"My apologies for rushing you, but I don't feel very patient now. So, please don't waste my time in resisting or lying," I told the girl calmly, even if a growl leaked into my voice. However, only a gurgling sound replied, which warned me to my blunder. How could she answer my question if I was choking her to death? Dear me, I must've been very distraught today. I released the iron grip I had on the imposer's throat, dropping her onto the floor.
As the girl writhed about on the floor, I picked up her make-up kit, perhaps her Teigu, placing it into my robe for safekeeping. Can't have her shapeshift again, now.
I materialized a Black Key, throwing it into her shadow to pin her in place. I began a bodysearch on her, my hands moving in a deliberately rough manner to intimidate her. I didn't think it was very effective, but I wasn't in the mood for subtlety right now. A few steel needles and small knives made themselves known into my hands, and I deposited them inside a nearby vase. I drew a small rune on it, to prevent her taking them back. I did so with my back turned towards her, to hide the runes, but also to avoid punching her in the face as she shot off a killing intent towards me.
I kneeled placing my face level with hers. Strangely, she didn't panic at her sudden immobility, though I was sure an assassin like her had plenty of experience in this state. Bruises in the shape of fingers had already started to form on her slim neck, the purple marks evident in contrast to her fair skin.
Cutting to the chase, I asked her again.
"Where is Yoru?" This time, my voice was as calm as possible, so as not reveal any more psychological openings she could exploit.
She understood the position she's in instantly. Smart girl.
"He's safe. Maybe very pissed off, but perfectly safe." She then smiled at me, her lips curling like a cat's. "I'll show where he is, if you want."
Of course, no sane man would take her testimony at face value.
I put my index and middle finger together, then pressed them on her forehead, muttering, "Tromluí."
I felt her body shudder heavily at the surge of Prana entering her, signalling the spell's success. The fear in her eyes told me everything I wanted to know.
"W-What did you do to me?!" The girl asked, horror evident in her voice.
"Do you really want to know?" I whimsically replied.
She gulped, swallowing back further questions.
"Then, let's test it out, okay? It's just some lie-detector, so don't worry too much," I said, patting her shoulder. I took a more comfortable sitting position on the floor, with her still pinned by her shadow. My mind already foresaw ahead, picturing her face uncontrollably writhing in agony as her worst nightmares assaulted her as soon as a lie comes out from her mouth. Surely, her mind would be more robust than Akame? She's the one who had the balls to come here, after all.
"Now, let's start with something easy. What's your name?"
"Chelsea."
No reaction. It's the truth.
"Such a pretty name, for a pretty lady. Too bad it came down to this. I would have preferred it if we could have met over tea instead." I told Chelsea.
"That's so lame, playboy," she replied, chuckling. "You know you're supposed to say that before you tried to kill me?"
"Who's fault is that?" I calmly shot back.
Knowing I was right, Chelsea shut her mouth.
"Well, back to the issue at hand. Where is he?" I asked, my cheerful demeanor disappearing like smoke.
She made a disturbed expression at the speed my emotions switched. Nervously, she replied, "The boy is locked in the cellar. I tricked him in there and made sure he would stay there until I left."
Now, that... actually surprised me a little. That's all?
My surprise led me to ask her, "Did you harm him?"
"That would have been counterproductive, for me and my employer." Chelsea replied, now with a more jovial tone.
Well, well... that answer narrowed down my guess of her employer quite a bit...
Dissipating the Black Key pinning her down, I lifted her up easily and forced her to walk in front of me, one hand on hers to make sure she didn't do anything. Numerous Black Keys were ready to be launched, in case she did something truly stupid.
Chelsea looked over her shoulder, an amused look on her face. Perhaps she took my impatience as a sign of weakness? Sadly, she wouldn't be shown any true openings.
"What are you doing? Done with the questions? A girl doesn't like it when a guy is indecisive, you know..." her voice trailed off, a mocking tone clear despite her calm mannerisms.
'You won't be so happy in a moment, love.'
"Let's just go to where he is."
I deliberately pushed her along roughly, as if urging her along due to anger and impatience. An assassin like her was trained to take advantage of any situation, and in this occasion, where she had no physical advantage, she would try to get hold of a psychological one. Revealing my emotions here in the open would lure her, tempting her to pounce on the mistake.
What makes a good gambler? Was it his ability to cheat to gain an advantage, or was it his poker face? No, it was neither of these two things.
It's the capability to control one's opponent's mind that makes a true champion.
