The Embers under the Great Tree
II
The voice of the intercom rang loud above her.
Ophelia stood up and took her suitcase by the handle, turning and moving off with the crowd towards her flight, thumbing her phone as she did so.
"Remember to take some photos!" Peperoncino all but begged down the line; he had done much the same when Lord Kirschtaria and Daybit had departed for their own task. A fact he had reminded her of when she claimed that such a thing was not needed.
"I will gather what reconnaissance I can." She said instead, which was the best way she could have phrased it.
They were not accepting denials and whenever she tried to give one, they would just hum very loudly over the other side of the phone to cut her off. Somewhat annoying and rather childish, all things considered, but otherwise not the most egregious thing for her to suffer through.
And it was not as though it could be justified.
She just already expected that she would be presented with some rather disappointed reactions when she showcased nothing more than strategically taken photos.
"Remember to call everyday so that I can-"
"I am hanging up now."
"Ooooh! You sound like Kadoc-"
She thumbed her phone and shut it off, flipping it closed and sliding it back into her trouser pocket before walking on. Her face remained flat as she moved through the terminal and into the boarding walkway. Among a sea of other people, she was aware of one or two stares that were sent her way but most just lingered on the right side of her face.
It was, unfortunately, something she would need to deal with for the time being as she would rather avoid attracting too much attention. The binding of her mystic eye would already prevent the magical energy from leaking out, but if she started waving spells to turn perception away from the obvious bandage, then she would start to be noticed.
Something that could not be allowed.
Once her luggage was stowed, she was down in her seat and had a book flipped open, flicking to the page she had been on previously and reading through a rather detailed examination of Norse mythology. One of many she had read and was still reading to familiarise herself with as many details as possible.
Barely halfway through the book when a shadow fell over her, someone standing on her immediate left and not dressed as a flight attendant. Without turning her head, she pulled back her legs and provided enough for them to step past. Which they did, slipping through the gap without even touching her.
Ophelia briefly paused at that before paying it no further mind as the individual sat down beside them.
No words were shared in greeting and for that she was perfectly content with.
There was little to be gained in small talk with strangers.
Her eyes flickered down the page of the book and this, like all others, spoke of the same details surrounding Ragnarok and the starting conditions for it. The promise of Fimbulwinter that would last for several times longer than that of an ordinary winter and shall bring about destitution and a decay where all that matters is survival.
Something that had clearly not happened as far as she was aware, which meant there was already a small problem in starting ragnarok. Unless one were to shift the linear flow of time, such a thing was unprecedented. Speeding up the flow of time in a rather localised area.
Ophelia thinned her lips and rubbed at her chin.
It was a thought she had which had never quite left her and she had not asked whether it was even possible to achieve. From the outset, the scale of the spell alone would require masses of magical energy which were not possible outside of divine beings.
Though it was not as though they did not have Gods as allies now.
But…
No, it was still unfeasible.
Unless something changed…
Was Loki skilled enough at deception to accomplish such a thing? She could not quite say.
Though perhaps it was worth asking another who had some greater experience with such things in the future. She was certain that Lord Kirschtaria would have some light to shed on the situation. Though, for now, she reclined further into her seat and resumed reading through the legend of Ragnarok and the warning signs of it.
If only so that she would not be starved for stimulus during the length of the flight.
"Heading anywhere interesting?"
It took her a moment to realise the conversation had come from the person beside her, rather than front or back. She turned her head and glanced at them, a further movement than she would have liked but them being in her temporary blind spot forced her hand and it was only then that she was able to see them.
She was a painfully average looking individual.
And, like Ophelia, had a book in her hands.
The woman of blonde - almost golden, if one were to squint hard enough - hair and rounded cheeks flicked the next page in her book across - no, it was not a book, it was a sports car magazine - and then spoke once more. Dispelling the idea that this was somehow some internal muttering to themselves.
"You don't have to answer, but I suppose it would be better for me to get to know someone when on a flight. At least you seem to be an interesting sort of person."
A beat, then she lowered the magazine and sent an apologetic look.
"Sorry if that sounds a little insensitive. I wasn't talking about the whole…" Making a vague wave of the hand to the right side of her face, the woman drew her hand back and looked back at the magazine. "I mean it's just the way you carry yourself. You remind me a little bit of my brother. He's always looking so serious about everything and he has the same face when he's thinking about something important."
Ophelia had not said a single word and just watched her.
Then turned back to her book, internally debating whether it was worth replying.
No, it was not just that.
She was just a little unsure of how best to approach the fact that a stranger had decided to start speaking with her.
It was unprompted and now she was left with the choice of either ignoring them or…
…No, if she ignored them then the situation would just become awkward down the line.
Simple and curt answers then.
That would work.
"I am travelling."
…Perhaps not that simple.
Fortunately the woman did not look the least bit bothered by her answer, but instead looked more amused than anything else. Shrugging her shoulders. "I could guess that. I'm just wondering if you're going anywhere interesting."
She was.
"I am."
"Mmmmh, that's good." The woman flicked through another page. "I'm heading off on a cruise and sightseeing tour. It'll probably last about a week before I come back. I had hoped to do it later but…well…all of that happened in Japan and now I'm just taking it as a sign to live in the moment in case something happens to me."
