Several hours earlier
Haruto finished up his sake, and contemplated on having a meal as well.
"Done, are you? Anything else you'd like?" Freya sighed, rubbed her hands, and rested them on her hips, while looking at him. Haruto took a moment to think. "If not, then I'll be closing the kitchen and going on my break." However, the strange scarred man stood up suddenly, which attracted Haruto's attention. He noticed him locking eyes with a few other people, and they quickly exited the inn, leaving some jewels behind.
Haruto narrowed his eyes and remained lost in thought as his gaze remained on the doors.
"I've never seen them before. I thought they were with you to be honest, same type of suspicious folk," Freya spoke up, as if reading his thoughts, making him turn back around. "Although you seem a lot more calm and approachable compared to them. Somewhat glad they're gone now. Hopefully, they were just passersby."
Something was wrong. Something was off. His senses were firing on all cylinders.
Haruto heard the clinking of coins, followed by a sudden gasp from Freya, quickly grabbing his attention. She was staring in confusion at a flashing, glowing coin in her hand. It was the same pile of coins left behind by the people who had just departed.
"What the-?" She murmured. "What is this?" Haruto stood up suddenly and quickly walked over to her. He shifted the other coins, and then they suddenly started flashing as well, making his eyes widen slightly.
"W-What are these? Why are they flashing?" Freya's voice sounded urgent, the customers in the room were staring in confusion at the two of them.
"...This is a bomb," Haruto said bluntly. "Or bombs, I should say."
"Bombs?!" Freya screamed. "Were they the ones who set it? How do you know?" She started to panic.
Haruto grabbed a nearby empty bowl and quickly shoved the coins into it. He snatched the one in Freya's hand as well, then picked up the bowl, and bolted toward the doors to try and get the danger away. However, he crashed into it as if it was a solid brick wall. He tried pushing, but nothing moved. Haruto's eyes darted around. These were the doors, so why wouldn't they budge? He attempted to kick them open, but again, it had no effect.
At this point, the customers were starting to panic.
"We're trapped?!" One yelled out in fear.
"Who were they?!"
"But why us?!"
There was a flash of light as a single jagged blade appeared in his hands, wrapped up in chains. It was one part of Targaryen, the Blades of Purgatory.
He swung with immense force and the blade collided with the wall, creating a large shockwave and making a few people flinch in fear, only to be repelled by some invisible force.
Or so it seemed, Haruto noticed a faint purple hue and runes in front. They expanded across the walls and all over the ceiling.
"We're trapped," Haruto turned around. "They put up some barrier with rune magic." He could notice horror and fear start to takeover Freya and everyone else in her inn. "Get as far away from this room as possible, and barricade yourselves," he ordered.
"What are you-"
"Go!" No one moved, they seemed petrified with disbelief and shock. Haruto walked over to all the remaining customers and banged his fist on their tables. An explosion suddenly rumbled just outside, followed by screams. "If you don't want to die, do as I say," He looked at Freya. "Understand?"
Freya stared at him for a seconds, before jerking into action and nodding. "I hope you know what you're doing… Everyone. Come!" She clapped her hands. "To the storage room." They started to shuffle into action. The parents picked up their children and followed after Freya.
There was a flash of blue light, followed by the sound of chains as Haruto summoned his second Blade. He jumped up and placed the bowl on top of a wooden beam in the ceiling of the wall on the far side away from the storage room.
After quickly reconfirming that there was no other way out, he rushed back into the storage room. Everyone was huddled together, shaking in fear.
"What happened?" Freya hissed quickly. "Did you find a way out?"
"No, there is a runic barrier, which I am unfortunately not too familiar with," Haruto answered.
Freya stepped forward, "I know runes, I can try to decrypt it."
"No," Haruto refused her. "There is not nearly enough time before it goes off-" They all looked just about to panic about impending death, "-which leaves me with one choice. I will have to shield you."
"How?" Freya questioned in disbelief.
"Press yourselves closer to each other, quickly. I approximate less than 30 seconds until it goes off." She looked like she was going to question him further, but the urgency in his expression and tone forced her to do otherwise. Haruto turned around and began to swing the blades around in a spherical fashion. He slowly built up speed and the blades started to glow slightly, leaving long, orange outlines in the air. It became clear very quickly what he was doing. He was attempting to use the speed and force of the blades to create a sort of shield from whatever explosion was about to occur.
Haruto grunted slightly, attempting to continue to build up speed. He could not risk creating a weaker shield when he had no idea what the threat entailed. The outlines from the orange glow of his blades almost resembled a shield.
Right as he reached his limit, there was a wave of freezing wind, followed immediately by an eruption of black ice from the place where he had placed the coins. The people behind him screamed and braced themselves, however, Haruto's spinning blades were able to shred the major chunks, with only harmless, minuscule pieces slipping through. He bent his forward leg, trying to solidify his foundation, but he was slipping back ever so slightly. One final force from the ice explosion was too much for Haruto and he had to pull back the blades to prevent collateral damage before being sent flying back against the wall.
Luckily, that was the end of it, and he had been able to stall the main brunt of the blast. He laid against the wall, breathing heavily, trying to regain his composure.
Freya bent down, dusting ice and dust off of herself.
"Hey," she whispered. "Are you okay? Kenzaki, right? You really saved us. Thank you." With a grunt, Haruto stood back up. While most of the room had been saved, black ice still surrounded them on all sides.
"Not yet," he muttered. He armed himself again and swung his blades against the ice, only getting bits off this time. "This ice has fully solidified and manifested, so it will take some time to fully break out." Even if Freya was as competent at runes as she suggested, the barrier was probably gone by now, so with that, he went to work.
—
"whistle… whistle… whistle-whistle-whistle-whistle…" a shining ring twirling around her finger. "whistle… whistle… whistle-whistle-whistle-whistle," a melodic sound came through her lips. One of her companions bopped her head slightly, going along with the tune. Two other male companions walked ahead of them as they trudged through a forest.
After a couple more moments of whistling, the silence was then broken, "I've been hearing you whistle that for the past couple of weeks, I didn't know you do it so well. It sounds so nice!" The compliment came from a young woman who walked up to her side. Sanaki skillfully twirled, and spun a double-layered ring between her fingers. It magically expanded to the size of a bracelet, before shrinking to a ring, and then back, and so on and so forth.
"Do I really sound that good? I'm just whistling," she shrugged. "It's a random tune I came up with, but thank you anyway, Ginny."
"Oh come on! I'd like to hear it more," she encouraged. Ginette, "Ginny," as she was usually called, had thick, wavy peach-orange hair that extended to her mid-back. Her periwinkle eyes, though seemingly always hiding something, twinkled brightly at Sanaki. She wore a half-zipped tan jacket with orange and gold lining and dark brown short sleeves. Underneath she wore a deep purple crop top. Around her form-fitting black pants was a brown belt with two pieces of a leather material trimmed in gold attached to it, while also wrapped around each other. To cap things off, she wore brown boots with gold capping on the heel and toes with the capping being attached to matching straps and zipper, and then a pair of a black fingerless gloves with long brown cuffs that reached to the forearms. "Come on, tell her Zen! You agree with me, right?"
She ran forward and wrapped her arm around a male and turned him around, and pointed at Sanaki. The man looked annoyed by her actions, but kept his composure. His usual, stoic expression hardly dropped at all.
