School for the Gifted-Chapter 3

Chapter 3
Through the Gate

         Mornings without school were like a rarity to the students of Illias Academy. Most students took them as a godsend, but others weren’t so lucky. At about nine o’clock am, the doorbell at the Lakelie residence got its first test of the day.
         “Coming!” Rain scurried down the stairs with shampoo still in her hair. She straightened her robe before answering the door. She didn’t want to give her visitor an unneeded flash. She quickly answered the door answering almost mechanically to the first interruption of the day with a stern, “Yes?”
         Dante Valentine’s face turned a bright shade of red when he saw his friend almost naked before him. He quickly pulled the black and blue fedora off of his head and used it to break eye contact and to cover his reddening cheeks. “W-well hello, peep show… For once, I’m kinda sad I didn’t get your father…”
         Rain nervously turned away as well. Thank Gaia nothing popped out. “Sorry… I thought it was my dad. He left without his lunch this morning…” In hindsight, she did feel a little dumb for not looking before swinging the door open. “C’mon in. You can wait in the library while I finish my shower.”
         “Actually,” he called before she got too far away, “I didn’t come to stay. I come with a message. …Or, rather a summons… The Guardians wanted to speak with you about the event last night with the demons. I’m just delivering the message, I guess…” With the ten Guardians slaughtered by the demon Grinn, the organization was short handed to say the least.
         “Okay, just, uh, give me a second.” She still had to wash the shampoo out of her hair. She quickly darted back to the bathroom, hoping she could keep it together before anything decided to pop out and say hello.
         Dante didn’t even have to wait five minutes for her to return. He was a little impressed with her promptness. If he didn’t plan his wardrobe in advance, he’d have to search for a while to find something to wear.
         Rain appeared again fully dressed and with a bag with her as well. Checking her belongings, she made a single utterance and a book came flying into her hand from her room. “Alright, let’s go.”
         He would have said something about her abusing her magic, but he was really one to talk. He couldn’t count how many times he’d taken the easy way out with his alchemy. Just earlier that day, he’d simply transmuted water into pure oxygen to avoid drying time. And, even then, he’s also been known to heal his cuts and bruises instead of letting nature take care of them. He shrugged and began leading the way. “The MVPs wanted to talk to you about your fight—or, uh, lack thereof—with Widdershin. They think you might be able to shed some more light on the situation…”
         “He refused to fight,” Rain said quickly, “I just used that time to learn some more about the war.” She was honestly a little annoyed that she wasn’t able to do more. Now that she thought about it, she could have done a lot more, but it was a mystery as to if it would even have helped. With their power and even that teleportation, she didn’t know if there was a spell she knew that could stop them. “I just didn’t know what else we could have done.”
         “We did the right thing,” the alchemist sighed. He looked up at the sky, ignoring most everything around them. “It’s almost hard to think about… This only happened once during the war…”
         She nodded. She was amazed that anything or anyone had the gal to attack the school. The only thing that amazed her more was the scolding she’d gotten from her father for not fighting. But, there was still the fact that he worried about her as well, even if he had wanted her to fight like the others did.
         Dante sighed, but let silence fill the air. He’d helped to heal the headmaster’s wounds until they started fighting, but he felt as though he hadn’t done enough. He wasn’t as well versed in fighting as his brother and sister. He was a field medic, not a warrior. He was meant to be on the sidelines healing the injured.
         Rain noticed his sullen mood. She wasn’t the best at cheering people up, but it was worth a try. She cleared her throat to get his attention. “So, how is everyone?” she asked cautiously. She hoped that was the right way to go about this.
         “Hm?” He let out a heavy sigh. “Beatrice and Virgil are okay. I closed the gash in the headmaster’s stomach, too. I only had cuts and bruises…” He deflated a little. “…There were at least fifty Guardians injured in the conflict, including your uncle and another ten killed. ...With two of their corpses unaccounted for…” Even in the investigation, only a few limbs were found of the missing pair. He looked back at his friend. “You weren’t hurt, were you?”
         “Not badly… I’ve only got a bruise or two to account for.” The boot shaped bruise on her stomach bothered her, but it wasn’t the worst thing she’d gone through. “Just don’t make me laugh too much, okay?” the said playfully, trying to lighten his mood.
