CHAPTER LI

Never Surrender

Gunfire erupted around the Schnee Manor. The SS troopers, otherwise so disciplined in the face of an adversary, found themselves beset by an enemy they were completely unprepared for. Enemy combatants and insurgents were one thing, but a group of professional Huntsmen hardened by the hellfire of the Labyrinth was a whole different beast.

Ingrid's ferocity was unrivaled; she had a lot of rage to let out. Before she strayed too far from her pack, however, Yuan was there to help her stay under control.

"Take a breath," he said as he took cover beside her.

She nodded, doing as he told. She looked over at him. His face was painted with focus. He of all people would understand what she was going through now. After all, his entire village was annihilated by the Greater Daemons. And from what they could tell, they might very well be in league with the new governing body of Atlas: the Schwarze Sonne. If anyone here deserved to be full of anger and hate, it was him. And yet, Yuan Ren oozed serenity. She had to admit it was quite contagious.

"You okay?" he asked her as their auras fully reconstituted.

"Yeah," she said. "Thanks for that. I dunno what I'd do without you."

"You're plenty strong without me."

"But when we're together, we're even stronger."

He smiled at her and she returned it.

"Oh, c'mon!" Athena yelled at them as she and Echo slammed into a low wall to take cover. "Could you two save the goddamned lubby dubby shit for after we kill all these assholes?"

"I don't mind if we do the same thing," Echo chirped.

"Echo," Athena sighed heavily before facing her partner, who was looking at her in a hyper-exaggerated cutesy look that reminded her of an anime character. "What the actual fuck is that face, though."

Leon peeked past his concealment at his comrades. Ingrid and Yuan had just taken down another four-man squad while Athena and Echo provided cover with rifle and bow. He looked at his two other teammates. Perseus was reloading his sword's shotgun magazines while Xanthus kept an eye out for any snipers.

"Ready to rock and roll?" he said, transforming his scythe into rifle mode.

"Yup," Perseus said as he readied his shield and sword, which was in shotgun form.

"Different formation this time," Xanthus said. "I will advance with Perseus and emerge from behind his shield once I am within melee distance. Leon, if you have explosive Dust shells, it should serve as a good distraction."

"Already ahead of you, bro," Leon said, pulling back the charging handle on his weapon.

"Okay," Perseus said. "Moving!"

"Move!"

Yuan and Ingrid took cover again to catch their breath and recuperate their aura. Perseus and Xanthus had just begun their assault while Leon sniped from afar.

"Do you guys hear us?" Athena said.

"Loud and clear," Ingrid said.

"We just managed to get around more enemy reinforcements and we're headed into the manor to get the Schnee Family out. I know we're here for Ivory, but I'm prioritizing her younger cousins."

"Good idea."

"Be careful in there, sis," Leon said, his voice accompanied by loud muzzle blasts from his rifle. "I saw a bunch of movement through the windows just now. Pretty sure they have more soldiers posted up inside than they do out here."

"It's okay," Echo said. "My Semblance pretty much gives us radar."

"I kinda miss Ariadne, to be honest," Xanthus's voice chimed in.

"Wait," Leon began, "why?"

"W-Well, because she always navigated for us in the Labyrinth, you know?"

"Careful," Athena said with a snicker. "Her brother is your shield right now."

"It's okay," Perseus said. "I kinda already saw you as a brother."

"Aww!" Echo and Ingrid cooed at the same time.

"Can we all just concentrate?" Xanthus said. "I'm the only one here without a projectile weapon."

Careful. I sense some behind us.

"Yeah, I see them," Lilly whispered as she snuck through the halls of the Schnee Manor.

First time in our family's home and it's a battle. Friggin' great, huh?

Lilly pressed up against a corner. A whole squad was headed her way. She readied Myrtenaster for battle and emerged, aiming her weapon at her enemy and summoning a rune. Except that there was no rune to answer her call.

What the hell just happened?

"I-I don't know!"

