Luna was stunned. She’d known that Zoey was going to be married off, but her friend was still sixteen. It should be outright illegal for her to be married off before she was of age.

How did her father even know she was back in town?

Eriza pulled her sister into a tight embrace while gently stroking her head and attempting to calm HER down further. As the seconds passed, the other Evoker became visibly more distressed.

Glancing over Ren again, Luna realized the miserable state of the girl’s appearance. The Biomancer was in her pajamas in front of the Young Street entrance, where everyone could see her. Her pink top had been stretched out and her hair was a complete mess. When combined with her mental state, it was easy to guess what had happened.

A sickening feeling overcame her.

“Ren… did they do something to you,” Eriza inquired carefully.

The Biomancer whimpered in response, her grip on her sister tightening to the point the Lightning Sorceress visibly winced in pain.

Without a doubt, Zoey’s father’s henchmen violated Ren in the process of kidnapping the man’s daughter. If Eriza was around at the time, it would have been a fatal mistake. At her tier, she could electrocute most mages in a matter of seconds, unless they were at the level of a well trained Magus.

The Ice Sorceress couldn’t blame her either. She suddenly found herself desiring to pierce the offender’s heart with a well-aimed Icicle.

“I’m so sorry sis; I wasn’t there to protect you. They didn’t go any further than touching, did they,” the elder sister pressed further into the matter as gently as she could.

In response, Ren shook her head no, which, though the incident was repulsive to begin with, was a welcome sign. Had they gone that far, there was no doubt Eriza would have committed a massacre and attempted to kill everything in her path, be it friend or foe. That wasn’t to say she wasn’t going to try to kill the perpetrator for their actions. She merely wouldn’t go into it with a blind rage.

The Lightning Evoker sighed again and bit her lips. Her sister’s face remained buried in her shoulder, an occasional muffled sob escaping. What a mess this had become. Ren was going to be scarred for life. Zoey had been kidnapped because of her father, Nathaniel.

Why couldn’t they catch a break?

“They must have been waiting until we were away because they knew we’d give them trouble. And he thinks he can get away with molesting my sister? We’re going to the North Shore.”

While she was just as eager to go, the odds of charging in and getting Zoey back were far too low. If anything, they’d end up getting themselves into trouble. While leaving the Water Transmuter to her family was wholly undesirable, rushing headfirst into the matter might be similar to walking into a trap.

Eriza’s mood was understandably foul.

The fire in her eyes felt like staring directly into an incoming Fire Storm. She was more than angry. In fact, Luna had never seen her friend this angry before.

In her sister’s embrace, Ren let out a whimper, which was immediately followed by a cough from Iris.

The Evoker realized she was holding onto her sister so tight that she was beginning to crush her. The sisterly affection she’d been conveying had inadvertently turned into an outlet for stress when she’d begun to realize the gravity of what had just happened.

“Sorry… I wasn’t thinking things through.”

“Eriza, you’ve gotten better at controlling your impulses but you can’t blindly rage into every battle.”

“He MOLESTED my sister, what am I supposed to do? And are we just going to let him steal Zoey from us,” the Lightning Evoker said, though she was reluctant to elaborate further. Explaining how she felt was never her strong suit. “I nearly lost the two of you. I’m not willing to risk losing another one of my friends. I’ve only got the three of you.”

“I understand, but what are people going to think if we show up in our sweats? We’ll look like angry children and nothing more. We have to show that we are not to be messed with if we’re going to avenge Ren and get Zoey back, right?”

Eriza tensed up for another moment and sighed.

“Damnet, why do you always have a point?”

“It’s a talent of mine. My mother insisted I have the best manners when dealing with the upper crust. Let’s discuss this in private,” the Water Sorceress said while turning to look at her adopted sister. “Luna, can you bring us breakfast? I’ll stay here with Eriza and Ren since they live next to Zoey. If those men come back for her things, we’ll be sure to return the favor for what they did to our friends.”

It was a reasonable request. Out of the group, the Ice Sorceress was the most capable in combat, though not by much. On the off chance she encountered Zoey’s captors. If they were willing to brazenly attack Ren as they did, then what was to stop them from trying to do something similar to another one of them.

