Cinia Pacifica Posts

Her second time in the cafeteria, Natsu pondered for some time what to order. Her first time visiting the Academy was when it was still on a period of vacation, as Alicia gave her a tour. Now that she was really here, making a choice was a tough decision. Not because she was new here but because she was new to the amount of cuisines available here. She knew some from America but not most. Unlike the rest of Japan that was isolated from the world, this Academy and its cafeteria had access to the western foods—particularly European—exponentially expanding her options. From high quality to medium, but nothing truly cheap or simple. This school was different in every way compared to her previous school.

Eventually, she settled for Japanese food because she’d take too long to think things through.

Aramus was having his lunch as he observed Natsu venturing through her new life at the Academy. Everything was well and all until he felt bloodlust surrounding her. A group of male scholars were approaching her to perhaps invite her to join them, and it would likely not turn out well… for the boys, anyway.

He felt bad about having to single her out from this entire crowd, especially since she was a new student here, but there wasn’t a better way to go about things. Aramus called out to her from his seat, some students sending a few looks his way as to why.

Natsu looked in the direction she was called. It was him: the teacher among the chaos of that day who protected his students from Sagittarius, Aramus. Natsu remembered him very clearly. She thought him to be an honorable man to do something like that. She joined him at the table he was sitting at.

“Um, did you need me for something?” Natsu asked the man. She was momentarily taken aback by the mark on his face. She didn't recognize it from before, but Natsu had a sense that she would be alright around him.

“Just take a seat,” he said, looking disinterestedly at the group of boys who were now glaring at him for stealing their mark away. “I just wanted to talk.”

Natsu glanced over to where Aramus was looking and noticed the group of boys, too. Oh, did he just protect me? Aramus was already proving himself to be a kind man. “Thank you,” Natsu said quietly while taking a seat across from him. “What did you want to talk about?”

“The same set of questions every teacher asks. How are you holding up in school, anything that might be bothering you? Made any friends?” Aramus said with a swirl of his fork. “Wouldn’t want you feeling left out now, that won’t do at all.”

There was clearly more on his mind than that, Natsu thought, but she played along anyways. Those questions were indeed general worries a teacher has for their students. “School’s been fine, other than some angry stares I've gotten from some other students, and I made a friend who is a Hime Miko!” She answered all the questions in one statement.

“Then that is good. Perhaps the angry stares will go away in time. Most of the students here are riled up due to recent events and I can’t say I blame them for it,” Aramus said after a mouthful of food. “Hime Miko huh? Interesting choice. Tsuruko?”

Natsu shook her head. “I don't know who that is. The one I met was named Ame Matsurika. We shared the same ride when we transferred to this school.”

“A new transfer like you. I guess that explains it,” Aramus said with an †˜ah’ motion. “We have a lot more high profile students this semester for some reason, haha.”

Finished with his meal, he shifted the tray slightly and brought out his treasure, the chocolate chip cupcake. It was a simple dessert but to Aramus, it was the world, at least for that moment. The chocolate chips shone like jewels, the frilling wrapper it was in a perfect container for its sweet goodness. He peeled the wrapper off and took a bite, chewing slowly to savor the taste.

Natsu giggled a bit watching Aramus eat. It was kind of amusing seeing the man in this state. “You’re really enjoying that, aren’t you? It looks really good!" she commented, somewhat envious. “Do they serve that here, too?”

“I just bought these off a bakery outside. Sometimes the cafeteria does have dessert, but nothing beats a good old cupcake. Sometimes I bake my own if my schedule permits,” Aramus said with a smile. In that one sentence, the cupcake had disappeared.

“Eh...? Is that so…” Natsu was disappointed for a moment, learning that she actually couldn’t get the cupcake here, but she was nonetheless fascinated with the bakery and Aramus’ ability to cook. “Oh, you can bake? That's really cool! You should let me try your cooking sometime!”

“Maybe, maybe. Embarrassingly, I had to have my lunches greatly altered because someone decided I wasn’t eating well. That isn’t far from the truth though,” Aramus admitted. “Now it’s back to the same routine I had before. Desserts are more my thing though.”

“It’s good to be healthy, but it’s always nice to eat something you like!” Natsu said while nodding her head. She was in a similar state, needing to eat healthy, but given enough freedom to still eat some of what she wanted. She needed to stay in shape to be an idol, after all. “That’s still cool that you can make desserts. It's a great talent!”

“Not that it amounts to much here,” Aramus replied, pointing towards all the food that the cafeteria had available. “The students here are mostly from powerful families or something along those lines. They eat well. The joy of a single cupcake is lost when you can get anything you want with a wave of a hand. I like to keep it simple.”

“Yeah, I noticed. It’s like a world buffet.” Natsu agreed as she turned for a moment to look at the various kinds of food being offered. She looked down on her own food, too. Her Japanese plate was simple in comparison, but it was still quite extravagant for a school lunch. "This is nicer than what I usually eat at home, now that I think about it..." Natsu said, still impressed by the cafeteria in general.

“Indeed it is,” Aramus said, rising from his seat. “It was good speaking to you, but I’m afraid my time is up, I’ll have to return to my duties. Send my regards to the other one as well.” He bid her farewell and made his way out through the throng of students.

“Alright, teacher. It was good talking to you!” Natsu bid Aramus farewell as she finished up her lunch as well and got herself ready for the day ahead.

GOOD, GOOD. I shall face you in the arena. My dueling pistols are ready. Let's rumble!

“Are you Tsuruko, the Exception?”

Tsuruko was about to get some lunch as the recess period began, when a girl wearing similar garb as her abruptly stopped her to ask a question. She was pretty, but somehow looked younger, and seemed to have a very dignified air about her, albeit seemingly haughty as well.

“Yes, I am,” Tsuruko replied with a slight nod, seemingly wanting to match the other girl's aura. “And you are...?”

“So you didn’t know after all?” Ame asked, a little disappointed, but she shrugged it aside. “Ame Matsurika. I enrolled some time ago, but it’s my first day here today, Tsuruko-san. I am your distant cousin, a Hime Miko.”

“So I had cousins, after all,” Tsuruko remarked nonchalantly. “Very well met then. I hope to get to know you better.”

“Likewise.” Ame gave a nod. “These days parents don’t talk about your cousin’s families especially when they are of higher status. Children get jealous apparently.”

“I see... I have been enclosed from the outside world pretty much the whole time before I came here, so there are still a lot of things I do not know yet. Besides, I am usually more conscious about my own capabilities, rather than others'."

“...Outside world, even the whereabouts of Shrine?”

“Ah, I was referring to anywhere that was not in the vicinity of my family shrine, save for a certain island I was trained on,” Tsuruko said as she recalled.

“Huh… you must’ve been particularly sheltered. Are your parents overprotective about your ability as an Exception?”

“Yes, especially my Father. I am my family’s hope, after all.”

“Oh? Hope you say?”

“At least I hope I am!” Tsuruko laughed.

“If you say so.” Ame smiled. “I must join my sister for lunch now. Thank you for your time,” she said, giving a terse yet respectable bow.

“Likewise. It was an honor.” Tsuruko nodded, gesturing a farewell towards Ame.

Finding Margaret Alicia wasn’t easy. She seemed to be one of the most busiest teachers in the school, and considering the conditions Lumiere mentioned, he couldn’t simply waltz in on her lessons and disturb her. For two hours straight, Michael watched her hosting lessons, and eventually she exited the class.

“That’s a face I haven’t seen around here,” Margaret Alicia said, finding Michael towards the windows of the corridor, looking at her. “One of the guests that was allowed to stay here, I presume?

“Yes, I am. I hope I have not caused any disturbance,” Michael said, extending his hand as a greeting. “My name’s Michael Kallweit, but please call me Michael.”

