**IMPORTANT UPDATED**: Sorry, had to change a few sentences to make the story better and fit more in the universe. Saint and I had got some nuances wrong with the Nasuverse and had to fix them. Also mostly editing some mistakes out. (March 3, 2022)
POV: Eric Webley
Date: May 25th, 2018
Location: Webley Residency
I hear a bird chirping outside my window.
Morning already? Ugh.
I slowly lift my head and try to get out of bed. My head is pounding from last night.
Why did I have to stay up so late?
"Eric!" I hear my little sister call, "Get up, you big dumb idiot."
"I'm coming!" I yell back, "And after all I've done for her."
I get dressed and open the door to see the little witch, my sister Emilia.
"We're going to be late!" She yanks me out of my room.
"Why are you so excited?" I try to ask as she's pulling me down the stairs.
"It's the first day that we're in the same school!" She stops for a moment, "Which means you can help me with my projects!"
I think about what she's just said, "You want me to bail you out of trouble, don't you?"
"Well, when you put it like that-"
"Em, no."
"Starting today!"
"Em, I'm going to keep an eye on you and if you do anything out of the ordinary, I'm going to smack you."
"If you find out." She corrects me.
My family is what you'd call 'Magi'. We practice magecraft and my sister is especially stupid when it comes to how she uses it.
I walk into the kitchen and see my mom.
"You know Eric," Mom starts, "I know it's a school night, but you still need to study."
"I would but then I'd be dead tired for the whole day." I answer.
"Eric, you have a responsibility to keep up with your work." She tells me.
I groan, "I know, I know, but I can't function on four hours of sleep every night!"
She looks me over, "You get two nights per week to rest."
"Phew." I let out, "Dad's not going to like that-"
The door suddenly opens behind me, "Dad's not going to like what?"
"I'm letting Eric take two days of rest every week so he can keep track with school." Mom says to him.
"Huh?!" Dad yelps, "But Rosie, the boy needs to learn!"
"Glad we agree." Mom smiles.
Dad stutters for a moment, "Okay… okay, but Eric," he turns towards me, "You need to study extra hard now."
"Don't worry, I will!" I lie.
I look at the clock, it's 6:28 am.
"Em and I really need to go!" I rush out of the room, "Love you!"
Em and I run out the door and towards the train stop. We just manage to catch it and the ride to school begins.
After a few stops, we finally reach the schoolyard.
"Ok!" Em says excitedly and tries to bolt off.
"Not ok!" I grab her arm, "Listen, there are some things that I need to tell you."
She scoffs, "I know! Don't do anything out of the ordinary!"
"And do not talk to the Sapphires!" I say in a hushed voice.
She looks scared for a second, "They're here?"
My sister and I aren't very fond of the Sapphires. They're a rivaling magus family that our family has a very rough history with.
"Don't worry, as long as you stay away from the high school section, you won't run into them." I tell her, "Besides, if you need help, just come and find me."
"Got it." She says, still nervous, "Yeah…"
I give her a little hug before sending her off to her first class. I hope she likes it here.
"Eric!" a familiar voice calls out.
I find the voice belongs to my best friend, Jacob Turner, "Hey!"
"Nice to see you again, man!" he walks next to me, "Look at what I found in a thrift shop on the way here." He digs in his bag and flashes a movie case that has 'Red Dawn' in large letters.
"Woah!" I look at the cover in more detail, "We're definitely watching this later!"
I don't get to watch movies much, so when Jacob fuels his obsession with history movies, I can't help but feel excited about seeing them.
"Well, we gotta get through school first." He puts the movie back in his bag, "Ugh."
After Jacob and I sit through math, history, and French, we have study hall for an hour. Since there's nothing to study the first week though, they say it's a free period. Jacob and I sit down in the courtyard and try to relax for a moment.
"Hey, isn't your sister here now?" Jacob asks me while digging in his bag for snacks.
"Yeah. I'm kinda worried, to be completely honest."
"Why?" He takes a bite of a caramel bar, "She looks like she's smart."
"I'm not worried about her grades, I'm worried about her getting in trouble." I tell him.
"Ah," he leans back a bit, "Well, she's never had an issue with doing that either, I guess."
I sigh, "You don't know half of it."
I start to notice a crowd gathering around a doorway. Oh no…
A girl with bright red hair and red eyes walks out of the crowd and immediately notices me. Lucy Sapphire.
She starts walking towards me.
"Ok, Jacob, we need to go." I get up and start to walk off.
"Wait," Jacob gets up too, "Where are you going?"
"Away from her."
"What even happened?" He asks me.
I stop and turn around, "She-" I notice Lucy is right behind Jacob. I sigh, "Hi Lucy."
"Eric, can we please talk?" She asks me quietly.
"No."
"Eric-"
"No, Lucy."
"Please." She looks at me with her big stupid eyes.
I pause for a moment, "No."
I only realize a crowd has formed around us when I start to hear murmuring.
"Shot down by Eric, once again…" One student says.
"Why does he hate her so much?" Another student asks, "She's so nice!"
"What's going on between those two?" One of the newer faces around here asks.
"Kid, you don't know half of the rumors." An older student says to them, "They've been doing this ever since elementary school."
She walks away and the crowd of swooning students follows her.
Jacob looks back at me, "Ok, man. Seriously, what happened?"
"She hurt me." I tell him, "That's it."
The day passes quickly after Jacob and I split up to go to our classes. It feels like it flew by in an instant. I'm already in my last class. The only problem is that a certain someone walks into the room.
Lucy notices me and sits on the other side of the room.
I can't believe I have to share a class with this witch.
As the lesson goes on, I try my hardest to ignore her. I notice that every now and then she shoots me a glance, but I don't care. After I hear the bell ring, everyone starts getting up from their seats and leaving. I put my books in my bag and stand up to head for the door.
Of course, once I turn towards the door, I see Lucy standing in the way looking straight at me. The room is mostly empty and as the last few people leave, the room is silent for a moment.
I sigh, "Lu-"
"Eric, please listen to me. We need to talk about this."
"About what? Why do you want to talk to me all of a sudden?" I ask.
"You and I both know about the arrangement, obviously-"
"That?!" I can't help but ask, "That's what this is about?"
"I don't want to go through with it." She tells me, "And I know for a fact that you don't either."
"I don't! That doesn't mean we can do anything, though!" I say.
"What makes you so sure?!" She asks, desperately.
"Okay, just listen for a second. We start planning this big scheme to make our parents call it off, then Josh finds out, then he tells your dad, then we're straight back to how we were seven years ago."
"You don't know that's what would happen!"
"Yeah, but I don't want to take that chance!"
We both pause after hearing the door open. We look and see Jacob walk in.
"Oh- I-" He looks startled that Lucy and I are even standing near each other.
"I'm leaving, Lucy." I start to walk out the door.
"Wait! We can fix thi-"
I shut the door behind me. She's a lunatic if she thinks our two families will ever get along.
I notice my sister walking around the entrance of the school and we start making our way back to the train station. It looks like she had a rough day because she's barely even talking.
"So how was your first day?" I ask her.
"It was good." She twirls a bundle of grass in boredom.
"Come on. I'm sure mom would absolutely love to teach you more magecraft when we get back home." I say to her with a smile.
She doesn't smile back, "I heard about your talk with Lucy."
"I don't want to talk about it." I brush it off.
"What did she even want?" She asks me, coldly.
"Something stupid." I tell her as we start to enter the train station, "We can't talk about it here."
The ride home is quiet. It's really weird to see her like this actually. Something is bothering her, I know it.
"What's wrong?" I ask her.
"I saw him today." Em tells me.
"Who?"
"Him." She looks at me.
There's really only one person she can be talking about. Josh Sapphire. Brother of Lucy, and a complete jackass. He's a bit older than me, but we're still in the same grade due to him failing twice.
"What did he do?" I ask her.
"Nothing." She says, still cold, "I hid from him before he could see me."
"You know I'm not going to let him do that again."
"I know."
The train comes to a stop and we step off the platform. We finally get to our house and as we turn down our driveway, I see my dad is already outside waiting for us.
"Eric! Emilia!" He looks upset.
"You didn't wreck anything did you?" I bump Em in the shoulder.
"Hey! You're the one that tore the blinds that one time!" She pushes me.
"That was one time!" I push her.
"Enough shoving! I need to show you two something." Dad says angrily.
We follow him inside and he walks into the study where Mom is also sitting at the table. Sprawled across the table is a piece of paper. It reads:
Greetings Webley Family.
We are proud to inform you that your son, Eric, has intrigued us with his skills. His magecraft is interesting, to say the least. Being from a second-rate family such as yourself would only be a positive, as well. We have received news from a branch of our organization that they are in need of subjects with a particular ability and that your son is one of the chosen few that passes all requirements. This request will be met in person with one of our personal assets in your home on the day of May 28th, 2018. Our personnel will come to escort your son and his belongings to the chosen site of transportation. We look forward to experiencing your family's magecraft firsthand.
Cordially,
Clock Tower Recruitment Department
I try to process what I just read. I'm leaving? Where? What am I going to be doing? What do I do until then? When am I coming back? Why do I have to leave?
"I'm sorry, Eric." Mom says in a hushed voice.
"Why are we letting them get away with this?!" My dad yells, "I have half a mind to go to Clock Tower myself and fight them on thi-"
"No!" Mom interrupts him. "You can't just go to Clock Tower! They'd hurt you if you tried to stop whatever it is they're planning."
"So you insist on letting them kidnap our seventeen-year-old son? He's not even adult age yet!" Dad continues yelling.
Mom and dad, Emilia, Jacob. I'd be leaving all of them behind. I can't just leave Em at school alone with the Sapphires.
"I don't know what we can do, Henry. Think about this!" Mom sounds like she's holding back tears.
My dad slams his hand on a bookshelf, "Something! We can do something at least!"
