There were days when Waver Velvet didn't even want to leave the house. For this very reason, he had failed to get out of bed for the longest time this morning. In retrospect, this had been a protective mechanism of his body that, thanks to a rudimentary disposition for prophetic magecraft, had known exactly that the young man would rather not have experienced this day.
Now he was standing outside the front door for the second time and was in such a hurry to get back into the privacy of his house that the key missed the lock and fell to the ground - for the third time. But he didn't even feel a hint of shame. In the morning he had hurried to the subway, catching his breath while holding a slice of bread with his teeth, and had reached it just in time for the doors to close on him. Before the first lesson, he had collided with Svin in the hallway who had poured his soft drink all over the sleeve of his teacher's jacket. His bright spot had been a test on the course of Ley lines, promising him a moment to calm down from this terrible morning - until Yvette had been on the point of setting fire to the classroom because she was drawing a complete blank. With great presence of mind and a skillful wrestling grip, Luvia had prevented the worst, and for the rest of the day Yvette had spent her time in a magic sphere safely locked away from the rest of the class.
The day had drained his spirit so thoroughly that he slept on the tram. When he woke up and looked out of the window, he was startled. Observing the strange surroundings, he had contemplated whether he was right in the middle of a parallel world - not the first time that had happened to him on a train ride. However, when the final stop was already on the display, he tilted his head back against the window behind him and tried to ignore the curious eyes of the new passengers as he rode back the same war in the same car on the same place.
Now, finally at his destination, Waver just wanted to be home, preferably snuggled in his bed with a good book and a tea, to finally leave this catastrophic day behind.
How naive of him to think that the losing streak end once he reached home.
As if he had opened Pandora's Box along with the door, he found the personification of mischief on his sofa, a cup of tea in her ladylike hand and a smile on her face. Nothing spoke so clearly of unimaginable doom as a smiling Reines.
Waver was about to ask how his 'little sister' had gained unwanted access when his eyes fell on Gray. She sat on the sofa, her back to Waver. She must have felt the sullen look on her own neck because instinctively she pulled the hood even deeper over their face.
"And that's why you shouldn't just open the door," Waver murmured to himself while he sat down his bag next to the front door and slid his coat from his arms. "It will only invite bugs."
Of course Reines took every Detail of his comment as an opportunity for a rebuttal. "Contrary to you, your student knows how to welcome a lady and offer her a good cup of tea - two things that are completely lost on you," she said snappily and then sipped her black tea without a care in the world.
"I only do that when I want the guests to feel welcome," Waver clarified. After such a day, every second with Reines was torture to his already strained nerves. Not that he remembered a time when her appearance had made him feel anything positive, but at least he had learned how to bear her attitude over time.
Suddenly Gray got up with a bow of her head and a faint shimmer of red around her nose. Her hands were so deep in her pockets that the sleeves wrinkled. "I'd better leave you two alone."
Waver made a face. He was just looking for the right words to tell her that those petty comments had nothing to do with her, but Reines had found her voice faster.
"No, wait a moment," she said, even setting down the teacup.
Waver's sense of foreboding reappeared and his neck hair stood up. The unfortunate heiress had actually come to them with an intention that was important enough to warrant a serious conversation. He instinctively crossed his arms as the gesture alone could block her plan.
Reines didn't even blink.
"Reines, if that's about the weed in your garden-"
She waved it off mid-sentence. "Oh, you can do that when you get back."
"Get back from what?" Waver asked warily and that was enough to brighten Reines' smile even more.
"I knew you'd be interested," she said, even clapping her hands. "Please sit down."
Waver knew that this conversation could only be to his disadvantage, but he also sensed that he had no choice but to oblige. She was not even of legal age and already had enough aces in her hand to drive beads of sweat onto the foreheads of powerful people.
As soon as Gray had sat down on the sofa next to him, Reines began: "Have you ever been to the southern coast, big brother?"
"No, Reines!"
"Great, so-"
"Reines, I didn't mean that as an answer to your question, but as a no to the immature plan in your head. I'm not just going on a trip across half of England just because you want to move me like a chess piece."
