...Okay, I did NOT expect to go on a four-month hiatus but I have a PERFECTLY good explanation as to why. I fully planned to have this chapter up back in July, but then Xenoblade 3 was on the horizon and when it came out, I couldn't put it down. Then after THAT, work started up again. Things have been super hectic since that happened and now I've only been able to write bits and pieces throughout the months. AHHHHHH I feel so bad! I hope this long delay didn't turn any of you guys off of the story or worried you to the point that you thought it may have been discontinued. Since Trails from Zero just came out, I think I'm feeling the Trails bug again! So let's get this train moving again!

A bit of a TW though, the beginning of the chapter has a mention of self-harm. If that's too much for you, please skip to the first line break.


Rean let out heavy breaths as he stared himself down through the reflection upon his vanity mirror. His eyes wandered about his appearance, noting the sweat cascading down his forehead, the entropic state of his hair, the dark bags under his eyes, and the fresh scratch marks all over his bare skin.

He looked ragged. He felt tired.

But most of all, he was absolutely decrepit.

It happened again.

The feeling was frighteningly familiar. The pains within his chest, the aching in his head, the voices speaking to his mind. They were relentless and they kept coming and going, each attack more ferocious than the last.

These erratic episodes of his… they've only become more frequent as of late and each increasingly violent. He had learned to self-contain it, avoiding any sort of property damage, but he could hardly say he had it under any sort of control.

Only two people have been made aware of this condition: Elise and Princess Alfin. He had been too afraid to tell his parents, and the other two were only able to find out by accident. And Elise, bless her soul, made sure to promise to keep it a secret, so long as she was allowed to worry for him.

It pained him that she would even feel the need to ask for permission, but Rean supposed he would be stubborn enough to handle it on his own.

For a while, they had suspected the cause of these panic attacks to be the occupation. It seemed plausible enough. They normally occurred when he was about to lose someone important and that was the day when he lost…

Rean gritted his teeth. Best not to dwell on that now.

But, he suspected that had only facilitated the problem and was not the root of it. He looked out the window, his eyes subconsciously looking in the direction of Valflame Palace.

Ever since then… nothing had been the same.

He heard a knocking on the door. Rean jumped a little, wondering who could be in front of his room this late at night.

"Rean, are you there?"

He sighed in relief, not even realizing he almost went to grab his tachi. It was only Towa.

"Yeah, I am. Is it almost time to go?"

"That's right. All the students are already on their way to the boarding platform. You should get there soon too."

"I'll head out as soon as I can. Just needed to take care of a few things."

"I want to say that you should take your time, but Major Claire is also here. She said she's looking forward to seeing you again."

"Is she now? Then I shouldn't keep her waiting."

"Alright."

A pause. Rean could tell that she never left that spot.

"Something wrong?" He asked, still behind his door.

"Are you… okay, Rean?"

"...How do you mean?"

"It's just… I'm worried that all these recent events - the civil war, the occupation, and… Juna being here - they changed you… and not for the better."

"..."

"Rean?"

"I'm alright, Towa. I'm just… working through some stuff right now."

He finally heard footsteps moving away from his bedroom door.

"If you say so."

Rean let out a heavy sigh.

He donned his coat to hide his newly-made wounds, possibly in the futile hope to prevent them from scarring, but he knew better.

They always did.


April 21, S.1206 - Derfflinger Car 3

To say Juna was suspicious ( Curious! She was curious! ) of Rean and Claire's relationship was an understatement. Sure, based on her interactions with the latter, Juna knew that the two were already acquainted, but how acquainted?

"Uh, Juna?"

It's not like she didn't trust them or anything. Claire was the pinnacle of elegance and intelligence and, while his charms were a dangerous weapon, Rean was always rather reserved when it came to women. If he wanted to indulge in a romantic tryst, he would have done so by now.

"Junaaaaaa?"

But just look at them over there on the counter! Sharing late-night drinks without much care about any prying eyes! Hell, Rean somehow got Claire to giggle like some schoolgirl! Juna had to know!

"Juna!"

The sudden yell startled her right out of her reverie. "Huh, what?" She so elegantly reacted.

"It's your turn." Kurt's roommate, Sidney, grumbled.

"Oh, right." She glanced at her hand, already knowing her next move. "I play a Vanish and swing at your Master with my Ranger for game."

"Hold on, what-" Sidney gaped at the board. If his math was right, and even if it rarely was, that was just enough for Juna to finish him off.

"Ooh, them's the breaks, Sidney." Stark, one of the swim club members, commented. "Didn't look like she needed the topdeck either."

"Just my luck…"

"Hey, don't worry too much about it. I could show you some strategies whenever we get back."

"Yeah, alright," the boy groaned. "Man, and here I thought I could get one win tonight! And here I am losing to a chick who just picked up the game and was barely even paying attention! Really hurts a guy's pride, ya know…?"

Kurt, who had been watching the entire game behind Sidney's shoulders, sighed. He tapped his roommate's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. "That's enough complaining. You promised you'd finally go to bed after this. Let's go."

"Fine, fine."

Juna yawned herself, as she watched the boys leave for their room. She hadn't realized how late it had gotten. With everyone pitching in to carry the supplies for their apparent field exercise, most of them felt quite the rush of adrenaline. Especially so after Principal Le Guin sent them off with that ominous speech of hers. It was late and they'd be arriving at their destination in just a few hours.

But in spite of her exhaustion, her eyes still wandered to where Rean and Claire sat.

"Makes you curious, doesn't it?" Musse asked, whispering into her ear. She did it in an attempt to keep quiet, but perhaps she underestimated how… breathy she could make her voice and how much of a reaction it would elicit from the Crossbell native.

"I-I guess… I mean, not that curious. Just… a little interested. That's all."

Musse raised a brow, no doubt skeptical of Juna's response. She didn't blame her. She'd be suspicious too if she was in that girl's shoes.

"Do you want to talk to them?"

The question had crossed her mind many times over the course of the past few hours. Juna spotted Rean and Claire chatting while everyone was busy unloading the cargo (Rude, by the way), but she felt adverse to approach them. And ever since the Derfflinger had set its course towards Sutherland, the two never left her an opportunity to approach either of them alone.

The two looked happy together and it was difficult to get a word in edgewise.

Juna continued to ponder Musse's question. Did she want to talk to them? Would she only get in the way? She didn't know.

She turned to the mint-haired girl. Instead of the usual teasing glance she had become used to in the past week, her brows were slanted in concern and her eyes were soft, not wanting to rush Juna to her conclusion. For a brief moment, she noticed that Musse's eyes were the same color of lilac as Rean's.

Unfortunately, she had been staring too long and a loud clearing of the throat brought the two girls to attention.

"You two do know what time it is, don't you?"

Rean had his arms crossed and his expression left little room for amusement. He tapped one of his fingers against his arm as if he silently demanded an explanation as to why they were still up this long past curfew. The only reason he withheld saying it out loud was the woman next to him. Claire shot the girls a sympathetic smile.

"Come now, Rean." Claire reassured, placing a hand onto his shoulder. "This is their first field exercise. They're just excited. Don't tell me you weren't when you went on your first field study."

"That's because I had already slept the night prior and we left in the morning." Rean scoffed. He clearly didn't look happy with them, but relented a moment later. "Just hurry back to your rooms before Major Irving catches you two. You won't be getting away without punishment if that happens."

"Y-Yes, sir." Juna stammered. She still hadn't gotten used to treating him like an authority figure, but it was something she would have to drill into her head if she were to stay in Thors without any social issues cropping up. However, doing so only exacerbated the problem she had to deal with already. The gap between them felt like it kept widening.

"Good night, Instructor Rean. Major Claire." Musse said with a bow, a tinge of regret in her voice. Had she not caught that, Juna might have been jealous of how the girl was able to change her tone at the drop of a hat.

Claire turned to Rean. "Perhaps I'll go and distract him so they can return to their rooms safely. He told me he had some urgent business to discuss after he finished his call. He should be wrapping up now."

Rean returned her gaze. "Thank you, Major. I appreciate the help. Just don't stay up too late either, all right?"

"Same to you, Rean."

Juna didn't miss how his expression softened.


April 22, S.1206 - Saint-Arkh

Juna had to admit the change of pace was more than welcome to her current routine back in Leeves. The greenery and cooler climate felt refreshing, especially after being stuck in the Derfflinger's rather uncomfortable bedding for the past few hours.

The moment the train stopped at its destination, Major Irving immediately called for everyone to set up camp. Tents were erected in various points in the field and secured to the ground with large oil drums. Some held supplies under them and others had tables and maps of Sutherland strewn about.

From what she could gather, the branch campus intended to train their students to work directly in the field and practice in unfamiliar terrain. It reminded her of her own drills within Knox when she was still attending the police academy. She still remembered the time when one of her squad mates had tripped and alerted an entire herd of monsters and the tongue-lashing they had gotten from Kate afterwards. She chuckled at the memory, even if it did leave a bittersweet taste in her mouth.

However, as things seemed to be with them, her Class VII had a different set of tasks that they had to tackle.

Their first stop was to the old chalk white capital of Saint-Arkh (which, by the way, was very much a chalk gray) and receive their missions from there. The short briefing with Major Irving left her, Kurt, and Altina incredibly confused, but Rean nodded as if he knew exactly what to expect. After that, they said their goodbyes to their schoolmates and made their way to the highway.

Apparently Kurt originally hailed from the Sutherland Province; specifically from Parm, a small town to the south known for its textiles. It came off as a small surprise to Juna considering she pegged him as a pure city boy at first.

Other than that, the walk to Saint-Arkh was rather uneventful. A few monster encounters here and there, but they were nothing they couldn't handle. She even had time to notice that Rean and Claire were discussing plans after they'd entered the city even though they were in the middle of facing off against a rather large rhinocider.

Juna couldn't exactly place her finger on how to interpret their relationship. Clearly they've known each other prior to her own meeting with Claire at the Police Academy. They both technically work under the Chancellor, so maybe what they had was purely professional?

"You don't exactly sound too sure about that."

"Yeah, about as far away as I can get. Whatever they have, it's definitely more than 'professional'."

"Perhaps you're thinking too hard about these things. Does he seem like the type to be into older women?"

"...Was that rhetorical? Because I'm pretty sure there's no other possible answer but 'yes'."

"...Huh. Well, I suppose you know him better than I do." Yuri tittered. "Just focus on your tasks for now. Remember what Musse told you before you left?"


"Knowing Rean, I can only assume he's going to keep being stubborn about this whole thing. You'll have to get him when the time is right."

"And how will I know that?"

"Oh, I'm sure you'll know. Your heart will BURST at the perfect moment! That's when you'll dig your fangs into him and force him to be friends with you again!"

"Uh, Musse. That just sounds like a heart palpitation to me… And I'm not some vampire!"

"Okay, okay. So if waiting is not your thing, you'll just have to make that moment for yourself. You have to get him alone and actually talk."

"I've tried that to very unsatisfactory results."

"And that's where I come in."


As Juna roamed with Rean, Claire, and the rest of her class, she fumbled her hands inside her skirt pocket (They actually had those!) and traced her finger over its contents.

Musse had given her a not insubstantial amount of cash in the hopes she could purchase a gift for Rean during their field exercise.

