And we're back! My break was fun. Daybreak 2 was fun. But now I'm back on the long wait for the next game. At least we'll have FC remake coming soonish to tide us over until Kai gets its official release, hopefully next year...
And a special shout-out to Takuu on Twitter and Reddit for commissioning this story's new art as a gift to me. Talk about a massive upgrade over the in game image I had been using...
"Is this acceptable?"
Fie turned an appraising eye towards her companion's work. It wasn't perfect, but it was more than enough for her purposes, "Yup. Good job, Laura."
As fun as the past two weeks had been it was nice getting back into the usual groove. Classes sucked, like always, but the rest of her home life was pretty great. Sure everyone had a million questions to ask of them once they returned to school, but they – including Rean – were able to deal with them with little difficulty, even if their agreed upon story was a lot different from what actually went down in North Ambria.
One of the things she had been most excited to get back to was her duties with the Gardening Club. Vivi and the newer club members had done a decent job of maintaining the flowers, but the silver-haired girl wasn't surprised to see that none of them had done anything to prep for the upcoming winter freeze, whether due to inexperience or simply Vivi's just being lazy.
Thus she had opted to make up for lost time by working hard to rectify the situation even though it wasn't an official meeting day for the Gardening Club. Thankfully she found herself with unexpected help as Laura had made her way over after her club's ending. What the other girl lacked in experience she more than made up for with a willingness to learn, and that was enough for the grateful former jaeger.
"Is something like this really going to protect the flowers from frost?" Laura asked in confusion.
Fie glanced down at the layer of dried mulch they'd placed around the plants, "Yup. It doesn't look like much, but winter isn't too bad around here, so this should keep the ground from freezing. Edel did this last year while we were gone and none of the flowers died, so I trust it."
In a way it was ironic. One year ago they'd been on the run from the Noble Alliance and Edel had stayed behind to care for the plants. Now while her clubmates weren't in any real danger she was the one choosing to stay behind to protect the plants. She wouldn't have been surprised to find out Edel had roped Friedel into helping the same way she'd gotten Laura's help, either.
The former jaeger made a mental note to thank her graduated friend the next time they met up. Sure noble pride was supposedly an actual thing, but Fie was willing to bet good mira the only reason Edel had chosen to join Patrick's cringey little Order of the Lion was to make sure someone was around to care for the flowers.
"Laura! Fie! There you are!"
Fie perked up. That very familiar voice was one they hadn't heard in almost a year. Both she and Laura rose from the flowers and turned to greet their friend and former classmate, "Emma!"
Her presence was surprising, but that didn't stop them from responding when the witch rushed over and embraced Laura in a hug, with Fie only needing to wait a few seconds for her turn to arrive. As she rested in her friend's embrace the silver-hair girl made a serious observation, "...Have you grown even chestier since graduating?"
"Fie!" Emma pulled away in a huff, face crimson as she tried to cover herself with an arm. But that did nothing to deter Fie from taking stock of the former class president. Sure enough the magic user had grown in more ways than one since their separation.
She wasn't annoyed. Not one bit.
"Ugh. I forgot how annoying you humans can be." Came the voice from Emma's most faithful companion.
"Hello, Celine. It is good to see you too." Unlike Laura Fie didn't verbally greet the familiar, but she did bend down to scratch her behind the ears, earning halfhearted protests from the furball. Grumpy familiar she may be, but at the end of the day Celine was a cat and cats needed to be scratched behind the ears.
Which was probably why the familiar didn't actually pull away or do anything save tilt her head to give Fie more ready access.
Laura smirked at the interaction before turning to the witch, "I take it the two of you are here for Rean?"
"We are. I have a few ideas of what may be the problem from what you've told me, but I'll need to see him to confirm my theories. Is he around?"
The observant Fie noticed how Laura instinctively glanced towards the pond, causing her to snicker. His presence there was such a common thing that it was the first place to look, even if it was already obvious he wasn't there, "Dunno where he is. Haven't seen him since this morning."
"He was in class today, so presumably he is still around somewhere." Laura confirmed, "...Unless he went to fish down by the river, I suppose."
"I looked that way when I entered, but I didn't see him anywhere." Emma provided.
"Ugh. Isn't that just great? We traveled halfway across this country for him and he isn't even around." Celine griped.
Fie responded to the cat's complaints with a yawn, which naturally earned her a spiteful look, "Dunno where he is, but I'm sure we can find him easily enough. Wanna walk around the school with us?"
