Accompanied by Valimar, the Courageous made evasive maneuvers to distance itself from the Pantagruel and the sights of its guns, an easy feat for a smaller and more agile vessel. As soon as it seemed they were a safe enough distance away, Rean landed Valimar on the airship's deck where his friends and allies were waiting for them.
Getting out of Valimar's cockpit, Rean was immediately greeted by Laura's arms holding him in a tight hug and after a moment of surprise, he eagerly returned the gesture as he felt the fatigue starting to settle.
"I thought it would take another month for us to find you. Are you okay, Rean?"
"Tired as hell but better now that I'm with you. Can you hold me while I pass out?" He whispered against her ear. Rean was only half joking.
"Hmm, maybe later, father is watching."
And just like that, Rean immediately disengaged from Laura as he watched the others approaching, the viscount among them sporting a smirk that made the tachi wielder slightly nervous, but that passed when Laura held his hand and faced her father with confidence.
"It's good to see you're well, Rean," Victor said, putting an affable hand on his shoulder.
"And judging by what we saw from the Courageous' cameras, it's a miracle that you're in one piece."
"We arrived just in time before things got really ugly."
Jusis and Instructor Sara said, with the others expressing similar feelings of relief for his well being as well.
"Where's Alfin, is she okay? And what about Ymir?"
"Her Highness seemed a little pale but otherwise she's fine. Still, Prince Oliver took her to the infirmary just to be sure," Gaius explained. "Your town and your parents are fine, the Noble Alliance's forces left along with you and Crow. Shortly after that, the Courageous showed up in Ymir and took us in."
Intense relief washed over Rean. He had done it, he had managed to save the princess and delivered her to Prince Olivert no less. And so far, it seemed that Ymir was secure as well but that could soon change after what had just happened. They had to go back immediately and get his parents and the townspeople and shove everyone in the Courageous and-
"Oh what a heartwarming reunion."
A feminine voice resounded in the air, one that Rean had become much familiar by this point, and Grianos flew by, chirping as he manifested a cascade of sparkling blue lights that coalesced into the form of Vita Clotilde, floating beside the airship.
"Great, this again," Rean growled, the others presenting similar apprehensions and caution in regards to the former opera diva. Using Valimar's remote control, Rean ordered the Knight back on the air and attempted to swat the familiar away, and though Grianos was far to agile for the attacks, the familiar was still indignant at the audacity of it
"You stop that, you brat!" Grianos yelled.
Emma stepped up without reserve, a mix of fear and longing stamped on her face. The witch had been imagining this encounter with her older sister for so long now, going through the things she wanted to say, but now when it finally happened Emma was speechless.
Vita's projection floats down, her expression softening as she approaches Emma. "It is good to finally see you, Emma. Although I wish this was a more face to face occasion, it has been a long time since we've sat down for tea, hasn't it?"
"Vita, please. Why did you run away, why are you doing this?"
"I did not run away," Vita's projection drew away from Emma, back to floating above them. "I had no obligation to stay in that little village watching the world pass us by. I wanted to see it all, know it all, and that could not be achieved cooped up in there. But your question isn't why I left home, is it, Emma? It is why I left the way I did."
Emma simply nodded, afraid of how she would sound if she spoke.
"I dared question the mighty Roselia Millstein and the teachings of the Hexen Clan, to question our passivity in the face of an ever changing world! And I was lucky enough to find like-minded individuals in the society. Do you want to know why I'm doing this? Next time you see our grandmother ask her about the origins of the Deus Excellion then, see if you like the answers you get. That should clue you in enough.
"And as for you, Rean Schwarzer," she turned to the swordsman, meeting his scorn with her usual elegance and indifference. "It was a marvelous espectacle you've put for us, although not much for Duke Cayenne's tastes. I will have to smooth things over with him before he does something truly regrettable."
"And what do you gain by still protecting Ymir?" He asked with barely restrained anger but also a hint of fear.
"An attack on Ymir would put us no closer to any of our goals, while Duke Cayenne may command his army as he sees fit, its actions should be focused on ending this conflict, not to avenge his wounded pride," she sounded almost flippant when saying that. "On the same note, your role in this play is better served when you're not a beast thirsting for revenge."
