Somewhat euphoric, somewhat a bliss… as being beside her, talking to her, listening to every word Ioctoria is letting out… Was something that I thought would just be a dream, the dream we agreed upon.

I remembered this… I remembered the conversations I would hear and took very deeply with girls that I have genuine interest in. Alice, Sam, Beatrice, Caitlin… and Emma… They were all wonderful, every second was never a waste with them.

Though… well, with Ioctoria… I mean we’re not dating or anything, she doesn’t want to, and I can’t.

But we’re friends at least! Starting from scratch and just seeing where this relationship will take us.

It’s just… damn… my imagination is really running wild, the scenarios, the possibilities, everything… god… I really am falling for her.

“Whatcha talkin lovebirds?” Eleanna popped out of nowhere.

“Lady Eleanna! we’re not… in that kind of relationship…” Ioctoria was embarrassed.

“Ha… funny…” And I gave her the most lukewarm and sarcastic reply.

“Hahaha… sorry, sorry, just ‘friends’ right?” Eleanna said too playfully.

“Yeah… well, we gotta start somewhere, right?”

“Yes…” Again… Ioctoria responded in an embarrassed tone.

“But… you guys already have started?” Eleanna really was poking the hive.

But weirdly… I wasn’t livid, as remembering the… ‘start’ we had, gave me and Ioctoria, a slight embarrassment of... the things we had done…

“Yeah… but… that start leads to us being nothing but strangers…” I said with a saddened tone and Ioctoria can only sit there accepting the harsh fact.

“Hmm… well good luck, hope this will be another Alice for you!”

“Alice?” Ioctoria asked intriguingly.

"You haven't tell her, Art? Well… He has dated quite a number of women.” Again… this bitch is really stirring up the nest.

“Ohh really…” Her reaction was… not livid, but yet I could hear her disbelief between her lines. “And… have you-”

“No, HAHAHA, no way in hell, can’t and won’t really see him that way, he’s too much of the annoying brother for me.” Though I appreciate Eleanna’s wingmanship, her statement… honestly irk my heart slightly, but yeah, she’s not wrong, she’s more the annoying sister to my eyes.

“Ohh!” And of course, her statement relieved Ioctoria.

“Well, again, I hope this’ll be another Alice for you, Art!”

“I hope not…” Though I knew Eleanna was just cheering me on, her saying that Ioctoria will be another Alice… rubs me the wrong way. “And by the way… have you talk with Martyn?”

“Too busy, he’s managing war supplies and networks.”

“Ohh yeah! I’ve heard! Are the rumours true that the Dragon King is preparing an invasion Lady Eleanna?” Ioctoria chimed in.

“I don’t know honestly, Martyn said that it’s most likely a show of power, but Lady Chloe’s report on their scouts’ reconnaissance was too diligent to just be a simple demonstration of power.”

“And with our Margrave mustering the Crown’s Army as well as his… means war really is on the horizon.”

“Perhaps…”

“But I don’t think so!” I gave my insight to them. “Well, I don’t mean war is not in the horizon, it is, Professor Howards here already taught us the shaky relation Albion has with the Justans. But if we take account to the Five Year long Successor War, the Dragon King won’t and can’t really afford another war after devastating the Justan realm with his war.”

“Except he never devastates it.” A young man’s voice, not far away and unfamiliar, came to our private conversation. “The Justan Bards have grains of truths in their ballads and poets, and one of them is the Dragon King’s conquest.”

“Are you seriously believing the tales of how cities after cities open their gate willingly for him?” Ioctoria said.

“Ohh but I do, for a single undeniable fact.”

“That is?”

“Bruviseaux isn’t flooded with Justan refugees.”

“…” Ioctoria was left speechless. “I’m sorry Arthur, Lady Eleanna, but I’m going to have a very quick heated conversation with this peasant.”

“The name is Téodor!”

“Whatever, peasant.”

And after that, Ioctoria went to him and went off to have quite the heated argument with him, giving facts, rumours, and I hope not fabricated stuffs.

“Now… back to what I asked, about Martyn, El…”

“I told you, he’s to busy.” I could smell the poop right away from her mouth.

“El… one thing that we can rely with Martyn, is that he will drop everything to finish the problems we have with him.”

“…” And her silence marked the spot. “Okay… fine, I tried to talk to him but…” And as I saw her livid face, I could tell she’s not keeping her word.

“El…”

“Look it’s hard! The fact is, he knew exactly that Anne was living happily and fulfilling her dreams in Europe, while I was grieving her fake death… Art, it was and probably still is a very hard fact for me, that I would have never move on, I can’t, how could I? losing someone because you failed them is not something you can just digest very easily…” She poured out everything.

