Book II, Part I: Outbreak - Vector's Gambit

Chapter XV - Those Who Fight

[July 13, 2152 | Saritae Ocean | 7:04 AM]

Admiral Brian Houghton looked out over the water from the bridge of his ship, his eyes scanning the horizon as he stroked his closely-trimmed red beard thoughtfully. Rumors were abuzz throughout the fleet regarding the monster that had attacked the port town of Balamb, and while he knew a bit more about what had happened than the average sailor in the Dollet Navy, what information he had been given was still fairly scarce. The Charybdis battlegroup was small, consisting of his own ship - the HMN Ulisant, a relatively new battleship - along with one heavy cruiser, two light cruisers, and a small frigate, which had been patrolling the waters of the Saritae Ocean between the port of Dollet and the continent of Esthar for the past month.

While his battlegroup was small, the crew complement most certainly wasn't. All in all, his battlegroup contained nearly fifty three hundred men spread among the five ships he commanded, with around twenty four hundred of those aboard his command ship. Each and every one were fine Dollet navy officers and crew, capable of performing their duties under whatever conditions they had to.

Not for the first time, the admiral did wish he had some form of air superiority to work with, however. Dollet's navy was oft-stated to be the finest in the world, even if they weren't as technologically advanced or outfitted as Esthar's own, but their air forces were severely lacking in comparison. Being a port city with mountains nearby, Dollet had little appropriate land space to work with for airfields and bases due to their location, and as such had relied on the strength of its naval and ground forces to counter any aggression from invaders. Such a small patrol group as his hadn't needed any kind of air escort given their mission, he knew.

"What's our current heading?" the admiral asked, glancing over at his navigation officer.

"Currently heading northeast towards Galbadia at...12 knots," the officer replied crisply. "ETA, a little over nine hours."

"Maintain speed," the admiral said, nodding. There was no need to rush, as they still had plenty of fuel to get them back to port in Galbadia to resupply and rest before the last leg of their trip back to Dollet.

"Admiral..."

"What is it?" he replied, turning to face the officer manning the sonar station. The young man looked up to face his commanding officer, worry etched across his face.

"Sir, I've got a reading - something approaching us from the northwest, about sixty-five hundred meters out and closing."

"Any visual sightings?"

"Nothing, sir - whatever it is, it's fully submerged."

Brian didn't believe in taking chances - immediately, he looked to his communications officer, preparing to send a message to all of the ships in his fleet.

"Comms, open a channel to the fleet."

"Aye, sir!"

There was a momentary pause before the communications officer signaled to the admiral that he was clear to speak, and the admiral cleared his throat before beginning.

"Attention - we have picked up an unidentified signal on sonar, sixty-five hundred meters and closing fast. All hands to battle stations - this is not a drill. I repeat, all hands to battle stations."

The bridge of the ship burst into activity and noise as the command staff moved into action, with the admiral retreating to his command chair quickly to oversee their next moves.

"Location of the signal now?"

"Still approaching, four thousand meters...thirty-eight hundred..."

The admiral looked out towards the water grimly, noting that the contact had closed thousands of meters in what was barely a minute. He did some quick estimation in his head - it was traveling close to seventy knots, he guessed, much faster than their fleet could move. Something fully submerged, moving nearly twice the speed of their fastest ship...it had to be the creature they were warned of, he realized. There was no avoiding it, no running from it...they would have to stand and fight, and hope that they could find an opportunity to use.

The sonar officer watched the light blip of the dot move closer and closer to their position, light beads of sweat trickling across his brow as he did. Two thousand...eighteen hundred...sixteen hundred...it was moving at the same pace as it had since they first spotted it, either unaware that they were there or simply uncaring. The sea was calm, with only the lightest waves churning in the blue beyond their viewscreen, lit up by the rays of the morning sun.

At one thousand meters, that changed.

The entire ship rumbled as the sea bulged in front of them, beginning to disgorge the beast that had been hiding in the depths. The admiral's eyes went wide as he watched the dark shape rise upwards, further and further until it was taller than his ship itself, a multitude of yellow eyes reflecting the sunlight and seeming to pierce into his very soul as he watched. It was a monster unlike anything he'd ever seen, unlike anything he could've imagined, a leviathan straight from the depths of despair and the helpless dying breaths of doomed sailors. Leathery gray skin coated its body like armor plating, a sickening pallor reserved for the bodies of the dead, and an unearthly keen came from its mouth as it rose to its full height before the fleet.

