<hr>


    <03/25/1965 - 17:55 | Section 8, Eldora City, Junon, Sprawn Valley>


    After resting well and sleeping in the next day, Yuel decided to kill some time in the evening sunset of Eldora''s clearest day. She had been staring in wonder for an hour now, eyes locked to the impressive height of Eldora Tower. Perhaps it was nothing more than a glitch in the video footage, her mind playing tricks on her. It would be easy to put such imagination to rest.


    Though, when faced with the distance before her, Yuel realized the intricacy of such a mechanism. "May you have reason to veil your secrets? May you fool all who gaze to your heart?" Yuel whispered softly to herself, standing alone in a place she wouldn''t be bothered. All this time, she, along with many others assumed magic was converted from pure lunar light, and perhaps that is still the case. However, it''s a strange anomaly.


    Every single Leray school and academy emphasizes the role of conversion mages; their combined work and operation the very definition to the eating heart and soul of the Leray energy veil. No machines and turning gears are mentioned. No magic crystals are hinted. It wouldn''t be a big deal if machines were involved in the conversion of lunar light to Leray energy, Yuel thought. But then why go through so much trouble to hide it?


    In the event that what she witnessed yesterday was no fluke, then it means whoever built this tower went through an extraordinary amount of trouble to hide the mere idea behind how the conversion process takes place. Tower security makes all the sense in the world, but downright secrecy too? Ancient magic with the ability to generate a one-way cloaking bubble should not exist in this world, tis too advanced for something which has existed for so long as Leray magic...


    But trying to ignore the haunting claw on her mind was futile. Yuel felt something was wrong through her gut, and the very idea of proving one way or the other should not be denied her... Still... "How the heck am I supposed to get up there?" Reaching such a vast height would be impossible for most. Getting a line-of-sight to the very top of the tower''s roof structure was next to impossible. Yuel looked into possible means of doing so only hours ago, and learned some pretty interesting facts.


    Fact #1: During the event of both the Catalyst Grove and Championship Tournament events, a few special tower guards are dispatched to the basic perimeter of this tower on the outside, monitoring for any suspicious activity, but they don''t monitor the outer area when these events are not in play. The reason is an interesting one.


    A modified nullification field is enabled whenever championship events are suspended. This field only spans outward to the perimeter outside of the tower, excluding the interior of the tower and all of its floors. The nullification field is specifically set in the veil to disable summoning and even reverse any active summons that suddenly enter this field.


    Yuel thought up the idea earlier this morning to ask for a wielder to help her fly up to the tower''s roof using one of the drakes or dragons, but to her dismay, it wasn''t allowed. This nullification field in itself is not a secret, hints the reason why many people know about it. The elites publish the information about it publicly, so as to advise people to never fly anywhere near Eldora Tower on a summon, less it lead to a deadly fall. The field is not very wide-spread, but the general purpose is achieved. Nobody can fly near the core of the tower and get too close.


    Fact #2: A separate and more potent nullification field expands both inside and outside of the tower, to a slightly larger radius of the first field. This stronger field merely blocks any and all long-range teleportation magic, and this too is public knowledge.


    It wasn''t too hard to imagine why. Not that long ago, Yuel remembered hearing something of rumor, coming from people reading the local paper, an incident where Leray wielders tried to infiltrate and break into restricted areas of Eldora Tower. Yuel wasn''t able to look into the specific details of it even now, but the anti-teleportation field makes total sense. Wouldn''t want just anybody teleporting inside of rooms meant to stay secret.


    Fact #3: With exception to the further south side of Eldora City, all passenger aircraft have special restrictions on maximum altitude, angle of approach and exit towards the distant airport runway (if executed from Eldora''s airspace), and strict video-recording restrictions for the entire city of Eldora. In addition to this, any and all unsanctioned aircraft, such as civilian helicopters and aerial drones, including certain unmentioned FMCI vehicles are completely banned from usage inside the limits of the city airspace, a law punishable with the strictest enforcement.


    Right... Why would such laws be this paranoid about getting a good close-up view of the top of Eldora Tower? The viewing angle from outside the tower''s core room shouldn''t be visible in the first place, yet these few factors treat the situation as though it were visible.


    It''s suspicious enough for Yuel to second guess her earlier dismissal, and to try once more to see if she can recreate the glitch she saw on camera, only this time using her eyes instead of a digital lens. Using a similar trick to before isn''t going to be easy, and doing it out here in the open is also quite risky, but surely, there must be some good reason for all of this. If the government is lying to Yuel and everyone else about the conversion process of magic, then there has to be a reason why. If they aren''t lying about anything, then she must know whether the failure was in her camera, or her eyes.