“El… you’re not the only one who cares for her, you’re not her only friend too, you know!”

“I know…”

“And Martyn is… yes, a fuckin asshole that kept the very thing that has been eating us alive, but… you need to talk El, you can’t just bottle things up.”

“Why couldn’t I?” She said with the most defying tone ever.

“Because we’ll get another case like Anne with you, but this time it might happen for real…” I said sombrely.

“I…” And she was speechless.

We were silent for a brief moment, but… she broke it as she punched my shoulders.

“Ow! What the hell was that for?”

“For making me think too much…” She kept silent again. “…fine, but can you be there? As a mediator? I have powers, he has powers, you being there in our screaming match might avert a magic duel.”

“Haha… sure, sure.” I chuckled slightly.

“If a magic duel does happen, I assure you Eleanna, we will win!” Jumque said playfully, as he popped out of Eleanna’s scarf.

“You’re going to use that trick again in Mochrumm?”

“Definitely!”

“Hahaha…” Eleanna laughed heartily.

After that somewhat heart to heart conversation, we went about our day, and continue learning from our History with Professor Howards, while… Ioctoria was still debating with Téodor. Though from how relaxed the tone they're having, I think they're coming to a conclusion.

Which they came too as Ioctoria came back to us.

While Téodor… continued his isolation on the corner of the backrow, with his papers filled with notes and books that pages are marked with thin colored cloth.

He was studious one thing I can confidently say from the classes we share, though more on the loner side as he always picks the furthest and lonelier rows of seats.

But that pattern was broken one time, in Stewardship 101, as he sat on the middle of the row with a girl…

I don’t exactly know who she was, except for being a blue blood, but from the cordial and quite the gentle and friendly manner they exchanges, I could conclude that she was definitely someone close to him.

An old friend possibly, even though… he is a peasant…

Huh… that might be the reason why he could enrolled here.

Well, that’s back then, now he’s the kid that is painfully reminding me of the bleak loner back home in class.

“Well, this is it for History 101, class! The next subject we will tackle will be who Krone is, his exploits, and his conquest of Albion! But for now, I’m assigning a group project, where you will be making an extensive report about a particular event of your choosing and present it to the class with your group! There you will give factual information, rumoured accounts, and individual as well as group opinions about that certain event!”

“And how will we make that group, Professor Howards?” A front row student, asked.

“Hmm… let’s keep it simple! Your group will be the one you share your row with!”

And as I heard this, I was quite excited on the fact that I could work and hangout more with Ioctoria.

Also! hehe… have Eleanna do the brunt work.

Though…. She’s staring at me like a viper, so… that’s a bust.

But there’s another passenger on the boat, as that guy, the far quiet one, Téodor, is going to tag along in this group project.

Now to say he was elated is… a very wrong word, he was livid in all honesty, I could even see bits of steam from his mouth and nose. But well… he’s stuck with me, Eleanna, and Ioctoria on this project.

* * *

Papers, books, and hill of a records was sitting on the table we were occupying. All of them were, accounts and extensive reports we borrowed and some made for the group project.

The event that we chose for our presentation tomorrow, was The War of the Crows and the Owls or what Margrave Ramon likes to call, The Night of Bloody Feathers.

To be very brief it’s a war between the Korps and Tyluns, a war that involves all of the inhabitants of Tuath. The reason it broke out is simple per say, as it is a war of supremacy between two familiars in one region, but the more we actually look into it, the more we gain information from the Académie to even Martyn, the more we question on why it became bloody.

Politics between the old realms of Tuath was the biggest suspect, something that all four of us agree.

But another account we got, though unofficial and came from an oral tradition, states that it transcends more than mere politics.

“Though it’s fun and a bit magical to have this ancient war be about love… the real thing, the very base fact is, this war, this fight that drove the Korps down south to Vin and Bruviseaux, is but a simple war that came from generation upon generation animosity and hatred between the two familiars.” Téodor said, giving his unbent opinion to us.

“You do know… you could have said that without… being three chairs away from us…” Eleanna said the very thing we three were curious on him.

“I prefer… to keep my distances, from attracting any attention…” Téodor gave reason, though… I know for a fact he is keeping his distances from me, from how hostile his eyes are towards me.

“Right…” I responded sarcastically.

“…” And… ohh boy… his eyes and even face now gotten even more hostile towards me.

But we continue, it is still our score in the line after all, we have to give everything to this assignment.

* * *

The day finally came as we were about to give our full reports and individual opinion on The War of the Crows and the Owls.

It came as the group after us was finished with their presentation, leaving us four to rap up this assignment Professor Howards gave.

