The next day, all anyone on campus is talking about is Zeta and Delta's battle.
"So apparently, there was some crazy magic detected out behind the dorms last night," says Po.
"Yeah, I heard," Skel agrees. "I was asleep, so I dunno anything about it."
"I was asleep, too, so I dunno anything, either."
The two of them furrow their brows.
"They're surveying the scene now, right?" Skel asks Po.
"So they say, yeah. Some of the teachers went to help out."
"If it happened behind the dorms, then I'd bet you anything they were trying to sneak into the girls' dorm. This is clearly the work of a pervert."
"No, no, they say the magic was behind the guys' dorm."
"Huh. Guess they must've been trying to sneak into our dorm, then."
"What were they after, though?"
Skel flashes a vulgar grin. "My hot bod, obviously."
"Oh, sure." Po's grin is just as crude. "And mine, too."
"Makes sense," I agree, my expression as placid as the Buddha's.
Those two bozos aside, most of the students are taking the incident pretty seriously. The theories are all over the place: Some people believe the culprit was someone with a grudge against the school, others think they were trying to steal some sort of precious artifact from the labs, and others suspect the incident was connected to the mysterious disappearances.
Sorry to break it to you, folks, but all that happened was a cat and a dog getting into a fight. Still, I can definitely dig this whole "there's a grand conspiracy unfolding behind the scenes of our quiet school lives" atmosphere it's caused.
"Our next class is over in the lecture hall, so we'd better get a move on," I tell Skel and Po.
"Damn, Cid," Skel says. "It takes a lot of balls to go ditching a certified stud like me."
"Yeah, wait up," Po agrees. "This certified stud is still getting ready."
I abandon them and head out.
Gotta say, that last-minute decision I made to go full eminence in shadow on Alexia last night was great.
There I was, lamenting the path we were on as grisly battles played out in secret on the peaceful-seeming campus. I mean, the way I took my ad-lib skills and used Zeta and Delta's fight to inject a sense of realism into my performance? That was pure music. Then there was the bit where I showed off my strength to suggest that we lived in different worlds. Implying that normal people have no place in underworld battles is an oldie, but the classics are classics for a reason.
Every time I think back to it, I can't help but grin.
Little by little, I'm carving my image of the perfect shadowbroker into this world's history books.
"Master."
Feels like I just heard Zeta's voice. I'm probably imagining things.
"Master, over here."
"Oh, huh."
Guess I wasn't imagining things.
A girl wearing a janitor's outfit grabs me by the uniform, and sure enough, it's Zeta. For whatever reason, she's paired a knitted hat with her work clothes to hide her cat ears.
"What's with the getup?" I ask.
"It's a disguise. I'm undercover," she replies succinctly as she rubs up against me.
"You gotta stop marking me with your scent. You're making a scene."
There are tons of other students in the hallway.
"You stink of dog, Master."
"Yeah, well, if you keep doing that, I'll stink of cat."
"Mrrn..."
I peel Zeta off me. "By the way, where's Delta?"
"Gave her the slip. She's crossing the sea now."
"Y'know what, I'm not even going to ask."
If Zeta puts her mind to it, catching her is just about impossible. That's the whole reason she's able to brawl with Delta like that.
"Hmm. Over here."
Zeta pulls me by the hand and leads me to an empty classroom. Given how cold and dusty it is, I'd wager that nobody's used it in a good long while.
"Just FYI, my next class is starting soon," I tell her.
She sidles in close and whispers in my ear. "I have a report."
I guess she wants to keep playing spies.
"The attack on her failed."
"Figures."
"But she's still on the other side."
"I see."
"The Cult will send another assassin."
Zeta walks over to the window and looks down at the scenery outside.
I walk over next to her and look out the window, too, to build atmosphere. Off in the distance, I can see the teachers and Knight Order investigating the scene of last night's fight.
Zeta fixes her violet gaze on them. I follow her lead and stare at them as well.
"It'll probably be you-know-who," she says.
"You-know-who, huh?"
"I'll step in if things get hairy."
"I'll leave that call to you."
Then Zeta suddenly ducks. I follow her lead and duck as well.
"They're probing," she says.
"Sounds like someone out there's got good instincts."
"Mm. Lurk in the shadows."
I steal a glance outside, and for a brief moment, I can feel a distant gaze.
"I wonder what they're looking for?" The bell rings. "Oops, I gotta go."
When I turn around, Zeta's nowhere to be seen.
<<•>>
It's lunch break, and me, Skel, and Po are lined up in the cafeteria.
"Hmm, what to have for lunch…?" I ponder aloud.
"Must be nice, Cid, getting to live it up with the money you stole from us."
"Yeah, must be nice. Skel and I can barely afford the nine hundred and eighty-zeni meal for broke aristocrats now."
"Stole is such an ugly word. That money was my rightful winnings."
That said, I'm saving the cash I scammed off these guys for my shadowbroker activities. If I go wasting it now, I might not have enough when it really counts, and I'm the kind of guy who always keeps his priorities straight.
I decide to go with my usual nine hundred and eighty-zeni broke aristocrat meal. A zeni saved is a zeni earned.
"Haven't seen you in a while, Young'un."
All of a sudden, I hear a voice from behind me. There's only one person in the whole world who calls me "Young'un."
"Hey there, Nina."
Her wine-red hair is just as silky as always. The way she's wearing her uniform leaves scandalous amounts of her chest bare, and her legs extend thin and slender from her short skirt. Nothing about her fashion sense is subtle in the slightest.
This is Nina, my third-year upperclass-man.
"Where'd you get off to during winter break, huh?" she asks me. "Claire was looking for you. And she dragged me along, too, so that was a drag."
"Oh, you know. Here and there."
"Here and there, huh?"
[+]
Nina wedges herself in front of me. She's tiny, so her head barely comes up to my collar.
"Hey, no cutting."
I try to elbow her, but she nimbly sidesteps it.
"Going for the nine hundred and eighty-zeni poverty meal, are we, Young'un? Sounds like someone's a little hard up for cash."
"I've got big plans for the future, so I'm being economical. It's not like I'm actually broke or anything."
"Oh, yeah, sure you aren't. Go ahead, order whatever you want. It'll be my treat."
"I'll take the most expensive thing they've got, then."
"Sounds good." She turns and orders the priciest meal the school cafeteria has to offer. "Two of the ten thousand-zeni super-duper filthy rich lunch sets, please 'n' thank you."