Ignoring the glaring questions Juna had for her (how a sixteen-year-old girl got her hands on this much mira was among one of them), Musse explained that a gift was difficult to ignore. Force him to talk to you by giving him something to talk about, she said.

It was hardly a bad plan. She would find it difficult to ignore someone who had given her something, even if it was something she didn't particularly want, so it should logically work on Rean too, right? The man was nothing short of polite at the very least.

"It would be hard to forget anything that girl says," Juna admitted. "If there was any word to describe her, I'm sure 'memorable' would rank pretty highly."

"So don't worry about it right now. Once this has all blown over, you can ask for the details straight from the horse's mouth."

"I doubt he'd actually spill, but it's better than wondering all the time. Problem is, I have no clue what to get. I don't know anything about Saint-Arkh."

"We'll cross that bridge once we get there. Besides-"

"Juna!"

The pink-haired girl shot up, not realizing she had been standing still in the same spot for quite a while now.

"We're heading to the Noble District!" Kurt called from quite a distance away. "Try to keep up!"

"Whoops! Sorry!" Juna removed her hand from her pocket and ran back to the group.

Presents were definitely a future Juna problem.


As if Juna wasn't already wary of Rean's relationships with people in high power, he was even on friendly terms with Marquis Hyarms. From what she recalled he and the third son of the Hyarms family started off on the wrong foot. She never got much of an update after that, but she was pretty sure she had gleaned some sort of murderous intent after the first few letters. Something to do with Elise? She was almost afraid to ask.

Then came a list of assignments given to him by the butler. Containing several requests from citizens around the city and even from Parm, Class VII was tasked with completing them in any way they saw fit so long as they accomplished the required ones.

She and Kurt had rather differing opinions on how they should tackle the tasks. Juna, the bleeding heart that she was, wanted to help everyone she could. It was what the SSS would do, so she would carry on its spirit for as long as it was disbanded. What else could she do as its only remaining honorary member?

Kurt, however, wanted to play devil's advocate. The day may have been young, but they could only do so much within the next twelve or so hours. Not even that, but fatigue might set in if they run themselves ragged. Not that Juna didn't see where he was coming from, but it did put a damper on her mood.

Altina was… well, being Altina. She almost felt bad for the poor girl, not choosing anything for herself or even not being able to in the first place. Still, she did speak her opinion a few times in the conversation.

"What if we split up and take care of the smaller tasks here in Saint-Arkh first and then reconvene for when we need to leave the city? Nothing says that we have to accomplish them one at a time."

Juna and Kurt shot the small girl a long stare before turning their attention to their instructor, silently asking for his approval. Rean, on the other hand, was wiping his glasses with a cloth despite the fact that they all knew he didn't need them.

"It's not a bad idea," Rean finally said, indicating that he had been listening. "Technically, I'm supposed to be supervising you three the entire way through, but I do admit it can be quite intense doing so much in a single day. Seeing as how I'm also evaluating you based on how well you operate in the field, well, I think you'd pass with flying colors with that approach. Dividing the tasks amongst yourselves is never a bad idea."

"Are you allowed to intervene, Instructor?" Kurt asked. "Considering that you play more of a support role for us during combat, will it be the same here?"

Ah, right. If they were to split up, then someone would have to go with Rean alone. It wouldn't be much of a school assignment if the teacher did all the work, but it must be daunting to go along with him without any other form of aid.

"Only if I must." Rean replied. "Though I don't mind getting my hands dirty, if that's what you're asking. While your physical ability will be important along the way, what I'm looking for is how you approach these problems and what you will do to solve them. Besides, it would be kind of sad if I stood around doing nothing while one of you was," he looked at the list again, "...looking for a cat."

"I see. Well then, I see no issues with going with Altina's idea of splitting up. Though I believe we should only limit this tactic to requests that won't involve combat."

Juna nodded. "I agree. We're only just now getting used to fighting as a team. It'd suck if something happened to catch us off guard." She rubbed her thumb and index fingers on her chin. "From the list, the only ones we can do here without any fighting would be the cat search and… the birthday ingredients."

"The fact that it said nothing about cake is a little concerning."

"For you, maybe. So how are we gonna split?"

Altina glanced at the taller man. "I'll go with Instructor-"

Kurt held out a hand. " I'll go with Instructor Schwarzer. Forgive me saying so, Altina, but I believe you still need to get more used to being around us as opposed to the instructor."

A sigh escaped Juna's lips. She was afraid that she would pair up with Rean and whatever "perfect moment" Musse wanted her to find, she was sure as hell that this wasn't it. She shot Kurt a grateful look.

The silver-haired girl arched her brow. "If that's the case, should I not be paired with you? Juna and I have been roommates for almost a month now."

Juna stiffened again, wondering how Kurt would respond.

He shrugged. "True, but I wanted to discuss something with the instructor on my own." He directed his attention towards the Ashen Chevalier. "That is, if you don't mind."

Rean crossed his arms, the edges of his lips creeping up to a smile. "Not at all. Vander's assessment is sound, Orion. To work better as a unit, it would do you well to learn about your other teammates as well."

Juna let out another sigh of relief. Good save, Kurt!

The girl frowned. "Very well." She said in resignation.

"All right, that settles that." Rean said with a nod. "So which team gets what task?"


April 22, S.1206 - Saint-Arkh Cathedral Square

"That noble guy said it was somewhere around here, right?" Juna scanned the area, her hand over her forehead like a visor. According to the old man and little girl who had put in the request, they last saw their missing cat in the Noble District. And thanks to a friendly witness, they learned that it had wandered off to the square, the same area that their class had entered the city just an hour earlier.

"He did." Altina nodded. "Close to the airport, he specified."

"Good thing he did. This has to be the largest part of town." Juna looked past the cathedral and squinted towards the east exit. "Over there, right? I think we also had a request come from the Archbishop too."

"Yes, but that'll require us to fight monsters. We should contact Kurt and Instructor Rean before we accept that one."

"Yeah, yeah." Juna stuffed her hands in her pockets, pouting slightly at the younger girl feeling the need to explain the condition of their earlier arrangement so soon. Her fingers rummaged through the contents, only for them to brush against the wad of cash again. She really needed to put that in a safer place. "Hey Altina, are there any good stores around here?"

The girl raised an eyebrow at her companion. "Are you really thinking about shopping right now?"

"N-No!" She cried indignantly. "I-I just thought it might not be a bad idea to find a place to stock up on supplies. That's all!" Altina didn't look impressed. "I'm telling the truth!"

The girl sighed and pulled out the map. "There's a department store in this area called Albion Garden. Its wares range from high-quality ingredients to weaponry. It also contains a boutique and bookstore."

"Looks seriously bougie…" Juna remarked at the building as she passed by it.

"Then there's Demeter's Exchange & Antiques back in the residential district. We passed by it not too long ago."

"Maybe I'll take a look when we're done here. I really gotta get him something…" She muttered the last part.

Altina tilted her head. "Get who something?"

"Oh crap, I mean look! We're at the airport entrance already! Let's go find that kitty!"

Juna hummed with as much false enthusiasm she could muster and ignored any further questioning from the younger girl. They searched high and low on the bridge, electing to enter the airport itself. If she were a cat, Juna would probably want to avoid noisy places too.

"I don't see it anywhere." Juna mumbled, looking over the bridge in case it accidentally fell onto the train tracks. That was the worst case scenario, but luckily she couldn't find a corpse or any traces of blood below.

"There are no signs of it over here either," Altina added. "I can only assume it moved on to another area."

"You don't think it went into the airport, do you- Are you holding a cup of juice?"

Juna glared at Altina's hand - which was holding a plastic cup of some homemade juice from the nearby vendor - and then back up at her. She knew that the search radius of "in front of the airport" wasn't that big, but she could've at least gotten her one too.

"If it did, then the search area would have become too wide." Altina replied, ignoring Juna's other inquiry. She drank the rest of the juice left in her cup and went to throw it into a nearby trash can.

Juna, cat-less and juice-less, was beginning to lose hope. Saint-Arkh was a large city and a small kitten could be anywhere in it for all she knew.

Maybe I could… Her hands drifted towards her ARCUS before they came to a halt. She violently shook her head with her face turning a slight red. No! I can't call them already! That'd be the same as admitting defeat! Come on, Juna. The Special Support Section helped finding cats all the time! How would they handle this?

"Oh, you looking for a cat?" A voice asked from behind her.

Juna and Altina turned their attention to the source: a red-headed girl with an outfit that spoke volumes. She wore a sleeveless fur coat over incredibly short shorts and a top that could only be described as a small black bustier tied together to her choker. On her arms were two mismatched gloves with the left side covered with tribal tattoos.

Juna found herself staring a bit too long, so Altina decided to cut in.

"Yes, actually. Who might you be?"

The girl giggled. "Just a nosy passerby. I was playing around with a cat earlier. Might be the one you're looking for."

That finally broke Juna out of her trance. "R-Really?"

She really hoped that she wasn't starting that long.

"Oh, you totally were."

"Shut up."

"What did it look like?"

"It was a bright, cream-colored little kitten. I played with it a bit and then it wandered off. Pretty sure it didn't go into the airport, though."

"That does fit the description." Juna mused. "Do you remember which way it went?"

"Southwest, I think?" Something about the girl's thinking pose made Juna want to gulp. ("Ha." "Shut. Up.") "Maybe towards the residential district. It seemed domesticated, so I figured it was going back to its owner. But it was pretty young, so I bet the poor thing's gotten lost again already."

"Sounds like it came back the way we came. We'll just have to comb the area."

Altina sighed. "It's inefficient, but we have no better options."

"If I could offer some advice," the girl said, "cats usually aren't very fond of strangers. Especially when they're that young. Try looking in places that are more secluded."

The other two nodded and thanked for the girl's advice. She waved them off, heading back towards the airport with all the confidence in the world.

Juna let out a hefty sigh. Something about that girl's presence made her far too distracted. But still, at least they had a lead! There was no way she was gonna deem her first Special Ops mission a failure!

"So back to the residential district then? There doesn't seem to be that many secluded areas over there. That should narrow the search down considerably." She turned to Altina. "You ready to go?"

The girl seemed lost in thought, however, her eyes never leaving the retreating figure of the girl who had approached them earlier. Unlike Juna's stares, Altina's were sharper and more analytical.

"Something wrong, Altina?"

The younger girl shook her head. "It's nothing. That girl just seems… odd."

"Really?" Juna followed her gaze. "I don't see anything weird about her. Well, maybe except her outfit, but that's just loud on a different level."

Altina rolled her eyes before heading off to the residential district. "Of course you don't."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Juna's glare whipped back towards the girl until she saw that Altina had made it several paces ahead of her. "Altina? Altina! Hey, come on! Wait for me!"


April 22, S.1206 - South Sutherland Highway

One would normally assume that "birthday ingredients" would imply something on the pastry side, but as Altina had worryingly stated, this particular request had no desire for a cake. It may have been inconsequential in this instance, but Kurt would have to purchase more stock in the Black Rabbit's intuition skills.

