Belle wanted to scream, jump, scratch, kick, claw, but she did none of these things as she walked next to Liara and Holzer. She had thought it was strange when Holzer insisted on visiting Liara almost a month ago, but it was even stranger when Liara had greeted him with a genuine smile! If that wasn’t bad enough, the girl had the temerity to chatter away with her paladin and only give Belle one or two-word answers.

In the following month, they mostly talked about Magical Girl history on their walks, a subject that they both seemed to love and the only good grade Liara got at the academy. Yet on occasion, their voices dipped and Belle heard them whisper about Talia. She didn’t hear much else, since they shut up real quick whenever she tried getting close or joining the conversation. It was infuriating!

Belle was not fourteen anymore though, and she understood that this was all a part of the healing process.

[Oh my, they’re cutting you out again.] Cassandra’s purring in her mind did not help things one bit.

[It’s fine.]

[I don’t think so girly. You may not have been keeping track, but it’s been one month. Selanora’s going to come knocking.]

“Don’t you think I know that?!” Liara and Holzer glanced back at Belle’s verbal outburst, but when she smiled and waved, they quickly returned to talking about the Great War.

[Did you tell her what happens if she doesn’t accept the mentorship or at the very least return to active duty?]

[No.]

[And why not?!]

Because it would be low, craven, self-seeking. Belle knew she was many things, but she strived to be none of those.

[She doesn’t need the pressure.]

[Obviously, she does if all she and that man are going to do is just giggle about dead women and old wars together.]

“They stretched themselves too thin on several other fronts. Even if they didn’t start a fight with them, the Imps wouldn’t have stood a chance against our surgical strikes anyway.”

“We only faced fifteen percent of their forces, Doctor Holzer. Fiona Vengrade herself said that if they hadn’t devoted the bulk of their Eidolon legions to attacking the Sorcerer Kingdom’s core, then even a million Magical Girl strike teams couldn’t have pierced their defense network.”

“Fiona Vengrade! I’ve always admired how heroic she looked. Although, maybe pink armor was a bit much.” Belle joined their conversation. She did not know much about the Great War, but she did know a thing or two about fashion.

But maybe they didn’t share the same passion.

The light in Liara’s eyes dimmed and she pursed her lips into a forced smile. She nodded and replied, “Oh right, yeah, maybe it was.” Belle’s heart sank when she saw that she torpedoed yet another conversation and she looked toward her paladin, but that did not help at all. Holzer was not even paying attention anymore, his eyes scanned around their surroundings like he was on some battlefield. It wasn’t fair. She was putting everything on the line for this Gee-Gee and this was the thanks she got? And Holzer too? Why?

An intrusive thought of wiping their faces off with the edge of her blade burned in her mind, but Belle suppressed it. Too many of those lately, too many nights practicing her sword swings. Not enough sleep. That would be a debt she’d catch up on later, but for now, she needed to be as strong as possible for the next battle.

If that ever came. Her mind constantly slithered with the same fear, the thought of being stuck filling mana batteries at some factory for the rest of her life.

Fortunately, a group of teenage girls interrupted both the awkward moment with her friends and the dark thoughts in her head.

“Oh ME-Go! I told you guys I saw her yesterday!”

“Belle Noblesse, no way! Is it really you?!”

Belle really didn’t want to stop and chat, but Cassandra materialized on her shoulder. “That’s right girls, you’re in the presence of the greatest Magical Girl rookie of this generation. The Kort Slayer, Apophyllion Academy’s Savior, the Electric Blitzen! Belle Noblesse!”

Belle had not heard that third title before, probably something Cassandra had made up, but the others had been lauded on her shortly after her return from Apophyllion. She had been rushed from meeting to celebrity meeting and even got to meet Lady Margaret herself at the Crystal Palace, but after the whirlwind of fame, no one reached out afterward. It was like she was a cutout picture that all those governmental figures wanted to be seen with for a quick photo op with and then discarded afterward. Even her mom had touted her around and Belle had thought that maybe their relationship was improving, but as soon as the last award ceremony was over, her mother had packed up her personal void ship and told Belle that she would be back to start training her in a year. It was like she expected her daughter to wait for her like some obedient pet.

The worst thing was, that was exactly Belle’s plan.

“Ms. Noblesse!” One of the girls had wrapped her arm around Belle and taken a selfie with her comm unit. Belle resisted the urge to shove the girl off and she did her best to keep the rising impatience out of her voice.