Maybe it was just an offhand remark, maybe VIta was just being her provocative self, but with the ogre's presence still fresh on his mind and body and the surge of anger only just beginning to fade away, her still words felt accusatory, like she could read his mind and knew the kind of monster Rean was, and he swallowed whatever he wanted to say back to her.
"I believe this prelude to the real show has dragged itself for far too long, wouldn't you all agree? Class VII and allies, I can already tell that our next encounter will be one for the ages, but for now I bid you farewell."
Before anyone could say anything else, Vita bowed as her image disappeared and Grianos chippered before diving down and away from the Courageous.
The propensity those people had for grand sounding speeches with cryptic messages then vanishing without letting them get a word in was starting to get annoying, but Rean could be thankful for this whole craziness ending sooner rather than later. He did not want to have to hear from the witch any time soon.
"So, what now?" Rean asked, looking around through his friends, some just as lost as him.
"Rean!"
Out of the Courageous emerged Towa and George, both showing extreme relief at seeing him, with the tiny council president rushing to give Rean a hug, while the engineer was more reserved and simply waved. "Good to see you're alright, Rean."
"I'm so glad to see you are okay."
"Aw, thanks guys, that's- OUCH! What was that for?"
Looking down at the girl, she now sported a mighty angry look after having punched him in the arm. "That was for that stunt you and your class pulled back then. I can't believe you all disregarded my authority like that! Especially after telling the other student to keep calm and stay at school," that last bit was directed at Laura, who couldn't help but blush.
"Ugh, that's fair I guess, but why am I the only one getting punched for it?"
"Well, actually…" Alisa let out an awkward laugh and lightly rubbed her hand over her arm, the safe palace Towa had hit Rean, a gesture the other members of Class VII mimicked with equally embarrassed looks.
"She pinched my cheeks instead!" Millium said energetically.
"And putting that aside…" Towa's expression fell, as her trembling hands clasped together. "So it's true, isn't it? That was Crow down there fighting you. What happened to him, Rean? Why is he doing this?"
There was a sigh and Rean put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "We got a lot to talk about."
But for Rean, the first order of business before anything else was to get in contact with his parents back in Ymir and confirm their well being. The sound of his father's voice on the line and the news that they were fine were a huge relief to him, and the same could be said about the baron and his wife.
"So you are going to stay with Prince Olivert and Viscount Arseid, is that correct to assume?"
"By the looks of things that's what is going to happen, it's the most sure fire way of getting Elise back."
"I know you can't help yourself but worry but I should tell you that Captain Rievedlt left a couple of RMP officers to stay and guard Ymir and more will arrive soon, just to keep an eye on things until the war is over, so at least try to not beat yourself too hard about not being here, alright?"
Rean let out an awkward chuckle, his father knew him too well. And he really should thank the captain later. "I'll try, dad."
"Good. I can't say I'm glad about you getting involved in a war but I know I can't stop you, that even if Elise were safe and sound back here in Ymir you'd still want to go and fight, you'd want to help ad do whatever you can help others because that's the kind of person you are, and that is not something that will ever change about you, son. And because, from what I hear, you have a score to settle, isn't that right?"
Teo heard his son gasp over the line and then came the immediate question as to how he even knew such a thing. "Your mother noticed a missing classmate when you were here and asked Laura about him. I wish I knew what to say that might help you with that, you've had a lot of things dropped on you in the last couple of days and I know it's been difficult on you, Rean, and I…"
There was a pause and then a heavy sigh and Rean could picture his father pinching the bridge of his nose, with the frustrated expression that was so rare for him but when it did appear, meant things were serious. It was strange, from the way he was speaking it almost seemed like his father was rambling, unsure on what to say or even trying to avoid something, and it worried Rean.
"Dad, is everything okay?"
"Sorry, just some aching from my wounds, nothing you should worry about. I need to go take my medicine and you should go too, don't keep everyone else waiting on my account. Goodbye, son, I love you."
"Alright, dad, talk to you later. Love you too."
Teo put down the phone with a sigh and he could tell that his wife standing behind him had a similarly exasperated expression. "I couldn't do it, even something as simple as telling Rean that I would explain everything after the war is over, I just couldn't."
