"What's the matter Artorian? Having trouble keeping up?" Reitia would taunt as she'd run past Artorian, slamming her armored fist against his shield and causing him to slid back an inch as she zoomed past him.

"Just giving you a head start." He grinned, turning to prepare himself as the girl would make her return run directly at him.

Ten days had passed since Artorian's first mission, and since then he's long recovered and cleared for sparring by Charlotte. While it didn't impact most of the Slayers, as most were too afraid to even speak to him, it made Reitia pumped up as she immediately took the chance to challenge him to a match, to which he accepted without question.

Both had on their variable suits and Hundreds on, having now been clashing for several minutes in a battle to test the other's capabilities. For the most part it seemed to be a predetermined match, however Artorian appeared to be taking the match slowly, noting his recoils and Reitia's speed as she continued her assault.

'She certainly is better than I was expecting.' Artorian noted as he blocked a double kick from Reitia, pushing her away and swinging his sword at her, hitting nothing as she instantly jumped back. Reitia's Hundred was just a simple enhancement type, having clawed armor going up to her elbows and sharp greaves that matched her black, pink and blue variable suit.

'Heavy blows, fast movement, and more experience in one on one combat, she could actually be a problem if I gave her an opening.' He'd think as he locked his shield onto his back and gripped his Hundred sword with both hands, shifting his feet into the dirt as he readied himself for Reitia's next attack.

"Oh, done hiding behind that giant piece of metal?" Reitia grinned in excitement as she stood across the arena from him, jumping in place as she measured his stance.

"I just figured I'd make things a little more fair." He responded, cracking his neck as he looked to her eyes, waiting to see her next move. "It'd be no fun if I just let you tire yourself out, so this time I'm going to deliver the hit."

"Bring it, if you think you can keep up."

Artorian then shifted his right foot back as he focused his energy to his legs, holding his sword back to his side as he lowered himself to lunge out. The moment he pressed his foot down the ground around it cracked and he shot out at high speed, slashing out at the girl without missing a beat.

She however easily followed the attack, dodging to his side while winding her fist back. As she threw a punch out, Artorian landed back on the ground and pushed himself at her, blocking the punch with his shoulder. He winced at the pain, but pressed forward and elbowed her face, stunning her long enough to kick her in the stomach.

With his legs enhanced, the blow sent her several meters back, just stopping before she would hit the wall. As she took a second to recollect herself, Artorian was already rushing at her, forcing her to dodge away again as he pierced his sword into the wall.

But in a quick show of control, he shifted the energy in his legs to his arms, dragging the sword through the wall and swinging it at Reitia as debris shot out. A rock managed to graze her cheek but she managed to bring her arms forward to block his swing, tanking the hit and managing to prevent herself from losing ground.

"Man… those swings mean business." She commented as she then focused her own energy into her arms, matching Artorian's strength as they pushed their Hundreds against one another. "That might've done more than leave a bruise if it landed."

"Considering your energy control, I doubt it." He stated, not struggling as much in the exchange. In the past two days, all the currently enrolled Slayers had received their Hundreds and for their training would have mock battles and sparring to test their control and capabilities. And outside of Matthew and Emilia, Reitia had the best grasp on how to manipulate her energy at will.

"Says the guy who… figured out how to up his response time…" Reitia countered as she began to lose ground, feeling the dirt shifting across her feet as Artorian pushed her back.

"What can I say, I pick things up quick." He grinned as he brought his blade back, swinging at her again and knocking her back once more with a heavy swing. Having had his arm broken for the whole time, Artorian had the advantage of watching everyone's sparring as he recovered. Fighting was something in his genes, but seeing how everyone changed the way they used energy proved to be beneficial. And not so surprisingly, he picked up the trick after testing it the moment he was cleared.

"Oh yeah, but can you pick this up?" Reitia questioned as she opened her palm, a sphere of pink energy forming in the center. She then grinned as she threw her hand forward, firing the energy as a projectile right at him.

'That's new!' He thought in shock as he swung his sword down, the impact sending him skidding back while the sphere pushed against the sword. Growling, he focused his energy back into his feet to stop himself before redirecting the energy mainly to his feet, making sure he kept a firm grip on his sword as he fought against the attack.

Despite his quick learning, there was still a key problem Artorian had in comparison to the rest of the Slayers: he was unable to enhance more than a single area of his body. He had to put all of his focus into where his energy was going, that if he tried to spread that to both his arms and legs, the energy would dissipate and he'd have no enhancement.