"All ships, fire at will!"

Beast from beyond the grave or not, the admiral and his men were fully prepared to unleash hell upon whatever stood in their way.

Gears and pistons whirred as scores of gun batteries rotated to face Sin in turn, the sailors manning them hastily readying their payloads before taking aim - not that careful aim was needed beyond making sure no allies were in line when firing on a target the size of a small town. The Ulisant, as one of Dollet's newer flagships and a powerful example of their might, carried a multitude of weapons along its length. A total of ten mighty, sixteen-inch gun batteries dotted it from stem to stern, capable of sending shells weighing over a ton towards anything that needed to be crushed at a range of nearly twenty-five miles. Along with that, it had a total of sixteen smaller five-inch guns, primarily used for anti-aircraft defense. Between the five ships of the fleet, over a hundred gun batteries trained themselves on Sin and unleashed their payloads in a salvo that thundered over the ocean and threatened to permanently deafen anyone nearby.

Shells smashed into the beast and exploded, practically covering its entire front side in a rain of fire and hot metal as the first salvo hit home, and the otherworldly beast gave an almighty roar that shook the sailors to their core and sent wind and water slamming into the ships from the unnatural force of the sound. Smoke was violently thrust away from Sin as the sound waves pushed it back, and the admiral's breath nearly caught in his throat as he saw that the full might of their fleet had barely scratched the titanic monster.

"Impossible..."

The next salvo launched, and the admiral watched in horror as a brilliant purple shield of force enveloped Sin, the barrage of shells lighting the shield ablaze with fire and fury but failing to touch the beast within the orb. It grew brighter and brighter as Sin wailed again, and the admiral felt a chill run down his spine as he turned to his crew.

"All hands -"

He never finished his sentence, as the world around him dissolved into intense light and sound.

[July 13, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Arkives | 7:48 AM]

Tetsuya slammed the book in front of him shut, mild frustration growing on his face. He'd been researching - if you could call rumors and hearsay 'research' - Planeswalkers for days now, and he had no more answers than he'd had when he started, only more questions. What Planeswalkers were, where their power came from, what that power entailed, who granted it or took it away, what limits it had…

There was literally nothing. No scholarly memoir, no university research notes.

Nothing.

He groaned as he stretched out irritated muscles from leaning over a table in the Arkives library at Castle DeValle. He knew they existed, he'd seen them with his own eyes, his own best friend was one, yet, he could state nothing with any level of certainty other than the fact that Planeswalkers, whatever they were, existed, and that there were more than one.

Probably.

The whole process was frustrating, and he was ready to be finished with it. No knowledge or curiosity was worth this amount of futile effort.

"I believe someone would ask you at this point 'Gil for your thoughts?' Is that the right phrase?" a voice behind him quietly asked.

He looked over his shoulder and saw… well, someone he'd not seen around Garden before. A woman, with black hair, wearing a grey sweatshirt and black jeans. Her black eyes focused on him, bearing no malice, just, curiosity.

Tetsuya sighed. "It's nothing. Just a myth I'm trying to track down."

The woman smiled. "I'm quite good at tracking myths down. Do you mind if I take a look?"

He shrugged, pushing himself away from the table and standing up. "If you want to try and make sense of it all, be my guest. But, unless you know something about Planeswalkers, I doubt you'll have any more luck that I have, Miss…?"

She walked over to the table, pulling over a chair and sat down. "Destine."

'Destine,' Tetsuya thought, mulling the name over. It seemed familiar to him, but not familiar enough to grant him any type of immediate recognition. Hadn't Ben said something about her…?

The woman continued to look over the material he had gathered, then pushed it away and laughed. "You won't find your answers here. And no, Planeswalkers are not acrobats who walk on the outside of airships…" she trailed off, glancing away for a moment, before continuing. "...though, I suppose they could if they felt it necessary."

Tetsuya looked over to the books he'd pulled out ("Waste of time," he grimaced) then to the woman. "So, then, what are Planeswalkers? Where do they come from? What do they do? When -"

Destine held up her hand. "Easy. I'll answer anything you want to know, but not here. Where are you from, Tetsuya?"

He blinked, shaking his head. He hadn't told her his name. "Arias. Should I be worried that I didn't tell you my name?"

Destine smiled. "It's not the first time that we've encountered each other, but it's the first time we've met. I've had an eye on you for about a week."

