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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Doctor Who Series 13: Jodie Whittaker Leaving Rumours, the Next Doctor, and the Future

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Jodie Whittaker is fast approaching that three-season milestone at which most Doctors pull the inter-dimensional rip-cord and eject themselves from the TARDIS. Speculation has swirled around her, as it does for most Doctors, from the very start of her tenure, and now, more than ever, there’s the strong scent of Regeneration in the wind. So, will Whittaker leave at the close of series 13? And if so, will any of her companions remain to bridge the gap between eras? Might showrunner Chris Chibnall also hang up his sonic-shaped pen? The BBC is playing its cards characteristically close to its chest, so divining the answers to these questions is not unlike trying to unlock the mystery of the Doctor’s real name.

There was an ample reminder of the BBC’s zeal for secrecy when Who-newcomer and beloved Liverpudlian John Bishop – cast last year as companion Dan – was rebuked for revealing during an online Q&A that his character, too, would be Liverpudlian. If the BBC don’t want you to know that a Liverpudlian might be playing a Liverpudlian, then this is going to be a bumpy ride. But let’s strap in, brace for impact, and see what’s (or Who’s) out there…

Jodie Whittaker on leaving

Everyone has their favourite Doctors, and not-so favourite Doctors. Jodie Whittaker is not alone in having had love and scorn heaped upon her in equal measure, a phenomenon that has touched most actors to have taken on the role, with the possible exception of Tom Baker and David Tennant, who stand as almost deified in their respective eras.

It’s clear, though, that Jodie Whittaker has loved every moment of being the Doctor, and of being embraced by the show’s fandom, telling the Telegraph in November 2020: “If you bump into a Whovian, it genuinely makes both of your days. There’s something emotional, poetic and very humbling about being in the show, because you’re a little tiny jigsaw piece of something that is so precious to so many people.” It’s perhaps understandable, then, that her response to the speculation around her departure was to say: “To even question an end point would be too upsetting.”

Or, to parrot one of her predecessors: “I don’t want to go.”

Where’s the evidence?

Over the last eighteen months, rumours that Jodie Whittaker will be leaving after season 13 have been endlessly shared and repeated. These rumours were reported as fact by some media outlets earlier in the year, though the BBC has steadfastly refused either to confirm or deny them. It does, however, seem more likely than not that 13 will be 13’s last; a supposition based upon the ‘Who Rule of Three’ and the unignorable sound of drums gathering pitch and pace across the internet.

In the hunt for ‘evidence’, dead-ends and red-herrings abound. IMDb currently reveals no projects rumoured or in pre-production for Jodie Whittaker beyond her TARDIS tenure, but, then, actors keeping contractual secrets would be fools to release their schedules onto one of the most comprehensive entertainment databases ever to have existed. So no help there.

The Mirror newspaper recently reported that the front-cover of the 2022 Doctor Who annual would be Doctor-less for the first time in its 57-year-history. Could this be a clue? Not likely. The people at Penguin Random House – the annual’s publishers – made it clear that the thirteenth Doctor will feature heavily throughout the publication. So whether the new cover is simply a radical redesign, a yielding to the purchasing power of this era of the show’s vocal detractors; or a shrewd marketing move designed to have the product promoted for free in the press, it doesn’t actually tell us very much about the likelihood of the 13th Doctor’s exit.

Peter Capaldi’s Trouser Clue

We might, however, be looking for clues in all the wrong places. Peter Capaldi deduced that he’d be handing over the TARDIS keys to a woman a few days before the BBC officially broke the news to him: thanks to his tailor.

At a New York Comic Con panel in 2017, Capaldi told the audience: “I went into Paul Smiths, which is a very wonderful clothes shop in London where I buy my suits, and everybody knows me in there. And they said, ‘We just got a call,’ they said, ‘from the Doctor Who office saying, ‘Can we have a pair of [Peter’s] trousers, but with a waist size thirty?’ … And I thought, ‘Well, that can’t really be a man with a thirty-inch waist. That must be a lady then’.”

Staking out Jodie’s tailor probably won’t prove fruitful, though. Knowing the BBC, they’ve probably plugged that potential leak by sub-contracting Jodie’s wardrobe out to a mute grandma living alone in a fortress atop the Himalayas.

Doctor Who: the behind-the-scenes causes of regeneration

By Mark Harrison

Doctor Who: Which New Doctors Are Now Canon?

By Chris Farnell

Will the Doctor Regenerate in 2022?

Series 13 will consist of eight episodes, set to begin airing later this year. The Mirror reports that there will be two specials in 2022, although it isn’t clear whether these will be in addition to this year’s 8, or whether we’ll see a split of 6 episodes in 2021 with the 2 specials being held over for 2022. A special – Christmas Day, New Year’s Day or otherwise – has become the traditional arena for regeneration, so if Whittaker is leaving, it’s likely that her final scene will come at the end of that rumoured second special.

Many think that the greatest evidence for Whittaker remaining as the Doctor until at least 2023 is our proximity to Doctor Who‘s upcoming 60th anniversary. After all, it would seem a shame to bow out before a big milestone, and it could be daunting to saddle a new Doctor with spearheading such a significant celebration. Still, the timey-wimeyness of it all means that even should Whittaker leave in 2022 there’s no reason she couldn’t make an appearance in an anniversary episode, perhaps alongside a few other previous incarnations. And 2022 marks the 100th anniversary of the BBC itself, so it’s hard to imagine that the show won’t be doing something extra special to mark that, given that it owes its very existence and longevity to the broadcaster (Michael Grade notwithstanding). Whenever she leaves, 13 could easily have her cake and eat it.

Will Chris Chibnall leave after Series 13?

When Bradley Walsh and Tosin Cole left at the end of ‘Revolution of the Daleks‘, Mandip Gill’s Yaz stayed behind. Yaz has been one of the new era’s most underdeveloped characters, so it made sense that she would get her chance to shine and grow in a less crowded environment, sharing companion duties only with John Bishop’s newly teased Dan. But as her character and her story seems so intrinsically linked to the Doctor herself, with the promise of more in-depth exploration to come in series 13, when/if the Doctor leaves, will Yaz’s story also draw to a close? Will only Dan remain with a foot in two TARDISes? All speculation at this point, and it very much hinges on which direction the writers take Yaz in this next clutch of episodes.

Showrunner Chris Chibnall – a lifelong fan of the show and, prior to his appointment as big chief, a long-standing writer for both Doctor Who and Torchwood – has been at least as divisive a figure in Who fandom as 80s helmsman Jonathan Nathan-Turner. Rumours regarding his possible departure have circulated with just as much frequency as those surrounding Whittaker. When asked about series 13, Chris Chibnall told the Radio Times: “I do know I’m coming back for a third season. Yeah, absolutely.” Within those words, if you look hard enough, exists the implied absence of certainty around future seasons, but perhaps that’s getting rather too Da Vinci Code about the whole thing.

While the stewardships of previous showrunners Russell T. Davies and Steven Moffat spanned two Doctors each, this doesn’t mean that Chris Chibnall is guaranteed a crack at the 14th Doctor. Should Chibnall leave after season 13, among the writing team perhaps only Pete McTighe – who wrote ‘Kerblam!‘ And co-wrote ‘Praxeus‘ – has the experience to take over as showrunner, given his stint over-seeing the award-winning Australian prison-drama Wentworth.

