[START OF URASARIA ACADEMY: YEAR TWO]
[ARC 6: IT BLEW IN FROM THE EAST]
Mia's summer classes went well, and she passed her first year. Marisa and her were sitting in the infirmary in early August, a week before fall classes started.
"Finished." Saya nodded, fog filling new skin for the two. "Thank you, Boudoir and Swarm. May I bring you anything?"
"That should be all." said Mia. "Thank you, Saya."
"And with that," chimed Marisa, dispatch tablet in hand, " - that should get me to rank #30."
"And I, to rank #37." said Mia, peeking over her shoulder, then sighing. "How fast is Matoi climbing?"
"She has been here every -"
- the infirmary door opened, and in burst the woman and protégé, bloodied Matoi dragging Samuel by his wide collar. Her mentorship had done well for him physically, if not emotionally.
"Come on, come on!" shouted Matoi, glaring at the pig now named Boar. (Men had odd tastes.) "Our last week together! I won't miss you when you're gone!"
Saya laughed and went to heal the two.
"… man." whispered Marisa, showing the ranking to Mia. "Once like, the fourth-years graduate, she'll be…"
"… rank ten. And for you - ah."
"…oh. Yeah. Three-star Boudoir. Um -"
- a notification popped on her screen and Matoi's.
"Ooo, a museum robbery. Let's -"
- Matoi rushed out, dragging Boar by his collar again -
" - your wounds are only half -!"
- but they were gone.
"Mia-Mia!" Marisa shot to her feet, and Mia-Mia with her. "Let's beat them to the train out."
She gestured to the window outside, the infirmary on the third-floor, and before Mia-Mia could react -
- a set of strands shot out of Marisa's back and pulled her tight -
- and the fashionista leaped out the window in the rain of glass, reinforced chest to keep the two safe when they landed.
◆◆◆
The two fought well that night and returned to the home that would soon only be Mia's.
Marisa wasn't planning on packing until the last minute of the last day. Though her & Mia had a few months apart throughout the year, she took pride in her friend's skill, and that Mia had been exposed to a wide range of Revenants. She wasn't worried about how Mia would do.
The two slumped healed on to the couch.
"...what's it like in those mansions?" chimed Marisa, staying upbeat. "I bet Aimee has a much cooler one, but…"
"It's very nice. I can't blame you for wanting to move." laughed Mia. "There's, er… marble floors, the view from the balcony, one of the staff is on-call to deliver food, and… she even has a movie theater."
"Ooo." Marisa grinned, imagining presidency. "What about the bathroom? Is it like, a hundred feet wide?"
"The bathtub fits two people very comfort-" - Mia's cheeks filled, and Marisa's laugh deepened it. "… v-very comfortably."
"Maybe I'll get a horde of fans…" said Marisa, fanning herself.
"P-Perhaps. By the way, I - had meant to ask you - would it be alright if my protégé were to move in to your room?"
"It'll be your house, Mia-Mia. Uh, I don't think I'll have anything embarrassing in there."
"I'll make sure to check for you." The two laughed. "I already cleared it with Aimee, as…" Mia sighed. "I… don't believe it would be good to subject someone to one-star housing, and they would be safer here."
"… yeah." Marisa nodded. "I wish they'd like, just make it more livable, or make it so mentors had to live with them anyway, like. It feels weird having so many houses that people are just gonna move out of anyway, like... I dunno. If I make president next year - I think I'll like, suggest that to the staff."
"If only they would listen."
"Yeah." Marisa laughed. "Um. I wanted to like, tell you something, too. You're gonna be a good mentor. U-Um. It's okay to make mistakes."
"Of - of course. Is everything alright?"
"Yeah. I just..." Marisa sighed. "Like, the first few months are tough, because everyone knows a bunch of new students are coming around. Um. In my second semester, I… I never told you, because - I didn't want to worry you, but… My - mentor got hurt pretty bad, because I - didn't think to use Boudoir as a wall that time. He's okay now, but like - he didn't… He doesn't want to talk to me anymore."
"He - what?"
"He said it'd be for the best, because he thinks I'd like, try too hard to make up for it. That's one of the reasons I like, was okay letting you pair up with other people a lot, 'cuz I was scared of not letting you get lots of experience. Like I'd baby you. You know what I mean?"
"Of course." said Mia. "You've been a wonderful mentor, Marisa. I couldn't ask for better."
"And you're the best protégé I've ever had." Marisa winked, and the two laughed.
◆◆◆
Mia stepped in to the arena her first day. The first-years were arriving soon, and she had all the advice she could carry from Matoi, Aimee, Marisa, and even Nuiko. A dozen students had survived their first year, drop-outs & not, and ten were already gathered in a line when she stepped in at the end. To her surprise, Jeanne was in-line too, and to her annoyance, Kirihara had survived.
Sylvia came over when she saw her, and like she had for the past week, was showing off her new badge.
"'Plasma'." grinned Sylvia. "Cause it's like, the fourth state of matter. There's seven."
"There's seven?" said Mia, turning to stare at the front doors.
"Yeah. I can't understand them for shit, though. One is called like - 'Bose-Einstein condensate'. It happens when it's super cold. Like, super, super, super, super, super -"
" - at absolute zero, you mean?" Mia's ice scarabs wet her hair, electrical pincers brushing it straight. She had done some research on temperature, knowing absolute hot & zero.
