Chapter Ten – Spark
Oh, no constraints; you have but one task; assassinate the Jäger known as 'Sylphid.'
Chairman Cao's orders continually repeated in Cyrus' head for days after returning to the Heiyue Company. It wasn't the order itself that was the issue, more the sheer randomness of it. Who was this Sylphid, and why had Chairman Cao instructed Cyrus to assassinate them?
It had been more than a year since Cyrus had left the Company, and his life as an Assassin, behind him. After the job he performed in Crossbell, along with other contracts over the last few years, he had decided that it was no longer a job that he desired to do.
It wasn't the job itself that became a burden, but the repetitiveness of it. Every now and again, as he was out travelling the world, he would receive an assassination contract from the Calvardian crime group, and the contracts differed from time to time; one contract could have called for the assassination of a gang dealing drugs in the most poverty-stricken areas of Calvard, to killing a corrupt businessman who had ties to government officials in Erebonia.
Whatever the job, Yang completed every single job with cold efficiency, and never failed a job… In the eyes of the Company, at least. For Cyrus, there was one job that had resulted in the death of innocents, and that was unacceptable, even if it meant to save his life, that of any ally, or to ensure the nature of the mission was never compromised.
As for Cyrus' first contract back in the Heiyue Company, it struck him as odd. Chairman Cao gave him no information, and provided zero details regarding who Sylphid was, almost as if he expected Cyrus to know who the Jäger was. At the time, Cyrus thought nothing of it; just another Jäger that had been marked for death by an unknown client for a large sum of money.
The money meant nothing to Cyrus, as it wasn't something he had in short supply, but the offer he received from Chairman Cao when Cyrus was first introduced to the man was too good for him to refuse. The deal: if Cyrus became an Assassin for the Heiyue Company, Chairman Cao would use his agents to uncover information regarding the whereabouts of the Red Constellation members who attacked Cyrus and his mother six years ago.
Cyrus joining Heiyue wasn't even supposed to happen. The only reason he even learned about the shadowy side of Heiyue was because someone had sent an Assassin after him, the legendary Yin. While in Crossbell three years ago, he had been attacked by Yin whilst helping his teacher look for information about an item they were searching for. Despite her skills as an Assassin, Cyrus could tell Yin was reluctant to kill him. The reason, he found out later, was because Yin only ever killed the worst criminals, and from her time observing Cyrus, she was absolutely certain Cyrus was no criminal.
With that doubt clouding her judgement, Cyrus was easily able to overpower Yin and unmask her, revealing her to be the now famous Arc en Ciel performer, Rixia Mao. When interrogated by Cyrus, with his teacher watching silently in the background, Rixia revealed who she was and who had sent her and, being left to his own discretion by his teacher, Cyrus had Rixia take him to Heiyue and find out who had marked him for death.
While he never got the answer he wanted, Cao promised him information on the Red Constellation, and in return, Cyrus agreed to become and Assassin for Heiyue. It took him a mere six months to be given the title of Yang; the deadly shadow of Yin. Both Cyrus and Rixia worked together on several jobs all over the continent, both killing with chilling efficiency, but as Cyrus and Rixia got closer through the art of death dealing, he realised she hadn't the heart for that particular line of work. As such, after one final job together, both Assassins retired from the Company and went their separate ways; Cyrus back to his teacher, and Rixia to Arc en Ciel.
"Cyrus? Cyrus are you with us?" a voice called out.
"Huh? What?" Cyrus blinked, letting his mind return to him.
"Now, Cyrus, I know you are most likely preparing for your turn, but please listen to the rest of the class as well," Instructor Mary chided.
"Apologies, Instructor Mary," Cyrus sighed.
"Thank you, now moving on… Alisa? Would you like to go next?" Mary asked with a bright smile.
"Uhh… Can I not, please? I'm still preparing myself," Alisa mumbled nervously.
"Ah, very well then… Elliot? How about you?" Mary asked as she turned to Elliot.
"Uhh, yeah, sure…" Elliot nodded as he stood up.
Class VII were currently in the middle of a Literature Class with Instructor Mary, and today was the day for Class VII to deliver the poems they had all been working on since they returned from their Field Studies three weeks ago. One by one, the students of Class VII had to get up in front of the class and deliver their work, which then Instructor Mary would grade them for content, delivery, and overall impact of their literary work.
Fie went first, and delivered an acrostic poem, using the word sleep as the subject. Needless to say, a poem with only five words, all pertaining to sleep, didn't really impress Instructor Mary, but she knew Fie having actually managed to do the work was enough for her to give Fie a C+.
Emma was the next one, and she had decided to write a sonnet about the four seasons, which went down very well with Instructor Mary, who had given her an A-, as she felt there were some parts that were lacking in substance. Cyrus wasn't surprised by the subject, as Emma definitely seemed like the person who would write poems about the outside world.
After Emma, Rean had gone up and delivered a haiku about swordsmanship. It was unique enough that Instructor Mary had given him a B, despite him using six syllables in the final line, instead of five. Jusis and Machias went after Rean, and had both managed to write poems insulting Commoners and the Nobility respectively. Naturally, Instructor Mary had given both boys an F, as she knew they had chosen their subjects in order to make inflammatory comments about the other group, an act from Jusis that had surprised the class.
Laura's work was about Legram, Lohengrin Castle, and Saint Lianne Sandlot; Legram's protector. As it was about her home, Laura had delivered the poem with passion and love, something that Instructor Mary was delighted to hear, and gave her an A.
Gaius had chosen to do a ballad from his homeland, and did it all in the Nord language. While it was impressive to hear the language of the Nords in Erebonia, Instructor Mary was unable to understand it. Gaius, however, had provided the instructor with a written, translated version so she could understand the content. For his work, Gaius had been given a B+, which he seemed pleased with.
Elliot had chosen to do a poem about his late mother, one that Instructor Mary almost teared up over. As a musician herself, Mary was all too aware of Liana Craig, and her skill as a musician, and held a deep level of respect and reverence for the woman. Despite the admiration Mary had for Liana, she wasn't going to let that cloud her judgement on the poem, but she still gave Elliot an A- for his moving work.
"Alisa, are you ready now?" Mary asked as Elliot took his seat.
"Umm, no… I'm still trying to get ready," Alisa muttered, looking panicked.
The reason Alisa had a look of panic on her face was because she had forgotten to do her poem. She had been so engrossed in other things that she had completely forgotten about the assignment Mary had given them. With Alisa in a state of emergency, Cyrus stood up and walked to the front of the class.
"Guess it's my turn then…" Cyrus sighed.
What Instructor Mary hadn't noticed was that, as Cyrus got up and walked past Alisa's desk, he had flicked a folded up piece of paper at her, which she opened. As she examined the contents, she realised Cyrus had written something for her. All Alisa could do was stare at Cyrus with awe.
"So, Cyrus, what will you be doing today?" Mary asked with a smile. "I see you don't have anything in your hand."
"Quite right, Instructor. I don't have anything in my hand because I don't need it; what I have for you today is something I call 'The Frozen'," Cyrus stated. "Before I begin, I'd like for everyone to close their eyes, so you can properly imagine as I speak."
"Ooh, how exciting! When you're ready, then," Mary encouraged as she took a seat herself and closed her eyes.
The girls on the streets all look sad in this gold encrusted little town
Why is that? Isn't this the town of dreams?
Heh, yeah… But it comes with a price
It's a town that never does anything and yet takes all the credit
A place that promises so much
But never has a thing to say, or a care in the world
There is no memory here
No dream for itself but the dreams of others
And all over the world, you talk about a place you've only seen in re-runs
Immortalised for its vice, and deified for its carnage
As Cyrus was talking, he had begun to wander about the classroom, and as he reached Emma's desk, he stood over her, planted both his hands on her desk and whispered into her ear, loud enough for everyone to hear, and know it was part of his poem.
