[[Day 4 of Month -3 :: The Grand Cathedral, Gless]]<br/><br/>“Good job, brother.”  Despite the sincere words, Konan still looked troubled as she scanned over the purple-haired man.  There were no wounds--he’d been with Grisia, after all--but the stress lines on his face belied the strain he’d been under the past few days.  “Should you be here?  It might be better to rest. . .”<br/><br/>Cricket seemed not to hear her as he stared solemnly at the doors in front of him.  They were mostly opened by now but not fully, not yet.<br/><blockquote class="uncited"><div>“So.. your Light’s Blessing makes people.. attracted to you?”  Roland asked disbelievingly, brown eyes trained on the purple-haired Knight.  Cricket scowled and kicked the other man; the brunet jerked, shook his head, and palmed his face.  Of the three brothers, he seemed the most susceptible for some reason.  The civilians had all been locked away in the Golden Sun to keep them away from Cricket’s aura.<br/><br/>“Unfortunately.”  The Knight replied sourly, glaring at the brunet (for being so susceptible to his aura), Grisia (for making him keep the aura on), and the empty road (where more Sinners, Pure Sinners, and Reapers would inevitably show up) in front of them.  He didn’t deign to share the story of the first time he’d used his aura.  Neither of his companions deserved hearing that comedy after forcing him into such an awkward situation.  He should have known better than to trust Adair’s brothers; they were related to <span style="font-style: italic">Adair</span> after all.  (Well, technically, only Grisia and Adair were blood related but that really gave him more insight into his Vice Captain’s true nature than he was comfortable with.  A chill ran ominously down his back and he terminated all unsavory thoughts of the two brothers.)<br/><br/>“That’s.. uh… pretty…”  The blacksmith struggled for an appropriate adjective: weird? disturbing? “useful…?” he finally tried.  The deadpan look told him he was unsuccessful in his attempt at sympathy, but Cricket’s irritation quickly transformed into surprise when a hand reached out and smacked the purple-haired Knight on the head.<br/><br/>“It’s your own fault.”  Grisia chided as he tisked loudly.  “You should be grateful there’s <span style="font-style: italic">any</span> effect given you haven’t even fully unlocked your Blessing yet.”  With a grumble, the chastised Knight looked away.  There was another yelp of surprise, this time from Roland, as the former Advocate smacked his brother as well.  “And you!  Do we need to go through remedial training?  Stop falling into his aura!”  With a critical look at both men, the blonde huffed as he crossed his arm.  “Now be useful.  Another Pure Sinner is coming.”</div></blockquote><br/>So there was another use, a<span style="font-style: italic">better</span>use, to his Light’s Blessing.  It could do more than just summon Sinners to himself.  Grisia had shown there were benefits to his current Light’s Blessing…<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">a stack of Pure Sinner and Reaper corpses framing the entranceway…<br/>Confused, newly redeemed Tethelites wandering aimlessly in the courtyard</span><br/><br/>...but he wanted more.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">“Papa! Papa!” “Patricia!” <span style="font-weight: bold">“Konan!”</span></span><br/><br/>“Brother..” A hesitant voice called him, prompting him to open eyes he didn’t remember closing.  Konan looked at him tentatively, uncertainty lurking in her brown gaze.  She was biting her nails in worry; it was a habit he’d long despaired of curing her of.  There was a pang in his heart as he realized--<span style="font-style: italic">remembered</span>--he never would be able to.  Even if she stood beside him here in his mindscape, she wasn’t really there.<br/><br/>Unconsciously, his hands reached out to draw her fingers away from her mouth before pulling her close.  Burying his nose in her hair, he could smell the faint reminder of her shampoo.  The sensation of her in his arms was one still etched in his memory.  It would probably always be engraved there.<br/><br/>His arms dropped back to his sides.  He stepped away to meet her confused gaze.  “Brother..?”  She repeated, aware he’d made some decision but unsure of what.<br/><br/>“I love you, Konan.”<br/><br/>The words seemed to confuse her further but she repeated truthfully, gaze softening with wistfulness, “I love you too, brother.”<br/><br/>Cricket pivoted to face the doors in front of him.  Captain Abel had said opening these would unlock his Light’s Blessing.  Grisia had hinted that there was more to come when he’d finally fully opened them.  It was time to overcome his hesitation and welcome in the Light.<br/><div style="text-align: center;">~~~~~</div><br/>“..martyrs for the cause?  They died for our sakes? We must carry on their will?”  The old man groused, raising his voice for his assistant to hear him.  Piercing black eyes slid in Lethe’s direction and with a harrumph, Councilor Laith beckoned her in.  Lethe turned her head to look at the retreating assistant, his arms overflowing with papers, and then returned her attention to the Councilor.<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“For the attack on Lindela?”</span>The petite woman inquired politely, her own feelings on the subject hidden beneath the ritual of pleasantries.  It didn’t surprise her that the old man was trying to spin the aftermath of the battle into propaganda; to be frank, she was more surprised that he was still trying to come up with ideas five days later.  She would have expected him to be pumping out materials the day after, especially given how he’d already had her touring Gless and Lindela in attempts to shore up morale.<br/><br/>The old man scoffed in disgust even as he settled into his uncomfortable wooden chair.  “No, trying to figure out how to make throwing away the lives of seven veteran Knights sound glorious.”  He shuffled the papers in front of him as he searched for the documents he needed for this meeting.<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“Pardon? Throwing away the lives of seven veteran Knights?”</span>Lethe parroted in confusion.  Why were they throwing away the lives of seven veteran Knights?  She couldn’t think of any circumstance why such a thing would happen.  Even Sinners were absolved; what crime could those men and women have committed to warrant death?<br/><br/>“The other Councilors have decided to launch an offensive against Sin.”  Laith ignored how Lethe straightened in surprise.  She had been out giving another speech when the Council had convened. leaving only him, Cornelius, and Guilford as voices of reason.  It seemed the other Seraph hadn’t been informed yet of the results of that meeting.<br/><br/>A look of displeasure crossed her face as she realized she had been excluded from a council meeting again.<span style="color: silver">“I assume Guilford is leading the attack?”</span>It was reasonable to conclude that if she’d been selected, she would have been informed in a less off-chance fashion.<span style="color: silver">“But not with his Squad Eight?”</span><br/><br/>The Councilor shook his head, replying sourly, “Not Squad Eight or Guilford.  Mihai believes the veterans are more skilled to face the God of Sin.”<br/><br/>Lethe blanched at the words. Facing the God of Sin?  And only seven Knights?  Her brain tried to order the thoughts running around wildly.  The Councilors wanted to launch an offensive against the<span style="font-weight: bold">God of Sin</span>? And with only<span style="font-weight: bold">seven knights</span>?!  That wasn’t even a full squad!  Had they gone mad?  Had a decade of peace made them forget how many Knights had stood on the final battlefield?  Veterans or not, the selected Knights would not have faced the God of Sin headfirst on open plain.  After all, only two had crawled away from that confrontation. Three now, with the God of Sin’s return.<br/><br/>The reminder of the cause for this hasty offensive cooled Lethe’s disbelief.  Histrionics wouldn’t serve her here.  Somehow she and Guilford would have to convince the Council of their folly.  At least it sounded like Laith supported her opposition to this plan.  Cornelius probably hadn’t wanted this either, which left the other Councilors.  This was<span style="font-style: italic">exactly</span>why they hadn’t revealed the God of Sin’s return to the others originally; it must have slipped out somehow in the chaos of Lindela’s attack.<br/><br/><span style="color: silver"> “Seven Knights..”</span>Her fingers tapped against her forehead thoughtfully as she mulled the few facts she had,<span style="color: silver"> “and Gil..”</span>She paused, her head turning up with brows furrowed as she remembered the rest of Laith’s words,<span style="color: silver"> “No, you said not Gil.. Am <span style="font-style: italic">I</span> leading them?”</span>Her disbelief stemmed from the lackadaisical manner she’d been informed rather than their decision to send her.<br/><br/>A sharp shake of the head answered her query.  “Captain Abel.”<br/><br/>What little equilibrium Lethe had collected slipped out of her control once more, as did the color in her face.  Captain. . . Abel. . . ?  To lead seven Knights in a suicidal charge against the God of Sin?<span style="font-style: italic">An ancient spell said to cause miracles.  By draining. . .</span>The image of ancient text printed on faded sheets flashed in her mind even as Lady Mei’s words echoed ominously,<span style="font-style: italic">“The seal appears to be a bastardized combination based on the Sikem, Laud, Nol, and Vlatko seals . . . with emphasis on containment, prohibition, and servitude.”</span><br/><br/><span style="color: silver"> “Died.. or sacrificed?”</span>She whispered the damning question Lady Mei had asked even as her mind recalled the image of the sketched seal.  Her mind’s eye could imagine the other two anchors to complete the long forgotten spell: La gamme.<br/><br/>“What did you say?”  Blue eyes flashed up in surprise to meet a suspicious gaze.  Laith was frowning thunderously at her, hands pressed flat against his desk as if ready to push him to his feet.  For a long second, Lethe considered the merits of sharing her suspicions.  Could she, in good conscience, send seven Knights off with her former Captain when questions lingered over the spell he’d used to seal Eve away?