Mana Academy (IC) (Open, Fantasy)

[Luminesa]

Rabbit noticed one Jaegar reaching into his pocket, and he worried if he was going to try and fight him. Attempting to fight two Jaegars, and with a healing Manastream, would not be easy. However, it was about then that his eyes looked toward Kar's face. He smiled behind his mask. He was a rookie, and young, or at least in comparison to him. Mirai was a bit older, but she also held herself with an air of subtle belligerence. "...There's no reason for either of you to feel threatened while I am in the room. I can assure you that I am an ally. And anyway, dear, pulling your weapon on a civilian is hardly polite. Something you must learn while in a place of authority is that diplomacy should be your resort. If you must resort to violence, it should be in self-defense," he advised both of them, speaking to Kar for the second part of his statement. He then turned back to Ruta and nodded once again. "Yes. Though I agree, we should speak about this...privately. After all, there's no reason to panic. By tomorrow morning, we should have the situation under control. There is no reason to raise concern about it to people who are not involved." He understood Ruta's very obvious discomfort, and attempted to help him to clear the room. He himself very obviously did not want to be in the presence of these two very unfriendly characters. Any slip could lead them to discover his identity.

Kar's scowl only became more evident with the Rabbit's chastisement, but the young Jaegar managed to hold his tongue in front of the masked professor, knowing that any snide comment he made at this point would carry no weight so long as he had two superiors around who could knock the breath out of him for it in two seconds flat. And so he remained safely in silence, with his grip on the weapon no looser than it had been seconds earlier.

"...One cannot fault a soldier for being over-cautious in unfamiliar territory, or in the presence of unfamiliar individuals. One does well to take that to heart, especially in our line of work," Mirai retorted to the Rabbit, though kept her tone remarkably steady and calm, even if she did feel ever so slightly exasperated from the Rabbit's miniature lecture. However, she did find a compromise in her remark. "...Even if my colleague may take it's meaning a step further than is needed." She finished, conceding the Rabbit's point and leaving off on an understanding note, to which Kar mumbled a curse that vaguely resembled the words 'kiss ass'.

Growing more tired with his comrades by the minute, Ruta led the Rabbit out of the Headmaster's room and into the halls, a patient Shikage listening to his footsteps, heavy and audible in the open space. The fatigue, insomnia and maelstrom of chaotic thoughts leftover from the past few days weighed heavily upon him, and the news following the assault on the Lycee did nothing to alleviate them, especially when Katelyn and Soleil came to the forefront. The both of them had already been through so much abuse, torment, heartache and strife as things were, and it pained him to no end to hear that neither had seen improvement.

"...When did everything start going wrong?" Ruta asked the Rabbit, a leaen sigh following his pained words. It seemed that he was not only asking them, but himself as well, wondering just how this turn of events had transpired...

Rabbit chuckled, as he finally got away from those two and walked alone with Ruta. It had been quite some time since he had done this, and now it was in such a unique-and dreadful-situation. A Jaegar and a Dark Mana Being were both exasperated over other Jaegars. Rabbit understood that not many Jaegars had been as kind-hearted and warm as Yona...but Yona had been special. Perhaps a little too special for her position. "Your companions seem to be rather...charming, I should say. Though they don't seem to hold very many social graces. It's actually rather amusing to watch...though I'm sure it's probably not amusing for you," he added, sensing Ruta's weariness with his colleagues.

When they entered Ruta's office, which had been locked since the Jaegar had been gone, Rabbit closed the door behind him and listened to Ruta's question. "...I believe some things have been wrong since long before the tournament...Katelyn's psychological condition has worsened. She believes that everyone is out to hurt her, though her focus remains mostly against myself. She still swears by you, however, but before we get to that, some background...Saturninus died during the tournament. It seemed that the Black Magic his mother beat into him finally overwhelmed him. But from what I heard from Cecily, who heard from Artosh, who found Katelyn...Saturninus had been trying to lead her to the Lycee, in order to find...me, I suppose. Katelyn began to fight with him, and the demon inside of him was released and took his soul. In the meantime, it stabbed Katelyn's eye and rendered her blind that eye.

He paused, as though he was trying to recall the events himself, and then he continued, "She has recovered physically...but she had been more than willing to attack others...for example, just this morning, she met with Soleil, of all people, and...I don't know how this happened, I never figured the reasoning...but Soleil wanted to try and gain her trust, being the kind boy he is. So he decided he would try to attack me, in order to try and prove her point. Not that I fault him for it. Thinking he was someone else, I defended myself, but when I realized it was him I let him go. We reached an understanding, and I left...or...I almost left...Katelyn attacked Soleil as soon as I walked away. She...beat him with her spear, and declared that he was "useless", that he would "never be a Jaegar", and that you do not care about him...I had to intervene, but given that she does not listen to me, I could only command that she go to her room. Naturally, the boy was...heartbroken, to say the least, though he has not spoken of the event since. I believe he may be trying to hide his hurt, as he has always done, it seems."

Another pause. Rabbit wondered if Ruta would be able to speak to Katelyn at all. Would she accuse him of being a demon, if she saw that he had been speaking to Rabbit? Rabbit was almost too afraid to speak to anyone now, given Katelyn's belief that he was a poison to everything he touched-not that Rabbit did not believe that already-but he had to anyway.

"...Sometime after this, I met with the teachers to discuss holding a more in-depth evaluation of Katelyn tomorrow morning. Most of us agree that there is some creature occupying her body. I believe it is a demon. We will have to seal her room with multiple seals, remove her soul and the being that has possessed her, protect her body and soul during the process, and destroy the being that is hurting her. That is the method we have agreed upon. Of course, since you are here, you have the final word...Either way, we must not let your...acquaintances...know of the happenings here. I fear they would be all-too-eager to spill any negative information about your work to the Accord. Filthy bottom-feeders, I would presume of them," he finished, speaking once again of his suspicion of Ruta's fellow Jaegars.

[Charlia]

Katelyn didn't even cry out as he broke the branch.

Instead, she started laughing, and rose further into the air, revealing how she'd managed to balance on the branch so perfectly--she hadn't been on it at all.

"Just like everyone else, you forget that fire's not the only thing I have to work with," she said with a mock sigh, staring down at John and shaking her head. "Oh, and don't worry about the school. The flames won't spread that quickly, and I'm sure they'll be able to get out in time... and then there's the water and other fire mages to control the flames, of course. But by the time they did, you'd have already been consumed, don't you know that? You might not have died... but you'd certainly have been through a great deal of pain. Do you really want to take that chance? This is your last warning, all right? I don't actually want to hurt you, but I will if you don't get out of here. Your choice."

"KATELYN. I AM YOUR TEACHER. YOU WILL COME DOWN FROM THERE NOW. YOU WILL NOT THREATEN ARSON AGAINST ME. I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS." He whipped out his gun, and he aimed for her hand. "...I see how this is. You really have no respect for authority, do you? You burned down your last school, and killed an entire school of children and teachers. So that's what you turn back to, when your back is against the wall? I will defend my colleagues and students, if you threaten them. Now stop this act. Any fire you set I will put out immediately. If you fight me, I will shoot out your kneecaps and tell Ruta exactly what you did. He is not your father, he is your headmaster, and if you burn down this school, you are disrespecting him. Do you understand that? We are not acting as your enemies. You are making yourself an enemy of the school," he ordered.

"...A gun?" Katelyn asked, tilting her head. "Really? You're turning to that? And here I thought you would be interesting. But instead, you turn to conventional firearms as soon as you're under a true threat. How... inelegant. You're no fun at all... so I suppose I'll just take my leave. Sayonara, sensei," she said cheerfully, waving.

Then flames consumed her body, and she was gone, leaving one question hanging in the air.

How on earth had Katelyn Starling, an uneducated street rat whose grasp of the English language was limited, bid farewell to John in perfect Japanese?

Of course, that question became rather unimportant when it became clear that although she had disappeared, the fireball had not, and it was falling.

[Rhomaia]

When they entered Ruta's office, which had been locked since the Jaegar had been gone, Rabbit closed the door behind him and listened to Ruta's question. "...I believe some things have been wrong since long before the tournament...Katelyn's psychological condition has worsened. She believes that everyone is out to hurt her, though her focus remains mostly against myself. She still swears by you, however, but before we get to that, some background...Saturninus died during the tournament. It seemed that the Black Magic his mother beat into him finally overwhelmed him. But from what I heard from Cecily, who heard from Artosh, who found Katelyn...Saturninus had been trying to lead her to the Lycee, in order to find...me, I suppose. Katelyn began to fight with him, and the demon inside of him was released and took his soul. In the meantime, it stabbed Katelyn's eye and rendered her blind that eye.

He paused, as though he was trying to recall the events himself, and then he continued, "She has recovered physically...but she had been more than willing to attack others...for example, just this morning, she met with Soleil, of all people, and...I don't know how this happened, I never figured the reasoning...but Soleil wanted to try and gain her trust, being the kind boy he is. So he decided he would try to attack me, in order to try and prove her point. Not that I fault him for it. Thinking he was someone else, I defended myself, but when I realized it was him I let him go. We reached an understanding, and I left...or...I almost left...Katelyn attacked Soleil as soon as I walked away. She...beat him with her spear, and declared that he was "useless", that he would "never be a Jaegar", and that you do not care about him...I had to intervene, but given that she does not listen to me, I could only command that she go to her room. Naturally, the boy was...heartbroken, to say the least, though he has not spoken of the event since. I believe he may be trying to hide his hurt, as he has always done, it seems."

Another pause. Rabbit wondered if Ruta would be able to speak to Katelyn at all. Would she accuse him of being a demon, if she saw that he had been speaking to Rabbit? Rabbit was almost too afraid to speak to anyone now, given Katelyn's belief that he was a poison to everything he touched-not that Rabbit did not believe that already-but he had to anyway.