“Well as long as you don’t interrupt the class I wouldn’t think any harm was done, Michael,” Alicia replied, shaking hands with Michael. “How may I help you?”

“I have a few inquiries regarding vampires, BLoodLuSt to be exact. Miss Lumiere suggested that I seek your advice.” Michael spoke in a hushed tone.

“Well, this is likely not the best place for that topic,” Alicia stated, gesturing towards the corridor. Some other scholars were exiting the classroom. “Follow me to the lounge.”

Being led to the lounge of teachers, Michael felt a little out of place with all the luxury and comfort provided. Alicia offered tea as she sank down to a couch opposite to the priest.

“I suppose you are hunting the BLoodLuSt members in Japan now? Or is there a specific target?”

“There is one. But given the choice, we’ll try to take as many as we can. Before they do to Japan what they did back home.”

“I’ll tell you what I know,” Alicia replied. “Back in England when I served Her Royal Majesty the Queen, there were many bouts of attacks made by vampires. They didn’t target randomly, they liked to prey upon nobles; politicians, military members; and sometimes Earls. That was about at least ten years ago, but it may still hold true. The one thing I learned is that they are always very subtle and careful about their conduct. Few of their targets often choose to side with them, thus their Organization grows. In Japan, they have something like a family of vampires somewhere in Tokyo, and that is considered their base in this country.”

“All subtlety went out the window after what happened,” Michael said, referring to the recent attempt on the Queen’s life. “Having said that, do you have an idea on why they would suddenly shifted focus to Japan?”

“There are clues,” Alicia mentioned. “There was a record of a terrorist attack made on a particular condominium where an idol lived… this was many years ago, yet it was interesting, I thought. Terrorists targeting an idol. I checked her identity, and later came to realize that she was Alice—even now a working idol in the industry—who was identified as Pisces in the Great Mages’ War. So I have this theory that perhaps the vampires likes to target people like Alice, or Descendants in general. Either way, this is the only noticeable incident regarding vampires in Japan.”

“Descendants, huh? Aside from this Alice person, are there any other Descendants in Japan, rumoured or otherwise?” Michael asked, his instincts telling him that he took a step in the right direction in asking Margaret Alicia.

“Factually speaking, according to The Times newspapers—and this is something you should know—Sagittarius was confirmed under Japan’s custody, and that wasn’t all. She was attacked in this very country by squads assembled under Her Majesty’s order while this Academy’s western scholars were also asked to lend a helping hand. Long story short, Sagittarius was wounded but the mission failed. Many died however,” Alicia recounted, her face grim at the word of death. “Kazehaya Natsu-san, the very Descendant who I speak of, is enrolled here at the moment. Due to the conditions of neutrality and my responsibilities, however, I am bound to be a guardian figure to her.”

“Wouldn’t it be fair to assume then, that she is a likely target for these vampires?” Michael asked, as he sipped from his cup.

“Well, it is still my personal theory, but I do think it is a possibility. So I am always prepared to face a decisive battle.”

“Would the Academy be prepared in case of a sudden attack from these creatures?”

“With our staff, I am confident that we’d be able to repel them, but… it’d still be dangerous. I may only hope that the Boundary’s barrier which protects this small Realm would deter any possible raids.”

If we’re lucky, we will be able to strike before they do. “Then we can say that this Descendant would be relatively safe here. Does she stay in this Academy too? Of course, I am working on the assumption that she really is the target of BloodLuSt in Japan.” Michael put his cup down before continuing, “That assumption being the only one that could hold water as of the moment.”

“She is indeed living here. The government of Japan also deemed that she’d be safer here. She is in the dormitories, but the condition is that she can leave for work from time to time. We are, however, strict with her take of leave from classes.”

Michael raised his eyebrows when he heard the teacher’s last line. If that was true, one would just need to obtain information about her work schedule beforehand and there would be a good opportunity to attack her without the risk of attacking the whole Academy. “I see. I suppose she comes with the escort of a few mages, too then?”

“That she does,” Alicia said. “Some of our staff members must accompany her.”

“Moving on to another topic, have you heard about the recent attack a few days ago? There were four casualties if I recall correctly. All evidence seems to point towards it being a vampire attack.” Michael made a note in his head to ask permission from the Headmistress to accompany the Descendant a few times.

“Only that? I am certain that there were three other such incidents?” Alicia said, blinking a few times.

Michael choked on his drink. “Three more? There were four attacks already?!”

“Why yes, they were in the news, after all. The others included… let’s see, two women murdered in the mall with most of their blood missing. Someone with his…” she smiled nervously as she hesitated to speak further, “manhood bitten, and he died soon after. Then there was the murder of a politician’s daughter.”

Michael gritted his teeth as he listened. “It seems that they have begun attacking indiscriminately. This might be a distraction in order to shift our focus away from the Descendant.” He felt angry but kept himself in check, knowing that such tactics were not beyond his enemy.

“I do not think that in the slightest, at least in our case,” Alicia stated. She calmly calmly sipped her tea. “If anything, they’d be attempting to divert the attention of the Japanese, not us. However, I believe the reason is more simple; they simply obey their whims of gluttony and thirst for blood, and just go and assault people. The attacks in both the alley and the restroom were careless acts but there probably weren’t many people there, even if they were carried out in day time.”

“If that is so, then I might have an idea on who might’ve been involved.”

“And your prime suspect would be? Well, I suppose it matters to me not. Anything else you’d like make an inquiry on?”

“I am sorry to ask so many things of you and not name her, but rest assured me and my partner will be dealing with this problem. That would be all for now, thank you very much for your cooperation, Miss Alicia,” Michael said, smiling at Margaret Alicia.

“You’re welcome. Good luck with the hunt.”

Michael and Lily found themselves before the room they were lent. She opened the room hesitantly, and it seemed rather normal. Two beds, an escritoire, a table, and a veritable amount of books on a shelf for some reason.

“I suppose we have to share this room,” Lily stated with indifference, as if a man and a woman in the same room seemed not like a big deal. She entered with her luggage and ushered Michael to follow. This room was located in the dormitory for teachers, so they were somewhat separated by gender code. However, this room was on the side for males. Lily would have to live with it, and due to her experiences, she was indeed used to it.

“I suppose. I doubt we will have the convenience of getting our own rooms.” Michael felt uneasy about sharing a room with a girl, worried that Lily would be uncomfortable. Seeing her indifference on the matter gave him some sort of relief. “I will try to get the common schedule of the males in the dorm, so that we can prevent any accidents from happening at least.”

“Accidents? Of what kind?” Lily inquired, confused.

“Like in the… You know what? Let me worry about it,” Michael replied. “Well then, do you want to rest for a while, or should we start gathering information?” he asked as he took out a sheathed sword from a box and slid it into his sword belt; he decided to leave his guns in their boxes as of the moment.

“Let us discuss what we know first.” Lily sat down on a bed, claiming it as her own for the rest of their stay. “There was an incident presumably committed by at least one vampire. Then there’s Claudia—our target—who we have to hunt down. I had been wondering but… what do you think Claudia is like, from your experience? I mean about her personality, of course. You have mentioned †˜odd,’ but that is all that I’ve heard.”

“She’s...” Michael trailed off, trying to recall the fight. “She was like a beast; strong and ferocious, yet she seemed to be not in total control of herself. Any other opponent would have finished me off that night, but she…. She was enjoying it. My pain, I mean.”

“...I see, so she is the type who enjoys inflicting pain, and perhaps she rejoices more at the end of said infliction rather than killing. I wonder if she’s the type to get hungry really fast, but then she was not very allured by your blood, I assume?”

“I doubt my blood would be enticing to anyone,” Michael joked. “But if you ask me, I believe she isn’t one who would wonder about the consequences of her actions; if she’s hungry, she’d feed.”

