Chapter 3 – Bringing the Pain.

– I –

Because he left the briefing early, and thereby used up a truckload of goodwill points with Principal Mason, Caelum had time to kill before the start of lunch and afternoon classes.

With the Symbiote inside, his body was feeling amped up, but having the worm within his body also killed most of his appetite. Taking advantage of this, Caelum had slept in late, then skipped breakfast, hoping he would be in the mood for lunch. However, now that lunchtime was on the doorstep, he still found himself without an appetite. Yet it didn’t feel right not to eat something, so that’s why he paid the cafeteria a visit and picked up a half sandwich roll.

Leaving the cafeteria via the fourth floor bridgeway connecting the giant donut shaped edifice to the west wing of the high school building, Caelum climbed up to the stairwell that afforded access to one of the rooftop courtyards, and was pleased to find the door to the courtyard was open. He stepped out to find a few students lounging on the benches at various tables. Since he was familiar with the layout of the place, Caelum walked north to the rooftop penthouse machinery building that separated this courtyard from the next one.

Although the collar was going to bite him a little, he summoned an Icarus-field through the bracelet he wore on his right wrist under his shirt sleeve – the link to the Kaiser’s Blessing snug in its Sarcophagus hiding nearby in Pocket Space – and used it to boost his jump onto the machinery room’s rooftop. Then he slipped out of his blue summer blazer, folded it, and then placed it on the ground. Sitting on the rooftop, he ate the sandwich roll while staring at the habitat surrounding the school, dusted his hands when finished, then lay back to stare up at the mimetic sky-field overhead that simulated a partially cloudy day.

Because it was a space colony, Pharos followed the calendar and seasons of the capital world of Aeneas, specifically its northern hemisphere. As a result of this the habitat environmental controls were in summer mode, and that meant an average heat in the high twenty degrees centigrade. During the winter cycle around the middle of the year, the habitat saved power by reducing the average temperature to the high teens centigrade. In other words, a little colder while not being too cold.

A gentle breeze blew over the buildings, coming from air vents of the atmospheric towers that rose here and there throughout the habitat, and from the environmental systems in the cavern’s ceiling hidden behind the mimetic sky-field.

Caelum closed his eyes, finding himself spiraling gently into slumber…until the voice of a young woman in his mind interrupted his tranquility.

[*Wake up. You have company.]

“…huh…?”

He opened his eyes and blinked away the bleariness.

[*Here she comes. Oh, and she seems quite angry.]

“…who’s coming…?”

Caelum propped himself up on his elbows in time to see a girl leap skyward in front of him.

“…what the Hell…?”

She leapt from the outside of the five storey building, sailed high over the fence that surrounded the entire rooftop of the west wing, then came down toward him with teeth bared and right fist drawn back to deliver a piledriving punch.

“Pervert Desanto!”

The girl’s cry would undoubtedly draw attention to her and to him, but for the moment Caelum was more worried about the damage her incoming punch would inflict on his body. Not bothering to swear in complaint at having his siesta disturbed, he rolled away as Katia Alexi Asakura fell toward him, her fist narrowly missing him and striking the machinery penthouse’s rooftop, leaving a large crater in the permacrete. Using an Icarus-field, and feeling the collar sting unpleasantly as a consequence, Caelum elevated himself to his feet, and then scrambled to put distance between him and the girl.

Katia straightened on her feet, the air around her right fist shimmering from the effect of the Aegis-field summoned through the bracelet she wore on her wrist, the link to her Remnant, a type Eris that was contained in its own Sarcophagus and Pocket Space.

“You stepped over the line, Pervert,” she told him in a low, husky voice that was unlike her usual voice. “You had not right to challenge our Klaus. No right to embarrass him.”

“Actually, he was more embarrassed with the lot of you fawning over him.”

Caelum slipped into an easy stance but he was wary of Katia. She was the third ranked Familiar at the Academy, and the one time he’d fought her last year, she’d thoroughly pounded him into the ground. Katia didn’t like him then; she most certainly didn’t like him now. Yet he added with an easy smile that belied his underlying caution, “I can’t believe that guy’s a male model for that teen magazine crap. If he can’t handle the attention from the girls he should just quit.”

“Don’t call it crap! And Klaus can handle anything.”

Caelum frowned at her. “Hey, Senpai, are you feeling alright?”

“Of course I’m feeling all right.” She pointed angrily at him. “But I am pissed at you. Get on your knees and apologize.”

“Apologize to you? What for?” Caelum’s stance shifted a little more toward defense, but then he reconsidered and edged it toward offense, the set of his feet hinting at rapid acceleration in Katia’s direction.

Katia appeared not to notice. “For embarrassing Klaus. And for having the gall to challenge him.”

“Are you forgetting I was the one who told you about that limited edition figure?”

Katia blinked sharply and then winced. “Ah…no, I’m not. But that’s a separate matter!”

“Are you forgetting I was the one who got you that V.I.P. pass last year to attend that magazine cover shoot?”

“Ah…no, I’m not. But like I said that’s a separate matter!”

Caelum shook his head. “Senpai, are you forgetting the occasion last year when I arranged for the two of you to eat lunch accidentally?”

“Eeek!” Katia jerked back. “No. Don’t bring that up!”

“And the time I arranged that opportunity for you to confess to him.”

Katia took an unsteady step back. “No. No. No. Don’t bring that up either!”

“And who was it that consoled you when he rejected you?”

She pressed her hands over her chest. “No, don’t remind me. I don’t want to remember.”

“Senpai, after all I’ve done for you, and this is how you treat me?”

She planted her hands over her ears. “Stop it! I don’t want to hear it.”

[*More company. Have fun.]

Caelum looked about. “What are you talking—?”

One after the other, a handful of girls leapt over the fencing and landed on the roof of the penthouse building. It was clear they’d used more than Aegis-fields to make the jump up the side of the building and over the fencing. Through his Awareness-field, Caelum sensed the telltale signs of spatial distortions that resulted from the use of Impulse-fields generated by Remnants.

“Crap…,” he muttered under his breath. “More seniors. This is going to be tough….”

A girl with frizzy hair stood up smoothly as she patted down her skirt and addressed Katia. “Katia, what the heck is keeping you? Heh?” She gasped loudly at sight of the distraught girl with her hands over her ears. “Katia? What happened?” However, before waiting for an answer, she turned and glared at Caelum. “You! What did you do to her?”

Through his Awareness-field, Caelum sensed a Gram-field forming around the girl’s right hand, extending from it like a long thing sword reminiscent of a rapier. He swallowed and asked, “Yoh, what do you think you’re going to do with that?”

“Answer me, Pervert!”

“Would you calm down. And stop shouting. You’re attracting attention.”

He spoke the truth. The students who’d been eating lunch in the courtyard below had noticed the commotion and were fleeing the vicinity of the penthouse machine building.

Frizzy Girl slashed the air with her Gram-field rapier. “Like I care what that Aventis trash thinks.”

Caelum narrowed his eyes as he frowned at her. “Hey. You’re starting to sound like them.”

Frizzy advanced upon him with measured steps. “I asked you a question, Pervert. What did you do to Katia?”

He sensed more Gram-fields being summoned, but this time from the girls who’d smoothly assumed positions at the edges of the machine room’s rooftop. For now they were keeping their distance, but Frizzy was another matter as she continued advancing toward him.

*Galatea, this isn’t good. They’re seriously pissed at me.

[*The truth can be shocking at times.]

*Not funny. I’m going to need your help.

[*Have you noticed they don’t appear particularly bothered by the collars around their necks.]

Caelum felt an unpleasant chill run down his back. *Now that you mention it….

Frizzy was wearing her restraining collar, yet she was summoning a Gram-field from her Remnant that the bracelet then manifested around her right hand in the shape of a faintly shimmering blade. Yet she wasn’t showing signs of discomfort, so he could only assume her restrictions enforced through the collar had been temporarily lifted. If true, it would explain how she succeeded in leaping higher than a five storey building. But if they weren’t lifted, how was she able to deal with the pain?

*What the Hell is this, he wondered, his thought flitting across to Galatea eavesdropping in his head. *Feels like I’m being set up.

[*Very well. I’ll help you.]

*You will? How?

No reply was forthcoming, and Caelum grew a little nervous. Damn it. What is the minx up to?

Frizzy assumed an attacking stance, much like a fencing master. “This is for Katia. And for our Klaus.”

Caelum’s eyes widened slightly. “Again with Number One? What is wrong with you girls?”

“And this is for the Princess.”

A cold fist blossomed to life within Caelum’s chest. Yet he kept his voice level and composed. “Frizzy, you need to calm down. Take deep breaths. Think about what you’re going to do.”

The girl froze as her eyes grew impossibly wide. “What—what did you call me?”

Caelum groaned under his breath. “…shit…I stepped on a landmine….”

“You—you—time to die!”

The moment the yell left her lips, Caelum had shifted his mind into an overclocked state. It was an innate talent that separated Familiars from the rest of the human species, and that included the Regulars and Aventis. The ability to consistently overclock at will was something only Familiars could do, and it gave them an edge in all forms of physical combat. Caelum used it to give himself time to study the girl’s attack, though he was already summoning an Aegis-field.

I’m going to have to time this perfectly, he told himself as he leapt toward the charging girl with frizzy hair.

With him perceiving time moving at a crawl, Caelum was able to crouch milliseconds before the girl’s shimmering Gram-field thrust through the air, passing an inch above his head. Caelum pushed off the ground and darted away Frizzy who hurriedly slashed the air behind her, but being caught off balance she missed him by a country mile. However, the earlier close shave almost caused his heart to stop as he realized that without a doubt the girls were out to hurt him, and with that understanding anger flickered in his heart.

“Hey—get back here!” Frizzy cried out at him in frustration.

Caelum shouted back, “Aren’t you taking this way too seriously?”

“You who doesn’t understand a girl’s heart should just die!”

“Hey, you’re condemning most of the male population to death,” he told her.

“Starting with you—that’s fine by me.” Frizzy slashed the air, and then charged at him again, this time keeping her Gram-field low to the ground.

* What is wrong with these girls? Are they under someone’s Influence? But that shouldn’t be possible. Familiar’s can’t be Influenced like the Aventis can.

Caelum sidestepped Frizzy’s attack, then extended his reach by using a Hecaton-field to push her away and off balance.

“If you keep this up you’ll get suspended,” he warned her. “Fighting outside the arena’s is prohibited.”

“It’ll be your word against ours,” Frizzy retorted with a sneer. “Who’s going to believe a pervert?”

“That’s right,” another girl said. “Besides, we already have a story in place.”

Caelum evaded in a hurry as Frizzy thrust her Gram-field at him like a rapier. “You’re crazy. Are you trying to set me up?” Again he used a Hecaton-field to push, this time tripping her up, and sending her stumbling away for several steps. “You’re doing this in full view of the Aventis.”

“Shut up!” Frizzy angrily snapped at him as she recovered her balance. “You cheated on the Princess. You don’t get to live.”

He dodged a thrust from Frizzy that would have skewered him as he had no Aegis-field around his torso. As he did so, the girl’s words sunk home and a wave of guilt rushed through him, but it was quickly followed by cold anger that ended his retreat. When Frizzy lunged at him again, Caelum grabbed her rapier shaped Gram-field with his left hand that was gloved by an Aegis-field. It was the equivalent of grabbing a naked blade with an armored hand.

“What did you say?”

He squeezed the Gram-field until it lost cohesion and broke apart under pressure from the Aegis-field.

“What did you say?” he repeated.

Frizzy looked shocked but she recovered in a heartbeat and skipped back, generating another Gram-field in the shape of a long sword. “We know you cheated on the Princess. You did it with Blue Streak.”

Again, his stomach sank and intense regret began to swirl tightly within his chest, but the anger contained it, like a blizzard encircling a camp fire. “Is that was this is really about? I thought you were all just Klaus’s groupies in heat.”

“You broke the Princess’s heart,” Katia called out from the sideline, speaking for the first time since Frizzy and the other girls arrived. “That’s why she left the Academy.”

“Because of you,” Frizzy said, “she burned her bridges and ties to the school.”

“The Princess was kind to us,” said a third girl.

“The Princess didn’t treat us like the others do,” a girl with a boyish haircut spoke up.

“But you drove her away,” a slender redhead accused him.

“Because you cheated on her!” Frizzy finished off, then enlarged the size of her Gram-field sword. She raised it high, making the air above her head visibly shimmer, and held it there as she yelled, “You never deserved her!”

Caelum kept his mouth shut, mostly because he didn’t have the words to refute them, but because he was barely hanging onto his composure by the merest of threads.

[*Pervert?] Galatea unexpectedly returned. [*Aren’t you going to say something?]

*What’s there to say? They’ve already made up their minds. They can believe what they want to believe.

[*Even if it is the truth?]

He clenched his jaw, but then relaxed it when it began to ache.

Watching him standing in silence, Frizzy howled in anger and then brought down the giant Gram-field.

Caelum sensed the cutting field was strong enough to cleave an inter-Island bus in half. It would certainly slice through the machine room’s rooftop, and if he didn’t move, he would be split in two where he stood.

