Chapter Two

Nakashima

The valet looked nervous as Nikita handed the keys to her 1015 Azda. She smiled at the lanky boy. He looked sixteen years old, maybe even younger. He was only three years younger than her but he looked so nervous.

“Are you new?” she asked, smiling.

“Ye—Yes, Your Grace.” the boy looked like he was really struggling to look away. “A—Anyway, I’ll be taking your car now. I—I uh I mean, parking it, Your Grace— Your Worship.”

Nikita instantly flinched.

“There is no need to call me that.” she said. “Your Grace is fine, please.”

The boy bowed slowly, still trying to avoid her gaze. Without saying another word, he quietly circled around Nikita and got into her car, all while trying to look as small as possible. Nikita watched him drive off very, very slowly. She smiled to herself at the sight of the sleek sports car limping away.

The Citadel was one of the most prominent magical institutions in the continent. Though the Kingdom of Kria itself was recognized for its colorful culture, and tall, modern architecture, before all that, it was also recognized as a nexus of modern magical education. The Citadel is the icon of that fact.

At two-and-a-half kilometers tall, the Citadel houses a variety of schools and universities, is attended by thousands of students from all three disciplines and is a meeting ground of geniuses and curious new minds alike. Though Kria is ruled by Houses of Sorcery, the Citadel welcomes witches, warlocks, and alchemists as well. And unlike in other schools, elven professors teaching in the massive lecture halls were not a rare sight.

In the Citadel, it didn’t matter who you were. All that mattered was that you wanted to learn. Even deva, a race completely incapable of magic, were often seen everywhere, all because they wanted to better themselves.

On the one-hundred-and-thirty-fifth floor, Nikita met with a representative from House Nakashima.

“We are honored to have you, Your Worship.” the representative, a tall woman in her mid-twenties said.

Nikita smiled courteously.

“The pleasure’s all mine. How is Saori doing?”

The woman turned around and led her through a narrow empty hallway.

“She was sleeping, the last time we checked on her. After the trauma she endured, we can only imagine how much she craves for a good night’s sleep.” they passed by two armored guards, who nodded respectfully toward Nikita. “On behalf of House Nakashima, I would like to once again extend our appreciation for rescuing Her Grace.”

“Don’t worry about it. It was all in a day’s work.” Nikita dismissed.

She was introduced into a waiting room with a view that perfectly overlooked the city. A couple of servants left her with wine and some snacks as she waited. The room was clean but fairly simple. It lacked the lavish one would expect from a noble house, but then again, they were on the Citadel, not in someone’s castle.

The representative bowed before leaving to fetch Nakashima.

Nikita wanted to meet the girl, to check up on her after last night’s theatrics. Seeing a Guardian up close for the first time was sure to be a traumatic experience. Few people could withstand the sheer weirdness of a Guardian. They weren’t like the gentle Animus that sorcerers like herself summoned, nor were they like the monstrous Evertos that witches and warlocks call forth. They were entities that were ancient instead of evil, abstract instead of grand.

The door opened with a hiss and Nikita glanced to watch the representative return, this time walking behind the small figure of Saori Nakashima.

“Hello.” Nikita gave the younger girl her best smile, but all she got in return was a meek nod.

Saori Nakashima was small for her age. The valet at the gates reminded Nikita of her, except she was much smaller. She shrunk in her seat before Nikita’s taller frame, like a mouse hiding from a predator. The frilly dress she wore made her look like a kid instead of a lady.

“How are you feeling? Did you sleep well?” Nikita asked.

“Yes, Your Worship.” her head barely moved when she nodded.

“Are you hurt anywhere? Have your servants been attending to you? I bet you had your lady mother so worried.”

At the mention of her mother, the girl seemed to shrink even more.

“Saori?” Nikita said gently.

When no reply came, the representative spoke up. “Lady Nakashima is on a good will mission in the Anders. She will be returning in the next month—”

“Has she been informed of what happened?” Nikita’s change of tone caught the representative by surprise. She suddenly spoke in a commander’s voice, in a hero’s voice.

“Ye—Yes, Your Worship.”

“And what did My Lady have to say, if I may ask?”

It was now the representative’s turn to try and look small.

“She has yet to contact us, Your Worship.”

Nikita frowned. She was obviously now scaring the poor representative.

“She doesn’t care.” Saori spoke under her breath.

Nikita glanced at the girl. “Saori?”

The girl sighed and motioned to stand up.

“Th—Thank you for visiting me, Your Worship.  I appreciate House Ta—Takahashi’s continuous concern for my wellbeing.”

Nikita frowned. Her words sounded so rehearsed.

“Do you have to be somewhere? It’d be a shame if we cut this meeting so short.” Nikita said, trying to convince the girl.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Saori Nakashima kept looking away as she stood up. She was shy beyond words, almost as if she didn’t deserve to be in Nikita’s presence.

