Despite Alia’s perfectly delivered and reasonable request to shoot l herself, Serena ultimately chose Arin, the squad's best markswoman, to take the shot. l stood in position, frad by the bullet-catching earthen backstop Daichi had constructed, and began manifesting her orange. The demon’s eyes betrayed a mixture of excitent and impending dread. After all, it must be a bit nerve-racking to willingly wait while soone else loads a rifle a dozen tres away.
“You’ve done noise training at the academy,” Serena said, “and experienced low-calibre handguns. Getting hit with a rifle bullet is a different experience, and for those who have achieved orange, it is the first indication of the kind of forces that inhabit a modern battlefield.” Serena paused as l’s orange blood. Giving it an appraising nod, she continued, “At the beginning of the war, a newly-manifested orange could resist all riflefire. Now, with eight years of research and developnt behind us, the new rifles pack enough of a punch that a basic orange doesn’t cut it anymore, hence the softer bullet.”
As if to punctuate Serena’s statent, Arin operated the rifle’s bolt chanism. The loud, chanical sound cast a spell of silence over the group. Arin looked at Serena and said, “I’m ready, Captain. Any preference on”—Arin’s eyes flicked to l and back—“the target location?”
Serena nodded. “Stomach,” she said. She turned to Alia and said, “Be ready. With Officer Mori’s orange and the soft bullet, ninety-nine out of a hundred tis, nothing will go wrong. We aim for the stomach so that in the worst-case, if there is penetration, there is little risk of the bullet deflecting off a bone and entering the heart.”
Alia steeled her mind. “I’ll be ready,” she said seriously, preparing the formation for Divine Healing of Aseco. No matter what, she’d do whatever was necessary to heal her friend should sothing go wrong. Even if l was shot fatally and her body died before Alia could act, she knew from her experience with her Asclepius embodint and the passengers of the Sakamoto that there was a brief period where she could restore the body and invite the lingering soul back in.
To an outsider, it might look like resurrection, but Alia knew instinctively that true resurrection was beyond her. If the healing were delayed by even a minute, the soul would dissipate through the layers of reality and ld back into the mists, where even she would be helpless to bring it back.
“The impact will be greater than you expect,” Serena inford l. “The energy in the bullet needs to go sowhere. Expect it.”
“Yes, Captain,” l said, her voice tense.
Serena did a final safety check, ensuring that everyone was behind the firing line. It was more for the benefit of Seonmi and Noburu, but Alia knew Serena was a big believer in gun safety, even for aether users. Even though several mbers of the squad could linger around l when the shot was taken with little danger to themselves, doing so would risk them becoming complacent around guns and potentially endangering others in the future.
“Take aim,” Serena commanded.
Arin smoothly brought the rifle to her shoulder.
l nervously swallowed a final ti.
“Fire.”
Alia reflexively flared her aether, tripling the effects of her perception-enhancing spells. She saw the expansion of gas from the rifle's barrel, followed by the blurred shape of the bullet as it cheerfully headed toward l, spinning in excitent. Just before it impacted, the noise of the rifle hit Alia’s ears, the artificial thunder sending a crack through the area that she felt reverberate through her bones.
l’s orange flickered, but ultimately held.
Alia’s friend was forced to take a step back, but sothing in her flagged, and she collapsed onto her knees. Her hand went to her stomach, and her expression turned into sothing between pain and confusion. She opened her mouth, but no sound ca out.
“Breath,” Serena said loudly.
l breathed, her aura flickering down to red.
“Stand up, quickly,” Serena ordered.
l climbed onto shaky feet. She rubbed her stomach gently, her shirt now having gained a small, bullet-shaped hole.
“Your aura deflected the bullet,” Serena said, “but your subconscious mind’s instinctive response to the sudden violence is informing you that you might have experienced a fatal injury. Your body is flooded by adrenaline, which is why you collapsed. It’s only made worse as this is your first ti being shot by a rifle, and you had all the ti to anticipate and fear the incoming bullet. In an actual gunfight, such a strike would not overwhelm you so much, for your mind will be focused on victory.” Serena’s lip curled, and she added, “Once you get used to it, such attacks will only irritate you.”