“It’s really nice to meet you girl, but I’m walking with my friends. Sorry.” Belle started to walk towards Liara and Holzer. They had fortunately not taken off without her and stood off to the side to watch her predicament. Holzer looked like he was barely containing a smirk and Liara was looking at her for once. Why did she look so sad?

Belle couldn’t ask her because one of the girls persisted in jumping in front of her. “Ms. Noblesse, can I be a Magical Girl too?”

That was a silly question, but Belle knew she was being watched, so she asked, “Can you use mana?”

“Uh, I don’t know. How would I tell?”

“How old are you?”

“Fourteen.”

“And did they say anything at your thirteenth annual physical?”

“Uh, no.”

Useless. All girls were screened at their thirteenth annual physical exam. The medical scanners didn’t lie. You either had the gift to use mana or didn’t. This girl would never be a Magical Girl, let alone a mana user.

“What does that mean?”

Means you’re out of luck. “Your gift may have just not manifested yet. Some girls are late bloomers.”

“Really?”

No. “Really. Just keep studying hard and put everything you’ve got into whatever you do. Success is guaranteed to those who work hard.” The young girl’s face opened up and she looked like Belle had told her that she was going to become a Magical Girl, but as far as Belle was concerned, she just gave her a little pep talk.

As she left the gaggle of girls behind to rejoin the others, Liara asked, “Do you really believe that?”

This girl had been walking with Belle for a month now and the first time she initiates a conversation, she asks Belle if she believed an obvious lie?!

“Will she ever be a Magical Girl? Never. That’s just reality. But can she make something of herself if she works hard? Absolutely.”

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Liara considered what Belle said and the blonde Magical Girl would have given a million points to peek inside her head to get a read on her. As it was, Belle could only try to interpret Liara’s cryptic reply. “What if you work harder than anyone else? Stay up countless nights studying and practicing and in the end, you don’t get what you want? Wasn’t it all meaningless?”

“What’s the goal in this hypothetical, girl?”

“Hmm, being a Magical Girl?”

“You already are a Magical Girl.”

“I know.” Liara trailed off and looked at the ducks in the pond. Holzer was equally silent, yet Belle would have gladly heard his input for once if she could just keep drawing Liara out of her shell. Belle’s mind fumed with something else to say, but Cassandra mentally spoke.

[She’s talking about that dead girl. The crippled one.]

Belle slowed down and let the others go on ahead. She could have smacked her head, she felt that stupid. Of course, Liara was still ruminating on that. You don’t just lose your best friend and fix the hole it leaves in your with a month of walking around the park and birdwatching.

What did Talia and Belle even talk about, that thing about glory? No, when Belle thought about it, reconsidering the other girl in a new light cast by her untimely death, she was not just a glory hound. Talia had hope. Even when Belle talked down to her, mocked her behind her back, and was chosen as a Magical Girl before her, the spark had never left Talia’s eyes. That girl surely knew she’d had zero chance of being chosen, but she applied herself otherwise and excelled in whatever other area she could. Yet most of all, despite whatever inner demons undoubtedly tore at her soul, she never let it make her bitter, and for the years that she knew her, she reached down to help others from a height that only she could stand on.

Belle had not realized what a loss Talia’s death had been, the extinguishment of a bright light and future that every soul could hold, and instead of feeling sorry for Liara, a moment of what the other girl was feeling struck her inner chord.

Belle almost wept, tears strained to break the dam of her eyes, but Holzer and Liara had already moved well past her and started another chat. She was alone, she had been, even back at the academy with her dozens of hanger-on friends, and the reality of that struck her now more than it ever had before. She stopped completely and wavered between going on and just walking away. Maybe a few thousand swings of her sword would get her mind off these emotions, but Liara and Holzer noticed and looked back at her.

“Belle? Are you ok?” Liara looked genuinely concerned for Belle and she jogged back to see if the other girl was ok.

I’m fine. Just keep going. Belle wanted to say, but her voice was lost in a teary, snot-congested cry that communicated much more than words could say. Liara at first awkwardly side-hugged her former bully, but when Belle shoved her face into Liara’s shoulder to hide tears spilled for the first time in years, she pulled them together in a tighter hold.

“Yeah, yeah. It’s alright, I’m here.” Liara stroked Belle’s hair and muttered soothing words. She knew firsthand, the power of a gentle touch. Tears did not stain her face, but the numbness in her chest quivered and shook. A little darkness chipped away.

Holzer did not interrupt them and watched from the side, as two souls mourned together. One for a friend lost, the other for a friend never had. Though what was gone, could never be fully replaced, they had found solace in someone else, and for the first time since they met, understood one another just a little bit.

