Following a light lunch in the Leica District, Group A made their way over to the Imperial Museum at the top of the hill. There, they met with the museum curator, who informed them that a nest of monsters was spotted in the catacombs below the museum and that their task was to eradicate the nest After being shown the way down, the students braved the dark corridors, exterminating any monster that got in their way.

Eventually, the group reached the innermost parts of the catacombs, where they found their target; a nest made with silk and goo, guarded by a large queen spider and a host of small baby spiders. The students broke off into their pairs and began engaging the enemies separately.

"Let's go, Ignis!"

Morgan activated her skill, which caused violet-colored flames to start emanating from her body.

Alisa glanced at Morgan. "Even after she showed it to us, I still can't get used to seeing that," she muttered to herself. "It looks like she's self-immolating."

Fie, her partner for this fight, shot at a baby spider that was coming their way. "Less talking, more shooting."

Laura and Emma, meanwhile, were focusing their efforts on the main monster. The queen spider had the ability to summon more spiders out of the nest to come help it, but every time it did, the reinforcements were quickly silenced by Emma. Using her craft Ethereal Edge, she could summon just as many glowing blades to keep the baby spiders at bay, allowing Laura to devote her full concentration towards defeating the queen.

"Shatter!" Laura leapt into the air and brought the full weight of her sword down on the spider's abdomen.

"I'll help, too!" Emma muttered a few words under her breath, and in an instant, a set of gleaming swords flew forward to impale the spider in the head.

"Admirable as ever, Emma!" Laura commended her partner. "Your affinity with orbal arts shines through once again!"

"Ahaha…" Emma laughed nervously. "I may not be as fast as Fie, but I'll back you up just as much!"

The queen spider slowly began to rise up from the ground, surprising the pair.

"Not on my watch!" Morgan poured her magical energy into her orbment and waved her hand three times. "Give me a Thunder, one, two, three!"

With each wave of her hand, a bolt of lightning shot forward and shocked the spider. Three hand waves equated to three lightning strikes, all cast in quick succession. At the last strike, the spider queen became paralyzed in place.

"Alisa! Hit it!"

"I've got it!" Alisa drew her bowstring back, causing a straight arrow of energy to manifest itself. Instead of immediately releasing it, however, she kept her bow drawn, causing the arrow to become more condensed with energy.

"Time for my secret weapon!" At last, the arrow had reached its maximum charge. "Rosetta Arrow!"

Upon releasing the bowstring, the arrow flew a short distance before breaking apart into several smaller bolts that barraged the spider, burning it and sending it flying into the nest.

Fie whistled. "Nice shot."

Alisa giggled. "Heehee! Thanks! I've been wanting to show that off for a while. Guess I killed two birds with one stone! Or, would it be two spiders with one arrow…"

"Either way, I think that wraps up this request," said Emma.

"We killed every last one of them." Morgan heaved a big sigh. "Man, I'm exhausted!"

"We can take a short break upstairs after reporting to the curator," Laura told her. "Hang in there, Morgan."

"Hey, these catacombs are all connected, right?" Fie queried. "Doesn't that mean we could walk all the way to the old man's workshop if we wanted to?"

"Sure you could!" Morgan replied. "If you had a map, that is. If you didn't, well, then you'd be stuck down here for a long time."

"Speaking from experience?"

"..." Morgan looked to the side. A bead of uneasy sweat dropped from her forehead.

Fie smirked. "I'm guessing that's a yes."

"I'm glad you came," Omar said. "I was worried my request wouldn't go through."

"Even if it did, you could always just call me," Morgan pointed out. "But enough about that! Show me the goods!"

Omar grabbed the rebuilt orbal lance and handed it to Morgan. It looked exactly as it did before Morgan broke it, with the difference being that there was some reinforced plating right where the blade was connected to the shaft.

"Oh, yup. Definitely feels more weighty," Morgan remarked as she twirled it in her hand. "Okay. Let's see how this goes."

Omar led Group A to the testing ground through the secret passageway. Once there, they found that Omar had set up a line of five barrels, the same as yesterday. Morgan began preparing an art at once, taking care to follow the exact same steps as she did previously to ensure that there was consistency between the two trials. First, she struck the first four barrels with lightning. Then, she leapt upwards while charging the lance at the same time. With the head of the lance wrapped in electricity, she thrust the lance forward as she descended, causing the barrel to explode on contact. This time, the head of the lance remained intact.

"It worked!" Emma cheered.

Omar grunted in approval. "As is to be expected. The previous metal that was used focused more on conducting the electricity safely, but it was also rather frail. This new metal isn't quite as conductive, but it is far more sturdier in comparison."

"If it was able to withstand that, then we could have been able to use that in the monster fight if we came here first!" Alisa said.

"...I'm not so sure."

In contrast to her classmates, Morgan looked far more skeptical. "It checks out all the basic criteria, but there's still one thing missing."

"Which is?"

Morgan aimed the orbal weapon at a wall and began to cast an art, only this time, she gave the order to fire before the art was ready. As a result, nothing happened, and the lance powered down.

"See that? Nothing came out that time."

"Well, yeah, that's the whole point," Alisa said. "If you release the art before it can materialize-"

"Whereas if I use this…" Morgan brought out her ARCUS and began preparing an art. A second later, she thrust her casting arm forward, causing a tiny, fiery explosion to erupt from her orbment. "There. See that?"

"Something came out that time," Fie commented. "So what?"

Morgan held up both her orbment and the orbal lance. "Even when an art has yet to fully manifest itself, it still has its uses. A small misfire could save a life in the field. Laura. Alisa. You remember your first trip into the old schoolhouse, right? Remember when Elliot let go of his art prematurely and it ended up hitting the monster?"

"Now that you mention it, you are correct," Laura recalled.

"It was a complete accident, but it helped us to figure out what the monster's weak spot was," Alisa agreed.

Morgan nodded. "The point is, if the lance can't even manage something like that, then there's no point in using it over a plain old tactical orbment."

