CHAPTER 4 - SISTERHOOD

"All right! That should be enough of a warmup," said Instructor Sara.

Class VII was currently gathered in the swimming pool area of the gymnasium for their first new seasonal lesson. And, as tradition would dictate, each one of them wore their own school-issued swimsuits.

"Now, I'm supposed to remind you that swimming classes here are meant to teach you skills relevant to military service. You know, how not to drown if you wind up in the water, how to save others from drowning, CPR...that kind of stuff. It's important that you learn how to do it, and that you won't hesitate to use it if the need arises. With that all cleared up, I'll start by timing how long it takes each of you to swim the length of the pool."

Sara looked to the class's most experienced swimmer. "Will you give me a hand, Laura?"

Laura nodded. "As you wish."

And so, each student in Class VII sans Laura took their place in line, with two people going at a time. Rean was the first to dive into the pool, followed by Alisa, then Elliot, Fie, Jusis, Machias, Gaius, and Emma.

Morgan stood last in line and took note of how each person dove into the water. Once each person was finished, they would come join her in watching their other classmates finish their lap.

"Wow, look at Gaius go!" Elliot remarked as he saw the Nordian breeze through water.

Rean nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I heard he used to swim in that lake in the highlands every summer, so I kind of expected that."

"Emma's a lot faster than I thought she'd be, too," Alisa added, watching their class's president swim alongside Gaius. "Though it's not so much her swimming ability that I envy…"

"Hm? What do you-" Rean took one look at where Alisa was staring and moved his eyes up and down. "Oh. Ohhh. I get it."

Alisa crossed her arms defensively, and her face turned bright red. "Y-You don't need to get it!"

Morgan leaned forward and squinted her eyes. "Alisa, you're the last person I want to hear jealousy from. You're already behind Emma in terms of having beauty AND brains! Meanwhile, I've only got the brains part…"

Morgan looked down at her own figure with a slight pout. Despite her age, her body had strangely stopped growing past the average size of a fifteen- to sixteen-year-old. It wasn't all that bad, as a smaller body allowed her to be more nimble in combat, but that also meant it was easy for people to mistake her for someone much younger. She sympathized with Towa in that sense. And, of course, there was the fact that she was...lacking in certain areas. From what little she remembered, it was a hereditary trait from her mother's side.

"Uh...huh…"

"H-Hey!" Alisa snapped at Rean and Elliot. "Quit staring at her like that!"

Elliot's face flushed as he quickly turned away. Rean, meanwhile, closed his eyes and quipped, "I'm not staring. My eyes are just pointed in that general direction."

"It's fine…" Morgan let out a dejected sigh. "Freaking genetics…"

"Well, any guy would have a hard time taking his eyes off our class's girls," Elliot downplayed. "I'm not even sure who to gawk at first."

"Any guy, huh?" Morgan's mind suddenly pictured the taunting glare of a certain bandana-wearing second-year. She shook her head furiously. Of all the people in the world, he was the last person she wanted to hear an opinion from. She absolutely. Must not. Let him see her. In a swimsuit.

"And last but not least, Morgan!" Instructor Sara called out.

"R-Right!" Morgan walked up to the starting block and climbed on top of it. She was the last person to be timed, and she started feeling nervous from all the stares her classmates and instructor were giving her. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she leaned down, her fingers almost touching her toes.

"Ready...go!"

At her instructor's word, Morgan leapt gracefully from the block and into the water.

"That was an impressive dive," Gaius remarked, having taken Morgan's spot next to Rean, Alisa, and Elliot. Machias, Jusis, Emma, and Fie also joined their fellow classmates in watching Morgan swim.

However, their looks of expectancy slowly grew to concern when they saw that Morgan hadn't come up for air yet. In fact, her shadow in the water had barely moved a few rege from where she initially entered the water.

"...Hey, she's not coming up," Machias remarked.

Emma stifled a gasp. "Could it be that Morgan…?"

"Shoot!" Rean's body was already moving before he could think, diving headfirst into the water without hesitating. As he swam closer to Morgan, he heard another splashing sound from the opposite end of the pool. Instructor Sara swam into view and motioned for him to grab Morgan's left side. After giving a brief nod, the two of them took Morgan by the arms and quickly got her out of the water.

…

"So there's something else other than cooking that you're bad at…" Fie remarked as she handed Morgan a towel. "Who would've thought?"