<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">servitude. equivalence. exchange.</span></span>The hairs on her arms and neck were already raising in trepidation.  No, she would never let any of her Knights go under his command if he’d use them so callously.  But would he?  Captain Abel had never been genial to her, but she could see glimpses of the warmth he buried away in how he’d treated Gil, Ingram, and Estella.  Would he treat those Knights assigned to him like he had her or like he had Gil?  “Well?”  The demand broke through her circling thoughts, warning her she’d been silent for too long.<br/><br/><span style="color: silver"> “Nothing,”</span>Lethe finally demurred as her gaze lifted to meet the Councilor’s.<span style="color: silver"> “Please excuse my inattention.  I was thinking of another matter.”</span>A contrite smile added to her appearance of apology.<span style="color: silver">“Even with Captain Abel’s guidance, I don’t think an offensive against the God of Sin is advisable.  Perhaps I can speak with the Councilors and find an alternative to whatever is bothering them?”</span>A stony gaze rebuffed her attempt to change the subject but after a long period of silence, more than poignant enough to indicate Laith’s disbelief, the old man allowed the previous matter to drop.  Turning her attention to the new topic, Lethe faked interest in the subject even as she rearranged her mental priority list.  Meeting Gil had just jumped to number one.<br/><div style="text-align: center;">~~~</div><br/>“I can’t believe she’s being so stingy.. Ugh, women!  It’s not like we asked for that much extra. . .”<br/><br/>Dietrich laughed nervously to fill the silence, unwilling to contradict his companion.  He was passive by nature and the circumstances surrounding his return to consciousness had simply made him more meek.  Brown eyes slid away from the Knights he was with at the memory.  In all of District Thirty Two, he was the only survivor.  He swallowed convulsively; out of a district worth of people, only one still lived: him.  His hands itched to rub against a wound but there was none--no missing limb, no life-threatening gash, not even a scratch.  It had, understandably, caused much suspicion among the others.  Why had only he lived?<br/><br/>Was he a traitor?<br/><br/>No one spoke such accusations aloud but he could feel them in the sidelong looks and heavy silences when he walked by.  Dietrich couldn’t blame them.  He had no idea why he was alive when everyone else had died.  Luck?  Reason?<br/><br/>Cold settled around him at the thought his survival was<span style="font-style: italic">purposeful</span>.  Was there a greater,<span style="font-style: italic">malicious</span>reason for his survival?<br/><br/>“Well, we’ll have to make deal with what we have then.”  Something was thrust into his chest and the veteran Knight blinked down in confusion to see a hand plastering a paper to his breastplate.  “Hey man, can you go get these supplies?”  Mitchell smiled apologetically even as he slowly edged away.  “Donald just reminded me about that rumor about District Twenty Six.  I’m sure the food’s as terrible as everywhere else but it doesn’t hurt to check and see how exaggerated the rumors are, ya know?”  His smile invited Dietrich to join in on his amusement even as he left the brown-haired man standing in the middle of the road alone.  The other members of their group were already walking away, one boasting loudly of how good the food in the other District had been.  “The supply depots should have short lines right now so it’s best to get the lumber now if we don’t want to be waiting all afternoon.”  Mitchell was five steps away by now with the distance just widening.  “We’ll get you some as well!”  With that inconsiderate promise, the man turned and ran after the other two Knights in their crew.<br/><br/>Dietrich stood dumbly in the middle of the road as his companion retreated down the street and around the corner towards District Twenty Six.  Now that he thought about it, he did remember hearing something about amazing food being available in that District.  For a moment, he considered the merits of following Mitchell and the others before he discarded the thoughts with a sigh.  If they didn’t want to spend time with him, he didn’t want to force himself on them.  Clenching his hand around the paper, probably authorization for the supplies they needed, the brown-haired man forlornly continued his journey.  Mitchell was right when he said the supply depots were probably mostly deserted given the lunch hour; he could get the materials quickly and haul them back to their construction site before the others returned.  He would just need to remember to get some bread sometime in between.  Mitchell would probably forget to bring him the promised takeaway, just like the other four times.<br/><div style="text-align: center;">~~~~~</div><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“Welcome to the main conference hall.”</span>Guilford pushed the giant doors open, leading the way into the large function hall used mainly to host important meetings for the Immaculate.<span style="color: #0080FF">“Feel free to take a look around.”</span>He urged as he ushered the kids in, watching them as their eyes marveled upon the simplistic yet practical design of the hall.  In contrast, it appeared that the class teacher and Lady Bianca felt it improper if they joined the fuss though their roving eyes made clear they too wanted to have a look around.<span style="color: #0080FF">“Please, I am well aware that you both are married to knights. Take this opportunity to get to know the workplace of your husbands.”</span>The Seraph offered with a kind smile.  They needed no other encouragement.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“This conference hall can comfortably hold a maximum of one hundred people at seating capacity.  This is where important matters unrelated to the military are often held for discussion.  Your town governors, sometimes some noblemen, and even worker unions are the ones who often frequent this hall to discuss issues with the High Council.”</span><br/><br/>“What sort of ‘matters’ Master Guilford?” a brainy, spectacled kid asked out loud.<br/><br/>Turning in the direction of the young one, Guilford smiled.<span style="color: #0080FF">“Town expansions, improvements, economic status of the islands, workforce allocation, resource management, population control—I can go on and tell you more but I think it would be best to do so once you’ve grown a little older.”</span><br/><br/>“In short kids, this is one big math hall where leaders do a lot of number crunching.” Their class teacher instinctively swooped in to save the Seraph from her student and impress the importance of their education on the children.  Her words elicited a bored and disappointed sigh from the lot of them.<br/><br/>“Awww! We wanted to see where knights plan their missions!” One student complained petulantly.<br/><br/>Amused, the Seraph folded his arms above his chest,<span style="color: #0080FF">“Is that so?”</span>Guilford hummed thoughtfully,<span style="color: #0080FF">“Well then, if that’s the case, we should head to one of the Cathedral’s Squad Quarters.”</span>He looked over the kids before adding with a teasing lilt,<span style="color: #0080FF">“Would you like to see where Master Lethe and her squad plans their missions?”</span><br/><br/>The  enthusiastic and unified roar was answer enough for the Seraph.<span style="color: #0080FF">“Alright then, follow me. We’re going upstairs.”</span><br/><div style="text-align: center;">~~~</div><br/>“It’s so terrible what happened down there. . .”<br/><br/>“more bandages, more cloths, and get some additional herbs.  We’ll also need. . .”<br/><br/>The chatter of the Cathedral washed over her, a meaningless background hum compared to the thoughts roiling around in her brain.  Lethe had finally excused herself from her meeting with Councilor Laith and was now en route to Guilford’s squad quarters.<br/><br/>“Look! Isn’t that?!”<br/><br/>The childish squeal caught her attention if only due to its unusual exuberance.  Given what had transpired just days ago, most were too subdued for such levels of excitement.<br/><br/>“I think it is!” was the equally enthusiastic reply and her senses tingled in warning: someone was looking her way.  She turned her standard smile in that direction and waved politely even as she continued walking.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">”Ah! Master Lethe, what excellent—”</span><br/><br/>“Master Lethe!!”<br/><br/>Abrupt as it may have been that his train of words had been cut off, Guilford couldn’t fault the kids for getting overly excited to be in the presence of the White Seraph.  He watched the young ones flock around the female Knight even before he could make it to a more comfortable speaking distance.<span style="color: #0080FF">“...timing.”</span>he mouthed off pointlessly, if only for the sake of finishing his words.<br/><br/>“Not so popular with the kids now, are you?” Lady Bianca chided as she stood beside Guilford, watching the kids strive to get Master Lethe’s attention.  There was truth behind her words too.  How easily had they forgotten that he too was a Seraph and that he was the one giving them a tour not too long ago, perhaps an effect that could be attributed to Lethe’s constant presence at the center of public relationship campaigns.<span style="color: #0080FF">”I’ll have to admit, I’m never really that good around them.”</span>Guilford openly confessed, eliciting a lighthearted chuckle from Joaquim’s wife.  “I can tell.  Do you even plan on having kids, Master Guilford?” she couldn’t resist the urge to tease, much to the male Seraph’s embarrassment.<span style="color: #0080FF">”I..uhh..I haven’t really given it much thought.”</span>he scratched his head and looked away blushing.  Bianca giggled at his reaction until both their attentions were pulled back to the present.<br/><br/>“Now, now kids, settle down. Remember, we’re here for the tour so let’s not try to cause any trouble for both Master Lethe and Master Guilford, okay?” the teacher reminded, easing her student’s exuberance.<br/><br/>When the kids finally calmed down, a relieved Guilford took the chance to step forward besides his former teammate.  Seeing how this little tour of his had caught Lethe unexpectedly off-guard (though her professionalism undoubtedly hid it), he owed her an explanation.