“I see, truly a beast then,” Lily concluded. “I’ll go speak with the survivor of the incident at the hospital,” Lily decided. “Since only I can speak with him, it will have to be enough. You should gather information here at the Academy. You may not be able to speak in Japanese, but according to the Headmistress, there are westerners around here.”

“That would be the most sensible course of action,” Michael agreed. “I will try to see if I can find this Margaret Alicia person. Good luck to you, then.”

“Good luck to you too.”

“Weiss?” Lumiere called out as Michael and Lily exited the room.

“Yes, ma’am?” She walked out of the solid mirror in the room.

“I know I should’ve left this over to you earlier, but I’ve been looking into her,” Lumiere said, handing Weiss a paper containing a picture of Natsu Kazehaya—the young Descendant who enrolled as a student scholar. “Her information is so well-guarded by the government that we’ll never know anything about her through the usual approaches.”

“And you want me to find out more about her, ma’am?” Weiss examined the person in the picture. “Anything specific that you want me to find out?”

“Yes and yes. Find out if they have any particular plans about her in the future. Needless to say, you must be cautious. Do not underestimate the technology of the people of Japan.”

“Will do.” She looked at the picture once more. “Any known information about her last known location or where her dorm room is?”

“Right on the paper, but I’m not sure you need to check her room. We have a privacy policy and as a Headmistress, I wouldn’t permit it.”

“I see. In that case, searching the information in some †˜documents’ in her room is a no go.”

“A sixteen year old would likely have no such documents, hence it’s better to not break rules and barge in. Besides, she is a fellow Descendant. I hope you know how to hack through computers in the futuristic city, since it is completely different.”

“That will be troublesome, but manageable. Which reminds me, her face seems familiar. Not as in I know her personally, but I have a feeling that I’ve seen her face several times already.”

“On the television of advertisements you mean? She appears once in awhile. She works as an idol, after all.”

“Yep, this will be one troublesome mission,” Weiss said silently and coughed. “A-Anyway, I should go find her and stalk her from within the walls or ventilation system while avoiding cameras and such. Hell, I guess there will be some sentry drones around the halls but nothing that I can’t manage.”

For once, Lumiere’s palm met her forehead. “I want you to infiltrate the government office, not stalk a young girl, Judgement Sniper.”

“Oh. . . Then why didn’t you say so? I assumed when you gave me the papers with her picture inside that you asked me to stalk her.”

“...” The Headmistress gave a look as if she doubted whether Weiss was acting or not. “Are you sure you had been working for Steel Princess?”

“After all these years, yes. Most of her missions were single target assassinations and information extractions from various sources. Her commands were direct as in †˜Go kill that’ or †˜infiltrate this base and obtain information without killing and getting caught’ and so on,” she said with a straight face.

“I told you to extract information too. What went wrong? I gave you the information available,” Lumiere pointed to the paper at Weiss’ hand. “You’d never find classified documents of a child like her here. There are literally only several places affiliated with her benefactor, and anyone may find the government’s offices.”

“I see. Now that’s much more clear than the previous explanation that you gave me, ma’am. Any details on said †˜benefactors’ and †˜government offices’ locations?”

Professionals need detailed explanations clear for children to understand? “Nope. I’m too laz—busy for that.”

“Alright, that’s all that I need to know. I’ll gather the rest on my own. Thank you ma’am.” Weiss bowed before heading out through the window and on to the roof. First, the Benefactors.

When the three entered the Headmistress’ office, Lumiere greeted them with a smile.

“Good afternoon, everyone,” Lumiere said. “I had been expecting the pair from the Church but not you, Svetlana. Thank you for bringing them here. Considering that they are prone to getting lost, can you please wait outside the office for them? They need guidance to the dorms where we’ll have them as guests.”

“I see. Well then, I’ll wait outside.”

“Knight of Lilies and Michael Kallweit, was it? Welcome to the Eastern Magic Academy,” the Headmistress said in fluid English, albeit she sounded more like an American than a British.

“Yes we are, madam.” It was noticeable in his voice that he felt relief when the Headmistress spoke in English. “I believe I have yet to be informed of your name.”

“I am the Headmistress, the name is Lumiere, and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” the Headmistress answered. “Both of you.”

“Likewise,” Lily responded. “We are thankful that you are willing to shelter us here temporarily.”

“Oh, that’s fine, as long as the donation is given,” Lumiere said with a laugh, clearly pleased from the money gained. “As you may well know we’re not very restrictive of our guests’ activities here, but do be mindful of your interactions with the scholars.”

“Rest assured that we will be causing no disturbances in your domain,” Michael replied. “However, we may need to ask around for information, seeing that Lady Knight and I have never set foot in this country before.”

“That is absolutely acceptable considering your circumstances,” Lumiere stated. “As long as our scholars do not fall into danger by your hands, or are interrupted during their studies. In which case a problem may arise. I hope that is well-kept in mind.”

“Understood. We’re confident that none of your people will be in danger. If I may be so rude, have you got any information regarding BloodLuSt?” Michael decided not to waste anymore time with formalities.

“There is—unfortunately—not much to share, but they do say that some of their members arrived in this country,” Lumiere answered. “But that’s all people know. The news is apparent because some days ago, some were found with their blood sucked out in Tokyo.”

Lily gave Michael a glance and gave a nod. “How many were taken out, exactly?”

“Around five in an alley. Some gangsters likely picked a fight with the wrong kind of foreigners.”

“Where are these people now?” Michael asked.

“Four reported dead, and one in the National Government Hospital,” Lumiere answered. “Bet it was because it’s cheap.”

“It’s as a good lead as any. Thank you once again, Madam Lumi—Headmistress.”

“I am a pretty casual person if you don’t like using titles.” Lumiere shrugged. “Glad to be of help. Ask around and perhaps you people will learn more. There are westerners around here, so you may try your luck with them. I would recommend Margaret Alicia—a famed teacher of ours—who is a very knowledgeable person.”

“We will be seeking her advice, then,” Michael replied. “Now if Lily here has no more questions, we will be taking our leave.”

“I have none for now,” Lily said, shaking her head. “Please excuse us, Headmistress.”

The lesson that Svetlana was hosting was over and the three were on their way to the office. It turned out that Michael and Lily entered the wrong building of the campus to begin with. The main building contained the Headmistress’ office, while they entered the building beside it. This made the pair from the Church a little embarrassed.

At least thanks to their misdirection, they found Svetlana who knew her way around the Academy. This was especially true because Svetlana had spent six years studying in the Academy.

“It is a little embarrassing to know that we were headed completely in the wrong direction,” Lily said to Michael in English while Svetlana was leading the way.

“I’m sorry to have disturbed the class like that,” Michael replied. “Surprised they didn’t have the signs in English, too.”

“Considering this is the Eastern Magic Academy, maybe they just assumed everyone would understand Japanese? I even see Chinese, but definitely no English.”

“No wonder one of us needed to speak in Japanese,” Michael said, mostly to himself.

“So Svetlana, how have you been faring? I did not imagine I would find you here as a teacher,” Lily started in Japanese, looking down at the short teacher that was formerly a comrade on a battlefield.

“I’ve been okay. As for being a teacher, I needed a better income and this was the only place I knew that offered it, really,” Svetlana said, appearing to be cheerful.

“I see. You seem much happier now so I suppose it’s fine. The Soviet wouldn’t pay as much as a teaching profession, likely,” Lily replied. “As a Knight, I cannot say that I am concerned about something such as income, so I cannot sympathize, however.”

“Well, maybe one day you’ll understand. Life can be harsh if you can’t find ways to pay for things. Anywho, we are almost there.”

“Find ways to pay for things…? Hm, maybe a piece of bread?” Lily thought out loud.

“Lily, how have you managed to live all this time… or better yet, who in the world has been teaching you!!”