    "Eyes of Lysander. Show me what cannot be seen. Reveal to me your mirrors of light. Please, show me the truth." After generating the dozens of mirrors through her invocation of magic, taking nearly a minute to manifest, Yuel double-checked her mental calculations. She could already see the top of the tower nice and close through the view of her ground-level magic mirror, through all the reflective angles of reflecting many reflections. However, pinpointing exactly where to aim this payload is going to be more difficult.


    A simple Lightning Strike should suffice. Electric magic reflects off these mirrors so easily and seamlessly. The power-level might not be enough though. Yesterday, the bolt of lightning that hit the metal was naturally formed from the magic storm, thus carrying a higher destructive stat than a mere Lightning Strike spell. Nevertheless, Yuel decided to try the lower-power spell first. After taking her sweet time to aim her glyphring will, she unleashed the spell, zapping this bolt of energy into the ground mirror.


    With the potent boom of noise in the spell, the lightning beam did exactly as it had before, bouncing from one mirror to the next, quickly gaining altitude with each reflection sending it up at specific angles. The glowing beam was a moving sight, zigzagging enough to create a stunning display of moving art. After 47 reflections, contact was made with the same general location Yuel targeted, at last.


    However, unlike before, the bolt was merely absorbed into the metal material, displacing and disturbing nothing. It was over in an instant, the energy faded with nothing left to show. It was the same kind of reaction a wielder would expect when hitting the walls, floor, or ceiling of a standard academy dark room. The fact that nothing at all was observed should mean the paranoia was going straight to her head...


    "Although, it was such a weak attack. Maybe only stronger spells can reveal to me what I suspect was there." With plenty of MP to spare, Yuel tried this once more. Before unleashing another bolt of lightning in the same direction, she generated a disjointed glyphring in front of her; Molecular Boost.


    The wielder normally cannot use Molecular Boost to benefit their own attack spells, but it turns out this is only really the rule when targeting auras. Wielders can enhance their own spell mid-battle; they simply choose not to, because the extra added time it takes to create a Molecular Boost glyphring is far too long to make proper use of its advantage. Out here, Yuel had all the time in the world.


    "And now, Lightning Strike!" Keeping her voice to a whisper, Yuel unleashed her Lightning Bolt again, sending the surge of power zigzagging upwards while bouncing through each reflection. This bolt of lightning was visibly more powerful, its glowing light more intense to stare at, its essence stressing the entire mirror spell''s defense to its limits. The payoff was well worth it, though the end result sank everything Yuel had been secretly hoping for.


    It''s not as if she wanted to be right. There was no way to deny it a second time, with seeing the immediate glitchy disturbance with enhanced detail through the large ground-mirror. As soon as this lightning bolt hit the same location as before, the massive clear-colored hexagonal energy shield revealed itself, all while carrying the energy distortion to the same view. As this happened, the display of the other side was rendered fully visible, showing a large and impressive room vacant of people, but not of glowing orbs and moving machinery.


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Area H ~ Nikke OST</a>


    <hr>


    The glitching visualization intensified some more, expanding the field of view Yuel was able to witness, though her jaw was already to her knees. "Wha—" The one-way cloaking field, actually exists! "What is this?" Did they really go through all of this to hide the core of magic conversion?


    With a panicked sigh, Yuel started to shiver amidst the faint dying light, coming to many possible conclusions before the fear could fully set in. What if it''s not conversion, but magic generation instead? The historians keep saying that Sprawn Valley is the only place in the world capable of making use of lunar magic conversion, but how do they actually know that? How many other places of the world have dared to try it in the first place, when there is only mention of one tower as impressive as this one?


    "No, it can''t be!" It wasn''t possible to be certain which conspiracy was the right one, but Yuel had a horrible feeling the worst was the reality. Maybe the truth about magic generation and conversion is kept a secret because they don''t want it to exist anywhere else. Maybe all people have to do is copy the interior tower design specs somewhere else, and wind up with the same magic field! Wonderful as that could be, the officials in charge chose to prevent magical expansion. Question is, why?


    Just calm down! You don''t know anything yet. All Yuel can be sure of, is that the process of conversion is a lie, either a total fabrication of reality, or a twisted variant of partial truth. In either case, who would she even have to ask about it in the first place?


    "It doesn''t matter," she referred. "I have to know the truth. I''ve been using Leray magic for a long time now, and yet the tower elites wish to hide something from me, after all the hard work I''ve put in." Of all the things people could do in this world, lying to other people is the worst sin of all, for Yuel''s own sake at least.


