[ The Saint's Cradle / October 1, 0078 13:14 ]
No amount of training could prepare Teana for what she saw as they entered the reactor room.
The first thing she noticed was Commander Harlaown's motionless body on the catwalk just to the right of them, held up by a young blonde woman with mismatched eyes and a strange blue-black Barrier Jacket—it wasn't until later that she had recognized Captain Nanoha's daughter. But at that moment, her gaze was drawn towards two figures on her left. One she recognized as Knight Signum and the other was…
"Commander Yagami!" she gaped.
She felt Shamal's body tense as she raised her head.
"Shamal!" Signum rushed to her fellow knight, supporting her from the other side. "What on earth… Hayate, we have to do something!"
"There is only one thing I can do," Hayate gave Shamal a sad look. "Shamal, do you recognize me?"
Shamal peered at her in disbelief and sighed.
"It is really Hayate, Shamal!" Signum said hastily. "She came back to us!"
"I believe you," Shamal's whisper was almost inaudible.
"Then come back to me, my knights," Hayate opened her arms to them.
Shamal sighed again, and then Teana felt her body fall limp against hers, as a dim celadon Linker Core floated from Shamal's chest into Hayate's palm, closely followed by a Zafira's blue one. Gently, Teana and Signum lowered the knight's dead body onto the floor. Next to them, Subaru silently put down the body of a great blue-white wolf. As they turned to Hayate, she pressed both Linker Cores to her chest. They were absorbed immediately.
"Commander Hayate, how…"
"I am sorry, girls," she said tiredly. "I don't have time to explain. Let's settle for 'it is a miracle' right now. We have to…"
But before she could finish, the wall above them burst open, and a dark crimson object was propelled through the breach, smashing hard into the red surface of the reactor.
"Heh, didn't I already trash this thing?" A small girl with a war hammer propped herself up on the reactor exterior. "Hayate, are you done here? I could use some help."
It was Vice-Captain Vita. Teana felt her brain short-circuit as it accepted beyond reasonable doubt that coming back from the dead was a trivial thing.
Meanwhile, another tiny girl floated through the hole in the wall. This one Teana was certain she didn't recognize. She had long blonde hair, large golden eyes and likewise golden and purple clothes. As she entered, she threw a look full of contempt around the room.
"What a zoo," she sighed. "But I guess I'll have to clean up the mess later. For now, I'd like to have the Crown."
She peered at Signum, who was still wearing the silvery band on her head.
"No," Hayate interrupted her. "If you want to take it by force, you'll have to fight all of us."
"Granted, that wouldn't be particularly hard," the girl scowled. "But still a hassle. What do you suggest, anomaly?"
Hayate turned to Signum.
"Signum, abdicate in my favor."
The knight's face revealed she was as dumbfounded by the order as everyone else.
"Abdicate? Hayate, I am not sure…"
"This girl called you 'the King That Was'. I don't know what that means but this may be our chance."
"Oh, alright," Signum looked around awkwardly, then raised her eyes up at the girl in gold and said: "I, Signum, abdicate all… my titles and… lands to Hayate Yagami, Queen of the Night Sky."
The girl scowled but said nothing as she shifted her gaze to Vivio.
"Now you, Vivio-chan," Hayate called out.
Nanoha's daughter gently put Commander Harlaown's head down onto the floor and stood up.
"I, Vivio Takamachi, clone and successor of Sankt Kaiser Olivie Sägebrecht, abdicate the throne and the crown of Belkan Empire to Hayate Yagami, Queen of the Night Sky!"
"Now, Signum, give me the Crown," Hayate ordered.
As everyone watched in utter silence, Signum walked towards her mistress, taking off the silvery band as she went, and placed it onto Hayate's head.
"I, Hayate Yagami, Queen of the Night Sky, accept your abdications and am henceforth Hayate I, Sankt Kaiser of the New Belkan Empire!"
"You think it's this easy, then?" The girl in gold let out a scornful laugh.
"Oh, but it is," Hayate assured her with a smile. "Now, come and surrender to me your power."
"Not happening," the girl glared at her. "Even with the Kaiserkrone on your head, you're nothing but an anomaly."
"An anomaly, you say?" Hayate was still smiling. "And how exactly are you different from me?"
The girl in gold recoiled and looked at her with what looked almost like fear.
"It was scary, wasn't it?" Hayate spoke again. "Being born in the middle of a battle with so many people trying to kill you? It's no wonder you defended yourself… We did almost kill you before you killed us, I can't deny that. And after that, all you wanted was for someone to be your helmsman and your guardian, to teach you about the world you've been born into, didn't you? But Vivio is just a child. She knows even less about this world than you do, and it would have never worked out. But I am different. I will be a good King and guardian to you, I promise."
"There's no way I'll accept you," the girl in gold whispered.
"You will," Hayate shook her head. "You are not the first lonely little girl I saved from herself."
Very slowly and timidly, the girl floated down to the floor and near Hayate. Teana sensed Signum tense up as she did.
"Will you be a good master to me?" The girl asked, looking up at Hayate's face.
"I will," Hayate nodded.
"I… don't know what to do," the girl said helplessly.
Hayate stepped forward, embracing her tightly, and whispered:
"Assuming direct control."