The new Science Exhibition has begun, and the four girl friends were still downcast.
“Are you really sure you still want to go here, Edelweiss?” Professor Calla Lily Naehmnaid asked, holding her friend’s hand tightly.
“Yes….. I want to support my other fellow Academian’s scientific endeavors. And besides, I could start from scratch again and try to gain an investor until then….. Though it would be difficult to convince them without a prototype.”
Calla nodded. “I can help. I can be quite persuasive, and I can use my Mage Focus to simulate what the Heartstone Glass was like.”
Marigold frowned. “I’m still sorry about what happened. I really wish it had not ended like that.”
Don, in the meantime, noticed something at his peripherals.
“Don? Is there something wrong?” Marigold asked.
“Nothing….. I just thought…..”
He scanned the crowd of people again, surrounded by different machineries and exhibits of technology.
He shook his head. “I must be wrong after all. I thought I found someone familiar.”
“Someone who shouldn’t be here.”
In the midst of all the inventions was another platform. It seemed that there would be a live presentation again.
It has been a long time since there was a live presentation, and the last time was…..
The resurrecting machine. The cause of the downfall of the Blanc D’Argents.
The next machine to be showcased this time was hidden in red velvet cloth, and guarded by someone wearing an ominous black mask that covered their whole face and looked like a raven’s beak.
It was the plague mask, usually worn around Commoners who have caught the illness. Plague doctors were one of a kind and rare because they needed to be Nobles to be able to heal, and yet all they ever heal were Commoners who could not even pay them.
The were volunteer workers that healed the sick for free. The beak was stuffed with different herbs and leaves to keep out foul and infectious odors.
The illnesses of the Commoners never really affected them, but they can carry the disease with them and it may pass to their next patient. Which was why protection was very important and they were often heavily dressed from head to toe with black gloves, long coats and layers of black clothes.
Don had always found them eerie, as seeing one meant there were many suffering and even dying people nearby.
But as soon as he looked into this person with a mask…..
He felt something stirring in his heart. Something familiar yet saddening as well, making his chest feel heavy.
Melancholy.
————————–
“Come on, let’s check what this one do!”
“Alright, Your Highness. But if it really is an automatic cleaning machine, then I will be getting that gold coin.”
“You bet it’s a vacuum cleaner, I still bet it’s a hair dryer.”
Cermin and Ronin went over to the thingamajig on display that was emitting air. The student showcasing it was explaining it to the patrons, saying:
“….. And it’s guaranteed to instantly dry the mane of your horses and equines 10 times faster than normal drying, thus being a help to your Commoner helpers and horse servants.”
Both of them blinked at this, and even the other onlookers were surprised at the function of this equipment.
“…
.Not the hair dryer I expected, but I still won, right?” Cermin said.
Ronin handed him the coin. “It’s a very odd choice to showcase a dryer for horse mane in such a prestigious exhibit such as this. So many people are doing all kinds of major and innovative things, how did he even get the time to think about horse manes?”
“Well, I never thought that horses needed their own blow dryer too, so I think it’s unique in it’s own way!” Cermin said. “It would still be helpful to many people after all!”
Ronin scoffed. “Horse servants, specifically. Come on, Your Highness. Let’s find a more interesting exhibit to look at.”
Cermin followed after him merrily like a child at an amusement park, a jolly jig at his step.
“Ok! What about that one!? I bet it’s the actual vacuum cleaner this time!”
Cermin had managed to ask his parent’s to let him off from all the bride-searching for today so he can go to the Science Exhibit with his dear friend Ronin. He was very happy and over-the-moon about it, as it has been months since they last seen each other physically.
“What have you been up to nowadays, by the way, Ronin? This is your last year after all.” Cermin asked with a smile. “I honestly thought that you would be having an exhibit here too. All 6th year Scholars do it.”
“I got busy with other things.” Ronin plainly said.
Cermin patted his shoulder. “I see. But you should really think about your future, you know! What you will do after the Academy.”
“Just look at me. I had no plans, and now all I can do is miss the old days at school and follow whatever my parents planned for me until I get to fight daemons.”
Ronin raised an eyebrow, pretending to disbelieve this.
“You really think that daemons will rise and bring chaos just because Zeriav told you so?”
Cermin’s smile faltered a bit at the mention of this.