“Yes, Captain,” l said. Her voice no longer sounded tense, but carried a note of pride and achievent.
Well done! Alia mouthed at her, lightly clapping and earning a smile in response.
“Can you reform your orange?” Serena asked.
l focused and, half a dozen seconds later, her aura reford into orange again.
“Excellent,” Serena said. “The second ti will be much easier to handle, at least ntally.”
“...Captain?”
“We’ll continue until you can’t,” Serena said. “You need to know your limits before you can push past them, Officer Mori.” Serena’s voice dropped slightly, and she leaned in, saying to l in a quiet voice, “I comnd you. This is an excellent example for the rest of the squad. If everyone were as determined to improve as you are right now, no foreign power would ever risk attacking us again.”
“Ah, thank you, Captain…” l said quietly.
Was it Alia’s imagination, or had the demon’s face lost so of its colour?
Serena! she thought, ntally chastising her girlfriend. This is why you’re called the Hellfire Captain!
“Miss San,” Serena cooed, turning back to the group. “I’ve heard you’ve beco quite the apprentice of Officer Song. The next shot is yours, Sailor.”
“Aye aye, Captain,” Seomi gave a quick salute and took the rifle. Everyone reset their position, except for Arin, who lingered by the Ainese demon, offering her advice as Seonmi lined the shot up.
“Trust the fundantals,” Arin said, stepping in next to Seonmi. “The rifle will do its job—don’t try and help it.” As Seonmi placed her finger on the trigger, Arin placed her hand on Seonmi’s back. “Control your breathing,” she said. “Let the sight rise and fall… take the shot as the pause.”
“Officer Song,” Seonmi said quietly.
“Yes?” Arin tilted her head.
“You’re… quite close.”
“Oh.” Arin blinked thrice and took a step back, removing her hand from Seonmi’s back. “Rember my instructions, Miss San.” While the Ainese demon frowned, with a slight look of embarrassnt, Alia caught her twin’s mouth curling in what appeared to be a knowing smile.
“...Yes,” Seonmi said.
“Fire at will,” Serena commanded.
Seonmi inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. There was a montary pause before the rifle erupted in jubilant fire and fury, sending another bullet spinning towards l’s aura-protected stomach.
l’s defence flickered aggressively, like a misaligned aetherlight, before collapsing down to red. She took a step back again, but stayed on her feet. Her shirt now bore not one, but three holes. The second bullet had passed through the shirt at her stomach, but had sohow tumbled upwards and exited a little below her right breast.
“Bullets sotis have a mind of their own,” Serena said once the third hole had been pointed out. “In battle, I once saw a soldier fire at an enemy a hundred tres away, miss, and then that sa bullet bounced back and knocked his helt off. Hillbrand once operated on soone who’d been shot in the arm, but she couldn’t find the bullet. She sewed him up only for him to die a few minutes later. She later found that the bullet had bounced off the elbow, travelled into the shoulder and nestled around his lung.
“But such things rarely happen to a warrior, even if a bullet penetrates. As you know, your aura isn’t skin-deep; its enhancing effect seeps into every tissue, every bone. A bullet that breaks your aura is still a bullet that has to burrow through empowered muscle. This has its benefits, but can also be catastrophic if it fails to pass through and expends all of its energy just as your aura completely fails.” With her explanation finished, Serena turned to l and asked, “How does it feel?”
“It... stings,” l said, rubbing her stomach. “It’s tender.”
“I ant your aura.”
“Ah.” l’s eyes widened, and she straightened her posture. “The force of the bullet is so sudden, it sses with my convection. I can’t adjust the aether fast enough. The shockwave of the bullet destabilises the aetherflow.”
“Can you handle one more?” Serena asked. “Be honest with yourself.”