"...Sometime after this, I met with the teachers to discuss holding a more in-depth evaluation of Katelyn tomorrow morning. Most of us agree that there is some creature occupying her body. I believe it is a demon. We will have to seal her room with multiple seals, remove her soul and the being that has possessed her, protect her body and soul during the process, and destroy the being that is hurting her. That is the method we have agreed upon. Of course, since you are here, you have the final word...Either way, we must not let your...acquaintances...know of the happenings here. I fear they would be all-too-eager to spill any negative information about your work to the Accord. Filthy bottom-feeders, I would presume of them," he finished, speaking once again of his suspicion of Ruta's fellow Jaegars.

Antonius Ruta

Ruta stayed quiet for the entirety of the Rabbit's explanation, doing his best to take it all in while he still had the chance to. Honestly though, he was beginning to wish he hadn't. He had braced himself, knowing that Katelyn, and half of the students in the school, had undergone massive trauma in these past few months, but he had not been nearly prepared for what the Rabbit had seen from the wounded Katelyn. He knew that she was an aggressive and especially emotional person for her age, and very prone to lashing out at those around her, but to outright assault both the Rabbit and Soleil...That was not like Katelyn at all. Violent though she was, even Ruta knew that she wouldn't go that far to hurt one of her fellow classmates...

The whole of it was disturbing, and further than that, an extreme deviation from her normal personality. Yet, the Rabbit's assumption that the root cause of her change was in fact a demon, did even more to unsettle him....The encounter with Saturninus, he theorized, was how such a creature entered her body in the first place, for it was not uncommon for such beings to move from a dead host to a more suitable, yet weakened body...

"...So long as you can ensure that the exorcism will be safe and successful, then you have my approval..." Ruta agreed, leaving the only alternative, the Jaegar's alternative, out of the conversation. If it was still early enough to purge her soul, then there would be no need for such things...

"...I do have some good news in regards to...those two. Shikage is not the kind of person who follows her every oath to the letter...She would much rather see what becomes of Katelyn after the ritual, rather than immediately report her findings to the Accord," he explained, now trying to think through what could be done on his end should the process of capturing her prove futile. "And Kar? As for him...Jaegars have plenty of power over their subordinates. If he is ordered to stay quiet, and doesn't...He's liable to executed by a superior, Shikage or I, under his own doctrine."

[Luminesa]

When they entered Ruta's office, which had been locked since the Jaegar had been gone, Rabbit closed the door behind him and listened to Ruta's question. "...I believe some things have been wrong since long before the tournament...Katelyn's psychological condition has worsened. She believes that everyone is out to hurt her, though her focus remains mostly against myself. She still swears by you, however, but before we get to that, some background...Saturninus died during the tournament. It seemed that the Black Magic his mother beat into him finally overwhelmed him. But from what I heard from Cecily, who heard from Artosh, who found Katelyn...Saturninus had been trying to lead her to the Lycee, in order to find...me, I suppose. Katelyn began to fight with him, and the demon inside of him was released and took his soul. In the meantime, it stabbed Katelyn's eye and rendered her blind that eye.

He paused, as though he was trying to recall the events himself, and then he continued, "She has recovered physically...but she had been more than willing to attack others...for example, just this morning, she met with Soleil, of all people, and...I don't know how this happened, I never figured the reasoning...but Soleil wanted to try and gain her trust, being the kind boy he is. So he decided he would try to attack me, in order to try and prove her point. Not that I fault him for it. Thinking he was someone else, I defended myself, but when I realized it was him I let him go. We reached an understanding, and I left...or...I almost left...Katelyn attacked Soleil as soon as I walked away. She...beat him with her spear, and declared that he was "useless", that he would "never be a Jaegar", and that you do not care about him...I had to intervene, but given that she does not listen to me, I could only command that she go to her room. Naturally, the boy was...heartbroken, to say the least, though he has not spoken of the event since. I believe he may be trying to hide his hurt, as he has always done, it seems."

Another pause. Rabbit wondered if Ruta would be able to speak to Katelyn at all. Would she accuse him of being a demon, if she saw that he had been speaking to Rabbit? Rabbit was almost too afraid to speak to anyone now, given Katelyn's belief that he was a poison to everything he touched-not that Rabbit did not believe that already-but he had to anyway.

"...Sometime after this, I met with the teachers to discuss holding a more in-depth evaluation of Katelyn tomorrow morning. Most of us agree that there is some creature occupying her body. I believe it is a demon. We will have to seal her room with multiple seals, remove her soul and the being that has possessed her, protect her body and soul during the process, and destroy the being that is hurting her. That is the method we have agreed upon. Of course, since you are here, you have the final word...Either way, we must not let your...acquaintances...know of the happenings here. I fear they would be all-too-eager to spill any negative information about your work to the Accord. Filthy bottom-feeders, I would presume of them," he finished, speaking once again of his suspicion of Ruta's fellow Jaegars.

Antonius Ruta

Ruta stayed quiet for the entirety of the Rabbit's explanation, doing his best to take it all in while he still had the chance to. Honestly though, he was beginning to wish he hadn't. He had braced himself, knowing that Katelyn, and half of the students in the school, had undergone massive trauma in these past few months, but he had not been nearly prepared for what the Rabbit had seen from the wounded Katelyn. He knew that she was an aggressive and especially emotional person for her age, and very prone to lashing out at those around her, but to outright assault both the Rabbit and Soleil...That was not like Katelyn at all. Violent though she was, even Ruta knew that she wouldn't go that far to hurt one of her fellow classmates...

The whole of it was disturbing, and further than that, an extreme deviation from her normal personality. Yet, the Rabbit's assumption that the root cause of her change was in fact a demon, did even more to unsettle him....The encounter with Saturninus, he theorized, was how such a creature entered her body in the first place, for it was not uncommon for such beings to move from a dead host to a more suitable, yet weakened body...

"...So long as you can ensure that the exorcism will be safe and successful, then you have my approval..." Ruta agreed, leaving the only alternative, the Jaegar's alternative, out of the conversation. If it was still early enough to purge her soul, then there would be no need for such things...

"...I do have some good news in regards to...those two. Shikage is not the kind of person who follows her every oath to the letter...She would much rather see what becomes of Katelyn after the ritual, rather than immediately report her findings to the Accord," he explained, now trying to think through what could be done on his end should the process of capturing her prove futile. "And Kar? As for him...Jaegars have plenty of power over their subordinates. If he is ordered to stay quiet, and doesn't...He's liable to executed by a superior, Shikage or I, under his own doctrine."

Rabbit shuddered at the idea of Ruta turning against one of his own associates and killing him outright. Kar was certainly unfriendly, and aggressive, but he could not be any older than Artosh, given his face. He was very new, and full of the vigor of someone who had not yet been exposed to the worst work of the Jaegars...things Rabbit had watched up-close. Even more so, he thought about Soleil and his desire to be a Jaegar, and worried about what would happen if Soleil broke some rule and had to face the sword of his beloved teacher for it. The shattering betrayal by the person Soleil admired more than anyone. "...As long as they cooperate, I have no problems with their working with us. We have made our plans, and we will accomplish them in the morning. Once this is over and Katelyn is recovering, it would be well for you to speak to her...and to Soleil as well..."

His gentle suggestion was interrupted, however, when John immediately stumbled into the office. He had practically broken into it, and then he had fallen to his knees as he had arrived. He had found his way after seeing the two Jaegars, who were in another room keeping to themselves. Ruta was on campus, right in the nick of time. "PROFESSOR!!!...Oh God, I'm so sorry...Gah...Haaa...Haaaaah..." He rose carefully to his feet, exhausted and horrified. His normal calm expression was replaced by one of sheer shock. "...Augh...Professor..."

"...John, what is going on? Calm yourself. What has happened?" Rabbit questioned, grabbing his shoulder and helping him to steady himself. He had a sinking feeling, however, about what John was worried about. He had been with Katelyn all day, so whatever had happened had happened with her.

"...Katelyn...I have no idea where she went..." he breathed, looking up at Rabbit and Antonius, as he was bent over with exhaustion, "...She ran into the woods, after I went to get her some dinner...I came back and I realized she had gone, and...knowing the woods were dangerous, I...ran after her...I...found her up in a tree...She refused to come down, and...threatened to burn down the school...I forced her to come down, but...she disappeared in a cloud of fire...I can't track mana...Please...you need to help...Oh God...she could be anywhere..."

Katelyn was running wild. Rabbit's stomach sank, and he shook his head. After such a difficult evening, this was the last thing he needed. He wanted to get some rest before handling the exorcism, but now this would not be. They would have to find her and to perform the exorcism as soon as possible, and without Artosh and Cecily. That would mean the other Jaegars would have to be involved. "...I see...Antonius...You, I, and your companions need to help John to find her. We need to track her, and then perform the exorcism as soon as possible...We need to end this, before she can hurt herself and others..." he spoke softly, though with a sharp urgency. Time was running-out, and Katelyn could be dead. He was certain now that she was possessed by a demon.

[Rhomaia]

His gentle suggestion was interrupted, however, when John immediately stumbled into the office. He had practically broken into it, and then he had fallen to his knees as he had arrived. He had found his way after seeing the two Jaegars, who were in another room keeping to themselves. Ruta was on campus, right in the nick of time. "PROFESSOR!!!...Oh God, I'm so sorry...Gah...Haaa...Haaaaah..." He rose carefully to his feet, exhausted and horrified. His normal calm expression was replaced by one of sheer shock. "...Augh...Professor..."

"...John, what is going on? Calm yourself. What has happened?" Rabbit questioned, grabbing his shoulder and helping him to steady himself. He had a sinking feeling, however, about what John was worried about. He had been with Katelyn all day, so whatever had happened had happened with her.

