Vita gazed up at the ceiling of the hospital wing through a fog of lethargy as she lay strapped securely into her bed. Two colours, blue and white, captivating her as the drugs did their work. A vaguely-painted wallpaper of clouds and birds, seeping into her mind as the red-haired Guardian Knight began to drift away from the world. For once, she was glad to be able to rest. There was too much fighting and pain in this world.
No more fighting, she decided, her eyes beginning to close. Just need to lie back and relax until everything calms down again. Sometimes the pain gets too much for you, and you just want it all to end so you can go back to sleep.
"Is there anything I can get you, Vita-chan?" said the kindly nurse at the bedside, leaning in gently towards the Velka Knight. "Don't worry if you're feeling drowsy. The painkillers are just taking effect." She patted Vita on the arm reassuringly. "You're going to be just fine. Now, just relax your muscles whilst I give you your medicine."
Sleep dulled the red-haired mage's senses as she eased back on the bed completely, stretching out as much as the straps would allow. The sharp stab of the syringe punctured her left arm, but Vita barely felt it as she snuggled into a wave of relaxation. More injections, one after the other, every day of the week...after a while the pain didn't bother any more. If she was able to see Hayate and everyone back home when all this was finished, it would all be worth it.
Nevertheless, even under the influence of the sleep-inducing drugs, Vita couldn't help but feel that something was a little out of place. Doctors and nurses, coming to visit her at all hours of the day, keeping her up to date on the scale of her recovery and assuring her that she would be up and about in no time.
And yet...none of her friends had come to visit her. Not Nanoha, not Subaru, not even Signum or anyone at all. Maybe they were all extremely busy? Vita couldn't recall how long she'd spent in this hospital bed alone, but it felt like she'd been here...forever. But still...to not hear a word from any of them. She kept trying to ask the doctors about her friends, but every time she opened her mouth to say something, the cloud of drugs in her system forced her back down. It was a little annoying, but Vita knew she did have to get better.
It's strange. The last time I was in hospital for any length of time, I was itching to get up and about, always wanting some action. I could never stay still. And now I don't mind if I'm strapped down to the bed. Why is that?
Vita had never seen any other patients enter this ward. She frowned as she thought about it; there were about twenty beds lied up against the wall, and yet she was the only person in here. Was the hospital really that short of people to treat? Surely there were others as unwell as her. It was strange, but she wasn't about to complain about it. Being stuck in the same room as a bunch of strangers wouldn't sit very nicely with Vita.
She raised her head woozily, for a second, and that was when the Guardian Knight saw something that she couldn't explain, no matter how powerful the drugs inside her were.
The nurse was administering an injection into Vita's right arm, and only her right arm...but the brief pain from the syringe was occurring in her left.
For a moment, the red-haired mage was completely confused. Then she thought...Wait, no. I've heard about this from Shamal. She called it...referred pain? It's when your body is hurt in one place, but you feel pain in a completely different area. That makes sense, surely?
Vita stared down at the portion of her right arm that the nurse was injecting into. There were no marks or puncture wounds to show where the syringe had made its entry.
But when she turned to look at her left arm...there were tiny holes all the way down her forearm. She felt another stab of pain...and another hole appeared, as if an invisible syringe had just bitten down into her skin...
This can't be real. The nurse is at my other arm. This can't...
Vita didn't feel sleepy anymore. The peaceful wallpaper on the ceiling of clouds and birds was beginning to go hazy and out of focus, along with the rest of the world around her. Colours were merging and joining with shadows, so that the image of the nurse was completely distorted and was sucked away into nothing...
This isn't real! None of this is real!
There were lights buzzing around her head, flashing down onto her left arm. Vta became aware of them as she forced her eyes open, eyes that hurt from being closed for so long. Awakening from a coma which had almost become eternity for her. The light of the wormhole had taken her away into unconsciousness, away from Signum and the rest of her friends after battling Red Scorpion.
No wonder she didn't receive any visitors or cards whilst hospitalised. There was no one who knew she was here. The hospital bed and the drugs were real enough. Everything else was a dream world induced by the chemicals surging inside her system...
Where am I? Where is this?!
Vita felt the cold hard leather of a hospital bed underneath her, just like in the dream, but there was no relaxation or comfort here, nothing but the peril of a lasting nightmare. No straps to held her down, fortunately – whoever was keeping her here was relying on the drugs to keep her in a coma indefinitely. But as her pulse escalated, Vita could see her breath misting up the screen of a plastic mask in front of her...yes, a bloated mask wedged onto her face, along with multiple tubes coming out of her body...
A vicious stab into her left arm. Yes, her left. Not the professional operation of a kindly nurse, but the savage thrust of a hunched-over figure in a white coat, holding a metal scalpel in one hand...
With a scream of revulsion, Vita swung her right arm up and tore the wretched mask of her face, swinging it into the face of the man cutting into her arm. As he doubled back in completely surprise, the Velka Knight ripped the tubes out of her body, leaving suction holes across the length of her skin. The whole premise made her sick.
The hunchback had recovered from his initial surprise, the scalpel lifting up in one hand again. Vita shot off the hospital bed, kicking it over behind with an unsavoury clash, and chopped at the man's wrist with the side of her hand so that the scalpel dropped from nerveless fingers. Fear and dread added to her anger as she grabbed the man by the throat and squeezed.
"What the hell's going on?" she yelled. "How did I get here?" There was no intelligible reply from her cloaked captive, and Vita shook him hard before throwing the man to the floor, knowing her life could depend on this. "Answer me! Where am I?"
Her dream had seemed so real because the setting was almost identical to where she really stood right now. A hospital ward with rows and rows of beds...only this time, the beds were filled with people. Dozens and dozens of motionless bodies of people with masks wedged over their faces and multitudes of tubes slotted into their bodies, just like with her...and many of them looked like they had been here for a long time...
This can't be happening. What kind of hospital is this? What are they doing to these people?
The faint sound of a blade dragging across the ceramic floor alerted Vita to the attacker behind her. She whirled round as the hunchback surgeon lunged at her with a crazed expression, the scalpel dashing down in an overhead attack. The Guardian Knight grabbed his wrist and wrenched across, hurling the scalpel out of reach before ramming her fist across the maniac's skull. The man dropped heavily against the side of a medical cabinet, out cold.
For moments that seemed to last on forever, Vita felt herself breathing heavily, hands balled into fists. What was going on? Disturbingly enough, this was still a hospital in every meaning of the word. Medical implements lined the walls, and the cabinets and shelves were well-stocked with supplies, antibiotics, ointments...the ward itself was a mini-pharmacy in itself.
