Hi guys~! It's me smallpumpkin this time who is writing this AN. First off, I'd like to express that Alexandra's quest for the seven cursed tickets in this chapter will be somewhat the same as it were for Teito. We, mystik-dawn and smallpumpkin, have also decided to add in Randkarte soon and we would like it if you, the readers, to vote on who Randkarte will be. Which the poll will be on my profile! Please GIVE reviews, comments, or suggestions for us and cheesecake for mystik-dawn~! Enjoy.
If anyone is interested, I have been making 07ghost art on my deviantart account and if you like, you are more than welcome to see them! Link is on my profile page too~!
P.S We don't own 07-Ghost.
Chapter IX—
March 29th, 2143: 9:12 AM—
If there was an award for exhibiting-the-most-self-control-rather-than-killing-your-superior, then Konatsu Warren would have won the prize. Konatsu was attempting to stroll down the streets like a normal person, but it wasn't working. Next to him, Lieutenant Major Hyuuga was, frankly speaking, being an idiot.
"This is so boring," yawned Hyuuga, "Not only are you not letting me get any candy, but we can't find Alex-chan anywhere."
"Oh, so now you're concerned about the mission," Konatsu ground out between his clenched teeth. Mentally, Konatsu was also wondering the same thing.
"This is a bigger city than I thought it would be," Konatsu wondered, "Is Ayanami-sama sure that she's here?"
"I think we should perhaps start to visit the western part of Ria," Konatsu began out loud, "Since Alexandra Night is coming from the church, which is in the western part of the Barsburg Empire, it would only be logical that we look there."
His words were met with silence. Konatsu frowned, and looked to his right, and then behind him. The Lieutenant Major had vanished. "Lieutenant Major?" Konatsu asked out loud, "Hyuuga-san?"
Looking around, Konatsu saw other people but not the familiar spiked black hair, or the flash of the black sunglasses. "Now where did he go?" wondered Konatsu. He turned around, looking, until he heard a shout.
"Konatsu kun! Look what I got!" Hyuuga announced gleefully. Konatsu's eyes widened in horror and shock at what the Lieutenant Major had done.
"You wasted all of our money on candy?" Konatsu half-whispered, horrified.
Hyuuga looked surprised. "Oh, I had all the money?" Hyuuga asked. He unwrapped a candy apple and popped it into his mouth.
Konatsu was forced to exhibit self-control; he badly wanted to wring his superior's neck and kill him right there on the spot. "Oh my god," Konatsu said, "How the heck are we going to pay for food and lodging?"
"We have plenty of food here!" Hyuuga happily said, "As for lodging...I guess we should find Alex-chan quickly then, shouldn't we?"
Konatsu face-palmed.
March 29th, 2143: 10:39 AM—
Alex slowly opened her eyes, and yawned. Slowly getting up, she tried to get dressed, but fumbled a bit with the buttons and clothing. "I feel so tired," Alex thought, "I wish I could go back and sleep, but I've already slept in for over an hour." After a long time, she got dressed and walked downstairs, meeting Felsen at the parlor.
"Good morning Alex," Felsen greeted, and Alex returned his greeting. "How was your sleep?" Felsen asked. Alex noticed that he was wearing his military uniform.
"It was good," Alex admitted. Thanks to Lazarus, she wasn't plagued with any mysterious nightmares, and had a comfortable sleep. "Why do I feel so tired?"Alex wondered, "Is it from the wars?"
"Help yourself to some breakfast," Felsen offered, "I have to go out and deliver some messages to my superior."
"Oh okay," Alex replied, "How long will you be out for?"
"A while," Felsen said, "Maybe the whole day itself. You can go and rest if you want; you look as if you could use some more hours of sleep." Handing her some yuus, he turned around and left the inn.
Alex nodded, and waved goodbye to Felsen. Felsen left, leaving Alex alone in the café. Alex sat down and began to order her breakfast.
"Lazarus?" Alex silently asked, "Are you there?" It was a slightly dumb question, but Alex realized that Lazarus hasn't said anything to her this morning since she had woken up.
"Alex," Lazarus said. Alex blinked, surprised.
"Why is your voice so faint?" Alex wondered.
"I'm very tired," Lazarus replied, "I have been using up all my energy."
"Oh no," Alex thought, "I'm sorry!" Lazarus didn't respond, and Alex panicked. She then remembered about how Lazarus told her about thinking positively and getting lots of energy to stop the wars.
