(A/N: I'm not going to waste any words doing cheeky preamble. Let's just get into this)
28th Day of the Verdant Rain Moon
For Nina Einstein, her time spent at Garreg Mach was spent in the shadows…sort of. While Nina stood in something resembling the limelight, attending services, passing classes, her classmates knew her name, she was in the shadow of the woman she worshipped like the Goddess herself: Archbishop Rhea. Nina was quite certain Rhea didn't even know her name, let alone be able to put it to Nina's face. But…today was going to be different. Today, Nina had hand crafted a little letter for Rhea to give to her in person, expressing all of the feelings Nina would be too much of a mess to say aloud. She just had to stop shaking out in the hallway, full of nerves, to bask in Rhea's divine presence and hand it to her.
With a deep breath, she was about to go up to Rhea and hand her the letter when she heard a panicked shout of, "Archbishop!"
Seteth came flying down the hall and ran up to Rhea out of breath.
"Seteth," Rhea called his name, blinking in astonishment given his lack of composure, "What troubles you?"
"Flayn is missing! I cannot find her anywhere!" He exclaimed.
Flayn's missing? Nina peered her head around the corner. She was too curious not to listen in.
"Calm yourself, Seteth," Rhea said in a soothing voice. "Panicking will not find her sooner. Come, let me get you a glass of water and you can tell me everything." She pat the director on the back.
Nina stashed her letter in her pocket and snuck up to the door to Seteth's office, putting her back to the wall. Shirley and Flayn were very close. If she could find out information, she could tell Shirley about it, they could find Flayn, Seteth would be grateful and Rhea would love her with all her heart. It was the perfect plan.
She heard Seteth sipping water before he began grieving like a father that had misplaced their 6-year-old at Disney world. He sat with his handkerchief balled up into his forehead.
"Flayn is not the type of person to just…wander off on her own without telling me where she's going! I've searched the monastery thoroughly, even Abyss, yet I've found nothing!"
Abyss? What's Abyss? Nina wondered.
Seteth continued to speak with Rhea in what he believed was privacy. "I've mobilized the knights to search Rome top to bottom looking for her. I do not wish to consider the worst, but…"
"Shshsh," Rhea said, running her hand through Seteth's hair compassionately. "I'll hear no talk of that. We will find Flayn alive and in one piece, I promise you."
Seteth took a breath meant to compose himself, but failed on every level to do precisely that.
"You've found nothing so far?" Rhea asked. "Not even proof of…the worst case?"
Seteth shook his head. "I've also been hearing rumors of people being stalked at night. The citizens claim that the Flame Emperor's so-called Death Knight is coming to collect their souls and drag them off to the underworld! What if we find Flayn, but her soul is gone from her body! Rhea, I couldn't bear the thought!"
"Seteth, recall that impatience begets error. Please do your best to calm yourself. I think of your…sister as family as well. You know that. You have my support. I will enlist the students to search for Flayn immediately. I know the Black Eagles have just returned from their task, but I shall enlist them and the Violet Tigers. Between Lelouch's intelligence and the new professor's leadership, we will find her."
"I pray that we are not too late," Seteth responded.
Nina didn't hear the rest of the conversation. She was on her way to tell Shirley everything. Flayn had to be found, no matter what.
The rumors of the Death Knight were more circulated around the monastery than most could imagine. And no one knew the impeding power of the Death Knight better than the Golden Deer. Alone in an isolated training room, Lysithea was practicing with new and unmastered magic. She knelt in a magic circle, illuminated by amethyst light, holding her hands apart from each other. Panting and concentrating, she was manifesting a thin, deadly spike of dark magic in between her hands.
However, as soon as she manifested it, the sweat pouring down her forehead broke her concentration and she hunched over the circle, panting.
I have to keep going, Lysithea thought as she caught her breath. I will master this magic. I won't be considered weak. Not again. Not ever again.
Later that day, just after dinner, the majority of the Violet Tigers were gathered in their classroom to discuss what Byleth had only recently learned from Rhea, but Nina already knew. She'd missed her chance to tell Shirley ahead of time.
"Flayn's missing?" Euphemia gasped.
"That's what I just finished explaining, yes," Byleth responded.
"Then we shall pool our resources with the Black Eagles and find her before the end of this week!" Marrybell declared.
"Knowing Seteth, I'm pretty sure he wants her back by…lemme check my phone…yesterday," Milly commented.
"This isn't the time for jokes!" Leonhardt declared, raising a fist to the ceiling. "An innocent maiden has gone missing! Why, as knights in training, we should be running to her gallant rescue and carrying her to safety!"
"Okay there, Romeo," Oldrin said with a glazed look, standing directly behind Leonhardt. "How about you take it down a few notches, okay?"
"I agree with the sentiment though," Marika said. "Flayn must be so scared, wherever she is."
"Are we sure she didn't just wander off on her own?" Shez questioned.
"The knights would have seen something by now if she had, yeah?" Rivalz asked.
"Where should we start looking?" Byleth asked.
"I trust Seteth has explored the monastery top to bottom," Marrybell stated. "I suggest we help the knights spread out and search Rome."
"That's…a really big search area," Rivalz commented.
"If you find her first, Rivalz, I'll reward you handsomely," Milly commented with a wink and pursed lips.
"Heck yeah we're gonna find Flayn!" Rivalz exclaimed, pulling his fists down to his waist, shouting at the ceiling.
"Is it just me or are we down a couple people?" Marika asked.
"Hey, yeah, we do seem to be missing Nina, Tink and Sokkia," Shez said, looking around the room.
"Nina I know is attending evening services like she always does," Milly pointed out. "Tink is on maintenance duty this week, so he's probably at the hangar. Not a clue on Sokkia though. This is serious business. I figured she'd come running."
Oldrin took out her cell phone. "I'll get Sokkia here wherever she is. One second." She dialed Sokkia's number. Sokkia picked up in three rings.
"Hey, Oz!"
"Hey! We got a bit of a situation here at the monastery. I need you to get to the classroom as quickly as possible," Oldrin told her seriously.