Vita's left arm felt as if it were on fire, the pain coming back to her all at once now that she was no longer being affected by the surgeon's drugs. Her forearm had been literally ripped open, raw with the constant number of contusions and wounds from where the hunchback had repeatedly stabbed her. Why? What was the point, other than to hurt her whilst she lay unconscious? At the same time, someone had been lacing her with those drugs to keep her in the dark...
Suddenly she heard the rush of footsteps, coming thick and fast towards her. Someone must have heard the scuffle, Vita realised. From the sounds of it, there were a great number of people running towards the ward. She had to get out of here whilst she still could.
Just in time, Vita remembered Graf Eisen. If she was going to spend another minute of her life being vulnerable to attack...no, she could feel her trusty device hanging around her neck. Whoever had taken her here had not bothered to remove it. She was safe in that respect, though endangered in all others.
But if I run from this place now, I'll be leaving all these people behind, the Velka Knight thought, her gaze falling on the many beds of people which filled the ward. Ordinary people who still had a mask clamped to their face and tubes filling them with chemicals. People who might not wake up if she walked away now. There isn't enough time to save them. Can I stand my ground and fight whoever's behind all this? I could fight off my enemies and still save these people. Is there any chance of that?
More and more footsteps, turning into what sounded like the rush of an angry horde. Humans, definitely, but not friendly ones judging by the speed of their passing. Vita hesitated in the doorway, wondering if she dared risk it.
No, she decided. If I fight here, the people in the beds could get hurt. And to fight so many, outnumbered on all sides, whilst defending myself all alone...I need to get out of this hellish hospital. That's the first thing to do, because I'm in unknown territory and I could get myself killed if I don't think straight. Once I get my bearings and find out where Nanoha and the others are, we can all come back here to save these people. We'll have a much better chance of succeeding then.
It wasn't an easy decision to make, but Vita knew in her heart that if she did attempt to fight against impossible odds and was defeated, then it would all be for nothing. She had to think strategically, like Hayate. She wasn't Nanoha, after all. She couldn't save everyone just when she wanted to.
Damn it, Vita cursed, sprinting out of the ward and into the hallway.
The lights were dimming as she ran through the corridors, desperately trying to find a way out. Vita glimpsed the figure of several men in white coats turning the corner, their eyes lighting up as they saw her. She didn't need to see the bloodied scalpels and syringes in their hands to know that they were not the kind of people you wanted treatment from.
Vita ducked into a side-corridor, keen to avoid them if she could – the horrendous noise from upstairs was now almost deafening. If she had to stop to fight even one of these "doctors", then the weight of numbers would quickly overcome her. Her heart in her mouth, the Velka Knight kicked out at every door that she ran past, yielding nothing but empty storerooms and the bodies of more comatose patients.
More and more doctors filled the corridor, scores of them. She was taking too long to find the exit. As Vita ran past the last room, she saw a pair of double doors open up into a wider passage, lending a fragment of hope to her plight. This could be the way out at last! The air was harsh against her throat, her left forearm burning in agony as Vita accidentally brushed it against the metal hinges.
Four of the doctors cut her off in those few seconds, whipping their blades towards her neck to put her out for good. There was no time to transform; Vita spun around on the heel of her foot as the nearest blow missed and sliced at the back of her neck instead of her throat. She gave thanks for her small height, using it to her advantage as she used the same chopping motion on two of the doctors to disarm them completely.
Suddenly Vita felt a strong arm around her throat and the prickling of a needle against her skin; someone wanted her taken alive and forced back into submission. She gritted her teeth and elbowed the man hard in the stomach, then seized hold of his wrist and used it as a pivotal point to whirl his body round into the wall. The Velka Knight grabbed at the needle as it fell, shot her leg out against another approaching assailant to trip him up and stabbed the syringe into the doctor's lower leg as he fell. She grabbed hold of Graf Eisen, trying to transform, but more of the men in white coats were running down the hallway towards her. There was no time to lose.
How many of them there are? Vita thought breathlessly, and then a flash of realisation came to her, forming in a grin cross her face. No, it doesn't matter. In the end, they're only human. I can't even detect any magic from them. I just need to find a few seconds to transform properly, and they won't be any trouble at all. Even those syringes of theirs won't get through my Barrier Jacket.
She lashed out with her foot and kicked the nearest man in the face, then shoved the double doors open to reveal...
Another ward.
For a moment, Vita's face fell, but then she saw there was something different about this room. For one thing, it was almost twice the size of the one she had woken up in...and it contained only three beds.
The Velka Knight's eyes widened as she saw that the beds contained Hayate, Subaru and Caro. There was no mistake about it – she would recognise her friends' faces anywhere. This was no trick or illusion, no matter how much she wanted it to be...
No!
All three mages were fitted with the same masks and tubes as all the other patients throughout the hospital. Vita's face drained of colour as she ran over to them, heedless of any danger. Before she knew what she was doing, she had grabbed Hayate's body from her hospital bed, tearing off the brittle mask and yanking the tubes out as if her life depended on it.
Not Hayate. Not her! I wanted to see her again, but not like this! How could this have happened? Hayate's supposed to be safe and sound at the Bureau, not...not in a place like...Caro, too...
The Velka Knight pressed the palm of her hand against Hayate's cheek and found it to be warm. She was still alive, but there was still no movement throughout the mage's body. Vita felt herself beginning to panic – she couldn't possibly carry all three of her friends out of the hospital if none of them woke up soon...
"Hayate! Hayate, wake up!" She didn't know what to do to help the mage. How did you wake someone out of a coma? Pour cold water on their face? Slap them out of unconsciousness? Vita had never needed Shamal's help so badly before, and she wasn't going to receive it now. "Hayate, please wake up! There's no time!"
The double doors of the ward flew open as scores of doctors began to file in, scalpels and syringes at the ready. Vita didn't need to turn around. The situation was hopeless. Or at least...it used to be. Gently, she laid Hayate's unconscious body back down on the leather bed, then turned around to confront her foes.
Over a hundred doctors filled the huge ward, weapons at the ready as they stared at her intently. Vita swallowed despite herself. She'd known that there were a lot of them, but this many? Even Graf Eisen might have some trouble dealing with them, especially at close range. And to fight all of them off by herself without getting Hayate or the others hurt at all...this wasn't going to be easy. But she knew it was definitely possible.
"Graf Eisen," she chanted. "Set Up."
None of the doctors blinked an eye as the red-haired girl transformed into her Velka Knight form before their eyes, from her red and black Barrier Jacket to the intimidating form of Graf Eisen's might hammer, swinging around by her hands.
She watched her foes for a moment, a feral grin on her face. "What's wrong?" Vita taunted them, feeling a spot of relief at the fact that she might actually be able to make it out of this place alive. "Scared? You've never fought a Guardian Knight of the Wolkenritter before?"
The doctors stared down at her with vacant eyes in silence for another moment.