That however wasn't a weakness he was willing to let Reitia exploit, as once he felt himself have a good footing he instantly directed all of his energy into his arms. Clenching his teeth hard, he fought against her projectile without flaw, keeping it from pushing his blade back.

"Ragh!" With a bellow of power, Artorian managed to cut down the attack and let the blast separate around him, exploding at his sides and causing dust to form around him. He had only a second to collect himself when Reitia suddenly lunged at him from the smoke, a second sphere in her hand as she quickly approached him.

"Try and block this!" She grinned as she threw her hand forward, attempting to slam the attack directly into his side while moving at high speeds.

As the girl approached him, Artorian could feel his body begin to fluctuate, his heart rate accelerating while he began to heat up. And as his eyes slowly began to turn gold her knew that it was his Variant Virus kicking in.

'No, NO! Don't let it activate!' He thought with a growl, forcing his instincts to lower and allow the power to dissipate. Just as he did Reitia was directly at his side, leaving him little time to react or come up with a plan.

So as the remnants of his instincts kicked into gear, he threw his right hand forward and reached towards Reitia. He then caught her off guard as he grabbed onto the sphere, focusing his energy into his hand in order to get a grip of it.

"W-Whoa…" Reitia spoke in shock as Artorian kept her back, keeping her attack back with nothing but his natural strength as all his energy was busy keeping ahold of her attack.

"Why bother blocking it, when I can catch it!" Artorian responded as he brought his sword up and slammed it against Reitia's side. It had happened fast enough that the girl at first didn't even realize she was hit until she was slammed back first into the wall, her energy dissipating as her body cried out from the pain.

She had manage to land on a knee as she caught herself before she fell, however the moment she looked up Artorian had the edge of his sword right in front of her face, stopping his attack from connecting.

"I'd say that's my win."

"Darn it…" Reitia half whined as her Hundred deactivated and she raised her hands up in surrender. "I give up."

"That makes it official: Artorian wins the match." Matthew announced, having served as the referee for the spar.

"Man, I was expecting to do more than that." Reitia said as she looked down, disappointed with the results of the match.

"You did good for what it's worth." Artorian responded, pocketing his Hundred and extending his hand down to Reitia, helping her up. "Your energy control's a lot better than I thought it would be, that attack of yours might've done something if I didn't block it."

"Thanks."

"Still kicked your ass though." The response got a chuckle from the pair as Reitia punched his arm.

"Jerk."

"You've gotten even better with your Hundred Artorian." Emilia grinned as the boy walked out of the lockers, rolling his shoulders as he was back in his uniform.

"You think?" He asked, placing his arms over his sword as he held it across his shoulders. "It didn't feel any different then the last two times I used it."

"Your energy manipulation is improving, that alone is impressive given your limited experience." She noted, the two walking next to each other. "Add in how well you managed to take on Reitia in close quarters shows your reaction timing is improving."

"I just blocked and countered Emile, it isn't anything impressive. Besides, fighting like that is much more natural to me. Claire and the Savage were unfamiliar territory; Reitia was the first battle that I've done before. Minus that energy attack she tried to hit me with."

"How many fights were you in before you joined Little Garden?"

"Probably a few dozen, worked in a bad part of town at night back then." He recalled. "After the Savage attack, a couple gangs popped up from time to time. And apparently seeing someone walking around with a greatsword isn't enough of a red flag to stay away."

"You were mugged!?"

"Only once or twice, won the rest after that." He chuckled, motioning to the girl with the left of his head. "Took a brick out of nowhere, learned to always keep an eye open. Although I can't say those were my best opportunities for fighting. Nah, that'd go to the tournament I took part in."

"Wow, even a tournament? How'd that turn out?" Emilia would ask, however she would be sure they had a proper conversation about the importance of him getting mugged.

"I'll tell you after we change." Artorian promised, pulling on his uniform's collar. "I may be getting used to this, but the uniform look certainly isn't my favorite."

"Sure, and hey maybe we can go get lunch too." Emilia added in, getting a nod from the boy.

"Artorian!"

"Congratulations on your victory!"

Before the two could get too far from the lockers, they were suddenly approached by Liu and Noa.

"Oh, it's you two." Artorian commented, recognizing the two. "Haven't seen you since the duel with Claire. Loa and Niu right?"

"Liu and Noa, but close." Noa corrected, getting a shrug from the boy.

