While it was disappointing that the beautiful redhead pulled away from his hand, it wasn't overwhelmingly so. He had already gotten a good feel. He also had finished analyzing her body, so he changed Analysis to concentrate on her magic for when she actually started using it. For some reason, she seemed to hesitate a bit. “I’m very sorry, to ask sir, but I need a place where nothing will be…” the girl started, and then continued: "The magical capacity of the magic I use is too high to be used on its own in a populated area without a singular target. To put it bluntly, I would prefer to have an opponent and a place in which I won’t harm or destroy anything… important."
Gawain nodded. "I see. Your magic is highly combat-oriented, then. The training ground behind this building should do. The walls surrounding it have been Reinforced to endure any attacks that aren't specifically directed at them." Of course, they couldn't take some of the more powerful area spells out there either, but it was unlikely that anyone would use such a high level spell for just training. The kinds of attacks that could harm those walls on accident were attacks that you would only use in a life-and-death situation.
"Just follow me there, it's not a long distance..." Gawain was about to head to the door that led to the back yard of the Guild, when he heard knocks from the main entrance, and then the door opening. Soon afterwards, he saw a man wearing a postman's uniform striding towards him.

"Sir, you have an urgent letter from Mailman Trade", the postman said and handed the Guild Master a letter. Gawain broke the seal and began to read the message quickly, wanting to get back to welcoming the woman to the Guild as soon as possible. The message was simple enough, and so was the reaction it caused in the Guild Master of the no-money-at-all-at-the-moment Amaranth. Having to pay for something unnecessary was not something he wanted to do right now. At all. He had to stop Freya's rampage -it was probably Freya who was doing the destroying.
"Agreed", Gawain muttered as he read the last line on the letter.
The postman gave him another letter, a 'Poof Letter'. He had heard of the things, but he didn't really trust them. In the first place, he was very suspicious towards teleportation. The idea of his body being torn apart by some spell and then reconstructed somewhere else? Well, he changed his own bodily structure all the time, but only in parts, and it was Gawain himself who was doing it. He didn't trust someone else to do it, much less some random object. Besides, a one-use-only teleportation spell? If Mailman Trade could waste money for something like that, why did they need his money for repairs?
But as much as he disliked the idea of doing so, he would probably have to use it. While he could travel extremely fast when he wanted, every second counted in this situation.
Next was a load of gifts to Freya. Gawain watched as the pile kept growing. After the postman had left, he raised his voice. "Someone put them next to the others later!" There was a similar pile near the stage. Freya was popular. While that was a good thing sometimes -every box of sweets given to her was one third less that she ate from the Guild's stores- there were bad sides as well. What if some lecher took interest in the famous, beautiful girl, and went and took advantage of her? The respectable Guild Master could not allow something like that to happen.
But for now, there were other things he had to take care of.

Gawain took a deep breath. He then glanced at the red-haired newcomer. Then at the 'Poof Letter' in his hand. Then he took another deep breath, and turned to the woman.
"It seems like I have some business elsewhere, so I'm afraid we will have to hurry a bit, my dear. Follow me." He then took off, striding towards the side door and the training ground with long steps taken at short intervals. It did not take long before he had arrived at the large area where he had done his morning practice earlier. Once he was on the other side of one of the sparring circles, he turned around to face the woman wanting to join the Guild.
"I'll act as your opponent for this demonstration. Feel free to throw whatever you have at me: I'll be able to take it." After having said so, Gawain pulled out the quarterstaff Azure from the pocket dimension where he kept it. He took a stance with it, and proceeded to Reinforce his skin and the rest of his body. He had no idea what the woman had in mind -other than it was something intended for battle- so he had to prepare for several things. He closed his eyes.
He began to rearrange the carbon of his skin. It took a fraction of a second for him to change the 'perspective' of his Analysis so that he could 'see' the individual building blocks. After that, it took another second for him to create the shape once. Then he began to multiply it, the layer of the unique form of carbon spreading underneath his skin. Soon, it had spread everywhere in his skin. But that was not enough. He repeated the process, creating a second layer, then a third one, then another, and another... Until he had tens of thousands of them underneath his skin. Yet it didn't show outside in any way, since an individual layer was so incredibly thin. He had had a hard time even conceiving that something could be so small when he'd first tried it. But despite the thinness, they were extremely strong. Next, he pulled the protective layer tighter, so that it wouldn't simply stretch when an attack came. As the last step, he inserted a large amount of magical energy into the substance forming the new layer of skin, making it even stronger than it naturally was.
Next was the body. He started with the bones. Unlike with the skin, there wasn't really any reason to turn them back to normal after he was done, so they were always much stronger than that of an average human's bones, but he still had to check for any flaws. After he had done something very straining, he usually wasn't sharp enough to notice minor cracks and such. This time, there was nothing. The structure could stay as it was. He proceeded to fill his bones with magical energy. And the last part was his internal organs. They were so complex that he didn't dare mess with their structure -any failure would have severe consequences, especially in the case of something like the heart- so he simply Reinforced them by inserting magical energy into them, making them much more resistant to shock.
"I'm ready for whatever you have", the Guild Master said, opening his eyes. A moment of silence. "By the way, may I ask your name? You never did introduce yourself, my dear."




Yuliana waited for Benjamin's answer to her question, eating the slice of fruit. It did not take very long. "Yeah, she's certainly something. Though, personally, I prefer Yuliana. You know, the one in the kitchens? She's really nice, really pretty and an amazing cook!" She blinked, glancing at the other redhead. Yuliana did think she had chosen her colors well this morning, but she didn't really think she was as pretty as the other woman. It was a bit strange how Benjamin could call Yuliana prettier, considering how obviously infatuated he was in the other newcomer.
The boy continued before Yuliana had a chance to say anything: "I actually feel kind of bad for messing with her stew. I was just trying to bring out the flavor more. The ingredients that I put in wouldn't have changed the flavor, just heightened it. Letting it show it's true colors or in this case, flavors." True colors. She liked that metaphor. Indeed, the flavors of food was for taste what colors were for vision. When she thought about it like that, she realized that she'd probably start to enjoy cooking even more than she already did. A small smile appeared on her face.
It seemed like Benjamin hadn't realized who he had been talking to, considering how he suddenly seemed surprised when he turned around to look at her. "I mean, I, uh, shit. You didn't hear any of that." Was he the type who was easily embarassed, or why was he blushing?
"I'm afraid I did?" Yuliana said with a hint of question in her voice. "In any case, thank you for the compliment. It is always nice to have one's appearance complimented on." Her clean hand brushed her blue dress. It really seemed like he had chosen well this morning. "And I do realize that you didn't have any bad intentions when you put spices into the stew. And your choices weren't exactly bad either: While I would have added a pinch less of rosemary, the seasonings you chose were good for the stew. It is more of a matter of principle: I do not want others altering the food I've made without asking me first." She took another slice of fruit between her fingers and ate it.