Chelsea led me to the wine cellar located on the top floor of the manor. Indeed, it's one of the few ideal places to hide someone inside this building. I should remind myself to put detection wards to cover all the rooms, not just the building perimeter. It seemed these days a fence wasn't enough... you'd need a CCTV system.
As we got closer, I immediately sensed Yoru's... far too weak presence.
'Ah... I see. Good boy.'
I pointed at the door. "Oscailte."
Naturally, with Chelsea walking in front of me, she would be entering the room first. The door swung open by my spell, revealing... an empty room.
Through her arm, I could sense her panic.
"Err... I swear-"
A boot smashed straight into her face before she could complete the sentence, sending her sprawling back. By the slight crunching sound, I assumed her nose and cheekbones could be broken by the kick. The injuries were quite light, especially for it being one of the kicking techniques I taught Yoru from the Snake style, but her instincts made her to relax her neck muscles to absorb the impact better. Smart.
Still, she wouldn't be moving for a while.
I grabbed Yoru's shoulder as he moved in for the kill.
"Good job."
He smiled stiffly, his eyes still focused on his target. A good habit.
"Thanks, aniki."
I patted his shoulder. "Well, judging from the fact you needed to hang on the door rims, this much power has already surpassed my expectations. Your training is bearing fruit, otouto-kun."
I put a hand on Yoru's shoulder to let him know that he's done enough. "Impressive blow. It was swift and held the necessary power. You're picking up the Snake style quite well," I praised him.
"I just want to have another go at her. Can I?" Radiating the bloodlust he previously concealed, he stalked towards her. However, before I could stop him, he halted his tracks himself.
Kneeling down to look at Chelsea's messed up face, he said, "Lucky you. When aniki has wrung you dry of info, I'll tear you apart, bitch."
He stood, then stomped away towards the main hall. I silently approved of his new self-control, despite his temper. It's as if he matured a little in a single night... a comforting thought.
A muffled noise brought me back from my musing.
I hovered my palm over her face, mending her broken bones with healing magecraft. However, I stopped before completing the full treatment, merely reconnecting the pieces without blocking out the pain. It's a petty attitude, but necessary.
"Urgh..." the redhead assassin groaned loudly from the dull ache of her entire face. "Alright, alright... I may have deserved that blow..."
"Like he said, you're lucky," I interjected, "that kick was supposed to be lethal."
She grunted, lifting her upper body from the floor. "You've taught him well. I'm surprised I didn't sense anything before hand"
'You don't know the half of it.'
Again, I raised her back on her feet, this time leading her to the main hall. While musing on the soon-to-be public interrogation, I also calculated Yoru and Chelsea's battle strength. Yoru definitely held an advantage in strength and speed, but his awareness to surprise attacks was still lacking, allowing Chelsea to subdue him without too much of a fight due to her experience and skill. To be fair, this sixth sense was impossible to train quickly, but I planned to beat it into him soon. Couldn't have myself lose face everytime someone came knocking, after all.
"Geez, do all the men here have no idea how to treat a lady nicely? It's fine for a masochist, but I'm not really one, you know?" She shot me a teasing grin, "Although... if it's what you desire, I can accommodate."
"You're wrong on two accounts."
Noticing her confusion, I explained, "First, I don't give any mercy to anyone that gets in my way, male or female. Just the act of trespassing would've granted you severe injury in this house."
I leaned closer to her ear, just on the verge of whispering range. "And the second... how'd you know you're not a masochist?"
I let loose a small stream of prana, activating the earlier curse I put on her.
Her body jolted, then her expression turned back from amusement to horror.
"This is... mind manipulation!"
After a couple seconds I cut off the stream of prana. Of course, I wasn't going to explain anything to her. Sometimes, an assumption was a far more effective intimidation tool than a detailed explanation.
Silently, we approached the main hall.
Upon entering it, my skin was set ablaze by the killing intent.
Personally, I didn't even expect I was leading this many people. I met with all of them, conversed with them, and generally get along with all of them, but when they all gathered together like this, it was a really good spectacle of the forces in my command.
The men and women out on information gathering were also here, along with several new faces who recently joined to support my vision of changing the Empire. Of course, Yoru, Spear, and Chouri were standing there as well, on the perimeter. Surprisingly, even the former Minister was also displaying hostility towards the girl beside me, but in a much more controlled and calm manner.
I could feel their eyes piercing Chelsea's body, analyzing every move she made. If one of them suddenly felt she was a danger, there was no doubt of an attack from them. Spear was even thumbing her own weapon, held behind her back to avoid obstructing her view.