"Wolkenritter," one of them repeated in a monotone. His voice turned gutteral, beastlike. "Guthrkash segrundr sagbtir."
Another doctor stepped forward, their face bared in a snarl. "Savendr kulesk. Tavrni ka Oguba!"
Vita stepped back in horror as the first doctor's face melted apart, almost disintegrating into the air. He was changing before her, changing into something inhuman. Wild red hair grew over his body as he reared upwards on feet which were now carved of metal. Beastly yellow eyes glared hatefully from a canine face, hooks and barbs extending from his chest, each of which dripped with vile poison. Two rows of monstrous teeth extended from a hungry jaw as it licked its lips, coming down on all fours.
The doctor beside him was changing too, into something completely different. Drafted wings extended out of its back and his flesh turned black. Snakelike tendrils curled out from hands that turned into cruel claws, sweeping across the air to slaughter anything which came close. Rows of tiny segmented spikes emerged from its rough outer body as it approached, a deep growling in its throat.
And then all of the other doctors in the room transformed too in a mixture of mutations and nightmarish monsters, howling and roaring towards the ceiling of the ward. The scalpels and syringes were dropped to the floor and quickly smashed to pieces as Vita found herself in a room full of hell as she had never seen it before. Some towered towards the ceiling with huge muscular arms and mace-like fists; others hard twice the usual number of eyes or limbs and flew round in a circle with blades and teeth gnashing eagerly. Over a hundred of these monsters, each and every one of them stalking towards her with bloodthirsty intent to tear Vita apart.
She couldn't back down. She couldn't run away, not with Hayate, Subaru and Caro vulnerable in the beds behind her. If she tried to escape – and she would be hard-pressed to get anywhere near the doors with so many of these creatures on her tail – then her friends would be dead meat in a matter of seconds.
Vita swallowed and wiped a beat of sweat off her brow. She was no longer in control of the situation. All she could do now was fight...until she could fight no more.
Vita had never tried to predict the future before, but at a moment like this where she might potentially be in the last fight she'd ever live to see, she could tell what the outcome of this battle was going to be. She wasn't going to win. But when had something like that ever stopped her?
The Velka Knight swung Graf Eisen up in front of her, bracing herself.
"Bring it," she whispered, ready for anything as the first of the ghoulish monsters charged at her in a full-frontal assault...
Signum awoke to find her eyes battered by a swirl of muddy green colours, making her head spin and worsening the nausea from the passage through the wormhole. She tried to blink away the dizziness, but her eyelids wouldn't move. Hesitantly, the Velka Knight attempted to move the rest of her body, slowly, one step at a time. She still felt the aches and pains across her arms, face and chest, but all of those were due to wounds sustained from fighting Red Scorpion. They were nothing new. Nevertheless, the seriousness of her injuries threatened to drive her into unconsciousness if she didn't have them treated soon...
She pushed her body forward and came up against something hard, something which smelled of dirt, earth and the natural smell of soil, the taste of autumn wafting into her mouth. Signum pushed back in the opposite direction and felt herself lift...upwards. She found that she was able to blink again, and the dizziness begin to pass...
Oh, I get it. I'm lying on the ground.
The Velka Knight was crouched in a kneeling position above a patch of soil – her body had been pressed so hard into the rocky earth that her eyes had been forced open in the same position. With her senses returned to her, the world was no longer sideways in her mind. Signum picked herself up as best as she could, brushing soil and twigs off her face, ignoring the stress of her battle wounds. The way things were going, she needed a rest and a wash.
What had happened? How did she get here?
The caverns. Rescuing Vita from Red Scorpion. Oguba's multiple portals opening up everywhere before mysteriously closing up again. Time magic going out of control. Defeating Grylmark the First. And then...the blinding light which came down from above, swallowing everything up in its path, including themselves...Signum still didn't know what that light had been, but it had definitely been connected to Oguba. Somehow, she had been transported in time and space, perhaps even to a different dimension. She could only guess.
The last thing I remember before the white light took me away was discovering that Ungore's body had vanished, and being separated from Vita. Where is she? Did that light bring her here, too? She has to be around here too -
Signum took two steps forward before she saw Erio's body...lying over a gravestone. Her mouth opened in shock. Erio? She recalled how she had managed to catch hold of the young forward's arm just before the wormhole had taken them away, resulting in the boy being dragged along with her.
Erio's eyes were closed and he didn't seem to be breathing. His body was bent over backwards over the gravestone, his mouth open slightly on one side with his head resting against the soil, one arm bent over in a crooked position...
The Velka Knight felt alarm bells go off in her head. Was he dead? Had the journey through the wormhole been too much of him, more than his body could stand?
"Erio!" she cried, rushing forward to pick him up, fearing she might be too late. "Erio, wake up - "
The red-haired boy opened an eye and yawned, stretching as he rolled off the gravestone with ease.
"Hello, Signum-san," he said brightly. "I was asleep. Did I worry you?"
The Guardian Knight stopped short, a mixture of relief and indignation rushing through her. Asleep? she fumed. In that kind of position? Is this how he normally sleeps? With an effort, she maintained her composure, not wanting to show her concern. The boy had really given her a fright for a moment there, almost without realising it. After what had nearly happened to Vita, Signum had had enough of scares for a long time.
"Yes, a little," she said stiffly. "I thought you were dead."
Erio's mouth opened in surprise. "Me?" He looked down at his perfectly healthy body with an expression of innocence. "But - "
"You were sleeping on a gravestone in a really uncomfortable position," Signum said challengingly.
The forward drew back defensively. "I was stretching at the same time."
"You also weren't breathing."
Erio pouted. "I can't help that I breathe deeply and slowly when I sleep. I'm fine, Signum-san. I just - " His eyes went wide as he stood up straight, one hand going to his back. "Ow!"
"What is it?" Signum said critically.
"I just...I just got a backache. Ow." Erio went to sit down next to the gravestone. "I think I need to sit down..."
The Velka Knight rubbed her eyes achingly, wondering at the boy's logic. Anyone who slept in that kind of position was going to get a pain in their back soon enough. Besides, the scale of Signum's own injuries already threatened to make her black out within the hour, permitting a distinct lack of sympathy from her end. The two of them didn't have time to sit around – they needed to find Vita's whereabouts.
Nightfall had settled within this region, making it difficult to see where they were, but Signum trusted her instincts enough to be able to tell that they were back on Earth. Home, though not a home she had needed to visit for many years now. Would they still be able to make contact with the Time-Space Administration Bureau? Would Hayate and the others be waiting for them? Maybe the light had been a blessing after all.