The Class VII graduate giggled, "That would be lovely. It'll be nice seeing the school again."
Decision made the three and a half people began their tour of Thors with no real destination in mind. Truth be told, Fie had absolutely no idea where Rean would be. Most of the time he would spend his afternoons fishing when they had club things to do, and when he was doing something different he'd usually let them know ahead of time.
Not that it was a big deal, as it gave them plenty of time to swap stories with the wandering witch as they explored the campus, "...I haven't been able to find Vita anywhere, but I'm not all that surprised either. She's a witch on par with my Grandmother, so if I want to track her down I'll need to improve my skills as well. That's partly why when I'm not studying at home often. Instead I find myself traveling the country in search of places with untouched mana reserves where I can easily hone my powers. I was on one of those trips near Jurai when you contacted me."
"I just wish some of those spots were a little easier to get to." A spiteful Celine chimed in, "Do you know how many wild animals and monsters mistook me for a common cat to be snacked on?!"
Yikes. That probably sucked. Time to be the good and supportive friend she was, "I bet you'd taste really bad."
"Fie!" Despite the outburst she got the feeling Emma was amused. Laura too, even if she was better at hiding it.
The less said about the cat that was now hissing and bearing her claws threateningly the better.
"I'm sorry to say..." Laura continued as they passed the Student Council building, "that the Literature club was forced to disband this year since both you and Dorothee departed."
"New generation just doesn't have the same appreciation for smut that you guys did."
"It wasn't just smut!" Emma's embarrassed cry drew a few curious gazes, something which caused the young witch to shrink in herself, "...I've actually spoken with Dorothee a couple times since graduation. Last I heard she's applied for a position at the Imperial Museum."
"Does she think she'll find pictures of naked men on old statues or something?" This time nobody replied to Fie's words, causing the girl to pout a little.
Their walk around the campus failed to find their target, so naturally the next place they looked was inside the school itself. Since they didn't see him in the halls they went to the second year classrooms and checked Class II's room. What they saw...
There was Rean. But with him was Thomas and Rosine.
Uh Oh.
Truth be told the two girls had mostly brushed aside their prior encounter with the dominion given the fact he'd been nothing but a normal eccentric teacher in the months since. Rosine too seemed to carry on just like a regular student. Sure they kept a close eye on the church duo, but after all that time with nothing coming of it...
Seems that was at an end now.
Thomas smirked a little as he took in the two wary girls and two other guests. He didn't make a move of any kind, but for some reason Fie felt... something. And then it passed. But despite only an instant having passed the expression on Rean's face was completely different.
Had that been his weird partition powers?
"W-What was that!?" Emma asked in alarm before focusing her gaze on the teacher, comprehension dawning on her features, "T-that was just like what happened before graduation..."
"What did you do!?" Celine hissed out.
"Aha!" Thomas gave an obnoxious laugh, "It's good to see that your skills as a witch have improved significantly for you to pick up on my partition this time."
Emma took a defensive step back, "Just who are you, Instructor Thomas!? And what about you!?" The last question was directed towards the other second year.
"I'm glad you ask! While you may know me as your beloved teacher of history, my actual title is that of the Second Dominion of the Gralsritter."
"And I serve as his squire." Came Rosine's soft voice.
While Emma seemed to be processing the revelation, Celine's cat eyes were darting between all of them, "None of you seem all that surprised about this."
The pointed question caused Rean to give a sheepish laugh, a sentiment which Fie shared since they'd willingly kept a secret from their friends, "Well, actually..."
"It's because I already introduced myself to them, naturally. Just after the rest of you graduated."
Fie was a little surprised that neither Laura nor Rean's sense of honor compelled them to point out the lie in his words – he had told them just before the others had graduated. They were probably just as willing to turn a blind eye as she was since it made their defense at not telling her or the others a little better.
With Emma still looking suspicious the Gralsritter gave a knowing smirk, "If it makes you rest easier I have been acquainted with your grandmother for a few years now."
"That's an unsettling fact..." The witch groused, causing Fie to perk up. She really needed to meet this enigmatic grandmother that Emma always seemed so conflicted with.
"I take it there's a reason why you've chosen to break your silence after all these months? Especially in Emma and Celine's presence" Laura asked.
"Indeed there is!" The excitable church agent proclaimed, "Firstly I wanted to make sure that Rean's convalescence has gone well."