Nina is a friend of my sister's, so maybe that's why she's always so nice to me. Whenever I ask her for something, she never lets me down. One time, I even joked that I wanted to read one of the forbidden books from the library, and she actually went and got it for me. I have no idea how she pulled that one off, but the bottom line is, she's constantly helping me out. Meeting Nina was the first time I was ever glad to be my sister's brother.
"Y-you should treat me, too!"
"M-me too, me too!"
Despite being daunted by Nina's very presence, Skel and Po never miss a chance to look for handouts.
"I gave you two that deck of cards, didn't I?"
"Th-th-that's right!"
"Th-th-thanks for the cards!"
"No problem. I felt bad after the way Claire hassled you."
Ah, so that's how it went down.
Thanks to Nina's influence, we're able to secure one of the nice tables by the window.
"Go on, take a seat."
"Aye-aye, ma'am."
I sit down next to Nina and begin digging into my super-duper filthy rich lunch set. Across from us, Skel and Po nervously do the same with their broke aristocrat lunch sets.
The super-duper filthy rich lunch set starts with an appetizer. A maid skillfully sets it up.
"So, Claire's gone missing?" Nina asks as she eats her carpaccio.
"Sure looks that way," I reply as I do the same. Dunno what fish this is, but it's tasty as hell.
"Princess Alexia just asked me if I knew anything, but everything that day was pretty normal for me, so I didn't have anything to tell her. What about you, Young'un?"
"I'm in the same boat. Alexia's really going hard on the search, huh?"
"Something's got her worried, I think.
There's been a couple of other students going missing, so I'm kinda worried, too."
"I guess there was that whole commotion last night."
"The thing behind the boys' dorm, you mean? Yeah, scary stuff."
"For sure."
"That reminds me, I spotted the Crimson Order scoping out the scene. I hear they've been on a recruitment drive, but their newbies are about as rubbish as you'd expect."
"Dang, you know all sorts of stuff."
She gives me a proud wink. "You could say that."
"Are you planning on joining the Knight Order when you graduate?"
"Ooh, I dunno. My grades aren't nearly as good as Claire's."
"Really? They aren't?"
"Why do you look so surprised? Everyone knows my grades are terrible."
"Oh, huh. I always just assumed you were at the top of your class."
"Ha-ha-ha. That'd be Claire, probably.
She's been getting wicked good marks lately. I'm just your run-of-the-mill underachiever."
"I'll take your word for it, I guess."
Nina unconcernedly raises a spoonful of soup to her petite mouth.
Just by looking at her, I'm pretty sure Nina's stronger than my sister, but hey, everyone's got their reasons for wanting to keep their true strength a secret. Nina's a woman of many mysteries.
"I'll tell you if I hear anything about Claire," she says. "You must be worried about her."
"I must? Not really... Err, I mean, yeah, I'm worried sick."
"You never change, do you? It is Claire we're talking about, though, so she's probably fine. If you ever need a hand, you know where to find me."
Nina flashes me an adorable smile.
Meanwhile, Skel and Po eat their broke aristocrat lunch sets in silence.
<<•>>
"Can we seriously not get out yet?"
Claire heaves a sigh in the academy classroom. Her surroundings are shrouded in white fog, and there's nobody else around.
"Just a little longer."
"You've been saying that for ages."
"Yes, because it keeps being a little longer.
I'm trying to widen the crack, but you have so little magic it's taking me forever."
"Oh gee, my bad. Sorry for having so little magic. I'll have you know, I've got more magic than almost anyone at school."
"Small fish, small pond."
"I swear, it's like you're trying to offend me."
"Oops, did I say that out loud?"
"Also, what were you saying about a crack?"
"There's a crack you can pass through to get back to your original world."
"My original world? What world is this, then?"
"Oh, a lady never tells."
Claire lets out another sigh. There's so much she doesn't understand, she doesn't even know where to start.
She sits down at a desk. Right as she's about to cross her legs, though, she senses that something is off.
"Huh?"
There's something touching her leg.
On further inspection, she discovers that it's a translucent human arm. It's drenched in blood and grabbing on to her.
"Wh-what is that thing?!"
She leaps to her feet, gives the arm a fierce kick, and backs away.
As the arm goes flying, the rest of a blood-soaked human appears attached to it. Their skin is ashen, their eyes are sunken, and their chest has a massive wound in it. It's pretty clear they aren't alive.
"Be careful. That's a spirit."
"A what?"
"A hero of old who's been chained to this land. They're bound by profane magic and forced to wander for all eternity. Go on and put it out of its misery."
"Okay, sure, but...how exactly do I do that?"
"Oh, hitting them will probably do the trick."
"Hrah!"
When the spirit tries to get back up, Claire wallops them with a magically imbued punch. The spirit bursts and fades away.
"That felt nasty."
"If spirits are showing up, then the seal must be weakening... This could be bad."
"What seal?"
"Don't mind me. Just talking to myself. Ah, I messed up. I need to make sure she can't hear me. I guess what she lacks in magic, she makes up for in hearing."
"I can still hear you, you know."
From then on, Aurora is silent.
Another spirit appears, and Claire kicks them away.
"It really sucks, not having a sword."
Sadly, she left her sword back on the other side.
Spirits continue popping up every so often, and Claire dispatches them as she waits for Aurora to finish working. The spirits are coming more frequently now, and the fog is getting denser.
"Are you almost done yet, Aurora?"
"Just a little longer."
"For real this time?"
"For real. But unfortunately...we have company."
"Huh?"
Sensing someone behind her, Claire whirls around. A man in a black robe has been standing there since who-knows-when. His face is hidden beneath a dark mask.
"When did he—?"
Claire assumes a combat stance, but without a sword, she looks a little silly.
In contrast, the robed man does have a sword, and he brandishes it with a practiced hand before closing in on Claire in a flash.
"How's he so fast?!"
Claire dodges his initial strike by the skin of her teeth, then backs off and puts some distance between them. However, the robed man has no intention of letting her get away. He circles around her and strikes her with his sword.
"Rgh!"
Claire gets sent flying, but she then totters back to her feet. That was a powerful blow he dealt with the flat of his sword, but she's not out yet. The man doesn't seem to be going for the kill. He must be planning on capturing her.
Aurora's voice echoes in her head. "Looks like you're outmatched."
"Shut up, will you? In case you hadn't noticed, I'm in the middle of something here."
"Well, yes. In the middle of losing."
"Oh, be quiet! If I just had a sword..."
"It wouldn't make a difference."
"I said shut up!"
"Here he comes."
The robed man takes a running start and bears down on Claire.
"I'll lend you my strength."
"…Huh?"
