《Blank: a Story of Good Intentions》


 Chapter 1

    Tom watched his backyard from his bedroom window, and then looked towards the plain white walls. He briefly pondered about his future, if not merely for what color would be appropriate for his small, drab room. It was not the biggest thing on his mind, but it was both unimportant and imminent, and while it could, Tom enjoyed the pleasure of being distracted. Only when it was the fair amount of time later, he left to his cellar kneeled at a drawer. Tom felt it was time to visit again. The drawer was small, but magnificent. It gleamed with dozens of gems and jewels. Its purpose was far more dubious. It was only a weapon rack.


    A tingle ran down Tom''s spine. He could feel the potency of each and every weapon it contained. Carefully, painstakingly, he removed a single, gleaming sword, his grandfather''s sword.


    It was simply Tom''s way of remembering him.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    He removed the mock ivory sheath. The sword was a masterpiece. And such a sword had a great designer.


    Of course, Tom only knew the great smith by codename. The Tinker, he was called. Surely, he was the country''s, no, the world''s greatest creator of weapons and other armaments.


    From all of the weapons he''d made, enough were featured at a particular national museum to make Tom think the curator and Tinker were the same.


    Not necessarily employed by the government, he is the source of the greatest weapons for generals and even the royal family themselves. It was an honor for his grandfather to have one. Tom sharpened and then polished the great blade, which resembled a saber.


    It was perfectly balanced, and at the boundary of the hilt and blade, there was a single jade gem.


    Tom wasn''t exactly a weapons expert, but he knew that it must''ve had an important function. As Tom was putting on the finishing touches, he heard the door creak. He didn''t want to be interrupted.

 Chapter 2

    His sister, Sally, to his annoyance, was close.


    ¡°You''re down here, still. What a surprise.¡±


    ¡°Leave me alone.¡±


    ¡°This tells me I should be here. Shouldn¡¯t I?¡±


    Tom did nothing. She was right; Tom just didn¡¯t want to admit defeat. It was just there wasn''t much of a competition.


    ¡°Are you ever going to use that sword?¡± Sally asked. As rough as she spoke, it was something he¡¯d heard her say before.


    ¡°Jokes put aside, I think weapons were made for combat. It¡¯s not right to continuously maintain it without using it,¡± she reasoned.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.Tom was finished with his schooling and college. Though he felt that an accelerated education exhausted him, it was expected of him to continue the family trade of banking. He absolutely hated banking and sought adventure. However as the descendent of a decently wealthy entrepreneur, it wasn¡¯t likely to happen.


    On the other hand, Sally was just finishing with her college degree. She too, had taken an accelerated course. Sally¡¯s dream was to be a knight. Women in the military¡¯s elite are rare, but she has connections.


    ¡°Ah, enough with the sword, Tom. Finish up and head upstairs. I¡¯ll make breakfast. It¡¯s not your birthday every day,¡± Sally said with more force than usual.


    Tom muttered again and decided not to remind Sis. Three years ago, on this day, Grandfather died from natural causes. It was hard to tell whether Sally forgot or chose to instead look ahead. Tom got up and smiled to himself. He was glad that if anything his sister was optimistic. His smile was abruptly brought to an end. That chill from before had finally reached his heart. Though perhaps it was only his imagination, he felt a mass of ice form around his heart. He let a single tear down his cheek. He wiped it before anyone else could see.


    Was this the sword¡¯s doing? He thought to himself. It didn¡¯t matter to him. At all costs he couldn¡¯t see his precious, although irritating, sister see any of his weakness. Suddenly, Tom realized the cause of the tear, only sadness, simple and cruel.

 Chapter 3

    Tom enjoyed the little celebration planned by his sister. He knew that he could count on her, but he still couldn¡¯t get his mind off things. Fate lined up against him in more ways than just his birthday.


    It is fine to be a minor noble in peaceful Lodestone, a happy kingdom where you can guiltily pass down partial privilege to your family. Baron, baronet, lord, and knowing a little etymology, Tom knew those were wrong anyhow. Tom can only be glad to be born to a baron.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.Still, he wondered if it was best if he was born in another place, another time. Preferably, life would be filled with far less anxieties if it was before the Great Reverse, an event dreaded by all over the globe, extensively covered in every history textbook. Now there¡¯s magic and Darklings that accompany it, and while it brings wonder.


    For Tom, he would not be a baronet if there were none of those. Grandpa was a knight of Lodestone, working to soothe imperfections in reality. He watched those mercurial things, born from strife, and kept them from making strife. That was his career for the entirety of his life, but he lost his daughter-in-law too at the end of his life. No amount of training could beat that ¡®effect¡¯, even for an elite that gave extended status to his son, too.

 Chapters 4-6

    Sally woke up distresses and unrested; noise of all kinds interrupted her sleep early in the morning, and she was not in the mood to enjoy nature then. Remembering her plans for the day, she¡¯d dress and make breakfast (assuming Tom was still asleep and not sulking) hastily.


    She hurried over to Watson, the family butler. ¡°Prepare the car. I¡¯ll pick up my gown and cap myself,¡± she also had preparations to do for herself, but she meant to do it herself so it could be a little easier on Tom. It was upsetting enough that the gown and cap got lost in the mail and she didn¡¯t want him to consider it as an ill omen. Today just so happened to be her graduation, one year after her brother¡¯s. The day went on as planned, but Sally could not relax until she saw it through. He had till four o¡¯ clock to pick out a graduation gift, but he did not mind. He remembered last year. Sally had gone all out and got him a set of plate mail. It was shame that he hadn¡¯t used yet. True, it was more decoration considering that more efficient kinds of armor existed in this day and age.


    It was beautiful though. The armor resembled his grandfather¡¯s. He was a man of both uncanny intellect and gargantuan strength. It¡¯s rare to be strong enough to be able to move after donning the immense plate mail armor.


    Tom thought carefully on his way to town. What could his sister possibly want?


    She was quite the technology savvy. Tom had sudden inspiration after passing by a hardware store, but as he was driven around he wasn¡¯t sure why a hardware store reminded him. This era is peculiar, he couldn¡¯t stop from thinking. Magic and swords coexist with machinery and electronics.


    Magic was one thing, it was probably the reason humanity bounced back so quickly. It and swords are among the viable weapons against darklings, not to mention magic also has a myriad of other uses.


    A lot technology was scavenged from ancient times, so science didn¡¯t have to start over from scratch. What was truly lost was recovered quickly thanks to the use of magic. Tom escaped his trance and entered the hardware store. One of the pros of being from an established family is the jaw-dropping budget reserved for gifts.


    Alas, poor Tom found nothing suitable. Rather instinctively, he walked into a nearby gunsmith¡¯s store.


    Tom had a knack for guns. Though they have almost no effect on darklings, they¡¯re perfect for anti-personnel usages. He replenished the ammunition needed for competition for his personal weapon, a unique pistol made especially for him. He quickly realized he¡¯d only waste time and money so he left promptly. He also remembered it was a paranoid act to have a gun at home, but better safe than sorry!


    Something bothered Tom in the back of his head. He knew it was something he¡¯d forgotten. Sally¡¯s words ringed in his ear. ¡°I will become a Lodestone knight,¡± she always said. Tom rushed back home, and into his cellar. He retrieved his grandfather¡¯s sword. In the end he couldn¡¯t present Sally with a gift until later. Tom frowned and felt a bit of ice on his heart. At the very least, he could get her a cake and a card, gifts that were also more acceptable once their family started to make decent money.


    While a gift wasn¡¯t important to her, Tom¡¯s presence was, but she still didn¡¯t expect to get nothing, so she was confused, but not unpleasantly.


    ¡°It¡¯s not ready yet,¡± Tom replied. It was an honest answer. However, it wasn¡¯t the best one. Once the day was over, Sally and Tom waited for lunch, as the former¡¯s cooking skills never needed to advance any better than making food in emergencies.


    ¡°Anyway, I took the liberty of enrolling us both in a great higher learning course.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Oh, stop complaining. You always said that you craved adventure and whatnot, and I said I wanted to be a knight.¡±


    Sally paused as if she was talking about a casual subject, though she regretted she started suddenly.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°Have you ever heard of a place called Oakwood Academy? It¡¯s a great institution ran by the government where youths are trained to become knights.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t joke about it.¡±


    At his point Sally gave up and handed Tom a pamphlet that explained to him what he needed to know. Tom knew that the decision was not quite made without his approval, and went along as the gravity settled in.


    Oakwood was a school in the capital that gave lessons geared towards combat and survival against darklings. Almost all graduates become knights eventually, although the graduation rate was pretty low.


    He didn¡¯t show it, but he was elated. This was exactly what he was hoping for, but he could never take the steps himself.


    Sally was beaming with a smile. She knew exactly what her brother was feeling.


    ¡°How did you get us enrolled?¡±


    ¡°I asked Dad to pull some strings. Not bad, right? We leave for school in a week, so get ready. My gift will arrive by that time, right?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, you won¡¯t be disappointed.¡±


    Maybe it was his imagination, but the frigidness around his heart intensified. Perhaps, it wasn¡¯t sadness, but a much stronger emotion. Tom hugged and thanked his sister as she left him to think, while she had to analyze the extent of Tom¡¯s sincerity, considering she had taken a huge gamble to get him out of the dump.


    Tom spent increasingly more time at a shooting range.


    Tom breathed heavily and quickly drew his pistol. He fired six shots and landed them all as perfect hits.


    Three shots to the head, three to the heart, he counted. ¡°It took eight seconds; that¡¯s only one second off my usual time,¡± Tom muttered loudly.


    Tom¡¯s gun was a small pistol-like firearm. Although it lacked penetration power, it was especially made for quick draw and precision.


    Tom had designed it himself and for that reason assumed great pride. It did have a few drawbacks. The capacity was tiny and he thought it had a nasty overheating problem.


    Nearby onlookers couldn¡¯t believe his accuracy. Humbly, Tom announced that he was standing to close and that he was nothing special.


    True, while Tom is proficient at marksmanship, he was slowly and carefully working on his speed and range. In terms of marksmanship, Sally couldn¡¯t compare.


    By end of the week, Tom had improved down to six seconds, but he was visibly frustrated. When Sally noticed, he blamed it on lack of sleep. Idiot, he thought to himself, what do I have to be frustrated about?


    Sally had been preparing more vigorously. She ran through a series of excruciating exercises every morning, but she gave up after five sessions.


    She temporarily joined a weapons class. Her slim, agile form was reminiscent of her grandfather¡¯s.


    At swordsmanship alone, she has no peer. The opponents at class quickly came to bore her. She asked Tom to spar with her.


    Watson refereed. He chucked, not all of his past masters were as interesting. Tom left his sister as he heard a knock on the door. Flustered, Sally didn¡¯t reprimand him for leaving in the middle of the session.


    When he returned, Tom carried to swords. One was their grandfather¡¯s brilliant blade; the other looked just like it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll explain later,¡± declared Tom. ¡°For now let¡¯s finish up our sparring.¡±


    Tom returned his swords to the weapons rack and instead handed Sally a training sword. The training swords had light aluminum frames and were generously coated in soft rubber. They could hurt, but they didn¡¯t leave injury unless they were used with excessive force.


    ¡°En guard!¡± Sally opened. She was just teasing right now; Tom was able to avoid the swings.


    Tom contemplated his choices. Long fights will only end in defeat, he thought to himself.


    He broke the monotony with an unconventional try at her midriffs. No luck!


    Tom was never one to do things the traditional way. His demeanor, his manner of speaking, his swordplay, were never typical.


    Sadly, Tom never found any openings. He tried to faze her with a frontal assault, but she recovered too quickly. Again, Tom retreated and prepared his trump card.


    A strike to her stomach. Parried and returned. This was to be expected of her. Sally was superior in more than a few aspects. This was certainly one of those aspects.


    Tom feinted. Sally saw right through it, as she was used to Tom¡¯s trickery. They traded blows. Exhausted now, Sally couldn¡¯t gain the upper hand. Nor did Tom think he could last much longer. Tom decided upon an all or nothing strategy.


    He backed up a few feet. He dashed and aimed for a precise blow to her chest. As one would expect, she handled it without difficulty. Tom sidestepped her counterattack and repeated for quite a while.


    Three times, no four. Tom lost count but he was nearing his limits. Sally herself considered Tom a worthy rival. Sally moved in and gracefully landed a slight scratch on Tom¡¯s shoulder blade.


    ¡°The match is decided,¡± proclaimed Watson.


    The siblings continued on for a few more matches. All of them had the same result.


    Conceited, Sally forced Tom to pack for both of them.


    Early morning, they left for the capital.

 Chapter 7

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    Nonetheless, she warmly thanked her brother. She hoped she would one day use the grand sword in live combat one day. Throughout the long trip she thought about the last few days. ¡°Out of the oven, into the frying pan,¡± she whispered to herself. After all, she had just graduated.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    The darkling reduced Mother to ribbons of scarlet. A knight responded and swiftly ended the darkling¡¯s existence. It was too late, the deed had been done. The knight faced towards Tom now. Just as like the darkling, his body was indistinguishable from the shadows.


    If there was one thing he couldn¡¯t do, it was that Tom could never disappoint his sister. He composed himself quickly. He wiped his face and smiled halfheartedly at Sally.

 Chapter 8

    The pair arrived two days early and left the house to Watson. Sally insisted that Tom spend the first day at rest.


    They decided to stay at the Cauliflower Inn, owned by their father, Baron Claude Blanc. It was a small building tailored to the middle class. Sally thought it was too gaudy and bleak. It was a strange combination; heavy, unattractive curtains hung on every window. Maltreated potted plants lied on the receptionists¡¯ counter.


    ¡°Ah, you must be masters Sally and Tom. Your father speaks highly of you,¡± a receptionist spoke as Tom drew near. It was a clear lie. Father¡¯s sense of family was left desolated by Mother¡¯s death.


    The small room that Tom had chosen was unappealing. It seemed to cave in and choke him. No, he thought, those are aftereffects of his panic attack. He was unsure whether it was a panic attack or not.


    Although Tom couldn¡¯t sleep, and he guessed neither could Sally next door, they both felt refreshed next morning.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already planned where we should go tomorrow,¡± was the first thing Sally said as they sat eating breakfast.


    ¡°We¡¯ll visit the Royal Palace, the National Museum and we¡¯ll pick up our paperwork and uniforms from Oakwood.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± was the only thing Tom could think of at the moment. He doubted that those places would take the whole day.


    Tom decided to rent a small car. It was a four-seater so it left a sense of emptiness. The Royal Palace, known as many other names, was tastefully decorated.


    Marble columns lined the exterior. A dome lied on top of the palace¡¯s rectangular body. It was still an interesting building, but it paled in comparison to the palaces of other nations.


    In the inside, the public was allowed into the dining room and throne room, both of which were empty. The throne was something to behold, not because of its glamour, but because of its simplicity.


    It was a normal wooden chair. One might think it was misplaced from the dining room. The only thing that differentiated it from any other chair was that the Royal Crest was skillfully engraved into the wood and into the wall above it.


    Perhaps this was a symbol, Tom thought. That thought was quickly dispelled. If that was the case why did the royals give out titles of nobility?Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Ah, it was all a trick, Tom realized. He realized that even within the reigning family there was probably division. This chair holds no value by itself, so it was an empty symbol for the people wanting equality. Then again, the laws concerning titles of nobility were somewhat two-sided. Most likely, one of the monarchs supports the upholding of traditional values and the other is trying to reform society.


    After quite some time, Tom nudged his sister and moved on to the museum.


    There, free admission was given to the baronet class and above. Another example of special treatment, Tom noted. Sally noted the exquisite collection of decorative eggs while Tom was more interested in the weapons expo.


    All of them were similar to his sword, so he figured they all had the same creator. All of them had a simple, but effective shape, and all had some precious or semiprecious gem. Next to the blades, there were portraits of the owners.


    They ranged from prominent knights, to generals and admirals, and even past monarchs. ¡°Wow, Grandpa¡¯s blade must really be on par of those of famous people. Also, you were right ¡®bout the jewels having a practical use, not that it matters,¡± Sally joked.


    Oakwood was the next stop. The academy was a few miles east of the capital, too far off to call for help.


    The uniforms were a dirty crimson. The color looked far too similar to the color of oxygen-exposed blood to be a coincidence. Both male and female uniforms composed of long, gray trousers, crisp white shirts, and crimson overcoats. Sally¡¯s coat was longer and had sharper coattails. Besides that, the uniforms were unbelievably identical.


    Tom cringed when he tried them on. He looked more like a butler than a student. He looked at his schedule with disbelief. Pain endurance, darkling anatomy, ancient history, and self-defense. ¡°These classes were ridiculous. None of these help in combating darklings,¡± he said out-loud angrily.


    The pair arrived at the inn shortly before sundown. ¡°I knew it wouldn¡¯t be enough,¡± Tom muttered. Sally didn¡¯t reply at first.


    ¡°The reason why we finished so early is because I have to talk to you,¡± Sally said with an unusually cold voice.


    ¡°Fire away,¡± the cynical Tom responded. In the corner of his eyes, Sally could see the uneasiness.


    ¡°Tell me what happened on that night,¡±


    ¡°Not going to happen¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re dodging me. You exactly which night I''m talking about. This is for your own good.¡± She was uncharacteristically direct. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you leave the inn unless you talk,¡± she threatened.


    ¡°Fine, Fine, I¡¯ll talk.¡± Tom finally gave up. He described it the best he could. He left out gruesome details and the fact that his memory became abstract and painful at the end.


    ¡°You¡¯re sugarcoating it, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Tom was silent for a moment. For the first time, he didn¡¯t know how to answer to his sister. ¡°There are some things I wish to spare you from. I don¡¯t want you to suffer too, not like me.¡± She seemed to understand immediately.

 Chapter 9

    Oakwood Academy was alive the next day. Unbeknownst to Sally, only the foolish first-years were so cheerful.


    At the opening ceremony, a single lecturer spoke. She didn¡¯t reveal her name and spoke monotonously.


    ¡°Our Oakwood is one of the very few schools of its kind in the entire world. We must live up to its name and become the best students, the best fighters we can be. In this cruel world, tranquility doesn¡¯t come from peace alone, but rather from the heroic individuals that dare the impossible. You are the future knights who¡¯ll protect the peace. We will not stop ¡®till our safety is guaranteed. If there are always darklings lingering in the shadow, then there will always be those who work to quell it.¡±


    It doesn¡¯t matter what happens to the outside world, even to our own nation. We will not stop ¡®till you are capable. If you do not agree, leave the premises immediately.¡±


    Sally tugged at Tom¡¯s shoulder; he looked over and exchanged glances. As the lecturer continued they both listened in restlessness.


    ¡°If the school itself crumbles, our great Lodestone falls I will persist until all those who remain are ready to fight for their nation, for the sake of its kind people.¡± She stopped once again and looked down on a piece of paper.


    ¡°Please do not travel alone after dark, although it¡¯s unlikely, we do have past reports of a darkling attack. That is all; dismissed.¡±


    After the opening ceremony, there was half an hour of free time before classes. ¡°So what do you think of it, Tom?¡± Sally asked.


    ¡°I have a few theories. I''m not sure about the darkling threat, although you know anywhere is vulnerable. The rest of the speech was to scare off weaklings, I''m sure they have a plan in case of an emergency. Looking at the academy¡¯s academic record, our entire school life is a test for our capability on the battlefield, be careful.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t see you very much, so try not to get bullied without me there.¡± As always Sally was mocking even at the last moment.


    Besides the classes, the school is pretty normal, Tom supposed. The boys¡¯ dormitory was mostly unused so Tom got a room to himself. His first class was pain tolerance. It seemed that boys¡¯ and girls¡¯ were separated exclusively for this class.


    Simply put, the students were put alternatively icy and then hot water. It was uncomfortable, but it didn¡¯t quite hurt. Tom saw that the other students writhed in extreme pain. Then he realized that it was painful and he just had an inert tolerance. He almost laughed, to be spared from so much torture.


    Sally was in dire straits when it was her time for pain tolerance. As a member of nobility, she never experienced so much pain before. Being hit while fencing was one thing, the pain was sharp and quick, but the class seemed to last forever.


    The only thing that let her persevere was her promise to become a knight and save lives.


    Tom¡¯s second class was ancient history. He frowned. This year¡¯s curriculum was everything Tom already knew. He took this opportunity to relax and study after pain tolerance class.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    At the same time, Sally knew that the two academic classes would be easy for her. She still needed to pay attention though, these classes were a little unlike the normal ones at her old college.


    After this, there was a surprisingly long lunch break. Sally and Tom quickly met and sat alone at their own table. A tall, muscular student asked to sit with them; they agreed.


    ¡°Eh, my name is Theodore Stein. You can call me Stein.¡±


    Tom and Sally introduced themselves. Tom looked at Stein and then at the rest of the student body. He took note of everyone¡¯s demeanor and manner of speaking, and absolutely no one else was nobility. He noticed that such a good looking fellow would rather sit with him. He must either have personality flaws or no friends at the academy, he thought.


    Stein broke the ice by asking a few questions. They were mostly deep and personal, so he got brief answers. Tom figured he was probably planted by the faculty to get information. Once again he realized that he was wrong when he noticed Stein¡¯s awkward timidity. It was unbelievable that a person could be both outgoing and shy.


    Stein stuttered his words, always was polite, and was never insulted by Sally¡¯s crude humor. It was clear that he was a loner. Sally and Tom both realized that there was nothing wrong with having him an ally.


    Self-defense was probably the least useful class, yet it was the most frustrating to both Tom and Sally. It was a class of mostly self-defense techniques and martial arts. Martial arts had been in decline after the Great Reverse.


    It was effective in terms of damage to Darklings, but it wasn¡¯t very wise. Recently, most people would rather carry swords and daggers than fight unarmed. Neither Tom nor Sally were very good at it, and they both suffered humiliation whenever they fought their classmates.


    Tom was surprised that such a class would be at Oakwood, most martial arts were lost and whatever remained were assimilations and corruptions of the ones the people of the past practiced.


    Darkling anatomy was the most interesting. Really the only class that was important was this one. It was during this class they would learn how to counter the darklings¡¯ fear effect. The teacher explained cryptically.


    ¡°There are three ways to achieve this. One, summon the courage with sheer willpower. Two, accept the fear and fight for your own survival. Both of these are easier said than down.¡±


    Someone asked about the third way. The teacher responded, ¡°I''m not liable to teach you, the knights don¡¯t like it.¡±


    This got Tom interested. Of course, rest of the course focused on the many kinds and many abilities of darklings.


    The academy¡¯s schedule was meant to initiate socializing. Oddly enough, even after the warning about strolling after dark, the classes started late and ended during dusk. Lunch was too long, and so were the passing periods. Even Sally knew that your social status was an indicator of your confidence and ability to work in a group.


    The school had all the wanted facilities: a library, a gymnasium, many sports¡¯ courts, extensive locker rooms, even a teahouse. It was obvious that the school wanted you out after dark; it was probably a test of courage. Tom dismissed his thought and instead decided to enjoy his school life.


    He was curious about the third method to withstand fear, so he checked out such books in the library. Sally visited him that day and went on and on about her roommate. She seemed pretty stable, but she left in middle of the school year, Sally explained.


    ¡°Year is the wrong word for it. We only spent two terms of four months here.¡± At this point Tom was frustrated, not at his sister but that he wasn¡¯t finding the answers that he needed.


    It had been two weeks since he checked out the books that he found his solution. A suspicious looking book read; Mute all the emotions in your heart. Along with them, so goes your fear. Your heart becomes a blank, nothingness. Be careful, you won¡¯t feel pride or joy, or have a sense of self-preservation. In fact you won¡¯t feel anything at all. The hardest part is returning to normal. One cannot live heartless forever. In order to return to normal, you must-


    Rest of the book was in tatters and the text was unreadable. Tom was content; he could learn how to return to normal on his own. Rest of the first ¡°year¡± went swimmingly.

 Chapter 10

    For the siblings at least, most of the second term went almost as uneventfully. Students were allowed to take two extra classes from a huge variety; they had any class that would serve a knight in the slightest.


    The normal classes had gotten more intensive and there was less free time. It took its toll especially on Stein. This year, whether by luck or by careful examination by the instructors, Tom shared a room with him.


    He had lost a little weight and now stooped slightly. Worse of all his confidence dropped and as a result he stuttered more and more. He has enrolled in a heavy weapons class and Tom guessed that was especially taxing. However he had no idea what his other special class was.


    As for himself he had taken advanced swordsmanship and a supplementary marksmanship class. Sally had also taken the swordsmanship class. Her other class, which referred to entire reason for becoming a knight, was field medicine.


    Inside Tom didn¡¯t know whether his gun would help in the slightest. The silver polish and the weight in his hand added some security. However, there was research that darklings did flinch at bullets, so at the very least it would never be useless.


    With his free time Tom would practice the ¡°blank¡± method. He would sit upright on his bed and focus intently. His breathing slowed, he rid himself of all emotions, and for good measures he¡¯d rid all other thoughts too. He didn¡¯t know whether his vision really turned monochrome, or that he just didn¡¯t care about the colors.


    He did feel one emotion though, a splitting indifference. His thought process was unaffected and he felt numb more than anything. His conception of time was probably distorted but he didn¡¯t know for sure nor cared.


    I should test this. I probably wouldn¡¯t want to meet a darkling unprepared. I¡¯ll go look for darkling.


    At this point his common sense was keen, although his sense of danger was at flaw.


    I should go tomorrow night. Worst case scenario I¡¯ll flee and let the guards save me. It wouldn¡¯t be advantageous to let Sally know.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    He didn¡¯t know how to revert back yet. He¡¯d usually just loosen his focus and let his senses return. Sometimes he¡¯d have to sleep through it, although he didn¡¯t feel the urge to do so.


    As a result he lost more than a little sleep and quite everyone noticed. At this point he had become completely isolated from the school¡¯s community, save for Sal and Stein.


    The next morning Tom woke up much earlier. He¡¯d have no conflict in his schedule. He practiced blank and for the first time he noted a strange phenomenon. It happened right before he loosened his focus.


    He remembered the frosty phenomenon that he felt around his heart. Frankly he hadn¡¯t felt it in a fearfully long time. It appeared right after the most of the blank method wore off. Perhaps it was always there, and he only realized when his senses returned. He¡¯s came close to perfecting it, he decided.


    Dawn had just risen. A brilliant vermillion surrounded the flatlands around Oakwood. Blood will be shed today, Tom thought to himself. He sat in his bed, shocked at what he had just thought. He changed and left his dorm without waking Stein.


    Outside, a fragrant breeze blew across the school. It would normally hard to stumble across a darkling after dawn, but since Oakwood was a place of great distress, they were in plenty. Guards were posted 24-7. In fact, the school rules said nothing about confronting darklings. Though, that was probably an unwritten rule. No one in their right minds would do such a thing. Luckily for Tom, his poor social skills made him that no one.


    He had been walking around for half an hour now. He didn¡¯t want to stray too far, so he instead made circles near the school. He didn¡¯t quite know the extent of a darklings power, so he played it safe.


    Finally, a hiss rattled through the prairie. A large darkling in the guise of a scorpion appeared. As soon as Tom saw it, he was instantly frozen in fear. He couldn¡¯t tell whether it was the darkling¡¯s effect or his own cowardice.


    It scuttled towards him at an unbelievable speed. Scorpions are pretty fast considering their size, and since this one is at least a few meters in length, it was no surprise!


    I¡¯m going to be dead if I don¡¯t use blank right now, he thought out to himself. He focused and luckily he was able to regain control.


    I don¡¯t feel fear. It¡¯s not interfering with my movements away at least. I have my weapons, I shall fight.


    He drew his gun and shot precisely. He was able to stun it long enough to land a slash with his sword.


    I indeed can combat while using blank. It is best for me to retreat now.


    A guard rushed to his side and swiftly stabbed the creature with a long spear. Its shadows dispersed and left no corpse.


    Tom returned to his bed and only released blank as he was falling asleep. He could faintly remember waking Stein, and the subsequent insults from him.

 Chapter 11

    Tom felt giddy all day, and not even pain tolerance class could wipe off his smile. But then he felt an overwhelming guilt. It wouldn¡¯t be advantageous to tell Sally, but Tom realized he could¡¯ve been killed. He started on about it during lunchtime.


    ¡°Stein, Sal, you won¡¯t tell you anyone what I''m just about to say, would you? I¡¯ve done something horrible I think I want to confess.¡±


    ¡°What is it Tom? Are you seeing a girl?¡± Sally said with a dumb face.


    ¡°Shut it, Sal. I''m serious.¡±


    ¡°So am I. But that¡¯s nothing to be ashamed up.¡±


    At this point Stein giggled.


    ¡°Damn it Sal, this is no time for one of your games,¡± Tom almost yelled.


    Sally frowned as is she was about to apologize. Stein was silent.


    ¡°Of course, we won¡¯t tell anyone, right Stein?¡±


    He nodded as Tom continued. ¡°Last night, I went to confront a darkling in order to test a method to avoid their fear effects. I was successful, but my weapons only fazed it, and I saw no visible damage to it.¡±


    ¡°I knew that you were lacking a few screws, but that was truly stupid.¡± Sally¡¯s words were humorous, but she used a harsh tone, almost like she was criticizing him.


    ¡°What happened after-afterwards?¡± Stein asked.


    ¡°A guard saved me.¡±


    ¡°What would you-you have done if there was no-no guard nearby?¡± He inquired.


    ¡°He would¡¯ve been dead.¡± Sally butted in. She had a furrowed face.


    After a few minutes she had seemingly returned to herself. Only Tom could tell that she was faking it. She finally asked what classes Stein was taking. He told them that it was rather embarrassing, and he dodged Sally¡¯s questions. Sally persisted and finally he gave.


    ¡°I¡¯m ta-ta-king heavy weapons and then an extra pain tolerance class. I thought that if I took it, then I¡¯ll be tougher, then I could fight better.¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°If anyone¡¯s the idiot it¡¯s you,¡± Tom retorted. ¡°If you already have enough resolve to take that class, then you¡¯re tough enough. I¡¯m not trying to make you feel better, I''m completely serious.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t mat-matter anyway. I can¡¯t drop out of it.¡±


    ¡°Well, certainly it wouldn¡¯t be all-for-nothing. Maybe that¡¯ll save your life later,¡± Sally said optimistically.


    Tom stopped for a moment. Why would young teenagers be trained to become knights? Why would their school life be so stressful?


    Stein interrupted him. ¡°Before I forget, you know they¡¯re starting the tournament in a few days, right?


    What tournament? Stein could almost hear the siblings ask out aloud.


    ¡°Every year, Oak-Oakwood Academy and The Water Lily Academy in Susanoo, have a competition between their trainees to show good-goodwill.¡±


    Susanoo, once known as Elodia, is the largest country in the world. It is situated on the same continent as Lodestone, being a mighty ally for the relatively new country. It is located on the coastal plains Southeast of Lodestone. The reason for its success was its unique technology.


