Draco: Really hoping for Aero magic in Type-Next. Wind magic doesn't get enough representation.

Okay, this is where we decidedly get spoiler-y. If you disregarded my warning in Chapter 1 about spoilers, (for whatever reason) I insist you remedy that immediately. For those who did not, I'll give you a sneaky hint in case a particular identity is not obvious: I was tempted to drag this out for another four chapters, but decided against it.

Final Fantasy Type-0 © Square Enix

A Clash of Wings

=Gelumens XXIV, 841 RG=
Lorica Alliance territory
Jubanla Region

"You sure you're gonna be alright?"

Seven's query only prompted Karia to shake her head. "Worry not about me," she insisted. "Whatever punishment my warden may deliver is nothing, so long as those who would rebel against their crystal have been put to rest."

Trey nodded. "Then, give your warden regards from the Vermilion Bird," he offered.

Karia only bowed lightly in response, a smile on her face, before mounting one of her skyverns; and the Agito Cadets raised their hands, prompting dominion magic to light up around them as they were teleported on board Class Zero's airship. Not wanting to risk an attack from any renegade stragglers, the ship's Invija was triggered to cloak it; then - slowly - they made their way back towards the Vermilion Nest.

They were over the Iscah region when they ran into trouble.

Cinque was the first to notice, leaning against the ship's railing as they drifted over the dominion - her long braid was flapping about in the wind, for the altitude of an airship had next to nothing to get in the way of the gales. So when she found her hair had come to a stop, she was quick to stand straight, looking around.

"Where'd the wind go?"

The mace-swinger's call drew everyone's attention. Sice, who had been pacing near the prow, came to a stop, tapping the deck with her foot. "We're dead in the air."

"The magikonverter must have cut out," Queen observed. It was not a particularly rare occurrence - given how the ship had been modified for maximum speed and maneuverability, no one was surprised that it acted up at low speeds. "Are we still vanished?"

Ace drew a card with a reflective inner surface and tossed it away from the ship; at a sufficient distance, the reflection of the vessel disappeared to make way for a clear blue Orience sky. "Looks like it."

Queen nodded. "Alright. Trey, Seven, with me."

The three of them made their way below deck to check on the ship's workings. Deuce, however, was worried; the ship going quiet was bad enough, but the disappearance of the wind made it all the more suspicious. While her Classmates went back to what they were doing - Sice's pacing, Cinque admiring the view, Ace absently shuffling his cards - Deuce drew her flute carefully, and raised it to her lips.

A deep note echoed through her flute.

A burst of crimson waved out around her - and a female voice cried out as a cloaked figure was knocked to the deck.

The sound got everyone's attention; everyone turned to see someone in what looked like a Camouflage Cloak was getting to her feet three paces in front of Deuce, a tome in her hands. The flautist quickly lashed her hand forward to throw a Fire RF at her, but the girl simply let the book fall open as a Wall rose up to block it. King drew his guns, firing at her one-two; the incomer raised the book before her, a bullet colliding with each cover and falling to the deck. Cinque charged forward with her mace in hands, but the bookworm simply stepped aside as the head of the weapon struck the surface she had been standing on - and went through, leaving it stuck there. Eight rushed her from the opposite direction, his speed compared to Cinque's nearly taking the cloak out - and as she was stumbling from her evasion, Ace hurled a hand of cards at her.

She only raised her tome to the incoming cards, slamming it shut single-handed - and each card was caught between a separate pair of pages, sticking out of the top like oversized bookmarks.

The whole Class went silent.

The girl had the hood of her cloak up - but the shadows of the hood only covered her eyes, which made it clear to Cinque when a smile rose on her lips.

"I see you haven't been slacking off the last three or four times."

The door to the hold opened, and Queen, Trey, and Seven stepped out to see their Classmates amidst a fight zone.

Then the cloak let her book fall open again, and Ace's cards flew back at him; only a last minute dodge into a hand of cards stopped him from getting the incoming end of a dealing. Cinque was still trying to pry her mace out of the deck; the book was suspended in the air with a glow of dominion magic as the cloak pulled one hand away from the spine and caught it with the other. A gale ripped up around her with strength all-too-reminiscent of BOM magic, throwing Cinque's mace out of the deck with enough force to send Cinque herself flying - despite the fact that the magic hadn't so much as touched her - and as Sice charged her with her scythe drawn, the girl hopped away, her cloak rippling around her as she landed upon the railing.

