Chapter 33: Chapter 30 – Intermezzo

"You are just like mom!" Lauron laughed when he was back with the two in their tower. He was leaning against their oversized couch's back with crossed arms watching the two sisters. 

Sion was tasked with standing before Koadriana's door, keeping watch, and waiting for her to regain consciousness. Raufon and Ceiline went out to gather some resources and create some healing ointments that would help her body regenerate. The heat from deep within her quickly dried her out and cracked up her skin, making her bleed from places where it was the thinnest. 

"They won't change," Solren added, walking down from upstairs, Keily following him from behind.

"That girl deserved it." Aurora wrote, but Solren just laughed.

"She isn't an Undead, Corporal!" He answered, standing next to Lauron, taking up the same posture as his brother. "Your attack was too sharp and too heavy! You are lucky it did not connect, or there would have been dire consequences for you to face!" He scolded her, making Aurora slowly lower her head. "Mom sent you here for a reason. You became too sharp! Fighting deadly battles made you unable to hold back. That is what you need to learn, Corporal! It is good to be sharp, but if you continue like this, you will cut yourself! You sometimes need to sheath your sword."

"I'm sorry…." She replied, writing with her hair while fidgeting with the end of her uniform. 

"Nothing bad happened! Owie!" Lia tried to speak up, receiving a flick to her forehead from Lauron.

"Of course not, or we would have stepped in. Lucky you! I wouldn't want to expel my own sister!" He sighed. "I'll oversee your battle in the winter. But I'll remain impartial! So don't even try to bank on my interference like now, you little scheming goofball!" He laughed, watching her sister's mismatched eyes.

"I was not expecting it this time either…." She replied with pursed lips.

"So you don't trust your brothers?" Solren and Lauron asked simultaneously, raising their eyebrows.

"I did not say that!" Lia panicked, looking at them with a hurt expression.

"Ahaha… It is too easy to tease you!" They laughed, grabbing Lia's face, both of them pulling at it toward the opposing side, making her laugh with a silly look. 

Keily was watching them, his eyes turning soft, remembering how his father used to tease and play with him. Before the tears could well up in his eyes, Aurora stepped next to him, rubbing his hair with a gentle light in her eyes. 

"Razael isn't coming?" After he was let go, Lia asked, rubbing her face and looking up at her brothers. 

"He is in a dungeon," Solren answered, already prepared for the question. "Pursuing a dangerous Undead group. He couldn't come."

"Oh!" Lia nodded, "When I grow strong enough, I'll make my own group and help him out!"

"Then work hard!" They said, watching their grinning sister before turning towards Keily. "I heard you met with our big brother?" Solren asked, and Keily quickly nodded, pulling out the medallion hanging from his neck.

"Let me modify it." Lauron stepped forward, pricking his finger, dropping his blood onto its surface, which quickly absorbed it.

"I'll add mine too." Solren said, doing the same, "Razael is unable to come back for now, so we will take his place. Break it when you are in trouble; we will help you out in his place." 

"T-thank you!" Keily said, bowing deeply toward them.

"Don't sweat it!" Solren patted his shoulders, "Looking into your eyes, we can see what big bro has also seen in you. Work hard, and you will accomplish big things!"

"Just don't let yourself be tainted by our lil' sis!" Lauron added.

"Hey!" Lia stomped in place, "I'm not like you!" 

"You are my sister." Lauron countered, making Lia's mouth twitch, unable to refute it. "Anyway, I'm going; there are things to do! And if I remain too long, rumors may start flying around! For the next three months, try not to get into trouble… okay?" He laughed, saying goodbye to them.

"I'll stay for the day!" Solren added, stretching. "I came to relax a little and air out my head! When everyone is back, what do you say if we get some food and I cook you all something nice? Maybe Koa also wakes up by night and will have some appetite!"

"Great!" Aurora wrote immediately, excited, "Nobody can cook better than Major!" She explained it to Keily, who was slightly confused and too afraid to speak up. 

"Yep!" Lia agreed, "He is the best cook, better than mom!"

"Mom can't cook," Solren added, not knowing if his sister was teasing him now or what.

"Ehehe~ I know~" She stuck her tongue out, confirming that she was, in fact, teasing him. 

"You little~" He flicked her forehead at the same place again, "Let's go! When everyone is back together, I'll let you all have my special barbecued meat!" He laughed, happy to let go of everything for a little and relax his mind. He just realized he really needed it.

…

….

……

At a different part of the academy, on one of the satellite rocks where the Tower of Fire was situated, Olivia was just standing up from a meditative position. She was kneeling in a room for almost a day by now, working on a new spell she was forming in her head, working out the last mistakes from her theory before trying to turn it into reality. Walking out of her room, she encountered a figure she did not expect to see.

"Master Zorgan!" She cupped her hands, bowing. 

He was a 6th-tier mage, an Extremi, and he was also the leader of the Tower of Fire. He was tall, way over two meters. His long, red robe hid his muscular body while his blonde hair was tied into multiple cornrows. Although he was an independent mage, in reality, everyone knew he was subordinate to the House of Ro. He was looking at Olivia with his blue eyes, playing with his thin, short, blonde beard. 

"You are playing a dangerous game, girl." He spoke up, his resonant voice carrying force behind it, echoing from deep within Zorgan's lungs. "I don't want to see you wasted."

"Master?" She asked, flinching and tilting her head a little. She had a good relationship with Zorgan. She was not fond of the Houses, but if anybody, Zorgan seemed like he understood her.

"Look up the competition organized by the Tower of Water after you go home. Your plans are backfiring, Olivia."