"Yeah. Uh, do you know what that is? Cause like, I bet Magma'll be able to do it one day, but I don't even know why I'd do it."
"… er. Yes, it's the temperature where atoms stop moving, but…" Mia's fire scarabs dried her hair. "Magma doesn't switch temperature, does it?"
"… aw. Nah. It doesn't. Man, science is so weird -"
- the doors opened, and in came Hirogane with a bag, Saya, and the boar in human clothing named Samuel.
"She wasn't supposed to take you out today." groaned Hirogane, bag in tow. Samuel stepped in to the second-year's horizontal line, and the medics stayed near the door.
"Matoi worked you to the bone, huh?" chimed Yuruko.
"You know, before I left - she told me she wanted me at her funeral, if she ever died." said Samuel. "To be one of her pallbearers."
Hirogane shook his head and dug in to his bag. "Here. Come up and get your dispatch devices. Congrats."
The dozen came up and got their dispatch devices, the blue tablet a new design.
"Looks different." said a black woman, short hair & even butcher than Aimee. Mia knew her as Rochelle.
"Yep." said Hirogane. "S'it's a new type. After the Jakuze incident - no more private Revenants. Don't blame me. Council of Four argued with the staff to let you shut off the tracker, if you need to. Switch on the right side."
"The tracker?" said Yuruko, already shutting it off. She wasn't a libertarian, but distrusted anything that came from the government.
"S'right. Switch on the right turns your location on and off. Other new thing - you'll be able to call up each other for help. You tap someone's name, they'll get a request to respond."
"In case someone has a Revenant better suited?" said Mia.
"Right. You can check everything on there." Hirogane put his ear out, and Mia heard the doors to the building open, nostalgic crowdsteps. "And, if you take a look now…"
A name popped up on their screens.
"… Serena Kunst." said Mia. "Nineteen, five foot three - did - did our mentors have all this information, before?"
"Not as much as this." muttered Sylvia. "Home address, emergency contact - uh, isn't this pretty unsafe to have on these? If someone steals them?"
"Or maybe if we get a 'traitor in our midst'." laughed Yuruko. "Wouldn't that be something?"
"I never had any privacy, anyway." muttered Samuel.
"Yeah, but you got to see Matoi ba-"
- the doors opened, and in stepped the dozen first-years. They scattered to a line, and Hirogane counted down the row just as he had a year prior.
"…whatever." In bored order, he relayed his role as Urasaria's primary medic and their's as protégés. "I'll assume you all broke the law and tested your Revenant out before, so -"
" - uh, I didn't!" shouted someone black-haired from the line, wearing a spiked leather jacket, boots with ten straps&spurs, a cross of cowboy&punk. "Uh - I know that sounds like a joke, but - I dunno how to test it without hurting people."
They were androgynous, but Mia glanced down at her tablet and saw it was her protégé, so she assumed they were female from the name.
Hirogane wasn't paid enough for a real reply. "What's your name?"
"Serena Kunst."
The second-years' eyes went to Mia, and she drew up with a smile. "We shall train it together, then."
Hirogane gave a vague wave to the two, and continued his explanation while the two went off to the side, new mentor & protégé.
"I'm Mia Schultz - Swarm, rank #37." she chimed, drawing near the wall with Serena. "Nice to meet you."
"Oh - shit, I've seen you on the news before. Didn't you kill a dog?"
Serena realized a second later she shouldn't have asked, but she didn't have much experience socializing, and was mainly worried what gender Mia thought she was.
Mia's naïveté had failed her reputation. "I - have never harmed an animal. That was a tactic I used to lure a serial killer out, as it was his dog."
"…oh. Sorry, I had to ask. That makes sense."
"It does." nodded Mia. "Regardless - I will be your mentor this year. We will live together, hunt scum together - and - I want you to become strong."
"Okay. Um. I only got my Revenant a few days ago, so…"
"Then we have something in common already." Mia smiled. "I had only received my Revenant a few weeks before attending Urasaria. But - we should start. Show me your Revenant."
Serena nodded, and the two crouched down close. "Odyssey." A tattoo needle formed in her right hand, and she aimed it away like a knife. "Um - so it's kinda weird. The guy they got it from was Hindu. For him, it was called Ramayana, but I don't go to church, so -"
" - it - apologies, it changes name?"
"- yeah, but, um. They said you would, um, know how the name thing is, right? How you hear it?"
"I do. Continue."
"So, I can write out like, Greek god's names and things like that, and it... I guess - it'll try to recreate it? It's weird. Um. I didn't really get the chance to practice it."
"And now, you have the chance." chimed Mia, extending her hand. "Perhaps you should… Try writing - 'Zeus' on me."
"Um - that'd probably be a lightning bolt."
"Correct. Don't worry about harming me - Hirogane and Saya are very good medics." Mia stifled a smile.
With a confused nod, Serena started her writing on Mia's arm, and as she finished up -
- nothing happened, and she shook her head. "Ugh. Sorry, my handwriting is really messy. I think it has to be neat, too."
"Something to improve already, then." chimed Mia. "Slower."
With a nod, Serena wrote down 'Zeus', and as she finished up -
- a thunderclap cracked outside; Mia turned her eyes up -
- a hole opened up in the ceiling, and a bolt of lightning struck her -
- and the hole closed, leaving building and victim unharmed.