"How big of a problem are we talking? Cause I'm in the middle of the shopping district. I'm buying clothes," Sokkia told her.
"All right, well hurry up and come over here. It's a bit of an emergency," Oldrin told her.
"Okay, but I can't find them," Sokkia responded on the other end of the line.
Oldrin furrowed her brow in confusion. "What do you mean you can't find them?"
"I can't find them. There's only soup."
It was only seven words, yet they caused more confusion to Oldrin than the words "your smart phone is out of film."
Oldrin stuttered for a bit before simply asking in abject confusion, "What do you mean there's only soup?"
"It means there's only soup!"
"Well then get out of the soup aisle!" Oldrin shouted.
"All right, you don't have to shout at me!" Sokkia exclaimed.
Oldrin waited patiently while her classmates looked at her like she was crazy, having only heard Oldrin's half of the conversation. They didn't know Sokkia was buying clothes. They had no idea what "them" was, just that "them" wasn't soup apparently.
Sokkia finally responded to Oldrin with, "There's more soup!"
"What do you mean there's more soup?!" Oldrin shouted, sounding incredulous.
"There's just more soup!"
"Go into the next aisle!" Oldrin shrieked, losing her patience.
"There's still soup!"
"Where ARE you?" Oldrin yelled.
"I'm at soup!"
"Whatdoyoumeanyou'reatsoup?!" Oldrin exclaimed rapidly.
"I mean I'm at soup!"
"WHAT STORE ARE YOU IN?!"
"The soup store!"
"WHYAREYOUBUYINGCLOTHESATTHESOUPSTORE?!"
Beeeeep. Beeeep. Beeeeep.
Sokkia had either hung up or lost the connection.
"I…don't think we're getting Sokkia on this tonight." This was the only thing Shirley could think to say as everyone else looked at Oldrin, who looked ready to hurl the closest living being at the wall by their shirt.
"Pardon me," Lorenz's voice pierced the air. "I hate to interrupt a class meeting, but I was wondering if I could—"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Oldrin's rage reached a fever pitch as she actually flung Lorenz at the wall, landing the poor man upside down. She then stormed out of the classroom, muttering angrily to herself. "Buying clothes at the soup store, I oughta…"
Shirley could not hear the rest, just noticing Oldrin rolling up her sleeve, clearly ready to give Sokkia a piece of her mind when she found her.
"I…have no idea what I have done to…" Lorenz uttered, only to cough, "Deserve this, but I shall endeavor to apologize to Lady Zevon later."
29th Day of the Verdant Rain Moon
It was early morning at Garreg Mach, the sun just barely beginning to peak above the horizon. Shirley was in her usual spot: fishing at the pond. Except, today, since a couple days ago, she was down a Flayn. It just didn't feel right without her fishing buddy all of a sudden, like something was missing.
Shirley let out the most depressing sigh she could recall emitting in her teenage years before hearing footsteps approach. At first, she was hopeful it was Flayn who had just gotten lost and was making her way back to Garreg Mach. However, what approached was, to Shirley, the next best thing.
She gasped. "L-Lulu!" She bolted right to her feet, laying her fish rod down on the pier. She gave the young man her full attention.
Lelouch swiveled his head around like a paranoid owl as he approached the pier. "You and Flayn used to fish here a lot, I've heard."
"Uh, y-yes…I um…" Shirley was so tongue tied because she didn't know where to begin. Granted, the Black Eagles were also looking for Flayn, but she always knew Lelouch to be relatively lazy. Well…sure, he'd stepped up his game since coming to Garreg Mach, but Shirley always felt like Lelouch still wasn't acting to his full potential. Some of his quizzes and exams were still Cs.
"She wasn't by yesterday, correct?" Lelouch asked.
Shirley shook her head. "No. I thought…I mean I didn't think much of it. We're such good friends I felt I could ask her about it later. I didn't realize she'd been abducted."
"Was she here the day I left for Conrad Tower?" Lelouch asked.
Shirley shook her head again. "No, but I don't fish on Sundays. I only fish before class, to keep my mind sharp."
"And Saturday."
Shirley nodded. "She was here. Oh! But I saw her Sunday around lunch so—"
Around lunch, so she was still physically around while I was helping take down Miklan, Lelouch thought.
"Um…Lulu…are you…seriously looking for Flayn?" Shirley asked.
Lelouch didn't immediately answer her.
Shirley picked up her fishing rod and clenched it tightly, staring at the ground. "Please…please look for her. I…I know you don't do things unless they interest you, but…Flayn is a really good friend of mine now, someone I feel like I can count on more than my old friends at Ashford. Please, Lulu, if we're even remotely friends…I…"
Shirley was surprised when Lelouch's hand landed on her head. He caressed the top of it gently. "Don't worry," he told her. "We'll find Flayn alive." He gazed out towards the student dorms. "If the objective was simply to kill her, there'd be no need to hide the body and cause all this panic."
Shirley felt a little giddy mix with her despair. Lelouch was…trying to reassure her. Maybe he wasn't taking the investigation completely seriously, but he knew that they had time. For the moment, that was enough.
"Hey, Lulu…what have you figured out so far?" Shirley asked him. "M-Maybe we can work together."
Lelouch shook his head. "No. There are too many variables right now. Motive. Culprit. Destination. Method. Roadblocks. Without knowing how or why she was abducted, or by who, it's especially hard to figure out the when and where. However, if I can narrow down the window of abduction, that makes it easier to start narrowing down the list of suspects. Ultimately, your testimony exonerates the Black Eagles, and Sir Gilbert. Well…most of the Black Eagles. Jeritza was called to Hrymn territory at the last minute."
"Professor Jeritza was?" Shirley asked.
"Something sound amiss to you about that?" Lelouch asked her.
"Well, it's just…hmmmm…" Shirley thought long and hard about it, but…no she couldn't be certain. Did she see Professor Jeritza two days ago? She thought she didn't, but now she wasn't so sure.