"It's okay, honey," said Lucia, wrapping her arms around her husband as she nuzzled against his shoulder, comfortingly and gently with care for his wounds. "Rean already has enough worries as it is, he doesn't need something like that right now to weigh him down."
Teo turned around, returning the comforting hug from his wife. "He deserves to know, now more than ever. I can just hope he won't hate us when he learns the truth, he's changed a lot."
"Yes, in many ways he has but in others he is still the same boy we raised," Lucia reach out for her husband's face, cupping his cheeks, and saw the rare look of self-doubt on his face. "Rean is our son and nothing can change that, and deep in his own heart he knows that too."
With all the members of Class VII, Towa and George, Sharon, Toval, Captain Claire, Gwyn Reinford, Viscount Arseid and Prince Olivert, the Courageous' conference room was packed. In a way it was a continuation of the discussion they were having back in Ymir, but with added members.
The first topic to tackle was the question that fiercely gnawed on the minds of the students, why Crow was assisting the Noble Alliance. Rean relayed everything their former classmate told him, not sparing any bit of information from the tale, an act which put strain on his resentment towards Crow and Rean had to force himself to forgo any feelings of understanding.
When the story was over, Machias was the first to speak. "Well, I can't say I don't sympathize with him," while he never explained it with the same level of detail he had to Rean and Jusis back in school, his other classmates did eventually learn what happened to his cousin and how it led to his hate of the nobility. "But to go to such levels to enact revenge on one man is frankly psychotic."
"Right," said Rean full heartedly.
"I just can't believe it," Towa's voice was low and sad, almost mournful. "That Crow could do such things, that he was carrying so much hate with himself. I should've seen it, maybe if I had said something…"
"I don't think there's anything any of us could've done, Towa," George said, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"I feel I bear some responsibility for how you are feeling about this situation," Prince Olivert spoke somewhat remorsefully. "Armbrust had been on the sights of the Intelligence Division for a while and I was aware of his identity as the grandson of Jurai's last mayor, and as chairman of Thors' board of directors I was informed of his likely affiliation to the ILF."
"Were you aware of the suspicions about him as well, instructor?" Asked Laura.
Sara nodded. "Unfortunately yes. As your instructor I was kept abreast of some info on him, especially when they placed Crow with us, for whatever good that did. In the end, they still managed to get past the Intelligence Division and RMP's barriers and kill the chancellor."
Claire sighed at the mention of the RMP's failure but said nothing.
"None of you should've been this personally involved with this situation and even though my influence can only go so far, I should've done more to oppose this. For that I owe the students of Thors my deepest apologies," to everyone's surprise, Prince Olivert got up and bowed towards them, which raised quite a ruckus of flustered people how that wasn't necessary at all and that their friendship with Crow couldn't be blamed on the prince or anyone else from Thors' faculty.
The talk of Crow then led to Ordine and then Divine Knights in general as Emma and Celine went through the details of their mission once again to catch up those weren't present for the previous time, while adding in more details about the trials of the old schoolhouse and Emperor's Dreichels words for the building.
"On that note, Emma, I believe you should properly explain the events that happened at Lohengrin Castle a couple of months back," said Laura.
"Oh right, uhhh…" Nervous, the witch turned to Viscount Arseid. "Lord Arseid, you may have heard of the incident that happened on the second day of our field exercises back in Legram. Well, for the sake of protecting my mission I placed the blame on those poor kids but in truth Celine and I had spent the previous night conducting our own investigation in regards to the Divine Knight that used to be there, and our use of magic is what attracted the spirits back then. We are both very, very sorry about this, we never planned on putting anyone in danger, least of all children from the town."
Celine lowered her head, repeating Emma's words once then twice when she was castigated for not sounding sincere enough.
"Do not worry yourself, Emma. Nobody was hurt," the viscount said, though rather absentmindedly as he stroked his chin in thought.
"So that talk of safety mechanisms to contain the spirits was all complete fabrication, I imagine," said Jusis.
"Not completely, it's just that we were the ones who put those mechanisms there," Emma said timidly. "The risk of attracting spirits is always present when dealing with ancient grounds like those so we did it as a preventive manner, and if some did appear we believed we'd be able to deal with them by ourselves later. We didn't expect anyone would go there and we didn't expect a nosferatu to appear."