"Am I so tired because of the wars?"Alex thought. Looking down at her plate of food, she determinedly made up her mind to finish the entire plate and order a 2nd. Picking up her fork, she began to shovel the food into her mouth.
"Slow down Alex! You'll choke yourself!"Lazarus admonished. Alex was relieved to hear his voice getting louder. As she demolished all the food, Alex was starting to feel less tired. Looking down, she saw that she still had some yuus left. She was no longer hungry, and considered what to do with the money.
"Felsen mentioned that he would be out for the entire day," thought Alex, "So I might as well go out and enjoy myself too."
"What? You mean you're going to go out of the inn?" Lazarus suddenly asked.
"Relax, I'm just exploring the nearby area," Alex thought, "It's not like I'm going to get lost or anything!"
"That's what you always say," grumbled Lazarus, "this isn't safe. The Imperial Army has people looking out for you!"
"Well, we'll just hide from them,"Alex silently replied, "Come on! I've never really explored Ria properly! This is my chance!"
Standing up, Alex pocketed the yuus and went outside the inn. Usually whenever she and Felsen went training, they always went right; this time, Alex went left.
"At least follow the way you went with Ea!" Lazarus angrily said, but Alex rolled her eyes.
She wandered through the cobbled streets, exploring the different shops. She admired the different stores, and looked wondrously at the different people walking by.
"Wow, I wonder what my life would have been like if I had parents,"Alex wondered, "Would I be living here? Or in a different city?"
"You should go back now," grumbled Lazarus, "What if Ea shows up and he can't find you?"
Alex stopped walking, her eyes widening. Shoot...she had forgotten about Felsen!
"Well, he said that he would be gone for the entire day," reasoned Alex, "So I don't think he would be back soon. Besides, it's only around noon, so I don't think he will notice yet."
"This is the worst idea ever," groaned Lazarus.
"Too bad you don't have your own body,"Alex replied teasingly, "You're just stuck with me! Besides, what's wrong with checking out what's out there? Why do you have a problem with the entire world?"
Alex walked down the street, and thought, "Oh look! I remember that flower pot! We're clearly near the inn now!"
"What? There was no flower pot!" retorted Lazarus. Alex shook her head and continued walking down the street. But as she walked down, she didn't see the inn coming up. Looking left and right, she decided to take a left. Walking down the new road, her footsteps started to slow. Soon, she stopped, looking around.
"Right," Alex announced out loud, "I'm lost."
"Well done," Lazarus sarcastically replied, "Why am I not surprised about this?"
"Ok, let's not panic, let's just try to retrace our steps,"Alex thought. Turning around, she walked back down the street, but couldn't remember where she had turned last time.
"Do you remember the name of the inn? You could ask someone?" Lazarus suggested.
Alex narrowed her eyes, trying to remember the name of the inn. It was at the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't remember...she nearly had it!
"Argh, I can't remember it!" Alex thought.
"What were the shops near the inn like?" Lazarus asked, "Maybe you can ask for directions there."
"Well...I think it was a bakery," Alex silently thought, "Or was it a tailor's shop?"
"Oh dear," Lazarus thought.
Alex wandered down the street, looking at each of the store's names. None of them sounded remotely familiar, and Alex started to worry. "Oh no, what if Felsen comes before I come back and finds out?" Alex worried.
"Alex, look out!" Lazarus warned. Alex snapped out of her thoughts, and stared. Two military personnel were walking towards her—in fact they were a few feet away from her. Startled, Alex quickly moved to the side of a building, and peeped out from the corner.
Alex saw two curious people walk down the street. One of them was a blonde haired young man who was angrily talking to the taller man. The taller man meanwhile had black spiky hair and was wearing...sunglasses? Alex frowned. She was sure that she had seen these people before.
"One of them is a warsfeil!" Lazarus remarked.
"Wait...wasn't the taller guy the guy who attacked Mikage when Teito and I were escaping?" Alex wondered.
"I think so. He is a very dangerous warsfeil, stay away from him!" Lazarus said.
"Why are they here though?" Alex thought, worried.
At that moment, she heard the blonde say, "Thanks to you, we have to find Alexandra Night tonight!"
Alex fell a chill go through herself. They...were...after her? "Ayanami must have sensed the wars in you," Lazarus mused. Alex couldn't help but notice a twinge of worry in his voice.