Signum squinted through the semi-darkness, barely able to glimpse anything other than a half-open metal gate and a short brick wall. A pedestrian walkway led round to the main road, highlighting a row of houses. Civilisation, Signum thought in relief. That's a good sign. Despite all this, the Guardian Knight couldn't make out another living soul in viewing distance – she couldn't even detect any life-signs with her own magic. Even the roads were empty of cars.
It looks as if it's only just beginning to get dark. It can't be that late in the evening. Where are all the people? Why aren't there any cars out on the street? Even the Bureau would still be bustling with activity at this time. Something feels wrong here...
In any case, they weren't going to be able to find Vita like this. She had obviously been taken away to another location – if she was even still alive – and it would be too dark to locate her. Signum refused to give up on her friend. Vita had to be out there somewhere, still fighting. They would just have to take their time and find a way to track her. It would be a tedious process, but there was no other way round it, and it was better than stumbling around in the dark and getting nowhere.
We're clearly on Earth, even if our circumstances are strange. We just have to make sure to contact the Bureau for help to locate Vita. They probably won't be able to help until morning, so in the meantime we need to get our bearings and find out exactly where we are on Earth. It feels like Uminari City, but I can't be sure.
"Stay safe, Vita," Signum murmured to herself. "I'll find you again, no matter how long it takes. Just do me a favour and don't wander right into the heart of the enemy again."
She carefully stepped over the gravestone that Erio had been sleeping on before...and stepped right into another grave.
Signum cast a suspicious glance to the left and sighted another gravestone, and another. A whole row of them, in fact. She raised Laevatein higher, so that the magic at its tip could grant her extra light. Dozens of gravestones were revealed around them in a solid square, curving around to end at the metal gates.
"Erio," she said slowly. "Get up."
"I'm asleep," came the response from the figure lying on the grass. "I'm tired."
"Erio, you're sleeping in a cemetery."
The forward got to his feet in a shot, alarm in his eyes as he saw the scores of graves that littered the grounds, highlighted sharply by Signum's magic. The two of them had woken up in the middle of a graveyard. It seemed painfully obvious in view of the fact that Erio had been sleeping on a gravestone himself, but it hadn't dawned on the two of them of just how many more graves were here with them. This wasn't just a simple memorial to a dead relative – it was a massive cemetery.
On another note, there was no reason why the light of the wormhole to have taken them here to a deserted graveyard, rather than anywhere else in Uminari City. There was simply no connection. Nobody they knew had died recently, after all. Was it all completely random? Or was there some other reason why they had been brought here specifically?
"Where are we?" Erio said worriedly.
"Uminari City, if my instincts are right," Signum said mildly. "I've lived long enough to know this place when I see it. If it's not Uminari City, then it's a very good imitation. I don't think we're in any danger at the moment, but keep your guard up, Erio. Something's wrong – the area seems completely deserted. It's like a ghost town."
The forward listened intently to the silence around them for several seconds. No sign of wildlife amongst the surrounding trees; no sounds of people chatting to each other as they walked along the street; no recurrent noise of the rush-hour of traffic at this hour. Only the whistling of the wind remained, blowing past their faces to grace them with its chilling presence.
"You're right, Signum-san," Erio said in awe, holding Strada up in both hands to stare across into the darkness warily. "It's all so silent. Too silent."
The Velka Knight nodded curtly. "We need to get to the Bureau." She wasn't going to last much longer on her feet any more anyway, not until she managed to find Shamal for recovery magic. "I don't know what's happened to make the city so quiet, but this graveyard is spooking me out. Let's get out of here."
"Right," the forward agreed, turning around to follow her towards the cemetery gates. There was nothing for them here, and it was a little disturbing to dwell too long among the graves of the dead.
As they made their way along the graveyard path, Erio felt as if some hellish creature might rise up out of the ground to attack them from behind. He glanced around from side to side uneasily, Strada drawn up against his body to protect himself from such an ambush. Fortunately, such thoughts were just down to his overactive imagination, the atmosphere of the cemetery leading him to see ghosts at every turn. No enemies appeared from behind the gravestones. No one attacked them. Instead the eerie silence continued, following them all the way to the exit.
The great gates creaked noisily as Signum pulled them open, loud enough to wake the dead, but still nothing untoward happened. Erio breathed a sigh of relief, reassuring himself that everything was still normal. They were on Earth, after all. They were back in their own universe, safe and sound. He just had to relax and take things easy. Maybe he could visit Caro at the hospital when they got back to the Bureau, even though he really needed to sleep...
They were almost out of the cemetery completely when Erio''s eyes chanced upon a particularly prominent grave, right at the entrance. There was an entire plot dedicated to it, and the headstone was much bigger, making it stand out from all the others.
His eyes widened when he saw what it said. They couldn't possibly be in Uminari City. This was all wrong.
"Signum-san..." Erio stammered, his hand shaking as he pointed to the giant gravestone. "Look..."
The Velka Knight looked at him curiously for a moment, then turned towards where he was pointing. The words engraved on the stone stood out as if etched on time:
R.I.P.
IN LOVING MEMORY OF
FATE TESTAROSSA
0056 - 0063
May she find the peace that her family could not.
Though she breathes no more, her legacy to the House of Testarossa will live on.
Signum's blood ran cold as she touched the side of the headstone gently, as if trying to determine whether it was real. It didn't make sense. None of this made any sense. Not the graveyard, not the empty streets and strange empty silence of the city, and certainly not...this.
Fate? How could she...how could she be buried here? What's going on? What kind of world have we been thrust into?
She tried to find some kind of explanation. Fate, dead in the ground before her. The woman she had fought against once before at the Book of Darkness Incident until they became fast friends and trained side-by-side as part of the Time-Space Administration Bureau. The strange white light from the other world had brought all of them back to Earth, hadn't it? It would also have affected Nanoha and Fate.
What if...what if Fate hadn't been brought back to Earth or even Mid-childa with them? What if something had happened to her in the transition? Would history be changed? It was clear enough that time had been messed up badly already, but...a Mid-childa without Fate in it...
That's not all, Signum realised, leaning forward to read the inscription more closely. The date on the stone here says...it claims that Fate only lived to her seventh birthday. But when I met Fate for the first time...she was already older than that. And her mother made her as a clone of Alicia, meaning she would start at that age. How could she possibly die before that?
"That can't be Fate," Signum said in a hushed tone. She would not believe it. There were so many things that didn't even start to add up. If Fate was indeed buried under here...it wasn't a Fate that they knew. The girl who had died here was younger even than Fate's starting age. No, it definitely could not be her. "It's not her," the Velka Knight said quietly, then raised her voice as she tried to say it more confidently. "No, it can't be her. It has to be somebody else buried here. The dates are all completely wrong."
