CHAPTER LVI
My Haven
Ivory slowly opened her eyes and lowered her arms from her face as the storm died down. The last thing she remembered was fighting alongside her comrades and then rushing into the Nexus chamber behind Lilly when a black whirlwind of energy manifested out of nowhere and she was forced to take shelter.
She looked around in astonishment. Wherever she was, she was definitely not on Remnant anymore. At least, she did not want to believe that this misshapen, horrid landscape could have ever been Remnant. The world around her was dark and bleak, with a deep violet hue in the sky accompanying a gray and lifeless earth. There was something odd, however. Each time lightning flashed in the distance, she could swear that the nature of the world around her changed, if but for an instant.
Another flash of lightning illuminated her surroundings. Once again, for that brief moment, the dead trees resembled skeletal remains and the sky filled with giant creatures that had no business floating at such an altitude. More disturbingly, the ground beneath her feet looked as though it was made of patches of skin stitched together haphazardly.
She shook her head in a vain attempt at dispelling such grisly imagery from her mind, but it didn't work. What did succeed at distracting her, however, was the sight of her teammates walking toward her.
"Is that Ivory?" Perseus said.
"Ivory!" Xanthus called out.
"You were right, Echo," Athena said. "Good thing we can still count on your Semblance."
"Yeah," she said. "Honestly, though, I'm surprised anything works right now."
"What's going on?" Ivory said as Team APEX met up with her.
"We've been trying to figure that out," Perseus said, "but Xan-chan here is pretty stumped."
"From the way you're speaking, it sounds as if you've been here longer than I have."
"Huh?"
"I only just became aware of anything three minutes ago."
"You mean right after that blackness engulfed the world?" Athena said.
She nodded.
"Labyrinth time shenanigans again, sounds like. The four of us got separated, too, but Echo and I only had a small hill between us. She found Xanthus and Perseus not that far away either, and now you're here."
"What about Team LILY?"
"I can sense danger pointing to them, too," Echo said. "They're not that far from here either. Penny's also here somewhere."
"Senpai!" Xanthus said, running to Penny, who was with Leon, Ingrid, and Yuan.
"It happened again," Athena said to Echo, who nodded.
"What happened again?" Ivory asked.
"I could sense the ambient danger of the Labyrinth around them," Echo began, "but I couldn't pinpoint where they were. It happened with Xanthus and Perseus, too, and to a slight degree with Athena."
"There's something different about this Labyrinth," Perseus said. "Even the Rune of Atonement is giving me a weird feeling."
"Are all of you okay?" Penny said as the two teams linked up.
"More or less," Ivory said. "Where is everyone else? I'm quite certain we were in Castle Vytal a moment ago, with hundreds, maybe thousands of other people."
"I don't sense anyone else here with us," Echo said. "Well, I mean that I don't sense danger around Athena's parents. I do have a stronger connection with them than anybody else's parents here, but I'd sense danger from them, too, thanks to my Wraith-Knight's power."
"That could be why," Xanthus said. "Perhaps we were the only ones to end up in this world because of this power."
"How do you explain Penny, then?" Ingrid said.
"I can't."
"No one's seen my cousin around?" Ivory said.
Everyone shook their heads.
"Knowing her, though," Athena began, "she's probably in that castle over there."
Ingrid chuckled. "She still thinks she needs to take down Labyrinths all by herself, huh?"
"Well," Yuan began, "she has been doing exactly that. Long before any of us joined her."
Leon put his scroll away after attempting a call for the final time. "Yup, still no signal in the Labyrinth," he said. "Mom, dad, I hope you two are all right."
"We don't have Ariadne's support this time," Penny said, "so we don't really have any way of knowing much about this place, but I agree with Athena. She could very well be in that castle in the distance. I'm getting some very powerful readings from that structure."
"As am I," Xanthus said as holographic projections appeared on his glasses.
"Whoa," Echo said, looking closely at the lenses. "That's freakin' awesome."
"Beep boop?" Perseus said, to which Penny responded with a dry look. "Wait! That wasn't directed at you or anything!"
"Very funny," Penny said, rolling her eyes.
"Aw, c'mon, senpai!"
"No."
"You made the teacher mad," Echo poked him.
Their march to the castle was unimpeded, but the environment alone was enough of an obstacle.
"That fucking tree just tried to grab me," Athena said, keeping her spear at low ready.
"And this ground is made of skin," Ingrid said. "I think it is, but I can only see it when the lightning flashes."
"The whole world is doing that," Penny said. "I can't tell if each flash is doing nothing more than revealing the true nature of this world, or if the world itself is changing with each flash and then goes back to normal."