"Eric's leaving?" Emilia asks quietly.
Mom and Dad both fall silent as they realize that Em and I are still here.
Dad hesitates to answer, "Well, we will do everything in our power to keep this from happening."
I really really hope that's true. I don't want to leave. I know dad can't always keep an eye on Em. I need to be there now.
"Eric." My mom says, "Your father and I really need to talk to you."
My dad gives my sister a little pat on her back, "Go to your room, Emilia." I hear him whisper.
After a moment, Emilia leaves the study in no hurry at all. The room is so quiet that we can even hear the door's bolt close.
"I'm not going-"
"What do you mean you're not going?" Mom asks.
"Actually, I'm quite in favor of that too." Dad remarks.
"Both of you, please!" Mom says, "I hate this just as much as both of you, but entertaining the thought of going against Clock Tower is just… ridiculous! Times have changed, you two!"
"We can at least make our outrage known!" Dad says, "Why are you just so willing to give our son - our son, Rosie - to this bunch of psychopa-"
"MY BROTHER DID THE SAME THING YOU TWO ARE TALKING ABOUT, AND NOW HE'S GONE!"
Tears start to stream down her eyes. I've never seen my mom this distressed. My dad clearly hadn't either, judging by how surprised he looks. I never knew I had an uncle. Well, I guess I never did…
"I guess…" My dad speaks somberly, "I'm sorry Eric."
"I still can't just leave! There's too much to risk!" I yell, "I can't just leave Em to fend off the Sapphires by herself!"
Dad puts his hands in his pockets, "Oh, you know I wouldn't let that happen."
"Well, what about Jacob? He'd notice I'm gone and he'd start asking questions." I mention.
"I could put a notice for the school saying that you're going on a trip." Dad says, "He'd learn from there."
"So that's it?" I ask, "I'm already gone?"
My parents don't answer. They look afraid to.
I walk out of the study and slam the door behind me. I make my way outside to the huge garden my mom has in our backyard. Every time I felt stressed or upset, I always came out here to clear my thoughts.
I'm leaving. In three days, I'm going to be going somewhere that I know nothing about, for a reason I don't know, and I don't even know when I'm going to be back. What's Jacob going to think? What do I tell him? Do the Sapphires know I'm leaving? What's going to happen when I do? So many questions…
Tomorrow is Saturday. Maybe I can break the news to Jacob then.
Eventually, mom comes to bring me some food that dad cooked. The sky's a bit darker now and I know it'll become night not too far from now. By the time I finish my food, the sun is nearly below the horizon.
I wonder what Jacob's going to think when I talk to him. I can't possibly guess.
After maybe a few hours, I finally get back up and make my way up towards my room. I know I should be practicing my magecraft, but I don't feel like it. I'll just use my other free night tonight. I may actually end up using my free night for the rest of the week. Once I get back to the house, I take a shower and get ready to go to sleep. I plant my face into my pillow and immediately start drifting.
Soon I find my head rising and sunlight pouring through my window. I look at my clock and it's nearly lunchtime. This is kinda perfect actually. I get up, get dressed, and make my way out the door. Or at least I start to before my dad catches me.
He sits in his tall chair while reading a newspaper. "Where are you going?" I pause.
"I was going to hang out with Jacob today."
"Quite right." He says, "What you're going to do is study."
"Huh?" I let out.
"If you expect me to hand you over to Clock Tower, then I'm at least going to make sure you're the best you can possibly be before I do." He folds his newspaper, "Starting now. Get up to your room and start studying."
"Wait-"
"I mean it, Eric. Now go." He watches me walk back up the stairs and towards my room. After he loses sight of me, I hear footsteps, and then the door to the study closes. I peek around the corner and it's clear. I make my way out the front door, making sure to shut it as silently as possible.
I walk down to the train station and ride it all the way to Jacob's neighborhood. It's a few minutes before I manage to get to his apartment. He's lived by himself for years now. My parents always felt sorry for him after his parents died in an accident.
I'll tell him before I leave. I just want him to have one more regular day. I don't know when I'll be back to see him again. I don't even know if I'll come back. No, don't think like that.
I walk up the stairs to his floor and knock on his door.
The door opens and his eyes widen when he sees me, "Eric! What's up?"
"Hey! Sorry for not telling you I was coming." I say.
"You never do." He lets me in, "Seriously, I feel like the best way to get a hold of you is by carrier pigeon."
"Not too wrong." I laugh.
"Alright!" He walks over and sifts through his movie collection and eventually his hand emerges with Red Dawn, "This is gonna be good."
"Now is this the original or the crappy reboot you told me about?" I sit on the couch.
"It's the good one. Don't worry." He puts the movie in and starts it.
"Hey, why don't we get some food first?" I ask.
"I'll order some pizza then." Jacob walks over to his phone and calls for a delivery.
Pretty soon, we have a pizza on the table and the movie is getting good! After filling our stomachs, and Jacob nearly crying at the end of the movie, we sit and talk for a little more. After sharing some laughs and talking about anything that comes to our heads, I finally break.
If I'm going to tell him, I might as well tell him now.
"Hey, Jacob," I start, "Listen. There's something I really need to tell you."
I see the smile fade from his face, "What's wrong, man?"
"I'm… I'm leaving."
Silence. He stares at me, completely dumbfounded.
"What?"
"Look, I don't know when I'll be back, but I'm going away for a while." I tell him.
"Oh…" He stays silent, "Where are you even going?"
I think up a lie on the spot, "My dad's business partner needs help over in Europe, and I need to go too."
"What about school?" He asks me.
"My dad will talk to them and clear everything up." I tell him.
He looks down for a moment, "Oh…"
"Hey," I put my hand on his shoulder, "I need your help though, Jacob. Emilia needs someone to watch her. I don't want her getting in trouble or getting hurt. Can you please do this for me?"
He looks back up at me and the sadness slowly leaves his expression, "Yeah. Don't worry. I'll make sure she's ok."
"I'm sorry I can't stay longer." I tell him.
"Wait! Before you leave!" He gets up from the couch and walks into his room. After I hear some rustling in there, he comes back in with a box of old comics. I recognize them immediately. These are some old army comics that Jacob used to read after his parents died years ago.
"I can't take these." I look up at him.
"You are, though." He slides the box to me. As I dig through the books, he speaks up again, "Think of these as thanks."
"When I get back, I'm giving these back to their rightful owner." I pick up the box.
"Yeah, and they better not have a smudge on them!" we both laugh for a moment before falling into silence again, "See you, man."
"Thank you, Jacob. See ya later." I leave his apartment. I hope everyone's going to be alright.
I look to the sky and it's nearly dark already.
I need to get home soon. Who knows how mad dad's gonna be once he figures out where I've been all day.
As I make my way back towards the train station, I get a weird feeling… like someone's stalking me. I cross into an empty park and find a secluded area. I put down the box.
I know he's here.
"Hey, princess." A voice calls out behind me.
"What are you doing here, Sapphire?" I turn around and see him leaning against a tree.
He has red hair, like his sister. He's a bit taller and has more muscle than me, but all that does is offset how much of an idiot he is.
"Just looking for a game to play." He stands up and starts walking towards me.
"Well, you better keep looking." I answer back.
"And miss out on seeing you bleed?" He laughs, "Not a chance."
Josh puts his hand down onto the gravel path, and I see the rocks and dust fuse together to make a bo staff.
"Sapphire. Leave right now, and I'll consider forgetting about all of this." I stare him down.
"Or what?" He asks me, "You act all righteous at school, but don't forget I know exactly who you are, Webley. And I'm never gonna forget."
No words leave my mouth. I haven't thought about that night in ages. I never really wanted to.
"You know if Ritchie were here, you and your filthy bloodline would be erased…" He snarls at me, "Would be… if you didn't step in."
I begin to open my mouth, "I-"
"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!" He screams, "Let's just get this over with, Webley."
I exhale. I feel my mana coursing through my body, reinforcing it. I ready myself.
Josh rushes straight toward me and tries to stab me with his staff. I duck under it.
"Nimh damhán alla." I whisper my spell and send my reinforced fist into his chest.
He staggers a moment, I grab his arm but he immediately rips it from my grasp and swings his staff into my jaw. I fall onto my back. I start to crawl away from Josh and stand onto my feet. I feel my lip and notice blood trickling down my finger. He catches his breath and looks me straight in the eye.
His voice shakes with fury, "You'll pay for that, Webley."
"I can afford it…" I say amid heavy breaths.
Josh slowly releases his polearm as it crumbles in his hand. He slowly gets on his knees and puts his hand on the ground.
"What are you doing now, idiot?" I start walking towards him.
He laughs horribly and he snaps his head towards me with a wicked smile, "Ending this! Pistolet-kop'ye!"
Just then, I feel the gravel beneath me start to shudder and rumble. Suddenly a small blunt stalagmite rises between my feet, barely reaching above my knee.
I look back towards Josh, "Getting slow?" My spell is affecting him now. He's losing control of his circuits.
He morphs the ground into a sledgehammer and stands to his feet, "SHUT UP!"
He swings the hammer down at me and I jump left. Josh's hammer lands with a force so intense that a small crater formed where I stood. Josh wrenches the hammer from the ground. I pull my hand in front of me and cast Gandr. The bolt hits Josh square in the chest and he falls to his knees, holding his chest, wincing.
"You little dickhead!" Josh manages to get out in between groans.
"How's that for a game?" I feel blood trickle down from my swollen lip.
I manage to force myself to stand. My head is killing me. I look over at Josh, and he's still lying there, cradling the wound.
I look down at him, "Don't you dare go near me or my sister ever again."
I walk back over to the box of comics as Josh sits there in pain. Blood drips from my mouth and lands on one of the comics. So much for 'not a smudge'.
I make the trek back home. By the time I get back to my house, my parents are already standing outside.
