Chapter 49

Two years went by in the blink of an eye, or so it felt like.

Melyssa stared in the mirror, her hair nothing more than dark blue corkscrew curls that went to the middle of her back. Mariabell knew how to do hair, that was for sure. She was now the age of 20 and had blossomed into a beautiful, vivacious woman…with a deadly twist. Ouroboros wasn't as bad as she thought it'd be. They helped her hone her skills as a swordswoman, but the Grandmaster also gave her another weapon.

A crossbow.

It was the perfect combination – a Cutlass and a Crossbow. It did not take her long to get the hang of the Crossbow, just her aim, and even then, all she did day and night was train. McBurn would pop in from time to time, asking her questions and gave her some helpful tips, but that was about it. The Grandmaster had kept her word not to allow McBurn to harm her. Melyssa also had one other stipulation for the Grandmaster, which she accepted, and that was not harming a single person she loved and cared about. She wrote the names down, handed them over and they were 100% safe from Ouroboros. Crow had been the first name she wrote down, followed by her mother, Rean, Ash and the rest of her Class VII and old Class VII. As long as they didn't interfere with Ouroboros' plans, all was well and, so far, they hadn't.

Tonight was an annual ball in Crossbell City the Emperor threw every year as a way of celebrating the prosperity of his reign over the empire. It was also Crossbell City's anniversary of joining with the empire. Melyssa was instructed to attend by the Grandmaster and she was to gather intel regarding the new mayor of Crossbell City. Ouroboros was interested in Crossbell City because it was the one place they wanted to take over more than any other city in Erebonia. It held tradition and the Grandmaster had a special place in her deviant heart for Crossbell as a whole.

Wearing a strapless black dress, Melyssa slid her hands down the curves of her body and had to admit, she didn't look half bad. She left her hair down, did her makeup and had her weapons stashed, in case she needed them. This would be her first mission in Ouroboros and the Grandmaster instructed her to do this alone, wanting to see what she was made of. There would be no fighting or plotting, tonight anyway. Around her neck was a string of diamonds, her nails painted black and she also had diamond dangling earrings on with black two inch heels on her feet.

"Are you ready for this?"

"Yes." Melyssa answered without hesitation, allowing Mariabell to fluff her hair and spray it down a little more.

"Just remember, you're only gathering intel. If you need me, you know how to contact me." Mariabell thought of Melyssa as a little sister and had taken her under her wing. She was very easy to train, not needing to do much to break her in.

"I understand, Mariabell. I won't let you or the Grandmaster down."

"Good." Mariabell kissed her forehead with a smile. "Go on now, and try to enjoy yourself for a change."

Melyssa didn't understand the concept since the past two years – well, the past 10 years of her life, really – had been about following the path of the sword. She still did it in Ouroboros, just a little differently than others. Walking out of the hotel, Melyssa slid into the waiting orbal limousine that would take her directly to the newly built palace the empire created over the past two years. It was also the grand opening of it, but nothing compared to it to Valflame Palace in Heimdallr. Still, it was beautiful nevertheless and the color was a crystal white that reminded her of snow.

Promising not to harm 'her' or the 'old' Class VII was easy enough.

There was a new generation in Class VII, though the Ashen Chevalier had become… almost stern. Emma had given him the best advice ever. Don't let your emotions get in the way, don't be friends with them, they are students and nothing more. Rean knew that meant he needed to protect them when required, but that was both his job and a moral obligation, nothing more and nothing less. Caring had gotten him nothing but a gaping hole in his chest, a sense of failure that had never gone away and a few other issues he didn't bother with.

He had failed Melyssa. She was either dead or captive somewhere. Rean knew how much she had despised Ouroboros and what they stood for. He knew McBurn had had a thing for her. He still, to this day, did not understand why Ouroboros would go to such extravagant lengths to get their hands on one girl, who wasn't overly remarkable at first glance. She had been stellar, and he knew that, but from an outside eye, a casual glance… cut from the same cloth as so many others.

What about her… it was slowly driving him mad.