Before Lilly could react, one of the men readied his weapon and fired a bolt of energy her way. Her aura took a direct hit and she was hurled back into a wall, destroying it in the process. The men began marching at their unconscious prey before she quickly opened her eyes, revealing rings of golden flame around her pupils. She vanished from sight, moving too quickly for human eyes to follow. In the next second, each SS soldier was bleeding from their throats.

"You okay in there?" Lilith said.

A gasp came from within.

"I guess you just regained consciousness."

What just happened? Why couldn't I use my magic?

"I had my suspicions ever since we got here, but I'm sure of it now. I felt the pressure as soon as you tried summoning a rune. They have their own magic."

Huh?

"Specifically, they have anti-magic. A Negation Rune."

Negation Rune?

"Yup. Descended from the Rune of Sovereignty, Negation Runes have the ability to project an anti-magic field. Obviously the effects depend on the wielder, but at the highest levels, only top-tier magic can break through the anti-magic field."

So, that's why you were able to take over just now.

"Yeah. But that's all I can do. At the very least, we're still physically strong enough to kick ass. And we still have mom's weapon. And Dust."

We can still use Caliburn, right?

"I've tried summoning it. No dice. Which makes no sense since it's beyond magic. There's something else going on here."

But still, though. Why in the world do they have an anti-magic rune? Did they anticipate us showing up or something?

"I hope not. But it's probably a precaution. You saw some of that other shit, didn't you?"

Oh yeah, people using runes. Gosh, it's so backwards in this country.

"They probably think the same of the rest of the world."

"Herr Schnee, please, this way."

Whitley and Klein had no choice but to obey the SS. They had no way of knowing if all that battle outside was a false flag operation to serve as a pretense for bringing them into "protective custody" or if there really was an insurgent attack happening. If it was the latter, perhaps they still had a chance to link up with the Resistance. At the very least, it was imperative that his children make it to safety, even if it meant giving up his life.

No, I shouldn't be thinking like that. They've already lost their mother and their grandfather cannot be relied upon. I still need to be there for them.

Lilith looked out the window. She spotted the SS troops escorting Whitley and Klein into an armored transport.

"Fuck," she muttered.

That's Uncle Whitley.

"I know who the fuck that is. But we still haven't found the kids."

What do we do?

"Damn it. The kids come first. We'll grab Klein and Uncle Whitley after we're sure the kids are safe."

That was impossible, though. The SS were sure to bring both men to a secure facility that wouldn't be anywhere near as easy to assault as this manor. Their magic was certain to be useless in such a place as well. Before either of them could ponder the situation any further, the SS troops came under attack.

Athena!

"Oh shit," Lilith said, smirking. "Wow, they've gotten way better since we last saw them."

Echo's always been amazing! But she's even better now!

"Yup. Okay. Let's go find Finn and Bianca and Gwen."

"We could use some help here," Athena's voice sounded in the team's earpieces. "Whitley Schnee is right here. We have the SS assholes with him pinned down, but this won't last forever."

"On the way," Ingrid said as she and Yuan escaped amidst the confusion caused by Xanthus's Semblance. One side of the yard was on fire while the other was frozen solid, preventing reinforcements from the interior.

"We're joining you, too!" Leon said before using his Semblance to teleport himself and his two companions to Ingrid and Yuan's side.

"Did your aura just break?" Ingrid said to her childhood friend.

"Of course not," he lied.

"You dumbass. That's why you're not supposed to try and teleport two other people and so far away."

"No, Leon's move was perfectly sound," Xanthus said.

Ingrid glanced at him before watching as Yuan extended his aura to his combat partner and restored it completely. She smirked as the duo bumped fists.

There's nothing we can't accomplish when we're together, she thought to herself before leading the charge.

"Blut und Ehre," Lilith said, reading the engraving on a fancy dagger as she stood above the SS soldier it belonged to. The young man drew his service pistol and fired, but Lilith dodged each shot in a blur of color. "Let me help you shed some of that blut."

She knelt to the ground to slowly stab him in the heart with his own dagger, leaving it in his chest before callously marching away.

"That doesn't bother you, does it?"

Honestly, I'm more bothered by the fact that I'm not bothered.