It happens in the blink of an eye. The man is right in front of her, ready to strike, when all of a sudden, a red tendril swats him away. The tendril is coming out of Claire's foot, and it undulates like it has a mind of its own.
"Wh-what is that thing?"
"Blood."
"Blood?!"
"If you work hard, you'll be able to use this technique, too. After all, you're..."
"I'm what?"
"It's nothing. The fight isn't over yet."
Claire looks up and finds the robed man standing before her. There's blood dripping down his cheek, and his dark mask has fallen off.
"I know you... You're from the Knight Order."
Claire saw him during her internship there.
The man grins and gives her a bow. "We meet again, Claire."
"You're Viscount Jean, captain of the third Knight Order's fourth company."
"That was just a cover identity. I'm a Named Child — Jean, the Wicked Smile."
What sort of stupid name is that? Claire wonders. However, she decides not to voice that thought out loud. "I don't know what a Named Child is, but I didn't take you for the kind of guy with a sketchy side hustle."
"Nor did I ever imagine you harbored such power. How fascinating... We didn't find anything of the sort the last time we studied you."
"I'm sorry—the last time you what?"
"Nothing you need to worry your pretty little head about. At any rate, it looks like we ought to run those tests again."
With that, he readies his sword.
Claire's red tendril tries to get ready for battle as well, but for whatever reason, it goes limp and dissolves instead.
"This is bad, Claire."
"Hmm?"
"You're out of magic."
Claire's lip twitches. "You useless little..."
True to his name, a wicked smile spreads across the Wicked Smile's face. "Lucky me. I get to bring a present to the big man."
Kshhh.
All of a sudden, there's a sound like glass shattering, and a chunk of the world of white fog fractures.
"Huh?!"
Then a figure falls out of the fracture.
The newcomer is a beautiful therianthrope girl with a golden tail and ears, dressed in a jet-black bodysuit, and as soon she lands in front of Claire, a strange black mist swats the Wicked Smile's sword away.
"Righ!"
The Wicked Smile gets sent flying with incredible force.
It looked like little more than a light tap. How could a blow that minor have carried such tremendous force?
The therianthrope girl shrouded in black mist stands silently. Her eyes are cold and composed.
"Who are you…?" Claire asks.
"Zeta," the girl replies icily.
Claire hears Aurora in her head. "Get back, Claire. I can't get a read on the limits of that girl's strength."
There's a rare hint of tension in Aurora's voice, which surprises Claire. She backs up a step, then poses a question to Zeta. "Would I be right to assume that you rescued me just now?"
"Can't let the Cult have you. Not now, at least."
"Huh?"
The black mist flickers, and the next thing Claire knows, Zeta is behind her.
"Bye-bye."
After grabbing Claire by the collar, Zeta hurls her through the fracture.
"Wait—what do you think you're doooooooo—?!"
Claire's cry grows distant as she gets swallowed up by the fracture and disappears.
Now Zeta and Jean, the Wicked Smile, are alone in the world of white fog.
"Tch... How dare you get in my way?" the Wicked Smile says as he squares off against Zeta.
"Mm. Nice to meet you."
"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised the Shadow Garden decided to show up."
With that, the Wicked Smile holds his sword at the ready.
As he carefully gauges the distance between them, he notices Zeta giving him a bored look.
"You seem awfully confident," he says.
"What're you, a member of Shadow Garden leadership?"
"Did you find out?"
Zeta completely ignores his question. The absolute confidence she has in her abilities lets her do things like that.
"Find out what?"
"Her secret."
"You mean that power she has? What about—?!"
Before he even finishes his sentence, Zeta's magic surges.
The Wicked Smile's knees rattle as the sheer force of the magic threatens to squish him flat.
"Wh-what the…? What's with all that magic? How were you hiding it?"
"If you hadn't found out, I could have left you at large."
"Wh-what are you—?"
"But you know, so goodbye."
"What's going on..? GAHHHHHH-HH?!"
All of a sudden, the Wicked Smile sheds a black tear. Then black mist erupts from every pore he has, and his body explodes into tiny bits.
Zeta shoots a glance at his corpse. "Mm. This new technique isn't bad."
Then she turns and addresses the empty room.
"All done."
As if in response, a girl appears from the rift. This one is wearing a black bodysuit, too, but her hair is strawberry blond. It's Victoria.
She kneels before Zeta.
"Understood, ma'am."
"I confirmed Aurora is inside Claire."
"So it's as we suspected..."
"Mm. It's all connected. That's why Master did what he did..."
"Has the Cult noticed?"
"Not yet."
"What do we do, then?"
"Shift to plan C."
"Claire will be the key to our strategy. However, it's the one that leads to the most desirable outcome."
"Master said to fix my gaze on the future."
"So this is Master Shadow's will..." Victoria folds her hands in front of her chest in prayer.
"She needs to know, too," Zeta orders her. "Tell her the plan's changed."
With that, she turns into black mist and vanishes. Victoria watches her go with a thin smile.
<<•>>
The only sound in the classroom is that of pens scribbling across exam papers.
I frown and glare at my test.
"…Welp, I'm stumped."
Finals are just around the corner, so we've been getting a lot more pop quizzes lately. The only punishment you get for failing them is an extra homework assignment, but those extra assignments are a bunch of work and a royal pain in the ass. The teachers are desperate to get even the absolute morons up to par.
Personally speaking, I've been keeping up my background character facade by just barely passing each quiz. Through cheating, of course. Now, however, my overreliance on cheating is finally catching up with me.
The problem is, Isaac is absent.
Not only is Isaac the top student in the class, he also sits at the perfect angle for me to see his paper from my seat. It's like he was born for the express purpose of me cheating off him. Thanks to this guy, I've been able to tailor my quiz scores with nearly superhuman precision.
But today, he's absent!
Now I'm in real danger of failing.
"Rgh..."
When you're cheating, it's crucial to pick the right person to cheat from. It won't do you any good sneaking peeks at an answer sheet if the person writing on it is an idiot.
I look to my right and see Skel shadily glancing around.
He's useless to me.
I look to my left and see Po staring beneath his desk at a suspicious angle.
He's useless, too.
At this point, the only person I have left to rely on is Christina, the duke's daughter, who sits diagonally in front of me. She's one of the top five students in the class, but there's one big problem with her—from the angle I'm at, more than half of her answer sheet is obscured.
I've already copied down the bits I can see, but that adds up to only forty points out of a hundred, tops. I need sixty to avoid failing, and this ain't gonna cut it.
Should I conceal my presence and sneak somewhere that gives me a better view to copy from?
