Chapter 91: A Royal Pain
Disclaimer:
Hi guys! I know I said the Star Festival would be here but I wanted to add this chapter here right before it.
I wanted to clear up something regarding the overall timeline of Black Clover as well. From my understanding, it's like this;
MARCH - Lucas/Asta/Yuno get grimoires
SEPTEMBER (6 Months Later) - Entrance Exam
In between September and March, I looked up and found that the number of stars are reset once a year, every March 31st. I believe Tabata said it in one of his Question Brigades that he used to do. The GD also gathered around 70 stars by the time our characters joined their squads. They also say that around half a year had passed when Asta and Yuno collected their awards on stage from the Wizard King.
MARCH - Star Festival
I believe that's right and it makes the most sense? It isn't too important right now but I did mention some dates in the actual chapter so this was my reasoning behind it.
There are references to events in past chapters to help with foreshadowing and whatnot. Here they are:
Chapter 6, 59, 82, 85
With that said, I hope you enjoy!
"I just can't get it right!"
Lucas was panting as he tried to catch his breath. Sweat fell from his forehead and arms towards the grassy floor underneath him. He put the palms of his hands on his knees as he tried to recover.
The dual attribute user was on the training field that was near his room all by himself. "I've been at it for a whole month since everything with the Witches' Forest but I'm no closer to figuring it out!" He thought to himself as he finally stood up after finding some more energy.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, picturing something in his mind. "This… is what I want to achieve".
In his head, all he pictured was the transformation that he had undergone twice. The first time was in the Forgotten Forest and the second was just recently. Within his mind's eye, the scenery was black but with his altered form in the middle. The Dual Blades were a bladed arm and wing and half of his body was dark-blue, especially across his multiple scars. His eyes were closed but a glowing, blue marking formed in between them and went vertically down his right eye. Finally, the last thing that Lucas imagined was a slightly sadistic and eerie smile that he had worn in his two fights.
At that point, he shook his head and opened his eyes once again. "Forgetting that… I want to control that transformation. I get a huge power boost in that form and, judging by how strong our enemies keep getting, I need to use that added strength".
Then, he heard Mimosa's words in his head.
"You were fighting right alongside us. It was intense but at the end of the day, it is your power. Who knows? I wonder what you'll be able to do once you're fully in control of that transformation!"
Lucas started to smile as he heard her encouragement and quickly re-focused. "Okay, so, let's try this again… With the times that I've used it… Ki has been a big factor. For some reason, I can't use it outwards anymore but I can still use it inwards. I'll use it on myself and change the flow of my Time mana…".
"Just like how I first used Heaven's Time…".
Lucas breathed in and out, using Ki on his own body to detect the flow of both Light mana and Time mana. The outline of his body emerged and two colours were flowing, overlapping, and mixing with one another as if they were working together in a way.
"I've been able to use my attributes together thanks to Cyrus's treatment but it did take a toll on my body afterwards. But… since then, I've gotten used to the strain and have been able to output more with less damage to myself. Now… I just need to increase the flow of my Time mana until it starts escaping my body".
Lucas focused hard and veins kept popping out of his head with how much he was. Slowly, just like when Shadow, Lucas's 'other half', took over, the Time mana was leaving the confines of his body.
"I've gotten to this point multiple times… It's just what happens afterwards which is the problem!"
As the Time mana increased its output, Lucas's body started to change in appearance. The blue lines were tracing over his scars and his fangs were growing. There was a pain on his right where the Dual Blades were turning into blade and wing.
Suddenly, Lucas was flung backwards and landed on the grass that he was just standing on, failing in his transformation once again.
"Every… Single… Time!" He slammed his fist in the ground, creating a small dent. "I get to this point and then it just stops working. I'm missing some kind of trick". He rubbed his face with his hand, sighing and pouting.
"I want to get stronger but I just can't do it if I don't get this right…".
He looked up and towards the sky which matched his mood successfully. The sun was barely shining as it was hidden behind the plethora of dark, grey clouds that were covering the afternoon sky. Strong winds were blowing and the trees and bushes that lined the border of the courtyard were all rustling in tandem with the weather.
"It's getting late and I'm… getting a bit tired", he yawned. Lucas turned around in the direction of his room and started walking away. He grabbed a white towel from the side and put it around his neck and used it to wipe the sweat he had on his body.
A few minutes passed and the mage was right outside of his room but, instead of going straight in to get cleaned up, he saw that one of his teammates was leaning against his door with his eyes shut and arms folded.
"Yo, you alright, Hamon?" Lucas waved but got no response.
"Hamonnnn?"
"Hamon!"
The sleep bubble that was coming out of the Glass mage's mouth popped like a balloon and he opened his eyes. The man looked around from left to right to remember where exactly he was.
"L-Lucas? Oh, h-hi…", he waved and then yawned right after.
"How long were you waiting here?"
"Oh, just a few minutes but that small amount of time is enough to get some of my beauty sleep in, ohoho!" Hamon laughed as he stopped leaning. "Besides, I needed to get you for a mission! The captain asked me to find you".
"A mission? Well, I'm not complaining about that! Can I freshen up quickly and then we make our way to his office?" Lucas asked, bringing the white towel to his nose and then sticking his tongue out as he instinctively smelled it.
"No worries. The mission is at night anyway so we have some time. Just try to be quick, okay? We all know how long you take in the shower", Hamon chuckled.
"Wh-What? I don't take that long!" Lucas argued, waving his hands all over.
"Yeah, alright. Well… chop, chop!" Hamon raised his voice, clapping his hands together repeatedly at Lucas which forced him against his door.
"I got it. I got it!"
"Three… hours… later…".
The two were making their way to Captain Vangeance's office as they spoke. The cool breeze swept against their hair and clothes which made the two walk a bit faster than they normally would.
"Are you narrating the time, Hamon?! I took like 20 minutes and, besides, it allowed you to get some more of that beauty sleep that you definitely needed", Lucas joked as he lightly tapped his teammate on the shoulder.
"Haha, it's all a bit of fun, really. Anyway, I haven't seen you since breakfast in the morning, but judging by how sweaty you were earlier… you were training again, huh?"
"Yeah…", Lucas replied with a slight frown.
"What's up?"
"Eh, I'm trying to work towards something but it's just not working out. I've been at it ever since I came back from the Witches' Forest", he said with his head down.
"Oh, you mean that crazy transformation?" Hamon asked, remembering back to the time he saw it in the fight against Rhya.
"Yeah. I feel like I can do it but I always end up messing it up at the end", Lucas pouted again, dropping his shoulders.
"Is it linked with that Hybrid stuff you told us about a month ago?" The glutton wondered, tilting his head.
"Yeah, it is. It's all good to know that but it doesn't really mean much when I can't control it…". Lucas thought back.
FLASHBACK - ONE MONTH AGO:
"A hybrid?"
The people around Lucas all repeated as they had no idea what this term meant. Around eight of the squad were gathered around in the courtyard with Lucas at the centre of them.
"Yeah, it's still a bit confusing to me but apparently I have 'hybrid blood'. They were a species that were the offspring of devils and angels", he explained. "My two attributes come from them, supposedly".
"What? As in those things with white and black wings. Those angels and those devils? The ones we hear about in stories? The ones that live in heaven and hell?" David scratched his head, asking for clarification.
"Can you turn into them? A 'hybrid' means a mix of two, right? Is what you turned into at the Temple of Valchronos a devil, then?" Letoile pointed up.
"I'm not sure if that transformation was specifically a devil, but yeah… It was one or the other, at least that's my theory", Lucas tried explaining.
"Woah, imagine if you grow wings!" Bell shouted from atop of Yuno's head. "Then you'll be like me!" She jumped up and down, pointing at her own wings.
"Impossible. A human can't just grow wings", Yuno replied, dismissing the idea.
"No, it's possible. Asta managed to get a wing in the Witches' Forest. Oh, uh, so did I but mine was one of my Dual Blades attached to me", Lucas corrected.
Then, silence.
"What do you mean Asta got a wing?" Yuno asked, now sitting up instead of slouching down. "Wait, what do you mean that you also got a wing?"