    Despite knowing the target it might place onto her, Yuel went through with her questioning, applying a basic cloak to not be recognized by too many other people, and going straight for nearby Leray agents and gradyents to see how far the conspiracy goes. For hours without end, Yuel went person to person, gauging reactions and poking hint at the actual true source of magic.


    "I don''t understand what kind of answer you are expecting young miss. It''s not as if it''s a secret or—"


    "Stop lying to me!" Yuel stomped in frustration. This is the forty-eighth person she''s asked tonight, and even this gradyent keeps repeating the same damn lines! "I''m asking you where our magic comes from, where it''s sourced from. I know that the moonlight is the initial variable, but there''s more to it than that."


    "Look, miss..." Gradyent Juzahl tried to put natural pressure on her, assuming she would identify herself, but instead, she clenched her fists tighter as if he had stepped on her dog. "I don''t know what you''re so hung up on. They teach all of this stuff in the academies."


    "All that tells me is that you don''t know the answer either. Everyone keeps telling me the same thing."


    "What is it you are trying to learn exactly?"


    Yuel avoided mentioning the core of Eldora Tower in particular, less she become suspicious of intruding into such a place. Asking the people who work inside the tower is too risky. "The heart of our Leray veil works off massive machines, designed to convert whatever comes before Leray magic into Leray magic. And yet, nobody ever stops to ask, how this process was invented in the first place. Such a perfect and intricate machine would not have worked in the past, before Eldora Tower was built."


    "I don''t understand what you''re saying. The mages who are experts in crystalosis are the ones who generate Leray magic by converting it from direct moonlight, combining their own magic with crystals."


    "If that''s true, where is this initial magic coming from?"


    "Uh—" It sure was an interesting way to trip up his imagery of it all. If this lunatic wasn''t such a smart ass, it might be interesting to contemplate it more, but, "I''m sure the people who work in Eldora Tower understand how it works. You should try mailing them. Normal people including gradyents like myself are not allowed to meet them."


    So the lie is spread even to their own guards? How few people know about this process? Yuel had to admit that she herself didn''t understand it either, but her last question seemed to be the most important one.


    Even though it is assumed so, none of the course curriculum ever tries to explain where the initial source of magic came from. They just claim that Agies Fardran found out the correct mirror angles and concentration factors to turn moonlight into the first stage of magical energy, but they gloss over the process in how this energy is converted to Leray format. It would have to be the same for Eldora mages in crystalosis, no? How then do they invoke magic to start the conversion process in the first place? Maybe there is a valid explanation, but nobody here seems to understand any part of it; that''s what''s suspicious, especially given how desperate the tower mages are to hide this specific core room. It isn''t the room they want to hide; it''s the direct process in how Leray magic is generated in the first place.


    "You seem to be calming down now," Juzahl observed. "I don''t know everything either. I''m not a tower mage after all. I''m just a gradyent. My specialty is combat, and law enforcement if needed."


    "I don''t know what it is, or why this is happening, but for some reason, our own government here is lying to the people about something involving the conversion process of magic."


    "Maybe it''s dangerous." His simple guess peaked her attention rather fast, and so Juzahl elaborated. "Sometimes secrets are secrets for all good reason. It could be that trying to enact magical conversion without properly understanding how to do it and training for it proves harmful or even fatal. It similar enough to the reason why most people are banned from attempting to learn long-range teleportation. It''s not just for security. One false move could end in someone''s disaster."


    "Hm, hm..." Uncertain whether Yuel could ever be satisfied with such an answer, it was the cleverest response she''s heard all night... Is it really that simple? Is it because people have died before just trying to convert Leray magic? If that is the case however, what exactly is the price of magic? Is it right to engage in spells if the people who invented it had to give up their own lives and those of future generations? "I don''t know..."


    "Regardless of whether I''ve satisfied your curiosity, I really don''t know that much... However, I might suggest that you avoid those kinds of questions in the future. We don''t need to understand how or why our magic works, so long as everyone is happy in the end. I''m just fine with not asking those questions, especially if I stop to think that I might not want to know the answer."


    "Juzahl..."


    "Hm?"


    "... You really are useless."


    <10:51>


    "Honey, please. I need you to slow down for me."


    "I don''t know how else to explain it Nyar. All I know for certain is that the government of Sprawn Valley is lying to their own people on a daily basis, and whatever it is has something to do with magic, or maybe something about the past, I don''t know!" The late night phone call sure went differently in her mind than Yuel imagined, but just hearing Nyar''s voice was enough to soothe her passive panic.