At the entrance, the Guild Master had gotten some kind of letter, and seemed a bit agitated. A large pile of presents had also appeared next to the door. They were probably for Freya. Some guild members had already stood up to move them next to the others. For a moment, Yuliana wondered how Benjamin would react to Freya. Or Issabella, or Amaya, or any other girls in the Guild. He didn't seem as dead set on the newcomer as it had seemed earlier, after all.

"Why do you...Are you hurt?" asked Demeter. No, not Demeter. For a flicker of a moment - a moment so brief it might not have existed at all - Persephone's emerald eyes appeared aqua. An aqua as never-ending in its sadness as the very bottom of Hell; for a moment, Ravenna watched. And then the moment was gone. Persephone laughed, her green eyes smiling at her mother's concern.

"Of course not, mama," she said. "Do you really think your Queen of the Underworld can be harmed so easily?"

"Murmur?" Demeter asked. Persephone raised her brows, then proceeded to fret endlessly. Did her mother know of her affair? How had she come to know of the Earl of Hell? Which of her servants had betrayed her? Would her mother tell Hades? What would her mother do? Was she angry? Why wasn't she angry? And why on Earth was she covered in crayons?

Persephone's eyes flickered towards the dark haired mage who'd yelled before destroying the lights of the cave. Why was he still there? Who in Hell was he? Then, Persephone narrowed her eyes upon closer inspection. No, it was not a boy but Pandora, the very first human woman to have been made. Well, that explained it. Pandora was an idiot. "What are you doing there?" she called out towards 'Pandora,' who was really Sikes. "Your very existence is a crime towards Godkind." Persephone rolled her eyes, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth before giving Aphrodite vague eye signals that she assumed the Goddess of Love and Beauty would understand. Of course, she wouldn't.

"Persephone, at this pace, you might just break Demeter," chastised the greatest voice of all Hellkind. Persephone furrowed her brows before releasing Demeter with an "Oh." not having realised she was still holding on to her mother. Persephone smiled sheepishly before kissing Demeter on both her cheeks. "Sorry, mama. You're becoming terribly fragile. How can the Goddess of Harvest be so starved?" Of course, she knew the answer. Her mother was obviously worried for her, as she always was, and could not bring herself to fertilise the Earth. "I'm here now, mama," she said, rubbing her mother's bony shoulder.

"Do you think it's possible that these two have a pure enough soul to release the Aozora?" Lord Murmur asked, his voice as all-comsuming as the galaxies beyond, as heart pounding as a split of thunder in a silent night, as masculine as he who was the embodiment of testosterone, as...

Zeus.

Persephone's eyes widened as she stared at Zeus. Zeus. Her father. God of Gods. Zeus.

Oh. My. Freaking. Zeus.

The Queen of the Underworld stumbled backwards, staring at her father in all his mighty glory. Although he seemed to have shrunk... Just a little. Why was everyone shrinking and why did Aphrodite have chest hair? Still, Persephone could see the power radiating from his grey and white head of hair; the muscles rippled beneath his strong arms. He could break her with a flick of his paw. Wait, paw? Persephone squinted before shaking her head and shrugging. Clearly, there was something wrong with her eyesight. You must cut down on your intake of trees, she chastised herself.

As if she'd suddenly noticed she'd been gawking at her father the entire time, Persephone quickly dropped to her knees, glaring at everyone else - especially her two reckless children - to do the same. "My liege," she said with a respectfully bowed head. Her forest green hair fell over her shoulders to shield her face; she pressed her palms to the dirt to still their trembling. "Father, what do you wish of me?"

"Forgive me for my disobedience, greatest of Gods, mightiest of Kings. Your ferocity inspires every artist of every kingdom to sculpt your beastly shoulders and perfect face," she said, trying to keep the fear from her voice.

"Meow."

Persephone yelped as she jumped to her feet and flattened herself against the wall of the cave, clinging to it for dear life as she hid behind Murmur. But not even Murmur could stand against this... This... Beast. "What do you mean, my lord?!" she gasped, trembling as she stared at the epitome of perfection, of horror. This was the creature of her nightmares. This was the creature who could make Hell freeze. What did he mean? Was Meow a summon? A spell? Was she soon to die? Why had he uttered such a barbaric word? What did this mean? She had to protect Murmur from her father. Yes, she had to protect her love.

"If you must punish one, punish me. Leave him," She looked at Murmur. "Unharmed. I beg of you father."

"Meow."

"I don't understand! What do you wish of me, oh mighty Zeus? Please, tell me and I will do!" she begged, dropping to her knees before the God. "Do you need your fur combed? Your whiskers teased? Your claws painted?" Persephone paused. Why did Zeus look suspiciously like a cat...?

Persephone clasped her hands to her mouth, as if she'd uttered her thoughts aloud. Surely, her father would punish her for such a disrespectful thought! The mightiest Zeus? A cat? Never. Oh Hell, she might as well have killed herself for the atrocity she'd committed in thinking such thoughts and for seeing such lies.

"Meow."

"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!"



The strangest thing was happening. Freya watched, dumbfounded, as the Queen of the Underworld dropped to her knees before Stamps. Stamps. The cat. Persephone then proceeded to beg for forgiveness and throw herself at a wall when Stamps did what all cats did: meowed. Freya stood frozen, her jaw nearly falling to the floor as the woman who'd just decapitated another bowed down to a cat.

What in the Heavens...?

Then, it clicked. Slowly, because shock made one weak in thoughts but slowly, Freya understood. Persephone thought Stamps the cat was Zeus. Crimson Blade's master's - Death's - greatest fear was a cat.

"Uh... Zeus has a sore throat," Freya said slowly.

"What?" Persephone asked, half fearful, half shocked, half relieved. Wait, no, that was a whole and a half. Well, close enough.

"He, umm... Spoke too much. Commanding people and... Stuff," Freya mumbled. "He uh, wants you to help us."

"How?" Persephone asked, eager to please Zeu- Stamps.

"Umm..." Freya thought.

"I know!" the beautiful green-haired woman gushed, racing towards the blue gems that was embedded to the cave. "A gift!" Closing her eyes, the Takeover glowed, her emerald light intensifying until Freya had to look away and shield her eyes with her arms. Then, the cave was dim once again. "You and Demeter are capable of opening it." Persephone beamed.

Freya furrowed her brows, staring at Sidney incredulously. Them? How? Why? Persephone took Freya's hand, ushering her towards the eerily beautiful crystal and placing her hand on it. The blonde mage shut her eyes, expecting a shock of electricity to slither up her arm but feeling nothing but a slight, warm tingling trickling up the length of her arm. A strange euphoria filled her, until she was almost dizzy with joy. Freya's lips tilted into the smile of a drunk - well, she was always drunk but now more so - as her head rolled on her shoulders. Forcing her head to stay still, she reached towards Sidney. "You should try this," she slurred. "So... Happy.

"Unicorns. I want to be a unicorn."

