The Meanderer

by xeveningx

"The world is beautiful and pure, it's the weeds in it that ruin it." And to save the world she loves, Noé will do what she must: find her friends to free her master. But as she learns what saving it implies, discourse stirs in her. Is it really worth saving anymore? "It's not the world that's worth saving," a red cub told her. It's hard to understand his words.

17. Fantasy

Khai Dreams is the reason for this title. Enjoy.

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Chapter Seventeen:

Fantasy

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i.|

Flames. Blood. Screams.

So bright. So warm. So deafening.

Never in her life had Noé witnessed such horrid devastation. In spite of her upbringing and the life she led up to that point, never had she bore witness to so much pain and loss.

And it was far from over.

Lungs burned from inhaling so much smoke, but there was no time to stop running. Muscles ached as if she'd just carried thousands of tons of stone, but her arms had to move and fend off harm or risk losing them altogether. Her eyes burned from seeing all that fire and blood and smoke...and from the pooling tears. Everything hurt in unimaginable ways. In ways she thought were only exaggerations by others much weaker than her. But now in the midst of a never-ending battlefield that stretched for as far as the eye could see, Noé couldn't side with that excuse any longer.

No one that was in this battle was weak. They had all proved themselves worthy. And yet—

We won't win.

Urgency rattled her very being at that realization. Against this army, against these people—there was no chance of victory for them. And yet, a part of her wanted to fight. Never in her life had she ever backed out of a fight. The struggle to survive had been steel she sharpened daily. Comforts and peace had rusted the blade she'd spent centuries forging. But now, they needed it.

She needed it.

And Noé wouldn't let Teosa down.

One. Ten. Twenty. Fifty. Hundreds of enemies were slashed and pierced by her steeled feathers and arrows. She wasn't like those bestowed with power, but it wouldn't stop her. Determined, nothing would stop her from protecting this world until her dying breath.

Amidst the dying cries and destruction, a screech suddenly reached her ears. It was practically unintelligible. But somehow she made out her name within it. Before she could search for the source, however, falling debris took her attention as a wayward attack toppled a mounting tower. Jumping out of the way, Noé managed to avoid most of it as she tumbled down the uneven ground. However, that didn't save her from all of it. The moment she stopped rolling, hitting a mound of debris once on more leveled ground, the air was hit completely out of her lungs, leaving her vulnerable. Breathless as she laid on her side with only her right wing flopped over her face and her left one bare in the open.

It was then that it fell. A broken windowpane.

Noé couldn't register the pain at first. It was so overwhelming that it coursed rapidly through her and at the same time didn't register at all. Not until she sat up and felt the warmth that smelt just like everything else in this damn battlefield practically washing over her back as her wing fell unceremoniously before her—haphazardly butchered from her back.

A wretched scream escaped her lips tearing her throat as it finally registered. Her hands clawed at her back in a desperate attempt to feel it, to know that it's there. But she couldn't reach. All there was to show for what had been there was the now lifeless, deformed wing that slowly bled.

"...Noé." Her screaming turned to cries as whoever had just hauled her to her feet did so by snatching her arm. "We can't stay here. Hurry."

For as much as she would've wanted to run, she couldn't. Blood loss had already exhausted her beyond repair. And for a small child, it was difficult to drag someone almost twice their size. Before long, though, other hands joined theirs. They aided in carrying Noé through the battlefield… and down underground.

The sun slipped from view as they lowered her. Weakly, her arm reached out to the last glimmer of light she could see as her name softly spilled from her lips.

"...Teo...sa…"

I'm sorry…I couldn't protect it—the world you loved so much.

---

ii.|

Finally.

Rakah became tired of waiting for Mogamett. Knowing he would eventually show, though, kept him rooted in place. He would admit that it wasn't a pleasant wait. Being nearby for even this short amount of time to such vast quantities of black rukh was affecting him already. The voices were louder. Hers was virtually head-splitting. But the moment he heard the chancellor's footsteps as he arrived at the furnace, Rakah let out a sigh of utmost relief.

He didn't bother rising from his seat. Nor keeping himself hidden with magic. As the high-class magician he was, Mogamett would notice. Not like there was a need to hide in the first place anyway. From what he could see, the chancellor was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to mind him as he neared the vessels he made fall into depravity.

Such an effortless task. The 8th type of magic could make a mess of anybody's mind in no time flat. It's what the man Ithnan had taught them. It was an efficient way if anything. One that Mogamett evidently tinkered and applied as he saw fit. A weapon against those who threatened his country. A fearsome one that wouldn't let go once it had its claws on him.

"You might want to think twice about what you're about to do."

Mogamett's lanky hand paused at the sound of Rakah's voice. Almost like he just now noticed he was there. The chancellor glanced over his shoulder, his gaze more of a glare than anything.

"Don't interfere, Young Azeri."

Young. Rakah scoffed at that. How he hated when his teachers used his age to antagonize him. Using the wall behind him as support, he brought himself up. His head felt heavier than he thought it would though, making him lean it against the wall as he looked down on the chancellor.

"Oh, don't fret. I'm not here to stop you." It was surprising that he couldn't hold himself up for even that long. It made him laugh just how weak it made him being amidst so much darkness and hatred. "It's not like I could if I wanted to anyway."

"You're unwell." Though more of a statement of a fact than anything, Rakah could've sworn he heard the hint of concern in his voice. "You're ailment...you said last we met that you had dealt with it."

"Yeah, no. I lied." Mogamett's dark purple eyes narrowed on him but just as he was about to argue, the whole underground shook. Both stared upward were the most likely cause would be seen. "Don't take it the wrong way, old man. This wasn't something you or the others could help me with."

I chose this curse. I'll bear it on my own.

Rakah gestured to the furnace with a nod of his head. "So...you finally decided it's time to use it?"

"It's imperative that I do," he retorted. "The impertinent goi kings will stop at nothing to destroy us. They have already murdered so many magicians...I won't allow them to take any more."

Those were his last words before he hovered upwards into the core of the furnace. The black rukh took him readily before it began to change. Morphing into something—Dark Djinn. They didn't bat an eye at Rakah. They simply left, their target already decided. Rakah couldn't help but laugh at that.

If he only knew what the real threat would be. But it wasn't to be. Hindsight wasn't something that would change anything. Much less his.

"Branches cannot part from the trunk they originated from. It cannot be changed, it's course cannot be altered."

Their fate was pretty much the same. They would suffer a great loss at Mogamett's hand and his decisions. And frankly, Rakah didn't care. Magnostadt had been a passing fancy. A place to learn. A place that taught him much of what he used now to control what power he had.

"It's pitiful that you die like this, old man. You were a great magician, too. You could've done great things for the world had you not been as bigotted as you were." He scoffed at the sudden thought that he voiced into the room. "Thanks for teaching me all I know about magic, though."

At least you'll help me that way, old man.

—{ii}—

Dark Djinn.

"How?"

Noé didn't have to think much to answer that question.

"Miss? What are those things?" The sweet voice of the girl, Marga, brought her back to the present where she was.

Magnostadt was still as could be. It was almost like being in the eye of a hurricane. But seeing as Dark Djinn had surfaced from the 5th Level District, it made some sick sort of sense. They must think they're on their side. What faulty thinking. But then again, none of them knew what kind of danger they were cheering for.

"Trouble."

Turning down to the little girl, Noé urged her and Titus inside the house they shared. Though she wanted to keep her promise to Scheherazade and watch over Titus in his last moments, she couldn't leave those things to roam freely. Even with Aladdin and Alibaba going ahead of her to deal with them, there was still something gnawing at her consciousness telling her that this wasn't where she should be. At entering the room, Titus sunk onto the edge of his bed, his hands reaching out to Marga who easily took his hands in hers. It was painful to watch how the boy shook like he had just been doused with ice-cold water. Noé grimaced at the sight. Just a few minutes ago, he found out he wasn't long for this world. That would certainly be a devastating thing to hear when you had barely found something worth living for.

And he should have these last moments peacefully.

"Huh? Where are you going, Miss?"

Baby blue eyes rose from their hiding at Marga's question. True to word, Noé had taken a few steps towards the exit before stopping at the girl's queries. Her shoulders visibly slumped at being caught while the feathers behind her ears fell.

"Are…" They suddenly bristled at the sound of his voice, crimson feathers rising against her head as if to better listen to his soft voice. "Are you going to fight, too?"

Noé spun on her heels slowly and met Titus' pained gaze as he looked up at her. That look...it was making it so much harder to lie. Much too hard. Heaving a sigh, she surrendered the idea. No point doing such a thing when it was obvious, anyway.

"I am."

"I see…" His gaze fell for a moment. His grip on Marga's hand visibly tightened and she grimaced out of concern. "Before...before you go… May I ask you something?"

There really wasn't time for this. But compared to what time he had left, it was more than enough. Quietly walking over to him, Noé crouched beside Marga so that she could have a clear view of the boy.

"Of course."

He flinched, almost like he didn't expect even the simplest request to be granted to him. Turning away from either of them, Titus made an effort to ask his question despite the obvious aversion to her eyes.

"I...I haven't been able to shake the feeling that I know you from somewhere. That I've heard your voice before, that I've heard you calling me by that strange nickname—all of that feels so familiar somehow. ...Why? Who are you to me?"

A big urge came over her wanting to say what she knew would cause him the least amount of trouble. 'No one.' They were two easy words. Words she had even said to many others before. And all it would take to leave him at ease with Marga to live out what hours he may have left was to say them. But…

God, I'm terrible with children.

All because she couldn't lie to them.

"When you were in your womb, I would visit you and...talk to you. I'd tell you stories of the world outside. Of how terrible it would be to someone like you…" Those eyes of his that were so full of pain and regret grew as a glint came to them ever so slowly. Noticing this, Noé carefully placed her hand over his as he held onto Marga's. "And of how wonderful it could be to see such dazzling sights."

"Honored." Her brow furrowed at his quiet whisper, but seeing the way his eyes glistened with unshed tears caused her chest to tighten even more. "You...you named me."