"Right… so what's up? I'm guessing you came here for something?" He asked, not entirely sure what to go off of from the little the two have said or his interactions with them.

"Well the thing is, we're capable of preforming a deployment with our Hundreds, but we're having some trouble with manipulating our energy for proper combat advancements." Liu explained, getting a raised eyebrow from both Artorian and Emilia in response.

"See, I have a rapier chevalier type and Liu has a spear phalanx type, so we have to fight more properly in direct combat like you. That's why… we want you to help train us, since our styles are similar. Or… are you not able to?" At Noa request, Artorian had immediately appeared uncomfortable, looking away for a second as the two girls looked up to him.

'I've only just grasped energy manipulation for myself, teaching someone is way outside of my ball park. But not to mention there's no way our styles are similar; how the hell do they think a rapier and spear can be properly trained by a greatsword?'

"Well you see, the thing is-"

"Artorian, Claire is calling for you." Before Artorian could properly respond, Erica had spoken up, having approached the group while they were talking. "Would you please come to the Student Council room with me? Preferably the sooner the better."

'Oh thank the Gods.'

"Well you two, I'd love to stay but duty calls and all that." Artorian said, thanking the chance to get out of the situation. "So what's it about four-eyes? What does the great Perfect Queen want of her knight?"

"You're being assigned a mission for Selections." Erica informed, confusing Emilia.

"Wait, only Artorian is being summoned?" She'd ask.

"Yes, the mission exclusively involves him. Would you please follow me Artorian?"

"Sure thing." He shrugged, patting Emilia's head as he walked off. "We'll make plans for a hang out later. Sound good?"

"Yeah." Emilia sighed, although she was smiling as he walked past her. "Good luck!"

"So, not a day goes by since your arm heals and you already accept a sparring match with one of the top hand-to-hand students in Little Garden?" Claire asked as she sat at her desk, looking up to Artorian as he stood in front of her.

"I don't like being inactive, I wasn't able to train and was left watching everyone else have matches." He explained, annoyed at the tone the student president was using. It felt like a lecture, which he very much didn't like. "It was one match and I won, so there shouldn't be any problems."

"Maybe, but you must remember that you're a member of Selections now." Claire would remind him, pointing to the added red stripes that detailed Artorian's uniform. "As such, you could be assigned a mission at a moments notice. You're required to have as much energy as possible, so it would be in your best interest to avoid unnecessary battles."

"Whatever, did you call me down here for this lecture or for an actual mission?" Artorian asked, wanting to get to the point of this meeting.

"If you insist." Claire sighed, shaking her head before putting on a stern expression. "You are aware that we intend to dock on the Zwei Islands next week, correct?"

"Yeah… what about it?"

"On Monday, Sakura Kirishima's live concert will be held since it was delayed from the Savage attack."

"I know that too, got cheated out of the chance for tickets because of the damn Savage." He said the last bit underneath his breath, hating the fact he had considering going. But since it was for Karen, he would have been willing to suffer through the couple hours of fake singing.

"Well then I shouldn't have to remind you that Little Garden has been assigned to handle security for her outdoor event. But there is one other thing that was added on that may be… troublesome."

"Troublesome how?"

"Ms. Kirishima had requested quite specifically that you be her active security while she was on the islands, more specifically her bodyguard." Chris said, bringing up the information up on a holo-screen from his PDA.

"Nope." Artorian simply responded, catching the president off guard.

"I'm sorry?"

"I said nope. Nada, ain't happenin', no way." Artorian detailed, not hiding his disinterest in looking after the idol. "You can find someone else, cause I ain't gonna do it."

"Artorian this is important-"

"I already said no."

"This security measure is vital in-"

"The chances are still zero, not ever happening."

"There are still Savage likely hiding on the island."

"Doesn't concern-" Artorian stopped halfway as he picked up her words, looking down to the president. "What was that again?"

"There are likely still Savage hidden on the islands." She detailed, folding her hands together as she continued. "When we had fought them, there were reportedly seven Savage that broke through the atmosphere. Aside from the five we had killed, neither of the other two's corpses were found."

"Which means in return that they are still on the loose." Chris detailed. "The most likely outcome is they fell into the sea, making it a near impossible task to find them. But we believe at some point that they will resurface, that is why we were hired for security."

"So you want me to guard the pink princess on the off chance one of the ugly bastards show themselves?" Artorian asked, getting a nod from the two. "Still no."

