We decided to call Zypher to meet us at Nicole’s favorite bakery for breakfast. Alden and I filled them in on my parents' involvement with the 4th world, the churches, and the fight we had yesterday—it did not get absorbed very well. Zypher sat at the table, head buried in his hands struggling to digest the information.
“I’m sorry, that’s just insane. I knew about the churches but there’s a conspiracy to that extent? I had no idea,” Zypher said, as he began to rub his temples with his palms. “Is it possible that even my own Commander may be aware of everything? I doubt the Graff showed up on their own though, it’s too much of a coincidence,” Zypher continued, lifting his head to meet our gaze.
“We’ll all need to be careful, it may be a good idea to start training your soul senses,” I said to Nicole and Zypher. “If not for Alden showing up when he did—I’m honestly not sure what would have happened. Apparently, and luckily for me, my father is also quite strong.”
“Yeah, that one was a surprise, I was just too invested in my attack to really give it much attention though,” Alden confirmed.
“Anyways, there are powers at play here that are beyond our meager understanding. Once you achieve soul sense you’ll understand a good portion of that. A word of caution though, you’ll no longer sleep as you once did,” I warned calmly, locking eyes with both Nicole and Zypher.
“I’m not entirely sure I understand that part?” Nicole questioned, staring down at her half finished chocolate cupcake.
“What I’m trying to say is that once you increase your perception far enough, your soul and mind will transfer into the 4th World when you sleep. Alden and I still aren’t sure exactly how it works, we ended up in the same place as each other at least. There’s no guarantee that will happen next time though, but again, we have no idea how it works,” as I finished, everyone remained silent for a long while until Alden stood up.
“I think we’re done here for now. Why don’t we use my house as a base of operations? It’s not safe to be as separated as we are currently. I have enough room and resources to make it happen. You guys can live with me for a while until we figure out what our next move is,” Alden suggested, his tone genuine and concerned.
“Hold on, there’s no way my parents would be okay with that. I get that Cian’s parents are in on it, Zypher is an adult, and you’re given mostly free reign of the house but most of all, you’re all boys, I’m a girl. There is no way in hell my parents will see past those simple facts, how would I even begin to explain the rest to them?” Nicole started, her tone growing angrier with every word.
“Uhh…maybe let's continue this…outside?” Zypher suggested helpfully, as people began to stare and Nicole blushed furiously as she stormed outside flustered.
I glared at Alden as I rushed out after her.
“You’re not wrong Alden but that definitely wasn’t the best way to suggest that. While I’m not sure on the specifics of her home life, she’s not wrong on the other aspect. You guys are also kids at the end of the day, no matter how you look at it,” Zypher added before heading outside with Alden following silently.
“Nicole!” I yelled to her as she stormed down the sidewalk.
“What?!” She yelled, turning around and glaring at me as I caught up.
“I understand that what Alden said was a bit much given your relationship with your parents but re-” I nearly bit off my tongue as I felt her glare strangle me.
“I just want to understand where this is coming from. We’re friends,” I said sincerely, hoping she would at least take the time to express herself clearly.
Nicole waited for me, Zypher and Alden to catch up before explaining. “Sorry, it’s just that my parents aren’t really as easy-going as yours. I’m not even really supposed to have friends because they’re ‘a distraction’, or so I’m told…” Nicole said, staring at the ground.
“Honestly,” she laughed half-heartedly. “I’m not sure how I even got away with canceling my piano lessons. I told them it was to focus on studying for school. They think I’m going to extra lessons. If they saw me with you guys I’m not sure what would happen,” she continued, tears welling up.
