Disclaimer: Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha belongs to Seven Arcs and all respective license holders. The Persona Series belongs to ATLUS. I only own this fic and nothing else. I also own all the mistakes too.


Chapter 18: Collateral Damage

In the kitchen of Midoriya, Ren without so much as a sound, watched as Momoko Takamachi took a bite of the cake. He felt himself tense up once she'd fully taken the bite and began to chew.

"Hmmm… mmmmm… Hmmmm? Hmmmmm…" Each inflection Nanoha's mother made caused a bit of a nervous reflex in the young man. She took time to check everything. Flavor, texture, consistency, balance, after taste, not a single aspect was spared scrutiny as she practically kneaded the morsel in her mouth to wring it dry of its worth. Finally, the bite of cake had run its course and she swallowed, yet even that wasn't above discernment as she took the time to feel how it went down her throat.

"Hmmmm…" She intoned one final time, bringing her hand to her chin for the final weighing, until at least she nodded once and looked at the young man who awaited her judgment.

"Well?" Ren finally mustered the courage to ask. She looked at him with strong harsh eyes that reminded him of Nanoha when she was determined. She held that look for a bit, not even the slightest twitch of blink. She then broke into a smile.

"It's great! You've finally mastered the recipe! Congratulations Amamiya-kun. There's nothing left for me to teach you," she said in jubilance as she proceeded to enjoy the rest of his cake. "It's so good. Nanoha-chan is so lucky to have you. Could it be better than my own?"

"Um… Nanoha isn't-"

"Hush now, let me enjoy the fruits of your labor," Momoko cut him off to enjoy another bite. "Do you want to work for us after high school?" She spoke after swallowing.

"I'm sorry?" Ren wasn't sure if he heard that right.

"I mean, you came to us specifically for the purpose of baking sweets. I initially did it as a favor for helping Nanoha with her grades and such, but you've turned out to be far more talented than I could have imagined for someone just learning on a whim. It'd be foolish not to try and ask you if you'd be interested in a job here."

"I… haven't really considered it…" he was being honest. He just did it because of Precia's advice to gain a more diverse menu, and thought it wasn't that bad an idea. It was already the second semester of school. In fact, it was already late November, almost December. He'd made token gestures for colleges, but he still wasn't sure. He also just didn't know what else to pursue outside of that. Working at a café? He'd done it before, and he also had a few part-time jobs in the past.

He'd worked single employee shifts at the gyudon store, worked as a florist, at Iwai's hobby shop, and at the convenience store. He'd had experience with those sorts of businesses. However, taking it as a full-time job…

"Right, I suppose college is far more the norm these days. I won't pressure you to make a decision, but I would appreciate it if you would at least consider it," Momoka said as she picked up her plate and moved towards the sink. She turned the faucet on, but the water was not enough to drown her voice. "Don't feel as if you have to say yes. Your future is something for you to decide."

"Right…" Ren replied, lost in thought about his future. He was running out of time…

"Mom, is Ren there?" The two heard alongside the ring of the entrance bell.

"It would appear that Nanoha's home from cram school," Momoka said whilst sporting a wry smile. "We're in the kitchen Nanoha-chan!" She yelled back, with which her reply was met by excited footsteps. It wasn't long before a little head of brunette appeared before them.

"Mom, Ren!" Nanoha cried out as she practically leapt into the kitchen. "How's the baking going?"

"Do you want to try one?" Nanoha's mother took another slice from the cake and offered it to her daughter, to which the elementary schooler took with gusto.

"Ooooh." Nanoha looked on with stars in her eyes before promptly digging into the cake. "It's so good! Ren you've gotten way better!" Something she could attest to, being one of his first tasters, alongside her mother. She literally could taste the improvement.

"Thanks," he tersely replied.

"You're so stiff. You should be a little happier. Afterall, children liking your cakes is some of the highest forms of praise. They're sticklers for sweets, and honest when it isn't any good," Momoka egged him on, only to then be interrupted as a beeping came from Nanoha's pocket.

"Oh, sorry," Nanoha said as she reached down into her pocket and pulled out her phone. "Oh, it's from Suzuka-chan. She just texted me to talk about how she made a new friend at the library today. She doesn't include any details but will tell me more about it when we see each other again," Nanoha shared the contents.

"That's nice. I wonder who it may be?" Momoka asked.

"I'll find out tomorrow I guess," Nanoha shrugged as she put her phone away. "Anyways Ren, shall we get going?"

"Oh, going on a little date? Well don't let me stop you. Ren you can leave the dishes to me," Momoka said, her smile clear despite hiding it behind her hand.

"Mom, it's not a date! We're just going to go to the park for… stuff!" Ren pinched his nose because he couldn't tell Nanoha that the way she worded that made it sound much worse.

"Nothing illegal I hope."

"No way!" Nanoha cried in anger. "Anyways Ren, I'll be waiting for you in the café. Bye mom! I'll see you when I get home tonight."

"Just don't stay out too late!" Momoka said before Nanoha fully disappeared out of the kitchen. Once the little girl had gone Momoka turned to the young man next to her, still pinching his nose. "Don't worry Ren-kun. I trust you. You'd never do anything to hurt Nanoha-chan," the mother said with all sincerity.

"Thanks…" Dumbfounded by her genuine trust in him, and happy somebody actually believed in him. "Thank you so much," He repeated as he took his apron and hair net off.

"Just make sure you bring her home before too late, okay?"

"Right." Ren slung his bag around his arm with care, making sure not to rustle the insides too much. "Thanks for the lessons."

"No, thank you and have fun." Momoka waved the young man goodbye as he too made his way out of the kitchen. When she heard the bell ring again, she grabbed her knife and cut off another slice. "It really is better than mine…" she said as she ate another bite.

-0-0-18-0-0-

"How is it Vita? Think you'll be able to find it?" Zafira asked over the cold wind of the skies above the city.

"I'm sensing it and another. One of them feels like it's there, but not at the same time. The other… I can't get a read on it. I can't tell how large it is, only that it exists. Sometimes it's easy to spot, other times it's like it doesn't even exist. That being said, the one I can get a better grasp of, if we captured it, we could easily gain another twenty pages in the book," Vita said, as she shifted her focus away from searching. Her stomach growled then without warning.

"Do you miss his curry that much?" Zafira asked in an amused huff.

"Shut up," Vita said as she covered her stomach, and glared at the wolf.

"We haven't seen him for a while now, not since the temperature started to drop significantly, I'm sure we can ask him to come tomorrow for dinner. It would make Hayate and the other happy to see him," Zafira continued unabated by Vita's threat.

"I know, but we don't have much time, and I don't want him involved if I can help it," Vita said with a grimace.

"I as well… Let's split up and focus on searching for that one. I'll leave the Book of Darkness to you," Zafira said as he readied himself to fly off.