There's money in the air here
All you have to do is reach up and grab it
A chill ran down Emma's spine as Cyrus whispered, his breath tickling her ear, making her squirm, go bright red and open her eyes for a moment as Cyrus stood back up straight and walked off again.
In basements, garages, parking lots
Empty lots, schoolyards, town cars, back rooms and more
Diamonds are fashioned from expectation and fortified on a steady diet
Of simple lives and red carpets
The ejaculating zeitgeist in night vision
Culture is a punchline and emotion is blood in the water
This time, Cyrus had reached Laura's desk and crouched down in front of it, gently tapping it to make Laura open her eyes. As she did, she was met by the crushing gaze of Cyrus' azure eyes as he spoke.
The sharks here play games you can't fathom
As Cyrus spoke, Laura felt a great sense of unease in the pit of her stomach before he stood up and carried on.
But you flock here anyway
On college money and credit cards
Spend a week bullshitting yourself that it was all true, all of it
Just to watch in horror as it all falls to pieces under the gravity of reality
The starry eyes fade as it dawns on you
Nothing is guaranteed
You are a part of the great divide
The Chosen or The Frozen
Now you're miles away without a net
Your college money is a collage of debt
And your credit cards are all snapped in fucking half
Time to wander a landscape bereft of mercy
This is now the back lot of your failed movie
A waking dream re-written without your permission
The real lustre, the soft focus, the…
Soap opera vision is just the hindsight of a world who's been lied to
Of sad serfs, and untouchable Lords
This time, Cyrus had approached Rean's desk and crouched down next to him. Even with his limited training in the Eight Leaves Style, Rean knew Cyrus was next to him, and it made him uneasy.
You took a chance, didn't you?
But chance didn't have a part for you this time around, maybe next life
And you can't even walk home
Cyrus proceeded to stand up and slowly make his way back to the front of the classroom as he started to wrap up his poem.
The girls on the streets all look sad
In this cardboard cut-out little town
Hmph, no wonder
That's the only thing here that's real
The gold is for fools
And paradise is lost, but the hungry have never bothered with the cost
Day by day, they fall away like rose petals
Like… Ink that won't dry or fade
It just runs wild down cracks and crevices, grooves and folds
So I hope someone saves you before you get cold
I really do
Because the girls are all sad in this little black book
If you don't believe me, take a closer look
After a long pause, everyone opened their eyes and saw Cyrus standing at the front of the class, ready to utter one final, unsettling sentence.
If you can
"Oh, wow! That was absolutely spine-tingling! You're a natural at this, Cyrus! Well done!" Mary applauded.
"Yeah, it was kinda sinister, but at the same time I could picture everything so clearly," Elliot said, shuddering slightly.
"I don't understand why you felt the need to get right in my face and say part of it directly to me though," Laura mumbled, still feeling unsettled.
"Yeah, me too. I mean, I get it added a sense of foreboding, but why us?" Rean added.
"Well, if you all hadn't swapped seats since the previous class, it would have been Alisa, Jusis, and Gaius in that order, but unfortunately, you all moved, so I had to stay the course and pick the three who were in those people's normal seats," Cyrus shrugged. "Otherwise, I would have been out of time with the step of the poem."
"Wait, three? Who was the other person?" Rean asked.
"Umm… exc-excuse me!" Emma mumbled as she stood up and ran out of class.
"What did you do to her? Whatever it was, it must have made her incredibly nervous, her chair is covered in sweat," Elliot pointed out.
With a look of confusion, Cyrus walked over to where Emma had been sitting and noticed that Elliot was correct in that there was something on Emma's chair and, based on how Emma had reacted, came to understand what it was.
"Oh, Elliot, you sweet summer child…" Cyrus sighed. "Note to self, apologise to Emma after class."
After Emma had left the classroom, she ran to the nearest girl's bathroom and locked herself in the closest stall. Panting, her face bright red and tears stinging her eyes, she tried to calm herself down.
"Emma! Emma!" a small voice hissed.
"Go away, Celine!" Emma whispered, as Celine crept into the stall under the door and sat on the toilet-roll holder.
"What the hell was all that about?! Why did you run away like that?!" Celine cried, clearly confused by Emma's actions.
"I… Ohh, I'm so embarrassed!" Emma groaned, wiping the tears away from her cheeks.
"Why? I don't understand what the issue is. I was watching you from the window when all of the sudden, you ran out of class like your life depended on it!" Celine explained.
"I can't say it, Celine… I'm so mortified," Emma choked.
"If you don't tell me, how can I help you?" Celine reasoned.
"This isn't something you can help with, Celine," Emma whispered as she crossed her legs and shifted uncomfortably.
"Wait a second… Did you pee yourself?!" Celine gasped, noticing how Emma was moving as she crossed her legs.
"No!" Emma hissed. "Can you be quiet, please?!"
"Hmm, so if you didn't pee yourself, then…" Celine muttered as a shocking revelation hit her. "You're joking. Please tell me you're joking."
"No…" Emma mouthed as she started crying again.
"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Celine exploded.
"SHUT UP! IT'S NOT LIKE I WANTED THIS TO HAPPEN! IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" Emma yelled, tears streaming down her face.
"HOW DO YOU ACCIDENTALLY DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT?!" Celine shouted.
"I wasn't expecting him to whisper in my ear like that! How could I have known he was going to do that?!" Emma sobbed.
"Emma?!" Alisa called out as she entered the bathroom.
"Quick, hide!" Emma whispered as Celine hopped down and scurried underneath another stall and found an open window to escape through.
"Emma, are you ok?" Alisa asked as she gently knocked on the only closed door in the room.
"Please, Alisa, just leave me alone," Emma mumbled, hiccupping from her crying.
"Look, I just want to make sure you're ok. All the girls realised what happened, and I decided that I should come check on you," Alisa stated as she entered the next stall and sat down.
"Was it just you, Laura, and Fie?" Emma whispered.
"Well, Instructor Mary did too, that's why I'm allowed to be here, but Elliot was the one who pointed it out, although he and the other boys thought it was just sweat," Alisa responded.
"Oh… I see," Emma mumbled.
"Although, I'm only saying this so you are fully aware, but I think Cyrus knows too," Alisa stated gingerly.
"WHAT?!" Emma cried, sobbing even more. "My life is over."
"Hey, hey, don't think like that! The other boys are idiots, so they haven't a clue. You know how insightful Cyrus is, so you can't expect him not to figure it out… You know it was just an accident, right?" Alisa stated, trying to calm Emma down.
"I was in your seat, so that means…" Emma whispered.
"Yep… I was the one who it was supposed to happen to. I didn't realise you felt so strongly about him," Alisa muttered.
"I can't help it, Alisa. Ever since I met him, there's just been something that has pulled me towards him… Made me want him," Emma said, breathing shakily.
"I understand… At first, I couldn't stand him. I was pretty harsh towards him, and he was really angry at me for something, but after our Field Studies last month, we reconciled, and now we've been getting along really well. I even surprised myself when I found myself defending him over what happened with him and Machias last week… I guess, maybe I'm starting to find myself in the same boat as you," Alisa mumbled, looking at the Ring of the Azure Dragon Cyrus had given her around three weeks ago.
"Really?" Emma choked, finally starting to calm down.
"Yeah, I mean… Maybe?" Alisa muttered. "Look, what matters is that feelings like that are normal, so you shouldn't have to be ashamed of them."