"S-Sorry…" Morgan hung her head in shame. "I thought that I'd be able to do it just from watching you guys enough times. I guess it's not that simple, huh?"

"You must first learn to walk before you can run," said Laura. "There is a first time for everything."

All her other classmates were crowded around her. Fortunately, Morgan had been holding her breath the entire time she was underwater, so there was no need for any CPR or other safety procedures. Regardless, the little incident brought an abrupt end to what should have been a lighthearted activity.

"I would've appreciated it if you spoke up about this instead of keeping it to yourself," Instructor Sara reprimanded her. "On that note, that was good judgment on your part, Rean."

"I'm just glad that I was able to help." He knelt down to Morgan's level. "You should probably take it easy for the rest of the period."

"This does present a problem, though…" Instructor Sara pinched the bridge of her nose. "I can't exactly tell the vice principal that I have a student that doesn't know how to swim."

"Instructor, can you NOT make this about yourself for once?

"She does bring up an interesting point, Reinford," Jusis spoke up. "Our performance will be under intense scrutiny now that we are the highest-performing class. If last month was of any indication, then there will be droves of people looking to point out even the slightest imperfection."

"You didn't have to put it like that…" Machias then grumbled to the side, "Even if I sort of see where you're coming from."

"Okay. Let's do this." Sara snapped her fingers to Laura. "Laura, seeing as you're in the Swimming Club, I don't think there's any reason for you to take part in our swimming lessons. While we do our own thing, you teach Morgan how to swim. I'll call you if we need you."

"Understood, Instructor. I will gladly take up this role."

"You don't mind, Laura?"

The blue-haired girl smiled at Morgan. "Not at all. Actually, I'm currently coaching another person in the Swimming Club, so I have experience. But before we begin…"

Laura walked over to where Fie was standing. "Instructor, would it be possible for Fie and I to have ourselves a little race? I need to warm myself up first."

Fie squinted her eyes, clearly itching for a challenge. "What, so I'm just a warm-up for you?"

"Fie's time was pretty quick," Rean recalled. "This'll be a match to see."

"Sure, why not?" Sara approved. "In fact, how about the rest of you find yourselves a partner? Let's all have ourselves some head-to-head competition!"

The students started pairing up amongst themselves. Machias and Jusis jumped at the opportunity to compete with each other. Alisa and Emma, being the only girls left, decided to form a pair. Gaius offered to swim with Elliot, to which the red-haired teen kindly asked if he could go easy on him.

Rean, being the only one left without a partner, decided to wait his turn and took a seat next to Morgan.

"You're not gonna join them?"

"I will in a bit. I figured you could use some company though."

Morgan smiled as she dried her hair. "Heh. Thanks for helping me, by the way."

"You're welcome."

Laura and Fie stepped on to their respective swimming blocks.

"You did a really good job with those two," Rean commented. "Laura's swordsmanship has become clearer now, and Fie's slowly coming out of her shell."

"They were gonna resolve things on their own eventually; I just gave them a little nudge in the right direction. And if we're being honest…" Morgan draped her towel around her neck. "They helped me more than I helped them."

"That doesn't change the fact that you're the reason they've made up. I'm not sure if I could've done what you did, so thanks for that."

"You underestimate yourself," said Morgan. "I just happened to be the right person for this job. In this were any other scenario, you would've found a way to get to the root of the matter."

"Yeah, well, I'm not as methodical as you when it comes to planning in advance. I've only got one trick."

"Well, that one trick can still solve the vast majority of problems."

"Why won't you accept credit where it's due?"

"You're the last person I want to hear that from, Mister Student Council Gofer."

The two of them stared at each other for a long time.

Morgan started puffing out her cheeks. Rean let out a snort. After seeing each other's reactions, they allowed themselves to laugh.

"Hahaha!"

"Ah…" Morgan shook her head. "And this is why neither of us are the president or vice president of our class. We can never take full ownership of our actions."

"I'll say," Rean agreed.

The two of them hushed their conversation momentarily as they watched Laura and Fie dive into the pool. The two of them were neck and neck, neither one of them giving the other a significant edge. For how short Fie was in comparison to Laura, the fact that she could keep up with her was commendable on its own. Ultimately, however, it was same difference in height that allowed Laura to reach the other end faster, as notified by Gaius raising his hand on the other end a few moments earlier than Elliot.

