A little before 9 in the evening, four students met up at the base of the mountain trail near the Academy. 

 

There was a rest area just before the trail ascended where a few benches and signs with information could be found. This is where the students met and conversed, finalizing their plans they were going to enact soon.

 

"Okay, remember the plan we were given. We are intimidating him, nothing more. They want him to be the one to initiate an altercation if it comes to it, so let's leave it at that."

 

The student with the rough, masculine voice was speaking in hushed whispers to his nearby companions. They couldn't make out each other's faces too well, as it was getting late in the night near the wooded trail. The Celes moon was shining brightly but little light was making it through the numerous branches overhead. 

 

"Think he'll even show up, Ronnie?" asked one of the students, his voice hinting a timbre of anxiety. 

 

These four friends were waiting in anticipation for the arrival of their target. The leader of the group, Ronnie, had told them good money awaited after the work was complete. Being upperclassmen, their Crowns were limited and they jumped at the opportunity to earn some easily. If all they had to do was scare some first year, they thought it was fine, as they'd done it before after all. 

 

"Who knows? We'll get paid either way." Ronnie answered with a grunt, while eyeing the nearby treeline. "Let's get into position. Lucas, if a fight breaks out you're up, got it?" 

 

A short, stocky man nodded his head in acknowledgement. Afterward, the four of them stepped back behind trees near the posted signs which denoted the hiking trail. This was the designated meeting spot they were given by their contracted employer.

 

After waiting roughly 20 minutes, the four of them heard faint, rhythmic steps and the crunching of leaves nearby. They careened their heads toward the location of the sound and saw a lone student as it approached the benches near the designated location.

 

The student stopped and looked around, looking to see if the one they were supposed to meet was already there. After a few moments of this, the student sighed and sat on the bench on the south side of the trail.

 

As if on cue, Ronnie stepped out from behind a nearby tree and walked up to the student. Though it was dark, Ronnie could see it was a young man with white or blond colored hair and eyes with two colors: one grey, one a deep blue. He realized it was just as he was told, that this was definitely the right person.

 

The student sitting on the bench eyed him as he approached. 

 

"Ah, you're not who I was expecting." The student's gentle yet masculine voice rang out in the night. 

 

Ronnie stopped for a moment, as several thoughts immediately ran through Ronnie's mind. 

 

Expecting? Did he know this was a setup? No, he couldn't have. We were told this man was a boy in love at first sight, after all. 

 

He quickly composed himself.

 

"Sorry to disappoint, lover boy. She isn't coming."

 

"She? What? Huh?" The student seemed genuinely confused. 

 

Ronnie thought the poor lad was a tragic case, but money talks and this was a job. 

 

"Listen up. You're that Remi Naslund first year, correct? We were sent to deliver a message to you."

 

"We?" Remi, still sitting, looked at him and then glanced behind Ronnie as three other students walked out from the nearby trees to stand next to him.

 

"If you want to leave this place unharmed, there are three conditions that must be met." Ronnie was told to intimidate Remi and get him to comply with two demands, but he wanted to add his own after he found out some particular information.

 

"Conditions? Please, go ahead." Remi was acting very polite and composed. Ronnie, feeling thrown off by the behavior, quickly spoke up in an indignant tone of voice.

 

"First of all, you are to leave one Lady Cooper alone. Don't speak to her, don't look at her, if she tries to talk with you you're to ignore her and move on. Got it?"

 

Remi, sitting on the bench, nodded a few times then spoke up.

 

"I see. I got it. I do have a question though. What if I don't?" 

 

Ronnie was irritated that his usually intimidating tone of voice wasn't scaring this fool in love. He thought that maybe Remi was so full of himself because the first year Lunar Class spent so many Crowns to acquire him. He also thought that he needed to put this student in his place. 

 

"If you don't, we will have to break you. I don't just mean your body. We were told you have two beautiful women hanging around you. Are you really so audacious as to make a move on a third whom you just met? Think of what might happen to the two you have if you continued to pursue Lady Cooper."

 

Remi stayed quiet for a few moments before standing up. Ronnie noticed the man had a hand clenched in a fist, but then quickly relaxed it.

 

"You're right. So be it, I will never pursue Lady Cooper." The young man stated thus in a composed manner. "The second condition?"

 

Ronnie felt that his threat worked and moved along with a smile on his face.

 

"Secondly, you will hand over half your Crowns to Solar Class, as reparations for hounding Lady Cooper."

 

"I assume if I refuse, the same threat still applies?" Remi asked, already knowing the answer.

 

"Of course. These three conditions are a package deal. Break any of them and who knows what will happen to your girls?" Ronnie replied nefariously. While he didn't get off on acting this way, the sense of superiority he felt from watching Remi give into his demands was euphoric. 

 

"I see. Okay, I will do it. Now, the third condition?" Remi, who was still quite composed, stared at Ronnie intently with his mismatch colored eyes. Ronnie swallowed before speaking, slightly unnerved to make this last request. He knew it was pushing his luck, but for the sake of his family's pride he had to do it.

 

"Lastly, one of your women is a Dark Elf, right? You'll bring her here tomorrow, same time, and introduce us. Don't worry, nothing bad will happen. I just want to get to know her. You don't mind sharing, do you?" He lied to the young man. He most definitely will make something bad happen as payment for the past. 

