Today is the day the whole city was roused from sleep. The time for a celebration of life and abundance, the Harvest Festival. For the average person, this time of the year meant lots of stalls selling street food and paraphernalia, and generally a time to be enjoyed by family and friends, partying joyously into the night. Even for the non-average ones, this time of the year was also meant to be enjoyed by the company of family and friends, at least usually. It was different this time around, far more different.

Threats from outside abound, targeting the common people for their own nefarious purposes. Foreign mercenaries who was tasked to target the very trust between the ruling body, the Carters, and its subjects.

Threats from inside the city, vampires who were tasked with creating a chaotic situation when the festival happens by their Council of Elders. All of them will happen today, and it's up to us to stop them.

We slept in shifts, so as to not let the enemy get the jump on us by attacking in the morn before the sun, or the break of dawn. Countless constables and knights were posted on the perimeter of the city, defending it from the outside, while we, the ones with a connection to the Other Side were posted in the Carter Manor to answer for sudden attacks.

"Morning," I greeted Ciel, who was having a hard time opening her eyes.

As always, she failed to greet me back, and almost bumped her head into the guest room's door, the ones we used back when we slept here. To help her focus, I decided to open a window in the hallway.

Because the sun hadn't risen yet, we still have a bit of time to appreciate the morning concert hosted by the birds and kites who were already up and running. The chilling morning air served as a kind reminder to Ciel, that her sleep should be over, and it was time to wake up.

She looked at the horizon blankly, incapable of focusing her circuits. Before sighing sultrily, only half-awake. Noticing me beside her, she smiled sweetly and snuggled up to me, trying to keep herself warm.

After a minute or two, she finally opened her eyes and greeted me.

"Good morning, Layne," she said.

Still, just as she was about to get her bearings, the magical alarm that was imprinted along the leylines to the Dairy Lodge district, rung. A message from Maria came, heralding the coming of the vampires.

The screen, magical in nature, and capable of transmitting moving images and sound, captured her tired figure.

"This is Maria Alucardia, assistant governor in charge of the Dairy Lodge district. Around a quarter of the vampires here disappeared overnight, and we suspect they're the Council's men, over."

My elder sister, Sarah Carter, who was also the acting commander of this operation, answered her.

"Message received. Gather your members and don't let them make any drastic moves, over."

"Orders received," Maria acquiesced.

The screen disappeared, although that doesn't make the room any less tense, since the briefing will start.

"First things first, to get this out of the way; everyone here had a connection with the Other Side, however, my little brother and his fiancee are volunteers in this operation, and I truly thank them for that. Since they had no obligation in joining us today; after this operation has been completed successfully, they will also be rewarded at the rate of the regulars," Sarah Carter stated.

She slowly observed the room, before continuing.

"Secondly, since the existence of the Other Side must not be leaked in any case, everyone here will be given a control bead that will activate the sigils and runes we've imprinted on the leylines. It will separate the Other Side, from normality, and you're free to do anything you have to do there. Think of it as a barrier or some sort."

"My third and final point. All of you will be sent across the city in groups of two or three according to your teamwork in the last mock battle; since Layne and Ciel are volunteers and they know each other best, they will be grouped as a team of two. These eight groups will move into the city and stay in their posts unless tasked otherwise."

"Team one will go to the north-east towards Cirque du Ciel."

"Team two will go to the east into the Great Docks."

"Team three will go to the south-east to the Char-Harbour."

"Team four will go to the south in the Dairy Lodge."

"Team five will go to the south-west towards the Innsmouth Residency."

"Team six will go to the west and protect the Eight Path district."

"Team seven will go to the north-west and protect the Carter Manor along with the north."

"Finally, team eight; Layne and Ciel's team, will be tasked to protect the central area where the Great Clock lies."

"These eight teams will be tasked to protect the people and the Harvest Festival from dirty hands, are we clear?!"

The veterans around us, the elite of the elites, the cream of the crop, which was brought here by Sarah Carter under the permission of the crown, stood up and shouted.

"Ma'am, yes ma'am!"

She nodded and finally ended the briefing, by saying, "As of 0400, team one to eight, move out!"

=======

The sun was just about to come out when we arrived at our post, in the central area of the city, in front of the Great Clock. There, peddlers and hawkers had already set up their stalls full of festival goods. Since there are no customers yet, this is the time they usually took to eat their breakfast.

As we had just eaten before coming here, we took this time to sharpen our skills, as this is the first time we'll take part in battle. Although our place was protected by the others since we're in the central area, there could also be lurkers lying about. That's why we're having a mock battle, with only reflexes and skills, on an empty lot.

Narrowly dodging an axe kick by moving to the left, I countered with a punch to her abdomen.

She tightened her body-line, making it impossible for my punch to land somewhere damaging.

I realigned my stance, facing my shoulder to her attack point and defending my face using an open hand, trying to bait her to charge in. Which, of course, she did not take.

"Come," my voice rang in the air, unable to be heard by the laymen, but had a fatal attraction to my target, her.

Both taunted and enchanted by my voice, she charged blindly. I responded by folding my elbow, and my target was her chin. Her inhuman reflexes saved her, as she bent her back while sliding forward, narrowly dodging my elbow strike, and left my liver open to blows, which forced me to move the hand defending my face to my torso.

Ciel took this chance to regain her footing, spin, and gave me a devastating roundhouse kick towards my cheek, which she stopped in time.

"I can't defeat you, as always," I sighed dejectedly.

"You've improved! Maybe it's true that your abilities could still be increased, a side effect of the reincarnation?"

Always the active one, she seemed very happy after moving her body around. However, she stopped for a bit and started thinking. She looked at me a bunch of times, before saying what was on her mind.

"Hey, you cheated back there! So that's why I feel like you've improved, you used a law," She pouted, her cheeks swelling like a balloon.

I pressed my finger to her swelled up cheeks, making a 'prrt' sound.

"That's not a law, dear Ciel. I can't use them yet. I still need to gain faith to strengthen myself, at least until my abilities reached their peak, to gain divinity and start using laws. Back then was a normal taunt."

She looked confused.

"That's not right. I feel it is far more powerful than what you used on our adventuring days."

"Then it's as I suspected, we retained our skills and abilities of our past, but it's not truly the peak in this life. However, since our skills mostly need certain conditions to be used, we can't use all of them."

"That's why I feel better after we awakened! What I gained in the field of stars back then helped me transform my skills, abilities, and knowledge to better fit myself right now.

"Yeah, although I'm not as lucky as you are, what I had right now will certainly help me reach divinity easily. However, I don't know if the path of Divinity was still used or taught about in these lands. Has it fizzled out to nonexistence or has it reached greater heights? I might have to ask grandfather-in-law about this problem."

We continued our conversation, sometimes buying snacks and drinks from the stalls, and sometimes play around at the festival for a bit. It would've been a great time, if not for the looming threat from the terrorists and the Other Side.

Still, as we continued our vigil over the central area, we found our first rat, sneaking in.