Ginny froze, and her heart began pounding rapidly. She turned around slowly to see Gerd von Falkenhayn looking at her, a sort of longing in his expression.
"W-Who is Lena?" Ginny stuttered, trying to play it off. Sanaki and Zen stared at the scene in confusion, while Kaito's expression was unreadable.
"You two," he snapped his fingers to Sanaki and Zen. "Go back to our room and start packing. Now." His tone invited no room for protest, and the both of them left. Surprisingly, Zen was the one who looked like he was hesitating, while Sanaki was making her way to the door. After a few seconds of staring at Ginny, he followed after Sanaki.
"Your name is Ginette Westalyn, daughter of Lena and Arik Westalyn," Gerd said. "You don't have to deny it, you look almost identical to your mother when she was around your age, aside from the eyes of course." He looked almost… sad.
"H-How do you know me? How do you know my parents? What do you want?!" Ginny glared hatefully at him. He was a von Falkenhayn, and why was he treating her with such familiarity? How-how dare he?
"I knew your mother when we were younger," Gerd said.
"What?!" Ginny spat, but also very confused. "You're from Stella-!" making sure to emphasize her hatred for that country, "-and she was from Bosco! How the hell would you know her? Prove it!" Gerd sighed, almost regretfully. He reached into his coat and pulled out what looked like a small tapestry that was folded up. He unfolded it and put it on the table. Kaito narrowed his eyes at it, while Ginny's eyes widened at the pictures of Karoline and Ludwig von Falkenhayn, along with their parents. It looked like a family tree. Why the hell would I care about his family tree?
The first picture that caught her attention was Karoline. She was definitely a beautiful woman, Ginny had to admit. Long, straight black hair, pale, flawless skin, and piercing blue eyes. She somehow felt too perfect. Her face had a neutral expression, but one that hid a lot. She was wearing some sort of military uniform with numerous stripes and badges on it.
Karoline
b. GY 582 – d. GY 615
Her lineage began and ended there. Ginny's gaze then moved to Ludwig. He had a sharp glare as he stared at the camera, and looked like an older, rougher version of Gerd with a neatly trimmed beard and mustache. There was also a sort of arrogance in his face as if he was looking down on the person taking the picture.
Ludwig
b. GY 580 – d. GY 689
"Why are you showing me this?" Ginny glared at Gerd. He simply put his finger on Ludwig's picture and began to trail it down his lineage with her eyes following it, until he finally stopped at a woman who looked almost identical to Ginny.
Lena
b. GY 738 – d. GY 771
My mother… tears gathered at the corner of her eyes and she rubbed her hand over her mother's picture. Ginny realized she had the piercing blue eyes of a von Falkenhayn, but thankfully had the light peach hair that Ginny had inherited.
"WAIT!" she suddenly burst out when it struck her what that was implying. "What the hell is this? Why is my mother on your family tree?!" Gerd simply stared at her, not saying a word. She turned to Kaito, who shared the same regretful expression. "Master Kaito…" her mouth quivered. "Please tell me… Please tell me, it's a lie…" Kaito remained silent, but he shook his head apologetically.
"I don't think he would lie about this," he finally said.
"I am sorry," Gerd said. "I could do a DNA test if you want. Your mother was my cousin, and a great-granddaughter of Ludwig, which makes you his-"
"Shut up!" Ginny snarled. "Don't-Don't say it. Don't you dare- No…" Her legs felt weak and she collapsed back into her chair, shaking, with tears streaming down her face. "No! It's impossible. That's not true. I'm not related to these- these-" She stared furiously at the tapestry. "These monsters…"
"...Lena and I were quite close to each other," Gerd finally spoke up, after giving her some time to process what had just happened. "Unfortunately, like you, she despised the idea of being related to Karoline and Ludwig-"
"'-Unfortunately?'" Ginny repeated, irony in her tone.
"-Because it soon got to the point where she couldn't handle it anymore," Gerd explained. "She used to use her unique looks to mask the fact that she was a von Falkenhayn, and it worked for a while until it got out who she was related to. Native Stellans at home are also not fond of them. Lena was bullied and then abandoned by her so-called friends. That was her breaking point and she ran away from home."
"To Bosco?" Ginny nodded sarcastically and raised an eyebrow at him. "Explain how she ended up in Bosco. Why in the hell would she go to Bosco?"
"Well, she used to tell me how much she wanted to leave and be free of her burden," Gerd continued. "Pergrande was one such place that she wanted to visit, as it had the least connection to Stella compared to the other nations on Ishgar. As such, when I grew older, I started to travel Ishgar. Pergrande was my first target, as I wanted to find her again. She had promised to send letters, but they never came. I spent over a year in Pergrande searching, but nothing ever came up. Of course, it is a massive country, but I thought I could find her at some point or another… but I eventually gave up."
"She wanted to go to Pergrande?" Ginny murmured. She briefly imagined what her life would have been like if she had grown up there instead. She wouldn't have lived in essentially poverty. She wouldn't have been essentially forced to join the military. She wouldn't have known and had to suffer the deaths of so many loved ones.
"I still passively looked for clues, but it was no longer my main priority. I remembered a child Lena used to be very close friends with before running away. They often shared dreams of freely exploring the world beyond Stella but were shackled by personal burdens. Unfortunately, I could not find that friend of hers. He mysteriously disappeared not long after she did, and so my search became nothing but a trickle... Until a few years ago," he said dreadfully. "I discovered what happened to her. This will answer your question." Ginny continued to glare at him, but dipped her head slightly urging him to go on. "Bosco spies have been trying to infiltrate Stella since the end of the Great Ishgar War," she winced internally. "Lena planned to sail around Iceberg and go straight to Pergrande, however, I believe she was lured to go on a different ship… A ship to Bosco. For what purpose? I can only assume it is revenge and pure sadism against the von Falkenhayns," Ginny's breath caught in her throat. "That is just a theory, but what I do know for sure is she was there, and was likely unable to escape. As part of my diplomatic duties, I visited Bosco and was granted access to their historical records and archives. I found out about Lena, who had married a man named Arik, and also adopted his last name of Westalyn. I was then…" Gerd rubbed his forehead. "...devastated to learn that she had passed away over 10 years prior, but I then also learned about you-" Ginny stood up suddenly and ran away.
—oOo—
Kaito watched Ginny stand up and run off, face covered by her sleeves with tears falling down.
Gerd sighed solemnly, "Are you her Guild Master?"
"Yes. My name is Kaito Drakengard," Kaito held his hand out to him to shake. Gerd looked surprised by the gesture, but accepted it nonetheless.
"Kaito?" Gerd furrowed his eyebrows.
"Anneliese," Kaito said.
"Pardon?"
"You know Anneliese, correct?" Kaito asked. "She is an old friend of yours."
"Yes… but how do you know her?" Gerd questioned.
"She was the nurse who delivered my children when they were born. She has remained friends with my wife and I since," Kaito explained. Gerd nodded in understanding.
"I recall now… she mentioned your name to me in passing one time."
"I owe her for saving my son's life," Kaito looked up at the ceiling, and closing his eyes to reminisce of that day, and the tragedy that had befallen her several years ago.
"She is a wonderful nurse. Many owe her for what she has done for them, it's only a shame that fate repaid her in the worst way possible…" Gerd said solemnly. "Now for Ginette," he motioned toward the door where Ginny went. "How much did you know about her?"
"I only know that she came from Bosco, and she used to work for their military," Kaito said. "This however…" He looked at the tapestry of the von Falkenhayn family tree. "I would never have expected this… She despises Stella and your family. She hates you all with a burning passion."
"I read what happened to her, before she disappeared from Bosco," Gerd stated. "I don't think she will tell you anytime soon, but as her Guild Master, you should probably be aware of it."
"Very well," Kaito agreed.