"I can't go back to the inn, since I'm lost,"Alex thought, "What should I do?" Another thought suddenly occurred to Alex.
"Even if I go back, they will arrest Felsen for helping me!" Alex thought.
"Alex, you must leave Ria now," Lazarus urgently said. Looking around wildly, Alex tried to look for an idea, until she noticed a hawkzile repair shop. Walking towards it, she approached the man who was busy repairing a battered hawkzile.
"Excuse me mister," Alex began hesitantly. The man looked up and replied, "Oh, were you sent to get the hawkzile I got 3 days ago?"
"Say yes," Lazarus replied.
Alex nodded, and the man motioned her to come inside. Alex followed him, and the man remarked, "Never seen such a battered hawkzile in my life before...better tell your papa never drive it like that again!"
Alex ignored the twinge in her mind and nodded. The man led her to a sleek hawkzile and patted it. "Never did such an excellent repair job in my life," remarked the man.
"Thank you!" Alex replied, and fished in her pocket. She reluctantly handed the entire amount of yuus to the man, who accepted it. The man helped Alex take out the hawkzile outside the shop. Outside, Alex clambered onto the hawkzile; using her zaiphon, the hawkzile hovered into the air.
"Goodbye Felsen," Alex sadly thought, "Goodbye Ria."
"Where to now?" Lazarus softly asked.
"Hausen House," Alex thought, "Our quest begins, for the cursed tickets."
March 29th, 2143: 10:39 AM—
Teito looked down at the book he was reading, but his mind was troubled. Last night's events had scared him quite a bit—the dead criminal, people's remarks, and even Frau's cold gaze from high above (what the hell was that perverted bishop doing up there anyway?).
He shuddered, and tried to focus on his book. Since father left him the Eye of Mikhail, he decided to learn more about it. The problem was that none of the books he had found so far had any useful information about it. "Legendary enchanted stone...unification of the world? Looks like any other red stone to me," Teito thought as he gazed at the photo and inscription beneath it.
"Burupya~!" Mikage screeched, and suddenly leapt up to Teito; in surprise, Teito dropped the book. The pages flipped, and Teito caught his eye on a peculiar symbol.
"Verloren?" wondered Teito as he read the title. Holding the book close to him, Teito began to read: A death god who is said in legends to have escaped to the mortal world after committing the heinous crime of murdering the daughter of the Chief of Heaven. On earth, he caused more catastrophes by creating epidemics, sorrow, and sin everywhere...
The words began to blur, and Teito envisioned a huge staircase in front of him. Jumping back in surprise, Teito blinked several times.
"Are you okay?" Hakuren asked, and Teito nodded. "What was that?"wondered Teito, placing a hand on his forehead.
"Oh! I see you're studying really hard damned brat!" a familiar, annoying voice remarked—Bishop Frau.
"Frau," Teito began, turning around. Why was he here? "Oh...I see...he comes every day to talk to me because of that collar that Mikage/Ayanami placed on me," Teito realized.
"Are you bishop Frau?" Hakuren questioned, and Frau turned.
"Hm, Yeah," Frau replied.
"I'm extremely honoured to meet you," Hakuren said. He handed a book to Frau, as Teito watched, curious. What was the book that Hakuren gave to Frau?
Frau peered at the book, and looked back at Hakuren. He took Hakuren's hand and asked, "What's your name kid?"
"Hakuren Oak," Hakuren responded, shaking Frau's hand. Teito's jaw nearly dropped as he realized what Hakuren gave him.
"Briber!" Teito thought, "Is that a porn book?"
"Bishop Frau," a new voice announced. Teito saw that it was archbishop assistant Bastien.
Bastien suddenly whacked Frau hard on the head; "I'm confiscating these!" Bastien angrily said, snatching the book away from Frau.
"So that's why he's been coming into the library," Teito realized, irked, "he wanted his porn magazines."
"By the way, Bishop Castor was looking for you," Bastien replied.
"Geh! Really?" Frau asked, and muttered, "Shit..."
"After last night, there's something I want to ask," Teito began, "Bishop Frau, "Would the seven ghosts really do stuff like that?"
There was a brief moment of silence before Frau replied, "The Imperial Guards are investigating the crime scene."
"The post mortem indicates death caused by a single blow from behind. A trail of fresh footprints with Aldo's blood were also found leading from the outside in," Bastien added, "His murderer was probably begging for compassion outside the door and successfully convinced Aldo to open the door for him."
