Mana Academy (IC) (Open, Fantasy)

[Luminesa]

The teacher of the Magical History class was a beautiful being, an otherworldly Fae with an eternally-youthful appearance. Before class was to start, he had been sleeping on a cloud above his desk, and had looked like an angel sleeping in Heaven. Soleil admired all of his teachers, but he did feel drawn to this teacher in some other way. He knew his Magic was different, as a Fae, and he always paid attention during this class because of his gnawing curiosity about the teacher. When he asked if the class was ready for him to begin, then, Soleil nodded. “Yessir!” he answered simply.

Ambrosia also nodded, though she was not thrilled about having class at the moment. She felt that their break after the exam had not been long enough. Fortunately, the classroom was warm and toasty, and if she got bored or sleepy then she could put her head down and rest. Hence why she did not sit in the front of the classroom.

[Serah]

As the conversation they had progressively died down, Oliver looked to the teacher.
He knew him, just like he knew all the other teachers. He didn't bother looking impressed, or intrigued, no. He remained his usual deadpan self.

As his grade showed, he wasn't good in the class but somehow still retained all that was said during them, even the minute details. Spending some extra time at the library to study the obscure histories and untold tales that they couldn't see in class wasn't something out of the ordinary for him.
In fact, there was a good chance he could become a history teacher, if his blood didn't tell him otherwise.
Today seemed like one of those days where the usual matters would be repeated, after all it was right after test week. Oliver didn't exactly bother paying full attention to what was going on.
Instead he found himself thinking of alternate histories and of his own past. The 'what ifs' were a nothing but a constant thing with him.
Beyond the fact that he hated the way his destiny was already laid out in front of him, he found himself regretting a lot of things. Though he supposed such a thing was to be expected from someone having killed so many of his brethren among the monsters and demons being purified.

What if I had let him go? What if I didn't say that? Could I have maybe avoided all of it?

Oliver figured it was pointless to think of things he couldn't change, but nonetheless his ever tortured mind kept it up.
Ranging from the fall of the Austro Hungarian empire as a political entity to the fall of Yugoslavia, he wondered how he could've changed things, had he been there.
He thought of military tactics, how to climb through the ranks without compromising his position as a mage, how to build his political clout to help the leader in not failing. But again, none of it could be changed, so what was the point? Nevertheless he found it enjoyable, playing with history in his mind was a nice change of pace.

The low, rhythmic tapping of his fingers against the wood made it clear he was just waiting for the class to start so it could get over with.
Although one with some knowledge might catch up on the tune of a few military marches running through Oliver's mind at the time.

[Frisct the II]

Sleipnir
Everyone that was intending to show up to class had gotten inside at this point, and as such, Sleipnir saw now reason to delay class any further. As he had done at the beginning of all of his classes, he leaped down from his cloud of mana and onto the ground before sending up a miniature firework of gold that signified the start of his lecture.

"Alright. Let us begin class!" Sleipnir stood and made a large screen of mana behind him and made a series of points on it that had already been previously covered.

"As I have said many times before, Fae come directly from nature in that they are formed under very precise conditions. Mana in the environment has to become condensed to such a degree that it crystallizes and refines itself into a physical entity. This process varies greatly in time to complete due to the key differences in the amount and condition of the mana in the surroundings. All Fae that are born are one hundred percent of the time born as a Neutral Fae. These Fae look similar to myself physically, but in a more general standpoint they have a less developed sense of self. Their blood, also known as Ichor by many mages today, can be used to replenish mana." All of the things that Sleipnir said was put onto the screen for the sake of note taking. After all, they would have to have these points essentially memorized for the rest of the curriculum to come naturally. As such, he waited for the students to finish writing before continuing the lecture.

"Since we have gone over the basics and general formation of Fae, we will now begin to delve more into the inner workings of the four main types of Fae: Neutral, Dark, Holy, and High. Each of them have their respective differences in things like quality and quantity of mana, things they can manipulate, and their mental states. Up until now, we have used the Neutral Fae as an example in class. They are your stock Fae, and we have gone over them quite extensively. At this point on we will move on to the Holy Fae. While all Fae are diverse in appearance, the Holy Fae take the cake for being the most noticeable. Their hair turns into a platinum color and their skin becomes as pale as a sheet. I would hate to be that noticeable quite honestly." Sleipnir cleared his throat and realized he was about to go on another tangent before resuming the proper lesson. "Neutral Fae can evolve into Holy Fae if they meet certain atmospheric conditions. This evolution is achieved when a Fae resides in an area with an overly positive atmosphere for an extended period of time. By extended period, I mean for about ten to twenty years depending on how much positivity is laced in the air. Holy Fae have blood that is silver in color, and it is highly sought after as a medicine because it can heal most minor wounds and cure things like common colds and other inconvenient illnesses.

Sleipnir decided to pause the lesson at this point so that the students would have time to take notes on all of the new information that was being thrown at them. He also assumed that some of them may have questions at this point, so he spoke up to the class. "Now would be the time to ask questions if you have any."

[Luminesa]

Soleil did not always take notes in class. His notebooks had plenty of notes, but alongside those notes were lots of doodles and journaling entries. The doodles were sometimes pertinent to the class material, but other times they were not. In the case of this class, in which he was definitely interested in the material, he took notes on whatever Sleipnir wrote on the board. However, he also drew drawings. In this case, he drew little people to represent each kind of Fae.

Fae were of a particular interest to Soleil, but of an interest he kept to himself. He listened carefully as the teacher spoke about the different kinds of Fae, and drew according to how he described them. His picture of a Holy Fae was a tiny glittering figure, almost angelic, smiling peacefully as it stared out from the pages of the notebook. Soleil stopped writing for a moment after he got all of the notes for Holy Fae, and he took a strand of his hair in his hand. His hair was not platinum-blonde, but a honey-blonde, much like that of his own mother. He looked back at the screen and thought deeply on the information he had received.

Neutral Fae can become Holy Fae?... He thought about this concept. Evolution based on positivity. He closed his eyes, trying to imagine something in his mind. A distant vision of...something. He imagined a gold glitter in a forest, shining down like sunlight. He saw himself walking through this sunlight, feeling the mysterious sensation of this magical light...and then he came back to his senses. When he opened his eyes, he realized his pencil was glowing, and another thought came to his mind.

He recalled that he himself was a Light Mage, that nobody in his family had ever used or had been born with Light Magic. He had not taught himself Light Magic either. He had merely awakened one day with the ability to use Light Magic, almost as naturally as he could use Wind Magic. Thus he had a strange question to ask. Raising his hand, he muttered, “...Can...Fae...transfer their Magic to people...somehow?...E-Even if you’ve never seen a Fae...and they’ve...never seen you?...”

[Frisct the II]

Soleil did not always take notes in class. His notebooks had plenty of notes, but alongside those notes were lots of doodles and journaling entries. The doodles were sometimes pertinent to the class material, but other times they were not. In the case of this class, in which he was definitely interested in the material, he took notes on whatever Sleipnir wrote on the board. However, he also drew drawings. In this case, he drew little people to represent each kind of Fae.

