Descendants of Time (Role-Play Act 5: Revolutionary Moment)

(OOC: Here starts the story of Kaitlyn, the character of d.)

Beside the River Thames, in the Westminster where the great Clock Tower resided, the Palace of Westminster was located. It was the meeting place of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The palace was also the very centre of the Royal Council. It was particularly close to the Privy Council as well, where the Queen would render the final judgement upon the guilty. This was especially true for the Magic World.

The offices of the Royal Council was as busy as usual. Unsurprisingly, there were more members of the nobility there who were noted more so than the commoners serving. The lavishly dressed and the handsome members of the society seemed to outshadow the rest, and it was starkly visible in this palace.

“It is likely that I shall be the next sometime soon.”

“Yes, and that is why we suggest that you get more—”

“That will not be necessary, Mister Ashworth.”

“You intend to be… the bait, sir?”

“There is but only way to find out. I shall lay a trap. That is assuming they strike when I predict… ah, but this is hardly the time and place. I shall take my leave now.”

The Earl of the Aberdeen household took leave just like that. Next on the line was a woman with bright red and long hair.

“Ah, Miss Mercer,” the officer called out. “May I have the reports from your previous mission?”

Kaitlyn Mercer stepped forward, white coat gently rustling as she did so, a hort a stack papers under her arm. Beneath the coat was a blue dress that, as always, felt a little too tight. Neither were articles of clothing she would have chosen to wear of her own accord, but then again, they had been given to her free of charge as part of her position. Didn’t hurt that they were enchanted either.

Kaitlyn handed the officer the papers. “The perpetrators have been taken care of, sir. They won’t be causing any more trouble.”

“Good work.” The officer accepted the papers and took a glance before looking back up to the enforcer. “I know it is a little early as you have just returned, but I have another mission for you. Not exactly an enforcement work like usual, it is a little special.”

Little early is bloody right, Kaitlyn thought. She already didn’t like the sound of this. When people said †˜special’, what they usually meant to say was †˜pain in the arse’. She had hoped to take it easy the rest of the day, but it looked like that too would be just another fleeting dream.

“What does it entail?” she asked, careful to stay neutral.

“I presume that you had heard of the recent assassinations taking place in the Higher Places, yes?”

“Who hasn’t?” It went without saying it didn’t bode well. Something was brewing and Kaitlyn didn’t have the slightest idea what. Not my problem until someone tells me to crush the bludgers responsible, she had told herself. And yet, it didn’t stop the subject from entering her mind last night or the night before.

“Well, it just so turned out yesterday that the Duchess from the house of Cavendish Bentinck requested us to keep her daughter, Elizabeth Cavendish Bentinck somewhere safe. Which begged the question †˜where’. In the end, it was decided that one of the skilled and experienced Enforcers would have to keep the lady until the crisis is averted. Your colleagues say that their family conditions would not allow them to take her in and suggested that you could. What say you, Miss Mercer?” the office brought it up with a rather nervous expression, knowing that it wasn’t exactly the kind of mission they’d want to give to an Enforcer who may not know how to treat members of nobility, as they usually required especial care and more importantly, British etiquette.

Kaitlyn noticed his expression but couldn’t figure out if she had somehow done something to intimidate him or what. That aside, the mission did, indeed, sound like a pain. Bodyguard detail had never been Kaitlyn’s strong suit. It wasn’t easy to fight while dealing with a liability at the same time. And then there was that name. Bentinck. If Kaitlyn recalled correctly, a Lord Cavendish Bentinck had perished in the fight against Virgo a year ago. Watching over a noble lady could be bad enough. Watching over an emotionally distraught noble lady?

It was all moot though. If there was really no one else available to watch over her, then Kaitlyn wasn’t really being given much of a choice, was she?

“You may rely on me,” Kaitlyn said, resigned.

“Very well. I trust that you will do well to take care of the noble lady. Otherwise you are free to duty for now.” The Officer called out to an assistant in the office. “Miss Beckham, please show Miss Mercer to the young lady of the Cavendish Bentincks.”







Guided to the lounge by Beckham—a member of the middle class—Kaitlyn found herself facing a noble lady who was still in her maiden years. She had wavy blonde hair that ran down to her back and her complexion looked surprisingly fair, devoid of stress. She wore a dress lavish in frills and high-quality materials, with silk for certain from the looks of it.

“Good luck,” Beckham wished before turning away and leaving, Kaitlyn could sense a mocking smirk from the woman who left.

Why do I feel like I’m always been left out of some kind of joke? Kaitlyn resisted the urge to stare daggers at the assistant’s retreating backside. She turned her attention to the young lady sitting before her instead. If Kaitlyn had to describe her in one word, it’d be pretty. She didn’t look strong, but neither did she look fragile. Perhaps this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Kaitlyn bowed, red hair spilling with the motion of her head. “Lady Elizabeth Cavendish Bentinck I presume?”

Elizabeth stood up as Kaitlyn spoke, and a curtsy followed after. It was graceful and elegantly performed, as befitting of her noble upbringing.

“Yes, my name is Elizabeth Cavendish Bentinck. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure is mine, m’lady. I trust you’re fully aware of the situation?”

“Of course. I apologise that you have to do this. I really believed that I would be fine on my own but my mother had insisted other. Regardless, I shall be in your care for the times to come.”

Kaitlyn couldn’t help but think of her own mother and how much she’d put her through, her and her father both. “I… I’m sure she only wants what’s best for you.”

“I believe so too. May I know your name?”

“Kaitlyn Mercer.” She met Elizabeth’s eyes as she spoke. “At your service.”

“Oh, you do not have to be so formal, Miss Mercer.” Elizabeth waved her hand dismissively, giving a nervous chuckle. “We are going to live together, after all.”

Live together. Kaitlyn hadn’t considered that until now. The last time she’d lived with someone was at the dormitory back in her days at the Academy, six years ago.

“I suppose we are.”

There was a moment of silence and Elizabeth giggled.

“Well, I am waiting.”

“Oh, right.” Idiot. Never mind living accommodations. Stay focused on the matter at hand. Keeping her alive, or at the very least, satisfying some noble lady’s paranoia. “Let’s get going then to your home for the next few days.”







Kaitlyn had chosen the house she currently rented for one reason. A friend had recommended it. Partly, Kaitlyn suspected, because she lived nearby. That wasn’t to say she regretted it. Close by to the River Thames, the neighborhood was decidedly better than the one she lived in as a child. She wasn’t sure what someone like Elizabeth thought of it, but then if she had a problem, she could go get someone else to be her bodyguard. After all, Kaitlyn’s job was to keep her alive, not make her comfortable.

Kaitlyn stepped out of the hansom cab she’d flagged down and offered Elizabeth her hand, who accepted it before stepping down on the street.

“It somehow excites me to be able to live in a small apartment,” Elizabeth thoughtlessly commented.

“Oh, really?” Kaitlyn asked. This really wasn’t what she expected at all of a noble lady. Growing up, she’d been taught to show utmost respect to the nobility, but Elizabeth didn’t seem to care overly much about that sort of thing. “I know a tavern close by that has some pretty good sausages. Maybe we could stop by later.” Kaitlyn took a step toward her front door. “Or maybe not. What, with someone out there who might want you dead.”

Elizabeth followed, already imagining an apartment much like her room back in the Eastern Magic Academy. “But it should be reassuring to have you there with me, yes? I have never been to a tavern so it piques my interest.”

The trouble with reassuring was it didn’t do much to ease the fears of the person doing the reassuring. A tavern was much more open than an apartment. More exits for them should something happen, but then that also meant more entrances for potential threats.

Not that it matters much when it comes to mages, especially when they’re desperate. But more importantly…

“Never been to a tavern before?” Kaitlyn asked. Bloody hell, what did nobles do with their time? “That won’t do at all. How about later tonight after you get settled in and I show you around?”

“Of course, that sounds lovely.”

“It’s settled then.”

Kaitlyn produced a key and unlocked the door. She held it open for Elizabeth and let her pass through before closing it. It was Kaitlyn’s first time back home in days. Normally when coming back from council work, she would put some tea on and slip into something more comfortable, but that would have to wait until later.

Elizabeth looked around. Kaitlyn didn’t have much in the way of furnishings. There was a bed with its back up against the wall opposite the door with a stand on side and a wardrobe on the other. A chest lay at the foot of the bed, and a chair was positioned to the left of the door. That was it.

Kaitlyn coughed into her hand. “The main room, over there’s the kitchen,” she pointed at door off to the right, “and that’s the bathroom. Guess I got the chair. You can take the bed.”

To say the least, the apartment was indeed larger than her her in the Eastern Magic Academy’s dormitory. After all, there was simply a kitchenette there instead of a separate room with it. In all honesty, Elizabeth expected a situation much worse, but now she found herself disillusioned. Perhaps this was because Kaitlyn likely had a stable income. The tri;y poor were infamous for sleeping in extremely terrible conditions, after all.

“Oh no, please take the bed, Miss Mercer.” The nobly lady gestured at the bed and looked down at the chair with a gentle smile. “The chair is acceptable enough for me.”

Kaitlyn figured she’d say that. Why couldn’t anyone ever shut up and accept someone’s hospitality?

“I like sleeping in the chair though,” Kaitlyn said.

“I like sleeping in the chair too,” Elizabeth said with a big smile before she laughed. “Or we could share the bed.”

Kaitlyn shrugged out of her coat and hung it from a hook attached to the wall next to the door. “Tell you what. I’ll take the chair tonight, and we can switch off from there.”

“You are too insistent.” Elizabeth chuckled again. “But since it is your place, I shall respect your wishes, and take up your kind offer.”

Kaitlyn moved to the wardrobe to get something more comfortable to wear than the dress. “Any idea when your luggage is supposed to get here?”

“Hopefully before dinner hour tonight,” Elizabeth answered. “The Royal Council’s porters are rather swamped with work last I heard.”

“So we’ll get your luggage unloaded and settled in, hopefully, and then go out to eat at the tavern.” Kaitlyn put her hand on the wardrobe’s handle and stopped. Elizabeth seemed pretty easy going so far, but that was no excuse to be rude. “Let me put some tea on.”

“Thank you.” Elizabeth looked around again, sitting down on the bed. “It feels rather refreshing to find a home that is about half the size of my bedroom.”

That brought Kaitlyn up short. She could believe it. Her time with the Council thus far had put her in, among other places, nobles’ mansions short on guards. Having it thrown out there like that though was another matter. Make no mistake, Kait. You and her come from different worlds.

Kaitlyn smiled faintly. “I don’t know about rooms twice the size of apartments, but this placed has held me over well enough for the past few years. Mind who you say stuff like that around in the future though. Some folk might take offense to it.”

“Oh, I apologise. I have met people from the lower class who do not seem to mind many of the comments, but I suppose I should be more considerate.” What is wrong with me… such a simple breach in etiquette…

Kaitlyn entered the kitchen. She grabbed the kettle and filled up with water from the tap. She set it on stove. “So, any idea who might be going around murdering nobles?”

“I am not sure, but there are tell tales about Jack the Ripper among the mundanes. Seeing that the murders are done with varying methods, however, someone is likely hiring many different assassins to be rid of higher officials…”

“And who might stand to gain from all this, I wonder? The first name that comes to mind is… Virgo.”

“If you take out officials of higher power in the society, then you are working to gain control over it… this is clearly a revolution.” Elizabeth clenched her fists. “That would not be the chosen method of the one I fought with last year, Virgo would rather come and openly invade the country.”

“You’re right. A person with her power… I’m sorry if I’ve made you remember something you didn’t want to.”

“No, it is fine. I do not want to forget about it. I do not want to forget those who fought with her and died for her…” Elizabeth frowned. “Nor the person who took advantage of my father’s passing…” she said to herself.

Common sense said to let the matter drop. After all, Kaitlyn’s job was to protect her, no more, no less. She found herself talking regardless. “That’s sounds like a strong resolve you’ve got there. I hope it serves you well. However, if I might make a suggestion…”

Kaitlyn gave the temperature of the water a cursory check by her holding her hand up to the kettle. Good enough. She took the teapot and added the tea followed by the water. She looked at the small table in the kitchen and the one wooden chair that accompanied it. Kaitlyn grabbed the table with both hands and lifted it into the air. “That is, speaking from personal experience…” She hauled the table into the main room. Elizabeth watched perplexed as she set it in front of the chair there. Kaitlyn returned moments later with the kitchen chair.

“Sometimes things get a little messy if you don’t keep your feelings in check.” Kaitlyn returned once more to the kitchen to get the tea set. “That’s not to say you should forget them however. They are part of what makes you you.”

Elizabeth forced a smile, listening to Kaitlyn’s words attentively. “I thank you for the words of advise. I shall keep it in mind.”

Kaitlyn placed a saucer and cup down in front of each chair. She placed a strainer over one cup, poured the tea in, and moved on to the other.

“Then again, I’m sure that’s nothing you haven’t heard before. I mean, my parents used to say stuff like that all the time. Tea’s ready by the way.”

Kaitlyn set the pot down in the middle of the table. The wooden chair groaned as she sat down in it.

“True” Elizabeth accepted the tea from Kaitlyn and sipped. “It is good.”

“That’s a first. My friend never lets me make it whenever she’s over.”

“W-Well, I am sure that your friend has especial tastes.”

“Relax, I’m not calling you a liar or anything.” Kaitlyn laughed. “Although, maybe you’re the one with the especial tates.”

“I am? I am more accustomed to earl grey and milk tea usually.”

“Oh! I’ve got some cream if you want it.”

“No, I shall be fine without it.”

Kaitlyn sipped at her tea. “You know, this wasn’t what I was expecting when they said I’d be watching over a noble girl. I expected you to be more… clingy.”

“Is that the type of person you wished I was?” Elizabeth chuckled after hearing the confession. “But perhaps that is how most noble young ladies tend to be.” She showed a smile full of pain for only one moment before she sipped at her tea again. “I was simply a perfectionist in etiquette some years ago… yet I have returned; after Japan, then America, and finally here in Britain.”

“What were you doing over in Japan?”

“Studying in the Magic Academy, the Eastern Magic Academy, if you have heard of it before.”

“I’ve heard of it, but why go over there, if you don’t mind me asking? Seeing how there’s a perfectly fine Academy here in London. Any reason in particular?”

“I wanted to experience the world that laid outside this country. I do not think I regret my decision, even if I had faced Sagittarius there by chance… and I suppose Pisces too…” Elizabeth laughed dryly reminding herself of the inopportune meetings.

“You mean you’ve fought three Descendants?” For not the first time, Kaitlyn’s opinion of Elizabeth changed. She couldn’t help but look on at her with even more respect.

“Not directly against Sagittarius and Pisces, but I have witnessed them before. Have you heard of the large scale operation against Sagittarius from a year ago? They utilised many European student scholars from the Eastern Magic Academy at the time.”

Kaitlyn had to dig deep in her brain for the details. If she remembered it correctly, most of those students had died. “I take it you were a part of that operation?”

“Yes.” Elizabeth finished the tea before she looked down at the cup with melancholy. For my mother who defeated Sagittarius to feel so cornered in her own abode now… “If not for Pisces I believe it would have been a success for sure.”

“I wasn’t there, but I’ll take your word for it,” Kaitlyn said. She tipped her head back as she drained her cup.

“Shall we go out once you are done?” Elizabeth suggested excitedly. “I cannot wait to see the tavern.”

And here I wanted to go just because I’m terrible at cooking… “I suppose we could go after I clean this up and change into something more comfortable, but what about your stuff? What if they show up while we’re gone?”

“Hmm… I suppose we will have to wait for the porter before we are to go out.”

“Show a little patience. There’ll be plenty of time later.”

In a cold and narrow view was a grey visage of a room. There was a shelf, a table, and a chair. An aged man seemed to be seated in the chair. He sat from its side, not sitting straight. His face couldn’t be seen, but he was undeniably looking down.

“Please… please bring them back.”

A familiar voice was heard. The vision shifted downwards, tracing the direction at which the aged man seemed to face. A young girl knelt, begging.

“I will do as you say. Be it good or bad, professor.”

“Very well, I shall grant your wish. However, are you ready to bloody your hands?”

“Yes…”

Kaitlyn’s eyes jolted awake, waking up from her vision. She just saw Elizabeth in her dream, and an older man she knew not. There was a time when Kaitlyn thought she’d had the last of these things. She knew now how foolish it had been to assume so. This was a first for her however. In all her visions before, she had been involved in them to at least some degree.

Kaitlyn steadied herself. That’s when she noticed the bed was empty. Her first thought was Elizabeth had gone to use the bathroom, but that didn’t make any sense. The door was still open. Besides, the apartment was quiet except for her own breathing.

“Damn it!” Kaitlyn got to her feet and examined the bed up close. The sheets had been neatly set aside so there had been no struggle. What’s more, the bed was still warm.

What is that bloody fool thinking? In all likelihood, Elizabeth wasn’t in any real danger of being targeted. If Kaitlyn had to place bets, she’d pick her mother the Duchess, but that didn’t make it ok for her to go wandering off in the middle of the night! Calm down. Find her first, then berate her.

Kaitlyn went to grab some clothes, but she saw something out of the corner of her eye as she turned. There was a familiar head of blonde hair just outside the window. Kaitlyn crept up as silently as possible.

“Yes, the requested item was submitted. The mission was completed.”

“I have acquired what I was looking for too, so please do not—”

“I… I cannot involve any more innocent people in this situation, please understand. Do not make… no, I apologise.”

“Understood.”

“Yes, Agent Raven. We shall speak at another time… but please do not call me. Please, be considerate of my circumstance.”

“I would like to request that my mother—very well, I understand. If that is the situation then I suppose it is beyond me…”

Elizabeth seemed to finally take the steam phone off her ear. She stood still for some moments, fidgeting.

Kaitlyn couldn’t hear it, but she could tell that Elizabeth was silently crying.

The young noble lady took a deep breath and turned, preparing herself mentally before coming back.

What in the world was that about? Kaitlyn thought. She didn’t like the sound of it one bit. Was Agent Raven the man from the vision? If his conversation with Elizabeth was any indication, Kaitlyn’s first thought was Family man. But it still didn’t really explain what they were talking about, or how Elizabeth had gotten involved with him.

I could just ask her…

Elizabeth began to walk back toward the door. There was still time for Kaitlyn to settle back in the chair and pretend she was asleep, but her mind was already made up. She sat down and gave no pretense that she was sleeping.

The door opened and closed slowly, Elizabeth came in and walked up to the bed.

“I can’t do my job properly if you’re keeping secrets,” Kaitlyn said.

“As long as you guard in the day time, your job will be done,” Elizabeth replied, her tone sounding like usual, unlike some moments ago.

She’s got good acting skills, I’ll give her that. “You’re not the one who gets to decide how I do my job.”

“True, but I cannot abide by your restrictions for the moment.”

Kaitlyn glared at her though she didn’t know if it had any effect in the dark. “And just what the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Please understand… if you restrict my actions, then all will be for naught; you may lose your life as a result.”

Elizabeth didn’t strike Kaitlyn as the kind of person who would lie. She might not tell everything and she might sneak out at night, but lying was below a pretty little noble lady like her. If Kaitlyn took everything she’d said so far at face value, this could probably turn out to be a pretty easy job all and all. Kaitlyn would be able to file a report and move on to the next job just like she always did. She and Elizabeth would go their separate ways, and they’d probably never see each other again. That was one big †˜if’ though.

“What I understand is you’re still a girl, shouldering things no girl should have to. Besides, the thing about the Council is when you work for them, they don’t exactly guarantee your safety. I, uh, didn’t know that when they recruited me, but that’s besides the point.”

Elizabeth gave a small chuckle. “I apologise if I said strange things. I shall not do anything for now, so let us go back to sleep.”

“Is crying about your mother really so strange of a thing?”

Elizabeth fell silent for some time. “No… no, it is not.”

Kaitlyn let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. “Look, I’m sure you have your reasons. Just know that anything you say between us stays between us, and if you need someone to rely on, then you can rely on me. If I get killed, I’m the one who stuck my neck out, and ain’t no one who can do that for me.”

“Thank you…”

Kaitlyn stayed awake for some time after that. She had a secret of her own, the vision. If Elizabeth never told her anything, she had a couple leads she could follow if she chose to. They were slim leads but leads nonetheless. There was the alias Agent Raven, and then there was the professor from the vision.

Guess I’m nothing but a big hypocrite in the end.

Claudia found herself in a colourless world. She looked down at herself, her own body seemed to have colour, however the rest of the world didn’t. She soon witnessed a man donning a golden cuirass. His helm and the rest of the getup made it apparent to her that it was a Greek warrior.

“What is this…?” she asked.

Her eyes peered back and forth through the dim land, unsure of what she was looking at. She was so sure that she fell asleep last she remembered. Now she was here.

She almost didn’t want to, but her legs moved before her mind did. Claudia’s first reaction was to venture this newfound place, and possibly inquire about her arrival. Was it her master’s doing, she thought. Perhaps speaking to that man would suffice.

“Excuse me,” she said, waving toward the armored man. “Could you tell me where I am?”

The man turned to her. Claudia was relieved that she seemed to gain attention, but she was wrong. He looked at her as though she was strange, and then walked up to her. Moments later, the warrior walked straight past Claudia’s form itself. The vampire turned quizzically, not able to believe that she saw what just happened. There was a bow leaning against a rocky wall, and it seemed that the armored man was inspecting it carefully.

Dumbfounded, Claudia prodded the man further. “Excuse me, Monsieur—” She attempted to grab him by the shoulder, but yet again, her hand phased through him. “...What?”

The man seemed to turn towards Claudia, and he looked up.

Claudia turned and followed his gaze. There was an owl that seemed to give a cry before it flew off.

“What is going on, here? What is the purpose of that owl?”

The surroundings around Claudia visibly started to change, and she saw the same warrior now under the embrace of a woman. She was smaller than the man and Claudia’s mouth was agape the next moment she noted the face.

