ã€ŠEntangled Superpositionã€‹


 001 - Breakthrough

    Daniel Eldegard was running through the forest as he did his best to keep up with his father. This was their daily training routine every morning, and today was going to be a special one apparently.

    He wasn''t really quite sure about how today would be a special one, considering they weren''t even going to go and hunt any high-class monsters, he''d already fought a lot of low-class monsters before (D Rank and below)... although that wasn''t exactly always him, rather, it was usually as her.

    Yeah, he was¡­ or rather they were the same person, but having different experiences simultaneously? Actually, it''s probably more accurate to say that he and she had a mental link to each other. It was similar to telepathy, but it also transcended that in and of itself.

    They didn''t simply have each other''s thoughts being connected, they also had their experiences connected. Like, if he were to get hurt, she would feel it, and vice versa. Anything that she learned, he learned too¡­ it was almost as if they had one mind, but that wasn''t exactly the case since they could still distinguish/differentiate themselves¡­ somewhat.

    Speaking of which, the other person he was connected to, Fiora, was currently reading a book at her house. She was apparently studying more advanced magic in order to reach another breakthrough in her training. It was interesting how far she was in already, already being at the Advanced Wizard stage at her young age of twelve when most people generally reached that stage only in their twenties or not at all. Well, he was also twelve years old and pretty much was in the same stage of magic as her due to the weird connection they have, but it''s not like anybody knew about that.

    No, of course not, Daniel was raised to become an Assassin after all, while Fiora was raised to become a Sage. Neither of their families knew just how proficient they were at being both. But, such is the oddity of their connection.

    It didn''t start out like this, it was just that¡­ one day, when they were three years old, they both fell into a river in the Holy Lands. After that, they just found themselves having a connection with each other as though they were the same person.

    They both still had their own personalities and thoughts¡­ but if they were to be honest, at this point the only way they could differentiate each other were their names and gender. They were pretty much the same other than that.

    "Get ready, Daniel, we''re almost there." he heard his father, Xavier Eldegard, remind him, running through the forest even faster as they got closer to their destination.

    Daniel continued to follow behind, going just fast enough to keep up with his father. He could tell that his father was holding back a bit for his sake, but really, there was no need for it¡­ since he could closely match his father''s peak speed already. Although he does have to cheat a bit by using magic, but it was only used when necessary. Otherwise, like right now, he was simply pushing his body as best as he can.

    At the very least, he wasn''t really bothered by continuously running at this speed, his stamina might just take a hit if he kept it up for too long though. Maybe two hours before he had to take a break or use magic. If he continuously used magic however¡­ well, he could go on for as long as he wanted, but that wasn''t really recommended, if what Fiora knew said anything.

    Continuous use of your mana on the same spell, even though it should theoretically be possible given enough time in between, could have some very bad effects.

    They hadn''t had any of these effects yet in their time testing it, but it was better to keep safe than not. He''d been taught that by his mother enough¡­ wait no, that was Fiora''s memories not his, damn it. It gets really confusing sometimes.

    ''Speaking of that¡­ maybe I should call my parents mama and papa instead?'' Fiora'' thoughts came to him, and he thought of that, it would certainly make things easier¡­

    ''Yeah. Though, we always seem to fail at that, so I''m not sure just how effective that would be this time¡­'' Daniel thought to himself, or rather, to themselves, and Fiora chuckled at that.

    ''Oh well. Just remember, my mother''s hair is pink while yours is blonde, my father has blue hair while yours has black hair. There, it''s simple, isn''t it?''

    ''And yet I still get confused.''

    ''I''ll just correct you then.''

    ''... guess that works.''

    This was how their thoughts usually went. It was mostly idle banter, at the very least, it''s nice to have some company while he was doing idle things. It was definitely confusing and scary at first, but¡­ eventually they got used to it, and ever since then, they''ve been living their lives like this.

    As weird as it was to basically live two lives all at once¡­ at the very least he had control of his own body as Daniel, while she had control of her own body as Fiora. Their minds were just connected somehow.

    ''You''re confusing yourself again.''

    ''Ah¡­ thanks for reminding me.''

    ''Of course, what kind of partner would I be if I didn''t at least help you?''

    ''Shouldn''t you focus on reading your book?''

    ''Try being cooped up inside your own home for years. It gets really boring.''

    ''... True, I definitely understand. Well, that''s mostly considering how I also experience what you''re experiencing.''

    ''Exactly! That''s why it''s always fun for me to experience what you''re experiencing. I want to go outside too¡­''

    ''Don''t worry Fiora, you''ll get there¡­''

    Right, he forgot about that. She tended to get down as she thinks about the experiences he''s having outside. Still, he did his best to keep her happy, mostly by taking into consideration the ideas and theories she had on what he was doing.

    Usually, it involved him experimenting with magic. Ah well, at least it was fun for them. He liked how happy she would get as he did that too.

    ''Aww, I''m happy you feel that way for me Daniel! Ooh, tell you what, we should totally get engaged to each other. It would be fun!'' Fiora suggested, seemingly excited, Daniel just smiled,

    ''Certainly. But¡­ it would also be incredibly weird. Also, that''s still far away, you can''t get too excited.'' Daniel thought, though he couldn''t help but like the idea.

    ''You can''t hide your true emotions from me, Daniel, you''re me!''

    ''And I''m you¡­ even though it''s not exactly that way.'' he thought, frowning as they finally arrived at their training area for today, ''Well¡­ I guess we''re here.''

    ''This looks different. Really open area though¡­ I have a feeling this will be interesting.''

    Indeed. Daniel stopped just at the entrance of the fairly large clearing in the forest, his father stopping just a few paces ahead of him.

    As soon as Xavier stopped, Daniel felt something heading towards him. Multiple somethings, rather. Jumping up, he did a backflip, dodging the three sharp blades coming towards him from different directions and grabbing them with his gloved hand.

    As he landed back on where he was standing, he carefully inspected the blades. Three knives, all coated in poison, making him raise his brows. Upon closer look, he saw three symbols written to it¡ªnumbers, something that Fiora recognized.

    ''33, 47, 19? A puzzle?'' Fiora''s voice came into his mind and he frowned,

    ''Maybe¡­ must be a code.''

    ''Why do you always get the fun stuff?! This is unfair¡­''

    ''Go ask your mother to give you more interesting things to do. I have to focus on this right now.''

    ''Fine¡­ also, watch the floor, something''s moving to attack you.''

    ''Thanks.'' he thought, although he''d already noticed it. Storing the knives in his spatial bag he looked forward to his father and dashed towards him, pulling out a dagger from his sleeves. ''A special day huh? Come to think of it, I''ve just recently turned twelve years old, I remember dad telling me about something related to this before¡­''

    ''Was it the story about how he officially became an assassin when he turned twelve?'' Fiora''s voice interrupted again, but he didn''t mind it too much, considering how this was pretty normal for them.

    ''Oh. Guess this is a test.''

    ''Right. Happy birthday, Daniel.'' she said to him cheerfully,

    ''Yeah, thanks.'' he said sarcastically, mentally rolling his eyes at her, pretty much knowing she''d have been sticking her tongue out at him while she''d said those words lately. ''You too.''

    Xavier noticed him approaching and immediately stepped to the side, dodging his dagger as he was forced to cancel his surprise attack. "You noticed that?" his father said, eyes wide.

    Daniel landed where Xavier had just been and turned to his father with a smile, "I learned from the best."

    Xavier laughed, pushing up his glasses, "Well then. Let''s see what you''ve learned." and then the knives started appearing. A dozen of knives headed towards Daniel, something that he was able to easily dodge and parry with his dagger. Dashing towards Xavier, he took care to dodge every attack that went his way, usually coming in the form of a number of knives and daggers, but for the most part, it was rather straightforward.

    He managed to get in Xavier''s range when his father suddenly threw up a kick towards him, but he expected that, so he simply used it as a leverage to get closer to him, barely managing to scratch at his face with his dagger before he disappeared. When he did disappear, Daniel used his own skill too, disappearing into the shadows of one of the trees as well.

    Right, as part of the Eldegard Noble family, he learned a lot of useful skills related to stealth and assassination. It was interesting, considering how these were all similar to magic, but not really, considering how they didn''t actually use up any mana compared to what Fiora generally did or made him do.

    When he landed on the ground once again, he was a few meters across his father once more.

    This time, his father looked quite surprised, more so than lately. "Daniel¡­ you''ve grown a lot, huh?" Xavier muttered, touching the small scratch on his face with a smile, "Well then¡­ show me everything you''ve got, my son."

    Daniel just nodded with a smile, disappearing into the shadows once more with shadow step and appearing behind his father, pulling out another dagger in his other hand this time. Sharp knives came at him again¡ª''This time there are seven.''¡ªbut this time he simply zipped his way past them, dodging to the side whenever he needed before he got through them all and jumped towards his father, increasing his speed again¡ª

    But this time he was blocked. His father had a dagger in his hands and was blocking him. Before his father could make a counterattack, he disappeared behind his father, but the man expected this and kicked him away, forcing him to block as he got thrown back, making him have to disappear into the shadows again.

    Still, even though shadow step didn''t use up mana if at all, it still did use up his stamina and left him more and more fatigued. It wasn''t something he couldn''t solve with magic¡ªbut then again, he was Daniel, he wasn''t supposed to know magic too much.

    It was annoying, because there were a lot of cool things that could open up for him if he were able to use his magic, but¡­ well, he was an assassin not a wizard/sage.

    As he landed on the ground again, he took a moment to regain his bearings. His father still didn''t move much, only moving to specific places in the clearing.

    Daniel frowned at that and turned to look at the ground, wondering if he could see anything that looked out of place. Nothing seemed to be out of place until he looked at it through Fiora''s Sage Eyes.

    ''What the¡­ a ritual circle?'' Fiora''s voice came into his head again, and she seemed to still be absently reading books in her family''s library. ''The numbers. They must mean something.''

    Nodding to himself slightly, Daniel observed the ground again, turning to follow the ritual circle.