“I still have some things to ask you, though. Would you please stay? I’m sure that whatever it is that you have to attend to can wait.” Nikita requested. “You could just tell people that you were busy meeting with the Messenger herself. I’m sure they’ll understand.”

The girl seemed to hesitate for a moment. The truth is, she could probably leave anytime she wanted. Nikita was just a guest, after all. But Saori knew that she owed her life to Nikita.

With a defeated sigh, the girl sank back into her seat, though she still found the table much more interesting than the person sitting opposite of her.

“Could you tell me what happened?” Nikita gave the girl a warm smile. “It’ll take some time before my people and the City Guard can come up with an explanation, but I know for a fact that someone summoned those Guardians there.”

Nikita paid close attention to the girl’s mannerisms. When a flash of hesitation crossed the girl’s eyes, Nikita knew that she was close.

“Guardians don’t just appear willy-nilly, Your Grace.” Nikita said. “They can only be summoned in places where a Rift is nearby.”

“I… didn’t know that.”

Nikita smiled; glad the girl was talking to her.

“They’re a lot like Animus or Evertos, except anyone can summon them, even Alchemists or elves. However, they can only be summoned if a person actively draws power from a nearby Rift. And as we both know, that’s never a good thing.” she took an elegant sip from her wine before continuing, “Rifts are practically limitless sources of magical energy, but the energy they release corrupts the body. Witchcraft practitioners are a bit more resistant to their effects, but even they can grow attached to the powers of a Rift.”

“Savant.” Saori whispered.

“Yes, that’s what people call them. Though I personally would have named them something else— something cooler!” Nikita frowned. As the Messenger, she should be given the responsibility for naming anything related to the Rifts.

“Wh—Why do you think that a Savant was in—involved? Sometimes, Guardians just a—appear, right?”

“Yeah, but very, very rarely. Plus I can sense if a Savant is around. I just can’t, you know, pinpoint where exactly.” Nikita leaned back and crossed her arms. “Savants usually get killed by the Guardians they summon, but particularly skilled Savants often survive. I, for one, am a hundred-percent sure that the Savant responsible for the attack is still in Kria.”

“Wh—Why do you think I know anything?”

“Your family owns the school, and you study there yourself. I assume you have your ear close to the ground.” Nikita assumed. “Savants are never subtle. They’re usually withdrawn, twitchy, and just generally very suspicious looking.”

The girl seemed to shrink even smaller.

“I—I uh, I didn’t mean it that way.” Nikita said with a nervous sweat. “You sorta fit the bill, but you don’t look suspicious! In fact, you’re quite the opposite! You’re cute!”

Nikita, you idiot. Since when was cute the opposite of suspicious?

“Either way, if you know anyone that fit that description, it would really help me out.”

The girl didn’t say anything, and merely continued to stare at the table. She fidgeted in place, her perfectly combed hair as still as the rest of the room. As much as it hurt to admit it, the girl was not a shining example of what a lady should be. She seemed so scared, so unsure of herself.

“Your Worship,” the representative, standing near the back of the room coughed. “The castle-school has thousands of students and hundreds of faculty. While Her Grace is no doubt the heir of House Nakashima, she actually spends little time with the school’s population.”

“I mostly just stay in the libraries.” Saori whispered. “S—Studying.”

“Quiet people are often very observant.” Nikita said, watching the girl.

She continued to stare at Nakashima for a few more silent seconds, before crossing her arms and deciding to stand up.

“I see.” she sighed. “I’m sorry for putting you through this; it was very insensitive of me.”

The girl’s eyes snapped up in surprise.

“You should be resting, and here I am, probing you with questions about this and that.”

Saori quickly rose rigidly as Nikita walked toward the door. The representative stepped back to let her pass, bowing respectfully. Nikita stopped by the door as it slid open, the hallway outside as quiet as ever.

“I’m glad to see that you’re doing well, Your Grace. I’ll assign a small security detail to supplement your own guard, for a few weeks, at least—”

“—b—but.”

“—and no, you can’t refuse. I’m doing this on my authority as the Messenger. Like it or not, you’re an important person that might have been the reason why the Guardian was drawn into this world in the first place. Perhaps it was summoned to kill you, or something? I’ll send a small contingent of protectors to guard you while you stay here in the Citadel.”

Nikita glanced at the ceiling while she considered another thought.

“And… if I can get in contact with him, I’ll ask the other Messenger if he could lend a hand in keeping you safe.”

“The Butcher of Orison…” the representative whispered.

“He prefers to be called the Savior of Orison.” Nikita responded immediately. “It sounds much more heroic that way.”

“I—I apologize.” the representative bowed meekly.

“Don’t worry about it.” Nikita only smiled. “You take care, Saori.”