The issue there is, concealing my presence doesn't do squat as far as making my physical body disappear. If I start walking around without any cover or obstructions, then people are just gonna spot me with their eyes. And given how many eyes there are in the classroom, I'll get caught for sure.
In light of that, it looks like my only choice is to move so fast that no one can see me. It's an option, for sure. If I really let loose, moving that fast is a piece of cake.
However, there's a glaring flaw in that plan.
If I move faster than the naked eye can see, the wind pressure will literally blow my cover. I might accidentally send the test paper flying. Heck, I might accidentally send Christina flying. That right there would be a complete baby bathwater situation.
In other words, I need to move subtly enough to not release any wind yet fast enough that nobody sees me. Who knew a little old pop quiz was going to demand such an exacting level of technical mastery?
Am I even going to be able to pull this off...?
I've done loads and loads of training to be able to move fast. However, not once have I ever trained to be able to move fast without building up wind pressure.
That said, the extra homework assignment would take me two whole days to finish.
"…No guts, no glory."
To give up now would be to sully my name as a background character.
I begin molding magic so fine that no one will notice it. All right, baby. First time's the charm.
Right as I do...
"Hey, you there! What do you think you're doing?!"
"—?!"
I got spotted?!
I freeze in shock, and my magic dissipates.
However, I'm not the one the teacher is looking at. He's looking at the seat beside mine.
"Skel Etal!! You're cheating!"
Skel trembles as the color drains from his face. "I-I-IIIII wasn't looking at anything!! I swear I wasn't looking at Christina's answers!!"
"Ah, so nice of you to admit exactly what you did. I've been watching you like a hawk, you know. Get out of my classroom. You just earned yourself two extra homework assignments."
"B-but that's not fair..."
Skel leaves the room looking like a dead man walking. Christina watches him go with an expression of absolute contempt.
A-all right, Cid, pull yourself together.
I mold my magic as fine as can be, and right as I do...
"Hey, you there! What do you think you're doing?!"
Again?!
I look up in alarm, but the teacher still isn't staring at me. Once again, his eyes are on the seat right beside mine.
"Po Tato!! What're you looking under your desk for?!"
Po begins sweating buckets. "I-I-IIIII
wasn't looking at anything!! I swear I wasn't looking at the cheat sheet under my desk!!"
"Well, at least you're being honest about it. Get out of my classroom. You just earned yourself three extra homework assignments."
"Th-the number went up..."
Po leaves the room, staggering unsteadily as he goes.
"The next person I catch cheating is going home with four extra homework assignments." The teacher's eyes gleam.
Dammit, Skel and Po, why'd you have to go and make such a mess of things? Thanks to those two bozos, the risk level just skyrocketed, and our teacher is on high alert.
But that's not gonna stop me.
"Surrender isn't an option."
I mold my magic.
The flow of time seems to slow.
Right here, right now, I just might be able to do it. This is a mythical Hidden Normie Technique designed specifically for cheating—and it's my forty-ninth one!!
"Behold..."
Then, right as I focus every nerve in my body, I hear it. There's a loud thud as something comes falling out of the air.
"...…"
When things happen that make zero logical sense, people tend to find themselves at a loss for words. I have no idea why Claire just fell on top of our teacher, but every person in the class is now staring at her in dumbfounded silence. Even I had no idea she was planning on going this far. To think that this is what she was foreshadowing when she decided to go missing...
"What do you mean, you can't let them 'have' me?!" Claire tramples our teacher underfoot as she rises to her feet and shouts at the empty air. "Answer me! I have special powers, and I'm not—!"
At that point, she shoots a quick glance around the classroom. Her expression stiffens.
"You're in the wrong room, Claire Kagenou," our squished teacher chokes through the pain.
"Ah, well, that's, uh... Heh." Claire turns bright red. I can't tell if she's smiling or if her face is just twitching. "I-I'll be going now! So sorry about that!!"
With a brisk bow, she does a quick one-eighty and scurries away.
Looks like someone's getting in trouble later.
She's falling out of the sky, she's talking to the empty air, she's declaring that she's got special powers... Her symptoms are progressing faster than I ever expected.
Just this once, though, they saved my hide.
"Thanks for distracting everyone, Sis."
With a grin, I fill in the empty spots on my answer sheet.
<<•>>
Claire emerges from the guidance counselor's office and lets out a small sigh.
"Well, that was dreadful."
The head teacher just scolded her for nearly an hour, and the light streaming into the hallway is taking on hues of red.
Off in the distance, she can hear students chatting. Her footsteps echo through the empty corridor.
"Of all the classes it could have been, why did it have to be Cid's? I have no idea how I'm supposed to look him in the eye tomorrow." She blushes, then turns to the empty air. "And it's all your fault."
"Wow, rude. That was in no way my fault."
"Then explain to me what did happen. Nobody's going to believe me if I tell them I got attacked by some weird people in some sort of weird space and ended up falling on top of a teacher. I thought they were about to refer me to a shrink."
"You're better off not knowing. Once you do, there's no going back."
"Puh-lease. I can't stay in the dark, not after what just happened. I'm pissed."
"…No. I can't put you in harm's way."
"I'd say I'm smack-dab in harm's way already. Besides, if you don't tell me what's going on, I'm just going to figure it out myself. I refuse to let things end like this."
"You're wasting your time."
"We'll see about that... Aurora the Calamity Witch."
"Where...where did you learn that name...?"
"I did my research, that's what I—"
Claire freezes in place mid-sentence. She thought the hallway was empty, but at some point, a silver-haired girl showed up.
"I do apologize for interrupting your soliloquy, Claire Kagenou. There's something I want to talk to you about."
The girl peers at Claire, her red gaze burning with interest. It's Alexia Midgar, one of the Midgar Kingdom princesses.
Claire's expression hardens. "I wasn't just talking to myself."
Alexia puts on a big show of scanning the hallway. "Well, I certainly don't see anyone else around."
Claire's expression hardens further. "You and I aren't friends, Princess. I have nothing to talk to you about."
"I can tell you're no fan of mine. Which is odd, considering that as far as I know, we've never talked before."
"And we're not going to, you royal wench, not after the way you led Cid on."
Claire's eyes are full of murder and steel. Alexia can practically feel Claire's gaze burning a hole in her. "What?" she cries. Her gaze darts around, and there's a hint of panic on her face. "There's a whole lot of context you're missing! At no point was I trying to lead him on!"
"Oh, really now? You can barely even say it with a straight face. I smell a liar."
"Excuse me! Rude! I'm not a liar! And also, what's with the attitude?! You're his sister, so I figured I could at least try to pretend to be nice to you."
"And there it is. A liar and a fake, to boot."