Fae were of a particular interest to Soleil, but of an interest he kept to himself. He listened carefully as the teacher spoke about the different kinds of Fae, and drew according to how he described them. His picture of a Holy Fae was a tiny glittering figure, almost angelic, smiling peacefully as it stared out from the pages of the notebook. Soleil stopped writing for a moment after he got all of the notes for Holy Fae, and he took a strand of his hair in his hand. His hair was not platinum-blonde, but a honey-blonde, much like that of his own mother. He looked back at the screen and thought deeply on the information he had received.

Neutral Fae can become Holy Fae?... He thought about this concept. Evolution based on positivity. He closed his eyes, trying to imagine something in his mind. A distant vision of...something. He imagined a gold glitter in a forest, shining down like sunlight. He saw himself walking through this sunlight, feeling the mysterious sensation of this magical light...and then he came back to his senses. When he opened his eyes, he realized his pencil was glowing, and another thought came to his mind.

He recalled that he himself was a Light Mage, that nobody in his family had ever used or had been born with Light Magic. He had not taught himself Light Magic either. He had merely awakened one day with the ability to use Light Magic, almost as naturally as he could use Wind Magic. Thus he had a strange question to ask. Raising his hand, he muttered, “...Can...Fae...transfer their Magic to people...somehow?...E-Even if you’ve never seen a Fae...and they’ve...never seen you?...”

Sleipnir had received a question, and a rather puzzling one at that. He himself had to take a moment to ponder his answer, as saying the wrong thing could potentially contradict with what he had already previously taught. After a minute or two he spoke, his voice carrying throughout the room.

"Hmmmm Soleil, was it? The process you asked about is a rather strange one. It is less of something like a transfer of powers and more of a transformation of the state of being. If enough time is spent around Fae and their magic, one would indeed begin to take on the properties of the magic they were exposed to. Be that as it may, this process wouldn't be able to happen without extensive contact with a Fae. One would have to spend months or years with a member of my race to see any significant changes towards their physicality or mana. The Fae and the general populace refer to someone who has gone through such transformations as changelings. They take on the qualities of the Fae and may very well become more well versed in controlling mana after the conversion process is complete. I don't know much about it, as Fae tend to stay away from letting humans and other creatures into their villages and homes. They are very rare cases indeed."

He turned back to the rest of the class after finishing his answer and prompted them once more. "I ask one more time for any questions. If there are none we will proceed if time allows it."

[Luminesa]

Soleil did not always take notes in class. His notebooks had plenty of notes, but alongside those notes were lots of doodles and journaling entries. The doodles were sometimes pertinent to the class material, but other times they were not. In the case of this class, in which he was definitely interested in the material, he took notes on whatever Sleipnir wrote on the board. However, he also drew drawings. In this case, he drew little people to represent each kind of Fae.

Fae were of a particular interest to Soleil, but of an interest he kept to himself. He listened carefully as the teacher spoke about the different kinds of Fae, and drew according to how he described them. His picture of a Holy Fae was a tiny glittering figure, almost angelic, smiling peacefully as it stared out from the pages of the notebook. Soleil stopped writing for a moment after he got all of the notes for Holy Fae, and he took a strand of his hair in his hand. His hair was not platinum-blonde, but a honey-blonde, much like that of his own mother. He looked back at the screen and thought deeply on the information he had received.

Neutral Fae can become Holy Fae?... He thought about this concept. Evolution based on positivity. He closed his eyes, trying to imagine something in his mind. A distant vision of...something. He imagined a gold glitter in a forest, shining down like sunlight. He saw himself walking through this sunlight, feeling the mysterious sensation of this magical light...and then he came back to his senses. When he opened his eyes, he realized his pencil was glowing, and another thought came to his mind.

He recalled that he himself was a Light Mage, that nobody in his family had ever used or had been born with Light Magic. He had not taught himself Light Magic either. He had merely awakened one day with the ability to use Light Magic, almost as naturally as he could use Wind Magic. Thus he had a strange question to ask. Raising his hand, he muttered, “...Can...Fae...transfer their Magic to people...somehow?...E-Even if you’ve never seen a Fae...and they’ve...never seen you?...”

Sleipnir had received a question, and a rather puzzling one at that. He himself had to take a moment to ponder his answer, as saying the wrong thing could potentially contradict with what he had already previously taught. After a minute or two he spoke, his voice carrying throughout the room.

"Hmmmm Soleil, was it? The process you asked about is a rather strange one. It is less of something like a transfer of powers and more of a transformation of the state of being. If enough time is spent around Fae and their magic, one would indeed begin to take on the properties of the magic they were exposed to. Be that as it may, this process wouldn't be able to happen without extensive contact with a Fae. One would have to spend months or years with a member of my race to see any significant changes towards their physicality or mana. The Fae and the general populace refer to someone who has gone through such transformations as changelings. They take on the qualities of the Fae and may very well become more well versed in controlling mana after the conversion process is complete. I don't know much about it, as Fae tend to stay away from letting humans and other creatures into their villages and homes. They are very rare cases indeed."

He turned back to the rest of the class after finishing his answer and prompted them once more. "I ask one more time for any questions. If there are none we will proceed if time allows it."

Every word that Sleipnir said was scribbled onto the paper in Soleil's notebook. Transferring Magic to a human, as a Fae, meant changing that human into...well...a Changeling. Almost a Fae, but lacking in the immortality and the reality-bending nature of the Fae. Yet they had to be in contact with the Fae to have such an event take place. One way to apparently tell a person had become a Changeling was to see that their control over Mana had improved after the event. As far as he could remember, he had no history of meeting a Fae...

Yet as was the case for most people, parts of his childhood were blurry. Indeed, many of the days of abuse in his life seemed to string together, to the point in which he hardly could recall how he had gotten some of the scars on his body. He wondered if perhaps he had forgotten other events in his life. For a moment, as he pondered these things, he seemed to forget that he was in the classroom. His eyes became distant, and glittered with wonder. Yet when he realized that the teacher was continuing the lesson, he turned back to him.

Eventually, Ambrosia awakened, and she sat upright just as the teacher called for other questions. A hand went up, and she mumbled out a question. "...How can you find a Fae?...Are there secret caves or...glades where they...um...exist?" She was half-asleep, but she still seemed to be partially aware of the lesson. If anything, she wanted to avoid getting an angry glare from the teacher for passing-out in class.

[Frisct the II]

Sleipnir had received a question, and a rather puzzling one at that. He himself had to take a moment to ponder his answer, as saying the wrong thing could potentially contradict with what he had already previously taught. After a minute or two he spoke, his voice carrying throughout the room.

"Hmmmm Soleil, was it? The process you asked about is a rather strange one. It is less of something like a transfer of powers and more of a transformation of the state of being. If enough time is spent around Fae and their magic, one would indeed begin to take on the properties of the magic they were exposed to. Be that as it may, this process wouldn't be able to happen without extensive contact with a Fae. One would have to spend months or years with a member of my race to see any significant changes towards their physicality or mana. The Fae and the general populace refer to someone who has gone through such transformations as changelings. They take on the qualities of the Fae and may very well become more well versed in controlling mana after the conversion process is complete. I don't know much about it, as Fae tend to stay away from letting humans and other creatures into their villages and homes. They are very rare cases indeed."