"It's a good thing we got involved then, with how things turned out at the end I don't think you and Celine would've been able to handle everything by yourselves," said Gaius. "Although, it wasn't us who dealt the finishing blow to that monster."
"Right, it was the Lance Maiden's ghost. Right, Laura?" Millium said in earnest, which drew an embarrassed response from the blue haired girl, finding the idea rather silly in retrospect, and hastily looked to change the topic by asking Emma what she was hoping to find there.
"We sensed a high spiritual aura emanating from the castle as soon as we got there," Celine chimed in instead, choosing to sound a little more confident than Emma's shy replies. "We didn't expect to find trial grounds for an Awakener, and only after we reported back to Rose that she told us we shouldn't have bothered because the Divine Knight had already been awakened."
"Is it Crow's?" Asked Elliot.
"If what happened at the old schoolhouse during the festival is anything to go by, I believe we would have noticed if something like that was happening in Lohengrin Castle in the past 3 years," Laura replied. "Besides, I believe Crow's is named Ordine and Emma has called the one from the castle Argreion, the Argent Knight, isn't that right?"
Emma nodded. "Unfortunately my grandmother hasn't been exactly forthcoming in regards to who the Awakener might be, although I'm sure she has her reasons. She wouldn't hide something like this if it was an immediate threat."
"But she is hiding something," said Captain Claire. "I'm sorry, Emma, but if she knows who has this other Divine Knight why wouldn't she share it with you? Especially right now, this person could be an ally to us, have you tried contacting her since the war started?"
Celine didn't appreciate the policewoman's tone and started to rebuke her but Emma just as quickly shut her down. They didn't need to start a shouting match at that moment. "I have been trying to get into contact with her since Laura and I arrived at Legram but it has been difficult, there has been a lot of magical interference which I assume is being caused by Vita, I wouldn't be surprised if she has countermeasures in place to avoid our grandmother from interfering. I do want some answers after what Vita said so I'll keep trying to get in touch with her."
"It's still baffling that something like that has been in our backyard without us knowing," Laura said, turning to her father. "You were unaware of it, right, father?"
Recognizing the slightly skeptical tone in his daughter's tone, Victor couldn't help but chuckle. "Of course, Laura. It seems keeping secrets is a family trait."
"Ashen, Azure, Argent, how many of these things are there?" Asked a frustrated Machias, the politics of war were so much more his area than the magical suits of armor.
"Seven," Emma answered, explaining the snippets of information she had managed to gather at the Reverie Corridor, although she skipped the mentions of the so-called Great One as she herself could only speculate what it meant and its relation to the Great Power (Are they the same thing? Why didn't grandmother mention it before?) and didn't want to add on more things for the others to worry about before she herself had some answers.
The idea that there were four more Divine Knights unaccounted for was concerning. Was Ouroboros after them as well? Could they also be already Awakened as well? Those and other questions floated around until Prince Olivert drew attention to himself by saying three knights were actually up in the wind.
"Stories and myths about the War of the Lions have been passed over the centuries, to the point it is difficult to discern one from the other. One such tale, much less known by those outside the Imperial court, tells that during the war the False Emperor, Orthros, summoned the power of a creature called the Vermillion Apocalypse, a demon that possessed one thousand weapons, or the power of one thousand weapons the wording can get murky about that. While the story never goes into detail as to how it happened, Dreichels defeated the creature but wasn't able to kill it, instead sealing it under Valflame Palace.
"And now this little fairy tale gets nicely recontextualized with this talk of magical, multicolored knights, doesn't it?" The prince finished, looking absolutely merry with relaying this bit of information.
So the False Emperor also possessed a Divine Knight, it made sense if Emperor Dreichels had Valimar, it would hardly be a war if only one side had such a weapon at their disposal. It was frankly mind blowing for those present to think that those things were around over two centuries prior or that the truth about the War of the Lions was such a fantastical one.
"Rean, does Valimar know anything about the other Knights? Even if it was 250 years ago, maybe knowing who they belonged to could help us find where they are now," Alisa suggested.
"Let me check… No, its memory banks are still reconstructing, whatever that means-"
"Still with the it," Celine muttered under her breath.
"-But apparently Crow's Knight wasn't involved, I guess fighting him made Valimar remember something at least."