Lilith chuckled. "Don't be. These fucks don't deserve your empathy."

"There they are!"

"You! Halt!"

"Don't let them get away!"

Lilith broke into a dash, rounding a corner and leaping over three children and an adult before landing on the lead man pursuing them, stomping his head into the ground and then proceeding to massacre the rest of his patrol unit with her bare hands.

"Is that truly necessary?"

Lilith turned to face Gwen, who had a sarcastic look on her face.

"You're not...unsettled by that?" Lilith said to her youngest cousin.

"There are more disturbing things to save my unease for. Lilly, correct?"

"Lilith, actually."

"You changed your name?" Mildred said.

"Fine, yeah, I'm Lilly."

"You're different than I remember you," Finn said.

"Mm-hmm," Bianca said with a nod.

"Long story," Lilith said. "And we should get going before more of those assholes come and join the bloodbath."

Whitley covered his head as the soldier next to him slumped over, killed by a sniper's bullet. Klein was close by, also staying behind cover.

"Leon! Now!"

"On it!"

Whitley coughed as he was showered with red rose petals.

"Hey, Uncle Whitley!" Leon said as he grabbed onto both him and Klein. "Bear with me, gentlemen. We're going for a ride!"

The effect of Leon's teleportation Semblance made both men lose their balance. The instant change of scenery was also beyond disorienting.

"What the...?" Whitley said.

"Leon Rose!" Klein said.

"No time, guys. We're here to get you out."

"Wait!" Whitley said. "My children!"

"Team APEX is already on it," Ingrid said as she spied on Athena's group as they escorted the children and Mildred out of the manor.

"The rift is over here!" Leon yelled into his microphone. "We have it secured, but it's not gonna last forever!"

"On the way!" Athena said. "Could use some fucking covering fire, though!"

Leon and Ingrid transformed their weapons into gun mode before laying down suppressing fire with salvos of explosive Dust rounds.

"Shit," Leon muttered, spotting four Übersoldaten emerging from an inbound armored transport. "I've never tried it with eight people before."

"Leon!" Ingrid yelled. "No!"

Before she could stop him, he burst into a cloud of rose petals, appearing with Team APEX and their charges. He grabbed onto all eight of them before attempting to activate his Semblance. He grunted and groaned and then yelled with the strain as he exploded into a massive cloud of red rose petals, teleporting all of them across the field. He continued traveling forward, slamming into a van and knocking himself unconscious. Yuan was already on it, grabbing his combat partner and restoring his aura.

"Thank god your brother's reckless," Perseus said, to which Athena chuckled in exasperation.

Xanthus distributed Reality Anchor rubies among their charges.

"What are these?" Whitley said.

"Rune-etched gemstones," he answered. "You must keep them with you at all times in order to maintain your integrity in the Labyrinth."

"The Labyrinth? We're about to cross over?"

"It's safer than out here," Ingrid said. "Yuan!"

"He's awake," he said, leading a confused Leon to the group.

"Okay, it's gonna take all of us," Athena said as the seven concentrated.

"Why is this so damn hard?" Echo grunted.

"Something is actively blocking our magic," Xanthus said. "I can sense it. I think it's a...Negation Rune? I don't...understand."

There was an explosion in the distance.

"The pressure is gone!" Ingrid said.

"Everyone! Now!" Athena yelled.

"So, that machine was amplifying that Negation Rune," Lilith murmured. "Back on Ecumene, you needed a Rune Master wielding one to get this level of anti-magic. I never imagined technology could match the power of a Rune Master."

Lilly and Lilith watched from a distance as both Teams LILY and APEX disappeared along with their charges just as the mobs of Übersoldaten began to encircle them. The huge, hyper muscular monstrosities looked around for their prey, all of whom were nowhere to be found, probably already on the move in the other world.

"Let's go follow them, make sure they're safe," Lilith said.

'Kay.

She found the nearest rift and passed through, eventually locating their friends, who were fending off attacks from this world's SS patrols and Übersoldaten.

"For fuck's sake, it might've been safer in the real world," Lilith said.

