Manu259: No, you did not. Thanks.
Well, regardless, thank you very much. I'm glad you enjoy my story so much. :)
Um...yeah, no idea who Ichika is, but I'll take your word for it. I've seen more than a few anime protagonists who are like that.
Oh, quite a bit my friend. Without a doubt, it'll be more than he did in the games, that's for damn sure. Their relationship will be a very complicated, and most likely, twisted one.
Yes, yes he does. He's here for a number of reasons, including one or two major plot ones, so don't expect him to be a throwaway character or anything. Hmm, that is a conundrum. Who is more worthy of hate and spite? Cayenne or Duke Albarea? I, personally, would probably lean more towards Cayenne, but hey, to each their own and all that.
I don't know, did he? I never said it was Osborne, but I left it vague enough that it could be him...along with almost anyone else. If it was, well, that would certainly be interesting, now wouldn't it? You're burning with curiosity aren't you? Too bad, I shall never reveal the truth. MWAHAHAHAHA! Okay, no, but seriously, you'll find out eventually. Not for a while though.
Oh yes, Nord. I have something I've been really, really looking forward to for that one. I cannot wait!
No, thank you for deigning to read and review in the first place. You, and both of my other regular reviewers, Apex85 and Heero De Fanel, are awesome! As for reading more soon, well, we'll just have to wait and see how that works out.
Heero De Fanel: Yep, it's time for that. Fair point. Oh, you won't have to wait nearly that long, my friend. Read through this chapter and you'll see what I mean.
Pretty much, yeah. Most definitely, and believe me, it will not be pretty. I don't know, Machias might have some sort of meltdown if he ever met Verrat, as that guy is pompous, arrogant, and snobby taken to the absolute max, as you'll find out firsthand as the story goes on. That level of pure douche might just overload him.
Guest: Yeah, he does. Will do.
Apex85: I suppose I can see that. That's a fair point, however, I do have a bit of a counterpoint on that. As small as a family as they are and as low as their rank, they are still rather important in a way, as they run in the same circle as not only the Albareas, but also the royal family. Rufus is personal friends with Teo, and Alfin is so familiar and comfortable with them that she calls Lucia 'Auntie'. That's pretty up there for a small Baron family. Combine that with how big the scandal must've been when Teo adopted Rean, well, to me at least, it seems to make sense that when someone hears the name Schwarzer, they would immediately think of the 'adoption controversy'. Not every noble would, of course, but most would, I think. As I said though, you do make a fair point.
Yeah, definitely worse.
Oh, he probably is. But, this is a Canon Divergent, slight Alternate Universe story, so things are bound to be different from the norm, even something like this. I have some stuff planned for Verrat, so it's not like I created him on a whim, at least. Well, that is one way to interpret what Cayenne said, another way though, would be that he feels his son is inferior to the likes of Rufus. And to back that up, Cayenne, as scummy as he is, doesn't seem like the type to put his son on a pedestal, at least not when it comes to true talent and ability presented by fellow nobility. Compared to commoners and the average noble, sure, but not with the likes of Rufus.
Was that who he was engaged to? I honestly can't remember if Machias mentioned what family his cousin's lover was being pressured to marry into. My bad. Oh shit, Cayenne has a brother huh? Didn't know that. Thankfully that's not a big spoiler, otherwise I'd be sitting in a corner now, fingers in my ears going, 'La la la la la, I can't hear you!' and all that. Can't afford anymore spoilers dammit...
Anyway, back on topic. I don't want to reveal his fate so early in the story, but I will at least tell you that if he dies, it will not be at Elise or Teo's hands. Now, I steadfastly disagree with you on Crow, though our stances are more aligned than what most other Crow supporters stances would be with yours, however, I wholeheartedly agree with you on executing Cayenne. Maybe not his family members, as it is quite possible they were not involved in the whole thing, but most definitely Cayenne. I so, so, so wanted him to die at the end of Cold Steel 2. Unfortunately, he did not. Oh well. In my version though, well... (MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!)
Oh, believe me, I too agree. I don't think a loss of respect is in order, but everyone reacts to things differently, so hey, what can ya do? I wrote it out like that, as I believe it's in character for him to do. Rean has serious self-esteem issues and at least a complex or two, so people treating him, personally, like shit doesn't seem like something that would make him react in an aggressive way or anything of the like. He seems to react much more to people messing with those around him. Which, I myself think is, for the most part, far from a bad trait. Ever heard, 'You can insult me, cover me in food and drink, hell, you can even spit on me, and I'll just laugh it off. But if you mess with my friends, you're gonna pay.' That's not the exact quote, but it's close enough. No idea if you'd like that sentiment or not.
All that aside, I do agree Rean should stand up for himself. Though it'll be awhile before he'll do that on his own, I think.
I'm not going to reveal who it was that saved Rean, Fie, and Elise as children outside the narrative of this story, but this once, I will tell you who didn't save them. Ka-Fai is not the one who saved them. Who did, that's for all of you guys to speculate until I reveal the truth. That wouldn't of been a bad way to introduce him though, too bad I didn't think of it. That said, even if I had, he still wouldn't have been the one to save them, as the person that did save them, I had planned to do so from the beginning.
RedBurningDragon: Yep, someone worse than Patrick has appeared. And it's only gonna get worse. Who knows, we'll find out, won't we? Nope, that wasn't who it was. Not a bad guess though. Poor Rean indeed. And idiot...I don't think so personally, but hey, whatever.
Elia950: You and me both. I certainly understand that point of view, and agree for the most part, in fact. And you shall have it, as here is more. Oh, most definitely. And it'll only get cuter when they're actually together.
Sha-tan: I'm glad you like it so much. Completely and totally agree. No better couple than them in the entire Trails universe.
scrubsergeant: As do I. That is why I keep writing it, after all.
Once more, allow me to thank all those who reviewed, and allow me to thank those who have added this story to their favorites and alerts since the last update as well. masontag, Kazuma shu, nick0calus123, Spiraling-Dragon, FarAwayWords, Arcane Warrior Hero, Altio Niflheim, Zarathustraa, Benjamin Rrvik, Cyberix96, DarKloWn, Doc1015, Elia950, Faustian assault, , GokuTheSSJGod2, James317, LRDrummer, Logich, Merged Claressa SSJ5 Goddess, MrDerpyKid2, Skyl3lue, Vajnet, crazygamer9375, toby4480, Callisto273, CrimsonMode11, Ellis Holigard, Lucky2014, Nightingale557, hirdorwin, scrubsergeant, Straw-Hat-Crew, peace44, Tz342, omegazero2718, Tomtom2137, Darkvoidclaw, thank you!
UPDATE
Touch-ups. Also, for those of you who've read this before, fixed the Teo scene. Having reread it, I realize I went about it somewhat the wrong way. The actual content of the scene is mostly unchanged, rather it's some of the connotations that I tweaked. It may still come off as harsh, but I've explained my reasoning regarding that. Plus, you will be getting another scene that expands upon it, eventually.
Now then, please read, review, and enjoy.
ACT I - CHAPTER II - PART III
...
Septian Calendar 1204
5/26 - Wednesday
The entirety of Class VII stood in the middle of the Academy Field, Sara adjacent to them.
It was time, the second practical exam was here.
"All right, it's time for this month's practical exam." Sara announced needlessly.
"You're up to something." Fie suddenly accused, eyes narrowing ever so slightly.
"Now, why would you ever assume such a thing my cute little charge?" The instructor queried in an almost sing-song voice, a ghost of a mischievous grin on her face.
"Because you're more cheerful than usual. In most cases, that means bad things for us." The silver-haired teen pointed out.
Sara simply chuckled at this.
"Now I get it. For some reason or another, you're going to make things more difficult for us this time." The former jaeger suddenly concluded.
Several of the fifteen-year-old's classmates groaned at that.
"I guess there's no use in denying it." The red-fuchsia-haired woman conceded. "I've been given permission to make things a little harder on you guys this time around, so that's what I'm gonna do."
Another round of groans ensued at that.
"Instructor, might I ask as to the reason why the difficulty of our exam is being raised prematurely?" Emma inquired.
"Well, since you asked. It seems two individuals from our class failed to show up when it was time to report to the principal about their trip down into the old schoolhouse." Sara pointedly shifted her gaze to Laura and Fie then, both looking away as a result.
