A/N: I re-edited a bit of the previous chapter (literally a day after I submitted it). Just a small bit in Signum and Erio's part, where Signum says that Uminari City is in Mid-childa (when it isn't, it's on Earth, which is different), so I just changed that bit a little.
Canonically, Uminari City is on Earth (being where Nanoha grew up, before she joined the TSAB). BUT...in this universe, you'll find that actually Uminari City is on Mid-childa. It'll make more sense why in 2 chapters time (which will also explain everything, oh yes).
And NaNoWriMo begins today! I'm using part of this fic for that as well.
And Happy Halloween! Which was yesterday. Woo.
Scrya watched the seconds tick by as he sat in the waiting room of the Yagami Family Mansion, nervously adjusting his tie every few minutes in preparation for his interview. The security check with his HX chip had gone through without a hitch, and after seeing his letter from Arisa a maid had taken him through, telling him that Arisa would be with him in five minutes. Waiting usually didn't bother Scrya that much, but on this occasion he was sweating profusely on the spot. If the interview overran, he would be in danger of breaking curfew. Another run-in with the executors was not something Scrya was looking forward to.
Surprisingly, the inside of the House of Yagami was nothing like its outward appearance made it out to be; the atmosphere was overall very relaxed and almost normal. Scrya had expected it to be like some kind of military facility at least, with soldiers and hirelings milling about at all hours of the day. Maybe even similar to the TSAB before it was disbanded.
However, it didn't feel like that at all – a brass-bound clock ticking away monotonously above the fireplace, a row of comfy chairs for visitors to wait patiently, a table filled with a few platters of small expensive snacks, right next to a brandy decanter which was refilled at frequent intervals...Scrya hadn't expected it to feel like this. It was as this wasn't the base of one of the most notorious assassination organisations in Mid-childa, but simply a...normal household.
Another maid entered to re-organise the trays and refill the decanter with a fresh batch of brandy, whistling away as she did so. There were quite a few people coming and going through the reception area, mostly guards of the mansion who had finished their shifts, but some were official-looking types with hard-looking faces who barely gave Scrya a second glance. With curfew only an hour away, it was reasonable that a lot of people would want to get home quickly.
The secretary's desk was situated at the other end of the room, with a buzzer on top for anyone who needed assistance. Strangely enough, it was completely unmanned, and no one else seemed to notice. Maybe they were short of staff...or maybe nobody wanted to be on duty. A framed picture of Vivio Harlaown was on the wall above the secretary's desk, right next to one of Lady Yagami herself. To the left hung a picture of a powerful red-eyed woman with a veil covering the lower half of her face, but Scrya didn't quite recognise her.
"Scrya-kun?"
He looked up with a start, his heart racing before seeing the formidable figure of a tall green-eyed woman with blonde hair coming down to her shoulders, a black and yellow security uniform drawn tightly around her body. Her arms were sheathed in a criss-cross design and two shining bracelets encircled her wrists. To one side, a longsword was strapped to her belt.
Scrya got to his feet as quickly as he could whilst trying not to embarrass himself, not wanting to make a bad first impression. Fortunately, the woman was already walking towards him, a strong hand extended towards him.
"Arisa Bannings," she introduced herself, shaking his hand firmly, virtually pulling him upwards from the chair. "You must be one of our last interviewees for today. Follow me – I'd like to discuss your application."
He stumbled alongside her, struggling to keep up with her pace as she half-dragged him out of the reception area and into a vast hallway, electric lights glaring down from above and beautiful picturesque mosaics cast across the polished floor. A series of intricate staircases led to the upper levels from both sides, flanked by several guards on each corner which paid Scrya little or no attention. Scrya, for his part, didn't have time to stop to look around any further, though a breathtaking tapestry decorating the front wall caught his eye; Arisa was already taking him through to the chambers beyond.
Several doors opened out on either side, with the sound of sparring and fighting being heard from within. Scrya chanced a peek inside one room through the see-through glass, and made out the form of two soldiers engaged in combat with each another. In another room, one woman was wearing protective headgear and shooting at mechanical targets to train her skill as a sharpshooter. Even with all the doors tightly closed, the noise from the training rooms was nearly deafening, causing Scrya to duck his head down unconsciously. He breathed a sigh of relief once they were away from all the noise again.
When he had caught up again, he saw that Arisa had stopped to talk to one of the maids, chattering away with a smile on her face. Thankful for the interruption, Scrya paused to take a deep breath and relax whilst he still could. First the set of gun turrets outside, then the friendly and relaxing atmosphere, and then sound of fighting in the next room...was this really a good idea or not? It wasn't easy to tell.
"But that's not my problem, Arisa," the maid was saying with a sigh, short brown hair curling around her freckled face as she laid one hand on her hip. "I'm not responsible for what our Felicity eats. If she wants live meat, then Devina will just have to provide."
"Noriko, we can't keep her here forever," Arisa replied with a shake of her head. "Even Yagami-sama and Suzuka-chan agree with me on this. Felicity's always hungry, but the Labinnac sisters usually are. Can you believe that Kagura wanted Yagami-sama to grant them the privilege of uniting themselves into a House of Mid-childa? It just isn't feasible."
"I understand," said the maid sympathetically. "It isn't unusual for Yagami-sama to keep pets like her around, but she really is high-maintenance. And...if I could ask a favour, Arisa?" She looked around furtively and then dropped her voice down to a whisper, so that Scrya had to strain his ears to hear. "Could you...could you ask Wyvern not to let Kagura come waltzing in here whenever she likes? I spend all day cleaning here and keeping the whole place nice and tidy to make Yagami-sama happy – all of my staff do – and what does Kagura do? Doesn't she have any respect for us? For any of us?"
"We can't exactly tell her to stop smoking," Arisa said diplomatically.
"It's not just her smoking. The way she acts around us," said the maid, Noriko, fuming. "Mouthing off all the time, picking fights with Lady Yagami of all people, as if the pain of her disability isn't enough...she doesn't even belong to a House! Why can't she take this outside instead? Dr Kaizen has enough patients to look after as it is. Now, when Exoria was here, she used to at least take note of - "
Arisa suddenly turned around, as if remembering Scrya was there, and saw him listening. She frowned in annoyance, but then seemed to shrug it off as if it were nothing important. Instead, she reached over with one hand to usher the boy forward into their midst.
"Scrya, this is Noriko Saikouji," she said with a nod at the other short-haired woman. "She's the head maid here in the House of Yagami. Noriko, this is Scrya – he's our last applicant for today."
Noriko made as if to do a little curtsey, but instead raised her chin towards the boy, smiling mainly with her eyes, which were grey and glistening.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," she said in a voice which brought the red back to Scrya's cheeks again. "I hope Arisa hasn't scared you too much already. It isn't all that bad here." She laughed teasingly as Arisa rolled her eyes. "No, really. You're worried about the curfew, aren't you? If worst comes to the worst, there's bound to be a bed to put you up."
"Noriko, you've just met him," Arisa said in a long-suffering tone of voice. "You can't just offer to let him stay the night just like - "
The maid pulled a face. "But he looks so scared. Maybe he thinks all of you are ghosts." She raised her hands dramatically, her black and white costume coming over the cuffs of her sleeves. "WOOOOO! You see?"
"Okay, this is very silly," Arisa declared, pushing her away affectionately. "I think Scrya and I had better start our interview, or he really will end up staying the night. Haven't you got somewhere to go?"
Noriko shrugged. "Be like that, then," she said, sticking her tongue out at the other woman before heading off down the hallway, humming to herself. Her cheery personality and kindness had cheered up Scrya enormously, however, leaving him with a tattered smile on his face. Maybe he might have laughed, but he didn't know how dangerous this house really was.
Was everyone really this friendly? It made him want to let his guard down a little, but the fear stopped him. The rumours of Yagami-sama were bad enough to make him want to hold on long enough until he really knew what this place was about.
Arisa ushered him through a small door on the left, and Scrya stepped into what must be a meeting room of some kind – a grand table took up most of the space, with over ten chairs or so propped up neatly against it. Shelves and cabinets were stacked up against the walls, giving off the impression that the chamber was also partly for storage and archiving, although most of the shelves seemed to be securely locked.