A few of the maids stepped forward.
"Master, please allow us to tend to your wounds."
Smiling at their suggestion, I rebuked them softly. "There is no need, I have finished healed them myself. A change of garments will do nicely, though."
As if expecting my request, one of them handed out a full set of shirt and trousers, while the rest hovered around me, their hands shot out with practiced ease and relieved me of my outer coat and shirt.
"While I'm changing, please keep watch over her."
Without looking back, I head towards one of the empty rooms to change.
By the time I got back, Chelsea was sprawled on the floor, a red bruise lining her cheek. Spear was standing over her, pointing the butt of her spear to the assassin's face, her own twisted in rage and hatred. Chelsea, on the other hand, while holding a hand over the bruise, was chuckling, and saying something to Spear which riled her up massively. Chouri was even unable to contain his daughter.
What do you do if you're compromised with no way out of your situation? You try to die before revealing too much. That seemed to be exactly what Chelsea was going for.
Gently, I caught Spear's hand as it swung down one more time, no doubt smelling blood.
"Spear," I softly whispered, "please, return. She's playing you, and you know it."
She bit her lip in resentment, before obediently following my decision after shooting a dark glare towards the redhead.
To be honest, I was half-expecting this scene when I decided to leave her alone. Chelsea was a skilled operator, which would mean an easy provocation of the honest and gullible Spear. I had no idea what she said which upset my student so much, and I didn't really want to know, but it's a good test to see my underlings' feelings for me.
As it was, I was very satisfied with their reaction. No one bothered to stop Spear or converse with her, and a few seemed eager to continue after Spear's blow themselves. It's not a definite measure for sure, but it's a start.
Coughing once, I began my explanation.
"I want to thank all of you for gathering on such short notice. I know that you all have questions that want to be answered," I said in a loud voice, "I will try my best to answer all those questions, but first, please hear me out."
Quiet nods resounded across the hall, allowing me to continue uninterrupted.
"I received my injuries while I was fighting my most challenging opponent yet: the great General Esdeath," I told the crowd with perhaps a bit too much flourish. Giving my opponents some credit will elevate my achievements even more, and though I didn't need to do so with my own people, I did it as a warning to Chelsea. I had no doubts that she had her own information regarding Esdeath and her strength.
Many half-opened their mouths, but at the last moment, shut them back.
As planned, Chelsea looked up at me in surprise. The more her image of me rose, the less likely it was for her to go against me.
"She's definitely deserving her title of 'Empire's Strongest', worthy of a glimpse of my full strength. Do not take that sentence at face value, as it was a costly win," I explained, slightly exaggerating the events. "I was about to land the finishing blow, but General Budo managed to catch wind of our bout and interrupted, saving his colleague. I judged it to be dangerous to take him on while in a drained state, which was why I returned as swiftly as possible."
Once again, my men and women had their mouths agape, but now due to surprise, not curiosity. Even Chelsea was near-catatonic because of the shock, almost shivering in place. It's not everyday when someone claimed they faced two of the Empire's best soldiers and lived on to tell stories about it, much less actually critically injuring one.
"From her injuries, Esdeath would be out of the commission for a while, giving us valuable space and time for our next move," I elaborated, without letting out sensitive pieces of information to the assassin next to me. Dangling half-truths and mixing it with lies were very effective to rat out people like her who worked in the shadows.
I continued with a loud voice, lightly making everyone jump. "However! Once this opening is closed, that woman will come back even stronger, with all the drive and killing intent she could muster raining down upon us."
I walked around, closely staring at their eyes.
"With that kind of danger looming over all of your heads... do you still want to be by my side?"
For a while, no reply came to my question.
"I can't hear you." I said, cocking my head to the side.
"SIR! YES, SIR!"
I chuckled at their response.
"Incredible! Truly incredible!" I exclaimed proudly. "However, I still sense a trace of fear inside all of you."
At my verbal jab, the rowdy crowd fell silent.
"Why are you quiet? Is fear a bad thing?" I asked, which no one replied.
"The one claiming such is a fool! Fear grants you survival instincts and caution, and if harnessed properly, will enhance your capabilities. The only thing that matters is to not succumb to it!" I began to shout to rouse their spirit, "Did I fear Esdeath? Yes! I feared if she defeated me, she will come to you and harm all of you. Backed by that fear, I triumphed! I defeated her, made her the one running away with her tail between her legs!"