"Hm, I guess your blades can be counted as a wing if you think about it", Mimosa said as she looked up into the sky to imagine Lucas's form again. "They aren't your normal, average weapons".
"Going back to the hybridness…", Klaus coined. "If they're not human, then how are you one? Or are you… not a human?" He gulped.
"Nonsense. Of course, he's a human", Letoile shook her head. "I mean… are you?" She whispered to his ear.
"I am a human", Lucas assured.
"Enough with that. How did Asta get a wing?" Yuno asked again.
"Then how exactly does the 'hybridness' as Klaus said come into it?" Mimosa tilted her head.
"That's the thing, even the Witch Queen was confused about how I have hybrid blood. She says it's a mystery and that maybe I'll get answers as I go on", he replied, sighing as this was just as confusing to him as it was for everyone else.
"Can you transform at will?" Shiren asked from the back. He was the only one sitting on one of the chair tables whilst the others were either sitting on the short grass or standing nearby.
"I tried to do it again earlier but… I can't", Lucas sighed. "I can feel the point where I start to transform but then I end up failing constantly", he shook his head.
"If you tell me how Asta got a wing then I'll help you train", Yuno said.
"Now that you think about it, we have quite the anomalies in the squad", Hamon interjected. "There's one from the Forsaken Realm with a Wind Spirit and another who happens to be this mysterious 'hybrid'".
"If they can help us be a better squad then it's fine, right?" Letoile smiled. "If you need help with your form then I'll do what I can", she said as she gave the Dual mage a thumbs up.
"Same here, little bro!" David smiled toothily.
"I'm sure we'll all help, right Yuno?" Bell looked up to see her host's annoyed face.
"What's up with him?" Mimosa asked.
"Oh, maybe it's because of our journey to the Cursed Bayou being kind of useless now", the Wind Spirit sighed. "We got a cure that we thought would work for Asta, but…", she face-palmed in slow motion.
"No, it's because I'm not getting an answer about Asta's wings", he rolled his eyes.
"Ooh, I was wondering what the outcome of that day was", Hamon rubbed his chin. "Did you keep that white-spotted mushroom, then?"
"Of course, we did. It'll probably come in handy in the future", Bell replied.
"Wait, Cursed Bayou?" Lucas repeated. "What sort of place was that?"
"Long story… I'll tell you about it when we have dinner later", Bell smiled.
Yuno now stood up since his questions were not being answered at all. "Lucas", he said sternly.
All eyes were on the Wind mage.
"Y-Yes, Yuno?" Lucas looked up to see the teen from Hage shadowing over him.
"Explain about the wings. Now", he ordered.
Lucas also stood up. "You don't need to be so scary. I'll explain… So, basically, the Eye of the Midnight Sun turned up…", he continued.
FLASHBACK - END
"What about asking for some help? I'm sure Yuno or Mimosa would be up for it, just like the rest of us who were there that day with you. But…but the captain does have so many of us doing missions every day now and when we come back we're all just knackered", Hamon replied.
"I've wanted to ask but, like you said, everyone is busy all the time. I mean, I'm going on missions myself and all, but our schedules don't line up anymore", Lucas said as he scratched his cheek.
"It's kind of worrying, I can't lie. The amount of patrols around the borders that the Magic Knights have been doing have increased since last month", Hamon added.
"Yeah, I've even seen other squads patrolling the same areas as us. Hmm, but maybe we're just focusing more on our security, you know, because of the Eye of the Midnight Sun", Lucas shrugged.
"Could be… Well, enough of thinking about all that hard stuff. We're here!" The Glass mage said, puffing his chest out.
The two had arrived just outside of the common room and opened the door. It was quiet, like it had been for the majority of the month due to everyone's hectic schedules, but the two went straight up the large staircase and found themselves right outside of the captain's office.
Hamon knocked on his door and a voice from the other side told them to come in.
"Good evening, Lucas, Hamon", said captain Vangeance who was sitting behind his dark-brown desk. He was in the middle of two stacks of papers with one pile being much higher than the other.
"Good evening, Captain", the two clover-saluted after walking up and standing opposite him.
"As you know already, Lucas, I have a mission that requires the three of yo- Hm, I don't see three people here, Hamon", the masked mage said with a confused look.
"I told her before going to get Lucas as well…", Hamon said face-palming.
"Huh, three people? I wonder who it could be?" Lucas wondered.
As if on cue, the door to the office burst open which made the large, glass windows behind the World Tree mage shake ever so slightly from how loudly it opened. The chandelier that was hanging down from the ceiling almost fell down with how much it was rocking back and forth.
"There you are…", Vengeance said under his breath as he sighed.
"S-S-Sorry I'm late!" The third member shouted as she ran inside and stopped right between Lucas and Hamon. She was shaking but not because it was cold or anything like that but because of how out-of-breath she was.
"Melody? Oh, hello", Lucas smiled as he waved at the late arrival.
"H-Hi", she waved back. She also waved at Hamon who just nodded and smiled. He also backed away a bit but no one really noticed this.
"Why were you late?" Captain Vangeance asked the purple-haired Magic Knight.
"U-U-Umm…", she sighed heavily before coughing and standing up straight. "H-Hamon told me about the meeting but then I thought I had en-enough time for a little violin… p-practice and wh-when I finished I realised how… late it had g-gotten…". Melody sweat-dropped and started to fidget.
Captain Vangeance shook his head and stood up from his chair. "At least you're honest… but, Melody, you've got to be punctual, okay?"
The 19-yr-old just nodded, blushing, as she tried to recover from the embarrassment she felt.
"Anyway…". Vangeance was now addressing everyone in the room. "I have an escort mission for you three. You are to go to the Kira house and receive a young lady by the name of Rachel Kira".
Hamon scratched his chin. "I've heard that name before. Something happened during last year's Star Festival with her, right? I can't exactly remember properly though".
"Yeah, it wasn't pretty but thankfully the Magic Knights that were around handled her. She had just received her grimoire and was too excited to see what she could do. It ended up destroying some of the stalls and injuring a lot of innocent people who didn't even know what was happening", the masked captain replied.
"W-W-We're escorting someone s-scary like that?" Melody asked, whimpering.
"It'll be fine. She's not caused any problems since that night", the captain answered. He was about to continue but saw the worried look on Lucas's face. "I probably should have asked you beforehand, but will you be okay?"
Lucas jumped at the sudden question. "Y-Yeah, I'll be fine. The stuff that happened with Richard Kira is in the past and it doesn't bother me anymore. Still… I was thinking about it, but no. I'll be fine, don't worry", he smiled as he pumped his fist. "Besides, I can't judge a whole family by one person, right?"
William smiled. "That's good. Honestly, if you didn't accept this then I'd be in a bit of trouble since a lot of the others are on their own missions. Patrols have increased which naturally means that our squad is all over the country.
"Do you know the reason why? Is something happening with the Eye of the Midnight Sun?" Hamon asked, remembering his conversation with Lucas a few minutes ago.
"The reasoning is confidential as of right now but I may be able to explain in the future. All I can say is that it isn't related to the terrorist group that we've been fighting. The information that I can give out is to not trust anyone that seems even a bit shady. If you sense danger, then leave immediately. I've told that to the patrols along the borders, as well as the rest of the squad who have been on their normal missions", William replied.
"Seems serious… But I'm sure it'll be alright as long as we're careful", Lucas thought.
"Anyway, that's enough of that", the captain said as he raised his voice. "This mission is to escort Rachel to a venue just outside of the Royal Capital. A lot of the nobles are having a spring ball. The Kiras usually go together but, since Richard was ostracised, things have changed with them".
"So, it's just a simple escort mission. Hopefully we'll be back before dinner". Hamon said as he prayed with his hands together.
"Don't worry about that. Dinnertime has changed because of the squad's low numbers. Instead, the food will be out until midnight with a chef on call", William replied, alleviating the glutton's worries.
"Phew. The captain does take a lot of care for us", Lucas smiled.
"Th-Thank you, Captain…". Melody nodded her head.
"Now that you have your information… Go on and do your best", the captain said as he sat down on his chair.
The three clover-saluted once more before leaving his office one-by-one. After the door closed, the captain leaned back and sighed heavily. "All these papers because of the rise in missions… I'm tired…", he yawned.
