CHAPTER II
Unexpected Visitors
"Demetri!" Lilly cried out for her companion. "Demetri!"
"Over here," he grunted, pushing a large section of wall away. "Thank goodness for your Earth Rune spells."
She sighed in relief. "Where did that explosion come from?"
"Lilly, Demetri, do you read me?" Ariadne's voice sounded in their headsets.
"Loud and clear," Demetri said.
"Thank goodness," she said. "We picked up a huge space-time distortion wave and then lost contact with you for a while. Are you still in the Third Layer?"
"Yeah," Lilly said. "We've been here for some time now."
"Good, you must not be that deep if we can still communicate. Although, you did cut out just now. What happened?"
"That distortion wave you detected," Demetri said, "it must have been what we just encountered. The building beside us exploded."
"For no reason," Lilly said.
"There may be a reason," Ariadne said. "I'm picking up a severe space-time distortion not that far from you. Lilly, can you sense it?"
"Yeah. You think that's our target?"
"I do. Head over, scout it out, come back if you need to. You've both been in there for almost eight hours. At the very least, try and identify our target before you proceed."
"Roger!" the duo said into their microphones.
Lilly and Demetri had been tackling Labyrinth after Labyrinth for months now, targeting serious problems before they became crises. The less critical situations, which were differentiated by their much less developed Labyrinths, were left to real-world authorities who could provide help to those individuals. On the other hand, Lilly and Demetri were responsible for activities in the other world.
Even if they weren't actively taking down Labyrinths, their investigations into those manifestations tended to yield clues as to what kind of problem the individual was going through. Victims of abuse would typically have their abuser as a monster or some other manifestation in their Labyrinth, giving real-world detectives and other personnel the information needed to provide help.
The Labyrinth Task Force, or LTF for short, encompassed every single personnel tied to that project, whether those in the compound beneath Shade Academy or the real-world investigation and rehabilitation teams such as police officers and doctors. The most vital section of the group, however, was Rift Command, which provided direct support to the only two who could enter the Labyrinth.
Dr. Cherenkov served as the director of the entire task force, but it was the young Ariadne Jupiter who headed Rift Command. The experiments Lilly took part in enabled the development of new technology which made it possible to build rudimentary maps of the other world. Ariadne herself was the one who designed the system, which she dubbed the LabNav, short for Labyrinth Navigator, combining advanced technology with runes she and Lilly had managed to stumble upon. By providing energy to these runes, which had yet to be named, the computer was able to project an approximate simulacrum of the Labyrinth. Naturally, the mapping system was much more accurate in the upper layers while Third Layer Labyrinth maps were limited to estimations.
"We're in," Demetri said into his microphone, covering Lilly's back as she peeked into the hallways of the distorted school.
"Hmm," Ariadne's voice sounded in their earpieces. "The distortion level is quite low here. There's almost zero time slippage and the LabNav is showing well-defined images. This target is a low priority for extraction. Gather whatever information you can and then bring it back here. Police and medical personnel should be able to work this case without direct Labyrinth intervention."
"Wait," Lilly said. "We have a straight shot to the core."
"Lilly, you and Demetri have been in there for long enough. I suggest light work."
"This is gonna be light. Ritter von Remnant, beantworte meinen anruf! Leih mir dein schwert!"
Lilly aimed Myrtenaster at the ground and a massive rune appeared, from which her knight emerged. It faced her, holding its giant sword down at the earth and giving her a bow.
"Okay, are we all ready?" Lilly said.
"Do you have the stamina to maintain my Earth Rune power-ups along with him?" Demetri said.
"Yeah. I've still got one round left in me. You can see the core, can't you?"
He looked further in. She was right. The path all the way to the core of this personal Labyrinth was unobstructed.
"Ariadne," Demetri said into his radio, "Lilly's right. We do have a clear path to the core. Are you seeing it on the LabNav?"
"Whatever it is you two are seeing," Ariadne began, "it's not showing up on my monitors, but if you're sure you won't be putting yourselves at risk, then proceed, but do so with caution."