Ben smiled and placed his hands behind his head, resting his back on the wall. "I'll keep that in mind. I'd like to cook with you in the future, I mean, if I'm allowed." he said cheerfully to the cute redhead. His eyes wandered back to catch another glimpse of the new girl but she wasn't there. Ben looked around, confused, until he spotted the guild master's grey hair bobbing across the hall towards the back. He scratched his head, didn't she have to show him her magic like he did? He began to ponder this when he came to a conclusion. The way she held her hand over her sword, her intimidating air, she must be really strong already! Ben smirked and grabbed Cedar and Yuliana's hands. "Guys, let's follow them!" He pointed to the walking pair, "I think something big is going down!"

Without waiting for an answer, Benjamin dragged them across the hall, trying to stay out of Gawain's line of sight. The other guild members seemed captivated as the new redhead walked by, their hands seemed to fidget with anything they came in contact with. Ben found it amusing though, a few minutes ago, he was doing the same and would probably do it again in the near future. Nevertheless, his attraction could wait. Being a sneaky little bugger came first. He released his new friends hands. "Alright guys, let's be really sneaky. If what is going to happen does happen, we definitely don't want to miss it." Dropping to his hands and knees, Ben silently made his way after the pair of mages, making sure to keep a fair bit of distance between them.

Meer stood silently for a moment, before placing her hand on the hilt of the sword. "Meer. Just Meer... Sir," she finished. She didn't quite know what to call him, but she assumed that "sir" would do fine.

"But If you have somewhere to be, then I will make this quick. You need not worry, sir." She said. About half of her power might be nice... No, that might be too much. She didn't know how hard the walls were... That thought didn't last long, as dark red tendrils snaked up from the hilt and burrowed themselves in her arm. Her eyes went wide. That was bad... The sword hadn't been used in a long while, but... She grimaced and forced herself to draw the blade slowly.

It, however, had different ideas. With a loud growl, it shot out of the sheathe, the tendrils pulling her arm in a sweeping motion that sent her flying forward... And, in her vision, straight through Gawain and into the wall behind him. The sword glanced off of it. Meer took a moment to be impressed that the wall was able to take that kind of shot with only a scratch, actually.

She turned around to face Gawain again. "My apologies. The sword... Is not quite normal. I will attack you this time, though," She said. It wasn't much of an apology, but for Meer's purposes, it worked.

The sword changed from the smaller weapon that she used when putting it in its sheathe to the larger, wider form that boosted her power. Depending on how large this one got, she could create more power. The metal itself never changed its weight, for that weight was equivalent to the number of lives it had taken, but it could change length and size within a certain degree. She still kept it just enough that she could swing comfortably, though a normal human, even when the power form was this small, would probably use two hands to do this.

"Ready," She murmured out of habit, and dashed forward, bringing the sword near the ground to swing upwards at him. Her speed, though, she kept in check. If she went too fast now, she might reach the limit of the rules later. That would be bad for any fairy. Very, very bad.

Cedar

Cedar was being dragged along to... Follow the odd lady and the creepy old man? It wasn't quite the best situation, but... He still needed to ask the man where Liricia was. He had yet to do that, though now he was in considerably better spirits than he was earlier in the day.

"Hey... What are they doing...?" He whispered, since it seemed like everyone was being somewhat quiet.

While he was waiting, he Reinforced Azure, the quarterstaff he was holding, as well. Since he had taken care of any structural flaws earlier, making it as sturdy as it was possible for an object of its shape and material, he only had to insert magical energy into the small gaps within the parts that formed it, strengthening its internal ties. He kept putting in more and more energy into it, making sure there were no empty spots. As a result, it became an object that few things could match in durability. It was a family heirloom, the only thing he had left of his now nonexistant family. Even his brother had died some years ago. So he wanted to keep it in perfect condition. Of course, he could Repair it, if anything ever actually happened to it. He had used it for years and years, knowing its structure, both magical and physical, inside-out. He could even replicate it perfectly, if needed. He would rather not do that, though.
The woman introduced herself as Meer, and added a 'sir' to refer to Gawain. She was the formal type, then. Well, that was good, too. Charming in its own way. Not everyone had to be like Freya, no matter how charming she was. Variety was a good thing, in women as well. If there were only one route, it would get boring soon enough, no matter how delightful the treasure that awaits at the end. It was good that there were many different types, each with their own ways of being charming. For example, there had been another extremely charming girl, once. He hadn't seen her in years, but she had been one of the most delightful girls he had ever met. Covering her shyness with displays of anger.
The Guild Master didn't have more time to think about it, as Meet was beginning to pull out her sword. Gawain readied his quarterstaff- and blinked. Meer had suddenly disappeared -no, she had not. She had merely moved at an extremely high speed. He activated Analysis for a moment, and could sense the traces of the strange magic used. It lead behind him. Gawain turned around, and saw Meer standing there. "My apologies. The sword... Is not quite normal. I will attack you this time, though", the woman said.
Gawain stared at her for a moment, and then, slowly, a grin appeared on his face. She was interesting. She wasn't simply beautiful, but possessed a fair bit of power as well, from the looks of it. He might even be able to fight seriously against her. From the way she moved, he could see that she was a warrior -her movements were fluid, instinctual. She required no thought to perform as she did. It came to her naturally, either through great amounts of practice, or sheer talent. Or both. And that sword of hers was interesting as well. It changed its size, becoming larger. It was easily large enough to require most people a two-handed grip, yet Meer was holding it with ease, not seeming strained by its weight. Of course, there was the possibility that the size merely brought it reach, not actually changing its mass.
"Ready", Meer murmured, and came at Gawain, moving at a high speed -yet nowhere near the speed she had moved at earlier. Her sword flashed upwards towards his chest.

Azure swung sideways, redirecting the blade away from Gawain's body, the white, Reinforced wood striking against the metal of the sword. The Guild Master took three long steps backwards, away from the wielder of the shorter weapon, before Meer could gain complete control over her weapon after his block. Now at a safe distance, able to take full advantage of the quarterstaff's superior length. He took the offensive, making a lightning-fast thrust at Meer's chest. She avoided it, stepping sideways and swinging her sword at him again. She was fast. But a quarterstaff always had the advantage against a sword. The distance between their bodies was simply too long for a blade. Gawain stepped backwards again and swung the staff sideways with an amount of power easily capable of crushing bones behind it. Of course, she managed to block it -she was no amateur. Either her skill or her instincts, or both, were amazing. She moved without hesitation. But he wasn't exactly a rookie either.
They kept exchanging blows. Strikes from the staff flew at the swordswoman's direction repeatedly, not giving her a moment's rest. Each strike aimed at a different place: One tried to break her arm, another to crush her windpipe, another to crack her skull. Of course, there was no real killing intent behind them. He was good enough to stop any strike before it actually reached its goal. His opponent was certainly the same -not that it mattered, considering that his skin was almost impenetrable right now. Even if she did deliver a hit, it wouldn't even scratch his skin unless she put all her power behind it.
She really was good. Despite his endless barrage of attacks, she was slowly adjusting to them, learning how to read their pattern. It would not take soon before she would take the offensive, and force him on the defensive. That would be no problem per se -defense was his forte, after all- but unless he was the one attacking, he couldn't end this. Her sword swung at his neck. He blinked, pulling his head backwards quickly, and proceeded to sweep at her legs with Azure. That one had been close. How had she closed the distance between them so quickly? Gawain quickly decided that he could probably make only three more attacks before the tide of the battle would change to his opponent's favor.

