Cinia Pacifica Posts

no u

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“Now we really go for the kitchen,” Elizabeth reminded after they left the messy office of Mathilde. She seemed pumped up for some reason.

Aramus was mumbling into thin air, Kusanagi still trailing behind him. ”Woman asking for expensive wine for that. Mmm.. As if I could afford anything more expensive than house liquor.” He could only watch Elizabeth and her vigor, hoping that it would be worth it. Teachers’ pride indeed. What use was it when you struggled to even feed yourself?

“Don’t worry, teacher. Since it was I who got the healing, I’ll accompany you in your journey to obtain the rare bottle of wine,” Elizabeth declared, apparently breaking out of her pumped up self. “Of course, I will pay for it, so please, do not worry yourself regarding the expenditure,” she assured.

Flinching as if struck, Aramus eyed Elizabeth. Was she now going to trod all over whatever little pride he had by offering to pay for his end of the bargain? Definitely not! ”What I need is someone to help me identify a decently aged wine. You up for that? I can handle the rest.” Even as he said so, there was an image of his wallet going up in flames in his mind. It was difficult not letting it show on his face but Aramus managed.

“B-But for a teacher to pay for me… it is not like you have any obligation over my health as a caretaker… I feel like I should not indulge such kindness… ” Elizabeth said, somewhat unsure of what to do. She felt like obeying her teacher was the proper way to deal with it, yet her teachings and mannerisms taught back home fought hand-to-hand within her mind, and it ended creating a turmoil instead.

”Then take it as that, something a teacher should do. Every job has its hazards, this is much better than suffering bodily harm.” Aramus chuckled as he replied to Elizabeth, not letting her talk him out of it. ”Your goal as a student is simple and are doing a magnificent job at it, I just wish that some of the others would share the same spirit as you do towards my lessons.” Bad results from his batch meant a bad grading, something which he did not want on his first year in this academy.

“I… I see,” Elizabeth said, her expression strangely brightened up, but in a different way as she seemed less pumped up about baking. “I shall strive to make you proud throughout the year, if that is the case. I’d earnestly pray that my classmates would perform better, but it would seem that they… ” she then turned her face to the front, and her eyes lit up, “ ah, the cafeteria is right there,” she then ran up to the door of the kitchen in the cafeteria, and opened it...

… Then closed the door. Immediately, at that. Without a single word.

“Oh dear, it is full, it seems, how unfortunate,” she said – placing her back against the door – and facing her teacher, before forcing out a smile.

Aramus could swear that he saw a bit of black smoke escape from the sliver of space that was formed when she cracked the door open earlier to take a peek inside.

“We seem to be a little… unfortunate today. However, I shall not yield to it, yes,” Elizabeth said, apparently trying to renew her resolve with a deep nod.

“P-Please, allow me to lead the way. I am aware of an alternative for our poor stomachs.”

”I don’t even want to find out. It’s all yours Elizabeth, show me what you can do.” Her teacher replied with a grin. Home cooking appealed to him more than store bought food, simply because of the memories it brought having a hot bowl of soup and bun at dinner.

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Aramus entered the room which was the classroom used for giving lessons about the Form of Herbam. It was often used to practice spells, too. The room was wide and the distance between the floor and the ceiling was particularly high, yet the space of the floor was not too big. Aramus surveyed with his pupils when he found a scholar using a spell to grow a tree on a flower pot. The roots didn’t seem too thick, but the results above them were extraordinary.

There weren’t many scholars present, it seemed, as Elizabeth weakly took a peek from behind her teacher.

Beside the student casting the spell, Aramus found who he was looking for – a woman wearing a white labcoat, and wearing a black top, and skirt underneath it. She had long black hair, and was generally known to look human, despite being an individual who has Faerie blood running through her veins. She had a facial feature that made her look mature and cheerful at the same time. Some would think that she was a kind person, until they'd speak to her, anyway.

Her grey eyes turned to Aramus and the peeking Elizabeth as she noticed the open door.

“Why hello there, Aramus, how may I help you today?” The teacher who was a Faerie asked, welcoming the two despite being in the middle of a lesson.

Waving weakly, Aramus gestured to the girl hiding behind him. ”Sorry to bother you Mathilde, but could you give this one a quick do over? The practical lesson we had wasn’t particularly kind to her… or the other one.” He bowed ever so slightly, according to Japanese tradition.

“Huh? But I don’t want to,” Mathilde blatantly refused, even though she was smiling, it seemed like a hassle to her.

“T-That’s right, we don’t need me to be healed! I’ll be fine,” Elizabeth added from behind.

“I mean, what’s there to gain for me in it?” Mathilde ignored Elizabeth and continued, with a grin to boot. Aramus would realize what it meant.

Sighing, he looked back at his student. There was no way he’d let Elizabeth go through the whole day like that. ”Fine. What do you want in exchange?” Bartering with Mathilde would only lengthen this and that would cut short the time he had with his beloved food. That would not be happening. Mathilde begun to walk towards him.