The evening had arrived in the Clover Kingdom with the sun starting to set, creating an orange glow to the environment. A lot of the grey and thick clouds had dispersed with only a few remaining in the sky.
"At least the chances for rain are minimal now", Lucas said as he looked around at the sky.
"Don't jinx us!" Hamon said aloud, gaining a laugh from the Dual mage and a soft smile from the Sound mage.
"I've got to say… This spell is actually quite cool", Lucas praised as he looked at the transport spell that the three were riding in.
Hamon had conjured a spell made out of his Glass Magic that the three used for the journey to House Kira. The three members sat in a glass sphere in the middle with intricate designs all over. There were handles just outside where one would use to prop themselves up and inside of the carriage. There was a small, pointed dome at the top which was attached to another layer of glass that would prevent rain and wind from getting inside. At the front and back, there were four wheels all spinning and rotating in the air as the spell made its way to its destination.
"What w-was the name of the spell again?" Melody asked as she was also interested in it.
"O-Oh… It was called Cinderella Carriage", he said as he started to blush.
"That's quite the name. What does 'Cinderella' mean?" Lucas asked.
"I'm not sure. I read the name in a fairytale that I read as a kid and it just stuck with me", Hamon replied.
A few minutes passed and the trio were almost at their destination. Lucas was hanging out of one of the windows as he enjoyed watching the Royal Capital from high above, as well as liking the breeze hitting him across the face. Hamon and Melody were sitting silently for the majority of the time but the former started a conversation eventually.
"S-Soooo… Melody, h-how have you been?" Hamon asked with a little chuckle. His cheeks were flushed with a red colour that he couldn't hide even if he wanted to.
"I'm fine, th-thanks. What about you, Hamon?" She replied, as nervous as she usually is.
"I'm goooood…", the Glass mage said as he started to whistle. "Oh, gosh, I'm so nervous right now…". He turned his face away and slapped both cheeks with his hands. He made sure that neither Lucas or Melody would see what he was doing. He cleared his throat and spoke up again. "H-Hey, I've been meaning to ask but… do you remember me?"
Melody furrowed her brow, confused as to what Hamon was asking. "Um, what do you mean? Of course, I remember you. You're Hamon Caseus of the Golden Dawn. I think w-we joined at the same time as well?" She said with a slight inflection.
"N-No, that's not what I meant. I mean from back when we were kids. Our houses were just a few blocks apart but we were quite the duo! Playing outside and everything was really fun", Hamon began to explain.
Melody tilted her head. "I honestly have no idea what you're talking about. I hardly even left my house as a kid. My parents were quite strict in who I'd be around and whatnot. All I did was practise my musical instruments", she replied.
"Huh? But… I'm sure that we were fr-".
"- We're here!"
Lucas had managed to interrupt the conversation between Hamon and Melody as the trio had reached their destination. He put himself firmly back in the glass sphere and looked at the two squadmates next to him. "Did I interrupt something? M-My bad…", he said with a light but awkward laugh.
"It's fine. I was just rambling about nothing…", Hamon replied, defeatedly.
The three landed just outside of House Kira. There were two other houses that were equally as tall and as grand as the one the Golden Dawn trio were outside. There was a three-leaf clover on the floor and a path from each clover led to each house.
"W-Wait… isn't this the King's castle?" Lucas shouted, prompting a few of the Royal Guards to look over towards him.
As the 15-yr-old raised his head, he saw the entire castle for what it was. There were towers upon towers that all had the kingdom's flag waving on top of them. Within the towers, there were guards all stationed everywhere, ready for anything. Around the towers and nearer to the main body of the castle, were courtyards with colourful flowers and pools that were clean and as blue as a sapphire, and all of this was just at the front of the huge building.
"I wouldn't shout if I was you", Hamon quickly replied, shushing the Dual mage. "The King's castle is also House Kira - they're one in the same. Previously, when a member of the Silva or Vermillion houses was King or Queen, then their house would be considered the royal castle as well".
"Woah…". Lucas's eyes were shining in awe at the huge buildings.
"I've b-been here a few times to escort some of the high-ranking royals to wherever they needed to go. I never really paid attention to all the buildings though…", Melody added as she now started to gawk at the three important buildings.
"You've been here before? I'm pretty sure this is one of my first escort missions for a royal", Hamon mentioned.
"Y-Yeah. Most of my missions involve the nobility in some way. It can get… k-kinda scary at times since a lot of them are a bit, y-you know, mean", she explained.
"No wonder people say she's one of the best Magic Knights in the squad. She's trusted with important missions regarding the nobility despite her nervousness", Lucas noted.
Just as the three stopped speaking, the doors to House Kira flung open, revealing the silhouette of a young lady. The light behind her showed the hundreds of servants and maids bowing. The lady walked down the large staircase with the backdrop of the castle overlooking her.
As she walked down, the light from the lamps and candles around the courtyard started to illuminate her face and dress. She wore a dark-red and blue dress that went all the way down to her toes and extended to the back with it dragging on the floor. The dress's pattern was that the two colours were going down diagonally. Her shoulders were bare but the dress stayed on with a tight, golden bow at the back. Along the seams, were different jewels that sparkled underneath the bright lights around her. She wore white, flower-patterned gloves that went up to her elbows and only her fingers were revealed at the front.
"So, are you my escorts for tonight?" The young lady asked as she reached the end. She looked at them with her shiny, black eyes. As she blinked, the trio saw that her long eyelashes had a little bit of silver dust sprayed on them.
Lucas's mouth was wide open as he had never seen such a sight before. The two guards that were posted on either side of the staircase shook their heads but the Dual mage didn't notice. He didn't know how to react to Rachel and the two others noticed this. Melody nudged him in the shoulder which broke him out of his trance and he bowed to her.
"S-S-Sorry about that, Lady Kira. We are your escorts and we will make sure the journey is safe for you", he said.
"Lady Kira, if you would be so kind to follow us, we will lead you to Cinderella Carriage", Melody bowed, using her right arm to direct her eyes towards the transport spell.
Hamon focused on his carriage and it grew bigger, adding more space inside the sphere in the middle where Rachel would be sitting.
"Ah, Melody, right? I have seen you around multiple times but I believe it is the first where I have spoken to you. You are held in high regard around here so I am eager to see how professional you are", she smiled.
"Th-Thank you for the kind words. I hope to meet your expectations".
Melody led the group with Rachel just behind her. Hamon and Lucas followed closely behind until the four reached the glass carriage.
"This is certainly beautiful", Rachel praised which made Hamon smile.
Lucas was the first to get in and he reached out his hand for the Kira and she accepted it. Her skin was smooth, yet cold. She raised her right leg first which revealed her rhinestone stilettos. She carefully used her right foot to bring her left one in as well and she sat opposite Lucas.
Hamon and Melody got in afterwards and the latter closed the door next to them. The group of four were now about to set off towards their destination.
"We hope you enjoy your night, Lady Kira", the guards outside bowed.
Rachel glanced at them and smiled. Then, the four started flying away in the glass carriage.
For the first few minutes, the four were all silent. Rachel was just staring outside whilst Melody seemed to be in her own world as she looked up at the sky. Hamon was busy controlling Cinderella Carriage for now and Lucas was just looking at the royal.
"I've never seen someone as… fancy as her. You could definitely tell that she was a royal at first glance even if you didn't know who she was", he thought to himself.
Rachel then turned her head and saw the teen looking at her. "What is it? Do you think I look pretty?"
Lucas snapped back and waved his hands in front of his face, apologising for his staring. All the royal did was smile but then she looked outside again.
As the view of House Kira got smaller, Rachel's smile left her face and she let out a huge sigh almost immediately. She rubbed her face which smudged her red lipstick.
"Oh, um, your lipstick…", Hamon pointed out, which made Rachel do a double take as she didn't notice at first.
"Urgh, well, whatever, I have a spare in my handbag anyway… not that I'm going to use it…". She said the second part under her breath.
"U-Um… Lady Kira, are you uncomfortable?" Lucas asked, worried.
"Please can you stop addressing me like that? I hate the titles and all the fake glamour. Rachel is what I prefer anyway…", she sighed again. "Gah, I can't take this anymore!"