“One more,” l affird in a firm voice. She squeezed her fist and glanced at Alia, a fiery determination raging in her eyes.
Alia flashed her a reassuring thumbs-up in response.
Serena spotted the exchange and smiled. “Miss Liona,” she mused, walking back to the firing line. “Although I doubt you’ll co across a situation where you’ll be using a firearm, a bit of practice would do you good, don’t you think?”
“Mmm!” Alia nodded. She was slowly but surely accumulating more experience with firearms. She’d intermittently joined in on the training that went on throughout the Passage, building on the introduction she had at the academy. It hadn’t been much of a focus; expanding her aether skills was a better use of her ti, but she knew enough to load the rifle and line it up with l’s stomach.
“Can’t believe I’m about to be shot by a saint,” l muttered.
“You might be the first person in history,” Alia said, unable to keep herself grinning. “Think of the stories you could tell your grandchildren!”
“Focus on your aura,” Serena instructed l, before stepping in by Alia. “Keep it tight against your shoulder,” she said quietly, placing a hand on her shoulder blades. “Rember, don’t pull the trigger so much as press it. It should almost be a surprise. Now, make sure you—”
“Captain Halen,” Alia said, doing her best to keep her voice even. “You’re quite close.”
The glare she got in return would fuel her for a month.
Still got it, Alia thought to herself, barely concealing a grin.
“Focus, idiot,” Serena said, punctuating her words with a wonderful click of her tongue. “It’s not a toy.”
“Aye aye,” Alia replied. She took a breath, focused her mind and aid the rifle.
“Fire at will.”
Alia exhaled and, with a final check to make sure the ironsights were lined up exactly as they should be, slowly pressed the rifle's trigger, bit by bit, until a third crack of artificial thunder exploded out of the gun. Being so close, she heard the shot before l was struck. The bullet was distorted by the shimring heat and expanded gases, but Alia saw it collide.
If I Speak, Alia thought, would I be able to catch a bullet with my bare hands?
Her rumination was interrupted by a sharp hiss escaping l’s lips. Evidently, the third bullet had stung a whole lot more than the previous two. Not a surprise, given that her aura barely had ti to flicker before collapsing to a weak red that in and of itself was at risk of collapsing entirely.
“Alive?” Serena peered at l for a mont before clapping her hands. “Excellent. Now, Officer Mori, this is the best ti for you to push yourself. Pick a spot away from everyone else and focus on reforming your orange. It will be hard, having been shattered by three rifle shots, but the next half-hour of aura refining will be more useful to you than a month of normal training.”
l swallowed. “Yes, Captain,” she said in a quiet voice, giving a hasty salute and a nod to Alia. She walked to the side, holding her stomach with a pained expression. On reflex, Alia almost healed her there and then, but she knew it wasn’t what her friend wanted. So she held back, watching as l fell into a state of ditation and began trying to reform her shaky colour.
Serena watched for a mont before turning to Alia. Taking the rifle from her hands, her girlfriend smiled in a predatory manner that sent a small, pleasant shiver down Alia’s spine.
“Miss Liona,” Serena said, her mouth curling in that I’m-going-to-shoot-you-for-fun way Alia had seared into her mory. “While we have the privacy of this location, away from prying eyes, why don’t we see how your recently acquired aura can handle a bullet or two?”
This is revenge for my comnt earlier, isn’t it? Alia asked with her eyes. Isn’t it!?
Yes, yes it is, Serena’s crimson eyes said back, sparkling with amusent.
“Given your aether capacity,” Serena continued as if nothing were amiss, “I have no doubt your red could handle a more powerful bullet, but to play it safe, we’ll keep the sa. Wouldn’t want to put too many holes in that shirt, would we?”
“No, we wouldn’t,” Alia said. “I take it you’ll be firing?”
“Of course.”