"...Hey, Rean?"

"Yeah?"

"It was faint, so I didn't notice it before, but…" Morgan pointed to his chest. "What's with that scar on your chest?"

Rean looked down. Plastered onto his left pectoral, on top of where his heart was located, was a giant, ragged scar...no. Looking more closely, it was a collection of little scars that were all closely knitted together to create a larger whole.

"Oh, that. It's...some kind of mark. It's been there as long as I can remember. Don't know how I got it, though…"

"You don't know, huh?" Morgan felt a twinge of sympathy towards him. "I guess I can relate in that sense. Scarred from the past, yet with no clear idea of how we got here."

Rean closed his eyes and nodded. "Hear, hear…"

"Hey, Morgan, is it true?"

Morgan blinked at the green-haired girl seated next to her. "Is what true?"

"A little birdie told me that you nearly drowned today!"

"Wha-!" Morgan nearly dropped the piece of pizza she was holding. "Wh-Who told you that?"

"We're sorry…" Bridget hurriedly interjected. "It's just that Elliot was looking a bit worried after your class and Mint was wondering what was going on. So she goaded him into explaining, and I happened to be passing by…"

Morgan made a mental note to grill Elliot about this later.

"I mean, no one's complaining!" said Mint. "There's probably plenty of students that don't know how to swim. You're just another member of the no-swimming club!"

"And are YOU a member of that club, by any chance?"

"Uh...no?"

"Then you'll get no sympathy from me." Morgan waved her hand at a passing waitress. "Dolly! I'd like to add one Passionate Soup, please!"

"Comin' right up!"

"What?! You're still going?!" Mint started panicking. "B-but, but my wallet…!"

"I can't exactly let you go off easy after that!" Morgan sneered. "You're the one who lost the bet, so get ready to pay up!"

Mint cried into the table. "Nawww…!"

Maybe Morgan was being a bit petty, but she needed that little bit of elation after what happened earlier today. Since when did acting evil feel so empowering?

Bridget sighed into her tea. "It still boggles my mind that you actually wrote your answers in the wrong section. With all due respect, Mint, you dug your own grave on this one."

Something then caught her attention, causing her to stop mid-sip. "Oh, is that…?"

"Hm?" Morgan turned in the direction Bridget was facing and saw a male student with brown hair who was sitting in the park area. "Is that someone you know?"

"He is." Bridget stood up and bowed. "Please excuse me for a moment."

"No worries. Take your time."

Morgan and Mint watched as Bridget left their table to go greet the boy she spotted. He turned around, but upon seeing Bridget, his face broke into a scowl. Even when she tried to calmly approach him, he was clearly not having any of it, always avoiding looking her in the eyes. Eventually, the boy raised his hand to say good-bye and stormed off, leaving a forlorn Bridget behind.

Dolly brought Morgan her Passionate Soup, but Morgan was too concentrated on the scene that had just unfurled in front of her to notice. Mint, in a rare moment of shock, had dropped her happy-go-lucky expression, looking visibly appalled at the boy's behavior.

Bridget sat back down at their table with a sullen expression on her face. "I wish you hadn't seen that."

Mint took Bridget's teapot and poured some hot tea into her teacup.

"Thank you, Mint."

"Someone clearly wasn't in a good mood," Morgan finally spoke. "Who was he again?"

"His name is Alan," said Bridget. "He was the person I asked to study military science with last month, if you can recall."

"Oh, the guy who turned you down," Morgan remembered. For some reason, she thought she heard the name somewhere before… "Did you two know each other or something?"

"W-Well…" Bridget took a sip of tea before explaining. "We're from the same town, you see. We used to go to Sunday school together, and we got along well despite our differences in social classes."

"Ohhh…" Mint closed her eyes, crossed her arms, and nodded her head, regaining some of her previous vigor. "Hm, hm! I see! So he's, like, your childhood friend!"

"If only that were true…" Bridget frowned. "Unfortunately, I had to leave that school for family reasons, and I never saw him after that. So imagine my surprise when I saw him here! Naturally, I tried to approach him to see if he remembered me. However…"

"He gives you the cold shoulder every time you speak with him," Morgan presumed.

Bridget regretfully nodded. "I'm not entirely sure why, either. I haven't done anything that could have offended him the few times we've talked, and it's not like we had a grudge when we were younger."

