Full chapter.

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Chapter 8.

(Caelum)

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I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment, then opened them.

I blinked quickly to clear my eyes.

“Could you say that again?”

Lidia looked up at me. “I want to change my affiliation to the Lanfear Pride.”

“Because?”

“Because I’m hoping the Lanfears have a Fragment that I’m compatible with.” She shrugged her shoulders in frustration. “Everything the Raynars tested me with proved negative. I wasn’t compatible with anything they had. If they had more, they didn’t use it on me.”

Lidia stood up and at the distance of a several feet she stared intently into my eyes.

“There has to be a Fragment for me. There has to be. So please. Help me. Help me find a Fragment—an Artifact—that’s right for me.”

“What makes you think I can help you?”

“Your Guardian is Arisa Imreh Lanfear, the niece of the Lanfear Primogen, Yolanda Imreh Lanfear.”

I frowned faintly at her. “You know a lot about me and the Lanfears.”

“I know a lot about a lot of people.” She clenched her hands into small fists. “I have done my research. I’ve done my homework. And you are my best hope.” She shook her head. “No, you are my only hope.”

“That sounds like a cliché.”

She took a couple of steps closer. “It’s the truth,” she stated adamantly. “Your Guardian is close to the Lanfear Primogen. She could speak for me.”

“Aren’t you skipping a few steps along the way?”

She hesitated for a long moment before pressing on. “Yes, of course. I need to show her that I am of worth.”

I folded my arms across my chest. “I’d say you’ve got some hidden talent. I mean, you were able to learn a lot about me. How did you do that?”

“I’m a computer prodigy.”

I straightened subconsciously. “You’re a Lorelai.”

“No. I don’t have a Fragment, remember?”

“But something like a Lorelai would suit you, right?”

She shook her head despondently, and waved her arms in frustration. “The Raynars said my synch ratio with their Lorelai Fragments were too low. To be considered compatible, your synch ratio has to be seventy percent or above. They said my ratios with their Fragments were all below sixty percent.”

I tipped my head at her. “With all their Fragments?”

“Yes….”

I shook my head slowly. “Do you believe that?”

“No. I tried breaking into the Raynar network to access their database records on me, but their Lorelai Familiar discovered me and I had to flee in a hurry. I had to burn all my tracks and bridges behind me to avoid having my identity discovered.” She shivered as though remembering a terrible memory. “I still don’t know if I’m safe, but that was two months ago.”

I was surprised she’d managed that much without a vaunted Lorelai Fragment. “You really are a prodigy….”

“Of course I am,” she groused. Folding her arms rigidly, she added, “You’re right. A Lorelai would suit me best, and I’d love to have one. Information warfare is what gets my blood pumping. Information is power. Everything is information.”

“So there’s the possibility the Raynars don’t want you having a Lorelai.”

She studied me quietly for a considerable length of time. “…yes….”

I cocked my head. “Well…considering you managed to elude one of their Lorelai wielders, I’d say that makes you talented and dangerous.”

Her shoulders slowly slumped. “Which is probably why they don’t want to gift me with a Lorelai….”

I sighed softly. “I’ll call Arisa. I’ll ask her to meet me when she’s free. And I’ll talk to her about you.”

Lidia’s whole demeanor changed in an instant. It was like she’d turned into a radiant sunny morning where a moment ago she’d been a gloomy stormy evening.

“You will?”

“I will.”

The next instant she launched herself at me and hugged me tightly.

She got past my defenses in the blink of an eye.

I really was defenseless against some girls.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you.”

“I can’t make the call if you’re hugging me like this. And really, you shouldn’t jump onto a stranger just like that.”

She shook her head against my chest. “You’re not a stranger. I’ve been watching you for a long while.”

“Great. So you’re a stalker.”

Lidia released me and stepped back. “Call me an interested observer.”

“You’re a stalker.”

“An avid fan.”

I winced upon hearing that. “I’m not…I don’t think that’s a good thing to call yourself”—I shook my head—“not when it concerns me.”

“You’re not as bad as the girls say you are.”

“What makes you say that?” I asked, surprised I was genuinely curious.