    The technology wasn¡¯t the most advanced in the world, but it was among the greatest breakthroughs since the Great Reverse. The early scientists were able to combine magic and tech into special machines; among those were Susanoo¡¯s anti-gravity devices and Susanese swords.


    With those, Susanoo was able to establish the greatest air fleets and the strongest knight corps. However, Susanoo has a bloodstained history and had gone through tough times. At a time, it was split into two countries for almost a millennium.


    About eight hundred years ago, a relative to the current, and perhaps most peaceful queen of Elodia, demanded more autonomy for her castle. The lady of the castle, Susan had seceded from Elodia and built an army, as the queen. She called her country Discordia to mock Elodia¡¯s harmonious name.


    Meanwhile, Queen Caitlin of Elodia decided to wait for the country to fail and regain her lost land. Both women would regret their decisions. At any given time, the countries were at odds with each another, giving way for the largest two militaries in the world. The struggle between them was resentment, and not a difference in ideologies.


    Finally, six years ago, whether for better or worse, a group of terrorist magi assassinated the royal family of Elodia, and almost brought both kingdoms to the ground. The prince of Discordia, now the king of Susanoo, allied with the greatest warriors from Elodia to save the two countries.


    It was discovered that the two bloodlines had been related. In an old diary left behind by Susan, it was written that she and Caitlin were not cousins, but rather they were half-sisters. She also wrote that she never meant to cause such a struggle. The prince, Kevin was crowned as the young king of both states. Within the last five years, the governments had been completely integrated. The new country was named both after the wronged queen and after a god from an ancient pantheon, god of the sea.


    As a result, the recently united Susanoo is the most dangerous country in terms of military might. It now holds enough soldiers to fit two of the grandest militaries. Alternatively, Lodestone has a short, uneventful history of three hundred years.

 Chapter 12

    Tom and Sally had signed up for the competition and Tom went to the library to research his enemies. Susanoo has three knight corps, each with their own distinct fighting styles.


    The Imperial Guard is accustomed to fighting to protect, so they hold their positions until they find an opening. Tom can use a ranged weapon to harass them until they let down their guard. Then he could run in with a sword.


    The Susanoo Blue Knights, once Elodian Knights, fought using innumerable methods. After all, they fight both against darklings and in wars. Tom decided that they were wildcards, but they do have a few things in common. They commonly use tools called ¡°mercurial weapons¡± which change form to match the users¡¯ wills. Tom would want to avoid close combat with those.


    The Susanoo Black Knights, previously called Discordian Knights, are a special task force that serves directly under the king. They probably use many tricks to carry out delicate missions. Tom doubted if he would be able to fight fair against one. And even if he did, he¡¯d probably still be at disadvantage. If he ever fought a trainee that used those sorts of tactics, he¡¯ll have to end it fast and see through all of the tricks, he decided.


    The rules of the tourney were simple. Any and all weapons were allowed as long as the blades and bullets were replaced with soft rubber. The opponents fought in single combat until either one is unable to continue or the judges deem so. Magic was allowed, but Tom doubted that he¡¯d see a single spell cast. Ever since the panic in Susanoo six years ago, most able people hid their magic in fear of hate-fueled violence.


    Tom had few days left to train. He practiced using his sword in one hand, and a gun in the other. He usually used only one hand when he fenced anyway, and since he was pretty ambidextrous, he was able to land six precise shots in just 7.5 seconds, even with his offhand. He worried more about Sal, the only thing she had going was her superb swordplay, but it won¡¯t be enough.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Sally knew that she was a one-shot gimmick, so she was determined to learn new techniques. She was actually in the same advanced swordsmanship class as her brother, and there she learned draw techniques. Since Tom already had practice with quick draw, that was the one aspect of swordplay that he was superior in.


    If Sally could improve on that, she¡¯d be in whole new level when it comes to pure skill. Every day, or rather every morning, she asked Tom to help her train. They didn¡¯t get much done, but in the end, Sally was able to succeed Tom. That much was to be expected of the prodigy.


    One morning, right after a rigorous workout, Sally embraced Tom. Tom kind of pushed her away.


    ¡°You bastard, you¡¯d thought I¡¯d forget.¡±


    ¡°Forget what?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you ever do that again, confronting a darkling? You could¡¯ve died.¡±


    She started to cry.


    Truth be told, it was Tom¡¯s plan to tell her during lunch, so he wouldn¡¯t have to listen to her in front of Stein.


    She wiped her face and turned serious, but not with a tone of humor. Tom had never seen her like this.


    ¡°You think it¡¯s a joke, what do you think they are? Wild animals? They''re manifestations of pure darkness. What a joke! A darkling got Mom; Dad is a wreck because of it. You¡¯re the only one I have left, you jerk. It¡¯s like you want me to be alone. What would I have done without you? You like to think you¡¯re more perceptive and intelligent. Why didn¡¯t tell me about that night? You think I can¡¯t handle it. I¡¯m not the weakling you have to protect, it¡¯s you.¡±


    She had gone too far. She had just been so frustrated, so she let all out on Tom. She waited for Tom to reprimand her. He only smiled silently. He felt the ice around his heart being replaced with heat for a moment.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I''m the one who has to be protected. But you¡¯re also wrong about some things. I don¡¯t want you to be alone, because then I¡¯ll be alone too. I really am the intelligent one, idiot sister; do you think I would¡¯ve done it if I didn¡¯t know for sure if a guard would come? I know I deserve this criticism, but let me make it up to you. I¡¯ll tell you a few secrets, so you better be ready.¡±


    They didn¡¯t need to say anymore to understand each other. Tom could only wonder how she was so courageous.

 Chapter 13

    A man walked the Streets of Elodia¡¯s old capital. The official capital was Castle Susan, but by far the old capital was the largest city. He paced by the old palaces. The entire old city was surrounded by skyscrapers. The residential districts were clean and sharp looking. Outside the ideal cityscape, upon huge floating anti-gravity platforms, lie the newer parts of Elodia.


    The tallest of the skyscrapers on the ground barely reached some of the floating buildings. This was how citizens were able to avoid darklings. Between the skies, dozens of airships cruised between the buildings. Among the floating streets, hundreds of fountains, flowing with sparkling water seemed to ward away evil.


    The man spit at the whimsical city from below. This was the very thing that he wanted to destroy. He walked into a dubious bar; there were no other patrons. The barkeep shooed him until he lifted a cruel serrated sword from under his full-body trench coat. It shined against his black clothing and dark eyes. The sword wasn¡¯t a weapon; the man didn¡¯t need any weapons.


    This man was just one of many who shared his fanaticism.


    ¡°Right this way,¡± he heard the barkeep. A bookcase moved across the floor to reveal a passageway to a large series of rooms. In the largest room, which was at least four stories underground, many similarly dressed young men and women waited for a speaker.


    ¡°Hello, my kin. We come here for only one purpose. Our goal is to-Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Please excuse me, I forgot to introduce myself. You may all call me Agro O¡¯Caos.¡±


    Agro wore a pure white mask. It didn¡¯t cover his mouth, and it didn¡¯t have any features except for slits for the nostrils and a single gap for an eye. He was rest like the others, with a black trench coat. The very little skin he exposed was deathly pale.


    ¡°Our goal is the creation of a new world order. We shall take up arms against the corrupt world. Only when our enemies weep in despair, beg for forgiveness, and accept their inferiority, will be give them mercy through death. The days of humankind are numbered.


    Do you not see the injustices that they commit? They brand us as demons, as monsters, as creatures of the dark. If their own children are gifted, then they will even throw them out. Just a few years ago, I was simply walking the streets, and one of them threw a bottle of acid on me. I can never again show my face without my mask.


    If I am not just, then I am nothing. Do you not agree that all people should be treated equally? We tried our protest, and we were the only ones who suffered. They¡¯ve become like rats; they''re like insects between our feet. We might be few, but we are stronger. The only thing we can do is squish them between our feet.


    But do not worry, my kin. We have the upper hand. We aren¡¯t yet discovered, so we can launch a surprise attack. We have far exceeded our expectations as far as our turnout goes. We expected about two hundred members. Thankfully, we already have two hundred members present right now. I¡¯d say we have about three hundred members in total.


    That is all for today.¡±


    ¡°What are we?¡±


    ¡°We are umbrae,¡± the crowd roared.


    ¡°Who are we?¡±


    ¡°We are Ragnarok!¡±


    ¡°What will we do?¡±


    ¡°Purify the world¡±


    As the meeting ended, all members unsheathe their identical swords while chanting, ¡°Death to Elodia, Death to Susanoo, Death to the world!¡±

 Chapter 14

    It was the day of the tourney. In fact, they only had a few weeks until they graduated. In honor of the competition, the day¡¯s classes had been canceled. Tom had asked Sally to wake early; today he would have a long talk with her.


    They met in a courtyard outside the dorms. The morning dew was calming; it almost seemed to invite Tom to talk. There was a little mist here and there, and as a result the visibility was perhaps half a mile.


    They felt the wet grass under their feet. Maybe it was her imagination, but Sally felt raindrops on her head.


    ¡°You understand this, Sal. Once I tell you, you won¡¯t be able to forget,¡± Tom started.


    ¡°I would rather suffer forever than be forever in the dark.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad, though I wouldn¡¯t say the same.¡± He smiled.


    Neither said anything for a moment.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.Tom sat down on a bench, and Sally followed. Only afterwards they realized the wood was damp. Tom started by once again recalling the events that led to Mother¡¯s death. This time he also gave Sally the bloody details. This time, both siblings cried, just as the rain broke out anew.


    They went inside to shield themselves from the saturating rain. They briefly parted to change and met again in the school commons. No one else was awake yet, but slowly but surely students trickled in while they talked.


    A few students wore cyan uniforms, and anyone could¡¯ve inferred that they were the Susanese students.


    ¡°You know about the three methods to combat darklings, right Sal?¡±


    ¡°Of course, though I only know of two.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been practicing that third method. That¡¯s exactly why I went to confront that darkling. I call it the ¡®Blank method¡¯ or simply ¡®Blank¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Why would you do that?¡±


    ¡°I am a coward. I cannot deal with my fear, so I must rid myself with it. Nor can I accept my fear; I''m ashamed to be so unable.¡±


    ¡°Tell me what blank does exactly.¡±


    ¡°I focus until I lose my feelings. I become a shell of a man, and then I fight. I lose my heart; it becomes a blank. I have no fear, no happiness, no regrets, and no sense of survival.¡±


    ¡°How do you get out of it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to yet. I just loosen my focus ¡®till it wears out by itself.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s extremely reckless. Guess it matches you perfectly.¡±


    Sally smiled. It wasn¡¯t a smile of happiness, but it was more out of relief. As long as Tom is true to me and to himself, he¡¯ll be just fine, she thought.

 Chapter 15

    By this time, the commons were full and Tom stopped his talk with Sally. Stein sat down next to him and so did two Susanese students. Their cyan outfits were outlined in White, making them seem right out of an old painting.


    Neither Tom, nor Sally had any idea of the organization in Water-lily, but they could tell that they were some sort of partners. They were a girl and a boy, looking even younger than Sally. They kept to themselves at first, but they cordially greeted the others. They clearly didn¡¯t want to talk much, as they didn¡¯t even say their names.


    Tom couldn¡¯t keep from eavesdropping. The girl had shoulder length black hair, and warm black eyes. She seemed like the person you could always talk to, given the chance. The boy also had black hair. It was a round cut, and he fastened a little bit into a ponytail. He had an aura of fervor. Their uniforms¡¯ pants were more of an ashy color as compared to Oakwood¡¯s darker grey.


    The same woman who gave the opening speech appeared and started again on a meandering speech. She stressed the importance of community and alliance and such. Finally she ended by saying, ¡°All athletes, change into proper gear and standby outside at the courtyard. We will commence the third annual schools¡¯ tourney in half an hour.¡±


    They all changed into a thin, cloth like armor. The armor was completely black, and it was obviously made out of synthetic materials. It seemed to stress mobility over protection. But instead, modern-day armor was usually far more protective than it seems.


    They would use weapons given to them by the school. Finding a rapier or something similar was easy, but Tom hoped to find a gun.


    Outside, just by the courtyard, lies the arena. It was a vast ten by ten by ten feet. On either side of it, there were many temporary seating arrangements. It was completely constructed with some sort of tough glass. It allowed for perfect visibility. So this is all for show, Tom thought.


    There was an electronic screen. At the moment, it only showed the countries¡¯ flags. Lodestone¡¯s flag was a black stone on a lavender background. It represented the country¡¯s sturdiness.


    Likewise, Susanoo¡¯s new flag was a white crescent and a white dove on a grey background. The dove represented a will to keep the peace, while Tom wasn¡¯t sure exactly what the crescent meant. To him, it seemed eerily like a blade.


    The electronic screen burst to life and displayed instead a bracket. The names were blank, but after a second they randomly displayed the combatants. Next to their names, a small flag could be seen for either country.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Tom looked at a weapons rack. He took a blade that resembled his own in terms of weight. Before the tourney he had asked for a gun, which was unusual to the event¡¯s staff. He found one that was much like his own.


    The pairs were set so that at least in round one, Susanese fighter would go against one from Lodestone. The next pair was randomly selected, and it looked like the men¡¯s tourney was first.


    Tom had to use blank to keep himself from laughing.


    The pool of potential enemies for me is disappointing. They all lack talent and have major flaws in their techniques.


    I have a moderate chance of winning. However, I was wrong in my last few statements. There are a few who could possibly worlds above me.


    Finally, but inevitably, Tom¡¯s turn came for round one. He saw the name that he would face, but he wouldn¡¯t bother remembering it.


    His opponent was about a foot taller than he was, with a full build. Around his waist, he had a thin sword and a flimsy looking shield.


    Imperial Guard, surely. I didn¡¯t know that they specialized even before graduating.


    Tom heard a screeching bell and the audience¡¯s roar. It was his mark to draw and immediately fire. As he did so, his enemy extended his shield and was unfazed.


    So that won¡¯t work in practice.


    He drew his sword in his other hand and dashed towards him, with little effect. Tom struck and struck again. Every time he would get parried. His enemy got a chance to land a clear blow to his arm.


    I don¡¯t think it is advantageous to reveal my trump card yet. He completely ignored the injury on his arm.


    He tried in vain again. Luckily, this time he got a nick on the fellow¡¯s foot.


    Though, I believe it is necessary now.


    He ran towards the edge of the arena and started at his adversary with a running start. He walked into melee range and blocked the guardsman¡¯s sword with his own. He used his offhand to do so. With his main hand, he tore away the shield, and before he was hit with a sword slash, he did the incredible.


    He dropped his sword; it landed on the floor with a thud. With his offhand, he quickly drew his gun and shot two shots into the poor boy¡¯s chest. While he was frozen in pain, Tom used his right hand to disarm him and snatched his sword.


    Now he stood in front of his piteous enemy, with both a gun aimed at his head, and a sword by his neck. Needless to say, he was declared the winner.


    Blank may also improve mental keenness.


    It was the last thought he had until he loosened blank. He didn¡¯t completely lose it until moments before his next match. He saw Sally wave to him from the audience and then he whitewashed his next enemy, a half-baked warrior.


    Still, I never conceived that technique I used on my first opponent, he thought to himself. I vaguely had the idea of ripping away the fellow¡¯s shield, he hypothesized.


    He continued on: Why is such a great technique disregarded? It doesn¡¯t have any consequences thus far, so that may not be the problem, as I previously thought.


    His next enemy would be the only one he would remember. The screen showed that Tom had made it to the semifinals.

 Chapter 16

    Tom had a little time before the tourney would continue, so he decided to return the book he borrowed from the library. The first thing he did was find Sally.


    ¡°Sal, I''m going to take care of some business, you should probably get ready too. If they gave us an intermission now, they won¡¯t give us one between the men¡¯s and women¡¯s tourneys.¡±


    There was nothing for her to say, her joy shown on her face. First Tom went by his dorm and checked on his armor. There were no scratches to worry about. Underneath his sleeves, though, he noticed painful red marks where he suffered sword blows.


    He briefly thought about the imperial guardsmen. Would the gunshots cause excessive pain? He asked himself.


    No, the only pain he felt was that of humiliation.


    Tom took his book. To his surprise, he ran into Stein on the way to the library.


    ¡°Hey, you were amazing out there. Good luck,¡± Stein said numbly.


    Tom felt a little ashamed. It was blank that produced the finishing move, and it was blank that kept him from giving up when he was in disadvantage. He got the notion that all of his success was due to blank. He wasn¡¯t sure how right he was.


    When he turned in the book he found a newspaper lying on a table. No one was around, so Tom took a look. It seemed like an editorial.


    What really happened that day?


    Should King Kevin really take all the glory? How do you know that he really descents from the Elodian Royal Family? I mean really, this guy is rumored to be a dark swordsman. How much did he really contribute to the crisis in Susanoo? Let¡¯s get the facts straight right now. There were 40 terrorists in Elodia, and 20 in Discordia. That already is suspicious. They seemed to target both Her Majesty Catherine and that boy prince. Instead of attacking bystanders they seemed to actively hunt knights and soldiers. True, his supporters claim that if he hadn¡¯t intervened, the causalities would¡¯ve been higher. What I think: the authorities would¡¯ve gotten it under control without too many more injured. Elodian field reports say that the assailants had ¡°extremely high magic capabilities¡± but I doubt we haven¡¯t invented some secret anti-magic weapon yet. If anything, we should at least point out that he¡¯s one of the two kings who actually hold some power. The thing is, in this day and age, there¡¯s no need for one. In fact, the Parliament of Susanoo should just take over. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Tom decided that the article was convoluted and biased and was too appalled to read on. He briefly wondered what on earth a ¡®dark swordsman¡¯ was and why the writer liked Catherine so much. Tom was just turning ten when the whole incident happened, and he didn¡¯t even remember Catherine¡¯s rule. He vaguely remembered how she looked like, though.


    She was around Tom¡¯s age when she assumed the throne. Such a shame, he thought, without her, the Royal Family of Elodia ceased to exist.


    Tom suddenly remembered something. He had to find out who wrote that book, maybe so he could find more knowledge over blank.


    Exactly as he though, the book was too decrepit to find a full author¡¯s name. He was able to find ¡®Schwarz¡¯. It was a rather common last name and it wouldn¡¯t help at all.


    In desperation he looked through the book for a lead. To his surprise, the actual name of the technique was indeed the ¡®blank method¡¯.


    He found a ruined page that told him a little, though; the author was formerly part of the Discordian military. He noted that she was a battlefield medic. Although he didn¡¯t get a name, that would surely help him greatly, he thought.


    He decided to ask the librarian for help. She was only able to give a first initial: ¡®A¡¯. He left the library with mixed feelings.

 Chapter 17

    When he returned to the commons the mood was unrecognizable. Most of the spectators left and instead of exhibitionist mentality, he felt seriousness from everyone else. When he was again readied for combat he looked closely at the electronic screen.


    Tom Blanc vs. Yoh Yang


    Tom started to ready blank and felt that it was ¡®advantageous¡¯ to remember this man¡¯s name. Yoh was about Tom¡¯s age with a well-defined physique.


    From him, an aura of fervor grabbed the audience. Sally felt rather anxious while Tom felt nothing. Around his waist, a smallsword hung.


    ¡°Hello, you must be the boy who was sitting next to me,¡± Yoh broke the ice. He only continued on as they took their positions on the arena.


    ¡°I¡¯ve fought a lot of swordsmen before, but never one who used a gun, too.¡±


    Tom didn¡¯t respond, or rather, he didn¡¯t feel inclined too.


    ¡°I really see that you don¡¯t want to mess with focus, that¡¯s cool, but that method seems similar to maybe someone I know.¡±


    Tom had fully prepped blank and saw an opportunity.


    This man may be familiar with blank. It would prove to my advantageous to inquire later.


    ¡°Anyway, En guarde!¡± he said rather coolly.


    Tom drew first his sword and charged with a lunge. He was quickly parried at first, but he was able to win two tradeoffs. He got a couple of small pokes on either shoulder. Through all the armor and rubber, it should¡¯ve been painful but not cringingly so.


    ¡°It seems that I cannot beat you in sword fighting. Very Well! This just won¡¯t due. I like winning, so I guess you won¡¯t get mad if I use some unfair tactics,¡± he rambled on.


    Yoh took his sword and threw it disdainfully on the floor. He followed suit with his sheath. Instead he took a unique stance.


    No! It can¡¯t be.


    Tom¡¯s blank slowly corroded away. He was stripped of his trump card, just as his enemy revealed his.


    No, I have to calm down.


    He witnessed Yoh¡¯s wicked stance. He stood low, on the balls of his feet, he clenched his fists and inverted them, and he coiled his arms as so he could extend them effortlessly. Worst of all, he wore a diabolical smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re not the only one who fights with an outdated weapon,¡± he said mockingly. Yoh later learned that he spent too much time talking.


    I have restored blank to full capabilities. Though I may not be skilled at any martial arts, I can utilize any flaws in his movements.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.Yoh attacked first this time. Tom tried to remember some of the advanced techniques that he could use to get an advantage on. He sidestepped his first punch and attacked with the sword then. He backed off and fired with his pistol.


    Yoh clenched his body and covered his hurt shoulders. Tom watched in disbelief.


    The rubber bullets and firearm were much weaker than those used in riot control, so they would only sting the slightest if he couldn¡¯t get a direct hit. Yoh himself didn¡¯t show any signs of pain.


    On top of that, his enemy probably had equal or superior pain resistance to him, and surely comparably to his first opponent, he was conceivably unfeeling.


    ¡°I apologize for my silly stance. It¡¯s self-taught; it¡¯s hard to find a decent instructor,¡± Yoh boasted.


    Tom had a vague plan, but decided not to use it yet; it was rather risky, even compared to his other ¡®works of art¡¯, as Sally called them.


    Both had the same idea; both of them were injured and exhausted and whoever exploited a weakness first wins. Tom and Yoh both acknowledged that Tom had the advantage of reach, but Yoh¡¯s Frankenstein martial arts had greater fluidity and flexibility.


    They encircled each other like two boxers. Their careful movements were sometimes interrupted by Yoh¡¯s tasteless comments. Sally conversed with Stein, while still studying the fighters in front of her.


    ¡°There¡¯s something that¡¯s awfully wrong about Tom.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s performing to his best either.¡±


    ¡°No, even more than that, and also you really shouldn¡¯t talk; you¡¯re not even competing.¡± Sally was on-point, but she was a little ruder than what she meant. ¡°Sorry, all I''m saying is that normally Tom would love this excitement.¡±


    Stein stopped and asked what Sally was trying to say. She explained his blank method to Stein and added, ¡°He shouldn¡¯t do something that goes against his own wishes, especially in a brawl. Tom loved adventure, and now, his entire personality is washed out.¡±


    While Yoh was talking, Tom decided to lunge.


    If I can¡¯t win with this, I can¡¯t win at all.


    His lunge was a miss, but he followed up with a slash that toyed with Yoh¡¯s chest. He reached for his gun, but then Yoh finally snapped back into action. Yoh grabbed Tom¡¯s other hand before he got to his holster. Then, he painfully elbowed Tom¡¯s head; Tom dropped his weapons and felt a staggering impact of a fist to his stomach.


    Tom fell to the floor and couldn¡¯t recover. Before he could fight back, the judges declared his defeat. Yoh grinned ear to ear. They shook hands, and to Tom¡¯s surprise, his clasp was gentler than when it plunked Tom. As soon as Tom turned off his blank, he felt embarrassed at the applause Yoh received. He didn¡¯t hear any crude remarks from him and instead Yoh gestured for them to sit together.


    Yoh went back and breezed through the semifinals. He endured through another round of applause. ¡°Hey, Tom, right, are you OK. You took that last punch like it was nothing. I was sure I was stronger than that. Anyway, you seemed to react when I mentioned that odd determination, or lack thereof, that you had.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I want you to tell me everything you know about that other practitioner,¡± Tom asked politely. It was an overwhelming request.


    ¡°OK, but it¡¯s gonna be more of a story than an explanation. It was a couple of years ago, and I only got one look at her. It was a cold winter night, and I was foolish to be walking home. I decided to take a shortcut through Castle Susan¡¯s city center. Suddenly, a darkling in the form of a gargoyle appeared. I did what any victim would logically do. I stumbled to the ground and panicked-¡±


    ¡°What does this have to do with meeting the other practitioner?¡± Tom asked impatiently.


    ¡°Oh, I got carried away with my storytelling. Thankfully, a knight jumped to my rescue. The knight who saved me wore a black armor, and I think you know what that means. She was an older one, and I can vaguely remember her appearance. She had long hair but her face¡­ It was inhumane. It was very pretty, don¡¯t get me wrong, but as she engaged the darkling, it was a strong one, her face was completely emotionless. No, even beyond that, her breathe was ever steady and her eyes were beyond calm. She asked me whether I was okay, but even then, there was no concern or fright in her voice.¡±


    Yoh stopped for a moment and was then interrupted. An announcer with a bubbly voice announced the final round.

 Chapter 18

    Agro waited to give his final commands. This time, Ragnarok¡¯s meeting was held deep within an empty cavern. True, it was a little far from the old capital, but they had to avoid suspicion.


    First, he addressed the crowd. ¡°My true followers, I¡¯m afraid that I bring bad news. You have only known me for a short time, and I hope that I am not the object of your hatred. Today, our fair lady could not be here. That is just one grievance. Our hatred must be taken care of; our fated incursion has been delayed.


    We will not unsheathe our hearts yet. These are directions from straight from our great lady. She has honorably asked me to collect more information about our foes. Is there anyone gallant enough to come to my aid?¡±


    Two people among the crowd raised their hands politely.


    ¡°Good, I would like to talk to you afterwards. Perhaps our fair lady wants to be on the cautious side. In fact, you two, I want to see you right after today¡¯s announcements.¡±


    As they nodded, water dropped eerily from stalactites. It seemed no one liked the new hideout, but it must be tolerated.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.Agro burst into life, ¡°Don¡¯t fret. We shall have our vengeance. If all goes well, we shall be done with our righteous war in a matter of months. If anything, our lady knows best, and I humbly ask for your cooperation.¡±


    When Agro mentioned her, the crowd went silent.


    Everyone left, leaving Agro and his two subordinates. ¡°I beg your pardon, but I''m not familiar with all of our valiant brothers and sisters yet.¡± Agro pointed to one of them, ¡°You¡¯re Captain Tsukuyomi. And you, you¡¯re Captain Douteux. Forgive my intrusion, but only we three have that rank, correct?¡±


    Both of them nodded again. After fiddling with some papers for quite some time, Agro finally said, ¡°Your mercurial forms are perfect for the assignment. I want you to infiltrate Susanoo¡¯s and Lodestone¡¯s military. I want you to get as much information as you can: the numbers of their knight corps, their weapons, Special Forces, prominent individuals, security details. These are all vital to our success; take all your time, but I would prefer to have them within the next month. If you need help, our kin will be happy to lend a hand. I myself was advised by our lady not to reveal my powers yet, but I will do all that is necessary to your success. I¡¯m really sorry. If we had our old hideout I could¡¯ve gotten you something to drink. Dismissed, farewell.¡±


    Douteux and Tsukuyomi bowed as they left.


    ¡°Yo Douteux, I¡¯ll take Lodestone, so you can have Susanoo. Well, I¡¯m not really asking you,¡± Tsukuyomi retorted.

 Chapter 19

    Yoh was called up again and demolished his competition, casually becoming the first place victor of the boys¡¯ tourney. Tom realized it now; his hubris was a lie. He had attempted to taunt Tom with his words. It didn¡¯t matter if Tom lost anyhow. Yoh returned to his seat next to Tom and continued on. Tom did the same thing to win third place.


    ¡°What, no congratulations?¡± he asked to break the ice.


    ¡°Congratulations,¡± Tom said absently.


    ¡°Ok, let¡¯s put together what we¡¯ve got. I¡¯d say she has to be no more than thirty years old but no younger than twenty-five. She¡¯s blonde with long hair.¡±


    Tom added on, ¡°She¡¯s a former medic from Discordia. The closest thing I have to her name is A. Schwarz.¡±


    Yoh interrupted, ¡°Hey, if we know that much, I know how to find her. I¡¯ll become a blue knight soon, right? I could just ask my superior that I really want to meet her, and when I present her name, we can narrow it down to double-digits. If I get proper permission, I can match face to name to address, and we¡¯ll be set. Think, Tom. How many A. Schwarz¡¯s are former Discordian military medics?¡±


    ¡°What if you don¡¯t get permission to check records? What if she¡¯s not listed?¡±


    With a smile, Yoh said,¡± Well, I guess I won¡¯t meet her then. Anyway, I really do want to meet Ms. Schwarz. I haven¡¯t yet thanked her for saving my life. You know, we don¡¯t even know if that knight and Schwarz are the same person. I really want to how someone can be so strong in the face of pure darkness.¡±


    Tom thought of something: Was Blank a method of valor or of cowardice?


    ¡°For now, let¡¯s kick back and enjoy the tourney. I don¡¯t know how you do it here, but we won¡¯t be trainees forever. In fact, my partner and I are just a year away from graduation.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Tom looked puzzled, so Yoh rambled on.


    ¡°At Water-lily, education there replaces college. Along with ¡®useful¡¯ academic courses, we receive our basic training over four years. We¡¯re put into the system, and we start most of our development in our future squads. The reason we¡¯re put into squads so early is so we can pressure ourselves, form basic tactics, and so we can compete earlier. In fact, this goodwill tournament is nothing special to us.¡±


    Deciding that it was fair to explain Oakwood, Tom answered ¡°At Oakwood, I¡¯m not entirely sure when we¡¯re processed into teams, but almost all grads are become knights eventually. This education is pretty minimal, and we only learn the basics over about a year.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad we¡¯re not the only ones then. Other countries must have their own knights, and most of them mustn¡¯t be imported. I thought I was going crazy when I agreed to go to that death trap. Though I wondered; why do our knights have to be trained to early? Where do they train them? Anyway, just to make sure, you go on patrols too, right?¡±


    ¡°Patrols? No, I don¡¯t fully understand your question.¡±


    ¡°In groups of two or three squads, of about four each, we follow a genuine knight and carry out exterminations. Sometimes, upperclassmen are allowed to go by themselves. I¡¯ve seen some of the better students go alone.¡±


    ¡°I digress, but you mentioned a partner, yet you keep talking about squads and their organizations. Please elaborate.¡±


    ¡°Within our first year, we may form our own squads of two to six, or if you¡¯re feeling lucky, let the system decide for you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re dodging my question.¡±


    ¡°About that,¡± Yoh laughed. ¡°We¡¯re only a squad of two. You see, no one really wanted a martial artist for a partner.¡±


    ¡°Well, why not?¡±


    ¡°What did you think when you first saw me?¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°So anyway, I was put into a squad by administration, and I was kinda late with the paperwork, so I got the short end of the stick. It seems that my partner and I were the only ones left, so those lazy bastards just abandoned us in an army of two. I have no complaints though. It¡¯s safe to say that she¡¯s probably the strongest in my year. Just watch, I¡¯ll point her out,¡± Yoh said confidently. His face was mildly exasperated and undertones of red showed. He stopped talking and gathered his breathe.