Omar growled in disappointment. "When you put it that way, I suppose you do have a point. However, generating lightning is not the same as generating fire."

"Can I ask a question?" Emma said, raising her hand. "Why are you aiming for lightning specifically?"

"Well, you understand certain elements contain additional states, yes?" Omar began to explain. "For instance, water can be frozen into ice or heated to a gas. Wind contains some of the same properties, and some quartz have the potential to generate electricity. It would be easier to create a weapon rooted in the basic elements, but so far, no one has thought to create a weapon that could isolate a particular state."

"So basically, you just wanted an extra challenge?" Fie figured.

"Lightning has all sorts of applications in combat, too," Morgan added. "It strikes quicker than the eye can react, and you can adjust the output so you can stun enemies without outright killing them. I'd say you should make that the next goal, Omar. Aim for a minimum of three lightning strikes that can be cast in quick succession."

"THREE?!" the middle-aged inventor exclaimed. "You're certainly setting the bar high."

"Three lightning strikes...cast in quick succession…" A thought crossed Laura's mind. "Wait, that's…!"

"...Precisely what Morgan did during the fight against the monster," Emma spoke in a hushed whisper. "She was able to bypass the need to gather orbal energy because she was using her own magic. Because of that, she was able to cast a chain series of three lightning strikes."

"So that's her angle," Fie realized. "She wants other people to be able to do the same things she can."

"She generates her own orbal energy with Ignis…" Alisa muttered to herself. "Fire…"

"Hmm? What are you girls mumbling about over there?" Omar asked. "My hearing isn't what it once was."

"Oh, it's nothing," Alisa replied. "Say, Mister Omar? Have you ever thought about adding an additional quartz?"

"An additional quartz?"

"Yeah. Most household appliances usually have a combination of quartzes to produce a desired effect. Water plus heat equals steam, right? That's why some steam generators employ water quartzes with a supporting fire quartz. Lightning is generated when there's heat in the air, so if you combine a wind quartz with a fire quartz…"

"Plasma!" Omar shouted, holding his hands above his head. "Of course! Genius!" He nodded to himself. "Yes, there won't be a need to prepare an art, not when the components for lightning are being generated internally! Of course, there is the issue of the weapon overheating, but if I fit an exhaust pipe or a cooling fan… I need to write this down immediately!"

Omar turned around and hobbled into his workshop faster than someone his age would have every right to be.

"Wait, Omar! Hold up!" Morgan rushed after him while holding the orbal lance. "You forgot this!"

The rest of Group A looked at each other. "Well, that's that, I guess?" said Fie.

"I must admit, Alisa…" Laura spoke. "I continue to be surprised by your intellect regarding orbal technology."

Alisa blushed a little. "I-It's nothing to write home about, really…"

"I think you should go after them, Alisa," Emma suggested. "You could help Omar immensely with your knowledge, and no one's saying that he can't have more than one assistant."

"I guess so…" Alisa conceded. "I have to admit, I'm starting to see why Morgan's so gung-ho about seeing this through. In fact…"

Before Alisa could finish her statement, Emma's orbment started to ring.

"My ARCUS…?" She took her orbment out.

"I'm surprised we still have reception when we're underground," Fie remarked.

Emma opened the flap of her ARCUS and spoke into it. "Hello? This is Emma Millstein of Group A."

"H-Hello." The voice on the other side of the line was staticky, but Emma was able to deduce that it was a young boy's voice. "Did I hear that correctly? Am I speaking to Group A?"

"Yes. My apologies, but we are in an underground space with poor reception. Would you like to try again later?"

"No, that won't be necessary," the voice responded. "So long as you can hear me, I can make this beef-er, brief."

"Can I first ask who you are?" Emma queried.

The person on the other end cleared his throat. "Who I am is of little relevance. Just know that I am a friend of the Vander family who is speaking on their behalf."

"The Vander family?" Emma echoed.

"Correct. The Vander family requests the presence of Group A. Once you are finished with your afternoon tasks, please make your way over to the headquarters of the Vander School in the Leica District. This will likely take up the rest of the afternoon, so please make sure you finish everything you need to do before then. Is that alright with-"

The voice stopped. "Um, I mean to say, is that clear?"

"Er, yes." Emma was left with more questions than answers, if she was being honest. However, if the Vander family was truly involved, then she figured it was best to ask them directly. "We will be on our way there momentarily."

"Excellent. Then I will hang up now. Let's see, how does this…" The boy suddenly stopped. "S-Sister, stop laughing! This was your idea-!"

With that final word, the line hung up.

"...Who was that?" Fie was the first to ask.

Emma put her orbment away. "He didn't say. But we need to go to the Vander School headquarters."

"Seriously?" Alisa half-groaned. "We were just in the Leica District."

"They insisted that we come."

"Then we shouldn't keep them waiting," said Laura. "We should let Morgan know."

The students made their way back into Omar's workshop, taking care to close the door shut behind them. They found Morgan examining some old blueprints by herself.

"Oh! Hey, guys." Morgan raised her hand. "Omar's upstairs. Ran out of paper. Is something up?"

Emma hurriedly explained the situation, highlighting the out-of-the-blue call on her ARCUS and the request to return to Leica District.

"The Vanders need us?" Morgan cupped her chin. "I wonder…"

"You know what's going on?" Fie asked.

"It's just a hunch…" Morgan replied. "But if it's what I'm thinking, then we need to get there now. I'm more interested in this mystery caller. You're sure that it wasn't someone from Group B?"

"Yes," Emma affirmed. "He sounded like he was younger than Elliot, and he said that he was a friend of the Vanders."

"Hmm…" Morgan mulled over the information briefly before lowering her arm. "Well, no use worrying about it now. Come on. Let's get back to Leica District."

One tram ride later, and Group A arrived at their destination.

"These trams really do make travel convenient," Emma remarked.

"Yeah. Technology has come a long way," Morgan agreed.

"Ah, right on time."

The students looked ahead to find a familiar figure waiting at the end of the tram stop.

