"This is a perfect night."
"I wish I could make it last forever."
"Where the hell is Crow?"
"Heed my call. Valimar, the Ashen Knight!"
"Learn when you're beaten."
Not a dream, none of it, good or bad. Rean woke up feeling sore all over and curled up on his bed, pulling the sheets over his face, feeling a comforting warmth surround him… Wait, bed, sheets? He shot up and looked around, his eyes slowly adjusting to the dim light of his bedroom. It was just as he had left it months ago before going to Thors, albeit a little bit tidier.
His head collapsed back onto the soft pillow, which welcomed him back to sleep, but the sound of shuffling next to his bed drew his attention. Rean turned around to find his sister, Elise, sound asleep on a chair and he released a breath he didn't know he was holding. Elise was home and safe and if they could be there sleeping peacefully then nothing bad had happened to Ymir.
Not yet, at least.
His own movement in bed woke up the younger girl and Elise almost cried when she jumped from her chair to hug her big brother, thanking Aidios for keeping her brother safe, and Rean himself couldn't help but laugh of joy.
The commotion going on at Reans room drew the attention from those outside and a delicate hand gently opened the door before a head flowing with golden hair popped inside. "Oh!"
Both Schwarzer siblings turned to see Princess Alfin staring at them with a very gleeful expression and Elise immediately got up from the bed. "Your Highness!"
"Don't mind me, I'd hate to interrupt such an affectionate display of sibling love. Go on, Elise, keep on embracing Rean in his bed."
"Alfin!"
"Princess? What are you doing here?" Rean could not even begin to understand what kind of inside joke that was between the two and thus it went completely over his head. His head was also too fuzzy to really care about being in his sleeping clothes in front of the Imperial Princess.
"Oh hey, Rean, you're awake," Toval also appeared at his door, looking like his usual easygoing self. "I'm gonna tell your parents you're up, your mother's got some grub waiting for you."
"Wait, Mr. Randonneur, let's help Rean up first," said Elise.
"I can get myself out of bed, sis," the older Schwarzer replied, throwing his sheets to the side and lifting himself up just to lose balance and having to hold onto his nightstand to not fall. His sister immediately went to his side but he pushed her away. "I said I can move on my own. I'm just hungry, I haven't eaten in… Well, a month I guess."
"A month!? Rean, what-"
"Elise, I believe it would be best to leave the questions for after your brother has put something on his stomach, okay?"
Hearing Alfin's words, Elise stopped herself from fussing over her brother and stepped away. "Of course, you're right. I'm sorry, Rean."
"It's fine, Elise. I was worried about you too," he then patted her head, completely missing her blushing.
Both girls accompanied Rean down the stairs and while they allowed Rean to walk by himself, Elise did stay close enough in case he lost his balance again.
It felt good for him to be home again, he had missed it more than he expected. It was the way light illuminated the corridors, the smell of his mother's cooking, the view at the family crest at the entrance hall, even the sound of the wooden stairs. Nostalgia is a powerful thing and even made Rean forget how he had planned to one day never return.
His mother, Lucia Schwarzer, was at the door of the dining room ready to receive her son with tons of hugs and kisses and fussing over him while Alfin and Toval stood there watching, it was very embarrassing all things considered.
"Okay, mom, that's enough. I'm fine," he swatted her hands away from his face.
"Don't go thinking you can lie to your mother, mister. You look worse than when you returned from your mountain training with Master Ka-fai. Oh how I yelled at that man that day."
Returning from the months long training with the Eight Leaves One Blade master, covered in bruises, cuts and bandages, and having his mother verbally beat the eastern warrior into a pulp was one of the fondest memories Rean had. Truly the one thing stronger than the sword was a mother's anger.
"Come on, let's get you some food," she ushered him to the dining room where his father was waiting for them, ready to once again embrace his son.
"Don't worry, dad, I'm not going to pass out on you again," Rean joked, drawing a laugh from the baron.
The food was incredible, his mother had made his favorite dish, pheasant stew, and Rean ate with gusto, then again he was so starved he would have eaten the grub from Garrelia Fortress the same way. Mana might have kept him alive all that time but it was a poor substitute to real nourishment. The others sat along him at the table, making Rean company while giving him space to rest and eat in peace, and though they were relieved, the concern in his family's face was unavoidable.
It was when it seemed Rean had had his fill that Baron Schwarzer started talking. "Son, I know you're tired but what exactly has happened to you? Since Toval arrived here with the princess and Elise it's been impossible to gather a clear picture of what is going on outside, aside from the fact that the Noble Alliance has pretty much every major city under their control. We were listening to Chancellor Osborne's national address when he got shot, I imagine the whole country was, and then all hell broke loose in Heimdallr."
"Even with Elise here we still had no idea what had happened to you and with Trista being so close to the capital we feared the worst," his mother continued.
Rean took a final gulp of his tea and then mulled over the past events for a minute, grimacing. "Well, first things first. Toval, did you save Elise?"
"Yeah, Prince Olivert made a request for me to escort his sister and her out of Heimdallr and we arrived here ten days later. It was all really sudden, good thing I was in the city in the first place otherwise the Noble Alliance would've managed to capture Her Highness. According to the noble's official statement, His Majesty the Emperor, Empress Priscilla and Prince Cedric are under protective custody, which, you know, means they are hostages. I don't know what happened to Prince Olivert."
To that, Alfin became sullen.
"I would've stopped by Trista but we couldn't risk wasting time getting as far from there as possible."
Rean nodded in approval, his sister and the princess' safety was priority after all. "Thank you for helping her, Toval. We owe you a lot for that, and Prince Olivert as well I guess."
"No biggie, don't worry about it."
"But what about you, Rean? What happened in Trista? Were you on the run this whole time, why were you there up in the mountains instead of coming straight here and… Did you make a friend?" Elise, and the rest of the people there, turned her gaze to a corner of the room where Celine sat next to an empty bowl of milk, staring back at them.
Rean sighed and rubbed his eyes, that was going to be a hard one. "I'm going to need some help. Celine… talk."
The cat tilted her head and meowed instead while everyone else turned to Rean with confusion and worry.
"Rean, sweetie, are you feeling okay? Did you hit your head?"
Rean assured his mother he was fine then turned to the cat with a very angry look. "Celine, I swear to Aidios, if you don't start speaking right now I'm going to-"
"Okay, fine. It's not like there's any reason to keep up the pretense anymore."