“Are you sure? I’m not going to pretend to understand your situation or know what you’ve gone through, but I will support you as a friend, so take this with a grain of salt,” Zypher advised, “We tend to view parents as the major authority of our lives, and realistically they are, but we forget that they’re human to. Sometimes they forget that as well. They forget what it’s like to be your age, ultimately they tend to just want what’s best for you. Not that I’m excusing how their actions have negatively affected you but it's just an additional perspective to consider. I think given the situation though, it's time to have a good long talk with them because there is a lot on the line here,” Zypher said, pausing for a moment
“I honestly can’t believe none of us have died yet, especially with Alden and Cian going in it alone for so long. For some reason fate is on our side but who knows how long that will last,” he finished in an extravagant display of adult maturity.
“Dude, you can’t say that, that’s a serious death flag,” I chided, and Nicole smiled as horror crossed Zypher’s face.
“You’re right. I don’t think they’d ever accept it either way and they’re not the best to be honest. They’ve never hit me or anything but I’m not okay with their manipulative and mentally abusive tactics,” she said, wiping her eyes as we all fell silent.
“Alright. Let's go,” Nicole said suddenly, clearly having reached a decision. “It’s time to stick it to them,” she said simply, and marched in the direction of her house as we stared with shocked expressions.
“Are you coming or what?!” She yelled without turning around, as Zypher, Alden and I stared at each other in shock before following like obedient puppies.
Despite her earlier bluster, the journey to Nicole’s house was silent and uneventful. She was clearly racked with anxiety but she was on a mission and no one was going to get in her way. Arriving at her house was like stepping back in time to feudal Japan—or at least that’s how I imagined it—large stone walls surrounded the quintessential Japanese home, complete with a large wooden gate.
“Uhm…Did the homeowners association approve this?” Zypher asked, staring in awe.
“Are you kidding? My parents are the homeowners association. My mother’s the president,” Nicole said, rolling her eyes in annoyance.
She marched down the stone path outlined with neatly trimmed grass, up to the wooden gate, and shoved it open with a confident, aggressive thrust. Nicole’s parents were inside, with sliding wooden doors ajar they were seated atop tatami mats in their kimono—they certainly were eccentric. Their eyes went wide at Nicole’s brash display and at the sight of so many people at their doorstep. She continued her march up to the wooden steps before stopping to face them. She bowed briefly and locked her gaze with theirs—I could swear there was some static sparking through the air between them.
“Nicole, you’re home?” Her mother asked, placing her cup of tea on the table, a fresh wisp of steam streaming off of it.
“I am, and I’ve brought friends,” Nicole stated plainly as she eye’d her father who continued to read his newspaper in silence.
“I can see that. Well, let’s not leave them waiting,” her mother stated, smiling stiffly and waving us over politely.
Slowly, we made our way over as if tip-toeing around a sleeping dragon—lest we wake it. We removed our shoes, stepped inside, and sat in a kneeling position on the cushions Nicole had promptly set out in a line in front of her parents.
“I see you have coached your friends well,” her father said, placing his newspaper down.
“No, no coaching was necessary, father. They simply have…particular interests apparently,” she said with an awkward glance in our direction before joining us in a kneeling position in front of her parents.
Her father stared at us with much skepticism before her mother motioned him to introduce himself.
“I am Nicole’s father, Kaito Kotomine and this is my wife Shigure Kotomine. It is a pleasure to meet you,” he said, gracefully.
“I am Cian Tuath Dé, Nicole’s classmate,” I managed to get out without fumbling.
“And I am Alden Farsaidh, also a classmate of Nicole,” Alden stated plainly.
“I am Nicole’s tutor and friend, Zypher Garlden, the pleasure is ours Mr. Kotomine, Mrs. Kotomine,” Zypher said with elegant decorum as he bowed.
“I apologize, I find it hard to believe you were not coached beforehand,” Kaito laughed gently.
“We have had…some exposure to Japanese culture,” Zypher said as Alden, Zypher, and I looked at each other awkwardly while Nicole blushed furiously.
Kaito raised an eyebrow in suspicion but was interrupted by Nicole as he went to speak.
“Nevermind them…they’re weird. Anyways, we’re here to talk to you about something important,” Nicole said authoritatively. “This is going to be a sensitive topic but I assure you it’s all true,” she continued with a serious tone and flat expression.