Ophelia blinked very slowly and raised a single brow.
Clearly the woman sensed it, looking up and turning towards her with a shrug. "What? It's not like its impossible, right? Bad things happen all the time and sudden volcanic eruptions are pretty bad. So I want to get this done out of the way sooner rather than later."
She made it sound like some sort of obligation.
While she had not taken many holidays, she was certain that they were not meant to be viewed in that sort of manner.
Oh well.
"How long do you think it is before loads of people start calling it a sign of the end times?"
"What?"
"The big eruption in Japan. I've heard there was a whole town that got wiped out."
This was a strange choice of conversation topics to be having-
The plane rumbled as they started to move, Ophelia jerked back in her seat and leaned forwards to glance out of the window. Frowning as she had not even realised how much time had passed. Had she managed to miss the announcement that they were taking off as well?
Hopefully the remainder of the flight would pass as swiftly.
"You mentioned a cruise."
"Huh? Oh, yeah." The woman blinked and returned to the previous topic of conversation, smiling a bit brighter. "Going on this big cruise around Denmark and Norway. They're calling it the Viking experience or something like that…I did want to go with my boyfriend but he's going through some stuff and said I could go on ahead."
Ophelia pinched her brows slightly then thought better of asking.
But there was something else.
"...This is a flight to Ireland."
The woman nodded her head up and down rather excitedly. "Yep."
"...But you are going on a cruise from Denmark to Norway."
"Mmmmh."
There was something not quite adding up there but Ophelia wasn't sure which part of it was the one she was supposed to be confused about. So she instead just hummed and nodded her head up and down, reclining into her seat.
"Oh, do you think they have any good movies available?"
"I would not know." Ophelia replied slowly, purely on instinct, and was marginally thankful for the rapid conversations with Peperoncino that she was able to keep up with the rapidly shifting topics of conversation.
Strange indeed.
Who was this woman?
Were they after something?
Ophelia replied with curt answers as the conversation continued, giving very little away about herself from then onwards and instead just watching the woman to see if there was anything else she was going to talk about. The previous topics of conversation were rather odd and seemed pointed, so perhaps they knew something.
She could not dismiss the possibility.
This would require careful planning.
Just in case they were suspicious.
"And then he was telling me all about that time his mother accidentally opened her car door into the face of a lion-"
The flight was nearly three hours in.
And the woman was still speaking.
Ophelia was struggling to keep up with whatever this was supposed to be.
"-so I told Jennifer that it didn't matter if we kissed because it was a friendship thing and it's some sort of greeting in France-"
Ophelia blinked and then rubbed the bridge of her nose.
This was weird.
"-but then he was telling me how normal it was but I just don't think something is meant to go there, you know?"
What?
Ophelia blinked and then nodded her head very slowly, hoping that she had given the right answer.
The woman smiled and waved at her. "See? I knew I was right, but he just sort of ignored me and then went and did it anyway. I mean…sure, it worked, but I heard that sticking knives into toasters was really bad."
How many hours of her flight was left?
"What if he had gotten hurt?" She pouted with arms folded. "I told him that he should just use some plastic or at least unplug the toaster but he just said it would work out and then all of a sudden he's just ramming it straight in there. I was so scared he would get shocked and then he just pulled out a burnt bagel and gave me this 'I told you so' smug grin."
Ophelia was really trying to get back into her book.
Though at this point, it was starting to seem like an impossibility.
…Unless?
She fidgeted as she internally debated whether or not she should actually do something, but then she decided that it was not worth being seen doing magic purely to put the person beside her to sleep. Nor could she dismiss the idea that this was some sort of elaborate strategy to get her to reveal herself.
"But they were roomates!"
…If it was a strategy, then it was definitely unorthodox.
But she just needed patience.
She was certain that if Lord Kirschtaria could endure this, then so could she.
Actually he had been on a flight with Daybit, had he not? So they probably sat beside one another and were free to talk about whatever they wished.
She probably made a mistake in speaking.
Turning over her wrist, she made a subtle glance at her watch and kept her face from showing what she truly felt.
Eleven hours.
She still had eleven hours left.
This was fine.
She could endure this.
Of all the flights she had to take, why had she chosen to take one from Brazil?
It might have been friendly territory for them at the moment, but it was not like she had no other options.
…Well.
What was done was done.
Just eleven more hours.
The intercom was never more welcome than right this moment.
"Oh, our time is up? Oooooh."
Ophelia said nothing and instead inclined her head in a small nod, far from trusting herself to speak at the moment.
"It was nice speaking with you…hey, we never introduced ourselves, did we? That was so rude of me, it just completely got away from me because we were talking so much."
One of them was at any rate.
Another wordless nod of the head as she reached up and took the luggage out from the overhead compartment and slipped the bag of it over her shoulder. Already stepping out of their seating area and moving off. All while the blonde continued to walk her ear off behind her, or made the attempt, Ophelia was at the point of just tuning her out.
A single conversation would have been fine.
Instead she was treated to an entire book's worth of knowledge on this one person and her life.
All of it came without her saying a single thing.
"Sorry, by the way."
Ophelia stopped and looked over her shoulder, where before there had been enthusiasm, there was now a rather flighty expression on the face of the blonde. It was such a stark contrast that Ophelia was at a loss for words.