"That's easy for you to say… You didn't… Ughhh, I can't even bring myself to say it," Emma groaned.
"It's still pretty normal if you look at it objectively," Alisa reasoned. "Full disclosure, it sometimes happens to me in my sleep."
"That's acceptable, but not in the middle of class!" Emma cried.
"Objectivity, Emma. Look, it's going to be fine. I'll give you a few minutes to compose yourself and we can return to class… Ugh, I've still gotta do my poem. Kill me," Alisa sighed as she got up and left the room.
Five minutes later, Emma had calmed herself down, and managed to bring herself to return to class, and as they entered, they found Cyrus stood at the front of the class, talking to Instructor Mary.
"I am correct, aren't I, Instructor?" Cyrus asked to which Mary gave him a quizzical look.
"Hmm… I suppose you are. Alright, but this is the only time, understand? Next time, I expect Alisa to present her work herself," Mary stated.
"What's going on here?" Alisa asked as she entered the room, allowing Emma to sneak in and hide at the back of the class.
"Alisa, you're in luck; Cyrus has offered to perform your poem in front of the class for you… But next time, I expect you to find a way around your fear of public speaking and do it yourself, am I clear?" Mary stated, the usually kind and soft instructor giving a clear and strong command.
"Uhh… Y-yes, Instructor Mary… Thank you, Instructor Mary…" Alisa mumbled as she bowed her head.
After Alisa had run off after Emma, Rean made the somewhat naïve assumption that Alisa had a fear of public speaking, and Cyrus had used that opportunity to capitalise on his attempts to help Alisa by doubling down on his efforts.
Cyrus, much to the annoyance of Instructor Mary, who wanted every member of Class VII to perform their own works, had correctly pointed out that the constraints of the assignment never specifically stipulated that each person had to orally perform their work; they just had to simply submit a written copy for the instructor to mark and grade.
By exploiting that little rule, Cyrus had managed to convince Instructor Mary that if he were to perform Alisa's poem for the class, it wouldn't count against her overall grade. It was a fortunate loophole, as Cyrus knew there was no way Alisa could have, believably, recited the work she had been given less than ten minutes ago and made it look like her own, so this was the only way to help sell the play he was making.
"Very good. Now, with that… When you're ready, Cyrus," Instructor Mary declared as she sat down.
"Right… This work is simply called 'Omega'," Cyrus nodded, who took a deep breath and began.
What a skeletal wreck of a man this is
Translucent flesh and feeble bones
The kind of temple where the whores and villains
Try to tempt the holistic tomes
Running rampant with free thought to free form
In the free and clear
And the matters at hand are shelled out like lint at a laundrymat
To sift and focus on the bigger, better, now
We all have a little sin that needs venting
Virtues for the rending
And laws and systems
And stems ariff from the branches of office
Do you know what your post entails?
Do you serve a purpose?
Or do you purposely serve?
Lying down inside of your atavistic galore
The value of a Summer spent
And a Winter earned
For the rest of us there is always Sunday
The day of the week that reeks of rest
But all we do is catch our breaths
So we can wade naked into the bloody pool
And place our hand on the big black book
To watch the knives zig-zag between our aching fingers
A vacation is a countdown
T-minus your life and counting
Time to drag your tongue across the sugar cube
And hope you get a taste
WHAT THE FUCK IS ALL THIS FOR?!
WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON?!
SHUT UP!
I could go on and on, but, let's move on shall we?
Say… You're me and I'm you
And they watch all the things we do
And like a smack of spite
They threw me down the stairs
Haven't felt like this in years
The great magnet of malicious magnanimous refuse
Let me go and
Plunge me into the dead spot again
That's where you go when there's no-one else around
It's just you
And there was never anyone to begin with now was there?
Sanctimonious pretentious dastardly bastards
With their thumb on the pulse
And a finger on the trigger
CLASSIFIED MY ASS! THAT'S A FUCKING SECRET AND YOU KNOW IT!
Government is another way to say
Better. Than. You.
It's like ice but no pick
A murder charge that won't stick
It's like a whole other world
Where you can smell the food, but you can't touch the silverware
Hah, what luck
Fascism you can vote for
Hmph, isn't that sweet?
And we're all going to die some day
Because that's the Erebonian way
And I've drunk too much
And said too little
When your gaffer taped in the middle
Say a prayer, save face
Get yourself together and
See what's happening
SHUT UP!
FUCK YOU!
FUCK YOU!
I'm sorry, I could go on and on but
It's time to move on, so
Remember you're a wreck, an accident
Forget the freak, you're just nature
Keep the gun oiled and the temple clean
Shit, short and blaspheme
Let the heads cool and the engine run
Because in the end
Everything we do
It's just everything we've done
As Cyrus finished and walked back to his seat, everyone in the class turned to Alisa, mouths agape.
"Alisa…" Laura whispered.
"Wow…" Fie muttered, smirking.
Alisa sat in her seat and fidgeted uncomfortably. Everyone was looking at her, and she couldn't tell what they were thinking. Was it shock? Horror? Disgust? She really couldn't tell.
"Alisa, that was… Absolutely fantastic!" Mary cried as she applauded.
The rest of the class joined Instructor Mary in giving Alisa a round of applause, and Alisa just stared at everyone, dumbstruck by what she had just witnessed and how everyone responded to it. Slowly, she turned to Cyrus, who had a confidant grin on his face.
"Alisa, I never knew you could write something so deep and powerful. You'd be an amazing composer," Elliot beamed.
"Indeed, even all the profanity just added an extra layer of emotion," Gaius added. "Although, I think we have Cyrus to thank for that part."
"Eh, I work with the material I'm given. The notes on the written copy really helped to understand it all," Cyrus shrugged, pointing to the written copy of the poem that had been opened on Alisa's desk.
True to Cyrus' word (which was accurate, given it was his creation), the written copy of the poem had notes written in the margins, and even had a prompt to vocalise the 'see what's happening' line, with all the chaotic shouting scribbled like it had been written by a madman. There was even a note that outlined the whole poem should be spoken in a West Crossbellan accent, hence the use of the word 'ass' over the Erebonian form, 'arse'.
"Yes, but I have to say… I'm very impressed you were able to memorise and read it so perfectly in such a short time," Laura pointed out, squinting at Cyrus.
At this comment from Laura, Alisa tensed up. Laura was right, no normal person could have memorised everything on the page in less than five minutes. That little revelation made Alisa start to panic.
"Hmph, it's no big deal. I can read something as many times as I like, but once I read and understand it, I can never forget it," Cyrus responded calmly. "Same thing goes for physical activity too; once I see something and understand how it works, I can replicate it perfectly."
"I find that hard to believe," Machias scoffed.
"Hmph, think what you want, Regnitz. One day, you'll realise I'm telling the truth," Cyrus snorted.
"Ok, well! I think that just about wraps up this lesson. Due to the unexpected events after Cyrus' poem, I never was able to grade his, but now that Alisa's one has been performed, I think it's fair enough to say she and Cyrus both get an A+!" Mary smiled.
"Wha–?! Really?" Alisa cried, a big smile on her face.
"Heh, look at that; high marks and high praise. Go you," Cyrus smirked.
"Instructor Mary, I must speak with you this instant!" a voice from the doorway barked.
"Oh, no! It's Vice Principal Heinrich!" Rean gasped, dropping his head down to avoid making eye contact.
"Yes, Vice Principal? What can I do for you?" Mary asked.
"I was doing my rounds when I heard the most awful racket and profane language coming from this vicinity. Do you know anything about it? It sounded like two people were having a screaming match!" Vice Principal Heinrich cried.