“I… I live by… living?” Lily tilted her head in confusion. “Ah,” she smiled. “I had often been helped by my superior who’s name is Laura. She is also a Faerie like us.”

“I need to speak with them one day about you…” Svetlana said as she gave a sigh.

Lily looked down, gloomy. “Well, at the moment, she is in a coma…”

“I’m really sorry to hear that.”

“It’s alright.”

Since the semester had started. Svetlana was dressed in the fashion of a teacher. Being short, of course, made her ever more unique and stand out around the scholars, but she didn’t seem to care at all about the prying eyes. Being in the Faerie Lore class was a rather boring part of the work. Scholars wouldn’t come to her till the time of her class, after all. Till then she had nothing to do since the teachers she knew were busy, unlike her.

Eventually the time had come for her to face her students. With the door opening abruptly Svetlana saw about six students enter. Two females and the rest males.

“Good morning,” they greeted.

“Good morning everyone,” Svetlana said joyfully as she then took a look at her students’ faces. “Oh I see a familiar face,” Svetlana said as she looked at one of the two females.

“I will be under your care,” Aozora Linfield said, giving a bow. “Teacher.”

“Too bad that boy isn’t here, he sure would have been surprised,” Svetlana said with a chuckle. “Now then take your seats. Class shall start now,” Svetlana said as she opened a book on her desk.

The students all complied and sat down.

Aozora remarked, “He went to the Dominion Lore class. Something about him wanting to use the Mentem Form.”

“I see. Oh well. Now then, we will be starting out with the basics about the Faerie Realm,” Svetlana began. “The Faerie Realm was initially discovered from certain forests around the world, did you all know that?”

The scholars sitting opposite to her were surprised.

“Really?” Aozora asked, turning to a fellow student who shook his head.

“The forests where Faeries took shelter in were originally known to mundanes as haunted, but some Faeries liked to live outside of the Realm because the weather here can be more calm and stable than the Faerie Realm where it’s very windy all the time. When the magicians begun to investigate, they eventually discovered the pathway to the Realm.”

“So then, how did people cast spells that were connected to the Faerie Realm?”

“They met some deities who were actually Faeries. Since incantations of the spells call out to some deities, right? You’d notice if you didn’t use Latin to cast. People were drawing mana from the Faerie Realm without realizing it.”

“Talk about one hell of a way…”

“And of course, because the Faeries inhabit the water; the forests, and a windy place like the Faerie Realm; the Forms Aquam, Aurum, and Herbam are their main elements. To learn spells of those Forms you’d have to visit me for their respective classes. In the appropriate time, of course. Since you may not have decided which of these Forms you guys want to start with first, let me explain them briefly.

“Aquam manipulates water and generally all kinds of liquid. You also learn to resist water in general, drowning, or even feeling thirsty.

“Aurum allows one to manipulate the air and the weather, including gaseous forms in general. With this, you learn to deal with suffocation or weather phenomena like lightning.

“With Herbam you can control trees, plants, and even the dead ones like linen. You learn to resist herbal poison, wooden weapons and even starvation.”

“Trust me, Lily. This time, I’m pretty sure it’s her—” Michael was speaking aloud in English, as he barged inside the classroom. “Guess not.”

“I had a feeling it wouldn’t be…” Lily said, also in English. “It seems like we’re disturbing the people here.” Then she peered into the classroom and found Svetlana, who was blankly staring at her with disbelief, just like her. “...Mystic Tracer?”

Svetlana stopped what she was doing before running towards Lily and jumping at her, “Lily!” she called out as she hugged her.

“Ah…! You’re are as energetic as usual,” Lily said, speaking in Japanese now.

“Eh, what sorcery is this! You can speak Japanese properly now,” Svetlana said, surprised.

“I had learned the language while I was in England,” Lily explained. “However, I am still far from mastering the kanjis…”

“I see. So, how you been Lily,” Svetlana said as she continued to hug Lily. “It’s been forever since I last saw you.”

“Um, I am fine, and I know it has been a while but… aren’t we interrupting the class?”

Michael was smiling apologetically at the class, unable to interrupt Lily’s conversation nor able to actually talk to them. “You think she’d be able to direct us to the Headmistress, Lily?” he asked her when it seemed like their conversation was finished.

“I shall ask her,” Lily promptly replied in English, she then spoke in Japanese, “Mystic Tracer, after your class, do you think you can guide us to the Headmistress? We’re rather lost in the Academy at the moment.”

Svetlana pouted and then pinched Lily’s cheek. “Didn’t I say back in Russia you could just call me Svetlana?”

“R...Right. Yes, Svetlana… I forgot, my apologies,” Lily answered, a little flustered to have her questions unanswered while Michael snickered.

“Alrighty! Well in the meantime just take a seat in the back of the class. Once I’m done here, I’ll show you to the Headmistress’ office.”

“Oh no, we cannot possibly intrude. My friend and I shall await you outside. Please, continue the lesson. We shall now excuse ourselves,” Lily said. This was one kindness she couldn’t accept as she closed the door before Svetlana could say no.

It was the big day for Natsu. She got up early and prepared herself in every way possible. The fact that the Academy did not have a particular uniform allowed her to have one less thing to worry about.

Nervously, she made her way to the main building of the Academy after leaving the dormitory. She kept checking mentally whether she packed up all the materials required or not. She was sure she did.

Meekly made her way to her classroom, 1-B, she was quite the amount of scholars present already. She took a moment to scan the room for a familiar face and spotted Ame. At that moment, Natsu waved at her and called out, “Hey, Ame-chan! Turns out we are in the same class! Isn't that great!?”

Natsu walked over next to Ame, and sat in the seat adjacent to hers. She wasn't sure if this desk was actually someone else's, but Natsu would move if that person ever showed up.

“Wha-? You are already acting familiar by calling me by my first name?” Ame said with a frown, yet she didn’t seem to be completely angry. “Well, good morning. We are indeed in the same class it seems.”

“Aww, but we're friends, right? It should be fine…” Natsu said, frowning sadly for a moment, before perking herself up again. “How lucky, right? It must be fate... As if!” Natsu giggled as she joked around a bit.

Are all the marionettes as lively as her, or is it due to her abnormality for which she is here? Ame sighed. “Right, right. I believe you are indeed lucky—to be so close to a Hime Miko.” she dismissed her remarks and smiled.

“I wonder what the teacher's gonna be like. Do you know who it'll be, Ame-chan?”

“I hear our teacher is someone called Mikaido Takeru-sensei. A Magic Magister who once studied in London and was bestowed the title by the Queen.”

“Mikaido... Takeru…” That name was vaguely familiar to Natsu. “Hm…” She scoured her memories, but couldn't put a finger to the name. “A teacher from London, huh...?” Natsu's tone softened, and she wore a worried expression now, as she stared at the doorway. Was he among the group that attacked me...?

“He is a Japanese, a native I hear, but yes he has different views and is not allied with the government or the Shrine where I come from,” Ame said, lowering her tone. A man not allied with the government or the Shrine could only mean that he was from the anti-government faction. “We’re in a neutral zone so I suppose it doesn’t really matter.”

“I suppose so…” Natsu replied flippantly, glancing back at Ame as she spoke, then gazing back toward the door. “Everything will be alright, right...?” she mumbled under her breath.

The bell chimed after a few minutes, and the door was abruptly opened. Takeru Mikaido walked in and stood behind the desk.

“Good morning,” he said, gracing the class with a smile. The response seemed rather positive and the girls were particularly excited due to his presence. “It has been two months, hasn’t it? I hope most of you haven’t forgotten about your homework?”

The girls immediately responded fervently, claiming that they hadn’t.

It just so turned out that this teacher was popular among the girls.

“He is so… popular? Really?” Ame commented, a little shaken from the revelation.