How might 13’s Regeneration Happen?

Each of the modern Doctors has met their end in the service of some great sacrifice, either to protect a companion or to save if not the universe then at least a world within it. It’s unlikely that 13’s exit will be any different. It’s simply a question of against whom or what she’ll be fighting when her time comes.

Though it may be too soon for the Master to be directly responsible for the undoing of yet another Doctor so soon after 12’s John-Simm-shaped downfall, it’s likely that the Master will at the very least influence the direction of 13’s regeneration. Sacha Dhawan has expressed enthusiasm at the idea of returning, though nothing, as you would expect, has yet been confirmed. Or denied.

The revelations in ‘The Timeless Children‘, controversial though they proved for some fans, are perhaps too epoch-shaking and era-defining not to play a part in 13’s swansong, and it may well be that the shadowy Division – the Time Lord’s very own version of Starfleet’s Section 31 – will be complicit in the Doctor’s fall.

Another question presents itself: now that the Doctor knows she has infinite regenerations, might it make her more reckless? Might she start to see her body more like an easily changeable suit than a thing of flesh and blood? Might she regenerate multiple times before becoming the 14th Doctor, a la The Curse of Fatal Death, and what on earth would we call the 14th Doctor – who wouldn’t really be the 14th Doctor at all – if that happened?

Who’s in the running for the next Doctor?

Many of the same actors tipped as possible replacements near the end of Capaldi’s run have reappeared in the Regeneration rumour mill, including firm favourites Michaela Coel, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Michael Sheen, David Harewood, Richard Ayoade and the indefatigable Kris Marshall. Joining them this time are Line of Duty alumni Kelly MacDonald and Vicky McClure, and It’s a Sin front-man Olly Alexander. It could be that one of them, or none of them get the call. The next Doctor could just as easily be Jo Martin’s fugitive Doctor, who’s been hiding in plain sight all along.

Really though, as with all things connected with the show at this stage of its cycle: Who knows?

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Doctor Who Series 13 will air on BBC One later this year.

The post Doctor Who Series 13: Jodie Whittaker Leaving Rumours, the Next Doctor, and the Future appeared first on Den of Geek.

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aldnoahzerochristmasevents · 8 years

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Dragon Knight

Yuletide Request: Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Dragon and Magic Alternate Universe, Inaho/Slaine

Summary:

The curse had been cast

Forever grasped in the dead hand of the past

His fears were to ever last

To my fellow AZ Writer, @ambyrfire . I heard from a friend you liked dragons and I couldn't help trying to be overly ambitious with your request knowing that tidbit. I apologize for the delay and deviating from your request (not exactly a one-shot is it?). Happy Holidays and Happy New Year's!

===================

In lands far north out of sight, the Vers Empire sent their strongest foot soldiers, the Terran Knights, and equivalent in caliber, the Orbital Magi, the empire's most skilled sorcerers and sorceresses, in order to discourage any acts of conquest by its Northern neighbors, the Kvef – the Ice Giants.

=I; Alabaster=

-Slaine-

Cerulean robes emblazoned with fine silver and gold accented ends, wrinkled and crumpled as its wearer desperately tried to climb the walls of ice. Cackling above, a man declared, “Worry not, Slaine Troyard. I'll make sure to deliver your eulogy. Your legend of how you froze in fear before the enemy, cowering in terror as you were struck down for the low born scoundrel that you are!”

Slaine sighed, letting his numbed, chapped and bleeding fingers slide down the wall without resistance and back to his sides. Similarly the hood had fallen as he peered up to see the scarce outline of his bully.

“Maryclian...” he whispered before looking forward. It was futile to try climbing and any magic he could use here would only rebound, spelling outright doom for him and anyone in the vicinity. He was very aware that fellow sorcerers and sorceresses were on top of the ice chasm. They were not involved... surely.

They too were needed for the cause, to impede if not entirely prevent the forthcoming invasion from the North. Reducing this entire chasm to water and steam for him to alone escape was ridiculous. It would compromise the entire operation. He was the fool to be so easily tricked by a noble; no, he was a fool for obediently following the whims of a conceited noble. They were on the battlefield, noble or not did not matter.

It did not matter. He was finished.

Slaine shuddered as a growing, ominous feeling took hold. The wind howled and hissed. The ice began to cackle and crack. New tendrils and icicles formed; the temperature near him, the very air seemed to crystallize.

As he turned, a shadow crept over him and he met the gaze of azure orbs. It was perhaps his first and last encounter with a resident of the Northern lands. An ice giant had somehow fit through the narrow crack in the ice chasm Slaine had been trapped in, or perhaps the ice did the ice giant's bidding. Slaine was in the giant's domain after all; the Orbital Magi had been sent on a daring, ambitious operation. Emperor Gilzeria had commanded them forward to the frontlines, ordaining that they should strike first and display their country's superiority, silencing any possible resistance to Vers' attempts on expansion.

They were all fools.

Slaine clenched his fist and went to punch the ice giant, only to open his palm, releasing an arc of lightning. Upon contact it became fire, and made the ice giant stumble. Slaine rushed forward, diving and sliding between the ice giant’s legs, but came to an abrupt stop.

“ARGH!” Slaine cried and his eyes immediately watered.

He had been slammed face forward onto the ground and where he was touched, he felt his body burn as if seared by the hottest thing on the world – no, it was surely cold.

The confusion of his senses bewildered him, and only amplified as he was forced to flip over and stare face to face with the ice giant... ice giants, more like. His eyes widened, as more had appeared from the entrance and were peering down at him.

The ice giant he had hit no longer matched the others; his dark bark-like skin seemed seared and gray in comparison. It was the very one that pinned him to the ground and surely was slowly freezing him.

A low voice spoke, an ancient tongue Slaine discerned yet found beyond his comprehension, or perhaps his wits had long abandoned him. Looking down to where the ice giant touched his sternum, he noticed black runes start to spread.

“That-that structure-- a curse?!” Slaine slowly, desperately determined.

It dawned on him what exactly the curse was. His eyes emptied. His hopes extinguished. Even if he was to somehow make it out of this alive, he was no use to Her Highness anymore.

At this point perhaps...

Slaine hurried to grasp the ground and rested his head. He was out of options. This was all that was left for him to do.

As he recited the spell, he could hear the ice giants panic. The scorched one tried to silence him by freezing his throat, the very vocal cords. However it was a wasted effort. The vocal component was superfluous for Slaine as long as he could think; speaking the spell only helped him concentrate.

The ice walls cracked and gave way, and Slaine found himself being drowned in an ever increasing pool of the coldest waters. The very foundation of where he lay had also melted away.

...

“There are no miracles.” He was now convinced as he sank.

Deeper and deeper.

Submerging.

Darker and darker until there was nothing but blackness all around. Everything had become distant...

Eerily everything.

His fears

His worries

The urgency

The care...

All of it seemed so meaningless. Even she too was becoming part of that everything.

He had clung onto the life she so saved, doing everything he could in her name. He foolishly continued to believe in miracles for her. Yet with this final turn of events as glyphs and runes of forbidden magic loomed and weaved around him, illuminating in the darkness…

He was certain. There were no miracles. Only assimilation or destruction.

===================

“Will...”

