Katherine left the Headmistress' office fairly happy. If nothing else, she had a legitimized reason to test herself against some of the most, unruly students. Not to mention dispense punishments to those that deserved it. Of course, everything would be done inside the power of position whether that would be Student Council President as Headmistress Livia suggested (by name) or what she was subtly implying in the form of a Discipline Committee. Either way, she needed to get to her dorm to make sure things were in order, then perhaps even head to classes.

Then again. . . This didn't seem right. She knew it was a dorm she was suppose to be headed to. . . Yes? She looked to the doll reading the map. "Are you. . . Sure this is it?" The doll nodded and waved the map back and forth, pointing to the location on the map and then the old looking building. . . . Alright. I guess, we'll just go in. It can't be all too obnoxious." Of course, upon entering her underground "living space" her mind was greatly changed.

Really, it didn't look like anyone has done a good cleaning. If this was the entry area, she didn't want to know what the rest of the rooms looked like. "We need cleaning supplies. Brooms, dust pans, and whatever we can find." She ordered her dolls. They scattered about throughout all the rooms looking for the items their leader demanded as the master walked about to see what else was necessary. What she wasn't expecting was two people in one of the rooms. Contrary to what the rest of the place she had seen, they were obivously not prisoners chained to the wall. At least that was a good sign. Perhaps they were the Shino and the Ylva mentioned on the dorm paper. At the very least she didn't assume either were Adrian.

Dolls ran through the room and scurried about, passing right by the two yet staying out of their way. "I almost didn't expect my fellow roommates to be here. I guess it's still early in the morning." She gave one of her stock smiles as she continued. "You must excuse my dolls as they work. This place is absolutely filthy and needs a thorough cleaning. It'll look like no one has been tortured in here before." Dust and more dust. Katherine could not stand dust. "But enough about that, I am Katherine Lindall." One girl had a very striking feature, cat ears! It was easy enough to tell her apart from others in a crowd likely. In fact, she was absolutely tiny and adorable! If not for her will, she'd probably hug the girl on the spot and steal her to be a pet alongside the dolls. The other, well, she definitely had a few features that easily stood out. She was pretty, to be sure. She also seemed to be a more physically fit person. At the least moreso than a certain puppeteer. "A pleasure to meet you two."

@liferusher@Zoldyck

@VanityMage Levi@liferusher

'The Moth King'

"Say Adrian, Would you rather go to the library or settle into the dorms so that that would be out of the way, I have quite a lot of stuff with me and still need to orientate where everything is and all. I must say it would be better to settle in to be honest but it would be your call."

Adrian shook his head enthusiastically from side to side at the request to do whatever it was he wanted to do. An answer to that was impossible, as what he wanted to do when his master was around was whatever she wanted to do. His sole purpose was to be her shadow and protect her, to fail was death, to succeed was to know happiness. His life had no meaning without a purpose. Before Reina the only thing left to him was being a wanderer, to see the world, and drift aimlessly on the wind. Nothing would harbor him the way he looked and always he had been met with hostility. things had taken a pleasant turn for the better in this girls service.

"Apologies, my qu-.. My Master. I do not mean to offend. If you desire it so, I can get your necessities to your arranged domicile. I have already familiarized myself with your to-be living quarters. When I have finished, it would be no trouble to locate you at the library."

A little wave of his hand had the swarm of moths fluttering off into every corner of the school. They would make nests, lay eggs, become food for night hunting creatures, the cycle of life continued. The snap of a twig had Adrian on full alert as he snapped towards the sound, piercing red eyes surveying everything at once. His eyes caught sight of the boy emerging from the trees and couldn't stop himself from hissing. His antennae shifted every which way as Adrian rose from his crouch to take a wide legged stance, both clawed hands flexing as his wings fully expanded. Standing at 8 feet tall with powerful muscles Adrian was more than capable looking. But it was the eyes that were his weapon.
Bright crimson orbs drew the attention of everything that looked upon him in a hypnotic trance as the effects of his passive magic took hold. Stare too long, and you were paralyzed in place. Glance away and he could easily cover the distance to go on the offensive.

All he was waiting for was the go ahead from his master.

That didn't go as well as Conner would have hoped. The boy stepped backwards at the sight of the familiar's aggressive stance and piercing red eyes. He didn't want to engage in a fight whatsoever and even tried to express this by waving his arms in front of him and shaking his head "No" but for some reason, he felt his muscles stiffen before doing it. Now that he thought about it, he found it strange that he couldn't peer away from the moth's stare, and closing them seem to have been meaningless as well. Could this be his ability? He thought to himself. In his perspective, he could tell the moth could only be doing this to protect their master, and if that was the case then Conner's best course of action was to surrender in order to show them both that he meant no harm. Although if he was wrong and was to be attacked... well lets just say that a water mage like him has ways of casting spells without moving to defend himself. By that, meaning the talisman ring he wears on his hand was hovering slightly over his pocket, which containined the bubble bottle he was using earlier.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare y-you... I a-assure you that wasn't my intention h-heheheh"

He chuckled nervously. At times like this, he really wished he'd wouldn't be so fidgety around others. Maybe then he could state things more clearly and give better explanations than these short responses he always seem to muster out.

"M-my names Conner and if your going to the library for b-books, my dorms there and I-I' know where specific books can be located if your looking for one... "

At this point, Conner was growing more uncomfortable by the second while forcibly keeping eye contact with the familiar. Fear was being built up inside him as he waited to see how they would respond.

@liferusher @Zelosse

The pale skinned girl seemed to be preoccupied by something, walking towards a bookshelf. The young noble debated between asking his question more loudly in an attempt to get her attention or leaving the girl to her studies. Another conclusion was reached for him as the girl seemed to literally bounce off of him, landing on the floor in a tangle of legs.

Too surprised to be able to offer a hand for the unfortunate maiden before she regained her feet, Swen chastised himself for failing a basic task of chivalry.

"Apologies,"

Luckily, the girl was forgiving of this social failure and proceeded not only to apologize, but additionally to answer his question. A forgiving woman would be ideal to court around, willing to forgive his naïve mistakes and push him in the right direction.

". . . I was looking for research material, specifically, books on blood rituals and homonculus."

Not only that, but his original assumptions about her being an academic proved true.

This was perfect. His House had done a good job describing the sort of woman he should seek out. So far, this girl had done 2 of the 17 accomplishments necessary for a woman that would marry a man of his stature.

Now what?

...
...
...

A few awkward seconds passed as he tried to form the words. Social cues demanded he address the subject matter, proving and interest in her intellect. Chivalric cues demanded that he be straightforward and not hide his intentions.

"Ummm..."

Why choose when you can do both. The nobleman took a knee before the lady, mentally preparing himself to make his request.

"I share an interest in that field, and am wondering if we could study it together after I take you to the introductory ball in a few days time!"

Although he initially stumbled, his voice sounded far more confident than what he really felt.

Another person had suddenly entered the room. Shino jumped a little and let the sheets fall onto the ground. She didn't expect another person to have entered her room just like the tattoo lady did. Without explenation from the tattoo lady to what she was doing her yet she turned towards the doll lady to go ahead and hear her out. Shino tilted their head with quite a confused look on her face. Her tail curled up a little and her ears twitched a little to small sounds that were made. The woman had began talking and had said something rather peculiar. Roommates? Her head turned upright again so that she was able to tilt it in confusion again. This time Shino rose a finger to her chin out of pondering.



The dolls slowly started flowing in with small brooms and the likes. Shino could not help but be startled a little and follow the dolls with her eyes as they worked. They looked like tiny humans but made of cloth and such. She gazed at the dolls but would shake her head and look up at the doll lady with a somewhat more serious face.



Shino pointed a finger at the woman and looked quite serious... Till. Shino jumped after one of the dolls that was working past her feet. She focused on the doll and ran after it. The doll seemed to be running but could not keep up with Shino her pace. Shino jumped onto the poor thing and locked it in her grip with two of her paws hands. She chewed one of the arms for a small moment but suddenly let go of the thing and regained her composer like nothing had happened.



Shino walked closer towards the human with her finger pointed at the human again. When Shino had gotten close enough she suddenly looked down at the girl her long skirt. It somewhat annoyed her that it missed two parts. There was the front piece but then it missed two parts next to it so it would cover her whole legs yet it didn't cover her whole legs. Shino titled her head again while looking at the piece of clothing.



Shino bend down a little and grabbed the end of it. She tucked it a little and moved it up to see if she could pull it off from further up the inside.





Reina looked quite hyped to do this by balling up her fist and having quite a serious look on her face but would still gently smile at Adrian after she had shown him her enthusiasm. She wondered if Adrian had stuff himself, he didn't look like the type that would have a nice picture of someone or dirty magazine's of some female moths. Well maybe making a comfy spot for him to sleep in would be a good way to spend her time too.

The next moment Reina was taken off guard. Reina hadn't realised someone was close by and would simply stare at Adrian as he made a sudden move on his own. His movements were quick and were pointed at someone next to them. Reina stammered backwards a bit at the sudden reaction of Adrian and would let out a small gasp as she did. When she realised what he was doing she turned her body towards the person and would look rather taken by the sight. Her mouth was a little agape as she stared at the person for a moment. He didn't seem to be moving much and she kind of wondered why he was reacting this way. Reina placed both hands bundled up in front of her lap in politeness as the boy began talking.

He seemed rather scared of the two of them, well more of Adrian to be exact. Despites that he was nervous as he talked in particular. He didn't look like the type that would go out or anything yet she could still give him a gentle smile not trying to scare him in the least. He was acting quite weird however and wasn't giving any signs of movement. Reina wondered what was up with that.

Timidly she started at him realising what was happening and she could not hold herself from trying to stop Adrian as fast as she could in any other way possible. Reina showed a lot of body signs when she started yelling at the moth. She couldn't hold herself back when she would see someone in pain.



Reina hurriedly moved over towards the boy and stood in front of him so he wasn't able to look at Adrian but rather at her. She displayed another gentle but concerned smile at the boy as she placed her hands back in front of her lap again while making a little bow with her eyes looking down at the ground.