"Wait, what?" said Serena - " - how did you -"
" - ah, it must be a weak bolt." laughed Mia, shaking her head. "Perhaps - ah - Hades is hot, isn't it? Some sort of fire?"
"There was - shit, I tried to cram all these stories in before - uh. Hephaestus is god of volcanoes. Closest I can think of."
"Try that, then. I want you to put your all in to it."
Serena nodded, wrote 'Hephaestus' on Mia's arm -
- a fissure split the ground, and a geyser of lava claimed Mia's body -
- and the fissure closed, leaving building and victim unharmed.
Mia started not containing her laughter at Serena's expression. "I'm - sorry! - aha - is - there a Greek god of ice?"
Serena gripped Mia's wrist, wrote 'Chione' -
- a wind blew up her arms, chilling the air to frigid temperatures, threatening to freeze the woman alive -
- and the wind dispersed, leaving victim unharmed.
"Is - ugh - I mean, they didn't have much - my mom bought it for me - but is this Revenant super weak, or -"
" - no, no -" laughed Mia. "I'm - I'm sorry, but - I wanted to prank you, the only time I would be able to do it. Erase - erase the text from my arms. Your Revenant may be very strong."
Comprehending none of it, Serena wiped the text from Mia's arms, and Mia's head was still shaking. "… ah, I apologize." She smiled. "My Revenant is Worldwide - scarabs that allow power over ice, fire, electricity, and a sword. They give me elemental immunity."
"Oh." Serena laughed. "I was about to get super embarrassed. I would've just kept trying if you asked me to."
"… ah, still." Mia's head shook. "When we're fighting together, I will handle those elements. What other names do you know?"
"I, uh…" Serena scratched the back of her neck, having learned her Greek from the videogame Age of Mythology. She'd spent a semester of highschool on it over making friends, and her mother had suggested homeschooling once. "Still need to look up more, but. I think I can like, recall specific myths, too. But the only one I know right now is Zeus cutting open Cronus's stomach."
"Zeus cutting - er, I assume - another god's stomach?"
"Close enough." Serena laughed. "Uh, it might hurt a lot, so…"
"Test it."
With a nod, Serena wrote 'Zeus Freeing His Siblings' on Mia's right arm -
- and a gargantuan cut formed on her torso, peeling her stomach open; with a scream of agony, she gestured Saya over as her scarabs chilled the wound -
" - c-calm - g-good -" winced Mia, stumbling back against the wall. Saya was with them now. Blackburn's fog started filling her wound, and Mia tried not to laugh at Serena's perplexion. "… S-Serena - this is Saya. Her Revenant allows her to 'fill' things."
"And what caused this wound?" Saya smiled.
"A - Greek myth." winced Mia, the wound starting to close. "What was it you wrote?"
"Er, Zeus freeing his siblings. Zeus cut open Cronus's stomach to get his siblings out, after Cronus ate them." said Serena.
Saya nodded, and she was gone. Serena offered a hand to Mia, and she shook it off as she stood.
"… S-Still." chimed Mia. "Clearly - strong, there, although…" Her lips went inward. "How fast can you write?"
"Um, not that much. Maybe a few letters a second, but it's super particular on handwriting, so…"
"… correct." Mia nodded. "We shall practice that first, then - ensuring you can write quickly under stress."
"Under stress? What do you mean -"
" - dodge!"
- a fireball erupted from Mia's hand and shot towards Serena -
- and to her pride, her protégé dodged underneath.
"Let's begin."
◆◆◆
[Tuesday, August 20]
Catherine's art was important to her. A few years without friends started to convince her she didn't need them. She went to the park with her notebook that day. A man & woman were already sitting on the bench with a seat open, and when she took it, they got up and left. Most people would've thought it was some type of rudeness, but Catherine understood that really, most people didn't look at others in public, & if they did they forgot about them by the next day.
She could draw openly now, too. She smiled as she flipped past her unsent drawings, and she liked thinking of Matoi smiling when she had flipped past her sent drawings. Matoi lived a more interesting life than her, certainly, but that didn't mean she couldn't draw a landscape for her today.
◆◆◆
Over the week, Serena moved her belongings in to Mia & now her's home. Mia had found the punk was in to videogames & computers, was secretive about her belongings, and usually wore her jacket indoors too.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
Serena hadn't yet talked to anyone in her classes & doubted she would, as she didn't seem to share interests with any of them, and felt she had a bad habit of rambling on about the minitaue of topics she knew deeply where other people were only hobby-grade. She stuck to posting on imageboards and decided away from watching anime openly until she was better friends with Mia, and had been relieved Mia'd landed on the 'female' side of the barrier for her. Eventually, she would have to kill someone, but she felt a lifetime of videogames & her new Revenant desensitized her to the idea of violence, if not directly yet.
Mia found Serena's punkness amusing so far, but she wasn't as vulgar as Makoto, thankfully. Mia had only been annoyed when she set training for 5:00 PM Thursday and Serena had asked to delay it since she was in the middle of a game; Mia had asked her why she couldn't just pause it.
That Friday, three women went out to a local library, and Serena felt like a museum exhibit as they searched down the aisles.
"Your Revenant changes name?" said Marisa. "That's cool. I've never heard of one that can do that."
"I mean, he could've been lying about it, but that'd probably be against his religion."
The two laughed. Serena didn't mind the fashionista's attention.