He needed to do something differently. He changed his grip, abandoning the traditional grip -one hand at the end, one at a quarter of the staff's length away from the end- which gave the quarterstaff its name, grabbing it close to the middle instead. He then began to spin it, moving at a much greater speed, in more -seemingly- erratic patterns. His style had suddenly changed completely, from the mostly defensive form of the traditional grip to a lightning-fast, unpredictable one that was almost like fighting against two weapons at once.
He managed to gain the momentum again. His opponent had to learn to read his movement's again due to the sudden and complete change in them. And the attacks, even faster than before, were at an advantage against a large, somewhat unwieldy weapon like the sword's current form, in a different way from the long reach of the traditional grip. But that did not last for long either. She learned at an astounding pace, soon knowing where his attacks would come from before the movement's for them even truly started. Of course, that was no wonder. When a weapon was in a certain position, it could only move in certain ways -at least if the wielder wanted to stay alive.
The momentum shifted to her again. Knowing that his stranger technique would no longer work, he shifted back to the traditional form, taking steps away from her to bring the staff back in front of him. It did not give him the momentum again, since she had learned the staff's movements before, but it was the form he was more comfortable with. He began using the attacks he had used before, thrusting for her windpipe, trying to crack her bones, but she knew them by now, and how to block, redirect or dodge them in a way that would give her an opportunity to attack.

She began to overpower him. With each blow they exchanged, the fight shifted more in her favor. She came closer and closer, and Gawain was unable to make good footwork to get distance between them, as she learned what timing he used for it, closing any distance as soon as he to made it. The Guild Master realized that he was no match for Meer in a simple contest of arms. He would lose if this were a simple duel between two ordinary people.
However, this was not a simple duel between two ordinary people. His opponent was not an ordinary person. She was not even human, if he had understood what he had Analyzed of her earlier correctly. But neither was he an ordinary person. While he was definitely human, he was also the Master of Amaranth. A former member of the Magic Council. And he was much better these days. His strength did not lie in using weapons, even if he was good at it. First and foremost, he was a Mage.
Meer's blade swung at his throat again. This time, there was no way he could dodge it -no way he could move his feet quickly enough to get out of the way. But his feet were not the only way of movement he had available.
Direction Change: Backwards. Burden: Two.
Suddenly, he felt a force twice as strong as normal gravity pull him away from Meer, giving him a speed that no person could match on foot. He easily got away from the blade in time. In one second, there was a distance of ten meters between them. More than enough.
Direction Change: Forwards.
He slowed himself down by giving himself a pull to the opposite direction, with the same strength. In another second, he had traveled another ten meters, and came to a halt.
Direction Change: Down. Burden: One.
He was now standing some twenty meters away from his opponents, within a time of only two seconds.
Before his opponent had the chance to close the distance between them again, he lifted his hand, with the palm pointing at Meer. "Restriction." A silver portal, roughly one meter in diameter, opened in front of him, and a dozen silvery chains shot towards the woman. She reacted quickly, swinging her blade, managing to cut one when it came too close, and then another, and a third one. However, then the chains overwhelmed her, one wrapping around the arm holding the sword, another grabbing her leg. Soon, they had completely sealed her movements. A second passed, then another. The chains stayed in place, not letting her move.
"I believe this match is decided, then?" Gawain said after a moment, relaxing his form, ready to release Meer as soon as she admitted her loss -or ready to move again if she did something unexpected. "That was a good fight. It's been a while since I've fought against an opponent of your caliber."

Did..did she just call herself the Queen of the Underworld? This was starting to get out of hand. Murmur was in a guild with a woman that thought she was some sort of...God? A woman with strange eyes that changed colors, at that. Once she let go of him he inhaled greatly, glad to have a proper breathing pattern once more. His eyes were locked onto Sikes as the woman, er, as Persephone rubbed his shoulder. Was the new Amaranth mage just as confused as he was? He had remembered reading stories about a deity with that exact name but to actually meet one? Sidney studied the woman for a moment longer, his pupils soon dilating. Wait, was that possible? Perhaps this woman really was Persephone.

He didn't know what he felt more; fascination or mild fear.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!"

Oh, so it was fascination after all.

He backed up slowly as Stamps continued to make his presence known, advancing on the black haired woman, his tail swaying from side to side in a manner that reminded Sidney of the state of 'amusement'. The woman was, for some reason, frightened or intimidated by his cat of all things! The corners of his mouth twitched, finding the situation funny. His shoulders quivered as a quiet laugh fell from his lips, his vocal cords buzzing together to create the light, carefree sound. The boy looked back to Freya as she began to speak, taking the situation in her own hands to turn it to their advantage. That was their Freya! Ever so clever! So, if this woman was Persephone, then Stamps was Zeus? Apparently he was Demeter, Sikes was Pandora, Freya was Hercules and Murmur was, well, Murmur.

Were they supposed to be playing some kind of game?

During the commotion Sidney ended up spacing out, staring at the balls of fire above. So they weren't dangerous, Freya just must of been acting cautiously! With their help, couldn't they finish the mission all that much easier? Get the Aozora before it fell into the wrong hands, unite people with their families, find Izzy and head home. No one had died, no one had died, no one had died. Everything had gone according to plan, it was a big success, maybe they would celebrate when they got back. He shuttered, his smile faltering. Why did something still feel off?

"You should try this," His head jerked towards Freya, who's hand was touching the bright, luminescent gemstone embedded into the cave wall. His eyelids took away his vision a few times, bewildered by her statement of wanting to be a unicorn. Then a hand pressed into his back, pushing him forward. A glance backwards reveled the creator of the pressure to be Murmur, his expression unreadable, until a smile graced his features. It felt two dimensional, but his hand was placed on the stone before he could think anymore of it. His skin brushed against Freya's hand for a moment before settling beside her, the Aozora keeping him from moving away, as if the surface of it was the negative side of a magnet against his the positive side in his hand.

Bliss and negligence filled his body, as if the energy of the Aozora had filled his body with a liquid equivalent to acetaminophen; bringing him into a narcotic nirvana. His body relaxed, shoulders and back slumping as his mind was freed from it's self-chosen limbo. He exhaled, ceasing his breathing until his body forced him to inhale oxygen, his head falling forward and knees bending. Sidney'd eyes shut as the warmth grew, the darkness in front of him bursting into an array for bright colors. He felt happy, calm, and disregarded the shaking of the cavern around them.