A part of her didn't wish to take credit for something so insignificant as a name. But apparently, it wasn't so insignificant to him. "I did."

"You...embraced me...after I was born." His eyes fell as he let go of Marga to take her hand into his, his hold shaking along with his voice as tiny drops fell onto them. "Y-You were...so warm."

It hurt. It truly did. And what was worse, she recognized the kind of pain this was causing her.

Noé never thought anything would come remotely close to hurting her the way Elior's death had. But she knew deep down why it did. Both boys had been so young, so full of hope and dreams for the future, and the selfishness of others was robbing them of that future. Of their lives. And they had done nothing to deserve such things. They were innocents who suffered the unjust cruelties of the world just like she had.

Rising to her feet, Noé scooped the boy in her arms, willing herself to leave as much of that warmth with him. His fingers trembled as they grasped her robe, his tears spilling onto her dress as she held him close. The embrace lasted on a brief moment—a mere pause in the chaos that surrounded them—before she released him and he forced himself to do the same. Her hand tenderly cupped his cheek as she smiled at him, her gaze as loving as it had once had been for another young boy such as him.

"Always know that you were loved. By me, by Scheherazade, by your friends—" Gesturing a hand behind her, Noé brought Marga closer to them as the girl was now the one taking her place before Titus, "—by this girl. Never forget it, little bird." Wiping his tears away with the sleeve of her robe one last time, Noé rose from her place and exited the house without another word.

Once outside in the open, it became harder to hold back the smallest of sobs but easy to hide behind her sleeve.

"It's alright to cry."

"No, it isn't." Not until this is over.

Taking a long breath to calm herself, she hardened her resolve and flashed towards Magnostdat's eastern wall where she could better see the direction where the new hoard of Dark Djinn was headed. Orange and crimson flames erupted from thin air destroying a handful of them before more appeared and the clashing repeated all over again. Alibaba was giving it his all to obliterate the djinn, but at the rate they were being pumped out, it'd be tough for even him to last much longer. Not like that's any different for me. Staring skyward, dark clouds met her. Despite it being the middle of the day those clouds blocked much of the sunlight which meant her magoi pool would be severely shrunken.

But such insignificant things never stopped her before, and they certainly wouldn't stop her now.

Flashing the great distance took a large amount of her magoi that was quickly replenished back to the brim as she landed before the Kou Empire's army. Or what was left of it. The Dark Djinn had decimated a good portion of it before she even got there and the few left didn't seem like the type capable of fighting such beings. Her eyes caught sight of one, however. A pink-haired boy Djinn-equipped in wings of coral crystals and holding a large, pink scythe.

Ah, fuck.

Leraje got out.

Cursing her luck but knowing now wasn't the time, Noé summoned her bow before spinning around to aim at the djinn overwhelming Alibaba. Nocking back five arrows, she took a deep breath before releasing them, striking a single one and making it bloat before exploding into bits of itself from the burst of light magic inside it. Both Alibaba and Aladdin rejoiced at her arrival, the former working alongside her from the skies to send as many of them to oblivion as possible. But when he deemed it impossible to continue like that, Noé noted the magic circle cast behind him.

Extreme Magic would be enough to destroy them...but also a waste. There wasn't much time to shout at him for his idiotic decision, however, when another attack ravaged through the djinn leaving nothing behind but rukh. And at figuring out who had done that, Noé had a hard time believing mere Household Members of such destruction.

"Fully assimilated, Household Members are a force just as deadly as their master. Especially when given such ridiculously vast amounts of magoi."

Despite her initial disbelief, she had to agree. The first one had been a devastating attack. The three that joined the fray in their fully assimilated forms weren't much different, either. It was astounding just how closely they resembled an actual Metal Vessel User in power alone. And that was just four of them from the same user.

The overbearing presence of rukh around her told her that much as their master approached Leraje's little king. Though quite visibly there, the red-haired man didn't pay her any attention, instead, coming to stand before the pink-haired boy. When the man healed the boy's broken arm with Phenex's powers, she made a mental count of the Metal Vessels he possessed. His voice rang loud as he sent out his orders to his soldiers to retreat with the rearguard.

Such commanding presence and imposing poise. If she had to guess, this was another of Kou's princes.

How many were there again?

"Four princes. And though I'm not surprised you don't, this one, in particular, should've stuck with you more."

Before she could ask why that would be, she was rudely cut off by a myriad of spears suddenly pointed at her. Noé raised a finger to move one of the ones closest to her face away only to have it put right back in her personal bubble. Meeting that particular soldier's eye, a feral smirk came to her lips as she went about cracking her fingers.

"You have till I count to three to lower that, buddy," she growled under her breath. The poor bastard wasn't the right enemy but she'd be damned if he wouldn't make a good punching bag to release some steam.

Sadly, Noé only got to see him flinch under her threat before the Kou prince ordered them all to lower their weapons. Her eyes rolled as she spun on her heels to return to Alibaba and Aladdin's side. Though the latter smiled at her as she joined his side, Alibaba didn't so much as acknowledge her as he made his way to make a bold declaration.

"I came into this battlefield in order to protect the third prince of the Kou Empire, Ren Kouha!"

Cheeky-ass brat.

And it wasn't just Noé that thought that. Though quiet for the most part, she could still hear their rather dissonant murmurs. Not unwarranted, frankly. Alibaba made a bold move by claiming such a thing in front of the princes. She wasn't quite sure what but it was enough to ensure their safety while surrounded by such an army. Despite this something didn't sit well with Noé. Especially in regards to the older Kou prince. Something irked her about him. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on. And it only intensified when he addressed Alibaba.

"So you don't want me to look down on you for the sake of the country you already lost?"

Witnessing Alibaba so flustered and emasculated as he was by that mere sentence made a part of Noé even more suspicious to know why she felt annoyed at the sight of this man. Something about him…

Why does your face annoy me so much?

"Whatever it is you're thinking, don't. I'm not liking where your mind is going."

Being so lost in thought got Noé to completely miss both Chief's questioning tone as well as the said person walking past Alibaba as he patted him on the shoulder like a kid while thanking him in the same breath. The prince hadn't even taken a couple of steps away from them when she finally connected the dots with a dramatic snap of her fingers.

"I remember now! You're Agares' fireboy! The one who got that blue-eyed Kou girl executed!"

Instantly, four Household Members stood menacingly before Noé, their teeth bared and eyes hatefully glaring at her for the slight at their master. The prince stood still with his back to her, unmoving. Meanwhile, inside her head, Chief couldn't be more aggravated by how she could've let such thing slip without thinking.

Whoops.

"I'm beginning to understand why you appeared so familiar." That deep voice came rather close as he took a step back to stand before her. Though not intimidated by his imposing figure, one thing that did leave a rather lasting impression were those eyes. She'd never seen that shade of crimson, nor the way flecks of gold seemed to dance in them, which was how she was so sure she was truly recalling things right. Despite looking meaner now grown, this was definitely the brat she let Agares have for a master. "You're that woman that meddled in Agares' dungeon asking so many questions to a djinn, yet claiming to not want any power."

Noé chortled and mockingly replied, "What an honor to be remembered by royalty."

"Don't push your luck, kid. He appears angry."

I think that might just be his face. But for as coy as she came off as, Noé couldn't agree more with Chief's remark. Something about what she said had greatly incensed him. And if she had to guess, she'd bet her last gold piece that it'd been her little girl-getting-decapitated-because-of-you comment.

"You think?" Chief chided forcefully, rather disgruntled herself.

Clearing her throat, Noé raised her hands dismissively in mock surrender. "I didn't mean to offend ya, prince. Sorry about that. But..." Noé pursed her lips shut in an attempt to reign in her honesty. Very much so in vain. Chief would so bite her head off for this. "It's kind of hard to forget a kid who gets another one killed."

"I have no knowledge of what you speak of."

Don't you now…?

"Do you really want to antagonize them now of all times?"

No, but she wasn't keen on people ignoring their actions or the effects caused by their words, either. He might've been a child, but that wasn't an excuse for him to dismiss such an event now that he was grown.A child died then because of his words and he shouldn't dismiss a life so easily. What was her name? Moira? Clara? Keara? No, it wasn't any of those. But they were ringing a bell somewhere. She was close.

"Cease this very instant, you imbecile!"

"Enough." The finality with which the prince said the single word was enough to tell her that she was toeing a line she didn't want to be touching. Too bad for him that Noé didn't care for propriety. "I will not entertain your nonsense."

Oh, I've got it!

"Her name was Ceara!"

It was incredibly frightening how he didn't miss a beat at the girl's name.

"Seize her."

Spears and Household Members alike charged at her. Uh-oh. Flashing away, Noé took refuge behind Alibaba and Aladdin apologizing to them and mostly to Chief who was blowing her ear off with her furious shouting. Before either side could move though, the earth tremored beneath them giving them the only signal that more of the Dark Djinn had yet again appeared before them. Waving away at them, Noé tried to play down what had just occurred as she summoned her bow and some arrows.

"Oh, look! More enemies! Darn, looks like that whole ceasing's gonna have to wait!"

"Stop fooling around and start shooting already!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

—{ii}—

Rakah was about to leave. He had better things to attend to, after all. The seals were still out there, unattended to and out of control with masters that didn't know how to use them. Not like he was much different himself. But for some reason, he stayed after Mogamett became amalgamated to the dark rukh. Something told him to stay.

Thankfully, it only took a few minutes for his instincts to be rewarded when footsteps caught his ear. Strange, Rakah didn't recall anybody else entering the furnace room after Mogamett. When the figure descending the steps came into view though, it was hard for him to believe that he of all people would come here now.

"I'll give you the only warning I can: leave immediately."

Titus smiled determinedly, his hand tightly grasping onto that of a little girl's.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that."

His smile was so sincere. Scared yet sincere and determined. Stubborn even to a fault. And, in a way, reminding him of his sister. Sensing he wouldn't be able to stop him, Rakah stepped aside to allow Titus forward and stayed beside the little girl protected by a Light Magic barrier. It was useless to try to convince Mogamett out of his crazed mindstate. No matter how or what Titus tried, there was no way he'd convince the chancellor otherwise.