"Have you met Aimee yet?" said Marisa, and Serena glanced to Mia.
"She has not." chimed the mentor, digging through a shelf. "Aimee has been very busy lately, with securing employment after she graduates this year."
"… oh. Yeah." Marisa nodded. "I guess like - she should be okay, right? Even though, um…"
Serena kept her eyes down, hands on one book as she crouched.
"She should find a way, yes." laughed Mia, taking a book out. "Serena. This would be useful, yes?" She handed it to Serena, whose arms buckled under the weight for a second.
"Er - that's a pretty big one." murmured Serena. "Probably has every myth in here."
Mia nodded. "Precisely. We shall, er -" - she paused, not wanting to stutter in front of Marisa - " - read over it together, taking notes, and I will test you on it by the end of next week."
"All of it?" sputtered Serena, offering up a far thinner text like a sacrifice. "This is like three hundred pages!"
Marisa stifled a laugh as Mia replied; "Do I need to make you read it twice?"
"Jeez. You're harsh." Serena laughed, shook her head as she put the sacrifice back in. "I will, I will."
"Good." chimed Mia. "Still, we should -"
- her dispatch device vibrated in her pocket, and Marisa's a second later. Mia pulled her's out, and as Marisa took a peek over -
" - ooo, that's like, three blocks from here. Bank robbery, no injuries." Marisa grinned. "Wanna go check it out?"
"I - you and I should go." murmured Mia.
"What?" sputtered Serena.
Marisa's eyes turned on Mia's. Out of Serena's sight, Mia saw a wagging finger. "Mia-Mia. She's your protégé, right?"
" - yes, but it would be better to -"
" - she needs actual experience -"
" - there will be plenty of time -"
" - uh, miss mentor -" said Serena, suddenly preening and eliciting another laugh from Marisa - " - what if someone comes here while you're gone?"
Mia closed her eyes, top of her lips and nose vibrating with a laugh. "… Fine." Her eyes opened. "Come - there's no time to waste, then."
"And I'll head back home with your books," said Marisa, taking the thick one.
"Er, lemme keep the abridged version." said Serena, shoving it in her jacket.
The two set off.
◆◆◆
The bank was three blocks away on the corner. Serena & Mia were rushing down the sidewalk, Mia keeping a slower pace for her protégé's benefit -
The bank was three blocks away on the corner. Serena and Mia rushed down the sidewalk, mentor keeping a steady pace for her protégé's benefit -
- and ahead, a man they knew as their foe burst out of the bank's doors. His eyes caught the two as he swept around the corner, and the true chase began then.
"Here!" - said Mia, gripping Serena by her collar, sheets of ice forming at her feet and slickening their step, and as they slid around the corner -
- the next scene was instant. A minuscule fire hydrant grew at Serena's feet, launched straight up and bashed the back of her skull; the pain staggered her forward, and as the geyser of water burst out from below -
- a swarm of fire scarabs vaporized the water, and the two started their chase again, dead-end street up ahead, warehouse at the end, man still running as the women pursued.
"At least that didn't hit my - crotch -" - winced Serena, eyes sharp behind - " - uh - does that fire hydrant look weird to you?"
Mia glanced back and saw the fire hydrant fall to the ground, deflated as if it were a balloon.
"Inflation and deflation." said Mia, still rushing down the sidewalk, and as they came over one casual tile -
- a titanic wall of asphalt burst up ahead and blocked their path -
- but a sweep of scorching sword went through the sudden barrier, deflating it quick as they kept their chase through, seeing their foe close to their warehouse's entrance now. He held his hand to the door, and the barrier deflated; in to the warehouse he swept, a second inflation reforming the barrier behind.
With no time to waste, they came up to the door, and as Serena swept her tattoo needle back, readying to pop the entrance open -
" - no no." said Mia, yanking Serena back again. "The most expected route, yes?"
"I - yeah, but -"
" - Worldwide."
- and a pillar of ice burst up below their feet, launching them up and bringing them eye-level to the roof. The two leaped off the frozen platform to the roof, and ran across to the perch on the other end, waiting for their foe to come out of the back door below.
But no figure met their stare, and the two sighed.
"No sign of him." said Mia. "He's waiting for us below. Ready?"
"Ready."
- and a flash of fire scarabs burnt a hole below; the two leaped down and through, landing straight on a shelf. The platform buckled under their two weights, throwing the two off-balance -
- and down the two collapsed and fell on to the ground below, fallen shelves scattered around, hearing but not seeing their foe running out the back door. Mia's expression filled with dread as the two stood.
"I - fuck, he's going to -" - she groaned, and in the next instant -
- the building began to buckle, sound of deflation filling their ears as the walls collapsed; the roof rend inward, and as the rain of rubble threatened to bury them alive -
" - World-"
" - Hephaestus!" shouted Serena, yanking Mia close and writing swiftly below -
- and a geyser of lava claimed the two as the rubble fell, scorching a clear hole through as the building collapsed around, leaving them standing waist-high in debris.
"Good work." chimed Mia, glancing around the ruins -
- and there, a hundred feet separating them and he, still standing atop the rubble; with no time to waste, the women rushed forward -
- but behind, Mia felt something bulky and yielding pounce on Serena, and as she turned -
- a bizarre scene met her stare; a sentient piece of rubble, sharp concrete as knives, stomping Serena's chest, and as it readied to slash her torso -
- a swarm of ice scarabs froze the lively rubble to crystals - but they had no time to rest.