Melyssa hadn't fought against becoming an Enforcer because she didn't want to be tortured to a slow death by McBurn and she wanted to protect her loved ones. Simply training with them to become an Enforcer protected her…and Enforcers had A LOT of leeway. If this went off without any problems, if she was successful, her training would be completed as an Enforcer and Melyssa would be able to go out into the open world as she pleased.

Granted, she had despised what Ouroboros stood for, but after learning about them, she realized they were just outsiders that had gotten dealt horrible hands of fate. Just like her family had in the North Ambria disaster. Her father hadn't been lying about any of it; the Grandmaster had shown her the cold truth of what happened to her family and they had indeed been stripped of their nobility title. There was a reason McBurn had chosen her, had told the Grandmaster about her, and slowly but surely, she was proving her worth to Ouroboros through her training.

"You are reborn as Lysa, The Orange Flame." The Grandmaster had decreed, once her training was completed and shortly after, this mission was given to her.

Walking inside, Melyssa – no, Lysa – took in the scenery briefly and swiped a glass of champagne from one of the waiters to take a sip. She would blend into the crowd and eventually make her way to the new mayor of Crossbell City.

Attending this party was not on Rean's list of things to do but he was obligated. Just like his current students were obligated. Crossbell had so much history, it was considered a 'field excursion', which Rean had told them flat out the last field excursion he had gone on had ended in disaster. Needless to say, his current students didn't think he was a very happy man. And that they were going to wind up in some fight or something. But here they were, all dressed in their academy best and he was certain he had spotted some of his former students, not that they all kept in touch very much. That trip two years ago had been a disaster and every one of them had felt at fault to a degree and Ash… Ash who had never been on board with the plan to begin with had ripped him and Crow apart.

Ash did more than rip Crow and Rean apart – he left Class VII and finished out his schooling with Instructor Herschel. He wanted NOTHING to do with Rean Schwarzer ever again, cutting all ties with Class VII. Ash didn't realize it at the time, but Melyssa was more than just a friend to him – she was so much more than that. He loved her. She confided in him, he confided in her – they got each other. Now, she was gone and it'd been two heartbreakingly long years since that horrible night. For all he knew, she'd been burnt alive just like her grandfather.

Robert Brackett was nowhere to be found and had escaped Class VII's interrogation overnight, thanks to Miranda, who released him. Emma had broken the magical bonds because they had tied him up and Miranda had been the one to release him. When she was interrogated, all she said was he would find out what happened to their daughter. Rean couldn't really do anything to her, so he let her go and Miranda left Jurai to start her life over.

It was almost as if the Brackett family never existed, truthfully.

"Need some assistance?"

Melyssa turned to see none other than Jusis Albarea, heir to the Albarea House, which was one of the Four Great Houses and…one of Rean Schwarzer's best friends. It was best to steer clear of any Class VII members for the time being and Melyssa could only hope they didn't recognize her right away. "No, Mr. Albarea, but thank you for the offer." Then she thought about the reason she was here. "Actually, could you tell me who the new mayor of Crossbell is? As a citizen of Crossbell, I'd like to shake his hand and wish him well."

"Certainly. There he is now, actually."

Turning, Melyssa felt her eyes widen slightly at the sight of none other than Machias Regnitz. HE was the new mayor of Crossbell City?! Machias was being swarmed with people at the moment, so there was no way Melyssa would be able to get close to him.

"Thank you for pointing him out. Have a good night, Mr. Albarea." Bowing her head, she made her way through the crowd, staying in the shadows of the ballroom as much as she could. The Grandmaster would not be happy to hear of this sudden turn of events since Machias was a former member of Class VII. Shit, if he gets in the way of the Grandmaster's plan, Machias will be in danger. What am I going to do? More importantly, what COULD she do?

Nothing. She couldn't do anything. She was going to have to hope that Ouroboros upheld their end of the promise and left her 'friends' alone as the original agreement had been. Anyone with common sense and experience with Ouroboros would have told her to find a way to fight her way out or die trying because Ouroboros couldn't be trusted. The devastation at Crossbell before, the train attack and murder of innocents… and now, Juna felt like maybe she had been sort of right two years ago about Melyssa because it seemed to run in the family.