Claire practically spits out the words, and Alexia clicks her tongue. "You really are siblings, aren't you? You're exactly alike, the way neither of you has a respectful bone in your body."
"Wait, you think Cid and I are alike?"
"Th-that's what I said, yeah. At least when it comes to disrespect..."
"Ohhh, so you think we're alike... Tee-hee-hee." Claire's entire face lights up.
"What does that matter, though?"
"Wow, I guess you do have an eye for people!"
"Uh..."
Claire swings her arm over Alexia's shoulder, and Alexia has approximately zero idea what to make of it.
"So you said you had something you wanted to talk about?"
"I mean... I did..."
"You caught me at a busy moment, but oh well. I guess I can make some time for you."
"…Thanks?"
"By the way, what other ways would you say Cid and I are alike?"
"I-I don't know, your hair color?"
With Claire's arm still over Alexia's shoulder, the two of them make their way down the twilit hallway.
<<•>>
"What is this place?" Claire asks.
"A special parlor only accessible to the elite," Alexia replies as she turns on the extravagant room's lights.
"Then what are we doing here?"
"I am a princess, you know."
"Oh yeah, that's right."
Did you seriously forget? Alexia wonders. "Go ahead and sit down."
"Ooh, this is comfy. And the embroidery is so pretty. What a colossal waste of our taxes."
"Say, do people ever tell you that you don't know when to shut up?"
"Not that I can recall."
Alexia and Claire sit on a pair of big fluffy sofas as they converse. The two of them are the only ones in the room.
Alexia takes another look at the girl sitting across from her.
Claire has black hair and red eyes, and she excels both at her schoolwork and as a dark knight. Her sudden meteoric rise in strength has been the talk of the town, and she's already informally been offered a spot in the Knight Order.
The way Alexia sees it, Claire and her brother don't have a single thing in common—not a single thing, aside from how disrespectful they are.
"Why are you giving me that serious look?" Claire asks.
"Because we need to have a serious conversation."
"That's for sure. I won't let you have Cid."
"I-I don't want him!" Alexia's voice comes out shrill, which she covers with an affected cough. "This is about you falling on that teacher in the middle of class."
"What, and you want to lecture me?"
"I just want you to tell me what happened."
"I used my magic to jump in from outside the classroom and attack him," Claire replies in a brisk monotone. "I guess I went a little bit crazy from stress. I'm not sure I totally follow, but that's definitely for sure what happened. I regret my actions, and I won't do it again."
"I'm not asking about your cover story."
"Well, that's exactly what I wrote in my apology letter."
"But it's not the truth, is it?"
"What do you mean?"
"I know you've been doing research on the demon Diablos."
With that, Alexia takes the papers she retrieved from Claire's room and dumps them on the table.
"Wait, why do you have my—?"
"I can tell you're driven by more than just idle curiosity."
Claire's expression turns serious. "What do you want to know?"
"Everything. I'm trying to figure out what's going on here at the academy."
"...And you won't make fun of me?"
"I won't. Not a chance."
"You swear?"
"I swear."
Claire goes silent and shifts her gaze. Now she's staring intently at a spot of empty space. From the look in her eyes, it's almost as though someone's talking to her.
Eventually, Claire shakes her head. "Sorry, Aurora."
"Huh?"
Unsure what to make of the non sequitur, Alexia tilts her head in confusion. However, Claire isn't talking to her. She's still staring at nothing.
"I'm at my limit here. I don't understand what's going on, and it scares me..." Claire's shoulders tremble a little.
Then she turns back to Alexia and offers her a small smile. "Sorry, you can go ahead and ignore all that."
"...Are you okay?"
"Nothing's okay... And that's why I'm going to tell you everything. It's going to sound ridiculous, so it's up to you whether you want to believe it."
"I believe you." As Alexia sees it, there's no sign that Claire is trying to lie to her.
"Really? Then I had better start by introducing her."
"Who?"
"Her name is Aurora. She's a spirit known as the Calamity Witch. Go ahead and say hello."
Claire points over to the side. There's no one there. Alexia squints, then rubs her eyes, but still, nada.
"Now, I first met her back when..."
As soon as Claire launches into her explanation as if there's actually a person there with them, Alexia starts regretting having told Claire that she would believe her.
<<•>>
"...And now I'm here."
By the time Claire finishes her story, the sun has already set.
As the fireplace crackles away, Alexia takes a sip of her coffee. "I think I get the picture."
"And you believe me?"
"I do. It sounds absurd on its face, but it all lines up."
"It does?"
"That's right—it's all connected. The Shadow Garden, the Cult of Diablos, the weird things happening at the school, everything. The part about the spirit is still a little hard to believe, but still."
"A-Aurora exists! She does! She's sitting right there and laughing as we speak!"
Alexia steals a glance at the empty sofa. "Let's set the whole spirit issue aside for the moment."
"I'm telling you, she's real!"
"However, I do recognize the name. Aurora the Calamity Witch... A member of the Cult's leadership mentioned her."
"Is there some connection between Aurora and the Cult?"
"I don't know. I tried researching it myself, but there aren't many surviving documents about the Calamity Witch. The only thing I was able to learn is that she once caused a huge disaster."
Claire turns to the spirit. "You caused a huge disaster, Aurora?"
It really does look like she's talking to someone.
"Ah, so that's what happened. Aurora says that she's the one who wiped out the Pig Orcs. She says she just couldn't stand the look of them."
"…I don't think that's the disaster they were talking about."
"It isn't? ...Oh, I see, I see. Aurora says she's also the one who doodled on the holy shield Aegis. Apparently, she didn't know how famous it was when she was doing it."
"That's definitely not the right disaster! Besides, Aegis went missing, and no one's been able to find it."
"It's not that, either? In that case—"
"Let's table that for now, shall we? It's high time we moved this discussion along!"
"But Aurora says she has more stuff she wants to brag about."
"I don't care! We need to get back on topic!" Alexia clears her throat. "The first thing we ought to figure out is what exactly is happening here at the academy."
Claire's expression sharpens. "Agreed."
"Now, about that strange space you got trapped in, I went through something not unlike that myself once. It was at a place called the Sanctuary..."
Alexia goes on to explain what happened back at the Sanctuary.
"That does sound similar," Claire says.
"So there's a phenomenon resembling the Sanctuary that's happening here on campus. Then we've got the Wicked Smile guy you fought. Odds are, he was working for the Cult of Diablos."
"That was Viscount Jean, captain of the third Knight Order's fourth company."
"I was afraid this might be the case, but it looks like the Cult has personnel in the Knight Order. We can't trust them."