"Where have you been?!" My dad yells at me, "And what is that?!"
"I went to tell Jacob I'm leaving." I answer, knowing fully that I'm going to be in deep trouble.
"ERIC! You have to think about these things!" My mom says immediately, "We don't even know where you're going! The least we can do is at least make sure you can protect yourself!"
"And what happened to you?! Why are you bleeding?!" Dad asks.
"I tripped on my way over here…"
"Eric… seriously." Mom sighs.
My dad yanks me inside, "You're so reckless, Eric! Please just focus and work on your craft!" He walks me up the stairs and to my room. He opens my door and shoves me in, "I just want you to be safe! I want you to be able to protect yourself! Please, for once in your life just take this seriously!"
An intense silence fills the air.
"Please…" He slowly closes my door and leaves me.
I…
The silence of my room is eating me alive.
I don't know what to do. I just… I've only ever seen my dad act like that when… Nevermind.
I open my closet door. I push a small panel and a secret door opens. I walk down a small set of stairs. At the bottom, I find a dark room. My workshop. I take a match and light a few candles.
I unbutton my shirt and uncover my shoulder. I look at the magic crest that my parents transferred to me. I don't need to concentrate hard to feel all the knowledge and proficiency in these small symbols embedded into my being. Traps, bounded fields, and even a handful of minor spells that I never had to learn.
I get to work, doing any project I can even think of. Refining my magecraft, testing certain techniques out, or even just reading up on things I could try to combine with it. I have no idea how long I've been doing this now.
What time is it even?
I look at the clock and it's…
"3:57?!" I exclaim to myself.
I need to go to bed.
I get back upstairs and after changing into my sleepwear, I climb into bed and close my eyes.
As I lay in bed, I can feel the sunlight hitting my eyelids. I slowly drag myself out of bed. As I try to focus on the clock, I can make out the time. It's 10:02.
After changing into some clothes, I make my way down towards the kitchen. I open the door and immediately see my parents running around, looking for something.
"What are you two doing?" I ask, still half-asleep.
"We're looking for your sister." Dad says, clearly not amused by Em's absence.
"And you're looking for her in the kitchen?"
"We've checked everywhere else!" Mom says, "She's not in her room, she's not in the study, she's not in the garden, we can't find her!"
I grab a snack from the pantry and start to eat it as I make my way outside.
If I know Em, then I think I have an idea where she would be.
I make my way into the forest behind my house and keep walking. After a few minutes of dodging loose branches and ducking under foliage, I can hear what sounds like someone crying. I make my way out of the treeline and I reach a small stream, Emilia by its side sitting on a large stone.
She stops her tears as soon as I emerge, "What are you doing here?" She asks me.
"Checking on you." I answer. I walk over to her and sit next to her. I see her shift slightly away from me, "What's wrong, Em?"
"What's wrong?" She snaps her gaze towards me, "I can't believe you're that dumb."
Em's never been this aggressive before, "I want you to be ok." I tell her.
"Then don't leave." She looks away from me, "When you're gone, I'm going to be alone…" she sighs, "Alone with mom and dad. I'm not going to do any fun stuff anymore. I was really excited to finally be in the same school as you, ya know…"
I wrap my arm around her, "I know… I was pretty excited too, honestly."
"And now, I'm going to be alone…" She curls up and starts to cry again, "I'm going to be alone with him."
I hug her and she cries into my sleeve, "Em, I promise you Josh won't do anything. Mom and dad would never let you get hurt again."
"But-"
"No, Em. I promise you if he does something, I'll find a way home just to make sure you're okay."
Her crying fades, "You will?"
"You know I do well to keep my promises." I smile.
I see a smile start to appear on her face and she hugs me.
"Are you better now?" I ask.
"A little." She answers, "And since you're feeling so nice, I could use a little help on my homework-"
"Nope!" I stand up and start making my way back to the house, "That's all you."
"Wow! Way to ruin the mood, you massive jerk!" My sister chases after me.
The rest of the day seems to fly by with assignments and getting things ready for me to leave tomorrow. We pack all of my luggage and supplies into a few suitcases and a duffel bag. We tried to read the letter seeing if they gave any clues about where I'm going, but we couldn't find any so we just packed a little bit of everything. After the night is over, we all eat dinner as a family. Well, Em and I eat dinner while my parents start scolding her for running off.
The next morning begins with a very familiar noise.
"Eric!" Em bangs on my door.
I jump out of bed. Morning already?
"Eric!" She bangs even harder.
"Coming!" I walk over to the door and open it.
"You better hurry! The clock tower people are gonna be here soon!"
"Okay, okay! Calm down." I make my way over to my closet and she disappears from my doorway.
As I get out of my pajamas, and start putting on some pants. I hear someone walk into my room. I turn to see my dad standing in the door.
"Hey…" He sits on the bed, "I wanted to talk to you about that night."
"I stayed up all night, I swear."
He looks down at the floor, "Not that. I know you did. I just wanted to say that… I do care about you. I pushed you so hard because I'm just… I want you to be okay, Eric."
"I will be." I start putting on my shirt.
My dad's somber expression doesn't change, "I know…" He digs into his coat pocket, "I wanted you to have this. Just in case." He digs out an old Great War revolver.
"Dad-"
"I know, but please just… it's only in emergencies."
I sigh, "I'm-"
"Please just think about it." He puts his hand on my shoulder and lays the revolver in my arms.
After a brief moment of silence, he makes his way out of my room and down the hall.
I toss the firearm onto the bed. I put on my coat and walk downstairs with my luggage.
I walk down the stairs and see my sister pestering a tall man with grey hair and a beard while he talks to my father.
He immediately looks my way, "Mr. Eric Webley if I am to presume correctly? Well, it seems that I have arrived slightly ahead of schedule. I suppose we can stay for a short time longer before we make our leave."
I look at my dad and he has his brow furrowed so much, that you'd think his facial muscles were contorting.
My dad pulls me to the side, "Remember Eric, these are a sly bunch, so be vigilant to any propaganda they feed you. Especially this one; he seems odd."
"Mr. Webley, we must be leaving soon. Let's grab your things and make our way to the transport." the agent butts in.
"Don't worry, dad, I'm not going to let my guard down." I hug him one last time.
"Please be careful, sweetie!" my mom says as she tightens her arms around me.
Emilia chimes in, "Please do not kill my brother." She says to the agent.
"Haha, we'll certainly try not to." he says with a grin.
Emilia gives me a small hug.
I hug her back, "I'll see ya soon, Em."
"I know." She walks back towards our parents.
I give them one last wave and grab my bags and make my way towards the car.
The agent opens the car door for me, "We will certainly watch your career with great interest, Mr. Webley."
We enter the car and drive away. As we leave, I watch my house drift further and further away. I lose sight of the house after we turn onto the road, and I embark on a journey that I know nothing about. Great…
POV: Nathanial Moon
Date: May 29th, 2018
Location: Ksiaz Castle, Poland
A piece of the pillar I'm hiding behind shatters as it gets hit by a blast from one of the homunculi.
"Oh, come on!" I yell, "Why can't anything go right?!"
"What do you expect, Nate?" Kairi spins around and fires his shotgun at some of the homunculi. They fall to the ground, dead.
I reach into my bag and pull out six ether clumps, and a lock of wolf fur. I spread the fur over the clumps and channel mana into them.
"Hringdu." I whisper.
The fur starts growing into tissue, that tissue starts growing into organs, the organs start growing into animals.
I look at the wolves as they grow into beings, "Well, poochies… fetch."
They all run out from behind the pillar and charge straight at the remaining homunculi. They fire their arrows, and one wolf goes down, but immediately gets back up and starts charging again. Once the wolves reach them, they're mauled instantly. After a few seconds, the wolves slowly reassume the form of clumps of glowing clay.
"There's still some in the distance. You got any more?" Kairi asks.
I look at the treeline, and I see a group of maybe ten homunculi all bunched together, running towards us.
"All I'm gonna need is one, old man." I pull out an ether clump and some more wolf fur.
I lay the clump on the ground, I ball the fur into a fist, and channel mana into them, setting them on fire. As I lay the fur on the clump, another wolf grows, but I can see there's a light coming from its insides. The wolf runs straight towards the homunculi. They stop and ready themselves to go against the animal. The wolf runs at them, faster and faster with every step.
"Mölbrot!" I yell.
The wolf leaps over the group. Just as it flies above the center, the animal explodes, lighting the area and the enemies on fire.
"Good job, kid." Kairi says as he holsters his shotgun.
The door swings open, "WE'RE HERE TO- Oh… it seems you have it covered." It's a student, one of the assistants of that magus that hired us.
"Nothing surprising then." Kairi says to him.
"Right… well… we found the artifact, so we can head out now." The guy looks nervous.
"Good." I say, "I'm getting tired of being shot at, anyway."
"Yeah. We'll be in touch soon for your payment." Another student of the magus walks out putting something in his bag.
"You said you'd pay us upfront!" I yell.
"There's been some… complications on the behalf of our employer." the second student says.
"There's always a fucking complica-"
"Don't mind my assistant here." Kairi interrupts me, "He's a bit hot-headed." He starts walking forward, "But, I still wonder how it was that you didn't grab the money on your way here." He stops right in front of the students, towering over them, "Maybe I could just take your hands since you're not too good at using them…"
The first student immediately cracks, "We have the money! Don't hurt us!" He pulls a pouch out of the bag the other one's wearing.
"Hurt you? I would never." Kairi grabs the bag, "My associate, on the other hand…"
They both look at me. I drop a few ether clumps on the ground and drop teeth and claws onto them. As they start to form into wolves and a grizzly bear, the assistants start to tremble.
"I'll give you a head start." I pull on my jacket.
They run away, into the forest.
"Don't actually go out and kill them." Kairi says, "We'd be out of a job if you did."