"I talk a lot when I'm a little nervous and I know it probably would have been a little bit of a bother for you."
She might not have been expecting it, but she at least did not let her surprise slip over her face because of the apology.
With a faint shake of the head, she answered. "It was fine."
That might have been a lie…well, perhaps not.
It was a unique experience in any case and it was not overly insulting now that she thought back on it. Merely that she would not wish to experience it all again without actually knowing the person she was speaking to. That might have been the problem on account of them being strangers.
The girl smiled at her rather awkwardly and then nodded her head ever so slightly. "Have fun on your little trip…thanks again!"
She paused for only a moment, then made a face. "And I still haven't introduced myself? That's terrible. I'm Niamh."
Ophelia paused for a moment, debating whether to use her actual name or not.
"Katherine."
The girl quirked a brow ever so slightly as the only reaction to her name, then she gave some odd knowing smile at her which sent alarm bells ringing through her mind. With that done, the girl turned on her heel without even so much as a further word shared between them.
And then she was walking away with a spring in her step, Ophelia watched her depart until she was right out of sight before she frowned ever so slightly. Not entirely sure what happened over the course of the flight or whether that girl was even important or not. It seemed like it was a rather random encounter.
But who could say?
That little moment at the end had been more than enough reason for her to renew her suspicions of this Niamh.
"You endured that challenge well enough."
Her body went stiff, her lone visible eye widened at the voice which breathed on her back.
It wasn't close, not dangerously close, but she could feel the breath as though they were right beside her ears. She clenched her jaw and slowly started to turn her head and over her shoulder. It was a voice she knew, one that she could not find herself easily forgetting even if she had only heard it once.
They were dressed in dark clothing, that was the first thing she saw.
Like cut out obsidian and not drawing a single eye in the bustling terminal.
With only a window across the eyes to allow them to be seen, nothing else to be seen but those, even below the head covering there was not a scrap of skin that was visible.
The eyes watched her for a moment, but Ophelia already knew who this was and found herself staring in growing surprise, the shock wearing away and slowly being replaced by some level of anxiety. She had no idea what they were even doing here in the first place, nor how they had gotten here without her knowing.
Actually, the latter part was easily explained.
But it did not answer the question of why they were here.
They stepped forwards and she leaned back, glancing down as they raised their arm and showed off a slightly tanned hand, the flat of her palm raised in a universal sign of peace before lowering it back down.
"I was dispatched upon orders of Brother Maalik to provide assistance to you."
Ophelia only let her confusion last for a few seconds before her eye narrowed. "I do not recall petitioning for his assistance in this matter."
"He believes that this current mission is too important to be left to a lone operative and has dispatched me to safeguard you."
It felt as though she was being talked about in the same way as some incompetent child and it was a comparison she very much did not find all that favourable. Drawing her lips thin enough that they started to hurt, she straightened herself out and squared her shoulders, no longer leaning away.
"I have been planning this operation for some time, long enough that I was aware of everything I would need to do-"
Susa-il interrupted her smoothly. "My role is to safeguard your existence, it is not to interfere with the plan save beyond what you deem necessary. As you say, this is your plan. If you are so confident with its success, then my presence will be unneeded."
There was a slight pause.
Then her personal space was being invaded, the eye slit loomed over her and the twin orbs bore down, the tinge of gold in the hazel depths.
"But in the event that something outside your control occurs, I am here to render assistance as needed and this is not something that you can decide or object to. I am here on brother Maalik's orders. That does not change because you wish to argue."
Ophelia felt her temper cool as she gazed upwards at the angel, then huffed a single time and stepped away from them, watching them for but a moment as she tried to think of what this would mean for her plan.
Ideally it meant nothing would change.
But if Susa-il was anything like Maalik then she was a fanatical zealot as well and that hardly spelled anything other than trouble for when she interacted with races that were not affiliated with the Abrahamic God. Least of all travelling through such places that had not seen the presence of an Angel of any sort for quite a long time.
Not that she could turn back now.
She would just have to find a way to make this work.
"...Very well then." Flattening down her coat, she nodded once. "I shall handle things and you will step in only if it is needed."
Susa-il kept her silence for a moment, then nodded her head only a single time and spoke curtly. "As I was instructed to do so."
Even hearing the words did not put her mind much at ease, it was an unknown variable which had dropped into her lap and she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do or how she was supposed to use this to her advantage. They were a powerful angel with impressive stealth abilities and a long history of combat experience. She did not doubt they would have their uses in certain moments.
But this was not about fighting and was something she would prefer to avoid.
Rather, it was about keeping a low profile as much as possible.
It all depended on how truly skilled the Angel was at stealth.
Without saying anything on the matter and knowing they would follow her, she turned away and started to walk, ready to collect her luggage and then depart for her journey west.
Susa-il was a quiet companion and were it not for her being there, right next to her, she would not have noticed her in the first place.
At least there was that.
Nearly a day into their travels and they had found a hotel to stay in but that still put her nearly a full day from her destination and that was just the coast alone.
She rolled her shoulders and stalked to the side of the room and flicked the TV on, then returned to her place and sat down on the bed, leaning back and gazing across at the screen as it flashed up with some local show. It would serve as little more than background noise in truth, but that was the extent of it.
