A/N: So I'm just going to preface this chapter… I meant to have Mylene in the last one but forgot about Jenna's scene and thought I could have her grow a bit. Mylene's here though, poor her…(?)

Disclaimer: I do not own Trapped in Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs nor The Eminence in Shadow. The only Beta reader here is the elf.

-Cid-

*Thump*

Move

*Thump*

MOVE

*Thump*

MOVE!

I cough like I'm going to hack up my lungs.

"*COUGH*!" I sit up on the second one and realize I need to heal myself. As I do so I see Alpha lying on my chest. Since I was technically out of it I kinda missed how she followed up but it's gotta be gross to be covered in my blood.

So I use some of my magic to clean her up.

Her skin's awfully cold so I give her more magic, honestly I might trigger magical overload at this point but nothing that'd really hurt her.

As I begin to charge my elf, I reflect on one of my best performances yet.

I ended up letting myself be cut for real to make it look more convincing but the cut ended up going a bit more deep than I wanted it to.

But it was a huge success. See, with the little magic I had access too, I kept circulating blood to my brain. Then, I used my ultimate move which allows me to stop my heart without causing permanent damage…

Heh.

One mistake, and it would've cost me my life. But even with that risk, I had to do it…!

BEHOLD: MY ULTIMATE FORM OF MOB-FU. 10 Minutes of being near death: HEART BREAK MOB!

"*Groan.*"

I look down to see my partner in crime finally getting up. I stop circulating magic into her to allow her to get up, making sure to finish things properly, I'd hate to hurt her.

As she rubs her eyes I greet her, "Yo, Alpha. Time for us to… are you crying…?"

The blonde woman begins to sniffle as she looks at me.

The sight makes me panic.

I grab Alpha's shoulder with one hand and wipe away her tears with the other, "A-Alpha! Are you ok-"

*SMACK*

I hold my cheek.

I stare at Alpha. She's breathing heavily and looks at me with a look that hurts to see.

"*Hic* You…" tried Alpha, still crying heavily, "*Hic* you…!"

Alpha can't form any words and starts to pound her fists on my chest.

"Alpha…" I say.

Alpha continues for a few minutes before collapsing into a hug. I hug her back and stroke her hair.

…I messed up.

"I'm sorry." I finally say.

"Mm." I hear Alpha say from my chest.

"I messed up." I admit.

"Mhm." Agrees Alpha.

I scratch the back of my head, looking for something else to say, "…Did…did you fake it too, or…?"

"…Mm-mm." said Alpha.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Okay.

I pull Alpha off of my chest and look at her in the eyes, "…You died… because I did."

Alpha nods. "I… you whispered something to me… so I know you had some plan… but when I couldn't feel my magic… when I felt your blood… when I saw you go limp… I… *Sob* I…"

I hugged her again. I'd kiss her but my mouth still has some blood in it.

"You really love me that much?" I asked.

"More than you could ever know." Answered Alpha.

I hugged Alpha even harder. "…I want to make this up to you. Is there something you want? Just name it."

Alpha takes a minute before deciding, "I want to get married… and have a kid."

"Are you sure?" I asked, not letting her look at my face.

Alpha leaves the crook of my neck to whisper sweetly (it's more like spicy if I'm being honest) into my ear, "I want to be yours. I want you to leave a memory. I want to continue your legacy. I want everyone to know that I belong at your side."

My face turns hot.

…Well, I already said okay. Plus, I did give the other girls their promise rings right before I left the resort, so I guess this should be the next step.

"*Cough*…We can start planning later… but… we're kinda still in the middle of something." I manage.

Alpha giggles and helps me up.

"Alright." I say while summoning my slime suit, "It's time for the main act."

Alpha summons hers as well. "These terrorists better entertain us…"

-P2W-

Sherry Him Zenden was so engrossed in her study of the artifact that she was late to notice the commotion.

Upon realizing some new findings Sherry can't help but utter, "This is… No way… It couldn't be…"

Sherry's pen dances across the paper, her eyes never leaving the object of her research. She was completely oblivious to the uproar around her. The explosions, footsteps in the corridor, and all the rest of it were outside her awareness.

That's how deeply the artifact holds her attention.

She was always the type to lose sight of everything around her once she got into her research, but never quite to this extent. There has to be something important about this artifact for it to hold her so rapidly.

Those pink eyes are just a step away from unraveling its mysteries.

But then—a window in the laboratory suddenly shatters, and a lone man climbs in.

"Wha…?" utters Sherry in utter shock.

The mystery man begins to laugh, "We are the Shadow Garden… or was it Shadow Guardian?"

Sherry begins to back up in fear.

"Eh, whatever, I'm Rex. Rex, the Game of Betrayal." Said the man with a evil chuckle. "I'm here to collect a pendant-shaped artifact. And once I have it, I'm free to raise all the hell I want…"

Rex's eyes narrow sharply.

Sherry gasps.

"Well, that sure makes this easy…" sneers Rex.

"A-Aaaa…!" screams Sherry.

Rex arms himself, "Thanks, girly!"

Sherry shrieks in fear and tries to reach for something, "Eek…!"

Suddenly the clash of metal rings through the air.

"Not on my watch!" roars the Crimson Knight assigned to Sherry, Glen.

When a terrified Sherry opens her eyes again, a large knight with a lion's mane of hair stands before her with his sword drawn.