"Lady Aurier!" Morgan called out. The rest of the group also greeted the Vander lady.

"It is a pleasure to see you all again," Aurier said. "I apologize that you had to be called on such short notice."

"Can you explain what's going on?" Fie asked.

"They didn't tell you?" Aurier didn't sound surprised. "Well, I suppose that is par for the course. Follow me. It's best if I just show you." She turned around and began walking further into the district, leaving Group A with little choice but to follow her lead.

Eventually, they reached the entrance to the Vander School headquarters. The sounds of loud shouting and clashing swords were able to be heard from the outside, but unlike yesterday, the strikes were more forceful and the shouts undeniably belonged to an adult male.

"Lady Aurier…" Morgan spoke up. "Is that…?"

"Indeed." Aurier smiled at her as she opened the door.

As the students entered the building, they were met with the sight of two individuals sparring in the center of the sparring arena. One was a tall, middle-aged man with a broad frame who brandished a greatsword. The other, whose back was currently facing the students, was a boy with short blue hair who had a more slender frame and wielded twin short swords. The other Vander School students were standing around the arena, watching the match from afar.

"There!" The older man swung his greatsword with great dexterity and speed.

"Urgh!" The blue-haired boy tried to defend the blow, but the force of the attack was too great, causing the sword in his left hand to be knocked away.

The blue-haired boy sighed as he knelt to the ground. "I concede," he said regretfully.

"You still tend to favor your right side, Kurt," the older man spoke. "When you wield two blades, it is crucial that you learn to achieve balance with both your arms."

The boy nodded. "Yes, Father."

The older man sheathed his sword. "We will continue this later. It would appear that our guests of honor have arrived."

The blue-haired boy looked behind him, revealing a face that bore a striking resemblance to Aurier. "Oh, Mother! You're back. That was quick."

"You have our friends to thank for that," Aurier replied. "Don't lose heart, Kurt. You will become stronger in time."

"So THAT'S her son?" Alisa spoke in a hushed whisper. "She looks like she could be his older sister."

Emma nodded. "If that is her son, then the man in the center must be…"

Laura looked at the middle-aged man with a mix of awe and seriousness.

"Welcome, students of Class VII!" the man said in a loud voice. "Thank you for coming at our request. I am Matteus Vander, headmaster and lead practitioner of the Vander School."

"I-It's an honor to meet you, sir…" Emma stammered.

The other members of Group A likewise struggled to find the right words to respond with. Matteus Vander was the personal bodyguard of Emperor Eugent Reise Arnor III and considered to be among the Imperial Army's greatest commanders, and one look at the way he carried himself was enough for anyone to tell that those titles weren't just for show. He practically radiated power, commanding the attention of the room with his presence alone. If someone like Major Irving made you want to be on your best behavior, then Matteus Vander made you want to submit to his will.

The lone exception among the group was Morgan, who responded with a silent curtsy out of habit.

"Dear, you're doing that thing again…" Aurier said. "You're intimidating them."

Matteus grunted. "And I was trying to hold back that time…"

That aroused a little bit of laughter from the other Vander students situated around the building. The students of Group A gradually began to relax their tense postures.

"I apologize for not being able to greet you properly yesterday," Matteus continued. "There were some matters I had to attend to in Parm last week."

"Lady Aurier already informed us of your absence. But with all due respect, Master Matteus…" Morgan stepped forward. "Is it alright for you to be here the day before the Summer Festival?"

"Worry not. His Excellency was kind enough to let me attend to the school before the evening hours." Matteus locked eyes with Morgan, and his visage relaxed subtly. "You look well, Morgan. Your time at Thors appears to have bolstered your fortitude."

"...It's almost like you can see right through me." Morgan glanced at her classmates. "I owe it all to my classmates."

Matteus nodded at the other members of Group A. "I can see from a glance that each one of you has faced many trials to get to where you are today. There will come times of uncertainty where you are pressured by outside forces, but do not fret. As students, your primary objective is to learn; so long as you remember what you were taught, you will be able to accomplish anything. Be vigilant!"

Those reassuring words from the headmaster helped to put Group A's mind at ease. From around the room, the Vander School students murmured in agreement.

"That's all fine and dandy, but…" Morgan cleared her throat. "I take it you didn't call us here just to give us some words of motivation."

"Indeed. Then allow me to get straight to the point." He gestured to the Vander School students. "I would like you all to participate in a training bout against our school's students. They have been wanting to test their mettle against Thors' finest after meeting you yesterday, and now is a better time than ever to fulfill their request."

"A cross-school exchange, huh?" Morgan looked behind her. "What do you guys think?"

"The Vander School is one of the two most prominent martial styles in the Empire," Emma remarked. "Fighting against it ourselves WOULD make for a good learning experience."

"You already know my answer," Laura said eagerly. "I must admit, I had been hoping for a chance like this since yesterday."

"It sounds like it could be a lot of fun!" Alisa then added in a less-enthusiastic tone, "Although, Emma and I would probably have to sit out since we use ranged weapons."

"That won't be necessary," Matteus assured her. "Weapons of all classes are welcome here. A little bit of diversity would make for a more enriching experience for all of us." He then looked around the building. "Do you not all agree?"

The Vander School students gave their unanimous approval.

"Well, if that's the case…" Alisa smiled. "How can we refuse after that?"

"We will have a team exhibition match," Matteus announced. "Four of your group versus four of our students…"

"If I may interject, Father…" Kurt, who had been standing silently by his mother, stepped forward. "I would also like a chance to see how well I fare against them."

"Kurt…" Matteus mulled over his son's proposition for a second before nodding his head. "Very well. Choose any three students to accompany you."

All the Vander School students gathered around the blue-haired boy. One by one, he would point to a fellow Vander student, and then that student would leave to retrieve their weapon of choice from the weapon rack.

"So we're going up against two greatsword users and a lance user," Morgan observed. "And then there's Kurt, who uses twin blades…"

"Is he good?" Fie asked.