"Maybe it's cause social classes are a bigger deal here?" Mint guessed. "I know there's lots of people who're conscious about that."

"It would be one thing if he were avoiding me because of that, but he's started treating me like some sort of nuisance as of late."

Morgan pouted. "Well, that's not very nice. And how long has that been going on?"

"Starting from last month, I believe. As far as I can tell, something seems to have happened to him at the Fencing Club…"

"Fencing...ah-hah!" Morgan's eyes lit up. "Now I remember!"

Bridget was surprised by Morgan's sudden outburst. "Remember what? Do you know something?"

"Well, this is just between us, but…"

Morgan explained what she had learned from Friedel and Loggins, the leaders of the Fencing Club, when she and Laura visited them last month.

"So that happened to him…" Bridget's hands were covering her mouth. "I had no idea…"

"Stupid Hyarms!" Mint looked like she was just about ready to start fuming. "Just hearing about it is making me like him less and less!"

"And you haven't heard from them since?"

Morgan shook her head. "My class left for a field study shortly after, so I don't know anything else."

"...I see." Bridget steeled herself. "I should seek him out at once!"

"Wait." Morgan stopped Bridget before she could stand up. "Alan might get the wrong idea if you suddenly approached him out of the blue. It might make things worse."

"But…"

"I gotta agree with Morgan on this one," Mint concurred. "You've seen how he's been acting, I've seen how he's been acting, and if there's one thing I know from seeing how he's been acting, it's that the way he's been acting is related to you. You're the problem, not the solution, so if you come to him, that just means double the trouble!"

"...You lost me halfway through that first sentence, but I suppose I see your point." Bridget sat back down once more. "What should I do, then? This isn't something I can just stand idly on."

An idea popped into Morgan's head. "Here's an idea: why don't you file a request to the Student Council? Tell them what's going on, and ask them for advice."

The blonde noble tilted her head. "But this is a bit of a personal affair, wouldn't you say? Would they even respond?"

"Believe me, they've received weirder requests. If you send in something now, they can follow up with you tomorrow. Also, when you're writing, make sure to ask for one Rean Schwarzer. He's the guy who handles these sorts of things."

"Rean...Schwarzer?" Bridget's expression grew inquisitive. "That name rings a bell."

"He's my classmate," Morgan explained. "He's also a noble like you, since his father's the baron of Ymir."

"Baron of Ymir?" Bridget mulled over the name until her mouth frowned. "Oh! So that means...oh. Oh, my…"

Morgan's face fell. "Did I...say something wrong?"

"N-No, it's not you, Morgan. It's just…" Bridget pursed her lips. "No, I mustn't let my preconceived notions get the better of me. You're certain that Rean Schwarzer can help?"

"Trust me. There's no better peacemaker you can ask for. And besides, I think situations like these call for a gentleman's touch."

"...Very well, then. I will take your word."

"You should go to the Student Union now if you want to make a head start on that request. Towa should be coming back from making her rounds, so you can talk to her directly." Morgan turned to Mint. "Why don't you go with her, Mint? I'll spare your wallet the trouble."

Mint's eyes lit up. "You really mean it?!"

"After you pay for my soup, of course I mean it. I'm feeling generous today, so I'll cover the tip for both of you."

"Sweet! Me and my wallet thank you from the bottom of our hearts!" She took out the required amount of mira from her wallet, placed it on the table, and gave an exaggerated bow. "Onward, Bridget! To the Student Union!"

"O-One moment please!" Bridget hurriedly finished the rest of her tea and set her teacup down in an unladylike manner. "Thank you so much for your help, Morgan."

"Thank me once you two have made up." Morgan made a small saluting gesture with her middle and index fingers. "Good luck!"

Bridget bowed respectfully before rushing to catch her female companion. "Mint, that way goes to the highway!"

Morgan snickered. Now that she was all alone, she could finally direct her attention to drinking her soup. She grabbed her spoon, dipped it into the red liquid, and took a sip.

"...It's cold."

That didn't stop her from devouring the whole thing, though.

"Whew…" Morgan reclined into her seat, staring at the orange sky from underneath the umbrella on her outdoor table. "What should I do now…?"

"Ack! Morgan!"

"Huh?" Morgan bolted straight up to find the startled face of her homeroom instructor.