    "If you don''t know, then there isn''t anything you can do from that point... Look, I don''t know what has you so spooked, but you can''t just assume the government are these big bad people in dark shades trying to plot for world domination, at least not without evidence, which by the way I forbid you from looking into."


    "But why not? If there''s a horrible secret about our magic system, isn''t it up to us to find out and tell everyone?"


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "At what cost exactly Yuel? Say this is all far from lunacy and it actually turns out to be true, that the government has been sitting on something big. You really want to piss them off by exposing their secret? If what you say turns out to be true, then it''s dangerous."


    "Thanks Nyar, but you don''t have to worry about me."


    "Hard not to when you sound this paranoid."


    Yuel didn''t say everything she witnessed today, only giving summary of the situation at whole, in how she felt. "I just want answers."


    "What happened to you Yuel? Yesterday, you were ecstatic about your performance. I was hoping you would keep practicing and getting better at your music magic, so that it would blow me away when I come there and see it for myself."


    With a heavy exhale, Yuel found herself speechless for a few seconds... He''s right though. This is only as crazy as Yuel has made it out to be. For countless years, people have been enjoying magic worry free. If the secret in question really is evil, wouldn''t there be more evidence of it, like a lot more missing people? On the contrary, crime in Sprawn Valley is at an all-time low. Even what Juzahl said earlier is making more sense now; it could be dangerous in that the very true action of magical conversion itself is potentially lethal to those who don''t understand it, when monkey-see monkey-do goes horribly wrong.


    "Whatever you heard or saw today, just forget about it. Unless you have proof of someone committing a heinous crime against humanity, you shouldn''t let anything over there bother you, even if the government has a secret they would rather not share. I don''t care about that Yuel, only you."


    "Yeah..." Yuel''s body felt softer, the gravity from before lifting. "You''re right... I don''t know why I got this way."


    "Any new lost spells you come up with would also be exciting to hear about."


    "I don''t know if I''m in the mood to look for more information about spells, but thanks for the gesture."


    "The stronger you become with your magic, the better. I''m already proud of you for surpassing our expectations. Also, I wanna hear you sing again."


    "You should come visit me more often."


    "I know, I know. I''ve been trying to save for the big move over there, which is why I''ve paused my visitations... Maybe one more couldn''t hurt though."


    "I knew I would be too irresistible for you to stay there too long." Her self-compliment had Nyar laughing, and the nervousness from before was already washed away.


    "Yeah. Hey, I''ll have some more time tomorrow. Call me when you can; let me know your plans. It''s a bit late for me, so I''m gonna call it a night. You probably should too."


    Uncertain if she would be able to sleep so soon, Yuel gave such a promise anyway. "Tomorrow then. Maybe we can go on a date over the phone."


    "Okay, but I''ll be using the one at home, as to not seem like a weirdo."


    "Hey!"


    "I''m just teasing. I''ll be sure to break out the suit and the wine."


    "Maybe I''ll play some music too, set the mood and all."


    "Alright, it''s a date then."


    Before long, Yuel and Nyar traded farewells over the phone, and some time passed as Yuel let his words of love sink in. It was more than enough to calm her down, but not quite enough to sleep on. Instead of tossing and turning in bed as she had before, Yuel decided to act on her energy, leaving the dwelling for a near-might-night stroll.


    <11:54>


    With everything weighing on her mind, Yuel struggled to settle her thoughts completely, despite deciding it would be best to ignore the problem altogether. As most of her night-walks were uneventful, Yuel kept trying to imagine a better future for herself, something that would always help ease her closer to a calm and sleepy mind.


    "Are you alright?" Yuel nearly jumped in reaction, realizing that some man was already trying to converse with her a second ago, something she tuned out as to not hear.


    "Huh? Oh, yes. I''m sorry."


    "Just checking. You were spacing out I think."


    "Right..." Who is this guy?


    Realizing it was already becoming awkward to just stand around with so few others in the vicinity, the stranger revealed his manners to the woman, hoping for a tiny favor. "My name is Krim, but never mind that. If you don''t mind me asking, do you think you remember seeing someone in the city in a dark cloak? I know many people probably wear this stuff, but I''m trying to find someone."


    "Lots of people wear lots of things." It is a silly question. Even dark cloaks are common.


    "Yeah, I know. The person I''m searching for was asking all around the city today, something to do with some secret about magic, or something like that?"


    Without being too obvious, Yuel let herself gulp and breathe deeper... The culprit is clearly her, but why is this stranger searching for her? Is he a secret tower guard meant to silence people with those kinds of questions? No, it couldn''t be. "Secrets of magic?"