Eyes went wide and jaws hit the floor as dead silence took over the dining hall.
"Greetings, Baron Schwarzer and family. My name is Celine, familiar of Emma Millstein of the Hexen Clan. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. You have my thanks for the hospitality," she then did a slight bow with her head.
There's was a moment of shocked silence then, wordlessly, Teo got up from his chair and went to the liquor cabinet where he picked a bottle of whisky and two glasses, one for himself and another for his wife. "Alright, son. Let's hear it."
With Celine's help, Rean went over everything he knew, starting from the expeditions to the old schoolhouse, the crypt message passed down by Emperor Dreichels centuries ago, the final trial and the fight against Loa Erebonius to the appearance of Valimar on the battle against Scarlet and the escape from Crow, though that last part was a little less detailed. "The Azure Knight showed up" with no mention of its pilot from Rean and Celine decided it wasn't her place to talk about it.
It was a lot for everyone to take in but then the talking cat made it easy to believe in giant magical knights. To Rean it was another example of the weird shit that surrounded him and now he had brought it to his family's doorstep. His father had a particularly thoughtful look to him, stroking his chin and muttering something to himself, though he seemed to dismiss whatever thought he had soon after.
"To think those ancient legends about gigantic knights are true…" Alfin said wistfully, traying to recall some of the stories Olivert read to her and Cedric when they were younger.
"Rean, are you sure it's wise to leave that thing up in the mountains?"
"Well, Lucia, it's not like he could've brought it back with him," reluctantly Teo turned to Celine, who by now was sitting on the table to be part of the conversation. "Err, Celine, this Divine Knight as you called it, does it require anything from us?"
"No, he just needs to recharge his mana for the moment. He is resting, basically."
A frustrated sigh escaped Rean's lips. It means I'm still stuck here for another day. "Now I have some questions too. Toval, do you have any news from Trista?"
The Bracer sighed, having expected to relay the bad news eventually. "I'm sorry to say, Rean, but Trista and Thors are under noble control as well. I monitored the situation as best as I could since we got here, talking with some informants of mine over the phone, though that can be risky with the possibility of calls being intercepted, and the best I can give you is that some students and faculty are unaccounted for, I'm not sure who though."
"Do you have anything on Viscount Arseid and Laura?"
Toval simply shook his head and Rean cursed under his breath. Part of him had hoped the Radiant Blademaster would have come to the rescue of his daughter and her classmates as soon as the war started and if that was the case Toval would've known about it, but it seemed the situation was even more dire.
"If your girlfriend is even half as strong as her father I'm sure she'll be fine, Rean. And that serves for the rest of your friends too," Elise tried to assuage his worries.
"She's right, son. You should concern yourself with getting your strength back before- Wait, girlfriend?"
"The daughter of Viscount Arseid?"
Both Schwarzer parents shot surprised and amused looks at their son as he sank into his chair, putting a hand over his face while directing a reprehensive glare at his sister, who could only cover her mouth upon realizing what she had let it slip. "I was hoping to tell them myself when things were calmer, Elise. Make a surprise of it even."
"I- I'm so sorry, Rean."
Alfin giggled. "Well, that seems to have lightened up the mood."
Lucia leaned over from the other side of the table, gleefully staring at her son's flushed face. "If her father is anything to go by she must be an incredibly elegant lady. What is she like, Rean? Is she pretty?"
Even behind the hand covering her son's face, she could see the way his lips curled up into a smile. "Yeah, very much so."
"Oh my," Lucia jumped back to her chair with her hands covering her mouth to stifle a giggle, recognizing the tone in her son's voice.
"Well, that explains why Viscount Arseid came to see us a few months back about the noble and reformist conflict," Teo said. "I'm glad for you, Rean. Though now that I see that look in your eyes I can tell if that Knight of yours wasn't damaged you would have jumped back into it to search for her and the rest of your friends, isn't that right?" The lack of a reply was all the answers he baron needed. "Son, I understand you're worried about her and your friends but you are still too weak to risk yourself going out there and face Aidios knows what."
Uncharacteristically for Rean, he tisked at his father's words, annoyed, which raised some eyebrows from his parents though they could understand it was his frustration getting to him.
Rean tapped his fingers on the table impatiently, the little distraction regarding Laura fading as he started to rack his brain thinking of what he should do, but with Valimar out of commission his options were limited and so he relented to his family's advice to rest.
Toval said he had some things to take care of and excused himself. The others soon left as well as Baron Schwarzer had to deal with his own responsibilities, despite wishing to spend more time with his family finally reunited.
Rean left to take a shower that he desperately needed, he spent a month without one after all, and while his mother suggested taking a dip at the hot springs to help heal his body he refused the offer, a quick shower was all he needed as he wasn't feeling like soaking in and letting his mind get too introspective at the moment.
After scrubbing the one month old crust of dirt from his skin, a change of clothes and filling his stomach with food Rean felt like a new man. It was impossible for him to not worry but he tried to not let it get to him too much, he had to trust the abilities of the rest of his class. So for now he would regain his strength and try to spend time with his family, because who knows when he'd ever have the chance again.
It had snowed during the night but already the sun was coming up, giving off a picturesque mood to Ymir. Rean loved how the town looked at that time of the year, there was this comforting charm to it, which also meant it normally was should be overflowing with tourists but that wasn't the case this time due tot he war. Leaving the Schwarzer manor for a walk, Rean found his mother at the food bath at the center of the town with Elise and Alfin.
"Hey mom, girls, enjoying yourselves?"
"Ah yes, very much so, Rean. In the time I've spent here I've run out of ways to express how much I adore Ymir and I'm sure your parents are sick of hearing me prattle about it."
"Oh Your Highness, you flatter us. It has been a joy to have you at our home and having you and Elise around the house makes me feel like I have two daughters," the older woman tittered gracefully. It was truly wonderful how well Elise got along with Her Highness and the Princess was delightful person, if only the rest of nobility could even half as kind as her none of this mess would have happened.
The compliment made Alfin think back on that day at St. Astraia when she tried to play an innocent prank on Rean, asking if she could call him her brother, and how he laughed her off and completely deflated her, not to mention how smug Olivert looked after the fact. Now what would the sweet auntie Lucia Schwarzer think of such behavior? Sure, tattling was an ugly thing to do but so was not playing along with her jokes. So tit for tat.