"Instructor Sara!" She then looked past her to find two other individuals walking behind her. "Oh! Instructor Neithardt and Instructor Thomas! What are you all doing here?"

"We were just on our way to Kirsche's for some quality faculty bonding time!" Instructor Thomas cheerily replied. "Oooh! I know! Since you're already here, why don't you join us? We can even pay for your dinner!"

"Sorry, Instructor, but someone already did…"

"So that means you're going back to the dorm after this, right?" Sara looked at her with uncharacteristically pleading eyes. "Please! Take me with you!"

"Aw, but we haven't even started yet!"

Instructor Neithardt cleared his throat. "Just as an aside, you don't have an obligation to choose either side, Miss Daraen."

"Shh! Keep quiet!" Instructor Sara hushed him.

"Uh…" Morgan wasn't quite sure what was going on, but from what she could gather, it looked like Instructor Thomas had invited Sara and Neithardt for dinner, yet neither of them seemed particularly enthused by the idea. And now Sara was using Morgan as a means of escape.

Morgan found herself pouting on the inside. What could be so wrong with spending time with Instructor Thomas? Sure, he had a few screws loose, but Morgan could tell that he held a lot of passion for his subjects. She didn't expect to be so invested in history or literature, but when the teacher had enough eccentricity to constantly put questions on weekly quizzes regarding topics that weren't covered in class yet just to see if you read ahead, she couldn't help but want to live up to his expectations. She certainly had an easier time doing that than, for say, Vice Principal Heinrich.

If neither of her instructors were willing to be a good dinner partner, then she had to rise to the challenge.

"Actually, I just remembered that I had a few questions I needed to ask you about today's lecture…"

"Ah, ever the energetic learner as always! Let's all go inside, then! I'd be happy to answer all your questions!"

"N-No!" Instructor Sara futilely reached out her hand as Morgan took her empty soup bowl and followed Instructor Thomas inside. Her hand comically clenched into a fist. "Dammit, Morgan! Why do you have to be such a hard-working student…?"

Instructor Neithardt covered his eyes with his palm and shook his head.

"...And so you see, that is why the Guardians are so well-renowned across the Empire!"

"Interesting…" Morgan remarked. "I knew they were old, but I didn't think that they'd be around since before the Great Collapse! Now I kind of wish we could've spent more time looking at it when we were at Bryonia…"

"Isn't it fascinating?" Instructor Thomas agreed as he took another swig of beer. "And even though we've had records of them dating back to the Dark Ages, it's only been in the past few centuries that historians have started developing theories surrounding their formation! For instance, one theory suggests that they were weapons forged by ancient civilizations before the calamity that caused the Great Collapse forced the ancient people to abandon them. Another theory says that they were instead representations of ancient elemental powers known as the Sept-Terrion, sent to Zemuria to reign over Erebonia by Aidios herself!"

"Sent by the Goddess?" Morgan raised an eyebrow. "But wait. If they were of divine origins, then why aren't they more integral to the Septian Church? You'd think that they would have mentioned the guardians more often in their teachings."

"An astute observation! That right there is part of the controversy surrounding the theory! People have been clamoring for the church to address it, but every time they are asked, they keep dodging the issue, saying that a theory can't prove itself without any conclusive evidence. I could go into the speculations behind why the church wants to keep mum about it, but it would require a comprehensive study of the different congregations of the Septian Church. Would you like to hear more?"

"I'm all ears!"

Instructor Neithardt loudly cleared his throat, cutting off the conversation before it could continue further. In contrast to Instructor Thomas, Neithardt didn't drink any alcohol at all.

"I hate to be the one to interrupt such a...comprehensive discussion," he said, "but I believe it's time we retire for the night. It's almost curfew, and Miss Daraen needs to return to her dorm."

"Aah, what's a few more minutes for a…*hic*...eager student?"

"...Not to mention that Instructor Valestein is completely plastered."

Sara had tried to rise to the challenge of out-drinking Thomas, but the history teacher simply continued chugging away at the beers like they were water. Coupled with the fact that he was still able to answer Morgan's history questions, Sara pretty much gave up before she could make any significant leeway.

"I suppose it is what it is." Instructor Thomas looked saddened that he wasn't able to talk more about history. "I guess we'll just have to pick up our discussion some other time. It was still a pleasure conversing with you! Perhaps one day, we'll be able to talk over a beer!"