The royal started shaking her head all of a sudden, slouching, and messing with her clothes. It looked like she was actually uncomfortable just like Lucas had asked.
Rachel clicked her fingers and her dress was instantly swapped out for another two pieces of clothing that were extremely different to the one she was just wearing. Instead of her fancy, red and blue dress, stilettos, and white gloves, she opted to wear normal, dark-grey sweatpants and a hoodie that was the same colour. She also wore some cream-coloured trainers that she seemed to enjoy as she was kicking her feet back and forth. The black, hair bun with a see-through mesh on her head was also gone and her flowing, red hair dropped down to just below her lower back where they were curled towards the end.
"Ah, that's much better…", Rachel stretched as she slouched back against the seat. "Whoops, I guess my handbag is gone too. No more lipstick then…".
Lucas, Hamon, and Melody were shocked all three of their mouths were wide open. They didn't know what to say or do and were just confused as to what they saw. Still, Lucas decided to at least ask about the situation.
"Lady Kir-", he began to say but the redhead stared into his eyes, shooting daggers at them. The mage shook his head. "Sorry, R-Rachel… What are you doing?"
"What do you think? I'm going to go off on my own and you three are going to help me. Now that I'm away from that blasted house and those prying eyes that are constantly on me… Honestly, what a chore it is to be part of that place", she face-palmed and then shivered as she thought back. "Ew, those past few hours getting ready for some pretentious party".
The three Magic Knights exchanged looks. "Wait, hang on, will you not get into trouble for not showing up. I mean… don't you have family attending?"
"Ha, family?" Rachel chuckled. "You mean the good-for-nothing king-uncle of mine and a few other snobs? Yeah, I'm good, thanks".
"Are… you not happy with them?" Lucas asked, intrigued.
She rolled her eyes behind her bangs that were across her forehead. "What is there to like? Uncle has like three wives who all have his children, yet he couldn't care about them at all. My father and mother are not around anymore and I'm just kept around for appearances. Ever since my idiot half-brother, Richard, lost to some peasant in the Entrance Exam, he got exiled and put into the Purple Orcas and this only meant that I'm on an even tighter leash so that I don't jeopardise the royal family's reputation even further…". As Rachel was explaining, the veins on the sides of her head were slowly popping out more and more.
"Oh", Lucas gulped. He then shifted from side-to-side but, since he couldn't really move anywhere, he remained in place.
"What's up with him? He's been quite jumpy from the start". Rachel asked Melody who was still quite shocked at everything.
"Um, I-I'm not too sure".
Hamon raised his hand. "Lucas… is actually the one that beat Richard Kira all those months ago. I'm sure you don't mind letting her know", he whispered as he looked at his teammate.
"What do you mean? You're the one that quite literally just told her!" Lucas internally screamed.
Rachel crossed her arms and stared at Lucas once again. "Oh? So you're the reason as to why I can't do anything anymore. Talk about a butterfly effect… Well, then, how are you going to take responsibility, Lucius?"
"... The name's Lucas…", he replied quietly. "What kind of name is Lucius anyway…?"
"Right, yeah, whatever", she quickly said, which caused a moment of silence. "But… it's not really your fault anyway so I won't hold it against you. What I will do is leave this carriage, so… see ya!" The royal clicked her fingers and enveloped herself in a white light before she completely disappeared.
"Wh-Wh-What?!" The three Magic Knights shouted in unison.
Hamon face-palmed. "We cannot fail a mission. The Golden Dawn has never failed!"
Melody was more worried about herself. "N-No way… If this happens, then… it'll be my first failure…".
Lucas wasn't even looking at them. He was scanning down below for anything at all and that was when he saw a familiar flash of white light - the very same as what Rachel used just seconds ago.
"Guys, I think I just found out where she went!" He pointed and the two others followed his finger. They also saw the white light and Hamon turned the carriage around to land exactly where they thought Rachel might be.
Since it was the evening, the surroundings were starting to darken and the white light was easy to follow. The three were just above the Royal Capital but were nearer to the edge where the Noble Realm connected into the Common Realm. In between the two areas, there was a field that stretched around the circumference of the Noble Realm. It had a few, small rocky areas that sunk into the ground. Apart from that, it was more like a park on the other side with benches, water features, flowers, and other decorative scenery.
The white light was flashing but, as the three neared it, it stopped. Quickly, Hamon landed the carriage and the three ran off to the source of the white, sparkling light.
"I'm sure it was here…", Lucas said as he walked towards some tall rocks that overlooked a small cave system just below them.
As he took another step, he was grabbed from behind and forcefully sat down. He panicked initially but calmed down quickly.
Hamon and Melody followed and, just like the 15-year-old, were worried but they were better after seeing who had grabbed him.
"Gosh, it took you a while to follow me down here. You really call yourselves the best squad in the kingdom?"
"Rachel?!" Lucas tried to shout but the girl's grip around his mouth tightened.
"Shut up, stupid! Don't you think I'm putting my hand around you for a reason? If you calm down, I'll explain properly!" Rachel said and slowly loosened her grip on the ginger-haired teen.
Now, the three Magic Knights and Rachel were all sitting down on the short grass and behind the tall rocks. Lucas was leaning against them whilst the other three circled around him.
"Here", Rachel said and clicked her fingers. A white light emerged and placed a map in her hands to which she spread across the floor in front to show the others. "This is what I've gathered".
"It's… a map. You found… a map", Lucas said, unimpressed.
"Careful or I'll take you down again", Rachel warned.
"Hmph", Lucas closed his eyes, still annoyed at how she assaulted him.
"Every night, I've managed to sneak out of my house for a few hours at night and gather intel about a group of people that have been… acting shady around here. The reason I told you to keep your voice down is because a lot of them are in that cave just in front of us", she explained whilst eyeing the place she just talked about.
"Why is there even a cave in this specific area? It's too close to the Noble Realm. Isn't it quite odd?" Lucas asked, confused.
"This place used to be part of the Common Realm. There were houses, markets, and a lot more around here but that was many years ago. Since then, the Noble Realm expanded and took over, reducing this place to a simple memory", Melody explained. "I believe this cave was once a storage area for an inn or something like that".
"So, the royals and nobles thought it was good to take away the place that used to be for the commoners?" Lucas asked.
"That's just what royals do, you don't have to act all surprised", Rachel sighed. "It's another reason why I don't like being part of House Kira… it's all just unfair politics".
Hamon waved his hands and shook his head. "Wait, wait, wait, hang on a second. First of all, going back to what you said - there were some shady characters near the Capital? We have guards posted everywhere. Also, what made you go out and explore such a dangerous thing IF it is even real?"
"I'm not so sure I like your tone. You may be a Magic Knight but I am a royal. You should be happy that I'm not as snobby as the others".
"What? You are literally being snobby right now!" Lucas thought to himself.
Rachel ignored the annoyed looks and started explaining. "Anyway…".
FLASHBACK - ONE MONTH AGO:
"The one time I get to go outside and it's raining…", Rachel said to herself as she teleported away from her balcony. "Well, I'll take anything I can get".
The red-haired royal disappeared in a bright light, only to reappear near the border of the Noble Realm. She was wearing a dark-grey hoodie and sweatpants along with some cream shoes. She put the hood up and found herself under the base of a tall tree.
"I was sure I saw something here. Hmph, being escorted to some noble's birthday a few days ago was a pain but, at least, I got to see something interesting down here. Finally… I get to explore!" She said to herself as she pumped her fists.
The teen ran towards some tall rocks and jumped down below to where she saw the shiny stuff. It was the entrance of a small cave system and she opted to go further inside.
"Brrr…", she held her arms. "It's freezing in here! I can even… see my breath in the air as I talk to myself". Rachel was walking quickly to warm herself up and eventually saw a little opening in front of her.
"Hey, is this going to work?" A voice whispered.
"The boss says it will and we're paid to carry it out", another replied.
Rachel got up against the opening and hid behind a wall to the right. She peeked through just a tiny bit and scanned the area.
"H-Huh? There's people here? I thought there was some treasure or something but people were moving stuff?" She realised upon first look. Her heart started to beat quickly but she held her chest, trying to soothe herself.