"No," Lilly said with a smile on her face. "Look."

Lilith watched, grinning as all of Teams LILY and APEX unleashed the full might of their Wraith-Knights, their clothes transforming into their darker, Labyrinth equivalents, each one with their signature colors painted over black foundations.

"That's so cool," Lilly said.

"You're an idiot," Lilith said.

"What? I want my clothes to transform like that!"

Lilith let out a sigh before proceeding to give their teammates a helping hand, taking care of reinforcements before they could even join the battle.

"What are those explosions?" Leon said.

"Likely the Resistance," Whitley said. "They have a foothold in this world as well. I had no idea you've all been going around the Labyrinth all this time."

"We'll catch up later, Uncle Whitley. We gotta get you somewhere safe so we can go and find Ivory."

"Ivory left this morning," Gwen said. "She did not mention where she was headed, but my guess is that she intends on linking with the Resistance."

"Clear!" Athena yelled. "Move up!"

"We're good here!" Lilly said.

"All right, let's go keep up with them," Lilith said.

They weren't far behind the group when the world around them began to shift.

"Wait a minute," Lilith said. "Is this really happening again?"

"C'mon!" Lilly yelled. "We have to catch up to them!"

They were mid-run when they slowed to a halt, watching as they were all shifted somewhere else.

"What the hell just happened?" Perseus said.

"I thought you of all people would know," Athena said.

"Psh. The Rune of Atonement knows a lot of shit, but it's not omniscient. At least, I don't think it is. Either way, it's not sharing everything it knows with me, so it's functionally useless to me in that regard."

"I really hope you didn't call that godlike thing on your hand 'useless'," Ingrid said.

"I did. And it's staring at me now."

They looked at the eye on top of the scales. It was barely cracked open, peering at Perseus.

"Creepy," Ingrid said.

"You get used to it."

"Guys," Xanthus said. "We're back on Vytal."

"He's right," Yuan said. "There's Castle Vytal over that way."

"So, we must be in the town just outside the castle," Leon said. "Should we just cross back over to the real world from here? I mean, this whole island kinda acts like a gigantic rift cuz of the Nexus thing under the castle."

"Yeah, let's do it," Athena said.

"Wait," Whitley began, "you said we're on Vytal? But, how? And what is this Nexus thing you speak of?"

Leon chuckled. "I swear we'll update you when we get back to base. Synopsis, though: magic."

Lilly smiled, watching as her friends gathered together in a circle with their charges, pulling them back into the real world in the middle of the town of Vytal. She and Lilith crossed over as well, but she kept her distance.

What are you waiting for?

Lilly let out a heavy sigh.

Seriously. You know it's been more than a year since you last saw all of them.

"I know."

So, then, what?

"We have to take care of something first. And I don't wanna get them involved."

Lilith laughed. Don't wanna get them involved? Look at them. They're already involved. Every single one of them can use magic and they can even change clothes in the World of Shadow. Unlike somebody.

"That's not fair!"

She laughed again. All right. Well, it's up to you. Honestly, I think you should go meet up with them. From a purely tactical standpoint, it would be a million times easier to rescue Ivory if we had the whole fucking team on our side instead of just you and me. And from a totally human perspective, you should go say 'hi' to your friends.

"I will. In due time."

Suit yourself.

Echo watched as her friends laughed and sighed collectively, allowing the stress of their most recent mission to melt away. Leon in particular was the target of most of the teasing. Whitley had brought attention to the fact that they were in Atlas specifically for the task of rescuing Ivory and Lilly and then Athena had pointed out how happy Leon was to be back at the Schnee Manor even under these circumstances, after which Klein had added that Ivory had never allowed another boy into her room before Leon. The moment Leon's face turned bright red was the moment Bianca latched onto him once more.

"Don't ever leave me again!" she had yelled at him.

Meanwhile, Echo lagged behind, as she usually did. The crowd now was way bigger than the normal size. Add to that the fact that the Schnees were complete strangers to her and it was absolutely natural for her to keep her distance.