“Haha… well, suffice it to say we have some new scholars today. So I am not expecting the homework to be completed by everyone.” Takeru then took some moments to collect the results from the sholars, gave Natsu a smile as he passed by her, and finally went back to the desk.

“Do note that this is the second semester of the year,” Takeru said. “So some of you who newly joined our class must study much harder than the rest to go on to the second year. Our Academy is a bit strict so the only way to keep up is through effort. Please remember that.”

“Ah…” Natsu gasped, seeing the teacher's face. Now it came together. This was one of the men who actually managed to get a clean hit on Sagittarius during that battle. Sagittarius turned the tables on him and hit him with an arrow. So, what was he doing here? Natsu simply stared at the man, petrified. It was as though he didn't have a scratch. How could this be...?

“Now, let us beg-”

“Sensei! Is it true that we have a Descendant in this class?”

“Well…”

“It’s true, isn’t it?!”

“I suppose it is,” Takeru admitted. “However, anyone who tries to be smart and attack her will face consequences, so remember that.”

“Tch…”

“Let us begin the lesson then. Open your Magic Theory text book and flip to page 89. The topic of our lesson today will focus around the Second Nature,” Takeru began.

“As you may all know, casting magic requires a mage to combine their Technique and their Form. Together these two aspects become an Art. This Art is employed to cast a spell. However, we humans do not possess mana in our body, so we use an innate ability in us from our Gift to pray to the Realm corresponding to said spell.

“There have been debates about where the mana comes from. The deities or the Realms themselves? To be honest, it is unknown even now. People imagined deities in their mind to gain mana in the past, and because they were successful, they believe that said deities do exist. Nowadays, after people are used to gaining mana in that manner, they are able to harness mana from the Realms even without calling out to a deity. Fascinating, is it not? All one needs is to get used to it, and then it becomes their Second Nature to gain access to the infinite mana of a Realm.

“Of course, this doesn’t change that complicated spells with incantations calling out to a deity still exists today and their popularity remains prevalent.”

Natsu's mind was half-focused on the lecture and half-focused on her surroundings. The Headmistress promised that Natsu would be safe on school grounds, but was this really going to be okay? She found herself looking more often at Takeru instead of the board, and getting jumpy whenever he made any kind of sudden movement. It was making it very difficult to understand the lesson. Natsu scribbled as many notes as she could, but it was more shoddy than usual due to her lack of concentration.

Through the long set of stairs; the great evergreen forest, and the inner precinct, Tsuruko walked the long way to the shrine of Meiji where her guardian deity, Susanoo, supposedly awaited her appearance.

The clouds above the Meiji Shrine were particularly darker today. Thunder roared. Ominous winds could be felt against her garb.

When Tsuruko reached the top where the shrine was located, she could see that the mikos were all running about. In amidst the chaos someone familiar was spotted.

“Tsuruko? Tsuruko! What are you doing here!” Her father called out to her. He made way to his daughter and held her by her shoulders. “I do not know what’s going on, but you should probably leave. There may be a youkai coming.”

Upon hearing that there might be a youkai, Tsuruko fastened her resolve. “Father, I will not go. It is not me who knew to come here… it was the deity in me.”

“...The deity? It spoke?” Her father questioned, appalled.

“This morning when I woke up. He asked me to meet him at the Meiji Shrine.” Tsuruko wanted to hide what the deity said, that she was weak and useless.

“Then… is the weather caused by Susanoo-sama instead?” Her father looked up at the sky. Certainly, he couldn’t sense anything evil, yet he felt nothing else either.

“You would know this, Father.” Tsuruko gulped. “He who controls the Wind controls the weather. It is uncertain that this is due to his anger or fury, but there is no other that could conjure a storm like this.”

“...Make way for the shrine. If it is he who controls storms, then only you may tame his fury and exchange words. Go, daughter.”

Tsuruko nodded. “I will, Father.” She grasped her blade firmly and headed towards the Shrine, outlined by a silhouette, amidst the looming fog of the forest. The extensive humidity of the place made her garments stick to her skin, but Tsuruko took no mind of it, and tied up her hair in a ponytail, as was always when she did her rituals at home.

Upon the entrance of the Meiji Shrine, its name was painted gold on a black wooden board hanging on the top before two steel bolted doors, and on its borders on each side hung another wooden board, and written on it were Japanese calligraphic murals which translated into more or less about self-improvement and gratitude towards family. Looking up above the title board she clapped her hands twice, held them pressed against each other and brought them towards her temple, the outer end facing the door, and the tip of her fingers facing the sky, as a signal to the Sky God to seek permission into the Shrine.

The wind broke apart, and Tsuruko’s hair fell down to her back; she stopped feeling the air strongly against her face. Taking this as the answer, she proceeded into the shrine and faced it with intent and determination.

An orb of black and purple forms and the winds surrounded her, and soon her feet elevated from the floor. Now, she was completely in the air with the sphere encompassing her completely. She could hardly see what laid outside anymore. Albeit she heard the cries of her father for a moment.

Another moment passed.

Then there was silence.

Next, there was a roar of thunder and blowing winds.

With what seemed like a tornado before her, Susanoo manifested. He appeared to be an elderly man, dressed rather informally like a man from many centuries ago. Definitely not looking accustomed to the modern fashion that confused even the shrine maidens. The form she witnessed was ephemeral, yet the power she felt was unlike any other. What she felt was definitely not divinity, however. No, it was neither the power of good nor evil. Bewildered, she wasn’t sure how to accept this feeling.

“I see you have come, Exception.”

Despite standing on air, Tsuruko knelt, her eyes wouldn’t dare to meet the god’s. She wouldn’t dare to do anything silly that would bereave her appearance. “Upon your will, Susanoo-sama.”

“Cease such pointless pleasantries. Up on your feet and meet mine pupils, little girl,” Susanoo said with a raspy voice. “I’m not here to act like some invincible smug show-off,” he huffed. “I’m just a Faerie spirit of Storm, for God’s sake.”

“If you would allow me to, Susanoo-sama,” Tsuruko slowly lifted her head, and stood on two feet, firm on the ground. She glanced upon the old man’s being. Being deeply involved in the roots and branches of Shinto, it was hard for Tsuruko to contain her disbelief at what she saw and heard. Almost with the ever so slight tone of disappointment, she kept her respectful tone up. “....Are you not in your true form, Susanoo-sama?”

“I have no true form—I am a deceased Faerie after all—I am but a mere spirit. However, I am strong,” Susanoo said, giving a smirk, putting down the high and mighty act. “But you lack strength. Tsuruko… your destiny yet remains a mystery, yet I know that there is a deep meaning somewhere… far ahead.”

Tsuruko clenched her fists, almost gritting her teeth. “I know that I’m meant to do more. The only way is to train myself even harder.” Then she almost seemed to release her strength again. “...To save others.”

“A contradiction you may never be released from the grasp of, for every soul you save, you slay someone,” Susanoo stated.

Tsuruko almost seemed to smirk at that statement. “None of which I’ve been able to do.”

“Exactly. Pray tell, do you truly seek to reach greater heights?”

“There is no telling otherwise,” Tsuruko said, seeping with determination.

“Then shall I unseal your curse?”

“...Curse? What has cursed me?” Tsuruko hadn’t the faintest idea of what the curse Susanoo mentioned was. Perhaps her father had been hiding from her a lot of things, but she only knew that she had been †˜blessed’ by the element of wind.

“A blessing or a curse, however one would take it; you were born with a special ability. If I were to say †˜who’ cursed you, I could only say your Creator.”

“This power is the answer to my family and bloodline’s prayer for many centuries. I am not about to let that hope down.”

“I like your resolve.” Susanoo smiled. He then offered his hand, coming face-to-face with Tsuruko. “I shall open the Gates impeding your power, and in addition I shall lend my strength when you are in dire circumstances. What say you?”