The ruins around began to rise up, shattered and inflated debris, the concrete army now stepping with the speed of quick-mix concrete to the two, and as one leaped forward, concrete-sword outstretched -
" - freeze - freeze that one, whole!" - panted Serena, and with no time to ask, Mia's scarabs froze one alive -
- and a swift flash of Odyssey's needle went down, writing 'Ares' -
- and as if called from the underworld, a set of golden warriors flashed to existence, their spears a whirlwind of steel, two armies meeting on a battlefield. When a concrete-man went down, he did not get back up underneath the stomping boots and whirling blades.
Inch by inch, the pressure of their strikes forced the mob away. Seeing a single opening, the women rushed out of the circle, foe still on the other end, fifty feet separating them and he. Mia cleared the clearing in a single bound, and as he raised his right hand out -
- a bash of her electrical sword against his skull knocked him unconscious. At her back, she heard the sentient rubble return to their former solidity, illusory phalanx disappearing as Serena caught up with Mia.
"Very good." chimed Mia. "You did very well."
"Thanks. Tried my best." laughed Serena. "And - um. You're going to kill him now, right?"
Mia took a second to catch her breath. "… what?"
"I mean - um. I don't mind if you do. I just know Urasaria students usually kill, so..."
Mia crouched down, sword in hand. "…yes - Urasaria students usually kill, although…" She shook her head. "Not this man."
"… um. Huh?" said Serena, almost disappointed. She'd wanted to get her first kill as a student out of the way, and Mia had told her throughout the week not to hesitate in self-defense.
"They didn't mention any injuries at the bank, on the tracker. He may have only wanted money, until he saw us."
"… so, we're not gonna kill the bitch?" The two laughed.
"No, no. He did attempt to kill us - but a nonviolent bank robber…" Mia's lips pinched. "… this is the only exception I will make."
"Must be something personal?" winked Serena.
"It is. Still, I -"
- her tablet vibrated, and Serena shot up like a dog. Mia gave a disciplined headshake. "We're injured - it would be best to -"
" - no, no - that's why I got the book! Like, gimme your arm. I wanna try something."
Her protégé was as persistent as Marisa. Mia gave out her bloodied arm, and Serena flipped through the abridged text, needle in hand.
"Let's see, uh… Okay, I bet this one is good. Asclepius."
She wrote it down -
- and nothing happened.
"God - fuck, this stupid handwriting requirement sucks. Sorry - lemme try it again."
Mia let her try it again, and as she finished up -
- her wounds rapidly closed. Serena nodded, started her own set on her arm, the good word fading once its purpose was through.
"Very useful." chimed Mia.
"C'mon. Let's kill da hoes."
"Fine. I'll call someone to pick him up."
◆◆◆
When they arrived, their foes gave back their glare, one man on the sidewalk left, one man right, swords in hand and matching the descriptions.
"Kill, right?" said Serena, following a gesture from Mia to peel left.
"This time - yes." nodded Mia, rushing down the right sidewalk, her foe rushing down to meet her, and as their weapons clashed -
- the man swept with the speed of fire back and sway; and his right hand aimed forward -
- and a spray of fire burst out from his hand, tickling Mia's neck and turning her to a woman of laughter.
"Ah - ahahahah! - is! - is that your Revenant? Please - is it? Here - let me show you."
- and with the speed of a scarab, a single fire insect melted his sword to ash. Mia laughed as her own disappeared, a second swarm of scarabs coiling her fingers as she rushed forward, laughing as a second pillar of flame claimed her body, leaving her utterly unharmed.
Catching the trend quickly, the man turned and ran -
- direct in to a wall of unmeltable ice, and a second&third burst from the ground, trapping him with stomping scarab horror.
"No, no, please - keep going! Try to melt it - ahaha!"
His flaming fists beat desperately against the walls; but no fire could melt the ice that was rightfully her's. With no option left, he turned, rushing towards her with flaming fists -
- and a frozen projectile pierced through his crotch, Mia laughing as the walls melted to steam.
"Ah - I haven't gotten to do this in a while." she smiled, and a set of electrical scarabs paralyzed his arms as she gripped his neck. "Worldwide - Tri-Swarm Raid!"
- a second ice wall formed behind, and she threw him through, the barrier bursting in a rain of shards as Mia rushed in pursuit; a second rip and a second throw, and his body landed in a carpet of green lightning, charring his entire body; and a third rip&throw through a white inferno, burning him to ash and leaving nothing but a still-beating heart, the mark of a Revenant ready to be taken.
"Ah." laughed Mia, shaking her head. "I - may have forgotten the order, but - that will do, yes?"
She turned her eyes to the other sidewalk -
- and on the other side, a battle going far worse, Odyssey's sluggish needle serving Serena poorly; her opponent drew his blade back -
- and impaled through her heart, swept down and cleaved her stomach in two -
" - Worldwide - White-Hot!"
- and a pillar of white flame charred him dead in an instant. Mia rushed over to a collapsed & bleeding Serena, weak with relief and grief.
"I - are - are you - Serena? Serena?"
Her ice scarabs chilled the wound that split Serena's torso, a fear like Aimee against the dreadnought was in her mind. She took her tablet out, tapped one name repeatedly, knowing only she could bring Serena medical attention in time.