"But how can we be certain that it was an outside who did it?" Hakuren questioned.
"You...are suspecting people in the church?" Teito replied, aghast.
"No," Bastien said firmly, "It is extremely important to consider every possibility. However, every church member must definitely leave a record when he or she goes out. From the results of yesterday's investigation, not a single one stepped out of the church's premises."
"What this murderer did is not something we should condone but you may consider this a principle of the church," Bastien continued, "That any man who sins will have to pay for it in some way. Once god determines that you ruin others' lives with your existence, then like the kor, the murderer like Aldo could only pay his sins with his life."
"Everything will be decided by the heaven sent seven gods," Bastien finished grimly, "Never will they make allowances for evil."
March 29th, 2143: 3:47 PM—
Felsen smiled when he arrived back at the inn. He finished talking to his superiors, and his superiors had granted him some extra days to spend at Ria.
"Thank goodness," thought Felsen, "I can help Alex with her zaiphon before she embarks on her journey to the God Houses." Privately, Felsen was still wondering whether he should attempt to separate Lazarus from Alex, but wasn't sure about the results.
"It might be like with the Eye of Raphael and the princess," thought Felsen, "It is definitely too dangerous right now."
Walking upstairs, he gently knocked on Alex's door and heard no answer. "She's probably still sleeping,"thought Felsen, and gently opened the door. He was surprised to see the bed neatly made, and no Alex in the bed.
"What?" wondered Felsen, "Perhaps she's eating downstairs?"
He walked back downstairs, and checked the café. He was more surprised when he didn't see her there. "Did you see the young lady anywhere?" Felsen asked, "She's about this tall, with shoulder length dark hair, and matching dark eyes..."
"Not since the morning," replied the innkeeper, "She went out."
"She went out since morning?" Felsen thought. He walked outside, and looked down the street. He didn't see Alex; his heart racing, he ran down the street.
"I hope she doesn't do anything stupid," Felsen inwardly groaned, "I also hope Lazarus is protecting her."
As Felsen walked down the street, he looked around for her. He tried asking some people but nobody had any idea where Alex went. "That idiot," muttered Felsen.
"Hey! Stop there!" a voice called out. Felsen turned around, and saw two people standing there. His eyes widened when he saw their military uniforms. Automatically, he saluted.
The young blonde man asked him, "Why are you in such a rush?"
"I'm looking for someone," replied Felsen.
"Who?" the blonde man demanded.
"A young girl, with dark hair and eyes," Felsen replied. "Where did Alex go?" wondered Felsen, "I hope she didn't leave Ria..."
"A young girl?" the dark haired man asked this time, "Is her name Alexandra Night?"
Felsen blinked, surprised. "Alexandra Night?" Felsen thought, "Wasn't that one of the runway military students? I had read about that some time ago...then...Alex..."
"I don't know," Felsen cautiously replied.
"Why are you looking for this young girl?" the blonde man asked.
"She's my sister," Felsen quickly said.
"Oh?" the dark haired man remarked, smirking. "Is that a lollipop in his mouth?" Felsen thought, amazed.
"If she's your sister, then why does she have darker eyes than you?" the tall man asked shrewdly.
"I'm not here to discuss about my sister's appearance," Felsen coldly replied, "Have you seen her?"
The blonde haired man and the dark haired man exchanged a look.
March 29th, 2143: 4:01 PM—
Hyuuga always enjoyed teasing his (cute) begleiter Konatsu. He always found it amusing to watch Konatsu's reactions whenever he did something bad, like this morning when Hyuuga spent all their money on candy (it was a good investment, he didn't understand why Konatsu was so mad about it...).
Walking leisurely down the street, Konatsu was angrily ranting to Hyuuga about how he needed to portray more 'professional behaviour', but Hyuuga wasn't listening. Instead, he was enjoying the sweet taste of the candy apple in his mouth...
Konatsu suddenly called, "Hey! Stop there!" Hyuuga's eyes snapped to attention as he saw that Konatsu had hailed a young, brown haired soldier. Hyuuga took in the tousled uniform, the red cheeks, the panting, and the grey eyes. Clearly the man was in a hurry.
The soldier saw their uniforms and saluted at once. "Why are you in such a rush?" Konatsu questioned.