    ¡°Wait, then that would mean that she¡¯s stronger than you. Was she the girl who was sitting next to you?¡± Tom inquired. Yoh didn¡¯t answer.

 Chapter 20

    The girls¡¯ tourney started without a hitch. To Yoh, it was just as boring as watching the pathetic boys. To Tom it was more so; he didn¡¯t need to analyze the combatants.


    ¡°Hey Tom, do you think we were the only ones trying, or is everyone really that bad?¡± Yoh said nonchalantly.


    ¡°If the latter is true, then both of our countries are doomed,¡± Tom answered coolly.


    He tried to scan the audience for Sally, but with no avail. On the other hand, she didn¡¯t get to congratulate (and/or embarrass) Tom yet.


    She looked into the sunset over the horizon. The brilliant reds were just now starting to mingle with the oranges and yellows. She began to hurt her eyes and looked away. Even today, I lose myself, she thought. Flustered, she looked if anyone around her noticed her childish folly.


    A yellow-haired kid seemed to stare at her from beyond the bleachers; his hair gently tussled by the wind. He smiled at her and before she could react he ran off. Sally was a little concerned and so she followed. She saw him sitting by an older guardian, maybe his older sister.


    Wait a second, she¡¯s not a student here; I¡¯ve never seen her before.


    Sally¡¯s train of thought was ended abruptly when she was called up.


    Yoh returned to his seat with a drink and passed one Tom. ¡°Hey, that one looks a little like you,¡± he said as he clumsily spilled a little on the ground.


    ¡°Don¡¯t joke. I look nothing like my sister.¡±


    ¡°Hah, I made you slip. But it¡¯s true, same unrestful eyes, cresting hair.¡±


    ¡°I beg your pardon.¡±


    ¡°Plus, she has your last name. I think you forgot about that.¡±


    Sally drew her sword and tried holding it in her offhand. She gripped it in an inverse manner, so that the point was behind her.


    Nah, this is stupid, only Tom would try it like this.


    So she flicked her arms and held it naturally.


    Just as she had predicted, similarly to both Tom and Yoh, she had won just as easily as she held her custom-made sword. Over and over again, she won over her opponents as the night grew darker. Sally simply hated the fatigue she got from the days¡¯ routine, and the tourney was just as tedious. She noticed a slight fault in her blade, but she dismissed it as just a scratch. None of the other girls even proved to be a threat.


    Her muscles ached as she was called up for the quarterfinals, which she had so easily reached. Her opponent this time was another swordswoman who smiled questionably at the crowd. It seemed that she was a regular at these tournaments. She put a finger to her mouth and hunched slightly; at this motion the crowd grew wild.


    So she¡¯s a crowd favorite, Sally thought to herself.


    Yoh pestered Tom until he turned to face him. "Hey watch that girl. The one that''s about to go against your sis. I bet you¡¯ve never seen magic before. But she¡¯s only alright. She might be a crowd pleaser, but she usually places second in our internal tournaments. The way I see things going, she¡¯s only going to place third, like you. Wait, no, that¡¯s not what I meant; she¡¯s the third best here. Believe me Tom, you were the second strongest here. It¡¯s just that the bracket system threw you off,¡± Yoh ended when he realized he should stop talking.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Slightly offended, Tom watched when the other girl took the stage. On the screen, her name read Katy Reed. Blatantly, she waved her hand towards the bleachers as Sally crept up on the stage.


    As soon as the match started, Sally lunged, trying to emulate Tom¡¯s quick draw. She lost her footing and it was reflected. I guess Tom is truly more nimble than he acts, she thought to herself. As a fencer, Sally was a solid competitor to Katy, but even at a disadvantage, she smiled on. Sally even landed a solid contact point, but it wasn¡¯t enough for the judges to accept her win.


    Finally, very much like how Sally expected it to happen, Katy backed off and waggled her finger. Sally knew exactly what happened. She had been so prideful to walk up, and even in seeming defeat, she still had that egoistic smile. It was only obvious that she had a trump card, and an unfair one at that, judging by the crowd.


    Sally had to be on edge, but at the moment, retaining her dignity was the goal here. If she lost to a trick, and especially to a girl like that, she¡¯d just embarrass herself in front of the whole audience. She wondered how many poor girls had also been humiliated like that.


    And then Katy began to narrow her eyes. Her image began to resonate. First it shook slowly and then it created noticeable tremors on the floor. Sally whispered to herself,¡± I know I lost sleep, but not that much,¡± and then giggled at her own joke.


    She felt daggers on her back. She shouldn¡¯t have giggled. Now she really needed to win, or otherwise she¡¯d be the joke. In actuality, she had no idea of what is going on.


    Katy quite literally split into two bodies. They were uncannily identical to the original image. Even the individual strands of her long wind-ruffled hair moved independently but similarly. The two pointed their swords at her. Even with this trump card, she wanted to milk it as much as possible.


    Sally was hesitant to attack. She couldn¡¯t believe what she was seeing. To see what would happen, she struck one of the Katies. She retreated in confusion as she learned that both of them were fully tangible.


    She could hear someone in the audience, ¡°She¡¯s got her now. That¡¯s our Katie.¡±


    She stayed indifferent; she had too if she wanted to win. She thought to herself, my main goal is to figure out these illusions. Katy teased her, having either image attack independently. Sally noticed a slight lucent characteristic to her sword.


    Without taking more than a few painful scratches, she learned everything she needed to know. Each illusion is independent and tangible, but Sally had reason to believe they were vulnerable. How she managed to pull of such a feat of magic was beyond her. Additionally, if Katy had to resort to some underhanded she¡¯s most likely poor combatant.


    The beginning of Sally¡¯s counterattack was met with luck. Perhaps controlling more than image was difficult, because the Katies kept on making absent-minded mistakes. That luck was promptly interrupted when a Katy split again, for a total of three.


    Sally was still in full momentum, with her swordplay slowly tiring out her adversary. She wanted so much to tell Stein and Tom how she could handle three as easily as two. She imagined that she was simply fighting Tom, and that the illusions were just a trick he had learned. Without holding back, without any timidity, she ran one illusion through. Although it was not the same sensation, the next one fell just as easily.


    Katy herself was finally subdued. Looking very exhausted, almost to the point of fainting, she sat down on the arena¡¯s floor and everything suddenly became quite.


    ¡°Even I lose sometimes. Let¡¯s go at it again sometime. What was your name anyway?¡± she spoke as Sally helped her up.


    ¡°Sally Blanc. I hope we meet again.¡±


    ¡°Seeing how it is, that¡¯ll be some time. Anyway, you better beat our champion, or otherwise my image as number two will be gone.¡±


    ¡°Will do,¡± Sally answered as they both sat back down in the audience.


    Sally was rather shocked, not so much at her victory but by her opponent¡¯s pompous attitude. But as soon as she lost, that vanished. Yet at the same time, her pride hadn¡¯t completely faltered, as her now uneasy smile had yet to hide itself. It would have been easier for Katy to antagonize Sally, but her temperament was anything but sour. To be fair, Tom had made a friend too, Sally thought.

 Chapter 21

    Sally had no break before the finals, and to her dismay, she barely even got to sit back down before being called up again. Truly, her next opponent won the round so quickly that not even the now-defeated Katy could compare knockout times.


    Sally wiped her brow of salty sweat before taking to the stage again, her feet like lead. Her Strength was starting to give and she wondered whether she could correctly hold her sword.


    Yoh nudged Tom on the shouder, ¡°Hey look. I¡¯m sorry, but this is as far as she goes.¡±


    Tom finally humored him with a skeptical look, ¡°Don¡¯t be so sure."


    Sally was partially relieved, because her opponent was equally exhausted.


    ¡°Hello,¡± her opponent half-whispered, ¡°It¡¯s an honor to engage in a duel with you.¡±


    She was a plain girl, one who was barely any bigger than the slight Sally. Her face carried and abundance of freckles, and Sally had never seen hair like hers. It was a red color, which was apparent less than a percent of people worldwide after the Great Reverse, and it was especially elusive in Susanoo or even in Lodestone. Sally realized it was natural judging from the even tone, and she couldn¡¯t help but feeling delighted. The color of a warm sunset flowed from her head, though this was no time to grow distracted.


    Her sword was unusual too, no; it was more like a hunting tool. It was clearly a poor man¡¯s weapon, and what was visible of it through the rubber coating was jaded. It held a simple elegance that outshined Sally¡¯s sword.


    Sally tried to peak at her opponent¡¯s name just like Tom had, even though it would¡¯ve been more polite to ask. She was unable to because she had hastily gotten on the stage, but it appeared that the red haired girl hadn¡¯t peeked either. They both had realized how odd it was that neither of them asked. The other girl thought this was because Sally was nervous, while Sally thought it was because that in Susanoo they might have different etiquettes for it.


    Without much delay, once the match started Sally was bombarded with powerful slashes from another more normal sword which her enemy had kept hidden earlier. Sally should¡¯ve guessed so because she wore an average sized sheath on her waist.


    Not only should¡¯ve the second weapon be expected, but Sally¡¯s swordsmanship was outmatched and she quickly found herself at disadvantage. There was also one more ability she had not anticipated; The other weapon was used like a parrying dagger, but if Sally retreated too far away, She would throw it like a throwing knife, and since it was coated with so much rubber, it would bounce off Sally¡¯s armor painfully and land somewhere close to her. She kept on retrieving it while Sally flinched, and this only added to the gap between them.


    It might have been her imagination, but Sally¡¯s sword almost slipped from her hand because of all the sweat. She was also certain she was bleeding from previous injuries. To add even more difficulty to her focus, if the dagger ever hit over her head or heart, it could be a qualification for defeat.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    No normal knight, much less a trainee could be able to throw a knife with so much precision that it returned. In fact, Sally knew that the velocity and the orientation had to be within certain parameters. Another thing she noticed was her opponent made clear that the strike was coming, so no one would complain that it was an under-handed method. Sally was battered and bruised, and ready to give out.


    Unlike Katy, it wasn¡¯t like that girl was compensating for something, nor did it seem that she would tire out before Sally. Attacking head one while the gap between them was small would be the best strategy if something more specific wasn¡¯t available, but she could probably hold her own. No, Sally was certain that she would lose an all-out exchange.


    There is no other way, she decided. Sally waited to when she crouched over to pick up her rusty weapon, and then she lunged, scoring a powerful hit. She also stumbled and her surprised movements allowed Sally to compete. However, her actions were defensive, and she easily repelled Sally. In the end, Sally won over but she still suffered more damage considering her earlier clashes. Her opponent had the perfect offense at a distance, and a perfect trick for someone who thought she was unable to take a hit. But Sally¡¯s counterattack did have a significant effect, as no more projectiles head her way.


    Sally heard a rude voice that she understood as her conscious, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare give up. Do it and Ill hate you forever? Remember your goal. Winning or losing, a martial tournament doesn¡¯t mean anything, but if you surrender, than what¡¯ll stop you from surrendering in the future. You asked what it meant to be powerful. It means to be able to stand up to the occasion.¡±


    Sally still knew that the only course of action was another clash. She cornered her opponent and predicted her opponent¡¯s footwork based on Tom¡¯s, and all the while meeting steel they worked themselves onto the edge of the platform. Sally lunged again, but instead of being repelled by her opponent¡¯s skillful parries and returns, she turned on her side so instead the sword would slide painfully against her body. However, taking the blunt of the blows instead of retreating allowed Sally¡¯s continued assault. It was no longer a duel but a siege of a castle. Even the best prepared fortifications crumble after enough attrition.


    With her back against the wall, her opponent was at a great disadvantage, what but seemed the most spectacular to the crowd was Sally¡¯s wild temper, which inflicted great pain without wavering when it felt it. Her determination made her go on, but she fell first, and in a last attempt, she landed a low pierce and both of the touched the ground.


    The judges were going to proclaim it a draw, unless one was able to get up. Both combatants got up and on their knees, but until one stood, the verdict would be the same. Sally felt strange, almost like her center was outside of her frame. She picked up one leg after the other, not to win, but to find her head. She collapsed and woke up in the nurse¡¯s office. The last thing she remembered a dull pain in her head, but then she realized it wasn¡¯t just a memory. She didn¡¯t even get her opponent¡¯s name, nor did she know what time it was.


    She was the only one there, and she snuck out, but strangely, the sky became brighter already. When she got to her room the clock berated her by telling twelve hours had passed. Even though students woke up late normally, she couldn¡¯t sleep because she was out cold for so long.


    She begun by showering and changing clothes and she had a long leisurely breakfast since she missed dinner. Today there would be no classes either, and she already took care of her chores before the tourney, so she waited boringly in her room. She always wondered, but now she really imagined if Stein and Tom ever caused the other agony.


    Instead, she had lain with her eyes open, lonely and cold. Her aching stopped but she felt at shame that her education would stop so early.

 Chapter 22

    A few hours later, Tom was up and roaming the outer fringes of the school ground. He looked over the horizon and found that the amount of guards was reduced since the tourney. That meant on the off-shoot chance he met a darkling, he would have to deal with it himself, or else.


    Something else bothered him while he marched. Yoh Yang knew extensive amounts of martial arts, even more so than swordsmanship. That could only mean that either he was a trainee for a black knight, which was perfectly acceptable considering his level of expertise.


    Tom liked this explanation better, because since black knights were trained for anti-personnel purposes too. However, it could also mean that Yoh knew of a way to disable or even damage darklings with his fists. The idea seemed scary since Tom had asked him some questions before they parted. How poor! They were so interesting to each other but who knew when they would meet again.


    Yoh had destroyed a darkling. Cooperating in a squad that consisted of him, Katy and a few others, he was able to take on an entire pack of them. Yoh said patrols became a part of curriculum during the fourth and last year of training, so it was no surprise, but one story he shared was about him killing one alone.


    Tom grimaced and was in a foul mood when he couldn¡¯t find a target. Stein was able to sense it and trying his best, he oozed out flattery. Stein didn¡¯t say a word he didn¡¯t mean in its entirety, ¡°Tom, I thought you were amazing last night. There¡¯s no way I could have done anything if I was in your position.¡±


    Tom huffed, but he knew that Stein wasn¡¯t to blame in the slightest. It wasn¡¯t fair to be jealous over someone who spent more time learning. It was like getting angry that the teacher knew more than you. He calmed himself down, or more precisely he suppressed his feelings.


    Stein suggested they have some lunch, and then they can go look for Sally. They both stuffed food down in nicest restaurant on campus, and Tom begun to speak, ¡°I feel so bitter. It¡¯s perfectly okay to see other people who¡¯re stronger than me, but he was out of my league. Nothing good came out of that tourney.¡±


    Stein looked him at him straight and said timidly, ¡°How can you say that? Are you talking about the Discordian guy? You already saw so much, and I may not be the right person to say so, but you weren¡¯t out of you league.¡±


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.¡°That¡¯s wrong. You don¡¯t know. He wasn¡¯t even hurt by me.¡±


    The other patrons looked at Tom. It was clear some of them recognized him from yesterday. Even though his voice was still at a normal level, he wore a frown that that would¡¯ve scared even Sally.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t notice because you were focused on his movements, but he was clearly hurt, and even incapacitated. Firstly, when he was dodging he didn¡¯t try to counter. That means he was legitimately scared of your attacks. Secondly, the reason why he didn¡¯t flinch was because that¡¯d show weakness. Rather, he consciously stopped that reflex and avoided showing you how much in pain he was. You couldn¡¯t tell, but he was using exclusively his left arm, even though I¡¯m certain his right hand is dominant. He used it to hit you on the head, and make you stagger, but he also used it for the last punch, which you also couldn¡¯t see. The bastard.¡±


    Tom tried and raked through his memory; it was true he couldn¡¯t remember if Yoh used his right after Tom thrusted at it. Also, his pistol shot landed on his right shoulder.


    ¡°No, I think it was fine. Just like it would be wrong if he didn¡¯t use his full force, so it would be if he didn¡¯t use every tactic allowed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not all, Tom. I think something else is bothering you.¡±


    Tom sipped from his lemonade, feeling better, ¡°Anyway, that guy was actually quite kind to me. I even got some information from him.¡±


    Not only was he strong in combat, but Yoh was strong enough to warm up to a complete stranger, even if they shared some goals. And they probably wouldn¡¯t meet again.


    Stein wasn¡¯t a genius. He wasn¡¯t even smart enough to decide what was best for his own sake. But he knew when something was absolutely wrong, ¡°Don¡¯t dwell on it.¡±


    Tom paid for the meal. It was so expensive he could¡¯ve eaten three meals somewhere else. They were at a loss of what to do next. They hadn¡¯t seen Sally since when she fainted, nor had they a clue of where she might be. Did she even want to spent time with them or was she too hurt?


    Tom had some things in the capital and at home he had to take care of, like paperwork Sally had overlooked, like payment for Watson.  If he took the driver without her, because knowing her she would¡¯ve loved to go with them, it would be disastrous. He and Stein just couldn¡¯t stay bored either.


    It seemed that this predicament was more dangerous than anything they had done yesterday. Suddenly, Tom had a clue to wherever Sally was. She was kinda lazy, and she probably wouldn¡¯t do anything until lunchtime. It was time for them to pick up their graduation necessities, so she would probably be their right now. Unfortunately, Tom wasn¡¯t lazy but he lacked the motivation to deal with chores as soon he could, so he didn¡¯t know where the gowns and caps would be distributed.


    After half an hour of pointless, he asked Stein, and with his answer and plan explained they ran to the commons. They got their stuff but no Sal. She had picked it up hours ago. It was nearly sundown when the irritated boys decided to go to the capital. Since Stein was from the city, he guiltily decided it would be the best things to show Tom all the tourist spots, without Sally.

 Chapter 23

    The next time the Blanc siblings were reunited was not on friendly terms. Sally really tried to hold back since she knew it hit Tom hard, ¡°So, how did the tourney go?¡±


    ¡°You won first place,¡±


    ¡°I know that now. How did it go for you?¡±


    ¡°I did not win first place,¡± Tom had outdid Sally finally.


    ¡°What was the name of my opponent? You had the luxury of meeting yours, and on quite friendly terms, too.¡±


    ¡°You were lucky that our enemies were both squad mates. She was said to be stronger. Katherine Lowe. I think that was it.¡±


    ¡°I will remember that name; I will also remember how you left me in my dorm and took the driver.¡±


    Sally continued on, even though the dialogue had been built up for that last remark, ¡°I couldn¡¯t even buy anything because I couldn¡¯t find an ATM. I planned to get money when I took care of the stuff I forgot to do at home.¡±


    At this point Tom couldn¡¯t tell whether she was hurt or being oversensitive. Stein had told her and apologized about their outing, Sally would have probably been too tired to go anyway.


    Today was graduation day, and to nearly everyone¡¯s dismay, it was being held early in the morning. Sally thought about how common the day was. She woke up much earlier, but other than that, she ate the same breakfast with the same two losers at the same table. They would grab their certificates or whatever, say goodbyes, return home, and apply for the Lodestone knights with their newly acquired credentials on their own time. Or so they thought.


    The ceremony itself was simple. There was no opening or closing speech. The instructors present all had grim faces, and the woman who made all the other speeches was missing. Students simply lined up alphabetically and unceremoniously received an envelope. They were told to check it before they left campus.


    Tom checked his and saw that besides the certificate having the proper information, there was also a beautifully embroidered note that asked for presence in front of the Royal Palace. On it was the Lodestone flag and a drawing of a lance. Tom had never seen a lance like it, but it seemed similar to his sword.


    It was slim and ornate and it also had what appeared to be a gem in the same location as the swords. Some powerful magic of anticipation kept Tom from reading it, so he asked Sally if she had a note in hers too. Without a word she flashed her note and so they initially thought that it was nothing special: perhaps some thank you with a royal signature or something of the sort.


    With enough confidence to open it, it was a request that the persons be within the lobby of the Royal Palace at eight o¡¯ clock. However, Tom remembered that it closed to visitors at that time.


    Doubts ran through their minds when Stein got it too. He and Tom discussed as they packed their things. There wasn¡¯t much to do, since the irate Stein urged Tom to organize his things so often. Almost everything was neatly packed into boxes and drawers before they started.


    ¡°Well, if you were personally scouted, it would be because you two took part in that tourney.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, Stein. But how did you get one too?¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t seen just anyone with one of those letters, right?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Tom said truthfully. There was no one else he could¡¯ve asked. Even since the first day something held him apart from the others.


    At the same time, Sally chose not to worry, and instead used her last day to enjoy some of the cafes and restaurants near campus. She did what she did every day, and for nostalgia¡¯s sake she ordered the same things she liked the most: a cup of tea with a loaf of bread and a croissant without supplements.


    From the dorms it was quite a march and the trip and meal back took about forty five minutes. She could¡¯ve had something from the cafeteria it would not be like usual, especially without Tom or Stein. Even if she had suffered so many years with her elder brother, who acted like he forgot the fact, it was the only time she talked with Stein, mostly about useless topics.


    All her life she had been expected to go and learn how to behave at work, but now her schooling was no more, and it was not like her college graduation, because that had only been a prerequisite for her time here. No more could she think, ¡°I¡¯m going to know how to act when I¡¯m done,¡± because she was done.


    She felt like something new was going to happen to her, and the feeling was crushing. Getting the letter was only more painful since it made her exceptional. That could lead to exceptional suffering, even above an average knight¡¯s work. She read it with her own eyes:


    To all recipients,


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.You have been personally selected to participate in a further scouting program. This is an important and imperative step for your career as a knight for the Kingdom of Lodestone. To support confidentiality, no details are enclosed with this note. Rather we hope to meet recipients of this most-esteemed honor. Contact the administration of Oakwood Academy if the following information is incorrect.


    Name: Blank, Sally


    Rank: Baronet


    Sally frowned. She was certain she wasn¡¯t the one to misspell her name anywhere, but she guessed it wasn¡¯t important; at least they got the right person. It was more likely that it was a joke than a real obligation, but since there was nothing more to do than apply for the job, it could not be a waste of time.


    Sally didn¡¯t have anything to do, and unlike Tom who believed that he had to entertain Stein whenever they had free time, she took a nap.


    She imagined that it was the morning of the first day at her first job, which was rather truthful, and hoped that she could be lazy forever. For the first time her resolve waivered and her conscious did nothing for her, paralyzed by the decisions of its higher-ups.


    Unbeknownst to Sally, again, Tom sat in his empty dorm alone, since Stein had to fix how they switched his first and last names. Quite frankly, neither of them thought of their time at Oakwood as something to be nostalgic about. Tom knew himself to be right because of how sorrowful graduation seemed to be.


    At six o¡®clock, when the daylight was still thriving, Tom offered Stein a ride to the Imperial Palace, and he accepted readily since he couldn¡¯t find any other arrangement. Even the driver was surprised that the young master would offer so casually.


    Tom regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth. He hadn¡¯t been driven anywhere since he had the last episode of panic, and he was positively afraid that it might happen again. He couldn¡¯t decide whether having company would decrease his chance because it felt more secure, or it would increase because there was more ¡®pressure¡¯ around him.


    He was cautious to avoid thinking about anything morbid, but the feeling was nauseous. Tom breathed heavily upon arrival.


    The Royal Palace was exactly how it should¡¯ve been, without any security guards or other staff. Lights were out and no one could be inside either. On the contrary, it did seem like there would be something inside.


    For one, eight o¡¯ clock was the standard closing time today. They wouldn¡¯t turn off the lights so early, especially for the city¡¯s largest tourist destination, since it has to be cleaned daily. It was sure since it opened at six o¡¯ clock, not early enough to clean before the day.


    While Sally and Stein conversed, Tom tried to pull on the door, but it didn¡¯t budge. Without so much as a noise, the lights flicked on for a second and a blond-haired figure opened the door, and closed the lights as the three stepped through.


    Before anymore of the stranger could be seen, it became dark, with the only source of light being from the large windows to outside, and the sterile fluorescent glow of a lightbulb deeper inside the building.


    After walking through the dark, a mutual sense of fear could be observed at a glance, but the fear of Tom, Sally and Stein was blunted after seeing that the stranger¡¯s outline against the light wasn¡¯t larger than a small teenager¡¯s.


    At first glance, she, or he, had wavy blond hair past the ears, and carried a long regal scepter, one that made a pitter-patter as it sampled the dark. In the full light, the boy turned to face them, with a soft but angular face, and decided to punish them with deep piercing eyes. He leaned backwards unto a ribbon that marked off an important display piece, the royal dining hall.


    His expression held a slight smile, one that didn¡¯t give off any malice, as if to say, ¡°You¡¯re at the right place.¡±


    He had a sunken nose, and sleepy blues in his eyes, and the latter betrayed the seriousness of the meeting. His childlike and slim figure made it hard to estimate his age. He seemed familiar to Sally, perhaps someone she saw at the Oakwood-Water-Lily tournament.


    His scepter was shining brilliantly since it was in the lighted room, and it had some crest on it. Tom looked above the seat of honor of the table and found that the crest of the royal family matched it.


    At first he thought the knave had stolen the scepter, since his civilian clothes and demeanor didn¡¯t match any prince or princess he knew.


    Tom scared him with an apprehensive look, and Stein and Sally both stared blankly. After waiting for the shock to wear off, he started reading off a card, ¡°My name is Nicholas. You may call me by my name, but ¡®Nick¡¯ is preferred. I can¡¯t read the rest of this, so I¡¯ll tell you in my own wards. Ahem, in my own words. I am the second prince of Lodestone and from now on you¡¯ll be working directly under me as knights.¡±


    Usually he worries whether the candidates get nervous and opt out too early, but this time he slipped a few times and was on the receiving end. Something about the group in front of him was strange. They didn¡¯t seem like graduates straight from Oakwood. They were adults, a characteristic that he so dearly lacked.


    ¡°And how may we know we¡¯re talking to the real deal?¡± Stein said meanly. Tom meant to stop him, but he couldn¡¯t blurt out in front of the prince.


    ¡°Well for one I have the royal crest on my scepter, and I also have clearance to use any heritage sites as I see fit. I¡¯m not trying to sell you anything, and there¡¯s no way I could do anything without any weapon, or backups, or even motives. That¡¯s okay, not everyone believes me on the first try.¡±


    ¡°Stein,¡± Sally wailed, ¡°He has to be a prince because I saw him scout around the tourney earlier this week. If anything his stealth skills have to be improved.¡±


    Nick said sheepishly, ¡°I wasn¡¯t supposed to acknowledge you, especially since you were on my watch list, but I panicked and forgot and it would be easier to do something.¡±


    ¡°Sincerest apologies, Your Highness.¡± Stein said as if he was addressing the reigning monarch. Lacking a noble title of any degree made more responsible, he thought.


    ¡°No, No, No!¡± He forced the last one but overall his tone was conversational, ¡°There will be none of that. No your majesty or milord either.¡±


    All the while, his slight smile never left his face, ¡°Okay. So, after a week of freedom, I¡¯ll call you here again in the exact same matter, and then you¡¯ll be taken to my headquarters¡¯. After that, don¡¯t expect to see your home and family every day. We try, but it¡¯s not always possible. Mostly, my knights don¡¯t have a reason to leave, and I try to make everyone¡¯s wishes come true at home, so I honestly don¡¯t what will happen with you three.¡±


    He kicked a piece of trash against the wall, ¡°Will you still accept? You don¡¯t have to tell me now,¡±


    Sally had to help people even if it wouldn¡¯t help her. Stein wanted to become a knight so badly, that it outweighed all his other desires put together. Tom simply had no reason to ever visit his family home; it was desolate and empty now.

 Chapter 24

    The house was unlike the dorms the two stayed in. Everything was neat, tidy, and warm and only then did Sally and Tom think that they took it for granted. The both of them had already spent a whole day resting lazily, each with little more to do, then say goodbye to their comfort.


    On the sixth night, they packed what little things they had to take: weapons, clothes, toiletries. Overall, Sally was less discriminate in what she packed, including mementos and other things like family portraits. Both knew how little anything bound them to their home.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Sally had a clunky old computer, one she had built herself before college. It was her favorite pastime, and it would have to be left behind because it was also used by her father.


    ¡°Tom, don¡¯t you think Dad will be horribly lonely?¡±


    ¡°Who knows, he barely even comes here. I can¡¯t remember the last time.¡±


    I shouldn¡¯t pity him; his negligence pushed us down this path, he almost thought aloud. To deal with him, he would simply say that his own job as a knight would require him to be away throughout, just like him.


    With all, the house will have to be left in Watson¡¯s care. There were little valuables left, and all precautions were taking care of. It was one more worry they could shed behind.

 Chapter 25

    Again, Sally felt that crush; once more she had to deal with that feeling of intense change. Every time she thought it would be the end of her current life, it was delayed. She had that buffer between college and Oakwood and then again between the tourney and graduation. She hoped that this would be end of her torture, slightly more painful than pain tolerance class.


    The car ride must¡¯ve taken hours, but again, without explanation to their driver, they stood at the front door of the closed Royal Palace.


    Tom pulled at the door just as Stein arrived with a gentle, ¡°Hello.¡±


    As they acknowledged him, they noticed there was no one at the door.


    Stein said impatiently, ¡°My watch just struck eight. Today¡¯s the right day right?¡±


    Tom pulled again, and heard a metallic click. This time, the door was unlocked, and the inviting darkness was untainted. As the three went in and closed the door, the boyish prince opened the lights to the same room as the week before.


    He was more composed, carrying a truly regal look that lacked naivet¨¦. He had his scepter, and his clothing was equally luxurious. He wore a radiant yellow blazer, but his lower body was more subtle, with grey pants. A glimpse of a bright red shirt could be seen, a mature side to his childish outfit.


    ¡°Have you made your final decisions?¡±


    Yes, Yes, Yes, rang out in delayed symphony. Their fate was sealed long ago, and their meeting with Nicholas would be equivalent even if it was someone else. They each gained inspiration, and fear, from different sources, but reason held little significance for them.


    ¡°Okay. From now on, I require your undeniable secrecy. You will not share details of employment or missions without my permission,¡± He was not like a child anymore.


    ¡°You will cooperate with me and my other agents without question. Your rank and upbringing will be irrelevant and I will not use honorifics, as per policy. However this gives you the opportunity to address your prince without them as well. If in any case, your relations ask you of your job, you will reply simply saying that you¡¯re a knight of Lodestone, and you¡¯re required to remain on standby twenty-four hours. You will not receive titles of nobility for your service for the time being, and monetary rewards will be discussed later.¡±


    He broke off his monotonous tone, ¡°It¡¯s not like you joined for those things, anyway. I believe I would¡¯ve known.¡±


    Nicholas signaled them to follow with a wave. At this point, everything was possible. They stopped in an empty service room and he pulled on a locked and camouflaged trapdoor on the orange tile floor. Even the keyhole was cleverly disguised with a sliding piece on top of it. The prince heard Stein, Sally, and Tom breathe as they followed down the lengthy grey stairs.