“It’s not just him… I know it will happen. It’s my destiny after all.”
Ronin pursed his lips, and said hypocritically:
“We make our own destinies, Your Highness.”
Even when he was also simply following the destiny of a villain just like how Cermin was following the destiny of a hero.
Never really considering if it was something they truly wanted….. Or if it was right for them.
Suddenly, their attention was caught by loud woman’s voice in the middle of the exhibit.
It was an unfamiliar girl, and Ronin had paid attention to almost every person in the school. He can sense that her heart’s Flame does not fit any of the students here…..
In fact, her heart’s Flame was different…
“Greetings, everyone!” The girl said with a sweet, high-pitched voice.
Her Flame seemed corrupted, and had some darkness in it.
Ronin kept his eye out, but—
“Let me begin the ceremony by singing our anthem!” She said in a fake enthusiastic tone.
“The stars have come down and we captured it’s light
As long as we hold them, there shan’t be a night.”
Ronin now realized what this lyrics meant.
The stars coming down…
That was the Astral Shower.
The first Astral Shower was the day when Diamant gave humans Flame, in order to keep out the ‘night’.
The night being Fausforus, who had found the power that his blood and Aurion’s blood holds.
“We shall shine just as blinding, we’ll shine just as bright
So when evil arises, we’ll be ready to fight.”
The girl then stopped singing, and smiled.
“Not for long. Time for stars to die.”
She then opened her mouth, and Ronin immediately covered Cermin’s ears.
“Ronin, what are you—“
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!”
Ronin immediately thought of the rune that meant ‘protection’ in his mind.
It was a triangle with a square below.
A house-like shape. A shelter.
Around the both of them, a gust of wind blew and made everyone else fall and even fly a few meters back. Glasses broke, people’s ears bled and burst, and so many have hit the wall from the surge.
Half of the whole floor of the science exhibit were destroyed, as well as the people here.
Cermin closed his eyes from this strong gust of wind, and when he opened them…..
There was blood, wreckage, and ruin everywhere.
“W-What’s happening—-“
“Run.” Ronin told him. “Run, Your Highness.”
But not long after…
“Found you.” Someone behind him grinned. “Of course, your Mage Focus would not be erased despite everyone else’s being taken by me.
Don and the other girls were on the opposite side of the shout, the other half that was still standing and stunned by what just happened.
Behind Ronin and Cermin were two cloaked figures, and he knew that his instincts were right!
That familiar figure he saw earlier….. He will always sense that bastard.
Like a wolf lurking in the shadows.
Volken flashed a wolfish grin beside Pavone who had taken away everyone’s Mage Focuses in this room with just one snap of a finger.
Everyone except the Hero Mages, that is.
His face scar was pure black and even more striking. He aimed his rapier at Ronin’s neck.
“May we have the honor to escort you out of here, Your Majesty?”
He was also holding Cermin by the shoulder, who struggled at his grasp. “Let me go, Volken! Pavone! I’m not even the king yet, and let don’t get Ronin involved with this! He’s just an innocent Commoner!”
Volken grinned…..
And used the hilt of his rapier to knock Cermin out!
“You’re welcome, Your Majesty,” Volken said. “I know you don’t want your little secret to be revealed to our little Goldie. For whatever reason.”
Ronin just made a dead calm expression, before screaming:
“Help! I don’t know what’s happening here! These two are hurting me! I’m just a weak Commoner, save me!”
The person wearing a plague mask chuckled underneath it.
“I thought you know how to act better than that, Ronin. You had our family fooled for so long after all that you were nothing special.”
He went over to caress the side of his face.
“When in fact….. You were the most special of us all.”
“What is the meaning of this!?” Lady Verita exclaimed, even her Mage Focus gone and she could feel it. “How have you both returned—-“
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!”
Rabuka wearing a disguise shouted again with her amplified Cordial Surge and sent the remaining half flying once more.
Marigold immediately summoned her wings and used them to cover her and all her friends on time, but caused them to be damaged in the end.
Pavone grinned.
“Now you both can be reunited peacefully.”
Ronin didn’t need for the plague doctor to take off his mask to know who it was. But he still waited with much anticipation as he took it off.
“Maellan.”
His long-lost eldest brother smiled at him. “I missed you very much, my dear little brother.”
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