He was so full of hatred, malice, and anger that nothing but absolute destruction would satiate him now. It pained Rakah to admit it but it was the truth. He'd know. Looking at Mogamett was like looking in a mirror. No matter what he said, Titus would not lift Mogamett out of his deep-seated hatred and dogmatism. And Rakah could understand how.

There existed such a fine line to toe with where two different peoples were concerned. When one did not understand the other and didn't wish to comprehend what made them different, that obliviousness would rapidly morph into fear, and fear made people do very idiotic things. Fear made them unreasonable, unapproachable, and unpredictable. And most scary of all, fear caused them to act. They acted in defense of their prejudice and called it righteous.

Rakah's skin burned with just the thought of chains tightly wound around his wrists and ankles. A metal collar choking him. Pain forcing him to discharge absurd amounts of lightning at any beck and call. Nothing but a weapon. Those people feared him for what he was—the bearer of the Rumble of Thunder—and harmed him, captured him, and used him for their own goals. What was meant to be a gift had been nothing but a curse his whole life. Up to the day he chose to make it something different.

So, Mogamett wasn't all that wrong.

People with too many differences could never live with each other on equal terms. There just didn't exist that type of fairness in the world.

"It's not that we hate the world for being unfair, Rakah jii-san. Instead, we hate it because it never gave us a chance to fight this unfairness. Powerlessness… I think that's what we hate most of all. The idea of being powerless where we wished we could have made a difference."

The words of a little girl echoed in Rakah's head no louder than a whisper but somehow louder than everything else. Titus' words even sounded like hers. He simply hated how he could hear her everywhere. Hated how the words of a sheltered brat barely learning about the world somehow made more sense than the years of experience he had. And like her, Titus was choosing to go against that powerlessness. He was choosing to make a difference regardless of the consequences.

A bright light shone and exploded almost instantly. Rakah jumped to protect the little girl Titus had brought with him when he saw the Light Barrier flickering. Raising a barrier of his own, Rakah held the girl to protect her from the brunt of the Aberrant Magic Titus had launched. Rukh battled against rukh, the darkness wanting to taint the purity of Titus' life, but it couldn't. All the accumulation of a magi's rukh in that body of his was stronger than even all that darkness.

Then, when it could no longer sustain itself, the furnace died altogether. Mogamett was on his knees now without that sphere of dark rukh while a skeleton's fingers grip his wrist weakly. The little girl in his hold gasped at the sight. Rakah forced himself to watch. This was what happened. Utterly losing yourself and giving up your life was what happened when you tried to deny the truth of the world.

The world couldn't be changed. Not without power.

Suddenly the amalgamate above Mogamett twisted and absorbed all the rukh there to enlarge itself—Titus', Mogamett's, and it would've taken his and the girl's had the Light Barrier not protected them. Suddenly, a pillar of dark energy burst through the ceiling connecting with the dark mass, creating a huge crystalline sphere that floated out of the 5th District.

And from where he was, Rakah could see that monstrous being.

The Dark Spot.

"This world's over."

Rakah heaved a heavy breath when all of a sudden a small hand tugged at his sleeve. Looking down, the girl from before pulled him towards Titus and Mogamett. She wasn't as oblivious as she looked. She seemed to know that if she even took one step out of the barrier he was now making, she wouldn't last. And by how longingly she stared at Titus, it was obvious she wanted to be by his side even now. Rakah would never deny a child their last wish. Both took the few steps to the carcasses that lay lifeless upon the floor. The girl without missing a beat laid down on the dirty floor and reached her hand out to grab onto the bones left of Titus...and slept. It was almost automatic. As if the trauma of seeing him die so suddenly before her only gave her the strength to do that much.

Amethyst eyes garnered the remains of the two that had fought against destiny. One who defied the laws that ruled over this world and the other that wanted to fight the unfairness of an unforgiving world. Both fought and both lost.

And with the Medium summoned, Noé would lose as well.

Making a fist of his hand over and over, the mark of his contract glowed under his sleeve. "Good thing she accepted the pact this time around."

It'd be his only insurance that he would receive Grace of Sunlight upon Noé's death.

It was rather regrettable how trusting she had been of his word. After all, she never asked for any proof that he had really given her the power to desist of their contract if she so wanted to. Only the magician who had brokered the pact could break it. But neither Noé nor Seraphina knew this. Pretty words and petty actions worked wonders to give them a false sense of control. Especially Seraphina, the obsessed freak. Rakah had no idea where she heard of the summit—perhaps she wasn't lying and really heard it from their master—but his ruse of playing hardball for a chance gave her the same false sense of security when he yielded. And with Noé's mark as minimized as could be, Seraphina would have no way to control her or get her gift, either. That was two for two already.

Now all that needed to occur was for Noé to die.

The reminder renewed the pact's glow and what it truly stood for. What Noé allowed of him without the slightest idea. The sight of it now frustrated Rakah. A part of him hated having to do things this way. Slowly draining her magoi any time she came close to losing her life in any life-threatening situation—that was the true meaning of the pact she made with him. It had come close to doing so multiple times before during happenstances he had no knowledge of other than that they occurred. And all had been thwarted by meddlesome intruders: Alibaba, Seraphina, Muu, Scheherazade. All of them getting in the way of one of the last keys he needed.

But not even they would save her from the oath she'd taken herself. She had given him a literal reign of her own life without knowing it and there was no doubt in his mind that it would end for her today. It wouldn't be painless—she'd definitely suffer much before giving up the fight—but it was the only sure way.

Not even someone as stubborn as she would stop the inevitable.

Noé never lived past the war in Magnostadt. In no iteration where the Medium existed did Noé survive. Valiant as ever, she would fight till her dying breath to defeat it and fail just as bravely. And it was something he was betting to happen this time around too.

If there ever was a day to snatch the Gift that eluded him so doggedly ever since his first hunt it would be today.

—{ii}—

No. It wasn't possible. It just...couldn't be.

Noé shook, her legs threatening to give way under her as she saw what parted the clouds and protruded from them. Her breathing quickened, growing shallow as her own heartbeat sped uncontrollably. The noise around her drowned in its thrumming and her mind blurred at the sight of it hanging from the sky.

That thing...it was here...in this world.

"Noélia, breathe. Please, compose yourself."

"It's here…"

"It is but a single one."

Of how many more? How many more would appear and destroy everything they touched? How many people would it have to kill for her discomposure to be justified?

"We don't have time! If you don't believe me, then let it be explained directly by your Djinn!"

Her dread fell to the background for a split second at hearing Aladdin's voice long enough to not be panicked by what he did next. With a dinky stick, he did what only a magi could and summoned the Djinn allied to all the Metal Vessel Users present. All of them familiar faces one way or another.

Phenex. Agares. Astaroth. Leraje. Amon. Andromalius.

Strange. Noé didn't remember her being so human-like before. And yet there was no denying that the one who was among the others was her djinn, Chief Andromalius. Taking a rather feminine figure, the golden mane of feathers that rested upon her head fell back in long waves like a stream of pure gold. Her blue skin was decorated with the same golden feathers around her arms chest and hips. Red markings she knew of as Vastagian symbols were etched on her stomach and across her shoulders like armor. Though somewhat bird-like, she had no beak. Instead, her eyes were as sharp as she recalled them being as they stared down at them from above.

Amon took center stage to speak to them and asked of them something that was blatantly obvious to Noé. That Dark Spot needed to be closed. Otherwise, the world would pay gravely if it wasn't. A dumbed-down version that got the gravity of the situation across was what they gave them. Ill-Illah, the very definition of evil incarnate, would absorb the rukh of anything in the world and destroy it. People, animals, plants, even sound, and the sun—it would take it all away and usher the land into darkness.

"Don't let this world die, you guys!" Leraje spoke out of the turn almost instantly, face stained with tears already. "Or else this'll be another Alma Toran!"

Astaroth was quick to intervene, however. "Leraje! That's taboo. The humans of this world shouldn't even know about the existence of the 'other world'."

Great way to keep it secret, blabbermouth. But thankfully, Alibaba made a great segue: how the hell would they stop it.

"Destroy the Medium." This time it was Andromalius that responded to them. In spite of her usual distaste of telling anybody anything, Chief clearly said what they had to do to stop such catastrophe from happening in a very clear and succinct way.

"So we just need to destroy that thing?" Aladdin inquired.

"Yes," Amon replied, "but it will be a difficult task. Even when considering that you, 'Solomon's proxy,' will be there."

Okay. So their odds weren't all that great. Not good but okay. It meant that not everything was lost from the start so that was something. Breaking her out of her anxiety-inducing thoughts, however, was really easy when Prince Fireboy suddenly harrassed Aladdin out of the blue about the other world. Harrassed kind of seemed like an understatement too. The brute yanked the kid by the collar of his clothes, demanding to be told everything that instant. Both Alibaba and Noé sprung forward at the hostility. Both trying only to fail to free Aladdin of the Kou Prince's iron grip.

For—fuck's—sake! Let—go!

"I know! If you pull back your soldiers and help us destroy the Medium, I'll tell you everything."

Noé floundered when she heard that, slipping on her feet and absentmindedly releasing Aladdin to fall back with force. How—How the hell did he intend to keep that promise!? The djinn weren't quite fond of the idea either. In fact, they're hysterical, something Noé expected from Andromalius initially. And extrapolating that to the other djinn, it wasn't hard to see why. But what Aladdin said was also true. Now wasn't the time to be picky about how they got the help. They just needed to secure it and destroy that Medium.

So do shit now, worry about it later.

And the prince—Kouen, Kouen, Kouen—was quick to agree, calling forth the Metal Vessel Users from Kou. Four names. Aside from Hakuryuu whom she remembered from Zagan, she didn't know the rest. New faces, new djinn. A part of her wondered who it would be.

"One last thing." This time when Amon spoke, the rest of the djinn joined him after a brief pause. The lot of them saluted with a hand over their hearts before they bowed down to them—no, not them.

Are they bowing down...to me?