“We will hear what you have to say, you’ve never brought friends over so we’re quite interested as to your reasoning,” Shigure said, pointedly.
The meaning was clear to all of us and gave us a strong impression of her character, she was in no way pleased. Nicole remained silent for a moment before gathering up the courage to continue and launched into her explanation. By the end of it, her parents were fuming, there was no hiding their emotions at this stage.
“You claim to tell us that magic is real, and you quit piano because you’ve been involved in it? What kind of nonsense is this? You call yourself an adult, teaching my daughter these things? You should be ashamed of yourself, misleading these children,” Shigure exploded, staring at Zypher, who seemed to be on the verge of exploding himself.
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“I understand your skepticism. I apologize in advance for this,” Zypher said as he stood, an apologetic smile plastered across his face.
“Denko, rebuild, Mode: Forest.”
“Understood,” as Denko finished, we were instantly transported to a lush forested landscape.
“I don’t understand, who is he talking to?” Kaito asked, staring at Nicole.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Zypher said, placing his hand palm facing upwards as a light spread out, washing over Nicole’s parents who screamed in horror.
“What is this?!” They demanded simultaneously, staring around at the sprawling forest that had replaced their house.
“An illusion made from ‘magic’, so-to-speak. We’re technically still inside your home, we haven’t moved at all. Think of it like a 3D projection,” Zypher stated.
Kaito and Shigure continued to gawk in horror at their new environment before regaining their composure. Kaito was the first to rise to his feet and examine his surroundings, as he began walking he stumbled as his shin clipped the table that was unseen but still in front of him.
“Careful, it’s just an illusion. Your home is still here, you just can’t see it, so I don’t recommend moving yet,” Zypher said as he dropped the illusion, returning them to their original environment.
“This is…It must be cheap tricks. There’s no way I could simply believe this…” Shigure said, looking around at their house.
“If you’re still not convinced…Meigetsu, come out please,” as Nicole finished speaking, a blue blob started to congeal on the table in front of her parents.
“This is the device I told you about, Meigetsu, it can take several forms but this is the only one I’m good at,” Nicole explained, not missing her parent’s reaction at the name as they looked over towards their Japanese maple in their courtyard, the centerpiece of their home.
“I know it's a lot, I know it's confusing, but this is my life now…” Nicole said, sincerely.
“You’re too young for this, real or not, you have other responsibilities!” Shigure said, raising her voice.
“And I’ve taken care of them, I’m still top of my class and top of the school,” Nicole argued back.
“I thought Alden was the top…” I offered.
“We’re tied, and you’re not helping!” Nicole yelled at me and I decided it was best to just sit down and shut up.
Like a predator, searching for a weakness, Shigure dug into the gaze that Nicole held on me for slightly too long. “Is he really just a friend?”
‘Oh no’ I thought as I watched Nicole’s eyes pop wide in horror. At this point, neither of us were unaware of the affection we held for each other but we had yet to cement it into anything more than just friends. “Mother, this is not the time! I’m trying to explain to you how I can do magic now!”
“Perhaps some fresh tea would be prudent, ours seems to have gone cold,” Kaito said, staring at his wife, his meaning all too clear.
Shigure slowly rose from her kneeling position, removed the old tea and made her way to the kitchen to prepare some more.
“I apologize, my wife is very headstrong…much like my daughter,” he said as Nicole huffed in defiance. “I take it that there is much you’re not telling us as well, especially as to why you decided to bring it up now,” Kaito said, looking at Nicole expectantly.
“In truth, with the dangers we’re currently involved in, we are unable to extricate ourselves from them,” I said diplomatically.
“We decided that the best way to overcome this challenge and protect ourselves is to stay grouped together as much as possible. We’re here to ask for permission to have Nicole stay with us at Alden’s house. I assure you-” I was cut off by the sound of a small shattering noise and then shouting.