"Hmm… Nope. I don't think I heard anything of the sort, Vice Principal. My students were just delivering their poems to the class, and the last one to go was Alisa, and she certainly couldn't have made all the racket you're claiming to have heard," Mary lied as she smiled at Heinrich.
"Hmm… I see… Well, some of the other classes heard it too, so I'm amazed this class, of all classes heard nothing," Vice Principal Heinrich muttered, glaring at Class VII.
"Maybe you should go speak to Crow. What you're describing sounds like the sort of thing he'd do," Cyrus muttered as he leaned back and put his feet on the desk.
"Hmm… Yes, I suppose that worthless Mr. Armbrust does seem to fit the profile," Vice Principal Heinrich muttered. "Thank you, Mr. Le Guin. As compensation for your insightful suggestion, I'm going to overlook your blatant disregard for school property by way of you using your desk as a footrest!"
As the Vice Principal dashed off in search of Crow, Laura turned back to look at Cyrus with a disappointed frown.
"Why would you lie to the Vice Principal like that, and about a friend of yours, no less?" Laura asked.
"It wasn't a lie. If you'll recall, I never explicitly said it was Crow who the Vice Principal was looking for. I simply stated that Crow is the sort of person who would do exactly what the Vice Principal was referring to, which technically makes my statement the truth," Cyrus shrugged.
"Yeah, but why would you drop Crow in it like that? Doesn't that seem kinda… I don't know, harsh?" Rean asked.
"Perhaps, but Crow is an idiot who needs to be punished for his stupidity," Cyrus muttered.
As the rest of Class VII didn't really find a friendship with Crow all too appealing, with Rean being the only exception, none of them were aware that he was the one responsible for the fiasco that happened between Cyrus and Machias, and the reason that Cyrus was now in the employ of Chancellor Osborne. After everything that happened, which could have all been avoided if Crow was patient and just left the application to the Erebonian Ministry of Business and Commerce for the casino to Cyrus, several headaches could have been prevented, specifically the one that had involved his father in the entire mess. For that reason alone, Cyrus had decided that Crow was to be punished, and being berated by the Vice Principal for something the Class V boy had nothing to do with seemed like a good place to start.
"I'm somewhat disappointed in you, Cyrus," Laura muttered, shaking her head.
"Pfft, you sound just like my father," Cyrus scoffed, which only served to wound Laura further.
'Seems like the Crimson King will get his offering sooner than I thought, if that's how this is going to go…' Cyrus thought, shaking his head.
"Ouch… That was harsh, even for you," Alisa muttered.
"Ah… You're right. I'm sorry, Laura," Cyrus frowned as he took his feet off the desk and stood up.
"While I appreciate the sincerity of your apology, I cannot accept it," Laura responded.
"I understand," Cyrus said with a nod. "Anyway, class is over. On to the next."
"Is… Is Cyrus ok? I've never seen him react in such a way before," Gaius asked.
"I… I don't know. That was weird, even for him," Elliot stated.
"Hmph, so, he can apologise to another Noble without a problem," Machias scoffed as he stood up and left the classroom.
"Oh, please… He insulted Laura and realised he was in the wrong; your father tried to rob his father of his livelihood, in which you also took enjoyment from it. I would hardly be comparing the two events," Jusis muttered.
"Are you ok, Laura?" Alisa asked as Laura stood up.
"I'm fine. I just wonder if Cyrus understands why I cannot accept his apology," Laura responded quietly.
"Care to shed some light on that for the rest of us?" Fie asked, who had just woken up from a nap a few minutes ago.
"To put it simply, we are both swordsmen. Any grievances we have are to be sorted through the clashing of steel, not mere words. A true swordsman can feel their opponent's thoughts and feelings through connecting blades with them. Words, while appreciated, are meaningless," Laura stated.
"She's right. The only way to properly clear the air between them is with a battle," Rean added.
"Ohh, why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Alisa muttered.
True to Alisa's comment, Class VII's final class of the day was a practical assessment with Sara. Whether it was just bad luck, or the Sibling Gods cursing Alisa, she quickly realised that whenever she had a feeling of foreboding about a form of conflict, it usually ended up playing out exactly as she feared.
However, despite Alisa's fears, the truth of the matter was simpler; Sara liked to stir the pot when it came to drama in Class VII. Despite her lackadaisical attitude, Sara was acutely aware that something was going on between Cyrus and Laura, and decided that something had to be done about it. There was still another week before their next Field Study, but Sara had decided to deal with the issue at hand then and there.
"Alright, everybody! It's time for your next practical assessment, and this time, we're going to do something more fun than last month!" Sara smiled as Class VII all gathered around her on the Practice Field.
"Well, this should be good," Machias muttered.
"Uhh, Instructor? I thought our practical assessment was next week?" Elliot asked, feeling nervous.
"Well, it was… But since I decide when it's appropriate to do these things, I decided that we were going to bring it forward by a week; that also means you'll be getting your Field Study locations at the end of class today too!" Sara explained, taking far too much joy from the situation than was appropriate.
"Oh, look… Sara is scheming again. What is it this time? Hmm, let me guess. You're going to make Laura and I fight each other, aren't you?" Cyrus sighed.
"Oh, boo! You're no fun sometimes, you know that?" Sara cried, blowing a raspberry at Cyrus like a child.
"What part of having the two of us fight is 'fun' to you?" Laura asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I was more talking about how he ruins my surprises, but whatever," Sara shrugged. "Alright, you two; let's get to it!"
"How about no?" Cyrus responded with a scowl. "I'm not about to pound Laura into the ground for your own enjoyment."
"Insulting as that comment was, I can't really disagree with your assessment. I might be an Expert of the Arseid School, but there's no way I can reasonably stand on equal footing with you," Laura muttered, feeling somewhat aggrieved by Cyrus' comments.
"If it's something you wish to try, Laura, then I can set myself a handicap, so we're on more even terms," Cyrus suggested, knowing that Laura was secretly wanting to fight him.
"Ooh, I think that's a good idea!" Sara added, unhelpfully.
"I know I'm probably going to regret this, but… What did you have in mind?" Laura asked with a sigh.
"You hold nothing back; attack me like you intend to kill me. I, on the other hand, will fight with this," Cyrus responded, unsheathing his kukri.
"You're going to fight a Greatsword user with a small knife? I can't tell if you're incredibly arrogant, or incredibly stupid," Machias scoffed.
"Honestly, it's probably a bit of both," Fie muttered, a bored expression on her face.
Laura stared at Cyrus for a moment, before focusing on the angled blade in his hand; it was made of black steel, which didn't shine at all in the sunlight. The red and black wrapping on the hilt added an extra sense of sinisterness to the blade. To Laura, looking at the dull blade, the only think she could think was that she had seen that exact weapon once before, when she was a child, and the memory of that particular blade still haunted her to that day.
"Very well… At least I'll be able to get a sense of what you think of me when we do cross blades," Laura stated, swallowing hard.
"Yay! We're actually going to do this!" Sara applauded.
"Somehow, I'm not surprised Instructor Sara is getting her own way again," Alisa muttered to Emma, who still hadn't spoken since she returned from the bathroom.
"I meant what I said before, Laura; fight me like you intend to kill me," Cyrus stated as he and Laura walked on to the Practice Field.
"Hmph, and what happens if I don't?" Laura snapped.
"Well, let's just say you're about to find out what happens if you don't treat me like a serious threat to your own life," Cyrus muttered, drawing Laura's attention to the kukri again.
"I know you're just saying these things in order to rile me up so I do come at you seriously, but they still hurt," Laura muttered.