         He let a small, tired grin cross his face. “I’ll keep the jokes to a minimum, then.” Without thinking, he placed his right hand on her stomach. A pale blue light radiated from his hand as he started to mend her wound. It was only when the bruise was almost completely healed that he realized that he was making her uncomfortable. “Eep! Sorry!” He sighed, sounding exhausted. “It’s a, uh, reflex…”
         “No, it’s fine, thanks,” she said, fighting off the heat trying to attack her face. She was trying her hardest to keep another silence from falling on them. It was hard work! …Especially since she wasn’t the most caring person in the world.
         He sighed tiredly. “Sorry… I’ve been working with the medical staff all night to help the injured…” He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. “There really aren’t many fulltime medics at our school…”
         She nodded, understanding the feeling. She did a lot of the work around the house with her mother gone. She couldn’t help but think: she didn’t know much medical magic. She only knew enough to heal a few cuts, bruises and even a few bad burns. Maybe Dante was an asset. …If he could boost his self-confidence a little.
         The two walked up on the Guardian’s Base in no time. It wasn’t very far from the school, really. It was built with innovative and intriguing architecture. The complex was made to be a base and a fortress if it was ever needed. It was a very conserved complex, but it could also hold almost the entire city’s population underground if necessary.
         Dante walked up, stopping right in front of one of the guards. He pulled out his ID, showing it to him. “Dante Valentine, reporting for duty,” he said, “This is Rienka Lakelie. We have orders to come here. There is an audience with the officials that we have to attend today.”
         The man looked down at them. He looked like a real military man. His grey and white uniform was pressed and pristine, making him look even more professional. His brown eyes scanned the ID as he continued to look at the two of them. He sighed a little before turning and leading them in, leaving his comrade to watch the gate. “I know it’s not hard for you, Valentine,” he said, letting them hear his hard, gravely voice, “But, both of you should remember to watch what you say. The MVPs from Dalrune and Calrune are here today as well.” He looked back at them, giving particular attention to Rain. “Be sure not to disrespect them.”
         Both of them nodded in agreeance. They didn’t want to get into any trouble for this as it is. There was no way either of them was going to purposefully disrespect someone. …But, it was the things they couldn’t help that would potentially screw them.
         The guard opened the door for them, letting them walk in on their own. “The world’s falling to chaos and we’re leaving the work to the kids?” he questioned aloud, “If that’s not pathetic, I don’t know what is…” With a shrug, he went ahead and went back to his post, trying not to give it any thought.
         The conference room was made for meetings like this. The table they sat at was much like a panel of judges at a performance. There were five people at the table. Three of them were Guardians, but the other two weren’t. Headmaster Lakelie sat in the middle, mediating the arguments. To his right were the other Guardians he worked with, but, to his left, were the leaders of Calrune and Dalrune—an elfin woman and a Kieran.
         “It’s nice of you to join us,” Sean Lakelie said. His statement drew the attention of his comrades. With their attention back, he looked down on the two of them the same as he had to Dante’s brother and sister before them.
         Dante placed a hand over his heart and bowed, showing his respect with an international salute. “It’s a pleasure to be here,” he lied. He hated these conferences. …And he hated them even more when he had to attend.
         “Oh what a pleasure it is,” Rain said, bowing as well. Though it was hard to tell apart from his usual speech, she could see that the alchemist was lying.
         “We’ve already spoken with all three of the Valentines,” Sean said calmly, “But we—”
“Just cut to the chase,” the Kieran man snarled, showing his animalistic side. He’d been here too long and wanted to leave. This meeting was the only thing holding him in. “You fought Widdershin. He’s a powerful foe and we need any information we can get to defeat him. What can you tell us?”
         Rain blinked, trying to dispel her surprise. She didn’t think that a city’s government official would be such an unsavory person. “First off,” she said just after clearing her throat, “He’s a Class Five daemon. His regeneration is more potent than others of his class as well. He can teleport quickly, but I don’t know the distance. He’s indebted to Amun for saving his life, but doesn’t seem to have any real desire to fight. He’s more prone to torture than to simply kill a person, but he’s also more likely to listen to reason than his comrades.” She let out a short, silent sigh. If that didn’t help them, then nothing would.
         The Kieran let out a heavy sigh. “I was hoping for a weakness or something…” He was silenced by a glare from one of the other officers. “What?!” He may have been retired, but he was still a warrior at heart. He would exploit any weakness he could in battle, no matter what!