The royal looked around and saw a large map that was pinned against the wall. There were red circles all over it but she couldn't quite make out what the map was actually of. She looked next to it and saw some barrels and boxes that had the shiny stuff that she initially saw a few days ago.
"Okay, nature calls for round two so I'll be out back".
"Whatever, I'll probably hit the sack".
The two people in the room started to disperse in opposite directions. Rachel waited a bit before teleporting right in front of the map.
"Ew… I can smell an actual shit in the direction that guy went", she gagged. "Anyways…", she turned and examined the map and, when she did, she took a step back in shock.
What she saw was…
"House Kira, Silva, Vermillion… It's circling different areas in the compound to target!" She spoke, raising her voice slightly. "Then, is that…?" She looked at the shiny stuff in the barrels and boxes next to her and saw that they were small contraptions with the lettering 'TNT' on them. "Holy…". She then reached for the map and decided to take it with her.
"Okay, that was a big dump but now I'm b-?!" The guy who left first returned and saw the redhead right in front of him. "I thought I heard a girl's voice so I thought buddy here was having a bit of fun with one, but… who the hell are you?!"
Rachel froze as she didn't know what to do. Her racing heartbeat was back and it was faster than ever. She was sweating and her black eyes were shaking. The man started to charge at her with a knife so the royal did all she could in her dire moment.
She teleported away.
Rachel reappeared back on her balcony and felt her knees go weak from the fear she was feeling. She lost her balance and fell to the floor.
"How… d-did I escape…?" She breathed heavily. "There was… a bomb plot on the royals! I need to tell Uncl- Actually, no. If I solve this by myself… then there's a case for me to escape this house! I'll save them and demand my freedom!"
FLASHBACK - END
"You… decided to keep knowledge… of a bomb threat… on your family and many other royals… a secret?!" Lucas whispered with great force at the royal right next to him.
"Hey, if I can barter for my freedom from that freak uncle and all the shackles he's put me in, then I'm going to!" Rachel retorted in equal measure.
"This is very serious though!"
"Thinking about it… I am actually going to blame my plight on you. If you didn't beat Richard then I would be fine! Yes, I'd still be in that house but no one would pay attention to me! In fact, explain to me this - How did a peasant like you even lay a finger on my half-brother? It just doesn't make sense!"
"Everything you say is the exact opposite! You feel for the commoners and their place getting taken but you're insulting and looking down on me! You want to prevent a bomb threat but were willing to keep it to yourself for a whole month!"
"You don't understand what I've been through!" Rachel shouted again, now tears welling up in her eyes.
Lucas didn't pay attention but retorted anyway. "It doesn't matter! Magic Knights help people without the promise of getting anything in return! You help people first, that's the main thing!"
Lucas and Rachel were at odds and they were physically butting their heads against each other. The Dual mage was not holding back in his criticisms and the royal was not holding back in her insults. Hamon and Melody had to pull the two back from each other so that they wouldn't make any more noise than they already were.
"Whatever the case, there is a bomb plot…", Hamon face-palmed and shook his head.
"Did you hear anything about when they'd strike?" Melody asked, calmer than she usually was for some reason.
"I believe it says on the map!" Rachel pointed at the paper next to her. "Yep, there it is. It's circled in red as well".
The Magic Knights read what it said. "March 31st… Hold on. March 31st?!"
"Yeah, what about it?"
"That's in two weeks! Gosh… You shouldn't have been holding this from us. That's also the date for the Star Festival!" Hamon moaned.
Lucas looked like he was about to tear his hair out with how this girl was behaving. It was like she didn't even care about the dangers and outcomes this would have on other people.
"If… you didn't have a spring ball to attend and didn't happen to meet with the Magic Knights, would you have kept this to yourself until it was too late?" He asked.
"Of course, not. I would have stopped them all by myself beforehand. Like… duh, that's my whole plan! I was going to do it today but that stupid party came up to ruin my plans", she shrugged. "We've wasted enough time anyway. Are you going to join me in stopping these people?"
"Obviously, it's a given that we'll help you out".
Melody walked in front of the three all of a sudden and jumped down to reach the entrance of the cave system that was below them. She just started without even asking the others to join her.
"H-Hey, wait up!" The other three said as they also jumped down afterwards.
As they did, they heard noise coming from the cave entrance and two men walked outside of the dark opening. Rachel flinched as she recognised the two to be the ones that she saw the last time she was here.
"Th-That's th-them…", she pointed with her shaking finger.
Lucas looked at her and was confused by her reaction. "She seemed so confident when she was talking about it all, but now she's different".
The two men who came out were silent but there was something quite off about them. They were wearing large, brown cloaks that covered their entire bodies and just left their faces exposed. However, instead of them showing any kind of emotion, they looked to be completely devoid of it with straight faces and no pupils in their eyes.
"Something is… not right with them", Lucas noted as she focused on their faces. "Hey, um, do these two count as shady people, like how the captain told us to run away from?"
"Seems to be so… but we can't just leave, especially since there's literal terrorism involved now", Hamon replied. He then turned to the two shady men. "Are you two the ones behind the bombing scheme?" He asked, raising his voice.
There was no reply.
"My teammate is asking you two a question!" Melody shouted which made Lucas and Hamon exchange surprised looks with one another.
Still, there was no reply.
Instead, the two men just ran forwards. They ignored the questions from the Magic Knights and started attacking without hesitation. One of them created a ball of fire in their hands and shot it out towards the four.
Melody shook her head whilst the other three jumped backwards to create some distance between themselves and the enemy.
"What are you doing?!" Hamon shouted at the 19-year-old who didn't look like she was going to move from the danger.
The shy mage turned to face the other three and there was a change in her. She was smiling and her green eyes looked flared up as if she was excited. Her purple pigtails were now to one side and she had just stopped messing with her sapphire ring.
"Melody?" The two asked again, now more confused than worried.
"Sound Magic: Destructive Round Beats!" The Sound mage jumped effortlessly away from the flames that were coming towards her and rushed behind the two enemies with ease. She then extended her arms forwards to reveal two musical strings that targeted each enemy. A click of her fingers later and they started to produce an ear-piercing sound that made both enemies drop to the floor.
"Not even five seconds went by from when we moved away…", Lucas said in awe.
"I knew you were quite the fighter but seeing it this close…", Hamon praised.
"Hmph, easy enough. All she did was jump and hit them. Even I could do that". Rachel was rather unimpressed with what she saw.
Melody faced them again but now her hair was as it usually was. Her orange eyes returned and, still, she had just stopped messing around with her ring.
"I th-think we can go on ahead now", she said as her shy personality returned.
Not even giving the others time to process the change and what happened, the same two enemies stood up again. It didn't even look like they were hurt by Melody's attack despite their clothes starting to tear as well as the few cuts on their faces.
Again, more fire came out from the enemy's hands and, again, Melody was there to help out. Instead of using her attacks this time, she just jumped out of the way and decided to go for a defensive approach.
"Sound Magic: Vibrative Barrier!" She shouted, forming four individual, clear spheres that circled around the three Magic Knights and the royal. They were beating, or rather vibrating, like a live heart every few seconds.
The flames just bounced off and dispersed into nothingness as they touched the defensive spell. Then, when there was an opening for an attack, Melody went on the attack once again and grinned.
"Sound Magic: Destructive Round Beats!"
Exactly the same as before happened with one musical string in front of each enemy. After the loud sound emerged, both enemies fell to the floor but it looked like they were going to keep getting up unless something different happened.
"Light Binding Magic: Coils of Trapped Light!" Lucas shouted, forming thick, yellow coils that wrapped around the two enemies, and trapping them in place. Now they couldn't move at all.
Rachel walked a few steps forward and looked at the two, long coils in front of her. "Hm, seems like quite a basic spell. I still don't understand how you beat that idiot, Richard…", she insulted.
"That's enough of all the arguments. Melody and Lucas helped out here which means we can actually go inside the cave now. I'll lead whilst the rest of you follow", he ordered to which the royal nodded, although with a rather disgruntled look to her face.
Melody followed without saying anything but all Lucas was focused on was the display the purple-haired one in front of him put on.
"That was… It was like she took on those two effortlessly. She switched between offence and defence without problem. The balance between the two ways of fighting is just… wow", he praised.