Something nagged at her, though. She could swear it was her Semblance, but there wasn't any danger nearby and thus there wouldn't be any reason for it to spike in any direction, and yet something tugged at her. She stopped walking for a moment, pondering it before continuing her strides. But the pulling wouldn't cease.

She looked back, facing the direction of the tugging. Her eyes opened wide. Before she could even command them, her feet were already moving, running, running, faster than she had ever run before. The cold wind stung her cheeks as tears filled her vision, but she could see clearly. She had never been able to see so clearly in her life.

You're sure about this, are you?

"Yeah. I got to see that they're safe. That's all I need for now."

If you say so. I hope you don't regret this decision.

"I won't. I'm gonna go get Ivory back myself and then bring the whole group back together. With my own hands."

It doesn't have to be just you.

"Of course not. I'll have you with me."

Oh, that's the corniest shit ever.

She giggled.

Echo couldn't believe her eyes. They weren't lying to her, however. What she couldn't figure out was why her Semblance was acting the way it was acting now. This wasn't danger it was pointing to. It was safety. Complete, perfect safety. Whatever. She'd sort things out later. All she knew was that she had to reach her before she could get away again. For sure she was preparing to cross back over into that other world, that world full of pain and guilt and regret and sorrow.

No, not today. She wasn't gonna get away. Not now, not ever again.

"Lilly!" Echo cried out with all of her heart as she launched herself toward her long lost companion.

Athena was the first to hear her combat partner's cry. She turned around, staring in disbelief for half a second before breaking into a sprint.

"Athena?" Ingrid said, looking further ahead and gasping. "Oh my god!"

"Lilly!" Yuan called out, dashing with Ingrid.

In short order, the rest of the group joined the race. Only Leon was left behind, unable to believe his eyes.

"Lilly?" he said as tears began to cloud his vision.

"Go," Whitley said.

He turned to Ivory's surrogate father.

"It's the first time in a long time that you've seen her, right?"

He nodded, suppressing the tears.

"Don't hold them back. Let them fall. They're tears of joy, after all."

He nodded again before sprinting.

Lilly's eyes opened wide as she caught Echo's full weight on her back.

"Lilly!" Echo began crying. "Lilly!"

"Echo?" Lilly said before the latter slid back down onto the floor. "W-What are you—"

"Lilly!" she cried even louder before embracing their prodigal team member so tightly that it hurt.

"Where the hell have you been?" Athena all but yelled as she joined them.

"Lilly!" Ingrid cried as she joined Echo in holding her long lost combat partner. It didn't take long for Athena to join the embrace as well, completely casting off her usual stalwart demeanor and giving way to the emotions now engulfing her.

"It's really her," Xanthus said as the boys caught up.

"Yeah," Perseus said. "It really is."

Yuan's typically tempered demeanor also gave way to the emotions. This was his team leader, but more than that, she was a beacon for all of them to follow. She was the light that washed away the darkness of the world. And now they had her back. He looked around for his combat partner, who had just caught up with them.

"She's back," Yuan said with a smile.

"Yeah," Leon said, his face twisted into all sorts of emotions that he could barely process. "She is."

"Why?" Echo demanded. "Why did you leave us for so long?"

"Sorry," Lilly said. "I didn't mean to."

"Forget that!" Ingrid yelled. "We have you back! That's all that matters right now!"

"Yeah," Athena said. "Welcome home."

"That's right," Yuan said as the boys came closer. "This is home."

"Where the heart is," Xanthus said.

Lilly looked at Perseus, who smiled at her without a word. She looked at the Rune of Atonement and he gave her a small nod. She looked past the boys toward the only one who had yet to join them.

"What the fuck are you doing all the way there, you moron?" Athena yelled at her brother. "Get your ass over here!"

Echo finally let her go as Lilly went from each of her friends to the next with a smile, that bright smile that they all so sorely missed. She stopped at Leon, who kept his hands in his pockets, failing so miserably at keeping his cool.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi," his voice cracked.

She breathed in deep and let it out slowly. She was about to apologize to him for being away for so long and never communicating with them, but all of that vanished when he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly.

"Welcome home," he finally managed.