"What then?" Claire asked, confusing the boy as she placed her hands down. "What is it you want?"

"Pardon me?"

"From previous considerations, it was a likely guess that you would be against protecting Sakura. So I am asking you here and now if there is anything that I may offer you in turn for taking this job."

"This is bribery, and I love it." Artorian grinned, rubbing his chin with his free hand. "So you're asking explicitly if I would accept anything in order to protect Sakura?"

"There is a limit, but I would try to do the best in my ability in order to get it?"

"Well, I assume a night with you's out of the question." The boy would say off handily, causing Claire's cheeks to flare red as she looked at him.

"Y-You dare say-!"

"Relax, it was only a joke… mostly." He whispered the last part, smirking at Claire's embarrassed expression. "Well when it comes down to it, I really don't want to have to bother babysitting a spoiled brat of an idol. But at the same time, there's a promise I made that I have to keep no matter what. So I'll go on this little "mission" on one condition."

"Name it."

"N-No way…" Karen half gasped as she looked into her hand, the bright ticket in her hand appearing as a shining star to the girl. "This is a VIP ticket for Sakura's concert!"

"Yep, I made sure to get it specially ordered for you." Artorian smiled as he sat next to Karen's bed. "It cost me quite a bit, but I made a promise to get you a ticket and I fully intended to keep it. I even made sure to get an all clear from Miharu for it."

"Thank you thank you thank you!" Karen exclaimed as she leaned to wrap her arms around Artorian's neck in a hug, the girl smiling brighter than ever before.

"Well, I can't entirely say that I got it my own though." Artorian admitted, returning the hug. "I got a little bit of help from Claire with an underhanded tactic. But she complied pretty quickly with my terms."

"You mean the blonde haired bim… er, the president?" Karen asked as the two separated. "She's actually a nice person?"

"Well, she has her moments." He chuckled, finding Karen's near slip up to be amusing.

"Still, wow! I can't believe we're going to go watch Sakura's concert live!" Karen beamed, looking back to the ticket with a gleeful smile. "We have to get you prepared for when the concert starts. Which means we have to listen to her best hits, starting with-!"

"Actually… about that." Artorian started to speak, wincing as Karen looked back to him. "I'm not going to be able to be there with you."

"What? But why not? I thought we were going to be able to watch it together…"

'Damn it, not the puppy eyes!'

"W-Well the thing is, I kind of have an important assignment and… hell I'll just come out and say it." The Slayer would sigh, not wanting to lie to Karen in face of her sad expression. "I can't go to the concert because I'm going to be Sakura's bodyguard."

"Eeeeeeh! You're going to be guarding Saku-!?"

"Shh!" He hushed her. "No one else is supposed to know outside of Selections. I broke the rules to tell you so you'd understand, although I probably would've broken it anyways."

"R-Right… sorry." Karen apologized, flustered at the rush of her own excitement. "Artorian? Since you're going to be Sakura's bodyguard, that means you'll be around her a lot and able to talk to her, right?"

"Unfortunately, why?" He asked, although he didn't feel to confident when he saw her eyes begin to sparkle and glow with hope.

"I have a favor to ask of you then."

"Now let's think here." Artorian spoke to himself as he cleaned a glass cup from behind a counter. The days seemed to be flying by, and it was just a few hours before his first official mission would start. And while he worked through the slow hours of his job in a small bar on Little Garden he planned on how exactly he would handle dealing with the idol.

"Kirishima is likely going to be a constant attention whore, so half listening and just nodding in agreement with everything she says will be the most effective way to get through this." He then grabbed a cloth and began to wipe the glass dry; wincing as he thought about the music Karen was forcing him to listen to.

"And maybe buy some earplugs, if she starts singing it'll be even worse than the garbage she pretends to make." He groaned as he put the cup down, slamming his head on the counter as the music continued to play. "It's so fake, I swear to the Gods I have no idea how anyone can like this garbage!"

"Many people say Kirishima's music gives them a sense of relaxation and peace." Looking up from the counter, Artorian was confused at seeing Liddy, the vice president wearing her uniform as she stood at the entrance.

"I can't possibly believe that, it feels like two drills are going through my head to make a tunnel." He said, straightening back up while Liddy walked in with the door closing. "I'm surprised to see you here, wouldn't expect one of Claire's lackeys degrading herself to the lesser bars of this battleship."