Slaine awoke to the blurry view of a candle light. His eyes watered and it burned. He shivered, joints trembling as he tried to turn away from the candle light and retreat into the blanket. The very action was laborsome and the new sight of his arms brought him to a standstill. Runes alabaster simmered in the darkness. They were restraints, restraints for –

His eyes widened and peered to the source of the voice. He could recognize that voice from anywhere. It belonged to her.

“Will he live?” Asseylum asked once again of the troubled medic.

“Y-yes Princess Asseylum, but like those cursed by the Kvef. Either he becomes one of them or he suffers a frozen heart, slowly dying due to a severe case of hypothermia. And those are only the physical ailments, if we were to consider--”

“Are you telling me there is nothing that can be done but grant him a swift d-” Princess Asseylum interjected before falling silent. She dare not speak the last word.

Slaine relaxed into his bed and stared at the ever blank ceiling. He had been taken back to the Vers Empire and somehow, surely by Princess Asseylum's influence, been taken to the Palace's Medical Ward.

To think that he had been found, and survived the encounter...

He really shouldn't have, since as he had foreseen... he was once more troubling Her Highness.

===================

Days passed... or at least he assumed. The very rays of the sun caused burns upon his flesh and now the curtains were forever drawn. Food had only recently been made to sit around for hours on end and it wouldn’t be long before even at room temperature it would not be able to go down.

The nurses and medics shared the same sentiment as Maryclian, the last noble he had seen. Slaine could just imagine their thoughts. If he could, he would do the honors. He would gladly get out of their hair, yet he couldn’t. She would be even further troubled.

Perhaps someone else would...

===================

“Slaine Troyard. Will you continue to lie there? What became of the valiant young man eager to learn the most beautiful blessings of magic?” Count Saazbaum queried, while standing at the foot of the bed, arms behind his back.

For a moment Slaine could have sworn he was back in the lecture hall, but one look at his far pale wrist and its shimmering enchantments, he knew that was all long ago.

“Not even a word, or has the curse spread that far?” Saazbaum continued to inquire.

“What...” Slaine tried. His voice sounded a ghost of what it once was. When was the last time he dared speak... it mattered not.

“What can... I do... for you... M'lord?”

“There was nothing of goodwill in this visit. There is no goodwill,” Slaine reasoned, and knew that at one point he would have talked himself out of that mindset, but did it matter? No.

Nothing did anymore.

Count Saazbaum had begun pacing, and for a time became quiet, before he pulled back the curtains to reveal it was night. The full moon was out and more than days had long passed. Wreaths and poinsettias filled the town square below. It was that time of the year again. Long ago Slaine felt he had once helped put such decorations up, maybe even accelerated the growth of such plants in the hospital wards to cheer bedridden patients.

To think he would remember it now...

“The emperor passed in the latest battle and we are reaching the point that our very survival may be at stake.”

“The emperor..? Then--”

The count turned and nodded grimly. “Yes, Princess Asseylum has taken the throne, and with it comes the decision of whether or not to use Aldnoah to conclude the war she has inherited.”

“But Aldnoah...”

“Yes... According to the scriptures, Aldnoah will--”

“... Please. Let me.” Slaine interrupted, and dared try to sit up for the first time in forever. He could feel his joints crack after months of disuse. “You... You can't let her.”

“In your current state Troyard, you most likely will never return to even that form.”

“That's fine. I don't care. This life...” Slaine grasped the one piece of his uniform that remained – a silver amulet. “If it weren't for her, I wouldn't be alive today, so if it can be of use to save hers...”

Count Saazbaum nodded and knelt, “For the Empress.”

“For the Empress,” Slaine matched.

===================

-Inaho-

Amidst a battlefield, a blade pierced to the ground and its wielder fell to his knees, clutching its hilt for a moment of repose. The swordsman panted, huffing white clouds in the freezing air, and looked to the land below where lay the damned. He grit his teeth and clutched his left eye, which was heavily covered by a bandage wrap; it was still a fresh wound. Wherever his remaining crimson eye looked, he saw nothing but red, red where there should be nothing but whiteness.

"We're losing ground," Inaho assessed as he stumbled to his feet. His vision blurred momentarily yet he mustered every ounce of willpower he could to maintain focus. Bodies -- both allies and enemies -- surrounded him. Was he the last to stand in this area?

The bushes began to shake all around and once more Inaho wielded his sword for the incoming enemies. He was certain they were not allies, for their footsteps were louder, heavier and sluggish – understandable considering they were giants; they were from the kingdom across the wastelands to the north.

"I've already been found; escape is a futile effort at this point..." Inaho considered his options.

His logic was flawed; however, in the deep parts of his mind he knew that as the only one standing of his brigade, he could perchance hide and by a slim chance, survive. But he could no longer leave this land; his reasons to remain in this world were here. At the corner of his eye he glanced at some of his fallen allies -- particularly one with long brown hair that had shielded a pair of cadets much like himself. They had been his sister and childhood friends.

Revealing themselves under the moonlight, numerous ice giants surfaced from the forest and circled Inaho. Inaho renewed his grip on his sword, preparing himself for the end but caught sight of something glimmering overhead. He initially paid no heed until he saw his enemies start to scurry and flee. What he had seen shimmering was a mass of silver light. The longer he stared in awe, the more clearly he could see its shape as a dragon, which headed to the horizon; within moments, unnaturally the North Lights amassed. The Aurora Borealis danced, piercing and bleeding through the curtain of night. The ground had momentarily shuddered before a strong gust of wind passed by -- surely an aftershock.

Inaho grimaced, once more cementing his feet onto the ground, and cast a grounding spell by reciting a chant in his mind; an orange glyph appeared and pulsated underneath him. Another shockwave passed through but this time accompanied by a saddened cry. The aftershock that followed came with a cyan glow.

"An ice spell?" Inaho pondered.

Looking forward, the knight came face to face with a frozen ice giant; a spell of absolute zero must have been used to even render the giant dead from cold. All enemies had been turned into statues of ice and the land all around had become a spectacle of ice. The land that once was a field of bloody corpses had returned to its seemingly pure white; as if the snow could serve as the blanket for those who had fallen.

Inaho slowly relaxed and sheathed his sword before looking to his palms.

He had survived what became known as Heaven's Fall.

========================================

=II; Azure=

-Inaho-

Vers Empire: Royal Palace

Royal Chamber

Four months later...

“Inaho-san...”

Now wearing ornate burgundy robes, Inaho stood up from kneeling and raised his head to face the newly appointed queen. Notably his left eye now was wrapped by a black cloth; he would no longer see again through that eye.

The senior advisor standing by the queen's side coughed, to which the queen straightened her posture.

“Terran Knight Kaizuka Inaho due to your latest injury you are to retire from the front lines. As thanks for your great service, I would personally like to present you with a gift. Name it and it will be yours.”

Inaho closed his remaining crimson eye and kept silent for quite some time.

“Kaizuka Inaho! Such insolence will not be tolerated!”

Asseylum looked worriedly at Inaho before offering a somewhat troubled smile, surely trying to reassure him, “If it is within my power Inaho-san, I will see to it that it is granted.”

At that assurance, Inaho finally spoke his wish.

“Your dragon then, Seylum-san.”

Asseylum's eyes widened.