"If he wasn't, he wouldn't be a Vander," Morgan replied. "He doesn't have the raw power of his relatives, so he puts all his focus on attack speed. If you start to slack for even a second, he's going to punish you for it."

"...Sounds like it'll be rough." As soon as she said that, Fie did something unprecedented: turn around. "Have fun."

"W-Wait, you're just gonna leave like that?!" Alisa exclaimed. "I thought you'd want to compete to see who's faster!"

"I'm feeling a bit tired." Fie proved that notion by yawning. "I'll go take a quick nap. Wake me up when you're done."

Morgan looked on as Fie made her way over to a bench on the far end of the training hall. "Hey, you don't think…"

"There may be people here who won't take kindly to her choice of weapon." Laura's expression softened. "It's very considerate of her."

With their team chosen, the remaining students of Group A moved to the center of the training hall.

"Okay, I know this is a friendly exhibition match…" Morgan whispered to her teammates. "But let's do our best to win this, yeah?"

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Alisa agreed.

"The pride of Thors Military Academy rests on our shoulders," Laura added.

"Ah, if I can add one more thing…" Matteus called out as Group A readied their weapons. "I understand that you all possess specialized combat orbments that allow the use of combat links. For the sake of fairness, I must request that you forgo using these links during the match."

Alisa's expression fell. "Don't use our combat links?"

Emma similarly started to panic. "B-But…"

"Fine by me!" Morgan responded without a second thought. "Hey, don't worry! We've fought together for four months! That's plenty of time to get used to each other's fighting styles, right?"

"We may be at a handicap…" Laura gripped the handle of her sword firmly. "But we still have the advantage when it comes to weapon diversity. So long as we stay together, we shall prevail!"

Their confidence bolstered, the four girls assumed their formation: Alisa and Emma in the back, Morgan in the center, and Laura in the front.

"You will be considered knocked out if your weapon is removed from your hands or you are pushed out of bounds," Matteus stated. "The match will be decided when all four of either group's members are incapacitated. Students...begin!"

…

As the match ensued, Fie kept her eyes half-open from her lying position. She kept note of the way the Vander students moved, how they attacked, and when they left themselves exposed. Kurt Vander was every bit as fast as Morgan said he was, which, to Fie, meant that she could still probably run circles around him. The other students were also competent in their own right, but compared to what Instructor Sara put them through on a daily basis? Yeah, her classmates should have no trouble winning this, even without combat links.

"Are you certain that this is what you want?"

Fie opened her right eye fully and glanced up. Aurier had taken a seat beside her. She closed her eye not long after identifying her new neighbor.

"Are you really tired?" she continued to ask. "Or is there something else at play?"

"...Both." The woman was perceptive, Fie gave her that.

"May I ask why?"

"I'm not exactly compatible with this place," Fie answered.

"Is that so…" Aurier hummed to herself. "Forgive me for prying, but I couldn't help but feel nostalgic. You reminded me of how Morgan would have acted over a year ago."

That piqued Fie's interest. "Really?"

"Really." Aurier smiled softly. "As her classmate, I am sure that you are well aware of her fear of swords. Back then, that fear extended to most weapons in general. She would flinch whenever she heard the sound of steel clanging against steel, and the mere thought of holding a weapon to defend herself would almost make her faint. Needless to say, whenever she did have to come here, she would always observe from a distance."

Fie furrowed her eyebrows. Morgan 'had' to come here? If she didn't like something, wouldn't the easiest way be to avoid it altogether?

She finally decided to sit up. "What got her to change?"

"Are you referring to her general behavior?" Aurier inquired. "That simply occurred over time. When she first took up residence in the Kunst District, we had offered to teach her self-defense. She understood the importance of it, but she ultimately couldn't go through with it. We respected her decision, of course; we didn't want to rush things, not when she was still so meek…"

"Seriously?" Fie thought she was joking. Morgan, the perky and ditzy mood-maker of Class VII, used to be meek of all things?

However, the look on the older woman's face indicated that she was being completely serious. "At any rate, we continued to monitor her progress as she continued to settle into her new life. She started fulfilling requests for the people of Heimdallr, and slowly but surely, she began to undergo a change. She became more outspoken, more likely to take the initiative. Such traits are required if one desires to connect with the people around them."

Aurier pointed to the corner right by the entrance to the building. "The first time Morgan came here to observe practice, she did so from that far corner. The next time she came, she hugged along the wall. The time after that, she sat down on this bench. She continued to gradually make her way over until she was standing right next to the sparring ring. It was around that time that she was accepted to Thors, so we once again offered to teach her some basic fundamentals."

"Morgan's spear stance does look kinda like your guys', now that I think about it," Fie remarked. "I've seen her use a few moves, just without the attack name."

"Again, we didn't give her any formal training," Aurier clarified. "Though as it turned out, there was no need to. She had already devised her own fighting style and was strangely adamant about not trying to deviate too far from it. Her movements were unlike anything we had ever seen, but she clearly carried some semblance of discipline, so we let it slide."

Fie wondered how much Morgan had told the Vanders about her background. Did they know that she learned how to fight from her past life in Ylisse?

"Someone like her was bred for combat, and deep down, I believe she was unconsciously afraid of acknowledging that. But there is nothing to hide on an open battlefield; people will recognize if you are holding back, and they will do everything in their power to make your secrets bare for all to see."

That last part hit particularly close to home. 'Ain't that the truth,' Fie snarked in her head.

Aurier placed a hand on her chest. "My apologies. I did not mean to ramble."

"It's fine. Listening to stories about Morgan is nice."

The older woman smiled. "If I can add one more thing: our students have not had much experience fighting against those who travel outside the way of the sword. After they graduate, there may come a time where they encounter such an opponent and be woefully unprepared to combat it. Regardless of their opinions, something like that would make a useful learning experience for everyone. Just some food for thought."

Though Aurier's face was serene, Fie felt like she was staring directly into her soul.

Laura was engaged in a fierce weapon lock against the opposing team's lance wielder. Her experience fighting against Gaius and, to a lesser extent, Morgan had prepared her enough to know what to do against other polearm users, but her opponent was likewise just as well-versed in battling against greatsword users. As a result, both sides had reached a standstill.