    The damp, but clean and well-lighted path led to a heavy oaken wooden door. Tom definitely expected a dungeon-like environment behind it. Nick had to use all his strength to pull on the door, and as he stepped into the structure¡¯s foyer, he waited for his comrades¡¯ reactions.


    The entirety of the walls was covered with borderless electronic panels. Instead of lighting on the ceiling, light was provided by these displays, which replayed recordings of wonderful natural scenes. The ones right now were of a desert sunset. Even if it didn¡¯t seem realistic up close, looking at them collectively at a distance created a harmonizing effect.


    Tom looked and saw that the central living room, with its common furniture, also had the panels. He also saw the corner of another room, but it seemed only the common rooms had them.


    Nick noted his curiosity, as well as the others¡¯ disbelief. Stein and Sally were fair in their judgement, none of the experiences of the last week felt real.


    ¡°These are ultra-conservative LED displays. Since we¡¯re underground and cannot have windows, we have to match the time of day with these. Any of you know the Tinker? It¡¯s not his design but his idea. He speaks of body rhythms and whatnot. Of course, we¡¯ve moderated it with panels only in the foyer, the living room, and the hallway between them. Please Tom, don¡¯t peek into other people¡¯s rooms just because the door in open.¡±


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t anything on the ceiling, or between the gaps where they can¡¯t fit?¡± Sally inquired.


    ¡°One, you answered it yourself. Second, it has to feel like we¡¯ll still inside a building. I think it¡¯s neat. It looks like we¡¯re underneath a tent,¡± He beamed. The small gaps were daintily painted with binary colors, with a woody brown in the living area and a snow white in the foyer. One could sit down and stare at the wall for hours.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Nick decided the first thing to do would be to take care of rooming. He led them down a plain hallway that had about five doors at either side. Apparently, only four doors were decorated. One was painted with grey and black horizontal stripes, one with Lodestone colors, but the other two, which were across the hall, were plainer.


    One was made out of finished mahogany wood without decoration and the other had a decorative doorframe trim, but was otherwise unpainted.


    After each picking their rooms, which were all empty, except for beds, desks, and dressers, they were told in a hearty voice by Nick to, ¡°Go unpack later I want you to show you around.¡±


    Nick assembled them in the living room, after showing them a small kitchen, and a curiously open space he called the ¡®training room¡¯.


    It had a high ceiling, off-white wall without any panels, with various weights and equipment littered onthe floor. Tom swore he saw a naked sword in the mess. It was large enough for three people to use at a time, and it could host dozens if all the mess was replaced with proper furniture.


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s the last of it. We live rather poorly, since we don¡¯t have much space. The others are all in their rooms. I think I heard Ella in her office. I didn¡¯t want to disturb her,¡± Nick said, as if trying to hide something. He mumbled the last sentence quickly, ashamedly.


    Tom wondered about how the other people he would live with were like, but his attention was diverted when Nicholas sat down in the living room, with all its chairs and couches. They could see that the sun was just setting. Digital Reds painted the walls.


    He spoke distantly, ¡°As you know, knights are divided into squads, including about two hundred that are reserved for the municipality of Lodestone¡¯s capital city. We are the undocumented Zero Squad of this city, created and regulated directly by the throne. With our now seven members, we¡¯re in charge of special operations regarding the presence of darklings in the streets. The reason why you were selected was because within Oakwood you seemed like irregulars, not fit for formal training or deployment as standard knights. All irregulars pass through Zero Squad for at least a few days until I decide whether you stay. If not, you will have to remain confidential and will be returned to standard service. I understand the disparity between you and the other members, who are all veterans of at least two years, so please get along.¡±


    Sally and Tom were speechless. Stein looked displeased, like when a guilty criminal receives the verdict. He knew that being chosen out of the group was dangerous, but then he realized that he could be a more of a knight in this Zero Squad.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t say so otherwise. It wouldn¡¯t have been right either way.¡±


    Stein eased himself and spoke first, with a smile, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have it any other way, your majes-, Nick.¡±


    Nick found himself returning the smile; he looked around and Tom was emulating it, unknowingly.


    ¡°And you, Sally Blanc?¡±


    She met his eyes for a moment but she also noticed another figure in the corner of her vision, concealed by the twilight, ¡°If we¡¯re not cut out for the job, the system would take care of it by itself.¡±


    ¡°Hello. I care not to interrupt,¡± she said, ¡°You must be the new members. I¡¯m pleased to make your acquaintance. My name is Eleanor, and you must be Sally. I am a court mage¡±


    Sally nodded as she noticed the indifference and condescension in her voice. Her judgmental introduction had an air of adult dignity and caution. Eleanor regurgitated it like a script.


    She turned to the boys, with a frigid gaze. Stein and Tom returned with their names, unintimidated. Then, she seemed to catch herself, and her expression softened, if only for a moment.


    It was the same girl Sally saw before with Nick, only that in person she seemed younger, and more stressed. She had alien eyes: her left one was plainly green like Sally¡¯s or Tom¡¯s, but the other displayed central heterochromia and had brown.


    Immediately, she felt the others looking at her right eye and forced a nervous laugh, and then said in a sophisticated manner, ¡°Relax. It¡¯s genetic, not any injury. Our job is safe enough if we take caution.¡±


    Tom thought her lie would be comical, but not the reason for it. There was nothing wrong with it, so why hide the details, if it wasn¡¯t genetic.


    She wore slim black slacks and a white dress shirt, making her look like an underage office worker.


    ¡°I take my leave, milord, ¡°She said as she stepped through to her mahogany door. There was a quiet niceness in her voice, not like what she had said to the others.


    She somehow still had the ability to properly address the prince, Tom thought. She was the Ella Nick had mentioned, who almost lived in the office.


    Nick spoke up,¡± I apologize. She deals with so much work she¡¯s out of it until mealtime. I think she¡¯s overworking but she insists that I do not do any of the paperwork associated with Zero Squad. She also writes my speeches.¡±


    Tom remembered the silly notecard he had; he thought it was an icebreaker in an otherwise serious situation.


    Nick paced, ¡°Okay, you can go now. Everyone else is in their room, and you¡¯ll meet them soon enough. We¡¯ll have some food in an hour. The person who usually cooks, and is the only adult here, is lying sick. You¡¯ll see Mr. Lawrence is a good one.¡±


    That leaves one, he thought.


    Nick didn¡¯t stop, and headed over to the room with the door trim. He inhaled for a moment and showed the three new recruits some hesitation, ¡°Luna, Luna, the new members are here. Would you like to see them?¡±


    A disgruntled but soft voice returned, ¡°I¡¯m not ready right now, lord. And I took the liberty of eating while you were out.¡±


    ¡°Were you planning on avoiding them?¡±


    ¡°Not particularly but I need to catch a rest,¡± She called out from the door.


    Nick turned to Stein first, him being the most surprised and addressed him jokily, ¡°Well, we conduct mostly night raids on the days we work. We have our sleep anyway we can.¡±


    In the meantime, he didn¡¯t notice Sally sneak away the moment this Luna said no.

 Chapter 26

    Sally sunk into her bed the moment she unpacked what little she brought. It all felt surreal, sitting in a brand new room, just a step away from wondrous technology out in the other hallway. She had already met (or half-met) so many more people that she would share a home with. They seemed like they already knew what people were going to turn out from the change in their former lives.


    She forgot about the days that laid in either direction of her, caring about how to escape the present, only snapping back when she heard the other two days open and close. She didn¡¯t want to care so much about her own life; she was ashamed because such little things, or things that seemed to be little to others even like her own brother, were bothering her so much.


    She felt in chains, and her bonds were propelling her into the unknown. Ultimately, in her half daze she realized all the uncomforting feelings stemmed from a fear of the unknown. There was no knight trick or alternative, and every human is bound by it, she thought.


    It was even more absolute than the method she chose for darklings, because even that primordial fear is lessened by acceptance. Knowing that there is a black hole of possibilities in front of her doesn¡¯t ease at all.


    Horrible thoughts raced through her head as she sat up. What if? The people around her could be cruel, or her job too tasking. She may even have to leave her brother if she didn¡¯t meet the challenge.


    Finally she decided that the what if scenarios are there in everything. It didn¡¯t mean she dealt with her issue either.


    She stepped out and saw that Stein and Tom had both been sitting on the couch. The walls showed an illuminating night scene, and she saw that one on the opposite wall from the kitchen could be used as a television. Nick sluggishly watched a news article about new separatism in the northern regions of Susanoo.


    He then got up, acknowledging Sally and then preparing five sandwiches, yet Sally only counted four people. Without delay, almost like a queue Eleanor surfaced from her room, still in uniform.


    She chatted indistinctly with Nick, and said without breaking pace, ¡°Tonight we have to run through a patrol for another squad, but we¡¯ll be free for the next couple of days.¡±


    She ate her food without savoring it in the slightest and slipped away with only ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    If anything, she wasn¡¯t mean or cold on purpose. Sally thought the whole episode was too cute.


    Nick talked in fragments, being careful not to when he had a full mouth, ¡°You see. Right now, Luna will be awake, since she, likes to sleep, later, than the rest of us. And Mr. Lawrence too, since he overslept, and he¡¯s too sick, to go tonight.¡±


    After the meal, which couldn¡¯t properly be described as breakfast or dinner, Stein and Tom settled in their cozy white beds, glad that they didn¡¯t have to suffer to share rooms. They valued the private rooms and the small bathrooms attached to each of them. No more did they have to conserve hot water, or worry about waking the other. Nick however, decided it was best to take a nap. He knew he had something important to tell Tom, but he didn¡¯t think it was urgent enough for him to worry over it.


    Sally couldn¡¯t sleep, though her persistent fear was pushed back, and she as distracted by all the new sights she saw today. Instead she sat down and indulged now that no one used the television, but found that none of the shows she liked interested her anymore. They all seemed cheesy or bland now.


    She was just about to turn in when a ghostly image entered from behind her. It couldn¡¯t have been anyone else except for Luna. She was a specter, with hauntingly dilated black eyes, and pale skin like moonlight.


    Except her deep red lips, she looked out of place, monochrome. She had long straight jet-black hair, and wore white jeans with a black t-shirt, with a white hoodie draped over. She was also petite and skinny, almost tiny for a teenager. She didn¡¯t seem real at all.


    ¡°Hello? You¡¯re still awake?¡± She asked timidly.


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.¡°I¡¯m Sally, one of the new guys.¡±


    ¡°My name is Luna Tsukuyomi. You can go to my room if you can¡¯t sleep,¡± She had a high and animated voice.


    Sally turned off the television and Luna showed her how to turn off the panels with a remote. As she followed, they got a better look at each other. Luna had an otherworldly look that seemed befitting to a member of Zero Squad. From her last name, Sally knew she might have not been from Lodestone.


    Her room had the homely smell of warm cinnamon. Sally spied a cup of tea and some rust-colored candles, and either could be the source of the fragrance. Luna¡¯s room had a small desk which carried a book that Sally dared not look into, and a night stand covered with books.


    ¡°Oh, I really like to read since we¡¯re not supposed to leave headquarters that often. I¡¯m reading one called Carrion Crusader,¡± She pointed to the one on her desk.


    ¡°It¡¯s about a superhero whose body can only handle rotten refuse. If anything it¡¯s more light-hearted than the title suggests.¡±


    Sally had a dumb look, and Luna realized how awkward she sounded, ¡°Well. There¡¯s a bookstore down the street and I usually buy books in bulk. Occasionally I get strange ones in the hurry.¡±


    Sally waited for more explanation, ¡°I¡¯ve grown to like all books, and even those kinds are fun to laugh at.¡±


    Sally smiled, indicating she thought it was neat, ¡°Well, Is that how you sustain yourself?¡±


    Luna thought for a very long time and her pail face shined. Sally noticed that even in the warm light of her room, she could see the veins on her arm.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s just me. His Highness likes to visit a particular orphanage that the king sponsors, and Mr. Lawrence has to keep social obligations since he was recruited as an adult. Even Ella has her own office work. Besides that, they all have to train harder than me.¡±


    Sally sighed, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to be so invasive.¡±


    ¡°Not at all. Anyway, the reason I chose to take up so much reading is that I think being thrown in another book is a good way to get your mind off of other things. Being a knight requires you take your respite.¡±


    ¡°Is there any reason why you don¡¯t train as hard?¡± Sally was stuck on that point.


    Luna took some offense, but she quickly cooled herself, hoping that Sally wasn¡¯t feigning ignorance, but then confronted her, ¡°I¡¯m an umbra. Have you really never seen one?¡±


    Sally nodded and became a little serious.


    ¡°An umbra is a human who can produce a mercurial form like a darkling¡¯s. It gives us superhuman strength, but I never thought of it as anything besides a curse. It takes much discipline to control, or else it can get out of hand,¡± Luna said coolly.


    Sally didn¡¯t have to be a genius to understand how she felt. If Tom¡¯s gift was perception, than hers was sympathy.


    ¡°Is that why your eyes are like that?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Umbrae have little pigment, but always have black hair and eyes. The mercurial form is never totally gone, and for most people it is confined to their eyes while they¡¯re resting. But it also exists elsewhere in the body, depending on the person.¡±


    ¡°How can that be?¡±


    ¡°Mercurial forms have no shape, no mass. It¡¯s not matter, so it can exist in a space that¡¯s already occupied. It¡¯s in my ocular tissue, my veins, my blood,¡± Luna was becoming a little flustered. She talked without taking breathes in between.


    Sally sat in silence for a few minutes as she digested it. Luna felt a little relieved, because she knew Sally was trying to bridge the gap. If she truly never knew of an umbra, she would have no prejudice against them, a fresh slate. Luna¡¯s eyes returned a bit closer to normal, but still looked like craters.


    Sally for the first time didn¡¯t know how to approach her, ¡°Were you born with it?¡±


    ¡°The physical traits are all there but sometimes the rest doesn¡¯t show until later.¡±


    ¡°If so, you shouldn¡¯t worry,¡± Sally spoke in burst because she wanted to reply quickly but not without caution.


    She spoke again, ¡°Always seeing yourself as something less won¡¯t change a thing. Seeing how well you''re controlling the mercurial form, I think worrying about what to do with all the free time is more important.¡±


    It was a risky move to say something so general about something she only heard of today.


    ¡°You¡¯re trying to tell me, that even if I have certain needs, I¡¯m still a normal person,¡± Luna giggled, ¡°I was only trying to educate you on the matter. You didn¡¯t need to tell me that.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a handful, Baronet. You had good intentions, and you¡¯re right about my biggest problem is dealing with boredom.¡±


    Sally eyed a small backlit clock. It was getting late and she had been up for a long time. She picked up Luna¡¯s cup of tea as she stood up.


    ¡°Okay then. I hope you find something to keep yourself occupied. If anything, I¡¯ll have another girl to talk to; Ella is such a drag.¡±


    Sally found herself to sleep at ease, and let the darkness lure her away. Luna however, was still up neatening her room. She didn¡¯t have to gut to tell her new friend that a hobby wasn¡¯t for being aloof, but it was something necessary for keeping the mind off of the cruel realities of being a knight. Although she was immune to the radiating fear of a darkling per her umbra nature, she knew that destroying a darkling didn¡¯t mean all of its effects would just vanish instantly.


    Also, she hadn¡¯t thought about the particulars of being an umbra very much until now. She always just saw it as a way of serving her prince, but since she had to make out the details for Sally, she was aware anew of the dangerous and unpredictable nature of a possible breakdown, or how being born that way destined her to knighthood.

 Chapter 27

    Tom woke up and saw that everyone else was asleep. He thought that no one was going to wake up soon; even by his standards he woke up early, only at seven o¡¯clock.


    After preparing a cold breakfast for himself, he remembered that the rest of Zero Squad would fall back into a normal schedule since they didn¡¯t have another patrol until later.


    After eating, he was unsure how to work the panels so he sat in the dark. He knew that one became a TV but other than that he hadn¡¯t thought about how he would spend his time. Knowing he shouldn¡¯t have, he peeked into the office room and found that Eleanor wasn¡¯t there.


    Completely unable to do anything, he settled into a couch and closed his eyes. It was not for another half an hour until his rest was interrupted by a yawn.


    Tom had not been seen but he was able to distinguish an adult¡¯s outline from the kitchen¡¯s light. It was the fabled Mr. Lawrence. He was perhaps between Sally¡¯s and Tom¡¯s height.


    It was hard to read him because it was as dark as a felt cap. Tom was unsure if he was even visible to him, or if he wanted to be visible. Lawrence was somehow able to fumble through it all to open the refrigerator; the soft light bounced on to Tom¡¯s disgruntled face. From his seat along the wall, he could see that Lawrence wasn¡¯t happy.


    He wore a murderous look, like his very happiness was jeopardized by something in front of him. Soon after his expression came into view and it didn¡¯t seem as angry, but wistful. He sat with a thump with a bowl and carton of milk on the kitchen table and cleared his throat.


    By this point, Tom was sure that he would be considered rude if he just waited for the cranky adult to find him. He instead, between Lawrence¡¯s noisy bites of cold cereal, to rise up and dash to the hallway.


    In the slowest instant of his life insofar, he felt like there were a thousand peeping eyes looking for a peeping Tom. He painfully curled his feet up so it wouldn¡¯t hear like he was running, and it was remindful of his pain tolerance training, perhaps worse.


    ¡°Hey, is anyone there?¡± Tom heard a rich voice.


    Tom had successfully made it, but he was still in the process in turning.


    Lawrence continued, without leaving his seat, ¡°You must be one of the new members. It¡¯s okay, I don¡¯t bite.  You weren¡¯t sitting here in the dark, were you? Hah. I never realized where the light switch was either.¡±


    He left his seat with a small groan and stuck his hand, still carrying a spoon, into a crevice that Tom couldn¡¯t see. Then, the lightless house was filled with a luminescent gleam. The nighttime scene was one of an open field, with a virgin sky. It could¡¯ve been in any place in the world, and nothing stirred.


    Lawrence looked downwards, turning to Tom, ¡°After so long, all the scenes become bore and bland,¡± but instead of being cranky, he sounded like a poem.


    Tom looked at the man who was shorter than him. He had tanned skin, and while he wore a ruffled sleeping gown, he still commanded a respectful amount of presence. Even at first impressions, one could tell that Mr. Pierre Lawrence aimed for earnest nobility.


    Perhaps it was the cereal that had woke him up. Maybe it was the knowledge he was being heard.


    Tom decided it was best to speak, ¡°I¡¯m Tom, a new recruit.¡±


    Lawrence knew it¡¯s best to get along. After all, there had never been any new additions hitherto. Everyone who had ever been considered by the Prince was a candidate. However, Nicholas never had the audacity to accept his own proposals, in fear of ruining a life.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Yes, I have already read about you, Baronet. I Pierre Lawrence, also a Baronet. Would you like to tell me about yourself,¡± Even if he sounded like an elementary teacher he was entirely sincere.


    Tom remained silent for a great deal of time before speaking in a voice he had never used before, ¡°No, I would like to hear about you.¡±


    He didn¡¯t pick his words wisely at all, nor was it even in his nature to be so nosy, or as one might call it, curious. In fact, normally he would¡¯ve receded from the strange gentleman, and instead his lost sleep prompted the stupid question.


    Pierre looked at the yellow moon on the wall,¡± I¡¯m a cook, and I like to journal my soldiering and cooking. Feeding all of these people is my hobby, and getting enough rest is the in-between.¡±


    He was also a deadly weapons instructor, but since then his talent faded for the talent of the ladle. He knew that he could no longer match any of the other Zero Squad members in combat anymore.


    He asked with real enthusiasm. ¡°So, I was out sick all day yesterday. Should I go and rest or get the mind working again?¡±


    Since Tom couldn¡¯t answer, He immediately understood that it was better for him to get cooking. It wasn¡¯t contagious, unlike some of the other illnesses around. While Lawrence thought that the company was nice after a day of limbo, since his nearly nocturnal pattern had been slightly offset, Tom found it unbearable to talk to an adult like that, excused himself, and decided to check if everything he had had been unpacked.


    Without Stein he was able to work as noisily as he pleased, though in the rhythmic movement of toiletries and favorite travel commodities he let his mind wander. Thinking over why he left Lawrence to cook in the dark, he decided it was because he just didn¡¯t know how to start. He could¡¯ve a long-awaited conversational partner, or even someone with information on A. Schwarz.


    For maybe the first time since the interschool tournament he suddenly felt an amazing burst of inspiration. Not before making sure that each and every disposable travel toothbrush had made it through with him (There was really no need for it, but Tom figured he might elsewise never use them) he hastily zipped all of his bags and made sure his clothes were neat.


    He planned to pull a feint, and let Lawrence start the conversation. There was ill intent, and Tom shuddered when he realized the cruelty of the ordeal. Before the sing-song voiced man could think of something to say, he also felt the zapping impulse, ¡°Tom, you don¡¯t happen to have any allergies, do you?¡±


    No matter how perfect the plan, or how ill-prepared the target is, everything is subject to outside interference. This is not at all a difficult concept, and with a little persuasion even a young child will recognize its universality. However, the boundary between what can be planned for or not can sometimes blur, and no one can attribute this to wisdom of the lack thereof.


    Take for example the unsure nature of an umbra¡¯s mercurial form. There is never any test to be done to see how much force it can take before it waivers. The eldest umbra in Ragnarok wouldn¡¯t know even of his own. Even if the individual was battle-worn, which was never the case because a sensible adult would never join in the first place, he or she wouldn¡¯t know if the mercurial form would act the same from one blow to the next.


    Not even the world¡¯s last true king would know if his family¡¯s struggle would end after his death. Nor can the Emperor know if his men have his route covered during a public event with all certainty.


    Like this, even with while he adjusts to his new life, Tom¡¯s attempt was interrupted when he heard a door open. He just stopped. It could¡¯ve been any one of five people, whose sleep patterns were alien, or in Sally¡¯s case, just plain unpredictable.


    As one would suspect, it was indeed one of the five, Stein. In the early morning, none of the three guys had their brains fully comprehending the ridiculous nature of their actions.


    ¡°H-Hello. I hope to work well with you,¡± Stein said, not remembering what he was supposed to say.


    ¡°Excuse me. I¡¯m Pierre Lawrence,¡± he stammered, not willing to repeat his introduction, ¡°I haven¡¯t made anything ready to eat, but there¡¯s some milk and cereal. If you want something hot we have some processed pastries and stuff of that sort. Let me show you where everything is.¡±


    And beckoned Tom and Stein to follow. In a surprisingly compact manner, there were dozens of frozen meals, enough to upset a small panel of advocates for a preservative-free diet. The reasoning went, that if anyone ever woke up during odd hours, they would have something to eat no matter what meal he or she desired. Sleep was a rare thing to knights. Also, it helped to make Lawrence¡¯s meals greater appreciated.


    Although he didn¡¯t have anything against the other two, he promptly left, explaining that he could spend the time more productively. Clearly, he was planning something, and using his bright and comely language, Stein took it as that their arrival shook things up.

 Chapter 28

    Within the next hour, everyone, spare Luna, had woken up and left their rooms. In a most wonderful time, the prince welcomed the recent graduates using a radiating charisma that wasn¡¯t unlike Lawrence¡¯s. In a home-like environment, which the very awake Luna avoided on account of its artificiality, the members took seats in a small, but cozy room, but the most important thing to come of all of this vain talk was that the Zero Squad hadn¡¯t ever taken in recruits.


    In fact, that was the only talk of work, and since slaying darklings was so demanding, no one mentioned it at all. They didn¡¯t go out on weekend nights. Though they couldn¡¯t carry out high-risk operations, several other teams were pulled for those nights. The security of the common man was secured this way, and until someone could think of a kinder plan, it wouldn¡¯t change.


    Instead of being properly receiving the people she would soon work with, she found it hard to empathize with them. There were many things she knew they didn¡¯t, and from Eleanor¡¯s retelling of the tourney at Oakwood, she couldn¡¯t believe that they were ready for the task. The first part was understandable, as it was correctable, but adeptness isn¡¯t.


    The most suspicious of the group was Theodore, who hadn¡¯t even taken part of the tourney. She had all the faith in the prince¡¯s selection process, but according to Eleanor, Theodore wasn¡¯t as able of a fighter. Strangely, he did demonstrate a high level of physical fitness and resiliency to torture that would¡¯ve made either anyone else shudder.


    Laying on her side, she frowned. She welcomed the new faces, but she heavily doubted she could invest any feeling into them. They would be gone in a week, she thought. Sally Blanc was the only one who showed even some inert talent, but it wouldn¡¯t make sense to have her stay and not her brother.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    That being done with, there was nothing else for Luna to do. Between questioning Ella¡¯s high-and-mighty judgement and reading, the only things Luna was permitted to do had to be inside. Even the books she held so dear couldn¡¯t be bought for herself. It was much easier to pretend that the books she bought were found on a whim rather than either picked out beforehand or chosen randomly by Lawrence or Prince Nicholas just based on their covers.


    As both a sufferer of albinism and an umbra, especially one of the latter who can¡¯t control their appearance very well, she¡¯d only bring suspicion if she wandered outside (The hair was the give-away). Luckily, this also exempt her from some of the boring chores, and her non-human metabolism let her lounge and eat as much as the wanted to.


    However, one could only do all of those things so much before they lose their value. Much like Tom, but for more mundane reasons, she also sought a new conversation partner.


    She hadn¡¯t investigated much into them, but for the last few days she snuck into Ella¡¯s records. Since those included reports both on personality and academic history, Tom and Theodore appeared to be a merry pair of lamebrains, for their respective reasons she didn¡¯t care about.


    If anything, that woman¡¯s prowess at gathering intelligence was ridiculous. At any rate, that left Sally, whom during her first encounter seemed awfully domineering and almost cruelly insincere. As much as she hated it, she could either only rely on that first impression or venture towards the others. It was not so much uneasiness as unwarranted hope that eventually brought her outside; if she really meant what she said, Sally could be a great friend, much better than Ella who always urged her to ¡°relax¡±.


    And the others, maybe they could become bearable. Lawrence definitely seemed that way once. The Tinker, the prince, and surely Eleanor all seemed unapproachable at one time. She knew she looked that way.

 Chapter 29

    He was very happy to be a knight. If he ended up saving even one life, he¡¯d gladly take the aftereffects of the darklings¡¯ fear radiation. However, that was only cause for confusion. Stein had a hard time deciding whether he was fighting for the preservation of life or the self-satisfaction of having importance in strangers¡¯ lives.


    It wasn¡¯t characteristic for Stein to be so silent, so Tom and Sally did their best to restore the idle chat that was so soon ago during the early morning.


    Stein felt stunned. Rather than feeling like doing nothing, he imagined that he suddenly lost all capability to act on his own. The others were also sensitive to this and it spread contagiously, but quietly.


    Surely, now living the capital, they had the chance to absorb the urban life before it became impossible for them. In fact, within a few weeks their absence would grow suspicious to the siblings¡¯ father, and they would be forced to either lie or disappear from him.


    Instead, the collectively felt obliged to stay at their new home, and while the veterans indulged on much needed sleep, they simply sat awake, the television buzzing.


    The very next morning went the same way. Lawrence showcased his brilliant spring omelet. Even after the Great Reverse, omelets were the epitome of generalness. However, this one deviated from normality. There was only one and it sat in middle of the breakfast table.


    Lawrence explained, ¡°Once, a great conqueror returned back to native kingdom for holiday. With some of his highest generals, he had no choice but to rest in a small village inn, whose cook tried his best to please the national hero. The emperor was so pleased with the omelet he ordered the surrounding villagers to gather all of the eggs for the next day.¡±


    Stein could be heard whispering, ¡°Everything started somehow.¡±


    Lawrence continued, ¡°From that point on, the tradition faded away and instead people tried to make larger and larger ones just out of making records.¡±


    For a moment Tom and then Sally took turns at thinking, everything turns into abundance eventually. But, from this point their thoughts diverged, and for a split second they became as involved as Stein. Luna could visibly see Tom and him think of with great difficulty. Maybe their worries were also in great abundance, she thought.


    His mind was saturated by visions of the warrior he learned the Blank method from, and for a most sincere and poignant moment he imagined her being almost consumed by it, and all at once he knew Sally¡¯s and Steins¡¯ warnings were also sincere. He did not know why the story made it flash in his head, but he did seem like A. Schwarz did seem cautionary.


    Sally, however, had a broader, vaguer image. Her thoughts had been so tumultuous, and she sought to limit the amount of times she returned to the same prophecy. Oh, how endless their pain was, she thought, we must always change to deal with all the change!


    The languished feelings only lasted for milliseconds, and soon the two¡¯s minds were relieved by idle chatter. Flowerily, Nick inquired, ¡°Have you heard of the Tinker? Today I think we should go and meet him.¡±


    She made some sound indicating a reply when Ella entered a room in a new fashion, on a wheelchair. At this time, she smiled emptily, carrying on without some obvious piece of her, perhaps something she had left in her office. Instead, she was in a wheelchair. It was electric and plain, but behind it was Luna, who was nearly sparkling with a dedicated smile. She stopped very suddenly and looked, like Ella, very surprised.


    Making more sounds Sally stuttered confusedly, while Nick and the rest forgot about the Tinker. Ella finally spoke losing the cordiality she had when entering, ¡°You did not know I am paraplegic? Until now?¡±


    Yes, said she and Tom and Stein. They asked how she walked before. She told them, it was magic. Also, she weighed whether she needed to tell them why the sky was blue first. She did not consciously decide however, to grab her arm.


    ¡°Imagine some power that is barely measurable, that dissipates from all of you. It is as logical as a darkling. As someone who wields this power of illogic, it would not be so outwardly to force this energy into any mold, right? Imagine tiny strings of magic.¡±


    She continued, ¡°I must sometimes practice this ability, since for a knight the handicap can be dead-¡°


    Luna interrupted her, but the way she talked was not her own and they seemed like one fused unit, ¡°You don¡¯t have to say all that. I apologize, but please don¡¯t treat her any different.¡±


    She knew that Ella always had the same tact as a child despite some intelligence. Taken aback, no one was to talk about it.


    ¡°So, the Tinker,¡± the shining prince whispered later, barely showing uneasiness, ¡°is the one who designs weapons for prominent knights. We should really go and meet him.¡±


    They all followed, save for Pierre Lawrence, through the corridors they entered from, and into a dazzlingly unornate level pathway. Nick said it was directly below the museum, not unlike their little base. Arriving at a cherry smelling door, they discovered an older man and his young, blonde-haired apprentice.


    The latter treated them like lords and ladies and vanished behind, and then towards where he¡¯d gone, there could be heard a low clang. It was nearly romantic, thought independently Sally and Stein that perhaps some lowly assistant labored, aided by the best to make the best weapons against darklings. It was not of enough importance, only dreamlike, to give more than a passing thought.