The Countess was embracing a man!

Claudia’s heart suddenly sank at the sight, and she averted her eyes. “The Countess has courted a lot, I suppose…” She tried to convince herself otherwise, fruitlessly making such a thing seem right to her, even though it wasn’t. “This has to be a dream. Someone is just playing a trick on me, that’s all.”

Her employer in this strange dream and discoloured world was soon having this man kneel before her. Which seemed odd to Claudia. With a nail, she cut her finger and blood seemed to drip out, making the vampire hungry.

“Oh, Circe…” The man said in a voice full of desires—lustful desires.

He sucked the offered bloody finger and drank the Countess’ blood. After some moments. He received another embrace, this time with a kiss. Something about this was very familiar to Claudia.

This time the Representative of vampires was purely cringing. Among the many unanswered questions in her head, one of them asked about the identity of this man, and the nature of the name he had referred the to Countess by; Circe.

“Perhaps he is a Representative from the past?” Claudia asked.

“Odysseus, you now Represent the Zodiac of Scorpio. I granted you the bow. I have guided you all the way to my little home, and I will guide you all the way to your true destination. You will do as I say, yes?”

“Yes… Circe, I cannot thank you enough.”

“Now, go. Fulfill your destiny as a hero.”

The warrior seemed to leave eventually, despite being hesitant. It seemed like he wanted to bask in Circe’s presence, but eventually left. As he did, the form of the Countess that Claudia knew started to change in shape.

Once more did Claudia see the very figure that drove her insane, the tall Goddess who asked her whether she wished to become a heroine or not.

Then it finally became clear to Claudia; it was a cycle. The man named Odysseus witnessing the exact same thing she was enduring in the present.

“Goodness, what on earth is this?”

“Forsooth, the Ragnarok beckons the world’s end. I must gather the gallant warriors. We need… more.”

“Who?” Claudia said, tilting her head. “Could this mean the Countess is gathering Heroes and Heroines for this… Ragnarok?”

Claudia woke up with a jolt and sat down on her bed. She looked around and found herself in the Ritz Hotel. She fell back down on her bed, finding it a waste to let go of such a comfortable sheet. The room in the Ritz hotel was as dazzling as she had remembered. It seemed to practically shine under the Engine light. It seemed like she was alone in her room, and even Cosette was still missing. She had only come back to her old home that was London after her long journey of training, only to find that no one was here.

Crimson Rafflesia had asked Claudia to come here, and it had been nothing but disappointment. Despite her mentor’s words, it seemed like her comrades were not located here, but she was to wait for them regardless.

Fumbling to gain her composure, Clauda left her bed and tersely rubbed at her eyelids, realising the bags under them would remain there for quite some time. Glancing at the mirror along the way, she simply ran a hand through her now short black hair, glad that it did not need much care as it did back when it was long and blonde.

Good riddance, she thought.

Reaching the living room as swiftly as she could manage, Claudia bent into a bow, then realised.

“Wait… what am I doing?” She rose back up and realised there was no one else there besides her, despite her Master’s words.







Basking under nature’s presence on the green grass of Hyde Park, Claudia visited a place that was most nostalgic to her. Just like the last time, she found many families, couples, and groups of friends that came over to enjoy the one place that had the most greenery in the entire city. The feeling of enjoyment one would get when spending time with family, friends, or the like; it was something Claudia no longer knew.

She buried the lower part of her face into the white scarf around her neck and jammed both hands into her coat, watching everyone from a bench, feeling nothing but envy for their lot.

“Must be nice,” she said, her face expressionless. “To have a family or, actual friends to converse with… I had forgotten how good that felt.” Claudia sighed, remembering the days she spent in England, speaking to Mary and Charlotte. All those feelings she previously had for them just shifted into pure hatred now.

“My, fancy meeting you here.”

Claudia turned her head, the blonde long locks were unmistakable. The yellow long dress and the emerald eyes were piercing yet they were somehow gentle. There was no sense of immediate danger unlike their last meeting ever since the year had passed. One had changed, while the other seemed as two-faced as ever.

Indeed, it was her—Charlotte Brontë.

The vampire’s eyes widened to find her former friend. Instincts told her to summon Lachesis right there and bisect her, but, that wasn’t her anymore, to jump so quickly into a fight. Claudia remained calm for now and looked to the woman as if she had stepped in feces.

“You are very brave to approach me so casually,” Claudia said.

Charlotte seemed to make a small smile before she sat beside the vampire on the bench, without asking for permission to join her. She was full of disdain, just like her.

“You thought I possessed no bravery?”

“I think you are insane, to be completely honest.”

“Oh my, and you are not?”

“I know exactly what I am… considering what happened before, I would have thought staying as far away as possible was your prerogative.”

“I am not afraid of your kind.” Charlotte chuckled. “You were simply not the least of my concerns over more important matters.”

“Important matters?” Claudia questioned.

“What else? Mary is my only concern.”

Claudia gave an uninterested hum. “It sounds to me like you don’t have much to worry for then, Miss Brontë.”

“That is fine. I do not want to †˜worry’ about insignificant things. Such as enslaving people, was it?”

Claudia looked at Charlotte through the safety of her scarf, giving her brow a raise. “That’s the least of my worries these days.”

“I see that you grew up.”

“Somewhat. Immortality aside, I’m still only nineteen, and have much to learn about the world.”

“I only realise the difference in age when I hear the numbers. I am over two-hundred now.”

“That makes me wonder how many people you’ve swayed to be your friend until the last minute over the centuries,” Claudia said.

“Just one. Besides, it was Mary who allowed us to meet. I was never particularly interested in anyone else. I would still have considered you a friend until… you took the wrong step.”

“If this were a few months earlier I would’ve laughed in your face,” Claudia began, sighing. “But… I don’t even have the stomach for it anymore. I feel like vomiting in my mouth for every time I think of Mary now, so… you win. Congratulations.”

Charlotte shrugged. “You look better without that ornament anyway.”

“It wasn’t a matter of fashion, it was a matter of keeping myself sane. Though insignificant, the memory of my parents was all I had before now.”

And yet you are far more sane without it? Charlotte listlessly looked at the green field for some time. “I apologise. I doubt you want it, though. I do not really have much about my family. Family seemed rather unimportant to me.”

“Different experiences, I suppose.” Claudia shrugged, turning toward the field as well. “When you go a few centuries without knowing the love of one, anyone would feel the same way. Is this a fate I will endure as well, I wonder?”

“If you do not have someone who can live as long as you, then I suppose you would. What I thought was my love was… well, you are aware of whom I cherished dearly. In the end, fate is a cruel thing.”

“Indeed,” Claudia agreed, nodding and appearing blunt. “Not that we can do anything to stop it. People die. Just move on.”

Charlotte stood up. “I shall be on my way and… I hope we work well together in the future.”

“Together?”

“The Countess claimed that you would join the revolution. Am I wrong?”

“...Revolution.” Claudia made a face knowing that this was the Countess’ doing. Without her consent, as well!

Rubbing at her temples, the Representative sighed. “Could you refresh my memory on what the purpose of this revolution is, please?”

“You were not told?”

“Even less than what you’re telling me now.”

“I suppose you missed the briefing. The Countess agreed to send you to help with the revolution. They want to overthrow the current ruler of this country.”

“Queen Victoria?” Claudia asked. “So she is finally making her move then.”

“It is more of a plot by Princess Louise instead of the Blood Countess. There is a collaboration of several groups.”

Claudia turned forward for a moment to think, then back to Charlotte. “I see… should there be a reason for the Princess’ desire to end her mother’s reign?”

Charlotte shrugged. “Perhaps you should ask Her Highness if you chance to speak with her.”

“That’s if I have the chance to.” Claudia stood from her seat and sighed, meeting Charlotte with the same look as the one she approached her with. “Very well. If the Countess and Virgo will for us to work together, then so be it. As long as Victoria is off the throne.”

“As long as my Mistress wills it, I do not care who I have to work with, either. I will do anything for Mary.”

Thus, they parted ways, both confirming their will and resolve before moving on with life, and the whims of the wheel of destiny.

Aleksander was now in the Buckingham Palace. He had received a letter in the morning from Princess Louise, which stated very tersely the time and place to meet her. Only a full day had passed since he witnessed the ritual in the research group’s room in the Royal Academy, and he was eager to confront Louise regarding the matter.

Alek knew that this was a matter to take seriously, and so he made sure to put the utmost care into cleansing himself and choosing only the finest clothing. The wardrobe he’d decided upon consisted of an excellent pair of silken undershorts for supreme comfort no matter what he might wear over them, and only continued in the same fashion with a well-fitted pair of twill slacks with a white, collared-shirt tucked into it. Over this shirt, he wore a black vest made of wool to help combat the cold and a nice but not-too-formal suit jacket over it to complete the image. The deep blue tie he wore was tied in a half-windsor knot, and adjusted with precision to match the vest. The ensemble was completed with a pair of freshly-polished boots, courtesy of one of his servants, and a walking jacket to combat the bitter cold outside, as well as an inconspicuous bowler hat.

A maidservant guided him across the palace. The hallways were relatively empty—devoid of people—and he surveyed many portraits across the walls that seemed to go very well with the intricate designs. The house of Royalty still felt somewhat gloomy regardless of the grandeur. The maidservant soon knocked on the doors of a lounge, beyond which seemed to lie the Princess.

“Come in.”

The door was opened and Aleksander strolled inside. The lounge was spacious and lavish with fixtures. He noted some tea, cakes, pastries and other sweets parked atop a table. As expected of a Royal Princess, she was meant to be showered with good graces in every manner.

Alek realised very soon, however, that he was not the only guest alone today. A distant-looking woman donning a black petticoat, skirt, pantyhose, and white scarf came into sights. Though tired, her eyes were almost red as blood itself and her short head of messy black hair appeared unnatural from his point of view as well. Perhaps it was dyed that color for some reason.

The first thing that Alek did upon seeing the Princess was to bow deeply toward her, before doing the same for the other lady, forcing his eyes to not linger too long and cause unnecessary discomfiture among the ladies. He instead chose to remain bowed and wait to be addressed.

“Good morning, Duke Aleksander Fane,” Princess Louise greeted, standing up to give a graceful curtsy. “Please join us here.” She gestured towards one of the sofas opposite to her. The Princess seemed to have donned a black dress today. Her emerald eyes were as piercing as Alek could remember. A smile made out of formality swayed his heart even now.

Resisting her wishes wasn’t even a thought in his mind, let alone how rude he would look if he did for some reason decline. He settled into the couch, sitting politely, rather than slouching into the comfortable couch. He found himself wishing with desperation that almost scared him that her smile was more genuine than forced, but he’d since accepted that that was just the way things were.

“Good morning, Princess. It is good to be able to speak to you again.” He led off with idle pleasantries, deciding against cutting straight to the chase.

Considering that she had just entered a few moments before Alek, Claudia was sort of out of the loop. Sitting on the sofa as well, she peered off into the distance and reflected how she was even invited to such a place. Of course it was the Countess’ doing without her consent; she just volunteered Claudia to join this revolution of some sorts, and she didn’t know it by the slightest. The Representative swore from the bottom of her heart that she loved her Mistress, but sometimes being in even her company was tiring.

But from the moment at hand, aside from saying †˜hello’ to the Princess upon entering, Claudia remained silent.

“You have mentioned that you wished to discuss a matter. From the way the letter was written, I would think you were… desperate?” the Princess said. Well, with how obvious your actions had proved to be…

“I see… I’ve come into some… interesting news recently. Something is afoot in our fair kingdom and I’m fairly certain that you know what I mean. I wanted to ask to be part of it,” Alek explained, surprised at how simple it turned out to be.

“Oh? You would want to partake in my quest to renew this country?”

Alek pointedly glanced at the other guest. “And here I wasn’t sure how open I could be. But yes, I won’t bore you with why I feel the way I do, but the current system is rotting under its own weight.”

I suppose even a man like this may have some uses. “This lady here will be working with us—among many of our other associates—to carry out my plans.” The Princess motioned towards Claudia. “She is a vampire, the Representative of the Blood Countess.”

“I see…” Alek simply nodded, not seeing anything else to say at the moment.

“Pleased to meet you,” Claudia said dimly, almost without emotion. She nodded towards Alek, albeit with her face halfway buried into her scarf. “I am Claudia.”

“My name is Aleksander Fane, and I am likewise pleased to meet you, fair lady.” He smiled warmly. “Quite the witch-hunt in these parts to find vampires, I believe. I do hope you’re taking precautions.”

“Concealing myself isn’t a problem. Though, I thank you for your concern.” Claudia nodded again, then absently took a saucer of cake in hand and halfheartedly indulged herself.

Alek nodded, and took a few for himself, munching on them politely as he waits, unwilling to push the conversation.

“By the by, I wanted to congratulate you for attaining the title of Magic Magister,” the Princess said.

“I thank you, that was actually the other reason I wanted to stop by and speak with you, to begin learning from you when you’re ready to teach me.” Alek continued to smile, having made a point to not forget what she’d said.

“Learn from me? Oh yes, the Lost Form?”

“If your offer still stands, then yes. If I become stronger, I should be able to better assist you in your plan. Do you no longer desire to teach me?”

“Lost Form?” Claudia said, perking up a little at the mention. “What a coincidence, as I am still learning of a certain Lost Form.”

“I have hopes to learn the one that my Princess practices, but I have not yet started. What is yours like?” Alek asked Claudia, interested in what she’d been learning.

“Are you familiar with the Undertaker Form? Basically it studies the functions and variations of the human soul. The Form even gives you the ability to listen to the soul’s voice, or what the dead may still be thinking of in the afterlife.”

“I know a spell that does something similar for a body of water, or a source of fire, but it sounds quite useful. I can’t say that I’m familiar with the Form though.”

“I’m unsure if too many are. I suppose they aren’t †˜lost’ for nothing,” Claudia said, making a half-assed attempt at a joke.

Alek didn’t laugh, but he did grin. “I suppose that might be where they got the name after all. What are the primary Forms and Techniques of your Lost Form?”

“I am the master of the Void Lost Form,” Louise stated. “I suppose your Master is Crimson Rafflesia?” the Princess asked Claudia.

“Yes, she is,” Claudia answered. “You know Master Rafflesia?”

Alek listened with interest, not sure who Crimson Rafflesia was, or why Claudia was learning from her rather than the Countess.

“Yes, we have crossed paths before in the Void Realm,” the Princess responded. “She is a famous S ranked Rogue and I had considered hiring her talents. Unfortunately she declined.”

“Mnn, that sounds about right. My Master probably has said a thing or two about being a Rogue in the past. I would never have expected the Princess of London would want to employ her of all people.”

“We need the manpower to handle the defensive mechanisms around my mother,” the Princess said. “After she declined to work, she mentioned that her apprentice would be more than happy enough to help… I suppose that is where you came in.”

“I suppose so.” Not that Claudia would decline such a thing anyways. “I would only wish that she would let me know in advance…”

“Indeed,” Alek replied, “What can I do to help?”

“She did not?” Princess Louise raised her eyebrows. “Regardless, I need the two of you to lend a hand with the assassination attempts.”

Claudia’s eyelids raised. That was enough to wake her up, if only a little bit. “Assassinations, Your Majesty?” she asked, making sure she wasn’t hearing things.

“Yes, for the revolution to succeed. We must take out the loyal nobles of the Queen, my mother. We do not need to necessarily take out those who are neutral or unaware of my plans.”

“I think that she meant to ask specifically what targets did you have in mind,” Alek clarified. “With all due respect, Princess.”

“You really believe so?”

“In any regard, knowing who I’m aiming for would be a great help in my endeavour, for even the best assassin needs to know the details of who their target is to take care of it properly.”

Claudia looked at Alek as if he had spoken from the unholy texts of Satan, brows furrowed. “It wasn’t exactly what I was saying, really. I was simply affirming the Princess’ words; making sure if what she was saying was true,” Claudia said. “But, I agree with Mister Fane…sort of… about the identities of our targets.”

Alek had the good sense to look abashed. “My apologies if I mistook your meaning.”

The Princess wanted to sigh. I almost forgot. This is why he is… Rest assured, her true emotions were far from surfacing upon her beautiful facial features that she was renowned for. “Well, I have a list prepared. Mister Alexander, are you experienced in infiltration and assassination?” the Princess questioned. “I am going to assume that Miss Farris is.”


“Not necessarily, but it should be trivial enough to make it look like an accident… after all, house fires happen all the time.” A puff of fire formed over his knuckles, dancing back and forth before he snuffed it.

“That type of magic would blatantly leave clues for the Magic Investigators of the Royal Council,” the Princess stated almost coldly like she used to from a year ago. “The first thing would be a leftover sign of a Wizard’s sigil.”

“Might be fun to do things manually anyways, if not slightly more difficult. And there are plenty of even more subtle ways to do the job and make it look as natural as can be. I know a guy that makes natural herbal †˜remedies’ that don’t tend to work out very well…”

“That would be safer. We do not wish to risk the loss of assets, either.” The Princess turned to Claudia with a smile. “And I hope you will demonstrate your new skills to your enemies. Would you like to work with Mister Aleksander Fane here, or shall I assign someone else?”

“I do not mind working with Mister Fane.” Claudia shrugged indifferently. “It is not my place to be picky anyhow, Your Highness.”

“I shall I look forward to it. If nothing else, one of us can provide a diversion while the other executes the plan.” Alek smiled. “Who is first up on the list then?”

“Duchess Caroline Cavendish Bentinck,” Princess Louise answered. “The Duchess who defeated Sagittarius twice according to the information.”

“Then she would be trouble if she is capable of defeating a Descendant,” Claudia said. “We should take her carefully.”

“I want to send another assassin just to even the scales… I was not able to get her to come here, however. We must schedule for you two to meet her,” the Princess stated.

“Might I ask who that might be?”

“Judgement Sniper, a Descendant who Virgo sent to aid my cause.”

“Her? Gears girl? I guess she might be helpful…” Alek stated reluctantly. “She ran away almost right away though when I fought her. Guess I was too much for her.”

“Oh yes, the one who slapped me some time ago,” Claudia said plainly. She no longer felt hostile for the Descendant, no. That one incident was the only thing she knew Judgement Sniper by.

You? Too much for her? “By the by, I do not have the time to teach you the Void Lost Form at the moment,” Princess Louise claimed, facing Alek. “There is someone else who may teach you, however. I shall send you the whereabouts soon.”

“The sooner the better. I must confess that I am quite eager to begin, and you’ve successfully built my anticipation for it…” Alek replied. “And I’ve limited time for personal endeavours before other duties call my attention as well.”

“That is all I have to say for now. I shall have Judgement Sniper sent to the Ritz Hotel. Any questions?” the Princess said.

“None at all, Your Highness,” Claudia said, shaking her head.

“No. It seems fairly straightforward,” Alek agreed, bowing once more to the lady in black.

The two got up, and so did the Princess, who gave a courteous bow.

“I wish you both luck.”

“Thank you, Princess. We will not let you down.” Alek swore with a serious expression, his easy grin from earlier gone.

Putting a hand to her chest, Claudia bowed to Louise. “With swiftness, Princess.”

After they left their patron’s presence, Alek politely cleared his throat to get the vampire’s attention. Turning, Claudia raised an eyebrow and faced the man with the same tired expression she came in with, the bags under her eyes vivid.

“Yes?”

“Are you… well? You seem quite knackered…” Alek asked with a friendly enough smile. “If you’d like, my kitchen staff should be putting the finishing touches on breakfast right now? Might do well to become a little more acquainted, so we can get a feel for how each other operates.”

“Knackered, Mister Fane?” Claudia asked with a tilted head. “No, I am fine. Maybe I am craving for a bit of blood, but nothing else.” She turned her head slightly back to uniform level and sighed. “Becoming a little more acquainted, you say… I suppose.”

“I don’t think that my servants are paid enough to let my associates drink their blood unfortunately. The best I could offer in that regard is my own if you really need it.”

Claudia couldn’t explain it, but something told her that if she said no to such an offer she would go hungry for quite sometime. “...Usually I get to know my allies before sucking their blood, but… I hate to turn down an offer.” She glanced back and forth through the hallway before returning to Aleksander, gesturing him to the wall. “Fine. You may feel a pinch on your neck; don’t make any noise,” she ordered.

Claudia grabbed both the man’s wrists and pinned him onto the wall, digging her fangs into his neck with force. As if she was deprived of blood for a few days—not that anyone would be surprised on Rafflesia’s account– the Representative drank like she would her victims, or the Countess, minding the fact that Alek was still human and could die from blood loss. She held back, of course.

Alek blushed lightly, the blood in his cheeks interestingly seeming to drain from top to bottom as a fair volume of it was sucked through the puncture in his neck. His mouth was shut so hard that a bead of blood was drawn from where he bit his lip to silence the would-be moans.

Once she drew back, a content sigh exited her lips. Claudia wiped her crimson stained mouth with the back of her coat sleeve, turning away from Alek to readjust herself.

“W-Wow… that was… that was intense. I might need a day or two to recharge but if it’s always like that then I mean… I wouldn’t hate it if you wanted another taste… “ His blush seemed to flood back into his cheeks after a few seconds of her not drinking anymore. There was definitely some non-verbal evidence of his enjoyment of what she’d done, even as his brain was flooded with endorphins.

“What are you, a masochist? You enjoyed that way too much,” Claudia said, almost chiding him.

Alek smiled nervously. “I umm… I didn’t think that I was, but after that… I’m not sure what to think any more.” He avoided her gaze, ashamed to admit it, even indirectly.

Claudia put a hand to her forehead, sighing for the third or fourth time today. Was this how I was back then? “Well in any case, we should get going; walk and talk if you want to get to know me, perhaps.”

In the Ritz Hotel, the vampire traversed through the corridors. She returned to her own room, and it was still empty. She sat down on a sofa to let out a sigh, the tension from the day all leaving her body.