However, just as they were about to leave, Lucas's binding spell exploded and out came the two enemies, seemingly ready for round three.
"Huh?!" Lucas and Melody were shocked to see them up for more.
"My spell's never failed to hold an enemy before!" Lucas was shocked, seeing his spell come undone like that.
Melody bit her lip and her whole face looked agitated. Her hair was now to one side with her green eyes flaring up once again.
"Looks like I'll be helping this time. We can't let them keep doing what they want", Hamon said as he readied his grimoire.
Now, all three Magic Knights were together with the royal next to them. Hamon and Melody were on the left to fight against the one with the flames, whereas it looked like Lucas and Rachel would be against the other who had not revealed his attribute yet.
"Have you ever fought in battle?" Lucas asked the royal to his right.
"Uh… hmph! Of c-course, I have…!" She retorted but was clearly scared with how she struggled to speak.
"Melody, are you ready?" Hamon asked.
"You don't have to ask me twice!" She replied, gritting her teeth in frustration.
"Before you surprise us, I'll take you down… Light Creation Magic: Energy Whips!" He used his left arm to whip back his magic and strike forwards by using the momentum gained by the swing. The enemy was caught in the Light Magic but easily broke through within seconds.
"If long range isn't working, then how about up close?Light Magic: Angelic Strike!" Lucas rushed ahead with his glowing left fist and used it to punch the enemy in his chest to send him flying back. He fell to the floor with a thud but, a few seconds later, he was up again.
"That's some strong enemy… or maybe you're just weak?" Rachel insulted yet again.
"Be quiet. If you're not going to help then just watch and learn", he replied quickly, not entertaining her.
Rachel just bit her lip and watched on.
"There has to be some trick with an enemy like that. If my Light Magic isn't working, then I'll use my Time Magic but I don't think it's that simple. Well, whatever, I'll do what I can!"
Focusing on his second attribute, he attacked again. "Time Magic: Heaven's Time!" A grey colour warped around the enemy, freezing him in place for a few seconds before a blue beam of energy fell down from the sky and onto him, sending him further into the floor which created a small crater from the pressure on top.
"How about that?" Lucas asked, but, to his disappointment, the enemy stood up once again. "Tsk!"
The royal who was behind him was perplexed. "This peasant has Light Magic AND Time Magic? Talk about lucky... I think I heard some rumours about a mage with dual attributes but to think it was this guy? Well, anyway, even a magic like that couldn't hurt the enemy. Is there something… that I can do?"
Lucas rushed ahead and switched magics once again. "Energy Whips to throw you up high and then Heaven's Time to freeze you up there. The secondary effect… to force you to fall back down from such a height will surely stop you!"
For the first time, it looked like Lucas had found the answer. "It might have been a bit overkill but maybe excessive force was the answer? Since the Witches' Forest, using both Light and Time has gotten a bit easier as well".
A few more seconds passed than the previous times that the enemy went down for but, eventually, the enemy got up again like it was nothing. Instead of doing relatively nothing, the enemy finally started to use his magic.
With a broken and strained voice… "C-Clone… Mag-Magic…".
The hooded man's body started to duplicate and there were now two of him. They stood together and now both of them were going for Lucas as they rushed forwards.
"This is too much. Even I can admit that combination of attacks was really strong and the guy just got up like it was nothing? My magic… might not be the best in terms of combat but surely I can do something to help?" Rachel's grimoire floated out of her satchel and came by beside her.
"What are you doing?" Lucas wondered out loud. "Joining in this battle might not be the best idea, Rachel".
"Oh, shut up! You're clearly not doing so well, so let me help!" She shouted as she raised her hands. "Okay, you can do it, Rachel. You're a royal so, of course, you're strong. Show this peasant who's boss!"
"Transport Magic: From Here To There!" Rachel surrounded one of the clones in a white light and was now able to control where she would take them.
"Okay, not a combat-focused attribute but quite useful as a support. Now, if she ju-!"
"Oh no, w-watch out!"
Lucas's train of thought was interrupted as he fell to the floor.
"Ah, I'm sorry!" Rachel shouted, running over to help him up.
"What was that for?!" Lucas shouted back, rubbing the back of his head.
"Sh-Sh-Shut up! I'm just a bit out of p-practice!" She turned around, folding her arms and closing her eyes.
Rachel had started to move one of the clones in the air with her spell but her magic control was not all there at all. She had started to lose focus and balance in her own body which made the control of her spell falter. Instead of using the clone to hit the other, she made it hit Lucas.
"Stop lying! You've never been in a fight have you?!" The Light mage demanded an answer, ignoring the enemy nearby.
"Fine, I'll admit that I haven't but it can't be that hard, right?! You just have to hit the enemy, don't you?!" Rachel stomped on the ground repeatedly.
"Huh?! N-No, that's not the only thing you do!"
"It's literally what you've been trying to do here… and failing, might I add!"
Lucas's face was bright red with anger and it looked like he was going to explode but a set of deep breaths from right next to him switched his focus. The two clones were staring intently at him and Rachel and the two slowly looked at them with their eyes.
The Golden Dawn mage put a hand across the royal and forced her back behind him to which she was wide-eyed with.
"Light Creation Magic: Energy Whips!" He shouted and flung the two clones far away to give himself some time.
"Why d-did you push me out of the way? Are you trying to take the glory for yourself?" Rachel shouted, red-faced.
Lucas shook his head. "No, that's not what I'm doing… I was trying to help but…", he then started talking under his breath. "... since you won't get it through your head…". He took a deep breath and was now speaking loudly again. "Look, your magic is useful and I'll help you out with it. Just… please, listen to me just this once".
Rachel was furrowing her brows but, considering the situation and the fact that he may be right about her, she nodded softly. "Fine".
"Okay… God, she's a royal pain".
The two clones charged but Lucas used Energy Whips to hold them in place once again. Although, due to their abnormal amount of strength, they were ripping through it already.
"Okay, Rachel, use your magic on one of them. I'll let you decide which and just focus on that exact one, okay? Don't think about the other enemy at all, just the one you decide!"
"Okay, okay… Transport Magic: From Here To Th-!" As she started using her magic on one of the clones, her eyes happened to glance at the other which started to make her magic falter. The white glow around the one she targeted was flickering and then it disappeared. "Oh, no, Lucas!"
The clones broke free of their binds and charged forwards. Instead of only focusing on Lucas, they went for both him and the redhead.
"Tsk, get out of the way!" Lucas ordered but the royal was frozen in place. She was shaking and didn't know what to do. "Oh, come on…".
"Light Magic: Orbs of Blinding!" Five orbs of condensed light surrounded the one that was nearest to Lucas and they all exploded, immobilising the first clone for a few seconds. Then, Lucas focused on the other. "Energy Whips!" He bound the second one with his light and pulled him away from Rachel who was now safe for the moment.
"Lucas, look out!" Rachel shouted as the first enemy he stopped was already up again. He got up and threw something at the Dual mage which made him grunt in pain.
The mage looked down and saw that it was a knife that had entered his lower stomach and blood was now coming out. Then, the clone that Lucas saved from Rachel was free from the Light Magic and was proceeding to punch and kick him as well.
The 15-year-old was down and taking the barrage of hits from the two enemies and Rachel was just watching. She was still frozen in place but she knew she had to do something.
"He… helped me out even when I'm being mean towards him. I… I want to do this so I can barter for my freedom but will it mean much if I don't play a useful role in any of it? He's getting hurt because I couldn't do anything. A peasant… helped out a royal. Th-They should be doing things for us anyway but… no, this is different. I have to help him out as well! I don't want to be like the other royals but can I really change? He… was right. I want to be different to them but I still insult commoners and peasants. Gah, it's so annoying! I don't want to be wrong, so I'll prove him wrong instead!"
Rachel's weird way of thinking made her act. She lifted her arms and focused on the clone that was kicking Lucas. "Okay, let's give it another go. Focus on one… and only that one… From Here To There!" She used her spell and surrounded the one in a white glow, taking him away from Lucas.
"Rachel…?" Lucas said underneath the two enemies.
She brought the enemy towards herself and then quickly motioned her hands in the direction of the other enemy, making the one she had crash into the other.
