Scuti Irista

Kristel couldn’t think of what to say. She knew she had to apologize, but there was nothing she could do in the first place. The order to descend to Minaveil Province had come from their father. It wasn’t some kind of whim that led her to leave Scuti, but her younger sister was making it more difficult to say sorry with every swing of her sword.

The First Princess exercised patience. She had to deal with this dangerous temper tantrum with poise, and she knew that calling Scuti out for it would only make the situation worse. She still believed her younger sister didn’t really hate her, despite the ongoing attempt on her life.

“You left me all alone, and you think you can just waltz back here as if nothing happened?” Scuti yelled, slashing her sword along with every line. She must’ve realized that Kristel wasn’t fighting back, right? But the Second Princess ignored that too. Her immature and emotional state was enough to blind her from what was actually going on.

Kristel was thankful that Frein and Katherine decided to keep themselves out of the situation. It was uncharacteristic of them, but it seemed they knew that their presence would only complicate things. This was a matter between siblings in the first place, and she should handle it alone. Frill and Xiv were close by, but they followed her orders to stand down.

“Say something!” Scuti yelled as she made an overhead slash.

Kristel raised her meiyal blade to deflect, but she erased the Art at the last second, letting Scuti’s sword pass through.

It was too late for the Second Princess to stop her swing. Her shocked face was instantly filled with regret, which gave comfort to Kristel. She smiled, confident that her younger sister didn’t really hate her for leaving.

Scuti’s sword fell straight towards Kristel’s shoulder. The First Princess emphasized her Siffera with all her might, but she wasn’t as skilled with it as Frein was. Despite her ability to invest as much meiyal into the Art as she could, elevating it to Nidai-level at such a quickened pace as the Visitor’s was still out of her grasp.

No matter. It was sufficient enough to handle the situation.

As a result, Scuti’s sword, despite her desperate attempts to abandon her attack, sliced deep into Kristel’s shoulder, stopping at her collarbone.

Frill was quick to her side, shoving away the Second Princess out of pure desperation and instinct. Xiv was quick to get in between the princesses, delivering a silent threat towards Scuti.

All the while, Scuti was in shambles. She dispelled her sword Meiyal Art and fell to the ground, clutching and shaking her head and apologizing frantically.

“I didn’t mean it, I didn’t mean it!” she cried, earning a glare from Frill. She withdrew even further. “I swear, I didn’t mean it…”

“I’m okay, Frill,” Kristel said, already healing herself with Samesia. “She tried to stop midway. Take it easy on her, please.”

“Even so, that was too dangerous!” Frill complained. Her eyes were fixated on the First Princess’s wound. “That’s…”

“I know, Frill,” Kristel said. If her Siffera was any weaker, if Scuti’s attacks were any stronger, she would’ve suffered the same fate as Liona. “I’m sorry, but please let me speak to my sister. I need to calm her down.”

“Promise me first, you won’t do something like this without informing me next time. We both know your safety is all our priority now.”

Kristel smiled and nodded. “Yes, I promise.”

With that, the Aria stepped aside. Kristel tapped Xiv’s shoulder, ordering him to stand down. He silently backed away. The Princess walked up to her younger sister, showing her shoulder.

“What?” Scuti blinked in both confusion and amazement. “It’s gone? When did you…?”

“I’m pretty good with Samesia now,” Kristel explained, smiling at the chance to show off to her sister. “Still, that hurt, you know?”

Tears appeared from Scuti’s eyes, pleading for an apology. “I’m sorry. I was just really angry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Kristel placed a hand on her sister’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, too, Scuti. I’m sorry for leaving you alone. I’m back now, and I’ll be staying for a while.”

“You’re leaving again?” the Second Princess asked, catching her implications. She didn’t sound as angry now.

Kristel looked up towards Frein and Katherine, gesturing for them to approach.

“That depends. The Visitor has changed a lot of things since he arrived. And you have a lot of catching up to do. Starting from introducing yourself to him.” She reached out a hand to her sister.