 

Ronnie's family was caught up in the Dark Elf civil war in northern Kalnori, leading to the decline of their village and to the deaths of his family, save for Ronnie, his little brother and his aunt. They were forced to migrate south when they were children, causing a rough childhood. Ever since, Ronnie swore he would get vengeance on all Dark Elves. 

 

"Ronnie, what are you saying?" Lucas whispered to him. "That wasn't part of the plan at all." 

 

"Shut up, Lucas. This is personal, got it? You understand right? Don't you want to get back at their kind?" Ronnied whispered back. He knew that Lucas hated Dark Elves just as much as he did, so why was he trying to stop this?

 

Remi, whom Ronnie fully intended on intimidating, just stared at him for awhile. The silence elicited between Remi and Ronnie would have been deafening if not for the rustling of the tree branches from the wind. After a few moments, the young man smiled. 

 

"Alright. I will bring her. Is that everything?" 

 

Ronnie was completely surprised, but he didn't let it show. He just folded his arms and put on a smug face. 

 

"That's it. Those three conditions. If you agree to them, let's end it here and go our separate ways for the evening." 

 

"Sure, I agree. It's a deal, so let's shake on it." Remi responded, then held out his hand. Ronnie unfolded his arms and took the extended hand of Remi.

 

As they shook, Remi increased his grip strength while holding his left palm out. 

 

Immediately after, a white and blue magical circle appeared underneath the group of three students behind Ronnie. A moment later, they collapsed to their knees, then fell over completely. Ronnie panicked internally, as he thought they had died, but after a few moments he started to hear soft, rhythmic breathing. 

 

"You, what did you do to them?!" Ronnie, outraged, tried to take his hand away from the young man but was unable to do so. The grip Remi had was too strong and was starting to crush Ronnie's hand. He screamed out in pain.

 

"I just put them to sleep. They'll wake up in a little while. Let's talk, shall we?" Remi's gentle and calm demeanor completely unnerved Ronnie; he realized the situation had entirely flipped on its head.

 

"You can come over now." The young man called out. Ronnie, in pain and unable to take his hand away, was confused. Had the young man planted lookouts? Ronnie didn't understand, but he wasn't going to wait here for things to happen. He started chanting a fortifying spell.

 

"Spirits, aid me, hear my resolve; hard--" The chant was cut off immediately by a jab to his throat. Remi, holding three fingers together, pulled his now free right hand away from Ronnie who grasped at his throat. Intense pain radiated through him from the backlash of having broken his concentration during the chant. In agony, Ronnie fell to his knees, trying to breathe as his trachea began to swell. 

 

Panic swiftly descended upon Ronnie, as the young man loomed over, then took a knee in front of him. 

 

"You must be having trouble breathing. I apologize for that, but I couldn't have you chanting anything. That's the trouble with chanting, right? You can't do it if you can't speak. What an archaic method of aetherik control." Remi shook his head as if disappointed in Ronnie, who was desperately gasping for breath. 

 

"Listen, just calm down and try to breath slow and deep. You'll be fine." Remi said this as three other individuals showed up beside him. They were three beautiful women, one of which was a tall Dark Elf. Ronnie immediately understood his mistake and the position he was now in.

 

"You say that, Remi, but we heard everything, you know? I can't just let what this cretin demanded earlier go lightly." The Dark Elf woman spoke in anger and disgust, while boring into Ronnie with her mauve colored eyes which seemed to glow in the night. Ronnie, trying to steady his breathing, could only stare back through watery lenses. 

 

"Brother, how could you say you'd agree to such terms, even if it was for the sake of leading them on?!" The young woman who looked much the same as Remi started hitting his shoulder with her petite fists. "This man is disgusting to even suggest hurting us, especially poor Kari."

 

Ronnie learned quickly that the woman named Kari was thought highly of by these two people. It appalled and angered him, knowing what happened to his village and his family. He wondered how they could possibly stand behind that dishonorable and filthy race. 

 

"Of course I wouldn't agree to any such demands! Come on, Rem, you know me better than that. It made me feel physically ill to feign submission to this person." Remi spoke to the young woman named Rem in a similar tone of disgust toward Ronnie.

 

"Mm. Remi, he looks bad. Can you help him?" A soft, monotone voice spoke up in concern. Ronnie looked over and saw a short young woman with mature but doll-like features standing slightly behind the group of three. She titled her head to the side as she asked, "He won't die right?"

 

"No, he won't die, but sadly the Restoration Magicka spell I know cannot heal physical wounds." The young man stated something incredible to Ronnie, that he can use Restoration Magicka. Ronnie feared even more that he was in over his head with this man. 

 

"I heard one of the staff on the medical team knows a Restoration Magicka spell that can do something similar to healing wounds, so I was hoping to have them teach me soon." 

 

"That would be nice! We've been searching for years for something like that, haven't we brother?" The young woman named Rem exclaimed in a cheerful voice, despite the agony Ronnie was in.

 

"Kari, you okay? You've been staring at this man rather intently since you walked over here." Remi asked the Dark Elf, concern evident in his tone. "You know I wouldn't let anything happen to you, right? We're family." 