Strange as it may have been to look for a fish for a young girl's birthday meal, Kurt wasn't one to judge. Sweets weren't exactly his thing, so cake was often off the menu during his own celebrations. It was admittedly pretty amusing whenever Mueller silently whined about it, hiding his secret love for desserts, so Aurier always snuck him a cupcake during the celebration.

However, that didn't change the fact that their first task of their special military curriculum was to catch a damn fish.

"You don't seem very impressed, Vander." Instructor Schwarzer stated, preparing a collapsible fishing rod from his bag. "Fishing not your thing?"

"I never really tried, if I'm being honest. I recall my brother throwing a line with our father from time to time, but that's about it." Kurt turned his attention to the rippling water in the river. "I guess I'm more curious as to why we're doing such a mundane task for our field exercises."

To that, the instructor let out a small chuckle. Kurt had no clue what he would find so funny, but he supposed that was due to his lack of experience.

"A reasonable worry. I'm not going to spell it all out for you, but I'll give you a hint." He tossed the fishing line into the river, holding his position for a slight moment, and reeling in the line once he caught a bite. It wasn't the red perch they were looking for, but still an impressive catch nonetheless. "You ended up forming a club with your roommate, isn't that right?"

Kurt nodded.

"And from what I could tell, you took my advice and decided to go for something unrelated to swordsmanship. Have you felt like you've learned anything so far?" He casted the line again.

"Not much outside of the fact that Sidney is really not good at chess."

The instructor ended up reeling in a leather boot. "Well that just made this analogy much harder to use…" He mumbled. "Well, it more pertains to the advice I gave you that day. You learn much more than you would've thought possible from most unexpected sources."

"And… that includes fishing?"

He chuckled again. "You'd be surprised. Speaking of which," Instructor Schwarzer offered him the rod, "why don't you give it a shot? It's a pretty relaxing activity, if I do say so myself."

Kurt looked at the man quizzically. Though his offering had been warming, his smile didn't exactly meet his eyes. Kurt still saw some distance within them. He accepted the rod hesitantly.

"Should we really be relaxing during our field exercises?" He asked, mirroring the man's earlier actions and throwing the line into the water.

"You said it yourself, didn't you? If we try to take on too much we can handle, we'll be too tired to accomplish anything else. A small break is good for the mind and body." He pulled out a second rod from his pack. "Besides, I find that fishing does wonders for my Eight Leaves training. That was what you wanted to ask me about, right?"

Kurt stiffened at that. He had been so caught up with the mundanity of the request that he completely forgot why he wanted to pair up with the instructor in the first place. And the fact that he had caught on so easily… Perhaps he did underestimate his teacher.

"I'm surprised you noticed." Kurt replied, attempting to maintain his composure.

"Call it a swordsman's intuition. I knew a certain someone who was curious about me from the moment we met and, if you're anything like her, you are too. Forgive me for generalizing, but Vanders are pretty big sword nuts." He laughed before Kurt could even think about being offended. "Not that I'm much better."

Kurt sighed. "Well, not much use hiding it anymore. I have to ask, are you holding yourself back?"

Instructor Schwarzer looked back at him, his expression suddenly turning stoic and his distant eyes morphed into a deep glare. He let out a scowl, but whether or not it was aimed at Kurt, the young man didn't know.

"I doubt I'd be able to give you an answer that you'd be satisfied with, Vander." He said coldly. The grip on his fishing rod tightened until one could even see how white his knuckles became underneath his black gloves. "Perhaps I'll give you the details some other day, but not now."

Kurt felt the need to step away from the man the moment the words left his mouth. For a brief instant, the young Vander could've sworn he saw a drastic change in his instructor's physical appearance and aura that, frankly, terrified him. Was this why Altina was so intent on keeping it a secret?

Instructor Schwarzer exhaled through his nose and turned his attention back to the water. "It's part of the reason why I enjoy fishing so much, I suppose. That brief respite you get from casting a line and emptying your mind, not only is it relaxing, but it also contributes to the Eight Leaves' philosophies. The clearness of your mind matters just as much as your technique with a blade."

There was a tugging on his line and he pulled it in with perfect skill and precision. They both found a red perch at the end of the line. Probably a good 50 rege, give or take.

Before the instructor could be proud of his catch or Kurt impressed, the latter felt a tug on his line as well. It was a bit more of a struggle on his end, the fish on the other side challenging him to life or death combat. Kurt knew this was a battle he couldn't afford to lose.

With a mighty swing, the hunter had successfully caught his prey.

He also had managed to grab a red perch. However…

"Not as big, it seems. Still, not bad for a first-timer." Instructor Schwarzer tossed the two perches into the ice box the maid had given to them to store their catches. "Might as well give them both to her. She seemed like the clumsy type."

Kurt couldn't help but feel slighted, but what's done was done. His pride would heal soon, but first he would have to dwell on the wisdom his instructor had imparted onto him.


April 22, S.1206 - April Café & Inn

"...And that concludes our report, Instructor." Altina said into her ARCUS. The digital image of Rean nodded, though his expression remained stoic.

"Good to hear. We're done on our end too, so we'll meet up with you at the inn in the residential district, right?"

"Correct. We still need to collect information about those mechanical monsters mentioned in the report, so we'll take care of that prior to meeting with the archbishop for our required mission."

"Excellent. We'll be there soon." The image blipped away and the call was cut off.

"That definitely could've gone worse." Juna took the brief respite to fall onto a wooden chair and sprawled her entire upper half over the table, earning her a few glares from the worker behind the counter, but she didn't care. Her first Special Ops mission and they accomplished it purely by coincidence. If that wasn't at least a tad bit insulting to her pride, she didn't know what was.

"Even so, we're still making good time." Altina stated with a sagely nod. "It hasn't been too long since we've split and we've already taken care of two separate missions."

Juna brought herself back up and fought back the desire to groan. Now was not the time to be down in the dumps!

"So where do we begin asking about these monsters we're supposed to be on the lookout for? Mechanical monsters aren't exactly something you'd see everyday."

Though Juna had more than her share of archaisms back in Crossbell.

"Whenever Instructor Rean and I required information, we'd always look for specific locations rather than ask blindly. An inn like this is a perfect place to find someone who's heard a thing or two."

Juna nodded. It made sense on principle. Even she understood that. However…

"So that's why you decided to order a coffee under his name, right?"

Altina took a sip from the cup in front of her. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Right…"

"Excuse me, did you just say 'Instructor Rean'?"

The two girls turned to find a woman towering over them. She appeared to be in her early twenties with long pink hair (but not the same shade as Juna's), sporting a striped blue button-up shirt and a sleeveless brown jacket. A pair of glasses were suspended above her eyes and she wore an innocent yet playful look on her face. Didn't she know this woman?

"Uh, yeah." Juna replied, her eyes squinting to get a better look at the woman. "Do you know him?"

A stupid question in hindsight. Like, Rean was the Ashen Chevalier for Aidios' sake. Not exactly an unknown name. However, the giggling coming from the woman told a different story.

"Do I know him? Back when we were students, Rean and I had a real hot-and-heavy relationship. It became the talk of campus practically overnight. Headlines everywhere were like 'Local Woman Successfully Seduces The Oblivious Ashen Chevalier'! You should've seen the faces of his classmates when they found out~! But that's all old news. Now, I'm just your average, everyday up-and-coming journalist."

A pause.

"Say what?!"

"This is new information."

Juna almost felt the urge to pull her hair out. Just how many girls did he seduce as a student?!

"I think I might have an idea…"

She paled. "Hold the phone! I know where I've seen this woman before! She was the one who gave us those fortunes during the school festival!" Did she not recognize her?

The woman scanned Juna up and down, all while maintaining her cheery smile. "Hold on a minute, you look familiar. Do I know you-"

"AHEM."

The three girls turned their attention to a confused Kurt and a very unimpressed Rean.

"Vivi, please don't fill my students' heads with your weird stories," he deadpanned.

The woman, now known as Vivi, knocked on her head, stuck her tongue out, and gave the man a wink. "Whoops~ My B. Sorry 'bout that. Allow me to introduce myself properly. The name's Vivi Doppler of the Imperial Chronicle."

One could audibly hear a vein pop in Rean's forehead, but he eventually let out any annoyance he built up and gestured everyone to take a seat. Soon enough his head began to cool and he and Vivi chatted up a storm, bringing up names of old friends and future plans.

Despite her eccentric personality, Vivi seemed like a regular girl. Juna was just glad that she didn't spill the beans.

"Your timing couldn't be any more perfect though." Rean spoke up. "We're in the middle of gathering info right now." He gestured towards his students. "Was there anything you all wanted to ask about?"

For a brief second, Juna wondered why Rean would bother asking them if they had anything to ask. But once that second passed, it clicked. He was back into teacher mode. He was testing them.

"Since you're Rean's students, I'll give you the latest, hottest scoops. This one's on the house too~!"

Kurt decided to take the opportunity. "Well, since you're offering. Have you heard any reports of mysterious monsters roaming around or anything else suspicious that's been happening in the area lately?"

Vivi paused for a moment, taking the time to think. With all eyes on her, she began to speak. "About the monsters, I definitely heard word about that, but no concrete details to work off of." The three students deflated. "However, I do know a thing or two about suspicious goings-on."

Juna perked back up. "Oh? Like what?"

"Like a few strange characters wandering around lately. They caught my eye while I was investigating and it seems like they all started showing up at about the same time as those weird monster reports came up."

Altina rubbed her chin. "A possible connection."

Kurt nodded. "We can't discount the possibility."

Juna beamed. "Thanks a bunch, Vivi! This is super helpful!"

"Not a problem!" Vivi winked at her fellow pink-haired compatriot. "I just wished I had something more for you all."

"Any little bit helps. It might not be much, but it's something we can work with. Thanks, Vivi."

"Aw~ Why, you're quite welcome, Rean. Though, if you want to thank me, why not exchange contact info? I sorta kinda need your help on something."

"Uh, sure? I don't mind." The two connected their ARCUSes together, a beep indicating a successful exchange. "Send me the details later and I'll help in any way that I can."

"Isn't that sweet? Always the helpful one, this guy is." A mischievous glint appeared in her eyes. "And don't worry, I'll be sure that you're well rewarded. How about a naughty picture or two?"

"...I'm instantly regretting this."

Before the students could excuse themselves from the awkward situation, the waitress tapped Rean's shoulder.

"Excuse me, are you Rean Schwarzer?"

"...Yes?"

"You have a bill to settle before you leave," she said as she slapped a handwritten receipt onto the table labeled with an order of café au lait.

Rean turned his glare towards the only person who had a drink on them.

Altina continued drinking without the slightest hint of guilt.


April 22, S.1206 - Isthmia Great Forest

Juna had no idea that forests could look so… ethereal. And this was coming from someone who saw the Azure Tree up close. The air around them practically glowed with a dreamlike aura as if they had entered a whole different realm and the grass beneath their feet was soft to the touch. She didn't even mind that they were chafing against her uncovered legs.

Or maybe she could attribute that to the fact that she was facing off against a group of overgrown arachnids at the moment.

"How many are there?!" Juna shrilled, shooting down possibly the fourth spider that entered her vision.

Kurt grunted, his voice teetering on frustration and letting out a battle cry as one more monster fell to his blade. "They just keep coming!"