"As much as I want to…" I tell Kairi as the animals turn back into ether clumps. I start picking them back up.
"Start cleaning the place up. I'll take care of the bodies." He says.
I pick up the ether clumps and throw them back into my satchel. After everything's been taken care of, I meet back up with Kairi.
"You wanna head back or stay in Poland a little longer?" He asks me.
"Hmmm… London… orrr some random farmer's pig sty…" I say.
"That's really reductive." He says to me.
"It is, but you know I'm right." I turn around and start walking back to the car.
"I'm not sure if I like this new anti-poland sentiment." Kairi laughs, "I think it's not half bad."
"That's why I'm picking the next hideout." I laugh. "Remember the place in Romania?"
"Yeah… that was a bad idea." Kairi catches up with me.
We ride back to the airport and book our flight to London. Hours pass by. Sitting in an airport and sitting in an airplane. How can something so mundane be so tiring?
When we land, we head to the parking lot and find our car in the ocean of vehicles. I hop into the passenger seat and Kairi opens the door and takes the wheel. As we're pulling away from the airport, Kairi speaks up.
"You know, Waver told me something earlier." He says.
"What would he want? Let me guess. He wants me to come back and go to one of his classes doesn't he? Well I'm not-"
"Not that. He knows you'd just say no. Told me about how there was this 'project' of some kind." Kairi explains.
"Project?" I ask.
"Yep. No idea why, but it's been on my mind ever since he asked." He says.
"You have any idea what this project's about?" I ask.
"No clue. All I know is that it doesn't look like it's headed by Clock Tower itself." He says, "There have been rumors. After all, there is one magus family missing from Clock Tower right now."
"And which one would that be?" I ask.
"The Animuspheres. Typically they sit in on some meetings and updates, but recently they've been absent from them."
"Where did they go?" I ask.
"No idea, but I'd bet they have something to do with this project. Something that gets the attention of Waver is definitely a project with either a lot of money or a lot of backing. The Animuspheres have both, especially since he won that grail war a few years back." He says, "All we know though is that something's stirred up Clock Tower like it was a wasp's nest." He pauses.
"Well, I hope they start to hire us." I say, "We could use the money."
"About that… I think they're taking a look at some of your old files." He tells me.
I look back up from my phone, "Huh?"
"Apparently they want to talk to you. Something about a blood sample." He tells me.
"Why?!" I ask him, "This is the first time I've heard about this!"
"They want you in on the project." he tells me.
"I thought you just said it wasn't being led by Clock Tower!"
"Waver told me that these new people struck a deal with Clock Tower in order to get new members. Now, Clock Tower has jurisdiction in that." Kairi says.
"Well fuck them." I tell him, "I'm not doing anything for those slimy bastards."
"Nate, it's either you go talk to them willingly or they kidnap you." He says, looking out into the London traffic.
"Then they better get the best men they-"
"Nate." Kairi speaks up, "These aren't just low-class magi wanting this. I'm pretty sure some of the higher-ups even want this to happen."
"Which means, we can't just refuse it, can we?" I ask.
He shakes his head, "Nope."
I sigh, "Fuck."
"I'm sorry kid." He takes a swig of his drink in the cupholder.
"Really? This early in the morning?" I take the bottle away from him.
"It's just pepsi you delinquent." He snatches it back.
We eventually find ourselves in front of our house. Kairi and I have a hideout in the form of a suburban home just north of London. He said it was too open, not as protected, and overall a bad choice. It was either this or some crypt in Hungary, so I obviously opted for the house.
We walk into the house and start unpacking from our little vacation. I throw a bunch of my dirty and maybe even a little bloody clothes in the wash and walk into the living room, where Kairi is.
"Well, we might as well get this over with." I tell Kairi.
He nods and grabs a syringe out of the bathroom.
"Just tell me when I can open my eyes." I wince.
A few seconds pass and I feel something prick into my arm. A few more seconds go by until I hear Kairi.
"Alright, kid. I got it."
"Thank God." I rub my arm. I can feel it stinging. "It better be enough. I'm not doing that again." I look and see Kairi holding the syringe full of my blood.
"It's enough. Calm down." Kairi stashes the blood sample away.
"So what are you gonna do in the meantime?" I ask.
"An 'old man' like me needs a little rest doesn't he?" He places the blood vial onto the table and walks into the living room to sit down on the couch.
"Jesus, at least put it in a cabinet or something. What are you an animal?" I pick up the blood and put it in the cupboard.
"Eh," he shrugs, "Guess I'm just used to it."
"Right. Well while you waste away watching TV, I'll be workin in the basement." I open the door leading downstairs.
"Have fun." Kairi pulls out a cigar and lights it.
I walk down to my workshop. I see my collection of animal material. I have everything from pelts to teeth to claws to even eyeballs. Then there's the ether clumps I got in my collection. I know a certain few magi who just throw these away, thinking they're useless. I can't imagine their faces if they found out I've been able to make these things have a real use. Bastards can't even see the potential in this stuff.
I channel ether and fire into my palm. As I feel more and more of my circuits activate, this puddy starts generating in my hand. After it reaches about the size of a baseball. I make a few more, until it looks like I have roughly twenty left. That's good enough for now.
"Hey Nate!" Kairi's voice rings from the top of the stairs.
"Yeah?"
"We got a package for you. Some hawk feathers." He says.
"Finally! They said they'd be in 3 weeks ago." I walk up the stairs and grab the package.
I put the feathers with the other bird items.
I take one of the feathers, "These better be real." I put the feather on one of the clumps and channel wind into it.
I close my eyes, feeling the mana pulse through my hand. I can feel it transferring into the ether as I focus. That should be enough. I open my eyes and see the feather still laying on top of the clump.
"KAIRI!" I yell, "WE'RE SHIPPING THIS BACK I WANT MY TWENTY PENCE BACK!"
"Fakes again?" I hear him ask.
"THEY SAID THEY WERE GENUINE! THIEVING BASTARDS!"
"Alright, alright, calm down." He says.
I throw the feather back in the box and storm upstairs with the box in hand and throw it onto the table, "First thing tomorrow! I'm going out to put this back in the post!"
"That has to be the third time I've heard that exact sentence this month." Kairi snarks.
"I'm sorry we live in the fuckin information age, Kairi. It's not like fuckin Amazon can just go out to their various eagle ranches and pluck feathers until the sun sets."
"Hawk. They're hawk feathers." Kairi says nonchalantly.
"SAME FUCKIN THING!"
I look at the clock and it's already 9:18 pm. The day's just flown by hasn't it?
"I'm going to bed. Goodnight." I sigh and make my way to my room.
"Night, kid." I hear Kairi from the living room.
I change into my sleepwear and lie down in my bed.
I wake up to the sound of someone driving by the house with some souped up car.
"Assholes." I groan as I lean up and crawl out of bed.
I look at my phone to see I have three messages unread.
Hey, kid. I got a job offer last night so I packed and left this morning. I'll be out of town for a few days, maybe even a couple of weeks. I don't know yet.
Hold down the place while I'm gone.
I'm boarding the plane now so I'll talk when I land.
I start to type a reply.
Ok old man i'll put up some spells and make sure everythings locked down good luck on your job stuff
I put on a fresh set of clothes. As I walk into the kitchen, I see the box of shit on the table.
Might as well get this done.
I pick up the box and am halfway out of the door before I remember something. I walk back to the cupboard and open it. Sure enough, the vial of blood is still sitting there.
I have to go and give it to Waver myself don't I?
I draw a long sigh, "…fuck…" I put the blood in my pocket and make my way out into the neighborhood.
I make my way through the streets toward the post office. Soon I am stepping onto the concrete pathway leading to the doors of the mail station.
As I walk into the door, one of the workers sees me, "How you doing, mister?"
"Awful since the guy I bought this from decided to cheat me out of my money."
"Sorry to hear about that sir. We'll be sure to attach a note onto it that says you weren't pleased with the order."
"Yeah and while you're at it, write on there that I called him a knob." I start making my way out of the building.
"I… will do, sir." The clerk says.
"Cheers." I push the doors open and make my way onto the street again.
I'm walking the streets of the neighborhood when I come across the bus stop ready to take me downtown. I dig the vial of blood out of my pocket. Well… guess I don't have a choice.
I wait around for about a quarter of an hour and the bus screeches to a halt. The doors open for me to step on. I put some money into the bucket and the driver's voice sounds off.
"A pound eighty-five." The driver says.
"Pound eighty-five? It was a pound seventy last week!"
"Well it's eighty-five this week. Come on, I don't have all day." The driver smarts off.
"This is highway robbery." I drop the money into the bin and take my seat.
After maybe half an hour, we finally pull into Westminster station. As I get off the bus, I look up to see the silhouette of the tower that tortured me for years of my childhood. All the bullshit and prejudice that was thrown at me from both the professors and my fellow students.
"Well… no time like the present."
I open the doors and see that the halls are empty, save for a few secretaries at the front desk.
One of their gazes snaps right towards me as I make my way in, "Just who are you, boy?" He asks aggressively.
"Lord El-Melloi II wishes to see me." I continue walking.
The secretaries pause a moment, "Right… uh. You're here to see Lord El-Melloi II? Yes. I'm very sure of that." the other says sarcastically. I think I can see her holding back a laugh at that.
Right. We're playing this now, huh?
I dig my phone out of my pocket.
"Just what are you doing?" the first secretary asks me.
I scroll through my pictures and eventually find a photo of myself and Waver whenever I had first gotten this phone years ago.
I show the secretaries, and their faces drop in horror.
"Lord El-Melloi II wishes to see me." I say again, while they both slowly look back towards me, "Dicks."
