7 Chapter 7: Misunderstandings
Chapter 7: Misunderstandings
With the final assailant down, Sam tapped his nanobot storage units, causing the equipment he made, as well as his weapon, to disassemble. He then gathered up all the attackers and brought them one by one into the Albatross, cuffing them to the passenger seats within.
Dr. Halloway was still within the cockpit, going over the recording of Sam's fight, working in tandem with Solace to compare it with previous recordings of Sam's battles. Seeing such a significant improvement in not only Sam's movements and precision but his reaction timings allowed them to begin charting how much of an effect Mana had on their bodies.
After all the assailants were secured, Sam began checking their bodies for any weapons, equipment, or other items that could be dangerous. Despite understanding that most, if not all of them, could use magic, Sam would rather have that as the only thing he had to worry about. While searching each of their persons, Sam came across something they all had in common.
Each person wore a necklace beneath their clothes, sporting regalia he immediately recognised.
"Dr. Halloway."
"Report."
"The hostiles are unconscious and secured. Removal of weapons and equipment is completed. However, I discovered something each of them was carrying on their persons. They each had with them a necklace bearing the same insignia that Princess Ariana wore on her dress."
"Well, that's troublesome…"
"Orders?" Sam asked.
"Make sure each of them is stable, do not allow any of them to succumb to any of their wounds. We acted in self-defence, so we should still be in the clear."
"Understood, we should also prepare. If these individuals were under orders of their higher-ups, it means our location is compromised, and reinforcements should be on their way. We should relocate immediately."
"Negative, I have a feeling that won't be necessary." Dr. Halloway said.
"Doctor, I do not believe that is wise. While I may have dealt with these individuals, we're still in the dark on whether or not the rest will be of a similar level. Therefore, I might not be able to protect you." Sam replied.
"Have a little faith, Sam. And if you can't do that, then consider it an order."
Sam remained silent for a while, feeling slightly frustrated but almost immediately dashed those thoughts away, replying,
"Acknowledged."
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Ariana and Shirogane had finally arrived back at the castle, sneaking their way in through the tallest tower they had departed from, and 'stealthily' made their way to Ariana's room.
The banquet had just ended, so despite her parents most likely realising she'd left the banquet early, she could at least prevent them from knowing that she'd left the castle.
Finally arriving at her room after dodging any staff along the way, Ariana quickly entered and closed the door behind her, breathing out a sigh of relief at having made it.
Ariana then turned around, preparing to strip off her gown and get into her pyjamas to prepare for bed. However, as soon as she turned around, she froze in place, her back breaking out into a cold sweat, as she came face to face with her parents sitting on her bed, staring at her.
"Ah- ha-ha, Mother, Father, to what do I owe the unexpected visit? It is unlike you to come to visit my room at a time like this… ha… haha…" Ariana struggled to maintain a composed expression and stable voice, laughing awkwardly.
Her parents just continued to stare at her, her father wearing a deadly serious expression, one Ariana had never seen him direct at her before. Obviously, he was in no laughing mood.
"Ariana, I want to you tell me exactly where you were and what you were doing, leaving absolutely no details out. If you dare lie to me, expect a punishment unlike any you've experienced before." Amarant said in a tone so unshakable it left Ariana no room for refusal.
Hearing the tone in which her father spoke to her, tears began to well up in Ariana's eyes. Try as she might to hold them back; it seemed like it was asking too much of the 6-year-old to do so. Her father had never spoken to her in such a way, and it scared her more than she'd like to admit. She looked to her mother, hoping to find some comfort in her gaze, only to find an even colder expression awaiting her, causing her fear to compound, forcing her to take a step back unconsciously.
Amarant felt his heart twist in his chest when he saw the tears building in Ariana's eyes. Then, seeing her look over to his wife, only to be even more frightened, enough to take a step back, Amarant's heart outright shattered in his chest, nearly compelling him to leap forward and comfort her in his embrace.
Before he could, however, Eleanora's voice echoed in his mind.
"Don't. She needs to learn this lesson."
In all honesty, it pained her just as much as it did Amarant to see Ariana recoil in fear when their gazes met. Still, Eleanora hardened her heart as Ariana's actions tonight had caused the death of an entire squad of Espion agents, or so they believed.
Ariana attempted to take a deep breath to calm down, but each breath she took shuddered upon entry, almost pushing her over the edge. However, Shirogane brought his head up to touch her hand, the contact almost immediately calming her down.
Taking a few more deep breaths, Ariana began to circulate her mana within her, causing her to feel calmer and calmer. She felt as though she desperately needed more of that calming feeling, causing her to circulate more and more mana in the manner she'd discovered.
The calmer the feeling made her, the more she desperately pushed for more and more before suddenly it felt like her entire being had submerged in icy cold water. It didn't shock her as one would typically expect. Instead, it allowed her to enter a state of being she'd never experienced before. Her thoughts were clear, precise, almost machine-like. She felt no emotions, only logical thoughts.