To her, Princess Louise seemed like the interesting sort. Not that she knew a lot about her, Claudia would more or less like to be more acquainted with Her Highness for the time being.

Speaking of being more acquainted, she thought.

That noble she spoke with for the rest of the day, Aleksander—or Alek as he would probably prefer—Claudia saw that he was just another person affected by fate, hearing his story. To her, he was harmless when it came to friendly conversation, but he had not even the slightest clue on how to express that. Truly, she saw a lot of her in him, which was strange enough. Along with that, her recent discovery not only brought her closer to this man, but made matters worse.

With that, Claudia concluded:

“He’s just a weird man.”

Claudia lazily looked up and something was out of place. A letter was on her table just before her. Humming, the Representative took it in a single hand, peering at the text closely.

“What’s this?”

Dear Daughter,

As usual, dress up—pretty yourself up—prepare your best jests, and come visit me in my room.

It was signed by the Countess. Of course, she didn’t exactly write the Blood Countess, but the name Catherine.

With that, Claudia’s expression tightened, and she froze in place.

“W-What.”

With trembling hands, the parchment fell from her very fingers and parachuted onto the floor. Standing up, Claudia hurried over to her own room and outright stripped her outfit off, dropping it all, from her coat to her skirt, callously onto the floor. She opened the closet and yanked out the first outfit she could find—a slim-fitting red dress that showed her curves and figure and the garters and stockings she used to wear.

Heels clacked through the hallway speedily as Claudia, dressed like a doll, increased pace.

All she had on her mind was the Countess. Her sweet, caring Countess.







Claudia rang the bell of the room in the Ritz Hotel. She was positive that it was the room of the Countess. Just like the last time she was here a year and a few months plus more. After some moments, there was no response, and Claudia pressed the bell a few times more in impatience.

The door finally opened and the Representative saw Ansel, who seemed to be grinning at her like an imp.

“Heh, it was worth the suspension.”

Claudia attempted to glance past the other vampire in search for her mistress inside the room, raising her brow.

“Hello, Ansel. It is good to see you again,” she said as patiently as she could manage. She intended to save her genuine kindness for when she actually saw the Countess. “Say, you wouldn’t happen to know where the Countess is, would you?”

“Come in.” Ansel opened the door in full and gestured for her to follow.

Claudia complied, entering the room. She found the same room as she had witnessed last year. It was even more luxurious than her own. On the sofa was a familiar figure who seemed to be holding a hookah, taking a long drag from it before letting out a cloud of smoke. As usual, she leaned against the fixture as if laying down, indulging in the comfort.

“Why hello there,” the Descendant vampire greeted.

A full gleaming smile found the girl’s face. She felt like a child on Christmas morning seeing her Mistress after so long.

“My Countess, I—” Claudia began to run up and hug her mistress but with an afterthought of Raflessia crossing her mind, stopped herself. Humble, humble, humble, I must remain—fuck it, I waited so long for this.

Finally letting loose after a year, Claudia ran towards her so-called love and wrapped her into a tight hug. In her arms, she was smaller than Claudia remembered in this form, but that was one of the best things about this Descendant. The Representative buried her face into the Countess’ shoulder, almost ready to cry.

“I missed you so much!” she exclaimed.

“Did you now? I have heard of all the times you have spent enjoying Rafflesia’s company,” Catherine said, running a hand through Claudia’s hair. “Dyed it black, mn? Change—so much change in you I witness tonight.”

There she went with touching her hair again. Like a trigger, Claudia let out a shudder vocal enough for her Mistress to hear her.

“Master Rafflesia is a fine teacher, yes. Though admittedly, I think I lost more limbs with her than I would with you,” Claudia said, looking away, but returning to her Countess with a smile. “Do you like my hair, Mistress? I thought that black would suit me better.”

“I actually preferred the original colour. Something about alterations is not exactly a preference for me, however ironic that may sound. However, your choices should have no bearings with opinions of my own, my dear. If you prefer black, keep it.”

The two parted and Claudia sat beside the Countess.

“I assume you have been traveling the world all this time with your Master,” Ansel said. “What do you think of it now?”

Claudia composed herself and looked to Ansel after dropping her smile. “My views on the world have changed, no doubt,” Claudia explained. “Having been all over, I’ve met people, visited many places, and even developed a sense of patience. I’ve matured, maybe only a little this year, but yearn for more knowledge.”

Ansel looked at the Countess, dumbfounded. Catherine gave Ansel a look as if her food was spoiled.

“Really now?” Ansel asked. “That is surprising. We are happy for you.”

Claudia hummed in question. “Really? Judging by your expressions, you don’t seem very pleased to hear so. Is there anything the matter?”

“We are surprised, really,” Ansel said. He seemed quite honest but baffled.

“How should I say it…?” Catherine chuckled dryly. “I should thank Crimson Rafflesia for the growth, but perhaps I will miss the openly-proud girl I knew.”

It was then that Claudia froze again.

“...Fuck,” she snarled out of regret, but outright corrected herself. “Oh—forgive my tongue Countess.”

“Is something the matter?”

“I suppose my time with Master Rafflesia—how my old self would put it—fucked me, then. If I had known this change in disposition would alter your opinion of me, I would’ve risked being killed by her and kept myself the same…”

“Oh no, this maturity in you was required since otherwise you would keep losing. Besides, I doubt my good daughter is not actually lost to me.” The Countess patted Claudia again. “You worry overmuch, dear.”


A heavy red blush found Claudia’s face just from her Mistress’ touch alone, and she glanced at her legs, crossed as she sat on the sofa. That remark of her losing battles may have been noted as criticism rather than an insult, but Claudia nodded to it regardless. “No, M-Mother. I will never be lost to you.” Holy shit, that sounded strange… but, I liked it. Yeah, I could… get used to that.

As if caught off-guard, the Countess gave a surprised look and gave a big smile. “Thank you so much.”

“For what?” Claudia asked, face burning with embarrassment.

“For calling me a mother. I am touched. I really am.”

Claudia smiled, feeling butterflies in her stomach. “T-Then… my mother you are.”

“Mnm.” She hugged her again.

Oh my… she’s so affectionate from this… not that I’m complaining. Claudia deepened the hug, humming in response.







It had been a few hours since Claudia was reunited with her Countess. The Blood Countess of Hungary had been up to her own business for the past year and spoke about some of it. The assassination of an Arabian ambassador, and some from America. It seemed like she was aiming to dismantle some nations in some way altogether. For what political purpose, Claudia didn’t know.

Claudia also spent some time narrating about her adventures with Crimson Rafflesia. Unlike her past self, however, she didn’t speak with as much excitement as before. She was cold, rigid, but solid. Never mind what lay beyond this new hard shell she developed, the Countess had indeed acknowledged it to be an improvement.

With a wave of her hand, Ansel was dismissed. He stood up, gave a bow, and exited the room.

“Are you ready?” The Countess questioned, getting off the sofa herself.

“For what, may I ask, Mother?” Claudia replied, still seated.

“Do you remember our promise?”

The Blood Countess’ form began to undergo a change. The height of the usually-short girl was raised, the clothes started to deform and then reform through a mysterious use of a supernatural power, and her mesmerising facial expression was revealed. The Goddess had shown herself before Claudia, the Representative of vampire once more.

This form alone was a good enough reminder to Claudia.

“Ah, yes. How could I forget?” Claudia sat upright and met the Countess’ gaze. “So, this would be my second taste at a vision?” The Representative’s eyes practically sparkled at the sight of her so-called mother’s true form. To see this again made her shudder with joy under her breath.

“Seen a vision of me once, have you, my fair daughter?”

“Yes, just last night.” Claudia nodded. “I couldn’t make heads or tails of it at first, but as the vision continued, I saw you… uh, anointing another man and giving him a relic.”

“He was chosen—just like you.” The Goddess smiled at Claudia. “The vision is thy testament of growth.”

“As a Hero? And myself a Heroine?”

“Yes. Which of my past heroes did you witness?”

“I believe his name was Odysseus.”

“Henceforth you shall own the bow that I had once granted him in the form of Hephaestus,” the Countess in her true form stated. A magnificent bow formed atop her palms and she gave it to Claudia.

The Representative’s eyes lit up at the new weapon before her. Anything from the Countess was usually cherished by Claudia, but this was a completely different story.

“I thank you, Mother.” The girl bowed to her Mistress with brimming appreciation, gripping the bow tightly in both hands with a resolute look.

“And this shall be my other present…” With another flash, she handed something Claudia could hardly carry. It was a large shield, one that was almost taller than her height. It was a black shield that sparkled magnificently under the Engine light of the hotel room. There were golden linings that seemed to form an ancient letter together. In the centre of the shield was the very head of the Gorgon, in all its reptilian glory.

“Woah—uhh.” Claudia attempted to react more on this, but she was nearly overpowered by the sheer size of her shield, strength of a vampire aside. Lachesis Fang wasn’t a problem, it was the matter of the bow and shield overencumpering her. “I do not suppose these can be summoned as well?”

“All relics may be summoned, silly child.”

“Good… good…” Claudia said, sighing with relief. “Well once again, Mother, thank you so much for these gifts. I shall use them with grace.”

“I have faith that you will.”

(GM Comment: I’m sure we did—until the end of the act, anyway.)

Alek leisurely walked through the flashy and glamorous corridors of the Ritz hotel with a spring in his step and a whistle that could be heard before he could be seen, even in the spacious, lengthy corridors of the hotel. Weiss was behind the man, cloaked and silent. She was told to follow him and gather intel by an employer. The invisibility function still works great. Looks like I don’t need to go through walls for now,[i] she thought.

“I can’t believe I’m actually about to do this…” he said, a little nervous of the implications of what he was going to do, not that he’d ever admit it to anyone. [i]“I don’t know if it’ll be easy to work with someone I remember fighting, but hell, maybe she doesn’t even remember me.”

When he finally reached the designated room, he checked his getup one more time and dusted himself just in case, ringing the bell at last.

Claudia was behind the door, giving her cold stare as she happened to find Alek standing there.

“Mister Fane,” she greeted with a nod, moving aside to allow the man to enter.

Of all people in the world. Weiss shook her head and stealthily entered the room.

Alek bowed courteously before stepping inside. “Thank you, Miss Farris, and might I mention it is a pleasure to see you again.” He smiled kindly.

Claudia didn’t respond. Instead she nodded and gestured for her guest to take a seat on the couch—both of them. She placed both hands on her hips and sighed, appearing a little impatient, as if waiting for the other to show herself.

“I don’t want anyone to know that I exist you know,” Weiss said as her body steadily appeared from top to bottom behind Claudia. Weiss then smiled at the man as he entered the door.

Alek looked back over his shoulder, still smiling. “Good evening, Miss Ackerman. I’m pleased to see that coming here wasn’t a waste of time after all.”

“Not that we wouldn’t see her any other time, though it would be an inconvenience if she did not show up regardless,” Claudia added, then turned to Weiss to nod at her. The Representative took her seat and jammed her hands into her pockets. “So, if I remember from Princess Louise’s words, we all were to plan the assassination of Duchess Caroline.”

Claudia grabbed a stack of papers, likely received by mail from the Princess herself, and gave a yawn before reading from it word for word. “What I have here is her profile; essential information on what we need to study for her death. Where she lives, how much resistance we can expect, etcetera.”

“A little bit of homework never killed anyone, I suppose. Except this homework might.” Alek cracked a joke unintentionally at first, but decided to see it through. “My best idea so far is poison, but I’m open to better ideas.”

“And earlier, I suggested I use my relic to drive her to commit suicide. With her current mental state, it may be a trivial endeavour to coax something of that nature out of her,” Claudia added with a raised finger. “Miss Ackerman, do you have any suggestions?”

“I usually snipe them from afar, but since the target is a Duchess, I doubt poison and mind control could work. We could just lure her guards away from her and assassinate her when she’s alone or in a crowded space where we can stab her when she is confused with the commotion.”

“If we’re too obvious about it, it’ll only make the next target that much harder to take care of. The more accidental the better,” Alek cautioned.

“Indeed. We need to leave as little clues as possible. Investigators might find poison in her system, and wounds on her body from Miss Ackerman and I.” Claudia put a hand to her chin and pursed her lips. “Whatever the case, as Mister Fane said, we need to make it all seem like an accident. Magic is out, as well as using weapons of any kind.”

“Actually, I was thinking of using Nightshade, perhaps pulping a few berries and mixing it with her wine, or dicing up a leaf or two and adding the diced leaves to a salad. Non-invasive, and actually fairly common to find. It could be seen as suspicious, but it could also be a horrible accident.”

“Alright, chalk that down as an option,” Claudia said, taking a notepad from the table. “Now, as mentioned, following the death of her husband, Duke Cavendish, Duchess Caroline was left at a weak mental state. We could take advantage of that.”

“We need a plan B.”

“Plan B… I suppose I could try to charm her and gain her trust, and then use that to murder her in her sleep. It might take a bit more time though,” Alek suggested. “Not necessarily anything romantic, but I’m sure she could use some comfort after something so traumatic.” He felt the need to clarify.

Claudia silently jotted that down as well. As strange as it sounded, the Duchess would likely still have some trust in Alek, thus giving him an open window to get closer to her. “That may lead to using the Nightshade on her as well. Considering that I am a vampire, and Weiss is a clear ally of Virgo, we would not be able to come an inch between her and the tip of a sword.”

“What do you think, Weiss?” Alek asked. “Not very flashy, but as long as it gets results, I don’t particularly care.”

“Why not get close to her, gain her trust and kill her after?”

“Wouldn’t she find you offputting, Weiss? After all, with your prosthetic parts.”

“Who said about it should be me? Let’s ask the man in the room.” Weiss winked at Alek.

“We’d run into the obvious problem that it’d clearly be murder, unfortunately. If there’s no more subtle way to do it, then as long as nobody knows that I’m visiting her at the time she’s murdered and I have a good alibi, then I don’t see a problem.” Alek smiled lightly at Weiss, uncertain as to why she was choosing now to wink, and unsure what to think.

“Yes, except, you aren’t the best talker in the world, and certainly lack a poker face,” Claudia remarked. “But, if you believe that may work, be my guest. Just know that if you fuck up, I’m coming in there myself to finish her off.”

“Hm.” He hummed for a moment, thinking, “I imagine a knife between the ribs is too easy… the best angle that I think we’ve got so far is screwing her mind over. What’s the most effective way to take advantage of that?”

Weiss sighed. “Just stick to the basics. The aim is to Assassinate then assassinate.”

“It is not that complex. It would make more sense to hide our identities, get her alone, then do the deed the old fashioned way, no? Otherwise…” A purple flame ignited itself over top Claudia’s index finger, and she raised it at the two. “My Lost Form may be helpful enough if we need to do this fast. Bear in mind that Caroline defeated Sagittarius twice, so she is still powerful enough to withstand a fight. Probably not between the three of us, but I would still remain careful.”

“Very much so. Engaging Caroline head on is the furthest thing from my mind, doubly so doing it on my own.” Alek looked at Weiss like she’d grown a second head, no clue what she meant by that. “What do we do about any security that might be around her?”

“If the sniper’s finger is fast enough on the trigger, we shouldn’t have an issue,” Claudia said. “You are efficient in dispatching foes swiftly, right?” She had to make sure her assumption wasn’t just egging the Descendant on. The last thing Claudia would want was to have her confidence misplaced in someone unable to perform this task.

Alek nodded, having seen the Descendant fight before. “She’s good enough that she won’t slow me down, and that’s what matters,” he explained simply. “If she sticks to long-range, you can handle close-range, and I’ll watch your back, and keep you alive, Miss Farris.” Alek did his best to reassure the vampire, giving a thumbs-up.

“Not that I need you to? You’re welcome to take out whoever I miss, but other than that, I’m sure I will be fine,” Claudia replied, giving an unsure scratch of her scalp. “Are you fine with this, Weiss? It is in your expertise, yes?”

“Yes, my fingers are fast enough to kill the guards. I can do it even better if there’s a good vantage point.”

Alek seemed only moderately disheartened at Claudia’s dismissal, but vowed to not let her down regardless. Perhaps if he made a good enough impression she would decide to keep him around after all, certainly better than sitting around doing nothing in England. “Glad to hear it, Miss Ackerman. Do you mind if I use your first name?”

“I don’t really mind, just don’t call me that on the mission.”

“Absolutely. I am most sorry for my uncouth behavior at our last meeting. I don’t make a habit of striking ladies, I can assure you.” He smiled disarmingly. “Regardless, it still remains that I have done so, so please accept my apology.” Alek offered the cyborg woman a fresh, non-melted Snickersâ„¢ bar that he’d gotten from the lobby as a peace offering.

Weiss looked at the man with a blank stare. “OH! Now I remember, you’re the guy that I fought once way back then. I’ll pass on the bar but thank you.”

Alek shrugged, “So… poison her if we can. If not, direct assault is our fallback. Would Caroline recognize you if she saw you, Miss Farris? Do you mind if I also use your first name?” Somehow, when Alek asked this time, it was almost like he was more sincere in how he said it.

Claudia sighed. “Do what you like,” she said. “I doubt she would know who I am exactly, but if you think she would trust just anyone who strolls into her home, claiming good tidings, you’re a fool.”

“We can introduce you by a different name perhaps, say that you’re a friend I met in Prussia. If she does get suspicious, then we’ll skip the poison and go straight to direct confrontation. At the least, her hesitation should allow us to get past at least some of her security. The closer we get before she knows the score, the better.”

“You aren’t thinking at all,” Claudia said bluntly. “You are suggesting plans of a complicated nature, which may very well get us discovered regardless. It is only simple to outright kill her–no questions asked, no contact or conversation needed. Mind you, this is a Duchess we are discussing, who might be the most uneasiest of the bunch. I cannot begin to tell you how foolhardy walking in with a facade is, especially with how you hardly know Caroline at all.”

“If you think that plan is best, then I shall do my best to accomplish it, Mistress.” Alek agreed simply, trusting her judgement on this matter in light of the fact that she was absolutely right about him not knowing what Caroline was like, and that she was more experienced regardless.

...The fuck did he just call me? “Yes… well, we have our assignment, and our plan in turn. We execute it tonight. I want you two to prepare until then.”

“Alright, I’ll scout around to find a vantage point where I can snipe the guards.”

“Understood, Lady Claudia. I will do my best to bring honor to our team, and our mission,” Alek promised, knowing in his heart of hearts that he would either make it or break it by this evening’s events.

Nightfall was upon the streets of London, and the Engine lights flickered on as the final remnants of sunlight left the coast.

Claudia, Weiss, and Alek were posted on top of a building, watching over Duchess Caroline’s mansion. From the Descendant’s scope, there were no guards to be found, not from the inside or the perimeter, which seemed strange for the trio, but none of them wanted to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“Guards or no, we should take this chance,” Claudia said. She turned to Weiss after summoning her scythe. “I don’t suppose you want to join us since there is no opposition? You’re welcome to stay here, otherwise.”

This is...strange. It’s like we were given the opportunity to strike and yet my gut says that it’s a trap, she thought and continued, “You know what? I’m staying here to provide cover for you guys.” She pulled her rifle out from her back and laid down on the roof, scoping the area using the rifle’s scope.

“Alright then. Have fun,” Claudia said before walking off the face of the building, allowing her legs to absorb the shock of the fall.

Before continuing, Claudia covered the lower part of her face with her scarf so that the only thing any witnesses, or Caroline herself, would see were her piercing red eyes.

Alek followed her lead, summoning Colada seemingly out of thin air, the relic-blade giving of a soft green glow probably about the brightness of a twilit night thanks to his attentions to keeping the blade dim with an application of Perdo Ignem.

“This feels too easy. Should I reconnoiter the mansion?” Alek asked Claudia, looking to her as the voice of wisdom.

“Be my guest. With Weiss covering us from afar, we should be fine regardless,” Claudia said, figuring the more eyes they had around the mansion, the better.

“Yes, Mistress.” Alek nodded once before pulling a tightly-bound cape out of his pocket and unwrapping it, moving to hang it about his shoulders and seemingly becoming a raven as it obscured his body for the briefest of moments. The cape shrunk and seemed to melt to his body, becoming the feathers that covered him and made him an inky black that blended into the night sky perfectly. In his new form he winged down from the roof, and began to check the windows on the second story of the mansion, casting Heatseeker as well to be able to see heat signatures, even through the windows themselves.

He couldn’t see any heat signatures except what turned to be Engine lights burning bright despite it being late. Perhaps the Duchess did not prefer the darkness and kept the hallways alight.

Claudia stopped at the mansion’s front door. She made no attempt to wait around to check if it was locked or not, so she gripped Lachesis in both hands, cut the doorknob into two halves and discreetly opened the door.

The Representative of vampires padded through, indeed finding nothing but an empty foyer before her.

She walked up to the staircase that seemed to lie dead ahead. Her first instinct was to check the bedrooms for the aforementioned Duchess. It was in the dead of night after all. Sleep was commonplace for most humans at this time.

Alek flew to the roof of the house, looking for a chimney with no smoke coming out of it and flew down it to get inside of the house. Once inside, he continued to fly up and down the hallways, looking for the Duchess before spotting the Representative ahead of him, checking rooms. Deciding it was better to back her up, he quietly followed behind her, using his telepathy to warn her that he was behind her in raven form.

Claudia shot him a red-eyed glare past her shoulder. “Fool, you could be using this chance to search for the Duchess. Don't be so eager to be by my side,” she snarled, walking ahead.

”Sorry, Miss Farris…” He silently accepted her harsh words without protest and swept the room with his enhanced vision to make sure the Duchess wasn’t hiding.

After combing through the final dregs of mansion bedrooms, Claudia narrowed her search down to the sole door at the end of the hall. If Caroline wasn't anywhere else in the house, she'd definitely be there.

Swiftly, she made a beeline for the door, delicately swinging it open. The woman's pupils turned a depraved hollow red as the thought of the Duchess drawing near practically hit her.