But before Alfin could open her mouth Celine came rushing in. "Schwarzer, control your dog!" The three Schwarzers present looked at the feline, questioningly. "Oh right. Rean, control your dog!"
Behind her came in Badeux barking and wagging his tail, causing Celine to hiss and hide behind Rean's legs, putting him between her and his dog.
"Aww, I think he likes you," he said and everyone laughed. It was very cute to watch as the big hound made soft whining noises as he tried to approach Celine, who kept circling around Rean's legs to avoid him.
"Yes, I can see that and I don't wish to have my face slobbered all over."
"I think he just wants to thank you for keeping Rean safe," said Elise.
"Hey, I don't need a cat to keep me safe, alright?" Rean protested, causing the others to giggle which he promptly ignored for the sake of his own pride. "Aren't you all animals anyway? You all love sniffing each other's buttholes and stuff."
The familiar gasped in horror. "I'm not some stupid beast that acts on their base instincts without regards for decency!"
"Hey, take that back, Badeux is one of the smartest animals I've ever seen. Here, watch. Badeux, sit."
And the dog promptly did so, looking up to Rean diligently.
"Badeux, shake."
He raised his left paw and Rean grabbed it then rewarded the dog with ear scritches.
"Good boy!"
"Wow, he can follow basic commands. Truly an unique canine specimen of the highest intellect," not only Celine was a talking cat but a mouthy, sarcastic talking cat to boot. Wonders never cease to amaze, thought Lucia.
Rean glared at Celine. "Badeux, give Celine a kiss."
Badeux responded with a bark and if he knew how to he would have saluted Rean before setting forth on the mission given by his master and started chasing his target with renewed determination. For her part Celine meowed desperately as she did her best to flee.
Everyone had a good ol' laugh at the scene, though Rean's seemed to be more on the mean side.
"I do wonder why Prince Olivert requested Mr. Randonneur to bring you here, Ymir isn't necessarily a military powerhouse that would be able to defend Her Highness from capture," said Elise, going back to their previous conversation.
Rean mulled over that for a moment, having been thinking the same thing for a while. "There's no provincial army presence here and the main access point is the cable car, meaning it's easy to keep track of who comes in and out, and with it being such a remote location it's hard for news to travel outside town. We're also pretty far up in the mountains, it's basically impossible for vehicles to reach here, even a panzer soldat wouldn't be able to easily climb up the mountain path, although airships are a problem and we have no way to actually defend the town."
Lucia nodded at her son's words. "That is a pretty fair assessment, Rean. I also assume he intends to transfer Her Highness at some point to a more secure location."
"And it was very thoughtful of Prince Olivert to remember me as well, it's not like my safety is as important as Alfin's, but then I guess I had to come along since she was brought to Ymir."
"Don't say such nonsense, Elise. Even if Olivert hadn't said anything about you I would never allow you to stay behind," the princess assured her best friend with a genuine smile. "Besides, I believe the other reason for bringing me here is the utmost trust my brother has for the Schwarzer family."
"I suppose Rean's role in Class VII and his friendship with Prince Olivert do factor in as well."
"Rean, you're friends with Prince Olivert?" The surprises regarding her son kept piling up. Sure, she had been surprised to learn Elise befriended Princess Alfin but they were classmates and even shared a room, it made sense, but befriending the older prince was completely unexpected. She was incredibly proud of her son and happy that it wasn't all magic cats and knights, thankfully.
"Yes, they got along pretty well," said Elise, followed by Alfin muttering "almost too well" under her breath.
"Yeah, we're tight like that," Rean said with a show of nonchalance.
At that, Lucia tilted her head to the side, curious. "Tight?"
"Yeah, like friends and stuff, I taught him about fist bumping and he gave me some relationship advice, though it kinda sucked. Anyway, I'm gonna check out the inn. See you all later."
Lucia watched her son walk away to the Phoenix Wings with a quizzical expression on her face.
At the Phoenix Wings Inn, Rean was received with open arms by the staff and some patrons who were eager to hear his stories about his time on Thors and he was more than happy to oblige, though Rean stumbled over his words at times as he omitted a certain individual from his tales. For the inn and Ymir themselves, it was a rough going, as a mainly touristic destination the ongoing war meant business was slow, though Baron Schwarzer was a smart man and had contingencies that helped support his people through difficult times.
"So, we've been basically all over the Empire, though I didn't get to go to Ordis or Parm like the others."
"Quite a busy school life, Rean. And you and our friends were on the center of all this mess going on, fighting the terrorists all over the country as just a student," said the head chef of the Phoenix Wings, Werner, clearly impressed by the young lord's accomplishments. "And to think some nobles were in league with them all along."
"Yeah, those guys," Rean said with a mouthful, trying to not sound too mad. "They'll get what's coming for them if we have any say about that."
"That's what I like to hear! Glad to see Thors put some hair on your chest, boy!" Exclaimed Gizmo, one of the patrons. "Now tell us, what about the girls? Managed to snag a few cuties with your charms back in Thors?"
"Mr. Gizmo that sort of talk is incredibly inappropriate with young Lord Rean," Maple, a maid that worked at the inn, chastised the old man but Rean quickly dismissed her concern.
"It's fine, Maple. Yeah, I landed a pretty incredible girl, I'm hoping to track her down first thing after I'm good enough to travel again."
The men laughed heartily at it, slapping Rean in the back and shoulders, telling him to "go get her" and other words of encouragement, some of them rather crass and drawing more reprimands from Maple. Curiously then, was when a somewhat familiar voice called his name.
"Rean Schwarzer?"
He turned around to see a young woman wearing a fishing cap. "Annabelle?"
"I see we've crossed paths once again. What are you doing here?"
Rean tilted his head, somewhat befuddled. "Rean Schwarzer?" The girl expressed no reaction. "This is the Schwarzer Barony?"
Then it finally clicked on her. "Oh!"
"The family name is written on the banner," he pointed at the inn's entrance where sure enough was the banner of the Schwarzer barony.
"I didn't notice it."
Maybe if there was a fish on it you would have. "What are you doing here anyway?"
"I was at Trista when the Noble Alliance attacked and managed to run away along with Kenny Lakelord, since you're both Thors student I imagine you know each other. Anyway, we were both supposed to come here together but he told me he had something to take care of and that he would catch up."