    The Tinker introduced himself and seated them, gum in mouth. He was more scientist than smith, and his didactic manner was apparent in all his talk, ¡°Your highness. I have something very much like your brother¡¯s. Would you like to see?¡±


    The complex was much bigger than the two rooms, and in a wide gallery full of half-finished contraptions and worn targets he handed Nick a bloated lance, that seemed nearly his length. It was an aesthetic disaster; some complex and heavy mechanism with a half dozen moving parts that did not seem right together, including a small microphone and even a screen near the opposite edge from the point. It even required a compressed gas canister and a safety trigger.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.But he simply smiled, ¡°I know what this is.¡±


    After being invited to, he released the safety and was nearly shot backward as he pressed a very well hidden button. The tip of the spear flew straight outward like a bullet, ahead of a heavy chain that allowed him to easily retract it without ever touching the heavy blade. He forgot himself and repeated several times before saying, ¡°This is very good work, but I do think it¡¯s too heavy.¡±


    ¡°This one isn¡¯t yours. We¡¯ll get you sized before anything else,¡± the Tinker received a grunt of approval from behind a wall.


    Seeing their wide mouths, he turned to the baronets and Stein and explained, ¡°Knights need very specialized weapons if they choose something besides a saber. It has to do with a darkling¡¯s outer shell.¡±


    He walked around and stooped until he found a model.  It was a small dark screen of thin material. Taking his index finger, he futilely tested his strength with both slight and serious force to try to pop it. However, he could do it if his finger followed through. He even brought multiple sets and set one upon his knees and tried with his thumbs. The three were even handed some to try for themselves. They did not notice that Ella, Nick, and Luna were not there.


    ¡°Enough, but I think I have some hypothesis. They have some kind of reactive armor, like on tanks,¡± He said very bluntly, ¡°So maybe impact causes that inky material to move towards the location of the force. But darklings normally aim to keep a form, and maybe that¡¯s why they can¡¯t sustain constant contact. Just maybe.¡±


    It was not something they taught at Oakwood. Tom felt himself fall away, and asked with chilling monotony, ¡°I plan on using a pistol as a weapon. Does that mean it won¡¯t work?¡±


    ¡°I can take a look.¡±


    Tom felt fairly confident he could go both ways. After all, there were only a few paths in that walkway.


    The Tinker asked for the others, ¡°I will need to get you fitted for armor. Would you like new weapons?¡±


    Sally memorized her size, but the asked him why all of his creations had the birthstones of their users.


    ¡°Hold on,¡± He said rudely while turning to Stein. A polearm, it would be, to which he said unexpectedly, ¡°I don¡¯t see many of those. However, come with me.¡±


    Sally followed, feeling slightly forgotten, as Stein did not choose a moving mess like Nick¡¯s gift, but the longest halberd he deemed he could maneuver. The Tinker was now further removed from a scholar and like a merchant happy to get rid of his least popular item.


    And after sizing them, he had them on his way until Sally reminded him.


    ¡°Superstition, Baronet. For the longest time, people thought that darklings were invincible except to certain weapons because,¡± he seemed to forget in the middle, ¡°that you needed a human¡¯s soul to piece their mercurial form, since that a sword and lance worked where a gun didn¡¯t. You needed a gem to hold the wielder¡¯s soul in his weapon. Tradition, Baronet.¡±


    She found him to be slightly offensive, but tolerated him on the fact that he presented a prince of Lodestone with a harpoon gun. She bowed like a little girl and excused herself, meeting Tom on the way. Stein followed, quite satisfied with his pick.


    When Tom returned, he felt that the Tinker loosened somewhat. Tom was only more concerned at that, ¡°I wish to use a magnum pistol. Would it be effective?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he did not care for politeness even slightly now.


    ¡°I¡¯m almost professionally good at shooting it.¡±


    ¡°I believe you.¡±


    At this point the Tinker took it apart, ¡°Normal guns have all the power to make a darkling disperse, but they don¡¯t have enough interaction time. If you¡¯re so handy, carry one just to distract them. They might flinch.¡±


    ¡°One more, sometimes this gun overheats.¡±


    ¡°Pistols don¡¯t overheat.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you.¡±


    Tom very murderously had him put it back together, and prepared to shoot at the targets. He fired until he felt too warm to handle safely. The Tinker admitted he wasn¡¯t sure why it happened, but it was never going to be too hot to carry.


    Tom decided to leave very promptly. The Tinker did not ask about any weapon for him. When he returned, he saw Sally at her wit¡¯s end. It was sure that they were not treated very professionally, and she had learned that beside Stein, the others had just stayed with the apprentice. Luna was watching the morning news, and hearing of morning Sally claimed that she was tired and went to her room, but Tom thought that she was signaling him.


    The TV blared, ¡°New allegations come forward as an admissions officer for Oakwood Academy is accused from taking bribes. At the highly selective Knights¡¯ school, the window for which it could¡¯ve happened included acceptances for dozens of trainees for the previous year, officials say.¡±


    Lawrence was making pleasant smells and hard noises come from the kitchen, and Ella was probably working. Nick has a game of chess working with Stein, who was many things, but was not good at chess, and had asked Tom then to play with him next.


    Luna was with him, but she was listless and could only say, ¡°Oakwood really isn¡¯t as good as the ones abroad.¡±


    She realized what she had implied and immediately sat up.


    ¡°Have you been to Oakwood?¡± asked Tom as if he had to know.


    ¡°No. I¡¯m self-trained. So is Ella.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me. Are you also a court magician?¡±


    She might have been flattered, but the great darkness in her eyes receded and showed some other emotions. Tom had just met her and was somewhat startled in seeing so much of the white in her eyes. But then Tom was not smiling with her and now she felt offended.


    She quickly cleared her mind. It might¡¯ve really been the case that he had still not known, and it would be hypocritical to treat him differently than Sally. Maybe the common public did not know about the Umbrae? However, maybe not in number, but it should¡¯ve been the same for gangsters and homeless; they are there but not well considered. They could hide well before their mercurial forms became persistent, the defining mark for the accursed.


    ¡°I am an umbra, a human with a mercurial form like a darkling.¡±


    Tom had seen magicians. He faltered so she continued, ¡°I¡¯m tired, but maybe tomorrow I¡¯ll show you the mercurial form. We¡¯re going to exercise our powers tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Is it like a curse,¡± Some other being within Tom said those words.


    ¡°I remember using those exact words. Everyone in the Zero Squad so far has proven to have a curse of some sort. Say, Baronet. I think I¡¯ll excuse myself. It¡¯s too late,¡± She did not want to talk about it.

 Chapter 30

    So Tom knocked on Sally¡¯s door, that is, after spending what seemed to be day on the television.


    ¡°Goodness, dear brother.¡±


    The last time Tom had earnestly talked to her, she who seemed very distant now, was the time their clothes had been soaked. Tom was still unprepared to talk about their mother in case she asked. He decided then to postpone it. Same as now.


    She might¡¯ve been reclined, but she was evidently uptight, and not at all healthy. ¡°I want to talk to you. Perhaps tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s in order.¡±


    ¡°Golly, Tom. You really shouldn¡¯t talk to strangers like you talk to me. Speaking of which, is that why that old man spoke to us so rudely? Reflexive behavior?¡±


    ¡°I thought you were going to talk to me later.¡±


    So another sleepless night passed. Sally thought, more of the same. Even when it¡¯s close to something new, she could not escape it. She remembered a dream. She was underwater, breathing, in some sort of pool. It seemed very fun, even though she wasn¡¯t doing much. Right after, she was still doing nothing, and will continue doing nothing for at least a few days, but she was not having much fun.


    She had to decide what she was going to do, and the inactivity made her anxious, unfocused, and physically sore.


    She knew this feeling. It was like being hungry. She should¡¯ve been fulfilled with her wish and dream of becoming a knight, and finally her hope and despair became one. Not caring, knowing it was most likely anxiety related to being so close to darklings, her mood changed to one of sympathy and even wonder; her subject would be Tom particularly.


    Curiously, Sally waited after breakfast, or meal to that effect anyway, and nauseatingly everyone was acting the same as the days before only that Luna was finally not monochromatic; she and Ella were in clothes they could work out in.


    Three thousand seconds later, Stein said, ¡°Sally. You seem a little preoccupied.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. There¡¯s something I have to do. Tom, would you help me fix something with the house?¡±


    When they were alone together Sally confessed first with the many things she had been unsure about. Although her mental clearness had diminished, and regretfully she felt like she had temporarily receded to a state before her college days, she could parse through the dozens of things she had wanted to tie up then.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    ¡°I want to send something to Dad,¡± She said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how you feel about him, Sal. I certainly felt a little disappointed,¡± He understated; Tom had never talked about him in detail with her.


    ¡°The way he treated us was not very kind. It was like we weren¡¯t even people. But, I would like to believe it was not his fault, but in his grief he had fallen so away from things,¡± She wavered, ¡°So I need to help him.¡±


    ¡°I will not stop you. I will not join you, but if you ask me, don¡¯t send a physical letter. You¡¯ll have to get Ella or Nick to arrange something and he¡¯s not worth other people¡¯s time,¡± as Tom said this Sally understood immediately.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough about that, Tom. Tell me, since I feel anxious, I suspect it is just a part of becoming a knight. You know any?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been feeling horrible too. That memoir, oh I should have showed you more, talked about the exact same thing. However, if I remember correctly the author was also a combat medic during a skirmish between Elodia and Discordia. Then that despair and heaviness would be attributed to PTSD.¡±


    ¡°Despair, sure, but mine is over having to see whether I can really be a knight. Nothing worse. Could it be that you have it too,¡± She retreated.


    ¡°I do not think so. It is what naturally follows meeting with a darkling, as you say.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not considering your feelings. I¡¯ve been selfish, only asking for my benefit.¡±


    ¡°Huh, I do not think you said anything wrong,¡± He failed to mention the ice over his heart from before, forgetting how much he had told her.


    ¡°Thanks, It was nice to talk openly,¡± she said but it was not very open or even two-sided. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything else to worry about.¡±


    She hoped to meet a good end, just like the two countries, separate but almost the same. She felt split to, to the bone. As soon as reunification gained ground, most magically the presence of darklings waned. Truly, negativity was actually nightmare fuel.


    When they returned to the living room Nick reminded them that tonight they would go hunting for the hunters. He added, ¡°So did you take care of your errands?¡±


    Sally answered, ¡°Yes, family matters mostly, it was boring.¡±


    The sparkling prince bubbly said, ¡°Speaking of which, you haven¡¯t met my brother yet.¡±


    Stein and Sally asked in unison, ¡°Crown prince?¡±


    Ella added, ¡°He¡¯s pretty impressive. He doesn¡¯t look it but he actually had credentials as a knight.¡±


    Then Luna spoke, leaving only Tom and Lawrence out of the conversation, astutely disliking him, Prince Samuel, a sibling of who seemed to be her idol. ¡°I don¡¯t know why myself, but something is very unnatural about the whole deal,¡± she did not care to explain.


    Soon after a late afternoon lunch everyone was dismissed, and Tom, Sally and Stein were told not to eat dinner yet and instead to try for some sleep. They knew it was the time of reckoning, and at this time my design or otherwise he nor Stein got no chance to see an umbra¡¯s mercurial form.


    When they woke up they were pleasant to find fitted armor waiting for them, and during the brief reprisal given to them by their waking grogginess, they could be said to be glad to have plenty of time.  There was no room to think about anything else, and rather being comforting, the fact that they may not have to ever deal with those problems again hung above.

 Chapter 31

    They had exited to the unfamiliar outside through the closed Royal Palace, where visitors would enter. They had grown accustomed to gentle nature scenes, and they could not tell if they had come to their senses in this city they had never seen before.


    At one time, mankind conquered the night, and the nightscape would be transformed for a brief time, into a bustling scene more powerful and poignant that most days. Like dutiful sentries streetlights still held their mighty post, graceful allies of all good-intentioned knights, as golems of the age past.


    Nick was visibly nervous, and Pierre walked behind the pack, ever vigilant. He had one a very similar expression to Tom¡¯s when he used Blank. Ella was walking in front, and she was the only one that didn¡¯t have a weapon by her side. The newcomers were not yet accustomed to her armored appearance, or for that manner her being in front of her employer. Luna¡¯s equipment was different. She also walked strangely, in a closed manner she did not inside.


    She had none of the plates of harder material, even if they were not oppressively heavy, unlike her peers. Tom noticed besides this only his had a holster, as requested. Sally has a small pouch, perhaps for first aid materials in small amounts, he thought.


    Every business was closed as Nick led them away from the City center on foot. They did not have to see the vile things to feel the ground lurch and swivel against them. It was a few hours before sunrise, when, as Ella said the Darklings would wane away.


    A silhouette appeared, this time a primate, not quite poised to attack yet. And it kept its distance. It grew in size, overtaking the largest of humans. Relieved with the more veteran member¡¯s non-reaction, the others watched the ape shrink. Only fifteen feet away, they watched the terrors of others, perhaps a small child¡¯s, as it was quite unlike the adult¡¯s fear of alien canines or magnum arthropods. They did not feel it, or rather, the fear was well contained.


    Like a fireplace, the fire posed no danger and it was comforting to see fire could be controlled by human hands. Nick had raised his hand and Luna charged forward as the terrible beast regained its fearfulness when it leaped without much sound, only that of the air being displaced.


    From her diminutive palm came forth a headless snake-like figure. For the size of what had left her body, a disproportionate amount of red liquid followed it down, falling onto the street. The tendril she had was beyond her expectation, a midnight-colored swollen tendril of Scylla that had feasted upon whatever fed the darklings.


    She flinched for a moment, and then wondered if her momentary fault would waste too much time. She looked behind and saw that Ella did not react either, whether she was preparing magic or was confident she did not know. The weaponized nonmatter moved on its own, more accurately guiding Luna¡¯s body then she herself knew how.


    The gorilla stumbled between choosing from the two and was pierced easily near where the sternum would be in a more real being. Without making a sound Sally and Stein watched in scared awe as the first darkling they saw was coming apart, while Luna¡¯s mercurial form absorbed some of it, and while she did not go unconscious they waited as the fell to her knees and did not get up.


    Tom had noticed his Blank had succeeded in keeping his mind straight. It was still something he felt. Nick thought fast, ¡°Ella. Do you think you can walk her back? Maybe Stein should go too.¡±


    Ella said she could do it alone as the helped Luna up but did not protest when Stein followed. In a few seconds their fighting strength was halved but Tom and Sally did not notice as dearly since Luna tonight was the bigger monster.


    Luna tried to apologize and unlike before the darkness in her eyes pulsed instead of waning and waxing. She had to have confidence too after seeing Ella like that, and she would in Nick and Lawrence too. Stein, while not able to participate, was able to see Ella¡¯s warming healing magic, whose fiery act seemed much too like cauterization, yet only relieved Luna¡¯s bloodied hand without burning it. It was slight and took much too long, especially since the wound was small, yet Stein was strangely pleased by the real heat that radiated from the magician.


    When they returned she was done. Luna said, as if nothing happened, ¡°You and Ella should find them. I¡¯m sure you two would be fine. I¡¯ll promise I¡¯ll see to you when you¡¯re done.¡±


    She however, did not tell them that it was because she couldn¡¯t sleep anymore. Ella agreed and even urged on Stein: this time he was more prepared and they took an extra wheelchair to conserve her magic. He remembered this was like how Sally described how an EMT worked. There was sign of strain on Ella too, and besides all the appearance of the emotions that follow abandoning comrades, her eyes were bloodshot.


    Praying not to encounter any darklings, they did so anyway, and Ella rose with such force that the wheelchair screeched and hurt Stein behind her. They were already afraid, but not for their own person, so it was easy to tell that more than one had gathered around them somewhere, since they had freshly experienced one of a similar grade. Stein by instinct followed Ella in scanning the vicinity, yet no inky blackness fell on to the street.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Ella doubted that they could not see them. If they moved on, they could run into more and it would overwhelm them, since Ella both wanted to conserve her strength and Stein had never fought before. However, the other party was at least double in manpower. They could take their time.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to stay. Stand apart.¡± It would attract more of them if they reunited but it would be easier to deal with them. Since the ultimate goal doesn¡¯t change for either side if they are split, the knight must hold her ground.


    As they were being stalked Stein spoke quietly, ¡°Is there a reason we can¡¯t move on slowly?¡±


    ¡°We could but the others will follow a circular trail. I don¡¯t know exactly where they are.¡±


    She did not speak after that. In her expectations she would have to put a significant portion of magic aside for restoration. She struggled to keep her calm when the direction of the fear lurched forward from behind her.


    It was above them, and the streetlights would not easily catch something if it was too high. ¡°Above, Stein¡± She said hastily.


    Only an obscuring blob hung above them, like an execution blade. It was now choosing its form, giving her time to think how to defeat it. It circled around them faster and faster, and it collapsed, not surprisingly, into an avian silhouette. Fierce talons and multiple beaks, it either a mythological beast, or an ornithophobia driven scourge. It would have to be reported on, the two-headed eagle.


    They must take preemptive strike, or else it would swoop with more momentum then they could hope to avoid it with. She communicated that exact message when she took aim, but she did not know much offensive magic. She had exactly two spells for this purpose if she wanted to save absolutely any for later.


    Stein sent away the wheelchair, and both were too transfixed to hear it stumble. The giant thing had not yet swooped, and Ella sent forward a bright missile, hoping and hoping again that they would escape easily with a direct hit, but it went passed the bird and like fireworks burst into illuminating shards. The monstrosity was visible as it flied far above them.


    However she succeeded in that she actually hoped to at least damage it. She breathed heavily as she registered the immense magical heat she had channeled from her hand, even without burn or wound, her entire left side of the torso might as well be seared to the bone. Although slightly, the reactive force had also stressed her poise, and it took more concentration to keep upright.


    The light she produced flickered and faded as Stein held out his spear, soldier-like. His could not shoot like Nick¡¯s, and he saw now that if he were to throw it he only had one chance. Ella, however hurt, did not show this outward appearance and fired again nearly immediately. Not like the fireworks before, she shot a bona fide fireball, nearly a half meter in diameter.


    Although they could not make more noise than from the air they might not even displace, the eagle was grazed and made an animal-like flinch, and in this time Stein threw his weapon like a javelin and split the creature along its symmetry. Watching it fall to the ground and writhe, they had disposed of it before it was a threat. They felt very lucky it was only one.


    Ella, quite impressed, had no injuries to heal when she fell and sat on the floor. ¡°We will move now. They should¡¯ve arrived back here by now.¡±


    While Ella and Stein moved cautiously along the usual circuit of patrol, Nick had ran into many more darklings.


    He himself was not the best fighter at all, and if Ella regrouped it would be too late. In front of them lay three adversaries, all of the same type. The twenty-four foreign legs that waited in plain sight were sluggish and slow, but they already had their form when they were encountered. Luna had most accidentally been of help in weakening them, and Nick had elected to stay put until they met up with Stein and Ella.


    These ones were less lucid in movement, against logic limiting themselves to the mechanical movement of actual spiders. Lawrence and Nick chose one and set Tom and Sally to the last. Lawrence quickly dispatched his without emotion or thought, and acted as lookout. He noticed his prince had set a handicap for himself by not firing his elaborate weapon, but he finished too soon after.


    He did not enjoy the process, but the Blanc siblings had to learn how to fight. However terrifying, the situation did not pose much danger. For reasons that could only be attributed to the concentration of nonmatter elsewhere, that darklings had neither the speed nor venom of a spider. He doubted that any wound would be fatal, and even so they could take off towards where Ella was expected to arrive from.


    Tom and Sally took turns parrying the arachnid¡¯s fangs, and they discovered that mere contact warded it off. However persistent, the darkling should at least basic concern for its continued existence. For an expert fencer, Sally did much better, avoiding any hurt. She was even able to damage it periodically, but Tom could not use his trickster swordplay on a darkling, and found as gunshots rang his gun only made it move backward, the same as when Sally met her sword to the fangs.


    It was not the easiest adversary for either to overpower. Every time they could finish it, for they raced against each other, it used its front legs. The thing was also covered in hairs. They did not want to know whether the larger ones would be more than irritating. Exhausted mentally and physically, they wanted to know if they could defeat one together, so Sally this time did not retreat when Tom joined her without saying a word. Tom could safely strike its legs when Sally parried the fangs, and then she attacked again and hit it on the hideous head. It did not vanish, until near her point of attack Nick¡¯s lance¡¯s head connected. They were done when Stein and Eleanor had arrived frantically. They did not meet more for the night.

 Chapter 32

    No one had significant injuries, except for Luna and Ella, both having self-inflicted themselves by misusing their abilities.


    Nick had voiced that the Sally and Stein, those who had never encountered a darkling until today, shouldn¡¯t sleep. He and Tom agreed to stay awake with them, since the umbra and mage had to rest. Lawrence replaced the former, saying that he had to do cleaning.


    Once he was gone Tom was reminded of this scene, only now two sleepless teenagers accompanied him. Lawrence had very deftly retrieved a large box of cake mix, easily enough for all of them.


    Sally did not want to keep quiet, or else she would drift off into dangerous fresh slumber. ¡°Why are you making cake like that?¡± she said as it was a very critical question.


    ¡°I feel a chef shouldn¡¯t always have to make difficult things.¡±


    ¡°Do you really see yourself as a chef and not a knight?¡±


    He realized he said something strange and took time to think. After all, they had would still have an opportunity to sleep. Very thoughtfully, and suavely, he spoke, ¡°I think it is an honor and duty to get knights nice foods. Don¡¯t you think that it makes their jobs easier?¡±


    Tom and Stein nodded in agreement. They had no problem with luxury foods, that is, whenever he would decide to make them.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, but why are you using instant cake mix?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m tired, so I think it really is fine if I can make things you¡¯ll enjoy without effort. Or would you not enjoy this cake?¡±


    She was tired of that conversation. So far he hadn¡¯t quite made anything too difficult, except that novel omelet.


    Lawrence said, ¡°One day, when everything is a little less hectic, I¡¯ll show you a cookbook I¡¯ve written and you can choose anything from that. It¡¯s not done yet, though.¡±


    ¡°That answered my concern,¡± she said gratefully.


    ¡°Anyway, and you too Stein, how are you feeling.¡±


    Sally decided it was fine to say that she was afraid of going to sleep. Stein only said it was the same for him, but in this he told everyone that his was little different.


    ¡°At any rate I don¡¯t expect you to go to bed. Tom, you can go now.¡±


    When he didn¡¯t answer Lawrence knew his misspoke again. It wouldn¡¯t be nice for him to leave his friend and sister. For whatever reason he either didn¡¯t show his fear or didn¡¯t feel it as intensely.


    ¡°Hey, Tom. Where have you seen a darkling before?¡±


    ¡°At Oakwood Academy, but there was a knight nearby and it was after sunrise,¡± he left out the part that he actively sought to fight one.


    ¡°Just curious, but what method did you learn to mitigate the fear?¡±


    ¡°It was a third method that the instructor didn¡¯t like. I found it anyway in a manual in the school library.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of that. Do you remember his or her name?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite alright. You do seem to have a higher tolerance than your peers. In fact, it¡¯s more than any trainee that¡¯s passed through Zero Squad. There were more before you but all three of you have done well,¡± he finished with Tom and called out to Stein, ¡°Ella told me that you defeated a powerful darkling with ease.¡±


    ¡°Well, y-you see, she had weak. Excuse, me: She had already weakened it with her magic. I-I could not hit it otherwise.¡±


    Stolen novel; please report.¡°That may be true, but you skewered it by throwing your weapon. I used to be an expert in all types of weaponry and I could never do that.¡±


    Sally talked now, ¡°I want to hear the full story. That¡¯s neat, Stein.¡±


    She put her hand to her cheek as Lawrence interrupted. His voice was excited and some of its grandeur was overshadowed by Stein¡¯s, ¡°So, Ella had already used some magic on healing Luna and she planned to use very little until we regrouped. Ella had all but wasted her chances, but some of her magic worked so that the large avian darkling flinched, and the light from it allowed Stein to aim. On his first and only shot he threw his lance like a javelin and got square down the middle.¡±


    ¡°Wow,¡± Sally said.


    Stein didn¡¯t believe that Ella would honor him that much, ¡°I guess, guess it was beginner¡¯s luck.¡±


    Lawrence went on and on about how he did not really know about the whole situation. ¡°That darkling was a double-headed eagle. Think. A darkling chooses the most frightening form because it creates more despair it needs. Only a robust individual chooses a mythological beast because more nonmatter is needed to create that image. It¡¯s actually amazing that you defeated it before it even got a chance to attack. And you didn¡¯t even use an actual throwing weapon.¡±


    Everyone felt better after he said that. On the other hand, however, Sally and Tom felt a little let down by the fact that even together they could not defeat one normal darkling, and ever more so because Lawrence didn¡¯t comment on that.


    Lawrence had a plan for that too. He asked the three to come to the training room, and asked Tom, who was more attentive at this time to fence with him. The fencing was not very important itself, and Tom already felt comfortable with swordplay. He would only allow Tom to attack, to prepare for later. When Luna felt in control he would pass Tom down to her, since Sally was already skillful enough to go straight to meet a mercurial form.


    Whatever the result, he was also supervising Stein and Sally and the repetition would eventually bore them to true sleep. But actively trying to engage a student was more tiresome than sitting in a room. Tom was also pretty good, and then he judged Sally to be even better. Both had the unique talents, but he could not really think much about them at the moment, because he was rather mentally busy.


    All had gone exactly to plan and he found himself asleep before he knew it. All except that he only had fifteen minutes worth of material to teach and everyone else had gone to bed anyway. Not many things go as they seem in the magical knights¡¯ world. He also forgot to tell them that the Emperor would arrive to meet with the crown prince. Well, it wasn¡¯t very important and it didn¡¯t concern them. The actual date was lost to him too.


    The next morning Ella still had strained eyes and body, and judged that Luna was in a better condition. Sally, nor Tom, could easily discern their conditions. She watched Stein, who was strangely sleepy, to learn finally whether he had any of the traits needed to discern others¡¯ conditions. He did not. After all, except for a small puncture on Luna¡¯s palm, the damage was not physical.


    Luna did not eat, but somewhat enjoyed explaining her version of what happened, ¡°The manifestation of my mercurial form goes through my arm. Last night, there was quite literally something in the air to make my tendril too big,¡± but then she took a moment to think whether she should really say all of the stuff. It was vulgar but she talked anyway, ¡°So it ripped into my arm even though it should normally just pass through without cutting too deep.¡±


    Sally felt both enlightened and distracted by her story, ¡°Did it hurt?¡±


    ¡°Plenty, so I had to be taken home before it got worse,¡± She spoke seriously, but it was still not enough considering that her friends¡¯ lives were put it danger for it. It was actually a strategy to make them at the very least forget about it. Ashamed, once she said it she did not mention it, and went off to ¡®meditation¡¯. She willed more than anything else at the current moment to learn better control, as she was a pretty much a novice as well. At the very least she would try not to incapacitate herself. It would have been fine too, if was any other night. Things rarely turn out how they seem in a knight¡¯s world, she thought.


    If it was problem of overloading her body, maybe she could make more than one tendril. She¡¯d spend the day after tomorrow on that, since she¡¯d be stuck since, thanks to Ella, she knew the emperor would visit Nicholas like an old friend. In all her years of service outside of Zero Squad she never actually asked him how they became friends.


    She asked him in front of everyone, so it was an announcement and coercion all in one. She could always apologize later, and it capitalized on the fact it was a normal question to act, except maybe to your prince.


    Nicholas¡¯s response did not make sense, so she and everyone else felt varying degrees of pride in their lord, which could stand on equal footing with the strongest single man in the world.


    Any enthusiasm anticipating the Emperor of Susanoo was extinguished when on the next night, they found only a single darkling.

 Chapter 33

    It was unforgivingly cloudy that night, and while the vigilant creations of man warmed the party¡¯s clouded hearts, it did not bring ease to the mind. Yet, while the other knight squads of the capital were relieved to leave in unbeknownst to them their young prince, they hadn¡¯t run into trouble for the first half of their round.


    In fact, there had not been a single emergency in the central of the city yet. It could mean that there was no need for them, that the cycling squads had performed so wonderfully and wholly. It was the symptom of health, of absolute mastery over nature or other sorcery not seen in such dense urban environments before, that it, not counting the immune and impregnable floating city of the old capital in Elodia.


    Any hope felt slimy against the impossible odds that they would not be needed, as if the mere thought was sin. Tonight they were all together, and darklings were never ambush predators, only armed with brutal forms and radiating fear that made normal people¡¯s feet freeze. They ran back home like children avoiding a dangerous alley, and then it was seen.


    At first Nicholas was the only one to make it out; the huge thing was floating toward the horizon, and he thought it was just a helicopter or other aircraft, perhaps the newest Elodian airship, but didn¡¯t have any lights. It fixated them and all seven of them wanted to know what it was. No one could say a word, even Tom who had mastered the Blank method. It was not of human invention, and it headed southeast towards Susanoo, and if it was a giant darkling, the leviathan was ignoring all of the potential despair in Lodestone¡¯s largest city, biding its time. What Stein had defeated was only a pest, and until a closer look would reveal its form, no one could say whether any knight could hope to defeat it.


    Nicholas would try to keep anyone from sleeping, and tipped off the proper authorities across the border. Come tomorrow and it attacked Lodestone, he would have the muster the best knights from the country, and hope even they are enough. He could not pinpoint its size or direction, but with luck it would disperse into many and not hold its form, because such magnitude had not been seen since the terrorist magi incident. Tomorrow he had to ask whether King Kevin knew anything going on to attract an enemy of that caliber.


    There is no antithesis to the darklings. There can only be voids of land, sea, and air they cannot feed on, and no magic could ever repel them, but magic could also create more fertile land, and magic was most common there.


    It was best to normalize the situation. All that could be done by him was. He was not able to take care of his knights, but if he faked calmness he would not have to see their worry. Ella, above all the second most sensitive in these matters asked whether he had gotten any better of a look, and he could not lie to her umbra eyes. He said, with the upmost weight of voice, ¡° The various knight corps of Susanoo can handle something like that with minimum casualties if nothing goes wrong,¡± because truly it was not the monster that was scary but it was merely an active symptom.


    They had cake for breakfast and hoped that it would save them. Tom, Sally and Stein were the most shaken because they did not know that a darkling could even manifest at such a size. It would only continue its march of terror as it coasted above the countryside, collecting the spoils from anyone unlucky to see it, just as it had then.


    Once again, the three had stayed up all morning, but likewise exhaustion was not much of the issue. Instead, two men were at the door of their base, who were quite different not the Tinker and apprentice. One of them was a dark-haired, dark uniformed man. The other was a tall, blond-haired man, who instead wore knight armor and a hard look. They were much taller and older than anyone else, and when they addressed Nick, the black-haired one did so as an equal.


    As a pair of foreign master and servant, they could only be the Emperor his attendant. They introduce themselves; the latter ignored his last name and title and only called himself Alex.