"Well, if you think of anything, let me know, okay?" Lelouch asked and walked on.
"W-Wait, um…do you want to stay and fish with me? I mean, you know…since Flayn isn't here?"
"I have to prepare for class," Lelouch told her.
"Since when do you prepare for class?!" Shirley snapped, clenching her fishing rod.
"Since you're about to need a shower in about five seconds," Lelouch stated.
"What do you—"
Shirley had failed to notice she'd left her bobber in the water this whole time. The fish that had nipped her bait suddenly pulled with all its might, dragging a screaming Shirley into the pond. Being an expert swimmer, she quickly surfaced, calling angrily after Lelouch.
"LULU, YOU SUCK! NOW I'M ALL WET! I JUST CLEANED THIS UNIFORM!"
Lelouch quickly ducked into the greenhouse to avoid responsibility.
30th Day of the Verdant Rain Moon
Lelouch opened his text book, taking his seat for morning classes, waiting for the large form of Professor Jeritza to cross the room and tell everyone to turn their text books to a specific page. However, rather than the clomping footsteps of Professor Jeritza, Lelouch's ears were met with the dainty clack of someone's high heels. Glancing slightly to his right, he saw Shamir's figure strolling forward with a book and dossier under her arm. She got behind the desk, put the book and the dossier down and then addressed the class.
"Most of you know me, but for those of you who don't, I'm Shamir Nevrand, one of the Knights of Seiros. Your Professor, Jeritza, is absent for the foreseeable future according to Alois, so I'll be substituting for now."
Jeritza's absent? That's unusual. Is he sick? I didn't think men like him could get sick, Lelouch thought.
"Please open your textbooks to page, let me see here…one-eleven going by your lesson plan," Shamir commented.
Lelouch made a mental note to look into Jeritza later. Something about this didn't seem right.
He ended up passing by his usual friendly Gatekeeper after class. "Greetings, Lelouch. Today…there's actually quite a bit to report. There's a masked individual who has been going into town every evening and not returning until the following morning. That and there's also Flayn's disappearance."
"A masked individual? Who?" Lelouch asked.
"Sorry, I haven't seen them. They keep leaving and coming back when it's not my shift. These gates close a couple hours after sunset, you know," the Gatekeeper reminded him.
So they're leaving when the Gatekeeper isn't watching, is it?
"If it would help you, sir, I wouldn't mind doing a night watch once or twice to try and catch this masked man in the act," The Gatekeeper stated.
Not a bad idea, Lelouch thought. He handed the Gatekeeper his usual fare. "If you speak with Suzaku Kururugi, bring it up to him. I don't have the authority to make that request."
"Yes, sir!"
When it came to energy axe combat, most practitioners followed two combat types: swift and fast, or heavy armor. Because the energy axe was the most hefty of the 3 primary weapon options: sword, lance and axe, the person controlling the weapon had to have tremendous upper body and arm strength. Kallen Kozuki was of the first category, mowing down whatever got in her way with sheer brutality and speed. This came at the cost of defenses, but Kallen had long since decided her best defense was a killer offense.
This was in stark contrast to the most well-known practitioner of the "Armored Axe Style" at Garreg Mach that year, Edelgard von Hresvelg herself. As energy weapons clashed in the training yard, she and Kallen found themselves evenly matched in terms of brute strength. Neither one could gain a decisive edge over the other. Even Kallen's blitz and mow strategy was well-countered by Edelgard's hold and counter strategy. Eventually, Edelgard called for a timeout. Both of them were exhausted.
"I guess not all nobles are cut from same cloth," Kallen commented, unscrewing the cap on a bottle of water.
"You say that as if nobility is something special," Edelgard said as Kallen drank, "It's not. Your blood doesn't determine your capabilities. The difference is in the person, not the family."
"That's…also not something I ever thought I'd here a noble say," Kallen said. "Are all Adrestians like you, Edelgard?"
"Sadly, no. I'm probably the only noble heir that thinks the way I do."
"Well more nobles should. I'm sick of the caste system that plagues Britannia because it's creeping in on Japan. That's why I joined the Green Pheasants," Kallen said, snappy.
"Yes, I've heard the tales from several of your former classmates," Edelgard said. "Japan's plight actually piques my interest, by the way."
"It does?" Kallen asked. Edelgard was just full of surprises today, it seemed.
Edelgard nodded. "As long as status is the governing standard by which people are ruled, the correct people will never be in charge. Japan had free and fair elections prior to Rome's hostile takeover. Now it's whomever can run on the biggest pro-Church ticket."
"I mean, we had plenty of corrupt politicians even before the church got involved in our business," Kallen said. "But yeah, it's only gotten worse since they took over."
"But the people were allowed to pick their representatives. The system wasn't broken, merely flawed," Edelgard said. "Adrestia was actually prepared to protect Japan when Britannia thought it for its Empire."
"Actually, since you brought it up, I've been wondering about that for years now. Were Adrestia and Faerghus really going to just let Japan go after all was said and done. With everything I hear, a lot of people speculate that we would have just been under a different nation's thumb if we had gone to war," Kallen said.
"Well, I can't speak for Faerghus, but I know my father wanted Japan's full independence. He had no desires, that I knew of, to claim Japan for Adrestian territory. And, neither do I."
"That's surprising. Adrestian territory has sat in the southern pacific near Japan for decades. Yet never once have your people tried to invade. You overtook Dagda in your most recent war, now known as Green-Adrestia and Ice-Adrestia depending on the region," Kallen pointed out.
"Someone's been paying attention in history I see," Edelgard commented.
"Sometimes. That was a recent topic so it's still fresh in my mind," Kallen responded. "But about Japan."
Edelgard nodded. "Well, while I can't speak for my father, I can say that, from my own perspective, I'm quite comfortable with simply having an extended embassy on Japanese soil. While I fault the church for lording over Japan, splitting up the country to allow access to its other nations it lords over via embassies is helpful in keeping Japan neutral."
"Well, yeah because it's not your country," Kallen said with an attitude.