Huh, makes sense those two would hook up… Heh, hook. "Wait, you were there? Do you know of anyone else who escaped?"
Annabelle shook her head. "Sorry, me and Kenny escaped along with other students but I didn't recognize any of them and we split up pretty quickly."
An expected response but didn't stop Rean's disappointment. "So are you just going to wait for Kenneth here?"
"Pretty much. It's fortuitous that he chose Ymir, having fished here for the past week I can say I now understand how you've become such a proficient fisher and a worthy rival. This is a place that truly tests my angling skills."
"Good for you?" Really, that's what was on her mind?
"Now I'm off to fish once again. I hope to reel in an even bigger salmon this time."
"Sure, good luck. And be careful with monsters. Also don't lose your wallet again, I'm not here for school so I'm not going to look for it if you lose it this time."
Everyone agreed that the girl had a few screws loose but she was a paying customer so it wasn't so bad. Having had his fill of conversation, Rean decided to go back home and let the Phoenix Wings workers return to their jobs.
Back at the Schwarzer manor, the baron was sitting at his office going over the land's finances, there was nothing to worry about for the moment but if the war lasted too long then it would be a problem not just for Ymir but the whole country as well. "But it's nothing you should concern yourself with," he said to his son, sitting on the opposite said of his desk.
"Not like cutting my allowance would change anything I guess," Rean said casually.
Teo laughed, although he had expected a "well, if there's anything I can do, let me know" from his son instead. "No, it wouldn't. What can I do for you, Rean? It doesn't feel like you came here just to chat."
His father could read him like a book. Yes, he went there with some things in mind, Rean struggled to decide if he should tell the news about his progress with his power or not. Sure, he had a good handle on it and the training sessions with Instructor Sara and Laura had helped him lose the fear of it and gain control but his family was another matter altogether, he hated imposing that side of his on them even more and now there was that Awakener and Knight business as well on top of it.
"I can't stay here for long, dad," Rean said without much ceremony. "It feels great to be back, though I wish it was under better circumstances, but I need to find Laura and my friends." And settle the score with Crow. "So I'm leaving tomorrow morning, whether Valimar's working or not."
Teo could figure out easily there was another reason Rean wasn't saying, but there was something else too, a certain sharpness to Rean's eyes that wasn't there when he left for Thors. He had seen a glimpse of it during their conversation at the dining room and it wasn't just the stress of the situation. "You've changed, son."
That his father noticed shouldn't surprise him, so Rean stopped himself from looking too shocked and simply offered a lopsided smile in response. "I think I had to at some point."
A knock came from the door and Baron Schwarzer told the visitor to come in, revealing themselves to be Toval. "Oh, sorry for intruding, I'm sure you guys have lots to talk about."
"Nonsense, Toval. Come on in," Teo gestured to an empty chair next to Rean. "What can I do for you?"
"Actually, baron, I was looking for Rean. Got some things to discuss with him."
Rean was about to ask what that was about when Celine came rushing in with Badeux right on her heels.
"Oh hey, it's the two best friends," said Rean.
"Shut up, we have a problem."
Celine explained to them she felt a mana surge in the area around Ymir, saying that it could be a dozen different kinds of problems, from a spell from Vita to a cryptid to another Divine Knight, but the answer actually came from Toval and the baron.
"It was shortly after Toval arrived with the girls. Some of the townsfolk had reported they'd seen something that looked like one of those panzer soldat roaming the woods so I requested him to investigate it," Teo explained.
"I tracked it down to the mountains and while it looked like a panzer soldat at first there was this, I don't know how else to put it, magic air about it. From the way it was moving around and attacking me, it seemed more like a big monster so I don't think anyone was piloting it. Anyway, I sent it rolling down the mountain and buried it under a pile of rocks."
"The only explanation is that you encountered a magic knight and it's going to take more than that to kill one," said Celine. "The mana surge I felt was probably a result of it waking back up."
Celine then proceeded to explain magic knights are golems created using magic centuries ago, though how and why one would be walking around Ymir was anyone's guess. The possibility of Vita Clotilde sending it was not discarded, though it seemed to be simply roaming and not with a set mission. There was also the possibility it was being drawn by Valimar.
Baron Schwarzer nodded at the Bracer and the man immediately moved to leave the office. "I'm on it."
"I'm going too," said Rean, getting up on his feet.
"I appreciate the enthusiasm, Rean, but-"
"You're going to fight a giant knight creature that you couldn't kill the first time, you are going to need me. Celine, can Valimar fight?"
The cat sighed, it seemed the foolish boy would not be easily dissuaded. "He had just one day to recover himself, at best he's good for a couple of minutes before needing to rest again. And you should watch out that the damage he suffered doesn't get worse."
"Fine, I'll summon it when we get a view on the magic knight to save energy."
"Are you sure you are good to fight, Rean?" Asked his father, obviously concerned.
"Rean's going to fight?" The group at the office looked at the door and saw both Elise and Alfin standing there. "Is there an attack coming, what is going on?" Asked the younger Schwarzer sibling with concern.
Not wanting to waste much time, they explained the situation to the girls while Rean went up to his room to get his sword and ARCUS. Outside, with sword on his side and orbment on its pouch, Rean found that everyone was gathered in front of the manor.
"So, are we ready to… What are you doing?" Rean stared at Elise, who had her rapier and combat orbment with her.
"I'm going to accompany you and Mr. Randonneur."
"No, you are not."
Elise was slightly shocked at the bluntness of her brother's reply but she recovered quickly. "As a daughter of House Schwarzer it is my duty to protect the land and its people, just like it is yours."
Rean exhaled, pitching the bridge of his nose. "Listen, sis, if what Celine says is true these magic knights are just as dangerous as a panzer soldat and not even my entire class could beat one of those. This is not a game."
"I realize that and that is why you two will need whatever help you can get. I know my skills with the sword don't hold a candle to yours but I still kept up my practice from what father, you and Master Ka-fai have taught me and I can hold my own."
"Like you did that day at the old schoolhouse?"
That was harsh, unnecessarily so, and this time Elise couldn't easily push through it, feeling embarrassment and shame at being reminded how she fainted at the sight of the monster that day. Their parents were unsettled by it as well, both had learned of that incident months ago (though Elise omitted exact details as to why she ended up in that place, "I got lost" she simply said in her letter) and had their own words to say to Elise to disencourage the girl but none of them included throwing her weaknesses back at her in such a way. Their son had changed in more ways than they had thought.