“Absolutely not!” Shigure shrieked. “You will not take my daughter anywhere, infact-”
“You will be silent when I speak,” I stood roaring in anger, the whole room falling silent as my aura spiked adding weight to my words.
Nicole had been prepared to speak but simply closed her mouth instead.
“This is beyond your control and beyond your ability. What you think, what you feel, to me, they’re irrelevant. What does matter to me is Nicole’s safety and she is safest with us!” I bellowed. “We tried to do this diplomatically and politely, but if you will not listen to reason, we are not inclined to give you a choice in the decisions being made,” I finished, and at this point my emotions were boiling over.
The intensity of my aura began increasing the pressure I was exerting over the room to the point where Nicole’s parents began struggling for breath. Nicole quickly grabbed my hand and stared into my eyes, her look of concern causing my rage to evaporate instantly.
“It’s ok Cian, no one is in danger right now,” she soothed, I stood silently for a moment before returning to a kneeling position, my hand still clasped in hers.
When she was certain I had calmed down she turned back to her parents who were stunned but quickly recovering.
“Cian is right. You don’t have a choice in the matter. I decided to include you in this decision as a matter of respect because you’re my parents but I can’t let your feelings put me and yourselves in danger,” Nicole stated plainly.
“N-Nicole,” Kaito said, coughing. “You’re our child, we’re always going to worry about you. It’s our job to protect you, even if we don’t understand what’s going on.”
“I know, but you can’t protect me from this. Cian…They can protect me. I can protect me. If I stay here, you’ll be in danger and I’m not strong enough to protect myself and you at the same time,” Nicole said, with a tone of finality.
Pulling my hand and forcing me into a standing position, Nicole turned to leave, my hand still clasped.
“Nicole! I forbid this, this is nonsense!” Nicole’s mother shouted but her pleading fell on deaf ears as we all vacated the house.
I barely managed to get my shoes on as Nicole dragged me down the stone pathway and through the wooden gate.
“Please…take me somewhere else,” she pleaded as I felt her hand tremble in mine.
I gave a quick glance back towards Zypher and Alden who nodded back in understanding.
In a faint flash of blue light I teleported us to the first place that came to mind, the forest in which I had first revealed everything to her. There was no wind this time, just the muted sound of nature muffled by the thick covering of snow. Her body collapsed into mine, partly because of the teleportation and partly because of her nerves finally succumbing to the anxiety from confronting her parents. Pulling Nicole into an embrace, she began to shudder and cry uncontrollably in my arms.
“I-I tried so hard, but they just won't ever listen to me,” Nicole cried.
“Hey, it’s okay. It will take some time for them to understand,” I said, caressing her head gently. “We’ll figure out a way to get through this together,” I said, as she looked up at me with her tear soaked eyes—my heart melted thoroughly.
“I will always protect you,” I said, tightening my embrace before our lips met in a brief moment of passion.
My heart skipped a beat, heat coursing through me, yet I felt calmer than ever before. For the first time, I felt my convictions truly take shape—I will protect her with my life.
“I guess, we both kind of knew how we felt, didn’t we,” Nicole stated, parting her lips from mine and burying her face in my neck.
“Yeah, I guess so,” I agreed, savouring our moment together.
“Let’s just stay here for a while longer,” Nicole said and I silently complied.
After roughly thirty minutes more, we decided it was time to meet back up with Alden and Zypher so I gave them a call.
“Hey…you should come to my place ASAP. There’s been…a development?” Alden said and before I could even get a word in, he hung up.
“Well then…I guess it’s time to go,” I said, putting my phone back in my pocket, grabbing Nicole’s hand, and teleported us to Alden’s balcony.
When we arrived I noticed Alden and Zypher sitting in chairs and staring intently in the same direction, Nicole seemed to pick up on the shift in mood instinctively as well. Carefully, we stepped off the balcony and into Alden’s room where Alden’s father stood waiting.
“Wonderful, you’re all here. Come in, sit, foolish children,” he snarled angrily, his back turned to us, hands clasped behind him.