Lucas was now free but he was injured. However, he had a temporary solution for his wound.
"Time Magic: Alter Deccel", he summoned and slowed down the bleeding in his lower stomach. He slowly got up and walked up to Rachel. "Thanks… See, you could do it".
"Whatever… You helped me out and I helped you out. I don't want to be in your debt so let's just do this quickly", she replied quickly. "You're welcome, I guess", she turned her face away from him.
Lucas paid her rudeness no mind as he re-focused on the two. "I don't want to be using this since it's quite a lot for two random criminals but… nothing else is working against them. I'll have to do it… even though I haven't mastered it!"
His mind went to his attempts at the transformation and he tried to do it again. He breathed in and out, using Ki on his own body once again. He saw his Time mana and tried to increase the flow of it. Slowly, it started to escape his body and he was undergoing the transformation.
A blue glow covered the right side of his body. Blue lines were starting to trace over his scars and his fangs were growing. There was a pain on his right where the Dual Blades were turning into blade and wing.
Just as he got to this point before, he was flung to the floor which marked another failure.
Lucas slapped his face with both hands. "Come on, what am I missing?!"
During the time that Lucas and Rachel were facing off against their enemy, Melody and Hamon were against their own.
"I'll focus on attacking right now. Melody, you switch to defence!" Hamon asked to which the Sound mage obliged.
"Glass Creation Magic: Verre Epée!" Hamon put his hands to the floor and clear, sharp swords erupted from the ground to pierce the enemy in his non-vital points.
"Sound Binding Magic: Vibrative Barrier!" The calm Melody summoned a sphere around the enemy whilst it was stuck in place with the glass swords.
The two regrouped and watched the enemy on top of the glass swords, struggling to move.
"We shouldn't stop now. Like last time, he'll probably break out". The glutton brought up a good point.
"True. Though we have to find out why they're like this. Glancing over at Lucas's battle, his enemy keeps shaking off every attack", Melody said as she looked towards the right.
Then, just as both had theorised, their own enemy broke free. First, it used its arms to shake free of the glass, leaving sizable holes throughout its body and then it just broke free from the barrier.
Melody shook her head. "Of all the missions I've been on, no one has ever broken free of my barriers like that before. There's something… unnatural about these two enemies", she noted.
"I've realised that as well. Not only in battle but when we tried talking to them. They were… unresponsive, if you will".
Their enemy jumped back down and was now face-to-face with them again. He summoned a fireball in both hands and launched them at the two.
"Easy enough to dodge", Hamon said as he used Verre Fleur as a counterattack. Glass spikes rose from the ground but the enemy had just moved to the side to dodge them. However, not all of them were easily dodged as when he landed, another spike shot out from the floor, piercing his foot.
"Sound Binding Magic: Vibrative Barrier!" Melody, yet again, forced the enemy into a small space which gave them time to think about things.
"We've been at it for a while and I've noticed something about them", she said. "They don't talk… like, at all. We hit them and there's no grunting. They attack and they say nothing. Even their injuries, that we're clearly giving them, cause them no discomfort".
"It's like they're not aware of being hurt. They can't be invincible, right?" Hamon asked.
"Maybe they think they are? What if it's like… kind of like a placebo effect? Where you think you're invincible so everything you sustain doesn't hurt", Melody wondered.
"But, if that's the case, then the injuries we give them are definitely damaging them. They're just not showing it".
"And that's extremely dangerous. Their bodies could break down and we wouldn't even know. We have to be careful", she explained.
The enemy started to break free of the two spells to restart their attack.
"Hamon, I'm going to attack. I need to check something. Can you switch to defence?"
"Sure, can!"
Melody ran ahead and, right before she twirled with her sapphire ring once again, had casted a support spell. "Sound Magic: Drumming Whisper". The enemy shot a stream of flames at her but she weaved in and out of its trajectory, choosing to touch her ring afterwards.
"Sound Magic: Destructive Round Beats!" She shouted aggressively. The string in front of the enemy started vibrating and created a terrible noise which made the enemy stop as it fell to the ground from its pressure.
The attacking Melody then grabbed the enemy by their cloak and brought them to face level whilst her attack was still going on. She looked into their blank, white eyes and realised something as her support spell that she casted earlier got to work.
A translucent drum was quietly beating behind the enemy's body and Melody started to nod. "Hmph. No wonder you don't react to pain. Your brain is completely asleep". She then tossed the enemy into the ground and kept one of her musical strings above their body to continually prevent them from getting up.
After returning to Hamon, she was met with a concerned look.
"What is it?" She asked bluntly.
"Um, are you sure you should be keeping the enemy pinned down like that? Like you said… we won't know if they're in pain so if you keep your attack like that, then…". Hamon was worried as he didn't know how far Melody was willing to go.
"Calm down, Hamon. I have control over my magic and the support spell that… I casted earlier will let me know. It picks up on sound waves which includes the beating of a heart as well as a brain's pulses. I'll know when to stop", she explained.
"As true as that may be… She's on the edge of going too far. I trust her but… It is worrying", Hamon gulped.
"Anyway", Melody said as she ignored his worries. "The enemies are unconscious. Or rather… their brains are asleep. Something has made them only act upon impulse. It could just be that their nerves are the ones moving their body with very basic input from their brain but… yeah, they don't know what they're doing".
"How… do we wake them up, then?"
"That's a job for…", she started to say before she closed her eyes. "M-Me", she pointed to herself.
"There it is again. That change in her…", Hamon noticed.
Just as the change happened, the attack spell disappeared from the enemy and it got up once again to charge at the two mages.
"C-Can you stay on defence? I won't attack but one of my spells will be enough to jolt them awake", Melody said, assuring the Glass mage of her plan.
"Fine, but don't be as aggressive as you just were. I don't want something bad to happen", he asked with a worried expression.
"Sure", she smiled before focusing on the enemy.
The enemy casted some more flames but the Sound mage didn't move. Instead, she was trying to draw the enemy closer and Hamon realised her intent. He moved to the side, away from the hooded man's vision and casted another spell.
"Glass Magic: Mur de Verre!" He put both hands on the floor and created glass walls that shot out from the ground. It forced both the enemy and Melody into a close space together.
"Wow, he got my intent from just watching. He's quite the Magic Knight, right?" Melody smiled before turning to the enemy.
She saw their white eyes and frowned. "Whoever did this to you is terrible… Sound Recovery Magic: Instrumental Ripple". She blew white air into the enemy's ears that travelled towards their brain. After a while, a faint but strong pulse started to come out from it and the enemy's eyes opened wide.
"Wh-What h-h-happened?!" He asked before falling asleep once again. Though this time, it was natural.
Melody put him in one of her barriers and walked over to Hamon. "He should be alright but he did sustain quite a few injuries… I'll take him to one of the doctors".
"What… did you do to wake him up?" Hamon asked, shocked at how easily she did so.
"My magic consists of manipulating sound waves. I just put a simple one into his brain and it forced the brain to wake up", she explained simply.
"What?! Working with the brain is… that's high-level stuff!" He praised but was shocked with how good of a Magic Knight she was.
Melody awkwardly smiled but that's when she heard some noise from where Lucas and Rachel were. She looked at the Dual mage and recognised that look on him.
FLASHBACK - IN THE AFTERNOON:
"Captain Vangeance wants to see us in an hour or so. I need to get Lucas so can you go ahead without us?" Hamon asked as he met up with Melody.
"S-S-Sure… I'll head up now and w-wait for you two", Melody replied, darting her eyes around.
As the Glass mage left, Melody was going to go towards the common room but then saw something in the corner of her eye.
The two had met near the Sound mage's room and, as she was about to walk on, she saw her violin through her open window. There was a slight shine to it as some of the sun's rays escaped the thick layer of clouds and hit its surface.
"Well… I guess I do have a few minutes…", she smiled before opening her door to grab her musical instrument.
A few minutes passed and she found herself near her usual spot in the courtyard. Her grassy bank was there and there was a little imprint of her body along it which made the 19-year-old blush a bit.
"I've been here so many times that the place basically remembers…", she smiled to herself. She was about to sit down but saw and felt something odd on the opposite side of the courtyard, near the training field. "Blue sparks?"
