Chapter 23: Amaryllis Armstrong

Name: Quinn Bevel

Age: 19

Birthday: 1 March

Personality: Humble, easygoing, sincere

Strengths: Versatile in combat, a reasonable thinker, lives in a tree

Weaknesses: Sometimes too agreeable, too easily impressed so he just walks around surprised by everything all the time, often accidentally stays up all night

Favourite Things: Food, gambling, tabletop card games

TWO DAYS UNTIL THE WAR MERITS CONFERMENT CEREMONY

"Good morning, everyone!" Captain Dorothy said, her usual chipper demeanour in full flow.

The Coral Peacocks base was quiet in response to her greeting. Some people nodded, some just ignored her (namely Oda). No one was particularly enthused by this show of happiness, and the Captain, who was honestly a little child at heart, began to pout. Her childish expression turned into one of volatile anger. "I SAID, GOOD MORNING EVERYONE!"

The squad, all startled from this unexpected display of anger from someone usually so chipper, and spurred on by fear of the wrath of a captain, stood at attention and hastily returned the greeting with vigour. Dorothy smiled, happy she was finally getting what she wanted.

"Anyways!" The Coral Peacocks captain's voice turned serious, and she began to address the six members who were there. Lars, Sharya, Oda, Theresa, Russell and Lilian listened intently.

"As you know, Fana, who was actually a member of the Eye of the Midnight Sun's most powerful group, the Third Eye, betrayed us and kidnapped Yul," she started. Theresa visibly flinched at the mention of this incident, but Dorothy, not noticing this, continued.

"To fill the void left by her absence, I've decided to take the liberty of adding a new member to the squad. She should be arriving now…"

The door to the common room opened, and in stepped a girl, wearing a simple black dress with magenta adornments under her Coral Peacocks robe, with shorter black hair that contrasted with her pale skin. She had tall lace up boots which carried her with silent grace, and around her neck was a silver, serpent shaped pendant. Her violet eyes glittered with intelligence, and she mentally scrutinised each member of the squad, looking them up and down, taking in any information she could get about them from their appearance. On her head, a pointed witches hat sat precariously.

"Everyone," the captain said, coming to the witch's side, "this is Amaryllis. She's gonna be your new squadmate from now on!"

The poison mage nodded as a greeting, but before anyone could react, Lars was in front of her, naginata raised, pointing at her chest.

"Don't move," he said coldly. Amaryllis simply looked at him with an equally cold glance. Lars then turned to his captain.

"My one question, captain, is why?" he started. "Why would you let this criminal join the squad? Even though you know she attacked a village. You were there when she turned herself in. So why? Do you really trust someone like this to be a functioning member of the squad?"

Captain Dorothy's expression softened, and she looked at Lars with a calm but firm demeanour. "Lars," she began, "I understand your concerns. Trust me, I do. But as your captain, it's my job to look beyond people's pasts and see their potential. We've all made mistakes, but Amaryllis has shown genuine remorse for her actions and has pledged herself to atone for them."

"Miss me with that weak shit!" Lars yelled. Sharya shed a single proud tear.

Amaryllis didn't flinch at Lars' cold stare, nor at the blade of his naginata aimed at her chest. Instead, she met his gaze squarely, her violet eyes calm but fierce.

"I'm not here to beg for your approval," Amaryllis said, her voice steady. "I know what I've done. I know I have to prove myself, not with words, but with actions. If you want to challenge me, then do it. I'll prove my worth to this squad—whether you accept me or not."

Lars' grip on his weapon tightened for a moment, but then, with a slow exhale, he lowered the naginata. His eyes, however, remained sharp. "We'll see about that," he muttered.

Sharya, who had been silently watching from the sidelines, stepped forward with a grin. "Come on, Lars, give her a break. Besides, it's not like we're all saints here." She shot a playful glance at Russell, who scowled in response. "I'm curious to see what she can do with that Poison Magic of hers. Welcome aboard, Amaryllis."

Amaryllis gave a small nod in acknowledgment, but her expression remained unreadable.

Lars glanced over at Captain Dorothy again. "I still don't trust her, Captain. But I'll respect your decision… for now."

