You grit your teeth as you rest, leaning slightly against the pillar. Willing for the incessant tapping in your chest to die down and vanish like the many other ailments you've been inflicted with in the past.
But, as always with such a persistent thing, it ignores your will and continues to go tap, tap, tap in your chest.
Right where the sternum should be. A constant, rhythmic feeling, as though someone's clicking a nail against a glass orb, each gentle tap causing it to crack the slightest bit more.
It's similar to that feeling you get whenever you push yourself too hard. A similar, more intense cracking sensation, like a crystal ball exploding in your chest and leaving you shivering in excruciating pain for what feels like the rest of the day.
It's different though. You can say that for sure. The tapping is a more recent thing. A year or two ago perhaps?
You can't particularly remember really… you just know it hasn't been with you your entire life like the pain of pushing yourself too hard.
A silent sigh escapes your nose as the feeling slowly dies down over a few minutes. The burst of tingling static turning into an odd buzzing. Like your legs are asleep, but all over your body. The Voices mutter and question. Wondering what it is, telling you what it is, telling you how to dampen the feeling.
But they're unclear as usual, murmurs and whispers and shouts melding together into a headache inducing cacophony or a muted, muttered murmur. They notice the folly of their efforts of course, and so that too dies down after yet another failed attempt at telling you what this feeling happens to be.
You clench your fist.
Once.
Twice.
And the static slowly fizzles away as well. Leaving you clear headed and sound of body.
If you ignore the dull ache in your chest.
But that's something that's always there when you're not in a fight. A pain, a chilling cold that grows stronger by the day. Then vanishes as soon as you spar or enter some sort of confrontation. That vanishes whenever the two…
things in your chest start spinning and rotating and roaring in kind with your will and emotions.
No apothecaries could tell you what they are. No mages. While you might have tried to tell other people about it… Your attempts in childhood still scar you. Most just assumed it was a feeling you were making up. So these… Cores, as you've come to call them, are just a secret for yourself.
You could reflect all day if you wanted… You've always been a girl stuck in her own head. Yet staring at the grand fountain only shows your own reflection. Not someone else's as you splash some water on your face. Purple eyes. Brunette hair. A cute Purple bow.
They're what define you, Fillia Solthoth, Commoner Orphan turned Heiress to the Solthoth Dukedom after a night in a wintery forest burning with ash and flame. A night which scarred your very form, scars now hidden with cloth and mind.
You shake your head. Letting out a breath once more and centering yourself as you've been taught. Head Maid Elly's teachings running through you as you step through the process of focus.
Find an Image.
Find a Meaning.
Visualize what you want as clearly as you can.
Then add Will and something more.
The "Something More" confuses you still. You're pretty sure she means Magic. Yet you can't use magic. Never could. Never will. But, repetition breeds familiarity, or something like that.
A hand taps onto your blade. And you find your center among the chaos. Setting back at the task you'd been doing before being so rudely interrupted by the Tapping.
You had to find a sneaky little git who thought she could sneak off when you weren't looking.
Sadly for her. You're always looking. And even when you're not. You're always knowing!
That makes sense right?
You think it makes sense…
That sounded so much cooler in your head. Damn it…
Honestly Nanase… If you didn't want to fight, all you had to do was say so… It's not like you'd throw her out in the middle of the arena with only a sword to her name or something.
No, no, no. That's what a stupid, half rate villainess does. Not you… You'd also have to deal with the witch that is Lady Amanda….
Nope. You're staying as far away from those grabby, huggy arms of her as you can.
A knight doesn't only have to be a fighter. She could've found something else to do like being a medic. Or a scout. Or even a message runner or something.
But nope. The girl decided it was a smart move to run off and hide somewhere. So here you are. Tracing her steps to find where she decided to vanish to.
…God you'd give the recluse a hug or something if it didn't seem so out of place. Hugs fix most problems!
Sadly, that doesn't fit with the role of Mentor that you've been given. Or at least it doesn't fit with the mentor role you've taken up as part of that role you've been given by the Witch.
She's technically a Royal Guard or something…. But to you she's a witch. No one but Elly should be able to sneak past your Bubble of Knowing to hug you. No one!
You push past the side tracked thoughts once again. Noting how the chill and pain in your chest has receded a little from the burst of emotion at your mental recap.