"After Lena died, Ginette was barely raised by her father, who neglected her out of depression. He soon passed from alcoholism, and Ginette became very close with a friend she had met at the military academy of Bosco, some woman named Lily, essentially being adopted by her. She was made godmother of that friend's child. At the same time, Ginette had accelerated through the ranks and had been promoted to their Black Ops division at a very young age. The contents of those missions were unfortunately classified to me. However…" Kaito narrowed his gaze. "I can hazard a guess as to what some of those may have entailed… Infiltration and spy work into other countries, especially Stella and Seven." Kaito pursed his lips and nodded. "However, soon after, her adopted family had suddenly died to a pillaging raid while she was on a mission. She never returned home and was declared a deserter." Kaito groaned softly, and rubbed his forehead. "I suspect foul play," Gerd stated, making him look up. "Percival Bellmont took a particular interest in her."
"Bellmont?" Kaito repeated.
"They were once one of the most prestigious noble families in Bosco prior to the First Trade War. The current Marquess is Percival Bellmont. It seems there were plans at some point to have Ginette be transferred there to be a guard, however, there were other motives besides that. There were rumors that Percival was enamored by her... if you catch my drift," Kaito nodded in understanding with a dangerous gleam in his eyes. "The Bellmonts also hold an ever burning hatred for the von Falkenhayns."
"Family war?" Kaito raised an eyebrow.
"When Bosco surrendered following the army's capitulation at Skyfall, Ludwig was the one to lead the occupation force into the country. He robbed and pillaged many treasures and artifacts from Bosco, including those of the Bellmonts. The Bellmonts lost much of their prestige and wealth, and the family gained a great disdain for mine. Percival… is nothing short of a psychopath, but he is still cunning. I met him in person. He is like a wild animal biding his time."
"Are you telling me…"
"I suspect he found out about Ginette's lineage through Lena and changed his initial plans for… something worse. The pillaging of her adopted family happened at an all too convenient time. I believe she also suspected this and fled the country when she could," Gerd laid down his hypothesis. "And thus ending up in your guild at some point."
"So, what do you want?" Kaito crossed his arms and looked critically at Gerd. "What is the point of all this?"
"I am not Ludwig, and I am not Karoline. I simply want to cleanse my family's name, so we do not have to live in the shadow of our ancestors, as well as trying to reconnect with lost relatives, like Ginette."
"She's happy in the guild. I can tell, the happiest she has ever been," Kaito laid the situation down.
"That is fine," Gerd smiled softly. "That is all I could ever hope for, for her to be happy." He reached into his coat again and pulled out a card, giving it to Kaito.
"What is this?"
"If she ever wants to contact me, for any reason whatsoever. Give that to her. I will probably be in Fiore for the next couple of months until after the Grand Magic Games."
Kaito accepted the card and put it away. "I recognize that you are not like your ancestors, but I still don't know whether to trust if you have any ulterior motives or not. You are a politician at the end of the day."
"Correct," Gerd nodded. "I am. I cannot really prove that my intentions are as pure as I claim other than through my actions."
"Why don't you just change your name?" Kaito asked. "Just be rid of the burden altogether."
"That is just running away from the problem, not solving it," Gerd said firmly. "Besides, if we did do that, others would accuse us of trying to bury the truth when they eventually did find out about our lineage. It may work in the short-term, but would be catastrophic when inevitably found out. Lena tried this and paid dearly for it. No, it is better for us to tackle the problem head on."
"Okay," Kaito could respect that. "Very well."
"Again, it is entirely up to you if you want to give that to her. You can decide if you want to trust me or not. I also ask that you keep quiet about possible foul play. If she cannot come to terms with her ancestry, then she is better off not knowing."
"Unfortunately, she may have to come to terms with it sooner or later," Gerd frowned at Kaito's statement.
"You know something… Something I do not," Kaito kept his neutral expression. "Fair enough, she definitely trusts you more than me."
"Let me ask you another thing," he said, and Gerd nodded. "You heard about the attack on the station last night, correct?"
"I was informed that the old symbol for sechs was used as their mark. I unfortunately, know nothing of this group, but I will investigate it. The fact that a secret guild or group of dark mages with a possible affiliation to Stella is not what we need right now. Of course, Fiore is rife with these groups, and a good portion of the violence has spread to Minstrel, but it is still concerning to me. Heavy biases against Stella still exist. This group could possibly be loyalists of the old rule trying to wreak havoc, but nonetheless, they need to be stamped out. We have had a rise in tensions with the Bosco border, suffering small border clashes and such. While, I think it is highly unlikely any major conflict will break out, as they are nowhere strong enough to do so, fixing these problems as soon as possible will set everyone's mind to rest."
"Do you know why that specific number may have been used?" Kaito asked. "Do you know of any significance?"
"Numbers can be used as symbols for a variety of things," Gerd shrugged. "It can represent love, just as it can represent sins and hatred. It can represent luck or misfortune. The spiral can represent the determination one must have to go through their journey. Many arbitrary meanings are simply made up for convenience's sake when it comes to numbers. We may never discover the truth unless they tell it to us, as it may have some very specific, personal meaning."
"Perhaps, but it's not something we should take lightly," Kaito stated.
"You are correct, and rest assured, I will look into it." Gerd looked around the now empty hall. "I think it is time I take my leave. I enjoyed this discussion, and I thank you for taking care of Ginette. I will perhaps see you around some other time… Kaito Drakengard. I will let Anneliese know that I met you, next time I see her." He turned around and headed toward the stage area where his entourage were. Kaito followed him, until he finally moved and exited the meeting hall.
—oOo—
Sanaki followed the crowd of attendees exiting the meeting hall. She was extremely worried about Ginny. She was always aware she had a mask, but it was now slipping off more and more as the day went along. Angry voices took her attention and she noticed Kagura and Minerva arguing with each other again a short distance away. Kagura was unsurprisingly the more hostile one, but even Minerva seemed mildly annoyed by something. Curious what was going on, Sanaki decided to walk over to them. Zen silently and nonchalantly followed.
"...maybe stop crying like a child who got her toys taken away, and you might see something come out of it," Minerva leered at Kagura.
"You dare compare my brother to a toy-"
"Hi!" Sanaki waved, catching their attention. "I just wanted to say goodbye before we left!"
"Oh, perfect," Kagura narrowed her eyes. "I have a favor to ask. May you answer this question for me?
"Uhh… sure?"
"Can you perhaps elaborate on why you thought I am the strongest woman in Fiore?" Kagura raised an eyebrow. Sanaki cupped her chin.
"To be honest, I've never seen you in-person, but the reason I said is because of the rumors and stories I heard about. You seem more dynamic and impactful whenever magazines like Sorcerer Weekly. Admittedly, I don't hear about Minerva as much, which is why I said that."
"So you wrote me off because of a bunch of rumors?" Minerva scoffed. "Naive again, thinking this fool is the strongest woman in Fiore." Kagura looked like she was about to argue again, but-
"What?" Sanaki tilted her head innocently. "Strongest overall?"
"Isn't that what you said?"
"I was just referring to regular guild mages when I said that, not everyone as a whole. Not overall," Kagura stared at her in confusion. Even Minerva had to do a double-take by her sudden statement. "I know how you both fight and… neither of you come close. Not even Erza Scarlet, if she was still around."
"Ex-cuse me?" Kagura repeated, looking even more bewildered, while Minerva narrowed her eyes at her dangerously.
"Close to who?" she said softly, a hint of a threat behind her tone.
"My mother!" Sanaki raised her hands happily, smiling like a child. "Without a shadow of a doubt. That title belongs to my Mom! My Dad is also about as strong as her! My parents are the strongest people that I know!"
"Who is your mother?" Minerva demanded.
"Enju Drakengard!" Sanaki patted her chest, her heart fluttering with affection. "The best mom in the world!"