    Lawrence went away, not before presenting a more delicate desert than cake that no one else knew what is was, to his work, taking the time to finish his cookbook. Eleanor was prepared to sit by Nicholas, but not to talk to the strangers she only saw once before. Kevin was okay, but to her, the prideful Grand Dragon, the Blue Knight corps commander was so horribly incompetent at being decent while serving that since that day they first visited she wondered how he and the Emperor could be private friends.


    Stein expressed, ¡°I don¡¯t feel well. You¡¯ll have to excuse me,¡± as courtly as he could and left. They thought he might really not be well. Luna had called Sally into her room, saying that she, a superhuman, needed help to move furniture. She regretted not saving Tom but there were only two chairs in her room anyway.


    However, Ella had forgotten what Alex had actually said to her to cause her dislike, and was ready to forgive him but then he said, ¡°Eleanor. Are you still studying magic? Many teachers would seek out prodigies like you.¡±


    And there it was. That would imply many things, including that she had never studied under a teacher, she was not ready to be a knight, and the most insulting, that she herself got to the place she is without training as a ¡®prodigy¡¯. Even complimentary language turned into the hallmarks of pride. He was no mage, so he should not say anything. Even if he had meant it earnestly, he was simply too stupid and tactless to even hold an important spot. Then she knew that was it because he smiled afterwards before she answered.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    She said, with dammed rage, ¡°I don¡¯t believe my schedule and work allows me to do that. I will continue to study hard on my own.¡±


    Then, without speaking to her prince he asked his if he could leave. It was daytime still but he said he wanted to prepare to hunt darklings tonight. She wondered how Nicholas would forgive that. She felt obligated to leave then, despite her curiosity concerning the true personality of the controversial person in front of her.


    Luna had heard her and Alex talk and told Luna that his pride was a symptom of his nearly tragic birthright, ¡°His post is virtually hereditary, and the family selects the strongest son who can use magic technology. That¡¯s why he thinks he can talk to Ella like that. There is also a myth about the title but I forgot,¡± and then she looked through her bookshelf to find out.


    Sally stopped her and asked most sincerely, yet seemed insincere yet again, ¡°Do I abuse my rank?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t believe so. But the point was that Alex is a doomed high noble,¡± She deflected. She added, ¡°You¡¯re too nice.¡±


    On the other side of the wall, Ella did not consider that Tom was still there. He was quiet and seated informally she forgot he was even there. When Nick introduced him he was almost proud, ¡°This is the Baronet Tom. He was especially spotted because he fights strangely, much like one of your Blue Knights.¡±


    The Emperor said, ¡°It is Nice to meet you, Sir Tom.¡±


    ¡°It is my honor,¡± he replied robotically.


    ¡°Forgive Alex. It is my fault I let him act that way,¡± Tom had no idea what he was talking about.


    ¡°Anyway, Nick over here is my future vassal, so you¡¯ll be my knight too one day,¡± he joked and let Tom go.


    When he and Nick were finally away, he pulled out of his pocket like a stage magician a travel chess set, as he actually had no business here. Prince Samuel would probably not abdicate, but he and Nick, who he judged to be more astute and softhearted, met then, just as his late father met with their father. Kevin himself felt like decoration, as an emissary to Lodestone, which might as well be a second Susanoo.


    Over the game, Nick had asked, ¡°And what about the Special Economic Zones? Plans for common currency?¡±


    ¡°We agree everywhere, Nick,¡± he talked as if they were the same age, ¡°but the situation is the same as before.¡±


    They talked like this, just barely touching over important or real topics every few tens of minutes for almost two hours, in which everyone else restored missing sleep, the sight of the giant darkling fading into the past, which had not been spoke about but known acutely to Nick and Kevin. They were slightly nervous because the greatest knight in the continent was away, hungering over small fry.


    Kevin wanted Nick to tell everyone, even the new recruits. Before that Nick asked, ¡°Did you look over them yourself?¡±


    ¡°No, but a close subordinate did. She told me to look at this Sir Tom. He easily took down some of trainees our spotters thought were the most favored at Oakwood.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and he made friends with a few high performers at the tourney. You should arrange a meeting if Ella can give you names,¡± Nick added.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible. Our best and brightest new knights are stationed in North Susanoo. It¡¯s because I¡¯m too unpopular, but I can¡¯t just pull them out.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    The Emperor hardened, ¡°The last thing I request is that you should tell Zero Squad about the umbrae supremacy extremists. I leave it to you, but I think that only Zero Squad has the talent. There are too many ill omens.¡±


    They had the same intelligence concerning them, but Nick wanted to pretend that he didn¡¯t know until today. Although infiltration had failed, some reports listed suspects for chief enemy conspirators, even Luna among them, though that could not possibly be true, he thought.


    ¡°If you know so much about them, why can¡¯t you arrest them?¡±


    As Kevin answered Nick¡¯s heart skipped a beat, ¡°They use high-level magic to force the truth and convert my umbrae subordinates into their own. Since we have little Intel and suspect they have ties to a dangerous group of magicians, we don¡¯t know the scope of conspiracy. That¡¯s why Luna might still be an agent. We know for sure, that their leader or other figurehead specifically mentioned a high ranking member Tsukuyomi. She might not even know it herself. Besides that, if several magi can cause so much chaos if they¡¯re able to collaborate and share magic, we don¡¯t want to even incite the wrath of a handful. ¡±


    There were many reasons that explanation wouldn¡¯t suffice, but he was too frightened to say, even to his friend. Just because a ticking time bomb could not be diffused easily, did not mean it should be allowed to explode, he thought. It was only a matter of time until any conspirators would reach their objective; the whole thing was too frightening to be real, as if out of a story.


    Kevin was staying in the nicest hotel in the city. He would be close enough to talk to if anything was the matter. The last thing they talked about was what to do with Luna. Nick did acknowledge that she appeared to his father in a very suspicious way, almost like she was spontaneously generated to serve and then betray an insignificant second son. However, it was doubtful that she had both not acted yet, and that she had underwent magical hypnosis by a very real invisible enemy, the Ragnarok that didn¡¯t care it appeared conspicuous and had deeper criminal tries.


    He could not think of anything else for a few minutes, and indignantly he knocked on her door as Sally leaked out of it slowly and bowed out.


    He said to Luna, ¡°What were you talking about?¡± as the heiress looked rather winded as she left.


    ¡°I was having a very polite conversation about the preparation of tea of various kinds.¡±


    ¡°Really, well can I talk to you?¡±


    ¡°It may have spilled over to other topics. You don¡¯t have to ask, lord.¡±


    ¡°He sat down, and while he was not worried to how she¡¯d react he had difficulty saying the words.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it even for a moment but he said that you could be an unwilling spy for a group of extremist Umbrae activists.¡±


    She took it with a little shock and she grew far worse as she absorbed it. He went on to say that she might have been affected by mind control, and she too admitted a large portion of her memory from that time was beyond her.


    ¡°What should I do?¡± she said ashamedly.


    When Nick said to have Eleanor check for magic she tried be patient until she was dismissed, and in front of Nick she even got up and past him to get to Eleanor. She, knowing that nothing good could come from rushed or panicked inspections coolly reassured her that nothing would happen, to her great relief, and that the whole thing could be put away to tomorrow. Then it was so Luna disrespected Nicholas without actually being relieved of any stress.

 Chapter 34

    They decided to tell no one else, and it was immediate that there was no bug on Luna, although she now possessed a very different mercurial form than what she had before. It was bad news, and her heart raced as Ella checked both her person and her mercurial form.


    Ella wanted to talk to Luna about what it meant, but Luna understood very well that hers was not a very common name. Should it ever be her brother, a figure from memory as distant as her first friends from before unintelligible childhood in Lodestone, she would ready herself. Until then Ella could not force her to grieve the news with anyone else he could be a terrorist, so she digressed. It was an exercise of trust, though the one who would be cheated would be Luna herself.


    Ella did not ask her to manifest it on will, but she sensed new symmetrical structures. Luna said it was the result of her practice, though for that manner it was achieved in less than twenty-four hours, meaning it could¡¯ve been unstable, if it was not outright dangerous for herself to push so hard.


    That was not a prime concern and Eleanor trusted Luna to take care of herself in that way as well, as she believed her ¡®management¡¯ conditioned her to do, but rather the checkup reminded her that she never checked Sally, Tom or Stein to see whether they had any aptitude for magic.


    Ella opened a very odd closet filled with a miscellany of tools, spanning from screwdrivers to knights¡¯ things like walkie-talkies and in the view of others nearly magically produced a lightbulb, wires, and a special pair of heavy clamps. She looked to them with calling, and scalding authority, and did not even sit them down as she asked for Sally¡¯s hands.


    Without warning she squeezed her fingers with the clamps and observed that the lightbulb did not light up. It was too bright anywhere in the corridor, so it was hard to see whether it lighted up faintly, but Ella was sure. Sally would have minded the pain as she looked to her bleeding fingers, but it was too strange and curious, especially since Eleanor did not say many words, and not anything as she cleaned them for another use. She accrued the same result from Stein, but curiously when Tom tried it, the bulb lighted, but very faintly.


    ¡°These clamps produce electromotive force when in contact with magic or mercurial form. For you, Baronet, I¡¯m not sure what it means,¡± She said harshly, ¡°I suppose it means you have the potential, but very useless and slight potential to use magic.¡±


    Sally felt slightly cheated that Tom shared her intelligence but also got so many inert skills she could never develop, even for all good purpose as knights or otherwise, were useless. Luna watched from the door, clearly visible, and no one rejected her prying, and she took it as good opportunity for to forget about what had just happened.


    A sleepless Nicholas arrived, and told them they would go out one more time this week, since the last time they had not hunted adequately, and the incomplete and strange comradery was set aside, as everyone needed supplemental sleep.


    Lawrence, who fell asleep early at his work was fully awake now, went to make celebration food then.


    As he was finishing up, the siblings were up second, already prepared with their equipment, and Sally remembered to pack medical equipment. It was quite heavy, but ultimately simplified for knights¡¯ purpose, and put in a hard case so it could be discarded in the confusion of contact without damaging the contents. Hopefully it would not see use, since magical healing did not necessitate the use of mundane antiseptic or supply.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The starlight painted their field of vision, and a most impressive Luna endured several of the smaller darklings, which struggled to take form as she lunged from target to target, and she did not feel as helpless or delicate as two nights before. It was surely uncomfortable, but she felt pride that the others did not have to take action.


    She was finished unleashing one tendril, and while she should¡¯ve tired, she felt boundless joy in achieving flight, pushing herself off the ground with more that came like spider¡¯s legs from her back. She forgot both that she had armor with the appropriate slots at home, but more importantly that she had also punctured her back at two places.


    She then fell to the sea, albeit a little gracefully, becoming acutely aware that she had committed the worse sin for an umbrae, being complacent with the resident darkling. Even if she was much better at control, the fact did not excuse her, and since that was as hurt as she got she stopped surrounded by uneasily positive disbelief from the watching squad, who enjoyed the whole thing until the fall similarly to as if they¡¯d just seen a carnival attraction, mixed with pride and anticipation of even greater power.


    She then conserved strength, scaling a smaller building and hope no one saw her arachnid form and taking a more defensive role as the darklings that appeared before them were the larger but less mobile kind, earning the others¡¯ sweat.


    There were swarms on that night, and thus the prince, who actually seemed in actual hunt to have very little authority, ordered a split. Stein and Ella, and also Tom and Sally, had displayed basic teamwork with each other respectively, thus Luna was to accompany the former, while Nick and Lawrence would watch the siblings¡¯ progress. It appeared that while Stein wasn¡¯t quite adjusted yet to combating darklings, he had the bare ability to cause one to disperse. However, the evaluation that he was more ready than the sibling was only based off of the first excursion.


    Rather the decision, which had only been given enough focus because Luna was flying high by herself moments ago, was more decided upon by the learning manner of Tom¡¯s and Sally¡¯s performance on the same night. However Nicholas amended the misjudgment and sent Sally with Ella and Luna, since it would be better to have each teammate practice working with different configurations. After all, it was yet to be determined whether Stein and the siblings would all stay in zero squad.


    As the split, since Sally, Ella, and Luna were deemed just slightly stronger, they would take a more winding path from the city center. If it was not for Luna¡¯s training the day before a different evaluation would be made.


    When they were patrolling, they became slightly worried that they didn¡¯t see much of the darklings, and with the relatively high number they saw before splitting up, they worried, even though they had the numbers advantage. However, there was no indication that they had to turn around. Furthermore, they did not take communicators of any kind since Nick had never used these tactics before, and even two days prior they only split to escort Luna home.


    Sometimes it was better to talk idly than to worry and feed the darklings. Sally never learned that at school, and Ella said that among the finer aspects of knighthood was that one should take lookout while the other two should stroll lackadaisically. It was only possible in groups of three, since including more than two people in the conversation would not make it very light at all. This time, Ella also checked the sky above them.


    Luna was not very enthusiastic, and didn¡¯t ¡®believe¡¯ in this method of patrol, and only talked to Sally because of the benefit Ella proposed would come from it. Truly, it was a ruse by her, and that¡¯s why no one else had ever heard of talking at these kinds of situation. Ella knew that they would only attract the biggest and nastiest darklings which would not provide adequate training for Sally if Luna did not get her mind off of her brother. It was strange; Luna was too young to really know her brother, yet she remembered him doing some sort of favor for her. It felt even more bizarre now than when the news was just breaking in, that he would join an extremist faction of some sort. She really hoped her name was more common across the border.

 Chapter 35

    Agro sneezed loudly, as he had not yet grown accustomed to the slimy place. Between his days he tried to tidy the place up, and his cavern was at least habitable. Sometimes the children would take his space, so he rarely got to enjoy the fruits of his labor. Capt. Tsukuyomi slurped up his tea as he felt cold in his stead. He said, ¡°Isn¡¯t there anything you can do about this?¡±


    ¡°My hands are tied. Sorry. We were almost foolish though to have a hideout in the middle of the city, but this is too extreme.¡±


    ¡°My thoughts exactly.¡±


    ¡°You probably didn¡¯t come to have a warm drink with me? I have something to say to you too.¡±


    ¡°In my written report, I understated the peculiarity of a certain piece of information.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Agro stopped him. ¡°It was my fault for not noticing it before. I should have spent more time on the report.¡±


    ¡°So you know what I am talking about?¡±


    From the stolen records the Black Knights have a profile on a Zero Squad, a special operations knights¡¯ group in Lodestone¡¯s capital. Not only did it indicate a higher level of partnership, or even a larger scope of Imperial espionage, but one of the members was special. Prince Nicholas, the second prince himself was a leader. Also, the squad contained a single veteran, an umbra and magician, and three new recruits.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°Do you believe that this prince may pose a danger to our plans?¡±


    ¡°Certainly. Allow me to operate in Lodestone as I please.¡±


    Agro did not answer for a moment, ¡°I was thinking, should ever something happen to me, who would be my successor. Between you and Douteux, I think you would make a greater leader. Because of that, I think you should feel free to act if her Excellency does not disapprove.¡±


    ¡°Where is he, anyway? He¡¯s had plenty of time to prepare.¡±


    ¡°One reason I chose you was because he doesn¡¯t stay find ways to contact me. He should be acting soon.¡±


    He did not worry Agro with another trivial matter. He was a kind man, and one of the people he would not mind serving. It also had advantages to learn under him. Now he learned the proper technique for his weak, nearly invisible mercurial form from Ragnarok¡¯s vast availability of knowledge.


    That aside, the umbra on Zero Squad looked much like him and his sister, even having the same last name, age, and shape of mercurial form. He left her in the proper care in Lodestone, and she must¡¯ve proven her power as a knight. He wondered whether his well-trained, but wimpy form could compete with hers, another tendril-type that seemed almost fully formed when she was little more than a toddler. Whether or not she really believed it was him, she must¡¯ve had a bad time with the same family name.

 Chapter 36

    Sally spotted one near her horizon and felt compelled to break the silence, ¡°At twelve o¡¯ clock, girls.¡±


    The darkling was a strange existence, and its form would be miserable for a real animal. The grotesque humanoid appearance sharpened as it stood on its two legs, with shriveled forelimbs that each ended in large claws. Its mode of locomotion was also inadequate, heavy-looking legs with rear facing joints that ended with paws. The head was that of a canine, though it was more revolting than intimidating.


    To a darkling, this failed existence instantly proved successful, and it grew, expanding but not evolving. If it did not have any unseen power, Ella and Luna both judged they could defeat it, and while it was no less terrible than what they saw before, they let Sally approach the slow moving creature.


    It was some eldritch werewolf, and it howled lowly when Sally thrust her saber straight, but a frontal claw parried the attempt barely. Up close it was very different, and the small shock made her forget to breathe. She actually held an advantage in constitution; it was only five feet tall, hunchback, and lacked arm length.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    A significant portion of its nonmatter was not in use in its core or extremities, and while it sickeningly sagged in lumpy sacs, it provided an uneasily easy fight. She sliced at its arms, and when the claws fell harmlessly (and disgustingly) at her boots, she had an open target; darklings do not retreat.


    She expected some congratulations for her first victory. But also in the same direction, the other two notified her of several of the deformed werewolves. The either of them seemed very strong to Sally, but no one could move and fight infinitely, and those monsters moved in rank and file, which made it easy to see there were many of them.


    Luckily, all it took for Luna to destroy them was to simply touch her sharp mercurial form into them, and neither her or Sally cared for injuries because of Ella¡¯s presence. Instead, the nonmatter that was freed did not immediately disperse, and after they were done with the brainless things that came to them one at a time, they lost only the time to regroup. Luna¡¯s form swelled and surged until she could not retract some of her tendrils, and Ella distracted them from their recent encounter by telling Sally it might help in the confusion to memorize exactly how it looked like. Luna said to her, ¡°Among many things you are also not good at jokes,¡± though Sally didn¡¯t know what she meant and didn¡¯t find that very either.


    When they did find the others, they were solemn and reduced critically in number, as Ella and Sally performed first aid. Just in case, additional knight squads were contacted.

 Chapter 37

    None of the young men were magicians or umbrae, and hoped that numbers alone would compensate for attracting more darklings. For any reason, it would cause unneeded stress on the others if they were late, Nick said, remembering the last time.


    Lawrence, on the other hand, was more believing of Ella¡¯s nonsense despite his years, and talked, ¡°Would you two like to go on vacation with us? We made arrangements already but there should be no reason you shouldn¡¯t be able to come.¡±


    It was to start only in three days, and he said it was okay if they had somewhere else to go if not to Elodia with them.


    When they didn¡¯t say yes right away out of consideration, Lawrence made himself and the prince feel guilty for not mentioning it earlier, when they were in the doldrums. It was actually a sense of disbelief that even they got to take a full vacation. It would be the first time out-of-country for some of them, he said.


    Lawrence himself had stressed it to the others when the opportunity arisen. Besides himself, he thought they were only steps away from being child soldiers, despite the relative comfort of their quarters. The act of recreation was paramount and required, and above all else, it would hopefully elevate the condition of the entire city even if by tiny amounts.


    For a few moments he recollected about his accomplishment. They could not take much time off, so he planned everything to a half of an hour. He researched local restaurants, customs, though he couldn¡¯t handle all of it without the other three¡¯s sporadic help, even though he¡¯d been there many, many times. For a moment he considered travelling domestically, but once the others were excited, they didn¡¯t want to give up Susanoo, whose name even sounded exotic.


    The affair was to be a rite of passage for the young man and ladies, and he could not misstep, just like the meals he cooked. Truly, one wrong ingredient would hopefully not ruin the dish, but it would change the overall effectiveness. That was one aspect of life he preferred not to laze around at.


    Tom looked up, disappointed by the urban sky, and grew content with the few stars, the constant stars that all denizens of the world shared. Stars that had been the same since magic returned to the world, that he admired also in part because they undermined the black sameness of the sky. They came to an intersection, where a short street ended.


    Their first sighting of the lethal enemy was accompanied by the cantankerous wind. A few grown-up men walked towards them, stopping and bragging about their crystalline, faceless forms. Nick grew very nervous when their unique texture was illuminated. They were few in number, only two. They were also at the assigned meeting place for the other group, yet it was unwise to turn backs to enemies of unknown speed.


    They did not have the swirling, melding, or fading constitution of darklings of the common grade, nor the immense size of ones they knew they had to avoid. At the intersection one pranced unconcernedly to the turn. A third of them was behind them, standing directly underneath a streetlamp, for all to see its most fearsome form, the human.


    Their legs ended in shoed feet, and their heads had sculpted human nose ridges, and the whole body was comprised of sleek and sharp lines, most unlike the real thing.


    They look hard. I must see if they are.


    Tom felt for the first time in a long time that he was slipping into Blank and shot. Instead of flinching like the Tinker supposed, upon seeing the bullets ricochet off its shiny body, the one underneath the light cocked its head, and when it folded its arms, they saw the arms ended with sharp blades, just like real killers. And these could be real killers.


    Nick had Stein and Tom focus on one together. These things were clearly not suitable for practice, yet even he and Lawrence had difficulty in dispatching them. Out of the three, none of the darklings fell when they came in contact with the sabers and spears. Tom scanned around in the midst of it and distinctly glanced at Lawrence; a clean hit of his was partially deflected. The horror of the situation was gradually increasing.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Stein was cut at his thigh as the enemy wildly protected itself, having humanlike form but not action. Instead, it created the first time Tom saw Stein flinch. His large polearm ripped across the very surface of the glassy exterior of the darkling¡¯s leg, but only that limb dispersed. He opened his mouth to say it, but he had only not heard it from the others because they didn¡¯t have the luxury to talk.


    It didn¡¯t fall, only kneel, and the missing appendage slowly recovered from their shared terror. The stump looked like a teacup and fresh teabag moving in reverse, and the inability to strike a fatal blow hindered the four of them. As they went on, the healing accelerated and accelerated to the point where the darklings didn¡¯t have to stop to recover. After that point, they simply had enough material to get bigger and bigger.


    Nick stepped back, and fired the tip of his weapon into his opponent, and with a stroke of luck it had the momentum to break the knife-like hands and shatter the core. He was also left unarmed, and struggled to get his weapon back.


    Tom and Stein fared worse than Lawrence. Their enemy acknowledged the pack¡¯s failure and went on the defensive. It was perfect in its motion onto the curb, having the high ground on Stein, and requiring Tom to circle around either a mailbox or a streetlight no matter what side.


    Tom had difficulty in his unusual panicked moving, but luckily he didn¡¯t have to worry about his back because Lawrence and his had drifted quite away. The darkling sacrificed both arms, slashing at Stein, until he finally flinched faintly, and Tom only heard his lance falling onto street, accompanied by a dollop of blood.


    It briefly hardened, now absorbing fear from the defeated warrior,  and it commenced brutalizing Stein, before he withdraw with serious injuries on his arms and torso.


    Tom could not avoid seeing such a sight before, and his arms turned flimsy, and his saber could not keep up with his output of food for the darkling, and he knelt, but not without severely morphing the nature of his adversary. It had regrown strangely, and it too was unable to stand.


    Tom was aware that he would be slashed at until Lawrence finally finished it, the darkling shattering like glass. But he was glad that it must¡¯ve been over, and Stein, bruised and bleeding, was fine, in shock but in consciousness.


    Nick too, in these few seconds had finally been ready to help, and in turn Lawrence trusted him to get the final darkling at his back.


    When it was over, Nick was mortified when Lawrence had already been struck, and sported two deep stab wound in his back, one for each arm in the humanoid. The second wasn¡¯t as severe, but since none of them had any supplies, and that they were coupled with the injuries from the hunt itself, it remained quiet clear that he would probably not die from shock or blood loss before helped arrive, and they tried feebly with their own injuries to stem the blood.


    Nick and Tom were mostly unhurt, but Stein had also narrowly avoided a more severe result and couldn¡¯t make use of torn hands at all. Tom was working diligently, but they knew when to stop, and found difficulty in using since they did not possess any cloth items or bandages.


    The girls arrived too late to them retired and blood dyed. Ella walked forward, hoping for a miracle, focused a foolishly dedicated amount of magic through him, but it could not work on a corpse, and most of it was rejected, so the heat only cauterized his wounds.


    Ashamed of her hopeless and emotional waste of resource, she became quiet as she worked to save Stein¡¯s arms, and Luna felt powerless even with her newfound strength. Pierre Lawrence bled to death, suffering crushed vertebrae, and it was later found that the three others took the correct actions. Even if he had survived, as even getting him to safety was difficult due to their injuries, he would probably been unable to continue as a knight.


    Luna sat down and curled up, and even in the streetlights it was hard to make out how far her mercurial from expanded over her eyes. One light broke a fuse. When everything had been taken care of she refused to rise immediately, and Ella had to extend a hand to her before she walked. The captain could not look at them, ashamed, and Sally was too preoccupied to spare anyone else much sympathy. What was left was only for Stein, but Tom received curious scorn instead. She felt a little guilt, reaching early conclusion, (although correctly) that the scene had something to do with Tom¡¯s actions. After all, Special Forces wouldn¡¯t fall so easily.

 Chapter 38

    Still in his room, Nick didn¡¯t respond to any sound Luna could muster, and she allowed him to stay asleep, because she felt that as an employee she didn¡¯t have the privilege to console him, and she only soured in loneliness.


    She chose to stay in the living room, where at least she could hear Ella work, and wondered full-heartedly whether her body could also deal with taking in not enough food. Waking, and checking the clock, she worried Ella as she checked for the prince.


    When they made sure he was still in the room, and decided that it would be perfectly reasonable to check at the time they did, they grew anxious when he still didn¡¯t respond to their endless noise. Burdening Luna, Ella couldn¡¯t produce magic in her condition and beseeched her to break the lock with her mercurial form.


    They found him: intact, soundless, and awake, and in time forced him to drink water and eat. When she came home Sally joined them, and did not first care to ask. Also, she held back good news until Nick had apologized for worrying them, that Tom would be released tomorrow, and with Ella¡¯s quick thinking, even Stein could go home in a short three days.


    Nick talked for the first time about medical insurance (as knowing of it prematurely invited danger for knights), and since Tom had his own from his father, Sally would only use some of her funds to pay a little bit for Stein. The cost was caustic and insulting, since they were indeed minimally troubled by it, and not only a death in the family.


    However, her spending was still monitored by her father and having been ignored she didn¡¯t feel inclined to inform him of their misfortune. Ultimately, she would let Tom do it if he wanted since he was the one who almost lost his life.


    The notion itself was comparable to the aftertaste of the ordeal in magnitude, that even with light injuries, if, for example, the large swarm of weak darklings was to find them over the dying Lawrence, they would be in much worse shape.


    Sally offered to take over what little work was left from Ella, but ended up spending more time than she supposed. All situations ran through her mind, however useless, determining whether any matter of luck would change the outcome. For a veteran knight who was forever more evidently skilled than her, the top of her class, such an easy and unceremonial death was inconceivable. It made wonder whether it was even statistically possible to live out a full career of helping others. The crack in her dream was irreparable. She met much frustration in the paperwork, and Ella¡¯s quickness in her limited secretarial duties seemed more impressive by the minute.


    She realized she didn¡¯t ever fit a role in the house, and felt more like a guest in the rabbit hole, so she enjoyed being able to leave more frequently, with task like fetching groceries, or taking Ella¡¯s electric wheelchair for repairs. She was not the only one to avoid others. It may have been because they didn¡¯t have to fulfill any duty as knights, but she definitely saw everyone else sleep more, and she tried to monitor their sleeping habits as closely as she could without interfering on their privacy. However, seeing their suddenly cold behavior, she realized that she didn¡¯t care as much if they didn¡¯t seek help.


    Although there was much more on her hands now than ever, knighthood seemed farther away, and some sanity returned along with the sadness of loss. Pierre Lawrence was still a stranger to half of them, but the renewed feeling of vulnerability, that was first lost not so long ago, was very real. She began to think, if she were to die next, exactly what would go unfulfilled?


    There were plenty of things but the exercise was foolish. The only longing that would remain would be the wish to succeed as a knight. She didn¡¯t doubt that people would honor fallen servicewomen, but it would only please her if she was able to make a difference first. Surely everyone has that intention, she agreed to herself.


    More presently, everyone would recover slightly and her free time would return, especially since Ella would hopefully recover her magic. The only problems were that she, with all of her education and training, couldn¡¯t help the prince cope, and that she could never understand their loss. Lawrence was only a comrade to her.


    She had not processed it yet. It would be inconsiderate to mourn him as fully as the others. Tom¡¯s recounts of the two knights he¡¯d seen suggested that they should be stoic, either by nurture or tradition, she didn¡¯t know.


    No one had cried in her presence, but she felt that it was a shortcoming of hers, to not tell whether it was because of a priority on the living. A weight came over her head, and she realized the girls met difficulty in expressing gratitude in her brother¡¯s and Stein¡¯s survival when one more important to them hadn¡¯t survived. Nicholas was likely distracted away from dealing with his guilt by the whole situation, and that would be why he got stuck in a static state.


    There is that which a medic or mage can¡¯t heal, but understanding had done it for her. She heaved her uniquely starved body and marched to Luna to see if she knew how to replace a door lock.


    ¡°Let me see your mercurial form. Make it as thin as you can.¡±


    Luna obliged, but she didn¡¯t look well. Her eyes were extra glassy, and today her hair was hastily combed. She focused and squeezed it until it was about three times the width of a hairclip. Sally didn¡¯t mind, but she took her time, careful not to break her own skin.


    ¡°You could have picked the lock instead of forcing your way in. We wouldn¡¯t have to replace the sheeting around it too.


    ¡°I wanted to be as fast as possible.¡±


    ¡°I can understand that, but it would be safer to pick the lock. Your mercurial form is really flexible, not to mention Nicholas could¡¯ve been directly behind the door.¡±


    ¡°I never thought to use it like that. Especially during that episode.¡±


    They had tried the internet, and carefully read all the text that came with the supplies. Curiously, Luna had to hold the paper to her face to read it.


    ¡°Are you nearsighted? I¡¯ve never seen you with reading glasses.¡±


    ¡°Yes, nearsighted.¡±


    Dishearten, Luna slowly gave up, ¡°There are plenty of other people who might know how to do this, Baronet. I don¡¯t want to do it wrong and have to take it out.¡±


    Stein was resting, and Ella had a long tiring day in front of her computer. Nick could afford being interrupted, but it would be bad if he grew frustrated. Naturally, Tom was sitting with him, and Sally and Luna would¡¯ve waited until later to call him up if he hadn¡¯t invited his help.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.There hadn¡¯t been many other times where he was as helpful to Sally as that time. He had to struggle too, constantly apologizing for being unsure, but he got it. The sound the new lock made was as satisfying and crisp. Though it was easy to tell for Sally, Tom¡¯s manner of speaking was also artificially crisp, slow, and overcompensating.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he let pass, ¡°I¡¯ve never had to take care of my house so I don¡¯t know a thing about the metal sheeting. The ones you brought, Sal, seem to be the right size. I don¡¯t want to mess with it.¡±


    Luna felt a little harassed by his change of behavior, ¡°I don¡¯t think a normal person would know that much either.¡±


    Sally asked him where he did learn a specific task like that, and Luna was confounded to learn that their family could hire full-time servants. Sally¡¯s strangeness made more sense.