    He noticed that his father, Xavier, was standing on one that was shaped like a diamond.

    Noticing this, his father looked at him with a frown, "Is there something wrong, Daniel?"

    Daniel blinked and shook his head at his father, "No¡­ I just need to check something." as he said this, he jumped up to stand on the top of one of the trees by the clearing.

    ''... wow. So that''s where your family got the emblem.''

    ''Seems like it.'' Daniel replied, taking a good look at the large circle. From above, it seemed to form an almost cracked diamond, almost like a snowflake, but with these dark lines going out of it¡­ ''There are seven different diamonds within the circle to stand on. My father has stood on three of them so far¡­''

    ''Right. 33, 47, and 19¡­ There are 47 noble families under the Levaria Kingdom, 33 of which are part of the Royal Army, 19 of which¡­''

    ''No, not 19.'' Daniel corrected, his mind quickly coming up with an answer to the cryptic puzzle. ''It would be 7, 12 knives were thrown at me, none of which were poisoned. Reduce 12 from 19 and you get 7.''

    ''But what about the 7 knives thrown afterward?''

    ''That''s how many Noble family lines are extinct.'' Daniel remembered, ''The other 7, are honorary Nobles, not part of the Royal Army¡­''

    ''Right. The capital council¡­'' Fiora muttered, and he jumped back down to the ground, moving towards one of the diamonds in the circle.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    The one with two parallel lines, slightly cutting off the middle of the diamond.

    Before he could step into it, however, Fiora'' thoughts stopped him,

    ''Wait. There''s something wrong.''

    ''What?'' Daniel furrowed his brows, stopping just before the diamond and frowning. His father seemed to be staring intently at him, ''My father had stepped into the diamonds with the earth, wind, and dark symbol. The diamonds represent all the seven different affinities of power: earth, wind, water, fire, metal, light and dark¡­ That means, considering that the 7 honorary noble families only collectively possess three of these seven affinities, then I simply have to stand on the one which they don''t possess. Right?''

    ''Yes¡­ if that was what we were actually looking for.'' Fiora started, and he started to recall what they''d learned. ''Look, in the Levaria Kingdom, there are 47 Noble families right? Then there are 33 of which part of the Royal Army, from that, there are only 14 not part of the royal army¡­ You see where I''m going with this?''

    He did, because he could pretty much see her actual thoughts as though it were his own already. ''You''re a genius, Fiora.'' Daniel barely managed to contain his laughter at this point.

    ''I am, aren''t I?'' Fiora actually laughed, something that he could feel though they were far from each other. ''The 19 was simply a red herring¡ªor, no, rather, it was still important, but it only really said how many different lands were owned by all the Nobles combined throughout the Kingdom. Removing 12 from 14 gives us 2, and considering how there are 7 affinities and your father stepped on three, you then remove that from seven and then remove two from that again and finally you have two affinities¡­ Easy.''

    ''For you.'' Daniel thought with a smile, ''First comes earth, then comes the wind, the darkness covers the land, but the light gives it hope, fire gave way to creativity, and water gave it life. What is left from that is metal. So why two?''

    ''Look at what your father is standing on right now.''

    He did so and saw that his father was standing on one with the dark affinity, being represented by a chaotic mess of lines.

    ''The two affinities that tirelessly conflict with each other¡­ yet harmoniously coexist despite it all.'' Daniel remembered that poetic line that Fiora had once read in her books. It was one of the many things that stuck to him. ''If my father is the darkness¡­ then I am the light.''

    ''You always get the fun stuff, Daniel.''

    ''Just be patient Fiora. You''ll have your fun too.''

    ''... if you say so.''

    With that, Daniel stepped into a different diamond, one with a cross on it.

    His father let out a breath, staring in disbelief "... You figured it out."

    Daniel simply smiled at his father, not really knowing what to say at the disbelieving look on Xavier''s face.

    Honestly, it was all thanks to Fiora that he''d even figured this out.

    He''d have never gotten the right answer otherwise.

    As if to respond to that, the ritual circle activated.

    <hr>

    Fiora Indentia was not an ordinary girl, far from it really. Ignoring the connection she had with Daniel Eldegard, her destiny and expectations were simply something that many could only dream of achieving¡­ but for her, that was simply something necessary for her to achieve. For she wouldn''t be worthy of the name Indentia if she couldn''t even fulfill that simple task.

    It was quite pressuring, but it wasn''t much for her, she mused about how it was similar to what Daniel had to go through, and he simply agreed on it, but whereas Daniel was expected to become an Assassin¡­

    Fiora was expected to become a Sage. Something not even many could dare to hope of achieving.

    Still, she wasn''t worried in the slightest, after all, she was the daughter of Sylvia Indentia, one of the greatest Sages to have ever lived. It was simply a matter of when she''ll become a Sage.

    So far, she was rather close already, with the studies she was doing and the experiments that Daniel was helping her with, it would only be a matter of time before she could finally breakthrough into the Sage level. She was only a few steps away now after all¡­ she just needed a bit more time and research.

    Speaking of which, it wasn''t really that she wasn''t allowed to go out of the Indentia Manor, she just found that it would be much more bothersome to go out considering the amount of people that would be watching her as she trains. At the very least Daniel didn''t have many people who were watching him other than his father, but, unlike her, he can disappear from his parents'' line of sight and be fine to do his own solitary training.

    It made it much more convenient for her because she could still have her research books on hand while he put it into practice wherever he was¡ªusually in the Silver Forest near the Eldegard territory¡ªother than that, she just felt like explaining how she knew all the Assassin skills would be way too complicated and bothersome, so she decided that having Daniel do it for her was better.

    Much to his dismay, but she knew that she was having fun, he can''t hide that from her after all. Still, she had to go out of the Manor sooner than later so that her family could actually see her magic in action¡­

    She did practice her magic in the garden and the courtyard every now and then, but that was mostly for the basics and not really for new spells because she knew just how destructive some of those can be.

    The experiences on Daniel''s side certainly helped to reinforce that.

    Speaking of which, they were quite sure that his family already knew about his magic, but it doesn''t seem like his father hasn''t said anything yet so¡­ maybe they just didn''t care all too much.

    Daniel was rather spoiled after all.

    ''Hey, as if you''re not.'' Daniel retorted, making her roll her eyes,

    ''Yeah sure, look at how many maids you have under you specifically.''

    ''How many knights do you have watching over you at all times then? Not to mention your maid who very much caters to every single thing you ask for.''

    ''That''s because I''m reasonable. Don''t forget your own special butler who does pretty much everything you ask of him.''

    ''Yeah well¡­ There''s going to be no end to this. Shouldn''t you be going to your mother right now? She seemed quite interested in where your abilities are at right now.''

    ''Hmm¡­ fair enough. Aren''t you in a ritual right now? Go focus on getting the affinity you need.''

    ''Yeah sure¡­ well, not like I need to, considering how I possess all of them thanks to you.''

    ''Details, details. Now shoo, I''m going to focus on my own world right now.'' she said to him, though in reality, it''s not like their connection would ever be cut with just that. Even now, she was subconsciously aware of what''s happening on Daniel''s side.

    It was a weird experience she couldn''t quite explain, neither could he, but it was interesting nonetheless.

    Fiora closed the book she was reading and stood up, placing it back where she''d taken it from.

    As she walked out of the Indentia Family Library, she snapped her fingers and in a flash of light, Dahlia appeared. Her personal attendant/maid. "Dahlia, please arrange a meeting with my mother this noon at 12PM. Inform her that I wish to show my progress so far."

    Dahlia, dressed in her unique yellow maid uniform, bowed to her, "As you wish, Lady Fiora."

    Fiora nodded, "Thank you." then her maid disappeared into a flash of light again.

    Letting out a small breath, she started to walk towards the courtyard of their manor.

    Well, she called it a Manor, but in reality, it was more of a castle. Just not quite as big as the one the Royal Family of Levaria, though it was still respectable in that aspect.

    Then again, the five main Dukedoms had castles, the Eldegard and Indentia were just two of them. The other three, Valeria, Zonavium, and Caelixiz had their own special castles in their respective territories.

    But, she was getting sidetracked. Right now, she wanted to try out something simple she''d been thinking of for a while now.

    ''You sure you want to do that in the castle?''

    ''My mother and¡­ well, my brother has done far worse here.''

    ''Hmm¡­ fair enough.''

    Daniel briefly checked in on her, making her wonder just how long their ritual was going to be taking. At the moment, it seemed as though his father was reciting the typical speech you''d have for an oath-taking ceremony. It was interesting, certainly, but she had more pressing matters at hand right now.

    Like trying to properly warp the fabric of reality with her magic for instance.

    She arrived at the courtyard and nodded to the guards and some maids who were in the area. They quickly made space for her and she stepped into the middle of the large front yard. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and slowly opened her arms outwards, forming a semicircle with her arms as she let the current of mana within her flow outwards into the pattern that she needed.

    Attempting to mess with nature was tricky enough, it only got more complicated as they moved up into attempting to control the fabric of reality itself.

    But then again, as a Sage, this was but a small step in the path to attaining full control over reality itself.

    Her mother was a Master Sage, and the implications that came from that were deep. But the ability that came with such a heavy title¡­ it was near-endless.

    As far as she knew, her mother had been at the young age of fourteen when she had first been able to manipulate space and time to a degree, and only in her sixteenth birthday did she manage to attain full control over it.

    Well, for Fiora¡­ it was different. She already technically had the ability to manipulate time and space already at some point before¡­ but only now was she really putting it to the test herself.

    Daniel was kind enough to test the magic before she did it herself, preventing many, many, potential disasters from ever coming to light in the castle.

    Now¡­ she just had to do it herself.

    Steadying her rapidly beating heart¡ªsomething out of anticipation, excitement, and dread¡ªshe carefully directed the mana from her core out onto her hands¡ªspecifically her fingertips. Spellcasting with a wand was already fairly tricky, even more so without one. But that was simply the path she chose to walk.

    And so far, it was rewarding her well.