"You know, this really isn't how I expected our trip to pick flowers would go!"

"Must you really make a snide remark for everything? Plus, the Archbishop himself said the forest was full of monsters that prevented them from picking up the flowers in the first place."

Juna and Kurt vaulted towards each other, slipping past the other to take down an approaching enemy on their respective sixes. The intense slam of her gunbreakers and the furious slashes of his dual blades evaporated the monsters entirely into sepith.

"Well, excuuuuse me for getting lost in the atmosphere. Not my fault this place is beautiful as all get out." Juna scoffed, secretly enjoying the friendly banter as they so desperately fought for their lives. Something about fighting for survival must inspire camaraderie among teammates.

Kurt shrugged. "Normally I'd say that you should pay attention to your surroundings, but it seems like you took that a bit too seriously. Just try to keep your wits about you."

Another spider approached, baring its fangs as it prepared to lunge towards the two students. It leapt into the air, adjusting its weight mid-flight to crash into the two of them. However, the two anticipated such a move and readied their weapons to intercept the oncoming attack.

The bug spewed white threads from its abdomen upon its descent, creating a large and all-encompassing web that was ready to entrap Juna and Kurt in their place. The swordsman's quick reflexes put an end to that plan as he initiated a flurry of slashes to cut the threads into mere string. Juna followed him up, thrusting her right gunbreaker onto the spider's body and firing the moment it made contact. The recoil pushed her back a small distance, but it was nothing compared to the monster that was sent flying onto the rock wall.

"Woo! Score for Juna! Thanks for the assist, Kurt!" The pink-haired girl fell onto the ground in exhaustion and shot her link partner a thumbs-up; to which he replied with an accomplished grin. "How are Altina and… the instructor doing?"

Kurt arched a brow slightly at her brief pause but decided not to mind too much. He turned his attention to the other two and saw that they had no reason to ever worry. Altina, despite her size, moved nimbly in tandem with her combat shell. Claiomh Solais would handle all close quarters engagements while she fired arts at those outside of punching distance. Rean was moving blindingly fast, out maneuvering the monsters with ease, and cut them down mercilessly once their formation was broken through.

"They can handle themselves." Kurt replied. He turned back to Juna, offering a hand to help her off the ground. "Though it does look like things are settling down now. Let's get ready to find those Erynflowers."

She nodded. Despite everything that had gone on today, they still had plenty of daylight left. Once they deliver the flowers to the church, then they'd pretty much covered all of their requests in Saint-Arkh. They still had Parm left to patrol and find anything they could on those mechanical monsters. And chances were they'd have to do it all over again the next day. Thors wasn't a military school for nothing, that's for sure.

Juna took Kurt's hand and allowed him to lift her up. She dusted off the dirt that found its way onto her clothes and scanned the area. From what the archbishop told them, Erynflowers were a bright shade of lavender. That shouldn't be too difficult to find-

"Kurt, look out!" Juna screamed, pulling her blue-haired classmate towards her as they hurtled back to the ground. A large spider - larger than the rest of the pack - lunged at them, barely missing thanks to Juna's quick reflexes.

Once the monster had noticed that it never made its mark, it swerved back to its targets, racing as fast as its eight legs could take it. Juna and Kurt, slightly dazed from their sudden tumble, could do nothing more than watch in terror. The latter attempted to draw one of his swords only for his hands to grasp nothing but air. The blades had fallen away from his reach after the fall.

Time seemed to slow as the monster marched forward. Each step of its spindly legs making their mark into the dirt felt like an eternity as it approached. She was terrified, but she knew she had to do something. Her hands began to wander, finding its grip onto her trusty weapon.

BANG BANG BANG

Three shots were fired from the gunbreaker's barrel, each blast pushing back the overgrown arachnid a considerable distance. Juna grinned, finally being put into a favorable position against her enemy. She clicked the trigger again, ready to continue her barrage, only for nothing to come out.

"What the-?!" At the worst possible moment, it appeared that she ran out of juice. Perhaps it was from overuse of her Gunner mode since the day began and the orbal energy needed to provide the ammo must have run low.

The spider, even while profusely bleeding, noticed the sudden end of shots and restarted its assault on the two grounded students. Kurt was only just getting his bearings back together and Juna's other gunbreaker was too far to reach.

All hope seemed lost until she heard a voice call for her. Just as the spider went for the finishing blow, a transparent barrier formed in front of them, intercepting the attack. The barrier shattered upon contact, Altina and her black combat shell taking its place.

"Instructor Rean!"

"On it!"

A white figure from the sky came descending down with a gleaming blade in hand. Thrusting it downward, Rean penetrated through the monster's exoskeleton and ended its life. He removed his sword from the monster's body, flicked off its blood from the blade, and wiped the rest off against his arm. Once again, Rean Schwarzer saved the day.

"That takes care of that." He sighed, slipping his sword back into his sheath. The expression on his face did not convey any form of accomplishment. When he turned towards them, his eyes looked rather… conflicted. Was he disappointed that she and Kurt weren't paying attention and almost paid the price for it?

He approached them and she dreaded what he was about to say.

"Crawford."

"Y-Yes?"

He crossed his arms, that conflicted expression never leaving his visage. He stared at her, only to let out a heavy sigh. "Not a bad reaction you had back there. You were able to reflexively respond to the attack and not only buy us time to intervene but also save the life of a teammate. Good work."

Juna's body suddenly relaxed. She certainly didn't expect the praise. "Oh, uh, thanks?"

"Just make sure your weapons are up to snuff next time we have an encounter like that. Perhaps we should check back in with the camp if you need an upgrade. As for you, Vander," Rean turned to Kurt, "you showed a slight lapse in judgment, forgetting to assess your surroundings before proceeding to the next step in our mission."

Kurt stiffened and averted his eyes. "My apologies, Instruct-"

"However, your teamwork with your classmates is improving quite well. You and Crawford are working much better in sync during that first skirmish. Considering how much you two butt heads during our orientation, this is a vast improvement. Take pride in that and the rest should come to you in time."

Rean's face finally transitioned into a gentle smile, turning off the critical teacher for a moment for a kinder approach.

Kurt's eyes widened, but his body lost its tension once he processed what Rean had said.

"I-I see. I'll take your advice to heart. Thank you, Instructor."

"Good. Now that that's over with, let's gather what we came here for. We should get as much as we can so the cathedral can be supplied for a good while-" Rean winced, putting a hand onto his head as it slightly tilted over. His voice droned off as he did, starting to stare blankly into the distance. He stood there in silence for a brief moment before coming back to his senses.

"I-Instructor?" Altina's sudden call broke him out of his trance, almost causing him to fall over. He shook his head back and forth to gather his bearings and sent a reassuring glance back at the young girl.

"Sorry. I was feeling a little lightheaded. Nothing to worry about."

"Are you sure?" Juna asked. It was quick and fleeting, but she could tell he felt a flash of pain during that moment.

He nodded. "It's my first time in this forest. Probably allergies or something. Come on, let's get to it. Those flowers aren't going to pick themselves."

Altina shot him one last concerned glance before Rean began his search. With a pinch on the bridge of her nose, she decided not to argue and follow Rean's lead. Juna and Kurt went off in another direction, searching the rest of the clearing. If Kurt looked carefully, he could have seen the scowl that marked Juna's features. She didn't care though.

She knew when Rean was lying.


The streets of Cathedral Square were even more active now than they were that morning. Adults from all over the city had gathered to the district to chat and children ran around the streets, making sure they steered clear from orbal vehicles and other pedestrians. Around the cathedral itself, there could be a noticeable crowd forming at its entrance.

Melancholic yet soothing notes danced into Juna's ears. The melody drew her curiosity as well as her classmates' into the church. Even had they not had a request that required them to be there in the first place, she imagined that she still would've been drawn in just to listen to the beautiful music that resonated from the holy building.

The pews of the church were filled to the brim, cluttered with adults and children alike all enthralled by the tunes produced by a lone musician standing in front of the podium. He looked not too much older than Juna was, and even then held a shorter stature to someone else his age. He certainly held the fashion sense of a young musician, sporting a yellow-orange waistcoat over his long-sleeved button-up shirt. He even had a cute plaid beret on top of his head. Oddly, something about him felt familiar.

The music felt somewhat nostalgic for Juna. It had been a long while since she picked up an instrument. She still adored music and still sang whenever she could (though her parents and siblings often teased her whenever she did it in the shower). She didn't have any experience with a violin, but the sounds did make her want to start shaking the rust off.

Once the musician delivered the finishing note, he transitioned into a bow in response to a roaring applause and a few standing ovations. They joined in as well.

Sending a wink in their direction, Juna finally remembered where she recognized the young man.

"I should've known. I could recognize his violin anywhere." Rean chuckled, joining in the applause.

"I've heard stories of a talented young musician that debuted in Heimdallr recently." Kurt said. "I recall hearing a few of his original pieces and covers on orbal radio. Is he an acquaintance of yours, Instructor?"

"That's right. Elliott Craig. He was with me in the previous Class VII, so he's somewhat of a predecessor to you all."

The church-goers quickly scrambled off in an orderly fashion, every single one of them singing their praises of Elliott's performance. Once the area cleared out, they approached him, the red-headed musician's violin already neatly packed away in its case.

"It's good to see you, Rean! I know we just called the other day, but wow! The ARCUS screen did not do your height justice."

Rean chuckled. "Don't let Ms. Reinford hear you say that. She may love constructive feedback, but point out a minor nitpick like that and she'd probably kill you."

"Irina or Alisa?"

"Yes."

Their raucous laughter echoed through the halls, earning them confused looks from Rean's students and a few glares from the clergy.

Elliott scanned the group, nodding as he recognized Altina and greeted Kurt. However, for a brief moment, he froze as he looked at her. His shock swiftly disappeared as it came to be and he greeted her as well.

"Rean has probably already mentioned it, but I'm Elliott Craig. Former Class VII-er and Rean's first friend at Thors! …I was your first friend at Thors, right?"

Rean scratched his cheek sheepishly. "Well, if you want to be technical about it, I did meet Alisa, Fie, and Gaius before we saw each other at the orientation ceremony. But then… you know."

"Ah, right. The 'incident'."

"Yeah, but the less said about that, the better."

Elliott shot Juna another look before nodding in agreement. What the heck was that about?

"That aside, are you on tour right now? I didn't expect to run into you here."

The two shared a quick exchange, even going as far as making evening plans once the day's tasks were over. It was difficult to deny she hadn't felt at least a twinge of jealousy at the two's natural back-and-forth, but Juna supposed the current state of her and Rean's relationship had partly due to her own emotional outbursts. Still, she was grateful that Elliot didn't seem to recognize her from her time at the summer festival two years ago or else things would've been much more awkward.

A sister approached the group, calling for Elliott's attention. "Excuse me, Mr. Craig? The children are on their way over."

"Right. I'll be there." He turned back to Rean. "I'll be teaching the kids here a little about how to play music."

"You're gonna teach a music class?!" Juna nearly yelled within the hallowed walls of the chapel, startling the others.

"Uh, yeah." Elliott responded with an awkward laugh. "Do you… Do you enjoy playing music, Juna?"