"Who are you talking to?" a cold voice whispered from behind Laura, sending a chill through her body.
Before Laura could properly react, she felt the cold sting of a blade being held to her throat from behind her. Shuddering, she looked down and saw the dull black lustre of the kukri that should have still been in Cyrus' hand, and yet it was pressed to her throat.
"What the–" Laura gasped as she tried to process what happened.
"You're dead," Cyrus whispered, his voice chilling Laura to her very core.
"Wait, what the hell just happened?!" Machias cried, lifting his glasses up to rub his eyes.
"I… I didn't even see him move," Gaius whispered.
"No, what? We literally just watched him speak to Laura! How the hell is he standing behind her?!" Rean shouted.
"Afterimage…" Fie muttered.
"After what?" Elliot responded, looking from Fie to Cyrus and Laura, then back to Fie again.
"It's called an afterimage. Cyrus moved so fast that his movement speed was imperceptible to the human eye. We thought we were looking at Cyrus and Laura talk, but in reality, Cyrus had moved into her shadow the moment he turned and took a step towards the Practice Field," Fie explained, feeling a little overwhelmed herself.
"You need to be more careful, Laura; you have a massive blind spot in your vision. If I were an Assassin that was sent to kill you, you'd have died without ever noticing my presence," Cyrus stated, pushing Laura away.
The push itself was gentle, just a light bit of contact intended to create a gap between the two students. Laura, however, had been taken so badly off guard, she simply collapsed to the ground, dropping her sword as she went.
'Impossible… How did I not see him move?' Laura thought as she lay on the ground.
"Laura! Are you ok?" Alisa cried as she rushed over to help Laura to her feet.
"Yes, I am unhurt… I'm just a little overwhelmed…" Laura muttered as she used Alisa as a crutch to stand up again.
"Well, this was an abject waste of time…" Cyrus muttered as he put his kukri away. "Look, Laura… I have no personal gripe against you. You've done nothing to me, yet I have treated you poorly. For that, I can only apologise. I know words are meaningless to you, but given our current levels, there is absolutely no way I can truly give you the fight that you want. I'll either hold back to the point where it'll look like I'm insulting you, or I'll go all out and kill you. Of course, neither situation is ideal, but I will not allow an innocent to die by my hand. Sara, I'm going back to the dorm."
"Promise me something…" Laura muttered, her back to Cyrus as she spoke.
"What?" Cyrus responded, his back also to Laura as he stopped and awaited Laura's response.
"One day, I will get stronger. One day, I will stand on the same level as you; as a Master of the Arseid School. When that day comes, I want you to promise me that you and I will fight properly," Laura demanded, gritting her teeth as she picked up her sword.
'You and I will never be on the same level, Laura; the rift in power between us will always be far too great for you to ever hope to close… I'm sorry…' Cyrus thought as he walked off, offering Laura no words in response.
"Cyrus…" Alisa whispered, a pit in her stomach starting to form as she watched Cyrus walk away from Laura, adding one more insult to the ever growing collection.
"DON'T YOU WALK AWAY FROM ME!" Laura screamed, bursting into tears.
"Just stay down, Laura… Don't embarrass yourself," Cyrus whispered, stopping in his tracks.
"EMBARRASS?! EMBARRASS?! I AM LAURA S. ARSEID! HOW DARE YOU TREAT ME LIKE SOME CHILD WHO THINKS THE WAY OF THE SWORD IS JUST A GAME!" Laura sobbed, dropping her sword again.
The sound of Laura's Greatsword hitting the dirt made a dull thud, but the sound still echoed around the Practice Field, cutting through the deafening silence brought on by Laura's words. After the dull thud of her sword, the only sound that was present was the sound of Laura's uncontrollable crying.
Cyrus clenched his fists in anger, desperately trying to find the words to say to Laura that didn't hurt her further. He knew that everything he said was, despite being true, more painful to Laura than a thousand tiny cuts from a weapon. As the sound of Laura's crying reverberated inside his head, only one thing stuck in his mind; the realisation that he had completely broken Laura.
That realisation had cracked a piece of Cyrus' armour; he and Laura had been such good friends right from the beginning of the school year. The respect she held for him, especially after learning he was a Le Guin, and a Master of the Vander School, it bordered on absolute devotion to him and his unbreakable iron will to become stronger for the sake of his ideals. Where had it all gone wrong? What caused him to take that respect and admiration, and smash it to pieces right in front of her?
He already knew the answer; the Crimson King demanded an offering. One that was absolutely broken and could be subjugated to his will.
Through gritted teeth, Cyrus let out a low growl of anger. Immediately, he turned around and look a step towards Laura, and vanished from sight. As the rest of Class VII readjusted to the movement of Cyrus, they watched him as he stood before Laura, who had fallen back down to her knees, towering over her.
Without a word, Cyrus collapsed in front of the sobbing girl and grabbed her, pulling her into his chest and wrapped his arms around her. His actions caused Laura to cry even harder, forcing her to let out a scream of anguish as she continued to sob into his chest.
For several moments, no-one dared move; no-one dared say anything. All of Class VII just stood and watched as Cyrus held Laura as she continued to cry, and slowly begin to wrap her arms around Cyrus, and held him tightly.
Cyrus knew that Laura's actions were not specifically directed towards him. He knew that Laura just wanted to find comfort, and would have acted the same way to anyone who had done what he did; be it Sara, Alisa, Rean, or even Jusis or Machias . It had been a long time since she felt so hopeless, so broken and weak. All Laura wanted was the comfort she so desperately needed as a child.
"I'm sorry, mama… I'm so sorry…" Laura wailed, her mind starting to regress back to the memory of the last time she felt these same emotions. "Please don't die… I don't want you to die…"
"Leave. All of you," Cyrus whispered through gritted teeth.
In that singular moment, no-one dared to disobey Cyrus. Not even Machias, who, under normal circumstances, would have objected to following the orders of a 'haughty Noble' like Cyrus. Even Sara, who, despite being the oldest one and an instructor, had no words to offer. Instead, all she did was silently motion towards the rest of Class VII to leave Cyrus and Laura where they were.
"Mama… Please, mama… Wake up… I didn't mean it… Papa will help you, mama… Just please wake up…" Laura continued, sobbing as she relived the most painful and jarring memory from her childhood.
"Is she going to be alright?" Alisa asked as Cyrus left Laura's room and closed the door.
"She'll be fine. She's still asleep, so we'll just have to wait and see how she is once she wakes up," Cyrus sighed.
After Class VII had left the Practice Field, Cyrus stayed behind with Laura for a couple hours, just letting her cry until she reached the point of exhaustion and she fell asleep. Once she fell asleep, Cyrus picked her up and carried her back to the Third Dormitory, ignoring all the weird looks he had received from both students and residents of Trista alike.
"Do you know what caused her to react like that?" Alisa asked as she and Cyrus began to walk back to her room.
"Well, if I had to guess, I think her realisation that her ability with a sword is incomparable to mine made her feel weak, and whatever memory she was reliving was most likely tied to the last time she felt so weak and helpless. I don't know the ins and outs of it, but based on the stuff she was mumbling through her sobs, it's evident it has something to do with her mother…" Cyrus explained.
"Poor Laura… I get that you didn't want to hurt her, so please don't blame yourself for this, ok?" Alisa replied.
"Heh, isn't that funny? A few weeks ago, you'd have probably chewed me out and singularly blamed me for the whole thing. What's changed?" Cyrus asked with a slight laugh.
"W-well… I don't know, I guess… Y'know, since we've been spending a lot of time together lately, looking at those blueprints of Project Anzu, and trying to figure out what this 'Blackstone' is… I guess I've come to realise you're not as harsh as I thought you were," Alisa mumbled, taken aback by the question.