Her own mother had released a potential informant.

Rean didn't talk to Juna very often because sometimes, it made sense. He was bored. Alert but bored as he stood against a wall, keeping an eye on his students, hands laced behind his back.

Ouroboros wouldn't leave Machias alone, not when he had this much power over Crossbell City. Melyssa had sent a message to Mariabell, informing her of what she discovered. That was all she needed to do was find out who the new mayor was. It had been kept under wraps until tonight – it was Machias' 'unveiling' and he had to give a speech. Beside him was his wife, Emma Regnitz, a witch of the Hexen Clan. Melyssa cracked a small smile, seeing them together as husband and wife. She finished her glass of champagne and set it down on the nearby table, feeling her phone go off again.

Eliminate him.

Melyssa's blood ran cold at those words staring back at her, knowing it was a direct order from the Grandmaster. They wanted Machias eliminated…and since she had made a deal with them, they expected her to carry out the deed. There was always a loophole when it came to Ouroboros. Cursing under her breath, Melyssa slid her phone back in her clutch and mulled over her options, not realizing who had come over to her side of the ballroom. Due to her corkscrew curls, her face was hidden from the way she was standing against the wall.

Melyssa should have known from the get-go Ouroboros would only keep their 'promises' so long as it was convenient. She was too deep into the organization now for it to really matter. She would have no choice except to carry out her mission or else they would leverage other people against her. Once one was in and committed, it was for life, whether they liked it or not.

Crow begged to differ.

Rean wasn't paying anyone but Machias and Emma attention, moving closer to hear the speech properly. Machias as the new mayor, that indeed was a momentous occasion and he managed a small smile, seeing how happy Emma looked in this moment.

After Machias gave his speech without any issues, everyone applauded him and it was time to dance. He guided his wife on the dance floor, pulling her into his arms and it was as if the world fell away, leaving just the two of them. As an Enforcer, even though this was her first mission, Melyssa also knew she didn't have to necessarily carry out the orders given to her. They would punish her, yes, but it wouldn't be the first or last time an Enforcer disobeyed the Grandmaster. Just as she was about to make her escape, a tap on her shoulder made Melyssa turn to stare at Jusis Albarea.

"A lovely lady such as yourself needs a dance partner." He bowed, dressed to the nines in a black tuxedo and took her hand to softly kiss the back of it. "May I have this dance?"

This was such a bad idea, but Melyssa found herself nodding and allowed Jusis to guide her onto the dance floor, leaving her clutch behind at the table.

"You really are quite beautiful. What is your name?" Jusis asked, once they began to waltz together to the music.

"Lysa. Lysa Reynolds, sir."

Jusis chuckled, twirling her and pulled her back against him. "No need for formalities, just call me Jusis."

Melyssa felt a blush creep up into her cheeks at his request and she cracked a smile. "Very well…Jusis."

"You should be having fun." Emma chided when she spotted Rean, guiding Machias over towards the poor wallflower. She untangled herself from her husband, linking their arms together as they moved towards Rean. "It's a party, Rean, smile. Machias, make him smile."

Machias flashed a grin large enough for them all. "Be that way my friend, don't smile. I see how much my success means to you." He was teasing though rewarded with a small, tight smile from Rean.

Rean hadn't smiled properly in two years. Fuchsia eyes moved past them, spotting Jusis and nodded when his friend bobbed his own head at him before giving his attention back to his corkscrew haired dance partner.

Emma's attention went to her as well, raising a slow brow. "Who is that dancing with Jusis?"

Machias tilted his head, folding his arms in front of his chest. "Not sure. I know he did not bring an escort with him this evening. Perhaps he found someone who can tolerate that brash arrogance and mouth of his." He grunted when Emma smacked his arm, rolling his eyes. "You know we chide each other all the time, my love." Machias and Jusis had been in a friendly battle for years, always trying to one up each other.