"Any particular reason?"

Destine looked out at a group of cadets sitting nearby, chatting animatedly about an upcoming exam. "You don't ask questions and do research on Planeswalkers without someone taking notice, in this Realm or any other. What's the weather in Arias like around this time of year?"

"Wa-" he started, and blinked, "-rm," he finished, adjusting to the light and atmosphere of Arias. He glanced over at Destine, surprised and yet not that their location had changed so quickly. "Could have asked, Destine."

Destine breathed in, taking in the freshness of the air before answering. "You would've said no, and I couldn't afford to spend much more time in that Garden," she replied, walking towards a nearby bench and taking a seat. He followed her, sitting next to her.

"You have enemies in Garden?"

"I've made some bad choices in my life, Tetsuya. I regret them, and some of them were perpetrated against Garden and its people. I will not deny that, and some people will take more time than others to move past that. But, we're not here to talk about me, are we?" she asked,with an eyebrow raised.

Tetsuya looked across the way, watching people move to and fro, none of which he recognized.

"No, but I should know if I can trust the woman that I just instantly teleported interdimensionally with. What did you do to make enemies within Garden?"

Destine sighed heavily. "I lied to people, I hurt people, some permanently, in pursuit of my ultimate goal. I wanted to hurt my mother, the Creator, Freya Vanadis. I meddled in people's lives because a long time ago, my personal life was blown apart, very much made public. My choices were scrutinized, and my personal relationships were decimated. I lost someone I loved forever, and I had to give up my daughter to protect her as a result. My life was ruined and I punished everyone as a result. Garden was one in a long line and I will forever be atoning for that."

Tetsuya considered her words,before nodding. "So, a temper tantrum?" he asked with a disarming smile on his face.

Destine met his eyes, her lips twitching upward, but narrowed her eyes. "A being of tremendous power such as myself doesn't have temper tantrums."

"But if you did?" he persisted.

"It was," she said, moving over to an old wooden bench to sit. Tetsuya followed her, sitting next to her.

"Intraplanar, by the way."

Tetsuya looked at Destine questioningly.

"Intraplanar travel, because we traveled within this plane. Extraplanar travel would be from one plane to another, like from this one to my home plane. Interdimensional travel would indicate we traveled outside of this dimension, or more colloquially, this Realm. Does that make sense?" Destine asked.

Tetsuya blinked, wide-eyed.

"Not at all. Does this have anything to do with Planeswalkers?"

Destine nodded. "Well…"

[July 13, 2152 | Balamb Garden, Headmaster's Office | 8:19 AM]

Cid Kramer sat at his desk, wiping sweat from his brow with one hand and wondering why it felt so hot in his office so early in the morning. For the past hour, he'd been involved with one phone call after another as he requested aid from any and everyone he could think of that he could, from Duke Haroldington at Dollet to the Galbadian government. The Duke had been particularly grave in his conversation, and Cid had found out why near the start of their talk - just shortly before, Sin had wiped out one of their patrol fleets on the way back to port in Galbadia, with close to fifty-three hundred sailors lost among the five ships that had been sunk. He had readily agreed to help, pledging as much of Dollet's military might as he could get to whatever battlefield they needed. Not for the first time this morning, Cid was glad to see the levelheaded attitudes he had seen from his contacts, willing to put aside whatever differences and grievances they might have to combat what they knew was a common and terrible threat to their existence. He'd gotten agreements of help from the Galbadian military as well, and even the normally-pacifistic Fisherman's Horizon had agreed to lend a helping hand with mechanics, engineers, and tracking as best they could.

The Duke had informed Cid of Sin's last known whereabouts from the now-defunct fleet's navigational data, and Cid had immediately began mobilizing forces to head towards the Estharian continent as quickly as he could manage. Balamb Garden's contingent of forces was noticeably smaller than any of the other Gardens, but five hundred SeeD officers were already en route to Esthar's capital city, along with Squall and the rest of First Team - the six who had single-handedly saved time itself with the destruction of Sorceress Ultimecia. If anyone could change the tide of battle against such a beast, Cid knew that Squall Leonhart was that man.