I spread my arms wide, challenging them, "So, tell me honestly, with me here, what do you have to fear?"
"NOTHING!" The crowd roared.
"We will use this time to increase our forces, for all of us to become stronger. If Esdeath and the Empire expects us to sit here and not improve, then let's prove them wrong! You all have chosen to stand by my side when I gave you all the option to walk away. With that decision in mind, I ask of you... All of you!" I brought my hand to my chest.
"Put your trust in me! I promise you the change you dream of will come, and we all will make it through this together!" I finished with a flourish.
A roar of approval raged throughout the room. Spear was clapping hysterically at my words in excitement, while Chouri looked at me with a firm smile on his face. To my side, Yoru tried hard to stay composed, but a beaming smile had already spread across his face. The last person of interest, Chelsea, seemed to be gauging the crowd's enthusiasm, impressed with how successful I was in motivating them.
After the rancor had died down, I gestured towards the girl beside me. "Then, I'll continue with some introductions. This 'honored guest'," I waved my hand over Chelsea's head, "is named Chelsea. I hope you will treat her well, in accordance with the rules of this house." I deliberately omitted the fact that one of the 'rules' was 'death upon those who are deemed hostile', but that's her problem to deal with.
"Chelsea here is a master spy, as well as an assassin. She is here with us today because someone found it necessary to try and plant a spy in our midst, for reasons unknown." I looked at the auburn haired girl, making sure she could feel my gaze on her. "I have some pretty good guesses regarding those reasons, but it's not my place to say them."
Once more, their earlier hostility was revived, but much more subtly. To an assassin of her caliber, I was sure she knew which one was more dangerous. Small beads of sweat formed on her forehead at my declaration.
"Many of you wondered why haven't I executed her yet as soon as I blew her cover," I continued, unabated by the killing intent swirling around the room. "One of the reasons was my belief of the identity of her employer, which is the Revolutionary Army."
I stared at her, asking, "Am I right?"
After a few tense seconds, with a sigh, she nodded.
It's a simple educated guess, really. The Empire would've sent a subjugation army, not a single spy. Her non-lethal actions against Yoru suggested a strict no-kill rule, one which could only be issued by a faction whose goals aligned with mine.
Despite the cold sweat, I commended her calm professionalism in showing a calm facade.
A maid pulled a chair over, and one of the guards roughly shoved her onto it.
"So, the question now is..." I pondered aloud, "why would my supposed ally plant you here?"
Her eyes narrowed in irritation. "Why are you asking me all these obvious, stupid questions? A test? A trick? You've already figured everything out, haven't you?" She leaned over from her seat, growling, "So why are you still keeping me here?!"
"A confession is always better than a false oration. In any case, you are in no position to refuse my requests."
"Tch, fine!" She clicked her tongue, before saying, "The top brass wanted an eye on the unknown player in the field now, which means you." She leaned back in the chair, glaring at me. "If you're deemed to be... harmful, then I am to eliminate you as soon as I am able."
"Good, good," I clapped my hands, pleased she was still smart enough not to lie. Thankfully, no movements came from my people after her confession, warming my heart with their confidence in myself. In fact, some of them started to chuckle and sneer at the defeated assassin, complete with mocking glares, which Chelsea returned angrily.
"Just for curiosity's sake," I stepped closer to her until we're only a few inches apart, saying, "How do you actually plan to assassinate me, a person who bested Esdeath in combat? Can you do the same to her? Hm?"
- Creak...
'Oh...! Impressive!'
As soon as I stepped into her range, she tilted the chair backwards, letting her legs move closer to my upper body. Then, like twin pythons, her thighs circled my face and neck. Momentarily, as my face was buried in her crotch, in a different scenario this would have been very pleasant, but my focus was shifted as she twisted her body, trying to leverage my body and slam it to the ground.
However, I quickly spread open a stance, preventing my fall. It turned to be futile, however, at least in her eyes, as now she was straddling my shoulders, her knee pressing against my neck arteries while her thigh and legs tried to choke me. Additionally, a sharp needle was hovered straight over my eye, threatening to stab it clean through my brain.
"Like this" Chelsea said teasingly. Her smile would be innocent too if it wasn't for the fact that she had a sharp object directed at my eye.
It's too bad her target was me.
She squeezed hard with her legs, but my reinforced muscles didn't budge an inch, only letting me feel a sensual softness her skin created instead. She was also struggling to keep hold of her grip on me, resorting to pulling my hair... again, to no avail.
In the end, what surprised her the most was the reaction of the people surrounding us.