Toval and Alfin gave each other a look of "I don't want to be in the middle of a family squabble" while Celine looked away, hiding an expression of shame and pretending she didn't know what that subject in particular was all about.
Looking at his sister's hurt face, Rean quickly regretted his words, having realized he could have put it more gently. "Look, Elise, it's dangerous for you. Mom, dad, you agree with me, right?"
And now the Schwarzer parents were put between a rock and a hard place. Agreeing with Rean would only serve to demoralize their daughter further, on the other hand they truly wished she stayed at home.
"I agree, it is dangerous," started Lucia. "For both of you. Rean, you passed out on your father's arms yesterday and as much as I believe my cooking can be reinvigorating, it does not put you into fighting condition."
"I'm the one who can pilot a Divine Knight so I have to go, mom, able or not. We can't let that thing roaming around Ymir, what if it comes here? What if it's coming here because of me? So I'll go out there and stomp it to the ground and then get back here, I can do at least that."
It seemed Rean had made up his mind and would not be dissuaded, and poor Elise looked depressed over the situation as she mumbled something. "What was that, Elise?" Alfin asked her.
"I said I am not useless," she repeated, lifting her head and defiantly looking her brother in the eyes. "I know that I could never be as strong as you or our father or your friends. I know I can't fight off terrorists or ancient monsters but I am not as feeble as you take me to be. Since that day a Trista I've doubled my efforts to improve my fencing skills so as to not be so dependable of you and others. You are not the only one who saw the need to become a better person, brother."
And now it was time for Rean to be caught off guard. He had forgotten strong Elise could be, how she had as much resolve as him. But this was different than training, so many things were happening out there in the world that-
"It's settled then," said Teo. "You may accompany them, Elise. If the solution to this problem is to let Rean use that Divine Knight of his I can assume she won't have to directly fight this threat, correct?" Reluctantly, the older sibling nodded. "And with Rean still recovering it's good to have someone to keep an eye on him in case he can't keep up while Toval can still be free to work without distractions. That said, you will follow their instructions to the letter, are we agreed?"
Elise nodded while Rean looked at his father, baffled. "Dad, what-"
"I trust you and Toval can keep Elise safe," the baron said firmly with a piercing look towards his son.
The Bracer swore he would keep both of the Schwarzer children from harm while Rean acquiesced. It wasn't ideal, Baron Schwarzer thought to himself, but Rean would not relent and there was nothing that could stop him so this was the only solution to salvage Elise's self-esteem while approving of Rean accompanying Toval. "They're as bad as you," his wife told him later.
Both Schwarzer kids were very tense as they went up to the mountains but funnily enough not about the fact they were heading to fight a giant magic creature. Toval didn't have any siblings, being an orphan and all that, and though he had witnessed some brothers and sisters having a fight, to be caught in the middle of one was incredibly awkward, especially with nobody saying anything for a long while.
Toval had heard a lot from Sara about Rean, the kid loves doing stuff for other people, has good leadership skills, charismatic, self-sacrificial to a fault, Eight Leaves practitioner, a bit of a smartass, he'd make a fine Bracer. He got some Agate vibes from him which he hadn't the other times he met Rean, though it was easy to imagine the stuff he went through messed him up.
"So, are you sure Valimar will come if I call it?" Rean asked Celine.
"I'm sure, you two are connected. Though he won't be able to teleport like that time, he had mana to spare back then and it was an emergency. He'll come flying so time your summoning accordingly."
"Alright."
"Man, that some crazy stuff and I've heard some stories about Liberl that would make your head spin," commented Toval.
"You mean the orbal shutdown phenomenon, Mr. Randonneur?"
"I told you, Elise, just call me Toval, none of this Mr. Randonneur business. And the orbal shutdown phenomenon was just the tip of the iceberg, which reminds me there was something I wanted to you, Rean. I've got some reports about the war, nothing about your friends unfortunately, but it's still stuff you should be aware of."
"Like what?"
"I've got reports of jaegers working for the Noble Alliance, which should surprise no-one. What should come as a surprise to you however is that Enforcers from Ouroboros are working for them as well. How much do you know about them?"
"That society Instructor Sara mentioned? Not much, she just made it sound like they're a bunch of bad guys. What's an Enforcer?"
"The society's agents, their attack dogs basically. They execute whatever insane plans their Grandmaster conjures up with their Anguises, the society's top brass. Tough guys all around, you and your class met one of them, Bleublanc, and he kicked you butts."
"Well, we blew up his face so I like to call it a tie."
"Heh, sure. Anyway, I'm telling you this because just like they had a hand in the coup in Liberl a couple of years ago for their own cryptic purposes, so I'm sure their involvement now isn't out of love for the aristocracy, if you get my meaning."
"The Divine Knights."
"Possibly. Which means you'll end up much more involved in this than you want."
"Yeah, I figured as much. Just my luck, huh?"
"I feel ya. I've had my share of getting tangled up in weird stuff too."
Elise listened to the conversation attentively. Secret societies and secret plans, Divine Knights, coups and magic, was this really Rean's life now? She hated to think about what the future held for him, no wonder he seemed so on the edge, though it didn't excuse how he talked to her, she was still mad about that.
The sound of a heavy thud drew their attention and Celine informed them she sensed the magic knight was near. The familiar guided them out of the road and they entered the woods at a more careful pace, Toval had tracked many monsters in his years as a Bracer and Rean and Elise had gone on enough hunting trips with their father to know to move quietly.
As they moved forward the steps got louder and they started to feel faint vibrations coming from the ground. Closer and closer until a deep howl followed by the sound of breaking tree branches alerted them that their target was also aware of their presence. The trio jumped to the sides, with Toval being sure to stay close to Elise, as two giant swords cut the ground where they were moments ago.
By a matter of chance or the usual Rean Schwarzer luck, the magic knight set its sights on Rean, completely ignoring Elise and Toval, which he was thankful for. "There's a clearing up ahead, I'll lead it there!" Rean shouted as the monster followed him, destroying everything on its path.