<span style="color: #0080FF">“Sorry about this, I know it’s not the most appropriate of times to be playing tour guide now of all times but I’m doing this as a favor for Joaquim and the kids…”</span>he whispered,<span style="color: #0080FF">“and we were on our way to your squad quarters now… if you don’t mind.”</span>He smiled at Lethe sheepishly, hoping that the other would be so accommodating as to allow them to intrude on her hospitality.<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“Certainly, I was on my way to look for you anyways.”</span>Lethe acquiesced with her standard smile, hands busy patting the heads crowding around her.<span style="color: silver">“If I can have some of your time after you complete your tour?”</span>She waited for Guilford’s nod before turning her attention back to the flock around her.<span style="color: silver"> “Hello everyone.”</span>There was a chorus of greetings in response.<span style="color: silver"> “Welcome to the Cathedral.  How are you liking your visit so far?”</span>Thirty voices bombarded her and she laughed, hands gently herding the children to the side of the hallway and down it towards her squad quarters.<br/><br/>A noisy twenty later saw the group of children and adults in the quarters of Squad Ten.  For better or for worse, the room was currently devoid of other occupants.  With so many enthusiastic and curious minds to nourish, it had taken four times longer to reach their destination as the children invariably stopped to ask questions or admire the scenery.<span style="color: silver"> “And this is my squad quarters.”</span>Lethe explained needlessly, waving a hand over the room.  A twitch of her fingers settled privacy runes over the stack of papers on the table and the filing cabinets.<span style="color: silver"> “This is where my squad meets in between missions, plans new missions, and generally recover when we need a break.  Why don’t you take a look around?”</span>She offered at the sight of shiny eyes.  The children needed no other prompting as they descended on the room like locusts on a harvest.<br/><br/><span style="color: silver"> “Why exactly are they so interested in the room?”</span>Lethe wondered in a low voice.  The room looked like any other squad quarters to her; if anything, it looked a bit too casual given how her squad used it as a living room.  The other squads, those who didn’t spend as much time in the Cathedral, tended to have smaller, plainer rooms, more dedicated to their purpose of mission planning.  A female voice responded in a voice tinged with amusement: “I’m sure a large part of it is because it’s your room, Master Lethe.”<br/><br/>Blue eyes darted towards the speaker, their owner too trained to react more overtly.  Lethe wouldn’t say she’d<span style="font-style: italic">forgotten</span>about the other two women, but it wouldn’t be inaccurate to say she’d dismissed them from her mind.  From needing to speak with Guilford to suddenly playing tour guide/nanny, she was still a bit discombobulated by the sudden shift.<span style="color: silver">“Excuse me, I don’t think I caught your name?”</span><br/><br/>“Eleanor,” the woman replied with a smile before indicating to the other woman, “and this is Bianca; she’s helping me chaperone.”[/color]<br/><br/>Unease flickered in Lethe’s eyes but the sentiment was quickly hidden,<span style="color: silver"> “That’s a lovely name, Miss Eleanor.  It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”</span>The other two women replied with equal pleasantness before Eleanor hurried forward at the sight of two children trying to jump onto a window ledge.  “Children, stop!”<br/><br/>“They’re certainly a handful, aren’t they?”  Bianca commented with a bemused smile, one eye on her own son.  The young boy stiffened and sauntered away from the closed door with an innocent whistle, looking for all the world as if he wasn’t about to open the door and peer inside.<span style="color: silver"> “It’s just the storage closet.”</span>Lethe murmured in a failed attempt to mitigate the other woman’s ire.  Bianca maintained her stern look till she was sure Jessiah was no longer watching her and then dissolved into snickers.  “He looks just like Joaquim like that, doesn’t he Master Guilford?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“That he does.”</span>Guilford replied with a smile.  The only difference was that Joaquim had learned to tame his curiosity so that it rarely got the best of him, probably an effect of his years in service to the knighthood.  Given all the horrors Knights had seen and faced, back during the First War, even the rookie Knights learned to dampen their inner children.  To think that some, if not most, of the young kids here were aspiring to become knights someday… Guilford dismissed the grim thoughts.  He shouldn’t crush their dreams; he had no right to do so.<br/><br/>Fifteen minutes later and the kids were finally acting like they were back in class.  Their class teacher had the brilliant suggestion for the students to take the chance and ask questions from both Seraphs, and by the Light they had so many that it seemed like an endless session of question and answer.  The boys, plus a select few of the girls, had more interest in battles, knight tactics, weapons and magic, and the chain of command.  Those topics were easy enough for Guilford to answer so he took the honors of doing so.  The rest of the young ladies were… a complicated group.  Their queries ranged from Clerical work, scribe work, advocacy, and even Council work.  Most of them seem to be interested in taking up the pen rather than the sword.<br/><br/>Another hour later and their tour finally drew to a close.<br/><br/>“Master Guilford, once again I would like to thank you and Master Lethe for accommodating our selfish request.” Eleanor bowed in gratitude, “On behalf of our school and these kids, thank you.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“You are welcome.  I can tell their cancelled field trip meant a lot to them.”</span>Guilford chanced another look at the group of children waiting down the hall with Lady Bianca.<span style="color: #0080FF">“If anything, it is us who should apologize to them for not making this world a better place… even after all these years.”</span><br/><br/>“P-please don’t say that!  All of us are aware of the responsibilities placed upon the knighthood.  We know just how hard all of you had been working and we deeply appreciate all of your efforts.”<br/><br/>The sudden response caught Guilford off-guard.<span style="color: #0080FF">“Forgive me Lady Eleanor, I did not intend to sound so dreary. I just wish these kids could live a life where there’s no more need for us knights.”</span>A melancholy smile gently curved the male Seraph’s lips.<br/><br/>“Don’t we all, Master Guilford?” A mirror smile found its way to Eleanor’s lips.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“Indeed. We’ll make it happen.”</span>Guilford extended his hand for a shake,<span style="color: #0080FF">“Gloomy thoughts doesn’t seem to be the right way to end such a happy moment for the young ones don’t you think?”</span>Eleanor gently shook the male Seraph’s hand,<span style="color: #0080FF">“If there’s anything else we could do for the kids and the school, know that all you need to do is send me a message directly.”</span>He let go of the teacher’s hand,<span style="color: #0080FF">“I’d love to escort you and the kids out of the Cathedral personally but duty calls. I’ve arranged for a scribe and a squad of knights to escort you and the kids in my stead.  They’ll help you take each of the kids home.”</span><br/><br/>“But that’s not necessary! We could—”<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“The kids would love it.”</span>the Seraph insisted.<br/><br/>“Thank you Master Guilford. Thank you truly.”<br/><br/>When the group was no longer in his sights, Guilford breathed a sigh of relief and turned his way back into Lethe’s squad quarters, knocking twice and waiting for acknowledgement before coming in.  It was back to the real world for him, back to where he had a mountain of issues to deal with.  He loosened his formal coat (that had been threatening to choke him the entire visit) before finding himself a comfortable spot on one of the couches, deflating in a manner that hinted his exhaustion.<br/><br/>He sighed once before resigning himself to being a Seraph once more.<span style="color: #0080FF">“You said you needed to speak with me?”</span><br/><br/>Lethe leaned against the back of the sofa, head cocked curiously to the side.  Why was Guilford so depressed?  They’d just spent an hour with the children; their enthusiasm seemed contagious as her lethargy from earlier had fled.  Those children, and the countless others among the islands, were the reason they fought after all: for the future.  She reached a hand out, arm straight to the tip of her finger, and poked the prone man in the face.<span style="color: silver"> “You’ll get wrinkles,”</span>she chided with a faint smile.<br/><br/>Wrinkles?  Hardly at the top of his worries; everyone got them when they grew old.  If anything, it would be nice to be old enough to get wrinkles… Guilford inhaled sharply in an attempt to gather his drifting thoughts;  Lethe had always been too good at distracting him.<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“The Council plans to act against the God of Sin?”</span>And that was definitely one way to check reality back in.  The Council’s poorly planned idea had been chipping away at him ever since his impromptu meeting with Cornelius.<span style="color: silver">“Seven Knights and Abel.”</span>Disapproval soured her expression before melting into worry,<span style="color: silver">“Is it safe?”</span><br/><br/>Was it<span style="font-style: italic">ever</span>safe to act against the God of Sin, he wondered in a sudden bout of cynicism.  They even had a group of blockheads who had no idea what they were facing throwing their weight around in a pointless attempt to look proactive.  There was<span style="font-weight: bold">nothing</span><span style="font-style: italic">safe</span>in this ridiculous operation.<br/><br/>Then again, the real question Lethe wanted answered wasn’t regarding the God of Sin.  It was Abel.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“Got an ear for tragic stories?”