"Please - please don't be busy, please don't be -"
- she cried out in relief.
She could always rely on the fashionista.
◆◆◆
"She shall be alright, Swarm." said Saya, her fog filling Serena's wounds at the scene. "She will be unconscious while her body adjusts. I believe only a day, at most."
"Yeah, Mia-Mia." said Marisa. "You saved her. It's okay, like. Just so long as you saved her, right?"
"Yes, but…" Mia flattened against the wall. "…if I hadn't been there to save her so quickly, she - she would be dead."
"But you were." Marisa nodded, crouching to stare down Mia's eyes. "That's why they make us mentors, right?"
"Yes, but -"
" - no buts, Mentor Mia. I'm not gonna let you -"
" - Marisa, please. I - I appreciate this, but - this is not what I am concerned about."
"Huh?"
"Her Revenant - it…" Mia sighed. She felt embarrassed that she'd left Serena alone so early. She couldn't make her durable like Aimee had her; what was she thinking? "… I'm concerned for it. She still only writes a few letters a second, and she's had a lot of trouble in our combat sessions. Handwriting is difficult to adjust, as well, and..."
"She'll get better. Right?"
"Please." Mia closed her eyes, gave a smile to calm Marisa. "My worry is that she may be better off with a different Revenant."
"Wait, you want her to like - get a new Revenant?"
Mia nodded, eyes open. "I believe it may help her. When I was training with Matoi, her and I had a temporary job as firefighters. The woman who taught me mentioned she had changed Revenants, to be better suited for her job, and... that it would be best to do it early."
"… man. You like, think about this way more than I did. I guess that's between you two, though, like. Did she have it when she was born?"
"She had it transferred a week ago."
The two laughed at the familiarity, but the worry that Serena would be disappointed or mad bubbled up in to Mia's head. She decided to take a new tack and not be hands-off with her yet, though swap week was coming soon too. She would give her clearer orders in fights, as she was the more experienced & more mature.
"If I may, Swarm." said Saya. "I will ask Hirogane to perform the surgery, if Serena agrees to it, and you find one well-suited."
Mia nodded.
They brought Serena back to the infirmary, and Mia kept by her until she woke up the next day. The punk put on a act like she hadn't gotten wounded at all, though Mia could tell that same fear was in her. Serena wasn't angry or disappointed, and figured Mia would be worrying enough. She had decided to risk herself for a living, and what was waiting at $50,000 was why she'd asked her mom to buy her a Revenant in the first place. Mia seemed mature, if a bit normal.
The two took a visit to a Revenant storage facility a few hours south, but didn't get past the front entrance. One of the guards halted them there, and after a discourteous exchange, relented in giving her a list of Revenants not yet claimed.
Mia read with her. "'The ability to forecast events up to ten seconds in the future.'"
"Um… doesn't sound useful." muttered Serena. "Right?"
"No." Mia shook her head. "I wish for you to... be able to fight well alone. Odyssey is powerful, but the speed…"
"It's alright." laughed Serena. "Yeah. It's neat, but - ugh, it was hard. I didn't get a single word written right on that dude."
"It does work well if the target is frozen, but there will certainly be a time when I won't be around to help."
"Like what happened to you, right?"
"...what are you? - ah." Mia stifled a smile. "Yes."
"Yeah. Uh. I heard a bunch of rumors last week - was there really some mentor that always trained nude?"
"We shall finish this, first." laughed Mia. "What's the next?"
"This one is… uh. Boiling water?"
"No, no. It should be… something to stand alone, but… complement mine, as well." Mia flipped the page. "Inflation and deflation - ah, already claimed. The fire Revenant, your foe's ice Revenant, no… I - Styx?"
"Huh?" said Serena, leaning over. "What's up?"
"No - I…" Mia almost smirked. "That was my father's Revenant. They took it from him when he was arrested, years ago. I suppose whoever took it must have died."
"…does that make it weird if I take it?"
"It wouldn't be very useful, I believe. The ability to hide in others' shadows. He always used it for hide&seek." Mia shook her head and laughed. "When I was younger, I always wondered how he was always able to win. He had kept Styx secret from me, until…" She paused. "… until he was arrested. I - should tell you the story, some other time. Er - regardless, I don't believe it would be useful."
"Er, guess so, yeah. Um. What about the last one - uh… I don't - inducing two-dimensionality?"
"I believe it's - ah, non-lethal only." Mia's head shook. "No. We cannot use that one."
"It's the last one here, though." For a second, Serena thought of more animated uses for it.
"Yes, but…" Mia cursed herself. She didn't want to leave empty-handed, but couldn't stand already compromising as a mentor. "… we shall see what other facilities there are, tomorrow."
"Aren't they super far?"
"They - are, yes." chimed Mia. "But - I wish for you to have a well-suited Revenant. One flexible, but strong."
Serena nodded, and the two set off. Mia's worry started back on the way up, but she managed to put on stoic for her protégé before she caught it. A few hours later, they came up the steps of their home.
"I shall keep you safe, until we can find a Revenant better suited." chimed Mia, nodding, hoping she'd feel like Aimee or Matoi soon.
"Er - yeah." Serena laughed. "I'm kinda hungry, though. Um. Do you know if that - I mean, I'm not injured, but - would that infirmary chick still make food? The one that made oatmeal when I woke up?"
