Sévir's boots crunched against the pure snow as they walked up a lowly raised path. From a close distance, he studied the brick wall laden by red and lines of white.
"Wait." he uttered, prompting the girl in a grey and burgundy dress and the purple-haired woman behind her to stop. "Do you see that?"
He pointed at the wall, a dark hole the size of an eye ushered by cracks around it.
Ardell leaned forward, her eyes squinted. "Wow, you can see it clearly from here?"
He folded his arms. "You're just getting o..—" he eyed her face, noticing the sweet smile that didn't reach her eyes. "..Let's go."
He knew better than to provoke Ardell when her slaps were out of this world.
They headed to the aforementioned wall, the cold of the air biting at their faces harder.
He turned to Yasume. "Hey," he gestured to her bare shoulders, "it's like the coldest point of this month and you're still wearing that shoulderless dress."
She raised a brow, her smirk reaching her eyes. "Oh? Can I take it that you care?" she hugged herself, rubbing her shoulders. "I'm just waiting for you to lend me your jacket like a gentleman."
"Then I'd be topless." he sighed, folding his arms. "Just do your spell already."
"You shouldn't rush a girl, Sévir-san."
"It's Silver for you.. Silver-san?"
She pressed her hand against her mouth, giggling. "You pronounce -san so adorably. Yoshi! <Tan-zutsu>!" a grey and burgundy antique pistol materialised onto her hand from the shadows. "To celebrate you speaking Janian for the first time, I shall get this over with." she cocked her pistol, an eye shut and the muzzle precisely aligned with the hole in the wall.
She exclaimed <Auge>, her white ring activating with the symbol I radiating within. She shut her eyes and pulled the trigger, her expression as if she were deep in thought.
"Don't take too long this time." he reminded, she replied with a subtle hum.
It was precisely this spell that got them this far, he believed. Still, he couldn't exactly grasp the hows of her abilities no matter how she explained it.—After all, she was a vague speaker.
The moment of silence prompted Sévir to tap his shoes, his brows furrowing from her pace.
Two minutes had passed then. "What's the progress? You're taking awfully longer than—"
"I see her."
His arms fell to his sides. "..You saw Zephyr?"
She pointed the muzzle to the wall. "She was right against this wall, Silver-san. The bandits surrounded her and..—"
Ardell, whose eyes were shut like Yasume's snapped open, her gaze alarmed. "HEADS UP!"
The urgency in her normally composed voice sent a shiver down his spine. A hail of radiant chains wrapped against their forearms from behind.
Sévir pulled against them until they snapped while Yasume aimed the gun against her chest and exclaimed the shadow-morphing spell, <Kakusu>.
Yasume quickly wore a burgundy colombina and Sévir put on his hood and turned back, his gaze fixed at the lone and distant masculine figure clad in silver knight armour with cloth spanning down to his belly.
Embellished in Trystan yellow, the black stylized dove in the centre symbolised the aforementioned name.
"What gave you the nerves to trespass a [Trystan-inspected Space]?" the young knight asked with might, his long brown hair tied to a very thin ponytail spanning down his shoulder, his two-toned eyes of gold and azure blue as serious as can be.
The chains they broke free from hung from his gloved fingers. Sévir studied both. "Is that light magic..? Who are you?"
He rested his left hand atop the hilt of his sheathed sword. "How insolent. You three dare trespass and ask my name without first introducing yourselves?"
His tone was sharp while his figure loosened. "I'll overlook your rudeness for now, perhaps none of you know you're within a Trystan-inspected Space.".
The knight stood firm. "My name is Joules." He did not bow as expected of a knight. "Joules de Maxwalls, a Knight-Lieutenant of the Trystan Knights. Now that I introduced myself, will you do the same?" He stretched his right arm forward. "Or will I have to dig up your names once you're all dead?"
"Yasume." his body engaged, his stance cautious. "Continue digging for information, me and Witch here will handle him."
"Hai (Yes)." she turned back to the wall and aimed back once more. "<Auge!>" a deep grumble escaped the muzzle, sending half or her entire consciousnessback in time.
As if on cue, Sévir drew his dagger and dashed forward, seamlessly zipping through the air until he closed the distance.
Joules stepped back, whipping the radiating chains around his fingers against Sévir, who whirled the air to block the attack.
Sévir tightened his stance, glimpsing Ardell from the corner of his eye. They exchanged a quick nod, her hand glowing dark purple as she prepared her next attack.
Ardell unleashed a wave of gravity while Sévir propelled a blade of air toward the lieutenant in excellent unison. Joules raised his chains with unnerving precision, nullifying the air blade and shattering Ardell's magic circle in one fluid motion.
"How—?" Ardell's shock was brief, but clear.
Joules stepped back, chains flourishing with relaxed grace. "Gravity Magic, huh? Impressive, but flawed!" Joules sneered, his chains coiling and striking like whips.
Suddenly, a shot rang out. Yasume's clone took aim from behind, her antique pistol levelled at Joules's head. Joules twisted effortlessly, dodging the bullet and snapping his chains towards her.