She vigorously nodded her head, feeling giddy all the while. "I have a few instruments at home, but my personal favorite is the acoustic guitar."

"Mmm, good choice! I can't exactly say why but I think it fits you! I'd like to hear you play one day, if that's okay."

"Sure! That'd give me a good excuse to start practicing again. I'd have to if I'm going to impress a genius like you."

He laughed. "Oh, don't be like that. Someone I admire once told me that 'great music comes from the heart' and that's something I fully believe as well. Don't worry about impressing me. Just focus on what you want to play and you'll do just fine."

"All right, you got yourself a deal!" She replied cheerfully. Though part of her slightly recoiled. Great music comes from the heart. Where did she hear that before?

"Anyway, you all have a special mission on top of your field exercises, right? Make sure you don't overdo it on the first day, okay?"

"Okay!"


"Ooooooookayyyy…"

She expected archaisms. There weren't many kinds of mechanical monsters out in the wild after all, so that part didn't surprise her. Yeah, she expected that. She didn't expect that.

"That certainly was unexpected."

"Truly terrifying."

A completely totaled pile of archaisms quite possibly taken out by a single guy when their entire group struggled against three. She could still smell the smoke emanating from the broken machines even when they returned to the city.

"It was a surprise to us all, but we'll have to put our mind off of it for the time being." Rean crossed his arms, clearing also thinking about what they witnessed. "We still need to investigate why the archaisms are here, after all."

"R-Right. So where do we go from here?"

Kurt scratched his chin. "With all the requests done here, I think we can head to Parm now. Walking would be a rather long trek, so maybe we can take the train."

Altina nodded. "I concur. That would be the fastest route to take."

"Then we should head to the station as soon as we're ready. If any of you still have things you need to do, we'd better finish them now."

Juna was all ready to dash to their next destination before screeching to a halt. A sudden weight in her pocket felt all the more apparent and a certain mint-haired girl's voice echoed in her head.

Get him something to talk about~

Sweat dropped from her forehead more ferociously than a waterfall. She had completely forgotten about the whole gift idea! It was a miracle all that money was still in her pocket!

But what exactly was she supposed to say? Oh yeah, I need to grab a present from the department store in the middle of our duties so that I can get a present so my best friend would like me again! Like that was gonna go well…

"Um, Juna? I think I may have a solution to your current plight."

"And what would that be?"

She felt ethereal fingers point to her literal comrade-in-arms. Just don't ask her how she knew what Yuri pointed to. She was just used to it.

"Yuri, you're a genius."

"So I've been told."

She turned back to the group, who looked entirely confused by the pink-haired girl's erratic behavior.

"Is everything all right, Juna?"

"I completely forgot that I needed to make adjustments to my gunbreakers! They kinda managed during our fight with the archaisms, but I wouldn't want them breaking down later in the day. I should probably do that now while we still have the chance."

Juna gave them a sheepish grin, mainly to be convincing, but another part of it was also genuine. It was a little embarrassing that she didn't bring it up when they had come back from the forest, but now was as good a chance as any.

"That's a good idea." Rean nodded. "I believe both the orbal factory and the weapons shop in the department store can handle those sorts of repairs and upgrades. The department store is closer, so why not stop there? You should go with her, Vander. Orion and I will get tickets for the train."

"Understood, Instructor. I was running low on polish myself." Kurt replied, running his fingers against his swords' blades.

"Alright, see ya! Bye!" Juna scrambled, grabbing Kurt by the arm. She bolted to the department store, leaving Altina and Rean alone to their devices.

The first thing she did the moment she entered the store was drop off her gunbreakers and prattled her order to the clerk. The poor man had little ways of responding before she ran off to another section of the store, forcing Kurt to clarify for her.

"Mind explaining why you're in such a hurry?" Kurt glared at the girl, who was browsing the general selection. "Clearly your weapons are not what's on the top of your priority list."

Juna's fingers traced along the aisle, examining each item before moving on to the next. What exactly could she get Rean as a gift? He was hardly the sentimental type when it came to collectibles, but if she were to give him something basic like snacks or coffee beans, it'd be easy for him to shut down any form of follow-up conversation.

She sighed. "I thought I'd grab a souvenir while we're still here. My family doesn't come to Erebonia that often, so might as well."

"And you couldn't have waited till the last day?"

"This mission was assigned to me by a benefactor, so I can't exactly rest on my laurels here."

"'Benefactor'? Doesn't sound like a word I'd use to describe family."

"Buzz off. I thought it made it sound more mysterious, that's all."

Kurt shrugged and let out a soft chuckle. It seemed like he was getting used to Juna's antics and quirks faster than she had anticipated. That was good.

"What's the real reason then?"

Juna bit her lip. How could she word this without giving too much away? Not that she didn't trust Kurt - she kinda had to, considering their current occupations - but maybe revealing that she was their instructor's childhood friend was going a bit too far.

"It's not like I was lying." She eyed a selection of toys. "I do plan on getting something for my brother at the very least." Rean was sorta like her brother, right? "Thing is, I'm kinda forgetful sometimes. Probably best to get it done while it's still fresh on my mind, right?"

"That's… understandable. Though that forgetfulness does sound rather concerning."

Juna picked something off the shelf. She wasn't sure if he'd like it, but at least it's something to talk about. But the more she looked at it, the more embarrassed she got. "Why's that?" She asked, wanting to keep her mind off of her choice.

"How does it affect your studying? I'd rather not be held back because you aren't up to snuff." Kurt said with a smirk.

She glared daggers at him. She'd get him back for that.


"Perhaps you'd like to enlighten me on how you managed to get that girl to hate you so much."

"Why do you always assume it's my fault?"

"Because there is always a high probability that it is."

Altina's eyes bled with disdain as she threw her accusation towards Rean. Luckily, her voice didn't reach Juna as she rode with Kurt on the other horse, but it was still enough to elicit a reaction from her instructor. Due to a sudden train derailment, they had to go to Parm on their own. Thankfully, Super Butler Celestin was there to save them with equestrian rides to reach their destination by noon. However, even the mere thought of riding alongside Rean caused quite the reaction from Juna.

He knew that Juna would absolutely refuse to ride with him, but that didn't make the onslaught of questioning from his riding companion any easier. First the whole situation with Musse and now this… Altina sure didn't make the tempestuous voyage known as his life smooth sailing.

"I suspect most Crossbellans aren't exactly thrilled that I annexed their country."

"And I suspect it runs deeper than that."

Well… she was in the Intelligence Division for a reason.

"You'll just have to ask her then. I don't know what to tell you."

"...Very well."

Grateful that she finally decided to drop the subject, Rean led his horse back to camp to give his report. Once that was taken care of, he was pulled aside from prying ears by none other than his favorite student council president.

"So how are things going, Rean?" Towa asked, a concerned smile on her face.

"They're going, I guess. Everything's been smooth so far and the students are holding up on their own. They still need a little guidance, but they're a good group."

"...Rean, you're doing it again."

He raised a brow. "Doing… what?"

"You're acting like this doesn't concern you." Towa glared at him with a scolding tone. "Two out of three of your class are people you're already familiar with and you treat them like complete strangers."

"..."

"And don't think I've noticed you speak the same way to the other students in the branch campus. You're keeping them all at arm's length."

"They're students and we're their teachers. We're supposed to keep our distance or else they won't learn when they need to."

She sighed. "Rean… What happened to you?"

It was a loaded question. One that Rean didn't want to spend answering, even if Towa deserved the answers she demanded. He hated keeping her in the dark, but he did what he had to.

"Look, Towa, I…"

"I won't force you to say anything you aren't comfortable sharing. However, I should make it a point that you will have to open up eventually. I know that's a scary prospect to think about, but you deserve better than what you're giving yourself, Rean. If you're trying to punish yourself, at least let me help you."

Rean averted his eyes.

"But like I said, you don't need to do everything all at once. Whenever you're ready to talk, I'll be there, okay? Just like… Just like with Crow."

"...Right."

"Anyways, back to the original topic. Even though they're your students now, they still deserve to have caring instructors. Students learn more when they know that their teachers are invested in them, after all. It won't kill you to at least be friendly with them."

"I'll… give it some thought."


April 22, S.1206 - Parm, The Spinning Town

Juna didn't know what to expect from Kurt's old hometown. He had originally said he came from Heimdallr, but Parm was where he was born and bred. She had seen it a few times on a map, and she probably shouldn't have expected anything fancy like Saint-Arkh from a town located near Erebonia's southern border, but that didn't stop her from appreciating the sights.

The gentle breeze in the wind and the running mills in the river made for a very quaint feel, and the picturesque flags and hand-woven banners made for a fantastic showcase of their famous textiles. Part of her wanted to put the whole investigation on hold just so she can check out the local shops. It was definitely different from Crossbell, but she never minded the smaller locales if her experience with Ymir and Armorica was anything to go by.

It was even more refreshing seeing Kurt relax a little among the familiar faces he had come to be acquainted with over his childhood. Even eight years later, they recognized him the moment he stepped through their doors. That endearing feeling carried on even when the topics of their information gathering grew grim.

Yes, even when they had just witnessed a girl fall at least an arge off the floor of a church because she was using a pair of chairs as a haphazard platform to repair an orbal light.

"I'm seriously surprised you haven't mortally injured yourself at this point." Rean groaned, not even mustering the energy to glare at the girl. "Really, Mint? Would it kill you to be more careful?"

The girl giggled, scratching her cheek in embarrassment. "Well, it's not like I had anything else to stand on to fix the light! Not everyone in the world can be tall like you, Rean! Like, seriously! You must've grown at least ten rege since the last time I saw you!"

He sighed. "I only grew five. It just looks that way to you because you didn't grow that much."

Kurt turned to Rean with a quizzical look. "Instructor, do you know this girl?"

"A former schoolmate of mine. Though we were in different classes."

The girl gleefully raised her hand. "Mint Forger's the name! Former Wind Orchestra member and current Thors alumna. Class III represent!"

"Despite how she may look, she's actually quite the skilled engineer. She was among the top of her class in orbal science."

"Yeah! …Wait, what do you mean 'despite how I may look'?"

"You… really know a lot of colorful people, don't you, Instructor?" Kurt deadpanned, not sure how to react at the current moment.

"You have no idea."

Juna gave Mint another look. Just as her name suggested, her hair was a bright mint color - not unlike another mint-haired girl she knew - and was rather petite for her apparent age. Her brown engineering apron had been adjusted just fine, but the navy vest top underneath was in disarray, probably from the massive fall she just went through. Still, Juna knew better than to judge a person's skills off of their appearance. Tio was the top orbal engineer in Crossbell after all, and she wasn't that much taller than Ken.

"Still. It's good to see you're doing well, Mint. You've been keeping up with your technician training?"

"Right-o! I've been here and there visiting factories all over the country. I only just arrived in Sutherland a while ago. Those weaving machines here in Parm really caught my attention. Didja see them for yourself? The water mills that power them are things of beauty!"

Rean chuckled. "Looks like you've been fitting into your new field just fine. I'm gonna be honest, I was worried right up until graduation."

Mint puffed her cheeks and her brows furrowed. Had she played more into her child-like appearance, she might have started stomping her feet to exacerbate her tantrum. "Why do you have to be so mean, Rean? Is it because I called your singing terrible during the school festival? It is, isn't it? Come on! I said you got better!"