Claudia found a bedroom before her. Another luxurious room like the ones she had went through earlier, but she could see that the bed in this room was occupied. The lady of the house was blanketed and was seemingly sleeping in peace.

The Representative remained silent. With tightened hands around her scythe, Claudia had no intention to lollygag. She approached the slumbering Duchess, weapon raised.

Gaze cold and unmoved, Lachesis’ Scythe fell, piercing the Duchess through her covers. Claudia swung again, then again, then again, pent up rage being released into her target. Better her than Alek, after all. She looked down at her, however, only to find watch staining the bed, and not even blood. Her face contorted, feeling cold steel running into her back. The vampire turned, her crimson eyes flashing, finding the Duchess.

“I suppose that is not enough,” the lady of the house said with a cold glare, retracting the blade, making blood drip on the carpeted floor.

Claudia turned to the Duchess slowly, ire lush in her gaze.

“…You ruined my coat,” Claudia remarked flatly.

“Better than dying.”

Alek paused outside the doorway for a moment to weigh his options, before dropping Raven’s Coat spell and putting on a concealing hood to hide his face and readying his blade, a dull gleam running the length as he stepped inside with only the slightest rustling of his clothes as he moved.

“You shouldn't have done that… Mistress is going to be quite cross later… I only hope she'll take it out on me…” The blade flashed towards her seeming to cut the darkness itself as cold steel sought warm flesh.

With a step forward, Claudia swung her scythe over the woman’s head, yearning to split her in half. She thought that she actually did for a moment, but it was for naught as the Duchess turned out to have telegraphed her movements and slid to the side. The Representative noticed that water had formed under Caroline’s shoes, assisting her with this action.

“Tch…”

Alek took advantage of her momentary distraction to cast a spell on himself to achieve inner peace, that he might focus on laying low the enemies of his Lady. Mortals would know the spell he used as Hypothalamus Failure, which worked by shutting off a portion of his brain temporarily to increase his efficiency in spellcasting, and rounded off by summoning a chaotic being of fire in front of him. “Go forth and destroy my foes...” he said in the most casual tone of voice imaginable.

The elemental wordlessly turned, and walked towards the Duchess, but she was too fast to be hit just yet. The window shattered the next moment and a bullet wounded her just below her chest.

To add on the pressure, Claudia called upon her Commandment, Grim Reaper’s Descent, and a black puddle formed under her feet. The shadows spread throughout the room on each side of her, and what rose were the ephemeral beasts, Claudia’s Infernal dogs. With a silent point across the room all three of them charged the Duchess, tackled her with all their might and promptly tore into the woman as if their master had seldom fed their ilk.

They raved through the entire house, breaking apart everything in their path. The wallpaper was torn off the walls and the furniture was smashed to bits in seconds. One of the beasts slammed into the window during the struggle, coaxing shards of glass to scatter about the floor. The shattering sound sent them into a frenzy, deepening their desire to feed.

Even with his emotions deadened, a shiver still ran through Alek as he imagined what the sheer force of their vicious brutality would feel like. In a display of physics-defying strength he sailed through the air, directly over the Duchess’ head and let his burning passion manifest in an orb of light that twirled around his wrist for a brief moment.

Alek stabbed his hand into it and performed the chant for the Ignus Projectiles spell as he reached the zenith of his leap, unloading three bright fireballs directly onto his prey. With a resounding explosion they hit their mark, and his summoned Crimson Avatar landed with its fist falling on her gut.

“You will feel the raging storm of my emotion right up until your final moment… Please bear with it so as to last long enough for me to truly enjoy it…” he said with a dead, glassy voice.

Claudia seemed to come down beside Alek and when the Duchess finally pulled herself up to face them, Weiss’ fist landed squarely in her chest, sending her flying to a wall of the main halls now broken apart completely. The debris seemed to cause smoke across the area. So much for minimising the damage of properties.

Two dragons made of water burst forth from the smoke and bit onto Claudia. They were like miniature versions of her Infernal creatures from her Commandment, but were undoubtedly weaker, despite then they drew blood. When Aleksander turned to find his so-called Mistress wounded, he felt the pangs of pain and found a dragon biting at his flank. Making a swing with their weapons they cut the watery monsters off, upon which they felt an icy cold blizzard blowing.

As Weiss stood before them, her body started to solidify as the layers of ice formed all over her body.

Claudia took a stance after she held her scythe with the left hand. A violet aura enveloped her as the powers of the Undertaker were unleashed.

Drawing up her index finger, a violet flame formed at its tip and she wrote the word †˜control’ in the Soul Language, bidding the soul of Caroline to bend to her will. However, Caroline’s will stood strong as she fought against the control, despite burning in flame now due to Aleksander’s summoned entity setting her on fire. From the friction of both wills, the ending result was a portion of her arm slitting open seemingly unnaturally as the spell ended.

Aleksander passed his hand over the cold steel of his sword, slickening his palms with the hot blood of the noblewoman as he intoned the spell quietly, sparks flickering between his palm and the blade as it seemed to become charged with the fury of the storms. Caroline realised that he had cast one of the augment spells, the sparks flying off the steel giving away which one it was, before he looked up and went for a sweeping slice.

Water formed under her heels and she seemed the slide away from the edge of his relic sword, Colada, but the entity of flames dug its fist at her instead.

Seeing this chance, Claudia once more activated her Commandment, a puddle of blackness forming under her and the Infernal beasts once more flew up and sailed down at the Duchess, causing another resounding crash as they howled in delight.

Elizabeth, I have to… I have to… live for her…

Duchess Caroline tried to stand her ground, but her back was slapped against the wall. Likely the final wall remaining of the once-majestic manor. Under the dark sky and the broken shards of her properties, this was the end of her path after a glorious life was led where she defeated Sagittarius twice.

“In another life, I wish that this moment might be more intimate, that I might be strong enough to take you on by myself. But I shall not turn away the help that has been offered, and am glad for my comrades, no matter how temporary…” Alek stated, the tone exactly the same as it has been for the entire fight so far. “Good night, Miss Cavendish. I hope that you are able to find your husband in the afterlife.”

With his brief monologue concluded, he nearly dislocated his shoulder with the force he stabbed with. His blow was aimed true, and it penetrated her guard, taking advantage of the distraction caused by the Infernal hounds. His blade sank into her flesh by nearly a foot before being stopped by her rib cage as the blade became too wide to slip between them any further, but by then it was too late as her heart had been run completely through. Alek yanked his sword out of the fresh corpse, and de-summoned his sword before turning to Claudia to begin patching her wounds, since they were the most serious any of them had suffered.

With a sudden lapse in frustration, Claudia shoved the eager man from her side and called upon her Lost Form once again. Her finger burned through the air, writing a word in purple text. “You won’t get the privilege of seeing your husband in the afterlife, because your soul will be resting with me,” she said with a snarl.

Alek stumbled away slightly, having already achieved his primary concern of stemming the bleeding.

“You… will… pay for this!” the Duchess said with a hoarse voice, coughing out blood as she wailed in pain. “All… of you… will.”

“Eventually, that time will come. But right now, Duchess? You hang at the gallows.”

“I suppose… this is it…” Take care Elizabeth. I am sorry, William…

Claudia had written the word “collect,” the same spell she first used as an Undertaker.

Caroline’s bones were coaxed from her body and offered into Claudia’s palm. The poor Duchess fell flat onto the floor. Like Duke Powlett, Caroline was among the numbers killed by Claudia.

Gripping the bones tightly, the Representative made no effort for a laugh or crazed smile. She just stood there, watching as the woman’s corpse laid there. The bones in her hand simply vanished, magically stored in another dimension where she would utilize them for a later time.

Alek watched in mute surprise, face and voice still bland from Hypothalamus Failure. “What was that about?”

“That was the Lost Form I spoke of. Right now, the Good Duchess’ bones and soul rests in my possession. This is the power of an Undertaker,” Claudia answered.

Alek nodded in acceptance of her explanation, “That sounds just a little terrifying to think about, no offense.” he blandly stated as the spell began to wear off, his emotion returning to him.

Weiss was stunned to see the spectacle. “Do you really have to do that?” Weiss approached the boneless body and crouched down. “I’m sorry that your bones were ripped off like that. She’s a bit odd, that one.” Weiss then grabbed the nearest cloth and covered the body.

“Now then, Shall we leave?”

Silently dusting herself off and futilely wiping the blood from her coat, Claudia turned towards the exit, giving Alek’s head a passing pat and gestured the two along. “We should. The Princess will have to hear of this.”

Alek nodded absently with a small smile at the brief praise, thinking that he must have done well in the fight, for a regular mage, at least. At close range, the smell of blood seemed particularly strong, both a mixture of the now deceased Duchess’ and his own as he shifted on the balls of his feet, showing that he was hesitant to ask something. Finally he just went for it, “Umm… Mistress? If you’re hungry from your exertions… I’m not feeling the effects of blood loss anymore, so I think it’s safe for you to feed if you want to…”

Claudia stopped in her tracks, finally noticing the smell of blood. Turning towards Alek, her lips pursed. “Again? Truly, you are a glutton for pain,” she said, making a beeline for the man. She grabbed for Alek’s chin and crooked his head to the side to bare her fangs. “Know that I held back out of courtesy the first time. If this becomes a habit, I will dine to my heart’s content.” She then dug in, sucking out every drop she felt was necessary in Alek’s bare neck.

“Ahhn!” Alek squirmed slightly in her grip, “Please do what you will, Mistress. I desire only to serve you in whatever capacity you see fit to use me…” His face was plastered with a blissful smile as he truly seemed to enjoy their circumstance

Claudia hummed while she dug her fangs deeper, acknowledging his desiring countenance. As much as she hated to admit it, he was doing far better than Cosette, not that she had seen her recently.

Feeling the pain in her wounds fade away, Claudia retracted and wiped the blood from her lips, giving a satisfied sigh. “Are you content, now?” she asked.

“Very…” he sighed with satisfaction, “I wouldn’t mind doing this again if you ever get hungry, Mistress…” he offered, giving his consent to being her prey. “I only ask that you allow me to keep living, so I may enjoy this more in the future.”

Alek clearly wanted to do more, but recognised that this is not the time or place, to say nothing of the fact that it was best if he didn’t initiate further contact. This understanding did nothing to prevent him from wanting to feel more, however, and he reached a state of almost hyper-sensitivity as he tried with only partial success to mask the lust he felt.

He glimpsed a curvy greatsword laying under the hand of the dead Duchess and gently pried it out of her rapidly stiffening fingers before holding it aloft for Claudia to see. “Sure doesn’t look like a normal greatsword, does it?” He asked rhetorically. “What do you think we should do with it? I doubt she needs it anymore…” he gestured to Caroline’s corpse.

“Take advantage of your kill, Fane. That is a Relic from the looks of it. Only a fool would let such a thing go to waste,” Claudia said. A plain look plastered her expression. “One of us should take it for ourselves, if that’s what you were hoping I would say.”

“Ahh… I just thought it best to offer you dibs if you’d like, Mistress.” He clarified.

Claudia thought for a moment. With the three of them, it was problematic to split up a Relic. She personally had about three under her belt, and more on the way, so she had no use for this one sword. She turned away and shrugged. “I don’t need it. You and Weiss decide amongst yourselves. I’m going home.”

“Well… I wish you a good evening then. When do you think we’ll work together again?” Alek couldn’t find an easy way of carrying the weapon at the moment, and resolved to simply hold it until he was home again. With this in mind, he began to prepare to head home as well.

“I don’t care. Just come see me at the Ritz Hotel if you feel so inclined,” she said, still walking out the door. Claudia didn’t even glance behind her to look at the pain glutton of a man. Instead she waved behind her back.

The next day had started. It was a repeat of schedules. The need to go to the Academy, and dressing up for it, having breakfast, and all. After leaving his bed, Aleksander had to act like the Duke he was, despite his inner conflicts.

Alek was by now quite skilled at schooling his expression so as to not appear outwardly conflicted. Dressing and getting ready for the day passed uneventfully, until he was ready to go and sitting down to eat his breakfast of what he termed †˜Morning Mash’. It was something his cook had made only a few weeks into working for him, and he had become near instantly a fan of it.

The meal itself consisted of a fried skillet of diced potatoes with the skin on, 3 cheeses, sausages, and farm fresh eggs. It was a deceptively simple meal for a Duke, but it was one he loved dearly, and that put him in a good mood to approach the rest of the day. The actual eating of the food passed in uneventful silence as he sipped at the fresh squeezed orange juice, listening to a maid regale him with the news for the morning so far.

As he finished, he politely wiped his lips on the handkerchief, and set his utensils down, a maid taking the dishes away after only a moment to make sure he was really done.

Turning to another of the maids, Alek enquired of her, “Could you summon Katya for me please?”

“Yes, my Lord.” The maid gave a courteous bow before walking out swiftly to call for the housekeeper.

Some moments later, Katya walked in gracefully, coming up to Alek and standing behind him to the side.

“Good morning. Is there something I may help with, my Lord?”

Alek dismissed the other servants with a wave of his hand. “I wanted to speak to you in private about your… extracurricular studies.”

“My activities in the research group of Mister Griswold?”

“Yes, Perhaps you’d prefer to speak in private, given the sensitive nature of your work there?”

“It is plenty enough private here, my Lord.”

“Very well. Might I enquire as to what the purpose of the study group is?”

“As it was told to my Lord by Mister Griswold, the aim is to study various animals and races specifically.”

“Hmm? And is that your final answer?” Alek kept his expression carefully neutral, sipping at his tea, unconsciously emulating Louise.

“That is what the club does, so yes.”

“Mmmh… phrasing, I suppose. What does the club do when they meet?” He sets his teacup down expectantly, the implication being that the cup is empty, and he has no tea to drink.

Katya poured tea and refilled the teacup. “Is there a reason why you must be aware, my Lord? It is simply a research group.”

“I already am aware of what the group does. I simply hoped that you wouldn’t lie to me about it.” he reveals, glancing up from his teacup and looking at her directly for the first time. “So please, continue with your deflections, unless you’d like to tell me something.”

Katya fell silent for some time. “I must apologise, but it is not a matter I am allowed to speak of openly. If that is all, my Lord. I shall excuse myself.”

“Very well. Before you go, have you had a chance to read the news yet? It would seem that the Duchess met with a rather untimely demise…” Alek stated, before he stood abruptly, and removed from a coat closet the greatsword he’d taken from Caroline, which he’d stashed in a hidden compartment where he used to keep his research material, when he was younger. He showed her the blade. “Do you recognise this sword?”

“No, I do not get the time to read the newspapers, my Lord, and neither have I seen this blade before.”

“This blade belonged to that very Duchess, and now it belongs to me. On the orders of the very same person your †˜club’ truly serves, I met her in open combat, and her steel did not prevail.”

“I…” Katya seemed to be lost for words after hearing these words. “My Lord, I do not think it is expected of a gentleman to bring out a sword in the dining room.”

“My apologies, Miss Katya. I merely meant to use it to help prove the veracity of my story, I am sorry if it gave you a start. It pains me that you do not trust me enough to confide in me, despite the strict oath I am sure you are under.”

“My Lord… with all due respect—I do not find the reason to confide someone as busy as yourself. If you have chosen to work for Her Royal Highness, that is naturally a good thing for me, but I have my own duties as do you; they are both separate matters.”

“Naturally. I will be going away for some while to attend to matters elsewhere, and hoped to entrust the estate to you and Dawson until I return. Is that something that you could handle for me? I should not be gone for more than a month at the most.”

“Rest assured, Mister Dawson and I shall take care of the estate in your state of leave, my Lord.”

“I thank you, Miss Katya.” Alek smiled slightly, relieved that she had neither turned hostile, nor seemed overtly upset. He was slightly worried that she appeared to have greater loyalty to Louise though, and mentally noted that it would bear keeping an eye on her to make sure she was truly acting with his interests in mind. Louise could be… fickle, to say the least.

When Alek walked out of the dining room and was preparing to leave, Dawson walked over from the stairs above to meet his employer.

“My Lord, I have heard that you are going to be absent for about a month, is this true?” Dawson enquired.

“Yes it is. I apologise for leaving on such short notice, but this is time-sensitive, and I didn’t have much advance notice myself. My bags were packed overnight into the carriage, and I must leave immediately.”

“I see, shall I write the Academy a note of absence in your stead, my Lord?”

“Yes please, that would be very helpful Dawson. You might word it so as to indicate that I am pursuing private tutelage in one of my fields of expertise, beyond what the formal classroom setting can offer.”

“As you wish. I shall pray for your safety, my Lord. Please take care.”

“Thank you Dawson. I’d ask if you wish to come, but I’m afraid that I will need you here for now. I will be taking perhaps one of the maids, and a couple of footmen. It would not do to be seen carrying my own things. Do you have any particular recommendations on who you’d like me to take?”

“I do not have any particular recommendations. One may simply take the absolute necessities, yes?”

“Of course.” Alek agreed. “The servants I intend to bring have already been informed of my departure, I trust you shall still have enough staff to ensure the smooth operation of the house.”

“Yes, the remaining servants shall be more than enough, my Lord.”

“Very well, I shall look forward to seeing you once more upon my return, Dawson. I’m certain I don’t say this enough, but I appreciate your work.”

With all of this conversation done, he bid Dawson a good day, and took his leave with a polite bow to the lady and a nod to Dawson, and headed off to the carriage he’d had a footman make ready for his departure to travel to the address he’d received in the letter, with the greatsword sheathed on his back, so as to hide the rather unique blade.

Dawson smirked, seeing his Master leave. “Vinea’s Blade, huh…?”

Aleksander had spent considerable time traveling all the way to the county of northern England. In his time outside the great capital city of Britain, he had witnessed considerable amount of lush greeneries across the country. It was something that the capital was lacking at the moment due to the steam culture that seemed to be heavily promoted for the sake of development. A completely different path that was undertaken by Queen Victoria. As it was predicted, smog and dirt had filled the capital like never before.

Now he was here, basking in nature’s bounty once more. The last time he breathed fresh air was likely in America. Even if it was for a short time, he could easily make stark comparisons even now. He witnessed some of the landmarks of Yorkshire as he traveled. Steam technology seemed prevalent here too, and of course the clouds dominated the skies as usual, making England dreary no matter where one would travel to.

Finally, his carriage came to a stop and he was on the country-side now, there was an abundance of fields; wheat lands, farms, and whatnot. Among such a place was a tall estate. It seemed considerably aged.

“How nice it would be if London could be like this… industrialism has its benefits, to be sure, but the clean air is quite refreshing… That’s one of the things I’d like to ask for if we succeed, is laws to help fight pollution. This estate, even as old as it appears to be, still has an air of refined elegance that simply isn’t found abroad.”

The gates were opened before the coachman could get down and open the door to the carriage. Assuming that they were expected, he had the horses gallop and move up all the way before the entrance of the house. Finally, the coach dropped down from his seat and opened the door of the carriage.

Alek disembarked from the carriage while thinking intensively on the fight he’d recently been part of, mentally going over each move that the women he fought alongside and against made, analyzing for ways to improve his own style. Not seeing the need for such a bulky weapon at all times, he leaves the greatsword in the carriage, lying on the seat covered by his discarded jacket.

Before a footman could knock in Aleksander’s stead, the doors flied themselves open, making his servants jolt back in shock. There was no one past the doors—they seemed to open on their own. Unlike his servants, of course, Alek could realise that it was some form of magical application.

Alek turned to his carriage driver. “See to it that the carriage is parked, and the horses taken care of, please.” He then turned to his maid and the footmen, “Introduce yourselves if you’d like to the men and women working here and get settled in, I’ll be fine for the moment.” He instructed, stepping inside with a curious glance around the entry hall.

“Of course, my Lord.”

The footmen and the maid all spread out from hearing the order, and the carriage was taken away, while Alek found himself looking up to a very old hall. It was certainly not the most majestic establishment, either. There was a carpet under his foot that seemed quite aged too. There was only one chandelier and a staircase to the very left that lead to upstairs.

“Hoho.” Alek heard a short laugh. He couldn’t ascertain where it was coming from. “Come to learn magic, have ye, young lad?”

“Certainly. Are you the one I was sent to learn from?” Alek replied in an even tone of voice, not letting the disembodied voice get to him.

“I wonder about that. Who has sent you here?” the voice of the elder man asked.

“Her Royal Highness, Princess Louise has sent me to learn the ways of the lost art of the Void.”

“Princess Louise? Hah! Then I am triumphant. Liked you not she had, it seems.”


“I…. do not understand what you mean when you say that you are triumphant.”

“Whatever the case, come in, come in! I await you in my room in the second floor. Do not dally now. It is the very last room in the hallways.”

Alek nodded in assent, sensing that the being could see him, before taking one look at the stairs and immediately distrusting their integrity. With this in mind, he took on the form of a raven and flew up the stairs and down the hallway, before alighting once more outside of the door the voice had specified, and assumed human form once more.

Opening the door, he found an office. There was a desk that was some distance away, and some old bookshelves close to the walls. On the chair behind the desk was a man, aged and seemingly worn-out from all the years he had lived. Naturally, he had grey hair that was fashioned like that of a noble, perhaps like an Earl. Regardless, he didn’t seemed to be very well dressed, only wearing a white shirt.

Alek bowed from the waist to the other gentleman, and introduced himself, “My name is Aleksander Fane, it’s a pleasure to meet you Sir…?”

“It is a pleasure to meet you too. I have not heard you before,” the old man said, pointing at him with glee. “But I think you will make a fine apprentice.”

Alek took a few moments to take in the other man’s appearance more closely, wondering who he might be. “Bjornaer?” Alek queries with some nerve, uncertain how likely it is.

“Is that your final guess, young man?”

“It is the best I have. I once met a kindly mage in the Void, who I spoke too briefly of certain topics, and you display a certain knowledge of the same subject as that discussion. I never saw his face, either.” Alek grew more certain by the second, but at the same time, prepared to be wrong.