"You disapprove?" Edelgard asked, confused. "I was under the impression that the isolationistic nature of Japan was what led to its current condition in the first place."
"I just don't like the idea of other nations controlling territory that's on our islands, you know? Like, we were here first. Why does everyone want what we have when we're more than willing to trade it?"
"Why indeed. You may as well be asking yourself why imperialism and capitalism exists. As future Emperor, however, I would see Japan fixed and its elections made even less corrupt than they were before," Edelgard said.
"And would you leave us to our own culture?" Kallen asked, sounding antsy.
"That's difficult for someone like me to answer. I've spent years frowning on culture and tradition. I see things through a progressive lens, where culture and tradition shouldn't dictate one's actions, one's experiences and comprehension should. If you frown upon intellectualism, you'll never understand the world as it should be. If we abandon past traditions and question our cultural origins, cultures can become stronger by embracing new ideals while leaving out what would essentially be a blight on their culture's history. Of course, the negative aspects shouldn't simply be scrubbed from the history books. Though who do not learn from their history are doomed to repeat their mistakes after all," Edelgard replied.
"Leaving behind old, outdated culture to embrace new, progressive culture…" Kallen contemplated the idea. "That's…difficult for a lot of Japanese people. Many in past generations still cling to how things have always been run. A mentality like that wouldn't fly even before Rome took over."
"All the more reason that Adrestia and Japan should become natural allies. As future Emperor, it's my duty to understand my neighbors. And as someone that wishes to help Japan out of its current predicament, someone like you would be quite valuable to my cause," Edelgard stated.
"Me?" Kallen questioned, visibly blinking. "I don't see how I'd be much help. I don't have any connections. I'm just strong and I break stuff that needs breaking."
"Should the worst come to pass, Japan could see itself in a civil war. What then? Nations across the world will offer money and weapons to whichever side is in their best interested. I believe in a far more progressive Japan. And I could see you fighting for what you believe in, as you currently are," Edelgard replied with a smile.
"You know…you're all right, Edelgard. It's good to see someone with a lot of money using their wealth and status for the good of the people rather than for themselves, or worse, nothing at all," Kallen said with a smirk.
"The world needs leaders with new ways of thinking. I promise Kallen, when I become Emperor, I will free Japan from its shackles, no matter what it takes."
31st Day of the Verdant Rain Moon
While many members of the Knights of Seiros were out throughout Rome, turning the country upside-down for Flayn, Suzaku was among the few Knights of Seiros still protecting and searching the Monastery just in case she came back on her own. It had been a few days now and the search was growing weary on all members of the knights, including Catherine.
To get his mind off the stress inducing search, Suzaku did what he always did when he needed to relax: grab a comic book, specifically a manga. Despite the church having some pretty brutal book policies for the Garreg Mach library, there were two entire sections each dedicated to comic books and manga.
I hope the new volume is in stock, Suzaku thought, browsing the shelves.
"You still read manga, Suzaku?"
Suzaku nearly bumped his forehead on the shelf he was crouched below as he quickly stood up. "Oh, hey, Lelouch. And, yeah, I do. I guess you can grow old, but you can't quite grow up, huh?" He laughed at his own joke.
"We're still teenagers," Lelouch said, not finding the joke terribly funny.
"Well…I mean…yeah…that was…part of the joke," Suzaku pointed out.
Lelouch smirked, only for his smile to vanish. "You look awful."
"It's this whole Flayn business," Suzaku said. "Seteth is a mess. Catherine's on edge. Many of my colleagues can't find it in themselves to smile. Honestly, Flayn hasn't even been here that long. I didn't even know Seteth had a sister until the day I met her."
"Flayn wasn't here while you've been here?" Lelouch asked.
"That's what I've heard," Suzaku admitted. "Even Tomas was surprised, and he's been here for decades."
Even Tomas… Lelouch was finding more and more things strange with this monastery, as if one day he was going to look in the mirror and see people with tomatoes for heads behind him with torches and pitchforks, like something out of a horror B-movie.
"I…heard your class got assigned looking for Flayn. Man, and right after that whole mess with Miklan. Heard it was pretty rough," Suzaku commented.
"Rough isn't the word I would use," Lelouch replied. "More like a nightmare." He wasn't sure what Suzaku had heard. According to Gilbert, everyone was to keep the matter of Miklan a secret. More of the church playing politics with knowledge.
"I heard it all from Catherine who heard it from Gilbert. I guess that's why the church tells us not to use relics when you don't have a crest," Suzaku said. "Which is a shame, I've always wanted to use one. At least now I know the consequences."
"Please, you hardly need one," Lelouch told him. "Goddess forbid, the man who can run a mile on his hands and call it training suddenly get an upgrade that makes him invincible."
Suzaku laughed. "Ahhhhh, and people tell me you have no sense of humor." His smile faded. "But…seriously, Lelouch. With you around, we should have found Flayn already. I know you. You're a genius. If you really wanted to, you could be presenting Seteth with her unharmed two minutes from yesterday if you'd put your back into it. I know what you said seven years ago, but please, don't take the church's actions out on Seteth. He's a good man. And that good man is suffering. How would you feel if it was Nunnally that was kidnapped. You'd be panicking."
Lelouch took offense to Suzaku hitting him where it hurt.
"Please, I'm asking you this because Seteth was my Director last year and my boss now. Look for Flayn. And I mean seriously look for Flayn. I know that you know that she's still alive no matter what we do, but please…give Seteth some peace of mind. You'd want the same," Suzaku requested.
Lelouch gazed back at Suzaku intensely, the expression on his face completely unreadable. He hated admitting even to himself that Suzaku was right. The church left a mark on Lelouch's heart and soul that would never stop hemorrhaging blood and Lelouch wanted only to pay them back in kind. However…much like himself, Seteth was just an older brother doing his best. Lelouch, to some degree, recognized that.
"…" Lelouch remained quiet and then turned around. He took two steps away…and then his good nature got the better of him. He lifted his head and turned it towards his shoulder so that Suzaku could hear him. "Flayn is probably somewhere still on Monastery grounds."