“You go around the city often, don’t you?” Mathilde leaned closer and up to his face and whispered, “Be a buddy and get me some good wine, will you? I’ve been too tired with teaching all day here,” she answered.

Aramus nodded. He would have to go out of his way to get something like that for her but oh well. ”That’s no problem. I’ll see when I’m headed out into the city as well. If some of my students bothered to listen to me, there would be more progress in our curriculum and I’d have more free time.” As usual, it exasperated him that his pupils never seemed to take him seriously, even with all his demonstrations and mock battles.

“Ooh… you seem confident, then I’ll leave it to-” then Mathilde stopped to peer towards Elizabeth. “...She is in a wreck. You,” she pointed to Aramus, “yes, you. You’re getting a rarer bottle for me, and a pricey one at that!” She said. Then inspected the girl, “Ignem attacks? No… Perdo Ignem?”

“You’re as sharp as I had heard you are, teacher… ” Elizabeth muttered, letting it go. It seemed that Aramus was going to get her treated no matter how many times she’d decline. She may as well attempt to get it over with soon. This made her list of obligations longer, however…

Resisting the urge to bury his face in his palm, Aramus merely mumbled his consent… or something along the lines of it. ”Yeah, though I was out for most of the match. Couldn’t exactly see much with what happened.” He gave Elizabeth another once over, noting that she looked how he did whenever an assignment was finished. Nothing out of the ordinary in his previous line of work. ”You should come visit my classes sometime when you have the chance Mathilde, some of the practicals can get pretty interesting.”

“Perhaps. The Headmistress likes to toss me in so many classes, I wish I had more time. Really,” Mathilde replied, scratching the back of her head with a big grin. She really did seemed tired, with those wrinkles that were desperately covered with facial creams, or so it seemed. Were they herbal products? A person having some sense of delicacy would just have to stay quiet despite noting it. Albeit, some teacher sees her words as boasts rather than actual tiredness, but it was true that she was indeed worn out.

“Well anyway, I guess I can leave the scholars here to do some self-studying, I hope that’s okay with you guys?” She said, halfway through her words; she faced her students, who seemed rather fine with it, and they nodded to her. They were understanding due to Mathilde often having visitors wanting some healing, and this teacher loved to strike some good deals.

“Alright, you two have to come to my office, since I can’t really do the ritual spell here.”

yeah lol

grats on 6 years man

The Runner-up system is a little complex, but basically, we tend to be quite flexible with it. For instance, last year - the Judges' Choice was also the Runner-up of the Final poll; so the winner of the Judges' Choice received the main prize, and the next with highest votes in said poll was moved up to claim the Runner-up's position. If there's more than one people with the same amount of votes; all of them supposedly becomes the Runner-ups, which was why we saw two Runner-ups last year. And that is - frankly - a little strange if you ask me, but if we come across such situations, we simply talk it out among ourselves and decide on something. I personally find it unacceptable to have 3 Runner-ups, lol.

The poll is definitely the more simpler and fairer choice. Fair in the sense that we have a fixed deadline and we can't wait for the voters forever. Like it or not, we'll never have all the potential people to vote. Those who show interest and would vote should make it a task to keep checking - if they're really interested in supporting their favorites - instead of coming back every once in a while. I know for a fact that even busy people have managed to pull this off. That's just my personal opinion, of course. Other judges are free to consider otherwise.

While I know that you don't like it that you can't always vote for your personal top three... know that your suggestion is a little icky for use.

Here's the issue from what I can tell; not everyone likes to give away their anonymity. This is an old fact and I wouldn't even want to debate it. Second poll had about 20 voters - pray tell, did we see 20 different individuals posting and commenting actively? I think you know the answer to that. We may lose at least about half the voters for the contests and I don't think anyone truly wishes for such an outcome. Your suggested system - albeit not exactly the same - was actually used before and it was very unsuccessful for a different contest (Valentine Contest), if I remember right. We don't know for a fact, but it was obvious that the one and only judge of that event just decided on a particular winner she preferred the writing of.

Just so you know, we use the very same system you've suggested, but only among the judges. The judges - every year - are required to go through the entries and come up with their own individual top 3 list of entries. Then we talk it out. If there are exceptional entries; judges are permitted to have top 4 or 5 and so on, and thus we're always open to having more entries to consider on the table.

People missing the chance to vote is indeed an issue worth thinking about, and I believe you should not apologize for addressing it. We are open to suggestions, but we have the obligation to go with the best possible option available. Regardless, I thank you for taking the time to think about improving the current system.

If you have more suggestions, I'm all ears here.

I should indeed.

Nope.

I don't really...

Old story.

Same thread.

Probably Royal/CGF.

It was †˜morning’ according to the clocks of the two, but nothing seemed to have particularly change. The city was as bustling and lively as ever. Valeriya didn’t even know when the two †˜friends’ got up and snuck out of the house – on their way to the location where they’d carry out their mission.