"Okay, Zafira. Make sure to search thoroughly, got it?"

"I know." Without another word, Zafira disappeared in a streak of blue into the night, leaving Vita by herself.

"Barrier Field, expand."

"Gefängnis der Magie," the hammer she held in her hands said. Not a moment later, she could feel exactly where it was.

"A magical reaction! There it is! Let's go Graf Eisen!" And like that she flew towards the forest.

-0-0-18-0-0-

"118, 119, 120…" Raising Heart counted. Ren watched as Nanoha juggled an empty can with a concentrated ball of magic, bringing it around each time before the can could fall too close to the ground. They had found an isolated place in the forest for Nanoha to practice her magic in and would routinely have her practice some aspect of her magic. Today's focus was control and accuracy.

"140, 141, 142…" Ren made sure to pay attention to how Nanoha was controlling the ball. At first when they started, her control was sloppy and wasteful. Not only that but even holding the form of the ball took a lot of effort for her. Getting even a single juggle was a struggle in and of itself. Now though, she could easily pass a hundred juggles. Still though, Ren continued to watch for any deficiencies in Nanoha's form and magic.

"176, 177, 178…"

"Nanoha, you're slipping. Your magic's starting to deform," he told her the moment he saw her magic begin to undulate in a manner that indicated loss of control.

"G-got it…" She forced out in the middle of focusing, all the while maintaining her juggle.

"197, 198, 199…"

"Last one Nanoha!"

"Here goes! Hiya!" With a last movement of her arm, she swung the magic ball as hard as she could.

"200," Raising Heart finally counted as the can flew in a different trajectory from the rest of the practice, flying straight towards Ren. Without even shifting the rest of his body, Ren caught the can with a simple arm movement before spinning it on its long side on his index finger.

"Pretty good, you were slipping there near the end, but you managed to bring it back. Still though, that's something that needs to be worked on. Even if it's something you can come back from yourself, the enemy might not give you the time," Ren told her as she let herself relax after such a hard practice session.

"R-right…." She said, standing ramrod straight. "Of cou-" she was interrupted with a yawn.

"Nanoha?" Ren put the can away and walked over to where Nanoha was. He then knelt down to her level.

"W-What is it?" she said as a blush bloomed over her face from being so close together. She practically exploded in crimson when he placed a hand on her cheek.

"There are bags under your eyes. Are you getting enough sleep? Don't tell me you've got Raising Heart going over simulations in your head during sleep again. And I'm guessing you're doing it during class too," Ren said he closely examined her eyes. Indeed, there were dark rings beginning to form. They weren't too large yet, but dark rings under the eyes of someone so young wasn't a good thing. "What did I tell you about those simulations?"

"But Ren! I need to get stronger! I-"

"Nanoha!" Ren shouted to interrupt her. Once she went quiet, he continued in a normal speaking volume. "I understand you want to get stronger as soon as possible but ruining your body to do so isn't the way you should go about it. Your methods may help in the short term, but in the long term you'll end up becoming weaker more than you get stronger. Properly taking care of your body is part of becoming stronger. Besides if something were to happen to you…" He didn't even need to finish the sentence as Nanoha already looked guilty enough.

"I understand Ren…" She said with a downcast look to her.

"I'm not saying to stop doing simulations. I'm just saying to tone it back a bit. Maybe in your more boring classes, but not during sleep. If you want to grow up healthy, then you'll need to make sure to have proper sleep," he told her as he rubbed her head.

"Right… if I want the kind of body Ren likes I'll need to sleep properly."

"That's not what I-"

"Ren just give up. You know that it's futile to try and even think of the issue," Morgana said, finally popping out of the bag, only to yawn himself. "Speaking of sleep, man that was a nice nap."

"Good evening Morgana," Nanoha greeted with a girlish giggle.

"A good day to you Miss Nanoha. That being said, Ren is right that proper health care is tantamount to success."

"Duly noted. Nighttime simulations will be placed in limited state," Raising Heart spoke up.

"Thanks, Raising Heart. Take care of Nanoha when we aren't around," Ren told the device.

"Of course," was its only reply. Ren then looked at his phone to find that it was about six in the evening. The sun was already about to set, and night was soon to follow.

"We should get going. I promised to bring you back home before dinner," Ren said as he stood back up.

"Yeah, it's getting dark. We should-"

"Caution, Emergency," Raising Heart warned, right before they felt a barrier surrounding them.

"A Barrier?"

"It's approaching at high speeds," was all Raising Heart added before going silent once more.

"It's coming here? Miss Nanoha, prepare yourself!" Morgana was first to respond.

"We still don't know what it is. Perhaps we can just talk it out," Nanoha her words, she looked at the both of them with all seriousness.

"For your sake I hope you're right," Morgana said in resignation as he noticed Ren beginning to put his hoodie up.

"I'd like to avoid a potential hostage situation. This should at least prevent them from getting a good look at my face," He said as he pulled the hood of his jacket as far as it could go to cover himself. He then walked over to his bag and grabbed a couple of things from it. "Alright, that should- Look out!" He spotted a yellow ball of light flying at them fast enough to cause an atmospheric disturbance as it flew towards them. No, more accurately, it was flying towards Nanoha.

"Homing Bullet," Raising Heart identified as Nanoha brought her hand up to project a pink shield. A moment later the shot collided with Nanoha's shield.

"Hnngh!" She let out as the impact did nothing to slow the force of the attack, grinding against the shield and causing sparks to fly. Even just this she was having some trouble standing her ground.

"Nanoha! Behind you!" Ren yelled as he noticed something in red flying from Nanoha's flank. Nanoha projected a second shield with her free hand before turning around.

"Deadly Punishment!" Was all Nanoha heard before she felt something smash into her shield and the dirt below her crumble underfoot. Without her footing, she began to fly from the impact. Without a second's delay however, her body became enveloped in pink light the moment she no longer had to hold her shields. In the next, the light faded, and she righted herself in mid-air, stopping all momentum to face the mage that attacked who now watched carefully from a distance.

"Dammit…" Ren said to himself now that the attacker had stopped long enough for him to get a good look at her. He didn't need a second glance. It was Vita, sporting a red dress and hat that had bunnies attached that looked like the one Hayate bought her, and in her hand was a war hammer of some sort that fit her frame perfectly. Its head was simple and small, but underneath it was a vent of some sort and a small protrusion that looked more than decoration.

"I know Ren…" Morgana said just as sullen as he was. "Your hunch was right…"

"I still wish it wasn't…" Ren said as he loaded his gun and cocked it. Not a fake one, but a real one supplied by Iwai on the side. A standard Beretta M9, given to him because Iwai was too worried about him getting into a fight with a fake gun. He wanted to refuse at first because for his usual work he didn't need one, but Iwai insisted, and used his connections to get him one. He took it out of respect, but to think this might be where he'd need to use it.