There were two more doors at the other end of the room, leading off to yet another section of the mansion. This place really was huge, Scrya realised, and this was still only the ground floor – the upper levels could be even more of a maze. He would have easily have been lost without Arisa's guidance.
The meeting room, however, wasn't completely empty. The figure of a teenage boy in a dirty brown hoody with spiky blue hair was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the table. Part of his face seemed to be stuck in a permanent scowl, with the other half looking constantly in a different direction. He wore a spiked glove on one hand with thick plated armour encasing his left shoulder, but his right arm was completely bare in comparison.
Scrya looked at the boy in completely astonishment, at a loss for words. There were certainly a lot of colourful characters in the House of Yagami. The boy was just sitting on the table there, scowling and...juggling. Yes, he was juggling about five sphere-like objects in his hands with an expression of sophisticated annoyance on his face.
"What are you doing here, Wyvern?" Arisa said irritably.
The spiky-haired boy regarded her distastefully for a moment. "Juggling," he replied sourly.
"I can see that. Don't you have anything better to do around here? There are machines to fix and weaponry orders to send out. If you're slacking off - "
"I done 'em," Wyvern said ill-naturedly. "I finished them last night whilst you were sleeping. I did 'em again today for the hell of it, and because I'm bored. I got nothing else to do here."
Arisa closed her eyes painfully. "Do something else," she said impatiently. "You work too fast for your own good. Or play outside and annoy one of the executors or something. As long as you get out of here, because I need this room."
The blue-haired kid flicked the five orbs upwards with a swift motion of his hand and managed to catch one of them. The rest landed on the floor. With another scowl, he slid off the table.
"Yagami-sama told me to build another Legion for her," he said. "She said the old one is outdated now. Why should I? What's the point?"
"Just get out of here, Wyvern," Arisa said testily. "I really don't care what you do to amuse yourself as long as it's not in here. And tell your sister to keep away from the mansion. You know she's not exactly welcome here."
The gloved boy glared at her with one eye – and it was just one eye, because the other sidee of his face always seemed to be preoccupied with something else – and slunk out of the meeting room at last, kicking at the door lazily as he did so. Arisa breathed a sigh of relief at his departure.
"Wyvern's our service engineer at the House of Yagami," she explained briefly, as she and Scrya both took a seat at the table. "Child genius, but not exactly the best guy for conversation. I wouldn't let him bother you. He just prefers the company of his machines to people."
She began to spread out a jumble of paperwork out in front of her, among which Scrya recognised a copy of his own job application. "His immaturity drives me up the wall sometimes, but Yagami-sama wants to keep him around, and she usually doesn't like men..." She inclined her head over to one side, scribbling down on the front of the first page, her blonde hair spilling over her shoulders. "Now, I think we can finally begin. I apologise for how long it's taking, Scrya-kun, but we'll get there in the end. This shouldn't take too long."
Scrya pulled his chair in, nodding quickly. The fear of breaking curfew was still on his mind.
Even if the maid, Noriko, had kindly offered to let him stay the night, he wasn't sure that she had been entirely serious. He should get through this interview as quickly as possible to avoid any further confrontations with the executors, but at the same time he had to do his very best. He couldn't afford to mess this up. There was nothing else left for him.
"So..." Arisa's eyes were on the application form before her. "Yuuno Scrya - "
He spoke without thinking, aware that this had happened before. "It's just Scrya, ma'am. I'm not related to anyone called Yuuno."
The blonde woman raised an eyebrow, then shrugged it off. "Well, Scrya-kun. I've reviewed your application form and your achievements. You may not think they count, but we do. Surviving in a family hit by the alpha stages of the Harlaown Program is quite impressive, even in my book. Most people don't live to tell the tale."
"Yes, ma'am," Scrya answered. "I have no other living family members."
"No, not at the moment. But you will, Scrya-kun. If all goes well...you will." Arisa flipped over to the next page. "Your early academic career is intriguing, but it's a shame it was cut short." She caught his eyes. "Was that due to the Harlaown Program too?"
He nodded sadly.
"And your area of interest was...?"
"Archaeology, ma'am. I...I think." Scrya found that he couldn't really remember much of his studies, not after his loved ones had started disappearing without a trace. "I don't think I could ever get back into it again after - "
Arisa nodded swiftly. "I understand. Bad memories. There are others in this house like you. Others who wish to leave their past behind, and begin afresh." She was staring at him very intently, as if watching for something special. "How much experience do you have, Scrya?"
It didn't escape his attention that she had left off the suffix, and there was no way to tell if it was deliberate or not. "None, ma'am."
She laughed softly. "There is no such thing as that. Everyone has experience in something, no matter the nature of their circumstances. I've checked out Commander Chrono's recommendation for you, and it seems to be entirely valid. In fact, he spoke very highly of you, Scrya. The Blood Oath of Vivio Harlaown may be coming to an end, but Chrono's word still bears some weight here in Uminari City." Arisa flipped over onto the last page. "And...your medical record. It looks like you have a few problems of your own, but that's what Dr Kaizen is here for."
"I can manage," Scrya said hurriedly. "I don't take any medication, ma'am. I'm just fine without - "
Arisa brought her hands down onto the table with a crash, nearly startling him out of his seat. His heart thumped inside his chest, thinking that he must have said something wrong. But somehow, the blonde woman didn't seem angry. She was staring at him so hard that it made his eyes hurt, looking at him with a measure of something else entirely.
"Here's some interview questions for you, Scrya," she whispered. "Why are you so scared? Ever since you walked in here you've been shaking harder than a goldfish in an electrified aquarium. Do you think you're in danger here? Do you? Do you think for an instant that Yagami-sama would let a single one of her servants be hurt?"
"I...I..." Scrya couldn't find the words to say it out loud. Because she's the head of the most brutal assassination organisation in all of Mid-childa? Isn't it obvious? "I don't want to - "
"Are you scared about curfew? There's forty minutes left. I can drive you there myself. I can have you teleported there in an instant. Don't be afraid. Don't be." She banged her hands on the table again. "Are you scared of me? Is that it? What's wrong? Haven't we been nice to you so far? Haven't we treated you like our guest? How is this any way to repay our hospitality with spineless, gut-wrenching fear?"
He tried to back away with his chair, but she loomed above him menacingly, her green eyes burning into him powerfully, and Scrya found himself trapped and rooted to the spot. I can't...
"What else are you scared of, Scrya? Are you scared that no other House will accept you? Are you scared that you'll be forced back onto the streets with a dead family? You're sweating. I can literally see the fear dripping off you." Arisa's face was bare inches from his, her breath on his face. "Are you scared of reality? What scares you about us, Scrya?"
Scrya couldn't take it anymore. "Everything about you scares me! Everything!" he blurted out, genuinely terrified now. "Stay...stay away from me! I don't want...I don't want to..."
Shaking, he stared up at Arisa as she slowly stepped away from him, sat back down again and smiled in satisfaction. He shouldn't have said that. He shouldn't have stepped in here at all. Sooner or later, something had gone terribly wrong and -
He let out a cry when she suddenly grabbed his wrist, already on tenterhooks. But his expression turned to confusion and curiosity as Arisa produced a slim bracelet, with black and yellow markings set into it, and pressed it down into his hand. Scrya's eyes shot from the bracelet to Arisa's calm green eyes. He didn't understand what she was doing.
"Put it on," she said simply.
Scrya weighed the bracelet warily in his hand, hesitant to do so. He was still shaken from what she had just put him through.
Arisa sighed. "I see. You don't trust me." She passed one hand through her hair, creasing across one cheek readily. "I'm sorry I had to ask you a question like that, but I needed to be certain, Scrya. All the other interviewees were bland, perfect students with shining careers who just cared about money and status. But there's something different about you, Scrya. It doesn't show until you start speaking, but it's there, and I won't talk about that.
"You're scared, and it's fine to be scared. It's fine to show any human emotion because that's who we are. But you shouldn't have to be scared around us, not in the House of Yagami. We don't mean you any harm. We don't mean anyone any harm."
Scrya wasn't ready to believe any of this. "You're assassins," he breathed. "You kill people."