"It's just whistling," he said. "My preference is real, authentic music." Sanaki snickered in amusement when Ginny's expression morphed into one of humorous anger, and pushed Zen away from him before slapping him on the back. She continued playing with her ring while watching the show unfold.
"Don't be so mean!" Ginny growled, albeit it didn't sound that serious. Zen snorted and stepped away from her, adjusting his clothes. He had tousled, black hair, narrow violet-blue eyes, and fair skin. The look he always gave made it seem like he was glaring, when in reality, he usually wasn't. He wore a midnight blue formal shirt with the top three buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. On the outside, he wore a dark gray vest, black slacks, and black dress shoes. He had a white belt with a gold buckle around his waist, two smaller dark brown belts around his left thigh. He also wore a pair of a black fingerless gloves.
"You asked if I agreed, I didn't," Zen said. "I was simply being honest."
"Well, you didn't have to say it like that!" Ginny retorted. Zen just turned around and continued following after their last companion, Kaito Drakengard, their guildmaster, not wanting to bother with arguing further.
"What are you so worked up about? Relax, it's just a random habit I have," Sanaki reassured her, giving an eye smile. "Oftentimes, I don't even know that I am doing it. I'm honestly surprised nobody has called it out for being annoying."
"Annoying? No sane person would ever think that! Master Kaito!" Ginny called ahead, shooting a nasty look at Zen, who Sanaki suspected had rolled his eyes at the gesture. "Come on, you agree with me right?" Kaito had his hands shoved in his coat pockets and casually strode along.
"Actually, I disagree," he said, without bothering to turn around.
"Huh?" Ginny deadpanned, with her jaw dropping. Sanaki's smile fell away as she felt a chill go down her spine. Ah, no. Don't do it. I swear, if you-
"She should instead take that whistling talent to new heights, and start a band!" Kaito declared dramatically, while pointing to the sky. He turned his head and grinned at Sanaki, who facepalmed in response. Even Ginny, who looked like she was about to kill if Sanaki wasn't complimented, was slightly taken aback by the absurdity of his response. "Hell, let's get Rein to join in with his drumsticks and then there would be nothing stopping my boy and girl from taking the music world by storm. We could get Bridgitte and her brothers to give them some pointers as well-"
"We're here," Zen's bored voice called out. It was about an hour hike to the nearest train station from Confiére. Something that all the guild members were content and happy with, most of their jobs were within a walkable distance, or could be traveled by carriage. Rarely, did they have to take the train, unless it was an S-Class request, or a general high-profile job.
It was peak hour, so there were a decent amount of people also at the station, however, the boarding process was smooth and no delays had to be called for.
They eventually settled down in the bedroom car, with a cubicle of two bunk beds that they had reserved. They were currently still seats with a table, but both could be unfolded into beds. Their destination was all the way in Clover Town, which would take at least half a day to reach, if the train was completely punctual and that there would be absolutely no delays.
"I call top!" Sanaki squeaked in excitement as if she was a little girl again, having a flash of nostalgia to a bygone era. She secured her ring in her denim jacket and threw her bag onto the upper compartment.
"Oh! Me too!" Ginny piped in, taking the top bunk across from Sanaki. Zen didn't say anything, but very peculiarly claimed the bed under Sanaki. By process of elimination, Kaito settled under Ginny.
Kaito melted into his seat and sighed. "It's gonna be a long ride to Clover Town, all the way near the border with Bosco, better get comfy guys!" Sanaki noticed everyone start to relax after the long hike, even Ginny surprisingly, despite matching her energy a minute earlier. "You take some rest, Sanaki. You must be tired as well." Kaito's comedic demeanor fell away a little and his warm, fatherly side came out.
"I don't know," Sanaki jumped up, stretching her limbs, and bobbing up and down. "I feel pretty good right now. I think I'll explore the train. It's been a while since I've been on one. Do you want to come with me Ginny? Zen?" Ginny didn't respond, her legs crossed and chin rested in her palm as she stared out the window. Zen simply shook his head. Sanaki relented, immediately knowing not to bother Ginny for the time being.
"Then don't get lost and embarrass us!" Kaito waved at her with an eye smile.
"Oh, shut up," Sanaki rolled her eyes. "I'm not Rein." With that, she left the cubicle and began to explore the train.
—oOo—
Reinhardt followed Enju out the door. His mother went to check the door. "Guys!" Reinhardt called out, while rushing down. "You know we have an outsider in our infirmary, right?." They all looked at each other in doubt, some outright unhappy. "Mom is requesting us to keep his stay a secret from the Council. If they ask, tell them that he has simply moved on." Reinhardt thought it would be more credible if he said that Enju requested it, instead of Haruto himself.
To his relief, someone stepped forward and stood next to him before anyone could actually voice their thoughts. Everyone seemed to relax and calm down in her presence. She held a sort of authority and ethereal aura about her, nowhere near as much as an Enju, but it was still something.
She wore a gray, sleeveless gown with ocean wave patterns on it along coupled a lighter-colored vest over the top. She had waist-length, wavy, light-brown hair that was in a half-up style. Sharp, silver eyes scanned over her guildmates.
"I concur with Mistress Enju," she said. "Regardless of what you may think. He saved people's lives, including my mother's. He also has not shown any evidence of ill intent. I personally have tended to him, and he will need to remain here until he is fit enough to travel. The bare minimum we can do in return is to make sure he doesn't meet any unnecessary trouble." Everyone was quiet. "You don't have to like him, you don't have to interact with him if you don't want to. Treating him with some basic courtesy is all that's needed."
Enju clicked her tongue, "If there are no objections, then I will go meet the Council… I hope you are all doing well, I promise we'll get through this." She took a deep breath and headed outside. The guild members then dispersed to do their assigned duties in the aftermath of the battle.
"Rhea," Reinhardt walked over to her. "He's awake now, if you want to go check up on him." Rhea's attention was now on him.
"Is he now? How is he?"
"Fine I guess, but very weak physically. The symptoms seem to be exactly what you said they would be, but you'll probably understand better than me."
"Wonderful, I'll do that then." a small smile appeared on her face. She turned around to head up to the infirmary, but was approached by someone else. He had long, gray hair in a ponytail and almond-shaped rusty, yellow eyes. He wore an elegant, red shirt over a haori with purple leather pants adorned with golden buttons.
"Let me accompany you. You probably shouldn't be up there alone with a stranger," he said.
"Even if he had some sort of ill-intent, he is physically incapable of doing anything," Reinhardt reasoned.
"Still, she shouldn't be up there alone," Thelonius stood his ground. "I know you fought with him, Reinhardt, but I'd like to observe him with my own eyes." Reinhardt knew he wouldn't budge and relented. Thelonius was extremely defensive of the guild, so it was natural that he would be wary of Haruto. "Besides, if the Council is here, then I can't stay," Aah that's right. "So I'll be killing two birds with one stone." With that, he followed after Rhea.
Reinhardt then went over to the guild kitchen to find a meal for Haruto, but he was surprised to see Freya occupying the space.
"Freya? What are you doing here?"
"Everyone is busy right now, so I thought I would make myself useful," she answered. "You're welcome to help yourself. Take some up to Shizuka as well."
"Oh, well thank you," Reinhardt replied hesitantly. He noticed that she was furiously cooking, laser-focused on the task in front of her. "The inn…"
Freya paused and she closed her eyes, sorrow crossing her face.