They let me pass into the corridors of Clock Tower. Now, I'm walking towards Waver's office. After all, I'd rather not let any of my old 'pals' from my time as a student here see me. I remember these ancient halls almost too well. I notice a corner near some lockers where Drake Malaby tried to shove me onto the floor. Tried. As I continue down the hallway, I see a room where one of the faculty members tried to expel me because some students made up this story about me going unhinged and trying to stab another student. For three years, everyone here either wanted me dead or gone. It shouldn't be too much longer before I find myself outside of Waver's class.
I stop outside an all-too-familiar door. I can hear Waver's voice inside as he instructs his class. I continue down the hallways and I am finally met with the doorway to enter Waver's office. I go in and am immediately struck by the smell of cigarettes. I try my best to ignore it and sit down in a comfy chair. It feels like half an hour must've gone by before I finally got what I was waiting for.
The door opens and none other than Waver Velvet steps around the door. He's older than I remember. His face is more aged, and he even has a little gray in his long hair. He stops for a moment, and looks at me with a deadpan expression. He closes the door.
"Looks like I need to have a talk with the secretaries about just letting anyone into my office." He makes his way over to his desk seat and takes his place in his chair.
"Good to see you too." I lean forward in the chair.
"Did you bring the blood sample?" He asks me.
I dig into my pocket and grab the vial of my blood. I show Waver and put it on his desk.
"Now, Nathaniel." He takes his glasses off and puts them on his desk, "How are you feeling about all this?"
"Like shit. Why?" I answer.
"I thought as much." He sighs and reaches for a cigarette, "I was hoping the answer would be a little more professional."
"What's so professional about me being kidnapped?"
"They are only trying to pick the best candidates for the role and you have piqued their interest." Waver tells me.
"I'm not even in Clock Tower anymore!"
"They're not looking strictly within Clock Tower. They're selecting from many international organizations, even freelancers like yourself." He says, "Albeit, most of the chosen that I know about have come from at least medium size families that at least have some affiliation with Clock Tower."
"Right. Yeah. So why are they looking into me?" I ask.
"The higher ups have seen your unique record here at the school, and have decided to have your DNA tested to see if they meet the requirements of the contractors."
"Still waiting for some good fucking news."
He draws a drag from his cig, "Listen. If you get enrolled into this organization, then Clock Tower will have less of a stranglehold on yours and Kairi's lives. You will be able to get more job opportunities. You could do what you've always told me you wanted to do and 'leave this wretched place and show these ay-holes what you are capable of yourself'."
I'm stunned for a second. I remember countless times of all the self-righteous scumbags antagonizing me and trying to make me inferior to them. I remember how I'd come to Waver's office to the exact place where I'm sitting and tell him those exact words.
He reads my expression, "What can I say? I'm a good listener." He taps the cigarette into an ashtray, "Maybe this isn't as bad as you think."
I lean back in my chair. How do we know that's what's gonna happen though? As amazing as it sounds to be away from these pricks once and for all, how do I know that will be the case? After all, he just said most of the candidates are from Clock Tower.
"Here." Waver stands up, "I'll look into it more and give you any information that I've gathered on the project. You go home and get some rest. I'll come tomorrow evening to share with you the results of the blood test and help prepare you should you pass." He makes his way to the door and opens it. The halls are full of students walking to their next period.
I stand onto my feet and walk out of his office, "See you tomorrow, then."
He nods and closes the door.
"Holy crap." a voice sounds off near me.
I immediately come to a halt. I know that voice. I know it all too well.
"Moon. Ha. What are you doing here, eh?"
I turn towards the voice and I'm met with a shorter guy with slicked back blonde hair, "Malaby."
He gives a small chuckle, "Come crawling back from the sewers to see if you could be enrolled again?"
"You'd like that wouldn't you, prick?" I can see him recoil a little.
"Oh trust me, as hard as it must be having to deal with your horrible stench every day, I'd be willing to make that sacrifice." He says, yknow, like an ass, "After all who else would be there to remind you where you stand."
I step closer to him, he doesn't move.
"And I'll return the favor by reminding you where you'll be fuckin burried if you say that again."
"Ah yes." his annoying smile slowly emerging onto his face, "As I thought. You couldn't be civilized even if you tried. You're a thug. You don't belong here, and I'll be glad when you'll be working for peanuts, begging me to give you any semblance of respect. And all I'll tell you is to get your dirty feet off of my grass."
Malaby struts off down the hall. I should chase him down and break his skull open. I just gotta suck it up and let it happen. I can't make another scene here. Malaby, you're lucky you got away this time.
I make my way back home, passing through the neighborhoods and slums of London. By the time I make it back to my house, it's late. I take a shower and make sure all the magic seals are active and I set up a bounded field. I put on my pajamas and lay down in bed.
Suddenly, I can hear footsteps getting quicker and quicker, I hear someone breathing heavily. I open my eyes and I'm a small child, sitting in someone's arms as they run down this forest path. There are glowing plants and the area around us is dark. I try to see the face of whoever is carrying me but my sight gets blurry. All I can make out is the woman's golden blonde hair.
My alarm goes off and I shoot out of my bed.
What the hell was that?
I look around my room and everything is the same. I climb out of bed and open my closet door, the seal holding the bounded field up is still there. No one's come in.
Just a weird dream, then. Yeah.
I change into some clothes and walk to the kitchen to fix myself some breakfast. I put some bacon on the fryer and turn on the radio.
"-in news this morning, mysterious disappearances around Orlea-" I switch the radio to a local rock station.
I reach into the pantry and grab two slices of bread. I sit them on a plate and go for the fridge to get some ketchup. Once the bacon's done I put it all together and take a bite.
"You've outdone yourself, Nate." I say to myself as I slowly chew my breakfast.
I check my phone to see no new messages from Kairi. That's a little unnerving. I hope he's doing okay. I keep chowing down on my breakfast.
Once I finish it, I run through my checklist.
"Okay. Well, I need to see about getting some more 'ingredients' for my homunculi." I start, "Maybe see about studying them a bit more. Or if I have nothing else to do then I could just watch some tele. Can't forget Waver's comin over today."
I spend my day going through some stuff. I get some ether clumps ready for transforming downstairs, I watch some Grand Tour, play DMC4, get some lunch, and do a bit of laundry. By the time I look at the clock, it's 5 pm.
Well, looks like I wasn't picked.
I walk over to the fridge, but before I can open it, I hear a light knocking come from the door.
Just in case, I grab some ether clumps. Never know if it's the mailman or someone not so friendly. I look through the peephole and see Waver standing underneath an umbrella keeping out of the rain.
I sigh and pocket the ether clumps. I unlock the door and open it.
"Hey, Waver." I lean against the door.
"I should correct you on my title." He straightens his jacket. I can see that he's holding a canvas bag at his side.
"You haven't done that since I was fifteen." I tell him.
"Well this isn't a formal meeting, so I'll let it slide." He sighs. He's always let it slide while I was a student under him, "Right. Down to business. May I come in?"
"Help yourself." I walk inside and into the living room, "So I think I know why you're here."
He puts the bag down at his feet and sits on the couch, "Yes, we've reviewed your sample and performed some tests. It passes all requirements." He takes his glasses off and starts to clean them, "And, although I'm bending the code of conduct with this, the reason why I'm here is for you to ask me any question you have on this project."
"Welp. Better brace yourself because I got loads." I say, "First off, what the hell am I g-"
"Remember who you're talking to, Nathaniel." He says firmly, "I may let these things go, but my colleagues are not so forgiving."
Right. I'm starting to get why he made a big deal out of his title a few seconds ago.
"Just what do you think would happen if you did all of this to Barthomeloi Lorelei?" Waver reminds me.
I try to compose myself a little more, "Sorry… Lord El-Melloi II."
"Better. Just please remember this, because you're going to be in an environment with a lot of other magi, some of which outclass you."
"Yes, well, can you please tell me what I may be doing while I'm there, or even where I'm even going?" I ask.
He sighs, "I knew you were going to ask me that, and quite frankly I was hoping you didn't. I don't know."
"Wonderful." I sigh, "Well there goes half of what I need to know."
"Well, I do have theories." He adds, "The heads of this project are the Animuspheres. The project was started by the current director's father. He died recently, but anytime he'd send us messages, they would always be addressed from different locations."
"Of course he'd make it hard to track him." I sigh, "Awesome."
"However, we did a little test on one of the notes, and we found traces of subzero temperatures." He adds, "So they might be someplace cold."
"Got it. Pack for the cold."
"They might be. You should dress for everything." He tells me, "You don't know where you may end up so that's the best course of action."
I nod my head, "Okay, I get it."
"Another thing. Whatever this project is, it's big. I've heard that they've even obtained funding from the United Nations."
This must be something massive then. Is this a grail war? No, the UN wouldn't fund a grail war… well… they might…
"I have one more thing to give you." Waver reaches down to the bag and pulls out a shattered sword hilt, "This is a catalyst. We don't know who this weapon belonged to but it has sufficient magical energy."
I stare at him for a second, "You're throwing me into a grail war."
"No. I don't know what exactly you're going to do but we know that many dozens of candidates have been chosen. Much too many for a grail war." He says, still holding the hilt.
I look over the hilt. I can't make anything out about it. It's rusty and a small section of the blade is still intact. It even looks a little sharp, surprisingly.
"And you don't know whose this was?" I ask.
"I told you we've done all we can, but we can't trace this sword back to any one person." He says, as he hands me the hilt.
"Well whoever's this was, I'll make sure to take good care of it." I take the weapon from him and turn it in my hands, studying it as much as I can.
"If that's all we have to discuss, then I'll be more than happy to drive you to the airport after you pack."
"Airport?" I ask, "We're leaving now?"
"No. All I know is that you're getting on a private plane. After that, you're on this journey by yourself." He sounds almost sad.
"When does the plane leave?"
"Whenever we get there." He tells me, "The higher class magi and the program heads are tired of waiting at this point."
"So you're basically telling me to get my ass packed and ready right now?"
Waver shoots me a strict look.