Rosine gave a small nod, "Although our positions may be different we've been worried about him regardless. I am grateful to see that you've made it through that ordeal intact."
"...Thanks." Rean's smile was small, but genuine. Were it anyone else Fie might've felt a little threatened, but it was hard to be suspicious of Rosine despite the fact she might've been the most suspicious student in school. It was hard to not trust someone as... pure as her.
"And with that taken care of I've decided to ask Rean for his assistance on a matter that has cropped up recently. Of course you're free to join us as well, Emma included."
Fie shot a look with Laura. She was as curious as she was wary of the offer. It was wariness that seemed to drive the Arseid, "Why exactly do you need Rean's help?"
"Don't misunderstand, we don't actually need your help." Thomas replied, "But I believe it would do all of you good to gain a greater understanding of the more mystical parts of the world, the kind you've seen at the old schoolhouse, Lohengrin Castle, the Spirit Shrines, and the Infernal Castle. Such an understanding will undoubtedly serve you well in what is to come."
"You don't need to decide right away as we aren't planning on acting until this weekend. Please, spend this time among yourselves."
Thomas nodded to Rosine's words, but had one last thing to say before departing, "As for why we've chosen to reveal ourselves to Emma? Surely you can sense as well as I that things are slowly coming to a head. It would be for the best to introduce ourselves to trustworthy individuals before the decisive moment is reached. Feel free to tell the rest of Class VII as well, but make sure to do so away from prying ears."
They all watched as the teacher and student leave before turning to one another, "Well that was weird..." Fie remarked.
Rean nodded his head, "It was, but we can talk about it later. For now..." He adopted a warm smile on his face as he focused on their guests, "It's so good to see you again, Emma. You too, Celine."
"It feels so strange being back here again..." Emma mused as she glanced around at her surroundings, "You haven't sensed any abnormalities since the Reverie Corridor, correct?"
The witch had been pretty interested in getting down to business shortly after they reunited with Rean and heard Instructor Thomas's words, which was why the five of them had made their way to the old schoolhouse where they'd be safe from prying eyes. Technically neither Laura nor Fie were needed for this part, but both girls had a vested stake in matters and elected to tag-along and observe the proceedings.
"Nope. I've poked around a few times, but this place is just like it was on our first day." Fie answered, causing the witch to hum in agreement.
"I'm not surprised." The haughty familiar chimed in, "While I can still sense the mana of this place, it feels completely inert. It's similar to what happened with the Spirit Shrines, but while those places all vanished without their mana I suspect this building still has ties to the physical plane."
"Still, to think this place was created by the Gnomes..." Emma looked around curiously before shaking her head, "But I digress. Rean, would you be willing to give me the exact details on what happened while you were in North Ambria? They've told me a lot already, but I want to hear everything before I take any action."
Laura thought her fellow swordsman might look uncomfortable at the question, but surprisingly he gave a nod before recounting the story in a matter-of-fact manner, with her and Fie chiming in when appropriate. While the focus of this meeting was on Rean's powers, it wasn't hard to tell that Emma was pretty interested in everything that had transpired in North Ambria as the curious witch asked questions that had nothing to do with Rean directly. None of the three participants minded, but Celine did scoff on more than one occasion.
"...And after that I blacked out. It was three days later when I woke up again back at the camp."
"I see..." The former class president mused once he finished the tale, "I suspect your body shut itself down as a defensive measure against your rampant powers. What do you think, Celine?"
"Hmph. Human bodies are horribly inefficient, but that does sound like something it would do when faced with that kind of pressure. Still, we won't be able to determine anything until we see it happen for ourselves."
Laura stiffened, "I'm not sure that is such a good idea..." They were there to protect Rean from his power, not force him to use it!
And yet the cat scoffed at her words, "You can't seriously expect us to both figure out what is wrong with him and come up with a solution based off your words alone, do you?"
"Well, I..." Truth be told Laura had been so focused on the hope of Emma being able to help that she hadn't even considered how that help would happen. Celine's words were blunt, but they weren't exactly wrong either.
Instead she sent a helpless look towards Fie, getting a shrug and a shake of the head in return.
"I promise we won't allow Rean to endanger himself." Emma reassured before turning back to the boy in question, "From the way you described it you've been able to notice your power fluctuating before you began to lose control, correct?"
He gave an uneasy nod, "Y-Yeah. I usually notice it start a few minutes after I transform." He turned his attention to the two girls observing the situation warily, "That was why I would keep cutting our spars short."