United, they implored. "Great champion, we ask for you to join the rest of our Kings, destroy the Medium, and close the Dark Spot."

"...What?"

Phenex was the first to speak as they rose. "We know it is impudent of us to do so."

"But we must aid our Kings however we can," Agares added.

"You are one of the deity's Champions," Astaroth continued.

"We implore you to aid this world in its time of need."

"It's the least you could do after what your master—"

A winged arm extended to halt Leraje from ending her sentence, shocking the djinn in the process. Those piercing eyes looked askance. Almost like she knew. And Noé was sure that she did. They hadn't spent the better half of her life living together to not know what her answer would be.

A feral smirk stretched across her face before she broke out into a manic laugh while grabbing at her side. Soon, however, that laughter turned acerbic as she spat back at the djinn.

"You must've lost your goddamn minds!" Most of the ones present there recoiled from the forcefulness of her voice, but she couldn't care less about how she came forth. "How dare you? Especially the two of you—" Leraje flinched at being pointed out. Andromalius simply dropped her gaze shamefully. "You have the audacity to ask for my help? When all you've ever done is pick and choose how you feel about us?! After all that we sacrificed for you!" Rage seethed through her as she saw red. Fuming, she spun to give them her back, throwing her arms back dismissively. "Forget it. I'm done risking myself for you ingrates."

But it wasn't until she turned and saw Alibaba and Aladdin that her resolve wavered. A few months ago—hell even a few weeks ago—she would've dismissed those puppy-eyes of theirs that bore into her. Back then she would've kicked them to the proverbial curb and let them fight a war that was theirs to begin with. And, in a way, she could still do that. Noé could still choose to walk away and leave them to their fate.

For all intents and purposes, it would be the smart thing for her to do.

"They never appreciated you. Never acknowledged you. It is time they know what that is like."

A small hand suddenly held hers. Gently. Tenderly. It fit snug in hers and carefully grasped her palm. Her emerald eyes fell upon Aladdin's short figure as those huge blue eyes of his looked up to her. There was no malice in those eyes. Nothing that urged her to shake his hand away despite how much she wanted to. Instead, it begged her to listen. Not to her wrath, but to that idiotic little thing in her chest. And that pesky little organ beating a mile a second was urging her to stay. Reminded her why she was fighting in the first place.

Not for the world. For them.

Feuding with herself, Noé growled before begrudgingly looking away and giving a nod. The smile Aladdin gave her was almost worth the indignation of what mess she was about to get herself into.

Don't make me regret choosing you, little princas.

Donning her djinn-equip with a flash, Noé kicked off the ground just as the rest of Kou's Metal Vessel Users arrived and pulled Aladdin alongside her. The little magi hovered with his magic to follow suit as she pulled him by his hand.

"...I'm only doing this because one was hard enough to make. I'm not about to kill myself over making another."

Resolved, that gentle gaze hardened as he accepted her words with a nod. "Come on, let's hurry. To Magnostadt!" Noé took the lead with Aladdin, the rest of the users flying after them.

As they approached Magnostadt, it was obvious just the quantities of magoi that the Medium held in reserve. Just the vast amount of Dark Djinn that it was producing was incredible by itself. Monsters that attacked relentlessly and indiscriminately. They destroyed everything in their paths tearing the magician's country asunder from the inside out. The magicians couldn't fend them off and evacuate the city at the same time.

Not even with Scheherazade's help.

Halting above the city's opening, Noé knocked an arrow back as she quickly took a deep breath and conjured her spell. "Ashieat Alshams." Her arrow flew through the air towards no specific target but divided in a split second and caught a handful of Dark Djinn off guard in their third eye. Those struck disappeared into bursts of dark and white rukh, leaving the ground clear for a moment.

"Noé?!" Noé couldn't tear her gaze away from her as she lowered herself to Scheherazade's level, quickly tearing at the magi's chiton to make a makeshift bandage for the wound on her arm.

"You need to get out of here." Her voice was clear and adamant despite the chaos surrounding them. Even when the safety she created was quickly taken over when more Dark Djinn fell, it didn't bother her knowing that Alibaba and Aladdin had her back. "Find Titus and Marga and take them with you to the fleet, to Reim, to wherever! It doesn't matter—just get them out of here."

Suddenly, her wide eyes narrowed as they went askance then. Her stomach instantly sank at that dejected expression of hers taking her heart with it. For a moment, she was too afraid to ask until she heard herself speak softly, "...what?"

"Titus…" Tears pooled in her eyes making those baby blue eyes glisten. "Titus is gone. That thing...it took his magoi."

...no.

Her throat burned. And it sure wasn't because of her seal.

Scheherazade's eyes widened in horror at the light that refracted out of nowhere. Spears of light impaled into everything in sight in an even larger radius than her own borg. Light impaled Dark Djinn, standing structures, and the ground nearby. Crystals sharp as blades glistened in the faint gray light passing through the clouds above. Rage engulfed those emerald eyes as she rose, hanging her head and hiding her face.

"Leave, Scheherazade."

Promptly getting up herself, the magi held onto her arm and staff with one hand. "No. I will not allow for such a being to use Titus' rukh to harm others like this. I'm staying and aiding Magnostadt's magicians in evacuating the civilians. It's the least I can do."

"Please, leave."

"I will not."

"Now."

"I won't—!"

"I'M NOT LOSING YOU, TOO!"

Her yelling shocked even her the moment the words slipped from her lips. Noé grimaced at her slip-up but didn't take back her words. Instead, she doubled down, biting her lip to swallow the truth her pride didn't want to admit but that her sorrow was too adamant in saying.

"This...is bad, Hera. This isn't something that you can fight alone. It's not something I'm sure we can fend off with the Metal Vessels we have right now. So just save yourself while you still can. I don't want to see it take anybody else away from me again."

"It took my son, Noé," Scheherazade punctuated with tears finally rolling down her cheeks. "I'm not letting it get away with that."

It was a hard truth to swallow, but she knew there was no way to stop her. There wasn't anything in the world that would keep her from doing what her wounded heart commanded. Noé knew that firsthand.

"I know…"

It didn't stop her from worrying, though. Scheherazade was already in a precarious state as it was. Seeing both points allowed her to find some sort of compromise. Stepping out of her borg, Noé raised her hand to let it splay across its surface as the seal came to life. Atop the borg came another barrier made of Light magic like a second skin, reinforcing the magi's defenses. Noé stepped away with a grim smile as her wings of golden light turned to her sash.

"Don't die on me."

Scheherazade's eyes softened toward her seconds before Noé shot skyward to join the rest of the Metal Vessel Users. Alibaba was the first to notice her as she came to meet them and called out to her, "Noé-san!"

"Where are we on the whole 'stopping-the-huge-ass-ball' plan?"

"It's—going—!" Alibaba grunted as he slashed away at three more Dark Djinn. As she shot her arrows away, she took a moment to gauge the comrades they had to fight this thing. Nine djinns and their masters plus a magi.

Will it be enough?

"It has to be."

Chief was right. Pessimism wasn't what she needed right now. Brushing it away, she joined one of Kou's princes—Dantalion's master—to continue fighting. Remaining stationary was her weakest point in large scale battles like this. An archer was good for ambushes or sieges, not vanguards. But thanks to Dantalion's master, some of that burden wasn't as troublesome. The Dark Djinn stuck in his portals were the ones she quickly disposed of with arrows straight through their eyes.

Lazy magenta eyes searched her for a moment. "One of Reim's Metal Vessels?"

"An independent!" she rapidly clarified as she charged another arrow and let it soar, destroying four more with the single straight arrow. "That ain't really what matters right now."

"Of course it isn't." Caustic to a fault, Noé almost wanted to smack the kid upside the head. His hands deftly traced patterns in mid-air opening portals that trapped even more Dark Djinn for her to shoot down. "Oh man, I'm exhausted. My Dantalion isn't really geared for fighting."

Peeved with his nonchalance, Noé shouted at him once done with the ones he'd set up. "How did Chief Danty end up picking such a downer like you!"

"Chief Danty?"

Noé was about to respond but shook her head, thinking better of it. Now wasn't the time to bicker. Especially not after the punch Aladdin delivered to their morale by telling them exactly how many Dark Djinn they had to destroy in order to drop its borg.

"Ten thousand!?" She covered her ear with her finger to keep Kouha's outburst from ripping her eardrum. "W-We don't stand a chance! No way is our magoi going to last that long!"

Maybe not theirs. Just as she was about to charge forward, another beat her to it. The older prince strode forward unwavering from the news, striking down Dark Djinn after Dark Djinn. Noé had to admire the man's tenacity and strength. And not stupid in the least. Changing equips to Agares, it was clear to her what he meant to do.

Seeing him fight so doggedly ignited her own drive to continue. It wasn't hard to follow up on his act. Flashing from spot to spot with her arrows nocked, Noé unleashed a flurry of light arrows that returned the same amount of Dark Djinn to the black rukh, finishing by flashing atop the pillar that he'd dug out from the earth. Smirking a wolfish grin from where she stood, Noé crouched and focused on rapidly shooting down the djinn that Paimon's master diverted away from him. The moment she felt him toss the pillar aside, she hovered away from the heat that suddenly exploded beneath her.

There it is. A magma vein. Lava poured from the hole he'd pierced through and instantly threw himself in it with Astaroth's equip. He's replenishing his magoi.

"Speaking of which...the seal."

"I know."

It wasn't hard to notice the burning sensation that came with that thing coming alight on her face. Firing and flashing with the reckless abandon that she had been doing was depleting her magoi to dangerous levels. Five times already. That's how many times her magoi had depleted to such levels. Her djinn-equip should have definitely fallen, and it would have by now had it not been for Grace of Sunlight. The damn thing kept pouring raw magoi into her body just as quickly as she was depleting it and that was in spite of the clouds blocking most of the sunlight from view. Times like these were when she was grateful for the pesky thing. That gratitude didn't last long after she tasted fresh blood slipping down her throat and coated it though. Knowing her body would only take so much, she was about to rush out to help Kouen in destroying those ten thousand djinns when Chief intervened.

