Mikoto gave a loud and audible yawn as he sat up in his bed. His white hair was a mess, and his eyes were droopy. He gave another yawn for good measure as he ran a hand through his wild mane of hair.
"It's gotten longer," he mumbled as he played with his hair, which seemed to be shoulder-length. It must have grown on the boat trip, and he did not really keep track. "What a pain, should I cut it?" He thought about it as he stepped out of his bed.
Throwing on his uniform swiftly, he took up his mask that was on a wooden desk near his bed. Twirling it in his hand, he eventually placed it on his face. His hair shortened and darkened as his form slightly grew.
"Eh, I wear this mask almost always, no use in cutting my hair," he muttered as he exited his small room. The wooden floor slightly creaked as he made his way downstairs and to the main floor of the inn/tavern.
The inn was a rather warm place, outside even when the sun hung high, it was still extremely cold. Not many had the luxury of warming themselves, so that would explain why many were at the inn currently. There were a few fireplaces to keep themselves warm, and the food helped too.
"Guess this place works as a restaurant too," he mused as he saw the various tables that were filled with people gorging themselves with food. At least the atmosphere was more lively.
Mikoto quickly spotted Professor Eugene conversing with the owner, Lucy, at the counter of the inn. No doubt he was asking for more information regarding the Drah'lurahr Cult. Mirabella, Fiona, Victoria, and Agatha seemed to be enjoying breakfast at a table, while Lucinda was busy showing off magic to Lucy's kids, Lily and Zavier.
Mikoto approached Mirabella's group, and the princess was quick to take note of him.
"You sleep in too late, don't you have any sense of time?" She questioned, and of course, she sounded annoyed as ever. He began to wonder if it was that time of the month.
"Come now, Mirabella, Mikoto was the one to take care of any Astrothians," Victoria spoke from her seat, busily eating a small piece of cake. "He deserves his rest, no?"
"Yeah, cut me some slack. Mira... what was your name again?" If Mirabella did not look annoyed before, she certainly did now.
"It's Mirabella, dipshit!" She shouted, obviously garnering the attention of most everyone else in the inn. The princess flushed as Mikoto cackled to himself, taking a seat at the table next to Victoria as Fiona sent him an unamused look from across the table. Agatha did not seem to care much as she munched on some soup next to Fiona.
"Well, now that you are here, Mikoto, I suppose we can fill you in on what we need to do," Fiona spoke, sipping on her cup of coffee. She continued, "Professor Eugene already rounded up some information regarding where the Drah'lurahr Cultists might frequent. But the sources of their whereabouts are not concrete, and we have too many avenues to explore."
"So we'll be splitting into teams of two to cover everything," Mikoto surmised as Fiona nodded her head.
"Indeed, we'll be off shortly. Professor Eugene is just busy seeing if he can pry any more information from Miss Lucy," Fiona stated. "But are you not going to order anything? You would do well not to go out in the cold with an empty stomach."
"Aww, it's so cute to see you so worried about dear Mikoto," Fiona's eye and ear twitched at Victoria's words.
"I am merely looking out for the well-being of my frie... ahem, student," Fiona explained with a slight slip-up.
"No need to be so bashful, Fiona dear," Victoria chuckled. "Mikoto is quite the catch."
"I remember telling you that you had the wrong idea," Fiona spoke, slightly exasperated.
"What the hell are you two talking about?" Mirabella asked, confused, same as Agatha.
"N-nothing, Victoria is merely speaking nonsense," Fiona blurted out.
Victoria seemed to want to continue teasing the wolf girl, but quickly everyone's attention at the table was grabbed.
"Again! This time with fire!" A boyish voice shouted, turning to the source, they spotted Lucinda, who was seated at another table. Her seat was turned away from the table to face two kids, Lily and Zavier.
Lily was almost the spitting image of her mother, with shorter, brighter brown hair framing her round face and a set of similar green eyes. The small girl was dressed in a simple white dress. Her brother, Zavier, was only a tad taller, with darker brown hair, green eyes, and dressed in a black shirt with baggy dark green pants. Lily was nine if he remembered correctly, while Zavier was ten.
Both excitedly looked at the smiling Lucinda's open palm. Inches above her palm, fire suddenly burst out, and the two's eyes widened at the sight as the fire morphed itself into the form of a man. The fiery man seemed to be granted his own fiery armor as well as a blade.
"So cool!" Zavier exclaimed. "Now with wind!"
"Hey, no fair!" Lily whined. "It's my turn to ask."
"You already had your turn twice now," Zavier stated, looking at his little sister in slight exasperation. Lily merely started to pout as her eyes went slightly teary.
"No need to cry, Lily, look," Lucinda extended her other palm. Simultaneously, both her hands burst with magic. In her right palm, a miniature ice sculpture of a ballerina was formed, hovering above her palm as it did an eloquent dance. In her left palm, a small wind burst as the wind formed into something akin to a dragon.