"Schwalbefliegen," Vita's hammer spoke with a shine as the girl threw a metallic sphere into the air above her.

"Hyah!" With her free hand she slammed her hammer into the sphere causing it to ignite with magical energy and launching it at Nanoha who projected a shield to block it. On impact, an explosion erupted, a couple of pink sparks flew, and a cloud of dust covered the brunette from Ren's view. However, he was able to see Vita flying towards the Nanoha's position and swung her hammer into the cloud.

Ren aimed instinctively, but when he saw Vita in the crosshairs, he just couldn't pull the trigger. The days he spent with the Yagami Family started to flood into his mind, particularly ones about the girl in sight. She loved the snacks he'd sneak her way when the family wasn't looking. There was that one time she tried to hide her stuffed bunny from him that she got from Hayate. She was the one who always asked for the most helpings of curry. When he remembered all of that, he just couldn't do it. His finger refused to move, as did the rest of his body.

"Dammit!" Ren cried out as he lowered his gun. "Why… Why you guys…" was all he could say afterwards, Morgana trying to comfort him.

"Dorya!" Before Vita's strike could connect, Nanoha flew out of the cloud and avoided Vita's attack. As she made her escape, Nanoha turned her head while continuing to fly away.

"I don't remember doing anything to provoke you! Where are you from? Why are you doing this?" She said as she came to a stop once she got some distance. She was met with nothing as Vita only continued her assault, readying more of those metal spheres. "If you won't tell me, how am I supposed to know?!" She yelled as she held her palm out towards Vita and threw it behind her. At her command, the two pink sparks that flew out from before appeared out of the thrush of the forest and made their way towards Vita.

"Huh?" Vita turned around just in time to notice the attack as it suddenly accelerated and flew towards her at sharp odd angles. She dodged the first one, but it left her in an awkward position. With no other option, she blocked the second with the shaft of her hammer. "You little twerp!" she let out once the attack broke into pieces from impact. Vita then turned towards Nanoha and flew to close the distance. Before she could swing though-

"Flash Move" The pink wings at Nanoha's feet grew in size and she dove out of the way at a higher speed than before. As she flew, Raising Heart spoke again. "Shooting Mode." The head morphed and Nanoha aimed at Vita while energy gathered before her.

"Listen…"

"Divine…"

"…To Me!"

"Buster." A stream of magical energy shot out towards Vita. However rather than being aimed at her, it instead was aimed at her side, clear of the girl in red. She still felt the wind shear of the attack as it blew her away. Once she righted herself, she noticed her head had felt breezy and placed hand on top. She panicked as she looked about, only to find her hat falling towards the ground, tatters falling from it as it descended, and one of the bunny heads fell off.

Something snapped in the girl as she saw her hat hit the ground, her eyes glazed over, and fury took hold. She turned back towards Nanoha, rage clear in her visage, causing the girl in white to wince under the scornful gaze. A red triangle of magic appeared under Vita, as she raised her Hammer whose head shifted to reveal a chamber like that of a revolver in the shaft near the head.

"Graf Eisen, Cartridge Load!"

"Cartridge?" Ren hung onto the word as the device glowed again.

"Explosion." The device closed the shaft with an audible screech as something seemed to change in the device. Sparks, magic, and steam began to stream out of the vents near the top. The head then morphed like Nanoha's Raising Heart, forming a golden spike on one end and what looked like a thruster of some sort of the same color on the other.

"Wha? What is-"

"Rocket Hammer!" The thruster whirred to life and flames erupted from it. Vita then spun around, building momentum for a bit before flying at Nanoha. The speed caught the magical girl off guard as the thrust from the hammer propelled Vita faster than before.

"Shield!" Nanoha was still able to generate a shield in time, catching the attack before the point of the hammer could impact her but- "No way!" Her shield was already cracking. Without a moment's delay, Nanoha shifted her feet onto her shield and kicked off from it causing it to shatter as she tried to make distance. This wasn't an attack she could take on.

"You're not getting away!" Vita said without losing momentum, taking another spin to gather more speed before flying again at Nanoha. Instead of blocking it, Nanoha instead tried to dodge the strike this time. "Too easy!" Vita swung, but her body followed causing her to impact the girl with a shoulder tackle.

"Kya!" Nanoha flew from the impact, and her mind blanked out from the pain for a second. Her vision had darkened, and only after it came back was she able to stop her spinning before hitting the ground.

"Take this!" Nanoha turned around, but not in time as Vita blasted into her vision and her hammer was making way towards her at blazing fast speeds.

"Protection" Raising Heart generated a crude magical barrier to intercept before the hammer could make contact. A bang was heard however, as Vita felt something hit her Hammer. She immediately disengaged and flew back, unsure of what it was that hit her device. A small black mark could be seen on the shaft of her hammer.

Looking about she saw on the ground the young man she had ignored for most of the fight aiming something at her that let out smoke from the end. Apparently, he was the one that shot at her. With her attack stopped, she felt her rage subside, and Graf Eisen's vents began to fume with smoke as it released a spent cartridge of some sort. She looked again at the young man. He was wearing a hood and mask, and at the distance she was, she couldn't make out any greater details other than his lithe form.

"Don't get in my way or you'll be next!" She said as she readied her device for another onslaught.

"Don't you dare hurt him!" Now Nanoha was the one enraged as she, without any other warning, fired blasts of magic at Vita. The girl in red dodged the attack, only to pivot back with a burst of speed and fly behind Nanoha.

"As if you can stop me," Vita swung, hitting Nanoha in the back with her hammer's point. The girl's eyes widened as the pain surged through her. The outer part of her barrier jacket exploded into pink dust as it evaporated from the impact. It was a searing pain that went through, feeling as if it pierced right through her body, and her mind went to white as tears formed in her eyes. Even then Nanoha bit through the pain to turn around and take aim.

"Take this!" She fired more bolts of magic at Vita at close range, only to have them miss their target as Vita dodged them due to Nanoha's sloppy aim. Nanoha began to descend as the pain began to surge through her body again, her consciousness fading. Before Vita could fly in, she felt another impact on Graf Eisen followed by a bang right after. She looked down to see the young man aiming at her again.

"You're getting annoying!" She redirected her trajectory and began to fly towards the young man below on the ground. Disengaging the spike, she raised her hammer to strike, but something disturbed her. The young man looked familiar, not just in form, but the way he carried himself. She wanted to shake the feeling off, but then he lowered his gun, and simply stared at her as she approached. Something was wrong. She felt that something was very wrong. Still she bit the feeling back and swung.

"Oh no you don't!" Vita's hammer got caught on something as a flurry of blonde and black filled her sight. Standing between her and the young man was another girl with long blonde hair in twin tails, who had caught her attack with a device that was shaped like an axe.