"Your body is being too damaged by the seal as it is. Save the magoi you have and save yourself any further damage. Wait."

"Forget it."

She was tired of waiting. So when Kouen snatched Alibaba away to the man-made volcano only for the magic circles of both their Extreme Magic to appear a split moment later, Noé took her chance. Flashing to them, she hovered above them, summoning her own magic circle to prepare for her Extreme Magic.

"Noé-san, what are you—"

But Alibaba's concerned and perplexed question was quickly cut off by Kouen's frustrated shout. "If your djinn isn't fire-based, get out of the way!"

"Focus on what you're fucking doing and let me do my job!" she bellowed before taking a knee midair. Conjuring her bow, Noé took a deep breath to concentrate in splurging the majority of her magoi in the one arrow. "Crack the borg and I'll pierce it through!"

"Charge it."

Kouen fired first, Astartoh's Extreme Magic circling its flames around the Medium and extinguishing any Dark Djinn that sprouted from it. Her bow flickered momentarily, the light from it being steadily absorbed into her arrow. Just a little longer. Alibaba struck next, but somehow Amon's sword wasn't cutting through the borg. Kouen was quick on his feet though to lend his flames to Amon's, joining both Extreme Magic into one. The gigantic, flaming sword struck the Medium with one clean slash, and Noé's eyes narrowed at the crack that suddenly broke through the medium's borg.

Her light arrow formed fully as the crack appeared. At that instant, her back straightened and her shoulders fell back in one swift motion as she released the fingers next to her cheek and fired.

Alfajr Alsahm Alkhariq.

Thinly refined to pack the vast majority of the magoi in her body, the arrow soared and hit its mark, piercing through the largest crack made by Amon's and Astaroth's conjoined attack. The light spread across the cracks enlarging them until the borg broke off completely.

Not missing a beat, Noé yelled down at Alibaba, "Now!"

"Got it!" The boy lifted his sword above his head, the magic circle answering his beck and call. "Extreme Magic, Amol Al-Bador Saiqa!"

Brilliant crimson, orange, and golden flames erupted from the sword and struck the exposed Medium in a grandiose explosion. The pillar connecting it to the Dark Spot in the sky broke along with it, leaving the Medium to only reform its borg as Astaroth's flames ate away at the djinn it produced. Through shallow breathes, Noé fell back to regain some strength, the Light rukh answering to her sudden depletion with fervor. But something felt wrong…

Why am I so tired?

"You're replenishing too much, too quickly. Your body can't keep up with the violent influx of magoi."

The fact that her veins were visible despite her overflowing with magoi told her exactly the same thing. Ruptured blood vessels were as clear an indication as any that she was pushing her body too far. But shoving that to the back of her mind was the only thing she could do. Now wasn't the moment to rest. Despite the barrage of Extreme Magic they unleashed onto the Medium, it hadn't disappeared. Kouen had everything covered though. Astaroth's flames would deal with the djinns that were born from it; so long as they existed and were subsequently destroyed, it would deplete its magoi.

It was just a matter of time.

Just as the thought of maybe resting came to mind however, the sight of black hands shooting from the Medium towards the active volcano shot it down. Hands covered its entrance extinguishing the lava in a matter of seconds. But how? It wasn't just the volcano, either. The sphere reabsorbed the djinn back, too. It was taking every last thing that it had expanded in magoi. Suddenly, it lost its shape, morphing grotesquely into a lanky doll-like figure that fell onto Magnostadt. What...What is that? Was it even the Medium anymore? The fact that it came from the same sphere made the answer laughably easy. Despite that, it was still hard to accept what she'd just seen with her own eyes. None of the Mediums she'd encountered before had ever transformed into anything different. They'd all been destroyed before they had the chance. Yet this one...it almost appeared like a headless corpse; a truly repulsive sight. But what truly horrified her was its hand...and how everything it had beneath its grasp suddenly shriveled, turned black and died.

All in an instant, Noé's breath hitched. Flashing images she couldn't recognize blurred her vision turning her heartbeat erratic and breathing shallow. Despite being unable to see them, a fathomless apprehension clutched her chest and captured her mind. The already tenuous hold on her bow weakened as her hands couldn't keep from trembling. Even her djinn-equip flickered with each fitful heartbeat, Andromalius fighting tirelessly against her unstable mind to keep it.

"N-Noé! Get a-ahold of yourself!"

Chief's voice got lost in the midst of the flashing images, however. Figures and colors that flew too fast across her vision to be distinguishable and yet the emotions they ravaged her with were undeniable. Pain, rage, fear, grief, despair. All of those and more barraged her the more those images rushed past, leaving her in utter shock from disbelief and confusion.

"W-What's…" Her lip trembled, a quiet sob wrenching from her and forcing her to slap a hand over her mouth and nose. Only when she focused then did she realize how badly she was shaking. Terror held her close. Its claws digging deeper under her skin and refusing to let go.

And Noé had no idea why.

Her mind raced as that panic tripled when the Medium's neck sprouted countless hands, blooming like a spider lily in the spring and clutching skyward until they grabbed ahold of the Dark Spot yet again and pulled. Alibaba and Kouen attacked it in an attempt to stop it, but the barrier it lifted kept them at bay long enough to retaliate. It's assault, however, was much worse than before. Those hands stripped them of their rukh, tearing off skin, muscles, and djinn-equips as if they were nothing more than wet parchment.

The sight shocked her, pupils dilating at the gruesome sight. Bile rose to her stomach almost instantly. Cold sweat hit her, falling down her skin and giving her a chill. Noé had never seen anything like this. And yet she couldn't shake the feeling that...maybe she had.

"Noé! Move!"

Startled by her shouting, Noé just barely caught a glimpse of Kougyoku's relentless assault. Her water spears, somehow, were hitting it despite its barriers. No, wait… The ones that hit weren't breaking through the barriers. They're bypassing them. Regaining a bit of her composure conjured her bow once more in her hand as she nocked back an arrow and fired after Kougyoku, aiming for the places where she didn't see the barrier rise. Both their attacks landed, bringing the Medium down at least for a moment. But with it absorbing more rukh from Aladdin's sand, it appeared useless to even try.

That didn't stop the Kou royalty from trying. Dantalion's master deftly commanded them and transported them to distinct places where they could land their attacks with point-blank precision. Paimon's, Leraje's, Vinea's—all their masters unleashed their Extreme Magic on it bringing it onto the ocean away from Magnostadt and continuing their onslaught there. Caught off guard, Noé only caught up when Chief barked at her to do so, flying after Alibaba and Kouen as they left the old battleground behind.

This isn't the time to be freaking out!

It was hard to listen to herself, but there was too much at stake to not force herself to do so. Fighting the shaking of her hands, Noé caught the sight of Dantalion's master opening a portal just ahead of her that once through it left her above them and the Medium. And closer to the sun. Reinvigorated despite the dim rays of light, her hand pulled back as her fingers held the invisible thread of her bow taut. Her aim went down towards the portal that opened in front of her now. With one deep breath, her magoi concentrated from both her manipulation and spell.

"Ashieat Ainfajar!"

The arrow flew directly into the portal and exploded on impact into a burst of light that got engulfed by the subsequent explosion of all their attacks combined. But as the smoke subsided, her emerald eyes grew wide with desperation at the enlarged Medium.

That's...impossible.

"It's the sea…" Aladdin's explanation was a simple one yet dreadful all the same. That thing...it could steal rukh from anything and everything it touched to revitalize itself. The moment they heard this, it was obvious they would be discouraged. In some shape or form, she was too. Noé was no djinn of Solomon's, she wasn't even a full-fledged Vastago. She'd been no one to fight Medium's before. And now...it left her feeling just like back then.

Utterly powerless.

The Medium's sudden ambush hit them hard. One after another, the Kou royals fell completely robbed of their magoi, bodies mangled. Not even dropping a mountain put a dent on the thing. But when one of those hands attempted to strike Alibaba down, Noé saw red. Before they could even reach him, light spears pierced through its wrists breaking them apart from its body. Hovering before it, Noé's grip on her bow tightened till her knuckles turned a ghastly white.

That thing wanted to destroy them.

"You're not powerless."

It threatened the very world—the very people she cherished.

"You've never been powerless."

Racing to meet it as its hands rushed to pull down the Dark Spot, Noé flew in its way and turned, gritting her teeth as she nocked back her bow. The magic circle that appeared at the apex of her flight glowed in its brilliance as Noé held the invisible string of her bow tautly. But the amount of magoi she was pouring into the arrow wasn't large enough. It wouldn't be enough to stop it.

I need more magoi! It has to be enough!

"I can give you the strength you desire if you just say the word."

Noé couldn't distinguish the voice in her head anymore. It wasn't Chief. It wasn't even Teosa. Instead, it was a distorted and gruff noise. Like metal scraping against metal, bone against bone. A disgusting sound. But one that promised her what she needed.

"I don't care what you are! Just give it to me already!"

"As you wish."

The pounding of her heart resounded in her ears so loudly that there was suddenly no other noise around her. Pain spread across from her shoulders down her arm and across her back. All at once, Noé saw darkness as it crawled down her arm onto her light arrow, turning it into a mixture of rukh. Black and white. Panic took her at what she allowed to happen but through gritted teeth, she doubled down.

White rukh. Black rukh. None of that mattered right now. If it would be enough to kill this thing... If it would assure her that they would live—she could fall into depravity and die happy. Noé let the mark extend further along with the black rukh that joined with her own, feeling her chest tighten from the pain. It took but a few seconds to charge it then. And with it ready, Noé chanted the spell as the wings on her back extended forward as her bow: the right one of golden light, the left made of dark shadow.

"Alfajr Alsahm Alkhariq!"

The arrow soared and pierced through the Medium in a blinding explosion of light and shadow—

Almost simultaneously to the grand azure lightning that struck.

The subsequent explosion of both attacks combined sent her flying back. Unable to find her footing before the second one struck, Noé tumbled down onto the beach, rolling a few times before skidding to a stop. Shock etched itself on her face as she lifted it to see just what had joined in with her attack.