Another glow from her tome as she changed hands again.

Massive shots of bright magic - Aloud - fired out from the book in her hand. The attack didn't manage to hurt anyone (the spell was infamous throughout the dominion for its horrendous accuracy), but it was enough to stop the Class from rushing her, whereupon she closed her book and lowered it at her side.

"I'm not here to hurt anyone," she insisted. "And I'd appreciate it if you all stopped trying to hurt me."

Trey nocked an arrow on his bow - though he didn't draw the string. "Given you seem to have confiscated one of our Camouflage Cloaks," he observed, "and have sampled dominion magic, we have every reason to believe you to be a traitor to the Vermilion Bird, and I see no reason not to-"

"Trey," the cloak interrupted, "you're rambling again."

The whole class did a double-take at that.

The girl raised her tome. "I am only here as a messenger. If you are willing to hear my message, I will share it with you, and then depart. If you do not wish to hear it, then say so - and I will leave you peacefully."

Queen set a hand against the corner of her glasses, shifting them up without gripping the frame. "...Let's hear it."

A smile rose on the messenger's face, and she let her tome fall open; light formed a sphere above it, within which appeared words in an unfamiliar script, and the girl began to read aloud.

"Your path is not chosen. But neither is this the first time you have chosen your path. If you go in, not knowing the fear of death, then you will never learn the fear of confronting it - until the thunder sounds, and all you remember burns away in vermilion fire."

The light faded, and she closed the tome one-handed.

"Let me know when you have arrived."

Then her weight shifted - and all of Class Zero started when she fell backwards over the railing. Seven hit the barrier first, glancing earthward as her classmates lined up at her sides - but none of them saw anything but the Iscah Region below.

"...What the hell... what that?" Nine murmured.

"We were... talking to someone?" Cater ventured. "But... I can't remember who..."

"Then..." Eight shook his head. "That means they're..."

Jack groaned. "How did they even get on here?" he wondered. After a moment; "Ace, you got anything?"

The whole Class turned to the gambler, whose gaze had hit the deck. King spoke up; "You don't have to-"

"Nothing."

Everyone was surprised at that. Deuce stepped forward. "What do you mean...?"

"There's nothing," Ace insisted. "Whatever happened... I have no idea."

A sudden breeze swept across the airship, and Cinque glanced around. "The wind's back..."

"We got the magikonverter going again," Queen informed them. "We should get back to Mother."

And none of them disagreed.

+x+x+x+

Their arrival at the Vermilion Nest found Mother waiting at the docks, greeting them with a smile as they stepped off the airship. "Glad to see you've made it back," she welcomed as the airship made its way back towards the hangar.

"Aww," Cinque mused, "were you worried about us, Mother?"

"No, I wasn't worried," she assured them. "I had every confidence you would succeed. With all twelve of you active, I would be more concerned for the opposition."

Queen reached for her glasses. "Have you received word on the situation in Milites?" she asked.

Arecia nodded. "Yes," she confirmed, "I was told the renegade forces surrendered, on realizing they could no longer remember on whose behalf they were acting. All in all, mission accomplished."

Cater made her way forward. "Mother, I had to set off my magicite..."

"I suspected as much when you were missing your pack," Arecia observed. "Come with me, I have a backup for you."

She and Cater set off together, and the rest of the Class quickly disbanded as well; only Ace remained at the docks, glancing around. The skies were slightly cloudy, and the sun was on its way down, but the air was windless, and the waters were calm. A smile rose on the gambler's face, and he took a seat next to a large wooden barrel, drawing one card in hand.

"Walk on, wandering souls
For your respite we pray
Let our humble song clear your hearts of dismay
Rekindle the flame in your souls and set you free
So walk on and become the light that guides the way..."

+x+x+x+

Cater had new magicite in a new backpack in no time at all; before the sun had vanished, Arecia had retreated into her office at the Vermilion Nest. With a deep, smoky breath, she extinguished her cigarette and set the holder aside before taking the seat at her desk.

A pair of dice in bright crimson were sitting on the desk, as she had anticipated; one was sitting with the six facing up, and with a light sigh she turned the other so it showed a four.

"Whatever did you tell them this time?"