As the field came down on him, he sighed inwardly and his heart clenched painfully.

Reaching up to the artificial sky with his left hand, he summoned an Aegis-field and generated an oblate shield around his arm. In one swift motion, he swung his protected arm against the oncoming Gram-field, and knocked the shimmering sword aside with enough force to send it upwards at an angle. The blow against the field translated back to Frizzy who stumbled and lost control of it, and the air ceased to shimmer a moment later.

“Wh—what was that?” the girl cried out in shock as she regained her footing, and the surrounding girls shifted restlessly on their feet as they witnessed the first demonstration of his true power.

Caelum ground his molars before growling out, “Who the Hell are you to judge me? Just shut up—Frizz Bang!”

“Don’t—don’t call me that!” she protested.

“Then don’t go sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong,” he retorted loudly.

Perhaps because she realized he wasn’t

Caelum’s Awareness-field remained focused on Frizzy as he glanced at Katia, and almost frowned at the unreadable look on her face.

What is she waiting for, he thought to himself.

Galatea sounded guarded as she butted in. [*You should watch yourself. I sense a strange discord within them.]

Having recovered, Frizzy embarked on an attack that would have made fencing master proud. The giant sword had shrunk to the familiar rapier field she had used before, and Caelum was forced to block, parry, and deflect using the Aegis-fields wrapped around his arms like thick gauntlets while retreating cautiously. He was paying close attention to Frizzy, but he was also wary of the girls forming a perimeter around him, and faintly unsettled by Katia watching everything with a blank expression.

The girls seemed content to allow Frizzy to fight him, but he suspected they would quickly intercede if he drew too close to them, undoubtedly to prevent him from escaping machine room’s rooftop that had become an impromptu arena. As though proving that point, when Frizzy rushed at him next, Caelum sensed a couple of the girls close ranks behind him, their Gram-fields emanating like blades that extended from right hands. Unable to retreat, he dodged Frizzy’s attack, and skipped back to the middle of the rooftop while the girl collected herself.

*I need to put an end to this, he decided.

Frizzy thrust and slashed at him again, her attack alternating between his inside and outside lines. Caelum waited for the Gram-field rapier to plunge toward him again, and when it did, he grabbed it and pulled Frizzy close to him. Had the girl released the field in time, she would have escaped, but she made the mistake of holding onto the shimmering rapier, and Caelum was able to deliver a swift kick to her left flank. The intention was to leave her with bruised ribs that would hamper her movement and make her reconsider continuing the fight. However, the Aegis-field that unexpectedly appeared around his foot a moment before it struck the girl’s waist, doubled the force of the impact and sent Frizzy spinning across the building’s rooftop.

It was true, he’d put a fair amount of strength into the kick, but seeing the girl careen along the ground was a surprise, and his stomach sank yet again – but for a different reason – when he realized he’d injured her.

*Gods damn it, Galatea! Why did you summon that field?

[*You’re not taking this seriously.]

*Of course I am!

[*No, you’re not! Stop treating them like girls.]

Caelum watched Frizzy push herself up onto her hands and knees, but she was gasping in pain as she struggled to breathe.

*Shit. Galatea—I think I broke her ribs.

[*That’s what you’re worried about?]

*Come on, Galatea. This is serious. I hurt her!

[*You only broke two of her false ribs. She has plenty more.]

Caelum winced, feeling his mouth move slowly as his mind continued to process his surroundings in an overclocked state.

*Galatea, you can be really cold at times. But this is taking it too far. I’m going to get suspended for this. First day back at school and already I’m facing another suspension!

[*Relax. She has the slug inside of her so it’ll patch her up in a couple of hours. They’ll have no reason to suspend.]

He frowned sharply, though again he felt it happen slow motion. *She has the Symbiote inside her?

[*Correct. So there’s nothing to worry about. There’s no need for you to hold back.]

In the corner of his eye, he observed Katia shift on her feet but nothing more.

*Nothing to worry about? Fighting on the rooftop, and you think there won’t be consequences?

[*You’re simply defending yourself.]

*And that’s why this doesn’t make any sense! Why would they go this far?

With Frizzy out of the way, the two girls he’d noticed before with Gram-fields now launched themselves at him in a synchronized attack that had him blocking them madly with Aegis-fields shrouding his arms and legs.

“How dare you!” they cried out at him in eerie concert.

Caelum danced back, blocking when he needed to, surprised by how well his Aegis-fields were holding up against their Gram-fields. It was disconcerting to realize that he had their measure.

*What the Hell? I know they sound serious and I know they mean business. But were they ever this weak?

[*They haven’t improved much. But you have. However…you’re being sloppy.]

He used the Aegis-fields sheathing his limbs like armor to block or deflect their attacks. At the same time, he noticed that Galatea had observed correctly that he was moving far too much, and began relaxing his body, falling into a rhythm that would adhere to the doctrine of minimum effort, maximum gain.

[*That’s better. Move more gracefully. Remember – wax on, wax off.]

*Oh, shut up. I don’t like hitting girls, Galatea.

[*They are not girls. They are your opponents. They are the enemy. Underestimate them—show them mercy—and they will cut you down.]

He swallowed slowly, and although he’d relaxed his muscles such that he was no longer fighting himself and the girls, his body continued to feel as though it was moving through water due to his mind’s overclocked state. As he darted about, mindful of the three remaining girls – including Katia who was watching proceedings with a disturbing poker face – forming a triangle around him and his opponents, Caelum’s disquiet grew until he couldn’t ignore it any longer.

*This is wrong, Galatea. This feels wrong. And it’s bloody stupid as well. What are they thinking? They’re going to get suspended along with me.

[*I did mention sensing a discord within them through their Awareness-fields. It’s like they’re at odds with themselves. On the one hand they know that what they are doing is wrong, but they can’t seem to help themselves.]

*That’s not what I’m talking about….

Galatea wasn’t seeing this encounter the way Caelum was. Sometimes, her notion of black-and-white, them-or-us sent disturbing chills down his back.

Caelum slapped down a thrusting Gram-field with his elbow, the Aegis-field protecting it flashing briefly as its outer layer shattered. Just like parrying a blade downward, the girl’s arm dropped sharply and she lost her balance, allowing him enough time to kick her midriff with sufficient force to double her over. However, he did so without an Aegis-field to protect his foot, or he was certain he would have crushed her ribcage.

*Galatea, do you think he used it on them?

She didn’t respond for more than a second. In his overclocked state, he perceived that period as four seconds. When she replied, Caelum could sense that she was troubled.

[*Pervert. You shouldn’t jump to conclusions…though it is a possibility worthy of consideration.]

Caelum lashed out with his right leg wrapped in an Aegis-field, catching an incoming strike from the second girl, and causing it to glance off the barrier. Using an Icarus-field around his left leg to support himself, he kicked out with his right leg still in the air, and knocked the girl back a few steps.

*If he did, I’m going to beat the crap out of him.

Girl A recovered quickly, and slashed at Caelum, forcing him to juke left while blocking her Gram-field with an Aegis-field protecting his right arm. This allowed Girl B, to slam a pivoting kick into his left flank – a blow he barely blocked with his left elbow also wrapped in a protective field. When both his and her Aegis-fields collided, they gave off a noticeable flash of emerald light.

*Galatea, does this girl have the slug in her as well?

[*Umm…yes, she does.]

*You’d better be right about that.

[*Are you doubting me, boy!]

Having blocked the kick from Girl B, Caelum punched at her leg with a considerable amount of force. With his fist gloved in an Aegis-field, the punch he delivered would have cratered a brick wall. Against the girl’s leg, it broke the protective barriers her Remnant was generating, and struck her shin with enough force to break the bone. The girl screamed in agony as she went down, landing on her side on the penthouse building’s rooftop.

[*Oooh, that looks painful. Clap clap clap. You’re finally starting to show some spirit.]

Jumping over Girl B, Caelum succeeded in avoiding the furious slashes Girl A unleashed upon him in retribution for her fallen comrade.

[*Hey, why are you falling back? Get in there and finish her off.]

Caelum ignored her, unwilling to be influenced by her lust for battle that occasionally reared its head at inappropriate times. But he was curious about something.

*Galatea, with this many fields I should be feeling the noose around my neck tighten by now.

[*Oh, about that. I forgot to tell you.]

*Tell me what?

[*I’ve succeeded in disabling your collar for sixty seconds. The device will continue to believe it’s delivering punishment, but in fact it’s been turned off. Any longer and the collar’s intelligence unit will grow suspicious as to why you’re still able to move around. You have thirty-three seconds remaining before the effect wears off.]

A grin broke out across his face, spreading from ear-to-ear.

*Galatea, you’re a blood lusting vixen.

[*Huh?]

*But you do have your moments.

[*Humph! Well—of course I do. You should treasure me more.]

*Sure. Let’s go on a date.

[*I can’t do that you bastard. I don’t have a body!]

That was true. Galatea was just a voice in his, one that came from the bracelet, and one that he suspected came from somewhere inside the Kaiser’s Blessing’s Sarcophagus. It may very well originate from the Remnant itself. He didn’t know, but ever since he woke up from the coma eight weeks ago, Galatea had been with him. However, he kept her existence a secret from everyone else. Whether that made her his trump card was something he was certain of because though he made use of her advise, he had no intention of revealing her to anyone.

[*Grrr—will you stop playing with this girl and finish her off!]

Nipping about the rooftop, he pushed Galatea’s complaint aside as he considered his options against Girl A, the blonde girl sporting a short boyish cut that suited her well. Though his attention was on her as he moved about, he frequently spied upon Katia and the two other girls keeping their distance.

*What are they waiting for? Why haven’t they joined in yet?

[*I sense they are undecided. Deal with them later.]

He cursed silently, and then focused on Girl A.

The problem with employing traditional martial arts against another Familiar was how to deal with the various types of fields Remnants could manifest. Grappling with Girl A’s Gram-field while his hands were gloved by Aegis-fields was like meeting an open blade with armored gauntlets. He’d done it twice before against Frizzy, but this girl was wary of that tactic, and wielded her Gram-field with fast, lightning attacks that made it difficult for Caelum to catch the lethal field. In addition, she was manifesting the field in the form of a long, curved blade, that she wielded with a two-handed grip that he was unfamiliar with.

*Damn, she’s fast. What the Hell kind of sword style is this?

Sensing she had an edge on him, Girl A continued to press her advantage as Caelum struggled to deal with her unfathomably quick sword technique.

*This isn’t something they teach here, he realized. *Where the Hell did she learn this?

[*Pervert, you are beginning to bore me.]

Without warning, a Gram-field formed around his right arm, quickly followed by another around his left arm, taking the shape of very familiar arm-blades that extended three feet beyond his clenched hands.

“What the—?”

Caelum didn’t have time to finish his sentence as Girl A slashed at him with the barely visible blade. Reflexively, he used the newly summoned shimmering, translucent arm-blades to first parry, then knock back the girl’s katana-shaped Gram-field. Perhaps she was taken by surprise by the sudden reversal. Regardless, Girl A suddenly retreated several feet, and held her shimmering blade at the ready.

[*That’s more like it, Pervert. Show her who’s boss.]

*Galatea—what do you think you’re doing?

[*Me? I thought you’d appreciate those blades.]

*I was doing well enough without them.

[*Oh really? Well, you have fifteen seconds remaining. Better finish her before then.]

Caelum clenched his teeth, and took advantage of Girl A’s surprise, apologizing to her within his heart. But he forcefully changed the Gram-fields he wielded into Aegis-fields that struck rather than cut the girl’s body. The impact was equivalent to being hit with a baseball bat at full swing. The girl blocked his Aegis-fields, but the difference in strength was telling, and she slid back across the rooftop, breathing heavily as she quickly assumed a defensive stance.

*Time to run!

He relinquished the Aegis-fields he was wearing like arm-blades, and they faded away in a heartbeat. Then he summoned a pair of Icarus-fields that lent wings to his heels. Sprinting across the rooftop of the machine room penthouse, he ran directly for the fencing separating the roof of the west wing of the school building from the bridgeway connecting it to the donut shaped cafeteria to the east.

Galatea sounded flabbergasted.

[*Pervert—you’re running away?]

*Damn right, I’m running away. You think I can beat all those girls with only thirteen seconds on the clock!

[*Wait—if it’s about the collar, I can turn it off for another minute.]

*I don’t need you turning it off. I just need to get away from them. Why are you so eager for me to fight them?

With his leap boosted by the Icarus-fields extending from his ankles, Caelum soared upwards to the top of the twenty-foot high fencing that surrounding the school wing.

As large as they were, the asteroid Islands lacked the mass to generate any significant gravity. Having them spin about their long axis was also out of the question because of the design of the habitats and the need to keep the Islands moored together. Therefore, the engineers had installed effect-field emitters throughout every habitat, and these generated invisible fields that pulled down on objects thereby simulating gravity. Every building, every street, park, pool, and tunnel had emitters installed beneath them, generating a field that grounded the objects above them. That meant a lot of emitters since Pharos was a large space colony, far larger than the ring shaped orbital cities that occupied low orbit above many of the re-colonized worlds that belonged to the Aventis Territories.