Lightning. And a familiar looking sailor boy.

"Lord Baal's master!"

Not only him. Following behind him and flown in on large birds, were even more people. Some of which looked a bit too familiar from her long life of dungeon diving for answers. Darius Leoxses of Sasan, Armakam Amun-ra of Heliohapt, Mira Artemina of Artemyra, Rametoto of Imuchakk—all Metal Vessel Users she'd met before. All with their Household Members who took center stage wrecking the Medium in their assimilated forms. It was an unimaginable sight, to say the least.

Though their arrival unwound the coils of anxiety in her, Noé forced herself to remain vigil. Even having to go as far as forcing her djinn-equip to stay despite Chief assuring her that it'd be fine to dispel it now that the cavalry had come. Such news didn't quell her troublings thoughts though. Even with so many of them present, a part of her still didn't want to leave the Medium to someone else. Not when she still had the breath in her to fight it.

The sudden sight of Alibaba freefalling after losing his equip sent her into a frenzy as she rushed to catch him at the beach. Luckily for both of them, a brilliant firebird soared through the sky and caught him. A firebird that after losing its brilliance for a moment showed who road those wings.

Morgiana?

There wasn't any mistaking it once she brought Alibaba down close to where Noé was. Like a mothering hen, she fuzzed over Alibaba asking if he was alright all the while thanking Morgiana and telling her how amazed she was at what she could do now.

A smile came to her face as she nodded, pleased by her compliment. "It's all thanks to my Household Vessel."

"No, Morgiana," Noé assured her in a quiet breath. "A vessel is nothing without its master. Those magnificent wings are all you."

As the two observed the kind of prowess a fully assimilated Household Vessel could possess, Morgiana's admiration for what they were capable of spilled over as she spoke aloud her desire to be like them. Before Noé could counter that, however, a rather familiar voice delicately came through to warn her instead.

"I wouldn't recommend that, Morgianna. Remember what I told you? Once you assimilate with your Household Vessel, you can never go back to human form."

Yu-chan.

Despite fully understand his warning, Morgiana didn't seem to care. She wanted strength. Odd since by the looks of her rather massive attack that was something she already had in spades for a Fanalis and Household Member.

Noé attempted to move forward, unconsciously needing to see what damage the Medium had taken with those consecutive attacks, but the moment she took a single step, a sharp pain shot from her shoulder all across her back and side. Abrupt as it was, it caught her off guard enough to topple her to her knees—or it would have had a couple of arms not helped keep her steady on her feet.

Soft blue eyes gazed down at her, utterly concerned, as Yunan withstood her weight with a single arm of his under hers. A piece of what almost seemed like a distant persona sparked to life at seeing him and had her forcing a cheeky smirk despite her shallow breathing.

"N-Nice...catch." Her voice sounded disgustingly gruff even to her.

Yunan didn't say anything at first, his eyes searching her instead. That lazy look of his turned glum when he seemed to notice something unpleasant about her.

"Noé, your rukh—"

"Are you alright, Noé-san?" With some trouble, Alibaba managed to get on his feet and hold her up by her other side in his own attempt to help. Though as things stood, she might've been more suitable to help him than he was.

Meekly, she nodded. "Just a little tired."

"How many times have you replenished your magoi?" Yunan being straight-forward wasn't something he was well known for. Unlike how he danced around the bush most of the time with his cryptic wording, this query was succinct and with a simple answer to boot.

"I've fired my Extreme Magic three times already." Noé grimaced having some kind of idea of how much that meant. "So...maybe nine times." The rush of energy she suddenly felt however made her change her answer. "Make it ten."

"Ten… You've thrashed your body so much already." His grip on her arm tightened all of a sudden. "How are you still standing?"

Honestly, Noé wasn't quite sure. For all intents and purposes, using so much magoi so recklessly should've already knocked her out if anything. Her head even spun a little and it wasn't a sensation that was lost to her during the last ten minutes. But if she had to name anything specific keeping her on her feet, it'd be sheer tenacity. The Medium had yet to fall. And until she saw it with her own eyes, there was no way in hell she'd fall back from this battle.

Proving that to them turned out a bit tougher than she thought at first, though. Good thing that standing was beginning to be manageable now that the seal was pretty much done replenishing her magoi anew. Despite having another fight in her yet, her body screamed at her to rest. She could stand, but even she could feel how weak her legs were. She could breathe, but every breath hurt to take in and burned on the way out. Her whole body ached to the point that the pain was just starting to numb over and start fresh all over again. Truly, she was pushing herself far beyond her limits.

But I'm not stopping just yet.

Not until that thing fell.

"Hey, Yunan!" Emerald eyes searched the sky just in time to notice the sailor boy from before—Sinbad—landing not far from where the three of them were, a rather upset and peeved look on his handsome little face. "What kind of unnecessary ideas did you plant in Morgiana's head?"

"They weren't unnecessary, Sinbad."

Yunan trained Morgiana. Simple as that, apparently. Ever since he asked her to be his King's Candidate, he didn't seem kin to take any other pupil. Not even Sinbad whom she knew was his new King's Candidate in this day and age had any close relationship to the magi. So to hear that he had taken a pupil under his wing was quite surprising for Noé. And she'd been taught well by the looks of that tremendous attack she dealt on the Medium.

Witnessing this gathering of such powerful people brought a strange emotion to Noé. Her chest tightened and it became a tad bit easier to breathe all at once at the mere thought of it, knowing full well what it was. Hope was something incredibly calming after all. Having them all here brought memories back of a fight much like this one. Although on a much bigger scale, it had been a grand battle—one they had lost. And yet, even with the precedent so vivid in her mind, hope surged through her like a bloom borne after a harsh winter. And sailor boy Sinbad's words only added to it.

"We shall never conquer, nor allow ourselves to be conquered. That's the way of the Seven Seas Alliance. Reim, Kou, Magnostadt—we have no intention of recklessly intervening in a battle between nations that have declared war. However, if you're an uninvited guest in our world, we'll eliminate you. No matter what kind of lofty god you may be."

"Noé…"

What is it?

"I implore you. Don't fight."

Chief's sudden words, however, dashed the hope to its bare bones, wrenching a hoarse shout from her shredded throat. "WHAT?"

"Please, listen!" She sounded forlorn, practically begging her with every word."You've sustained too much damage already! You knew you had surpassed your limits hours ago yet kept going."

"And I'm not stopping until I see this through!"

"Look at yourself! It's not only your throat anymore! What you've done to your rukh—If you continue like this you'll permanently damage yourself!" Chief, unable to contain herself any longer, burst out into full shouting. Chiding her like some kind of petulant child. And perhaps she was. Perhaps the smart thing to do would be to not fight. But there was just no way she'd allow such a thing.

Watching them fight so vehemently to protect what was theirs—their world—that was enough to convince her to keep fighting, as well.

Because...this is my world, too!

A flash of silver suddenly wrenched her attention away from their argument as it rushed through the Medium's borg, piercing cleanly through and through. Knowing fully well who that was, Noé forced herself to move despite the cramping of her muscles and fly away from Yunan, Alibaba, and Sinbad towards Muu's side.

"Muu!" Those eyes softened the moment they met hers. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she met him in the air.

"N-Noé!? Are you alright? You shouldn't push yourself, you look—"

"I know, but forget me," she breathed feeling tired already from simply flying. "Thank you for piercing through its borg. Now, we just...need…" Her voice trailed off as her eyelids fluttered seconds before her vision turned spotty.

Muu's large hand caught her in time before she fell, disquieted and perturbed by her sudden fainting. His voice bounced inside her head as she regained some semblance of consciousness. Despite having the mind to keep her equip on, it did nothing to compensate for her broken-down body. The seal compensated for her lack of magoi, but it did nothing to compensate for her human body.

Magoi wasn't what she needed. Just healing...just a bit.

That's when she saw the light. It shone in the distance and she could barely catch a glimpse of it through her blurry vision, but it was there. And it was warm. Oh so warm. The tiny flakes that suddenly began falling only added to that warmth strangely enough. They weren't cold. They were more like small kisses of sunlight touching her skin. Soft, gentle, and loving—a mother's kiss.

Hera…

All at once, the smallest of reprieves came over her. The magoi that flowed in her did something she didn't think possibly: it stopped the influx of magoi from the seal. Though that brought a whole new pain all of its own, it wasn't as incapacitating as the seal's had been. It was taking the brunt of it and allowing her to heal if only a little. But that little bit was enough. Her vision cleared, her muscles relaxed and her throat, even when she could still taste the dried blood coating it, wasn't hurting anymore.

After millennia, the thirst stopped.

Well enough to use her djinn-equip properly, Noé pushed herself off of Muu's hold in time to notice the anguish so clear in his face. A part of her knew why he was hurting so, but it was that same exact piece of her heart that she shoved aside for the time being. That bleeding heart of hers wasn't needed right now.

"Let's finish this."

Fourteen Metal Vessels Users congregated above the Medium, each taking their place in the eight-pointed star of the magic circle they were conjuring. This type of spell...Noé had never seen anything like it done before. A union of various types of magic against one common enemy.

All fully intent on pulling all the stops to see it to an end. And like them, she would spare no expense in ending this. Absolutely none.

Taking flight, Noé met up with the sailor boy that headed for the center of the magic circle. His molten gold eyes searched her with a sidelong glance for the briefest of moments but didn't say a word. Noé took that as her cue to say what she intended to impart from the beginning.

"Do yourself a favor and step aside the moment you unleash it. I don't want to accidentally kill you, sailor boy."

A smirk tugged at the corners of his face before he gave a nod. "Consider it done."

Both parted ways there, Sinbad heading down to the magic circle and Noé shooting skyward as close to the hole Sinbad's previous attack had parted through the clouds. The hot rays hit her exposed back as she hovered above them and saw the magic circle begin to fully form as more of the users joined it.

"Please, Noé, reconsider. They have it under control. They can beat this. Don't risk yourself anymore!"

"I don't think you get it, Chief Romali. Before I was a champion—even before I was a recorder—I was a Vastagian warrior."