That fact was indeed true; during their spare time, Cyrus and Alisa would continue going over the Project Anzu documents he'd pilfered from the freight train bound for Remiferia. Alisa had been racking her brain, trying to see if she could remember anything else about the meeting her mother had been having on the day she overheard the word 'Blackstone' being mentioned, but was unable to remember anything of note.
Even outside the Anzu/Blackstone mystery, Cyrus and Alisa had been spending time together, be it on schoolwork, or just enjoying each other's company. As a result, the two of them had indeed grown closer, and it hadn't gone unnoticed by the rest of Class VII either.
For his part, Cyrus didn't hate the fact he and Alisa were getting close, as it was a part of his grander plans. Even though he had seen Alisa as nothing more than a means to an end at the beginning. To him, Alisa was now a friend, but that didn't mean he was about to lose sight of the bigger picture.
As it stood, he still wasn't prepared to tell Alisa about the true nature of Project Blackstone, or his involvement with it. For now, he decided it was better to let it lie, and only clue her in if the need was absolutely necessary.
"Well, don't let our interactions fool you; I'll probably find some way to muddy the image you seem to have of me. I mean, I still need to speak to Emma and apologise to her for what happened this morning," Cyrus muttered.
"If you're worried about her hating you, then don't. After speaking with her, I know that she doesn't hate you. She also doesn't blame you for what happened, she was just really embarrassed about the whole thing," Alisa responded.
"Can't say I blame her. It's not like I was planning on making her do that. More's the point though; what in the hell was she thinking about when I did whisper to her to make her soak herself like that?" Cyrus sighed, rubbing the back of his head.
"I think those questions are better suited being put to Emma… Or, maybe for the sake of her sanity, and her underwear, we just don't say anything," Alisa shrugged. "Although, that does raise a point I've been meaning to bring up with you…"
"Why you?" Cyrus asked with a raised eyebrow, almost as if he read Alisa's mind.
"Yeah, I mean… You could have done it that to anyone, so why did you decide on me?" Alisa asked. "Or were you hoping to solicit the same reaction out of me?"
"No, I just picked a path to walk when doing my poem, and you just happened to be the person who I would have been closest to at that point. And to answer your other question, no. No, I did not go in there with the singular thought of trying to make you, or anyone else for that matter, have an orgasm… Well, those are a string of words I never thought I'd have to say to a girl," Cyrus sighed, rolling his eyes.
"Heh, well that's alright then. I guess I don't have to call you a dirty pervert again, do I?" Alisa teased.
"You never had to say it to me to begin with, you know," Cyrus muttered.
A knock from Alisa's door stopped the conversation, and as Alisa went to open the door, she found Sara standing there.
"Hey, Instructor. Is everything ok?" Alisa asked.
"Yeah, everything is fine. I was actually coming to ask Cyrus how Laura was doing," Sara said quietly, as she looked over at Cyrus with a small smile.
"She's asleep. All I know is that Laura has been holding on to some deep trauma since she was a little girl. I, somehow, managed to bring that back to the surface today. Leave her be for now, and I'll talk to her when she wakes," Cyrus stated, making Sara nod.
"Fair enough. Here, these are your information papers about next weekend's Field Study. After this afternoon, I had to make a few adjustments, but I think they'll work out just fine," Sara stated as she handed Cyrus and Alisa a manila folder each.
Without another word, Sara left the two students to open their folders and read the information within them.
Group A; Emma, Fie, Jusis, Machias, Rean – Location; Bareahard – The Verdant City.
Group B; Alisa, Cyrus, Elliot, Gaius, Laura – Location; Saint-Arkh – The Old Capital.
"Sara, you shrewd little bitch…" Cyrus muttered.
"You think this was the 'adjustments' she was talking about?" Alisa asked.
"Has to be, she wouldn't have mentioned it otherwise. Is she expecting Laura and I to have some magical 'come to Aidios' moment together or something?" Cyrus sighed.
"Maybe? Or maybe she saw how you responded to her this afternoon, and figured that this time working together is exactly what you need to try and fix whatever's broken between you two?" Alisa suggested.
"I don't think this is something I should be fixing…" Cyrus muttered as he put the papers away, said his goodbyes to Alisa, and returned to his own room.
"How is the girl?" the individual asked.
"A well as can be expected, I suppose," Cyrus shrugged.
"I'm impressed. You managed to totally destroy her confidence without even having to draw blood; you're improving," the individual laughed dryly.
"I wasn't trying to break her, you fool. I was just trying to show her the rift in our power is insurmountable," Cyrus snapped.
"Yes, and in doing so you completely broke her down. I believe she's ready to be rebuilt," the individual stated.
"Thanatos help me, can you slow down?! Laura just suffered severe psychological trauma because of me; that wasn't part of the plan. I know the Crimson King demands a broken sacrifice, but you'll have to forgive me if I'm not chomping at the bit to be ready to act," Cyrus shouted.
"Don't get attached, boy! You know what your duty is! Power is more important than some pointless quest for romance!" the individual roared.
"GO FUCK YOURSELF, YOU ARROGANT MOTHERFUCKER!" Cyrus exploded as he threw his ARCUS Unit across the room.
In his rage, Cyrus could only watch as the ARCUS Unit flew through the air and smashed to pieces against the wall. After the sound of the ARCUS smashing, the room went incredibly silent. The only sound coming from within the room was the sound of Cyrus' ragged, angry breathing.
Letting out a long, slow sigh, Cyrus walked across the room and scooped up the broken shards of the ARCUS Unit and examined them. While the shards weren't beyond repair, Cyrus lacked the tools to be able to fix the broken battle orbment by himself. With the shards still in hand, he left his room and went downstairs.
"Hey, Cyrus. What've you got there?" Gaius asked as he saw Cyrus walking across the common area.
"My ARCUS Unit," Cyrus stated with an air of indifference.
"What happened to it?!" Elliot cried, looking at the broken object in Cyrus' hands.
"It had a sudden impact with the wall in my room. Unfortunately, the wall won," Cyrus stated as he turned and carried on, leaving the Third Dormitory.
"That was rather… Concerning," Gaius muttered.
"Hmph, he's likely still angry about what happened with Laura. Ridiculous," Jusis muttered, glancing up from his book.
"How is it 'ridiculous', Jusis?" Rean asked.
"It wasn't his fault Laura had a mental episode. Honestly, I'm surprised she had it in her. She always seemed rather 'two-dimensional' to me," Jusis responded.
"Wow, Jusis… That's a horrible thing to say," Elliot mumbled.
"Agreed. You're allowed to think what you want, Jusis, but that doesn't mean you have to voice those thoughts," Gaius added, further reprimanding Jusis.
"Tch, oh please. I didn't see any of you stepping in to help Laura this afternoon. Why? If you care about her as much as you claim, then why didn't you do something to aid her? Instead, you just looked on and waited for Cyrus to act. Don't get all high and mighty with me when you did as much as I did to help her," Jusis snapped.
The three boys had no response to Jusis comments, which resulted in Jusis going back to reading his book.
"Hey, George. You're Thors' resident expert on fixing things, right?" Cyrus asked as he entered the Engineering Clubroom.
"Oh, well sure. Anything Orbal, I can fix!" George smiled as he watched Cyrus approaching him.
"Considering you, Angelica, Crow, and Towa were the precursor class for our Class VII – Class VI, if you will – I would imagine you have extensive knowledge pertaining to our ARCUS Units?" Cyrus continued.
"Absolutely. I was even given the blueprints to the ARCUS Units from the Reinford Company so I could help Class VII tweak them if they needed it," George stated.