 

Ronnie couldn't believe his ears. This young man had said they were family. Ronnie wondered how Remi could possibly think that, with the atrocities her kind had committed in the past, especially against their own people. It angered him to the core, which apparently showed on his face. 

 

"Hoh? Why is this one so upset all of a sudden? Does he think he has the right to be angry despite the audacity he and his group of thugs had shown just minutes ago?" Rem asked incredulously, with a hint of animosity. She smirked and said, "I am curious, though, just what he might be upset about. Hurry up and speak. I'm listening."

 

Ronnie tried to speak and coughed violently instead. Rasping breaths were coming from him but he was recovering slowly. Remi, who was still kneeling in front of Ronnie, gripped his shoulder. 

 

"Take your time and breath. You'll be able to speak soon enough." Turning to his left, then his right, he asked those beside him, "Rem, let him recover before grilling him okay? Miss Brink, are you alright as well? You don't need to be here if you don't want to be. As you can see I have the situation under control."

 

"Mm. I'm okay. Don't worry." The doll-like woman with an impassive expression just stared coldly at Ronnie. "This man is filth."

 

"Oh, Miss Brink, I'm so glad you agree! I think we're going to be good friends." Rem giggled softly and smiled at the young woman.

 

"Hey! Speak already! What did you want with me?" The Dark Elf woman they had called Kari yelled at Ronnie, her voice echoing into the night. 

 

After several moments of ragged breathing, Ronnie calmed himself and tried to speak again. 

 

"I wanted to--" He coughed again. His voice was quiet and hoarse, but he could speak. 

 

"Take it easy. Speak slowly." Remi gave him encouraging words, his hand still on Ronnie's shoulder.

 

Ronnie tried to think of what he should say. He wondered if, when he said something that might set them off, the young man would kill him. He also wondered if he should even tell the truth. He then thought, in the back of his mind, he accomplished his secondary mission already. Looking to his right, up a spot up the trail, he nodded. He had done well. Now, he just wanted to get out of this situation as soon as possible, so telling them the truth didn't matter to him.

 

"I was... hired... to talk to... you." He coughed slightly before continuing. "Two men... paid us to threaten... and scare you."

 

Remi nodded, almost as if he expected to hear what Ronnie was saying.

 

"Right, I assume their names were Rufus Magnar and Aleksander Pyrefel?" 

 

Ronnie's eyes widened for a moment before returning to normal, and nodded. Ronnie realized that this man likely knew everything. Well, probably not everything but enough to see through this charade the two noble boys concocted. The woman behind them was the real mastermind in Ronnie's eyes.

 

"Yes... they wanted me to--" He coughed again, his throat swollen and painful. Remi looked at Rem to his left and whispered something to her. She frowned and then nodded. Remi then cupped his hands as the girl held her hand forward and concentrated, then suddenly a shift in the air occured, while a magic circle appeared in front of her palm. Afterward, water materialized out of thin air, pouring all around Remi, getting him quite wet. 

 

"Hey watch it!" Remi cried out. 

 

"Sorry, brother, you know I don't have the control that you do. Besides, you got enough right?" Rem gestured to Remi's hands.

 

Remi nodded and held out his cupped hands toward Ronnie.

 

"Open your mouth. Don't worry it's just water. Your throat has to be swollen and parched right? This will help." He nodded as he spoke, and Ronnie, desperate for relief, opened his mouth obediently. The young man tilted his hands and poured the water into Ronnie's mouth slowly, as Ronnie tried to swallow. It was painful, far more painful than he thought it would be, but it helped alleviate the burning he was feeling in the back of his throat. 

 

As Remi's hands ran out of water, he brushed his them on his pants to dry. Ronnie wiped the droplets dripping down his chin with his hand and ran his hand through his black hair.

 

"Okay that should help. Continue, please. I think Kari is really angry so please tell the truth." 

 

Ronnie nodded, then coughed once before speaking again in a raspy voice.

 

"The two young men... Rufus and Aleksander... they wanted to scare you... so you'd leave that girl alone." 

 

"I don't understand. I didn't do anything to Miss Cooper. She initiated conversation with me the other night while they were with her, but that was all." 

 

"Ah... from what it sounded like... to me... was that Aleksander thought you... a commoner... were a rival in love." 

 

"Brother!" 

"Mm? With Chloe?"

 

The women besides the Dark Elf responded to his words in such a way, as they stared at Remi's back as if to assess him. 

 

"What? It's obviously untrue, as I just met the girl after all. Geez. Anyway, you... what's your name?" Remi asked.

 

"Ronnie."

 

"Ronnie. I see. I'm Remi, which you already knew. Anyway, Ronnie, Rufus and Aleksander hired you to scare me away from Miss Cooper. I got that. The Crown payment thing I bet was just another way for them to exploit the situation, right?" 

 

Ronnie nodded. 

 

"Right, okay then. So Ronnie, what about the third condition. The one about Kari here?" Remi asked as he looked at the Dark Elf who had formed fists and hadn't stopped staring at Ronnie. The hostility she exuded was palpable. 

 

Ronnie thought carefully before he spoke. 

