Mana Academy: Beyond Borders IC

[Luminesa]

Soleil - Burning Questions

Dominique stood in the silence, as he tried to weigh Soleil’s answer in his mind, while the younger boy felt himself being crushed by the weight. The silence took too long, and he began to twiddle his fingers. Handling such a cluster of feelings was hard for anyone, but Soleil was more sensitive than the average teenager, and so every emotion was like a dynamite in his chest. At least, when he was nervous, those emotions hit him that way.

Fortunately, the older boy was even gentler and even better with words than Sol could have anticipated. He seemed to trace Soleil’s words right to the heart of the matter, and prefaced that the younger Mage was not somehow bad for having his feelings. Even so, he knew to warn Sol that such affections should not be given to just anyone. Friendship was easy for Soleil to find and to give, but love...love was fragile, and something he needed to handle with care. He could feel his heart squeeze in his chest once again, as he thought about the way Dom’s music had made him want the gentle hug and caress of someone who treasured him.

Yet Dom wanted Soleil to better understand himself. He asked his new friend a deeper question, one that struck deep to the core of his insecurities. Why do I want love?...Am I running away from...my self-hatred and anxiety?...Am I seeking the love I never got as a child?...Do I really want romantic love?... No, he could answer the last question. He did want romantic love. Do I want romantic love...because of how it feels?...Or do I really want someone?...Do I love them, or the idea of them?... He had so many questions to answer for himself, but he focused up at Dominique and tried to listen to him. The older boy wanted him to learn to fill his own heart with love, before he tried to fill his heart with someone else’s love. “...Th-That...that might take...some time...but I guess I can try...” he suggested with a sigh.

After a moment of eyeing the floor, Soleil felt Dominique walking toward him, and he gazed up at the older Mage just in time to feel his hands clasp onto his shoulders. At first he was a bit shaken by their weight, but then he began to feel soothing Mana flowing into his body. The firm, careful touch, the cool sensation of new Mana in his Manastream, and something about Dom’s sincere expression made Soleil fall silent with awe. The power of a simple gesture of kindness and concern was nothing to shun. When Dom started to apologize for sounding harsh, a sheepish smile came to his face, making his gesture even sweeter. Soleil wanted him to know that he was not upset with him for speaking so earnestly to him, but instead, he found himself reaching for one of the hands on his shoulders. They were soft, warm, and secure. They did not shake like his own hands did.

Yet Dominique took his hands away after a minute, and Soleil let his fall back to his side. The older Mage surprised him further as he offered to continue spending the evening with him. He even wanted to cook Soleil dinner. The boy found himself blushing. None of his friends had ever cooked for him, except perhaps when he was ill in Paris. No. At the hotel, they had just carried the food that was prepared in the hotel’s kitchen. This new experience made his eyes sparkle, but he wondered what Dom would be willing to cook for him. Don’t give him too much, or he might leave... “...I...I would like that...Talking more, I mean...” he whispered, “And dinner, of course...Can you make...erm...It’s called a...a Quiche Lorraine, and it’s very filling...I can help, if you want...We can cook together!” A smile finally came to his face. Cooking together seemed pleasant enough, and with someone like Dominique, the activity could even be relaxing.

[Chrome Legion]

Catherine de Sanguine Vivere


"No, I can't go back to either place for a while. I can't just leave this thing sitting around. Got a lot to learn about it, and a lot of work to do on myself. Plus... I still have certain commitments in Europe."

Catherine had little doubt that soon enough Krol would be showing up for a chat about the towers. She had no idea how he would react the the latitude she had taken with their plans. Now past the moment, Catherine was less and less confident about her idea to nuke the rise castle. If it didn't change anything, she had just shown her hand, and attracted much attention. Though, for now at least she could relax for the moment. Could think about something else that was bothering her

"Michel, how did you end up tangled up with that family? You know, when you showed up, even being Soliel's dad, I was ready to kill you. Your ex-wife or what ever... She hurt me, her people hurt me. How could you have ended up with them?"


Elizabeth Tsukuyomi


There was a lot to worry about. Some kind of planar breach, it seemed mostly harmless, and interesting enough to let proceed, so that's what she was doing. But now a Student had landed a megastructure in the lake. That needed to be covered up, and a storm wouldn't do it. Soon enough people would come poking around. The wards around it were powerful, but hopelessly out of date. So Tsukuyomi sat in a small canoe, just above the underwater towers. This was going to be a pain in the ass. She needed to override some of the wards of the tower, and build a new layer of her own hiding it from mundane sensors and at least causal magical observation. Work that would take at least three days of work. She would have to swap off the work with the entity that shared her body to rest, and hope to god she would stay on task. Splitting herself back apart like this was something she loathed to do, and a major reason Liz had stopped performing such multi-day rituals. Catherine could have at least warned her that she was dropping a fuckload of work in Tsukuyomi's lap.

[Luminesa]

Catherine de Sanguine Vivere


"No, I can't go back to either place for a while. I can't just leave this thing sitting around. Got a lot to learn about it, and a lot of work to do on myself. Plus... I still have certain commitments in Europe."

Catherine had little doubt that soon enough Krol would be showing up for a chat about the towers. She had no idea how he would react the the latitude she had taken with their plans. Now past the moment, Catherine was less and less confident about her idea to nuke the rise castle. If it didn't change anything, she had just shown her hand, and attracted much attention. Though, for now at least she could relax for the moment. Could think about something else that was bothering her

"Michel, how did you end up tangled up with that family? You know, when you showed up, even being Soliel's dad, I was ready to kill you. Your ex-wife or what ever... She hurt me, her people hurt me. How could you have ended up with them?"


Elizabeth Tsukuyomi


There was a lot to worry about. Some kind of planar breach, it seemed mostly harmless, and interesting enough to let proceed, so that's what she was doing. But now a Student had landed a megastructure in the lake. That needed to be covered up, and a storm wouldn't do it. Soon enough people would come poking around. The wards around it were powerful, but hopelessly out of date. So Tsukuyomi sat in a small canoe, just above the underwater towers. This was going to be a pain in the ass. She needed to override some of the wards of the tower, and build a new layer of her own hiding it from mundane sensors and at least causal magical observation. Work that would take at least three days of work. She would have to swap off the work with the entity that shared her body to rest, and hope to god she would stay on task. Splitting herself back apart like this was something she loathed to do, and a major reason Liz had stopped performing such multi-day rituals. Catherine could have at least warned her that she was dropping a fuckload of work in Tsukuyomi's lap.

Michel - Burdens Beyond the Grave

Michel was entranced by the peaceful view of the Great Lakes. Having lived in the Alps for so long, and in a small village for much of his childhood, he had never lacked in beautiful, inspiring scenery. Yet with all of the stress and tumult of the last twenty or so years of his life, he had never been able to truly enjoy the beauty that lie around him. The lakes were calm, cold, and ethereal. They were mighty and endless, ghostly and chilling. He could feel almost a spiritual presence off the water, trying to both soothe him and to fill him with awe. He took a deep breath, listening to Catherine explain her plans, while he enjoyed the view. For a moment, the chaotic world into which he had re-awakened was still.

He turned to Catherine after a moment, peeling his eyes away from the magnificent scenery before him, and he saw her anxious face. He had thought she would want to celebrate, to feel the thrill of victory over a wicked foe. Yet she did not seem happy with the results of their assault. She looked uncertain, as though she was wondering if she had forgotten something. Michel wanted to ask her if she was alright, but she asked him a question first. Or rather, a series of questions. Inquiries about his relationship with House Rise, and how he managed to become entangled in their web of darkness. A story of unquestionable heartache and suffering for every party involved. Hearing that Solaine had tortured Catherine drew a heavy sigh from deep in his chest. "...Oh boy...where to start..." Michel leaned against the wall and stared into the shadows of the tower's walls, almost as though he was searching through the shadows for lost memories.

"...Solaine was the reason I got...involved, I guess...I was the kid who was into stuff he shouldn't be...but I was also...that kid who tried to date every girl in my senior class. Heh...That was a simpler time. I thought I was a real Casanova. When I met her...she was..." He paused before continuing, knowing that he could not make Catherine's wounds better by telling this story. Maybe he was telling it to assuage the guilt that arose when he thought of his relationship with his wife. "...House Rise...has a history of breaking good people. And bad people. The bad people become even worse...the good people...Solaine was...well...at one time she was a normal teenager. Rebellious, and given her family, I liked her for it. She told me she wanted to be different, she...had dreams of being someone for herself. I told her my dreams...we connected. I had never connected with someone else that way...We both wanted to be different, to...I dunno, do what every rebellious kid wants to do, run away and live life on the edge. My parents let me be who I was...they loved me. Her parents did not...but ultimately, she chose them."

He felt himself sinking inside. The story had no happy ending, just a pile of ashes and blood. "...We got married...after I tried to fight with her family for her...but...the pressure was too much. I had become a Jaegar, believing somehow that...my work would change her. She would want to follow me away...I had chosen the desperate life, I had put everything into it...and yet I still wanted a family. I wanted kids so bad, and so did she. But...she used Dark Magic. Black Magic, even. Imagine...what happens if you smoke when you're pregnant. You've been told probably this and that about smoking or drinking with a baby, even though you don't have any. Well...that's how we lost Lumiere. Black Magic killed him...and she...lost it." Michel wiped a hand down his face, remembering the excruciating memory. Holding a baby that was almost his. Almost. A word that cut the cord faster than he could blink. "...I stayed only because...she ended-up pregnant maybe a year later...and...I had to make sure that somehow Soleil survived. He was going to be mine. I was going to take him and run...It was impossible. And the fact that he survived...it was a miracle."

After talking for a few moments, he turned to Catherine again, his eyes glistening a little. "...I made very, very stupid decisions. I could have had a wife that loved me, loved my family, loved my kids...Soleil would have grandparents who love him. He'd have lived a normal life...I...sacrificed myself...so I could be here now. I knew what was coming...there was no way...I could draw him away...and in a way...a huge way...I abandoned him for twelve years, hoping that the way I chose to do it would...save him. And I won't apologize for Solaine's actions, those are her own. I know she has faced her judgment. But I'm still here...and..." He swallowed a little, shocked that he was showing such emotions. "...I am sorry...that my actions...are part of the reason you have suffered so much. I can't imagine..."

[Saldinado]

Dominique Corleone

"A Quiche Lorraine huh? Simple and classic, yet can be complex and versatile, no matter who wants a piece. Sounds like myself." He laughed before clapping and rubbing his hands together.
"Alright, well I should be getting ready then. How about I head off to the cafeteria earlier before you...Lets say like half an hour or so so you can get ready and think about some things. Meanwhile I'll get a head start on getting the basic things prep'd and ready to for us to cook. And also, I gotta make the place look nice for a bro. God I can't believe I said 'bro.'" He giggled.
"So get washed up, release your mind of any thoughts that you might have for now, and just eat dinner." And with that, he patted Sol on the shoulder once again, packed his things up and left.

After about thirty minutes of waiting, Sol would enter the cafeteria to find it rather empty. After all it was after dinner so everyone would have just gotten their food already and called it a night. Once entering, Soleil would see a section of the tables covered in a cheap yet stylish table cloth. Two plates sat parallel to each other with matching spoon and fork. And a simple glass cup with a few flowers sat pretty on top of it. Soon afterwards Dominique came out from the kitchen with a cheeky grin on his face and stretched out his arms to showcase the set up. Its not a lot, but its the best thing I can do on short notice. Hope you don't mind."

He knew he was taking quite a chance with this one. Especially after all that happened in his room. But he was optimistic that they could possibly get pass it and get to become closer without the tension and awkwardness like before. It may have looked like a date to anyone else who were to see it. But he didn't see it that way. Or rather he tried to tell himself that it wasn't that way. He actually found Soleil to be an interesting and rather complex person. Although naive and a little predictable, but someone who had good intentions and just wanted to show his feelings to someone without being rejected or ridiculed for his choices.
But it was only a matter of time before his predictions and ideas come true and he would have to deal with them. But for now, he hope that this would slow down and buy him some time.

[Kingdom of Irhk]

Henry von Kressel

"Which is exactly why I am without a tie, Eglantine. Dr. Meisner is a man known to serve most nobles of this particular area, so one can never be too well-dressed in his practice. So, let us see how smooth is your driving."

As both of them crossed the city's streets in the silver Bentley, the song was quickly interrupted by a rushing German announcer. Henry inclined his head, as if he wanted to listen more carefully his own native language. Slowly, he turned his head to Eglantine, who seemed to be enjoying a little bit too much how fast his car could go.

"Eglantine... Where exactly is Blanchefleur's castle located?"

Amber von Kressel

She was shattered. Half of her thoughts were directed towards pleasing her father, who daily fired offenses towards her supposed incapacity. However, Saturninus warned her that the consequences of doing so would prove to be disastrous. Why? Obviously, he wouldn't tell the plot - if there was one - to her, given the fear Saturninus had of Blanchefleur.

Quickly, she took the letter and kept it with herself.

"Guards! Arrest him! Make sure he's well guarded at all times... This man is Saturninus Rise..."

Eglantine - Rush Hour In Vienna

Eglantine drove fast, sharp, and aggressive, into the mid-morning traffic on the way to the doctor's office. "Turn signals" were just barely a part of her vocabulary, and if red lights had not been utilized she would not have ever stopped. As she drove, however, at the very least she did not mess with the radio. Eglantine was perfectly happy to let Henry listen to whatever he wanted, as long as it kept him from panicking over her driving. This was a mostly impossible endeavor, as she could tell he wanted badly to tell her that she was going to get cited, but he instead tried to relax and focus on the music.

They were close to the doctor's office when the music was interrupted by a message from the radio, a fast-talking announcer speaking breathlessly about some terrible event that had taken place in France. Eglantine's German was not stellar, but she could grasp that the man was talking about her home country, and he sounded as though he was having a panic attack. Now Eglantine felt her heart began to pound in her chest, as she was desperate to understand what he was saying. Henry's question did not make her feel much better, and she had to park the car on the side of the road. "Shut up, shut up, wait..." She turned-up the radio, as she tried to decipher what he was saying, but she could not understand him.

"...Aunt Blanchefleur's castle is...up in the mountains...a few miles from Grenoble...well...I guess more than a few, if we count the vertical and horizontal distance...Are they...are they saying something about the Alps?" She listened again, as another announcer, a woman, came to fill-in for her panicked partner. Much more calmly, she mentioned something about the Alps, and then something about Grenoble. Eglantine's brows arched and furrowed, and she groaned. "...Henry, do you know what she's talking about?...Something big just happened, but I have no idea...This is so annoying..." she muttered. As she tried to sound calm, however, she could not help but feel her heart still writhing in her chest, like a canary flinging itself at a cage, trying desperately to break the cage.

Saturninus - The Safer Prison

Saturninus found himself unable to protest, as Amber snatched the letter out of his hands. He took a step back, but prepared no weapons. He gave a saddened stare, as if he was being defeated in a different way than how he anticipated he would be beaten. He had given the message, hoping for a savior, but Amber would not choose his salvation over her father's victory. Nevertheless, he stood by his actions, and squared his shoulders, preparing to be taken for imprisonment.

The guards arrived, and they surrounded Saturninus, checking him down for weapons and active Magic. When nothing was found, he was put in cuffs made of flames. He grunted from the pain, but he did not scream, as he had felt far worse in the past. The guards snatched him away as soon as they cuffed him, and they walked him into the building, to present him to Heinrich Von Kressel. All the while, Saturninus did not speak. He had a burning spear aimed at his back, and beside the two guards who had cuffed him, four more walked alongside him, allowing him no room to run or attack. As they brought him to the head of the house, however, the four guards around him all took a step to the side and gave Saturninus the smallest amount of space. He turned to look up at Manfred, his eyes despairing but calm. "Lord Heinrich, Saturninus Rise of House Rise. He was found by your daughter, and he gave her a message and a letter. She was intimidated by him, and called for our help," a guard explained.

Henry von Kressel

"These are... these are news from a local radio station. They say that a tower and part of a castle's structure fell after an unknown object hit it, and they are still trying to determine if it was the cause of the damage. They're considering a team to check the damage given the historical status of the building, but... it's in the Alps, yes. They're being sketchy about who owns it, so yes, we might be talking about her castle, yes.

Are you alright, Eglantine? What are you afraid of?"

The Von Kressel Bunch

"- Manfred, you don't understand...
- I understand it perfectly, Heinrich. You want to march against Blanchefleur desperately for your own selfish means without thinking about the costs. How much are you planning to get by selling your share in the industries we are a part of? And are you going to sell it to the highest bid, without thinking of the possible political outcome of your sell just to fund your war fetish? Just to fund your desire to be recognized as a war hero?
- You say that because you didn't lose prestige...
- Yes I didn't, because I used my mind to make my decisions.
- Are you calling me dumb?
- I do suppose that if I need to explain you even that...
- You...
- Me what? Are you going to attack me, Heinrich?"

As tempers seemed to heat up, Saturninus was brought inside the room with the guards pointing weapons and spears at him. The boy seemed broken, but the very mention of the name "Rise" made them suspicious of any tricks he could know. The discussion quickly ended as both men knew very well to keep their private affairs for private reunions.

"- I am not surprised that my daughter was intimidated by him. She might be intimidated by a goat if it runs too fast near her, or by a dog if it barks too loud, or...
- Heinrich.
- Yes, yes...
- A message, you say.
- Why should we listen to him, Manfred? We should just execute him.
- If I recall correctly, Lady Mercillia took a particular interest in him. I'll make sure she's properly notified. And he said he had a message, which is quite interesting, as in my decades of life it is the first time a dead man marches into a hall where I stand alleging he has something to say.
- Say it, Rise. What message is that?"

[Luminesa]

Dominique Corleone

"A Quiche Lorraine huh? Simple and classic, yet can be complex and versatile, no matter who wants a piece. Sounds like myself." He laughed before clapping and rubbing his hands together.
"Alright, well I should be getting ready then. How about I head off to the cafeteria earlier before you...Lets say like half an hour or so so you can get ready and think about some things. Meanwhile I'll get a head start on getting the basic things prep'd and ready to for us to cook. And also, I gotta make the place look nice for a bro. God I can't believe I said 'bro.'" He giggled.
"So get washed up, release your mind of any thoughts that you might have for now, and just eat dinner." And with that, he patted Sol on the shoulder once again, packed his things up and left.

