are key subtle differences. Someone's skin pigment isn't the same as the other one's. Someone's beautiful, someone's ugly, someone's healthy, sick, red-haired, blonde, black of hair, nearsighted, farsighted, blind, deaf, mute... Everyone just makes themselves appear different from the rest: You all. Look. Different from one another. That's what I hate. I can tell who is who among humans all the time."

The girls really didn't know what to say to that.

"So you can imagine my surprise when I was introduced to the Witch of Man," he stated, causing Chizuru's eyes to widen in shock and fear, "despite having already met her."

And now Akira was on the verge of bricking.

"Her, and her sister," Ifrith went on. "Petite, shy, small-chested - you two were lucky everyone was going on the rumor that the Witch is a truly beautiful girl and her sister is a warrior-maiden unheard of in this realm. She too was flat-chested: smaller, even. And now you two are the public figures, caught in a marriage dispute between the Prince of Kalamar and… whoever you're planning to present as your betrothed. So well done, you two. This certainly won't backfire."

Oh, shit.

"So why not simply expose us like the frauds we are when you had the chance, your Majesty?" Chizuru asked.

"That would have been a waste," he answered. "Not to mention short-sighted. I haven't ruled the Clan this long without playing the game well. I expose you now, all that will happen is two young women be made slaves or executed for impersonating the wrong person.

"But to spare you, not only earns me a favor from the one who sent you out here but also gives people doubt as to who the real Witch is."

So that was his power-play. If Nodoka were to emerge again and go public, Kalamar could declare her an impostor on account they have the Witch as their guest and people would have trouble figuring out who the real one would be. In addition, by keeping Chizuru as the new potential one, Ifrith could play two friends against each other, not to mention Nodoka's side so that Fate Averruncus, Ifrith's new piece on the board, could do what he was sent here to do, and they could go home with Nodoka, leaving Ifrith still in charge of the Clan while barely lifting a finger.

Akira did want Nodoka to come back home with them, so why did this feel wrong?

Was this really the way to go forward for them? Was letting Ifrith do his schemes the right way? But at the same time, how could they do it differently? This was politics, not a simple rescue operation.

"So what do you want from us?"

"For now? Just keep doing what you're doing now," he told them, rising up from his seat. "And send word to your boss that I would like a meeting for further… cooperation."

The flash of light again, and they were back in the castle garden.

"Good talk," he finished and walked off with his knight escorting him. Rev'keth looked as if he hadn't had the most pleasant time himself.

Akira looked him straight in the eye and said "He knows."

Rev'keth deflated. "Well… shit."

Nodoka

"First, you need to take care of the one who nearly killed you."

Having accepted the fact that now Eva-chan was here in Menzoberranzan as an instructor to help her get stronger - which was a prospect she was going to hate for sure, especially if Eva was going to be serious about it - Nodoka was heading down to the dungeons, to meet someone responsible for the whole mess. The guards had received word ahead of time, according to her master so they were both leading the way and opening the doors for her. If they felt any resentment of taking orders from a human, they didn't show it. Besides, she was going to be made an official member of House Baenre as well. So they sucked it up and moved on.

Alongside her was the Matron's godawful first daughter, Myrineyl, or Myrie as Nodoka would call her at times. And Myrie… Myrie was what one would call in high school "First Degree Alpha Bitch", with a sadistic streak longer than the circumference of Castle Baenre and entitlement to rule over the family since infancy. On top of that, she was equally talented with arcane magic as she was with divine magic. Good looks all around, too.

The only good thing about her was that she didn't have that atypical noblewoman's "Oh-hohohohohoh" laughter, or Nodoka would have willingly ignored her severe distaste for killing just to throttle Myrie in her sleep. She even had it planned out to avoid suspicion.

And Myrie's slave attendant, a young surface elf woman this time, was trailing behind, carrying what Nodoka presumed to be torture tools in a satchel. The last one was a male, before the city attack. Myrie always did break her toys too often.

The dungeons were a neat marvel, if one was looking for horror inspiration. If the guards didn't kill you out of boredom, you were surely going to be sacrificed by the many priestesses whenever there was a ritual that called for it. And if that wasn't enough, the spiders would probably eat your corpse if you starved to death or thirst. If you were lucky.

The Webmaze… maybe that could be the name of a horror novel she could write. If she ever got around to it.

Finally, they reached the intended cell door. The guards were dismissed as they went in.

"Ahh, I was wondering," said the nude person inside.

Syphile Vandree was tied with spider silk rope to the floor, arms behind her and legs locked in seiza position, and her waist tied to each of the four corners of the holding cell. Breasts were on full display and Nodoka noted they weren't big, though they had a nice shape to them. And she didn't want to check down below. Not with this woman.

The Matron had left her in charge of deciding what to do with Vandree. Nodoka had what they called "Right of Retribution", which was the rule of what happened if there was evidence to say you had committed something: if there was evidence, then the offended party had the right to exact vengeance. House Baenre had often exercised the right to do so on behalf of others who did not have the strength to take vengeance, particularly when their mother, the infamous Yvonnel Baenre, was in power.

But Nodoka had just proved herself to have the strength, so… the decision was up to her.

"I suppose begging for mercy would be out of the question," Syphile inquired.

"One could reach that conclusion," Nodoka replied, noticing that Myrie smiled when she said that.

"If that is the case, then what are you waiting for?"

"I did bring a few ideas on how to do this," Myrie said and gestured for her attendant to come forward with the satchel.

Nodoka didn't say anything, seeing the torture tools. As expected, none of them seemed to provide much comfort. Though in her case, to neither torturer or tortured. And they didn't suit what she had in mind.

Syphile eyed her with a touch of malice in her eyes. "You must think yourself special, little one. A human, guest of the First House, apprentice to the great Archmage of Menzoberranzan. And you have filth like the githyanki protecting you now. And whoever is your patron down in Hell."

Whore.

"You humans are little more than chattel for us, even then, best suited as meals for the orcs and goblins. A little scrawny thing like you, not even fit to birth others, or serve in the kitchens. What good would you be, barely fit for an ogre's toothpick."

Kill me, you silent cunt.

"Look at you now, Ms. High and Mighty, standing over your better because you got lucky."

Lucky?

"In a real fight, you'd be dead. You can't swing a blade, you can't wield a whip. You do not even have the favor of a god. Instead, you cling to the pathetic males' magic, cramping up alongside boys with your books and thinking you can be an equal to us."

Go on, get angry. Kill me, you little bitch. Show me you are not some crybaby who needs others to protect you. Least that way I win.

"Are you going to just stand there and talk to you, like that?" Myrie asked from the side. "I can show you how to extract her soul. It would make a nice offering, or meal if you wish."

Nodoka stood there before Syphile, not saying a word. She could feel the hatred Syphile felt for her. In a way, it was stronger than what Myrie felt for her. But she had wanted Nodoka's head for a drinking cup. Myrie just wanted her dead because she couldn't tolerate the bookworm. Nodoka didn't wish either of them dead, but law is law, and Myrie was being warned against taking further action.