"...Katelyn...I have no idea where she went..." he breathed, looking up at Rabbit and Antonius, as he was bent over with exhaustion, "...She ran into the woods, after I went to get her some dinner...I came back and I realized she had gone, and...knowing the woods were dangerous, I...ran after her...I...found her up in a tree...She refused to come down, and...threatened to burn down the school...I forced her to come down, but...she disappeared in a cloud of fire...I can't track mana...Please...you need to help...Oh God...she could be anywhere..."

Katelyn was running wild. Rabbit's stomach sank, and he shook his head. After such a difficult evening, this was the last thing he needed. He wanted to get some rest before handling the exorcism, but now this would not be. They would have to find her and to perform the exorcism as soon as possible, and without Artosh and Cecily. That would mean the other Jaegars would have to be involved. "...I see...Antonius...You, I, and your companions need to help John to find her. We need to track her, and then perform the exorcism as soon as possible...We need to end this, before she can hurt herself and others..." he spoke softly, though with a sharp urgency. Time was running-out, and Katelyn could be dead. He was certain now that she was possessed by a demon.

The two Jaegars wasted no time bursting into the room after seeing John stumble through the door to Ruta's quarters, their eyes keen and their stances guarded as they each kept a hand on their blades. A simple entrance wouldn't have fazed them in the slightest, and they would simply have continued their observations and waited for further orders. Instead, what they bore witness to was the sudden appearance of an unfamiliar man who nearly broke down the door in his rush. Mirai's eyes flared with anticipation, curious to hear exactly what was going on, and Kar's face took on a deathly pallor with the words that followed.

Ruta could not, and did not want to believe the words he was hearing. Katelyn's already hyper violent behavior in the wake of the Paris trip had already taken a turn for the absolute worst. Not only had she run away, but she had threatened the lives of every person on the island. Whether or not that was coming from her or from the influence of a malevolent spirit was irrelevant at this point; Katelyn really did need that exorcism, even if that thought was hard for Ruta to even begin agreeing with.

Giving the Rabbit a quick, purposeful nod, the Jaegar turned immediately to Kar and Mirai, both of whom were noticeably shocked by this unexpected turn of events, the former for it's occurrence at the exact time when he had arrived (and escaped the brutal cold), and the latter at the prospect of the situation on it's own, and just what was possessing the child to perform such wanton acts...

Before Ruta could even begin to give his orders, Mirai beat him to the punch. "I can have my familiars search the forest for the girl, I'll stay in the shadows tracking her mana. If either of them senses or catches sight of her, they can send up flares and I'll give you her location. On the off chance that she might destroy them, the flares will still go off and leave her unharmed. 'Til then, happy hunting." Shikage said sharply, sprinting into the hallways and moving out towards the courtyard.

Kar let out a massive groan, making no effort to hide the fact that he hated this situation and everything else associated with it. Regardless, he made his statement. "I can fly above the treeline and track her movements from there. Any use of her fire magic will be plain as day from fifty feet up, even if it'll be cold as blazes..." Pillowtalk elaborated, similarly running out the door with his hood over his head and cloak firmly wrapped his body.

"...That leaves us, then...We need to find the other Professors as well, if we want to see this through." Ruta said urgently, knowing that what time they still had to catch Katelyn was quickly running out. He was so very tempted to run out the door like his blade brothers, but he knew he needed to stay with the group, painful as it was to imagine his student, half blind and running through the woods like a madman, with no company but a voice in her head...

[Charlia]

Katelyn was tired.

In a brief moment of respite from the rage in her mind, she'd seen it, and she couldn't take it anymore, fighting against all those people who had no problem lying to everyone, including themselves, about the truth. Tears welled in her eyes--one for Hailey, who she was such a burden on, one for Annice and one for Professor Ruta, who she'd let down, one for the misery that had been washing over them all, and one for herself, Katelyn Rowan Starling, the girl who'd died the day she was born. Doomed to a life she had no control over, losing more and more every day. The cool wind bit at her skin. It wasn't cold, but it wasn't warm either. It was just... nothing. The weather, like herself, was void.

The ground loomed below, head spinning more the longer she stared down at the grass. Looks soft from up here, she thought. But she knew that the ground was hard beneath the green blades--good. Otherwise, everything would be spoiled. Her legs burned beneath her, the world smudged into watercolors by the drops of water refusing to fall from her eye.

I'm worthless, she thought, and with that, the dam broke, and she hunched over, no longer able to see through the tears that streamed freely down. There's no point in living like this anymore. There's no point in living at all. I'm a burden to the academy, to Hailey, to everyone around me. And everyone hates me. All I wanted was to save them, but they hate me. And now here I am, threatening to kill--what am I even doing? It would be better for everyone if I just died. I wouldn't cause any trouble for anyone ever again. Saturninus would have killed me, so why am I not dead? I should be dead. Everyone would be better off if I was dead. Everyone would be happier if I was dead. I should be dead.

Any second, she'd tip forward and let gravity help her on her way. Until then, though, she looked down and imagined her own body, lying facedown in blood. The others would, perhaps, act with the appropriate solemnity. But it wouldn't last long. Soon enough, they'd go back to their own lives, lighter now that she was no longer dragging them down. Annice and Professor Ruta might feel sad for a little longer. Hailey might cry. But in the end, she knew they'd see that it was for the best, that they were better off without the dead weight that was Katelyn Starling.

Everyone will be happier after today.

The thought burned, acid against her tongue and razor wire down her throat. But she deserved that pain. She did, she did. She deserved worse.

"I'm sorry I caused so much trouble," Katelyn said aloud to absolutely no one, feeling the words falling from her lips as if they would crash against the ground and break. Some might have thought it didn't sound like her at all. Those people didn't know her very well.

She looked back down. The ground seemed so far away... It would probably be at least mostly painless.

"...You're supposed to have something good to say before you die," she lamented. "Something funny, or sad, or whatever. But I can't think of anything decent... of course I'm about to die and my last words are going to suck. Not like it matters... No one's listening." She managed a bitter half-smile. "No one's ever listening."

And with that, she spread her arms and fell.

There was a strangely pleasant ache in her stomach as gravity took over. In the end, it wasn't as frightening as she thought. Compared to living... to surviving... falling was easy.

The air around her was cold, the way she liked it. She used it to push herself faster, faster, building up more speed so that her landing would be that much more brutal. In the end, she was still an air mage. Not fire. No, air was not blazing hot with passion but careless and free.

Too bad that she had never been able to capture that... but no matter what personality she displayed, she would die apart from the fire that she had fled from for so long. It would be air that killed her. She would not let her flames take another life.

For a brief moment, a feeling of euphoria overwhelmed her. Sweet bliss. Freedom.

She wasn't falling.

She was flying...

"You should be grateful I do anything for you at all. You'd be dead without me!"

"You filthy little mongrel, how dare you try and steal from me? Get out of my sight before I call the police!"

"If you had any shame, you'd just get a rope and hang yourself. It's not as if anyone would miss you."

"Sorry, we wanted pretty young girls, not half-dead street rats!"

"Mother, look at that girl! Isn't she absolutely awful?"

"Demon."

"Witch."

"Killed her family, I heard."

"Who'd want her?"

"Have to be a demon. Do angels have this much trouble?"

"This girl is badly burned, she won't make it!"

"This one's already dead."

"How on earth did she manage to get out of there without a single burn?"

"Will she be all right?"

"She's the only one left alive, the only one who knows what happened."

"Fire... They were right... I'm in Hell!"

I killed them, I should have saved them, I should have died.

This life is full of death, dear. But everyone wants someone to blame--you just happen to be a convenient scapegoat. Isn't that a pity?

But for what I did...

She was falling downwards, falling, falling through a dark hole, past fragments of a long, tormented past, as everything grew dark around her. She kept falling, falling, falling, until she finally burst into flames and succumbed.

Go to sleep, dear. This disaster will be your doing... and your epitaph. But don't worry. If you're good... I'll even let you watch.

Luminous smears of red and blue and gold and white and green and purple, whirling and pulsing, swooping towards her and soaring like shapeless birds of light. Screams and panicked shouting. Tortured and shrill music.

Pain? Oh, yes. Devastating pain. Like nothing she had ever felt before. And a frightening sense of walking a highwire, of falling, finding herself on the wire again, falling into a black void and then rebounding from it once more.

Yet that feeling was soon repressed by waves of thoughts that washed over her, tossing her fragile soul about like so much flotsam in a storm. Her memories. So many of them, clear and agonizing.

Mom has a new boyfriend. Someone else to sleep with. No matter how much you yell at me about how I was a mistake, you keep throwing yourself at any guys you think can keep us afloat.

Well, at the very least, they're in a house now. It's tiny, it's filthy, and it's terrible, but it has walls and a roof and food. Not that Katelyn gets very much of that. If she takes more than her 'fair share', well, she's in trouble for wasting money. Yet, since Mom just flops down in bed with the guy at night, she gets to waste all the money she can get her hands on, on alcohol, as usual. Katelyn has sometimes wondered if she might have enough to eat if she did the same thing--just crawl into a bed and let some random guy do his thing. But then she might end up like her mother, and that's the last thing she wants.

This new relationship won't last long. They never do. Mom and the guy have some fight, and he knocks her around a bit, and they both scream until he yells that he's had it and she can take care of herself from now on, and that's it, Katelyn's back to huddling under awnings when it rains.

Sometimes, she allows herself to dream. She dreams about being pretty and popular and well-fed instead of ratty and unwanted and starving. Living in a big, pretty house, with a nice mom, someone who hugs her and tells her that she loves her. And having friends! Lots of them! And going out with them on Saturdays, and going to their houses and watching television at night and eating popcorn and talking about who had a crush on who and all that stuff that normal girls have in their lives, all those things Katelyn never will.