    "Yeah, I didn''t quite get it either. A buddy I work with mentioned it to me today. Sounds shady as hell, like he was just pulling my leg."


    You don''t mention something as strange as that if you think someone is pulling your leg. "I''m not sure I could help with that. Why exactly are you searching for her anyway, if you think it''s just a ruse?"


    "Well, I was hoping they meant, secrets in general. Maybe lost spells or something. I have an interest in the origins of Leray magic. It''s something I study in my past time."


    "Wait, you mean like, where magic comes from and all of that? Sorry to tell you, but the schools and others already have that info on blast." Still, what are the chances? This random guy has the same basic interest, though not for the same motivation it seems.


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Oswald ~ Nikke OST</a>


    <hr>


    "Yeah, but something tells me most of that is a load of drake turds. Then again, I go around saying such things only to be called an idiot. Either way, it''s important to understand how magic is generated in the first place. That''s what I keep preaching anyway. Not like it gets me anywhere."


    He sure does ramble on a lot... But maybe this is fate! "Hey, you said your name was Krim? I think I actually stumbled onto something not long ago."


    "Hm?"


    "I don''t know what to make of it anymore. You sound like an expert in magic though, enough to smell the lies when they are sold so cheap."


    "A strange thing to say... But you do have my attention. I am willing to listen, but I must inform you, I am someone who merely wishes to become an expert in understanding magic. I''m not quite there yet. There are still some missing links and all."


    Yuel couldn''t figure out what was compelling her now. This person is the exact type of individual she has been meaning to find. He''s no detective, but Krim is curious enough to chase anything down in the mere pursuit of knowledge... Nyar said to leave it alone, but maybe Krim can pick up where she had left off. "I was the person you were probably told about. I don''t understand what exactly is being kept secret or why; I just know it was something to do with the core."


    "The core?" Krim tilted his torso a bit in confusion.


    "Well, I don''t know if it''s really a core. It''s whatever is inside that room on the top of the tower."


    "You mean, Eldora Tower? How would you know anything about it?"


    "What do you know of it?" Yuel played this one care carefully. If Krim is a tower guard, this could get dangerous in an instant. "I mean, until today, I didn''t even know the tower had a room like that."


    "It is a tight-lip secret. After all, if the identities of the tower mages were ever made public to even one single outsider, it could in theory be used for terrorism. All I know about the vault room in Eldora Tower is that it is the most secure aspect of the super structure itself; though, most people who dare to look into it learn the same basic principle."


    "There are so many theories as to why they would cloak it from view."


    "Cloak?"


    "Well yeah. What you just said makes the most sense, but I''ve realized that they probably have to have the room''s walls fully transparent to allow pure moonlight to flow inwards. However, as you said, they need to keep it a secret. So, they''ve cloaked the room, one-way, so that you cannot see inside from the outside."


    "..."


    Maybe that was too much information to lose. Yuel couldn''t ignore the strange stare Krim was giving her now, one inciting fear into her body. "Sorry, I probably shouldn''t have said that, but I''ve been trying to learn the reason why, all night it seems."


    "So, they have cloaking technology? And they use this technology to hide the entire existence and inner workings of the core? This begs one question. How did you find out?"


    "An accidental spell," she admitted. "It hit the cloaking bubble, just long enough for me to see it."


    "Fascinating." It was too hard to ignore the potential gold mine of information this woman was spewing out. And to think I didn''t have to risk my neck for such info... "Did you manage to understand what was inside of this vault room? What I mean is, was there anything out of the ordinary that stood out from you, besides any particular person?"


    "I..." What is this? The sinking feeling in her stomach is only getting worse. Something isn''t right with the order of questions here. "I don''t know."


    "Ah come on. No need to hold out on me now. It''s not like I''m going to be sharing with the world."


    "But, isn''t it dangerous to share that with anyone? What if it''s not just the identities of the mages at stake?"


    "Young miss, if you''ve already seen the inside of the vault room, then their cloaking tech is clearly not perfect. People will find out anyway, one day."


    "That''s what I''m saying. Maybe it actually is for the best, for them to cloak it anyway." What Nyar mentioned earlier was most interesting. All this time, Yuel has been having so much fun, but if this one secret could undo it all, wouldn''t it be best to let sleeping doom lie? "If anything, I should probably just confess what I''ve seen to the tower guards, and hope that they fix whatever is glitched in their system. If my own spell warped the cloak bubble without anyone being aware of it, surely it could happen with someone else too!"