The land was literally frozen, and the nasty blizzard was brewing in the air, and the two could tell that it was well on its way to beat upon the already-icy land. The two were cloaked to conserve some of their body heat, but they both knew that it was hardly enough. Albeit, as faeries – neither of them felt extremely cold unlike an ordinary mundane human.

The slip of paper informed them that the carriers would go past a certain chasm on their way to the exit of Russia – the Magic Portal that leads a way outside the country. This was one of the safer routes, in fact. The other routes seemed far worse for the carriers to take – the two concluded. The girls took position and kept watch over the lowest part – the road in the chasm. Lily’s hand was on her sword, and Svetlana was simply cautious.

Of course, they weren’t sure when the carriers would exactly arrive, but there was about thirty minutes left till the predicted time of action would take place.

“You… are a faerie… aren’t you?” Lily asked out of the blue, wanting to confirm with Svetlana; awkwardly starting a conversation.

Svetlana was surprised at the sudden question and wondered why Lily would ask something she thought she knew already. “Well from what I was told by my teacher I am. I only found out myself a few years ago. Why you ask?”

“I… see. I wanted to… make sure. I am… a faerie, as well,” Lily answered. “Were you born… in a Faerie Forest?”

“You’re a faerie also?!” Svetlana said quite surprised. “Well that probably explains why you thought it was fine to sleep in the streets.” Svetlana said. “I’m not sure really the only person who would know is Mama but.. she currently wouldn’t be able to tell me.” Svetlana said with a sad tone in her voice.

“Yes… my blood is… blue,” Lily answered. “Is something… wrong with her… ? Is she… sick?” Lily asked, seeming to be slightly worried. She wasn’t sure about her question however, since her mother seemed to be healthy from what she saw.

“You see...Mama lost all her memories in an incident. It may not seem like it but Mama currently only has memories of me from the past two years…anything beyond that is a blur for her with only some memories coming back to her faintly.”

Lily was at a loss for words, especially because she was so terrible at Russian. She regretted not studying instead of sleeping. “I see… that… is sad,” Lily commented.

“You don’t seem like… a halfling,” Lily said. “I believe… your father… was also… faerie? Where he… is now?” She asked.

Svetlana stayed silent for a minute before responding “Papa died two years ago.”

“...” Lily didn’t speak for almost half a minute before she uttered, “sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it you didn’t know. But snow sure can be beautiful and deadly at the same time, don’t you think?” Svetlana simply said before the tone in her voice changed. “Lets just forget about this, we have to be ready for when they come so lets not get our minds be disturbed by others’ thoughts,” Svetlana tried to be energetic.

“Yes… let us be ready for them,” Lily nodded with agreement, then faced the road down ahead, too. Due to Svetlana not wanting to keep the conversation going, she couldn’t really answer her notion regarding the snow anymore.

You guys suck then.

That landlord seems like a pretty chill guy.

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They then moved to a different room. More specifically, his own office where he’d usually provide supplementary lessons to a few chosen students after the mandatory classes would be over, aside from doing other works.

“It’s dangerous to talk there,” the teacher known as Griswold stated, smiling. “Mary is known to have unusually good senses,” he added, apparently advising caution towards Mary.

“Go ahead and make your inquiries here.”

Claudia cleared her throat before speaking once more, ”Now, I had a question that Mister Escott wasn’t able to answer himself; what is so important of this Mary girl that The Society needs two people to spy on her?” asked Claudia. ”...She is just one ordinary girl… right?”

“Hmm… while Mary is indeed an important individual, are you not making a mistake here, Claudia?” The teacher asked, pointing out a fact. “Escott was asked to observe the Lorelei. You’re his guard, and in certain circumstances he may ask you to guard the Lorelei – his primary objective,” he answered, “that is your job.” In here, Claudia made a big mistake, and her teacher – Griswold – was unsure how or why she’d do that. Lorelei and Mary were simply different people, just from looks alone. That question implied that she mistook things in more ways than one… ?

”...Which brings me to my next inquiry.” Continued Claudia. ”The Lorelei, please do tell, as I of The Society know nothing of her. Not to mention that you sent me out on a mission albeit neglecting to tell me who, specifically I am meeting, or any specific information on the Lorelei, no? So since I managed to resolve the identity crisis of my contact myself, I am asking right now; tell me of the Lorelei.” Claudia said in a determined and almost demanding tone.

“I refuse,” the teacher plainly answered, his smile was unmoved and he seemed calm despite Claudia’s demanding nature. “Your job does not regard learning of the Lorelei at all.”

Claudia sighed in exasperation at all the secrecy. One would think as a member of The Society’s ranks, they would at least clue her in on assignments she would be so dedicated in doing, but apparently she knows even less than before she joined.

“Lorelei is especially exceptional. Even I hardly know the details, anyway,” he said, laughing.

”Very well… then I suppose Lord William wouldn’t know either?”

“He is of a higher rank, I believe, but as an agent of the Organization,” the teacher answered. “I know know wehether he cares about the details of the Lorelei. However… what I can say is that you should be careful of Mary, instead.”