Or at the very least, she dreams about Mom finally coming out of her fog and realizing how terribly she's treated Katelyn, and she breaks down and cries and cries, saying she'll be the best mom in the whole world from then on, and after that she hugs Katelyn and tells her how special she is all the time, and even if the hunger still claws at their stomachs and the nights are still long and cold, it's okay because at least they have each other.

But on the very worst days, even that fantasy fizzles into nothing, and Katelyn knows that her mother will never change, and she will never have a nice house or friends or enough to eat, not even for a day, not even for an hour. She has no one and nothing except herself, the raggedy clothes on her back, and whatever unwanted trash she can lay her hands on.

And that's how it will always be.

The feelings, the words, the pain. Even after arriving at Mana, the place that was supposed to be an escape, she still felt so much pain.

"Why're you callin' me 'dear?' 's kinda creepy, ya know? I mean, how old are you? People'll get the wrong opinions if you go around calling students 'dear'."

"Oh, I don't know, I don't see the problem with it. Parents call their children that, don't they?"

Oh, that brought back bad memories. Memories of her mother, drunk, as usual, shouting at her. Telling her she was worthless, unwanted, unloved. A burden. Knocking her down. Beating her as she curled into a ball, crying and begging, "Please, Mama, stop it! Stop it! I promise I'll do better! I promise I won't be a burden to you anymore! I promise... Please, Mama... Please stop..."

Whimpering alone after her mother finally relented, trembling, whispering, "Why don't you love me?"

Receiving only silence to answer her plea.

Being scolded fiercely by her foster mother when she'd been caught using her magic to make patterns in fallen leaves. The harsh voice cutting through her laughter, turning with confusion to see what was wrong, and then feeling a sharp sting on her cheek as the woman slapped her, telling her how a good Christian girl shouldn't be able to do such things, dragging her to a church so a priest could see if she'd been possessed.

Being told that she was being sent off to a boarding school, one where they'd make sure she reformed, left behind her evil ways and became a good Christian who, instead of associating with demonic forces, rejected them.

Staring out the window of her new room at the school as her foster parents left her behind, hands and face pressed against the glass, whispering once again.

"Why don't you love me?"

"Why doesn't anyone love me?"

"No! No, stop it!" she screamed in her mind. "I don't want to remember these things! They're dead, I buried them, people care about me now, people love me now! I buried these memories, I put them in the ground! They're gone!"

Oh, you buried them? You mean like you buried your schoolmates? Like you're going to bury everyone here before I'm done with you...

She felt like she was trapped in a glass box, watching dark memories float by as if trapped in boxes of their own, replaying as the presence in her mind watched them and smiled. She felt so alone. She saw herself reflected darkly back, smiling, the girl in the real world invading her soul.

The newly transformed Katelyn stopped her fall immediately, only inches from the ground, and settled down calmly.

"I've made more graceful entrances," she remarked languidly, in a low, silken voice. "I suppose I should be grateful nothing's broken. Such a fragile little body. And it's just too bad I had to speed things up... I had hoped to draw it out, make them suffer a little more... but this will do fine. Ah, well... This will be fun. But first..." She ripped the bandages off her eye and laid a hand over it, feeling the tissue regenerating and mending itself as she did so. "Oh, that's better," she said with a sigh, her newly-restored eye glowing a much brighter red than the other one. "I simply couldn't cope with such a damaged vessel for so long. Now, though... I can play."

[Luminesa]

His gentle suggestion was interrupted, however, when John immediately stumbled into the office. He had practically broken into it, and then he had fallen to his knees as he had arrived. He had found his way after seeing the two Jaegars, who were in another room keeping to themselves. Ruta was on campus, right in the nick of time. "PROFESSOR!!!...Oh God, I'm so sorry...Gah...Haaa...Haaaaah..." He rose carefully to his feet, exhausted and horrified. His normal calm expression was replaced by one of sheer shock. "...Augh...Professor..."

"...John, what is going on? Calm yourself. What has happened?" Rabbit questioned, grabbing his shoulder and helping him to steady himself. He had a sinking feeling, however, about what John was worried about. He had been with Katelyn all day, so whatever had happened had happened with her.

"...Katelyn...I have no idea where she went..." he breathed, looking up at Rabbit and Antonius, as he was bent over with exhaustion, "...She ran into the woods, after I went to get her some dinner...I came back and I realized she had gone, and...knowing the woods were dangerous, I...ran after her...I...found her up in a tree...She refused to come down, and...threatened to burn down the school...I forced her to come down, but...she disappeared in a cloud of fire...I can't track mana...Please...you need to help...Oh God...she could be anywhere..."

Katelyn was running wild. Rabbit's stomach sank, and he shook his head. After such a difficult evening, this was the last thing he needed. He wanted to get some rest before handling the exorcism, but now this would not be. They would have to find her and to perform the exorcism as soon as possible, and without Artosh and Cecily. That would mean the other Jaegars would have to be involved. "...I see...Antonius...You, I, and your companions need to help John to find her. We need to track her, and then perform the exorcism as soon as possible...We need to end this, before she can hurt herself and others..." he spoke softly, though with a sharp urgency. Time was running-out, and Katelyn could be dead. He was certain now that she was possessed by a demon.

The two Jaegars wasted no time bursting into the room after seeing John stumble through the door to Ruta's quarters, their eyes keen and their stances guarded as they each kept a hand on their blades. A simple entrance wouldn't have fazed them in the slightest, and they would simply have continued their observations and waited for further orders. Instead, what they bore witness to was the sudden appearance of an unfamiliar man who nearly broke down the door in his rush. Mirai's eyes flared with anticipation, curious to hear exactly what was going on, and Kar's face took on a deathly pallor with the words that followed.

Ruta could not, and did not want to believe the words he was hearing. Katelyn's already hyper violent behavior in the wake of the Paris trip had already taken a turn for the absolute worst. Not only had she run away, but she had threatened the lives of every person on the island. Whether or not that was coming from her or from the influence of a malevolent spirit was irrelevant at this point; Katelyn really did need that exorcism, even if that thought was hard for Ruta to even begin agreeing with.

Giving the Rabbit a quick, purposeful nod, the Jaegar turned immediately to Kar and Mirai, both of whom were noticeably shocked by this unexpected turn of events, the former for it's occurrence at the exact time when he had arrived (and escaped the brutal cold), and the latter at the prospect of the situation on it's own, and just what was possessing the child to perform such wanton acts...

Before Ruta could even begin to give his orders, Mirai beat him to the punch. "I can have my familiars search the forest for the girl, I'll stay in the shadows tracking her mana. If either of them senses or catches sight of her, they can send up flares and I'll give you her location. On the off chance that she might destroy them, the flares will still go off and leave her unharmed. 'Til then, happy hunting." Shikage said sharply, sprinting into the hallways and moving out towards the courtyard.

Kar let out a massive groan, making no effort to hide the fact that he hated this situation and everything else associated with it. Regardless, he made his statement. "I can fly above the treeline and track her movements from there. Any use of her fire magic will be plain as day from fifty feet up, even if it'll be cold as blazes..." Pillowtalk elaborated, similarly running out the door with his hood over his head and cloak firmly wrapped his body.

"...That leaves us, then...We need to find the other Professors as well, if we want to see this through." Ruta said urgently, knowing that what time they still had to catch Katelyn was quickly running out. He was so very tempted to run out the door like his blade brothers, but he knew he needed to stay with the group, painful as it was to imagine his student, half blind and running through the woods like a madman, with no company but a voice in her head...

"Yes. Artosh is sickly, however, and Cecily is with him. So we will have to leave them and call everyone else," Rabbit answered. An actual mission would get his mind off Artosh's condition, and if Katelyn could be cured, he would be able to relax even more. He then headed out the room toward the beach. He decided he would check the beach, and he needed to land on a specific area of the beach when he teleported. Moreover, he needed to avoid Kar when he did so, as his teleporting capabilities would probably raise his suspicions. The last thing he needed was an assistant who was uncooperative. Thus, as soon as he headed out, he waited for the two Jaegars to leave, and he disappeared.

John, in the meantime, ran to grab Tsukiyomi and the other teachers. The plan rushed through his head. He knew that it was falling apart, but even so he still wanted to save it. He had to do so, in order to save Katelyn, and to make sure that the Jaegars did not accidentally kill her. He knew they were good at their jobs, but he knew that many times they were also killers. When he reached Tsukiyomi, he slammed on her door. "Elizabeth! Elizabeth! Open the door, Katelyn is in danger! Please!" he shouted.

[Rhomaia]

The shadow that was Mirai ran out into the brisk moonlit courtyard, breathing in as much of the crisp evening air as her lungs would allow, shivering as the cold wind brushed against her skin. It was an oddly satisfying sensation, transitioning from such a warm environment as the Academy interior to the cold autumn night, but the pleasure of her surroundings was soon replaced by a dire urgency in her mind, reminding herself that there was a rogue pyromancer on the run, one that was ready and willing to burn half the island if left alone. Tonight, it was her job to find and subdue this target, not maim and kill as was usually expected of her. Safe to say, she had a complicated task ahead of her, on top of the already onerous mandate assigned to her by the Accord.

Walking out into the center of the courtyard, she raised a gloved hand skywards, with her palm opened to the moon. Closing her eyes and uttering unto it's light a whispered prayer, the Jaegar's crest branded upon her flesh ignited with a pure blue light, visible even through the pitch black fabric that covered the skin. With her eyes opened once again, glowing like moons in their own right, she balled her marked hand into a fist. From her grip, two vaporous swathes of moonlight spilled out, swimming through the air and congealing into two distinct shapes, twin ravens whose forms were threaded in white and black, as if made from the twilight. Encircling her for but a moment, they flew high over the spacious earth, headed into the forest side by side. With a look of absolute determination in her twilit eyes, Mirai sprinted with them into the wood, her form all but obscured as the shadows of the treetops swallowed her whole...