Minerva scoffed, "I have never heard of her. What makes you think you just go and claim something like that?"
"...Unfortunately, I have to agree with Minerva," Kagura looked visibly appalled to be saying that.
"She can beat the both of you with one hand, quite easily," Sanaki nodded, a deadly serious expression on her face.
"Oh really? What's her magic?" Minerva was agitated by Sanaki's strange confidence.
"Wind Magic-"
"Wind Magic?!" Minerva scoffed, and she started to cackle loudly, covering her face. Kagura looked disappointed in Sanaki. "I was right when I said you were a naive, innocent girl. You think simple Wind Magic would-"
"You didn't let me finish!" Sanaki burst out, irritation in her voice. She was really not liking Minerva now. "She uses Wind Magic… and she's a Trueblade." Kagura's eyes widened to the point where it looked like they were about to fall out of their sockets.
"Say that again," she croaked out.
"She uses Wind Magic and is a Trueblade," Sanaki repeated, grinning innocently again.
"Aah-aah," Kagura was completely lost for words. "A living, breathing Trueblade… is your mother?"
"So?" Minerva stated nonchalantly. "What? Is this 'Trueblade' thing supposed to mean something?"
"If she is telling the truth, then we stand absolutely no chance," Kagura coldly scoffed. "Nothing short of a Wizard Saint, or someone of equivalent power, could ever hope to match a Trueblade."
"Lady Minerva!" They heard Rogue call out to her. "We are departing now. Master Jiemma is waiting for you."
"Hmph," Minerva's smirk reappeared on her face and she leered at Sanaki. "A shame you won't be in the Grand Magic Games, I would love to test your mother. This Trueblade..." She turned around and left.
"A real Trueblade exists… here in Fiore," Kagura looked at her fingers, flexed them, and whispered to herself, but loud enough that Sanaki could here. "Imagine if I could…"
"Something wrong?" Sanaki tilted her head in confusion. Kagura snapped out her thoughts and looked at Sanaki.
"Enju Drakengard is your mother's name?" she asked.
"Yes?"
"I see, thank you," Kagura nodded respectfully. "I must be going now. I will see you soon." She also departed, leaving Sanaki and Zen by themselves.
"Well Zen, I think it's time we headed back to the room. I hope whatever's going on with Ginny-" she paused when she realized that Zen was no longer there. "What the hell? Where did he go? I could've sworn he was here… He probably went back by himself," Sanaki scoffed to herself.
"Hey," she heard Kaito exiting the meeting hall by himself.
"Hey Dad!" Sanaki's face then turned to one of concern. "Where's Ginny? Is she okay?"
"What? You didn't see her?" Kaito furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
"What do you mean? Did she come out already?"
"She ran out of the hall a couple minutes ago," A knowing expression on his face. His daughter had likely gotten distracted by something.
"Oh!" Sanaki gasped and covered her mouth. "Oh, I can't believe I didn't see her. Let's go look-"
"No," Kaito held his hand out. "Let's give her some time to… come to terms with what she has just found out."
"Found out what?" Sanaki asked. Kaito sighed and ran his hand down his face.
"It seems that Ginny is descended from Ludwig von Falkenhayn on her mother's side. Gerd von Falkenhayn is her uncle, and knew her mother when they were young," Sanaki's jaw dropped.
"Are you saying…" she began. "That Ginny is related to the same people-"
"-Yes."
"-That essentially ruined her life-
"-Indirectly ruined at this point-"
"-and she hates with her everything?" she finished. "You're not screwing with me are you?"
Kaito snorted and looked at her seriously, "Does it look like I would joke about something like this?"
"No! It's just…" Sanaki put her hands on her hips, stared at the ground, and kicked a few rocks. "...cruel. That's just cruel irony, isn't it…?" She suddenly felt her back tingle and she glared without looking. "Don't." she whispered.
"...Fair enough," Kaito smiled cheekily. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, "Come on, let's go back to our room and get back home as soon as possible. Let's see how the guild is doing after the attack and whatever stupid antics Rein has been up to without you."
—oOo—
While Sanaki had been bragging about her mother, Zen had noticed Ginny running out of the meeting hall with tears streaming down her face. His eyes widened slightly, he knew that today had been a very troubling day for her, but what had just happened to her now? She went into the forest, and he decided to follow after her. As much as she irritated him, he didn't want to leave her alone like that. She was still his guild mate at the end of the day, so he decided to let Sanaki continue having fun annoying Minerva, and quietly slipped away.
He followed Ginny into the forest keeping a certain distance away. Far enough that she wouldn't notice, but close enough that he wouldn't lose track of her.
Eventually, Ginny seemed to get tired of running as began slowing down, until she collapsed against a tree. Zen watched her for a few minutes, trying to gauge her before making any kind of approach. He watched her furiously grab at the dirt and grass, sobbing profusely in anguish and strangely, anger. What is she so angry about?
Finally, he made walked forward and made himself known. Ginny looked up in surprise, her crying ceasing briefly, but tears were streaming down. This was… an ugly sight to him. Seeing a girl like Ginny broken down like this.
"What are you doing here?" she finally asked. She was now looking more embarrassed at being caught like this than upset at whatever had happened to her.
"I saw you running," Zen replied.
"Where's Sanaki?"
"...Occupied," he said. Ginny narrowed her eyes at him.
"Why are you here?" she asked. He hesitated on answering that.
"What happened in there? Did it have something to do with Gerd von Falkenhayn?" Rage flashed across her expression and rubbed her hand down her face. She suddenly pounded against the tree with a magic-covered fist, blasting a hole through it. Zen's eyes widened slightly and he stepped back slightly. "...Tell me, in your past. Whatever happened to you. Did it have anything to do with Stella? Or the Falkenhayns? Bosco?" His face scrunched up in confusion.
"Why are you-"
"Just answer me," she said sharply.
"...No," Zen muttered through gritted teeth, not wanting to be reminded. "Not that I am aware of. It is very unlikely though." Strangely, she seemed to relax and was relieved. She sighed and leaned back against the tree, looking up. "Why are you asking me this?"
"I wanted to see if I should tell you…" she closed her eyes in pain. He stepped closer.
"Tell me what?"
"That I'm a monster," she held her hands out at face-level and stared at him with an expression of such sadness and self-hatred that he had to do a double-take to make sure he wasn't dreaming or hallucinating.
"Why do you call yourself that?"
"Because I'm descended from monsters- No, worse. Devils. They would probably be the 8th and 9th Deadly Sins." What in the world was she talking about? He thought about it again, and it struck him who she was referring to.
"Oh," Zen slowly closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. "Is that why Gerd von Falkenhayn came up to you?"
Ginny scoffed, "My mother was the great-granddaughter of Ludwig von Falkenhayn. Gerd was her cousin. They knew each other when they were younger… Which means she used to be known as… Lena von Falkenhayn." The sheer hatred and venom dripping from her tone was like a blade grating against his ears. He simply remained silent, unsure what else to say.
"So what now?" He asked. "Are you going to keep this a secret? Why tell me?"
"Because you know when to keep your mouth shut, which is basically always," Ginny muttered, turned away from him, and ran her hands through her hair.
"So what will you do?" He repeated.
She scoffed, "I don't fucking know… I don't know anything anymore..."
"Do you really think you're a monster just because you're related to them?" Zen asked. "Because I don't think you are."
"Even then, you have no idea what I've done," Ginny glared at him, then laughed again. "But because I am, I guess it runs in the family… if you catch my drift." He met her gaze without backing down.
"You're scared of what they're going to think of you," she gave him an ugly look and tilted her head like she was annoyed at him for stating the obvious. "Sanaki won't care," he added.
"I love Sanaki, but she doesn't know anything," Ginny said begrudgingly. "…yet."
"Then that's even better," Zen said. She looked at him in confusion.
"What are you talking about? How is that better?"