"No, no, no." Arisa's voice was soothing, breaking down the panic and scattering it away into nothing. "Yagami-sama's organisation operates independently from her household. We, her Family, would only do harm to someone who raised their hand against the House of Yagami. If you were part of us, Scrya, you would be safe." She lifted her head and smiled brightly. "How about if I prove it to you? How about...how about if I told you that you would never be afraid again for the rest of your life? How about that?"
I've been afraid as long as I can remember. Everyone I knew disappeared, one by one, and I just kept waiting for it to be my turn. I was always so afraid. What would it feel like not to be? If it would help me sleep at night, stop the nightmares, help me live again...
"How?" he said dubiously.
Wordlessly, Arisa pointed at the black and yellow bracelet in his hand.
"Put it on, Scrya, and you will never be scared again in your life. I guarantee it." She lifted the cuff of her uniform, revealing a similar bracelet on her own wrist. "Everyone in the House of Yagami wears one. I'm really not trying to trick you, Scrya."
Scrya gazed at her for a moment, countless questions buzzing through his head. He just felt that...if he put the bracelet on now, he might not be able to take it off again...but if Arisa's claim was genuine? Was it worth the risk?
He thought of the statue of Vivio Harlaown he had seen, glistening in the square at night, and made up his mind in an instant.
The bracelet closed over his wrist neatly as if it had been made for him. It felt quite comfortable, and a small light pulsed over the centre for a brief moment. And then to Scrya's astonishment...the mark of his own HX chip, the identifier under his skin...began to flash in response. It blazed with an intense white light for a few seconds, and then began to fade...along with the marking of the HX chip itself.
What the...?
"It's done," Arisa said triumphantly, grinning excitedly. "You're been removed from the Harlaown Program, Scrya."
He stared at her in utmost shock, not fully comprehending the impact of her words.
"In addition," she continued, "the Yagami Bracelet will make you invulnerable to all and any attacks on your life, be they physical or magical, as long as you stand within the House of Yagami. That is why, Scrya, I told you that you would never be afraid again."
He was breathing quickly, this time for a different reason, sliding the smooth bracelet up and down his wrist easily. It couldn't be true. You couldn't have this kind of happiness. If what Arisa was saying was true, and his instincts told him that it was...then he had just been saved, pulled back from the brink. He was under someone's protection. Why...why would anyone help him like this? He wasn't anyone special. He wasn't...anyone like...Vivio-sama...
"H...how?" Scrya whispered, his voice choked with emotion. "Why would you give me a gift like this? What have I done to deserve this?"
Arisa laughed shortly with real friendliness and pride in her voice, reaching out to shake his hand. "You've won through, Scrya. You passed. I knew you could do it." She grasped hold of his arm and pulled him up to his feet, grinning at the stunned expression on his face, knowing the truth wouldn't hit home for some time. "Let me the first to welcome you to the House of Yagami, Scrya. It's a post for life, but I'd be happy to share mine with you."
The House of Yagami? Is she serious? She's...accepted me into the House of Yagami?
He felt Arisa's arm guide him to the door, felt himself propelled along across the hallway as she led him back down again, but everything around him felt so surreal. It...it couldn't possibly be true. The...the House of Yagami had accepted him. Was it a dream? It had to be a dream. No house could possibly want to take in someone like him. Arisa had said that all their previous applicants were so perfect, so stunning...but why him? What did anyone see in him? Was it...?
This isn't a dream. This is real. I...I actually did it? I don't even know what happened, but...
The feel of the bracelet on his wrist was real enough. The mark of the HX chip on his wrist had already become greyed out, a sign that he was exempt from the penalties of the Harlaown Program.
It's real, I can feel it. I'm...I'm safe! I'm not going to disappear like all the others! I'm not going to disappear!
He felt like jumping for joy, his heart racing as he forced himself to blink. This was something he had dreamed of. Just to go back to a normal life. Would the House of Yagami really give him that? Despite their reputation, they were willing to take in a nobody like him? He still didn't believe it, and yet...here he was.
And most of all...for the first time, I don't feel afraid. No, that's not quite true. I am still afraid. I'm afraid...that all this might end, that it might not last. But for the moment...I am free. Will this really last? Will I really, really be free from fear for the rest of my life? I hope so, but everything Arisa has said to me is true so far...I feel I can really trust her...
"Ma'am?" he said numbly, unsure whether breaking out into a victorious yell in the middle of the House of Yagami was a good idea.
"Arisa," the blonde woman replied. "You can call me Arisa." Her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh, but wait!...I obviously haven't gone through all the details with you. Curfew is certainly no longer a problem for you, but your sleeping arrangements will be with the servant's quarters on the first floor. I'll have Noriko take you up soon enough, and you can meet the rest of the Family."
"A-Arisa..." he tried, but she was still chatting excitedly.
"House rules! There's about five hundred of them, but I'm sure you'll memorise them all in no time. There is really only one rule you should remember above al the others, of course, and that is to dedicate yourself to Yagami-sama with all your heart." Arisa's face glowed as she spurred Scrya on past the training rooms, where the sound of harsh fighting continued. "I would gladly give my lifeblood for her without a second thought, but I was here when the House was first created. Yagami-sama prides loyalty above all else. Remember who your mistress is."
"Arisa, where are you taki - "
"And another thing. Very important, this is. Very important." Arisa turned to hold up a finger in front of his face. "Don't go into Yagami-sama's inner chambers, whatever you do. It shouldn't ever occur, of course, because you wouldn't be allowed in, but there are very serious penalties for males who break this golden rule. They're also very permanent. But, Scrya, don't worry too much about Yagami-sama herself. In all honesty, you will probably never set eyes on her. She often keeps her distance from all but the closest of her Family..."
"Arisa - "
"And speaking of the Family. You've met Noriko and Wyvern already, haven't you? Dr Kaizen is the medical practitioner of the household, and Devina cooks the meals in the kitchen. You'll be working with Lideri tomorrow in the library – I think you'll really come to enjoy working with us, Scrya. Did I mention Suzuka? She's the personal steward of Yagami-sama, but again you may not see her very often at all. There's also Felicity - " Arisa bit down on her tongue, aware that she might have said too much. "No, no. You probably shouldn't ever see Felicity. We tend to keep her hidden away, especially when she gets hungry - "
"Arisa," Scrya said again, beginning to run out of patience. "Where are we going?"
"Going?" she said brightly, turning around to face him as they emerged all the way back in the waiting room. "I'm sorry, I just have so much to do and so little time to do it in, I just start rambling when I have to hurry things along...yes, I was going to ask you to man the reception for five minutes until I get hold of Noriko. There, see. It looks like we have visitors!"
She pointed to two solitary figures who were waiting in front of the empty reception desk, one of which was repeatedly slamming her hand on the buzzer. One of the figures was a tall, robust combat cyborg, notable for having its arms missing. The second figure was a dark-haired girl with a wild expression about her, eyes darting back and forth as she paced up and down on the spot.
Wondering how to help, Scrya obediently stepped behind the reception desk.
"Um," he started. "Can I be of any assista - "
His voice trailed away as Exoria lunged across the desk towards him with one hand. For a second, a familiar wave of panic washed over Scrya, but then the Time Mage's blow passed straight through his body as if he wasn't there. Angrily, Exoria started to summon a ball of energy in her other hand, ready to blast him into the wall.
Scrya felt a curious feeling pass across his body. A lack of fear. The Yagami Bracelet, as Arisa called it, had protected him from the attack. He really did have nothing to fear. Euphoria filled Scrya's face as he realised that for once in his life, he might be in the right place at last...
"Exoria," the Legion intoned from the other side. "Cease this nonsense."
"Who is this?" Exoria yelled in Scrya's direction. "Where's Yagami-sama? I demand that you let me see her right now! Who is this strange boy? Have you replaced me? Have you tried to cast me out before you even told Yagami-sama about what's happened?"
Arisa stepped forward and laid a hand on Scrya's shoulder reassuringly. She needn't have, however. Scrya no longer felt threatened any more, not by anything. It was as if nothing could touch him. With this bracelet, he was virtually invincible. He was safe.
"I think," Arisa said calmly, "that you had better go up to the servant's quarters, Scrya. I'll deal with this."
