Chapter 1
FLASHBACK
Since her strength was proven, in Amount of Mana, and her keen senses to the sword, her Father, the King of Midgar, Klaus Midgar, assigned the best tutors possible to foster her growth. She was able to understand quickly what it was for, as a Kid, she disliked it, with some of the Tutors being replaced due to her complaints, most were childish acts, a handful were because she didn't feel those seasoned people had good intentions.
Her Silly dream since a young age was to one day have a Life free of such obligations and restraining surroundings. An idealization of those stories about commoners that became shining heroes that defeated the evil demon or some Tyrant tormenting the citizens. But reality manages to quickly show how such dreams are silly or unrealistic to try making into reality. So by the time she entered Midgar's Academy as a Talent only found once a century, she had grown resigned to rise to the closest thing to what remained of her dreams, Leader of her own Elite Order of Knights.
Though deep inside, it was a different dream she wanted to make true...
"You zoned out."
Whack
"Gh!"
Sitting on a rock, a Man that you could call the bookcase example of eye candy, vibrant short red hair, blue eyes that called for other's focus, his mouth was always some form of smile, and enough to woo most women, get men to passively respect him, and earn the ire of whoever didn't fit either of those results. A physique that even under that Heavy Armor he wore, could be gauged, as despite the well distributed weight, the total amounted to easily over 50 Kilos of Adamantite Alloy, a metal infamous for being the nemesis of spellblades, and also so dense that a cubic centimeter cube of it needed twenty of Mythril to match in mass.
Yet, despite wearing armor that was Oil to the Water that's Mana, he fired off a small ball of mana to lightly whack her in the head, enough to be felt, but not injure.
"Anxious that after you return to the Capital, we won't see each other?"
"... Yes, Master."
Iris had learned from day one of being under his tutelage that it was a fool's erramd to try hide things from him, he read anyone like an Open book, and adjusted his answers, mannerisms and behavior to get what he wanted of them if he saw the need for it, or when violence slash brute force were either a worse option or not worth for what he sought. The memory of him Beating the last instructor of hers, Sergey Gorman, into something pixelated, as he called, was crystal clear on her memory to this day.
"You're entering the Academy as soon we return from this secret Villa your family owns. And it just happens there's things I must do elsewhere. This isn't the end of the world."
"I know..."
"..."
Feeling his gaze on her, head down and feeling down, she looks to him, with a face of amusement.
"What? Something on me?"
"No, nothing. Love Princess..."
"Mou! You are an asshole, Master!"
The feelings she had for him were known since it bloomed years ago, and he teased her whenever she got downcast about the reality of their positions. He might be an Accomplished Knight, Instructor and Winner of several Border Skirmishes Midgar had with the Velgata Empire, the fact he never accepted a Nobility Title, remaining a Mercenary to this day, made Iris wish to engage off with him nothing but foolishness, her, First princess of the Kingdom.
"I am, mercenary, remember?"
'Cute pout... Anyways... Better sweeten her mood, yes?'
Guessing it was best to not end the training in the same kind of mood they did for the last week, he snapped his fingers, as if teleporting to him, the Mercenary companion that made part of his unit, a well endowed woman, lightly armored, carrying a short Mythrill sword on the hips, but also a Zweihander on the back, the way she kept skin exposed, especially her Cleavage and waist, made the young girl very self conscious of her yet to develop body.
"Iris."
"Yes, Master?"
On his hands, a Gift Box. Clearly a farewell gift, until they met again that's. Hopefully, she thought, not as enemies. Opening it, the contents left her a beet red tomato.
"MASTER!"
His laughs echoed through the forest surrounding the Villa.
X-X-X-X
PRESENT, ONE WEEK AFTER ALEXIA'S KIDNAPPING
"Cid's to be released."
Iris spoke, in monotone.
"Your Highness!"
Zenon lost his composure, protesting in disagreement.
"If he hasn't said anything after a week of Interrogation, we won't get anything just asking him questions."
Understanding her underlining reasoning, he relents, leaving the temporary Office for her Order of Knights in the Academy Campus. Door shut thight, a personal Maid, part of her forces no less, starts putting a freshly brewed cup of tea.
"Thanks."