"Her name's on the gravestone, Signum-san," Erio said in a frightened tone. The unexpected revelation of seeing Fate's name etched on there had put his nerves on edge, making the boy jumpy. "Why? If it's not her, then why is Fate's name on it?" He gestured to the wide expanse of the plot of the grave. Bouquets of flowers, along with cards from well-wishers, were deposited around the headstone in a neat circle. "All the people who left these flowers seem to really think it's her..."
Signum forced away the wave of dread that she could feel threatening to overcome her. She didn't know how to answer Erio's question. Deep down, this world didn't feel like Earth at all, not one little bit. The appearance of the planet was the same, maybe, but on the inside...everything had changed.
"Nanoha and Fate were part of our group when we came through the portal," she said, pulling herself together with an effort. "It's likely that they would have been brought to this world just like us. Once we find Fate, we'll know it's not her who's been buried here."
Erio took a deep breath. "And if we can't find Fate?"
"I'm not going to dwell on that option," replied the Velka Knight testily. "But whatever you do, don't let Nanoha see this grave." Signum felt her heart break at just the thought of how Nanoha would feel. "Just don't."
It would be a good idea to find Fate as soon as possible, if only to confirm that the Enforcer really was still alive and well. That would be a start – they could search for Vita and Fate with the Bureau, first thing tomorrow. The pink-haired mage felt her spirits lifted a little now that they had something to work with.
"We can't deal with all of this right now," she said decisively. "Let's get word back to the Bureau. They can look at the information we've gathered, and run a check on Fate and Vita tomorrow."
Erio nodded quickly, with a worried glance towards the sinister gravestone. "Yeah. Let's get out of this place already."
The two mages hurriedly pushed past the gates onto the main road, and stepped right into a group of four armoured men with guns pointed at their faces. None of them had made a single sound to give away their presence; they simply stood there in the middle of the street, holding the Bureau mages at gunpoint without saying a word.
Signum and Erio froze in their tracks. Neither of them had detected the presence of the men at all, startling the Bureau mages to the point that they didn't immediately attack, despite already having their devices ready in their hands. The four armoured gunsmen gave off no magical energy at all, but they weren't ordinary thugs either. It was if they fell into a unique category of their own – even now, Signum's magic assured her that nobody was standing in front of her. Something was shielding these men, and it could be dangerous.
The pink-haired mage stared at the four guns aimed right at her. Ordinary bullets wouldn't be able to get past their Barrier Jackets, and she couldn't detect any magic coming from those weapons. Then again, she couldn't sense anything coming from the gunsmen, including signs of anyone standing there at all. Frustrated, Signum focused on the men's armour instead: it was thick and unyielding, made of a strong resistant material. Definitely not something she had ever seen before, and that worried her. In the worst case scenario, the four men could be wearing armour equivalent to the defence of a standard Barrier Jacket.
"You two out for a walk tonight?" the first executor enquired, keeping his gun trained on them steadily. "A harmless scroll in the graveyard?"
"Ten minutes 'til curfew, lady," rumbled the second, barely looking down at Erio. "Put the crazy ninja sword down and make our lives a bit easier. Your wrist, if you please."
Signum looked at the man as if he were mad. "My what?" she spluttered.
"Your HX chip, lady," the executor said. He started to approach her, lowering the gun as he did so. "Just give me your wrist so I can scan the - "
The pink-haired mage lashed out almost in reflex, striking the man between the joint of his elbow and his lower forearm. He reeled back in surprise as she followed up with another thrust, knocking the gun from his other hand. Signum grabbed the unfamiliar weapon in mid-air before it could hit the ground, and then rammed its hard metal edge underneath the executor's chin.
In the space of a few seconds, she had already disarmed her opponent and reversed their positions: now she was the one holding him at gunpoint. The Velka Knight blinked in confusion before realising what had just happened. She hadn't meant to attack the man, at least not right away, but his actions had set her body moving on its own to defend herself.
"Don't touch me," she said testily, staring hard into his bewildered and frightened eyes. "I've had a really bad day."
The other executors should have started firing at her at that point, now that one of their number had gone down so quickly. Strangely enough, they didn't. Nobody tensed up, lost control of themselves, nor showed any sign of aggression. Instead, with their firearms still trained on the Bureau mages, the other men wore an expression of complete perplexity. They simply seemed confused at Signum's actions.
"Why did you do that for?" the fourth man said at last. "Are you feeling all right, lady?"
The Velka Knight looked at the gunmen in disbelief. What was wrong with this place?
"You just came out of nowhere and held me at gunpoint on a dark street at night," she said furiously, "and you're asking if I'm all right? You were on the verge of attacking me!"
"We are not here to attack you, lady," the second man said quietly in a steel-like tone. "As executors, we are not permitted to, not unless you resist arrest. We just want to see your chip."
Chip? What were these people talking about? Signum glanced at Erio for help, but the forward was just as lost as she was.
The executor that Signum had disarmed was rubbing his forearm and wrist painfully. "An attack on an executor is equivalent to an attack on Vivio Harlaown's legacy," he growled threateningly. "You could be in big trouble for this, lady. Give me my gun back and I might overlook this little accident."
"You're going to mug me for taking away your gun?"
"We are not muggers," the first executor said loudly, losing patience. "Now look here, lady. You obviously don't know how things work around here. Have you come here from a faraway planet? The officials must have explained the Harlaown Program to you at the spaceport - "
"I have no idea what any of you are talking about!" Signum exploded. "Lower your guns right now or I'll take you all on myself! I'm not in the mood for this!"
"Can I have my gun back - "
Signum tossed the gun into the air and severed it in half with Laevatein. The weapon landed in two pieces in front of the hapless executor. She stepped on it and crushed it underneath her boot as smoke curled up out of its remains.
"Let's try to calm down here," said the fourth executor between gritted teeth. "Lady, we're just asking to see your HX chip. Show your wrist to the scanner here, and if you're on the list, then you're safe from the Harlaown Program at present. We can all just walk away and pretend this never - "
"We are not!" the man next to him raged. "Did you see what she just did to my gun? Do you know how much it'll cost to replace it?"
"Shut up!" the other hissed. "We're supposed to be doing our - " He looked at his watch and groaned. "Great. Now look what you've done. It's curfew now." The executor cast a withering gaze towards Signum and Erio. "Now they'll have to be fast-tracked to the Harlaown Program on the spot. Right at the beginning of my shift, too." His face grew hard. "Sorry, lady, but you're an unlucky one tonight. I will have to ask you to come along with me to one of the detention facilities located on the - "
The Velka Knight whipped her sword round and sliced through two of the remaining guns still pointed at her. Her foot came up and bowled the first executor into his companion, their heavy armour sending them crashing down in an instant. The fourth man yelled out, panicking, and started firing, strangely-shaped bullets whizzing towards her at all angles. Signum turned to defend herself, but her body was already tiring from the pressure she'd put on it as late. Her reactions were too slow -
"Luftmesser!"