She noticeably pondered her response. “To begin with, you’re not a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

My chest twinged with an odd feeling that made me uncomfortable. “Are you saying I’m easy to read?”

“I’m saying that you don’t approach a girl with ulterior motives.”

My eyes widened. “You mean I’m that obvious?”

She crossed her arms and dropped her weight onto a hip. “Yes, you’re easy to read.”

“Great.”

I started pacing around the room, which resulted in me pacing slowly around her.

After a while, I pulled my palm-slate out from a trouser pocket and called up Arisa’s number. She didn’t answer the call, so I left her a message telling her there was something I’d like to discuss, referring to it as an opportunity for the Lanfear Pride. When I faced Lidia again, her eyes looked moist, and that caught me off guard.

“Thank you,” she whispered again.

When a gentle cough invaded the room, we were both reminded of the quiet girl with dark hair standing beside the wall.

“Ah, can I go now?”

Lidia walked up to her and gave her a hug. “Thanks, Petra. Thank you.”

The girl, Petra, relaxed a little and hugged her back. “Well, I hope you’ll find what you want.”

I frowned at them both. “You make it sound like you’re bidding each other farewell.”

Lidia gave me a confused look, then exchanged looks with Petra. “I’ll see you this afternoon for club activities.”

“Very well, Club President.”

They stepped back, high-fived each other, and then Petra exited the room via the window.

For the second time these past few minutes I was caught off guard.

I’ll never understand women.

I watched Lidia as she pulled out a sleek looking palm-slate from a skirt pocket.

“As a sign of good faith and good will, there’s something I want to show you.” She paused, then looked me very firmly in the eyes. “There’s also something I need to tell you about me.”

“What do you mean? You’re not going to tell me you’re a Crimson Crescent spy?”

“No. I’m definitely not on their side and never will be.”

“Oh? You sound pretty certain of that.”

Her expression darkened and her eyes burned like brimstone. “My parents died because of Crimson Crescent.”

My innards tightened just a little. “Oh….”

“They died when the superfreighter exploded. They were inside the freighter.”

My mouth fell open and I failed to close it.

Lidia nodded once. “You and I are the same.”

After a while, I closed my mouth, cleared my throat, then shook my head. “Not just you and I.” I shoved my hands into my trouser pockets. “Arisa lost her parents as well in that explosion.”

A heavy silence befell the room.

For a long while, I simply stood there not really looking at Lidia, and I was certain she was the same. We were both lost in the past, in the memory of that day when the docks burned as the flaming superfreighter crashed into them.

My throat grew tight making it hard for me to swallow.

Abruptly Lidia sighed, clapped her cheeks, and shook herself like a wet dog. Then she declared with quiet gusto, “I made a promise to myself that I would not be held back by the past. I want to continue stepping forward. Gaining a Fragment is a big step for me. That’s why I need your help.”

I wondered if she was alluding to revenge, however, I understood that I wasn’t in a position to judge her. I’d carried revenge in my heart for many years, and I still did, only I’d realized things were more complicated than I’d pictured as a child.

After a moment, I nodded faintly at her. “I’ve been stuck in the past for too long. When I gained my Fragment was the day I hope…the day I believe…I started moving forward as well.” I looked down at the bracelet hidden under my right shirtsleeve. “But I didn’t realize that until recently. I didn’t realize that until I came to this Academy.”

I met Lidia’s gaze.

“That’s why I chose to protect this place.”

She looked askance at me. “Oh, so it wasn’t because of a certain Vice President of the Student Council?”

“Well, she was one other reason.”

“And a blonde princess with an equally busty chest?”

“Just one more reason to keep the place safe.”

She planted her hands on her hips. “You see. You really are easy to read.”

“Thanks,” I muttered drily.

“Nonetheless, it appears I was right to choose you.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” I warned her flatly. “All I did was make a call.”

She waved her palm-slate at me. “A new era in communications was established with a single accidental phone call.”

“You’re missing the point.”

This time she folded her arms proudly under her bust. “Besides, there is a saying that behind every great man there is a great woman. Who will you chose to be your great woman? Hmm, hmm?”