</span>he answered her question with one of his own, leaning back into the couch.  He may as well be comfortable for the upcoming story.<span style="color: #0080FF">“Because ‘Seven Knights and Abel’ revolves around it.”</span><br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“<span style="font-style: italic">Your</span> scribe,”</span>he tried to tease her in an attempt to inject some levity into the impending tragedy,<span style="color: #0080FF">“did a wonderful job of digging up old records.”</span>Guilford had to admit that he was rather impressed at the skill that redhead scribe possessed; where exactly had she found him again?<span style="color: #0080FF">“Thanks to not only official records of old but personal correspondence as well, I was able to further my investigation to the point where Abel lost two of his knights in the final battle against Eve.”</span><br/><br/>The Knight released a long sigh, purple eyes glancing in his companion’s direction.  Lethe had taken a seat as well, legs crossed and hands resting loosely on the chair’s arms.  She looked almost regal with her emotionless face: a monarch waiting to pass judgment.  Despite not being the one on trial, Guilford looked away to stare forward once more.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“I don’t think Abel intended to sacrifice  anyone.”</span>The intensity of Lethe’s gaze sharpened.<br/><br/>When it became clear Guilford didn’t intend to say anything more, the white Seraph finally prompted:<span style="color: silver">“Why?”</span>Guilford claimed Abel hadn't intended to but she'd seen the seals transcribed by Lance.  Their intent was incongruous with her companion’s claim.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“Why…”</span>Guilford repeated the question that had forced him to spend hours reading old mission logs and poorly scribed letters.  .<span style="color: #0080FF">“Because the two who died were his lover and his cousin.”</span>He had no cousin but he’d had one he’d considered kin--the thought of sacrificing Ricaud or, he couldn’t keep his eyes from darting towards the white-haired woman at this thought, Lethe was too much for him to bear.  He never would; he couldn’t even imagine Abel doing so, and both no less.<br/><br/>The blue-haired Seraph straightened in his seat, forcing himself to focus on other things.  It would do no good to get lost in such thoughts.  He pulled out a worn piece of paper, unfolded it, and laid it on the coffee table.<span style="color: #0080FF">“Come here,”</span>he beckoned,<span style="color: #0080FF">“Take a look at this.”</span>His fingers traced down the side the paper to draw Lethe’s attention to the words written there.<span style="color: #0080FF">“This is probably the original methodology for <span style="font-style: italic">La Gamme</span>.”</span><br/><br/>It was a very, very powerful piece of paper.  Guilford had realized it as soon as he laid eyes on the contents and for various reasons, immediately opted to keep it on his person.<span style="color: #0080FF">“Yves Linser, former Vice Captain of Squad Seven and a Pure like Fiona, was the owner of the diary where I got this from.. According to Yves, to help Abel realize his dreams of peace, she taught him La Gamme, one of the, if not the most, powerful arcane arts deemed Miraculous. How they intended to use La Gamme, and its true effect, remains a mystery—one that could be solved by directly asking the people involved.”</span>There was no reaction from his audience so Guilford pointed to the part of the paper where numbers and symbols had been written.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“If you look at the calculations here, just by the utterly tremendous amount of magic needed by the spell, it becomes clear that no human being—even if they had abnormally large magic reserves—would be able to pull it off..”</span>He eyed the white-haired knight beside him; a small furrow broke the previous impassivity of her expression as she puzzled over the paper before her.<span style="color: #0080FF">“unless they used an enhancer of some sort: a <span style="font-style: italic">catalyst[/].”</span> he paused, <span style="color: #0080FF">“But what or where is this catalyst? I don’t know. The answers to either questions weren’t included in the diary.”</span><br/><br/>The admission, and the ensuing silence, finally forced the white-haired woman to speak.  <span style="color: silver"> “I don’t.. this…”</span> She struggled to find the right words.  <span style="color: silver">"You're right that by these calculations, no human could power a [i]La gamme</span> of the magnitude used to capture Eve.  However, the truth remains <span style="font-style: italic">somehow</span> it was done.  If two Knights and the unknown catalyst could contain Eve, can tripling that stop the God of Sin?”</span><br/><br/>She wondered aloud in disbelief.  The question hung there like a tantalizing wisp of hope before a soft scoff shattered it.<span style="color: silver">"Who are we kidding?  The God of Sin won't die to La Gamme.”</span>The finality of those words held an unusual sense of--Guilford wasn’t quite sure what, so foreign was such an emotion given Lethe’s normal demeanor.  She continued speaking before he could put his finger on it.<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“But does Captain Abel know that?"</span>And this time, the urgency was clearly identifiable,<span style="color: silver">"He’s already accomplished the improbable once.  Does he think he can accomplish the impossible?  You said the fact the two sacrificed were his--Vice Captain”</span>even now she skirted around the issue,<span style="color: silver">“and cousin meant it wasn’t intentional.  In this, we must accept the possibility for the worst.  If it had been intentional, would seven innocent lives matter to him? What else may be sacrificed to stop the God of Sin?"</span><br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“Lethe.”</span>He chided, voice unusually harsh given who he was speaking with.<span style="color: #0080FF">“No human being could have the magical reserves necessary to pull off La Gamme,”</span>Guilford returned back to the earlier topic,<span style="color: #0080FF">“However, if you substituted life force instead of magical power…”</span>Another piece of paper, crisper for having not been created a decade and a half ago, was placed on the table.<span style="color: #0080FF">“Assuming the catalyst is just as effective with life force as it is magical reserves…”</span>The answer was written plainly at the bottom of the paper,<span style="color: #0080FF">“It would only take one healthy human being.”</span><br/><br/>Blue eyes stared at him defiantly and Guilford sprung to his feet, stalking away to one of the windows to stare at the knights moving about the courtyard.<span style="color: #0080FF">“With that in mind, this is where it gets… telling.  From the post-conflict reports written by Fenix and the others, during that battle against Eve, things were going very poorly.”</span>He paused, folding both arms across his chest,<span style="color: #0080FF">“Near the end of the battle, when Squad Seven was facing certain defeat, Abel ordered the entire squad to retreat as he bought them time.”</span>he chanced a look at the female Seraph,<span style="color: #0080FF">“Why do you think he did that?”</span><br/><br/>The flat look Lethe sent Guilford’s way made it clear she was unamused with the rhetorical question.  Regardless, he would continue with the rest of his story.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“Because <span style="font-style: italic">he</span> was ready to sacrifice himself—use La Gamme with his own life to defeat Eve and save the rest of Squad Seven.”</span>Guilford theorized,<span style="color: #0080FF">“But two knights understood what he was really planning to do: his cousin and Yves.”</span><br/><br/>It had always been a taboo in Squad Seven to dredge up the past.  Now it became clear to Guilford why almost every member of his former squad had a tendency to avoid talking about their past, whether it was personal history, or squad history… especially squad history.<span style="color: #0080FF">“What really transpired during those final moments, I cannot really say.  All I found out was that Yves Linser and Abel saw each other romantically, much like how Nigel walked the one way street to Yves.”</span>Guilford concluded,<span style="color: #0080FF">“Which leaves one to wonder, did Abel really sacrifice them to seal Eve, or did they sacrifice themselves so that Abel could live?”</span>The blue-haired Seraph turned to look at his fellow squadmate.<span style="color: #0080FF">“You know which one I think.  Why do you think otherwise?”</span><br/><br/>Faced with such an accusation, Lethe felt herself turning away.  It took a moment to gather herself but when she turned back, determination was clear in her eyes.<span style="color: silver">“Because the seal structure doesn’t lie.  Regardless of the relationships between the three, the facts remain that the seal structure Abel used relied heavily on seal scriptures that are either forbidden or generally avoided because they deny the target of free will.”</span>The evenness of her tone did not hide the vehemence she felt.<span style="color: silver">“Sikem is a seal that was based on a Pure Sinner’s works.  The Lokian script similarly can derive its origins from seal masters that all died from their experiments or ended up in Sin’s thrall.  And let’s not mention the other influences that ended up in the final seal array. So indeed I wonder, if a seal relies heavily on containment, servitude, and <span style="font-style: italic">Nol</span>, whose sole use is to inhibit the victim’s resistance, who sacrificed who?”</span><br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“Only the Divine Light can answer that.”</span>Guilford huffed in distaste.  He still was of the belief Abel hadn’t intended to sacrifice Yves and Nigel but couldn’t explain why the seal structure was the way it was.  Lethe clearly thought otherwise but was dismissing the relationships between Abel, Yves, and Nigel, which any reasonable person would consider.<span style="color: #0080FF">“Or Abel,”</span>he offered dryly, observing the way Lethe tensed slightly at those words.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Can we trust Abel’s words though?