"Fate!" Nanoha cried while writhing on the ground. A second later a soothing sensation wrapped around her and her body began to glow green. "Huh?"

"Just hold still, I'll try to heal your wounds."

"Yuuno-kun…" Nanoha called as Yuuno placed a hand on her shoulder to focus the healing.

"Cavalry, huh?" Vita groaned out as her device and Fate's grinding against one another. Vita then broke it off once she felt an opening, and jumped back to take a better look at the new face.

"Scythe Form." Vita heard the device say as it the head shifted and projected a yellow blade of magical energy in the shape of a scythe. Fate raised her device, ready to strike.

"Not cavalry, friends," she declared as the two stared at one another.

"What, are you some kind of mage from the Bureau?" Vita asked while raising her hammer towards Fate.

"Time-Space Administration Bureau temporary mage, Fate Testarossa. If you don't resist, you will be granted the chance to plead in your own defense. If you consent to these conditions, drop your weapon and surrender peacefully."

"Who would do something stupid like that?" After spitting her words at Fate, Vita flew off into the skies to escape the potential three-on-one.

"Yuuno, I'll leave Nanoha and Ren in your care!" She looked behind her to give Ren a smile. "Don't worry, I can handle it." Before he could speak up, Fate flew off in pursuit.

"We were arriving soon, and we tried to reach all of you, but the signal wouldn't connect for some reason. When we tried to see what was wrong, we discovered that the city had been covered in a barrier. We rushed over as soon as we could," Yuuno explained as he continued to heal Nanoha.

"That explains why you're here, but do you know why they're attacking us?" Morgana asked, peeking out of the bag now that Vita wasn't there.

"I was hoping to ask all of you that. I'm guessing that means don't know who that was either?" Ren shook his head, not trusting his mouth to lie properly at the moment. He and Morgana knew, but they didn't know enough to tell more, or if it would be the right thing to say who she was.

"I don't know... she came at us out of the blue…" Nanoha was the one to answer between heavy breaths.

"Well, everything should be fine now. Just relax and let us handle the rest," Yuuno said to all of them. However, Ren couldn't relax, no matter how hard he tried.

-0-0-18-0-0-

"Arc Saber," The device incanted as they ascended above the trees and into the skies.

"Hraah!" Fate threw a blade of energy at Vita, in response the girl in red threw out more metallic spheres.

"Graf Eisen!"

"Schwalbefliegen!" Launching the spheres, Fate's eyes widened as they flew over her attack and began to fly straight towards her. Instead Vita raised her device towards the attack.

"Barrier!" Vita commanded as her Graf Eisen glowed again.

"Panzerhindernis" At the device's call, an aura of red magic caught Fate's Arc Saber, completely dissipating after a few seconds of impact. On the other hand, Fate had begun to fly in and around Vita's attack, dodging until each of them had spread out around her. Stopping for a moment, they all then converged on her location, to which Fate took advantage of and flew out of the way, causing them to collide with one another and neutralize the attack.

"Barrier Break!" was all Vita heard before she saw a streak of orange impact her barrier. Looking down she saw a woman with wolf like features below her with a fist connecting with her barrier. True to the name of the attack, Vita's barrier broke quickly, shattering like glass. Rather than escape however, she instead chased the wolf woman down.

"Why you!" Vita swung, but the woman caught it with her own shield spell. Despite that however, Arf found herself flung away from the impact.

"Kya!" She screamed as she was knocked away.

"Pfede" Vita heard her device cast on its own, which prompted Vita to notice something in her peripheral vision. Without hesitation Vita flew away, barely dodging a strike from Fate who had tried to attack her while she was distracted. She then felt her spell fade as she looked again to find that Arf had canceled her movement spell. Then right after, she saw Fate come in for another attack. Unable to fly away fast enough, Vita instead caught Fate's strike with her hammer.

"Annoying…" She could match Fate's attacks easily enough, but it wasn't the point. She needed to prioritize their objective. However, she only had two cartridges left. She had to make her move now.

Down below watching the proceedings, Yuuno, Nanoha, Ren, and Morgana were lying low for the time being.

"Chrono and the others are trying to analyze the barrier back on the Arthra. However, when I was still up there, I noticed the equations for the barrier weren't standard. It wasn't any kind of Midchilda-type barrier I'd ever seen."

"That means…?" Ren was forced to ask.

"It means it might take some time for them to finish the analysis. The script looked ancient. It's nothing like modern Midchildean," Yuuno began to muse.

"So effectively, we're on our own. And who knows whether or not this girl has reinforcements lying in wait," Morgana added, to which Ren eyed the cat, only to hide his action as soon as he did so.

"That's a good point, I'll need to be on the lookout for such things," Yuuno said as he then started a spell to search for others.

"Look! They got her!" Nanoha pointed out to them, causing them all to look up and see that Fate and Arf had managed to bind Vita. "They did it!" She said excitedly, well as excitedly as she could. Any harsher movements would have caused her great pain. Still though she made sure to continue looking up at the skies.

"State your name and the world you hail from," Fate asked the now ensnared Vita. Vita growled as she struggled against the bindings, but before anything else could happen, the four on the ground heard a beeping noise of some sort.

"I'm getting a reading inbound. Something is approaching Fate at high speeds!" Yuuno stated, his spell going off.

"Fate look out!" Arf was first to warn her master, but the words reached at the same time something else did. Pink smeared Fate's vision and she felt something slash at the head of Bardiche with enough force to fling her away as she held onto her device. Fate forced herself to stop in mid-air only to then find that pink smear from before had been a woman who now stood between her and Vita.

"Signum!" was apparently the woman's name as the girl revealed. Signum's long pink ponytail matched her pinkish, almost magenta, barrier jacket. Like Vita's it was an elegant dress of detailed make, but Fate couldn't pay attention to any of it as her gaze held firm on the blade device that Signum held. As she sized up the new face however-

"Hurrrah!" A bluish white mass slammed into Arf from behind with such force that the familiar couldn't even make a sound, followed by a roundhouse kick to knock her further away. She flew a bit from the attack before stopping mid-air to see a man similar to her. He also sported wolf like features such as the ears and tail, only blue and white in color which contrasted with his dark tan skin and black clothing. On his arms and legs were greaves of bluish white metal. However, what caught Arf's attention the most was his fierce reddish eyes.

"I figured as much," Ren let out as he watched from below.

"Figured what?" Yuuno asked, while Morgana looked away.

"Just that there were going to be reinforcements. How much longer does Nanoha need to heal?" Ren tried to force Yuuno's attention back onto the battle.

"Still just a little bit. Nanoha took major damage from that strike to the point her Barrier Jacket broke," Yuuno explained as he continued his spell. Nanoha herself ignored the conversation in favor of watching the battle.

"Well don't let me get in your way then." Ren shut up for the time being as he continued to watch the proceedings above.