“Alright,” the elf agreed, walking up to hug their healer. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you, Ren. We’ll make them pay.”

“Mmmh,” the girl hummed a reply, still upset but having calmed down a bit more.

With her cloak on, it was hard for her to convey her emotions. While the rest of her body was visible, her face was entirely hidden by darkness from all angles. It felt like a barricade that prevented her sympathy from reaching her friend.

Deciding it was best to leave the comforting to Iris and Eriza. Luna quickly made her way over to the shops near the Meta Street entrance, where one of Ren’s favorite bakeries stood. It might have been expensive, but she knew that Ren would appreciate it.

Despite the bakery being only a three-minute walk from where she’d started, she had to wait for about half an hour for it to open up. When she finally made her way back into the dorms, about forty minutes had passed.

Though she hadn’t asked, Luna knew her friends would be in the Isozaki sisters’ dorm room. It wasn’t absolutely private, but right now they didn’t need privacy like they would when talking about matters like Polaris.

When she returned, she found Iris walking out of Zoey’s dorm room and locking it. Her adoptive sister appeared confused, as if she’d been betrayed and made a good friend immediately after.

“Is everything alright?”

“Yes and no,” the Water Sorceress replied. “Ren said she’d heard Zoey putting up a fight but I wasn’t expecting it to be that bad. Also, the headmistress is livid, but we can talk about that over breakfast.”

At the mention of breakfast, Luna lifted up the bag carrying their meal of baked goods and fancy teas.

“I got Ren’s favorite. Mervras Muffins coated with extra cinnamon sugar the way she likes.”

Smiling, Iris made her way down to the next room, the Isozaki’s dorm room. Following, Luna saw that Ren sitting on the bed next to her sister, her head resting on her sister’s shoulder. She was still visibly distraught, though less so than earlier.

Upon seeing the bag she held, her expression brightened up a little bit, and her frown mostly disappeared.

“Luna,” she began, unable to find the words to describe her gratefulness. “Thank you.”

Next to her, Eriza rubbed her sister’s shoulder while the elf closed the door behind her and began passing out the baked goods and teas she’d bought.

“Ren, I may not be able to comfort you like Iris and Eriza are able to, but I want to do better than my best to help you feel safe and comfortable, despite what happened,” she explained.

There wasn’t much she could honestly do. While she’d faced hardships, she hadn’t quite faced something like the inappropriate touch of another, whereas Iris and Eriza had. In their cases, the offender often went home bloody.

Across from her, the Biomancer stared back for a few moments, likely trying to find a response. Slowly, a smile stretched across her face.

“Thank you, Luna. I’m glad you’re one of my closest friends,” she genuinely replied.

It felt as though they’d grown a little closer.

Though the feeling was touching, it was something they could discuss later. She flashed a smile back at the two before turning to look at her adoptive sister, who was happily munching away on a muffin, watching the moment unfold before her.

“Alright, catch me up on what happened while I was gone.”

The Water Sorceress took another bite of her muffin and chewed on it before answering.

“When we got here, the headmistress was already in Zoey’s room examining the damage. Apparently Zoey’s father didn’t inform her he was sending his thugs to ‘collect’ Zoey. She’s pissed and even apologized to us for not listening, so I think her generosity toward the man just went out the window,” Iris explained.

That was a sudden shift in stance. In fact, it was so abrupt that she couldn’t honestly believe it. There had to be more to the matter than a simple unannounced intrusion.

“So she’s not siding with Zoey’s family?”

“No. She said we were free to retaliate against Zoey’s father as long as we play it smart. Part of her reasoning has to do with how they somehow managed to get in without having the necessary glyphs to unlock the gates. Once she heard what happened to Ren, she nearly lost her composure, and that seemed to be the final nail.”

“They didn’t have the glyphs to get in,” the elf asked, deciding to proceed with one matter at a time.

“Nope. That’s the reason she was in Zoey’s room before us. She’d been alerted earlier that someone bypassed the gates and made the guess they were after Zoey, only she got here too late. That’s a huge concern in a school compromised entirely of well off teenagers girls like us.”

The woman’s concerns made logical sense. Not just anyone was allowed to come onto the grounds of Lilith’s. So whoever Nathaniel hired to retrieve would have had an Enchanter who knew what they were doing.