"She is a blank slate. She is not tainted by past grudges or old conflicts," he explained. "Ostensibly, she is unbiased."
"Yeah, I don't think bias makes any difference," Ginny rolled her eyes. "This is pretty objective." She looked at him. "You don't care? You seem very calm about this."
"I'm not going to judge you for something that happened 200 years ago," He said flatly. "You are not them, are you?" He crossed his arms. "That is objective. We are the sum of our actions."
"It's never that simple," she spat out angrily. "The world is never so black and white, and my actions speak quite loudly for themselves. The Falkenhayns are nothing but a stain on this world. They breed evil. They breed monsters… like me," she laughed coldly. "I wonder what skeletons Gerd is hiding in his closet." She turned away for a moment, and flashed him a bright smile with a peace sign, as if nothing had just happened.
—oOo—
It was coming close to lunch hour. The scent from Yuriko's kitchen was starting to get stronger and stronger. It smelled so good that Reinhardt felt like just inhaling it would satiate his hunger. He had skipped breakfast and was completely starving at this point, but it was worth it. He stood back and observed his work with a smile on his face. Everything was now done.
Footsteps approached and Reinhardt turned to see Yuriko walking down with several rolls on a plate.
"Oh, hey Yuriko! I'm just finished up! What do you think? I didn't spill, and everything is in the right place!" Yuriko didn't respond. She put the plate down and began to walk around. Reinhardt's optimism faded immediately, and he felt butterflies in his stomach as she spent the next 10 or so minutes observing every nook and cranny. She eventually stepped back and looked at him, crossing her arms.
"Sloppy," she said. Reinhardt face faulted. "But well done. I just wanted the bags in here, as I always find myself organizing them out of satisfaction."
"...so, I pass?" Reinhardt said hesitantly.
"Correct," Yuriko nodded. She walked back over to the plate of rolls and held it out toward him. "I assume you didn't eat before coming here."
"O-Oh, thank you, but it's fine, I can-"
"You're paying me double anyway, so you can have these free of charge," she said.
"I can go back to the guild and get something. You should use those-"
"Eat." Yuriko stood her ground. A full frown was on her face, and she lightly glared at him. She was also standing in front of the doorway, which made Reinhardt wonder if she was going to prevent him from leaving until he ate the rolls. Slow and reluctantly, Reinhardt walked forward and took the plate from her. He grabbed a roll and took a bite. His eyes widened at the taste and he scarfed it down quickly. Satisfaction flooded Yuriko's gaze, she turned back toward the door and went back upstairs. "Finish eating, come up, and tell me what you want for the cake."
—oOo—
Toyuki quietly hummed to herself with a blissful smile as she sat on one of the branches with a lacrima player next to her.
[Secret Base – Anohana; re:TYE]
Koe wo kakete kureta ne "issho ni kaerou"
Boku wa terekusa sou ni kaban de kao wo kakushi nagara
(You called out to me, didn't you? "Let's go home together."
While I embarrassedly hid my face with my bag)
Seraphina. One of the most famous musical artists in the world. A singer who had even gained notoriety in the neighboring continent of Alakitasia, well known for its isolationist policies and lack of much contact with Ishgar since the end of the Dragon Wars. Though she would never tell anyone, lest her image be damned, Toyuki was an absolute fangirl for Seraphina, and meeting her in real life was one of her biggest dreams. However, duties to the guild simply kept her back, but she held no regrets for that.
Ureshiku tte tanoshiku tte bouken mo iroiro shita ne
Futari no himitsu no kichi no naka
(So happy, having so much fun, we had so many adventures
Inside the secret base that belonged to the two of us)
Did she have a crush on her? …No definitely not. She most certainly didn't have unholy thoughts stray into mind every once in a while.
Shiteita yo
Namida wo koraete egao de sayonara setsunai yo ne
Saikou no omoide wo...
(I knew that you screamed "Thank You" from the bottom of your heart till the very end.
A goodbye when you hold back your tears and smile is lonely, isn't it.
The best memories...)
"Seraphina" wasn't even her real name, just a stage pseudonym to mask her real identity. Despite being very publicly outward, she lived a private and secretive life. It wasn't even known what her country of origin was.
Kanashiku tte sabishiku tte kenka mo iroiro shita ne
Futari no himitsu no kichi no naka
(So sad, so lonely, we had so many fights
Inside the secret base that belonged to the two of us)
One reason why Seraphina was so famous across the world, was her innate ability to speak and sing in almost any language. Toyuki remembered listening to her in her family's native language when she was growing up.
Totsuzen no tenkou de dou shiyou mo naku
Tegami kaku yo denwa mo suru yo Wasurenaide ne boku no koto wo
itsumademo futari no kichi no naka
(There's nothing I can do about the sudden change of schools,
So I'll write letters, I'll call you, so please don't forget about me
Forever, inside the secret base that belonged to the two of us)
Toyuki continued to sway happily to the song. She had considered going out for a job, but because of the previous day's events, it was probably better for her to stay for the time being. Mochi was snoozing peacefully in her lap, and she slowly and sensually ran her hands across his fur.
"[Toyuki! Emergency!]" she heard Churro's loud squeak. Toyuki jerked into a sitting up position, which unfortunately woke up Mochi. She shut off the player and listened attentively.
"What is it Churro? Tell me," she demanded.
"[Stupid bird. You should be louder next time…]" Mochi muttered irritably.
"[It's Rhea!]" Churro yelled, which had Toyuki even more concerned, and made Mochi stop complaining.
"What about Rhea?"
"[She was doing something at that big glacier. She touched the ice and water started to freeze around her! Freya's trying to break her out, but no dice!]"
"I'm on it," Toyuki stood up and nimbly hopped over to her window. She grabbed Tsukuyomi and a blanket. "Does anybody else know?" As she leapt out of her window and began descending the tree once again.
"[I don't think so, you're the only one I can talk to and you can get there pretty fast!]" Churro said.
"No time to call for help then," Toyuki deduced, landing on the ground and sprinting toward the main town. She hopped onto the rooftops, not caring that it was the light of day, and tried to get there as fast as she could.
[There's something else I heard about, but this is probably more important right now," Churro also added, piquing her interest.
"Toyuki! Did you hear about Rhea?" someone called over to her. "Something's happened to her!"
Toyuki simply nodded back. It was Bridgitte. She was from one of the neighboring towns on the plateau, and also a singer. Since Toyuki was too busy and occupied to listen to Seraphina live, Bridgitte the best option she had as she was a local, and a very talented one at that, despite being nowhere near as good.
The distant glacier became closer and closer until she noticed a pair out of the corner of her eye. Eve was walking with Rhea, who looked wet and cold, despite having a towel wrapped around herself. She stopped running and let the tension in her stomach unwind. It seemed Eve had gotten their first and saved her.
"Rhea!" Toyuki hopped down right in front of her. Said person squeaked and jumped back in surprise.
"Aah! Oh, it's just you Toyuki," Rhea put her hand on her chest to allow herself to calm down. "Please stop doing that, you're going to give someone a heart attack someday."
"Here," Toyuki unfolded the blanket she had brought and wrapped it around her, providing a double layer.
"Oh! One of the townspeople was kind enough to give me a towel, but I suppose it wasn't enough. Thank you very much, Toyuki!" Rhea flashed her a grateful smile. Toyuki simply nodded.
"Tell me, what happened?" she asked.
Rhea sighed, "I wanted to see if I could manipulate the ice using my own abilities, because ice is still water at the end of the day…"
"...And?"
"It worked," Toyuki's eyes widened in shock. Everyone was ripping their hair trying to break the ice, but Rhea was simply able to manipulate it with her Hydrokinesis…
"However, for some reason that black ice reacted to my magic, and it started to freeze around me. My mind went blank. I couldn't think or fight back. Fortunately, Eve happened to be there, or else something… permanent could've happened."