After about thirty minutes of waiting, Sol would enter the cafeteria to find it rather empty. After all it was after dinner so everyone would have just gotten their food already and called it a night. Once entering, Soleil would see a section of the tables covered in a cheap yet stylish table cloth. Two plates sat parallel to each other with matching spoon and fork. And a simple glass cup with a few flowers sat pretty on top of it. Soon afterwards Dominique came out from the kitchen with a cheeky grin on his face and stretched out his arms to showcase the set up. Its not a lot, but its the best thing I can do on short notice. Hope you don't mind."

He knew he was taking quite a chance with this one. Especially after all that happened in his room. But he was optimistic that they could possibly get pass it and get to become closer without the tension and awkwardness like before. It may have looked like a date to anyone else who were to see it. But he didn't see it that way. Or rather he tried to tell himself that it wasn't that way. He actually found Soleil to be an interesting and rather complex person. Although naive and a little predictable, but someone who had good intentions and just wanted to show his feelings to someone without being rejected or ridiculed for his choices.
But it was only a matter of time before his predictions and ideas come true and he would have to deal with them. But for now, he hope that this would slow down and buy him some time.

Soleil - Something About The Dark

Dominique got a spark of mischief and determination as Soleil described what he wanted, and he wondered how he should prepare himself. Apparently, his friend was plotting something special, and so the younger Mage smiled and let him go about his way. In the meantime, he decided to change his clothes for the trek across the snowy campus. Yet he wanted to find something pleasant, something that gave a better impression of himself. As much as he liked his bunny shirt and jeans, he could feel that Dominique had something special planned for him. He decided to throw together a different look, one more formal but not pretentious. A pale-blue dress-shirt with buttons, an ocean-blue sweater, his jeans, and some black boots. He grabbed a dark-blue jacket out of his closet, and put his fuzzy red scarf around his neck. After a moment of rumination, he looked in the mirror, and he was pleased with how he looked. He also wondered if he was getting taller. ...A fresh outfit...a fresh smile...maybe a fresh afternoon?...And a fresh heart?

He trekked across campus, bearing the shivering cold as he made his way to the cafeteria. With autumn's early nights upon them, five o'clock brought darkness and a crisp, evening chill over the campus. Yet Soleil braved the shadowy walk to reach the cafeteria, into which Dominique had disappeared. Silently, he entered the cafeteria, and he saw that most of the students were gone. This area of the main building was quiet, and so at first he shivered with confusion. Is...Is Dominique here?...Or is he in his room...Did I go to the wrong place?... His confusion and panic cleared, however, when he looked and saw a little dining arrangement at one of the tables. His eyes widened with surprise, and he gasped.

Dom had done his best to make a fancy setting out of cheaper materials. He had taken a cute little tablecloth and had draped it over one of the tables, and he had set the plates and utensils. None of it looked special or enticing, as the materials could have easily been found at a Walmart, not at a five-star restaurant. Yet Soleil had never been served a dinner-for-two, and the quiet little setting made his heart hop in his chest. The only people here would be Dominique and himself, if only the older boy would make his appearance. He sat down, and took a look at the little flower-vase in the middle of the table. He sat in the silence, and tapped his fingers on the table, waiting for something to happen. When he heard footsteps, his eyes shot up, and he gazed through the low light of the evening to see Dominique walking toward the table.

Something about seeing a person in the dark made them a different person. When the lights had been on, when he could see Dominique's face clearly. The lines of his big, goofy grin, the way his eyes crinkled when he laughed, the way his clothes were huge but still fit him snugly. The image was pleasant, bright, and cheery. Now he saw less, and thus he almost saw another Dominique. Instead of his smile, he saw a shadowy outline of his smile. Instead of his eyes being a dark-brown, they were almost black with hints of glowing amber, from the radiant sunset. He did not see his clothes, but he saw the outline of his head, his face, his body, the way he held his arms as if to say, "I did it! Ta-da!" The evening played with his eyes and the atmosphere, and he felt it. He was alone with Dom, nobody else in the world could come into this little space between them. Dominique had become someone else, just for a few moments, just for him. "...I...I love it. Nobody...has ever made me dinner like...like this...Thank you..." he whispered, as he tried to organize his thoughts. "...I...Is the food ready?..."

[Luminesa]

Eglantine - Rush Hour In Vienna

Eglantine drove fast, sharp, and aggressive, into the mid-morning traffic on the way to the doctor's office. "Turn signals" were just barely a part of her vocabulary, and if red lights had not been utilized she would not have ever stopped. As she drove, however, at the very least she did not mess with the radio. Eglantine was perfectly happy to let Henry listen to whatever he wanted, as long as it kept him from panicking over her driving. This was a mostly impossible endeavor, as she could tell he wanted badly to tell her that she was going to get cited, but he instead tried to relax and focus on the music.

They were close to the doctor's office when the music was interrupted by a message from the radio, a fast-talking announcer speaking breathlessly about some terrible event that had taken place in France. Eglantine's German was not stellar, but she could grasp that the man was talking about her home country, and he sounded as though he was having a panic attack. Now Eglantine felt her heart began to pound in her chest, as she was desperate to understand what he was saying. Henry's question did not make her feel much better, and she had to park the car on the side of the road. "Shut up, shut up, wait..." She turned-up the radio, as she tried to decipher what he was saying, but she could not understand him.

"...Aunt Blanchefleur's castle is...up in the mountains...a few miles from Grenoble...well...I guess more than a few, if we count the vertical and horizontal distance...Are they...are they saying something about the Alps?" She listened again, as another announcer, a woman, came to fill-in for her panicked partner. Much more calmly, she mentioned something about the Alps, and then something about Grenoble. Eglantine's brows arched and furrowed, and she groaned. "...Henry, do you know what she's talking about?...Something big just happened, but I have no idea...This is so annoying..." she muttered. As she tried to sound calm, however, she could not help but feel her heart still writhing in her chest, like a canary flinging itself at a cage, trying desperately to break the cage.

Saturninus - The Safer Prison

Saturninus found himself unable to protest, as Amber snatched the letter out of his hands. He took a step back, but prepared no weapons. He gave a saddened stare, as if he was being defeated in a different way than how he anticipated he would be beaten. He had given the message, hoping for a savior, but Amber would not choose his salvation over her father's victory. Nevertheless, he stood by his actions, and squared his shoulders, preparing to be taken for imprisonment.

The guards arrived, and they surrounded Saturninus, checking him down for weapons and active Magic. When nothing was found, he was put in cuffs made of flames. He grunted from the pain, but he did not scream, as he had felt far worse in the past. The guards snatched him away as soon as they cuffed him, and they walked him into the building, to present him to Heinrich Von Kressel. All the while, Saturninus did not speak. He had a burning spear aimed at his back, and beside the two guards who had cuffed him, four more walked alongside him, allowing him no room to run or attack. As they brought him to the head of the house, however, the four guards around him all took a step to the side and gave Saturninus the smallest amount of space. He turned to look up at Manfred, his eyes despairing but calm. "Lord Heinrich, Saturninus Rise of House Rise. He was found by your daughter, and he gave her a message and a letter. She was intimidated by him, and called for our help," a guard explained.

Henry von Kressel

"These are... these are news from a local radio station. They say that a tower and part of a castle's structure fell after an unknown object hit it, and they are still trying to determine if it was the cause of the damage. They're considering a team to check the damage given the historical status of the building, but... it's in the Alps, yes. They're being sketchy about who owns it, so yes, we might be talking about her castle, yes.

Are you alright, Eglantine? What are you afraid of?"

The Von Kressel Bunch

"- Manfred, you don't understand...
- I understand it perfectly, Heinrich. You want to march against Blanchefleur desperately for your own selfish means without thinking about the costs. How much are you planning to get by selling your share in the industries we are a part of? And are you going to sell it to the highest bid, without thinking of the possible political outcome of your sell just to fund your war fetish? Just to fund your desire to be recognized as a war hero?
- You say that because you didn't lose prestige...
- Yes I didn't, because I used my mind to make my decisions.
- Are you calling me dumb?
- I do suppose that if I need to explain you even that...
- You...
- Me what? Are you going to attack me, Heinrich?"

As tempers seemed to heat up, Saturninus was brought inside the room with the guards pointing weapons and spears at him. The boy seemed broken, but the very mention of the name "Rise" made them suspicious of any tricks he could know. The discussion quickly ended as both men knew very well to keep their private affairs for private reunions.

"- I am not surprised that my daughter was intimidated by him. She might be intimidated by a goat if it runs too fast near her, or by a dog if it barks too loud, or...
- Heinrich.
- Yes, yes...
- A message, you say.
- Why should we listen to him, Manfred? We should just execute him.
- If I recall correctly, Lady Mercillia took a particular interest in him. I'll make sure she's properly notified. And he said he had a message, which is quite interesting, as in my decades of life it is the first time a dead man marches into a hall where I stand alleging he has something to say.
- Say it, Rise. What message is that?"

Eglantine - Heir of a Broken Home

"...Tower...and a castle?..." Eglantine unbuckled herself from her seat, as she sat parked on the side of the road, and she stared down at the radio. Her ears were ringing, even though she did not have loud music playing in the car. As her ears started ringing, her head began to swivel around on her neck. She was glad she had the car in park, because as soon as Henry mentioned the Alps, she seemed to lose her vision in front of her. The world became a choppy lake, rising and falling unevenly without a sign of becoming still. Her body was like lead, and she fell sideways across the compartment and into Henry's lap. The ocean before her went black, and her eyes hung slightly-open as she stared into nothing.

Calixte and Apollinaire - A Certain Sort of Poison

Normal spider venom was not effective so quickly. The doctors in the hospital in Grenoble were quite baffled by what they saw, as Calixte walked with her husband just barely awake on her arm. His arm was eaten by some sort of flesh-eating venom, and now blood and tissue were exposed from his wrist to his shoulder. The physicians worked with frantic speed to try and stabilize him, to get the poison out of his body. Apollinaire fell in and out of consciousness, and wore an oxygen mask as he lie in his bed. Fluids and morphine flowed through IV tubes in his arm, and other medicines came through other tubes. His entire body looked covered with wires, and Calixte could hardly see her husband's face underneath all of the equipment. The doctors could not promise her a miracle, but they were doing everything they could.

Her hands shook. The possibility that Apollinaire might die terrified her. She did not want to ponder on such a scenario, and so she began to pace up and down the room. She turned-on the TV, and every now and then she would describe to her husband what was on the TV. When he opened his eyes to look at her, he was too tired to speak, but he listened intently. She held his hand, and pointed to the TV. "Oh look, those reality stars are talking about dating through a cellphone...They're interviewing that soccer player...He looks like a nice boy..." Then came the news that shocked her, and everyone else in France. Some sort of meteor had crashed maybe a few miles away, destroying a massive castle in the Alps. Calixte and Apollinaire only knew one castle from which they had fled. And they had fled moments before the explosion, the phenomenal earth-shattering quake that had reduced parts of the mountain to vapor.

"HOLY MOTHER OF...OUCH!!!" Apollinaire sprang upright in his bed, his oxygen mask flying off along with one of his IV lines. A nurse rushed to get an IV of morphine back in his arm, but somehow the man was still awake. The medicine was working, but slowly. Even so, Apollinaire had energy, and he gawked at the scene before him. Calixte watched alongside him, her eyes flickering from the images on the screen to her husband sitting in bed. She was not sure how to react to either event, and neither was Apollinaire. "...What on earth...oh my God...oh my Gooooooooooood..." Apollinaire shook his head. "...What...that...that whole castle?!...You mean...is Blanchefleur...is she..." His voice became a quiver, both of hope and horror, as this event could have been either a fortune or a curse from some greater evil. Calixte just held his hand, and all the couple could do was watch.

Saturninus Rise - Guilty Conscience

Von Kressel seemed to be just as divided as Rise. Saturninus watched Heinrich and Manfred argue in front of him, without any cares that he heard all of their gripes and accusations at each other. Not that he cared, as he saw their bickering as a prolonging of his life. Part of him still wanted badly to die, before evil could be truly done. He grimaced, but he dropped his eyes and waited for them to speak to him. Stupid nobles, obsessed with stupid, temporal things...They don't see the demons lurking...waiting to finish them...waiting to finish me...They don't know...what true suffering looks like...not from their high thrones of gold... He contemplated on their manners of ruling their House, before they finally gave him some attention.

"...I do...happen to be a dead man...who has been brought back by means that are wicked and forbidden. I should not be alive. But...if you wish for him to land in Lady Mercillia's hands, then I shall accept. As for my message..." He gulped, and swallowed his words for a moment, ruminating on their bitter taste. "...Lady Blanchefleur says...to proceed with the attack. The letter...is from Great Lord Joachim von Kressel. If you do so believe that...your word has any meaning...when your own Head of House has decided your individual fates...Join in the bloodbath and have the wealth you desire! Take it!" Saturninus raised his head, and the madness sprang to life in his icy-blue eyes. "Take it! Salt and burn the earth! Rip and tear, until it is done! If that is what you wish, then follow such a command! If not, then find whatever measly virtues you have, and rise for the honor of your House! Otherwise it will fall, as House Rise shall fall!" His voice rose to a shout, almost a shriek. He looked insane, but he was entirely lucid as he screamed. His message was not something he could easily convey to anyone except a Mage, or except someone who knew what the demons awaited to do to him.

[Saldinado]

Dominique Corleone

Dominique appeared out of the dark revealing a simple formal casual attire. A white button up shirt with a black paisley vest and dark red and gold handkerchief in his vest pocket. And if Sol was observant enough he would see that the flowers on the table matched the color of his handkerchief. "I'm glad you were able to make it dude! Sorry for such a short notice, but I just wanted to make sure that you could take your mind off of everything that's been plaguing you. Even if its just for the evening. And ahaha! Glad you asked" He exclaimed walking closer to Soleil. He wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pulled him closer. The faint smell of a woodsy and mellow cologne wafted around him as he laughed. "I was waiting on you. You said that you wanted to cook together, so let us cook. And even if you don't know how, then don't worry. Just follow my lead and hopefully everything would go fine. As a wise man and rat said: 'Anyone can cook!'" He said in a snooty French accent.
He guided Sol with him towards the kitchen where he could see the bright lights contrast against the dimly lit front. The sight of eggs, veggies, meats, and dough laid on top of the counter. And even near the skin there was a small stool. Dominique looked towards it and scratched the back of his head. "I got you a stool just in case you wanted to be a bit more eye-leveled with me when cooking. Sorry if it offends you."

A warm feeling washed across his body as he let go of Soleil and walked towards the sink. He rolled up his sleeves past the elbows and began washing his hands. While washing up he decided to think.
Am I doing too much? Am I being such a tryhard for someone that I barely know? What if he takes this the wrong way? Isn't this exactly what he wanted? I don't know, but maybe just and remain calm and
sensible. Treat him as though you're sealing the deal on a job. After all, a new friend might be good for you if things do become a bit rough.

Once he finished washing and drying his hands, Dom looked back at Sol and revealed an apron to him. He threw it towards him and took another one from off of the counter. "Here. Wouldn't want to get a nice outfit dirty huh? I decided that maybe we could cook and talk. Maybe show you a few tricks and skills for you to know in the future." Another grin crept on his face as he grew excited about making a dish someone actually enjoys and learning more about them in a positive way. Someone to maybe display his hobbies with. Hopefully he won't screw it up this time.

[Luminesa]

Dominique Corleone

Dominique appeared out of the dark revealing a simple formal casual attire. A white button up shirt with a black paisley vest and dark red and gold handkerchief in his vest pocket. And if Sol was observant enough he would see that the flowers on the table matched the color of his handkerchief. "I'm glad you were able to make it dude! Sorry for such a short notice, but I just wanted to make sure that you could take your mind off of everything that's been plaguing you. Even if its just for the evening. And ahaha! Glad you asked" He exclaimed walking closer to Soleil. He wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pulled him closer. The faint smell of a woodsy and mellow cologne wafted around him as he laughed. "I was waiting on you. You said that you wanted to cook together, so let us cook. And even if you don't know how, then don't worry. Just follow my lead and hopefully everything would go fine. As a wise man and rat said: 'Anyone can cook!'" He said in a snooty French accent.
He guided Sol with him towards the kitchen where he could see the bright lights contrast against the dimly lit front. The sight of eggs, veggies, meats, and dough laid on top of the counter. And even near the skin there was a small stool. Dominique looked towards it and scratched the back of his head. "I got you a stool just in case you wanted to be a bit more eye-leveled with me when cooking. Sorry if it offends you."

A warm feeling washed across his body as he let go of Soleil and walked towards the sink. He rolled up his sleeves past the elbows and began washing his hands. While washing up he decided to think.
Am I doing too much? Am I being such a tryhard for someone that I barely know? What if he takes this the wrong way? Isn't this exactly what he wanted? I don't know, but maybe just and remain calm and
sensible. Treat him as though you're sealing the deal on a job. After all, a new friend might be good for you if things do become a bit rough.

Once he finished washing and drying his hands, Dom looked back at Sol and revealed an apron to him. He threw it towards him and took another one from off of the counter. "Here. Wouldn't want to get a nice outfit dirty huh? I decided that maybe we could cook and talk. Maybe show you a few tricks and skills for you to know in the future." Another grin crept on his face as he grew excited about making a dish someone actually enjoys and learning more about them in a positive way. Someone to maybe display his hobbies with. Hopefully he won't screw it up this time.

Soleil - In Your Atmosphere

Soleil caught glimpses of color, as the last vestiges of sunlight glowed behind Dominique. His dark skin, his white, black, red, and gold outfit, and the gold flowers. They all flickered like candlelight, in and out of his eyes’ view, and he just absorbed them. They gave brilliance to the silhouettes he saw in the darkness, and an inner light began to glow in his own eyes. He could feel his imagination floating above him, as though it was a separate being, trying to paint the beauty he saw before him in this small space.

Yet the evening would not stand still, of course, and so Dominique walked toward him to speak to him.He put an arm around the younger Mage’s shoulder, and pulled him close. Soleil could smell a forest, warm on an August evening and fresh with the scent of dense, mighty evergreens. Sanctuary.

I was waiting for you.