"Laevatein, Cartridge Load," he heard Signum say, to which her device also had a vent shaped part near the hilt move and cock like a gun, releasing a spent cartridge in the process. Ren didn't miss this either. Just what was this Cartridge Load? Regardless the effects were apparent as the blade was soon engulfed in flames and a swirl of magical energy.

"Shiden Issen!" Signum charged at Fate at a speed which caught the blonde girl off guard. Without thinking, Fate raised Bardiche up to block the strike, projecting a barrier in the process. The blade slammed against the shield, knocking Fate away as it shattered. "Another!" Signum followed, not letting up her assault, and moving to strike a second time. Fate reacted in time though, making another shield, but the result was the same, her shield shattered again but this time the force was enough to completely launch her towards the ground.

"Hurgh!" was all that she could let out right before she slammed against the ground, dust and dirt kicking up from the impact.

"Fate!" Arf tried to move towards her master, but before she could, the wolf man blocked her path in an instant. "Out of my Way!" Arf yelled as she charged at the man.

"Fate! Arf!" Nanoha cried out their names upon seeing them getting pushed back.

"This isn't good!" Yuuno said as he moved his hands and fingers about and concentrated. Following that, a magic circle projected itself under Nanoha's feet. "O feelings of mine, echo and become light. Within the field of healing, grant her steel defense." A translucent dome appeared over Nanoha to match the circle. Within, the girl could feel herself continue to heal despite Yuuno himself no longer actively casting the healing spell. "This is a healing and protection spell. Ren, Morgana, make sure Nanoha stays in there. You can get inside as well if things get dicey."

"You can count on us," Morgana affirmed as he moved into the circle. Ren just nodded as he returned his gaze towards the sky. Receiving their answers, Yuuno then made way to where Fate had landed, flying off into the other parts of the forest. Ren ignored his movements, instead paying attention to the two women still in the sky.

"What's wrong Vita? Did you let your guard down?" Signum asked the still bound berserker.

"Shut up! Just a bit more and I would have turned the tables on them!" Vita barked back.

"I see, I intruded upon that. My Apologies." Signum then pointed an open palm at the girl alight with magic. The binds that held Vita in place then cracked, then shattered, finally freeing her compatriot. Vita rubbed the places where the binds held her and even shook her hands to restore feeling in them.

"You shouldn't be so reckless. If you get hurt, our master will worry."

"I know Signum! Geez!" Vita replied with a puff of her cheeks.

"Also, you dropped this." Vita felt a familiar lump of cloth adorn her head. "I repaired the damage it took." Vita placed her hands upon her hat making sure nothing was out of place. Still though, she had her manners.

"Thanks, Signum…" She said in a small mousey voice. With that out of the way, Signum returned to survey the situation. At current the only two people engaged in combat were Arf and Zafira, both of whom continued to fly about, slamming into one another as streaks of light.

"Right now, the current situation is mainly three-on-three. I noticed a support mage earlier, as well as one other person, but I can't get a read on his magic, so he most likely isn't a mage or a threat," Signum said as she spotted the young man that looked a bit familiar. "Separate them. Though we may succeed in such a scenario, if it is one-on-one, then we Belkan Knights…"

"Will never lose!" Vita finished for her leader as the both of them flew to engage their enemy. However, as they flew over Vita noticed something. "Huh? Where'd it go? The Book of Darkness… it's gone… Ah I see. That's where it went. You should have told us if you were here."

-0-0-18-0-0-

"Are you alright?" Yuuno asked as he started healing Fate.

"Yeah. Thanks, Yuuno," Fate said as she shook the stars out of her eyes and moved to grab Bardiche.

"It's cracked…" Yuuno saw that the frame for Fate's device had cracks all over it, possible from the impact of that woman's blade. It wasn't broken through, but it wasn't in much better shape.

"It's fine, the main body is still in perfect condition," she told Yuuno who'd finished healing her.

"Recovery." As if in response to its master's words, Bardiche began to glow, surrounded by a yellow light. After a few seconds the light faded and Bardiche appeared repaired.

"Yuuno, would you be able to simultaneously transfer everyone out of the barrier?" Fate asked as she got up and looked back up into the sky.

"If I could work together with Arf, we could probably manage," Yuuno affirmed to her.

"Then I'll return to the frontlines. While I'm fighting, focus on getting everyone out of here as fast as possible," Fate said as she began to focus a comms spell.

"Got it," was all Fate heard from Yuuno as she connected to Arf.

"Arf did you hear all that?" Fate asked over the comms.

"It's a little tight, but I'll make it work," Arf responded in a strained voice as she dodged another kick from her opponent.

"Well then, let's all do our best and see this through!" Fate said to everyone, Yuuno nodding in response as they then flew back to the field. As she ascended, she noticed an active magic circle. A quick glance revealed Nanoha and Ren to be there, a small smile formed on her lips before she wiped it away to focus on the task at hand. "Don't worry, I've got this," she told them, even though they wouldn't hear her.

-0-0-18-0-0-

Shamal placed the bag of groceries down at her side and grabbed her cell phone. It wasn't a call that she wanted to make but she had to do it as they were running later than expected. Taking a deep breath, she dialed the number and waited for the other end to pick up.

"Yes hello? This is Hayate Yagami speaking," the other side of the call picked up right away.

"Ah, hello? Hayate-chan? It's Shamal." She could hear the sounds of a motor running as well as something boiling in the background of the call. Shamal admonished herself as she realized that Hayate was cooking again. Hayate's cooking was delicious to be sure, but it was painful to think that the girl in a wheelchair was doing something for them who were fully able bodied.

"Oh Shamal, what is it?" Was Hayate's only response.

"I'm really sorry… I can't find the olive oil you usually use, so I'm going to a supermarket further away to look for it." Shamal had the olive oil. She found it quite easily in fact. It's just that she couldn't tell Hayate the real reason why she had to be out so late.

"That's okay. You don't have to push yourself, you know?" Shamal could hear a pot lid raise as well as a knob of some sort. Hayate must have finished cooking.

"I'll pick up everyone on the way home, so…"

"I see."

"I'm sorry I can't help you cook tonight."

"That's alright. Besides I think we should have something else besides curry. Ren's curry is great and all, but some variety is nice," Hayate joked with a giggle.

"I'll… I'll ask him for more recipes next time. Anyways, I'll hurry home as soon as I can," Shamal said as her eyes looked upon the situation in the skies.

"You don't have to rush or anything. Just be careful on your way home, okay?"

"I will. Well then, goodbye," like that Shamal hung up and put her cell phone away. She exhaled the breath she was holding in as she continued to observe the ongoing fight above. She had hidden on a forested hill a little ways away from the others. "Yes… We have to hurry and finish this as soon as we can." She looked down on her right hand, a pair of gold rings adorned with a blue and green gem wrapped around her index and ring fingers.