 

"That... was my own agenda," he began. "15 years ago... when I was a child... my family, our home, our entire village... was destroyed by Dark Elves, during their civil war." He looked up at the woman named Kari. "I hate them... all of them. I will never forgive them... not for what they did to my family." 

 

"So you're just condemning an entire race of people for what one group did during a time of war? That's completely idiotic. Are you a moron?" Rem spoke down to Ronnie, her voice laced with condescension. 

 

"Mm. I get it." The mature doll-like woman they called Miss Brink spoke up. "Tragedy at a young age. It can bring stigma. Force you to want to find a reason for it. I understand."

 

"Yes... their kind ruined my life. No... our lives." Ronnie gestured to the stocky young man with black hair who was asleep beside him. "My brother and I... want vengeance. We wanted power... so we can get back at them. Once we found out... we both could manipulate aetherik... our plans started to come together. " He looked up at the Dark Elf once again. "I hate your kind... more than you could possibly imagine."

 

"Do you understand that I am not that one who brought ruin to your family?!" The Dark Elf finally spoke up again, yelling with anger and anxiety in her voice. "I didn't do anything! I was a young girl on the run from that war myself at the time! Use your head before you condemn me for something the various tribes did without me even knowing why! It's not fair to be criticized for something beyond my control! Why did they do such things?! All it did was bring tragedy and despair to so many people! Why?!" 

 

She cried out in frustration and remorse, surprising Ronnie. Quickly, the brother stood up and wrapped his arms around the Dark Elf, while the sister came up from beside her and embraced them both. 

 

"It's okay, Kari. It was out of your control, it has nothing to do with you. It's okay." 

"Kari..."

 

The brother tried to calm the girl down, while the sister just hugged her tightly. Ronnie was speechless. Though he thought he would be perfectly fine witnessing a Dark Elf in despair, he didn't feel right seeing this. Uncertainty welled in his chest. 

 

The Dark Elf girl was sobbing, large tears spilling down her face, as the young man stroked her head which was laying on his shoulder. Suddenly, a green and white aura enveloped the trio for a few moments, before dissipating. 

 

The young man, Remi, pulled away from the two women after patting the Dark Elf's head once more. 

 

"You'll be okay, Kari." He showed her a big smile.

 

"Thank you, Remi..." She nodded. "I'm alright." 

 

From the corner of his sight, Ronnie noticed the girl, Miss Brink, staring intently at Remi, who then turned around to look at Ronnie once again.

 

"You made my friend upset. She hasn't cried like that in years. You said and threatened awful things. I would like to hear an apology." Remi spoke in a forceful, cold and indignant voice laced with hostility. 

 

Ronnie was appalled, which quickly gave way to indignation. He thought there was no way he was going to apologize to a Dark Elf. 

 

"Never... I will never apologize to their kind." He spat in disgust. 

 

The Dark Elf quickly moved behind Ronnie, so fast he could hardly believe the speed, and grabbed his arm, twisting and pinning it behind him. Pain tore through his left arm, as his nerves screamed internally. He cried out in torment as the Dark Elf berated him in seething fury.

 

"I don't want your apology, you spineless piece of shit! What I want is for you to leave me alone, forever! If you don't, I will end whatever idiotic plans you've concocted in your mind. I will ruin your world, starting with your brother. After losing the last of your family, you'll drown in misery and wish you were dead. But I wouldn't let you die yet. No, I'll spend every waking moment coaxing every bit of information from you about whatever friends or distant relations you have connected to your miserable existence. Then, I will bring destruction to them, their loved ones and anyone within 3 degrees of separation from you. After that, and only after that, will I allow you to die."

 

Kari tightened her grip on Ronnie's arm, twisting it so hard that a loud crack rang out in the quiet evening. Fear and agony unlike any he had felt before engulfed Ronnie, and he screamed; he screamed and he couldn't stop screaming from the pain.

 

"Kari that's enough! You broke his arm!" Remi yelled, amidst Ronnie's screams. 

 

Shortly after she let go of Ronnie's arm, she walked back beside Remi. Ronnie was still crying out in anguish when the trio's heads turned, almost in sync, to the new arrivals on the scene.

 

"Well, well, it looks like we stumbled across an interesting development, Rufus." The boy with red hair, named Aleksander Pyrefel, spoke to his companion sarcastically. 

 

"Indeed, Aleksander." Rufus brushed strands of his long black straight hair from his face. "What a barbaric scene. Commoners like yourselves always resort to violence so readily."

 

The group of three students stared at the two newcomers with narrowed eyes. The doll-like woman remained expressionless, with a hand on her cheek.

 

 

Remi observed the two noblemen as they sauntered over to just outside the rest area. In their hands were crystals that were glowing a soft orange. While he was looking at them curiously, Kari whispered in his ear.

 

"Remi those are Verbal Capturing Crystals."

 

Though he was still feeling quite shocked at Kari's furious outburst earlier, Remi noted she was seemingly very calm at this moment. He swore to himself he'd buy her something sweet tomorrow to make up for this whole ordeal.

 

He nodded in acknowledgement of her words and kept his eyes on the two nobles. The man named Ronnie, who was on his knees, stayed still and quiet, a smile creeping across his face. 

