College decided that it wanted to schedule all of my tests on the same week, so that's part of the reason why I haven't been able to work on this story lately. I lost a bit of my inspiration as well, but it finally came back and allowed me to finish this chapter off. That said, on to the chapter!
Book I, Part III: Mortal Conflict - Element of Treachery
Chapter VII—Graduation
[July 1, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Katanas DeValle's Office - 11:47 AM]
Ein Beoulve had been nervous before - after all, SeeD training wasn't exactly a walk in the park the vast majority of the time. This, though, was a different kind of nervous, one distinct from putting your life in harm's way by one method or another.
This was the nervousness that came with responsibility.
"Are...are you sure I'm ready for this?" Ein asked timidly, looking across the desk at Katanas, who was making sure that a number of papers and files upon the polished surface were in the correct order.
"I have the utmost faith in you, Ein. I would be here myself, but I have other, more pressing matters to attend to today. Just remember everything I've shown you and I'm sure that you'll do fine. If anything comes up that you don't know how to handle, simply send it to Albel - he'll get the job done in some fashion or another."
Somehow, the way that Katanas said the last sentence made Ein want to laugh, but he refrained from it. It was his duty to maintain a professional attitude at all times, after all. At least, that's what he kept telling himself.
"So, do you have any questions before I leave?"
"...What if I mess something up?" he asked, the question out of his mouth almost before Katanas finished speaking. Katanas just chuckled in reply, shaking his head.
"Don't worry too much about that. I'll be back before long, so anything that happens won't get out of hand before I return. That much, I'm sure of."
"But...is this even allowed? I mean, I'm just your aide...is it really okay for you to leave me as the SeeD Commander while you're gone?"
"I talked it over with father, and both of us agreed that no one at present was more qualified to lead than you are. After all, you assist me with my work every day - it's only logical that you should be able to handle things alone for a few hours. Like I said, I have nothing but confidence that you'll be fine here until I return."
Ein sighed, not completely sure that he was capable of doing what Katanas asked but really seeing no reason to question his decision any more. "I understand. I'll do my best while you're gone, Commander."
"That's what I like to hear. Chin up, Ein - you're the right person for the job."
Katanas carefully finished straightening the stack of papers that was in his hands, placing them lengthwise across another vertical stack to differentiate the two, before his form shimmered and vanished in a faint aura of light. Again, Ein sighed, making his way behind the desk and picking up a pen...it was going to be a long day, he thought to himself as he looked at the stacks of paperwork that lined the surface of the desk.
[Crystal Path]
Katanas' form reappeared in a place that could only be described as magic given a physical form. The place he stood upon resembled nothing more than a shimmering, flowing, multicolored mass of energy, formless and yet at the same time holding enough physical properties to allow his body to stand upon it. The rest of the area looked much the same, with occasional pieces of the landscape of the void showing instead bits of other areas of reality, as though the entire plane was nothing more than a hallway with an infinite number of windows and doors to other places.
This was the Crystal Path - the dimension in which Planeswalkers traveled, utilizing the plane's unique properties and structure to traverse the barriers between dimensions, worlds, and the very fabric of space-and-time itself.
Saying that it was a physical manifestation of magical energy wasn't too far from the truth, in honesty, given the purpose the Crystal Path played in reality.
"Now...they should be arriving any moment now," he said to himself, taking a few steps around and peering off into the distance at the Path's environment. It was incredibly disorienting to most Planeswalkers the first time they entered the Crystal Path, but it gradually became less so the more an individual accessed it - Katanas had been on it many times now, but knew that where he ended up and where those he was supposed to meet had ended up could be completely different.
A moment later, those thoughts were quashed as two wavy blue portals materialized several yards from him, the ovular doorways seeming to expel a figure from each of their depths. The figure from the first portal was a man of comparable stature to Katanas' own, but garbed in attire completely different.