"It could also be transporting us to another world briefly and then back again," Xanthus said.
"That, too."
"I thought the Labyrinth was confusing before," Perseus said. "But this is really bad."
"Here we are," Ivory said as she stood with the group before the gates to the lower town.
"How in the hell can a castle this gorgeous be in the middle of this nightmare?" Ingrid said.
They all gazed up through the iron barred gates at the massive stone structure which rose in the distance. As Ingrid had mentioned, the building and its surrounding town were magnificent, as though it projected light into this hellish world, the sole oasis of hope in a desert of despair.
"Let's go in," Leon said, turning to Ivory, who returned his gaze and subsequent nod.
They pushed the gates open together as the rest of the group proceeded with their guard up.
"Hey," Athena said to Ivory, "are you any good with that new power?"
"I haven't trained with it, if that's what you're asking," she said. "However, it does seem to have bonded with me on a fundamental level."
"I guess that goes without saying since you're able to resist the Labyrinth without one of those Reality Anchor gems."
"Guard up, everyone," Penny said, referring to several brightly colored knights guarding the lower town.
"Doesn't this seem weird to you?" Ingrid said.
"You mean the guards?" Yuan said. "Yeah. They don't strike me as evil or anything."
"Maybe not," Perseus said, holding up his shield, "but I don't think they like our presence here."
Two of the knights aimed their crossbows at the team. Perseus and Athena blocked the first barrage, but both were amazed at the amount of power behind each arrow.
"That was like rocket fire," Athena said before engaging with her spear alongside both teams. They made short work of the knights, which vanished into blue and white twinkles.
"Why did that feel so wrong?" Leon mumbled.
"It's not just you," Xanthus said to him. "I don't detect any malice from those knights. In fact, all I can feel is a sense of duty."
"In any case," Ivory began, "they're obstructing our path into the castle. And if my cousin is in there, we have to get past them."
"Agreed," Penny said.
Nevertheless, the group opted to evade knight patrols instead of engaging them. Not only were they quite powerful foes, but defeating them left a sour taste in the mouth. Everything about their battles with the knights felt terribly wrong, as if they were combating the wrong enemy. No, they weren't the enemy at all.
They were friends.
"I can't fight another one of those guys," Echo said, panting. "My Semblance is doing all sorts of weird things right now."
"What do you mean?" Xanthus asked her.
"It's like, well, you know how it works, right? It points to danger, no matter what the source is. Even if it's a falling tree, that lights my Semblance up. With the Labyrinth, there's always white noise in the background, as if there's literal danger fog everywhere. And with the Wraith-Knights, it's a kind of humming. But with these knights? My Semblance doesn't point to them being the source of danger. It's us. We are the danger."
"What?" Leon said.
"Because of this place," Ivory said. "A castle is a place of defense. We are, quite literally, laying siege to this castle."
"Well, not quite," Ingrid said. "We're sneaking in, not laying siege."
The group agreed to opt for fleeing from patrols rather than engaging them. It took significantly longer to get to the gates to the citadel, but they managed to reach the front portcullis. There was a single knight blocking their path, a battle they would not be able to avoid.
"At least it's just one knight this time," Athena said, getting ready to engage, but she noticed Penny lagging behind the team. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"Senpai?" Xanthus said to their elder.
"No," Penny mumbled. "It can't be."
"What is it?" Ivory asked her before turning to the solitary knight guarding the main gate. Something about it was strangely familiar.
"Hold on a minute," Ingrid said, taking a closer look at their adversary. "That thing. I've seen it before."
"The statue in the quad," Athena and Ivory said at the same time.
"And Lilly's knight," Yuan said.
"Wait a minute," Echo began, "why would he be here? Why would Lilly's knight be in this Labyrinth? And why is he guarding the gate?"
"I think the answer is obvious," Ivory said, stepping ahead of the team. "The Labyrinth is a manifestation of a person's inner world. Everything we see in here is a reflection of the person in the center of said world."
"You're saying that this is Lilly's Labyrinth?" Leon said, incredulous. "That makes no sense!"
"I have to agree with him," Yuan said. "The existence of Lilith makes Labyrinth formation impossible. After all, the Labyrinth forms around a person's Shade or Shadow. Lilith is no Shadow. She's a fully fledged Wraith, one in perfect union with Lilly. She couldn't become trapped in a world like this since Lilith's presence in the real world means there are no more issues for her to overcome."