The walk back to Liara’s home was awkward, but at least Belle wasn’t trailing in the back alone. No one said anything until the house came in sight and Liara asked aloud, “What are they doing here?”

Belle saw what she was pointing at and knew the answer to her question, the sight of Selanora and Leng waiting by the house door plummeted her stomach to the floor. Holzer spoke before Belle could say anything and replied, “They’re going to offer you a mentorship with Lady Selanora again.”

“Oh.”

One small word, but it had so many meanings. Belle hoped beyond hope it was just an exclamation of surprise and not a word of dismissal. Their future as Magical Girls depended on it.

[Just talk to her. Quit with the vague mysteriousness and tell her what’s going on.]

[No.]

[I swear, you humans like drama just for the sake of it. Fine. Don’t act like someone stepped on your tail when your stubborn lack of communication comes to bite you back.]

Leng approached their group and casually waved with his left hand, the other stayed under his cloak, and undoubtedly rested on his sword. “Ah, Liara, Belle, Paladin Holzer! We were hoping to see you today. We just happened to stop by.”

The door to Liara’s house creaked open and Pellas darted out and made Selanora jump in alarm. “They’ve been waiting here for over twenty minutes! I’ve been watching them from inside.”

Leng gave Pellas an eye and muttered, “Sneaky golem.” But Selanora recomposed herself and joined her paladin’s side. “It’s true, facts stretched otherwise, we’ve been waiting for you, Liara.”

“What for?” Liara’s tone wasn’t defiant, but Belle didn’t like how it did not sound respectful either.

“We have some news, one concerning you and the other about the attack on Apophyllion.”

Everyone else froze. Any information about the Apophyllion Attack had been impossible to get. Even with her Magical Girl credentials, all of Belle’s attempts to read official and unofficial reports about what happened were rebuffed by bureaucratic rats and red tape. Of course, Selanora being a high-ranked Magical Girl had no such difficulties.

“Is it safe to discuss in an unsecured location like this?” Holzer asked and Belle could have swung at him. Her paladin was about to shut down whatever information might have been told. Fortunately, Lady Selanora nodded.

“Danford would alert me if any invisible ears were listening. In fact, out here in the open is a much safer place than your house, full of bugs that it is.”

Oof, Belle shivered. Not a surprise that there would be listening devices in a Magical Girl’s home, but still, the fact that their own government was spying on them was creepy. At least she hoped it was their government.

“Go on,” Liara stepped forward, her red eye caught the sunlight and blazed with an eternal fire within. “What do you know?”

“Apophyllion or your news first?”

“Apophyllion, please.” From the light in her eyes, she was desperate for any news whatsoever about the attack. The fatal results of which she had been ruminating on for weeks.

“Very well. We have discovered that the creature responsible for leading the attack was a Lich, an ancient one whom the archivists have identified as ‘General Turlock’.”

Belle ran the name through her head, but it did not ring a bell.

Liara mouthed the name and gasped, “The Immortal?!”

“The same.”

“He’d have to be thousands of years old!”

[Who’s this Turlock the Immortal guy?] Belle hated to blatantly show her ignorance like this to Cassandra, but she hated listening to a conversation without the context more.

[He was one of the last Lich Lords from the Great War. Nasty piece of work, not only is he accredited with over thirty Magical Girl deaths, but he’s been reported slain almost half as many times in the years he’s been active. No matter how many times he’s been brought down, he keeps coming back.]

And this was the guy who led the attack on Apophyllion. Liara asked a question that brought Belle out of her head. "He hasn’t been sighted in over two hundred years, they presumed he moved on to dark space or suffered his final death. Why would he come back now?”

“Now that’s something the Queen’s Voice did not tell me.”

“Lady Margaret told you this?”

“The same. Among other things, she gave me a very detailed dossier on Turlock. I’m making it my mission to find him and I want you to come with me, Liara.”

Belle finally noticed that the hand that Selanora was offering Liara now, was not there the last time she had seen the high ranker. This was obviously not lost on Liara as she stared at the hand and the person it belonged to and said, “Is it just because I gave you that Kort core?” She did not take the proffered hand.

Retracting back her hand with as much grace as would be expected of someone nicknamed the “Sword Slayer”, Selanora shook her head. “My gratitude for your restoration of my limb was very much appreciated and would have been why I made you my apprentice a month ago if you had accepted then, but you’ve grown on me. Part of my research on the Apophyllion attack was watching your golems’ battle footage and reading the reports. Not only is your Dragoon class worth exploring as your mentor, but you showed great ingenuity and courage on your very first day of being a Magical Girl. So, no, Liara, it’s not just that.”