The words made Soleil shiver, and he was glad that the dark room obscured the blush on his face. Dominique really was here for just him, no jokes or strings attached. He wanted to cook with him, not to make him sit in the dimly-lit room waiting for his food. While Soleil was caught off-guard about the idea of cooking with Dominique, he was too drawn by the strong, physical warmth embracing him to question him. Soleil wanted to cook. He wanted to learn. Maybe learning to cook would make him more likable to the people around him. “...O-Okay...” he muttered, before following Dom to the kitchen.

The older boy had all the ingredients ready, in the bright campus kitchen. Soleil looked around, amazed by his neatness, his thoughtfulness. He had even gotten a stool, in case Sol wanted to be able to see him at eye-level when he was cooking. Without arguing, he decided he would use it as a sign of gratitude. He caught the apron, and held it in his fingers before throwing it over his clothes. Soleil then washed his hands, and he looked up at Dominique. He had no idea that his dear friend was nervous about this whole affair. He himself saw a magical evening, an entirely new experience in which he was not fighting with anyone for attention. Being completely alone with someone else who cared.

“...W-We can talk...We can talk about whatever you want. I’d be...happy to!” He gave his best shy smile, hoping Dominique would ask him whatever was on his heart. Something propelled Soleil to want to talk, to want to open his heart to his new friend. In the meantime, he tried to remember how to start the Quiche Lorraine. He looked at the ingredients, and then he washed his hands before cutting the vegetables. “...Y-You can start the bacon, if you want...We have to...crumble it all up, I think...Did you...want to talk about something specific?...” he inquired, as he chopped very slowly with the knife. As a beginner, he wanted to be precise without risking cutting himself. Perhaps he wanted to do the same thing in his conversation, and thus he let Dom take the lead.

[Saldinado]

Dominique Corleone

"Bacon huh? Alright then." Clapping his hands once he got the skillet and placed it on the stove to heat up. When it came to things such as bacon he was very meticulous about how it was made. Not too crunchy and not too chewy. Watching Soleil cut out of the corner of his eyes, he smiled and simply gave him a quick reminder.
"When you're chopping, make sure that your fingers are tucked away and your knuckles are exposed. This of it as you gripping onto a baseball. Or if you're clawing at something. It'll prevent the higher chance of cuts."
Once the pan was hot enough, he simply used a pair of tongs to gently lower the bacon into the pan. The soft sizzle filled the room as he carefully eyed the food.

"Hm. I don't really know. I don't have anything too specific I suppose. But I guess we can start with a quick ice breaker I suppose. So, what is it about a Quiche Lorraine that made it your first choice to begin with?"

Leaving the question to linger for Soleil, Dom then grabbed an onion and almost in a blink of an eye, got it chopped diced and prepped for Soleil without missing a single beat. He smiled at Soleil with a cheeky grin as he chuckled some more before quickly walking over and flipping the bacon. "So, this is almost done. What else would you like me to do?" His smile felt genuine and his feelings were real. He remembered that he wasn't alone.
He couldn't just "Ramsey it up" as he calls it and run around and get it done. Besides, he didn't even know the recipe that Soleil wanted. After all it was his dish. A silent sigh escaped his mouth however as he grew a little impatient and eager to start on something next.

[Luminesa]

Dominique Corleone

"Bacon huh? Alright then." Clapping his hands once he got the skillet and placed it on the stove to heat up. When it came to things such as bacon he was very meticulous about how it was made. Not too crunchy and not too chewy. Watching Soleil cut out of the corner of his eyes, he smiled and simply gave him a quick reminder.
"When you're chopping, make sure that your fingers are tucked away and your knuckles are exposed. This of it as you gripping onto a baseball. Or if you're clawing at something. It'll prevent the higher chance of cuts."
Once the pan was hot enough, he simply used a pair of tongs to gently lower the bacon into the pan. The soft sizzle filled the room as he carefully eyed the food.

"Hm. I don't really know. I don't have anything too specific I suppose. But I guess we can start with a quick ice breaker I suppose. So, what is it about a Quiche Lorraine that made it your first choice to begin with?"

Leaving the question to linger for Soleil, Dom then grabbed an onion and almost in a blink of an eye, got it chopped diced and prepped for Soleil without missing a single beat. He smiled at Soleil with a cheeky grin as he chuckled some more before quickly walking over and flipping the bacon. "So, this is almost done. What else would you like me to do?" His smile felt genuine and his feelings were real. He remembered that he wasn't alone.
He couldn't just "Ramsey it up" as he calls it and run around and get it done. Besides, he didn't even know the recipe that Soleil wanted. After all it was his dish. A silent sigh escaped his mouth however as he grew a little impatient and eager to start on something next.

Soleil - Little Pieces

The smell of hot, sizzling bacon on a cold evening was a delicious scent. Soleil could already feel the scent filling his stomach. If only it could make him less hungry. While he was distracted, Sol heard Dominique give him advice on how to chop food. He had to hide his fingers and to cut against his knuckles, but not too close to them. Thus he hid his fingers as he cut the white and spring onions. He then chopped the shallots, just a little faster and a little more uniform in his cuts. The smell of the seasoning was bright and savory, and they awakened his senses.

“...I remember...I snuck away from home to move down the Alps...I was little, and I didn’t want to...go back into the castle...I tried to do that every now and then...“ Soleil began, as he chopped the food, “...Once I was about six or seven...and I snuck down into the valley...This little family wanted to give me shelter...and...and they made me food...Th-The quiche was...um...something they served...with some sort of...chocolate pie...The quiche was...cheesy and eggy and...really good. I...I wanted it so badly when I got home...but...b-but I couldn’t...figure how to do it...”

Soleil sighed as he recalled this distant memory. He could not remember their names or faces, but the food stuck with him. The comforting scent that told him he was safe for a few hours. Eventually he had to go home, out of fear that he would be punished worse if he stayed elsewhere for more than a few hours. Yet now he could make this meal for himself, with the help of a dear friend. Somehow, Dominique’s cologne wafted through the scents of the food, and he was still in that dark forest, alone with this brave, beautiful person.

“...I’m...I’m excited to make it now...um...crumble the bacon and...put it in the bottom of the pastry shell...I think it...has to be mixed with the egg and all...” he mumbled. He wondered if Dominique had a recipe on hand that he could follow. As he put the seasoning in the pastry shell as well, he turned to his friend and smiled. “...Y-You look like a fancy waiter...I...I like your vest a lot...You look...sophisticated...um...What do you like to cook for yourself?”

[Chrome Legion]

Catherine de Sanguine Vivere


Catherine honestly couldn't put her self in a place to understand the story from Michel. Child birth and motherhood had as little appeal as anything could to her. She doubted her body could even carry a child after how much magic had been used to reshape it and keep her alive. But his tail of lost idealism, that held some resonance. Catherine had been devoted to showing that her family didn't have meaning for who she was, and that her magic wasn't a evil power, but that was gone. She had devoted herself to seeking power and security for the last two years. And now she had likely killed hundreds or even thousands when she got her hands on that power. Michel seemed exited when the plan was hatched... but was that a feint? Did he see another Solaine forming in Catherine? Would he wait for a chance to kill her now? Catherine couldn't rule that out... she would have to be very careful around him. A darker still part of her psyche told her to kill him now, take him off guard and end the possible threat now. She pushed that aside quickly. Her path ahead was still uncertain, and throwing away a possible ally was stupid... and cruel. Yet, still she needed to confront him about that.

"I don't know how much I can empathize with that story. Never had any motherly desires. Doubt I could make that work anyway. Bit to gay and bit to... Well if Solaine lost a kid to just using or being exposed to black magic, I don't think my body would give very good results."

A brief blast of suppressed memories from her captivity under Solaine and Olivette rocked Catherine. Things they had planned for her. Things that she really didn't want to think about. Any plan she had for questioning Michel further disappeared as she tried in vain to pull her mind away from that horror. She wanted to grasp out for something to distract her but couldn't. She just felt like a blank empty shell holding only thoughts and imaginings of what could have happened if those monsters had kept a hold of her.

[Kingdom of Irhk]

Henry von Kressel

"These are... these are news from a local radio station. They say that a tower and part of a castle's structure fell after an unknown object hit it, and they are still trying to determine if it was the cause of the damage. They're considering a team to check the damage given the historical status of the building, but... it's in the Alps, yes. They're being sketchy about who owns it, so yes, we might be talking about her castle, yes.

Are you alright, Eglantine? What are you afraid of?"

The Von Kressel Bunch

"- Manfred, you don't understand...
- I understand it perfectly, Heinrich. You want to march against Blanchefleur desperately for your own selfish means without thinking about the costs. How much are you planning to get by selling your share in the industries we are a part of? And are you going to sell it to the highest bid, without thinking of the possible political outcome of your sell just to fund your war fetish? Just to fund your desire to be recognized as a war hero?
- You say that because you didn't lose prestige...
- Yes I didn't, because I used my mind to make my decisions.
- Are you calling me dumb?
- I do suppose that if I need to explain you even that...
- You...
- Me what? Are you going to attack me, Heinrich?"

As tempers seemed to heat up, Saturninus was brought inside the room with the guards pointing weapons and spears at him. The boy seemed broken, but the very mention of the name "Rise" made them suspicious of any tricks he could know. The discussion quickly ended as both men knew very well to keep their private affairs for private reunions.

"- I am not surprised that my daughter was intimidated by him. She might be intimidated by a goat if it runs too fast near her, or by a dog if it barks too loud, or...
- Heinrich.
- Yes, yes...
- A message, you say.
- Why should we listen to him, Manfred? We should just execute him.
- If I recall correctly, Lady Mercillia took a particular interest in him. I'll make sure she's properly notified. And he said he had a message, which is quite interesting, as in my decades of life it is the first time a dead man marches into a hall where I stand alleging he has something to say.
- Say it, Rise. What message is that?"

Eglantine - Heir of a Broken Home

"...Tower...and a castle?..." Eglantine unbuckled herself from her seat, as she sat parked on the side of the road, and she stared down at the radio. Her ears were ringing, even though she did not have loud music playing in the car. As her ears started ringing, her head began to swivel around on her neck. She was glad she had the car in park, because as soon as Henry mentioned the Alps, she seemed to lose her vision in front of her. The world became a choppy lake, rising and falling unevenly without a sign of becoming still. Her body was like lead, and she fell sideways across the compartment and into Henry's lap. The ocean before her went black, and her eyes hung slightly-open as she stared into nothing.

Calixte and Apollinaire - A Certain Sort of Poison

Normal spider venom was not effective so quickly. The doctors in the hospital in Grenoble were quite baffled by what they saw, as Calixte walked with her husband just barely awake on her arm. His arm was eaten by some sort of flesh-eating venom, and now blood and tissue were exposed from his wrist to his shoulder. The physicians worked with frantic speed to try and stabilize him, to get the poison out of his body. Apollinaire fell in and out of consciousness, and wore an oxygen mask as he lie in his bed. Fluids and morphine flowed through IV tubes in his arm, and other medicines came through other tubes. His entire body looked covered with wires, and Calixte could hardly see her husband's face underneath all of the equipment. The doctors could not promise her a miracle, but they were doing everything they could.

Her hands shook. The possibility that Apollinaire might die terrified her. She did not want to ponder on such a scenario, and so she began to pace up and down the room. She turned-on the TV, and every now and then she would describe to her husband what was on the TV. When he opened his eyes to look at her, he was too tired to speak, but he listened intently. She held his hand, and pointed to the TV. "Oh look, those reality stars are talking about dating through a cellphone...They're interviewing that soccer player...He looks like a nice boy..." Then came the news that shocked her, and everyone else in France. Some sort of meteor had crashed maybe a few miles away, destroying a massive castle in the Alps. Calixte and Apollinaire only knew one castle from which they had fled. And they had fled moments before the explosion, the phenomenal earth-shattering quake that had reduced parts of the mountain to vapor.

"HOLY MOTHER OF...OUCH!!!" Apollinaire sprang upright in his bed, his oxygen mask flying off along with one of his IV lines. A nurse rushed to get an IV of morphine back in his arm, but somehow the man was still awake. The medicine was working, but slowly. Even so, Apollinaire had energy, and he gawked at the scene before him. Calixte watched alongside him, her eyes flickering from the images on the screen to her husband sitting in bed. She was not sure how to react to either event, and neither was Apollinaire. "...What on earth...oh my God...oh my Gooooooooooood..." Apollinaire shook his head. "...What...that...that whole castle?!...You mean...is Blanchefleur...is she..." His voice became a quiver, both of hope and horror, as this event could have been either a fortune or a curse from some greater evil. Calixte just held his hand, and all the couple could do was watch.

Saturninus Rise - Guilty Conscience

Von Kressel seemed to be just as divided as Rise. Saturninus watched Heinrich and Manfred argue in front of him, without any cares that he heard all of their gripes and accusations at each other. Not that he cared, as he saw their bickering as a prolonging of his life. Part of him still wanted badly to die, before evil could be truly done. He grimaced, but he dropped his eyes and waited for them to speak to him. Stupid nobles, obsessed with stupid, temporal things...They don't see the demons lurking...waiting to finish them...waiting to finish me...They don't know...what true suffering looks like...not from their high thrones of gold... He contemplated on their manners of ruling their House, before they finally gave him some attention.

"...I do...happen to be a dead man...who has been brought back by means that are wicked and forbidden. I should not be alive. But...if you wish for him to land in Lady Mercillia's hands, then I shall accept. As for my message..." He gulped, and swallowed his words for a moment, ruminating on their bitter taste. "...Lady Blanchefleur says...to proceed with the attack. The letter...is from Great Lord Joachim von Kressel. If you do so believe that...your word has any meaning...when your own Head of House has decided your individual fates...Join in the bloodbath and have the wealth you desire! Take it!" Saturninus raised his head, and the madness sprang to life in his icy-blue eyes. "Take it! Salt and burn the earth! Rip and tear, until it is done! If that is what you wish, then follow such a command! If not, then find whatever measly virtues you have, and rise for the honor of your House! Otherwise it will fall, as House Rise shall fall!" His voice rose to a shout, almost a shriek. He looked insane, but he was entirely lucid as he screamed. His message was not something he could easily convey to anyone except a Mage, or except someone who knew what the demons awaited to do to him.

Henry von Kressel

Wild as her reactions could be, Henry didn't expect her to faint while hearing that her aunt's castle was hit by an object few people knew exactly what it was. Of course, the first possibility that comes up to mind was an attack by an unknown party at her castle. "Accidents" rarely happened in the magical world, specially with high profile families like the Rise.

However, as he tried to wake her up, Henry's phone rang. Manfred.

There were some people that called him socially. Sarah often called him to talk about her escapades, or how drunk she got, and in most cases, to describe her researches around the world. But Manfred was a man hard to reach, walls erected around him, defenses that kept his mind safe and working before his enemies even knew they had to antagonize the German lord. Manfred's mind, kept so carefully inside the ivory tower he built for himself, eventually came down to work closely with his allies.

The information was scarce yet precise enough to make Henry hold his breath. It involved Blanchefleur, Joachim and... Saturninus. The man he believed to be dead rose from the dead somehow, and now stood in front of Manfred, his laugh being heard from the phone. Placing Eglantine in the back of the car, he took off the bandages, realizing that Mercillia's particular medicine did work fast.

He drove fast, headed to Vienna, trying to place the pieces together as his car crossed the roads to his meeting with a dead man that had a story to tell.

Von Kressel Bunch

Manfred turned off his phone, staring at Heinrich. His gaze met the confused gaze of his brother, who grasped for some family love as the last hope that it was all a lie. Could it be? His brother, setting him up, allying himself with Blanchefleur? The dispute never surprised him. Bad blood existed between them, so clear that even a blind man could see it. But there was a difference between a dispute and that kind of ambush, specially with external assistance...

But Manfred lacked that particular hope. Inside his mind, who seemed to work like a machine, the wheels started to spin, forming the picture he needed to see. No, he didn't want to see it, but evidence gently entered the room and sat herself at the dining table as if no invitation was ever needed. No big piano dropping over his head, just the swift elegance that traversed the logical highways he threw himself in.

"I called Henry, sent a message to Sarah. They're coming here. I will try to reach Aloysus and Mercillia too, see what they might think of the revelation Saturninus brought us all. I will take your word as truth, Saturninus, for the basic principle that an insane man hardly has any reason to lie. Besides, what possible punishment I can inflict on you that you didn't taste? Death? Far as I know, most of Europe believes that you died at the hands of Aloysus Abendroth.

I still have a few details to place... Until then, Saturninus, you'll be held here, as a... guest. A polite term for your stay here. Now, let us all wait for the arrival of our many guests. Heinrich, I strongly advise you to sit down and have a glass of wine. Might help you."

[Luminesa]

Catherine de Sanguine Vivere


Catherine honestly couldn't put her self in a place to understand the story from Michel. Child birth and motherhood had as little appeal as anything could to her. She doubted her body could even carry a child after how much magic had been used to reshape it and keep her alive. But his tail of lost idealism, that held some resonance. Catherine had been devoted to showing that her family didn't have meaning for who she was, and that her magic wasn't a evil power, but that was gone. She had devoted herself to seeking power and security for the last two years. And now she had likely killed hundreds or even thousands when she got her hands on that power. Michel seemed exited when the plan was hatched... but was that a feint? Did he see another Solaine forming in Catherine? Would he wait for a chance to kill her now? Catherine couldn't rule that out... she would have to be very careful around him. A darker still part of her psyche told her to kill him now, take him off guard and end the possible threat now. She pushed that aside quickly. Her path ahead was still uncertain, and throwing away a possible ally was stupid... and cruel. Yet, still she needed to confront him about that.

"I don't know how much I can empathize with that story. Never had any motherly desires. Doubt I could make that work anyway. Bit to gay and bit to... Well if Solaine lost a kid to just using or being exposed to black magic, I don't think my body would give very good results."

A brief blast of suppressed memories from her captivity under Solaine and Olivette rocked Catherine. Things they had planned for her. Things that she really didn't want to think about. Any plan she had for questioning Michel further disappeared as she tried in vain to pull her mind away from that horror. She wanted to grasp out for something to distract her but couldn't. She just felt like a blank empty shell holding only thoughts and imaginings of what could have happened if those monsters had kept a hold of her.