Scuti took it with one hand while she wiped her tears with the other. “I read your reports. Is he really as strong as a Deep Nightmare?”

“Can hear you from far away, too,” Frein said as they approached. As expected, he presented a hand for a handshake. “You must be Scuti Irista. I’m Frein Nivan, the Visitor.”

What Kristel didn’t expect was how Scuti responded to it. Frein was just as surprised.

“Uncle Kento mentioned it before,” the Second Princess explained, noticing their questioning expressions. She observed Frein from head to toe. “Handshake equals good terms, or something along those lines. The reports also mentioned you Gather and Mill openly and while moving, too.”

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“I do,” Frein said. “I can do it subtly now, but the more I put in effort, the more obvious it becomes.”

As an example, he Gathered an entire pocket of meiyal and Milled it in an instant. Scuti instantly forgot she was crying just a few seconds ago. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“That’s amazing! There’s really nothing left.” She felt the air where meiyal once was. Slowly but surely, it was being refilled by the environment’s natural abundance.

“You seem to be in high spirits,” Katherine said, making herself known. She made a formal curtsy.

“Lady Katherine! Welcome back!” The Second Princess made a formal bow in return.

“I’d also have a handshake, Scuti, if it’s all the same to you.”

“Gladly!”

“Well,” Frein started, “that sure was an interesting welcome. George gave us a warning, but I didn’t expect you to actually come out trying to kill your own sister.”

“I wasn’t!” Scuti yelled. “That wasn’t my intention. Wait… what did you mean George warned you?”

“It’s a Visitor thing.”

“I know you’re bored, but you don’t need to instigate it, Frein,” Kristel said as she placed both hands on her waist.

Despite what she said, Frein shrugged. He trained on Scuti. “Sure. Hiding yourself with Nature’s Favor like that. If you wanted to, you could’ve slit any of our throats without us knowing.”

“That’s not how the Blessing works!” the Second Princess complained. “Nature’s Favor melds away whenever I try to attack or touch someone. That’s the counterbalance of the Blessing.”

Kristel raised an eyebrow and Frein frowned at the same time.

“Are you sure?” they both asked. The Visitor then pointed to the Second Princess’s side.

Kristel expected it, but not Scuti.

Just then, something touched her thigh. “Hello.”

The Second Princess yelped and jumped away at the same time that Enza manifested out of her Nature’s Favor. Somewhere, through her Siffera-enhanced hearing, Kristel could hear Maffelyne calling the yuma’s name. She produced her M.O.B.I.L.E. to inform the Guard Knight.

“I told you to behave, Enza,” Frein said. He then spent the next few minutes trying to make Scuti understand how his yuma’s Nature’s Favor worked differently and how she was able to speak like a normal person.

It was enough time for the half-elf Guard Knight to arrive and join the conversation regarding the Blessing, since she was Blessed by it as well.

“That makes her different, then,” Maffelyne concluded. She was busy trying to re-attach the reins to Enza’s collar. “Mine works the same way as Princess Scuti’s. That’s why when I tried to attack you before during our sparring, my intention was enough to keep me from disappearing.”

“But you appeared after I parried your attack,” Kristel reminded Scuti. Frein gestured to second the point.

“Because I was fast enough.”

“Oh…” Kristel, Frein, and Katherine all said at the same time.

“So that’s why you were running so fast that we could hear you,” the Visitor said. “But what if you used a ranged attack?”

“If there are no more questions for me, may I go resume my work?” Maffelyne asked, interrupting Frein.

“Sure. Thank you.” Kristel dismissed them. She could hear the Visitor reprimanding his yuma while she complained in return. “Where were we?”

“If you used a ranged attack while in Nature’s Favor,” Katherine said, giggling at the Visitor.

“Yeah,” he added, returning to the group.

“Once your mind starts considering attacking or touching or involving yourself with someone else through any motion, Nature’s Favor’s effect gradually starts to disappear,” Scuti said. “I’m not sure how different or special it is for Enza, but that’s what’s written in our records and that’s how it is for me and Maff.”

