A shrill whistle cried out as wings silently fluttered through the sky.
The wind tousled my hair, and the air smelled faintly of salt, threads of brine rolling harmlessly off of the thin veil of mana covering my skin, as I took in my surroundings.
…Well. Not that there was much to see. I fought the urge to sigh.
"How boring."
Far below, a vast sea stretched endlessly, its pristine waves reflecting the burning saffron and molten tangerine of the sunset.
The Sun was left with, perhaps, an hour or two worth of time before it would inevitably fall beneath the horizon, bringing rise to the night; which promised to be an amusing experience of its own.
It had already been a few hours since I embarked.
With each passing breath, the minutes bled into one another, our flight blending into a dull repetition of sounds and sensation, all boring me endlessly.
My fingers absentmindedly traced the scaly, serpentine figure of my companion.
His scales were a lusterless obsidian, greedily absorbing the soft radiance of light, and emitting a faint chill. Like wings wrought from a dark eclipse—a hollow mirror of life's vibrant dance.
He was a mere shadow; fitting for a death-wyvern, really.
And as such, this eternal drifting of ours was something he was made for. To him, it was nothing. To me, it was almost everything.
Almost.
Clouds drifted lazily past us, offering no comfort or distraction, meanwhile the sea below was the same story painted over—a crest that fell and rose again and again… only to fall immediately afterwards. A dull metaphor if I ever saw one.
I shifted against Azasiel's stiff spine, legs beginning to ache from stillness.
The monotony of this excursion was the most maddening thing of it all.
It was only when I felt a flood of moonlight break through the dusk did things begin to liven.
A familiar strength filled my body as my senses underwent an enhancement.
"A most rejuvenating feeling… Ah, how I've missed being in my element."
Like this, the world repeated itself. I waited. And waited. And waited.
Until, at last, something broke up the shimmer of water. It was a line, faint at first, before gradually coming into view.
I suddenly sat straighter, lashes narrowing.
Beyond the tide, a dark smear was poised against the horizon, bending into shape as we continued our flight. Something solid and unmoving. "We arrive, at last."
The continent of Ethos… as the humans call it.
I felt my lips curve into an intrigued smirk, my attention perking.
Finally, after hours of boring flight, our destination was in sight, making even the wilderness of land seem exciting. "You've done a splendid job, Azasiel… I'll make sure to reward you with plenty of souls later."
He gave a low huff in response.
We spent the better half of another hour finalizing our reach, the outline of the continent thickening with each passing of my companions' wings. The grains of sand became visible, gleaming against the dark fringe of trees pressing in behind it.
In that instant, the long hours of nothing collapsed into a sharp focus. It was time to act as one in my position should… though, to be fair, there wasn't exactly a manual for such a thing.
We came to a stop shortly after, Azasiel's wings blotting out a portion of the beach—which was several kilometers in size.
I unmounted, legs unfurling in a single, practiced motion.
The sand crunched softly beneath my boots; an odd sensation I had yet to ever get used to, but I didn't let it distract me.
My eyes swept over my surroundings. Namely, the thick forest, the wide sands, and… well, that was it, actually. This beach was, for all intent and purposes, empty.
"This standoff serves no one. Silence only breeds suspicion, haven't you heard?" I called out.
There was a tense lull… before, one after another, figures emerged from the shadows, their expressions varying. Some were grim, others betraying their owner's attempts at masking their surprise.
Slowly, twelve mages with cores ranging around the platinum stage—with only one of them in particular possessing an especially radiant diamond sheen to hers—stepped into view.
I made a brief assessment of each person, murder math taking place in the furthest reaches of my mind.
Six figures moved to my left, spaced slightly differently from each other, while the rest moved to my right, surrounding me in a particular formation I've never seen before. It was interesting and quite practical.
It seemed that they intended to make full use of their numerical advantage, if anything went wrong, with special positioning to recompense for the ceiling it could provide.
After all, only so many people could occupy a space at once.
This formation of theirs seemed to take that into account.
However, it seemed that they severely underestimated the capabilities of the person they would be meeting.
If it was anyone other than me, then, perhaps, it could work. I could see that realization manifesting on their faces.
"Lady Nocturne," a firm voice rose.
"We humbly welcome you to Ethos, our homeland. Forgive us for the caution. The view of the sovereigns who rule is nigh-all-seeing, and many mages venture out so far in order to hunt magic beasts, primarily in groups. To ensure the privacy of our meeting, I had my people keep watch in passive positions. We hold nothing against you. I hope you can understand."
A girl—who must've been somewhere within the ranges of a teen—stepped forward, her striking emerald-green eyes settling on me with a fiery intensity.
Her hair was an intriguing blend of deep red and pale, wheat-blonde hair, with honey-gold strands that framed her face, mainly cascading loosely down her shoulders, and a few intricate braids.
"Is that so? Very well then, I understand." My tone was light as my eyes narrowed.
"And just who might you be?"
A dark look flashed across her features before she responded.