"Couldn't sleep." Liddy admitted, sitting on a bar stool and placing her arms on the counter. "And the sounds in the upper district always give me a headache, this place seemed like the best choice."

"Really? Well the lights are dim at least." Artorian responded, referring to how the lights above them are partially on, tinted in order to be easier on the eyes. Although to him it was no different than standing in broad daylight, an effect of his condition.

"No, the light isn't my problem." Liddy admitted as she rubbed her eyes, wincing as her body went through a second of fatigue. "It's just a little quieter, so I can actually hear my own thoughts for a bit."

"So are you here just for a second of silence, or would you like a drink?" Artorian asked, taking note of Liddy's appearance. He could clearly tell she was exhausted, the bags around her eyes all he needed for evidence. But the rest of her didn't give much of a look; from her slacking posture, how sloppily put together her uniform currently was, and her barely tied back hair; she looked like a real mess.

"I'm seventeen, I'm not legal." Liddy stated, looking up to Artorian as he reached behind the counter.

"Maybe, but you certainly look like shit." He said, bringing out a bottle of scotch. "It might not be a fancy brand but it'll warm you up and maybe help get a bit of sleep in you."

Liddy looked from Artorian to the scotch several times, appearing to heavily debate whether it was a good idea or not to actually take the drink. On one hand, she was completely exhausted and anything that promised the chance of sleep was more than tempting. On the other hand, she was still a vice president and Claire's trusted friend; if she were caught drinking like this it would damage both their reputations.

"Fine, but only a small glass." Liddy eventually relented, her desire for sleep taking over her need to keep a reputation as she rested her head on the counter.

"One shot of scotch coming right up." Pulling out two shot glasses, the boy would pour a small bit of the drink into each, placing the bottle aside and pushing one of them towards Liddy. When the girl looked back up to him, she would see him hold the second shot glass, holding it between them with a small smile. "Well, you gonna leave me hanging?"

Liddy sighed as she pushed herself upright before grabbing the glass, gently tapping the tip of hers to his in a small mock toast. Artorian's smile turned to a grin as he downed his shot right after, sighing in satisfaction as he placed the glass down.

"Not that great, but it at least feels nice going down." He commented, watching as Liddy looked at the glass. "Let me guess, first time drinking?"

"Was the fact I was against it any signal?" Liddy asked with a half lidded expression, taking a whiff of the drink before cringing lightly. "How much alcohol is in this?"

"Not much, as I said it isn't a great brand." He answered, although looking at Liddy in confusion. Smelling alcohol was possible, but from a small amount it shouldn't be that bad of a scent, even for a first time drinker like her.

"Well… cheers, right?" She half asked before slowly bringing it up to drink. She started with a small sip, although that sip turned to a sudden chug after the initial warmth the drink brought her.

"See, not that bad now is it?" Artorian chuckled, watching as Liddy placed the glass back on the counter. "Feel anything? First time drinking usually gets to people."

"No, I feel fine." She responded. "But you were right, it was warm going down, at least there's that."

"Well my boss doesn't take inventory on our current stock if there's a shipment for another batch coming in." Artorian said, motioning to the scotch. "We got a case of this coming in tomorrow, so we're free to help ourselves for the night if you want."

"I do not intend to drink for the rest of the night." Liddy spoke, attempting to narrow her eyes at him. Although due to her tired state, it looked little more than an exhausted glance, getting another chuckle from him.

"Well if you say so, more for me." He'd say before pouring himself another shot. "So if you don't mind me asking, what's keeping you up?" He'd ask as he filled her glass, despite her warning glare. "I don't take you for the person to risk losing sleep."

"Why do you want to know?"

"No reason, just to pass the time if you won't spend it drinking." He answered, downing his second shot.

The vice president appeared to still be annoyed, but relented and picked her glass up, drinking it slower this time to keep a level of control. "I've been having nightmares." She spoke, getting his attention as he poured a third drink for him. "I know, stupid and childish, I should just get over it and go back to sleep. Or would you prefer I guess the more insulting and derogatory statement you would say to me?"

"Not at all." He said, taking a second to hold his glass before downing the shot again. "Nightmares are a real bitch for me, so trust me you won't get any judgment from me on that." He then motioned the bottle to Liddy, silently asking for her permission before getting a reluctant nod.

"You get nightmares too?"

"Oh, every time I sleep." He admitted. "Although mine are pretty intense, so I don't know how much of a comparison mine can be for yours."