It was Erio, jumping to her rescue as he used Strada to launch fierce blades of turbulent wind at the executor, knocking off the man's aim completely and sending him tumbling. Erio dashed forward and struck his foe with the side of his spear, dealing an incapacitating blow to the executor's head.
Signum breathed heavily as she stood over the bodies of the other two she had dispatched, using Laevatein to prop her body up. Her head ached terribly and her vision was beginning to blur. If she didn't find somewhere to rest soon...
"Thanks, Erio," she mumbled, disorientated. "I've had enough of this. Let's get to the - "
"Backup! Backup!" shrieked a voice behind them.
The two of them turned to see the last executor, the one which Signum had initially disarmed, shouting into a tiny communicator at the side of his mouth. The Guardian Knight cursed and reached for her sword.
"Backup! Red alert!" the executor yelled, crawling away on his hands and knees as the Bureau mages came forward to silence him. "Two unknown individuals have just attacked Beta Squad 36 in Uminari City and wiped out our entire group in a completely unprovoked assault! They have also broken curfew and are to be fast-tracked directly to the Harlaown Program! Send backup at once to - "
Erio grabbed the communicator from the executor's cheek and snapped it into pieces. As the man backed away whimpering, he lifted Strada to dispatch him properly, but Signum shook her head wearily. Already, they could hear the sounds of marching in the distance, shots being fired out at random. More executors were coming, reinforcements to take them on in full force. Even now, crowds of them were emerging from the end of the street in their masses, enough of them to form a miniature army. There were so many of them that the ground shook slightly with the sound of their constant marching.
Too many to fight by far, Signum thought, even if they did have Vita with them. Maybe if Nanoha was here to help them out, they might have stood a chance of striking back. The executor's words on the communicator worried her, however...especially when this small group had called themselves "Beta Squad 36". And just in Uminari City alone? Just how many of them were there? Were there executors all over Mid-childa as well?
"Maybe we can hide in the dark," Erio said hopefully.
Shots began sounding louder and louder towards them, bullets burying themselves in the surrounding trees. The executor who was still conscious was crawling as far away from the approaching mob as he could.
"No," Signum said darkly, holding her head up with an effort. She took several deep breaths to clear her head, forcing herself forward. "I don't have the energy to fly both of us to safety, and we probably won't make it to the Bureau if we really are in Uminari City. My Barrier Jacket is about to give out." She gripped the boy's shoulder as she bit down into her lip, pain filling her with the adrenaline she needed. "Erio. Don't worry about me. You find your own way out of here."
"I..." The forward hesitated, seeing what a state the Velka Knight was in. "I can't just leave you, Signum-san - "
"I'll be fine. You worry about yourself." Signum pushed him forward. "Run!"
She watched the red-haired boy disappear down the street, and then sprinted away down a different side-street. Signum didn't want to be separated from yet another one of her companions, but the sheer number of executors coming after them was staggering. If they stayed together and she lost consciousness before they found their way to safety, Erio wouldn't abandon her to save his own skin. He wasn't one to leave behind any member of the Bureau. No, he would stay with her, slowing himself down...and the two of them would be captured for sure.
Signum's head was still spinning, but she found that her body could still move, if only just. There were more and more executors, everywhere she looked, swarming all over the streets like a plague of insects...fortunately, they were all grouping around the graveyard where she and Erio had just departed. She felt a measure of relief from that – if she could find somewhere to take cover whilst they were distracted, then the executors might not be able to find her at all. Maybe she could even fly to -
The sound of a search helicopter swooping in from above came to Signum's attention, and she quickly ducked down into a dim alleyway. Flying was out of the question, then. She wasn't sure how long she could stay airborne anyway.
Where do I go? I haven't needed to be in Uminari City ever since...since I met Hayate for the first time at the Book of Darkness incident. Everything since then took place at the Bureau itself. The TSAB became my home and comfort. But Long Arch is far from here, and I'm not going to be able make the journey right now...
She couldn't stop to spare any worry for Erio – the forward was an accomplished member of the Bureau despite his young age, and Signum could only hope that he could find his own way out of this. If they didn't find each other again at the end, that would make three people that she needed the Bureau to search for tomorrow. Fate, Vita and Erio. The numbers just kept going up.
Where do I go?
The helicopter had drifted away to the southern side of the city, but the executors had now begun to spread out over Uminari City in all directions. Dozens of them were already making their way over to her location. Signum dared not stop to rest – if she even stopped for a breather, she feared her body would give up on her completely.
An executor appeared at the other end of the alleyway. She wasn't expecting it and quickly flattened herself against the side of the house which overlooked the street. Seconds later, the gunman disappeared, permitting her to breathe again, but Signum wasn't about to wait for his friends to turn up. She bolted out of the alleyway and made a right turn into a street full of darkened houses -
Dark figures littering the road like pieces of debris. Coming towards her. Raising their guns to home in for the kill.
She felt her Barrier Jacket began to disappear as she backed away from the executors. The last of her energy had been depleted at long last, at such a crucial moment. The executors couldn't see her yet in such darkness, but the Velka Knight had only seconds to get out of their line of sight, to the temporary safety of the shadows beyond. And as her strength drained from her limbs, Signum realised now that she wasn't going to be able to get away. Her knees were buckling underneath her, her muscles turning to jelly. The Guardian Knight's eyes began to close as the wounds enacted on her long-suffering body took their toll. She fought her crippling fatigue with everything she had, but she was at the end of her endurance.
"Signum! Signum, is that you?"
An excited whisper behind her. A voice she recognised. Signum fell to her knees, crumpling to the floor as the executors began to close in around her. Maybe these ones wouldn't recognise her, but as soon as any of them got close enough and contacted their companions...
"It is! It's Signum! Quickly, Signum, it's after curfew! Get in here, quick! The house to your right!"
She had no energy left, unable to even move anymore. Laveatein had returned to its Standby Form as a miniature blade on the key-chain around her neck as her stamina was drained completely dry. The voice behind her was still talking, but Signum didn't feel like it would do any good. She was already a goner.
"She's wounded. Someone help her! Rein, Agito, come with me! I won't let those executors take her away like this!"
A slender arm wrapped around her waist and dragged her away into the shadows around the house behind her, out of sight of the executors. Signum felt herself being moved along by several people, and was felt a hint of surprise as she recognised the sensation of a familiar magic being used on her. It was all she was able to make out before her head bowed against her chest and the blackness claimed her completely, taking her away into unconsciousness...