“If you would so kindly, Susanoo-sama...” Tsuruko said, not breaking her expression. She extended her hand towards Susanoo.

“But of course that means you’d have to go out of your way for…” Susanoo’s face turned red. “Reasons…”

“Reasons such as…?” Tsuruko questioned, confused. “Ah, if it means praying for you everyday, I don’t mind that.”

“Huh, uh… yeah, that is… yes, yes, I meant exactly that.” How could he tell a young girl that he just wanted to flirt with the female spirits in the shrines? Susanoo still had some sense in him to ignore speaking out his true intentions.

“Then pray I shall.”

Susanoo gave a nod, and grasped her hand. She heard something like the terrifying laughter of a woman—no, several women for a second, and then found herself on the ground before the shrine. Susanoo was no longer visible, and the sphere that he conjured for them to speak within was also gone.

“Tsuruko! Tsuruko!” Her father came running towards her. “Are you alright?!”

Tsuruko sat up, dizzy. “Yes, I am, Father… what about you? I heard a shout just before I entered the Shrine.”

“From who?” he asked. “I’m completely fine, but you don’t seem that well to me.”

“I met with him… he said he would make me stronger.”

“I… I cannot believe it. How does he intend to do this?”

“I’m not so sure myself... but from now on I will have to pray to Susanoo-sama daily, it seems…”

“Huh… I’d imagine having to perform some elaborate rituals. A prayer seems much better in that sense... ” her father said. I can’t tell if this girl is even being serious or not. Ugh.

“Susanoo-sama seemed really off... totally different from what I envisioned him to be.”

“I see. To begin with, we cannot simply expect our ideals to be fulfilled. They are beings with their own personality, after all.”

Tsuruko nodded. “What happened while I was inside? Wasn't there a youkai being mentioned... how long was I out for, anyway...?”

“What are you talking about? If what you spoke of is true then only Susanoo could create a storm and no youkai. Haha, you say some funny things my child.”

Tsuruko let out a small giggle. “Hahaha... I guess. Somehow, I think I can realise my potential now, Father.”

“Hahaha… t-that’s… great… that said, he didn’t talk about any seal, right?”

“He mentioned about unsealing some sort of †˜curse’...and that was what I wanted to ask you about, Father.”

“Haha… he what?!!” her father almost shouted, holding his head with both hands.

“Don't make me repeat myself…” Tsuruko shook her head. “What is this curse that we've been talking about?”

“I’m afraid I do not have the authority to divulge any details regarding it… ”

Her father right then and there walked away.

“...” Tsuruko wanted, or needed, to know about her curse, but if it was something that even her father wouldn't tell her... “Then who?!” she shouted as he left.

“As if we’re letting you know something so important!” Tsuruko heard from an echo as her father went out of sight.

Useless… weak…

How could a trained miko… not fend off an assassin?

Trained, she is?

Even with that sword… pathetic.

With a gasp, Tsuruko woke up.

She looked down to herself, noting a drop of sweat from her chin. Palming herself, she found herself soaked with sweat from tension. Tension from the strange dream she had.

She sat up straight, trying to calm her breathing pattern. It had been a while since she dreamt of anything, much less dreams like these. She couldn’t help but call them nightmares. While she thought about it, they were true. It rang in a familiar aural tone—almost ominous—but somehow it stuck at the back of her head, almost reminding her of her inabilities, and she shrilled at the thought. For a moment she questioned the deity inside her speaking out.

Recollecting the events of the past month; almost every aspect of her travel outside Japan was pretty much, in some way, negative, either due to her negligence, or just out of her control. Either way, she knew she had to work even harder than last time, in an effort to at least prove worthy of being a †˜bodyguard.’

She really thought it would be a smooth-flowing and nice experience for her to travel outside Japan, but that was not to be, and however she hoped she would be of service to her attendee, she’d end up witnessing the utter fall of the person she was assigned to protect. Needless to say, she had failed her duty right there and then.

The experience at London was one full of coincidences, too. She never thought she would see her teacher—as well as her classmate—there. Tsuruko also gained another acquaintance- no, a friend, Leon, who took the extra effort to take care of someone like her, a foreigner, in the midst of chaos. She could only pray well to him now, and hoped she would see him again.

Now back to the Eastern Magic Academy, where no birds would chirp in merry singing, unlike London where steam factories would be running early in the day. Here, Tsuruko felt much more at ease. She could wear her miko garb and she could return to her lessons at last. Albeit the lessons would only start tomorrow.

It was morning.

It was quiet.

Yet for her it was disquieted.

Tsuruko’s head pulsed madly. Her brain screamed in a kind of pain never before.

“It seems you are disappointed in the way you are.”

“If you wish to change it… come. I await at Meiji.”

Tsuruko crouched at the pain. This only confirmed her suspicions that it indeed was the deity within her who was calling out.... Susanoo.

She got off her bed, and decided to freshen herself up and wear her usual attire. She’d have to go.

Go and visit the Meiji shrine.

The one who awaited her was not an influential man, an elder, or her father. It was the deity who came to her to stop her curse.

You had me deceived regarding the timeline until I noticed the mention of a chainmail. Then I realized that the events of the story was probably not in the modern period, but perhaps the medieval period.

I found it a little odd that Isaac could remind himself how he'd heard of kronoan bull frogs in alehouses despite being an amnesiac, but I suppose it could be the narrator exposing a bit of his past. I expected him to just find them dangerous based on instincts alone. If anything else, perhaps Anna appeared caring to an abnormal degree for Isaac beyond kindness. Then again, there are all kinds of people in the world, so it's not really an issue.

I imagine Isaac was one of the guys participating in the war. Probably a soldier trained to kill. At least that's what it seemed like based on his behavior... or maybe just a lunatic murderer who kills his own townspeople while soldiers are massacring? Hehe.

As for the themes... I can't say I found much of either of them, but eh... Maybe his fear of big bad frogs and a dopey girl being oblivious to danger works out?

Anyway, good job on this, and good luck with the contest.

oh

das coo

>steam
>uncensor

Aramus entered the large Japanese mansion of the Mikaido meekly. The cushion under him could hardly be felt. It was his first time in such a large Japanese-style structure. Before him laid many bottles of alcohol on the table, cups of tea, and some sweets. It seemed like Mikaido was the strange type of man who’d drink tea and alcohol in the same hour like it was natural.

“So how are things goin’ kiddo?” the old man asked, already holding sake in his hand. Tea was gulped down in a second before Aramus stepped into the room.

Aramus looked like he had swallowed a bitter pill. “It’s complicated. The trip to England was one hell of a ride with what went on. Have you fared well, Mikaido-sama?”

“I hear some nutjob tried to assassinate the Queen. I was almost fearful that we’d lose our most gracious donator,” Mikaido said, heaving a big sigh. “Been faring well here until I heard that the Queen is planning an attack on Virgo. †˜Ya know, knowing things like that makes me liable to send some people to help. Pleasantry and all.”

“Yeah, that didn’t end very well for either side,” Aramus admitted with a nod of his head, the scene where she was gouged still very fresh in his memory. He doubted that he would ever be able to forget. “Well, any and all help is welcome in the fight against Virgo. I seem to be meeting more Descendants than I’d like, all in short order as well.”

“Either lucky, or unlucky, or fateful. Sounds annoying to me, though. Just when you think things are becoming normal again… it gets worse instead.”

Aramus swallowed, resisting the urge to scratch his throat, feeling like it was being constricted by the python known as a collar. “I’ll just chalk it up to being unlucky. Fortunately or unfortunately for me, a sense of normality merely involves three meals. It’s pretty much how I’ve lived up till now.”