Sighing, the fragance of the half fermented black tea leaves is soothing. Her younger sister being Kidnapped the day she returned from another small skirmish with Velgata, how there's only one suspect, a good for nothing son of a Barony in the Boonies, one from the seventh Division, Alexia was a hardworking First division student, the facts and evidence just didn't align at all, yet the lack of a solid suspect and evidence, and this being the Kidnapping of Royalty, unless something proved his Innocence, that poor sod would lose his head as an escapegoat.
"Troubled, Ms. Iris?"
"A lot. Lilly... How's Marie's search?"
"Promissing, a suspect structure was found, Jill's currently cross checking some land leases for the address."
"Thanks..."
Finishing her tea, the cup was taken by the Maid, Cyan hair, the maid uniform had Mythrill armor parts, and her gloves were instead gauntlets, the Short sword in her hips indicating she knew how to fight.
'Zenon... Alexia never liked him, and she was always spot on her judgment of one's hidden character... Yet how does he keeps such perfect records? And there's still the problems that Father isn't telling anyone, even us, his daughters...'
Looking through the window, easing on her mana enhancement to accelerate her thoughts, she see the jist freed and back to some semblance of clothed state Cid, he walks slumped, as if the beatings he took were taking a toll, though she notices there's some artificialness to that. Leaving that to the minor notes in the back of her mind, she returns to reading the reports of the still unsuccessful search.
...
The night a day later, things suddenly crashed into Chaos, starting by a whole building being slashed to bits in one instant, followed right after by several others.
Iris had been ready for action, though due to her Order's temporary Command Post being the Academy's Knight Garrison building, her arrival in the Center of the City, where most of the mayhem was happening came in way after the noise of buildings being destroyed lowered a lot, leaving only some phantasmagoric hurricane of bladed weapons slaughtering survivors of the collapsed buildings left right and center.
"Your Highness!"
The Capital's Third Order, the one responsible for Law enforcement and patrolling the streets lost a sizeable chunk of members, the command order having fallen on a Lieutenant who's on his day off, visiting his parents on a quiet and safe suburban housing area of the Capital, a man woefully unprepared for taking command, his luck was that Iris quickly seized command of all Orders available to take action, the Royal palace was safe with the Royal Argent Order, the Capital Walls needed their Fifth Order, the Mercury Knights, leaving her with a half destroyed order, five of her handful of Crimsom knights, and whatever was mobilized from the second, not enough to try surrounding whoever group was causing this.
"W-what?"
One third Order knight shouts, as fellow members of the order were crushed by a gigantic hand, a monster emerges from an alley. A volley of bullets was fired by the Riflemen of the Third Order, the bullets either broke to pieces or ricocheted off the skin, one Mahic enhanced vision scan and Iris knew, Magic boost, the monster was unconsciously boosting their body.
"Draw swords, gunfire will be useless!"
"Y-Yes!"
Though...
'Tsk, the Third order is no match, and only Glen or Marco, aside me, in my Order would manage to damage it. But... For a monster, it has been awfully careful of the buildings, only causing destruction when attacking the third order Knights or defending from my crimsom knights...'
Using Magic to boost her brain processing speed until the world stopped to a crawl, the Red Haired First Princess lost herself in thought, about the monster, this sudden attack by this unknown group, her sister's Kidnapping...
"Ms. Iris..."
Attention brought to the real world by her Maid, the Monster was about to strike down a Knight whose leg ended crushed by a piece of the street that got flung when the monster smashed another Knight into a crater, moving to block the attack, she decided to just make a shallow cut while pushing the punch back.
"Than- Whoaaaahhh-"
Throwing him to Lilly, who then threw him to a nearby knight to be taken away, the Maid ran close to the Princess.
"Marie has found Alexia, a weird facility set in a part of the Sewers, beneath buildings, the owner of the property leases is Zenon."
"And she is unable to take action to rescue her."
"Apologies, her orders are to keep support to you as passive as it can realistically go, unless in emergencies."
"Fine, Fine... I will handle this first, then guide me to the nearest entrace to the place."
"As you Wish."
Back away, she left the Pride of this Country's to clear the mess. Iris's eyes turned Purple, her concentrating the Mana creating a Blueish Aura around her.