In contrast to Katanas' pristine, military cut SeeD uniform, this man was dressed in a long, flowing hooded cloak that was a mix of grays, blues, and blacks, with arcane symbols sewn into the fabric in a dull white. Several metal clasps were attached to the cloak, shirt, and pants - clothing similar in design and coloration to the cloak itself - but their designs couldn't be seen from the distance Katanas was standing. His face was hidden by the hood that he wore, further concealing his appearance.
The second figure had a radically different appearance to the first. Instead of a cloak of cloth and metal, he wore what appeared to be some kind of fur and leather clothing over most of his body, leaving only a bit of his upper chest and left side uncovered. The shoulders of his outfit were braced underneath by thick leather, also having sharp spikes of bone that jutted upwards from the top of the coverings. Leather bracers adorned both arms, both of which also had small spikes covering them at parts, and a thin mustache and goatee, giving him a menacing and gruff appearance.
"Good afternoon, gentlemen," Katanas said amicably, welcoming the newcomers as if they were simply business acquaintances. "I trust you didn't have much trouble passing through?"
The cloaked man merely shook his head, not speaking at all, as he began to make his way towards where Katanas was standing.
"Spare me the pleasantries," the mustached man said, his voice low and rumbling as he too approached. "I trust you have a reason for calling me here like this?"
"I most certainly do," Katanas replied, unfazed by the man's attitude. "Far be it from me to waste a fellow Planeswalker's time."
[July 1, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Camdus Marché's Office | 12:17 PM]
Andréa Beoulve wasn't the type who to be made nervous easily. She felt it was ridiculous to feel nervous about most things, because it was a sign that you weren't confident in your abilities. After nine years of duty within SeeD, whether as a cadet or an officer, Andréa figured that she had very little to feel nervous about.
Something, however, about the look on Camdus' face instilled a small pang of tension as she entered the office of the commanding officer of the Red Knights.
"You wanted to see me, Commander Marché?" she asked, saluting as she stood before the desk.
"At ease, Captain. Yes, I did - I've a matter to speak with you about. Please, have a seat."
Her body relaxing slightly, Andréa did as she'd been told and sat down, pulling the chair just a bit closer to the desk as she took her seat.
"I'll be brief, as I'm sure you have your own matters to attend to, just as I have. After reviewing your performance on the field exam yesterday, I had a talk with Commander DeValle. Both of us agreed that you were long overdue for a promotion, and so I took the liberty of completing the required paperwork myself."
Reaching into a drawer on his desk, he removed a small emblem with the Trabian SeeD insignia and three vertical, yellow-hued bars beside it, the entire design encapsulated by a teal rectangle around the very edge of the emblem. He handed the emblem to Andréa, who looked quite surprised at the gesture, before smiling helpfully.
"Congratulations, miss Beoulve. As of this moment, you are a Major within the Trabian SeeD forces, with all rights and privileges of the rank. The Garden Network thanks you for your continued service."
For just a few seconds, Andréa didn't know what to say. Her voice finally returned to her as her surprise dissipated, and she nodded back at her commanding officer, closing her hand around the rank insignia.
"Tomorrow," Camdus continued, "you'll be assigned leadership over a squad of SeeD. How many people would you say you'd feel comfortable commanding?"
Andréa took a few seconds to think - she'd not been expecting this when she walked into the office, and so she'd not given the question any real thought before. "Probably around three or four people," she finally answered, satisfied with the idea.
"I see...very well, then. I'll make a note of it, and your squad assignment will be ready by tomorrow."
"Thank you, Commander Marché. I'll do my best to live up to expectations."
"That's all we ask, Major. Just keep doing your job well, as I'm sure you will."
Camdus' tone made it clear that he was finished, and so Andréa stood from the chair she was seated in, saluting Camdus once again, before turning and heading out of the office. She had gone in expecting trouble, and walked out with a promotion...really, she thought, it didn't get any better than that.
A smile crossed her face again as she changed course suddenly, heading down one of the many hallways on the third floor. She needed to see Ein, if for nothing else than the look on his face when he heard the news.