"Do you feel pride, just standing there, gloating silently over how you intend to do it? Some… sort of smug self-satisfaction over how the tables have turned?"

Myrie presented a nine-tailed whip with barbs to Nodoka. "Go on, then."

"Yes, do go on," Syphile enticed. "You're free to do anything at this point."

Nodoka looked at the whip, and at Myrie, and at Syphile. The attendant kept her eyes down so as to not offend anyone in the room. The Right of Retribution gave Nodoka the right to take Syphile's life as recompense for this. She had the full right to do so without moral ambiguity or qualms.

"Do you mind leaving the room, Myrie?" She asked the priestess, taking the whip in hand.

Myrie looked at her for a brief moment, then smiled. "No. I want to watch this unfold."

Nodoka rolled her eyes. "Have it your way." Oh, Myrie was in for a surprise. Nodoka took the time to get around Syphile to her back, the latter watching her until she no longer could, then revealed her back to her, like expecting a flogging. Nodoka simply got right up to being behind her and then put the whip handle under Syphile's chin so the two would have eye contact for what Nodoka was about to say.

"I'm not going to do anything."

"What."

"Wait, no, I tell a lie. I am going to let you out and let you walk back home." Nodoka spared a glimpse at Myrie, who now looked as if she was getting her favorite snack taken away.

"What."

"Of course, you're not getting your stuff back, so… you're gonna have to give the people on the streets out there a show."

Both drow looked at her as if she had climbed up to the top of the chapel, looked the dancing figure of Lolth in the eye and then punched her right on the nose. Breaking it in the process.

"You're… just… going to… let her go?" Myrie asked slowly as if the concept of mercy was completely alien to her. At least this kind of mercy, that is. "Every Matron who means something in this city knows she tried to kill you. And your chosen method of punishment is to let her live?"

Nodoka stared back as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"Yes."

Myrie must have swallowed some spit because she just started coughing and choking something fierce. Syphile looked genuinely perplexed.

Let me go? Just like that? I'll just come back. All I need is to get back to House Vandree and collect my weapons and men and- wait, she said every Matron knows…

"Come on, Myrie, let's go get that spit out," said Nodoka, moving to help her rival move out of the cell. Myrie's attendant, looking as if she were to cry herself, followed suit with the satchel and the tools. Nodoka simply plopped the whip back in and let the attendant out first. Then she spared a glimpse back at Syphile, who was coming to terms with the fact that everyone in the city knew who it was who nearly got them all killed.

She just winked at her before leaving. "Good luck."

Assorted Others

In the lands of Samasal…

Hina sighed. Having followed the Paragon hobgoblins to their stronghold, the pink haired girl could not help but wonder if there was some great force of bad mischief having fun with her life. Well, her life, Nodoka's life, Boris' life, and Ayumi and Aika's lives. Whoever they were, why would they do this to them? What did they do?

The Paragons were courteous, at least. Providing salt, food and clean water, they proved to be amicable hosts, for being so militant. It gave Hina an insight to the Hobgoblin life, at least. They were militant extremists, much like the Spartans of old. Everyone knew their place, from the craftsmen to the sentries, from the cooks to the scouts and from the slave-guards to the raiders.

And yes, the Paragons had slaves, even with their name. Most claimed as prisoners of war from their neighbors, and a handful sold for a hefty sum in either money or livestock. Their neighbors were primarily human so there were mainly human slaves there. Any Rakshasa slaves were there from forming contracts with the tribe.

Of course, no githyanki were present as slaves or servants. Apparently, the gith respond to any of their own kind enslaved with martial outrage. Instead, they were held prisoner until a time when a ransom could be paid for their release.

Beyond that, the hobs were a meritocratic society, priding themselves on martial prowess and personal glory.

Hina had been as diplomatic as she could be with them, using Bax as a translator for when she couldn't speak, and Boris was rubbish as a speaker himself. Their chieftain, easily the strongest of the tribe, had not been the one to cast Bax out, but a mere captain back then, and he was open to hearing Hina out.

Not so open about accepting them as full guests, on the other hand. Getting the alchemist back into the fold was one thing, but accepting four humans and a baby was different. Among hobs, one gets a place, when they earn it.

So it was decided that they would fight a member of the tribe in order to join. Win, they would be accepted. Lose, they'd be made servants for the captains. And it was one-on-one. The chieftain thought those terms generous.

Hina did not. Aika and Ayumi stood no chance against whoever they picked. Boris and Hina could make it, but not them. At least the baby was exempt. A captain who wanted a fifth hob champion for them to fight for the baby's sake was shut down hard by the chief for that.

Still, Hina was going to take three consecutive matches for them. And the chieftain just had to pick the best fighter from each of the four companies he had that weren't captains. "See if you really are this warrior-maiden worthy of protecting the Witch," he said.

Well, Hina hasn't been Kendo captain for nothing. She hasn't gone through hell and back for nothing, she hasn't had her heart crushed, been captured by aliens, enslaved, tortured, and beaten for nothing. She certainly hadn't come back from death's door for nothing, if Boris was to be believed. High time she did something on this planet that didn't result in failure.

"Bring it on!" She yelled, drawing her sword.


In Faerun, outside the halls of Mithral Hall…

"And yer sure yer don't need us coming with, elf?" Bruenor Battehammer asked.

"No," said Drizzt, loading his horse with supplies while Mordin did the same for his pony. "Mordin asked that only I accompany him. He wishes for this to be a speedy journey to find the one to use that blade."

Cattie-brie gave her husband the bow she had been using for a long time. "Just be careful out there, Drizzt. I'd rather not live the rest of my days without you again."

They embraced and he snuck in a kiss on the cheek for her. Then he mounted up as Mordin was ready to take off. "Fear not. I assume there shan't be any trouble for us out there."

With that, the drow and the dwarf rode off from Mithral Hall to find someone for Mordin's blade. But Drizzt could definitely hear his oldest friend call out to him.

"If ye managed to be out'a trouble this time, elf, then I'm a bearded gnome!"


In a hospital room meant for three...

"Hey."

"Hey."

"Hey."

"Hit my head."

"Hurt my back."

"Got stabbed."

"That sucks."

"Fashtar?"

"Fashtar."

"Who?"

"Eyepatch guy."

"Oh… not for me. Melissa."

"Who?"

"Mean lady with a whip."

"Oh."

"Anyone else bored?"

"Yeah."

"I Spy?"

Sigh.

"I spy with my bored little eye, something beginning with…"


Down in the sewers…

Well, in all her years, being decapitated and having her head stuck underwater in the sewers was certainly a new experience.

Eva used her rationale here. Apparently, she had been cut by one of those silver swords that these… githyanki liked to use. And judging by this, it seemed that while they didn't kill her, they hampered her ability to regenerate. If only she had some blood…

But that guy, Fashtar. He was someone who must have centuries of fighting immortals like her. Of course, he might be one himself.