Rex backs off, jumping and crouching onto a nearby desk, "Oho, pretty good for not havin' any magic."

"Magic isn't everything." Growled Glen as he readied himself. "Parrying is an easy task when my opponent is so outmatched."

Rex glares, "Outmatched…? Don't tell me you seriously think yer stronger than me, chump."

"I do, actually." Responds Glen.

Rex steps back on to the ground and starts to adopt a proper stance, "Let's hear your name."

"Glen, the Lion's Mane, vice commander of the Crimson Order." Answered Glen before turning his head and shouting, "Marco!"

A blue haired man in the same uniform as Glen emerges from the doorway, battling another member of the terrorists, "Aye! Sherry, you must leave at once!"

Sherry nods.

"Oy!" yells Rex, "Where are you going!?"

Rex attempts to dive for Sherry, Glen immediately fends him off to the best of his ability.

"Go!" Yelled Glen as he struggled.

Rex sneered as he had Glen's own sword inch closer to his neck as the clashed weapons, "She's not going any-"

*BLAM!*

Rex is sent flying out the window.

*BLAM!*

The enemy that Marco was fighting has his brains splattered across the hall.

*CHK-CHK*

Marco and Glen turn to Sherry… who is holding a sawed-off shotgun.

"…since when did you have that?" asked Marco.

"How do you even know how to use that?" asked Glen.

Sherry beams, "Father taught me how to shoot back in Fanoss, and Stephanie gave me it yesterday! She said a woman my age should have the means to defend myself!"

Glen and Marco only nod.

Suddenly, the sound of stomping people interrupts the silence.

"We need to get out of here, it's not safe." Ordered Glen.

-P2W-

"Leon," cried Jenna, "You can't seriously be saying that you're going out there!"

Leon merely ignored Jenna as he approached the door, opening it.

The crowd from Clarice's faction all run in.

The metal shutter closes behind them again and Leon gathers everyone around.

"Luxion, is this everyone?" asked Leon.

[…Affirmative.]

Rose moves to open her mouth but Marie grabs her arm and shakes her head. "Luxion showed us what happened."

Rose begins to tear up.

However, before she could cry, Leon cuts in with a commandeering voice, befitting his station. "Alright. There's no time to waste."

Everyone from Leon's faction jumps to attention.

"Currently, our magic won't work, yet the enemy's does. This places most of you at a disadvantage when it comes to fighting." Clarifies Leon before continuing, "However, given that Luxion still works, it's likely that our armors and guns will. So, here's the plan: we're going to split into three groups. Group A and B will leave the school. Group A will stay on Partner to help any students that manage to leave the school. Group B will go order the militia and any free adventurers to come and make sure that no one can leave or enter the school from any direction."

Everyone nods.

Leon continues, "Livia, Angie, Marie, as our best healers I want you as part of Group A. Clarice, I want you and your faction to help guard them and escort any of the students I save their way."

Everyone nods but Julius and Jilk notice something.

"Wait, the students you save?" pointed out Jilk.

"Surely you can't mean to say that you'll be on the ground by yourself!" exclaimed Julius.

Leon nods, "I'll be group C. Luxion has made me special armor, something much smaller than the typical one, but has the potential to go toe to toe with one of the more modern builds."

"Like the unfinished model I used to help save Livia." Realized Angelica.

"Right, however mine is finished. I should be completely safe from most forms of harm. The only thing I would have to worry about is an actual member of The Shadow Garden."

"Wait, actual member? I thought The Shadow Garden was the ones attacking us." Questioned Rose.

Leon shook his head and Luxion brought forth footage of the actual Shadow Garden and the current fakes.

"I've become a bit familiar with The Shadow Garden over the years. First, notice that their black outfits all have gold highlights, the more gold the higher the rank. Second, The Shadow Garden only ever moves in the dark, like their motto 'We lurk in the shadows and hunt the shadows.' Third, aside from 'Lord Shadow' all of the members of The Shadow Garden are female." Listed Leon.

Everyone agrees to the logic behind Leon's words.

"There's plenty of time to discuss the finer details of this later. But for now, Group B should consist of all our higher ranked members. Julius, you and your group, as well as Rose should be the ones to order everyone." Commanded Leon.

"…When do we start?" said Dan.

"As soon as my armor arrives." Answered Leon.

[T-Minus 5 seconds.]

-Leon-

"Leon…" said Angie, "can I not join you…?"

I shake my head, "Sorry, but your armor—and Livia's—are still missing the head pieces. Mine's the only one that's finished. Please, go on Partner and stay safe, I'll be able to fight with all my strength knowing that."

Angie nods and kisses me, Livia following suit, and then copied by Deirdre.

"Woah! When did that happen?" exclaimed Clarice.

"Over the break." Answered Deirdre with a smirk.

Livia grabs the sides of my face and forces me to look at her, "You come back to us safe, alright? I know that you're angry. I am too. If my armor was done I'd be fighting alongside you. But Cid wouldn't want you to give up your life avenging his."

I take a deep breath. "Okay, I promise."

Livia smiles, as brightly as she can given the situation, and lets me go.

I open the metal shutter to a window, seeing a box floating with the assistance of Luxion's drones. It opens and pulls me in.

I hear my friends shout in concern but all I feel is armor coat my body. It's actually pretty cozy, like a onsie.

I emerge from the box, able to fly thanks to these weird floating wings.

I smile at the amazed looks on everyone's faces.

