“Dr. Holzer, oh no. Can you hear me? Dr. Holzer!”

Liara had Dr. Holzer's head cradled in her lap, heedless of the fresh blood further staining her uniform. The Paladin was already a fair-skinned man, but now he was deathly white. The majority of the blood was coming from his back, the blood from it was spilling onto the floor and down his back to his pants. He half opened his eyes and looked at Liara.

“Ah, Sonia, so good to see you again.” He mumbled something else, but Liara did not hear it as her professor slipped back into unconsciousness.

“Pellas, I think he’s delirious.”

“Yes, he is going into shock from blood loss.” Pellas was waving his arms over Holzer, scanning him with his medical suite. “He does not have much longer.”

“But another greater restoration then! That should be enough, right?”

“To stabilize him, yes! One moment.” Pellas’ eye flickered and he stood still, but the moment ended with a growling sound that did not suit him.

“I am afraid that you do not have enough points for it.” His voice trailed off and he looked at the dying man before them.

"What? Of course, we do! It only costs forty points. Stop penny-pinching and just buy it for him."

“No, Liara please, it costs forty points to synthesize a greater restoration for you, but for him,” Pellas paused. “The system deemed that is costs twenty times the normal amount.”

Liara gaped and then she shook her head, snapping back to the current life-and-death situation. "Negotiate for us then. Every point I have left, just get us a greater restoration."

Pellas hesitated and Liara snapped, “Now, I don’t care about the cost.”

With another flicker of his eyes, Pellas came back and he sounded even more distraught. “The system still refuses. It has a ridiculous counter offer though, it wants the Matriarch mana core.”

“Sold. Get us that greater restoration.” Liara focused back on Dr. Holzer and put pressure on his back where she guessed the wound was. The paladin felt so cold and if she did not feel the minutest of a pulse on his neck, she would have sworn that he was dead.

“But Liara, that is above and beyond an unfair deal. That core is worth at least thirty greater restorations at that gouged price if we can find the right buyer!”

Liara did not look up, but the monotone of her voice was just as clear as the glint in her eyes would have been. “I don’t care Pellas, just do it.”

Pellas should have felt proud, but he was so outraged by the system’s greed. It full well knew that they needed the medication now, but it was taking its opportunity to profit off the dire situation.

"Processing," Pellas said, and a moment later a vial of the much-needed medication materialized. Even as he felt the weight of the Matriarch mana core leave his internal storage, Pellas wasted no more time and injected Dr. Holzer with the greater restoration. Liara waited with bated breath, unsure if it would work, but Pellas' medical suite let him watch the amazing process firsthand. Coagulants stopped the bleeding, antibiotics killed invading bacteria, and tissue was forced to regenerate at a super quick speed. The result was Dr. Holzer's breathing became stronger and color returned to his cheeks.

Liara clasped the paladin's hands and told him that everything was going to be all right. Pellas felt horrible that he had to tell her that it wasn't.

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

“What do you mean it did not work?”

“It worked, but a greater restoration can only do so much. He will not die in the next five minutes like he was, but analyzing the new growth and tissue patterns, I would say that we bought him a couple of hours at the most.”

“There has to be something else. It worked for me.”

"You did not have a fist-sized hole in your back. Besides, the Magical Girl transformation helped you recover as well."

“Say that again.” Liara had an idea.

"You don't have a fist-sized hole in your back."

“No the other part! The Magical Girl transformation! That can help him!”

“Uh, there is a small problem with that Liara.”

“Yes, obviously Pellas, but I’m not talking about the Magical Girl transformation. What about the bond?”

Another voice answered before Pellas, "No." It was Dr. Holzer, he was sitting a little upright now and his ice-chipped eyes had regained their clarity. "I cannot be your paladin."

"Well, she has a point, Holzer." Pellas floated over him. "If she were to bond you, then it would probably provide enough of a boost to your strength and vitality that it would get you over the hurdle."

Holzer winced when he tried sitting up more, so he laid down again. “I appreciate that you’re both trying to help me, but a paladin bond is a sacred covenant, not some cheap gimmick to heal someone.”

“You will die if you do not bond with her.” Pellas’ leaned over Holzer. “We already spent too much to let you die now.”

“I did not ask for that Messenger,” the wince on Dr. Holzer’s face this time was not entirely from pain. “Besides, I’m sure the young woman wouldn’t want to be bonded for life with a grouchy, old man like me.”

“I’m sure the young woman would certainly not want to be bonded with a grouchy, old man like you,” Liara started in on Dr. Holzer, “But she would also not want you to die either.”

With a lift of his brows, Dr. Holzer appraised Liara, her hands were on her hips in defiance of him. After a moment, he laughed, but that was quickly stopped by the pain it produced.