What this meant was that the higher up from the ground of a habitat, or the roof of a building, the weaker the artificial gravity because of the increased distance to the nearest gravity emitter. That made the Icarus-field emanating from around Caelum’s legs more effective, and he could feel the slight drop in gravity as he flew up to the top of the fence.

Landing lightly, he paused for a heartbeat to glance down at the girls, and in that moment his eyes met Katia’s gaze. Her lips moved as if to say, ‘you’re not getting away’.

Turning quickly, he pushed off the top of the fencing. With the Icarus-fields manifested around his feet, Caelum flew down to the roof of the bridgeway joining the cafeteria to the west wing of the high school building. He was reminded of those athletes who would jump from immense ski slopes and then glide gracefully to the distant ground.

This time he touched down a little more heavily, but it wasn’t enough to bother him. Rolling forward to bleed off some of the excess energy from the landing, Caelum came up on his feet and was soon sprinting along the rooftop toward the cafeteria building. Caelum winced at the sight of hundreds of students cramming the balconies of the cafeteria, all of them watching the fight on the machine room’s rooftop.

I’m definitely getting suspended again.

His Awareness-field sensed a distortion behind him and translated it into a faintly disorienting sensation that had him glancing over his right shoulder in the direction he’d fled.

Katia flew up and over the fencing as though she’d been hoisted into the air on a wire rig and harness. Floating down to the bridgeway, she descended gracefully and touched down on the rooftop before setting off at a run in pursuit of Caelum.

He glanced at her again and noticed she was gaining on him.

*Galatea, she used an Impulse-field. That’s cheating.

[*Not in her book, Pervert.]

An Impulse-field was a Remnant’s high grade ability and one that took months of practice before a Familiar’s body had matured sufficiently to be able to use it. A first year student would have difficulty summoning it; second year could employ it; but a third year could make use of it, and Katia was a senior at the Academy. But to wield it without a Remnant wasn’t possible while wearing an active restraining collar.

*Her collar is definitely off. Damn it! How the Hell did she manage that?

If Katia’s collar was indeed temporarily turned off, it put Caelum at a horrid disadvantage once his collar became active again

“Come back here you cheating Pervert,” Katia demanded as she chased him.

Caelum continued to run toward the cafeteria that loomed before him like a giant stadium in the shape of a donut.

[*Pervert, you have ten seconds remaining. You’re not going to get away from her.]

*I’m not planning to.

[*Then what are you—?]

*Let’s see how serious she is?

[*Are you intending to leave the school grounds? You’ll be suspended if you do.]

*I don’t need to go that far. I just need to put myself in a crowd.

Caelum put more power into his run as he neared the cafeteria balcony rising above the bridgeway.

“Hey,” Katia shouted as she ran, “where are you going?”

Caelum yelled back, “To the one place where you can’t hit me!”

Galatea sighed in his mind. [*I see. So that’s your plan. Very well. I’ve disabled the collar for another forty-three seconds. Don’t blame me for what happens when your time runs out.]

*That’s going to depend on her.

Too focused on running, he didn’t thank Galatea but promised himself he would later.

Arriving at the cafeteria, Caelum used an Icarus-field to launch himself upwards to the lowest balcony.

Gravity may have been weaker at this height, and his twenty-foot jump was extraordinarily high courtesy of the Icarus-fields, but there were limitations to wielding Remnant-fields through the bracelets. One of them was that they were significantly weaker. The other was that some fields like the Icarus-field had a short lifespan – a handful of seconds at best – but it was sufficient for them to act as powerful trampolines that lengthened every running stride or improved every jump. Unfortunately, they worked best against physical objects such as the ground or walls because they needed something to push off. This is what made Katia’s jump over the top of the west wing of the school so impressive, because she hadn’t used an Impulse-field to manipulate the space around her, and Caelum made a mental note to question her about it later if the opportunity presented itself.

However, because of their limitations, Caelum had to be careful with how he used the Icarus-fields because once in the air they were ineffective due to the little resistance they encountered.

There were startled outcries from the Aventis students standing on the balcony watching the spectacle. Caelum glimpsed their shocked faces as he landed on the parapet surrounding the balcony, but he also noticed a number of cheering faces and that surprised him. Jumping down from the parapet, he ran between tables to close the distance to the next terraced balcony, then leapt onto it like a human sized frog rebounding on a trampoline.

As unappealing as the description was, it was somewhat fitting as he repeated the process and then leapt to the highest of the three balconies, this time resorting to using a Hecaton-field to extend the length of his arms and thereby grab the balcony parapet above him. Combined with his strong leap, Caelum landed upright on the top of the parapet, and glanced behind him to spy Katia jumping toward him with ease. Through the Awareness-field he sensed the faint distortion of the Impulse-field she summoned to cancel the inertia of the jump and to make the space around her move rather have her move through it.

[*Pervert—watch out!]

Distracted by Katia behind him, the warning came too late. Caelum barely noticed the large mass of muscle and bone wrapped in an Aegis-field that slammed into his unprotected body, knocking him off the balcony parapet and into the air. Winded, dazed, and feeling as though he’d been run over by a speeding truck, Caelum fell away from the highest balcony of the cafeteria building.

He watched the sky and the buildings spin around him.

Twisting while falling, he managed to correct his descent by extending Icarus-fields around his legs, having them act as a combination of airbrakes and small parachutes. Below him stood a forest of trees that occupied the area north of the cafeteria. The small forest stretched all the way to the dormitory buildings that housed a thousand or more students. As he fell toward them, Caelum realized he was in for a hard landing.

*This is going to hurt.

[*Above you!]

He craned his neck around to see a large male student flying feet first toward him, and he realized with a start who had knocked him off the building.

Leon Le Grange.

With a war cry, Le Grange slammed a heavy foot into Caelum’s back, sending him falling at an accelerated rate into the trees. In a hurry, he summoned an Aegis-field around his arms and torso. With his arms held up as shields, Caelum ploughed through branches thick and thin, then crashed hard into the undergrowth, landing between the tree roots. The impact winded him, and addled his senses. His overclocked state slipped away and time resumed normally within his mind as he lay on the firm ground.

*Damn, that really hurt.

[*Pervert, you’d best get up. Oh—and the collar has realized that something is up and is about to go postal.]

Caelum raised his head off the grass. “I need more time.”

[*Then I’ll have to kill the collar.]

Something large and heavy landed between the trees behind him, and Caelum heard running footsteps.

Pushing himself up to his feet, he swayed and leaned heavily against a tree.

*Do it. I’ll blame it on a failure and overuse.

[*That will make this the second collar you’ve burnt out.]

*I know. Three strike and I’m out.

Galatea sighed unhappily in his mind, in contrast Leon Le Grange who thundered toward him, eyes blazing and ham sized fists clenched to deliver some punishment.

Caelum pushed away from the tree, and tried to stand in a defensive posture, but Le Grange punched him so hard it made his vision swim, and the blow sent him staggering between the trees.

“You bastard! What did you do to Katia?”

Caelum spotted a clearing ahead with benches, and dashed toward it though at best he meandered between the trees in its general direction. If not for the Symbiote spread out inside him – a Symbiote his body was already beginning to break down and consume – he believed he’d be unconscious by now, though he suspected he was concussed. His Awareness-field warned of Le Grange pursuing him, and Caelum summoned his reserves of strength and arrived at the clearing ahead of the large young man, falling past the tree line and landing on his hands and knees.

There were girls seated on the benches spread across the garden clearing.

He didn’t notice them until now, probably because he wasn’t seeing straight.

Upon his unorthodox entrance, they froze and stared at him like frightened maidens caught bathing nude in a grotto.

The appearance of Le Grange who grabbed Caelum and tossed him into the air toward the small fountain in the middle of the clearing, sent the girls to their feet. But it was the arrival of a handful of other young men behind Le Grange that had the girls fleeing the clearing, and Caelum realized that the Familiars arraying themselves behind the large young man were undoubtedly his posse.

Again, Caelum pushed himself up to his feet, though this time he used the edge of the fountain pool to help him stand up.

[*Pervert, I’ve suspended the collar but I can’t stop it. When this is over, I’ll have to release the collar and you’re going to get one hell of a shock from it. You may die in the process.]

*What?

[*Don’t worry. The Symbiote will undoubtedly revive you, and I’ll do what I can. But you’re going to be in pain for a few hours.]

*Shit—Galatea, you’re just full of good news.

[*Stop bitching and take it like a man. This is what you get for not dealing with those girls when I told you to!]

Le Grange strode up to him, ready to pound Caelum into the garden soil.

“You really have no shame! No self-control. You embarrass all of us!”

Caelum struggled to voice a reply. “…misunderstanding…I assure you….” He held up a hand in surrender. “They…ganged up on me….”

Le Grange loomed over Caelum, and the thunder god Odin would have been proud of the picture Le Grange presented. If his eyes could have unleashed lightning, then they would have. “To think a weakling like you defeated me last year.”

Caelum would have laughed if he had the energy to. “I defeated…a lot of people…last year….”

“Time for some payback.”

“…save that for later…in the arena,” Caelum replied and summoned an Aegis-field to protect his head, then balled his fists.

Le Grange ignored Caelum’s fists and grabbed him by the shirt, yanking him almost into the air, while drawing back a fist that shimmered with an Aegis-field.

If struck by it, Caelum was certain he would be knocked unconscious.

Eight weeks since spending eight weeks in a coma. And now this. Wonderful.

Le Grange spat out the words. “I’m going to rearrange your face so that no girl will ever come near you again.”

Caelum snorted. “That’ll make me as ugly as you.”

Unable to overclock, the punch from Le Grange was too fast for him to follow.

For a moment or two he blacked out under the impact that shattered the Aegis-field around his head. When he was conscious again, Caelum noticed he was wet and realized the blow had launched him into the fountain pool.

Le Grange pulled him out of it, and held him up to deliver another punch, but this time Caelum kicked out with what strength remained in his legs.

The blow struck Le Grange between his legs, and the large boy almost crumpled. Yet he had sufficient resilience to throw Caelum out of the fountain pool and onto the grass.

Rolling to a stop, Caelum wondered if his jaw was broken because his face was ablaze and his tongue was numb.

Propping himself up to his knees, he then staggered back up to his feet, and his wavering Awareness-field warned him of an incoming object.

He dodged on instinct, and Le Grange’s swinging leg missed Caelum by inches.

Spinning away, he noticed to his surprise that his vision was clearing and wondered if it was Galatea or the Symbiote inside him that was pulling out all the stops to keep him on his feet. Regardless, they saved him from the punches and kicks that followed.

Le Grange had power, but he lacked speed, and his failing allowed Caelum to keep up with the large boy despite his inability to overclock his consciousness.

For many seconds, he avoided and blocked the strikes Le Grange was delivering, until an opportunity presented itself and Caelum struck back.

As luck would have it, Caelum had ducked due to moment of dizziness and Le Grange’s fist and arm swung over his head, parting the air and leaving a vacuum in its wake. But it left Le Grange open for a split second, and Caelum seized upon the chance to return some of the pain he was receiving. With an Aegis-field gloving his right fist, he landed a kidney punch that had Le Grange’s eyes bulging in agony. After Caelum struck with a second punch, this one under the large high schooler’s ribs, Le Grange doubled over slightly and staggered back.

Chasing him down, Caelum kicked Le Grange with the toes of his left indoor shoe, burying it into the student’s midriff. The air blew out of Le Grange’s lungs in a rush. Winded, he retreated again, but Caelum followed up with a leaping haymaker that struck the side of the boy’s skull, and the impact addled Le Grange sufficiently to buckle his legs and drop him down to one knee.

Caelum stopped when he saw Le Grange’s unfocused eyes.

A second punch to the head with an Aegis armored fist might prove troublesome since he sensed through his Awareness-field that Le Grange did not have the Symbiote inside his body. Though Familiars were more resilient than Regulars, there was a limit to the punishment they could sustain before it became life threatening.

That momentary hesitation cost him because in the next moment Le Grange’s posse had grabbed onto him. Using Hecaton and Aegis-fields, they overwhelmed him through strength in numbers. Held upright by two of the seniors, a third punched Caelum repeatedly in the chest and stomach, while a fourth and fifth helped Le Grange back up to his feet.

“He’s mine,” the muscular boy rumbled as he pushed his lackeys away.

A girl’s voice disagreed. “No, he’s not.”

In his greying vision, Caelum saw a shadow fly out of right field and the boy punching him vanished a heartbeat later, knocked away with such force that he exited the clearing and crashed into the garden trees.

Le Grange all but howled, “Alcazar!”

The two boys holding onto Caelum suddenly released him when they were struck from behind by someone moving fast even for his Awareness-field. As Caelum fell flat to the grassy ground, he heard the boys land somewhere behind him, but he was too exhausted and beaten to push himself up and look around. Instead, he relied on his Awareness-field – faint as it was – to perceive his surroundings, and thus he sensed when a girl with an athletic build approached him. However, she didn’t pick him up or help him to his feet. Rather, she placed herself protectively between him and Le Grange whom Caelum could sense was trembling in furious disbelief at what he believed was a clear betrayal of loyalties.