         “Thank you, Ms. Lakelie,” the elf cooed in a soothing tone, “But, you said that he was indebted to Amun?” She couldn’t see a demon of Widdershin’s caliber being indebted to anyone. It was an odd thought that would surely nag at her for days to come.
         “If I may speak?” she asked before continuing. She showed them the utmost respect. She could talk back to her uncle, but not to the panel of Guardians before her.
         “Please do,” one of the Guardians requested. He wanted to hear this as much as anyone else did.
         “I didn’t get to ask much, but I noticed that they can all regenerate to some degree.” She was a little iffy on the speed and extent, but it seemed to be absolute. “I think it could help to attack them very quickly or simply nonstop until we can defeat them.”
         “Been there, done that,” the Kieran chided, leaning back in his chair, “Lost four general…”
         “As it stands,” the elf said, interrupting him again, “They are all powerful demons. Amun—a Class Six—can destroy entire continents at once, Widdershin—a Class Five—is capable of decimating cities with only a whim, Saya—a Class Four—could assassinate some of our best warriors before anyone could stop her, and that thing, Grinn is powerful enough to kill ten men at once… It’s a troubling situation to say the least.”
         “Saya wasn’t much of a problem when I put up a fire barrier around me. And, she shouldn’t heal as quickly either. She’d only a Class Four, after all,” Rain said matter-of-factly.
         “I bed to differ,” Dante said absently, “I cut off her arm at the elbow and it was fully reformed within, probably, twenty seconds.”
         She looked at him curiously. “Maybe it was just the fire, but she seemed to have a harder time healing when she attacked me.”
         “In any event,” the third Guardian said, “They’re appearance has reopened the Hell Gates. We’ll need to close them again if we’re going to fight back against them.” She was worried about the cities the Hell Gates surrounded. There was no doubt that they were well overrun by now.
         “The demons are spilling out of those things like water from a faucet,” the Kieran said, sounding a little troubled, “Whoever’s going to close those Gates had better do it fast!”
         “Gen, please,” the elf said, grabbing his hand. He knew as well as anyone that they were working as fast as they could. The demons were powerful enemies and it would be a tough task to defeat them again.
         The Kieran, Gen, sighed, rolling his eyes. He slouched in his chair, but said nothing more. …And, he also didn’t take his paw back from the elf holding it.
         “I wish I could have been of more help to you all,” Rain said. It bothered her that she couldn’t do more, but, hopefully, she’d done her part.
         “You still can be,” the elf said, “There are nine Hell Gates and a very limited number of active Guardians right now.” She was afraid that a good number of them were injured or on suppression missions to hold back the demons. Virgil and Beatrice Valentine have already left to close the Hell Gates closest to cities, and even Dante has agreed to go and help as well.”
         “We’d like to ask you to help as well to close the Hell Gates,” the last Guardian on the panel requested, “We could use all the help we can get.” She also didn’t feel completely safe leaving Dante to fight the demons, even if he did have a squad of Guardians with him. He may have been a skilled warrior, but he was impulsive as well.
         Rain nodded in agreement. She wasn’t thrilled about this, but she would do her best to complete the quest she was given.
         The alchemist sighed. “I know I’m going to regret this, but you can count on us.” He didn’t know why—probably just his sixth sense kicking in—but he had a bad feeling about this. Something—or maybe everything—about this made him nervous.
         “Good… There’s a Hell Gate in the desert to the west. That Gate is right beside the city Mordrid. Go there and close the Gate,” Sean ordered, “And be careful, both of you.” He knew good and well that they might as well have been bulletproof, but he couldn’t help but worry. He’d definitely need a vacation when this was over!
         “We will,” Rienka said. She knew how worried her uncle was. It probably made him feel better to know that she had allies, but there was no doubt in her mind that he was worried about her.
         He nodded. “Be sure to avoid all contact with our favorite four. There is to be no confrontation with them without just cause.” He sighed. “Otherwise, you have the airship, the Resolute at your disposal. You’re dismissed.”
         They bowed the same as before and made a hasty retreat, leaving the officers to talk. They didn’t want to be around anyway. This place was a little too nerve wracking for the both of them.
         “I don’t doubt their competence at all,” Gen said, “But, are you sure we should send them off to Mordrid? Demons aren’t like people and they’re nothing like Kieran. When they fight, they play for keeps.”
