Samurai SEED

by AJ-Writer

Kira's a lowly ramen bar waiter in wartorn world. Thrust into an age of warriors where legends are made, Kira don a mask and found he's fighting not only against his enemies but also his very own demons. New chapter is up! PLEASE, PLEASE Read and Review!

63. Dance of Shadow and Light Part 3

Kira - Noir & Kage

Lacus - Hikari

Athrun - Rosso

Chapter 63

The Dance of Shadow and Light – Part 3:

Predator and Prey

0000000-8 Years Earlier-0000000

A week after the Fall of Troll Market, as it became known, the Gateway City was abuzz with rumors and gossips. It's like a powderkeg. When it was ongoing, everything that happens in Troll Market stays there, and contained therein, events after events mounted. When it ruptured, it ruptured explosively in a war, and during the fallout in the aftermath, all the suppressed news and hearsay spread like wildfire across Februarius and beyond at uncontainable speed, especially the Magical Realm. The word was out: the Dwarves had finally settled their centuries old Grudge regarding the Troll market, with iron and blood. And who do they thank for this? Not any Dwarf Hero… but a human. This was unheard of, what's with Dwarfish stubborn pride… Except this human had earned himself a long list of titles based on real accomplishments that even the most cynical of Dwarves must respect.

Beginning with the first title which the Ents first granted him: Lawkeeper. After that, the Dwarves, after witnessing his feats in war gave two: Trollcrusher; for crushing a pair of Trolls with a pebble and Ogremauler; for having mauled an Ogre until he sank halfway into the ground with his bare hands (they repeatedly stressed: this is the sanitized – watered down version of what actually happened). Goblins fearfully called him Draar Deragaar – The Death Whisperer: because he had killed a man just by whispering to them. And the Elves, ever rival of the Dwarves, refused to be left behind. And to Dwarfish annoyance, the title that most denizen magical realm used, second only to the Lawkeeper, is the one that the Elves would later give him: Dúrrandir - the Dark Pilgrim, after his feat of riding a Gravetender Bicorn into battle, a feat various magical beings had deemed impossible, yet many witnessed this human had done so.

Such was the scale of the Fall of Troll Market, it was inevitable that this story, and this long list of increasingly scary titles attached to that person, would spread all the way to Gateway City as well. It was then… and only then, did the magical community of the Gateway City begin to have some inkling (or so they think) of just what kind of person this Judge they've thought as 'just' a food critic. As if responding to this realization, Februarius Custom officers would later report a spike in the latest emigration data. They saw a wave of people trying to leave the continent in a panicked frenzy. Most of them, to quote an anonymous officer, had the look of absolute terror as they leave.

Little did they know, a good portion of these emigrants will leave the waters of Februarius in chains, locked tightly in the damp cells of the Seaguards' prison barge fleet led by Goud Veia. They've been waiting for them at the peripheral edges of the continent and arrested them en masse as they tried to escape. Most people would consider this a cause to be upset… except the fact they were all wanted criminals hunted in their home continent for various unforgivable transgressions. They know well enough, one of the Seaguard commented, the risk… no, the consequences if they step one foot out of their 'sanctuary'. They'd rather try their luck with the Seaguards it seems, over spending one more day in the same continent with Judge Noir. Perhaps they did not anticipate a Hakutenkun will worsen their slim chances to none. The Circle happily reported they closed down more than two dozen unsolved cold cases in their Librarium over the next two weeks.

"Nothing?" One of Noir's eyes widened. "Nothing on Gantherhall?"

"No." Ray replied. "Why?"

"Because the last time I nearly did the same with Reingraze, I ended up exiled to Februarius. This time… I actually succeeded and you're saying I'm off the hook?"

"In the case of Reingraze, you blatantly tried to kill him. As for Gantherhall, it's dead easy to rule it out as accident. You didn't ask him to fork in 50 million galleon for something that didn't even exist. You don't know he had a heart condition. Plus… I just couldn't imagine the procedure on how exactly am I suppose to accuse you for a murder of someone… who's been legally dead for 2 years."

That's how Gantherhall the Sr. escaped: He faked his death on paper. Quite successfully. Something manageable in Aprillus with a handful of credits. Noir sighed, as did Ray's image in the fireplace. Here ends the formalities. "What happened in the Senatorium?"

At this, Ray expression wrinkled in exhaustion as he rubbed his forehead, nursing a headache of the century. "Noisy. Two issues were tabled on the floor today. One: the revelation about the food issues in Februarius. It's public. Everyone was screaming about it, playing the blaming game… and they all wondered why the hell the Elves knew about it and we don't."

"…what's the second issue?"

"…24 Cold Cases of Zaft's most wanted in the Librarium were closed." And Ray doesn't look happy. "24 Cold Cases, closed down… because you snipped off all their heads. And you know what they all had in common? Apart from the fact they're all scared to death of you." Ray scoffed: "They all hide in Februarius."

Noir guessed as much.

"An Archbishop was screaming to foaming at the Senatorium, calling Februarius a rotting breeding Ground of Sin."

"Everybody knows how much Priests hates Witches." Master and student sighed. It's a bad blood that had been going on for centuries, thanks to the Order of Blue Cosmos, and then further worsened by the Church's overly racist tendencies that the current Xenophobic Pope allowed – even encouraged.

"Yes, well… Except this time, these priests had… what they think is justifiable cause. 24 criminal heads the Circle couldn't find in every corner of the Empire… you returned to active duty in one week, and you bagged them all… in Februarius. It's less on why or how… it's more on where you found them."

Noir scoffed. Politics. It's annoying when Religion got mixed into it. "What am I looking at?"

"…right now both sides are at an impasse. Those who try to bring up the food issue proclaimed this issue is bad enough for their people, calling in racist priest will only worsen the situation. Those from the Church, as is their wont, proclaimed this food issue is God's punishment to a sinful country."

Noir can just about imagine… Basically what Ray Yuki is saying is… don't expect any help from the government any time soon because the idiots on high are too busy screaming at each other. "Well… fuck."

"Look… I'm grateful that you've brought this to everyone's attention… but this one is… way over your head. I say this not just as your Boss, but also as your teacher. Politics were never one of your strong points. Just concentrate on the current case."

"I know. I will… still… what do you think the Cardinal Guards are doing here? What do they want with Akhoni? Why would the church want to kill Unicorns?"

"I don't know." Ray sighed. "I think it was a mistake on their part to come in such force. They did not expect to see you. With a Hakutenkun at your beck and call, no less." Ray gave Noir a very displeased and firm glare. "Which reminds me, Noir, Hakutenkuns may answer the call of Judges, but understand we are military pillars of our Empire, not your personal Chauffeur!"

The Black Judge tilted his head down. "I'm truly sorry about that." When his master raised his tone to that extent, even Noir knew when he crossed a line.

"Luckily for you, he's on a sabbatical. Just know how very lucky you are to get away with only this much scolding. Back to the main topic… how far along is your investigation?"

"I'm still… trying to find other uses for Unicorn Horn. Salazar wasn't joking when he said there are thousands of uses for them. There are literally thousands of them! But most of the charms and potions I see in this list are mostly… recovery and healing items."

"If those eyebags are any indication, you really need to take it easy."

"oh… no… this has nothing to do with that research. No… this was something else. It's… personal."

Ray had an idea… "What did you try to cook this time?" As a reminder, his top judge is also an apprentice chef.

"…uh… the stuff of nightmares in my mouth… occupational hazard… still…"

Ray can just about imagine. "Alright. Then I'll leave you to it. But I'll say it again: don't overdo it."

"Will do. Noir, over and out."

0000000-8 years later-0000000

"I've been to Februarius… afterwards… but that black market is still there, isn't it?"

"Actually the function has changed." Godric grinned. "Now that the Dwarves managed it, it's now a place where... special goods are sold. They… used the classifications of goods based on the standards set by the Judges… it became a place specialized in dealing Class A to Class S products. Not illegal… just… dangerous, and thus require special care. Nowadays people literally call it 'Black Market'. Not illegal… or secret… they named it in honor of the one who inspired it."

"Yes. It was interesting. And most of those dangerous objects happened to be malfunctioning Dwarven doohickeys." Athrun sighed. During Goblin time, the number one cause of incident in the Troll Market was stabbing and food poisoning… now… it's explosions. "I mean… even I don't blow up stuff THAT often in my workshop."

"Pardon?"

"Never mind." Athrun sighed. "So… to continue… Akhoni's dead. We know the church is involved. How did the investigation continue?"

Rowena gently raised her hand. "By your leave, Master."

0000000-8 years earlier-0000000

As the head archivist of the Februarius Marshall, Rowena at first didn't understand why Balthazar, despite being so unfriendly with the little Judge, gave an uncharacteristically good amount of support. After the fall of the Troll market, many of his wardens, largely the most senior ones, protested at the Judge's extreme measures. Some even pushed for the Judge to be kicked out of their country.

To the surprise of many, Balthazar silenced them all. To these wardens, he asked this: "Did any of you ever come up with a better idea on how to deal with that cancerous hole of filth in the last one hundred years? If no, then shut up!" The Wardens were forced to disperse in confusion and annoyance. Many of them made a not so subtle whisper under their breath, throwing words like reckless, impudent, foolhardy, immature, impertinent… Rowena only chuckled lightly. 'Yeah right… try saying that in front of the Judge himself instead of whispering behind his back? He's cleaning up the filth you guys had been ignoring for decades while trying to solve our food issue! What have you guys been doing all these years?'

"Rowena!"

"Ah, yes, my lord?" Rowena briefly jumped out of her musings when Balthazar barked her.

"If I recall, you're still assigned to work under that kid, yes? I was told he just disappeared one day, any idea where he might be?"

'…he disappeared? So he had his Fidelius charm reworked, I guess?' "I… I'm not sure… but… I might have an idea-"

"Don't tell me. Just find him and keep an eye on him until this case is over." Balthazar grumbled. "Make sure you give me a head's up if he try to do something this crazy again so that I don't get a bloody heart attack!"

Rowena smiled uneasily. She's not sure she can keep up though… Regardless, she had to admit, working under the boy had been an enjoyable experience.

Indeed, Rowena must admit, this Judge is… unique. To those who did not understand, the Judge's fast decision making and even faster action may seem reckless and a form of youthful impatience… but that's not what Rowena saw. He was quick witted, clever, and a certified genius, qualities she greatly respect… but it took more than genius to make such radical decisions so quickly without a second thought in such an uncontrollable situation. It takes experience. And he had plenty of it. He had so much experience, that he doesn't waste time agonizing over the impact of his choices… because he already had the experience on what impact those choices will make. What's more, even with such vast experience under his belt, he did not become complacent or jaded. He keeps looking at the world through the lenses of a Novice who understand just how little he understands of everything. That's why the Judge still continues to learn more and more… at a frightening rate.

'And to think he's no older than my own daughter…' And just like that, Rowena suddenly had an idea.

"Understood. May I also take my daughter?"

"Why would you… bah… do as you please!"

The decision was made in seconds. Balthazar too, is someone who can make quick decisions because he had accumulated decades worth of experience to aid him in this decision making. Rowena had learnt a lot just by hanging around learning at the foot of the best masters of the craft… perhaps her daughter Helena can reap the same benefit?

That was the idea that sprang up on Rowena's mind, ever the loving mother to her daughter, Helena. That's why today she thought she'd pay the Judge a visit with her daughter in tow.

At first, she thought to go to that wooden cabin orphanage, the Starfall cabin… but, by the time she gets there, the cabin had been completely dismantled. She did remember Lacus was planning to do it. '…let's see… after all that mess in Troll Market, Lacus had undoubtedly reset the Fidelius charm, so… all the people who can find Master Noir will no longer be able to, including myself. The more I try to find him, the harder it'll be… But… remember what Master Noir said: invisible doesn't mean inexistence.' Rowena smirked. Yep. She definitely learnt something. "Helena dear, let's… sleep early today. We need to go to the market first thing early morning."

"Eh? I thought we're going to see a Judge?"

Rowena only smirked meaningfully.

Next day, when the sun had yet to rise, Rowena was already at the morning market with her still sleepy daughter. At this early hour, most people is still asleep… except a few shops… but she remembered Helga is a woman of strict habits…

"Helga!" Rowena waved her hand lightly. Sure enough, there's Helga, shopping early in the market to get the best produce, right on time. As usual.

"Rowena!" Helga smiled back. "Wonderful to see you. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Where is he?"

"Ah. Yes. He doesn't live with us anymore. If that's what you're wondering."

"Oh?"

"Right now, we've taken over Guinevere's old estate; all the children had been moved there. But he decided, for everyone's sake, that he shouldn't live under the same roof with the children."

"…I'm guessing he didn't tell you where he stayed either?"

"You're the quick one, Rowena. No. He did not."

Rowena gave her a look…

"But… he did give me a clue." Helga pulled her gold cup and swung her wand to it. "Accio." The golden cup and poured a small bowl with something in it. "He left this in front of the door yesterday evening."

Rowena looked at the bowl… inside there's this… thing that looked like an egg pudding… but it's much more solid. Helga gave her a spoon, with a warning. "Mind you: it's quite a disaster."

Rowena raised an eyebrow, took a spoonful of this soft food… "…this texture… it's Chicken liver." She braced herself, took a mouthful… tasted it… and almost immediately hurled it out in disgust.

"Yeah." Helga nodded in sympathy. "He warned me it was quite bad this time around. But he's getting there."

"By there… cough… you mean your infamously complicated Specialty: the Heart of Land, Sea, and Air? The White Liver of a Chicken (air) marinated with the pureed Liver of Tilefish (Sea) for three days and then cooked with the Fat of a boar's liver (Land). Disaster if you get it wrong, very tasty if you get it right." Rowena memorized all of Helga's recipes cold, so she's well aware of how difficult some of them are. "Could you pick a more brutal homework? He's only 8, for Merlin's sake!"

"I didn't choose this." On the whole, Helga's long term assignment to her apprenti is actually very simple: cook all the food in her recipes. "At first, I picked the food for him. I picked some of the easiest ones first." She gave Rowena the list that she knew very well. It contains the list of names of all of Helga Hufflepuff's most famous dishes, all 4000 of them, from appetizer to entrees and specialties. Some of them, Rowena noted, had been ticked off, a sign that Noir had successfully cooked it. "But as time went by, I challenged him: why don't you pick the recipe you want to try next?" That's when Rowena began to notice a pattern. As she said, Helga had picked some of the relatively easy ones at first… but then… at some point, she noticed a sharp jump in the difficulty curve.

"Helga… could it be…"

"That's right. When I asked him to pick one for himself… he picked some of my most infamously difficult recipes. There's 'the Dragon Lobster castle', 'the Forest King's Garden', 'Blood Egg Aviary', and currently the Liver challenge."

"It was strategic choices." Rowena understood it. "These recipes are like… pressure points of your culinary arsenal. They're most difficult… because they're also the most technical." The basic of an intensive training: give them the most difficult of problems, and they'll be forced to raise their skill level concurrently to overcome them. His skills and palate will skyrocket by no small amount every time he mastered even one these dishes, and judging by the number of these successful tick marks… just how high his level had gone up at this point? "He mastered these… the other recipes would be well within his grasp."

"I told him he should take it easy, but… youths are so passionate they are impatient."

Rowena began to think. She began to think in ways she had never done before she met the Judge. From her observation, the Judge always thinks. Constantly. Probabilities and chances… even the smallest ones. Think like him. Think like Judge Noir. What would he do? "Helga… you once told me of your root… you told me of the time you spent in the Forest, when you were imprisoned there as a young girl…"

"Yes?"

"…that small shack you said you erected in the forest… is it still there?"

Hours later, the sun had begun to shine through the cracks of the woods… Morning dew still drip off the tree leaves, drenching the ground beneath.