My heart skipped a couple of beats before finding its rhythm again. However, my voice was audibly strangled. “Wh—what do you mean?”

“Why not choose me?”

My heart slowed to a crawl. “Oh, give me a break.”

“Now you’re being rude.”

“Look, I know this may come as a surprise, but I have certain standards.”

“You mean blonde and busty.”

“I’m impartial to brunettes.” As the words left my lips, my heart flinched in pain and I glanced away. “I have nothing against brunettes. Brunettes are…are special too.”

She held up her palm-slate, a rather large model, and it looked expensive too. “In that case, I have something important to show you.”

The change in her tone felt like a subtle warning that a storm lay ahead. “What would that be?”

Lowering the palm-slate, her expression grew somber. “I have something to show you, but promise you won’t be angry at me.”

“What? Why?”

“Promise me,” she repeated her expression still somber though her voice was firm.

I raised my chin at her, and exhaled loudly. “Alright…I promise.”

She tapped away on her palm-slate’s screen, then walked over and handed it to me.

“Press the play symbol,” she said, before stepping back and then choosing to sit cross-legged on the floor.

I couldn’t help eyeing her suspiciously, then sat down on the floor as well.

I pressed the Play symbol and watched the recording roll on her palm-slate.

I watched it twice, and checked the time code on the recording.

When I met her gaze, Lidia was watching me with faint apprehension.

“This happened last Thursday, during lunchtime,” I said to her in a low voice that masked my unease.

“Yes,” she nodded shallowly.

“But classes didn’t resume until this week.”

“That is true. However, the Student Council was here last week, and some clubs had activities as well.” She pointed at the palm-slate. “And she’s been helping out with the Student Council quite a lot.”

I glanced down at the palm-slate. “Yes. She has. I heard about it from the Countess.” I frowned faintly at Lidia. “How did you record this?”

She crossed her arms tightly. “The Student Council isn’t the only one with access to the Academy’s security network.”

“You mean you can spy on the whole school?”

My question was greeted by a faint nod. “I piggy-back on their access into the network. However, the Student Council isn’t always watching, and the security personnel aren’t really all that interested in the activities of the student body. So long as no one is observed breaking the Academy regulations, they ignore pretty much everything else.”

“Then what’s your excuse?”

“I wanted to learn more about you, so I watched you and the people around you.”

“And yet you claim you’re not a stalker.”

Lidia grew rigid for a moment, then her shoulders slumped. “I’m worse than a stalker.”

“Huh?”

She hesitated visibly. “I know about the fight between you and your sister in the Vault Chamber.”

I almost dropped her palm-slate which I held in both hands. “…how do you know about that…?”

“When the Student Council broke into the restricted network area after Crimson Crescent opened up the seals, I tip-toed in behind them.” She fell quiet as she averted her eyes away from me. “I’m sorry. I saw everything.”

My disbelief shifted its focus. I was having trouble accepting that this girl had managed to sneak into the Academy’s restricted network behind the efforts of Severin Kell, and without the Student Council or anyone else noticing her presence within the system.

I really needed to know more about her. If she could do this much without a Lorelai and without support, then this girl was truly terrifying. Maybe there was some truth to the possibility the Raynar Pride deliberately kept Fragments away from her.

For now, I chose not to focus on that but on something else of importance to me.

My throat felt dry, so I swallowed the moisture in my mouth before asking, “Then you know my sister is a member of Crimson Crescent?”

Lidia pressed her lips tightly together, and then nodded.

I asked, “Yet you still trust me?”

Now she looked at me. “You fought your sister to protect this school.”

“But it was all for nothing. And this school was never the target.”

“I know. But even after you learnt what she was after, you still fought her to prevent her from gaining that power because you believed she would use that power to hurt more people.”

“Yes, I did.”

“Your sister joined Crimson Crescent, but when she asked you to go with her you refused.”

“My sister’s reason for joining them—whatever it may be—is not my reason. I simply have no reason to join Crimson Crescent. There are people here that I want to protect, even though right now I’m struggling just to protect myself.”