         “Surprisingly, I agree with Gen,” the elf said, “Isn’t this mission a bit over their heads? They could get hurt or worse…”
         “Rain and Dante are skilled and resourceful. They’ve surpassed the status of students. They’re more like warriors now. They’ll get the job done. …You just have to give them the chance.”
         Outside the gates of the Guardian’s Headquarters, Rain just let go, having a full melt down. “Oh dear Gaia!! I thought they were going to roast me for not fighting him!” She couldn’t have been anymore relieved now that she knew that she wasn’t dead meat.
         “If we’re avoiding a war, then fighting one another is a really bad thing…” Shoving his hands into his pockets, he started walking aimlessly with Rain. “Have you ever been to Mordrid?” he asked quickly.
         “No, I haven’t,” she said, ignoring his earlier comment, “Have you?”
         “No… But, I’ve been to the city past Mordrid, Severus. I heard that Mordrid is supposed to have some weird monsters running around in it, not just the demons.” That thought bothered him. There weren’t many places that monsters could survive. Most of them had such an aversion to sunlight that they could only come out at night to cause havoc. He wondered what kind of creatures dwelled in the desert where there was nowhere for them to hide but under the sand.
         She nodded in understanding. The monsters would definitely be a problem, but nothing they couldn’t handle. “Sounds like fun,” she stated, “Almost as much fun as what I’ve got planned for tonight.” She seemed ready to burst with excitement at that thought.
         “Hm? What’s that?” he asked curiously, but then his mind went into overdrive at the many, many aspects. Suddenly, he got a little more hesitant at hearing the answer. There was plenty wrong that Rain could do.
         “I can open the book!” she cheered, throwing her hands into the air. Her family’s spell book had been passed down through the ages for many generations, and it was finally her turn! The seals and rules of the book dictated that she had to wait several years—more than a decade—to open the book and today marked year fifteen, the day she could finally read the book and find the grimoire’s many secrets.
         A grin crossed his face. “Gotta take every little victory we can, huh?” He adjusted the fedora on his head before stopping at a crossroads. “I’ll get the flight date of the ship. We should get packed in the meantime.” He silently hoped they got going soon. He really wasn’t ready for his alchemy exam. Postponing it was his best option.
         “You know, you could stay at my place again,” she suggested, “It could be fun to look through the book.” She gave him a friendly smile, but she couldn’t hide the hint of devilish mischief in it.
         “I’d love to, but I can’t. I have to get ready. I’m making a drink for keeping cool in the desert. …And we’ll definitely need it…” He turned down the next road, going down another path. “I’ll see you later, though.”
         She nodded and waved. “See you later.” She let out a short sigh, already running the mission though her mind. Maybe, just maybe, her new grimoire could help them in their new task.


         After three days of waiting, the day finally came: the departure date. …And that day started at four am.
         The doorbell of the Lakelie house chimed loudly, echoing through the house. It was a jaunty tune that mocked the time of day.
         “Come in,” Rain called down the stairs. She was busy trying to get the last of her belongings together for the trip. She’d packed lightly for the desert, but she still had a lot to take with her.
         A Guardian walked in. He looked a little lost seeing as he was just randomly invited in. He’d only heard stories about her and those were from the hesitant perspective of Dante. “Uh, Ms. Lakelie?” he called, “Dante Valentine asked me to pick you up…” He looked around a little hesitantly, trying not to snoop. He felt a little obligated to look. She had invited him in on nothing but blind faith after all.
         Rain came down the stairs, grabbing the last of her bags. Once she reached the bottom step, she realized the book she’d forgotten. A short groan escaped her. “Light, come,” she commanded and summoned the book out of what seemed like thin air! “Okay.” She turned a grin to the man. “Lead the way mister…”
         “Leggen,” he said quickly, “John Leggen.” He stepped aside, opening the door for her. “My car is right outside. It takes a lot less time that way.” He swallowed dryly, grinding his teeth together. He was nervous and it showed. He wasn’t comfortable with errands like this one. Why had Dante asked him to come? He could have just as easily sent someone with more people skills.
         “Thank you, Mr. Leggen,” Rain said, “I could have just used the old broom stick my grandmother left me, though.” She really did want to get some more quality time in the skies with the reliable old broom. If not for her grandparents, she wouldn’t have learned how to fly on the broom in the first place. Dismissing the thought, she climbed into the passenger seat of the car.