"That's assuming there isn't more weirdness happening here," Perseus said, putting his hands in his pockets. "There've been all sorts of unusual shit surrounding Lilly and the rest of us, remember? Like the fact that Lilly and her Wraith inhabit the same body in the real world. That's supposed to be impossible, according to Lilith. Even us bonding with other souls from another world, that's something that doesn't happen. We aren't mages from Ecumene, so we shouldn't even have our own Wraiths, let alone the ability to harbor Wraith-Knights." He held up his left hand. "And then there's this. It makes no sense for a primordial entity to leave its native world and enter Remnant."
Meanwhile, Penny had been running the same scans over and over again in an attempt to rule out the possibility of who this knight was. After all, it wasn't just his appearance. It was everything about him, his gait, the confidence with which he stood, the Schnee family insignia emblazoned on his chest plate. It had to be him. The waveform scan matched his perfectly. She could never forget it, not after everything she had gone through with him.
"Bedivere!" she cried out.
The youngsters all turned to her slowly, unable to believe their ears.
"Is it you?" Penny yelled again. "Tell me! Raise your visor so I can see your face!"
The knight stood still for a moment, but after some time in contemplation, he reached up to his helmet and removed it completely. Leon looked over to the knight and then back to Penny, whose eyes were wide open, accompanying a look of deep pain on her face. Tears began to well up, rapidly overtopping the dam and flowing down her cheeks.
"Senpai?" Xanthus said as Penny began weeping into her hands. He turned back to the knight, scanning his waveform with his Wraith-Knight's power. "So, this is the map of his soul, is it? Is this really Bedivere?"
"Lilly's...father?" Echo mumbled.
Penny fell to her knees and Xanthus ran to her side.
"What the hell do we do now?" Ingrid said. "I don't suppose he's just gonna let us through."
"Right you are, young lady," his voice boomed across the courtyard.
"Sir knight," Ivory said, curtseying as she approached him, "are you the one who guards this castle?"
"I am but one of many sworn to defend Kameloth with his life."
"This is Kameloth?"
"Indeed it is. Kameloth, the capital city of the United Kingdom of Albion, and the castle which guards my lady."
"He's gotta be talking about Lilly," Athena mumbled.
"You all seem to be familiar with how this world works," the knight said. "As it stands, the castle gate is shut and I bar your path. What does this tell you?"
"That this Labyrinth's owner rejects us," Ivory said.
"Correct. You are denied entry because you are seen as intruders. In truth, I am tasked with guarding this gate against all who wish to enter. The world within has been closed off to everyone from the outside."
"I don't feel good about attacking him," Yuan said.
"Me neither," Ingrid said. "Those knights back there made me feel like shit. I'm pretty sure attacking Lilly's dad, or, well, a projection of her dad—whatever the hell he is—would make me feel even worse."
Her attention went to Leon, who broke ranks, marching forward slowly, but with determination in each step.
"Leon?" Echo said.
"Hey, man, you okay?" Perseus said.
Without a word, he walked past all of them, including Ivory, who stood at the front of the group. She looked up at him, but he didn't return her gaze. His eyes were straight ahead.
"Fascinating," the knight said, crossing his arms over his chest. "The one who awakened to his borrowed power in the shadow of another wishes to challenge me in single combat?"
"Yup," he answered, continuing his forward march.
"Red truly suits you, then. It is, after all, the color of valor. But I must wonder if that valor is validated by any substantial strength, or if it is no more than youthful foolishness."
Leon shrugged. "All I know is that there's someone I care about up in that castle and that I have to go and help her in any way I can. And besides, like I told her on orientation day back at Beacon Academy, I just can't ignore a damsel-in-distress."
The knight grinned. "You have all the trappings of a knight. But I will refrain from referring to you as an equal just yet. After all, you need to prove yourself, not just to me, but to someone who matters even more than me."
"Oh, I know she's watching us from one of those towers up there."
"I'm referring not to the lady of this castle."
"Who, then?"
"I'm afraid that is something you must discover for yourself."
Without warning, the knight vanished, moving faster than eyesight. Leon only just managed to draw Vermillion Crescent in sword form and block a strike from the side. The knight's sword was brilliant, but nothing he had ever seen in his life.
"You stare at my blade," the knight said. "Are you admiring the handiwork?"
"A little," Leon said. "It's pretty. I think Lilly would like it, too."
"I have full access to my king's arsenal. I was entrusted with his entire estate when he passed on, keeping Caliburn safe as he drew his final breath and vowing to be his retainer eternal. Summoning one of the weapons gifted to him by other kings is a trivial task."
The sword began to glow.
"Let us see if you can withstand the brilliance of Claíomh Solais!"