    Later she took tea with Luna. Her room smelled of it and she watched her still white teeth and wondered how much she took in. The conversation wandered away. Sally didn¡¯t feel comfortable with all the weight on her head, and it was made worse when she learned Luna treated Ella like a sibling, but she was afraid to ask her about Lawrence.


    She felt obligated to give away her feelings, and she felt almost like a schoolgirl when she laughed at how she described Tom, ¡°He¡¯s about as smart as me, and I was surprised he was helpful today. Though, I regret sometimes his treatment of me.¡±


    Luna didn¡¯t ask her to specify. When Sally, having stayed with her for longer than she could afford, asked her for another book to read, suddenly her eyes felt scalding hot. Sally rose up to her, worried that she¡¯d said something wrong, tipping over her small seat in the process.


    She snatched away Luna¡¯s hot beverage, not needing much force as her grip loosened. While Sally apologized and turned her head, meaning to ask to continuing sitting with her, Luna said calmly, ¡°Thank you, Baronet. I almost dropped it.¡±


    Luna was taciturn, and didn¡¯t shed more tears. Instead she tried to reassure her partner, but never met eyes. She set Sally¡¯s chair upright immediately, and it was late in the night when she resumed, though the two never heard the others leave to their rooms. Sally was afraid that now it was too private, if she would cry in front of her, but she knew it was best for her to stay if Luna wanted her to.


    Sally knew that she should¡¯ve avoided feeling hopeless or numb too, ¡°I may not be able to understand, but everyone is here for you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and for that I am thankful,¡± Luna regained her willingness to talk, ¡°Your gentleness was also suspicious once. But remember he was the one who brought me the first books when I moved in. I felt we didn¡¯t have much in common except the will to serve, and I am glad to have lived as long as I have in the same household.¡±


    Sally agreed as she continued, picking up who she meant as ¡®us¡¯, ¡°He has left without regrets. As a veteran knight, especially one who¡¯d given up important parts of his life in secrecy, I know that dying on the streets for someone else¡¯s sake, would not be totally disagreeable.¡±


    Luna finally leaked, scared that she angered her.


    Sally didn¡¯t stop even when she realized, ¡°I¡¯m sure, he wants just as much to have survived, and be with you.¡±


    Nicholas and Tom heard, but dealing with their individual sorrows, did not intervene when they heard a raise in volume; Sally¡¯s unkindness was not targeted to Luna.


    She bit her lip at Tom without him seeing when she came out, and got ready for bed. She felt cloudy in her chest and in her head now, and returned red-faced after she had cooled down.


    Luna looked like had her grieving hadn¡¯t progressed from before the night. Sally did not let her speak without saying, ¡°I need to apologize. I¡¯m sorry, sorry. What you said might be truer. Who am I to say? I am just an outsider. I tried to relate to my experience. I am useless.¡±


    ¡°I would like to hear it if it isn¡¯t too personal,¡± Luna thought she spoke to fast but didn¡¯t stop her.


    ¡°I¡¯ve also lost substantial family to darklings. I have a large house, a little far from the suburbs. Sometimes we would spend nights in the backyard, and it happened while only Tom and my mother were home. And my father stopped talking to me and Tom and it¡¯s worse lately, since he won¡¯t respond at all anymore. I think because of unresolved issues, Tom fell into depression when our grandfather died, and then he¡¯s been seeking something he calls adventure, even though he¡¯s miserable now because I suggested that he should become like me and that grandfather we spend time with. I don¡¯t even know when the details of my own mother¡¯s death, and I haven¡¯t the courage to ask Tom again because he thinks that it¡¯s some Pandora¡¯s Box, but when he was closer to darklings he showing signs of sickness. I already inferred that it was violent and slow, and that she shielded my older brother until the knight arrived. I¡¯m weak, and I¡¯m probably the reason Tom¡¯s in such a bad state, if not directly, there was probably something I could¡¯ve done, so I have no place telling you what¡¯s right and wrong about someone I¡¯d met for little more than a week,¡± She didn¡¯t believe she was telling this to someone she¡¯d met for only a little more than a week like she was some therapist.


    Luna let her catch her breath, and even hugged her, but she wouldn¡¯t have it. It was the effects of a darkling, which increased her sadness but not her inhibitions, which allowed Sally to confess. Neither of them saw the death, but it must¡¯ve attached to her anyhow.


    It was wrong for Sally to introduce her woes to Luna, but she knew what she had to know to help her cope.


    When she had settled, and apologized once again Luna asked to hear the accounts of the night. When Sally summarized them, she spoke objectively, omitting the details that Stein, Nick, and Tom each added to increase their own guiltiness in the matter. Feeling content with the resolution, Luna released her and promised confidentiality, but not before imploring Sally to confront Tom again, and that Luna also thought it was unfair.


    It was a family matter, and she felt guilty to listen to the baronet in her altered mental state. She wondered if she could go as far as to cry. Tonight she seemed more expressive in her feelings, almost drunk.

 Chapter 39

    ¡°Hello, Sal. Good morning,¡± Tom was reclined in a deep imprint of a couch in the living room.


    ¡°Were you here all night? But it¡¯s not so late to call it morning,¡± she mused as he sat upright, in obvious discomfort.


    He had been there only for an hour, and she didn¡¯t choose to doubt that. Rather, Tom understood that he should manage his health for when duty resumed, and unlike some, he only had physical fitness to work with. Before, his body hadn¡¯t been in as good a condition as even Sally or Stein¡¯s.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t worry about my health. Nick hasn¡¯t said a word to me, nor have I heard him speak, in the last few days.¡±


    She looked around and wondered whether they were quiet enough to say what they wanted.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re close enough to help him if Ella and Luna couldn¡¯t. I think the funeral will help us.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I hear you¡¯re in charge of planning?¡±


    ¡°I am not,¡± Sally said softly, ¡°Ella had lost schedule kept for knight personnel. This is first death ever in the Squad and it wouldn¡¯t be dignified to have two processions for us and relatives. We had to decide for ourselves whether an acquaintance would attend or not. I understand his familial situation was also poor in the past. We will definitely force the few people to confidentiality.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°That¡¯s horrible,¡± Tom was loud enough to hear through the doors.


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Then we must continue to carry on, then.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The funeral was naturally private, and honors were carried out by the prince, whom the Lawrence family did not recognize as anyone other than a direct superior, even if he finally did look regal again in his attire. He squinted in the uncharacteristic and early heat present in the middle of winter.


    Without words the military nature of the procession was clear, as none of the other knights wore dresses or suits, but uniforms, and though the official report hadn¡¯t been published, they understood that it was not as deadly as it could have been.


    A young and handsome knight was too injured to properly wear his coat. They were saddened also by the others¡¯ ages. They seemed plastic, and inhuman, and while two of them were baronets, they had never seen those siblings anywhere.


    They were made to promise the secrecy of there being a need for Special Forces in the city, and the affair was over as suddenly as it started. Nick promised that he would do everything to minimize the son¡¯s shame.

 Chapter 40

    Luna made an ugly and threatening sound. She had woken up and wasn¡¯t sure if it was a true awakening, because when she lifted her eyelids, she still felt them over her eyes. There were many extraordinary things that happen to umbrae, and her especially over the last few weeks, so she remained upright and still. This was also the longest return to diurnal living she had, so she didn¡¯t know the time. There were many extraordinary things that happen to umbrae, that it makes it hard to tell whether any particular ailment is the result of their anatomy.


    She yelled their names, and yelled, ¡°Help me! Help,¡± and she could easily tell if there was any noise besides hers. She had to know the time; it would tell if there was anyone to help her. There was no feedback, so she waited again. Her hopefulness left her after a few minutes, but she knew there was no imminent danger, just the unknown of what was happening to her.


    Her head filled with a dense and itchy fog as she leaked onto the floor of her tidy room, finally slouching and filling her tired eyes with her fancy analog clock. Normally, when it was a little before twelve o¡¯clock that meant that she would have plenty of time, but this time, it meant noon. Once she had dressed and eaten, she felt much lighter, and put on a lighter fa?ade, if just to escape the last day¡¯s events. She had already lost one and had worried about losing another right after.


    She couldn¡¯t remember why she yelled violently after waking up, and in looking for Sally for her medical trivia, ran into Stein and Tom instead, both lazing in front of the Television.


    After explaining her situation Tom said, ¡°Night terrors, maybe? I wouldn¡¯t trust Sal to know anything about that. Usually though, you don¡¯t forget nightmares right away. Anyway, I¡¯m good with trivia and I would remember if Sal said anything about that.¡±


    ¡°That is not a good criteria to whether something is trivia.¡±


    ¡°As for her, she went out with Nick,¡± said Stein. ¡°She said that doing some royal chores would help him normalize.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you two seem awfully calm. What if something had happened to me? Didn¡¯t you hear me yelling?¡±


    Tom took over for his less elegant friend, ¡°We did, but it¡¯s hard to hear from the boys¡¯ wing and you have a history of sleep talking. And we¡¯re feeling awful, right Stein?¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°I do? Ah, my head hurts,¡± her umbral features flared.


    Seeing her in pain, the meager noble characteristics in Tom, as well as the rustic kindness in Stein, both awakened simultaneously.


    ¡°Okay,¡± said the smarter of the two, ¡°Sit down, and ask Stein and me how we feel.¡±


    ¡°Stein and Tom how do you feel?¡±


    Stein spoke first, ¡°I¡¯m still unable to function as a knight, and the doctor said that while I¡¯m free to exercise it, I won¡¯t be at full capacity. But overall, I feel fine and I¡¯m glad to keep my hand. Seriously, Ella is amazing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also feeling all better, since I was not hurt that badly. I can speak for him too, though, that our heads haven¡¯t recovered. Maybe, if we could occupy you with the task of serving us tea,¡± except, Tom sounded like he had rehearsed.


    ¡°That¡¯s, good to hear,¡± she hesitated, but as the left to actually serve them, reminded that Tom would have a butler, she heard him rise as she turned her back.


    ¡°Luna. We need your help with Eleanor. Please get ready as you make us that tea. She¡¯s fine for now, just get your blood flowing.¡±


    From away she heard Stein comment on how Tom was not as good as Sally at imposing on others. Halfway, as she was heating water, she remembered how Sally told her, in her words, that Tom ¡®hates tea. It brews up those memories¡¯. That another reason why she only had tea with her.


    Ignoring her pun, Luna steeled herself, and decided to bring them their tea and listen to their request fully.


    ¡°Right, so what do you want me to do? Where is she right now?¡±


    She went, ¡°Let me in.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine Luna. You don¡¯t have to break the door or anything.¡±


    ¡°Okay then, you¡¯ve been in there for a long time. I¡¯m going to get you something to eat.¡±


    Eleanor relented and let her in.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been on my feet since I woke up today. They wanted me to make them tea, and for some reason I did it.¡± Said Luna.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to do that. Also, you need to work on managing your sleep.¡±


    ¡°About that Ella, why didn¡¯t you tell me that I was sleep talking?¡±


    She saw how Luna¡¯s features were becoming inflamed, so she had to close her eyes, ¡°It was something you¡¯ve always done. You never outgrew it, but no one told you?¡±


    ¡°No! This time they were night terrors. I am supposed to remember Night terrors.¡±


    ¡°Luna. Just wait for Sally. She might know.¡±


    ¡°Everyone has a lot of faith in her, huh? Well, she is more of our friend than any of those boors. Anyway, why have you been in your room for so long. It always helps when I¡¯m grieving to be with others. You didn¡¯t even have anything to eat.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m eating now. I am perfectly fine and I¡¯ve been doing all of my work from here,¡± Ella pointed to her computer.


    ¡°When, When did you possibly move that? That doesn¡¯t matter though, you need to leave your room.¡±


    ¡°Would you feel better if I did?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    ¡°Fine then, give me a while to clean up, and then I¡¯ll come.¡±


    When Luna left to give her space, it was then Nick and Sally got back home.

 Chapter 41

    "Tom, Let¡¯s go,¡± said Sally, ¡°It looks like you haven¡¯t done a thing in the last two days. Would you mind fencing against me?¡±


    ¡°Of course. After all, I have been doing nothing.¡±


    They already moved away towards their rooms. Over the hallway, she said, ¡°I mean fencing. Not sparring.¡±


    After they got prepared, Tom said, ¡°Where could we fence?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Hey, Nicholas. Where could we fence?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. There is a gym nearby. Also, thank you for accompanying me today. Sally, you were a big help.¡±


    ¡°Tom, I don¡¯t think I have the time to go and sign up for the gym. Come on, Nick, tell you¡¯ve got a bigger room somewhere down here.¡±


    ¡°No, but that¡¯s certainly one thing I hadn¡¯t thought about it. Hey, there might be a piste somewhere in the Royal Palace. You could sneak in and enjoy there.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Tom said, ¡°Go, could you take us there, Si- ¡°.


    ¡°Like hell. I can¡¯t do that because I happen to be a prince. Just go with me later and you can use it normally. If you really want to go there right now, do it yourselves where I can¡¯t be caught.¡±


    ¡°Tom! Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to trespass. Could you perhaps tell me why, dear sister, that you want to fence right now. The training room isn¡¯t big enough but it¡¯s the next best thing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t know what got into me. Just sparring is good enough right now I guess.¡±


    When they were out of earshot, she said, ¡°Sorry for the theatrics. I just wanted to get across how entirely boring and frustrating being Nick¡¯s aide is, without telling him. I had to do it for a day and I have no idea how Ella can manage.¡±


    ¡°Really, what did you have to do?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much, is just that everything has to be so official it hurts. In fact, I didn¡¯t know why I was so stressed. Maybe it had something to do with the King.¡±


    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s feeling better now, right?¡±


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.¡°Not a chance, Tom. Well, for one I didn¡¯t get to meet him. Just see him. Apparently, Zero Squad is something that¡¯s been a thing for a while. I guess, it was important to see his son¡¯s allies.¡±


    ¡°Did you at least get to talk to him? Did he remember our name?¡±


    ¡°I hope he did, and it seems to be that way too, but I didn¡¯t have the time to really ask him questions. I didn¡¯t know that Nick was usually so busy. Me, on the other hand, I just wanted the day to end.¡±


    ¡°You really didn¡¯t like it. It sounds interesting; I¡¯ll go next time,¡± said Tom happily.


    ¡°No. I told Ella to stay in bed if she wasn¡¯t feeling well. I hope it was only a one time thing and no one has to deal with that kind of boredom.¡±


    ¡°Well, hasn¡¯t it come to mind that she might find it fun, or at the very least interesting.¡±


    ¡°Oh, brother. I don¡¯t think she feels that way about, even if she likes to keep busy. Right, Tom, you haven¡¯t gotten to know your teammates well. Perhaps, you don¡¯t think you¡¯ll stay here, hmm?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d make a very good addition to special forces,¡± Tom looked down. Somewhere between relocating, it seemed that Sally¡¯s wish to spar fizzled out. Instead, she just held her practice saber in her hands with an empty expression.¡±


    ¡°Right. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll end up staying either. Thinking back, most of the Knight trainees we met have been Superhuman in some way. I think there is some martial technique we¡¯re lacking, but I don¡¯t think that is all.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Tom said, ¡°We¡¯ve already talked for a bit, there¡¯s no shame in finishing your thought.¡±


    ¡°Oh. It was something I can¡¯t put into words. Its just that when Luna, who¡¯s not a swordfighter in the slightest, nor was she ever formally taught fencing, still beat me with sheer physical strength and speed. But, seeing the way we¡¯re treated, I don¡¯t think that having superhuman abilities is a prerequisite.¡±


    ¡°Remember, that memoir of sorts about Baroness Schwarz that I told you about. Maybe you should read it. There were other interesting things like war stories besides just the fear management techniques. In fact I wanted to get a hold on the book again.¡±


    ¡°I already do that for Luna.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Anyway dear brother,¡± she said in a silly voice, ¡°I asked Nick today and I got a very good response. I guess in all the work he forgot to keep secrets from me. He might¡¯ve thought I was Ella. So, when I asked him if he had ever heard of the Baroness, he asked me for more details since hers was a common last name. He said that he couldn¡¯t say without her first name.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I had meant to ask him but I guess we really do need more information.¡±


    ¡°No, No Tom. The fact that he asked for the first name when he heard the Schwarz was because he wants to see if we know her before telling us. I personally don¡¯t know why he would keep it from us but think about. The only people he¡¯s likely to know are people close to the Emperor of Susanoo, his best friend, mentor, and ally, right? Despite the name being common, that means he must at least have met with her family.¡±


    ¡°So, it doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s not like we can just take a vacation to go meet with her.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re quite attached. It must¡¯ve been hell of a book. Anyway, vacations are pivotal to knighthood, so we¡¯ll just ask once he trusts us enough.¡±


    ¡°Hey, weren¡¯t we just wondering about how we¡¯re not good enough to stay in Zero Squad?¡± asked Sally.


    ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s about time we get to practicing.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±

 Chapter 42

    The next day, on the last day when they skipped patrols, Sally decided to suck it up and refused to do anything for rest of the day. She had been the only one that still either helped around the house or went and did chores for someone else. Still, she could not understand how anyone could possibly spend a whole day doing nothing.


    ¡°Well of course you don¡¯t remember how to relax,¡± said Luna while sharing tea. ¡°Baronet, you haven¡¯t really relaxed since high school, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh. You¡¯re right, there was college, nurse training, then Knight training. I guess, it was a long time since I really had any free time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m lucky. I had learned how to use my mercurial form as a child. Now I briefly have problems, but I can always sip away without much work at all.¡±


    ¡°That is another problem.¡±


    Luna smiled, but it was still a pained smile, ¡°Okay, then. I¡¯m going to practice a bit more. I¡¯m finally ready.¡±


    Sally let her go, and luckily Ella was also in front of the TV. When Sally walked towards her, Ella was panicked. She shifted in her chair then tried to rise. Sally felt the little rays of magic as tingling currents of heat as Ella¡¯s puppet strings pulled her upwards.


    ¡°Listen. Sally!¡± Rewinding the television, Ella resembled a flytrap as her hand grasped Sally¡¯s wrist.


    The King had fallen unconscious. Quickly, Sally said, ¡°I¡¯ll look for my brother. Could you ask Luna to find His Highness?¡±


    When Ella went and told the news, Luna¡¯s entire day of focus evaporated. As Ella let her in on Nick¡¯s schedule for the day, one of her tendrils materialized and ripped her clothing, but the two were so engaged that she didn¡¯t even notice.


    At the time, Nicholas was entertaining nobles, and Tom was awkwardly taking his turn to help too. Sally and Luna both left with haste, but found a grim-faced Tom sitting with a downtrodden Nick. The sounds of sirens reverberated through the chambers. Except, it was as if the siren spoke once quietly to tell the servants and the other staff. They understood magically and whipped everyone away except them. The guests were all long gone, and the elaborate d¨¦cor became haunting in their absence.


    ¡°Nicholas, I mean, Your Highness, Are you okay?¡± said Luna, catching her breathe.


    He grunted, ¡°Yes, okay. More importantly, Luna, your shirt is ripped.¡±


    ¡°Never mind that, let¡¯s go to where your father is! Right, everyone?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± he half yelled, ¡°I mean, I think you should go home. I only asked Tom to come so he could help me carry something, right?¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Tom replied but Luna felt a little indignant. Sally grabbed her, though otherwise she hadn¡¯t said or done anything. Luna knew she wasn¡¯t ready to see the King.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    He wasn¡¯t special to her, but she remembered the many times that he visited her. It was something she sought to push aside. Just after forming Zero Squad with people that were like family, that very group was being thinned. Maybe she would have forced him to let her go to, but it was too soon.


    Instead, Sally took her home and Nicholas and Tom quickly marched towards the interior of the palace, and not just the galleries or tea gardens, or other fine rooms now kept for display.


    Nicholas knew not the nature of the emergency but he wanted to move as fast as his heart could, propelled by the very frightening aspect of not getting to see his father before he was moved elsewhere, or worse¡­


    The thing was, that strangely the King was not very advanced in age, nor was he particularly unhealthy, or otherwise ill. No, but he had once heard from Baronet Sally, who really knew more than she should that there were several ways a man could just end up and faint.


    When they got there the staler air from deeper in hit them like a wall as they opened the door, but somehow dressed, and tired looking, Ella was already there on her knees next to some servants and the King, reduced also to the floor. His eyes looked very distant, but he turned to see them and made the effort to nod silently, before mustering all his strength and, to the disbelief of everyone present, standing up and leaning on the servants before walking to a private clinic.


    Finally, after a glass of water, he cleared his throat and made sure that, he was ¡°fine and needed to be alone.¡±


    Of course, his doctor did not let him have his authority, just this once, and Nicholas, teary-eyed, but content, took the group to their quarters, and found that Luna also appreciated the news. As Nicholas elaborated, she just smirked and bobbed her happy head until she said, ¡°Where did the other Baronet go?¡±


    Tom felt just


    Tom felt just a touch of evil as he just slipped past, goaded the doctor, and looked Royalty in the eyes and asked about how his grandfather was personally. Not the old man who told Tom stories, but as the veteran knight, who was more famous than his family knew.


    When Tom walked in, he carried a book with A. Schwarz¡¯s last name plastered over and claimed he had hurt his foot on the way and fell behind, into the crowd, and into a bookstore for a book he really wanted (and Sally approved) but that excuse didn¡¯t hold but no one expected that he did anything with the King and went about their last day of rest.


    The night patrol went without a hitch except it was rather strange that Ella had to truck past everyone as a scout, as she was the veteran still, but she did so with a cane, to balance her already exhausted sense of control with her partially spent magic and uneasy head.


    There was only a single darkling, one of high danger levels that took on an ugly bestial, but humanoid shape, but Zero Squad endeavored to take it out quickly.


    Nicholas¡¯ lance struck it right where the thigh would be, while Ella held her fire, wanting to save up the last of her magic reserved. Luna on the other extreme, had no problem breaking her skin to send as many tendrils as she could into the creature, this time a record of six, not just out of her two palms but from her abdomen too.


    At this point the specimen was falling apart and the shadows would probably disperse by itself since the mercurial form had been so broken, but together Tom and Sally cut long strokes coursing through the parody of the ape-like body, not letting the darkling even fall over. Remembering, how deadly humanoid darklings where, no one wanted to comment on the other¡¯s guile or effort.


    When all was over and come morning, everyone followed Nicholas curiously as he wanted to see his father. Left in an anteroom, they waited patiently for him to check whether it was okay to visit. Some of the visitors returned and the waiters shifted to see a familiar looking boy peek into their anteroom.


    Luna and Ella curtsied, and the later muttered, ¡°Crown Prince. It¡¯s nice to see you,¡± but he did not heed them.s

 Chapter 43

    The Prince looked, simply to Tom who had never seen him in person, like a bigger more aggressive Nicholas, and he was right to think that this one didn¡¯t mean any good. His blue eyes sparked in the dim light of the inner palace, and he wore a smile, but it curled up at the sides in a twisted grin that almost physically harmed Tom when he looked at it.


    ¡°This person snuck here yesterday somehow. He was very rude to the King. Maybe, he had some criminal attention that time.¡±


    ¡°Hey. Neil. That was uncalled for and I¡¯m sure he had good reason for being here,¡± Nicholas stepped between Tom and his strong gaze.


    ¡°Not at all Nicholas. I fully understand that this person is nobility and thus deserves some time with our father. But have you heard some of the rumors,¡± As Neil said this the parlor maids stammered but became silent soon after.


    ¡°It¡¯s said that he was poisoned deliberately as an attempt on his life. Now, it wouldn¡¯t be so farfetched to imagine that someone hired a measly Baronet where they failed, right?¡±


    ¡°No. That is something that would never happen. Tom is one of my men and has nothing but respect for the king,¡± said Nicholas, ¡°What¡¯s got into you? I know you never liked me but don¡¯t bring Father into this.¡±


    ¡°Well, if he¡¯s tricked you, then maybe we should ask him directly?¡± he said dismissively, as if to say, that Nicholas¡¯ status didn¡¯t matter compared to his own.


    Tom remained silent, until Neil said, ¡°Good answer.¡±


    ¡°Well, little brother, I have no plans to pit your reputation against mine, but I will say that I can¡¯t let this assassin remain in your care. So how about a bargain. I¡¯ll take a duel against him and it will all be over.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re planning. But I¡¯m not going to let you get away with it. I¡¯ve just lost a friend, and I¡¯m not giving away another. So, I¡¯ll challenge you instead. In front of witnesses. Hmm, Neil. What will you say when I tell the world that you had a personal slight against me?¡±


    ¡°Oho. You think you can fight against me. I¡¯ll make it easy then. It will be a Knights¡¯ Duel. With our mechanical spears,¡± Neil said, and seemed bigger in that moment than any human could¡¯ve been.


    He walked away, the nonparticipants shuddered away quickly, but Tom and Nicholas remained. They finally got the doctor¡¯s okay, but the doctor looked confused. At this time the King was seated upright, weakened truly by what they found to really be poison.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    ¡°Father. Did this person threaten you in any way?¡±


    ¡°No. He merely asked me about his grandfather that I served with as a Knight.¡±


    ¡°Do you think he would wish you harm?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that no one that you picked for your team would ever do any evil.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what Neil thinks so I¡¯m going to set it straight.¡±


    ¡°Nick. Please. He didn¡¯t seem to be himself. He¡¯s just doing what he thinks is right.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going, by your leave. I don¡¯t want to disturb your rest. Get well, father.¡±


    Nicholas and Tom curtsied, but when they got home everyone, Eleanor chair bound included huddled to him and chastised his anger. They told him by doing anything, it was incrimination and that Tom would have been fine and was just a target because it would get him to fight. And he knew that they spoke the truth, but he could not sit by.


    Tommorow Tom and Sally discovered that the palace really did go infinitely deep and contained somehow, a set of rooms especially for different martial competitions and seating for watchers. Nicholas dressed in the wraps of a Knight and found that not only was his brother decked out in full plate, but also was using a normal spear that was not dulled or lightened in any way. Changing, he faced Neil, and confirmed mostly to the staff, Zero Squad, and a fleet of lazy Barons and Baronets why they were to have a duel.


    Tom tried to remember how these duels typically ended, as artifacts from a less rational time where personal slights had to be answered honorably.


    Usually, both duelists would shoot into the floor, or to their backs and it would end with an acknowledgement of wrongdoing and then mutual forgiveness. Or, someone would shoot first and impale the other on the spear-like tool that seemed very effective on even darklings.


    He had no questions about Nicholas¡¯ aim. He had picked out points of concentrated substance fairly reliably when on patrol so far, but he remembered Eleanor had a sort of respectful admiration for Prince Neil, but now she said, ¡°I thought I was a good judge of character,¡± and tutted.


    ¡°Hey, everyone. If things get hairy I¡¯m going to help,¡± she whispered.


    ¡°No. Let¡¯s just let him be injured if it comes to it. This is a matter of honor and we¡¯re not supposed to intervene,¡± but Sally wanted to add that despite her rank duels were outdated and honestly she didn¡¯t even know.


    The princes took their places on a roughly ten-meter arena of hardwood that shined. Also shining was a close servant that seemed to follow Neil, with his black uniform positively sparling in the setup, with a mallet and bell in hand.


    Tom saw the servant signal Neil, but it was too late to say anything.


    Instead, they took up their lances, drew breathes and waited for the bell to ring, each facing so their backs were to each other. But Neil cheated, and knew before hand when the bell would ring. As Nicholas heard it he turned around, but Neil was already facing him and aiming, and aiming high.


    They were wearing face masks, but there was no way it would help against the lance heads.


    Nicholas felt a cold wind but luckily he was just a moment better, and he shot, half-scared for his life.


    He struck Neil square in the chest, making him grunt and then he should have stopped, but he still acted like nothing had happened. Instead, he took aim and fired.


    There was a flash of crimson.

 Chapter 44

    She awoke in her bed. That¡¯s weird, she thought, I don¡¯t remember changing into this.


    Ella felt heavy, sick, and very weak, and remembered sometimes that really, she was prone to taking long naps but never had she felt such sharp pain in her lower stomach. That was never a symptom of when she¡­ huh?


    She couldn¡¯t quite remember what she did to deserve long naps. In fact, she didn¡¯t really remember anything other than she woke up in her own bed but didn¡¯t in fact go to sleep. The sheets smelled antiseptic. That made her want to get up.


    She leaned on the side of the bed, with her body like lead, but instead didn¡¯t find the power to stand upright and sunk to the floor instead, feet up, and had to taste the floor.


    ¡°Help me!¡± she cried.


    Then, a lanky looking girl walked up, tray in hand. The sweet smells of food turned her head, but the girl panicked instead after seeing her on the floor and helped her up. She was dressed comfortably, as if it were home as well, ¡°Are you awake now, Ella? Take it easy, still.¡±


    She ate carefully, trying not the spill any food on the nice room she was in. She never thought she would ever stay in a fancy room like it, but she said nothing.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re still drowsy. I guess now I need to find a way for you to call me when you need me,¡± She seemed nice, but it was very easy, perhaps because she seemed like a genuine person, that she was acting cool and coy, but really she was really happy. Her eyes were moist, but her voice was steady.


    ¡°Wait,¡± and then, she told her that she couldn¡¯t remember a thing.


    ¡°So, my name is Eleanor and you¡¯re Sally?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you were released from the yesterday and you were fine and chatting with everyone. We let you go because you were tired, and I brought some food because you hadn¡¯t eaten,¡± Sally wracked her brain, ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with your memory. At the very least, you should be able to walk.¡±


    ¡°About that, why can¡¯t I use my legs?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s something I don¡¯t know,¡± Sally looked down, ¡°I guess, I never bothered to get to know you that well. Huh, try using your magic to move your legs. Maybe you haven¡¯t forgotten that.¡±


    ¡°I remember me being a magician, and I remember my magic, but not that.¡±


    ¡°The metaphor you used to explain to me is that it was like moving puppet strings, but I guess that can wait. How about you stay here and I¡¯m going to look up exactly what¡¯s wrong with you.¡±


    Ella didn¡¯t want to be left alone, but she knew that she was someone who could¡¯ve been trusted. The smallest details were returning, the knowledge she had, but not the secrets of her personality or of her life.


    After she was gone and she had slurped the last of her meal, Ella sat upright on her bed and rolled up her clothing. Her legs were scarred and useless and guessed from the location of her pain and of some bloody bandages that was not the reason she was in the hospital. Instead, her injuries looked like a gunshot wound, but not quite. She was not sure why¡¯d she knew that either.


    Sally came in with more food a few hours later, wearing an apron, but that time felt like an eternity in solitude. She gladly gave up the food, took a bite, and continued to explain.


    ¡°It seems that you¡¯re in a fugue state. You¡¯ll be better soon, but let me tell you, it was hard to explain why I was so nervous without letting anyone know. I didn¡¯t want them to worry as Nick¡­¡±


    ¡°About me, please,¡± but of course afterwards she wanted to know about the others.