"Klarwind, please guide me."

"Ja, Pendelform." The jewels on the rings grew as they separated from the bands on her fingers and rose into the air. After a certain point, they stopped, and a line of magic extended between the jewels and the rings until they finally connected. The glowing line then burst to reveal a string that attached the jewels to the rings. She held tight in her other hand a brown tome.

She had to find it while the others were in combat. Just a bit more…

-0-0-18-0-0-

"Photon Lancer" Bolts of magic manifested themselves around Fate, electricity crackling in their presence before accelerating towards their target. Signum's eyes narrowed as she surveyed the spell on approach.

"Laevatein, bestow my armor upon me." In response to her command, her blade shone for just a moment in much the same way Vita's hammer did.

"Panzergeist!" A magenta aura formed around Signum just before the spells hit. Each one as they collided with the shield broke apart on impact, dissipating into nothing while the Signum's barrier held strong.

"You have pretty good senses for a mage, but when challenging a Belkan Knight, it's not nearly enough," Signum said as she readied her sword for another strike.

"I see so it will take more than that," Fate said as more spells manifested around her. As she formed more Photon Lancers, Signum disappeared from view, causing Fate to blink as if her eyes deceived her. Only a split second after, her view became shadowed. She looked up as soon as she could to find Signum descending upon her.

"Take this!"

"Orbit!" Fate commanded her spell to fly around her.

"I said that's not enough!" Signum said as she bat away one orb, then another. However, it was enough time for Fate to gather her bearings she went in for a swing the moment Signum struck a third one away. "Wha-?"

"Hya!" Fate swung away at the opening, her blade's aim true as it made way towards Signum's opened side. Only instead of meeting her armor, Signum's device caught the scythe instead.

"I'll admit I underestimated your abilities," Signum struggled to speak as their two devices clashed against one another, sparks flying from their weapons.

"I've had… a lot… of practice…" Fate responded through her pained grunts. "Hya!" She released their clash, and attempted a second swing, only for Signum to fly out of the way, and kick her in the back using the momentum of the release. Even so, Fate regained her balance and swung again despite the pain. Back and forth the two danced with each other and their blades. Swing, dodge, intercept, disengage, over and over.

In the distance, Yuuno tried to find a place where he wouldn't be so easily disturbed. He tried to fly as high above the forest as he could for a prime position to finish his spell. In the middle of it though, he threw a free hand out and projected a green shield towards his side.

"Hrah!" Vita yelled out as her hammer slammed right into the shield. Only it didn't break on contact like Nanoha's did. Seeing this, Vita backpedaled as fast as she could, and threw out more metal orbs once she gained distance. Yuuno recognized the spell, but he couldn't do much if he had to concentrate on breaking through the barrier these knights had set up.

"I've made the preparations for a transfer spell, but I can't break through this barrier. Arf How are things on your end?" Yuuno sent over comms.

"I'm doing my best, but damn this thing's hard as diamonds!" Arf responded. She was facing off against Zafira and the two of them had at some point changed into their animal forms, while simultaneously trying her own efforts to break the barrier. "Not only that but someone doesn't seem to know how to take no for an answer!" Arf said as she dodged another lunge from her opponent.

"Things aren't looking good…" Yuuno let out as he dodged a salvo by the mage with the hammer device. "Fate how about you?"

"Just… fine…" Fate said between heavy breaths. She and Signum had gone at it for a while by then. However, Fate was beginning to run out of energy, where as her opponent only looked a little tired by comparison. Fate held strong, but there was a limit, and one that Signum didn't seem to be in danger of reaching like she was. The blade then device released steam all of a sudden, causing a bit of surprise in Fate as she saw the hilt of the sword eject a cartridge of some sort.

"That cartridge… they're using those things to temporarily boost her magic to incredible heights," Fate shared her findings with the others. "It was the same when she first loaded it into her device. Her output jumped dramatically to the point I could only barely keep up."

"You lasted much longer than I expected you to…" Signum admitted. "If that is all you have though, then I suggest you stay right there. If you don't resist, I won't take your life."

"Who would do something like that?!" Fate growled back as she took one more breath and psyched herself up again.

"You've got a strong will, or maybe you're just stubborn. Either way, you deserve an introduction. I'm a Belkan Knight, and my name is Signum. This blade's name is Laevatein. What's your name?"

"Temporary Midchildean mage for the TSAB, Fate Testarossa, and this Bardiche," Fate said, proudly displaying her device.

"Testarossa and Bardiche, huh? Let me give you my best then." Fate's eyes narrowed as they homed in on the bullet like item that appeared in Signum's hand. Fate realized that was probably a cartridge. Even so Signum's guard didn't lower as she dropped the- BANG!

"Arrrrraaaaahhh!" Suddenly the cartridge exploded in mid-air, causing Signum to yell as the force of prepared magic burst out and engulfed the knight. Everyone stopped as they heard the explosion followed by the scream.

"Signum!" Vita yelled as she slammed her hammer as hard as she could into Yuuno's shield, knocking the ferret boy far and away. She didn't stay to see how far he flew and instead went straight to where Signum was. Zafira was the same. With a howl, he knocked Arf away and took leave of their battle to assess the damage to his ally.

"Signum! What happened! Signum!" Shamal yelled into their comms spell. She'd seen the proceedings from afar. One moment Signum was loading her device's Cartridge System, the next the magic in the cartridge just burst forth. How did that happen? She didn't see anything that could agitate the cartridge, only a direct hit from something could have done that.

"I'm… I'm fine… Laevatin projected a barrier just in time…" Signum didn't sound alright to Shamal's ears, but it wasn't like she could get a more detailed look from afar. "I'll be alright, it's just minor burns and bruising tha- urgh… thanks to Laevatin. I must admit I'm curious… what did you do Fate Testarossa?"

"I… I didn't do anything…" Fate admitted, the lack of surety in her voice let Signum know that it wasn't Fate's hand that dealt that blow. But if it wasn't her? Who could have done it?

"Signum!"

"Awwooo!" Vita and Zafira called for her as they approached.

"Are you alright Signum?" Vita asked, placing a hand on Signum's shoulder.

"I've told you all, I'll be fine," Signum said, trying to smile so that they wouldn't worry so much.

Elsewhere, Yuuno and Arf were taking advantage of their sudden freedom to direct their focus onto the barrier.

"Nanoha! Now maybe our chance! If you're well enough you might be able to destroy the barrier using Starlight Breaker! Nanoha! Nanoha do you read me! Nanoha!" Yuuno received silence. What was going on? "Nanoha do you read me!"

"I hear you but… something's going on with Ren…" was all Nanoha answered as she saw the young man stand as still as stone, smoke still rising from the barrel.