 

Inscribed with Element and Order Magicka runes, Verbal Capturing Crystals were created to relay verbal messages said while the capturing spell is active. After pouring aetherik into the capture rune, the device would glow green for a few minutes before returning clear. Before it returns clear, one could pour mana into the capture rune while it was glowing green to forcibly stop the spell, which completes the capture. During that time, anything audible within 20 meters could be captured and stored within the crystal, with varying volumes depending on how far away the crystal was in relation to the source of the sound.

 

Once something was captured, the crystal glowed orange. If one poured aetherik into the release rune, the Magicka within the crystal released a Wind Magicka spell that carried the captured sounds to all nearby the device. As such, one could hear any captured sounds, be they voices or otherwise, as if the voice was carried along the wind. Since one could repeatedly release the sounds, they were very popular items for a variety of reasons, mostly for sending messages that were better left unwritten. 

 

"What are you so happy about, you wretch?" Rem had asked the man on the ground, with her beautiful blue eyes staring coldly at him. "Do you think them showing up matters whatsoever?"

 

The smile remained on the man's face, as he turned his gaze upon Rem.

 

"Yes." 

 

A single word was all that was said, but it somehow brought a shiver down her spine. These kind of situations always ended up the same way for Remi and his family. Nobles would toy with their existence and get the tables turned on them after confronting the trio, causing whatever scheme or plan they had to backfire and then they'd backpedal their way to safety due to Remi's magnanimity.

 

This time felt different. The certainty in his voice caused Remi and Rem to both pause their way of thinking. Shortly thereafter, they heard it.

 

 

It was the voices of Ronnie and Remi, though very feint as if far away. Regardless, the voices were clear enough to be recognized as them.

 

Looking at the mischievous smiles on Aleksander Pyrefel's face, the trio knew that this was yet another part of the game they were made to play.

 

"Oh don't give me those looks, you peasants. What, are you going to hurt me too?" Aleksander laughed audaciously, as if daring them to do so. "Rufus, I can imagine the story now. The dangerous brute Remi Naslund was after our very own Lady Cooper and had to protect her. Mister Naslund went into a rage and committed horrible violence, even breaking an upperclassman's arm in the process after he was told to stay away from her." 

 

Remi, his sister and Kari stood silently, while Katrina muttered, "What a disgrace."

 

"My, my, Miss Brinks, what are you doing with that sexual deviant Mister Naslund? Did he go after yet another woman whom he just met? At this rate, the rumors will easily spread that some half-breed commoner was lusting after a graceful noblewoman, and when turned down, he tried to assault her. That's where our hero, Ronnie Jinsal here stepped in to prevent it." 

 

At this, Rem was about to step forward and lash out at the two noblemen when Remi held her shoulder in place. She looked back incredulously, while he just shook his head. He felt this wasn't the time to act cautiously. 

 

Kari, however, disregarded that signal.

 

"Are you guys kidding me? Who even are you two? What the hell do you even want with us?"

 

Another smile crept up on Aleksander's face before answering.

 

"Oh, where are my manners. I am Aleksander Pyrefel, eldest son--"

 

"Don't care. Shut up." She interrupted him and Remi saw his eyebrow twitch. 

 

"My, my, how uncouth. Listen, Dark Elf, we don't care about you. We just want that man to stay away from our dear Lady Cooper. It's as simple as that really."

 

"Stay away? He was never going out of his way to speak to that Chloe girl in the first place!" She shouted back, outraged at their stupidity. "Just how dumb are you two that you think someone, who was minding their own business when approached by the girl, was 'lusting after them'?!" 

 

"Oh we know perfectly well that he has made no move on her. Yet. He seems to be the type that women flock to, however, judging by the three of you being here with him. I just wanted some assurance that he wouldn't sink his teeth into the one I adore." 

 

Speaking the truth that shocked no one, Kari was clearly appalled by this behavior.

 

"Let me guess. You're going to threaten him with whatever is captured in those Crystals? Should he ever go near Lady Cooper again, you'll release the captured voices in public where others hear it? How tired and played out, this game is."

 

Slightly flustered at Kari's remarks, Aleksander nodded and acknowledged her thoughts.

 

"Absolutely! That is precisely what we'll do. The first two conditions Mister Jinsal there gave Mister Naslund still stand. Should you violate them, rumors will spread of Mister Naslund's misconduct. I wonder what kind of punishment from the administration awaits those who break the rules so heinously?" The nobleman smiled quite fiendishly while grasping the crystal tighter.

 

Kari, unperturbed, moved to the next logical step of this discussion. 

 

"So? What makes you think we won't just smash those crystals right now, shattering your whole plan to pieces? You saw Remi fight yesterday, didn't you? Are you that confident in your abilities?" 

 

"Of course, he seems to be a magnificent Invoker. Looking at those three boys peacefully slumbering nearby tells us that clearly." Aleksander said while looking at the three students sprawled out on the ground, slightly snoring. "We have, however, made preparations." 

 

After snapping his fingers, a thin, transparent white dome encompassed the students around the rest area, with Aleksander and Rufus outside of it. 

 

"This is a powerful Element Magicka barrier, enhanced by Lunar Magicka. It is a spell commonly known as Les--"

 

"Lestrin's Celestial Conclave, yes, we know of it. What about it?" Kari fired back immediately, interrupting the monologue of the nobleman she found simply despicable.