And truth be told, Laura was having the time of her life.

"Laura! Time to switch! Guard Alisa!"

Morgan's voice snapped her back into reality. As much as she enjoyed battling against a skilled opponent, she had to remember that this wasn't the only opponent she needed to worry about. That's right; this was a team battle.

"Understood!" Laura pushed her opponent away before retreating.

"I'm not letting you escape!" The lance wielder prepared to charge after Laura, but she was stopped by a small gust of compressed wind that sailed over her head. "What?"

"Eyes on me!" Morgan called out as she began preparing another orbal art.

"If that's the case…" The lance user thrust her weapon to interrupt Morgan's casting.

However, that was what Morgan had been waiting for. Dropping her orbment, she spun to the side and used her momentum to hook the back part of her axe's blade onto the lance's shaft, yanking the weapon away from the opponent's hands.

"Ah!"

"Axes beat lances!" Morgan smirked as she quickly retrieved her orbment. "That's one…"

Another Vander student rushed forward to meet her, swinging his greatsword at Morgan's left side. Deftly rolling to the side, Morgan lengthened her axe and readied it by her side. Before the greatsword user could prepare another attack, Morgan leapt into the air.

"Lulling!" Due to the frantic pacing of the fight, Morgan had settled to shouting an abbreviated name as opposed to the whole name. She landed with a downwards thrust, causing a small shockwave to burst forth from where she struck the ground.

Her opponent widened his eyes with realization as he narrowly avoided the attack. "That's…!"

"Not done yet!" Chasing after the greatsword user, she unleashed a quick barrage of precise stabs followed by a roundhouse swing. "Tempest!"

Her opponent could only grunt in pain as the shaft of Morgan's weapon connected with his abdomen, sending him flying out of the ring.

"S-Sorry!" Morgan briefly considered checking to see if he was okay, but after remembering that she would be disqualified if she left the ring, she reluctantly abstained. "That's two down. Laura and the others are ganging up on three, so that leaves…"

"You're open!" a voice snapped at her.

"Whoa!" Morgan was nearly blindsided by Kurt. If she hadn't blocked the attack, she would have been knocked out of bounds.

"Heh! You almost got me there!"

"I'm surprised by your reflexes," Kurt said as he and Morgan continued locking their weapons together. His expression conveyed that of intense concentration. "But do you think you'll be able to withstand my blades?"

Morgan quickly ran through the situation in her head. With Kurt already this close to pushing her over the edge, it was likely that once he was finished with her, he would blindside her teammates in a pincer attack. She could try and call for help, but that would force her teammates to divide their forces, halting the momentum that they currently had on the other greatsword user. That meant that the only thing she could do now was stand her ground and hope that Laura, Emma, and Alisa could finish their opponent in time.

"One minute oughtta do it!" Morgan decided. Kurt was puzzled by the statement, which allowed Morgan a crucial moment to slip past him and reclaim center stage.

"Alright, Kurt! Get lively!" Morgan bounced up and down to psyche herself up. "I want to hear those blades sing!"

The blue-haired boy assumed his battle stance. "Then here I come!"

The two of them began their fierce clash. Morgan had opted to keep her weapon in its extended form so she could have the range advantage, but it was evident that Kurt was used to fighting against spears and lances, being able to transition seamlessly from evading to attacking and then retreating before Morgan could sneak in a hit. She was able to keep up at the moment, but with each exchange, she was once again moving closer to the edge of the arena. It wouldn't be long before she was cornered.

Morgan then got an idea. It was a risk, but it could give her a chance to even the odds. She readied her bardiche and called out, "Form of the Sigil!"

Kurt squinted his eyes. "Are you sure about that? I've learned how to counter that technique from my mother!"

Morgan unleashed a flurry of stabs. Kurt, meanwhile, had entered a defensive stance and proceeded to block every single one of her attacks, proving that his claims weren't unfounded.

But that was exactly what Morgan was aiming for. Right as she leaned her body back to perform the final roundhouse swing, she instead retracted her weapon into its axe form and nimbly rolled to Kurt's left side. "Just kidding!"

"What?" Kurt had concentrated all his focus on parrying the final strike, so much so that he neglected to consider what would happen in the event of a fake-out. Now that Morgan had successfully caught him off-guard, she could see that his left side was wide open. She performed a rising spinning slash from the ground, knocking Kurt's left sword cleanly from his hand.

Not a second later, she lengthened her weapon and pointed it at Kurt's throat. "That's checkmate."

Kurt gripped his right hand. "I still have my other sword."

"And I still have a team." Morgan looked over to the side to see her teammates running to her aid, leaving one defeated Vander student behind. "Sure you want to continue?"

Having realized his slim odds, Kurt reluctantly let go of his other sword and raised both his hands. "I concede."

The match was decided. Class VII's Group A had completely swept the Vander School's representatives.

...

"We were totally beaten!" the first greatsword student complained. "They're stronger than I thought!"

"And to think, this wasn't their full strength!" the female lance user added. "How would they fight if they had these 'combat links?'"

"Ugh…" The student that Morgan had hit held his abdomen area. "I think I'm gonna feel THAT one in the morning."

"It was my fault we lost," Kurt bemoaned. "If I had divided up our numbers better…"

The other Vander School students tried to comfort him, but they silenced themselves upon seeing Matteus walk up to them. The three students and Kurt braced themselves for whatever was going to come out of his mouth.

"That…" Matteus paused. Then, his mouth crept into a reassuring smile. "...Was a fine display from all of you."

The four Vander representatives released the tension they were building up inside.

"You may have lost this time…" Matteus continued. "But have no fear. Every defeat is a learning experience! That goes for you as well, Kurt."

Kurt looked up at his father upon hearing his name.

"There is no shame in surrender," Matteus said. "And you were otherwise excellent in your offense. The only thing that you lack is experience against those who can subvert your expectations. Remain calm, even when you are caught off-guard, and trust your instincts."