"Ma… slow… down…" Helena was panting as she followed her mother through the trek into the deepest heart of the forest.

"Come now, daughter! Just a little bit further!" Rowena gently waited until her panting daughter can catch up. "Helga's old shack is only a few more meters near the river."

"What makes you so sure the Judge will be there?"

"…I don't know. Gut instinct." Rowena chuckled, seeing her daughter's perplexed expression. And she didn't blame her. A week ago, she'd never heard something like that from her lips. "Here we are!"

Helga's Shack. A small rustic house made of tree roots and bound branches. When Helga was 'imprisoned' in the Forest during her teen years, this shack had sheltered her against the elements. She even built a fully functioning open air kitchen, allowing her to use fire in ways that won't endanger the forest. It is overgrown but not dilapidated. The Plant overgrowing the shack had actually reinforced it, partially submerging the shack to a mound on the ground, but at the same time, it made it much sturdier. This is, after all, the 'throne' of the former Master of the Forest. To emphasis this, beds of flowers and mushroom grew unnaturally encircling the shack. Tree branches atop the shack opened up just enough to shine a light on the shack's door.

"Looks… empty…" Helena frowned.

"That's what they wanted you to think…" Rowena briskly walked towards the shack…

As soon as she stepped over the mushroom ring…

"9 hours."

Rowena jumped in surprise when the voice came from her back. She and Helena turned around and, surprise, the Judge is looking down at them from atop a tree branch like a curious black bird. Rowena was shocked at first but she quickly recovered. "You were waiting for me, Master? You knew I would come?"

"You're the only one who can figure out the clue I left to madame Helga. You're an hour off my estimate though." The Judge climbed down the tree smoothly from branch to branch, a sign of his full recovery. "What kept you?"

"My apologies. I brought my daughter with me today. Figured… it'll do her good to see you work, Master."

Helena winced when she finally felt the Judge's eyes upon her. She's a petite little thing, shyly hiding behind her mother's skirt. But with some silent encouragement, she timidly walked out of her mother's cover and allowed the diminutive Judge to observe her in full. She was only slightly younger than him, and slightly shorter too. Wearing a grey colored sundress, it stood in a nice contrast with her dark raven hair – which she inherited from Rowena - tied into a braid that she left to rest neatly on one side of her neck, paired with a dark blue eyes, curiously observing the Judge back as he observed her.

"Well… that's just fine." Noir motioned them to follow. And when they entered past the Flower Bed encirclement, it's like a veil was removed from their eyes. The seemingly dilapidated and abandoned shack was finally revealed to sport signs of life. There's a Stone Oven that weren't there before and the stoves are lit. Some of the most unruly of leaves and overgrowth had actually been cleared. It was obvious the Judge had been living here for some time… and he was not alone.

Helena jumped in fright when a jet black horse with two horns reared its menacing head from behind the shack. She quickly ran behind Rowena and her mother raised her hand defensively before her. Rowena quickly bowed in reference to the mighty Bicorn.

The Bicorn merely shrugged in acknowledgement and be about his own business.

And then, barely recovering from the shock of seeing one of the world's scariest magical creatures as tame as it can afford, this happened.

"Uhhmm… what is all that noise…?" A sleepy eyed Lacus walked out of the shack… clearly having just woken up from a sleep…

…not wearing anything.

The Ravenclaw mother-daughter was so shocked they forgot to scream.

Noir merely clicked his tongue. "Lacus, for God's sake, we have guests, put some clothes on!"

"…hmmm?" Lacus lazily rubbed her half closed eyes and forced them to open so that she can see what the fuss is all about. But when she saw the dumbstruck Rowena and Helena, all she said was: "Ahaa… good morning…!" She just gave them a wave and an innocent smile…

It took Rowena and Helena a full hour to calm down.

"In case you're wondering…" The Bicorn spoke straight to their panicked mind. "Nothing happens. They just slept in one room, and that is all."

"You're sure?" Rowena choked.

"Their touch is still extremely unpleasant for me this morning. So, I'm quite sure."

To reiterate, Bicorns can only tolerate non-virgins to touch them. So… when this Bicorn declared the Judge's and the Princess' chastity is still very much intact, it is the truth.

Then, and only then, did the Ravenclaw Mother Daughter calmed down. Thus they allowed Noir to serve them breakfast without them questioning his honor.

"Bagel, scrambled eggs, sautéed mushroom, some sausages, and bacon." Noir served the still steaming freshly made meals on plates made of leaves. "Here's some freshly squeezed orange Juice." He served these in wooden flasks.

In stark contrast of the makeshift plates, the dishes were plated like it came straight from a high class restaurant. "Where did you get the ingredients?"

"There's nothing here that I need that the forest cannot provide." Noir nodded. "You ought to know that. You figured this would be the one place I can gather all the fresh ingredients I need to cook Madame Hufflepuff's menu."

"Such is the wonder of this place. If the Forest were kind to you, you can pluck up the most exotic of natural bounties at walking distance. You can catch deep sea fish in a pond or vegetables of the highest mountains resting in a tree base. And this bread?"

"There's a field of wheat just around the corner."

Rowena smiled and took a bite of her breakfast. "…! Mmm!" Helena also took one chomp of the sausage and smiled ear to ear. "This is delicious, thank you, master Noir!"

"Just don't ask where the meat comes from." Noir whispered under his breath, something only Lacus and Rowena caught on to.

Speaking of Lacus… for the crime of attempted defamation by accidentally putting a Judge's honor into question and for public indecent exposure, the punishment is:

"No breakfast for you." And to put the final coffin nail: "-and I'm confiscating them." By 'them' means Lacus' fleet of Haros… one of them… most likely all of them… Noir was quite certain carried her cache of 'illegal' sweets. "Consider this mercy; others had gone to jail for less!"

"UWAAAAAAANNN!" And she bawled for almost an hour. But the Judge's decision is final.

"So… did you bring what I requested?" Noir asked exasperatedly after he finally shut Lacus up by shoving a donut up her throat (non glazed) just so that she would shut up and they can get to work immediately.

"Yes." Rowena nodded. "I'll set it up right there, if it's okay?" Noir nodded in consent and Rowena immediately get to work. She set up a small tent on the ground quickly. At first it seems there's nothing to it. But then, when Noir crawled in, he pop out briefly, chuckled a bit to a knowing Rowena and then he crawled back in.

Soon, Rowena and Helena too followed suit. Lacus want to follow, but the Bicorn barred her on the account she hadn't finished her breakfast yet. Perplexed, Lacus swallowed her remaining donut in one go, and the exasperated Bicorn had to let her in.

When Lacus entered, the undersized tent should've been swollen by now… but it remained unchanged… even when the Bicorn himself entered it, outwardly the Tent's shape barely shifted.

Inside the tent… are rows upon rows of cabinets filled with books in a library as vast as football field. Hundreds and thousands of books, housed in a magically expanded inner space of a tent 1/100th its size.

"These are my collection of Unicorn based Magics and charms. As you can see… they are… extensive."

"…hm." Noir sighed. There are a hundred times more books here compared to what Salazar had given him, ranging from for Dummies to Grandmasters.

"You're still going with that previous method? Trying to find what Unicorn Horn Dust could be used for?"

"Yes." Noir made a gesture to Helena, and Rowena nodded. Noir may agree to let Helena join, but what they'll discuss, normal children shouldn't be party to.

"Helena dear, why don't you go and show Lady Lacus some of your favorite books?"

"Yes, ma!" Helena courteously bowed to Lacus, who returned the gesture and gladly followed the girl across the mountain of books. Then the two adults (one in mind only) can talk freely.

"It's the only way… at the moment. With Akhoni's dead, it's the only way we can get to the bottom of this."

"I'm terribly sorry about my blunder…"

"Enough with the apology. Godric already apologized to the inch of his life." Noir placed something on the table. "This… was his trophy of winning the arena. He gave it to me as his form of apology. He was further mortified when he found out the truth of it."

"…is that what I think it is?" Rowena's eyes widened.

"Yes and no." It's a lamp. An old, badly beaten… lamp. Anyone living in magical world knew what it is. Fact is, even a Muggle like Noir knew the story.

"A Genie's Lamp…"

"But it's empty." To make his point, Noir opened the lid to show the insides to Rowena. "It's a fake."

"It's not a fake." Rowena gently took the lamp from Noir. "See these runes and markings? This is the genuine Binding of Solomon. There WAS a Djinn in this lamp. A VERY powerful Djinn. But… it's gone. Those Goblins really used this as a trophy?"

"Like Lord Geralt said, they really had a sick sense of humor. Oh well. Not our concern right now." Rowena handed the lamp back to Noir. "…for now, let's concentrate on this Unicorn Research, yeah?"

"About that… actually, I'm little bit concerned. We have failed to recover the Unicorn Horn… and, all due respect to the fallen one-" Rowena briefly bowed apologetically to the Bicorn. "-we… have some time as they put the Horn to use… whatever it was for… that being said… do you not think we should spend this time preparing… preventing any further victims?"

"Preventative measures have already been taken." The Bicorn replied. "My partner returned to the Queen the other day to report on our findings. All Unicorns under her dominion have been warned. And other Queens have also been notified. Young Unicorns are no longer allowed to roam alone. Those with children will be under constant Bicorn guard. Catching one Unicorn is one thing… try catching a whole herd."

"It won't hold them long, but it's better than nothing." Noir followed. "The thing is… our adversary is not to be taken lightly either. With Akhoni dead, they've lost an extraction specialist. It's not something that can be easily replaced, so we have time…"

"Help me understand this… the Church? Really?" Rowena was in slight disbelief. When she reported this to Balthazar, the Marshall ordered a gag order on those who worked with Noir in this case. Godric, Salazar and Rowena must keep this to themselves. "I mean… we know our country don't exactly get along with the Church… but… what do they gain by killing Unicorns and extracting their horns? I…" Rowena growled. "Why can't they just leave us alone!?"

"…come on. The sooner we finish this, the better."

Noir and Rowena joined the other two girls who already began reading some of the books in Rowena's collection. "Ah, Master Noir!" Helena chirped as Noir closed in. "Ma told me about it. You… wish to know what kind of spells, charms and potion that used Unicorn Horn Dust?"

"Yes. But insofar that I've learned… is that they're often used for recovery magic and spells."

"Indeed… that's what Unicorn Horn most often used."

"Any known example of how it can be used as a weapon?"

"Not that I'm aware of." Rowena answered… before she turned into a raven and fly up to one of the highest cabinet, pulled one book and flew back with it in her claws. She dropped it at Noir's lap, and he looked at the title.

Chronicles of the Magic War.

"Magic War?"

"The first great magical war between Mages and Alpheim. From the time of the First Warlock King: the Warrior. You were concerned about Unicorn Horn being used as a weapon. The Magic War saw some of the most destructive spells ever conceived put into use by some of the most powerful wizards in the world. This is the unabridged version of the war. Written in… Elvish."

"…I don't know how to read Elvish."

"I can!" Helena raised her hand immediately. "All three dialects!"

"…okay." Then Noir noticed Lacus' lips hung open just a bit. She was about to say something but Helena had beat her to it. "Lacus? You wish to say something?"

"No." She pouted.

Noir turned to Helena. "You're sure about this? Both of you?" Noir also addressed Lacus.

"Why not? Magic War is my favorite story! Mom read it to me, from time to time." Helena grinned.

"Do you even need to ask?" Lacus sulked.

"…just… thread carefully." Noir glanced a look at Rowena… who hid her concern very well. But she gave Noir her silent consent.

And the three read the book together. At first, it started like any story book. If a little monotone for Helena. The first chapter reported sightings of humans and Alpheim local life. Then the first contact with the signs of civilization of both sides… which ended badly thanks to communication error caused by language barrier. This happened several times over the course of several months… until an incident happened. No one knows who started it: the humans claimed the other side was arrogant and demanding, the other accused the humans as barbaric and callous. Whichever whys, an Elvish Royalty was killed… along with her Unicorn mount.

It wasn't clear which death angered everyone more, the Royalty or the Unicorn. Either way, the whole of Alpheim was up in arms overnight. Magical Creatures from all walks of the other world entered the war with the humans, even those who often never fought side by side. When unlikely rivals united, they were overwhelming. Dwarfish artilleries accompanied by Elfish arrow volley were the stuff of nightmares that toppled fortress after fortress in quick succession. Orc and Beastmen warriors rampage their way together through human lines in an unstoppable stampede of blood and carnage. Lizardmen and Mermaids make swamps and watering grounds a very unsafe place to be for parched armies. Even Goblins and Hobbits would work together to destroy farms and granaries, starving entire armies. Within the first week of the war, over 5,000 humans were killed.

At this, Helena paused. Her face was pale with horror. "…M… Ma… is… is this really the right book?" She looked questioningly at Rowena… who just watched knowingly in silence at her daughter's shock. What she told her daughter during their nighttime stories was the sanitized, dramatized version of the story. Of course, the plot is more or less the same, but she… downgraded the true story to something easier for her young daughter to learn about wisdom and entertainment.

But… it's time perhaps, for her to grow up. "Helena… you said you wanted to help Judge Noir?" Suddenly, the motherly kindness in her cold tone was gone. "This is not a bed time story, Helena. As I've said: this is the unabridged version. This is the truth. The chronicle of Magic War in its brutal honesty."

"…but it's… terrible…" 5,000 people dead in a week!? And that was just… just the first chapter of the Prologue, for Merlin's sake! Beads of tears began to form on Helena's eyes.

"Helena, keep at it." Rowena firmly stated, much to her daughter's horror. "You've already offered your help to the Judge. Don't dishonor yourself… and the Ravenclaw name… by stopping halfway just because of your halfhearted resolve!"

Helena cringed. Her caring and kind mother can be very strict when she chose to be. She had no choice but to wipe her tears and continued.

But it gets worse and worse. Page by page, chapter by chapter, the casualties and, more horrifying still, the atrocities continued to increase. From both sides of the conflict. Massacre of human civilians in Orlon Outpost by Lizardmen; Casualty: 240. The Burning of Mermaid younglings in the Sea of Fire incident; Casualty: 1,734. The Collapse of Fort Da'Nur, where the Goblins and Dwarves worked together to prematurely ignite a dormant volcano, turning entire cities into burning wasteland; Casualty: 2,950. The Grimgor offensive where the Humans poisoned the enemy food supply, driving the Orcs so insane with starvation, they cannibalized their allies; Casualty: 3,320. And many more unthinkable brutalities Helena didn't even know were possible.

More horrifying still for Helena, was when she finally caught the first time the Warrior was mentioned in this chronicle. In the tale her mother told her, the Warrior was her favorite. In her mind, the Warrior is an honorable and brave hero of legend… But in this chronicle… After realizing the strength of the Dwarven line, the Warrior sacrificed an entire battalion by magically turning them into living bombs and then used them to tear an opening in their line. In another battle, the same Warrior sacrificed a thousand of Elf youngling in a profane alchemical ritual that turned them into Ether mana, which he then used to fuel a powerful spell that wiped out an entire Elven city… And then another atrocity… and another… and another… With every record cursing the atrocity performed in the Warrior's name, Helena's image of her favorite hero was shattered.

THUD.

Helena was about to translate another record, but Noir closed the book shut. "I think that's enough for today."

"Eh?" Helena looked at the Judge.

"Lacus…"

"I understand." Lacus already got up and took Helena's hand and gently escorted her away from that horrifying book. The poor girl's watery eyes were one step away of losing what life she had at the beginning. One more horrifying tale, and her mind would break. When Rowena noticed this, even she was shaken in remorse. Did she went too far…!? When she tried to reach for her daughter's hand, it moved away, and Rowena was stunned. Lacus and Rowena merely exchanged knowing look and Lacus gently took Helena away for now towards the library's exit. They can hear her began to sob as they walked out…

"…what have I done?" Rowena's voice is on the verge of breaking.