Michel - Signs of Trust

As Michel told his story, he watched Catherine's face. She did not show much of a reaction to his story at first, but she was attentive. Her eyes had some sharpness with a tint of confusion. She was beginning to question her actions, and the massive consequences they would have on the Mundane World. Her face became thoughtful, and she seemed to fade away from the conversation for a moment. Michel continued to speak anyway, as though he could not keep the words from rushing out of his mouth without destroying his lungs. Even if she did not understand, he felt a need to explain himself. He sensed that she had many reasons not to trust him, and he wanted her to at least know he was not going to hurt her. In fact, he had been quite proud of her for attacking Blanchefleur. Her willingness to attack and possibly kill the Head of House Rise had proven to him that she was not somehow evil. In fact, she was the opposite.

She was fragile inside, just barely propping what remained of her hope and sanity on her pale, bony shoulders. Catherine had felt the need to bear her burden alone, at least until she had managed to reach Rabbit and to tell him about her loneliness. Yet while the Dark Mana Being, ironically, was comfortable with being a paternal or even maternal figure, Michel had not been an active father in many years. Yet during that time, his paternal senses had always been awake, tortured by the fact that his own actions were complicated and had indirectly caused Soleil great damage. As he apologized to Catherine, and saw the pain building in her face, his instincts struck him again. Her eyes were glittering with the strong desire to burn those memories away, whether through tears or through violence, or both. Such agony could make a person a hero or a villain, and for some time Catherine had been afraid she was becoming a villain. While Michel could not have known what she was fearing, he still approached her and looked at her for a moment, as though prepping himself. With some caution, he hugged her, taking care not to tighten the hug and to hurt her arm.

Oh man, Rabbit is probably better than me at this...Heh...and I have a son...I just haven't hugged him in twelve years... he thought, as he tried to offer some sort of comfort. He would understand if she pushed him away, as she did not seem like she liked physical contact of any sort. At the same time, however, he wondered if she had parents who cared about her. Oh what am I kidding, she's someone's kid, isn't she?...I wonder if her parents care that she's been in Romania playing with Dark Magic they couldn't even imagine...or nearly dying in fights with Dark Mages... He hugged her for just about a minute, but then stepped back. "Sorry if that was...sudden, I guess. I haven't...been doing the...the dad thing in about twelve years...but the least I can do for a kid who's hurt is to...hug them?" he questioned.

He looked a bit embarrassed, especially considering she was around eighteen and probably did not want someone she probably considered a strange man to be hugging her. "...Feel free to chuck me out the window and into the lake if I made you feel uncomfortable. I know that uhhh...I'm not your dad. Speaking of which...if you decide to go back to Europe, or back...I guess to Chicago...I'll see about paying for a prosthetic for your arm. That shadow...thing...can't be comfortable. And you might feel less pain once you have something in place of the one you lost. That is, if you'd be fine with that."

[Chrome Legion]

Catherine de Sanguine


Catherine had to steady her first impulse, which was to reach her limb of nothing into Michel's chest and crush his heart as he clutched her. Catherine never really did hugs, and certainly not recently. There hadn't been anyone else to think of. The vampires of the tower that gave her their loyalty were sentient, independent beings, but she could hardly interact with them as people. She wasn't tempted to go in for a hug with her hosts in Poland either. All she could think of as her last moment of any physical intimacy had been horribly twisted in Paris, when Olivette had touched her. God, she missed Aria.

She understood that Michel meant to comfort, and that sentiment was appreciated, but the act wasn't. Catherine stood frozen still in his arms, and made sure to give him a nice glare as he backed away.

"Not the touchy kind bro. Let's not do that again."

Catherine was slightly annoyed by the mention of her arm, not particularly at Michel, but how nothing had seemed to work. A regular prosthetic, one built to be controlled by her magic, even the reconstructed flesh when the Towers had given her a go over. She had to rely on Erebus for that.

"I've tried other alternatives for the arm before. This works the best. Bit chilly, but gives me good access to Erebus for his power, and seem to deal with phantom sensations the best. After the Towers failed to heal it, i'm starting to think I'll be stuck with this or nothing."

[Luminesa]

Catherine de Sanguine


Catherine had to steady her first impulse, which was to reach her limb of nothing into Michel's chest and crush his heart as he clutched her. Catherine never really did hugs, and certainly not recently. There hadn't been anyone else to think of. The vampires of the tower that gave her their loyalty were sentient, independent beings, but she could hardly interact with them as people. She wasn't tempted to go in for a hug with her hosts in Poland either. All she could think of as her last moment of any physical intimacy had been horribly twisted in Paris, when Olivette had touched her. God, she missed Aria.

She understood that Michel meant to comfort, and that sentiment was appreciated, but the act wasn't. Catherine stood frozen still in his arms, and made sure to give him a nice glare as he backed away.

"Not the touchy kind bro. Let's not do that again."

Catherine was slightly annoyed by the mention of her arm, not particularly at Michel, but how nothing had seemed to work. A regular prosthetic, one built to be controlled by her magic, even the reconstructed flesh when the Towers had given her a go over. She had to rely on Erebus for that.

"I've tried other alternatives for the arm before. This works the best. Bit chilly, but gives me good access to Erebus for his power, and seem to deal with phantom sensations the best. After the Towers failed to heal it, i'm starting to think I'll be stuck with this or nothing."

Michel - I Think I'm Okay

Michel took a step back and looked at the glare in Catherine's eyes. He sighed soundlessly, and internally he felt some relief that she did not attack him. He did have to give a bit of a chuckle, however, as she called him "bro". He was over twice her age, now, and was a father to a child not much younger than her. Yet he did not argue, as he figured she was not used to emotional attachments. A girl who played with Dark Magic as easily as she did would not seem like the type to accept physical comfort, at least from his experience. And yet she did show a little vulnerability, when she spoke about the idea of getting a prosthetic for her arm. As far as she could tell, no normal replacement would work. Something about the wounds made them too unstable to accept anything else, or maybe Erebus had too much of a hold on her. Even as Michel could not see that strange entity of the void, he could feel it somewhere in the room.

"...Huh. Well...I'm not sure how these Towers would...heal wounds...Dark Magic tends to...not do well at healing, unless under certain...dangerous and unstable circumstances...It's always more give than take," Michel explained, as he gazed at her. He then looked out the window. "...But maybe there's a solution you haven't found yet. Some wise old Light Mage who knows everything about healing dangerous wounds like yours. I'm not...that wise at Light Magic...but maybe an old dog really can learn new tricks." He smirked, as the chilly water's breeze hit his face and gave him a deep sense of peace. Somehow, this strange and miraculous place already felt like home. All he needed was to find the missing piece.

Grenoble - Going Down

The explosion of House Rise, and its evaporation into nothing but energy, did not come in a vacuum. While the ripple was not felt immediately, the people of Grenoble did begin to feel some sensation, as though the ground was becoming unstable beneath them. An earthquake began to shuffle the ground of the small valley-town, and people screamed as they tried to move for shelter. Blurs of people and crumbling structures moved back, forth, up, down, blood, dust, bones, stone all colliding in a horrible blend of forces and wills. Structures bent and some snapped, collapsing on top of poor, unprepared denizens.

The hospital was not prepared either, and an outage ensued as the complex shook on its foundation. Apollinaire shouted for help, while Calixte hid under the bed for safety. Luckily, the ceiling did not collapse on any of them, but the hospital had to rush to get the backup generator running. Other patients in much more danger needed a rush of doctors and nurses, while Apollinaire lie in his bed and glared at the ceiling, hoping it would not fall on his head. When the earthquake passed a few moments later, untold damage had been done outside the hospital. Yet inside, the two Mages were alive and in one piece, except for Apollinaire's arm. The Rise Mage could feel the pain spike as the morphine stopped running into his veins for a moment. Yet when the power returned, a nurse hurried to get his IVs running again, and he groaned. "...Earthquake...Ugh...whatever hit was..."

"Was what?" The nurse stared at him with confusion and a hint of fear.

"...Nothing. Nothing you can stop...Just...stop my pain, please...And get the doctor...I need to know...if they can save this arm..." He could not bear to look at it, even if it sat above the covers. The pulsating muscles, veins, and tissues were a horrific sight, and the attempts at a skin graft would not be successful. An amputation was a potential outcome, and he sighed. He would have to face this question once a doctor came to check on him. For now, however, he had survived an attempt on his life and an earthquake. All he wanted was to fall back to sleep.

[Saleon]

Eliza Hartford
The Sanguine Space Station

---

Catherine de Sanguine Vivere


"No, I can't go back to either place for a while. I can't just leave this thing sitting around. Got a lot to learn about it, and a lot of work to do on myself. Plus... I still have certain commitments in Europe."

Catherine had little doubt that soon enough Krol would be showing up for a chat about the towers. She had no idea how he would react the the latitude she had taken with their plans. Now past the moment, Catherine was less and less confident about her idea to nuke the rise castle. If it didn't change anything, she had just shown her hand, and attracted much attention. Though, for now at least she could relax for the moment. Could think about something else that was bothering her

"Michel, how did you end up tangled up with that family? You know, when you showed up, even being Soliel's dad, I was ready to kill you. Your ex-wife or what ever... She hurt me, her people hurt me. How could you have ended up with them?"

Michel - Burdens Beyond the Grave
"...Solaine was the reason I got...involved, I guess...I was the kid who was into stuff he shouldn't be...but I was also...that kid who tried to date every girl in my senior class. Heh...That was a simpler time. I thought I was a real Casanova. When I met her...she was..." He paused before continuing, knowing that he could not make Catherine's wounds better by telling this story. Maybe he was telling it to assuage the guilt that arose when he thought of his relationship with his wife. "...House Rise...has a history of breaking good people. And bad people. The bad people become even worse...the good people...Solaine was...well...at one time she was a normal teenager. Rebellious, and given her family, I liked her for it. She told me she wanted to be different, she...had dreams of being someone for herself. I told her my dreams...we connected. I had never connected with someone else that way...We both wanted to be different, to...I dunno, do what every rebellious kid wants to do, run away and live life on the edge. My parents let me be who I was...they loved me. Her parents did not...but ultimately, she chose them."

He felt himself sinking inside. The story had no happy ending, just a pile of ashes and blood. "...We got married...after I tried to fight with her family for her...but...the pressure was too much. I had become a Jaegar, believing somehow that...my work would change her. She would want to follow me away...I had chosen the desperate life, I had put everything into it...and yet I still wanted a family. I wanted kids so bad, and so did she. But...she used Dark Magic. Black Magic, even. Imagine...what happens if you smoke when you're pregnant. You've been told probably this and that about smoking or drinking with a baby, even though you don't have any. Well...that's how we lost Lumiere. Black Magic killed him...and she...lost it." Michel wiped a hand down his face, remembering the excruciating memory. Holding a baby that was almost his. Almost. A word that cut the cord faster than he could blink. "...I stayed only because...she ended-up pregnant maybe a year later...and...I had to make sure that somehow Soleil survived. He was going to be mine. I was going to take him and run...It was impossible. And the fact that he survived...it was a miracle."

After talking for a few moments, he turned to Catherine again, his eyes glistening a little. "...I made very, very stupid decisions. I could have had a wife that loved me, loved my family, loved my kids...Soleil would have grandparents who love him. He'd have lived a normal life...I...sacrificed myself...so I could be here now. I knew what was coming...there was no way...I could draw him away...and in a way...a huge way...I abandoned him for twelve years, hoping that the way I chose to do it would...save him. And I won't apologize for Solaine's actions, those are her own. I know she has faced her judgment. But I'm still here...and..." He swallowed a little, shocked that he was showing such emotions. "...I am sorry...that my actions...are part of the reason you have suffered so much. I can't imagine..."

Eliza sortof stumbles into the room. A bit surprised what she had seen. She clears her throat, getting their attention, "well, I hope I'm not, like, ruin any sentimental moment or something... but Rabbit vanished after helping me with the shield of water."

Rene added, "if we had to guess... he was spirited away in the flurry of magic. But... not to the hedge... either the Faewylds or the Dreaming. There were... hints of lavender. But... not natural lavender. Sucked in... "

[Luminesa]

Eglantine - Heir of a Broken Home

"...Tower...and a castle?..." Eglantine unbuckled herself from her seat, as she sat parked on the side of the road, and she stared down at the radio. Her ears were ringing, even though she did not have loud music playing in the car. As her ears started ringing, her head began to swivel around on her neck. She was glad she had the car in park, because as soon as Henry mentioned the Alps, she seemed to lose her vision in front of her. The world became a choppy lake, rising and falling unevenly without a sign of becoming still. Her body was like lead, and she fell sideways across the compartment and into Henry's lap. The ocean before her went black, and her eyes hung slightly-open as she stared into nothing.

Calixte and Apollinaire - A Certain Sort of Poison

Normal spider venom was not effective so quickly. The doctors in the hospital in Grenoble were quite baffled by what they saw, as Calixte walked with her husband just barely awake on her arm. His arm was eaten by some sort of flesh-eating venom, and now blood and tissue were exposed from his wrist to his shoulder. The physicians worked with frantic speed to try and stabilize him, to get the poison out of his body. Apollinaire fell in and out of consciousness, and wore an oxygen mask as he lie in his bed. Fluids and morphine flowed through IV tubes in his arm, and other medicines came through other tubes. His entire body looked covered with wires, and Calixte could hardly see her husband's face underneath all of the equipment. The doctors could not promise her a miracle, but they were doing everything they could.

Her hands shook. The possibility that Apollinaire might die terrified her. She did not want to ponder on such a scenario, and so she began to pace up and down the room. She turned-on the TV, and every now and then she would describe to her husband what was on the TV. When he opened his eyes to look at her, he was too tired to speak, but he listened intently. She held his hand, and pointed to the TV. "Oh look, those reality stars are talking about dating through a cellphone...They're interviewing that soccer player...He looks like a nice boy..." Then came the news that shocked her, and everyone else in France. Some sort of meteor had crashed maybe a few miles away, destroying a massive castle in the Alps. Calixte and Apollinaire only knew one castle from which they had fled. And they had fled moments before the explosion, the phenomenal earth-shattering quake that had reduced parts of the mountain to vapor.

"HOLY MOTHER OF...OUCH!!!" Apollinaire sprang upright in his bed, his oxygen mask flying off along with one of his IV lines. A nurse rushed to get an IV of morphine back in his arm, but somehow the man was still awake. The medicine was working, but slowly. Even so, Apollinaire had energy, and he gawked at the scene before him. Calixte watched alongside him, her eyes flickering from the images on the screen to her husband sitting in bed. She was not sure how to react to either event, and neither was Apollinaire. "...What on earth...oh my God...oh my Gooooooooooood..." Apollinaire shook his head. "...What...that...that whole castle?!...You mean...is Blanchefleur...is she..." His voice became a quiver, both of hope and horror, as this event could have been either a fortune or a curse from some greater evil. Calixte just held his hand, and all the couple could do was watch.

Saturninus Rise - Guilty Conscience

Von Kressel seemed to be just as divided as Rise. Saturninus watched Heinrich and Manfred argue in front of him, without any cares that he heard all of their gripes and accusations at each other. Not that he cared, as he saw their bickering as a prolonging of his life. Part of him still wanted badly to die, before evil could be truly done. He grimaced, but he dropped his eyes and waited for them to speak to him. Stupid nobles, obsessed with stupid, temporal things...They don't see the demons lurking...waiting to finish them...waiting to finish me...They don't know...what true suffering looks like...not from their high thrones of gold... He contemplated on their manners of ruling their House, before they finally gave him some attention.

"...I do...happen to be a dead man...who has been brought back by means that are wicked and forbidden. I should not be alive. But...if you wish for him to land in Lady Mercillia's hands, then I shall accept. As for my message..." He gulped, and swallowed his words for a moment, ruminating on their bitter taste. "...Lady Blanchefleur says...to proceed with the attack. The letter...is from Great Lord Joachim von Kressel. If you do so believe that...your word has any meaning...when your own Head of House has decided your individual fates...Join in the bloodbath and have the wealth you desire! Take it!" Saturninus raised his head, and the madness sprang to life in his icy-blue eyes. "Take it! Salt and burn the earth! Rip and tear, until it is done! If that is what you wish, then follow such a command! If not, then find whatever measly virtues you have, and rise for the honor of your House! Otherwise it will fall, as House Rise shall fall!" His voice rose to a shout, almost a shriek. He looked insane, but he was entirely lucid as he screamed. His message was not something he could easily convey to anyone except a Mage, or except someone who knew what the demons awaited to do to him.

Henry von Kressel

Wild as her reactions could be, Henry didn't expect her to faint while hearing that her aunt's castle was hit by an object few people knew exactly what it was. Of course, the first possibility that comes up to mind was an attack by an unknown party at her castle. "Accidents" rarely happened in the magical world, specially with high profile families like the Rise.

However, as he tried to wake her up, Henry's phone rang. Manfred.

There were some people that called him socially. Sarah often called him to talk about her escapades, or how drunk she got, and in most cases, to describe her researches around the world. But Manfred was a man hard to reach, walls erected around him, defenses that kept his mind safe and working before his enemies even knew they had to antagonize the German lord. Manfred's mind, kept so carefully inside the ivory tower he built for himself, eventually came down to work closely with his allies.

The information was scarce yet precise enough to make Henry hold his breath. It involved Blanchefleur, Joachim and... Saturninus. The man he believed to be dead rose from the dead somehow, and now stood in front of Manfred, his laugh being heard from the phone. Placing Eglantine in the back of the car, he took off the bandages, realizing that Mercillia's particular medicine did work fast.

He drove fast, headed to Vienna, trying to place the pieces together as his car crossed the roads to his meeting with a dead man that had a story to tell.

Von Kressel Bunch

Manfred turned off his phone, staring at Heinrich. His gaze met the confused gaze of his brother, who grasped for some family love as the last hope that it was all a lie. Could it be? His brother, setting him up, allying himself with Blanchefleur? The dispute never surprised him. Bad blood existed between them, so clear that even a blind man could see it. But there was a difference between a dispute and that kind of ambush, specially with external assistance...

But Manfred lacked that particular hope. Inside his mind, who seemed to work like a machine, the wheels started to spin, forming the picture he needed to see. No, he didn't want to see it, but evidence gently entered the room and sat herself at the dining table as if no invitation was ever needed. No big piano dropping over his head, just the swift elegance that traversed the logical highways he threw himself in.