“Alcazar? What are you doing? This doesn’t involve you!”

“I don’t know what Asakura was up to. But you’re taking this too far, Le Grange. Way too far!” The girl who’d saved Caelum from the beating sounded undeniably angry. “You’re a senior. You’re supposed to set an example!”

“I am setting an example. For him, and all the others. I’m making it clear what happens when they don’t respect their seniors.”

“How? By killing him? This is ridiculous. What the Hell are you and Asakura thinking?”

“It’s hard enough for us as it is in this school. We don’t need him making it worse for us.”

“So this what you and Asakura cooked up together? She and her followers soften him up for you, and then you go in for the kill?” The girl laughed in disbelief. “How stupid can the two of you be? And in full view of everybody on the courtyards and the cafeteria? Do you realize you’re risking a major suspension? Worse, you could get expelled. Mason is going to come down on you like a tonne of concrete.”

“Mason can’t afford that. Not if she wants us to win the Fiestas for her.”

“Jeezes, Le Grange. You’re not seriously saying that, are you?”

Slowly, and with a great deal of effort, Caelum pushed through the pain in his body and then raised himself onto his elbows. He looked up at Zenobia, but could only see as far as her legs, and the bottom of her skirt.

Zenobia? Why is she here? Why? Le Grange is right. This doesn’t concern her. I’m the one they’re setting up. She shouldn’t be here….

[*That’s a stupid question, Pervert.]

*No. I don’t want her dragged into this.

[*She made her choice. The least you can do is respect her for it.]

The girl’s legs were spread shoulder width apart, and through the gap between them, Caelum saw a fuming Le Grange wearing a complicated expression. No doubt he wanted to push Zenobia aside to finish dealing with Caelum, but something held him back.

“Leave now, Le Grange,” Zenobia warned him. “Leave before you make this worse not just for yourself but for the rest of us.”

“I think it’s a little late for that,” he replied. “And I’m going to finish what Katia started. I’m going to pound respect into him. I’m going to hammer it into him. I’m going to have him piss himself whenever he sees me.”

“Like that’s ever going to happen.”

“It will when I’m finished with him.”

“That just proves how little you know, Le Grange. What doesn’t break him, makes him stronger. That’s just the way Caelum is.”

“We’ll see about that. Now…get out of the way, Alcazar.”

“Make me, Le Grange.”

In his peripheral vision, Caelum noticed movement and realized the members of Le Grange’s posse were surrounding him and Zenobia.

Shit, this is bad! Really bad! Get up! Damn it! Get up!

Feeling emboldened, Le Grange tried to sound conciliatory as though he was occupying the high ground. “Alcazar, I’m not going to hurt you. But you’re not getting in my way.”

Supporting himself with his arms, Caelum rose to his knees. Beaten as he was, he wasn’t going to allow Le Grange to hurt Zenobia.

[*Pervert, I’m sorry. I need to release the collar.]

“…huh…?”

[*I can’t suspend its processing any longer.]

“…no, I need more time….”

[*Tell me later if you remember seeing a white light or experience any form of astral projection.]

“…what…?”

Galatea sighed wearily in his mind. [*Tell me if you have an out of body experience.]

“…oh no….”

A heartbeat later agony raced through his body as the restraining collar went ballistic on him, expending the life in its batteries in the span of seconds.

Caelum’s body jerked so violently he could feel the tendons about to snap under the strain of his muscles contracting and expanding as pain burned through every fiber of his being, and a loud scream ripped out of his lungs, tearing through the clearing. Then the collar shut down, and Caelum collapsed onto the grass.

“Caelum!”

By a miracle his heart kept beating, but his body was disconnected for his mind, as though all the strings that joined the two together had been cut. He couldn’t reply to Zenobia, and with his Awareness-field gone he couldn’t sense his surroundings anymore. Overwhelmed by the experience, his consciousness began to slip away. But as his vision faded into darkness, Caelum saw something that surprised him even as he fell unconscious.

It was the sight of a flat chested girl and her companions stepping into the clearing behind Le Grange and his cronies….

– II –

Caprice entered the cafeteria while talking to Rina Sayen on her palm-slate. The girl guided her to the fifth level and to a table by the window with a view of the Academy’s northern grounds that included a vista of the luscious gardens that lay between the teaching faculty buildings and the dormitories to the north.

Four chairs surrounded the round table but only two were occupied, and Maya and Rina were sitting at the table sipping cold drinks from plastic bottles.

“Did you get the strap fixed?” Maya asked in a flat voice.

“Actually, it was taken care of before I got there,” Caprice replied.

“What does that mean?”

“Nothing. It’s all good.” A moment later she reconsidered being secretive and said, “The Pervert bought me a new school bag. He left it waiting for me back in the classroom.”

Maya’s eyebrows rose for a moment as she sipped her soda through a straw. “Oh….”

Caprice looked at the empty table. “So, what about lunch?”

Rina stood up. “So, what do you two want?”

Maya arched an eyebrow at the girl. “School lunches doesn’t count. We agreed it has to be a three-course meal at a restaurant.”

“I know, I know,” Rina said while waving her hands in surrender.

“Fine. Then see if that spicy curry is still on offer,” Maya added.

Rina looked expectantly at Caprice, but the latter shook her head. “I’ll go with you and get my own lunch.”

“And I’ll mind the table,” Maya declared, waving them off with the parting words, “Bring me another lemon soda.”

The nine-floor cafeteria had three kitchens, one on the first, fourth, and seventh levels. While the first to six levels were open to either first or second year students, the top three floors of the cafeteria were the domain of the high-school seniors. In addition, those floors had open air terrace style balconies that ran the full circumference of the cafeteria building. Rank and seniority certainly had its privileges at Galatea Academy, and Caprice didn’t think it was any different at the other Aventis schools. It wasn’t just the distinction between Familiars and Aventis that was impressed upon her mindset, but the differences between the seniors and the rest of the high schoolers.

Each cafeteria level was circular with a hole in the middle. Resembling the DNA double-helix, two spiral staircases wound their up through the hole. Caprice followed Rina down one of the helix stairs to the fourth level where the nearest kitchen was located, then lined up with a hundred other students. Once they reached the food counter, they filled up three trays with food, and Rina picked up another lemon soda for Maya, while getting her and Caprice bucket sized cups of fresh orange juice. Using the Academy app installed on their palm-slates to pay for their meals, they carried their spoils back up to the fifth level.

However, all was not sunshine and roses when they returned to the table Maya had stayed behind to mind for them.

Haruka Amiella, Siobhan St Clair, and the girl with the sweet prickly tongue and dangerous mind, Alastair Kell Avenir, stood before Maya who was guarding the table.

As Caprice stepped closer, she overheard the argument.

“All I’m saying,” Alistair said, “is that we saw this table first.”

“Regardless,” Maya replied, “there was no one here when I arrived.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that we were here first.”

“First you saw the table. Now you were here? Make up your mind.”

Alistair waited a second before explaining, “I asked the girls at the other tables to mind it for us.”

“People rarely do things for free. Aventis even less so. You should know that by now. After all, you are a Pureblood.”

Alistair stared across at Maya in exasperation and the latter narrowed her eyes, yet neither girl showed any willingness to back down.

After a moment, Alistair suggested, “In that case, why don’t we settle this with a match of rock-paper-scissors.”

“Denied,” Maya declared.

Siobhan sighed and faced Alistair. “Let’s just go. We may find another table.”

However, the girl remained stubbornly steadfast. “No. We saw this table first. We’re keeping it. We are not leaving.”

Maya shook her head and sounded faintly resentful. “You Aventis are all the same. You think that because you’re Aventis you’re special. You think everyone just has to get out of your way.”

Alistair pressed her lips tightly before stating in a flat tone, “That’s not what this is about.”

“But you want my friends and I to give up our table.”

“Only because we saw it first.”

Maya crossed her arms. “It’s bad enough that we get segregated in class, but we’re not allowed to take part in sports carnivals, and we can’t participate in P.E. class, but now we can’t even sit at a table in the cafeteria. Now you won’t even let us eat in peace.”

Standing behind Alistair, Haruka Amiella reached out and touched the girl’s shoulder. “Alistair, let’s go eat elsewhere. I don’t think we’re being fair.”

Alastair snorted dismissively and through her Awareness-field, Caprice noticed the change in the girl. “Look, Haruka, the little puppy feels victimized.”

“That’s right,” Maya said and touched the collar she wore. “We Familiars with Remnants are dogs of the Aventis.” The short girl stepped up to Alastair. “But do you know what keeps your kind in power?”

Alastair smiled fearlessly. “The Symbiote, of course.”

“You really are stupid and delusional,” Maya stated in a disappointed tone. “I guess being a Pureblood did nothing for your intelligence.”

“Then you tell me the answer.”

Maya pointed at herself with a thumb. “Familiars are what keep the Aventis in power. Familiars like me and our Remnants. Without us, your kind wouldn’t be where you are today. And you wouldn’t be in power because you don’t have the numbers to be in power. You’re a minority, and your kind only rule because everyone is afraid of what we Familiars will do to them. We can do what you can’t. We’re the ones with true power.”

Alastair’s smile grew wider. “Then why is it that you wear a leash and I don’t?”

“That’s a really good question. After winning the war for you, why did my ancestors hand power to your kind that doesn’t deserve it?” Maya’s eyes narrowed on Alastair. “Why did they give away their right to rule?”

The brunette shrugged blithely. “Like it matters. What matters is that we rule and you do our bidding. So that means if we say beg, you beg. Comprende, little puppy?”

“Little puppy?” Maya started to smile and it wasn’t pleasant. “I’m not a puppy, I’m a wolf.” She leaned into Alastair’s face. “And do you know what I see when I look at you?”

“Someone superior to you in every way.”

“No, I see food.”

With that, Maya smiled and showed off her fangs, and the Aventis girls stiffened, including Alastair who continued to smile yet she wasn’t smiling any more.

Caprice’s chest tightened unpleasantly at sight of Maya’s fangs, and she remembered when she looked in a mirror and saw her own fangs for the first time. They scared her then, and they still scared her now, even though they were a part of her body.

The fangs were a product of a Familiar’s Awakening. Not only did they become stronger and able to consume the Symbiote, but they gained a pair of fangs that they could extend and retract, and just like a mythical Vampire, a Familiar could use those fangs to bit the flesh of an Aventis and drink their blood, thus taking in the Symbiote into their bloodstream where it would grow and make them stronger than an Aventis for several days.

Caprice had only used her fangs a few times to demonstrate she had control over them when the Lanfear Pride’s physicians ran tests on her body. However, she had never ingested blood by biting an Aventis, only by drinking the blood held in a refrigerated state.

It wasn’t just the fangs that frightened her, but the incredible rush she received when she drank Aventis blood. Drinking Regular blood made her ill and nauseous, but Aventis blood made her body sing like a well-tuned harp. It scared her and it shamed her, and reminded her of how much she had changed in the span of fifteen months.

Maya licked her lips and smiled hungrily at Alastair who remained outwardly calm while terror slowly spread through her body. Caprice knew this because her Awareness-field was monitoring the hormonal and temperature changes within the Aventis girl’s body, informing Caprice that despite appearances, Alastair was indeed quite scared of Maya.

“Hey, are you threatening her?” asked a girl from another table, rising to her feet with a menacing glare.

A second girl stood up, and glared equally as hard at Maya. “If you’re trying to scare her, we’ll report you.”

Caprice glanced around and noticed that the girls seated at the surrounding tables were rising to their feet in opposition to Maya.

“Why don’t you just leave that table?” a tall, pretty girl with curly chestnut hair wearing the short crimson tie of a first year suggested as she walked up to Maya. “We were minding that for her.”

“No, you weren’t,” Maya replied tersely.

“Yes, I was. You came and took it and ignored me.”

“I didn’t ignore you. You never said anything.”

“Yes, she did,” the tall girl’s companions who’d been seated at nearby table now formed up behind their friend. “She told you that table was being minded.”

Maya shook her head. “She said nothing.”

“Are you calling us liars?” a girl wearing her hair in a braid demanded.

Caprice realized she was shaking her head while resentment welling up in her chest.

So this is what Maya was talking about back in the classroom.

As she stepped forward with her tray in hand she stopped when she noticed the girls from another table rise to confront Maya who was showing nerves of steel in the face of such antagonism.

“You should give that table back,” a buxom blonde girl suggested forcefully.

“And we’re going to report you to the teachers,” another girl with shoulder length dark hair intoned.

“Hey, someone call the teachers over. This Familiar bitch should face detention.”

Caprice wondered how the teachers would view this confrontation, but it was more than likely they would side with the Aventis girls.

A slim girl with flaxen hair and freckles spoke up angrily. “You want to bare your fangs at us? How about we get them pulled out?”

“Do Familiars grow their teeth back?”

“I don’t know. Why don’t we find out.”

Maya shook her head and sneered at the girls surrounding her. “You Aventis are truly disgusting.”