"Don't worry. That's what I'm here for."
"Hey!" Lilly said, throwing her hands on her hips. "Are you calling me reckless?"
"Yes," both Demetri and Ariadne said at once.
"You guys suck."
Lilly led the way into the personal Labyrinth, which took the shape of an everyday school. There were minor alterations to the building, including bars and locks over doors and windows that made no sense along with barred off sections of hallway. None of these blocked their path to the core, however. There were also very few monsters, but the ones that did roam the halls took three distinct forms, misshapen children, brutish school faculty, and hysterical adults.
"I wonder what this all means," Demetri said as he killed one last Corrupted before reloading his gauntlets with Dust.
"I've seen this before," Lilly said. "School tends to be an oppressive place for a lot of students it seems."
Demetri looked over at her as she led the way. There was no doubt she was referring to the one Labyrinth she had failed months back, the one that led to her making the biggest mistake of her life.
"Lilly—"
"Not right now, Demetri," she said. "And besides, I'd rather not remember any of that."
"As you wish."
"Hmm." She read through a small, tattered journal she picked up from a desk. "Yeah, this kid's been bullied a lot. Looks like a messed up home life, too. And the faculty haven't done anything to help. Okay, this is pretty straightforward."
"Do you ever find Labyrinths with diaries lying around like that?"
"This is only the second time I've ever had this happen," she chuckled. "And from what I'm seeing, it's only for the least distorted Labyrinths. Yuan's Labyrinth was like this, too. Really lightly distorted. Heck, it was super close to the real world."
"He had a diary?"
"Yup. Had his thoughts in it and everything, how he felt about Ingrid, how he thought he had failed to save her life and all that."
"Was that after the incident?"
She nodded. "Yeah, the one that nearly killed them both."
"I see."
"Anyway, you've seen the darker personal Labyrinths we've been in. Some need to be examined thoroughly."
"Yes, I noticed the heavy symbolism in some of those Labyrinths."
"Here we are!"
The trio burst into the school gymnasium, where a lone teenage boy stood surrounded by what appeared to be gruesome variations of jocks, popular kids, and overachievers. Lilly spotted the red vein-like tendrils that connected the boy to the Labyrinth. She and Demetri ran forward alongside her knight, cutting down the hordes of Corrupted surrounding the boy. They were easy to defeat and it wasn't long before only the boy remained. Lilly jumped up and forever severed the red lines, catching the young man as he fell over.
"Hey, you're okay now," she said to him as soothingly as possible.
"S...Sis?" he said.
"Nah, I'm Lilly."
"Oh, sis."
"Huh?"
"Wait, you're not sis."
"No, I'm Lilly Schnee."
"Huh. My sister's name is Lily, too."
"That's awesome. She has a cool name."
"Yeah. What's that?"
"Hmm? You hearing something?"
"Yeah. A voice."
"What does it sound like?"
"It sounds...like my sister. I think she's calling me home."
"Then, go home to her. To your family."
"I don't like it at home, though. Lily's the only friend I've got."
"Sounds like you're all she's got, too, huh?"
"Y...You're right. I have to go home to her."
"You take care now, okay?"
"I will..."
The boy vanished in her arms. She nodded at Demetri, who accepted her knight's assistance as they all rocketed off of Lilly's runes, which hurled them to the Labyrinth entrance before the collapse even began. They watched from a distance as the mildly distorted school fell apart.
"Okay," Lilly said. "Yeah, I'm tired."
"And here I was beginning to think you were a machine," Demetri said.
"Psh. I'm not Ivory, you know."
He chuckled.
"Ich danke dir für deine hilfe. Bitte kehren sie dorthin zurück, wo sie hergekommen sind."
Lilly curtseyed to her knight, which bowed before dissipating into a mist of twinkling light. At the same time, the Earth Rune strengthening spells that had been active all day finally broke.
"Okay, let's head back to the rift," Lilly said, leading the way to Shade Academy.