"Judge Training always began in what we colloquially called: The Hell's Month." Noir suddenly began explaining. "…it always starts the same: when an aspirant is chosen to be a Trainee, they all come brimming with confidence. They all thought they were the chosen ones. That they are slated for glory. Destined for greatness. The Hell's Month is set to purge them of such delusions. The first week is case study week. The Aspirants were… bombarded with hundreds upon hundreds of various cases stored away in the Librarium. The most heinous of atrocities ever committed by men, crimes so inhumane, so gruesome… and over the course of one week, the trainees must study them all. Intimately, thoroughly… they have to analyze and understand every life taken, every sin committed, every stab on every wound… They have to understand how these crimes happened, how and why it was perpetrated, and deduce how their seniors were able to solve them. The gut instinct, the intuition of a veteran Judge, honed by decades of experience, they have to master this intuition in a week. Failure to understand even one of these cases, or worse, incorrect resolution of the case, and you will be kicked out."

"But that was not even the real purpose of this first week, imaginatively named Hell's Week. The case studies that the aspirants had to analyze were carefully custom selected to suit the psychological profile of each aspirant. It wasn't just designed to test their abilities… but to also corrode their ideals and principles. To put this in perspective, the least heinous of these cases was more than enough to make one questions one's faith in humanity. And we were force-fed thousands of these cases, each grew far worse than the last. In this first week, Idealists were filtered out. Those who believed too strongly to an ideology had their faith shattered: all the darkness and flaws of their principles were mercilessly dissected, they were shown the foolishness of clinging to their childish fantasies. Ideas like: I wish to be the Hero of Justice! –or- For righteousness and honor! – or – for King and Country! - and etc, etc… These kinds of foolishness very rarely survived the first few days. Those minds who can't take it either went insane or worse, they just… die. If not physically, then mentally."

Rowena's face went pale. But she quickly saw that what Noir described was very similar to what she almost did to her daughter.

"I'm just saying: don't feel too bad for yourself. Compared to what we Judges had gone through, your tough love is… cute."

"…cute…!?" That was disturbing on so many levels.

"If anything, it was obvious you still love your daughter… a bit too much, I think." Noir chuckled. "Look… I understand. I understand how concerned you are. The Chronicles showed it to me quite clearly." Noir turned to the Bicorn. "Just… how much time do we have?"

The Bicorn sighed. "While others already start clamoring for blood, her majesty's voice still speaks of patience, perseverance, and vigilance. Thankfully… the Queen's voice is still heard. For now. However, the pressure is mounting and it continues to mount. I don't know how much time you have, the dam will inevitably break and all voice will be drowned in a tidal wave of carnage."

Noir and Rowena understood this much. The Bicorn just poetically described the call to war. One elfish princess and a Unicorn had sparked the first Magic War. Now 6 Unicorns lay dead, brutally mutilated. It's a miracle that Februarius hadn't been reduced to dust yet for this transgression. They are standing in the precipice of a second Magic War.

"We're eternally grateful for the Queen's patience." Rowena humbly bowed.

"Nothing to it. You're on a time that your effort had bought. The Queen's assurance was based on Noir's achievements. Words of his deeds had spread far and wide across Alpheim. When everyone heard the lengths that the Lawkeeper had taken so far for the sake of this case, even the most warmongering skeptic had to give face. But understand it's finite."

"Thank you." Noir turned to Rowena. "I understand just how bad the situation is. But going at this in a hurry will not help."

"I'm sorry-"

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." Noir shrugged. "Go to your daughter and apologize."

Rowena sighed and after giving the Judge a quick nod, left the tent to find her daughter. She found her sobbing inside the shack with Lacus at her side, trying to comfort her. When she saw Rowena coming, Lacus promptly left Helena side, alerting the little girl that her mother is looking at her apologetically.

Lacus saw Noir in the background and quickly joined his side and together watched as Rowena gently apologized to her daughter from the distance. Helena was initially reluctant, but she finally accepted the apology with a hug, which Rowena happily returned. Lacus smiled in content, but then she sneak a peek at the Judge.

"…I can speak Elfish too you know? All three dialects!"

"I know."

"Oh?"

"…If someone said to me they can do something, I had a feeling you can do it better. But harder still is figuring out what else you can do… and what you can't."

"If you know I can speak Elfish, why didn't you ask my help?"

"…You've already helped me with a lot of things…" Noir tilted his head. "…I'd asked if she didn't offer first."

Lacus blinked and then she chuckled. "Tee-hee! I really should've said it sooner, shouldn't I? Oh!" Lacus heard something, and the tender moment between mother and daughter seem to be disturbed by something…

"Helena's stomach just growled." Lacus chuckled.

Then Rowena and a flustered Helena approached them. "…I'm sorry." Helena apologized first.

"Master Noir, I don't mean to impose, but… I think we should have a meal first? I'm a little peckish myself…"

"…well… so do I… alas, the food won't be ready any time soon. The Pork haven't finished curing, the fish is still being salted, and we've ran out of chicken." Noir turned around. "We've taken enough from this forest for today… I need a change of scenery too… let's eat outside."

"Oh no…!" Lacus paled in panic. "No, no, no, no! Not that place! Anywhere but that place!"

"Got no choice. It's the only place I can trust to relax a bit. Besides, we can't disturb Madame Helga, she's still busy refurbishing Guinevere's old house, no?"

"I… - Groooooowwlll- auuhh…" Lacus wanted to protest, but between her logic and her growling stomach… she had to agree…

"Where are we going?"

The one restaurant Lacus dread more than any place…

The queues of people wanting to enter the now famous Indian restaurant Maison Taj stretched across several city blocks. Especially considering it's peak lunch hour. The waiting line stands at 3 hours… but everyone consider it worth it. After all… this is the Restaurant that got 2 feathers from the Judge on its opening day!

"There, see!? By the time we get to the front door, it'll be dinner! Let's find somewhere else-"

"I've already made reservation earlier." It does help when you're the savior of the restaurant's owner. And thus, they were able to bypass the long line in an instant. And thanks to Fidelius charm, no one noticed.

The new Fidelius Charm Lacus casted on Noir is now much more refined. Only a select few can even perceive Noir now. Ashem, one of those select few, happily welcomed them and led them to a small isolated private room, reserved for VVIP.

"I will take your order. Is it the usual one, Master Noir?"

"Yes. And there are four of us now."

"Not a problem!" Ashem noticed the gloomy Lacus. "A~and we have some new menus. A selection of ice cream and sweet treats!"

Noir had to restrain a tear blinded Lacus before she choked Ashem with her overwhelming joyful huggies.

"Now let me take your things… eh?" Ashem took notice of something tucked in Noir's cloak… "…"

"Ashem-kyuun! I'd like to order noo~ow!" A very desperate Lacus called.

"Coming."

And then everyone placed their order. Noir: as much Tandoori Seven hells as he can manage, Lacus happily chose a chicken curry which has been tailored to not be spicy… and a boatload of ice creams and sweets. Rowena chose a normal vegetarian curry… but Helena, surprisingly, also ordered the Tandoori Seven Hells, just like Noir.

"Eh? Are you sure, Helena-chan? That thing is volcano on a plate!" Lacus gulped.

"It's okay! I ate it before and I liked it!"

"It does taste good, yes?" Noir chuckled and Helena smiled back, much to Lacus' discomfort.

"Alright! I have your orders."

Once Ashem left, everyone waited for the food to arrive. As this happened…

"A… Anoo!" Helena suddenly stood up. She turned to Noir. "Ummm… f… for my unsightly behavior from earlier… I… I sincerely apologize!" She bend her whole upper body down so hard, she accidentally hit the table. Pretty hard, if the loud thud she produced is any indication. "…Ow…" A very embarrassed Helena is tearing up again.

"Ku, ku…" Noir chuckled. "Helena… is it? What do you think about the Magic War now? Do you still think it's amazing?"

"No! No! It's… it's terrible! It's horrible! That chronicle… it sound like… like…"

"Like Hell?" Noir surmised in one word, and Helena nodded shyly, and she can see the Judge's eyes curved kindly behind his mask. "Good. That's war. It's supposed to be terrible. And that's good."

"Huh?"

"Helena. You're not supposed to think war as amazing. It's ugly, it's terrifying. The Elves depicted it all in such pain staking detail. Not just our atrocities, but their own too. That means they too understand. War is not something you should wish for. If War is not terrible… than there won't be people so determined to prevent it. Like the Wise King. And like your mother."

"Your mother is a very wise person, Helena. And she loved you. So very much. That's why she showed you those Chronicles. She doesn't want you to become someone who court war. That is also why we are now studying it." Noir eyes were firm and calm, but… they were surprisingly gentle and kind… and his voice is surprisingly soothing… "We're studying it so that we can better learn to prevent another like it."

"…" Noir the Reaper. The Trollcrusher. The Ogremauler. The Death Whisperer. The Dark Pilgrim… with such a long list of terrifying titles, one would imagine its owner would be just as terrifying. Those who had seen the Judge at work would say it does fit, but not right now. Somehow, everyone, especially Helena, can just about imagine Noir's face is smiling gently behind his mask. It was a peaceful and kind smile. And it was not out of place at all.

"Thank you for waiting, here are your meals!"

On the account of everyone was starving, the meal initially went by in silence… But halfway through, Noir just finished half his meal (his third plate of his favorite Tandoori Seven Hells) then he stated: "Lacus. Soundproof this room, please."

Lacus was stuffing herself with a vanilla ice cream, but she quickly swallowed it and nodded. "Righto!" She snapped her finger, and the room was instantly soundproofed. No sound will come out.

"Now. Let's address the elephant in the room." Noir looked straight at Rowena.

Rowena took a sip of tea to calm herself… and nodded. "The Church. We know for certain that they are involved."

"Indeed. But if this is their idea of causing trouble to this place, it's a very roundabout way of doing it."

"But effective. You heard it yourself: war is coming! And those bastards are provoking it!"

"Firstly, just because we saw a bunch of Cardinal Guards showing up at the front gate, doesn't mean the Church is involved. At least, not the whole of church, maybe just a small radical faction. Secondly, everybody knows we have a war already on the way on this side. The Church may hate Februarius to the bone, but I don't think they're that stupid to fight war on two fronts."

"Anoo…" Helena raised her hand. "Why… why did the Church hate us?"

Noir and Rowena looked briefly at Helena. Right… Helena is still too young, she had yet to understand the whys and what.

"The root of this hatred… pretty much began because of the Order of Blue Cosmos." Noir explained. "During the early period of the Founding War, the Order of Blue Cosmos committed a Holocaust that systematically murdered some few million Advanced race. You know of this?"

"They taught us that in school." Nevertheless, Helena cringed. The Sunday school version didn't sound as brutal as the Judge's version. She really needs to get used to this.

"The Church suffered just as much, if not more. Hundreds and thousands of followers and priests were burned at the stake. During that period… a certain extremist faction of the Church was born. This faction of the Church of Fire made hating the Order, and Natural by extension, part of their religion."

"What does that had to do with us? The Order of Blue Cosmos hunted us down as well! Killed so many of us!"

"You see… the original teachings of the Church of Fire harkens back to the ones taught to them by the Oni clan. The Old Ones. And… the Old Ones hated demons and all their creation. Arcane Magic originated from the Demons, hence the disdain. For better or worse… this sentiment was passed along with their teaching. The problem was that during the later stages of the Founding War, the Order made extensive use of forbidden Black Magic, Necromancy and Demon Summoning to be specific."

"! Black Magics are forbidden in Februarius!"

"Truly. But… the Church doesn't care. Black Magic, White Magic… they just don't care. When the Mages first tried to rejoin the Empire, the Church was the first to voice their disapproval. The grudge and hatred from the Holocaust still fresh in their minds – that the Order also used Dark Magic merely compound this hatred even more. Even when eventually the entire Court elected to allow the Mages to rejoin the Empire, the Church was the sole voice who voted against it to the very end. They never recanted that statement to this very day. Every. Single. Day. Based on what I've heard from Lord Yuki, not a day goes by in the Court that the Church didn't prepare all sorts of complaints about you guys, ranging from plain stupid to just troublesome."

"So… the Church is… bad…?" Helena curled.

"No. No… that would be an unfair assessment." Noir shook his head. "Helena, understand this: the Church is… an institution that was established to teach human about faith. And faith ultimately exists to help humans to live in harmony with the world around them. So… if the Church teach you to… love and care all living things… do no evil… honor the Gods… that sort of thing… it's not wrong. My point, Helena, the idea behind Religion is always paved with good intentions… but its execution will always be flawed… because the human that run it is also flawed. All human, including this one. And that goes double for our religion, because they're currently being run by idiots. My advice: heed what the Church is teaching you but take it with a grain of salt."

"That is some exemplary sales pitch." Lacus raised an eyebrow at Noir.

"Well, sorry, do I look like a Missionary? I'm a Judge. We are the Church's worst enemy. We're the only thing they hate more than Mages, I think."

"Why?" Helena asked again. "Umm… Why did the Church hate Judges?"

Noir's eyes visibly widened slightly before he chuckled yet again. "She's your daughter through and through, Lady Ravenclaw. Inquisitive."

Helena blushed, but Rowena chuckled, her smile beamed with pride.

"Let's just say… both sides had plenty of reasons to hate one another." Noir kindly answered. "The Circle and the Church are two VERY different organizations at its very core. Church operates based on strict faith. To never question the teachings of the Old Ones. By contrast, Judges are expected, nay, demanded to be skeptic. To question everything. To look for inconsistencies in anything and anyone, and no one is above reproach, not even the Word of God itself – something that the Church considered as heresy of the highest order. This, among many other instances, caused constant frictions and clashes inbetween the two institutions. Ranging from annoyance… to at worst, outright hostility. So… yeah… we just don't get along much."

Helena nodded… a bit sadly too. Noir looked at her for a bit… and then asked. "…Helena… do you… like going to Church?"

"Uhhh… I… sneaked into the church one time." Helena tucked her head down apologetically. "I kinda like it."

"…that was at least about half a year ago, then." Noir somehow guessed correctly, much to Helena's surprise.

"Y… yes… how did you…?"

"Helena… I'm… going to tell you a story. About a friend of mine. Like you, he's very fond of going to church. Went to confession twice a week. His parents often bring him to church, and he liked it. And he's also a scientist. One of the best scientific minds of our time, and he always thanked the Gods for making it so. He believed… that science and religion are just… two languages speaking the same truth. I supported this belief. But then… he became a Judge. And everything changed. During the first week of Hell's month… he… saw things that shook him to the core. His faith was… broken. Shattered. He stopped going to church with his parents. He never prayed anymore. Never went to confession. Burned his bible collection into the fireplace. And then there's… operation Whiteout…"

"Huh?"

"By comparison, I'm an Atheist." Noir quickly switched before anyone asked further. "I'll admit this much: I worship no God, I don't follow any religion. When I'm faced with the same situation as he did… it hardly bothered me in ways it broke him down to pieces. And he broke down so much because his faith was too strong. Too pure. When the reality of that faith betrayed him… he just… lost it. He fell harder than anyone."

"What are you saying? Should I-"

"You need to be better than us." Noir surmised simply. "You've listened to my story; now try to learn from it. Living without faith is not something easy to do. When you hit a wall you could not break in life… faithlessness could drive you insane. Conversely, having too strong a faith like my friend can eventually break you just as badly. Hold on to your ideals, but look at reality, and then find balance in it."

Helena listened to all this in a mesmerized silence. Is this person really the same age as she? Is this why her mother insisted she had to come and see him? Well… she can no longer argue that this is a waste of her time now… "Anoo… Master Noir… if you still need help with the Chronicles…"

"…sure. I do… but… are you sure? Look… I understand. It's… war. It's ugly, it's terrifying. Everybody else would rather turn away. And no one can blame you."