Kurt nodded. "Thank you for your kind words, Father. I WILL become stronger."

"Thank you, Master!" the other three students said collectively.

"Now, then…" Matteus rolled his neck around. "I believe it is finally time to move on to the next step."

"The...next step, Father?"

"Oh, it's nothing that concerns you, Kurt. I simply have something that I want to take care of before our guests leave. The rest of you are dismissed for the day. Enjoy the Summer Festival tomorrow!"

As the other students gathered their belongings, Kurt watched as his father approached the prevailing group from Thors. They were all formidable opponents in their own right. Laura Arseid, the daughter of the fabled Radiant Blademaster, was definitely as strong as Kurt had expected; he only wished that he got the opportunity to cross swords with her in a proper duel. Morgan had caught him by surprise with her reflexes and unpredictable fighting style, but what was more surprising was how she was able to incorporate the Vander School's techniques and make them her own. Even the two other girls, despite not wielding martial weapons, proved to have many tricks up their sleeves. And though the silver-haired girl didn't participate in the fight, Kurt had to assume that she was just as capable in combat as well.

"Here you are, Kurt." Kurt's mother approached him with a towel and a water bottle.

"Thank you, Mother." Kurt kindly took the gifts from his mother's hands. "If I may ask, what is Father planning on doing?"

"Oh, I told him about what we did yesterday," Aurier explained. "And after hearing about that, he decided that he wanted to, for a lack of a better term, join in on the fun."

"What do you mean by, 'we'?"

His mother pointed in the direction of his father, who was now walking towards the center of the building.

Kurt furrowed his eyebrows. One of the students from Thors was following him. "Isn't that…"

Morgan fidgeted in place as she watched Matteus carry a training dummy with him towards the center of the training hall. As she and her classmates were discussing what they should do next, Matteus had walked up to them and asked her to follow him. Even though she had grown used to being in his presence, that still didn't shake the nerves completely off of her.

"Morgan."

"Y-Yes, Master Matteus?" she stammered.

"I am not your master," the Vander reminded her. "Nor are you anyone's servant."

"S-Sorry…" Morgan rubbed the back of her head. "I'm just too used to saying that."

Matteus grunted. "I noticed that you have learned how to use some of our school's techniques."

"That's right. Lady Aurier was kind enough to instruct me yesterday."

"Then am I also correct in assuming that you have overcome your fear of swords?"

"I…" Morgan was hesitant to reply immediately. She HAD gotten better at being around them, but had she truly overcome her fear completely? "I've more or less gotten used to fighting against them thanks to my classmates. Whether or not I can properly wield one is another matter entirely."

"Your ability to wield a blade is of little relevance at the moment." Matteus rested his hand on the handle of his sword. "Draw your weapon, Morgan."

Morgan was stunned by the sudden request. "I don't mean to offend you, sir, but… Did you just ask me to draw my weapon?"

"That is correct."

Off to the side, her classmates were in a similar state of shock. What could have incentivized the headmaster of the Vander School to want to do this all of a sudden?

Regardless of her thoughts on the matter, Morgan obeyed Matteus's command. "Can I ask what it is you want us to do?"

"As the Vander School's supreme instructor, I believe it is only natural that I follow in Aurier's stead. I want to see your powers of adaptation for myself."

Morgan glanced over at Aurier's direction, who simply responded with the same calm smile she always wore. Now she understood what was going on.

"I don't know what Lady Aurier has told you," she responded, "but if that is what you want, then I shall oblige."

Her classmates, meanwhile, gathered around Aurier. Kurt, meanwhile, had already left the training hall to go clean himself.

"I wake up from my nap and I see this?" Fie quipped.

Alisa snorted. "Come on, Fie. We know you weren't actually asleep. Miss Aurier, what's going on?"

"You're about to witness something brilliant," she replied vaguely.

Laura, meanwhile, stared at the pair in relative silence.

"The technique I am about to show you is one of our school's signature techniques," Matteus announced. "It can be learned by anyone, provided they have the willpower to do so. Are you ready?"

Morgan responded with her unique one-handed curtsy. "Yes."

"Then allow me to show you…" Matteus drew his sword, a colossal two-handed sword that was almost as large as he was tall. "The Ragna Bind! Let it be hewn into your mind!"

The Vander headmaster began to gather energy around his blade. Once it was sufficiently charged, he pointed it at Morgan, causing several tendrils of lightning to fly forward and ensnare her. The sudden display elicited a gasp from her classmates.

"Can't...move!" Morgan tried to fight her way out of the bind, but her body was completely paralyzed. Then, in one fluid motion, Matteus reeled his sword back, dragging Morgan closer towards him. Once she was within striking range, the lightning bind dissipated and Matteus's blade was right by Morgan's neck.

"The Ragna Bind…" Matteus repeated the name of the technique. "As the name implies, it is a craft that binds your opponent in place before drawing them into range for an attack. The strength of your bind hinges upon the strength of your will."

He then gestured for her to stand next to him. "Pay close attention to what I do."

Matteus then performed the Ragna Bind technique again, but this time, he aimed his sword at the training dummy. Morgan watched intently at how the headmaster's sword crackled with energy, then released it in a stream of colorless lightning.

'It doesn't look like a magical attack,' Morgan noted in her head. 'If that's the case, then…'

Matteus dragged the training dummy closer to them until it was situated within striking range. "Well?"

Morgan exchanged glances between the Vander, his sword, and the training dummy. "Hmm… I see!" She closed her eyes and nodded her head. "Now that I'm up close like this, I can see why you're called the Thunder God!"

The mention of his title didn't faze Matteus at all. "Explain."

"Every person has a unique aura to them…" Morgan began. "And if you train hard enough, you can get a feel for what other people are like. That's how people like Rean and Gaius can 'sense' people from far away; they're able to pick up on other people's auras. Train even more than that, and you can use your own energy in different ways. Say, for instance, augmenting your next attack to make it more powerful. But the Ragna Bind is different, though. You keep mentioning 'willpower.' I think it has something to do with the intentions behind your willpower."