Kar, arriving in the courtyard not long after Mirai had already headed out, sighed to himself once more in exasperation. He wanted to take no part in this, especially if it had to with some lunatic girl who wanted to burn down the school...But, orders were orders, and he would be damned before someone was hurt for his refusal to follow them. Bracing himself for the cold and the air resistance that was soon to follow, the cloaked Jaegar kicked off into the air after a short sprint towards the courtyard fountain, darting into the air like a speeding bullet. He rocketed towards the dark patch of the island from the air, the woodland where an pyromaniac was waiting for her time to strike...

[Chrome Legion]

Elizabeth Tsukuyomi


"Come in, carefully. I'm working some relatively delicate magic right now. Don't step on the glowy things, you know standard stuff."

That would turn out to be a harder task than she made it out to be, as most of Tsukuyomi's bare suite was piratically covered in glowing glyphs originating from her position, sitting cross legged in the nude, if you could call it that, her wings draped loosely behind her. It was doubtfull that John would be capable of figuring out the spell or what it was intented to do, but there was an otherness filling the room. Reality just seemed slightly off when looking at the walls, and distance seemed to change on it own whim.

[Imperial--japan]

Hestia Iolonos

Pale hands gripped the wooden desk in front of her as a number of pictures were strewn about and papers littered the floor. A single hand had covered her mouth to protect any yelp of shock from escaping her lips. Luckily for Hestia, she was secure as the entrance to the classroom was currently lightly warded by the runes she had carved behind the door. The entrance to her office was secured as well with a much more powerful rune, one that a teacher would likely need to dispel. This merely prevented people from entering of course, and if someone needed her they were free to knock on the door.

The pictures on the desk were similar to the ones that had been delivered to her a few weeks prior. Most seemed intact, almost mistakable for being asleep, but the paleness of the skin and the dead looks in the eyes attested to otherwise. Frowning, the teacher took a another sip from her cup of coffee as she scanned over the material. It did seem as though her contact had been busy with testing out her research hypothesis, and while grateful, she couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt for the wasted lives. As quickly as that thought manifested she squashed it under mental tons of cold hard logic.

"A gruesome outcome, but not an unexpected one. I only wish he could be more tactful when carrying out my orders. I suppose he does deliver the best results out of any of my contacts. Hestia muttered to herself with a hint of dissatisfaction. As displeased as she felt by this, she knew she would get over it within a few hours. Then, she would be able to focus on the ritual that was planned to occur later on. That was a prospect that she was unwilling to pass up, and was eager to collect all sorts of useful data from this engagement. Hestia picked up one of the papers near her, the letter that had accompanied the pictures of corpses and read it to herself.

To the most Illustrious Nyx

It is with great excitement a write this letter to you. I shall be short and to the point. Your theory has proven to bare some fruit, as I have finally managed to produce results in regards to the collection and harvesting of human mana. Most of the subjects died of course, and a lot of them were slow, but I have sent an attachment with how much mana I've been able to harvest, and how many humans are still alive. As to the matter of payment, you have always delivered per your word, but in return for my success I would request double the standard amount, and information more helpful in regards to Magical Theory. In other words, spells with more combative applications, and double the payment. Any and all information you require has been enclosed within the envelopes, with all data written in the template you have requested. Do have wonderful day!

- Signed, Your Favorite Farmer.

Hestia pinched the bridge of her nose. The gall of this man! To not only ignore all protocol she had demanded her use within the letters, but he spoke of the experiments and their applications as well! This was almost enough to sour the progress that the professor had made in regards to her research...almost. Yes, the man would receive his payment. He had been useful, but eventually Hestia would need to clip this loose end.

Picking up the attachments that he described there to be, Hestia couldn't help but smile widely and giggle, albeit almost maniacally. How very stereotypical of her. Perhaps it was her 'mad scientist' side showing? The woman read over the documents, more than pleased with what was being reported. Truly, she would be able to end her scheming and waiting soon enough, but not today. This was something in the works for almost five years, and she wasn't about to be overconfident. She gathered her wits, and began collection the various pieces of paper and parchment scattered about.

[Luminesa]

The shadow that was Mirai ran out into the brisk moonlit courtyard, breathing in as much of the crisp evening air as her lungs would allow, shivering as the cold wind brushed against her skin. It was an oddly satisfying sensation, transitioning from such a warm environment as the Academy interior to the cold autumn night, but the pleasure of her surroundings was soon replaced by a dire urgency in her mind, reminding herself that there was a rogue pyromancer on the run, one that was ready and willing to burn half the island if left alone. Tonight, it was her job to find and subdue this target, not maim and kill as was usually expected of her. Safe to say, she had a complicated task ahead of her, on top of the already onerous mandate assigned to her by the Accord.

Walking out into the center of the courtyard, she raised a gloved hand skywards, with her palm opened to the moon. Closing her eyes and uttering unto it's light a whispered prayer, the Jaegar's crest branded upon her flesh ignited with a pure blue light, visible even through the pitch black fabric that covered the skin. With her eyes opened once again, glowing like moons in their own right, she balled her marked hand into a fist. From her grip, two vaporous swathes of moonlight spilled out, swimming through the air and congealing into two distinct shapes, twin ravens whose forms were threaded in white and black, as if made from the twilight. Encircling her for but a moment, they flew high over the spacious earth, headed into the forest side by side. With a look of absolute determination in her twilit eyes, Mirai sprinted with them into the wood, her form all but obscured as the shadows of the treetops swallowed her whole...

Kar, arriving in the courtyard not long after Mirai had already headed out, sighed to himself once more in exasperation. He wanted to take no part in this, especially if it had to with some lunatic girl who wanted to burn down the school...But, orders were orders, and he would be damned before someone was hurt for his refusal to follow them. Bracing himself for the cold and the air resistance that was soon to follow, the cloaked Jaegar kicked off into the air after a short sprint towards the courtyard fountain, darting into the air like a speeding bullet. He rocketed towards the dark patch of the island from the air, the woodland where an pyromaniac was waiting for her time to strike...

Rabbit appeared on the beach of the school, silent and almost-ghostlike in his form. The low tides brushed the sands of the beach in a slow, quiet harmony, but nothing about this night was calm. As the cool breezed breathed through Rabbit's hair, he began to search the beach for Katelyn's Mana. If she appeared here, he had a large body of water to use, in order to constrain her. He only hoped that Kar would not arrive and put him on the spot. He was not very willing to work with the boy right now. He hunted silently, remaining focused on the woods next to the beach. She could be anywhere within the area. All he needed was a spark.

In the meantime, since time had passed, Soleil left Hikari's room and decided to head back to his own. He yawned, as he left the Ignis dorm, and began to walk across campus to his dorm. However, as he did so, he then noticed the cloaked figure in the courtyard. A black cloak. He gasped softly, and he kept back. His own black robes, however, helped him to hide in the night. He then watched as the person summoned two constructs. Doves. He breathed with wonder at the mystical sights, smiling as he remembered his own beloved constructs. However, he then thought of something. A not-so-distant memory. The letter he had found in Paris had been sealed with a dove...

"...Yona..." he whispered.

As the person ran into the woods, he felt he should go to bed. Yet he felt in his heart that he was seeing someone. Yona. Ruta's lover. Even if he did not see Ruta again, after his mysterious disappearance during the tournament, he wanted to greet his lover, or perhaps the soul of his lover. This woman he admired so much, he yearned to meet her and to perhaps tell her of his admiration. Thus, a shadow rushed after a shadow, as they both ran into the woods.

[Luminesa]

Elizabeth Tsukuyomi


"Come in, carefully. I'm working some relatively delicate magic right now. Don't step on the glowy things, you know standard stuff."

That would turn out to be a harder task than she made it out to be, as most of Tsukuyomi's bare suite was piratically covered in glowing glyphs originating from her position, sitting cross legged in the nude, if you could call it that, her wings draped loosely behind her. It was doubtfull that John would be capable of figuring out the spell or what it was intented to do, but there was an otherness filling the room. Reality just seemed slightly off when looking at the walls, and distance seemed to change on it own whim.

John had no time to question Tsukiyomi's form, or her private business. She might as well have been reading Cosmopolitan, and he would not have cared. Katelyn needed to be found. He breathed deeply as he entered the room, and he spoke quickly. "...Katelyn has gone missing. She has threatened to attack the school and to burn it down. Ruta, two Jaegars, and Rabbit are currently looking for her. We need to find her and perform the ritual as close as we can to the plan, and we need to work quickly. Please, you must come with us. We need you," he urged her, in a panic.

[Charlia]

Hikari wasn't sure why she'd come.

She stood in the middle of the woods, looking around and wondering why she was there. Soleil had left the room after a little while, and she had left shortly after, Natalie and Kasumi having fallen asleep. But why had she come out to the woods? She didn't know... she'd just... walked there, feeling like she needed to, not knowing why.

Then a red glow sparked from the trees, and she saw Katelyn walking out, instinctively stiffening as she saw the redhead--with both eyes? But why was one of them so much brighter than the other? She opened her mouth to speak, but Katelyn cut her off, lifting a hand and surrounding them both in a bubble of shadow. Now no one will hear us... or should I say, no one will hear her.

"Hikari, so glad to see you could join me," she said sweetly. "I see things worked out just as planned. How... nice."

Hikari's eyes narrowed. "Katelyn, what are you talking about?"

"Mm?" Katelyn replied. "Why do you ask, Hikari? Don't you know? Curiosity killed the cat."