"…I can't stay a little girl forever."

Noir glanced at Rowena for one last confirmation, and she gave a silent consent with a nod. Then Noir finally also nodded. "…fine."

Helena broke a cheerfully wide smile. And Rowena was happy for her daughter.

Thusly… no one seems to notice the big annoyed pout on Lacus' face.

"Fine. But… back to the topic at hand. Milady, I'll say again: I can see how easy it is to point fingers at the Church. But… for the moment, we lacked evidence. Concrete evidence. I understand the situation is dire, but rushing it won't help."

"I understand, Master."

"Now… you went through the shack from the south side, right?"

"Yes?"

"Okay. Next, stop asking Polaris. Try follow what Sirius can sniff out on its way to Bellatrix. Try not to stray."

"…oh… It can do that?"

"Yes. Lacus is still the majordomo, so… the shack had several new features."

"Then I thank you. I will."

And the two group part ways. Lacus almost hastily clung to Noir's side, holding on to his arm almost desperately – much to Helena's concern. As soon as Lacus tightened her hold, within the next few steps, both literally disappeared into thin air.

Helena first thought that there was something wrong with her eyes. But there wasn't. The two really vanished out of sight. "Wow… Mom… he's amazing!"

"Who is?"

"The Judge."

"Oh? He is, isn't he? Now… if I recollect, didn't a certain young lady told me he had better things to do than to meet with another snot nosed noble brat in a mask?"

Helena blushed all the way to her ears.

"He's not a noble. Well… not the usual type, at least." Rowena smirked. "Anyway, you're serious about helping the Judge? You won't be running and crying again!?"

"I… I won't."

"Good. Tomorrow, you'll go to his shack first thing in the morning. Alone. You heard what he said?"

"Ehh… yeah, what does he-"

"You figure it out young lady!"

"Moou!"

00000008 years later0000000

0000000-KIRA-0000000

Meanwhile, with none the wiser as to what's happening on the roof of Qin Shih Huang, beneath the roof… a battle is raging.

While the inside of a car is a closed space with little room to maneuver, especially for the plus sized Gorillas, the Qin Shih Huang is still a large enough train that the Gorillas can still fight, causing no small amount of carnage and devastation for the troopers. But by that time, the troopers had recovered from the shock caused by the unexpected intrusion, and now they began to mount defenses. The Alliance had forewarned most regulars and there are contingencies in the event of a breach. Choke points. Defensive arrays. Barricades. Delaying tactics. Long enough to bring out the heavy ordnance.

"Flamethrower squad is here!"

"GOOD! SMOKE THEM!"

The troopers parted ways allowing a group of more heavily armored Trooper to walk in. Unlike other troopers, they move more slowly as they were covered in heavier armor that covered them from head to toe. They also carry tanks on their back and a rifle like weapon with flame spout flickering at its tip.

The Gorillas easily withstood a hail of bullets from the normal regulars, but when the Flamethrower squad opened fire, the great gouts of flame quickly drove them back. All animals fear flame, even the largest ones. The Alpha Gorilla watched as his subordinates ran back screaming with their fur on fire. Unlike his troop, the horrible burnt scar on his face showed that the Alpha Gorilla is no stranger to human's trump card against beasts. But those flamethrowing humans also had a weakness: they're slow and they have short range. And this place is full of debris for some reason. He grabbed a piece of suitably large debris just as the Flamethrower squad came to his view and then he threw the debris with a roar, and as soon as they were crushed beneath the rubble, the ruptured tank instantly exploded.

The Gorilla cheered at their leader's skill and the Alpha Gorilla merely scoffed them into silence. With the Alpha's firm command, the other Gorillas focused on tending their injured comrade instead. As this happened, the Alpha Gorilla took a strange interest in his surroundings. Namely… how this place was torn apart even before his troop went on a rampage… perhaps this explains why this metallic serpent seem strangely slow today. They were fighting something… or someone… before they came… then he remembered the two humans stuck on that metallic carcass… that carcass' shape greatly resemble the hole that allowed his troop entry…

The alpha snorted. Well, no matter. Human killing human is hardly worth worrying.

The troopers saw this and understood the problem. The beastly Gorillas are one thing, but the Alpha Gorilla is nothing like the rest. He's smarter and led his troop with proficiency and cunning. "What the hell is wrong with these beasts?"

"Rena always said the animals from the forest are not your average zoo inhabitant… But… I never thought…"

"What now?"

The Sergeant in command had all but forgotten about their original mission, now they just want to survive. So they start weighing their options. In preparation to tackle a Blacklist Captain, the 13th had prepared a lot of firepower. Truth be told, the Slayer Tank Atilla was one of them. As they've noticed, the plan kinda backfired. But… then again… the clients who requested this mission… they did provide some… unconventional asset to use?

The Sergeant grunted and swallowed a gulp. That… unconventional asset… it gave him the creeps. It gave everyone the creeps. He get the idea it was to make it feels as authentic as possible… as last resort… Fuck, he had even considered to just kill them and lay the blame on the captain later…

…where the fuck did they found those Necromancers!?

0000000

"How's it going Rygart-san?"

"Hang on… hang on… I trust you've sealed all the breaches?"

"Can't find any other breaches…" Kage raised his hands. If there are other minuscule damages even his eye for detail could not catch, then he's given up.

"Then here goes nothing." Crossing fingers he can spare, Rygart lit up a torch and shove into the boiler. In an instant, the steam engine roared to life. Gears began to spin and the wrecked tank growled back to life. "Okay! We're back in business!"

Kage and Rygart rushed to the driver seat and Rygart began pushing knobs and pulling throttles. When he grasped the driver's wheel and step on the pedal, the tank began to move forward. "Hell yes!"

Rygart had to admit, for someone obviously not tech savvy, the Captain make a good assistant… but… two men can only do so much. The tank was still heavily damaged despite their best efforts, it can no longer move as fast as before, now its reduced to a crawl.

"Better than nothing, I suppose." Kage sighed. As the tank made a slow but steady progress, the young Captain looked back at the hole behind him. "…are there more? More of those gorillas?"

"I've never been here before… but I've heard stories. From what little of those survived. Most of them aren't right in the head anymore… but… they all say that every animal in this forest had been touched by the Gods… they've been here long even before Dinosaurs went extinct… and they'll be here long after we're extinct. Living that long… some of them grew to enormous sizes… if not, smarter."

Kage had heard reports from Simca's tale about that giant boar, Nago, that Lacus had to euthanize in Winter's underground arena. "You know a lot."

"Everyone who served and trained in the 10th from combat squads to cleaning details had been told the tale. It's your typical story: a great power sleeps in the Forest of Sages, and only the worthy can claim it. Of course… some consider it bollocks. A fairy tale. But that sentiment never lasted long. Not just because everyone in the 10th had had mandatory train guard duty as part of their initiation, where they will always encounter some of the forest inhabitants at least twice a week… Everybody knew Rena went there. Xing Ke went there. Everyone in Empress' Royal Guard went there… All the Chinese Masters went there… some even stayed there… and we've all seen what they've become. We were encouraged to try… if we can."

"…the strong survive, the weak is devoured. Rena's mantra."

"Yes."

Before long, they've cleared the second car without much of a fuss. Now they're on the edge of the first car, the locomotive. "Now what do we do? Just so you know, this thing is so busted, if you try that maneuver again, we'll shatter on impact."

"…we'll just have to climb in the old fashioned way. Park the tank there."

Once the tank finally stopped, Rygart still had qualms about stepping out of the tank. Kage stepped out first, and he immediately sticks to the roof with chakra to prevent himself from being thrown off by the wind.

Kage looked around… no boulders… no gorillas… "Come on."

"I… uhhh…" Rygart gulped. "…You know what, I'll think I'll stay in here… there's a protocol for a reason…"

"That protocol got shot to hell when this train gone runaway. It'll never stop! And you're the only engineer who wasn't trying to kill me."

"I told you I don't know anything about this train!"

"Better some than none!"

"O… okay…" Rygart fidgeted and finally put a toe on the roof… but by that time Kage ran out of patience and he arm wrestled the engineer and carried him over the shoulder. "WHAA-AA!?" "Too slow!"

Rygart watched the Captain carry him like it was nothing and even more jaw dropping, the captain was able to stand so firmly in such an unstable ground. And as if that wasn't enough wonder… the Captain proceeded to walk vertically on the train wall, his feet sticking to it like it was glued.

"How…?"

"Talk later. Open the window!" Before he knew it, they're already standing next to a window. "Open the window! Hurry!"

Stuck in that awkward position, Rygart did as told. Once the window was opened, Rygart quickly crawled in, and Kage followed shortly after. "Now what?" Rygart barely asked that question when a Trooper waltzed in around the corner. They looked at each other in brief shock… but the moment said trooper raised his rifle at them, Kage reappeared right in front of him and punched him straight in the throat.

And while said trooper is still choking for breath, Kage grabbed his combat knife, slit his throat and hurled it at another's head. The third trooper fired, but Kage kicked the gun at the last second and the bullet missed Rygart by the inches. Kage swiped his leg and kneed him to the ground. He yanked the knife from the other trooper's head and jammed it down his eyesocket and twisted. He heard commotions from the stairs. Troopers shouting and screaming murder and intruder.

Kage casually picked a grenade from the dead trooper and lit the fuse before he promptly threw it bouncing down the stairs. "GRENADE!" That brief scream was immediately drowned by an explosion, and a spray of gore from those who could not dodge.

"That'll give us some time." Kage opened the door and start measuring some distance. He looked up the ceiling… and then down the floor… as if seeing through them. He strapped a series of talismans in a square formation on the ceiling, and then he made the same on the floor. "Rygart… you know the way to the main engine room?"

"Uh… yeah. It's… two floors below us."

"Lead me there." Kage finished the preparation by making a handseal… and the talisman lit up like fire briefly.

Rygart just nodded. The engineer led the captain through a series of stairways. Rygart intend to guide him on a straight route towards the main engine room, but occasionally the Captain took a detour, performed the same activity, strapping strips of these ominous talismans on the ceiling and floor.

Soon, they finally arrived at their location. When Rygart opened the door to the engine room he was initially frozen when Kaite Madigan's shotgun barrel was pressed on his forehead.

"DON'T kill him. He's a friend." Kage pushed the barrel away.

Kaite sighed in relief upon seeing a friendly face and pulled back his gun. "But are you sure? The Logos often placed sleeper agent…"

"If he wanted to kill me, he could've done it a while ago."

"…okaaay…" Jess sighed. "So… who is this guy?"

"He's an engineer. Been dragging… and being dragged across the train just to get here."

"And he can stop this train?"

"Look; I've told the Captain already… I DON'T KNOW HOW! Even if you put a gun on my head, I don't know how to fix this thing!"

"Who said anything about fixing?"

"FREEZE!" Everyone but one jumped in shock when that firm voice shouted from behind.

At least a dozen troopers suddenly appeared out of nowhere and blocked the exit. They all aimed their guns at the four. "Put your hands up!" Only three obliged.

"Fuck this." Kage didn't even bother complying and made a handseal. "Kai!"

Two floors above, the square shaped strips of explosive tags Kage had planted on the roof exploded. In a series of controlled destruction, a hole was instantly created right beneath where the tank was parked and down the tank goes to the floor below… and then the next set of explosive tags on the floor also ignited in perfect timing, and the Atilla carcass free fall through a series of freshly made holes across the train until it reached its destination…

When the same square shaped explosion erupted on the ceiling of the Main Engine room, the troopers only had time to look up when the tank fell right on top of their heads in a cascade of rubble, squashing them all to a blood splatter.

Jess, Kaite and Rygart gawked. "A… W… Wha… Whaaa…"

"Rygart-san!" Kage calm voice cut through the aftermath of the destruction. "Rygart-san! Remember why we're here?"

"…I… W… We're here to stop this train before it became a problem."

"And the only way we can do that, is by blowing up this main engine."

"This thing has no weapon left. And look at it! It's a wreck! I can't fix this thing anymore!" As Rygart said it: after free falling across two floors, the Tank is an irreparable junk. All of its guns were bent, its main cannon splayed open… the tank tracks are just gone, armor flayed apart. But the steam engine is still roaring…

"Turn it into a bomb."

"…what?" Rygart blinked several times to make sure he did not misheard that insanity. "Again?"

"Turn it into a bomb. If I know anything about advanced engineering, anything that explodes inside or out can be turned into a bomb. Turn this hunk of junk into a bomb."

"Excuse me, are you insane!?"

"Yes. I am. Turn it. Into. A bomb."

"…" Rygart opened his mouth to say something… but then he stopped. Shook his head in resignation… and get to work.

0000000-LACUS-0000000

The veterans and the officers of the 7th Division often had mixed feelings about their Captain's girlfriend. Their captain never let anyone see what's behind his mask, and this girlfriend of his took it ten levels higher, wearing a full suit of armor at all times. They've been explained the reason, so this was quickly overlooked. Besides, every day she's all prim and proper. So kind, so gentle, constantly cheerful, good with kids. If you're injured, you're in good hands. Other doctors would give up citing the lack of skills… she will stay with you through it all. If you're unlucky enough to die even with all that, she will try her best to remain at your side up until to your very last moments, with tender kindness and loving care.

She was such an angel, some had a hard time believing she's Kage's girlfriend.

Until they saw what she can do during Prankcraft.

It was all harmless pranks. That is true. No one was harmed. That's great. But the fact is… she was able to do ALL that… and no one, not even their captain can stop her. Imagine if she had more harmful ideas. Everyone dismissed any doubt by saying the Good Doctor would never even think of such a thing. Heck, she sealed herself in armor because she doesn't want to hurt anyone! Surely that's enough proof? Still… one can understand everyone's mixed feelings about all this…

So when the soldiers of the 7th division saw the Inquisitors dragged the doctor in chains… they're not exactly sure what to think.

The Inquisitors cuffed Hikari's hands, tied it with a rope and pulled her around the street at a distance. The Inquisitor seem intent on making a show out of this. "Right." The Inquisitor noted that now, there's enough people poking their heads to get a good look at the scene. "I think this is enough attention. Dr. Hikari… open your helmet!"

"My helmet? (koff)"

"We're well aware of your conditions. Lt. Simca had provided us insight over the limits and boundaries of your circumstances, I assure you, this is far enough, these onlookers and us will be quite safe from its effects." The Inquisitor gestured at Hikari's face. "Now… we asked you to ascertain to the people once and for all… the face you're trying to hide. Reveal your face and declare your name."

"Hm… I see. (Koff) As you wish. (koosssf…)" Hikari nodded. Then she started detaching several hoses, causing hiss of gas to expel out of the exhaust… and then she slowly took her helmet off.

The whole street held their breath in anticipation. Here it is… the grand unveiling of a woman worthy of being their Captain's girlfriend…

Hissshhh…

A long and wavy black hair unfurled from the helmet… and a girl with a pretty but plain face was revealed. She had freckles on her cheek. She's not ugly or anything. She's just... plain as day. "Hello. My original name is Meer Campbell. Nice to meet you all."

"…that was anticlimactic…" One of the soldier's couldn't help themselves before he immediately slap his rude mouth shut. She was just so… plain. "Uhh… sorry… ma'am."

"Well… what do you expect? I'm just a face. And my condition doesn't exactly allow people looking at my face."

"Awkward." The Inquisitor narrowed his eyes. "We have reports that said you have pink hair?"

"Oh… you mean this?" 'Meer' just plucked out the pink wig out of the helmet. "Part of the armor. Kept my hair from getting dirty and dusty. As for why it's pink, well, I liked the color."

The Inquisitor narrowed his eyes on the plain looking girl… he looked hardly convinced. Then he made a gesture… and out of nowhere, another Inquisitor approached and splashed a thimbleful of liquid allover Meer's face.