“Well then…” Alia humd as she skipped into place. She spun on the spot, then said, “I quite like this shirt, Captain. Wouldn’t want to put a hole in it. And it is awfully hot here, isn’t it?” Without waiting for another second, Alia rolled up her shirt, revealing her bare midriff. “Ah, that feels nice,” she said, throwing her girlfriend a wink. “No wonder ladies in Ishaq dress like they do!”
Serena breathed out. It was a long exhale. Before Alia could ask why her girlfriend was doing her best impression of a dragon, Serena took a bullet and began loading the rifle, snapping the bolt chanism while muttering, “Maybe Korvus was right. Maybe all humans are mad.”
Just as Alia’s cheeks began to inflate while her mind raced to find a snarky reply, a bullet slamd into her wards, exactly at the centre of her bare stomach.
“Hey,” she protested. “I didn’t have my aura up!”
“Just checking your wards were working,” Serena flashed a smile. “Now, let’s try again.”
She must be letting off so steam, Alia thought. Luckily, that won’t be an issue for either of us with what I have planned for tonight. As the thought manifested, so did the warming of her cheeks. To cover up her risque expression, Alia manifested her red aura, perfectly cloaking her lewd thoughts.
Magic really had the most unexpected uses, didn’t it?
She dropped her external wards, for if she kept them running, the bullet would have as much chance of reaching her aura as a raindrop did of extinguishing the sun. She kept a few internal enhancent spells active, if only to ensure that there was little risk in case her red failed. She let her aura shine bright and true, but avoided flaring with too much aether, lest she prompt stories in the broadsheets the following day about a second Red Moon in Ishaq’s outskirts.
“Ready?” Serena asked, raising the rifle.
“Ready,” Alia responded.
A mont later, Serena’s revenge thudded into her, deforming into a twisted chunk of tal before dropping to the ground with a ping. There was so pressure on her aura, but not much. With her aether reserves, mysteriously enhanced by her souldbound shard that echoed thousands of hours of achievent grinding in the ga, Alia was certain she could take shots like that every second for weeks without a worry.
“That was fun,” Alia cooed.
“You’ll have no issue with reinforcing your aura with aether,” Serena mused. “Keep in mind that increasing the amount of aether in an existing ward is far less effective than being able to manifest a higher colour. A red aura reinforced with ten tis the amount of aether used to maintain an orange will struggle to be as effective a defence. Even so…” Serena’s lips curled. “You continue to be a dreadful talent, don’t you, Miss Liona?”
“Dreadfully cute, thank you very much,” Alia retorted, spinning on the spot and letting her shirt fall back down. “And I want to manifest orange, but it doesn’t co naturally to at all!”
“Orange isn’t as simple as red,” Serena said. “It is far more reliant on mindset and internal reflection. Still, put the effort in, or Officer Mori’s aura shall exceed yours in no ti. Your trendous aether reserves risk being a crutch, should you rely on them too much.” Serena rested the rifle on her shoulder and turned to address the others. “Now, I won’t risk the red of either Officer Song, but we do have a second-circle mage and a third-circle particularly talented in earth magic, do we not?”
Hinako and Daichi both swallowed when they realised what Serena was implying.
Thankfully, Serena’s reputation as the gruelling Hellfire Captain didn’t show itself in full force when it ca to testing the second-circle mage’s wards. Defense wasn’t where Hinako’s talents lay, so her spellwork was tested only once; Serena wouldn’t risk it collapsing with another bullet, and that bullet subsequently piercing unprotected flesh. She dismissed the idea of Alia backing Hinako with a ward, stating that the defence would prevent the mage from getting in the right mindset to grow.
“Does she need a backing ward?” Ido asked. “Miss Liona is here if anything were to go wrong.”
“Such divine magic shouldn’t be relied on with such a cavalier attitude, Officer Song,” Serena said, glancing at Alia. “Her magic is a last resort should anything go wrong, but we shouldn’t tempt such a fate. Growth stems from pushing our limits and conquering them, not by shattering our bodies and abusing the divine healing of the human gods. We train like demons, not like the paladins of the Vatican.”