A few sweet words did not make Belle think that Selanora was any less of a banchi, but it was not Belle’s opinion that mattered in this decision.

“When you were looking into me, the reports, what else did you find?”

“Ah, now we get to the news that I found out about you. Well, I know everything that the conglomerate ever wrote down about you, most of the information before your state adoption is sketchy, but I have something of an idea about your life on Crestline. I was there during that campaign after all.”

Of course, Selanora was present in one of the biggest Magical Girl interventions of the past decade. Colony worlds got attacked by aliens and Yabanchi all the time, but that had been the only time an entire planet fell to the dead in Belle’s life memory. It clicked suddenly and Belle gasped. “You were on Crestline, Liara?!”

She has always known that Liara was a colony girl, and looked down on her for it to Belle’s recent shame, but Crestline was something else. The fall of that planet had been the main news in the systems for months. Videos of cities burning and overpacked refugee ships tore at heartstrings during donation drives, but pre-teen Belle had dug a little deeper and found videos of that campaign that a little child should not have seen. Her mother’s servants had wondered why Belle had slept with the lights on for nearly a full year, but she did not want to tell them that she had been a bad girl and that her dreams were filled with the undead, with their hollow gaze and mad grins.

Belle was impressed by the spine Liara had grown since she did not flinch when Selanora casually name-dropped her fallen home, but asked again, “What was the other news?”

“While you were in the hospital they ordered an extensive mana scan.”

“Well, that’s pretty standard,” Pellas interjected.

“Normally, yes, but did you see the results?”

“We’ve been a bit too busy with other stuff,” Pellas settled on Liara’s shoulder like a spider parrot.

“Lady Selanora, if you would please get to the point,” Holzer asked. Belle was surprised that Holzer would even show that much genteel disrespect, but then again, Belle had given the high-ranker lip before too.

Selanora didn’t bat an eye and went on, “These results wouldn’t have been available to you anyway. They were sealed as soon as the scanner revealed the source of Liara’s minor healing ability.”

“Is it a bond?” Liara asked as Selanora winded up to deliver the information.

This time Selanora did blink and she gave Pellas a venomous glance.

“I take it your golem did a little unauthorized snooping then?”

“No, just something I figured might be a possibility since the academy attack.”

“You’re acting like you’re not really sure if you’re bonded or not, even though I have a highly advanced, and classified, mana scanner that says you certainly are.”

“I couldn’t bond Dr. Holzer back at the academy and we didn’t know why then. If I’m bonded already, then that would explain it. Before you ask, I’ve never knowingly bonded with anyone, so I can’t tell you who it is.”

Liara’s affect just became flatter and flatter as she spoke. Information like this should have floored anyone else, but Belle thought that maybe there a little leftover trauma from the academy battle was affecting the girl.

[Hussy. Why doesn’t she admit she just had a fling with a boy and stop pretending?]

[Cassandra, I swear, just shut up.]

“Regardless, when I settle on a decision, it is extremely hard to change. I would ask you, Ms. Noblesse, to come with us too. Pack whatever gear you girls need but travel light. We’re going to hunt Turlock down and make him pay for Apophyllion.”

Belle could have floated away on a cloud, she was that excited. Now not only was Liara going to be mentored by the greatest swordswoman of their time, but she was too! Deep down a part of her took some pleasure in imagining her mother’s face when she found out, but those daydreams were cut off by Liara’s flat voice.

“Um, thank you for the offer Lady Selanora, but I’ve been talking over my options with Pellas and Doctor Holzer. They told me that if I refuse to fight, then I’ll get sent to the nearest facility to be used as a Support Technician in the Mana Corps, right?”

“Such is the only way that a Magical Girl can avoid direct combat and still fulfill her oaths…” Selanora nodded, her face set and Belle thought she heard a ringing noise. The world suddenly became too big and everyone was so far away, yet Belle hung onto every word from Liara and still hoped.

“Right, if I’m allowed to, then I think that’s where I’d prefer to be. Thank you for the offer, but I’m sure Belle might say yes.”

She couldn’t confirm that statement, for as Liara finished nailing their Magical Girl careers into a coffin with that final sentence, Belle Noblesse fainted. In the dark warmth of sleep's embrace, Belle temporarily forgot about her worries in the bliss of unconsciousness.