The helicopter just barely managed to touch down onto dry concrete, maintaining a shaky landing in the middle of Cranagan, capital of Mid-childa. The pilot was gibbering at frequent intervals with fearful glances in Nanoha's direction, his hands frantically trying to steer the craft in the right direction. It was a miracle that they hadn't crashed, but even they had, Tiana knew that Nanoha would have easily been able to effect a rescue before impact.
The sharpshooter had watched the Ace of Aces humming cheerily to herself through most of the brief flight – the journey had only taken about twenty or thirty minutes – and wondered what Nanoha could be so optimistic about. From Tiana's point of view, they were as stranded as much as they had been in the land of limbo: they had been separated from Fate and all of their friends, the Bureau had been destroyed, and the whole of Mid-childa had completely changed during their absence. Nothing about this boded well to her.
Tiana valued Nanoha's judgement, but how was any of this a good idea? Surrendering to the soldiers and offering to go with them, which could mean ending up in even more hostile territory? It just sounded to her as if they were just asking for more trouble, maybe more than they could handle...
Even in their own world – a normal, unchanged Mid-childa – Cranagan wasn't exactly somewhere that most of the TSAB was keen on visiting on occasion. Although it was the location of the TSAB Mid-childa Main Office, Cranagan also housed the headquarters of Regius Gaiz's TSAB Ground Forces. Even though Gaiz had been killed in the events of the JS Incident, Tiana wasn't sure what they would find here to substitute.
With the night closing in, as well as the jerky movements of the helicopter as its sweating pilot tried to manoeuvre it under the pressure of being in the same room as a woman who had single-handedly wiped out twenty soldiers in front of him, it was difficult to make out much of their surroundings, not unless the two of them stepped out to see for themselves. However, Tiana did manage to make out the signs of a bright, glowing structure right in the middle of Cranagan as they passed overhead. She didn't know what it was...but the pilot had taken them straight to it.
As the helicopter gradually wobbled down onto the ground, virtually jolting them all from their seats, Nanoha stood up briskly without a second glance at the pilot. She was wasting no time.
The sharpshooter quickly followed her out of the helicopter, blinking wearily as light shone down upon her from above.
Rows and rows of soldiers stood at attention, staring straight ahead with mechanical weapons at their sides. Their stance was not aggressive, but rather geared towards the opposite. Tiana's eyes widened when she saw that with the majority of the soldiers, their weapons...were part of their body.
They were combat cyborgs, all of them. Moreover, their military equipment was of a professional quality, nothing like the small fry that Nanoha had dispatched earlier. If these soldiers intended to attack at any point, then the two Bureau mages could find themselves in a very tricky situation, despite their combined strength. Maybe Nanoha could fly them away out of danger if it got out of hand, but that would only delay things...
Tiana stepped forward to stand next to Nanoha, gazing up at the brightly-glowing structure before them, shielding her eyes before its radiance. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was ...it was...
It's a palace.
A golden citadel, looming high above the rest of the city in a formation of dome-like structures which curved upwards into an assortment of triangular edifices. A series of red and yellow turrets stretched across the front view – the palace was simply too huge to see from this side alone, and Tiana realised she could only see about a quarter of it – with a strange unfamiliar emblem bending down the middle of the central building. Torches and lanterns accompanied the beams which blazed down from the turrets, drenching the main entrance of the palace with such intense light that you could scarcely tell that it was still night time.
As well as the central building which rose up into the sky with four spires surrounding it, the citadel spread out over a vast area to extend across several smaller square-like buildings. It must surely have taken up a great mass of Cranagan on its own. Squinting upwards, Tiana could just make out the forms of people walking around at the top of the turrets, and close to the very top of the palace she could see some kind of conservatory, cased over by glass.
The large number of combat cyborgs in front of them...could they be the security force of the palace? Who would employ cyborgs as palace guards?
"Nanoha, what's going on?" Tiana whispered.
The brown-haired mage shook her head, indicating that she knew no more than Tiana did. The sharpshooter felt herself becoming more agitated by the minute. If there was a palace in Cranagan, in the capital city of Mid-childa, and if it wasn't for show, and it was actually occupied...that would suggest the presence of a king and queen, a royal family...a monarchy...
But...how? A palace, here? In Mid-childa? This is all wrong, she thought. The palace was a incredible sight to see, outshining possibly the rest of the world with its brilliance. It took Tiana's breath away just to gaze upon it, although her eyes were starting to hurt with prolonged exposure to such bright lights. And yet...it should not be here.
This wasn't their world. It couldn't be. Mid-childa was technologically advanced in so many ways, with access to space travel, colonisation of other worlds, and the usage of magic for the benefit of humankind. They had a government of their own, didn't they? Why, then, would -
"Someone's coming," Nanoha said quickly, her eyes shooting across through the gaps in the ranks of the palace guards. Guards who were combat cyborgs.
Tiana couldn't see from such a distance, not through such blinding light. She wished someone would turn it off; it had been bad enough travelling through the wormhole like this.
What she could make out, however, was a tall figure walking impressively towards them, coming straight out of the palace gates. The combat cyborgs all stood a little more to attention as the man approached, changing their formation to allow him to pass through their ranks more easily.
To her surprise, she saw that the palace guards were bowing to the man respectfully, if a little stiffly. Whoever this person was, he was obviously someone of great authority and command. Someone who could make combat cyborgs obey him with just his presence.
"What's this all about, then?" he said out loud in an imperious manner. He turned his head expectantly, but Tiana was still unable to make out his facial features. "Give me your report, lieutenant."
"Yes, Commander Chrono," said one of the surrounding soldiers, a combat cyborg with a string of extra chevrons across his uniform. "I received word from one of our regiments that these two alien females appeared south of here with hostile intentions. They bear no HX chip or any indication of ever having one, but have agreed to - "
"Chrono!" Nanoha exclaimed, rising forward and cutting over the cyborg's words heedlessly. The lieutenant spluttered over his words and muttered himself into silence. "Would you mind telling me what's going on here? What in the world has happened to Mid-childa?" She squinted up at the turrets distastefully. "Could someone turn that light off?" she said to one of the guards hopefully.
As one, every single combat cyborg raised their weapon towards Nanoha at point-blank range, ready to fire if she made another move forward. Off to one side, Tiana still couldn't see Chrono's face, but she could see the muttered exchange of words he was having with the cyborg next to him. This wasn't looking good.
Then Chrono spoke aloud to them, his voice seeming strange and layered with suspicion. His words were a surprise to both Bureau mages.
"Who are you?" he asked, folding his arms.
Completely taken aback, Nanoha found herself at a loss of how to reply.
"Who are you," Chrono continued in the same businesslike tone, "and how did you get here? If you have no HX chip, you are an alien to Mid-childa. If you are an alien, then why is it that you know of me? Do I...should I know you, whoever you are?"
Nanoha felt her doubts threatening to overpower her at this point. She had sought out Chrono so that he could explain everything to her and hopefully bring a shred of reason to all this madness. But this...this was going beyond anything she could have ever prepared herself for. She had known that a lot of things in Mid-childa were dreadfully wrong, but for Chrono to not know who she was? The man was Chrono, wasn't he? Why wouldn't he...why wouldn't he recognise her? They had grown up together on the TSAB for the last ten years, after all...
"Chrono? It's me. Nanoha." She tried to step forward to see his face, but the weapons of the palace guards dissuaded her; she could tell that the weapons of the cyborgs would almost certainly be magic-based and could do extensive damage to her Barrier Jacket. Fighting them could end badly. "Don't you remember? The attacks on the Bureau from Red Scorpion? Fate and I led a group through the portal to rescue Vita when she was kidnapped. And Oguba's power - " She paused for a moment, aware that she was wasting her breath. "Chrono? Come out so I can see you. What's happened to this city whilst I was gone?"
The general was whispering into Chrono's ear. "Commander, those aliens are no good. They come to our planet and spread sorrow and discontent among us. This woman is just rambling on about god knows what. You don't want them to disrupt the Harlaown Program, Commander. Your life is our responsibility."
Chrono seemed to weigh up the situation evenly, cocking his head to one side. It was clear that he was unsettled, and in two minds about what to do. Then he waved the cyborg away with another dramatic gesture, and decisively stepped out into the open so that Tiana and Nanoha could finally see him clearly.