Ophelia glanced at her companion.
Something gnawed at her with the silence they had given.
Hours of travel together and she had said nothing, not since she first revealed herself.
It was not as though Ophelia had expected something to come of their working partnership but she was just unused to the silence. It felt oppressive in its own right but even if they were to speak, there was very little that they had in common that would be worth talking about and she gained nothing if she spoke of the plan as a whole with them.
But…
…
"Have you any experience with the Fae?"
Susa-il across the room turned her head ever so slightly, fixing her with a passing glance before she looked away once more.
"There were few moments in which we would ever leave the underworld and rarely would we cross paths with any of the Faefolk. The Celtic Gods were another matter and there were instances where we would encounter them…It was the one time brother Maalik was granted leave of his post."
Susa-il inclined her head.
"You seek entrance to Tír na nÓg then."
Ophelia nodded her head slowly. "I am aware of ongoing trade between the Norse faction and the Faefolk, as it has been for the last few hundred years. They have ties between their individual realms and the flow of people is not suspect. Entrance to Muspelheim would be the step beyond that."
Susa-il watched her, she could see it.
If she had any thoughts on the plan, she did not elaborate on them and instead turned her head away and returned to gazing down in silence. Eyes closed and almost looking asleep to the world, Ophelia was unsure what she was doing but thought better of asking and turned her head back to the TV.
Then she frowned and leaned forwards, flicking the volume of the remote and drawing it up.
"-eports are still ongoing but the explosion which occurred at the Vatican is now confirmed to have been deliberate. So far, no group has come forward to claim responsibility."
Ophelia just stared.
Then turned her head very slowly towards Susa-il, who by now had cracked open a single eye and was watching the TV with some level of interest she had not shown previously. There was a brief hum that emanated from her before she closed her eyes again and returned to her silence.
Her head whipped back to the TV and she sat up straight.
The news report continued, she listened with rapt attention and then hastily rummaged around for her phone, all while drinking in as much information as she could from the news report and having a grim picture already as to what had happened but she hoped that someone else would have news for her.
Dialling as fast as she could, the phone was brought to her ear and she just waited.
"I assume you have seen the news then." Lord Kirschtaria, of course, knew what she was ringing about and she could hear a faint creep of something in his voice. The closest she could compare it to would be exhaustion, but it sounded more to her ears like he was straining words.
"I-yes." She hurriedly responded. "...Is this…?"
"...I am attempting to uncover what transpired, but it would appear as though the Burial Agency have indeed rebelled."
There was a short silence on the other end, she heard the whisper of a conversation which she did not make an effort to eavesdrop on, then the voice of the man on the other side returned.
"It is currently ongoing, by my reckoning, and it appears to involve a not insubstantial number of Exorcists as well. I am receiving scattered reports of-hmm? All of them? I see."
The conversation returned to her after a moment.
"I apologise for that, do not feel the need to be distracted from your own plan. We shall do what we can on our end…though the Church has been recalling all members from their outposts back to Italy at the moment. As is expected as it seems to have ended with quite a number of defections, nothing more than rumours from our agents and until Azrael returns, we have nothing more than speculation as our ally."
She hastily nodded her head. "I understand, Lord Kirschtaria…I assume you were informed of my ally?"
There was a pause from the other end.
A noticeable one at that.
She slid her eyes towards Susa-il and saw that she was standing and looking at her with an unreadable expression and Ophelia was left with the certainty that there had been no further information passed between them or even that anyone else had been told about this addition to her plan.
"...It seems as though there has been some miscommunication during the chaos." Lord Kirschtaria said after some short pause. "Does this present a problem for you?"
Ophelia thinned her lips. "I believe the situation is not unsalvageable."
But she didn't know what she was supposed to do, was unsaid but she hoped was implied without actually using the words.
Lord Kirschtaria was silent over the other end of the line for an increasing length of time that was starting to make her more than a little anxious. This was why she did not wish to have any unwanted assistance, because it tended to leave everyone struggling for what they were supposed to do.
Then she heard a reply.
"In which case, it would be wise if you were to utilise this asset to the best of your abilities. I have every confidence in you."
She went still and then straight.
Her throat ran dry at the certainty in his words.
He had every confidence in her.
"I…I understand."
"But I am aware this has placed you in a precarious position." He went on to add. "And I shall speak with others in regards to what is pertinent for myself and for interested parties to be aware of. This is a rather unacceptable surprise, I believe we can both agree upon…Now, if you will excuse me-"
"Yes, of course." She understood that there was a lot going on and that she could not take up more of his time. "I will keep you no longer."
"I look forward to your updated report…And have been told by Peperoncino that you shall be collecting photographs of your journey. Perhaps once you return we might compare and contrast with my expedition to Mexico?"
Ophelia blinked at that, before she nodded her head to herself.
It made sense for them to consolidate their information taken over the course of their expeditions into other pantheon controlled regions.
"I shall prepare a fact file for when I return. I shall report again when I have made progress."
"Fact file?" She heard him mutter over the other end and for some reason he sounded rather confused. "Is that what they're called? I'd never…hm? Ah, yes. I shall be right there. I will look forward to the fact file then."
The phone went silent, she snapped it shut and sat it back where it had come from.