You grumble for a second about useless, pretty witches and how you really don't like her as you scan your surroundings in search of Nanase.
"What I wouldn't give for a minimap about now … though I can't say I've seen that NPC before. Oi, you!"
Your head snaps towards the voice. Body twisting around with such speed you watch the owner flinch backwards as you glare at her.
…So it's Nanase. Can't say you expected her to just walk up behind you…
Maybe she thought she could knock you out. Huh. Guess you can give her credit for that.
No one else has tried that this week to get out of training.
Maybe she actually has some fire in her behind all that meekness and gloom.
"Hello? Can you even … tsk, great, another one. There's definitely a problem with their hearing. Was that something I changed when I messed with the settings?"
You blink back to focus, watching Nanase waving a hand in front of you. You raise an eyebrow, pad of paper coming out of one of your dress pockets as you write down a question.
No rush. No scribble, a Noble takes care in all her actions to not bring shame upon them… you might also be taking a bit of amusement with how Nanase's showing more emotion today.
If you didn't know her, you'd say she looks a little annoyed at being made to wait.
She's not of course. This is Nanase you're talking to. Gloomy, introverted Nanase.
…Maybe that's assuming too much, she could actually be annoyed at you…
Paper ruffles up. And she blinks a bit at reading the text.
"Paper? And what do you mean by 'where was I'? I've clearly just arrived. Is that really so strange to you?"
… Well, she's definitely emotional. Then again, nerves are hard to beat~
Unless you're you. In which case, you don't have to deal with nerves!... Though maybe that's because you're like a battle maniac or something…
You think Lady Alice called you that the last time you had her modify one of your skirts… Nah, you're fine.
Just ignore the muffled giggling voices in your head. And try to ignore that chilling cold as something feels like it's seeping from you in a slow trickle.
Like sand through an hourglass, falling out grain by grain, leaving an empty void be-
"Hey, I'd like a reaction, thanks. If you really are deaf, then I'd rather not spend my time trying to draw water with a wicker basket."
Fingers snap in front of you again. Bringing your focus back to the outside rather than your insides. And when you blink, Nanase's even closer. Really close actually.
In perfect grabbing distance. And the poor girl's definitely not thinking clearly if she's gotten this close to you after running off like that.
Nothing a bit of training won't fix~ You've been needing to get rid of this chill in the air for a while now afterall.
What better way than knocking some cute girls around until they return the favor!
…Crap… maybe you actually are a battle maniac….
Eh, time for introspection later. Your hands snap forward, watching Nanase flinch again at the sudden burst from stillness to motion.
You grip around her collar, taking care to avoid anywhere that'll rip or cause her to choke as you start walking back towards the prep room. Dragging your charge along with you as she struggles and sputters.
Muttering something about NPC's and Forced Loss events? You don't really understand what she says as she starts muttering some other language… you didn't know Nanase was multilingual…
Or maybe you'd forgotten? You were pretty focused at times. Like really focused… Miss Satsuki says it's something to praise you for… though you don't think mother agrees with that. They both shared a giggle when she mentioned it though…
Father finds it cute. But he ruffles and ruins your hair whenever you do it, so his opinion is invalid most of the time.
Nanase continues to complain, a welcome change from her usually resigned expression whenever you catch her, she mutters things, struggles. And when you turn to look at her, an eyebrow raised in question.
She actually glares at you. Which has you smile real brightly~
Look at all that spunk. All that emotion!
And now she's shivering.
You should let her escape more often. You're actually feeling a little tingly! Especially as those orbs in your chest start to move just a little, bringing with them a burst of heat through your body.
Definitely doing this more the next time you see her…
You really should stop getting lost in your thoughts… This definitely isn't healthy.
Through the door you go, a gentle push sending Nanase into line with the other three charges under your care for the time being.
The door clicking shut as you smile cutely at them… the only boy in your group wincing and backing away a bit… Jishi really needs to get a grip, you're not that scary!
You motion to the seats, an array of four helpfully put out around a table in the small prep room.
Some tea steaming in cups, freshly brewed by you and kept hot by some fancy, enchanted saucers you brought along.
An eye notes that Nanase is looking around, eyes narrowed, and complaints silenced. Or at least held back.