"I can't even return right now if I wanted to. The ice is still covering everything," Reinhardt felt a lump in his chest as it suddenly dawned on him what had happened. Freya's inn had existed since before the guild was even founded. It grew to become a symbol in the town. He remembered playing there with Sanaki and Rhea when they were young children. To see it be gone… just like that. Reinhardt almost felt a piece of him die away.
"Rhea… She doesn't seem that sad about it. Have you noticed?"
"You know how she is," Freya told him. "I'm sure you know how she actually feels." She sighed regretfully. "That is one of her issues, though I only have myself to blame for that." Reinhardt decided not to dwell further on that topic.
"How are you going to deal with the ice? I'd help, but I can't do anything about it unfortunately," Not strong enough yet. Reinhardt unconsciously flexed his fingers. "Have you tried asking for the council's help? Maybe they could do something about it."
"Enju said to interact with them as possible, and I agree with her. Who knows what they could do," Freya said. "You know that they are not exactly the most trustworthy group."
"I guess you're right..."
"I only have access to the part of the storage room, thanks to him. As for the rest, I contemplated asking Mei to break the ice, but he'll probably end up destroying everything inside," Freya continued. "I'll have to consider who else might be able to break it. If no one else is up to the task, then I will ask Kenzaki for his help. Once he has recovered of course."
"Right, speaking of which-"
"I heard," Freya interrupted. "Don't worry about it, I'll make something special for Kenzaki, considering his condition. I'll take it up to him when I finish."
"In that case," Reinhardt loaded a plate of sandwiches and a bowl of soup. "Thanks again, Freya!"
"My pleasure," she looked up at him. "I heard you took quite a beating. Eat as much as you want and get plenty of rest."
He went up the stairs again, but instead of going into the infirmary, he went outside to the second floor balcony, and took another flight of stairs further up that wrapped around the main trunk. His thoughts were lost in the recent battle and his legs felt weak and light at the embarrassment of how he had performed in it. Why me...
Above the main building of the guildhall, several bridges and stairs were built around the massive tree to make it easier to travel across it. Of course, it was done in a way where it wouldn't ruin the view and the constructions basically blended into the background. A couple of his guild mates actually resided up in the branches, essentially treehouses, in order to stay close to protect and maintain their home, including him and his family. It was almost like a mini residential complex up in the tree, though only select people were allowed to stay.
He was headed to one of them right now, and eventually approached a large room situated on two massive branches as a foundation. A girl came into view on the porch of the small house. She wore an apron and leather gloves as she was doing some gardening.
"Shizuka," Reinhardt crossed his arms.
"…Rein." The girl said, without looking at him. "You're okay…"
"Of course I am. I came to see if you're doing alright, but it looks like there's nothing to worry about," he smirked. He walked over and put the food on an empty wooden table on the porch. "Special delivery from Freya."
"Thank you," Shizuka Drakengard replied. She was their sister in everything but blood. Formerly Shizuka Eien, she was found washed ashore, unconscious, a year after the guild was founded. Her island home had been destroyed, and she was the only survivor. Alone and with nowhere to go, Enju and Kaito adopted Shizuka and raised her alongside the twins. However, she was always quite distant from the rest of the family, despite their to include in their as much as possible. They also grew up with Rhea, who was a few years older than the three of them. She had chest-length brown hair that was mostly straight, but curled toward the ends. She wore a small, sleeveless red vest that exposed her midriff, along with a black skirt and black-laced boots.
"Where were you when the attack happened?" Reinhardt asked.
"Here."
"The whole time?"
"Yes." She wasn't one for many words.
"How is it?" He ran his hand over the wood. "No damage came this way right?"
"No thankfully. There were attempts, but Enju and Toyuki easily dealt with them," she then finally turned her attention to him, dark green eyes boring into him. "That fire." She suddenly said, "Where did it come from?"
"Fire? It came from a mage who assisted us in the fight. He collapsed from Magic Deficiency Syndrome, so he's in the infirmary right now," Reinhardt explained. Shizuka's eyes widened and she stood up abruptly, her table shaking and pots wobbling, nearly knocking over the plants.
"I want him gone," she said bluntly. Reinhardt was taken aback by her sudden reaction. Shizuka looked alarmed and was shaking in fear. He rushed forward and pushed his hands on her shoulders comfortingly.
"What's wrong? Did the fire scare you?" She didn't respond. "Don't worry, no one was hurt except for the dark wizards," That didn't seem to reassure her as she continued to look around aimlessly, eyes wide with fear. Perhaps, this was her trauma being triggered? She was very quiet about it, but they knew it involved an explosion and fire.
"It's not normal, those flames," Shizuka murmured. "The fire is dark… and violent..."
Reinhardt stared at her with wide eyes. Whenever she made statements like this, it was not to be taken lightly. Well we really don't know anything about him, but what else can we do? Reinhardt sighed, "Whatever it is, he can't use them now." Immediately, Shizuka relaxed, and she began to take deep breaths. He stepped back and removed himself from her once he could confirm she was alright.
"How long until he leaves?" she then asked.
"I don't know. Rhea says he needs to stay for at least a week. He's unable to even stand," Reinhardt admitted.
"A week..." Shizuka repeated, starting to look nervous again.
"Is Toyuki here?" He decided to change the topic. "I know she was involved in the fight."
"No. Gone. Probably doing her usual thing," Reinhardt crossed his arms and looked around. "Where are Sanaki and Kaito?" She asked.
"They left for a special S-Class assignment. Ginny and Zen are with them." There was a moment of awkward silence, before Reinhardt decided to end it right there. "I'm not sure I fully understand your problem with Haruto, but if it helps, I probably wouldn't be here without him," He said wistfully. It shouldn't have had to come to that point in the first place.
"Haruto?" she asked curiously.
"That's his name, Haruto Kenzaki."
"Haruto… Kenzaki…" She repeated slowly.
"Well, come on," Reinhardt sat down and patted the bench beside him. Shizuka waited a moment before she finally obliged. She removed her apron and gloves, cleaned her hands, and they began to eat together.
—oOo—
Haruto contemplated his next moves. If this was Magic Deficiency Syndrome, then what had happened was not what he thought it was. Good, he would rather not receive anything more from that. He decided to simply keep to himself as much as possible until he could at least walk, and attempt to slip out undetected. That woman, Enju, despite her change in attitude, made him very uneasy. The sooner he left, the better.
Haruto flexed his fingers, they felt mostly fine, but he could feel a very faint fatigue. Footsteps approached, and he looked up to see a young woman in a dark gray gown followed by a stern-looking man in formal attire. The woman looked to have some sort royal, regal aura about her. She walked over to Haruto and placed a medical kit on the nightstand next to him, while the man remained by the door and leaned against the wall.
"Reinhardt informed me that you're awake now," she flashed a warm smile at him. The man next to her remained silent and watched him with a hawk's gaze. "I am Rhea by the way, the guild's Medicinal Advisor. I was the one who looked you over while you were unconscious." At those words, alarms flared up within him. What exactly did she do? He hoped it was only a surface level examination and nothing too deep.
"I see," Haruto dipped his head. "Then you have my gratitude."
"Oh please! What I did was the absolute least I could do for you, especially since you saved my mother," Rhea waved off his thanks. Haruto raised an eyebrow at that. He took a momentary glance at her and it clicked immediately. She was the daughter of that inn lady, Freya. "Your name is Haruto Kenzaki, right? Though I heard you prefer to be called by your last name."
"Yes."
"Haruto it is!" Making him furrow his eyebrows in confusion. "So, now that you're finally awake, I'd like to do a proper examination, if that's alright with you."