==============

Ever since the night of Heaven's Fall, Inaho could not forget the sight he saw that day. No one could. Left and right nothing but death surrounded, seemingly with no end in sight. At least, that is what his fellow foot soldiers – the Terran Knights – would say. However, such had long become a common sight for Inaho. He had prepared for and accepted it when becoming a soldier of the Vers Empire. It unfortunately was a reality that without his dearest friends and family, he alone was forced to continue living. He knew well that none of his fellow comrades would condone him if he tried.

He didn't actually have to try. Even if his superiors hadn’t attempted to rid themselves of him due to his insubordination, still with his sound suggestions to their tactics, the Vers Empire – the very Royal Family and Council – had left him with a potential conspiracy.

Aldnoah was the foundation of the Vers Empire's class structure. The original founders were named the rulers of their land, simply for being the only ones capable of using the ancient world magic, and without fail, their most patriotic and supportive colleagues were kept close at hand. However it was known to all how Aldnoah was a double-edge sword. It was a magic originally bestowed upon the mythical creatures of dragons that had long ago become ethereal, abandoning their corporeal forms for a higher plane of existence. To acquire their power, the mage behind Aldnoah would become the medium and catalyst of such a creature and often die shortly after; the power of a dragon was far too great for a human to contain.

And yet... this very power was used in their final battle with the Kvef without losing another member of the Royal Family.

Someone else had been turned into a dragon and not just anyone. Someone very gifted... or someone very loyal to the Royal Family. Whoever it was, it was someone that surely held the empress's heart, which may have been what was given in exchange for using magic so comparable in power to its forbidden counterpart.

The typical gossip around the palace and the training grounds always spewed how the Empress was without a lover, let alone a love interest, but to Inaho that could not be the case. As she escorted him alone, without guards or advisors, clearly where they headed was a place where without question she would not be in danger. And as her expression grew heavy with each step, it was clear how routine the walk was to the empress.

Inaho could piece together when she had frequented these halls. After all, each time she would have to go through here, Asseylum would cut through the training grounds, especially if time was short.

“As expected,” Inaho confirmed when the two had reached a rather simplistic door... to the naked human eye.

To the trained sorcerer's eye, the door was far from simplistic or bare. Countless encryptions of various schools of magic snaked and contoured the door. Inaho had to reassess his opinion of the mysterious dragon. Perhaps it was really a purebred dragon. The most obvious runes Inaho could decipher made certain that no one except those with the Royal Family's blessing could enter, specifically only a Royal Family member could open this door.

“Inaho-san..?” The Empress had ended what seemed like an eternity of silence.

“Yes?”

Asseylum lowered her head and childishly kicked at the grass. The door had led into what seemed like a greenhouse. Surely the botanists were forced to accelerate the growth of countless greenery to make this place – a place that had only been constructed in the last few months.

Inaho waited patiently, for he knew at this point even proper etiquette would not bar them from having a conversation without consideration of their differing classes. He knew what Asseylum would say would be of her utmost sincerity.

“I know I had said if it was within my power to grant it, I would... I would like to reiterate that,” Asseylum began and looked up, her eyes no longer in distress and instead determined, “Dragons are not owned by anyone.”

“...”

“So Inaho, as much as I would like to grant your wish... as much as I would like you to do as you imply... I cannot guarantee it will come to pass,” Asseylum went on and looked away, now tapping her fingertips against one another.

She turned and seemed to press forward but stopped upon hearing Inaho following her. She shook her head, “Please wait Inaho-san. No one besides my physician and myself have entered since Heaven's Fall... I'll see if Slaine can see us today.”

“See us... today?”Inaho pondered, feeling a brow rise while he bowed his head in compliance, and watched the golden hair go deeper into the artificial forest.

Not too far, that is...

A few steps forward, Asseylum stopped and offered her hands; she had retrieved something from her pocket. Something silver glimmered in the sunlight. Something else glimmered too in response and the shine seemed to intensify. That something else was large.

The canopies of the trees shook as it moved forward, making way for what Inaho presumed was the dragon, and each passing moment, each passing ray of light that seeped, confirmed that presumption. Slender yet robust, strong limbs marched forward. Wings subdued to fit through the narrow clearing of the forest, were opaque yet transparent; it was a quandary as to how. The very appendages existed yet did not. Its authenticity as a real dragon seemed ever more clear. It was as if it danced between being a ghost and a physical entity. Only the dragon's scales upon its flesh quieted such suspicions; in the sun they shimmered and mirrored the daylight. Although the texture was scaly like an amphibian, its coloration mimicked that of ice. Seemingly white the further away from it’s body’s center, but pale blue like glaciers the closer. And as a final detail to render all of Inaho's suspicions naught – if the dragon was really a dragon or if the dragon was physically existing – it opened its azure eyes and gazed forward in Inaho's direction.

“Ina...”

“Inaho-san!”

Inaho blinked. He had been stunned at the sight of the dragon, which let out a small huff and laid down, crossing its front feet over one another. Asseylum had returned to his side and placed something around his neck. Inaho took hold of the item and noted a silver amulet with sapphires.

“Slaine has agreed for the time being,” Asseylum informed, “and with this medallion, you'll be able to bypass the security.”

The retired Terran Knight tilted his head while studying the amulet, “If that is the case, wouldn't that compromise the security outside?”

Asseylum was caught off guard by the question and chuckled, “Those runes were created and are maintained by Slaine. Once you've attuned to the amulet, there shouldn't be any problem.” The Empress looked to the dragon to confirm, who had lowered his head in the form of a nod.

“I see. I'll make certain to take care of this,” Inaho spoke and placed the amulet underneath his tunic to not bring unnecessary attention to it.

Asseylum nodded and started to make way towards the door. “You had better, Inaho-san! That is something very important to Slaine... if you lose it, I'm not quite sure I could save you.”

Inaho eyed the dragon who seemed to have narrowed its eyes at him.

“I take it I am better off not knowing what would be the consequences...”

The empress only offered a polite smile; she was implying for certain that was the case. “If you could Inaho-san, would you escort me back to my quarters? I fear it has grown late and Advisor Cruhteo tends to get... overly worried if I am not back.”

Inaho bowed, obliging to her indirect order, and took the lead... or so he thought.

As the door closed behind them, Inaho felt a tug on his sleeve and saw Asseylum's watery eyes.

“Please. Could you...” She began to ask before stopping, wiping some stray tears and walking forward, her composure as empress restored. “Sorry Inaho-san, please... if you could continue leading...”

Inaho took hold of the empress's hand, which had tugged him, and knelt on one knee, kissing that very hand. He looked up, making certain their eyes met and voiced, “I will, Seylum-san.”

He heard her words, which she dared not speak, as if it they were words lost in time, words forsaken from prayer or abandoned.

“Please save Slaine. Slaine Troyard. Save him from the chains of misery.”

Inaho gently squeezed one last time before continuing his escort, swearing to himself, “I will save your precious friend.”

==============

Vers Empire

Dragon's Keep

Three months later...

Inaho could feel the stares multiply and intensify each passing day as he now ventured the path many knights-in-training and senior knights attentively watched in hopes of seeing the empress. He dared not bother to listen to the pointless gossip, but he could easily predict the slanders being made behind his back. Also, he had already anticipated this... after all it wasn't exactly a secret that the Empress wanted to award the former commander of the frontlines. Such an award essentially made anything within reach, even the hand of the Empress in marriage.