If so, then how would Boya fit into this? There must have been a reason he came to Mahora in the first place. It could be related to the Ala Alba group and if that was the case, then perhaps there was something they could do to actually hurt him.

Theatricality had long been a weapon for immortals, to try and make a point. Eva had done it herself a few times, but merely to prove to others that she really was unbeatable. But the way this guy had done it, kidnapping one of their members, appearing confident in front of the rest while gloating, pulling off sneak attacks…

Fashtar was afraid of Boya and his girls. That brought a smile to Eva's lips.

And OH GOD, the sewage water tasted awful! What the fuck do people eat and drink to make it this yucky?! Did someone try one of Yue's preferred brands or something!?

A pair of hands shot into the water and grasped her head. Oh good, someone found me, she thought as she was pulled out of the sewage shit.

She spat out what was in her mouth as soon as she was clear of the stuff. "Thank you, thank you. I have been down there for a few hours. Would you be so kind as to deliver me to-" Then she spotted a familiar face of her rescuer. One she hadn't seen in a long time.

"Oh. Hey, Karin. How you've been?"

"Who did this to you, Evangeline-sama?"

"Eh, don't bother, he's long gone."

"Where would you like to go?"

"Well later, back to my house. For now, the girls dormitory in this school. Find Yukihiro Ayaka. Can't miss her, she's blonde. Eh, no no, no murdering. She's not responsible for this. She can help me get back to my own body."

"...you have bad breath," Karin told her.

"Hello, we're in a sewer!"

Asuna

Having had a long conversation with the old lich Rufus, and using her leverage of having ended the threat of Drinde, emphasizing that she had to kill a close friend for it, Asuna was now rushing off to Mt. Ilsensine, where she, Saber and Shakuras had first emerged in this wretched timeline. Good thing she had taken note of the surroundings beforehand and made a mental map. The magic items meant to help her weren't unwelcome, either.

"Asuna!" She heard Saber call from the back. Asuna didn't stop. What mattered was getting back home. Getting Honya-chan back to Negi. Getting her away from the dangers of timeline 1's monsters. And if possible, bash in Fashtar's stupid face because he brought her here in the first place.

"Asuna!"

Asuna was sick of this place. She wanted to see the others again, she wanted to give Konoka a big hug, tell Yue-chan about Drinde, rally the others into finding Drinde, and end their existence before finding Honya-chan.

Happy Ending, you're in sight.

"Asuna, wait!" This time, Saber teleported in front of her, making Asuna finally stop. The Servant was panting. Odd, since Asuna was barely feeling winded. "Listen, you ran off before Rufus finished."

"Look, I got a way back and I'm gonna take it, what's more to it?"

"Well, for one thing, there's no guarantee that you'll make it back home the first time around." That got Asuna's attention. "The stuff he gave you will make sure you'll know you're back home, but you won't be able to control the direction you're going. That pool is wild dimensional magic, it could take you anywhere. You'll be jumping from dimension to dimension."

"So how did we get here in the first place?"

"Rufus was both beacon, and lifeline. He called us to this timeline specifically so we could find out about Drinde and what to do, but he cannot make a direct door back."

"So I got a compass, but no map?"

"Exactly," said Shakuras as he caught up, having heard the conversation from the back. "We have no control over where we'll end up. It could be years before we get to where we want to be."

Years… years of not seeing the others again… not seeing…

"Well, what choice do we have?" Asuna pointed out. "It's not like we have some way of contacting our actual destination and have them be a beacon for us to home in on. And every second I delay is another second closer Drinde back in timeline 1 has to get to Honya-chan."

"Timeline-"

"Not the point, right now! The point is, I'm taking a risk, and I know it now. I'm going. I'm done staying here any longer than I have to." Asuna sighed. This wasn't a conversation she wasn't enjoying. "Besides, I'm used to being in limbo. Now I just have to work it."

Both aliens looked at her with what seemed like sympathy. Asuna knew of Saber's situation, but what of Shakuras?

Saber sighed in the end. "Well, Asuna, could you-?" She gestured to herself and Asuna knew what she was asking for. Just like back home on Earth.

"Sure," Asuna called out her fan and struck Saber across the chin. The Servant dissolved like flower petals until her Servant card was left of her… evaporation. Asuna picked up the card and put it in a safe place where it wouldn't get loose so that the Servant would be lost to the interdimensional travel.

Ashracai-san would never forgive Asuna if that happened.

Then she turned to Shakuras. "Well, this might just be the last time we talk, Shakuras-san."

"Teldranis," the Protoss corrected her. "After all this time, you have earned the right to know my real name."

"Teldranis…" Asuna echoed. "Hey, that wasn't any harder than Shakuras. Were you leading me on?"

"No, Asuna. You simply wanted a name that was easy for you to remember. I just never corrected you. Besides, a warrior like me, far from home, wouldn't have his name remembered by anyone, anyway."

That earned Teldranis a slap. A light slap, but he recoiled.

"I would," Asuna replied. "I don't forget my friends. Granted, I've had my memories blocked before, but those obstacles are gone. The point is, you are a Protoss warrior who was like a dancer on the field, dropping enemies like bags of rice without getting hurt. You took the big risks alongside us, even bigger ones than those your fellow Templars take for you had no medical assistance available and you came through without a scratch. Every little bit helps in the great endeavor known as teamwork and I myself almost got killed a few times if not for you. You are Teldranis, and you are my friend."

It was almost a shame that Protoss had no mouths, for she was certain he was dropping his jaw, the way his eyes bulged at her. "Then… as friends, how do Terrans say farewell, as a gesture?" He asked at last.

Asuna merely reached out her hand for a handshake. He mimicked as best he could until she took his hand in hers and they grasped in a handshake. One shake and that was it. "Um… how do you say it…? En Taro… Tassadar?" She was certain she had mangled that expression.

Teldranis was probably smiling if he could, but she could see it as he patted her on the shoulder. "En Taro Tassadar, Friend Asuna."

From then on, there were no words. The two of them raced up the slopes of Mt. Ilsensine and found the cave entrance, fully devoid of life. Deep inside was the pool they first emerged here from.

Asuna and Teldranis shook hands one last time and then rushed at full speed to the pool, and just as they jumped above (probably to make it a dramatic exit of this place), Asuna shouted one last thing, just for irony's sake.

"See you on the other side!"

Nodoka

"Second, you have to address those who caused all the trouble for all of us."

Nodoka had just gotten her new name - From this point on she was not Nodoka Miyazaki but Madivh Baenre Samasal - and a ritual to not just hide her real name but to convince the whole world of it was going to be done later that evening, with an identical ritual back on Tu'narath. It was going to be such a simple one, nobody was going to be that bothered by it.

But right now, she was going to follow the instructions her master had left her and for the purpose of this, the chapel of Lolth of House Baenre was reserved for her usage. Only Sos'umpto, the caretaker of the chapel, and coincidentally the same person she had knocked out when infiltrating the chapel a while back, was present for what was going to happen. Both to keep an eye on her and to witness the coming event.