Leon only barely managed to avert his eyes from the flash of light, but it was still enough to be disorienting. His opponent would have skewered him if it hadn't been for his Semblance, which allowed him to teleport to safety, but the respite was short-lived; the knight was already upon him and he found himself in a sword exchange.
—
Echo allowed her Wraith-Knight power to increase, fully intent on joining the battle in support of her teammate. All she needed was one well-placed arrow and it would give Leon an edge. Or at least a fighting chance. Before she could complete her power-up, however, Athena stopped her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She turned to her girlfriend, looking up into her face, but she was looking outward toward the battle.
"Why are you stopping me?" Echo said. "That's your brother out there!"
"Exactly," Athena said.
Echo looked at her questioningly when she noticed Ingrid just past her, also standing without any obvious intent to intervene in the battle.
"Bedivere, or, whatever he is, was absolutely right," Ingrid said. "You heard what he said, didn't you?"
"He awakened to his Wraith-Knight in someone else's shadow," Perseus said.
Echo turned back to the battle. She had completely forgotten about the circumstances of the twins' awakening. Athena had made a complete vow with Sir Lancelot, just like everyone else had. But no one even knew the name of Leon's Wraith-Knight. He had awakened to the power at the same time Athena had, completely in her shadow. They absolutely must not intervene now. This was his one and only chance to prove himself once and for all. And Bedivere's apparition was correct in his assessment. Leon needed to prove himself not to the knight, nor to his friends, and not even to Lilly.
He needed to prove it to himself.
—
Leon was barely hanging on in the duel against the manifestation of Sir Bedivere of Kameloth. Although, given the knight's sheer prowess, he wasn't so sure that this was a mere manifestation. It would be no surprise whatsoever to learn that this was the real deal.
"What's the matter, young man?" the knight said, pushing with little effort against Leon's sword. "Your determination seems to be slipping with every clash of our steel. At this rate, I don't even need to summon any of my king's personal weapons to subdue you. Any of the gifts from other kings and heroes will do."
"Yeah?" Leon panted. "Well, I'm just barely getting started!"
He unleashed more power, his body flashing with the dark crimson color of his aura as he upped the ante against his opponent, who shifted into a more technical stance to counter Leon's aggressiveness.
—
Meanwhile, Penny had managed to get over her shock at seeing an apparition of Bedivere that possessed his soul's waveform. As far as she was concerned, this was no mere manifestation. The fact that it possessed Bedivere's soul told her that it couldn't be anything other than him.
"Bedivere," she mumbled, clasping her hands over her chest.
"Senpai, are you okay?" Xanthus said.
She nodded.
He turned back to the battle. Things weren't looking good for his comrade, but Leon was able to hang on, even if by a mere thread.
"That's really Bedivere, is it?" Xanthus said.
"Yes," Penny said. "You see his waveform, right?"
"I can. And I do remember it from some of the data you showed me some time back. Still, how is it that he's here? He's dead, isn't he?"
"Mm-hmm. And yet, he's right there."
"Far be it from me to doubt," Yuan said. "Magic seems to be capable of anything. Resurrecting the dead should be no problem for something as powerful as a Primal Rune."
—
The knight landed a powerful elbow strike to Leon's abdomen, making him lurch forward. A follow-up kick sent him flying across the courtyard, tumbling over and over again until he crashed into a small house, completely demolishing the structure. The lone sentinel of this castle marched at the debris, fully expecting his opponent to be ready for another attack. A cloud of rose petals burst above and he turned his sword upward, blocking a fully deployed Vermillion Crescent.
"Impressive," he said. "That technique may have worked on any other knight, but not me. You are in a duel to the death with the one named Marshal of King Arthur's Knights."
The bright sword in the knight's hand vanished, replaced by a magnificent spear.
"I do wonder," the knight began, "if you can withstand an attack from Rhongomyniad, my king's spear, his choice weapon for slaying giants and subduing entire armies."
Leon shielded himself as the spear projected a powerful force at him, hurling him several yards away. He managed to land on his feet, but the knight was already upon him. He was incredibly adept with his long spear and Leon couldn't figure out how in the world he was going to survive this battle, let alone win. Part of him wanted to ask his friends for help. That's what they were all taught at Beacon Academy, that they were all a single team and none of them were alone in a battle.
But this was different from any other battle. The fight wasn't merely for his life. It was for his future. He could not afford to fail here. If he could not get out of his sister's shadow, he may as well be dead.
—
Ingrid turned away as the knight landed punch after punch on Leon's face. Yuan went over to hold her, but as he searched for the words with which to comfort her, his attention went elsewhere.
"What in the world?" he mumbled.