Reina showed the boy Adrian again like she displaying him with one of her hands. She turned back towards him as a kind smile covered her face.

This had been a rather bad day.

Firstly, she had been woken up in the miniscule room by her date's cheerful chatter. The hellion did have some honor though, and kept her side of the bargain by keeping the cold girl away from her own godly prescence.

Realizing it was time to get up for her new job however, Iravis tossed on a long white dress with gold trim and headed out for the schoolhouse.

She tried to teach history. Tried. The students constantly interupted her. Some asked questions relevant to her lecture on Egyptian life, but others were simply attacking eachother. It took the full use of her divine will to surpress the ugre to start an improptu lesson in pyromancy.

Now it was the goddess's break period, and she found herself desperately searching the teacher's lounge for a bottle of wine.

---

Ayame quietly entered the teacher's lounge, her ears droopy and her usual neat hair sticking up everywhere. The fox was so very excited when she woke up in the morning, leaving her dorm room with a huge smile on her face. The night before, she pulled out a notebook and quickly wrote down a plan for her class. First introductions, then warm-ups, and a lesson about music in general. Everything was going to be perfect.

...It did't go as well as she would've liked. The fox was now convinced that human pups were even more difficult to handle compared to grown-up humans. They had pounced on her the second she had stepped into the classroom, touching her ears and soft hair with grubby fingers. Good heavens. She shivered in disgust. Did she really want to do this every day? But at the same time, Ayame realized that they were just pups -they didn't know any better. At least the children had settled down the last ten minutes and started asking her questions about the instruments. There was even one brilliant human girl pup that had a sense of rhythm!

Perhaps she could change them. Or better yet, she could change herself. All in all, Ayame considered her first day of teaching a success.

The fox's ears twitched and she sensed another person inside the lounge. Lifting her eyes up, she spotted a pretty young lady searching the cabinets for something.

"Excuse me. Do you need any help?" She politely called out, keeping her distance from the unknown creature. The fox could sense great power from her and was a tad nervous.

The Phoenix looked towards the voice, and after a second of analysis collected her thoughts.

Fox Ears. A Fox Tail. Another creature being tormented by the headmistress?

Apparently the fox expressed respect with both distance and an offer of aid, which was appropriate considering Iravis' station in the heavens. In return for that respect, the goddess decided to grace the woman with her own divine voice. "The aid of a loyal servant searching to help me slack my thirst would be greatly appreciated."

The red haired woman turned around, resuming her search for something to take away her misery. So far, she hadn't had any luck.

"Okay," she murmured, unconsciously stiffening at the sound of the other's voice. She sounded and looked so regal and powerful! Ayame would hate to get on her bad side. Her tail nervously twitching, the fox padded up to a strange white box with two handles. "What is this?" She wanted to ask, but fear kept her mouth shut. So she wrapped her fingers around the lower handle, pushing it once. Nope. Ayame cocked her head, bright green eyes quizzically staring at the handle.

Oh? The fox tried pulling it this time. Bingo. A large lower section of the white box opened up, revealing a row of objects with liquid inside of them. She picked up the bottle with clear liquid inside, assuming it was water before closing the strange white thing. Ayame stood there, memorizing all the details of the human machinery so she could ask Yume later.

"Uhm," she started, taking a step towards the red-haired creature. "Would this suffice?"

Sounds from her newest servant searching filled the room. The fox eared girl's chimmed in quietly, alerting the goddess to her newest find. Amber eyes looked towards her co-worker, a little shocked at the other girl's success. A search around the room showed that all the cabinents were shut.

Magic. That had to be the answer. This woman could summon gifts from the void.

A useful trait for a follower.

The red haired girl approached her co-worker with a nod of approval, picking the bottle out of her hand without asking for permission. She popped off the top, and after tilting it back slightly drank a little from it. Perfect. The hand extended the bottle back towards the fox-girl, expecting her to drink some as well. Loyal followers were rewarded, after all.

"Fox-Ears, what are you called?"

It was safe to say that the red-haired creature was pleased. Ayame brightened up considerably, the tip of her tail curling up in delight as she took the offered drink. Her nose twitched when she brought the bottle close to her. That was definitely not water. Her senses screamed at her to not consume the foreign liquid, but Ayame did so anyways. After all, the red-haired lady drank it without hesitation!

One sip and Ayame's face contorted into disgust. The liquid was so bitter and nasty, burning her entire mouth and throat. "Never again..." Eyes watering, she coughed into her sleeve before extending the bottle back towards the other. "M-My name is Ayame," she managed to get out before coughing again. "May I have your name, miss?"

The goddess raised an eyebrow as the other proceeded to have the reaction of a naive drinker, not knowing what to expect. Iravis had to resist the urge to laugh a bit at fox-ears response, and accepted the bottle back into her own hands. As the other explained who she was and sent in her own request, the goddess took another swing of liqiud courage.

"Another granted me the title of Iravis Ustrina." Her tone left the impression that this was a desirable thing.

A sip of relief passed through the goddesses lips again, soothing the fire-wielding woman's reaction. "Be honest with me, how have the little ones treated you so far?"

Iravis Ustrina. What a beautiful name. Ayame cleared her throat, the effects of the strange liquid fading away, leaving the fox feeling a bit tingly. It was an odd sensation, one that made her ears twitch like crazy occasionally. Her eyelids drooped and she felt the urge to take a seat at the comfortable looking couch in the middle of the room.

However, at the mention of the little ones, Ayame's ears perked up. "The human pups are quite strange," she began. "They seemed to like touching my, uhm, ears and hair and -" A sigh escaped her lips. "I felt violated but they are just pups. It is hard to stay mad at them. I hope I will be able to become their friend and mentor in the future... How have you fared against them?"

The goddess nodded at her loyal servant as she spoke, describing her trials for the day. To be honest, the Phoenix could understand why Ayame's fox ears would be tempting for small children. Luckily, the children in Iravis' classroom seemed to settle for just looking with some degree of awe at her crimson mane. Which was appropriate, given their mortal status.

"Be stern with them, and set boundries. Ayame, you must smite those who are disobedient within your domain, as is the mandate of heaven." As if to confirm this, the godess took another swing of the drink herself.

"Y-yes ma'm!" She took Iravis' advice to heart, well, the first part. The smiting the disobedient part was a bit too extreme for her liking. Ayame watched as Iravis took another drink, blinking in astonishment. How could she drink that fire-water without coughing?

"If it isn't too much of me to ask, but ah," Ayame paused, her right hand gently touching her collarbone. "What are you? I've never come across a creature like you before."

Iravis raised an eyebrow as Ayame asked her question. The red haired girl considered not responding, but so far the fox girl had proved herself both loyal and respectful, and deserved to know.

"It would be surprising if you had, for before you is the Phoenix, recognized as a goddess before both the Hellenstic and Egyptian Pantheons." The words that left her lips were so proud as to make the king of beasts seem humble. "What compelled you to seek that wisdom?"

If the sober version of herself could see the current conversation, the sober version would probably slap the current version and mention the fact that she hadn't said anything or done anything that was too far out of the ordinary as to prompt such a question. After recieving an answer, the sober version would have delivered a cryptic answer in response rather than delivering an honest answer.

Huh. Ayame had never heard of a phoenix before but it seemed like a very revered position. And the words 'Hellenstic' and 'Egyptians Pantheons' made her head hurt. "Oh my," she thought. She would have to do a lot of studying after classes! At Irvasis' question, she cocked her head and stared at the phoenix like she had just heard the most odd question ever.

"Haven't you ever wondered what kinds of different creatures there are in this world?" She began. "Er- not to be rude," Ayame then murmured, her ears flattening against her head. "My mother always told me I was too curious for my own good."

Iravis nodded in response to that answer. "Although she means the best for you, your mother has been misguided. Thoth values those who collect knowledge, and so long as you do not put yourself at great risk acquiring it what harm has been done?" For some reason, the Phoenix started to feel tired and yawned slightly. She took another shot of the drink down her throat, hoping it would help her wake up.

"Thank you," she sincerely said. Although she didn't fully understand what Iravis had said, she could tell from the words she did know that it was alright for her to be curious. Her lips pulled up into a huge smile but they faltered when Ayame heard a yawn. Worried, she dared to take a step closer to the phoenix.

"You should rest," she offered, glancing at the couch.

Now that her loyal servant mentioned it, the couch was looking awfully appealing. After a few moments of thought and a glance at the clock ... well, she DID have two hours before she needed to get back to the classroom. The goddess skipped over to the couch with a bit of difficulty and plopped herself down on it, smiling to the world. "May the gods grant you luck for your second shift."

A few seconds later, Iravis' amber eyes shut themselves, and she fell asleep quickly, breathing lightly as she cuddled against a pillow that had been waiting there.

The fox had followed Iravis to the couch, biting back laughter. "Thank you," she gently replied as if she was talking to a cute pup. Ayame watched the phoenix sleep for a few seconds, finding the other quite interesting and dare she say - cute.

"I think I've made a new friend today," she whispered out loud before quietly walking out of the teacher's lounge to let Iravis rest.

"Ummm..."

Silence descended as Heather and Meruin waited for the boys response. The former with confusion, the latter, with high expectations. Heather could see the boy grow increasingly flustered as he struggled for the right words to say. She giggled, thoughts drifting to her previous experiences with fresh, hopeful boys like him.

Suddenly the boy dropped to one knee while simultaneously dropping a bomb:

"I share an interest in that field, and am wondering if we could study it together after I take you to the introductory ball in a few days time!"

. . .

Ehem.

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAA~!

Meruin's eye twitched as she resisted the urge to flinch as Heather gave a passionate squeal of joy(?). This was turning out to be sooooo much better than expected!

Not only was this boy good looking, he was adorably awkward! Heather could tell that he was new to the whole "flirting" thing, but that made him so much more adorable! Oh, Meruin may not see the true value of this boy, but Heather practically had hearts in her eyes. More than that, however, is that he had essentially just asked her little Merry out on a date! He even got down to one knee! Yes Yes Yes Yes YES!