"Anything for you Rhea!" Eve beamed at her. "I'm just glad you're okay!"
"Now that I think about it, has Mistress Enju attempted to break the ice?" Toyuki asked. "Surely she could do it."
"You're right…" Rhea echoed. Enju didn't see too much action. She primarily tended to internal and organizational affairs. She has also spent the better part of the last 15 or so years taking care of three children. From what Toyuki heard, there were horror stories of Reinhardt and Sanaki from when they were still young children. Enju would shudder as if she had a soldier's trauma whenever those times were brought up. Which was why, Toyuki could understand why things were the way they were, and so the dirty work was usually left to Kaito. As a result, it was easy to forget just how powerful Enju was. "She's been very busy lately, dealing with the fallout of the attack. I assume my mother is simply being polite and not wanting to disturb her," she finished with a sad smile.
"...Are you okay?" Toyuki asked, concerned for her. "You lost… your home."
"It's not a big deal, it is something that can be rebuilt," she forced a smile. "It won't do me any good to keep dwelling on it. I just need to move on from it," there is an unusual amount of force in her voice. She was not being entirely honest with her feelings. "But I'm fine. A lot has happened today and yesterday. I think I need to lie down for a while," Rhea closed her eyes slightly. Her cheeks tinted pink slightly, making Toyuki raise an eyebrow.
"Then let's go get you to a nice hot bath!" Eve grabbed her hand and dragged her along playfully. "I'll see if I can get something nice from Miss Yuriko! She's probably putting out her lunch items soon!"
"Yuriko?" Rhea repeated. "Oh yeah. Her…"
"Something wrong?" Eve asked, still grinning. "You don't like Miss Yuriko's baking?"
"No! I love her baking! It's just- well, it's not me specifically. At least, I hope not," Rhea chuckled nervously. "But I don't think Yuriko likes me very much." They stopped walking, both Toyuki and Eve stared at her, dumbfounded. Eve's smile had slipped off.
"What makes you say that?" Toyuki asked. "If this is about her being distant. She does this to everyone. Only Reinhardt looks like he couldn't care less about that…" she muttered under her breath.
"Oh, I know that. My mother has continuously expressed her desires to get Yuriko to open up and be more involved with the community, but with me… I get the feeling that she really doesn't like me, and I don't really know why," Eve pulled her along, and they started walking again. "I've gone to her bakery several times, but the lack of conversation or emotion with me gives me the impression that she didn't really want to see me or wanted me there."
"Have you tried to ask her about it?" Toyuki inquired, cupping her chin and trying to figure out why Yuriko would be acting like this. Truth be told, nobody really knew anything about her. She arrived one day, having purchased a building that was now her bakery and house. Nobody really complained or questioned it as they were distracted by the sheer quality of her work. Her disliking Rhea, or anyone for that matter, was news to her. "
I contemplated it, but decided not to. She's polite and professional, and so I don't really have anything against her," Rhea answered. "And it's not like she was outright refusing service to me. She makes good pastries and that's good enough for me."
"I could ask her for you if you want!" Eve piped up. "Miss Yuriko talks to me!"
"No! Please don't!" Rhea shook her head. "It would be nice to get to know her, but I don't want to force something that she is clearly uncomfortable with. We should all just respect her personal space. It's quite obvious to me that she's gone through something rough and simply wants to relax and live peacefully. I have no desire to disturb that."
They continued to walk back to the guild in silence. Until that silence was broken by Reinhardt as they turned on to the dirt path leading back to the guild.
"Whoa!" He gasped, running up to Rhea and looking her up and down. "What happened to you? You look like you just took a swim." Toyuki took notice of how tired and sweaty he seemed. What was he just doing?
Rhea just sighed, "I'll tell you later, or somebody else can. I'm a bit tired right now. Where have you been this morning? You made a ruckus in the guild from what I heard."
"Heh, don't worry about it!" Reinhardt flashed a smile. "Anyway, I need to go ask my mom something-"
"Actually, about that," Rhea began. A serious expression on her face.
"What?"
"Master Kaito and the S-Class mages who left on their mission were attacked at Oshibana station last night. Thelonius heard about it while he was on his morning run," His face morphed into worry and shock, followed by Toyuki and Eve also gasping.
"W-w-what? Say that again?" he ran forward and grabbed her shoulders. "Are they okay? Is Sanaki okay? Is everyone else-"
"Mistress Enju went to the town center to ask about it," Rhea shared his concern. She gently forced his arms off of her. "But I wouldn't be worried about it."
"Why not?" She raised an eyebrow at Reinhardt.
"Do you really think your father would let anything happen to Sanaki, or the others for that matter?" Rhea gave him a comforting smile. "Relax, Reinhardt. I'd bet that they're worried sick about us as well! Don't let it drag you down, or your sister and dad wouldn't let you hear the end of it!" She squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. Reinhardt's eyes widened slightly, but he pursed his lips and slowly nodded.
"I mean Sanaki… she was just promoted… and she hasn't really seen anything serious beyond random bandits and rogue dark mages. A whole dark wizard guild is new to her," he murmured. His head suddenly jerked up determinedly and clapped his hands together. "But you're right, I shouldn't be worried!" He started to run off toward the guild. "Thanks! Rhea! Get well soon!" The three girls just stared silently at his back before scoffing knowingly. It wouldn't be like Reinhardt to be down for long. He always knew when to bounce back. He was always crawling his way up since he was born.
"I will remain here for the time being. You two go on," Toyuki hopped onto the nearest tree branch and began making her way back to the Skytree. "...Is this what you were going to tell me, Churro?"
"[Yeah!]" The puffin flew by her side as she jumped from tree to tree. "[But it looks like Rhea told you everything already!]"
"Something is happening…" Toyuki murmured to herself, finally settling herself above the guild entrance. Even though The Eternal Sky mostly kept to themselves, Toyuki was vigilant enough to remain aware of what was happening around the world. A tendency that she had picked up from the people in her life years ago. Always be aware of your surroundings. All of these dark guild attacks since the fall of Grimoire Heart seemed quite disorganized and thoughtless. Of course, the obvious thought would be that they were trying to fill the power vacuum as two branches of the Balam Alliance had collapsed, however, something else had changed. Something had changed, and these felt different somehow. They had spread from Fiore to other places in west Ishgar. Strangely, Pergrande was mostly left alone, though she chalked that up to its status as the monster spawn of the world, and the fact that they still had small, but pockets of areas where extremely powerful mages resided.
Now, their precious home was finally attacked. Conifére, supposedly one of the most peaceful places in the world, Toyuki now knew that no place would be safe anymore, and that they needed to prepare themselves.
"Awww Toyuki… What's with that frown on your face? You know I don't like seeing my little ones all sad," a voice suddenly sounded behind.
"AAAH!" Toyuki screamed in shock, falling off the branch she was balancing on. Fortunately, she was able to land properly without any really trouble. A figure swooped down in front her.
"Oh, did I scare you? I'm so sorry, but I just couldn't help it. You looked like you needed that shock," the woman before her laughed. Toyuki glared for a brief moment, before rolling her eyes. She would be a hypocrite to call her out on that, since she also did it from time to time.
"Very funny, Saturn," she muttered through gritted teeth. Saturn was a bright ball of sunshine, exemplified by her long sunny, blonde hair that she let free, and her yellow eyes. She wore a black, sleeveless button up shirt with a white vest over it attached to a long blue tailcoat. She also wore a pair of detached black sleeves, white tights, and a pair of white knee-length, high-heel boots. Finally, a pair of a silver earrings shaped like hearts dangled from her ears.
"[Looks like you got a taste of your own medicine!]" she heard Mochi snickering somewhere in the background. "[I told you stop scaring people, Toyuki!]"
"What were you even doing up there, Saturn? Are you trying to scare people out of their skin?" Toyuki rested her hands on her hips, ignoring Mochi, though her forehead pulsed a little.