”You said she had a keen sense of hearing, what else should I be wary of when it comes down to observing her again?” asked Claudia with a hand planted on her chin.

“Hmm… probably that eye,” the teacher answered, raising a finger, referring to her golden eye, “they say that it is able to see the truth. I am uncertain about what exactly it entails. I doubt even the higher ups knows, but it garners the attention of the Infernal Realm, so she is often chased by demons and monsters. It may put Lorelei in danger if she finds a demon too close to the Lorelei. Though… she is aware of Lorelei’s existence and our Organization, and owes us favors. I doubt she’d intentionally try to pull us into danger,” he explained.

There was that word again-- Infernal. It made Claudia cringe every time she were to overhear it in a class lecture or in a classmate’s conversation, what her affliction was with the word was a mystery. It might’ve been the reason he was telling her to be wary of Mary. Despite Claudia’s ability to utilize such magics, Mary was a different case however. Being chased by demons was something Claudia thought she would never witness in her lifetime. ”Demons and Monsters? I was not aware she was capable of attracting their lot, especially for being such a young girl…” replied Claudia.

“Indeed. It is a mystery even The Society is showing an interest in… and not just the higher ups…” the teacher leaned forward, right before Claudia’s eyes, no, perhaps just an inch away, “the main leader is, too. So, be careful,” he said with an intent glare and a serious expression, but it soon reverted to his shady smile as he retracted himself back to his seat.

“So, anything else? I hope you understand your part in our Organization now?” As the lowest ranked guard, and perhaps a soon-to-be agent who’d be to †˜remove’ targets, perhaps.

Claudia only nodded in understanding, despite her feeling left in the dark. ”Of course. I only hope we accomplish something in the near future. I wish to put my new weapon to good use soon.” remarked Claudia, wearing a slight grin.

“You sure are one eager person,” he chuckled. “Anyway, you should get on your way to class soon. I reckon it’s almost time,” he gave the clock a single look as he suggested.

”Ah, right you are.” said Claudia as she glanced over to the clock to realize that it was indeed almost time. Swiftly, she grabbed her bag and bolted out of the room. ”Adieu, teacher!” she yelled from outside of the hall.

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It was early in the morning at five. Claudia woke up, all groggy and somewhat tired from having to stay up too long at night. Her first task in the morning was the same as always; escorting her master with the gurney to his workplace – the parliament house. For her lord, there was much to do for the day, but she felt that her days may be getting just as busy. After driving her lord to the destination, she’d have to go back to the lodgings in Holborn to park the vehicle in, and then start walking towards the Royal Academy of Arts.

In reality, it was actually the Royal Institute ran by the Royal Council. The public only knew that the royalty ran the college. Which was indeed true, because Queen Victoria ran both the Royal Council and the academy. All students were magicians and thus were scholars, and the children only actually allowed past their entrance examinations had a strict requirement – to have the Gift of magic. Claudia – happening to have the Gift – was allowed to enroll. Her lord didn’t have to pay, fortunately, since the Royal Council would finance anyone with the Gift if they happen to enroll into the Royal Institute.

Claudia was still payed more than enough by her lord, however. She was even given some money each morning to hire a carriage to go to the academy as Holborn to the Royal Institute was quite the distance. At least an hour of walk, in fact. But Claudia could not indulge in his kindness, and would not use that money, and thus she walks to the institute every morning instead.

In about an hour – Claudia found herself going past the black tall gates of the academy, and then into the courtyard of the Royal Institute. It was always a garden of scholars. The members – students – of the Royal Institute – or any Magic Academy, for that matter – were always referred to as scholars, as they were trained to work for the betterment of both worlds – mundane and magical. So they say, but personal agendas always made that concept weep, usually. However, it was a fact that each and every one of these young scholars held their own reputation.

Unfortunately for Claudia, she wasn’t popular as a scholar, albeit some had known her name for being admitted into the academy by the Duke – her lord. Not that anyone actually knew of their relationship, which was why strange rumors may have taken shape. Claudia, on the other hand, did not really care unless anything rude was spoken of regarding her lord directly.

Claudia made her way into the building. It was somewhat crowded inside, as usual. Today, she was catching more attention than any ordinary day, due to the large case she carried behind her back. It was almost bigger than her own figure. She approached her own locker in the lobby, and opened it only to place the case inside. Then departed for her classroom.

It was around past half of six †˜o'clock and even then; so many students were around already. Many students – unlike mundane schools, colleges, and universities – were very dedicated individuals, as they all more or less held interest for magical studies. Except for the few who’d only thirst for combat with magic.

Before Claudia got to her class, she found the ominous teacher of her’s from yesterday.

“Good morning,” he politely greeted her.

Claudia merely shot the man a prompt glare before shifting her face back to normal. ”Good morning, Teacher. Or, perhaps should I call you Stand-up Comedian?” said Claudia harshly.

“I can’t tell if you’re referring to yourself or me,” the teacher chuckled. “Good job getting Mary out of the way, though,” he complimented.