"On top of that, the report was given nearly two hours late." She finished explaining, gaze returning to it's original position.
"Weird. He didn't seem angry when we gave our report." Elliot said to himself.
"Strange. He seemed rather understanding of the matter. He accepted our apology with a smile, after all." Gaius commented.
"I suppose he could still have thought disciplinary action was in order." Rean added, unsure.
"Even if that was true, why would he wait until now to implement said action?" Machias wondered aloud.
"Oh, you seem to have drawn the wrong conclusion. It wasn't Principal Vandyck that suggested raising the difficulty of your exams so early on." Sara corrected her students.
"Well, then who did?" Alisa asked.
"Simple: it was me." The twenty-something answered.
"Of course." Fie remarked with a roll of her eyes.
Jusis simply hmphed.
Machias groaned.
"Why Instructor?" Elliot asked, a little piteously.
The thought of the exam being even more difficult made him wish he'd stayed in bed today.
"Once he told me how two of you neglected to report in and that said report was late, I immediately thought of two reasons why you guys might have done that. The first: your trek into the old schoolhouse was more difficult than ever, and you were so wiped out that you couldn't drag yourself to his office until then, and that two of you couldn't even manage that. And the second: the complete opposite. Your jaunt down there was far too simple and easy that you were absolutely bored to tears, and as such saw no need to take the whole thing seriously, resulting in you taking your sweet time reporting in. Two of you not even bothering to do that much." Sara expounded.
"That's a load of crap, and you know it." Fie verbally rebuffed.
"Yeah, I do." The twenty-something copped immediately. "However, I've been looking for an excuse to turn up the heat, at least a little, and this was the opportunity I was looking for." She explained.
"I simply asked for permission as a formality, and Vandyck gave the go-ahead. So...that's what I'm doing." She informed them cheekily.
Almost the entirety of the class began to groan and complain in tandem at that, Laura, Emma, and Gaius the outliers; remaining silent on the matter.
"Don't be like that. It's not like I plan on running you guys through the ringer...yet. I'm just going to have you guys go through a simple exercise before we get down to the real exam." The instructor assured.
"Is that really all?" Fie questioned her mentor, clearly skeptical.
"For now. I'll be ramping it up for each month's exam until you are regularly dropping at the end of our sessions. And then I'll probably turn up the difficulty a tad more, just to be safe." Sara jovially apprised them.
There was a distinct lack of groaning and complaining then, the entirety of the class going silent at this. Some of them even looked unsettled by the information, Elliot, Emma, and Alisa most of all.
"Now, there's no need to worry." The former bracer continued. "For now, at least, I won't be having you do anything too crazy." She reassured them. "Today, you're simply going to participate in a little redux of your original strength ranking test."
A collective groan, completely in harmony, was released from her nine students at that.
"Do we have to? I mean, I doubt any of us are all that much stronger than we were originally." Elliot opined.
"Um, Instructor, something like that isn't exactly the best thing to put us through before the practical exam. The damage we'd take could seriously impact our scores." Emma raised the most obvious concern.
"She's right. Are you trying to sabotage us?" Alisa questioned bluntly.
"I have no desire for a repeat of that day." Jusis stated.
"Honestly, I think I still might have a few bruises from that day. Sometimes it certainly feels like I do, anyway." Machias commented.
"Calm down, I don't plan on being too hard on you guys. Besides, it's not the same ranking test as before." Sara attempted to address their grievances. "I won't be using my weapons this time around."
"That doesn't comfort me much." Elliot remarked.
"So, then..." Emma started, only to be interrupted.
"Yes, that's right kiddies. It's time for some hand-to-hand combat." Sara confirmed with grin. "After all, you won't always have a weapon on you. You could be disarmed, taken by surprise, or simply find yourself at a bar at four in the morning and accidentally let something slip you shouldn't of, and find yourself in the middle of an impromptu brawl with a bunch of drunken fuck-"
As she went off on her tangent, many eyebrows were raised.
Catching herself, she cut it off before she said anything that could be misconstrued as inappropriate
"-Ah, you know what, just forget about that last part. Just a little incident from a few years back." She abandoned her off-track rambling with a chuckle, notably unabashed.
Their was a collective sweatdrop among the entirety of Class VII in that moment.
"Disregarding that, let's get started." Sara told them, signalling that it was time for them to prepare for their 'little exercise'.
...
"See, now that wasn't so bad, now was it?" Sara questioned, only half-rhetorical.
She received several annoyed glares from her students, all of whom were holding one body part or another, nursing the beginnings of bruises. Though not verbal in their expression, their feelings on the matter were crystal clear.
It hadn't been as bad as when she had used her weapons the month before...but it was still far from a pleasant experience.
All but ignoring the less than positive reaction from her charges, the former bracer continued to speak. "Now I'm sure you must be dying to know how you guys stack up against one and other; though the top couple of spots should be pretty obvious considering the showing some of you gave; I won't be giving you my full assessment until tomorrow morning." She let them know straight up.
Nods were given in response to her words, as the nine teens prepared for the actual exam coming in a few minutes. The aforementioned top spotters, Fie, Rean, Gaius, and Alisa weren't too worse for ware, everything considered. They had bruises forming just as the others did, but noticeably less of them. In the end, even for the more beat up members of the class, it most likely wouldn't adversely affect their performances in the actual practical exam. This was thanks to the quite evident restraint their instructor had shown, much to their relief.
"Okay, we're done with that." Alisa stated the obvious. "So, what exactly do we need to do for this month's practical exam?" The blonde girl inquired.
"I assume we won't simply be repeating last month's exam, correct?" Emma queried.
"Heh, you'll see." Was Sara's vague response. "Since you ask, I assume you're all ready? Good. Let's get this month's exam started, shall we?"
Without waiting for a reply, the jovial instructor called out, "Rean, Elliot, Gaius, you're up first. Please step forward."
"Right!" Rean snapped to it, stepping forward immediately.
"Uh-oh..." Elliot didn't bother trying to hide the anxiousness he felt from his name being called and what that would entail. Nevertheless, he stepped forward.
"Got it." Gaius complied without complaint, stepping forward as well.
"Alright then, here we go!" Sara exclaimed, as she raised her right arm a tad, and proceeded to snap her fingers.
In that moment, from out of nowhere, a strange metallic-looking entity seemingly 'popped' into existence, right beside the instructor.
It floated roughly a foot off the ground, and shifted side to side, over and over again, in a seemingly endless fluid series of motions. The contraption was bizarre looking and oddly shaped; it's exterior a mix of purple, red, and black coloring. It lacked anything even remotely resembling limbs, being comprised of a simple long bent-looking cylinder, with shoulder pads connected where its arms should relatively be located.
"What is that?!" The diffident swordsman asked with surprise.
"A-A monster?!" The timid violinist squeaked with shock and a fair measure of fear.
"No...I'm not sensing any life coming from it at all." The soft-spoken nord refuted such an assumption.
"That's right. Think of it like a scarecrow. Only, it's a moving scarecrow...I guess. Either way, it's not alive." The ever-merry instructor elucidated. "I've set it's parameters fairly high. Higher than I had originally planned, in fact. Due mostly to Group A's run in with the giant monster known as Grunoja, and their subsequent slaying of it; as well as the injuries they sustained from that monster." She illuminated her reasoning; the point being that she now thought she could push them further than she had once assumed.
"And I maybe, perhaps, sort of turned it up as a little bit of payback for Group B forcing me to travel all the way back to Parm because they couldn't behave themselves." She added with a murmur at the last second, speaking more to herself than anyone present.
Nevertheless, they heard it.
"Hey! We heard that!" Alisa and Machias let her know, their irritation worn out on their sleeves.
"Typical." Fie remarked with a roll of her eyes.
Jusis simply scoffed.
"As I was saying, this thing is formidable. But if you give it your all, I'm confident you can beat it!" The playful teacher encouraged. "Well, most of you anyway." She offhandedly remarked.
"Oh yeah, that's real reassuring." Alisa commented with an eye-roll, clearly becoming vexed with the older woman.
"Oh boy." Emma sighed.
"I really didn't need to hear that." Elliot groaned.
"Make good use of your ARCUS' combat link abilities, for example, and even if there's a strength gap, you should be able to overcome it with ease! Hint, hint." Sara openly intimated.