“Say that again, little bitch,” the buxom blonde warned in a steely tone.

“I said you’re all disgusting,” Maya snarled and showed her anger. “Filthy weaklings.”

“Weaklings,” the blonde growled. “I’ll show you who’s weak.”

Abruptly Caprice felt a chill as she sensed the Aegis-field forming around Maya’s right hand clenched in a fist.

No, Maya. Don’t. Don’t do it.

Oblivious to the danger a single punch from Maya presented, Alistair tilted her head slightly and spoke with a sweetly venomous smile on her lips. “Do you understand now? You don’t have a place here. Leave little doggy.”

Maya turned to Alistair. “Make me.”

Caprice hurried forward, fueled by the desire to protect Maya. But she stopped abreast of Amiella and spoke softly. “Thanks for the welcome,” she told the busty brunette who was watching the scene with a miserable look that bordered on tears. “This place is going to be so much fun.”

Amiella’s head turned swiftly, and her lips parted as though to say something, but then the words choked in her throat. She looked away hastily and bowed her head.

Caprice pushed a girl standing between her and Maya out of the way. “Move,” she demanded.

The girl turned to protest, but Caprice grew furious, and yelled at her, “Move! Now!”

Her shout was enough to get the girl to back away without a protest, though she glared at Caprice.

Ignoring her, Caprice addressed Maya who doing her best to contain her own anger from spilling out into violence. “Maya, let’s go.”

The girl returned the glares directed at her as she replied, “Why should we?”

“Because I found another table.”

It was a lie, but she felt the situation was unsalvageable, and she didn’t want Maya being reprimanded for scaring Alistair by baring her fangs. Some Aventis considered the baring of a Familiar’s fangs as akin to drawing a knife. Caprice knew from having read the Academy student handbook, that Familiars were not allowed to reveal their fangs to any of the students. By the handbook’s words, Maya had committed an infraction that if reported could land her in detention and docked a handful of demerit points.

Standing behind Alistair, Haruka abruptly raised her head and hesitantly asked, “Is there really another table? Would you show us? We can use that table—”

“No,” Caprice replied curtly. “You wanted this table you can have it.” Because her hands were occupied with the tray and drinks, she nudged Maya with a shoulder. “Let’s go. As my father would say, there’s no profit here.”

For a moment, Caprice was certain she saw despair and frustration flash across Maya’s face before the girl assumed an impassive expression. Even if she couldn’t see it, she could feel it through her Awareness-field – the bitterness and resentment that swelled up within her newfound friend. It roiled within Maya, flickering into anger that faded back into an intense dislike that could be called hatred.

“Let’s go,” Caprice said softly. “Our lunches will get cold.”

Caprice started turning away, but Haruka called out to her. “Um, Steiner—”

“I don’t want to hear it from you,” Caprice responded in a cold voice that she believed would have made her father proud. “You have what you wanted. Now, enjoy your lunches—”

In the corner of her eye, Caprice noticed something through the window beside the table they’d had to abandon.

A group of girls surrounded a male student, all of them standing on the roof of a machine room atop the west wing of the high school building. The lone boy was darting about as he fended off an attacking girl with a long frizzy mane of hair.

“What’s going on over there?” asked a male student who was seated at a table by another window.

“I don’t know. Are they playing around?” the boy sharing the table with him replied.

“Hey, isn’t that the Pervert?” the girl with them pointed out. “That looks like the Pervert.”

By now more and more of the students in the cafeteria were noticing the commotion, turning away from the girls crowded around Maya. They either faced the windows or hurried over to them, and soon there were hundreds of students crowding for a view of the west wing’s rooftop. Caprice did the same. Together with Maya and Sayen, she had hurried over to the closest window for a better look at the distant building. Standing by the window, she watched the action and listened to the students nearby commenting enthusiastically.

“Wow,” a male student blurted out. “They’re amazing.”

“Shit—look at that speed,” a second boy verbalized. “Awesome.”

“Hey, the air is shimmering around them. You see that?”

“I think that’s what they call Remnant fields,” a girl explained.

“A Gram-field? Don’t they cut things up with those?”

“Look, it flashed green. The air flashed green.”

“Aegis-fields,” the girl said. “They’re like shields.”

“That’s so cool.”

“Hey, I thought the collars were supposed to stop them from doing that?” a boy asked.

There was a moment of silence from those around him, before a girl asked, “Maybe they’re practicing?”

“Yeah, that must be it. They’re practicing.”

“Uh huh. Practice.”

Caprice swallowed anxiously. The Aventis weren’t seeing things the way she was, and Caprice felt her chest tighten with worry that grew a little with every breath she took.

“I don’t think they’re playing around,” Maya said in a grim tone, matching the conclusion Caprice had arrived at. “And I don’t think he’s playing around either.”

On the heels of her words, Desanto landed a hit on the girl with frizzy hair that sent her rolling along the roof of the machine room. When the girl failed to rise, it was apparent that Desanto had struck hard enough to break her ribs.

Caprice nodded faintly in agreement, the scene making her chest tighten even more. “Yeah, I think you’re right.”

Standing beside her, Rina Sayen winced. “I know that girl. They call her Frizz Bang. She’s ranked twelfth or something.”

Two girls joined the fray, and Desanto moved with surprising speed and agility as he repelled their combined attack.

“Oh wow,” Sayen said. “They’re really pushing him.”

Maya disagreed a curt shake of her head. “No. He’s holding back. I’m sure of it.”

Rina sounded didn’t sound convinced. “I don’t think so, Maya.”

It didn’t appear that way to Caprice either as she watched Desanot dart about, and it wasn’t long before she felt him prove she was right.

Desanto subdued one girl with a punch to her leg that left her on the ground curled in agony, and then he hammered the second girl with enough force to send her sliding across the machine room’s rooftop.

“I thought you said he was holding back,” Caprice remarked.

“He is holding back,” Maya insisted.

Rina was shaking her head as she repeated, “Ah…I don’t think so, Maya.”

A change rippled through the Aventis students crowding the windows, one that Caprice sensed through her Awareness-field, and of a sudden they weren’t sounding so enthusiastic anymore.

“Hey, did the Pervert break her leg?”

“I—I think so. She’s not getting up.”

“I don’t think this is practice,” a girl nervously said. “This isn’t practice.”

“That girl with frizzy hair. I think her ribs are broken. She looks hurt bad.”

“This isn’t practice,” the girl repeated. “Right? This isn’t practice.”

Out on the machine room’s rooftop, Desanto fled before the remaining girls could move in on him. With a running leap, he jumped onto the fencing separating the west wing from the enclosed bridgeway connecting that part of the high school building to the cafeteria. When he dropped to the bridgeway, Caprice realized he was making a run for the cafeteria.

“You see?” Maya asked. “He’s not sticking around. If he was serious he would have faced them all.”

In the corner of her eye, Caprice glimpsed Rina fold her arms and pout at the view out of the window. “Yeah, well that girl isn’t giving.”

While the others attended to their fallen comrades, one of the girls pursued Desanto, jumping over the fencing and down to the bridgeway’s roof as though she was supported by a wire rig. Her unnatural descent led Caprice to suspect the girl was using Impulse-fields to move around, and again that was something she shouldn’t have been able to do with an active collar around her neck. In a heartbeat, the girl was running after Desanto, and Caprice recognized her as the girl from the meeting.

“That’s Katia Asakura,” she said. “That’s the girl Desanto called Senpai.”

Maya exhaled loudly. “He’s got a problem on his hands. I’ve heard she really doesn’t like him.”

Caprice spared Maya a glance but then turned back to watch Desanto fleeing the third year student, Katia Alexis Asakura afil Raynar, across the bridgeway rooftop.

What the Hell is going on? Why are they ganging up on her? Did he do something perverted?

Caprice noticed she was grimacing.

Yeah—that’s probably what happened. He is a pervert, after all.

As she watched Desanto being chased by Asakura, Caprice was puzzled. How were they able to use their Remnant fields without being punished by the restraining collars they wore, since the agility and speed they were displaying was well beyond those of a Regular, Familiar, or Aventis. Desanto proved this when leapt onto the balcony of the cafeteria’s sixth level, followed by Asakura a heartbeat later. But then a dozen seconds later, Desanto rocketed away from the cafeteria, falling fast toward the gardens to the north of the donut shaped building. Behind and above him, a large boy followed Desanto’s descent having apparently jumped in pursuit.

“Oh no,” muttered Maya. “That’s the big gorilla from this morning.”

Remembering the burly student, Caprice had the gnawing suspicion that the gorilla had struck Desanto, and that’s why the Pervert fell away from the cafeteria and down into the trees.

A handful of boys leapt from the cafeteria balcony, undoubtedly Familiars since no one else would be crazy enough to leap off a balcony seven or eight floors above ground. Whether they followed to support the giant gorilla or to stop him, they first fell into view and then out of sight when they landed somewhere in the garden of trees.

“Where’s the girl?” Maya asked. “Where did Asakura go?”

Caprice noticed that her hands were trembling, and realized it was because she was in the throes of indecision. But coming to a decision a moment later, her body quickly steadied.

“I’m going after them,” she declared.

In a hurry, she dumped her tray with its content of food and drinks onto the disputed table, then started walking fast to the center of the cafeteria floor space where the helix staircases rose and fell. To her surprise, Maya and Rina followed her, the latter having abandoned the two trays she’d been carrying.

“What are you doing?” she asked them.

“Going with you,” Maya replied while taking the lead. “Pervert Desanto is our classmate. And classmates look out for each other.” She added something that sounded suspiciously like, “Familiars take care of their own,” but Caprice wasn’t sure if she’d heard the girl right.

“What about you?” Caprice asked Rina.

“I go where Maya goes,” the girl stated resolutely. “Besides, we’re friends and friends stick together.”

The girl’s declaration had Caprice miss a step but she caught herself in time and then focused on running down the twisting staircase without tripping or colliding with anyone. Their progress was helped because one helix staircase was dedicated for going up, while the other was dedicated for students wanting to go down. Arriving at ground floor or first level, Caprice ran behind Maya as the girl cut a beeline for the cafeteria’s northern exit, and squeezed through the doors that wouldn’t open fast enough for Caprice’s liking. Then they ran to the northern garden where they guessed Desanto and the other students had landed.

In the sky above them, a girl fell at a gentle angle toward the trees far ahead of them, as though caught in the wind while parachuting down. Caprice couldn’t recognize her because of the distance and angle, but she guessed the girl had leapt from one of the cafeteria balconies. The girl’s skirt fluttered up and revealed her toned derriere to the world. No doubt the Aventis boys on the cafeteria were busy snapping away at her with their palm-slates. Caprice guessed that the photos would be in circulation within the next few minutes.

Whoever she was, the girl landed in the garden ahead of them well before Caprice, Maya, and Rina arrived at the treeline. They avoided the path and ran through the trees, emerging out into a clearing some twenty seconds later. Coming to a standstill, the three girls watched the scene playing out before them.

Desanto was unconscious on the ground, and the girl who’d floated down to the clearing was standing protectively before him, facing off against the large male senior who’d made a scene earlier when he confronted Desanto during the briefing. Even at a distance, Caprice could tell he was trembling and it wasn’t because he was happy. The emotions he was radiating through his Awareness-field carried all the way to the edge of the clearing. The other Familiar students were arrayed in a loose circle around the girl and Desanto.

Now that she could see the girl clearly, Caprice recognized her as the second-year student with blue streaks in her hair.

Maya released a worried gasp before hissing under her breath, “Shit—that’s Alcazar.”

“Who?” Caprice whispered back.

Rina replied nervously, “Zenobia Alcazar. They call her Blue Streak.”

“Why?”

“Because of the blue streaks in her hair and because she’s fast.”

Maya nodded as she swallowed. “Fast doesn’t come close to describing her.”

Caprice carefully regarded Alcazar who continued to face down the large male student, Le Grange. There was a confidence in her stance that implied she was accustomed to facing opponents en masse. Something about her reminded Caprice of Desanto, and her heart tighten briefly.

Clearing her throat quickly, she softly asked, “So what do we do?”

“Frek…I don’t know,” Maya replied under her breath. “I don’t want Alcazar thinking we’re her enemy.”

Though the girl, Alcazar, remained motionless, Caprice believed their entrance had been noticed.

“What’s her rank?” Caprice asked, wondering if she was trying to keep herself calm by talking. At least, her voice sounded steady to her ears.

However, Rina’s voice trembled a little. “Ah…let me see…she’s…she’s ranked number…four?”

“What?” Caprice’s eyes widened. “But she’s only a second year.”

Maya exhaled rudely. “Klaus Brandei is a second year and he’s ranked number one. So what does it matter what high school year you’re in. If you’re strong, you’re strong.”

Caprice pressed her lips together. Or maybe everyone else is just weak.

Alcazar had given no indication of having noticed the girls, but the guys who belonged to Le Grange’s posse standing at the borders of the clearing, viewed their arrival warily. One of them went so far as to warn the girls away.