“It’s only been such a short time, yet in these few hours you’ve grown into a different woman.” Holzer shook his head. “No, not a woman, a Magical Girl.”

“Is there a difference?”

“If that glint in your eye is any indication Ms. Liara, I’m sure you already know the answer to that.”

Liara bent down, nearly face-to-face with the injured man. "Then you already know that I'm not going to let you boss me around anymore, especially since it'll end up getting you killed."

“If you thought I was just bossing you around all these years, then maybe you’re not as mature as I thought. Magical Girls are an example to the rest of mankind, they can’t have the same human weaknesses or vices like the rest. A paladin bond is especially important as it is a representation of the basic unit of society.” Liara blushed at the implication, but Holzer continued. “If a Magical Girl makes a bond of convenience and then breaks it, how much easier would it be for others to follow their example?”

“And so you’d die for this conviction?”

"It wouldn't be a conviction if I wouldn't."

“All that blood, your conviction, your oath to keep me safe,” Liara wavered, “Was it the Destroyer that did this to you?”

Holzer grinned, his teeth stained red by blood, "Indeed Ms. Liara, one of its turret rounds penetrated my mana armor. However, I did not fail to leave a mark of my own in parting. The beast's been disabled, unable to move from where I left it in the main quad." With a slight shake of his head, he said, “I see the spear I lent you is missing, like mine. Did I leave you, only for you to wander into more Yabanchi?”

Pellas pshawed Holzer’s question, “Wander? Our girl here slew over twenty Yabanchi on the way here.”

While Dr. Holzer processed this surprising fact, Liara asked, “The spear you lent me was quite useful, but I’m afraid to say I accidentally destroyed it.”

"That spear was made of mana-infused titanium," Dr. Holzer muttered, "How does one 'accidentally' destroy it?"

“It’s because I had no choice. It was either live or die,” Liara’s tone hardened. “Just like now.”

“I already told you-“

“Is it because you don’t want me as a Magical Girl?” Dr. Holzer grimaced and shook his head, but Liara kept pressing him, “Do you think I’ll leave you behind and break the bond when it’s convenient? Are you the only one allowed to make fancy oaths and risk your life for others?”

Recomposed, Holzer replied, "It is none of those things, nor is it personally against you Liara, but I don't think that I can," he paused, measuring if he should finish his sentence, "I just don't think I can handle the feeling and pain of having the bond ripped away from me again."

“So, you don’t hate Magical Girl students,” Pellas whispered, “You just don’t want to let yourself get close enough to hurt them.”

“A sophomoric diagnosis Messenger,” Holzer sighed, “but one that may be close to the truth.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“If you can’t handle people around you dying? Then why are you expecting me to handle it any better?”

A moment of silence stretched after Liara’s question and Holzer shook his head. He looked like he was eating a sour fruit and the usual hint of haughtiness was gone, replaced by an open window to his wounded soul.

“Are you sure you’d want an old paladin like me? Liara, please, I don’t want to die either, but this is an important decision. It is not like mana marines and their bond partners. If I die, it will feel like your soul getting ripped in half.”

"I'm sure, Holzer." Liara smiled, but her heart hammered in her chest. No, she did not want him to be her paladin for the rest of their lives, but momentum had carried her so far forward and her tongue did the rest. "I'm not sure how a bond happens though."

“Simple enough,” Pellas replied. “It is a matter of intent mostly. The paladin must willingly open himself and reach to the Magical Girl with all the devotion he can and the Magical Girl must willingly make physical contact with the intent to form an emotional connection.”

“That sounds so simple.”

“But of course it is. The difficult part is finding a partner whom you would be willing to form such an intimate bond with. It is not unheard of for paladins to marry their Magical Girls at the same time.”

The flash of terror Liara felt must have not been suppressed enough, because Pellas said, “Now, no one is saying you two have to get married. It is just that the bond really is as important as Dr. Holzer said.”

When she looked at his face again, Liara felt another pang of pity for Dr. Holzer. To say no now would be cruel when he was on the verge of this hope. So, she reached down and held her hand out to him, the matter was decided.

For his part, Dr. Holzer also hesitated, weighing Liara and their potential future, but ultimately the chance to live and fight another day spurred his heart and hand. He reached out and took Liara’s long fingers into his own.

The moment was thick and silence hung in the air, but it was Pellas who broke its sacrosanctity.

“Odd, that was not supposed to happen.”

Liara felt the same, or rather to say, did not feel anything new at all. Looking at her hand she asked, "Is something supposed to happen?"

“Yes, for one thing, you should both have gotten some sort of a stat boost, but as I am looking at yours, there is no change. Holzer?”