 

Seeing Aleksander completely flustered at the interruption and the fact that Kari knew of the spell, Remi watched the man with amused eyes. Rem stifled some laughter, while Katrina tilted her head, looking at the trio with a quiet and interested expression. Ronnie, who had been smiling the whole time, was now frowning as Aleksander spoke.

 

"So you know of it. No matter. Then you must also know that it is virtually impossible to penetrate, inside or out. You have no means of escape until the spell ends or we end it ourselves."

 

As he explained this, Katrina walked up next to the edge of the barrier and touched it, trying to stick a hand through. Noting it was solid, she knocked on it, but it made no sound on contact.

 

"The spell should end in roughly 4 hours with the devices we have in place. We'll be going now, but do make sure to toe the line from this moment forward. We'll be expecting the Crown payment by the end of the week. With that, please enjoy your night." Aleksander nodded, then yelled out, "We're leaving!" 

 

Rustling of leaves and twigs could be heard, crunching under foot. Twelve more individuals, who were not wearing student uniforms and looked to be too old to attend the Academy, appeared all around the outside of the barrier. 

 

"Mister Jinsal, please do make sure to collect the devices later. Not that I think Mister Naslund would steal such things. He wouldn't want to add theft to his list of crimes, would he?" He smirked, then after giving an order to one of the men, he laughed and started walking away. Rufus, who had been staring at Rem the whole time not saying a word, smiled at her then followed his friend. 

 

Before they were even more than 20 meters away, a loud sigh was heard by everyone in the vicinity. 

 

"Really, such trouble follows you everywhere you go, brother. I don't see how you'd ever get by without us." Rem declared in a sardonic manner, while grasping Miss Brink's hand. Remi noted that the young woman made a cute cry out of surprise. From his sister's action, he realized what she was about to do and grasp her other hand with his left, and Kari's with his right.

 

Shortly after, a magical circle appeared which encompassed the entire diameter of the dome floor. Moments later, the area above the circle and the forest illuminated in bright white light with a tint of red-orange, nearly blinding those in the surroundings.

 

Remi took the opportunity to whisper to Kari his plan, and she nodded in agreement.

 

They set their sights on teaching these men a valuable lesson.

 

 

 

Various cries from the thugs who were looking at the light rang out. Shielding their eyes from the blinding light, Aleksander and Rufus, along with the other men, tried to see what was happening. They gasped as four black silhouettes appeared against the light, then began walking toward them, free from the barrier.

 

After the silhouettes escaped the barrier, the light dispersed and the forest returned to darkness once again. Momentarily blinded by the experience, the two noblemen and their retinue were blinking and rubbing their eyes trying to get their vision back. During this, they heard a loud voice begin to chant.

 

"Celes, our mother of night, guide these lost ones; help cast astray our guise of flesh; reveal to us only the shroud of darkness we must don!"

 

In moments, what were once four silhouettes had become two women standing there, the sister and the doll. 

 

While looking for Remi and the Dark Elf, the two noblemen saw a monstrous shadow--no, two monstrous shadows moving at incredible speed on either side of the group, attacking their allies and systematically rending the flesh from their bones. Rufus and Aleksander were both unsure what they were witnessing. They could only watch in horror as their companions were falling to the ground in pieces. All around them were voices beginning to chant, followed by screams of agony and surprise when they were unable to complete them.

 

Within 30 seconds, half of their companions were down, killed in the most horrific of fashions.

 

Knowing the same fate were to befall them if they did nothing, Aleksander nodded to Rufus and began chanting.

 

"O Elements, heed my fiery command; adhere to my will, radiate your magnificent flame--"

 

Rufus, who knew casting such a large area fire spell in the forest was a horrible idea, moved quickly to stop his friend from making a huge mistake.

 

In a panic, he smacked Aleksander in the head while shouting at him.

 

"What are you doing, Aleksander?! Do you intend to burn this forest to the ground?!"

 

Aleksander, who thought about it quickly, canceled his spell and the two started arguing with each other. 

 

"We have to do something, Rufus! Whatever they did, whatever those things are, we have to deal with it or end up like... like them!" Aleksander pointed at the ground nearby, which was littered with body parts.

 

After a few seconds of bickering they decided on a strategy. During that time, however, the monstrous shadows kept up their assault before the two began chanting as there was little time to spare.

 

"O Elements, heed my frigid command--"

"O Elements, heed my shattering command--"

 

Within a minute, what were once sixteen opponents for the monstrous shadows, had become two. Still, the two noblemen continued and finished their spells.

 

"--adhere to my will, shower this land in sleet!"

"--adhere to my will, crack open this earth; a craggy prison awaits this foe!"

 

Two magic circles layered over each other, underneath the area where the two monstrous shadows were stopped, seemingly watching them.

 

In that instant, the ground beneath the shadows opened up, swallowing them into the ground. At the same time, jagged hail rained down upon the fresh hole in the earth.

 

Rufus and Aleksander looked at each other and nodded, proud of their coordination. Small laughs and feelings of triumph erupted within them. They were about to celebrate when they noticed it out of the corner of their vision.