    So Sally told her everything she knew about Ella to her, ¡°To be precise, I¡¯m almost certified to take care of you as you remember, but I don¡¯t know whether I should tell you everything. There¡¯s no literature that recommends any single treatment.¡±


    Sally was not trained well in these kinds of subjects but acted cautiously because she could at least deduce that amnesia could be a painful thing, and instead fed Ella knowledge about her place in the world, leaving out the fine details of her relationships, which to be honest, Sally did not know very well. She had to correct Ella almost every time she remembered something because they were false memories and grew worried when after hours of talking there was no headway.


    ¡°I could you tell everything right now, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s time for everything, nor do I know that¡¯s the right thing to do.¡±


    ¡°Well, could you at least tell me where I am exactly?¡± Ella said meekly.


    ¡°Ah, how could I forget. This is our little hideout in the center of the city.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I understand.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve being trying to act cheerful, but it hurts me to see you like this. The words won¡¯t come out of my mouth. I want to believe that you can remember, but something¡¯s stopping me from talking. You¡¯re a Knight, Eleanor, special forces. This is our station. I think I¡¯ll bring in Luna instead to talk to you.¡±


    ¡°Sally, I didn¡¯t know. I¡¯m sorry. You¡¯ve been taking care of me too since I got home. You should rest.¡±


    She went, and once again Ella was lonely. She could hear her talking to someone else in another room, and in fact while she couldn¡¯t make out the words that many people were worried about her. She tried to remember the people she talked to yesterday, but she could not, though with some practice she could bend her legs.


    Ella wanted nothing more than the ability to walk again, so she could throw the covers off and see her world first hand. She was confident that everything would be well and found it strange that Sally had never told her the exact cause for her injury, though it hurt less and less.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Instead, that evening, she the exercises Sally had told her about. She had been in a coma, Sally said but it was miraculous that it wasn¡¯t very long, but also unfortunate that she couldn¡¯t remember doing the same exercises the day before. Eventually though, she gave up on her pride and forgot about her condition or her magic and decided the lean herself onto the wheelchair.


    She was at the door, but the noisy electric motor drew the attention of a sad-looking umbra girl, who without saying a word walked in, grabbed Ella and pushed her gently to her own room, stuck a cup of too-hot tea into her hand and wept a little to herself.


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re okay Ella. Sally told me everything. Of course, that means you have to go back to the doctor,¡± she said with a half open grin, ¡°But is it true? Have you lost your memories?¡±


    Ella nodded, and Luna said, ¡°Do you remember how you got hurt? That¡¯s not something you should have done yourself. If anything, it should have been me. I could have walked away from the same thing, I think. But I must admit that you were really cool, and you¡¯re recovering really well.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t remember.¡±


    ¡°I think it is better that way. At least, that¡¯s what Nicholas said. Well, you only need to remember you¡¯re like a sister to me, and not like a sister-in-arms like the Baronet. I¡¯m sorry, because while you don¡¯t remember, I¡¯ve been nothing but ungrateful to you, and I told myself I would never act impetuous again with you, but now, I don¡¯t want things to change anymore, and so I can¡¯t keep that promise,¡± Luna¡¯s mercurial form bulged out of her eye sockets, dripping onto her face, but remembering a bit more, Ella was certain that wasn¡¯t normal about her, or most any umbra for that matter.¡±


    ¡°But I think it is time for me to see this Nicholas person. I¡¯m ready if you can wave him.¡±


    ¡°Erm, while I know you¡¯re ready I don¡¯t think he is. He thinks the whole mess is his own fault but it was both partly your choice to jump into danger, and then there had to be some circumstances we don¡¯t understand,¡± Luna said, but then added, a little less depressively, ¡°Oh well, I can try to call him.¡±


    Ella had realized that Luna had somehow misunderstood Sally¡¯s instructions of not shocking her, so instead she was shocked when a regally dressed boy waked in.


    Ella had remembered who exactly ruled Lodestone and he was a dead ringer for a younger version of the King, the King, she had some personal connection somewhere, but now he was here, all ears, but he also possessed sad and tired eyes. But why? Why was she sad when she remembered the King?


    ¡°Excuse, but could you tell me, where am I?¡± she repeated, not knowing how to great the meek young person.


    ¡°This is our home. Listen, I¡¯ve tried contacting your father but I couldn¡¯t find him. I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said sorry like he meant it.


    ¡°Father. Oh, I thought you were my family,¡±


    ¡°We are your family,¡± he almost yelled, yet his voice was tender and hurt more than angry ¡°I mean, I¡¯m trying to stoke your memory as slowly as possible.¡±


    ¡°Well, what was the relation between you and me? Who are you? What relation am I to the King?¡± Ella said, but she did not believe herself to be a princess or anything like that, but something more tragic, she felt.


    ¡°I¡¯m no one, but you saved me, I am the King now.¡±


    ¡°No, the King was some gentleman, wait, why do I remember that?¡±


    ¡°I talked to Sally and she said something like knowledge beyond just your personality would be preserved, and I guess the overlap, being the ruler and all that, would do your memories good,¡± He said slowly, eagerly, but also hesitant, ¡°Do you remember that you were sent to the orphanage here and taken care of by my father?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Yes, now Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°No, while it is true that you were his servant and my bodyguard, we were not in so distant,¡± but when Nick spoke, Ella felt hurt.


    ¡°Oh, sorry. That was too fast,¡± and then he fell into the same darkness that afflicted him when he walked in.


    ¡°No, wait, I did call you Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°I see you¡¯re remembering things, Ella. We were not afraid that you wouldn¡¯t get well, but that you would be overwhelmed and you¡¯re doing fine,¡±


    ¡°Everyone says that, and I remembered that, but I had to deduce so because usually the non-heirs lead knights, but there was another.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ll tell you later why I am the King now rather than just your captain and that¡¯ll wait till later. Get changed, Ella, since it¡¯s almost afternoon and I guess Luna or Sally can help- ¡°


    ¡°No! Why does everyone dismiss me? It seems that the King passing isn¡¯t the only reason I¡¯d be disturbed.¡±


    Nicholas brightened up, yes, like the light Ella remembered and like her memory, and had always associated him with that light. They were not servant and master, but even if Ella¡¯s loyalty had started as just a reciprocity, there was that light that she admired in the young prince. But now it was as if he couldn¡¯t decide whether to be happy talking to her, a little recovered, or to be reticent, maybe not out of Sally¡¯s orders, but out of some burning form of tribute.


    ¡°There was a duel between me and Neil. Something possessed him even though I won, and he waited, waited until we took off our armor, but he had the lance in his hand, and shot at me to kill. Do you want to hear what¡¯s next? You could walk out and find some other job, if not as a regular knight.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re talking about Lawrence I remember, and that¡¯s why you need me here. No one else can use any magic let alone my rare healing magic. I also remember Stein, and that I helped get him on his toes sooner.¡±


    ¡°And so, you jumped in the way, pushing me to the floor and eating the lance! But I had overreacted too and hit him straight in the head right before you could save me¡­¡± Nicholas showed her a bruise on his arm where he had landed.


    He half-bellowed, ¡°And now since I am King, I can¡¯t have any more people get hurt fighting on my behalf. Did you ever want to become a knight? I didn¡¯t know my father well, but I¡¯m sure he would never force you to help me out of a bad joke of a sense of obligation.¡±


    And while she was surprised that such a little person could suddenly sound big (though sometimes Luna was like that too), she said, ¡°Yes, of course. I know that while people were nothing but cruel to me and my father, I wanted to spread the kindness I got, and that you need someone who was as calm-headed as me, is, to be your assistant now that you have even more duties. In fact, you¡¯d have to fire me to get rid of me now.¡±


    He smiled, ¡°Okay, Ella. I know your body probably feels like spaghetti, but can you do me a favor?¡±


    ¡°Yes, anything, Nick,¡± she struggled to say his name.


    ¡°I need you to be my regent for a while.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    And at the meantime, Luna talked to Tom, who voted to restart patrols the next night, without Eleanor, of course, ¡°Baronet, you¡¯re up pretty late.¡±


    ¡°I suppose, I wanted to see Eleanor, and I guess that¡¯s why you¡¯re up too.¡±


    It was always awkward for Ella to talk to Tom, since while Sally felt noble and she was also Baronet, and he felt kind of aimless, but she tried her best and was always scared to stop being polite, ¡°Why didn¡¯t talk to her while we were all taking turns. I¡¯m sure she didn¡¯t need the sleep, and she would have appreciated the food.¡±


    ¡°No, I think I¡¯ll let her think Sally made it. Anyway, did you show her the fruits of your training?¡±


    ¡°Well, if anything, you Baronet, have improved more than me. Ah, I guess you would have known her better like Sally if only you were also a gi- Forget it, I think you need to sleep now.¡±


    ¡°Before that, could you tell me exactly what¡¯s the history between you two?¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t want to keep you right now, but since you asked, we were both sisters at the foster home set up in the capital by the late King. Sadly, we both eventually became wards of the state,¡± to herself she added, or maybe we we¡¯re destined to.


    She was interrupted, by a still wobbly Ella and a now practically dressed Nick, as he announced that instead of a patrol, that night anyone who wanted to could go on a trip to Susanoo.

 Chapter 45

    As Tom had persisted, and that everyone made changes to their schedule anyway, Nick led the squad on patrol. Repeatedly, only tragedies happened, so Tom and Sally didn¡¯t get the practice they needed. Soon, it was time for Nick and the others to decide, whether they had the mettle to become special forces, but also since their schedule had been disrupted, Zero Squad never took on anymore recruits. While their potential was still unknown, so many more knights slipped the ranks.


    For example, they said Stein was doing very well even with prosthetics and could even rise in the ranks one day. Though, Nick thought the other knights were rowdy and never listened to much gossip. Maybe it was time to see him again.


    Instead, if they wanted to leave on schedule, they had to shorten their patrols and luckily Nick already got outside manpower. The feelings from the last two time hadn¡¯t changed and this time he didn¡¯t split the squad, not that they could really, without Ella.


    ¡°Lupines,¡± Sally would scout, and tonight there were only small fry. It was good news to Nick, but he remembered that Susanese knights held the superstition that it meant that the real darkness was being held in the air.


    The wild canine did resemble the werewolf-like darklings from when they fought with Lawrence, and memory refreshed, each of them fought equally like monsters too. These ones walked on all fours, but each carried a bright red mercurial form in place of the eyes, so they looked closer to reality and more dangerous.


    They were too electrified to speak and let their swords and lance clash instead with their claws, especially Tom and less so Sally, who seemed terrified of the darklings. They moved erratically, Tom in Blank, but also in a rage, and Sally who was feverish to destroy that shape of darkling.


    After fighting the third group of such darklings Tom broke to the ground and Sally stood over him. Whatever comfort she would say instead was Luna, ¡°I saw someone running through the streets. We need to catch him.¡±


    Nick signaled for help and dropped everything. Occasionally someone would be out after dark and it was the police¡¯s job to stop them, but knights had the responsibility to at least hear out the transgressors¡¯ side and even escort them if it was something that couldn¡¯t be helped. Tom and Sally now could only remember their training and knew just as well as Nick and Luna to follow.


    Luna was also acting strange. It¡¯s not like she loved to fight either, but she usually took charge when Ella couldn¡¯t, but instead she hadn¡¯t drawn out her mercurial form yet. There was no mystery to how reckless fighting was for umbrae, but this time she was being extreme, and Nick did not imagine it could have been a selfish decision, because before Luna would have no problem with self-inflicted cuts and bruises. She had finally become cautious, just until Sally thought see saw someone.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    For Luna, movement was easy, and it seemed she improved despite being rather inactive. Her tendril came not from her hands or arms, but spewed forth from her body onto the floor, taking a more solid form and helping her propel herself like a tail. And then, more and more materialized, like a spider gliding across the floor. Luna herself didn¡¯t even look down as she surfed the pavement, but no one looked.


    She was the one who caught up with the curfew breaker, a covered person with the stark features that defined an umbra¡¯s looks. She was out of breath and all around her blood oozed onto the floor along with small shreds of her armor.


    The person¡¯s face was barely visible, but his face blushed too. He stood motionless, but not intimidated, caught his breath and panted, ¡°Hello. I¡¯m a tourist and I got separated from my group. I¡¯m trying to get back to where I was staying.¡±


    Tom said, ¡°That¡¯s tough to swallow after seeing you run like that. Why don¡¯t you tell us who you are and we can get you back to your hotel.¡±


    He stood still and quiet, and took off his coat onto his hands. In a single movement, he tossed it to the floor and then flickered and vanished into plain sight.


    ¡°Everyone, get back,¡± Nick yelled, ¡°That kind of trick won¡¯t work on me.¡±


    He tackled at the air where the umbra had just been standing and they both tumbled to the ground.


    Sally and Tom felt the mercurial form, and since it was distinct from Luna¡¯s, they felt the full mental force, but nothing could be seen. Unlike Luna¡¯s, no blood or torn clothing fell. Nick too, couldn¡¯t hold on and he pushed him away. The young man stood up, and circling around, Sally say that it was true. On the back of his shirt, or rather, armor, was a window like Luna¡¯s, but there was nothing even there.


    Nick knew that there was no rule that it had to dark-colored like most darklings, but never had he seen a mercurial form that was perfectly invisible. The details could wait later, ¡°Tom, Sally, don¡¯t get closer unless you can handle the mercurial form. I think they¡¯re tendril shaped.¡±


    The hypothesis came about from how he flickered before vanishing, but that also meant there were many more that what Luna could use, yet, he hadn¡¯t attacked them outright with it. Instead, Luna stood petrified where Sally and Tom just surrounded him.


    Neither of the siblings knew much about umbrae but they were brave, yet Luna remembered the person to have that unusual form.


    ¡°Brother? It¡¯s me, Luna!¡±


    Nick knew that she could probably perceive the tendrils better than him, ¡°What? I¡¯m going to need your help.¡±


    In this moment of confusion, her brother attempted to inch his tendrils closer to Nick¡¯s neck, but very lightly, he could see where the ambient fear was coming from and waived his spear. It caught on something and the tendrils retreated.


    They weren¡¯t exactly invisible. Whenever his focus waivered, you could see blackish particles where the tendrils were.


    Of course, it was dangerous for Nick to make a move without proper sight and he couldn¡¯t do but stalemate against him.


    Luna said, ¡°Arthur? Is that you?¡±


    He took a break, ¡°Yes. I¡¯d never imagine seeing you here. You should come with me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know wat you¡¯re doing here, and I wish it wasn¡¯t so, but I have an idea of what you¡¯re doing, and I¡¯m all against it.¡±


    Arthur sighed, ¡°You didn¡¯t understand then.¡±


    Luna¡¯s form seemed to all disappear, and then softly glowing white tendrils emerged from her back as usual. They looked fuller than they ever did in black, though it would be difficult since there was no magic that let her see the tendrils. However, no more words would be said, because as siblings she understood perfectly.

 Chapter 46

    Luna ran towards Arthur are full speed, ripping across the concrete like something shot out of a slingshot. To someone who knew the umbra body best, the best case was to impale or bludgeon him, and hope that the combination of first aid and the umbra healing factor would be enough. It was good enough to capture him for the police, but he was gaining ground too, in the opposite direction.


    His mercurial form broke off into more tendrils and let him levitate above the floor, only occasionally strutting with this leg. He couldn¡¯t go very far without running into an obstacle in any way, so he was going for a feint.


    Cornered now, above a ledge in a park, he had moved quickly enough to isolate them. As the movement rubbed air into her face, stopping made her realize that he was really her brother. Arthur, who nature hated, because he developed his weak mercurial form too late, and never learned how to cope.


    The streetlight was dim here. They might have attracted darklings. Luna found the brightest light was her mercurial form. It wasn¡¯t supposed to do that, but she used it againt his.


    As expected, the partial darkness of the park hid his mercurial form further. They stood apart. There was no real confrontation. At any point he could jump, land okay, blend himself into the blackness of the night, and walk out with only achy knees. She had lost before it had started.


    Luna rushed with her tendrils now like stingers, but they were repelled like arrows against a shield. Arthur hit her, and Luna felt the weight of what she had done.


    He croaked like an animal who thought he had won everything, ¡°What do you get for living as a human? Tell me!¡±


    ¡°What,¡± she said numbly.


    ¡°You get strange looks from children, and they wonder which direction your eyes are pointing. They treat you like something dangerous.¡±


    ¡°But you have become dangerous. Imagine if you hadn¡¯t run away. What about me then?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve become a pet, Luna. It was never my intention to take you where you wouldn¡¯t belong. You could have been a lion.¡±


    ¡°No, there¡¯s no way. You can¡¯t subscribe to this ideology. I remember you would never.¡±


    ¡°So, What! Where¡¯s the wrong in taking things. I¡¯m the promised retribution. They will pay.¡±


    ¡°No one has ever wronged you. Only our parents and they didn¡¯t know better, and it¡¯s not our fault we repel other people. I still repel people. Arthur, turn yourself in.¡±


    He jumped and vanished without a sound. And then there was a sound of confusion, maybe because he landed somewhere unexpectedly wet.


    Luna didn¡¯t remember anything, except now she was in yet another hidden facility beneath the ground, luggage in arm. A line of shiny knights¡¯ airships was freshly towed into this hangar. Instead of airbags, they flew using magic technology, like the equipment used by the higher-ranking knights of Susanoo, meant for cavalry in the floating Elodia¡¯s old castle. While they weren¡¯t very practical, they had been a goodwill present from the new Empire.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Of course, with few able people to activate them, Nick figured they were lying in waste and one could be a perfect ship for their promised vacation, with the stipulation that Luna would try to fly it instead of Ella.


    One reason was that Ella was someone Nick could trust with (decidedly simple) internal affairs, but mostly it was punishment. Though Arthur had committed no crime, he was still a dangerous person and he felt, for the first time in his life, distrust, because Luna had let him go on personal ground, or so he thought.


    Operating the airship wasn¡¯t that tasking. The roof of the building opened up, and below the city was asleep, so the four of them escaped on a long scenic trip to Castle Susan. They were in no condition to be active knights, and in the early morning before the sun rose, Luna sat with the ¡®engine¡¯ and pushed her mercurial form into it like a pencil into a sharpener.


    Tom and Sally sat on the deck. While it was windy and damp, the weather was still warm enough to be comfortable, that is, beneath some heavy jackets. It wasn¡¯t so bad with a book in hand, and a chair to lean on.


    Sally said, ¡°There are no darklings down there,¡± though it was a question because the sun hadn¡¯t risen and the ground beneath them insofar belonged to the outer city and suburbs.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to think about darklings slinking around.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I wasn¡¯t thinking. Anyway, I think the view is very pretty.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t do much thinking,¡± Tom said harshly. There was no view outside of the lamps to protect pets and then livestock and she had just violated his trust. They were only outside because Nick wanted to talk to Luna, and they were only outside on the small chance that there would be a strong enough darkling to fly and reach them. His reading light flickered, and his sweaty palms made the book fall out of his hands.


    Tom liked all the things she did for him, but now it was hard to even carry out banter, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to snap at you.¡±


    ¡°Apology Accepted,¡± she grinned, and then handed Tom a pair of night vision goggles that came with the ship.


    Though looking down made him a bit sick, he found the outlines of farm and farmhouses, and carefree livestock that didn¡¯t seem to fear the darklings. It was at least an hour when Nick beckoned them inside, and that they could sleep. Long before that, the sun peeked, and the ground was covered in splendid green grass several hundred feet below them.


    The airship dropped and while Tom went inside to sleep, sleepy eyed Nick and Luna stepped out on the grass. Before they knew it, Sally had somehow already laid down a sheet to sit on and braved the slight cold and dew to feel the grass between her feet.


    She said like a whisper without facing to turn them, ¡°Why did we take a vacation now of all times? It doesn¡¯t have to do much with us, right?¡±


    ¡°I need to see Kevin. My brother had no personal friends but at least Kevin was something close and I can know why he acted so weird,¡± Nick said.


    ¡°That was an understatement. Unlike Ella, I never liked him and actually I know a secret about him.¡± Luna said.


    Nick was disappointed that she kept so many secrets especially with her. He could never be angry and forgave her for not telling about her brother, since some of her secrets were so heavy. One day, Luna was with him, and he didn¡¯t know her past beyond what she told him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hear it.¡±


    ¡°Ella would feel a certain power from him, but always dismissed it as admiration for him or his knights,¡± she said.


    Certainly, he commanded respect and was one reason why Nick founded his own squad. It was clear that some rare magic made him act the way he did. But maybe Kevin would no more. He was close to Nick, and on his merry visits he never treated Nick wrongly.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Nick breathed, ¡°There is something we can do for Tom. But we¡¯ll keep it a secret. What do you think, Baronet, do you think he needs it?¡±


    She nodded, Luna smiled and after she got her rest they rose into the air above the sea of grass and arrived in a day and a half in Discordia, even though, sometimes Luna feel asleep eyes open at the helm and missteered, mercurial form extended, then they could have been there sooner.

 Chapter 47

    Tom had heard stories of Elodia and one thing that stood out was that for the entire eight hundred years of its existence, Discordia had been jealous of the beauty of Elodia¡¯s old capital, and yes, he would have rather been there. Despite all of his family privilege, their father never had the heart to ever take them on any trip so he felt sorry that his first trip couldn¡¯t be as amazing as it could have been.


    Of course, Sally knew that a visit to Discordia would be far cooler for him. But it was in bad taste, she thought. True, they went because Nick demanded answers, but if they time she¡¯d rather see the more exotic city states than Susanoo. All of the places in this city were essentially of the same culture as Lodestone.


    Tom told her once, as he always did, lost in whatever school subject he was studying at the time, ¡°There was once this continent where you could drive a few miles and the ethnic group would change. I forgot what it was called, though.¡±


    What was an ethnic group, she didn¡¯t really know, but she did know that the world was much bigger than it was before. Well, she thought, the trainee knights from Susanoo at the tourney were exotic enough.


    Tom expected a quiet pass into the city, but instead he saw the open faces of the people below, and then he remembered the airship was probably marked for Nick and they went straight for another hour until they landed in a pad on top of a peculiar tower.


    Tom, now that they were above a city and not a dizzying field of grass, was glued looking downwards and saw the same type of tower repeated throughout Castle Susan but much smaller. About three stories tall and thin to a point, they were probably very poor stations for knights, and maybe held two or one people. They were made to look pretty, then. But the one closer to the center of town was at least thrice as high and much wider, but still it was sculpted to beauty. He remembered that neither the Black Knights or Imperial Guardsmen were necessarily skilled with anti-gravity devices, so he wondered how they could jump down from the person-shaped holes on the towers.


    It was this tower that they landed on. The sand colored bricks fitted in flawlessly with the verdant garden, and with the overall greenery of the city. The nerve, to be eternally jealous. It was nothing like the concrete hills of Lodestone¡¯s capital, and not even like the countryside where Tom and Sally lived.


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.It was down an elevator, onto the street, leaving behind such an interesting landmark, to get a cab who seemed a little to happy to service a king down the caste itself.


    Much like how Lodestone¡¯s Royal Palace was a tourist spot for a bygone time in the middle of the city, the Castle Susan was precisely not that. Instead, it was a huge multistory stone palace with little less than two square miles of space.


    School children as well as college students walked to and from. There was enough signage to tell a nonreader that the city hall was also in one of the chambers. Not to tell, there were also several museums and specialty libraries. At least ceremonially, there was also the meeting place of the tricameral legislature.


    But for all the grandness, there was a solemn air in places too. No shops or advertising were allowed, except for special memorial plates on the walls and on the floor in the open-air areas. It was a place of regicide prevented.


    Sally asked under her breathe, ¡°Why are some places so quiet,¡± but she didn¡¯t really want to ask. The memorial plates were in front of her while they were walking to the center, where the residence would be.


    They read strangely but one was somewhat intelligible, in the English of Discordia,


    ¡°Where oft we carry the buckler of pride.


    We inter the birth of our land as near Regicide¡­¡±


    It went on in very heavy prose. She felt uncomfortable, because at least for the first few lines she understood most of the words. Nick looked at Luna who seemed too tired to talk, so he said with a smile, ¡° someone approved these new plaques to boost confidence in Susanoo.¡±


    Tom interrupted absently, ¡°Claiming a common history is the best way to build a nation.¡±


    Sally cringed. For Tom to say that, he must¡¯ve understood most of what was written. Or at least pretended to. They walked to the residence, and it was not nearly as grand, not nearly as old, and it was so separated from everything by way of gardens and trails than no one batted an eye as they entered, that is, if there was anyone more than a tired schoolchild napping anywhere near them. In fact, it was nothing more than a nice house.


    A tall woman opened the door. She smelled like baked things, and smiled beneath her gray hair, ¡°Welcome, Nick and friends. Kevin is in his study right now.¡±


    Tom raked his head to try to remember her. He couldn¡¯t.


    The lady said, ¡°Oh. Where is Ms. Eleanor? I heard she was hurt badly.¡±


    Nick replied, ¡°She is taking care of things for me while I am here. She is doing fine,¡± but he could not stop thinking about how possibly she would¡¯ve known.


    Afterall, the crowd of nobles were not ordered silenced over the duel, but they shouldn¡¯t have known Ella by name.


    ¡°Come. Tidy up and he¡¯d be sure to take a break from his work,¡± she smiled and went back to her place, and they heard the sound of kitchen appliances beep and creak, ¡°Oh, and tell him I¡¯m sorry for using his kitchen.¡±

 Chapter 48

    Sally grinned in the darkness, ¡°You can take it in later,¡± and grabbed her practice weapon.


    Meanwhile, their opponent had a huge claymore-type weapon, needing so much rubber to be safe that it practically doubled the weight. If knight swords were made for piercing the mercurial form, then this one was for cutting them wholesale.


    She said sagely, ¡°Real knights need to be able to fight where there are no night lamps. Now, I can¡¯t see you too well either. This room is perfect, don¡¯t you suppose.¡±


    Ms. Schwarz must¡¯ve been beaming, because even in the dark training hall, made to imitate where streetlights went out, she shone as in her own element. She was also inhumanely strong, for she used the two-handed sword in one, and still used a parrying dagger and a buckler to fend off Tom and Sally sat the same time. She swam in the darkness despite the weight of her safety gear too.


    ¡°Tom, snap out of it,¡± said Sally, ¡°Maybe there is a trick to this room.¡±


    He did, ¡°There¡¯s no person alive who can move like this.¡±


    It was very unlike the sword duels they had at Oakwood, because she merely demonstrated how hard it was to fight in very low light. Both the Lodestone Knights and the Black Knights often had to fight like this, and she made it clear as crystal.


    Instead of offering a fair fight,  she was waiting for them to realize that, truly, she was moving inhumanly with equally impossible strength.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough. We give up,¡± Sally said, barely able to speak between the blows, all of which Schwarz could block.


    They stopped but then worried, Schwarz said, ¡°Well. I forgot, but we need to find the way out.¡±


    Then, she collapsed to the floor, the glint of her eyes barely visible in the low light, but with a smile. She didn¡¯t seem so much as fazed when Tom and Sally finally fumbled and found the switch and the door, and she was back on her feet. Her buckler slipped and clanged, and they saw the silver paint was tarnished almost completely by all the blocks.


    ¡­


    It was completely by chance that Tom had met the most mysterious celebrity of his mind, at the residence. The place they had stumbled into was neither the Palace, nor any proper part of the museum, but a Royal Residence that was most like a house. It was more like an ancestral cottage and was probably left around on the grounds as an attraction, and the interior was not original and was more like a breakroom now for the Royal Palace proper.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.The elderly woman was not only expecting them, but the coincidence led Tom to think that it was planned, but Nick only shrugged.


    Instead he said, ¡°This is the King¡¯s mother, the Queen Nelia.¡±


    But the lady could look like anyone else, ¡°Pleasure to meet you. I occasionally hold tours here.¡±


    She must¡¯ve felt sheepish, and while she looked plain right then, she had a gaunt and heavy majesty like when Tom and Sally recognized her from the news. She smiled and disappeared, leaving them to wonder if her mettle was like her late counterpart¡¯s in Elodia.


    ¡°Hmm, I wonder if she was in a bad mood, or just didn¡¯t like being discovered here,¡± remarked Luna, but Tom was left confused. They washed up and walked upstairs, and there the Emperor was, ¡°This old study is cozy, hmm¡± and he got up and embraced Nick, but then his neutral expression twisted.


    ¡°I was so scared, Nick, when I was told what happened. I¡¯m sorry. I think I know what¡¯s going on.¡±


    Tom remembered that among the spectators of the duel between Neil and Nick, there must¡¯ve been someone who reported to him.


    ¡°There has always been a friendship between us,¡± Kevin said, ¡°but I think I have failed you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Luna, Baronets, but I could not act on my own. Travelling could have been dangerous since the conspiracy I asked Nicholas to tell you about, was not solved. But being cautious, we lost a life.¡±


    Kevin said, ¡°I think the culprit is one of my own.¡±


    He continued, ¡°It¡¯s one the ambassadors, and a magician. The baroness, Dia Beck. I feel bad to suspect her just on that account, but then she had direct contact with Prince Neil before he went berserk. Though, we don¡¯t know for sure if she¡¯s a magician, and she is currently abroad in Lodestone anyway.¡±


    Luna said suddenly, ¡°Huh? We got to help Ella!¡±


    ¡°No, while their arent many people I can trust right now, we can ask Stein to take care of it. Though, it¡¯s scary to deal with someone who can evidently mind-wash people,¡± said Nick.


    Kevin again, ¡°Right now, it is a question of what we can do. Since I can¡¯t arrest her without a reason, and I would also be disgraced if I acted out of my power, we can only gather information and protect Ms. Eleanor. Not to mention, I can¡¯t have foreign nationals interfering with an ambassador.¡±


    ¡°We want to help,¡± Tom said and latter added, ¡°Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°I know, but after all there is nothing to be done, and you aren¡¯t fit to do anything anyway.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± said Sally, ¡°but we are the only ones close to the regent that you can trust entirely. Not even Stein!¡±


    Carefully, Nick added, ¡°We don¡¯t know how her magic works, assuming she is guilty. It wouldn¡¯t help to go back to help. Yet, I don¡¯t think it would be safe to travel by the airship. We should stay here and relax so we can go back on patrols soon.¡±


    Luna had remained silent until now, ¡°But we could never relax that way. It might be against principle, but we have to do something, as he said.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Dia Beck was at the palace a few days ago. Then I can¡¯t trust anyone except for the Black Knights. Maybe not even all of them. So Nick, I ask you if you can trust these three with your life,¡± said Kevin.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but you wouldn¡¯t trust them with something deeper than that. You haven¡¯t forgotten that political turmoil can attract so many darklings. Even with the knights working their best, can you trust them with thousands, or even ten thousand lives?¡±


    Nick didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°But we have to right now. I¡¯ll ask for the Aena, and she¡¯ll go with them. After all, wasn¡¯t she someone you wanted to meet?¡±