All of them sported smiles of various kinds: mocking, pity, glee, and so on, with no one even moving forwards to separate us.
Lightly, I stroked her thigh, causing her to shiver and move the needle closer to my eye.
"Not bad, Chelsea," I acknowledged, genuinely impressed, "you're just unfortunate in picking your targets."
My hands moved faster than her, jamming the needle to its target.
In hindsight, how did she manage to hide the needle from me? I was certain I searched every nook and crannie-
Ah.
I forgot to check around more intimate areas...
Perverse as it sounds, it's the only logical place to hide them in the first place. My mistake.
She jumped off me as the sound of steel snapping clean in half echoed across the hall, her eyes wide as saucers. I guess she didn't expect me to shove a lethal object into my eye. Truthfully I had to reinforce my eye to it's limit, and drop the reinforcement I usually had constantly on my body to pull off that stunt.
"Please, don't be disappointed," I consoled her. "Like I said, you just have bad luck."
The crowd had already begun dispersing itself after her stunt, confident in my safety. Rather, I had a sneaking suspicion the reason they even got mad in the first place was because their pride was damaged with her able to come in so easily, not because of her lethality. Even Chouri, Spear, and Yoru also excused themselves, leaving me alone with her, knowing my intentions.
Chelsea looked conflicted. Being shown that she had no chance at all to kill me so blatantly probably damaged her ego.
"Was it really that disappointing?" I asked her, using the same teasing tone she used on me earlier.
I received a vicious glare as a reply, before a sigh escaped the girl's lips. "Not really, I never planned on killing you anyways. Just..." she ran her fingers through her hair, "a little peeved you were able to brush it off so easily. A girl likes being able to tease a guy and keep him on edge... At least, I do."
"Sorry to ruin your fun." I replied.
Chelsea lightly scoffed.
"As if. I see what you did during that conversation." Glaring at me again, she walked closer to me, stabbing her finger to my chest. "You used me as a stunt to help solidify the fact that you're an invincible warrior in the mind of your followers. It took me a moment to realize that you were playing me the entire time. Truthfully I'm dissapointed in myself for not noticing I was being played sooner. IT should have been obvious to me. You telling everyone how you were able to single-handedly defeat Esdeath in a one-on-one engagement and return without any severe injuries."
She twirled, brushing the tips of her hair against my nose. "Add the fact that you allowed an assassination attempt on you in your own home, then negated it with such a powerful image only helped solidify their picture of you."
"Well, you seem to have me all figured out."
Chelsea locked eyes with me again, before crossing her arms over her modest chest. "Not exactly. I still don't know what you plan on doing with me. You used me for what you needed already, now what? Kill me, lock me up somewhere no one will find, use me as a reminder for the Revolutionary Army to not try and cross you again?"
The girl put up a brave front, but I could see the slight tremors from her shoulders. She accepted that she could possibly die right now, but clearly she had an aversion to it. Perhaps my showboating earlier had broken her resolve, as I was sure she knew the risks when she took this job, but her pride was shattered tonight.
"Now, why would I do such horrible things? I'm not you."
Walking forward while ignoring her glare at my jab, I softly cupped her cheek, letting me stare right into her face.
"You belong to me now."
That statement roused a strange reaction from the girl. Like before, her mouth was ajar with surprise, but her face became more and more flushed, perhaps from embarrassment and anger, and now her entire body trembled. I had to be careful to dodge her attack, should she decide to slug me out of disgust. Did she not believe me? Did she think it's some kind of trick?
"Ah, let me elaborate," I coughed to clear the air. "I can always use someone of your caliber and talent, and like I said earlier, you are very impressive. Why should I waste you and let you go back to the Revolutionary Army?"
Once more, all I received was a cautious look.
"Are you... crazy?" She looked at me like I was a madman, her voice getting higher and higher. "I spied on you, kidnapped your surrogate little brother, and you're just offering me a position by your side? This-" she choked on her laughter, lifting a finger to motion me to wait. "This... excuse me for not believing you."
"No, I'm not crazy," I replied.
"If you don't want to believe me, then it's fine. You'd be an idiot otherwise." I placed my hand on her shoulder, before saying, "I'm doing this because I believe in you. Or more specifically your worth."
I turned around, as if declaring to the empty hall, "In this world, people have to take risks at certain times... especially nowadays. Can you feel it? This moment, no, this era is the one where the heavens opened their gates, allowing voices to surface and fight it out for a place in the history books. Some of those voices will be heard, while others will be lost in the echo."