"Huh?" Ingrid said, following his gaze. Her eyes also widened at the sight.
"What's going on back there?" Ivory said. She stared in surprise at the translucent knights standing behind everyone.
"Are you...Tristan?" Echo said to the one standing behind her.
"I am happy you recognize me, my lady," he replied.
"Lancelot," Athena said.
"Lady Athena," he answered.
"And Sir Galahad," Xanthus began, looking from one to the next, "and Sir Elyan, Sir Mordred, and Sir Percival."
"What are you all doing here?" Ingrid asked the Wraith-Knights.
"We haven't seen our brothers in many ages," Elyan said. "We wouldn't miss this tournament for anything."
"Tournament?" Yuan said.
"Yes," Galahad answered. "We held many in our time. Though, battle to the death was abandoned after one Lord Gabriel set the first example of Mercy over Victory."
"But it seems Sir Bedivere is keen on adhering to the old ways," Percival said. "It's no surprise."
Perseus turned to his Wraith-Knight. "Do you feel it as well?" he asked.
"Of course I do," Mordred said. "I was one of the Rune of Atonement's stewards, after all. I can never become fully separated from its influence."
"What is it?" Xanthus asked his combat partner.
Perseus showed him the back of his hand. The Rune of Atonement's eye was fully open, gazing straight at the battle, following both Bedivere and Leon as they zipped around the courtyard.
—
Bedivere's apparition hurled several fireballs in rapid succession. Leon managed to dodge all of them successfully, but the lightning bolt came out of nowhere and shocked him to his core. He screamed as the current ran up and down his body. He needed to be quick to recover from the attack, though. Rhongomyniad was headed straight for his heart. If he didn't dodge, this would be the end of him. Fortunately, he was fast enough to teleport away, but there were more fireballs headed to him and he couldn't dodge them all.
His opponent appeared in the sky above, striking him with the rear end of Rhongomyniad and sending him rocketing back down, hitting the ground so hard that a crater formed beneath him.
"How ephemeral one's resolve can be," Bedivere said, floating back down to the earth. "If you will succumb to such a weak attack, you can never call yourself a Knight of Remnant. It's a shame. I truly did have high hopes for you. But it seems you do not have what it takes to break out from under your elder sister's shadow."
Leon opened his eyes wide. That was exactly it. That was everything that held him back up to now. He snickered to himself, struggling back up to his knees and then to his feet.
"Something amusing?" Bedivere said.
"Yeah," he said, taking a deep breath before letting it out slowly. "You're totally right. I'm never gonna get out from under Athena's shadow. She's the Golden Girl of Vale, after all. There's nothing I can do about that. But why should I care? I'm not trying to be the Golden Boy of Vale. I'm just Leon Rose-Arc. The second L in Team LILY. My goal isn't to try and surpass anyone. Not even myself. And certainly not my sister. She's her own person and I'm my own person. Right now, the only thing I want more than anything else is to get past you and into that castle. So that I can save someone I really care about. I'm not here to prove myself to anyone."
"Oh?"
He nodded. "I'm here cuz of one thing." He smiled to himself, looking at the ground for a moment. He couldn't believe what he was about to say out loud. "I'm here cuz I'm in love with someone."
—
Echo threw her hands to her mouth. She glanced at Ingrid and tugged at her sleeve.
"I know!" Ingrid whispered loudly.
"What the actual fuck," Athena said. "A confession? At a time like this?"
"I dunno," Perseus said. "The Rune of Atonement seems really interested in what's happening."
"It's not just that Primal Rune," Xanthus said, looking over at Penny. "Senpai, are you detecting all that, too?"
"Mm-hmm," she said. "He's about to fully awaken."
—
"I've been waiting for a long time, young man."
Leon turned around to face a knight in brilliant silver and red armor.
"Sir Leon of the Rose."
"Of the Rose, huh?" Leon said with a grin. "I like it."
"As do I. Sir Bedivere over there was correct. Red truly is the color of valor. But not just valor. It is also the color of passion, of the fire of life itself. And, the color, of..."
"Love!" they said in unison.
—
"Oh, god," Ingrid said, shaking her head.
"I love it," Yuan said.
"Please don't love it."
—
"Sir Gawayne, right?" Leon said.
"The fact that I did not need to introduce myself to you tells me that we have already bonded in heart and in deed," Sir Gawayne said. "All that remains is for us to formally swear an oath to one another." He turned to Bedivere. "That is, if my fellow knight over there doesn't mind."
"By all means," Bedivere said with a grin.