A strong, youthful face stood out before them with short indigo hair sweeping across his face, blue eyes staring out towards them intently. Tiana had feared for an instant that he might not have been the Chrono they knew, that he may have been...an imposter, perhaps. That would have made things even worse. But no – the face of the man before them was undeniably Chrono, no mistake about it.
He was not, however, the Chrono that they knew. Nanoha's mouth had fallen open in complete astonishment, and Tiana was on the verge of following suit.
The Chrono in front of them was adorned with a shimmering crimson robe which trailed along the ground as he walked, glittering sequins embedded along the hem in to add to his appearance. Dazzling bracelets and expensive rings adorned his hands and wrists, varying in colour and shape; the bracelets even seemed to climb up to his shoulder over his extravagant garments. Similar precious gems were also built into a leather belt around Chrono's waist, from sapphires to amethysts, from garnets to diamonds...the list was endless. Sturdy gold-plated boots wrapped around his legs, a shade of glitter sparkling down to his heels.
That wasn't all. He was also wearing some kind of crown on his head, yellow and white in colour and sporting yet another combination of fancy jewels shining all along the circumference. In addition, an elegant ruby necklace lay around his neck, catching the light at virtually every angle to further blind the two Bureau mages.
Tiana stared at him until she felt that her eyes might pop out. She didn't know what she was seeing. Seconds later, she realised that Chrono was also wearing earrings which dangled down towards his neck in a ludicrous fashion, and this time her mouth did drop open.
"I am Commander Chrono of the world of Mid-childa," Chrono said majestically, sweeping one arm around him in a broad gesture. His outfit could not have exaggerated his words more. "I overlook the Harlaown Program personally, and have done so ever since I inherited the Blood Oath of Vivio Harlaown. Usually, I would have two aliens like yourselves to be returned to the spaceport, or put on the Harlaown Program at once. But..." A thoughtful look crossed his face, his eyes on Nanoha specifically. "I am curious about you. Somehow... you know who I am, even if your words make little no sense. And you know about the Bureau."
He waited for an answer from either of the two girls, but received none. They were still staring at his clothes with complete shock, open-mouthed. Several seconds passed in silence, during which Chrono cast a questioning glance towards the members of the palace guard. There was no help from them either.
"Are the two of you quite all right?" he said, concerned that the two women in front of him still had frozen goldfish-like expressions on their faces.
Nanoha shook herself and pulled herself together. She had not been ready to see that, and she doubted she ever would have been.
"Chrono, why are you dressed like that?" she said in awe. "Are you cosplaying?"
"Dressed?" The tall robed man, almost unrecognisable to their eyes with crown and all, seemed even more confused. "Dressed like what?"
"You look like a king," Tiana said admirably. She turned to Nanoha worriedly and whispered to her, "Is he? Is Chrono a king as well?"
"I don't know," Nanoha whispered back. "I don't know what's going on. If he's a king, why are the cyborgs calling him the Commander? Is he both?" She decided she might as well ask him whilst she was here. What did she have to lose? "Chrono, are you a king?" she said bluntly. "It's okay. You can tell me. I won't tell Amy about your career choice if you want it to be a secret."
She was talking as if they were back in their own Mid-childa, back in their own universe where everything was back to normal again...back in a world where she and Fate could continue their family with Vivio, just like they'd intended. Inside, however, Nanoha knew sadly that there was no possibility that this could be the case. This wasn't their universe. Oguba and Grylmark had taken them somewhere else completely different, somewhere so different that she didn't know if it could be fixed. She didn't know if they would ever get home, but as long as she kept talking as if there really was nothing wrong...
"My lady," Chrono said formally, with a narrow bow towards her, "I'm afraid you have the advantage of me. You seem to know a lot about myself and our world, but I know almost nothing about yours..."
"This is our world!" Nanoha said insistently. "We're not aliens! Chrono, we know each other. Will you please tell me what's going on around here?"
It was difficult for her to come to terms with a drastically-changed Chrono like this. He was acting completely out of character, and his behaviour towards her was not something she was used to. Besides, this still didn't make sense in the first place. The cyborgs called Chrono their Commander, and yet he was dressed as a king, and his actions towards her were all filtered through with such gentleman-like behaviour and courtesy. It all just felt really weird. Was this the future after all? What year was this?
"My lady, we have never met before in person," Chrono said earnestly, looking across at her with a smile that Nanoha knew she had never received from the "real" Chrono before. "I have never heard of anyone by your name before, and yet I am acquainted with more people than anyone else in Mid-childa." He took a step backwards slightly. "But...you still continue to intrigue me, my lady. It could be that you've mistaken me for somebody else. I believe there is a way in which we can settle this little misunderstanding..."
For a moment, the two Bureau mages braced themselves, thinking that he was going to order the combat cyborgs to arrest them or even attack. He didn't, however. Instead, he did something that made the shock of his royal costume pale in comparison.
In one smooth movement, Chrono rushed forward towards Nanoha, bent down on knee towards her, and raised her hand to his lips with a kiss.
"My lady," he whispered. "Would you be so good as to accompany me to my chambers to stay the night with me? I would honour your company, and it has been too long since a beautiful woman like yourself has graced my palace with your presence."
Nanoha's face was frozen in a bizarre mixture of total shock, bewilderment, a repressed urge to fall to the ground in fits of laughter, and a panicky feeling which yelled at her to run away as fast as she could.
What is he doing? Is he...is he serious?
The world had gone mad. Chrono was kissing her hand and inviting her round for...well, that would be better left unsaid. He was charming her in front of a small army of combat cyborgs. The night had taken a turn in a direction that Nanoha could never have expected.
If she had ever needed confirmation that the Chrono in front of her was not the Chrono they knew...then this was it. She needed no more evidence. Nanoha looked down at his honest face and saw with horror that he was, after all, being completely serious about it.
This was weird. She felt like she was being proposed to. She didn't need any more propositions; she was already engaged to Fate.
He's actually expecting an answer. He's waiting for me to reply. All of these combat cyborgs under his wing, and he's not forcing them to make me go with him. That's nice enough, but...
What was she supposed to say to something like that? She'd never had a man ask her something like this before – or anyone, in fact, except for Fate or one of her friends. Out of the corner of her eye, Nanoha could see Tiana bent over in tears of laughter. Well, she was glad someone was getting a kick out of this one, she thought sourly. Chrono was just inviting her inside, wasn't he? Was he going to keep flirting with her once they got in?
What do I say? "I have a girlfriend"? "I prefer women"? "I have to refuse because in my world you're actually Fate's foster brother and that would mean I'm already engaged to your sister and this would be really really weird"?
Even so, I can't afford to refuse. I need answers about what's going on in Mid-childa, and he does seem the best person to ask. But...what if I accept his invitation, and he thinks I mean it in a completely different way? What if we have dinner, and then he's expecting something at the end of it, and instead I just ask him "By the way, I do have a girlfriend, and I was hoping you would be able to help me find her"?
Chrono was still waiting patiently. From the look of it, he could probably stay on one knee for hours. It looked a bit awkward from Nanoha's position.
With an effort, she cleared her throat. "I..." She tossed her hair a little to the side and caught sight of a small blush on Chrono's cheeks. Oh great. Now I've made Chrono fancy me even more. This had better be temporary. "I have no words," Nanoha managed lamely.
Tiana had moved away out of the spotlight, wheezing from laughing so hard. Nanoha glared at her irritably.
"My lady, I assure you that you will be my treasured guest at the palace for tonight," Chrono said, still on one knee. Nanoha wished that he would get up already. "A feast will be held in your honour. Food, drink and dancing will all be available to you. If you have any questions about our planet, I would be glad to answer them."
Nanoha had to admit that the proposition did seem enticing. She and Tiana were certainly worn out and by the state of Mid-childa at the moment, they would be hard-pressed to find anywhere better to spend the night. And at a palace, of all places! It also seemed like they really could have all their questions answered, since Chrono seemed to be in charge.
That wasn't what Nanoha was worried about, however...maybe she could just pretend to be interested, at least until they had the information they needed? Would that be a bad thing? If he started getting ideas, then she could take care of herself anyway. Maybe she could apologise to the Chrono in their own universe if they ever made it through this.