'Like Master's teachings... Its Mana is a mess, it has been regenerating from damage due to it... Possession? What? Whatever, for later, Focus Iris! Focus! So this was a person... Then... Harmonize the Mana... Whoever you are, Sorry but this will sting.'
Reducing the Mana focused to her brain and eyes, they remain Purple however, she readies her stance.
"HAH!"
A lightning fast slash, it at first look as if it did nothing, only for suddenly the monster to start smoking. Walking to the cluster of smoke, Iris sees a collapsed Girl where the monster once was.
'A Possessed victim? This comes after Alex- tsk!"
KLANG
Iris slashes at the enemy that suddenly rushed to the scene, her strike is parried, and having to take evasion, not wanting to risk an attack of either party killing the girl, the incredibly Beautiful Blonde Elf just takes the Girl and starts moving to leave.
"Stop right there! Who-"
"We are Shadow Garden, We lurk in the Shadows to Hunt the Shadows. Princess Iris, while I commend your skills, it will be better if you stand back and watch the show unfold, like the audience you should be."
A gentle wind creates a momentaneous curtain of dust between the two, and right after, the Blonde Elf disappeared.
"Shadow Garden... Lilly, Marie's next task is set."
"Duly noted."
Her Second in Command Knight arrives, she has him take command of the combat capable knights to start search and rescue in tandem with early investigation of the destroyed places. Guided by Lilly, Iris arrives at a maintenance access to the sewers, next to the River.
Before they could even enter however, a spike of Magic put Iris on alert, backing off to the other side of the river, from where they came from no less, right after a Pilar of Purple and Dark Purple light, Magic density the Crimsom princess only saw one person manage to do, her Master. It lasts for a few seconds, and disappears the same way it appeared. Finding her Sister, Alexia's recounting of the events sounded like some weird talk of a person having delusions due to the Kidnapping taking a toll on her mind, but Iris knew better than doubt such insane talks.
("Live life through hard periods and you will have seen several monsters and singularity players in events that performed feats you can only call Insane, don't think you know where the top limit of anything is, Iris.")
"It's fine, Alexia, Shadow, that's his name? Right?"
"Yes, why?"
"Just a Guess that there's more to things than your kidnapping implies, just that. Let's go, Lilly!"
Not even waiting for the White haired sister of her master to lodge a complaint or prepare herself, Lilly picked Alexia in a Bridal Carry. It took a few days of writting reports, inquire people, and talking behind shut thight doors between the King and his Daughters, but a week later, Alexia returned to school, while Iris and the fully regrouped Crimsom Knight Order started work in full to analyze whatever documents were recovered from all hit locations, especially the ones from that sewers facility.
"Put all Documents in these fortified Boxes, Glen, help Marie from our Admnistrative unit get them to the secure warehouse, and let her and her assistants do the work inside, understood?"
"HA!"
Saluting, the Evidence was stored as told, Glen escorted Marie, dressed in a formal uniform, a bit shorter on the skirt length and leaving a small amount of cleavage window, her Wild Long red Hair flowed with the wind of the spacious open air area of the warehouse area in the Third Order's biggest Garrison. Standing outside, not allowing anyone enter, Glen dutifully kept Marie and her assistants undisturbed while they organized the documents. He checked to see the Boxes all neatly pilled, locked, and each chained together and to the Warehouse's Floor Chain Hook points. Door was closed, and locked with a reinforced Adamantite lock, the lock required a ultra long key, crude, but effective to dissuade unprepared thieves, and a way to know if there's moles within the orders.
...
If the door isn't a choice, then the attackers just blew through one wall, cracked all Boxes open, then set the building on fire. Was the summary of the report Iris got two days Later... she sighed at the problem of hunting for traitors, but decided that was the type of Job that demanded specific skills she lacked, but someone else had aplenty.
"Your Highness?"
"Hm? Sorry, the Warehouse incident took some time to look through, anyways, she's Sherry barnet, your daughter, right?"
Iris asks the Vice Principal, Lutheran Barnett
"Yes, though she's young, she's my precious daughter."
He answers, a gentle smile to the pink hair girl, looking embarrased at the praise.
"As well as one of the brightesr Artifact researchers. From here on, keep anything talked to yourselves, understood?"
