Miracle bringer
[ACMItM: ...I want to sing]
Arisa was quiet after that. When any of them tried to talk to her she would just smile or give one word responses.
"Are you okay Arisa."
"Yeah."
Joule felt that it wasn't just an unwillingness to talk, Arisa just didn't want to talk about the miracle right then.
The friends escorted her back to Orbit Portal's building but soon after they all split up.
Joule was one of the last to go, she was still checking on Arisa.
There was no real way to talk to her right now, Arisa didn't want to talk about the miracle and assumed that was what she would ask about. Qualifying with something like "This is not about what happened earlier" would be refering back to it in a roundabout way.
As Arisa finally left, Joule left too. She didn't follow Arisa of course, she just left for home.
It turns out it had become quite late as they waited as the sun was starting to set.
As Joule walked, she found herself in a park. When she confirmed she was alone she nodded.
Lumen vanished from her hairclip form and appeared on her leg in a much smaller version of her normal form.
She had been wanting to talk with Joule ever since the miracle but Joule needed to be somewhere alone first.
"Is this about what you said earlier? Something about the mages?" Joule's eyes went wide as the thought continued "Were they the ones to attack the event?"
"No, no. Well, I'm not sure who attacked the event but this is about something different. Arisa is a mage!"
"She's what?" Joule was surprised but the idea clicked into place.
Index had said something before about Arisa's songs being like spells. Then there was the fact she was attacked by mages, for what reason would they attack a normal person? Joule couldn't think of one.
"So her miracle... was magic?" Joule connected the dots.
"Yes! Well, it was very close." Lumen explained "It's the difference between visible light and ultraviolet light. Both are waves but Arisa's 'light' is of a higher frequency."
"Do you think she knows?" Joule asked "I mean she did react badly to it."
"Maybe she just doesn't like it for some reason?" Lumen pondered "I mean, we've heard of Adepts that don't like their septima."
Joule thought back to when Arisa had been asked about her ability. She claimed to have none as it would have taken up her time for practicing.
"Maybe she was born with it?" Joule asked out loud.
Lumen nodded "Possible, she could have encountered it rarely while singing but not put any practice into it."
Joule nodded. The idea made sense.
She thought more about Arisa for a while until GV came to get her. Together they walked home, Lumen once again becoming a hair clip.
"Did you find out what happened?" Lumen asked GV telepathically.
Out loud, GV answered "A bombing, though you could have guessed that. I found some damaged corridors under the mall. I think there was a fight of some kind."
"Did you think it was the mages?" Joule asked.
GV was quiet for a moment before shaking his head "No, I found one of the bombs that hadn't gone off and it looked advanced. It was likely someone from the city itself. Not an outsider."
The three of them slowly moved to chatting as they made their way back to the apartment.
They had supper and soon went to work on either homework in Joule's case or more research in GV's case.
"He needs a rest." Lumen commented.
"GV? I guess he does work himself quite hard. What sort of ideas do you have?"
Lumen thought about it for a moment before answering "Something where he doesn't have to look out for us... the sport's festival is coming soon right?"
"Right."
"How about we advise him to practice? Give himself a chance to exercise without worrying about us?"
"But what about us though?" Joule began "Even our rooms have been broken into, where can we stay where he can trust that we are safe on faith alone?"
"...With Misaka?"
"That might work." Joule agreed.
Time passed and Joule went to bed and to sleep. Her rest this night was peaceful.
End of chapter.
End to the first part of Endymion. The second part of Endymion will come after the remnant arc.