Suzaku sighed with relief. Lelouch was cooperating. "What are you basing that on?"
"The Gatekeeper."
"The…Gatekeeper? Well, he did ask me for night watch shifts recently. I've already sent that up the chain of command. But…what does that have to do with—"
"We have a mysterious masked man going out at night and into town. But the Gatekeeper has never seen them. However, if the person had anything to do with Flayn's capture, they wouldn't be going in and out constantly. So, we can rule out the mysterious masked man that has everyone spooked. If anything, they could be an accomplice meant to act as a Red Herring. Additionally, the Gatekeeper is assigned to watch the monastery from 2 hours before sunrise, 4am to two hours after sunset 10pm. Flayn's bedtime, from what I can gather, is before then. Meaning, if she were abducted, it had to be during the Gatekeeper's hours. That man doesn't miss a thing, Suzaku."
"Well…he is good at his job," Suzaku admitted.
"No one reported Flayn leaving the monastery and the knights haven't found her outside it. If someone kidnapped her on monastery grounds, to get her outside the monastery, there's only one exit." There's also Abyss, but if Abyss were involved in any way, Yuri would tell me.
"The front gate," Suzaku stated. "Okay, following you so far."
"But that's just the thing. Someone had to catch Flayn at the Monastery during waking hours when there are people around. Nobody I've talked to ever saw Flayn with anyone suspicious, or so they claim."
"Lelouch, what are you saying?" Suzaku asked. He then got what Lelouch was driving at. "No…"
"Someone at this very monastery, someone Flayn trusted, kidnapped her, and now has her somewhere on Monastery grounds. I don't know if it's a student, or even a teacher, but right now everyone except the party I was with at Conrad Tower is a suspect until proven otherwise."
"But Seteth's turned the Monastery completely upside-down," Suzaku stated.
"That's also problematic. I believe Seteth has tried everything, which also means Flayn has to be somewhere no one has thought of yet, not even him. And until that somewhere comes to me, I'm at a dead end. That, Suzaku, is why Flayn isn't yet returned to Seteth, not laziness."
"I didn't realize you'd given so much thought to it already," Suzaku replied apologetically.
"I'm me. I give thought to everything," Lelouch pointed out. "Of course…this is just my prevailing theory. I'm always open to being wrong."
"Hey, that's more than I had before. I'll start doubling my efforts after a glass of water. Can't be hanging around reading a manga when I have a lead to chase. I'll see you later, Lelouch," Suzaku said and ran off.
"No running in the library!" Lelouch called to him. "And watch the—"
Lelouch heard a loud crashing noise.
"…stairs."
1st Day of the Horsebow Moon
With regards to his conversation with Suzaku, one thing Suzaku said kept eating away at Lelouch from after Suzaku fell down the stairs yesterday, to now after morning classes: the fact that Lelouch would be panicking if this were him and Nunnally. That very image in his head of him being in Seteth's shoes and pacing back and forth while other people searched for his sister, kept eating away at Lelouch until the young man up and paid a visit to Seteth's office. Not to talk to him in any capacity, but because Lelouch needed to see, with his own eyes, for his own peace of mind, just the state Seteth was in.
Maybe Suzaku exaggerated. Maybe Seteth cared less about Flayn than Lelouch cared about Nunnally. Lelouch needed to be able to hate the church, yet at the same time…he couldn't bring himself to avoid Seteth until Flayn was found. He felt compelled to at least peek into the man's office.
There sat Seteth, a completely broken man, hunched over not behind his desk, but in front of it, a cup of what Lelouch presumed to be tea on the lamp stand table beside the reclining chair. Pain wracked sobs could be heard escaping from Seteth's mouth as he held his forehead with his left hand.
"Flayn…oh Flayn…"
That chill running up his spine and sharp pain in his chest? Yeah, those were the signs Lelouch had not completely lost his humanity. This was worse than what Lelouch felt he would end up like if Nunnally went missing. Seteth wasn't even doing busy work to take his mind off it. He wasn't on the phone with knights, calling different divisions and shouting out orders through irrational sobs and shouts. He was…acting as if Flayn's fate was already a given, or as if the sheer paranoia alone had broken him.
"She would have never left the monastery of her own volition! Why is there not a trace of her to be found?!" Seteth shouted to no one in particular.
Not a trace? Lelouch questioned this. If not even evidence of where Flayn was kidnapped had turned up, that changed the game a little. Sure, Seteth could have been exaggerating, but Lelouch knew Seteth's type. He wouldn't use words he didn't mean. He had to take what Seteth was saying at face value. He pulled away from the door and went down the hall towards the first floor. They don't know where or when Flayn was taken and there aren't any clues left behind. Could she have been taken from her room while she was asleep? If so, who has access to Flayn's room? No, Seteth seems to paranoid to allow anyone, even the night staff, to have access to Flayn's room at all. What am I missing?
As Lelouch was walking around, he nearly tripped over his own sister's wheelchair.
"Oh! I'm sorry!" Nunnally exclaimed, having no idea who was behind her.
"No, I'm sorry, Nunnally," Lelouch apologized. "I didn't see you there."
Nunnally brightened up like a brand new light bulb. "Oh! It's you, big brother! How are things in the Black Eagles?"
Lelouch forced a laugh. "Not much different as they might be in the Golden Deer I imagine."
"I heard Flayn's gone missing, is that true?" Nunnally asked.
Lelouch nodded. "Yeah, nobody can find her anywhere. Silly little girl, going missing like that."
"I bet Mr. Seteth is absolutely beside himself," Nunnally said, looking sympathetic. "I know if I went missing, you'd look everywhere for me, right Lelouch?"
Lelouch did not need the unintentional guilt trip of not trying hard enough from his own sister. It was like a dagger right through the heart, wrapped in bramble. He forced a smile, but it was a nervous one. Thank the goddess Nunnally was blind. "Of course I'd look everywhere for you." He got in front of Nunnally's wheelchair, crouching down and putting a hand on her shoulder. "You mean everything to me, Nunnally. You're the most important person to me in the world."