Alden continued to stare undaunted at his father who was currently observing Alden’s trophy shelf. He patiently waited until Nicole and I had found our seats before turning around.
“You’ve cost me a great deal of money with your latest escapades,” he said, his tone measured.
“Perhaps you could explain to me what exactly your intentions are? Here I am, in Germany, closing a business deal with the Chancellor. The Chancellor!” He yelled, as if spitting venom.“Then I received a phone call that someone had decided to destroy the basement of my school. And to top it off, cause a massive island wide blackout that removed any possibility of recovering any data.”
“In all fairness, by the time I got to the basement, it was empty. So, by the time power was lost, the equipment was long gone,” Zypher offered.
“Yes, but I couldn’t track it anymore because the bloody Sundals made off with all of it and cut off communication,” Alden’s father continued.
“So, you were involved after all,” Alden said, evenly, his tone unsurprised.
”Who else would have the money to afford that school on this damned island,” Alden's father snapped back.
Alden chuckled, his hand covering his face to hide his expression.
“Answer me. What are your intentions?” Alden’s father demanded, despite his complete lack of quanum and soul power, the man was quite intimidating.
“Personally, I intend to hunt down the churches, and then I intend to shatter them into pieces,” I stated, angrily.
When no one else offered opposing views, Alden’s father dropped his hands back down to his sides, relaxed, and smiled.
It was a sincere smile, lighting the room immediately, somehow.
“Sorry about that,” he chuckled. “I needed to make sure I understood what I was dealing with. First off, I am not in league with the churches, nor do I ever intend to be, but the school is indeed mine,” he explained. “My name is Rian Farsaidh, Alden’s father,” he said, fully introducing himself. “Hello again Cian, it has been awhile since we last saw each other. I hope you and your parents are doing well,” he smiled.
They are, thanks,” I said awkwardly as I glanced over at Alden, who had just dropped his hand from his face as he burst out in laughter.
“Sorry, he has a thing for theatrics…” Alden said, catching his breath.
“It’s no fun when you can’t even fool your own son,” Rian moped, jokingly. “Regardless, I am aware of the oddities of this island,” he continued.
“Hold on, I need to know how all of this fits together. How exactly are you connected to all this?” Zypher demanded.
“Well, to put it simply, I’ve been hunting down the churches for reasons I won’t get into right now. And, let’s just say, the feeling is mutual Cian,” Rian said, his eyes making contact with mine, revealing a silent torrent of rage.
“Either way, I have an offer for all of you. As I said before, I’ve been aware of your actions on the island for some time thanks to some contacts.”
“Is it my parents? I bet it's my parents,” I interrupted.
“Ahem,” he said, clearing his throat awkwardly before continuing on. “I will provide you with the financial backing to continue your work, but there are conditions. Firstly, you must remain focused on school, you must not neglect your education, the world is bigger than you or I can truly imagine and the only way to understand it is through education. Secondly, we will meet regularly to discuss your future plans and goals, where you’ve succeeded, where you’ve failed and how you can improve. Thirdly, stay open with each other, and me, a lack of communication is the main reason relationships of any kind fail. Do we have an agreement?” Rian asked, finishing his pitch.
“Why entrust this to us? Don’t you have powerful connections?” Nicole asked sheepishly.
“I like to think I have an eye for great investment opportunities. In this case, I’ve decided to invest in you and it won't cost nearly as much as throwing my weight around to get answers from those ‘connections’,” he said, matter-of-factly. “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t see this as purely a monetary transaction. You’re my son’s friends, and I appreciate what you all must have been through, so I’m trusting you to get the job done. Also, I honestly don’t think we’ll find many clues left on the island, but I have faith you’ll turn up with something,” he finished.
“I think this works for us, also, my parents probably put him up to it,” I said, looking around at everyone who nodded in agreement.
“Perfect…then let's get down to business,” Rian said, smiling appreciatively in an annoyed tone while pointedly ignoring the mention of my parents again.