    Keeping herself calm and focused, she absent-mindedly felt the flow of aura coming into her, seemingly forging with her core. It was from Daniel, she could tell, but she couldn''t really focus on that right now, instead, she had to carefully manage the mana she was actively controlling so that it wouldn''t suddenly cause a huge accident.

    Playing with the laws of nature was a tricky ordeal, after all.

    As she finally materialized the specific threads of mana she wanted to use on her fingertips (mixing different amounts of certain affinity''s essence into it), she opened her eyes.

    Fiora smiled, she was close.

    Watching her hands in front of her as she carefully made small gestures with her fingers, moving her arm around and allowing mana to flow in and out every now and then as she formed the shape of the specific magic/spell she wanted to make.

    In this case, it was a simple (well, in her terms) rift that connected two separate places within the world, connected to the mana she was using.

    Each place had a unique pattern to it, a signature, as she liked to think of. Understanding how the patterns worked and somehow reverse-engineering that so that she could make a dimensional rift was the most difficult part.

    But, it wasn''t something that she couldn''t do. And, rather quickly, she''d found an interesting, if unconventional pattern to it all.

    An¡­ algorithm, as she liked to think of it. The steps were rather simple, and most of it was done by simply finding the signature of the mana present around the area that she wanted to connect with a rift.

    Most of which, she hardly needed to think of at this point, having made a simple spell to allow her to calculate it (That one took her months even with Daniel''s help. As far as she knew, he''d nearly gotten in trouble for it too, but somehow he was able to get out of it.). Now¡­ she just had to make sure that she did this right.

    Slowly but surely, she figured out the pattern, attaching the signature to the space she was making a rift on. The amount of mana used here would have been a bit of a problem before, but now, with her increased mana pool and efficiency, it hardly winded her as long as she didn''t make anything ridiculous. At least, in theory, most of that practical application was done by Daniel. She just had to use what he learned and put it into action.

    Thankfully, pulling from each other''s memories and experiences were second nature to them already, and this wasn''t even something that made her worry about all that much.

    Pinching her fingers together, she pulled them apart as though she was ripping something apart in the air, making a small rift in space appear¡­ Momentarily, there was a small mistake, the difference in the environments she was connecting to and the one she was in right now was causing a small conflict with the balance of everything, but after a slight shift in the amount of air and earth mana, it disappeared.

    As she let go of the small rift she''d made, she watched as it stayed there, unmoving and static.

    A window into the river just ahead of the castle¡­ that was what she made.

    Fiora couldn''t quite believe it at first, but, as the realization came to her, she smiled.

    ''You/I did it.'' she and Daniel thought at the same time.

    Suppressing her excitement from showing past an excited smile, she placed her hands over the rift and closed upon it, as though crushing it with her hands.

    When she opened them, it disappeared, and she couldn''t help but grin and just shake in place before finally exploding into laughter as she jumped and pumped her fist into the air.

    "Yes! I did it!" Fiora couldn''t care at this point. She finally did it.

    She managed to do something not even her mother could have done¡ªnow it wasn''t all on her own, though, Daniel gets most of the credit for the sacrifices he''d made¡ªbut it was still something incredibly significant for her.

    "Yes! Hahaha, I''m finally a Sage!" she exclaimed, unable to hide her excitement any longer as she jumped around in the courtyard.

    ''Congratulations! I''m happy for you, Fiora.''

    ''Yes! Thank you so much! I would hug you so hard right now if you were here!''

    ''Hahaha, glad I''m not there right now then. Oh yeah, I''m an assassin now.''

    ''That''s great! Congratulations Daniel!''

    ''Yeah¡­ thanks to you as well.''

    Thoughts such as these were passed through each other, and Fiora realized that Daniel had finally finished the ritual with his father and was simply meditating in the woods as he seemed to focus on her experiences right now.

    After a moment of celebration, Fiora calmed down and took a deep breath, quickly nodding to herself and standing straight again. Quickly straightening her clothes with wind magic as she exhaled.

    That was done¡­ now for the real test.

    Cutting off the mana from her right arm, she narrowed her eyes this time, focusing on allowing the flow of mana to her left arm be much stronger and purer.

    There was a certain interesting thing she''d learned about working with the different types/affinities of mana before, and much of that was on the purity/concentration of it. As you increase the potency of it, the stronger it gets, yet at the same time, it''s also much more difficult to control.

    It''s the same as handling a small spoon in comparison to a shovel. They both do the same thing, really, but at different scales. And as the scale gets higher, so does the difficulty in using it.

    This is why, even as a simple Mage, one had to raise their proficiency in mana control if they wanted to become stronger. Because one can''t just suddenly jump from a gust of wind to a tornado and expect themselves to be able to handle it properly by then.

    But, now Fiora was sure, with her abilities having reached that of a Sage, she could handle that easily.

    Now the question was how well could she handle creating this large rift.

    ''If it''s you, it shouldn''t be much of a problem.''

    ''Doesn''t mean I can just take it for granted. A lot of things could still go wrong.''

    ''Fair enough¡­''

    Resolving herself, she pointed her left hand down¡­ before flicking it upwards and forming a large portal that was just about her height.

    This time, she could see the Naturae River more clearly. When she managed to hold it up for a few seconds without it taxing her all that much, she smiled and exhaled a sigh of relief.

    Closing her hand, the portal disappeared.

    She didn''t want to go through it yet because she''d have rather do it with her mother there, just to see her face¡ªbut when she turned around, she saw someone unexpected who was looking at her with an amused smile.

    Well, not really unexpected, more¡­ surprising.

    "Well then. I''m surprised you''re finally able to use reality warping spells, Fiora. As expected of my daughter¡­ still, to have broken my record so much without even informing me? You''re quite bold."

    Fiora smiled, "Well, I was planning to show it to you later, mother."

    Sylvia Indentia, the highest ranked Sage, Master Sage, in the kingdom of Levaria. Her vibrant pink hair was tied up in a ponytail, similar to that of Fiora''s own red hair, then her bright red eyes watching her carefully, in an almost appraising manner.

    Sylvia sighed and shook her head, albeit with a small smile on her lips, "You truly love surprising people, don''t you?"

    "Perhaps I do." Although Fiora said that, the truth of the matter was that it was simply a habit she''d picked up from Daniel. He was being trained to be an assassin and that meant that his main goal was to surprise people¡­ that just simply transferred over to her somewhat, similar to how her knowledge in magic had transferred to him as well.

    "Well¡­" Sylvia let out a long breath, closing her eyes for a moment before nodding. "Right then, since I''m already quite sure that you wanted me to allow you more freedom out of the castle then I''ll simply grant it to you now, you''ve reached that level where not even an army of novice knights would be able to deal with you."

    Fiora blinked at that, "Huh? O-Oh¡­ but, I hadn''t really shown it to you yet¡­"

    "No, you have." Sylvia chuckled, "The quality and quantity of the mana within you¡­ simply put, it is absurd for your age. But considering my blood¡­ it''s not really hard to see it happening, surprising as it may be." she then walked up to her and put a hand on the top of her head, "I''m proud of you. I can''t imagine the amount of training it must have took you to get to this point¡­ and, honestly, I was starting to get worried about how much less you''d been going outside of the castle. To think you''d been practicing and researching for so long¡­ Well, it''d be rather idiotic of me not to acknowledge it."

    Fiora closed her eyes and smiled, "Thank you, mother¡­"

    Suddenly, her mother pulled her into a hug, and she reciprocated it as well.

    ''Warm¡­ surprising considering her specialty, no?''

    ''She has a big heart. It''s likely why my father had fallen in love with her so.''

    ''Likely so¡­''

    Idle thoughts passed between her and Daniel, though she mostly enjoyed her mother''s warm embrace.

    After a while, they separated. They both laughed after a while.

    "Oh my sweet Fiora¡­" Sylvia ran her hand through Fiora''s hair, "You''ve grown quite a lot. You''ve even surpassed my own achievements already. But¡­ do remember, magic isn''t everything. If there''s anything else that you''d wish to do your father and I will support you all the way, okay?"

    Hearing this, Fiora smiled, grabbing Sylvia''s other hand with her own hands. "Of course, mother. To be honest¡­ there is something I''ve been meaning to ask for a while."

    At this, Sylvia blinked before nodding, "Then let''s hear it."

    Taking a deep breath, Fiora closed her eyes in thought.

    ''Daniel¡­ you''re sure of this, right?''

    ''Yes. Don''t you want to meet more people?''

    ''I know, but¡­ with my abilities¡­''

    ''You''re not alone, remember?'' Daniel simply said to her, making her pause.

    After hearing that, how could she not? ''Alright. You better not break this promise.''

    ''When¡ªno, how can I even lie to you?''

    That''s fair enough.

    Opening her eyes, she decided¡­

    "Mother, I want to go into the Levarian Royal Academy." Fiora said with a determined look.

 002 - Reunion (1)

    Though Fiora had told her mother that, it didn''t mean that she was going to go there immediately.

    Noble children of their stature and, frankly, strength were only to be admitted at the age of 15, mostly so that the younger ones who are qualified for enrollment can be trained up adequately to be able to compete with the other children who have their advantages.

    Though, even if Fiora and Daniel were to be enrolled alongside the other 15 year old Nobles, they would still far outclass them in practically everything. That was simply how important their family lineage was in determining their strength.

    Right, they were currently 13 years old, they still had 2 years before they would actually go onto the Royal Academy. They weren''t going to stop trying to improve their skills, but rather, they were going to take their time to relax and sightsee for now.

    Which mostly meant that they were going to be attending a whole lot more social gatherings now.

    ''This is suffocating¡­'' Daniel''s voice filled her mind as he thought to himself,

    ''Yeah, tell me about it.'' Fiora thought sarcastically, somehow managing to keep up her smile as she courteously greeted the numerous nobles that greeted her and her mother. ''I''m wondering if heading to the Academy would be a good thing if this is going to be what I''ll be dealing with every few days¡­''

    ''I''m pretty sure it won''t be like this.''