"So cool!" Both exclaimed simultaneously as they stared star-eyed at her constructs. Lucinda just gave a bright smile. It never failed to bring a smile to her face when seeing children so happy.
"You gotta teach us, Lucinda!" Zavier exclaimed.
"Y-yeah! I wanna do it too!" Lily followed his lead, and their eyes that held so much admiration that it just melted her heart.
"Oh, I don't know," Lucinda let her words trail off.
"Please, we'll do anything," Zavier stated.
"Alright, if you two do all the chores your mother gave you, then I'll teach you. Promise." The two rapidly nodded their heads as they all but bolted away.
Lucinda just smiled.
---------------------
The frozen landscape was a breathtaking sight, he would admit. The sun hung low on the horizon as some time had passed now, casting a soft golden light that touched everything it could reach. The sky, meanwhile, was a palette of pastel colors that seemed to stretch on forever, blending seamlessly with the endless fields of glistening snow.
Each snowflake seemed to sparkle like a tiny diamond in the sunlight, creating a mesmerizing blanket that covered the ground as far as the eye could see. The surface of the snow was smooth and untouched, save for the occasional gentle curve left by the wind. It seemed to stretch on for miles, broken only by the dark outlines of rugged mountains in the distance.
The air was crisp and clean, carrying with it a hint of pine and earthiness that added to the atmosphere. As Mikoto walked behind Agatha, the snow crunched softly beneath his feet, creating a rhythm that echoed through the silent landscape.
In the distance, icicles hung from the branches of trees, glinting like crystal chandeliers in the sunlight. The trees themselves stood tall, their branches heavy with snow, creating a stunning contrast against the clear blue sky. Each needle-like leaf was delicately coated in a thin layer of frost, creating a sparkling effect that was almost too beautiful to be real.
It was the first time he had been in such a landscape. Back home in Tokyo, it only got maybe a few days of light snowfall. Nothing quite to this degree. It was quite the view. Mikoto hummed as he stared at Agatha. Like Fiona had said, they were all split into teams of two to cover more ground. Professor Eugene must have known they had teamed up before, hence he was placed with Agatha. But he must have not known that Agatha was mad at him at the moment.
Currently, the two were on their way to a small village west of Briarwick. Apparently, a number of suspicious individuals were spotted there. If they were lucky, it would no doubt be the cultists. Still, it would be most wise if they had a set plan on taking care of any cultists.
"Agatha."
"...."
"Agatha."
"...."
"Aga-tha."
"...." Mikoto just sighed as he inhaled deeply.
"Agatha, Agatha, Agatha, Agatha, Agatha, Agatha, Agatha, Agatha, Agatha, Agatha, Aga-"
"What!?" Quite uncharacteristically, the girl exclaimed as she snapped her head back at him, annoyance clear on her face. Mikoto could not help but snort at seeing the unexpected emotions from the usually stoic girl.
"You still mad about what happened?" He questioned. The girl huffed as she turned around.
"You had no right to interfere with my vengeance," the girl uttered with narrowed eyes.
"When you wanted to maim William," Mikoto mused as he shook his head. "Look, I'm no saint, but you honestly didn't expect me not to want to help a friend."
"It was a family matter," she shot back. "I was not going to injure him too seriously," she stated blank-faced.
"Uh-huh. Then I won't interfere next time, as long as you're not gonna maim the guy," Mikoto stated. Agatha threw him a glance with an unreadable expression on her face.
"You will not go back on your word once I confront my brother?"
"I won't. As long as you don't hurt the guy, pinkie promise," Mikoto held out his pinkie, but Agatha did not seem in the mood to make a promise of that sort.
"Alright, you promised," the girl mumbled lowly.
"Anyway, I know it's private, but what's the deal between the two of you?" Mikoto asked. It was something that had been bothering him for a while. Agatha remained silent for a while, contemplating before eventually speaking.
"He betrayed my trust and broke his promise," she answered vaguely.
"I see, but I'm guessing your father also had a hand in events," she nodded her head on instinct. "What a scumbag. Reminds me of my old man." Agatha involuntarily perked her head up in interest.
"Your father?" she questioned.
"Yeah, he was a doctor. Quite a well-known one from where I'm from. The guy only thought of his reputation," he started, and Agatha could not help but listen with keen interest. "Obviously being the oldest, he wanted me to follow in his footsteps. I studied a bunch of things for that. Physics, biology, and human anatomy among other things. Hell, the guy was a maniac, even brought me to work a couple of times. The shit I saw there... But still, that guy was hardly ever satisfied and still beat the shi-" Mikoto suddenly stopped, and Agatha frowned. She was so absorbed in what he had to tell.
"Look," Mikoto merely stated as he pointed west, beyond some icy landscapes. Black smoke rose in the distance.
"That direction..." Agatha muttered lowly.
"The direction of the village Professor Eugene told us about."