“I believe you fought valiantly.” She touched her chest. “At least, that’s what I felt when I watched you fight your sister.” She grinned but also blushed. “You really did your best. You really were like a valiant knight.”

“You’re exaggerating and making me uncomfortable.”

Lidia sighed and her shoulders slumped. “Why can’t you accept praise when it’s due?”

“I told you. In the end, I achieved nothing but get stabbed through the gut and left to die—”

Lidia’s eyes shone with an odd light. “But you didn’t die. That girl, Caprice, saved you.”

My heart pounded loudly for a few beats as I remembered Caprice kneeling before Celica. Because I was slowly dying, I was losing my faculties and I couldn’t hear her what she said to Celica. I had dreamt that scene a number of times, and each time it played back in silence.

“…I wish I knew what she said back then….”

“Oh, I know what she said,” Lidia said. “I recorded it. I’m sure the Student Council knows as well since they were spying on you at the time.”

I blinked slowly at her, while feeling my face tighten. “You recorded it?”

“Yes.”

I swallowed slowly a couple of times.

That bastard, Severin Kell, told me the audio had cut out and all they had were visuals.

I took a long deep breath, and shook my head gently at her. “Lidia, you can’t tell anyone else about this. People cannot find out that you know about what happened deep under the Academy. Do you know the danger you are in?”

She bowed her head, and nodded weakly. “Yes. I know. I’ve been very, very careful since then. That’s why I considered long and hard reaching out to you for help.”

“Then I’ll keep it a secret as well. That’s a promise. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

She peeked at me from under her bangs. “Curiosity killed the cat?”

“I don’t want you ending up that way.”

She looked faintly pleased, and even smiled a little. “The girls are wrong about you.”

I shrugged and couldn’t help sighing. “I bring it upon myself. The truth is, I say the stupidest things when I’m around girls. And my comments land me in hot water.”

Lidia’s gaze wandered over me for a short while. “You’re not going to ask me what she said to your sister?”

I pressed my lips together and clamped jaw shut, then slowly shook my head. Eventually, I answered, “I don’t think it’s something I have the right to hear…at least not now.”

Again, her gaze wandered over me until she gestured at her palm-slate in my hand. “Then what will you do?”

I looked down at the recording and fell into thought.

This was a situation I couldn’t afford to rush into. It could be called a sensitive situation. If I approached it the wrong way, I could set off serious repercussions. The problem was I didn’t know how to approach it all.

Maybe I should take a page from Kaden’s training manual.

Know my opponent, and then formulate a strategy to defeat them.

I tapped the screen and stopped the playback, then studied the frozen image for a short while before looking up and meeting Lidia’s quiet gaze.

“What can you tell me about him?”

The girl folded her arms again, and her whole demeanor darkened. I could almost feel the room grow a little colder.

Lidia’s eyes were certainly frosty. “He’s a genuine wolf in sheep’s clothing.” Then she shook her head. “No, I take that back. He’s a demon clothing himself in the robes of a saint.”

Despite her countenance, I realized I was grinning faintly, much like someone precious to me would do.

“Is that a fact?” I asked her.

Lidia nodded sternly. “Absolutely. It’s something I wouldn’t lie about.”

My grin grew stronger. “In that case, when the time comes I won’t need to hold back.”

Lidia bit her lower lip, and I saw her concern.

“That may not be a good idea,” she voice softly, looking very grim in the span of a heartbeat.

The seriousness of her expression wiped the grin from my face. “What do you mean?”

“Like I said, he’s a demon in the robes of a saint. In other words, there’s a lot more to him than meets the eye.”

#

(Haruka)

#

Shortly into the break of lunch the four of us, Caprice, Siobhan, Alistair, and I, found ourselves a table with a window view on the second level of the cafeteria.

Although we each had fetched ourselves lunch, only Caprice failed to eat any of what lay on her tray.

Eventually she pushed it aside, and slumped onto the table.

I stared at her in amazement, as did Siobhan and Alistair.

This wasn’t the expressionless Caprice we knew.

The girl propped her chin on her folded arms atop the table, and sighed restlessly.

Siobhan put her utensils down. “Okay. Time out. We need to deal with this now before it become serious.”

