Too Formal of an Introduction

”I’m Frein Nivan, the Visitor,” he said, stretching out a hand.

”Ashtine Solfey, General Sky Knight,” replied the General Sky Knight. She stared at his hand.

At this point, Frein was used to it, expecting this particular gesture to be questioned. In fact, he used it this time as a gauge to see how she would respond, just to get an idea if they had actually met before or not. This didn’t prove either exactly, but at least it indicated that they hadn’t known each other at all. It would’ve been weird if she knew exactly how to respond.

Katherine spent a quick minute to explain to Ashtine how a handshake was supposed to work. With a smile, the General Sky Knight accepted his gesture.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you formally, Frein,” she said. “I apologize you have to meet me at my worst both times.”

Frein shook her hand firmly while scratching his head. “Sorry, can you refresh me on when we first met? Katherine mentioned it was on the first day I arrived here on Brymeia, but I was probably too distracted by all the amazing stuff to remember everything properly. No offense.”

“None taken, Visitor.” Ashtine afforded a smile. “I figured everything had been jarring for you back then. Are you doing better now?”

“Much better, yes.” Frein gestured towards the small rest area of the training hall so they could talk while sitting down.

“Well,” Ashtine started while taking a seat, “to clarify, we met briefly atop the Vanguard right after Vyndival called for a retreat. You were riding a Jaws Lurking In The Forest that time. I had to rush my brother because he had been seriously injured, but not before I told the Princess about Frill’s situation. Then, you all left looking for her.”

“I see…” The explanation jogged Frein’s memory, but he still couldn’t recall the exact thing vividly. It was probably just that forgettable because of the urgency involved. “Thank you. Sorry, I couldn’t remember exactly how we met.”

“Don’t take it to heart, Visitor. Things happened pretty fast that day, and I’m pretty sure you’ve gone through more amazing things these past few days.” Ashtine smiled. “You don’t have to remember every little detail, or feel sorry for forgetting some of them.”

With that, Frein decided to change the subject. “So what brings a General Sky Knight out of the High Palace?” he asked.

It was Ashtine’s turn to scratch her head. “It’s confidential, unfortunately.”

“The Princess didn’t direct you to me to talk about it?” He could see her eyes taking glances towards Katherine. “Or I guess, to the Lady of the Void, more specifically?”

“Umm… no. The Princess said I should introduce myself. That’s about it.”

“Well, if you’re that hesitant, I won’t insist. But Kristel would probably tell me about it anyway.” While he already knew about Ashtine’s actual purpose, Frein wanted to see how careful she was with the information.

“The Princess trusts you that much already?” she probed. Like Frill before, there was a hint of disdain when Frein referred to Kristel without her title. She didn’t mind personally, so he didn’t really bother adjusting for it.

He nodded towards Katherine, then pointed to himself. “It’s more like she trusts her a lot, and she trusts me unconditionally. I became trusted by association.”

“Unconditionally?” Ashtine implied. “Like… that way?”

The two in question nodded enthusiastically before Frein answered. “That way, yeah.”

“Oh…”

Frein raised an eyebrow. “Something wrong?”

“Umm…” Ashtine hesitated. She gathered herself and continued. “But aren’t you going to die after a year?”

Frein blinked, surprised. “Wow. No subtlety in you, huh, young lady?”

The General Sky Knight was quick to recover. “Oh, no. I’m sorry! I wasn’t thinking straight.”

“It’s alright, Ashtine, relax,” Katherine said before turning to him. “And you, take it easy.”

“I haven’t even done anything yet.”

“You were about to.”

“Done anything?” Ashtine asked. “Am I supposed to be understanding something here?”

Frein sighed. He gave Katherine one look, and she simply shrugged.

“I think it’s okay, still,” she said.

“What’s okay?”

Frein raised up a hand, volunteering to explain. “We actually know why you’re here, Ash. Kristel called you Ash, you mind if I call you the same?”

“I don’t mind.” The General Sky Knight took a second to pick up on the rest of what he said. “Wait, you know?”

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Frein shrugged. “Yeah. We can hear you from here actually.”

“How?” Ashtine almost demanded an answer.

“Good hearing,” he replied, hiding the rest of the facts regarding Siffera. This part, he and Katherine would be sure to hide until Ashtine gained their trust. “I can also tell none of your companions know about Smyl missing.”

The Sky Knight’s jaw slacked, unable to come up of anything to say.

“Don’t worry,” Frein said. “We won’t tell anyone else.”

Ashtine took a second to breathe, looking at Katherine. Frein understood the situation. Of course, she would trust the Lady of the Void more than some stranger. Even if that stranger was the famed Visitor. After all, she only knew about his foretold death, and not how important his role was.

At that Frein questioned himself again. What exactly was his role, anyway? Despite Elizzel’s help, they hadn’t really determined it yet. His actual purpose. Why a Visitor had to exist in the first place. The path to reveal it was there, he simply had to go through it.

But this Nightmare Incursion is in the way.

“It’s okay, Ash,” Katherine said, bringing Frein’s attention back to the discussion. “You can trust this guy. I can bet my life on it.”

“If Kristel wants to help you out, we’ll help you out, too.” Frein pushed on.

While he barely actually knew the General Sky Knight, he still wanted to offer help. Not only was it so that he could expand his connections, but it was also to make sure that his arrival at the High Palace would be more accepted. If a general were to vouch for him, along with the Princess, the Aria, and the strongest Lady of the Void, it would definitely lessen the chances of anyone questioning his sudden appearance.