Juna raised an eyebrow. Though it had been almost two years since she listened to Class VII's concert during the school festival, she distinctively remembered Rean performing quite well. Sure, he could've used more practice and maybe his singing partner had carried him but it was far from terrible.

However, from the sight of Rean paling at the girl's statement, perhaps she didn't have the full picture.

Rean cleared his throat, ignoring the looks she and her classmates shot at him. "That aside, we heard something earlier from someone at the general store." Clearly he wanted this conversation to end, but Juna swore this would be something she'd have to bring up to him. "You saw something strange around here recently?"

"Huh? Ooooh yeah. Come to think of it, I did see something strange."

"C-Could you tell us?" Juna asked. "We're in the middle of an investigation right now and any little bit of information could be vital!"

"Hmmm, let's see. I remember that it happened while I was fixing an orbal lamp on Old Agria Road, the highway east of here. Out of nowhere, I saw three flying shadows flying towards the plateau!"

"'Flying shadows'? Could they have been archaisms?"

"I couldn't tell you for sure. I was so scared the moment I saw them, I dropped all my tools on the road. By the time I scrambled to pick them all up, they were gone!"

"I… see."

"I guess that does at least qualify as 'strange'."

Altina pulled out her ARCUS, clicking a few buttons before bringing out a map of the area. She pointed onto the screen and showed it to Mint. "Is this the location you saw them fly to?"

"Yep, yep! That looks about right. You'll have to go through a few slopes to get up there, so maybe hold the horses." She shot finger guns at the group, hoping to elicit a few chuckles. Juna mostly laughed out of pity.

"Thanks for the information, Mint. We'll make good use of it."

"Righty-o! I hope it helps in your investigation. If you need anything, I'll be at the orbal factory. Old Man Dwight's gonna show me the ins and outs of the water wheels! …Well, either that or he's gonna make me fix the machine in the back. Kiiiinda busted that on the way in."

"Uh… huh."

"Anyway, see ya later Rean!" With a toothy grin and an enthusiastic wave, the girl dashed out of the small chapel.

With the group alone, only accompanied by the dusting of a broom used by the Sister, they gathered their thoughts.

"Mysterious flying shadows, huh? That's odd no matter how you slice it." Juna muttered.

Kurt turned his head towards Altina. "The idea somewhat reminds me of your Claiomh Solais."

"I doubt that they were combat shells if that's what you're thinking. If there were three of them, it'd be unlikely due to the fact that Millium and I are the only active users. Speaking of, I haven't been notified of any of Millium's activity in the area, so it's unlikely to be her either."

"In that case, the idea of them being archaisms is still on the table. Let's proceed with caution."


After a quick errand run with the last request of the day, Juna and the others made their way to the plateau that Mint mentioned earlier. Nothing looked out of the ordinary outside of a single stone monument that stood at the top of the hill.

"What's that?" Juna asked, pointing towards the out of place slab.

"An ancient monument. I recall seeing it sometimes when I came by the area when I was younger." Kurt mused. "It's likely one of the traces of animism."

Animism.

Juna recalled the term from her younger days whenever she attended Sunday School with Elise during her visits in Erebonia. A folk religion that, while no longer practiced, still finds its influence within the empire's traditions and even the church's teachings.

"Somewhat reminds you of the ruins in Crossbell too, right?"

"Yeah. Do you know anything about animism, Yuri?"

"Oh? Why the sudden interest?"

"Just curious, I guess." Juna mentally shrugged. "I feel like I didn't learn about Erebonia as much as I should have. I was friends with Rean and Elise for years and I never really went outside the capital or Ymir. Probably just a… guilty conscience thing or whatever."

"...I see. Well, sorry to say, I can't help you that much. Was never the mystical type of girl, if I'm being honest. Most I knew how to do was farming and cooking. I may know someone, but it's been a long time since I've last seen her."

"Lemme guess. 'Being dead complicates things'?"

"Something like that, yeah."

Juna chuckled to herself and turned her attention back to the monument. For something that was meant to be ancient, it looked to be in good condition. Only a few minor cracks across the written text and a chip here and there. It was still legible and the ornate design on the sides were still very much intact.

"You don't seem very surprised, Juna." Altina looked at her with her usual deadpan eyes. Sometimes, she couldn't tell if the girl was trying to pry an answer out of people with that stare or if she just liked pointing out observations she made.

Rean averted his eyes, turning his attention to the grass below and his hands on his hips. He knew why she had prior knowledge, but chose not to comment about it. It hurt, but she still needed to brush it off.

"Give me some credit here. I did a little research on the empire before attending school. Wasn't like there was much to do on the train ride over anyway."

"I'll cover more of it when we get around to the topic in class." Rean nodded, chuckling slightly at her quip. Maybe there was some hope after all? "Still, remember what we're here for. Keep your eyes peeled-"

Rean's face suddenly morphed into a sharp expression. He staggered backwards, slightly losing his balance, and quickly shifted his head back and forth as if he was searching for something in a hurry.

"Instructor?"

"Is something the matter?"

"Wh-what's going on? You're acting weird like in the forest earlier."

"There's something here… Everyone, be on your guard!"

There was a shift in energy in the air. The cool breeze Juna had gotten accustomed to within the past half-hour or so suddenly warmed with an intense heat. A blinding white light emerged out of thin air and gathered into two singular points. Two hulking machines manifested within the lights, their green armor gleaming ominously in the sunlight. Upon their entrance, they rained fire down on them. Juna and Kurt just barely had enough time to jump out of the way of fire and pull out their weapons. Altina blocked the gunfire by putting up a barrier while Rean dodged with grace.

"Wh-What the-?!" Juna couldn't even finish her statement, rolling away from a laser beam fired from the newcomers' chests. She jumped back onto her feet, firing her newly upgraded gunbreakers to break their formation. "I've never seen anything like these things before!"

Kurt skidded across the grass, preparing his dual blades for battle. He growled at the new presence, returning the glare produced by the machine's twisted face. "Are these also archaisms?"

"They're the base defense heavy-class archaism - Zephyranthes!"

"They're far more dangerous than the ones from this morning! Focus everything on defeating the enemy here and now!"

"Yes, sir!"

Kurt charged in, looking to overwhelm the archaisms with his superior speed while analyzing possible weaknesses within their armor. Thanks to the combat link between them, Juna was able to read his intentions and provide him cover fire as he ran forward. He held one of his swords back before swinging it in a wide arc and letting his second blade follow the flow to initiate a double-strike onslaught.

The machine he struck staggered slightly, but held its balance. Without giving its attacker a moment of respite, the Zephyranthes tackled Kurt midair, hurling him to the ground.

"Kurt!" Juna cried, watching as her link partner crashed into the earth and creating a human-shaped hole in the dirt. She gritted her teeth and mirrored the machine's movements, charging in with a full-body tackle and slamming the brunt of her gunbreakers with full force. The recoil was massive - as expected from a hulking piece of machinery that was known for its defense - but her training paid off as the archaism fell back.

"How'd ya like that, huh?!" Juna spat at the robot, knowing full well that it couldn't exactly respond. Still, it at least made her feel better. She ran over to Kurt, helping him up as he winced from the sudden movement. "You okay?"

"I got careless," he muttered. "Thanks, Juna. You made up for my mistake."

"We're fighting against something neither of us are familiar with. The fact that it's life-or-death just means that we have to learn a bit faster than what we're used to. Making up for each other's mistakes is probably the best thing we can do."

"I'm surprised you can say that so casually…"

"I usually try to be realistic about these kinds of things, but a little levity goes a long way, I hear."

Kurt chuckled and readied his swords once more. "I think I'm starting to see what makes you tick, Juna Crawford."

Juna smirked. "We'll see about that, Vander."

They continued their assault. The Zephyranthes that Juna had staggered had gotten back up with the other prepared projectiles to be sent their way. Multiple missiles fired from its back and flew in their direction. Under normal circumstances, the duo would have had to come up with a last minute strategy to avoid taking damage and closing the distance between them and their enemy, but the knowing looks in their eyes signaled that they had already come up with one.

Juna ran on ahead in-between the two archaisms, shooting down several - but not all - of the missiles sent their way. As expected, they exploded mid-flight before they had a chance to make contact with them. However, the few that she didn't shoot down now homed in on her.

"Juna! Now!"

In response to Kurt's voice, the pink-haired girl performed several backflips and narrowly dodged the incoming projectiles, sending them his way.

"Take this!" The blue-haired Vander slammed the flats of his swords onto the active missiles, making sure not to cut through and detonate them. Instead, he pushed them aside and carefully redirected them onto a different target: the other Zephyranthes.

"Awright!" Juna cheered as the machine exploded. "That's what I call teamwork!"

"One target down. One more to go."

Said target beeped furiously, as if it were angered at the loss of its ally. In response, it fired another laser from the center of its chest towards the ground until it pulled the beam up and towards the duo.

"Claiomh Solais!"

Altina's black combat shell manifested in front of them and formed its signature transparent barrier between them and the attack. The beam was redirected skyward, leaving Juna and Kurt completely unharmed.

"Nice assist, Altina!" Juna shot the girl a thumbs-up and a wink. Altina merely nodded in response, but the slightest sign of a smile cracked on her lips.

"Good work, you two. We're just about finished here."

"Are you serious?" Kurt asked incredulously. "I feel nearly wiped out after destroying just one. And there's no way we can do that again."

"We have a certain someone else to rely on."

As if on cue, the remaining Zephyranthes was cleanly cleaved in half, both pieces exploding at the precise moment of separation. On the other side was Rean, stylistically spinning his tachi in victory.

"Show off." Juna muttered under her breath.

"Still… It's terrifying to think that the society's machines are this powerful. I scarcely want to think about how strong their actual members are."

Altina sighed, allowing her combat shell to disappear into whatever pocket dimension she summoned it from. "Seems like the models didn't improve that much over the ones I had under my command during the civil war. I'm almost disappointed."

The two stared at her incredulously.

"I take it back, Juna. This girl drops nonchalant bombshells as if it were as easy as breathing."

"Seriously! What was a girl like you doing during the civil war? I think Kurt and I deserve to know that much about our own classmate! You too, Instructor! What exactly-"

Before she could start her interrogation, Juna saw that Rean had not sheathed his sword. In fact, he was still at the ready with his tachi by his side.

"Instructor?"

"Don't relax just yet. Remember the information we got. How many shadows did Mint say she saw?"

!

The three's eyes widened in realization and fear.

"Out of nowhere, I saw three flying shadows flying towards the plateau!"

"There's one more!" Juna yelled, her revelation coming too late as a familiar air of heat gathered behind them. In its place manifested a third hulking green giant that towered over them. The Zephyranthes readied the beam from its chest.

"Damn!" Kurt cursed under his breath. "There isn't any time!"

"Claiomh-!" Altina attempted summoning her combat shell once more in the hopes of raising her barrier once more. However, even she knew it was too late.

"OOOOOOOOOAAAAAHH!"

A determined cry reverberated behind them. The energy in the air shifted once more, transforming the atmosphere around them into something… dark. Something sinister. Juna froze upon sensing the change; a malicious and familiar feeling crawling up her skin and causing every nerve in her body to yell at her. They were all telling her to run.