"Oh. My. God. Merry, you have to say yes. You cannot do anything but to say yes, you hear me? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity that you cannot pass out! YOU HEAR ME?"

Meruin took note of this. Apparently, this was a rare chance for her, but what that chance entailed exactly was lost to her. She had to admit, this was the first time she had encountered something like this, and in times where there were social events that she had no idea how to react to, following Heather's advice was her first course of action. Most of the time they went well, though the times when they didn't ended catastrophically badly. Also, this was the first time Heather was so insistent on following her suggestion.

It was an strange proposal, one that intrigued her. She had never studied with anyone, and neither had she been to anything like the introductory ball. Both would be new experiences and there was no harm in trying for them. Meruin went over the benefits in her head rapidly. The worst that could happen was wasting her time, but even then she could gain from the experience, said gains being to avoid similar events from then on. At best, this could be a chance at a future partnership, someone that could help advance her research in the future. He looked wealthy, so that probably meant he could gain access to supplies that were beyond the reach of her own funds.

Still, it seemed that both Heather and this intriguing boy were forgetting something vital . . .

Meruin knelt down as well, her emerald orbs meeting the boys own amber eyes.

"I don't see a problem, though could I at least have your name first?" she said, a confused look on her face. Normally, wouldn't you introduce yourself before asking for a favor? "I'm Meruin Hazy, and you?"

Chen Avarice

Chen began to wander around after the whole debacle at the library, smiling at the punishment he had inflicted upon the idiot who dared try to harm knowledge. He subconsciously knew that he had done nothing to her and that the wannabe priest had done all the work, but it made him feel nice thinking that he took down a possibly powerful familiar.

'Yeah, I'm awesome. I can take down a avatar of fire with only a few well placed words and my own commanding presence. It's a wonder that people aren't swarming to become my loyal servants. I wonder how I would go about checking out a book. Maybe I could find a good book on Wind Magic. Not that I need help with it or anything.'

He walked back into the library after doing a complete circle through the hallways and noticed a strange scene before him. A man was proposing to Meruin while kneeling on one knee. The library was a magnet for insanity it would appear.

"I share an interest in that field, and am wondering if we could study it together after I take you to the introductory ball in a few days time!"

No, he was just asking her to the ball. That was slightly worse actually, acting like he was royalty and kneeling down for something as simple as a ball. This won't do, this won't do at all.

Chen cleared his throat and stared at the kneeling couple in front of him. He then frowned, his mood ruined by the display of open affection in front of him, and began to speak.

"I don't think the library is the appropriate place for a loud invitation to a party slash ball. Some people actually wish to read in here. In the library. Where people read. Without loud distractions like people yelling about a party slash ball that nobody cares about."

Chen looked at Meruin and smirked, she looked quite nice right now. She deserved a better date than this bumbling fool who had the audacity to do... something!

"Besides, if this lovely young lady were to go to the ball with anyone, it would be with me. She deserves something more than some fool who would forget to introduce himself before asking someone to a ball."

He walked past the two and began looking for a book on Wind Magic as he said this making sure to keep a steady stride and a steady breathing pace.

'What the fuck did I just say?! Why the hell did I just say that?! God damnit Chen, could you just once shut your fucking mouth instead of just blurting out your stupid feelings?!

"With that being said, would you like to go to the ball with me, Ms. Hazy?"

He turned back towards Meruin and Swen, with a smile on his face and his hands behind his back clasping each other. He wrung his hands behind him, making sure to appear calm to everyone in the room.

'STOP IT YOU FUCKING IDIOT!!! YOU'VE ALREADY DUG YOUR GRAVE, THERE'S NO NEED TO DIG FURTHER!!!'

His palms were sweaty, his heartbeat was going crazy and it took all of his willpower not to start hyperventilating. The last time he was this nervous was when he pissed off Wrath all those years ago.

@TheHangedMan@RabidAnubis

Adria Solium

---

Adria managed to get out of the infirmary and around the corner somehow unscathed. One thing was for certain, Adria would have to somehow not get hurt, lest the nurse accidently impale her on various sharp objects. Either way, seeing that the danger had passed, Adria breathed a sigh of relief, and looked down at the paper she had been handed. There were no keys, oddly enough. For a moment, Adria thought about heading back. However, the paper also said she would have roommates, so hopefully they were there to let her in. At the very least, she was more willing to take her chances being locked out then going back there.

Now as to where it was... oh! How fortunate, her dorm was close by. If it was locked, and worse came to worst, at least she wouldn't spend too much time walking back to get a key. Though hopefully it wouldn't come down to that. Well, no time to waste. Better get down to the dorm.

Within no time, Adria had managed to make her way to her dorm. Though, she still wasn't inside. Rather, she was slightly confused. There was no doorknob. And while typically such a thing wouldn't bother her, door knows fall off all the time. It seems there was no sign there had ever been one. And, suffice to say she was smart enough to realize that, yes, she was at a school for magic. And yes, people pull practical jokes all the time. If this was indeed a joke, it probably would not be a good idea to get too close. Rather, she would yell through the door.

"Hello! Is anyone here?"

Now, to wait.

---

@rune_alchemist
(How do butler AIs work by the way?)

Swen was about to deliver his full name and title. About to.

"I don't think the library is the appropriate place for a loud invitation to a party slash ball. Some people actually wish to read in here. In the library. Where people read. Without loud distractions like people yelling about a party slash ball that nobody cares about."

Then some white and black haired ... demon ... walked up and chastised the noble boy. Looking down with a flush of embarrassment on his cheeks, the hellborn creature proceeded to both insult him and make a swoop at his lady in the most calm fashion known to mankind.

The black haired boy was new to this sort of thing, and was left speechless as the asshole proceeded to stare at them expectantly.

"You ... you ...!" For a few moments, the nobleman lost his composure, embarrassment overcoming him. The child's eyes began to noticeably water he thought about the bullies words. An arm lifted up to his eyes, trying to dry off the forming tears.

God, this was awful. What a failure, to bring shame upon his House-

I WILL not fail my house. I won't.

In a second the nobleman regained his composure, and any sign of his previous embarrassment left his face. His amber eyes faced towards the one attempting to steal his lady.

"My lord, Lady Meriun has already pointed out that flaw in my conduct, so I question if you are so focused on perfecting your own conduct that you ignore her words." Years of practice at being composed flew into his veins. It wasn't a deep voice, it wasn't a loud one, and it wasn't a high and mighty one. It was a matter of fact tone.

The posture a second later ignored the demon entirely, focusing on Ms. Hazy completely. "My full title is Magierprinz Swen Runvall Von Zauberbuch, but I would be honored if you would treat me with more familiarity than that, and simply call me Swen."

"As I said before, I would greatly appreciate having you hand at the dance and your mind afterwards, Meriun Hazy." That was partially a jab at the demon saying he didn't care about the party ... If he didn't care, why was he asking?

Now that he had finished, he looked around nervously. What now? Did he just wait for Meriun to choose between them? Should he say something else? Should he tell of the bastard?

"Um ..."

He hoped his lack of comfort at this point wasn't too obvious.

Vera Rosenberg

---

---

A fucking flower patch (The Garden)

---

---

There was no getting out of this one. So much for acting like the all knowing and all loving senpai senior who was totally not a selfish brat at heart.

"Manipulating plants that are already there is easy for me, but actually creating them out of thin air? You're already a better mage than I could ever hope to be."

Vera let out a small, modest chuckle. "Please, I don't deserve such flattery. As I said before, the speed of which you are able to create or even manipulate plants solely depends on the mage. Some find it much easier, whilst others may struggle with such things."

There was no escaping Alicia now. Simply turning her down wouldn't be the wisest choice, especially coming from a girl like her. She definitely seemed like the more… extroverted type.

"I'm absolutely certain that a kind girl such as yourself will be able to pick up on a school of magic that requires the mage to become one with nature. I'm sure a variety of new talents will begin to blossom as the year goes by for you!"

Strolling into a completely different direction, Vera beckoned for Alicia to follow.

"However, just remember that I am no fully trained expert in the Bratus magic school, nor am I fully capable of teaching you everything there is to know about it. I guess it was a matter of luck that my mother tutored me about simple aspects of this school of magic at a younger age."

The girls would then come to an area full of empty flower beds, ones that looked like they hadn't been tended to in a while. Vera would look back down at Alicia, pointing her arm towards one of the larger patches.

"In all honesty, I don't really like showing off too much, unless it's truly necessary. But, I'm sure wouldn't mind seeing a much… larger demonstration as to what your powers could eventually result in?"

Her pale hand would begin to glow a light green for a few seconds, when another magic circle eventually appeared on the bare soil. A thorned rose bush would sprout out from the ground, a little bit larger than the wild ones back at the nearby forest at home. After letting out a fake tired sigh, Vera turned around to face Alicia for the tenth time in the past hour.

"Of course, it would have been quite troublesome to have enveloping our dorm, right?"

@shagranoz

@liferusher@vanitymage levi

'The Moth King'

Adrian dropped the offensive posture at Reinas request and settled in comfortably behind her, wings folding around him as the robe slid over him to obscure them once again. The cowl of his robes covered the ominous red orbs, severing the paralyzing effect completely as the moth man hunched over in Reinas shadow, though still much taller than her. With the business of protection not needed he returned to the more important matter at hand. Navigating the school would be difficult, Adrian had only learned of where he and his master would be staying. Anything beyond that was a mystery.

"Apologies. I must protect. Will protect. Do not betray my trust now."

Despite the very obvious threat and the potential carnage he could do, it was obvious that Adrian was at least trying to give Connor the benefit of the doubt in this particular circumstance. Reina saw no threat and neither would he for the time being. Maybe with time the boy would become something more? Who was to say. Though he never brought it up to Reina, Adrian was always very worried about who she would eventually start to date and perhaps one day even marry. Would Adrian still be in her life on that day, would the partner she chose be the kind hearted and gentle soul that the moth man hoped they would be? None could say. For now all that Adrian could do was make sure this wonderfully caring girl lived a life where she could always smile.