He could bet on his name as the Visitor, but he judged it to be not enough. Anyone could claim that title, as far as he was concerned.

“Wouldn’t Katherine alone vouching for you be enough?” Elizzel asked through the Tether. “You’re just making excuses because you feel pity for the girl.”

“Maybe,” Frein admitted. “So what? It’s not like we have anything to do while we’re in the High Palace.”

“What about Alphazzel’s records?”

“That won’t take too long, but thanks for reminding me.”

“You don’t have to agree or offer to help everyone, you know?” The faunel shrugged. “It’s fine, I guess.”

“Oh, he’s just thinking a little,” Katherine said, pulling Frein back once more. “He does that a lot. You’ll get used to it.”

“What did I miss?” he asked, acting along.

“I said, if you can promise me your secrecy, I would like to ask for your assistance,” Ashtine said.

“Yeah, that’s the plan. But can you be a little less stiff? You’re being too formal.”

Ashtine blushed a little. “I’ll try.”

“Alright, now. Can you tell me what happened the day before your brother went missing?”

There was a bit of hesitation from Ashtine’s words. It was clear that she was just as confused as any person who had had a relative kidnapped. Worse, no one was contacting them for any sort of ransom.

She was also threading the line of hope and despair. The similar cases had resulted in the safe return of the victims, albeit their memory lost. This, hearing it for the second time, was consistent, but still out of place for Frein.

“They weren’t missing anything else? Are they still able to Gather and Mill properly?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“No receding meiyal marks?”

“None.” Ashtine shook her head with a frown. “I don’t think there’s been any case of receding meiyal marks at all, even isolated from this case. Is that possible?”

Frein passed a glance at Katherine.

“It’s possible,” she replied, deciding to keep the case with Frill a secret. “But it’s usually only after excessive unsealing. There’s been records of it with the Order of the Void.”

“You think it has something to do with the Nightmare Lands, then?” Ashtine asked.

“Possibly. You’ve read Kristel’s report from the incident back in Minaveil Province?”

“That Fallen in the middle of Minaveil Town? The officials in Central almost wouldn’t have believed it, if it wasn’t the Princess writing the report.”

Frein blinked at Katherine, surprised at her implications. “You’re saying the Nightmare’s capable of going in and out of the High Palace?” he asked, hiding the true question behind it.

“That would be a big problem, but I don’t think that’s likely. It’s impossible to rule it out, though.” Katherine gave him the eye, subtly gesturing that she understood his question about the Nightmare Incursion.

“How long are you expecting Smyl will return?” Frein asked, moving the subject along.

“The longest case we’ve had previously was at most four days.”

“Then I think the best plan would be to wait two more days, then, before we go looking for him.” Frein knew right away that Ashtine wouldn’t like that plan, but it was the most logical step after all, and it had to be said. Regardless, he moved the conversation right away so she wouldn’t get the chance to complain. “If we’re going to look for him, do you have any idea where he might be?”

At that, Ashtine was immediately in deep thought. Her face struggled, until she finally gave up. “I don’t know.”

“Any specific location that you two frequent?” Katherine asked, helping to juggle the Sky Knight’s memory. “Any hidden spots or favorite places to relax?”

“Why would he be in any of those?”

“The first place you usually find a missing person is from where they went missing,” Frein explained. “Their homes or workplaces aside, of course. But since you didn’t know where your brother was last before he went missing—he could be in a lot of places within the first eight hours—the most familiar areas are the first places that make sense for you to look.

“It’s not guaranteed that you’ll find your brother in these places, but you should narrow down your options so you don’t go around too much and waste energy unnecessarily.” Frein caught himself, too immersed in his own words. “Sorry, I got a little carried away there.”

Ashtine shook her head. “No, I think that makes a lot of sense. I know a few places, but…”

“You want to go there to look for him now,” Frein finished for him. He scratched his head. “You can’t exactly tell your subordinates to go to those places, with all the secrecy and stuff.”

“There’s no need.” Kristel’s voice echoed as she entered the training hall. She had her M.O.B.I.L.E. in her hand. “I talked to Uncle Kento. They found your brother, Ash. He’s back in the Palace.”

Ashtine shot from her chair but the Princess raised a hand. “Don’t be too hasty. Uncle’s taking care of him. Your father’s also there. Apparently Smyl was more riled up than the other victims. But he is recovering, and you need to take a rest, Ash.”

Frein felt as if the wind was knocked out of his sails, but he disregarded that and instead, expressed his relief for Ashtine. “She’s right, Ash. You should rest.”

“I…” The General Sky Knight turned once, her exhale turned from one expressing relief to one extremely burdened. She promptly fell to the ground, unconscious.

Frein, Katherine, and Kristel were immediately by her side, utilizing their own ways of assessing the situation. He was amazed. They were all panicking, but were instantly able to control their internal chaos to quickly resolve the issue. And just as fast, they all came to the same conclusion.

“Void Sleep,” they all said at once.

As if to confirm their diagnosis, Elizzel appeared, knowing right away that Frein intended to enter the General Sky Knight’s Dream Realm to get rid of the Nightmares inside.

“We might have a problem,” said the faunel. Everyone looked at her, and she looked back at them. “You might not believe this but, this lady, Ashtine…”

Elizzel paused as if to try to confirm her discovery. Frein was too absorbed to consider pulling from the Tether.

“What is it?” Kristel asked, unable to hide her worry. “Is she turning into a Nightmare?”

Elizzel shook her head.

“Ashtine’s a half-faunel.”