"Ooh. Interesting.", Akira grinned.
"So what are you here for?", Vanessa asked. She knows that her eccentric friend is not just randomly walking in a wooded area south of Crystalis City.
"Oh, I was just taking a walk."
Vanessa sighed, "How come your lies are so bad? You are a fox for goodness sake!"
"Now that is a common misconception where foxes are seen as devious tricksters and liars. I am honestly offended by that.", Akira argued.
"I wonder how people got that idea in the first place?", she huffed.
Vanessa is feeling a headache coming, "That's because even though your lies are pretty bad, they are always convincing to most people. This is something which even I can't understand."
"Heh. Not even you can comprehend my genius."
"The day you are hailed as a genius is the day the world ends."
They glared at each other and then chuckled, "My. I missed our rants.", Akira said with a smile. Vanessa was also smiling, "Yeah. Those were the good old days."
"Anyway.", she raised an eyebrow, "You didn't tell me why you are here."
"Ah yes.", Akira didn't bother to lie, "I am also interested in the android Eravon spoke of. So I thought why not visit him?"
Vanessa thought about it, "You came at a bad time. Currently, two Captains of the Cardinal Knights are visiting the dorm. They are strong and will sense both of us if we go together now."
"Not as strong as us.", Akira said dismissively.
"I know. But it will be inconvenient for us if we have the entire Cardinal Knights behind us. So wait and come back another time. I know you're as stubborn as a rock but please understand.", Vanessa replied.
"So I cannot meet him today.", Akira mused. The Vampire Queen was impressed by the level-headed thinking of her friend.
"Wow. Time can change people."
Akira narrowed her eyes at Vanessa, "I cannot afford to destroy my way through problems. In case you forgot, I am one of the smartest spirits in the world."
Vanessa sighed, "Yeah yeah. I get it.", she laced her fingers, "Anyway. How was your trip to Ethereos?"
"That place is still as nasty as ever. I met Stephen Kain and he assured me the Fallen Lords will not interfere with the matter of the creature.", Akira replied.
"Stephen huh?", Vanessa's finger twitched upon hearing the name of the demon who betrayed Mavis. She is itching to punch him hard in the face but is holding it back.
Her eyes began to tingle and she rubbed them. Akira saw this and chuckled, "Whoa. Easy there. I don't wanna be a beautiful stone sculpture after looking into your eyes."
Vanessa frowned, "That is a terrible joke you damn fox."
"The Petrification Vision. Among the many Visions, it is the only one that can never be controlled. It is more of a curse than a gift since it does not manifest at birth but can only be bestowed upon an individual", Akira said.
She continued, "Those who gaze upon the eyes of one with Petrification Vision turn to stone. It has a much popular name."
"The Gorgon's curse.", Vanessa said, "And it was my misfortune to get it when I was a small child."
The painful memories of that time still stung her. She can never forget the isolation, fear, and loneliness she felt back then.
"You first met him when you still had the curse right?", Akira asked, implying at the first meeting between the Vampire Queen and the Dragon King.
Vanessa smiled as she remembered the day that forever changed her life: "He wasn't even a king back then. He was just a normal guy."
"A normal guy who managed to sneak into the highly secure royal palace of the Dracules and managed to get rid of your curse.", the Spirit Queen quipped.
Vanessa shook her head, "I still don't understand how he managed to bypass the security of the palace."
"I told you. He's crazy."
The two of them chuckled at the memories.
"Oh yeah. Today I saw something I thought I would never see again.", Vanessa suddenly remembered.
Akira raised her eyebrows, she was interested.
"Oh yeah? What is it?"
*******
"Are you sure about this?"
Seventeen asked Alice as they walked together in the Lost Woods. The many Magia Beasts of the woods stayed as far away as possible from these two.
They would not stand a chance against these monsters walking in their forest.
"Oh, it's fine.", She replied. After a short respite from the duel, Alice had invited Seventeen for a walk in the woods while Jade and Ruth went over to Cardinal Town to catch up in the private bar for instructors and Cardinal Knights. The students were free to do what they wanted.