'At this rate, I'll be able to order him around,' she thought wryly to herself, the thought amusing her as she stepped down the hall towards the SeeD Commander's office.
[July 1, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Dormitories | 7:48 PM]
As I take a final look into the mirror in front of me, examining the subtle designs inlaid into the fabric of the Trabian SeeD uniform I'm wearing, I readjust the collar of the uniform for at least the fifth time in ten minutes - dress clothes are definitely not my favorite attire. Not that I hate the look...they just feel stiff.
Then again, I'm used to wearing more relaxed clothing than full military dress uniforms, so I suppose I'm a bit biased.
The announcement of the field exam results yesterday had been a surprise to me, given that I hadn't expected them to announce the results the very same day of the exam. It was already nightfall upon our return to Trabia, after all, and I thought that they would wait until today to begin their deliberation and choices, but they had made the announcement not two hours after our arrival back to the grounds.
It's been a long time since I felt that excited about anything, honestly...or as nervous as I am now, for that matter. The graduation ceremony is about thirty minutes from now, and I can feel myself twitching progressively more as the time passes.
"It's just a ceremony," I say out loud, fiddling with one of the buttons on the sleeve of my uniform. "You've been through these before. No big deal...except I didn't have seven thousand people watching me then."
"Hey, you in there?" Tetsuya's voice calls from outside the door, punctuated by a sharp trio of knocks. "You do know we've gotta walk to Castle DeValle, right?"
"I know, I know," I say, glancing towards the door despite it being closed. "Just give me a second."
Sighing, I take a cloth from the sink and wipe my face before replacing it, striding over to the door and pulling it open to see Tetsuya standing outside of the room. His black hair is neatly combed, and his uniform is in the same, neatly pressed and fitted style that mine is in.
"I hate ceremonies," I mutter, stepping out and closing the door behind me as we turn to head back down the hall. "I'd be fine if they just gave me the certificate, or diploma, or whatever it is, and be done with it. I hate all this fanfare..."
"So you can go up against terrorists without batting an eyelash, but you start shaking in your boots at public functions?" he asks, disbelief mixed with amusement shining on his face. "You're nuts."
"You should know that already," I say absently, turning the corner back into the main concourse of the Garden. "Don't tell me you're not nervous about being up in front of the whole Garden population."
"Of course not!" he says excitedly. "What in the world would I have to be nervous about? Come on, we're SeeD, for Hyne's sake - we're the best of the best. Why should we be nervous or scared about that?"
"I hate it when you make sense."
Beside me, Tetsuya smirks. "I have a sister. I do this sort of thing all the time, you know."
"Speaking of your sister, where is she? Already at the castle?"
Tetsuya shrugs in response. "She said she'd be going ahead. Last I saw, she was talking with another SeeD officer - Captain Belouve, or something like that."
"Beoulve? Ein Beoulve?" I ask, wondering what she could possibly be talking to the Garden Commander's aide about.
"No, a girl. Older sister, I think. Brown hair, few years older than Yuki, easy..."
"...Andréa?" I say hesitantly, not sure if I got the name right.
"Yeah, that's it," he says, nodding lightly. "Don't know what they were talking about, but I saw them on the way over to the dorms."
"Didn't know she was a Captain," I comment as we step outside of Garden, starting towards the large castle set into the mountains directly behind the Garden. "Then again, I haven't really seen her around as much as I have Ein. That kid's all over the place most of the time."
"He works hard, from what I've seen. Fourteen years old, and already in the command division. Kid's practically a genius."
"Already in the command division?" I say, surprised - I've not heard anyone mention that fact until now. "I thought you had to be at least 15 to even take the field exam?"
"That's the rule, anyway. Yuki told me this morning that someone had waived that rule to let her take the field exam - she's only thirteen, you know. Didn't say who, but that's what I heard."
"...Well. Fun to know that a kid four years my junior can order me around."
Tetsuya laughs at that, drawing a look or two from others on their way to the castle, then claps a hand on my shoulder.