”Pardon? Who is Mary?” Questioned Claudia with a tilt of her head.

“Follow me,” the teacher said.

The two then walked through the corridors, and reached a certain room that lied in the corner of the second floor in the institute. There was a slit of space open as the door was almost closed. The teacher and Claudia took a peek from said slit of space, and a sliver of platinum-hair greeted her – it was the girl she met with Escott – under the pretense of a father and daughter – from last night. She still wore her purplish deep blue dress. She did not seem like a noble, now that Claudia took a better look at her, just another townswoman perhaps.

What was strange, however, was that her right-eye was a bright gold, while the left-eye was an ordinary blue.

“Does she seem familiar now?” He asked.

”Yes, I see now. I have a question about her that Mister Escott–”

“Wait up, not here,” the teacher whispered, placing a finger on Claudia’s lips with a “shh,” and ushered her to back away from the door.

I'm here to read the writing of you all plebeians.

I wonder if this is a bug... all the posts go bold mode after the poll ends.

lel

I'd definitely not make -that- Gohan.

It was a cold winter.

Despite being within the barrier conjured with the help of a Ritual spell to help protect the campus grounds from many adversities; the nature’s ire was one thing it couldn’t deflect. Today was no different, despite the weather. Even though it was close to Christmas in the futuristic Japan – the Magic Academy didn’t consider even a holiday to provide. Instead, they planned a party. One so grand that it’d likely be in the newspapers of the Magic World.

The Magic Academies – this one was otherwise named the Eastern Academy – was the one and only institution where magic was officially taught under advanced levels; permitted by Queen Victoria who believed that the eastern people would also seek to learn magic. However, beyond that there was no connection. The academy was and still is – neutral. The government of Japan, nor the Shrine could enforce their rules upon it, and the Headmistress was one fearsome individual to boot.

One would think such an academy was reclusive, which was far from the truth. It still had many sponsors and countless scholars enrolled with the help of their respective Organizations paying for them. Besides them, they had the jewels that the academy could be proud of – those born of talent accepted via scholarships. For them, almost everything was free of charge.

The academy was full of fine and apparently shiny tiles all over the place. There was no floor ordinary, apparently. The perks of futuristic Japan, they say; the structures were pristine and stylish all the same. There was a pristine statue of a woman – the Headmistress – surrounded by the fountain as one would enter from outside the academy. To the left, one would find the dormitory, and to the right, the buildings where extracurricular lessons would take place.

They even installed protective shields across the premises recently for even stronger security. The buildings all held the architecture of the older european, but that was a given as the late founder was a French aristocrat who shared the Queen’s sentiment about the eastern shamans. Which was how western knowledge of magic was shared to the eastern sides, and were eventually combined.

Today, in such an academy, there was a particular class going on at the moment. A class unlike any ordinary classes. It was a class where magic were utilized for – often informally – what one may call; combat.

The teacher – Aramus Valmark, whose field was Magic Theory, was also one of the many instructors of practical battles. He was battle-hardened in all his academic records in the past, even after graduating, he had many tales to share about his endeavors in behest of the Royal Council. Now they refer to him as the Spellslinger affectionately – or with much hate – by the students and peers alike. After all his achievements, they were all crowned by his title as the Magic Magister. Shortly after which, he was offered a position, to work as a teacher in the Eastern Academy.

There were two mages that stood before him. Both faced each other, readying themselves. They would fight, using magic, and with whatever arms they’d have picked up for combat by now. It was a practical battle lesson, for which a Mage’s Duel was officially permitted by Aramus himself. Of course, he was the supervisor and he held every right to stop a battle if he deemed necessary to step in, or forcibly stop if something goes horribly wrong. Every scholars knows manners, yes?

Or so he liked to believe, then he’d remember his own experiences.

The ones before him seemed quite ready for the fight, and were rather eager if anything.

Mage’s Duel was a common occurrence between mages. The term obviously meant a battle among mages. The rules were usually quite simple, but the official rules specifically stated that no feeling of revenge should arise as a result of it.

The one to Aramus’ left was Fuyuoshinriku no Tsuruko – the gem of the Shrine Organization. Apparently battle-hardened throughout her childhood. She came from a rich and archaic lineage, but was a rather humble person, yet very well-mannered. Some would go as far as claiming that she was born in the wrong era. Tsuruko was well-known for her ignem spells, and her mastery of many spells in general at her age. Her choice of armament was a sword – the treasure of the Shrine – the Sword of Kusanagi.

On the other hand was Elizabeth Cavendish Bentinck – a duchess’ daughter, from England. She was the heiress who faced many expectations without fault in the past. Now she was here as a student who at first raised quite the attention as a beauty – when she first came to enroll. She was purely accepted due to her battle prowess, and her family did not even have to pay for her studies due to the scholarship. She was a lady of perfection, who took up an ordinary long sword, and it almost felt as though she was one of the european knights of the church due to her battle stance. The blade was held perfectly in the middle of the face as she stared down her opponent.