As he reached the heavily enchanted door and waited to hear the locks and gears undo, Inaho could feel a small smile form. His heart grew heavy with nostalgia. He could imagine his friend Calm would have definitely pushed for that request, saying she was a 10/10, and Yuki-nee too would have supported him, thinking by doing such he would provide a cozy life. The door slowly opened and as the garden house's sunlight glare reached him, he hushed away such thoughts.

There was no marriage proposal as much as rumors may say. There was only an implicit promise he made with the empress and one he was certain to keep. It was perhaps the last thing he could do for her, now that he could no longer participate in the frontlines, where he was most suited for making tactical decisions.

Reaching a particular clearing, Inaho came face to face to the resident of the garden house, who seemed to have taken a dip in the nearby pond. The dragon's scales shone ever so brightly. Unfortunately such a refreshing experience did not extend to the dragon's eyes; they remained cloudy and glazed. Inaho had long accepted being greeted by such an expression. He had come to understand that this arrangement was only possible out of Asseylum's goodwill and friendship that they both shared. Albeit, Slaine was ignorant of the promise he and Asseylum had made, and Inaho planned to keep it that way.

Inaho sat and leaned against a tree, resting his new stack of tomes next to him and similarly the dragon sat before him, crossing his front legs with a yawn. They had yet to exchange words; oddly enough their attempts of talking made Inaho seem quite the conversationalist.... with himself. Surely the dragon did not exactly enjoy his company but just as much did not exactly loathe it either...

He took it back; Inaho was sure the dragon was more displeased with him whenever he dared share what he was reading, even if it was the dragon's initial curiosity that sparked Inaho's consideration to explain.

“Her Highness loaned me tomes from the archives. They cover the Kvef's Curse. It's rather peculiar how little has been done to try breaking the curse. There are plenty of records of what the curse looks like in its entirety, yet no one has deciphered it. That being said, it is in a foreign tongue, perhaps of old.”

The dragon did not like the subject matter and had left him alone in the garden.

Inaho tried another topic.

“I've heard of your past, Slaine Troyard. I had bumped into Count Saazbaum while at the Royal Library and asked how you were doing. He informed me that you once were a very promising mage, a protege in mobility and precognition magic, but as all Orbital Magi... you were a part of the first battle against the Kvef and--”

Slaine did not let him finish that tale. The dragon tail whipped Inaho off the tree and into the nearby pond. Talking about the dragon's former life as a human was a definite no-go it seemed.

And so now, the two spent their days in silence with only the sound of turning pages filling the air until the garden house walls became a hue of amber and crimson; the sun was setting outside. At that time, Inaho would take his leave.

This time though he was rather slow in his steps; another day he gained nothing new from the tomes. He had made no progress the past month towards finding a way to break the curse. Inaho sighed as he recollected his most recent conversation with the empress.

“Inaho-san... Aldnoah normally kills the bearer of the power after releasing the entirety of their mana--”

“Heaven's Fall,” Inaho cut to the chase.

Asseylum nodded and elaborated, “It is due to the curse that he somehow still lives... however I can only imagine that means...”

“He is to remain a Dragon.”

Moments before he reached the door, Inaho turned to the sound of the dragon's movements. It nudged its head at him several times; eventually Inaho discerned what the dragon was trying to tell him. Its gaze remained fixed on the silver amulet Inaho still wore around his neck.

“You want this back?” Inaho asked while maintaining eye contact with the dragon. Inaho grasped the amulet, considering that the dragon could possibly use magic to retrieve it without his consent.

The dragon nodded.

“Why?” Inaho questioned, “Explain and I will consider.”

Slaine looked away and deeply exhaled. The dragon seemed to find this entire discussion cumbersome, but he obliged to Inaho's demands. Slaine approached a little bit closer and inhaled before blowing a gentle gust of wind. It was more than that.

The wind was enchanted and sound waves themselves had been sealed in that wind.

“That snotty retiree is going there again. He surely killed his entire brigade to gain the Empress's favor.”

“I can't stand him! What makes him think he can continuously walk past us like he's above us?”

“How about we--”

Inaho waved his free hand through the gust, silencing the stored gossip, and sternly looked at the dragon.

“Mere rumors will not stop my pursuit in curing you,” Inaho proclaimed.

Slaine huffed once again in his exquisite way of displeasure, yet found it entirely expected of the retired Terran Knight. The dragon once more retreated back into its artificial haven of greenery as its visitor left.

==============

Corridor Outside Dragon's Keep

Three days later...

The jealous senior knights had finally acted upon their schemes and ambushed him shortly after leaving the garden house. Quite literally as he was leaving. The very door had yet to close, and from there Inaho heard a sad howl from within. It was unfortunate that things had ended up this way.

“Slaine cannot come through that tunnel. He is too large and I am overpowered and outnumbered.” Inaho thought and closed his eyes. “This looks like the end.” He never really considered his end much until now. At most he considered his death out on the battle field, sudden and without warning.

Now he regretted not being better prepared for such a fate. Or if he was to meet this end, that he had been so close to the dragon. Slaine had already gone through so much suffering; Inaho did not want to add more to that... and yet he was going to.

“I'm sorry Sl--”

Inaho grit his teeth as he landed harshly on the ground. The people that had held him were pushed aside. Upon opening his eye slowly, he felt his jaw drop. A creature resembling a dragon and human stood in front of him. Silver wings and scales adorned a pale teenage boy with unkempt ashen blond hair.

“Slaine?!”

“What is that thing?!”

“Kargh... Kai...” The creature tried to say and turned. It was clear how Slaine was inept at changing into a human form. He still had teeth of a dragon and was unaccustomed to using vocal cords.

“Get them!” The swordsman yelled as he got back on his feet.

Slaine grit his teeth.

“Dragon Roar--” Inaho quickly recognized and immediately cast a grounding spell on himself.

The thunderous roar blew the four men onto the wall with such force that they fell onto the ground unconscious. Slaine fell to his knees and shuddered, complexion pale and soon biting on his fingers.

“No-no-no. I di- naught-” Slaine stammered.

Inaho struggled to stand and limped to each of the unconscious men.

“It's all right Slaine. They are just knocked out.” Inaho informed and turned to see the dragon-human hybrid sigh in relief.

“Th-th... ank... hank... God. Good. Nus. Ness.” Slaine slowly tried to say as he caught his breath.

Inaho approached Slaine and grasped either side of his arms. His skin was definitely that of a human yet with some scales of a dragon. For an incomplete transformation, the human aspect was well done. If anything perhaps, Slaine was not entirely willing to complete his transformation due to thinking he would need more strength to go against the four.

Inaho tilted his head as he noticed Slaine look away, biting his lower lip which immediately bled red.

“Let me help you,” Inaho offered, approaching Slaine and extending a hand already preparing a healing spell.

Slaine's eyes widened as he saw the blood drip and then looked at Inaho with utmost fear. The hybrid creature shoved Inaho away and stood up.

“STAY AWAY!” Slaine yelled without considering he had subconsciously used his Dragon Roar. Thankfully it was not a full blown roar and only caused Inaho to fall onto his bottom.

“Slaine!” Inaho yelled and mindlessly ran around the greenhouse looking for the dragon.

==============

There was still no sign of the silver creature.

Inaho slowed down to catch his breath. “He hasn't returned to his dragon form. Otherwise I'd have found him by now.” Inaho assessed.

He resumed his search at a slower pace. This time he considered going to the places where Slaine would consider out of his reach.