         “Your grandmother must have been a very generous person,” he said, getting in as well. He started the car and got on the road in no time. The time ensured the sparse traffic. At this time, there were mostly only security guards and Guardians on the roads. “But, for people like me who don’t use magic, it’s just something to gawk at.”
         “You still have this nice car as compensation.” She glanced at the man. He seemed tense and it was a little hard to get a good read on him. “How do you figure my grandmother was a generous person?” she asked, curious as to what’s on his mind.
         He chuckled a little. “Compared to mine, she seems like a saint. If I’d ever asked for anything from my grandmother, she’d just yell at me ‘Be grateful for what you already have!’” He tried to mimic his grandmother’s accent to mock her a bit, but it didn’t sound the way he’d wanted it to.
         Rain laughed at his poor accent. “Mine was the same way, but she’d only give me things she knew I’d be able to use in the future,” she said with a wide smile across her face.
         He turned down another road, almost making an illegal turn. “That sounds about right…” He glanced at her briefly before looking back at the road. “Hm… I suppose Valentine was right: you do have a nice smile.” Every muscle tensed when he realized what he’d said. “Er, I-I mean…” A curse spilled from his lips. “I’m not quite sure who I just incriminated—Valentine or myself…”
         Rain shook her head, trying to ignore the heat that turned her cheeks a pale pink color. “It’s fine,” she said, looking out the window as they passed a large blue house, “You haven’t incriminated yourself or Dante.”
         “So you say,” he muttered, “That kid’s gonna kill me when he finds out…” He knew that Dante wouldn’t really murder him, but he’d definitely try. He pulled up to the Guardian Base, pulling into the parking lot. “You’ll need this,” he said, handing her a temporary ID card as he parked the car. It would get her in an out and keep her out of trouble with the other Guardians.
         “Thanks,” she said, taking the ID, “And, by the way, who said he was going to find out?” With that she stepped out of the car with her bags in hand.
         She did have a point. Leggen shrugged, stepping out of his car and walking her in. “Valentine’s already on the ship. As soon as we finish fueling, we’ll get on the way to Mordrid.” He sighed a little. The five hour trip would be grating, but worth it.
         “Are you coming with us, Mr. Leggen?” she asked. She could understand the worth of someone as diligent as him but he was probably only useful with a weapon.
         “Yes, I am. I usually work maintenance on the ship. If something goes wrong, they call me and the other mechanics.”
         Rain nodded, glancing inside of a large conference room as they went further into the building. “Do you like working with other magic users?” She silently wondered if Dante counted, but alchemy was a science, not all magic.
         “Magicians make things interesting,” he said with a grin, “But, alchemists and necromancers… Well, it’s hard to tell when there’s chemical fires and the stench of corpses all the time.” He’d only worked with one necromancer and that smell had taken months to ward off.
         “Lucky we have Dante instead of one of them.” Dante’s bio-alchemy made him an asset and an even better alchemist than others who used chemicals and made messes. …But, in all honesty, she was glad he didn’t deal with chemicals as well. He was too jittery to not make mistakes and the explosions would get on her nerves.
         “Yeah, the only volatile equipment he works with are people.” He led the way to the hanger and looked up at his pride and joy, the airship known as the Resolute.
         The ship was massive! It was made to accommodate more than just the crew, but an entire battalion of soldiers if need be. With the troops coming on now, it was as crowded as ever, but it was well organized. The Guardians were ready to ship out at a moment’s notice and the ship was almost ready for such an event.
         He led her on board, avoiding the other members of the crew with ease. “I’ll give you the grand tour,” he offered. It was only right to give the newcomer a proper tour. It wouldn’t be good if she got lost there. He made quick work of the tour seeing as he still had work to do.
         Bedrooms, bathrooms, service rooms—Rain did her best to commit them all to memory. She had a horrible sense of direction and was still likely to get lost even with the entire ship memorized. She looked around curiously at every room they passed until the thought on her mind spilled from her lips. “I wonder where Dante is…”
         John shrugged. “The last time I saw him, he was wondering the ship.” He looked around, but it was unlikely the medic was still looking around. The books he’d been carrying around must have been heavier than the mechanic’s grandmother.
         “Oh well… I’m going to go and wonder, too. Hopefully, I’ll run into him on the way. Thanks for the tour,” she said.