"Good," Dorothy replied, a hint of her usual cheer returning. "Because you'll have plenty of time to get used to her. You and Amaryllis are going on a mission together."

Lars froze, his blue eyes widening. "Wait—you what?"

Sharya snorted, and the normally stoic Oda let out a chuckle under his breath, but Dorothy pressed on. "You two will be leaving today for the Northern Outskirts. There's been reports of strange magical activity in the area, and I think it'll be a perfect opportunity for you two to get acquainted. The mission will be dangerous, so you'll need to work together."

Lars' protest was immediate. "Captain, this is ridiculous! You want me to go on a mission with her today? We've never even fought together before, and—"

"That's precisely why I'm pairing you up," Dorothy interrupted with a knowing smile. "Consider it a team-building exercise. You both have strengths that can complement each other. And besides…" her eyes twinkled mischievously, "I think it'll be good for you, Lars."

Amaryllis, still unreadable, finally spoke. "If you don't want to go, that's fine. I can handle this mission alone."

Lars' pride bristled at her words. "I never said I wasn't going," he snapped, crossing his arms. "Fine. We'll do it your way, Captain. But don't expect me to just stand by if she—"

"Great!" Dorothy interrupted before Lars could finish, clearly satisfied with the outcome. "Pack your things, you two. I want you on your way before noon."

Lars grumbled something under his breath but turned away, heading towards his room to gather his gear. Sharya flashed Amaryllis an encouraging grin. "Don't worry about Lars. He's tough, but once he sees what you're made of, he'll come around."

Amaryllis' expression softened just slightly, but she didn't respond. Instead, she gave Sharya a small nod before heading toward the door.

Russell, who had been quiet for most of the exchange, finally spoke up, his tone subdued. "Good luck, Amaryllis. And Lars… try not to be too hard on her, yeah?"

Lars, already halfway out of the room, merely waved a dismissive hand.

By noon, Lars and Amaryllis were on their way, leaving the Coral Peacocks base and heading towards the northern outskirts. The tension between them was palpable, and neither had spoken much since they left.

Amaryllis walked with a steady, measured pace, her violet eyes scanning the horizon, while Lars kept a slight distance behind her, still wary of his new teammate. He couldn't shake the unease he felt around her—her quiet demeanor and the dark power of her Poison Magic made him uneasy. But he also couldn't deny the strange pull he felt, a curiosity about who she really was behind the cold facade.

As they approached the outskirts, the landscape became more desolate. The wind picked up, blowing through the barren fields, and an eerie silence settled over the area.

Lars' grip on his naginata tightened. "Stay alert," he muttered.

Amaryllis didn't respond, but she subtly adjusted her stance, her sharp eyes scanning the surroundings. Then, almost as if on cue, the air around them grew thick with magical energy.

Without warning, dark tendrils of magic erupted from the ground, spiralling towards them. Lars sprang into action, his naginata slicing through the air to deflect the attack, while Amaryllis summoned a shield of poisonous mist, dissipating the tendrils as they approached.

"Looks like we've found the source," Lars growled, spinning his weapon with practised ease. He glanced over at Amaryllis. "Can you handle this?"

Amaryllis' violet eyes gleamed with determination. "I was about to ask you the same thing."

A mage appeared, wearing a light coloured hooded cloak, with black covering half the shoulders and down the middle. The cloak had three vertical eyes on the chest with a sphere on the sides of each eye and on top of the highest eye. The design also had a line on the bottom most eye that made it look like a key.

"Magic Knights?" the mage said, and he pulled down his hood. He had teal coloured hair, amber eyes chock-full of emotion, and a sadistic grin was plastered across his face.

"I guess I have the fates to thank for giving me some new toys to play with!" he exclaimed, spreading his arms out wide.

Amaryllis was spooked. "The hell's wrong with that guy?"

Lars, meanwhile, was indifferent. "I've met crazier psychopaths," he said, raising his hand towards the mage. "Mind Magic: Kraftvoller Gedankenstoß!"

The mind mage launched a blast of energy at the aggressor, who responded with his own magic. "Phantom Magic: Blackened Souls!"

Those same dark tendrils of energy appeared around the blast, smothering it, absorbing it into the shadows.

Lars turned to Amaryllis. "I'm taking a back seat on this one. Amaryllis at the wheel, amirite?"