"If it was that simple to go after the other Divine Knights I bet we'd be dealing with a way bigger problem than just Crow," said Sara. "From the looks of it Ouroboros' main interest is on this Vermillion Apocalypse and they engineered the war just to get access to it at the palace, not too different from when they sent Liberl into chaos just to get the Sept-Terrion of Space."
The instructor's words resulted in a series of murmurs from her students about what she meant, which Sara quelled by saying she could explain later since they didn't need to get sidetracked at that moment.
"So Dreichels and his brother were both Awakeners like Rean and Crow, who else? Did all the other big names of the war all had Divine Knights too?" Fie thought out loud, not really expecting an answer.
"Well, at least one of them is rather obvious, isn't it?" Viscount Arseid said. "If Emperor Dreichels commanded the Ashen Knight during the War of the Lions and then left it at the school that he founded, and the False Emperor's was placed in the Palace, then it stands to reason that the Divine Knight guarded at the former base of the Eisenritter belonged to only one person."
As the others made the connection, Rean's mind instantly flashed back to the dream he had back Legram. He was on top of Lohengrin Castle watching the sunset alongside beautiful woman of strong yet kind features, a picturesque day of rare peace in a time of war, and behind them were Valimar and Argreion like sentinels guarding their master so that their moment wouldn't be perturbed. Then, Rean-as-Dreichels kissed Lianne Sandlot with tenderness and Rean's chest tightened.
[I remember… It was their last night together before the final assault. Before the Argent Awakener perished in battle.]
Rean blinked and the clarity of the conference room returned to his vision, as the others discussed that last bit of information. Although he tried to mask the rush of emotions that passed through him, Laura noticed the tension in his body and took a hold of his hand from under the table, whispering if he was okay.
The old "I'm fine, just tired" obviously wouldn't work but it was such a strange circumstance that Rean had no idea how to explain it. Oh I'm just experiencing Dreichels' memories of how in love he was with Lianne Sandlot and the pain of her death and now I know how it feels like to kiss a saint, nothing major. "Trying to access Valimar's memories gives me double vision, it's weird but I'm okay."
"Huh, I see," Laura said in a way that Rean couldn't tell if she bought the excuse or not, but it was a sufficiently weird situation that she couldn't really argue.
"Hey lovebirds, you can whisper sweet nothings into each other's ears after we are done here, alright?" Sara called out their attention in the most teasing way imaginable, prompting the two to clamp up and stare down at the table with flustered cheeks. Rean would not dare look to the side and see Viscount Arseid's face.
"Look, guys, while all this speculation about the Divine Knight's during the War of the Lions is fascinating, I think we got sidetracked," said Toval. "Clearly we can't prioritize going after the other Knights and seeing as Ouroboros doesn't seem to be concerned with that either, we should put that aside for now, at least until we have more information on them."
They had been at it for a while now, Sharon was bringing snacks and beverages by this point, and there was still a lot more to discuss besides the Divine Knights so they had to move on, a sentiment all shared otherwise they would stay there speculating all day and get nothing done. One question still lingered, however, and Gwyn went straight to it.
"May I ask what was the purpose behind the creation of the Divine Knights? I know they are weapons so their base nature is obvious but why make them? And why is accessing them so convoluted? I mean, between those trials and…" The older man scratched his head with a consterned expression. "That talk of 'fate' choosing the pilot, this whole system seems incredibly impractical and puts my engineer brain in a twist. It's like making a gun that only shoots when fired by a person born on the third of June at 1:13 am."
"I have to agree," said George, also scratching his head with confusion. "I guess magic has its kinks on how to use it but it feels like whoever made the Divine Knights wasn't really thinking on how they themselves would use them. Your clan did make them, right, Emma?"
"Yes, thousands of years ago, the Deus Excellion were created during a truce between the Hexen and Gnome Clans."
Fie leaned over the table with a smirk directed at the one George Nome. "Relatives of yours?" She asked and the portly engineer laughed it off awkwardly.
"You mean those little people that make stone sculptures from fairy tales?" Machias asked.
"Oh if they are tiny maybe they are Towa's relatives!" Said Millium.