Her eyes went to the TV once more and her frown deepened.
"Are you truly surprised by this development?"
Ophelia turned her head onto Susa-il and narrowed her visible eye. "There is a time and a place for violence. It would have been smarter if they had the importance of stealth pressed upon them."
She waved a hand to the screen.
"This is going to be seen by everyone." Lowering her hand, she continued. "And they are going to eventually work out that the longer this continues, the less involved God truly is with his own faction. It will not take much deduction to realise that he has not been doing anything since the end of the Great War to infer that he cannot."
And the Abrahamic faction had made quite a few enemies.
She was sure that the Egyptian Gods still remembered the ten plagues.
Susa-il kept her silence for a moment, then turned her head to the screen.
"...I will grant you that it is rash." She said after some pause and Ophelia was actually surprised they agreed with her. "Which stands to reason that this was not Azrael's influence and would be that of the humans who could not control their temper. An understandable motive but you are not incorrect."
The Angel stepped closer and leaned down, dropping to one knee and fixing the TV with a hard stare.
"This will drive the Second Morning further into the arms of the Devils and Fallen…He might well convert the exorcists who remain into his soldiers or convince those who are undecided to join him with the same allure."
That might not have been what she was thinking of, but it was not wrong either.
Ophelia turned her head to the TV and watched as the news reports cycled through the smoke rising from the Vatican and grimaced.
It just impressed upon her the importance of her mission and drawing the attention elsewhere.
But this was just something else entirely.
Michael was starting to get cornered and it was very difficult to predict how he would react, but perhaps someone else would.
She glanced at the side of Susa-il's head.
"What will he do?"
"...I am unsure." Susa-il crinkled her brows. "This is an unfamiliar situation and the Second Morning has never dealt with it directly. Such things were the concern of the Heavenly Father. I speculate based on past actions but…The system was fuelled by the belief in the Heavenly Father. Now that news of his death is spreading it will cause damage to it beyond what was expected."
She rose up, hands by her side.
"The strength of its miracles shall wane in the coming weeks. The youngest angels will become weaker."
Ophelia raised a brow. "And the oldest?"
Susa-il shook her head. "We existed before the creation of the system at the hands of King Solomon and the Heavenly Father. We might draw strength from it, but we are still beings of His Light. Our strength was not intimately tied to such things."
That elicited some mixed feelings from her, either because it meant their allies would not be weakened but also because the upper echelons of Heaven would not suffer either. She would assume they would lose the power granted to them as venerated Saints but not given to them through mere existence.
But perhaps she worried over nothing.
Instead she now turned her mind to what Lord Kirschtaria had told her and how best to use Susa-il, given that she was now here and there was very little else she could probably do with the Angel.
She thinned her lips and glanced at her, then nodded her head once.
"You said you would do as was requested?"
Clearly knowing where this would be going, the Angel stood back up on her two feet and turned her head ever so slightly. The difference in height never more so startling than right now, but she refused to show weakness or admit that she was intimidated by the clear display.
A flash of something went through the eyes of the Angel, but it was difficult to tell whether it was indignation or intrigue.
It was certainly a sense of focus.
"That-" She began, "-would depends very much on how I was to be requested."
Ophelia could hear some hidden test in the words, as though she would be judged on what she said next.
But this was her operation that the angel was intruding upon.
"I am already aware of one certain route which would lead us to the Otherworld." She explained. "But I am also aware that there are others that open on occasion at random intervals. If one could be discovered, it would hasten the progress of our mission considerably."
Susa-il inclined her head. "Do the Fae not make routine trips to this realm?"
Ah.
Her age was starting to show here, Ophelia supposed.
"They have not done so in centuries. The Fae have since retreated almost totally into their domain. There was rumour of an embassy in Yokai territory, but that is nothing more than heresay at best as none of our agents found true evidence of it."
That was not to say it did not exist as it might well have done, but it was clearly a closely guarded secret. Naturally owing to the secretive and isolationist behaviour of the Fae. Depending on whom was running the embassy, be it the Gods or the Fae Lords, it would depend very much on how welcoming they would be.
Susa-il looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded her head. "It seems as though they have changed since my imprisonment, but very well. I shall remain observant of our surroundings and inform you of any changes in the passage of Fae…or beings of interest."
And then, as simple as that, the angel just melted back into shadows and vanished from sight and sense.
Ophelia thinned her lips and found it was better for her to consider the angel had left immediately, rather than continue to linger in the room.
Raising her hand, she rubbed at her brow back and forth and moved back to the bed, sitting down and dropping her hand into her lap.
Sparing a single glance the way of the TV as the report continued.
At least they had not managed to kill the Pope, that much had been confirmed.
But truly…this was starting to accelerate far outside of her predictions.
She could only hope that the rather fast paced movement had not outstripped Lord Kirschtaria as well, it seemed unlikely, but this was just exceedingly quick.
Hopefully Jedidiah had seen fit to inform them of this potential outcome.
Judging from how ragged Lord Kirschtaria had sounded over the phone, even if only a little, it served only as proof that even this was not quite as expected. Or if it was, it had risen to require their total attention.
She sighed.
For the moment, none of it was her concern, she supposed.