Before any of the teens had a chance to say anything in regard to that, the twenty-something spoke once more. "It's time. All right, begin!"
...
The exam over, at least for the first group, the three teenagers put their weapons away.
"We won." Gaius stated pleasantly.
"Y-Yeah, we did. We really did. I can hardly believe it..." Elliot voiced his amazement at how well they did; panting rather heavily, clearly wiped from his efforts to assist in victory.
"Not bad. Not bad at all." Sara complimented them as she clapped, clearly pleased by their performance. "Excellent use of combat links, too. Seems like the practice you've been getting in the old schoolhouse is paying off. Let's see if that holds true for all of you."
With that, the three teens stepped away, falling back in line with the others.
"Alright, on to the second group!" The former bracer announced. "Machias, Emma, Jusis; come forward."
Almost instantly, Machias and Jusis were busy complaining about being put into the same group. However, they did still comply, as they stepped forward and drew their weapons; Emma doing the same.
"Ugh. Let's just get this over with!" The bespectacled boy grumbled.
"Hmph. I don't need you telling me what to do." The reserved noble boy replied with attitude.
"Wh-What was that?!" Machias queried with aggravation.
"Um, guys? I know you're always at odds because of your opposing dispositions...but could you please try and work together this time?" Emma asked of them as polite as can be. "Otherwise...I'm not sure we'll be able to pass this exam."
The bespectacled girl's words went mostly ignored, as the two looked ready to continue to bicker on.
"Yes, yes, you hate each other, we get it." Sara's casual dismissal of their grievances with one and other usually wouldn't go over well, but seeing as they were about to engage in a practical exam, the teens opted to simply turn away from one and other and focus on the task at hand.
"Are you all ready?" The instructor asked them, to make sure.
The three nodded their heads in confirmation.
"Okay, begin!"
...
Machias and Jusis were having trouble staying upright, heavily slouched; their labored breathing extremely audible in the silence that consumed the class.
Emma, on the other hand, was down on her knees, breathing even more raggedly than her partners were. Needless to say, the exam was over for them. And as to how they did...
"That was an absolutely abysmal performance." Sara admonished the three, a ghost of a frown present on her face. "You failed to even eek out a minor victory. The three of you, in no uncertain terms, have failed this month's practical exam." She bluntly informed them.
"Great teamwork, Albarea." Machias began, tone oozing sarcasm, as he turned his head toward the object of his ire. "You really showed that team spirit: when you nearly took my damn head off with that last swing!" He castigated the noble.
"I know you're not trying to put this on me." Jusis started his response, eyes meeting his classmate's. "It was you, Regnitz, that acted as nothing more than a detriment the entire time. Your timing was completely off, you missed your shots more often than you hit; and to top it off, you refused to back me up when I attempted to get in close." He rebuked the class vice-president.
"If you had simply followed my lead-"
"And why, exactly, must you be the one to lead!?" The bespectacled boy snapped back.
"You are not the de-facto leader, you pompous ass!" He spat with contempt. "Despite what your family and any sycophants you surround yourself with might have led you to believe, it's not all about you!"
"That is not what I meant, and you know it." The blond boy replied tersely, eyes narrowing, visibly aggravated by his fellow teen's words.
"Here we go again." Emma sighed heavily, as she got up off the ground and back to her feet; putting her orbal staff away as she did.
"Quit with your bickering!" Sara suddenly exclaimed, tone harsh; getting the squabbling teens to pay attention.
"The blame falls on both your shoulders! It was not the fault of one or the other, your team failed because of both of you, end of story. Something that could have been avoided, if you two would simply cooperate. However, for some reason or other, the ability to do so seem to elude you." She reprimanded the boys.
Said boys could do little else than stare, speechless, dumbfounded at their homeroom teacher's shift in attitude.
As the instructor gave the two a small dressing-down, Rean found himself nearly lost for words.
'This is the first time I've ever heard her speaking so harshly. Almost...like a teacher!' He thought to himself, genuinely surprised by it.
"It does seem like combat links are the key to fighting that thing effectively." Emma stated then, speaking more to herself than anyone else, clearly bothered by the fact that her team had failed.
"That is one hundred percent correct Emma." Sara confirmed this as fact, shifting instantaneously back into the jovial, carefree tone she usually used now that she was done admonishing the bickering teens.
"That is rather unfortunate." Jusis commented, as he put his saber away
Machias did the same with his gun, although silently.
"Alright, that's enough of that. You three scoot, it's time for the final group." The red-fuchsia-haired woman sent the three aside, the teens complying without a word; before calling the names of the last team. "Laura, Alisa, Fie; you're up."
Fie and Laura glanced at each other as their names were called, their uncertainty about teaming together out in the open for all to see.
Any attempts to hide the tension between them were all but gone at this point, as everyone in class knew, the two girls were all too aware of that. Nevertheless, in spite of their hesitance, they stepped forward just as Alisa did.
"You ladies ready?" Sara queried.
"Mm." Was Fie's simple confirmation; drawing her twin gun-swords.
"Yes, Instructor." Laura said, to the point; drawing her bastard sword.
"As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose." Alisa said noncommittally; drawing her orbal bow.
"Okay, begin!"
...
"I'll admit, I did not expect it to go like that." Gaius commented.
"I knew they were having a similar problem to Machias and Jusis, but I didn't realize it was this bad." Emma remarked, surprised by the outcome.
"For being the two most capable warriors in our class, that was a spectacularly underwhelming showing." Jusis opined bluntly.
"They're crazy strong, so I didn't think I'd ever see those two struggle so much. And yet..." Elliot trailed off, concern evident in his voice.
"I guess we should have seen this coming, what with what happened in the old schoolhouse." Machias added, his concern matching his orange-haired friend's.
'Fie and Laura were nearly completely out of sync. Hell, they all but tripped over each other a handful of times. Their coordination was barely better than Machias and Jusis' was.' Rean had observed, recounting the skirmish in his mind.
"It's hard to believe they only performed marginally better than Machias, Jusis, and Emma did." The swordsman said to himself.
"Th-That was way tougher th-than I thought it would be..." Alisa admitted aloud between pants; struggling to stand.
As Fie and Laura put their weapons away, their dissatisfaction regarding the outcome of the battle was openly shown; both girls frowning, disappointment written all over their faces. While they clearly didn't feel the same exhaustion their third member did, it was clear the battle had been just as taxing for them, simply not in a physical manner.
"I knew this was going to be a struggle, but I had no idea your performance would be so...unremarkable." Sara stated, her own disappointment worn out on her sleeve; her tone lost it's jovial nature once more.
"You passed, but only just." She informed them with a shake of her head, as she raised her arm and snapped her fingers once more; on command, the metallic entity simply popped out of existence.
"All it would have taken was one additional misstep, another minute to achieve victory, hell, just about anything could have changed that pass to a failure. And as unfortunate as it is, you don't get even that much in a real battle. Needless to say, if this had been an actual combat situation, you three would surely be dead." The twenty-something woman bluntly disclosed this fact.
The entirety of the class was silent at this sudden turn, the mood shifting to an almost grim atmosphere, even if it was just for a few, short moments.
"The same, of course, goes for the three of you." The instructor continued, looking toward group two, catching the eyes of Machias and Jusis in particular.
"I may not have said it aloud, but the ramifications of your failure would have cost you your lives." She enlightened them. "I didn't think it necessary to point that out when you failed, now though, what with a near failure following your performance up, I feel it would benefit you, all of you, to simply lay it out in the open." She expounded.
"In short, shape up, or I'll have to personally whip you into shape." She finished, much more serious than they had ever seen her before.
Machias and Jusis couldn't help but turn their heads at this, unable to meet their instructor's eyes.
Laura was similar, as her eyes found their way to the ground, unable to pull them away from her feet, as their groups were read the riot act.
Alisa and Emma couldn't help but fidget nervously, as while they hadn't been called out personally like the others, they could not help but feel they had played at least a minor part in the atrocious performances.
Fie was the only one of the six to not shy away from Sara's disapproving gaze. And as was usual for her, she remained almost completely stoic; her frown having already faded by this point, all but stone-faced.
"And despite how a private lesson with me might sound like a dream come true, what with getting to spend alone time with the bombshell that is me, let me assure you, it'd be hell for you." Sara assured them with a borderline flirtatious smile and wink.