*Ting!*

[Someone appears to have opened fired upon us Master.]

I acknowledge Luxion's observation with a nod, and then turn to see several of the enemies.

I take a deep breath.

I recall what happened to my friend.

…

…

…

*Ting!" *Ting!* *Ting!*

"You realize what's going to happen if you let them get past you, right?"

I do.

I charge forward, and find my fist making contact with one of the enemy's face.

I see him fly off, with tons of blood coating my arm.

[I have elected to turn off the sound at the right time.]

I smile, "Thanks Luxion."

I pick up a sword that one of the other enemies had dropped, I start swinging.

The carnage I begin to unleash reminds me of a game I used to play.

I wonder if Luxion has 'Rip and Tear' as part of his library.

"Luxion, can you plan a route for me to lead everyone down?" I ask while I cave in another enemy's skull.

[Already done. Lead them past the west entrance. If you wish to save other students then head towards the main office after.]

"Done and done." I respond.

I throw a sword into the face of a distant sniper.

Cid? Did you see that?

-Cid-

Alpha and I stepped onto the roof to get a commanding view of the academy.

The auditorium is a huge hall that can easily hold every student here. It's where the entrance ceremony is held and where they sometimes do plays or have guest lectures.

"Gathering all the hostages into one place, eh? Yep, they're playing it by the book." I say.

Alpha joins me in observations, "The security's been wiped out. It's likely that several of the fakers were undercover and sprang their trap when things were lax. It seems some of the military has started to come running to help."

I see what appears to be the five idiots, Princess Rose, Alexia, and a few others. Such as my nagging sister and that one lady with drill hair I don't know. Mercedes I think.

Alpha continues, "They're hesitant about busting in since their magic's blocked… or is that they're making sure the scene doesn't escalate?"

This turn of events makes for a good scenario too. I look over to some windows.

"And then we've got terrorists out looking for any stray students that might be hiding…" I point out.

As I say this, I see what appears to be a flash of light pass by the row of windows I was looking at. It would appear some kind of armor went through all of those people, like a car going through a group of pedestrians.

"What a sight…" I remark.

Terrorists, a raging king, and last but not least, there's Alpha and me. The Eminence in Shadow and his right hand woman gazing down meaningfully from the rooftop. Excellent, that's another thing I can cross off my bucket list.

There's just one hitch.

Though I gotta hand it to these guys for being pretty creative in not just sticking to the template… THEY LACK ANY SENSE OF AESTHETICS!

It's broad daylight with the sun shining, the sky is clear and blue, and there's a nice breeze…

And yet they've ignored all that by wearing that black getup… Now they're just a bunch of lame dudes with terrible taste in fashion!

If you're gonna wear long, black coats, do it at night! Those're the rules!

…

"Hey Alpha," I say, getting her attention.

"Yes Shadow?" she responded.

"How do you feel about making white versions of our outfits for jobs we have to do during the day?" I asked.

She hums a bit, "I suppose that makes sense, why only now though?"

I gesture at the people Leon is turning into mincemeat, "I never really considered how much we could stand out since we usually waited until nightfall."

Alpha looks and nods, "We should bring it up with Eta later. What should we do for now though?"

I clear my throat, "We should allow the lost king to take center stage for now, order any of our numbers to take it easy until nightfall. If they find the opportunity then assist in the efforts to get the stray students out safely, or at least to where Leon can see them. Stay away from the auditorium for now."

Alpha nods and takes out a hand mirror and begins flashing my order in morse code off in the distance.

I take another look around. Yep, those dark coats definitely looked dumb in the middle of the day.

Yep… Time to play sniper.

I cut thumb-sized pieces from my slime suit. Then I roll them up, imbue them with magic, and…

"Fools, you've stepped right into my sights." I declare.

*Woosh!*

With the sound of something slicing through the air, my slime bullets take down the men in black one after the other.

Heh. Nice. Honestly between me and Leon the ones in the auditorium might be the only ones left by night time.

Now for my next target…

There's another idiot running with a bullseye on them by building over there. Target sighted: girl with pink hair… Wait huh?

"Is that Sherry? She's supposed to have guards." pointed out Alpha.

What could she be up to? She's moving quickly, looking every which way to check her surroundings.

I rub my chin, "I know she's tryin' to be cautious, but she couldn't be more obvious."

I notice another terrorist in front of Sherry, moving towards her.

I draw a bead on him with a slime bullet… and fire.

*Whoosh!*

The bullet punches straight through his chest, making him fall before he could cross Sherry's sight.

I blow at my fingers like they're a smoking gun. I see Alpha roll her eyes with a smile.

Sherry keeps on running as if nothing has happened. Alpha points to the outside where I see two knights near the main office joined by Leon. They're fighting a crowd of terrorists.

Hm…

My side-character instincts tell me that the main story is advancing.

And then, once the story reaches its climax… The Eminence in Shadow makes his dashing entrance.

…

Or…

I look to Alpha.

…

…Hell yeah.

I motion for Alpha to follow after me as I imbue my legs with magic, make sure the coast is clear, and jump.

Hah!

'Leap down from a roof with style'… Cross another one off the bucket list.

-Stephanie-

I watch all the students from underneath my cloak. Answering my father as he rants the same rant he usually does from our place on one of the rafters.

"I used to be somebody." He said.

"I know father." I respond.

"I was one of the most influential houses of the kingdom."

"Yes father."

"I had people by the thousands under my beck and call!"