"Hey, he can order me around too, you know. And practically everyone else in the place, too."
"Guess that's true." A moment later, the sound of a cell phone cuts through the air, and I draw an amused look from watching Tetsuya try and get to his phone before it stops ringing. Finally, he manages to pull the device out and flip it open, putting it up to his ear as we keep walking.
"Hello?"
"Evening, Tetsu-kun."
"Hikari-chan," Tetsuya replies, grinning even as he hears the voice on the other end. "How are you?"
"Fine. Just taking care of some business now that I'm off from work for the day."
"Always busy..." he says, chuckling a little. "By the way, I passed the field exam here at Trabia. I'm heading to the graduation ceremony now, actually."
"That's great, Tetsu-kun. Do you want to go out after the ceremony's over with tonight?"
"Sounds good to me. You'll still be around Esthar?"
"I should be. Meet me at the Pandora Café, perhaps?"
"It's a date, then," he replies, glancing up for a moment before returning his attention to the call. "Hey, I need to go - almost at the ceremony hall. I'll see you tonight, okay, Hikari-chan?"
"Sounds good. Love you, Tetsu-kun."
"Love you too, Hikari-chan."
A few moments later, he closed the phone, shoving it back into his pocket quickly as he notices me staring at him with an amused look on my face.
"You never mentioned you had a girlfriend," I comment, a faint smile across my face.
"You didn't ask," Tetsuya responds, equally amused. "We've been seeing each other for a few years now. I met her in Esthar, back when I was still working at my dad's business."
"Who's your dad?" I ask, wondering if it's anyone I've happened to meet while around Garden.
"James Alnon. He works over in Esthar at Executive Outcomes - company he founded about five or six years ago. It's a little like Garden, but not really military...they take contracts for industrial work and research, mostly by other big companies and military organizations," Tetsuya explains, as we finally begin to approach the grounds of Castle DeValle. Many other cadets, SeeD, and instructors are beginning to file into the structure now, and I check my watch momentarily to see the time - 8:04. Just under a half hour until the ceremony starts, so we still have plenty of time to get inside.
"Don't think I've met him," I reply. "Has he ever come to Garden?"
"Not that I know of, at least not since I've been here. He's been working on some big project for months now, so he hasn't even left Esthar much in the past two or three months."
"Ah..."
Looking around momentarily at the crowd of people now gathering outside the building, I turn back to Tetsuya and smirk.
"See, I told you we'd have plenty of time!" I say, a bit more exuberantly than normal. Tetsuya just shakes his head.
"You didn't say anything like that," he replies, chuckling. "Ah, whatever. Now all we have to do is hope that the Headmaster doesn't give an hour-long speech about justice or something like that."
That gets a nice laugh from me - somehow, the Senior doesn't seem like the type of person who would ramble on in an hour-long speech like the one he's implying.
"Sounds like a plan. Hopefully, Hyne's on our side tonight."
[July 1, 2152 | Esthar, Futabishi Electronics, Shiro Matsuda's Office | 8:14 PM]
"Shiro Matsuda."
The sword was in his hand before he'd even finished turning around to face the intruder - few people could sneak up on him, let alone enter his office without being spotted well in advance. Standing before the head of the Hachikyuusan was a slender, dark-haired woman, an amused smile on her lips.
"Mister Matsuda. Please, there's no need for violence. I've merely come here to offer you a proposition, and then be on my way."
Shiro raised an eyebrow at the woman's words, but did not lower his sword an inch. "Who are you, and how did you get past my people?"
The woman's smile widened into a smirk, and she moved over to seat herself into a nearby chair, unaffected by Shiro's drawn and raised weapon. Taking an empty cup from the desk - Shiro always kept one there, just in case it was needed - she poured herself a cup of still-warm tea before answering.
"My name isn't important, but you may call me Destine."