"Really?!" Nunnally asked, sounding surprised.
"Really, really," Lelouch said. "So, where are you off to right now?"
"Oh! Claude invited me to play a board game with him and some of our classmates. Don't worry, it's just rolling dice. I have enough spatial awareness to do that, plus Hilda will be there," Nunnally stated.
"Oh, well, if Hilda is there, you have to go," Lelouch said with a laugh.
"Miss Hilda's really nice. She told me she always wanted a little sister," Nunnally said to Lelouch.
"Well, she can't have you," Lelouch said, caressing Nunnally's head. "Cause your my little sister."
It was at that exact moment that a bioelectric current ran through Lelouch and a thought suddenly struck him that hadn't quite sunk in until now.
"Nunnally, would you excuse me? I have to go talk to Hubert about something," Lelouch said.
"Oh, sure, of course. See you later."
Lelouch left his sister and, as soon as he was some distance from her, he put on a serious, yet sour face as he went looking for Hubert, finding the man minding his own business in a private study area of the student lounge.
"Rare for you to come seek me out," Hubert stated. "You look much more serious than I'm used to, too. Is this the part where you try to off me? Brazen of you to attack from the front in broad daylight."
Lelouch sat down and then opened his tablet. "Flayn's kidnapping. Let's talk about it."
Hubert chuckled. "And what makes you think I will be of any help?"
"Because like me you're a paranoid man who thinks of everything because it would devastate you if something happened to the person you care about most. In your case, Princess Edelgard."
Hubert chuckled, flattered. "Heh. I was wondering when you inevitably ask me to lend my mind to yours."
"The Black Eagles are the only people I can trust in this investigation because we all have alibis for the time of Flayn's disappearance. She went missing some time between fishing with Shirley on Saturday and Monday morning, the day after we returned. I know she has to be somewhere inside the monastery because the chances of her leaving it without being seen are basically nothing. That leads me to my very important question: Professor Jeritza, he joined the monastery on Edelgard's recommendation, did he not?"
"I haven't the faintest idea what you're trying to imply," Hubert responded.
"Just answer my question and you let me worry about the implications," Lelouch stated coldly.
Lelouch and Hubert exchanged heated gazes.
Hubert quickly relented on withholding information. "Professor Jeritza von Hrymn did join the Officer's Academy as a combat instructor at Lady Edelgard's behest."
"So then you would happen to know the reason he has been absent from classes the past three days, correct?" Lelouch inquired.
"Professor Jeritza is sick with a cold. Hard as that may be to believe, even men like him come down with fevers every now and again. He admitted to not feeling well since returning from Hrymn territory," Hubert responded.
"About that trip to Hrymn territory—"
"I'm afraid I cannot disclose official Adrestian matters," Hubert stated.
"You don't have to. That told me enough."
Hubert and Lelouch continued to exchange icy stares.
"You know as well as I do that even a man as large as Jeritza could not subdue a small child without being seen. Whatever your suspicions of the Professor, he is also not someone Flayn would trust implicitly and go off with somewhere," Hubert told him.
"Flayn will follow anyone as long as they are nice to her, or offer her fish, or both. Shirley knows her expertly. If she was lured out with fish as bait…"
"Baiting Flayn with fish would be far too obvious. People would have seen Flayn acting strangely, yet no one reported anything of the sort. I understand your line of thinking, but Professor Jeritza acting in the interest of the Empire to kidnap Flayn simply doesn't hold up under scrutiny," Hubert stated.
"Unless Professor Jeritza has an accomplice," Lelouch stated. "Someone who could have taken Flayn while he skulks about out around town at midnight, drawing everyone's attention."
"Professor Jeritza is a private man, Lelouch. The only person he trusts is Lady Edelgard. I can hardly get the man to move or do as I say without push back," Hubert responded. "And even then, Professor Jeritza is strong, not bright. If he had Flayn abducted, where would he hide her that even Seteth wouldn't think to look?"
Lelouch had yet to figure that one out.
"I agree that Professor Jeritza's behaviors in this situation is…odd, but I wouldn't necessarily call them suspicious of abduction."
"Professor Jeritza loves a good battle. If he returned to Hrymn territory on short notice, it had to be on Edelgard's order unless a fight was involved."
"Clearly you've never been to Hrymn territory. Fighting is all that crime ridden hell hole knows," Hubert commented.
"…You could have led with that and saved us the headache," Lelouch remarked.
"And missed out on going head to head with you in a battle of wits? Hardly," Hubert remarked.
Lelouch felt aggravated. Hubert played him like an expensive viola.
"Have you anything else you'd like to add?" Hubert asked.
Lelouch contemplated using his Geass on Hubert. He could have the man essentially as his servant, a spy in case Edelgard planned anything against him. But…no. Lelouch didn't want to take away anyone's free will like that. It just wasn't in him. "No," he said. "Nothing further."
"Then we had best go back out there and continue the hunt, don't you agree?"
Lelouch nodded. "Yes, let's go."
That night, after classes concluded for the Ashen Wolves, Zero spoke to his students. "Hold a moment and don't pack up you things just yet. There is something I'd like to discuss going on above the surface."
"Flayn's kidnapping, right?" Yuri asked. "I was wondering when you'd make it our problem."
"Who's Flayn again?" Balthus asked. "Is she the really tall, pretty one in the leather boots?"
"You're thinking of Shamir," Hapi said to him.
"Oh, right! Her! Man! Yeah! She's a looker!"
"Are you dumb, or were you dropped as a child?" Constance asked.
"Possibly both," Balthus remarked, shrugging. "I'm the Brawny King of Grappling, not the Genius King of Grappling after all."
"Funny, because I distinctly remember you using that moniker before," Yukiya quipped.
"Hey, pal. You don't gotta insult me like that," Balthus stated to him.
"Enough," Zero stated strenuously. "You're going to give me a headache. Yuri, where's Kronya? I have an important assignment for her."