But that did not mean she couldn't help worrying about what it would mean for her and the others in the future.
Especially if they gained members of the Burial Agency as allies.
She grimaced.
A rather problematic thought at the best of times, zealots in every measure of the word and she was under no illusions about where she would fall in their eyes. A mage who was not an ardent supporter of their God was nothing more than another heretic in need of purging.
Reaching across, she flicked the channel over to the next one.
It would at least be something more than a little worrying and the information was being recycled.
She doubted the official story would change all that much.
Her TV roared at her as the channel switched over.
"-is life has run full circle. In his time he travelled the globe, but death finds him here in the very same place he mated some forty years ago."
Leaning back into the bed, she stared at the TV as it played out the documentary.
It did not distract her all that much.
Ophelia woke the next day alone.
There was no sign of the Angel and, quite frankly, she could not afford to waste time in waiting.
Certain there would be a method for them to find her, she did not bother waiting and left.
Nor did she allow herself to puzzle on where they might have gone or what they might be doing at this moment. She left instructions for them easily enough during the night. Though she remained attentive to whatever news passed her way when it came to the 'terrorist attack' on the Vatican city which still had no takers for cause.
Not that she expected there would be many.
As for certain passage into the Otherworld, there was one method she knew of that was complete and total.
Sailing below the waters westward.
It was a routine method but she also knew of entrances found in the burial mounds, yet she doubted they would be open all year round. Likely during special events, whereas her method had provided no reason for why it would fail.
Thus continued her mundane journey west.
She had already mapped out a route, through bus service and train, she would reach the coast by the end of day and from there, she would need to buy a small sail boat and start travelling west before flipping the vessel under and sailing for another mile or so.
There were no reasons why it would not work.
So there was no reason for her to be either alarmed or worried, but then considered the request of Lord Kirschtaria and started to consider what he might be interested in learning about. She assumed it would be related to the other methods of entry into the Otherworld, or other sites of interest related to Irish history.
Already there were a few sites she considered to be of interest, glancing to her map and examining where the nearest ones along her route would be. A hum came free of her lips as she cupped her chin, squinting at the paper and glancing to the names and trying to put them to places she knew of.
If she were to do this, it would slow her advance across the land but it was a request from Lord Kirschtaria.
The furthest site west which also was in line with her goal was the burial cairn of Queen Medb. Something of such importance would doubtless be worth an examination on the best of days and now held significance for her.
A few other landmarks along the way were worth looking into, she supposed, but it was not a tourist trip.
This was a fact finding objective linked with the actions of the Fae and the Otherworld.
The Hill of Tara was the closest place to her and had served as one of the most important sites in Irish mythology. Not least of all for being the former seat of the Irish High King, it also served for where the battle between Fionn and Aillen had taken place. She did not doubt that the Otherworld still considered the place of high importance and it would definitely serve as an examination.
But it was not near the festival yet, so she was not expecting much of it.
Leaning forwards, she lowered the map back down and thinned her lips.
A rudimentary examination of the landscape and then a brief overview of her findings would be enough, she assumed.
If she found evidence of Fae presence, then all the better, and if she did not then she did not lose all that much.
Presence of the Irish pantheon was to be a certainty.
With that in mind, she planned out the day and continued on her path.
There was a faint click and then an electric hum, she lowered the camera a moment later and then brought the recorder to her lips, flicking the device on and then started speaking.
"Serving as one of the most important places in Ireland between the time of the high kings and the modern day, the Hill of Tara remains an epicentre of mythology."
With a quick glance around, she narrowed her lone visible eye and trekked through the field of grass, eyes keeping note of the burial sites and how they appeared. Being the only person out here at the moment yielded a rather unnerving feeling. Something that informed her she was being watched rather closely, but so long as she did nothing suspicious, she doubted she would be approached directly.
That said, she kept moving.
"In particular, this location would be of importance to those of the Christian faith as it is said to be where Saint Patrick explained the concept of the religion to the then High King Laoire with the use of a Shamrock and a flame."
She clicked the recorder off and lowered it down for a moment, sliding it into her pocket and raising the camera up, snapping another photograph which just so happened to catch the evening light. With thin lips, she lowered it down and prepared to make another recording.
Only to stop when she caught sight of another figure striding through the grass, she narrowed her eyes at the sight of them.
…And of the golden hair they had.
A type of hair that she found to be somewhat familiar…
The person looked across and then perked upwards, striding forwards and raising a hand in greeting. Ophelia thinned her lips and watched them approach in silence, tensing herself for any sort of further encounter and keeping her mind running swiftly.
Not quite expected, but now she was finding the pattern disturbing.
"Niamh." She greeted once the woman was close enough.
The blonde smiled just a bit wider. "Hey, Katherine! I'm surprised to see you out here!"
"...I could say the same for you." She said, keeping her tone guarded. "...Our last conversation indicated you were making plans for a cruise to Denmark."
If Niamh at all noticed her accusation, she did not show it, instead she just chuckled as though she heard an amusing joke and walked a little bit closer, but didn't seem to pay her all that much mind.
"Well…My next flight isn't until later on and since I was here I figured I could at least see some of the sites…this one was pretty famous and was fairly close so I thought I could at least come and check it out. Get a few photos and then send them back."