And again… just like before, as I stood quite closely with Eleanna and Ioctoria on my left, Téodor, on my right, stood far enough to show his hostility to me.

But I digress and ignored it for now, as we were going to give our presentation.

The opening was handled by me of course, I made small statements about war and everything that follows it. I then talked about the nature of wars, of how simple and nuisance it can be.

And then I went right into the war that us four has extensively researched and formulate an opinion on.

Right after my opening, Ioctoria and Eleanna handled the nitty and gritty details of the War of the Crows and the Owls. Giving accounts of the battles, the horrors, the things it impacted, the ramifications, all of it, all the things that war affects.

I then continued off from their factual reports to the more unsavory, speculative, and subjective nature of that war. The politics, the motivations, and of course the reason or reasons why it broke out.

Where finally and the end, Téodor gave the conclusion and final opinion, our groups opinion that we agreed upon.

“It is a war that is sowed by seeds of hatred and animosity between two familiars throughout generations, something that they bottled to the point of exploding right in front of their face. The consequences of course, leads to the Tyluns being the reclusive and very territorial beings they are now and the Korps being down far south.” He gave our final opinion and was about to close with the statement we agreed, but…. “But though this war, by all facts and measures was a war of penned up rage between two familiars, this war… was also a war of lost, a lost between the future the two could have had, as the catalyst of the war, though uncredible and but a fun fantasy to think about, started between the lost love of a Tylun and a Korp.”

I was stunned, as he was the one who suggested not to use this piece of war. He reasons it would stray away from the message of the war, changing it to an individual tragedy rather than a collective tragedy. But… somehow… the way he says it, the way he gave it, helps and enforces the message we agreed upon…

“It’s funny… those two just wanted to give and feel love with each other, but somehow they change the course of history… you could say, the butterfly that is time, flips its wings indiscriminately.”

That line stuck, that last line Téodor said about the butterfly stuck very hard to me as it reminds me of someone… someone I now know I knew very well, someone… that does have a grudge against me and has confront it towards me…

But, I still can’t hit the nail… that line was something… but I don’t know who it is, who said it to me, who…

“Wouldn’t you agree Arthur?”

He said, with no hostility, no malice, just… pure professionalism that only belongs to one person that has given it to me…

“Theo?”

* * *

I stared at him, after the presentation, after class, after a couple of days, and now in the cafeteria… I just stared… I can’t take my eyes off of him, I can’t still fathom it… Téodor of Stratford is… Theodore Eddel…

I can’t be wrong, I can’t be! There’s only one person that can hate me this much and still be a professional whenever it comes to serious stuff… He must be him…

“Art? You okay?” Eleanna asked, very concernedly.

“It’s… Téodor…” I said to her.

“What about him?”

“He’s… but wait… he should know who we are!” I came to realization.

“What do you mean Arthur?”

“He… damn it! He’s leaving, I’ll tell you later! I need to confirm this first!” I went off, leaving Eleanna with Ioctoria.

“Okay…” And Eleanna, could only be confuse.

After leaving them, I chase after him, tailing him slowly and discreetly so he wouldn’t notice me. Because for the last couple of days… I think he knows that I know who is… and I think he is avoiding me because of that.

So, again, I followed, very quietly, very illusively. Though it’s quite hard as me as person, already attract so many attention.

But I can’t give up, I need to confirm if he is Theodore Eddel… and the first hurdle was… a noblewoman, her hair straight and brown like honey, wearing a very beautiful blue ocean eyes, and looking very much fit like a fiddle.

I knew who she was, Evelyn Howards, our history professor’s niece.

“Sir Arthur, I refrain for you not to act unbefittingly towards Téodor.” And her rumours of being the no nonsense woman she is, was true.

“Unbefitting? Okay I guess staring for the last couple of days is creepy, but I need to talk to him!”

“Téodor doesn’t want to talk to you.” Again… wow… never have I been a bit happy to have a very straight on the nose woman to talk to.

“Look this is important! This might even concern Martyn, the Lord Protector!”

“I don’t care, whether this involves the crown or even our lord, Lux, I won’t let you hassle Téodor! He is good man that wants nothing but to learn here!”

“…” I was silent for a brief moment, there was something I feel from her line, from the way she talks about Téodor… admiration maybe? But… maybe something more. “Do you have feelings for Téodor?”

“I… I… That’s none of your business!” And woah… I hit the money and scored even more! She’s a tsundere.

“Look, Lady Howards, I know you think that I’m bringing him a world of hurt, but I’m not… I just want to confirm something about him.”

“That is?”

“You might not believe this, but… not only is he not of this world, but he is also someone I know very well as he goes to the same school I go.”

“…” She was silent for a moment of… amazement. “Then… what is his real name?”