“Sounds like something a man who experienced poverty would say,” Mikaido frankly stated, eyeing the brand on his face. “How did my son do in the Meet?”

Aramus fidgeted a little under the gaze, he wasn’t exactly unused to the attention but when those he respected stared at him, he did still feel a sense of shame. “Takeru-senpai did well. He interacted with the other nobles as befitting of his status as Magister and son of the Mikaido house. Unfortunately, we were separated when the debacle began but he seemed to be on top of things when we met again.”

“I imagine he volunteered to do something,” Mikaido guessed. “What about the debate about the rules? Did he participate?”

“I am sure he did. Unlike him, one such as myself is usually not privy to the discussions of nobles. I was also preoccupied with something else during that time,” Aramus explained, pointing to the brand for further emphasis.

“Privy to the discussion of nobles?” Mikaido laughed. “What are you talking about? There may be nobles but the representatives of most of the Magic Organizations fill that hall as far as I know. The Magisters are responsible for debating against the ridiculous rules that are suggested. After all, that Meeting is particularly important to Magisters.”

“Even with my title as a Magister, my word does not carry much weight amongst many others,” Aramus admitted with a shrug, noting that the fabric of his shirt scratched too much when compared to his former choice of attire. “The rules in place are sufficient, I would only raise an opinion if I thought otherwise. I’ve been shot down before for opening my mouth anyway.”

“Isn’t that only among nobles?” Mikaido questioned. “Certainly, you aren’t popular among them from what I’ve heard, but the Magic Organizations are full of people like you. Anyway, I hear Magisters gets to support the rules that may bring good to the people too. You have voting rights as well. I don’t see the problem in just being there.”

“I do so quietly in that case. Ultimately, we are here to serve Her Majesty and the people. My duty to them is first and foremost.”

“A duty of a mage is to vote. Hahaha!” Mikaido said.

“That being said, the rules have been changed quite drastically this year. Mikaido-sama, allow me,” Aramus offered, pouring another round of sake for the elder Mikaido.

Another bottle was finished as Aramus refilled… joining a line with a few other empty ones. “Oh? They changed the set of rules this year?”

“Yes. Supreme Spells are now approved for use against Descendents, though as of now Magisters and those above them would be able to utilize them. There should be an influx in the number of mages seeking a title so that they have the chance to learn any one of them,” Aramus answered, setting the bottle down. “Truthfully a troublesome matter.”

“I see it as counter-productive. It’d encourage many people to step up their game; train and get better and whatnot. I have a feeling Her Majesty foresaw this and allowed it. After all, a war is going on and who knows when a huge battle will take place. Wouldn’t be surprised if they allow Supreme Spells by high-ranking people in wars next.”

“Only time will tell I suppose,” Aramus said. “It always makes one feel better to have some security and in that sense, I would say this is a good move. So long as we Magisters keep to the rules, there will not be any issues. There will always be a few though.”

“Always that few… so, what really happened in the Meet? You know it all, right?” Mikaido said with a smirk.

Aramus mused over it for a moment, pouring what little remained of the tea into a teacup for himself. “†˜All’ would be too strong a word to use, Mikaido-sama.”

“Well, most at least,” Mikaido replied with a chuckle. “I know when I smell delicious secrets. I’ll share tidbits of my own if you care enough, of course. Pisces, Gemini, Sagittarius, other teachers in your Academy, or even the possible plans that may be real for the war. Anything you fancy?”

“Nothing in particular that I won’t find out eventually. Sometimes playing the fool has its benefits,” Aramus said with a laugh. “I’m sure you know all too well, Mikaido-sama. So, we can go with what you want to know since you’re the one asking. There are still a few things I am not privy to disclose, please understand.”

“Understood. I was expecting that anyway, heh. I know Alice was there. Gemini was seen too if what I heard about the incident in China is true… so that brings me to the question: how were they exactly dealt with? A Magister proficient in combat may have fought him, so I thought to ask you.”

“You have heard of Duchess Frederica, yes? She is responsible,” Aramus said after a sip of his tea.

“I see So this means you bore witness to the Duchess pummeling— wait, I suspected she was working with Gemini based on her travel patterns… was I wrong? Hmm… that’s strange.”

“You could say that. Just one way of keeping ahead of the pack.”

“Hm, what can you tell me about that big ship which attacked the city at the daybreak after the Meet?”

“I thought it would be easier to find leads here since your country made it, but that doesn’t seem to be the case? I didn’t get too close a look since I was trying to save people in areas which were shot by the cannons,” Aramus said. “I myself am interested as to how they managed such a feat, making a monster like that.”

“Yeah… the thing is, we heard about it first from England and it completely slipped by our radar. We knew that there was something being made after the last Mega-Class Battleship—as they called it—broke down in the past Great Mages’ War due to the fight in the Dominion Realm, but no reports of completion of progress were ever noted. So it was thought by our intelligence that it was probably a hoax.”

“Try and try again. Well, guess you’ll have to tighten the information network if something like that could slip past. It pretty much destroyed half of London before it was taken down,” Aramus said sourly. “We all have to step up our game now…”

“It’s tight enough, but if there’s one thing we can’t get past it’s the Genesis Network…” Mikaido sighed. “Basically it’s a system based on one person, who does all the work alone, and it’s hard to leak information when a group—much less an organization—is not at work.”

“Can’t say I’ve heard of it. Japanese government?” Aramus guessed, perplexed. “How does a single person run a whole network anyway!?”

Mikaido tapped his head. “Well,” he said, “that information costly, and I don’t think you got anythin’ to afford it.”

“Haha, true. Nothing you won’t find out eventually, Mikaido-sama. Will there be anything else?”

“This is purely curiosity, but where the hell did you get that earring? From the luster itself I’d wager it’s real gold.”

Aramus felt a surge of energy upon hearing the question, a look of pride gracing his features as he thumbed the earring. “It was gifted to me by Her Majesty herself for services rendered to the crown that day. I’m not sure if it’s real gold, it could be anything else and I would treasure it all the same.”

“So you did do something big that night—I mean, well, isn’t that nice? Congratulations, Magister.”

“Thank you, Mikaido-sama, but I was only doing my job. This reward far exceeds anything I could have dreamed of from Her Majesty,” Aramus said with a chuckle. “By the way Mikaido-sama, would you happen to know anything about the Hell Fire’s?” He asked with a glint in his eye.

“And your offer for that would be?” Mikaido returned with a question, his eye having a glint too. “I am very curious what kind of information suddenly came to Her Majesty that she suddenly wants to declare war on a Descendant who has been gone for at least a thousand years. What say you? Got the story of that at least?”

“Virgo intends to purge humanity from this Earth. The recent change in rules is to make it easier for us to deal with her when we do engage in combat, strike early before she is ready.”

“And I’m asking how this information was gained?”

“She made it abundantly clear to us. Virgo popped by for a house visit when I was resting, having a spot of tea with Her Majesty when she appeared and gave us the warning. Perhaps she saw it fit to toy with us.”

“I’d kill for that spot of tea with Her Majesty—err, uhm. Okay, I have to admit,” Mikaido said, clearing his throat properly. “That woman… for her to just pop by for a house visit, she sure has the gall for it. I’m surprised her Majesty didn’t fire out magic at her with her vis and didn’t burn down the entire house in the process,” he joked.

“I was moved that she didn’t. Someone like me would have been nothing but a hindrance in that situation. Though I probably wouldn’t mind if my last moments were of a tea party with Her Majesty. Virgo seemed full of herself, make what you wish of that.”

“Hmmm… interesting story, lad,” Mikaido admitted, finishing his alcohol. “Alright, I took the bite so I might as well share my bread with †˜ya. To you, Hell’s Fire probably has a different meaning, but in here they are often the Will †˜o’ Wisp, and boy you don’t wanna meet †˜em. Those balls of doom literally burn anything that touches them without a †˜good’ mind. And by †˜good’ mind we mean one that is so perfectly composed that a fire doesn’t phase ya a single bit. If you’re looking for one here though, give up. Pretty sure they were more or less slayed or sealed by the Hime Mikos of the Shrine some ten years ago.”