Another giggle, the blonde looked at her and grinned a little wider and a bit more cheekily.
"Like having two holidays for the price of one!"
The enthusiasm seemed genuine.
But Ophelia was not so readily convinced and worked her jaw from side to side, glancing around briefly to see if there was anyone else that was approaching. For the time being, it seemed to be just the two of them.
Unless Susa-il was hiding somewhere…
"...Well, I won't lie, I have been here a couple times before."
She turned back as the comment reached her ears, raising a brow ever so slightly at the sudden wistful tone the girl was taking.
"But I was just coming back because I was going to show off a couple things to some people I met along the way…they seemed a little lost and I just figured it would be nice to show some tourists some of the best spots around, you know?"
…There was definitely something going on here and if she had not been convinced of it before, she now certainly was.
Yet what could she do?
Allow them to make the first move and possibly do something to her, or make a hasty movement and risk starting a fight she could not win or drawing unneeded attention to herself. She remained quite for a few moments, all too soon realising that Niamh was still watching her with an expectant face.
"...That seems generous of you."
"Is it?" Niamh sounded rather confused, then shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose someone could say something like that, but really it just makes a bit of sense to me. I love coming around here whenever I can get the chance and it would be a little rude not to share some of that, I think…"
Ophelia tracked her as she raised a hand and scratched the back of her neck.
"...I actually used to work as a tour guide around here for a little while."
She was now very conscious of what Lord Kirschtaria and Daybit had encountered the Mesoamerican Gods doing and she was taking stock of the woman in front of her. Watching her up and down and searching for anything that was out of place. It was both everything and nothing about her.
She seemed perfectly ordinary, but that was what was setting off alarm bells now.
It had not drawn attention before but it was just too ordinary, too regular.
That same sense of average was now far more eerie than ever before.
Niamh, either unknowing or uncaring for the rising tension, continued onwards with her words, hands on her hips and eyes flickering onto the horizon.
"Well, I would lead people around here, I should say. Though I tended to work a bit farther that way but still came around here along with everyone else every now and again…Just me getting all nostalgic then."
She glanced this way, Ophelia stood up straighter and narrowed her lone eye, turning herself ever so slightly to the side.
Niamh looked her up and down for no more than a second, then raised a brow and folded her arms.
"...You do know that I can't actually fight, yeah? I meant what I said about working as a tour guide only in the loosest possible term. I actually came up here to see if I could spy someone to date. That was how I met my husband…Though it wasn't really around here, per say, but…well…I guess that doesn't really matter all that much."
Her hands dropped down to her hips, turning to Ophelia fully and leaning forwards, eyes squinted.
"...Are we still doing the speaking in riddles thing or are we allowed to come out and say it?"
"...What do you want?"
Niamh blinked at her and leaned back, then shrugged. "Talk? I mean, I did actually come up here for my own reasons and to show people around. They are newcomers - a bit like you - and I wanted to show them some interesting places…at first I thought you might have been here for them but…"
Trailing off, the golden haired woman tapped her chin and looked rather bemused all of a sudden.
"Now I'm thinking it is literally some sort of coincidence that the two of you have ended up here at the same time…or it could be fate? That tends to happen a lot around this sort of place, a destined meeting between two people."
Ophelia did not really believe that and made such clear with her expression.
Niamh pouted. "We met on a plane and sat next to each other purely by chance and now we meet again, by chance. Sounds as though something is drawing us together, doesn't it?"
"Or you could be following me." She argued back, but was starting to think more and more on the words of the woman. There was really something about her that was getting difficult to register as a threat. Either by design or by their appearance. It was just…odd.
The pout only deepened, the hands on her hips curled into fists. "You're really cynical about this, you know? This could be some destined meeting where we become lovers!"
Ophelia blinked very slowly. "...Do you not have a lover already?"
Niamh opened her mouth, then blinked twice before shutting it again, raising a single finger upwards. "I'm old enough to be allowed a casual fling every couple decades, I'll have you know."
Couple decades, she said.
Ophelia took notice of the fact the woman barely looked to be her age, perhaps a year older or younger.
"...A coincidence." Keeping her words flat, she glanced past the woman at the sight of movement and squinted her lone visible eye at the shapes that were approaching. Then she tensed, sucking in a breath and switching her gaze back towards Niamh.
There was a magical energy signature approaching.
Two of them.
And they were far from subtle about hiding themselves.
"-idn't say that she would be having friends."
"Because I doubt she knew."
Already there was a conversation happening between the approaching figures, Ophelia made herself more ready for an altercation, her hands twitching as she started to feel the pulse of her mystic eye and reading whatever combat and defensive spells she would need.
It was a surge of magical energy that was not insufficient.
She glanced between the two figures, her eyes lingered on the one leading first and foremost.
With a silver coloured cardigan atop a black dress, the woman was the first to look her in the eye and narrow her gaze. The magical energy signature started to rise as the woman drew closer and closer, stepping further into the falling light and revealing a slightly paler complexion than would have been normal.
Combined with the free flowing platinum blonde hair, the woman painted a rather striking image.
Especially with the wary look now being levelled her way by the new arrival, the way she shifted her stance and moved in front of the second figure rather suddenly, blocking him away from view, but not before he raised his head and glanced over her shoulder, locking eyes with her-
Ophelia reeled back and stared wide eyed at him.