“Make me,” Maya answered his threat, then winced sharply as her restraining collar burned her when she summoned up something through her Remnant’s bracelet that resembled translucent spears, around a half dozen of them and all pointed at the male Familiar who’d threatened her away. The guy looked startled and abruptly cautious of Maya, who went on to say, “That’s our classmate. We want him back, so get lost!”

The other male students looked uncertain of what to do next, glancing every so often between themselves, Alcazar, the large boy, Le Grange, and now the trio of girls standing at the southern end of the clearing.

One of the guys in Le Grange’s posse grew anxious and nervously asked, “Ah, Leon? This is getting out of hand. Maybe we should call it quits—?”

“Shut it!” Le Grange continued to tremble, and with his back to Caprice, she had no idea what face he was making at Alcazar but no doubt it wasn’t friendly, because the girl was standing in an open posture that could switch to either defensive or offensive in a heartbeat.

Alcazar’s attention suddenly shifted to a point behind Le Grange, just as Caprice felt someone enter the area of her Awareness-field. Concentration on that sensation, she received a flurry of information into her consciousness that was akin to looking behind her – and much more – so in a heartbeat she knew who had followed the trio to the garden.

The buxom girl with long auburn hair marched headlong into the clearing without reservation, though Caprice didn’t doubt for a moment that the girl wasn’t aware of the tense standoff between the Familiars. Nonetheless, Haruka Amiella Avenir strode between Maya and Caprice, earned herself a squeak of worry from Rina, and then walked past Le Grange and Alcazar, arriving at Desanto’s unconscious body a few moments later. With a heavy sigh, she picked him up and then used her strength as an Aventis to toss him onto her back.

She sounded exhausted but not from rushing to his rescue. “Really, Caelum. Why do make me worry so much? Running after you is such a chore and my breasts now hurt.”

The girl stepped around Zenobia Alcazar as she made her way out of the garden clearing, but found herself facing Le Grange who’d stepped into her path.

“Excuse, but could you please move?” Amiella politely asked while looking up at the large male Familiar.

“What the Hell do you think you’re doing?” Le Grange rumbled.

“Taking my friend to the infirmary,” she replied. “Now if you don’t mind, he is quite heavy even for an Aventis like me. So please step aside.”

Caprice felt as though her grip on reality had slipped briefly through her fingers.

Did Haruka Amiella just call the Pervert her friend?

Le Grange inhaled deeply, his massive body swelling up. “I don’t think so, little girl.”

Take a cue from their boss, the other male students angled themselves toward Haruka who carried Desanto on her back.

A moment later, Rina summoned something that resembled a shimmering bow and took aim at the nearest Familiar boy, while Maya gasped in pain as she doubled the number of wavering spears around her, targeting the second set at another male Familiar. The strain on the girls’ faces was evident as they fought down the pain inflicted by the restraining collars.

After rushing here to help Desanto, Caprice realized she was taking somewhat of a backseat compared to the others. Wondering frantically at how best to support them, she remembered her trump card, but was certain Morgan would berate her senseless if she used it since it was only meant to be called upon in the event of an emergency. However, she really had nothing else to fall upon…or maybe there was one more option.

Holding her palms up to her face, she whispered loud enough behind them for the collar’s control unit to hear her.

“I, Brynhildr, return the Ring to the Rhine Maidens.”

A moment later she sensed the collar switch to standby mode.

However, she refrained from summoning her Remnant, affirming to herself that she would only do so if all Hell broke loose. Even then, she had decided she would only summon one of her Remnant’s weapons such as an axe or a sword.

Out near the middle of the clearing, Haruka Amiella Avenir regarded Le Grange towering over her with a disappointed air. “Why don’t you pick on someone your own size, you bully.”

“You’re joking, right?”

“No, I’m not,” she replied. “In fact, I recommend going to the zoo and challenging a gorilla, or an elephant, or one of those mammoths recently cloned after they went extinct millions of years ago.”

“…what did you say…?”

Haruka sighed, and her enormous bosom heaved so dramatically that even Le Grange was distracted by it. With some trouble, Haruka placed Desanto’s unconscious body on the grassy ground, then awkwardly dropped into a boxing stance with her fists at the ready.

“Very well. Come at me,” she declared up at Le Grange who appeared perplexed and thereby unable to respond.

Caprice wondered if the gates of Hell were about to blow wide open. A heartbeat later, she suspected that they had when a young woman dressed in a white business suit and black high heels landed in the middle of the clearing with such force that it unleashed concentric shockwaves that flattened the grass and swayed the nearby trees. The male students were knocked to the ground. Alcazar and Le Grange fell to their knees, while Haruka Amiella and the unconscious Desanto tumbling like windswept leaves across the grassy clearing.

Reflexively, Caprice summoned an Aegis-field wide enough to shield herself, Maya, and Rina from the shockwaves. When she realized the size of the field it shocked her almost as much as the young woman’s unexpected landing. Once the shockwaves had dissipated, Caprice released the Aegis-field in a hurry, relieved when it dispelled in the blink of an eye.

Maya peeked at her through the corner of her eyes. “What was that?” she asked suspiciously.

Caprice shrugged nervously, and then faked being punished by the collar by wincing loudly in agony. “Ow, ow, ow.”

Rina Sayen looked at her in concern. “Are you okay?”

“Not really,” Caprice gasped, putting on the performance of her life, though she noticed Maya glance at her twice before directing her attention on the young blonde woman – the blonde beauty who’d accompanied Principal Mason to the briefing – standing tall in the middle of the clearing. Under her sweeping gaze, the male students vacillated between the urge to flee or face the music. After a few seconds of quiet dark scrutiny, she used an effect-field to amplify her voice to all corners of the clearing.

“Leon Le Grange afil Avenir. You and your…associates…will report to my office immediately.” She eyed the unmoving Le Grange with an austere light in her eyes. “Do not make me tell you again.”

Gritting his teeth, Le Grange bowed his head and then ambled angrily out of the clearing by way of the path that ran through it, and was soon followed by his cohorts, a couple of which gave Maya menacing looks that she ignored.

Next to be addressed was Alcazar.

The blonde woman regarded the girl through narrowed eyes. “Zenobia Alcazar afil Raynar. Since you are a woman, you will have the privilege of explaining yourself here and now rather than before the Principal.”

Alcazar straightened and met the woman’s eyes without flinching. “My former classmate was in trouble. I wasn’t about to sit and do nothing while he was beaten up by that thug and his cronies.”

Caprice bit her lower lip. Former classmate?

Then she remembered that Desanto was repeating year, so Alcazar must have been his classmate last year when they were both first-year high school students.

The young woman continued to hold Alcazar’s gaze for almost a dozen seconds of silence, before nodding faintly. “Report to my office. We’ll discuss your conduct there—no, wait. I just sent Le Grange over there.” The blonde beauty reached up and stroked a temple. “What to do? What to do? Damn you kids are so much trouble….”

“Miss Weinberg,” Alcazar cut in while the young woman was ruminating her options. “Allow me to take Caelum to the infirmary.”

Weinberg? Caprice bit her lip again as she searched her memory. I don’t remember her from orientation week.

Weinberg stopped rubbing her temple and gazed at the girl fixedly. “No. Classes will resume shortly. Return to the academy. I won’t tolerate you being late.”

“But—”

“No buts, Miss Alcazar afil Raynar.” Weinberg’s tone grew frosty, and this time the girl with blue streaks in her hair stiffened before nodding tautly. “Then you are dismissed, Miss Alcazar.”

Zenobia Alcazar hesitated for a noticeable moment as she cast a worried glance at Caelum Desanto lying on the ground. Then she gave Weinberg a sidelong look. “What about Asakura?”

“What about Miss Asakura?”

“She and her followers started this mess. What’s going to happen to them?”

“Started this? Are you certain of that, Miss Alcazar?”

“I’d stake my ranking on it,” the girl answered with conviction.

“Miss Asakura is not your concern, Miss Alcazar. Getting to class on time is your concern.”

Caprice felt an odd uneasiness when the brunette with blue streaks began to smile thinly at the blonde woman.

“I get it now. Fine, have it your way for now,” Alcazar said, and began leaving the clearing, heading for the path running through it.

Weinberg watched her leave, and for a moment she looked uneasy. Caprice would have missed it had she not been watching the young woman carefully.

Exhaling softly after taking a deep breath, Weinberg calmly turned to face Caprice, Rina, and Maya standing just within the clearing.

“As for the rest of you, you will explain yourselves now.”

Caprice felt her mouth go dry under the hard gaze of the young blonde Familiar, and Rina Sayen squeaked softly. But it was Maya who stepped forward to face the young woman.

“Miss Weinberg, we saw that our classmate was in trouble and so we came to help him.”

“I see. And that’s why you turned your Remnants on your fellow Familiars?”

“Yes.”

Weinberg continued to regard the three girls under a hard gaze, a spotlight of sorts that was both brilliant and blinding. Reaching up to rub her right temple, she appeared to realize what she was doing and stopped.

“Very well,” she eventually said, sounding like she was holding back a sigh. “Take Mr. Desanto down to the infirmary.”

“Down?” Caprice whispered.

“Yes, down, Miss Steiner,” Weinberg answered, having heard Caprice through the use of her Awareness-field.

Eek—she knows me.

Swallowing nervously, Caprice was left reluctant to ask what ‘down’ actually meant, but Maya stated respectfully, “Miss Weinberg, we don’t have access to the training facilities.”

Weinberg looked flatted footed for a moment, before pulling out her palm-slate and tapping into it for almost half a minute. “You do now,” she informed them as she slipped the palm-slate into a skirt pocket.

Caprice glanced sidelong at Maya who briefly widened her eyes in response to the news. The girl recovered quickly and bowed politely. “Yes, Miss Weinberg.” Gesturing to Caprice and Rina, she beckoned them. “Come on. We’ll use our Hecaton-fields to carry him.”

“That’s going to sting,” Rina complained.

“If we share the load it won’t be as bad,” Maya told the girl.

“Um, excuse me,” a girl being ignored called out calmly and raised a hand.

Weinberg looked startled, and half turned toward the buxom brunette who’d just finished patting down her skirts, after getting back up onto her feet. Caprice wondered if the girl had somehow escaped Weinberg’s Awareness-field, thought that shouldn’t be possible.

Recovering her composure, Weinberg regarded the busty girl from head to toes. “Haruka Amiella Avenir, what are you doing here?”

Amiella lowered her hand. “Why wouldn’t I be here?”

“Because this matter does not concern you. You may leave.”

The girl frowned before planting her hands on her hour glass hips. “Actually, Miss Weinberg, it does concern me. He’s my classmate and as his Class Rep, I need to see that he gets proper medical attention.”

“And that he will,” Weinberg replied smoothly. “However, class representatives have yet to be assigned.”

“Oh, but I plan to nominate myself.”

“I see. However, you are not a Class Rep, and thereby do not have the responsibilities of one. As I said before, you may leave.”

Haruka crossed her arms under her large bosom and played her last card. “He’s my childhood friend.”

Caprice, Maya, and Rina came to a sudden stop.

Oh, that’s right, Caprice thought to herself. She did mention he was her friend when she butted in.

Weinberg regarded the girl with a flat expression, and Amiella returned it, undeterred by the older woman.

“You are not a Familiar, Miss Amiella. The training facilities are restricted to Academy senior staff, training personnel, and Familiars. As such you do not have permission to accompany Mr. Desanto. Am I making myself clear?”

“Are you discriminating against me?”

“If you have a problem with the regulations, you may lodge your complaint with the Academy’s Board of Directors.”

The girl inhaled deeply, her bosom swelling mightily on her chest. “Very well. I’ll do just that.”

Weinberg sounded faintly irritated. “Until then refrain from breaking regulations, Miss Amiella.” She directed her attention on the trio of girls approaching Desanto lying on the ground, with Haruka Amiella standing a couple of feet away from him. “After you have delivered him to the infirmary, do not loiter. You will return to your classrooms without delay. Is that clear?”

“Yes, ma’am,” they replied.

Faintly distrustful, Weinberg looked at them carefully, before nodding subtly to herself. She then crouched slightly, and the air around the clearing hardened for a heartbeat before the blonde woman launched herself skyward. She leapt clear out of the garden, vanishing below the tops of the trees a few moments later.

Maya quipped softly, “She’s like a giant flea.”

“Or a grasshopper,” Rina added.

“Or a frog,” Caprice tossed in.

They stood looking in the direction Weinberg had disappeared, troubled by their individual thoughts, and fearing the prospect of facing Weinberg or those seniors again in similar circumstances.

“So who is she?” Caprice asked. “I don’t recall seeing her during orientation week.”

Maya continued looking after Weinberg. “Her name is Nicola Weinberg afil Lorian. She’s Mason’s pet Doberman.”

“She’s what?”

Rina explained, “A Doberman is a dog.”

“Oh.” Caprice looked at Maya sidelong. “You really don’t hold back, do you?”

“Woof woof,” Maya mockingly barked.

“Woof woof, back,” Caprice responded.

“Meow….”

Caprice, Maya, and even Amiella faced Rina, and the bespectacled girl looked at them anxiously. “What? I like cats. Cat’s wear collars too.”