"I called Henry, sent a message to Sarah. They're coming here. I will try to reach Aloysus and Mercillia too, see what they might think of the revelation Saturninus brought us all. I will take your word as truth, Saturninus, for the basic principle that an insane man hardly has any reason to lie. Besides, what possible punishment I can inflict on you that you didn't taste? Death? Far as I know, most of Europe believes that you died at the hands of Aloysus Abendroth.

I still have a few details to place... Until then, Saturninus, you'll be held here, as a... guest. A polite term for your stay here. Now, let us all wait for the arrival of our many guests. Heinrich, I strongly advise you to sit down and have a glass of wine. Might help you."

Saturninus Rise - Cassandra's Burden

The first moments after Saturninus revealed his secrets were full of a loud, angry silence. From across the room, Manfred's eyes screamed, "HOW DARE YOU!" He never cried, but his face turned in such subtle agony that the new prisoner of House Rise could understand some of what the man was feeling. Betrayal in House Rise was a weapon, a shock tactic to push the weak into submission. Blanchefleur's father had especially made this concept important to his family, but Blanchefleur flung betrayal around as though it was currency. Those who did not obey met the fiery end of her palm, the weight of the mighty House's rules and traditions chaining them to the ground, unable to fly away. Betrayal was a part of life. And yet while he had seen it many times before, for the first time he saw someone hoping, pleading, that this news was not true. Saturninus could not take away the pain or the truth, as they came hand-in-hand when he shouted his message. The rot of House Von Kressel lay naked on the tiled floor, and no single Von Kressel could remove it.

Henry would be coming to the mansion, and Sarah would be potentially joining. Even Aloysus and Mercillia were put on the phone. Saturninus's words had already created a ripple that had rocked the ground of the Von Kressel mansion, and now that ripple was reaching out toward the International Committee. Even so, Manfred told Saturninus that he saw no reason to punish the boy. He seemed sympathetic to his situation, and did not want to punish a boy who had been punished enough by being ripped from Heaven's warm embrace. A shudder came to the Rise heir's body, a twinge of the mercy he thought he had found when he had met death and the afterlife. The droplet of mercy the noble gave him was like the drop of cold water dropped onto the rich man's tongue in Gehenna-it soothed his pain for a moment, but didn't reach to the core of his existential ache.

"...Th-Thank you..." After the scene he had made, Saturninus felt that any words he spoke now were meaningless and not worth sparing, but at least thanking Manfred was appropriate enough. He was a guest, a polite term for a political prisoner being held for further questioning. His cell was the living quarters of Manfred Von Kressel, and Heinrich was in the same cell with him. At the very least, Heinrich's punishment would be far, far more severe. After seating himself in a cushioned chair in a corner, the boy's eyes flickered to his warden. "...A...a little liquor might be nice, actually. Um...wine, but...if you have anything stronger...please...I'm so sorry...but I might need it..." Drowning himself in liquor would feel like the opposite of Heaven, but at least he would not be on earth for a while. The reality he had to face when the rest of the House arrived was too painful.

Blanchefleur - Invasive Species

House Rise's main castle was gone. Eleven centuries of coronations, funerals, burials, and lives had moved through those cursed and twisted halls, still grand even in the malevolent aura they had exuded. Blanchefleur's own home was gone, as was her grandfather's home, and his own home. Saturninus's home was gone. If he ever knew what had happened to his mother, he would discover that everything he had ever owned in his human life was now gone, in a flash of unimaginable destruction.

Blanchefleur, however, had been smart in managing to secure things that were important for her survival. She-or her maid-had grabbed her vital documents, quite a bit of clothing, some of her Magical books and tomes, and some artifacts which were important for her to keep. Of course, none of these supplies were visible for normal people to see, as all of them were in suitcases and quickly-piled packages. Anyone else would have felt desolate at having no home, but for the head of House Rise, the solution was simple. Apollinaire and Calixte's home was empty, and now she would take it. A disloyal ally, after all, was no ally at all. She used Shadow Magic to escape the earthquake, which she and her maids had felt begin its roaring rush under their feet. Enormous shadows swept her away, and soon she had crossed around into a different side of the Alps.

Apollinaire and Calixte's castle had been one they had built to escape the tyranny of the castle into which Calixte had been born. It was still hidden far in a crevice in the Alps, but it had a much more modern, Greco-Roman-Revival look. For the couple, it had been a place in which they could attempt to raise their family in a new way. Of course, their efforts had been mixed, and an empty, white-washed bedroom on the second floor was a reminder of this long series of failures. Blanchefleur wondered a little about the window, as she saw it for herself for the first time in years. Eglantine's missing status had changed much of the family dynamic, and had marked the point that the relationship between Blanchefleur and Calixte had been altered forever. She cursed how much a teenager had been allowed to swerve her plans, but a swerve did not always mean a crash. She entered the front steps of the quiet, unmoving mansion, and now she had another base of operations.

Elsewhere, her starved and angry dragons soared through the skies, mostly too high for humans to spy with the naked eye. Yet their roars and snarls sounded like thunder, and everyone had their myths about thunder coming from a clear, sunny sky. Some would say the Devil was beating his wife. Others would say that some strange animals were getting married. Strange animals indeed were crossing the sky, but nothing that any Mundane could have anticipated.

The newscasters all over France and the surrounding countries were baffled by the bizarre events, and despite their attempts to explain them as natural phenomena, newsrooms were full of reporters and journalists with blank, glassy eyes full of wonder and fear. As they spoke, trying to interpret what they had seen, they had to pause and gulp down their panic. Some cried. President Macron was suggesting the declaration of a national emergency, but with the events in question having only taken place outside of Grenoble, now he was said to be debating the issue with the French Parliament. The International Committee was also receiving messages and phone-calls from Mages all over the continent, and around the world, as the news of a massive explosion in the Alps spread and planted panic in those who knew better. Aloysus and Mercillia, who were now expected to travel to handle Saturninus's return from the dead, would now also be expected to handle what could only be explained as a prophetic horror occurring in the Alps.

[Kingdom of Irhk]

Henry von Kressel

Wild as her reactions could be, Henry didn't expect her to faint while hearing that her aunt's castle was hit by an object few people knew exactly what it was. Of course, the first possibility that comes up to mind was an attack by an unknown party at her castle. "Accidents" rarely happened in the magical world, specially with high profile families like the Rise.

However, as he tried to wake her up, Henry's phone rang. Manfred.

There were some people that called him socially. Sarah often called him to talk about her escapades, or how drunk she got, and in most cases, to describe her researches around the world. But Manfred was a man hard to reach, walls erected around him, defenses that kept his mind safe and working before his enemies even knew they had to antagonize the German lord. Manfred's mind, kept so carefully inside the ivory tower he built for himself, eventually came down to work closely with his allies.

The information was scarce yet precise enough to make Henry hold his breath. It involved Blanchefleur, Joachim and... Saturninus. The man he believed to be dead rose from the dead somehow, and now stood in front of Manfred, his laugh being heard from the phone. Placing Eglantine in the back of the car, he took off the bandages, realizing that Mercillia's particular medicine did work fast.

He drove fast, headed to Vienna, trying to place the pieces together as his car crossed the roads to his meeting with a dead man that had a story to tell.

Von Kressel Bunch

Manfred turned off his phone, staring at Heinrich. His gaze met the confused gaze of his brother, who grasped for some family love as the last hope that it was all a lie. Could it be? His brother, setting him up, allying himself with Blanchefleur? The dispute never surprised him. Bad blood existed between them, so clear that even a blind man could see it. But there was a difference between a dispute and that kind of ambush, specially with external assistance...

But Manfred lacked that particular hope. Inside his mind, who seemed to work like a machine, the wheels started to spin, forming the picture he needed to see. No, he didn't want to see it, but evidence gently entered the room and sat herself at the dining table as if no invitation was ever needed. No big piano dropping over his head, just the swift elegance that traversed the logical highways he threw himself in.

"I called Henry, sent a message to Sarah. They're coming here. I will try to reach Aloysus and Mercillia too, see what they might think of the revelation Saturninus brought us all. I will take your word as truth, Saturninus, for the basic principle that an insane man hardly has any reason to lie. Besides, what possible punishment I can inflict on you that you didn't taste? Death? Far as I know, most of Europe believes that you died at the hands of Aloysus Abendroth.

I still have a few details to place... Until then, Saturninus, you'll be held here, as a... guest. A polite term for your stay here. Now, let us all wait for the arrival of our many guests. Heinrich, I strongly advise you to sit down and have a glass of wine. Might help you."

Saturninus Rise - Cassandra's Burden

The first moments after Saturninus revealed his secrets were full of a loud, angry silence. From across the room, Manfred's eyes screamed, "HOW DARE YOU!" He never cried, but his face turned in such subtle agony that the new prisoner of House Rise could understand some of what the man was feeling. Betrayal in House Rise was a weapon, a shock tactic to push the weak into submission. Blanchefleur's father had especially made this concept important to his family, but Blanchefleur flung betrayal around as though it was currency. Those who did not obey met the fiery end of her palm, the weight of the mighty House's rules and traditions chaining them to the ground, unable to fly away. Betrayal was a part of life. And yet while he had seen it many times before, for the first time he saw someone hoping, pleading, that this news was not true. Saturninus could not take away the pain or the truth, as they came hand-in-hand when he shouted his message. The rot of House Von Kressel lay naked on the tiled floor, and no single Von Kressel could remove it.

Henry would be coming to the mansion, and Sarah would be potentially joining. Even Aloysus and Mercillia were put on the phone. Saturninus's words had already created a ripple that had rocked the ground of the Von Kressel mansion, and now that ripple was reaching out toward the International Committee. Even so, Manfred told Saturninus that he saw no reason to punish the boy. He seemed sympathetic to his situation, and did not want to punish a boy who had been punished enough by being ripped from Heaven's warm embrace. A shudder came to the Rise heir's body, a twinge of the mercy he thought he had found when he had met death and the afterlife. The droplet of mercy the noble gave him was like the drop of cold water dropped onto the rich man's tongue in Gehenna-it soothed his pain for a moment, but didn't reach to the core of his existential ache.

"...Th-Thank you..." After the scene he had made, Saturninus felt that any words he spoke now were meaningless and not worth sparing, but at least thanking Manfred was appropriate enough. He was a guest, a polite term for a political prisoner being held for further questioning. His cell was the living quarters of Manfred Von Kressel, and Heinrich was in the same cell with him. At the very least, Heinrich's punishment would be far, far more severe. After seating himself in a cushioned chair in a corner, the boy's eyes flickered to his warden. "...A...a little liquor might be nice, actually. Um...wine, but...if you have anything stronger...please...I'm so sorry...but I might need it..." Drowning himself in liquor would feel like the opposite of Heaven, but at least he would not be on earth for a while. The reality he had to face when the rest of the House arrived was too painful.

Manfred von Kressel

With a hand gesture, a servant brought liquor and two cups. Heinrich knew very well to let Manfred to his conversations ever since they were both young adults. Alone, Manfred stared at the sun who enlightened the room they were both in, sat on the same chairs yet in different positions. Manfred got up, straightening his robe before he filled the cups of liquor, slowly filling them with the alcohol they both needed. His eyes seemed to drift to the window once more, admiring the gardens.

"I always wondered how the after life was, you know. Greeks always defined it differently than the Egyptians, and so on... Once I lost myself, in a room like this one, reminding myself of how powerful the myth of Ma'at is. To take away a man's heart, weigh it against a feather, and be lighter than it... Can you wonder?

You may think, Saturninus, that what shames me the most is the fact that you broke the news to me. That now the moral decadence of my house is exposed and I can't... I can't drown it in gold and make it precious. But that's not it. See, I stopped thinking about afterlife myths once I realized that it was a waste of time. It made my eyes stare towards a future that it wouldn't take me any effort to build. Die with a relatively clear mind and live peacefully. But isn't that so selfish?

And so I carried myself with prudence and privacy, believing that it was upon me to make the life better. Afterlife, well... Once I was old and retired, I could afford of thinking about such things. I beg your pardon for riding around in this matter, I'll be more objective. I talk to you about afterlife as my heart is now heavy with shame. With guilt, with regret... and a man can't live with that any longer. I allowed my brother to conduct his business in a way that would make Machiavelli proud. Pragmatically, he succeeded in making this House a synonym of greatness.

But now... he crossed a line, Saturninus. He crossed many others before, but ones that rationally I could comprehend or at least... disregard for bigger, superior reasons. With no offense to your family, but Blanchefleur is a threat we can't take lightly. And not only he did that, but he planned alongside her against his own blood.

It is with this heart, drenched in guilt and anger that I tell you... Joachim cannot be allowed to do this anymore. So, I offer you a deal.

I need you to testify. To guarantee to the ones that will be present here that what you said is true. And then, I'll give you what you want.

Your death."

Henry von Kressel - Vienna Outskirts

Along the countryside, Henry found a nice, calm place to park his car and finally wake Eglantine up. The shock of knowing that the residence of her aunt got hit, and no one knew exactly what happened. She fainted and even if Henry traveled as fast as he could, Eglantine seemed to turn her faint into a nap, and her nap into a peaceful sleep that she apparently needed.

It was always a hard decision to wake her up. It was clear to a more trained eye that Eglantine had her fair share of experience she didn't want to talk about, and that pushing back the world certainly tired her considerably. It almost felt like a sin, to do those small shakes with a gentle hand on her shoulder, to pull her from her slumber.

"Eglantine, Eglantine... wake up... Vienna is near but we... we need to talk."

[Luminesa]

Saturninus Rise - Cassandra's Burden

The first moments after Saturninus revealed his secrets were full of a loud, angry silence. From across the room, Manfred's eyes screamed, "HOW DARE YOU!" He never cried, but his face turned in such subtle agony that the new prisoner of House Rise could understand some of what the man was feeling. Betrayal in House Rise was a weapon, a shock tactic to push the weak into submission. Blanchefleur's father had especially made this concept important to his family, but Blanchefleur flung betrayal around as though it was currency. Those who did not obey met the fiery end of her palm, the weight of the mighty House's rules and traditions chaining them to the ground, unable to fly away. Betrayal was a part of life. And yet while he had seen it many times before, for the first time he saw someone hoping, pleading, that this news was not true. Saturninus could not take away the pain or the truth, as they came hand-in-hand when he shouted his message. The rot of House Von Kressel lay naked on the tiled floor, and no single Von Kressel could remove it.

Henry would be coming to the mansion, and Sarah would be potentially joining. Even Aloysus and Mercillia were put on the phone. Saturninus's words had already created a ripple that had rocked the ground of the Von Kressel mansion, and now that ripple was reaching out toward the International Committee. Even so, Manfred told Saturninus that he saw no reason to punish the boy. He seemed sympathetic to his situation, and did not want to punish a boy who had been punished enough by being ripped from Heaven's warm embrace. A shudder came to the Rise heir's body, a twinge of the mercy he thought he had found when he had met death and the afterlife. The droplet of mercy the noble gave him was like the drop of cold water dropped onto the rich man's tongue in Gehenna-it soothed his pain for a moment, but didn't reach to the core of his existential ache.

"...Th-Thank you..." After the scene he had made, Saturninus felt that any words he spoke now were meaningless and not worth sparing, but at least thanking Manfred was appropriate enough. He was a guest, a polite term for a political prisoner being held for further questioning. His cell was the living quarters of Manfred Von Kressel, and Heinrich was in the same cell with him. At the very least, Heinrich's punishment would be far, far more severe. After seating himself in a cushioned chair in a corner, the boy's eyes flickered to his warden. "...A...a little liquor might be nice, actually. Um...wine, but...if you have anything stronger...please...I'm so sorry...but I might need it..." Drowning himself in liquor would feel like the opposite of Heaven, but at least he would not be on earth for a while. The reality he had to face when the rest of the House arrived was too painful.

Manfred von Kressel

With a hand gesture, a servant brought liquor and two cups. Heinrich knew very well to let Manfred to his conversations ever since they were both young adults. Alone, Manfred stared at the sun who enlightened the room they were both in, sat on the same chairs yet in different positions. Manfred got up, straightening his robe before he filled the cups of liquor, slowly filling them with the alcohol they both needed. His eyes seemed to drift to the window once more, admiring the gardens.

"I always wondered how the after life was, you know. Greeks always defined it differently than the Egyptians, and so on... Once I lost myself, in a room like this one, reminding myself of how powerful the myth of Ma'at is. To take away a man's heart, weigh it against a feather, and be lighter than it... Can you wonder?

You may think, Saturninus, that what shames me the most is the fact that you broke the news to me. That now the moral decadence of my house is exposed and I can't... I can't drown it in gold and make it precious. But that's not it. See, I stopped thinking about afterlife myths once I realized that it was a waste of time. It made my eyes stare towards a future that it wouldn't take me any effort to build. Die with a relatively clear mind and live peacefully. But isn't that so selfish?

And so I carried myself with prudence and privacy, believing that it was upon me to make the life better. Afterlife, well... Once I was old and retired, I could afford of thinking about such things. I beg your pardon for riding around in this matter, I'll be more objective. I talk to you about afterlife as my heart is now heavy with shame. With guilt, with regret... and a man can't live with that any longer. I allowed my brother to conduct his business in a way that would make Machiavelli proud. Pragmatically, he succeeded in making this House a synonym of greatness.

But now... he crossed a line, Saturninus. He crossed many others before, but ones that rationally I could comprehend or at least... disregard for bigger, superior reasons. With no offense to your family, but Blanchefleur is a threat we can't take lightly. And not only he did that, but he planned alongside her against his own blood.

It is with this heart, drenched in guilt and anger that I tell you... Joachim cannot be allowed to do this anymore. So, I offer you a deal.

I need you to testify. To guarantee to the ones that will be present here that what you said is true. And then, I'll give you what you want.

Your death."

Henry von Kressel - Vienna Outskirts

Along the countryside, Henry found a nice, calm place to park his car and finally wake Eglantine up. The shock of knowing that the residence of her aunt got hit, and no one knew exactly what happened. She fainted and even if Henry traveled as fast as he could, Eglantine seemed to turn her faint into a nap, and her nap into a peaceful sleep that she apparently needed.