“Is she going to do anything about what happened to Ren?”

“She left to contact the Tower and our parents about what happened. That bastard is going to be arrested, in part because several students here saw what he did. His life is likely over,” Eriza answered, taking over for Iris. “I’d rather have him be beaten senseless myself, but spending a couple of decades in stasis sounds kind of sounds worse than a beating.”

That was a good outcome given the situation. She couldn’t imagine how Ren felt right now. The girl may have become tougher out in the wilderness, but having her body suddenly violated must have been dreadful. Something like that wasn’t just going to go away.

“That’s wonderful, especially given the headmistress wasn’t willing to help us before.”

“It is, but I’m not going to be satisfied until Nathaniel pays for this,” Eriza said matter of factly.

“Speaking of Nathaniel, what are we going to do about him?”

Next to her, Iris’ smile became twisted. Luna had only seen such a smile a few times before. Each time it appeared, an elaborate plot her sister had created came with it.

“It’s important to remember that with socialites the status of one’s family is important. Everyone is expected to keep the family's image in mind. While we may not be able to strike the adults directly, we can certainly embarrass Zoey’s cousin, and indirectly Nathan,” Iris explained, pausing to take a bite of her estras berry muffin. “By publicly humiliating them and loudly declaring after their defeat that Nathaniel’s actions brought this upon them, it’ll surely start to mount pressure on him.”

The plan itself was devious. Attacking family members who were wholly unrelated to the situation was definitely a way to grab attention. However, there was a point in doing so. The more people that believed Nathaniel was causing this chain of events, the more pressure would be put on him. With enough beatings and the public arrest of one of his employees, the pressure would force him into a corner.

If they pushed hard enough, Nathaniel might even bend to save face. They’d seen Iris’ father crack under pressure at the ISTC when the Ice Sorceress had challenged his authority, and he was far more stubborn than Nathaniel was.

The plan had a singular glaring flaw. Without having a resolution for it, the plot would fall face first.

“Iris, there’s a flaw in your plan. We’ll need to attract a lot of attention when challenging and battling Zoey’s cousins. How do you plan on doing that?”

“Simple, we target the easiest and most eye-catching fights first. Remember how Luke insulted and nearly beat Eriza a couple of years ago?”

That was a boy whom she’d rather never meet again. It was the reason why they weren’t able to spend Christmas Eve with Zoey last year, as Luke’s father was so upset that his ‘prodigal’ child had been defeated by a nobody that he demanded the Sorceress be expelled from Lilith’s.

“Of course, how could I ever forget how Eriza knocked him into the ocean like a rag doll.”

“Eriza’s going to go to Princes this afternoon to give him what he wants: a rematch. He’s already returned from his trip to Europe.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yep. Once we’re done talking about the plan, Iris plans to send a message off to Aiden Fielding and tell him to start spreading the rumor I’m coming over to challenge Luke. I’m going to take him down as quickly as possible. It shouldn’t be too hard as long as I don’t get decked by one of his Transmutation spells. He doesn’t know that I’ve likely tiered up thanks to our trip to Sakhalin, so it should be a good show.”

To emphasize this, Eriza made a fist and slammed it into her other palm, causing sparks from the electrictal discharge to burst forth from between the two.

In all honesty, it seemed like a solid plan. While not everyone had returned from their trips yet, the majority of students were expected to return either this weekend or the next, about half each weekend. A sizeable crowd could quickly be drawn up thanks to that.

The only issue would be how Eriza would get into Princes, but when she thought about it, someone would likely be waiting to greet her when she arrived. That could be left to the Lightning and Water Sorceresses though.

“I assume this means you have plans for yourself and me as well Iris?”

“That’s right. Just before you got back I was talking to Julia. Through her, a fight’s been set for this afternoon between me and Luke’s sister, Layla, who’s more than eager to show me up because she believes Zoey will listen to her if she trounces one of us.”

The Ice Sorceress didn’t know much about Layla other than that she was a prim and proper member of Syndey’s upper class. At the parties they’d both attended they’d exchanged maybe a few sentences. It was surprising that Iris seemed to know her well enough to know that she wouldn’t refuse a challenge from her.