Sherry nods, Iris knew Lutheran knew to keep his mouth shut when necessary.
Pushing a wooden box to the table, open, inside was an Artifact, Sherry's eyes shine, looking to the Red hair Princess who gives her the go ahead, she picks the item, and is imediately curious.
"The Ancient Language this uses isn't super complicated, but I can see there's high quality encryption over it, can I ask where this comes from?"
"If you want to know the origins, we also don't know, this was one of the few items we kept secure elsehwere aside the warehouse, and is related to the Criminal Organization that ran the facility. If you could, this might be our best shot at knowing who's been attacked and what their aim might be."
Thanks to Lutheran's incentive, Sherry accepted the task, assigning Glen and Marco, and one of Marie's assistants, Rin. The way thinfs were going, Iris knew something would happen.
...
"Fucking knew it."
Weeks later, right after Glen's report that Sherry had hit a new breakthrough and said she was closing in understanding the artifact in full, a terrorist attack seizes the school, by enveloping the Campus in a field that made Magic useless, for anyone not a master in Control of Mana.
"How's it, Your Highness?"
Lilly, standing by her side as always, asks.
"Nothing I can't handle, Master's traininf for these oddball cases was worse. Still, Get me my Finest Adamantite weapon."
"As you wish."
Lilly pulls from a Metal travel Box a Baseball Bat. An Adamantite one as she requested.
Jumping over the Phalanx formation keeping a defensive Line over the main gateway, the Knights are all worrying what could she do in the Magic nulyfication field. The cloaked snipers at the advantageous position of the building with direct line of sight to the gate aim their guns.
'Focus, Focus, only pass Mana through the nerves, enhance my brain... Enhance...'
Eyes Purple, Iris begins a dash to get to the snipers.
'This Drains Mana unless you keep it within yourself with more strength than the field's drain, we lost most of the day hesitating about the field... Hopefully no one will suffer permanent injuries from Mana exhaustion.'
BANG
KLANG
"!"
A sniper shoots, to Iris, the Bullet moved like a snail, so her boosted to the limit brain and nerve system was able to respond at near instantaneous speeds. Salvos upon salvos of concentrated gunfire raine down on her, what could be blocked or deflected away was, while what couldn't was evaded with dashes, slides, or shifting her running position. Junping and crashing onto the second floor of the fortified sniper nest, all of them drawing swords.
"SLOW!"
WHACK! CRACK!
Body reinforcement? It was nothing against Adamantite, THE pure Brute Force metal for weapons, no hesitation at all, Iris brutally beat and crushed bones, skulls and ribcages, one poor sod died with the Pelvis cruched to dust as Iris slammed full force her bat on his nuts.
Waving to the Knights, they understood the gate was now open for entry, freed of the Sniper threat, the Knights began a slow and careful takeover of terrain.
'Whoever is doing this, will pay!'
...
By the time the brunt of Knights had set a position in the building Iris took over, the field denying them use of Magic dissipated, allowing them a more swift recapture of the Academy.
The Students and staff taken hostage were leaving the auditorium building, smoke of a fire within billowing from what was probably the broken skylight, once again sure Alexia was safe, the recounting of facts put that the terrorists and a group that intruded suddenly both seemed to call themselves Shadow Garden, through Alexia's reporting, she seemed sure the Terrorists were some form of copycats wanting to slander Shadow Garden's name.
'Just what Midgar needs, two Shadow Organizations fighting each other down to outright slander and false flags... Fuck this...'
"You seen Sherry Barnett, her father or even Glen or Marco?"
"Sorry sis..."
Worst case, Sherry comoleted the artifact and it dispelled the field, Iris prayed she got lucky and escaped capture, or worse... As for her trustworthy Knighs, Death was always a risk you take when being a Knight, she could only feel annoyed that the enemy pulled one such over her, taking out the few she felt could be trusted. Looking towards the distant Admnistrative building, where the Principal's and Vice Principal's offices were, some hunch led the Crimsom Princess to rush there.
"That Armored guy disappeared... Secret passageways i guess, and not many would know of it... Whoever is behind this..."
Gripping her Bat, sword still sheated, the field left her way that it would reappear anytime. A trace smell of Oil, the trail of a leaking can, it led to the upper floor, and to Lutheran's office, suppressing her Mana, lowering her presence as much she could, a feeling that there was more than just the main culprit of today's attack, voices start coming from the office. One was certainly Lutheran, the other...