"Of course father."

"But then… but then!"

Father slams his fist on the railing.

"All it took was one bad night!"

"…"

"One mission from our pirates, the same as always! Just a quick run through the kingdom of Fanoss! That's it! But then… But then!"

Father slams his fist again.

"That damned Shadow Garden! They had to get in the way! I hate them, I detest them! I LOATHE THEM!"

"…"

Father turns to me and I grip my hands and bite my cheek, preparing as I usually do, "Don't you!?"

"Yes Father."

"Yes! You were there that night! I know you hate them just as much as I do!"

He's right. I saw The Shadow Garden in action. My mother had taken me out to perform my first 'blood-letting' by having me see our business. I was all too happy to do so. Why wouldn't I be? I was going to participate in what made our family so powerful, I was going to be powerful.

But then with one the actions of just 8 people, I lost all that power.

I realized I was weak.

I lost everything.

My power, my wealth, my engagement…

My mother.

Is that why I found myself fond of her? Because She lost hers as well?

Hah…

It was my fault that she did.

Before I can dive back into that rabbit hole again the man, Rex, we have been working with comes along. His shirt appears to be shredded into pieces.

Sherry… did you use my gift?

"Is it done!? Report" demanded father.

"Wasting no time, huh 'Viscount'? Not even going to ask if I'm alright? That's fine. Well most of the academy is under our control. The knights don't seem to be trying to charge in. The plans going smoothly." Said Rex.

Father doesn't believe him in the slightest, "…So that means you managed to retrieve the artifact."

"Oh… it's on my list." Said Rex while scratching the back of his head, "I was playing around just a little bit… but, some pink haired girl shot me out of the window."

My father stares at me. I grip my hands behind my back as tightly as I can, I think I feel my hands start bleeding.

He goes back to Rex.

"Go get it." Demands Father.

"I will, I will, just thought I'd inform you of something." Said Rex, continuing as father motions for him to, "Someone else infiltrated the academy, and they're bad news. All the 3rds in the courtyard have been killed. Even the more powerful 2nds were done in. Some had were slashed to bits… others were hit in their vitals, leaving only behind small holes. The holes must be from a rapier or something. Simple students shouldn't be able to pull that off which means…"

Father begins to laugh, "Ha…HAHAHA! Those bastards fell right into our trap! Finally! We've lured out The Shadow Garden!"

I remain silent.

"In that case, bring me their heads as well as the artifact." Demanded Father.

Rex scoffs, "Huh? Ever heard of division of labor? You can't expect me to do everything, even if I am a named child!"

Father looks over at me, "Very well. Rex, you handle the shadow garden. Stephanie, you retrieve the artifact."

I nod.

As I leave I hear my father cackle, about how everything is going according to plan. About how he'll regain everything.

Ignoring that we're betraying Fanoss.

Ignoring that he doesn't even know what the artifact will really do.

Ignoring that we're going to be under the control of the cult for the rest of our lives unless we somehow get some kind of miracle.

…

I suppose I deserve it.

-Mylene-

…

You know?

I didn't expect today happen like this.

I expected to go to the school, have Angie show me around, and then team up with her to cause a little trouble for her new fiancé at the café he was running.

Nothing big.

Just some light stuff, like saying the tea was lukewarm and having him remake it at least three times.

"Move it Old Lady!" shouted one of my captors.

I'm not old!

Sob~

How'd things end up like this?

I remember hiring several people to safeguard the school! So did Vincent! Not to mention the crimson knights!

Sigh

Oh well, I knew when becoming queen something like this could happen. I'm only surprised that from what I can gather I'm something of a casualty and not the main reason behind it.

Besides, from what I could tell our academy was a pretty horrible place even before the attack, perhaps that's what allowed the attack to happen in the first place. As far as I can tell they think I'm some random parent rather than the queen.

*VROOOOOOOOOM*

What's that?

I find myself thrown to the ground as a nearby window crashes open, and what I can only describe as some kind of mechanical angel bursts through. Landing on one knee and one fists, like the hero of a story book, it quickly gets up and begins its assault.

"Get Him!" screams one of my captors.

The entire squad attempts to go after the angel only for him to laugh.

"You never learn." Booms a rather… commandeering voice.

The angel then goes from one enemy to the other, slaughtering them effortlessly, tearing through them like they're made out of paper and making it look beautiful.

I'm mesmerized.

The leader of the squad realizes his situation and tries to reach for me, likely to take a hostage, but finds his hand removed by a thrown sword.

"GAH!" screams the would-be-captor in agony.

The angel then takes up another sword and walks slowly towards the leader. He then forces his arms open and slashes down at his midsection, forcing the last enemy to fall and bleed out.

I gasp softly, as the angel turns to me.

I see him put his hand out, and once I accept it he pulls me up.

"Are you okay?" asked the angel.

Hawawawa~

This is like the scene of a romance novel! The only thing that could make it more romantic is if he-

*Fssh*

"There's no need to be afraid. I'm Leon Rapha Barfort. I'm here to save you all. Please, come with me, I promise I'll keep you safe." Said my savior.

Hawawawa~

…

Wait Leon Barfort? Isn't that?

I look up to his smile again.

…It can wait until later.

Leon puts his helmet back on and focuses his attention to the others with me. "I'm going to need you to follow me. I've been able to clear a path and have escorted many students out to where they can be healed."