    ''We can only hope for that.''

    ''... yeah¡­''

    "Ah, Lady Sylvia of the Magic Tower! It is good to see you." Fiora turned and saw a man with a rather large belly, Nolan Cornelius, a merchant who dealt with many different businesses pertaining to magic in the Verizio continent. "And Ms. Fiora as well. You''ve grown into a rather beautiful young lady as well, haha! Have you found a boy of your fancy yet?"

    Fiora smiled easily, "I certainly have a few in mind."

    ''A few¡­ I think that''s an understatement, isn''t it?'' Daniel''s thoughts interjected a bit,

    ''You mean an exaggeration? Indeed.''

    ''You flatter me, dear Fiora.'' he chuckled, ''Still, I doubt it would be as simple as you''d think.''

    ''Hm¡­ It''s not bad to have some hope from time to time. I''ll rather be ambitious than not. Your hand will be mine."

    ''The boy is supposedly the one to say that, you know? Whatever. I''ll continue speaking with the nobles approaching me.'' Like he''d said, he was currently speaking with a number of noble children around him. Mostly from those around his faction, the Northeastern Faction of Levaria, mainly being headed by the Eldegard family. She wasn''t paying much attention to his side, but she did see a few noble girls seemingly hanging around him. ''No, Fiora, stop thinking about that.''

    ''You''re mine, don''t forget about that.'' Fiora thought, ''I''m not going to lose to them.''

    ''... good luck convincing your parents.'' Though he''d said that, it wasn''t as if that was going to be a problem. The main problem was how she was going to make it believable that she actually liked him. Because, well, he was right that she mostly just wanted to get engaged to him for the convenience it gave with the connection they had, and it would have been really awkward having to deal with each other''s love lives when they pretty much experienced everything together.

    Well, it wasn''t as if the romance of nobles were a normal one compared to how most commoners would have it, but it would have still been pretty awkward between the two of them.

    This just made everything easier overall¡­ and to be fair, they were interested to see just how well that kind of relationship between them would go when they practically know everything about each other already.

    It was an experiment too, and Fiora did love experiments. So did Daniel, but he didn''t really say much on that.

    Focusing back on the world around her, she looked at Nolan who laughed jovially. "Wonderful! The joys of being young, how I wish I could relive those days. That isn''t to say that I don''t love my wife, but it was a different time then."

    "Quite." Sylvia, her mother, said with a smile, "Mr. Nolan, how has your business been doing lately?"

    "Quite well! Though the current situation in the Vordune Empire has been rather troublesome. My traders were supposed to have arrived there by now, but the monster outbreak happening in the Empire had put a stop to that, so they had to go elsewhere for now." Nolan said, with a slightly bitter face,

    "A monster outbreak in the Empire? That''s quite worrying." Sylvia murmured, "I have not heard of this from the Hunter''s Guild, was this recent?"

    "Yes. The Hunter''s Guild is set to make an announcement for a large-scale Monster Subjugation quest tomorrow."

    "That quickly?"

    Nolan winced at that, "Yes, Lady Sylvia. It''s rather urgent as well, considering the recent invasion that the Empire has had to deal with, their army isn''t in the best of conditions to deal with it."

    "Not to mention the shortage of hunters in the empire¡­ Odd, the Magic Tower hasn''t heard of any of this." Sylvia muttered the last part, furrowing her brows. Fiora noticed this and frowned, something that the Magic Tower didn''t catch news of? That''s certainly suspicious¡­

    ''Poison¡­ there''s poison somewhere here.'' Daniel''s thoughts reached her and she got tense, meeting her eyes with Daniel who was on the other side. ''Watch out.''

    "Really? Oh dear, the situation might be worse than I''d thought¡­" Nolan said to himself before taking a sip of his wine, making a sour face as he did so, "This tastes a lot more bitter than I remember." he said, looking at his glass with narrowed eyes. Fiora watched him, he looks a little more pale than she thought, why was¡ª

    ''He''d just drank poison, quickly use Intermediate Detoxification on him! I''m going to look for the assassin, you try to lure them out!''

    Fiora''s eyes widened before moving quickly, "Mr. Nolan!" she shouted, grabbing his glass of wine she threw it to the ground, causing it to shatter, the wine spreading all over the floor. As people all around her started to turn to the commotion, she burned the wine on the floor with magic, causing people to shout in surprise as the fire took on a dark green color.

    "P-Poison?!" Nolan shouted before he suddenly started to choke, his skin turning pale really quickly.

    "Intermediate Detoxification!" Fiora exclaimed pointing her palms towards Nolan, a white aura starting to cover him as she applied healing magic onto him.

    She felt a knife heading towards her before it suddenly disappeared, her mother casting spatial magic upon it.

    ''Found them.'' Daniel''s voice manifested in her mind, he was already on the move.

    <hr>

    Daniel had a suspicious feeling about the whole event, if he were to be honest. Noticing the poison had been tricky, but he had been able to make it out due to the trail it left in the air. It was small but not impossible to detect.

    Of course, he''d have been better able to detect it if Fiora were using his abilities where she was at, but he hadn''t really thought of that¡ªmoreover, he didn''t even know that Nolan was the target, he only knew that there was poison in the air.

    ''Sorry, I should have used your ability.''

    ''It''s fine, we didn''t even know that it would have happened so quickly. Still, this is worrying, I''m not sure how many assassins are here right now, and my father isn''t here at the moment.''

    He was currently pursuing the assassin who''d thrown the knife at Fiora lately. At the moment he could only pinpoint three different people from what he''d been able to see.

    Quickly jumping over to the outside of the ballroom, he kept an eye on his targets who were already running away. Though, at the very least, wherever the other possible assassins may have been, he didn''t have to worry about them.

    ''Sandro''s rather good at his work, isn''t he?''

    ''There''s a reason why, if it weren''t for me, he''d be the successor to my father''s assassin network.''

    ''Indeed¡­ I''ll check back on you in a bit, I have a few things to take care of.''

    ''Same here.''

    Then, both of them thought together, ''Good luck.''

    Just like she''d said, on her side she seemed to be on the receiving end of a few interesting gazes by a number of other nobles and was currently beside her mother speaking about something.

    He could focus on that later, right now, he was in pursuit of people who''d just attempted an assassination.

    And any assassination not done under the jurisdiction of their network was simply unforgivable and had to be shut down.

    That was what it meant to be a part of the Shadow Moon.

    "Fuck!" his ears twitched as he heard a masculine voice suddenly exclaim, it was one of the people he was pursuing. "Why the fuck is the Dark Moon here?!"

    Daniel smirked at that, looks like they recognized him. Well then¡­ they have to die now.

    Remember Daniel, killing isn''t always necessary in our line of work.

    "It''s just a kid, what''s he gonna do?" another, gruffer voice, said, "There''s three of us and only one of him."

    But if they disrespect or disregard the laws of the Dark Moon¡­ then you must carry out their deaths.

    Daniel let out a small sigh, he wanted to use these guys for a while too, they could have been rather useful. Still, it wasn''t as though he was simply going to kill them now. He didn''t have to do it immediately after all, rather¡­

    Flicking his hands, eight knives appeared between his fingers, he kicked himself off the ground before using shadow step to quickly get closer to them.

    Right now, they were still within the boundaries of the Venture Castle, House Indentia''s castle, in other words, that of Fiora''s family. The assassins he was currently pursuing were all running towards the dark corners of the castle away from prying eyes but sadly¡­

    That was exactly where he wanted them to go.

    "Argh! W-What the¡ª" one of the guys grunted before choking on his blood as four knives pierced into his body, "H-How¡­?"

    Daniel didn''t care about that all too much and instead threw the remaining knives towards the other one who spoke lately, it was a dark haired man who suddenly pulled the other assassin beside him to block the knives. Daniel frowned at that, but it didn''t matter much¡­ raising his hand, the blades disappeared before reappearing behind the man.

    "Kugh!"

    And so they were dead.

    He sighed, waving his hand for a moment, making the knives disappear from their bodies before he went close to them and inspected them.

    After turning them around he saw that they had a distinct red star tattooed to their back where the heart would be.

    "The red star¡­" he muttered to himself, pausing as he looked up to the last guy left.

    Or rather, girl.

    Daniel''s deep purple irises stared into black ones, frowning as he saw a distinct red string swirling beneath those eyes.

    "Such a shame they haven''t been able to control you no?" Daniel said before sighing and standing up to walk towards the kid.

    Those empty eyes, it ruined the perfectly beautiful face this girl had. From what he could remember lately, this girl was Minerva Sigurd, a daughter of Sonus Sigurd, a Baron of the Kingdom of Levaria.

    "Hmm, there must certainly be an interesting story with you here¡­" he muttered, "How exactly did you get indoctrinated into the red star¡ª"

    Then, his eyes widened, moving behind her, he checked her back and saw no sign of the red star anywhere.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    But she still didn''t move. In fact, it seemed as though she was unable to move at all¡­ like a puppet whose strings got cut off.

    Before he could focus much on that, he felt a familiar presence making itself known to him nearby. Turning to the side, he saw Sandro appear out of the shadows, pulling at his seemingly bloodied black gloves with a slightly displeased look.

    "Young master." Sandro kneeled in front of him, "It seems that there has been a commotion in the castle. I had been worried, but it seems you''ve already taken care of the ones who''d attacked. Forgive me for being unable to assist."

    "No, it''s fine, rather¡­ you did apprehend those who''ve attempted to escape, right?" Daniel asked, letting Sandro rise.

    "Yes, young master. I have left them under young mistress Olivia''s care."

    Ah, they''re with Olivia. Those poor souls.

    "I see." he then turned back to Minerva, "This girl, she''s been puppeted, hasn''t she?"

    Sandro narrowed his eyes and turned to the girl, red eyes turning green for a moment. "... Yes, young master. Although it seems that her master''s connection had been severed completely he said while glancing at one of the dead bodies on the ground.

    Daniel glanced as well, the first guy he''d killed, the blonde guy, he must have been the puppeteer huh?