</span>The white-haired Knight was tempted to ask but she kept the words unspoken.  Some things didn’t need to be aired like dirty laundry, not even with her longest comrade.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“Look, despite the obvious evidence that screams sacrifice from all angles, I want to make sure we’re not missing anything before we pass judgment.”</span>Guilford explained softly,<span style="color: #0080FF">“I know Abel’s methods may be somewhere near the extremes—or well beyond it--but I just can’t bring myself to think...”</span>he paused, one hand coming up to rub his temples that were starting to ache,<span style="color: #0080FF">“It’s not like I trust him fully.  No, nothing like that, at least not until this gets resolved.  I just don’t want to give up on the fact that everything he does, he does for a good reason.”</span><br/><br/>Lethe sighed as well, her own resistance tempered by Guilford’s admission.  The two had had different experiences with the old Captain: Gil had always been one of Abel’s favorite while she and those close to her had not been so fortunate.  Yes, Abel was relatively fair, but no, Abel was not always kind.<span style="color: silver"> “I don’t doubt that he always does things for a good reason,”</span>She conceded wearily, one hand going to rub her face,<span style="color: silver">“But I worry what he’ll forsake, accidentally or intentionally, to accomplish those good goals.”</span><br/><br/>The male Seraph lowered his hand, blinking a few times to clear his vision,<span style="color: #0080FF">“After everything Abel has gone through, all of the things he has done in service of the knighthood, excluding this incident, I should give him the benefit of the doubt.”[color]  He paused to look at the other Knight, [color=#0080FF]“<span style="font-weight: bold">We</span> should give him the benefit of the doubt. He deserves that much at least, don't you think?”</span><br/><br/><span style="color: silver"> “We’ve <span style="font-style: italic">all</span> gone through a lot Guilford Rosenwulf,”</span>Lethe corrected sharply, the moment of ire seceding to exasperation.<span style="color: silver">“However, that doesn’t give any of us the right to throw away the lives of others.”</span>Despite her words, she stepped away from the couch she’d been leaning against and headed for the door.  Letting Guilford pass her, she heaved one last sigh before closing the door shut.<br/><div style="text-align: center;">~~~</div><br/>“Master Guilford, Master Lethe,” the old knight started with a placid greeting, “to what do I owe the pleasure?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“We need to talk.”</span><br/><br/>Abel raised a brow in slight surprise at the bluntness of Guilford’s tone and then turned over to the disapproving Lethe.  He may not know his former subordinate well, but he’d seen enough unhappy women to spot the telltale signs.  “Is this about the expedition?” Abel inquired lightly, eyes sharpening as he looked at Guilford, “Did the two of you come to stop us from going down there? Because I’m pretty sure a council vote supersedes Seraph authority.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“No, we didn’t come to stop you from going down there.”</span>Guilford replied, feeling his irritation rise from his Captain’s unwarranted accusation,<span style="color: #0080FF">“It’s about your suitability as the appointed leader for that expedition.”</span><br/><br/>Lethe looked at the two men in front of her, finally starting to understand Daria’s utter irritation with men and the male species in general.  Guilford had been so passionate in his defense of Abel in front of her and now seemed so hostile.  And men complained<span style="font-style: italic">women</span>had mood swings!<span style="color: silver">“What Guilford <span style="font-style: italic">means</span> is that we have some questions we would like your help in answering, Captain Abel.  Now is a good time, I assume?”</span>Despite the phrasing, the order was more than evident.<br/><br/>The clarification was more than welcome.  Guilford hadn’t intended to respond so bitingly and yet couldn’t help but feel he’d been entirely justified in making clear their doubts about Abel’s capabilities, especially after Abel’s jibe.  Composing himself, the Knight nodded stiffly,<span style="color: #0080FF">“It is as Lethe says.”</span><br/><br/>Suspicious eyes surveyed them but Lethe’s attempt at civility had tempered Abel’s initial irritation.  “I’m just about done with my final preparations.. Now is a good time.” he mustered the best smile he could, minute though it was, to his lips, “how may I be of service?”<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“Yves Linser and Nigel d’Arques.”</span>It was Lethe’s turn to be blunt, secure in the privacy runes she’d casted around them.<span style="color: silver"> “Both died in combat under your leadership in the fight that led to Eve’s containment.  However, they didn’t die until after you commanded a withdrawal.  We want to know what happened.”</span><br/><br/>The question caught Abel off-guard in all manners. He had a deal with Eunice! In exchange for the truth, he had asked that the records be kept a secret.  How did these two come to know of those names?  The expression on Abel’s face darkened, “What’s this about?” he stalled, although he already had an ominous feeling of what was to come.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“La Gamme.”</span>Guilford stared at the old knight with questioning eyes.<br/><br/>A sigh of defeat escaped Abel’s lips.  Never in this lifetime had he expected anyone to confront him about that tragedy, especially not these two who had never inquired much about Squad Seven’s history, even after their initial recruitment. “I don’t have a choice in this do I?”<br/><br/>Guilford shook his head mutely.<br/><br/>Brown eyes surveyed the resolute faces before him and Abel surrendered himself to the inevitable.  “Follow me then.  Let’s not talk about this here.”<br/><div style="text-align: center;">~~~</div><br/>The walk through Gless was quiet, all three Knights undoubtedly caught up in their own thoughts.  Their winding path was unfamiliar for the younger two, despite having spent a decade on the island, and sadly too familiar for the eldest.  Finally they were in front of a rundown, nearly crumbling mausoleum: neglected, if it were to be described with a single word.<br/><br/>Lethe examined the building with a mix of detachment and curiosity.  She’d never seen it before but its purpose seemed obvious: a resting place.  An eerie serenity, similar to that of Eiji’s cemetery’s, lingered in the air.  Unlike her former squadmate’s resting spot, this place did not seem so well maintained.  What was Abel’s objective in bringing them here?  Her attention returned to the old man when he forced the large doors of the mausoleum open.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“What is this place?”</span>Guilford broke the silence, unable to reign in his own curiosity.<br/><br/>“The d’Arques Mausoleum, the last structure still standing tied to the family name.”  Seemingly unphased by the lonely confession, Abel casually strode into the building.<br/><br/>Guilford looked at Lethe once before following suit.  What was Abel’s reason for bringing them here?  What did he want to show them?  Guilford paused at the entrance, immediately noticing the numerous niches that lined both sides of the single path that led to an altar.  Already, Abel was halfway down the corridor, prompting the male Seraph to continue in.  Upon closer inspection as he walked by, Guilford realized that there was a common denominator among the niches: every single one of them belonged to a d’Arques. Was Abel’s whole bloodline in here? Guilford didn’t know what to feel about it.<br/><br/>Lethe glanced at Guilford curiously when he stopped but she slipped around him, more intent on the living d’Arque than the dead ones.  Surely Gil had been to a cemetery before; this one was just a bit more “house of death” than “plot of land of death.”  With a shake of her head, she forced her mind back to the topic at hand.  When they came to a stop in front of two tombs, blue eyes read the labels curiously: Nigel d’Arques and Yves Linser.  The missing pair had been found.<br/><br/>When the silence stretched long around them, Lethe finally challenged:<span style="color: silver">“And your point is?”</span>Guilford may believe in Abel’s innocence, but she knew how deceiving appearances could be.<br/><br/>The old knight eyed the White Seraph, taking note of the tone of her voice, “An introduction.” he answered truthfully, “It would be rude to talk about people, dead or not, without actually meeting them first wouldn’t you agree?”<br/><br/>Guilford couldn’t tell if Abel was simply teasing Lethe or was lecturing her in manners.  Still, Abel’s claim of introducing them to Yves and Nigel (despite the two of them being dead) could be taken in a way that meant the old knight was ready to talk about them.<br/><br/>The silence returned.<br/><br/>“Before we start, I’d like to know how the two of you stumbled upon La Gamme and these two,” Abel requested.<br/><br/>A glance towards Guilford made clear he wasn’t planning to answer.  Lethe also had no desire to explain just yet.<span style="color: silver"> “Captain Abel,”</span>Lethe tried to keep her voice from sounding too sharp, achieving a detached coolness:<span style="color: silver"> “We may answer to the Council but we do not to you.  If <span style="font-style: italic">we</span> are satisfied with <span style="font-style: italic">your</span> answer, we may tell you but that will be at our discretion and not yours.”</span>She turned her gaze away from Abel towards the two tombs instead, keeping the older man in her peripheral vision.<span style="color: silver"> “Now, what happened?”</span><br/><br/>So that’s how it was now? His former subordinates pulling rank on him?  Abel felt himself bristle at the discourtesy.  He swallowed down his irritation;<span style="font-style: italic">he</span>had been the one to turn down the Seraph title when it had been offered.  Perhaps this was just another consequence of that choice.  A deep breath calmed him enough to dismiss his lingering resentment so he could focus enough to recall the particular moment in question.  “Am I right to assume that you two already know the events leading up to when it was just the three of us against Eve?