Aramus clapped his hands together to get their attention, the tension in the air so thick you could probably cut it with a knife. ”Alright, both of you know the standard set of rules so I won’t have to go into detail. No forbidden spells, nothing major aimed at the head and what not. If I find it too serious, I will step in. That is all.” With that, he scooted over to a chair placed oh-so-conveniently behind the two of them before plucking a small muffin from somewhere to munch. ”You may begin.”


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“I vow to follow the rules of the Mage’s Duel, and will fight fairly and proudly. May magic not be used to plant seeds of despair after our battle.”

The both said in unison. It was the customary line to be said among mages before starting a Mage's Duel.

The battle begun; Tsuruko focused to gather mana from the Infernal Realm. Using her Technique of philosophy, she derived knowledge from it, and was aware how she’d draw mana to herself through it. After all, one could only cast spells through the combination of the Technique and Form – thus it was an Art. She chanted some words, and her left palm – where she didn’t hold the hilt with, glowed. She then placed said palm over her chest; enchanting herself with her own spell. The spell made her body hotter and surrounded her with an invisible orange aura one would be able to see with Second Sight.

Elizabeth chanted for her own spell as Tsuruko – her opponent – did. For her spell, she had to combine the Technique of Creo with the Form of Ignem. They were indeed both fellow Ignem users, but their studies differed slightly, and thus each held different strengths and weaknesses. Regardless, she gathered her mana from the same Realm as her opponent, but instead of touching herself, her hand traced the steel of her blade; making it go on blazing fire; burning brightly, elegantly, yet wildly. It was likely the effect of her Mage’s Sigil, for which her spells were almost always flashy.

Now that they were prepared with their supportive spells; they’d likely go on offense.

And so, Tsuruko went on to cast her next spell, Prism Flare. She chanted the incantation loudly, and it only took some moments for her to gather mana and establish the spell’s use. The flare sprouted up from her left palm and rose above – shining brightly and creating differing colors in the flame. Some forgot what it could do and stared absentmindedly, wondering why Tsuruko had casted it. Elizabeth took notice of the spell from its incantations and closed her eyes without a thought. When she let an eyelid open to take a peek, she noticed that most were blinded, clutching her heads and covering the light with their hands. Was this Tsuruko girl fighting the class or her?

Aramus had been a bit preoccupied with his muffin to notice the two of them start up their duel. Hastily scribbling notes with his free hand on a pad, the other feeding the muffin to its doom, he looked up just in time to have his eyes destroyed. The sudden flare of light caused him to flinch away, dropping the muffin onto the ground in the process. With a pained cry, he mourned the downfall of his beloved pastry. The burning in his eyes could not compare to the stabbing pain that cut right to his heart at the loss of his lunch.

Elizabeth noticed that the teacher was also blinded. “You’re troubling the teacher, what good is there in doing so?” She asked, pointing her blade towards Tsuruko. However, she assumed that her words were unheard due to the orchestra of voices from the students and the flare.

She didn’t care that her opponent was occupied with her measly spell any longer, and charged forth. Usually, her sense of honor would dictate that she should at least wait for her opponent’s spell to stop. But no enemy would so kind in a real battlefield, or so she was taught. Besides, someone who blinded not only the teacher, but some of her classmates didn’t need such a treatment, even if it was a person of humble and respectable birth and lineage. She was no different in that regard.

Thus, with a dash she approached Tsuruko, and closed the distance in a matter of a moment. Her blade sliced through the air horizontally; cutting through the colorful fire with her own, orange flame that her blade was burning with, then it returned to the target again. This time, from right to left; slashing just below her chest. The force of the fire was strong, and Tsuruko – who only noticed her opponent’s attack now, instinctively attempted to parry, but fell down on the floor instead after moving back slightly. As any fighter would, Elizabeth pulled back and took some distance, fearing the next coming spell.

Tsuruko was more than taken aback. Being all too unfamiliar with battle, especially with fellow humans, she wanted to start off on a more consistent note, but to her opponent, likely she was in the way and another being to defeat. She’d only practised on straw or wooden targets back at Okinoshima, and did not notice that her Prism Flare would take into such an effect on people. It came to her as Tsuruko realised, that an introduction to real battle wouldn’t be all flowers and candy. Flinching a little from the brunt of Elizabeth’s strike, she then begun to ready her next move.

Since her previous spell didn’t work on Elizabeth, Tsuruko had to rely on her physical strength in order to win, and that was where her training went into, if not the most of it, wherein she wasn’t to use her magic at all. At least, she thought, she was pretty good with her sword techniques. With enough thought put into it, she dashed towards Elizabeth and struck a blow. Her blow was a straightforward attack from the front with a vertical line. While her opponent could see it, she wasn’t exactly fast enough to try and block it, or react, in fact. Perhaps it came to her as a surprise, but Tsuruko was indeed fast and agile. Taking the hit, Elizabeth persevered, and attempted to return the strike, which met with the cold and windy steel of the opponent.