“Is that how they train?” Alia asked.
“Yes, they abuse it,” Serena answered with a nod. “Is it effective? Yes. But receiving such damage again and again damages their ntal state. Tarlane’s paladins are known for being terrors on the battlefield. Many of them are infamous, with bloody nicknas borne from their bloodlust.”
“I see…” Alia murmured. “Well, I’m here if the worst does happen.” She gave Hinako a wink. “Are you sure you don’t want to try again?”
“One was enough,” Hinako said quickly, looking a little sick. “I think I need to sit down.”
“You look pale,” Ido teased.
“Try it yourself,” Hinako shot back. “It’s nothing compared to the low-calibre stuff we used at the academy.” Without waiting for an answer, she found a spot away from the others and began cycling her aether, pulling in the ethereal substance from the atmosphere and rebuilding her shaky spellwork.
“Officer Ishitani,” Serena intoned, gesturing for Daichi to take the stage. While he got into position, Serena explained to the group, “As you know, like aura, wards beco more efficient the higher circle they are. Let this be a demonstration. Officer Daichi…” Serena raised the rifle. “I’ll be disappointed if your spellwork so much as flickers.”
Any care Alia’s gun-toting girlfriend had for Hinako’s wards was left behind when it ca to Daichi’s Salinas formations. Wasting no ti for the first-circle Earthward or the second-circle Stoneguard, he elected for the sa third-circle ward he used to defend against the black crystal; Rampart.
As the spell’s characteristic illusory scales wrapped his body, Alia flicked her vision into the Shimr. Viewing Daichi in the other reality, she could see the full brilliance of his magic. The scales shone not only a gentle blue, but also with the colour of magic—ochure. Deep within his person, a pure light blossod. It was his soul, and although Alia needed to Speak to be able to make it out in detail, she could still appreciate the beauty from here.
Serena began firing. Each bullet produced a flash of colour in the normal world, but in the Shimr, each collision with Daichi’s Rampart manifested a firework of vibrant magical hues that expanded dramatically before slowing down and dissipating. Five, ten, twenty shots were fired before Serena put the rifle down.
“I imagine you could take another hundred,” Serena said approvingly. “That’s the difference between a defence-focused third-circle mage and an attacking-focused second-circle mage.” She turned to Hinako and said, “Your dedication to duelling has ant you’ve disproportionately focused on attacking formations. Spend more ti with Officer Ishitani in the future and learn from him. Has Miss Liona’s annotated book been of help to you?”
“Yes, Captain!” Hinako exclaid quickly. Her eyes flicked to Alia before turning to the ground in what seed like awkwardness. “They’ve been extrely helpful.”
“Good.” Serena nodded, casting a look at Alia. If Alia wasn’t mistaken, was that a glimr of appreciation in her girlfriend’s eyes? Layered with a smidgen of loving acknowledgent and topped with a sprinkle of shaless desire?
“Now then, Officer Bright,” Serena began, turning to Finella. “Let’s split into groups and—” Serena paused, frowning at Ido, who had stepped forward with his hand raised. “Yes, Officer Song?”
“A request, Captain,” Ido said firmly.
“What is it?”
“I’d like to test my aura against the rifle, Captain.”
Serena paused only for a mont before saying, “Your red won’t hold.” She eyed the Ainese twin for a few seconds. Then, her lip curled slightly, and she said, “Very well then, Officer Song.”
“What are you doing, brother?” Arin asked quietly.
“Testing my limits,” he said, glancing first at Hinako, then at Alia, before turning back and saluting Serena. “And demonstrating the willpower of lowlanders.”
“Take your position,” Serena instructed. “And we’ll see that willpower of yours.” While Ido manifested his red in front of Daichi’s backstop, Serena approached Alia and said in a quiet voice. “Heal him imdiately after I fire.”
“Didn’t you just say this type of training is bad?” Alia whispered back.