Because of the weighty atmosphere that had been so suddenly established, the students experienced what amounted to mental whiplash what with how fast their instructor proceeded to become lighthearted and jovial once more.
The entire class proceeded to sweatdrop; while the most affected of them, Rean, Elliot, Machias, and Alisa, nearly face-planted from the sheer ridiculousness of their teacher.
"You have got to be kidding me." Jusis remarked with a heavy sigh.
"Can you, just for once, be serious for more than five minutes!?" Machias questioned with exasperation; straightening up from nearly falling over as he did.
"You were actually acting like a teacher for once! Then you had to go and ruin it!" Alisa complained with irritation.
"She really had us going. We were so sure she was finally being straight-laced with us, and then she goes and throws us for a loop yet again." Gaius stated, easily the least flustered of the nine; tied with Fie in that regard.
"I give up at this point. I can't ever tell when she's being for real or not." Elliot admitted, sounding mentally exhausted.
"It's a quality that...makes her unique, at least." Emma said then, attempting to find the positive in their teacher's behavior.
"I am...unsure of how to respond when she does this. It is vexing at times." Laura shared her feelings on the matter; tone even.
"Saw it coming, and yet I'm still annoyed." Fie commented, bored by her mentor's antics.
Rean simply pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance as he shook his head.
"Oh come now, don't be like that. All work and no play makes for dull boys and girls! Not everything has to be super serious all the time! Lighten up!" Sara urged her students with a smile.
Alas, not one of them seemed to be in agreement with her on this; the nine simply stared blankly at her.
"Oh fine, be a bunch of sourpusses. See if I care." She dismissed their lack of agreement immediately with a simple wave of her hand. "Moving on, this-"
"Actually Instructor, if I may, I'd like to ask a question." The well-spoken swordswoman spoke up, unintentionally cutting the older woman off.
"Sure, by all means."
"What exactly was that...marionette we just fought?" The blue-haired noble inquired.
"Y-Yeah, that thing was weird!" The blonde archer added.
"A machine, maybe? Never seen anything else like it." The silver-haired ex-jaeger gave her take.
"Oh...just a little something I got roped into working with awhile back." The instructor told them.
"I'd rather not use it if I don't have to, but I can't deny it serves a valuable function. And it's rather customizable too." She divulged. "I mean, it did its job quite well during our test, didn't it? So, there you go!"
'I get the feeling there's a whole lot she'd rather not tell us...' Rean thought to himself, as the twenty-something woman evaded the heart of the question.
"Anyway, as I was saying, this concludes today's practical exam. Next, I'll be announcing the details of this weekend's field study." Sara moved the conversation along to an entirely different topic, one important enough to get those curious to let the question go.
"Each of you, please come forward and take one of these."
...
The nine students did as their instructor bid, taking the envelopes and opening them up, reading the papers within them. Just as the previous month, they disclosed where they would be going, Group A to Bareahard: the Verdant City, and Group B to Saint-Arkh: the Old Capital. They also laid out who would be in each group.
Group A consisted of Rean, Fie, Laura, Machias, and Jusis.
Group B was made up of Alisa, Gaius, Elliot, and Emma.
"These assignments..." Rean began, only to trail off.
"Bareahard and Saint-Arkh...both very well-known cities here in the Empire." Gaius stated simply.
"Bareahard's the capital of the Kreuzen Province in the east, right?" Elliot requested confirmation.
"Yeah." Alisa gave it to him. "And Saint-Arkh is the capital of Sutherland in the south." She added.
"Two provincial capitals. They seem like fair choices." Laura commented.
"I guess they are, but..." Emma started.
"That's the least of our worries." Fie finished for her.
Fie and Laura proceeded to uneasily glance at each other then, both girls clearly and openly uncomfortable with the groupings.
"Is this some kind of sick joke!?" Machias exclaimed incredulously. "Instructor, what are you trying to prove?!" The bespectacled teen demanded of the twenty-something woman; turning to face her directly.
"Do you have some sort of personal vendetta against us or something?!" He questioned, quite visibly nettled.
"For a change, I agree with him. This is ludicrous." Jusis concurred, aggravated. "I refuse to accept these group allocations. Change them at once." He enjoined.
"I don't know, they seem pretty perfect from where I'm standing." Sara rebuffed. "Besides, you're from Bareahard, so putting you in Group A was a no-brainer!" She explained to the blond.
Said blond simply hmphed at this.
Pointedly looking toward Fie and Laura then, Sara continued. "As for you two...I don't even think I need to say anything, do I?"
"No, Instructor." Laura replied respectfully.
Fie just shook her head.
"If he needs to be in Group A, then put me in group B!" Machias argued, gesturing toward Jusis as he did. "I'm not thrilled at the thought of going to Saint-Arkh either, but it's better than gallivanting off to HIS hometown!" He contended. "Besides, everyone knows Bareahard is like a breeding ground for nobles and their dusty old ideas. The place is crawling with them!"
"Well, I can't deny that." The instructor conceded. "Especially since that's exactly why I put you in Group A to begin with!" She blatantly apprised.
Opening his mouth to protest further, Machias found he could only sigh heavily. Closing his eyes, he lifted his glasses and began rubbing the bridge of his nose in unvented frustration.
"Um...Instructor Sara." Rean suddenly cut in, gaining her attention.
"Oh? Whatever is the matter, my beloved pupil?" She queried in a sing-song tone, giving him her full focus.
"Please don't call me that." Eyes narrowed in an accusatory manner, with a dubious tone to match; he went on. "I have no objections to our destination or the arrangement of the groups...but I can't quite shake the feeling I'm being used." The swordsman reckoned.
"Again." It was evident by the concise and measured way that was added to his statement, not to mention the shred of bite contained within, that he knew what she was up to putting him in Group A.
Rean's classmates were all more than a little shocked by his reaction to their instructor. If they only knew of the endless teasing he had endured from her a few nights ago, then they'd understand where this sudden new attitude in regards to her came from.
Fie, being the exception, was less affected, not to say she was exempt from it. However, she at least knew where he was coming from.
"It is kind of suspicious that the one person in our class who's had some of our Instructor's duties...uh, 'shifted', onto to his plate is the one to be put into a group like that." Alisa observed.
"Being the odd man out in a five person group, what with the other four being in perpetual conflict with each other; that's more than just a case of simple bad luck." Gaius pointed out.
"He's literally being dropped into the source of all our current and potential problems as a class, regarding future field studies, at least." Emma noted.
"Well, it's hard to argue with that..." Elliot agreed.
Rather than attempt to quell this, technically, unspoken accusation, or even wave it off as some sort of nonsensical preconception; Sara simply looked away, putting her arms behind her head in a casual manner. And to top it off, she began to whistle; all in an attempt to appear nonchalant.
Yet again, the ridiculous nature of their instructor caused the entire class, minus Rean in this instant, to sweatdrop.
"That innocent whistling isn't fooling anyone." Rean snarked, clearly not willing to entertain her antics any longer.
Unbeknownst to the others around her; too preoccupied with Rean's sudden shift in attitude; a grin formed on Fie's face in that moment.
'Looks like he's finally loosening up a bit.'
"Okay, enough of that, back to the matter at hand." Sara suddenly stated, tone dismissive as she returned her gaze to her students, attempting to slip out of the corner she had just been painted into.
"I'm no army officer, so I'm not about to go telling you guys that my orders are absolute and such. That's much too military for my liking." Her voice took on a somewhat more serious tone then, getting her students to drop the subject for the moment.
"But I am your instructor. And it's my duty to look out for your best interests. Which, I feel, is exactly what I'm doing here." Despite all her zaniness and silliness, she seem to be genuinely sincere in that sentiment.
"So if any of you have any objections..." She continued, pausing for slight dramatic effect, "...then how about you try to make me listen to them by force?" She laid this challenge at their feet; a mischievous grin worn openly on her face.
Rean sighed heavily at this. "No, thanks. I don't feel like having my ass handed to me, thank you very much."
"I'll pass." Fie replied immediately.
"I shall abstain." Laura responded simply.
"I'm fine. No need for that." Elliot quickly assured, visibly distressed at the thought of doing battle with their instructor.
"I have no grievances." Gaius stated simply.
"No objections from me." Alisa said.