“He is real name is Theodore Eddel.”

“...” Again, silence, but now with no hostility and suspicion, just… pure amazement. “But… why is he avoiding you?”

“He hates me, not because I did something really bad to him, but because he is denying the truth I gave to him a long time ago, that he is very much like me.”

“Well… okay then, you can go talk to him.” Evelyn gave me the green light… but…

“No, he is not.” And another noblewoman, very familiar, but I don’t quite know who she really is, came.

“Jessamy… I think it should be fine, he knows who Téo is.”

“That is exactly why he shouldn’t see Téo.” She said with the most coldest tone I’ve ever heard. “Sir Arthur, Téodor has lived and died from your world, he has no more attachment to it and is living his second life to reach the potential he never reached back in your world. So… I refrain you from seeing him right now.”

“Yeah, no! I’m not dragging him back to the old days or anything, I just want to confirm something and if possible… save him from Martyn.”

“The Lord Protector? Why?”

“Because-”

“Because he’s a slave driver…” Téodor… finished my reason. “Hi Arthur…”

“Theo…”

We stood silent for a moment, looking at each other more or less with the same hostility, contempt, and… a slight admiration we have.

“So… how did you get here?”

“I died, cancer, old age, take a pick, either way its natural, I wasn’t hit by a truck or anything.” He informed me. “And you?”

“I… or we actually, Me, Eleanna, Martyn, and even Miss Marie, were summoned as the Second Heroes.”

“I knew it…” He muttered. “I knew it! It just has to be you! It always has to be you! the Basketball Captain! Prom King! The Ladies Man! The Chad! The Golden Boy! And now… One of the Second Prophesized Heroes…” He said with the most jealous tone I was familiar with from him.

“I didn’t choose this you know!”

“Yeah, that’s the part! You didn’t choose this! You were given it! I bet a million bucks that our lord Lux here choose you and your friends out of whim!”

“Actually… that might not be it, because… the first heroes… were my uncle, El’s mom, who is also Miss Marie’s big sister, and Martyn’s dad.”

“Ohh that’s just great! What I need more from you! a clear connection towards this world… GODDAMN IT!”

Silence was brought in again, of awkwardness with the two woman that protected him, fury with him, and… annoyance with me.

“Again… I didn’t choose this you know? Call it successorship all you want, but I never expect anything like this to happen! Things just happen to people Theo, whether it’s good or bad, and why the hell do you even care?! You’ve always been the one who dislike and outwardly stop making comparison!”

“Because I’m not that idiot teenager who think he is much more better than you Arthur, I became an adult and died as an adult who realized his life was mediocre at best and a comedy at worst.”

“Then what has it got to do with ME!”

“BECAUSE YOU ARE HERE!! You’re… here… you’re already stealing the thunder, you’re already being the golden boy you are…”

“…” I had it, I now know remember who he truly is. “Fuckin loser.”

“What?!”

“You heard me! You’ve always been comparing yourself to me, making me your standard, grinning and ejaculating like a goddamn coomer, even though you only pass once!”

“YOU!” With rage filled in his mind, he was about to attack me but, he knows he couldn’t do anything.

“Why’d you stop? Ohh right… because you’re just a loser! Always trying to one up me and can’t be happy with the already great results you have.”

“You have NO RIGHT!”

“No right?! I have every right because like I have always said to you. We are the same, except your more petty, more spiteful, and more of a lose-”

THUDD…

And… well… I went to far and his punch towards my face was justified.

“Téodor!” Jessamy went to Téodor and eased the fist he used against my face.

“Ow…” Though I said stoically, the punch he gave was very solid and really hurts. “Okay let’s calm down a bit, and… I’m sorry, I went too far.”

“Yeah… sorry… about the punch Arthur…” He was, weirdly apologetic.

“It was a solid hit though! I’ll give you that.”

“Thank you…” And well… it’s a trademark of him to be slightly embarrassed whenever he is praised.

“Theo look… I’m not here to steal anything from you, though I do see the huge appeal of what I could mark with this world… I have another thing more in mind, the duty that is protecting this world. So… let bygones be bygones? And it would be nice to have someone to talk about our world… so friends?” I extended my arm, trying to burry the hatchet.

“…you really are the Golden Boy… fine…” He extended his arm too, grabbing my hand and shaking it.

But it’s not even, he still did punch me, so… I pulled his hand and…

TAKKK…

“Fuckin hell… my nose!!!” I sent him down with my headbutt.

“Now we’re even! See you at Familiar 101, Theo!” I said as I wave him and his pretty much girlfriends goodbye, to meet back with Eleanna and Ioctoria.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah…” He said annoyingly.