Instincts had kicked when the monster attacked and Elise managed to avoid it but now that she took a good look at it she felt terrified and frozen in place. With its ball joints and ornate armor it was like a doll, except with four arms instead of two and wielding enormous swords on each hand. Combined with its horrifying roar, it was a monster in the true sense of the word, much more dreadful than the headless knight of the old schoolhouse, and Rean had no qualls about fighting it.
"I am not useless."
She threw her own words back at herself. In the face of what she had just seen, was she really not useless? What could her meager fencing skills possibly do against that creature? Toval's voice called to her, urging Elise to follow him towards the direction Ran went, and she shook herself off her fear.
The magic knight was fast and its movements more natural than those of a panzer soldat, though it seemed somewhat smaller, probably because it didn't have to fit in a whole person inside it. Rean dashed through the woods while the sound of trees bending and breaking under the might of his gigantic pursuer beared down his neck.
The opening in the tree line appeared before him soon and Rean concentrated on a spot on the other side of the clearing, hoping that it would buy him enough time. Energy flowed through his body as intent was made manifest and the words burst from his lips. "Heed my call. Valimar, the Ashen Knight!"
[Acknowledged.]
The voice echoed in his mind and Rean kept running, being certain the Knight would arrive at the designated spot, he just had to be sure to live until then. Behind him the magic knight chased him while Toval, Elise and Celine followed behind.
The Bracer realized what Rean's plan was and reached for his orbment, using the nohval quartz installed he cast a piece of time Art that slowed down the giant's movements. Celine followed suit and immediately cast a paralyzing spell that held the magic knight in place. Making due to her words, Elise used her own orbment to cast a fire Art at their target, though its effectiveness couldn't be discerned.
Noticing it was under attack, the magic knight turned its attention away from its quarrel and with a surge of mana from its body dispelled the effects of orbal energy and magic that restricted its movements. The golem pivoted and attacked Toval but the Bracer managed to avoid the rain of blades coming down on him while using his Arts to counterattack.
A blast of goldia energy hit the magic knight right on its chest, making it reel back and Toval thought that maybe Rean's own knight would not be necessary, but then the monster roared in fury and it swung its blades with renewed strength and speed.
The magic knight's assault was never fully realized however, as both of its right arms were grabbed from behind by Valimar. The Ashen Knight pulled the magic one away from Toval and performed a shoulder throw that made the ground rumble on impact.
With the enemy on the ground, Rean took a few steps back and turned to the rest of the party, his voice coming out from Valimar's speakers. "Everyone okay?"
Elise had been so preoccupied with Toval and the magic knight she had not seen when the second giant appeared. Rean's words didn't do it justice, it truly felt like she was staring at an ancient knight of legend with a valiant, noble quality to it unlike its adversary. An urge to ask if Rean was truly inside it died when she saw Valimar assume the stance of the unarmed form of the Eight Leaves One blade in the same exact manner she had seen her brother take many times before.
"Yeah, we're okay over here, worry about yourself!" Toval yelled, also looking at Valimar with awe.
The magic knight was lifting itself up and there was no way it would simply turn tail and run at the sight of Valimar, so Rean focused his attention on it. The Awakener felt a pang on his left shoulder and saw that the damage was still there, though it seemed to have lessened a bit. Incredible how the metal plating seemed to regenerate like flesh, he thought.
The magic knight's attack came fiercely, the golem slashing rapidly at Rean and it was impossible to avoid it, requiring the Awakener to block the attack with the Knight's arm and thus feel the sting of the blades on his own. Surprisingly, Rean was never taught how to fight a four armed opponent, truly an oversight from his master. The controls seemed stiffer as well, probably a result of the lack of mana and lingering damage.
Regardless, this thing could not be allowed to come closer to Ymir. Rean jumped back away from the monster just for Valimar to assume a crouching position then launch itself for a powerful shoulder tackle that unbalanced the magic knight, making it reel back, and with a swiping kick it felt down once again but this time Rean didn't allow it to get up and stomped down on its left knee, once, twice, thrice, shaking the very ground, until its ball joint was crumpled and unfit to move.
The magic knight roared, if it was in pain nobody could guess as it was the same sound it produced when it attacked them. During the beat down it was receiving, it swung its swords at Valimar to little effect. To avoid the continuing, though useless, assault from the magic knight, Rean pinned down its left set of arms with Valimar's leg and while using the Divine Knight's right arm for protection from the other set of limbs, pummeled golem's head with his left fist.
The ground shook with each strike with heavy thuds that sent vibrations to the bodies of the onlookers, then the woods filled with the sound of metal being crunched and ripped apart as Valimar's fist enveloped the magic knight's head, squeezing and pulling until ripping it off. The golem thrashed as it futilely tried to break away from the hold it was put into. It let out a final howl as its head was separated from its body and ceased all movement, and it was almost loud enough to mask Rean's own furious scream. Almost.
Not knowing Rean very well, Toval didn't think much of it, brushing the scene aside as the kid getting caught up in the moment. To Elise however, elation at seeing her brother's movement reflected on the Divine Knight turned to a chilling experience as she watched the brutal killing of the magic knight. He was unarmed and had to end the fight quickly but was that the only way to go about it? Even though Rean had assumed the eighth form of the Eight Leaves it didn't feel like it at all, it was so much more crude and violent than the fluid movements she knew of the eastern martial style. And that scream… It was like that day eight years ago but she was sure he hadn't transformed.
Worries about her brother started to creep in again.
The magic knight started to dissolve into mist and Rean stepped away from it, waiting for some other type of attack but Celine informed that since it was dead its body was decaying. A shame, he thought, as he wanted to at least get one its sword but even those were starting to fade away.
With the threat neutralized, Rean left Valimar's cockpit, letting his body turn into mana before transporting him outside in the blink of an eye, a weird sensation to get used to.
"Wew, now that was some crazy stuff," commented Toval as he and the others approached Rean and had a better look at Valimar.
"Are you okay, Rean?"
"I'm fine, Elise. I stomped this thing out with no issues like I said I would, though controls felt a little rougher than last month. I guess I just need more practice with it."
"The Awakener's performance was adequate in this scenario despite low synchronization levels. There is plenty of room for improvement," Valimar's artificial voice came out, surprising all.
Rean twirled around back to his Knight. "Wait, you can talk?"
"Speech is within my list of functions."
"And it seems he's got some criticism to boot!" Toval laughed and playfully slapped Rean in the shoulder.
"I thought it was all just in my head or something," the Awakener mused, scratching his chin as he looked up to Valimar. What exactly are you?