"Very well." As much as he wanted to, he couldn't refuse it. He didn't want to make these people anymore unnecessarily suspicious than they needed to be.
Rhea started asking several questions about how he was feeling. He decided to confess his lack of knowledge of the sudden fire that had erupted around him. No point in lying about it when he had already revealed it to Enju. She then started checking his heartbeat and vitals, the usual. She asked him to try standing, to which he hesitated, but did it anyway. Of course, his knees immediately buckled, but luckily Rhea was able to catch. She was stronger than she looked, and lifted him back up onto the bed. Her touch was gentle and soft over his rough, scarred, and calloused skin, and when she ran her hands over it, a light blue glow would appear. He felt something cool and slimy come from there. Rhea then explained that her Water Magic, Naiad Blessing, had healing capabilities, and that she was manipulating it with Hydrokinesis. It actually healed his hands a little, but the scars were still very visible.
Throughout the whole interaction, Haruto immediately noticed that her silver eyes not once matched her cheerful demeanor. He was able to formulate a good idea of what type of person Rhea was.
Following… certain experiences, Haruto learned to be more analytic when interacting with others. They say eyes are the window to the soul. Not literally, but there was some truth to it regardless.
Eventually the check-up was complete, and fortunately, it was nothing more than a surface-level examination. Unfortunately, Haruto did know what went down while he was unconscious.
"Well," Rhea removed her stethoscope and began to pack up all of her instruments. "Everything seems to be fine with you. All the symptoms you have, like weakness and fatigue, are exactly to be expected of Magic Deficiency Syndrome. Plenty of rest, plenty of food and you'll be fine within the next several days."
"Is there anything else I can do to recover quickly?" Haruto decided to ask. The man by the door looked at him, but continued to say nothing. "With respect, I would like to leave as soon as possible." Rhea's smile fell and she looked at him for a few seconds, before turning and looking at the man behind her.
"I see… So that's how it is," she sighed. "However, the best way to recover from your condition is to naturally allow your body to regain ethernano. There are medicines and spells to speed up the process…" Her voice drifted off, as if hesitating. "If you really insist, then I will see what I can do." Rhea finished repacking her medical kit and headed toward the door. She looked at the other occupant in the room.
"Are you staying here?"
"Someone needs to watch him," the man replied. "...And you know…" His eyes darted down. Rhea nodded and departed from the room. A silence followed, Haruto shuffled and leaned against the bed frame. He was not a fool, he knew why that man was there, and the man knew that he knew as well. Haruto did not want to start anything, so he simply laid there and stayed silent. However, soon after, the closing of the door jerked himself back to reality. "It seems that the head of the Council's Rune Knights has entered the guildhall. We have been instructed to refrain from allowing them to find out about you." Haruto simply acknowledged his words with a nod. "Reinhardt seems to be very trusting of you. While I appreciate what you have done, I must say that it all seems too convenient," the man's eyes narrowed. "I am Dalai Bao, by the way."
I know who you are, Thelonius Draigar, Haruto thought to himself.
"Whether anyone trusts me or not, I do not care," Haruto replied.
"Those who are neutral are even more dangerous," Thelonius shot back. "They have no morals to back themselves up by."
"I have morals, but those who only stick to one side will always be chained and never free."
"Ironic coming from someone who uses chains to fight," Thelonius raised an eyebrow.
"If you know how to use them, then they are a tool, a tool to weaponize your burden," Haruto said.
"...This guild is our everything. Not once have we ever suffered an incident like this. This is among the most peaceful places on Ishgar," Thelonius said slowly. "I will be watching you very closely. If I sense even one thing off about you…" He let his drift and left the end of the sentence up to Haruto's imagination. Haruto scoffed inwardly, now he was glad to have avoided the Council.
"Nothing is off about me?" Haruto asked.
"...Rhea is correct, of course you are a suspicious figure, but you have not actually shown any evidence or signs of ill-intent," Thelonius said. "That is what I am referring to."
Haruto suddenly sensed something and jerked his head toward the window. He heard the ruffling of leaves and managed to catch what looked like white rabbit ears. Thelonius let out a snort. His expression didn't change, but he sounded strangely amused.
"Pardon me," a familiar female voice sounded. The door opened to reveal Freya carrying two trays of food. One significantly larger than the other. Haruto's usually neutral expression fell a little at the amount that was on the larger tray. "My apologies. I would have come up earlier, but I couldn't risk allowing the council to find out about you. Their leader has just left to retrieve that criminal who attacked us." Right on cue, Haruto's stomach grumbled loudly. He closed his eyes slowly, sucked in a breath, and then opened his eyes. Freya smiled and chuckled.
"Perfect timing then. This is all for you, Kenzaki," she said. "I put in special herbs and spices to help you regain your strength as soon as possible." She placed the big tray on the nightstand. The scent filled the room and Haruto, admittedly, was very eager to try it, but withheld himself. "Rhea told me you were up here. This is for you, Thelonius," she placed the second tray on one of the tables.
"Thank you, Freya-" He froze, staring wide-eyed at her. Freya looked confused for a second, before gasping and covering her mouth. They both looked at Haruto, who decided to play fool and pretend he hadn't heard that. He pretended to have been focusing on the food instead of listening to their words. He finally looked up and stared back at them.
"What?"
"Did- Did you not hear what I said?" Freya asked.
"No." Thelonius glared at him.
"Don't play coy, you're not foolish enough to let something like that slide. You most certainly heard what she said," he hissed. Haruto saw no point in continuing the act, so he leaned back and crossed his arms.
"Why did you say your name is Dalai Bao?" Haruto asked.
"It is a pseudonym," Thelonius confessed.
"Why do you have it?"
"That… is none of your business," Thelonius said flatly. Haruto didn't push it, he already knew the full story anyway.
"I'm so sorry," Freya clasped her hands together.
Thelonius rubbed his nose. "Do not worry, I understand that it has been a rough day for you," He reassured her, before looking back to Haruto. "As we are hiding you from the Council, I ask in return that you do not reveal to anyone Dalai Bao's real name."
Haruto shrugged his shoulders, "very well." They sat there silently for a few moments.
"Don't be shy, Kenzaki," Freya spoke up. "I made that just for you." Haruto glanced at the food, it was extremely enticing, but still he hesitated. "If it helps, I would be offended if you didn't have it." Slowly, Haruto grabbed a sandwich and took a small bite. His eyes widened, signifying the first reaction he had visibly shown. It was… amazing! He also realized that this was a fish sandwich. He usually tried to avoid seafood… however... He quickly took another bite, a bigger one this time and closed his eyes as a short burst of nostalgia flashed throughout his body. Freya smiled at the scene as Haruto quickly scarfed down the first sandwich. Not only was it amazing, but he had forgotten how hungry he was. "You too, Thelonius."
"Thank you," Thelonius bowed his head and began to dig in as well.
"Enju asked me to remain here in case the Council decides to examine the guildhall," Freya explained. "In the case that they come up to the infirmary, we're to move him up through the hatch."
"Understood," Thelonius nodded. Freya grabbed a chair, moved it close to the bed, and sat down. Haruto paused his eating and looked up at her.
"Relax, you can continue eating," she told him. "You don't have to worry about being rude, we're pretty friendly here… mostly."