"Good… I'll need those blueprints," Cyrus commanded, dropping the shards of his ARCUS on the table.
"What in Aidios' name happened to your ARCUS Unit?!" George cried.
"Long story short, it hit a wall. I'm here to fix it, and since I know you have the tools to do so, I'll need to use them as well," Cyrus stated, as George shuddered in horror over the broken orbment.
"I… I'll be right back!" George shouted as he plodded off to get his toolbox.
Less than five minutes had passed and George had returned from the back room of the Engineering Clubroom. Cyrus noticed he was quite sweaty. In his hand was his big red toolbox, and tucked under his arm were reams of paper with technical sketches on them. With a big puff, George dropped the toolbox down on the table.
"I don't think I'm going to need all of your tools, George," Cyrus muttered.
"Well, better to be safe than sorry. You sure you know what you're doing? This technology is cutting-edge. I'm concerned the ARCUS Unit might be beyond repair," George mumbled, watching as Cyrus started inspecting the pieces.
"No, it'll be fine. I've taken things apart and put them back together in the past. This should be no different," Cyrus responded as he looked over the blueprints. "Hmm… Looks like I'll need to strip out the luminous braiding and replace the whole thing… The Aerosiderite lattice has been completely shattered too. Maybe I can galvanise it with a half-and-half alloy comprised of Trillium and Raritanium… "
"Huh… Looks like you do know what you're talking about, at least. Alright, I'll leave you to it, but if you need assistance, just call out!" George said helpfully as he forced himself to step away and not try to intervene.
Cyrus had nine days to fix his destroyed ARCUS Unit, otherwise he'd be in trouble. One of the primary reasons Class VII was established was to act as an experimental group to test the ARCUS Units designed by the Reinford Group. If Cyrus didn't have an ARCUS Unit, then his place in the class would be invalid, and there was a good chance the school might remove him from the programme, and put him in Class I, and not even the recommendation letter he had with his enrolment form would be able to stop it from happening. Such an outcome was unacceptable to Cyrus, so he had to get started immediately.
So, for the next week, Cyrus devoted all of his free time to repairing his broken ARCUS. Since he had no ability to contact Reginald through it, Cyrus had asked Sariffa if she could provide her father with a list of items that Cyrus needed to fix the orbment. With the help of the blueprints, it took Cyrus three days to rebuild the shell of the orbment, and after waiting a further two days for Reginald to gather everything he needed to repair and enhance the ARCUS, he set to work once more.
When Cyrus had provided Sariffa with a list of things he needed Reginald to collect, he knew Reginald would go above and beyond to help him out. The Reinford Group's ARCUS Units used a special kind of luminous, braided wiring to allow the Orbal energy to flow freely throughout the system. After seeing parts of it split and frayed when he smashed it, Cyrus decided it was worth experimenting with and seeing if changing the kind of wiring would result in an improvement in the unit's capabilities. To this end, instead of luminous braiding, Cyrus had asked Reginald if he could procure some wiring that had been combined with crystal. This crystal braiding was much better at allowing energy to flow, which would result in the ARCUS Unit allowing to store and release Orbal energy at an enhanced rate, which should result in Orbal Arts being cast much quicker, and at a more powerful magnitude.
The Aerosiderite lattice that acted as a conduit for the quartz placed inside the ARCUS was used to allow multiple quartz of different levels to be used without overloading the wiring as it powered the system. The downside was that, since it was only a very thin piece of metal, it could shatter very easily. To combat this, Cyrus had galvanised the thin sheet of metal with a combination alloy of Trillium and Raritanium; two of the hardest substances on the planet. By doing this, the lattice became nigh indestructible, meaning it could absorb and disperse an almost infinite amount of Septium energy stored within the quartz.
The galvanisation process took longer than expected, resulting in Cyrus losing a day thanks to the unstable nature of the plain Aerosiderite being exposed to the alloy. In the end, it took an entire week of work, and a whole Free Day on the Sunday where he devoted his entire twenty-two hours of activity to the work. It was now the Thursday before Class VII had left for their Field Studies, and all Cyrus needed to do was test the new ARCUS Unit he had built. For that, he had asked Alisa to join him on the Practice Field, so he could compare the two systems.
"I still can't believe you broke your ARCUS Unit, Cyrus. What were you thinking?!" Alisa cried as she walked to the Practice Field with Cyrus.
"I wasn't. I was angry and I acted in a reactive manner, not a logical manner. It's fine though, I've fixed it," Cyrus stated as he showed Alisa his new ARCUS.
Cyrus' new ARCUS looked identical to the old one, but when Alisa held it in her hand, she could instantly tell the difference. It was considerably lighter, and when she flipped the case open, she gawked at the inside.
"How the hell did you manage this?!" Alisa exclaimed.
Inside Alisa's ARCUS Unit, along with the rest of Class VII's, were spaces for a Master Quartz, and eight regular quartz. Inside Cyrus' however, there was space for a Master Quartz, and sixteen regular quartz.
"That would be the adjustments I made to my ARCUS. With the crystal braiding allowing to transfer more power, and the galvanised Aerosiderite lattice allowing to store more Septium energy, my ARCUS Unit can hold more quartz. But I think you've noticed what really makes it different," Cyrus responded.
"The slots for the quartz are half the size, and what's this smaller slot in the middle for?" Alisa asked, pointing to the empty slot underneath the Master Quartz.
"It's a space for a 'Sub-Master Quartz'. In a word, it allows the ARCUS Unit to store and use two Master Quartzes for simultaneous use," Cyrus stated.
"Are you sure this will work?" Alisa asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes. I've read the blueprints and now have complete understanding of how the ARCUS Units operate, which allowed me to make these modifications. All I need to do now is test against the base model, and record the difference in magnitude between the Arts we cast. Here," Cyrus said, handing Alisa a golden quartz.
"What's this?" Alisa asked.
"It's a basic A-Rank quartz for the Art 'Cross Crusade'. I have one of my own, so we can test the Art's area of effect against each other," Cyrus stated as he slotted his own Cross Crusade quartz into his ARCUS Unit.
With an uneasy nod, Alisa walked into the middle of the Practice Field and used the Art, Cross Crusade. After waiting for the ARCUS to charge up, the Art was cast, and covered a sizeable area around Alisa.
"So, how was that?" Alisa asked.
"From a glance, it'd appear that you cast the Art with a fifty metre radius. It falls within expected parameters for that Art," Cyrus muttered as he began to swap places with Alisa to try his own Art.
Unsurprisingly, the Art Cyrus had used was incredibly different. The Art required zero casting time, thanks to the crystal braiding used to carry the charged Septium energy that had been harnessed by the galvanised Aerosiderite lattice, and the Art itself was at least three times larger; the giant golden cross the Art summoned had covered the entire Practice Field, and beyond, shattering the earth beneath Cyrus' feet. Alisa could only stare in absolute shock as she watched Cyrus use his ARCUS; the two units were like night and day.
"How…? How in the hell did you create something like that? It took Reinford almost five years to develop this thing," Alisa cried, pointing to her own ARCUS Unit.
"I wasn't kidding when I said that once I understand something, I never forget it. Besides, I've worked with things like this before, and improved them. I was only able to modify this ARCUS in such a short time because George had blueprints of the original model given to him by Reinford. Without those, the materials Reinford used, and the knowledge I've gained from stripping machines for parts and to understand how they work, it would have been impossible for me to do this," Cyrus explained.
"Can I, like, hire you to work for Reinford one day?" Alisa joked.