It looked like they were right; Freya and Sidney, one a redeemed villain that was now only filled with only good intentions and the other but a naive child, were able to connect their energy with that of the Aozora and trigger it to be used. However, he had expected the stone to simply fall from it's place on the cave, allowing it's power to be harnessed. Instead, the entire area started to shake, sending small rocks to fall from the ceiling, distracting him just enough to interrupted his spell and take out the dim lights, bringing them back into a world of darkness. Murmur squinted his eyes, trying to get used to the darkness as the cave continued to shake, preparing himself to twist the Earth to get them out of here before they were crushed.

Instead of the ceiling falling on top of them, the end of the cave opened up like a door, and light blue light shined out from the area ahead. It felt oddly warm, comfortable, and he tried to keep his guard from dropping. It must be some kind of magic, he had to keep his focus to prevent himself from falling under his spell, lest he leave himself open for enemies to attack. The wall continued to split open, the Aozora pulling away from Freya and Sidney's hand until they were standing at the entrance, facing the large room ahead of them.

Murmur's eyes adjusted to the light and he stepped forward, past the two that had opened the door, and into the glowing sanctuary ahead. He continued to walk forwards a few steps, stopping at the edge of the path underneath his feet. The water below was lit up like the rest of the cave; a light, bright blue that no longer hurt his eyes. The water flowed until it moved downwards into an abyss, filling the area with the noise of a waterfall, yet the water closer to the back appeared strangely still. Large crystals made their home at the sides and edges of the cavern, light being contained in their translucent bodies as water brushed against their sides.

He allowed himself to feel awestruck for the first time in many years, it truly was a beautiful sight to see, they must be honored to have gotten the chance to stand in the center of it all. A wind blew through the area, there must be some openings somewhere, blowing his hair in and away from his face. Great trees grew yards ahead of them, several feet high and ages older then their short human lives. Their trunks twisted in large turns around glowing orbs, their light being nearly too bright to look at. The circles of light also floated in the air, falling from the tops of the trees before spreading throughout the cave, continuing to eradicate sorrow and suspicion. Murmur assumed that the trees was the source of the strange magic, as everything seemed to center around them.

There were footsteps behind him and he looked back, finding that Sidney had stopped paces behind him. His expression was one of amazement, breathless, his eyes wide and following the lights that swam through the air around them. Then the young boy's hands raised upwards, his attention focusing on his palms, and soon Murmur found out why. There were burns covering them, but the orbs had started to gathered around them. Their light started to shine brightly before dimming and disappearing, leaving the skin healed, as if it had never been damaged in the first place. His attention drew away from Sidney and returned to the area around them. So magic of this place could heal as well, how convenient.

It dawned on him that the Aozora's power of the sky must of only been a legend. "So nothing about the Aozora was true after all." He glanced down to the cat, that Sidney had affectionately named Stamps, as it jumped off the edge and onto one of the large roots of the tree. The stone was just a key that led them to this place, which must of been sealed off for years. At one point the people of Umi probably used this place to heal, but for some reason they had blocked it off. He couldn't help but sigh, he didn't feel angry, or frustrated that the power of the Aozora wasn't true. Though, that could just be an effect of the magic that surrounded them. In that case, it was probably for the better. They had wasted their time here, but at least they didn't run into any trouble, and it would be pointless to fight in a place that would only heal people. He looked back over to Persephone, hopefully she was done with her cowering, as he was prepared to turn around and leave the village once and for all.

Yuliana gave Benjamin a small smile upon hearing his offer to cook with her. Some extra help in the kitchen was always welcome -as long as they didn't do anything without informing her of it first. It wasn't easy, cooking for a large part of a guild by herself. There were many others who could cook, but they did so only occasionally, unlike Yuliana, who did it almost every day. She ate another slice of fruit, and right when she was about to answer to Benjamin, the boy got excited about something, smirking and suddenly grabbing her hand. Her confusion did not last long, as he brought her and Cedar's -who had also been grabbed- attention to the Guild Master and the other newcomer, who were heading outside. "Guys, let's follow them! I think something big is going down!" Benjamin said excitedly, and proceeded to pull them across the hall, almost making Yuliana stumble. It was not exactly easy to move at such a high speed in the dress she was wearing. It took her a moment to adjust her steps so that she wasn't in the danger of falling down.
After a while, he finally released them, letting Yuliana take his own pace again. "Alright guys, let's be really sneaky. If what is going to happen does happen, we definitely don't want to miss it", Benjamin said, and dropped onto his hands and knees for some reason. Yuliana watched him, a bit amused. There wasn't really any reason to be sneaky. The Guild Master wouldn't mind.
"There is no need for that, Benjamin", Yuliana said, and walked after the Master and the other redhead openly. Right after he had passed the crawling Benjamin, however, he looked over his shoulder at him, and said: "Oh, and by the way, one of these days, I intend to make you wear a dress. You'll see what it's like, being pulled around like that." She gave him an uncharacteristic grin, and then hurried after the Guild Master.

Arriving at the training grounds behind the Guild, she took up a position at the edge, a safe distance from the two who were about to start their duel. She sat down on the bench positioned there, and looked them over. It had been a while since she had last observed a fight like this. Not many people would guess it from looking at her, but she enjoyed watching contests of skill, measuring the strength of people. As long as they were simply contests. If they became just violence, she wouldn't stand silent and watch.
She finally got a name for the other redhead, as she introduced herself as Meer. Soon after that, the battle seemed to start. Meer had suddenly moved from in front of the Guild Master to behind him. But then she apologized. Apparently, it had not been intentional.
But then the duel started for real. Meer charged at Gawain, swinging her sword at him with great speed.

It was far too fast-paced for Yuliana. She liked to watch, but she didn't usually actually get to see much of what really happened during physical contests like these. The way their bodies moved like the wind, in one place at a time, then in another, was not something she could follow with her eyes. She had no battle experience of her own, and thus couldn't follow their movements. She wasn't fit for battle. Even if she decided to use an offensive form of Fire Magic -easy enough for her, considering that the Iridescent Flame was infinitely harder to control than conventional Fire Magic- she would most likely lose any battle with any other member of the Guild, save perhaps Sidney, despite the great magic potential she held. She wouldn't be able to react in time for any attacks, and would definitely get hit. In battle, she was nothing short of useless, except in supporting roles.
Despite her inability to follow the individual moves the combatants made, she could still see that Meer was nothing to scoff at. She was easily matching Gawain in speed and power, holding her own against the man's endless attacks. Not only that, but it seemed like she was slowly pushing the old man back. Yuliana had seen the Master duel against many other members, many of them very skilled with weapons, but few of them had managed to do what Meer was doing right now. At some point, the Guild Master changed his style, but even that didn't seem to work for long, as he changed back later.
It was impressive. Even someone who wasn't even an amateur, like Yuliana, could easily see that it was a match between two experts. Their weapons kept whirling at incredible speeds, far greater than your average warrior could handle. The skill of both combatants was glaringly obvious. It could also be seen that Meer was the one who was better, although it was not a large difference.