"I knew you couldn't resist a challenge. You wouldn't be High Templar of Albion otherwise." He turned to the other knights accompanying the youngsters, drawing his sword and saluting. They returned the gesture in kind. He faced Leon. "I am Sir Gawayne of Kameloth, cousin and servant to King Arthur of Kameloth, the Pendragon of Albion. Dost thou, Leon Rose, swear to uphold the knight's code of justice, honor, valor, and mercy, now and ever more?"
"I do so swear," Leon said, holding up his right hand.
"Then, I, Sir Gawayne of Kameloth, vow to walk the path of passion and valor with you until we both draw our final breaths. Wield my sword, Sir Leon of the Rose, and command our destiny, and let us go forth and save all damsels-in-distress!"
Leon fell to his knees as he and Gawayne fully integrated. Thorns pierced his flesh from the inside out, sending his blood flying in every direction. There was no pain, however. There was only determination.
His body exploded, torn apart by a force from another world. The cloud of darkness spread until forming into a humanoid figure, which slowly receded until it revealed Leon, fully covered from head to toe in black and red armor, which was decorated with a deep crimson rose on the chest plate.
—
Athena turned to her Wraith-Knight, Sir Lancelot, who saluted before vanishing into twinkles of light. She and the rest of her comrades found themselves clad in full knightly armor of black and their respective colors.
"I feel stronger than before," Yuan said.
"You are stronger than before," Penny said, flabbergasted by the data she was reading from them. "Every single one of you. I can't believe what I'm seeing. These EP output levels are off the charts."
"Then, Ariadne's hypothesis was correct," Xanthus said, shifting his glasses up. "Each successive Wraith-Knight awakening adds to the collective power level."
"I think that goes to demonstrate the bond between these Knights of the Round Table," Ivory said. "Each knight might be individually strong, but together, they are unstoppable."
—
"Are you ready?" Bedivere said, shifting into an offensive stance.
"Yup," Leon said, mimicking his opponent's form.
"You certainly do seem ready. However, I can no longer hold back. It would be an insult to you and to Sir Gawayne."
Rhongomyniad vanished and Bedivere held up his hand, summoning Caliburn, which shone with such radiance as to eliminate the night within their immediate surroundings.
"You gaze upon this sword with familiarity, young man," Bedivere said.
"Of course," Leon said. "I've seen her in action, after all."
—
The others were stunned at the colossal improvement in their companion's combat ability. Before his full awakening, he could only barely keep himself alive. Now, he matched Bedivere's ability blow for blow.
"This whole time he was the one holding himself back," Yuan said. "Even after his tandem awakening with Athena, he couldn't get over the fact that he could never get out from under her shadow."
"Yeah," Ingrid said. "Although, to be honest, he never really let on. He always put on a carefree attitude. Maybe it was his way of deflecting."
"But now he's let go of it all. My father always taught me that the best path forward is to let go. Of a lot of things. There is much in this world that is out of our control. All we can control is what we do and how we respond to the circumstances around us."
"Ren was always the wisest of the group," Penny said. "That sounds like something he would totally say."
Echo looked over at Athena, who watched the duel closely, her arms folded across her chest. Beyond her stood Ivory. The fact was lost on no one in this group that his confession had an effect on even her, but she showed no reaction on the outside. That impenetrable poker face was Ivory Schnee's hallmark, after all.
"She's probably thinking about what he said, huh?" Perseus mumbled.
Echo looked over at him. He was looking past them at Ivory.
"I'm glad I don't have to deal with triangles like that."
She turned back to the battle. It wasn't that long ago that she had her own triangle to deal with, so she found it very easy to relate to her friends.
—
"Excellent work," Bedivere said as they stood a few yards apart. "Your skill has improved significantly. But I have yet to reach the point of calling you a fellow knight. Sir Gawayne and the others may have accepted you, but I am not convinced. Not yet."
"Yeah?" Leon said. "What'll it take to convince you, then? Not that I really feel the need to. I honestly wish you'd just let us pass."
"You know I can't do that. Not while the gate is still shut."
Leon looked past him. The entrance to the citadel was locked tight. If this truly was Lilly's Labyrinth, which he still refused to believe, she had yet to allow them passage.
"What's happening to you, Lilly?" he mumbled. "Why are you pushing us away like this?"
"My lady has been wounded," Bedivere said, holding Caliburn skyward. "It is only natural that she would surround herself with stone walls. It is not her wish for you to perish, and so I will not pour the full extent of my strength into this, but it is my duty to prevent all from forcing their way into Kameloth. I have always held this duty."