Back at Greenwood's, when she had accepted Asmodeus' deal, a cell phone had been given to her for convenience - both to have phone calls and to make it handier to carry out certain prerogatives - and she hadn't used it ever since she got it.

But now was the time.

The phone was on constantly with some kind of eternal battery installed. Convenient, really. But she didn't have the time to check out the power battery, no, she was going to check the text messages.

Asmodeus had sent texts to her containing the numbers she had to dial to get the things she wanted out of it for the devil army she'd been granted. For the purpose of this meeting, she was going to make a summon. But not any of the troops. She was going to summon the generals, the officers of her devil's staff, which was a name she just dubbed them for obvious reasons. That was the first text message from the Boss and she dialed that.

The cell phone transformed in her hand into a black, malevolent-looking rod with a crimson glowing ruby on top. Sos'umpto was certainly surprised by that, judging by the noise from behind Nodoka. But Nodoka had to focus now. She knew how to summon something and they would answer this. They were obligated to. "Come forth."

Nine Pit Fiends, each for the Nine Layers of Hell, emerged from the floor in a flame that reeked of brimstone and sulfur, each having subtle features that one could use to tell them apart. Otherwise, one couldn't tell the difference between them, save for one of them who did not have any wings at all. She thought back to what her master had said while they were busy chatting with each other. It was like they hadn't seen each other in a while, thinking they could ignore her.

"Pit Fiends are among the most dangerous of devils you would encounter in your life, but you have a contract with Asmodeus Himself so if you say something to them, they will listen. You need to establish a clear line to them so that they will respect what you have to say."

With that, she clapped her hands to get their attention back to her.

"Gentlemen," she addressed them. They snapped their heads to her.

"You should start with the incident that led to the invasion of our city. Start with what the main focus was, as you are 'the investment' as it was put."

"I apologize for taking so long, but I would like to address the incident that led to you attacking Menzoberranzan on my behalf." That led the Pit Fiends to fully listen to her, rather than go ahead with what they originally talked about. "Overall, the main objective was to protect the investment of the Boss down below, and as that investment is me being alive, it's safe to say the mission was a success. Well done. I will put a word in for a bonus for all of you."

The Pit Fiends took the opportunity to congratulate themselves and pat each other on the back. They were certainly celebrating their little success in overthrowing the chain of command and getting away with it. Speaking of which…

"That. Being. Said," she said, punctuating each word which the devils reacted with surprise.

"You have to be strict with them once they think they're on safe ground with you. They are schemers and plotters and they will take the opportunity to try and manipulate you into letting them keep going with what they prefer. They're part of an army of which you are the leader. Remind them of that."

"This does not excuse the fact that what you did in order to secure my safety was a deliberate act of mutiny," she told them with the same tone she had when upset. They didn't flinch, but a few eyebrows went up.

"You are a Good person, they are very much on the Evil side. Do not try to sympathize with any of them. You are not their friend, nor their vassal. You are their master."

"You are all generals in my army," she continued, "and while I am new to warfare and the military life, I am fairly certain that mutiny and insubordination are crimes within the army that are not forgiven or pardoned, no matter how well justified.

"And in this, you are all guilty for having conducted in this manner. So no one down below would bat an eye or try to help you out if I were to say you all face disciplinary action. And as generals, well… I do believe the Boss would want to have a word."

Now the Pit Fiends were sweating. Nodoka wanted to smile at this little anguish, but she suppressed it. She was not like them. Someone taking joy in torturing those who work for them is a horrible person, even if they fully deserved it. And these guys fully deserved disciplinary action for what they did. She wanted to subject them to it.

"What's that saying? When someone is drowning, throw them a lifeline?"

"Of course," she said with a pause, making them flinch yet again. "I am not fully convinced that all of you were on board right away with the suggestion of committing mutiny." She chose the word 'suggestion' deliberately on purpose.

"Baatezu are politicians and none more so than Pit Fiends. And politicians are not above selling each other out if they see a way out for them. The key lies in how the way out is built."

Nodoka let them sweat it for a bit before continuing. They were contemplating the lifeline and how they would use it. "See, I like to think that someone, among you, was the first to suggest assuming command while I was still conscious and fully sentient, and the rest of you went along with it because it made sense at the time. Am I wrong?" No one answered at first. "AM I WRONG?"

Now they gave murmurs of agreement that no, she wasn't wrong.

"Good. I want to trust you that you can count amidst yourselves who it was and do the right thing. I want to, but I'm not sure I can." That made them nervous. She practically just announced they were all going to face disciplinary action, anyway, just so she'd feel safe with the army again and they'd be thrown out and replaced with other Pit Fiends. The assignment with being in her army was essentially a cushy job with easy pay and little work.

Two already grabbed the wingless one and threw them down in front of her. Nodoka and Wingless locked glares. She had this blank look on her face specifically made for the occasion because looking nervous when face to face with something terrifying would make them think that you are not leader material. But Nodoka had her mind-reading book on hand.

She wasn't so dumb as to assume that she was going to go through this meeting without her artifact on hand. She also knew their real names, she just kept quiet about that bit in case they wanted to get snippy. And by snippy, they could try to kill her outright in an attempt to say 'Whoops, that wasn't supposed to happen' to the Boss. Well, that wasn't gonna fly.

Wingless, or Thuayaak, eyed her carefully as if any motion he made was going to set her off. Then she made the first move towards him and leaned in close for a whisper. "Thuayaak, you don't need to talk back," she said softly, scaring the shit out of him with his spoken name. He was at her mercy when she said it because Outsiders are obliged to listen when their names are spoken. "Did you really. Suggest taking command away from me... without consulting me or the Boss?"

Military doctrine did stipulate that a lower-ranked officer may only assume command in absence of a superior officer, if the superior officer was incapacitated, or if the superior officer had granted the junior permission to take command. Technically, Nodoka had been the superior officer that time but she had only been incapacitated in that she had been kept behind a barrier and not consulted about actions at all.

Thuayaak was an open book to her as well: "I wasn't on board with the suggestion, but everyone went along with it. The others had made the decisions without me and left me out because I had no wings…"

He went on and on like that, but she got the message. He wasn't the one.

"Gentlemen," she addressed them all again and put a hand on Thuayaak's forehead, to signify he was safe. "Did you really think you could hide the real mutineer from Hem-Fikirîn?"

No sounds, but she could practically hear them soiling themselves.

"Hem-Fikirîn?"

"Yes, that is what certain entities out there know you as. It is a title more than a name, but to say it would be like anathema to their ears. They know what it means and if you appear to know it too, then you have them by the throats."

True to her master's word, the Pit Fiends now sported expressions of terror. She personally had no idea what Hem-Fikirîn meant but it was putting on a show for her. Nodoka had to admit that for a split second, seeing looks of terror on red horned winged devils standing at eight-hundred pounds and twelve feet tall before a little girl about five foot four, was quite amusing. Still, she had something more important to do.

"Let's try this again, shall we?"

This time, the Pit Fiends didn't even hesitate to throw another at her feet, this one named Kore.