I sigh and roll my eyes, "So are you informing me that I need to gather my things and make ready to leave at the soonest moment, Lord El-Melloi II?"
"Better. Get used to that." He stands up, "I'll be waiting in the car for you. Take as long as you need."
Just like that, he picks up his umbrella and unfurls it as he walks out the door.
I have so much to get. I need clothes, duh. I need to pack all my workshop shit. All my ether clumps.
I put the sword hilt on the kitchen table.
Well, time to get to work.
I pull a chest out of a basement closet. The chest is fairly big with a slab of wood separating the inside. I put the tank in with all the vials of blood, locks of hair, talons, feathers. I fill the other side of the chest to the brim with all my ether clumps. I lug the chest upstairs and plop it down in front of the door.
I go upstairs and throw pretty much my entire closet into two suitcases. I drag them down and put them next to the chest. I open the door just to see it raining and that Waver's leaning against his car with an umbrella. Gonna have to shove all this out in the rain? Awesome…
I grab my two suitcases and run out to the car. I open the boot of the car and throw my things in. I run back and grab my chest.
"Need any help with that?" Waver asks me.
"Could you just open the door?"
He leans down and pulls the door open.
I shove the crate into the back seat, getting soaked by the rain the whole time.
"That's it?" He asks me.
"Not quite." I run back inside and grab the hilt. I managed to fit the thing into my jacket pocket.
I run back outside and jump in the front seat of Waver's car.
He walks around to the driver's side, starts the car, and we start on our merry way.
The drive to the airport is quiet. We're backed up in the typical London traffic and I'm just watching the raindrops hit the window. I eventually break the silence.
"So when do you think I'll be back?"
"Honestly, I have no idea." Waver says.
I snap my view towards him.
"I tried to figure that out myself before I even came to your house."
I dig my phone out of my pocket and bring up mine and Kairi's messages. I hit the call button and it goes straight to voicemail.
Maybe he's just busy right now. He could be hiding out and just doesn't have service or something.
I start to text him.
I just wanted to text you and give you the update. I'm leaving right now and I have no idea when I'm going to be back. I hope you do okay on that mission you're on and I'll keep my phone close by if you ever need to call or text or something. Till then, see ya old man.
I hit send. I lean against the window and prop my head on my arm.
"London sucks." I say while staring out into the sea of backed-up cars.
"It has its benefits." Waver taps the steering wheel.
After about an hour we finally got to the airport. Waver takes the usual route on the way to the front doors but at one point he veers off and starts going to this gate with guards standing there.
We drive up and Waver rolls down his window, "I'm here on a private venture."
The guard looks him up and down, "Yeah? What company?"
"Clock Tower."
The guard's eyes widen and his whole demeanor changes, "O- of course!"
The guard pulls a lever and the gate starts to open.
"Much appreciated." Waver drives through the gate and starts down the apron towards a sleek black small passenger jet.
We park in front of the plane.
"I'll get your luggage, you grab the chest." He unbuckles his seatbelt.
"You just want me to grab the heaviest stuff don't you?" I ask him.
He looks at me for a moment, "Maybe." He gets out of the car and walks towards the back.
I stand up and open the back seat door. I lurch my crate out of the car and it slams onto the concrete.
"Are you okay, Nathaniel?" I hear Waver ask.
I open the chest and make sure nothing was damaged, "All good."
"Wonderful." I hear Waver sound off.
We carry my stuff to the plane and they start to load it onto the cargo hold.
"Now," Waver turns to me, "Nathaniel."
"Yeah?"
"I want to tell you that I have faith in you on your mission." He tells me, "I taught you well all those years ago, and your expertise as a freelancer makes me feel you are more than capable at handling yourself."
"Thank you, Lord El-Melloi II." I smile at him.
I can notice a small smile form on his face and he gives a quiet chuckle, "Better." He pats my shoulder and makes his way back to his car. I can see it turn around and head back to the gate.
I hear a voice from behind me, "Sir, the plane is almost ready."
I pause for a moment before turning around, "Sir?" The voice came from a guy in a white coat that, quite frankly, looks ridiculous.
"I'm a representative of the organization you're going to serve. The moment we get on this plane, it will take off to our next stop."
I start to ask, "Which i-"
"Classified." He says sternly, "Now, again, the plane is almost ready."
I reluctantly make my way onto the plane. Some VIP flight…
POV: Chaldea Rep
Date: May 30th, 2018
Location: Rome, Italy
As the car stops in front of the chapel, I can only hope that these freaks won't stab me on sight. I open the door and climb out of the car.
Okay. You got this. All I'm doing is coming to pick the kid up.
As I face the door, the silhouette of a man appears in front of it. He wasn't there before.
"Welcome, young man." The figure says, "I take it that you're the representative of this organization I've heard so little about?"
"Y- yes. I am." I can barely make it two words without stuttering. What's wrong with me?
"Unfortunately, you'll be waiting for a while." The figure turns around and faces the building, "Follow me."
"What do you mean? Where's the candidate?" I ask.
"Doing his duty. Come now." He steps inside the building.
As I follow him into the structure, I notice the paintings of the virgin Mary and the stained glass windows adorning the walls. The man continued to the main hall.
"Uh… How long will I be waiting?" I ask the man.
"He is on his flight back. It will only be a few more hours." The man says.
POV: ?
Date: May 29th, 2018,
Location: Château de Chambord, Orléans, France
As my sister, Maria and I are walking through the dark forest, I remember the information given to us before we left Rome. This target is a fairly recent dead apostle, but not weak. A former magi as well. Magi are the most likely to become a dead apostle due to their immortality. From what our scribes have gathered, there are roughly one hundred undead within the perimeter of the castle.
"You take the Eastern end. I'll have the West." I tell my sister.
"Got it." She splits off onto another pathway.
As I walk the path, I finally clear the trees and see this massive, imposing structure over the plains and courtyards.
All we need to do is take care of the dead apostle, anything like the undead will be taken care of by the Church here in France. I intend on completing my objective without any hiccups.
I stand at the treeline, inspecting all the means of entry. I could just walk through the front gate, but the gate would have traps set for anyone that enters. Another option is to enter through the back, but that would also have traps. The best option is to scale the wall and land in the courtyard.
I begin my enhancement spell. I can feel the magical energy coursing through my legs. The air is rushing past me as I speed towards the castle wall. I need to enhance my legs even more.
I leap onto the walls of the castle. I look over the courtyard and I can see my suspicions were correct. I can hear multiple runes and even a bounded field around the entrances and lining the courtyard. Perhaps either to signal that someone is here or to poison the intruder. It looks like I better not go down there. I look across the yard and I can see that Maria had the same idea as I did. She nods at me and silently climbs into a nearby window. I leap across the courtyard to a window ledge. I try to open the window.
It's locked.
I dig out a black key from my pocket. I stick the key up to the lock and pulse mana into the blade, breaking the lock. I pull the window open and climb through. It looks like I'm in a corridor. I hear a noise. A shuffle. I slowly make my way around the corner with my black keys ready.
I see humanoid figures with empty eyes and what seems to be human skin if you dried it to the bone. It seems I've found the undead. These ten figures turn and stare at me for a moment.
"You poor unfortunate souls. I hope your spirits have moved on, but your bodies are still here." I say aloud, "Let us begin with your last rights."
The undead start rushing towards me.
I throw my black keys at the figures and six of the undead get hit.
"Sanctus Levior."
The six black keys burst into a holy flame.
The undead almost disintegrate. The grips fall from their bodies. I catch them and slash the other four down with ease.
As I begin to leave, I notice the four I slashed down are still moving. I throw my black keys into them and they stab through their bodies and into the floor. I say my invocation again and the undead ignite.
I continue down the hall. As I make my way down the halls, I try looking for more of these undead. If I'm right, then the more undead I find, the closer I am to my target.
I start to round a corner when I'm faced with twenty to thirty undead. I cover my black keys with the holy fire and I rush at my opponents. I slice them open, leaving them with an incendiary cut that burns them from the inside. I run and run, attacking all the undead I see until I reach the end of the crowd. By the time I am finished, the first undead has hit the floor.
I look back and see the whole floor covered in charred corpses of the decrepit souls. I turn back to see this double door, adorned in multiple runes. It seems they were guarding this. The runes are nothing more than reinforcement. There doesn't seem to be any traps.
I approach the door and put my hand on the rune, "Pascha."
I pump all the mana I can manifest into this rune, overloading it. I feel the rune shatter, leaving the door unprotected.
I open the door and see a man hunched over a small table, scribbling at his notes.
"I- I must finish my project. There is no time to waste! If I cannot finish by the time that-"
I take a step forward.
"WHO GOES- WHO ARE YOU?!" The man leaps up and points a cane at me.
"Marquis Dupont. Recently went missing under the Mage's Association's Perpignan department. Last sighted near Orléans. Ever since then, a hundred wanderers and tourists in the area have gone missing. I'm giving you your last rights. You will atone."
He stutters in his rampage, "YOU CAN'T- I'M NOT DONE YET! I'LL SEVER THE LINE OF REALITY AND BRING FORTH A NEW ERA OF MAGES! NONONONONONONONONONONONONO! I CAN'T LET YOU STOP ME!"
He darts across the room at me. As he is in front of me I bring my foot up to kick him into the air. He slams into the ceiling and a loud thud sounds off when he hits the tiled floors. He immediately leaps to his feet and starts dashing around and bouncing off the walls.
He's just trying to confuse me. He's definitely not the fastest dead apostle I've fought, though.
He does his last jump towards me. As I roll out of the way, I slash one of his arms off and it falls to the ground behind me.
"YOU DAMN FUCKING BRAT!" He yells in pain.
"You brought this upon yourself. You threw away your humanity." I say.
"YOU AND YOUR KIND ARE NO DIFFERENT YOU'RE JUST BUNCH OF KILLERS!" Marquis yells.