“Do you have an idea of who you’d like me to fight then?”

“I do. Do you recall the young man you fought last year at the New Year’s party we were invited to? You two disturbed the dueling field to the point it had to be cleaned up and flattened out before the next duel?”

Another memorable duel. She hadn’t been expecting to have such a fun time that night but the absolute chaos of the battle was well worth it. And to see the look on the bloke’s face after she’d whipped him so badly was priceless.

He was also the daughter of Ethan’s sister, Isabella, which meant they had something to gain, especially since it wasn’t another one of Ethan’s brother Vincent’s children, which meant they’d appear to be targeting not just Nathaniel’s brother but everyone. A well thought out target, given there were five odd more options.

As for the matter of whether or not she could take him down again, it was quite obvious that give she’d continuously been improving over the course of the year that she had a serious chance of winning a duel against him. Though it wouldn’t be a simple walk in the park, a challenge was a challenge. She could use the opportunity to hone her battle style even further. After all, Polaris’ friend would soon be returning to town, and it’d be best if she were ready to impress.

“Alright, I’m in. I assume you know someone who can set up things over at Joseph Banks then,” the Ice Sorceress inquired.

“I’ll take care of it. Does four sound like a good time to you?”

It would be later in the afternoon, which meant the duel would happen when everything was broiling outside. But that couldn’t be avoided. She could take the heat if it helped in making Ethan feel intense pressure from all directions.

“Four works for me. Make sure someone will be waiting for me at the gates too, I don’t want to have to aimlessly wander around campus looking for who I’m supposed to be fighting.”

“Will do,” the Water Sorceress said as she stood up and walked toward the door. “Now, as for the message we’re going to deliver upon our victories, here’s my idea.”

“You return and you don’t even bother to send me a Message that you’ve returned?”

Zoey remained silent. It wasn’t a question that was supposed to be answered. At least she wouldn’t answer the question, because Eriza had warned her that what she would soon face would be painful. Was this what Luna and Iris went through every time they had to deal with Arthur?

Ren was at the forefront of her mind. Seeing the girl abused while she herself was dragged away despite her best attempt to help her friend made her feel sick to her stomach. How could she call herself a good friend when she could do nothing to protect the Biomancer? How could she ever face her again?

“And to think I gave you everything you needed to make yourself useful. Instead, you give me nothing but attitude while you frolic about with those heathens. Don’t you know how much I’ve sacrificed?”

What did her father know of sacrifice? If Iris hadn’t sunk all those hours into tutoring her, she’d have reached Tier 5 some time within the past year. Instead, she sacrificed that to help her. If it weren’t for Iris’ kindness, she wouldn’t be a Tier 3 Transmuter approaching Tier 4. She’d be completely useless.

“Well, what do you have to say for yourself,” her father fumed.

She knew she would have to answer even if she didn’t want to. If she didn’t there would be severe consequences. Eriza’s words echoed loudly in her head.

Zoey I am not going to abandon you. It doesn’t matter if Iris and Luna aren’t there when we return. Even if it’s just me and Ren, I would kill to protect you.

Also, remember, if he ever does something to you like whisk you away, you cannot let him fully walk over you. If you do, you’ll be showing that you cannot stand on your own two feet. And if he feels like he doesn’t have control, he’ll be easier to get at. We’ve seen that before with his interactions with Arthur, so surely we can make the same thing happen again.

Keep your head up too. Don’t think we’re just going to abandon you if you suddenly get taken away. We’ll have to leave that part for Iris; she always has the best plans though they might take a few days.

­­All she had to do was weather the storm until her rescue arrived and not let her father walk over her in the meantime. Though that was a difficult task given how imposing the man was, she was up to the challenge. Her future, as well as her friends’ futures were riding on this. Plus, she had no intention of being enslaved to whoever her father had chosen as a suitor. She could manage a brave face for that.

“Father, I have no honest intention for following through with your desires.”

Across from her, the man’s fair face began to take on a light shade of scarlet.

“What did you just say?”

“You heard me. I have no intention of going along with this marriage.”

“You don’t have a choice.”