The old man walked up to Alek and examined his countenance closely, and gave an eerie smile.

The old man himself exploded in front of Alek, smoke and debris flying in all directions, he couldn’t help but yelp in surprise as he covered his face with his hands, already summoning his mana to begin casting in case he’s now under attack.

“Surprise!” the voice of a lady resounded. “I am your Master.” A lady with long, flowing blonde hair stood before him. He could tell from the few portraits he had seen long ago, but it wasn’t until she’d speak out her name for herself that it’d sink in with him completely, “My name is Charlotte Brontë.”

Alek’s heart was racing a mile a minute as he stopped preparing to cast. “Haah…” he gasped for breath as he willed his heart to calm down. “G-Good to m-meet you as well, Miss Brontë,” He managed once his breathing was relatively controlled once more. “Please don’t wake me like that, or I might actually die…” He laughed a little, trying to downplay his near panic attack.

Charlotte laughed. “I apologise, I wanted to play a prank since it has been too long.”

“It was a good one, I thought I was actually dead there for a second…” he complimented. “I was expecting someone… else, I suppose. It’s a pleasant surprise to be sure. I was almost certain I’d be spending the next month with an older gentleman with awful taste in clothing.”

“Now, now, my grandfather still had tasteful choice of words, if you ask me.” Charlotte walked back to her chair and sat down. She gestured Alek to sit opposite to her before the desk, where two chairs seemed to be prepared.

Alek had the grace to look mortified and sat in the chair speechless, feeling like a particularly hideous toad covered in warts.

“To start, hm… may I have you share details about your background please? The general ones, nothing personal, of course.”

“Ahh… yes, of course.” He thought for a moment. “I was the firstborn son of a Duke, and had a fairly normal childhood until my parents died, leaving me an orphan attending the Royal Academy with no idea where my life was headed at the time. I was a commoner from fifteen to twenty, where I was assigned as escort to Her Royal Highness and dispatched to America to fight Virgo on behalf of the Queen. In the aftermath of that event I regained my inheritance but lost my position as guardian of Princess Louise. For the last year, I’ve been absorbed in studies, trying to do my best to rise to the top of my grade and make Magister along with one of my best friends and a girl I know who both helped encourage me to do more, and to be better. As it stands now, I have but one year to finish at the Academy, and I shall graduate with full honours.”

“I see… may I know why the Lost Form beckons you all the way out here in Yorkshire?”

Alek just shrugged. “I want to grow stronger to avenge the death of my family. This Lost Form suits me well, because it matches the all-consuming nothingness inside of me.”

“To avenge the death of your family?”

“Yes, Miss Brontë. It may seem foolish to you, I’m not sure, but to me I know that if we weren’t stuck in such a backwards, corrupt system they might be alive to this very day.”

(GM Comment: Yeah, sure, totally not a random life objective out of the blue at all.)

“How did your parents meet their end then? How was the system involved?”

“My father was murdered, but in my mother’s suicide note, the shame of losing her position as Duchess and the pain of losing my father were too much for her, and my uncle was directly executed by the throne.”

“So… what does the backwards, corrupt system—as you put it—have to do your family’s end? Why was your uncle executed?”

“My uncle was executed for conspiracy to commit treason against the crown, as well as for killing his own brother, my father, out of petty jealousy over his title as Duke, which he felt should be his. I condemn his actions even now, but I believe that there is too much importance placed on nobles, and the gap between the ruling elite and the working class is just too much.”

Charlotte shrugged. “How is the system to be blamed for all of this? Would your parents be healthy in the lower class? You should feel fortunate that you were born into a family of nobility—have to duty to do good. Not condemn the system, but help it, but who am I say this?” Charlotte laughed. “I too, am aiding in the rebellion.”


“Perhaps my thinking is flawed… I just… I miss them terribly sometimes… Perhaps you’d share with me why you are aiding Her Royal Highness?”

“I simply have a job is all.”

“What did you mean earlier when you mentioned that you had been triumphant?”

“Nothing important. We had a little bet about who would have an apprentice first.”

“Ahh… well I’m glad that I was able to help you win then. I take that to mean that you’ll teach me?”

“Was that not obvious?” Charlotte asked with a chuckle.

“Ahh… sorry. I did not want to presume that you had accepted me.” He smiled a little. “I look forward to learning as much as you will teach me.”

“I look forward to it myself. For now, you are free to use one of the rooms of the estate to rest, and for the duration of your stay.”

“I rested in the carriage, so I am ready to begin when you are, Miss Charlotte.”

Alek nodded and stood from the seat, mindful of her dismissal, or at least enough so that he retired to one of the chambers at random, and began to unpack his things.







The curtain of the night had fallen in Yorkshire. The land was quiet and it was peaceful. It seemed like Aleksander’s men and the maid were the only commoners in the house aside from the two nobles that comprised of Aleksander himself and Charlotte Brontë—who was not exactly a noble but seemed to be as beautiful as one. The house was dusty and old and it was definitely not what it likely once was.

Charlotte was the cook of the house, and the maid was only allowed to lend a helping hand here and there. Charlotte didn’t seem to like anyone else making use of the kitchen apparently. Of course, she was a better cook than Alek’s maids back at the estate. This was a fact that Alek did not hesitate to compliment her on, delighted to be treated to such exquisite cuisine.

After dinner was over and the servants had taken their respective rooms in the ground floor of the mansion and went to bed, it was simply Aleksander and Charlotte sitting on sofas in the private parlour of the Brontës.

The parlour didn’t have many chairs and sofas, but there were many shelves. Charlotte’s family definitely liked reading books and the scent of all the literary materials made it very evident.

“How do you like it here so far? Or is it too far away from the buzz and bustle of Victorian life?”

“I enjoy the peace and quiet. There are times where it seems like I must tip-toe about my own home for fear of keeping up appearances in front of my servants. Never was this more evident than when I returned home from Princess Louise’s mission with Caroline’s sword in hand and practically had to sneak in so nobody saw it… Truth be told, I have thought about moving out to the countryside to enjoy the fresh air and the beautiful landscapes, but my position as a young, eligible bachelor makes that difficult indeed.”

“I see, I am most heartened to know that you are enjoying your stay so far. It is rather unfortunate that you came about this month. If you had turned up a year ago I was here in this lodging the entire time. Alas, I have a month to teach you the ways of the Void.”

“Then it’s fortuitous that I already have basic study habits down from attending the Academy. I assure you that I have a solid foundation for you to build upon with your wisdom. I do have a few questions for you about relics, but they may wait until after we are done, if there is time.”

“I believe we should get questions out of the way first. I’m not too knowledgeable but if I may help—do let me know.”

“I obtained a relic from Caroline’s body, and I’ve been trying to figure out how to get attuned to it, so that I can summon it at will, rather than lug it around all the time. Greatswords are decidedly ungraceful at best. I was hoping that you might have some idea of where I might start on mastering it, or perhaps what it does.” Alek set about describing the sword before finishing with, “If my description isn’t that good, I can get it out and show you if you’d like.”

“They are ungraceful? I particularly find their craftsmanship beautiful,” Charlotte replied, bringing in the big blades of Virgo in mind. “Hm… a relic from Caroline. Which Caroline, if I may ask?”

“The Duchess Caroline, and they have their use, I agree. Sometimes you need a big stick for a big bug, if you’ll pardon the analogy. I simply mean that they’re not as easy to carry around as my own sword, which I am far more accustomed to.”

“Which Duchess Caroline, though? For instance, there is Lady Caroline Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone, not necessarily a Duchess, but my point is that Caroline is a name quite common in this era.”

“My apologies, Mistress. I see what you mean. I was speaking of Duchess Caroline Cavendish-Bentinck.”

“Hm… the Duchess from Cavendish Bentinck. That is the nobility that is falling to the whims of fate I see. Her relic was… if I remember correctly, the Vinea’s Blade. The sword granted to the family by King Solomon, too.”

“At least I have a name now. Perhaps I can do some reasearch on it once I get back to London, unless maybe you have something here?” Alek gestured to the bookshelves. “I know that I almost instinctively knew how to summon Colada, and I knew its name, but I do not remember where I know it from, or how I learned it.”

“We only have mundane literature here.” Charlotte made an apologetic smile. “I believe it will be nearly-impossible to master the blade of Vinea, however.”

Alek frowned slightly. “That’s not very reassuring to hear… Would you mind if I ask why you say that?”

“I suppose you have not heard of King Solomon’s seventy-two relics—the armaments of war?”

“I regret that I have not heard of them, no. Do you mean to say that Vinea’s Blade is one of them?”

“Yes, typically the seventy-two djinns of King Solomon were turned into relics. One such relic is in your possession. There is a twist about these relics—they are only granted to the peers who go to meet the King specifically and make a contract with him. Only by the King’s acceptance may one use the relics to the fullest. I believe that is the reason why you are unable to make Vinea’s Blade your own. That said, with King Solomon dead I am not sure how the relics will function now, but the fact that you are not accepted as its master is a big hint.”

“I see. So essentially, it’s basically a regular greatsword right now.” Alek massaged the bridge of his nose. “Incredible. My luck just continues to astound me. At the least I shall keep it as a memento for now and hope that something may be done with it eventually. Circumstances may change as time passes. With no ruler to report to, then I imagine that the djinn in the sword is free now, other than being confined to the sword itself. Is there a way to speak with this spirit directly?”

“It is not all that useless. You may still use its power if you use it the correct way. You simply may not summon it at will like the other holders of relics. Unfortunately, there is no way to communicate with its spirit.”

“I’m not entirely sure what it’s power is, to be honest. I imagine that’s something I’ll have to discover as time goes on. I cannot think of anything else to ask. Thank you for your patience.”

“Well, shall we test the greatsword then?”

“If you’d like, and if you think we can spare the time, then I’m not against it.” Alek stood. “If you’ll excuse me, I will fetch it down here.”

Alek bowed politely. Before he could fetch it back to the parlour, Charlotte Brontë directed him outside the mansion.

“You cannot very well be thinking of testing it indoors, do you? Have some sense, apprentice.”

Alek blushed lightly in the dark. “O-of course, Miss Charlotte.” He stood at attention with the sword ready, making the mistake of holding it as he would a much lighter blade, leading to his arms tiring quite quickly.

“Here, let me try.” Charlotte took over the greatsword and wielded it with grace, facing a tree that seemed to be located outside the walls on a hill. It was dark so it was hard to see it, but Charlotte could see it thanks to her left eye.

With a single hand she held it. Her arm seemed to glow with some kind of power.

“I see that it is still too heavy.” The author of various literary works held the greatsword with both hands momentarily and drew an arc gracefully. A watery wave was generated, sending half the tree tumbling down as it was cut cleanly.

Alek watched in silence, noting the ease she swung the blade with. “That’s incredible… you must have incredible control not to break your quills when you write,” he observed before taking the sword back from her and trying to replicate what she’d done with varying success. The tree he targeted was only half-way cut through.

“It seems like it is not effective for ranged combat without being mastered, but perhaps there is one more thing it can do. Allow me.”

Now taking the greatsword back again, Charlotte concentrated her spiritual energy as a Representative. Dragons made of water were generated, and they curled up from the blade before flying over, completely ravaging another tree with a deafening cry.

“Ah… it is limited to supernatural powers. This is beyond ordinary users.”

“That is so incredibly useful! You know, if I could do that.

“It is yet useful for Aquam spells. You may still train to use it for its ranged capabilities that you tried earlier. I do not know how long it would take for you to be good with it, however.”

“I don’t know, I suppose it’s an interesting diversion if I have nothing else to do. I mean, it’s a relic, yes, but I don’t think it’s particularly well-suited to me.”

“If that is the case then that is just how it is. Relics were not made for human beings so it is rather expected that it turned out to be like this for you.”

“It’s quite curious that the one I already possess is fairly well-matched to me then. Perhaps I’ll find a use for this sword someday, but until then I fear that it will simply gather dust. Sorry to waste your time on such a pointless endeavour.”

“Oh no, the pleasure is all mine. It is an interesting great weapon, I hope you do find use for it soon.”

“I hope so as well. I had high hopes for it, but in the end it seems to hardly be worth the effort of hauling it home. Might we begin the lessons now?”

“Ah, but I would recommend keeping it with you, if it is true that King Solomon is no more and the spirit is free, what is to say that the spirit may not choose its rightful master on its own? An assumption, but it could be too early to give up. Anyway, if you do not mind training late at this hour. We may begin.”

Alek just hummed in thought. “Of course. If you don’t mind, then I’m more than willing to begin. I’ve been waiting for this for a year already…”

“Unfortunately, you will require a bit more patience. Let us head inside.”

Alek nodded. “No problem. By the same token, I’ve waited a year, a couple more minutes is nothing.”







The two were back to the parlour now in comfort and warmth of the fire in the fireplace.

“You see, the tradition of learning Lost Form spells is that you must always start with the lore itself. If you are comfortable, I shall recite to you the tale of the Void, Mister Fane.”

Alek got comfortable in the chair he sat in, cradling a mug of hot tea as he settled in for a story. “Please go ahead, Mistress.”

“Mistress?”

“For at least the immediate future, you are my Mistress, are you not? In the ways of the Void Form you are far more skilled than I.”

“I only find the term †˜Master’ appropriate in our case, Mister Fane… ah, but I suppose I should adopt a more simpler way to address you in that regard.”

“Understood Master, you may call me Alek or Aleksander, if you’d like.”

“I shall choose the former, Alek. By the by, you do not need to pay me much respect in public, for I am—by official standards—still a fourth year scholar at the Royal Academy.”

“What would you like for me to call you then, Master?”

“For the public, Miss Brontë is preferred.”

“Understood, would you rather I address you that way in private as well?”

“No, Master and apprentice is a relationship we must maintain at least until your training ends.” Charlotte then continued after a pause. “Have you heard of the Void Realm before?”

“I have, Princess Louise took me there once, and I very nearly got killed by some kind of shadow-beast before I was saved by the mage I mentioned earlier, Bjornaer.”

“So you met the Bjornaer Magus I see, and a Void Monster too.”

“I had to give it my last Snickers bar to distract it long enough to get away, too. Would you like to try one, some day? I reckon I could import one if you’d like to try the taste. They’ve got this sweet milk-chocolate thing going on, and they’re deliciously chewy on the inside, to really savor the taste properly. It practically melts in your mouth!”

(GM’s Comment: Fucking Snickers. And for the record, no it never worked.)

“Oh no, I am not a fan of the Snickers bar and would rather prefer the Mars.”

“Well, suppose I could import one of those too, and we can try each other’s candy bars. I haven’t tried the Mars bar, but I promise the taste of Snickers is divine.”

“No thank you, I go abroad often and I know how the Snickers taste.”

“Ahh… well I suppose it’s nice to meet someone with differing opinions once in awhile too.”

“Let us place this tangent aside.”

Charlotte stood up and seemed to chant mentally before putting up her finger and running it down in the air. The air seemed to rip apart and a familiar blackness made its appearance.

“Come, let us go to the Realm of the Void,” Charlotte said. “Your training will take place in this Realm.”

Alek nodded, standing with Charlotte. “I am ready when you are, Master.”

In the Realm of the Void now, Charlotte and Aleksander stood in the blackness. There was the familiar blue hue—of which the origin was unknown—that illuminated the Realm dimly.

“Now, let us speak about the Void itself before we start.” Charlotte looked towards the blue hue with a melancholic smile. “No one truly knows what lies at the edges of the Void. It seems to host many oddities, such as the bar or the Void Monsters. I suppose you had your share of encounters with both already. The bar is a wonderful retreat to the users of the Astral Venture Supreme spell.”

“It seems to be one of very few moderately safe places in this Realm. It makes you wonder how they manage to keep it safe from the various dangers of such a place.”

“Because the Void Monsters all have their own †˜lairs’ in the Realm. As long as you are in a peaceful and empty space you should be safe.”

“That actually makes sense. I noticed that the one I ran into didn’t follow me too far. Can you tell me anything about what the Void Monsters actually are?”

“They are not exactly important to make note of, but I suppose it will be explained eventually. Basically, they are creatures that are too strong for most. If you fight it with the Lost Form, you must master it first.” Charlotte started walking. “Follow me.”

Alek followed along at a respectful distance. “I see. Is there any reason to fight them? Or is it best to just ignore them where possible?”

“No, some make it a point to test their mettle by battling them. Some speak of rumours of treasures in the lairs of the Void Monsters. However, there is no real reason to face them whatsoever. In fact, the Void Monsters are what fuel our magic to an extent so it is best not to disturb them unless necessary.”

“I see. I noticed, last time I was here, that some of these signs are unreadable. How would I learn the language necessary to be able to read the signs?”

“It is impossible to read them. Only the Gods may read those language.”

“Mmmh. All kinds of mysteries here, it seems. That’s all of the questions I have at the moment, as I didn’t spend more than an hour or so here the last time I was here.”

“What do you know of the Greek mythology, Alek?”

“As much as can be expected of a noble’s child with a classical education. I particularly enjoyed the stories of Perseus and Hercules, but I thought that the Ten Year War of Achilles was somewhat silly at the time, since I also thought that girls were weird. I have since come into a better understanding of why a man might go to such lengths.”

“Well, you are about meet one of the Goddesses from said mythologies tonight.”

“Colour me intrigued. Do you mind if I enquire which one? I’m not entirely sure that I’m dressed properly for meeting a Goddess…”

“The Goddess Nyx. I do not think there is a particular dress code you must follow for such individuals but I would recommend that you stay honest while you speak with her.”

“I will keep this in mind when we meet her. Thank you for the forewarning.”

“You will have to make a contract, of sorts, with her. Prepare yourself mentally for it.”

“Yes Master Charlotte.” Alek nodded in affirmation. “I am prepared.”







After walking for what seemed like an eternity, Charlotte and Aleksander seemed to have journeyed deep into the Void Realm. However, for such a large expanse of space, what was considered truly deep? Charlotte pressed on with great patience from what Alek saw. There was no hint of tiredness, and her pace was unchanging.

On the other hand however, Alek was feeling somewhat tired, to an extent, as he was not used to traveling like this. Since he had been riding carriages whenever he’d need to go afar.

It seemed like the more distance they passed, the farther they got away from the darkness of the Void Realm. For reaching closer to Nyx, the Goddess of the night, it was rather ironic that they were heading towards the light. The blue hue of the Realm seemed to exist, but no one seemed to know where it ever came from after taking a glance. It was simply just there. Yet Charlotte seemed to know where to go to possibly find its source.

Alek followed her unceasingly, doing his best to bite back any complaints that might attempt to surface and be given voice. He took his surroundings in silence, unwilling to defile the wide expanses of space with anything as crude as speech unless he had to. He kept his eyes peeled instead, remembering how he barely saw the Void Beast in time last time he was here.

“We are here.”

Charlotte looked down after she spoke. Alek did the same and now noticed that he was standing on blue water, the light coming from under them.

“So there’s water in the Void as well…” Alek murmured quietly. “Though I suspect it has more to do with the presence of the Goddess, than any natural property of this dimension.”

The water splashed. Ripples formed across the water, fiercely traveling away from the point of origin.

Wet, and with an aching body, Aleksander got up, finding a wound on his flank. He looked up with surprise, a navy-blue light shining in the darkness—glaring down at his soul. Charlotte Brontë held a black sword. It was facing him from some distance away, some of his blood dripping from the tip of the blade.

(BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3h2TR0aby0M)

A smirk formed as her lips curled. Something that told Alek that his life was truly in danger.

“What is the meaning of this?” Alek snarled. His own blade appeared in a flash as he squared up his stance, temporarily ignoring the wound in favour of warily watching Charlotte for further assault.

“If you mean to kill me here, where there are no witnesses, I won’t just lie down and take it!”

Alek took advantage of the brief moment he seemed to have and cast one of his original spells, that up to now nobody had seen. As he finished casting, a globe of water formed around him, seeming to ripple as random waves and swirls covered the surface of it.

A blue wind blew from the direction of Charlotte, his watery sphere fell off moments later as Charlotte’s Commandment reigned over magecraft.

Alek almost thought that something was wrong with his spell for a moment before he realised that whatever she’d done must have neutralized it. He attempted to summon his fire elemental once more, not quite ready to close into melee yet and realised with a start that the magic wasn’t responding to his wishes. He finally concluded that spells weren’t going to be an option for this fight.

Alek sprinted forwards at full tilt, which in the water wasn’t necessarily extremely quick. No words of provocation, just a look of determination that clearly showed that he knew the stakes and was aware that he didn’t have the best odds of winning. Despite this, he continued forward without complaint, wielding his sword in a stance that showed he meant business.

Colada collided against the black sword. A rain of sparks flew about on either side as Alek tried to push with his strength and weight against Charlotte Brontë. The songs of steel carried far into the wet floor of the Void Realm where it seemed like there were truly no spectators—not even God.

Alek knew from watching her chop the tree in half earlier that his strength most likely didn’t match up to hers in the least, so rather, he moved around her larger blade and slipped inside of her guard. He swung his blade again.

Blood dripped, however the noise of cracking was also notable.

Held by the grip of Charlotte’s fingers was Colada, cracking from the strength that she displayed. Her lips curled further. She slashed at his chest as his guard had thus fallen. His other arm took the brunt of the blow and it bled. Charlotte’s lips seemed to move as she whispered words of magic.

Black vines erupted from all around the water, writhing and squirming, covering the entire field of water now, giving away a noise of hissing as if the water itself was burning.

Do you… desire power?

Alek heard a voice, however, he couldn’t concentrate enough on it when Charlotte pressed her attack on. She stepped forward, and he stopped back, it was a one-sided duel. More and more of his skin was being chipped away from his body with every passing moment.

Yes!