Morgan pointed her weapon at the training dummy. "Enforce your own will on others, paralyze them, and get them to submit. You're able to do all three of those things as easily as you can talk. If you were to channel your aura with those intentions, well, then it's no surprise it comes out looking like electricity. The bind subdues opponents, not kills them, and a low voltage of electricity can do just that. The lightning isn't real; it's just a manifestation of your energy. If I were to do something like that…"

Holding her hand close to her chest, Morgan activated Ignis, generating magical flames all over her body.

"M-Morgan?!" her classmates collectively exclaimed. They panickingly looked at Aurier.

"It is alright." Aurier's expression did not change. "She has shown it to us before."

With her magic swelling up from within her, Morgan pictured herself pouring her energy into her axe. Then, she forcefully pointed her axe at the dummy and released everything she had at once, causing a stream of magic to fly out of her weapon and wrap itself around the dummy.

Her classmates were stunned. "That's…" Alisa gasped.

"It looks aesthetically different from Master Vander's version," Laura noted. "But there's no mistaking it; that is Ragna Bind!"

Even Fie looked surprised. "She was able to do it after seeing it once?"

Only Emma didn't look as surprised as the rest. "I don't think so," she commented, squinting her eyes at Morgan's magic stream. "It's too unrefined. At this rate, it'll…"

Before she could finish her statement, Morgan jerked her weapon back to try and get the dummy to move closer to her. As she did, though, the magical thread connecting her axe and her target snapped, causing the bind to fall apart.

"Aw..." Morgan sounded disappointed. "Darn. Thought I had something there."

"You are close," Matteus spoke up. "It was not bad, considering that was your first attempt. However, the bind won't hold if you are half-hearted."

"All or nothing, got it." Morgan dispelled her flames. "I'm not sure if I'll be able to overpower anyone with my willpower alone; that's why I decided to draw from my own reserves to compensate, something I know will surpass most fighters."

"Make sure you do not forget that feeling." The Vander headmaster sheathed his sword. "Now try again. And this time, see if you can do it without using your flames. They create a surge in energy, as I recall you once saying, but surely you can sense it even when it is dormant, no?"

"Magic usually can't be channelled through most melee weapons, but…" Morgan shrugged her shoulders. "Eh, who knows? First time for everything, right?"

As Morgan continued to experiment in perfecting her technique with Matteus's instruction, the rest of Group A were in a discussion with Aurier.

"That was probably the biggest surprise I've seen today," Alisa remarked. "I mean, we knew that Morgan was combat savvy, but was she always able to learn this fast?"

"That is simply how she is," Aurier responded. "Every person has their own way of learning things; in Morgan's case, she thrives off of a practical, hands-on approach. She learns by doing, and it just so happens that combat involves plenty of physical activity."

"Someone like her is bred for combat…" Fie mumbled to herself.

"Would it be wrong of me to presume that you did something similar yesterday, Miss Aurier?" Laura inquired.

Aurier nodded. "I'm sure all of you have noticed by now, but even when compared to the most honed of swordsmen, Morgan stands out as someone who can pick up and learn skills exceptionally quickly. Her intellect allows her to dissect movements into a series of basic patterns that, when put together, allows her to replicate the movements of those that she observes. She may not always succeed the first time, but with enough repetition, she can ingrain those movements into her memory."

Emma's eyes widened behind her glasses. "Then, that demonstration from yesterday… And the fact that you wielded a lance…!"

"I wanted to test how quickly she would be able to replicate our school's techniques, especially now that her apprehension towards weapons has mostly subsided. But more importantly…" Aurier placed a hand on her chest. "I felt that now was the best time to give her one last push to reaching her full potential."

"Her full potential?"

Aurier frowned slightly. "Morgan has told you about her past, has she not? Not just her past experiences in Heimdallr, but also what little she remembers about her life beyond Erebonia. She is not an ordinary girl by any stretch of the term. She has no family, no direct connections to anyone. That is why it is important that she learns how to make the most out of any situation, absorb as much information from anywhere. Any place can become a learning experience because of her unique gift; should she learn how to harness it, she will be well prepared for whatever comes her way.

"After recounting my own experience with her yesterday to my husband, he too wanted to see it for himself. The ability to take others' combat techniques, learn them at an accelerated rate, and use them as her own, provided she can commit those movements to memory before leaving the heat of battle. That is her gift… No, her personal skill!"

"And...bind!" With full concentration, Morgan conjured a whirling stream of magic that wrapped around the training dummy. Then, she jerked her weapon back, this time succeeding in pulling the dummy closer to her.

"I did it!" Morgan cheered for herself with childlike glee for about a few seconds before remembering her place. She hastily regained her composure and looked up at the Vander School's headmaster.

"The fact that you were able to achieve this in only a few repetitions is indeed impressive," Matteus commended her. "However, you must remain aware of your surroundings. Considering how long it currently takes you to ready your attack, it is crucial that you think ahead before utilizing this technique. Do you have enough time and space between you and your opponent to initiate the attack? Do you have an ally nearby who can strike while the enemy is immobile? Variables such as those are important things you must keep in mind."

"Yes, Master Matteus. 'A good tactician always thinks at least three steps ahead.'"

Matteus nodded. "Continue applying this technique in the future, and your output will without a doubt improve. Thus, I hereby declare that the Ragna Bind has been learned successfully!"

Aurier led the rest of Group A in giving Morgan a round of applause. Morgan sheepishly rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment.

"On that note…" Matteus said. "I think it is almost time for me to return to the palace. There is still much left to be done before the Summer Festival."

"Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to instruct me," Morgan responded while bowing her head.

"It was my pleasure." Matteus nodded at her before looking at the rest of Group A. "And I must thank the rest of you for being so accommodating."

"Not at all," said Laura. "It was an honor to see the Thunder God brandish his weapon."