"Like you?" Saturn grinned back.
"I don't- not on purpose at least, and you know me, I am always up here in the branches," Toyuki murmured quietly, turning to the side embarrassingly.
"Aww… Is my sweet Toyuki embarrassed?" Saturn hugged her tightly. "Don't worry! I won't tell anyone, I promise! Hopefully!" Toyuki tried to squirm out of her grip, but Saturn wasn't budging. Eventually, she let up and Toyuki jumped back several feet, looking at her with irritation. Excluding the Guild Master and Deputy Guild Mistress, Saturn Hyperion was the oldest member in the guild. As such, she essentially treated every member of the guild as if they were her younger sibling. Of course, one certain member triumphed above all... "But if you really want to know. I'm waiting for my dear little Venus," Saturn pulled out a photo from and began caressing the image of the person on it lovingly. She pretended to wipe away tears. "She left home without telling me, and I don't know where she went. How cruel is she to leave her big sister behind..." She continued to pretend sob for several moments, while Toyuki just stared at her with a deadpan expression. Suddenly, Saturn looked up, ending her fake tantrum. Then her face broke out into a wide grin. "Quick! Hide!"
"Wha-" Saturn pulled Toyuki into the bushes. "Hey! What are you-"
"Shhh!" Saturn covered Toyuki's mouth and held a finger up to lips. A big grin on her face. Again, Toyuki tried to force herself away, but Saturn's superior strength and size kept her down. Eventually, a new person came walking down the path towards the guild. She looked like a younger image of Saturn, instead with shoulder-length brown hair, but with blonde roots that were visible, signifying that it was dyed. Her eyes also shared the same yellow shade. She wore a white long-sleeved shirt with the shoulders cut out and the chest area completely black. Below she had on tight black pants fitted with a brown belt and golden buckle. Her skin was noticeable pale and smooth, as if it was actively being maintained. A pair of high dark leather boots finished off her look.
"How-" Toyuki began.
"OH! My PRECIOUS LITTLE VENUS!" Saturn let go of her and ran out of the bushes, engulfing the newcomer in an enormous bear hug. Venus' eyes widened in shock as her older sister began smothering her with chest and nuzzling her face against hers.
"What the-" Venus tried to say, but her mouth was suddenly covered. Toyuki narrowed her eyes at the sight and facepalmed. She crawled out of the bushes and stood up. Eventually, Venus was able to get a grip and shove Saturn away from her. "Okay! Enough! Were you hiding in those bushes just for me? And what was Toyuki doing with you?"
"She forced me," Toyuki muttered. "I had no idea what was happening until I saw you."
"How could you leave me?!" Saturn asked. "You left in the morning without telling me! How could you do this to me!" She fake wailed to the heavens.
"Not my fault you overslept, and I don't need to tell you where I go every single step of the way!" Venus protested back. Saturn grabbed Venus' hand and dragged her back into the guild, still crying blasphemy at Venus apparently betraying her, and saying about making sure to discipline her so it didn't happen again. Venus was as equally as passionate, but for the opposite reasons.
As Toyuki watched them leave, Mochi jumped onto her shoulder, and Churro on the other.
"[Isn't Saturn really fun to be around!]" Mochi asked.
"[Yeah, I'd like you see get smothered like Venus did, furball!]" Churro laughed back.
"Let's not do this again," Toyuki interrupted before they could start bickering. She simply sighed and shook her head, before walking back into the guild.
"Oh! Hey! Toyuki!"
—oOo—
"What happened?" Haruto's eyes shot open, when he saw Thelonius walking in with a tray of food. "I saw Rhea coming out, looking extremely nervous and shaken. What did you do?"
"I did nothing. It was all her," Haruto replied.
"Then why is your shirt off?" Thelonius' eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Your Guild Mistress allowed me to shower, but my clothes got wet," Haruto nodded toward the soaking jacket and shirt, which were hanging off the edge of his bed. "That Rhea simply got flustered by my apparent state of half-nakedness." He lifted his knee up, wrapped his around his shin, and rested his chin.
"How do I now you didn't try anything to your advantage? For your own desires?" Thelonius pushed. Haruto felt something swell within him and resisted the urge to clutch his chest. The burning feeling returned to his eyes, but he simply gritted his teeth.
"I could never," His voice came out darker and sharper than he had intended. Enough that even Thelonius, a man of such composed stature, flinched at his tone. Haruto breathed deeply and sighed, and he felt himself returning to normal. "It was simply an unfortunate circumstance," he finished. "That is all." The tension in the room was cut by Reinhardt walking in.
"Oh, hey Thelonius! I just came to say hi to Haruto," Said person looked up at him, and he nodded in acknowledgment. Reinhardt turned back to the door. "Come on! It's fine!" He said to someone. Reinhardt then rolled his eyes. "Come onnn!" He dragged a girl into the room. A very peculiar girl with a bunny and bird on her shoulders. "Toyuki! Meet Haruto! Haruto! Meet Toyuki Tsukimi!" The girl shyly held her hands together and darted her gaze away from him. Thelonius walked toward Haruto and placed the tray next to his bed.
"Very well. I will take my leave. Call if you need anything," and he swiftly made his way out of the infirmary. A brief silence followed until it was broken by none other than Reinhardt.
"So! How are you doing today?" he asked cheerfully, plopping himself down in front of Haruto's bed.
"Better."
"Better like… how much?" Reinhardt asked again.
"I am able to walk now," Haruto proved it by turning to the side and standing up. He surprised himself by how easy it was. His face showed a slight shock as he bobbed up and down. He still wasn't at 100%, but he was already better than when Rhea was last here.
"Oh wow! That's… unreal," Reinhardt echoed in awe. "Rhea said it would take a week or something didn't she? It's only been about a whole day since. You must have a crazy metabolism or something." Truth be told, Haruto had no idea how he had recovered so fast. He had suffered something similar, not to this extent, but something similar in the past, but it had several days for him to regain his full strength. At this rate, he'd probably be at his best by tomorrow. "Oh… now that I realize it, why is your-" Haruto grabbed his soaking wet clothes and showed it to Reinhardt. "-Aah, I see."
"It was you wasn't it," Haruto said suddenly, looking at Toyuki, who flinched at his voice. "The rabbit and the bird. They were the ones trying to spy on me, no?" Both animals shrunk behind her. "Is there any reason you did that?" Toyuki briefly met his gaze, before looking away, remaining silent.
"Aah, she's just a little shy!" Reinhardt patted her on the back. Toyuki's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "She usually doesn't like talking to strangers you know, always hiding up in the trees! She was probably just curious about you." Haruto raised an eyebrow before softly shaking his head, until something that Reinhardt had said registered in his mind. "'Tsukimi?'" He repeated, looking up again. "Did you say her name was Tsukimi? As in, the Tsukimi Clan-" Toyuki's eyes widened in horror, and she bolted out of the infirmary with her two animals.
"W-Wait! Toyuki!" Reinhardt yelled after her, but he didn't follow after and simply sighed. "What's up with her? You sounded like you knew her last name. Tsukimi Clan?"
"They are a family from all the way in the East, like the Pergrande Kingdom," Haruto explained. "If I am correct about her familial relation, then what is she doing all the way here?"
"You're probably talking about a different family," Reinhardt shrugged. "Toyuki is from here in Fiore." Haruto narrowed his eyes in disbelief. Did he not see her reaction? He shook his head and sighed. "Did anything strange happen today?" He suddenly asked.
"What? Strange?" Reinhardt blinked a few times, taken aback by his abrupt question.
"Aside from the obvious, has any strange, anything out of the ordinary happened today?" Haruto reiterated.
"Uhh…" Reinhardt cupped his chin. "Well there was that thing that happened to Rhea…"
"What thing?" Haruto asked sharply.