"I accept, then," she said grudgingly.
She breathed a sigh of relief as Chrono rose to his feet gracefully with a broad grin on his face. He probably would have stayed kneeling like that until she'd said yes. Nanoha just felt a little sorry for him.
"Then let us go," Chrono said contentedly, striding out in front of them. "Follow me, my mysterious lady of the night. I'm sure you have many questions."
Nanoha groaned. How long did she have to put up with this? If he really was a king, could she get in trouble for refusing his advances? Rigidly, she decided to remain in her transformed form. Chrono didn't seem aggressive at all so far, but a word from him could set combat cyborgs swarming all over them.
"Come," Chrono said, linking arms with her.
Awkwardly, she pulled her arm away without thinking. Nanoha found that she didn't feel especially comfortable with having that kind of physical contact with Chrono – and definitely not Chrono, of all people. It was too weird. Not only that, but even this smallest of gestures would make her feel as if she was betraying Fate...
She caught Chrono's hurt expression and felt a little guilty about it. Quickly, Nanoha pulled Tiana towards her and linked arms with her instead as sudden inspiration came to her.
"I'm sorry, Chrono," she apologised. "I only link arms with...with..." Nanoha felt like hitting herself in the forehead. She didn't know what to say. "With...women?" she tried.
Chrono looked puzzled. "I don't understand."
"She only links arms with me," Tiana put in helpfully. "It's...it's an alien thing."
"Yes. Linking arms is a sacred ritual on our planet," Nanoha babbled, not knowing where any of this was going. "I can only link arms with Tiana and women who look like her."
"But why?" Chrono questioned. "I am interested to know everything about you, Nanoha. Why is it that you can't link arms with me?"
"I'm allergic," she blurted.
Damn it. This was really getting out of hand.
"You're...allergic?" Chrono repeated.
"Yes. I break out in a terrible rash, and then I start sneezing, and then my legs fall off and I die. Really suddenly. It's terrible." Nanoha wondered if she should clamp her own hand over her mouth to stop her from making this any worse. "And that is why I can't link arms with you. It's tragic."
She couldn't be sure, but it seemed as if Chrono was keeping some distance away from the two of them now. She didn't want to put him off too much, though, otherwise he might not be willing to talk to them anymore.
I usually wouldn't have much of a problem with this, Nanoha thought inwardly. I first met Chrono about the same time in my life that I met Fate, so I wouldn't mind if he suddenly asked me out to dinner or something, because it would be completely harmless. We've eaten together as friends before and helped each other out. But this Chrono, this new version of him in this changed world...I don't think he's thinking about just dinner...
"I'm also allergic to kissing men on this planet," she added as an afterthought. "Violently allergic. I'm so sorry."
Chrono fixed her with a steady gaze as he slowly backed away towards the gates. "I think," he said finally, "that we should go up to the palace now. No matter our circumstances, we can still engage in conversation. I will answer any questions you may have about Mid-childa, and you can tell me all about...your wonderful alien culture."
I can't believe this, Nanoha mourned as she and Tiana followed Chrono up into the palace, their arms linked together in symbolism of an ancient alien tradition which didn't exist . First I'm staying the night with a royal version of Chrono in a parallel universe, and now I'm pretending to be an alien who's allergic to everything. All this so that I can be united with Fate again. But it will be worth it.
Vita's senses were aflame with the heat of battle within the hospital ward. Vicious monsters and grotesque mutants of all shapes and sizes were coming at her from nearly every direction, and it was all she could do to remain standing. She was fighting not only for her own life, but for the lives of her friends who lay unconscious behind her, and who would surely perish if she went down for even a moment.
Graf Eisen was in Gigantform, its increased size extending its range in order to take down as many of the beasts as possible from a singular position. The variety of attacks coming towards Vita, however, prevented her from staying in the same place for too long. Torrents of deadly acid were cast towards her where they ate into the hospital floor, bullet-like thorns shot out to cripple her where she stood, and many of the nightmarish beasts were engaging her with elemental attacks which she couldn't defend against for very long...
Claws and teeth slashed at her from one side whilst Vita crushed another foe beneath her hammer, piling another body onto the morbid heap of corpses which grew with every blow she struck. Fire and acid burned her skin, forcing through the remains of her Panzerschild and punching holes in her Barrier Jacket. She shattered the skull of another distorted mutant even as five more took its place, moving quickly to protect her weak side before her enemies could weigh her down any more. The stench of blood was overpowering, plaguing her senses along with the exhaustion of fighting so many.
Too many, in fact. Vita had accepted that fact. She couldn't survive against such staggering numbers. She could already feel her body beginning to fail, but Vita gritted her teeth through the pain and pushed herself to the limit, thinking of Hayate and her friends back there. They needed her. She couldn't fail them, not when she might be the only one left...
The place was beginning to resemble a small battlefield. Mounds of dead mutants littered the ward, numbering at least twenty or thirty so far, but their companions simply climbed over them and lunged at the Velka Knight battling valiantly. Vita felt her head droop as she swung Graf Eisen towards yet another foe, her muscles aching terribly. Graf Eisen was not an ideal weapon for combating large numbers of enemies – it was more suited for one-to-one in close combat. The only reason she was still alive at all was due to her expertise and relationship with her weapon.
If only Signum was here to lend a hand...I could really do with some of her help. I'm losing badly. I've knocked down so many of them, but there's still three times that number coming up at me. I can barely keep on going, and Signum and the others aren't here to save me, I know it...I'm sorry, Graf Eisen, but this could be our last battle together...
She thought of what everyone had gone through just to rescue her, just to keep her safe from harm, and tears came to her eyes. As she lowered her head, Vita saw that one of the creatures was creeping around from the left, towards the beds where Hayate and the others were vulnerable...
No!
With a scream of rage, Vita smashed her weapon into the creature's rib cage with such force that it was thrown all the way back across the length of the ward, bowling over two more of its comrades. Her hands went numb with the impact, and for a moment she almost dropped Graf Eisen completely.
The Wolkenritter were never meant to fight alone. We were created to serve the Mistress of the Night Sky, whoever that might be. We would serve her together.
The line of opponents was shifting. The small fry were being shoved aside to make way for an entire row of gigantic armoured beasts, multiple heads stretching out from their muscular torso, the ground shuddering as they lumbered forward. A curious glow surrounded them – the light of a magical field. These beasts were shielded by magically-enhanced armour, and jagged lightning crackled from the tips of their claws.
Our masters used to only care about power. That's all they cared about: the power that the Book of Darkness gave them. Worlds were devastated in the process, and the Wolkenritter would survive it all to watch another catastrophe begin. Until...until Hayate changed us. She changed us all, and we began to believe that it didn't have to be this way. We could feel like life had a purpose again.
No spells left. Vita had already used up all of her magic fighting off the first wave of enemies, and even so it had not been without her own sacrifices. Blood poured down her face from several cuts and near misses, and scores of wounds marked her arms and legs in particular. But this was nothing for a Velka Knight, she told herself again and again, she could endure this...
You saved me, Hayate. You saved all of us from a fate worse than death. And...I'm not going to survive this battle. The enemies are getting even stronger, and they just keep coming.
She yelled a battle-cry and struck out at the first of the lumbering monsters. A clang resounded as Graf Eisen made contact with the thick armour. It made a sizeable dent but had otherwise no real effect. The beast ignored her attack and continued to advance. Savage claws from multiple arms began to spear through the ground towards her, ripping across the hospital ward in its wake.
You saved me, Hayate. And now I'm going to save you.
A whole row of the nightmares, surrounding her in a semi-circle, close enough that she could smell the gore on their bodies from their late comrades. Vita backed up a step, took a deep breath and closed her eyes, filling her mind with her most treasured memories. She pictured the rest of the Wolkenritter in her mind, talking and laughing with her and Hayate.
I'm...I'm going to die for you, Hayate...
She opened her eyes and charged forward with everything she had. This was her last stand. Graf Eisen changed form and broke through the circle of green squirming monstrous limbs which shot towards her, spikes coming up the ground to slice through her feet from below. Vita threw her body all the way to one side, rolling out of the way and landing right into the shadow of another of the armoured horrors. A fist rained down from above, black icicles screaming towards her face.