    Letting out a slow breath, he closed his eyes for a moment, searching through Fiora''s memories¡­ there.

    ''Hey, I have a situation here, mind if I borrow your magic?'' he sent his thoughts over to Fiora, although that was completely unnecessary, but it did make sure that she''d notice his call at least.

    ''Hm? Daniel? Oh, I see. Minerva Sigurd huh¡­ that''s troubling.''

    He was about to ask before he suddenly saw what she meant. He saw a boy through her eyes, one whose eyes were also black and empty. It didn''t take him long to realize that that was Azeroth Sigurd, Minerva''s twin brother.

    ''Oh dear.'' that was all Daniel could say in reaction to what he''d just seen from her end.

    ''Yeah. We''ll have to see each other for real now.'' Fiora said, completely serious this time.

    ''This is going to be one hell of a reunion.''

    Daniel sighed as he opened his eyes, back in his body, he walked around to stand in front of Minerva, her violet-colored hair¡­ what a shame for it to be paired with such empty black eyes.

    Placing his right hand atop her head, he whispered closely to her, "This will all be over soon, please hold on¡­"

    "Young master, I don''t think you should¡ª"

    "Sandro. I''m sorry but¡­ can you please keep this a secret from my father? No, rather¡ªI already know that you''ve been watching me for all those times I''ve been training alone in the forest. At the very least¡­ please don''t divulge this information to anyone we can''t trust." Daniel said, not really looking to see how Sandro had reacted to that. "The soul of light¡­ please, heed my call."

    Then, he glowed a bright white, after a moment it extended towards the girl in front of him as well. As that happened¡­

    Memories flashed into his mind, making him struggle for a moment as he closed his eyes to handle everything properly.

    Memories aren''t always stored within the body, rather, it''s somewhat different, especially in the case where magic interferes with it. For the case of Daniel and Fiora, neither of them were sure how it worked for each other, but for Minerva''s case, he¡ªor rather, they¡ªwere sure how it worked. Possession magic, that is, dark magic, it dealt with the manipulation of the body itself, and in times like those, it would be useless if the body and soul were opposing each other in some way. Especially if it tried to tamper with the memories within.

    The soul is more powerful than one would think, and with the case of dark magic, though one can overwrite the memories of the body, one can''t overwrite that of the soul. So usually, possession-type magic just had to sever the connection between the body and the soul somewhat, enough to the point where whatever emotions/memories were within it wouldn''t be able to interfere with what the person who was trying to possess the body wanted.

    So what if one wanted to fix the connection between the soul and the body again?

    The simple answer would be to use light magic.

    The more accurate answer however¡­ is to reforge the soul itself.

    This¡­ this is something completely out of their expertise. As Daniel struggled with reforming Minerva''s soul on his side, so was she, on the soul she was reforming on her side¡­

    As they both felt each other''s struggle, they found themselves able to push through it easier, knowing that they weren''t alone.

    ''Fiora¡­ I know I''ve said this many times¡­''

    ''I know, Danel. I appreciate you too. I know that I wouldn''t be able to do much of what I''m able to do now without you.''

    ''Haha, took the words right out of my mouth.''

    ''That won''t be the only thing I''ll be taking out of your mouth tonight.''

    ''What?''

    ''What? Ignore that. Let''s finish this.''

    Daniel found himself smiling, in spite of everything. No words needed to be said after that. After all, they knew what they felt already.

    And with that, he resolved himself.

    "Minerva Sigurd¡­ that is your name. Don''t forget that." he muttered, opening his eyes as he finished the reforging of her soul. He watched as the bright white light surrounded her, her eyes closing as she fell back, before being caught by his arms.

    For a moment, she''d awoken, he saw her looking straight into his eyes, tears silently falling to the side, "My prince¡­ I was saved¡­" she''d all but whispered, before falling unconscious again.

    At that, Daniel found himself frozen.

    ''Wait, no¡­ what have I done?''

    ''What¡ªwhy now?! Daniel, you better get here quick, I don''t want to be married to a lowly Baron''s son!''

    Though she''d phrased it that way, he was pretty sure that she didn''t mean it like that.

    Actually¡­ no, he didn''t want to think about it. Right now he definitely needed to go back to the ballroom and meet with Fiora as soon as possible.

    But before that¡­

    "Sandro." he turned to his loyal butler, "Please contact father. He needs to come to the Venture Castle immediately. I need his help."

    Sandro''s eyes widened at that before he nodded, "Of course young master."

    Daniel then turned towards the main part of the castle where the ballroom was, "I''ll head back to the ballroom now. Please contact my father quickly."

    He didn''t wait for a reply before he jumped into the shadows, quickly making his way back to the ballroom.

    What a gathering.

    <hr>

    Xavier Eldegard was the Duke of the Northeastern territories of the Kingdom of Levaria. It was quite a surprise to have found himself invited to a party held by the Indentia family. Mostly considering the relationship that he had with the Duchess Sylvia Indentia, but then again, it wasn''t necessarily him who was invited, and neither was it Sylvia who invited him in the first place.

    It had been her daughter, Fiora Indentia. Now, he didn''t quite know much about her, but from what he''d been able to gather, she was a skilled magician who''d inherited her mother''s abilities rather well. It was interesting for her to have come to seek out Daniel, considering her position and, more than that, her specialty.

    It was no secret to anyone that his family was full of assassins and skilled warriors, and more than that, to any magician¡­ assassins are their one weakness. Although, he can''t quite consider her a part of that considering how she''d inherited the blood of a Sage, which would obviously surpass most assassins, but it was still an interesting thing to take note of.

    Now, however¡­ Xavier was faced with a dilemma.

    He glanced at the projector while arranging his papers. "Daniel asked for me?" he asked, wracking his brain for what he''d contact him for. His son wasn''t an idiot, nor was he rash, and as far as he knew his son, much of the actions he''s taken for the most part had been calculated and had a reason.

    This one wouldn''t be an exception¡­ so what was it that his son couldn''t deal with on his own alongside his sister Olivia? He''d intended to not go to the gathering as his relationship with Sylvia was rather¡­ ambiguous at best, what with her being the head of the Magic Tower and him being the head of the Assassin Guild of The Dark Moon.

    "Yes, the young master said he needed your help. It may be because of the attempted assassination that had just taken place." Sandro said, a slightly regretful look on his face. He was hiding something, he was sure, but it didn''t matter too much right now. He would have a reason for it. "From what we''ve been able to see, it seems to have been carried out by the Red Star Guild."

    "Red Star¡­ have you interrogated them yet?"

    "The young mistress Olivia has chosen to take care of it, my lord."

    At that, Xavier couldn''t help but frown. He knew the skill of his daughter, but the way she interrogated them may not yield the best results. Sighing, he supposed he''d have to see for now. "The Red Star¡­ do you have a guess as to why they could target the Indentia?"

    "It wasn''t the Indentia specifically, my lord. They had targeted the merchant Nolan Cornelius."

    "Cornelius¡­ haven''t his traders just been recalled from their route to the Empire?"

    "Yes. It seemed that he was speaking of this to the Indentia."

    "I see¡­" Xavier muttered, narrowing his eyes, "Is there anything else you''d like to inform me?" he asked, looking straight towards Sandro''s eyes in the projection.

    Sandro hesitated, averting his gaze for a moment, "Yes¡­ it seems that the Sigurd twins have been manipulated through dark magic."

    Xavier''s eyes widened at that. His mind started to work quickly, and he pieced everything together, the sudden disappearance of the Sigurd family''s children, the rise of monsters in the Empire¡­ and the Red Star making their move.

    He didn''t have all the pieces yet, but it was enough.

    This was something important that he had to interfere in before it was too late.

    "Daniel¡­ you¡­" he muttered to himself, before looking Sandro in the eyes again, "Tell me, Sandro, has Daniel used light magic again?"

    Sandro looked down with a grimace, that was all that he needed to know.

    Xavier sighed, just what was his son¡­?

    No. Perhaps it was too early for that.

    "Prepare the gate on the other side, Sandro. I''ll be there soon."

    "Yes, my lord." with that, the connection was cut and the projector turned off.

    Looking at all the documents he had piled up on his desk, he sighed and moved them to one of the drawers. He''ll have to deal with this later, right now, there were more pressing matters for him to deal with.

    Pouring a certain frequency of mana, he found himself calling a certain friend he hadn''t called in a long time.

    The projector flared to life and the sitting form of a certain pink-haired master sage appeared across his desk. Sylvia Indentia, she had a smile on her face.

    "Nice of you to finally contact me after such a long time." she said, a slightly playful tone in her voice, and he couldn''t help but smile as well.

    "Yeah, well, the situation hasn''t really been all that accommodating for a meeting between us, no?"

    Sylvia frowned at that, humming, "True, though it did make me wonder if you''d started to hate me at some point."

    "That''d never happen, as large as the boundary between us may be." Xavier said honestly, "No matter how you look at it, neither of us would be here had we not met each other."

    "Perhaps¡­" Sylvia muttered, a ghost of a smile on her face, before her face turned serious, "So, there has been an assassination attempt that had just happened here."

    "Yes, and I''m being called by my son to appear there immediately." Xavier said, narrowing his eyes, "I''m not quite sure what he''d thought of you but¡­"

    "No, I believe him calling for you was the right decision." Sylvia shook her head, something that surprised him, "Xavier, did you know about the situation with the Sigurd family?"

    "The Sigurd family¡­ yes, apparently the twins have been manipulated by dark magic there. But as for the situation within the barony itself, no, I haven''t been looking into it."

    "At least you know that much, well, there''s been a rather troubling news that''s been reported to me just recently." Sylvia grimaced slightly, "Baron Sonus Sigurd¡­ is dead."

    Xavier''s eyes widened, "What? When did this happen?"

    "My agent''s reports have found that he''d been long dead for the past three years already." Sylvia said, "Xavier¡­ I''m going to contact the other Dukedoms of Levaria, I need you here as well. For the first time in a long time¡­ Levaria may be in danger."