"You mean Luna? She - yes. There's some recipes Flashbulb cannot make, but…" Mia paused. "…infirmary. Yes. We should go there."
"You've got that look in your eyes like you just got an idea." grinned Serena. "What's up?"
"And why would I spoil it?"
The two went to the infirmary. Mia gave Hirogane a wave down as she came in, and Saya&Luna were playing cards at a table off to the side. Their hands were face-out to eachother, and a number - 1-5 - was on each card, alongside a color - blue, red, green, yellow, or white.
"Ah - hello, Swarm and Ms. Kunst." Saya smiled, as she knew Serena liked the 'Ms'. The two came over, and saw the cards had images of fireworks on them.
"They've been obsessed with that game." said Hirogane. "What do you call it, again?"
"H-Hanabi." said Luna. "U-Um… Y-You have a…" She glanced down to the five stacks on the table. They had a white 2, a red 3, no yellows, a blue 1, and a green 2. She took a hint token off the side and flipped it to black. "U-Um… These -" - she tapped two of Saya's threes - "- are your only threes."
Saya smiled. "Thank you, my little Luna." Blindly, she played her white 3 facedown, and as she flipped it up, the two smiled, placing it on the stack as she drew another card. "My apologies, Swarm. This game requires some memory. Did you need something?"
"It - seems fun." chimed Mia. "I wished to speak to you, about…" She took a breath that got Saya interested. "… I, er… It - may be best to wait until you are done. It's - rather personal, but not medical."
Saya nodded.
◆◆◆
Hirogane had left by the time the not-quite-a-couple finished, and the four had dark chocolate cookies. Luna wanted to go back to her office instead of interact with anyone besides Saya, but they had a movie not-quite-a-date scheduled after too.
"Man, these are really good." said Serena, already on her sixth. "Where'd you get the recipe?"
"U-Um… Mia gave me a v-vegan cookbook…"
"… wait, these are vegan?" (Luna nodded.) "… oh. I thought they tasted kinda off."
Mia shot her an odd look, but had her goal set to something more important. "Saya. I wanted to ask you, if… Would you ever… Are you attached to Blackburn?"
Saya cocked her head. "I do not understand what you mean."
"It's - Serena's Revenant is very…" She sighed, caught between making her case while not insulting her protégé. "Do you remember the conversation Marisa and I had, afterwards? Where I expressed concern over the speed of Serena's Revenant?"
"Of course."
"Serena, may you show the - er, medical side of your Revenant?"
"Oh - um, sure." she said, suddenly flustered. "Uh - so, this thing here -" - her tattoo needle formed in her hand - " - can write the names of Greek gods, and they each have a different effect. Um. Zeus is lightning, Hephaestus is lava, and uh… I figured this one out, recently."
She gestured vaguely to Mia, and Mia nodded, using a scarab to cut open her own palm. Serena wrote down 'Asclepius', and the wound started to close.
"You're asking for a swap of Revenant, then?" said Saya.
"If - I believe it would be useful, but if…"
Saya smiled. "May I have time to think on this? I would like to hear more from Serena."
"Of course." Mia smiled. "I thought you may prefer a Revenant that - may be better suited for medical care."
"There's - um - probably some nice stuff, too." chimed Serena, utterly clueless. "Maybe there's some god that makes you feel happy. I can give you my books about it."
Saya nodded slow. "... I believe I will say yes, so long as... Serena, may you demonstrate your Revenant for Hirogane and I, tomorrow morning?"
"Sure." Serena whispered to Mia. "Uh. What's her Revenant, again?"
"Er - apologies." murmured Mia. "Saya's Revenant is Blackburn - a fog that 'fills'."
"S-She uses it to f-fill people's wounds." chimed Luna. "A-And she made me orange juice w-when I had the f-flu."
"… oh. So, if I had it, and someone got close, I could like, fill their throat with -"
" - I - I shall give you examples later tonight." said Mia, quickly placing her hand on Serena's knee. "But - it would be very broad, swift, and quite powerful."
Saya's eyes went away, and she put her hand on Luna's. "…was there anything else you wished to discuss?"
"Wait, uh." said Serena. "Are you religious?"
"Er, I am not."
"I suppose it would be odd to be religious in a world with superpowers." muttered Mia, relevantly.
"Sweet. Uh, 'cuz I think Odyssey changes names and abilities based on your religion. I'm not religious, so I guess that's how I got Greek."
"But, I'm certain there are gods of healing in all pantheons, regardless." chimed Mia.
Serena's smile made her proud.
◆◆◆
[Tuesday, August 27]
Catherine's mother had died a few years back. She'd always asked Catherine how her search was going.
She shook her head in her study. All those drawings were in her drawer, and though her personal skills had started to degrade, her artistic were growing.
"Matoi, Matoi…" she muttered, tracing her fingers on one. "I wonder if you would even wear something like that."
On it, Matoi in a true wedding dress. Catherine had finished it an hour ago, and those upturned eyes made her feel like she knew Matoi. It was hard to get off something that worked. People didn't talk to Catherine unless they were paid for it, and she stopped trying to date after getting stood up four times in a row.
But Matoi wouldn't do that. Today, she'd draw the white wedding at a real one and keep it to herself.
◆◆◆
By that Tuesday, the Revenants took, the two had their rest, and Saya's non-religion ensured she had access to Ascelpius. With swap week next week, Mia took on accelerated training for Serena.