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We stared at her, including Caprice who regarded Siobhan under heavily lidded eyes.

Alistair nodded. “Sounds good. You may start proceedings.”

Siobhan’s mouth twisted into odd shapes as she weakly glared at Alistair. “I don’t know how.”

“Then might I suggest we start the crux of the problem,” Alistair offered.

Caprice raised her head a little. “You mean my feelings for Caelum?”

“Yes,” Alistair replied with a nod. “Why do you have feelings for him?”

Caprice’s eyes looked down at the table, and she fell into thought. As such, her face grew unreadable. When she spoke, her voice lacked inflection.

“I can’t really say. It’s just something that’s built up over time. No, not true. I had feelings for him the first time I saw him.” After a quiet moment she added, “My feelings for him began when Arisa first showed me his image.”

Siobhan’s face contorted. “You mean it was love at first sight?”

“I guess so….”

“That’s weird,” Siobhan added. “Too weird.”

“I guess so….”

I dipped my head a little while looking at Caprice. “Were you certain of your feelings?”

“I wouldn’t have kissed him if I wasn’t.”

I dropped my utensils onto the table. “What…?”

“I kissed him the first day we met. He said it was the day he ended his friendship with you.”

My eyes widened as I remembered that day, seven—no, eight—months ago on the school rooftop. “You…you kissed him…on the day I was accepted into the Avenir Pride.”

She nodded faintly. “Yes.”

“How many times have you kissed him?”

“Twice.”

The unpleasant sensation of having a snake in my chest returned.

I tried pushing it aside and couldn’t.

Alistair cut in smoothly. “This was before you learnt he was a pervert?”

“Yes.”

“And once you learnt he was a pervert? Did your feelings change?”

“No. I realized that beneath all that perverted behavior was someone else. Someone that didn’t show himself except in the odd moment now and then. I felt he was hiding from people by putting up a perverted façade.”

Siobhan queried, “Are you sure it’s a façade? It’s a little too real to be faked.”

Caprice shook her head gently. “No, he really is a pervert.”

Alistair looked faintly curious. “But you’re saying there’s another Caelum beneath the one we see.”

Caprice nodded gently. “I think Caelum has forgotten who he was. His perversions are a way of escaping from reality, but he’s been doing it for so long that he’s become that pervert.”

I shook my head. “I’ve known him for far longer than you, and he was always like that. He had an interest in large breasts and lingerie while he was only waist high.”

Caprice’s eyes centered on me, and she was silent for a long time. “Then it’s true. I’m in love with a pervert….”

I nodded sadly. “I’m afraid so. Caelum is…a pervert.”

She sighed heavily and her body shuddered. “Life isn’t fair.”

Siobhan looked deeply conflicted, as though struggling against something before uttering something unexpected. “But if you love someone, you overlook their bad points…don’t you?”

Alistair cocked her head thoughtfully and shrugged a shoulder. “Nobody’s perfect.”

I looked at my friends, feeling oddly unsettled. It was as though their outlook had changed. “Are you saying it’s alright for her to love him?”

Wait—isn’t this good for Caelum? They’re arguing his case for him.

Siobhan’s eyes grew distant before coming back. “Sure, why not?”

My discomfort grew. The snake in my chest began to writhe, and slowly uncoil. “Sorry, I need to go to the bathroom.”

“Haruka?” Alistair asked in concern. “Are you okay? Is it…?”

I waved a hand quickly. “I’m fine. I’m fine. And please don’t ask me that.”

Excusing myself, I walked out of the cafeteria and into the nearest toilet for girls.

The toilet wasn’t empty of other girls going about their business, but I wasn’t in a position to complain.

Stepping up to a washbasin, I splashed my face with cold water, then leaned over the basin. It felt like a snake was uncoiling within my mind and in my chest. Last night on the train was the first time I experienced the sensation. Maybe it was all in my head. Maybe it was all metaphorical, like the story of the snake in the Garden of Eden. It didn’t matter. The feeling was unpleasant and it clouded my thoughts. Taking slow, even breaths, I waited for the sensation to pass. As it slowly faded away, my thoughts began to clear up.