The poison witch lost her cool. "All because your first attack didn't work on him? What a baby! I can't believe you're supposed to be my senior!"

"You're lucky the captain barred me from using Subjugation on teammates," Lars said, casting an Infinite Thought Shield to stop the onslaught of phantasmic attacks from the mage, "or else you'd be my little pawn right now."

They both growled at each other, resisting the urge to fight each other right there and then. The phantom mage, clearly unhappy with the way he was being cast to the wayside, decided to use his most powerful attack. "Maybe now you'll pay more attention to me! Phantom Magic: Dance Of 108 Souls!"

Lars, quite bored, raised his naginata above his head. "Don't interrupt me," he said in a deadpan voice. "Mind Magic: Neural Rapture."

Amaryllis coldly followed suit, casting a poison spell. "Poison Magic: Toxic Waste."

The two spells should have become a combination spell, but due to the incompatibility of their users, they actually repelled each other, hitting the phantom mage on both sides.

He was down for the count.

Lars sighed. "All that travel, just to deal with a level one grunt? So boring…"

"He was talking all that nonsense about 'playing with us' as well," Amaryllis said, shaking her head. "We should probably take him back with us."

"The first sensible thing you've said all day," Lars said under his breath.

…

"So you're telling me that he was a member of the Eye of the Midnight Sun?" Lars exclaimed. The mage was currently being held in the dungeon of the Coral Peacocks base, and Oda and the Captain were in there, interrogating him.

"I'm absolutely positive!" Theresa said, her shrill voice squeaking in anger.

"Good thing we took him back then," Amaryllis said, her expression not betraying a hint of anything.

The door to the interrogation room opened, and Oda came out, blood on his knuckles, tears in his eyes.

Oda emerged from the interrogation room, his eyes still red and his fists clenched tightly. Blood smeared his knuckles, a sign of how intense the questioning had been, but there was no sense of triumph in his expression. He had failed to get any real answers.

"I couldn't break him," Oda muttered, his voice trembling with frustration. "No matter what I tried, he wouldn't reveal anything about where they took Yul."

Everyone looked down in sorrow. Theresa began to cry, and Amaryllis felt a compelling desire to hug her. She embraced her and let Theresa cry into her shoulder for a while. Lars watched this whole ordeal with growing curiosity.

Maybe she's not so bad after all… he thought, a small smile forming on his lips despite his sense of grief.

…

Later that night, Amaryllis was talking with Sharya about the events of the day. She had a smile on her face for what seemed like the first time since she had arrived, most likely invigorated by Sharya's bubbly personality. Lars, seemingly coming out of nowhere, approached the two women, a serious expression on his face.

"Hey. Amaryllis," he said, folding his arms. Amaryllis simply looked back at him indifferently. Lars was about to do something difficult for most, and certainly excruciatingly tornenting for him, considering his stance on her joining the squad. "You know," he continued, "you're not half bad. Maybe you will fit in."

"And?" Sharya said, like a mother trying to coax her petulant child into doing something they didn't want to (which, to be fair, was basically what was happening, just less mother and child, and more squadmate to squadmate).

Lars sighed. "I'm sorry for how I treated you, even if you are a convicted felon. Hey, you like reading?"

Amaryllis raised an eyebrow. "How did you know?"

"You look like the type to enjoy reading. I see it in your eyes," Lars said with a bored voice. "Hey, look at this. It's ancient history, but I still find it interesting. You should come check it out with me and Theresa sometime."

"I'd like that," Amaryllis stated quietly. A small smile appeared on her face.

Lars walked out of the room, and Sharya looked at him, a proud smile on her face. "Those two are gonna be best friends," she whispered to herself.

…

The next day, the Coral Peacocks base was unusually quiet, save for the low murmur of conversation coming from the squad's library. Sunlight streamed through the large arched windows, casting a warm glow on the tall shelves filled with ancient tomes and scrolls. The room had a sense of serenity, a stark contrast to the tension that usually gripped the squad.

Amaryllis, Lars, and Theresa were sitting at one of the long tables, a heavy, dusty tome open in front of them. The book was thick, its pages worn from age, and the title on the cover read, "Celestial Legends: The Guardians of Human Nature." Lars had been the one to suggest it, a rare moment of camaraderie between him and Amaryllis, while Theresa, eager to learn, had tagged along without hesitation.