The audience twitched, whereas Meer only raised an eyebrow. In fact… she licked the liquid off her lips. "…Is this… alcohol solution?"

"A rather strong one. It won't… hurt you, much… but… it will dissolve clay or hair paint."

"I see. You know your trade well." 'Meer' smirked, the pain of alcohol burning her skin didn't seem to faze her. "Well…? See anything dissolving…?"

Pretty soon, the alcohol solution vaporized… no blemish. No scathe. Her face remained as plain as before.

"Satisfied?"

The Inquisitors looked at each other. Twice now, this girl is making a fool of them. Well then… fine. Let's see how she'll hold up in interrogation. "By the authority vested in me, I, Inquisitor of the 13th Division hereby place you, Meer Campbell AKA Dr. Hikari, under arrest for the crime of abduction of the Empress of China!" The Inquisitor howled as loud as he can, to as many ears as possible.

The audience gasped and looked at each other in disbelief. The only one who was hardly affected… was the 'black haired' doctor herself.

Soon, Hikari was brought into a small isolated dark room, with only a single candle in the middle. The Doctor, as was her wont, looked hardly disturbed. "Is there any Katsudon? (koff) Don't they usually serve Katsudon during interrogation? (koff)"

"Be quiet. We're the one asking questions here!"

"Shoot. (koff)"

"Let's start with something easy. Are you an Advanced?"

"Interesting start. (koff)"

"Excuse me?"

"You start with that question. (koff) Am I an Advanced? (Koff) That's your primary concern? (koff)"

"We're the one asking question here! Are you an ADVANCED?"

"…hm." Lacus sighed inside. "Yes. (koff) I am an Advanced. (koff)"

"What is your bloodline limit?"

"…it's difficult… I came from a rather minor nobility. (koff) Our Bloodline limit had weakened after generations. (koff) Hardly an issue. (koff)"

"What is your BLOODLINE LIMIT!?" One of the Inquisitor slammed the table. But Lacus didn't budge.

"You're feeling it right now. (koff)"

The Inquisitor jumped back in shock. "What… what did you do?"

"Not what I did. (koff) What you did. (koff) You just slammed the table… hear anything? (koff)"

"…" Now that she mentioned it… when the Temperamental Inquisitor slammed the table, they didn't hear anything. The Inquisitor looked at the table… then they noted what's different: she was placing the palm of her hand into that table.

"Anything I touch will stop producing sound. (koff) Hit it, kick it, drum it… no sound will come out. (koff)"

"Sound… Sound?" the Inquisitor frowned. "You're related to the Clynes?"

"Is a parrot related to a falcon? (koff)" Lacus was trying to say how her powers are insignificant next to the real Clyne.

"They are actually. Parrots and Falcons had hooked beaks. Recent research found they may share common ancestry as perching bird native from Gondswana-" When the other Inquisitor gave the bird squawking Inquisitor the look… he shut up.

But Lacus was decidedly very impressed. "Very impressive. (koff) You should consider a career in Ornithology. (koff) You'd do great! (koff)"

"Uh-hum!" The other Inquisitor cleared his throat. "We're getting off track. What do you know of… Kage…?"

"…what? (koff)" Lacus raised another eyebrow again. "I thought you were interrogating me? (koff) About me? (koff)"

"We're the one asking questions!"

"Indeed. (Koff) But I'm starting to wonder which directions you're heading with these… questions. (koff)"

"You… are testing our patience. When we asked questions you answer!"

"Do I know Kage? (koff) Have I not declared loud enough that I'm his girlfriend? (koff) What don't I know? (koff) Better yet, what do you want to know? (koff)"

"Who is he? Where did he come from?"

"I don't know."

"You're his girlfriend, and you don't know where he comes from?"

"Office love. (koff) We met at work. (koff) I had asked, he had yet to tell. (koff) And I respect and care for him enough… that I did not force it until he deigns to reveal it himself. (koff)"

"What is your work?"

"We're shinobis. (koff) We're spies. (koff) Yes, I admit it, I was a spy. (koff) And we spied on Zaft. (koff)"

"I don't follow?"

"Shinobis. (koff) You know of them yes? Orb ninjas. We are spread allover the globe. Hiding everywhere, sometimes in plain sight. Like Kage… I was assigned to spy on Zaft… hiding in a nobility household for a time. My being an Advanced just makes it quite easier for me to blend in."

"You admitted so easily that you are a spy?"

"WAS. WAS a spy …rule of a thumb: We only do our job for a limited period of time. After a while, protocol demands that we have to withdraw. Have another team take over. Avoid suspicion that way. I worked in Zaft for… umm… 3 years? Give or take? That was 7-8 years ago."

The Inquisitor diligently took note of everything Lacus said. "Can you give us an example of what you've gathered there?"

"Oh, my curious Inquisitor. That was 7-8 years ago. 7-8 years is a very long time. Enough time for things to change. If I learned anything… is that what I know today are mostly old news. AKA: Outdated. AKA: irrelevant. I'd be surprised if you don't already know them."

"Try us."

"Clynes are bankrupt? The Pope had died of a stroke? A new bill had been introduced for a new tax? That sort of thing strikes your fancy?"

"…what of your boyfriend? In a meeting with Lord Azrael you declared that his job had… forced him into a terrible circumstance. Did he break your so called protocol that he suffered so?"

"In a way. He knew the risk. If captured, our existence disavowed. Whatever pain befell us… we're on our own. Kage… got unlucky. Lucky for you… now he's so angry at Zaft… he's having fun killing them… if only you would stop getting in his way."

"If you used to spy on Zaft. Who you're spying on now?"

"I'm retired. I've had enough of espionage. Of secrets and subterfuge. I turned my focus on seeing and hearing things through microscope and stethoscope rather than through keyholes and wall cracks. Anyway… Does it matter?"

"It matters!"

"To whom? To what end? Sating your curiosity? Proving that your paranoia is justified?"

One of the Inquisitors finally ran out of patience and before anyone can stop him, he took a baton and beat the doctor by the face. He beat her so hard, she fell off her chair. "LISTEN YOU ADVANCED SCUM! YOU DO NOT ASK QUESTION! WE ASK-!"

Sss…

The angry Inquisitor's temper had yet to calm… already his ears register that sound… that telltale hissing sound…

Ssssssssssss…..

"Wh… Wha…"

Ssssssssssssssssssssss…!

The Inquisitors looked in horror at where that hissing sound came from. Hikari curled up… revealing the eye lens of her mask cracked… her miasma is leaking out.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHH!

"Get out… Kosssff!" As the hiss of death grew increasingly prevalent, Hikari barked as she scurried as far away from the Inquisitors as possible. "GET. OUT!"

The Inquisitors immediately turned tail and run. They cannot see the gas, they cannot smell it… but they have read the report of what they'll become once it enters their system. They held their breath, frantically banged the door, locked and bolted from outside by their own request. "OPEN THE DOOR!" Now they're shouting frantically to have them unbolted. It almost took too long for the blasted door to finally open. And when it did, they rushed out, and closed it back just as fast. Only then did they dare to breathe again.

And the first thing the Inquisitors do after they took a deep breath… is sock that stupid inquisitor whose temper nearly killed them all.

0000000-8 years earlier-0000000

Fortunately, Helena figured out the riddle later that midnight. Stop following Polaris the North Star, follow a straight road from Sirius, the brightest star in Canis Major, and head towards Bellatrix.

Don't stray. That's what he said.

Helena followed the trail before the sun is up. A straight road across the forest, do not stray. By the time morning arrived, she found the shack. Same building… different location. An abandoned overgrown shack… but as soon as she walked past the circle of mushroom…

The stove was lit, and a black cloaked figure with white mask is tending it, and a black two horned horse looming behind him menacingly. He shifted his attention from the fire ever so slightly at her presence. "Good. You've come. And you didn't stray. Well done."

"What happens if I had strayed?"

Before Noir can answer, a blood curdling screams of pain echoed from the far distance from where Helena came from. The trees groaned and roared loudly, coupling the sound of bodies breaking with each scream. The little girl paled, realizing the answer to her question.

"You were followed. Next time, you'll have to be more careful."

"No. There won't be next time." Helena smirked as she unfurled her baggage. A rolled up tent. "Because I'm staying here for the duration."

"WHAT!?"

The one who squealed is not the Judge. The barely clothed Lacus ran out of the shack with a flustered face. Second time's the charm, this time Helena was well aware of the pink haired princess' eccentrics and was no longer fazed. "Consider it my commitment. I won't run again."

"Good." Lacus was clearly perplexed that Noir agreed without a second thought. "With one condition." Noir gestured at the tent Helena prepared. "I'm using that tent. You share the bunk with Lacus."

Helena jerked in slight surprise and shyly mused. "Gladly. But if I had known that, I'd… bring you a more comfortable tent." She blushed.

"This is comfortable enough."

Noir's ice cold reply stumped Helena at first, causing her concern if she had made some offense, but Lacus, now fully clothed, simply tapped her to ease her worry. "Judges don't do comfort."

"Uhh…"

Noir brought out their breakfast, waffle, bacon and eggs. "We'll get to work as soon as we finished eating."

As soon as they finished their meal, they immediately opened that horrific book once again. Helena soon found out that Noir had progressed much further from where they left off, the Judge and Lacus had continued on without her after her departure, showing that Helena was not the only one with full mastery of Elvish. Noir courteously apologized: "I'm sorry if you feel left out, but we are working against the clock, so we cannot afford to wait."

Helena stoically accepted the apology, and now reaffirms her resolve to make up for her failings and prove herself to the Judge… and showed the competition that she won't back down so easily. "Which chapter have you reached?"

"…we're starting on Death of the Warrior."

Helena gulped. Before yesterday, this was her least favorite chapter. "Okay. Let me help."

Noir tilted his head, as if wanting to be sure if she's sure about this, but then he just nodded. "In that case, Helena can help me with this chapter, Lacus you had the copy of the next chapter, the Rise of the Deceiver, you can begin analyzing that one; that will save us a lot of time."

"Right away…" Lacus grumpily sulked as she began her work while Helena happily snuggled up next to the Judge too close to Lacus' liking.

The next chapter is, as titled, depicted the death of the Warrior. Some versions that Helena had read depicted the death to be very violent but glorious and heroic. The Warrior led an assault into a fortress, but a stray arrow struck him, injuring him, weakened him until he was overrun by overwhelming enemy onslaught. But here in this book, maybe out of spite or just plain honesty, it was depicted to be very anti climatic. While leading a siege, an unnamed elfish cook from the fortress tried to fire a bolt from an idle crossbow while his comrades ate their supper. By dumb luck or coincidence, the bolt struck the Warrior's throat who was leading at the front. He choked to death within minutes before the physician can get to him, and the siege was ceremoniously called off into a general, inglorious retreat. Adding insult to injury, the Elves was preparing a white flag before this had happened.

This unceremonious death saw the end of human's aggressive expansion. That place, where the Warrior fell, that was it. Humanity's foothold in Alpheim never expanded any further beyond that point, and the Elves named the fortunate Fortress: Warrior's Rest. The Warrior's death paved the rise to his brother, the one they call the Deceiver.

"I hate him." Helena stated immediately. "And I think if you read more about him, you would too."

"For the moment, keep your prejudice out of the context."

"Y… Yes, Master."

And over the course of several days, the trio of children continued to study this segment of the Chronicle extensively. And with Helena and Lacus pining to help the Judge as much as possible (with the Judge none the wiser as to why), Noir cleverly switched partners with every chapter. For example, as soon as he finished analyzing the last Chapter of the Warrior's funeral, he assigned Helena to study subsequent chapter as he reviewed the other chapter with Lacus. And then vice versa.

The Deceiver, as the name implies, next to the Warrior is like Chalk and Cheese. During the Warrior's reign, the Deceiver served as an advisor of sorts, always acting behind the scenes. The death of his brother forced him into the forefront, but his reign saw him facing challenges quite different to what his brother had faced. The Warrior is a martial king with a simple might makes right philosophy. What his people need, he take. But his warpath had devastated not only much of the Alpheim's population, but also their own. By the time the Deceiver took the reins, he was faced with a people so ravaged by the Warrior's warmongering; even the most warlike among them had been sickened by the bloodshed. Their military might had been completely reduced to just a fraction of what it had been. Humanity had expanded and controlled vast lands in the Magical realm, but they barely had the resources needed to keep it.

And so the Deceiver played the defensive game, pulled back all the frontlines, and recalled all of their warriors. Likewise, the enemy also retreated, taking stock of their losses and try to recover from the damage. It was easy for the Deceiver to surmise that the enemy will return faster than humanity can recover. So he took a different approach. He studied their enemies. Intensively. During the war, the Alpheans were united against a common enemy, humanity. But, he quickly noticed that it was, at best, an uneasy alliance between what usually be bitter mortal enemies. Humanity was the greater of two evils, so they direct their enmity towards them. But the moment the greater evil was weakened to the lesser, this coalition was quick to collapse on itself. And so he began to study the multitude of species that are the Alpheans. And he came to understand the division, the cracks of their society, old rivalries and bitter hatred between species: the master-slave relationship between Orcs and Goblins, the bitter hatred between Dwarves and Goblins, Lizardmen's mysterious religious zeal that was frowned upon by other races, Merfolks deep rooted hatred to the surface dwellers, etc, etc… He saw these frictions, these vulnerabilities, and saw how it can be manipulated to his benefit.

"Clever."

"Clever!?" Helena gawked.

"Understanding your enemy is basic military tactics 101. I don't know if the Warrior didn't have a chance to do this, or it just wasn't in his character, but… if it were me, this is what I would've done from the start. Study them. Understand them."

"But… look what he did with it! He divided them! He manipulated them! Incite them to turn against one another!"

"Then it's their fault to fall into their baser instincts." Noir coldly replied. "Besides… I used Dwarfs' hatred of Goblins to send them on a warpath. It's not my place to criticize the Deceiver."

Helena wrinkled in shock. She did not expect this. Noir glanced at Helena's concerned look and he sighed. "Helena, I'm not saying I approve with how he used these information to deceive and lie." The Judge's tone was distinctly softer and kinder than he had ever been, soothing Helena. "But… I do approve that… the first thing to do before you fight an enemy… is to study them. To understand them. That's how we do this. We take in the best that we can learn from the Deceiver, but leave out the bad parts, taking caution we do not take in the worse aspect of his character."

"I… I understand." Helena became ever more flustered. And Lacus grew increasingly annoyed.

"Now. Let's continue."

While the way the Deceiver used them earned him scorn from friends and foes alike, it was undeniable that the Deceiver's research granted humanity a greater understanding of Alpheim and its inhabitants. For example, he was the first one who understands why there are three dialects of Elvish. Fact is, he was the first human who mastered Elvish language, in all three dialects.

"They were originally one people." Lacus explained. "Then… in an event known as the Sundering, the Elves split into three distinct societies. You've already met one of them, the Sylphan Elves of the Woodland realm. And then, there's the Tareldar, High Elves… and the Moriquendi, or Dark Elves. They become so different with each other, even their language changed drastically."

"Hm." Indeed, around this time, Noir began to notice a change in language. Up until this point, the majority of the content was written in the Sylphan dialect… but now… most of the entries are now written in what Lacus and Helena recognized as the Moriquendi dialect, Dark Elves'. The letter, the grammar, the alphabet, even the intonation underwent a drastic change. Noir was just getting a hang of the Sylphan language, now he had to relearn the language from scratch. "Talk about a hassle… why did we see a lot of Dark Elf entries during the Deceiver's reign?"

"Maybe because the Deceiver tend to move in the shadows? The Dark Elves often shifted in the darkest corner of the world, often times seeing things that most people would rather have unseen."

"…?" Noir frowned.