He yanked back on the hilt of his sword, trying to withdraw it from Charlotte’s grasp. He tried to punch her in the face, trying to break her concentration long enough to get a good attack in with Colada. Despite his best effort however, his punch fell short of its mark as he recoiled from the bite of her sword. He managed to distance himself from her, panting.

Charlotte and Alek bid their time as they faced each other, both walking in differing directions, circling the plot of water with Alek staring daggers and Charlotte looking down with an icy-cold glare yet smiling. The hems of her long dress seemed to be wet from the water, as were her soles.

The mentor’s bloodlust filled the air, giving him goosebumps, tensing him up even more than it should. In but less than a moment, Charlotte closed the entire distance of five meters with a dash, something his agility could never accomplish.

It was an entirely inhuman feat.

It was true speed.

The momentum she struck at him with made his body shudder in fear of extinction and abrupt death. Something plopped down on the water and he looked behind Charlotte. On the black vines was a piece of Colada, wet on the water.

She gave another slash, the broken relic falling from his hand. Her knee brushed deep against his stomach as it was seen covered in white sock just barely, and he gasped for air desperately as a result. She gave a thrust with her sword and he fell, blood leaked from his stomach and it mixed with blood from his other wounds. The black vines crept to him at last and he was caught, as if they had been waiting for the opportunity.

Charlotte looked down at him at his most vulnerable moment, her blade raised up high against the black sky of the Void Realm.

All he could see was the navy-blue light flashing from her left eye.

Come, cry for me. Howl. If it is power you seek—show me your desire!

Alek gave voice to a wordless, silent mental scream at the thought of his impending doom, before wetly managing, “So this is all I had? You haven’t seen everything I have to offer yet…” A few dribbles of blood leaked out around his mouth from having been kneed in the diaphragm. “If nothing else, I condemn you to death with what may be my dying breaths, Charlotte Brontë, and wish that the rest of your days do not pass in peace!”

Alek reached deep inside of himself, trying to find that inner voice and yank on it with all of his mental might, unwilling to lay there beaten and broken. Charlotte might notice that despite the rest of his body being broken and battered, a certain part of him seemed to be the opposite of broken and battered, the pain feeling too good for Alek’s mind to properly comprehend.

Responding to his words of curse, the tip of the sharp blade dug into his skin just above his breast. He wailed in response as Charlotte pressed it in slowly, torturing him. His blood splattered out, some of it falling onto her face. A tongue deftly licked one of said drops and she laughed.

“As if any of my days pass in peace… well, that should do.” Charlotte’s tone seemed to shift half-way into her speech. “That is enough, yes?”

Very well, I implore you to make a contract with me.

Now that he was not fighting Charlotte any more, he had time to think clearly, She’s not going to kill me? he asked with some surprise evident in the short thought.

Charlotte’s blade that faced the sky dropped again after it was retracted from his skin, this time cutting the air before himself. The air itself was ripped and a different type of blackness opened up. The black air could be seen spreading out, defiling the water around him. It was extremely cold—as cold as death itself. The black vines started to pick him up and he felt the fear of death ever more greatly, getting carried to the newly opened portal.

Alek had no words, feeling a mounting dread from the slowly approaching portal and it’s chilly winds. He felt an inexplicable terror at the unknown dimension just on the other side. All the same, his body was too beat up to struggle any further and was forced to simply allow it to happen.








In the heart of the darkness itself now, Alek couldn’t see anything. He could only feel the bone-chilling icy air surrounding him. His body fidgeted and his breathing was irregular. He couldn’t feel anyone’s presence. It was only him here. The impending sense of doom rose in his heart once more.

“You seem to be in pain. Say, do you wish for death? Shall I put an end to you?”

“No. I still have too much to do. If I die now, then everything I’ve done until now becomes pointless…” Alek responded with melancholy colouring his tone. “I seek this power to fulfill my obligations, as well as to achieve my own goals, and to find out if everything is really as it seems with the situation regarding my parents’ passing. I refuse to believe the things they said!”

“Do you simply want to fulfill pointless self-satisfactions?”

“Isn’t that why anyone grows stronger? Even something as arguably altruistic as protecting others can be a selfish goal. Is there something greater that I should work towards than bettering myself?”

“Not quite. You simply appear boring. Is there not someone you wish to impress…? Someone you are absolutely passionate about? Who do you want to live for? Or is your heart an empty void that you simply want to fill, but cannot no matter what you feed it?”

“I don’t know if my parents are looking down on me from above, but it goes without saying that I wish to impress them by being a fine son and honouring their memory, but more than that… I want to be strong enough to stand by my Mistress’ side. I’m not sure if it’s possible, but if it is, then it’s my job to do all I can to achieve that strength!” he spoke with passion and conviction. “Even more than that, I want to become strong enough to be worthy of her! I want to be someone that she wants to be beside!”

“Hoh. Good, gooood, this is the type of passion I wish to hear of. But you see… the Void does not make you strong, it only lets you borrow my power to wreck havoc on the Realms beyond. Are you prepared to meet the charges of your sinful discharge of the darkness that my powers generate?”

“I am prepared to do what I must and maintain the secrecy of this Form by only using it when it is absolutely necessary,” Alek agreed readily.

“Foolish young child. This is naught about secrecy.”

Alek averted his eyes from the nothingness as much as he could, having felt a slight thrill of happiness shoot down his back as he fought back a slight shiver.

“I see… so what restrictions are there on using the power I would borrow from you?”

“There is no restriction, silly child. However, each time you use it, your soul will darken. Unless you are semi-immortal like a Representative, your body will undoubtedly break down eventually…”

“I can take a little pain easily. I’m not so weak as to cry over scratches like a little kid!”

“Oh? Are you content with throwing away half of your life to this then?”

“And lose all the years where I’m weak and feeble? That’s hardly a sacrifice.” Alek scoffed.

“So you would rather live a shorter life to get your way?”

“Sacrifices have to be made. If you go through life taking the safe option every time then it’ll just be boring, right?”

A hand was placed on Alek’s stomach. It was colder than ice as it rubbed against his wound, making him wince as it took some of his blood.

“D-Don’t take too much of it… that blood is the personal property of my Mistre—”

His lips were sealed before he could finish. A cold tongue invaded his mouth forcefully, disallowing him from speaking further. Energy from his body started to leave. His very life force was being drained by the Goddess of the night, Nyx. Eventually, Alek lost control of himself and felt engaged in the act, as the warmth of his mouth started to break away some of the coldness of the Goddess’.

This unholy ceremony was expected to end soon. Little did Alek know that it was going to be hours of deep kissing. Indeed, that was how he’d lose half of his remaining life force.







Aleksander woke up. He couldn’t tell how long it had been, but he knew that his head was pounding in pain. He felt lethargic, and was hardly able to move. Opening his eyes, everything looked blurry, but it was bright. It took some moments for him to come to his senses and find himself drenched in water. Despite it being so cold, there was one spot that felt warm; the back of his head.

Looking up, Alek found Charlotte Brontë looking down at him, like the Charlotte he first met, instead of the time he was being cut to death. There was no presence of the bloodlust.

“Had a nice sleep I presume?”

“It feels like I drank magma and gargled with broken glass, except all over my body...” He weakly tried to shield his eyes from the light. “H-How long was I out?”

“Equivalent to two days in normal time, I suppose?”

“Well… I imagine we’re behind schedule then…” Alek struggled to his feet with some obvious effort. “What’s next on the lesson plan, Master Charlotte?” Alek ignored the fact that he distinctly remembered her flaying him alive as if it were a mere few hours ago.

“Alek, let me first tell you that the users of the Lost Form have a tradition… if you do not die in an inopportune time, I want you to uphold it too.”

“I understand. What is the tradition that you wish for me to uphold?”

“In the future, you must seek an apprentice after you truly master the ways of the Void, to pass on the knowledge to the next generation.”

“So… I take that to mean that the Princess did not actually wish to teach me, and was simply fulfilling her obligation, or I suppose yours. What was your own teacher like?”

“My Master was a very melancholic person, just as he is now. He is now one of the Diogenes in service of the Queen.”

“Who is he? It might be helpful to know which of them has access to a Lost Form, so we can plan for it…”

“No need, my Master is undefeatable by the likes of people currently available. Likely an assassination attempt has already failed—or will fail—and he shall leave the country.”

“Doesn’t that mean that our revolution was doomed from the start? Or can we really succeed if he manages to get away?”

“He likely has no true intention to interfere. In the past he would surely step in the way, but now… now my Master has different motivations.”

“Hmm… I see.” Alek did not enquire further, realising that she most likely didn’t wished to speak on the matter overmuch. “Does every Void Mage go through… that? The ambush where I thought you were actually trying to kill me? And then talking to the Goddess?”

“Yes, to summon the Goddess you must push your prospective apprentice to the brink of death. Otherwise, the Goddess will not respond.”

“Even so… you looked like you really enjoyed it. It’s really not good to bottle it up like that, you know? I can help you bleed off a little bit of that aggression every once in awhile to help keep it from getting to that point…” Alek offered. “It’ll be a good opportunity for me to get better at fighting too, and maybe you can teach me a few things about that greatsword I showed you.”

“What are you speaking of? Surely you cannot still be thinking that I was serious, did you?”

“Of course not!” Alek scoffed to cover his embarrassment at misreading the situation. “But the fact of the matter still remains, that if you can spare time, I’d like to learn your style of swordsmanship. The speed and power you displayed a few days ago was quite impressive.”

“I was questioning about the †˜bottling up’ part but very well,” Charlotte clarified, laughing. “The speed and power—as you put it—are mostly from my mastery over my talents, however. Talents I gained from abandoning my humanity. It is not something that mortals may hope to wield.”

“I just gave up half of my natural lifespan, I doubt some pesky humanity is going to be a hang-up. I need all the strength I can get to match up to her, after all.”

“That is not the point. It is not something you have a choice to do at the moment.” Charlotte’s left eye started to glow once more. “To become a peer of a Descendant—a Representative.” She sighed. “Do not expect it in your lifetime that is even shorter than it was.”

“Hnnn… Why did you become one, then? Or more importantly, how?”

“It is not my place to give you that answer.”

Alek said nothing, instead inspecting the damage she’d dealt to Colada. “This was a family heirloom you know… my parents didn’t leave me much, and you ruined one of my favorite keepsakes…” He ran his hand over the flat of the blade lovingly, caressing it as one might a lover.

“As an alchemist, that is something I may mend.”

“Would you?” he asked, glad for a change of topic.

“Of course. I only assumed that its loss would make you feel more and more powerless. You were quite dependent on it.”

“Well, you did disable my magic somehow, so that didn’t leave me with many options. I suppose I shall start carrying another weapon of some sort, if only so that I have a backup plan if I lose my primary means of offense.”

“You could keep that greatsword, it is a tougher blade from what I saw.”

“How were you able to break Colada like that, anyway? It’s pretty close to invulnerable from what I normally put it through. I never even have to sharpen it.”

“How? You saw how it was broken, did you not?”

“What I mean is that I find it hard to believe that you were able to stop the blade in it’s tracks, let alone be able to crush it like a wadded up ball of parchment…”

“Hoho, it just means that the Representatives are awe inspiring people. Besides, the relic swords were not made for humans, so I am able to understand how it broke.”

Alek nodded in understanding of what she’d said. “Do you know of a way to make Colada stronger, by any chance?”

“Unfortunately, I do not think I may do that. I am afraid that it is already at its best.”

“So this is as strong as I’ll get…” Alek said with disgust evident in his tone. “No, I won’t accept that. I must simply work harder. If I become better then I’ll be able to properly take her down a peg… that lying, scheming wretch…”

“Who are you speaking of?”

“Ehehe… Did I say that out loud just now? Sorry for my poor manners, but it’s not something you should concern yourself with. I simply have a grudge against someone who is quite powerful, but I won’t forget. I’ll do everything I have to to get strong enough to crush her.”

“If you say so.” Charlotte got up from her sitting position. “By the by, that life force that was taken from you… it is to be fed to the Void Monsters.”

“Huh, so we feed them, and in turn they act as batteries to power the magic we use. I suppose if it works for both groups, then there’s no harm. Why did you bring it up though?”

“Because you will have to tell that to your apprentice one day anyway. You see… the Void Monsters are the creatures that let this Realm exist in harmony with the other Realms. Thus, there must be at least one apprentice per generation to sustain them. I suppose there were about two this time, so I believe for some time it will be a peaceful. At least, I hope it is.”

“Who is the other apprentice? It might be a good idea to get along with them…”

“Well, there was one. She was Princess Louise.”

“So… you taught her?” For some reason, Alek seemed thoroughly amused by this.

“Of course not. Even I do not know who taught the Princess the ways of the Void. She claimed that it was Nyx herself.”

“Well then, I suppose that’s not particularly surprising.” Alek shrugged. “When do I get to start casting Void spells?”

“Unfortunately, casting any of the Lost Form spells are not easy, especially with starting. Shall we begin with the basics?”

Charlotte took out a sleep mask and handed it to Alek. It was likely bought from a foreign country.

He took it and put it on without protest, figuring it was to help with his focus or something. “That sounds like a plan.”

“For the duration of your training, you are not allowed to take this sleeping mask off. You are to remain blind. You shall learn to depend on your other eye.”

“Yes, Master. I shall do as you say.” He stood patiently, wearing the sleep mask.

“You must learn to traverse in the Void Realm. It does not work like it usually does in the human world, or the other Realms for that matter. You must simply seek out your destination. All it takes is the use of imagination, and it shall carry you far—that is how Princess Louise travels across the human world via the passage of the Void. In time, you may do the same too.”

“So… just picture where I want to be, and I will arrive?”

“Yes. However, people are used to applying common sense subconsciously when they travel. We assume that walking will allow us to transport ourselves, or appliances such as a gurney or a carriage would make travelling easier. These beliefs act as illusions in this Realm, and thus hinder oneself from traveling via thoughts and imagery alone. It may even take more than the entire month to achieve the feat, but try you must.”

Alek seemed confused. “It’s a good thing I lack in common sense most times then.”

“Regardless, I believe learning spells will take a long time as this step is quite time consuming. You will have to show patience. To begin, why not pick a location you believe is quite far?”

“Such as the bar?”

“That is not very far at all, considering it is still inside the Realm… why not say the United States?”

“Mmm… I suppose I could try to go to the hotel room I stayed in with the Princess…”

Traversing the streets of the city of steam, Roland felt a sense of déjà vu. A year before he had been walking down the same dusty streets with the same purpose, but shortly after that his world had been shattered. After losing what was most important to him, material and immaterial, his life had been a mess of chasing ephemeral leads and hitting dead ends.

He plodded slowly towards his destination dreading the confrontation that was likely awaiting him there, though he knew if a verbal lashing were to occur, it would be fully justified. Overcome by emotion, he had disappeared and though he had worked to pull himself back together and do what he could since then, it did not change that he had reneged on his promise to aid with the Duchess’ research at the time.

Hopefully, what I managed to find on my own will at least prove to be of some help, he thought as he glanced down to his bag, flicking through it quickly to check everything was accounted for.

As he drew closer to the mansion he found excitement also building within him. Though the time they spent together had been short, he found himself missing Frederica and Sherry while he traveled and oft thought of returning for a time, though shame of both how he had put them in danger and how he had left kept him away. It finally took a year passing with obtaining nothing but the minutest clue to his mother’s past and reaching an impasse in his individual research that drove him to end his procrastination. Regardless of what might happen, he was glad he would be able to see them again.

With that thought in mind, Roland reached the gates of the manor. The gates opened without him even touching it.

After some moments, he was welcomed into the mansion by a maid of the Duchess who apparently knew that Roland was coming somehow. This was made evident when Roland found that the maid was awaiting his presence just behind the gates.

Instead of the same room where he first met the graceful lady, however, he was lead to the upper floor of the mansion. An ominous feeling came to him when he imagined the Duchess in bed. Memories from his journey in the Faerie Realm with the esteemed lady came to his mind—specifically, the time he woke up on a bed with her. He gave his head a shake to be rid of the thought when the maid seemed to turn to a door and knocked it.

Roland thought he heard something but couldn’t really understand any of it, yet the maid—who apparently understood—opened the door.

It turned out that the Duchess was bedridden, and apparently due to injury or an illness when he glanced upon the lady under the blanket. It was likely a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be able to meet the Duchess like this, however bad the implications were.

“Welcome back…” Frederica spoke, but it sounded more like a whisper to Roland.

Seeing the normally dauntless Duchess in such a state shocked him. Dropping his bag he rushed to her side.

“What happened! Are you going to be alright?” Roland spoke in a panic, what anxiety he had felt about their reunion being overwritten with concern.

“Got a little battered I suppose?” the Duchess said with a faint voice. “Listen… I am aware that… it is sudden, but you should leave this place… this country, immediately.”

“I do not doubt you have good reason for saying such, but may I ask why?”

“There are some… people that went mad. They are attempting a revolution. They plan to make the great capital a battlefield.”

“Did those same people attack you?”

“Yes. It seems like they are trying to be rid of those nobles… who are loyal to Her Majesty. Regardless… it is a matter of time before battles are seen taking place… You must be away from this farce.”

“What do you plan to do? In your current state it seems it would be beyond reckless to continue fighting.”

“I do not intend to fight for now… It would be foolish to try to make a difference in my state. However, despite the healing magic… it seems like whatever I was hit with needs time to completely recover… anyway, how are things at your side? Found out about your parent?”

“I wish I could say I had, but sadly my search bore little fruit. The only clue I currently have is a description of an alien white outfit she was seen in by a previous customer. Though I did have a bit more success deciphering the book on Representatives, but I eventually reached an impasse due to my limited knowledge of Latin. It appears to be a manual written for them and aside from detailing their rituals and powers, it had knowledge of a particularly useful ancient spell.”

“I see… What do you intend to do next? I do not think I can conduct my research with the country like this… unfortunately.”

“I know not. With no success in my search so far, I intended to return to honour my promise to you instead of continuing to chase spectres, but it seems that is out.” Roland sighed as he thought deeply about the situation. “In all honesty, I do not hold much loyalty to the Crown, being of common birth and only ever seeing Her Majesty from afar. However, this country is my home and I do not wish to sit by idle as there are those who scheme to plunge it into chaos. But neither do I know what is within my power to do.”

“Well, I had a request for you…” the Duchess said. A maid handed Roland a sealed letter. “Last time we spoke, I wanted to use… †˜do you wish to get stronger’ as an incentive for this… Basically, we need to get Sherry out of this country.”

“I must apologise how I acted when I left,” Roland said, downcast. “I was in turmoil but that does not excuse it.” Having gotten that off his chest, he straightened up, and he spoke with renewed vigour. “For the matter of escorting Sherry, I will do my utmost to keep her safe. Did you have a destination in mind for where she would seek asylum?”

“It is fine. I apologise for my outburst too… The letter has the address, but you are to take her to Italy—to one of the islands. I want you to… escort her to one of the great Archmages who lives there.”

“Consider it done. Is there anything else I should know about the task?”

“No, just make sure to keep Sherry safe… She must reach Italy no matter what. I believe she knows how to solve the distortion problem.”

Distortion problem? Roland wondered. He considered asking about it, but decided not to in consideration of the Duchess’ condition. “If there is nothing else then I shall set off as soon as she is ready. Is Sherry still residing in the manor?”

“Yes, Sherry should be there… somewhere. My daughter took a liking to her, so she is usually with her often.”

“If you will excuse me I will seek her out, but first…” Roland walked back to where he had dropped his bag and dug around, taking out a book and a journal before walking back over. “I made a copy and summary of my research notes. If you have time while you are bedridden you may want to take a look. I am not sure how much they might help, but if the group targeting the country has the power to be targeting prominent nobles such as yourself, I imagine there may be some individuals of note among them.”

“So you suspect that there are… Representatives working to take down Her Majesty?”

“If not Descendants themselves. They possess both the means and motivation to target the head of the Magic World. Though it is just a conjecture, better to be over-prepared and have wasted some time than be caught off-guard and pay the price.”

“I understand, I shall look into your documents. Take care.”

“I wish you a speedy recovery.” With that, Roland bowed respectfully and left the room.

The maids lead Roland to the room where Sophia and Sherry was supposed to be. He found a spacious lounge—or rather, a parlour—where Sherry was staring down at the fireplace. Upon close examination, it seemed like she was alone and Sophia, the Duchess’ supposed daughter was missing. She had probably left earlier.

Sherry held a book in her hands but was lost in thought. There was a bookshelf beside her that was full of books, and the luxury was simply lavished in the room. This was the family’s personal parlour, where Roland had met the Duchess for the first time. The parlour meant for the guests was apparently even more luxurious.

Walking over, Roland knocked gently on the table in the center of the room to rouse her.

“Ah! Yes, Miss Sophie?” Sherry turned with a jolt, closing the book immediately, only to find Roland. “Oh… Mister Roland. You have returned…”

“I have…” Roland answered awkwardly, not quite sure what to say after an year’s absence. Eventually he settled with a simple, “It is nice to see you again.”

“How have you been doing since then?”

“I have been managing I guess…” Roland trailed off. The mood in the room was suffocating. Able to bear it no longer, Roland strode purposefully up to Sherry and bowed his head deeply. “I must apologise for how I acted before I disappeared, and for taking so long to make good on my promise to visit you once again. Can you please forgive me?” He held the position awaiting her answer.

“Forgive?” Sherry looked at Roland with a nervous smile, unsure of what to say. She took a moment to ponder and then continued, “I don’t really see what you did wrong… I think your reaction was very human and I can understand it. Even if King Solomon was really scary, I think your behaviour was completely justifiable.”

“Still, I endangered you with my hubris and broke my promise to keep you company upon returning from the Faerie Realm. Even if my actions were understandable it does not make them right.” Roland straightened up and sat down beside her before letting out a sigh of relief. “Though I am glad to hear you were not holding it against me. I was worried you might have had a grudge from the initial tense atmosphere but I guess it was just my guilt creating it.”