"Please refrain from giving our cadet any funny ideas."

"You know, she's teeechnically at the drinking age!"

"That doesn't help matters any bit." Instructor Neithardt stood up to leave. "Instructor Lysander, I'll leave the tab to you as you requested. Miss Daraen, can you lend me a hand?"

"Yes, Instructor Neithardt."

"Cuuuuurse you, Thomas…!" Sara weakly shook her fist. "I'll…*hic*...I'll outdrink you...shomeday…!"

Instructor Thomas giggled to himself as he waved good-bye. "Toodle-loo, my friends!"

With a drunk instructor hanging over their shoulders, Morgan and Instructor Neithardt exited the building.

"I was surprised Instructor Thomas was still going strong after all those beers!" Morgan said once they were outside. "It's almost like the alcohol didn't even faze him!"

"Instructor Lysander has always been quite the anomaly. He acts carefree and foolish, but not once have I ever seen him truly let his guard down." He looked at Morgan. "I'm more surprised that you were able to keep up with him for over two hours. Not many students are able to stay awake after listening to him for half that length."

"But he's so interesting!" she answered back. "Everyone else is just missing out! Course, it also helps that Erebonian history is like something out of a fairy tale. I could get lost in it for hours!"

"I suppose that is one way of looking at it…"

Fortunately, the walk from Kirsche's to the Class VII dormitory did not take very long. Sharon was at the door before Morgan could even knock, almost as if she were expecting her to come back at this time. Upon seeing Instructor Sara's condition, Sharon took her by the hand and led her to one of the couches on the first floor, all the while looking very amused at the sight.

"Thanks for seeing me and Instructor Sara back to our dorms, Instructor Neithardt," Morgan said. "I know you're probably busy, given your position in the army."

Instructor Neithardt bowed courteously at the waist. "I'm only doing what any upstanding citizen of the Empire would do. I just wish that your instructor wasn't so careless with how your class is handled."

"Each person has their own way of teaching. Sara's just more of the open-ended type. She gives us just enough guiding points to nudge us on the right track while not being too overbearing, but she'll step in when needed."

"Perhaps that may be true…" he relented. "But I think she could stand to step in a little more. A strict discipline gives rise to morals and intuition, both of which would have aided you immensely in your field study. Given the circumstances, I will admit that you performed admirably out there, but you must realize that a large part of your success can be attributed to luck and reliance on outside parties to bail you out. If you had more awareness of the environment around you, neither you nor Instructor Valestein would be stuck doing remedial lessons every Sunday."

"That's…"

Morgan briefly looked away from her instructor. It was no surprise that Morgan's behavior, as it was described in the reports, caused a great deal of concern from the faculty. She was fortunate enough to dodge a suspension, thanks to the surprise intervention of Railway Military Police, but she still had to endure stern warnings from both Principal Vandyck and Vice Principal Heinrich. It was ultimately decided that she would take remedial lessons with Instructor Sara for a month, with an additional caveat being that she can't participate in any Class VII-related activities outside of school hours until the next practical exam. That, unfortunately, meant that she was automatically excluded from this month's investigation of the Old Schoolhouse.

She closed her eyes. "I know that what I did wasn't considered the most optimal thing to do…"

"Knowing and doing are two different things, Daraen."

"But even still, I don't regret a thing." Morgan opened her eyes and smiled. "It was because things happened the way they did that we were able to grow closer to each other. We were so close to falling apart multiple times, but we managed to prove that the bonds we've forged are not so easily broken. We all grew from this experience, and I think this'll reflect on our performance in the future."

Neithardt hummed softly to himself as he digested her answer. "Daraen, this will be the only time I will say this. It was not my intention to belittle your efforts; your group's reports, as well as those of Group A, indicated that you were forced to make a number of split-second decisions. As such, the fact that you and your group came out unscathed is a feat in and of itself. The reason I am being harsh now is because I see great potential in you."

"Potential?" she echoed.

"If you are to become a tactician in the army, as you once divulged to me, then you need to know when to play things safe and when to take risks. Striking a balance between the two is key for every soldier, but it's even more important when you're the one giving the orders. Your soldiers' lives and legacies are in your hands; disregarding your position of authority and acting on instinct all the time will only spell disaster for your unit."