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“Somewhat.”</span>Guilford responded, tone a notch lower than the only female with them.<br/><br/>“From the records of former Squad Seven, I assume?” he received a nod from Guilford for confirmation. “Well then, those are accurate. I ordered them to write it as they saw and heard.” Abel shifted in his spot and rested his back on one of the tombs, “I used La Gamme to seal Eve.” he admitted, “But I did not sacrifice them for it, if that’s what you’re thinking.”  The skeptical looks were testament to the fact they had thought that, or at least considered it.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">”Do you really think we’ll just take your word for it? We’ve seen <span style="font-style: italic">your</span> La Gamme, and compared to the original one.”</span>Guilford showed Abel the paper he had extracted from Yves’ diary,<span style="color: #0080FF">“yours looks rather different.”</span><br/><br/>The color drained from Abel’s face at the sight of the paper in Guilford’s hand.  There was no mistaking it; that was Yves’ handwriting right there. “Yes, what you have right there is the ‘correct’ way to cast La Gamme,” he began, “but our circumstances at that moment were not favorable, and Yves had not given me the Catalyst for La Gamme.” He averted his eyes from Guilford.  “I was determined to give up my life in exchange for Eve’s but…” he trailed off, a remorseful expression now visible on his features, “..I was not strong enough.”<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">"Did you really think your life was enough?"</span>Lethe cast a look between the sorrowed man and the diary,<span style="color: silver">"Yves' calculations made it clear that one life wouldn't work."</span><br/><br/>The sorrow transformed into bitterness, “You don’t get it do you?” Abel retorted, “The calculations meant nothing to begin with!” There was a noticeable rise in his tone, “All it proved was that without the catalyst, La Gamme could still be used in exchange for the caster’s life.” His tone dropped into monotony just as fast as it had rose, “It was not a guarantee. To us, La Gamme was a gamble—a small ray of hope, one that we chose to grab hold of.”<br/><br/>Horror descended upon Guilford at what he heard.  It was a gamble? And yet they still chose to go through with it?<span style="color: #0080FF">“Are you telling us that none of you knew what the outcome would be?”</span><br/><br/>Abel took a sharp breath, composing himself before speaking again, “It is exactly as you say. We did not have the slightest idea of how the spell would react if used on Eve, who was not the actual intended target of the spell.”<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">"Then who was the intended target?"</span>After a moment, horror painted the White Seraph’s face as well.<span style="color: silver">"Are you crazy? Did you honestly think it would work?!  If it was that easy, it would have happened long ago!"</span><br/><br/>“Just how many people do you think know of La Gamme?” Abel retorted to the female Seraph, “And just how many people do you think had the guts to stand up against the God of Sin?”<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">"Do you honestly think the Pure would not have known of it?"</span>Lethe wondered in disbelief,<span style="color: silver">"Now, most don't know it but back then La Gamme was a very common spell."</span><br/><br/>Abel turned away from the Lethe, “How far was<span style="font-style: italic">back then</span>? La Gamme was erased from common knowledge for a reason, and even among the Pure, its existence is a closely guarded secret.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">”But you two are getting off-track.”</span>Guilfod interrupted loudly before Lethe could respond.  If he had kept quiet, the two no doubt would have argued the technicalities and history of La Gamme before expanding into some larger socio-economic analysis of that time period and Light knew what other tangent.  Given their penchants for book learning, sometimes he wondered how they hadn’t ended up as best of friends.  Instead, they inevitably ended up clashing any time they were in the same room, especially when Lethe wasn’t controlling herself,<span style="font-style: italic">like now</span>.<span style="color: #0080FF">”Who cares about its origin?”</span>he deadpanned,<span style="color: #0080FF">“What I want to know is the reason why your La Gamme is so vastly different from the original, and what was Yves’ and Nigel’s role in it.”</span><br/><br/>The old knight forced himself to relax at Guilford’s timely intervention.  Perhaps the other man had foreseen that sparks would undoubtedly fly between him and Lethe.  Abel sighed again.  Light knew he could never figure that one out, much less get close to her no matter how hard he tried. For some reason, there always seemed to be something that caused friction between them.<br/><br/>“Both of you should at least know this.”  He returned to the original topic, “La Gamme is unlike any other spell. From the very beginning that you incant it, you have already signed a pact between yourself and the spell—<span style="font-style: italic">absolute ownership</span>.”<br/><br/>An expectant silence was his only response.<br/><br/>“I was ready to give up my life to use La Gamme on Eve, but Yves came back to try to stop me, saying there might be another way where I wouldn’t have to use La Gamme. I believed her and we tried but...” he paused as if lost in memory, “With Eve as our opponent, we were quickly robbed of that hope.” His audience maintained their silence and he felt his heart clench. How he wished he didn’t have to remember! “I finally managed to convince her that she had to let me use La Gamme, and in turn, she tried to buy me time while I prepared the spell, taking on Eve alone..”<br/><br/>Guilford noted the pained expression Abel wore while he recounted the events of that time, choosing not to say anything and just allowing the old knight to continue.<br/><br/>“She was more of a caster, one that did not possess that much skill with the sword.” Abel looked at Lethe but tore his gaze away immediately.  In a way, the white-haired woman reminded him of Yves, if only for that distinct similarity in combat prowess. “It was only a matter of time before Eve overwhelmed her.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“I’m guessing that was the point where Nigel made his appearance?”</span><br/><br/>Abel couldn’t answer right away, needing a moment with his thoughts before continuing. “Yes.” he finally confirmed, “When Yves was overwhelmed, Nigel jumped in just in time to take the fatal blow that was meant for Yves, using his own body as a shield. In that moment, he also gave us a window to counterattack by pinning down Eve with all his might.”<br/><br/><span style="color: silver"> “A convenient turn of events.”</span>Lethe remarked coolly, her scorn still audible under the forced indifference.  Brown eyes sharpened on her in a blistering mix of disbelief and disgust.  The white-haired Knight simply cocked her head to one side nonchalantly, seemingly ignorant of her provocation, as she waited for him to continue his tale.<br/><br/>Abel stared at the insolent woman in front of him.  Did they truly think. . ?  He turned his gaze towards Guilford and found a larger measure of sympathy there though caution also lurked in the purple gaze.  They truly did not trust him.  They wouldn’t have searched him out for this conversation otherwise.<br/><br/>“What exactly do you think I stood to gain by doing that?”  He asked, defeated by both his memories and the lack of faith from his students.  “The life I live now, I owe to these two—a debt I can never repay. Warping the truth would only serve to dishonor them and their noble sacrifice.”<br/><br/>While some aspects remained hazy, Guilford felt relief at those words from Abel.  He’d always believed Abel could not have sacrificed his cousin and the love of his life.<br/><br/>“Taking advantage of the opening, Yves gathered every bit of magic she could and fired the most powerful spell in her arsenal.  It sent the abomination reeling right into my hands… right where I had set up La Gamme.” Abel looked at the younger knights with him, “Containment, Restriction and Submission.  I had to modify the magic circle using a Containment rune as the base. Adding Restriction runes, amplified by Submission runes, was in order to hold Eve in place once contained. That was the intended purpose for having those three runes incorporated in my La Gamme.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“By doing that, you turned what would normally be a harmless magic circle into a trap… clever.”</span>Guilford couldn’t help himself but be amazed that such a thing could even be done, another testament as to how far his knowledge of seals and runes went.<br/><br/>Abel simply looked at Guilford and dismissed the praise. “I was exhausted. A momentary lapse of judgement made me realize too late that I no longer had enough magic in me to maintain what had become a complex circle,” he explained. “By modifying La Gamme’s base and incorporating additional runes, I substantially increased the amount of magic it needed. Yves, who had been treating the gravely wounded Nigel, realized this and came to help.”<br/><br/>The new knowledge made Guilford wonder.  If one of the prerequisites of casting La Gamme was that pact he made mention a while ago,<span style="color: #0080FF">“If Absolute Ownership dictates what I think it does, just how in the world did she help you when you were clearly the owner of the spell?”</span><br/><br/>“There is a way for one to intervene.” Abel paused, unsure if he should share the secret.  However, a glance at the curious Guilford and untrusting Lethe made clear it wasn’t one he could omit.  Rude or not, the Light needed to stand unified against the threat of Sin and it was clear right now at least one present didn’t trust him.  “Unity and Servitude.”<br/><br/>A blank look was all he received from the male Seraph.<br/><br/>“By uniting herself with the caster, under the pledge of servitude to my will, Yves made herself a part of my spell,” he confessed.: “We were both ready to die if it meant taking Eve with us.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">“And Nigel?”</span><br/><br/>“He…” The old Knight trailed off, closing his eyes as he remembered, “..he forcefully took my place.”  