While this was occurring within her, on the outside, from the point of view of her parents, Ariana's facial expression suddenly became neutral. Her eyes no longer carried with it her usual warmth. Instead, all that was left was a being that neither of the two could recognise.
In a cold, robotic voice, Ariana began to narrate everything that she'd been up to since leaving the banquet, down to the most minor of details. She recounted her conversation and actions with Dr. Halloway, the information she'd managed to glean and share, as well as her return home and her attempt to sneak back in.
During her entire explanation, fear began to build within Amarant and Eleanora, not because of what their daughter had said but because of how she sounded and appeared before them.
Eleanora's eyes began to glow a bright blue hue, unlike the usual subtle nature she used previously. She inspected her daughter from head to toe, immediately noticing what she had done to cause the state she'd been left in, causing her eyes to bulge.
She leapt out of her position, grabbing Ariana faster than she could react, before slapping her across the face with a hand charged with mana. The mana spread throughout Ariana's system, dispelling her state.
Ariana looked up at her mother in shock, the most betrayed expression she'd ever made forming on her tiny face before she could no longer hold it in and burst out into tears.
Eleanora sighed in relief at having managed to get Ariana out of the state she'd put herself into. However, her daughter's expression and subsequent crying brought her out of her relief, realising what she'd just done and how Ariana would interpret her actions.
She tried to pull her in for a hug to comfort her and explain her actions, but Ariana suddenly became immaterial, slipping through her grasp. Ariana then stared at her parents in both fear and pain with tears streaming down her face, only to turn around and run out of her room, crying all the while.
"Ariana! Wait!" Both Amarant and Eleanora shouted, but she ignored them and kept running.
The two of them just stared at the door Ariana had just run out of.
Shirogane sighed, then turned to Eleanora, saying telepathically, "Just give her some space. I'll follow after her and talk to her. She's most likely going to want to do something rash like run away due to her emotional turmoil. I won't try to talk her out of it, but I'll explain the reasoning behind your actions. If we do end up leaving, it'll most likely be to see Dr. Halloway and the rest at the fallen object. If and when we do leave, you should follow after us. Just you two. No one else.
Without giving time for Eleanora to reply, Shirogane sped out of the room, following after Ariana.
Eleanora continued to stare at the door to Ariana's room before she looked down at her hands and clenched her fists.
She looked over to Amarant, expecting to see him angered but only saw understanding within his deep red eyes.
"I suppose Shirogane relayed something to you?"
With a sigh, Eleanora nodded before explaining what Shirogane had told her.
"That group just took down a squad of Espion agents… Do you think it's safe to allow her to go?"
"Yes, from what she told us, they don't seem malicious and most likely only acted in self-defence against the agents you ordered to capture them."
"Sigh… I guess we'll just do as Shirogane says then."
Eleanora nodded her head once more, feeling incredibly guilty inside. However, she soon felt a pair of strong arms hold her in a comforting embrace.
"It'll be fine. All that we need to do is explain our reasons and talk to her. She'll understand."
"Alright…"
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Ariana ran in the direction of the tower, crying all the while. She passed many of the servants, all of them calling out to her in an attempt to comfort her, but she ignored them and kept running.
However, she was suddenly flung off her feet before landing on something she'd recognise anywhere.
Shriogane had caught up to her and tossed her onto his back, understanding where she wanted to go, and took off in the direction of the tower.
"I want to leave… I don't want to stay here anymore." Ariana said telepathically.
"Sigh… Ariana, your mother, did what she did to help you. I don't think you realised, but what you did was enter a dangerous state of mind when you circulated your mana like that. Your mother's actions merely brought you out of it. That's all. She didn't hit you out of anger or anything of the sorts."
"I don't care! I just want to leave!" Ariana shouted out loud this time, though they were already in the tower, so no one heard her.
"Sigh… Alright, Ari. It seems like we'll be visiting Dr. Halloway and Sam earlier than expected."
Ariana remained silent for a while before replying with a subdued "Nn…"
She then leaned down and hugged Shirogane's neck and closed her eyes, falling asleep relatively quickly.
Shirogane couldn't help but smile on the inside before reaching the top of the tower and leaping out the window. He grew to his 12m length and flew back toward the fallen Albatross.
Amarant and Eleanora had already left the castle, both of them floating in mid-air, aided by their flight magic. They watched as Shirogane grew to his larger size and flew away.
"Shall we, my love?" Amarant asked
Eleanora looked over at him and smiled slightly, replying in a similar fashion to Ariana.
"Nn…"
They both then flew after Shirogane, all the while thinking about how to apologise to their daughter while also preparing themselves to meet the mysterious strangers who fell from the sky.
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