"A piece of advice, " his chains struck, tearing through the clone's arms like parchment, leaving Sévir agape for a heartbeat, "avoid my chains—if you can."
The flawless demonstration had him bite his lip. "..Sure enough, it's been a while since I've met someone like this." Fast and ruthless, be it their foot or bodywork, he knew he was up against one of the worst kinds of fighters.
The gleeful, yet psychopathic giggle of a certain girl rang in his head. Clad in black, the smoke grey-haired girl's tan face materialised in his thoughts.
"Silver! Focus!" Ardell's voice brought him back, grounding him.
Sévir darted back, retracing his approach. Joules's skill wasn't just formidable—it was lethal. And in the back of his mind, he knew they couldn't afford to lose here, not when Zephyr was still somewhere out there, waiting for them.
An unpleasant smirk hooked his mouth's corners. "Is someone afraid of me? You should be." he flourished a chain in an infinite sign pattern, his stance laid back. "Out of all the garbage the administration didn't dispose of, you're one of them." his voice crunched. "Little Gang Killer."
Sévir forced a wry smile, body stiff. "Took you long enough, I was itching for you to recognise me." Surely enough, there was no way nobody knew that name.
Joules chuckled. "I couldn't have pegged you for a laid back man." his gaze sharpened. "Let's see if that's still the case once you're six feet under!"
Their feet shifted around in response to each other's inputs. Sévir studied Joules' movement with precision, and knew he was doing the same.
Ardell remained from a distance, spreading both hands to maximise the effect of her magic. Try as she might, Joules was shattering her invisible magic circles like it were whack-a-mole, denying her purpose.
Sévir was wary of Joules' speed and precision over the chains, but he couldn't be faster than he lets off, right?
"Speed and precision.." he muttered and darted around, then his eyes gaped in realisation. "That's it..!" He restrained his scolding for his next move.
He skidded to a halt, planting himself firmly and mustering all strength to a dash as fast as an eagle, becoming one with the light, and his vision blending with the light whilst staying visible.
The distance dangerously closed. Joules drew his sword similar to Syvne's claymore and swung it against Sévir.
The latter urgently shifted back, a small and seamless cut going through his purple top. He gripped the opening, confusion struck with his attempt shot down.
"So fast.." The sheer speed matched Sévir's, who both no longer doubted his agility. "..Or am I just slow?"
Joules poised his bastard sword, its tilted cross guards clad in gold as brilliant as those in the Attican City's temple. "It could be both. Still, it's two against one.. Explain how I still stand."
Sévir darted between the two. Joules had sharp eyes that could somehow spot Ardell's invisible magic circles, one which not even he knew she casted in tandem.
He mumbled, "You're just as mysterious" Despite their proximity, only now did he realise there were just as many things he didn't know about his aunt—Ardell Myshart. "But this isn't time to think about it."
He solely studied Joules, his stance firm and on-guard for any attacks. The chains had wrapped around his hand and tilt, his intense gaze glued to the two.
The moment of nothingness heated the cold air as if winter ended, leaving all but his steady racing heart to himself.
*
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As if Yasume was floating, her body willessly propelled through brilliant and various paths as if she just tapped into her own brain, travelling through neural pathways.
The scenery of where she stood materialised. She balanced herself after being put to an abrupt stop.
Studying her surroundings, the skies were as dull and grey as reality. Standing a distance away against the bricked wall of red and white was a silver-haired girl, her dilated eyes struck by horror as a rugged man, his face hidden by his messy brown hair, aimed a similar pistol at her.
It was as if everything slowed down. "So a gun was aimed at her.." she walked towards Zephyr, noting her pale face and the lack of blood splatter around the present hole, deducing he hadn't aimed to kill.
Facing the armed man, she snapped her fingers, and everything returned to its speed.
A bang erupted from the barrel, sending forth a bullet landing beside Zephyr's neck at the blink of an eye.
Her chest rose and fell quickly to the sound of shattered brick, her eyes glued to the hole beside her. As if she reached the limit, her eyes darted up before shutting, limping to the snow.
"Boss! Why didn't you finish her off!?" asked the shorter man who followed him among the band.
"The Papacy conducted a manhunt, remember?" the armed man knelt before Zephyr. "All they said was 'find a fine woman'. This little missy fits the bill."
"Right.. But for what?"
"Beats me. All I know is we get alotta gold, 'n that's all that matters!" Holstering his gun, he took Zephyr in his arms and carried her. "Don't lay a finger on 'er, 'else the Papacy will reject our effort."
The man turned to their band. "'YA HEAR ME!? We desperately need the gold if we wanna push back the damn government. They're creeping up our asses like it ain't anyone's business!"
Yasume rubbed her chin, a brow raised. "The Papacy's manhunt.. Is it related to me intercepting that girl back there?"
"It's plausible, but if there was one thing I've confirmed.."
As the bandits carried Zephyr to the horizon, she reassuringly smiled, "Someone will shatter their masks eventually, as is the case for all liars."