“The records aren’t accurate,” Frein said. “At least when it comes to the Ten Blessings. But enough of that. Let’s eat somewhere and talk there. I’ve decided I don’t want to stand anymore.”

“We’ve made reservations to the nearest fine-dining restaurant,” Frill said, putting away her M.O.B.I.L.E. “We can head there now.”

“Umm…” Scuti started, scratching her head. “Then I guess, I’ll be on my way. Sorry again.”

Kristel wanted to say something, but Frein beat her to it.

“Nonsense! I have a lot of questions for the Second Princess, and as the Visitor, you’re not allowed to say no.”

“I’m not?”

“You can say no,” Kristel said, punching Frein’s shoulder. “But he has a point. I would like to have you around as well, Scuti. We can catch up while we eat. I did miss you, you know? Very much.”

Kristel waited for it. Scuti’s smile. It was a treasure to behold. One of pure joy and relief. She did miss her younger sister.

“I missed you too, Sis.”

“Good! Now I’m a little less bored,” Frein said, walking in front of the group. He turned towards Frill. “Where to, then?”

----------------------------------------

The Entity felt insulted. Sure, it was a plan it had come up with on its own, but when it had actually worked, it had felt the painful reminder of losing its powers.

When the Visitor had arrived inside Ashtine’s Dream Realm, the Entity had hidden itself well behind the Oblimoth. It had relied on the fact that this monster, dubbed by most scholars as a Great Disaster, would serve as enough warning to chase away Frein Nivan and his annoying, little faunel.

It had been a genius thought. Since it had lost most of its divine authority, the presence of the Oblimoth should be enough to mask its existence.

So when they had left, proving its theory true, it had been baffled by the fact. Confusion and frustration struck it. Masked? Veiled?

By a mere Oblimoth?

It gasped in sheer disbelief.

“But why?” it asked. No, not why it was weaker than an Oblimoth. That was already evident by the lack of its divine powers. The question was, why would there be such a creature inside a half-faunel in the first place?

“How?” it asked as well, to no one in particular. No, not how it had lost its powers. Brymeia existing was enough proof that it had them still imprisoned somewhere. The question was, how was this half-faunel, this Ashtine Solfey still alive and able to suppress a Great Disaster?

Granted she was in Void Sleep, but it was the Entity’s fault—this much it acknowledged despite the disappointment—not the Oblimoth’s.

With those in mind, the Entity strolled inside Ashtine’s Mind Palace. It was mildly surprised when the faunel beside the Visitor didn’t recognize the barrier that protected this place. But it helped it determine who the faunel was; Elizzel, the Faunel of Freedom and Consequences. She was another curiosity, for it did not understand the reason behind her voluntary memory wipes.

“A matter for later,” it said. “This place is full of curiosities on its own already.”

The Entity was already content to find proof of concept that a Nightmare-cleansing barrier didn’t work on it, thus proving once more that it wasn’t a Nightmare. It strolled inside the Mind Palace merrily, enjoying the irony that it couldn’t share to anyone.

The Entity returned with one goal in mind, to determine if Ashtine had never really gone to the Nightmare Lands. It was late to realize that the discovery of the Sky Knight’s memory modification might have affected the integrity of her potential

adventures to those cursed lands—or lack thereof.

It wanted to verify the truth, possibly to glean some answers or clues to this Nightmare infested Dream Realm.

“What for?” it asked rhetorically, again, to no one in particular.

“Just curious,” it answered itself, shrugging its nonexistent shoulders.

Of course it could only be a Blessing that modified Ashtine’s memory. Which one? It had no idea. Brymeia wouldn’t tell it the names in the first place, and she influenced Destiny to block their information from it. Why? It didn’t know, it didn’t care. But it was enough of a telegraph on how important those Blessings were.

It didn’t bother with the details.

Still, it would take the Entity some time to find the truth. It needed to determine and segregate a true memory from a modified one. Starting where? Most likely from Ashtine’s birth.

The Entity sighed, entertaining its boredom. “I have nothing to do anyway.”