And I'll sooner fight till my dying breath than let this thing kill my home.

"Grace of Sunlight, shine down upon your vessel and bestow upon me your gift. Grant me and mine the everlasting light of this world as I give body and mind to you."

Almost instantly, her face burned with the summoning of her seal, her whole body becoming weak and head whirling in one fell swoop all over again. But in spite of how debilitating the rush of so much rukh was now, Noé nocked back her bow to let her arrow grow as she summoned her Extreme Magic once more. This time, however, the magic circle appearing behind her wasn't alone. Inlaid within it shone Grace of Sunlight's insignia: orange rays of light bursting from the center outwards.

As she reeled her arrow back alone, her eyes narrowed as her vision failed her again. Spots of black and white littered her vision, but when blinking didn't make them subside, Noé realized what they actually were.

It's the sun.

It's light flickered a few more times before everything became shrouded in shades of gray and black. Everything except for their magic circle and her piercing arrow that shone a brilliant gold.

I am the sun. Her eyes focused on her target and her fingers held her string taut while resting on her cheek. And just as the combined spells united into Sinbad's and landed a piercing blow, Noé conjured Andromalius' Extreme Magic.

"Great huntress of the skies, let my aim be true. Purge the darkness with your light and bring about the dawn of a new day: Alfajr Alsahm Alkhariq!"

Sinbad sidestepped like promised once his Extreme Magic cast and let her arrow soar past and true to its target, joining in their attack. The explosion that followed reached unbelievable heights as the light of the sun returned back with a flicker. Flashing out of the way, Noé's feet dug into the dry sand next to Muu before turning about to face the smokescreen hiding what had been the Medium. Despite how much she wanted to believe what everybody else did, there existed a skeptical part of her that didn't release her djinn-equip just yet. Just when Chief took a breath to speak, Noé interrupted her somehow already knowing what she was about to ask.

This thing isn't going off until I see it's dead.

The howling screech it gave off as it suddenly erupted from the smoke made her hate herself for being right. Even with fourteen of them attacking at the same time, even with Grace of Sunlight amplifying and obliterating almost half of the sea and shore along with it, that thing was still standing.

"Damn it!" Muu's sudden outburst and the punch he gave to the ground startled her enough to turn back to him as he sneered at the ground. "So even the last of Lady Scheherazade's magoi wasn't enough?"

Tears stung in her eyes as they pooled at the insinuation of his words. So what she'd felt, that warmth that seemed so familiar and kind...it'd been her, after all. The last of that clone's magoi, of Scheherazade as a whole, had given them the strength to launch their Extreme Magic...and stopped the machinations of her seal long enough to push herself through one last attack. Her jaw locked as she fought the tears back and stepped forward.

They might not be able to fight any longer, but she was.

"Noélia, stop!"

"Onee-san, don't!" "What are you doing, Noé-san!?" "Noé-san!"

Aladdin, Alibaba, and Morgiana latched onto either arm and back in an attempt to stop her. It wouldn't but it certainly made it harder for her to do it. Finally tired of their interference, Noé jerked their hands off of her as she spun on her heels livid and having had enough.

"No!" Her voice trembled with its hoarseness, barely above a whisper from how dry and wounded it was yet losing none of its harshness. "I'm not letting it win! I'll die before I let it take everything I love away from me again!"

My vow. My promise. I never kept it to them, but I'll keep it now. For this world and these people. For you.

A ruthless pain in her stomach suddenly struck her and brought her to her knees hacking blood in digested chunks and bright red liquid. The three children fell along with her, desperate to stop what was happening but unable to.

It's punishing me. All this power and I still can't take the burden I said I'd carry for the rest of my days. What use is it then if I can't protect them!

"You have done what you can, child. Let this world go. It is worthless, anyway. It'll be easier that way."

Bitter tears fell down her cheeks as she gritted her teeth between vomiting. Is it …is it really worthless? At the mere thought, her fingers gripped the floor, becoming fists and gathering sand in them so tight until her knuckles turned white.

"Even if it's worthless…even if I have to carry this weight on my own...I'm not stopping."

"It's alright." Yunan's quiet voice reached her ears before she saw him. The tender smile that just reached his sky blue eyes calmed her riling mind as he looked over his shoulder towards the Medium and forcing her to do the same. "The Medium's hesitating."

"Hesitating?" she repeated vaguely.

Yunan was quick to explain to her as Aladdin took to his other side to listen. A bright shard of light, of white rukh, still resided within that amalgamation of darkness. It was holding back the Medium after being weakened in the battle. And Aladdin knew exactly who it was. His decision to go end this by himself wrought panic in Noé but with how weak she was already, there wasn't any stopping him. All she could do—all she ever seemed able to do nowadays—was see him off with a bloodied smile when she called his attention.

"Come back home."

With a determined smile, Aladdin summoned Solomon's Wisdom and, alongside one of Sindria's magicians, entered the rukh of the Medium. A hand gently laid over her shoulder and brought her attention back to the present as Yunan attempted to appease her.

"It's alright now. You can undo it."

"It's not dead."

"Even if it isn't, we won't let it get far." Though the sailor boy's words weren't necessary, Noé admitted that they were reassuring.

That thing was weak as things stood. Aladdin was already inside dealing with the issue head-on. Unease still ate at her though. But before she could dismiss them, Alibaba and Morgiana came to her side.

Alibaba, bright as the sun, grinned despite barely being able to hold his djinn-equip together. "Don't worry, Noé-san. We'll be here too!"

Morgiana nodded in agreement, touching her hand briefly. "Please, rest."

How shameful it was to leave this in the hands of this generation.

"Listen to them, Noé. It'll be for the best."

There was just no arguing with them, huh? At last, Noé dispelled her djinn equip and felt before anything how her wing freely fell behind her with a heavy thud. Though gasps surged through the field, none came from the children beside her. They only shared a kind smile with her, content that she was at least listening to them. Muttering ensued quickly thereafter. Something she was sure would happen after having her robe and clothes ripped to tatters during the fight.

"Is she an assimilated Household Vessel?"

"She has a Metal Vessel though."

"Then what is that thing?"

"The woman's a Metal Vessel User." Kouen's sudden outburst made Kou's members quiet down at his declaration. "No Household Member would be able to sustain such attacks for so long without their master."

From the other side, Sinbad let out a deep chuckle and looked over at Noé. "It's been a long time since I last saw you, Miss. I have to say, you haven't changed since we met. Beautiful as ever."

"I'm flattered," she deadpanned. Clearing her throat, Noé spat blood out to the shore, clearly disgruntled. "Not one, but two brats remember plain ole me."

"I'm afraid I disagree with that," Sinbad countered. "A King's Vessel that dives dungeons but doesn't seek their power is quite memorable."

"Well, a sailor boy and fireboy are quite the forgettable bunch." A lie but it was better than nothing. She wasn't in the mood nor with enough strength to mentally deal with their petty games. Especially Sinbad's with how he was going about things.

But the games were put to an end quickly enough when, out of the blue, the Medium ruptured and broke apart, releasing all the rukh inside it. A pang of pain rushed through her back at the sight of it, but as quickly as it came, it was gone. The clouds cleared, the sun shone down on the land once more, and Noé's throat hurt all over again.

At last, she could breathe a sigh of relief as the people there roared to life with cheers as at last the Medium was defeated without a trace.

And like children left unattended, Sinbad and Kouen stood at a standstill, the latter at a great disadvantage with only six people surrounded by armies. And they just wouldn't shut up either. Conquer a country here, hidden tump cars there. Blegh, even the thought alone of everything they were talking about left a bitter taste in her mouth nastier than that of blood. How she hated politics.

"Bickering children the lot of you." All heads turned towards her as she decided to intervene. Though weak still, Noé could walk well enough now with the little bit of rest from her djinn-equip as she stood between the two factions. "I'm truly disappointed with you King Vessels. Especially Yunan's and Judar's." Though Kouen didn't seem afflicted by her comment, simply impassively eyeing her from a distance, Sinbad's smirk made her want to smack it right off his smug face. "You're nothing but nagging children vying for the new toy in the playground."

"She's right, Sinbad." Yunan hitting Sinbad upside the head with his fishing pole did bring her some satisfaction to watch. Only a little though. Didn't hit him hard enough, in my opinion. "Especially after we took precautionary measures so you wouldn't end up fighting against the Kou Empire."

"Precautionary measures?"

"The Seven Seas Alliance and the Reim Empire have formed an official confederation."

Noé's jaw almost dropped. Oh shit. But her disbelief vanished the instant Muu confirmed Sinbad's claims. So Scheherazade took extra steps knowing this could've very well been her last fight, huh? Amazing that she missed such a thing. Then again it wasn't like she'd spent much time with the magi, to begin with. The thought alone made her stomach turn for a split moment. Though all this talk about alliances and confederations had her lightheaded a bit, Noé held herself together long enough for Kouen's sudden remark of taking Aladdin to disband the tension.

Thank goodness. All she wanted was to get back and sleep for a couple of days. Or maybe a week. All after a good binge of barrels upon barrels of water.

But before she could even take a seat to rest, one of Reim's military balloons caught her attention. One of the Fanalis from the corp was screaming at the top of his lungs for Muu. Curious, Noé followed behind him and tried making sense of the mutterings of the Fanalis. Something about a transfer magic circle or another.

Can you make anything out?

"Noé...look."

Searching ahead, Noé's breath suddenly stopped at what was being led towards them by another Fanalis. With Muu's back towards it, she could only smile as she pulled him by his wrist to turn around. Contrasting Muu's bafflement, a warm smile came to Noé's lips as she approached their new companion.

Careful as could be, Noé nodded at the Fanalis to leave them to her before bending down and taking the boy's hands in hers.

"Miss...Noé?"

Her eyes stung a little from the tears pooling in them but her smile remained, growing even as she nodded to the blonde boy before her. "Welcome back, little bird."

"Ah, Welcome home, Titus onii-chan!"