"I'm looking for someone," the man replied. Hyuuga raised his eyebrows. "This could be interesting,"thought Hyuuga. He began to telepathically talk to Ayanami: "Hey Aya-tan! Konatsu kun and I just found an interesting soldier!"
Ayanami's dry response came. "How utterly fascinating...what is so interesting about him?" Hyuuga felt Ayanami's presence in his mind, and opened him to the present conversation.
"Who?" Konatsu asked.
"A young girl, with dark hair and eyes," the soldier replied.
"A young girl?" Hyuuga remarked, "Is her name Alexandra Night?" He took in the man's quick flicker of surprise on his face.
"I don't know," the soldier slowly replied.
"He's lying," Ayanami immediately said.
"Why are you looking for this young girl?" Konatsu asked. Hyuuga inwardly smiled; his begleiter was starting to get skilled at interrogations.
"She's my sister," the soldier immediately replied.
"Another lie," Ayanami remarked.
"Aww Aya-tan you're ruining his story!" Hyuuga thought.
"Oh?" Hyuuga asked out loud, "If she's your sister, then why does she have darker eyes than you?"
"I'm not here to discuss about my sister's appearance," the soldier coldly said, "Have you seen her?"
Hyuuga and Konatsu exchanged a glance.
"Have you seen her sir," Hyuuga lightly replied, "It's always polite to address your superiors properly."
"Bring him in for questioning," Ayanami ordered, "he clearly knows more about Alexandra Night than he is letting on."
"Ok Aya-tan!" Hyuuga thought. Out loud, he asked, "What's your name?"
"Felsen Kamerad," the soldier replied, "I am currently a corporal."
"Well, Corporal Kamerad, you need to come with us," Hyuuga replied.
"Where am I going?" the corporal calmly asked.
"Oh, just to answer some more questions and talk to Aya-tan," Hyuuga happily said, "Don't worry, just tell the truth and you'll be fine!" Turning around, he and Konatsu began to walk down the street; Hyuuga was slightly disappointed that the corporal was following them obediently.
"Too bad," Hyuuga thought, "I was hoping to use aggression against him."
"You'll get your chance soon," Ayanami promised, "Kuroyuri and Haruse have already left to the church."
"Oh? Moving on with Teito kun too?"Hyuuga thought, "Aya-tan multi-tasks a lot!"
"You should too," Ayanami coldly replied. Hyuuga laughed out loud, and winked at Konatsu's and the corporal's confused face.
March 29th, 2143: 4:34 PM—
"Man, we've been travelling for so long," Alex said out loud, "I wonder what Hausen house looks like. I think we should stop and ask for instructions."
"I don't see anyone, do you?"Lazarus sardonically asked.
"Haha," grumbled Alex. Looking down, she saw a house in the distance. "Oh look!" Alex cried, pointing in that direction. She gently guided the hawkzile down to the ground; once at the ground, Alex hopped off and stared at the house.
The house was certainly massive—it was more of a mansion. There was a huge iron gate in front of her, with an elaborate carving on it.
"I think this is it?" Alex asked, hesitant.
"Yes, this is Hausen House," Lazarus replied, "I can sense Fest's presence in here."
"Wait, Castor's here?" Alex thought.
"No...but this is his childhood home," Lazarus said.
"Wow," Alex thought. She never imagined that she would have to travel to each ghost's childhood home.
"My first trial," Alex thought, determined.
"Good luck," Lazarus said, "May god be with you."
She slowly held one of the iron bars and pushed. The gate opened, letting out a large creak. Alex took a step forward, then another one, and then another one. She slowly walked towards the house, but paused when she suddenly saw a figure in front of her. Alex looked up, surprised, when she saw it was a tall man in simple white robes. His shaggy blonde hair covered his eyes, and he had a gentle smile on his face.
"This person..." Alex thought, stunned. The stranger held out his arms, a silent question of wanting to be embraced. Alex felt a strong pull towards him—she slowly walked towards him, and felt his arms wrap around her body. Breathing in, the man smelled of sandalwood and a sweet fragrance. Alex strangely felt at peace; she closed her eyes, and a small smile graced her lips.
"Remember," the man whispered. Alex's eyes flew opened, surprised, when the man dissolved into the air. There was a powerful gust of wind, and Alex shut her eyes tightly, bringing her arms to cover her face.
"Aww she's the exact picture of her mother!" the red-haired angel gushed. The blonde haired angel meanwhile didn't look as impressed.