“That’s what you believe father. However, I am fully prepared to walk out of this house bereft of what little you’ve given me to support my endeavors at Lilith’s. Unlike my older sister, I actually have a future that could put me in a better city than this Frontier one.”

“You ungrateful little child. You think that I’ll continue to allow you to associate with those animals? You do understand they’ll be conscripted, don’t you?”

“We shall be doing no such thing. Instead, we shall be attending university in Japan.”

“There is no we and you have no choice in this matter. You will be marrying Dominic and supporting his family and career as soon as you graduate from Rosebay.”HG

“I refuse to attend such a school.”

By now, her father was sweating and his face was fully red, telltale signs that she was getting underneath the man’s skin. Unlike Arthur, her father lacked tact in private settings and allowed his emotions to show. Eriza’s advice was proving to be sound. So far, he hadn’t been able to rile her up, which was good.

“I told you, you don’t have a choice.”

“I would rather live on the street than do anything you ask, especially after what your men did to Ren. Speaking of which, I wonder how long it will be until he’s arrested.”

The Water Transmuter’s father’s voice quickly became low and threatening, “And what of Eriza? It would be just terrible if she happened to have an accident.”

So this was what her friend had warned her about. Her father believed that he lorded over much more than herself. It was a fatal flaw, one she could exploit without jeopardizing her precarious position between a rock and a hard place.

“Are you honestly prepared for the consequences? I know that I am. I am prepared to stare into the darkness which you fear and, if need be, walk that path knowing that in the end it might not pay off or end well for myself or my friends.”

“And what of Ren?”

Reflexively she remained quite. Whereas Eriza could easily handle herself against regular mage, Ren could not. She was a healer, not a fighter. Her father could get away with harming her by having one of his men do it, just like he’d had one of them violate her earlier.

The threat her father made could not go unanswered. But there was a time and a place, and now wasn’t the right time. If Ren were hurt because of her actions, she would never be able to forgive herself. It was possible the girl had already begun to hate her for what happened.

“I’ll play your game,” she admitted reluctantly.

“Good. You’ll be meeting your husband tomorrow. In the meantime, you are to stay in your room, and I want to hear not a word from you. You may go now,” the man said, dismissively waving his hand.

Begrudgingly, the Water Sorceress stood up, bowed and slowly walked backward out of the room.

Hopefullly, Iris was already on her way to rescue her.

Luna stood outside the gates of Joseph Banks ESM. She hadn’t yet entered the school because of the feeling of haughtiness permeated the air like a haze.

After they’d discussed their plans, the Isozaki sisters’ parents came to pick up Ren and take her home for a few days. After promising the pair that they’d avenge the Biomancer, the remaining trio lounged around most of the day and prepared mentally for their respective coming battles. They made idle chatter, sharing some more stories about what happened during their breaks.

Eventually the afternoon began to wane and they all left for their respective destinations. She’d traveled with Eriza to Joseph Banks ESM. The Lightning Sorceress’ fight took place about half an hour from now, so she opted to walk from the selective school all the way over to Princes, which thankfully wasn’t far away.

Presently the Ice Sorceress was waiting for her escort to arrive. From what she’d been told, one of her opponent’s friends would lead her through campus to the dueling field where the duel would take place. They would then duel, the winner would get their spoils and she’d leave. It was a simple as that.

She had no interest in hanging around the school anyway. While Lilith’s had its fair share of snobs, Sydney’s top school was chock full of them. It surprisingly made her feel sick to her stomach when she first arrived.

Fortunately she wouldn’t have to be here long. All that was necessary was to beat Zoey’s cousin George as quickly as she could manage. Perhaps she could even do it all in under ten minutes?

A boy with auburn hair sauntered out of the school’s gates toward her. With a sadistic smile on his face, he bowed in her direction.

“Greetings miss Fitzgerald. I’m glad to see that you’re as well disguised as ever. I shall warn you that our Praelector is quite strong and once you pass these gates there will be no turning back.”

The malice in his voice was more than enough to whet her appetite. This was going to be an absolutely delightful.

“I’ll be in your care. Please, show me the way to your dueling field. I’m eager to get to it,” she replied with a greater amount of malice, causing the boy to do a double-take.

“R-right this way miss.”