"...I understand, Instructor." Morgan nodded solemnly. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

"If you understand, then I have nothing left to say on the matter." The corners of her instructor's mouth crept upwards slightly. "You were the only student in the entire academy to achieve a perfect score on the military science midterm. I eagerly anticipate seeing what you can do in the future, Morgan Daraen."

Morgan responded with a military salute. "I won't let you down, Instructor Neithardt."

Neithardt responded with a salute of his own, his reserved smile now showing in full. With that, both instructor and student bid each other farewell for the night.

A beautiful sunset overlooking the beach. An ocean glistening with the same colors as the sky. A cool, salty breeze blowing through her hair.

Morgan remembered the location. It was that of the beach on the west side of Bryonia Island. Where she had first revealed Ignis to two of her classmates.

Standing in front of her were the classmates in question: Laura and Fie. Their hands were joined together, and they were looking into each other's eyes. Then, they turned to Morgan and stretched out their hands, inviting her to come join their circle. Smiling, Morgan started running to them.

"A person who chases two hares won't catch either."

The same low voice she had heard previously echoed through the air. Laura and Fie showed no signs of hearing it at all and kept smiling at Morgan. Eventually, she reached her classmates and clasped each of their hands.

"But if that person allows the hares to mingle with each other, then he will be able to catch both of them while their guard is down."

"They're not hares. They're my friends."

The sun suddenly began dipping below the horizon at an alarmingly fast rate, almost as if time was sped up.

"Your resourcefulness allowed you to prevail this time…" the low voice said. "But this is only the first battle in a larger war. There are still more challenging trials that await you."

"What are you…"

Before Morgan could finish asking her question, a chill ran up her spine. The sun had completely set, leaving nothing but a dark sky. As the moon shone overhead, it suddenly began to twist and contort until it became a vortex, conjuring up a storm that started to swallow the entire island. Morgan tried desperately to hang on to Laura and Fie as the devastation reached the beach, but the winds proved too strong, and she watched helplessly as her classmates were cast into the air like broken dolls.

Now on her own, Morgan tried desperately to run away from the vortex before she too was inevitably sucked up.

"The similarity between hares and humans is their tendencies to flee. But the difference between hares and humans…"

Suddenly, a new figure appeared in front of her. There wasn't enough light to make out the figure's manner of dress, but she could clearly see the facial features.

A head of white hair. A pair of sickeningly red eyes. A face that should have looked familiar but was contorted into something completely different.

Morgan tried to run away, but her body wasn't responding. Her hands and legs were shaking in fear. Her bottom lip was quivering uncontrollably. The sound of creepy laughter reverberated through her ears.

"...Is that humans can never run away fast enough."

She didn't realize that the figure had lunged at her and pushed her into the portal before it was already too late.

Morgan bolted up in her bed. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and her night shirt was soaked in sweat. She could still remember the sensation of being helplessly carried away by the storm.

She wrapped her arms around herself, taking low, deep breaths to assuage her shivering. The chill that had run up her spine was still there, and from the looks of things, she wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon.

Even after resolving to become more honest with herself and those around her… Even after everything she had endured to get to this point…

There were just some things from her past that she couldn't run away from.

Author's note: The fourth arc of the story has begun! Thank you once again for reading this.

As explained previously, the main focus of this arc is to shed some light on what Morgan's time in Erebonia was like since she arrived years before the start of the story. Some of you might be wondering why I didn't just start at that point and work my way chronologically to the events of the game, and to your credit, I did consider doing that initially. Ultimately, however, I felt that this roundabout approach allowed me to get the train running quicker instead of potentially making it a really slow burn. Like I said at the beginning of this fic, I'm acting as if Morgan is technically just along for the ride; therefore, establishing her as part of the new universe took precedence over establishing her character. Starting at the beginning of Morgan's journey would make it more of the latter, so I decided to cut corners and introduce a Morgan that already lived a few years in Erebonia with the intent of elaborating on her backstory once she (and by extension, the story) was firmly settled down. Thankfully, introducing characters and talking about their backstories after important story events is how RPGs usually approach things, and the Kiseki series is no different. Regardless, I hope you're excited to find out what this little tactician has been up to!

I hope to be more efficient in my storytelling and keeping a solid schedule for this fic to prevent another Bryonia Island arc from happening again. Until next time! (＾▽＾)