And then it shifted away from weapons, and into magic. The Guild Master suddenly moved at a great speed, pulled away by something invisible. Yuliana hadn't seen him use that magic many times, but had deduced that it was probably some form of Gravity Magic. At least he had once crawled into the kitchen, coming to snatch some food. Crawled on the ceiling. She hadn't noticed him until it he had already been on his way out.
After getting to a safe distance, Gawain proceeded to use his Chain Magic, which, unlike Gravity Magic, was a common sight. The silver chains -which were of a particularly fine shade, by the way- shot at the other redhead, wrapping around her despite her managing to cut a few of them. The match was decided.
Yuliana nodded approvingly. It had been a good match, rather entertaining. He turned towards Benjamin and Cedar. "What do you think? The Master is not quite as slowed down by age as you'd think, wouldn't you say?" While he had his bad habits, he was, at the end of the day, a very impressive man.

Meer

Meer hadn’t expected her first strike to hit, but she was surprised at the sound the quarterstaff made as it pushed aside her sword. She had been sure it was a wooden staff, merely a temporary weapon the guildmaster had decided to use for training. But it sounded by far more sturdy. As the man took a number of strides back directly after her strike, Meer found herself admitting some respect for the man’s skills. He obviously knew how to use that weapon of his.
The next strike was Gawain’s, as the staff shot forward. Meer was able to dodge such a thrust easily, and she swung her sword at the man as she dodged to the side. But the distance was too long. Against the quarterstaff, Meer was unable to lengthen the blade. Already she would be pushing it when she tried to block. Lengthening the hilt took time, and time was something she didn’t have in this fight, as proved by Gawain’s next strike came at her from the side. Blocking it directly jarred her arm. If that was a normal piece of wood, it would have been cleaved by Crimson Desire’s edge, or at least broken. If it was truly a fine staff, then it would have been nicked, but Meer saw nothing of the sort on its surface.
Again, the fight barely paused for the block as she slid the blade down the length of the staff in an odd version of an upward slice, but Gawain dodged and commenced to launch a flurry of attacks that focused on crippling an opponent. She managed to begin to read the patterns of his attacks, anticipating which thrust was where, the direction of the slashes… As the man seemed to use an actual style, it became far more predictable than a man who swung a weapon around at random..

Meer saw her chance as the end of the staff came at her from the side. She ducked below its path, crossing the sword to the opposite side of her body. Springing forward, she swung in an arc goinin a wide upwards arc following the same path as his strike. Too short, she knew, as her swing met empty air, just under his neck, and the staff hit her shins and dragged her feet from under her. She hit the ground rolling, arriving in a kneeling position to block his next shots. But the attacks came at her in a new way, forcing her to try to block the strikes on complete instinct a few times. She realized that the guildmaster switched his grip, launching a new barrage of attacks with either end of the weapon, using a confusing and dangerously fast set of strikes. Meer managed to block one shot and use the force to propel herself to her feet, an action that would have otherwise been impossible.
Gritting her teeth, Meer put her other hand behind the blade, using it to block the fast strikes with both ends. It proved useless as the lighter, faster weapon began to sneak past her defenses. She grimaced and dropped the sword tip to a lower position, confining herself to reading his movements and dodging.
Meer, too, knew it was time for a bit of a change. While she dodged, she shortened the blade, making it thinner, if only the tiniest bit. With the new sword form, it was easier by far to maneuver against Gawain’s strikes. She began to gain the upper hand again, slowly but surely pushing him back in a dance of flashing steel and limbs.

It was, in fact, one of the best fights that Meer had fought in. She hadn’t felt herself come close to her limit, instead relying on her skill alone. It had been a long time that she had fought an opponent with whom she could fight without having to worry about being limited. Of course, that was a testament to his own skill and power, though she had yet to know what his magic did. She continued to push him, he switched back into the previous style of using his staff, which he was able to use to block and defend against her attacks much better.
She probed and tested his defense, trying to find even the slightest weakness… And then there was suddenly a perfect opening. She twisted her sword from its last swing, scything the blade towards him without thinking of pulling the blow or stopping it. There was no way he would be able to dodge it. She could feel it, and, sure enough, her sword collided with… empty air. Nothing. Her eyes shot forward, just in time to see Gawain land close to twenty meters away. What kind of magic was he using?
It didn’t matter, though, it wouldn’t happen again. If this had turned into a battle of magic… She focused on her sword, starting to shift it into its form built for speed, a much smaller, compact version. The tendrils burrowed in her arm shook and the sword rumbled in her hand, making a noise akin to a growling. She knew that sound, and it was never good.
”Restriction.”
Chains of some type shot towards her. So this was a magic he used? That couldn’t be good. She brought the still shaking sword up, cutting one of the chains, then another, and a final one before two chains wrapped her arms, and then the rest encircled her body. She felt her strength, her speed, and her will to fight fade. The battle was over.

The chains unwrapped from her, letting her go as Gawain grinned and told her that he had not had as good a battle. Meer sheathed her sword and, as her own code dictated, she kneeled to Gawain, as the victor of the match.
“The pleasure was mine, Master Harlen,” she said. Master, of course, was used as a title of respect given to those who bested her. It was fitting, too, as he was her current guildmaster. As of the current day, he was the only one who held that title that lived. Cedar had it, too, but she didn’t know where he was.
“I believe that you said there was something urgent you had to attend to, so I will take my leave. Where shall I go to officially become part of this guild?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder at the small group of people who had gathered to watch. She gave them a small smile. Might as well be nice to people. She was technically part of the guild now, after all.

Ben picked himself off the floor and sighed, looks like his stealth training would have to wait. Besides, it's not like the old guy would notice him. He was completely enthralled by the beautiful redhead beside him. Of course, Ben was too but he had another object of affection on his mind. "Oh, and by the way, one of these days, I intend to make you wear a dress. You'll see what it's like, being pulled around like that." Ben laughed, he had never worn a dress before but he imagined them to be very poofy. He didn't really have another word to describe it, just poofy. "It will be my honor." the boy said as he quickly followed Yuliana outside.

As soon as he stepped outside, a loud clang rang through his ears. His enhanced reflexes kicked in, throwing his eyes into a whirling mess as he tried to follow their movements. The redhead looked even more beautiful in the heat of battle. He crimson hair flowed about her like a raging fire and she moved with an unnatural grace that no human could achieve. Her huge sword switched between visibility and a speeding blur but the one thing that caught his eye was the tendrils that burrowed themselves into her arm. Benjamin winced and rubbed his own. 'Ouch, that looks like it hurts.'

The energy of battle seemed to change the guild master as well. No longer did he look like a grumpy, perverted old man. He was a great warrior, able to hold his own with a normal staff against that huge blade. While the redhead's attacks had grace, the old man's had finesse. Every movement he made seemed to have a purpose, each a part in a bigger plan. Even though he could see better then the others, the battle was too fast-paced for even him to keep tabs on. The only times he got clear sight was a fraction of a second after the opponent received a blow. Even so, Ben could tell the red head was beginning to overpower the guild master. Her sword reached for his throat. 'Well, that was exi-'

Suddenly, the guild master flew backwards as if an invisible force had slammed into him. The blonde boy couldn't finish his thought. He was too enthralled by the amazing development playing out in front him. His eyes couldn't even hope to follow the speed of the master's movements. In an instant, the man was standing 20 meters away from his opponent. Silver chains sprouted from his palm and flew towards the redhead. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't get them all and was soon unable to move. The guild master released her and she kneeled to him. A small flare of jealousy lit inside Benjamin.