"What about Princess Iris? Surely we can trust the Crimson Order."
"My sister is... She's busy right now. Either way, it's clear that the Cult is kidnapping students to carry out some diabolical plan."
"What sort of plan, though?"
"There's a space similar to the Sanctuary here at Midgar Academy, so it wouldn't surprise me if there was a piece of the demon Diablos sealed here like there was there."
"Now that you mention it, I've heard rumors about the right arm of Diablos being locked away somewhere in the academy... But those are just rumors, right?"
Alexia shakes her head. "I wouldn't be so sure about that."
"Wait, seriously?"
"I don't have any solid evidence, but... There's a forbidden book in the school library that details the academy's history. If someone sealed Diablos's right arm here, then it would have to be recorded in that book."
"Can you use your royal authority to get us into the forbidden book section?"
"Cutting through all the red tape would take ages."
"What do we do, then?"
Alexia grins. "We sneak in, that's what."
"We'll get in big trouble if they catch us."
"So let's not get caught. We can't trust the Knight Order, we can't trust the teachers... It's up to us to crack the case."
"If we get found out, I'm pretty sure I can kiss my informal offer goodbye."
"I'll just hire you myself. If there's one thing I'm good at, it's throwing coins at people."
"Do you really need to throw them?"
"It's important to let people know who's in charge."
"...Uh-huh."
"Anyway, we're doing this. The Cult of Diablos and the Shadow Garden are making moves and mobilizing as we speak. If things go on like this, the victim count is just going to rise."
After listening to Alexia's speech, Claire hangs her head and sinks into thought. Then she slowly makes her suggestion. "What if we just left everything to the Shadow Garden?"
Alexia is so caught off guard that she's momentarily struck speechless. "…There's too much we don't know about them. We don't even know why it is they're fighting the Cult. I'm not willing to put that much unconditional faith in them."
"Are you sure? From what I gather, they saved me back in the Lawless City, too."
"Even so, the Shadow Garden is dan-gerous. When I imagine what would happen if they ever turned that massive strength of theirs against Midgar, it makes me think my sister might be right to be so worried about them."
"Ah, fair. I kind of get it, you know? After all, Shadow took down Elisabeth the Blood Queen on his own. If the legends about her strength are true, then that would mean Shadow really is in a league of his own."
"I have to believe that she was in a weakened state. If she really was as powerful as they say, then the Midgar Kingdom will have little choice but to tiptoe around Shadow for the foreseeable future."
"One wrong move, and he'd become a bigger threat than even the Cult, huh?"
"Exactly. He has an entourage in the Shadow Garden called the Seven Shadows, and they're forces to be reckoned with. All of them are at least as strong as my sister, and some of them might very well be stronger. It's not just Shadow. The whole organization is a powerhouse."
"Now that you mention it, there was that therianthrope Zeta... I've never seen Aurora that scared of someone. She said she couldn't get a read on the limits of Zeta's strength."
Alexia bites her lip. "Look, I want to believe that they're on our side as much as you do, but... for now, I can't trust them. They're too dangerous."
"Yeah, you're right. I guess we just have to do whatever we can. You can count me in."
"I really appreciate that, Claire."
Claire takes her own hand with the magic circle on it and clutches it in her other. "If all we do is sit around, nothing's ever going to get done. Aurora, this magic circle, Shadow... There are so many questions we need answers to. Thank you for this, Alexia."
"Huh?"
Alexia looks at her in confusion. Those weren't the words she'd been expecting.
"For hearing me out and for really listening. It was scary, being on my own. I felt so powerless. The fact that you believed me really means a lot."
"…Anytime."
"And I get how you feel, too. Things seem so hopeless when you're on your own, don't they?"
"I never said I—" Alexia's voice trembles.
Her sister's been practicing her sword work like a woman possessed, and she never has time for Alexia these days.
Rose deserted Alexia and went off solo.
And Natsume...well, Alexia never trusted Natsume in the first place, so that one's whatever.
"Let's do this, you and me."
Claire offers Alexia her hand, and Alexia shakes it without a moment's consideration. She can feel its warmth envelop her.
"Thank you, Claire."
"Of course. Besides, this'll make it easier to keep an eye on you," Claire says under her breath, then squeezes Alexia's hand so hard it cracks.
"Huh?"
"If this is what it takes to protect him from your clutches, it's a small price to pay."
"C-Claire, that hurts."
"Oh gosh, I'm sooo sorry. I'm looking forward to working with you, Alexia."
"L-likewise to you, Claire."
Alexia squeezes back just as hard, and the two of them smile.
It's like they were cut from the same cloth, muses the spirit.
<<•>>
Claire and Alexia stand before a room in the women's dorm.
Alexia gives Claire a skeptical look. "Hey, are you sure about this?"
"Of course. Nina will come through, one hundred percent. Cid says he told her that he wanted to read a book from the forbidden section once, and the next day, she brought it right to him!"
"Seriously? I've never heard a faker-sounding story in my life."
"No, no, it's cool. Cid would never lie to me."
"Of course he would. The guy's practically made of lies and avarice."
[+]
"Hey, don't go bad-mouthing my brother."
"It's true, though."
Alexia ends the conversation by knocking on the door.
"Comin'!" someone replies cheerily from inside. The door swings open. "Heya, Claire. Glad you're safe. You had me worried there."
It's a short girl with wine-red hair.
"Sorry about all the fuss," Claire tells her.
"Hey, as long as you're okay, then consider it water under the bridge. Make sure you give me a shout before you go missing next time, 'kay?"
"I'll see what I can do."
Nina shoots a glance over to the side at Alexia. "Gotta say, though, you two sure make for an odd couple. Nice to meetcha, Princess Alexia."
"The pleasure is mine, Ms. Nina."
"Please, just 'Nina' is fine. When'd you two become friends?"
Alexia and Claire answer at pretty much the exact same time.
"Oh, we're not friends."
"More like enemies, if anything."
"Hey, whatever works for you," Nina replies, then invites them inside. "Anyways, c'mon in. You look like a couple of gals with somethin' on your mind."
Nina takes a seat on her bed and crosses her legs. Alexia and Claire sit down on a pair of modest chairs.
"Before we get to that, would you mind if I asked you a question?" Alexia's gaze darts around uncomfortably.
"Go for it. I'm an open book."
"Why are you in your underwear?"
For reasons unknown, Nina is dressed exclusively in sexy lingerie. Despite her petite build, she has curves in all the right places. Even fellow women find themselves captivated by her figure.
"Cause it's comfy."
"Do you always hang out dressed like that?"