"Kronya said she wouldn't be back for a few days. Arundel's direct orders."
Thales is making a move? NO! How could I overlooked this?! The Flame Emperor is behind this?! All this time Lelouch believed Flayn's kidnapping to be an inside job, but the Flame Emperor…that was a different story. They had resources and manpower to pull an operation like this off. They'd done it once already. And, worst of all…they could be masquerading as anyone. "Yuri! Put Abyss on high alert. Get me a list of any man, woman, or child that so much as picks their nose in an unusual way."
"That's excessive," Balthus remarked. "No, but seriously, who's Flayn again?"
"Seteth's younger sister," Akito spoke up.
"Wait, Seteth has a sister? I don't remember him having one when I attended the academy," Balthus said, scratching his head.
"Perhaps you overlooked it," Zero commented.
"Hey, pal, I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I know my busybodies. Seteth was pretty strict about rules and such. If he had a sister, I know for damn certain he would have told yours truly to stay aware from her. After all, the ladies can't resist the Charming King of Grappling."
"Putting your ego aside a moment, you do have a point." So what does that mean? People are acting as if Flayn is some recent addition to Seteth's family. Was she that private a person? Or is something else going on?
"Yuri, if you hear from Kronya, contact me immediately. And let me know if any of you hear about Flayn," Zero commented.
"Roger that, Zero. The Observant King of Grappling is at your service," Balthus promised.
"I've got cameras all over the Monastery, you know," Yukiya said. "They're useless at night, and they don't cover the whole Monastery, but I can offer you what I can."
"I'll want to see whatever footage you have of Flayn," Zero requested.
As the wolves departed the classroom, Lelouch went into Yukiya's spy laboratory and looked at some old footage. Yukiya was correct. He had cameras set up in places people wouldn't normally suspect. There was good news and bad news to go with this. The bad news was Lelouch still didn't have a culprit to assign to Flayn's kidnapping. The good news was that Lelouch was almost certain he knew where Flayn had been kidnapped from. After all, it was one of the few spots that Yukiya's cameras didn't cover.
2nd Day of the Horsebow Moon
Lelouch got up early that morning. He didn't want to be right about this.
Clue number one, Flayn never left the monastery, Lelouch said as he walked out of his room.
He strolled down the hall.
Clue number two, Flayn's kidnapper had to be someone Flayn trusted implicitly.
He made his way outside.
Clue number three, nobody saw Flayn with anyone suspicious during the time under which she was abducted.
He passed by the greenhouse.
And clue number four…there wasn't a trace of evidence of Flayn's abduction, nor of her being spirited away.
Lelouch reached his destination: the fishing pond, bright and early, ten minutes before sunrise. Lelouch checked his watch. His person of interest would be here any minute now.
Ten minutes passed.
…Any minute now.
Five more minutes passed.
…Any minute now…
…
…
Lelouch checked the calendar date. They had class today.
So where is she?
It wasn't long before breakfast was in full swing. The fishing pond remained still.
From the walkway above the fishing pond, Milly came out of the dining hall. "Lelouuuuuch! Good morning!"
Lelouch rolled his eyes. This was the last thing he needed right now. But, he put up a good front. "Good morning, Milly."
"Huh? Shirley's not fishing?" Milly questioned, gazing down at the empty pond.
"You haven't seen here either?" Lelouch asked.
Milly shook her head. "That is so weird. She skipped out on dinner last night too. I just thought she went to bed early. But she never misses breakfast. We always gossip and stuff."
"Maybe you just missed her?" Lelouch asked. "Or…she ate dinner late?"
"Maybe, but she always eats after showering after fishing and she hasn't missed a day of fishing since she started," Milly commented.
Lelouch felt an awful feeling crawling up his spine. Not only was he wrong, which he was glad to be, but the proof that he was wrong was the worst type of proof of all. Not just Flayn, but now Shirley? No. This…this was wrong.
Shirley hasn't done anything to anyone, he thought panicking. All she ever wanted was to do right by her parents! She was a good person! Memories of Shirley flashed through Lelouch's mind. She was a good person, dammit!
Shirley's smile radiated like sunshine through Lelouch's head as he began to sweat. He had to find out where Flayn had gone and he had to find out now.
He decided to go over his evidence from the top, different evidence, evidence that pointed away from Shirley.
Seteth searched this monastery top to bottom. He would have explored every avenue available, even teachers and students. But…no…that's…
Dead end.
Try again.
Different angle. Different angle.
Lelouch's eyes fell upon the fishing rods.
Angle!
Like angler. Shirley. An idea! An idea!
Maybe Shirley hadn't been abducted. The Violet Tigers had been selected to investigate the matter as well. Shirley knew Flayn better than anyone except Seteth. She knew where Flayn would and would not go. If she was looking for Flayn, that meant she'd start her search in a place Flayn wouldn't normally go.
Lelouch broke off into a run. Milly followed. This brought the two of them to the teacher's dorms, just as Byleth was coming from the opposite direction.
"Professor?" Milly asked.
Byleth nodded to Lelouch and then pushed open the front gate to the teacher's dorm estate sitting on Monastery property. No words needed to be exchanged. Whatever Byleth had discovered, it appeared she'd just figured out the same idea as Lelouch.
"Hey, what's all the rush for?" Milly asked.
"Flayn, obviously," Lelouch said. "Now stay quiet. The culprit could still be nearby."
Despite being a teacher, Byleth had her dorm at the far end of the student dorms. She'd never been in this area of the Monastery. Walking carefully, she and Lelouch inspected every door until, finally, they found one slightly ajar, the light on. And worse, they smelled blood.
"Uh, who's door is that?" Milly questioned.
Lelouch looked at the plaque and felt sickened and angered to his stomach. "Professor Jeritza von Hrymn."
Furiously throwing the door open, Lelouch expected to see an able bodied Jeritza on his computer, or something incriminating. What he didn't expect to see, and the last thing he wanted to see…was Shirley Fennette crumpled on the floor, Jeritza's half-broken mask clutched in the fingers of her right hand…and a knife sticking straight up out of the left side of her lower back.