Galbadia Garden, too, had SeeD officers on the way, another seven hundred and fifty to add to Balamb's forces heading to Esthar. Martine had regretfully informed Cid that most of his SeeD were away on missions and training, and he had barely a third of his normal standing force to rely on at the moment. Trabia Garden was the closest to where the conflict seemed likely to erupt, and Katanas DeValle had informed Cid that his forces were already being called to action. Cid had in the past questioned Darius DeValle Sr.'s desire to have such a large and varied standing force given SeeD's ostensible nature as a mercenary force for tactical operations, not a large-scale military force, but he had to admit that he had never been so glad to have that force at his side as he was now. Along with a full thousand SeeD of varying specialties, Trabia brought to the fore a number of specialized units beyond the typical SeeD training. Three hundred SeeD comprising the bulk of the Blue Knight Heavy Cavalry forces, Trabia's mechanized assault division, were en route to Esthar, led by Onimaru Balthas. Five hundred SeeD from the Red Knight Infantry division, SeeD specializing in close-quarters combat and firearms, joined them on the ground along with their leader, Camdus Marché. Last but not least, the entirety of Trabia's air force, the White Knight Airship Fleet, were headed to Esthar's airbase for final preparations before combat, headed by their flagship Durandal under the command of Anita Drake. All total, nearly twenty five hundred Trabian SeeD would be participating in the endeavor, bringing the Garden Network's manpower total close to a staggering four thousand SeeD members.

Never before could Cid remember so many SeeD committed to one goal, one purpose, and the thought of it shook him to the core.

Cid sighed as he began to place the final call he would need to make, wearily rubbing his eyes as the line began to ring on the viewscreen before him. A few seconds later, a woman with short brown hair and dressed in white robes picked up the line, smiling brightly despite the early morning hour.

"Presidential Palace of Esthar, how may I help you?"

"This is Headmaster Kramer from Balamb Garden," Cid spoke, pushing the weariness aside. "I would like to speak with President Loire, please - it is a matter of urgency."

"Certainly, sir - just a moment."

The viewscreen changed to the presidential seal of Esthar, and Cid took a sip of the coffee at his desk as he waited for Laguna Loire to pick up the line. A few seconds later, the familiar face of the President of Esthar filled the viewscreen, Laguna's normally-cheerful expression tempered a bit by the knowledge of what was going on in the world.

"Good morning, Headmaster - how are you?"

"I'm fine - and I've told you many times to just call me Cid, you know."

"Yeah, but it doesn't feel right to just call you by name. Have to respect your elders, right?"

"If I can call you by name, you can certainly do the same."

The mild argument of sorts was a well-worn topic by now between the two, given Laguna's familiarity and friendship with the Balamb Headmaster, but Cid pushed it aside - he had more pressing matters to concern himself with.

"Laguna, I assume you know about Sin and what happened at Balamb?"

"Yeah - Kiros and Ward filled me in once we got the reports from that side. Squall gave me a call to talk about it not too long ago, actually."

Just like the SeeD Commander, Cid thought to himself. If he knew Squall, he'd been unable to sleep and woken up early to get in some training so that he could focus.

"That sounds like him...always one step ahead of me, even now."

"Headma - Cid," Laguna started, "you should've known that you wouldn't even have to ask for my help. There's no way I'd just sit by and let you fight that thing alone. All you need to do is tell me what you need and where, and I'll make it happen."

Cid gave a small smile as he took another sip of his drink, nodding politely to Laguna. "Thank you, Laguna. Even with all the aid I've called in, I fear it might not be enough."

"Squall killed a Sorceress across time - a big fish won't even be a problem for him," Laguna said with a grin, a little of his normal optimism returning. "Seriously, though, I understand. This thing...it's a threat that's not like anything we've ever seen. Sorceresses and moon monsters are one thing, but this is like a whole other world."

"Indeed it is," Cid said, nodding gravely in agreement. "Once Squall arrives in Esthar, he and I can meet with you to discuss battle plans. For now, I believe we should take this chance to prepare ourselves for the coming day...I fear it will be a day that may change the course of history."

[July 13, 2152 | Trabian Aristocracy, Arias, Town Square | 2:30 PM]

It was quite a lot to digest, but he'd muddled his way through it, and Tetsuya finally felt he understood what Planeswalkers were instead of just knowing that they, whatever they were, existed. What the knowledge did him, he wasn't sure, but, at least he understood what they were, and why they existed.

Destine had been helpful, giving him information (and far more nuance than he probably needed) and he was grateful for it. But, a question still lingered.

"What do they do?"

Destine looked up from a particularly interesting string on her sweatshirt. "Excuse me?"