It was always a hard decision to wake her up. It was clear to a more trained eye that Eglantine had her fair share of experience she didn't want to talk about, and that pushing back the world certainly tired her considerably. It almost felt like a sin, to do those small shakes with a gentle hand on her shoulder, to pull her from her slumber.

"Eglantine, Eglantine... wake up... Vienna is near but we... we need to talk."

Michel - Missing Man

Glad that Catherine did not attempt to vaporize him on the spot for hugging him, Michel took a step back and let his back's muscles relax a little. All he wanted was to get off the deck of these Towers and to maybe walk on some solid ground. He wanted to move across the water to try and find his son on Mana's campus, but he could not swim the distance between Mana and the Towers. He did not know where Catherine planned to go now, though he did not know if she wanted him along for the ride. Leaving this Tower in the middle of the lake would prompt questions from the wrong people, and then it would most definitely sink to the bottom if Catherine could not find a way to make it fly again. Of course, the Tower was capable of some bizarre Dark Magic, so he could only wonder what she would do to reach her destination. Not much talk moved between the former Jaegar and the girl, which made the atmosphere inside the room stiff and chilly.

Lucky for him, the silence was broken as Eliza and Rene's stepped sounded from upstairs. When Michel turned to see them, however, he noticed that they had not brought Rabbit along. At first, he wondered if the Dark Mana Being was spending some time alone, observing the world from the top of the Towers. Yet Eliza looked uneasy as she appeared, and Michel knew in an instant that disaster had somehow struck again. As she mentioned that Rabbit had disappeared, he blinked and rubbed his eyes. "...Wait...wait, wait, wait...Rabbit is...missing?! And he was just here? And you think he got taken to either the Faewylds or the Dreaming? His jaw hung open a little, as the duo spoke of this sudden sharp turn of events. "...Well we can't just stand around and wait for him to come back, who knows if a Fae would let him go so easily! Is there any way we can track the scent of the lavender and pull him back? Because if not, we have to go into the Faewylds. Which is not impossible, but it's not fun, I'm sure," he argued.

Eglantine - Woke-Up Dreaming

The drive to Vienna was a speedy expedition, with Henry blazing one-eyed through the interstate. Eglantine missed almost all of it, as her head bobbled unconsciously against the back of her seat, and then against the compartment between the two seats as her boyfriend took some rather dangerous turns. She looked as though she was asleep, thinking nothing of the catastrophe that had just occurred. Even when she awakened, she could not remember why she had fainted. As Henry shook her shoulder, she blinked a few times wearily, and then bent her body into a sitting position. "...Uhhhh...oh ouch...my head...Wait..." She looked out the window, and then at her companion. "...We're near Vienna?...Already?...You drive...faster than I do...Geez, how long has it been?...And uh...what do we need to talk about?...Man, I must have...hit my head hard..." she mumbled. When she looked into Henry's face, Eglantine knew that something substantial had happened, as her boyfriend's eyebrows were knit with stress and fear for the future. At least they were parked in the countryside, in which time did not ever seem to rush to go anywhere.

Saturninus Rise - Show Me How to Live

Saturninus felt the burning scent of liquor tickling his nose, and his eyes burned a little as he took a shot. When he did not instantly get drunk, he took another shot. And yet as Manfred began to speak to him, he decided that being intoxicated would not help him. The man began to speak about his views on the afterlife, which seemed interesting enough, but he had a point to his words. The here and now were what marked Manfred's intentions, as he had spent so much time trying to hide away the problems of his family behind a gold curtain. A fanciful masquerade that appeared to be "tradition". The Rise heir understood this feeling quite well. His family had always emphasized tradition, but never any good traditions. Everything was for power and appearances, and everyone suffered in silence and disgrace.

Manfred wanted to turn his family around, and Saturninus vocalizing the threat against him gave him the chance to make that decision. He would no longer stand for a lie, and he was determined to set things right. With that intention in mind, he set a choice before the boy. He could testify against Joachim, a dangerous task that could cause him to suffer more than he already had endured. Joachim was almost as cruel as Blanchefleur, as much as he tried to hide his true self, and he would not hesitate to kill even his own family members if they stood in his way. Yet Saturninus knew that this choice was the only right choice. He nodded to the request, before he chugged down a little more liquor. The burning sensation warmed his heart and gave him a little more life, which brought him to contemplate the second part of the deal. If Saturninus did what he was told, he could be laid to rest. Finally.

The deal sounded sweet enough. Saturninus would have one more chance to be a hero, and then his life would be over. Hopefully, he would return to the Heaven in which he had found peace. And yet at the same time, being alive again had caused him to wonder. He had wanted to die so badly, so quickly, and despite this desire he had only just now begun to wonder what living was like. He had been stuck behind closed doors and cold, cobblestone walls for many years, and then even when he was in school he was never allowed to have friends or lovers. He had stayed away from his teachers. His mother had been proud of his achievements, but only so that she could brag that her son was the best-suited child to be the Rise heir. She never spoke kindly, tender words about how perfect her son was. And thus, he seemed to know now why he preferred death, beside the obvious debacle that sat in front of both nobles.

"...Death...has sounded like such a kind alternative...to the life that awaits me at home...but...I don't know. I've never actually considered...what it's like to have a life. My own life. As far as I was concerned, my life belonged to my House. But...if I could make my life into something else...could it be possible?...Could I live a happy life?" Saturninus gulped, as the words shook themselves from the sides of his throat, and rose through his lips. He could feel his eyes stinging, and not because of the alcohol. "...Do I have to...make my life around the desires of a mother who...only sees me as a tool?...I killed someone, Lord Manfred...I killed one of my own classmates...and caused other people endless misery...all because I believed that those things were part of being the Rise heir. But...can I change who I am, even if I am undead?...And...if I could...what would that life look like? Would I be able to have the love and peace that other people somehow have? The love and peace I scorned for so long?...I lost that when I came back from the afterlife...but could I...truly find it here?..." He chugged his liquor, and saw that now his glass was empty. Maybe the empty glass in his heart was empty as well, and he wondered now if he could ever fill it. "...If you could help me find that...then a deal is a deal..."

[Kingdom of Irhk]

Manfred von Kressel

With a hand gesture, a servant brought liquor and two cups. Heinrich knew very well to let Manfred to his conversations ever since they were both young adults. Alone, Manfred stared at the sun who enlightened the room they were both in, sat on the same chairs yet in different positions. Manfred got up, straightening his robe before he filled the cups of liquor, slowly filling them with the alcohol they both needed. His eyes seemed to drift to the window once more, admiring the gardens.

"I always wondered how the after life was, you know. Greeks always defined it differently than the Egyptians, and so on... Once I lost myself, in a room like this one, reminding myself of how powerful the myth of Ma'at is. To take away a man's heart, weigh it against a feather, and be lighter than it... Can you wonder?

You may think, Saturninus, that what shames me the most is the fact that you broke the news to me. That now the moral decadence of my house is exposed and I can't... I can't drown it in gold and make it precious. But that's not it. See, I stopped thinking about afterlife myths once I realized that it was a waste of time. It made my eyes stare towards a future that it wouldn't take me any effort to build. Die with a relatively clear mind and live peacefully. But isn't that so selfish?

And so I carried myself with prudence and privacy, believing that it was upon me to make the life better. Afterlife, well... Once I was old and retired, I could afford of thinking about such things. I beg your pardon for riding around in this matter, I'll be more objective. I talk to you about afterlife as my heart is now heavy with shame. With guilt, with regret... and a man can't live with that any longer. I allowed my brother to conduct his business in a way that would make Machiavelli proud. Pragmatically, he succeeded in making this House a synonym of greatness.

But now... he crossed a line, Saturninus. He crossed many others before, but ones that rationally I could comprehend or at least... disregard for bigger, superior reasons. With no offense to your family, but Blanchefleur is a threat we can't take lightly. And not only he did that, but he planned alongside her against his own blood.

It is with this heart, drenched in guilt and anger that I tell you... Joachim cannot be allowed to do this anymore. So, I offer you a deal.

I need you to testify. To guarantee to the ones that will be present here that what you said is true. And then, I'll give you what you want.

Your death."

Henry von Kressel - Vienna Outskirts

Along the countryside, Henry found a nice, calm place to park his car and finally wake Eglantine up. The shock of knowing that the residence of her aunt got hit, and no one knew exactly what happened. She fainted and even if Henry traveled as fast as he could, Eglantine seemed to turn her faint into a nap, and her nap into a peaceful sleep that she apparently needed.

It was always a hard decision to wake her up. It was clear to a more trained eye that Eglantine had her fair share of experience she didn't want to talk about, and that pushing back the world certainly tired her considerably. It almost felt like a sin, to do those small shakes with a gentle hand on her shoulder, to pull her from her slumber.

"Eglantine, Eglantine... wake up... Vienna is near but we... we need to talk."

Michel - Missing Man

Glad that Catherine did not attempt to vaporize him on the spot for hugging him, Michel took a step back and let his back's muscles relax a little. All he wanted was to get off the deck of these Towers and to maybe walk on some solid ground. He wanted to move across the water to try and find his son on Mana's campus, but he could not swim the distance between Mana and the Towers. He did not know where Catherine planned to go now, though he did not know if she wanted him along for the ride. Leaving this Tower in the middle of the lake would prompt questions from the wrong people, and then it would most definitely sink to the bottom if Catherine could not find a way to make it fly again. Of course, the Tower was capable of some bizarre Dark Magic, so he could only wonder what she would do to reach her destination. Not much talk moved between the former Jaegar and the girl, which made the atmosphere inside the room stiff and chilly.

Lucky for him, the silence was broken as Eliza and Rene's stepped sounded from upstairs. When Michel turned to see them, however, he noticed that they had not brought Rabbit along. At first, he wondered if the Dark Mana Being was spending some time alone, observing the world from the top of the Towers. Yet Eliza looked uneasy as she appeared, and Michel knew in an instant that disaster had somehow struck again. As she mentioned that Rabbit had disappeared, he blinked and rubbed his eyes. "...Wait...wait, wait, wait...Rabbit is...missing?! And he was just here? And you think he got taken to either the Faewylds or the Dreaming? His jaw hung open a little, as the duo spoke of this sudden sharp turn of events. "...Well we can't just stand around and wait for him to come back, who knows if a Fae would let him go so easily! Is there any way we can track the scent of the lavender and pull him back? Because if not, we have to go into the Faewylds. Which is not impossible, but it's not fun, I'm sure," he argued.

Eglantine - Woke-Up Dreaming

The drive to Vienna was a speedy expedition, with Henry blazing one-eyed through the interstate. Eglantine missed almost all of it, as her head bobbled unconsciously against the back of her seat, and then against the compartment between the two seats as her boyfriend took some rather dangerous turns. She looked as though she was asleep, thinking nothing of the catastrophe that had just occurred. Even when she awakened, she could not remember why she had fainted. As Henry shook her shoulder, she blinked a few times wearily, and then bent her body into a sitting position. "...Uhhhh...oh ouch...my head...Wait..." She looked out the window, and then at her companion. "...We're near Vienna?...Already?...You drive...faster than I do...Geez, how long has it been?...And uh...what do we need to talk about?...Man, I must have...hit my head hard..." she mumbled. When she looked into Henry's face, Eglantine knew that something substantial had happened, as her boyfriend's eyebrows were knit with stress and fear for the future. At least they were parked in the countryside, in which time did not ever seem to rush to go anywhere.

Saturninus Rise - Show Me How to Live

Saturninus felt the burning scent of liquor tickling his nose, and his eyes burned a little as he took a shot. When he did not instantly get drunk, he took another shot. And yet as Manfred began to speak to him, he decided that being intoxicated would not help him. The man began to speak about his views on the afterlife, which seemed interesting enough, but he had a point to his words. The here and now were what marked Manfred's intentions, as he had spent so much time trying to hide away the problems of his family behind a gold curtain. A fanciful masquerade that appeared to be "tradition". The Rise heir understood this feeling quite well. His family had always emphasized tradition, but never any good traditions. Everything was for power and appearances, and everyone suffered in silence and disgrace.

Manfred wanted to turn his family around, and Saturninus vocalizing the threat against him gave him the chance to make that decision. He would no longer stand for a lie, and he was determined to set things right. With that intention in mind, he set a choice before the boy. He could testify against Joachim, a dangerous task that could cause him to suffer more than he already had endured. Joachim was almost as cruel as Blanchefleur, as much as he tried to hide his true self, and he would not hesitate to kill even his own family members if they stood in his way. Yet Saturninus knew that this choice was the only right choice. He nodded to the request, before he chugged down a little more liquor. The burning sensation warmed his heart and gave him a little more life, which brought him to contemplate the second part of the deal. If Saturninus did what he was told, he could be laid to rest. Finally.

The deal sounded sweet enough. Saturninus would have one more chance to be a hero, and then his life would be over. Hopefully, he would return to the Heaven in which he had found peace. And yet at the same time, being alive again had caused him to wonder. He had wanted to die so badly, so quickly, and despite this desire he had only just now begun to wonder what living was like. He had been stuck behind closed doors and cold, cobblestone walls for many years, and then even when he was in school he was never allowed to have friends or lovers. He had stayed away from his teachers. His mother had been proud of his achievements, but only so that she could brag that her son was the best-suited child to be the Rise heir. She never spoke kindly, tender words about how perfect her son was. And thus, he seemed to know now why he preferred death, beside the obvious debacle that sat in front of both nobles.

"...Death...has sounded like such a kind alternative...to the life that awaits me at home...but...I don't know. I've never actually considered...what it's like to have a life. My own life. As far as I was concerned, my life belonged to my House. But...if I could make my life into something else...could it be possible?...Could I live a happy life?" Saturninus gulped, as the words shook themselves from the sides of his throat, and rose through his lips. He could feel his eyes stinging, and not because of the alcohol. "...Do I have to...make my life around the desires of a mother who...only sees me as a tool?...I killed someone, Lord Manfred...I killed one of my own classmates...and caused other people endless misery...all because I believed that those things were part of being the Rise heir. But...can I change who I am, even if I am undead?...And...if I could...what would that life look like? Would I be able to have the love and peace that other people somehow have? The love and peace I scorned for so long?...I lost that when I came back from the afterlife...but could I...truly find it here?..." He chugged his liquor, and saw that now his glass was empty. Maybe the empty glass in his heart was empty as well, and he wondered now if he could ever fill it. "...If you could help me find that...then a deal is a deal..."

Henry von Kressel

How is a man supposed to tell that someone came back from the death? No man ever had to do it before, Henry assumed. There was always a reasonable explanation, but this time, the man was truly undead. He tried to piece the phrase together in a manner that when heard, Eglantine wouldn't faint again. But it wasn't easy to turn to a woman and say that her relative came back from the grave to accuse one of Europe's most powerful nobles of high treason.

"Well... You fainted for a long time. And... I received news. I know this won't make sense, as it isn't making sense to me, but Manfred called me and he said that... Saturninus marched inside the hall he was, saying compromising information about my father. Manfred urged for me to come to Vienna, and so I did it, because in all of my years I hardly heard of Manfred urging something. So you kind of just turned your faint into a rest and here we are, running to see a dead man actually tell a tale. Want to... grab something to eat?"

Manfred von Kressel

"Strong as the tailor may be, it is impossible for he to weave someone else's destiny."

He let the words sink in, as the silence surrounded both of them, apparently moving the room to another reality as Manfred sipped another gulp of the liquor slowly. He wanted the words to dance through Saturninus' mind, who now probably had to readapt every memory, since his childhood, to the phrase Manfred shot at his direction. Like a stone thrown at a glass panel, there was no loud noise coming from the chemical reactions of powder, causing it to fly from a barrel. The consequence could only be seen when both things met: the glass panel, shattering apart when confronted with the stone, caused the noise that everyone could hear.

How a man could understand now, upon those words, that he was his to be? That his actions could be his, instead of carried on by the desires of another? That Saturninus, in his unlife, could finally and ironically, live? Gentle as Manfred could be, his accent was still present to a degree that the naturally strong sounds of the German language transformed it into a slap: a iron fist with a velvet glove met Saturninus' world as Manfred kept his composure masterfully, an art he mastered during the years of his formation as a man, mage and noble.

"The barriers of possibility are... fragile, to say the least. If you, for example, walked down this street and told someone that you actually can summon fire from your hands... They would say it is impossible. And even if you did it, they would say it's a trick. 'It is impossible!', they would scream at you. Maybe they would clap. But for them, it is only possible as a trick. Now let us both suppose that you take this person to Innsbruck, to watch my sister teach her lessons. They would believe it. Would they call it an abomination? A miracle? I can't go that far in my hypothesis, but you get my meaning, as the smart man you are.

With the same allegation, yet with varying levels of evidence and changing the point of view, you transformed impossible into relatively possible, and relatively possible into true. I could list mundane things, such as the atom, subatomic particles, radiation... But let us not get tangled into such web, attractive as it may be.

No one believed it was possible for a man to come back from the dead, but Michel, your uncle if my memory serves me right. You just did it yourself, unless this is all a hallucinogenic trip of fumes inhaled in my breakfast, which I have enough evidence to say it wasn't. No one believed that Henry, my nephew, would be a fighter and so he did.

Now, we discussed magic, life and death, and life achievements. There are more examples of such. Are you a fan of sports, Saturninus? I suppose they didn't allow you to watch many football games... How many times someone said 'this is the definitive record', only to watch the definitive become a past record? I am sorry if I tire you with this many examples, as I suppose we should get to the point."

Allowing his eyes to drift towards the view he had from the armchair he sat on, Manfred once more readied himself to launch another barrage of stones at Saturninus' glass panels, allowing them both time to drink the liquor served to them, as if it was made to help them to swallow their new realities, filled with reshuffling of papers, worries and information. Silence, the lord of many outfits - as it could be awkward, threatening, reassuring or even comforting - gave the finishing touch to his speech.

"Even witnessing dragons, salamanders, abominations brought to existence by Dark Magic, a whole world that is so thinly yet perfectly veiled among non-magical humans, you ask me if you can be... happy. You witnessed another way of living, a completely different governmental structure, where men ask how far their Magic can take them, as they search to harness the very Mana of this world, and the question you present is faced with so few barriers, so few complications, that it seems absurdly simple compared to the others.