"And satisfaction brought it back," Hikari retorted with a scowl. "What the heck do you think--"

"No." 'Katelyn' cut the other girl off again. "The dead stay dead, Hikari-chan. You know that. But if you really want to know the truth... well, I'm not Katelyn, sweetheart. I'm just using this body for a while. Is there a problem?"

A low growl brewed in the back of Hikari's throat. "I don't know who you are," she snarled, "and I'll freely admit I barely know who Katelyn is, but you can't just use someone whenever you want! Stop it, right now!"

"...why? Why do you care?"

"Because I know how it feels to be used!" Hikari snapped. "I know how it feels and I won't let you do this!"

"...Oh, bad memories? Of course," she chuckled. "You lowered yourself to a frankly pathetic level for a boy you barely knew, all because you were--and are--such a coward. Because you didn't want to allow some boys to have their fun with you, you became the obedient little toy of another. So desperate for love and affection that you'll try to get into bed with anyone you think will hold you. Even those who are already in love with someone else! Filthy whore, aren't you? Ah, ah--don't deny it, we both know you are. Let me take care of that for you... don't struggle, sweetheart. We both know you want to watch the world burn almost as much as I do... and I can help you to help me make it happen."

Hikari's eyes widened, and she shouted, "You don't have the right to talk about that! How did you even know? How could you possibly have known?"

She considered the question. Then she spoke. "I'm rather disappointed in you, Hikari. You shouldn't question me. Not when I own you. Why do you think you came here, into some random spot in the middle of the woods? Because I told you to. That's why."

The way she said that, coupled with how she turned her head to stare at Hikari with dead eyes, made the other girl's own eyes go even wider.

"What are you saying? You can't own another person, you can't own me, you can't say--"

"I'll say whatever I like." The venom was pouring out of her now. It was in her eyes, her voice--she was consumed by it. "There's a difference between us--a big one. You see, you're just a scared little girl, aren't you? But I'm so much more than that. I am the monster under your bed, the creature parents warn their children about. I'm not one of you humans--and you've always known to fear me and my kin. Even in the very back of your minds, you always know. I have power. I can't even tell you how it feels. You wouldn't understand--but it's extraordinary. Do you want to see my power, Hikari? Do you want to have a taste?"

Hikari took a step back, about to run.

But it was too late.

"I can see right into your mind," the redhead went on. "I have read every dirty secret of your life. I know what you think when you get up in the morning, and I know what you dream about when you sleep. I know how much you want people to care about you, and I know how desperate you are to feel like you're loved for more than that filthy body of yours, and I gave you just a little bit of myself, because I saw your bitterness and your despair and I thought you'd make such a lovely toy. Did you ever see any... flies?"

Hikari started stammering, but 'Katelyn' cut her off.

"Have you ever heard the name 'Beelzebub'? Fun fact--it means 'Lord of flies'. I won't claim to be the real thing, but I may have learned a few tricks in my time. And I can control you. That's why I brought you here. That's why you've been spiraling so far, so fast. It was me! You would have ended up in the same place eventually, but I took the liberty of speeding up the process! Katelyn's little tussles with the Rise boy just made her descent all the more believable, but you? You were so funny. Such anger buried in your soul, little one... such bitter rage. You try to suppress it, but it's there... You learned that from your lover, didn't you? You learned to love violence. So why don't you remind yourself of what it feels like? Why don't you... Hmm..." She paused, and a wicked grin spread across her face as she commanded, "Break one of your fingers. I don't care which one, but do it and do it quickly."

"...What?!"

"You heard me."

"...You can't be serious."

"I assure you, I am." 'Katelyn' stared, and it was like Hikari had been electrocuted. Her whole body started shaking, her hands twitching as she fought to keep them still. "...K-Katelyn..."

"Go ahead," 'Katelyn' replied encouragingly. Hikari's face contorted, her entire body fighting against itself. She looked like she was about to collapse. The redhead was still gazing at her with those awful eyes, and without wanting to, Hikari took hold of the little finger on her left hand, shuddering. "Please..." she whimpered. Her whole face was twisted in anticipation of the pain to come, and tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes. She was clutching the designated finger in her right hand, bending it away from the others. "Katelyn..." She tried one last time.

"BREAK IT!"

Hikari couldn't stop herself. She had no control. She screamed as the finger broke, and at once it was as if she had been released. She pitched forward, falling to her knees. Her whole body was shaking. Tears rolled freely down her cheeks.

"What have you done to me?" she gasped. "What have you--"

'Katelyn' cut her off with a shake of her head.

"You're not done yet, whore."

Hikari's eyes went even wider. "N-no. No more. No more, please..."

"Break the rest of them."

"W--I can't!" Hikari cried. "There's no way I could break all my fingers! It's impossible!"

"Oh, I don't need you to break all ten," her tormentor replied cheerily. "Just the other four on that hand, please..."

Hikari waited for the uncontrollable movements, but they didn't come. She looked up, her eyes shimmering. "You're... not going to make me..."

Laughter.

"Of course not! I said 'please', didn't I? This is a request, Hikari. A polite one. I know how you Japanese just love politeness, with your 'chan' and 'san' and 'sensei' and all the bowing you do. Even if you've left your country behind, there must be some of it still left in you... So won't you do as I ask?"

Hikari shook her head frantically. "No! If you're not going to make me, then I won't do it! I won't!"

'Katelyn''s eyes darkened. "...It's not polite to refuse when I've asked so nicely," she growled. "Apologize at once, and do as I say. If you don't..." She let out a humming sigh. "Some innocent person may get involved... like your precious sister. She wouldn't be able to fight you. You could overpower her if I made you. I could make you go through with killing her, and not let you go until her defiled and mutilated corpse lay at your feet"--"NO!"--"but I wouldn't do that. Instead, I'd just make you cut four of her fingers off. One for every finger of yours that you refused to break. And you'll both live with that for the rest of your life, that you were willing to permanently maim your own sister, because of your own cowardice. Oh, well. I gave you a choice." She stared at Hikari, starting to impose her will on the other girl--

"Wait!" Hikari wailed.

"...What is it?" 'Katelyn' replied leisurely.

Hikari prostrated herself on the ground, starting to cry. "I... I'm sorry," she wept. "I was wrong. It was rude of me to refuse. Please... forgive me. Forgive me, and don't make me hurt Kasumi..."

"Then... Hikari... will you do as I ask?" the other girl asked sweetly. Hikari nodded weakly, whimpering from pain, fear, and shame. She hadn't felt so humiliated, so helpless, in such a long time...

'Katelyn' smiled and closed her eyes, enjoying the sickening crack and Hikari's barely-stifled scream. When no more sound came, however, she opened her eyes and stared at Hikari.

"What?"

"Katelyn..." Hikari gasped. "Please... It... It hurts..."

"...Oh... Are you finished? All right. Well, that's only three fingers poor Kasumi will have to lose, if you really can't do any more... Writing is going to be a lot harder from now on, but it's better than four, I suppose."

Hikari started shaking her head in terror. "N-No! I can! I can do more! This... This isn't that bad." She tried to sound convincing, but the pain in her voice was all too clear. "This doesn't hurt... This... doesn't hurt at all..."

Her screams were all too beautiful, and all too fleeting.

In the end, she was nothing more than a sobbing wreck, to which 'Katelyn' sighed. Leaning forwards, she kissed Hikari on the lips, staring the girl in her wide eyes and taking advantage of the momentary stunning to reach into Hikari's mind and twist it.

Hikari saw her life literally flash before her eyes, and she started screaming, memory after memory piling on top of one another as she continued to scream, falling to her knees, crumpling, curling into a ball, her entire body burning with pain as she writhed on the ground, all the abuse she'd endured and the fear and the hatred and the shame melding together into an enormous specter of horror...

And then the pain was gone, the memories were gone, and everything went black.

'Katelyn' smiled again, and reached out to take Hikari's hand, snapping the bones back into place and speeding up the recovery time, to make sure the hand would be healed quickly. After all, she didn't want the girl to be defective. She just wanted to enjoy herself.

My, my... we're only getting started and I'm already having such fun...

[Kingdom of Irhk]

Henry Von Kressel

If the Academy was full of activity outside, and Ruta's return was bound to cause a few consequences in the next days, Henry seemed to be unaware of such things. Locked in his room, he tried to do an effort of sherlockian nature by trying to guess when the next reaction of his family would happen. Now, there wouldn't be Vladimir to save him from any plots.

At his wall, photos and pieces of papers with names were hanged by small pins, mostly made of earth that Henry produced with his magic. He stared at them, constructing small threads between his relatives. Amber was disappeared: Since the trip to Paris, no one even heard of her. This lead to the most obvious conclusion: Her father pulled her away from Mana, specially if he sensed that she was trying to become someone more normal, or at least distant from her father's ideals.

Hans, however, was definitely the one that detained his worries. As a mage, he was weak. As a conspirator, he found enough success in creating intrigues, throwing his enemies off their balance and using it for his advantage, employing a speech to convince the others around him to give credit to his stories.

Now, it was clear to him. Apart from his personal ghosts, Hans was the one who would obtain the better profit from winning against Henry. He would prove himself to the family, throw off his competitor, and would enhance Joachim's favor towards him. Henry would have one week - or less - to brace himself for whatever Hans planned against him, as now he would have to divide himself in two fronts.

The first, Mana Academy. His friendships, Rabbit, his situation with Aria, his studies and his apparent role as the one who often lead the charge would progressively demand more of him, physically and psychologically. The second, Europe. The political battle of wits, the dispute for influence and Henry's new battle to create a safe haven for him. Sarah would help him with it, but he knew that he would need to handle certain matters personally once in a while.

I will never get a vacation...