He turned back to the rest of the class after finishing his answer and prompted them once more. "I ask one more time for any questions. If there are none we will proceed if time allows it."

Every word that Sleipnir said was scribbled onto the paper in Soleil's notebook. Transferring Magic to a human, as a Fae, meant changing that human into...well...a Changeling. Almost a Fae, but lacking in the immortality and the reality-bending nature of the Fae. Yet they had to be in contact with the Fae to have such an event take place. One way to apparently tell a person had become a Changeling was to see that their control over Mana had improved after the event. As far as he could remember, he had no history of meeting a Fae...

Yet as was the case for most people, parts of his childhood were blurry. Indeed, many of the days of abuse in his life seemed to string together, to the point in which he hardly could recall how he had gotten some of the scars on his body. He wondered if perhaps he had forgotten other events in his life. For a moment, as he pondered these things, he seemed to forget that he was in the classroom. His eyes became distant, and glittered with wonder. Yet when he realized that the teacher was continuing the lesson, he turned back to him.

Eventually, Ambrosia awakened, and she sat upright just as the teacher called for other questions. A hand went up, and she mumbled out a question. "...How can you find a Fae?...Are there secret caves or...glades where they...um...exist?" She was half-asleep, but she still seemed to be partially aware of the lesson. If anything, she wanted to avoid getting an angry glare from the teacher for passing-out in class.

Sleipnir saw another hand go up into the air. He was quite pleased that at least two of his students seemed to be invested in his class, especially Soleil. He was very intriguing. Sleipnir would think to himself that he would eventually have to pay a little more attention to him if he turned out to be something other than human. He turned to the raised hand of Ambrosia and listened intently, and replied.

"Fae indeed tend to live in those places. They use magic to obscure their presence from any wandering outsiders due to their desire to remain away from the rest of the world. Fae keep to themselves for the most part, but sometimes you will find an abnormality in that such as myself and some other Fae that decide to live in or around towns and cities. Those cases are quite few and far between, so I would not expect to find a Fae besides myself in a place like this. He paused for a moment before resuming, as he had yet to answer the first part of Ambrosia's question. "Your name is Ambrosia, yes? There are certainly ways to find Fae, especially if you happen to be one. Due to the desire for our blood, "Ichor" as members of the other races call it, I cannot share with you any exact details out of fear of endangering my brethren."

He turned to the rest of the class before speaking again. "Are there any other questions? Class is about near to the ending time I suppose so please do throw them out while you can"

[Luminesa]

Soleil sat and listened to Ambrosia asking her questions. When he heard the teacher’s answers, he wrote them down. Fae lived in remote places and kept away from people, yet every now and then they wandered among humans. The more information he heard about the Fae, the more he desired to do some searching of his own. He sat in class and watched Ambrosia and his other classmates, waiting to see if anyone else would ask questions.

“Ahhhh no, no I’m not a Fae. Actually I’m a vampire! I got turned by Catherine, and they haven’t found a way to turn me back. So I’m just here...aaaaand dealing with sunlight...and the desire to drink blood...It’s kinda lame...” she joked, in a bit of a deadpan. She seemed to top her answer by falling back to sleep after answering.

...I wonder... Soleil knew Mana was mysterious, and he did not know all about its campus. He wanted to look around campus, and to maybe find traces of the Fae. If he could see them for himself, maybe he could get some answers. Of course, his chances of finding Fae were low, but maybe if he could search with some friends, on the remote side of campus. Plans began to tick in his head.

[Frisct the II]

Soleil sat and listened to Ambrosia asking her questions. When he heard the teacher’s answers, he wrote them down. Fae lived in remote places and kept away from people, yet every now and then they wandered among humans. The more information he heard about the Fae, the more he desired to do some searching of his own. He sat in class and watched Ambrosia and his other classmates, waiting to see if anyone else would ask questions.

“Ahhhh no, no I’m not a Fae. Actually I’m a vampire! I got turned by Catherine, and they haven’t found a way to turn me back. So I’m just here...aaaaand dealing with sunlight...and the desire to drink blood...It’s kinda lame...” she joked, in a bit of a deadpan. She seemed to top her answer by falling back to sleep after answering.

...I wonder... Soleil knew Mana was mysterious, and he did not know all about its campus. He wanted to look around campus, and to maybe find traces of the Fae. If he could see them for himself, maybe he could get some answers. Of course, his chances of finding Fae were low, but maybe if he could search with some friends, on the remote side of campus. Plans began to tick in his head.

Seeing that no hands remained to be raised, Sleipnir descended from his seat in the air and stood in front of all of the students. He spoke clearly so that everyone could hear him.

"All right students, seeing as there are no remaining questions, class will be dismissed at this point. We will pick up where we left off the next time that we meet. If there are any questions or concerns that you may have that you would like to ask about in private, I shall remain here for a little while after you all leave." He shot a golden firework up into the class and ended his lecture. "Have a good day. Class is dismissed."

[Luminesa]

Class was dismissed, and the rest of the day carried through as normal. The students went through the rest of their classes, and then night came along. Usually Soleil went to bed fairly early, but tonight he was restless. The unit on Fae had caught his attention, and he had decided that he would search for Fae around the island. Sure, Sleipnir was a Fae, but he had answers of his own. He feared something was returning from his past...but something he could not remember.

He grabbed his backpack and put his notebook in it. The island was large, but not endless, and he could go to the edge of the island and return before sunrise. Tonight he decided to look on his own, despite the dangers of walking around campus at night alone. He washed his face, took a deep breath, and slung his backpack over his shoulder. In a moment, he was gone from his room and had snuck into the forest...

The Next Morning

Two interesting things happened the next morning on campus. First, Allistor came back to Mana. Cecily had gone to the airport to retrieve him, and brought him to campus in a wheelchair. She looked at her watch. 6:30 AM. She had gotten-up quite early, and sighed as she looked around when she returned. “Well, Allistor...your friends will be up soon. I’m sure they’ll want to see you. Would you like to see them?”

Second, Soleil returned to his room early in the morning. Around 3:45 AM, he returned to his room, exhausted from hours of traversing the campus. He threw off his uniform, snailed into bed, and threw the covers over his head. He did not want to awaken to go to class, but he wanted to see his classmates. He figured going into the forest alone was not the best idea, and wondered if he could get help...

[Finsternia]

Allistor Abendroth

Mana Academy is still as peaceful as ever. The island lay sleeping upon the calm waters of its lake and the faint shimmers of the rising sun upon the horizon blessed it with an almost ethereal effect. The island is protected not just by powerful illusory magic but also powerful magical wards, detering both mundane attention and unwanted and forced magical intrusion. Perhaps its ethereal beauty is produced by the interaction of sunlight and magic or perhaps the sheer concentration of mana around it makes it such. Allistor could only meekly smile as their small boat reach the shores of the island and a pair of butler and maid, employed by House Abendroth, disembarked his belongings and baggages, which are mostly filled with souvenirs for those in Mana, and helped Cecily take his wheelchair off the boat.