Overhearing Margas' voice, Noé stood away from him to stand by Titus' side as Marga ran towards him to embrace him. Aladdin and the other magician, Sphintus, joined her with tears of joy brimming from their eyes. Standing aside to give them room, Noé stood by Muu's side as he gazed skyward. Though she couldn't see it in his eyes or face, she could see the way his tensed arms trembled.

Gently as she could, she brushed her fingers against his arm, the trembling stopping for the briefest of moments.

"Let's go home," she softly spoke. "We still have someone to say goodbye to."

—{ii}—

Chief?

"...Yes?"

How long has it been since we last saw a funeral pyre?

Andromalius took a moment to think before taking a long breath. "Far too long."

Noé bitterly disagreed. It hadn't been long enough.

Funeral pyres were a dreadful sight to be sure. Especially up close. But it couldn't be helped now. After only a short day of travels thanks to the magic transfer circle, the whole of Remano openly wept for their lost priestess. Though they had a new magi and were under the aegis of the Seven Seas Alliance, there was still much to mourn for what they had lost. It astounded her how the city as a whole surrounded Regia's Temple with lit candles in hand. As if mourning along with them, the skies had been tainted gray since their arrival.

Any moment now, the rain would fall.

Noé, perched atop the highest tower of the temple, watching over the proceedings just far enough to not feel uncomfortable. From there, there was no mistaking the adorned coffin that made its way out of the temple and towards the pyre in the town's square. From there, she could see the people lining up the streets towards the said square to say their farewells to their priestess. All before they would mount the closed coffin on the pyre and set it ablaze.

How crass of them to burn her. Scheherazade liked nature. It was why she specialized in the 8th type of magic. Being among nature in its purest essence would've been a good resting place for her. Dejected, Noé let that idea leave her head. Unlike Pernadius who'd been lost in the midst of the battlefield before they had a chance to find him, Scheherazade had been tended to by the Regalia and the priests of the temple. Even if she wanted to, there would be no way for her to take her away and give her the proper burial she deserved.

Flashing away from her perch and to her cottage, Noé walked the few steps to her garden and began picking some of the flowers in a makeshift bouquet.

"Will you not see it through?"

"I'm not a fan of seeing bodies burned to a crisp. Not since...well, you know."

"...right. I'm sorry."

Hearing the sorrow in her voice made Noé scoff. "Why are you apologizing?"

"For as much as you hated her for what she did, Scheherazade was your friend. And you still thought of her as such even till the end, didn't you?"

Did she? It was a hard question to answer. For once, Noé felt divided and unable to ascertain her own emotions. The hurt of what Scheherazade allowed to happen to Elior was a wound that would never scar over. She wasn't foolish enough to believe it would. But on the other hand, these past few months of actually having to interact with her, if for the slightest of matters, made her realize how much she'd missed the magi. For all the bickering and bad blood between them, it all originated from the semblance of a friendship that had been centuries old.

And when all was said and done, it hurt to lose a friend again.

Despite her tears having dried long ago, there was no changing that fact.

"If you're going to gather them, I suggest you cut them with the shears. They'll be able to grow back if you do that."

Recognizing the kind voice, Noé followed the hand that had suddenly intruded on her flower gathering to find Maahes as he smiled down at the ground. Shears in hand, he carefully cut a few more flowers before giving them to her. The moment she stood, speechless, Maahes followed suit with that smile still on his face. Procuring a string from his pockets he asked her to hold them together before tying them at the base.

"There," he softly breathed, "All done."

"What are you doing here?"

His smile became a bit weary as his oceanic gaze finally rose to hers. "I've...known you for a long time, Miss Noé. Perhaps not as long as others, but I know you well enough to know that you would want to mourn her on your own."

"Why come then?" she said, her tone harsher yet no louder than a whisper.

"Because it's never good to be alone after losing someone we love."

Pain surged through her at those words. Scheherazade had been many things—a friend, an enemy, a nuisance—but never... Though they didn't fall, the prickling of welling tears was undeniable and caused her to gasp in realization. Maahes, unable to do much else, soothingly rubbed her arms until Noé leaned forward, accepting his gentle gesture.

It hurt. It hurt so much. And it hurt most of all that she understood why now.

"Miss Noé."

Titus' sweet and tender voice reached her ears almost like a faint whisper. And surely it must've been. Noé took a moment to compose herself before lifting her head to meet him. The moment she did, however, her heart sunk at the sight before her. It wasn't just Titus there. Muu and Seraphina were with him. And what had her most torn was what Muu held so carefully in his arms.

Noé almost lost her footing at the sight of a tiny, frail corpse wrapped in silk blankets. It was a miracle she hadn't. Perhaps Maahes holding her by her arm had much to do with that. More than likely it had because Noé couldn't figure how she hadn't just broken apart from the sight. So many comrades and friends lost to battle. To senseless violence and unnecessary conflict. One would think she'd grown desensitized from the sheer amount alone. But it never lost its edge, seeing yet another one gone.

"W-What are you doing…? It should be burning—"

This time it was Titus who came forward to answer. "I convinced them to hide the fact that we took her. No one else besides us knows the truth."

"Why do something like that?"

"Because…I don't think she would've liked to be cremated as they all wanted her to be." His hands grasped the familiar staff, its tiny metal adornments clinking against each other as he hugged it closer to himself. "I think...she would've wanted to rest with her friend."

Her friend?

"They seem to be referring to Pernadius, child."

"To Nadi?"

"Seraphina and I searched everywhere for any clue to his resting place," Muu explained, his eyes sunken and red from what surely was hours of crying. "When we couldn't find it, Titus told us what he knew. That you had told Lady Scheherazade you had buried him but refused to say where."

"I didn't because…" Surprised at how tremulous her voice sounded, Noé shook the shock out of her head. "Because he deserved to rest without so much noise. Peacefully where nothing but nature would be with him…"

Titus saddened at her trembling voice despite that small smile remaining on him. "Would you please take us there? Lady Sche—" His lips pursed as they themselves trembled before taking a deep breath. "I'd like for my mother to have a peaceful resting place, too."

Her throat tightened dry despite the barrels of water she'd taken upon herself to drink. Noé pushed it back along with everything else to give herself a moment to think. Could she really do that? Could she really betray the peace she promised Pernadius for this? What's more...could she really bury another friend alone?

No, that quietly sobbing voice in her head echoed louder than anything else. I can't do this by myself anymore.

"If I tell you…" she whispered, "will you promise me that it'll stay as peaceful as I left it? That not another soul will know?"

They all nodded, their looks forlorn and hearts heavy. Knowing the feeling, Noé took one last deep breath before asking them to come closer. All four joined her in her garden then. Asking them to hold onto to her, Noé concentrated on the image of that lone clearing of white flowers for a brief moment. The light refracted around them, breaking apart, but when she attempted to flash, it failed her. Trying a few more times gave her the same result and she cursed at herself under her breath.

"You're still recovering, child," Chief reminded her calmly."Take your time."

Listening, Noé took a moment to do what she hadn't since she was a child: concentrate on her flashing them all there. The trip left her panting and thirsty with moving so many people while still not fully well, but at least she'd managed to flash them to the exact place. Maahes and Seraphina rose to meet her as she stumbled on her feet. Thanking them, Noé composed herself quickly enough to gesture to the headstone amidst the flowers.

It was a tough job to dig a grave between three people. Seraphina and Titus stayed back watching over the wrapped up body as she and the other two busied themselves with digging beside Pernadius' headstone. Hands dirty from the soil and one or two nails breaking didn't bother her in the least. Neither Muu nor Maahes said anything, either. They just helped her to dig. It was done before long and Muu brought the bundle of silk over where he gently laid it into its resting place. Odd how it'd been quicker to fill up than to dig it up.

Finally done, she patted the disturbed soil down one last time and let herself hang over the newly added grave as she sat beside it. Maahes came close with the largest boulder he could carry and placed it at the head of it before kneeling down beside Noé and passing her the makeshift bouquet of flowers they'd made. Her dirty fingers brushed against the pure white petals softly, mesmerized by its beauty for a second before placing it before the headstone. Reaching behind her tear, Noé snatched one of her feathers and steeled it before going about etching words on the stone.

Much like Pernadius', Schehezade's had no name. Only her epithet.

'To a wonderful friend, leader, and mother.'

Noé rested her feather beside her bouquet only to notice then the small buds of flowers that were growing incredibly fast from the soil. It wasn't until she looked up that she noticed Seraphina kneeling on the other side of the grave with her wand out and shinning a soft purple. Muu took to sitting beside her as Titus knelt before it, his staff resting across his lap as he hung his head.

Sobs quietly rose in the air as the four of them let their sorrows manifest freely. It was finally then that small droplets fell from the sky as the rain softly showered them. Unable to do so, Noé looked skyward and let the drops be the tears she couldn't make herself cry despite how much she wanted to.

"I hope you find her, my love," she quietly whispered, the bitter drops of rain rolling down her cheeks. "Be with her the way I couldn't bring myself to. Love her like I couldn't. Show her the happiness I couldn't. And tell her..."

Tell her that I'm sorry...that I forgive her...and that I loved her, too.

---

A/N:

And with that, we end the Magnostadt arc.

I wanted to end this arc before i went back to school and, hey, i did it! We kinda ended on a downer but now we have much else to look forward. I think with this over with, we're just about halfway through the story (frankly think Alma Toran will be that halfway point). If I'm counting right, I still have 7 main plot points I'm intending to hit before finishing this story. Many of those plot points will be mushed together but it's more or less those 7.

Aside from that, seeing as this story will soon have its end, I've been thinking about the next magi story. This series is barely hitting its halfway point itself with The Meanderer. There are still 2 more stories I wanna tell. Frankly, i've been thinking of starting the next one even with TM still ongoing. Still debating that though. What do you guys think? Yea or nay?

Well, aside from that, I gotta say thank you guys. This story is now officially longer than Silent Lamb and I have nobody to thank but you guys who keep me inspired to write more :)

Anyway, hope you guys loved this bunch of updates. Imma take a break of magi for what's left of my vacation and get on my other wips. So until then, hope you enjoyed it and stay tuned for the next update!

*Evie, signing out~*