“I don’t have my personal tablet to confirm, but I know what it feels like to form a bond and right now I feel like nothing has happened.”

“Liara, are you willing enough to make the bond? Perhaps there is a part that does not want to.”

"No messenger, you're wrong. Whether a small part does or does not want to form the bond is irrelevant. Just reaching out her hand voluntarily should have been enough."

“What’s the problem then?” Liara wracked her brain and felt guilty that somehow this was her fault, but Holzer’s next question caught her totally off guard.

“Liara, have you ever kissed a boy?”

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

After Holzer had asked if Liara had ever kissed a boy, Pellas blew up. Not literally, but the way his legs spun and his eye flashed, you would be forgiven for thinking so.

"So that is why! It explains it of course! You had some sort of secret dalliance and bonded with a man before becoming a Magical Girl!"

“No, wait,” Liara said, but Holzer broke in.

“There is a reason the academy highly disapproves of dating and romance while you’re a student here, Ms. Liara. Situations like these, while rare, are becoming more and more common.”

"And of course, this explains the stats! If a mana user spends too long apart from her bonded partner, then a debuff of her stats takes effect!" Pellas said.

"It would also account for her minor healing trait. The academy has always wondered how a young woman could naturally have such a trait without points purchasing or bonding a man." Dr. Holzer mused.

Liara’s explosive response had quickly put a stop to their discussion of her. She made it clear that not only had she never even kissed a boy, but she had not even held a guy’s hand.

“Now, if you’ll both please stop talking about me like I’m not here, then we can keep moving forward.”

“Like not even a little peck on the cheek,” Pellas’ tiny hands made a small pinching sign.

“Pellas.”

"Right, sorry. If there is no other explanation, then we may have to take you to the capital for an examination. They would have the proper tools to conduct such a study there." Pellas said. "As for now, we should continue toward the shelter. The fact that a mana barrier is activated there is a good sign that we can find help."

Putting aside the topic of bonding as well, Dr. Holzer asked, “The mana barrier is active here?”

“Why of course. Why else were you coming here?”

"I had simply thought that if you two were alive, then this building would be your next destination."

“Thanks for thinking of us, Dr. Holzer,” Liara had switched back to calling him by his formal title. “But the plan has not changed. An active mana barrier means that there are probably living students and if they’re alive then that might mean the other paladin instructors are with them too.”

“Ah, Clarke and Penn. They’d probably be more useful now than I currently am. Go on without me, maybe they can help you.”

Liara almost rolled her eyes at Dr. Holzer’s exaggerated bravado. “Not this time. Can you stand?”

With a lot of grunting and wheezing on Holzer’s part, the trio got the wounded paladin on his feet. Liara was on one side of Holzer and Pellas was on the other, supporting him.

“I am not sure if I am strong enough to carry this much weight,” Pellas groaned.

Dr. Holzer gave one of his rare jokes and asked if the golem was calling him fat. To which Pellas only said, “No comment.”

With Liara and Pellas supporting Dr. Holzer, the three of them slowly walked toward the student barracks shelter on the top floor, the source of the barrier field. The awkwardness that hung around them was palpable, but the silence was preferable to Holzer's questions and Pellas' freaking out.

So they walked in silence until Liara broke it when they reached the closed doors of the student common room. "This should be it."

“Care to knock, Liara?” Pellas asked, but the Magical Girl shook her head, saying “I’m scared of what we might find inside.”

Dr. Holzer grunted, “There’s only one way to find out.” He lashed out with his foot and kicked the doors, hard enough to make them shake with the blow.

The seconds that ticked by afterward, each felt heavier than the last. Liara thought her stomach might drop all the way to her feet on the tenth one until the doors cracked ever so slightly. A green eye peered out at them, trembling, but when the observer realized who they were she swung the doors open with a shout of joy and surprise.

“It’s Doctor Holzer and another student!”

With the doors open all the way, Liara could see that inside the common room were over a hundred girls. From their uniforms, she could tell that they were mostly second and third-year girls, but the dark blue color of one girl's uniform caught her eye, another senior. She was leaning against the wall, huddled with two other girls, and touching the mana lights. By her bright pink hair, Liara recognized her classmate, Dana Cole.

There was no time to wave to her fellow senior as the other girls started huddling in around their party and dragged them inside.

"Oh my! Dr. Holzer, are you ok?"

Most of the girls' attention was on the wounded paladin who had been helped over to a couch. Heedless of the blood he was getting all over the leather, the girls flocked around Dr. Holzer and peppered him with questions. Unfortunately, there were more than a few gazes cast Liara's way. Unlike the last shelter, where she was at least somewhat known by her fellow seniors, these girls had no idea who she was and vice versa she did not recognize them. All they knew about her was that she was covered in blood and looked like some sort of red-eyed freak with a floating robot spider.