"…I keep… dreaming about the mission." Artorian paused after filling Liddy's glass again, caught off guard when she spoke. "I don't know why, I've been in life or death situations before, but my recent nightmares always spark from that day."

"Sparked? You mean that isn't the bulk of it?" Artorian would've understood simply if the near death experience alone were her source of unrest, the situation in any circumstance would understandably leave issues. But apparently to her it only seemed to be the start of things.

"…You have to promise." Liddy started to speak, rubbing her eyes as she did. "Promise you won't tell anyone. This is… personal, and I don't want anyone, not even Claire, to know about this."

"My lips are sealed." He stated, his face serious before pouring himself another shot and turning off the idol music.

"Every time, the dreams start out the same." Liddy would begin, taking a second to prepare herself by downing her shot. "Erica wraps up the Trenta with her Hundred, I'm lined up to break the armor and destroy the core. And then it swings her and knocks the both of us down. Moment for moment identical." Artorian would nod, not interrupting as he filled her glass again.

"But after that, it would change completely." She stated, pulling her hand away from her glass as she looked into the liquid, seeing her reflection. "The first time, I opened my eyes to see the entire city completely razed to the ground. Everything was burning or completely destroyed. I couldn't find anyone and after a minute I looked up and saw… I saw countless Savage falling from the sky. And shortly after, several regular Savage surrounded me and I… they ripped me to pieces."

"The second one I woke up to see the city still intact, but the Trenta was still alive. Claire and Erica were in its claws, and I saw Emile and Matthew's bodies surrounded by their own blood. And you were…" Liddy gagged as she thought back, leaving Artorian to wince a bit in response. "The Savage mutated its mouth, whatever was left of you was guts and bone stuck in its teeth."

"Not big on gore?" A simple nod was his only answer, but he wasn't one to judge. In fact, he seemed to be taking this more seriously, as he put his glass and the bottle down to walk around the counter, sitting on the stool next to her as he started to notice her shaking.

"Each night it got worse and worse until… until…" She then looked down for a second, tightening her hands into a fist as she tried to control herself, staring at her reflection as she felt her eyes playing tricks on her and saw a black visage stare back. "Artorian… you know that I do not hold any standard bias towards you correct?"

"You were willing to give Claire a loss for breaking her rule in our duel and have pretty much been respectable, so yeah."

"Then please understand that what I say next is by no standard a reflection of what I think of you." Liddy stated before taking a calming breathe, shaking her head to remove the image of the visage from her reflection.

"Tonight I saw the most intense one yet. In it, the Trenta Savage was destroyed, and you were standing over it with the core impaled through your sword." Artorian nodded, signaling for her to continue. "But what I saw wasn't someone in control, as you stood over it you were screaming in what felt like agonizing rage. Like a wild beast."

"Shortly after your victory, you looked to Emile as he approached you, appearing to try and calm you when you just… you cut him down right there." Artorian by now had a measuring stare on him, now taking in every detail that she says as she continued on. "Right down the middle, you cut him in half like he was nothing but butter. And you just, stared in satisfaction at what you did, even liking your blade clean of his blood."

"Matthew then fired a blast at you, so much that there was an explosion that I swear not even a Savage could survive. But you just shot right out of it at him and impaled him through his chest. You were attempting to push your blade down through him when Claire interrupted you, firing point blank shots that completely destroyed your arms. But it wasn't even a second some black mass was escaping the wounds and your arms just, they just grew back."

"You didn't even give her a chance to register what happened when your arm went right through her chest, her heart was still beating in your grip as you stared her dead in the eyes, grinning as you ripped it right out of her. I could only hear Erica's screaming as you placed your foot on Matthew's head before everything just… everything went black the moment you crushed Claire's heart and slammed your foot down."

The bar was silent as the vice president finished retelling her dream, looking down at shame as she thought over what she saw. Here she was, telling the person who had saved both her and Emile from certain death that she dreamt of him slaughtering not only his friend, but also two of their comrades without mercy. She didn't fault herself for having the dream, but hated the fact her mind made her feel that it was real, struggling to get the sounds of Matthew's head crunching underneath his foot and Erica's scream of horror at the sight of Claire falling.

But as she did, Artorian appeared completely calm, even giving her a sympathetic stare as he looked to the girl. It was a familiar scene, one that played differently but had the same message and torturous fears that he had seen every time he rested his eyes. An image of a monster hiding behind a teenager's face, a well of sorrows and rage releasing itself like a deadly plague, an Abyss.