    Then it''s exactly as Krim thought a second ago... This is perfect! "How exactly do you think that will go? There is a very high chance that the tower guards will make you disappear to keep the same secrets." Yuel gasped before him, indicating that he hit the right note just now. "Yes, they would eventually improve their secrecy and cloaking tech, but they would also need to tie up loose ends too."


    Even though his words were terrifying, Yuel quickly thought of another workaround. "I don''t have to tell them in person." You could simply mail them instead. "Seeing tower guards is usually difficult anyway. If I simply send letters or something, I think the situation would resolve itself quickly."


    "Now, why in the world would you want to close the lid on a massive government conspiracy, instead of exposing it?"


    Hm? "But, I thought you argued it was too dangerous for others to know... You aren''t making any sense. Not only that, but I never mentioned the phrase ''government conspiracy'' to you specifically..." No, something is definitely wrong here. "Answer me! You already knew exactly who I was the moment you approached this area with me in it, didn''t you? You don''t care about the sanctity of Leray magic or its secrets. You''re after something else."


    "..." Welp, guess the cat''s out of the bag. "I really do hate know-it-all little punks."


    "What?" I was right? Who is he then?


    "Guess I should bring this moment to a close anyway then, before I lose what little progress I''ve made here." While Yuel panned around confused by his meaning, Krim continued to charge energy before releasing his spell, using the assistance of a Leray crystal he held hidden. "This isn''t exactly what I planned on stumbling into, but I must secure any victory that I can. I am sorry about this, young wielder. Keeping you alive is far too dangerous for us now."


    By the mere words alone, Yuel reacted on instinct instead of thought, turning around and sprinting as fast as she could. Before she could get far, Krim unleashed his charged spell, sending a strange, nearly invisible energy pulse outwards in all directions, phasing through all matter and material. A secondary pulse followed this, which generated an invisible hexagonal domical shield around the both of them, spanning 100 meters. Only when Yuel ran far enough did the shield reveal itself, emanating with the rejection of force trapping her inside. With the transparency set so high and glow effects so low, in the darkness of the night, Krim and Yuel were out here alone, attracting no attention whatsoever.


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Seymour''s Ambition ~ Final Fantasy X (Remaster)</a>


    <center><iframe title="Seymour''s Ambition" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-JXdwkMhh3Q?loop=1&fs=0&playlist=-JXdwkMhh3Q" width="240" height="120" frameborder="0"></iframe></center>


    <hr>


    "No! No! Let me out of here!" Yuel helplessly pounded on the energy field trapping her, causing it to warp and glow, but any force she applied was returned, showing no signs of weakness. It was only now that Krim''s words were able to be processed deeper. "I can''t believe this! You really are a tower guard." Is he really going to kill her right here, denying her the ability to keep a secret under house arrest? Are the leaders of Sprawn Valley really this evil?


    "I have not lied to you quite yet, though I will admit to misleading anybody I speak to. This is business after all. I have nothing against you personally."


    "Then let me go. I promise I won''t tell anyone! It''s too dangerous anyway, just like you said!" Nyar! Why did I not listen? Why did I trust this lunatic? Yuel kept her back and elbows pressed up against the dense shield around her, her trembling eyes fixated on this unknown.


    "There is too much risk for that. Now that we know which method is used to conceal the core room, and how to pry into the unknown, we cannot alert the same people who run the place, less they restore the vulnerability and lock us out of it."


    "Wait... You''re not, you''re not with Eldora?"


    "Silly girl. The people in charge of this world are twisted and deceitful, but I''ve yet to see a day where they would threaten death upon any human being, seeing as it would require a touch of dark magic, the true nature of the veil they fear too much."


    Some kind of criminal? Maybe he''s trying to be a terrorist of some kind? Yuel didn''t understand it at all. The only clarity here is that Krim is bad news, and whoever he is working for must be interested in the secrets of the core room... And I just gave them the answer they were looking for.


    "So you see, in order to hone this advantage we now have, I must tie up my own loose ends."


    How could I have been so stupid?! Yuel clenched her fists, angry at herself for not having a clearer head. All this time, she could have just kept quiet and things actually would have been bliss! "I shouldn''t have said anything."


    "Now, don''t be all down about it," Krim granted. "I am going to kill you, but you shouldn''t blame yourself for letting this secret loose. Today was a day I was supposed to look for the same vulnerability. I would have ran magical testing to the same area just like you. All you''ve merely done is save us a lot of time and trouble in the process."


    "And I''m supposed to be thankful? Screw this. I''m not going to just stand here and let myself be a victim of dark magic." Yuel put some money to her claim, by expending her own energy into a crystal she revealed only now; an Escape Crystal. It works the same way as teleportation crystals, though its destination is particularly locked to a certain zone. As a noblewoman, Yuel was recommended to have at least one for any council-related emergency.