Tetsuya sat up, adjusting himself from a slouched position next to her on the bench. "I know their purpose, Planeswalkers, I mean, but not what they do. I mean, you told me that they represent their deity, whether it be as a messenger or an extension of their will, but I'm not sure that fully answers the question. It doesn't explain why people like Ben aren't just sitting around for Freyaja-"

"-Freya-" Destine interrupted mildly, and Tetsuya waved an acknowledgement.

"-yeah, her, to give orders to send messages. You made it sound like she has quite a few of these championed Planeswalkers. What are they all for? Why does she have so many if she doesn't use them all?"

Destine looked up to the skies, her eyes tracking a bird as it flew overhead. "That's… a difficult question. Each of the planar leaders chooses their Planeswalkers for different reasons; reasons that are for them to choose alone. Mother has always been… " she paused, choosing her words carefully, "... led by her heart. She's chosen the strongest of character, those who impressed upon her the traits that she values most. She's always searched for the ones with the most to gain from being a Planeswalker, even if it isn't what benefits her most. Ben was chosen because he proved himself not in strength or endurance, but in sheer determination and doggedness, I assume. Do you know Liam Bayloh?" Destine asked.

Tetsuya nodded.

"He was chosen when he had hit the worst point in his life, having made the worst decision in a life or death situation that left him alive, but with regret that eats at him to this day. She chose him because she saw potential. Her Planeswalkers are arguably the closest amongst the planes, because simply enough, none of them are… better, I suppose, than the others. "

Tetsuya scratched the back of his head, focusing on the first part of the statement. 'The worst decision in a life or death situation…?'

"What happened? To Bayloh, I mean."

Destine shook her head vigorously. "That isn't my story to tell. He chooses not to speak of that moment, and it isn't my place to reveal its details."

Tetsuya nodded. It made sense, but it brought a question for later thought. How much did any of them know about the seemingly laid-back SeeD…? Focusing back on the subject matter at hand, he questioned Destine about the Lord Sovereign of Soul Society.

"Lord Kuchiki in the Soul Plane has a fairly regimented test for those who he has deigned to be his Planeswalker; it's why he has so few of them, because very few pass his test to earn his favor," Destine explained.

Tetsuya got to his feet to stretch; he'd been sitting for awhile in the Arkives, and sitting on an old wooden bench hadn't done wonders for tense muscles. "What about the third leader? Eyezahnme?"

Destine smirked. "He'd probably kill you for hearing you say that, and so would Julia Heartilly. Lord Aizen's motives have never been clear, but his Planeswalkers have always been the most ruthless, the most cunning, the most strategic. His Planeswalkers have been known to attack one another to gain favor with their Champion, but all of them will protect him to the last."

"Seems like a kill-or-be-killed mentality," Tetsuya muttered. He wasn't sure he was interested in the Nether Plane, but it seemed to be part of the subject matter. He couldn't learn about Planeswalkers without learning about all of these planes.

Destine tilted her head slightly. "It's… well, that's very much the… I suppose the correct term would be the atmosphere of the Nether Plane. Survival of the fittest, law of chaotic ascension; I've heard it called many things. It certainly isn't for the weak."

Tetsuya rubbed his eyes, processing the information. He still had more questions, and as long as Destine would continue to answer, he would continue to ask.

"Why would someone choose to be a Planeswalker, especially in a place like the Nether Plane?"

Destine mulled over his words before answering. "It's… not something you always choose. Lord Aizen picks his Planeswalkers, he doesn't suffer those who would come to him. Lord Kuckiki and Mother both are more forgiving, though Lord Kuchiki is less tolerant of failure."

"So, it sounds like Froyo-"

"-That's frozen yogurt. Mother is Freya Vanadis-"

"Sure, sure. Anyway, it sounds like Freya is just and fair and all that is right in the world?" Tetsuya asked, the smirk returning to his face.

Destine's eyes narrowed playfully. "For someone I could exterminate with a thought, you've got a lot of sass. But, Freya isn't without her faults-"

A crash at the other side of the town square they were sitting in brought both of their eyes to the disturbance. Destine was on her feet a moment later.

"Something is wrong. Stay behind me, please."

Her tone brokered no argument, and Tetsuya took a step behind her, carefully keeping his eyes on the scene unfolding. Across from them, a woman was picking herself up from the flower stand she had fallen into. She stumbled towards them as if drunk. Tetsuya shook his head.