"You say you know the area? My master wishes to see the library you spoke of. Will you take her there?"

Adrian had purposefully opted out of saying 'us'. He would watch, certainly, but his masters luggage would not find its own way to her room.

It was a bustling evening. The staff had spent most of the third day getting everything ready for the ball. The party was to take place in the event hall, where a number of other events did take place year round. They were still setting up a few last minute things for the students and staff, but for the most part preparations had been complete. Livia had seen to it that it was mostly complete, anyways. For now, she was simply sitting in her office waiting for the time when she'd have to make a few announcements at the ball.

"What is it, Gall?" Livia asked as the reaper made his presence known.

"The space around the wards have been...altered." He replied to his master, causing her to let out a long sigh. "I have already told Meredith. She is making preparations in case-"

"Tonight of all nights?" She stood from her seat, interrupting gall as she walked over to one of the windows. "Hopefully it is just a passing spirit or two. Tell Meredith to be on standby. I will take care of any issues tonight personally." A scowl crossed her features as she looked across her campus. The audacity of some people. Hopefully nothing would happen, but she would not tolerate interlopers in her academy. Let alone on the night of the ball.

It was supposed to be a mostly casual, if a little formal thing, where the new students could get to know one another, along with the older students. Drinks, food, dancing. They were a more or less upscale academy with a lot of important peoples children attending here so she couldn't just let them have any party. She had made it perfectly clear to the party planners that the student she assigned to help them was not to interfere with the main theme, there.

She could offer suggestions and additions, and she would approve them herself. Still, she should go and oversee the final touches and take her seat. So she left her office, and made her way towards the event hall.

---

Lyssa had been quite looking forward to the ball. No reason, really. She always looked forward to any sort of social event. She wasn't really one for formal stuff, really, but she had heard there would be drinks! Plus free food. Probably cakes and sweets of some sort. At least, her father had told her there would be since he also attended Montagne in his youth. So she was quite excited for this party. Not to mention her date! Not that she was actually considering this anything like an actual date date.

She hadn't put on her dress quite yet, but she'd put it on soon enough. She didn't want to ruin it or anything, so for now she simply waited in her dorm, killing a few more pieces of alien scum before the ball started.

---

Today was the day, then. The day of that duel with that one that had so rudely intruded upon her home. She supposed that was partly her fault as well, though. She could have handled that situation much better and with some sense of decorum, but she was in a rather bad mood after being woke abruptly. Not really an excuse, but no matter. What was done was done, and she wasn't going to be dwelling on it.

Instead, she had focused on preparing for this duel. Her training Lukas yesterday wasn't just for his benefit. She had to warm up as well - she hadn't been in a completely serious fight in years so she was a little rusty. Lukas was a good warm up since he was decently skilled. She was still better than he of course, even though she wasn't using her weapon of choice, but he had proved to be at least a little challenged to train.

But thoughts for later.

Now, the dragon waited for her opponent, calmly waiting at the scene of their duel. On top of her tower, where they had left off. She had made it perfectly clear to Livia that she didn't want anyone to interfere with their duel, and Livia had greed to inform the teachers that if anyone did, they'd have lost their job. She had made it also clear to both Lukas and Ylva that they could watch, if they wished but other than that they were not to interfere for any reason at all, or she'd never let any of them in her home again.

So for now, the dragon stood, Glaive in hand waiting for her opponent.

Tick tock tick tock.

He could hear the clocktower even from this distance, each one-second tick resounding in the back of his head. The world was constantly in motion, and he was still trying to catch up, not letting a single second pass by without staring at it.

‘Tomorrow’ was a frightening concept, that of a new world whenever one closed their eyes and let themselves go. He had not slept ever since he was released into this era. Not a single day was left unobserved in its entirety, and yet, what he did see during those sleepless months were ugly, petty things. The stagnant peace. The material obsession. The impurity of humanity. The weakness of the strongest.

It made Arata want to puke, and it made Arata want to disappear.

But not today. Not now.

The edge of his vision was dimming, and his half year of wakefulness was beginning to take its toll on him. Brick dust and cement caked his ragged robes, and his head throbbed, as if nails were driven into his skull. Even if he closed his eyes now, it wouldn’t disappear, and his stomach was in turmoil, rioting against its master. The oni could still eat, for the sake of maintaining his strength, but so what? Other than that one meal from the food-lady, everything tasted of dust, ashes, and blood.

As the sun set, as the clock stopped ticking, the oni rose from the park bench, gazing up towards the Tower. She would be waiting. The champion of this new age and this new world. The bat-winged bitch who claimed the heavens as her own.

Arata wanted to win. But if he won, that meant that there was no challenge to aspire to overcome. If he won, that was it. He’d become the strongest in the school. And that…that would be all.

So should he lose? Lose half-heartedly and lie to himself that he has a rival to defeat? Should he make a mountain out of a molehill? It would be great, wouldn’t it? Lying to himself and simply bowing his head, submitting to this world without legends and heroes.

He could sleep, he could forget, and he could…

Arata ground his teeth together so hard that his jaw ached.

He clenched his hands so hard that the skin around his knuckles split.

He was already fucking priming himself up for loss, isn’t he? An oni with an iron club was strong beyond strong, but he has already set his mind upon facing her bare-handed. Or was this his arrogance, that he merely needed to be ‘strong’ when facing the foes of this lavish, self-indulgent world?

The stars came out, the crescent moon cutting through the fabric of the night. It was a hazy moon, wispy clouds veiling this bone-white wound.

Arata cast his thoughts away.

And slowly, he began to walk.

Down the street.

Through the doors.

Up the stairs.

Ascend, ascend, and ascend, only to find that there was only a single other presence on the summit.

How lonely.

He looked at his hands, at the hands that lost their calluses and their scars as the century turned.

With those empty hands, he pushed open the door to the top of the Tower, and stepped out onto the starlit stage.

His blood burned. His joints cracked. His eyes sharpened.

“Are you prepared, Sorcha?”

Are you prepared, Arata?

The Preps for the fourth Day...

It had taken her a lot of time, perhaps more so than any time before to gather her thoughts... to gather her will and her strength. When she came back from the daze she been in for over a days span she knew that the party she was supposed to arrange were soon due. Melody would thus make her way to the headmistress's office again, even thought it took far longer time than the first time she visited and everything around her looked far bigger as well. She would take a moment to fix her dress and her hair before she knocked on the large doors to Livia's office. Then she would stand back as she waited for a answer from within.

“Do come in, Melody.” Livia’s voice came from inside her office. “I am rather busy though, so do make this quick.

Melody reached up to the handle and pulled it down to open the door, then used both hands and arms and most of her body weight to push it open. She looked around before reaching up to close the door behind her with a heavy pull. Then she turned around again and wandered up to Livias desk, using her toes to reach up to peak over it. "Excuse me... mom... I've come with my plans for the party if you have the time" she would say as she looked up at the lady in front of her.

Livia looked down at the child before her, a frown forming on her lips.

“Melody, I know that is you. You are not my child, so I request you cease this at once.” She replied with a sigh. “I am not in the mood for shenanigans from you.”

Melody looked down as she was told off by Livia, she ruffled her skirt part of the dress for a while as she starred at the floor. "Sorry... I meant Mam.... It just slipped out" she said bowing slightly in appology, she sighed as she didn't quite know what Livia wanted, and all she wanted to do was help with the party somehow not make her angry for visiting her. Now she felt like crying softly, she weren't sure why... perhaps because her emotions were easily stirred in this form. "This is my one of my ideas at least" she said as she pulled out a book that told her about Mist wanderer's Faire, a place of wonders and adventure beyond.

Livia took the paper, frowning as she read it.

“This is what you would like for the party, then?” Livia asked, sighing. “Melody, as much fun as this sounds – I cannot host such a thing as the official party.” She continued, placing the paper on her desk. “Montagne is not…let’s just say that a lot of people who send their children here are not fans of such…entertainment.”

Melody nodded even if she for a moment looked like a flower that had been out of water for too long, then she looked up at Livia again and sighed... all her hard work, her careful planning and everything was down the drain, and why?... because Livia was unable to actually tell her before hand what she could and couldn't do... she was left in the blue and this was what she had come up with. "Oh... is that so?... I'm sorry I didn't know..." she said and sighed. She figured after this there would just be a Normal feast and a Ball dance as it was 'expected' of the Academy to have in the first place... honestly her being assigned to this task had probably been rather pointless in the first place. "Then Should I just do the usual?... " she asked

“Oh, don’t look so down Melody.” Livia replied, annoyance leaving her voice. “I cannot endorse such a thing without receiving quite a few complaints.” She continued, falling silent for a moment before continuing.

“However, if someone were to be able to…get this themselves and host it somewhere other than the school grounds…there would be very little I or anyone with a complaint could complain about.”

Melody titled her head slightly as she were slightly confused of what Livia meant, yet she kinda seemed to allow it to happen outside the campus area which would somewhat defeat the point she guessed as nobody would prehaps come then. But none the less she nodded to Livia and tried to do her best to cheer up for her.

It was then she realized Livia haden¨t answered her question. "So I can host it off campus... But what of the true party's arrangments?... " she asked as she didn't quite get what she should do about that yet.

“Oh?” Livia replied. “Well, the feast and a little…different form of music shouldn’t be too troublesome.” She continued, giving Melody a smile. “Perhaps, if your little…event goes over well, we can host something similar later if the students enjoy it.”

Melody took mental notes of what Livia said and somewhat returned the smile to her as she saw her brighten up a bit. There was actually kindness in this lady?... Melody was a bit surprised, but accepted it none the less. "That would be Great I guess" she said slightly more cheefully. "Then I shall see to the arrangments. Thank you mom... i mean mam" she said sweat dropping slightly, she turned for the door again and went to open it. "Bye bye" she said happily and exited the room... she would then leave for the party site and see to the arrangements...