—
Lilly threw herself onto her bed without bothering to change her clothes. She closed her eyes for a bit, nearly dozing off to the sound of the rain on her window when a knock came from the door.
"It's me," Demetri's voice sounded from outside.
"Come in," she said.
He opened the door and stepped in, holding back his chuckle upon seeing his companion so haphazardly sprawled over her sheets.
"You see, this is why I accompany you into every Labyrinth," he said.
"Shush," she said, throwing a pillow at him, which he caught.
"If it weren't for my assistance, you'd be like this every single day," he said, returning the pillow to her bed.
"Whaddya want?"
"Are you hungry?"
She turned to look at him.
"Ariadne and I were going to eat in the dining hall if you wish to join us."
"Sure, why not?"
She got down from her bunk, throwing on a light sweater to stave off the cold before following after her companion and walking side by side with him.
"Tell me about you and Ivory," Lilly yawned.
"What is there to tell?" Demetri said, feeling his face warm up at the thought of her.
She shrugged. "When did you first meet her?"
"Atlas Primary Combat School. We attended together, but she graduated before me. Supposedly she's the youngest ever to start at any of the Huntsman Academies."
Lilly sighed. "I didn't ask for a history lesson!"
"Sorry."
"I wanna know what you guys did and stuff while you went to school together!"
"Oh. Well, there's not much to tell. She was my senior and taught me a lot of what I know now."
"And?"
"I don't know what else you want to hear."
"Okay, tell me everything about you guys besides school and professional-related stuff."
He looked at the ground in thought. "There wasn't much we did in the way of leisure, if that's what you're asking. The vast majority of our interactions were centered around school. You probably don't need me to tell you that she's quite the overachiever."
"Everyone knows that."
"Although, I guess, I mean, she really liked coffee. I don't know if she still drinks it every morning. Even at her age, she was so much more mature than everyone else around us. I suppose it's no wonder she went to Atlas Academy at only thirteen. But, even then, I kept in touch with her. She would constantly give me advice on how to improve my skills and whatnot."
"Did you two still hang out?"
"We did, actually. We usually had lunch together. The Primary Combat School and the Academy are all on the same campus, so that wasn't difficult at all. She did invite me to the manor a number of times and I was happy to accept. At the time, my father thought it would be a good idea for our family to mingle with her family given her status, so he had me extend the invitation to her as well, but I think I enjoyed staying at the Schnee manor more than my own. Your little cousins are really fun to hang out with. Back then, it was only Finn and Bianca."
Lilly smiled as she continued to listen to Demetri's recollection. He hadn't realized it, but the words were now flowing freely without Lilly needing to spur him on. Anyone else would've found it surprising for someone to have such a degree of admiration for Ivory Schnee, but Lilly knew better. Beneath Ivory's cold demeanor was a girl who grew up far too quickly and with a burden much to heavy for one person to bear.
Like I'm one to talk.
"Well, if it isn't the snow angel!" Dionysus said, joining them as they arrived at Shade Academy's dining hall.
"Good evening, Dionysus," Demetri said.
"Bro, c'mon, I've already told you, like, a million times just to call me DJ!"
"Apologies."
"And quit apologizing! Jeez, it's like talking to Orion. Except he doesn't apologize at all. Like, ever."
"DJ!" Lilly greeted, giving him a high five.
"Yo, how's the business down at the lab?"
"Goin' good. Saving the world one monster at a time."
"Hey, if you ever wanna do some training with us, lemme know. I know you and Demetri aren't actually students here, but you know how it goes."
"We'll probably join you on one of our days off. Although, I mean, I don't think those exist, to be honest."
"Yeah, probably not since you two are always in that other world. Besides, training with us will probably just slow you down."
"I disagree," Demetri said. "I believe that any amount of training will be plenty useful."
"Hey, where's Ariadne?" Lilly said. "I thought she was gonna eat with us."
"Oh, good, you were able to get her to join us," Ariadne said as she approached the group from behind.
"I was just talking about you!" Lilly said, giving her a hug and causing her to stiffen.