[Rhomaia]

In the meantime, since time had passed, Soleil left Hikari's room and decided to head back to his own. He yawned, as he left the Ignis dorm, and began to walk across campus to his dorm. However, as he did so, he then noticed the cloaked figure in the courtyard. A black cloak. He gasped softly, and he kept back. His own black robes, however, helped him to hide in the night. He then watched as the person summoned two constructs. Doves. He breathed with wonder at the mystical sights, smiling as he remembered his own beloved constructs. However, he then thought of something. A not-so-distant memory. The letter he had found in Paris had been sealed with a dove...

"...Yona..." he whispered.

As the person ran into the woods, he felt he should go to bed. Yet he felt in his heart that he was seeing someone. Yona. Ruta's lover. Even if he did not see Ruta again, after his mysterious disappearance during the tournament, he wanted to greet his lover, or perhaps the soul of his lover. This woman he admired so much, he yearned to meet her and to perhaps tell her of his admiration. Thus, a shadow rushed after a shadow, as they both ran into the woods.

Antonius Ruta

Ruta had not been a part of the teacher's posse for long before setting out on his own to look for Katelyn. The Rabbit's report had done a fair job of unnerving him, perhaps more than anything else he had experienced around the masked man. As far as he was concerned, Katelyn was his number one priority, and he wasn't going to waste his time waking everyone up and/or taking them out of their hobbies for the next fifteen minutes while her safety was in danger. As his heavy footsteps crashed against the earthen ground, she was the only thing on his mind.

It was in those moments that he saw the black robed figure moving across the courtyard, in the exact same direction that Shikage had taken only seconds earlier. They seemed almost as if they were in pursuit of the sable huntress, still taking care to hide themselves. Either it was some unforeseen assailant, or perhaps it was the one person in this school besides him who had taken to wearing black cloaks...

Soleil. Of course, it had to be Soleil. On perhaps the most dangerous night to be alone in a dark forest, it was only natural that the Jaegar's luck would declare this, that the boy would try to, either out of childish curiosity or bravery, aid a Jaegarin in such an obscenely dangerous situation as a manhunt.

Still under the cover of cloak and night, the tired hunter gave chase, hoping to protect the boy before harm could yet befall him...

Mirai Zanbaru

Leaves and branches rustled, and blades of grass trembled in the wind as the lone huntress darted straight through the wood, her raven constructs already having diverged from their original paths to cover more ground in the search. Her form, dark and silent as the night sky, was only visible as a shade beneath the cover of the treetops, but her eyes pierced the gloom like stars. She could see every minute detail in the endless maze, from every leaf fallen to the earth, every broken twig on the forest floor, to even the smallest lingering dewdrop, but no sign yet of life, no sign of the girl she was looking for...

That was, until she heard and sensed movement in the bushes, the telltale rhythm of footsteps along the ground and a faint mana signature more than enough to alert Mirai of their presence. Were it Kar or Antonius, she would have easily been able to identify them by their Brands, but this presence did not resemble either of theirs in the slightest...One could have assumed it to be an enemy from their first perception of it, but Shikage was wiser than that. Slowing her pace for a moment before eventually stopping beneath one of the larger oak trees in her vicinity, she focused her senses on the aura that had joined her in the woodland.

On further inspection, it was in reality a presence of Light magic, though somehow clouded even before her own cognizance. This was perhaps not an attacker, likely only a student some to try and join the fray. Though she couldn't be sure of that, she was certain that it was not Katelyn, as dark intentions and aggression would have manifested themselves in a much more...visceral fashion.

Putting a gloved hand immediately on the pale hilt of her sword, she remained in place before uttering a warning, her voice gentle yet cautionary.

"...Whoever you are, get back to the Academy. You're only going to find yourself in pain and trouble if you stay here in the dark..."

[Luminesa]

In the meantime, since time had passed, Soleil left Hikari's room and decided to head back to his own. He yawned, as he left the Ignis dorm, and began to walk across campus to his dorm. However, as he did so, he then noticed the cloaked figure in the courtyard. A black cloak. He gasped softly, and he kept back. His own black robes, however, helped him to hide in the night. He then watched as the person summoned two constructs. Doves. He breathed with wonder at the mystical sights, smiling as he remembered his own beloved constructs. However, he then thought of something. A not-so-distant memory. The letter he had found in Paris had been sealed with a dove...

"...Yona..." he whispered.

As the person ran into the woods, he felt he should go to bed. Yet he felt in his heart that he was seeing someone. Yona. Ruta's lover. Even if he did not see Ruta again, after his mysterious disappearance during the tournament, he wanted to greet his lover, or perhaps the soul of his lover. This woman he admired so much, he yearned to meet her and to perhaps tell her of his admiration. Thus, a shadow rushed after a shadow, as they both ran into the woods.

Antonius Ruta

Ruta had not been a part of the teacher's posse for long before setting out on his own to look for Katelyn. The Rabbit's report had done a fair job of unnerving him, perhaps more than anything else he had experienced around the masked man. As far as he was concerned, Katelyn was his number one priority, and he wasn't going to waste his time waking everyone up and/or taking them out of their hobbies for the next fifteen minutes while her safety was in danger. As his heavy footsteps crashed against the earthen ground, she was the only thing on his mind.

It was in those moments that he saw the black robed figure moving across the courtyard, in the exact same direction that Shikage had taken only seconds earlier. They seemed almost as if they were in pursuit of the sable huntress, still taking care to hide themselves. Either it was some unforeseen assailant, or perhaps it was the one person in this school besides him who had taken to wearing black cloaks...

Soleil. Of course, it had to be Soleil. On perhaps the most dangerous night to be alone in a dark forest, it was only natural that the Jaegar's luck would declare this, that the boy would try to, either out of childish curiosity or bravery, aid a Jaegarin in such an obscenely dangerous situation as a manhunt.

Still under the cover of cloak and night, the tired hunter gave chase, hoping to protect the boy before harm could yet befall him...

Mirai Zanbaru

Leaves and branches rustled, and blades of grass trembled in the wind as the lone huntress darted straight through the wood, her raven constructs already having diverged from their original paths to cover more ground in the search. Her form, dark and silent as the night sky, was only visible as a shade beneath the cover of the treetops, but her eyes pierced the gloom like stars. She could see every minute detail in the endless maze, from every leaf fallen to the earth, every broken twig on the forest floor, to even the smallest lingering dewdrop, but no sign yet of life, no sign of the girl she was looking for...

That was, until she heard and sensed movement in the bushes, the telltale rhythm of footsteps along the ground and a faint mana signature more than enough to alert Mirai of their presence. Were it Kar or Antonius, she would have easily been able to identify them by their Brands, but this presence did not resemble either of theirs in the slightest...One could have assumed it to be an enemy from their first perception of it, but Shikage was wiser than that. Slowing her pace for a moment before eventually stopping beneath one of the larger oak trees in her vicinity, she focused her senses on the aura that had joined her in the woodland.

On further inspection, it was in reality a presence of Light magic, though somehow clouded even before her own cognizance. This was perhaps not an attacker, likely only a student some to try and join the fray. Though she couldn't be sure of that, she was certain that it was not Katelyn, as dark intentions and aggression would have manifested themselves in a much more...visceral fashion.

Putting a gloved hand immediately on the pale hilt of her sword, she remained in place before uttering a warning, her voice gentle yet cautionary.

"...Whoever you are, get back to the Academy. You're only going to find yourself in pain and trouble if you stay here in the dark..."

Soleil walked for a little while behind "Yona", watching her as though she was some majestic unicorn prancing through the woods. His eyes glittered, and he wondered if she would disappear if he got too close. He never bothered to create a weapon, as he felt he would be safe with her. A woman he had never met. He smiled, and thought about what would happen when he brought her to Ruta.

Yet then she spoke to him, very softly but with authority. She had felt his presence. His eyes widened, and he gasped slightly. Instead of going back to the Academy, however, he decided to take a risk. He walked toward her, very slowly and very carefully. "...I-I'm sorry...I hope that I...haven't frightened you...Um...M-My name is Soleil...I'm a student here...I-If you're...l-looking for something...or someone...I-I can help you!...W-Wanna see?" He held up a hand, and he focused. The pain was dull now, but it still lingered, and he sucked-in breath as he created his construct. It came together as it had done in the past, turning into a ball of light. However, as he turned and looked at the dark figure, his mind wandered, and the orb exploded in his hand. It made a light, twinkling sound, and then a huge cloud of light-green butterflies filled the air.

They fluttered like ghosts, and yet they responded to their master's emotions. They began to float around the woman, with one landing meekly in her hand. Another group of them flew away from the crowd, into the forest, and some others flew back to the Academy toward Ruta. He would recognize them as he saw them, of course, though Soleil did not realize that he was on campus. Yet the butterflies did grant light, in the deadly-dark woods, and even the tiny insects crawling on the floor of the woods could be seen. "...A-Ah...H-Heh...heheheheh...I-I haven't summoned anything in some time...I-I meant to make something else...but...um...I-I hope this will do as well..."

He then calmed himself, and as he did so the butterflies began to act freely, spreading around the woods. There were thousands of them, all about the size of two fingers against each other. He himself felt comfortable here, despite being in the dark. Maybe it was because he had trained back here so many times in the past. "...A-Are you...really Yona?...I-I saw the dove, and...I-I've read all about you...I-I saw all of the letters you sent to Professor Ruta...Y-You two really loved each other...A-And...I always imagined...th-that you were my mom...b-because my mom..." His eyes got misty, and he stopped, simply smiling at her from behind.

[Charlia]

The blue-haired girl was sleeping peacefully, a rag doll snoring quietly nearby.

She picked up the doll, who blinked sleepily as she awoke. Mama?