Laura had gathered that already, but at the same time it was another reminder that he had chosen to keep that info from them for so long. Sure she'd vented her frustrations out at him during their trip, but that didn't stop her from sending him a rather annoyed look.
"Alright." Emma gave a nod, "Do you think you can transform until you reach that point? I know a spell that will allow me to monitor the energy flow through your body, so Celine and I will be concentrating on that. As soon as you start to feel that shift in energy please end the transformation."
The Arseid could tell that Rean looked uncomfortable with the idea, but gave a decisive nod nonetheless. With a plan in place the witch and her familiar began chanting in that odd language she had come to associate with witchcraft. Upon finishing her incantation a section of the floor began to glow beneath them.
A gesture from Emma led Rean to stand in the center of that glow. Standing there he took a deep breath, sent a reassuring smile her way, and closed his eyes, "Spirit Unification!"
Although it was far from the first time she'd witnesses his transformation, this was the most worrisome one of all, even surpassing that initial surprise when he'd dueled her father. Still, she began to relax a little as Rean continued to look and act like his usual self, even with the signature white hair and crimson eyes of his Spirit Unification.
For a few minutes nothing happened. Emma and Celine were concentrating on their spell, Rean was standing there patiently, and she and probably Fie were both scrutinizing him looking for any abnormalities with him. An awkward silence descended upon the old building.
Said silence was finally broken when Rean let out a hiss as a hand instinctively went to his chest. That was enough for her, "Rean! Drop the transformation!"
Luckily it seemed he was on the same page as a few seconds later his hair and eyes returned to their original color. Save for the hand clutching his chest and some slightly heavy breathing he seemed to be fine, but that didn't stop Fie from rushing over and looking him over, "You good?"
Her words might've been nonchalant but the worry on her face as she gently poked and prodded the boy spoke volumes.
Rean however shook her off, "I'm alright. Were you able to get what you wanted?"
"We did." Emma assured, "It's hard to explain what I just felt." The witch seemed to ponder her words before giving a long sigh, "I'm so sorry, Rean. I really should've studied your powers more in depth when I had the chance, but I didn't want to out myself as a witch and-"
"It's alright." Rean gave their friend a reassuring smile, "I think most of us are guilty about keeping a secret to ourselves when it helps nobody."
"Yep." Fie chimed in, "Same with me. Only one here who hasn't really done that is Laura, but that's 'cause she is an open book."
The Arseid couldn't help but pout slightly. For some reason Fie somehow managed to make her honesty and transparency sound like something bad.
"But even so...!" Emma persisted, heavy frown marring her features.
"Your job was to help me understand my role as an Awakener, correct? And I'd definitely say you did a good job of that. I wouldn't have made it through the war without your help. Yours as well, Celine."
"Well, obviously." The cat huffed out, "You'd have been completely useless without me."
Emma ignored her grumpy familiar to give a grateful smile, "Thank you, everyone, but I still promise to do better in the future. I will be someone you can rely on, whether as a member of the Hexen Clan or simply as your former class president." With that said she adopted a thoughtful look, "I still have no idea where this power of yours originates from, but the way it is flowing through your body right now feels... off."
She shook her head, "Like I said, I really wished I had taken a look at you earlier, but I can only assume it wasn't always like this. The best way to describe how it enters your body would be to imagine a river, except right now its flowing as if a particularly violent storm is going on, disrupting the energy in a dangerous manner.
Laura shared a worried look with Fie. That didn't sound all that good.
"I don't understand it either, but at the very least I can say it shouldn't affect your ability to pilot Valimar as long as you don't transform in the cockpit." Celine added.
"Do you have any idea what's causing it?" Rean asked, surprisingly even toned despite the news he was getting.
Emma shook her head, "Unfortunately, I do not. But even if I don't know what is causing your powers to become uncontrollable I think there might be something I can do to help."
Celine gave a thoughtful hum, "I take it you're thinking about creating some sort of fail-safe?"
"That's right."
"Um..." Fie was the first to speak up, "Don't suppose you could share what you're thinking with the rest of us?"
"Oh, sorry." The young witch smiled sheepishly, "Even if I can't fix his powers I can at least do something about him losing control. Witches have a spell that can forcibly halt the flow of mana, and I think I can adapt it to suit Rean's powers. This should make it so if he begins to lose control it'll automatically activate and cut the flow, somewhat akin to a faucet being turned to stop a flow of water."