A little sad, you'd hoped the others would've gotten to see a more energetic Nanase, but, you suppose it being something just the two of you have shared isn't too bad.
Useful villainess material whenever you start that plan back up.
You wince a bit as you feel ice in your head. A cracking and slicing running through your chest as whatever that is starts back up. But after a second to compose yourself. It's pushed to the back of your mind… or as far back as it'll go for now.
More important matters taking precedence as you slip into your trainer self.
Back straight. Eyes sharp. Gaze focused on the papers in front of you, ignoring the chatter or shudders of your charges as your entire aura changes to the one they usually experience.
There's a small outline here. Mainly for the schedule of this event and the expected running time. A list of "acts" as it were lined up neatly under a clean title and an expected running time.
Huh… maybe the palace has someone with clairvoyance to a degree? Though you don't know how you feel about the question marks where your group's running time should be.
Maybe it's that weird thing with you not being affected by magic interfering again? The voices seem to agree. A murmur that gives you that feeling running through your head followed by another short burst of Tapping through your chest.
Your eye twitches, but you take a deep breath, and focus on your charges. Jishi's the front line of this "party" if you will.
Heavy plates of overlapping armor. Steel mixed with a bit of magical reinforcement here or there, courtesy of the smithing family he comes from. Very well made armor to your critical eye. Not like the stupid stuff you've seen some adventurers wearing.
You don't want to know what a man's pecs look like, even if bikini armor has more magical protection, thank you very much.
Mind wandering aside, Jishi, the front line. Carries a warhammer on his back, a shortsword on one hip, and a kite shield.
Azra, a girl about half Jishi's height, and dressed in leather with some chainmail here and there. Functions as a Ranger for the group… in a literal sense… gods above you wish she'd stop moving so far away from the others protection.
How many times do you have to hit a cute girl with your sword before she realizes the error of her ways? Because if it's more than thrice, it's too much.
You take a moment to grumble internally, eyes narrowing as you look at the bluenette, and watching her pale and shake a little from her usually cool and collected expression.
Then you snap over to Nanase again, slightly amused by how she flinches again at your sudden, unnatural movement.
That won't ever get old, you're sure of it.
A supporter in all you've seen of her. Or uh… a bard? That's probably not the right way to put it, but it's what your mind is jumping to. Using songs to bring effects into existence. A girl who might be shy and gloomy, but thrives when she sings.
You're always a little surprised to see just what she can do when she sings.
Though she's yet to beat you in a fight. And you hold that achievement with pride.
A part of you wishes she was more aggressive, but you suppose this little grouping works best when they fight together…
Now if only you'd been able to convince The Witch to give you more info on what you'd be facing…
But she wanted a hug for that.
A long hug.
You refused to let your pride be so utterly degraded. Meh, you can say it's like being ambushed or something to your charges.
Well, time for some fun.
You go to clap your hands, to draw your little group's attention to you. But a knock on the door stops you mid action as your head snaps towards it.
One more flinch. Success!
You bury the amusement, eyes narrowed as a maid opens the door and visibly pales at your expression.
She stutters out a call for you, going paler by the second before you raise an eyebrow.
She's not going to pass out on you is she? Your glare's nothing like Mother's, you're not that scary yet.
Through stuttering words, she informs you that your group is being called up for your turn. And asks you to follow her to the arena.
A motion from you has the group moving, Nanase taking a second and a bit of a stutter step before she joins in kind.
You take the rear. Just to make sure she doesn't try disappearing behind your back again.
Your cores spool at the idea. And you suppress a shudder at the warmth that bursts through you as the knowledge that the fight is near settles into your mind.
It's… a relatively quiet walk all things considered. Something in you says there should have been something going wrong throughout the journey.
Some instinct, some muscle or memory deep within you warning you that it's the quietest of times when the worst things always seem to happen.
Yet another thing you can't really rationalize… Sure stuff at the orphanage might have drilled a bit of that feeling into you… but not to this extent, besides, you've left that life behind now.
You're well fed. Never having to worry about food being a scarcity again.
You're well clothed, dressed in the finest dresses in the country that skill can weave. Miss Alice makes sure of that despite however many protests you might have.
You're well informed. Father even having given you access to his super secret network of informants, as he calls them, if you ever needed them. Not to mention Miss Satsuki's own less than savory connections.