The doll thought she was its mother. That was almost cute. Mostly pathetic, though. The blue-haired girl was easy to awaken as well--and easy to persuade to leave the room.

Hostages. Well-loved, and trusting of this body. Her mistress had been clever to choose them.

It was easy enough to encase them in a ring of shadows, easy enough to keep them trapped in place. They would be on her side soon enough, even though at the moment they were crying out in confusion and fear.

She lifted her hands, and a blazing cross split the sky. She enjoyed mocking the symbol.

The doll's screams were much louder, now. It was... frustrating, but it would draw attention to her, from both the students and those currently hunting her mistress.

This pleased her.

Let them come.

[Luminesa]

The blue-haired girl was sleeping peacefully, a rag doll snoring quietly nearby.

She picked up the doll, who blinked sleepily as she awoke. Mama?

The doll thought she was its mother. That was almost cute. Mostly pathetic, though. The blue-haired girl was easy to awaken as well--and easy to persuade to leave the room.

Hostages. Well-loved, and trusting of this body. Her mistress had been clever to choose them.

It was easy enough to encase them in a ring of shadows, easy enough to keep them trapped in place. They would be on her side soon enough, even though at the moment they were crying out in confusion and fear.

She lifted her hands, and a blazing cross split the sky. She enjoyed mocking the symbol.

The doll's screams were much louder, now. It was... frustrating, but it would draw attention to her, from both the students and those currently hunting her mistress.

This pleased her.

Let them come.

Rabbit saw the sign, and he stared up at it. He had no idea where the writing was coming from, yet he heard the screams. Natalie. He immediately rushed for the sound of the screaming. Now Katelyn was attacking others. She was holding to her promises and attacking the students, starting with the smallest one. Natalie could defend herself, but what if this force was far bigger than she? She could die. This being would then go after whatever else it happened to find in the woods. He had to reach her before it was too late...

[Chrome Legion]

Elizabeth Tsukuyomi


"And you believe I was unaware of this? What is it exactly you think I'm doing? Do you know how many staff we have here with out magical talent? It might be best to evacuate them."

Tsukuyomi kept an eye one John, even as the rest of them remained closed. There was a faint whispering, almost a quiet chant, filling the room now, though there was no motion from Tsukuyomi's mouth. The glyphs and runes filling the room gained intensity slowly, but enough that there would be a noticable difference in brightness from just moments ago when John entered. The feeling of otherness also grew as the runes spread, linking together into new shapes and forms, shapes that seemed like they shouldn't be able to exist. Reality seemed almost thin inside the bounds of what ever magic Tsukuyomi was working.

[Kingdom of Irhk]

The blue-haired girl was sleeping peacefully, a rag doll snoring quietly nearby.

She picked up the doll, who blinked sleepily as she awoke. Mama?

The doll thought she was its mother. That was almost cute. Mostly pathetic, though. The blue-haired girl was easy to awaken as well--and easy to persuade to leave the room.

Hostages. Well-loved, and trusting of this body. Her mistress had been clever to choose them.

It was easy enough to encase them in a ring of shadows, easy enough to keep them trapped in place. They would be on her side soon enough, even though at the moment they were crying out in confusion and fear.

She lifted her hands, and a blazing cross split the sky. She enjoyed mocking the symbol.

The doll's screams were much louder, now. It was... frustrating, but it would draw attention to her, from both the students and those currently hunting her mistress.

This pleased her.

Let them come.

Rabbit saw the sign, and he stared up at it. He had no idea where the writing was coming from, yet he heard the screams. Natalie. He immediately rushed for the sound of the screaming. Now Katelyn was attacking others. She was holding to her promises and attacking the students, starting with the smallest one. Natalie could defend herself, but what if this force was far bigger than she? She could die. This being would then go after whatever else it happened to find in the woods. He had to reach her before it was too late...

Henry Von Kressel

Natalie's scream. The potent, cheese-fueled voice of the tiny doll launched a scream loud enough to wake up a whole state, but managed to grab the attention of the students around. And maybe, just maybe, that was her objective.

Without even stopping to put on his robe, Henry grabbed his spear and went out of his room, with the usual black, long-sleeved shirt, running through the grounds until he found the masked professor nearby.

"Rabbit. Do you know what is happening here?"

[Luminesa]

Rabbit saw the sign, and he stared up at it. He had no idea where the writing was coming from, yet he heard the screams. Natalie. He immediately rushed for the sound of the screaming. Now Katelyn was attacking others. She was holding to her promises and attacking the students, starting with the smallest one. Natalie could defend herself, but what if this force was far bigger than she? She could die. This being would then go after whatever else it happened to find in the woods. He had to reach her before it was too late...

Henry Von Kressel

Natalie's scream. The potent, cheese-fueled voice of the tiny doll launched a scream loud enough to wake up a whole state, but managed to grab the attention of the students around. And maybe, just maybe, that was her objective.

Without even stopping to put on his robe, Henry grabbed his spear and went out of his room, with the usual black, long-sleeved shirt, running through the grounds until he found the masked professor nearby.

"Rabbit. Do you know what is happening here?"

Rabbit whirled around, and he stared at Henry. He did not want him to get involved, but the team was lacking in support, so he had very few options. If anything, he could relegate Henry to support, and not to battle. The Jaegars would probably be fighting enough for everyone, anyway. "...Henry. I would say that you should be in bed, but I have little time to argue. Katelyn and Natalie are in danger, though I feel Katelyn is also the aggressor. If that does not make very much sense, it is because we are working along assumptions and predictions. If we must fight, I advise that you remain out-of-fire and support the rest of us. Professor Ruta, his associates, and I will be at the forefront. Understood?" he explained calmly. He could not get panicky in front of the students.

[Luminesa]

Elizabeth Tsukuyomi


"And you believe I was unaware of this? What is it exactly you think I'm doing? Do you know how many staff we have here with out magical talent? It might be best to evacuate them."

Tsukuyomi kept an eye one John, even as the rest of them remained closed. There was a faint whispering, almost a quiet chant, filling the room now, though there was no motion from Tsukuyomi's mouth. The glyphs and runes filling the room gained intensity slowly, but enough that there would be a noticable difference in brightness from just moments ago when John entered. The feeling of otherness also grew as the runes spread, linking together into new shapes and forms, shapes that seemed like they shouldn't be able to exist. Reality seemed almost thin inside the bounds of what ever magic Tsukuyomi was working.

John stared around him at the room. Tsukiyomi's room was like another realm, with some other voice breathing from within the walls. He shuddered. This was beyond any magic of which he was aware. Her magic seemed very peaceful, and yet it also had hints of danger in its quiet intensity. It was accurate enough to remember that America's first nuclear weapons were also made in almost-silent circumstances, shrouded in terrible darkness and secrecy. He had no idea what she was planning to use all of this magic for. "...I really have no idea what I was expecting...except that you might be sleeping?...Like most people...or grading papers...But perhaps I don't know you well enough...What are you going to do with this?...And what does it have to do with Katelyn?" he questioned, suddenly worried. As dangerous as this magic might be, he knew that if she was going to use it on Katelyn, it might be too much for the young student.

[Charlia]

Well, that was a little bit insulting.

The rabbit had been coming to find her, and then it had just... stopped to chat.

...But that boy...

The remnants of memories stirred slightly as she sought for his face. Ah, yes. The girl had attempted to seduce him, hadn't she?

Amusing.

Turning back to her captives, she released them, whispering, "Please, stop screaming, you're drawing attention. Look, I don't really know what's going on, but people are going crazy. I was trying to keep you safe until help got here, but I think it might be too late for that... Don't worry, though. I won't let anyone hurt either of you, okay? I won't let anything happen to you."

[Chrome Legion]

Elizabeth Tsukuyomi


"If it is necessary, I intend on creating a planar breach here. It will cause this area to take on characteristics of the other plane, and the like. It would be a place of soul, were beings exist with out body. Thus, Katelyn and what ever has taken her would be forced to separate. Everyone here would be rendered into a form like mine, then returned to normal once the breach naturally seals itself. I can't say what would happen to someone with no magic, and that is why I suggest evacuating any that are here, if there are any. This is a measure of last resort, but if it is needed I must do it carefully, so I will be here."

Tsukuyomi didn't know if there actually were any mundane people on the academy ground, most of the cleaning and such things where done through enchantments in the halls, and even most of the kitchen staff had some talent, most had been students here at some point, but lacked the strength to do much out side of the academy.

[Luminesa]

Elizabeth Tsukuyomi


"If it is necessary, I intend on creating a planar breach here. It will cause this area to take on characteristics of the other plane, and the like. It would be a place of soul, were beings exist with out body. Thus, Katelyn and what ever has taken her would be forced to separate. Everyone here would be rendered into a form like mine, then returned to normal once the breach naturally seals itself. I can't say what would happen to someone with no magic, and that is why I suggest evacuating any that are here, if there are any. This is a measure of last resort, but if it is needed I must do it carefully, so I will be here."

Tsukuyomi didn't know if there actually were any mundane people on the academy ground, most of the cleaning and such things where done through enchantments in the halls, and even most of the kitchen staff had some talent, most had been students here at some point, but lacked the strength to do much out side of the academy.

John's eyes widened. "...You mean...you will separate every being from their soul, and then just...scoop the demon out of this other realm?...I-I don't understand this...This is too much! Do we really need to essentially level the entire school?!...Elizabeth, this is insane!...You realize that not everybody on this island is even a Mage?! We have at least one teacher who's not even human! What happens if we do this and we end-up destroying multiple people?! I understand we have to fight an enemy, but this is...this is insane!" he shouted, slamming his hands on the table. After he calmed himself, however, he adjusted his posture, and then he breathed deeply. "It will remain a last resort. We are not using this unless there is no other way," he ordered, in a low voice.