There would be a Grand Feast at least, with a table so long one couldn't see the end of it. With music so enchanting one could dance until there was but the bones left. And a Grand Ball night with invitations and Charriots to pick up all the students and transport them to the event site... Then a few balloons on the side for a few personal touches, and Fireworks!... lots and lots of fireworks.

Ah, the Grand Ball. Students decked out in all their finery, showing off the best of their cultures and their species. Everyone with their significant other on their arms, smiling brightly. Truly one of the happiest days of the school year.

Unless you didn't have a date. Then it was just plain depressing.

Alicia groaned at the thought. There was nothing else for it, though. She looked at herself in the mirror for the zillionth time, trying to get everything perfect. She'd put her hair in a ponytail for the day, and her dress was a slightly reflective light green with a high neckline. It's as good as it's going to get, I think. It wasn't quite time to head down yet, though, so she sat down in the common area of her dorm room, taking out a book to read as the late morning sunlight filtered through the branches.

Ugh, classes had been rather boring that day. At least they let her record the lessons on her laptop so she could watch them later on her own time. But that was irrelevant. She had suffered through the classes for one reason and one reason only: To stay out of trouble so she could retrieve her dress from Yume. She honestly still didn’t like dresses, but she had to admit, this one that Yume made looked pretty good. It was so soft! And it fit her perfectly! She still didn’t like the fact that it was a dress, but well, she’d live. It’d look adorable on her anyways. Well, okay, maybe not adorable. Maybe the sexy kind of adorable if such a thing existed, but still adorable.

…eh, whatever. She was sure it’d look good on her. Black and pink always looked good on her.

So she walked back to her dorm. She wanted to go ahead and put it somewhere safe, and possibly talk to Iravis about some stuff if they had the time. Under her arm was a large white box with a black ribbon tied around it to secure it from falling open. Hmm…where could she hide it? The dorm wasn’t that big and didn’t have many hiding places. The restroom was out of the question. Under the bed? Possibly. In an air vent? Could work.

eh, she’d shove it under her laptop case and say it’s a gift for a friend. Not a lie! It was technically a gift. For her. From Yume. Who was her friend. Heh~

Feeling satisfied with her solution, she opening the door to her dorm, box under her arm as she entered her dorm.

“Oh hey, Iravis.” She said upon walking into the room and noticing the other girl in the room sitting on a bed and reading. “Ugh, can I just say I hate classes. I think I slept through half of them.” She giggled, placing the box on the floor in a corner of the room, and her laptop case on top of it. Since the ball was tomorrow, it’d be safe enough there for now. She might move it later if one of the others requested it, though.

Having finished her chapter, the red haired girl decided to rotate over and respond to her roomate.

Teaching had been a task that day, but at least the break with her most loyal servant in the lounge midway through made it tolerable. A hand reached up and rubbed her tired eyes, regaining composure.

Still though, her date was complaining about her classes, and the goddess had trouble deciding how to respond to that.

So of course, her past combined with her emotions about the children in her class responded. "An education is a gift from Thoth himself. People in the past would be envious of your opportunity." The words weren't spoken harshly, but rather with a matter of fact tone.

“Uuuugh, you sound like my mom.” Lyssa rolled her eyes, before giggling and jumping onto the bed on the opposite side Iravis was on. “Ehe, but my mom is a smart lady and I guess that means you are too, then.” She sighed, rolling over onto her back, pouting a bit as she spoke. “I’m not even learning anything important. I can already recite the periodic table forwards and backwards and I can take a pretty good guess as to what something is made of just by looking at it.” It wasn’t a lie or a boast either. She could do both of those things with only minor difficulty.

“Meh,” she grumbled as she sat up on the bed.“So what ya reading?”

The goddess found herself moving away slightly despite Lyssa jumping on the opposite side, trying to put just a bit more distance between herself and the hellion. As Lyssa spoke, it was a convinent reminder that the girl was simply naive, not stupid.

Showing the cover of her book, the red haired woman spoke honestly. "A bit about recent events." The title read The Thirty Year's War, The Eagle Versus A Lion, a book written about the rise of Prodestantism in Europe and the conflict that followed it.

“Oh, history, huh?” Lyssa replied seeming actually curious about the subject. “Recent, too?” She said with a small frown. “Eh, I’m more for medieval and ancient history.” She replied with a dismissive tone.

“Really, all the history these days are the same. Everyone getting blown up with bombs or something. Meh.” She shook her head, before adding. “Maybe I play too many video games, but being alive back then would have been awesome. I’d get to see who made the pyramids! Ooh, or maybe even built Stonehenge! Really, nothing ever interesting happens these days.” She hummed before adding. “Maybe I should have a statue of me built so I can troll people in the future….huh….”

Before she caught herself, the goddess was already responding. "Pyramids are primarily constructed through a combination of skilled laborers and farmers after harvest season. Pharoh grants those who help connect him to the gods compensation in turn for their labor." She had overheard a student in her class say 'the slaves built the pyramids', so she had already been over this subject.

Well, that wasn’t the answer the demon had been expecting. Now she was curious. Iravis seemed to know what she was talking about when it came to the pyramids.

“Huh. Really?” She tilted her head quizzically, genuinely curious about this subject. “Must have been really hard to push those stones.”

The goddess nodded, the following words being spoken as if from the Bible. "The Nile possesed alchemy beyond the comprehension of it's neighbors, skills only to be trampled to sand with the passage of time. Despite that greatness, a connection to the Sun should be done only with life, for attempting the same with sorcery would be perilous."

The following descritpion was spoken more poetically though, possibly having been recited before. "A thousand times ten for ten to build the greatest of them all, but the truth of those words is lost to me for it's majesty was before I."

Lyssa didn’t understand the last sentence so well, but she understood the first easily enough. Something about the Nile – probably Egypt, having advanced Alchemy. Learning something like that was right up her alley.

“Ehe, you know a lot about this.” She giggled quietly as she processed the last sentence. Something about the pyramids being built before she was around? Well, duh, but Iravis seemed to know quite a bit about them. Maybe she was just good at history. “Hey hey, you know why the Sphinx was built then?”

The Phoenix responded seriously. "Ra commisioned it as a joke about Bast. She'd been naughty one day, so he put the opposite of her appearance on earth as part of an elaborate prank."

Lyssa blinked, definitely not prepared for that response. Her surprise however, soon turned into loud giggles. “Wow, that’s the first time I’ve heard that one.” The demon managed to say through peals of laughter. “Hey hey. You know what Stonehenge was made for, then?” She asked, still giggling.

At this point, she just wanted to see if Iravis had any more hilarious theories.

Iravis raised an eyebrow at this, appearing slightly insulted at this question. "Are you calling your date a barbarian?" How dare Lyssa think she has knowledge of those uncivilized Picts!

The goddesses next response was more lighthearted. "Probably a pizza parlor for faries, although those studies are not part of my mind."

Pizza? For…fairies? Lyssa laughed once again, and actually fell backwards onto the bed. For a few moments, she couldn’t actually speak coherently. The goddess blinked a few times, but couldn't resist smiling slightly as her first joke went over so well.

“Wow, Iravis.” She giggled, finally managing to sit up and stop rolling around on her side of the bed. At first Iravis didn’t strike her as the funny sort. More of the ‘I’ma shoot fireballs at everything’ sort. “You’re actually pretty funny.” She giggled, giving her a bright grin, though it took a slightly more serious turn as she continued. Iravis raised an eyebrow at the change in attitude, listening more intently to Lyssa's next words.

“So, uhm, anyways.” Lyssa continued, her giggling stopping for a bit. “I got the perfect dress tomorrow for the party! Wanna see it? I was gonna surprise you, but I wanna show it to you anyways.”

The Phoenix nodded silently, curious about what the hellion considered to be the perfect dress. She shook her head as the anticipation for knowledge entered her mind.

She required this of me in exchange for services, and not for any other reason. Whatever she bought could never compare to the garment of a goddess.

“Alrighty!~” The demon grinned, and walked over to the box she had brought with her, laying it on the bed.

And then started takin off her top.

For a few seconds, Iravis thought that one of her past memories must be playing tricks on her, so she didn't panic.

At least the succubus presented before her was ... appealing.

The goddess blinked once to clear her head of false visions, but divine eyes asserted again that she was seeing what was going on. A shirtless succubus.

Millenia ago, a servant being shirtless would have hardly phased the four thousand year old woman. But right now?

The seventeen year old wasn't prepared for it, the idea of modesty from the modern world was appearing on the crimson haired girl's face as her cheeks slowly started to match the color of her face. The goddess looked away and shut her eyes, granting Lyssa some privacy.

Lyssa went about removing the rest of her clothing, leaving her in her underwear (if her…underwear could be called that). After removing most of her clothing, she opened the box quickly. Inside was a black and pink colored dress. She took it out of the box, and after a minute or so of fumbling around with the dress, she had managed to get it on with some minor difficulty.

“So, how do I look?~” She grinned. The dress was simple enough. It was made out of a very soft fabric, and dyed black on the outside. The inside of the dress was a pink color, matching the color of her hair. It only came up to her torso, covering her chest and revealing her shoulders and arms. The dress was held up by a similarly colored pink belt, and a few black colored buttons. The dress parted towards her knees, revealing her legs and the inside of the dress.

It obviously took the hellion some time getting into her dress, suggesting that the girl wasn't used to wearing them.

The seventeen year old peeked over her right shoulder, and after it was safe spun around to view the demon.

The Phoenix was a little surprised that it didn't make Lyssa look like a succubus, the dress showing enough to be interesting while maintaining an appropriate air of formality. For the occassion, it was certainly appropriate. "My servant has a good sense of fashion apparently, but a household should match."

The artist approached the wardrobe, looking back and forth at Lyssa as she considered looking for something that matched appropriatly to her roomate's style. If the demon was paying attention, she would notice that many dresses of high expenditure were in there, with only two pairs of more casual clothes that looked as if they hadn't been worn in some time, along with Iravis' unique dress on her own person.