    However, a few seconds after activating the crystal, Krim stood there smug with his arms crossed, the light from the shard fading to nothing. The teleportation didn''t activate!


    "I''ve combined the shield holding us in with a nullification field. Technically I am running two nullification fields at the same time, but the general purpose prevents people like yourself from teleporting out of here. Short distance matter transference to the outside of the dome shield will fail too. When I know I need to kill someone, I don''t allow any mistakes to be made."


    "And if I scream really loud?!" Yuel was already screaming her own question, hoping anyone would hear her. Before even waiting for any response, she swiftly unleashed an attack spell of her own, a potent Shadow Wave sliding to Krim.


    With no expression or mental reaction, Krim side-stepped the Shadow Wave, dodging with ease by reflex alone. "Our shield blocks out a high amount of noise and light. You could unleash a Mega-Flare inside of here and it wouldn''t draw an eye, unless someone was already close to begin with. I see nobody in sight."


    "If it''s a battle you want, I will grant you that request!" Yuel brought out her sacred weapon, holding Nyar''s Blaze while powering up the device. It would be a lot harder to use without the musical concentration in her mind, but maybe she could bring her headspace under control before long.


    "No," he denied, "you won''t." Before allowing Yuel to fight back honorably, he began unleashing more charged energy, this discharge taking longer to manifest, though it was a scary sight for Yuel to behold.


    Krim''s eyes began glowing blood red in hue, while strange swirling mists of light and wind congregated around his fist, transferring over to Yuel''s physical location. Bracing herself for the unknown, Yuel quickly found herself trapped and surrounded in yet another energy dome. This new energy dome was only twice her own physical body size, barely allowing her any room for movement, and the texture of the entire energy field retained a cloudy, dark red mist of appearance. As Yuel tried to move and escape from this entrapment, she proved it impossible to break free. The shield trapping her inside absorbed various attack spells she hurled at it, tough it did not block out noise between herself and Krim.


    It''s a rare dark magic spell, one he had to learn on his own, the inventor an enigma. Using this dark magic, Krim can trap people inside of these tiny red energy fields, link the signature to his own personal aura (extending the duration), and even control the flow of particles and ions in and out of the shield, down to the molecular level. "You don''t actually expect me to fight you fairly now, do you?"


    Pounding away at the shield in disgust, Yuel tried to talk this out more, buying as much time as she could, hoping that anybody nearby might see this setup and know something is wrong here! "You idiot! Even if you kill me here and now, people are going to find out what happened and track you down. You have any idea how many Leray agents are in Sprawn Valley?"


    Playing her little game of speech, Krim indulged in the revelry, knowing he had quite a long time to burn. "The number is quite high, I will admit. Danton and his band of idiots actually believes that sheer numbers can overturn our day of reckoning. They could not be more wrong. A Leray Agent is highly trained to tackle criminals, even people who use dark magic, but with what we have planned, an army of millions would be as meaningless as a single pawn of a chess piece." With additional magical expenditure, Krim tightly shut his right fist, causing the energy field around Yuel to glow a bit brighter, intensifying its internal gravity, which already pushed down on Yuel, affecting her stamina.


    "Why would you even want to do something like this? Leray magic has done nothing but give everybody better lives!"


    "Do not anger me with you insolence! I can make this experience more painful than it already is. Leray magic is nothing but a filtered version of something else. Dark magic is the natural state of the world and its people, yet those in charge want to twist it and pretend like it''s all safe, sugar and rainbows."


    "You can''t understand what you are talking about. Dark magic kills anything it touches, defying the very purpose of our veil!"


    "The Sentinels of the Avion Wars didn''t want your magic then, and we don''t want your magic now. Honestly, I''m not impressed with dark magic either. I have no interest in ruling the world or fighting people to the death."


    "Then what do you explain by all of this?" Yuel kept it going, though her interest in Krim''s plight only grew ever stronger, hoping to understand why.


    "If the entire Leray veil were to be turned into a dark magic veil instead, it would only lead to chaos and ruin. Magic would probably never be tested ever again, at least not to this level. That is exactly what I''m hoping to achieve. I want to erase all magic from this rotten world, but I''m not beneath using it to achieve my end goals. The Scarlets want to find out what makes Eldora Tower tick and shift the veil''s energy signature to that of dark magic. Even though I''m sure it won''t last forever, that is precisely the reason why I''m going to help them achieve it!"