 

Before they knew it, Remi and the Dark Elf woman were standing no more than a meter away from them, arms folded, a golden aura surrounding them both. The two young women, who were in the back watching this unfold, were now catching up from behind, walking at a steady pace. Once the four stood together, the golden aura faded.

 

"Hey, you should probably fill that hole you made." The Dark Elf woman said in a casual tone.

 

 

"What... just what did you do to those men?! How could you do that?!" Aleksander screamed, his haughty and calm demeanor from earlier had completely given way to fear. 

 

"Aleksander, why did you choose this man to play your games with?! I was utterly against it from the start, you know this!" Rufus started chastising his friend in front of the four of them, refusing to take any blame from this endeavor.

 

"You didn't stop me, did you?! You were having just as much fun as I! They're going to kill us, Rufus, just like them!" Aleksander pointed to the fallen men beside him. 

 

To Remi, this was a justified course of action. Though he was normally gentle, there was only so much he could tolerate. These two men had tried his patience and Remi was getting a headache from their attitudes and bickering. Luckily for him, Kari took the reigns, yet again.

 

"Hey, hey! Listen, you guys," Kari yelled, interrupting their quarrel with a loud clap of her hands. "Calm yourselves down. Look, they're not dead! See? They're just unconscious. They'll probably wake up in a an hour or two."

 

Frightened and confused, the two noblemen looked once more upon the brutal remains of the 14 men fallen all around them. 

 

Instead of seeing that, however, they saw the intact bodies of their companions with no wounds and only minor bruises upon their faces. 

 

"You can thank Remi for that. I would have just killed them." Kari mentioned casually.

 

Rem, standing beside Remi, nodded in agreement with her words. Remi couldn't help but feel his two family members were terribly more violent than he would like to admit.

 

While the two noblemen stared at her with eyes wide with fear, Kari continued. 

 

"Now, here's how this game of yours is going to play out. First, you're going to hand over those crystals." 

 

She held her hands out, awaiting to receive them. Shaking slightly, the two noblemen slowly gave the two crystals to her.

 

"Perfect. Second, I'll do this." Kari threw one of the crystals to the ground, shattering it to pieces. The jarring sound echoed into the night, causing the frightened men to jump a little. 

 

"That's better. Third, we'll go ahead and revise the capture on this one, if that's okay with you two?"

 

Scared out of their minds, they could both only nodded in agreement. 

 

"Great! If you could do the honors, Rem." She handed the crystal over to Rem, as she had the appropriate means to manipulate the capture rune.

 

"Certainly, Kari." As she poured mana into the capture runes, the crystal glowed a dull green color. After this, Kari began speaking in a powerful, clear voice.

 

"Do you, Aleksander Pyrefel and Rufus Magnar, acknowledge that you entrapped, manipulated and illegally confined us, Kari, Rem and Remi Naslund against our will this evening, the 1st day of the 4th month?" Kari asked the leading question.

 

The two looked at each other, then back at her and nodded in understanding.

 

"Please, speak up. You first." Kari said encouragingly, pointing at Aleksander.

 

After a moment, the two shaken noblemen gathered their words and spoke.

 

"I, Aleksander Pyrefel, acknowledge this." Aleksander said, in a defeated tone. 

 

"I, Rufus Magnar, also acknowledge this." Rufus said clearly.

 

"Do you also acknowledge that you brought four upperclassman, led by one Ronnie Jinsal, as well as 14 individuals not of the Academy, for the purposes of carrying out the aforementioned crimes?" Kari asked again.

 

"I acknowledge it." Aleksander muttered.

"I acknowledge this as the truth." Rufus said strongly.

 

Kari nodded to Rem who poured mana into the capture rune again, which caused the crystal to change into an orange color.

 

"Alright perfect, thanks guys! With that, we're done here. This has turned into an absolutely awful evening, and I never want to see any of you again. Let's go everyone." Kari spoke as she started walking back southeast toward the dormitories. 

 

Remi, who was speechless after letting Kari do all the talking, followed after her with Rem and Katrina in tow.

 

After getting about 10 meters away, Kari stopped and turned around, then looked at the two noblemen who were watching the group leave in silence.

 

"Oh, one more thing." She spoke in a loud voice so they everyone, including Ronnie, could hear. "I know it should go without saying, but you two are absolute morons so I have to make sure. If any of you, and I mean any of you speak about anything that happened here tonight, not only will we release this capture, we will cause the downfall of your entire noble houses. We've done it before, I won't think twice about doing it again."

 

The two exchanged dubious looks, not believing for a second these commoners had that capability.

 

"Don't believe me? Why don't you go ahead and ask House Fercer, Rufus?" 

 

Rufus' eyes went wide with terror, then looked at his companion.

 

"What the hell have you gotten me into, Aleksander?!" he yelled at his friend. 

 

Smiling at the scene of Rufus grabbing Aleksander's coat and shaking him, while lamenting their predicament, Kari turned back around and started walking away.

 

The twins gave a knowing look and smiled, while Rem grabbed her brothers arm and started walking with him to catch up to Kari. 

 

As they walked away from the forest, Remi could only stare at Kari in awe. 

 

To him, this woman was incredible. He knew she was a strong-willed person, but what she showed just now, tonight, impressed him to his core. After having her traumatizing past brought up and thrown into her face like that, to bounce back so quickly was amazing to him. The way she spoke up to defend him from those noblemen made his heart flutter. 