"It's probably someone from Elsa's tavern down the street. I wouldn't worry-"

Destine held up her hand. "Please be quiet."

As the woman got closer, Tetsuya was able to clearly make out her features. Her blonde hair clung to her sweat-drenched forehead, and her blue eyes darted back and forth as if searching for something or someone. She wore a suit of armor, an older but unfamiliar style, with red pauldrons over each shoulder. As she stumbled closer, he could see that her chest plate was white with a green center with the mark of a house or kingdom in the center.

Whoever she was, Destine was obviously taking it seriously, as he noted trails of ice magic circling down her arm to her fingertips.

"I don't recognize the crest on her chest," he commented quietly, his eyes tracking the woman.

"You wouldn't," she replied, "because she isn't from this Realm."

Tetsuya's eyes widened slightly. "How do you know?"

Destine didn't turn to him. "For those who are attuned to it, each person has a… a glow, to them. It's subtle, but, if you're able to see it, it identifies or can help identify their home Realm. Benji is from the First Realm, I can see it in his aura. That one lady and her friends, Yuna? They're from the Tenth Realm," she explained.

Tetsuya pointed at the woman. "And her?"

"Her aura is… odd. It's hard to distinguish, but…. I would say Ninth Realm."

There was more to her aura's strangeness than just that, but it was something that Tetsuya likely wouldn't have picked up on, nor something that could be easily explained, Destine knew. The Pillar could feel the woman's aura...searching, for lack of a better word, as if it were reaching out for something that it could latch on to and take hold of. Destine had seen people use their very magical aura as a weapon itself, forcing those weaker into submission, but that wasn't what this was - the aura writhed to her senses like a living being, blind to the world yet lashing out wildly in an attempt to do...something.

Destine took a step closer, carefully trying to approach the woman without sending her into a more panicked state, and all at once she felt it.

She had thought the woman's magical energy a living being, and as her aura touched that of the person in front of her it seemed to pull, latching on like a desperate man and starting to...drain? Definitely drain, Destine noted - somehow, the woman was pulling the very magic from her own body like someone sucking a drink through a straw, siphoning it away and pulling it into her own aura greedily. It was alarming to her, but by all accounts mostly negligible; she had so much power that it was more an annoyance than anything troubling, but it was still something she could honestly say she had never seen before. The way that the woman's eyes immediately snapped towards her, however, was quite a bit more unnerving and eerie, as if she was looking at Destine but not really seeing her.

"That's...unsettling," Destine murmured, stopping where she was once again. Despite the fact that it wasn't particularly harmful to her, it was irritating, and she felt herself slipping into the anger that had become a companion for so long; the same anger that allowed her to hurt so many so recently.

The same anger that cut her off for so long from Kitaras.

She shook her head. She would not, she refused to leave, hurt, or let harm come to this woman.

As the woman came within feet of them, she reached a trembling hand towards a previously unnoticed sword hanging loosely from a scabbard hung at the hip. Destine shook her head as she felt Tetsuya crouch behind her. She took a careful step forward.

"I will not harm you."

The woman's hand didn't falter, and her gait, previously unsteady seemed to steady, as if the Pillar's words had brought a connection into the world, albeit not one favorable to Destine. Still, Destine pushed on, remembering a time in the recent past that Will had done the same for her.

"I know you are scared, and I would be too. You aren't sure where you are, how you got here, or how to get home. You latched onto the first thing that you knew, and that was magic. I won't pretend to understand, but I promise you, I will help you with all of your questions. But, before I can do that, I need you to take your hand from your blade. I swear to you, I will not harm you, nor will I ever let any harm come to you."

She paused and blinked. She meant it, she realized. She wouldn't harm this woman, whoever she was, nor would she let any harm come to her, as long as there was life in her bones to carry out the words.

'Will is getting to me,' she thought wryly.

The woman's hand wavered but for a moment as she drew her sword.

"Whoa," Tetsuya said, not for the first time wishing that he'd brought his gunblade. It hadn't really been on the list for researching at the library, however. He crouched, hoping he could remember any of the hand-to-hand skills he'd been taught as a cadet.

In front of him, Destine held out a hand for him to stop. Then, she closed her eyes.

"Please, do not be alarmed."

Magic gathered in between her hands, indicating that casting was imminent. Her eyes opened and focused on the woman in front of her.

"I will not allow you to advance any further, however. The line is drawn here."