I can't guarantee that you will find happiness. This... is a personal journey, one that no man or woman, mage or non-mage, can help you with. But... I can guarantee, with no hint of doubt, that is possible to turn your unlife into life, if that's your wish."

[Luminesa]

Michel - Missing Man

Glad that Catherine did not attempt to vaporize him on the spot for hugging him, Michel took a step back and let his back's muscles relax a little. All he wanted was to get off the deck of these Towers and to maybe walk on some solid ground. He wanted to move across the water to try and find his son on Mana's campus, but he could not swim the distance between Mana and the Towers. He did not know where Catherine planned to go now, though he did not know if she wanted him along for the ride. Leaving this Tower in the middle of the lake would prompt questions from the wrong people, and then it would most definitely sink to the bottom if Catherine could not find a way to make it fly again. Of course, the Tower was capable of some bizarre Dark Magic, so he could only wonder what she would do to reach her destination. Not much talk moved between the former Jaegar and the girl, which made the atmosphere inside the room stiff and chilly.

Lucky for him, the silence was broken as Eliza and Rene's stepped sounded from upstairs. When Michel turned to see them, however, he noticed that they had not brought Rabbit along. At first, he wondered if the Dark Mana Being was spending some time alone, observing the world from the top of the Towers. Yet Eliza looked uneasy as she appeared, and Michel knew in an instant that disaster had somehow struck again. As she mentioned that Rabbit had disappeared, he blinked and rubbed his eyes. "...Wait...wait, wait, wait...Rabbit is...missing?! And he was just here? And you think he got taken to either the Faewylds or the Dreaming? His jaw hung open a little, as the duo spoke of this sudden sharp turn of events. "...Well we can't just stand around and wait for him to come back, who knows if a Fae would let him go so easily! Is there any way we can track the scent of the lavender and pull him back? Because if not, we have to go into the Faewylds. Which is not impossible, but it's not fun, I'm sure," he argued.

Eglantine - Woke-Up Dreaming

The drive to Vienna was a speedy expedition, with Henry blazing one-eyed through the interstate. Eglantine missed almost all of it, as her head bobbled unconsciously against the back of her seat, and then against the compartment between the two seats as her boyfriend took some rather dangerous turns. She looked as though she was asleep, thinking nothing of the catastrophe that had just occurred. Even when she awakened, she could not remember why she had fainted. As Henry shook her shoulder, she blinked a few times wearily, and then bent her body into a sitting position. "...Uhhhh...oh ouch...my head...Wait..." She looked out the window, and then at her companion. "...We're near Vienna?...Already?...You drive...faster than I do...Geez, how long has it been?...And uh...what do we need to talk about?...Man, I must have...hit my head hard..." she mumbled. When she looked into Henry's face, Eglantine knew that something substantial had happened, as her boyfriend's eyebrows were knit with stress and fear for the future. At least they were parked in the countryside, in which time did not ever seem to rush to go anywhere.

Saturninus Rise - Show Me How to Live

Saturninus felt the burning scent of liquor tickling his nose, and his eyes burned a little as he took a shot. When he did not instantly get drunk, he took another shot. And yet as Manfred began to speak to him, he decided that being intoxicated would not help him. The man began to speak about his views on the afterlife, which seemed interesting enough, but he had a point to his words. The here and now were what marked Manfred's intentions, as he had spent so much time trying to hide away the problems of his family behind a gold curtain. A fanciful masquerade that appeared to be "tradition". The Rise heir understood this feeling quite well. His family had always emphasized tradition, but never any good traditions. Everything was for power and appearances, and everyone suffered in silence and disgrace.

Manfred wanted to turn his family around, and Saturninus vocalizing the threat against him gave him the chance to make that decision. He would no longer stand for a lie, and he was determined to set things right. With that intention in mind, he set a choice before the boy. He could testify against Joachim, a dangerous task that could cause him to suffer more than he already had endured. Joachim was almost as cruel as Blanchefleur, as much as he tried to hide his true self, and he would not hesitate to kill even his own family members if they stood in his way. Yet Saturninus knew that this choice was the only right choice. He nodded to the request, before he chugged down a little more liquor. The burning sensation warmed his heart and gave him a little more life, which brought him to contemplate the second part of the deal. If Saturninus did what he was told, he could be laid to rest. Finally.

The deal sounded sweet enough. Saturninus would have one more chance to be a hero, and then his life would be over. Hopefully, he would return to the Heaven in which he had found peace. And yet at the same time, being alive again had caused him to wonder. He had wanted to die so badly, so quickly, and despite this desire he had only just now begun to wonder what living was like. He had been stuck behind closed doors and cold, cobblestone walls for many years, and then even when he was in school he was never allowed to have friends or lovers. He had stayed away from his teachers. His mother had been proud of his achievements, but only so that she could brag that her son was the best-suited child to be the Rise heir. She never spoke kindly, tender words about how perfect her son was. And thus, he seemed to know now why he preferred death, beside the obvious debacle that sat in front of both nobles.

"...Death...has sounded like such a kind alternative...to the life that awaits me at home...but...I don't know. I've never actually considered...what it's like to have a life. My own life. As far as I was concerned, my life belonged to my House. But...if I could make my life into something else...could it be possible?...Could I live a happy life?" Saturninus gulped, as the words shook themselves from the sides of his throat, and rose through his lips. He could feel his eyes stinging, and not because of the alcohol. "...Do I have to...make my life around the desires of a mother who...only sees me as a tool?...I killed someone, Lord Manfred...I killed one of my own classmates...and caused other people endless misery...all because I believed that those things were part of being the Rise heir. But...can I change who I am, even if I am undead?...And...if I could...what would that life look like? Would I be able to have the love and peace that other people somehow have? The love and peace I scorned for so long?...I lost that when I came back from the afterlife...but could I...truly find it here?..." He chugged his liquor, and saw that now his glass was empty. Maybe the empty glass in his heart was empty as well, and he wondered now if he could ever fill it. "...If you could help me find that...then a deal is a deal..."

Henry von Kressel

How is a man supposed to tell that someone came back from the death? No man ever had to do it before, Henry assumed. There was always a reasonable explanation, but this time, the man was truly undead. He tried to piece the phrase together in a manner that when heard, Eglantine wouldn't faint again. But it wasn't easy to turn to a woman and say that her relative came back from the grave to accuse one of Europe's most powerful nobles of high treason.

"Well... You fainted for a long time. And... I received news. I know this won't make sense, as it isn't making sense to me, but Manfred called me and he said that... Saturninus marched inside the hall he was, saying compromising information about my father. Manfred urged for me to come to Vienna, and so I did it, because in all of my years I hardly heard of Manfred urging something. So you kind of just turned your faint into a rest and here we are, running to see a dead man actually tell a tale. Want to... grab something to eat?"

Manfred von Kressel

"Strong as the tailor may be, it is impossible for he to weave someone else's destiny."

He let the words sink in, as the silence surrounded both of them, apparently moving the room to another reality as Manfred sipped another gulp of the liquor slowly. He wanted the words to dance through Saturninus' mind, who now probably had to readapt every memory, since his childhood, to the phrase Manfred shot at his direction. Like a stone thrown at a glass panel, there was no loud noise coming from the chemical reactions of powder, causing it to fly from a barrel. The consequence could only be seen when both things met: the glass panel, shattering apart when confronted with the stone, caused the noise that everyone could hear.

How a man could understand now, upon those words, that he was his to be? That his actions could be his, instead of carried on by the desires of another? That Saturninus, in his unlife, could finally and ironically, live? Gentle as Manfred could be, his accent was still present to a degree that the naturally strong sounds of the German language transformed it into a slap: a iron fist with a velvet glove met Saturninus' world as Manfred kept his composure masterfully, an art he mastered during the years of his formation as a man, mage and noble.

"The barriers of possibility are... fragile, to say the least. If you, for example, walked down this street and told someone that you actually can summon fire from your hands... They would say it is impossible. And even if you did it, they would say it's a trick. 'It is impossible!', they would scream at you. Maybe they would clap. But for them, it is only possible as a trick. Now let us both suppose that you take this person to Innsbruck, to watch my sister teach her lessons. They would believe it. Would they call it an abomination? A miracle? I can't go that far in my hypothesis, but you get my meaning, as the smart man you are.

With the same allegation, yet with varying levels of evidence and changing the point of view, you transformed impossible into relatively possible, and relatively possible into true. I could list mundane things, such as the atom, subatomic particles, radiation... But let us not get tangled into such web, attractive as it may be.

No one believed it was possible for a man to come back from the dead, but Michel, your uncle if my memory serves me right. You just did it yourself, unless this is all a hallucinogenic trip of fumes inhaled in my breakfast, which I have enough evidence to say it wasn't. No one believed that Henry, my nephew, would be a fighter and so he did.

Now, we discussed magic, life and death, and life achievements. There are more examples of such. Are you a fan of sports, Saturninus? I suppose they didn't allow you to watch many football games... How many times someone said 'this is the definitive record', only to watch the definitive become a past record? I am sorry if I tire you with this many examples, as I suppose we should get to the point."

Allowing his eyes to drift towards the view he had from the armchair he sat on, Manfred once more readied himself to launch another barrage of stones at Saturninus' glass panels, allowing them both time to drink the liquor served to them, as if it was made to help them to swallow their new realities, filled with reshuffling of papers, worries and information. Silence, the lord of many outfits - as it could be awkward, threatening, reassuring or even comforting - gave the finishing touch to his speech.

"Even witnessing dragons, salamanders, abominations brought to existence by Dark Magic, a whole world that is so thinly yet perfectly veiled among non-magical humans, you ask me if you can be... happy. You witnessed another way of living, a completely different governmental structure, where men ask how far their Magic can take them, as they search to harness the very Mana of this world, and the question you present is faced with so few barriers, so few complications, that it seems absurdly simple compared to the others.

I can't guarantee that you will find happiness. This... is a personal journey, one that no man or woman, mage or non-mage, can help you with. But... I can guarantee, with no hint of doubt, that is possible to turn your unlife into life, if that's your wish."

Eglantine - Dark Clouds Rising

Eglantine could see that Henry was preparing to give some sort of catastrophic news. She had already fainted once, and so she tried to position herself in her seat, showing that she was ready to listen to whatever bizarre news would be coming. She took a deep breath. "...Alright...uh...Well...if nobody else is listening, then I guess you can...lay it on me?..." She frowned, and listened as her boyfriend began to speak. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. As Saturninus's name passed Henry's lips, and she heard he was alive, her ears almost started ringing. Michel had somehow used forbidden Magic to pull his slightly-aged body from the abyss, but even then he was not Christ and had used some external means to come back. Saturninus had nowhere near the same kinds of abilities.

"...Blanchefleur...brought him back to life then..." She let a curse fly under her breath. Of course the Head of House Rise would simply bring her heir back from the dead, given that she probably did not see Soleil as fit for the throne. While she was glad that Soleil would be a little safer, Saturninus was...She could not imagine how he looked or felt. Resurrection rituals could go terribly wrong with Dark Magic. "...He could be a zombie, or...infected with some curse...He could even be insane...Oh my gosh..." She stroked a bit of her own hair, as if to pull some knots from her hair, as she could not pull the knots from her stomach. Worst of all, all of this was happening the day before the couple was supposed to go back to the States. They had less than twenty-four hours to settle a major dispute, one that could chop both Houses down the middle. "...I would be okay with a light lunch...and...uh...maybe a bottle of aspirin, just in case..." she grumbled.

The couple had not even packed their bags. Magnolia and Chloe were playing without any cares at Salzburg. The mansion was still, calm, and mostly-clean, except for some dishes in the sink and some unmade beds. Nothing moved across the country, but now Henry and Eglantine were heading into battle once more. The quiet countryside stop was their moment of respite, before they entered into an angry and boiling Vienna, with a dead man coming back to tell the truth of the poison within House Von Kressel. Joachim's sins would be revealed, as would Heinrich's, and they would turn on Henry as a result. Eglantine would have to take her stand, and a battle of epic proportions would ensue. "...A bottle of aspirin and some Tylenol. A lot of hurting is coming today," she added.

Saturninus Rise - In Pursuit of Happiness

Manfred began his gentle, honest lecture by mentioning the idea of showing Magic to Mundanes. Some would believe it was possible, some would not. Saturninus did not have the cheery, diluted image of Mundanes enjoying parlor tricks, or the Magic in Disney movies. Magic was a dangerous tool, a weapon of control and mass destruction. And yet Manfred gave him the suggestion that some might not believe, even if they saw it. The Rise heir tried to wrap his mind around such a suggestion, but he could not understand it. Maybe in time he would be able to comprehend such an image. Maybe he needed a trip to Disney Land. For now, however, such vacations were still faraway dreams and hypotheses. Yet Manfred had wanted to lace together an image of happiness, of everyday calm and peace, from a world that Saturninus did not know he wanted until now. He appreciated this, and a small smile came to his face. The first true smile he had given in some time.

He was not surprised to hear that somehow, some way, his uncle had pulled himself from death. Michel had been a Jaegar, and was more acquainted with forbidden Magic than his family thought. They had thought he was a buffoon, a lower-class lover not worthy to be his uncle. He recalled his mother's countless fights with him, the snark and rage passing between them like electricity on a wire. Yet Michel knew about both Light and Dark Magic, as well as his unique Wind affinity, which he had passed to Soleil. Saturninus had seen the books in his library once. All he could do was give a tired chuckle. "...I bet my uncle...is quite happy...He always...had a life to go back to...When he was done arguing with my mother, he'd go back home and play with my cousin...at least...until he died...but if he's back then...Heheh...I bet he's doing better than me..." He spoke in a low, sad growl, almost as though he was jealous of his uncle's ability to bounce back from almost any misfortune.

Yet after some time spent in silence, with each man sipping their drink in civil thoughtfulness, Manfred gave his opinion on the pursuit of happiness. Finally, he confirmed for Saturninus that it was possible, and that it was in fact easier to find than all of the Dark Magic in the world. The Rise heir thought on his answer. His world had been so powerful, but now, only now did he realize how small it was. How small and almost insignificant it was for most of the world. House Rise spent its lifetime shoving its power into the rest of the world, especially the Magical World, and thus Mages and Magical creatures feared them. Yet the rest of the world...almost lived to spite them. Even much of the Magical World, despite its fear, continued to exist, and its existence drove House Rise to hate it, to desire to re-mold it in its image.

Saturninus, however, wanted to expand his world. To leave the tiny realm that was supposedly his inheritance, and to find an inheritance he could truly call his. He smiled at Manfred, and a tear rolled down his cheek. It was possible. Manfred's voice spoke this belief without a trace of a doubt. Nobody had ever spoken to him so earnestly about the possibility of happiness, not since his meeting with Lord and Lady Abendroth. Another tear fell. "...Thank...Thank you...Then I want...to try and live...If it's true...as you say...I truly...want to live..."

[Kingdom of Irhk]

Henry von Kressel

How is a man supposed to tell that someone came back from the death? No man ever had to do it before, Henry assumed. There was always a reasonable explanation, but this time, the man was truly undead. He tried to piece the phrase together in a manner that when heard, Eglantine wouldn't faint again. But it wasn't easy to turn to a woman and say that her relative came back from the grave to accuse one of Europe's most powerful nobles of high treason.

"Well... You fainted for a long time. And... I received news. I know this won't make sense, as it isn't making sense to me, but Manfred called me and he said that... Saturninus marched inside the hall he was, saying compromising information about my father. Manfred urged for me to come to Vienna, and so I did it, because in all of my years I hardly heard of Manfred urging something. So you kind of just turned your faint into a rest and here we are, running to see a dead man actually tell a tale. Want to... grab something to eat?"

Manfred von Kressel

"Strong as the tailor may be, it is impossible for he to weave someone else's destiny."

He let the words sink in, as the silence surrounded both of them, apparently moving the room to another reality as Manfred sipped another gulp of the liquor slowly. He wanted the words to dance through Saturninus' mind, who now probably had to readapt every memory, since his childhood, to the phrase Manfred shot at his direction. Like a stone thrown at a glass panel, there was no loud noise coming from the chemical reactions of powder, causing it to fly from a barrel. The consequence could only be seen when both things met: the glass panel, shattering apart when confronted with the stone, caused the noise that everyone could hear.

How a man could understand now, upon those words, that he was his to be? That his actions could be his, instead of carried on by the desires of another? That Saturninus, in his unlife, could finally and ironically, live? Gentle as Manfred could be, his accent was still present to a degree that the naturally strong sounds of the German language transformed it into a slap: a iron fist with a velvet glove met Saturninus' world as Manfred kept his composure masterfully, an art he mastered during the years of his formation as a man, mage and noble.

"The barriers of possibility are... fragile, to say the least. If you, for example, walked down this street and told someone that you actually can summon fire from your hands... They would say it is impossible. And even if you did it, they would say it's a trick. 'It is impossible!', they would scream at you. Maybe they would clap. But for them, it is only possible as a trick. Now let us both suppose that you take this person to Innsbruck, to watch my sister teach her lessons. They would believe it. Would they call it an abomination? A miracle? I can't go that far in my hypothesis, but you get my meaning, as the smart man you are.

With the same allegation, yet with varying levels of evidence and changing the point of view, you transformed impossible into relatively possible, and relatively possible into true. I could list mundane things, such as the atom, subatomic particles, radiation... But let us not get tangled into such web, attractive as it may be.

No one believed it was possible for a man to come back from the dead, but Michel, your uncle if my memory serves me right. You just did it yourself, unless this is all a hallucinogenic trip of fumes inhaled in my breakfast, which I have enough evidence to say it wasn't. No one believed that Henry, my nephew, would be a fighter and so he did.

Now, we discussed magic, life and death, and life achievements. There are more examples of such. Are you a fan of sports, Saturninus? I suppose they didn't allow you to watch many football games... How many times someone said 'this is the definitive record', only to watch the definitive become a past record? I am sorry if I tire you with this many examples, as I suppose we should get to the point."

Allowing his eyes to drift towards the view he had from the armchair he sat on, Manfred once more readied himself to launch another barrage of stones at Saturninus' glass panels, allowing them both time to drink the liquor served to them, as if it was made to help them to swallow their new realities, filled with reshuffling of papers, worries and information. Silence, the lord of many outfits - as it could be awkward, threatening, reassuring or even comforting - gave the finishing touch to his speech.