“Ehe, really? I’d say I look adorable in anything, but I’m not really used to wearing dresses. I usually wear something a bit easier to move in.” She grinned. Well, that made her feel a lot better! Not that she’d thought she looked bad in it, but she was a little nervous about wearing a dress.

“Eh, you’ve got something already?” She replied, curious, taking note of a few very expensive looking dresses in the wardrobe. They looked…like, really expensive. She had to wonder where Iravis got the money to buy them from.

Well, not that it really mattered.

“Wow,” She said. “You’ve got a lot of good looking dresses in there.”

The goddess nodded in confirmation. The Vetement always gave her a deep discount due to her godhood, which made it a favorite place for Iravis to shop at whether seeking a new dress or fitting an older model.

Eventually she picked out an green dress, "I shall return momentarily."

When she stepped out, an ankle length amber dress adorned her body, the inside stained with the crimson of her hair. This piece completely covered her chest, and small straps went over the shoulders and down an exposed upper back to provide additional support. Compared to Lyssa's dress, it was more conservative and better fitted to her body, allowing the movements of a slow dance without constricting her form.

The goddess grabbed a few things from the drawer, golden bracelets studded with rubbies adorning her writs and small emerald earings cast in gold hanging from her ears.

Lyssa took a seat on the bed, nodding as Iravis went to go get changed. Unlike her, Iravis didn’t take all that long to get dressed, and soon enough the other girl returned dressed in her full outfit and Lyssa had to say, she looked absolutely beautiful in it.

“Woow, you look amazing in that!~” Lyssa giggled, clapping with a grin.

The phoenix performed a slight curtsey at this compliment for Lyssa. "I'm assuming you consider this appropriate for your date, then?"

Of course the demon would. The Phoenix had over a thousand years of practice at moving and dancing in dresses, so selecting them was very natural for the goddess.

“Ehe, well I’d have been fine if you dressed in anything.” She replied with a little giggle, before ending it with a small hum before adding. “Hey, can you dance?”

The goddess was initially taken aback. How to dance? Her divine feet had been moving before the last of the pyramids went up.

Perhaps this girl didn't know how, and was sneakily asking for advice? It would be an embaressment for a servant to be incapable of the basic motions and movements required in footwork.

The goddess delivered a sly grin. "Are you concerned with my abilities, or your own?"

“Me?” Lyssa giggled. “Well, I mean I’m not the best at it but my mom taught me how to.” Indeed, her mom was a stickler for etiquette and things like that at times. Not that Lyssa had ever taken many of those lessons to heart.

“Buuuut, I wouldn’t mind a few pointers if you’re offering.” Plus, she was pretty good with her feet since she routinely used them for martial arts so that had to count for something.

The goddess raised a finger as if she was going to start teaching, but then paused for a moment. "The services of one who produces sound would be helpful." Iravis thought it would be easier to start teaching if there was a muscician to play for them.

Ah? Music? Lyssa frowned and hummed as she thought for a moment.

“Well, unless you know someone who can play an instrument, I’ve got nothing.” Lyssa replied with a shrug. “Though I could always play music on my laptop.”

The goddess blinked at the hellion in confusion, but then regained her composure. What was that unfamiliar thing she mentioned? "A labtop? What device do you speak of?"

Lyssa blinked once when Iravis mentioned she didn’t know what a laptop was. “You know, a portable computer!” Lyssa replied, standing up and walking over to her laptop case and pulling out her laptop, walking back over to the bed and opening it.

She quickly typed in her password, and turned it so Iravis could see the screen. “See? It’s the same thing I was letting Mugi play the other day.”

Iravis looked as the demon tapped the bottom of her metalic two part tablet, and pure confusion ran across her face. As the screen lit up and an alien appeared, the goddess jumped backwards, fell over the bed, and summoned fire into her hand.

"That device is pandora's box! Close it!"

“Ack, no! Do not burn the laptop!” Lyssa replied, hugging the laptop close to her protectively. “He’s an innocent little flower and has done nothing wrong! Ignore the browser history! That's all me, not him.”

The fire was extinguished immedietly afterwards, tilting her head in confusion. This was a strange device, that was for sure.

---

The goddess was getting more and more confused the longer the explanation went on.

No, the screen wasn't a void into another universe.

No, it wasn't a form of strange arcane magic.

No, the thing wasn't able to detect what you were going to put in, that's what the keys were for.

No, there weren't a thousand elves running around within it to produce sound from it's speakers.

No, it is not pandora's box.

For the first time in a long time, Roux spoke words of confusion after an hour of lessons. "You lecture me, and yet this knowledge is a serpent that twists around me ..."

Lyssa frowned. She was at a loss here. She didn’t know exactly what she could do to explain it any clearer. She folded her arms against her chest, trying to come up with an easy explanation. Lyssa had honestly never seen anyone who was so bad with computers, except maybe an old person who refused to learn.

“Hmm…I dunno, Iravis.” Lyssa finally replied. “Maybe if you just used one it’d be easier?”

The phoenix took on more look at the blasted object and shook her head. "Leaving mortals with their own unique devices satisfies me." The goddess fell backwards onto her pillow, closing her eyes.

Trying to take in all that ... sorcery ... had exhausted the older woman, and for now she just wanted to crack open a book, and have a little time for herself before being forced to be carried away by the hellion tomorrow.

A deal was a deal, after all.

“Ehe, alright. You look tired anyways.” Lyssa said, as she began to remove her dress. “Anyways! I guess I’ll just do my best at dancing tomorrow. I’ll try not to be terrible, promise.”

After a few minutes of fiddling with her dress, she had finally managed to remove it, thankfully taking her all of ten seconds to throw on her usual attire. She’d probably spend the rest of the evening playing video games.

Heather had just about had her fill of matchmaking when a new player made his move on the board, and what a move it was! The pornstar recognized the boy on sight – he wasn’t the kind you forgot easily. It was the same guy from the day before, only this time, his focus was entirely on Meruin, and again, in the most unexpected way.

For the first few seconds, the spirit could scarcely believe what she heard from Chens’ own mouth. Her mouth hung down in surprise and took a while for her to remember how to return it.

"Besides, if this lovely young lady were to go to the ball with anyone, it would be with me. She deserves something more than some fool who would forget to introduce himself before asking someone to a ball.

"With that being said, would you like to go to the ball with me, Ms. Hazy?"

That was what he said. Not only did he just snub Swen by inviting Meruin when he clearly did so first, he even went and contradicted himself by the very same action. To Heather, that meant he was either A; very confident in himself or B; he had a genuine interest in her little Merry and was about as smooth as sandpaper when going about it. Looking at how he acted, Heather leaned on option B.

“Maybe girls like Merry are the fad nowadays,” mumbled Heather, unable to comprehend just how Meruin had managed to ensnare the attention of two admittedly hot guys in the process. Best of all, it looked like for all their posturing, this was their first time attempting to court a lady.

Oh, Chen and Swen (even their names rhyme, she thought conspiratorially) may try to hide their insecurity, but Heather, and consequently Meruin, could pick up on it by sheer experience.

"My full title is Magierprinz Swen Runvall Von Zauberbuch, but I would be honored if you would treat me with more familiarity than that, and simply call me Swen.

"As I said before, I would greatly appreciate having you hand at the dance and your mind afterwards, Meriun Hazy."

Then came the revelation that Swen was a prince, and that meant they both were. Oh wow. Merry dear, you never fail to impress. For the first time in her life, Heather felt like Meruin may actually just have beaten her on the boy game.

If Heather had been in control, the first thing she would have done was play coy. Play as coy as possible! She would drag this on for as long as she could before picking whichever boy took her fancy, and look forward to the hot, steamy nights afterwards!

Unfortunately for her, she was not in control.

“Are you two . . . perhaps, playing a prank on me?”

Meruin had stood to her full height, which admittedly didn’t amount to much, but it did speak volumes about how she took the situation she was in. For Meruin, logic and sequence were tantamount to her way of living. Patterns and the meanings behind those patterns where what Meruin lived for, and right now, she had detected a very strange pattern indeed.

For one, she had met a prince in the library. Of course, she had yet to confirm whether their claims were true or not. She would have given them the benefit of the doubt had it been an individual case, however, now she had met the both of them, and both had just invited her to the introductory ball. The main thing about this was the fact that somehow, for some reason, two random people just happened to be princes’, which should have been hard to come by at the very least, and then took an interest in her specifically. To Meruin, it was all very suspect.
She was never an avid believer in coincidence, after all.

She couldn’t comprehend what they would gain from such an inane scheme, asides from her ire, so for lack of motive, she would be willing to play along with this to some extent. Though that extent was not very much.

“Because if you are, I’d rather you stop. It is one thing to be approached by a single “prince”, and quite another to be approached by two on the same day,” she said, giving Chen a level gaze. “In the first place you’ve provided neither proof of your status nor incentive for me to accept your invitations.”

Meruin paused for a moment, then sighed.

“However, there is no reason why I can’t accept your offer either. If I may compromise . . .” Meruin turned to Swen. “I think I wouldn’t mind studying with you Swen,” she said, deliberately using the name he asked her to use, “but perhaps the ball can wait? After all, I’ve heard that these events require some degree of familiarity. I know you’d prefer to err on the side of caution when it comes to your companions. I may not be the best one to be at your side, when all is said and done.” By this point, it was evident that she was talking to the both of them.

Inwardly, Heather was snickering. To others, Meruin might have come off as trying to sound modest, but she knew the truth. Meruin was literal in everything she said. From start to finish, this had been a cost-benefit analysis for both, although it was somewhat unusual in that she was considering the potential benefits for the two boys as well, speculating the perhaps someone else would be a better fit for them.

The third night of school, Swen had placed the gift from his father on the nightstand, questioning what this strange figurine would do. After closing the blinds and going to bed, Swen drifted off the sleep, wondering how the ball would go the next day.

---

The golem stood and watched its master sleep; not moving at all from where it was placed. The golem suddenly started increasing in size. The night stand started to creak from the additional weight, until its legs gave out from the stress. As the golem increased in size, its body changed from being made out of a soft clay to a hard stone.