"You know the glacier at Freya's inn, right?"
"Glacier? You mean Coldstar's black ice from his bomb?" Haruto raised an eyebrow. "It's still there?"
"Yeah, it seems to gotten even tougher since yesterday," Reinhardt said. "But anyway, Rhea has the ability of hydrokinesis, so she attempted to manipulate the ice in order to get it off. Then, for some weird reason, it started to freeze around her."
"What?" Haruto was bewildered. "It reacted to her magic? Did this happen to anyone else?"
"No, plenty of people have had a go with the ice, but she is the only one that this happened to," he shrugged. "But wait, it happened to you as well, didn't it? That fire erupted when he attacked you."
Haruto looked down at his hands and observed them. He glared at them. It couldn't be, right? She shouldn't be.
"Are you… okay?" Reinhardt asked hesitantly.
"Fine," Haruto put his hands down. "I want to ask. Your name. Are you from Stella?"
"Oh," Reinhardt chuckled. "I guess the answer is yes? My sister and I were born there, and stayed for about a year before my parents decided to begin traveling again. I suppose it made sense that they gave me a Stellan name, to honor the place where we were born."
"You are a Holder Type magic user, aren't you? You are, forgive my words, quite weak from what I saw in that fight," Haruto deduced. Reinhardt seemed taken aback by his bluntness, but he smirked and shook his head.
"You don't sugarcoat yourself huh. I guess I can't really talk after you saved my ass," He leaned back in his chair. "Obviously, I can't remember it, but apparently, when I was born, I almost died. Something went wrong, as my mother had an unusually long pregnancy. Almost a year if remember correctly," Haruto furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. A year-long pregnancy? "I barely survived, but as a result, I was very sickly and weak in my infant years. It's also why I'm not very potent in magic. My sister on the other hand, was the complete opposite. Nothing went wrong during her birth. She was very strong and full of energy. The nurses said that they had never seen a healthy baby. Of course, she got all the magic abilities that I probably lost." Reinhardt rested his cheek in his hand. "Obviously, I don't blame her for anything. It's just an unfortunate thing that went wrong. Although, they were never able to find out why it had happened in the first place," he shrugged. "It is what it is though. We simply have to live with the cards that life deals us. No point in bitching about something that's out of our control."
Haruto internally scoffed. Not everyone thinks like that. Don't be a naive fool.
"You just have to show them that how you were born, or uncontrollable circumstances can't bring you down. You shouldn't just roll over and take it." Reinhardt stood up. "Well, I'll let you eat now. Good talk. Get well soon!" And he exited the infirmary, leaving Haruto to mull over his thoughts and words.
You are so lucky. Luckier than you think. Don't lose it.
—oOo—
"Enju," a man coming out of the communications office called for her. "They finally responded." She stood up immediately.
"What did they say?" she asked sharply.
"Not much, but they said that the one death that had occurred during the attack was on the hostile side. One of the dark mages was killed," he replied. "They said you have nothing to worry about." The deep suffocating pressure in Enju's chest released. She sighed deeply in relief.
"Oh, thank goodness," she murmured. "Thank you. I hope I didn't cause you too much trouble," she nodded respectfully.
"Don't worry about it," he smiled, before going back into his office. "I am happy to help you and Kaito. Let me know if you need anything else. Have a good day." Enju made her way out of the building, but instead of going back to the guild, she decided to head in the opposite direction. It was a bit of a distance away, so she half-ran half-walked along the way. Eventually, she met the sight of a large, worn-down, old fortress on the outskirts of the city. It was quite a spacious area around the fort, with several cracked, old houses and buildings surrounding it. Mementos of a battle in a violent past. Nobody came around this area often, not necessarily because it wasn't an area place, but because of who resided here.
Enju approached the main gates. They weren't locked up or barred, because no one who knew anything about this place was stupid enough to mess with the resident. She pushed open the doors. She coughed slightly, being met with a cloud of dust, and held her long sleeves over her mouth and nose. The room was empty with the exception of several dim candles and several chairs strewn about. Rusty old barracks that were never discarded also remained here.
"Mistress…" a deep voice echoed from one of the upper floors. Loud footsteps sounded a dark, hooded figure made his appearance. He made his over to one of the rogue chairs and sat down. "What brings you here, today?" Enju leaned against the wall and crossed her arms.
"Hello Caliastro," she greeted politely. "How are you doing?"
"The same," Caliastro wore an old-fashioned, tattered, brown cloak that covered most of his body and head. Under the hood, a man with almost sickly, pale skin, long, messy black hair, and blue eyes stared back at her. "Why are you here?" He asked again.
"I need help identifying something, and your extensive knowledge is the best chance I have at doing it," she said. "I'm sure you know what happened yesterday?"
"Hmm," he nodded. "I heard that a mage with an intriguing weapon made an appearance here. I assume that's what you want to ask about?"
"I want to find out where he comes from. He calls himself a nomad, but you're only born once," she said.
"Describe them."
"He wields a pair of jagged blades about this length," she motioned with her arms. "Which are connected to a separate set of chains that he wraps around his arms. A very unique weapon. I want to know if you recognize such a thing."
"Is it old?" he asked.
"Yes, I suppose so. There are clear signs of wear and age on them," she answered.
"Are they magic?" Caliastro's narrowed his eyes in thought.
"Yes. He is able to channel magic through them. They glow a faint orange from what I am told," Enju said. His expression was unreadable, as always. She was unsure if he actually knew anything or not. He always wore the same face.
Caliastro was technically a founding member of the guild, though he was hardly involved at all. When they were getting approval for founding the guild, Kaito had stumbled upon Caliastro when he went to visit the old fortress due its historical significance. The man had clearly been living there for a very long time, and Kaito decided to offer him a place in the guild. Caliastro accepted without question, but he almost came in. He probably never took any jobs, and simply locked himself in doing who knows what. Who he was, his origin, completely unknown, except for one thing. He was a Dragon Slayer. A Black Dragon Slayer as he called himself.
"Unfortunately, I have never heard of such a weapon," he finally said, after a few minutes of deliberation. "However, this intrigues me. I am interested. Do you have a name?"
"Name?"
"Do his blades have a name?" he reiterated. Enju thought about it for a few seconds, trying to remember if the name of those weapons was ever mentioned to her.
"Not that I know of," she then responded.
"See if you can get a name," he stood up. "Come back once you do." He walked back up the stairs and disappeared without another word. Enju watched the empty stairs for several more moments before sighing and leaving, making her way back to the main part of town.
—oOo—
"Oh! Ginny!" Sanaki gasped, seeing her guildmate coming in with Zen in tow. "There you are Zen! Where have you been? I thought you came back here, and I just didn't notice."
"He saw me leaving and wanted to know what happened," Ginny shrugged with a small smile.
"Did-Did you tell him?" Sanaki asked hesitantly. Ginny's eyes widened slightly.
"You know?"
"I told her," Kaito stated, catching their attention. He was sitting in the corner of the room sipping some drink. "Are you ready to leave, Ginny?"
"Y-Yeah," she murmured. "I didn't really unpack or anything. Everything's all set."
"Let's go then," Kaito picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. "We'll have lunch on the train back."
Everyone was mostly quiet on trek to the Clover train station. Sanaki watched Ginny staring at the ground, almost dragging her feet as she walked. She had to be taking it hard, very hard. Sanaki just wondered how this might, probably will, change her. Eventually, they settled back into a similar booth as the one they had taken on the way here.
"Are you okay?" Sanaki whispered, finally breaking the silence. Ginny flinched. She shook her head and sighed.
"What did Master Kaito tell you?" she asked.
"That you're descended from Ludwig von Falkenhayn," Sanaki told her. "It's true then?"
"Deep down, when I looked at him and that tapestry, something told me I couldn't deny it. I couldn't close my eyes and just say no."