"Kore," she said and his mind was open to her, too. He was the one.

"Wait, no!" He prostrated before her. "I was under specific orders!" Oh, so now he was blaming the system? "The Investment Emergency is meant to allow us full authority in protecting the asset," he argued before her and it was true. But she had taken the time to properly study this particular clause up to this point.

"For the duration of time in which the asset is in immediate danger," she countered and Kore flinched. "For that, you did have full authority, but then you simply did not give up that authority when those immediately threatening my life were removed from the equation. Had you simply subdued them and then consulted me, then we wouldn't be here now, would we?"

"You were under severe distress and disoriented from the shock," he tried to argue.

"Did any of you bother to check on me?" She asked. None of them had.

"... one should not be too careful around drow…" Kore strangled out of himself.

"Hmmm," Nodoka hummed. And then she took a deep breath. "Irrelevant." She had him by the throat. Or the balls. Either or. "Kore the Bloodspiller, you're charged with mutiny and insubordination and have failed to justify your actions. I leave it to the Princes to decide your punishment." Then she addressed the others. "Make sure he gets it."

The other Pit Fiends burned away, holding Kore still as they went back to Hell. Thuayaak stayed behind. Nodoka noted she still had her hand on him. He stood up when she let go.

"May I, madam?" He asked. She nodded. "I must say you handled that rather well. I can see that the others will be sure to follow your directive in the future." Thuayaak was being a yes-man right now. He wanted to play his cards right so she would seek his counsel more often in the future. Humbling yourself for the greater prize in the future was a common enough tactic.

"Before we had this meeting," Nodoka asked him, "would you, Thuayaak?" He had no answer to give to that. "...Dismissed."

Thuayaak burned away while Nodoka turned to Sos'umpto. "No use talking to me, girl," the caretaker said before Nodoka could ask. "I have never heard that name before and I do not know its original tongue. You have better luck in your library."

Nodoka huffed and left the chapel in a rush. Time to get the ritual underway.

Theodora

"Yes, of course," she said to the other person on the line. "No, no, no, that is completely unfounded." This was the fourth person today who made assumptions about them. "Because it is outright illegal to do that. Won't stop everyone, I admit, but-" She had to stop because they went on a rant. "Look, you wanna make accusations about us, that's one thing, but I'd rather you didn't do so on account of you having one bad experience that traumatized you in the past if that's what happened." She regretted saying that as the guy in the phone started yammering to the point she practically slammed the receiver back on its base.

Following the aftermath, people who had recorded events on their phones, cameras, and whatnot had immediately gone to upload those on the Internet. Too many eye-witness accounts and police reports made the whole thing impossible to cover up, even with governmental help.

It was official. Magic had become revealed to the world, many thanks to alien invaders. The Marbella incursion was thought of as a one-time fluke, with alien robots led by a mad mercenary beaten back by the Spanish Armed Forces, and freak reports by frantic witnesses of magic in action were dismissed as mere exaggerations of the heroic efforts of both police and military personnel.

But this was different. One time it was a fluke, twice in a row with aliens made it official. The First Contact War had made magic a public secret, which in turn meant that it was going to be public knowledge soon after. Mages living among the common folk.

So naturally, people wanted to know just why the hell mages were living in secret and why they hadn't come forward on their own without goddamn aliens coming down on Earth. In addition, they suspected each other as mages. Who was what, and why didn't they tell the others?

The official statement offered by certain governments was that mages were in hiding due to unprovoked witch hunts and inquisitions, making people look at the Vatican with suspicion of having hostile intentions towards mages. The Vatican had released no comments regarding their intentions so far.

Harry Potter readers all over the world had different ideas about what mages thought of regular people or Muggles. Some had gone extreme, stating that the magic users were simply arrogant privileged jerks (though they used different words), who wanted muggles subservient to them and that the First Contact War gave them a strong potentially heroic cause to justify their dominion. That was extreme. Others suggested simply that magic simply was meant for the privileged people who didn't seem to bother with muggles.

Before long, governments around the world might just disclose that magic was as natural a part of the world as drinking water was. And then the censors would come. Public registrations, prosecutions, restrictions, laws passed against mages, as if they were second-class citizens or something else.

Theo thought of it all as rubbish. All these politics and it had barely been 24 hours since the Battle of Mahora was over. She had been on the phone for the past eight and needed a break. She had to check in on the others.

Ala Alba was in disarray. She couldn't blame them. Negi was missing. So were Aisaka-chan, Kugimiya-kun and Kakizaki-san. Makie-chan had run off to check on her little brother, to see if he was safe. Negi-kun mattered to her, but family is family.

Ayaka was overloaded. With Negi and Asuna gone, it fell to her as the new default leader to manage the girls and she was on the verge of collapse. When she had heard, Ayaka's heart nearly stopped until she was reminded of her new position. Natsumi was busy tending to a Kotaro-kun with a bruised pride and broken body. Asakura was in grief because her best friend was missing. Sakurako-chan was nearly catatonic, much due to her own two best friends missing. Chisame and Yuuna were in hospital, Mei Sakura with them, and Goodman was distraught over her partner's hospitalization herself. Ku Fei and Kaede-san were handling themselves over, but Ku Fei wasn't cheerful like her regular self. She had been there when Negi went missing and she wasn't happy that her sensei had disappeared before her eyes. Ako was in tears and exhausted from her own work. The best thing for her was a good night's sleep.

Sat-chan was okay. She had turned Chao Bao Zi into a soup kitchen, with volunteers helping to deliver food to people in need. The rest of Ala Alba was helping her as well, with certain of them working as cooks when she was taking a break.

With most of Ala Alba settled in, Theo had retreated to the headmaster's office, where he was busy taking calls from the heads of mage associations around the globe. As the one in charge of the Kanto region, he bore the responsibility, as far as certain individuals were concerned.

Theo thought that it was the aliens who were to blame for magic being revealed. They were the ones who attacked, they were the ones who first used magic openly. The Mahora mages just responded in kind to protect people.

Chamo slept with tears in his eyes on her bosom. After all these events and the disappearance of Negi, the little stoat needed some consolation. She indulged his little perverted antics this one time.

As for the headmaster, he assured Theo he had it under control. The phone calls were expected as well as their reactions. The Senate was for another day, yet he had an ace up his sleeve, though he wouldn't say what exactly.

He directed her to the other two in the room: Little Alicia-chan and her classmate, Nanoha-chan. Nanoha had gotten involved in this somehow, clutching a wand like it was a teddy bear, and leaning on Alicia-chan.

Right. Time to play the big sister. "Hey," Theo said softly, approaching the two girls.

"Theo-sama…" Alicia said quietly like she was in awe or she wanted to cry. Nanoha didn't say anything.

"I, uh… sorry I couldn't come sooner," she offered. "Had work to do. Damage control."

"It's okay," Nanoha replied, with a tone that suggested she still couldn't believe what had happened.