Alas, the wind blew – strangely enough – and it tossed her back from Tsuruko. The other classmates couldn’t quite understand what happened, but Elizabeth could vaguely tell that it was the work of the relic sword. Still blinded and fumbling for his muffin, Aramus could nonetheless feel a shift in the air, piquing his interest.

Now, with having the upper hand, Tsuruko once again focused to gain mana, and went on to cast her next spell. She did as she was taught. With the Technique of Perdo that was meant to bring out the destruction of its own Form – she cast what Ignem was usually not expected to do; Frostbite. Coldness from the Form that governed fire such as Ignem? That was exactly what Perdo was all about. As Tsuruko sonorously chanted her prayers and calls to structure her spell – in a forgotten language – and bring about its effects, Elizabeth knew that nothing good was going to come out of it.

She attempted to move back and take more distance, but the wind picked up, with it the chill crept up into her body. Panicking at the possibility that she was too late; she slipped on the wooden clean floor and fell to her peril with her back facing it. The cold winds gathered onto her, and with a squirm she found herself desperately crossing her arms over her chest to keep what little body-heat she had left in her.

Blinking the stars out of his eyes, Aramus managed to get his vision back only to find his sullied muffin right before his eyes. He bemoaned its fate, picking it up and vainly attempting to dust it off. A cold wind swept over him and Aramus brought his attention to the duel to see Elizabeth lying on the floor. He quirked an eyebrow at Tsuruko’s choice of weapon, trying to remember its name. Kusanagi, was it? Having Aurum as a prime, he could feel how the weapon affected the currents in the air and sat down properly, trying very hard to banish thoughts of his muffin and focus on the fight. That would come later. One did not simply sully a muffin and walk away unpunished.

With the chill of the Frosbite spell still on Elizabeth, as she remained immobilized Tsuruko could feel her enhanced attunement to Ignem spell wearing off from her first spell, and decided to further extend its duration, thus giving her concentration towards the spell; providing it some more time to remain in effect. She learnt this in her previous classes, as well as the benefit of focus and concentration from the Shaman, so that she wouldn’t spend time casting the spell again. She thought it would be enough to effectively use her remaining mana without breaking her concentration too late and losing too much energy. Now putting her focus on Elizabeth after a moment of concentration; she ran towards her and struck with a horizontal slice near the waist, who was now standing limping after picking herself up somehow. Though she wasn’t one to strike while the enemy was helpless, but she had no other choice, otherwise she would’ve been on the receiving end.

Feeling the chilling wind fade, Elizabeth decided to warm herself up with a fiery Ignem spell. Thus she called forth yet another Creo Ignem spell – Flame Spear. With this, a ball of fire formed before her as she collected and amassed mana and called forth her knowledge of Creo to help the ball stabilize into the projectile she wanted to launch. Thrusting her hand towards Tsuruko; the ball launched itself towards her, and as it went – it turned to something like a spear of flame.

Tsuruko, who wasn’t quite taught to dodge or run away, took the attack head on with her sword as she readied herself. However, the flame swathed over her instead, and simply slashing through it did not help her, the wind from her blade may have caused the opposite of her intentions instead. Regardless, her clothes were on fire and she was pushed back from the strong force of the magic. The only saving grace was that the burning was kept to a minimum since she was a fellow Ignem user like her opponent. She’d be able to completely stop it if the flames weren’t from the magic of someone else.

At the worst moment, her concentration and focus over her attunement spell faded. The last thing Tsuruko saw was the arena spinning in on itself and her grip on her sword loosened, gave way, and she fell on the cold floor with the clang of steel. A gust of wind slowed her descent enough for her to land softly, Aramus moving forward to inspect Tsuruko. He put behind his head, clicking his tongue at the girl before gesturing to two other students at the front. ”Would you two kindly take Tsuruko to the infirmary? The nurse will attend to her.” He picked up Kusanagi gingerly, inspecting it. For a young girl to wield such a weapon, he shook his head.

Elizabeth approached Tsuruko – as she was being picked up by the two students to be taken to the nurse’s office – her blade faced the floor as she already knew that the attunement spell would make Tsuriko feel weaker mentally. She didn’t think Tsuruko would maintain it despite only attacking with her blade, though. Who wouldn’t take proper advantage of their spell? It’d teach her opponent a lesson, and she was glad that Tsuruko would at least learn something from fighting her. Some kind of a reward was a requirement for both sides, after all. That was her earnest thought towards the practical combat lessons, and she had no problem fighting her fellow classmates, as long as the rules would be protected. Despite those thoughts, here she was, all beaten up; feeling that she wasn’t quite deserving of her victory despite Tsuruko’s miscalculations. She felt like she failed her mother’s expectations for being hurt so bad. Her opponent would’ve won if not for her fatigue.

Aramus turned to the class before clearing his throat, a quick debrief in mind. ”Now, all of you know what happens when you run out of willpower. As you can see, our example is being carted away. Remember your limits and gauge your spells costs above all else. Another note to mention is of Tsuruko’s usage of Prism Flare. In this duel, nothing major happened apart from the loss of my muffin. Out there, you might cost someone their life by blinding them.”