"I value manners," Haruto responded flatly, taking a napkin and silkily wiping his fingers. Freya just chuckled and shook her head. A faint sound of footsteps sounded, alerting the three of them in their room. Freya moved to the edge of the bed, getting ready to move Haruto if needed. Thelonius stood up immediately and made his way to the door and slowly opened it. His stance immediately relaxed once he saw who it was. He opened it further to reveal Reinhardt and some girl with him.
"Hey, Dalai," Reinhardt greeted him. "My mother called us down as the Council's squad was about to leave. I just wanted to check on Haruto." Thelonius looked at Haruto, then back at Reinhardt.
"He is fine." However, Haruto's attention was on Reinhardt's female companion. The girl was staring at him with wide, fearful eyes. She met his gaze, flinched at his look, and quickly left. Reinhardt turned his head in the direction that the girl had left and sighed regretfully.
"Well, get well soon," He grinned at Haruto, before leaving. Thelonius closed the door and took one last critical look at Haruto, letting him know he had noticed the girl's reaction, before sitting down to continue his meal.
"As I was about to say… I realized that I never formally thanked you for what you did," Freya grabbed his hands and held them together with her own. Haruto was slightly taken aback by her sudden action, but didn't do anything. Her hands were strangely warm and comforting.
"I do not need thanks," he bowed his head, feeling extremely uncomfortable by the touchiness.
She sighed, "I would also like to apologize for being too judgmental of you back then."
"I do not mind," Haruto said. He gently pulled his hands back and turned his gaze toward the window to see Coldstar in chains, being taken away by the Rune Knights. His voice suddenly turned cold. "Never assume the best in someone."
—oOo—
Enju stood outside the guildhall with the Captain of the Rune Knights, as Coldstar was being led away.
"Lastly," Lahar said. "I would like to inquire about the person who defeated Coldstar. I understand that Reinhardt Drakengard was directly involved in the fight, but another joined in and they were the one to defeat him.
"Yes, there was," Enju nodded. "However, they left as soon as the fight concluded. Likely took advantage of the chaos to slip away. It is to my understanding that they are a bounty hunter, one that is known for wielding chained blades." Lahar readjusted his glasses and narrowed his eyes at her, before nodding.
"Correct. Beyond the chained blades, our intel has confirmed that he is also well-versed in the Iron Fist," Lahar added. Enju's eyes widened in shock. She thought Reinhardt was exaggerating with his description of Kenzaki's fighting style, but no, with this revelation, he had to be telling the truth. "Furthermore, it seems he is moving west, and is looking to curve up north."
"Pardon?"
"A trend of rumors over the past couple of years supposedly tells us that this bounty hunter is most certainly not from Fiore. He may have come from the east, possibly as far as the Pergrande Kingdom," Enju sucked in a sharp breath. "The fact he has trained in the Iron Fist is further proof of that."
"I see…"
"The records tell that you are a Trueblade. It seems the real strongest swordswoman in Fiore was never Erza Scarlet while she was still alive." Lahar scoffed. "I assume you are familiar with the Fist styles." Enju was silent and lost in thought, neither confirming or denying the assumption. "Well, I believe we are done here," he nodded. "I do hope you can rebuild quickly. This is quite a beautiful town."
Enju bowed politely, "Thank you for your assistance." Lahar ordered his Rune Knights to pull out. She watched them leave until they were out of sight. Eventually, Rhea popped her head out of the guild doors.
"Enju," she called, making Enju around. "Are they gone?"
"Hopefully, but I wouldn't put it past them to try something. That Lahar is extremely sharp," Enju remarked.
"Well, I examined him again," Rhea said, referring to Kenzaki.
"Let's talk up in my office." Kaito and Enju both shared an office as Guild Master and Deputy Guild Mistress, which also doubled as a place to get some alone time if they wanted it. The office, while connected to the main guildhall, was constructed as a separate building on its own with a balcony that led up to the numerous paths among the tree.
Once entering the office, Enju sat behind the large mahogany and Rhea settled across from her. Numerous pictures of Reinhardt and Sanaki from birth to adulthood lined the walls. Trinkets and souvenirs from their travels were displayed all over as well.
"So, tell me. What is your evaluation?"
"His symptoms are exactly what I expected. Nothing to worry about," Rhea then slipped a piece of parchment, her expression serious and calculating. "I'm not sure what you wanted from this, but I did what you asked," she said. "I believe he suspects something, but doesn't actually know what."
"That's fine," Enju grabbed the parchment and slowly unfolded it. Her stomach was broiling in anticipation, until her expression deflated and she let out a deep sigh. "Negative…"
"Enju?" Rhea asked hesitantly.
"Yes, my apologies," she cleared her throat. "There is nothing to worry about then. Thank you Rhea." She held the parchment over a candle and watched it burn to ash, and then discarded the remains. "I will notify Kaito about this when he returns. However, I ask you to tell nobody what you did. Nobody. In fact, just forget this ever happened." Enju put a little force and intensity in her voice to get the point across.
"I… understand," Rhea said slowly. Her expression held some confusion and shock. Enju smiled comfortingly.
"I will handle Kenzaki if anything happens. Get some rest, Rhea. You and Freya are always welcome to stay with us. I am sure Shizuka will also be happy to let you stay with her if you prefer that," Rhea nodded.
"I will take you up on that then," Rhea stood up and made her way over to the door. "One last thing," she said, perking Enju's attention. "Kenzaki seemed very eager to leave, even asked me if I could speed up his recovery beyond simple rest. I don't know what happened when you were talking to him. However, I have a good hunch that he is not acting like this, just because that is his nature." With that, Rhea took her leave.
Enju looked down at her desk. Rhea always seemed wise beyond her years, both physically and socially, a testament to a stunted emotional growth she had to deal with growing up, which also led to her locking herself away.
Whatever the case may be, she wanted Kaito and Sanaki back now. She needed her husband's reassurance, and had the sudden desire to keep her children near her.
—oOo—
"Hey! Are you guys awake?" Sanaki piped up, coming back to their compartment after going on her little detour. Ginny and Kaito were in deep sleep next to each other. Ginny's head was up and Kaito's was down with a hat over his face. Zen was simply staring aimlessly in the distance.
At Sanaki's words, Ginny awoke from her sleep and Zen turned his head to her.
"What? Sanaki?" Ginny rubbed her eyes, Kaito continued snoring softly beside her, showing no sign that he was awake.
"We're in Oshibana!" Sanaki pointed out the window, showing that the train had indeed stopped. "They say it's a maintenance inspection, and that we'll be here for at least 30 minutes.
"Oshibana?!" Ginny sputtered. "But that's so close to Clover Town. How long has it been since we left?"
"11 hours maybe? I don't know, I lost track," Sanaki shrugged.
"What the hell have you been doing this whole time? Have you been messing around for 11 straight hours?!" Ginny pointed to her in shock. Sanaki just continued to smile innocently. "You're a monster…" Zen coughed slightly, drawing Ginny's attention to him. "And you! Have you been sitting like that this whole time?!"
"Yes."
"No you weren't."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"Stop lying."
"Shut up."
"Yes-" Ginny groaned and facepalmed herself. Since her reverse psychology was unsuccessful on Zen, she turned back to Sanaki.
"Was he awake this whole time?" Ginny asked.
"Maybe? I don't know," Sanaki answered. "But anyways, you want to go outside for a bit? Get some fresh air? You're probably tired of being cooped up in here."
"Yeah, I'm down for that," Ginny got up and stretched, waving off the fatigue of sleep. Zen also stood up, signifying that he would join them. "What about Master Kaito?" Sanaki looked at her father, who looked to be in a deep sleep, letting out light snores and whistles.