The flight from Austria to United States was made in secrecy as to not tip both the opposition and the minor nobles under the sovereignity of House Abendroth. It took almost six hours for them to arrive, which has been drastically reduced by the help of magical application. Even still, the young Noble looked tired and it was most likely from worries. He left his homeland because he was injured. Allistor looked around the banks and at the edge of the forest which would stretch until the gigantic clearing in the middle of the island where the Academy is built. He was wearing simple black slacks, a tucked in long sleeved buttoned up shirt, and pair of dress shoes. His hair has gone quite long and has reached to his chest, which is messily tied into a pony tail. One could argue that such presentation is unbecoming of a noble of his station but issues of nobility are not his concern. Allistor looked up at Cecily and took note of her tired sigh. "Thank you so much for escorting me back home, Miss Cecily. Forgive me if it was too troubling and have disrupted your sleep schedule... Perhaps we could go to the cafeteria now? The students and faculty should be getting up for breakfast and you deserve a hearty meal. The tab is on me."

[Luminesa]

Allistor Abendroth

Mana Academy is still as peaceful as ever. The island lay sleeping upon the calm waters of its lake and the faint shimmers of the rising sun upon the horizon blessed it with an almost ethereal effect. The island is protected not just by powerful illusory magic but also powerful magical wards, detering both mundane attention and unwanted and forced magical intrusion. Perhaps its ethereal beauty is produced by the interaction of sunlight and magic or perhaps the sheer concentration of mana around it makes it such. Allistor could only meekly smile as their small boat reach the shores of the island and a pair of butler and maid, employed by House Abendroth, disembarked his belongings and baggages, which are mostly filled with souvenirs for those in Mana, and helped Cecily take his wheelchair off the boat.

The flight from Austria to United States was made in secrecy as to not tip both the opposition and the minor nobles under the sovereignity of House Abendroth. It took almost six hours for them to arrive, which has been drastically reduced by the help of magical application. Even still, the young Noble looked tired and it was most likely from worries. He left his homeland because he was injured. Allistor looked around the banks and at the edge of the forest which would stretch until the gigantic clearing in the middle of the island where the Academy is built. He was wearing simple black slacks, a tucked in long sleeved buttoned up shirt, and pair of dress shoes. His hair has gone quite long and has reached to his chest, which is messily tied into a pony tail. One could argue that such presentation is unbecoming of a noble of his station but issues of nobility are not his concern. Allistor looked up at Cecily and took note of her tired sigh. "Thank you so much for escorting me back home, Miss Cecily. Forgive me if it was too troubling and have disrupted your sleep schedule... Perhaps we could go to the cafeteria now? The students and faculty should be getting up for breakfast and you deserve a hearty meal. The tab is on me."

“I can do that. Let’s get going,” she answered. She wheeled him across campus, smiling as Allistor said that he would pay for her meal. “You do not have to do that for me. I’m just glad you’re here, though your wounds will take some time to heal. But you are in the right place for healing. You’re safe here, and you can focus on your friends and your studies. That is what matters,” she answered. She brought him to the cafeteria, wheeling him around to help him find whatever foods he wanted.

Elsewhere, Soleil had dragged himself out of bed, and had gone to get breakfast. He did not like coffee too much, but he knew he would need some. Or some hot chocolate. When he got to the cafeteria, however, he gasped. He saw someone quite familiar in a wheelchair, and his eyes twinkled. He wondered if he was sleepwalking, due to his exhaustion. He rubbed his eyes. “...No...no I’m awake...” he whispered. He blinked twice, and then he knew what he saw was true. Allistor was home. “ALLISTOR!!!” Soleil felt awake immediately, and he ran toward his classmate and threw a hug around him. He did not understand why he was in wheelchair, but that part meant little to him. His close friend was home. “...You’re home...” he mumbled into Allistor’s shoulder. He smelled the lavender and vanilla, the Ice Mage’s usual scent, and he re-confirmed that he was not dreaming. “...You’re home...” he repeated, as he tried not to cry.

Ambrosia appeared in the cafeteria soon after, and she stared as she saw Soleil hugging...Allistor? He was home, and so soon. ...Is the war over?...Where is Henry then?...Or did...did something happen?... she wondered, shocked. She went to get her tray of food as usual, but she walked over to her classmate after she got her tray. Their last interaction had been awkward, and her feelings for Shaun had not entirely faded. A lump formed in her stomach, but she wanted to be mature and kind. Allistor was clearly wounded badly, meaning he had already suffered much in the war. “...Hi...” she whispered shyly, ducking her eyes with uncertainty as she stood in front of him.

“...You’re home...” Soleil repeated again, squeezing Allistor tightly, feeling his warmth, his breathing, his heartbeat. He had never felt so happy to embrace someone. Never had he felt such a joyful feeling while listening to someone else’s heartbeat. He knew Shaun would be the most excited of anyone to see him, but for the moment someone would have to use a crowbar to pry the tiny Wind Mage away from him.

[Finsternia]

Allistor Abendroth

"Do not worry too much Miss Cecily. Think of it as a thank you from me. You've went so far to just fetch me from the airport when you could have just welcome me from the banks. Please allow me to treat you to some breakfast. It's only fair." He smiled as he enjoyed the simple feeling of being home. He never knew that walking in, or rather getting pushed into, the cafeteria could get so nostalgic. Even the fresh smell of pancakes being made over the counter by the smiling chefs made him happy. "Say, Miss Cecily, do you enjoy crep-- GAAAAAAH!" Allistor was about ask for his teacher's preference for food until his vision grew dark due to the shadow of a certain small Mage.

It was a cloud of blonde hair and tight hugs, something that Allistor would enjoy being welcomed with, but his injured body cannot take much even from Soleil. Indeed, medicine has been revolutionized by both the efforts of technology and magic in the Mage World but even then the human body still needs time to recuperate. Despite Allistor's body having designed and bred for the very purpose of containing dark magic, he hasn't touched any sort of practice that deals with absorbing dark power and storing it within and was never used to such practices. Advance levels of spiritual magic, yes, but never the grim corrupting blackness that was used to fuel that crushing gravitational spell. It was safely taken out of his body but he needed not only to recover from not only that but the physical damage done to himself. Fatal broken bones recovered to be, in mundane terms, serious bone fractures and his punctured organs and internal bleeding has been resolved.

He could feel those very injuries getting squeezed underneath Soleil's hug and he could only take in a sharp breath and wince. "Y-Yes Soleil... I'm home..." Allistor sweetly smiled, tried his best to hug Soleil and pat him on the back, before trying to get out of his embrace. "As much as I would like to hug you more, my body is still in the process of healing..." He said as he leanee back on the wheelchair and sighed in relief. Then he looked up towards a certain meek girl, holding a tray of food and looking away from his dead grey eyes. He waved his hand. "Hey there Ambrosia. Are you well?" He smiled bitterly, remembering the not so well farewell between the two of them. For Allistor, he already threw away that childish quarrel behind. It was unbecoming of him to be so childish and emotional in that regard. He looked towards the maid that has been following him and Cecily and spoke something in German, prompting the maid to retrieve a certain heftily thick grimoire from one of his bags. "I found this and remembered you. You're a vampire right? I was hoping this could help you master your new body." What the maid gave her was a comprehensive text on the state of undeath, an extremely important academic article if a researcher would know about it. "Think of it as a souvenier and... a sorry gift." He smiled sadly before looking at Soleil.