So you keep drawing a blank as you drift away from the idle conversation and ponder on that feeling that this is when you should be at your most vigilant. But, like all these weird feelings you can't place, it fades as you approach wherever you were supposed to be at.
..Maybe there's precedence to that theory the ladies at your tea parties keep touting… maybe you really can't stand quiet moments…
A blink shifts your focus back from that little moment of introspection. And instead shoves you to the fore as a cute lady with a cold look helps slip a piece of armor onto you.
Sadly, you don't have the whole, magically assembling armor most of the other fighters tend to wear. Something to do with your whole, innate anti magic shenanigans or so. But your armor's relatively light in most cases.
No need to complain with a little bit more protection, even if the pieces don't all fit as… cleanly as they should.
A pair of pauldrons, some protectors for your forearms and shins. A nice slab of magical metal around your chest, no stupid boob gap or whatever it is bikini armor seems to love so much.
And while you could go for a helmet, you decide against it for now. Tying off your flowing locks into a nice long ponytail instead.
A mirror is brought over with a hand motion, and you nod at your appearance. Properly fighter-esque. Perfect.
A Villainess looks good in every situation she can. Even if that's in the middle of a fierce fight! Though you notice Jishi rolling his eyes when he thinks you're not watching. Azra joining in with a quiet giggle and Nanase looking confusedly at the two of them.
…Seems you'll have to add in some more evasion training for the two jokesters…
Your slightly risen eyebrow has the two of them freeze mid action. But you wave them off to get ready on their own.
The doors to this… makeshift entrance are closed. The arena is more of a large grassy field with bleachers set up in vast rows for the commoners and nobles alike to mingle and observe from.
A hand runs across the small paper charm sitting across the center of your chest. Something that's meant to prevent the death of those struck with lethal blows. A way for people to go all out in a fight and showcase every ounce of their strength for the spectators above.
…You can't say you're particularly fond of them… something inky, dark, hot and cold, reaching out to try and rip the thing off you.
But a bit of will restrains the bubbling tendril of… mist. One more mystery to solve. But something you AREN'T dealing with today.
The mist obliges. Sinking back into its neatly laid out box as you let out a breath.
The charm might not really work with you. Anti-magic and what have you.
But you've trained and fought and seen enough bloodshed traveling with father on his monster slaying expeditions to trust that you'll be fine.
So, a fist slams into the door. And the wooden thunk shocks your system enough to get the nerves out of your head. To shift from your trainer self, and to your fighter self.
You are Confidence. You are Strength. You are Speed. You are whatever you require to be to win this fight… even if it's more of an opportunity to show off your pupils to the city then it is to show off yourself.
But eh, you'll have some fun with this, or something.
The trio slip into place aside you as you hear the sounds of the spectators pick up. Whatever wards were dampening the sounds slowly fading as the doors open in time.
Sunlight blinds you, a white curtain of blooming heat that has you shielding your eyes for just a moment before your vision adjusts.
A momentary flicker of… something across your sight, then the colours fade enough that you can see.
Seemingly faster than your pupils if the way they're squinting or covering their eyes seems to mean what you think it does.
But you step forward as expected. Rather pleased by the sounds of people cheering and hollering.
More at your charges than at you. A bunch of distinguished faces rather than your own. At least among the commoners.
You're fine with that though. The friends you have among the nobility are plenty. No need to go pandering to those you don't agree with, even if you can easily see quite a few that sneer at you.
It doesn't hurt. Though it's definitely a bit annoying.
Your cores spool as the announcer takes her time introducing your group. A cute, peppy, energetic sort of girl. Who bounces around everywhere in an outfit you're completely sure was cut to draw attention.
Magical kingdom bull or something or other… you'd never have to deal with this up in the North with Father.
You ignore the prattling of the girl, eyes scanning the crowd for your parents in the Noble section of the stands.
Mother gives you a proper wave. Dad waves wildly down at you.
Mum gives him a nudge and he winces a bit while you smile.
You give them a nod. And Father cheers something that has Mother blushing brightly as she covers her face and sighs.
Though you catch the small smile even as she pinches his ear.
A blink, your vision clicks back into its normal, less focused sight. And five knights, dressed in half plate, come forth from the other end of the Arena.