Lars leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers against the table as Theresa flipped through the pages. "It's all pretty mysterious," he said. "Celestials... entities that represent human nature. Seems a bit far-fetched, even for us."

Amaryllis' violet eyes were focused, scanning the ancient text intently. Her usual cold demeanor had softened slightly, her curiosity clearly piqued. "They're more than just legends, you know. These Celestials were believed to have once roamed the world, bound to human hosts. Each one supposedly embodied a different aspect of humanity—Intellect, Desire, Instinct, Emotion, and Willpower."

"Kind of like spirits," Theresa added, her voice quiet. "But different… artificially created, right?"

Lars nodded, leaning forward now as he traced the illustration on the page with his finger. It depicted five ethereal beings, each one surrounded by an aura of energy. Their forms were humanoid, yet they were otherworldly in appearance, their features exaggerated to represent the facets of human nature they embodied. "Yeah. Unlike the natural spirits, the Celestials were made—maybe even designed to complement human magic."

Amaryllis tapped the next page, where a detailed account of the Intellect Celestial, Iskra, was written. Her finger rested on the ancient drawing of the Celestial, a figure with glowing eyes and an aura of swirling, ethereal energy that seemed to pulse with thought and intellect. "The Intellect Celestial," she mused aloud, "said to enhance its host's mental prowess to near-limitless levels. I wonder if someone like that really existed… or could still exist."

Theresa leaned in closer, her wide eyes reflecting the image on the page. "It says here that each Celestial shared the same magic attribute as their host. So if someone with Mind Magic bonded with Iskra… they'd become a mental force of nature."

Lars smirked, his usual detached tone dripping with a bit of irony. "Sounds like a dream for someone like me. Infinite mental power? It'd be like having control over everything around you."

Amaryllis glanced at him, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "Wouldn't that be dangerous in your hands?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Probably. But it'd be fun."

Theresa, ever the optimist, tried to steer the conversation back to its original path. "It's kind of beautiful, though, don't you think? The idea that there's something representing every part of human nature. Like, what if these Celestials still exist somewhere, waiting for the right people to find them?"

Amaryllis nodded, her gaze softening as she studied the text. "If they do, they'd be powerful allies. But there's a risk, too. With something that enhances your nature, it can easily consume you."

Lars flipped to another page, one that detailed the Emotion Celestial, a radiant figure surrounded by prisms of colour, each one representing a different emotion. "Take this one," he said, gesturing to the illustration. "The Emotion Celestial. Imagine someone who couldn't control their emotions bonding with that. It could tear them apart."

Theresa shivered at the thought. "It's like... the more powerful the bond, the more you risk losing yourself."

Amaryllis nodded slowly, deep in thought. "It's a delicate balance, I suppose. A dangerous one." Her eyes flicked toward Lars, and for the briefest moment, there was something more than curiosity in her expression—something akin to understanding. "But then again," she added softly, "for the right person, it could be the key to everything."

Lars met her gaze, and for the first time, there was no sarcasm in his voice. "Maybe."

Theresa, sensing the weight of the conversation, tried to lighten the mood. "Well, if we ever meet a Celestial, I'm sure we'll handle it. I mean, we're the Coral Peacocks! We've dealt with worse, right?"

Lars chuckled, leaning back in his chair once more. "Sure, Theresa. Just keep telling yourself that."

…

Meanwhile, across the kingdom, the quiet halls of the Clover Kingdom's royal hospital were broken by the sound of soft footsteps. Frida Mertens, freshly discharged, walked out into the crisp evening air. Her elegant demeanour was still intact, despite the lingering fatigue from her injuries. She paused at the entrance, taking a deep breath of freedom after the long days of recovery.

"I won't let this slow me down," she whispered to herself, her amethyst crystal magic sparking faintly around her fingertips. With determination in her eyes, she set off toward the Silver Eagles' base, ready to rejoin the fight.

A/N: Alright, now I've done what I wanted to, the arc can begin now. No more filler (until I finish the next one).

Heads up, it's gonna be a short one, so just telling you ahead of time so you don't get disappointed.