Theo felt a twinge of guilt. Magic was probably going to be revealed sooner or later, but this was not the way she preferred. "Nanoha-chan, right?" Nanoha nodded. "I know it was… hectic, and you are owed answers. But Negi is missing right now and I know he promised you an explanation, it's just… we don't know where-"

"It's okay," Nanoha interrupted. "I know the broad strokes. Magic is real. Negi-sensei is a magic user. Which does explain why he came to be a teacher here so young. I saw the vids of the Mahora tournament during the last festival, and I thought… he looked so cool and composed. I was just one of hundreds of girls who got a crush on him, then. I figured he was gonna have a girlfriend by the time I got to be his student, but I just- I wanted him to know."

"You and hundreds of girls, I'd wager," Theo replied with a smile. The headmaster was listening in, she couldn't hear him on the phone anymore. "I'm not gonna speak for him, but… you would have gotten a reply. He's honest like that. And he would owe you that much for being so brave."

Theo could see tears in Nanoha's eyes, but the little girl was smiling. Her dam had not yet cracked. "Alicia-chan? How are you holding up?"

Alicia seemed to have held it together, but when she was asked that, her dam cracked and the tears began. "I just… All I wanted… I just wanted a…" Alicia got hugged by Nanoha as she cried softly. Theo hugged the two girls as well.

"All she wanted to do was have a picnic with Negi-kun," the headmaster said from the back, finishing her sentence.

Her first date and it was the worst one ever.

"Well, at least things can't get worse than they are now," Theo said softly.

And that was when fate proved herself a two-timing whore when the door burst open. An angry woman in her mid-thirties, with purple hair and green eyes, wearing a suit fit for the financial career. She had a guest tag with her name written on it that simply said it all: Miyazaki.

"Where's my daughter?"

And that was when Theo's dam cracked.

Konoemon sighed. "Best take a seat, Meiko-chan. This is a long story…"

Misa

From what she could tell, this society was European Medieval in technology. They had heard tell of magic and so on, but those were rare and selective, meaning they were mostly focused on training soldiers, not mages.

In short, your bog-standard fantasy world.

Misa was at least grateful they didn't arrest them for witchcraft or trespassing. They even gave them rides on their horses and brought them back to their fort for medical treatment.

Misa had the lightest injuries, some scrapes, and bruises, so she was fine. She was busying herself with mending Sayo-chan's little doll. It had come loose from Fashtar's grip during the fight, and it was a bit dirty and torn. Misa had some sewing skills from the cheerleader club, so she mended that little doll as best she could. Sayo watched her, she was sure. Misa had trouble seeing the ghost girl at times, mostly due to her lack of magic study. Sure, Negi-kun could see her constantly, and that Quenthel woman's very presence made her visible to the others, but now she was gone and they were still waiting on Negi-kun's medical report, so she couldn't see Sayo-chan now.

With all the excitement and adrenaline out of her system, Misa couldn't help but think that this scenario was exactly what Honya had gone through. Trapped in another world, no way to contact or get back home, cut off from all her friends and family…

There was supposed to be something romantic and exciting about being in another world. Instead, there was nearly crushing despair and uncertainty. Misa hated this feeling.

A doctor came up to her, or at least she thought they were a doctor, and she rose up to hear about Negi-kun and Madoka.

"They'll make a full recovery," the doctor said. "But, the boy should keep his arm in a sling for two weeks and not run for two months."

"And Madoka?"

"She got pierced in the shin, so she shouldn't walk on it for a few days. It's a miracle none of her arteries was cut. What was it that pierced it?"

"A high heel," Misa told them.

"Huh?"

"A High. Heel. She… got kicked there."

"Oh." The doctor looked a bit shocked to hear that. "Well, they are awake right now, so you can go see them if you wish. I hope you can support them in their time of need."

"Well," Misa started, "haven't stopped before, why stop now?" With that, she went to see Negi-kun and Madoka.

Negi's face was covered in bruises and bandages wrapped around his undressed torso, which Misa would have appreciated very much if it weren't for the cracked ribs underneath. His right arm was in a sling and put in a cast. Fortunately, his legs were okay, but the doctor said he shouldn't be running. Madoka had a bandage around her nose with linen stuffing up the nostrils for the bleeding. Her own leg was bandaged and she had trouble standing on it. And a damp linen cloth over the bite marks Quenthel's snake whip had given her.

Both looked like the worst sight Misa could have envisioned. She took tender steps and hugged Madoka very gently. Sayo-chan emerged thanks to Negi's magic aura, or something, and went in for a hug. Negi returned it, as best he could.

"Hey," Misa said after a while. "The doctors said you'll recover in time."

"Great," Madoka said softly. "What's the bad news?"

"You are not to walk on that leg for a while. Give it a few days," Misa replied. "Negi-kun got it worse. That arm is no good for a couple of weeks and you shouldn't be running. At all."

"For how long?" Negi asked.

"Couple of months. But I'm gonna add one more for good measure."

Negi didn't say a word, he just flared his nostrils and slumped down in bed. "I should have spent a bit more time learning healing magic."

"Oh boy, here we go again," Madoka moaned.

"Negi-sensei, you shouldn't say that," Sayo added. "You did what you could."

"And it wasn't enough," Negi replied. He was brooding. Brooding is for young men in their early twenties when they think about things that went wrong for them. On Negi, it looked a bit more like he was pouting and grimacing. Misa didn't find it cute at all.

"Sensei-"

"I did everything I could, without the Dark Magic, and it wasn't enough. Everything I could do, and it wasn't enough. I had a chance to get to Nodoka-san and it wasn't enough," he went on. This new despairing part of Negi-kun wasn't cute at all, Misa decided.

"Negi-kun, no one blames you for any of it-"

"No, you don't understand," Negi snapped though he recovered his tone with them fast enough. "I… promised. I made a promise that I wouldn't let anyone get to her. I would keep her safe. She… Nodoka-san trusted me. She trusted me. And everything I did to try and hold to that promise, wasn't enough. If only-"

"Will you shut up, already?" Madoka snapped and got up from bed. "It's not your fault, Negi-kun, it never was."

Misa, Negi, and Sayo stared at her.

"Sure, you get nightmares about what happens to Honya, but you're not alone. You've never been alone. We all wanted to keep her safe. We all wanted those jerks away from her. Stop trying to shoulder the world and all of us on top. No one expects a boy to do everything! You can't presume that you could have done this, or that should have been expected instead. They got it from me, okay? I-" She stopped and slumped back down on her bed, turning away from the other three in the room.

"It's not your fault," she finished.

Misa changed her mind. This was the worst she could envision. Now she had two despairing friends and a ghost who seemed on the verge of crying. Misa never was good with tears, herself.

What's more, she was new to the magic business. New and new being subjective here, given how long Honya and Asuna had been involved. She couldn't cast some spell to heal the mind so they could get over this depression. She didn't know how to kick someone's ass to make the day better for it. All she knew what to do was…

… cheer people up.

Well, it was gonna be said anyway. Moping wasn't gonna solve it. Might as well.

Misa got in between, grabbed both their ears, and twisted. "Ow ow, ow. Ow," both of them chimed as she held them until otherwise. When she let go, they looked at her.