"Hey... How are you? Are you being a good boy to the professors and to Shaun? I hope you haven't done any mischief while we were away." He brushed off some of his bright sunlit hair strands off his face. The other Mage was almost at the verge of crying. "There, there. Do not cry. I am alive, one way or another, and am back home in one piece. We do not want you to be eating your toast when it's soggy with tears right?" Allistor wiped off Soleil's budding tears off. "Where is Shaun? I'd like to see him. I might get a good scolding due to these injuries but... It's much better since I can finally... finally... get to see him again." His eyes seem to carry a longing, a fear that seem to be resolved as he has finally come home.

[Luminesa]

As Soleil realized he was hurting Allistor, he let him go and stood back a little. He still had buds of tears in his eyes, and he sniffled. “...I’m sorry, I just...I...I’m so glad...I’m so happy...I’m so happy...” He could hardly make words, and he continued to sniffle, wiping the buds as they came. He looked around to find Shaun, but he was not awake quite yet. “...Shaun...I-I can go wake him up if you want...” he whispered.

Ambrosia walked toward Allistor as Soleil ran away, and she gave a small smile. “...I’ve been okay...um...I’m...happy to see you too...” she mumbled. She could see the sadness, the darkness in his own eyes, and she wondered if they were sparkle again when he saw Shaun. I guess...as long as he is happy...and as long as Shaun is happy...You should be nicer, Ambrosia, he’s not a mean person...and he’s hurt... She was surprised that while she was thinking, Allistor gave her a present. A tome on vampires and on how to control her own body. He had actually thought about her, and had wanted to make sure that she was happy. A tear rolled down her cheek. “...Y...You didn’t have to do that...I...I thought for certain...that you...you...hated me...” she stammered.

Soleil watched her, glad to see that Allistor had come with a way to help her. Ambrosia had been as cheerful as she could be with her condition, but anyone could see that she hid a lot of misery underneath her perkiness. He smiled back to Allistor, blushing as the older boy ruffled his hair. Allistor had soft hands, a noble’s hands. He took one in his hands for a second, as his friend comforted him and gave him a reassuring look. He wanted to see Shaun the most, however, and so Soleil nodded to him. “...I...I’ll go get him...” he answered. He then ran out of the room, leaving his food in the cafeteria.

Moments later he was across campus, and he knocked on the door of Shaun’s room with urgency. His tears were following freely now, as he was not in Allistor’s presence and he could not hide his feelings forever. “SHAUN! ALLISTOR IS HOME! ALLISTOR IS HOME! He’s in the cafeteria looking for you! Wake up, come see!” He sounded like a little boy who had just caught Santa putting presents under his tree on Christmas Eve, and reasonably so. Nobody had thought Allistor, or anyone who had gone to Europe, would be home before Christmas. One was now home in November, and a spark of hope seemed to flit through the campus.

[Saldinado]

Shaun Calhoun

It was almost as if time was skipped over once he realized that class was finally over. Shaun looked down at his notebook and observed the notes that he look in class. It was only two pages of material that he wrote down. There were a lot of paraphrases, summaries, and analogies written on both pages. It may seemed abnormal to the usual passerby, but for him, these were incredibly useful for him if he was going to make an effort to pass this class.

Looking back on from his notebook, he sighed and shook his head of the sleepiness that was slowly starting to consume him and casually closed his notebook and placed it along with his pencils in his backpack before standing up. And all without missing a beat. Once he was up, Shaun stretched and listened the rather uncomfortable yet satisfying feeling of his back popping before sliding his backpack over his shoulder and leaving the classroom. But before he left, he looked at the teacher's nonchalant and playful expression and smiled ever so faintly with a small chuckled and continued to leave the room. And from there, he finished the rest of his classes until night fell upon him. And without much of a word, he went to his room to relax. Even skipping eating a meal all together for the rest of a day.
Stripping out of his school clothes to get ready for bed, Shaun slipped into his bed and stared up at the ceiling with his personal little warmer, his cat Leon, resting on his feet and sleeping peacefully. There, he was left with his own thoughts and feelings in the lonely room. He didn't really know what to think about since his own mind was overwhelming and full of things he wanted to say. Yet one common theme came up within his thoughts: Allistor. He had lost track of time of how long he's been gone. It was kinda hypocritical for him to tell Allistor that he needed not to worry about him and just continue with his mission, while he himself was the one worrying everyday. He knew that as much as he tried to rid himself of those thoughts a they caused him distress and discomfort within him. But even then, he tried to replace those discomforts with good and pleasant memories that they have together. Along with the memories of his other friends and their efforts to cheer him up. And with a sigh, he allowed those mix of anxiety and fear, happiness and relief drift him off to sleep.

However, that feeling of sleep that lasted until morning was soon destroyed by the sound of his door being pounded on. Scaring both Leon and himself, Shaun shot his head up and quickly shot open his eyes as he began to hyperventilate in panic and confusion. The only thing that he could hear was the door pounding. "What..." He softly said to himself as he sluggishly got up from his bed and slipped on his glasses before slowly walking over to his door and opened it wearing only a pair of boxers and socks.
There he saw a crying Soleil at his door and out of breath. "Wait, what? What's wrong Soleil? Wha-what time is it?" Shaun softly muttered to the former as his voice was deep and groggy still filled with sleepiness and even irritation and anger out of being forcefully awaken. "And wait, what about the cafeteria? Who's there?"

[Luminesa]

Shaun Calhoun

It was almost as if time was skipped over once he realized that class was finally over. Shaun looked down at his notebook and observed the notes that he look in class. It was only two pages of material that he wrote down. There were a lot of paraphrases, summaries, and analogies written on both pages. It may seemed abnormal to the usual passerby, but for him, these were incredibly useful for him if he was going to make an effort to pass this class.

Looking back on from his notebook, he sighed and shook his head of the sleepiness that was slowly starting to consume him and casually closed his notebook and placed it along with his pencils in his backpack before standing up. And all without missing a beat. Once he was up, Shaun stretched and listened the rather uncomfortable yet satisfying feeling of his back popping before sliding his backpack over his shoulder and leaving the classroom. But before he left, he looked at the teacher's nonchalant and playful expression and smiled ever so faintly with a small chuckled and continued to leave the room. And from there, he finished the rest of his classes until night fell upon him. And without much of a word, he went to his room to relax. Even skipping eating a meal all together for the rest of a day.
Stripping out of his school clothes to get ready for bed, Shaun slipped into his bed and stared up at the ceiling with his personal little warmer, his cat Leon, resting on his feet and sleeping peacefully. There, he was left with his own thoughts and feelings in the lonely room. He didn't really know what to think about since his own mind was overwhelming and full of things he wanted to say. Yet one common theme came up within his thoughts: Allistor. He had lost track of time of how long he's been gone. It was kinda hypocritical for him to tell Allistor that he needed not to worry about him and just continue with his mission, while he himself was the one worrying everyday. He knew that as much as he tried to rid himself of those thoughts a they caused him distress and discomfort within him. But even then, he tried to replace those discomforts with good and pleasant memories that they have together. Along with the memories of his other friends and their efforts to cheer him up. And with a sigh, he allowed those mix of anxiety and fear, happiness and relief drift him off to sleep.