I smiled at her. "I'm certain I can put you to better use than your employers. Now, what do you want for yourself?" I stepped closer back towards her, saying in a slow tempo, "Do you want to be heard? Or fade away as useless rabble?"
I felt like those devils inside some cheap movies, offering someone two options, both a guarantee for their doom... Of course, if she accepted, I had no plans to harm her or put her in unnecessary danger. Just in case, I let my Charisma skill bleed into my voice, stringing her heart.
She looked away from me for a moment, and after some hesitation, spoke up.
"What are you fighting for?"
"I'm fighting for the realization of a better world." I closed my eyes in remembrance. "A long time ago I didn't have the necessary power to bring forth change... I was weak. But times are different now. Now, I stand a real chance to bring forth peace."
I stared right into her eyes, letting her know I was truly serious. "I am fighting for humankind's salvation. I will exterminate all evil and create a new, pure world."
I extended a hand towards her. "Chelsea, fight with me."
My tone was more of a request rather than a question, but I had a hunch Chelsea preferred dealing with firm personalities with a solid ideal, rather than indecisive people who needed to be guided every step of the way.
I felt a hand clasp in my own.
Her eyes blazed with incredible intensity.
"You're telling the truth," she stated blankly.
"Of course."
"I don't trust you."
"That's fine."
"Like how I have to earn your trust, you have to earn mine, Shirou Kotomine."
"Good."
She closed her eyes, her hand grabbing mine even tighter. "The people... deserve better than this oppression. They deserve to be happy, to be treated fairly, to be prosperous." When she opened her eyes, killing intent stabbed itself into my being."If you are just playing with their hearts... I swear I'll put you down, no matter what."
Her last statement was even firmer than mine. Excellent.
"Go ahead."
Then, just like that, her personality flipped back to her original facade.
"So that's that for now!" The auburn haired girl leaned in close to my face, saying with a cheerful voice, "Well, if I'm going to be working for you, then you might as well show me where I'll be staying. Isn't that right, Shirou?" Chelsea winked.
"Ah... er, I guess so," I managed to squeak out, a bit uncomfortable with her sudden mood swing.
Women.
Damn, I couldn't wait to be done for the day.
Some sleep was desperately needed, after everything that happened. I might have the powers of a Servant, but, like Jeanne d'Arc, my human body still needed its sustenance. Sleeping and eating weren't actually vital, but my strength would've been sapped dry if I didn't indulge myself.
In the end, today was a beneficial day overall. Esdeath was out of commission, for the meantime, and I gained a skilled assassin as an extra piece, even though she would have to be monitored strictly for now. I had my reservations regarding her loyalty towards the Revolutionary Army, as there was definitely some zealots like that, but it turned out my gamble was correct: her heart was with the people.
Perhaps something happened in the past? Something which weakened her attachment to the Army... Could it be the death of her comrades? Her family? Mission failure?
Regarding this question, I should investigate later on, preferably with Chelsea's agreement. No one liked to have their past dug up, after all.
Eventually, we arrived at what I decided would be Chelsea's room, which was only two rooms down from my own. I told her if she had any questions or concerns, to come find me. As per the usual procedure, I warned her not do anything crazy, or else I would be forced to actually end her. The tour finished with me pointing out the general rooms in this mansion, of which no doubt she had studied before sneaking in, so there was no need for me to give her the full service. It was mainly for the sake of formalities.
Bidding her goodnight, I entered my own room and stripped out of my clothes, hanging up my Shroud in the process.
I was about to drift off, until a disappointing thought appeared in my head.
'I never got my hot soup in the end...'
XxXxXx
A/N: Truthfully I am really pleased with how this chapter turned out. Now I'm sure there will be some mixed reactions regarding how things ended, and I'll try my best to answer any questions regarding my decisions through a PM. I actually had a good bit planned for this chapter but this whole scenario took longer than I thought it did, so I had to leave it off for next chapter. I hope that you all found some enjoyment with this recent installment and until next time.
P.S. I used Gaelic for the language Shirou used for his magecraft. Tromluí means nightmare. Oscailte means open.
P.S.S. I'm thinking of doing a RWBY side project for whenever I get writers block. I actually have another story going for me right now that I recently started called Legacy of the Body Flicker when I feel the need to take a break, but I've been wanting to do a RWBY story for a good bit now. Of course it won't be a main project, at least not until FNR is done (this is my baby after all). There's a poll on my profile where you can vote. Thanks! Have a nice day everybody!