"I think the groupings were well-intentioned, so I'm okay with them." Emma put forth.
Machias and Jusis, both taken aback for a moment at the thought of attempting to do battle with Sara, remained silent for a time. Glancing toward one and other, feelings none too kind or amicable in their expressions, their distaste for each other posed a serious threat in winning out over their own instincts of self-preservation.
After a minute or so of silent debate though, the two came to their answers.
"To attempt to do battle with you would be monumentally foolish on my part, and I shall not made a fool of twice. Therefore, I have no choice but to begrudgingly accept your decision on the matter, ludicrous as it might be." Jusis reasoned.
"I'd be a idiot to try and take you on, even with backup. You've made it quite evident that we'd stand no chance. I'll do as I'm expected as a student of Thors Military Academy, but that's it. That is the only reason I'm going to put up with this farce of an attempt to get Albarea and I to cooperate." Machias rationalized.
With that, the two made a point of turning in opposing directions, so as to avoid locking gazes in any instance.
"Aww. What a let down." Sara complained with a sigh, a pout forming on her face. "I was really hoping your male pride would force you to accept my offer. This sucks."
It was only because of all her ludicrous behavior up til' this point that kept her students from sweatdropping yet again.
"Oh well, there's always next time." She quickly consoled herself, before returning to her usual manner. "Alright then! Since that's been decided, Group A and Group B will be heading to their destinations this weekend as planned. Good luck, everybody!" Her swift turnaround in demeanor was almost expected at this point, so it didn't hit the nine teens as much.
"I'll be expecting souvenirs!" She added jovially with a wink and a small wave, showing they were done here.
Machias grumbled, Elliot muttered, and Jusis hmphed, aside from that, no words were spoken as the class fell out of line and began to leave the field.
...
Sara watched them leave, taking a moment to notice one of them was specifically holding back so as to speak with her. "Need something, Fie?" She asked of her young charge, her full attention now on her.
"Yeah, I think it's about time I got my grappling hook back." She replied flatly, almost accusatory.
The instructor couldn't help but chuckle at this.
"If...if it wasn't for me, that day wouldn't have happened."
"What do you know?!"
"Instead of trying to put everything in its place, why don't you just...go with the flow, for a change? It seems like you're desperately trying to find...'something'...but if you don't plant yourself somewhere, you're just going to blow away with the next big gust that comes along."
...
Eyes the color of blood, hair the shade of steel, a young man stood, a dark aura flowing all around him. Bathed in life essence, it covered almost every single rege of his form. From his hair matted forehead; sticky with the crimson liquid, to his dripping hands, the substance was everywhere.
...
"I was all alone and had nowhere else to go."
"Why have you chosen to hold back?"
"I'm nothing special though."
"Why did you take up the path of the sword?"
"To protect someone."
...
Anger. Rage. Fury. This is all he knew.
Kill. Destroy. Slaughter. This is all he desired to do.
...
"...because I don't ever want something like that to happen again."
"I still want to protect you, no matter what."
...
Red...
Muscles twitching in anticipation, fingers popping as his hands waited at the ready, the young man, no, the monster, the demon, prepared to hunt.
...
"You...you've changed too."
"People change. No one remains the same forever."
"I've been watching you for awhile, and you always seem like you're...not...entirely there."
...
The color red...it was everywhere...
...
"Could it be...that you're lost?"
"You're not all here. Until you have come to grips with what you're missing, you will never be capable of progressing further."
...
Stalking forward, he trudged through blood-soaked snow, on the prowl for his next kill. Legs ever moving, he left the cadaver of his latest victim behind, the mangled corpse of no interest to him now that there was no longer any life contained within.
...
"Still, maybe I could stand to learn a lesson or two from you."
"Perhaps you should consider those words yourself."
"Nothing but some filthy urchin who Baron Schwarzer witlessly brought into our fold. What that fool was thinking when he decided to take in some stray dog like you, I'll never know."
"You didn't have to let him treat you like that."
"You're not a doormat, Rean."
...
The twisted visage of one Rean Schwarzer, his teeth bared, a gaze of pure murderous intent, his body bathed in red; it was quite the sight to behold. One that could strike fear into almost anyone's heart.
...
"Rean, you shouldn't bottle things up. It isn't good for you. Don't do it anymore, okay?"
"Violence is always a last resort. A man so quick to resort to violence is nothing short of a ticking time-bomb. With time, it will become his one and only answer, until he can do nothing but inflict harm. A man like that is nothing more than a monster, do you understand?"
...
The blood was everywhere...
5/27 - Thursday
Rean woke with a start, shooting up in bed and nearly falling out of it as a result; eyes as wide as dinner plates; breath escaping him in the form of panting. He was soaked in sweat, adrenaline coursing through him as his mind tried to reconcile his nightmare with where he was now, it taking several moments for it to process that he was back in his room at the Class VII Dormitory.
Once that had clicked, he was able to begin catching his breath. Even still, that didn't mean that all the effects of the dream were so easy to shake off...
There had been so much blood...
"I'm fine." He told himself, in an attempt to calm his racing heart, brushing his hair back, clearing it off his forehead; having been there in the first place because of matting due to sweat.
"It's fine. Just a nightmare. Nothing more." He reasoned with himself.
Heart rate starting to settle and return to a normal pace, Rean gave a heavy sigh. It wasn't time to get up, he already knew that, didn't even need to check. Which meant he had a while before school was supposed to start, and needless to say, after that, he wasn't going to be able to fall back asleep. He was up for the day, end of story. Ergo, he now had some time to kill.
"Damn it."
...
Even after showering and changing into his uniform, Rean still found himself with a good hour or so before the bell was to ring.
'What to do with that time...?' He wondered to himself.
It was early morning, so it was more than likely that the only ones awake at this time were the faculty, minus Sara of course, and the truly early risers among the student body.
'It's still too early to visit the library, besides, I don't really feel like studying right now. I could head over to the Student Union building and get some breakfast, but...while I could definitely use some, I can't honestly say I have an appetite at the moment. Not after that nightmare...'
As the diffident swordsman pondered what to do with this free-time, it became clear to him there was only really one productive task he felt he could do at the current moment in time.
"Training it is." He decided aloud.
Passing by the the class mailboxes, Rean opened the door and exited the dorm.
...
Little did he know, so caught up in his thoughts and attempts to shake off the nightmare, that someone had caught sight of him as he left the dorms.
It was only a brief second they saw him, having just started descending the stairs to the first floor themselves, but that single moment was all they required to know who they'd seen.
"Rean..." Fie spoke her childhood friend's quietly.
...
Following behind Rean, Fie closed the door to the third dormitory ever so quietly, so as to not alert anyone out and about Trista to her presence.
That said, there weren't too many people to alert in the first place, as she soon realized; able to pick out everyone in the area rather swiftly.
'Rean, Dolly, Jane and...'
The silver-haired girl couldn't help but frown, as she ascertained the identity of the fourth person present out in Trista.
Directly in Rean's path toward the church, the other two dorms, and school grounds, the only possible path he could take, stood one Verrat Cayenne. And when said noble laid eyes on the diffident swordsman, his demeanor visibly shifted, a smile he'd been sporting vanishing, and a more neutral expression taking it's place.
At the same time, the black-haired teen noticed him in turn, and let out a visibly heavy sigh. Opting to avoid conflict, he kept his head down and attempted to pass the older teen without initiating any conflict, clearly doing his best to adhere to the dictation that'd been laid out to him four days prior.
Wasn't hard to figure out what was about to transpire. Which is exactly why Fie's frown deepened into a scowl.
Just as she predicted, Rean came to a stop as Verrat stepped to him, disdain rapidly becoming visible in the noble's visage, scowl having formed the moment Schwarzer heir lowered his head. He was clearly feeling affronted at not only Rean's presence, but his attempt to avoid acknowledging him at all.
Forcing herself to stay back, she simply watched as the two parties exchanged words, it soon becoming clear that her friend was once more just taking whatever verbal abuse the older boy was throwing at him.
'If he won't stand up for himself, then I sure as hell will.' She thought hotly in that moment, moving forward to intercede.
Decision to stay back be damned.
...
"Furthermore Schwarzer, you should learn to pay respect to your betters. Anytime someone with as much prestige as I crosses your path, you had best-"
Verrat found himself interrupted in that moment, as another voice spoke up.