However, that feeling of sleep that lasted until morning was soon destroyed by the sound of his door being pounded on. Scaring both Leon and himself, Shaun shot his head up and quickly shot open his eyes as he began to hyperventilate in panic and confusion. The only thing that he could hear was the door pounding. "What..." He softly said to himself as he sluggishly got up from his bed and slipped on his glasses before slowly walking over to his door and opened it wearing only a pair of boxers and socks.
There he saw a crying Soleil at his door and out of breath. "Wait, what? What's wrong Soleil? Wha-what time is it?" Shaun softly muttered to the former as his voice was deep and groggy still filled with sleepiness and even irritation and anger out of being forcefully awaken. "And wait, what about the cafeteria? Who's there?"

Soleil was breathing fast himself. As he saw Shaun’s panicked expression, he put two hands on his shoulders and stared up into his eyes. Both boys stood in the cold morning, bewildered and exhausted but for different reasons. The wind became silent and the trees stood still, as though they were watching this frantic interaction between the two boys. Soleil’s turquoise eyes almost seemed to glow against the rising sun, and his tears glistened as he waited for the words to come to him. He tried to swallow his tears to speak properly, but he could not control the tears streaming down his face. After a few moments, he squeezed Shaun’s arms, hugged his classmate to him, and then managed to take a breath. He oddly remembered at that moment how Shaun smelled so sweet, like oranges and blueberries as usual. Something about this usual scent was comforting to him, and he was able to articulate his words. “...Allistor...he’s...he’s in the cafeteria...come...come see...” he whispered in a ragged tone.

More tears fell as he spoke his name. He knew that Shaun would be excited to see him, and he did not wait for him to get dressed. Instead, he stepped back, took off his cute bunny hoodie, and threw it over his friend. Shaun looked oddly cute in the hoodie, even if he only had on boxers underneath them. The small Wind Mage then took his wrist, and pulled him along to the cafeteria. They arrived at the cafeteria soon enough, and Allistor and Shaun would see each others' faces for the first time in several weeks.

Ambrosia noticed the two boys as they entered the cafeteria, and something sunk in her heart as they arrived. She had been having a gentle moment with Allistor, who had shown her kindness for the first time since she had known him, and now that moment was gone. Shaun and Allistor would only see each other, and so any hope of making a new friend at the moment would be put on hold. She smiled to hide the gnawing sensation that ate away at her stomach, and she watched the reunion before her.

[Serah]

Oliver continued his usual train of being, or rather, he wanted to but suddenly felt compelled to get out.
It was something at the back of his head, gnawing at his thoughts constantly.
'Stop feeling sorry for yourself and start working to change how your family works. You'll never get anything done if you remain in the cold comfort of your room.'

And so, where he initially thought he'd just hole up, he went out and ate with the rest of the student body that ate at that time.
Ambrosia, Soleil, Shaun (once he woke up), and Allistor coming back from the war.
He didn't know much about the latter, but also had a general idea that he wasn't a pushover like Ambrosia or Soleil; Therefore he could only wonder how the war effort had gone, given Allistor's current state.

He gritted his teeth, taking into account all the wounds he seemed to have suffered from the outside and imagined the same inflicted on Shino.
While it may not have been far from the truth, he felt himself get sick at the thought.
Though he would be lying if he didn't expect her to be in such a state. Fighting Blanchefleur, an issue massive yet entirely ignored by everyone around capable of putting a stop to it, was no easy feat, especially for a ragtag group of pseudo students and a few teachers from all across the oceans.

"...L'effort de guerre est bien relatif vu d'ici..." He muttered under his breath, ignoring the man and going to pick some food up.

I need to get stronger, I have to. If Albert dies or anything happens to Shino, it'll be my job to take up the mantle, and if I can't... No one else will.

[Saldinado]

Shaun Calhoun

Shaun could do nothing but stand there in awkward silence as Soleil stood in front of him, out of breath and in tears. This wasn't the first time that this sort of thing happened, however this time it was more quiet and the sense of urgency was in the air. Raising an eyebrow at him, Shaun opened his mouth to ask for the boy's reason for waking him up unexpectedly before he was met with a sudden hug. A small gasp of surprised escaped his mouth as he instinctively hugged him back. Then what Soleil said afterwards made Shaun's eyes widen in fear and shock.

What? He's here? What do you mean he's here? He never told me that he was coming back...Oh no, is something wrong with him? There has to be a catch to this!

At a lost of words, Shaun began to stammer with his words, his body feeling shaking and his heart beating faster and quicker. It was like he was too scared to face him, as he didn't know what was going on. He wanted to feel relieved, happy like Soleil and perhaps others are. Yet he just couldn't; no yet until he'd seen with his own eyes that this was true. "U-um, yeah...sure. Just let me..." He finally responded in such a heavy and shaky voice before he was cut off once again by Sol quickly sliding his own hoodie over him. Although cute and warm, it was a little tight. But before he could say anything about his choice of attire, he was quickly yanked by Sol and followed him to the cafeteria. The lack of proper clothes and warmth made him shiver slightly and shake in both coldness and embarrassment. The wet grass beginning to make his socks cold and wet as other students looked and passed by, making glares, comments, and a few laughs and giggles. A small groan of discontent and nervousness quietly escaped his mouth as they reached the cafeteria.

Oh my God, what is happening right now? Is this really happening?

Finally reaching the cafeteria and going through the doors, Shaun stopped dead in his tracks to catch his breath and reassess what happened in the past few minutes. Once he felt more comfortable-as much comfort as you get with being half naked in the middle of public with winter slowly approaching-he looked around at his environment and saw who were there with him. It looked as if Ambrosia and Oliver were there as well, along with several other people. Soon he began to feel his face and body feel as if a fire engulfed him. It was like being in one of those cheesy movies where the nerd or geek gets caught with his pants down in front of the cool kids. And the general public as well. "U...um..." He shakily said to himself until he panned his head around to see the reason why he was brought here in the first place.
Shaun's eyes quickly widened once again as he began to feel his stomach drop; his heart once again began to claw and attempt to escape his chest once he rested his eyes on Allistor.

There was an unnerving and awkward silence that fell upon the cafeteria. Shaun observed that Allistor was in a wheelchair and narrowed his eyes onto him. Still shivering from the cold, he began to walk over to him until he was face-to-face with him. His tired and worried purple eyes meeting the cold and stoic grey ones of his partner. He sighed softly. Closing his eyes, he leaned down and placed his cold hands into the warm hands of Allistor and smiled, chuckling softly. "Your hands sure are rougher than the last time I touched them." He laughed softly before burying his face into Allistor's hands and remained silent. However, that silence quickly went away as the sound of soft sniffles and crying began to escape Shaun's mouth. "I've missed you so much..." He whispered to himself as he continued to cry.