Matteus chuckled. "I will be sure to tell Viscount Arseid that his daughter is in capable hands the next time we meet. Now then, she should be here any moment now…"

A knocking sound came from the entrance to the building, followed by a female voice that said, "Please excuse me."

Morgan's eyes widened. "I know that voice!" she muttered to herself.

The doors opened, and in walked a middle-aged woman wearing a maid uniform. A great distance behind her, Group A could see that there was a limousine parked by the sidewalk.

"Precisely on time as always, Fauna."

"Master Matteus." The maid bowed respectfully at the Vander. "I have come to escort you to Valflame Palace. His Excellency awaits your presence."

"Understood. But before that…" Matteus gestured towards Group A. "Would you like to take a moment to say hello to the illustrious Class VII?"

The maid glanced at the students. "So they belong to Class VII? Yes, they do have the uniforms. It is an honor to meet you."

"Are we famous or something?" Alisa wondered aloud.

"The first class in Thors history to combine both nobles and commoners into a single group. That alone would make you the talk of any town, but…" The maid chuckled. "Since your class has been assisting both sides of Heimdallr these past few days, let's just say that the talk has gotten significantly harder to ignore."

"Word of mouth really gets around, huh?" Fie quipped.

"Indeed it does." The maid bowed her head. "Ah, but where are my manners? My name is Fauna, and I am a modest servant belonging to His Excellency, Eugent Reise Arnor III."

"An Imperial maid?" Alisa gasped. "I'm not sure if 'modest' would be the right word for that."

"You must be very competent if you are in His Excellency's direct service," Laura commented.

Fauna lowered her head once more. "You flatter me. But this works out fine. There is one other thing I needed to take care of, and it just so happens to involve Class VII."

"Which is…?" Emma inquired.

"A student from St. Astraia Girls' School asked me to deliver this letter to Class VII should I encounter them on my way here." Fauna walked straight over to Morgan and produced an envelope that was sealed with vermillion-colored wax. "Can I entrust this with you?"

"Um, of course." Morgan took the envelope from Fauna's hands. "Hey, Miss Fauna-"

Fauna then leaned in and whispered, "We can talk at length later. I advise you not to be late."

Morgan nodded.

"I believe it is time for us to take our leave. Master Matteus, are you ready?"

"Of course. I should return in a few hours, Aurier."

Aurier smiled and waved her hand. "Take care, dear."

As Matteus and Fauna left the building, Morgan opened the envelope that she received. Inside it was a folded piece of paper with elegant handwriting on it.

"To Morgan Daraen,

You and your classmates have been cordially invited to a tea party at St. Astraia Girls' School. Please be at the front gates at precisely five o'clock this evening. Refreshments will be provided, so I would advise that you not eat anything beforehand.

Yours truly,

Alastor Finnigan

P.S. Please bring this invitation with you when you arrive. You will need it."

Morgan wasn't sure if she was happy, surprised, or exasperated. Maybe a combination of all three at once. "You've gotta be kidding me…"

"It's addressed specifically to Morgan," Alisa pointed out. "Why go through the trouble of seeking out our class if it was meant for one person?"

"Alastor Finnigan…" Emma read the last line. "That's the name of your friend, right, Morgan?"

"You have a friend who goes to St. Astraia's?" Fie asked. "You never told us that."

Morgan shrugged her shoulders. "You never asked."

"Hmm…" Laura was staring intently at the contents of the letter.

"What's up, Laura?"

"Ah. Forgive me, Morgan. I just can't quite shake the feeling that I've seen this handwriting before…"

"I'm sure you're just imagining things," she said. "Five o'clock is still a ways away, so I say we head back over to the guild building, drop off our stuff, and get started on our reports. Once it's around four thirty or so, we can take the tram over to the Sankt District.

"On that note, we should be leaving too. See you later, Lady Aurier! Tell Kurt we said bye!"

"Enjoy yourselves this evening, Morgan, Class VII."

Author's note: Another portion of the day finished! In the original game, Rean's group had to go on a treasure hunt after finishing their tasks for the second day. I WAS going to have Morgan and her group do something similar, but then I remembered that the Vander family was around, so I decided to do something different. It allowed me to sneak in a few cameos from the rest of the Vander family, namely Matteus and Kurt, while also providing some additional exposition on Morgan's background. I realize that I'm doing a lot more telling than showing in regards to her past, but hopefully the next chapter will fix that.

Also, Morgan gains another craft! Ragna Bind, a technique that does exist in the Kiseki universe, is essentially my attempt of giving Morgan something akin to Robin's grab in Smash, right down to how it looks. It will allow Morgan a greater deal of team synergy moving forward, provided she has enough time to activate it in the first place. I do plan on having Morgan develop a "close-range" variant that lets her create an instantaneous bind at the cost of range to make it even more similar to Robin's grab, so be sure to keep it in mind.

Lastly, I gave Morgan something that did not exist in Awakening: a personal skill! These made their first appearance in the game after Awakening and have since become a staple in the series, so I thought it'd be fun to make one up for Morgan. Here it is when explained in game lingo:

Understudy - When a unit adjacent to Morgan uses a skill with an activation rate, Understudy becomes replaced with that skill until she "learns" it. To learn a skill, Morgan must use it successfully a set number of times, depending on whether it was learned from an ally or an enemy; allied skills require three attempts while enemy skills require one. Once a skill is learned, it becomes equipped as a regular skill and Understudy returns to normal. Understudy will not activate if: a) Morgan has already learned that skill, and b) Morgan is already trying to learn another skill. If Morgan fails to learn the skill by the end of the battle, she will forget it and must start over from scratch.

This references Morgan's flexibility as a unit, being able to reclass and learn skills that their parent can't obtain otherwise through other means. Of course, this skill won't actually be referred to as such in-universe; this was just the best way I could go about explaining how Morgan is able to learn so quickly. At any rate, now that Morgan's mind has opened to the possibilities that come with her gift, she's going to have a lot of fun picking up new techniques moving forward.

That will be all! Until next time, whenever that comes out, stay safe and stay healthy! （‐＾▽＾‐）