Everyone begins to gather themselves and we follow Leon out the hallway. We find two of the crimson knights, Glen and Marco, and Leon gives them orders. Last I recall these were two of Iris' finest knights.

The two knights run off to the science department for some reason. I'm sure Leon-kun had his reasons.

We headed in the direction of the west entrance, Leon-kun making sure to escort us all faithfully to the knights. I witness what I believe to be Leon-kun's ship, Partner, and am left in awe.

However, that doesn't last long.

A random voice calls out "Oi! Where do you think you're going!?"

I turn back, missing the chance to get past the gate, and see a red headed man who appears to be bleeding from his torso… or no, he had been bleeding from there at some point.

"And you are?" asked Leon-kun with such disinterest it made me giggle.

"I'm Rex, from Shadow Garden… or was it Guardian? Eh, who cares." Said the ruffian.

Leon-kun and I both chuckle at how the man clearly outed that he wasn't a part of said organization. I suppose he could simply be stupid and not recall, but it's hard to think that. However, before we can say anything else two voices chime in.

""It's Shadow Garden.""

Leon-kun and I look around to find the source of the voices but only hear Rex scream in pain.

"Urgh..!" he says while clutching his stomach, then being knocked onto his back, "D-Dammit!"

Although many people may not believe me when I say this, I'm pretty familiar with combat. I needed to be to become the queen of a kingdom of adventurers. From what I can tell the enemy of our enemy was moving at speeds faster than the human body was capable of producing.

That means they have the aid of some normally inconceivable power.

Rex gets back up, and speaks loudly so his attackers can hear him, "Bastards, so you got an auto-acceleration artifact that lets ya move faster than I can see, do ya…"

His foe is difficult to see and impossible to hit, so he is stuck taking a rather comical looking one-sided pummeling. From an outside perspective, there is no worse predicament than this.

"This calls for… a net!" Rex activates some kind of mechanism from his weapon that wraps him in a tangle of black and red wires, "You see what I just did? That's a net, bud! No matter how fast you move, I'll know when you touch it. How many more times you think you can handle the strain of that artifact, huh? Two, maybe three?"

True, moving at superhuman speeds always comes at a cost.

But from what little I could see, the two figures had been completely fine. I believe Rex knows that as well, as he's merely putting on a strong front. This is a battle of advanced psychological warfare for him.

"Mind if I cut in?" asked Leon, as though he was about to take a partner for a dance.

Leon charges in, and grabs the wires, then drawing his hands up and down like he was going to crack a whip, sending Rex flying.

"WHAT!?" screams Rex.

But before he can even touch the ground he is cut into tiny pieces.

I see two other figures land.

Both in dark cloaks, but one distinctly feminine while the other is masculine. The woman appears to have blue glowing eyes while the man has red. Their mere presence instills a sort of fear, and I instinctually back up to Leon-kun.

"Shadow… I suppose this wasn't you're doing after all." Said Leon-kun.

Shadow dismisses his sword, "Who's to say?"

Leon-kun pushes me behind him and growls, "Oh? Should I hold you responsible for the death of two of my closest friends then?"

Leon-kun… no wonder you were fighting like that…

The woman places a hand on Shadow's shoulder. "Do you speak of the average looking boy and the beautiful blonde elf that accompanies him?"

"Yes. My familiar was able to witness their deaths and relayed that to me. So forgive me if I am not in the most pleasant of moods." Said Leon-kun.

Shadow shakes his head, "…Stow your anger."

"They're alive." Revealed the woman.

"You better not be lying to me Shade." Said Leon-kun.

It's slight but I can see some of the tension disappear from his stance.

"We found them injured and took them. I figured that since this whole issue was indirectly caused by us, we should settle things on your end." Said Shadow.

"We had healed the two and left them in place. I'd look around for them, they'd likely woken up by now. As for us, if you can find the source of the incident and either destroy it or deliver it to us, we'll aid your efforts. Perhaps we'll even owe you one." Said Shade, making Shadow stare at her for a brief moment before nodding in agreement.

I wonder if the two are married?

"I'll hold you to that, however," said Leon-kun as he got close to the two, towering over them, "If I find that you have lied, I will hunt you down."

Shadow and Shade merely nod before disappearing. As they leave my legs give out from beneath me. Leon-kun turns to me and helps escort me out by giving me a princess carry.

"I'm sorry you had to deal with that. It must have been frightening for such a young woman to face those two." Apologized Leon-kun.

Eheheh.

Young?

I twirled my hair as Leon-kun carried me to safety.

-P2W/Sherry-

Sherry hurries along, checking her surroundings as she goes. Due to her wearing slippers her footsteps makes slapping sounds with each step.

"Aaugh!"

Sherry gasps and spins around as she feels like something moved behind her.

There is a sound of something wooshing through the air… but no one is there. The still hallway continues on into the distance.

"Phew, guess it was my imagination…" said Sherry with relief.

Sherry moves along, surveying everything around her carefully as she clutches the artifact to her chest.

"What happened just now…" remarked Sherry as she walked slowly, "They must be using that thing… and that's why they want this artifact…!"

I should be able to find more information about it in Stephanie's room, she had the orders from foster father there. I've got to do something…!

Sherry's mind turns to the two knights who had helped her escape. Even with her shotgun that Stephanie had given her, she couldn't be of much help to them. The last thing she heard was what had to be their cries of death in the courtyard. She won't let their sacrifice be in vain.