He swallowed harshly before finishing the tale, “he pushed me out of the circle and took my place.”  His hand trembled to cover his face at the memory but he kept it clenched at his side, knowing too well that Lethe would take it as an expression of subterfuge.  He needed them--<span style="font-style: italic">her</span>--to believe the truth, fantastical though it was.  “We’re both d’Arques.  He, Nigel, was always able to take over others’ spells.”<br/><br/>Guilford released the breath he’d been unconsciously holding, his tenseness melting away with that exhale.  Abel was trustworthy after all.  Purple eyes looked upwards to catch sight of his old Captain’s frame drooping with fatigue.  One hand reached out to clasp the older man’s shoulder in a sign of reassurance and he turned with a grin to face the last member of Squad Seven.  The grin died a quick death.<br/><br/>Unimpressed blue eyes bore into Abel; arms crossed over her chest made clear her suspicion if the frown on her face wasn’t testament enough.<span style="color: silver"> “As I said. Convenient.”</span>Her voice was as sharp as broken glass and even Guilford could feel his hackles rise at the accusation implicit in her words.  Abel clearly felt it as well given the man’s sudden stiffening.<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“I’ve never taken you for one to be fond of seals, Captain Abel.”</span>The title sounded more insult than respect with the way it dripped off her tongue,<span style="color: silver">“That’s a lot of last minute, unplanned seal writing and during the midst of a battle against Eve no less.  To be able to make so many modifications on the fly, I’m not sure even Lady Mei could have accomplished such a thing.  And there’s still the question of the specific seals you used.. Yes, containment, submission, servitude, and so forth.. but why Vlatko and not Isbel?  Why the Fuegra script when Midchellan would have worked equally well?  Possibly stronger, I’d say, given the intent was <span style="font-style: italic">unity</span> and not <span style="font-style: italic">enslavement</span>?”</span><br/><br/>Abel’s anger at Lethe’s allegation was swept away by the foreign terms she was spitting out.  Vlatko? Isbel? Midchellan?  His confusion just seemed to anger the female knight further though she maintained her indolent tone:<span style="color: silver">“And, I wonder, why you thought using a Pure Sinner seal against Eve, a demon, was a smart idea?”</span>Blue eyes stared accusingly into him but Abel had been able to latch onto one phrase throughout the tirade.<br/><br/>“Pure Sinner seal?”  He repeated in a faint tone.  He had used a Pure Sinner seal..? How? When?<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“<span style="font-style: italic">Sikem</span>.”</span><br/><br/>Guilford’s hand had fallen away in the face of Lethe’s diatribe and he now stood uncertainly to the side.  He wanted to believe in Abel--for despite all the faults the man had, Guilford truly believed the captain was doing it for good reasons--but Lethe was, once again, raising good questions.  Having never studied seals as much, most of the technicalities of what Lethe was raising were beyond him but even he could tell she was saying there had been better alternatives than the ones their old Captain had used in capturing Eve, something about inhibiting resistance and Sin.<br/><br/>The word clearly meant nothing to Abel given the lack of recognition in his face.  He looked as lost as ever.  It was an unusual look for him, one Lethe had never seen him wear before.  Exhaling harshly through clenched teeth, the white-haired Knight lifted a finger and drew the seal in the air, leaving the standard gaps to keep it from activating.<span style="color: silver"> “Sikem,”</span>she repeated,<span style="color: silver">“it’s meant for servitude and was designed based on notes captured from a Pure Sinner.”</span><br/><br/>She felt no pleasure in seeing Abel’s face drain of color.  When drawn, he had clearly recognized the seal.<br/><br/>“I. I didn’t. I never..”  Abel looked down from the condemnation as his brain tried to process what his former subordinate was saying.  Based on a Pure Sinner?  Surely she was mistaken.  She had to be mistaken.  “Yves taught me all of them.”  He muttered from numb lips, his brain refusing to reconcile the fact Yves--a<span style="font-style: italic">Pure</span>--had taught him something whose origins came from Sin.<br/><br/>A scroll of paper and a pen was shoved under his nose; he jerked back to see an impassive  face, backlit by a harsh light.<span style="color: silver"> “Draw every seal Yves taught you.”</span>Lethe commanded even as the glow of Light’s Wrath licked around her.  Her Heaven’s Judgement floated around the three of them in a pretense of idleness.  They would react at her merest thought.  When Abel finally took the proffered paper and pen, she stepped away to give him space.  Her former captain looked around him cautiously, taking note of the eight swords surrounding them.  A semblance of his normal pride--stymied by the blatant show of distrust--returned to him; furious eyes stared at her.<br/><br/><span style="color: silver"> “Draw every seal Yves taught you.”</span>Lethe repeated, slowly and clearly.  There may have been a time when his fury would have cowed her but it was so very long ago now.<br/><br/>Abel swallowed against his outrage.  She thought--she thought to threaten him?  In the resting place of his forefathers?  He turned to look at his other former subordinate and noticed wary purple eyes surveying both him and Lethe.  Guilford was tensed, ready to act, but not acting yet.  The younger man would probably only intervene if it actually came to blows, but Light knew on which side.  Probably Lethe’s, given the male Seraph’s affection for the lady.  Unbidden, irrationally, Abel felt a surge of bitterness that even his protege wouldn’t stand up for him in such an insult.  The d’Arque returned his attention to Lethe, who remained as statuesque as before, and then down to the notebook in his hands.  He idly flipped through a few pages, sensing the way Lethe’s blades slowly rotated in his direction but otherwise stayed stationary, and looked at the notes there: some comments about her team, a few lists of provisions needed, names he didn’t recognize, and--he froze as the eye of Sin stared at him, an invisible line breaking the otherwise malevolent gaze.  The hiding spell the God of Sin used to use.<br/><br/>The reminder of their omnipresent foe quelled the rage within him.  The God of Sin.  He looked back up into blazing blue eyes.  There were many things he didn’t understand about his former subordinate and many things he wondered around (what<span style="font-style: italic">did</span>it mean for an orphan to select Urilla as a last name?) but there was one thing he was certain about: Lethe cared about the Divine Light and the Immaculate.  Whatever she was trying to learn from this task, humiliating though it felt to him to have their lack of faith in him shoved in his face, it was for the, and here he had to chuckle even in his own mind,<span style="font-style: italic">greater good.</span><br/><br/>With a sigh of defeat, Abel lifted the pen and started drawing every seal he could recall Yves teaching him.<br/><br/>Guilford may not have been an expert when it came to Seals and Runes, and he might only possess limited knowledge of the matter, but Lethe’s words made him consider something that had never before crossed his mind: when exactly had Lethe<span style="font-style: italic">really</span>started to learn about Seals and Runes? He was quite sure it was not too long ago.  Given the discrepancy in time, and the study of Seals and Runes continually progressing either officially or unofficially, wouldn’t it be right to say that the knowledge of Seals and Runes Yves and Lethe had been vastly different?  Not to mention that Yves was a Pure, which could entirely mean that she herself may have an entirely different approach of going about Seals and Runes given their access to ancient knowledge.  If he were to go back to the ‘Hidden Truth’, Pure Sinner seals may be the ones actually based on the Seals and Runes of the Pure… who knew? He could only speculate.  His hand clenched at his ignorance but he also knew he couldn’t reveal that Hidden Truth: not here and not like this.<br/><br/>Guilford unclenched his fist at his helplessness and turned to Lethe.  He couldn’t stomach the sight of Abel’s meek figure any longer than he already had.<span style="color: #0080FF">“Is that really necessary?”</span>he asked lowly with a nod to the swords hovering around their former Captain.<span style="color: #0080FF">“Respect is not given only to the living Lethe. I’m sure the others here would like to keep resting in peace.”</span>He then drew his gaze to the other man,<span style="color: #0080FF">“Abel is cooperating is he not? I don’t really see a need for such an open display of hostility,”</span>then back to Lethe,<span style="color: #0080FF">“I <span style="font-style: italic">strongly suggest</span> that you lower your swords. You’ll get your answers. Of that, I have no doubt.”</span><br/><br/><span style="color: silver"> “And if he’s not?”</span>Lethe queried calmly without a flicker of a glance,<span style="color: silver">“If this is an elaborate ruse?  We’re on his battlefield; he has pen, paper, and sword: more than sufficient tools to disable us if our guard is down.”</span>Finally her attention turned Guilford’s way,<span style="color: silver">“Perhaps it’s your affection for him that influences you and perhaps it’s my.. history with him that makes me overly harsh.  But at the end of the day, it is better to have been overly cautious than too careless.  It’s not only our lives at stake, but seven others.”</span>She lapsed into silence as she returned to observing the old Knight who had once led her in battle.  Her keys continued their lazy rotations, threatening in their presence but otherwise passive.<span style="color: silver"> “When they die, it will be because we could not stop the Council, not because we trusted them to the wrong man.”</span><br/><br/>The white Seraph straightened and reached a hand out to accept the scroll Abel had just finished filling, the privacy rune keeping her and Guilford’s discussion silent melting away.  