“Ahh... Hahh...”

Or he didn't have to.

Inaho broke into a run at the sound and found the hybrid form grasping at grass near the artificial pond. As he neared the creature lying on the ground, Inaho could see the head of ashen blond hair turn and glaring ocean green eyes peer at him.

“Slaine--”

Slaine tried to stand once again but struggled to remain on all fours and was about to fall over again. This time Inaho caught him, and he immediately tried to break free.

“Slaine. Calm down.”

Slaine grit his teeth. Inaho could see that he was about to do another roar and in turn, hugged the dragon tightly while haphazardly trying to cast a grounding spell.

“Leg.. Let... Go...” Slaine begged before groaning again. Inaho could see the reason why his companion was in pain. The transformation into a human was delayed. The dragon-like claws adorning Slaine's hands and feet had subsided into that of a human.

“I-I'm... dirty... You... need... to...” Slaine mumbled.

“He's barely staying awake for this. He didn't allow this transformation to happen instantly to spare him of this--” Inaho thought until seeing Slaine try to cast magic.

“HEY!” Inaho exclaimed. His loud voice shocked Slaine, who looked at him, frozen.

Inaho could see the fear in the dragon's eyes and took a deep breath; he didn't mean to scare him. He let go of Slaine momentarily and removed his outer robe, wrapping it around Slaine.

“Don't... Relax, no one can see us here.”

Slaine hesitantly grasped at the cloth, once again looking away. “But...”

“I won't tell. Now...” Inaho once more embraced Slaine, leaning back onto a tree. “Rest for a bit.”

He could feel Slaine tense momentarily.

“You interrupted the transformation for my sake and you can't utilize your mana precisely to reverse it now.”

Slaine tried to rise himself up from Inaho's chest but Inaho only tightened the embrace. Slaine's shrinking dragon wings trembled underneath the cloth. Inaho rested a hand on the back of Slaine's head, patting Slaine.

“Sleep for a bit. I'll help you transform back afterward. I promised to take care of you, didn't I?”

He could feel Slaine tense again yet slowly Slaine relented, giving in.

“Don't... let... er... see...” Slaine mumbled before his head leaned entirely on Inaho.

After a few moments, Inaho could tell the dragon transforming human had fallen asleep.

“I don't think I can avoid that, Slaine...” Inaho thought. He could only conclude how a dragon had red blood – he had been transformed by the power of Aldnoah.

And...

Inaho sighed when seeing the head of a particular golden blond enter his sight. It was as if fate was not on their side today.

“No matter what I do, Slaine will still be visible to Seylum,” Inaho discerned. Slaine after all was imbued with Aldnoah and as Seylum was the magus of Aldnoah, he could never escape her sight. Regardless of how fruitless however, Inaho still obliged Slaine's demand. Inaho could at least say he tried when casting the highest invisibility spell that he could on the two of them.

========================================

=III; Amber=

-Slaine-

Vers Empire

Unknown Bedroom Chambers

Unknown Time

“... I advise we--”

“Your Highness, your presence is required in the Main Study--”

“Ah is it already that time of day? I'm sorry Inaho-san, I will have to leave the current state of affairs to you.”

Two sets of footsteps became further distant to Slaine's exceptionally acute hearing while another set tried to be as subdued as possible when proceeding towards him.

Slaine slowly opened his eyes. His body felt heavy and abnormally warm.

“That's right... I... I tried a transformation spell on myself...” Slaine recollected when seeing his left arm stretched out

He tried to get up by bringing his formerly flailed left arm towards him and under the pillow but his body would not oblige. Slaine couldn't deny it; he never dreamt to sleep in a normal bed again-

Slaine's eyes opened abruptly just as the bedroom door creaked open; Inaho had walked in.

He shouldn't be in a bed in the first place!

Slaine tried once more to stand up yet his efforts were fruitless. He only fell back onto the bed face forward.

“I'm sorry Slaine but you cannot escape Seylum's sight.”

Slaine grit his teeth; of course she would find him regardless of whatever stunt Inaho could have pulled. Slaine berated himself for not having tried to return to his original form--

“However seeing how your complexion is vastly better than before, I think it was a good move to put you in bed,” Inaho assessed, now at Slaine's side and gently brushing Slaine's left cheek.

“Don't- don't touch me.” Slaine hissed weakly. He was not at all convincing. Why did he feel so weak, and everything so laborsome?

“Sorry,” Inaho apologized and withdrew his hand, except this time bringing the covers back over Slaine's back. It was only then that Slaine could feel the cold air against his skin. He could no longer feel a breeze underneath his wings yet the sensation of having wings remained; they must almost be entirely withdrawn into his shoulder blades now.

“She...” Slaine began upon realizing something even more pressing, though he couldn't bring himself to say more. He could feel the cold shudder trail up his spine; it was a deathly fear he had not felt in an unspeakable amount of time. It paralyzed him to no end.

Inaho seemed to have noticed something was wrong as he again behaved against Slaine's verbal demands; he turned to running his hand through Slaine's hair, which was somehow soothing. Slaine felt like someone had once done this to him long, long ago.

“Don't worry. She didn't. I assure you.”

Slaine sighed in relief and readjusted his head on the pillow. He needed to not be so easily pacified by Inaho. Inaho should beckon to his call, not the other way around.

“I need to go back to my original form.” Slaine cut to the chase. He tried to reassess his mana flow and was displeased to notice how chaotic his control was even after resting for an unknown amount of time.

“You are in your original form.” Inaho commented.

Slaine came to a standstill and slowly stared at Inaho; it became clear that Inaho had stepped on a landmine, yet he was determined to continue on this topic. Inaho elaborated, thankfully before Slaine considered perhaps another haphazard Dragon's Roar.

“Seylum told me about you being originally human.”

“Was. I am a dragon. This is nothing more than a temporary--” Slaine tried to sound convincing and formed fists with his hands.

“Your mana flow is less chaotic--”

“NONSENSE!” Slaine yelled before coughing. He had incidentally used a bit of his dragon voice in his uproar.

“Easy.” Inaho reminded and rubbed Slaine's back.

“Non... sense...” Slaine rasped before retreating into the fluffy pillow. “You said... you'd help me turn back...” Slaine reminded as a jab.

“I can if that is what you really wish.” Inaho was quick to respond.

“I should not be here. I am a weapon for this kingdom to ensure its safety. If the Kvef--” Slaine stopped. Again that icy feeling was coming back. He needed to go back.

The cold.

The darkness creeping in.

The inaudible fearful cry.

“Slaine?” Slaine could hear the chair behind Inaho skid back and topple over. The familiar crackling of ice could be heard. It was happening again after so long.

Slaine whimpered as he gripped the pillow tightly. A crackle there. A crackle here. He grit his teeth for each crackle was accompanied by a slash of ice freezing the very veins of his back, encasing his internal organs in frigidness.

“This is--”

“Turn me back. Please. Now! Make it stop!” Slaine cried. He didn't care. He ran through the chant he once recollected.

“Slaine don't--”

He could recollect the runes of the ritual. The day of back then, the day he had consented to being turned. He was no longer a human. He was subhuman. He had been touched by a Kvef.

“STOP!” Inaho exclaimed.