“One ti won’t matter,” Serena said. “Demon minds are more stable than human, and it’ll be a good lesson for everyone else to see what happens when their aura or spellwork isn’t up to the challenge.”
“You seem sure his red won’t hold.”
“I am certain,” Serena said. “He also knows this, I suspect.”
“Then why did he volunteer?”
“To save face.”
“Right,” Alia said with a nod. While Serena took her position and loaded the rifle, Alia twisted her aether, making sure her healing spell was ready at a mont's notice. She kept her perception high, increasing the rate at which she cycled aether. A tense trepidation filled the air as everyone, including l, stopped what they were doing and paid attention.
“Stand ready,” Serena commanded, raising the rifle. She took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled, until the rifle thundered its greeting across the training ground and into Ido’s stomach.
Into and out the other side.
Alia caught sight of the bullet exiting out the back of Ido’s body, spinning as it continued towards the earthen backstop, followed by a smattering of vibrant red droplets illuminated by Ido’s rapidly fading aura. His aetheric defence didn’t even have ti to flicker before the rifle's bullet had burrowed through his flesh, much like the Vengeance’s tungsten penetrators had burrowed through Alia’s wards and through the island behind. It was as if—
Focus, Alia reminded herself.
She activated her spell, launching a band of golden light interspersed with flecks of royal blue that smashed into Ido before he hit the ground. As she felt her aether knit his sinew back together and regenerate his liquefied organs, Arin launched herself at her brother, catching him before he collapsed. She cradled him. Ido’s eyes remained closed and unresponsive.
“Brother!” she yelled in panic. “Quick!” she shouted, looking at Alia. “He—”
“Officer Song!” Serena snapped. “Calm yourself. Your brother is fine. He’s already healed.”
“But there’s so much blood,” Arin said quickly. “He can’t… He can’t…” she trailed off, frowning as she looked at Ido, whose eyes were now open and his face wearing a wide grin.
“Hello, Sister,” he said, winking at her. “Worried about your dear brother?”
As he spoke, Alia flexed her aether once more, cleaning the pair of them and the blood from the floor. In less than a dozen seconds since the rifle fired, Ido had gone from experiencing a would-be fatal injury to perfect health and his usual self.
Arin looked at her brother for a mont before rolling her eyes, clicking her tongue, and unceremoniously dropping him onto the floor. “Did all the nutrients go into your horn and not your brain?” she asked sarcastically. “Think of the beating dad will give you when I tell him!” She punctuated her statent by flicking her brother's horn.
“He’d be impressed!” Ido shot back, flicking his sister’s horn in response.
“Impressed by your stupidity!”
“It was bravery, not stupidity!”
“What a stupid thing to say!”
“Let’s see you try it then!”
“No, because I’m not stupid!”
“Ahem,” ca Finella, sliding up to Serena. “Want to pull them apart, Captain? And punish them? Misconduct by an officer and all…” Finella trailed off and remained in silence as Ido and Arin began wrestling. They both kept trying to get a firm grip on each other's horns so they could force their opponents' heads down and subdue them. Judging by how they countered each other's movents, Alia predicted that this was a usual sight in their lowland farm back in the Fengra outskirts.
“...Let them get it out of their system,” Serena said. “I’ve heard Ainese wrestling is popular in the Far East, so they’re technically training. We’ll take a break.” She looked around at the rest of the group. “Eat sothing. Drink sothing.” She settled her gaze onto Alia. “Especially you, Miss Liona. I want you sparring Officer Aikawa shortly. She needs the practice for her debut as much as you need to warm your aether up. You have so important skills to train afterwards.”
“Mmm?” Alia tilted her head before realising what Serena was talking about.
That was right, wasn’t it? So much had happened in the Passage and since they arrived in Ishaq that she’d forgotten about one of the main reasons a certain mber of the squad had been enlisted.
Here, in this secluded place…
It was the perfect opportunity to learn how to mistwalk from Noburu.
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