    At that, he was silent. After a second, however, he nodded, "I''ll use the gateway to get there, in the meantime, please take care of my children."

    "Of course." Sylvia nodded, and after a short pause, they both stared at each other''s eyes, before suddenly she asked a question, "That event ten years ago¡­ Do you remember it?"

    "How could I not? I''d almost lost my son there." Xavier muttered, closing his eyes for a moment, "And you''d nearly lost your daughter as well¡­"

    "Yes¡­ Xavier, I¡ªI''m not sure how else I could say this, but¡­ what if there was a consequence to saving them like that? I know that the cost doesn''t matter to either of us¡ªbut what did it cost them?"

    He didn''t know.

    Honestly, he didn''t know how he was supposed to answer that.

    Still, Sylvia continued for him, "I''m just worried, because now that I''ve seen Daniel again, I could clearly notice just how much more the separation between their souls blur. I¡­ I''m not sure if it''s a good thing or not¡­"

    Xavier finally sighed, "I don''t know either Sylvia¡­ all I know was that I definitely didn''t regret saving them. They deserve to live, and now, the best we can do is guide them, really." he then smiled at her, "Sylvia, I know just how much you love your daughter, and believe me, I understand¡­ but at this point, we can''t really choose for them anymore. They have the knowledge and the strength now. We can only hope that they make the right choice for themselves. After all, my son had already become quite a skilled assassin." he chuckled, feeling proud of Daniel.

    Sylvia smiled after a while, "I suppose you''re right. Ah, speaking of which, my daughter has become quite the skilled sage!"

    "Oh my, so it seems that it''s not only my son who''s been making such ridiculous achievements, haha!" Xavier laughed, before pausing as he felt someone heading towards his office. "Ah, but I''m afraid we''ll have to talk later, Sylvia."

    "Yes, I shall prepare the gateway here for your arrival."

    "Thank you, I''ll be there as soon as I can." Xavier nodded and with that, the projector turned off once more. He stood up from his seat and looked around his office one last time.

    Nodding to himself, he went out of the office, blinking at the rather unexpected scene of his wife hurriedly making her way towards him.

    "Marisa? What are you doing here?" Xavier asked, making sure that the entire area around them was secure¡­ it was. Why was she in a hurry?

    "Xavier! I¡ªIt''s horrible!" Marisa said hurriedly, grabbing onto him tightly as she buried her head on his shoulder, "T-The Empire¡­ I saw it, I saw it all¡­ the monsters, the¡­"

    "Marisa?" he asked worriedly, hugging her with his arms, "It''s okay, you can tell me about it¡­"

    "Xavier¡­ that man. The man obsessed with blood¡­ he was there. He was leading the monsters and¡ª" she couldn''t take it anymore as she suddenly burst into tears, Xavier doing his best to comfort her.

    This wasn''t good.

    He knew about the powerful ability which was passed down through her family for generations, the ability to see the future. Though it was mostly vague, there were times where it was vivid, like a clear image¡ªalmost like a recollection of some memory that doesn''t exist yet.

    When that happened¡­ it was a bad omen.

    As he did his best to comfort his slowly tiring wife, he started to think about the words she''d said.

    The man obsessed with blood¡­ there were a few that came to mind but only one really made sense.

    The leader of the Red Star.

    Nobody knew who he was, especially not him, but he did know a few things about the man.

    "Marisa¡­ are you sure?" Xavier softly whispered to her as she whimpered,

    "Yes, dear, i-it should never be wrong¡­ I¡ªI''m sorry Xavier, but I don''t think I can let go of you¡­" she mumbled as she buried her head deeper into his chest. "Xavier¡­"

    "Marisa¡­" Xavier whispered, "It''s okay¡­ I''m here¡­" he said to her comfortingly, continuing to rub her back and comfort her until she finally calmed down. "Are you okay now?"

    "Y-Yes¡­ I''m sorry. It was just that the last premonition was¡­ it was different."

    "Different?"

    For a moment, she was silent, just breathing in his arms slowly, "Yes. It felt real. Too real. I¡ªit was too much for me."

    "I see." Xavier mumbled, continuing to calm her down, "Let''s go, we''re going to go have dinner with the Indentia." he decided with a smile, surprising her.

    "E-Eh? Oh! Did I interrupt you? I''m so sorry honey I¡ª"

    "It''s fine, it''s fine. Rather, come with me, I''m sure Daniel and Olivia will be happy to see you join them."

    "Ah¡­ but will it be fine with uh¡­ Sylvia or Venn? I haven''t talked to them in such a long time¡­" Marisa muttered to herself, looking worried.

    Xavier just smiled, "It''s fine. It''ll be just like our team''s reunion." he reassured her, and though she looked at him suspiciously, she sighed.

    "Fine¡­" Marisa reluctantly agreed, though he could see a small smile on her face as she held onto him tightly. "It''s better if I''m with you after all."

    Indeed so. There was a reason why they had once been called The Dark Cyclone after all.

 003 - Reunion (2)

    Daniel''s first thought upon arriving back at the castle hall next to the ballroom was that the atmosphere seemed as though it had hardly changed at all, rather, it almost seemed like nothing really happened.

    He supposed this was just the way things are in the high society of nobles, definitely a jarring thing for anyone else, but for nobles, it''s rather necessary to be able to keep their composure in any situation they''re thrown into. That''s how you survive the politics after all.

    ''Should I wait here?'' he asked Fiora, not sure what to do with the girl he was carrying right now.

    ''I''ll be there in a sec. The girl in your arms¡­ tsk, that should have been me first.'' he could feel a sigh coming from her, ''Whatever. You said the ones who''d controlled them were from the Red Star right?''

    ''Yeah, though I admittedly don''t know all that much about them either. At the very least, I don''t detect any residual dark magic inside them. Can''t say much about the mark on their backs, my father didn''t tell me much about it, he only said that it was dangerous if left alone.''

    ''That''s rather worrying.''

    ''Quite.''

    "Mr. Daniel Eldegard! Thank goodness, your sister was quite worried¡ª" one of the knights suddenly approached him, before pausing, "Is that Ms. Minerva Sigurd? What happened?"

    ''Looks like Arin''s there. I have an idea, you up for it?'' she asked suddenly, and he understood the idea that she had from their connection.

    ''Yeah, it''ll be a little weird, but it should be believable at least. You''ll be here soon, right?''

    ''In a few seconds yes.'' so he started.

    "Ms. Minerva had been under a slave spell." Daniel replied, muttering as he looked down at the girl, "I''d dealt with the caster, I wanted to meet with Lady Indentia to get her help on this, I''m not versed in light magic after all¡­"

    "Ah! Lady Indentia is¡ª"

    "Currently busy." Fiora''s voice reached his ears, an odd sensation that felt so much different from how they communicated with each other through their thoughts. He turned towards the voice and saw her coming down the stairs to the mansion itself. Their eyes met, and a strange sensation passed through them both, as his dark purple eyes stared into her own deep blue¡­ it was as if two pieces finally came together. "Mr. Daniel Eldegard¡­" she muttered, and he could see her in her beautiful azure dress, a unique design which she had thought of herself. It made her stand out, and looking at it now¡­ well, Daniel would be lying if he''d said he wouldn''t be distracted by it. She looked beautiful, enough said. At that, Fiora blushed slightly, and so did he, forgetting about their connection momentarily, he could tell her own feelings as she looked at him as well¡­ still, she smiled. "A pleasure to meet you, you said you wanted to speak with my mother?"

    "The pleasure is all mine, Ms. Fiora Indentia." Daniel said bowing for a moment, "Yes, I¡­ well, I needed some help with Ms. Minerva here." he said, looking down at the girl in his arms again.

    He could feel a slight frown coming onto Fiora''s face, an annoyed feeling within her.

    ''Don''t worry, I''ll make it up to you.'' he reassured her, laughing inwardly as he felt as though she was pouting in her mind.

    ''She still stole my place. I can''t forgive that.''

    ''Hey I didn''t complain about Azeroth now did I?''

    ''That''s because you''re too nice. Come on, be more possessive! I should be yours and nobody else''s, just as you''re mine and nobody else''s.''

    ''Sure. Still, don''t complain too much, this girl''s had it rough.''

    ''... You''re right.'' he could feel a slight shift in her mood through their connection. Right now wasn''t the time for jokes. ''Their memories¡­  you saw it too, didn''t you?''

    ''I did.'' he then looked up to Fiora''s eyes, and he could see the concerned look on her face. ''It seems like something bigger is at work within the Kingdom and the Empire right now.''

    "Ms. Sigurd¡­ what happened?" she asked him, though it was more just for show at this point. ''By the way, I''d seen your sister, she''s dealing with the other assassins¡­ wow is she ruthless.''

    "She was the one who''d thrown the knife towards you, Ms. Fiora." ''Olivia? Yeah. She''s rather sadistic.''

    Fiora furrowed her brows, contrary to the conversation they were having in their head. "Slave magic?" she asked, but once again, their internal conversation was much different, ''I''m not really sure what to do with the Sigurd twins. Although, mother seems to have been taking a look at what to do with them.''

    Daniel nodded, "Yes." ''We''ll have to wait and see, my father should arrive here in a bit.''

    Fiora was silent for a few seconds, before she nodded, "I see. Arin, inform his sister of his arrival, I shall lead him to where my mother is at."

    The knight stared for a moment before bowing, "Of course, Ms. Fiora." then he left.

    As the two of them were left alone together they looked at each other, "Now, Mr. Daniel Eldegard, please, call me Fiora."

    "And call me Daniel." he said, smiling. "Though the circumstances are rather odd¡­"

    "Yes, it''s quite odd, but I''m glad to have finally met you." she said, ''I always wanted to say that.'' her thoughts carried over to him,

    "I''m glad as well." Daniel smiled, ''Same for me.'' he thought.

    "Well then, Daniel. Please follow me." Fiora turned around and he followed her lead, going up the stairs and into a different corridor, one which he knew was going towards the inner castle. The whole situation they were in right now was certainly odd, but it wasn''t entirely unwelcome either.