Despite that, her body refused to move. Something held her back. She remembered this feeling before.

Without warning, a flash of white light passed between her and her classmates. The light coalesced into the recognizable figure of their instructor with his sword enveloped in crimson flames. However, Juna had to hold in a gasp when she realized there was a difference in his appearance. His usual jet black hair had been replaced with ashen white.

Rean cut in an X-shaped pattern, the flames following his blade as if he was performing an elegant yet powerful dance.

Images flashed through Juna's mind. Images that had been etched into her memory for almost eight years.

She saw a younger white-haired Rean fighting off a group of sepith demons. No—calling it "fighting" was doing it a disservice. He mauled and obliterated the monsters, leaving them no chance of escape and only thinking of the most effective way of killing them. One by one they fell, the elemental crystals they left behind and the tattered environment of the battlefield they shared being the only reminders that they were there at all.

Her mind returned to the present time. Rean twisted his body around, circling his tachi to slash in an incredibly wide arc and ultimately destroying the machine. The battle was finished.

Rean fell to the ground, stabbing his sword into the ground to keep himself upright. His pants were erratic, only steadying once a few seconds had passed. In time, his hair returned to its natural color.

However, to Juna, that moment felt like an eternity. Everything about that day suddenly flashed back into her mind. Their visit to Armorica Village. Their innocuous trip to the Ancient Battlefield. The sudden attack from the local monsters. Rean's rampage. It all still felt like fresh wounds in her mind.

She remembered what happened later that night too. Even with the booming fireworks in the night sky, she felt like they were the only two people to exist in that moment.

"No matter what happens, you're always gonna be Rean Schwarzer. No one else."

Her words echoed in her mind. When she said them, she meant it. She truly, truly did.

But one thing she failed to mention to him that night, or ever for that matter, was the overwhelming fear she felt when she saw the demonic transformation he had gone through to protect her and Elise.

Not fear for her life. Not even fear for Elise's.

No, she feared for him.

She was afraid that he'd never be able to come to terms with the pain. That he'd carry those traumatic events in his heart without anyone to share them with.

And even knowing all that, she still blew up on him. Blamed him for something beyond his control. She should have known better.

At least, for what it was worth, he had a better time controlling it now. However, the concern that Altina displayed made her wonder how much of that statement was actually true.

She turned her attention to Kurt. Putting Rean's prior relationship with Altina into consideration, Juna had an inkling that the silver-haired girl already knew about Rean's mysterious power. However, the lone boy in their class only gaped at the powerful display.

"Wh-what was…"

"Rean!" Altina yelled out, all formal pretenses thrown out the window. She ran up to him, knelt down, and held a comforting hand onto his shoulder.

"...I'm all right. I only used it for a moment. See?" He pointed to his hair. "I'm already back to normal."

"B-But that doesn't mean… What if something like… that… happens again?"

'That?' Juna thought. The concern oozed in Altina's uncharacteristically meek voice. What did she see him do?

"I can only presume it was even more terrifying than what you've witnessed." Yuri mused. Even her voice had sounded pensive, contrasting from her usual joking and motherly tone.

"There was no other way. It wouldn't be any good if I got my students killed on the first day of field exercises. Haha, if my students are worrying about me, it means I seriously need to step up as an instructor."

"This is no laughing matter! Why do you always-" Altina bit her lip, afraid of reprimanding him any further. Afraid of thinking of what sort of consequences they could have probably faced.

Deciding that they all needed a break, Juna stepped in and pulled the girl away from Rean.

"Just let it go, Altina. What…" she looked at Rean, "ever happened back there, the instructor did what he needed to do to protect us. It's our own fault for slipping up." She winced at her own comment and, judging by the shifting next to her, so did Kurt.

"I hate to admit it, but she's right. It was one thing to slip up back in the forest, but to forget that bit of information was a blunder on all of our parts and a stain on the Vander name. I will not make the same mistakes again."

Rean finally stood back up with a look on his face that was as cross as his arms were. He nodded in agreement. "I'm glad that I didn't need to point it out, but I suppose the best lessons are taught through experience. I suppose it's understandable since it's only your first day, but I'm expecting you all to do better next time."

…He might have been right, but he didn't need to be so smug about it.


"Just like Annabelle said, the old road's been completely closed off."

After their encounter with the archaisms, they ran into another one of Rean's old friends - albeit not one of his old schoolmates. A pretty young woman in full fishing gear yet still had some air of nobility around her. She was rather odd, that one, but she meant well enough. Thanks to a bit of information she dropped, the group decided to travel southward to continue their investigation. Serendipitously (or not, depending on who you asked), they managed to find a path blocked by large shipping containers.

"Seems seriously out of place too. Doesn't look like an ideal place for a junkyard. Talk about suspicious."

Kurt crossed his arms, tapping his chin with his index finger as he examined the wooden containers. Much of their surfaces had rotted or had been consumed by termites, but they still stood sturdy as ever. "I've seen these containers here all the time back when I was still living in Parm. I never really thought twice about it before, but now that I see them, it bothers me."

"No matter the case, it doesn't change the fact that our target is most likely on the other side. If we can't get through this path, we'll probably have to climb ov-"

"Brionac."

"У'ф э ъ к"

A red laser beam fired from the briefly summoned Claiomh Solais and ran through the containers blocking the path. After the flash of light and the following explosion, all that was left was scattered pieces of wood and debris. Luckily, the boxes did not contain any contents that could cause any more damage.

Juna shook her head to regain her bearings. Once her vision returned, the path was cleared for traversal.

"A-Altina, you nearly gave me a heart attack…"

"...Agreed. It was rather abrupt."

"I was simply conserving time. It's almost 4pm. It's nearly evening."

Rean sighed, clearly exasperated but still used to Altina's strange antics. "Well, for better or for worse, the path is clear now. Let's get going before it gets too dark."

As if on cue, the evening sky began to set. The bright oranges from the setting sun gave the pathway a rather ethereal feel, providing a gentle warmth in contrast to the cool breeze. Upon reaching the plateau, all that was waiting for them was a metal gate.

"That's… ominous."

"It looks like the path continues on into the mountains."

"I'm not seeing this location on the map either. Nothing about the gate or the road beyond."

"An abandoned road maybe? Perhaps it hasn't been used for decades and felt the need to remove it." Rean's eyebrows scrunched up. "Hold on. The gate doesn't seem that old."

They approached the gate, confirming Rean's suspicions. Nary a bit of rust can be seen on the gate's bars or the chains that comprised the lock. Even the sign attached looked no worse for wear.

WARNING

Authorized Personnel Only

Danger due to landslide beyond this point

"That's… not a lot to go on. Did you know about this place, Kurt?"

"No, I hadn't even heard of it. With the containers piled up in the front, I never thought to go through here."

"In any case, it seems unlikely that there would be any archaisms here."

"Yeah, with the barricade and the gate, this place is heavily locked up. There's no damage around here either, so we can rule out them breaking their way in. So let's loo-" Rean paused, his eyes growing increasingly serious.

"Is something the matter, Instructor?"

"...Something's approaching. Prepare for battle."

A whirring sound reverberated from the cliff they had entered the plateau from. It grew louder and louder before it blared in their ears.

"Between the trees!"

Unlike the Zephyranthes from before, these two machines were hulking in their own way. Their bodies were slim yet towering with two sets of arms, one that looked fashioned after an excavator but with scythes attached rather than claws and the other set that branched out into demented human arms on both sides. Flat engine thrusters were attached to their backs to propel them forward and curved horns protruded from their heads. Despite their massive sizes, they were able to balance themselves on top of a ball-like wheel.

Their erratic movements immediately put Juna on edge, and she pulled out her gunbreakers to join the rest.

"Wh-Wh-What the hell are these things?!"

"Are these archaisms too?!"

"Yes. And they're even more specialized than the ones we've fought earlier."

"The Balancing Clown - a model made for surprise attacks and assassinations."

"Oh great, clowns. Just what we needed." Juna spat sarcastically.

"Even so, we'll prove that we are no easy prey!"

The two machines charged, wildly swinging their scythes to create blades of wind. The four managed to split apart, dodging the attack but leaving the ground beneath them to take the brunt of the damage. None of them had time to register that the wind blades were sharp enough to leave clean slice marks in the dirt.

"It'll be difficult to get in close with projectile attacks like that." Kurt mused. He reached into his pocket to pull out his ARCUS. He may not have been the best with arts, but it could be his ticket to making an opening.

"Air Strike!"

He conjured a blast of wind from his palms and shot it in the direction of the closer clown. He made sure to aim it low, causing the Balancing Clown to lose its balance.

"Now's our chance!"

Kurt dashed in, putting away his ARCUS in favor of his second sword. He signaled to Juna via the combat link to shoot the archaism to keep it staggered so he can deal the finishing blow. She complied and fired enough rounds for the machine to completely fall over.

"You're finished!" Kurt leapt into the air with both swords pointing downward. Steel met steel as his blades cut through the horns of the mechanical menace and pierced its core. Its arms flailed, desperate to remove him, but he stood his ground, stabbing the blades even further into its body.

Eventually, the erratic movement of its arms - human-like and scythes both - ceased to a halt. Kurt let out a sigh of relief, but maintained his guard. There was still the other one to deal with.

The remaining clown, noticing its companion's defeat, bolted towards Kurt. He hadn't realized how far deep he had dug his swords into the ground. Juna had to run over and help him out.

"Kurt!" Altina instantaneously ran to her classmate's side, summoning a barrier between the both of them and the incoming slash from the rampaging robot. In response, Claiomh Solais took advantage of the opening to return a slash of its own. In whatever can be considered anger for the machine, it wildly flailed its scythes about to unleash more of the wind blades across the battlefield.

"Instructor!"

"Got it!"

Altina conjured her barrier back up to deflect the blades while Rean nimbly dodged through the onslaught as he approached the monster. Each slice narrowly missing its mark, Rean closed the distance in no time at all and cut off the clown's left scythe.

"Finish it off!"

"Sir!"

Juna and Kurt jumped from opposite sides of Claiomh Solais's barrier and sprinted their way to their final enemy. Altina reached for her own ARCUS and casted a quick Soul Blur, sending black discs towards the clown and cutting off both sets of its creepy human-like arms.

Kurt leapt into the air and brought his swords down once more, but instead of a stabbing maneuver, it was in a slashing motion, cleanly cutting off the machine's other scythe arm.

"Your turn, Juna!"

"Gladly!" With all her might, the girl slammed one of her gunbreakers right into the machine's core and aimed its barrel at point blank. "Take this!" The barrel fired with the momentum of Juna's arm swing, leaving a gaping hole where its chest was located.

The Balancing Clown was utterly eviscerated.

"How'd you like them apples?!" Juna panted, quickly realizing for the second time that day that it was rather ridiculous to rub it in the face of non-communicative machines but at least it made her feel better. However, she at least took the lesson from the last battle to heart. She put away her weapons and carefully observed the area. She didn't see any more enemies and there weren't any signs of reinforcements. It looked as if they were safe.

"W-We made it."

"Seems that way."

"...I feel I have consumed more than my daily energy limit. Initiating rest mode."