         “Stay out of trouble,” John ordered, “The captain’s sort of a hard ass…”
         She didn’t answer, but she still acknowledged what he’d said. After stopping by what was to be her room for this trip, she only had one bag, her messenger bag, with her. She could have used a tracking spell, but that would only deplete her energy, the vital Aer she would need on this mission. After a few minutes of wandering, she finally gave in. “Dante, where are you?” she growled loudly.
         “Did someone just call me?” Dante asked, poking his head out of the lounge.
         “That would be me,” she said, walking over to him.
         “Oh… Hey, Rain. When did you get here?”
         “About twenty minutes ago,” she stated, “What are you doing?” She went into the lounge and immediately answered her own question. There were at least sixty books sitting around, all devoted to alchemy, magic and the Hell Gates alike.
         He went back, jumping over one of the four couches in the room. He landed right back in his seat, even popping his book into the air and catching it before it could hit the floor. “I was studying more. Magic, maps, alchemy, etcetera…” He rubbed one of his dry red eyes, feeling that his choice of subject matter was a bit dense.
         She quickly grabbed his hand, making him stop rubbing his eye. “Don’t rub it. It’ll only get worse.” She sounded almost like a mother trying to help her child.
         “Huh? Oh! No, it’s not pink eye! …I just haven’t slept since the day before yesterday…” He’d been too busy to even think about how tired he was. He’d need something more than the micro naps he’d been taking to refresh his mind to avoid insanity, soon though. He cleared his throat. “But, uh, how have you been? Your eyes look almost as puffy as mine.”
         She let go of his wrist, feeling a little silly for having jumped to conclusions like that. She moved several books, taking a seat on the couch. She failed to find a natural position for her hands for a moment before letting them rest on her lap. “Okay, I guess. My father refuses to return my calls. He usually leaves me a message or something, but he just hasn’t yet.”
         Dante bit his tongue, trying to keep from bringing any unnecessary attention to the tears welling in her eyes. “It’s probably better he doesn’t know. He’s probably worrying himself into a stupor right now!”
         “Knowing him, I doubt that. He’s still mad about the incident with Widdershin.” She was actively fighting the tears now, trying not to look at him so he wouldn’t notice.
         “You know, this is the time that being a patient alchemist comes in handy. Just wait. He’ll forgive and forget soon enough.”
         She fought the urge to roll her eyes. “I hope so, but I’m sure he’ll just bring it up sometime and we’ll get into an argument like before he left.” She was able to choke back the tears with a little effort. Hopefully, she would be back in one piece before he gave another suggestion.
         He put his finger in the book, saving his place before closing it. “Well, in that case,” he said just before hitting her on the top of her head with his book. It wasn’t meant to hurt, just to help to drive the point home. “Don’t think about it so much. Find something to preoccupy yourself. The more you think about it, the worse you’ll feel.”
         She looked at him in the eye for the first time that day. He was right in a sense. She’d feel worse if she kept doting on that single thought. But, seeing the book he’d hit her with, she quickly remembered something that really would get her mind off of it. “Speaking of books,” she muttered, retreating something from her bag.
         It was a small book. It looked a lot like Dante’s notebook—a small book bound in leather—but hers had silver tabs on each corner, and the leather looked much older. It looked like an old handbook.
         “Hm?” He put a bookmark in the lexicon he was studying in favor of looking at her new find. “What’s this?” he asked.
         “I don’t know. You tell me,” she teased playfully. She wanted to see if he’d get it right.
         He opened the book, looking through its contents. “It… Looks a lot like a journal. …Like mine, actually…” He hadn’t shown anyone aside from his family the journal he kept under his bed. He was sure that the lock box could only be opened with the combination of his three favorite elements’ atomic numbers: 6, 79, and 55.
         “Great trick, right?” She took the book back. “It takes the shape and form of any book special to someone. It can also go into your memories and show images of things you’ve seen on those pages.”
         “That makes more sense.” He hadn’t thought that she’d be able to decipher all the things in his notebook anyway. From the alchemic equations to his innermost thoughts, that information was a little out of anyone’s reach.
         She snapped her fingers and the book changed again. “It looks like this to me.” It changed, turning to a larger notebook bound in thick brown leather. There was a symbol on the front, but it was a rune from long ago, representing a wiccan symbol for harmony and good nature.
         “And, you got that spell from where…?” The alchemist didn’t like illusion spells. His work relied on his eyes too much for illusions.
         “It’s one of the ones my grandmother left behind,” she said, smiling with a mixture of dark intent and nostalgia.