"Haha, oh Millium… We will talk later," the tiny second-year responded with a frightening cheery smile and the young intelligence agent could feel the cheek pinching that awaited her in the future.
Well, if witches and magic were real then gnomes could be as well, they quickly accepted, but Emma did explain they were normal sized people, how that piece of fact got distorted through the years was anyone's guess. "What the Hexen Clan is to magic, the gnomes were to technology. They were engineers capable of creating inventions beyond what we can nowadays with the advancements of orbal technology. Both clans were warring factions but they united in the common goal of containing the Great Power, splitting it between seven shells."
"And I know what you're all thinking and no, we don't know what the Great Power is, and honestly, if we're about to waste time going that far back we might as well just to go straight to pondering the origin of the universe," said Celine, preventively putting a stop to any incoming questions about the subject. "All that anyone here really needs to know is that it's ancient and powerful beyond mortal comprehension and the Deus Excellion were the only way to stop it from going out of control and destroying the world."
Prince Olivert chuckled, finding Celine's exasperated tone very amusing. "Well put, my dear feline mascot, we should focus on the here and now." The cat familiar took issue with being called a mascot, which only served to amuse the Imperial Prince further as he continued on to talk. "Is there anything else worth mentioning, preferably something that could help us understand Ouroboros' goals with the Divine Knights?"
"Well, there is one last thing…" Emma said thoughtfully, though before she could continue Celine spoke up instead, both to let her companion rest a little from talking so much and because she was still miffed at being called a mascot and wanted to show herself just as important.
"Like we said, the Deus Excellion are a whole system. It's the Awakeners and their trials, the Divine Knights and, finally, the Rivalries. This last aspect is important because it explains why they only show up in times of major conflict.
"The Divine Knights are destined to fight amongst themselves, that is the blunt truth of it. They show up during wars so that they will be awakened by those destined to be embroiled in those conflicts," the familar's gaze fell on Rean as she spoke. "The growing strife prepares the ground so a ritual called a Rivalry can be declared, where the Divine Knights battle against each other in a decisive duel and the one to emerge victorious absorbs the power of their opponent onto themselves. This goes on until all but one Knight is left or the war that started it all ends.
"When it's over, the defeated Divine Knights regenerate themselves back on their trial grounds and the winners have the powers of their defeated opponents added to their own, boosting their strength for the next time they are brought back to life. On and on this cycle has repeated over millennia."
Spurred by war, the Divine Knights and their Awakeners battled amongst themselves in a seemingly unending cycle, vying for power. And by the looks of it, Vita Clotilde's plan was to set up a Rivalry between Ordine and the Vermillion Apocalypse and have the Azure Knight absorb its power.
But those weren't the only Knights in play and all eyes fell onto Rean.
"There has to be another way, right?" Towa spoke up. "They don't have to fight, they just do it because they choose to because of the side of the war they are in, like Emperor Dreichels and his brother. But didn't Viscount Arseid just say Saint Sandlot was most likely also an Awakener even though she fought alongside Dreichels? Surely the two of them never fought," her tone was pleading, begging for the others to agree with her, as if enough assurance would shine a new path instead of the image that was being painted.
Celine realized what she was trying to say and, though the familiar held little hope for the alternative, she tried to calm the girl. "They don't have to fight, if the Awakeners choose they can simply lay down their arms and go their separate ways."
"Good. That means Rean and Crow don't have to fight, so as long as they keep away from each other, we can stop their plans! We just gotta bring back Crow to our side!"
"That's ridiculous, Towa," Rean interrupted her positive streak. "We're at opposing sides of a war, eventually we are going to end up fighting for real and I'll do whatever I can… Whatever it takes to end it."
"Rean, you can't say that, he's our friend and-"
"He isn't my friend!" Rean slammed his fist on the table, his outburst making the girl recoil in her chair. It was expected that they would have to deal with that matter at some point but nobody knew how to, and it ended up coming up in the form of Towa's denial and Rean's unresolved anger.
"He was never our friend, didn't you hear what I told you? He's been at this since he was 13 years old and throughout his entire time at Thors Crow was already working with the Noble Faction and Ouroboros. All the time we spent together, from classes to hanging out at Kirsche's, to field exercises and the festival, behind all that he was seeing us as potential enemies. Whatever good times we had with him you can think of, Crow accepted throwing all of that away to get revenge on Osborne because he never cared in the first place. If he suddenly grows a conscience and surrenders himself, good, one last problem to worry about, but I'm not counting on it and when the time comes I'll do what needs to be done."