"Eh, he's out," she waved her hand. "I don't think he's missing much anyway." While waiting for Ginny and Zen to gather themselves, Sanaki pulled out her ring and began fiddle with it again.
Once her companions were ready, the three of them left the train car and went outside onto the platform. There seemed to be no passengers getting off at Oshibana. They had either already gotten off at previous stops, or hadn't reached their destination yet. It was completely silent, except for the clanking of metal and murmurs of the mechanics doing their inspection.
"It's kind of lonely here, isn't it?" Ginny remarked. Sanaki's whistling was starting to become quieter and quieter as she looked up at the blank, dark sky.
"It's too quiet," Zen added, his eyes narrowing dangerously. The sound of the mechanics and tools had suddenly disappeared, with trace of them to be found.
It was nighttime by now, the moon was shining brightly down them, illuminating the area around them, outshining the dim, flickering bulbs of the station. The moonlight almost made it seem like Sanaki was glowing. Her mood had suddenly changed with shadows over eyes. Her whistling had halted at this point, making the silence cold and sharp. Her ring expanded to the size of a bracelet, split its layers, and landed perfectly, with both halves securing themselves around her wrists. She grunted, spinning around suddenly, and grabbing a dark figure by the throat and slamming them against a pillar. They slid to the ground, knocked by the sheer force of her action. One noticeable detail was that they had some sort of unrecognizable brand on their neck.
"An ambush," Zen growled, tugging back his sleeves. "I suspected this guild meeting would bring trouble." He jumped straight into the fight as more dark wizards made themselves known. Screams were heard from the train car as the passengers inside were finally alerted to the impending danger. Ginny rushed away to protect them, placing the task of defeating the hostile force on Sanaki and Zen. Her style was more suited to defense among the three of them.
While ducking and dodging, Sanaki removed her jacket and channeled magic into her bracelet, which began to glow. She inverted it and put it back on. Her skin-tight gloves started melt into her skin, imbuing them with power and energy. The presence of the moon only accelerated the process. She balled her fists and gritted her teeth, it was always painful and exhausting at night, especially when the moon shined. A dark purple liquid began to seep out of her bracelets and solidify into a diamond-like material in the shape of claws. Her jacket remolded itself into a lithe set of pauldron armor that covered her shoulders and biceps. The claws had finished forming, showing them to be a jagged, rough set of claws that extended all the way of up to her elbows, connecting with the armor.
A dark wizard tried to jump at Sanaki, but she slid to the side, dodging them. She then zoomed forward and up into the air with her right arm leading the motion with [Shokamiken]. It glowed a white purple and left an after image of her claws. She sunk her fist into the stomach of the attacker, lifting him into the air, grabbed them, and slammed them back down with her [Aerial Piledriver]. A quick blow to the neck fully knocked them out. A black aura with a purple hue had formed around her.
Contrary to her personality, Sanaki was quite… brutal when it came to fighting. A side effect of the excess ethernano her body absorbed as a baby, but was unable to handle. She wasn't feral by any means, but would occasionally go out of control sometimes, especially when it was a full moon. Fortunately, she had grown much better at controlling herself. However, due to the secluded and sheltered location of the guild, she was still still lacking in a very important element: experience. So it was a wonder why her father had awarded her with S-Class, when even her mother protested against it. She also didn't like the idea of being on different playing field than Reinhardt. Leaving him behind just felt… wrong.
Almost immediately, a beam of energy was shot at Sanaki, but she broke out of her trance and swiped a claw, dispersing the attack and again, leaving white, purple lines in the air where they had traveled.
Sanaki dashed forward toward the source of the beam. She jumped over his head, locking her legs around his neck in the process. Landing her claws on the ground, she thrusted her legs forward, throwing him into a crowd of his allies.
Not done with them, Sanaki began to charge up Magic into both of her claws and then ran toward them. She jumped with her body completely parallel to the ground and spun around like a corkscrew. They were all still rattled from her initial attack and could not dodge in time. Sanaki's [Spinning Needle] tore through the crowd of enemies.
Noticing that there were no more of them in the immediate vicinity, and that Zen seemed to be handling himself fine, Sanaki paused a little to catch her breath. The fact that she had not taken advantage of resting herself on the train, coupled with the moon being strong tonight, she was over exerting herself just a bit more.
But, she could not afford to let her guard down here. This was not the plateau anymore, the danger was very real. They were in east Fiore, close to the border with Bosco, an extremely corrupt and dangerous country whose fugitives often escaped into Fiore.
She flexed her claws and dashed straight back into the fight, her claws once again, leaving outline afterimages of itself.
—oOo—
These are just fodder. The grunts, Zen thought to himself. Where are their leaders? He was currently floating around in the air with the metal in his shoes being lifted with his [Magnetism] ability. He pounded his fist into his palm and flicked his to arms to the side.
"[Metal Make: Morgenstern]" he called out as a said weapon manifested and formed in his grip. The morgenstern, "morning star" as it was translated to, was a long metal shaft with a spiky ball attached to it with a chain. He zoomed forward on his floating shoes and began swinging around the weapon at the hostiles. One of them had the misfortune of having the ball slam straight into his chest, sending him flying into the wall. He wasn't aiming to the kill, so the spikes were somewhat blunted, but it didn't change the fact that they still drew blood. The tangy iron smell was all too familiar to him, but he didn't flinch and continued to knock the dark wizards down peg by peg. He only hoped this would not affect Sanaki, that girl, for all her strengths and abilities, was still quite sheltered. She had not seen what he had seen, or Ginny for that matter, despite the latter not ever disclosing her past. He knew exactly what he was looking at.
Starting to feel fatigue from constant use of [Magnetism], Zen cut his connection to the metal on his shoes and he nimbly landed down. The morgenstern followed, crushing the ground beside him. More dark wizards arrived and encircled him. He counted about ten. Thinking quickly, he knelt down. "[Boreas]" He blew ice with his [Storm Magic], freezing the spike ball on the morgenstern.
"He's down!" One of them yelled. "Get him!" They converged on Zen, but he used one last burst of strength using his [Magnetism] to launch himself up. While midair, he spun his body to give himself momentum and slammed the morgenstern on the ground. The ball exploded into tiny ice and metal shards, which struck and incapacitated the dark mages. There was a collateral damage in himself, but it was nothing he couldn't handle.
"Zen!" Sanaki called as she dashed over to him. "Your hurt," she gasped in worry, noticing his the tears in shirt and scratches on his arms.
"Worry later," He said. Sanaki looked like she wanted to protest, but relented and nodded under his intense gaze. Her usual jovial self was unrecognizable. Instead, her body was tensing up, she was gritting her teeth, and her eyes narrowed dangerously. While not the end of it, there seemed to be one last group of mages approaching them. These ones, while still not too impressive, seemed better than the fodder he was just fighting. Some were holding up barriers, while others wielded maker magics. Forming weapons out of their respective element. "Break the lights," Sanaki whispered. Zen didn't hesitate and obliged. While his vision was now obscured, he knew where his enemies were from memory as well as just listening to them.
Sanaki balled her right claw into a fist and it began to glow a violet hue. She was charging up a [Missile Punch]. Although he wondered how effective that would against a whole crowd of them if it's radius of effectiveness would only realistically work on one person.
"Give me a moment, hold them off for me," Sanaki requested. The purple glow was able to illuminate her slightly and he noticed a black aura swirling up from her feet. That immediately cleared his doubts and he nodded.