Slaine held his stifling breath but gulped. The pain was too much. The fear was too gripping. As much as he wished to do what Inaho asked, it was overbearing. Slaine gasped when he shuddered. Something warm crept upon him. He could feel his joints relax and his will dissipate the longer the warmth settled upon him. His breath was taken away when he heard the words he could never forget. Slowly, Slaine rose and turned to Inaho, much like he had done that day before being forced to flip over. Halfheartedly, Slaine anticipated gazing once more upon blue orbs belonging to a Kvef. His heart skipped in fear; the sound of freezing water vapor arrived, became so much louder. The fright of being encased in ice and useless upon the bed like that long forsaken night came to mind.

His life as a human had long ended. If he were to dare try, to dare consider remaining human, he would surely become one of them – the enemy – and if not, be fated once more to wait to the end of his days until finally he would succumb to the chilling hand of death.

He needed to return to being a dragon. In his mind, Slaine could recollect the golden runes that spun and blinded him at the altar before. He no longer needed Asseylum to cast the spell, as he had become a conduit of the very scriptures she recited.

… Yet he could not bring himself to mentally recite. It was as if the humming and Inaho's struggling yet gradually improving recitation of the Kvef's curse debilitated him, and he couldn't help falling back to the bed, succumbing to wakeful weariness.

“What... are... you... what have you..?” Slaine tried to ask but now keeping his eyes open was becoming hard.

“For the last several weeks I've been trying to make sense of the Kvef's language, and after seeing the curse firsthand, I now know how to break it,” Inaho elaborated.

Slaine tried to get up again only to feel Inaho press down once more on his back. Inaho had been gently massaging his back. It made little to no sense to him how he was not retreating from Inaho's touch, since before he had transformed and when he was still entirely human, he could barely tolerate the mere air of the room; the medical ward would soon have rendered his room a miniature ice castle if he had continued to remain there. However that seemed no longer the case.

“Don't...” Slaine again tried to fruitlessly tell Inaho to stop touching him; as much as Slaine welcomed the warmth he could only imagine that the curse spread by physical contact.

“Not until you go back to sleep. You need to rest and allow your mana settle,” Inaho refuted, “Don't worry; the curse is not contagious as you think it is.”

“Then-- ” Slaine tried to continue the conversation only to be interrupted by his own yawn.

Inaho finally stopped rubbing Slaine's back and tucked him under the covers once again. Slaine could feel the bed dip upwards; Inaho must have been sitting at his bedside but now knelt before him to look him in the eye.

Inaho persisted, “Sleep. We can discuss the curse in more intricate detail later.” Slaine couldn't help but comply as he could no longer keep his eyes open. Even the momentary shock could not keep him mentally awake. Perhaps it was a dream though; in all the time Slaine had spent with Inaho in the garden not once did he see Inaho smile – not like right now as he closed his eyes.

…

Slaine awoke to the sound of dishes and tableware clanking.

“Sorry. Did I wake you?” Inaho asked after settling down a wooden tray.

“N-no...” Slaine blurted before reaching for his throat.

His eyes momentarily widened as he began to recollect what had recently come to pass. A mirror was placed on the wall behind Inaho, and Slaine could see his reflection. He was still human.

“Think you can sit up?” Inaho queried and approached Slaine.

“Oh... yes...” Slaine mumbled and slowly leaned on his elbows; he had slept like a log, and had woken up still face forward on the comfortable pillow.

As he sat up, Inaho readjusted the pillow and the blankets for Slaine to comfortably sit against the bed mantle. Slaine noticed Inaho head to a closet and retrieve a tunic, as upon sitting up Slaine had hugged himself for warmth.

“Bring your arms up,” Inaho stated.

Slaine blushed and simply extended his right hand, “I-I can put it on. Just tell me what you did... I shouldn't be--”

Slaine swallowed hard; a spike of absolute cold surged up his spine. His offered hand faltered back to his side, once more he hugged himself for warmth.

“Your arms. Up,” Inaho repeated and again Slaine had to give in.

With the beige tunic rolling down his arms and his head peeking out, Inaho tugged at the bottom before presenting the wooden tray on Slaine's lap. Slaine's brow twisted when he noticed the mushroom soup was freshly made and the bread appeared soft, definitely also baked within the last day or two.

“Inaho, I--” Slaine grimaced as he swallowed hard and touched his forehead. He could remember the last time he faced a meal such as this. He could remember how he immediately--

Inaho sat on his bedside and cut a piece of the bread. He then brought the piece of bread to Slaine's mouth. “Don't think about it and eat,” Inaho again spoke in a rather annoying manner.

Slaine opened his mouth to speak only to be silenced when the bread was forced into his mouth. Immediately, he bit down and swallowed. “Kaizuka--” Slaine tried to continue what he had originally intended to say but was again at a loss of words. He could feel the bread go down his throat without impediment.

“Kaizuka--”

“Inaho,” Inaho corrected and insisted, sighing as he cut another piece of bread and this time lathered it with some jam.

“Inaho... what exactly did you do?” Slaine finally managed to question and with hesitant hands, took the recently cut piece of bread.

“Bölvun hafði verið kastað

Forever greip í dauðum hendi fortíðinni

ótta hans voru að nokkru endast” Inaho recited as Slaine nearly dropped the bread.

“Y-yes I know that spell incantation,” Slaine confirmed; he presumed that was what Inaho implicitly was asking as Inaho stared silently.

Inaho tilted his head, crossed his arms and asked, “What do you think it means?”

“Considering the physical aspects...” Slaine mumbled to himself while stirring the soup, “it may be obvious to say this, but it is definitely ice in nature...”

Slaine chuckled to himself, berating his rather rudimentary answer. He reckoned if it was years ago – however long it had been since he last walked the halls of the Orbital Magi – he would have offered a far more insightful response. The tomes of yore were then more fresh in his mind compared to now. Now he felt he had only – barely and recently – walked out of a dense and thick fog, somehow.

“Yes but the words themselves deal nothing with ice,” Inaho informed, “from what I can decipher, they are more...”

Inaho seemed to pause oddly and Slaine raised an eyebrow. “More..?”

“Emotional,” Inaho supplied. Slaine groaned as he could see why Inaho had held back. “And considering your response to the rebound spell, I think it is a sound assessment.”

“What exactly were you able to decipher of the Kvef's language?” Slaine implored and loudly let the spoon fall into the empty bowl.

Inaho detoured as the sound brought his attention to the bowl. “It seems your appetite after all this time is still intact,” Inaho said as if to confirm his assessment.

“...” Slaine blushed while wiping his mouth with the napkin.

“How was the soup?”

“...” Slaine shifted his eyes, debating how to respond, “... It was delicious.”

“And the bread?”

“Crumbly but more...” Slaine stared at the remaining strawberry jam. Something about this was different than the soup, “fulfilling to eat.”

Inaho smiled again and this time Slaine was certain he was awake. He could feel his ears turn red when Inaho took the wooden tray away. “I'll make certain to inform Seylum you liked her bread.”

“Seylum--” Slaine repeated before berating Inaho, “Don't address Her Highness so casually!”

Unfortunately, such scolding fell to deaf ears as the door to the bedroom shut behind Inaho.

==============

Vers Empire

Royal Garden

Few weeks later...

“It'll be fine,” Inaho attempted to reassure, standing at the bottom of the stairs. Unfortunately, his emotionless face and flat tone failed.