After a little while, its head hit the ceiling, but it did not stop growing. The drywall and paint on the ceiling started to crack from the golem 'pushing' against it. It held strong against the golem's growth, but it gave way in a few spots. The golem growth upwards was stopped the the ceiling's support beams, so it started to bend causing part of the golem's upper body to be above Swen's bed. It continued to stare at its young master through the night.

---

When he woke up the next day, the first things his eyes noticing were a rather large impact in the ceiling, cracks spreading as if some heavy object had 'fallen' into it.

The source of the disturbance was noticed a second later, halting the nobleman's yawn.

There was a massive nine foot stone statue overlooking his bed. Opals were in the place of where eyes normally would be, the stout figure's souless eyes stared into his own as if peering into his soul, wanting to claim the stone figure seeming to want to claim his soul as it's own.

Just waking up and having no composure, the nobleman screamed in surprise.

The golem tried to stand up more in shock to its master screaming. The ceiling groaned as it did so more of the drywall and paint fell to the ground. The golem cocked its head to the left, like a dog, still staring at Swen as he continued to scream.

Eventually the nobleman discovered that the thing wasn't about to kill him immedietly, as it countinued to stand there and ... stare. "What ... what do you want!?" This was on the list of the most terrifying things in his life, and if he had to bargain for his life he would. He had too much to inherit and live for to die like this.

The golem was unable to communicate and cocked its head to the right. It continued its unblinking gaze at Swen.

The Magierprinz felt his soul countinue to be piercied by the stone figure's violent gaze, not understanding what was going on. If it wasn't making an offer of peace, then it was here to kill him! But if it wanted him dead, a massive stone fist would have pulverized his bones!

After a minute more of freaking out, the prince came to realize that the nightstand where the ...

"What ... What are you?" Was it possible this was a bad gag gift from his parents?

It straightened its head still staring and said nothing.

"Do ... do you need a glass of water?" If he could leave, he could escape this strange coincidence and survive.

The golem cocked its head to the right yet again. It moved its left hand towards Swen. When its hand was a foot away the golem opend it. There was a piece of paper in its hand that looked small in comparison to the golem's hand.

Swen jumped back towards the wall, prepared to be crushed when ... a sheet of paper was presented? After a few moments, the nobleman snatched it. Was it a death threat? Was it the last thing he'd read before he was killed by a mindless body of stone was it ...

His eyes widened as he read the parchment.

A voice would appear in his head as Swen read the patchment, reading right along with him. The voice sound to be that of an old man.

"Lucky for you, you have got my golem. One of my finest works. Though it is at the moment like a young child. Try to take good care of it, as it is yours now."

The paper would go on to explain some of the finer details about the golem.

The fourteen year old's eyes scanned the page, running down the lines and observing the meaning of this. In a few seconds, this had gone from absolute terror to the best day ever. His parents would be recieving a letter of graditude soon.

If he had been older and more mature, he probably wouldn't have started jumping up and down on the bed. If he had been older and more mature, he probably would have thought about the consequences a nine foot tall boulder as a familiar with the maturity of a small child.

But today he was young, and even a life worth's of training as a nobleman couldn't contain his excitement at having a new bodyguard. "I accept your vow of fealty, Ritter, and promise to be your master until the day I die!"

Knight. That was what he had called his golem.

The golem straightened its head and nodded up and down. The stone of the golem's body grinded against itself.

The nobleman nodded. It would take some time getting used to, but a member of a noble house deserved a powerful bodyguard. "Come Ritter, I must make preperations for the evening." For emphasis, the nobleman waved his hand forth and walked towards the door, ready for the world.

Ritter turned around, causing more drywall and paint to fall from the ceiling. It followed its master out of the room, or tried to. The golem walked into the doorway that was way to small for him and bounced backwards a bit. The doorway and the wall around were damaged a bit by the golem walking into it. Ritter titled its head to the left and walked into the doorway with more force.

In doing so the doorway and the surrounding wall was completely destroyed. Now there would be a hole in the wall from the ground to the ceiling and about five feet in width.

Ritter was covered with more pieces of drywall and paint chips. The golem continued to follow Swen. Walking through anything in its path, oblivous to the destruction it was causing.

---

The dragon looked up from the ground, opening her eyes from mental preparation.

She flourished her glaive, a deep breath escaping her lips as she gazed at her opponent.

“Are you prepared, warrior?” She echoed, realizing she had not even known her opponents name.

Not that it mattered. The anticipation of this day had reached its peak, and it was almost deafening.

“Then let us duel.”

She hoped this would prove entertaining. The dragon waited, and motioned for Arata to move first.

Breathe in, breathe out.

His heart hardened, and his muscles coiled.

There were a hundred ways to start, but there was only a single one that had meaning.

Was she stronger than him? Or was she just equal to him? Was she a wall? Or was she a rock?

He took all those questions and fed them to the flames as strength flowed into his body. He coud no longer hear the clocktower. His heartbeat kept time for him.

Ba-dump ba-dump ba-du-

A fire flower bloomed in the distance, white and yellow sparkles outshining the sublime stars.

And then, the ground shattered.

He was fast.

Much faster than the dragon anticipated, but it wasn’t something she couldn’t handle.

A frontal charge. Dozens of ways she could defend against it. Avoid it. But this was something more than a fight wasn’t it?

He wanted to see how strong she was, and she him.

She spun her glaive, slamming the blunt end right into the Oni’s chest with as much inhuman strength she could muster.

Good! They were thinking the same way!

His right palm thrust outwards, a shockwave bursting out of his elbow as he faced her strike head on. His sleeve was torn asunder, piece of fabric dancing in the wind. The sudden jolt of pain felt good, and that hand closed onto the butt of the glaive.

"YAMA HAKU ATEMI!"

Perpendicular to Sorcha's stance, and past the effective range of her glaive, Arata aligned his shoulder, twisted his hips, and slammed his body into her.

It was a strike with the overbearing weight of a mountain, but if she was what she claimed to be, this should still not be enough.

If she was what she claimed to be, the world wouldn't be enough.

Aha, a glorious fight of sheer strength! It had been ages since she had fought such a battle! Not since the days of her fighting alongside of Arthur. Perhaps this cretin wasn’t so bad after all.

As he slammed his body into hers, she only allowed herself to budge an inch. She had definitely felt that – it had been awhile since she had taken such a heavy blow. This man…creature, whatever he was, was strong.

She didn’t respond with any words. The dragon only responded by releasing a hand on her Glaive, spinning and slamming her elbow full force into Arata’s body.

She withstood it? As soon as the resistance he felt from holding onto the glaive was gone, Arata smiled, his eyes feral. This bat-winged bitch dare challenge an Oni of the Night Parade in a point-blank battle?

A flick of his wrist sent the polearm spinning high into the air as he removed that pointless weapon from this contest of strength.

As Sorcha spun around, Arata hopped upwards, catching the elbow between his left arm and his knee. No, not catching it. Another shockwave burst out of his body as he only mitigated the full force of strike, a grunt escaping from his clenched teeth. Caging that elbow instead, he lifted up his legs entirely, wrapped them around the bat-winged bitch's neck, and twisted his body.

"Juji Hangeki!"

An aerial cross arm breaker, with the intention of slamming the opponent into the ground while simultaneously tearing off their arm.

A grapple? Well, she wasn’t entirely expecting it, but it wasn’t something she was incapable of avoiding.

Just as he grabbed her elbow and aimed for her neck, the dragoness ducked – missing his legs by mere centimeters.

Next, she jumped, twisting her elbow forcefully so that it would weaken his grasp on it, intending to do similar what he had just tried to do with her. She twisted in a display of acrobatic prowess, and attempted to lock her legs around his neck while her free arm grabbed one of his.

The dragon then twisted her body, intending to flip the Oni, slamming him down as forcefully as she could onto the roof of the tower.

Turnabout was fairplay too.

As Sorcha's own legs wrapped around his, the oni grunted in approval. Was this 'copying'? Or was this 'prior knowledge'? If she had simply dropped him down from there, he would have taken that hit, but as Arata's own body was spun, his feet were free once more.

Both of them slammed into the roof of the Tower, spiderweb fractures spreading from the epicenter of the impact. They were both lightweight existences with abnormal amounts of strength, and Arata was going to take full advantage of that.

Reciprocating Sorcha's grasp on his arm and ignoring the pressure of her calves against his neck, the Oni roared as he slammed her headfirst through the roof.

"EAT ROOF!"

She ate roof alright. A small grunt of pain came from the dragon as her head was slammed through the bricks. She was fairly certain she was bleeding, just a little from that impact since her head did not, in fact, have any protective scales on it. But well, she wasn’t going to stop just because of that.

The dragons’ head may have been buried in the floor, but she still had a firm lock around his neck and her arms were mostly free, and intended to make full use of that. Her poor home wasn’t going to survive this, but she honestly could care less right now.

She was having too much damn fun after so long of not having a decent fight.

The dragon placed her hands firmly on the roof, doing a handstand as she lifted Arata with her legs, and slammed the Oni’s own head through the roof, intending to put the entire creature right through it.

Unfortunately, the roof was definitely not built to withstand such attacks, and the fractures that formed from their earlier attacks couldn’t take the blow.

The roof beneath the both of them, collapsed.

Head ringing, heart pounding, blood boiling!

Arata's teeth chomped through the stone bricks as his face met the roof. Gravity took hold of the both of them as they began to spin from the centrifugal momentum of Sorcha's flip.

CRUNCH. He slammed her body into the floor, breaking through to the next.

SMASH. She drove his back into the next, creating a man-sized hole that they fell through.

CRACK. CRUSH. SMACK.

"UOOOOHHHHHHH!!!!"

BAM!

The earth quaked as the two blasted themselves through all five floors of the Tower, until Arata finally tossed Sorcha into the ground floor, a small crater forming as pieces of rubble rained down upon the two.

Sorcha slammed into the ground floor, looking quite roughed up. The Oni had thrown her into the ground, but she was certain she got a few good hits in as they fell. Needless to say, at this point they were probably both a little bloody from that fall, but they were both neither going to back down so easily.