She took a sip of the tea in her cup, murmuring appreciatively at the taste of the beverage, before continuing. "I'm a busy girl, so I'll get right to the point. It's going to become obvious to a number of...curators that they themselves are worth more than their collections. It's also going to come to the attention of some rather unsavory types that for their value, they're easy to get. I'm offering you, mister Matsuda, a chance to get in on the inside and offer your...unique services to these places. Your honor, along with your resources, would make you ideal guardians, would you not agree? Also, think of this as well - having your Hachikyuusan visible would, I imagine, send a very strong message to friend and foe alike. It'd be rather gallant, no?"
Shiro said nothing as the strange woman took another sip of her tea. He wasn't sure what she was insinuating with her words - carefully chosen words, he noticed - but he did realize that she was getting at something important. Still, he appeared to take it all in stride to the outside viewer, perhaps even considering it, but he let no emotion show on his face. Destine, meanwhile, scowled behind her glass, frustrated that she couldn't read the mortal man as easily as she believed she should be able to.
After a long, drawn-out pause, Shiro gave his reply. "Miss Destine. It's been a pleasure. Since it seems you found your way in, I would ask you to find your way out. This moment, if it pleases."
Destine blinked, fighting to keep the irritation from showing in her voice as she rose. "Just think about what I said. Oh, and before I forget..."
She snapped her fingers suddenly, a piece of paper seeming to simply appear in her hand which she then set down on the table in front of Shiro. "We'll meet again, I'm sure."
Shiro, nonplused, merely turned his back on her, returning to his earlier work. Behind him, Destine opened her mouth, temper threatening to break at such an insult from a mortal, before mastering herself, mindful of the fact that she was not in the Ethereal Plane and that her power was greatly reduced as a result. Instead, she put on a placating smile, choosing her next words as carefully as those spoken before.
"Just remember, mister Matsuda. To waver in one's honor is to dispense advantages best kept at home."
Shiro turned once again, but the questions on his lips about her meaning died as he found himself in an empty room once again. He rubbed his chin, thoughtful, before picking up the paper that she'd left behind on his desk. Opening it revealed a map of the world itself, with three locations circled in red ink - the capitals of Dollet, Galbadia, and Esthar. He looked over the locations for several brief seconds, thinking back to what Destine had said moments ago...before his eyes widened in understanding, the words and locations connecting in his mind. In an instant, he was reaching for his phone, giving instructions in Estharian to prepare to move out.
Whether she spoke the truth or not was completely irrelevant - all that mattered was taking action and absolving all uncertainty. Shiro Matsuda was not a man to take unnecessary chances, and to do nothing in a situation such as this was to risk everything.
From high in the air above Futabishi Electronics' main corporate office, Destine smiled to herself, her earlier temper washed away and replaced with a sense of calm satisfaction. The ball was rolling now, and it would be only a matter of time before she could move from setup to implementation.
[Crystal Path]
"Given the time frame, the window of opportunity is a small one, but I believe we will be able to pull it off. Any further objections?"
Katanas glanced between the two figures he'd held in conversation, getting a mute nod from the hooded figure and a snort of assent from the leather-armored figure. "Then we shall end here for the night. The next time we meet, it will be to finish what we have started. Gentlemen, I thank you for your patience and resolve. Remember, what we do here will alter the stakes everywhere; what we do here, we do for the Balance."
Without any further ado, the duo of Planeswalkers turned, blue portals shimmering into existence in front of them as they departed from the Crystal Path wordlessly. Katanas let out a tired breath as they left, trying to mentally determine the time and realizing that it was likely later than he had anticipated.
"And here I promised Ein I'd be back in a few hours," he chuckled, smiling as he also prepared to Planeswalk back into Gaia. "I shouldn't be surprised if I return to Garden and find it in better shape than when I left."
What's Katanas planning, you might ask? Well, I'll go ahead and say that you won't find that little piece of information out for a very long time to come.
However, what Destine's plans involve should become quite evident over the next few chapters...I'll leave you all to puzzle that one out on your own. As always, please read and review.