"My official designation is Vespera. I am the current acting vice-commander of Squad Six of the Scarlet Veil," she began, before adding after a short lull, "However... I believe that if we are to grow trusting of one another, it would be most beneficial if our identities weren't concealed in secrecy. At least, to the extent that we are aware of each other's names. As such, please feel free to call me Nelvira."
The girl—Nelvira—reached out a hand, her eyes meeting mine.
I stared at her proposal for a few seconds, considering something distant. It wasn't long before I found my lips curving upwards slightly.
"You're an interesting one. No one has ever so boldly approached me and extended such an invitation. It would be rude of me to not accept… But oh, I don't do handshakes. They usually end up being quite the ugly sight. For the other person involved, of course. Consider the warning a token of appreciation from me to you."
Before she could explore the implications behind my words, I continued.
"My name is Erithea Vordri. My position, in relation to my homeland, is the esteemed title of Eighth Pillar of Sorelle. Alternatively, I go by Nocturne, as you know. There are only twelve of us Pillars in existence, which should help you recognize the standing of the person before you."
Stunned whispers ensued at this revelation, and the gazes regarding me burned with even more intensity as before.
"Pillars of Sorelle? Just who are they…?"
"She's the eighth? Does that mean there are more just like her?"
"Do you guys think it's based on strength? It has to be, right? That seems sensical…"
"Sensical? Just what about that is sensical, bastard?! Just look at that… that demonness and tell me you can imagine someone with a more chilling presence than that!"
"...Connie has a point. Didn't you guys feel the subtle shift in the atmosphere before she even arrived?"
"Yeah. I felt this sudden chill… as if the world itself was warping to some ungodly being's will. And everything suddenly felt hopeless."
"R-right? It only intensified when she landed on the back of that… creature. Ah, it's looking at me…!"
"So, you guys could feel it, too, right? That unholy chill emanating off of her body… Numbers don't bring an advantage in a battle against someone like that, dammit."
"I-I'm glad she isn't our enemy…"
"Have some spine you bastards…!"
"Idiots, she can hear us!"
"That beast is going to kill us…!"
Stifling a chuckle, I turned to the source of the whispers.
"Ah, do not worry about that last one. I've noticed the worried glances you guys have. Azasiel is a good boy, he wouldn't dare make a move on any of you."
His serpentine neck craned in the direction of where I spoke, sending a tremor through the crowd.
"Unless I ordered him to, of course," I continued, "But then, I'd need a reason to. As long as you don't give me one, you'll all survive. Most likely."
A few of them seemed to fall further into despair—especially because of that last comment—and I secretly relished in my amusement of their fearful expression.
Turning back to Nelvira, we began our second conversation.
"Now then, why don't we get straight to the point? As a representative of my homeland, I propose to you an official deal. What say you?"
She merely nodded, so I went on.
"In accordance with our previous talks, we shall form a temporary alliance. The terms go as such: you, or more formally, the organization known as Scarlet Veil, will be provided with resources and support in the form of artifacts and relics in order to help you accomplish your goal of finding a Bearer of Exchange most suitable as a vessel for your most esteemed Lady Envy. In return for this support provided to you, Sorelle requires you to fulfill merely two requests."
I paused, making sure my words were understood before continuing.
"The first request is that the members of the Scarlet Veil organization are to carry out periodic tasks, which, in total, will only amount to three. As a disclaimer, none of these tasks will involve putting any of your members at risk of any danger, be it mentally or physically, and can be completed by any amount of people of any caliber. Finally, we ask that in the event of your grand plan failing, you enact a series of short orders. A backup plan, so to speak. So long as these conditions are fulfilled and met, we may each consider each other an ally."
The weight of my words settled in the air, each of the mages present stopping to consider what it means for the parties involved.
There was confusion, surprise, understanding, and even reluctance all reflected across their expressions, woven into their stance and demeanor.
Though this squad of particularly amusing people may have seemed quite lackluster on the outside, in reality, they were anything but so.
The same could be said for the other five divisions that existed within the Scarlet Veil.
All of them were warriors who had earned their positions and rankings, using means that I, admittedly, wasn't privy to, but this much could be said with utmost confidence.
Otherwise, the Lord-Sovereign wouldn't have arranged for this deal with them.
And as such, it made sense that they were each reacting to it differently, none of them coming to an immediate conclusion.
…At least, that could be said for the rest of them.
"We hereby accept your terms and conditions," the vice-commander proclaimed, almost instantaneously after I finished speaking.
A tremor of varied reactions ran through the people who stood behind her.
"Vice-commander!"
"Lady Vespera!"
"At least consider it further…!"
Before the concerns could grow out of proportion, she spun on her heel, giving her subordinates a look that I couldn't see, but judging by the expressions of the ones who could, it must've been one of pure indifference.
I could see their argument dying on their lips, never to see the light of consideration.
Truly, this girl is quite interesting.
I wonder, just what kind of life has she lived, to be bearing responsibilities such as this at a young age?
I suppressed my growing satisfaction.
It wasn't long before she turned back around, reiterating her previous point.
We then spent some time going over the finer details of our temporary alliance, which, by the time we were finished, the moon had begun to wane.
And like that, the seeds of tomorrow were planted; a deal made under the cover of night.