Washing my hands and face again, I ignored the curious looks I garnered from the other girls in the toilet, and then walked over to the warm air dispenser to dry my hands. Swiveling the device’s nozzle, I closed my eyes as warm air poured on my face. Then I brushed my hair with my fingers, and stepped into the wide corridor beyond the toilet’s foyer.

Taking calm deep breaths, I walked slowly back to the cafeteria…and found him waiting for me in the hallway.

I halted in a hurry.

“What are you doing here?” I asked nervously and felt something slither faintly in my mind.

He stood with his arm crossed, smiling unreadably at me. “Barely halfway through the week, and you’re already falling apart.”

I gave myself time to reply by taking a long breath that helped settle the snake within me. “You did this to me.”

He looked faintly puzzled. “Did what to you?”

“You put this thing inside my head. Inside my body.”

“I did nothing of the sort.” He shook his head. “Despite your grades, you really are a simpleton.”

“Get out of my way,” I told him. “You don’t want to be seen around me.”

“Officially we met this morning. There’s no harm in being seen talking to each other.”

He may have said so, but his voice was low.

I noticed that we gathered only a few glances, but I feared some of those glances would work their way back to Duncan.

“I can’t talk to you now,” I stated bluntly, unable to sound pleasant.

“You’re feeling unsettled because of your conflicted feelings. That’s all it is. You kept those feelings bottled up, and you thought you could shelve them away indefinitely. But you couldn’t.”

“That isn’t true.”

“You’re feelings for Desanto have never been resolved. You told yourself it was better to let her love him in your stead, but that’s not really what you wanted. You wanted to be by his side. But that would have required a sacrifice from you, and you’re not ready for that. So you entrusted him to her.”

I held back a retort, but only for a heartbeat. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”

“I’m simply repeating what you told me. These are your words.”

“I never said any of that.”

He laughed under his breath and gave me a pitying smile. “You simply don’t remember, but we’ve had a few conversations over the last week.”

I clenched my jaw as my mind searched for the memories, yet I couldn’t find any. But it was true that there were gaps in my memory of the past several days.

He shrugged a shoulder, and leaned blithely against the hallway wall. “Don’t worry, you’ll remember them in time.”

“You made me forget.”

“I felt it was easier on you this way. Once you told me what I needed to know, all I did was tell you to forget and your mind did the rest. But it’s not like you’ve really forgotten the encounters.”

I stepped closer to him. “Why are you doing this to me?”

“Because I need your assistance and because you’re hiding your true feelings. You have a boyfriend you care for, but deep down you know he’s not the one you want. He’s not the one you’d cry over.”

“Leave Duncan out of this,” I warned him, my voice barely above a whisper.

“I have no intention of involving him. You did that on your own.”

My hands clenched tightly, digging my nails into my palms. “I did no such thing.”

He raised an eyebrow at me. “To think that all I did was loosen the ties on your feelings, and allow them to bubble to the surface. And now look at you, barely coping under the heat generated by your conflicted feelings. It’s like an emotional thermonuclear reaction.”

My palms felt moist, and I had trouble opening my hands. “I didn’t ask for this.”

A bored smile settled on his lips. “Here we go again.”

“I promised her I would support her, because I couldn’t love him the way she can. My love isn’t selfless, it’s selfish.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that.”

Shaking my head subtly, I retorted, “Yes, there is. That isn’t true love. It’s what people confuse for love. But true love isn’t selfish. It’s selfless. It doesn’t bind the other party. It doesn’t suffocate them or make them feel trapped. It sets them free. That is what love is. And that’s why I can’t love him. That’s why I stepped away. But she is different.”

His smile faded into a thoughtful expression. “How do you know that?”

“Because she would die for Caelum, whereas I wouldn’t.” I took a step closer to him. “Would you die for her?”

“No.”

“There you have it. Selfish love, not selfless—”

“There’s no need for me to die for her, because I’m too strong to die for her.”

I folded my arms under my breasts. “Oh really. Is that something a Fragment-less Familiar should be saying?”

“You’re right. I don’t have a Fragment.”

I smiled coldly up at him. “What a pity—”

“I have an Artifact.”