Her curiosity led her to peek through a few bushes and saw Lucas practising with his magic. He was standing still for a moment before his body started to change but then he fell down. This was repeated a few times until he started shouting in frustration.
"I heard he's been training every single day. It looks like… he has a form or something. Could it be related to that word - hybrid - that I've been hearing floating around the HQ? I wonder what it could be…?"
Another few tries of transforming, and another set of frustrated shouts. Lucas was getting stressed out but he wasn't thinking of quitting just yet.
"Could I help him out? If it's either offence or defence then I can but… sh-should I? N-No, I should. He wanted to be friends with me despite my nerves and… he praised my music playing", she smiled.
Quietly, she casted; "Sound Magic: Drumming Whisper".
"Usually, the drum would have to be near the target but, since he's the only one around, it can easily pick up on his sound waves without being near to him. With this, I can sort of sense what his brain is l-!"
The translucent drum stayed behind with Melody but was focused on Lucas and she realised the problem straight away. She stood up and was about to approach him. "He can't achieve what he wants because…!" However, as she did, she saw him start to walk away.
"Wait… Hamon wanted to get Lucas and he already got me… I'm going to be late!" She panicked and started running off towards the common room.
FLASHBACK - END
Lucas slapped his face with both hands. "Come on, what am I missing?!"
Just then, Melody walked over to him and offered him his hand. He took it and stood up, thanking his senior.
"What you're missing is balance", she said quite bluntly without any context. Though, Lucas realised it was about what he was trying to do.
"B-Balance? What do you mean?" He asked, trying to get the specifics.
"Your transformation. Your brain tells me there's an imbalance somewhere and you have to correct it", she tried to explain. "My magic can only tells me the basics of what the brain is feeling but you need to figure out what the actual imbalance is".
Meanwhile, Hamon and Rachel took to fighting the clones as Melody was trying to help Lucas out.
"What is Melody doing?" Rachel asked, using her magic to move the enemy around.
"I'm not sure. I think… she's helping Lucas out with something!" Hamon replied, creating glass walls to prevent their movements.
Lucas thought hard about what she said. "Balance? As in both my Light Magic and Time Magic? I'll admit that I focused on one more than the other but that was months ago. I don't think anything else needs to be fixed?"
"Are you sure? Take me for example - I have a firm balance between my attack and defence abilities. Think of it like two parts of yourself. There's only one of you but both are in play", she said, pointing to herself and then to Lucas.
He thought hard about what she meant. To the right of him, Hamon and Rachel were getting pushed back as they couldn't really keep up with the abnormal enemy, and Melody was focused on helping out Lucas.
"Both… parts of me are in play? Both… of me. Both… H-Hybrid means a combination or mix of two… Then, the imbalance isn't between my Light Magic and Time Magic but rather… between me and Shadow!"
Everything started to go black around him as he used Ki one more time on himself. Instead of only focusing on his own body and the flow of mana there, he pictured Shadow once again.
Time mana was everywhere on his body and it was flowing outwards. Although it was everywhere, he was still functioning.
"Shadow… is part of me and my 'hybridity'. He is there to represent my anger but he's also there… as the embodiment of my Time Magic. I'll accept that, so…", he opened his eyes.
"Lend me your strength!"
Lucas started to transform just as he had done for the past few transformations. Time mana increased, and his body started to turn blue from the right. His scars were glowing blue and a singular fang came down the right side of his mouth towards the bottom of his chin. Then, the blades showed up - one on his right arm and one acting as a wing that flapped on the right side of his back.
In his head, he heard Shadow in a mocking voice.
"So, you're getting stronger but don't let your guard down. I'll always be here… when you inevitably mess up…".
The changed Lucas charged ahead and grabbed the two clones with the edge of his bladed arm. He crashed right through Hamon's glass and threw them onto the floor.
"What the hell is that?!" Rachel shouted. She had her hands on her cheeks as she gasped.
"That… is Lucas. He figured out how to bring his power out", Melody explained.
"Time Magic: Chrono Wing!" He shouted as his right wing sliced through their bodies horizontally with such a high speed.
Hamon was worried. "The first time he used this, he wasn't in control at all! What if he… goes out of control this time?"
Melody smiled. "I don't think so. He's reclaimed balance in his brain and heart".
"Balance?" Hamon wondered.
As the clones got hit, the fake one disappeared and the original enemy fell unconscious from the pain he felt. For the first time, Lucas had managed to keep the enemy down.
He flew back and landed where the others were and his transformation came undone. He looked at his arms and his body, and then looked at Melody who was still smiling.
"Th-Thank you…", he said before fainting and falling backwards.
Rachel caught him with her magic before he really hit the floor. "That… was actually quite cool, I can't lie. He was like that for what, five seconds, and he did all of that?"
Melody walked over to the enemy and casted Instrumental Ripple once more to snap them out of whatever kind of trance they were under. She then put her barrier around him as well, bringing the two enemies together.
"Shall we confiscate their TNT then?"
Back at House Kira, the royal castle was a hectic mess. There were servants and maids running about because of Rachel ruining a spring ball. The king was having people draft up apologies, excuses, and even bribes to 'help' the other royals and nobles forget the disrespect she caused.
Rachel, who was the culprit, was laying peacefully in her bed. She was wearing her white and red night gown with a red night cap on her head. She stared up at the ruby-jewelled chandellier that was hanging down from her ceiling. The royal was kicking her feet up and down as she was remembering the events of the last few hours.
"Now that that's done, what else can I do? We visited the Magic Knights HQ to give the criminals in and they're expecting a report tomorrow. Oooh…", she squealed as she tossed and turned in her extremely large bed. "... I feel just like a Magic Knight!"
She took the pink pillow from underneath her head and hugged it tightly. "Is that… what it means to be a Magic Knight? People appreciating you and rewarding you? Or is it…", she thought back to what Lucas was saying to her.
"Magic Knights help people without the promise of getting anything in return! You help people first, that's the main thing!"
"Huh, I expect something in return when I help but he was so passionate about it. To be fair… he was really strong, so I guess he's kind of right. He wouldn't be strong if he didn't believe in all of that…".
She then sat up and looked outside of her glass window, overlooking the rest of the Capital.
"A Magic Knight, hm?"
It was now late night with the full moon shining as brightly as it possibly could high above the clouds. It illuminated the entirety of the Golden Dawn HQ.
"He'll probably be out until the morning", Melody said to Hamon who was right beside him.
"He overexerted himself back there but… at least he figured something out. You really helped him out back there", Hamon replied, closing the door to his room.
The two walked out and started heading towards the common room for a late dinner.
"So, our initial mission was a bust, huh?" Hamon sighed and pouted.
Melody dropped her shoulders. "Yeah, it's m-my first… failure but Rachel said she'll figure something out. I just hope she has us in mind…", she gulped.
"Apart from that blunder, we saved the Noble Realm from a bombing which, I guess, is a bit more important than a spring ball", the 20-year-old grinned, chuffed with himself.
"Couldn't have said it better myself". Melody put her thumbs up to Hamon who slightly blushed but returned the gesture. "Still, I wonder what the deal was with those two?"
Hamon thought back to the fight. "Right? Not being able to feel pain and to keep going on? Perhaps Marx and the others will figure something out after we give in our report...", he shrugged.
A few more minutes passed until the two were outside of the food hall.
"I was wondering though. I know you used your magic to help Lucas out and all, but why in the middle of the battle? You could have used your spell to wake that enemy up without Lucas having to transform", Hamon asked.
Melody thought for a second before she opened the door.
"I'm not sure, really. I wanted to help him out because... I guess… he's a bit like me?"
NOTES:
Again, I honestly did not mean for this chapter to be THIS long… IT just kinda happened.
I've introduced another character here which is a bit conflicting for Lucas since she's a Kira and all. I wonder what will happen with her?
Future Author's comment here: It's been a few days and I'm thinking of changing Rachel's Transport Magic to Spatial Magic instead. Honestly, her magic was just a random thought and I didn't want to use Spatial Magic (for some reason) but, now that I've thought about it, it doesn't really matter. Besides, Transport sounds a bit boring, ahah :3.