"[Metal Make: Leaf Storm]" He released one of his strongest, most exhausting attacks. He created and launched a constant barrage of leaf-shaped metal shards. He heard grunts and yells of pain, but it didn't seem to deter them that much.
"Keep going!" He heard of them yell. "He can't hold it up forever." Unfortunately, they were right. [Leaf Storm] was a very taxing move, due to the passive, yet constant flow of magic that was being channeled.
"On my mark... stop your- attack... and jump- back," Sanaki finally spoke up. Her fist almost completely covered by the ball of white, purple light engulfing his. Strings of black aura swirled from her legs and up to her right arm. She was visibly struggling, eyes half-closed, sweating dripping down, and her body trembling "...Now!" Zen halted the attack, and used another burst of [Magnetism] to launch himself away. "HAHH!" With a roar of effort, Sanaki pounded her [Missile Punch]. The black aura, which was in reality, her [Shadow Magic], followed her fist into the ground. The grunts of pain, turned into screams of pain as an explosion of [Shadow Magic] erupted from below them. Sanaki had used [Missile Punch] to channel power into the ground in order activate an explosive form of [Shadow Sneak].
Zen reached into his pockets and pulled out an emergency light lacrima. He threw it into the air, where it floated several meters off the ground. It had a higher luminosity than the station lights, so more of the area around them could be seen.
Sanaki panted heavily while clutching her right arm, the claw that she had used was smoking slightly. Her indigo hair was drenched with sweat. "Are you okay?" Zen asked her.
"I'm fine," she swallowed, exhaled, and nodded. "This area is cleared. Let's go help Ginny and see if my dad is there."
—oOo—
Ginny nimbly tore through a group of dark wizards, striking weak points, and throwing them against the pillars. She ran into several people who seemed to be more competent and were not taken down in one shot, however, she was still able to make quick work of them. If all the grunts taken out, then the stronger ones were starting to make themselves known. She headed into the closest door she could find. The screams, of them sounding very young, triggered. With a strong kick, she forced the mage out of the door and dashed into compartment where source of the sounds were. Civilians were on the ground, either tied or beat up, being held as hostages by four wizards. All of them were also branded with the strange runic symbol, which seemed somewhat familiar to her, but she couldn't put her finger on why.
One child, no more than five years old, was even being held up by a dark wizard, his parents huddling in the corner, unable to help their son. She narrowed her eyes dangerously and began to gather some sort of silver energy in her palms.
"Let them go," she demanded, her voice low and threatening. They refused to budge to and held up their fists. Immediately, Ginny sprung into action even before they had completed their gesture, catching off-guard. She had formed a [Psionic Spear] and threw it at them with immense strength, stabbing one of the dark wizards' shoulder and pinning them against the other side of the compartment. She followed up by grabbing one of the beams up in the ceiling and swung her legs forward, kicking another down. That one had been holding the child, who was then thrown up into the air.
Ginny caught the boy and activated a [Psionic Shield]. While she herself didn't need it, she absolutely would not risk the child's safety.
"[Psionic Sparrows]" She released a swarm of transparent, silver sparrows that began to assault the remaining dark mages in the compartment. Ginny dodged around hooks and kicks, and was able to make her way toward the boy's parents. Handing him to his mother, she urged the parents and the other hostages to the closest compartment door. "Go!" She pushed them in, leaving the compartment with only herself and the kidnappers. "How dare you…" Ginny's voice was dripping with venom. "You would dare harm an innocent child?" They flinched at the tone of her voice as they felt a sort of kill aura emanating from around her. "A child who should be living and enjoying life. You have probably scarred him for life."
"No one is innocent," one of them spoke up.
"[Psionic Bombardment]" she blasted the one who said that with a silver energy ball, creating a hole in the wall of the train compartment, where he was sent flying out. "He's just a child!"
She snarled. Feeling particularly merciless right now, Ginny halted on using magic, except for the silver aura around her hand and a long dagger in the other, which would enhance her attacks. Running forward she unleashed an assault of attacks intended on causing as much pain as possible, assisted by her limited ability in [Illusion Magic], before finally ending their suffering with a final blow that sent them into unconsciousness. Like Zen, she didn't hesitate to draw blood. It was the reality of battle, especially when you were trying to survive. She only hoped that Sanaki wouldn't falter at it. Stepping outside through the hole she had blasted, Ginny met up with Sanaki and Zen who had just arrived.
"Sanaki?!" Ginny gasped out in worry. Her friend was looking utterly exhausted, and then she realized that it was a full moon as well. Zen had minor cuts to himself, but she knew he could take care of himself. She rushed forward to Sanaki who right claw arm was trembling. Sounds of battle could be heard in the distance, near the front of the train. So, they weren't the only mages here, that was a relief. "Steady… steady… Take deep breaths, follow me."
"I… didn't realize- realize it would be a full moon today," Sanaki murmured. "I should've held back. Simultaneous [Missile Punch] and [Shadow Sneak] were too much." Ginny suddenly felt Zen tense behind her.
"Watch-!" He was suddenly blasted head on by a beam of white light with dark taints that he was unable to defend against, and was subsequently sent flying back.
"Zen!" Ginny screamed. Sanaki had also reacted. She stepped in front of Ginny, activating her [Wolf Guard]. A transparent, blue sphere surrounded her as held up her claws in a defensive position. Immediately, a second beam struck her shield, releasing a shock wave that forced Ginny to step back, but she couldn't keep her balance and fell onto her bottom.
Sanaki's defense was faltering as she was pushed back. Eventually, the beam of light ceased and she immediately disabled her shield, instantly falling to her knees, panting heavily. Her entire body looked drenched in sweat and she was dripping like a leaking faucet.
In the distance, a female figure was walking toward them. She was covered in a pure, white angelic aura. It was too thick to fully see what she looked like, but from Ginny's perspective, she looked to be wearing a long coat that reached her ankles and hair that was tied up in a loose, low bun. The female figure then threw something at Sanaki.
"Sanaki!" Ginny jumped forward and activated her [Psionic Shield], in an attempt to defend her. Whatever the items were exploded in a small burst. Sanaki looked up, seeing the after effects.
"Thanks!" she nodded to Ginny, who was looking on in bewilderment.
No, Ginny thought to herself. She was not the one who saved Sanaki. The thrown projectiles exploded before they had made contact with her shield. She didn't understand what happened, but she suspected it had something to do with the flash of lightning her eyes were barely able to catch.
At her failed attempt, and seeing Ginny ready to fight, the female figure halted her walk and stood before them.
"Ugh," she heard Zen grunting as he limped to their side. His clothes were torn and he was bleeding in several places.
"Zen," Ginny's and Sanaki's eyes widened at the condition of their friend.
"Focus on the threat," he growled.
"Where's my dad?" Sanaki asked.
"I don't know," Ginny responded. "But you know Master Kaito, he's probably just fine."
"How curious… Not many are able to take that head-on," Her true appearance was still obscured by the white aura. "Now, who might you three be?"
"It's polite to introduce yourself first before asking," Ginny said curtly, standing defensively in front of Sanaki.
"Haha!" the woman laughed, visibly showing it as well, seeing her body rupture with chuckles. "Unfortunately, I'm not that polite." Her voice sounded melodious, but also mockingly sarcastic at the same time. The way she held herself, while they were on the ground spoke volumes about her character. "However… I'll give you something… Oblivion."
"Oblivion?" Sanaki repeated. "What kind of name is that?"