"If they hadn't been the ones to create the weapons used to try and kill me, and my mother, I'd probably consider it," Cyrus responded. 'Then there's the fact they also stole from me, but Alisa doesn't need to know about that just yet.'
"Ah, right… We've been spending so much time together lately that I forgot you still hold a grudge against the Reinford Company," Alisa murmured, frowning slightly.
"Hey, don't be like that. I might have a special loathing for whoever it was that created those weapons for the Red Constellation, but that has no bearing on our relationship. I've said it before, but I'll say it again, I'm sorry for how I treated you when I found out you were a Reinford. That wasn't fair on you, since you had nothing to do with what happened to my mother and I six years ago," Cyrus stated, putting a hand on Alisa's shoulder.
As Alisa looked up, she realised how close they were to each other. They were close enough that her chest was very nearly touching his, which made Alisa stop breathing for a second.
"Do… Do you really mean that?" Alisa asked, looking up at Cyrus.
"Of course I do; I say what I mean, and I mean what I say. That's all there is to it," Cyrus responded, looking back down at Alisa.
In that moment, Alisa finally understood what Emma had meant when they had spoken together in the bathroom a week ago. She finally understood why Emma was inexplicably drawn to him. Aside from his incredible power and strength, and his sharp intellect and creativity, Alisa felt safe around him. She felt like, no matter what happened, she could always rely on Cyrus to be there for her, regardless of the circumstances. In that moment, she made a decision.
"I'm sorry, Emma…" Alisa whispered as she put a hand on Cyrus' cheek and kissed him.
Alisa's bold action did take Cyrus by surprise, but he didn't resist. Instead, he just let it happen, and allowed Alisa to push her tongue into his mouth as she kissed him. For several seconds, the two remained motionless, kissing each other before Alisa stopped and pulled away, her face turning bright red.
"Well… That was unexpected," Cyrus blinked as he stared at Alisa, who had licked her lips.
"Good things usually are," Alisa breathed, allowing herself a small smile.
"Heh, confident, aren't you?" Cyrus smirked.
"I've gotta be if I want to beat the competition," Alisa stated, smirking herself.
"I assume by that, you mean Emma?" Cyrus asked.
"Yeah, but there's also that other girl you told Emma about," Alisa responded.
"What 'other girl'? What have you and Emma been discussing?" Cyrus asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I don't know, she said you never told her who it was, only that it was the sister of a guy you hate in Ordis," Alisa explained, starting to feel nervous about the fact she had just admitted to Cyrus that she and Emma have spoken about him.
"Ah, you mean Sophie… I probably shouldn't have told Emma about that…" Cyrus muttered.
"Nah, it's fine. She actually liked that you did tell her," Alisa said as the pair started walking back to the dormitory.
"Uhh, what?" Cyrus paused, staring at Alisa with confusion.
"What? That's what she said. She said 'while it did take me by surprise at first, I actually liked the fact he told me he'd already slept with a girl'. So there you go," Alisa shrugged.
"Just what in the hell have you two been talking about this past week?!" Cyrus cried.
"What? It's perfectly normal for girls to talk about that sort of thing. Why, does it make you nervous?" Alisa teased.
"Hardly. It just confuses me; is she saying that she likes my honesty, or is it just the fact she has thought about me being with a girl and enjoys those fantasies… I wonder if that is what she was thinking about in Literature Class?" Cyrus muttered, trying to figure out what Alisa had told him.
"Oh, no, it was. Which explains the reaction. But, I'd probably have to say it's a little bit of both?" Alisa shrugged.
"Ok, so what about – I'm sorry, since when did this turn into a conversation about my love life?" Cyrus frowned.
"Curiosity. Like I said, if I wanna beat the competition, I have to know who I'm up against," Alisa responded.
"Ok, hold up. You literally just kissed me like two minutes ago. I'm now starting to think that wasn't a spontaneous thing…" Cyrus muttered.
"I didn't plan for it to happen, but I'm not sorry I did it," Alisa shrugged.
"Right, well… Maybe don't go gallivanting about telling people about it… Although maybe it would get Ferris to warm up to you… Or, dislike you even more," Cyrus said, shrugging himself.
"Oh, hey, that reminds me; I saw Ferris the other day, and she didn't look very well," Alisa stated.
"What do you mean?" Cyrus asked, looking at Alisa.
"Well, I don't know, but on our Free Day, she came to the Practice Field for Lacrosse, but said she was going to see Instructor Beatrix instead. She looked very pale, and jumpy," Alisa explained.
"Hmm… I might have to go and see what's going on with her… Look, there's something I need to get from the Engineering Clubroom, but I'll see you back at the dorm, ok?" Cyrus stated as he turned and began to walk away, only to feel something grab his sleeve.
"Wait…" Alisa mumbled, suddenly becoming bashful.
"What's wrong?" Cyrus asked; he knew where this was going.
"One more?" Alisa whispered, looking up at Cyrus, her deep red eyes revealing a rare softness to them.
"Tch, fine…" Cyrus muttered with a small smirk as he reached down and gently kissed Alisa again.
"Thank you. I'll see you later, ok?" Alisa smiled as she bounded off towards Trista.
"Ahh, that girl…" Cyrus shook his head as he returned to the Engineering Clubroom; a small smile on his face the whole way. Everything was slowly coming together.
As Cyrus and Alisa went their separate ways, the whole time they had been together, they were being watched by a figure, hiding in the shadows.
"Ah, so he's now got that one hanging off him, does he? Looks like she's going to be my next target…" the figure chuckled.
"Hey, Cyrus! How did testing go?" George asked as he saw Cyrus enter the building.
"It was a great success, actually. Thank you for the blueprints," Cyrus nodded as he began to gather up the blueprints.
As he did so, Cyrus noticed a strange marking on one of the pages. It was a marking he had seen before, and its presence on the page greatly concerned him. It was a part of the blueprint itself, meaning it hadn't been added afterwards; it was a part that had been present from the beginning.
"Is everything alright, Cyrus? You've been staring at that page for five minutes now," George pointed out, breaking Cyrus out of his stupor.
"Hmm? Yes, I'm fine. I'll just go and put these out back for you, ok?" Cyrus offered as he walked across the room.
"Oh, sure. Just put them in the drawer that's in the drawing table out there. I'll sort it out from there," George nodded, waving his thanks to Cyrus as he entered the back room.
Immediately, Cyrus pulled out his ARCUS and made a call, tapping his foot impatiently, waiting for the recipient to pick up.
"Yes?" the voice crackled from within the ARCUS.
"We have a serious problem. There's a leak. Cauldron Tau has been compromised; shut down Project Silverlight immediately. Abandon everything and go Zero Dark," Cyrus commanded.
"What?! That's impossible! Project Silverlight is almost finished. Six more months, and it'll be ready!" the voice rang out in a panic.
"I don't care! Shut. It. Down. That is an order!" Cyrus shouted.
"Yes, Overseer. We will abandon Project Silverlight and go Zero Dark. Shall we inform the Spectres?" the voice asked.
"Yes. Inform the Spectres. Tell them that we have a major security breach, and they are to investigate immediately. Remain Zero Dark until the Spectres have patched the leak," Cyrus ordered. "Only once the Spectres have given the 'All-Clear' are you to restart Project Silverlight."
"By your command, Overseer. Cauldron Tau, going Zero Dark," the voice responded, an alarm blaring in the background before the call got cut off.
"Fuck! I should have realised something was amiss with the ARCUS the moment I discovered it uses Aerosiderite as a catalyst… First Project Blackstone, now Project Silverlight… If both of those operations have been leaked, what else is at risk?" Cyrus sighed as he pocketed his ARCUS and put the plans away.