The Deceivers reign is less bloody than his elder brother. However, he soon became the most hated character in the chronicle. Bloodthirsty and warmongering as he was, the Warrior nevertheless still command respect as a peerless warrior with his own sense of honor that the warrior caste of Alpheim can relate to. The Deceiver, on the other hand, was outright despised by all walks of life of all magical beings because of his masterminding of what is now known as the most despised event in Alpheim: Name Hunting. These being the source of one of the most hate filled title the Deceiver earned:

"Name Stealer?" Noir tilted his head in confusion. "He stole identities?"

"No. Much worse than that."To the surprise of the girls, the Bicorn spoke. "Every Magical Being in Alpheim has two names. One given to them by their parents at their birth, this, they may share in public. But the other, is a secret name they were born with. The name they have known since the very beginning of their existence. This name defines them. Define their very being. If you know this name, to speak of it is to invoke its power… the power of the very being whose name being called."

"So you're saying… True Name is like… a slave collar? If I know your true name I can just tell you whatever I want you to do, and you can't say no to that?"

"I wish it was something so childish. True Name pertains not just the Magical Being's power and will… but also their very existence. The very fabrics of their being."

"…what do you mean?"

At this juncture, the Bicorn swished away. "I've said too much. To not understand this is to your credit. For the moment… I will say no more. It's not something you should understand. That goes for all of you!"The Bicorn stomped his hoof menacingly at the other readers of this chronicle as warning. "Thread… very… carefully. If you overstep your boundaries, Unicorn Horn be damned, I will take extreme measures to stop you."

The Bicorn's menacing and grim tone were heavily laced with murderous determination. A gentle way of saying: cross this line and you die. The air became heavy and everyone, even Noir, swallowed a gulp.

"You know what? Let's take a day off." The sun was almost past its midpoint, and today they were so embroiled with the chronicle, Noir didn't have time to prepare lunch. "…let's visit Madame Helga. It's been a while." To make his point, Noir closed the book shut and make his way towards the Titanbane Armor. As soon as he put it on, fluffy parts burst out of the seams, and the weapon transformed back into the harmless Bert suit.

"You're coming?" Noir always assumed the Bicorn is the type who dislikes public appearances, even if he's on bodyguard duty.

"You've fidelius charmed the whole shack and now it changes location every hour. If I don't leave, I'm a prisoner, if I leave, I'll never find it again without you." The Bicorn groaned.

Little did everyone know, this little change of location is a turning point that will shock the world to its very foundations.

"Hmmm… Well… if you people don't mind… truth be known, I'm going to take a LOT of detour today."

"Detour?"

"Yeah… C.C. sent me a letter from an old friend this morning… while you two were still sleeping." Noir revealed a letter. "Said something about things going well on his end. I want to see it myself."

"Things going well?" Lacus perked.

First they went to the market… there seem to be a ruckus there…

"Oi! What's with these prices of these vegetables!?"

"What seems to be the problem?"

"Isn't it a bit too… expensive?"

"Dear Customer, I prithee patience. These vegetables were grown using an experimental method in this country. What you're seeing here, this is all I can sell at the moment. But, in the near future, I will perfect the method for mass production, then I can squeeze my price down."

"What so special about these vegetables?"

"They're homegrown… and have no magic."

"Huh?" The customers jaw dropped. "You're lying?"

"I swear on the Deep Magic, this is the truth. The method which I used to grow it is unusual I grant you, but… there's not a single drop of magic in it. As proof… there." The peculiar greengrocer pointed the most unlikely of items. A pile of rotten vegetables.

"They're rotten!"

"Exactly. I don't use any magic to even preserve them, so they don't last long. But they're fresh! Guaranteed!"

"Well… I guess I'll try some!" "Me too!" "Me too!"

Noir watched this and nodded in approval. "Nice."

"Who is that?"

"…his name is Dr. Graham Sprout."

"…the botanist!?" Lacus gawked. "That missing botanist!?"

"Yes. And he's also… the pioneer in this technique he called Hydroponic Farming. In theory… if his technique can be perfected, he can grew organic vegetables anywhere."

"Why is he here?"

"Because in Aprillus, he's dead." Noir stated simply. "In Aprillus, his research took a lot funds… he fell in the wrong crowd, hip deep in debt… and suddenly he had killer loan shark on his tail. We faked his death, changed his name and face… which reminds me, his name is now Monte Fazulala."

"Okay, who thought up that name!?"

"No comment." Noir also liked what he saw and move away to another location. And they start hearing people shouting.

"NO! NOOO! ARE YOU A RETARD OR SOMETHING!? WE DON'T DO PLUMBING THAT WAY SINCE… SINCE SOME HALF A CENTURY AGO!"

Lacus jerked yet again as the loud angry scream is stinging her ears a bit.

The source came from this angry burly men screaming and shouting to a bunch of confused workers.

"THEY TOLD ME I HAD TO USE LOCAL WORKERS, BUT YOU GUYS ARE IMPOSSIBLE! IMPOSSIBLE I TELL YOU!" the man took a deep breath and then: "Okay. Let's do this again, and for the love of God, listen!"

"W… Who is that?" Lacus plugged her ears and looked at Noir for explanation… lo, he already taken the liberty of plugging his ears before her.

"His name is Zhang Xiao Yang. An Engineer with a temper and a heck of a voice. But very, very good, especially regarding water plumbing and sewer work. When he found out his company is cheating people with shoddy construction works, he blew the whistle. We barely rescued him just before they tossed him into the sewers, wearing concrete shoes."

Now, Lacus began to see a pattern. She looked another way, and she saw a school with a teacher she had never seen, teaching arithmetic to a group of adults who are willing to listen…

"Her name is Mrs. Wenda McGonagall. A governess. Took a wrong turn in the alley and witnessed a street execution. Got framed for it. We rescued her, but she lost her job with her reputation in ruins. At least in Aprillus. Looks like she found a good one here."

Another way, he saw a short man proudly arranging an array of marbled meat as he yelled about their top quality…

"That swine seller is Barnaby Flitwick. Pig farmer. He accidentally discovered the perfect crossbreeding technique that produced top quality pig that is resistant to illness, nutritious, easy to nurture, and multiplies very fast. Framed for meat poisoning incident by a corrupt Antibiotic Pharmacy who tried to steal his secret. Cleared his name, but his flock was destroyed. Took a while for him to restore it back, but he needed a new market, particularly one that won't be trying to steal and sabotage his life's work every day. So we send him here."

"We…?" Lacus chuckled. "Rosso. That was the list you gave to Rosso that night." Lacus chuckled. All these experts and masters of their craft… botanist, breeders, farmers, engineers, teachers… talented men and woman that Februarius will sorely need in the near and far future. "They owe you their lives and you bring them here so that they can return the favor?"

"…what favor?"

"Excuse me?"

Noir shrugged. "…I didn't save anyone. Wasn't part of my job."

"Job?"

"I'm a Judge… I'm the Jury, the Warden… I arrest the criminals. That's all I do. But there is nothing I could do for… for whatever's left of the victim." Noir looked at the people in the market. "They were victims… now they're survivors, but still victims. You know all about Ashem. Graham Sprout had to change his name, so he'll never be able to see his family again. Zhang Xiao Yang lost his twin brother, killed by mistake when they hit the wrong person. Mrs. McGonagall lost his teaching license and had to leave behind the school she spent half her life in. Barnaby's Wife died along with their unborn son when she ate a poisoned pig meat that was meant for him. I caught the criminals, so what? Their lives are still ruined. They owe me nothing." Noir sighed. "We owed it to them. Now Februarius is changing and will see explosive growth in near future. There will be plenty of new opportunities for everyone. New life in an honest country. Bringing them here might be the first time I do them some good as a Judge. I hope."

Helena was jaw hung… and she smiled. "…anyone else to join the ride?"

"Plenty more where that comes from. Aprillus is a giant shithole where childish dreams and unrecognized talent got sunk into the shadows and oblivion. Dreams we can't salvage. But talent… those… may… or may not… still be usable."

That's not what Helena meant. Lacus quickly steps in. "What about you, Noir-kyun?"

"…me?"

"You think you might have a place here?" Lacus chuckled. "Food critic is a pretty honorable job!"

"Ha." Noir chuckled. "You know, contrary to popular beliefs… I do have a life behind this mask."

"Oh? What's it like?" Helena asked innocently.

"It's…-!" As soon as the first word came out, Noir jerked in shock. He glared at the two innocent girls and shook his head. He was so absent minded, he was THAT close on mindlessly spilling something he shouldn't have. Thankfully, the three laws only prohibit people from telling lies, not keeping secrets. He quickly got a hold of himself: "That's classified."

The two girls moaned an "Aww…"

Noir sighed. "Enough. Let's go see Madame Helga now."

0000000-8 years later-0000000

"Our people will be forever grateful for your efforts, Master Rosso." Everyone bent their heads down to the other unsung Hero of Februarius.

"Posh. All I did was look for some people and arrange their transport." Rosso smiled remembering the work he had to do back then, both as Rosso and as Athrun Zala. One of those rare times when a work as a Judge is so spiritually rewarding. "Even if I can send the right people for the job, without support of the local people, it would be for naught. Talents should be nurtured. Resources should be used. Those people would just rot away into nothing in Aprillus."

"Back then… we still had no idea just how bad Aprillus really is…" Fayt sighed. "I mean… those people you brought into Februarius are now important pillars of Februarius. Ms. McGonagall is now the head of the Board of Februarius Education department, uncle Zhang is with Urban Development, and Madame Helga always bought her Iberian pig from uncle Flitwick, who always gave her discount, what's with him being that insanely rich after he remarried."

"All in all… they did well."

"Yes… But it does make us all wonder why Aprillus pushed these amazing guys away…"

"Aprillus is many things. Kind isn't one of them." Athrun, an Aprillan himself, can pretty much attest to this. It is not a place for the weak and the hopeful. On the surface, it seems advanced and ordered… but looked past it, and beneath the glamour are anarchy and deceit. The cheapest thing in Aprillus is human life. 30 murders happened every hour, even with Judge Ministrations. Corruption of every denomination happened at every level from top to bottom. Only the most cunning can survive either its upper crust or its underbelly…

0000000-LACUS-0000000

They waited 15 minutes to make sure and prepare. When they reentered that room, the Inquisitors now wisely wear a gas mask. They saw the Doctor had also somehow fixed the damage to her mask. She put a chewing gum on the crack, sealing it.

"That was… (koff) uncalled for. (koff)"

"You're PUSHING!" The Inquisitor barked. "What do you think this is!? A tea party!? This is an INTERROGATION! We are interrogating YOU!"

"On what, I wonder. (koff)"

"What?"

"I surrendered to this interrogation, because I believe I'm admitting to a crime. (koff) And yet throughout this so called Interrogation, not a single question was asked regarding my crime. (koff) So let me ask you back. (koff) What are you hoping to achieve here? (koff)"

The Inquisitors looked at one another. This is weird. Ever since the start of this questioning, it's like they're not in control of the flow at all. Normally, most people would've caved by now… and yet this girl… her voice had been calm and firm throughout. Not an ounce of fear. The only time she showed fear was when her poison is leaking, and even then she wasn't afraid for herself, but for them. And… she was right. They're not asking the right question… Kage isn't the reason why they brought her here. Not yet anyway.

"Very well." The Lead Inquisitor took a deep breath and sat. "I'll get straight to the point. Did you kidnap the Empress of China?"

"Finally we're getting started. At last." Lacus sighed. "And kidnap. Such a strong word."

The Inquisitor glared. No more messing around.

"To be precise, how do you define kidnapping?" Lacus lazily moaned. "To my understanding, kidnapping implies I've removed someone from its rightful custody without permission, with little to no intention of returning that someone without proper incentive aka ransom. Firstly… I made no such demands. And secondly, if you ask Xing Ke, you'll find I've made a promise to return her this evening."

"Where is she?"

"Safe. Placed her in the safest place I can think of."

"Which is… where?"

"…they didn't tell you?"

"Excuse me?"

"They already know where it is. I didn't move it. Still in that obnoxious White sphere at the center of town." Lacus sighed. "This is awkward. First they didn't tell you about the Empress, now they didn't tell you about where she is…? What else they didn't tell you, I wonder."

"This isn't about them!"

"It never was, wasn't it? It's not even about me. It's about the Empress."

"…that YOU kidnap! Don't try to change the subject!"

"I'm NOT. I took her away from her home in the Forbidden Place and now she's in harm's way because of me. I've placed the Empress inside an indestructible sphere… one problem: she can't get out."

"…what?"

"THIS is what the confession is all about. See… I'm a Witch, as I'm sure you already know. And I invented this spell of isolation chamber… a safehouse. The thing is… it's too good. Too… isolated. I've created a completely impregnable fortress that I, the creator can freely get in and out… BUT I forget to take into account on guests! The spell allowed ME and ME alone to get in or out… but the Guests are now trapped inside it!"

The Inquisitors were jawhung. "And those guests included the Empress?"

"And Lt. Simca. Yes. Normally, I'd take the time to unravel my magic bit by bit… but… the spell is quite complex, by my estimation, it'll take me a week."

"Then GET STARTED!"

"I can't wait that long. Not only because I've made a promise with Lt. Xing Ke… Tien Zi and Simca will suffocate to death before I can even begin."

"WHAT!?"

"You see… this Safehouse… is extremely isolated. Too isolated that even air cannot get in… Now, NORMALLY, there's enough air in it to last 3 months. BUT… with everything that has happened, and I had to erect that spell in such a haste… a few mishap happened. Now there's barely enough air in there to last an hour. Especially for two people."

"An… HOUR!?"

"Oh… By the way… when I said an hour… I meant an hour… ever since this whole conversation started. So… that means we're down to… half an hour left."

"WAIT!" One of the Inquisitor followed. "Why are you here? Why did you come here and bring this problem to us!?"

"I… have a way to break in. But that will require the help of a certain kind of people. People I believe you had in your umm… membership."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well… I've heard rumors. The 13th Division isn't just any normal Alliance division. You guys originated from the Witch Hunters from the olden days during the Holocaust. Nasty stuff you did to my kind. But… there's one type of people that you Inquisition employed judiciously against Witches and Wizards. I'd like to borrow those people."

"Bullshit!" The Inquisitor growled. "That's bullshit! I bet you can undo that spell anytime you wished!"

"If I can do that, I wouldn't be here with a chewing gum on one of my visors!" Lacus growled back. "I'm a witch. And you're all Witch Hunters! Do you understand just how DESPERATE I am that I actually came here ASKING my natural enemies for help!?"

"And you'll be DEAD!" The Inquisitor pointed a gun at Lacus's face, but she didn't budge. "If you die, the spell will unravel!"

"If you think breaking a spell from a living Witch is hard enough… try breaking a dead one. But it's moot. I die or live… we don't get my guests out of that Sphere in… 20 minutes… China will need a new Empress."

If Lacus can see the skin behind the gas masks of the stunned Inquisitors, they'd be as pale as paper.

At its core, the Alliance primary leadership is composed of the five leaders of the World Nations that supported it. China's Fire Empress is one of them. Losing just one is essentially a disaster. Every rank and file knew at least that much.

Then again… Lacus… and quite a few, knew something else most don't. That the Eunuchs tried their best to be rid of the Empress. And if they can blame that to someone else… that would be perfect. But… most of the soldiers, and the public, wouldn't know that. They cannot know. After all, the Eunuchs's right to rule is completely reliant on the sanctity of the Royal Bloodline. If the public finds out the Eunuchs were trying to kill their own monarch, the whole country will fell into chaos. The Takeuchi twins, hired assassins of the Eunuchs, knew about this, most certainly. Did the 13th Division knew of this? Perhaps. Will they let it happen? Probably. They can easily blame that on her… Which is why Lacus had shouted out loud across all Shanghai that she had kidnapped the Empress. She had let the entire city know that the Empress of China is in Shanghai right now. Even though they may not know what she looked like… at least they know she's one of the most important person in the world.