"Were you the leader of those dark mages?" Ginny demanded, glaring at "Oblivion."
"Hmm…" she exaggerated a thinking pose. "Quite possibly so," Oblivion replied.
"Why?"
"'Why?'" she scoffed. "What do you take me for? A children's story villain who gives away their evil plan?" Oblivion laughed mockingly.
"So you acknowledge that you're a villain," Zen said.
"More than a villain. A monster! One of your lackeys harmed an innocent child. Poor boy is probably scarred for life!" Ginny hissed menacingly, standing up and gathering silver aura in her palms.
"A monster…" Oblivion's jovial tone disappeared. "I am a monster. I am a beautiful monster. A pure, beautiful monster... Now what were you saying again? One of my lackeys harmed a child?"
"What did you expect, launching an unprovoked attack on civilians on a train?" Ginny retorted. Her eyes drifted to the ground near Oblivion's feet on her right side, and recognized one of the wizards. The one who was holding up the boy. "That one!" Her voice turning back to a snarl at the sight of him. "He was the one who did that! He held up the boy and taunted his parents while at it," Oblivion followed her gaze, and turned her head towards one of her grunts on the ground.
"Tell me," Oblivion's tone was unreadable. She nudged the wizard with her foot, bringing him back to consciousness. "Is she telling the truth?" Ginny noticed Oblivion brandishing something in her hand, but she could tell what it was because that side was turned away from her.
"Y-Yes, Lady Oblivion," he whimpered.
"Stand up for me please," she ordered, voice strangely warm and comforting. "Where is your brand?"
"H-Here," the wizard showed the strange rune on the back of his right hand. In a flash, there was a blood-curdling scream as the hand was now replaced by a bleeding stump. Ginny and Sanaki, especially Sanaki, winced back in shock. Even Zen couldn't hide his surprise at what Oblivion had done, his eyes widening. A white magic circle appeared under him. It spun around for a few seconds before shattering and disappeared. The dark wizard clutched his stump of an arm screaming in pain as blood poured out of it, staining the stone ground with an expanding crimson color.
"Oh my- oh my- what in the-" Sanaki was shaking in fear and distress. Ginny and Zen could only stare as the sight threw them back into past memories.
"Do you remember who I am, Robin?" Oblivion asked, her tone still strangely motherly, despite absolutely fitting the context.
"M-My leader?" Oblivion sighed.
"How unfortunate," in one smooth action, she slit the throat of Robin. Blood burst out like a geyser. "I am Purity."
Sanaki screamed. Ginny and Zen grabbed her and tried to get away as far as possible. Robin audibly gurgled blood in his throat before he fell to the ground, dead. Oblivion flicked her weapon, a long silver dagger with a black handle. Blood splattered on the ground.
There was a burst of breaking wood behind the trio. Another one of Oblivion's wizards was sent flying out of the train and fell to the ground unconscious. Out stepped Kaito Drakengard. His carefree personality was nowhere to be found, instead replaced by a light glare. It was one of a warrior ready for battle, ready to protect.
"Master Kaito!" Ginny felt all the tension leave her body, as she finally relaxed for a brief moment.
"D-Dad…" Sanaki whimpered. "He-He's-" She pointed toward the Robin's dead body, and Oblivion staring at them. Her body still engulfed in the thick white aura, but one last detail was made visible to Ginny. A distant yellow glow near Oblivion's obscured face. Kaito flinched, which didn't go unnoticed by Ginny.
"Kaito…" Oblivion repeated. "Aah… I see who you are now. You're from that small guild on the Phénix Plateau." Kaito stepped forward and wrapped his around Sanaki comfortingly, who was shivering in trauma from the sight of Robin's death.
"Stay away," Kaito said softly. Yet, there was calm rage behind his voice. His gaze was fierce and sharp enough to make Oblivion think twice before approaching. He presence was like thunder, with the sky soon to be darkened by a storm about to be released. "Do not come near them." Oblivion crossed her arms, before suddenly turning around jumping to the side, dodging yet another white beam of energy. However, this one was smaller and more concentrated. "[Roar of the White Dragon]" They heard someone call out.
Footsteps approached as two people ran forward. A pair of blond and dark-haired males. The blond wore a sleeveless, blue fur vest that left his well-defined abs exposed. He wore long blue gloves that expanded past his elbows. A white logo that resembled a sabertooth cat was on his left shoulder.
His companion had medium-length black hair that covered one of his eyes. He wore a large black cape with gold lining that revealed a plain gray shirt and a sash around his waist where four long, protective waist cloths hung from. He wore armored boots and brown, leather wrist cuffs.
A maroon cat wearing a blue vest perched on the shoulder of the blond, and a green cat in a pink frog suit on the shoulder of the other.
"Twin Dragons of Sabertooth, Sting Eucliffe and Rogue Cheney," Oblivion stated, almost sarcastically. "I was wondering when you two would show up."
Twins Dragons?! Ginny exclaimed in her head. They were here the whole time? Were they ones fighting near the front of the train?
"Who the hell are you?" Sting demanded. Then he suddenly noticed Robin's dead body and his cut off hand. "Oh- ugh," his face scrunched up in disgust. The maroon furred cat on his shoulder looked like he was about to throw up.
"Sting-kun, look," he pointed.
"Don't look, Lector," Sting rubbed the cat's head.
"Frosch…" whimpered the cat on Rogue's shoulder. He pet the cat comfortingly and glared ahead.
"Sting," Rogue nudged him toward Kaito, Sanaki, Ginny, and Zen. Kaito stood up, leaving Sanaki to Ginny, with the latter wrapping her arms around her in a hug, trying to calm her down. Sting and Rogue stepped forward as Oblivion found herself approached by the three of them on both sides. Oblivion sighed and put her hands on her waist.
"Kaito Drakengard, a guildmaster, and the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth. Hell hath no fury like an angry parent," she twirled the dagger in her fingers. Bright, angelic wings sprouted from her back, shocking all of them. She floated several feet in the air, about to fly away. Kaito looked like he was about to Take-Over when she said. "I'll be seeing you again, Kaito!" Oblivion said playfully. "By the way, how is Conifére doing?" With that she zoomed off into the distance, quickly becoming a speck of light in the sky that was soon put out.
I will gradually introduce every guild member over the next 2-3 chapters. 14 characters is more than I planned for, so I appreciate your patience!
As for the OCs who did appear, hopefully I wrote them to your liking. Do let me know in the reviews!
Sanaki's moves are based on the Sonic the Werehog's from Sonic Unleashed, minus the whole stretchy arm thing. I have revised chapter 1 to include mentions of Rhea as well as the [Attack Name] format.
I was going to hold off on this until I got deeper into my stories, but I need a more direct line of communication than PMs on this site, so I have created a Discord server. Link is in my Tumblr (blog name is "bluecorallite"). You'll find it in the pinned post. If you are the creator of an accepted OC, PM me your Discord name, so I can verify it's you. Of course, you have no obligation to join.
Finally, my dumbass completely forgot to ask about the guild mark on the OC form. I know some of you did provide that info, and others didn't with no fault of their own. So would you all mind telling me that again? If you join the Discord, let me know there, if not, let me know in your review.
Rhea Nørgaard – AccurateGap1 (me)
Ginette "Ginny" Westalyn – QueenNox27
Zen Olliviere – RevolutionaryCleo
Shizuka Drakengard – Litini
Thelonius Draigar – Bluestar076