“You don’t take a cat for a walk,” Maya pointed out. “And they wear flea collars.”

Rina frowned faintly and sounded teary. “Why do you have to be so mean to me?”

Maya’s mouth fell open, but then she closed it slowly with a contrite look on her face.

A feeling of regret also washed through Caprice, as she realized it was her fault they’d charged into a dangerous situation without thinking the situation through.

“I’m sorry,” Caprice told her companions. “This was my idea, and it could have turned out worse.”

“We made the choice for ourselves,” Maya countered. “No need to apologize. Besides, I don’t like bullies, and that Le Grange is a bully.”

Rina was nodding absently in agreement as she looked down at Desanto. “So should we carry him face up or face down?”

Maya considered the question for a second or two. “If we had a gurney, it would be face up.” She inhaled deeply before suggesting, “We should carry him face down.”

“Oh, okay….” Rina sounded uncertain but lacked the will to disagree.

“But if we drop him accidentally,” Caprice pointed out, “we might break his nose.”

“Yes, and that would harm his good looks,” Rina added.

“True. That would be a waste. Fine. Let’s roll him over,” Maya instructed.

Caprice’s Awareness-field sensed the Hecaton-field Maya summoned to roll Desanto onto his back. The three girls regarded the sleeping teenager.

“He took a beating,” Caprice noticed.

Maya’s lips turned upside down. “He has a Symbiote still active inside him. He should be right as rain by this evening.” The girl crouched beside him and pocked Desanto’s cheeks, but the boy failed to react. “He’s really out cold. The collar really nuked him.”

“Nuked?” Caprice questioned.

Maya then pocked his shirt and midriff. “Wow, he’s really hard. Like all muscle hard.”

“Ahem.” A girl tired of being ignored coughed loudly into a fist.

The trio looked at Haruka who was standing nearby with an annoyed expression.

“If you dare to undress him, I shall report you to the school authorities,” the girl warned them.

Maya stood up and looked at her over a shoulder. “What are you still doing here?”

“I am not going to leave him in your hands. You three need supervision.” She huffed. “There is no telling what you may do to him.”

“We’re not going to strip him, if that’s what you’re implying,” Maya retorted in her most lifeless voice yet.

Haruka puffed up her chest and patted it. “As Class Rep—”

“You’re not Class Rep, and I’m not voting for you,” Maya interjected.

“Me neither,” Rina seconded.

“You’re not in our class, dummy,” Maya pointed out.

“Well, if I was in your class, then I wouldn’t vote for her either,” Rina amended.

Haruka’s annoyance grew. “You’re like the three stooges.”

Caprice didn’t know what she meant, but Maya apparently did and so she arched an eyebrow at the buxom girl. “Did you say something, Double-G.”

Haruka flinched and jerked back. “Wh—what did you call me?”

“I called you, Double-G.”

Her face growing beet red, Haruka unfolded her arms and clenched her hands. “Did—did Caelum tell you that?”

“With a Remnant, it’s easy to tell,” Maya replied in her customary dull tone. “I know your three sizes. And your weight.”

Haruka was trembling but Caprice sensed the girl was more embarrassed than angry. “…it’s not like I wanted to grow this big….”

“Huh?” Maya uttered and Caprice frowned at the girl.

Haruka balled her hands into fists and shouted, “It’s not like I wanted to grow this big!”

The three Familiars – and substantially less endowed girls – shied back in the face of Haruka’s outburst.

The busty brunette took several deep breaths that helped emphasize her bosom.

“They…they just grew.” Haruka bowed her head as though hiding her face. “They just upped and grew on their own.”

“Really?” Caprice wondered softly.

“Don’t they all do that?” Maya sounded as though she was dealing with a dangerous yet slow child.

“Not like this!” the girl blurted out, surprising the trio yet again.

Haruka suddenly shuddered violently, then pulled out her palm-slate. After swiping and tapping the screen a few times with her thumb, she held the palm-slate up for them to see.

“This is me.”

They stepped closer and peered at the screen to see an image of a girl with long auburn hair, wearing an unfamiliar school uniform while standing beside a bored Caelum Desanto, also in uniform. She was holding his arm and smiling happily while the photo was taken.

Haruka said, “This is me over a year ago, before Caelum and I transferred to Galatea. We had just found out that I was accepted into the Avenir Pride, and he had learnt he was a Familiar. This was taken after the closing ceremony for the year at the our school for Regulars. Caelum is a year older than me, but we’ve known each other since we were children. Up until a couple of years ago, our families lived next door to each other for ten years.”

“So you really are childhood friends,” Caprice said.

“Yes, indeed.”

Maya sounded confused. “You sound proud of being friends with a pervert.”

“He wasn’t all that bad until recently,” Haruka explained. “After he became a Familiar and gained his Remnant, it was like he decided to shed his old skin. Then again, he’d always been popular with the girls, but now his perversity just drives them away.”

“Were you a couple?”

“No!” Haruka flushed bright red. “No. I mean—I never—I didn’t—oh whatever! We were not a couple. In fact, he didn’t think much of me back then.”

Caprice held up a hand. “Wait a minute. Just stop right there.” Pointing at the palm-slate, she asked, “So this girl in the photo is really you?”

“Yes, that’s me,” Haruka answered without hesitation.

The trio studied the girl in the image, then focused on Haruka.

Caprice swallowed before asking, “This flat chested girl is you?”

This time, Haruka sighed. “Yes, that flat chested girl is me.”

“Holy molly,” Maya whispered. “You got big.”

Her words sparked the fuse that blew the bomb. Haruka blushed yet again, and trembled anew. “Yes, I got big! And it happened so damn fast! I went from a Double-A to a Double-G in a month. My parents were shocked and took me to see a doctor who said it was fine. She explained this kind of development sometimes happened to new Aventis girls my age who were underdeveloped. It’s like the Symbiote is trying to compensate by over-compensating.”

An intense feeling of resentment filled Caprice and she muttered, “Oh, how tragic for you.”

Haruka started to retort, then glanced at Caprice’s chest and subsequently she quickly closed her mouth. A few seconds later she pocketed her palm-slate, then crossed her arms under her bust. “Enough about me. Aren’t you supposed to be taking Caelum down to the infirmary?”

“Oh, you’re right,” Maya nodded sharply. Turning to the unconscious boy on the ground, she said, “Let’s pick him up.”

“Ah, about that...,” Rina softly muttered nervously. “I have some trouble with my fields when they are near other Hecaton-fields.”

“What?” Maya frowned.

“I have trouble keeping control of my Hecaton-fields,” Rina elaborated.

“I should be fine,” Caprice said and stepped up to Desanto. “My Guardian makes me practice this all the time.”

“How?” Maya asked somewhat offhandedly.

Caprice glanced away with a sour look. “I have to make my bed with them. Use them to carry my dirty laundry in a clothes basket. Wash the dishes. Wash myself. Walk the dogs. Weed the garden—”

“Is—is that all?” Rina asked in a tremulous voice.

“No, she also makes me play cat’s cradle with them.”

Maya swallowed loudly and stared at Caprice with wide eyes. “You play cat’s cradle with Hecaton-fields?”

Feeling as though she’d tripped a trip-wire, Caprice nodded very cautiously.

Maya’s eyes narrowed as she frowned hard. “By the way, that Aegis-field you threw up to protect us was pretty big.”

“I—I did that on reflex. Morgan has a habit of sneaking up on me. She says it’s to keep me on my toes.”

Maya and Rina looked at Caprice with complicated expressions, but Amiella looked puzzled.

“Do you train under waterfalls as well?” Maya asked drily.

Caprice couldn’t help the shock from showing on her face. “How did you know?”

“What are you? Some kind of ninja?” Maya blurted out.

“No. I’m not,” Caprice held her hands up as she shook her head. “Although, Morgan enjoys watching all the period dramas from ancient Earth about samurais and ninjas. Maybe that’s where she got the waterfall idea….”

The three girls – including Haruka – regarded Caprice like an oddity, until the buxom brunette once again reminded them of Desanto on the ground.

After debating how best to hold him, Caprice and Maya decided to form a flat surface under him with their Hecaton-fields, and then succeeded in levitating Desanto into the air. They carried him between them, while Rina led the way using the map application on her palm-slate to guide the group to the underground infirmary. Haruka trailed closely on their heels, a watchful eye on Desanto who was now snoring very softly with each breath.

After the four girls exited the clearing by walking on the paved path, the busty girl sighed heavily, and broke the short silence that had fallen upon the group. Clearing her throat audibly, Haruka asked, “Was there another table?”

“No, there wasn’t.” Caprice replied without thinking, regretting it a heartbeat later when Maya shot her a lancing glance.

Haruka sighed again. “Then why did you—?”

“Because you Aventis get preferential treatment in this Academy. If your friend with the snake tongue reports Maya to the teachers for having bared her fangs, then Maya can get suspended, and I didn’t want that. The teachers will naturally side with the Aventis, and Maya will get the short straw.”

Haruka was quiet for a short while, then uttered, “I see….”

The first lunchtime bell sounded throughout the school grounds. It alerted students that they had ten minutes before the commencement of classes at which time a second bell would ring out loudly.

“This sucks,” Caprice said at a pang of hunger in her stomach.

“We missed out on lunch,” Maya remarked, then threw Haruka a look over her shoulder. “But I’m seeing lunch right here with us.”

“What?” Haruka almost shrieked.

Caprice glanced back at her to see her pale face at sight of Maya licking her lips.

“You wouldn’t dare,” the buxom brunette whispered.

Maya turned away as though tired of playing around. “You’re right. Your Avenir blood wouldn’t taste any good, anyway.”

Caprice felt uneasy at the thought of drinking a classmate’s blood. But before she could toss the thought away, her palm-slate rang loudly in her skirt pocket, signing a song from a popular cartoon about magical girls.

Maya, Rina, and Haruka swiveled their heads toward Caprice who blushed hotly while she fumbled to pull her palm-slate out of the pocket. By some stroke of good fortune, or a product of Morgan’s relentless training, Caprice did not lose control of her Hecaton-field supporting Desanto as she answered the call, not bothering to check the caller ID in the process.

“He—hello?”

“Caprice—report!”

As Morgan’s voice blasted out of the slim device, Caprice yelped and dropped the palm-slate.

Unfortunately, she also lost her grip on the Hecaton-field holding Desanto in the air.

“Hey!” Maya cried out a moment before Desanto landed with a thud on the soft grassy ground.

Haruka balled her hands into fists as she yelled, “You idiots—what are you doing?”

– III –

Sitting at the table on the restaurant’s balcony, Morgan Le Caster read and re-read the message on her palm-slate, dimly aware of the blood draining from her face.

Across the table, nibbling disinterestedly on a salad lunch, the petite redhead Arisa Imreh Lanfear began to watch Morgan with interest. “Bad news?”

Morgan blinked out of her stupor, and recovered her composure to some degree, but she continued to hold the palm-slate in her hand rather than placing it back down on the table. “No, it’s fine.”

Imreh munched on a lettuce leaf. “Really, because you look rather pale.”

Morgan studied the beautiful young woman with flowing hair the color of a brilliant sunset seated opposite her.

Like Morgan, Arisa Imreh Lanfear was an alumnus of Galatea Academy, having attended the school during the same years. However, after graduation their paths diverged. Morgan attended the tertiary college operated by the Sanctum, while Arisa went to Clarent University in Island Two before working at Public Security. But while Morgan had done rather well for herself at the Sanctum until a more lucrative offer came along from the Steiner Family, Arisa quit Public Security and began working at the office of the Lanfear Primatriarch, Yolanda Imreh Lanfear, her aunt. She had heard rumors that Arisa had engaged in a relationship with her superior at Public Security, but it could have been nothing more than jealous or envious gossip from her co-workers. In truth, Arisa had always been the product of ugly rumors during her years at Galatea Academy, as girl after girl accused her of stealing their boyfriends.

“Tell me something,” Morgan asked while discreetly placing the palm-slate on her lap. “Why did you quit Pub-Sec?”

Arisa continued munching on the lettuce leaf. “I had a conflict of interest.”

“Meaning what?”

“I’m a Lanfear, but he was a Raynar.”

“Huh?” Morgan almost dropped her palm-slate. “You mean?”

“Have you ever read Romeo and Juliet? Romeo was a Montague, while Juliet was a Capulet.” Arisa shrugged and finished eating the lettuce leaf. “Pretty much the same thing with him and me.” Picking up the glass of iced tea, she sipped it through a straw. “Besides, his girlfriend complained that she wasn’t seeing much of him.”

“Wait…don’t tell me you—”

“Okay, then I won’t.” Arisa smiled. “I won’t tell you.”

Morgan eyed her former school acquaintance with disbelieving eyes. “So it was true? All of those rumors back at Galatea about you stealing boyfriends? That was all true?”

Arisa placed her tall glass of iced tea on the table. “A few of them. Well, most of them.”

“You’re kidding?”

“Of course I am. What do you take me for?”

Morgan refrained from banging her hands on the table. “That’s the problem. I have no idea.”