Leon watched as Caliburn began glowing with intense power. It was strange to see this sword in someone else's possession other than Lilly, but it made total sense that her father would be the one to wield it now. He held his own weapon, Vermillion Crescent, at low ready, channeling his own power into it.
"Sakral Flamme!" Bedivere yelled, unleashing Caliburn's signature attack.
"Vermillion Eclipse!" Leon cried out. Vermillion Crescent exploded into a deep red flame and he swung it outward. The dark red blaze clashed with the golden light from Caliburn, resulting in a spectacular blast visible for miles.
—
"We have to come up with our own attack names," Perseus said. "So far, Echo's got Ashes to Ashes, the twins have Every Rose Has Its Thorns, Leon's got that Vermillion Eclipse."
"Could we not?" Ingrid said. "This is cringe as shit and it's embarrassing."
Athena glanced over at Echo, who was visibly trying to avoid her gaze. She smirked, moving into her vision, but Echo continued to evade her eyes.
"Ashes to Ashes," she mumbled.
"Stop!" Echo yelled, glowing bright red.
"I think it's cool," Yuan said.
"Yuan!" Ingrid yelled. "Could you, like, not be nerdy?"
"I'm not sure what mine would be," Xanthus said. "I suppose it will reveal itself to each of us when the time comes."
"Serenity Thunder," Yuan said. "I have decided on that."
The others looked to Ingrid for her reaction, but she said nothing.
"Strange," Ivory said. "I expected her to object."
"Maybe she's brainstorming for her own attack name," Penny said with a shrug.
"I am not!" Ingrid screamed.
—
"Vermillion Eclipse!"
"Sakral Flamme!"
Caliburn and Vermillion Crescent clashed primary attacks once more, the conflagration enough to pulverize the earth below. Before the whirlwind of energies could subside, Bedivere vanished, but Leon was able to track his movements perfectly, engaging him in a series of high-speed blade parries and strikes.
"You truly are worthy of your name," Bedivere said as they pushed against each other's swords. "I once fought alongside a knight by the name of Lionel. As per his namesake, he, too, was an exemplar of valor, much as you are, young man."
"Was he as handsome as me?" Leon asked.
"Hmm. I'm not as good a judge of that as perhaps my lady is. I will say, however, that you and Sir Gawayne are perfectly matched. I expect you and him to reach great heights together."
Leon smiled. To have Lilly's father compliment him like that was more than he could have asked for, even if this knight he dueled with now was no more than a manifestation of her Labyrinth.
"You seem happy," Bedivere said. "Genuinely so."
"I am," Leon said.
The ground began to shake and everyone looked around, their guard up. Bedivere and Leon turned to the citadel gate, which warped and groaned before shattering into twinkles of light.
"The gate!" Ingrid yelled.
"Does this mean Lilly accepts us?" Xanthus said as he and Penny scanned the entrance.
"No doubt," Penny said. "The EP flow over there is erratic, but the barrier is gone."
"Barrier?" Ivory said. "You mean to say that the gate was not merely symbolic, but that it would have physically resisted us even if we had assaulted it ourselves?"
"I didn't think so at first either," Xanthus said, "but from those energies released just now, I'm a hundred percent certain it was a barrier."
"Then, she really does accept us now," Echo said. "What are we waiting for?"
"It seems that my lady wishes you all to pass," Bedivere said, facing off with Leon. "Be that as it may, I cannot simply allow you to enter my lady's domain without a final test."
"I'm ready," Leon said, holding Vermillion Crescent fully deployed ahead of him.
"Yes, you are."
"Leon!" Athena yelled out to him.
Leon glanced over to his sister. She held up her spear and let out a battle cry. The rest of their team joined in the roar. He gave them a single, firm nod before turning back to Bedivere, who held Caliburn at low ready. The seconds were agonizingly long, the air cold as ice, yet sharp as lightning. Leon had already proven to himself that he had what it took. Now, his task was to prove it to Lilly's father.
"Have at you!" Bedivere yelled as they both dashed forward with so much force as to shatter the concrete they had been standing on.
Bedivere's strikes were ferocious, much more so than during the rest of the duel, but Leon was undeterred. He took the time and effort to counter each stroke properly with his scythe, deflecting and parrying perfectly, both knights' blades flowing as if part of a river of steel. Both men dove away and then leaped at each other one final time, their weapons meeting their marks as they passed by one another.
They stood facing opposite directions for a few seconds before Bedivere finally turned around, revealing the bleeding cut on his cheek. Leon also turned to face his opponent, showing the broken armor on his shoulder.
"Well, that was pretty fuckin' awesome," Athena said, standing with the rest of the group.