"What do you think? The Master is not quite as slowed down by age as you'd think, wouldn't you say?" Ben jumped, he had forgotten her and Cedar were there. "He was so cool! They both moved so fast, I could barely keep up!" He thrust his thumb towards his chest, "Just watch, I'm going to be just as strong as guild master and the redhead!" He turned back to see the ending of the match and caught the girl's smile. Ben blushed and twiddled his thumbs through their silken confines.

Gawain released Meer from the chains as soon as he felt her will to fight disappear. The silver chains vanished as if they had never been there. Now relaxing completely, the Guild Master put Azure back into the pocket dimension he'd taken it from. He also began to Analyze his hardened skin, and slowly began to turn it back to normal.
While he was in the midst of the process, Meer came over to him, and suddenly kneeled in front of him. “The pleasure was mine, Master Harlen”, the woman said to him. “I believe that you said there was something urgent you had to attend to, so I will take my leave. Where shall I go to officially become part of this guild?” Ah, that was right. The battle had been so intense, that he had almost forgotten that he was in a hurry.
"Call me Gawain, please. You can keep the 'master', if that makes you comfortable, but call me by my first name." Then he nodded towards the direction of the spectators he had noticed just now. "As for the formalities of joining the Guild... You can see Yuliana over there, right? The girl with hair like yours? She handles things like that when I am too busy for one reason or another. As long as I've approved of someone, she can handle the paperwork of someone joining."
The Guild Master finished turning his skin back to normal. Turning it back to normal was harder than Reinforcing it. "As much as I'd like to do it personally for you, I have to leave now. I'll see you again when I come back." He took the 'Poof Letter' from his pocket, and, though he was as suspicious towards Teleportation Magic as always, he opened it, disappearing instantly in a poof of white smoke.


(Mailman Trade)

Silence.
"I'm not paying for this", the Guild Master said adamantly to himself as he stared at the sight in front of him.
One would think that a person in his position would get used to things like this. But he didn't. Nor did he want to get used to things like this.
"I'm not paying for this", he said again. This time, it attracted the attention of a busy-looking man, who came over to him. "You must be Amaranth's guild master, then. I must say I disagree -you are paying for this."
"For this?" Gawain asked, waving his hand at the Mailman Trade building.
Or, what used to be a building. Now, it was a pile of wood, stone, and money. Though the last one seemed to be disappearing rather quickly. The 'building' had about half of its roof torn off, had no difference between its ground floor and its basement, and had a bar on the top of what remained of its roof -upside down.
"Yes, for this. Your people were not exactly as careful as they could have been when they so kindly liberated the building." Obviously. Couldn't they have done the fighting outside? Or at least refrained from using the more destructive spells. The man continued: "In any case, you will be paying for the damages, obviously. We will have an estimate of the costs soon enough."
Gawain watched as people went back and forth, doing some flimsy repairs. A couple people seemed to be setting up a sign that said 'Freya Hirane was here'. "I suppose you're going to tell me that you had a sign like that to begin with? Well, that doesn't matter, since I'm not paying." The Guild Master started towards the ruins of the building. He was not paying, but he couldn't simply leave, either. They did, technically, have the right to demand payment.
The Guild Master went over to the doorframe. The door that was supposed to be in it had been blown off one way or another. It was lying a short distance away. Gawain grabbed the door, and brought it over to the frame it belonged to. Then, he activated Analysis, and began the long process of Repairing the entire building -which was hard, since he didn't have any real information on what it had looked like to begin with. Nevertheless, he was not paying, and that was that.




The Guild Master disappeared soon in a puff of smoke. Apparently, the job of doing the paperwork was left to her again. Not that she really minded, but it would have been a good thing if the Master did it himself every now and then.
"He was so cool! They both moved so fast, I could barely keep up! Just watch, I'm going to be just as strong as guild master and the redhead!" Benjamin said after the battle had finished. Upon hearing that, Yuliana felt something. Suddenly, she made a decision.
"Yes, you will be", she said with strong conviction, looking at the boy with a firm gaze. "I will make sure of that." He had potential. And he had the will to become strong. All that he lacked was proper nurturing. If he was taken care of, so that he wouldn't collapse under the pressure, after the failures, he would surely become something great. She would take this boy and turn him into a true Mage. Her mind began planning the process -different kinds of training, different kinds of mental support...
As she stared at him, she probably looked quite different from her usual self. She did not have her usual gentleness to her, but rather, a firmness. An absolute dedication to a task. It did not last long before she adopted her usual expression, however. She turned to look at the other redhead, Meer. She would likely provide much help in growing Benjamin to his potential. He had stated that he would become as strong as Meer. Therefore, she was a goal to him -in more than just one way, if Yuliana interpreted his blush correctly- and would help motivate him.
"But for now, I will have to take care of our other new member." She took her eyes off Benjamin and headed over to the other redhead. "Let me welcome you into the Guild. I am Yuliana Lumina. As the Master told you, I take care of things when he's busy. You will need to fill in some official forms before you are an actual member of the Guild. After that, you may receive the Guild Tattoo, and you will become a member. If you have any questions, feel free to ask."

"Well, well, well. Isn't this pretty, Murmur, my love?" Persephone said with a smile as she took in the mesmerising beauty of the caves that was Aozora. Crystals - more beautiful than any she'd ever seen before - glistened, and a lone tree made entirely of light hung in the centre of the space. Persephone gazed at the crystal faceted ceiling, lifting her arms and twirling in a circle. "This i-" Persephone doubled over, her eyes widening in pain as a horrid cry of pain escaped her lips. She lifted her emerald eyes to stare at Murmur in fear, reaching a hand towards him. "Help me," she mouthed, no sound escaping her throat except for her whimpers and grunts.

Persephone screamed, her spine arching as she was engulfed in emerald flames. Long seconds passed and when the fire cleared, Persephone no longer stood where she was. Instead, a furious Ravenna stood in her place, her inky black hair billowing in the unnatural wind. A cyclone seemed to curl around her, lifting her clothes and slick hair as her eyes blazed a brilliant and burning sapphire. A scream of frustration, as deafening as Persephone's but instead of fear and pain, it was drenched in overflowing anger.

"Explain yourselves!" she called, her voice smacking the walls and crushing the very foundation of the cave. Or so it seemed. Her eyes sizzled through the people about her, tearing apart Murmur, Zagreus and Kiev as if they were somehow responsible for the utter disappointment she'd found in Aozora. She yelled, ripping a large crystal from the walls and flinging it at the magical tree. The gate into and out of Aozora began to close, slowly, but Ravenna noticed none of this in her rage. "Who in Hell are they?" she demanded, jerking her head towards a drowsy Freya and a smiling Sidney.