"Aw, you made my sister all shy," Dionysus said with a chuckle.
"I-I'm not shy," Ariadne said, fixing her glasses. "I just didn't expect that, that's all."
After getting their food, the quartet headed to a table next to a window.
"This is the first time we've had so much rain," Dionysus said as he ate. "I can't believe it's been coming down for four straight weeks."
"I hear that Mistral is also getting more snow than usual," Ariadne said.
"Maybe that whole climate change thing is real after all."
"Very funny."
He chuckled. "I'm serious!"
"Right."
As the group finished eating, Orion approached the table.
"Oh, hi, Orion!" Lilly greeted him with a big smile.
"I am grateful that your endeavors have failed to dampen your smiles," said the eldest son of the Jupiter Family. "The three of you, whenever you're free, please join me at Rift Command."
"I have night classes after this," Ariadne said.
"You can make up for it later. Your instructors all know of your importance to the team."
"Very well, then."
"May I ask what the issue is?" Demetri said.
"No issue," Orion said. "I simply would like to introduce you to new team members."
Lilly raised an eyebrow. Who exactly could the new team members be, she wondered.
—
Lilly was dumbfounded upon meeting her new teammates. On the way down to the compound, she ran all sorts of possibilities through her mind, perhaps students from Shade Academy or maybe even that Orion himself and Dionysus would be joining them on their missions, but the two people standing in front of her now were the last persons she expected. She wondered just how it was they were able to find her and also whether or not anyone else was aware of her secret.
"You have a lot of explaining to do, young lady," Ruby said to her.
"H-Huh?" Lilly said, blinking herself back into sobriety.
"You do know that you've been officially missing for the last several months, don't you?" Jaune said.
"Oh, r-right."
"Why didn't you tell anyone where you were going or what you were doing?" Ruby asked. "Does Weiss know where you are? Does anyone know where you are?"
"My mom knows I'm okay," Lilly said. "I call her every other week."
"Does she know you're not at Beacon Academy?"
She shook her head.
Ruby let out a heavy sigh. "You know we've all been worried about you, right?"
"I'm sorry."
"Dr. Ozpin was the one who sent us out to look for you," Jaune said. "Not just us. Yang and her group also went all the way to Mistral to search for you. Your aunt has also been searching all of Atlas. Even Blake Belladonna is involved."
"I'm really sorry. It's just..."
Lilly racked her mind for an explanation of some sort, but there was nothing to explain. She had wanted to go out and do this on her own, which she actually managed to do. In retrospect, it probably would've been a good idea to let someone know what she was up to, but the most important thing was that her mom knew she was safe.
"Wait a minute," she said, "does that mean that you guys didn't tell my mom I was missing?"
"None of us wanted to worry her," Ruby said. "We all know how powerful Weiss is. We saw it with our own eyes twenty years ago. I know for a fact that if Athena or Leon went missing, I'd be tearing up the world looking for them."
"You guys were afraid my mom might blow up the planet."
"Quick answer," Jaune began, "yes. She totally has that power."
"Let me get this straight," Orion began, "all this time, you've been with us here, and no one back home had any idea where you were?"
Lilly nodded timidly.
"You told us everything was fine," Ariadne said.
"Everything is fine," Lilly said. "No one needed to know where I was. And all my mom had to know was that I was okay, which she does, which I am."
"Lilly," Orion began, "your business is your business. However, I think it would have been nice if you had let your friends know where you've been all this time. Here I thought Perseus went back with word of where you were. But now it explains why we haven't had so much as an email from Headmaster Pine."
"Are you gonna tell them?"
"I don't have a choice. Shade Academy has been in cooperation with Beacon and Haven for some time now. The Labyrinth research isn't confined solely to us. It's just that we are taking it a lot more seriously compared to Mistral and Vale. Atlas is also quite serious about their research into the Labyrinth, but with the recent curfew imposed throughout all of their kingdom, our informants have been unable to update us on anything."
"They're probably also tightening up security to make espionage a lot more difficult," Jaune said.