The soft touch of the clouds against her cheek felt like heaven. Fate rolled over in a cosy sandwich between giant masses of fluffy cotton pieces which stuck to her like glue. The more she snuggled into them, the more comforting they felt against her skin as she buried herself deeper and deeper into their warm embrace. She had no idea how long she had been floating like this, but it wouldn't be too bad if she did this forever. Everything was so blissful and sweet, a chocolate-like reality which melted away in your mind to reveal another layer of goodness.
It wasn't real, of course, but it was better than another bad dream. Fate didn't want to wake up. She didn't want to leave this place and find herself in a world without Nanoha. She didn't want to awaken in a reality which opened up the abyss in her heart all over again when she realised her partner and daughter weren't by her side. Losing Nanoha a second time could break her for sure, and so Fate clung to the soft fabric of the surreal clouds hugging around her body, drowning herself in illusions and false comfort...
Don't let me wake up. If I do, I'm never going to see Nanoha again. I'll never be able to talk with her, hold her tight, laugh with her, kiss her lips, smell her skin, or hold Vivio in our arms together. I know what's going to happen. If I wake up, it will be just like before. I'll be alone, in a living nightmare.
But she had to wake up. No matter what kind of obscure dream she was having to drown all her ills...Nanoha wasn't sharing it with her. Caged like this, Fate felt even more alone than ever, a pain that cut through the comforting clouds pressing into her and brought out a choked sob in her throat.
Sometimes all the hugs and comfort in the world couldn't stop you from continuing to go downhill: it was that simple. She needed Nanoha so much; Fate couldn't bear the thought of never being able to be with her again, not after all they'd been through. She bit down hard through her tears, refusing to give up now.
I can't just hide myself away, Fate thought. I've got to face this. The wormhole could have sent us anywhere in time and space...different planets, different universes, different time eras completely. I could wake up to find that Nanoha had lived her life and passed away many years ago. Even a universe where Nanoha and my friends didn't exist all...But I've still got to face this head-on. Staying here inside my shell won't fix anything.
Yes, she had to fix this. She might be alone, but that didn't make her useless. If Nanoha was on the other side of the universe, Fate knew she was going to travel through hell to get to her. If Nanoha was in a different time period altogether, then...they would have to get round that somehow, although Fate had no idea how she was going to go about doing it. She was equipped with nothing but Bardiche and her own skills in magic. Time travel was not exactly her line of expertise.
I've finished feeling sorry for myself. It doesn't matter what I have to go through, I'm going to do everything I can to find Nanoha again! I've survived everything in my life up to this point and this isn't going to get me down. We're still going to be a family with Vivio again, and not even Oguba is going to stop me. Wake up! Wake up!
"Wake up!"
The clouds had turned flat and bulky and Fate rolled into them again, the sound of her own voice bringing her head above the surface again. For a moment, it felt like the dream hadn't changed...but then she pushed down against the soft fluffy surface and came up against something solid underneath.
Her eyes opened and she flailed around for a few seconds before realising where she was – her arms were entangled in a mesh of luxurious bedsheets. Expensive ones, certainly, by the feel of them.
Yes, they were definitely bedsheets, and they were real. Two pillows were plumped underneath her head, soft and bulky to the point that they almost seemed to swallow her back into her dream again. The bed she lay in fit her perfectly in scale, size and comfort, almost as if it had been made for her specially. It hosted an impressive design of red and green floral patterns circling around the woodwork. A familiar scent permeated from the sheets and pillows, but Fate couldn't quite place it.
Where am I? How did I get here?
Wormholes were supposed to take you through time and space to another universe. They were not supposed to deposit you into the perfect bed, ready-made with clean sheets and...Fate sat up slowly, peering around the room she was in...nor were they supposed to prepare supper waiting for you on the bedside table for when you woke up. A dainty little tray was lying right next to her, filled with an assortment of tasty-looking cakes and biscuits, with hot tea awaiting. Fate didn't know if she should touch any of it.
The bedroom she was in was very spacious, featuring a full wardrobe against the right wall and an array of small lights hanging across the ceiling, which cast a meagre luminous glow across a vast area. Tucked into the corner were a few small tables and a writing desk. Silken curtains behind the bed were only partially drawn, where a thin sliver of moonlight escaped through the window onto Fate's face. A domed ceiling above her displayed a stunning starlit display, a mix of artisticly-drawn suns and galaxies.
A pair of glass doors led outside to a beautiful garden. Intrigued, Fate moved towards the doors to try them, slipping out of the luxurious bed. Her feet touched the floor...and brushed against a pair of slippers which had been left there. To her surprise, they fit her perfectly, although she had never seen them before.
Someone...someone's responsible for all this. I feel as if I woke up in a place where everything catered to my every need. An...an ideal world. Everything looks so beautiful outside.
Fate looked down at her clothes and realised that she wasn't in her Bureau uniform anymore – she was now dressed in a lightly-made dressing gown, layered in colours of blue and white. Worry nudged at her when she realised...she no longer had Bardiche on her. Her device was missing. She couldn't exactly look for Nanoha without Bardiche.
I didn't come here myself. Whatever kind soul who took me here has given me clothes, food, and a bed to sleep...but they've taken Bardiche away. Who could they be? Nobody at the TSAB would live in a place as luxurious as this, not even Chrono. Maybe they're holding Bardiche for me, if I can find them. Maybe...maybe they could help me find Nanoha.
The whole bedroom was so familiar to Fate, in a very frightening way. She felt like she had been here before, but nowhere in her memory could she recall sleeping in such a place, or dressing in such clothes...No, it was the scent of the place. That was it. It reminded her of something, from very long ago...
Yes, she realised with a jolt of alarm. This feels like...like the fake memories that Mother gave me. It feels like Mother's house. And yet...something's different about it. I don't know how to explain it even to myself, but everything in this room feels like it's in the wrong place, like something has been changed. Everything feels so nice and perfect, but...it's not right. Like a waterfall flowing the wrong way, only much more subtle. It's on the tip of my tongue, but I know something is really wrong in here, even if I don't know what it is...
Fate tried walking with the mysterious slippers on, but quickly removed them after just a few steps. They were perfect forher, and that was what unnerved her. The world wasn't perfect. It wasn't supposed to be, not like this.
She walked towards the glass doors where the beautiful green garden extended out into the open. Fate recognised the garden – once, at the Book of Darkness Incident, she had been sent into a reality in which Alicia and Precia were alive and well, and were accepting of her. The garden she saw before her was the same one that she had played in with Alicia. Her mother's house.
This can't be Mother's house. Nor can it be the Garden of Time. Mother died a long time ago. I know, because I was there.
Had the wormhole transported her into a time and place where Precia was alive and loved her as her true daughter? Fate tried to calm her heart, but her pulse still raced at the idea. It was possible, wasn't it? Could it be her mother who had taken her into this room, made her bed, helped her rest, and made her feel at home as much as possible? It would make sense, wouldn't it?