"I… I didn't think it would explode…" Nanoha saw it herself. Ren aimed at the moment Signum's cartridge was clear of her hand and shot it. It was a fantastic shot, calculating for distance, angle, wind speed, and trajectory of the target, but the results were far from his expectations. "I just thought it would… I thought it would just get knocked away," he muttered to no one in particular. "I didn't mean for Signum to be hurt like that…" The gun dropped to his side dangling limply in his hand.

"Ren…"

"I know… calm down… calm down... Signum is going to be fine… She's hurt but not badly…" Ren didn't seem like he was actually responding to her. Nanoha looked at him confused though. Why did he care so much about Signum? Of course, she was worried as well because of how bad that explosion appeared, but this was beyond just simple worry for an opponent like she and Fate had.

"Ren, breath! With me, one, two, three…" Morgana commanded him as the two breathed in sync. After a moment, Ren seemed to be better.

"Thanks, I needed that. Nanoha!" Ren called her.

"Y-yes?"

"You heard Yuuno, are you okay to break the barrier?" Ren asked.

"I… I should be fine. I'll just need a moment to charge the spell," Nanoha told him as she received a nod in return.

"Just do your best, and don't push yourself. Yuuno, Arf did you hear that?" Ren asked over comms.

"Loud and Clear, we'll watch out for those knights and try to keep you guys safe," Arf responded.

"We're heading over to where Fate is now. They seem to be converging on where their comrade is. We'll maintain radio silence until then!" Yuuno and Arf were cut off as they said, leaving the three of them, Nanoha, Morgana, and Ren in the darkness of the forest with only the light of Yuuno's healing spell.

"Alright, Nanoha, let's get started, are you ready?"

"Ready!" Nanoha said, bringing Raising Heart up. "Are you ready Raising Heart?"

"Standing By. Shooting Mode Acceleration." That was all Nanoha needed to hear. Raising Heart's head morphed into shooting mode, sprouting wings of pink light as a similarly lit magic circle appeared below and in front of her. "Let's go for it!"

"Yuuno, be sure to match your timing with mine and transfer everyone out of her the exact moment I break the barrier," Nanoha informed the barrier mage as she started to gather ambient energy in the surroundings. "Raising Heart! Start the countdown!"

"Roger! Count Nine," Raising Heart began.

"What's going on?" Signum was first to ask as she spotted the giant magical array and energy being gathered at the ground.

"Eight."

"They're gathering energy. It's massive… we have to stop them!" Vita said as she tried to fly over to where the array was.

"Seven."

"No, you don't!" Fate flew in with a swipe towards Vita, causing the knight to veer off course.

"Six."

"Damn you!" Vita doubled back to swing her hammer, only to be caught on a green shield. "Out of my way!"

"Five."

"Oh no you don't. You're not going anywhere!" Yuuno said as she created more and more shields to block her strikes and paths.

"Four."

"You're dancing with me!" Arf said as she lunged at Zafira once more. The opposing beast stayed silent, focusing on trying to get past her. He needed to find even the smallest opening. He needed something, anything.

"Three…"

"Dammit… we're running out of time…" Signum said as she tried to move once more, only to be met with wracking pain from the cartridge explosion. She couldn't move. Was it over? No… Shamal was still there. If it was here, she could stop it. Signum let her arms drop and waited for her friend to move in their stead.

"Two…"

"Raising Heart are you okay?" Nanoha asked, noticing that her devices counting had slowed. Did it take too much damage in the fight as well when she hadn't noticed.

"I'm Fine…" Nanoha could only nod in response to her device. At the same time though, Ren felt something was off. There were only three knights… That wasn't right. That wasn't the right number at all. He focused and the world seemed to dim around him. He quickly whipped his head about to try and find it, and almost immediately he saw it. On a distant hill, something was glowing a similar light of magic. Something was… aiming at them.

"One… READY TO FIRE!" He had to act now!

"Nanoha! Move!" He didn't wait for a response. He ran up, his hoodie falling off, and threw the girl out of the way before she even knew what was happening, the magic surrounding her be damned.

"Wha!" Was all she could say as Ren threw her to out of the magic circle and skid a bit onto the ground. "Ren what are you… REN!"

A hand… a hand was sticking out of Ren's chest. The young man himself looked to be in frozen in place. Whether it was pain, or some other sensation she couldn't tell. The only thing on her mind as she got up was to run towards him.

"Stop! N-Nanoha… Fire the spell! Get rid of the… barrier!" He said as he looked down at the hand in his chest. He recognized that hand, its two rings on the index and ring fingers. He taught that hand how to cook not too long ago. In that hand though was something he didn't understand. Some kind of glowing orb of light… He felt incomplete without it. "Arrraaagh!" Draining, something was draining, leaving him.

"Nanoha fire the spell now! Do as Ren said and fire it now!" Morgana began to yell as well, as he tried to find a way to free his friend from the grasp of that hand. Above in the skies, Fate saw all of the knights freeze in place.

"Did that girl say Ren?" Vita asked, her confidence shaken, and her complexion paled. She looked down at where that other girl had been, and her worst fear had been realized. There was Ren down there, his hood now flung at his shoulders to reveal that the young man this whole time was someone that they knew. Vita's grip slacked and her hammer threatened to fall out of her hands.

"It can't be…" Signum said in a daze, unable to comprehend at first.

Zafira also watched on in silence. It was not because he didn't care, but because he didn't know what to do. Was to help Ren or abandon him to his fate. Neither option was satisfactory, but neither was doing nothing.

"Shamal! Shamal stop! Can you hear me? I said stop!" Vita screamed, pushing everything she could out of her lungs to get Shamal to hear her no matter what. On the hill, Shamal's hand was inside a gate produced by her device, but she didn't look the slightest bit in control.

"I'm… I'm trying! But something is grabbing back! I'm trying to let go but something's making me hold on! Something horrible is grabbing my arm and won't let go! Please let me go! I want to let him go! I don't want to hurt Ren anymore so LET ME GO! I SAID LET GO!" Shamal cried as she pulled at her arm, digging her nails into it enough that streaks of blood began to seep through the wounds made by them slicing into her flesh.

She worked through the pain, ignored how it screamed back at her. She had to stop. She had stop at all costs. If she didn't, she'd take everything, but lose something far greater in the process. A vision filled her eyes, a face of crimson flame on black smiled at her its cruel sadistic smile. Yet despite its horrible visage, it didn't want to make Shamal scream. No, for some reason, she wanted to apologize.

"I'm sorr-"

"STAR LIGHT BREAKER!" A deafening boom resonated throughout the barrier, followed by a concussive force that blew all in its presence away. The barrier shattered the very moment it met with the burst of magical power. Its force even reached all the way to where Shamal was, finally giving her enough leverage to pull her hand out, though her footing had also given way. Even so she couldn't help but be relieved that her spell had canceled. That was the feeling she felt before the world for all in the shattered barrier turned to pink and white.