Seeing those wary gazes, Liara went over to the only face she knew, even if it was somewhat casually, and spoke to Dana.

"Hey, Dana."

“Oh, hey Liara.” Dana’s eyes had naturally dark circles always under them, but seeing her now, they looked even worse than usual. “What brings you here?” As she asked the question, she closed her eyes and nodded off.

The casual way she fell asleep took Liara aback as if they were not all in the middle of a Yabanchi invasion, but she answered anyway.

“Uh, I’m here to rescue you all I guess.”

One of the other girls huddled next to Dana, her hand on the pink-haired girl's shoulder, spoke, "Are you a Magical Girl too?"

Pellas took his cue and replied, “As a matter of fact we are! Do you mean to tell me that a golem chose someone as young as you?!”

The girl shook her head and nodded toward Dana. When the senior did not say anything, she shook her shoulder and Dana started with a small snort, “I’m awake, I’m awake.” When she saw Pellas, she did not look surprised at all.

“Oh, another one of you.”

A glowing cube materialized next to the group and sprouted eyes all over its six sides. When every eye opened at once, a nasally voice almost shouted, “Pellas, my friend, good to see you!”

“Jarron? You chose a Magical Girl here too?”

"Well, it was either that or watching my favorite prospect get gruesomely ripped apart! Seeing how everything has panned out, I'd say I chose well!"

“Oh look, they know each other,” Dana mumbled as her head went slack again.

“Oh oh! Um excuse me ladies, but give her another stim, would ya?!” Jarron spoke to the two girls by Dana and one of them replied, “But Mister Jarron, that’d be her fifth one.”

“Do it, girl.”

Upon hearing the menace in Jarron's voice, the student rifled through Dana's pockets and pulled out a medical syringe like the ones Pellas used on Liara earlier. When she jabbed Dana with it in the leg, the effect was instantaneous.

"Gah!" Dana's eyes flew open and she almost knocked over the girls next to her. When Liara looked closely at them, she saw that they also had bags under their eyes.

“You two are at your limit,” Jarron muttered. “Another two, please, now, thank you!”

Two girls stepped from the milling crowd and placed their hands on Dana, they closed their eyes, and the hair on Liara's arm stood up somewhat. When they nodded, the original pair of girls stopped touching Dana and walked away, both of them flopped onto a nearby couch on which they immediately fell asleep.

"Voluntary mana siphoning," Dr. Holzer said. He finally joined them at their place in the common room by Dana and was staring at the girl with a mixture of awe and horror. "If I recall Ms. Cole, you're studying to be a barrier specialist like the academy president, but are you the only one holding up the shelter barrier?"

Before she could answer, Jarron replied, "Yup, she sure is! With the help of a few consumables to boot, my girl is single-handedly saving everyone here!"

“It’s not as easy as it looks,” Dana whispered. “Even with the others' sharing their mana, there’s something pulling back in the mana line. Almost half our output is being pulled into whatever it is.”

“She’s being modest,” Jarron crooned and his cube body morphed into a diamond. “She’s going to go far!”

"More like she is going to have a heart attack if you keep feeding her stims like that," Pellas glared at his fellow golem. "She is a low-tier Magical Girl, even a medium-tier would have difficulty doing what she is accomplishing."

Jarron glared back at Pellas and the two golems had a staring contest for a long moment. Pellas eventually won out when Jarron broke contact and looked at Liara. His multitude of eyes glimmered with a sudden idea.

“Well, my friend, as a matter of fact, there is something you can do to help us!”

“No. I am not letting you siphon mana off of Liara.”

“Please, please! We have many potential batteries here already! What I mean is that we know where the energy for the barrier system is being siphoned! Since you have a Magical Girl, you can go there and deal with it!”

Liara had a feeling that she knew what Jarron would say. Before coming to the student barracks, it was their original destination after all. She was about to mention it to the group when the world began to shake.

Some of the younger girls cried out in fright as a vibration made everything in the common room tumble. In the years since she moved to Apophyllion Liara had never felt an earthquake, but on Crestline, they had been all too common. As the world continued to move around them, Liara wondered why it was happening now, but something told her that it was no coincidence.

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

Deep beneath the academy, something burrowed. Ten thousand hands broke, ripped, and scraped against rock, dirt, and stone while half as many voices cried out in unceasing misery.

There was something above ground, in the burning light of day, it sensed it, the energy of life. The Master's command was no longer needed to drive the beast forward, hunger did so just as well and it was excited. Soon it would feed and more voices would be added to the eternal choir.

It had ten thousand eyes and yet it could not see, five thousand mouths that could not eat, but the Kort was coming and it was hungry.