         “That’d be useful if I used magic more,” he muttered, sinking into his seat more with his book.
         “I stayed up all night reading through this thing and rereading it, too,” she proclaimed. She was happy to finally get to use her magic for something like this. Now, it’d be less convenience spells and more of the meaningful stuff.
         “Nice to know I’m not the only one that didn’t get any sleep.”
         An alarm blared over the speakers. “Attention, the Resolute will be taking off in five minutes. Please, secure yourselves until we are at out top altitude. Thank you.”
         Rain almost jumped out of her seat when the alarm went off. She realized when she looked around that she’d almost dropped her precious book, Light. “W-what’s going on?” she asked in complete dismay.
         “The ship’s about to take off,” Dante stated, “It’s nothing to worry about. This is the worst part if you get motion sickness like me, though.”
         She blinked at him. He was the jittery one, not her. How was he staying so calm? “The only flying I’ve ever done is on Old Tom, my broom stick.” It was an heirloom from generations past. It was old, but it was capable of out flying almost anything in the air today. ...Though, that also brought up the fact that it was a black market item.
         “Well, at least he gets off the ground in a more ceremonious way than the Resolute.” He stood, going to the nearest wall. He put in a few codes before the wall opened, putting two secure seats out for them. “You might want to strap in,” he warned, taking a seat.
         The witch practically jumped into the next available seat, strapping herself in tightly.
         “You fly on a broom,” he accused, calmly getting his seatbelt on, “How are you so freaked out in a machine built for the exact same use?” He paused. “Actually, this is safer! It’s made with a contingency plan built in for a crash landing.” He pulled a bag from his white, lab coat. This would be a rough ride for him.
         “I just am,” she said, watching him pull the bag out, “And you’re talking to me when you’re the one with the barf bag?”
         “Motion sickness and an abject fear of heights are totally different things. One of them can be helped and the other is a total fail. …I’m still not sure which is which, though…”
         Rain nodded, trying not to make a comment about the alchemist’s ailment. Normally, she’d just push that fear down and keep it to herself. “I have some motion sickness pills if you want one.”
         “Thanks,” he chimed, “But, I’ve already taken one.” He wondered if his medicine was really working since he felt as if he was leaving his stomach on the ground as the ship started to lift out of its docking bay. “I guess I should have eaten something, too, huh?” The pills were supposed to work better when a person ate. He’d been so cautious about vomiting that he’d neglected eating all together!
         “I can whip something up if you want,” she offered as the ship rose higher and higher. She’d neglected to eat breakfast as well and a little bit of food sounded good right about now. “What do you want?”
         “Anything breakfast related,” he joked. As opposed to what he would eat every so often for breakfast—the equivalent of pure sugar—real food sounded good.
         “Attention,” someone called over the PA system, “It is now safe to move around the ship. Thank you for your cooperation.”
         Rain nodded and unbuckled her self, jumping up as the ship got to a stable level of flight. She pulled her wand, working a quick bit of magic on her bag before pulling out a plethora of cooking materials. She produced everything needed to make pancakes! “How many do you want?”
         “Three,” he requested. And here he’d been worried that he abused his alchemy. “Bag of gags spell?”
         “You wouldn’t believe how much I’ve learned from Light now. I even have a lot more energy to work with. That spell book has opened up a lot of new doors to me.”
         “It’d probably be the same way if I had a Philosopher’s Stone,” he joked. Even if it was a joke, he wondered how much a Stone would turn the tides of battle for him. His alchemy was useful and quite versatile, but it was still impossible for him to conquer some feats.
         Rain froze before she started cooking. Her mind was flooded with memories of past lives, those of her grandparents and even the witches before her! Just as quickly as they’d appeared, the thoughts and memories dissipated, leaving her confused and with a pulsating headache. “Ow! What was that?”
         “Hm?” He sat up, looking over his chair. “Something wrong?”
         She shook her head, going back to her cooking. “Just a flashback about my grandmother. Funny… The first one was about her being cooped up with her own parents,” she said with a halfhearted smile. She sighed a little, thinking about what the alchemist had said. “Why would anyone want to make a Philosopher’s Stone?”
         “And that’s why I don’t use much magic,” he stated, going back to his book for the moment. “It just gets weird after a while.”
         “The flashbacks tend to explain a lot of things, including how to make a Philosopher’s Stone,” she said, cringing a little at the crude tool’s creation.