“Look, high school is high school. College is college. And work is work.” Arisa ran a fingertip along the edge of her glass. “So, are you going to tell me what that message was all about?”

“Before I do that, I want your honest answer. And no playing around.”

Arisa sat back in her chair. “You’re wondering about Desanto and Steiner, correct?”

“Yes. Those two happen to be in the same class. And they happened to run into each other this morning.”

“So?”

Morgan swallowed. “Desanto’s records are restricted to high level access only. Even my Sanctum authorization, that is still in effect because of my role as Caprice’s Guardian, doesn’t allow me to read them.”

“Oh. So that’s why you’re knickers are in a twist. I thought it was because you hadn’t had a good man in while.” She frowned slightly and lowered her voice. “Wait, are you still a virgin?”

Despite her best attempt not too, Morgan blushed bright red and hissed, “That’s—that’s none of your business!”

Arisa looked disappointed, but then shrugged. “Well, there’s still time for you.”

This time, Morgan was barely able to hold herself back through a monumental strength of will. “Imreh, can you please be serious.”

“Call me Arisa, like in the old days when things were simpler.”

Morgan paused to steady herself. “Arisa, I want to know more about him.”

“He likes blondes.”

“Huh?” Morgan jerked back…again. “What?”

“You’re in luck. He likes blondes. He sees a beautiful blonde and he turns to butter,” Arisa replied with a straight face. “So Steiner is safe from him.”

“Actually, about that”—Morgan swallowed—“Caprice is a natural blonde. She dyes her hair for personal reasons.”

Arisa’s eyes widened slowly but very perceivably. “Oh no….” She straightened in her chair. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

Morgan felt a pang of fear. “What? What is it?”

“We have to keep her away from him? She’s in danger.”

“What seriously?”

Arisa froze for a moment. “Wait—tell me her cup size!”

“What? Why?” Morgan blushed. “I’m not telling you that.”

“Just tell me! It’s important!”

“She’s a Double-A!”

Morgan could sense through her Awareness-field that her loud voice had attracted a multitude of attention from the patrons – both male and female – seated at the neighboring tables. Choosing to ignore them, she stared questioningly at Arias who sat with her mouth open for a long while before she relaxed in her seat and resumed sipping her iced tea. “That was a close call.”

This time it was too much for her to handle, and Morgan slapped the table. “What the Hell is that all about?”

“If she ever grows three or four letters into the alphabet, then it’s open season on Caprice Steiner.”

“Huh?”

“By the way, I don’t recall you ever being that well rounded before,” Arisa remarked. “It’s no wonder he’s asked you out on a date.”

“He hasn’t asked me. It’s just his delusion.”

“But he’s expecting you to call him.”

“Geh—!” Morgan choked.

“It’s okay,” Arisa said. “I give you permission to go on a date with him. Just be gentle with him.”

Morgan scowled at the redhead. “I can see why you’re his Guardian. You’re as bad as he is.”

“Caelum is still a puppy. He has much to learn.” Arisa eyed Morgan carefully. “As I was saying, be gentle with him.

“Arrgh—I’m not dating a younger man. Especially a teenage boy! I’d be arrested!”

Arisa made a ho-hum expression and averted her gaze. “I won’t tell if you won’t.”

Morgan inhaled deeply as she grasped the frayed remains of her composure. “Look, just tell me about him. What’s in those files?”

“Why are you so interested?”

“Because I’m worried about Caprice.”

“He won’t hurt her. Trust me. If anything”—Arisa winced slightly—“if anything he’d leap headfirst into a fight to protect a girl. That’s the sort of person he is.”

“That’s not what I mean. I’m worried about her at the Academy. I’m worried that I won’t be able to protect her.” Morgan squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m afraid that I won’t be able to keep my promise….”

When she opened her eyes, Morgan saw the playfulness in Arisa’s face had faded away. “What happened to Karina wasn’t your fault.”

Morgan swallowed again and took a deep breath. “Either way, I promised her, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep that promise.”

“You’ve been training Steiner for over a year. And she has Karina’s Valkyrie. So tell me, how good is that girl?”

“Very good. She’s better than I was at her age. Maybe…maybe even better than Karina.”

“As good as Celica?”

Morgan flinched and turned away. “I don’t know yet….”

“She may have to be. That girl has enemies both inside and outside her family.” Facing Arisa, Morgan saw the redhead’s emerald eyes were glinting sharply, and Arisa appeared and sounded deadly serious. “If you want to know the truth, our two wards are in the same class because my aunt made a call.”

Morgan’s mouth grew dry. “What?”

“My aunt received a call from the Steiners, who made a personal request of her. Afterwards, she made a call to Lavinia Mason”—Arisa grimaced as though her saliva had turned bitter—“and the rest is history.” She washed down some of her bitter feelings with sip of iced tea. “I should tell you, Cassandra Khayman’s daughter is sharing the same class with her. I’ve heard people call Cassandra’s child a prodigy, and it’s probably what she desired when she made the choice to give birth to the girl, regardless of how it would affect her marriage and her family.”

Cassandra Khayman Sora was Maya Khayman afil Sora’s mother, and the Primatriarch of the Sora Pride here in Pharos. But because her daughter was born a Familiar, when all her other siblings were born as Pureblood Aventis, there was no shortage of rumors surrounding the origins of the young girl, some of which hinted at Cassandra engaging in an illicit relationship with a Familiar – a young man who was part of her personal security.

Morgan felt herself wilt as she realized how remiss she had been in her duties as Caprice’s Guardian. “I—I didn’t check the class roster.”

Pushing her glass of iced tea aside, Arisa leaned forward and folded her arms on the edge of the table. “You didn’t. But others did. Between Desanto and Khayman, I’m sure she’ll be safe. At the very least, I have a feeling those three are destined to be together.”

“Huh? You make it sound dirty.”

“I’m not talking about a threesome”—Arisa shrugged—“though who knows what will happen later.”

“Arisa, that’s not funny at all.”

“Am I laughing?” the redhead asked Morgan who shook her head weakly. “Morgan, do you know the stories that surround the Kaiser’s Blessing?”

“A few. History wasn’t my strongest subject.”

“They weren’t all taught in history class. A lot of the information we have on the Kaiser’s Blessing is kept out of the history books. And before you ask why, ask yourself this.” Arisa paused for effect. “When the Familiars won the war for the Aventis more than two hundred years ago, why did they suddenly hand their power over to us?”

“I thought it was because they decided they were done with war. I read that the Four Great Generals came to a consensus about who would lead humanity best.”

“Do you really think so? Regulars, Aventis, and Familiars. At the core we are all the same species. We’re all human, and we all share humanity’s faults. Greed. Ambition. Racism. An urge to kill. We’re all barbaric. But the Familiars are different in that they possess a power we don’t have. They could have turned their Remnants against us and claimed the top spot on the pyramid.”

“Then why didn’t they?”

“I don’t know. But what I do know, and what the archives tell us, is that the three surviving Generals did not hand power over willingly. In fact, they had no choice.”

“You mean because all the Remnants shut down without any reason to?”

“Exactly. Because on the day that the war came to an end, and the Fourth General is rumored to have died in the Empress’s tower after defeating her champion, all the Remnants stopped working. All of them reverted to a standby mode and locked down. It didn’t matter where those Familiars were, or how far away from the capital they were stationed, their Remnants simply stopped working. And ever since then, whenever a Remnant is un-bonded with a Familiar, it reverts to its locked state and the next Familiar to use it has to learn how to unlock its power from the beginning.”

Morgan ruminated over Arisa’s words for a short moment. “You mean that something happened when Kallum Kampfer died—the Fourth General—something that changed the behavior of the Remnants, including those yet to be fished out of the Hurakan Nebula.”

Arisa nodded faintly. “Kampfer’s Remnant was a Kaiser’s Blessing. A Ruler Class Remnant. And Caelum Desanto is the Meister of a Kaiser’s Blessing as well. Do you see where I’m going with this?”

“Not really, but you do know there are four Kaiser’s Blessings out there. Four of the same Ruler Class Remnants.”

“I do indeed. So the question the historians ask is which one is the Remnant that General Kallum Kampfer used? Which one of the four is it?”

“I don’t know. But why does it matter?”

“Because I believe—and many of the Lanfears believe—that the answer to the question of why the Remnants all shut down lies within the Kaiser’s Blessing that General Kampfer wielded. Some of the ancient Remnants retain the memories of their Meisters. No one knows what happened up there in the Empress’s throne room on the day Kampfer died. There is speculation and nothing more. So the answer lies hidden within Kampfer’s Kaiser’s Blessing.”

“But if that’s the case, and the Kaiser’s Blessing is so important, why give it to Desanto?”

“Because my Pride, the Lanfears, had no choice. Caelum’s compatibility with the Remnant was through the roof. It shocked the Hell out of my aunt, and her inner circle. They were so surprised they wanted to have him trained in a dedicated facility. They practically wanted to dissect him on a laboratory table. They want to know if that Remnant is the same Remnant that Kampfer used, and Desanto is their best means of getting the answer to the centuries old question of what happened up there in the throne room.”

Morgan felt a very real fear circle through her body. “Why…why didn’t they seclude him or take him apart?”

Arisa looked away, her gaze distant. “Two reasons. The first relates to a prediction—a prophecy—made by Seers and Seeresses a few years after the war.”

“A prophecy?” Normally Morgan would have scoffed at the notion, but the serious intensity in Arisa’s distant eyes quelled the urge in a heartbeat.

Arisa nodded faintly. “Throughout the war, their predications had been very accurate so there were few that doubted them. In fact, they had a higher success rate than the quantum battle computers designed to strategize the war. So when they made their prophecy, the Primatriarchs of the time listened.”

“So what was the prophecy?”

“That one day the Four Generals would be reborn.”

Morgan joined the dotted lines together. “You believe that one of them is Desanto?”

Arisa looked at her and shrugged subtly. “It’s not what I believe, but what my aunt believes. She’s the Primatriarch. Not me.”

Morgan thought back to her recent years in the Sanctum’s employ, and of the rumors she’d heard of divisions that dealt with genetic cataloging. Was it because the Sanctum was keeping an eye out for the rebirth of the Four Generals.

After shelving the thought for later, Morgan asked, “And what is the second reason?”

“The second reason is that my aunt wanted Desanto to have a normal…well, a relatively normal high school life. She wanted him to grow into a proper young man. She didn’t want him isolated from the world. By giving him the experiences he needs to know himself and to know others, my Aunt Yolanda wants Caelum to understand the importance of life, and to appreciate the responsibility that comes with great power—especially when that power comes from the Kaiser’s Blessing.” Arisa glanced at her iced tea, then signaled a nearby waiter. “May I have another please.”

Morgan waited for the waiter to walk away before saying, “I get the feeling you haven’t made your point yet.”

Arisa’s green eyes blinked slowly and her gaze penetrated deep into Morgan’s consciousness. When the young redhead smile, Morgan shivered.

“Kallum Kampfer wasn’t alone in his fight,” Arisa said. “He had good people around him, and the love of someone that ultimately broke him. But he also had the love of three young women, and their Remnants were a Valkyrie, a Sylph, and a Siren. And on the day that humanity lost the war, it was those young women who recovered his body from the Empress’s throne room….”

As Arisa’s voice trailed away, it sounded to Morgan as though she said ‘and one other’ but the complicated feeling that tingled down her spine stole her voice.

Arisa accepted her new glass of iced tea from the young male waiter, smiling seductively at him and causing the man to almost drop the tall glass. After the waiter departed with embarrassment written clearly on his face, Arisa used the long straw to swirl the ice cubes floating in her tea, then abruptly stopped and stared at Morgan with renewed interest.

“By the way, Morgan,” the redhead began, “if I remember correctly, isn’t your Remnant a Sylph?”

From the back of her consciousness, Morgan felt the presence of her slumbering Remnant stir once again, though not as strongly as when she and Desanto had stood face to face.

Back then at that time…what was it that I felt?

Noticing that Arisa was watching her intently, a cold shiver ran through her body. Clearing her throat after two failed attempts, Morgan stood up with her palm-slate in hand. “Excuse me, but I—I need to make a call.”

“Take your time,” Arisa said to her. The redhead sipped her tea as her gaze followed the young male waiter doing the rounds.

Walking off the open-air balcony and back into the restaurant’s cool interior, Morgan glanced back at Arisa on impulse, and was surprised to see the beautiful redhead looking decidedly agitated as she talked to someone through her palm-slate. Morgan frowned to herself and almost returned to the table, but then she remembered she too had a call to make. Turning away, she walked out of the establishment and stepped onto the wide promenade of the luxurious mall in the affluent district of Island One’s Habitat Two. The restaurant was but one of many located within the mall’s upper levels.

She made the call to Steiner’s palm-slate and waited for Caprice to answer it.

When the girl did, Morgan couldn’t hold herself back and all her emotions that had been stirred up by Arisa Imreh Lanfear now blew out of her at once.

“Caprice—Report!”

On the other end of the line she heard a frightened yelp and the sound of a palm-slate falling to the ground.