"Yeah. Mitsugoshi's underwear feels great, and the designs are awesome, too." Nina smiles, rolling up the sheer fabric to show it off.
"I swear..." Alexia mutters. "I'm going to have to get those product numbers off you later."
"Yeah, no prob. I've got some other models of theirs that are great, too."
"Show me," Alexia replies instantly. Her expression is dead serious.
"And who exactly are you ever going to get to show them off to?" Claire scoffs.
Alexia glares at her. "Shut up, you."
"Anyhow, we need to get back on topic."
"Oh yeah, right," Nina agrees. "And I gotta hit the hay soon, so if you could give me the quick version, that'd be great. Late nights are murder on my beautiful skin."
"Sure, of course. We wanted to ask you about that forbidden book. How'd you steal it?"
Nina blinks blankly at Claire's question. "What forbidden book? You lost me."
"You don't have to keep it a secret. Cid told me everything. You took a book out of the forbidden book section, right?"
"The young'un said that? Well, I can assure you it didn't happen."
"I told you, you don't have to keep it a secret."
"And I told you, I'm not keeping nothing. I literally have no idea what you're talking about."
"Really?"
"Really. I wouldn't know the first thing about sneaking into the forbidden book section."
"I did warn you," Alexia says mockingly. "Fido lied to you."
"Sh-shut up! Nina, you're telling the truth? You're not hiding anything?" Claire begins shaking Nina's shoulders so hard that the hooks on Nina's bra come undone.
"C-calm down, Claire! I promise, I'm not lying!"
"Rrrrrrrrgh!" Claire bites her lip and flushes scarlet. "Dammit, Cid!! You lied to me again! You can't keep doing this to me!"
"See, even you know he's a liar."
"Shut up, shut up, shut up! Forget this! I'm going home!"
"All the way back to your parents' place?"
"To my dorm room!"
Claire storms out of the room with her face bright red, and Alexia hurriedly chases her. "W-wait a second, hold up! We still need to talk about our plan for tomorrow.." Alexia turns back to Nina for a moment. "Thanks for having us, by the way."
"I'm not sure I follow what just hap-pened, but make sure you take it easy, 'kay?"
Alexia gives her an awkward smile, then closes the door behind her.
The room is quiet now, and Nina rises to her feet and walks over to the window.
"All righty."
Her unhooked bra slips to the floor, and she sees herself reflected on the window's surface. There's a grim scar on her left breast.
"Time to get moving."
She runs a slender fingertip over the scar.
Then her cold gaze drifts out toward the deep night's boundless dark.
<<•>>
I love going for late-night walks.
The world is quiet in the moonlight, and it helps remind me about what really matters. I haven't been losing my way much lately, but back in my previous life, the gap between reality and what I needed to accomplish to be an eminence in shadow caused my resolve to waver sometimes.
My go-to method for dealing with stuff like that was training so hard I couldn't think anymore, but going for late-night walks and doing some self-reflection was a fine option, too. When I looked up at the moon when everything around me was still, that alone was enough to make me feel like a shadowbroker. There were occasionally hoodlum bikers out, loudly revving their engines, but that was what I had my crowbar of justice for.
Anyhow, long story short, I still sneak out of my dorm late at night to go for a little stroll every now and again. Recently, I've gotten hooked on heading up to the school roof and looking down at the night-shrouded world from atop it.
"Heh-heh-heh..."
All I have to do is let out a fearless laugh, and I'm the coolest guy in the world.
The moonlight is especially beautiful tonight. I already washed the spit off the red jewel Delta found, and I take it out and hold it up to the moon. The wondrously deep color makes it unbelievably pretty.
"Looks like there's some sorta magic stored in it. I wonder how much I could sell it for?"
Dang, Delta, you did good.
I can't wait till I get a chance to put it up for auction at Mitsugoshi. If it sells for enough, I'll finally be able to buy the Eminence in Shadow Set from my personal wish list. I'm gonna get a black lion-mane scarf, I'm gonna get a dark crystal table set, I'm gonna get a—
"Huh?"
When I glance to the side, I see a middle-aged dude in a black robe over on the corner of the roof.
That's an odd place to see a dude.
Wait—do my eyes deceive me? Now that I'm looking, is the robe he's wearing made of darkspider silk?! That sheen, that deep black hue... It's gotta be. No cheapo robe could ever boast that raw material quality.
"…You've got good taste."
I take a moment to observe the fashionable dude. His hair is silver and goes all the way down to his waist, and his features are chiseled. His eyes are shaped like an eagle's, which is kinda badass, too.
I strain my ears and catch him muttering something:
"It was supposed to have appeared by now. I checked the blueprints..."
Ah, he must be a burglar. That's the only kind of guy I can think of who would use a blueprint to sneak into a school. It does make sense; I hear the school's got all sorts of valuable artifacts.
What we're dealing with here is a fancy thief.
Unaware that I'm watching him, the dude says something that sounds pregnant with significance. "They must have interceded. But that just means I have some obstructions to remove...nothing more."
Would you look at that? This guy even knows how to set the scene.
Then the fancy thief turns around.
Our eyes meet.
I'm concealing my presence, but I'm not making any effort to hide my actual body. Naturally, this means he spots me.
"What?! How long have you been—?"
"Hey, don't mind me. I was just going for a walk." I have no intention of obstructing this guy's plans, so I try to impress on him how harmless I am.
"You don't look like you're from the Knight Order. Who are you?"
"Just an ordinary old student."
"A student, huh...? Given how you're carrying yourself, I guess you're telling the truth. I can't believe a mere student spotted me on my first day here."
"Look, man, happens to the best of us. Anyhow, see you later."
"Hold it. Now that you've seen me, I have to eliminate you."
"Don't worry, I'm not gonna rat you out or anything. It's no skin off my nose if a burglar happens to break into the aca—"
However, the fancy thief doesn't seem to be in a listening mood. "Today just wasn't your lucky day, kid."
"Whoa, careful there."
I sway my body to avoid the twin sickles cleaving at my throat.
This guy's pretty fast. Those are some fancy moves for a burglar. I guess he really is a fancy thief.
"Wh—?! You dodged it?!" He backs off out of caution. His voice lowers to a growl. "You.. You're not just any old student, are you?"
"Seriously, I'm not gonna rat you out."
"Considering that trick you just pulled, you must be with the Knight Order special forces. That's the first time anyone's been able to pull the wool over my eyes like that."
"I really am just an ordinary student."
"You think I'd believe that? You're probably the one who killed the Wicked Smile. It was unlike him to call for aid. That's why they sent in me, the Dark Spider."