“Forgiveness is an important thing, Mister Roland,” Sherry stated, closing her eyes and smiling. “It helps us move on, don’t you think? It was certainly not right, but you learned something from it, yes?”

“That is true,” Roland remarked, pondering her words of wisdom. “But to evade confronting my errors would be a mistake in itself. Though I am guessing you have had enough of my self-deprecating talk and I will let the topic drop.” More relaxed now Roland shifted into a comfortable sitting position facing Sherry. “How has it been living here? I heard you have been getting along well with the Duchess’ daughter.”

“It has been very peaceful and fulfilling… her daughter is a very nice person. It seems like she has grown fond of playing around with me. I cannot fault her, however. I sympathise with her loneliness… ah, but I think you shouldn’t concern yourself with my personal thoughts. To say the least, everything here has been well. How were things on your side?”

“I wish I could say I had success in my search, but alas, I am hardly any closer to finding out the truth than when I began. However I did have a measure of success in my research. I reported my findings to the Duchess before coming here. She also gave me the task of escorting you to Italy. Has she spoken to you about that already?”

“Italy? What is that, a place? I don’t think the Duchess told me anything…” Sherry laughed nervously. “Is it because… it’s dangerous here?”

“It is another country. More specifically I was told we would be visiting an Archmage who resides on an island there. While it does seem like it is becoming dangerous here, I believe that is the not the main reason. She mentioned something of a †˜distortion problem’ and that you may have the knowledge to help fix it.”

“Huh…? Is that so? Hopefully I’ll be of help to this case. When do we depart? And what is an Archmage?”

“It is a title given to ten of the most powerful and respected mages in the world. While I know of some through my studies I have never met one in person. For when to depart… I was thinking to do so as soon as you are able, but I also was under the impression you knew this journey was coming. If there is anything you wish to do before we set off, feel free. Whenever you are ready to leave let me know and we will set out.”

“I do not think I have much of anything to do other than perhaps say farewell to young Sophia and the Duchess who took care of me this past year, and have shown me some of the world. I have no attachment to this world whatsoever otherwise, after all.”

“Very well, how does setting our departure for tomorrow morning sound then?”

“Sounds good. I will be ready.”

Sherry seemed to look about every direction with unbound curiosity. Roland got off the hansom cab with Sherry, who didn’t even seem to know what it was. The elder thus didn’t know how to get on it, either. This lack of common sense indeed meant that she was some kind of an endangered species in the world, of sorts. A walking encyclopedia, who ironically was unaware of what appeared to be countless ordinary facts. It only showed to Roland that learning was a process meant to be considered infinite.

In the station, the Magic Train could be seen. It was a large locomotive. Jet black in colour and robust, it made the supposed ancient dweller of the world excited.

“What do the humans call this thing?” she asked innocently, looking up to the train with sparkling eyes. “There are so many things to learn in this world, I apologise if my questions appear to be irritating.” She chuckled dryly.

“Don’t worry about it, I was the same way when I left England for the first time. This vehicle specifically is called a Magic Train, but there also exist mundane varieties of trains that run on electricity and steam.” Roland chuckled slightly, enjoying being the one teaching instead of the one being taught for once. “If this has you excited just wait until we get to the rest of the world beyond the clouds. Have you already been told anything of the current state of the world’s time? Also, I hope that you don’t mind if I speak a bit less formally. Nobles may highly value their etiquette codes and traditions, but having been raised as a commoner, constantly trying to mimic their manner of speech gets tiring.”

“Huh… well, I learned some etiquette. I feel like it is a good thing—to be refined and graceful. I cannot say that I am good at it, though. I am likely similar to you in that regard. I have been told the general details but… it is a bit hard to believe. If something like this is here then… I must say I am curious to learn of the outside world.”

“I could go on for hours describing all the wondrous things but nothing beats first hand experience. Though one particular development that always amazes me when I see them is planes. They are huge metal crafts used to travel that fly through the air at incredible speeds with no aid from magic. Unfortunately, we won’t be riding one during this trip, but if we do any long distance traveling after Italy it is likely we will.”

“Metal crafts that fly without the aid of magic… are they flown with spiritual energy then? Or is that a marvelous feat of electricity too?”

“While electricity is used in controlling the craft, how it works is even more wondrous. Without going too deep into technical details, they function purely by harnessing the power of fire and clever applications of physics.”

“Huh… these are terms a little hard to follow. Perhaps it is about time I start learning from textbooks of the mundanes evermore.”







“T-This is… is this a work of science and the laws of physics too?!” Sherry exclaimed.

It was no surprise to Roland that Sherry was excited even more than ever when the Magic Train took to the skies after traveling on the earth for some time. The tracks on the air appeared to be ephemeral.

The magicians had what were called the Magic Tracks all over the world for the Magic Trains to travel through. They weren’t exactly as fast as some planes, but were said to be very good to travel with at long distances regardless. Especially for countries like England, Russia, and Japan, they were recommended. The trains could travel through both air and oceans. However, there were times when one would have to get off the Magic Train for traveling through the planes.

This was due to weather, as the Magic Tracks would become invisible and untouchable in poor weather for their protection. However, planes would simply fly, and were better prepared to deal with bad weathers.

“Nope, this bit is all magic,” Roland replied with a smile. “And breaking just about every law of physics too. There are no mundane methods of travel for entering or leaving any of the countries with distorted time because they cannot get through the supernatural clouds,” he went on to explain.

“Huh… how the mages have come far!” Sherry exclaimed again. “This is truly miraculous to simply watch. I am glad that I got to leave the tower, and I can’t thank you enough!”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. Other countries may be more advanced in sciences, but England is the forefront of magic in the world. If you want to see more of developments in magic, I can bring you to the Academy next time we are there.”

“Huh… Academy, you say? What do they do there? Do they really have institutions to teach magic nowadays?”

“Yes, but there are only a few that exist throughout the world. In the past, was magical knowledge only passed from master to apprentice?”

“Mostly kept between the Gods. Some would pass down knowledge to human beings, though.”

“I’ve always wondered, is the knowledge Gods possessed instinctive or did they develop their powers through study and experience just as humans do? I mean, this in the best possible way but you don’t seem very Godly. You don’t act lofty and are easy to talk to, you get scared around dangerous things, you get curious and excited for new experiences. If it weren’t for the wings and the circumstances of our meeting I might have just thought you a human girl. Do myths portray the Gods differently from how they actually are or would you consider yourself an exception?”

“Um, I cannot really tell. I do not know what kind of things you have been reading about us Gods in books, but I assure you that most of us were human beings according to current definitions. We learned what we could from studying. Ah, but I suppose most of the knowledge were granted by the True Gods of our time.”

“True Gods?”

“What you would call the Descendants of Time.”

“If they are the ones who you consider Gods I wonder what being or beings exist at the true origin. Even the Descendants are beholden to their Celestial Spirits.” With such quandaries to ponder Roland fell silent as he entered his researcher mode. “Could the Spirits ultimately be the source from which all magical and spiritual knowledge originally came, or does a higher power exist beyond them?” he wondered aloud after a few moments.

“The Celestial Spirits were considered Gods. Then the hosts were—by extension—Gods too, and their descendants were the children, sons of man. Indeed, everyone respectable were called Gods, and their children too. It was a long chain of hubris.”

“Learning that clears up quite a few misconceptions I had. It is also quite motivating though, knowing that such a level was reached with effort rather than an innate virtue of birth.”

“Of course, and being the mother of humankind, I am glad that people have come so far,” Sherry said with a big smile.

“And this isn’t even the extent of it. Just wait until we get to Italy and you see what technological marvels have been created in the modern age. Or what is yet to come if the opportunity to visit Japan arises.”

“I-I see… I can hardly wait! By the way, is it me or is it that… everyone seems to stare at me? Do I have something on my face, or something?”

“Rather than your face I think it is your wings that have caught their attention since normal humans do not have them.”

“O-Oh… now that I think about it, that is true. I wonder if there is a way to conceal them.”

“Maybe a long shawl would be able to cover them?”

“Or perhaps I should get new clothes. I cannot tell if it will hurt or not, though.”

“I have funds if you want to go shopping when we arrive. Though, why do you think it might hurt?”

“Well, if I hide them under my clothes then I think it will feel rather restrictive. At the same time I do not want to look strange to the humans.”

“Hmm.” Fashion was not Roland’s strong suit but he thought hard, searching for an option that would satisfy both conditions. “The easiest solution would be if we can hide them with magic, but unfortunately I don’t have a spell capable of doing so. Aside from that, maybe a loose robe? It probably won’t be completely inconspicuous but with Rome and Vatican City nearby, you probably won’t draw too much attention if dressed like a nun.”

“A nun? What are those? I wonder if the humans have found a way to hide my wings with ease. It sounds interesting to see magic meant for concealing things.”

“Nuns are female members of certain religious organizations. They have a distinctive style of dress that consists of a loose robe and head covering. For concealment magic, I know it does have quite prominent use particularly with the invisible armors of knights, but I am not sure where to find such enchanted items. For a temporary solution we may be able to find another passenger on the train who is capable of casting concealing magic since most if not all should be mages.”

She listened attentively about the nuns and then responded, “I wouldn’t want to impose strangers about my problem, though…”

“Don’t worry about it. While it certainly doesn’t extend to everyone, I’ve found most people are happy to extend a helping hand to fellow travelers if asked. Not to mention we are coming from the land of chivalry, and aiding a lady in distress is one of its core tenets.”

“That doesn’t change anything for me, however.” Sherry smiled. “I want to live and be happy with mostly my own efforts.”

“That is admirable, but there is nothing wrong with receiving aid occasionally. It may be possible to get by with only one’s efforts but it is through helping and being helped that we thrive.” Roland stretched and got up. “I’ll try asking around to see if someone might know where we can get a magic item for you to use. Want to come take a look around the train while we’re at it?”

“Is it even safe to walk with the train curving this way in the sky…?”

“As long as you watch your step it should be fine. The train can shake quite a bit when there is turbulence but aside from that it is perfectly safe.”

“I’d still rather not trouble the others, Mister Roland, so let us not try that… to be honest it scares me,” Sherry said with a nervous laugh.

“Ah, I can understand that,” Roland said as he sat back down. “Then let's go clothes shopping for you when we reach Italy. I wouldn’t want you to feel uncomfortable as we travel.”

With the opening of the portal, Aramus and the others faced the manor of Duchess Frederica of Edinburgh. The gates were tall, and one wouldn’t be able to spot any garden or grass beyond it.

“Are you really sure that we can keep her here?” Akihiko questioned the Magister beside him.

This was perhaps the tenth time of the day that he was asking. Just from taking in the air, the boy seemed to be irritated. London was indeed infamous for its poor atmosphere. The lack of sunlight was perhaps the only similarity England and Japan could share from his view.

“I can vouch for that. There aren’t many other places in England that are as safe or have an owner as trustworthy as the person we’re about to meet. If you don’t like it, the portal is right there for you,” Aramus said. “Relax a little.”

“We could’ve used the more advanced treatment services of Japan… the fact that she is still unconscious says a lot of things about her physical condition.”

“Unfortunately, we wouldn’t be around in case she gets targeted again. It has already happened once and I do not want to see it happening again. I’m sorry if my decision irks you, Akihiko.”

Akihiko grumbled about a brother and his stubborn care and caution while Chris patted him on his back with a chuckle, as if used to the way Aramus would take decisions.

“Well, if I were to say, this is a classy mansion to live in. Whoever your acquaintance is, I’d wager she is quite a tasteful individual,” Witness DKD remarked, not caring for the banter. She had been having her share of banters with the Magister for a whole year, any more and she might as well become deaf due to how old it all is. Despite so, it may just never grow too old for her.

“Indeed. This manor belongs to the Duchess of Edinburgh, hopefully she is free to see us.”

“You are friends with a Duchess?” DKD looked back at the manor and then back to Aramus. “You?”

“More like she puts up with me,” Aramus said with a laugh.

“Is that so now?” Amelia seemed to think for a bit. “Ho ho, I hear the Duchess of Edinburgh is famous for her bakeries…” She poked him with her elbow. “Hook me up with her, would you?”

“I suppose that is possible. She seemed enamored with Japanese confectionary the last time we spoke over tea. I hope you brought some for her.”

“I don’t need those, I think I got just the thing… those Magic Cookies. Ho ho.”

“Ho ho ho. I think those will do quite nicely.”

“Good indeed, these are the true keys to effective bribery.”

“If that doesn’t work, use the Cupcake.”

“That should do the trick, the final nail in the coffin indeed.”

“I really fear for the Duchess now,” Chris said from behind as they two laughed together while scheming. That DKD really rubbed some of that devilry onto him, didn’t she?

“Tell me about it,” Akihiko added.

“Well, let’s go in then.

Inside the mansion, Aramus, Amelia and Chris was being escorted to the Duchess’ room while Akihiko was to wait with Aozora, who was placed on a bed in a guest room. To say the least, the maid recognized Aramus as a guest before he’d even explain why they were here. It was as if he was expected, as the maid was rather taken aback to find a crowd of four, while the fifth member was but unconscious.

“It doesn’t look like we’re being taken to a parlour…” Christopher guessed from behind the maidservant, whispering to Aramus. “Is that even considered normal in this country?”

“I suppose there’s a reason for this,” Aramus whispered back.

“Something doesn’t feel right. Let’s find out I guess.”

“It probably isn’t normal,” DKD said. “It’s the Victorian Era, the time of introverted rich kids.”

“Now that’s one description of this century,” Chris said with sarcasm. “But it’s kinda true… no good to go to a beach here…”

“I apologise Master. Unfortunately, England has yet to accept the notion of †˜showing skin.’ Though there are other places you might visit… Who knows, you might be a hit with the Noble ladies.”

“Oho. Maybe it’s high time I try my luck with the nobles again.”

The maidservant knocked on the door after they reached the end of the corridor. A very faint voice was heard before she opened it, and the three were allowed inside. In the room one would be able to locate much luxurious furnitures. It was lavish with portraits of various nobles. There was even a painting of Sophie.

Aramus noted the Duchess to be bedridden, covered with a blanket and still, not even getting up to meet their faces.

“Ah… is that you, Mister Valmark…? Come in.”

“Duchess Frederica!” Aramus said in alarm as he entered the room.

“Good day… how have you been? Oh, I have other guests it appears…” The Duchess just barely pulled herself up, the maid helping her up immediately with swiftness. She displayed the agility of a magus.

“I have been… well since we last met. Those here with me today have aided me greatly through my darkest hour. Duchess, what happened during the time I was gone?” Aramus said, his brow furrowed with worry.

The Duchess gave a nod of acknowledgement to Amelia and Christopher. Recognising the Archmage, she naturally paid her respects.

“Good day to you all…” she greeted again with a faint voice. “I am glad to know that you have been doing well, Mister Valmark. It seems that I have had a little slip of my heel among my brightest days, is all.”

“Don’t force yourself for us, Duchess. I appreciate that you’re already taking the time to see us in your condition. Would you be so kind as to elaborate on what happened? I have heard recent news regarding the Crown, none of it good, and it’s the reason for my return to England. I pray it’s not related to that.”

“Unfortunately… it is. A rebellion is upon us… Mister Valmark.”

“I suppose you were targeted due to your proximity to Her Majesty?”

“Yes, they are attempting to do away with those most loyal to the Crown.”

“Then… Duchess Caroline might be in trouble…” Christopher mumbled to himself. “This doesn’t look good.”

“Not in the slightest. Duchess Frederica, would we be imposing on you if we were to stay here? If the rebels think they are able to take advantage of your current condition then they are gravely mistaken.”

“No, not at all. I would be… happy to have you all stay,” the Duchess answered. “I do believe my maids are good bodyguards… if anything.”

“The added security would be reassuring nonetheless. Is it The Society that is acting or another faction?”

The Duchess fell silent to this question.

“I think it’s important we know this,” Amelia said, but the Duchess continued to look down.

“Duchess, you know I would never betray the Crown or Her Majesty. Is the enemy so grave that even we cannot do anything?”

“A member of the Royalty seems to be behind it… I do not know the particulars, but it is as far as I had gotten. Before I got to the bottom it, however, I was attacked.”


Aramus heaved a deep sigh as he thought about the matter, the effects it would have upon everyone living in England. This would effectively split their forces in two. He knew which side he would be on regardless.

“Do you know who is responsible for the attack on your person? They must be pretty confident to take you on.”

“One of the other Dukes. Some of them have turned. Whether out of fear or disloyalty, I do not know.”

“The crime of treason nonetheless. They have forgotten themselves and bitten the hand that feeds them.”

“Regardless, I apologise that I may be of no help in this matter for now. I wish you luck, Mister Valmark.”

“Actually, it’s Linfield now. Due to some circumstances, I have altered my name. Rest easy, Duchess, you have done far more for me than you know.”

“Found your family, have you?”


“Yes… for a short period of time before we were parted again. My sister will also be staying here, even more reason for me to guard you alongside her. Pray tell, where is Sophie? I have not seen her since we entered. Is she doing alright?” Aramus explained as his features softened.

“I had sent Sherry away out of fear along with a young researcher named Roland… and so is Sophie. I am a little frightened if anything, I suppose. I do not consider this mansion safe at the moment.”

“Sherry? Roland? I’m afraid I’m unfamiliar with those names, but if you believe it is for the best then I will trust in your judgement. Archmage Christopher, my senior and myself should be more than sufficient… or at least give them a run for their money if the rebels try anything. We will get to the bottom of this.”

“Thank you.”

“You know, DAD, it’s rather hard for me to lend a hand. Involving our Organization like this could have irreparable consequences of a global scale,” Amelia spoke after listening to Aramus’ last words.

“I-I’m sorry for getting ahead of myself. I will remain here at the very least. It is my duty as Magister, DKD,” Aramus said as what she said struck a chord within him. “I do not wish to wrap up more people in this mess. Perhaps Akihiko was right.”

“Well, we do have some business with the Queen and now that we know this… shall we?”

“Indeed.” Aramus nodded before turning to Christopher. “Master, what will you be doing in the meantime?”

“I’ll be the vanguard of the mansion I guess… and maybe I’ll give †˜ol Caroline a visit, something worries me about my niece, †˜ya know, little Elizabeth?”

“Alright. We will be back shortly, Duchess. If… you are feeling up for it, my compatriot has something nice to share with you over tea later. One of those.”

“Oho, I look forward to it, but perhaps I shall rest for now. As I had agreed, all of you may stay for as long as the house stands. I pray that you all will be well.”

“Have a good rest, Duchess.”

The portal opened again, the fabric of very space being ripped apart before the pair of Witnesses from the Space Police Organization entered a corridor inside the Buckingham Palace.

“I still feel like we should’ve just entered the room in the first place,” DKD said as they faced the door. “Is there really a difference?”

“Isn’t it a little rude to enter a girl’s room directly, least of all Her Majesty’s?”

“They still care about that these days? We just entered the room of a little girl back in Japan the other day.”

“I think that’s a totally different thing entirely,” Aramus said as he turned towards the door. He held a fist up for a moment before apprehensively rapping his knuckles on the door.

“Your Majesty, my utmost apologies for arriving unannounced. Your loyal subject, Magic Magister Aramus Linfield seeks an audience. Would you deign to spare us some of your time, my liege?”

“Mister Aramus… Linfield? Not Valmark…?” The Queen seemed to care more about the details than the unannounced arrival. “Please come in.”

“My apologies for the intrusion,” Aramus replied before opening the door for DKD to enter.

DKD seemed to give a shrug before she entered.

“We meet again, Your Majesty,” Amelia said with a wry smile.

“That we have, Miss Amelia,” the Queen said, giving a bright smile like usual, gesturing for them to take a seat around her table. “How may I help you two today?”

“We have heard reports of people vanishing off the streets of England at night and have come to investigate. A violation of the rules regarding a Boundary might be involved, but there is also disturbing news of rebellion movement underway within England to dethrone you. Visiting Duchess Frederica beforehand confirmed some of our suspicions regarding the latter, however she is unsure who is pulling the strings of the operation. If these two are linked, it would be an extremely troublesome affair. We were hoping you could shed some light on that, Your Majesty,” Aramus said crisply, acting as DAD for the time being.

“That could be true, but I am more inclined to think that it is not,” DKD added. “How would the rebellion be connected with… oh, but they could be hiding who knows what there. How rare of me to not think of it.”

The Queen chuckled. “That is not rare, it is simply because it is not in your position to ponder regarding this, yes?”

“You got me there, Your Majesty.” DKD seemed to laugh casually alongside the Queen.

“Mister Val—ahem, Linfield, I am quite certain that this rebellion affair is not linked to the Boundary. I wish you luck with your work with Witness DKD, and would advise you to swiftly take leave of the country after you do so.”

“On your words, Your Majesty. We will deal with the Boundary as soon as we find it. Excuse me for my rudeness, but might I request to stay behind in England once the matter has been settled?”

“Why? Surely you do not have any remaining affiliation with the Royal Council.” The Queen planted upon him her gaze firmly as she added, “I would not recommend involving yourself with this matter, Mister Linfield.”

“My loyalty is to you first and foremost, Your Majesty. It is out of turn for me, but I must respectfully decline any decision to leave. Nothing anyone says will dissuade me from my choice.” Bowing his head low, Aramus solidified his resolve.

“I am not looking for aid in this matter,” the Queen revealed. “I shall face the rebels personally.”

“And I will join you, my Liege. Where else would I be if not at your side?”

“At work—outside the country—stopping the distortions from spreading?”

“And might I question again about the distortion, Your Majesty?” DKD asked.

“What about the distortions, Miss Amelia? I believe you are aware of all that you may need to know about it.”

DKD gave DAD a glare like she wasn’t feeling very patient about things today.

Aramus spindled his fingers a little before speaking, his throat a little dry due to the situation. “Your Majesty, we would also like to enquire the true purpose of the Hour Glass. How its… existence and ties with your main body affect the Boundaries appearing around the globe.”