A peek into the Divine Realm revealed nothing sinister and she let the glow around her dim.  Paper crinkled as she looked through the seals Abel had drawn.  He had tried to follow her example in leaving a break to keep the seal from activating but it was clear he hadn’t been taught the seals with such measure.  Regardless, while almost every discipline of sealing was present, Lokian and Fuergan dominated the pages.<br/><br/>She finally looked up from the pages to meet her former Captain’s gaze.  Brown eyes stared back at her wearily.  This conversation had clearly drained him.  Was he a really good actor or was this fantastical story the truth?<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“You began La Gamme.  Yves joined in, and then Nigel forced you out to take your place.”</span>She repeated with a sigh, traces of disbelief still tinting her words.  Abel’s expression didn’t waver.  Lethe was the one to cave first.  She looked away to the wall--which ironically happened to be Nigel’s and Yves’ tombs--and sighed again with an incredulous shake of her head.  Her heaven’s judgement blades returned to their normal position at her back even as the glow around her died.<span style="color: silver"> “Love.. what a ridiculous emotion.”</span>The mutter was meant more for herself than her audience.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF"><span style="font-style: italic">The fact that you think it’s ridiculous is the very reason why you can’t comprehend its power</span></span>, Guilford thought to himself.<span style="color: #0080FF">“The things we would do for our loved ones..”</span>was all he said aloud before turning to the old knight,<span style="color: #0080FF">“Abel, you know exactly who we’re up against,”</span>Seraph’s authority seeped back into his tone,<span style="color: #0080FF">“don’t overdo it.”</span>He looked at the man sternly before walking the other way,<span style="color: #0080FF">“I’ve heard enough. I’m going back to the Cathedral.”</span><br/><br/>Another shake of the head and then the white-haired Knight made her escape as well.  With only a nod of acknowledgement, she too vanished from the mausoleum.<br/><div style="text-align: center;">~~~~~</div><br/>A frown crossed Leon’s face as he opened his eyes.  Hazel eyes looked pensively over the buildings around him but he could see no more than he’d sensed: nothing.  A frustrated sigh escaped his lips even as he uncrossed his legs.  He shakily stood up, taking a moment to catch his balance, legs weak after a half hour of sitting still, and slammed his palms into his cheeks.  Another two slaps and a shake of his head forced his disappointment from his mind.  They were only just starting; if this had been an easy task, Captain would have just done it herself.<br/><br/>A quick twist of his back released some satisfying<span style="font-style: italic">cracks</span>and he was ready for the next location.  He picked up the notebook and crossed off the the tent set of coordinates from the list of potential portal sites.  Wherever Captain had found Omi from, that place was probably resenting their intrusion right now.  Lights the redhead was useful.  Somehow the Scribe had made sense of the daunting stack of reports and produced… possibilities.  His hand tightened on the book in his hand and its two columns of neat numbers, reminded once more of how priceless the scrap of paper was.  They were trying to find needles in a hayfield but at least they had some starting points.  He had to be satisfied with that.<br/><br/>Finished confirming his next target, Leon placed both map and notebook back into his knapsack.  Bag secured over his shoulder, he shimmied down the side of the house and started walking towards the next coordinate.  Unlike YunQiao, he didn’t get a horse; the animal’s presence, minimal though it was, might interfere with his sensing.  Then again, he didn’t have to walk through every house, forest, or what have you in a vague hope of finding a portal hidden away.  In that sense he was luckier than his fellow squadmate.<br/><br/>With another sigh, the blonde Knight looked skywards, thinking glumly of his response when he’d been asked in his PK interview how he’d find a needle in a haystack.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Burn it.</span><br/><br/>Things had been so much simpler back then.<br/><div style="text-align: center;">~~~~~</div><br/>Orphelia eyed the mirror critically as she ran a pale hand over the front of her evening gown.  It was a bit early to be wearing velvet--winter was still a few weeks away--but the fabric hid her baby bump better.  Staring at her reflection, she contemplated exactly how visible it was.  There wasn’t much of a frame of reference to compare to but it was definitely becoming visible.  That had to be a good thing, right?  Healthy babies were big babies?  Unfortunately, it made hiding her pregnancy that much harder.<br/><br/>She was lifting her corset speculatively when the door opened to reveal Rhett.  His eyes brightened at the sight of her before his eyebrows immediately furrowed at the sight of the contraption in her hands.<br/><br/>“You’re not planning on wearing that, are you?”  He questioned as he placed a soft kiss on her cheek.  Orphelia ignored the chiding as she continued to contemplate the merits of wearing the corset.  She wasn’t vain enough to try to maintain a slim figure during her pregnancy but letting the others know if her condition was inadvisiable.<br/><br/>She turned around and shoved the corset into her husband’s chest.  “Help me put it on.”  She accentuated her demand by unzipping her dress.<br/><br/>“It’ll be bad for the baby.”  Rhett protested as his frown grew.  Annoyed blue eyes caught his gaze, “So would everyone knowing it exists.”  Orphelia pointed out testily as she laid her dress aside.  Taking back the corset, she struggled to fit the unwieldy thing over her widening waistline.  “Tighten the laces please.”  Her husband pointedly did not as he frowned at her through the mirror.  “So help me Agni, just do it.”  She snapped, her ire quickly rising.  “I just need it enough that it hides the bump.  You don’t need to make me a size zero again!”<br/><br/>“We need to find something better than this going forward.”  The black-haired man commented as he finally did as bade.  The two had already argued how safe or unsafe her continued attendance at these balls.  (Unsafe, they both agreed, but Orphelia had steamrolled any chance of transitioning that admission into a ban on maintaining her social circles.)  The corset was barely tightened before he was tying the laces together.  “You can’t keep wearing this, especially in a few more weeks.”<br/><br/>“We’ll figure it out later.”  The blue-haired woman said decisively as she looked at her reflected once more.  She looked. . . like she hadn’t even bothered tightening her corset.  Everyone was going to think she was getting fat.  Ire simmered at the thought of all those gossipy bitches laughing about her behind their hands but she pushed it aside as she slipped back into her dress.  She looked fat but not pregnant; grim determination settled into her countenance as she prepared herself for the upcoming night: that would have to be good enough.<br/><div style="text-align: center;">~~~</div><br/>“Lady Vidalus! You look-- pretty! That dress is simply gorgeous; who was your designer?”  Orphelia tried not to let her smile slip at the poor save the other woman had made.  Really,<span style="font-style: italic">pretty</span>?  Why not just call her ugly and be frank about it?!  A pinch on her arm recalled her increasingly violent thoughts back to the present.<br/><br/>“Why thank you, Lady Stine.” She simpered with more saccharine that was her normal wont, “I simply love your hairstyle today.  How elegant!” She praised the nearly foot high updo her fellow partygoer had donned for the night.  Who was the bimbo faking?  Everyone knew that thing wasn’t her real hair.  “I had this dress ordered from Lin&Tsao.  Julien mentioned they were thinking of opening a branch in Tethel.”  There was an interested intake of breath and then the gaggle devolved into its normal fashion chatter.  A squeeze of her hand was her only farewell before her husband retreated into one of the men’s circles.  Not even fear for his wife’s condition could make Rhett stand around the entire evening listening to fashion gossip.<br/><br/>“I’m more fond of Dulche myself.”<br/><br/>“Obviously Xiena is the best.  Just remember that gold and turquoise gown that Victo--” The comparison of designers stumbled to an awkward halt at the mention of their former mayor.  Victorie had been a constant presence in their social events and a vanguard of their fashion scene.  Her absence was painstakingly felt.  For Orphelia, she only felt a vindictive sense of delight.  Victorie had been pleasant enough but after days of nursing Thea back to recovery from whatever attack Victorie had levelled on her friend, Orphelia had no kind feelings for the former mayor.  However, that sentiment would find little company here.  She was trying to decide a way to break the silence when another voice spoke up.<br/><br/>“Victorie looked heavenly in that dress.”  A mixture of longing and sorrow tinted the words.  “I’m sure she’d be flattered we still think so fondly of her, especially,” the tone turned harsher, “as I’m sure no such thoughts will be spared for her murderer.”  The voice oozed malicious insinuations.<br/><br/>There was a flutter of hands and skirts but Orphelia couldn’t hear it over the sudden pounding in her ears.  Thea?  What was going to happen to Thea?  Did that bitch know of something--some plot--against Thea?<br/><br/>“Lady Nakuru?”  Lady Stine prompted with a voracious glint in her eye.  “Is something..?”<br/><br/>The young woman preened superiorly, clearly pleased to be the center of attention if the gleam in her red eyes was any indication.  Her desire to lord her knowledge gave way to her eagerness to see justice for Victorie’s death: “You know that barbarian over at.. whatever outpost is on the Western side of Palaugrim?”<br/><br/>“Kaiser Outpost?”  Orphelia muttered questioningly, a wave of the hand confirming her guess.<br/><br/>“Yeah, that one.  I hear Aurungzeb has sworn to raze it to the ground.”  The anticipation on the Lady Nakuru’s face cast an unholy gleam to her otherwise pretty features.  “When that brute’s head crowns the ruins, I’ll host a ball in celebration!”