"I am amazed that you aren't tired after the duel with Arthur.", Seventeen remarked. She smiled, "Being a Captain requires me to have good stamina."
She looked ahead, "Arthur has become stronger. I have to thank you for that."
Seventeen just shrugged with a smile, "I and the ice queen just guided him. He did the rest. That young man is nothing short of a genius."
"And I heard that the Nights are a family of geniuses.", he said, looking at Alice who became flustered by his gaze, "I don't know what to say to that."
"It is pretty impressive to be the Family Head at such a young age.", he said, "It must be hard."
Alice sighed, "You have no idea. Things are tougher than usual without the branch family up to their nasty tricks."
Seventeen was confused, "Why is the Night branch family so antagonistic towards the main family? From what I have seen. It is much more than a simple rivalry between the factions of the same family. Aren't you guys relatives?"
She chuckled, "The truth is, the branch family is not related to us at all."
He was surprised by this revelation, "That is news to me."
"I'm not surprised. Many have forgotten the origins of the Night branch family.", Alice said, "I believe you know Lunaris and Solaris Night?"
Seventeen knows those names, "The infamous Night Twins. The two great pirate lords who founded the nations of Lunaria and Solaria."
Alice nodded, "They were powerful individuals and the main family is descended from Lunaris."
"You mean. He's your ancestor?"
She nodded, "He was one of the great ancestors of our family. Lunaris settled in the east and Solaris settled in the west of Arken."
"So the branch family is descended from Solaris?", Seventeen asked, still confused about how they are not related to the main family.
She shook her head, "Kind of. Solaris was unable to have children of his own. So he adopted a daughter. Meghan Night. It was said that both the main and branch families flourished during the time of Meghan, her children, and grandchildren."
"The problems started during the time of her great-grandchildren.", she spoke with a darkened expression, "They began claiming to be the true Night Family."
"My. Now that is some serious problem.", Seventeen remarked.
Alice had a bitter smile, "The main family didn't mind this new development and by the time we realized the danger, it was too late. The branch family had accumulated enough power and connections to become independent."
"And don't get me started on their ways to bring down the main family.", she said with a huff, "The main family have remained strong and never yielded to them but I fear it won't be long."
Seventeen wanted to confirm something, "So the branch family's target this time to bring you guys down is Arthur."
She nodded grimly, "He was targeted by them ever since he was a little kid. Even now they are finding ways to harm him. They know I will be the most affected if anything happens to him."
"So the reason they are targeting Arthur is because of his lack of an attribute?", Seventeen took a guess to which Alice agreed, "To them, he is the weak link of the main family."
She continued, "Arthur faced hardships at a young age. But the greatest tragedy in his life, as well as ours, is the death of our parents."
Seventeen can feel that the atmosphere has changed. He had heard from Prime and Zephyrus that it is painful for a person to speak about the loss of a loved one.
"I am sorry. You don't have to speak about it if you don't want to.", he said. She smiled, "It's fine. I have moved on. It has been 14 years."
He looked at her smiling face and noticed something, "You're lying, Miss Alice. Your eyes tell a different story. I see not only deep sadness but also a primal rage that is carefully hidden behind those misty grey eyes."
"And also.", his eyes glowed gold, "A person's soul never lies."
Alice was taken aback by his words. She closed her eyes and laughed, "You are not one to be easily fooled. You even have Soul Vision."
"Just a question. What will happen if it was revealed that the ones responsible for the death of your parents were the Night branch family?", Seventeen suddenly asked.
"Ah.", Alice just smiled, "If that is the case. I am afraid I will be put on trial."
"For what?"
"For massacring the entire Night branch family.", her words sent a shiver up the android's spine.
They stopped at a stream that flowed through the woods, "Anyway.", Alice looked at Seventeen.
"Our world fell apart on that fateful night 14 years ago."