Aramus’ expression fell slightly as it was explained more to him. “I have to find them somehow. Shame that they were wiped out but just maybe, there might be a couple left behind.”

“Well, I can’t say I’d know if there were,” the old man replied, not exactly pleased to deliver bad news. “There’s a limit to how much I know, after all, especially since youkai business is a bit boring unless one of those sealed monsters comes out.”

“There’s a limit to everything. Sealed monsters? I can’t say I’m familiar with them since all the exposure I’ve had was to a particular spirit.”

“Well, the Shrine has particularly big shrines set across the country. They’re pretty famous, you can find them with that phone of yours. Basically, some of these demons were so powerful that even the Shrine couldn’t fully kill them with their special force of demon exterminating shamans. So they resorted to sealing these monsters. For a good measure of comparison so you know what I’m talkin’ about… mn, let’s see… right! There was an incident some years ago where Aries bumped headlong into the Meiji Shrine and broke a seal just to fight a †˜worthy’ opponent. It was worthy alright. People died just by being there that day because the demon’s strength wasn’t a joke. So don’t go looking there for some strange fires, son.”

“Your country didn’t try to use them in the war? Control them or something? I wonder if there is even a way to do so, like demons and their contracts,” Aramus said.

“The demons in Japan don’t think so similarly like in the west, kid. They just wanna eat you, get fatter, and sleep. Rinse and repeat. Contracts? What contracts? You can’t reason with them with that… unless you meet Wukong or something.”

“Sounds like a pain to deal with. At least western demons are reasonable, and wasn’t Wukong a Chinese deity or something? How’d he end up here?”

“He didn’t,” Mikaido said, as if it was obvious. “I was just talking about deities known to Asians in general.”

“Excuse the ignorant foreigner,” Aramus said with a laugh. “Alright then, thanks for the information. I’ll keep an eye out for any of those Will †˜o’ wisps.”

“You’re welcome. Stay safe lad. There is never enough safety anywhere.”

Again, you can look up words. It's not rocket science, and everyone can use Google if they can use the internet. You're the judge and you're supposed to be trying to understand the entry as much as possible.

It's not about your approach or how you like to do things. I just want you to actually read it instead of avoiding half the words you don't like or can't understand.

I like to view the relationship of a mother and daughter as something pure. Not yuri, or sexual. I'm sorry if you were turned off by me not appreciating that compliment, but it just felt wrong to me.

Except for very well-educated people. It was hinted that her dad was rich. You find out the mom is very knowledgeable too.

It may disrupt your flow but to me they appeared natural. It is in itself a hint of how she was raised and was given strong education. I don't view this as a problem. I'm not writing solely to make it a really lax-attitude easy read. I understand your point about how people usually talk, but these aren't your average people. They can act average, but they don't always have to.

That isn't entirely the case, however. The idea wasn't to make them completely upper-class. Which I will elaborate below.



Yes. The expanded-words issue is a problem I admit exists there at the moment, and I will probably edit this again to be more consistent. However, continuing from my earlier point, the idea wasn't to make them appear completely upper-class material. The way I wanted to flesh out the characters with their heavy use of vocabulary--and sometimes with not-so-difficult-vocabulary--is that they were actresses, so they were always mingling with the more average people.

When you talk to these average people all the time, you'll be influenced by them one way or the other, to the point it affects speech to an extent.



Yes, once again, I have noted the expansion issue, but everything else feels very opinion zoned to the point would it'd vary between readers' preferences. I care about opinions, but not to an extremely deep degree. To me, at least, the pacing was fine, because otherwise bringing a twist too early is just plain boring. I just have my own sense of flow perhaps. I could've made it shorter but I'd never be satisfied with making dialogues any more plainer. I could make it even smoother, but it'd be really too much effort now, I guess.

But that "too much dialogue" comment... do you want me to make this a story with more narratives than dialogue or something? It' not like I can't do one, but that's clearly not how it was meant to be. Is it so hard to understand that it's just not a narrative-reliant story?

I mean, what's too much, and what's too little? They were having a conversation, and an important one at that. If I outright removed some of these dialogues I'd feel like this story is incomplete without them. The amount of dialogues wouldn't go down if I did choose to make them more concise as you noted. In my opinion, this couldn't have been shorter than that. No. It could be longer, however.

Regardless, thank you for reading again and providing your opinions. You probably found the most issues with my piece so far.



Thank you for reading... but really, High?

First and foremost, you're a judge now, and not a casual reader. You should be looking up every single words you don't understand, and should attempt to understand the depth of an entry. Any entry. It's your job, and you took it up. I took the time to write this so that you would read and judge my piece so I'd damn well expect you to respond in turn appropriately.

I honestly thought Leonard was joking with his warning about vocabulary. I am deeply disappointed.

Not that it'd change anything now that you read through it, though. Most words you type in on Google literally gives you the definition right away, especially if they are the tricky ones that you may not know... ugh, whatever, I won't bother more. I doubt anyone else will find this to be an issue as much as I do.

Lastly, I still don't like the way you draw sexualized plots like that with my characters.

To start, you have some very minor errors in writing. I'd cordially advise that you double-check it before you run out of time.

Next, I'd like to say that while your prose is apparently realistic, the probabilities of it taking place is slim. Therefore, in retrospect, perhaps it's not all that realistic aside from popularly recurring in drama shows.

With the way your story is short, however, many inferences are possible. In the end, truth is stranger than fiction, and leaving things up to the human mind to figure things out is just another way of dealing with things.

That aside, classical dramatic life problems can really strike hard if it does occur in reality, and I can see how this may have tormented our protagonist for a long time. To the point that he'd take it out on people.

I cannot understand just how many possibilities there are to make one "slip up" as you put it, but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and say it's not so hard to play the villain.

Now, regarding the question our here protagonist makes... if I were to answer, I'd claim that it is never too late to give up. Suicide is a cowardly exit to life in my opinion. I myself have considered it due to the terrible situation I was, and still am in. Yet I do understand that stress and depression are toxic ingredients that makes it appear viable for an option.

If I was in his place, I might've attempted to look for a job elsewhere, explain why I had been acting the way I did in the past to my family, and maybe search for the right path with my wife. Communication is a vital key to solving many issues, or so I think.

This banter could be worth nothing and none of my solutions may ring the imminent bell of destiny. I shall claim, though, that optimism is a great gift of humanity.

I read LNs too, but I am surprised that you'd prefer even more concise lines. In fact, I was worried that my entry would be more comparable to a bunch of tiny paragraphs like you see in LNs.

Alright, my ears are open if you have new opinions after re-reading. Glad that the twist twisted in good favor, though. Lol.

Thanks for reading.



No, the grudge really was related to her mother's abandonment. This was clearly outlined in the piece when Mrs. Hailey was identified as her mother. She basically loved and hated her mother at the same time.

If I had to give you an analogy, think of a coin; one side is hate, and the other side is love.

I ran through some tough psychological ideas, but basically, she did hated her mother, but when she gained hope after experiencing the warmth of her mother; it was too irresistible to continue to hate her. Instead, she started to truly seek her company. She wanted to live like ordinary family with Mrs. Hailey.

If you want a less complex explanation, just compare Lucy to an ordinary tsundere character. The base idea of the personality is very similar so it'd cut away some confusion. Do note that I didn't mean to create a tsundere. I mean, I did, but with how much depth I always attempt to add with my characters, they're always different from your typical Japanese archetypes.

I'll give your entry a read soon. Since I'm assuming that's why you linked it, lel.