"Even witnessing dragons, salamanders, abominations brought to existence by Dark Magic, a whole world that is so thinly yet perfectly veiled among non-magical humans, you ask me if you can be... happy. You witnessed another way of living, a completely different governmental structure, where men ask how far their Magic can take them, as they search to harness the very Mana of this world, and the question you present is faced with so few barriers, so few complications, that it seems absurdly simple compared to the others.

I can't guarantee that you will find happiness. This... is a personal journey, one that no man or woman, mage or non-mage, can help you with. But... I can guarantee, with no hint of doubt, that is possible to turn your unlife into life, if that's your wish."

Eglantine - Dark Clouds Rising

Eglantine could see that Henry was preparing to give some sort of catastrophic news. She had already fainted once, and so she tried to position herself in her seat, showing that she was ready to listen to whatever bizarre news would be coming. She took a deep breath. "...Alright...uh...Well...if nobody else is listening, then I guess you can...lay it on me?..." She frowned, and listened as her boyfriend began to speak. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. As Saturninus's name passed Henry's lips, and she heard he was alive, her ears almost started ringing. Michel had somehow used forbidden Magic to pull his slightly-aged body from the abyss, but even then he was not Christ and had used some external means to come back. Saturninus had nowhere near the same kinds of abilities.

"...Blanchefleur...brought him back to life then..." She let a curse fly under her breath. Of course the Head of House Rise would simply bring her heir back from the dead, given that she probably did not see Soleil as fit for the throne. While she was glad that Soleil would be a little safer, Saturninus was...She could not imagine how he looked or felt. Resurrection rituals could go terribly wrong with Dark Magic. "...He could be a zombie, or...infected with some curse...He could even be insane...Oh my gosh..." She stroked a bit of her own hair, as if to pull some knots from her hair, as she could not pull the knots from her stomach. Worst of all, all of this was happening the day before the couple was supposed to go back to the States. They had less than twenty-four hours to settle a major dispute, one that could chop both Houses down the middle. "...I would be okay with a light lunch...and...uh...maybe a bottle of aspirin, just in case..." she grumbled.

The couple had not even packed their bags. Magnolia and Chloe were playing without any cares at Salzburg. The mansion was still, calm, and mostly-clean, except for some dishes in the sink and some unmade beds. Nothing moved across the country, but now Henry and Eglantine were heading into battle once more. The quiet countryside stop was their moment of respite, before they entered into an angry and boiling Vienna, with a dead man coming back to tell the truth of the poison within House Von Kressel. Joachim's sins would be revealed, as would Heinrich's, and they would turn on Henry as a result. Eglantine would have to take her stand, and a battle of epic proportions would ensue. "...A bottle of aspirin and some Tylenol. A lot of hurting is coming today," she added.

Saturninus Rise - In Pursuit of Happiness

Manfred began his gentle, honest lecture by mentioning the idea of showing Magic to Mundanes. Some would believe it was possible, some would not. Saturninus did not have the cheery, diluted image of Mundanes enjoying parlor tricks, or the Magic in Disney movies. Magic was a dangerous tool, a weapon of control and mass destruction. And yet Manfred gave him the suggestion that some might not believe, even if they saw it. The Rise heir tried to wrap his mind around such a suggestion, but he could not understand it. Maybe in time he would be able to comprehend such an image. Maybe he needed a trip to Disney Land. For now, however, such vacations were still faraway dreams and hypotheses. Yet Manfred had wanted to lace together an image of happiness, of everyday calm and peace, from a world that Saturninus did not know he wanted until now. He appreciated this, and a small smile came to his face. The first true smile he had given in some time.

He was not surprised to hear that somehow, some way, his uncle had pulled himself from death. Michel had been a Jaegar, and was more acquainted with forbidden Magic than his family thought. They had thought he was a buffoon, a lower-class lover not worthy to be his uncle. He recalled his mother's countless fights with him, the snark and rage passing between them like electricity on a wire. Yet Michel knew about both Light and Dark Magic, as well as his unique Wind affinity, which he had passed to Soleil. Saturninus had seen the books in his library once. All he could do was give a tired chuckle. "...I bet my uncle...is quite happy...He always...had a life to go back to...When he was done arguing with my mother, he'd go back home and play with my cousin...at least...until he died...but if he's back then...Heheh...I bet he's doing better than me..." He spoke in a low, sad growl, almost as though he was jealous of his uncle's ability to bounce back from almost any misfortune.

Yet after some time spent in silence, with each man sipping their drink in civil thoughtfulness, Manfred gave his opinion on the pursuit of happiness. Finally, he confirmed for Saturninus that it was possible, and that it was in fact easier to find than all of the Dark Magic in the world. The Rise heir thought on his answer. His world had been so powerful, but now, only now did he realize how small it was. How small and almost insignificant it was for most of the world. House Rise spent its lifetime shoving its power into the rest of the world, especially the Magical World, and thus Mages and Magical creatures feared them. Yet the rest of the world...almost lived to spite them. Even much of the Magical World, despite its fear, continued to exist, and its existence drove House Rise to hate it, to desire to re-mold it in its image.

Saturninus, however, wanted to expand his world. To leave the tiny realm that was supposedly his inheritance, and to find an inheritance he could truly call his. He smiled at Manfred, and a tear rolled down his cheek. It was possible. Manfred's voice spoke this belief without a trace of a doubt. Nobody had ever spoken to him so earnestly about the possibility of happiness, not since his meeting with Lord and Lady Abendroth. Another tear fell. "...Thank...Thank you...Then I want...to try and live...If it's true...as you say...I truly...want to live..."

Henry von Kressel

So the tales of the Rise's capability to bring back the dead were true. Blanchefleur knew a way, or possessed an artifact that could bring the dead ones back to life through Dark Magic. How would Saturninus look and act? Would he be able to speak? Or would he just be the shadow of the man he once was, an empty shell? And his mind? And his memories? Henry seemed to shrug away these worries, but these were all possible questions. Besides, Manfred's secrecy hardly helped Henry to understand the situation.

"Well... we'll get a light lunch for you from a nearby restaurant, I'll call them on the way so we can pick up and go. And some aspirins, of course. And... let us all try to avoid assumptions about how Saturninus is right now. I know that Manfred has this way of making things sound like they are pocket nuclear bombs but... we need to get there first, alright? I'll drive, don't worry... skin will be ugly around the scar but nothing some treatment won't solve. You, rest on the way.'"

Manfred von Kressel

"Then our deal is settled. As I cannot assure you that you'll be happy, I can certainly assure you that it is possible. To a deal well done, then."

As he said this, he filled both cups with the liquor they both used to smooth their harsh differences and the hard path to a common ground between them. Picking the cup in a slightly less noble manner, he gestured it towards Saturninus.

"Prost! A cheer to your happiness to come, young one. May the shadows that hunt the Rise be expelled away from your life to come. Rest as much as you want until they arrive, Saturninus. As for me, well... I need to make a few preparations, as I am sure Henry can withstand the blow of your return to the world of the living, but Eglantine and Sarah... As your fellow Frenchmen would say, excusez-moi."

[Luminesa]

Eglantine - Dark Clouds Rising

Eglantine could see that Henry was preparing to give some sort of catastrophic news. She had already fainted once, and so she tried to position herself in her seat, showing that she was ready to listen to whatever bizarre news would be coming. She took a deep breath. "...Alright...uh...Well...if nobody else is listening, then I guess you can...lay it on me?..." She frowned, and listened as her boyfriend began to speak. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. As Saturninus's name passed Henry's lips, and she heard he was alive, her ears almost started ringing. Michel had somehow used forbidden Magic to pull his slightly-aged body from the abyss, but even then he was not Christ and had used some external means to come back. Saturninus had nowhere near the same kinds of abilities.

"...Blanchefleur...brought him back to life then..." She let a curse fly under her breath. Of course the Head of House Rise would simply bring her heir back from the dead, given that she probably did not see Soleil as fit for the throne. While she was glad that Soleil would be a little safer, Saturninus was...She could not imagine how he looked or felt. Resurrection rituals could go terribly wrong with Dark Magic. "...He could be a zombie, or...infected with some curse...He could even be insane...Oh my gosh..." She stroked a bit of her own hair, as if to pull some knots from her hair, as she could not pull the knots from her stomach. Worst of all, all of this was happening the day before the couple was supposed to go back to the States. They had less than twenty-four hours to settle a major dispute, one that could chop both Houses down the middle. "...I would be okay with a light lunch...and...uh...maybe a bottle of aspirin, just in case..." she grumbled.

The couple had not even packed their bags. Magnolia and Chloe were playing without any cares at Salzburg. The mansion was still, calm, and mostly-clean, except for some dishes in the sink and some unmade beds. Nothing moved across the country, but now Henry and Eglantine were heading into battle once more. The quiet countryside stop was their moment of respite, before they entered into an angry and boiling Vienna, with a dead man coming back to tell the truth of the poison within House Von Kressel. Joachim's sins would be revealed, as would Heinrich's, and they would turn on Henry as a result. Eglantine would have to take her stand, and a battle of epic proportions would ensue. "...A bottle of aspirin and some Tylenol. A lot of hurting is coming today," she added.

Saturninus Rise - In Pursuit of Happiness

Manfred began his gentle, honest lecture by mentioning the idea of showing Magic to Mundanes. Some would believe it was possible, some would not. Saturninus did not have the cheery, diluted image of Mundanes enjoying parlor tricks, or the Magic in Disney movies. Magic was a dangerous tool, a weapon of control and mass destruction. And yet Manfred gave him the suggestion that some might not believe, even if they saw it. The Rise heir tried to wrap his mind around such a suggestion, but he could not understand it. Maybe in time he would be able to comprehend such an image. Maybe he needed a trip to Disney Land. For now, however, such vacations were still faraway dreams and hypotheses. Yet Manfred had wanted to lace together an image of happiness, of everyday calm and peace, from a world that Saturninus did not know he wanted until now. He appreciated this, and a small smile came to his face. The first true smile he had given in some time.

He was not surprised to hear that somehow, some way, his uncle had pulled himself from death. Michel had been a Jaegar, and was more acquainted with forbidden Magic than his family thought. They had thought he was a buffoon, a lower-class lover not worthy to be his uncle. He recalled his mother's countless fights with him, the snark and rage passing between them like electricity on a wire. Yet Michel knew about both Light and Dark Magic, as well as his unique Wind affinity, which he had passed to Soleil. Saturninus had seen the books in his library once. All he could do was give a tired chuckle. "...I bet my uncle...is quite happy...He always...had a life to go back to...When he was done arguing with my mother, he'd go back home and play with my cousin...at least...until he died...but if he's back then...Heheh...I bet he's doing better than me..." He spoke in a low, sad growl, almost as though he was jealous of his uncle's ability to bounce back from almost any misfortune.

Yet after some time spent in silence, with each man sipping their drink in civil thoughtfulness, Manfred gave his opinion on the pursuit of happiness. Finally, he confirmed for Saturninus that it was possible, and that it was in fact easier to find than all of the Dark Magic in the world. The Rise heir thought on his answer. His world had been so powerful, but now, only now did he realize how small it was. How small and almost insignificant it was for most of the world. House Rise spent its lifetime shoving its power into the rest of the world, especially the Magical World, and thus Mages and Magical creatures feared them. Yet the rest of the world...almost lived to spite them. Even much of the Magical World, despite its fear, continued to exist, and its existence drove House Rise to hate it, to desire to re-mold it in its image.

Saturninus, however, wanted to expand his world. To leave the tiny realm that was supposedly his inheritance, and to find an inheritance he could truly call his. He smiled at Manfred, and a tear rolled down his cheek. It was possible. Manfred's voice spoke this belief without a trace of a doubt. Nobody had ever spoken to him so earnestly about the possibility of happiness, not since his meeting with Lord and Lady Abendroth. Another tear fell. "...Thank...Thank you...Then I want...to try and live...If it's true...as you say...I truly...want to live..."

Henry von Kressel

So the tales of the Rise's capability to bring back the dead were true. Blanchefleur knew a way, or possessed an artifact that could bring the dead ones back to life through Dark Magic. How would Saturninus look and act? Would he be able to speak? Or would he just be the shadow of the man he once was, an empty shell? And his mind? And his memories? Henry seemed to shrug away these worries, but these were all possible questions. Besides, Manfred's secrecy hardly helped Henry to understand the situation.

"Well... we'll get a light lunch for you from a nearby restaurant, I'll call them on the way so we can pick up and go. And some aspirins, of course. And... let us all try to avoid assumptions about how Saturninus is right now. I know that Manfred has this way of making things sound like they are pocket nuclear bombs but... we need to get there first, alright? I'll drive, don't worry... skin will be ugly around the scar but nothing some treatment won't solve. You, rest on the way.'"

Manfred von Kressel

"Then our deal is settled. As I cannot assure you that you'll be happy, I can certainly assure you that it is possible. To a deal well done, then."

As he said this, he filled both cups with the liquor they both used to smooth their harsh differences and the hard path to a common ground between them. Picking the cup in a slightly less noble manner, he gestured it towards Saturninus.

"Prost! A cheer to your happiness to come, young one. May the shadows that hunt the Rise be expelled away from your life to come. Rest as much as you want until they arrive, Saturninus. As for me, well... I need to make a few preparations, as I am sure Henry can withstand the blow of your return to the world of the living, but Eglantine and Sarah... As your fellow Frenchmen would say, excusez-moi."

Eglantine - An Unhappy Reunion

"I still can't believe you drove all the way here with one eye. How did you not get stopped?...And how fast were you driving? I drive pretty fast, but I do it with two eyes, which is slightly safer. So technically you're more insane of a driver than I am," Eglantine muttered, as Henry prepared to drive again. All her comments about Henry driving with an eye-patch were to cover her own nervousness and tension, and she wanted to lighten the mood a little before going to see her cousin. She could not imagine how he looked, and whether or not he was even capable of true sentience. Blanchefleur could be using him as a puppet, in which case approaching him would be dangerous. Yet they had no choice. Manfred had called for Henry, something he rarely did, and Sarah was coming along as well.

"...What are we going to tell my uncle?...He and everyone else thinks Saturninus is dead...This changes everything...And if Blanchefleur is...Do you think she actually is alive, if...if Rise Castle did get hit with something?...I don't know how she would survive, unless the damage was only temporal, or unless she escaped before impact...What if she shows up to this meeting?..." Eglantine mumbled her questions to Henry as she adjusted her seat-belt and stared at the lonely, picturesque countryside. "...Maybe...I'll feel better with some food...or maybe I'll barf. Who knows. I need some chocolate and some liquor...or some chocolate liquor. Maybe your uncle's got some. Remind me to ask him when we get there," she joked.

Saturninus - Friends In Strange Places

A toast did not solve all of Saturninus's problems, but it did cheer him up. This stranger, this noble from a different family, had welcomed him and was now drinking with him. The Rise heir did not know many times in his life when someone had offered to drink with him. Any time he had tried to drink in the past, he had gotten drunk alone, and had to be carried home by cold, unkind guards. He gave a slight, curved smile, and took another sip of his liquor. "...A toast it is, then...to an attempt at happiness..." he answered softly. The liquor burned in his throat, but somehow managed to warm his heart as well. He nodded to Manfred, and remembered with a more somber mind the last time he had seen Henry.

Henry Von Kressel had nearly won the Tournament. His battle had been swift and brutal, and his solo performance using live magma had been both elegant and dangerous to behold. He was well-mannered, stern, and capable of taking a shot at him if he mis-stepped. He had heard from behind closed doors that the Committee had favored Henry to win, and his mother had been displeased. Saturninus felt the bile rising in his throat. He had no idea who had won the Tournament, of course, as he had died in that teacher's arms in an alley. Now he was awake, and would learn the truth of how the Tournament had ended.

More importantly, he would be seeing Eglantine for the first time in years. He did not know if he would recognize his cousin, or if she would recognize him. She might even be hostile, given that Blanchefleur and Calixte did not like each other. He felt himself tense a little. He wanted to prepare some sort of dialogue in his head, but he could not think of any clever or strong words to say. He just wanted to stay in his plush chair, drink, and watch this ugly tapestry of darkness and betrayal unfold before him.

[Saldinado]

Dominique Corleone

Dominique listened quietly as Soleil talked about his history with the quiche. All the while he began to turn the bacon. He could feel his own mouth water just from the sights and smell of it.
To practically leave his home at such a young age-probably by himself no doubt- in the middle of the mountains was a new story for him. Hell he even lived in a castle. Surely "How many castles do they have in Europe? Practically most of the student body comes from some type of royal castle lineage somewhere there. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if you, Allistor, Oliver, or even Henry may be related somewhere down the line."
He joked. He prepped the napkins the bacon was going to be placed on and listened to the compliment about being a waiter. He chuckled as it turned into laughing a little longer in amusement before answering his question.

"Thanks. I try and look spiffy when I get the motivation and chance. I mainly do it for other people. Otherwise it would just be me walking around with sweatpants and tank tops." Hearing his food question he furrowed his brows and began to think.
"And that's quite a question. There are a lot of foods that I love to cook. But if I were to pick one that I would cook all day, everyday, all-time-favorite thing...Would be carbonara. My absolute preferred way would be with bacon and spinach; and a big loaf of cheesy garlic bread. It's just a fulfilling, easy, and overall savory cheesy dish that most people can love and make. It's also very versatile. You can practically use any pasta-as long as it can grip onto the sauce and can either leave it as it or add any type of other meats, cheeses, or veggies in it. Although my body greatly regrets the aftermath. But it's worth it."

He then grabbed the tongs on the counter and used them to place the bacon on the napkins. Putting the skillet on the side Dominique looked around for a larger bowl and placed it between him and Soleil. He then grabbed the eggs and sat them beside them, waiting for instructions on what to do next. And while he waited he decided to wrap up his story.
"Whenever my family wasn't so busy with work I would make carbonara for them and they would always devour it. Not even enough for leftovers." He laughed weakly. "It's nice ya know...having someone actually enjoy the time and effort you put into making things. Whether it be food or music. It's nice to enjoy work when it makes others enjoy it." Dominique trailed off and a small smile came over his face. He stood there in silence for a moment before zoning back in and laughing at Soleil. "Sorry. Now, what should we do while the bacon finish cooling?"