"That's for thinking you're both to blame for this," she told them. "Right? Stop thinking you're to blame, either of you. It's not your fault, Negi-kun. It's not your fault, Madoka. If there is someone who's at fault for this, it's that fucking asshole Fashtar."

"Whoa!"

"Had to be said, Negi-kun," she countered. "He's the one who made the choice to fuck with all our lives. He's the one who chose to kidnap Honya-chan, poison you and then come back to our home and fuck with us. Again."

All three of them stared like she just gave birth to a goat. No idea where she got that notion from.

"I get it. It sucks. It sucks for all of us. But getting mopey about it, and not talking about it is what sucks even more. Madoka, they just grabbed you and pulled it out of your head. You're just a victim here. You had literally no control over what they got and they just fucked with your head. Forget what Quenthel said. She just twisted things out of proportion just to make you angry. It made me angry too. We may not be as close to Honya as Yue-chan or Haruna are, but that doesn't mean we're not friends. You have nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to be upset about.

"And you, Negi-kun. You may have made a promise, but sometimes they don't pan out. The key thing here is that you're trying. You wanna find her and get her home. I like that, even admire it. But you push too hard, too far. So what if you're the son of the Thousand Master, so what if you're one of the new heroes of the Magic World? You're still a young boy who needs help from his friends and partners. Are we not partners? Why should we stand on the sidelines when a classmate is in danger while a ten-year-old boy risks everything for her? That's not cute at all, Sensei."

"Well, uh, I just… I don't want you getting hurt," Negi defended.

"That's my choice and it's our choice, too. We get hurt, that's our call to make. We take a risk, that's our choice. We wanna help you get Honya-chan back. That's our choice, too. And you don't have the authority to tell us what to do with our choices. We're in this together, Negi-kun. All of us. You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us and all that.

"And you and Honya are part of all of us," Misa added. "So to hell with the gentleman stuff and accept our help, for once. You're in no condition to fight right now so we're gonna do it for you. And before you go on about how we need to go save Honya, first of all, we should focus on getting back home ourselves. Okay? We're your students too, and now we're lost in another world we know nothing about apart from it having humans.

"So how about that, Negi-kun? Gonna get us home, too?"

Negi looked at her with a degree of newfound respect, of course. And then he got that smile that had made so many girls swoon and shriek with joy. "You're right, Misa-san. I promise."

Promise, that was a bit of a powerful word to use. Misa folded her arms in response.

"That I will try as I can to get us back home," He added. "But I can't do it alone. Could you girls try and help me?"

Misa smiled. "Yeah. I'm in."

"Me too," Sayo-chan added with a smile that suggested she wanted to give Misa a hug for that speech.

"Yeah," Madoka added with her own smile. "I'm in, too. Not good with magic, but I can manage where I can."

This was a good start. Four of them in an unknown world, no known way to get back home, and no way of finding out how to get started. Misa couldn't wait. Though she figured that those outside the door were waiting to get inside.

"You can come in, now."

The door swung open and an armored woman with a large shield came in. A handsome man came in after. Misa remembered them both. They had led the sally party that brought them to the fort. Then the woman began hand gestures and the man translated her sign language.

"I am General Amaya. This is Commander Gren. Welcome to Katolis."

Nodoka

"Finally, there is one last thing you should experience before we begin our training in earnest."

Nodoka was alone. She had to be alone for this.

Of all the things she had to wrap up, why did it have to be this?

She had objected vocally and her master had shot her down with logic colder than ice. He was most insistent that she did this and he would not budge under any circumstances.

She could tell that the Matron, eager for vengeance, had gathered up House Baenre's other priestesses not far away, armed with whip and rod, the lot of them in case she was holding out. Quenthel would not let that humiliation slip by if Nodoka didn't do as she was told.

Not even Evangeline would guard her against that.

So here she was, going to do the one thing she was certainly not going to enjoy at all.

First and foremost, she lacked a decent reason to use it. There was no cause to use it save in a life or death struggle. Even then, most life or death struggles wouldn't take that long or be that strenuous. She might die or win too fast for her to use it.

Even then, the price would be quite steep. What was it, an equal exchange? Nodoka wondered. If she merely used it once and it lasted for an hour at full strength, for how long would she pay the price? She didn't want to think that. It wasn't a fun thought.

But she had agreed to it.

It was her choice.

Her decision.

Her contract with Asmodeus.

Now she just had to figure out how to activate it.

The ring flashed. That same old ruby ring with the pentagram that Asmodeus had slipped on her finger all those years ago. That ring had been inactive for nearly seven years now. And now it turns on itself?

Nodoka wanted to take it off and throw it in a lava flow, but knowing Asmodeus, it would be lying on her bedside table the next morning. She hated having to have made that deal with him. If it weren't for the fact her friends wouldn't stand a chance against the mountain of threats they were up against, she would have told him to fuck off.

Someone might have paid good money to see that.

But there was no undoing what was already done. She resigned herself to that. No use putting the milk back up the cow's udder once it's been milked.

So how was it done? Did she have to say a phrase or was it at will? Some gestures involved? No, Asmodeus would have thought of these things, himself.

Nodoka clenched her fist and simply willed it to be unleashed.

And it came to her.

The surge was unbelievable. In an instant, she knew how it worked. Whispers from the souls linked in the Soul Splice came to her, adding suggestions of what she should do to Menzoberranzan, how she should use that power, who she should use it on, and so on. She ignored them. She had full control over them and all they could do was whisper wicked little thoughts in her head which she could fully ignore if she wished.

But the power? Oh, that power was immense. She felt that power in full. There were no words to describe it. One wizard, even one as powerful as the legendary Elminster, could not hope to be this strong. Granted, she was cheating, but this… this was enough to both create and destroy the world. To conquer, yet liberate. Domination, destruction, creation, trickery, all was hers to command. The Weave flowed through her like blood in her veins.

Holy crap, this was amazing! How long could she hold on to this-?

That thought ended as soon as it entered her head. Was it the voices of the souls whispering to her?

Go on. Hold on to it. Hold-

Nodoka canceled the splice immediately. One thought of it stopping, and it stopped. She hadn't kept track of how long she was in that state. So she had lost track of how long she would remain in Hell for that short time.

But she knew it was going to be a long time.

Clapping was heard and she saw her master. "Impressive. Most would have crumbled to the temptation."

"I am not most," She spat out, though from disgust at herself or the Splice itself, she couldn't tell. She felt her knees shaking. What kind of power was that? That urge to just keep going? To just go on in that state and not use such trivialities like memorizing spells when she could just pull the spells from the other wizards' souls as she pleased? She hated that.

"With great powers, come great responsibilities," she got out of herself through sheer willpower, and the shaking stopped.

"Can't say I heard that one before," he said. "Who was it who said that?"

"A man named Peter Parker. Or, his uncle, Ben." She knew he wouldn't know those names. "And no, I am not gonna tell you."