Sherry gasps again as the sound of something whooshing through the air fills the stairwell.

Sherry waits for a few seconds before breathing a sigh of relief, "Phew, guess it was my imagination…"

Sherry steels herself, then crawls on all fours so she won't be spotted from inside the classrooms.

"Gyargh"

Sherry gasps again, but then finds nothing, believing it's her imagination again.

As she turns she misses Cid and Alpha staring at her, a little disappointed.

Sherry steeled her resolve again, then walked along with clacking footsteps. She checks everywhere thoroughly, from the corners of the halls to the classrooms and, of course, behind her.

Her head turns as if on a swivel.

But when busy checking one's surroundings, it's easy to lose sight of where one is stepping.

Sherry trips, the artifact going flying as she falls with a loud, "Eek…!"

But then someone catches it, and another catches Sherry.

Sherry had clenched her eyes when she fell, but she opens them to see her new friends, Alice and Cid.

"Are you okay dear?" asked Alpha, holding Sherry.

"That was close." Remarked Cid, holding the artifact.

Sherry beams, "Cid…!"

Cid walks to Sherry as Alpha sets her down, and hands her back the artifact, "Here you go."

Sherry bows, "Th-Thank you…"

Sherry then takes in Cid's appearance.

"Ah…! Cid that wound…!" exclaimed Sherry in shock.

Cid shrugs, "Oh, don't worry about that. I managed to escape with my life."

He seems worn-out as he says this to Sherry with half-open eyes. Alice doesn't seemed pleased either.

Cid then points at Sherry, "But enough about me. There're a few things I need to say to you. Like, stop talking to yourself, or stop thinking about other things when you're trying to walk, watch your step, that kinda stuff…"

Sherry wilts in embarrassment, feeling like she was caught tinkering in her mother's lab again.

"But first," said Alpha with a hand on Sherry's head, stroking it slightly, "How about we take off those slippers. They make too much noise."

-Cid-

Alpha and I ended up taking Sherry was her ward's room. I thought it was weird, but the places look a lot more like some kind of office than a dorm.

Sherry starts pulling out the drawers of a desk as if she knows what she's looking for.

"Stephanie's not in?" I asked.

Sherry stops and Alpha nudges me with her elbow.

"No… She had business with her dad and took off… I just hope she's okay." Said Sherry before continuing, "…I know she kept it here…"

Alpha and I took out at least five more guys on the way here… I guess Sherry is the main character this time around.

Honestly it was kind of difficult with Luxion looking for us but thankfully not impossible.

Thinking a little bit on it though, there's no way Sherry would have lived if she did this on her own. Normally there'd be some kinda partner character, but… I don't see anyone that fits the bill.

I can't help but say, "This is a seriously flawed scenario."

Alpha looks at me but I just pat her head some more.

Whatever, Alpha wanted to help so I guess we're helping for now.

"Found it!" shouted Sherry.

Seriously it's like she wants to be caught.

Sherry comes around from behind the desk holding a bunch of papers, she sets them down on a table used for receiving guests.

"What is all this?" asked Alpha.

I can't make heads or tails out of the jumble of text, figures, and formulas. Alpha seems to struggle a bit too.

Sherry points to a figure, "An artifact called the Eye of Avarice. This is what's blocking our magic."

Alpha and I see a sinister-looking sketch of a ping pong ball-sized orb.

"The Eye of Avarice is capable of absorbing the magic of any dark knights or arcane objects in its area of effect and then retaining said magic temporarily. The result is that training with magic becomes much more difficult in its vicinity." Explained Sherry.

I can't help but point out, "But those guys in black were using magic just fine."

Sherry points to some text, "It's possible to have the Eye memorize magic wavelengths you don't want it to absorb. Otherwise, even the one who uses it would find their magic drained."

"Interesting. So it'll absorb any magic that it hasn't memorized?" asked Alpha.

Sherry rubs her chin, "this is just a hypothesis, but I don't think the Eye can absorb magic that is too small for it to detect or, conversely, too massive for it to contain. However, people now can't wield that sort of magic…"

"True." I agree, knowing that Alpha and I, as well as many Shadow Garden members would be just fine.

Sherry continues, "That alone makes this a tricky artifact to use… But the truth is that once the Eye has stored all the magic it can hold, it will release all of it in a single burst."

"A single burst…" remarks Alpha.

"Yes, all of it." confirms Sherry. "…Hey, you two said that all of the students are gathered in the auditorium, correct? If we're thinking about absorbing magic efficiently, then naturally we're going to want lots of it. That's why the eye is likely in the auditorium with all the dark knights. And if the magic held within the Eye exceeds its capacity and all bursts out once…"

"It'd blow the Academy to smithereens." I conclude.

Sherry nods, "Correct… the nature of the Eye is something I discovered through research. In light of the dangers it posed, Foster Father chose not to present it to scientific circles and instead handed it over to the government to take it for safe keeping… But then why is all of this happening?"

"Could be there's another just like it, or maybe it was stolen…" offered Alpha. "But what we should really be asking, is there a way to stop it?"

"Yes, this." Said Sherry as she brings out the flying saucer I caught, er, that is the artifact thingy she had. "This artifact is the Eye of Avarice's control unit. I learned that after deciphering the script on it. Originally, the Eye was meant to store magic for extended periods using this controller."

"Extended periods…" I remarked, "So you mean it can stop the magic from getting out."