I forgot to breath, but only for a moment. “What…?”

He grinned at me. “My Artifact is very good at hiding. You don’t know how many people have tried sensing whether I have one or not. They failed every time.”

Without warning, he pushed away from the wall and approached me.

I was unable to look away when his gaze grabbed mine. His eyes were like twin lanterns in the dark, mesmerizing in their luminosity. A moment later, I felt his will push into my mind.

“Keep it a secret.”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“Good. Now, go back to your friends, and keep playing Devil’s Advocate.”

“Okay….”

“And listen to your heart.”

“Yes.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being selfish if it means getting what you want.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

He leaned back. “It’s always a pleasure, Ms. Amiella Avenir.”

I nodded again, then stepped around him in order to return to the cafeteria. “Excuse me.”

I walked for the twenty odd meters to the cafeteria’s entrance, then stopped and gained my bearings. The snake sensation in my chest had calmed down, and the slithering in my mind had ceased as well. I was calm, and my thoughts were surprisingly clear.

I can do this, I told myself. Yes, I have to do this.

I arrived at the table with Caprice, Siobhan, and Alistair seated around it. They greeted me with puzzled yet concerned looks.

“Everything okay,” Siobhan asked. “You were certainly gone for a long while.”

I nodded firmly. “All good. All taken care off.”

Siobhan made an odd expression with her lips, before shrugging gently. “If you say so.”

Alistair regarded me keenly for a moment before saying, “We were discussing how to clear up Caprice’s confusion.”

I faced Caprice. “I think you should confess to Caelum.”

Caprice’s eyes widened the widest I’d ever seen them, and her mouth opened but no sound ventured forth between her parted lips.

I held her stunned gaze. “Caprice, you need to tell Caelum how you feel. You need to make it clear to him. Only then will you be able to move forward.”

“Con—confess?”

“Yes.” I emphasized my reply with another nod. “Confess. If you wait for Caelum to come to you, you’ll be waiting from here to eternity.”

“From here to eternity?”

I gave her another firm nod. “You need to face reality once and for all.”

“Reality?”

“The reality of Caelum’s feelings for you. You already know how you feel about him, but you need to be sure of how he feels about you.”

The first bell chimed, a warning that we should commence our journey back to class.

However, I remained seated. “If you don’t do this, you’re going to attend your date on Sunday with a confused heart.”

“But if I get rejected—”

“Then her date will be a disaster,” Alistair pointed out.

“No,” I stated firmly. “Then her date is the first step to moving on.”

Caprice’s mouth parted again though she was silent.

I reached out and tenderly touched her hand. “Caprice, if it’s not Caelum, it will be someone else. But you can’t go on like this. You’re tearing yourself apart.” I shook my head at her in understanding. “You have to stand firm, and take what you want. By the same token, you have to be ready to walk away and start down a new path. But you must make a choice. You can’t keep wallowing in confusion like this.”

Before she could reply, I stood up and gathered my food tray.

“Let’s hurry back to class.”

Turning away, I walked with my food tray in hand to the nearest refuse bin. Disposing of my leftovers, I then added the tray to the growing pile in the storage bin, before walking to our classroom to attend the first of the afternoon’s classes.

Caprice needed help finding her path.

I was willing to help her for my sake as well as hers.

#

(Caelum)

#

Sitting cross-legged, Lidia leaned forward toward me a little.

“If you face him, you will lose.”

“Why is that?”

“Because he has an Artifact, and you don’t.”

I was stunned silent for a long moment, before managing to ask, “How do you know this?”

“Because I’ve seen it. When I was at the Raynar training facility in Island Two being tested for compatibility with another Fragment”—she pointed at her palm-slate in my hands—“he was there undergoing trials. I managed to get a sneak peek at this Artifact.”

“When was this?”

“Before school began. About two months ago.” She shook her head slowly at me. “So I know you would lose.”

Two months ago. Around the time she said she invaded the Raynar Pride’s network.

A shiver of helplessness dove down my back. “What kind is it?”

Lidia rocked back and forth for a short while, biting her lower lip. “It’s a type Celestial, model Lucifer.”