Reines sighed theatrically. "My dear brother, I'm afraid you still haven't understood an elementary thing: this is more important than your indisposition. I hereby offer you the chance to help your old teacher's name one step closer back to its former glory." She let the words hang meaningfully in the room and noted with satisfaction that her big brother contemplated them for some time.
He eyed Reines suspiciously. She would do a lot to achieve her goals and secure the El-Melloi bloodline a place in the history books again - but it was equally clear to him that she would not shy away from anything. If she could send him in her stead, the tendency would only increase. She would have no qualms about locking him unarmed in a room with a three-headed hellhound if the compensation for his demise was reasonable to her.
Reines seemed to almost burst with excitement about her plan as she continued: "For decades there have been unexplained cases of missing children in this area. Only when the number of incidents increased in recent years, more research was carried out and a kind of pattern was discovered. In some cases there had been convictions, but to call the burden of proof sketchy would be an understatement. Kidnapping, murder, accidents while playing, running away from home - there were all possible explanations for this, but none of them could be proven without a doubt. The children themselves have never been found."
Next to him, Gray's mouth remained open and she buried her hands between her knees. He could guess what kind of scenarios she was imagining. He too had a picture in his head with every word and shuddered at the thought of what must have happened to these children.
Waver took a deep breath and tried to give Reines fewer openings to attack as he narrowed his eyes at her. Skepticism was a fitting expression, he thought. "How do you know all this? I didn't get the impression that you were interested in urban legends or conspiracies."
"Hm," she said and nodded. "Normally I would have said 'live and let live', but the whole thing has become more complicated in the past few weeks. Whoever - or whatever - is behind it seems to have chosen the wrong child. To his misfortune, it belonged to one of the most influential Magus families in the area." Reines gripped her chest. "And what kind of heartless person would I be if I didn't willingly offer them your help?"
Waver sighed. Somehow it didn't surprise him anymore that for Reines the wellbeing of the child was only a minor matter. Still, he wondered if the picture of a cold-blooded power addict was not just a facade that she had built up for too long to discard now. Not even Reines could be unfazed by such a fate, and if he had understood it correctly, there were dozens of them.
"Master!" Gray started and the look in her pleading eyes told him everything. He made a face. He knew she was his student, but for a moment he saw only the proud queen who had stubbornly stood in their way 10 years ago. The sight still seemed surreal to him. The Saber he had met at that time would have jumped up and fervently declared war on evil while badly demonizing all crimes against humanity and chivalry. Once again he was surprised that someone with the power of the legendary Lion King subordinated himself and asked for permission instead of rushing forward in pursuit of her own goals - and of all people, she asked someone like him. Even on his best days, Waver wouldn't call his magical disposition outstanding. His strengths lay in other areas, above all his logical thinking and, thanks to his knowledge, the ability to dissect occult phenomena that most considered inexplicable. Still, if he understood the matter correctly, it was the very thing what was needed here.
Waver nodded.
"Wonderful," said Reines, and seconds later his cell phone vibrated. A prompting nod from his sister followed and he opened the file she had sent him. It included the route of a journey of several hours to a small pension, where Reines had obviously spared all unnecessary costs and efforts.
Waver dropped his shoulders. A refusal would not have been a valid option from the start. Still, one matter came to mind that his sister hadn't covered before.
"But what do I do with my school class?" he mused aloud.
Reines shrugged. "What any absent teacher would do: you give them an absurd amount of material to read and then have them give a presentation about it. Minimal effort, maximum gain in pressure to perform and public humiliation."
Waver shook his head. "That won't work. Without supervision, they blow up the clock tower."
Reines' face brightened. "Testing explosion magic, I like it. If they can actually do it, you can be really proud of them."
"You know that'll cost me my job, do you?" Waver asked, appealing to the last remnants of compassion in her. Next to him, Gray's eyes widened as if he had announced that they would gut and sacrifice a cat during the next lesson for study purposes.
"Then you would have at least really made the name El-Melloi a lot more well-known - and you would have more time for heroic deeds," said Reines, patting him on the shoulder as she passed and made her way to the front door. Without another word, she left the house, knowing that things would go exactly as she had planned.