"Yeah, I think you've got the wrong guy."
"But this is where your luck runs out."
"My what?"
"The thing is...I'm stronger than the Wicked Smile."
The fancy thief slashes my arm with his sickle.
Clang!!
A heavy noise echoes out from my arm, and sparks go flying.
"I-I can't cut you?!"
I reshape my uniform.
Black slime flows down my arm, covering it up and coalescing into a talon where my hand is.
"That black weapon... You're with the Shadow Garden..."
The fancy thief makes a desperate attempt to back off. However, nothing he does can change what's about to happen.
"So fast—"
I close the gap and gouge out his heart with my talon.
"Impossible... Th-that power..."
"Huh?"
He clutches my talon with both hands and grimaces. "It can't be... No, this is where you are... So you disguise yourself as a student. Forgive me... Lord... Fen... rir..."
With that, he hacks up a huge mouthful of blood.
"Aw man. There I go, murdering people again."
I steal his darkspider silk robe, taking great care not to let any blood get on it, then kick him off the roof.
"Ah, shit."
When I look down, I see that the fancy thief has fallen to his death.
That's all well and good, but there's a bronze statue right where he landed, and he had the unique misfortune of getting impaled on the sword the statue is holding up. It makes it look like he's been brutally executed.
What should I do about the body?
"…Eh, I guess I'll just leave it."
There's blood splattered everywhere, and cleaning it up sounds like a royal hassle. I can just write it off as a special gift from me to all the students enjoying their ordinary school lives.
"Hmm?"
All of a sudden, I notice an odd white fog drifting by. I'm pretty sure there wasn't any fog there a minute ago.
"What is that stuff?"
I blink, and it vanishes without a trace.
"Huh. Did I just imagine that? I don't think so..."
There's no way that could've been a weird trick of the light. It was only there for a moment, but I definitely saw some fog there.
"I guess it's just one of life's many mysteries."
It's not like seeing some white fog is gonna change my life in any meaningful capacity, and if I wanna see more, I can always just head up into the mountains.
More importantly, I gotta go hang my new darkspider silk robe on my wall and catch some Zs.
<<•>>
The area is enshrouded in a gloomy white fog and illuminated by a quartet of red cylinders of light.
"What a low compatibility rate... The fault must lie with the base specimens. This is what happens when we can't get our hands on any possessed."
There's a skinny man standing before the cylinders. He jots something down in the file he's holding, then sighs.
"Is there still no word from the specimen procurement team?"
It's hard to see, but there's something floating in the red light.
Human beings.
There are four people, each of them floating in one of the cylinders and hooked up to a series of tubes. The tubes expand and contract like living creatures as they suck something out of their vic-tims. Inside, all the life has drained from the people's faces.
"We're running out of time. At this rate..."
The man strides restlessly from one cylinder to another.
Then there are footsteps audible from the fog.
"How are we looking, Slender Willow?"
The voice's owner stops before reaching the fog's edge.
The thin man, Slender Willow, hurriedly straightens his posture. "We were able to retrieve four specimens from the student body that were compatible with the magic. We're absorbing their mana as we speak, and I believe we'll have the seal down sooner or later..."
''Or later,' hmm? Did we have four specimens last time I was here?"
Slender Willow gulps. "Well, the Shadow Garden's been running interference, you see..."
"So I've heard."
"And by the looks of it, they sent someone with skills on par with their upper leadership."
"Oh? One of the Seven Shadows, perhaps?" The man remains out of sight, but his interest seems piqued.
"In all likelihood, yes. It could be a Seven Shadow we've never been able to get a visual on before."
"That would make it Zeta, then."
"Yes, sir. She appears to specialize in fleeing."
"I don't have many reports of people having fought her. I always just assumed she couldn't hold her own in a fight."
"She killed the Wicked Smile, so if nothing else, she's more powerful than a Named Child."
"Faaascinating. Well, this should be interesting, then. By the way, I hear you called in a replacement for the Wicked Smile?"
"I wanted to be on the safe side, so I brought in the Dark Spider, one of our most powerful Named Children. Now the plan will be able to—"
"The Dark Spider is dead."
"...What?"
"He got skewered out in front of the school."
"Um…. I'm afraid I don't—"
"It's true."
"I-it is? I mean, not that I would ever doubt you, sir, perish the thought. Was it Zeta who killed him, too?"
"Hard to say. We don't know who the killer is, but what we do know is that the Shadow Garden works fast. I'm jealous. If only I had underlings that competent."
"Ha-ha-ha..."
"How do you intend to get the plan back on track?"
"I was going to ask headquarters to send in more reinforcements."
"The credit collapse dealt a heavy blow to our finances. We could hire more Second and Third Children, but I doubt this is the kind of problem we can solve by throwing fodder at it."
"B-but..."
"The Shadow Garden already knows about these ruins. It's only a matter of time before they breach our defenses."
"Well, we've already located more viable specimens. There's Claire Kagenou, and if you give me the go-ahead, there's Alexia Midgar as well. If we got our hands on those two, I believe we would be able to bring the plan to fruition almost immediately."
"Alexia Midgar, hmm...?"
"Is that problematic?"
"...No, go ahead. Zenon's already laid hands on her. We can afford to get a little messy. After all, we of the Fenrir sect have controlled the Midgar Kingdom for a long, long time."
"I'll give my men the orders, then."
"No, Slender Willow, I want you to do it yourself."
"I beg your pardon..."
"You've gotten too attached to the mission site. You got yourself that role at the academy—now it's time to put it to use."
"But, sir, my arm..."
A fierce wind blows across Slender Willow's neck, leaving a single thin wound in its wake.
"Use your position to make them let down their guard."
"…Yes, sir."
"I'm going to be busy adjusting the ruins. Get it done, and get it done right."
"Yes, sir." Slender Willow scurries away.
"Now, then."
Something appears projected in the fog. It's an image of two girls. One is a golden-haired theranthrope, and the other is a strawberry blond human.
Both of them belong to the Shadow Garden.
"So that's Zeta...as well as the vaunted Saint. To think that the Shadow Garden ended up taking her in. I'd be interested to see what a certain nation would do if they had that information."
In the image, Zeta and Victoria advance through the white fog.
Behind them, there's another figure as well.
The third figure is wearing a different robe from the Shadow Garden's, and their face is hidden beneath a hood.
"They've already broken through our third layer of defenses. Depending on how things go with Slender Willow...," the man mutters as his presence vanishes.
The image continues playing in the now-empty space.
In it, a pair of golden eyes is fixed directly on the screen.