While it wasn't the full cure she was hoping for, what Emma was offering was definitely something the Arseid would gladly take, "Are there any downsides to it?"
"There are." Celine stated as the little kitty approached Rean, "Firstly it will be a fully automated process, so if you're ever in a fight and you need a little extra power to win, well tough luck."
"I understand."
"And more importantly..." Celine continued after hearing the swordsman's understanding, this is just something to deal with the symptoms. The cause of your problems isn't being addressed at all. Whatever is causing your powers to fluctuate out of control will remain, so if you continue using them there's no guarantee the situation won't continue to worsen."
Right. As much as Laura would've loved for him to just stop using his Spirit Unification she knew it wasn't an option. Still, so long as he kept it to a last resort they'd hopefully be alright until a better solution was found, "Hopefully all that training we just did will keep you from needing it."
"Oh right. I heard about your training trip. I'm kinda curious to hear about what you three did those two weeks."
The mischievous grin on Fie's face sent alarm bells through the blue-haired girl's mind, but she wasn't swift enough to stop her companion from speaking, "Really? You wanna hear about all the freaky things we did in the mountains? I know you're a big fan of porn and all, but isn't that a little weird to be asking-"
"Fie!"
One day she'd find a muzzle that would fit that girl. Only way to shut up her up for a meaningful period of time.
"Ahem!" Rean coughed with an awkward blush on his face, "Back on topic, is there anything I need to do to help with your spell?"
"I'm planning on placing my magic into a medium – perhaps a pendant – so you'll have access to it even when I'm not around. So there's a good chance I'll need you to use your powers during the process in order to attune the spell to you." Emma admitted.
Rean nodded his head, "Understood."
"The way you're speaking makes it sound as if you are planning on sticking around here for a few days...?"
Emma nodded in response to her words, "I had a feeling I'd need to do something like this, so I already planned on sticking around Trista for a few days. Should give me plenty of time to finish crafting the item. Plus, this gives us a chance to join in on whatever it is that Instructor Thomas has for us."
"Do you need a place to stay?" Rean asked. Technically they had a little room in their apartment, but it would be pretty cramped. Celine especially would probably complain about it constantly-
"That won't be an issue. I've already made reservations at the inn for a few days." She'd never admit it aloud, but Laura gave a mental exhale at that answer.
"That's cool. Still, you can come and hang out with us whenever you want though."
The blue-haired girl shook her head at Fie's words, "Did you forget that we have classes?"
"We can skip."
"We can't skip! Haven't we already missed enough class as is?!"
"Well, alright. If you want to be a terrible friend to Emma then go ahead."
Laura grit her teeth, but Emma merely let out a giggle, "Actually, I was hoping to borrow the key to this place. Even if much of the magic has faded I suspect there's a lot I can learn about the Gnomes if I studied one of their buildings for myself."
Technically the building was still school property, but Principal Vandyck had been more than content to leave them the key to the enigmatic building, all but putting the three students in charge of it. Still, that didn't faze Rean at all as the swordsman fished out his key before passing it along to their classmate.
"You gonna go take catnaps in the sun?" Fie asked the familiar.
"Hmph! Need I remind you that I am not some ordinary cat!"
That caused the silver-haired girl to shrug nonchalantly, " Too bad. I was gonna see if I could catch you a juicy fish or two, but if you aren't a cat you probably wouldn't be too interested..."
"W-Wait a second!" The not-cat gave a little twitch, "Just because I am not a common animal doesn't mean I don't appreciate gifts. For the record, what kind of fish are we talking about, exactly?"
Rean's eyes glinted excitedly, "What kind do you like? The rivers of Trista have been teeming with all kinds of fish, including some that definitely shouldn't be here. I've caught some catfish, gold salmon, noble carp, a few massive crayfish, some rainbow trout, salmon, crabs..."
Laura wasn't sure what she found more humorous: The way Rean seemed to completely forget about their important conversation in order to brag about his fishing hauls, or the way Celine's haughty demeanor faded with each and every fish listed until the definitely-not-a-cat was all but a drooling mess by the time he finished.
Either way, her mood was feeling pretty good as they left the old building. Sure they still didn't understand what was wrong with Rean, but at least now they would hopefully have a way to prevent him from losing control again. And with the witch promising to remain for at least a few days that would give them time to reconnect with one of her closer friends after almost a year.
And after that they'd find out what exactly Instructor Thomas wanted with them.