[My origins are uncertain for me as well, Awakener.]
"Oh great, you can read my mind too."
[I cannot. We can communicate mentally through our shared connection by directing our thoughts to each other.]
The conversation within Rean's mind space took less than a tenth of a second as words were formed, spoken and heard instantaneously.
"Rean, your nose is bleeding!" Elise said, panicking.
[A result of the mental stress caused by our communication. Your brain will get used to it as time goes on, Awakener.]
Rean used the back of his hand to wipe the blood and waved away Elise's concern while pretending he wasn't feeling a sharp pain between his eyes. "Just growing pains. Don't worry about it, sis."
"Yeah, it's fine, Crow went through the same thing!"
Another voice drew their attention and the humans scrambled to a defensive position drawing their weapons while looking for what they imagined would be an enemy, though their vicinity remained clear of threats. Celine was the one to point them to the skies.
"Grianos!" The cat familiar yelled, looking up to a beautiful bird with azure and turquoise plumage hovering above them.
The bird swooped down, chirping as it flew around them but not aggressively, it seemed to be just playing around. "Hey, Cely, long time no see!" His voice was strident, grating and filled with casual mockery.
"You lost the right to call me that when you and Vita betrayed the clan! What do you want?"
"I am but a humble messenger from you know who," the bird said and flew up, leaving trails of innumerable blue particles that floated and swirled like dust carried by the wind before coalescing into the shape of a woman.
"Hello, darlings."
"Vita!" An enraged Celine called out the witch's name.
"Well well, who would have guessed the Azure Abyss, Ouroborus' Second Anguis would show up here," said Toval.
"Looks like you know your stuff, Mr. Zero Artisan. How nice is it to see you in good health, Rean. I had my doubts after your daring escape from Crow and Ordine."
"Ordine?"
[That is the name of the Azure Knight.]
"And it is a pleasure to meet your adorable little sister," Vita continued, the image of her body floating in the air as she moved around and focused her attention on Elise.
The younger Schwarzer drew back, confused and startled by the unfolding events, and Rean placed himself in front of her. "What do you want? Did you send the magic knight here?"
"Not exactly, those little things are like pests roaming the country, we were just lucky enough to have one show up here. However, I did give it a little push it needed to get up and bring you here," annoyingly, the sparkling particles that formed Vita Clotilde's face mimicked the woman's sardonic expression down to the finest details and they could see how pleased she was. "You have been off the grid for a month when suddenly I felt a spike of mana around your hometown, so we just had to check and to my surprise we found exactly what we were looking for."
Rean looked towards Valimar and Vita tutted. "No no no, my dear Ashen Awakener. You see, you were a mere curiosity that led us to our real target. Who would have thought Her Highness would be hiding in Ymir of all places?"
The magic knight had been a distraction to take him and Toval away from the town all along. How did he not see that? The dark claws of terror griped Rean's heart. Was Crow going to be there to kidnap the princess? Vita? Bleublanc? And what would they do when his parents inevitably resisted?
Similar thoughts raced across the minds of the others when an airship flew over them, though strangely even Vita seemed surprised at that.
"My, how impatient," she sounded annoyed though nobody had much mind to try to understand why. "Well, darlings, if you hope to get there before Duke Albarea's jaegers you better hurry!"
"Can you fly?"
[My mana reservoirs are too low at the moment.]
"What good are you then?"
[...]
Rean wasted no time waiting for any parting words from Vita or to see if her bird would do anything else, he just ran. He ran like he had never done before and the scenery became a blur around him. He had brought those jaegers there and everything that followed would be his fault. Following behind him, Toval was carrying both Elise and Celine in his arms.
Black smoke was starting to rise in the skies and Rean quickened his pace, his heartbeat like a jackhammer in his ears. He could barely walk at the start of the day and now his body was pulling energy out of no nowhere to make himself move. No, that wasn't right, he had transformed and barely noticed it. He pushed any worry about it aside, it didn't matter right now.
Gunshots.
Faster.
Some townsfolk came into his view as he crossed the entrance to Ymir, they were running away from the center of the town, looking for protection away from the chaos. Some shouted words of caution to Rean but he paid no heed to them.
Faster!
Two gunshots.
A woman's scream.
A dog barking.
Going down the street, Rean arrived at the center of town just in time to see Badeux being kicked by a man wearing body armor, the dog flying into an arc and falling next to the body of Teo Schwarzer, lying face down as a pool of blood started to form under him.
Flanked by other three men, the aggressor held an orbal pistol in his hand and pointed it at Lucia, who was using her body to shield Princess Alfin. He shouted a threat at the older woman, demanding her to hand over the royal child as his accomplices moved in to intercept the two.
His arm was severed before he could even think of pulling the trigger.
The jaeger didn't understand what was going on, why was his right arm falling off, and he didn't have the time to figure that mystery out as a searing pain took over his entire torso and a warm sensation enveloped his chest as he fell to the ground.
His companions had not seen Rean until it was too late and in the blink of an eye their partner was lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood, and in front of them stood a white haired boy wielding an eastern sword.
"Son of a-" The jaeger to the right raised his rifle to shoot this new threat but he was too slow and his reward was the blade puncturing through his chest before being hoisted up in the air like he weighed nothing. With unbearable pain flooding his body, he slid down the blade until he reached the sword guard. The man tried to pry himself away, attempting to pull out the sword somehow, and that was when he was face to face with his enemy. He was a seasoned jaeger and had stared at death in the eye many times in his life but this was the first time he truly felt afraid as blood red eyes glared at him and a dark miasma surrounded him and threatened to swallow him whole.
Rean spun around and swung his tachi, flinging the man trapped in it against his two remaining allies, knocking them down. The throw opened the gouge in the man's body wider and blood flowed freely from his wound, spilling over his companions. The remaining two jaegers scrambled to aim their orbal rifles at the approaching threat, but before they could shoot the weapons were shattered to pieces by a powerful blade of air.
"W-what kind of freak is this?" One of them said, his hands bleeding from the lacerations caused by the attack. His companion wasn't as phazed and pulled out his knife, lunging for an attack that cost his hand. The jaeger fell to his knees and screamed before a kick to his face silenced him with bone shattering force.
"It wasn't supposed to be like this, t-they said the Divine Knight was the only problem!" The remaining jaeger stuttered as Rean approached him, before going down on his knees and raising his hands. "I-I surrender! I surrender!"