"Vita?" a small voice said from behind her.
Agony shot through her wrist as she flipped Graf Eisen up halfway to parry, stopping the fist in its tracks with an impact that shook the earth. The ice made no such manoeuvre, however, and curled round to slash across her hand. Vita howled as her weapon dropped to the floor, feeling as if her fingers were being shredded to pieces. Her body crumpled and hit the ground as the rest of the beasts loomed above her, snarling and hissing greedily, their claws poised to mutilate her and end her life.
"Hayate," she whispered in desperation, unable to fight anymore. "Run."
The figure of a girl with short brown hair moved behind her, magical energy expanding outwards from her body in a compact radius. Sigils appeared in the air as she raised a long staff in her hand, her eyes closed in concentration.
"Come forth, the wind of snow," Hayate chanted, stepping away from the hospital bed with the staff of Reinforce pointing directly at the monsters surrounding Vita, "and become the fletchling which falls from the heavens. Hraesvaelgr!"
The sigils exploded with white light as highly-concentrated energy beams erupted forth from multiple points. The armoured beasts screamed as the spell burned through their flesh in seconds, disintegrating them on the spot. The killing blow towards Vita never came as her opponents were destroyed almost before they knew what hit them.
With her eyes still tightly closed, Hayate pressed her attack further, and the energy beams passed over Vita harmlessly to wipe out the rest of the mutants in the room. She increased the number of sigils and increased the radius of each beam so that none of the creatures would be able to break through the attack. Fire, frost, lightning, acid and all manner of attacks was launched towards her as her opponents sighted Hayate as a new target, hungry to devour her.
In response, the energy beams increased in magnitude and negated every spell that came towards it, swallowing everything up. The weaker beasts died as soon as the spell touched them; the more powerful creatures lasted a few seconds more before their armour began to break apart before Hraevaeglr's incredible power. Then they, too, were turned to dust, their hateful cries carrying off into the air.
Slowly, Hayate lowered her staff, the magic dying down at last. The hospital ward was now devoid of enemies, leaving only Vita in her crippled state on the floor. Subaru and Caro remained unconscious on their own beds with the masks and tubes still covering their bodies.
"Vita?" Hayate said quietly, shaking slightly as her arm dropped to her side. "Is that you?"
The Velka Knight lay on her back, focusing on taking in air. The pain was easing a little, though her muscles still burned. Exhausted, her Barrier Jacket disappeared and Graf Eisen turned back to Standby Form as the last of her magical energy was drained away. The red-haired girl breathed in an out painfully, the air tight against her chest, her arms dripping with blood. As the seconds passed in silence, Vita's vision gradually became more stable.
I should be dead, she thought. I was prepared to die. The...the monsters. They're all gone, just like that. I...I can't...
"Hayate," she breathed.
The former leader of Riot Force 6 was kneeling beside her, one hand resting on Vita's shoulder. Her touch relaxed her spirit if nothing else, and Vita found herself choked with tears, not to mention blood as well. She had come so close. So close to losing Hayate completely...and herself...
"Vita," Hayate said, her voice strained in a peculiar fashion. "Where are you?"
Her question was both puzzling and frightening to Vita. The mutants had been defeated against all odds, but something else felt off – something about Hayate. The Bureau mage was dragging her other hand against the ground, seeming confused and disorientated; her body was crouched on the bloodied ground, searching around blindly.
For some reason, her eyes were still closed. Vita wondered why she didn't open them.
"Hayate, we've got to get out of here," she said urgently, clasping at the other woman's arm. "There are more of those creatures running around here. I can hear them."
She felt Hayate's other hand close over her own, the Bureau mage's body reacting to her touch and pulling upwards to drag Vita to her feet. The Velka Knight found herself swaying a little, so that she had to hold onto Hayate to keep herself upright. Her stamina and magic had been diminished to the point where she could barely keep herself on her toes even without transforming.
"Vita...?" Hayate was still acting strangely. Her hands were feeling across patches of Vita's body, from her arms to her neck and back. "Vita, I...I can't see you..."
"Your eyes are closed, Hayate," the Velka Knight told her wearily, swaying into her again. "Maybe it would help if you opened them?"
"I..." The brown-haired mage shivered. "I can't."
What?
"What do you mean, you can't?" Vita felt a chill growing within her, but forced it away from her angrily. "Hayate, we have to get out of here! I can't carry both Subaru and Caro by myself - "
"I'm serious, Vita!" Hayate sounded really frightened now. "I can't open my eyes at all! I can't see anything!"
What happened to her whilst she had that mask and tubes in her body? What happened to all these people in the hospital? If I try to wake up Subaru and Caro in the same way that I woke up Hayate...will the same thing happen to them too? What do I do?
A thunderous bellowing suddenly sounded from above them, a tremendous clashing accompanied with animal-like howls. The noise began to grow louder and louder, spreading tremors throughout the floor of the hospital. More of the mutated horrors were coming for them...many, many more. They had to get out of this hospital now.
I can't fight any more. I can barely stand. Can Hayate fight against so many enemies when she can't even see them? She wiped out the mutants in the ward here and saved my life, but she was able to sense them through her magic. If they're going to surround us...I don't know if we'll make it through alive.
And if I choose to run instead? With Hayate unable to see at all? I won't able to carry Subaru or Caro out of here. I'll be lucky to get Hayate out at all – and that's if we even find the exit. If we do that...we'll be leaving Subaru and Caro behind to their fate. What do I do?
"What do I do?" Vita cried, torn between two unfavourable options out of this. "They're coming, Hayate. What do I do?"
There was no answer from the brown-haired mage. She was still feeling her way across the floor, rubbing at her eyes in vain every few seconds. Something had to be seriously wrong if her eyes really were refusing to open.
"Hayate!" Vita yelled, holding onto her shoulderstightly as another wave of fear overcame her. "What do we do? Just tell me what to do, and I'll do it! Give me an order, anything!"
"I don't know," the mage whispered, speaking almost to herself. "I don't know where I am, I don't know what happened...the portal. That was it...Nanoha and Fate and everyone. They went through the portal to rescue Vita from Red Scorpion. I was standing next to Vivio, waving goodbye. But as soon as they disappeared, the portal re-opened again and...everything...changed..."
The clash of monstrous screams above them was getting closer and closer. With a heart-wrenching feeling in the pit of her stomach, Vita realised she had to make a decision right now. Hayate was in no state to fight or plan any kind of strategy; her sudden blindness seemed to have hit her hard, along with whatever nameless horrors had happened to her whilst she was unconscious. If they stood here and fought against the next rush of enemies, there would be no guarantee that any of them would live to see the dawn.
With a grim expression on her face, and with extreme reluctance, Vita gathered Hayate's body into her arms and ran out through the double doors into the rest of the hospital.
When all else fails, when reason and humanity fall apart around me...I must remember my duty as a member of the Wolkenritter. My duty is to carry out the wishes of the Mistress of the Night Sky, whatever they may be. And failing that...I will protect her with everything I have.
It hurt to leave Subaru and Caro behind like that, but Vita saw that there was little other choice in the matter. The battle against the wave of mutants had crippled her to the point that she had no energy left to transform; it was a superhuman effort for her to move at her current pace carrying Hayate. She couldn't take anyone else with her. If Hayate was able to fight and see properly, then that would be a different matter, but it was clear enough that the leader of Riot Force 6 was in no condition to do either.
I'll get you out of here, Hayate, Vita promised as she ran through the endless corridors, the sounds of her enemies following her like the march of time. I can't save anyone else...I know that Nanoha would have been able to find another way, a better way. She's good at things like that. But this is all I can do.
She looked down at Hayate's body and saw that the mage was no longer transformed, but back in her ordinary Bureau uniform, her head slumped to one side. Had she slipped back into unconsciousness? Something else in her system was affecting her, Vita thought. Looks like choosing to stand and fight would have ended in failure after all.
Vita didn't know if she could save Hayate for sure, but she was going to get her out of this hospital if it killed her. And judging by the effect that her pace was having on her own body, that wasn't too far from the truth.
The sounds of the beasts were further and further away now. They were still there, but no longer as close as before. Vita took some small comfort in this triumph – surely they had to be near the exit now...unless there was some other reason why their enemies were not keeping up with them...