And… then, she surrendered and let the 13th captured her, and if things couldn't get any better, they've made a public show out of it. And in this rested the lynchpin of Lacus' plan.

Broadly speaking, every foot soldier in any army of the Alliance or Zaft is expendable in grander scheme of things. Being a politician of Aprillus herself, Lacus knew this disgusting truth better than anyone: to save their hide, any politicians and big wigs would easily sacrifice any piece on the board. Pawns are the easiest. Now the 13th knew this one unavoidable fact, more than anyone. In normal circumstances, they can easily shift the blame to the 7th. After all, Hikari is the 7th Captain's girlfriend. It should've been dead easy. This is true even in the best of scenario. But they've also made ONE big mistake: they've made a public show of force for her arrest. They've carelessly placed themselves in limelight. Now everybody knows that she had kidnapped the Empress… and the 13th division had her in their custody… and this case is officially, and publicly known, to have been taken under the 13th Division's jurisdiction… If something were to go wrong…

Normally, they would never do it so publicly. But ever since Kage killed their charge, Alejandro Corner… and got away with it to boot… the 13th were desperately trying to restore some of their credibility to their masters, the Logos. It's been failure after failure, and now suddenly, before the blood is dry… another major disaster is rearing its ugly head right in their faces.

Ignore the fact on who must shoulder the most blame, ignore the fact that this Empress is a child, hell… ignore the fact that even her own Ministers were trying to kill her. The point is this: If a monarch died because of a mishap happened in a case that everyone knew is being directly handled by the 13th division, public outrage will demand a HELL to pay. And because of their public show, there will be no redirecting this blame to anyone else. If the Empress dies as the result of their inaction, the 13th… maybe not all of them, but every individual who are directly involved in it… they will be disavowed, sent onto the chopping block. That Lacus' head will definitely be the first on that chopping block is not the issue. The issue is the scale. That and the PR disaster. A Logos dying under their protection is bad enough… to quell the outrage that will happen if a head of state dies… that goes beyond chopping blocks.

To restore public trust, the Logos will need someone to blame. And the entire 13th Division stood well within the blast range. Without Logos backing, they'll be surrounded by enemies. Other Divisions that they had wronged will smell blood on water and demand their pound of flesh, and this time the Logos will not be there to protect them. This desperation… this need to survive, to prove to their unforgiving masters the worth of their existence… Compounded with the understanding of their bleak fate, desperation and self interest will overrule their reason and caution. Making them easily suggestible. This is beyond what the Takeuchi twins could perceive. But Lacus… with her multiple degrees in Psychology… she can easily grasp this mentality within the first few minutes of that ridiculous interrogation.

She have dealt with far worse in Aprillus' Political arena.

And now… "Right… ummm… may I make one more suggestion?" Lacus raised a finger.

Now they'll dance in the palm of her hands.

"What!?"

"Give me some of your agents to escort me, and I will bring them straight to where I left the Sphere. When you find the twins, bring them there… where I'll be waiting, and that'll save us time."

In desperation, even a sliver of hope will blind anyone.

In 5 minutes, the request was fulfilled… just one problem. When Lacus and two 13th division agents arrived in the spot where Lacus knew she had placed the Shut-in Heaven sphere… it's gone.

"Okay… where is it?"

"…oh my god… those IDIOTS…" Lacus surmised one thing… as she watched all this destruction around the spot where she had parked her Shut-in Heaven Sphere. The area surrounding where the Sphere was had been clean cut. At the center of all this destruction… is a vacant lot. No sphere. "They've… carted it away… ripped the foundations off the whole surroundings while they're at it."

"Who?"

"…I've been wondering about this…" Lacus tilted a look at the agent. "…but who reported on me? Who would gain from all these distractions!?"

"You could just move it away! You're the witch here!"

"We could argue about this all day. Take me into watchful custody if you will, it doesn't change my prognosis. You have 15 minutes left! FIND THEM!"

"EMERGENCY! WE HAVE EMERGENCY! GET EVERY OPERATIVE OUT THERE NOW! FIND THE TWINS! ENLIST THE 7TH, ENLIST THE 10TH! I DON'T CARE! BRING IN EVERYBODY!"

00000000000000

"Aprillus is… not a place for honesty… or ideals." Rosso sighed.

"…ideals… huh…" Salazar frowned.

"…hm?" Rosso noticed that

"…Master Rosso-" Salazar had just said a word, but Godric immediately cut him off. "No." Godric glanced a look at Salazar. "We were completely in the wrong."

"It was a misunderstanding-"

"Just the same." Hugo shrugged. "We always knew it was wrong. We kept quiet about it… it wasn't until he pointed it out. That is our mistake."

Rosso shrugged. "…what… happened? What are we talking about it here? What did you do to Noir?"

"Nothing!" Salazar responded. "We… we simply offered him a good will-"

"Salazar! Enough!" Godric snapped. "…Hugo… You might want to do the honors-?"

"Of course." Hugo took a sip to prepare himself. "…by that time… we always thought Master Noir's integration to our society was… quite complete. So… we're no longer averse to offering him things that we thought, at least, in our opinion, not in poor taste. And… we really didn't mean him offense."

"Of course."

"It's just… his response when we found how wrong we were… shocked us."

0000000-8 years earlier-0000000

Guinevere's manor underwent a drastic change since they last came here. Its many statues, excessive garlands, and all of the ostentatious decorations were mostly gone. The children were playing happily in the now spacious garden, with Helga and family looking over them. There's also Godric and Rowena with them. All cheered when they saw Bert coming.

"Master Noir! So happy you can join us!" Godric beamed.

"You guys seem to be doing okay." Noir surmised as much seeing everyone smiling happily at him.

"This place is wonderful. It has space, it has… almost everything. No offense, Lacus-sis." Fayt grinned at Lacus.

"How's your research going?" Rowena asked as she patted Helena's head.

"We're doing great. Still couldn't find what we're after but Helena's been great help."

Rowena proudly ruffled Helena's hair and the girl smiled with a blush.

"Still… it's amazing you guys managed to refurbished so much of this place with so few people in such a short time… did you hire workers or did Balthazar send in some help?"

"Uh, no… this place came with some… perks..." Helga chuckled.

"A… Ah… Mistress…!?"

A tiny voice peeped from below Helga's waist. Everyone turned to the source… and Noir gaped in horror. "W… What is that!?"

"Ah! Speak of the Devil." Helga quickly directed everyone attention to the little creature beneath her. "This, Master Noir, is a House Elf."

"House Elf?"

"Guinevere had scores of them inside the house. Too many, in fact. I've been thinking maybe I should give this one to you, Master Noir."

"Hold the phone!" Noir looked at this pathetic creature at his feet. He looked like goblin, but… all skin and bones, naked and shivering, with sickly brown skin on shriveled limbs. He was so pathetic it nauseates him. "Before you went and give me anything… what's a House Elf!?" Noir raised his voice too high for everyone's liking. For some reason, he seems offended.

Something the House Elf seems to notice. After a moment of fretting, the poor creature grabbed a vase and start hitting himself with it.

"Wha… STOP!" Noir rushed and grabbed the Elf before he can swing his bulbous head into that vase again. "Stop hitting yourself!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'll iron my hands in penance later, Master! I'm sorry!"

"Iron your-What!?" Noir gawked. He looked angrily at everyone. "Can someone explain to me what THIS IS!?"

"Lower your voice, Noir! He thinks you're angry at him!" Lacus explained.

"He thinks…!?" Noir looked back at this terrified creature in his hands. "Well, I'm angry alright, but not at him!" He shot everyone an angry look. "Somebody start explaining before I start another fucking war!"

The Bicorn perked.

Everyone looked at each other, but Lacus quickly explained: "House Elf is… a race of magical workers. Named so because they tend to live in houses, at least one in every magical house, and their purpose in life is to serve its inhabitants. They watch over it, care for the family who lived in it… Basically performing every household duty as ordered by the master of the house."

"Okay… and none of you ever think about at least giving the poor naked creature some CLOTHES!?"

Noir just said something wrong, because the poor creature in his hand suddenly went completely ballistic. "NO! NOOO ! NOOO! NO CLOTHES! PLEASE GOOD MASTER! NO CLOTHES! NO CLOTHES!" He threw a violent tantrum, kicking and bashing his head in such panicked fervor against his captor, Noir was forced to let go and watched the horrified creature scurry into the shadows.

"W… What did I say?"

"You said Clothes." Lacus mournfully replied. "House Elves hate clothes."

"What!? Why?"

"Because if you give them clothes, they go free… that's like being… fired. And they love their job. Like… REALLY love them. Giving them clothes is equivalent to being fired with dishonor, so… yeah, they hate clothes."

"Ah… I… see…" Noir sighed. "How much did you pay them?"

Lacus knew her next honest answer will make things go from bad… to worse. "We don't pay them. They also consider payment as an insult."

Everyone can just about imagine the Judge's red angry face turned completely incandescent. "So… you're saying… it's slave labor!? And you're saying every house in this place have at least ONE OF THEM!?" Noir's rage unwitting triggered something and the fluffy Bert suit folded in, transforming into the horrifying charred black Titanbane that shook with barely containable fury. "You know, last I checked, slave labor is illegal, even in Aprillus!"

"I… we… try to treat them as kindly as possible-"

"Like forcing him to bash his own head with a vase? Like IRONING HIS HANDS!?"

"I'd never do that!" Helga temper flared slightly seeing Noir's fury is scaring the children. "They used to be Guinevere's servants. I imagine… they behave like that because-"

"Because Guinevere treated them that way in the past. But you don't get to behave that way spontaneously unless there are practical examples at routine basis!" Noir looked like he's about to explode… until he realized everyone is looking up at him… literally. He's towering them all. That's when he realized in his rage, he reverted back to his distinctly scarier Titanbane form. He looked around and noticed the children cowered in fear, some are on the verge of crying. Even a sneak peek of Noir in his worst day was the stuff of nightmares for the criminal elements of Aprillus, it's far too much for children.

Realizing that his anger had made him an unwelcome monster amidst undeserving innocent bystanders, Noir shook his head, grabbed the book and turn away to leave.

"Master Noir!?"

"Leave me alone! I need solitude!" Noir growled and jumped away to incredible distance, far away from the stunned audience.

0000000

Lacus and Helena ran across the street looking for the wayward Judge. Helena, in particular, was in panic. She never saw this coming, that the Judge would be so offended by something most Mages in Februarius consider a kindness. "Judge Noir won't be leaving Februarius now, will he?"

"And where did that come from?" Lacus spat back just as quickly. "He got work to do here, it is not in him to leave a task halfway through." She closed her eyes and focused. She had memorized the Judge's distorted vital signs inside and out. Now she can locate him anywhere in the city. "Found him."

They found the unmistakable silhouette of Noir's titanbane armor perched on a gargoyle statue of a tower a few dozen stories off the ground. How did he manage to get there without the ability of flight was anyone's guess. But he was not alone.

The Bicorn is also up there next to him. They seem to be… talking with each other.

"What are they saying?"

"…"

0000000

"Why did you come here?"

"I don't know."The Bicorn telepathic voice echoed audibly. "Maybe I'm just being strange. After that Troll market incident, many of my colleagues questioned my sanity about why I let a human, a Muggle no less, rode on my back. I question my reason every day since. Can't be because of my Queen ordered me to help you any way possible… and certainly not because of how determined you are in regards to my mate."

"…did you find out the reason now?"

"…all I can say… is that you are a very strange person. Not like the others. The amount of things you knew… is staggering. The same goes for the things you don't know. You really shouldn't be so hard on your friends. They did not think what they're doing is insulting. They meant it as a form of kindness, not malice."

"I know they don't. But I find it problematic that for all their lack of common sense, none of them consider the idea of trading a living thing to another like it's a hand me down object to be… disturbing."

Bicorn grunted. "Bicorns and Unicorns are empaths. We can feel emotions. And there were no malice whatsoever in their intention. It was an innocent mistake. No more different than what you've done to me."

"Explain?"

"You call my Mate, 'Wife' as your attempt to be polite. But Wife and Husband terminology are human invention that still separate male and female, even though they're supposed to be united in matrimony. We call our partners 'mate', regardless of gender, because they are one with us. So alas, I have you know, calling my mate 'wife' is actually derogatory."

"It was not my intent to offend."

"Just as your friends had no intention to offend you. I felt their innocence and well intention, just as I felt yours. Even with your Distortion Cloak, you still wear your emotions on your sleeves. And that's how I find you very strange." The Bicorn shrugged. "You asked me this morning, what do I mean with True Name can affect the fabrics of our very being?" The Bicorn gestured. "That House Elf…that pathetic creature… was once the being we would call the Tareldar. The High Elves, the fairest of all Magical Beings."

"…what!?"

"The Deceiver's Name Hunting… is his method of trying to hunt down True Names of all magical creatures. And this is his greatest desecration: he used foul craft and blasphemous ritual to corrupt the True Names of an entire dynasty of the proud and mighty High Elf Royalty and devolved them, body and mind, into this… ruined form of life." The Bicorn growled. "Adding insult to injury, the Deceiver didn't do this because of some revenge or hate or whatever petty emotions. He did it just to see if he could. He took the proudest and fairest of all magical beings… and reduced them into… a pathetic creature who exist only to slavishly serve… out of curiosity."

"…I can see now why you people hated humans so much."

"Just like you."

"Pardon?"

"…whenever I told this story to unsuspecting humans, they all reacted in uniform abhorrent disgust. They simply… dislike what they hear, condemn the Deceiver for his deceit… and that is all. Then they move on. And then they forget. None of them can even begin to imagine the raw seething hatred that burns in our mind at that travesty. No human could ever understand."The Bicorn turned to Noir. "…but you did. When that princess told you the House Elf's ignoble routine, you burst in an incandescent rage so very like the rage we all felt when we first saw what become of the once high and mighty race. When I told the tale of their origin, the simmering hatred within you felt akin more to Elven wrath than humans… And that's how I find you so… strange."

"…"

"You're obviously a human… through and through. But you don't think or feel like one. When a human see a talking horse and a mute human side by side, I can feel at the edge of their feelings… a deferment to the one that look like him. But in you… I sensed… you're looking at me no different than seeing a human in a horse form. Conversely, you're perfectly capable of looking at a human as a horse in a human form."

"Ha." Noir chuckled. "Ha…" He shook his head. His voice suddenly turned… dead flat. "…Pigs. Actually."

Bicorn raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

"Did you know human flesh and pig meat is actually quite alike? They nearly taste the same too. Add a few spices, cook it a little… no one can tell the difference." The Bicron's ears rose up. Noir's emotion had been turbulent and scalding throughout… suddenly, he calmed down… it went deathly flat cold. A blood curdling chill went down his spine.

"You know, we humans have a word for that." Noir chuckled darkly. "High Functioning Psychopath. Which means we have more than just a few screws loose… and we are fully aware that we have a few screws loose… which makes it even harder for people to realize that we have a few screws loose."

The Bicorn actually snorted. The approximation to a human muffling laughter. So this is… the Judge's true form? "A human who is not like a human. Now I really have seen everything."

"No. You've seen nothing yet." Noir sighed. "Is that Lacus and Helena down there?"

When the Bicorn turn his head down, Lacus just jumped in shock from her hiding place along with Helena. When they realized the two dark figures are looking at them, they also saw them motioning them to come up. Lord knows how.

They decided to get a broom and float all the way up there.

"We… we're sorry. We had no idea…"

"Just… tell me this." Noir asked. "How did this happen? And how long has this been… going on?"