I feel something rise within me for a second. What is this?
He leaps towards me and slams his shoulder into my chest. He sends me flying and I slam into the window sill. As I exit my daze, I see him flying straight towards me, attempting to bite my neck. I roll backwards and catch him with my feet, using the momentum to throw him through the window.
He hits the ground with a thud. I immediately get onto my feet and jump out the window. As I fall, I spin my body to throw several keys, impaling him into the ground. I land on my feet and slowly walk towards the undead mage.
"Please. I just must continue my work. I can't let them down." He is crying.
I look at him with dead eyes as I always have to everyone. "It's time to move on and rest." I tell him.
"I can't rest…...I must continue my ….. Work." He cries. The keys are slowly killing him. Let me put him to rest.
I put my hand on his chest, "Let me inform you. I kill. I let live. I harm, and I heal. Be crushed. Those defeated, those grown old, I welcome you. Only in death will eternal life be given. Kyrie Eléison."
A bright hue begins to surround us. Soon it reaches up towards the heavens and is so bright that there is no shadows inside.
"This light it feels… Good." Marquis says as he begins to fade away and the particles rise into the air. Soon, he is completely gone.
I hear a soft impact behind me, "I heard a crash. Are you ok?" Maria asks me.
"Our mission here is complete. Let's contact the local sect and tell them that they have some cleanup work… but yes. I am fine."
I pull my keys out of the ground. I pull out a phone, and dial the number of a nearby church.
"I have taken care of a target at the Château de Chambord. The missing person cases in the area were his test subjects. Can you come here and handle them?"
"Of course, brother Kaizer. We'll be on our way shortly." The voice says over the phone.
"We'll help as much as we can." I tell them.
"This is no issue. God be with you." The voice tells me.
"God be with you, brother." I hang up.
"We need to go through what the dead apostle was researching." Maria says.
"Of course." I tell her, "Are you well?"
"Yeah. Just some zombies wandering the halls. Nothing but ashes now though." She shrugs and makes her way back inside.
After taking a small hike through the manor, we finally reach the door of the dead apostle's study. We make our way towards a desk with a mess of papers and artifacts scrawled all over the top of it. We inspect the notes the dead apostle was scribbling onto his parchment.
"Well, we don't need the Mage's Association using any of his works." Maria says.
"Correct. Burn it all. Leave nothing for them to find." I tell her.
I step back. Her hair begins to glow and the room gets warmer. Her hair slithers onto the desk, and a small ember begins to rise from the papers. She set them ablaze, leaving no trace.
After a long flight back to Rome, and a mediocre taxi ride, we finally make it back to the abbey. We grab our bags and turn to see Father Windhelm standing at the door.
"Kaizer Lee. Maria." He says to us, "Well done on another mission."
"Thank you, Father." I say.
"Maria, you are free to go ahead. I need to give a bit of news to your brother." Father Windhelm gives her a nod.
She gives a subtle bow and walks ahead, into the abbey.
"Now there is another duty you must fulfill." He tells me as I walk up the stairs.
Another mission already? That is unusual.
"However, you must complete this mission on your own. Another thing is it seems that I'm not the one giving you a briefing." Father Windhelm says.
That's… strange.
"Follow me in, young one." He beckons me inside.
As I approach, I pull the abbey doors closed. I turn and see Father Windhelm with a man sleeping in one of the pews. Nothing wrong with it, though. The abbey is always open to anyone in need.
Father Windhelm clears his throat loudly, waking the man up from his sleep.
"This is the candidate you mentioned." He tells the groggy man.
The man gets up quickly and dusts himself off, hoping to regain any composure he may have had, "Right! Of course." He looks at me and steps out of the pews to approach, "Hello, Kaizer Lee. I am a representative of the Chaldea Security Organization." he tells me, "We are a somewhat new subsidiary of the Mage's Association. We are taking new candidates and you have been invited."
"Why choose me?" I ask the man, "Isn't inviting a church member to a Mage's Association area problematic?"
"This is part of a new move to build trust among the church and the Mage's Association." The representative tells us.
Father and I look at him skeptically.
The representative goes on, "And the candidates have special attributes-"
"There it is." Father mutters.
"Wait! I wasn't lying about the church and magi building trust!"
"Our ideals will never match. The church and the heretics will never 'get along' as you put it." Father keeps on.
"The candidates have very unique abilities that Kaizer has shown, and we would like to extend an invitation to not only him as an individual, but to the church itself." The man says.
"Have the leaders of the church accepted this request?" I ask.
"Of course. They're the ones that gave us all the necessary information about you. They handed us a blood tes- no wait." He stumbles in his words, "Forget about the blood test."
"So it has something to do with my blood." I say.
The representative looks shocked for a moment, "So will you accept the proposal?" He asks me with a nervous smile.
I weigh my options and look towards Father Windhelm. He's awaiting my answer as well. He gives me a look that says, "It's your decision, Kaizer."
I look back towards the man, "Can I say goodbye to my family first? I also must get packed for such a long trip. Speaking of which, where would I even be going and how long will I be gone?"
"Classified." He tells me, "Pack for all climates."
Expected of the magi.
"I'll say yes as long as I have an hour to say goodbye to my family." I tell him.
"Right. Okay. We have time." He tells me in a sigh.
I can tell he's nervous. He stumbles around too much.
"Wait here while we tend to our business." Father Windhelm says to the man, "And please do not go snooping around after I've been so kind to you."
The man looks like he has a mini heart attack, "Yes! Of course! Haha, I'll just- I'll be here. If you need me, that is-"
Father Windhelm and I walk away from him as he sits in a pew.
Father Windhelm opens the door to the library and we walk inside. After we enter he closes the door. We walk over to a specific section of the bookshelf. He grabs the book of Revelations and pulls on it, revealing the staircase that leads to our cells. We walk down the stairs and I see my adopted siblings all sitting around a table.
"I'm back from my mission." I say.
My siblings jump up, "Kaizer!" they shout excitedly.
Lucas is the youngest and most recent we've taken in.
"Hey Kaizer! What do you say we play hide and seek later on?" He smiles up at me.
"If it would help with your stealth capabilities then yes." I pat him on the head.
Alice is another one of my siblings. She is fairly quiet to outsiders, however once you get to know her, it seems she's quite quick to recommend a book. She even showed me a few of her suggestions like "Demon Slayer" by Koyoharu Gotoge.
"I have another book, brother." She says sheepishly.
"I'll check it out when I can, I promise." I say to her.
Jeremiah is very headstrong and loud. Nearly the opposite of Alice. He has a darker complexion than the others, but that's mainly because he is Sicilian.
"Did you take down some monsters?!" He asks me.
"Yes, I did. They were somewhat a challenge to take on. Mostly just using my speed and tactics against them."
"Awesome! I can't wait to go on a mission with you!" He says heartily.
"Be very careful in the future and pray for peace instead of hardship."
Samuel is the 'second-in-command' in that he's the one all the younger students look up to while also being a younger student himself.
"Alright everyone," He tells the other three, "Back off of big brother and give him a little space. He just got back from a mission!"
Same as always. He seems to command over the younger disciples. He'll be a good leader one day.
As the younger ones argue among themselves, I walk towards the rest of my siblings. Maria is talking to my three brothers. Elijah, and the twins Abe and Noah.
"How are you all doing?" I ask my three brothers, "I heard you all completed your mission quite quickly."
Maria speaks up, "Our mission went smoothly. There wasn't even a challenge to it really. They all just burned so easily."
Maria has always been very, let's say passionate, about her work, but she only wishes harm to the monsters and scum of the moonlit world. In reality she is one of the kindest people I know.
"At least you're fine, Brother." Elijah says to me, "In truth, that's all that matters."
Elijah is reserved mostly. He rarely speaks, and if he speaks to you without being prompted to do so, it's quite an honor.
"Oh no! Before you start sucking up to Kaizer, just go ahead and tell him how you messed up!" Noah says to him.
"I didn't mess up." Elijah says, "It was your responsibility to take out the reserves."
"But that responsibility was immediately put onto you when we got caught up in crowd control." Abe seems to remind him.
"Either way, we took care of it in the end." Elijah tells them.
"Yeah and you better not say we haven't helped you out any." Noah says.
The twins are the next-oldest, behind me. They're rambunctious but kind-hearted.
"Noah. Abe. Elijah." I gain their attention, "Explain from the start."
Noah starts, "Well our target was in the middle of Bucharest, the most populated city in all of Romania-"
"He knows what Bucharest is, Noah." Abe says, "We were in charge of clearing the civilians away from where the mission site was where Elijah would handle the target and any minions of theirs."
"Would you also like to explain what we decided you two were responsible for beforehand?" Elijah gives them a look.
They both sigh, "To take care of any reinforcements that the target may call in." They say in unison.
"And what did you not do?" Elijah asks them.
"Hey! We took care of them!" Noah says.
Elijah sighs, "After they shot at me."
"Well you didn't specify." Abe adds.
"Enough." I break the soon-to-be argument, "Was the mission successful and were there any casualties?"
"It was successful." Abe says, "The only casualty taken was Elijah's faith in us."
Elijah starts, "I-"
"Then that's all that matters. Good job on a successful mission." I tell them, "I'm glad you made it back safely."
"Uh oh." Noah says to Abe, "You've made Kaizer go all soft on us."
Abe bumps Noah's shoulder, "It wasn't my fault. It's because you're the one that messed up and he has pity on you."
"Wha-" Noah looks at him, "I'm not the one that messed up!"
"Fine." Abe says, "How about we spar and the loser takes the blame for it?"
"Oh, you're on!"
They both start to dart off, but they bump into a woman with black hair and fall to the ground.
"Where are you two going off to?" She asks them.
They both look defeated, "Sorry mom."
That woman is my birth mother, Teresa Lee.