"That tells me that they've reached a critical stage in their advancement on Labyrinth research," Ariadne said. "What is it they have that we don't?"
"I'll tell you what we have that they don't," Demetri said, eyeing Lilly.
"Demetri Holland," Orion began, "how do you feel about working with us?"
"I have no misgivings about our partnership. I may be loyal to my country and to my father, but my loyalty to Lilly is surpassed by none."
Lilly looked at him, wondering if it was really her he was loyal to or a younger member of the Schnee family.
"If things escalate between our countries," Orion continued, "you may even be branded as a traitor. Are you okay with that?"
"Yes," Demetri said. There wasn't a hint of doubt in his voice. "These past months have shown me that there are more important matters than those which plague even the leaders of nations."
"Very well, then. You have my personal assurance that if such a situation arises, you will be treated as a diplomatic refugee, not as an enemy."
"You have my gratitude, Orion Jupiter."
"Okay, so," Ruby began, "this thing you guys do."
"Have you ever been in a Labyrinth?" Ariadne asked the duo as technicians came in with their equipment."
"Once," Jaune said. "By accident. It was a good thing we were with Yang and her group because apparently the Spring Maiden has the power to cross over at will."
"Raven got us out before those nasty things were able to get to us," Ruby said.
"There's cross compatibility between our world's magic and theirs," Ariadne said. "Just as I suspected."
"You're really young to be the leader of this whole thing," Jaune said.
"I don't lead the entire Labyrinth Task Force. That duty is left to Dr. Cherenkov. Unfortunately, he couldn't be with us today as he is currently in a meeting with my father and the Vacuo Council regarding increasing tensions between our country and Atlas. Now, first things first. Lilly, can you use your Earth Rune spells on more than one person?"
Lilly nodded before holding out a hand, summoning an Earth Rune in the air in front of her. She focused her mind on her three companions, projecting the Earth Rune's strengthening spells on all of them. Each one was bathed in a brownish glow as the magic took effect.
"Hey, this is just like what Bedivere used...to..." Jaune said before cutting himself off. He glanced over at Ruby, who was glaring at him.
"Bedivere?" Demetri said.
"Yeah," Ruby said. "He was an old friend who fought in the last war with us."
"Ah, so he also possessed this rune magic."
"Y-Yeah, I guess so," Jaune said, scratching his head while trying to avoid Ruby's stare of death.
"Is that how Dr. Hillphire and Dr. Cherenkov know so much about rune magic?" Lilly said.
"It's honestly still a mystery even now," Ariadne said. "Over the last twenty years, ninety percent of the progress we've made in Thaumatology has been over the last months you've spent with us."
"Awesome! I mean, it's totally not awesome that you guys've made so little progress but it's super awesome that I've been a big help cuz you know I totes wanted to help out and stuff and it's good to know that I'm actually helping!" She took a deep breath.
"You're going to pass out from that one of these days," Demetri said.
"Shush!"
"Okay, I think you should deactivate your magic for today," Ariadne said. "You and Demetri still haven't gotten the rest you need."
"Aw," Lilly whined before powering down her Earth Rune. "I wanted to go in again!"
"We were just there two hours ago," Demetri said. "Do you remember what happened the last time you stayed for too long?"
Lilly sighed. "Stop reminding me of that!"
"I had to literally drag you to the nearest rift."
"Demetri!"
"I'm just saying."
"Super..." Ruby began.
"Saying?" Jaune finished.
The rest of the room sighed heavily.
"Ruby, Jaune," Orion said, turning to their guests, "you are more than welcome to stay at Shade Academy's dorms. We have special accommodations for situations like this."
"Thanks for your hospitality," Jaune said. "Ruby, you cool with the dorms?"
"It'll be just like old times!" she said with a hop. "Wait, does that make us old?"
Lilly and Ariadne shared a giggle.
"Your room will be across the hall from Miss Schnee's group's room," Orion said.
"Too bad Leon and Athena aren't here," Lilly said.
"Well, whose fault is that?" Ruby said.
"I'm sorry!"