         He made a face of displeasure. “Yeah, keep that one to yourself. I want a Stone, but not badly enough to make one.” He read for a few minutes as she cooked, but a thought bothered him. “Question… What do you do with all those memories?” He knew good and well that a person’s brain wasn’t designed to hold more than one lifetime’s worth of memories. It must have been painful to remember so much that didn’t correspond to her life.
         “Well, Light helps me by storing what I don’t need for the time being, but, overtime, they just fade and slot in with my memories. Soon, they’ll all be mine. So, like the memories of the war. My grandfather came home completely blind, but they would never tell me why. Now, I know.”
         He looked up from his book again. “How’d that happen?”
         “Well… He was helping to fight off the demons in the fields. One of them snuck up on him and just sprayed poison in his eyes. I think it was special, but I can’t tell what it was…”
         Now he was very interested. “…What kind of demon?” he asked after a short pause, “If it was an imp or something, the blindness could have been cured with some anti-venom, but anything higher than a Class Four demon and it would have been deadly…”
         She stopped cooking for a moment, racking her brain, trying to find any information for his diagnosis. After a second, she continued. “I can’t remember completely. It’s not my memory, so it’s coming in a little hazy. It’s hard to remember,” she said in a light whisper, almost as if it was a secret.
         “Hm? Well, just give me what you’ve got.” He wasn’t sure why he was so interested in this. It wasn’t as if he could do something about it now.
         “It was… Late, probably dusk with all the fighting around him. He was fighting several lower level demons when he turned to fight a larger monster—most likely a Class Four dreadnought. Once he turned, a demon came up and threw poison into his eyes. …It was by pure luck that his friend was there to help him…”
         “What color was the poison?”
         “It was a powder, like mustard, but it had a tent of green in it as well.” She furrowed her brow, thinking hard. “I need to sit down, soon,” she sighed.
         “Oh! Sorry if this is too strenuous…” He thought for a moment, using all of his toxicology to help find out what happened. “That sounds kinda like a mixture of mustard and Rux Bat vemon… The venom’s dangerous on it’s own—especially since it can be absorbed through the skin—but the effects usually wear off after a little while. If it was mustard alone, it could have been healed by a doctor or even a field medic, but when mixed with the venom… Those things must have known what they were doing…”
         Rain nodded, bringing over two plates of pancakes. “Pick one,” she requested with a smile.
         He was about to take one, but hesitated a bit. “…You didn’t put like, iocane or cyanide in this, did you?” It wasn’t as if either could really hurt him. He’d built an immunity to iocane and he could fix cyanide before it could do any real damage. Even if she had tried to poison him, he’d be able to counter act it.
         She rolled her eyes, putting one of the plates in front of him. “Syrup?”
         “Yes please,” he chirped, happy to have some food to put on his stomach. If he was lucky, he’d be able to avoid motion sickness for the rest of the mission.
         “I was going to in the first place, you know,” she stated getting the syrup for him, “Besides, what kind of girl do you take me for?” She sat back down, handing him the syrup. Did he have her pegged as a sadistic monster or something? Why would she really poison him?
         He opened his mouth to reply, but failed to do so. After a moment, he found an answer. “…Yeah, there’s no type of girl that defines you…”
         She cocked her head, giving him a questioning look. She wasn’t quite sure how to take that. “What do you mean?” she asked curiously.
         Dante poured his syrup, almost drowning his pancakes in the viscous sludge. “Well, you’re not a girly-girl, you’re not a tomboy, you’re not a softy, you’re not a hard-ass… It really is kinda hard to define you in a few words…”
         She pursed her lips, thinking about his words. “I can live with that, I think.”
         “I hope so,” he chimed, handing her the syrup, “You’re not like me. I’m clearly defined as the shy guy.” He thought for a moment, shoving a piece of pancake into his mouth. “My brother and sister say that I really open up when I’m in the garden…”
         “Well, of course. That’s your element.”
         He cocked his head. “My… Element? Alright, I’m not that much of a science nerd that I think of the periodic table when I hear about elements, but still, what?” If he’d heard the statement before, he couldn’t remember it.
         “It’s what comes naturally to you. It’s what makes you most comfortable,” she explained.
         “My element…” He muttered, lost in thought once more. He’d never head anyone refer to his garden as that, but there was a first time for everything. “I guess,” he thought, “That really is what makes me most comfortable.”