“A Celestial?”

“Yes, and like all Celestials it’s very powerful. From what I remember seeing, and what I’ve been able to learn, I’d say he could take on the four of you and defeat you easily.”

“Lucifer…huh….”

I was greatly surprised to learn that such a Familiar was attending Galatea Academy. Severin had told Caprice, Maya, Rina, and I that he’d gathered together everyone with a Fragment to help protect the Academy from Crimson Crescent. If this guy had such a powerful Artifact, why was he left out? He would have been able to hold back my sister. She certainly wouldn’t have fled with the Warlord hidden inside the Vault.

I had a troubling thought.

What if Severin and Simone were told to leave him out?

I more disturbing possibility followed.

What if Severin and Simone were Influenced to leave him out?

I was starting to feel a chill settle within my chest. I was also starting to wonder if my paranoia was justified. The more I learnt, the more this felt like a holovision drama. But if I logically followed that thread of thought, then I should consider that the Student Council was compromised. If true, then I should reconsider asking Severin and Simone what they knew about the second year student with the Lucifer Artifact.

I felt a familiar presence flit across the back of my mind.

Lidia was eyeing me cautiously. “Caelum, please don’t challenge him. You’re not ready.”

I raised a hand to stall her concerns. “I know. Right now, I’m pathetically weak.”

I didn’t tell her that I’d felt something in the Kaiser’s Blessing just then – a kind of stirring that made my heart pace a little quicker.

Outwardly, I shrugged despondently. “For now, I’ll hold back. I need to talk to some people, and I need to get you a meeting with Arisa.”

Pulling out my palm-slate, I engaged the communication function that would allow me to exchange details with Lidia’s slate. When I glanced up at her seeking her permission, Lidia gave me a shallow nod. A few seconds later, our palm-slates exchanged details, and I then handed back her device.

Lidia took her palm-slate, then studied me expectantly.

I pocketed my palm-slate before speaking up. “Does he know about you—about what you can do, or what you’re up to?”

“He knows about me, and knows that I don’t have a Fragment or Artifact. But I’ve been very careful not to attract attention. I keep my spying discreet.”

“That could change if he sees you and I together. We should act like we don’t know each other.” A concerning thought crossed my mind. “Who else knows about you and your activities?”

She shook her head. “Petra only knows that I want a Fragment. She doesn’t know about my covert activities. And I haven’t told her about him because I don’t want her reacting strangely if she comes across him. The less she knows the better.”

I nodded slowly to myself. “Will you do something for me?”

“Sure. You want me to keep an eye on your friend.”

“Yes, please. I want to know if he influences her again.”

Lidia placed her hands on her thighs. “Do you have a secure account to which I could send you files and messages?”

“No. Do you have a service in mind?”

“I do. I’ll mail you the details.”

We discussed a few other items, and I told her I would feel out the Student Council to find out why this guy hadn’t been included in the operation against Crimson Crescent.

When the first warning bell sounded, Lidia tapped her wristwatch of a slender and feminine design. “Ten minutes.”

“I know.”

“You tell me as soon as you have your account set up, and I’ll send you the recordings I’ve made of him.”

Giving her a brisk nod, I climbed to my feet. Reflexively I helped her up as well.

Lidia arched an eyebrow at me. “How gentlemanly.”

I lost mental footing for a heartbeat. “I…I have my moments.”

“Right. Out the window then.” She turned and walked to the window.

“Lidia, be careful.”

She stopped and half turned with a faint frown on her face.

I made my voice grim. “I won’t make any moves, but promise me you won’t either.”

She made a cross shaped motion over her chest. “Cross my heart, and hope to die.”

I had no idea what she meant by that, other than to take it as an oath of sorts.

Lidia turned smoothly, and climbed with practiced ease out the window.

Since I had a long walk back to the high school building, I decided to hurry after her.

Using the fire escape, I climbed down to the ground rather than back into the building, then circled quickly around to the north and strode hastily back to class.

As I walked to the high school building, I was well aware that Lidia remained an enigma and had much to tell me.

However, I would keep my promise and talk to Arisa about her.

A promise is a promise.