    It was just that the circumstances around their meeting are rather unfortunate overall. "Fiora¡­ have you ever thought about going to the Academy?" Daniel asked, mostly for show, but also because he felt that being silent all the way would have looked rather awkward if someone else was watching them.

    And he was quite sure that someone was watching them, even if he didn''t necessarily completely detect it right now.

    Fiora made a show of humming before she answered, "I have, though to be honest, I don''t find much of a need for it."

    Daniel chuckled at that, "I understand." he said this naturally, mostly because at this point they were just actually talking about whatever came to mind for them. "Our positions are rather unfair, aren''t they?"

    "Quite so." Fiora said, a smile on her face, "Though, I wouldn''t mind going there to meet other people¡­ certain people, maybe." he could see a blush on her face. ''Ah yes, the obligatory blush. We shall make the greatest love story of all time! Come on Daniel, you know what to do next!'' he laughed internally alongside her as he mimicked her expression.

    The fact that they can control their bodies this well is just unfair, to think she''d learned that all from his memories.

    "Y-Yeah¡­" Daniel said bashfully, glancing downwards, being careful not to look towards Minerva as he did so, knowing just what Fiora felt about that. "I-I''d like that too¡ªI-I mean, I agree! Yeah¡­ um." he mumbled quietly, pausing as he saw Fiora stop in her tracks suddenly. He looked up at her, "Uh¡­ did I say something wrong?" ''This is the hardest part, but I think I''m ready.''

    ''Alright. Let''s finish this first meeting scene with a bang.'' Fiora''s thoughts were a contrast to how she looked at him right now.

    It was a mix of nervousness and excitement within her face, something that heavily misaligned with her thoughts.

    Not that it was any different for him.

    "Daniel¡­ um, I know it might be early to say this¡­ but will you be my partner? F-For the Academy, I mean. I¡­ I''d like to¡ª" before she could finish her words, the doors beside them suddenly opened, making them both freeze up and go red in embarrassment.

    "Oh so there you two were¡­" the voice of Sylvia Indentia reached their ears, making them both turn towards her. "Ah. I seemed to have intruded upon something. Please ignore me." she apologized with a smile, closing the door again.

    Neither Daniel nor Fiora moved, feeling embarrassed for everything that they''d just done¡­

    But what they really felt was¡­

    ''We succeeded right?'' Fiora asked,

    ''Yes. That should be the first flag. Now¡­ we should break this up somehow with something even more awkward. It would only be natural, right?'' Daniel confirmed,

    ''It should be. And¡­ that''s where they come in.''

    They turned to each other again and suddenly someone groaned, Daniel looked down and saw Minerva groaning in his arms, turning in his arms to get herself in a more comfortable position as she hummed in contentment.

    Fiora looked at her with a glare, not even hiding it this time physically, ''She''s getting real chummy with you for a first meeting¡­''

    ''Aren''t you the same?''

    ''Shut up.'' Fiora''s thoughts matched as she cleared her throat, "Right¡­ Perhaps we should take this to a more appropriate place."

    "Yes." Daniel agreed with an embarrassed smile. At least, it looked to be that way. "Perhaps we should¡­?"

    "Yes. Let''s go in."

    With that the two of them went in the room the Sage Sylvia Indentia had appeared and disappeared into lately.

    <hr>

    It wasn''t often when Dahlia found her young mistress showing interest in other people of her age. Much less acting like her own age.

    She didn''t mean it in a bad way, in fact, she admired the young mistress Fiora for being so mature and composed in many situations she''d been pushed into so far. So it came as a huge surprise to her, if not jarring, to see her young mistress act in the manner of an innocent maiden towards a boy of her age. Even more surprising was who the boy was.

    Daniel Eldegard, the son of Duke Xavier Eldegard. She supposed it wasn''t much of a surprise considering the recent popularity of that boy amongst other young noble girls as well, but the manner in which she acted around him was as though she''d known him for a long while already¡ªor rather, as though she''d been following him for a long time.

    Now, she wasn''t one to suspect her young mistress, even less to underestimate the strength of the Eldegard House, but¡­ she had a feeling that Fiora had been watching¡ªor perhaps following the young boy for a while now.

    Dahlia knew firsthand how powerful Fiora''s magic was, so she didn''t think it would be all that impossible for her to reach the Eldegard house with her magic. They had been there before after all, when Fiora was at a much younger age.

    She could remember how the young Fiora had acted towards the young Daniel at the time, she was curious, and he was friendly, it led to them going to many places around their region near the castle. That thought made her frown though, she was rather sure that Fiora''s memories would have been hazy with what the Duchess Sylvia had done, but perhaps she''d managed to overcome it after a while.

    She couldn''t be sure, but the extension of partnership to any person, regardless of who they may be, was a special one. Unexpected, even. So for her to offer that towards Daniel¡­ it meant that she had an idea of his abilities at least.

    Dahlia knew Fiora enough to know that she was not one to simply partner with someone who wouldn''t be a match to her. She would have had a reason at least, something more than just because she had fallen for him at first sight.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡­ Right?

    She looked closely at the interaction between the two young nobles from the side, watching as they seemed to fidget and blush around each other.

    ¡­ It really didn''t look right to her. But, then again, it seems that Daniel had also somewhat fallen for Fiora as well from what she can see, so she supposed that was good. It didn''t alleviate her worries much though. It just didn''t feel quite right. Perhaps a little unnatural? No¡­ they''re genuine, so she can''t really say.

    "Daniel¡­ a-about the offer I asked of you lately¡ª"

    "Ah, about that," Daniel paused, frowning as he furrowed his brows, "I want to ask, why me?"

    Oh, it seems like he''s rather intelligent as well. Perhaps he''s a lot more than meets the eye¡­ right, he''s the son of that master assassin after all.

    It would only make sense.

    "Oh. It''s quite simple, really." Fiora laughed, a beautiful melody to her ears. It was definitely different from how she treated most people. Interesting¡­ "Daniel, you''re an assassin right?"

    Daniel''s frown deepened at that, making Dahlia realize that perhaps her young mistress might have truly been following the Eldegard heir for a while now without him noticing, "Yes¡­ I''m surprised you know."

    "I have eyes and ears everywhere, you know?" Fiora chuckled, saying a line incongruent to how she looked on the outside. "You''ve felt it too, haven''t you?"

    Daniel looked confused for a moment, before a look of understanding came upon him, "Oh. That was you, huh?"

    "As expected of the son of a master assassin." Fiora smirked, "You never once contacted me back, you know?"

    "Oh?" Daniel raised a brow, "Was this¡­ ah, this was related to what happened years ago huh?"

    "Indeed, I''m glad you remember as well." Fiora nodded, and Dahlia couldn''t help but frown, it seems they remembered it.

    Still¡­ there was something she wasn''t sure of, what exactly would Fiora''s purpose be on partnering with Daniel? Wait, no, perhaps¡­

    "For every good, there is an evil, for every light, there is darkness, and in order, there is chaos¡­ the world operates under this balance, it has been this way for centuries." Fiora started, letting out a slow breath as she picked up her cup of tea and sipped it. "For all that magic and mental strength has been proven to be quite effective and proceeded to advance in many ways over time, raw physical strength has also advanced greatly as well. I am aiming to be a sage¡ªrather, I already am a sage, I simply want to surpass that."

    "Surpass the boundaries of magic, isn''t it?" Daniel muttered, looking interested as he leaned forward with a smile on his face. "An interesting idea, and so you asked for my help because¡ª"

    "You''re an assassin." Fiora finished for him with a nod. "Assassins are the natural enemy for sages, even now, it is quite tragic how the peak of a master assassin would be able to defeat the peak of a master sage."

    "And you wish to change that?" Daniel looked amused, "Through me?"

    "Yes, rather¡­ I think it would be best if it were you. You''re the son of the greatest master assassin to have ever lived, you know?"

    "You exaggerate our achievements," Daniel laughed, leaning back on his seat with his arms and legs crossed, "Still, the idea you''re thinking of¡­ a sage and an assassin working together¡­ sounds like quite the nightmare to see what would be created, no?"

    "Indeed. Though¡ªand perhaps I don''t have to say this to you¡ªboth of us will gain something from this in the end, you know?" Fiora had an especially devious smile on her face, it was almost sinister¡ªand if it was to others, it might have looked alluring.

    To Dahlia''s surprise, however, Daniel laughed, a truly sinister grin appearing on his face¡ªone that would make him more befitting of being a demon than an assassin.

    ¡­ Was this their true form? Dahlia had to admit, these two young nobles were quite scary. Especially considering how powerful her mistress is, and how Daniel was practically a Master Assassin already as far as the rumours went.

    "Interesting. Truly interesting." Daniel let out a laugh, leaning forward towards Fiora this time as he supported his chin with his arm on top of his leg this time, "Fiora Indentia¡­ you make a rather compelling offer."

    "I am the daughter of the Duchess Sylvia Indentia, this is only to be expected." Fiora chuckled, leaning forward as well, their faces close to each other, "What do you say, Daniel, would you like to make the ultimate job class?" she whispered, with almost half-lidded eyes, "If it''s us¡­"

    Dahlia couldn''t help but stand shocked still at this turn of events, she knew that both of them would be aware of her presence right now, Fiora had reached an unimaginable level with her magic, and she was able to perceive Dahlia''s movements already, even more so Daniel who would have been much more adept at it than Fiora. If so¡­ then there was a reason for her to be hearing this.

    Or perhaps¡­

    ''They couldn''t be that focused on each other¡­ right?'' she asked herself, never really considering that until she saw the scene playing out before her, with the two noble children''s faces getting dangerously close to each other. Their eyes as well¡­

    They looked like they were intoxicated. Perhaps by each other, or perhaps she herself was just hallucinating with the insanity of the situation unfolding around her right now.

    Regardless of any of that, she moved towards them and cleared her throat loudly.

    When the two suddenly stiffened in shock, she knew it now.

    These two were hopeless.