"Rean-"
"Whoa, tone down all that self-importance. It's so damn thick, I'm choking on it man." Came the voice of another male, cutting Fie off entirely and beating her to the punch of interposing.
All eyes of those involved shifted to the new voice then, to see Crow there, having just walked right up into the middle of the situation, a mirthful grin present on his face; he was clearly amused at the light innuendo he'd just used.
"Crow?" Rean and Fie said then in unison, both in surprise.
Rean, because the white-haired teen was butting in; Fie, because yet again, he had managed to sneak up on everyone, her included, without anyone taking notice or sensing him at all.
"Fie?" Rean proceeded to speak her name as well, realizing she was there as well.
"Sup, Rean-Boy." Crow greeted his junior.
"Why are you still calling me that?" The black-haired youth queried, focus diverting from Fie back onto Crow. "I'm not much younger than you ar-what am I saying, that's not important now." The diffident swordsman corrected himself. "What are you doing?"
"What, you don't like that one either? Alright then, Rean-Meister it is." The red-eyed teen decided.
"Oh, hey there Fi-Fi." Crow greeted the silver-haired girl, having just noticed her presence.
"Call me that again and I'll-" She started immediately, eyes narrowing in aggravation at that horrid nickname.
"Whoa, okay, no need to finish that threat. I got ya. No nicknames for you." He conceded to her wishes immediately.
'Not yet, anyway.' He thought wryly.
"Okay, enough of this buffoonery! Who the hell are you two!?" Verrat demanded, clearly even more upset than before.
That outburst was the first time that Dolly and Jane's attention was drawn to the scene, but taking notice of the fact that it was four teens in a bunch, they dismissed it as nothing serious and went about their business.
"Crow's the name."
"Fie."
"And why, exactly, have you two been so presumptuous as to think you were allowed to interrupt me?" Verrat questioned them, his pomposity worn openly.
Both teens he was addressing quirked their brows in perfect unison at that, their shared sentiment all too evident.
Really, dude?
They didn't verbalize said sentiment, but it was perceived regardless.
"I'll have you know that I am the son of-" The orange-haired noble began, clearly bothered by their disregard, only to be cut off once more.
"Ah, stop right there. Let me assure you, who's son you are doesn't matter to me in the slightest." Crow informed him.
"I can't say I give a damn either." Fie added bluntly.
"W-Wh-What!? Who in the hell do you think you are!? Common riffraff such as yourselves have absolutely no right to speak to someone of my stature in such a manner!" Verrat exclaimed with offense, growing rather angry.
The lack of reactions the two gave at that only fueled the metaphorical fire of the Cayenne heir's ire. And as that ire built, he came to realize exactly who he was speaking to, which in turn actually calmed him a bit.
He now had more than his title to throw around...
"Hmph. I know who you two are now. Two as lowly as you, it makes sense why you'd gravitate toward one as pathetic and worthless as Schwarzer here." He began, before addressing Crow specifically. "The good-for-nothing, moronic miscreant Armbrust. Your grades are the most pitiful in the entire school, and that is the kindest thing I could possibly say about a louse such as yourself. It's a wonder you even got into this school, what with your IQ only being a few short points away from retardation." The-nineteen-year-old noble spat with venom.
Only to quickly switch his focus onto Fie. "And you, you're that jaeger girl, yes? How did a little barbarian such as yourself get in? Threaten some of the faculty? I've no doubt you've the nature of a savage, and would have no problem doing as such. You killed who knows how many for a simple pittance, what's a little bit of extortion? Or did they take pity on you, you poor uneducated plebeian? Your unsophisticated presence is nothing more than a vulgar stain on this prestigious school's reputation, you know that, don't you?"
Crow and Fie took these insults rather well, the former shaking his head in amusement, while the latter just stared back at the one throwing them, stonefaced. Normally, the mention of her killing would get more of a reaction out of her, but coming from someone like this...it lacked any of the sting that usually accompanied such words.
Rean, on the other hand, unbeknownst to the other three, was currently gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, in an attempt to prevent himself from verbally, and more than likely physically, lashing out at the noble-born punk. And as Verrat finished spouting off at the mouth about Fie, the humble swordsman had heard enough.
"Excuse me, I've gotta go." And with that, the dark-haired youth all but forced himself past Verrat, continuing on his way down the path leading to the school grounds.
Rean leaving in such a manner left Fie a little confused, while Crow's response to his actions were simply to call out, "Alright, see ya on the flipside Rean-Meister."
The Cayenne heir, on the other hand, went silent after he was forcefully brushed past by, who he perceived, as his inferior. Completely flabbergasted, he was rendered speechless, he could only stare after the diffident swordsman with a dumbfounded look plastered on his face. So indignant he was, almost all motor-function failed him.
"How dare..." He breathed out furiously, but found he could bring himself to do nothing more than just that.
Even as Crow went about his business, and Fie made to follow after Rean, Verrat stood there, only just starting to seethe.
With no one else around, Rean was the sole human occupying the academy field this early in the morning. He stood dead-center in the grassy area, focused solely on his movements, performing the practice katas Master Ka-Fai had taught him, over and over again, in an attempt to improve his form and reaction time.
The results of such training were rather paltry, even still, the diffident swordsman found himself incapable of performing any other task than this. His mind was far from clear, and his heart was filled with conflicting emotions. His entire being was a haze, yet...that wasn't far from his normal state.
'It never does take much to put me off-balance like this...it's entirely too simple a task. My own mind does it to me more often than not; dredge up a few bad memories and it's done, easy as that. A nightmare will do the job just as well.' He thought to himself self-deprecatingly; scowl forming on his face.
'Want me to lose some of the control I've worked so hard to create and maintain? Just throw a few hard facts my way, remind me of my weakness, remind me of my inadequacies, remind me just how unworthy I am to bear the Schwarzer name! It isn't hard!' His train of thought continued, moving ever along the tracks of self-denigration.
After one particularly strong swing, Rean halted his movements. Closing his eyes and taking a moment to inhale deeply, before taking a step back and exhaling.
"That's enough of that. Calm down." He told himself aloud, taking another moment to correct his breathing and stance; his scowl fading from existence.
'Why am I so unsettled?' He wondered to himself in that moment. 'Is it really because of Verrat? No, that can't be it, I've dealt with assholes like him before; I'm used to their crap. As for the nightmare...well, I admit the nightmares always get to me, but never to this extent. So why am I so agitated?' He contemplated.
'He did sink as low to insult Crow and Fie without even knowing a damn thing about them, and I can't lie, that made me far more angry than what he had to say about me. But that's no excuse...not for the urge to break his damn nose that I had, at least.' He mentally dictated to himself.
Eyes still shut, images and accompanying sensations came, unbidden, to forefront of the young man's mind.
His arms, they felt like lead, so very heavy...as if they would drag him down with how much they weighed.
Hands warm, unnaturally so, heated by the fresh blood soaking through his gloves.
Vision tainted red, and yet, the crimson liquid only covered one of his eyes.
Hate, rage, bloodlust...they were all he could feel, all he could possibly comprehend.
The blood was everywhere...
Rean's eyes snapped open in that instant; shaking his head clear of such images, banishing them from his mind's eye; he couldn't help but grimace.
"Control yourself. You shouldn't be thinking about violence so casually..." He chastised himself aloud. "Not with 'that' power hiding inside. Who knows what could set it off again..." The diffident swordsman continued, speaking out loud in his solitude.
'Remember what Dad said...'
A thirteen year old boy; mop of orange hair atop his head, lie unconscious on the ground, blood leaking from what was likely a broken nose.
The moment he'd hit the floor, all the merriment came to a screeching halt, the sound of several loud gasps filling the sudden silence.
Servants aplenty came rushing over, checking on the boy to see if he was alright, if he was conscious, how hurt he was. As they did, it didn't take more than a moment for almost the entirety of the room to turn their gazes towards the one who had put the teen on the floor in the first place.
Their stares held a number of different emotions, however, they all shared a similar sentiment. Anger, shock, disgust, they were all negative and disapproving.
"How dare he strike the young master!?" One of the servants not attending the unconscious noble spoke harshly, low enough to not be heard by the entire room.
"The son of a mere baron dare to lay hands on the Cayenne heir? How absurd!"