"Are you okay though," Sanaki repeated.
"...I don't know," Ginny said honestly. "I just have to live with it."
"Are you… going to keep it a secret?" the unspoken question was asked. Ginny was silent for several minutes, and she finally responded.
"...For now, yes," she eventually said. "Can you do that for me?"
"Y-Yeah, sure.'
"In that case, take this," Kaito flicked something at her.
"W-What?!" Ginny was caught off-guard and barely caught the item. It looked like a card of some sort. "What is this?"
"Gerd von Falkenhayn gave this to me to give to you. If you ever wanted to contact him, he told me to give it you," Kaito explained.
"What-"
"He also said that I should give it to if it looked liked you weren't ready to come to terms with your… family history, but you're not a little girl anymore. I think you're responsible enough to decide that for yourself," he said. They watched her stare at the card with an unreadable expression. "You can throw it away, burn it, rip it up- I don't care," Kaito shrugged. "It's your choice what you want to do with it."
Ginny's hands shook a little, but she didn't either of those things and eventually put it away in her pocket.
"Gerd also told me something else, a bit of your history," Kaito said. Ginny narrowed her eyes.
"What history?"
"A little bit of your life, such as when you were in the Bosco military, especially their Black Ops division," Sanaki's jaw dropped. "He mentioned some woman named Lily-"
"Okay," Ginny interrupted. She was very tense. "That's enough, please."
"Is it safe to assume what he was saying was true?"
"Probably," she muttered. The rest of the train ride was quite uneventful. They had lunch and took a nap, even Sanaki, who felt herself being quite tired again.
By the time they got back to the station on the plateau, the sun was down and people were probably getting ready to wrap up for the day. They hopped and Sanaki jittered around.
"Come on! Let's go!" she said impatiently, jumping up and down. "I want to see how everyone's doing!"
"You guys go on ahead," Kaito said, crossing his arms and looking at particularly somewhere in the distance. "I'll catch up."
"What? What are you going to do?" Sanaki asked.
"...Sending a message to an old friend," he said. Sanaki looked at him for a few minutes, before nodding.
"Come on! Let's go!" She ran off with Ginny and Zen following after her.
—oOo—
"You okay, Rhea?" Reinhardt plopped down next to her. "Toyuki told me what happened. That must've been scary for you, huh." Freya was cooking up a feast, and they were getting ready to have dinner.
"Yep, I'm feeling great now," Rhea stretched her stretched her arms. "I'm probably won't be trying that again, at least, until I found out what exactly happened. We can let Haruto or your mother do the job instead, maybe even the others once they're back."
"Reinhardt," Enju's voice called from up on the second floor. "Can you come up here for a minute?"
"Be right back," Reinhardt got up and rushed up the stairs to meet his mother. "Yeah Mom?" She was standing right outside the room to the infirmary.
"Seeing as Kenzaki is able to walk fine now, why don't you ask him if he wants to join us?" she asked. "I think he is more comfortable around you, and maybe Rhea."
"Sure!" Reinhardt snapped his fingers and nodded enthusiastically. He opened the door to find Haruto looking like he was writing something in a small book. At the first sound, he flinched and immediately put it away. Reinhardt decided to not ask about that, he probably wouldn't answer it anyway.
"Hello," Haruto said, looking at him. Enju waited behind Reinhardt in the doorway. "Is there anything wrong?"
"Not really. I wanted to ask if you wanted to join us for dinner. You're strong enough to walk now, right? How about it?" He asked hopefully.
"No thank you," Haruto declined without hesitation. He hadn't even spent a second to think before answering.
Reinhardt blinked a few times, "Oh."
"I'd rather not," he simply said. "It quite evident that several of your guildmates are uncomfortable or do not like me. No, I will just remain up here." Reinhardt looked at his mother, who stood up and nodded.
"Very well. I'll send some food up to you in a bit," she said. "Come, Reinhardt." He opened his mouth. "I know you're going to insist, but just let it be. It's probably better for all of us that he stays up here than down with everything else."
"...Alright then," he muttered. Reinhardt walked out of the infirmary and closed the door behind him. He clacked down the stairs and rejoined Rhea at the table.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Mom wanted me to ask if Haruto would join us for dinner, but he refused. Can't blame him I suppose," Reinhardt shrugged.
"Yes… I'm unsurprised by that," Rhea agreed. "...So tell me, why were you at Yuriko's place for the whole morning?"
"That…" Reinhardt began. "Is between me and her."
"What is it? Some secret?" she leaned closer, smiling playfully. Reinhardt smirked at her.
"You can ask her if you want, but I doubt that you'd be able to get anything out of her," he laughed a little.
"Oh," he frowned when Rhea saddened a little. "She probably wouldn't even talk to me…"
"What?"
"Yuriko doesn't exactly like me-"
"What?!" Reinhardt sputtered out. "Yuriko doesn't like you? What makes you say that?"
"She gives me the cold shoulder for some reason-"
"She does that to everyone!"
"-more so to me than to others. It's like… she doesn't even want to look at me or want me around," She reiterated that to him. Reinhardt stared at her for a few seconds like he was contemplating something, before nodding passionately.
"Next time I see her. I'll ask-" Rhea grabbed his hand, making him freeze.
"Please don't," she whispered. "Relax."
"But Rhea-" Reinhardt said softly. "She's not like that. I know Yuriko-"
"Do you? Do you really think you do?" and his mouth opened, but nothing came out. "...Yuriko hasn't done anything wrong. If she doesn't like me for whatever reason, that's fine. It's unfortunate, but I think we should just let her be. I have nothing against her, and I only hope the best for her, and that she can get over what might have happened to her," Rhea pleaded. "Please… I know you care about everyone Reinhardt, but for once, just let it go… Do this for me." She continued holding his hand, with no sign of letting go.
"But tomorrow is-"
"Guys!" Noah came bursting in, catching everyone's attention. "There's a fight going on in town!"
"Fight? Are we being attacked?" Enju asked sharply, immediately alert.
"No, it's our S-Class group, they're back, and they got into a fight with that Kenzaki guy!" He panted, resting his hands on his knees. "It's crazy out there… They're really going at each other! And… you won't believe this either," he continued to pant. "I think they're getting their asses beat. All of them… Sanaki… Ginny... and Zen! I didn't... see... Master Kaito though."
"Kenzaki?! What?! He's supposed to be in bed! When did he leave?!" Enju demanded. "I just saw him!"
Rhea stood up abruptly, rushed up the stairs, and opened the doors to the infirmary. Haruto's bed was empty. It was neatly made with fresh blankets and pillows folded onto each other. It was almost as if he had never been there in the first place… if not for a single wrapped package that was left on the mattress.
"He's gone…" she murmured to herself.
"Rhea? Is Kenzaki there?!" Enju yelled from below.
"He-He's gone," she said a bit louder, still soft, though they were able to hear.
"How the hell did he sneak out?" Thelonius asked. Anger thinly veiled in his tone.
"Reinhardt!" Enju called. Loud footsteps sounded, signifying him running out of the guild. "Reinhardt-! Thelonius, Saturn, and Toyuki, with me. The rest of you stay here. Noah! Where is this fight happening?"
"In front of Freya's inn," Enju went running out as well followed by several others. Murmurs burst out among the remaining guild members. Rhea stepped out briefly and observed the sight.
"Did you say they were getting their asses beat?" Mei asked in disbelief. "Impossible! They're all S-Class!"
"I don't know," Noah admitted, having finally caught his breath, and he sat down. "But they definitely weren't winning the fight from what I saw."
She looked back at Haruto's empty bed. Did he really not care? The real question of how he had recovered so fast was in the back of her head now.
Who are you?
Not much for me to say here, to be honest, but I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Review if you can!
Saturn Hyperion – Sempi
Venus Hyperion – SureJahn
Caliastro Lunarsong – alucard deathsinger