"I'm… thank you for listening." Liddy muttered, pushing her still full glass to him as she attempted to stand up. "I apologize for bothering you, but I'm grateful to at least have it off my chest. Maybe I'll be able to at least rest enough to-"

"Wait." Before she could go anywhere, Artorian had reached and grabbed her arm, his grip surprisingly gentle as he looked over to her. "Stay for one more drink, there's something I want to give you."

"I've troubled you enough, you don't have to."

'Yes, I do.'

"It's just something small. I promise it'll help a bit."

Liddy appeared hesitant, although based on the look in Artorian's eyes convinced her to at least hear him out, feeling he deserved that courtesy after him listening to her. So she sat down, letting him move her glass back to her as he reached for his own.

"My dreams are pretty bad, but I have something that is supposed to help out with it." He spoke as he reached into his jacket's pocket, pulling out a small container of pills. "Don't worry, they're nothing bad or illegal. I actually get these specifically to try and help me when I sleep."

"What are they?" Liddy asked, seeing the black pills.

"Medicine, a relaxant that helps ease the mind and limit subconscious thoughts." He explained. "They're not common, but they don't require prescriptions. Charlotte actually gave me these after my third night here."

"Dimandias?"

"It was one of the medications given to first generation Slayers to ease their minds after the procedures they went through." He detailed. "These are newer, not sure how much better they are compared to the batch she originally made, but she said it would help with nightmares."

"Artorian, I appreciate the offer but I can't just accept pills from-"

"Liddy, I swear on my father's name that this is completely safe." Artorian interrupted, motioning to his sword resting at the end of the counter. "These are completely legal, and I'm authorized by Charlotte to give them out if I feel it is necessary. And I promise you; you'll get a peaceful night's sleep. But I only ask you to tell me how you feel once you wake up."

"How I feel? What do you mean by that?"

"Are you numb, do your legs or arms feel weak, and most importantly if you have an extended sensitivity to light, anything lasting over an hour from waking up. Okay?"

"…I have your word, this is completely safe?" A single, confident nod was all Liddy got, the Slayer weighing her options before sighing. He hadn't led her astray thus far; she had no reason to doubt him now. "Fine, I'll try it for tonight and tonight only."

"That's all I ask." Opening the container, Artorian reached in and pulled out two pills, placing them down in Liddy's palm. "Take these two at most an hour before you go to bed. It doesn't matter if you drink anything before or after, but be sure you're certain of going to sleep within the next hour. You can eat fruits and vegetables after, but no meat or grains. Understood?"

"Yes, thank you." Liddy said, pocketing the two into her uniform.

"Good, then our last toast." He said, picking up his glass and holding it to her. "To a good night's sleep for the Student Council vice president."

"And a good night for you as well." The two toasted, tapping their glasses together before downing the shots, letting the warmth calm them before putting the glasses down. "Thank you again Artorian, this was…"

"Okay?"

"Nice, for drinking for the first time."

"It's nice having someone to drink with. You're natural, maybe we should have a contest and see who can drink more." He chuckled, getting a silent stare from her.

"Not happening."

"Eh, had to try." He chuckle smiled before standing up. "Here, I walk you back to the dorms."

"I'm fine, you still have work anyways." Liddy responded, standing up herself.

"Eh, not like anyone's actually coming here." He said, moving to put everything away before grabbing his sword. "Besides, I put those drinks in you. The least I can do is see a beautiful young woman such as yourself safely return to her room."

"You get in trouble, it's not my fault." She said, turning to walk out. Although Artorian rolled his eyes, noting the attempt to brush off his words fail from her subtle blush.

"Whatever you say." He'd say before he looked down, a tinge of guilt pulling his chest as he followed her, shaking it off his face as he locked the door behind them.

'I need to call Charlotte.' He thought. 'Hopefully she's still awake.'

(A/N): So... this is here. I'm a little upset at how long it took me to write this, but I've been on and off with reading the Light Novel. I took a break from it and just started to read it again, so I've only just started the seventh volume. I can read maybe a volume every week, only because I feel such a need on ways that I can change it to what I feel could at least be better to understand. Still good, but there's a noticeable pattern in each volume. I'll be trying to post to this story more frequently, I'm far enough that I can at least set the basis for the next twenty or so chapters in terms of time and events, so I'll at least now have a more clear path in the works.

Hope this chapter was entertaining and was at least worth the wait. Peace!