"Who does he think he is? He isn't even a real noble."
"Street-rats such as him have no place amongst the nobility."
"This is how the filthy urchin acts when we so graciously allow his kind into our fold!? Such revolting behavior!"
The hushed, and not so hushed, whispers of the other nobles reached eleven-year-old Rean's ears, as well as Elise's.
"No, he was picking on my sister! He was calling her awful names! He-" The young boy attempted to defend his actions, only to be interrupted by another voice, this one much louder than the whispers surrounding him.
"Teo Schwarzer, control your son! If you can't, then I will!" Duke Cayenne commanded and warned the Baron in that order, making his presence known.
Teo didn't need such things to be spurred into action, as he had already crossed the entirety of the room, and proceeded to snatch his son by the arm, and drag him to a more secluded area, one closed off for the party.
Thus, his wife, who had been following behind, was left to deal with their daughter.
...
"What the hell were you thinking!? Punching the sole heir of the Cayenne household?! Rean Schwarzer, I never dreamed you would do something so stupid!" Teo castigated his son, what appeared to be anger written all over his face.
"B-But Dad, I-" Rean struggled to respond in that moment, beginning to choke up, having never seen his adoptive father this angry before.
"No buts! Do you have any idea how grave the situation you just put us in is!? The repercussions for striking someone like Duke Cayenne's son are immense! If he so wished, the Duke could even strip us of our land! It would take time, but if he felt it was the only way to teach us a lesson, then he would and very well could do it!" The Baron continued to reprimand his child.
"He was bullying Elise Dad!" The young boy spoke up once more, tears building behind his eyes, lump in his throat as sobs threatened to begin racking his body. "And I t-tried to g-get him to s-stop, but he wouldn't listen! He made her cry! I had to make him stop!"
Teo let out a deep, heavy sigh at that.
It was then that Rean realized it wasn't anger his father was displaying, but rather heavy consternation, panic, even.
His dad was afraid of something.
Teo crouched down, so as to be eye-level with his son.
Meeting his father's gaze, Rean watched as the Schwarzer patriarch's previous expression fell away and was replaced by something more somber.
"No. No excuses. Listen to me, Rean. It is better to bow and scrape and humble oneself before even the most vile and disgusting people than to give in to the desire to inflict harm upon them. Violence is always a last resort. A man so quick to resort to violence is nothing short of a ticking time-bomb. With time, it will become his one and only answer, until he can do nothing but inflict harm. A man like that is nothing more than a monster."
Sighing once more, Rean did his best to swallow the anger and shame that such a memory invoked in him.
It was never the actual act of striking Verrat that he regretted, no, the punk more than deserved it. It was everything that came after that made him regret his actions. The lecture he received from his father, not to mention the man's abundance of disappointment and aggravation directed toward him; the rumors that were born of the incident, and the subsequent blacklisting of the Schwarzer family.
After that day, the Schwarzer family was almost completely ostracized from the other nobles, the invites to gatherings few and far between. Not to mention the exclusion from almost everything else concerning the nobility. With just that one occurrence, they were labeled the black sheep among the aristocracy, and became even more isolated to the goings on in the country than ever before.
After that...there were the glances filled with pity from his mother and the apologetic looks he'd get from Elise. As for his father...he never brought it up again. Never even mentioned it, as if it had never even happened in the first place. He never consoled his son over the matter, nor did he ever rebuke him or scold him over it, it was dropped for good, never to be brought up again.
For Rean, that was worse than being punished for it.
"I was hoping to move past all that by coming here..." The diffident swordsman stated aloud. "I should've known that it would continue to follow me, just like my 'power'...no matter where I go..."
...
Emotions awhirl, it took Rean a few moments to notice...
Fie stood there, at the top of the stairs leading down onto the field, patiently waiting for her presence to be noticed.
"Fie..." He spoke her name with surprise, as he turned around to look up at her. "How long have you been standing there?"
"I only got here a few moments ago, actually. Thought you might want a few minutes to collect yourself, so I lagged behind." She informed him, her expression neutral.
"I see..." Rean hesitated then, unsure of what to say in that moment.
And as he did that, Fie took the time to begin descending the steps, not bothering to say anymore than she already had. Because of that, a stretch of silence passed between the two, as the younger one approached the older, step by step, walking down onto the field.
Only once the last step had been traversed and Fie's feet touched the grass of the field, did the silence finally break.
"Do you finally want to talk about it?" The silver-haired girl broke it herself, asking her childhood friend a simple, yet meaningful question, as she closed the last of the distance between them.
"I...Fie..." Rean was incapable of finding the words to express to her what he wished to; sheathing his blade.
"You promised, Rean." She reminded him gently, voice soft, betraying the lack of expression on her face.
"I know I promised you...but..." Hesitation growing, apprehension showing, the dark-haired youth was unable to meet the maiden's eyes, and as such, lowered his gaze to the ground.
"But what?" Fie pressed him. "Why don't you want to talk to me about it? I just want to understand...and help you..." She assured him, her tone turning solicitous.
"I just...don't want to bother you with my problems. They're not-"
"Don't." She preempted him, voice taking on a harsher nature for a few brief moments. "They are important. To you, and to me. Stop trying to brush it off as nothing. It can't be nothing. Not if it's always weighing so heavily on you. And I know it is, I told you before, I can see it behind your eyes." She finished, tone softening once more.
"Fie, I..." Rean began, raising his head to meet her gaze once more; unsure of what to say to that, he trailed off for a moment.
"Fine. I give up. I'll tell you." He conceded then, feeling as if he had no other option at that point.
"Good." She replied simply, a ghost of a grin present as she did.
"To tell you the truth...I'm stuck. I'm stuck, and I'm frustrated. So very frustrated!" His point was punctuated by the visible clenching of his fists, brow creasing and shoulders stiffening.
"I don't know what to do anymore. I've tried so hard to keep myself under control, my emotions reigned in; a precaution I thought necessary because of my power. I don't ever want anything like that day to happen again." He confided in her, his words ringing all too similar to the bits and pieces he'd already let slip.
"But there's more to it than that. I also wish to grow stronger, and yet, my progress is continuously stifled, by my own hand no less. I haven't the faintest clue as to what it is that I'm doing that's holding me back, however, it's there, I know it is. My master, the one who taught me the Eight Leaves One Blade style, told me this himself. He made it all too clear that, as I am now, I could never progress past the beginner level, where I'm still stuck at to this day!" The vexation he felt rolled off him in waves as he vocalized his feelings on these matters.
Fie stood there and simply listened with a sympathetic ear, as her childhood friend continued to vent.
He never went into too much detail, but that was okay, for now. It was too much to hope that he would tell her everything so soon, and in one go. She didn't need to know everything, not yet.
She would listen with rapt attention to what he would tell her though.
...
In the end, Rean didn't let a whole lot slip, even in his pent-up and aggravated state.
All Fie was able to truly learn was the depths of his frustration concerning his inability to grow stronger, his concern and exasperation over the affect she and Crow had on his ability to keep his emotions reigned in, and, more importantly, where the friction between him and Verrat came from.
That was the one thing he had allowed himself to go in-depth about, disclosing the entirety of the incident and even some of it's lasting aftereffects to her. The even nastier treatment he received from the other nobles from that day onward included.
"And now with that asshole Verrat here, it only complicates things even further!" Rean continued, almost incapable of stopping the flow now that it had started. "I've been capable of enduring all the snide remarks, all the condescending comments, the jabs at my status as a noble through adoption, the insults to my pride, I could handle every unkind word thrown my way. I had to be able to, so that I didn't bring my family trouble and disgrace the Schwarzer name any further. I looked the ones who would spit such venom right in their eyes and I would force a smile, but with Verrat..." The rant trailed off for a few moments then, as the dark-haired youth hesitated with what he was about to say.
"I wanted to break his jaw." The diffident swordsman suddenly confessed, brow furrowing and fists clenching once more.
Rather than respond, Fie simply quirked her brow in response, as she waited for him to continue.
"When he started spouting off about you and Crow, I wanted nothing more than to deck him! Despite Crow's eccentricities, he is my friend, and I can't stand it when someone insults my friends. But it was more than that, what he said about you...it infuriated me! It was just like with Elise! He knows absolutely nothing about you, he has no damn right to say the shit that he did!" Rean exclaimed with passion.