-0-0-18-0-0-

"Ren… Ren… please wake up… Ren… Please…" Nanoha couldn't even see him properly. She tried to wipe her eyes again and again, but he still looked so blurry. Her eyes were wide open, and she knew this wasn't a dream, no matter how much she wished the nightmare would end. Lying on the grass, Ren looked like he was sleeping, but no matter how much she called, he wouldn't wake up. He was breathing, he wasn't bleeding, he didn't look hurt, but he just wouldn't open his eyes.

"Ren…" Fate was in no better shape, she also wanted to do something, anything to try and rouse him from slumber, but she was too afraid to do something wrong, too afraid that she'd make it worse. Arf leaned against her master, hoping that on some level her presence would comfort her, but even she was distraught at the state Ren was in.

"This is Yuuno to the Arthra calling for immediate pick up. Prepare the medical team! We have an ally down… Ren Amamiya. Damage to his linker core has been detected. I repeat, requesting immediate pick up!" Yuuno called as soon as he'd found the rest of the group.

Morgana made no sound, only looking away with his head hanging down. He couldn't bear to see Ren like that. Everyone else's voices felt distant. He might have heard his name, but he didn't respond. Even as he felt magic surround him, to take him away, Morgana's gaze never left the ground.

-0-0-18-0-0-

"Dammit… dammit… dammit dammit dammit dammit DAMMIT!" Vita cursed as she slammed her hand against the wall. "DAMN IT ALL!" She screamed one final time. It had become the dead of night. The four of them had escaped to a roof top in the city to regroup. No one would come to investigate the tirade, but still…

"Vita, calm down," Signum was the first to say to the girl.

"Calm down? How am I supposed to calm down?!" Vita yelled back. "This whole time Ren's been working with the TSAB. He's been waiting to stab us in the back. We thought he was our friend, but he betrayed us!"

"Vita that's exactly why I'm telling you to calm down. You're letting your emotions run wild," Signum tried again.

"How can you be so calm? He's the one that shot your cartridge and is the reason we can't go home right now or else Hayate will figure out something is up with your injuries." Vita pointed at the bandages that now adorned Signum's body. Shamal's healing magic had recovered most of it, but the rest would have to be left to natural healing.

"That may be so. However, I don't believe that someone like Ren Amamiya would stoop to such lows as betrayal. Had he been deceiving us, I believe we would have found out much sooner." Signum's instincts told her as such. Her instincts as a knight refused to believe that Ren had explicitly betrayed them. "Besides, of the four of us, you were the first to tell Shamal to stop."

"Urgh…" Vita deflated at Signum's point.

"Out of all of us I believe you are the one who hopes the most that he has not truly betrayed us. Your emotional outburst derives from the same source as the rest of our own dismay," Signum continued, a grimace clear on the knight's face. She too hoped that there was an explanation for the night's chaos.

"Ninety-seven, ninety-eight…"

"Shamal? What is it?" Signum asked, looking over to see their medic flipping through the pages of the Book of Darkness. Zafira in his wolf form quietly watched as Shamal continued to count.

"One hundred… Ren's linker core provided over one hundred pages," Shamal said as if in a daze. Her complexion was pale, and her eyes were puffy. "Of the six-hundred-and-sixty-six pages, he alone filled almost a sixth of the necessary amount…"

"I thought you said you stopped before you took everything!" Vita yelled, only to catch herself and throw her gaze away from Shamal to hide her expression.

"I did… it's just that Ren's core is just… there was just so much…"

"How come we couldn't detect it then? If it was so large, large enough that even one hundred pages isn't everything, we would have found it much sooner," Signum asked, confused by this oversight.

"When I was… when I was draining… during the spell, I felt something grabbing on to me, something I don't I've ever seen before. What happened I can't explain, but perhaps that thing tied to Ren's Linker Core is the reason we couldn't detect it. Fluctuation, hiding, different signature, there could be any other number of reasons we also couldn't find it, but it's probably connected to that thing I saw," Shamal tried to explain, but was at a loss. She closed the book when she couldn't stand it any longer. She didn't want to look at it, not when it had those pages in it now.

"One sixth of the book filled in one go… But why did it have to be him. Why was he there…" Vita slammed her fist against the wall again. Her teeth now grinding against itself. Zafira gave a single mournful howl as the all then wondered just one thing: What would they tell Hayate?


Author's Notes:

I said I would take a break, but I just can't help it. I just want to keep writing. I really shouldn't when I'm feeling burned out and exhausted, but my fingers aren't stopping.

Any who, Ren's involvement is getting pretty nice right about now I'd say. A lot of the two episodes I covered were mostly involved with the first battle of the season, but still tried to keep the mystery of who the knights were. Somewhat, they still showed their hand very early so most of the season was about dramatic irony and audience tension. However, because I already introduced them, I was able to get some of their side of the story because the mystery isn't as much a focus as it is the dramatic irony of the situation.

Ren was the one who held the cards but held them a bit too close this time. What's going to happen next with Ren now that his Linker Core's been drained? You'll have to wait to find out. Also as a side note, Ren can actually react quite poorly to Okumura's death as one of his options is to ask what the hell happened in what is implied to be a yell, so he doesn't have to be completely stoic in a playthrough of P5.

A lot of this chapter was just recounting/rewriting the battle in episodes 1-2 of the season. I had to make adjustments here or there to account for a couple of things. If you're familiar with the show, you'll probably have noticed some minor discrepancies, namely in the competency of Fate and Nanoha. They're better here than in the original show, which I wrote to account for Ren existing, and their battle with the twins egging them on to be stronger than cannon, at least little bit more. That's why they can match the knights better in this first fight, but not completely. Battle experience is better than training. I hope that makes some sense.

As a side note, Signum has a move called Shiden Issen. Coincidently that was a super Narukami could use in P4AU and is his 5P assist in BBTAG, though in English it was called Lightning Flash. Very useful super, allowed for combo extension, corner carry, and having a non-Persona reliant super allowed Narukami to not be completely boned without Izanagi. Just didn't do too much damage, but eh its utility was more than worth it. In BBTAG it's a solid assist that can wall bounce, and that's pretty useful in general.

Anyways, I'm tired. I'll probably feel like writing more for this later, but I need to force myself to write FiEW because I keep promising to write more for it but end up writing more for this one. I don't know why it keeps happening, but it does. Maybe I should do another playthrough of something I haven't finished to calm myself down… I do need to finish Senran Kagura Peachball…

That aside, as usual, thank you for coming today. I hope you enjoyed yourself. If you have any criticisms or comments be sure to leave a review so that I can take them into account and learn how to improve. I hope to see you guys next time, stay safe in these trying times, wash your hands, and have good day everyone.

P.S. Also thanks to the people who offered places for me to find something. I was able to finally find subs again, and the captions really helped in writing this chapter.