    "And you wish to kill me for a few days of silence? Do you know that I have family abroad? How are you going to live with yourself if you deprive life from my loved ones as well, when they aren''t even involved in magic? You are sick, whoever you really are."


    "Maybe I am sick. As many times as I''ve seen Leray magic enhance lives, I''ve also seen just as many lives ruined or twisted by the delusions we all tell ourselves when given too much power. I''m through waiting around to find out what more sick twisted experiments will one day come from the acceleration of magical energy..." How long as it been now? The dark energy field should be ready. "Enough stalling. The tower mages must not know what has transpired today, and they will not understand the circumstances of your death."


    "How can you be so sure? The only way to kill people in Sprawn Valley is by using dark magic. They''ll know exactly what happened to me."


    "Don''t be so sure," he smiled with creepy promise. Krim tightened his grasp once more, activating the final phase of the red energy dome. As it activated, the texture phase of the shield solidified, revealing the tiniest little hexagons at every ending of the shield. Yuel had some time to react to the unknown, and looked around wondering what she would be in for next.


    What she didn''t expect was Krim''s ability to manipulate the membrane properties of this dangerous energy shield. After a few seconds of nothing, Yuel coughed some more, finding her very next breath lacking more than her previous one did. Her coughing quickly intensified, her breathing more shallow and careful.


    "If I were to rip your body to pieces or fry your brain with destructive energy, it would prove that your murder has a clear motive. Even if I haul your body away from here, I am ill equipped to clean up any evidence of foul play. So... I''ll suffocate you where you stand."


    Oh crap! Yuel desperately tried to speed up her thoughts, desperate to come up with any fancy idea out of this mess, but she was too preoccupied trying to get air into her lungs, sinking to her knees and going lower to suck up what little still remained near the grassy floor. "I can''t... I can''t breathe!" Her voice was inert, every exhale without sound.


    "That shield I have you trapped in can block oxygen and nitrogen particles at my own will. Asphyxiation following a loss of consciousness, and later life, will be the cause of your death. It can happen naturally, often from a brain aneurism. Those idiots will medically conclude that the clot must have broken up after it was already too late. The Leray veil doesn''t really protect people from all that much harm, when you factor in health issues."


    Yuel was already clawing at her neck as her vision turned dark and her coordination was lost. No matter what she tried to do, she just couldn''t breathe! All of the air in her cage was nearly depleted by now, and Krim was standing in wait, watching her die!


    "The despair this will bring to your family is unfortunate, but I have bigger fish to fry, and I am forbidden to allow you to live, given what I know about this situation. Don''t worry though. I will make good on my promise and destroy the Leray veil, when the timing is right, when the League of Elites least suspect it, even should it take years."


    Just before Yuel was about to lose consciousness, she stored in one last breath, and tightened her nerves. You expect me to just sit here and let myself be killed? No, Krim. I am not as weak as you think I am! I''m not going to let this be my final moment! Despite having her powers weakened, Yuel''s body started to light up with Leray energy, powering her aura and her magical staff in hand. She could barely stand with her wobbling legs, though her pulsing eyes were locked-on to the Scarlet criminal before her. Yuel pressed several of her musical note keys on the staff, unleashing a barrage of beam attacks against the shield. Even though they never broke through, the sudden strain Krim was forced to endure from it was measurable even at a distance.


    "Ugh! You''re stronger than I gave you credit for... Most people would have fainted long ago. You can struggle all you like, but the body cannot live without air for long. Nevertheless..." There was something incredible and inspiring by this girl''s strength and will to keep fighting, something rarely seen in most people. It deserves some kind of reward. "I will examine your belongings when you die, to ensure some part your memory lives on. If people around here know you, it will be my own payment to give them accuracy in how you lived before this tragic night."


    Yuel ignored his worlds, blasting magic against the shield again and again... But with a few more passing seconds, it was the most she could accomplish. The doubled vision and faintness quickly caught back up and intensified, forcing Yuel to succumb to what all natural humans undergo when starved of oxygen.


    Having used this method many times before, Krim kept the energy field alive for a few more minutes, ensuring Yuel would cease all functioning. It wasn''t until the energy scope of death made its appearance did he have his confirmation that it was truly over.


    "Yuel Biion. So that is your name. If your performance in life was of any real value, the people here will remember you by that name for as long as they may live. Our work here is now done." Krim knew there was a bit more to it. With this name alone, he would need to locate Yuel''s nearby dwelling and search it for any lingering evidence of recent activity. She could have recorded her findings after all, so there is still work that must be done. "May your soul rest in peace, knowing you still tried your very best. Farewell, Yuel Biion."