In that moment, Fie was taken aback.
"Rean..." She breathed his name with surprise.
She had not seen him filled with such fervor since they were children, barring the incident with Warrick during last month's filed study, of course.
'He's always so busy keeping himself reigned in and his emotions in-check that he never has any time to be himself.'
Taking a deep breath, Rean took a few moments to collect himself.
...
Effectively having calmed himself, he released the air he'd taken in with an exhale. "I must seem like a complete mess right about now, huh?" He remarked with a self-deprecating chuckle. "How pathetic." He added, gaze becoming downcast once more.
"Sorry about that, Fie." He apologized, sincerity all too clear. "Guess I'd been holding it in longer than I'd care to admit. And with everything that's been going on lately, well...regardless, I should've handled it better." He owned up to his failure in the matter, features softening and body returning to a more relaxed state, fists once more completely unclenched.
Raising his head, he met Fie's lime-green orbs once more, and proceeded to smile at her, although it was all too evident how strained it was.
"Seems Verrat wasn't too far off the mark regarding me." He honestly seemed to believe what he was saying in that moment.
'Worthless...? Maybe I am...'
Almost as if she could hear his thoughts, Fie, concern and sympathy shining in her eyes, shook her head at him.
"People see all kinds of different things when they look at someone. I don't think anyone sees you like Verrat envisions you, or how you envision yourself. But, no matter how anyone else sees you...even how you see yourself, it doesn't matter...at least, not to me. Because to me, you'll always be the boy that changed my life." She divulged this sensitive matter with a warm and tender tone.
The blatant polarity between how she acted around others and how she acted around him finally, truly dawned on Rean in that moment, or rather, he finally picked up on the enormity of the difference. As such, it was Rean's turn to be taken aback, his surprise written all over his face.
"Fie..."
She shook her head again at that, as she had every intention of finishing what she had to say before he responded.
"You were the first person outside of Zephyr to treat me with warmth and kindness. You were my first friend, and I won't ever forget that. Nor will I forget everything you've done for me." She assured him with the utmost sincerity. "We may have only been together for those six short months, but even still...in that time, I felt happier than I had in a long time." She confessed to him softly, unable to fight back the small smile forming on her face.
"You looked after me, took care of me... Cared for me. You didn't have to, you had no reason to. I was some stranger you didn't know, some weird girl you found out in the middle of a snowstorm. And yet, you brought me back to Ymir, asked if I could stay on my behalf. You and your family took me in, treated me like I was a part of your family too." The young maiden's voice was filled to the brim with gratitude as she recounted these events.
"After that, you hardly ever left my side. You were always there, attempting to coax me out of my shell. You introduced me to the other children with this big smile on your face, as if you couldn't be prouder to be my friend. It made me feel...I don't really know how to describe it..." She admitted, as she searched for the correct words to express how she had and still felt about it all.
"It made me feel...like I actually mattered." She confessed then, emotions at play more than they ever had been before; excluding life and death situations.
'You made me feel wanted...like my life had actual meaning.' She added onto her sentiment in her thoughts.
"Fie..." Rean gasped her name, mouth already moving to try and speak further, to say something, anything.
But that wasn't what Fie desired, and as such, she shook her head once more, letting him know she wasn't finished and that she wished not be interrupted.
"That feeling only grew over time. Every little act of kindness, you would do them for me without even thinking, as if it was no big deal. It was so new to me..."
Fie's expression had softened considerably at this point, to reflect her emotional state. None of the walls that were usually up were anywhere to be found, nor did they show any sign of coming back up anytime soon.
"As much as Zephyr was my family, they rarely treated me with such tenderness. I don't blame them, of course. The kind of lives we led...there wasn't much room for that kind of thing. You had to be tough, battle ready, if you hoped to survive." She explained. "They showed they cared from time to time, but they couldn't afford to actually treat me like a child for very long. It was decided that I needed to learn how to fight before I had even turned ten years old. The boss was against it at first, however, he eventually conceded, knowing the rest of the corp was right. I had to learn how to fight, how to kill...otherwise, I would die." The silver-haired girl confided solemnly in Rean.
This was something Rean had not seen in a very long time: Fie, open and vulnerable.
'The last time she opened up like this was back when we were just kids...'
"That was something else that was new to me, another thing you showed me." The fifteen-year-old girl continued. "I had always relied of my family for protection, until I learned to fight myself. They were strong though, they had the power to protect whatever they desired. I could never do that, not back then...I was too weak and helpless. Someone so weak could never protect anything or anyone. Or, at least, that's what I thought..." She trailed off in that moment, eyes misty with emotion.
"Until you proved me wrong." She stated with conviction, eyes boring into his. "You were just as weak and fragile as I was, and yet...you protected me." She finished, all the abundance of admiration she felt for him shining through her lime-green orbs with clarity.
At that, Rean had to fight back he urge to cast his gaze downward to the ground.
"My power-"
"That isn't what I'm talking about." She corrected him, voice even softer than before. "You did protect me then, you saved my life. However, it wasn't the first time. I'm talking about the wolves."
"My dad is one who saved you that day, not me." He denied such a notion. "He saved both of us. If he hadn't gotten there when he did, we'd both be dead."
"You're wrong "She rebuked his assertion immediately. "I wouldn't have still been alive by the time he arrived if it wasn't for you. You saved my life that day. Your protected me from those wolves, and took my place as their victim."
"Fie, that's-" He began to contest her statement, only to be cut off once more.
"It's true, Rean. Don't try and say otherwise." She softly dictated to him. "That aside, it's just one of the many things you did for me in the time I spent in Ymir."
Rean could do nothing more than shift uncomfortably back and forth, moving his weight from one side to another, onto one foot to another, incapable of thinking of a response to such words. He wasn't very accustomed to this sort of thing, too used to being ignored or insulted, by others or himself, it didn't matter.
He specifically avoided such conversations with Elise, to prevent anything similar to what was currently happening from occurring. Even still, it would be a bald-faced lie to say the raven-haired youth didn't appreciate it, at least on some level.
In the absence of the diffident swordsman's reply, Fie pushed even further.
"What I'm trying to say is...you're special to me, Rean." She unbosomed herself to him in that moment. "It doesn't matter what other people say about you or how they think of you. They're wrong. As your friend...as family, I know you better than they ever will. So believe me when I say, you're the best."
The young maiden stepped forward in that moment, and wrapped her arms around her best friend, pulling herself close to hug him tight.
The impromptu embrace caught Rean off guard, eyes going wide, and yet, the abundance of affection that seemed to radiate from the petite girl for him, had him reciprocating the hug immediately.
"Fie...I..."
Completely at a loss for words, the young man was unable to express his gratitude verbally, or just how deeply touched he was by all that she had said. His emotions were all over the place, only for completely different reasons this time. It was a fight to keep from choking up, in fact.
For the first time since arriving at this school, Rean Schwarzer found himself unwilling to reign his emotions in. It was always a matter of not being capable before, this time, he lacked the will, the want to keep calm and detached.
No words would truly do in this moment, so, in the end, he went with the simplest and most direct route.
"Thank you, Fie." He told her; smile overtaking his face as he deepened the embrace.
...
Unbeknownst to the two below, near the top of the stairs leading up from the field to the school, stood one Crow Armbrust, just out of sight.
"Well then, guess I'd best not interrupt." He said to himself aloud. "I had planned to see if he wanted someone to vent to about that pompous jackass; considering he looked kinda pissed earlier, however, looks like she beat me to it." He remarked with some mirth.
Turning away, he began walking.
"Guess I better go find something else to do."
Fighting back a yawn, the white-haired youth rubbed at his still tired eyes, as he walked adjacent to the main building, moving toward the auditorium.
"Man, I'm gonna kill that she-devil. Waking me up so damn early."
Yawning once more, not bothering to fight this one, the bandanna wearing youth continued on his way to find something to occupy his time...anything except for actually attending class, that is.
END NOTE: Decided I'd put the strength/ability ranking in unarmed combat here.
The list is as follows, with one being the best and eight the worst. And for those who've read this before, yes, the rankings have been slightly tweaked.
1-Fie
2-Rean
3-Gaius
4-Alisa
5-Laura/Jusis (They basically tied in ranking.)
6-Machias
7-Elliot
8-Emma