And then another two Mages. In leather and robes, from the same side.
The mages aren't really a threat to you. But you imagine The Witch has briefed them on that, so they'll be the biggest problem for your charges.
The Knights, well, if they all come at you at once they'll be a problem. Even you can't take on five opponents at once.
Another cheer runs through the crowd as the announcer says something about sharing their energy to your charges with their cheers.
An idle part of your mind notes that she very much doesn't mention you. The rest of your mind makes you roll your eyes and glare down at one of the knights eyeing you up.
He visibly flinches and rightfully decides he should be going after your little group of… underlings?
Are they underlings if you're the one training them?
You suppose they are. Makes sense.
A bell tinkles, and a gong is struck.
The field explodes into rapid motion and shouts of exertion. Battle cries mixing with the roar of the crowd surrounding you on all sides.
You of course don't join in on that. Twirling your blade in your hands and moving forward at a slow walk while your Underlings charge into their appropriate positions.
You give them a nod at that, happy to note they're not focusing on you and instead going after the enemies in front of them.
Though… you can't say you're thrilled at the duo of knights who see a chance and rush towards you with weapons drawn.
They're also not thrilled when you duck under one blow, sliding to the side and letting the blade clang with the other knights.
Your blade coming in and jabbing at the exposed armpit of one knight in the briefest of moments as cold ripples through you and your motions accelerate.
Speed mixing with a flood of information. A flood of ways to quickly end this, a merciful yet efficient death to the ones who dared stand before you.
Blade meets thinner armor, and cuts through with ease even with it being dull.
The knight's body flickers. Shudders, and as it drops to the ground, it explodes into a shower of triangles lit up in blue.
The other knight takes a step back at that. But you know you've earned that.
Taking down a fully armored and trained knight in… 5 seconds, huh, faster than you'd thought, definitely has to have made him rethink his decision.
You give him a showy wave of your hand, back towards where your underlings are… managing.
…Even if Nanase's somehow made herself a mechanical bird thing…
And that said bird thing is currently terrorizing the mage group.
She's also singing. A much… harsher tune then you remembered.
You narrow your eyes at that… hopping slightly to leap over a blade swinging at your legs from behind, a foot slamming into the chest of the idiot who thought that was a smart move.
Probably thought it was a good idea, sneaking up on you and all that.
Sadly… not that effective when you KNOW when someone gets close, even if you can't see them.
There's a brief scuffle between you. Nothing really worth the effort.
And it ends with you twirling around a blow that scrapes off your pauldron while you slide your blade into his throat.
Another crackle. Another sputter. And so too does he fade into a burst of glowing shapes.
Well. In good news. Your groupies… eh fuck it, they're groupies now. Your groupies are managing fine.
Jishi's swinging his hammer around, keeping people at bay and in front of him.
Azra's firing off volleys of arrows, some enchanted, most not. Keeping the knights from slipping past and reaching Jishi's flanks or his back.
…Nanase… is very much not doing her job though…
Actually… if you were to guess… it's almost like she's beelining somewhere…
She sings something. And you blink at the runes and circles that flare up under her.
Cold meets your thoughts. Heat surges through you.
And the world slows as blinding pain makes your focus blur.
But you push through it. Through the pain. Through the brief glob of blood that pools from your lips.
Acceleration, multiplication. Leap?
Where is she-
And then the effect of using that cold and heat shudders back into you as you gasp silently. Coughing up blood onto the grass as the circle of magic activates with a thunderous screeching.
Like someone dropping a microphone, calling a song to an end, launching Nanase… who is definitely not Nanase, straight up and into the Noble section of the stands…
…You're gonna have to deal with The Witch after this… you just know it…
A cry pulls your attention away as the Announcer seems almost oblivious to the sudden intrusion of Not-Nanase into the royal area. Instead announcing the next part of this test as the last mage falls to an arrow through their face…
Guess you'll just have to leave whatever that was to The Witch… Plans continue even when people do stupid things… Or something like that.
Your blade is twirled. The blood that dripped seems to almost vanish into the ether. And you step towards the tired twosome with a menacing smile.
… Not-Nanase's going to be wishing she was here instead of there. You know that for sure. But. Time to do some more Teaching. Nothing you can do about the goings on up there… for now.