“I apologise, but…” The Queen fell silent about the matter as she processed the words in her mind. “I do not think I would like to discuss that matter.”

“There are two other figures that float within the Hour Glass. Would you be willing to elaborate on at least that?”

“No,” the Queen’s answer was most blatant; she didn’t even need to consider his request for information. “I do not wish to speak of this matter entirely.”

“Your Majesty! Please try to understand that we need information,” DKD said, finally snapping. “We can’t have you withholding all of this. This concerns the world. It is not an affair limited to only you.”

“Perhaps it is, but that is precisely the reason why I am adamant in not sharing what I know. Please understand.”

DKD heaved a heavy sigh.

“Your Majesty, you have always worked for the people's benefit. If you believe that withholding this information is beneficial for that, then I will trust your decision. However, if there are greater developments regarding the Hour Glass, I’m afraid we might have to come calling again…” Aramus said with a heavy heart. He had no desire to displease his monarch but as a member of the Space Police, he was in a difficult position.

“The response will be similar every time, Witness,” the Queen tersely responded. Unless…

“Witness DKD, my apologies but would you kindly grant the Queen and I some privacy?” If one looked at Aramus now, they could make out the tension in his body as he made the request of Witness DKD. He didn’t like this, not one bit, but he was trying to get to the bottom of things and this way was the only way he knew how.

Amelia grumbled about kids and their privacy and got up. “Alright, fine. I apologise for my present demeanour, Your Majesty. I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive my rudeness. I’ll now take my leave.” With a terse bow, Witness DKD stepped out of the room and waited for Aramus in the hallways.

Aramus watched her go, feeling a slight pang in his heart for forcing her out of the conversation but he very well couldn’t have her overhearing this next part of the conversation, especially with the sensitive information.

“My liege, is that Hour Glass related to the Descendants? Are the other two floating within others chosen by the spirits?”

“I cannot tell, Mister Linfield.”

“Then I shall prod no more. I do not wish to lower myself even further. Does Your Majesty mind if we speak about my mother instead, Your Majesty?”

“Mary, I assume? What would you like to know?”

“Her memory. What’s wrong with it? She did not seem to recall anything up until… the Pope did something.”

“I suppose you noted a chain broke due to Jesus Christ? I was watching.”

“Indeed it did. Was it a Commandment of his? Something that oppressed her to do his bidding?”

“Yes, he is allowed to bind any beings to do his bidding, given a contract is created.”

“The Golden Eye is proof of that contract?”

“Not necessarily so, it is her Commandment.”

“I see… Is there any way to break his hold over her? I wish to free my mother from his control.”

The Queen shook her head. “Unfortunately, it is purely up to the user’s will. Once the contract is sealed, Mary Linfield is forever bound to Jesus of Nazareth.”

“So there is no way to break it unless… we remove Jesus Christ from the equation.” Another deep sigh echoed in the room.

“Which I doubt is possible. Usually, the seal is temporarily broken when the chain is broken, but it is a simple action for Jesus to replace it.”

“That is… frustrating,” Aramus admitted with a shake of his head. “Did she remember herself when she spent time with you, my liege? Or was it the incomplete persona that she so oft had.”

“No, she did. Normally, Jesus Christ never employed the memory manipulation… until, she decided one day that the only reward for all the killing she did in her Lord’s name was blissful happiness—an amnesia, so to say.”

“How long has she been alive? When she faded, it seemed as though she didn’t want to carry on anymore. It is… extremely disheartening to think that I may never be able to truly free her.”

“No, Mister Linfield, she definitely wanted to live with her children. However, she had to sacrifice herself for the sake for their sake too.”

“But she isn’t dead, is she? Jesus mentioned about returning what was his and he seemed more displeased at her failure than death. He has a way, a way to bring her back over and over.”

“He simply warped her to a different location, where he would place a new chain upon her, I believe. This has happened time and time again for the two hundred years that this Virgin Mary has lived. Regardless, your mother—and my old friend—is very much alive. He would never kill her, for he loves her dearly, despite what it may look like to others.”

“Is that his form of affection?”

“Perhaps. There are all kinds of people out there, and I like to give respect to any form of love… I suppose. In all honesty, Jesus Christ is not exactly doing anything truly wrong in my perspective.”

Aramus appeared a little distraught that she thought this way. “No form of love is greater than the other…? What of me and my other siblings? Did Jesus show Michael that same love as a father?”

“In time, he may do so.” The Queen smiled. “The fact that Jesus showed Mary love speaks for itself.”

“A half-blood like me would probably be ignored or worse. I still need to find my own father in this world, in between whatever assignment I may have, but for now I will bear my mother’s name and carry on, though I reckon she would chide me for being reckless and my shortcomings.”

“She would chide you for a lot of things, Mister Linfield. Tell you what, I shall personally negotiate with Jesus if I can ever find the time… assuming I find the time.”

“Indeed she will. Perhaps I may never become the man she envisioned me to grow up into but that won’t dissuade me. Thank you, Your Majesty. That means a lot to me,” Aramus answered, his voice holding more emotion than normal. To think that the Queen would do something for him, a chance to get his mother back. Any hope would be more favourable than now.

“Will that be all that I may help you with for the day, Mister Linfield?”

“I believe I’ve taken enough of your time already, Your Majesty. I shall take my leave now. Thank you again for giving me answers regarding my mother and… for being there for her,” Aramus said as he stood up, bowing to the Queen.

“Have you been… happy, traveling with Mister Christopher around the world?”

Aramus thought about his answer, the various memories he had made in the past year. What they meant to him.

“I have felt happy during the time with him, yes. Travelling the world is an experience and something that I would not be privy to otherwise. But at the same time, I have learned many things during my journey and that joy… is fleeting. I will never be able to repay the debt of life that I have taken from so many others and when I think of that, how can I allow myself to be happy?”

“As a Magister under my supposed employ, would you listen to any command I make?”

“If you so wish it, my Queen.”

“I command you to forgive yourself. Can you do that, Mister Linfield?”

It had to be her, his Liege, that asked this of him. Aramus was rendered speechless, the words cutting straight to his heart. A fog had clouded his mind the more he had spoken with his Queen, his mind thrown more into turmoil with every sentence. Now came the coup de grace. In one sentence, she had managed to cut through whatever defence he had erected over the past year, leaving him extremely vulnerable. Tears began to spill from his eyes and Aramus’ lips quivered as he gave his reply.

“If that is your command, I shall do so.”

The Queen stood up, and walked over to Aramus, wiping his tears with her own hands rather than using a handkerchief.

“It is alright to forgive yourself—I forgive you for your mistakes, shortcomings, sins, and everything else. So please, do not be so… sad.”

“It is… all I am familiar with, unfortunately. I have lived but never truly felt alive. The warmth of a family, loved ones, friends. I will struggle and survive as I always have but… I’d like to know maybe one day, what happiness feels like. What it’s like to be surrounded by love.”

“I shall pray that that day comes. Be well. You are dismissed.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Aramus quietly excused himself from her chamber, sparing the Queen one last look as he closed the door behind himself. His heart felt heavier than it had in ages and he shook his head, wondering how foolish it must have looked crying before his lord.

“So, what happened?” DKD asked, looking at the Magister whose face still appeared somewhat teary. “If you want a hug, I’m right here. Hoho. I could hear those sobs all the way out here.”

“She asked me… to forgive myself. I… Never mind.” Aramus cut himself off with another sigh. “I’m sorry if you were displeased by my request.”

“It’s fine, she wasn’t gonna talk about it anyway. Besides, forgiveness is nice,” Amelia said with a wry smile. “The only ones who could forgive me are gone so… I dunno, be glad that someone is even willing.”

“I don’t know how long it will take for me to do so but… for my Queen, I will.” It was a lesson in irony to be lectured about it after so long, and Aramus felt a little out of sorts due to the conversation. “We’re in this together so for better or worse, I’m your partner.”

“You know it. Now let’s go start our next mission, shall we?”

“Faster we get that, faster we can get back to those Magic Cookies I suppose.” The banter always helped him keep his mind off things so Aramus did what he was familiar with.

“Maybe a Magic Cupcake first before we start. Just to forget all of the nonsense of today…”

“My turn to feed it to you!”

“We feed each other then.”

“…Fine.”

It had been some days for Kaitlyn since she welcomed Elizabeth into her house.

Initially, Elizabeth and Kaitlyn felt awkward around each other after the little confrontation they had in the first night of her stay. Eventually, Elizabeth managed to break the wall. It all started with her monitoring her finances, ironically. She couldn’t bear to have the Enforcer of Royal Council treat her more than one night in the tavern. It didn’t take her long to realise that Kaitlyn was bad at cooking, so Elizabeth took over—claiming that she should eat more healthy, or something along the lines of that.

Who’s taking care of who again? Kaitlyn had thought as Elizabeth worked away in the kitchen to prepare dinner. It always seemed to end up like this. Her friends did the same thing in school, always fussing over her, even after they graduated, even today.

Kaitlyn couldn’t complain though. There were moments where they stepped on each other’s toes, true, but more often than not Elizabeth proved helpful. In a way, she also reminded Kaitlyn of the long lost days of when she had a younger sibling to watch over. Except her brother never cooked for her. He’d be a couple years younger than Elizabeth now.

I should write them a letter again soon and see what they’re up too.

As she mulled this over, Elizabeth seemed to be back from the kitchen, serving the dinner. It consisted of oxtail soup, boiled leg of mutton, caper sauce, mashed turnips, carrots, potatoes, mince pies, and almond pudding. She also brought over milk tea. Suffice it to say, this was the type of properly cooked food one would find in a respectable hotel. Something that would cost Kaitlyn’s purse some precious pounds. She wasn’t even sure when Elizabeth went out to get all the necessities to cook all of this food. This seemed to be the trend of the past few days. Elizabeth was extremely good at sneaking out and coming back before one would know.

Kaitlyn couldn’t help but wonder if all of these trips were entirely innocent, but she didn’t pry. For the time being at least, she decided to trust in Elizabeth to tell her if she was getting in over her head.

As Elizabeth set the food in front of her, Kaitlyn’s mouth watered with hunger. “Where did you find the time to learn how to cook like this anyway?”

“Surely I do not find the time; I make them, however. I had heard tales of how a husband would like to eat homemade food in Japan, so I decided to work up on my skills… †˜skills’ I say but I knew nothing before I started.”

“So, you have anyone special?”

“Hm? Anyone special? I suppose my family is?”

“No, I meant a guy, someone you’d like to impress with your cooking skills.”

The picture of a certain teacher came to her mind but Elizabeth rubbed the thought away.

“N-No, no such individual, so far.” Elizabeth forced a smile to mask her blushing face. “I was simply interested in cooking, I suppose.”

In that moment, if someone told Kaitlyn this lady was probably involved with something illegal, she would have laughed at them.

She cut off a piece of mutton dipped in the sauce. It felt like it would melt in her mouth.

Elizabeth didn’t appear to be peckish, only drinking the soup, and eating the carrots, potatoes and the almond pudding. She took up the newspaper as she poured tea for herself—after pouring some for Kaitlyn—and placed the teacup on the saucer. She seemed to be silently reading at first glance, but was completely still otherwise.

This had become a daily routine of sorts for the two of them. This isn’t bad at all, Kaitlyn thought, but she couldn’t let herself grow complacent. She knew sooner or later this would come to an end. She stared down at her plate.

From behind the newspaper, the young noble lady took her up handkerchief and dabbed her cheeks and eyes.

There was no noise of sobbing whatsoever, so it took some moments for Kaitlyn to take note of apparent tears.

Elizabeth neatly folded the newspapers and got up—her tea unfinished—before walking away.

“I shall go take a bath.”

She turned up the Engine machine that was used for producing hot water. Something that came along with the birth of steam culture in England. It made a loud noise across the small apartment.

Kaitlyn reached for the paper. “What happened?” But Elizabeth didn’t have to answer. The picture on the front page was of what once had no doubt been a spectacular mansion. Before Kaitlyn could process what could possibly have caused so much damage to it, the title of the article jumped out at her. Duchess Caroline Cavendish Bentinck killed by Jack the Ripper.

Kaitlyn cursed. “I… I’m sorry,” she said over the noise of the water.

The sky was blue, the air was fresh, the cries of the birds were myriad, and the people—cheerful. Some of the houses seemed very old while others were apparently renovated. Regardless, the homes of the Italians seemed to carry a theme now considered classy. The infrastructure appeared somewhat aged but still in good condition. Everything in Porto Santo Stefano was fresh to the pair that finally reached it after a long travel.

This seaport city located in the west coast of Italy—in the municipality of Argentario, the province of Grosseto, Tuscany—was their final stop before reaching Isola del Giglio.

Apparently, Isala del Giglio was the island that Roland was supposed to escort Sherry to. He received the request from the Duchess who wanted Sherry to be safe. The sealed letter was supposed to be opened by the Archmage to whom it was addressed to. The cover specified the address, and that was how he knew where they were supposed to head for. He still wasn’t aware which of the great Archmages from the remaining nine he was supposed to meet.

He was currently accompanied by this woman who possessed the height of a sixteen year old—apparently younger than him—but had the expression of an elder, which would ease naturally for the sake of curiosity and cheerfulness. Her natural complexion and personality seemed to clash often. He managed to get her a long one-piece this time, which covered her wings just fine.

Previously, her older one-piece was specifically designed to leave out openings for the wings, which was why she was the center of attention. Even now, however, her natural beauty and cheerful air would draw eyes, and she would shrink at the abnormal amount of attention she’d receive.

“Seems even without wings your charisma draws attention. Shall we head to the ferry to get away from the crowds?” Roland offered. When he looked up to her, however, she seemed to be not with him at all. Panicking, he looked around in every direction, and walked around the bustling streets.

“Mister Roland, Mister Roland!” Sherry called out, waving from the other side.

Roland ran over only to realize that Sherry was completely captivated by the bazaar when she pointed at the stalls.

He smiled seeing her unbounded excitement, glad that she was able to forget her self-consciousness if only for a while.

“See anything in particular you like?” he asked as they walked through the market.

“Too many to note… I cannot believe they put up fish like this, though. Is that even alright?”

“Is there something strange about how they are kept?”

“Well… many things, I imagine everyone here would incur the wrath of a God for sure due to their treatment of the sea creatures.”

“Were there not fish markets in ancient times?”

“There were?”

“I’m sorry, but then I’m not sure what you are referring to. Is there something in a particular stall that is off?” Roland asked, looking around to try find what there was that could be perceived as a slight against the sea.

“I have simply never seen fish in stalls before is all, is that so strange?”

“Not so much strange as unexpected. I had thought markets existed even in ancient times for the exchanging of goods with fish being included as one of the commodities.”

“Hm… perhaps the change happened after I was locked away.”

“Maybe. While we have it in front of us now, how about having some lunch?” Roland looked around and spotted a stall selling what seemed to be fish croquettes.

“I suppose seeing as the world has not ended yet, no curses of Gods have befallen humans for many years.” With these words, Sherry’s eyes sparkled with curiosity yet again. “Which only means that I am very excited to taste… a lot of these foods.”

“I hope you have a big appetite since these markets have a lot to offer. Since we’re in the fish district let’s start with that.” Roland walked over to the stall he spotted, an irresistible aroma of sizzling fish and batter wafting over him as he drew closer. Purchasing a few, he rushed back over to Sherry with the treats. “Be careful, they are a bit hot.”

With a bite, it already appeared to Roland that Sherry didn’t heed his warning about the hotness of the inside, and she was taking in air just to cool off the food in her mouth.

“This really is hot but… what is this taste? I have never experienced it before. It’s really good!”

“Inside is marinated fish while the crust is formed by a batter of bread crumbs and spices which is then fried. There are also types filled with meat or vegetables on the inside.”

“I see… I wonder if I can learn to make them myself. It sounds complex based on your explanation, however. Vegetables sounds very nice, I am not sure about consuming meat, though…”

“Making one with a professional depth of flavor like these may be a bit difficult without knowing what they add to flavor it, but the basic concept is pretty simple. You can see how they are made at the stall over there.” Roland pointed to where he purchased the croquettes.

“I… I see, that is an impressive art. How interesting. I feel tempted to try meat, yet at the same time fear retribution.”


“You don’t have too much to worry about. If it brought retribution, most of the world’s population would be gone.”

“Ahaha… I suppose that is also true, seeing as how people seem to prefer it in the current world. Even if I was the mother Goddess, many Gods threatened me as I was categorized a titan.”

“If you want to stay away from it, there are also many dishes that exclude it. However, before we begin our tour we should check on the schedule for the ferry. We wouldn’t want to forget our main purpose for coming here.”

“Ahhh, yes, we should check on it before exploring the various cuisines available.”

Walking past the end of the fish market, they arrived at the docks. From there it was a simple matter to find the ferry platform. After purchasing their tickets and confirming there was time before departure, it was back to the bazaar for a tour of food before setting off.

At the market, Roland let Sherry lead the way as the two strolled leisurely, looking at all the various stalls.

“Do you want to try meat or stay away from it?” Roland asked as he scanned the stalls, searching for what to feed Sherry next.

“I want to, but I don’t want to… this is a dilemma. A big one, at that.”

“While you work through that, how about starting with what can be enjoyed either way?” Roland pointed to a stall selling slices of what appeared to be a thin, flat bread. A sign hanging from the front of the stall had the words “torta di ceci” on it.

“Alright, but what are these… things made of?”

“They are baked from chickpea flour that has been mixed with various herbs and seasonings. While their taste isn’t as robust as the croquettes from before they are quite savory.”

“I see, let us try that, then.”

Returning from the, stall Roland carried a plate with a few triangular cut slices and a small mound of black pepper.

“For additional taste, you can sprinkle some of the pepper over the slices,” he said, doing so and offering the slice to Sherry.

Before Sherry accepted the slice, something seemed to pass through it, and it broke in half. Roland turned to find a cloaked figure disappear in an alley past some stalls.

“What… was that?” Sherry looked down at the slice with eyes that made her look like a child who lost had her favorite toy.

“Best case, someone who was targeting me. Worst case, someone who is after you. Either way it doesn’t seem like it is safe here.” Roland was on guard, frantically scanning the market for potential threats, but there were too many people to watch them all. Folding up the paper plate with the torta di ceci inside, he stuffed it into his bag. “We should head to the ferry. If there are assailants, it will likely be more difficult for them to act once we are on the Archmage’s island.”

“Wouldn’t we be canceling the ferry’s ride if something happens, though? I’ve heard of Miss Sophie talking about a similar incident before.”

“What incident? Also, let us talk as we move, it will be harder for us to be targeted that way.”

He began leading Sherry briskly through the crowded streets taking care to avoid brushing too close to any strangers. Which resulted in what seemed like a needle running straight before his eyes. Another step and his eyes could’ve been cut through in one shot. Needles repeatedly visited Roland after that, and the pair started running.

“The entire bazaar is not safe. I wonder how the people can not notice any of this!”

“It seems our assailants are quite skilled.”

Without warning, he ducked into a small side-alley and pulled Sherry in after him. “It seems we are already surrounded,” he groaned. There were needles sticking out of him all over and his body felt like it was on fire. Looking over Sherry, he was glad to see she was unharmed. “That similar incident you mentioned before. Do you think it has anything to do with this?” he asked panting.

“I don’t really know, but I think it was a †˜mundane’ matter?”

“Guess not. Either way, we need to find a place to hide.”

Roland looked around frantically but found nothing. As another flurry of needles flew at him, he decided to take a chance. Drawing on ancient energies, he tore open a portal into the space between realms. Grabbing Sherry he leapt through as the portal closed behind them.

“Oh! I didn’t know that you could open a path to the Void Realm, Mister Roland.” Sherry looked around the dark spacious Realm that they had reached. The blue hue illuminating the place was nothing compared to the bright sun that they were basking under earlier.

“It’s something I learned in the past year. From one of the books I borrowed from your library actually. Though since my magic is a bit unstable I haven’t had the chance to test it out until now.”

“Your magic is unstable? Well, please hold still for a bit.”

Sherry placed her hands on Roland’s forehead, a golden light emanating from them. A soothing sensation washed over his body and he could feel his wounds closing. Albeit, contrary to popular belief in fictional works, healing magic was always painful due to the closing of wounds. The needles seemed to fall off due to the effects of the spell.

“Thanks.” He rubbed the affected areas to get the blood flowing. “Sorry about handling you roughly back there.”

“Don’t worry, you were doing it for my safety, after all. More importantly, we can only spend forty-eight minutes before we have to go back for the ferry. What should we do?”

“You wouldn’t by any chance know how to navigate the Void Realm, would you? Also...” He dug around in his bag for a moment before withdrawing the folded plate he stashed there before the chase. “We can take at least a brief breather here.” Unfolding it, the torta di ceci were still intact and he offered them to her. “This time you won’t be interrupted.”

“Oooh, I suppose that is true.” Sherry took up one of the slices again and took a bite, finding it crustier than the croquette. “I see they’re not as freshly-made as before now. As for the Void Realm, I think I do, why?”

“If we can select our point of exit that would be the easiest way to shake our pursuers. We may have eluded them for now, but with the amount of people they brought to pursue us, I imagine they are still searching the city.”

“Hm… seeing as I’ve seen the ferry before, I think we can go over to it. I’m afraid I cannot get us to our ultimate destination without knowing where it is, however.”

“That is good enough. If we can stow away on the ship without being seen we can hopefully be out to sea before they realize we’ve left the port. After all, we’ve already purchased our tickets.”

“I see, but wouldn’t they know that we’d be going to the ferry eventually? Since we did go there some time ago.”

“I don’t doubt they would consider it and there will probably be some assailants at the harbor, but I doubt they would concentrate their forces on the ship if we can slip on board unnoticed. More likely they would think we are biding our time in the city or looking for another route.”

“If you think so, perhaps we’ll be fine.”

With Sherry leading the way, the two set off, walking through the Void Realm.