"Good evening, Vita of the Wolkenritter!"
The confident voice came out of the air around her, a buzz of words which startled her until Vita realised it was coming from a hologram. All across the walls around her, the shape of an old man in grey robes was revolving on the spot, his eyes seeming to pierce into her soul. The Velka Knight didn't recognise him, but for some reason she felt like she should. There was an uncanny resemblance between the old man and a previous enemy she had fought in the past...
"I see you are trying to escape my facility," the hologram said pleasantly. "Unfortunately, I'm not here at the moment. You will have to leave a message at the tone." A superior smirk formed on the man's face. "Did you think you could escape, Vita? You thought you could just wake up and be free from Grylmark himself?"
Grylmark, Vita thought. Now she had a name to put the face to. Something stirred in her memories of the past...the mutants which had attacked the Bureau, all the way back in the beginning. She hadn't been present to see them – she had been sick in hospital at the time. But Vita was ready to swear that the mutants which had attacked the Bureau then were the same creatures that she had fought in the hospital with Hayate.
So now she had a better idea of where she was. Somehow, she had been taken away – along with Hayate, Subaru and Caro – into this "facility", under Grylmark. Just what was he planning here? What was he doing with all these people, or members of the Bureua for that matter?
"The answer? Yes!" Grylmark crowed. "You can be free, Vita. I couldn't get you into the Metaworld where I wanted you, not after that foolish lizard screwed it up. And I can keep you here too, but...really? This is much more effort than it's worth. How about...if I just show you the way out? You'd like that, wouldn't you, Vita?"
To her astonishment, a row of lights came to life across the corridor, pointing all the way to the right in a guiding trail of amber. Vita froze for a moment, easing Hayate's body in her arms. What was this? Was this a trap?
"This way, if you please!" the hologram continued nonchalantly. "I'd hate to see you killed so easily, Vita, not when you have so much to give me. Why, I don't want all my efforts to go to nothing! You've probably wiped out far too many of my little creations, is that correct? Oh, I knew it would be too much trouble to try to keep you here. Now, why don't you follow the yellow brick warpath all the way to the exit? I think you'll be suitably enlightened!"
Why would he help me escape? Vita thought suspiciously. It has to be a trap. Warily, she peered around the corner of the corridor where the lights were pointing – and to her amazement felt a draft of fresh air breeze across her hair. A cool wind coming from the outside. It had to be. Unless Grylmark had prepared a room full of giant fans specifically for this occasion...he was telling the truth. He really was guiding her towards the exit.
It can't be that simple. He's the man who made these monsters...maybe he's the same person behind what's happening in this hospital. Maybe he's luring me to the exit just to trap me again. I need to be careful.
She began to follow the lights, slowing her pace down to try and catch her breath. As she ran, Vita felt Hayate stir in her arms, mumbling inaudibly against her elbow. If anything happened, she swore to herself, if Grylmark pulled some dirty trick at the last second and re-captured her, she was going to make sure that Hayate got out of the hospital alive.
"Hayate?" she panted, pushing through another set of doors as the lights guided her down another staircase. "How're you keeping up?"
Hayate shook her head. "I can breathe a bit better. But I still can't see at all...something's keeping my eyes closed..."
Concerned, the Velka Knight lifted the mage's face up to hers. Then she saw it – a wet stain of blood across Hayate's eyelids, hardened and crusty. It was the blood keeping the mage's eyes closed, combined with a mixture of other materials which were obstructing the movement of Hayate's eyelids. For a moment Vita reached over to help her, before deciding she might do more harm than good. She could still get rid of it, however. This was something she knew.
"Hayate, there's blood sealing your eyes closed. You must have taken a hard hit at some point. I..." Vita hesitated for a moment, then pushed on forward. "I don't want to make it worse. I don't know how bad it is. But I know how you can get your eyes open."
Hayate cocked her head over to one side. "I'm listening."
"Here's what you do. I've only had to do this a few times." Vita ducked her head around to follow the staircase down to the ground level. They were nearly out of the hospital altogether – she could tell now that Grylmark was at least guiding them in the right direction. "Squeeze your left eye until you can feel the tears come out. You'll dissolve part of the blood keeping your lids closed. Then relax and pull at your lids to open. Do the same with each eye in turn, and it should work."
"Got it," the brown-haired mage replied, beginning to apply the procedure. "Ow...nnh..."
Vita tore down the last corner and saw light soaring in from the two automatic doors before. The doors were left wide open as if they had been expecting her, leading to the outside world. The smell of early evening, not too long past dusk, yet dark enough to make a difference to their plight...
I did it! I got to the exit! Finally!
"Vita," Hayate said suddenly, holding her eyes. "I need to tell you - "
"This isn't the time, Hayate!" Vita ran at full speed towards the doors. "I'm getting you outside!"
She was inches from the doors before the hologram of Grylmark emerged to block her path. Automatic locks hissed into place before she could push through into the liberating evening air. Angrily, Vita stopped short, lowering Hayate a little as she gasped for breath. She was just about ready to hit the ground.
"I'll let you leave in just a moment," Grylmark said in a modest tone, "after I mention a few useful things to you."
Vita was beginning to get very fed up of the old man. Was he letting them go or not? If he wasn't, then if he could just say so, and then they could bust their way out the old-fashioned way...Just what was he playing at? Capturing them and forcing them to play cat-and-mouse with mutants he had created, and then letting them go free? What kind of logic was that?
"My message to you is this, and it is a simple one," the hologram said, and the old man's voice took on a darker tone. "Inside, you will live, though a half-life indeed. Outside, you are all dead."
Grylmark's blackened gaze chilled her to the bone as the hologram continued. "Mid-childa has changed, foolish Guardian Knight. You are no longer in the world you once knew. I release you now because soon enough, Vita...soon you will plead to return to this place. You will not be able to survive in the outside world. Do you understand what I'm saying? It is now after curfew. The executors of Chrono Harlaown will hunt you down and deliver your souls unto the butchered torment of an evil misplaced into good.
"You are a Guardian Knight, Vita. I know you do not die easily. And whilst you may not immediately perish, your loved ones will be crushed into dust before your eyes. Sooner or later...you will return here to relive your eternal dreamland." The locks on the door broke free, and the exit stood wide open once more. "Now begone, Vita! Take your life into a universe which was never meant to be! Soon enough, you will return. And when you do...I'll be waiting!"
She broke through the gap in the doors and flung herself and Hayate out of the dreaded hospital at long last, collapsing on the grass outside. Vita spat blood out of her mouth, panting as she dragged herself as far away from the facility as she possibly could. Grylmark's message had been clear enough: this wasn't over.
But what did he mean about a "changed" Mid-childa?...
"Vita," Hayate called, grabbing at her sleeve. "Vita."
The Guardian Knight stopped dead in her tracks, tension brewing in her at Hayate's serious tone. "What is it?"
"Vita, I managed to get my eyes open. I did like you said, and..." Hayate reached over until they staring right at each other. "I still can't see, Vita. My eyes are open...but everything is still so dark...What's wrong? Vita, what's wrong with me?"
The Velka Knight backed away upon seeing the Bureau mage's face. Hayate's blue eyes stared into her own, but that wasn't all. A red and orange vapour was surging within her pupils, a dark flame which had not been there before. And when Hayate looked forward, her eyes were unfocused and unmoving, obscured by the sinister fire burning inside her.
Whatever Grylmark had done to Hayate in the hospital had had a permanent effect. Vita realised that now. She had known something was wrong with Hayate, but what she saw now was purely related to magic and nothing to do with any kind of medicinal treatment...and not something that you could heal like a wound or a broken bone.
Before her eyes, Hayate was now completely blind.
A/N: I don't mean for these chapters to get longer and longer but they just do...maybe I put too much stuff in them.
I might have introduced too many characters at once in the House of Yagami (but they'll keep being mentioned again at certain times anyway). I'm not sure if I got Arisa's character right, but then again we don't know much about a grown-up Arisa, and she's also an AU-Arisa. i remember she kept a lot of dogs. I'm not sure that would be applicable here though.
Next chapter will include what's happening to Fate and Signum.