She dismissed her sharp tone by the end and darted right, her eyes widened a fraction.
Lifting half of herself over the wall, a pink-haired girl wearing the same uniform, who winced in pain and groaned in struggle. "..Zephyr…"
She pulled her bangs up, a hint of frustration shimmering in her eyes.
Yasume crossed her arms. "Is she her teammate? Why didn't she help?"
A figure of light halted to her left, the wind strongly pulled by her speed. She materialised, her shoulder-length silver hair pushed by the fleeting wind. "Deleena! Did you see Zephyr!?" the panic in her voice synced with her golden eyes, trembling similarly.
Deleena's head drooped, crestfallen. "Agnes..—"
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The imagery shifted to a pile of white, a fraction of her face buried against it, another vision covered by a purple sleeve.
Tilting left, the hooded man she recognised as Sévir van Doren was directly pressed on top of her, his other arm wrapped around her waist.
.
Sévir picked up his dagger and rose, avoiding a series of whips from the glowing chains as if he were in an acrobat competition. "Oi! Did you get any info!?!"
She sat up, her right hand open. "<Tan-zutsu>. Ee (Yes), I've an idea where she could be."
"That means.." he kicked a chain away, veering sharply to Yasume. "She's alive!?"
Yasume cocked her gun, dusting off the snow from her dress. "That's a lot of surprise from the man who said he doesn't believe her death."
She aimed the muzzle at him, the growling bullet zipping past and pushing away yet another chain.
A sharp sigh escaped Ardell's mouth. "I can only last for so long, you two!" she wiped the cold sweat off her forehead, "Let's retreat while we still can, we already got what we needed!"
"Then.." she aimed at her heart, then at Ardell, exclaiming the spells; <Anatolia>, <Kakusu>, forming a clone of her and absorbing Ardell with the shadows respectively. "Silver-san, catch up. <Kakusu>!" she fired at herself, engulfing her figure in shadows until she disappeared.
"Go." the voice from across uttered. He veered sharply to the voice, confirming it to be Joules.
"Pardon?" A sharp and deafening bang jolted by Sévir. He shut his ringing ear and eye.
Joules deflected the bullet with equal pace. "I've other places to protect, so go before I change my mind and kill you on the spot."
Doubt lingered on his chest. "Is this guy serious..?" Still, he took the opportunity and leaped away, guided by the air he willfully manipulated, leaving the Lieutenant to Yasume's clone.
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"Well then, shall I finish you off?" his radiant chains clang against the ground. "Or will you give me a quick show before I do?"
The girl wore a cryptic smile, reaching her masked eyes as she respectfully bowed. "Grace me the honour of presenting to me your best performance, Maxwalls-san."
"I'm afraid I'll have to refuse. I'm clueless of your potential."
Both stood high at odds, one aiming a gun, and one bearing chains from his fingers.
A growling bang erupted, marking the beginning of their fight.
Joules swung his arm, his unbreakable chains deflecting the shadowy bullet.
He swerved around, dodging the rapid hail of bullets coming his way until the distance closed. "This ends now!"
Twisting forward, his shining bastard sword sliced through her curvy figure like parchment, forcing an opening wide enough to bring one to the ground.
At that moment, their gazes met; her soft pink pair, and his gold and azure blue's.
Her sparkling gaze reflected his own face, mirroring the calculated look that hinted no sympathy.
Joules shuffled forward, swinging his blade at her neck as if the whole world slowed down. He gave her a wry look upon noticing her subtle smile, and as his razor-sharp blade met her soft and delicate skin, a mix of purple fluid and black gas squirted out of her wounds.
Her severed head fell in sync with her body, both of which materialised into dark matter and disappeared into thin air.
Clenching his fists, the light-like chains around his fingers disappeared as though he cut off its mana supply, and he returned his sword to its scabbard.
The chainmail wrapped around his body clinked as he moved around, the sound overlapping most of the weak crunching beneath.
These were all that rang in his ears as he walked away, as if he didn't decapitate a body just a second ago.
Yet, his already calm heart soothed to such piercing sound, as if it were his music. He hoped for its soothing effects, but the chainmail denied it as he traced back to a few moments ago.
The man clad in black and purple, the Little Gang Killer. "He was already there.. Why didn't I kill him?"
He asked, even though the reason was right there.
Taking notice of his silver hair that hid a majority of his nape, he recalled all the moments he encountered such men.
Perhaps in a neighbourhood engulfed in bright flames, its spirit unwavering as if the Phoenix had risen, where many silver-heads ran away, their golden eyes reflecting a painful terror.
"I have not seen a silver-haired man since that day." Therefore, he no longer doubted the Little Gang Killer's identity.
His heartbeat sped and pounded against his chest, a familiar heat rising to his head. "The scum of the Empire; the remnance of failure.."
The figure of a silver-haired child loomed in the back of his mind, presented in a lavish and unmistakable royal attire. "The Pariah Prince:—Sévir van Doren."