"Kaizer! I'm glad you're back!" she walks up and hugs me, "Now what do you say about having a nice dinner?"
"Before that," I say loudly, "I have an announcement."
The room falls quiet.
"I have accepted another mission by myself. From what I can gather, it's a long one." I tell them all, "An organization called Chaldea has requested that I join them. It's connected to the Mage's Association, and also something of a collaboration between the church and the magi."
All of them are reacting differently. Some are shocked. Some are skeptical. Some look upset.
Lucas speaks up, "But you just got back!"
"Apparently it's a really important mission." I tell them, "And something is telling me that I need to go. I've never had an itch like this."
Father Windhelm speaks up, "The higher ups of the church handpicked Kaizer to go." all eyes turn towards him, "Besides, he's the only one that can go."
My younger siblings look very upset. It's not an emotion I like seeing. They shouldn't feel that. How do I cheer them up?
"Alice, Jeremiah, Lucas, Samuel." I walk over to them, "I promise, when I get back, I'll take a few days off and spend time with you."
It looks like their mood brightens a little and Samuel nods his head slightly.
"Then let's have a feast tonight! As a gift to you!" My mother says.
My mother makes us a large meal of turkey, fish, and bread. It's probably one of the best meals my mom has ever made for us. After the meal, Father Windhelm stands up and walks into another room for a moment before coming back with a small chain necklace with a cross.
He hands it to me, "Kaizer. This is something I've planned to give you for a while now, and it's also a reward for completing so many missions, being a great leader of your team, and for being loyal to our God." He smiles at me.
I grab the chain necklace with a cross, "Your Ash Lock?"
"I place my full trust in you, Kaizer." Father Windhelm puts his hand on my shoulder.
As I look down at the scroll, I lift my head back up to see everyone with a shocked face.
"What's wrong?" I ask.
"Your eyes, Kaizer." My mom says.
I raise my hand up and feel that my cheeks are wet.
"Water?"
"They're tears, Kaizer" She smiles greatly.
"But I thought tears only came when there was sadness." I say.
"They also come when you are truly happy." I see tears start to form in her eyes as well. She begins to hug me and my siblings follow her.
Happy… it feels nice.
I head to my room and start collecting everything. I gather all of the clothes that I will need for this mission and I go to my workshop area. I am not a mage by any standards, but I have studied and practiced reinforcement and projection. These two spells are easy to use. The church gave some executors permission to use them for this reason. The spells may even have the ability to be used for the betterment of the church.
Black Keys. Check. Purple Shroud. Check. And the last thing is the scroll for my new Ash Lock. I will make it when I get to this Chaldea. I honestly don't know about this mission. Chaldea was the name of the area in between the Tigris River and Euphrates River, but what's the meaning of the name if I should pack for all climates? Does it have a secret behind it? Either way, this doesn't solve anything. I still need to get ready.
As I'm double checking my belongings, my focus shifts to my nightstand. Three pictures lay on top of the otherwise unassuming chest. One is of my mother and I. That was taken after my surgery. The next is of my former master and I during a training exercise. The last is of myself and all of my adopted family. This room… it's actually the first place I saw that day. After…
8 years earlier
I open my eyes and look around. Where am I? This isn't my room. Now that I think about it… what does my room even look like? My home… what happened to my home? I try to move but nothing happens. I can't feel my fingers wiggling, but I look down at my arm and they're completely static.
I slowly twist my head and stare up towards the ceiling. There's not a sound in the whole chamber. It's deafening. There's no tears. Why?
The door creaks open. I turn my head to see a woman step in and look at me. This woman… she… I remember her. She took care of me. She taught me. I remember us laughing a long time ago.
"Mom?" I ask with a dry and quiet voice.
I see her burst into tears and she runs to me. She kneels by my side and hugs me. She soon composes herself and sits down near the bed, her eyes still wet, "Don't worry, Kaizer. I'm here. Mommy's here."
"Mom, I can't remember what happened. Please tell me." I ask her.
"Kaizer, you were kidnapped by a worthless magus that was going to use you for his horrible, horrible experiments." She grits her teeth, "He tried to use you. He tried to hurt you. But now he's…" Her anger slowly dies into somberness, "He's…" She stares into space for a moment, but soon jolts her gaze back to me, "Kaizer… I'm sorry but… your nerves and your magic circuits in your arms and legs were destroyed…"
"So, I can never move again."
She looks at me for a moment, her eyes shooting around my body and back up towards my eyes, "You're not sad? You're not scared?" She sounds almost panicked.
"Mom… I cannot feel anything."
She pauses for a moment, processing the words I just told her. She picks me up and hugs me, tears again streaming from her eyes. "We will figure it out, Kaizer. I promise."
"I see your son has awoken, Teresa." I hear a voice come from the door. I move my head as much as I can and I see a much older man probably in his fifties. Tall, long white hair, and white skin. He wore a black priest robe, blue sashe and heavy boots.
"Welcome to Italy and to Santuario della Misericordia, Kaizer Lee." This old man says.
"Who are you?" I ask the old man.
"My name is Father Windhelm. Head priest of this 'small church' near the Vatican." He introduces himself.
"Why are my mother and I here?" I ask.
"I asked Father Windhelm for help," She turns back towards him and grabs my hand, "and I may have to ask help from you again, Father Windhelm."
My mind intercepts itself midway through my reminiscing. I really need to be getting ready to leave.
I grab the pictures from the nightstand and place them into my sack. I leave my room and continue down the hallways until I reach the sanctuary, where all of my family members are assembling, along with the mysterious agent.
"I am ready." I say walking up to everyone.
"You are? Ok! Great! I'll take your bags and stow them in the car while you say your goodbyes." The agent says.
"I'll be holding onto this, thank you though." I reply.
"Ok. I'll go start the car, we really need to head out soon." the agent walks out of the front door.
I turn towards my siblings, "I guess this is goodbye, everyone… at least for now."
Lucas and Alice run and hug me.
"Don't worry," I pat their heads, "I'll be back as soon as the mission's done."
They both look up to me and say in unison, "Please come back."
I sigh, "I promise I will."
Samuel and Elijah walk up to me and Samuel struggles to get Lucas and Alice away from me.
"Come on, you two!" Samuel says, still trying to grab them, "He doesn't need you guys' tears on his coat!" I notice Samuel has a few tears of his own.
I ruffle Samuel's hair and he calms down.
"Keep everyone in check while I'm gone." I tell him.
He smiles brightly and sniffles for a moment, "I will!"
Samuel finally gets a hold of the other two and walks back to the group.
I look at Elijah, "Watch over everybody."
He merely gives me a thumbs up, "Good luck, brother." He returns to everyone.
As the twins and Maria approach, I notice something hanging at Maria's side. Her lucky rosary.
She walks up to me, unfastens her beads, and presents them to me, "This seems like a big mission. Maybe you could use a little help." She smiles.
"Maria, I'm glad you trust me with this. I'll gladly take it on my journey. With your luck, it will certainly help." I tell her.
She makes her way back towards everyone else and my focus immediately shifts to the twins since it looks like they're about to burst into tears.
"What's wrong?" I ask them, "It's going to be okay. I'll just be away for a few-"
They both start wailing and they both hug me at once.
I stand, wide-eyed, but I reach my hands up and pat them both on the back, "I'll make it back and then you two can prove to me that you can beat me and go on missions with me."
They immediately stop crying, "You bet!" Abe lets out enthusiastically.
"You mean you'll let us go on missions with you?!" Noah asks.
"He was talking to me, idiot!" Abe pushes his brother.
"He was looking at both of us, idiot!" Noah pushes back.
"Yes. I meant both of you." I say.
"SEE?!" Noah says.
As to not get caught up in another one of the twins' conflicts, I see myself over to my mother and Father Windhelm.
Father Windhelm gives me a nod. He has faith in me, just as he always has. I'll be sure to prove him right.
My mom walks up to me and gives me a hug, "Do good out there, honey."
"I promise…" I hug her back, "Thank you."
"For what?" She asks me.
"It's too much to list." I say to her.
She releases me and I make my way over to the door. As I give one last look to my family, I think about what sort of stories I'd return with to tell them. They all wave to me. I give a small wave back. I turn back around and face the door.
Perhaps this… this is the time that I can become a true human.
As I think about what lies ahead, whether it be danger or strife, I'll face it with everything I have in me.
I turn the knobs and open the doors.
Author's Notes:
Bold = BlackFox
Unbold = ScribbleSaint
FINALLY! IT'S DONE! IT'S TAKEN SEVERAL MONTHS!
I wan-
YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH WE'VE POURED INTO THIS!
I would like to sa-
LIKE HOLY CRAP WE HAVE BEEN PLANNING AND DOING ALL KINDS OF PRODUCTION STUFF FOR LIKE FREAKIN IDK LIKE EIGHT MONTHS!
I think it was five.
DUDE ITS STILL A LONG ASS TIME!
Yeah that's fair.
HOLY CRAPPPP! *begins to sob in happiness*
Ok I think it's best if we don't bother him for a sec. I want to thank everyone for being so patient with this story as it kinda re-entered the development stages. Over these past few months, we've been planning more stuff for the story and even some little things beside it. I'm grateful that you all stuck around and stayed on top of the story as we try to balance it with our work and school schedules.
DONT FORGET THE PEOPLE THAT JOINED FROM THE AUTHORS NOTES AND PRETTY MUCH NOTHING ELSE YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME
All of you really are amazing and I hope that we get a steady stream of chapters flowing and updates coming out for this as we continue developing it. A final thank you to all of you for being so kick-ass.
Alright! I'm good now. We're good. Again, thank you to everyone who has followed and liked the story, even in this time. We've been so busy with other things and with planning a schedule for this story. Anyway, ScribbleSaint? Would you like to join me for the goodbye?
Might as well ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
PEACE OUT EVERYONE!/PEACE OUT EVERYONE!