[size=9](BGM)[/h]


Felix and Natsu walked into the restaurant, while Hynek entered soon after the girls and found a paradise of attendants working in the restaurant. The dignified outfit of the ladies working set his heart pumping, or rather, his lustfulness pumping. He wanted so many more women to join his Organization already. Felix sighed feeling the devious aura from her master.

“Welcome, customers. There is a free table over there,” a lady donning the apparent †˜dignified’ outfit ushered towards the table beside the windows.

“Don’t take too long with them now, Master Tamas,” Felix said, before heading to the table along with Natsu.

“Bitch, at least try to restrain him. A little, if anything,” the black spirit was clearly forgetting about their bet already as she bit on her cloth with her teeth and gritted maddeningly.

“Hmm?” Natsu didn’t understand what Felix meant by that. Ah, maybe he likes to flirt around with other girls. Maybe that’s why he approached me, too… She deducted, a bit worried again about Hynek, though she still felt assured he wouldn’t actually attempt anything since he already had a wife. Why’d she call him †˜Master Tamas’, though…? What country is he from?

Hynek loosened up his collar a little bit, trying to release some stress that was building. After this meal, his girls were going to have a heck of a time quenching his thirst. Walking over to the table with Felix, and their new companion, he sat next to Felix across from Natsu. “Order whatever you wish, Natsu. I will be paying for us all.” said Hynek looking over the menu, trying to keep his eyes on the waitresses walking around. “So, an idol? Perhaps this is fate that we met today.”

“What do you mean by that…?” Natsu asked, wary of his intentions. She was already visually surprised that he offered to pay for everyone, and considering what his wife had called him earlier, she suspected he could be a man of some importance, at least, from his country. “Where are you from, by the way?” Natsu asked curiously.

“Me? I travel quite a bit. If I had to claim any land as home. I’d choose Egypt I suppose.” answered Hynek. “I came here to spread my business, and my business happens to be entertainment. Idols happen to be at the center of that here.”

“I see…” Natsu responded. Wow, someone who owns a business in global entertainment!? I met such a person? She was in some shock, but did well to hide it. No wonder he decided to pay, Natsu thought. He must be absurdly rich. Plus, if he was looking for business, Natsu felt that could be a big help to her music company. They were rather small in comparison to others. “Maybe I can introduce you to Manager...san…” As she suggested that, a gloomy expression returned to her face, bringing back the vivid memory of her heartbreak again just recently.

Reading the look on the girl’s face, it was obvious that this man was the cause of the girl’s mood. “I have my own music company. You could simply leave that man behind, and start fresh.” answered Hynek. “I don’t think I could tolerate a man that mistreats his clients.”

“It’s nothing like that,” Natsu quickly reassured Hynek, “It’s just…” She looked back down before she said it. She took a moment before continuing: “He had a girlfriend… I thought I was making progress, but…” She started tearing up. In her mind, Natsu wanted to cry out I’ve tried so hard! Why won’t he love me back!? but didn’t want to make yet another scene. Regardless, some tears flowed out, and she began to sob softly.

Hynek sighed and looked to Felix – who seemed to be looking for a handkerchief, but realized that she’d never have one while wearing these clothes – for a moment before looking back to Natsu. “You are an idol, are you not? ” began Hynek. “Love is a war, and you cannot master every battlefield. But you can chose which to focus on. So what you lost this one. There are many others. ” Hynek was hoping that the girl caught his meaning.

Natsu sniffled once more after listening to Hynek, but could sense his reasoning and was calmed by it. “Y-you’re right… There’s always another chance, right…?” She said, more to herself, trying to have the most optimistic outlook on the situation. She wiped the tears off of her face and bowed her head, humbly telling the two, “I’m sorry you had to see me in such a state…”

“That’s right, always another chance,” answered Hynek with a wide smile. ”But, don’t apologize to me. Your fans are the ones who have their eyes on you. In the entertainment world. Appearance is everything. It’s good to see that the idols aren’t complete machines though.” Hynek thought back to Alice, and the strange situation he now found himself in. Japan was proving to be more fun than he anticipated.

“Y-yeah… I wasn’t thinking of the fans… I was so caught up in… this, that I almost forgot about them…” Natsu accepted Hynek’s thoughts. He was right. It was hard to accept, but she was acting selfishly. The waitress finally made her way over with her notepad in hand.

“Are you ready to order?”

“I will let the ladies order first.” said Hynek and he looked to Natsu and Felix.


Felix smiled and nodded, “iced coffee, please,” she ordered, then looked over to Natsu.

“I… guess I’ll have cola…” Natsu requested softly.

“And I will have an Arnold Palmer,”[/b] answered Hynek. The waitress nodded and hurried off to get their drink orders. Hynek turned a curious look to Natsu as she seemed to be fidgeting a bit. [color=#0020c2]Yes, Japan is going to be a lot more fun, thought Hynek.