"You intend on rescuing her, do you?" Bedivere said.
"We do," Yuan said. "She's our team leader."
"And a friend," Xanthus said.
"Also, Echo was her first kiss," Perseus said.
"Why is that what defines our relationship, huh?" Echo screamed.
"We're gonna save your daughter from her Labyrinth," Ingrid said. "We swear."
"Save her, hmm?" Bedivere said. "I wish you luck, then." He turned to Leon and gave him a single nod. The latter returned the gesture before moving on with the rest of his team. Only Ivory remained behind with Penny, who stood in place for some time, staring at him.
"They're leaving you behind, you know," he said to her.
"Bedivere?" Penny said. "Is it...you know, is it really you?"
"That's a good question. I'll ask you what I asked Weiss long ago. Do you believe in magic?"
She nodded. "Of course I do."
"Then, believe in me, as well."
She let a single tear fall before she began marching forward, but he held up a hand and she stopped in place.
"Penny," he said. "Aren't you here to save Lilly from her Labyrinth?"
She nodded.
"Then, go and save her."
"But—"
"She needs you. Now more than ever. Believe me when I say that."
She looked to the side in thought before turning back to him. "Can I at least, you know, hug you?"
"If you keep looking backward, you can never march forward, Penny."
"Bedivere, I don't wanna forget you."
"And you never will. Not as long as I live in here."
He pointed to her heart and she could swear his finger was right on her chest. She sniffled, closing her eyes momentarily before giving him a nod.
"Go," Bedivere said. "Rescue my daughter from the prison she has constructed for herself."
"This isn't goodbye," she said. "This is never goodbye."
"You're damned right it isn't," he said before putting his helmet back on and turning around, resting his hands on Caliburn as he stood guard before the gate, which twinkled back into existence as Penny and Ivory marched through to rejoin the rest of the team.
"So," Ivory began, "that was my uncle, was it?"
Penny nodded.
"I see."
"Why do you ask?"
"It's nothing."
Ivory recalled the sketch Lilly had drawn in her notebook. There was no mistaking it. The face she had rendered was his.
"Senpai! Ivory!" Leon yelled. "We were wondering what the heck happened to you two!"
"Is the yelling necessary?" Ivory said, crossing her arms in front of her chest as she stood in front of him.
"Of course it's necessary," Ingrid sighed. "Haven't you learned by now that it's a purely involuntary action on his part?"
Penny looked to each of the youngsters as they prepared to storm the castle. Every member of Teams LILY and APEX was dressed from head to toe in knightly armor, each one colored black with trim in their respective colors. The EP was overflowing from every individual. Even Ivory matched their power, her synchronization with the Winter Maiden nearly perfect.
Ivory looked around at the rest of her group. Something about their attire was different. They each had a small lily pin attached to some part of their outfits, the pin silver in color with the center of the flower washed in each person's signature color.
"Here's one for you, too," Penny said, handing one to Ivory. Hers was colored pale blue in the center. "She gave me one when she reunited with us and handed this to me to give to you in case she forgot herself, which she obviously did."
"My cousin's absentmindedness is part of her charm," Ivory said, accepting the pin and attaching it to her lapel.
"You've been rescuing us from our Labyrinths all this time," Yuan said, taking a step toward the castle.
"It's our turn to rescue you from yours," Xanthus said as Perseus pushed his glasses up for him. "Thank you, partner."
"Lilly, I hope you're ready for us," Echo said.
"Cuz we're about to raid your castle!" Athena said, leading the charge into the citadel.
The group's power had grown to the point that evading patrols of knights was trivial. They could avoid doing battle with them while also progressing through the Labyrinth without hindrance. Their climb all the way up to the private chambers was all too easy. No puzzles barred their path to the innermost sanctum.
"You guys sense it, too, don't you?" Xanthus said, looking at the group.
Echo nodded. "This is the center of the Labyrinth," she said. "My Semblance is pointing to all sorts of wrongness here. But it's weird. This is the most confused my Semblance has ever been."
"Confused?"
"Mm-hmm. It's not quite danger. It's more like, I dunno, like there's some kind of perversion of the natural order."
"My sixth sense is telling me the same thing," Ingrid said. "Part of me wants to run away, but the rest of me is desperate to get Lilly out of there."
"All right," Ivory said, standing beside Athena. "Since we have no way of knowing what will be on the other side of this door, I suggest a strong formation heading through."
"I agree," Athena said. "Penny and I will take point. Perseus, Ivory, heavy support second line. Everybody else, third line cluster with Yuan watching the rear closely."
"Okay," Leon said. "Let's do this!"