A slight burning sensation formed in her chest, but she ignored it. She wasn’t going to let that stop her, even if she ended up getting injured because of it.

The dragon stood, completely ignoring any injuries she may have gotten on the fall. She was breathing a bit from the exertion, but that was nothing she couldn’t handle. In fact, there was a grin plastered on her face. Sorcha was definitely enjoying this, and she wasn’t about to stop any time soon.

She closed the distance between her and the Oni, aiming a fist right at the Oni’s face.

The tattered remains of his clothing fluttered in the wind as Arata aimed his gaze at Sorcha. He could feel the jubilation of the Night Parade, the pounding of his heart, and the strength bubbling in his body. Small bruises and cuts adorned his body, superficial injuries that felt like sparks, tickling his nerves.

Sorcha was strong.

But that alone wasn't strong enough.

Arata lowered his head as her fist rushed into his face. In that moment, what she struck was not his head, but one of his dimunitive horns. A white shock blinded him for just a moment, the concussive force causing the dust all around them to part. But, even as blood trickled down his face, the oni looked into Sorcha's eyes, a blue fire burning.

"You have more than just that, don't you?"

And, from the black heavens, the glaive descended, falling down upon its master.

Sorcha pulled her fist off of his horn. She didn’t seem to completely acknowledge the injury. It hurt, definitely, but it wasn’t going to stop her.

“It’s been awhile since I was injured in such a manner.”

More than that, though? Sorcha glared at him as she gave the wound a small glance. No, she honestly did not. Not in her current state. Her physical abilities may have not been affected by the curse after this many years of living with it, but she could not fight full force for long before it started taking its toll.

She didn’t have long to contemplate that, however. Her glaive, her own weapon fell from wherever it had gone.

Sorcha was completely unfazed. Her wing greeted the glaive, nonchalantly knocking it away from her. She’d have to give it a good polishing later for that.

For now, though, she was going to give this Oni everything she had.

He saw it in her eyes, and he grinned. There was definitely more that she's hiding, more to be dragged out of this bat-winged bitch. A hell lot more than these love taps they've been exchanging so far.

Arata straightened his back, glaring down at her.

"If you won't show it, then I'll make you."

---

---

Sorcha shakily stood. Their bout had been going on for some time, now. Her entire body felt like it was on fire, burning in the pits of a thousand hells. Curse this damnable thing! Curse that phoenix for doing this to her! For taking away everything she cared about!

The dragon, was lost to anger at this point, little more than a mindless rage-fueled creature that wanted nothing more than to obliterate everything in front of her. Namely that Cretin.

He wanted to see her use her full power? Norns be damned, she would. She would use every ounce of her power here, even if it killed her.

Her entire body became coated in lightning, the intensity of it charring the ground around her.

A feral roar, causing a clap of thunder to be heard overhead.

The next instant, countless bolts of lightning would fall from overhead, onto Sorcha as her body became one with the element she wielded.

Whatever she was planning to do, it was not going to leave anything in the area unscathed.

"L-lightning incarnate?!"

For the first time in a while, Arata's grin of challenge was tinged with fear, as he took a single step back. His left arm was dislocated, his body was lacerated with countless burn scars, and he was literally blind in one eye, but that one step backwards was the only cowardice he would afford himself.

This was what he asked for.

This was what he dragged out.

This...this was the wall that he will break through.


The stars died, their faint light turned into specks of nothing as nine hundred ninety-nine arcane ribbons burst out of Arata's back, colorful tendrils that sought to drag the moon out of the sky.

His roar was the roar of one thousand, mixed with the horrific sounds of his muscles tearing themselves apart and his bones being crushed under his own strength. Blood spewed from every orifice of his body, dying the stage red as the leaves that fell from the sky.

But Arata did not feel the pain.

He simply...focused.

Peel away his skin. Cut away his flesh. Grind away his bones.

Until what remained was his soul. The soul that will be sharpened over and over again, tenaciously holding onto life even as his body dies. The light of life that was snuffed out and lit again over and over and over again, as Arata forced this overbearing power to his command.

This was not a prayer. This was an oath.

To defeat Sorcha, the Radiant King of the Heavens, the Dragon of Tempest.

And, when Arata looked outwards once more, there was nothing. No stars. No moon. No world.

Only his foe.

He clenched his fist, and the fabric of reality itself began to warp.

Before either Arata or Sorcha could do anything else, however, a cold, malevolent seeming voice rang out across their battlefield. It sounded almost as if a chilling cacophony of voices were speaking in unison, if only for a moment.

“That is quite ENOUGH.”

As the two clashed, the headmistress appeared almost from nowhere between the two of them A dark, cold, pressure exerted itself over the area as an unseen force gripped the dragon, threatening to squeeze the life right out of her before raising her, and slamming her onto the ground.

The Oni received a similar treatment. He found himself unable to move as an impossibly heavy weight rendered himself unable to move, as though invisible chains shackled every single soul inside of him into place. His resistance and other abilities, seemingly ineffective against whatever force was holding him prisoner.

“Sorcha, you foolish old lizard! Are you trying to get yourself killed, or have you decided death by combat is the way you should die before your Illness takes you?” She harshly, but calmly reprimanded, giving a harsh glare towards the dragon. Sorcha merely grumbled in response.

Now that she had been mostly rendered unable to move, it was clear the dragon was not in the best of shape. Her wrath was not only directed towards Sorcha, however. She immediately turned to the Oni who was only a few feet away from her.

“And you, Oni. Arata, was it?” She glared. “I agreed to this duel, but this is getting out of hand. I will not be having you and your lust for battle bring chaos to my academy.”

But it ended before it even began. An even more overwhelming pressure sealed his movements, freezing him in his entirety. Space trembled and time distorted, but regardless, Arata could not move in the presence of this being.

Ah, how unfair.

Ah, how delightful.

Perhaps this Livia person wasn't utter trash after all.

The rainbow ribbons receded, melting back into his body as the Oni smirked, chuckled, and then laughed. Peals of joy resounded throughout the broken sky, before Arata said, "Don't worry, Livia! It's not like I didn't destroy the Tower without a back up!"

“Are you quite DONE?, then?” Livia asked glaring at the Oni. The duel was over regardless as long as she was here. The invisible grip that had been asserted on Sorcha had already gone, but the dragon didn’t seem intent on moving. Not that she could, even if she wanted too. Sorcha was done. She knew that much simply from looking at her friend.

“If so…I will undo your shackles.”

"Sure sure. Man, that was quite a workout, eh? Gratz, Sorcha, you've been promoted from bat to winged snake!"

Despite her currently weakened state, Sorcha offered Arata an actual amused looking grin.

“Heh…you weren’t so bad yourself…if this…damn curse…I would have annihilated you.” She groaned, coughing up a large volume of blood. Her entire body was on fire, burning in the fire from a curse she didn’t believe she deserved. “Your name, warrior?”

“Shush, Sorcha. Conserve your strength or not even I will be able to heal you.” Livia replied, as the invisible chains binding Arata vanished.

"Arata, the representative and sole survivor of the Night Parade of One Thousand," he replied, sighing as the shackles disappeared. His body was still abnormally heavy, and the oni felt like puking out his stomach, but he decided that he had spat out enough for the night.

Taking a few unsteady steps through the mountain of rubble, he drove his hand into the rocks and fished out that misused glaive that was discarded so easily before. A shame, really, but maybe that was her way of showing a degree of fairness?

Heh, so he wasn't setting himself up for a loss to begin with.

Walking over as nonchalantly as he could, Arata thrust the glaive blade-first before Sorcha, and said, "It'll be a day or so longer before I'm finished, but there's an empty storage shed a few minutes away, if you want a comfy place to lick your wounds. Don't know about your curse or whatnot, but it'd be disappointing if we couldn't do this again soon."

"And please," he grinned toothily, "Even if you annihilate me, I'll just will myself back to life and invert your face."

At this, Sorcha couldn’t help but to laugh even in her weakened condition, even as Livia gave her a disapproving glare. She weakly took her glaive from him, grabbing it as tightly as she could. Even after all these years, it was a small comfort.

“Hah! Will yourself back to life?” She coughed. “I think, I might actually…like to see that.” With that, the dragon fell silent, unable to retain consciousness, and despite her wounds – she wore a rather huge, almost childlike grin on her face as her breathing slowed. Livia simply sighed, kneeling next to the dragon, placing a hand on her forehead as she tried to ease her soul.

“If that is all, Arata I must tend to her immediately, or else this curse will kill her before you’re able to try.”

"What's the curse anyways?"

“Hmmm…” Livia thought for a moment. This was a touchy subject, after all. But she couldn’t say anything about the fact that the culprit, was in fact attending the academy currently.

“A dreadful thing,” she replied after a moment. She would simply tell the truth as far as she knew it, even after all these years. “It was placed on her around…three hundred years ago by the phoenix of legend. I do not know the full story, but as Sorcha tells it, the Phoenix would not face her for crimes the phoenix committed, and fearing Sorcha’s wrath, placed this curse on her to slowly kill her.”

After she replied, an invisible force lifted Sorcha gently.

“Now, if you want to know more ask her once she wakes. For now, I must get her to the infirmary.” With that, the headmistress and Sorcha were both just…gone, in an instant.

A curse and a pheonix, huh?

Just like with Sorcha's claims of being a dragon, Arata had to narrow his eyes at the claim that this pheonix was truly a pheonix. Such cowardice for the Vermillion Bird. And to not wish to face someone like Sorcha in glorious combat as well...this flaming chicken must be an honorless one indeed.

The oni sighed, and decided to discard those thoughts for now.

The heavy weight on his shoulders had been lifted, and now? Now he felt like he could breathe easily once more. If nothing else, in this brave new world, there was Sorcha to look forward to fighting, and there was the summit that Livia stood upon, for him to struggle towards as well.

Arata picked up a particularly large leaf to cover up his nether regions as he walked to the Academy, in search of clothing.

---