Ravenna narrowed her eyes when she'd closer inspected Freya. She walked closer, standing directly before the S-class mage. "Constance Lockhart," she said, tilting the blonde mage's head up by her chin. "Freya Hirane, is it now? Angel?" she asked without desire for an answer. Ravenna looked into the girl's sky blue eyes and clicked her tongue distastefully, flipping Freya's head away none to gently. "You haven't grown in seven years," she said. Then, looking down at the mage's chest, corrected herself, "Well, not vertically, anyway."

The mistress of Crimson Blade threw Murmur a glare, everything bad that ever happened always led to him. Not to mention she needed someone to blame and who better to be subjected to the brunt of her anger than the twisted paper face? She looked at the closing doors and tapped her foot. "You're letting it close, blueberry head," she said to Murmur without looking at him. Then, with a roll of her eyes, strolled out of Aozora. "Well, what are you waiting for? Your other half to come? Hey, two half women might actually make one whole. You should marry," she said to Murmur and Kiev. "My officially incapable Takeover that is Persephone has insight to such things. I hope your period cramps are over now, Kiev. My condolences to you for the loss of your child, Murmur. I'm sure he is sad that he could not have you as a father." Then, under her breath, she muttered, "Lucky kid."

"Who's that guy?" she asked as she eyed Sikes. Without a shrug, even, she walked out of the caves, duly noting the beheaded clawed hermaphrodite. Ravenna winced at the sunlight that assaulted her eyes when she stepped out of the caves. Who gave the bloody thing permission to shine? "I am not happy about this." Ravenna crossed her arms, clicking her tongue in the notorious way she did. Ravenna was feeling impatient and that was never a good thing. "Explain."

Okay, so she didn't remember half of what her Takeovers did when she called upon them but surely they were not so different from her, right? It was not as if Persephone loved Murmur or anything equally as impossible. That was just absurd.



Freya stared at Ravenna for a very, very long time. They all stood in the sunlight now and she could see the dark mage with crystal clarity. Ravenna looked... Different. And it seemed she'd become the master of Crimson Blade. What happened to Master Naciel? Ravenna had grown significantly since Freya had last seen her. She was no longer bundled tightly in clothes and she could see Ravenna's scars in all their... Horror? Sadness? Freya didn't know what to think. Her wrists were ruined beyond belief, hundreds and thousands of scars overlapping over her body. Thick, jagged scars along her back showed from the edges of her shirt. Freya wondered what tragedies she hid under her clothes, wondered what miseries she hid within her skull. The blonde mage's gaze softened as she looked at Ravenna.

The euphoria of Aozora had left her and Freya suddenly felt heavier than she'd ever felt since K'brak killed Keiko. Still, she wanted badly to wrap Ravenna in a hug and tell her all would be well. But she feared she would be lying. Did anything ever become well for people who'd suffered the horrors and been subjected to monsters as Ravenna had been? Freya remembered the timid, quiet girl from seven years ago. She remembered how the guild - the cruel, heartless guild - had fallen into silence when Naciel carried the damaged girl into Crimson. She remembered how Ravenna would flinch every time someone came near her and how she cowered in the corners when in the presence of men. Freya could not and did not wish to imagine what must have been done to her for Ravenna to become so fearful of everyone, of men.

When Freya had asked for Ravenna's name, Ravenna had called herself "Kaiya." Freya remembered tilting her head then and telling Ravenna it was an ugly name. Later that day, Naciel had said, "Kaiya means forgiveness, did you know? Do you wish to forgive, child? Do you forgive the people who did this to you?" 'Kaiya' had bowed her head, saying nothing. "Never forgive them. They do not deserve such things as forgiveness, rather, they deserve hate. They deserve the pain they have inflicted upon you for all these years. Never forgive, Ravenna." And that was that. From then on, Kaiya was not Kaiya, but Ravenna. The frightened girl had grown to live up to her name.

Yet at that moment, Freya realised she did not fear Ravenna at all. Instead, she felt deeply sorry for the girl. A tear trickled down Freya's cheek, a tear shed for Ravenna because it was something Ravenna never would or could do.

Meer
Meer nodded as Gawain requested that she use his first name, and directed her to other woman in the room. As she stood, Gawain simply disappeared. She would never tire of human magic. It seemed to have so many uses, while her own was rather limited.

”… I'm going to be just as strong as guild master and the redhead!”

It took a moment for Meer to realize that “the redhead” meant her. She raised an eyebrow and walked over, sparing a long glance at the boy who looked like Cedar before walking to the woman Gawain had indicated. It had been a while since she’d had actual training, and even longer since there had been someone to train with.

"Let me welcome you into the Guild. I am Yuliana Lumina. As the Master told you, I take care of things when he's busy. You will need to fill in some official forms before you are an actual member of the Guild. After that, you may receive the Guild Tattoo, and you will become a member. If you have any questions, feel free to ask."

Meer bowed low to the three people. “Meer. Your warm welcome is greatly appreciated,” she said. Looking towards the other boy, she smiled slightly. “I believe we met before, though I cannot say we were properly introduced.”

Looking again at the last boy, her smile faded. He looked far too much like Cedar… But she ignored it and turned her gaze back to the other two. She would find Liricia later and ask her. Maybe the woman, Yuliana, would know.

“Miss Lumina, is it? I have two questions, actually. This might be… Odd, but has there happened to be a small, winged creature that looked like a miniature girl in the area…?”

She paused, trying to find the words to phrase her next question. It might make her seem ignorant or simply idiotic, but it was something she needed to ask.

“My final question…” she paused one more time, a troubled look passing over her face. “What exactly does a mage guild do…?”


Cedar
Cedar racked his brain, trying to find the memory that he had felt surface slightly at the mention of the name “Meer”. It seemed to slip through his fingers like a frightened fish each time he was close to catching it… He didn’t know where it had come from or how it had come to be in his head, but he knew it was something… Important, maybe.

Then he suddenly remembered it. It wasn’t exactly a memory, more like a set of words… But it sounded nice. Very pretty, actually. Opening his mouth, he sung it softly to himself, no longer paying attention to the conversation between the other three.
“You spotted snakes with double tongue,
Thorny hedge-hogs, be not seen;
Newts, and blind-worms, do no wrong;
Come not near our fairy queen.
Philomel, with melody,
Sing in our sweet lullaby;
Lulla, lulla, lullaby; lulla, lulla, lullaby:
Never harm,
Nor spell, nor charm,
Come our lovely lady nigh;
So, good night, with lullaby…”
Cedar trailed off. He could remember no more. Maybe it had ended? But he knew not where it had come from, who had sung it… For the first time since he woke up, he became trouble about where he had come from. Where he was… He sat on the ground and looked up at the ceiling, oblivious to everything else, and murmured the song again, hoping it would make him remember something.

“You spotted snakes with double tongues…”