Sherry beams and acts like Eta when she manages to replicate my 'shadow wisdom,' "Exactly! It's incredible, don't you think? If I could recreate this script for freely storing or utilizing magic, it'd be a breakthrough to replace the steam engine…"

Just like with Eta, Alpha cuts her off, "Okay, so what's our next move?"

Sherry blushes a bit before explaining, "Once I've finished deciphering this artifact, we'll go to the auditorium from below."

"From below?" I asked.

Sherry nods, "Yes. All the facilities in this Academy are connected by passageways that can be used for escape in times of emergency."

Secret passages… Nice.

Sherry then plays with the artifact in her hands, "If we can activate this artifact and get it close enough, the Eye should cease functioning."

That's a more solid plan than I was expecting. The ending is kinda weak, but if I go as Shadow with Alpha and start creating some chaos, it should be fine… or I can also fall back and let Leon save everyone… Or…

Whatever, I should thank Sherry for setting this stuff up for me.

"Awesome, let's do that." I said.

Sherry wilts slightly, "The problem is… I left the tools needed to adjust this artifact back in the laboratory…"

I look at Alpha and we both nod.

"Okay, then we'll go get 'em." I said while getting up, having to lift Alpha off of my lap.

Sherry sits up with a worried expression, "What!? But you're injured, Alice you can't seriously be okay with this!"

I smile while Alpha pats Sherry on the head, "I need to go pee anyway, so it's on the way. Okay?"

Sherry smiles, "Cid…!"

Alpha and I use our magic and find some of those escape tunnels, using them to avoid Luxion's gaze.

-P2W/Nu-

Nu identifies the bodies in the trashed laboratory. Well… less bodies and more knocked out men.

Glen, the Lion's Mane, of the Crimson Order. He appeared to have a bruise on the back of his head, suggesting someone had hit him in the back of his head with something hard.

And to think he was quite the renowned knight… Seal off his magic, and this is what you get, I suppose. Thinks Nu.

Her interests soon shifts elsewhere.

There is another fallen knight in the lab. A needle near his side, likely containing something to knock him out, and some yellow-greenish hairs in his hand.

Nu whispers to herself, "Marco Granger. You were in the Crimson Order."

She had seen his face before.

He had beautiful blue hair and handsome features, and he was very skilled as a dark knight to the point that many spoke of him as a man who would one day lead the Order.

Marco had also once been Nu's fiancé.

They had exchanged many letters and danced together at balls. But in the end, he had been nothing more than the man her parents had promised her to.

She had no way of knowing how Marco felt, but she had also never found it in herself to love him. At least, not in the way she sees love expressed by Lord Shadow and his Shades.

Nu didn't despise Marco. She just didn't have any feelings towards him, romantic nor platonic. She had some respect for him, thinking he was a good person, but only interacted with him since that was expected of her.

Given the circumstances, she wouldn't have minded being wed to him someday, and having a husband admired by all would've likely led to a dazzling future.

But…

All that was, was…

A path decided for her. A partner decided for her. A future decided for her.

The Nu of the past had not much will of her own. She went through life acquiescing to the values of her circumstances, obeying the words of those around her.

She didn't think there was anything necessarily wrong with that. But thinking back on it now, it would have been a terribly narrow way to live.

As Nu looks down at Marco's face, the memory of a certain ball suddenly comes back to her.

She smiles ruefully as she remembers the way she had once led Marco and his comely face around like some piece of jewelry.

It was a memory she would just as soon forget but absolutely never would.

As Nu readies a knife, she hears a familiar voice.

"What're you up to, Nu?"

Nu spins around to see two figures.

She hadn't felt anyone approach, but that isn't much of a surprise, given the who they are.

"Master Shadow… Lady Shade." Acknowledge Nu.

An ordinary youth with black hair and a beautiful blonde elf now stand in the laboratory.

The boy walks past her and opens some of the cabinets. The elf taps her arm, reminding her of the knife.

Sensing Alpha's questioning gaze, Nu speaks, "This man was once my fiancé."

"Wow." Said Cid, "So what're you gonna do?"

"Personally, I have no reason to let him live nor to kill him." Said Nu.

"Works for me." Said Cid as he rifled through the drawers. He then continues, "As long as it doesn't interfere with The Shadow Garden you girls are free to handle your outside relationships as you please."

Nu and Alpha share a curious glance, Alpha shakes her head, signaling that she'll address it later.

Nu stands up straight, "Master Shadow, Lady Shade, I apologize for the delay, but I have a report."

"Proceed" ordered Alpha.

"The Shadow Garden is currently on standby in concealed positions surrounding the Academy. We are prepared to act a moment's notice if you give the order." Said Nu.

"How'd you get around Luxion and the anti-magic barrier?" asked Cid.

Nu smiled, "We are waiting alongside the masses crowded with the knights."

"Heh, good old Leon, always giving us shadows to lurk in." said Cid, making Alpha and Nu nod in agreement.

Nu then remembered something, "Er… I should mention that Lady Gamma is also on standby. She wished to join you but well… Lady Gamma isn't, how to say, the best suited for this sort of operation…"

"She really isn't." agreed Cid, making Alpha kick him lightly even though she agreed whole heartedly.

"Um… yes. I-I myself am only at around half strength so…" said Nu as she tried to pretend she hadn't seen the cute exchange. "Lady Gamma currently has commanded all of our forces based on the signal Lady Shade had sent. Based on what information she managed to find, she predicts that this inhibition on our magic won't last for much longer, so she's told us to stand by and wait for your signal."