 

Noticing him staring at Kari, Rem elbowed him in the side. 

 

"Ow, Rem, what was that for?" Remi asked as he tried to tear his arm free from his sister's grasp. 

 

Refusing to let go, she responded in a huff. "I stood up for you too, you know. I even got us out of that barrier! You should be more grateful to me, not just thinking about and making moon eyes at Kari!"

 

He wasn't sure how to respond to that, as he clearly was thinking such things about Kari for a moment and it must have shown on his face. 

 

"Now, now Rem," Kari said as she looked over her shoulder at the twins. "It just means he just loves me more than you, that's all. It's perfectly natural." 

 

She winked at them with a smile and turned her head forward once again. "Let's get back so I can go to sleep!"

 

Trying to soothe his sister's mood, Remi thanked his sister earnestly, but Rem just elbowed her brother once again then tightened her grasp on his arm. He wasn't sure he could deal with this attitude of hers tonight and resigned himself to it.

 

After a few more minutes of walking, Katrina, who had been following behind the trio a ways, finally spoke up.

 

"Umm..."

 

Stopping, the trio turned around to face Katrina, who had her head down. 

 

"So. I don't know what to say. About tonight. That was crazy."

 

Rem spoke first. 

 

"Miss Brink, I know what you're thinking, but it's only natural to pay someone back ten-fold for their transgressions upon you. Their badly thought out scheme wasn't worth the trouble, but their insults and demands were sickening. For that, Kari and Remi decided to teach them a lesson. We now have a capture crystal with them acknowledging fault that we could release at any time, so it should make them think twice about their behavior in the future." She nodded after stating all this, so matter-of-factly.

 

"Miss Brink, are you alright?" Remi asked, genuinely concerned about her mental state.

 

"Mm. I'm okay. I think." She responded, hesitantly. Then she shook her head and looked up at the trio. "No, I am definitely okay."

 

"I'm really sorry I allowed you come along and dragged you into this mess. I had a feeling something like this may happen, and I should have pushed for you not to come with us." Remi spoke with a pained voice, then bowed his head low. "I am really, really sorry, Miss Brink."

 

Flustered at the sincere remorse he was showing to her, Katrina spoke with a high tone of voice while in a hurry, which was completely atypical of her behavior thus far. 

 

"No, no it's okay, really! Don't bow to me, ever. Please!" 

 

Slightly startled by her change of tone and lack of taciturn speaking style, the trio looked at her curiously. Remi shrugged before speaking, a small smile on his face.

 

"Got it. I won't bow to you unless the situation truly warrants it."

 

"Remi. When I said ever, I meant ever." Katrina said, with her cheeks slightly puffed out. She seemed embarrassed to either be treated in such fashion, or perhaps from her turnaround in demeanor; Remi wasn't sure which.

 

He laughed at the behavior, but acknowledged her demand. Rem and Kari, who were watching this exchange, looked at each other and nodded. 

 

"Miss Brink, while I don't want to have to say this, I'd like it if you kept quiet about what happened tonight as well." Rem addressed Katrina in a casual but stern tone, her piercing blue eyes staring at her. "As I find myself liking you, it would be a shame to have to declare you our enemy. I hope we can continue to get along from here on out."

 

"Me too," Kari added in, with a nod to her.

 

Katrina looked at the two women and then at Remi, who gave a smile and a nod. 

 

"O-Of course, Miss Naslund. My lips are sealed." She responded sincerely, if slightly panicked. 

 

"You can call me Rem, Miss Brink." Rem said with a grin.

 

"Mm. Ah, I see. Okay, Rem. You all can call me Katrina." She shook her head again. "No, I mean please call me Katrina."

 

"Got it, Katrina."

"Okay, Katrina."

 

Kari and Rem responded immediately, addressing her as she requested. 

 

"Katrina, are you sure you're alright? I'm sure you have questions. but we can't give answers right away. We're slow to trust. Well, except for Remi." Rem elbowed her brother once again, who yelped in pain. "Brother, don't just tell Katrina everything because she is our new friend, got it?"

 

"Ow, Rem, I got it, I got it! Stop elbowing me, please."

 

Katrina giggled slightly at their antics and said, "I have a lot of questions... but I won't ask now." 

 

Happy with her answer, Rem nodded and gripped her brother's arm once again as they continued their walk home to their dorm rooms.

 

"... friend, huh?" the trio heard in a small, but happy voice behind them. They could only smile at each other.

 

By the time the four of them arrived at the Academy, the clock tower read just after 10 at night.

 

Remi walked up to the male dormitory front entrance, there bidding the group of girls a good night, as they continued on their way to their rooms in the female dorm. 

 

He made his way to his room, where he saw a letter on top of the stone panel outside of it. Remi shook his head, then grabbed the letter and placed his silver orb key on the panel, unlocking the door. He then went inside, locked the door, took off his shoes, and put the sealed letter on his desk without even reading it.

 

He changed his clothes, climbed under the covers of his bed, and laid his head on the pillow. 

 

As he thought of everything that transpired the last two days, exhaustion overwhelmed him. 

 

Within minutes he was asleep.