"Those… Misfits did something?" She asked, furrowing her brow, already guessing. 

"They did, and now a sea of students are sending applications to their group to join up. Mainly boys… anyway. I told you already!" He warned her again, but his voice was trying to lecture her in a way that was not condescending but as someone who wanted to guide her toward the correct path. "When you want to stop something from happening, force is not always the correct option! Especially if it concerns one of the Houses! They are entities in our Realm that won't back down, quite the opposite! You need to be subtle, adaptable, and cunning. A direct approach will backfire, just like now."

"I'm a fire mage… Master Zorgan. It is in my nature to be direct."

"No, it is not." He said, looking into her eyes. "You are excusing your inherent nature with your chosen element. It is we that control the elements and not vice versa! If you let it happen, what awaits your future is destruction and nothing else! Just like what happened to your family!"

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"...!" Olivia flinched, her eyes scrunching up, and apparent anger flickered in them momentarily. 

"Your anger is destructive. Even towards yourself." Zorgan continued, watching her, "You need to face the cats, Olivia. Your family was in the wrong."

"That does not mean they deserved to be slaughtered…." She said, gritting her teeth. 

"They did," Zorgan replied with a profound voice, reaching out, grabbing Olivia's shoulder, and holding her firm. "But why do you think the young ones were left to live?"

"Out of pity?" She asked, her tone full of sarcasm.

"Because the children can't carry their parents' sins. So don't try and pick it up. They died carrying it. It was taken off from you all when they perished. You are marvelous talent; I don't want to lose such a great mage. Listen… if you want your parents to be redeemed, there are many ways to do that. What you are doing right now would not lead to it."

"Hmph…" She snorted, gulping back her immediate thoughts. "I won't go and beg any of the Houses."

"There is news traveling the outside world. The Houses pardoned the family of Kalabas; they are no longer deemed heretics."

"Who?" She furrowed her brows as the name did not ring any bell for her.

"Look it up." Zorgan said, turning around and leaving, "Meriath's history is vast and extensive. Sometimes your solution lies between the pages of history books, Olivia. It is recorded for a reason. Historians have a heavy duty." Zorgan stopped at the start of the spiral staircase before heading up, "To let the later generations learn from the past and find solutions for the problems of the present. Especially because everyone's future is still unwritten."

…

….

……

Koa's high fever was going on for three days straight. Luckily, by the first day's night, she was up and moving around, although she was weak and a bit delirious. Ceiline accompanied her all the way, keeping a close watch and taking care of her, even sleeping with her. When she was back on her feet, Solren also left. He was glad to see them but also had his duty to return to his squad. What he didn't mention is that he would go on a quest, trying to find clues about what happened with their oldest brother. So he may not see them for a while. He just couldn't sit still.

"What is it? You look a bit out of place." Koa approached Lia, rubbing her head and hugging her from behind. She was standing at the top of their tower, watching the autumn sunset and the orange sky. Since Solren left, Lia has been acting a bit dazed, which was quickly picked up by Koa and her new, even sharper senses.

"My brothers are keeping something from me." She said, biting her lips. “Something happened back home… something with big brother…”

"I think you are overthinking! I noticed nothing; trust me, my new senses are sharp as a shark's!" 

"I just know…." She murmured.

"Even if something happened, I wouldn't worry! Or you don't trust your brothers?"

"I do!" Lia replied in a heartbeat.

"Then?" Koa knocked on her head, "Focus on the now!"

"Mmm… you are right! We need to get ready for round two! You'll have to deal with that bitch!"

"Ohoho, finally, you are learning some proper language!" Koa giggled, teasing her, drawing a grin onto Lia's face. "But everyone needs to give their best shot… we will be up against stronger and many more mages! You just dumped us into a pool of shit!" 

"It would have been unfair if they come with only as many people as we have… We are stronger!" Lia replied with complete certainty. 

"Keily can't even cast a spell yet!" Ceiline added, who heard their last words, just arriving, coming for Lia directly.

"We have time! He takes the lessons seriously, and I'll train with him daily!" Lia said, slapping her chest, excited to play the teacher for the first time.

"There is another thing," Ceiline said, turning towards Koa, who flinched, seeing her serious look.

"W-what? I didn't do anything!" She stuttered, already protesting against whatever she was about to say.

"You did a lot of things. Look." Ceiline said, raising her hand, and Koa's bracelet also pinged. Reading the message, her eyes suddenly grew to a size; Lia thought they would pop out of her skull. "We had 706 applicants in the past three days. All want to join the Misfits of Water. Which is under YOUR name!"

"Woah… That's… impressive!" Koadriana gawked, unable to hold back the proudness welling up in her chest.

"Five!" Lia cut in, looking at her cousin, holding out one of her hands.

"Excuse me?" Koa flinched, blinking her eyes, not understanding Lia for the first few seconds.

"Go through the list and select FIVE people! Only five! They are mostly here for your body anyway! Choose those you want and sign them up!"

"That's… 706 people!" Koa replied, twitching her mouth.

"You caused it; you deal with it!" Lia said, and her voice was surprisingly firm and commanding. "I want our alliance to be number one in the school! So don't drag us down!"

"Oh boy!" Koa looked at Ceiline, then back at Lia, "You can be pushy, eh? Is this the famous Reyra-bloodline that coming to the surface?"

"Fufufu~" Lia giggled, forming an evil grin, "I am still from the first branch… and you are from the third~."

"And I am stronger!" Koa countered, grabbing at her cheeks and pulling them apart.

"Let's find it out!" Lia answered, excitedly glowing, "I challenge you!"

"Good..." Koa smirked, "I always wanted to spank you~"

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