"She's tiny," he complained, "and she never smiles at me."
"If you don't smile Mikhail, then how will she smile?" the red head angel asked teasingly.
Mikhail rolled his eyes and replied, "Unlike you Raphael, I do not smile at silly things. On the other hand, everyone must smile at me because I am the most beautiful—"
"and most egotistical angel on the planet," finished the red head. The two angels began to chase each other, and she watched fascinated. A strange feeling grew in her, and an unusual sound burst from her lips. The two angels paused, and looked down.
"Look!" the red head angel remarked, "She laughs!"
Mikhail's gaze seemed to soften. "She has a beautiful laugh," he murmured.
"What the heck?" Alex thought, blinking several times. Was that...a vision? Or a memory? Who was Mikhail and Raphael—their names did sound familiar...
"It's been a long day," Alex thought, shaking the strange memory/vision off her mind. "But who was that strange man?" Alex wondered. She looked towards the door.
"I guess I should go," Alex mumbled. She hesitantly approached the door, and saw there was no knocker.
"Hello?" Alex shyly called out. Her voice wavered; she forced herself to yell, "Is anyone home?"
The door slowly creaked open, and to her surprise, a tall man stood there, dressed in formal attire. "Who is it?" the man asked, and stared down at Alex. Suddenly she felt very small.
"You might want to say something," Lazarus suggested.
"I know! I'm just gathering myself together!"Alex indignantly thought.
"My name is Alexandra Night," Alex hesitantly began, "I'm here to collect the cursed ticket from this house along with blessings." She noticed a strange cut on the man's forehead; even more bizarre were stitches on his forehead.
"Why doesn't he just use healing zaiphon?" Alex thought.
The man stared down at her, and blankly replied, "Sorry, this isn't a shelter for strangers." He shut the door.
"What the hell?" swore Alex. She blinked, realizing her mistake and quickly said, "I didn't mean it like that! I'm sorry! Hey! I want to speak to the head of the house here!"
"Why?" the man's muffled voice came through the door. Alex blinked, fuming.
"Just listen to my story!" Alex said, exasperated. Suddenly, she felt her collar tighten around her, and she was being lifted into the air.
"Hurry home little girl," a new person said, who held Alex from her collar. Angrily, Alex summoned her manipulation zaiphon and manipulated the person away from her, towards the door. The door collapsed under the weight of the person and the speed he was coming at.
"Nicely done," Lazarus commented.
"Thank you,"Alex snidely thought back. Felsen's tips did come in handy. Meanwhile, the butler looked aghast at the damage.
"It has nothing to do with Seele!" Alex quickly said, hoping the man would change his mind and just let her in.
"Then it has nothing to do with Seele!" the butler roared, "Just go home girl! Leave!"
"Do you even know what the land of Seele is in the first place?" the butler asked, in a gentler tone.
"Well yes," admitted Alex, recalling Felsen's words, "A criminal that is guilty of a crime can go there and get purified and they get to meet god!"
The butler adjusted his glasses and darkly said, "In other words, to die and meet god."
Alex blinked. Felsen never told her that part.
"It's a place that has nothing to do with a young girl like you," the butler continued, "to go to that land, confess at the seven houses of god and receive the cursed tickets...so says the legend of a thousand years." He stood up, and began to walk back into the house.
"Go home girl," the butler called over his shoulder.
"I just had some visions," Alex suddenly said, "I don't know if they are part of me, but...I was part of heaven. The reason I want to go to Seele is so that I can wish for the safety and the well-being of all the people I care about."
She looked down at her hands; they seemed so dirty...funny, they were clean this morning. "It's not just that," Alex admitted, "I also want to know the truth. If you can't speak the truth, then your heart can't open." She thought of Teito, Mikage, and Lazarus.
The butler stared down at Alex and finally sighed. "Good grief, I've never heard of a brat like that going to Seele." He motioned to her to come inside, and called out, "A visitor!"
"Thank you!" Alex gratefully said, and followed him inside.
"If that is the true objective, the house of god won't deny those going to the land of Seele. Only if they were seeking self-destruction, they would be refused," the butler informed. Alex jumped when the doors behind her slammed shut.
"There is only one way now," Lazarus said, "You have to go forward."
"Welcome," the butler said, bowing, "This way." He walked forward, revealing two flight of stairs. Alex didn't stare at the size of the stairs or the house, but rather at the mark at the top of the ceiling.