The tachi wielder stopped for a moment, cocking his head to the side. The man shined brightly in his vision and his fear was palpable. The big bad jaeger who less than a minute ago was pointing his gun at his family was pleading for his life now. "Surrender?"
The jaeger nodded and for a brief moment he was relieved as Rean lowered his sword, but then with a swift flick of his wrist the blade cut him across the cheek, like a slap to the face. "You think you get to surrender?" Another rapid swing of the sword made a cut to his forehead this time.
"You shot my father and you think you get to surrender!?"
Overtaken by fear, the jaeger fell on his ass and tried to scramble away while putting a hand in front of his face for protection, which just meant his forearm received the next lacerating cut. "I-I wasn't even the one who fired the shot, come on, kid!"
It doesn't matter. They all deserve to die. Every single one.
Rean raised his sword for the next, deadly attack that would chop the jaeger's head off, when something grabbed him from behind. "Rean, stop!"
Elise's voice made him freeze in place.
"It's enough, Rean. You protected us, you did it, now please don't do this," his sister yelled, hugging him tightly from behind. "The man has surrendered and… and this is not like you!"
For the first time since he had transformed, Rean stopped and looked around. Across the gray world of his vision dozens of equally gray shapes shuffled in place, hiding behind buildings and other structures, some of them barely visible as washed out colors. The people of Ymir stared in frightened awe at the son of their lord.
Rean turned around and saw his sister's pleading face but he also saw the fear in her. Fear of him because what else would it be, he thought. He saw the bodies of the jaegers, dead or dying, he could not tell. Toval looked confused and shined in vivid colors as he clutched his battle orbment, carefully sizing up Rean. Badeux licked the face of his father, whining and trying to get him to move, while Celine seemed to be casting some spell, hopefully something to help him. With a face of shock, Princess Alfin clutched to his mother while the older woman looked at him with sadness in her eyes.
Realization started to form in his mind but then a new form appeared, floating out of the sky. Its shape was weird, blurry, but it was moving towards his mother and the princess and that was all the reason he needed.
Rean pushed his sister aside and dashed in the direction of his unknown threat, almost seeming like he was about to attack the other two women. "Run!" He yelled and Lucia, putting uttermost trust in her son, held on to Alfin and got out of the way.
Rean lunged at this new threat with a downward slash, hitting it with extreme force and sending it careening backwards, and curiously, splitting it into two. He was about to deal a follow up blow but stopped himself, his sword just a few rege away from the throat of his target when he noticed that his foe was a white haired girl wearing black clothes, complemented with a black hoodie.
She looked younger than his sister but despite being attacked she stared at him with cold indifference.
She's just a kid, I don't even know what she's doing here and I almost… Damnit!
Reans stepped away from the girl and lowered his sword, taking notice that behind her was a combat shell similar to Millium's Airgetlam, though painted black. He got a hold of it and turned off his power and looked at the scene behind him, his mother was next to his father, holding his hand while yelling for the town's doctor to come over while Celine watched out for them, Elise was with Alfin and Toval was looking around for more jaegers. Then Rean felt a punch come straight for his gut followed by a blow to the head.
"Rean!" His sister screamed as he keeled over but she had no time to care for him as the little girl rushed over to her and Princess Alfin. Thinking fast, Elise pulled her rapier and lunged with a stabbing motion then with a flick of her wrist slashed to the side when her target evaded the first attack. The younger girl backed away and for a moment it seemed Elise had a grip in fighting back but a parry from the black combat shell knocked the weapon out of her hand.
Ignoring Elise, the assailant rushed straight to the princess and used her doll to get a hold of her.
"No, let her go!" Undeterred, the younger Schwarzer pounced at the combat shell and clung to her friend, trying to pull her away, only to be grabbed by the mechanical contraption's other arm.
Recovered from the attack, Rean joined Toval into attempting to corner the white haired girl as she started to hover in the air along with her combat shell and the now two hostages.
The younger girl sighed. "What a bother."
Laughter filled the air at the girl's frustrated venting. Grianos once again appeared, flying by and bringing the image of his master along with him as he landed on a lamp post. "You need to learn to adapt, Altina. Plans rarely go exactly as we wish, especially when dealing with such extraordinary individuals such as these."
"Vita!"
The Anguis took in the scene and for a moment her face dropped, especially when she directed her gaze to Baron Schwarzer and his wife. "You may not believe me but I do regret how things turned out, this was meant to be a simple extraction operation but someone's impatience caused things to take an unfortunate turn. Actions do speak louder than words however, so allow me…"
The projection that made up Vita's form lit up in cyan and blue colors, swirling and she evoked an incantation, creating a sigil under Teo's body. It startled Lucia but she just held on tighter to her husband, looking for a way to protect him.
Rean was about to say something when he heard his father gasp and groan.
"There is only so much I can do from here however, so I suggest you get him to a doctor as soon as possible. As for our unwanted guests or what's left of them…"
Another incantation and the remaining jaeger suddenly got up and started to walk away. "He'll report back that his squad was too late and that they were attacked by Imperial forces on the way back. Ymir shall suffer no retaliation."
She seemed sincere enough but Rean didn't buy it. "And you think that makes everything your people did here okay?"
"Of course not, we still have your sister after all, we don't need her buuuut that just makes things more interesting, doesn't it?" And there it was again, the grating smug tone of the witch. "Altina, please bring them to the extraction point."
"Understood," the little girl flew up and away on top of her combat shell, both girls trying to tear themselves away and pleading to be let go, before they disappeared into thin air.
"Rean!"
"Elise!"
"As for you, Ashen Awakener," Vita's words called the swordsman's attention back to her. "I would suggest you get your act together. We don't want a repeat of that thrashing you received back in Tris-"
A blast of Arc Slash, a move of the sixth form of the Eight Leaves, interrupted the witch's spiel and forced Grianos to take flight to avoid the attack that shattered the lamp post it was perched on.
"Looks like Duke Albarea isn't the only impatient one!" Grianos laughed.
"I suppose we did overstay our welcome. Farewell, Rean Schwarzer. Let us meet again under better circumstances."
With a graceful flutter of his wings, the image of Vita dispelled and Grianos flew up to the skies, leaving a faint trail of glittering cyan as Rean stared daggers at them.