"Let's see if we will be saved this day." she winced, having barely recovered from the day prior. She'd gone in to Aimee's mansion and taken all the sauce too hot too eat, as she was still off campus.
"O-Okay." panted Serena, switching gaze between the two bottles of hot sauce and two empty glasses. "M-Man - yesterday was rough. I'm pretty sure I burned a hole in our toilet."
"The milk."
"I - sure, but - is porcelain flammable, or -"
" - the milk." winced Mia, used to the punk's jokes already.
Serena's fog-shrouded hand tapped the two glasses, and Blackburn's fog filled each -
- with water. "Fuuuuck." she groaned.
"One - two - three!"
With the speed of light, the two took their respective hot sauce and started chugging it, tears in their eyes and nostrils clearing as they drank the horrific spices. A scarab of fire could barely withstand the heat, and again and yet again the two swallowed deep -
" - for our sakes - please get the fucking milk right next time!" panted Mia, fanning her tongue at a ferocious pace.
"I'm t-t-trying my best!"
"You filled it with fucking helium yesterday!"
"Y-y-yeah, but I just got it!"
"You can't fight someone by filling their mouth with water!"
"Maybe - maybe hot sauce. God, I think I might vomit, but you're gonna -"
" - I'd make you drink a second bottle."
"… ugh. Gonna hurt coming out, too."
The two laughed and gagged.
◆◆◆
[Wednesday, August 28]
The two came in to a familiar private room in the infirmary. The bathtub and chef was at the other end.
"Uh, what are we doing today?" said Serena.
"The chef is quite overworked." chimed Mia, the two walking over to the quite overworked chef. "Fill it with water, and I'll ensure she has a warm bath. Failure, and another bottle of hot sauce."
Serena blinked and crouched down, Blackburn's fog on her right hand. The cloud flew down, tapped the bottom of the tub, and as she expended her entire volley -
- the bathtub filled with barely a cup of water.
Serena blinked at it.
Mia blinked at it.
Luna blinked at it.
Mia walked out, and Serena with her.
◆◆◆
[Thursday, August 29]
The two took a visit to the campus cafeteria, and as they came near the wall with the vending machines, Serena cocked her head. "Uh. Didn't there used to be a soda machine here?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about." chimed Mia, stepping to the charred vending-machine shaped outline on the wall. "It's very odd, yes? Urasaria students need proper hydration, after all."
"… ah, fuck." Serena's eyes closed, and she took her place. "Today -"
" - you're the vending machine. Have fun."
◆◆◆
[Friday, August 30]
The students liked her better than the machine, if only because she was free. The two came in to the infirmary, took a seat on a bed, and Mia braced herself. She closed her eyes, lips open. "Go ahead."
"I'm not gonna lie, I'd have felt bad about this before the hot sauce." chimed Serena, sticking Blackburn's fog down Mia's throat, and in the next instant -
- a pair of scissors formed in her throat; Mia threw her hands at it, yanking it out in a geyser of blood -
" - medic!" yelled Serena -
- and Saya was there, Odyssey's needle in hand as she wrote. Luna followed her, as was often the case.
"H-Hirogane -" gagged Mia, throat wound closing - " - is - he not here, today?"
"He is on the phone." said Saya, finishing up.
"B-brrring, brrring, rrring…" said Luna, and their bizarre adventure was done for the day.
◆◆◆
[Saturday, August 31]
With only two days until swap week, Mia took desperate measures in a familiar private room.
"Wait, she actually does get nude -"
" - stop your staring, should-have-been-aborted!" shouted Mia in her ear, airhorn at the ready -
" - she should have left you dead, Serena!" shouted Matoi, familiarly in the tub, Blackburn's fog protecting her honor as it filled a bath. "Do you think you deserve to be her protégé?!"
"I, uh -"
- the airhorn's blare entered her ear, and she stumbled back just in time for Matoi's own -
" - you should crawl back in to the sack you came out of -"
" - perhaps you could live there instead!" shouted Mia, silently grateful to not be the target this time.
"S-Sure." winced Serena, trying not to look, both because she thought it'd be creepy & that she'd never enjoyed anything sexual.
◆◆◆
[Sunday, September 1]
But for all the stress of the last week, Swarm had more mercy than the white wedding.
"Are you done yet?" shouted Mia to the beach's changing room, her and Serena stood outside. She was dressed appropriately; Serena was still in her jacket, having never liked the beach.
"Aaaand - done!" chimed Marisa inside, stepping out with an empty bottle of sunscreen, the rainbow dress turned rainbow two-piece.
Serena stifled a pant as Marisa handed her the bottle. Like Sylvia, she did find most women attractive & particularly Marisa, but still felt out-of-place with the two.
"I've got to, um - fill this, right?" said Serena, and Mia nodded.
"Correct, or we'll all be sunburned for weeks."
"Uh, not you, Mia-Mia." winked Marisa, and the three paused for a moment. "…wait, why can you like, survive lava, but still get sunburnt?"
"I - I'm sure there is a…" Mia's eyes went down. "… Let's focus on the training."
"Blackburn." nodded Serena, and in the next instant -
- Blackburn's fog filled the bottle with overflowing lotion, and the spray of sunscreen painted Marisa's face white.
"I can't argue with results, I suppose." murmured Mia, praying away another Makoto as Marisa wiped her face clean.