Slaine stood at the palace entrance towards the staircase leading to the backyard of the Royal Palace. Spring had arrived and he come to realize it had been almost two years since he was cursed. Inaho walked back up the stairs and offered his hand to Slaine, who still remained hesitant, perhaps frozen in place.

“Slaine...” Inaho began. His crimson eye seemed to pierce Slaine, peering and most likely after weeks of cohabitation could decipher his behavior. It worked both ways however and he knew if he did not move--

“We can try this another day, Slaine. We don't have to rush,” Inaho continued and Slaine could slowly see Inaho take back his offered hand.

“N-no. Sooner we get this over with, the sooner we'll know... we'll know the extent of your rebound spell,” Slaine countered, gulping and tightly squeezing Inaho's hand.

Inaho pulled him forward, causing Slaine to stumble out of the doorway and under direct sunlight. They did not move a step more, much to Slaine's surprise. Slaine had anticipated that Inaho twouldhave continued further... considering he originally waited downstairs.

“Well?”

Slaine blinked. “Ah... uhm...” Slaine regained his bearings and started gazing towards the sun, before looking back at his exposed skin. There was no sign of sunburn and he wasn't feeling any sense of discomfort. “I-I think I am fine,” Slaine whispered; he was thoroughly surprised and began to hope-- he shook his head. It was too early.

Inaho could see his struggle and tightened his grip, entwining his fingers around Slaine's. He led them down the stairs, where they began to take a stroll through the blossoming trees. It was surely one of the best days of spring.

“Let's try walking the perimeter of the garden. You may only be able to tolerate being outside like this for a set duration,” Inaho considered.

“True but if we tread too far--”

“Don't worry. I have a teleportation charm prepared by Doctor Yagarai if it comes down to it,” Inaho cut Slaine off.

“Th-thank you for your consideration,” Slaine mumbled and tried to enjoy the sight. The view of the falling petals, the warmth of the sun rays and the fresh air was exhilarating.

Slaine could feel his eyes water when the further away they went from the palace, nothing was happening to him. No sensation of the debilitating cold was gripping him – a condition Inaho simply termed 'the frost'-- and the reality of once more living the life he swore had ended, was becoming more and more possible.

They eventually had looped the Royal Gardens three times before Inaho finally stopped at a small stall, where the palace staff were fixing small snacks for the gardeners. Inaho managed to sneak some hard boiled eggs and tea, which he took to a nearby tree. There, the two sat down and snacked.

“No change?” Inaho asked, finally breaking what seemed like hours of silence.

Slaine was in the middle of chewing and simply nodded in response.

“That's promising. Tomorrow we can see if may be any sunburns magically appear before we can finally declare we can finally creed that the rebound spell can be tested on other cursed victims.”

Finishing the boiled egg and taking hold of the tea cup, Slaine asked, “That reminds me Inaho, you never elaborated what you did – this rebound spell you speak of. Also, I think it may be too early to consider. Your first target wasn't entirely... human.”

“True. You are a human imbued with Aldnoah and humans normally do not carry a dragon's worth of mana,” Inaho commented, inadvertently sidestepping Slaine's question.

“...”

Inaho could see in the corner of his remaining eye Slaine's frustration and Inaho closed his eye for a moment before answering, “It's not necessarily a spell.”

“Not.. a spell?”

Slaine's eyebrow rose just as Inaho expected. “The curse causes wounds similar to those caused by ice magic but... the curse does not inflict those wounds through ice magic, rather when a condition is met.”

Inaho looked up to the tree's canopy and remained silent.

“What condition?” Slaine exasperatedly asked. Even Slaine had a limit to his patience.

“I'll tell you if you answer me,” Inaho said.

Slaine sighed and rested the tea cup on his lap. “What is it, Kaizuka Inaho?”

“If you could continue your life as a human, what would you do?”

Slaine blinked, his expression becoming surprised and blank before falling sullen. He bitterly smiled. “You shouldn't ask me something that's impossible.”

“I beg to differ, but perhaps you don't want to know the entirety of the curse.”

Slaine furrowed his brow; clearly Inaho was playing with him. “I'd like to... see the North.”

Inaho remained silent, still gazing to the canopy, or so he let Slaine believe. He could see Slaine was once again becoming lost in his thoughts. Little did Slaine know how in such moments his smiles were true and he resembled the precious friend that Seylum had told Inaho about multiple times during Inaho's days training as a Terran Knight tales of the lowborn gaining a place among the Orbital Magi, the highest honor for a magus.

“Even after all that has happened to me... I can't help thinking how beautiful the land seemed afar. The slopes of ice undisturbed and the sky entirely filled with starlight. No sign of light pollution for all to admire the constellations and...” Slaine paused as he chuckled and peered at Inaho, who he had now caught staring at him, “after hearing you repeat that god forsaken curse so many times these past few weeks, I dare say the Kvef's language sounds eloquent and elegant. I can only imagine what those words mean.”

“I see.”

“Now Kaizuka Inaho, what was the condition for the wounds?”

“Fear.”

“I see.”

“...”

“The rebound spell... you wouldn't mean...”

“That's right. To counter the curse, I would have to be curious about y--”

Slaine had blushed, becoming rosy pink on his cheeks as he slapped Inaho. “No way!” Slaine spoke in a loud voice, clearly in denial and stood up, storming back towards the palace.

Inaho got up, taking their teacups and commented, “Perhaps we don't need to worry about sunburns tomorrow.”

“SHUT UP INAHO!” Slaine yelled before breaking into a run.

==============

Vers Empire

Royal Library

Few months later...

“Slaine,” someone called for him.

Slaine finished putting back the book on the shelf before heading back down the ladder. He knew who was waiting for him below.

“How are you feeling?” Inaho asked.

Slaine sighed, now long exhausted from Inaho's constant attention, “I'm fine now. It's been weeks, Inaho, since I last felt the frost, so go back to being retired. The records have become disorderly since the last time I was here. Count Saazbaum will--”

“Will have to find a new librarian.”

Slaine blinked, to which Inaho sighed and retrieved a rolled parchment. Taking the rolled parchment, Slaine began to read its content and with each word his eyes widened, every so often looking up to Inaho and back to the parchment:

“As of this day forward, Kaizuka Inaho has been appointed Dragon Knight and will accompany Dragon Magus Slaine Troyard to investigate the Northern Lands.”

“You’ve got to be joking,” Slaine blurted.

“We are to be on our way before daybreak,” Inaho informed, taking Slaine's hand and dragging him out of the library.

“Wait! I have to inform--”

“I have already told the count of the developments and he wishes the best for us,” Inaho interjected.

It was when they were outside the library, in one of the less busy corridors, that Slaine finally came to halt and removed his hand from Inaho's, forcing Inaho to look back. “Inaho you do know that means...” Slaine began and shifted his eyes elsewhere, away from Inaho.

“It is unknown when we will return, but Seylum has said to consider it an early Honeymoon--”

Slaine turned bright red and fumed, “Honey-honey moon?!”

Inaho did not elaborate, only offering again that small smile that appeared more frequent, and proceeded back to their shared quarters.

“Kaizuka Inaho! Explain yourself! What is the meaning of that?!” Slaine yelled, running to catch up to the newly-appointed dragon knight.

They were in for a long trip.

-Fin

#aldnoah zero secret santa 2016 #aldnoah.zero #that's quite long #the present wasn't late #I was #sorry

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