No!
Lelouch knelt down to her. She still had a pulse. She was alive! There was still time. But…the wound.
Shirley coughed, suddenly rousing. "L…Lulu."
"Yes…yes it's me, Shirley. Are you okay?"
"It…it hurts, Lulu. It hurts a lot," Shirley said weakly. "But…I'm glad…I'm glad my final moments…are with you."
"Don't say that! We'll get a healer! Everything will be fine…just…"
"Lulu…" Shirley said weakly. "Rescue…Flayn…rescue…my best friend."
Lelouch could feel Shirley's body getting colder by the second. "Shirley, no! Don't die!" Lelouch shouted in a panic. He activated his Geass. "I ORDER YOU NOT TO DIE!"
Consequences be damned. Shirley did not deserve this. Lelouch wasn't about to let someone he cared about die due to his own negligence. This…the church didn't cause this. He did. He caused this. His own spite had led to someone he cherished being stabbed in the back, quite literally. If he'd acted sooner, put the Ashen Wolves out on the hunt faster then Shirley wouldn't…Shirley wouldn't be…
"Lulu…thank you…for everything," Shirley uttered, grip slipping on Jeritza's mask. "For letting me…for letting me…" Her eyes closed and strength left her.
"SHIRLEY!"
Fwing.
Lelouch heard the sound made when healing magic was cast, noticing as someone else put their hand on Shirley's back. He gazed up to see Linhardt.
"You don't need to yell. My goodness, are you dramatic," the green haired young man said.
"L-Linhardt? But how did you—"
"You and Milly ran right past me while I was on my way to get my pre-breakfast nap in the courtyard. I asked what was going on, but you just plain ignored me. So, I followed you. Good thing too it seems. You needn't worry. Shirley will be just fine. I'll have her treated and brought to Professor Manuela immediately."
"Linhardt…" Lelouch reached up and clenched Linhardt's sleeves tightly. "Thank you. I'm in your debt."
"Oh. No. Please. None of that," Linhardt frowned. "Having someone owe me a debt is exhausting." He nodded with a smile. "I'm just doing what comes natural to a healer. Think nothing of it."
"If Shirley's going to be all right, we have more important things to be worried about."
Lelouch gazed towards Byleth and noticed the pointing of her index finger. Lelouch had been so concerned about Shirley's fate, he had failed to notice the giant gaping hole in the wall behind an overturned bookcase. That was why Seteth never found Flayn. Wherever that led, it was something only Jeritza knew about.
"He's probably down there, Professor Jeritza, I mean," Byleth stated.
"You two aren't going down there alone, are you?" Linhardt asked. "I would advise against it."
"Milly. Sister. Go and grab whomever you can and bring them here."
"And what are you going to do?" Milly asked.
"I'll wait here. I need…I need to compose myself."
"We'll be back quickly with reinforcements," Byleth told him and he and Milly headed off.
With the two on the move, Lelouch needed only to get Linhardt out of here. "How soon can she be moved?"
"Not much longer," Linhardt said. "Just need to…Ah…there we go. Good as new."
Shirley's wound had already been patched up after the knife had been carefully pulled out. Now she just needed additional treatment.
Lelouch activated his Geass on Linhardt without hesitation. "Take Shirley to medical and don't let anyone stop you until Professor Manuela has acknowledged that she's in good hands."
"Yes, Lelouch. Understood."
Linhardt then took Shirley out of the area. Once Lelouch was certain Shirley and Linhardt weren't coming back, he took one look at the staircase before him, and ran down it without hesitation.
What he found…wasn't some secret base, but a full blown dungeon, complete with cells. No, there was more to it than this. This looked like a completely unknown location built into the monastery. There were…warp panels and red carpets and tall ceilings. What the hell kind of structure was this? And how did Seteth not know about it? Did Rhea?
Lelouch looked around, hoping to find Flayn somewhere nearby, but instead got greeted with a presence he did and didn't expect to see: The Death Knight.
"So, we meet again," Lelouch said, staring the horrific looking knight in the face.
"You. I've been asked to leave you alive," The Death Knight commented.
"Were you the one who stabbed Shirley?" Lelouch asked.
"I was indeed. She took me by surprise. No one was supposed to know about this place until my mission was complete."
Lelouch closed his eyes solemnly. "Then permit me to address you properly." Lelouch activated the HLKMF of the Skull Beetle. "PROFESSOR JERITZA!"
Lelouch's miasma bolt was deflected into the wall lazily by the Death Knight's hand.
"I have no interest in a weakling like you."
"Who's side are you on?" Lelouch demanded. "Is it the Flame Emperor or Edelgard's? Who are you really?!"
"I have no reason to answer your questions. I have but one master and I obey them and them alone. The Flames of mine Emperor…shall consume all!"
"Then you can die! Along with your Emperor!" Lelouch shrieked. "I won't forgive either of you for what you did to Shirley!"
"I told you I have been ordered not to kill you, but if you wish to die so badly, then come," The Death Knight teleported, but according to the UI from Lelouch's HLKMF, he was somewhere in this bizarre labyrinth of an underground prison area. But, there was also a large myriad of hostiles. Fortunately, none of them were in visual or audial range.
Lelouch tapped two fingers to his helmet and spoke on his Zero Matrix channel, which he had installed in his Skull Beetle just for this sort of occasion. "This is Zero. Form on my location as cautiously as possible and prepare for battle! Flayn's kidnapper has been located. I am authorizing all members of the Ashen Wolves: strike down without hesitation! Do not hesitate to use lethal force!"
(A/N: So I know this chapter is a little shorter than my standard fare, but the upcoming battle ended up having so much content, plus the aftermath, that I had to split this chapter into two. Thankfully, if it's not already out, it should be by the end of the day. Put on your seatbelts and grab your popcorn, this is going to be a crazy ride. Until then, as always, from all of me, to all of you, let your hearts stay human and your wrath draconic. Ja ne!)