[Finsternia]

Allistor Abendroth

The Heir of House Abendroth smiled at Soleil's enthusiasm who, through his snot and tears, dashed out of the cafeteria to fetch someone special. Someone very close to not only his heart, but also to Soleil's own and Ambrosia's unbeating one. He watched the other boy's back as he disappeared behind the cafe doors before looking at the vampire girl in front of him. His interactions with Ambrosia was far too few, literally only two instances and both ended bitterly due to his own childishness and noble snobbiness. He wasn't in the campus when the girl was at the enemy side at first and when he came home, some people were already injured yet in recovery (such as Rabbit) and everyone is on the path of reconstruction and rebuilding as the opposing force has been culled.

The product of blood magic, that was what Ambrosia was. Catherine is a prodigy of the arts of hemomancy and such feat is to be applauded as she was able to create not only a sentient vampire, but one who retained their humanity despite becoming the way they are. Ambrosia could eat, could breathe, could do bodily functions as any human could, if Allistor understands her state of being as he thinks he does. He stared at her eyes, her tears, her sobbing and her shivers. 'A proof of her humanity... Despite being both alive and dead... being unliving... she is no doubt humane...' He smiled bitterly at her, impressed and in awe with the fortitude of her unbeating heart and soul caged within her unliving body. "That's... That's entirely my fault. I'm not going to deny that I was being an asshole to you before and I could only repay that debt with my own efforts of kindness. After all..." Allistor's smile seems to be beaming, clearly happy to finally be here in Mana. "You have been a good friend to Soleil and Shaun... Despite my suspicions of you... you proved me wrong. And plus..." He extended his hand towards her, in a gesture of solidarity, waiting for her to shake it. "I'd do what I could do, for an accursed existence to another... I understand Ambrosia. If you need help with the book, I'll be happy to guide you." He noticed Oliver to be watching them from the side and smiled and waved warmly towards him. His House and family, too, are engulfed in the fires of the Tournament War. Allistor may have left the blaze early for being scorched greatly at such a premature stage but their allies still need to continue braving the fire. The idea of losing lives on the crossfire is huge and he could only offer his own opinions and prayers from this side of the globe. He has done his publicity, he has shown his House that not only Lady Kasarina, a pillar of the family's central powers, could be killed but he too, the future of the House, could have been. He sighed and perked up as he heard the cafeteria doors clink and chime as someone opened it.

His grey eyes went wide, empty grey shining with faint, longing light. Lifeless sleet of ice became a stormy cloud of rain, heavy with emotion. There he stood, in his socks that seem to be drenched by morning dew, an adorably small sweater that barely covered his boxers nevermind his thighs and legs, his messy snow white locks that have been tossed and styled by sleep. His wide frames almost seem to have been haphazardly worn in a hurry and behind those were warm and gentle purple eyes. "Shaun..." He almost stood from his wheelchair, his hand reaching for the one person he has been thinking of and worrying of. His hand touched his partner's own. Shaun's hands were rough, from training and work out, yet for the first time his own was warm when the white haired boy's was cold. His other hand closed against Shaun's two, both of their hands shaking as they tried to make sure that the touch of the other was real. "Your hands too... They much more firm since the last time I held them... A warrior's hands... A Mage's hands..." As Shaun took Allistor's hands to his face, to feel his warmth and to feel his pulse, Allistor caressed his cheeks softly as reflective silence descended between the two lovers. It wasn't long for his beloved to shake, for him to feel the tremors of his crying, and the stormy clouds above broke loose. Tears trailed down Allistor's cheeks as he looked up to Shaun, who was squeezing and embracing his hands. His heart felt piercing and crushing pain as it thumped against his chest and his voice broke as he called Shaun's name. "Shaun... I'm sorry... I'm sorry for leaving you alone and making you worry... I'm sorry..." He reached forward to pull Shaun down for an embrace, nevermind the pain that resonated all over his body. He wanted to feel Shaun's warmth, his embrace, the beating of his heart and his breathing. Allistor buried his face against Shaun's shoulder, sobbing as he did. Vanilla and lavender, oranges and blueberry. The scent of home. "Shaun... I'm home... I'm home now sweetie..."

[Luminesa]

I’d do what I could do, for one accursed existence to another... Ambrosia did not understand why Allistor considered himself cursed, but as her classmate spoke gently and understandingly to her, her mouth and brows crinkled until she began to cry herself. Whatever his reason, he was extending a hand of friendship, and he was not doing so to tease her. She was all too grateful that he even thought about her, and his kind words made her clutch her book a little closer to her chest.

She even found herself sobbing when she saw Shaun and Allistor approach each other. Allistor’s dull eyes had begun to sparkle just in the slightest, as Shaun entered the cafeteria, and her sad smile became a happy one. These two students were now home together, and crying in each others’ arms. The reunion was earlier than expected, but a happy one nonetheless.

Soleil would have smiled as well, if he had not been crying so many tears while trying to smile. Shaun and Allistor were both parts of his family, and his family was now mostly together again. Henry and Rabbit were still overseas, but boys’ warm, tearful embrace filled him with hope. He walked closer to them, hoping to hug both of them, to soak-in their presence, to treasure the fact that Allistor was home to stay. At the same time, he respected their moment together and did not immediately charge to hug both of them. They were still absorbing the fact that they were both home now, and that the war would not tear them away from each other again.

While Cecily was also happy, she felt a burning sensation in her chest as she thought about how she had gotten Allistor at the airport. She had seen him, her student...but she had not seen Rabbit with him. While she did not want for him to be injured, part of her wished that Rabbit had come home with the boy. Alas, he was well enough to be overseas still, apparently, and she sighed. ...Rabbit...I hope...you’ll come home soon too...... she thought.

[Saldinado]

Shaun Calhoun

The feeling of embarrassment; the feeling of fear, of being ridiculed, insulted, and degraded that he would put himself through whenever he cried or shed a tear all seem to vanish once he felt Allistor embrace him. Without any hesitation, Shaun began to wrap his arms around the former and started to sob even more. Weeks of putting on a mask of content and happiness for others that only hid his anxiety, fear, anger, and frustration soon began to crack away to reveal the reality of the situation. Feeling the vibrations of Allistor's voice upon his body as he began to reassure him that he was finally home, Shaun unexpectedly hugged tighter and continued to cry. He had no words as his emotions took control of his mind. For at this moment, it was only him and Allistor. However he knew that this silence could only really last for so long before he must say something.

Once the floodgates within his heart were finally emptied, Shaun released a heavy sigh of exhaustion and slowly raised his head up to see something that was unexpected: Allistor himself had tears running down his face. He never really remembered a moment where he actually witness or heard of a time in which he cried. His eyes widen as his tears slid down his cheeks without a word escaping his mouth. He felt as though seeing him cry scared him in a way. Seeing someone such as Allistor, the one who was usually stoic, hardened, and perhaps seen and experienced things that would make others face such defeat and despair only to casually dismiss it with a witty remark, was sitting before him crying.
Closing his eyes, Shaun allowed his hands to intertwine and caress Allistor's own before finding words to say. Yet, he didn't know what he could say, as well as muster the energy to say anything. No witty or sarcastic remark, no question or sentence could escape his mouth at the time. It was only after a minute of more silence passed before he could really gain the energy back to respond. "N-no." He softly said with his voice sounding heavier from his crying. "Ther...there's no need to apologize..." Finishing his words with a heavy sigh, he raised his hand to gently wipe the tears from Allistor's face and smile weakly before once again embracing him into his arms and holding him tightly. He had no more energy to cry, to talk, to do anything other than to hold him. He didn't want to let him go once more, as if he were going to lose him once again.