With some doe-eyed face and fluffy brown hair, all of which contrasted the thick black horns which emerged from either side of his head and curled backwards, nor the way his skin seemed to crack around the eyes, a pattern of diamond shapes woven across him which faded away the further away they travelled.
Then there was his outfit.
Which looked to be a mess of clothes all thrown together and with the appearance of being pulled out of some dumpster, the tattered remains of some loose white shirt tied around his neck and serving as some sort of ragged mantle.
"And who is this?"
The woman spoke - demanded - with a voice that was as authoritative as it was threatening, despite never raising her tone.
Ophelia considered her the clear and present danger at the moment.
"This is someone I met." Niamh answered. "She's Katherine?"
Not willing to answer, she nodded her head.
"And she is incapable of speaking for herself?" The woman went on further, eyeing her and her gaze lingered on the side of her face covered by the patch. The way those grey eyes narrowed further indicated that she was not so fooled by her appearance.
"...No." Ophelia replied to her, squaring her shoulders. "But I am preparing."
"Hmph." There was a distrusting grunt. "Take a step back, Schmidt."
Schmidt?
She noted the way the boy blinked and looked at her with a slightly worried expression, taking a half step forwards and rather tentatively reaching out, stopping just short of touching the woman, but raising his voice just enough to be heard.
"Wait…are you going to fight?" He sounded rather distraught about the idea. "But you haven't met before…why are you going to do that?"
The woman's expression betrayed nothing. "Do you recall our discussion, Schmidt?"
Schmidt ducked his head like a scolded child, clamping his jaw shut and taking a step backwards, but Ophelia could see the fleeting glances he was sending both her way and the way of his companion.
"I really hope you guys aren't going to fight." Niamh sounded a little annoyed about this development. "I didn't know she was coming here but it wasn't like she knew you guys were going to be here either…did you?"
Ophelia had not quite removed her line of sight with the boy, but gave a faint shake of the head.
She had not even considered she would be seeing something like this here.
She didn't even know what he was in the first place, demeanour appeared reptilian.
And his eyes were bright blue with dark slits running through them as pupils.
There might have been a faint perception filter around him to deter the odd passerby, but it was useless before her experience.
And yet everything about her was saying that the woman was the greater threat.
"There's not going to be any fighting on this hill." Niamh declared, stomping her foot. "Because then we'll all get in trouble. I was taking you guys around for a tour, not for a brawl. Katherine? Stop looking like you're going to jump them the second they turn their back."
Ophelia baulked. "I most certainly am not!"
If anything, it was this unnamed woman who was going to be doing that.
Niamh sent her a look and rolled her eyes. "And you…"
Turning on the woman, she waved a finger.
"You're not setting a good example for Schmidt, are you?"
That earned her a rather disdainful glare before being followed by a click of the tongue, the woman loosened her position and folded her hands in front of herself, chin upturned and looking down at her as though she was somehow better.
…Well, she did have this authoritative aura, Ophelia supposed.
"There, see? Friends." Niamh was smiling, looking exceptionally proud. "Glad we could all get along…now who wants to begin introductions?"
"I failed to see the need." The woman stated, not taking her eyes off Ophelia. "Given I doubt we shall be meeting again."
"I concur." Ophelia found herself agreeing.
Schmidt frowned behind them, looking puzzled and a little disapproving. "...Sister Kiara always says it's polite to greet new people."
With that little declaration, he stepped out from behind the woman and looked her way, his face set into some determined gaze before he nodded his head rather sharply. "Hello. I'm Schmidt. Nice to meet you, Miss Katherine."
He had not once stopped looking her through the entirety of his introduction, nor had she noticed him blink.
Schmidt glanced the way of his companion and looked at her in an urging manner.
The seconds ticked past, then the woman spoke only a single word. "Berserker."
Ophelia blanked immediately and took a half step backwards, the shock of the word spread through her immediately.
Especially as she had been briefed on the seven classes which existed.
And that word…was definitely one of them.
"You're a-?" She snapped her jaw shut from the shock of it, but the mistake had been made.
Berserker's eyes glinted and then narrowed, she stepped forwards and let her attire peel away with a sudden flash of crimson fire, where once had been the simple dress, now there was a long flowing mixture of white and polished silver. Rolled plates of armour over her shoulder and arms.
A battle dress, one could say.
Ophelia reached up to her eye as both Niamh and Schmidt took notice of the sudden shift.
"Hang on-"
"Kriem-!"
A twisted lump of black and burning crimson fell into the palm of Berserker, reeling it and dragging it across the dirt, a trench forming behind her as she twisted the sword about and then brought it to bear. Her face set in a deadly line.
"Now perhaps you might give some answers-"
Darkness exploded around her and then fell inwards.
Susa-il emerged from the inky black right in front of her, chained sickle held in one hand and rapidly picking up speed as it whirled around, whistling faster and faster.
Berserker switched targets immediately, a faint widening of the eyes before they narrowed and she moved into position right in front of Schmidt, covering him while he looked on the development in complete shock, eyes flying to the wings of the Zabaniya and tilting his head to one side.
Ophelia clasped the patch of cloth in front of her eye and prepared to yank it free.