"That is the mark of Fest," Lazarus explained.
Alex noticed some whispering at the side. Turning, she noticed a slightly ajar door. She walked towards it, and slowly opened it. "Hello," Alex began, when she saw an old man, "My name is Alexandra Night, and I'm here to obtain the cursed ticket from here."
"What are you doing you idiot!" the butler cried, and grabbed her. Alex indignantly coughed and tried to squeeze out of his grasp.
"D..do you know about the cursed tickets?" Alex asked.
"Seilan, if you brought him into the house, then it's no problem," the old man began, "I am the head of the Hausen house, Xingfa Hausen."
"The cursed tickets are things without a form," Xingfa explained. Alex stopped squirming, as Xingfa continued, "It is custom for those who hope to go to Seele to search for them on their own. Those who give up and go back to the original world are many. You may go freely about this estate."
"Seilan," Xingfa directed, "Go and get some of young master Xinglu's clothing and give it to her." Seilan nodded. Xingfa tapped his cane onto the ground, and three people appeared. Alex recognized one of them as the person who held her by the collar earlier.
"Make preparations for dinner," Xingfa ordered. He turned around and left.
"Wait...I'm staying here overnight?"Alex thought.
"It's better than going out and trying to travel overnight," Lazarus said, "By now they might have alerted all the cities and districts about you."
Alex agreed, and hurried to catch up with Seilan.
"Who's Master Xinglu?" Alex asked.
"He's the master of the house," snapped Seilan.
"Why's he being so rude?" Alex thought, "I just asked a question."
"Young Master Xinglu passed away ten years ago, however," Seilan remarked. There was a short period of silence, and Alex stared at the many portraits that were hanging on the wall.
"This house bears the mark of Fest,"Alex thought, "But what do the seven ghosts have to do with the houses of god?"
"When Verloren came down to earth, the seven ghosts were sent down," Lazarus explained, "to continue to protect the seal on Verloren, they have to remain in this world. In order to coexist with the people in this world, they took on human form to live. Before long, they became tied to humans, and are said to have built families. So in other words, the houses of god inherit the blood of the seven ghosts, so they are 'the family of god'."
"It can't be! The people of the houses of god inherit the powers of the seven ghosts?" Alex exclaimed out loud.
Seilan looked back at her strangely, and she flushed. "You mean you didn't know that?" Seilan remarked, "The people of the houses of god do not inherit the abilities of the seven ghosts. The houses of god are selected by the emperor and the pope to be responsible for this country's most serious matters."
"Be careful how you conduct yourself," Lazarus warned. They arrived at a room, and Seilan opened the door, revealing a normal bedroom.
"Use this room as you wish," Seilan said.
"Thank you," Alex replied. She walked in, and stared around at the room.
"The bath is here," Seilan pointed out, "Here are the clothes."
"I don't need them," Alex quietly said, "I'm fine—"
"Please change into clothing appropriate for the Hausen House," Seilan quietly interjected, and Alex got the silent message. She nodded, and Seilan bowed. He left silently, leaving Alex alone in the room.
March 29th, 2143: 4:10 PM—
"Interesting," thought Ayanami as he receded out of Hyuuga's mind. That soldier clearly knew Alexandra Night; he claimed Alexandra Night to be his "sister", but Ayanami didn't believe his alibi.
"It's obvious he's lying," Ayanami thought, "But then what is his relationship with her?"If the soldier was looking for Alexandra, then it's clear that Alexandra must have run away from him.
"Alexandra Night wasn't put on a high priority than Teito Klein," thought Ayanami, "but her name was broadcasted over the news. Perhaps the soldier captured her initially?" He would have to wait until Hyuuga and Konatsu returned with him to get his answers.
"At least I have sent Haruse and Kuroyuri to the church to get Teito Klein," thought Ayanami. His source informed him about the clergy examinations happening soon, and Ayanami saw this as the perfect opportunity to capture Teito Klein. He wasn't foolish enough to assume that the ghosts would lower their guard on Teito Klein—at least one of them was with Teito all the time. Thanks to the sklave collar, Zehel had formed a contract with Teito Klein, complicating things somewhat. Despite that, Ayanami was still confident that Kuroyuri and Haruse would be able to successfully capture Teito Klein and bring him back.
"Hurry quickly Hyuuga," Ayanami silently commanded, "My patience is wearing thin."