    No, rather, perhaps her young mistress was the one who was hopeless.

    From what Dahlia could see, it seemed that she had a slightly annoyed look on her face while Daniel sat straight on his seat again with a blush on his face.

    These two¡­

    "Miss Fiora, Mister Daniel, the Duchess Sylvia has instructed me to pick the two of you up. The dinner will begin soon."

    Fiora didn''t even hide her displeasure at her words, clicking her tongue with a sigh as she stood up. "Very well then, Daniel, perhaps we can continue this later."

    "Ah, yes, we should go now." Daniel nodded, regaining his composure as he stood up. "Lead the way, Miss Dahlia."

    "Please just call me Dahlia, Mister Daniel." Dahlia respectfully bowed, at the very least, it seems that Daniel would be able to handle Fiora''s true nature. It seems that he''d be a perfect match for her indeed. It just worried her how he seemed to let Fiora do as she pleased. "If you''ll excuse me." She then turned around and led the way for the two of them.

    "Hmph, this maid¡­" Fiora huffed, and Dahlia couldn''t help but feel worried for Daniel.

    Rather, perhaps, all this time she should have been worried for him. Fiora seemed dangerously obsessive towards him. She could only pray for his safety.

    "It''s fine. Let''s go Fiora." Daniel said, and Dahlia could glance him taking Fiora''s hand in his, making her impressed.

    It seemed like he knew how to deal with her young mistress already. Hmm¡­ perhaps it really would be best if the two were to be together after all.

    Though, as she thought of that, she managed to remember about that incident years ago, the one with Daniel and Fiora being involved¡­

    As expected, maybe fate had already been sealed at that point on. These two, they were bound to be together.

    Rather, it seemed that nothing good would happen if these two were to be kept apart.

    ¡­ right then. She really should prepare herself for Fiora later on.

    She had a feeling her young mistress would repeatedly use the gateway after this.

    A maiden in love¡­ that might be the scariest existence to ever exist. Even more so considering it was her young mistress.

    <hr>

    ''I really wanted my first kiss to have happened there you know?'' Fiora sent her thoughts over to Daniel as she held his hand, squeezing tightly. ''But holding our hands like this¡­ ah, it feels so divine. No, rather, as I feel your hand in mine and my hand in yours all at the same time I can''t help but feel intoxicated¡­!''

    ''Hmm¡­ you really do worry me sometimes.'' Daniel''s thoughts came to her, and she could see and feel a small frown on his face, ''Don''t get too carried away now. Rather, it might be troublesome if we move this relationship at an extremely fast pace.''

    ''Does it matter? My mother knows already, and I plan to show it off to your father as well, so this much shouldn''t be surprising. Rather, I''m definitely planning to be your fiancee¡ªno, your wife¡ªfrom this point on. I''ll tell them later, so it shouldn''t be all that surprising, right?''

    ''I guess so¡­'' Daniel sighed internally, something which she felt while he seemed to squeeze her hand back as well. That action sent shivers down her spine and she had to suppress a blissful smile. ''Fiora, was that really fine? For Dahlia to get involved and all that.''

    ''It''s Dahlia. Rather, it would have been better to alleviate her worries now rather than later. She''s one to needlessly worry for me after all.''

    ''But the misunderstanding we''re causing¡­ hm. Speaking of which, are we really going forward with that plan?''

    At that question Fiora couldn''t help but smile, imagining the future of them working together, ''But of course. If we''re going to be together, then we''ll have to achieve something beyond the current realm of understanding. Rather, I''m quite excited, I''ve always wanted to learn swordsmanship after all.''

    ''Perhaps¡­ it''ll be odd, wouldn''t it?''

    ''Yes, but with our aptitude it shouldn''t be impossible. Also, don''t you know some excellent blacksmiths? This much shouldn''t be much of a challenge for us. Being a Sage limits me to magic, and that''s not really all that fun, rather, I wish to use a sword in the Academy when the time comes.''

    ''I understand. Though now I''m excited, all we need now, however, is the equipment for it¡­ What will it be called again? Magic Swordsman?''

    ''Yes. A fitting name right? We''ll be the first two Magic Swordsmen in the world, and I intend for us to become the greatest ones to ever live.''

    ''Interesting¡­ The theory is there, we''ll just have to put in some work, huh? I''m worried though, I''m not a natural sage so I''m not quite attuned with all the affinities.''

    ''Not yet at least. Our time in the Academy should lessen the need for the two of us to borrow each other''s powers. That''s my goal for us to be able to reach the pinnacle of human strength.''

    ''Now you sound like a martial artist¡­''

    They continued chatting with each other mentally as they followed Dahlia towards the dining hall.

    "We have arrived. Then, please excuse me." Dahlia informed them as they stood before the large doors to the dining hall before she opened it and the large dining hall was presented before them.

    "Oh, impressive." Daniel commented, and Fiora smiled, ''Ah, right, the dining hall¡­ I still can''t get over how bright everything here is.''

    "Of course, this is to be expected of our castle after all." Fiora proudly said, ''Really though, your dining hall at your home is too bland and gloomy, you should tell your father to change that.''

    ''What will I say? I kind of like it honestly, the atmosphere is perfect for an assassin household.''

    ''Mm, true enough.'' Fiora conceded, spotting their parents on the large table. "Ah, forgive us, we must have kept you waiting." she curtsied slightly towards them,

    "Hmm, I wonder what the two of you had been talking about to end up in such a situation¡­" her mother, Sylvia, had a slightly amused look on her face as she eyed their conjoined hands, "It seems you''d really set your sights on someone after all, Fiora?"

    ''Rather, I believe your daughter is quite obsessive for her age and stature.''

    "Of course mother. I do not like to waste time." Fiora smiled, ignoring Daniel''s thoughts as she put some strength into squeezing his hand, "I hope I''m not being too forward." she said, looking towards Daniel''s parents.

    "Perhaps not, rather, your daughter seems to have inherited an interesting trait from you, Venn." Daniel''s father, Xavier, looked towards her father, Venn, with a smirk.

    Venn just laughed awkwardly, "Ahah¡­ you exaggerate¡­"

    "Hmm, that is true, this is definitely two years too early compared to you¡­" Marisa muttered, putting a finger to her chin, "In that sense, I see that your daughter has good eyes."

    Fiora smiled with a nod, accepting the compliment, "Thank you very much."

    Olivia blinked at her, "Huh. This is Adrian''s little sister? I like her. Daniel you should marry her, I''ll need to put that little punk in his place as her sister-in-law after all." she said with a grin.

    Daniel just laughed, "Yes¡­ I suppose so¡­" he muttered awkwardly, ''Hey, you should let go of me now. We need to eat.'' Daniel looked her way, but Fiora just smiled as she turned towards him.

    ''No. You''ll feed me, I''ll feed you. This is how it''ll go.''

    ''Isn''t that moving too fast?!''

    "Oh my, it seems they''re already at the stage where they only need to talk with their eyes. Perhaps we really should consider this engagement."

    "Yes please¡ª!"

    "Wait, isn''t that too fast¡ª?!"

    Their voices overlapped with each other, making their parents laugh.

    Well, except for her father, he just seemed to look embarrassed. ''Sorry father, but this daughter of yours will shamelessly show the world her love.''

    ''Again, Fiora, aren''t we going too fast?!''

    ''Isn''t it better this way? It feels good to go fast after all, just like when you''re doing¡ª''

    ''Don''t you dare make an innuendo right now!''

    ''Sorry, I just love teasing you, hehe.''

    After a while, they calmed down.

    "Ha¡­ Oh dear. Daniel, you''ll have to forgive me and my daughter, but I sincerely think marrying my daughter would be the best course of action right now." her mother, Sylvia said, and she couldn''t help but nod vigorously as well,

    "Yes. If we''re married we won''t have to worry about anyone else coming between us, rather, it gives us an excuse to destroy anyone who dares to come between us."

    "I''m sure that''s just you who''d want to destroy them, Fiora. Also, when did the engagement suddenly turn into full-blown marriage?"

    "It can''t be helped, you''re too beautiful for this world. I have to take you now rather than later."

    "W-Wha¡ª?!"

    Xavier just shook his head with a sigh, "Give up Daniel. Rather, you want this too don''t you? Besides, it''ll be easier to satisfy your desires with a girl as eager as her."

    Marisa nodded as well, "My son has to grow up eventually, and if she''s your wife, you won''t have to worry about anything with her."

    "I''ll be an aunt too?" Olivia''s eyes were wide as she looked at the pair with an almost predatory smile, "Yes¡­ this will be fantastic."

    After a while, Daniel finally gave up, rolling his eyes, "Alright, fine¡­ Rather, I''m just worried about how it might affect how other people will see us later on in the academy." he sighed, "A married couple at the academy seems rather unorthodox compared to just two engaged nobles."

    "You''re both children of a ducal lineage, are you seriously thinking people would worry about that? Rather, both of you are quite literally just one step below royalty, there''s honestly nothing to stop you." Venn pointed out, and at that, Fiora couldn''t help but nod.

    "Indeed, what are you worried about if not that?" she asked, turning towards him.

    "Won''t we stand out?" Daniel furrowed his brows, "I''m not sure if that would be wise."

    "The two of you are stronger than anyone else that isn''t above the 3rd rank. The better question would be why are you two even going to the Academy? I doubt either of you have much to gain from there." Olivia pointed out, making them frown.

    Daniel and Fiora looked at each other.

    ''I guess it''s time, then.'' Fiora thought,

    ''It can''t be helped, we should talk to them about it now. Our plans.''

    ''Yes¡­ I''ll¡ª''

    ''No, I''ll do it. You''ve done enough already.'' Daniel declared, before turning back to them, now they let go of each other''s hand.

    "Right¡­ there''s something we''re planning to do. We''ve talked about it just now, and I think it''s going to be best for us to be in the Academy for it." Daniel started, both of them heading towards their respective seats, "First¡­ we should eat."

    Fiora''s eyes met with Daniel''s again.

    Right.

    They were going to change history.

    "We''re going to create a new class."