'Sounds very disinterested, or rather, it is serious... Tch... So Lutheran Killed Sherry's Mother? And he's behind it all, huh? This boy he's talking to... Sounds... Like Cid?'
Hesitation, she delays bursting in the room. A short clash of blades, followed by a Thud, from the traitorous Vice Principal's smug voice, Cid took a bad hit.
"SHADOW!"
Surprise, shock, but most of all, expectation of his arrival, Lutheran's voice sounded like that...
...
'For a minutes long clash, Shadow was toying with him... But no matter.'
BAM
Iris kicks the door down, right to the scene of Shadow stabbing Lutheran through the heart, reenacting the way the man killed Sherry's mother, oddly ironic, was Shadow eavesdropping them as well? Not caring for the answer, Iris had a job to do.
"Shadow! While your group have saved the day, again, we need some answers! And you better answer them."
"Or else what? Will you homerun my head?"
"If you want, who am I to deny?"
KLANG
A bat and sword clash, both recoil, the room was on fire and it was spreading, if nothing was done, it would ignite the oil trail Lutheran's leaky can left, and make for an awful lot harder fire to out out. But Iris cared more about getting an answer out of Shadow than focus on that.
"Not bad."
"Guess you have more, huh?"
She felt it, he was holding back, it ticked her off, but so did her Master when they sparred in the past. The taste wasn't good, but she had to hold it back anyways.
KLANG
"!"
'Tsk! I won't be able to dodge.'
Put on a stance without leeway for evasion, more due to her clothes restricting her flexibility than being in a truly bad position to exchange blows. She readjust her bat to parry, and reinforce her stomach to take his kick. Stopping, instead of restarting the offensive. She stares at Shadow.
"Fine... I need to solve THAT, you go..."
"Hmph, don't order me, but the play was over anyways... Until later... Princess."
He left, and as if showing off, blew the fire off, leaving the approaching knights with the job of staving off the embers. Before them however, Sherry entered the room, and saw Lutheran dead, Iris sympathized, knowing that if someone she felt so close to died, it would likely hit her just as hard.
"Sorry to break this to you, Sherry... But there's been developments that might... Paint your Father in a different light."
"Y-your Highness?"
"Lutheran admitted from his own mouth and will... That he had committed a murder... Your Mother's..."
Sherry had been under the biggest rolercoaster of emotions and life threatening experiences the entire day, that was the last straw, she collapsed, unable to believe what she was told.
Damages to the Academy were extensive, fires in most Buildings, along a few that exploded by preset Powder Kegs, repairs started right after any and all surviving evidence was collected, a Month of early vacation was given to students.
As for the Investigation results...
"THEY WILL BE WHAT?"
Alexia was in disbelief that Klaus, the King and Father of the two, decided to enact an Order to declare Shadow Garden a Terrorist Organization. Messages of warning were already being sent to neighborhooring countries, even Velgata, a small diplomatic act of goodwill of sorts.
"Alexia, unfortunately, the evidence collected, and the sheer scale of this attack leaves no choice. And remember, innocent or not, Shadow Garden is still an Independent Organization with Military might operating within the country without our permission or approval."
Her voice and sway in the room, where only the Royal family was meeting, was the lowest, begrundingly, Alexia gave up protesting about the decision. Iris however...
"It is reasonable, Father, still, you could have at least warned us beforehand the official edict was about to be made public in full. What's next? Use us, your Daughters, as pawns to be put on these opposing shadow groups?"
"..."
'Even I know this silence means it is on the table.'
Yet again, as many times in her Life, Iris cursed the woes that being part of the Royal family that rules the country hold to them, even becoming Political coins to curry favor to such shadowy, and moraly questionable organizations.
...
The papers that came from the hidden Laboratory owned by Zenon led to a small leftover trail, towards Lindwurm. Unable to leave thanks to the Terrorist attack and having to post a new Recruitment program, Alexia was sent in her stead for that Investigation. If the Cult has presence in there, of course Shadow Garden would strike there, Iris hoped that girl would understand when she should bail out of the mess when it comes to pass.
...