"Okay." Said Cid.

"His Highness Leon has managed to clear out most of the school, saving the stragglers and executing most of the Cult members not in the auditorium. As for the knight order, adventurers, and militia, the only ones likely to be of any use would be Princess Iris—who is currently in Midgar—the commanders of the reinforcement units, and some high ranked adventurers. However, it would appear that they are waiting on Leon to give the signal to move in." explained Nu.

"Gotcha." Said Cid.

"Is there anything I should be doing now?" asked Nu.

Cid gets up, "Can you help me find something? You see any mithril tweezers?"

Nu nods, "Oh yes, I believe they were over there."

Nu then gathered materials as Cid and Alpha listed them off, being much more familiar with Sherry's lab than the two of them.

Cid then holds a box with everything he and Alpha needed, "Thanks, you're a lifesaver."

"Not at all," said Nu with a smile, "But may I ask what you need all of this for?"

"We gotta adjust an artifact." Answered Cid.

"An artifact…! You know how to do even that?!" exclaimed Nu in shock, almost waking Glen, until Alpha kicked him again.

Nu hadn't expected the boy to be so well-versed even in artifacts, but it isn't all that strange when she considers who he is. Still, why would he need to calibrate an artifact in circumstance like these?

Alpha explains upon noticing Nu's confusion, "What's cutting off all the magic is this artifact called the Eye of Avarice. And we're in the final stages of adjusting this other artifact that'll temporarily nullify the Eye's effects. Thankfully we just need to adjust a few things that were already in place."

Nu stands in awe of the two, who make no move to mention Sherry. Do to the fact that such feats would require a level of knowledge only found in the highest authorities in the kingdom, Nu found herself trembling in the face of her lord and lady's immeasurable intellect.

"This should be over soon, after sunset." Said Cid as he and Alpha walked out.

Nu nods and takes the hint.

After watching the two depart, she turns her attention to her once-fiancé.

"You didn't hear any of that just now, I trust?" Nu asked the drugged man.

She places her ebony katana against his neck.

His breathing and pulse are normal and steady. Marco is unmistakably unconscious.

"Consider yourself fortunate." Nu withdraws her sword, "I can't allow anyone to know the Master or Mistress's true identity, no matter who they are."

Nu leaves a small cut on Marco's neck, then vanishes.

A/N: Okay, stopping here for now. Next chapter should be the end of the terrorist arc/ culture festival arc. (BTW there should be an image I drew showing Leon's armor in QQ, SB, and AO3)

Fun thing, I originally was going to cross over the terrorist arc with the first attack of Fanoss, but when someone pointed out how I didn't really need the bike scene and I realized that Stephanie wouldn't be able to have that one scene where Leon and Angie beat her up, I moved it to here.

I'm going to answer some comments, but there were two of you trying to guess Stephanie's fate. I'll go ahead and say now: Well yes, but actually no. You'll see next time.

Same as always, nothing from SpaceBattles, although I did get some likes there.

QQ:

Zackman2k12: Lmao yeah, Cid really got away with a bunch. So I had to give more of an explanation this time around.

Someone ani: He's learning how to balance it now. But this time around, Alpha but her foot down.

28th00: yeah, he's got way better friends this time around so when he sees the footage Luxion recorded he is going to have thoughts™

Empty nest Alpha adopting Sherry was my favorite part of that chapter to write. Also yeah, I totally could see her being an M, so that's why it's there.

Little of a and b. But since she actually saw it and felt him go limp the plan kinda left her.

Leon became anime doom guy for a bit, but yeah his relationships are what keep the cover.

Like I said, well yes, but actually no. Honestly most of the AU stuff for her I made up on the fly, so her addition wasn't planned, it just ended up this way.

Dbray98: I like Yumeria too, but she's not too interesting all things considered. Like I don't have much to work with. Solid maybe though. I do really like Mylene though, forgot how pretty she looked in the Manga when I was going through it for the chapter.

The 17th Immortal: If we're just talking personal taste, then I'd agree, but narratively I feel like best girl is Angie.

Dbray98 (second time): It's like the infinite stratos armor/ the kingdom hearts keyblade wielder armor. Super powerful, and also super… mecha shiftable.

Ao3:

Deathfang1920: It's been a while since I released chapter two, no worries.

DragonBlaze10: Thanks! Hope you liked this chapter too.

Wolfpaladin: Thanks for the long comment!

Yeah, there's actually a lot of reasons as to why even if they didn't disguise themselves the girls could get away with things, but Delta's got more in her favor with the whole 'hundreds of siblings' thing.

With Stephanie, well yes, but no. I did like how I shifted her into the mean step sister type of character, so she became fun and I decided to spare her in the only way she could be.

You did list the one I had planned though. Find out next time who.

Dynamic_Kaleidoscope_sensei: Bloody for sure!

:

EDG1999: Have a third this time! I was on a roll.

Haseo55: Leon often guesses things either horrifically wrong or is right on the money.

As for Sherry… well… you'll see next time.

Guest: Yeah, I'm at 99 gems for Eta right now so I should be close ish to getting her so I can learn more about how she interacts with Cid.

BetweenIandGirl: Lmao yeah. My greatest feats in this fic.

Golden Nova: Gotta have good interactions with the two considering it's a crossover between their franchises. Hope you liked how I handled it here.