With that, she walked away, back to her room. She needed her sleep and to prepare her spells for the morrow.

For tomorrow, the real work begins.

[The Camera pans over a glass wall,

Negi on one side, Nodoka on the other side,

The camera is zooming away from them]

Shizuka ni utsuriyuku tooi kioku no naka

Omoide ni yorisoi nagara kimi wo omoeru nara

*Instrumental*

[Camera goes black, then shifting between key moments of the early interactions Negi and Nodoka had, leading up to their first initial Pactio moment which was interrupted by Asuna]

Itsumo minareteru madobe ni utsutta

[The camera reveals a screenshot when Nodoka first confessed her love to Negi]

sono hitomi wa ashita wo muiteita

[The camera shows the two of them flying on his staff from his fight with Kotaro in Kyoto]

Sakaraenu sadame to shitte mo

[The camera shows Nodoka practicing magic for the first time with Negi tutoring]

Kowakunai kokoro kara shinjiteiru

[Now the camera shows a hand holding a picture of Nodoka kissing Negi during the festival]

Shizuka ni utsuriyuku tooi kioku no naka

[The camera reveals Nodoka on a horse in front of an army, holding that picture in hand staring at it with sadness in her eyes]

Kimi to sugoshita akashi wa tashika ni koko ni aru

[The camera shows Negi, staring up at the moon, as Nodoka's transparent smiling face shows up on it]

Afuredasu kimochi wo oshiete kureta kara

[The camera reveals a battlefield with soldiers battling all around, settling on Nodoka with her facial features obscured clashing swords with someone using two scimitars]

Kono sekai ga naku natte mo watashi wa soko ni iru

[The camera goes in between the two combatants and proceeds to turn upwards to show the planet's two moons as the song ends]

Pars Una,

Finis.

A/N: Ho. Lee. Fuck. Nine years and two months.

Where the hell have I been?

I don't- I have no excuse. I'm sorry I let this slide for so long.

After the Negima manga ended with such an infuriating ending, I let it go to my head. I got depressed… I had trouble finding a job. A real paying job, that is. I went elsewhere, got into My Little Pony, and um… things happened. I ignored UQ Holder when it first came out cos… I didn't like the setup of it.

And now with all this COVID-19 bullshit out in the world, things aren't looking up for me. In the end, I swallowed my pride last year, sat down and read UQ Holder.

And then it came back to me. I got my writing back and after rewriting Part 3, I got back in the swing of it.

But I promise you that for the last ten years since I stopped updating, not once did I announce that this fic was dead. Not one time. I just didn't know how to write the passages.

But it came with a cost. This is now Part 1 of the new Incursion Timelines, a new name inspired by UQ Holder's concept of Alternate Timelines. I dub my fanfiction "Timeline I" as in "A, B, C", and mark this story the first of a number of fanfictions under the collected name. I hope you look forward to its conclusion.

I operate on the Ala Iridia forums now, where I post my new updates and I have a Discord server. It's fun to make smaller segments there rather than post big updates. Helps me feel that I'm making progress.

See you all at the next story.

Mahora, Timeline 2

The wake was today.

Negi has worn black suits before, but this was meant for mourning, not festivities. He hated the color black for that.

The others were wearing black, too. Even Sextum. Ayaka waited for him, alongside Theodora, who had even covered her tattoos with her black dress and veil. Even Chamo was wearing a tie.

Fate's group of partners wore black-colored versions of their outfits. Wilhelm was in a suit as well, looking very much like the count he presented himself as.

They gathered together before they went together. This was serious. No school today. It was impossible to have lessons. As long as they had this hanging over their shadows.

The location was on Library Island, in an outdoor alcove overlooking the lake. The headmaster arranged it all. The Commander wasn't attending. Too much bad blood between him and Negi over the expedition, still. Plus, he wasn't attached to their friends like they were. Made no sense he should.

A pedestal with a support stood in front of them. There were no coffins. No urns full of ash. Instead, the pedestal held up his Pactio Cards with the others.

Asuna-san.

Yue-san.

Setsuna-san.

Haruna-san.

And in the middle… Nodoka-san.

The only proof they had that the others were alive was Negi's Pactio with them. But the damage was done. They had lost five of their classmates and they had lost the most important. Konoka-san, Chizuru-san, and Akira-san were also important, but how could they tell if they were safe?

That wasn't accounting for the others, too. Fate's partners had their cards as well, but that was no guarantee by itself.

They all took their seats as Konoemon stepped up to speak.

"Children. Friends. Family. These are but a few words one can describe what we have lost. We have lost more than that. We have-"

The pulse came like a shockwave before he had gotten into it.

What on Earth?

It was a ripple in the sky at first, followed by a loud hum, a golden light shimmering in the sky which was not the sun. Then there was a tear in the open air, revealing stars and a landscape on the other side, and a massive metal goldfish tore out of it and landed in the water. They saw a faint insignia of a white wing on its fin.

The Great Paru-Sama Mark II had made it home. Somehow. It was clear it was knackered to the point it was almost beyond repair.

Negi blinked. Many times. He had a hard time believing it. The GPS II was back. Could that mean…?

The door was kicked loose from its bolts and out came their favorite redhead. "Goddamn door was jammed!" Then she noticed the others and saw probably her favorite boy in the world. "Negi?"

"Asuna-san?"

"NEGI!" Asuna jumped clear of the GPS and landed right in front of Negi to give him a big hug. She had a neck brace and wouldn't let that stop her. Her clothing was different, too. Medieval and fantasy-esque. It didn't take long before everyone else close to Asuna rushed in to give her a hug in return.

"ASUNA!" They all cried with tears of joy. Everyone, save Zazie, Mana, Chisame and Sextum and her group.

"Asuna-san!" Negi cried with joy. "Ha, never thought we'd see you again!"

"Wha, what's with all the black?" Asuna asked in return. "Heh, never mind, we're back. For real."

"What happened out there?"

"Oh, that's a tale for another time, Negi. But right now," Asuna hugged him again and then she hugged Yuuna who was the closest, "let's just savor the moment!"

"HARUNA!" The cheerleaders cried as they swarmed the manga artist. She too had a neck brace and was supported by Yue, who had her eye bandaged, but smiling all the same. Haruna looked as if she was going to cry.

Then Konoka and Setsuna came along, the former supporting the latter, who had bandages around her neck. The two of them came up to Konoemon, who silently hugged them both.

Fate got swarmed by his own girls who cried tears of joy seeing him back. Chizuru got glomped by Natsumi, Kotaro and Ayaka. Their friend was back. And Akira was swarmed by the other sports girls.

And then he saw her. There she was, bandages around her neck and holding a crutch to support a busted leg. She was covering her eyes with her bangs, but she was just smiling all the same, and he knew who she was looking at. Everyone who hadn't gone on the expedition stopped to look at her. And then at Negi's reaction.

No words were said at all. A dash, a tackle, an embrace. Followed by a mosh pit of everyone else on top. And tonight would be a celebration, not a bereavement.

Noctem aurora etiam adversis cedere.