[Finsternia]

Allistor Abendroth

The black haired boy stared at his beloved's crying violet eyes. Those eyes who hid behind a veil of smiles and laughter now show the longingness and pain that he has always brought within him. Shaun was always the person to put the happiness of others before his own. He would smile as long as his smiles could bring forth the same thing to others. Yet now, in this private moment where as if the world stopped and the curtains fell, they were both alone. Allistor and Shaun were both alone with each other, in a space where the two of them could only belong, where they could be honest to themselves.

It's been a long time since Allistor truly cried. As Heir to a Great Noble House, it is his duty to steel his heart, to be clad in impenetratable armor. An armor that would not only protect himself from the sharp blades of social war but to mask his weaknesses that could be exploited. Mana was the home where he could casually be at ease, to shrug these plates of heavy steel, whereareas Europe is a battlefield where his heart shouldn't waver. He has left the war now and he is home. He is now home in a place where he could be himself, where there are no expectations, where his friends and second family reside.

Allistor's fingers intertwined with Shaun's own. They were rough hands born from the practice of magecraft and the handling of weaponry. Two pairs of hands that only sought each other's grasp. As Allistor heard Shaun's meek reply, felt his hands wipe the unsightly tears off his cheeks and eyes, and be enveloped once again with his warmth and fragrance, he found himself smiling. His arms, trembling and weak, wrapped around Shaun's back. He found himself burying his face into the toasty feeling of the sweater and drowning in the refreshing scent of oranges and blueberry. He found the strength to speak again, his voice breaking and a little bit hoarse and raspy from crying. "Thank you for waiting for me... I'm sorry if... if you got to see me in this condition..." The couple spent quite some time, in silence and in their embrace and their ragged breathing, before Allistor faced Shaun and smiled. "Did... Did Soleil just wake you up? Do you want to eat with me? With us? Ah, before that..." He turned towards the side and nodded towards the maid that was beside him. She procured a long, comfortable, and thick coat, which should be Allistor's, and draped it over Shaun's shoulders. The coat was large enough to over his entire body down to his exposed legs. Allistor's hands tried to button up the coat, despite still shaky from injury. "I always wanted to eat breakfast with you for a long time... What do you want to eat?"

[Luminesa]

Soleil noticed the shaky hands, and his eyes widened. Allistor’s body was usually quite steady, but right now he seemed much weaker. Brittle even, as though he could crumble the Abendroth heir in his hands. His hands threw a warm coat over Shaun, and while the two boys reveled in each other’s company, Soleil felt a shiver strike through him. ...Something else is wrong...Something else is very wrong...Allistor...you’ve changed...I don’t know how, but you’ve changed...

Strung along by boldness, and compassion for his friend, he stepped toward the two crying boys. He stopped in front of Allistor, and he watched him more closely. The small Rise had stopped crying now, as his eyes examined his classmate. Allistor would notice himself that Soleil’s eyes had changed as well. Sure, they were puffy and pink, as they always were after the boy cried himself sick, yet his gaze was curious. His turquoise eyes had added layers of depth, as though the small ponds in his eyes had become oceans of thoughts and feelings. They were still innocent and sweet, but now they carried the gravity of eyes much older than his own. He seemed to know that something far below the surface was causing Allistor pain, and had made him different somehow.

Yet Soleil did not entirely understand these thoughts and feelings. When he looked at his weakened friend, his mind clouded. His heartstrings strummed slowly, creating a soft, touching tune which brought back memories. Memories of deep pain and exhaustion. Memories of a crack in the door filled with light. Memories of long, horrific nightmares and endless, cold nights. He wanted to take Allistor’s hands, but refrained from doing so. “...I...I can get you breakfast, whatever you want! I want to help you too!” he answered, a little too enthusiastic. Why he had answered in such a manner, he had no idea. However, he knew that while he felt a connection with his classmate, time was marching forward and the morning had only just begun. He rushed to grab things for Allistor to eat, piling the plate as high as he could.

[Luminesa]

The strange thoughts Soleil had carried along as he grabbed Allistor some food. He would not divulge his thoughts now, since Allistor and Shaun were having their moment. Plus, none of the other students, he figured, would want to hear whatever odd things were rippling in the sea of his mind. He decided to bring him an enormous tray, knowing he would want to eat a lot. Ham and eggs, buttery sweet rolls, fresh fruit, a chocolate pastry, and some black tea. All things Allistor enjoyed eating. As he put the platter down, his eyes lingered on both boys for a few moments. He smiled once again, shyly and meekly, and he then turned to find someone in the cafeteria.

Sleipnir was not yet awake, but he wanted to speak to a teacher. Given he now had an adoptive mother, he decided to try and connect with her by going to ask her some questions. He wished to stay longer with Shaun and Allistor, but he knew they only wanted to see each other at the moment, and he felt he was now intruding on their moment. Thus he slipped away, and found Tsukiyomi’s room across campus. He knocked on her door, and waited patiently. Sure, class was going to start in a few minutes, but he needed some questions to be answered. If she could not answer them, then he would find someone else.

Ambrosia remained in the cafeteria, and as she sat down to eat her own meal, she stared from the two boys back to her food, and then at the book Allistor had given her. She planned to read it, to understand herself and her condition better. Yet as she planned to do so, she wanted to find Catherine. Maybe she could ask her questions about her condition, and she could find if she knew anything. Catherine was still on the campus...right? She now had her own quest, and thanks to Allistor, she had a key with which she could try and unlock some doors. If not, she would kick them down. ...Thank you, Allistor...whether I stay a vampire or not...I want to know myself, and who I am supposed to be...You’ve helped me so much, and you’ve only been here for a few minutes...thank you... she thought.

[Chrome Legion]

Elizabeth Tsukuyomi


If she had honestly cared about her duties, Liz should have felt aweful for neglecting them. She had been here, not leaving or even contacting anyone since she had sent her message to rise. No, in many many ways she was a poor option as a mother. Her view was to long to see that the needs of a child were important. Perhaps a good quality in an archmage, but not in a parent.
Her body had been reformed for some time now, but she had again found herself caught staring into Yata no Kagami. The mirror did not show a refection, but instead through her power showed the flow of mana over a great area. Combining it with other scrying techniques allowed Tsukuyomi to maintain a firm grasp on what was going on out side of the demi-plane she resided over. And the developments in the rest of the word had been quite interesting. Liz was tempted to hop to a plane with slower time, just so she could skip to the end, but then she would miss the middle. And perhaps, she did feel some pull from her duties here.

A Knock. She should have expected some one to come find her, but it had been much longer than she expected. The door to her office was more than just a door to another room in the school. She had managed to slip a hole into her demi-plane through the wards, and the door was a portal across existence into her little slice. Right now, the pale was arranged simply, with Yata no Kagami sitting in the center, looking like a large pool reflecting a starry night touch by ethereal streams of auras. There was a simple bench ringing it, and a walled japanese style garden composed the rest of the plane as it was.

Liz let the door swing open, but did nothing else. Pulling someone else into the reality control by her was... a wrong, she would not commit it.