Rean watched the three as they almost collapsed onto the ground. He almost had to hold in the urge to laugh at the sight, but the three deserved their rest. It had been a long day.

However…

"Do you guys… smell something weird?" Juna asked.

A pause before Kurt spoke up.

"I would expect some sort of sooty smell from the explosions, but this is… different. It smells pungent."

"I cannot bring myself to try to identify what it is."

Rean's eyes widened. "Everyone, don't breathe it in!"

But it was too late. Juna suddenly lost feeling in her limbs and fully collapsed to the ground. Kurt and Altina soon followed, shock visible on all their faces. Rean had covered his nose and mouth in time, but even he began to stagger.

"Wh-What is this?!"

"I… I can't move."

"This is… a tactic employed… by the Balancing Clowns." Altina coughed out. "They can… poison and… paralyze their enemies."

"Dammit, I miscalculated." Rean cursed. "We were capable of dispatching the previous wave quickly enough, but I didn't think there would be more."

"'More'?!"

One last Balancing Clown flew from the other side of the plateau, preparing its scythe to deliver them all a one-way ticket to Aidios. Rean swiftly pulled out his tachi once more and collided the blades together. His hand no longer covered his mouth and the smell began to dissipate, but the feeling of numbness did not leave their bodies.

"You three…" Rean started with a strain in his voice. "I know it's hard… but you have to get away… Let me handle this…"

"I-Instructor Schwarzer?!" Kurt gasped in surprise.

"At least move away from the crossfire… Until you can run again…"

"But what about you?!" Altina cried.

"Just leave it to me…" He shoved the machine's blade aside and pushed the clown even further back with a series of slashes engulfed in flames. Even though he was able to go against such a formidable foe, it didn't take a genius to know that he was reaching his limit.

"Don't do it!" Juna's voice cried out before she could think. "Instructor Rean!"

"Even if it takes every last bit of my strength, I'll make sure you all will get out of this alive!" The black aura returned, gathering into Rean's body. The tension in the air thickened beyond levels any of them thought possible.

If Rean lost control again - lost control trying to protect them - what would happen to him?

"Rean! Just hold on a bit longer! Y-You don't have to do this alone!" She cried, feebly reaching out her hand towards him.

"Well said!" A new voice called out. In an instant, the aura dissipated. She couldn't read his face, but he stood there starstruck. She followed his gaze to see a woman on the other side of the clown with long blue hair tied up in a ponytail and an absolutely massive blade in her hands. "Allow me to assist!"

"L-Laura?!" Rean gaped. However, he didn't have time to exchange pleasantries with the newcomer. With a renewed determination, he rushed in from the front as Laura dashed from the back, creating a two-pronged attack.

The Balancing Clown whipped its two larger scythe arms to block the incoming attacks, but to no avail. Rean slashed in a large vertical arc, cleanly cleaving the machine's arm with ease. Meanwhile, the blue-haired swordswoman's blade crashed down, utterly obliterating the machine's other appendage. In full synchronicity, the two sliced across the archaism's core, leaving the machine to self-destruct.

Rean fell over, panting even more heavily than after using his strange power against the Zephyranthes. Meanwhile, Juna and her classmates were beginning to regain feeling in their limbs and were able to pick themselves back up.

The woman sheathed her blade and walked over to offer Rean a helping hand. A gentle smile was present on her lips and a gleaming sparkle in both her eyes. "That was reckless, Rean."

"Yeah, yeah. No need to point it out every time you pull me out of a jam." He bit back in playful sarcasm as he accepted her hand. However, he hadn't expected her to pull as forcefully as she did. The moment he was on his feet, the woman pulled him into a tight hug.

"It's been quite some time, Rean. Letters are nice and all, but seeing you in the flesh elicits a different feeling, wouldn't you say? I almost didn't recognize you."

Despite the initial shock (and the shock of his students) Rean returned the hug. "Likewise, Laura. For a girl who used to not care much for her looks, I have to admit, you're looking quite dazzling. It's hard to believe it's only been a little over a year."

The woman giggled at the compliment, but Juna had to cringe at the blatant flattery. Did Rean… did he really say that with a straight face? And he wondered why she teased him about his relationship status all the time…

Rean and the woman broke the embrace. Juna attempted to interject, but she found trouble breaking the two's prolonged eye contact. Thankfully, Altina's lack of social skills saved the day.

"It is good to see you again."

The woman turned towards them, finally tearing her eyes away from Rean. "Ah, I see a familiar face," she frowned slightly upon seeing Juna and only then did the latter recognize her, "but I shall introduce myself, nonetheless. I am Laura S. Arseid. A member of the original Class VII and the daughter of the viscount in Legram. It is a pleasure to meet you all."

Yes. Just like Elliot, Laura was one of her rescuers during the summer festival in Heimdallr.


April 22, S.1206 - Derfflinger Car 3

"You've been quiet, Vander. Your attention isn't on the game either. That report didn't fry your brain, did it?"

Kurt glared at a smug Ash on the other side of the chessboard. It was true that he was distracted by the day's events, but he didn't exactly appreciate the accusations thrown his way. Still, despite the boy's appearance, he was still quite the formidable opponent. A nice change from having to coach Sidney all the time.

"The report was no trouble. Juna, Altina, and I were able to finish it before dinner."

"Must've been exciting, yeah? You all get to go out there with the illustrious Ashen Chevalier and explore while the rest of us just stay here and doing fuck all. Never been so bored in my life."

"'Exciting' is one way of putting it, I suppose. Though I guess the thing that's on my mind is the unique position our instructor has." Kurt replied after moving his knight. "Even discounting his acquaintance with Marquis Hyarms, his company holds quite the variety of characters."

"Ah, the musician and the Arseid chick, right?" Ash asked as he continued his assault on Kurt's defense. "The latter I get, but what's so interesting about some guy who can make some pretty tunes?"

"His last name was Craig and he had striking red hair. If I were to make an educated guess based on that, I'd presume that he's the son of Craig the Red, a general of the Imperial Army and commander of the 4th Armored Division. My father used to tell me stories of his exploits all the time when I was younger."

An impressed whistle escaped Ash's lips. "Damn, didn't expect that."

"Yeah. That's not to also mention the fact that Laura S. Arseid is a master of the Arseid school at such a young age. She was even allowed to teach the members of the Vander training hall back in Parm."

That little tidbit was particularly irritating to him. How can someone from the Arseid school teach the Vander style? Sure, there were similarities, but they were still fundamentally different styles of swordplay. And to rub salt in the wound, he messed up three times today during the fights against the spiders in the forest and the two battles against the archaisms after that. It could have been argued that the last one wasn't his fault due to the paralytic gas, but it still stung like another failure. All three times, the instructor had to pick up their slack.

"And I somehow doubt that the old Class VII were limited to just those three unlike our class."

Another thing that bothered Kurt was that mysterious power that the instructor used during the fight against the archaisms. He recalled the conversation he had with Altina a few weeks ago at Recette. Something about how his true strength was a topic that even she wouldn't disclose without proper permission. However, he decided to hold his tongue in front of Ash. Even Kurt was off-put by how much he wanted to mock the man.

"You wouldn't be too off the mark, Kurt."

The two boys looked up from the chessboard, the game ultimately forgotten. The voice came from another one of the branch campus students - Musse Egret, if he remembered correctly - and was accompanied by his two classmates.

"And how would you know, Egret?"

"Let's just say I have my networks~"

And Kurt left it at that. But he did manage to catch Juna fidgeting slightly after her comment.

"I can also corroborate the size of the old Class VII." Altina said, raising her hand. "Including Instructor Rean, there are eleven… no, ten members of the class that are still active."

"And your sister is also among them, right Altina?"

"If you're referring to Millium, yes. Though calling her my sister is a bit much."

"Yeesh. You really don't mince words, do ya bunny?"

"I have been told that it's a trait of mine."

Kurt couldn't help but chuckle at the girl's bluntness. It was a nice moment of levity with his classmates before they had to turn in for the night and it felt good to have his mind off his earlier shortcomings.

"Still, Kurt," Musse's tone softened, "as amazing as the friends Instructor Rean has in his old class, you shouldn't allow yourself to believe you have to copy them in any way or live up to whatever legacy they created. This applies to you two as well, Juna. Altina."

Juna put her arms akimbo and glared at the mint-haired girl. "And what's that supposed to mean? Who said anything about following their example?"

She giggled as she took a seat next to Kurt. "Exactly what I said. I'm sure Instructor Rean won't say it out loud, but he expects much from all of you. His Class VII and your Class VII aren't the same, so whatever identity they carved for themselves shouldn't be used as some exact touchstone for what identity you intend to create for yourselves. It may not seem like you're doing much now, but I suspect that things will really pick up once the time comes."

The four stared at her, flabbergasted at her inspirational speech. The way she spoke, it felt so sincere and honest, a far cry from her usual playful and mischievous demeanor.

"Whoa, Egret. You pull that out of a fortune cookie or what?"

She stuck her tongue out at the blond. "I just happen to know Instructor Rean quite well and how his mannerisms work. He may not seem like it, but he's a softie at heart. In fact, it's so soft that I feel like it might be able to make room for mine~"

Juna's expression fell. "Annnnnd she's back."

Altina shook her head. "It was nice while it lasted."

Despite the comment, Kurt still found himself cracking a smile. Though he didn't quite get it, he at least understood Musse's sentiments. He acknowledged that he still had a long way to go, both in terms of physical skill and mental fortitude. If he couldn't overcome this block of his, he could hardly call himself a proper Vander.

He moved one more piece of the chessboard.

"Checkmate."

Ash shot him a confused look before glancing back onto the board and visibly flinched. "Dude! I thought we were done with that! Not cool."

Kurt smirked. "You have to keep your head in the game, Ash. You'll never know when someone might pass you."

"You can be one hell of an asshole, you know that Vander? Come on, rematch."

"Sure. I'll take you on agai-"

Kurt was never able to finish that sentence as explosions were heard outside of the Derfflinger.


At over 18.5k words this chapter is my longest yet, beating the previous record holder chapter 4, which is over 14.7k words long. I had a LOT of material to work with and I really wanted it to end at this specific point of the story. I think what made this chapter a real challenge to write (outside of the fact that I logged in over 300 hours in Xenoblade 3...) was the amount of the plot I felt like I was retelling from the original game. I don't want to say that I'm basically making a novelization of the game at this point (because I'm not), but it'll be difficult to tell this story without covering the main plot points of the canon story. Adding a few twists here and there and putting the majority of the chapter in Juna's perspective did help that overall when I was reading it back to myself.

Anyway, onto the chapter itself. Man is it hard to write Rean as a seemingly uncaring guy. He's just so naturally kind that making him stand-offish in any way just feels wrong. But I do what I must for the sake of art! But at least he seems to be breaking out of his shell. Towa is always there to help when the going gets tough. Plus it was fun to develop Juna and Kurt's relationship more too. Even though the story is primarily between Rean and Juna, I want to make sure all the secondary characters also get their share of the spotlight.

Anyways, thanks for sticking with me despite the major delay! Any comments are appreciated and until next time!

...Holy crap Eine Kleine is about to hit its two-year anniversary this month.