"…shortly after the Deceiver King vanished without the trace… they appeared. We know not where they came from, they just appeared out of nowhere… and they want to help. They rebuild our homes with a snap of their finger… tend to our farms and castles… and there they stayed, refusing to leave the very buildings they've constructed. At first, the Mages thought they were tricked… but then the House Elves proclaimed that they will stay in those buildings in order to serve whoever is the master of that House forever. They asked no payment. No recognition. No credit."

"…they really refused to accept all forms of remuneration?"

Lacus nodded. "Any attempt to do so result in them leaving. And when that happens, the abode they abandoned deteriorated rapidly. And thus… for centuries… we let them do as they want. Which is… to enslave themselves… to us."

"…did… anyone knew about this? Februarius had been the vacation site of the Empire for decades. I'm surprised I've never seen anything like them in Aprillus."

"Insofar, they kept themselves out of sight. And they're very good at it."

Noir exchanged look with the Bicorn. "…did you know that the Deceiver was the one who… made them that way?" Knowing Lacus, she must've heard everything that has been said.

"…no." Lacus was referring to everyone in Februarius.

"And then somewhere along the line, they took their kindness… their suffering… for granted. And they made it worse."

"Not everyone is like Guinevere."

"True. But how long will that last?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you know… what it's like in Aprillus?"

"What's it like?" Helena was the only one who had never been to the capital of Zaft Empire. But… upon the mention of the name she immediately noticed Lacus' face made a grimace.

"When I first came to Aprillus… I was the wide eyed innocent fool. The place was filled to the brim with old buildings and citadels. And I meant that literally. There's no free open ground left in the whole continent. Everything… was a bloated over constructed monstrosity. There are 2.5 billion Advanceds in the entire world. A full half a billion of them lived in that continent."

"H… Half a billion? How many is that?"

"It's a hundred times the number of all the people who lived in the whole of Februarius." Again, Lacus demonstrated she can, in fact, count.

"…that's a lot of people."

"More people than any city can bear… even one that's the size of a continent." Noir sighed. "Being the Capital of our Nation, it is a melting pot where people from every corner of the nation go to. That sort of variety… creates endless streams of problems. I won't bore you with all the details, but… I can generally split the people of Aprillus into these two major categories: those who had too much of everything… and those… who never had enough to go around. The former category is filled with people who were best placed to acquire power but least suited to exercise it. They create more problems than solving it. On the other hand, the latter category is oft times had little to go on, even from where they came from. They came to Aprillus, hoping to better their lives in the biggest city in the world. Full of hopes and dreams, they were. Until it crushed them."

"…" Lacus didn't say anything… because she knew it to be true.

"To protect those hope before they were crushed… that's why the Circle was created… at least… this is what I believed." Noir suddenly stood. "I started when I was very young, serving as… an assistant of sort to the Boss AKA The Supreme Judge. My job then was… surprisingly similar to Rowena, a data archivist." Helena perked. "Field Judges gathered information on the field, put them together in Librarium, and I sort them out, analyze them, and provide relevant information to Judges who needed them." Noir explained in a tired calm voice. "It's dull and mundane… but for a novice like me at the time… it was a big responsibility. It has its perks… and its… hazards."

"Hazard?"

"…I'm at the center… where all information are gathered… Especially, information most people didn't know. Information most people don't want to know. Information most people shouldn't know. An avalanche of too much information. I understand… too many things… too much. And in those times… funny as it is, I hated God for making me too damn smart for my own good. The more I learned, the more I wish I didn't want to know."

Lacus gasped.

"As an archivist, I saw the data. Saw the numbers." Noir sighed. "All in all… a common born only had… 0.05% chance to live past 20. Do you know what that means?"

"Umm… no?"

"0.05… is 5 divided by a hundred. Percent… divide that number by a further hundred."

"Uh… Uhh?" Helena frowned. Like her mother, she hasn't grasped the intricacies of multiplication and division yet. Noir chuckled and caressed the confused Helena by the head.

"Basically… it means… only 5 out 10,000 common born children in Aprillus will make it past 20." Noir sighed. "Helena… how old are you?"

"Huh… I'm… 7."

"7. Hm." Noir ruffled his hair a bit. "…When I was an archivist, I knew these girls: Rana, 7, her sisters, Melna and Sefina, both are 12 and 14, respectively. They came from Augustus. They came from a family of farmers. They got bored of farming life, scrape up what money they can and went to Aprillus, to try their luck in the big city." Noir paused a bit. "…all three died within 3 days after arrival."

"…!"

"…they got tricked by a notorious Human Trafficker, and got sold to some noblemen with sadistic tendencies. Melna was used as some… twisted chemical experiment. They pumped her full of all kinds of illegal concoction just to see how she will react. Her corpse didn't even resemble human. Sefina had her eyes gouged out. Then most of her organs were ripped out to be sold. She died fastest. And Rana…"

"HURLL!" Helena couldn't take it and vomited.

Noir only paused and continued with the worst: "…Rana was handed to a bunch of corrupt wardens as a bribe to keep them quiet about the whole ordeal. They gangraped her at daily basis until they killed her when they choked on her throat a tad to hard, her neck snapped."

"NOIR!" Lacus angrily snapped at Noir to stop. Helena was crying in her arms.

"…feel free to throw up. I know I did." Noir was seemingly unaffected by such a horrifying story. "…this is just one story. When I worked as an archivist, stories like this, worse than this… happened every day. And you know what all these stories had in common? They all happened to the common born."

"At least 10 common born kids died every week in unmarked graves in some dark alleyways or washed out in sewers. If the drug lords, the quack doctors, the gangs, the slave traders… heck, if the polluted air and water of the slums didn't get them… the most they can be in life… is a squire to some noble. And after that? Their chance of survival gets even worse. Nothing is more cutthroat than the high society of Aprillus nobility. You'll find a lot of things there. You'll find the latest fashion. You'll find the most sumptuous cuisine. You'll find the greatest artistry and beauty… the only thing you won't find in there… is honesty. Aprillus don't have the convenience of Law of Deep Magic preventing people from lying. Fact is, everybody lie as easily as they breathe. They're very, VERY good at it."

"…how did you deal with it?" Lacus asked.

"…I was a common born." Noir finally admitted. "…I wasn't born in any noble houses. Just a street rat you can find anywhere in the sewers. I don't know what God have in mind… putting this big of brain inside someone like me. I'm still 8. So I still don't know if I'll make it. But… I think I can fairly say I did far better than most. As I've said… I did have a life outside this mask. But… if I'm to compare my circumstances with others like me, out there… I was lucky. And that's how it is. Luck. And coincidence. That's how I managed to become what I am today."

"…then I guess all Zaft is very lucky then." Lacus smiled. "Lucky we have you, the best of us, to survive that odd. I can't even begin to count just how many people have you saved up until now?"

"Yeah… I thought the same thing as I strive all these years." Noir then stood and start reciting:

"We are the misfits.

The Outcasts.

We are the unloved.

We are those you refused to look. But we are looking back at you.

We are the unrecognized. But we recognize you all.

We seek no glory. But we will seek the truth.

We hold no land. We hold only justice.

We wear no crown. We hide our wisdom behind mask.

You who sit in your lofty towers but hide in the darkness as you pushed the line.

Be wary, you are in our world. You're pushing our line, and we're here to push you back.

Those of you who are trapped in the darkness and seek the line.

We are that line. We are the last hope for the Hopeless, the last line of defense between Truth and Lies, the last light to illuminate the darkness of the Impossible.

When the helpless cried for a help that won't be listened to, when the guilty made the innocent cried a final plea, when the desperate had nowhere else to turn… we are here to complete the Circle.

We are the Judges."

"…is that…?"

"When a Judge Trainee is sworn in as an Official Judge, they're expected to recite this oath." Noir explained. "If you think it's too longwinded or pretentious… well… you're not alone. Based on what I've seen so far, most Judges didn't seem to understand what it's all about. Just look at Carine."

Lacus chuckled sadly. "…what about you?"

"When I first started… I do believe in those words. I really thought… my intelligence… is doing some good to that twisted city. So that I can help others like me. And for a while… I thought I did just that. But… as the Hell's Week taught me… Ideals cannot survive for long. And I've been at this job… for close to three years now. Some days I'm not even sure what those words means anymore… or… or are we even doing anything that do justice to those lofty words."

"Don't you think you're pushing yourself too hard?" Lacus intrude. "I mean… It's you… vs the most corrupt city in the whole of the Empire. You managed to get this far! You did make a difference!"

"…did I?" Noir shrugged. "…in all nations of the world… Zaft is still the only country… where slavery is still ethically and legitimately legal."

"…serfdom." Lacus blinked. With her father being the Prime Minister, of course she knew all about this particular issue. How many times did her father brought up this issue, asking for reforms… and how many times had they been shot down? "That's what this is all about."

When Noir explained about the chances of the common born of being a squire… he was being nice.

Zaft classified its people based on Caste: The commoner, nobility, church, and royalty – one's position in life was partially decided on where they were born, which lord ruled the place where they were born, and which family they were born. If one was born a servant, their children too will be servants. They can climb ranks… but only if their Lord allows it. 5 out of 10,000 who made it to be Squire. That means, for every 5 lucky squires there are 9,995 common born who weren't so lucky. They remain a peasantry. Their fate will never be their own, forever at the mercy of the corrupt and the plaything of the inept. And the reason they deserve this fate? Because their bloodline limit was considered unworthy. No value can be seen that can strengthen the greater good that is Zaft as a whole. And for 3 years… this one Judge kept seeing the horrible fate these 9,995 souls suffered, knowing, that if things had been the slightest bit different, he could be one of those 9,995. That explains why he became so twisted.

"I know. I know what your father tried to do many times, Lac… no… Princess Lacus of the House of Clyne." Lacus gasped when Noir did something she never saw him doing: He bowed to her. Only a full downward tilt of the head… but for this to come from Noir who never recognize any authority based on bloodline… he might as well be kneeling before her. He's acknowledging her noble rank for the first time since they met.

Somehow, it made her heart ache. "Then you know we've failed."

"So far. At least I know there were some up top who are trying. And still trying." Noir chuckled. "But… that's the problem isn't it? Right there. The Norm. And not just here, everywhere. For too many people in this wretched Empire, such a thing is the norm." Noir sighed. "House elf, human, doesn't matter. The main guiding principle that poisoned this whole nation; be it a different species or even your own species… you all were enslaved by this grave need to have someone or something that's not you… to not have any other right other than to serve their so called betters."

And to Helena, it just clicked. "You were worried. You were worried that Februarius will be just as bad as Aprillus. If not worse."

"Februarius and Aprillus are like oil and water. I've been here for a month, and yet it was plain as day to me." Noir shrugged. "This is what concerns me. When I first came here, I was very quickly taught how different this place is to Aprillus. I questioned if they even need me here. I was worried. I see this city… you know what I see? I see weakness. I see vulnerabilities. At first, what I feared the most was if I were to stay here, the wrath of Aprillus will come and chase me here. And when they see this city, so ripe for the taking… three laws be damned, they will exploit it. Fun fact… they already have. The rot I excised from Aprillus find their way here. And here they hide and fester, remained unnoticed for months… some… for years. They had the time to know the secrets of your country. They understand… the imperfection of your three laws. Its vulnerabilities. And now… everyone will know. Because I've banished them out of the Paradise. Back into Hell."

The two girls suddenly realized why Noir was so upset.

"…you're beginning to see it? I was trying to fix this place. I really did. This place… showed me everything worth saving. Showed me, with exaggerated proportion… of the things I fought for. Honesty. Justice. A place where good people are truly rewarded for their good deeds. It is worth preserving. Worth protecting. That's why you saw all those people, all those talents who came here. We took them from Aprillus before they rotted away and we send them here. To improve this continent, and it will. And for a while… Februarius will become the center of the Empire. This was my answer to solve the food issue in your continent. More will come. The good and the bad." Noir sighed. "…I thought… it would be a necessary evil. You people are so like babies. Unimaginably wise, but so profoundly naïve. Some evil will do you some good. Like an immune system needing some infection to become stronger. But… when I saw that House Elf… saw what and how you people had been using them… I had this epiphany… I realized too late… the true potential that lay within this country."

"Potential?"

"…more and more people will come here. From every corner of the Empire. Especially, from Aprillus. And they will, inevitably, bring their vice and evil with them. Their culture will corrupt yours. Februarius… with all their vulnerabilities and weakness… will be so easily seduced by their vice. So easily influenced. And in the process… this new slave race will be inevitably exposed. This… new convenient violation of the basic rights of all living things… one that will replace one slave with another. Aprillus will see this… and dear God above, they will never let you go. They will plunder your country for this. Imagine: such a powerful being… whose every fiber of their being has been hardcoded to serve. Who wouldn't want the most powerful slave race in the world? And that's not even the worst of it."

"There's… more…?"

"From what I can tell, with a few exceptions, most of the citizen of Februarius at least did not treat them with malice. But… once Aprillus come… I'm not sure if that innocence will survive. Sooner or later… Aprillus… will swallow you whole. They will corrupt you. Your innocent culture, your justice, your honesty… they will take all that… burn it to the ground, and leave you a twisted version of yourselves. But… Aprillus also had a knack to take everything that makes you strong and then made it their own. And once that happens, and it will… Aprillus, bloated by this new decadence… they'll become even worse. Far worse. And this time, I don't think even I can handle it."

Helena gulped. That was the only response she can muster. Because, curse her lack of foresight and wisdom, she did not fully understand what exactly Noir see. Only that it's very, VERY bad.

But Lacus can. Lacus had been to Aprillus, and if anyone asked her if what the Judge said is true about that place, she would honestly say that the Judge had, in his kindness, watered it down. Aprillus is a jealous country. A jealous but powerful country. Februarius had a potential. Perhaps enough to become a continent greater than Aprillus. With Noir's help, and given time, it might.

Noir had created this master plan to improve Februarius. But he failed to understand the true potential of Febraurius before it was too late. The moment Noir saw that House Elf, the Judge immediately had an epiphany of things to come. Things so far ahead, he saw abyss they're speeding towards. An abyss far worse than the starvation issue that plagued this continent. And he realized too late that he's pushing this nation towards it. And Lacus… Lacus could not help but to see the truth of it.

No matter how they understand, both girls understand this now: this is why the Judge was so explosively angry.

When he saw that House Elf… he realized he had accidentally doomed this country he was trying so hard to save.

"What are you going to do now?" Lacus asked bluntly.

"Oh don't worry. I've invested too much to this endeavor, I will not quit halfway… but…"

Noir stopped there very suddenly. For a brief moment, he was stifling and tilting his head, as if straining.

Helena and Lacus raised their eyebrows.

"Sigh… I… need some time alone. As I am right now, I… I don't want the children to… see me like this. They don't deserve this. Why don't you two go back first? Tell Madame Helga, I'll return back to the compound shortly, once I'm cool and calm. I promise it won't be long."

"O… Okay." The two girls reluctantly flew away and left the Judge alone to his thoughts.

But Lacus… Lacus heard something that would break… everything.

"You were trying to lie just now, weren't you?"The Bicorn tilted his head.

"It was a very white lie." Noir held on to his throat. So that's how it feels when one tried to lie, and can't, in Februarius. It's like someone just put him on a chokehold that stopped his vocal chords from vibrating the sound. "I was never good at lying, so I never tried. I was about to say: I need some time to think it over… just to keep them calm. But… the lie being… there was nothing to think about. I've made my decision for some time."

"The decision being?"

"I've seen… too many things… everything I've done… and made so many powerful enemies, more enemies than an 8 year old had any business of making. And now here I am trying to make things better… I thought I was making things better… only to make it worse… But at some point… one had to wonder if one had become part of the problem. I will finish this… and this will be the last mess I will clean up. When this is all over…" Noir sighed.

"I'm quitting the Circle."

Lacus felt like the world just stopped moving.

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