What needs to be done… The meaning behind that was obvious and the room went silent with the weight of it. Rean's words left a bad taste in the mouths of everyone, some feeling sad or even confused about what they should even be feeling at that moment.
"We have been at this for a while," said Victor. "And there is still much to discuss. How about a 15 minute break for us to cool our heads?"
Prince Olivert nodded and got up from his seat. "It sounds agreeable, Viscount. Everyone, feel free to use the ship's facilities anyway you see fit."
Prompted by the Prince, the others started to filter out of the conference room albeit with some reluctance. Gently, George and Emma nudged a downtrodden Towa out of her seat, while the rest of Class VII watched Rean rub his face on his hands and sigh with frustration. Laura exchanged looks with the rest of her classmates, assuring them she would handle talking to her boyfriend, but before she could say anything her father approached the couple.
"Father?"
"I need to have some words with Rean, Laura. Excuse us."
Viscount Arseid took Rean to the captain's quarters, his quarters, where they could have a more private conversation. It was a small and very utilitarian room, which was par for the course for a military airship, even if the Courageous didn't belong to any army.
Rean was only slightly nervous. While the Radiant Blademaster had given his blessings for him to be in a relationship with Laura and the man had treated him well in their encounters after their first conversation in the ship, it was just something difficult to get used to. "What is this about, Lor- Wait, sorry, you said I could call you by your name, right? So, what is this about… Victor?"
The older man chuckled. "I did say that but…"
"It doesn't feel right."
"I have to agree, hearing you saying it like that doesn't sit right with me just yet. Let's try that again some other time. Anyway, with that awkward topic out of the way, I brought you here because of the topic of Crow Armbrust."
The raven haired teen closed his eyes then breathed in and then exhaled, a mind centering gesture. "I could've handled that better."
"You mean to say you could've hidden your emotions better," the viscount replied with an analytical glare that pierced Rean's attempt at seeming composed.
"I…"
"I didn't have time to speak with your parents when we passed by Ymir, but Toval has informed me of what transpired there during the jaeger attack. Killing is not an easy act."
Rean gulped, feeling diminished at what he thought was the viscount judging him. "It's not. I didn't want to touch my sword the next day."
"It felt impossibly heavy in your hands, didn't it? And you felt sick, indisposed?" Rean nodded. "I went through the exact same emotions after the first time I've taken a life and let me tell you one thing, Rean, it does not get any easier."
A heavy hand clasped Rean's shoulder and he looked up to see the viscount's face, not judging him but offering understanding of his plight.
"So when you talk about dealing with your friend-"
"He-"
"Your friend, Rean," Victor shook his shoulder, his voice reprimanding the young man. "Killing someone who you trusted like that is infinitely harder than a complete stranger, it can break you. His betrayal is eating at you and you're angry, that is understandable, anyone in your position would be, but you cannot let your hate control you."
Rean felt hopelessly transparent under the viscount's gaze, and completely powerless to hide or deny how utterly lost he was. "What am I supposed to do then?"
"I'm not going to sugar coat it, you were right when you said there might be no other alternative from the two of you fighting each other, Armbrust is too committed to his cause to stop now, and unfortunately, there is only one likely way this will end. But when that moment comes, how will you face it, Rean? In revenge and hatred or for the sake of doing what is right? As a man of honor or as the monster you fear yourself to be?
"How you face Armbrust will not only determine your chances of victory but if you will be able to live with the consequences."
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Exposion chapter! Always a difficult thing to write because I have a dozen of people sitting around in a room talking and I'm struggling to think of things for everyone to say.
I've decided to bring up the Rivalries much sooner because honestly it feels ridiculous that Emma doesn't even know that by the time of CS2, same thing with Sandlot being an Awakener, it feels so obvious but I don't remember anyone bringing it up (at least I don't remember these things bring brought up until CS3-4, correct me if I'm wrong). This gives also our protagonists at least some vague idea what Vita's plans might be and what they have to do going forward and sets up things for future plot.