To be completely honest, Fate didn't know how she felt about this. She didn't know how to react, having worked so hard to bury her memories of Precia throughout her life.
It was still dark outside, but the beauty of the garden beyond those glass doors was too tempting. Fate was eager to explore the house she was in, to see more of it for herself, to find out if it really was Mother's house as she suspected...
She tried the doors and discovered something that set off alarm bells ringing in her head. The doors were locked.
Well, it is nightfall outside, Fate thought reasonably. Mother must have – whoever lives in this house probably wouldn't want the garden doors to be left wide open. In any case, I should go find out who they are.
She strode over to the main bedroom door, which would probably lead out into the rest of the house. Maybe she could thank her host for being so hospitable. It probably wasn't Precia after all...Fate pushed down her expectations quickly. It wouldn't do to get her hopes up -
Fate turned the handle of the door, and met with unexpected resistance halfway.
This door, too, was locked. Bewildered, the Enforcer tested it a few more times, but the handle refused to budge. She shook the door impatiently, wondering if it was stuck. Still nothing.
With no other exits, she was locked inside this room. She didn't even have Bardiche with her, so there was no other way to escape.
What...what's going on? Why would somebody take me here, treat me so well like this...and then lock me in so I couldn't get out? It doesn't make sense.
Maybe somebody else had locked the doors without knowing she was in there. Maybe there was a good reason for the doors to be locked. Maybe it was dangerous to leave the room. There were a lot of "maybes", but Fate didn't want to jump to conclusions. Nevertheless, she still felt like a complete prisoner inside her own home...if it even was her home. She could try to break the doors down, but to raise such a racket and damage the room, and risk offending her mystery host...it seemed very unwise to do so unless she really had no other choice.
But I can't stay here! I have to get my bearings and find a way to get to Nanoha as quickly as possible. What if...
Fate's eyes travelled down to the writing desk in the corner of the room. She hadn't thought to check before, but there was a single folded piece of paper on top, held down by a piece of red tape. Curious, the Enforcer walked over to the desk for a closer look. Before she started trying to break out of here or anything, maybe she could gather as many clues about her whereabouts as possible -
Her heart skipped a beat when she realised that her name was written on the piece of paper, in dark red felt-tip pen. A message? To her? That meant that her rescuer somehow knew who she was. Could it have been Nanoha after all? It didn't seem like it, somehow, not if all the doors were locked, but she could still dream.
Quickly, Fate pulled the sheet of paper free from the desk, and opened it out. Her eyes widened with conflicting emotions as she began to read what was written inside:
Dear Fate,
You're probably wondering where you are or how you got here. This is the House of Testarossa, and you are staying here as my special guest for this evening. I hope everything lives up to your expectations so far – I want this to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for you, just between the two of us.
You probably don't remember who I am, or anything about me, but I remember you. I have loved you ever since I laid eyes on you, Fate. Your shining face, the beautiful eyes of your innermost soul, the charm and passion which radiated from you and touched me so deeply...I could never forget you. It's tragic that the former mistress of the House of Testarossa isn't able to be with us today, but then I can have you all to myself.
Do you really remember nothing at all of that day? Of the branches of the tree which were your last resting place, the rope that slid down, the knife which hit the grass? I knew you would come back to me. I hoped and I prayed, and you were resurrected, my lifelong love. And I knew that when you returned to my side, you would never leave again.
I'd love to tell you all about it again, Fate. I'm waiting in the dining hall for you downstairs. When you've finished the meal that Linith prepared for you on the table, the door will be unlocked and you can join me for a grand feast. You must have so many questions for me, and I'll be glad to answer them all. It's not like you've got anywhere to go, is it?
Your ever-loving angel,
I.C.
P.S. Don't go out into the garden.
Fate lowered the letter down to her side, her mind spinning. She was shaken by the impact of what she had just read. One thing she knew for definite was that her host was not Nanoha, nor her mother, nor anyone she had ever come into contact before. The contents of the letter were bizarre to say the least, not to mention a little flattering in places. The host of this House of Testarossa...they were evidently smitten with her. Up to now, Fate hadn't really paid any attention to the affections of any girl except Nanoha. She and Nanoha had always been together, and she had never really paid attention romantically to anybody else.
Who's "I.C."? I can't think of a single person in the Bureau by those initials, not one. Fate racked her brains, wondering if there was someone far back in her past – after all, the letter hinted that they had known her for a very long time. No. She couldn't place it. This wasn't something else to do with time travel, was it? A mysterious stranger who had known her very well in a different timeline, maybe? Fate didn't know if her head could take much more of this. It was hard enough just keeping on track with her current goal.
The personality of her host disturbed her a little, from their words. From how Fate saw it, the writer of the letter had declared their undying love for her and had told her to meet them for dinner personally...but the timing was very controlled. They had locked the doors for a reason. At no point in the letter had they given Fate the choice to back out or refuse. There was a very dominant nature about them, one which Fate did not entirely feel comfortable with.
They may have been kind and hospitable to me so far, but...I should still leave this house as soon as possible. I'm not used to having so much praise thrown at me from someone that I don't even know. They've...they've locked me in, too, and taken away Bardiche...I'm not meeting them would be such a good idea. They just seem a little too eager to see me.
But what if they could help her find Nanoha? Would that be worth the trouble? Fate hesitated for a moment, wondering if she might regret her decision later. Could she meet with her host and make excuses to leave the next day? She could at least gather some information about where she was. Maybe...
With a start, Fate realised that the letter in her hand...was dripping wet. Not with water, but with a red substance running off the back.
It hadn't been like that before. Swallowing quickly, the Enforcer turned the letter back over to the other side, where her name had been written in dark red ink -
kill her.
New words were crawling across the surface of the paper, writhing and squirming like living things, writing two words in black blood...multiplying over and over again with the same message...
kill her. kill her. kill kill kill her
The words were overflowing all over the page, criss-crossing each other to darken their meaning further as Fate dropped the bloodied page in terror, backing away until she hit the side of the bed. Even then, they still refused to stop, repeating again and again over each other, turning into a mass of screaming syllables consisting of a mixture of chaotic letters...
kiLL HER kill hER kiLL her KILL HER kill kill
kill her KILL HER kill
KILL!
Reaching the end of her rope, Fate dashed forward and ripped the reddened page into shreds, her hands shaking. The words instantly faded away, and black blood drained away from the paper, dripping down into the floor to stain the carpet of this perfect reality.
The nightmare around her was real. She was locked in at all sides, quivering in fear. And worst of all...Nanoha wasn't coming for her. Her defences crumbling, Fate clutched at her head as despair began to descend upon her senses, dropping to the floor as the blood of the letter came off on her skin...