"Pfft-" Micheal started laughing and only as he wiped the tears from his eyes did he see the concerned expressions on both Jeanne and his mothers face. He smiled, still chuckling, and glanced back at the mirror,
"I'm fine by the way. Just- I realized as soon as I said 'King Arthurs Enemy' that technically speaking I already won that particular fight… not that I intend on fighting her for real anytime soon. I get the distinct impression that she would wipe the floor with me."
He turned around and put his hands into his pockets as he began to explore the vault. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that both Jeanne and his mother were keeping a careful distance. As he walked up to an old executioners sword from the French Revolution he finally sighed and turned around to face them making them both jump,
"Will you both stop acting like this? I could have been descended from Jesus and it wouldn't change who I am or how I act." He said annoyed as both women just looked at each other. Eventually Amelia spoke slowly,
"Micheal...You need to understand something. If you are, by coincidence, truly the direct descendant of Morgan le Fay then…. That means that you potentially have the same abilities as she did…"
He cocked an eyebrow and looked from Amelia to Jeanne who swallowed nervously,
"Okay. Mom being nervous that I might start pulling faerie magic out of my ass I understand. Why are you acting like this?"
Jeanne froze and she opened her mouth to speak, closed it, then opened it again,
"I…. Are you sure you feel alright? I… can't help but feel like something's changed in the time before we all saw what we saw and now."
Micheal tilted his head back and closed his eyes as he scanned himself. Immediately he sensed something was wrong. He frowned, walked over to a set of ornate daggers, and tried to activate his eyes. He felt mana being drawn into him again but his eyes didn't activate like they usually did.
"Thats… bizarre…. I can't activate my eyes…"
He held out his hand and stared at it, his frown deepening. It felt like something did activate but whatever it was it was entirely separate from the feeling he normally had when he activated his eyes. If anything it felt like-
"Micheal…?" He heard from behind him and he turned to look at his mother whose mouth fell open. He blinked at her as Jeanne's eyes widened,
"...Okay. Both of you can't go all silent with surprise. One of you talk. Whats wrong with me this time?"
Amelia glanced at Jeanne and then narrowed her eyes at Micheal who felt a chill run down his spine,
"There's nothing wrong with your eyes right now Micheal. [lie]"
Micheal blinked and held a hand up to the side of his head, closing his eyes as the sensation that he somehow saw a lie went through his brain. He cut the mana to his eyes causing the feeling to fade and when he looked back at them, they both visibly relaxed.
"What- How- Why…."
"One of the myths about Morgan le Fay is that she could 'see through falsehoods' so trying to lie to her would always fail. What did you see when I lied to you just now?"
"It was like… my brain tacked on the word 'lie' to the end of your statement without any input from me."
"….Micheal. Have you turned off your eyes?"
"Yeah I… I think I have." He shook his head and looked around.
"Well… if there was any doubt before…" Jeanne said trailing off as her face morphed one of horror.
"Jeanne? Whats wrong?" Micheal asked concerned, taking a step forward as Jeanne opened her mouth to respond but Amelia quickly intervened stepping inbetween the two of them blocking his view of her. She looked up at him and he blinked seeing she had started channeling her mana as if she was preparing to fight him,
"Micheal I need your word as a Lafaire that you won't ever use your new eyes on myself, Jeanne, or anyone you consider an ally, friend, or family."
"Done."
He agreed immediately and noticed that Jeanne visibly sagged forward to lean into Amelias back in relief. He decided to not say anything,
Whatever it is I know she'll tell me eventually. I'd like to think we have that level of trust.
They stood there in silence for a bit before Micheal grinned and found himself bouncing on his feet a bit,
"Can I look around more? There is so much cool stuff in here!"
Jeanne snorted a single laugh and Amelia gave him a tired smile as she shook her head,
"Never change Micheal. Never change. Come on. We need to go back up to the main floor."
Micheal grumbled a bit but followed both his mom and Jeanne to the elevator. A few minutes later they were stepping out onto the main floor when Micheal felt something was off. He paused and tried to trace the feeling only to notice that the start of the trace wasn't coming from one specific part of him like it usually did but rather it came from his whole body as if it was an antenna receiving a radio signal.
"Micheal?" Jeanne turned around, "Whats wrong?"
"Shhh." he said walking quickly to the front of the house as Amelia and Jeanne both followed him. He got to the entrance way and looked around narrowing his eyes.
"There's… something there. But-"
Jeanne folded her arms and gave him a look,
"If I didn't sense anything then there is no way you could have. I'm literally a giant mass of mana. I'd-" She froze midsentence as Micheal looked towards the front door. They both swapped places so she was in front of him without saying a word as Jeanne summoned her sword while he summoned Blessed Hellfire in its pistol form,
"Okay since you sensed it first… what is it Mr. le Fay?" Jeanne said as she began to let off mana in preparation to fight,
"...Like a fragment of a single soul that is somehow also its own soul." he said glaring at the back of her head at her impromptu nickname for him before looking back at the door.
There was silence for a few seconds and then,
"You both do know that I have a better idea of who it is than either of you since I'm tied directly into the wards right?"
Jeanne visibly winced and Micheal tried to hide his embarrassment as he turned around to look at his mother who just arched an eyebrow at them,
"Your formation work is splendid by the way. However it seems like you both are still very much in 'Grail War mode' for lack of a better term. Now then if you'll excuse me…. I have to greet the Churches ambassador."
Micheal blinked as Amelia walked forward past them both right as the doorbell rang. He was about to open his mouth to ask what the hell Amelia was talking about when she opened the door and standing on the front porch-
"MICHEAL!" Suddenly he was tackled backwards at the knees as something small and purple shot forward through the door knocking him onto the floor and blowing the air out of his lungs. Micheal quickly breathed back in and gingerly angled his head up to see a head of purple hair with matching purple eyes on top of him,
"Sakura!?" Jeanne asked in disbelief and Micheal fully understood her confusion. The poor girl they had rescued from that pit had turned into someone who was all smiles and bright eyes. Micheal levered himself up onto his elbows causing Sakura to slide down his chest a bit,
"...You are Micheal right?" she asked nervously.
"Yep." Micheal said smiling and rubbing the top of her head, "I changed a bit but I'm still Micheal Lafaire. Although I have several questions namely how are you this fluent in English? Its barely been two months!"
Sakura closed her mouth with a snap and looked away as she slid off of Micheals sternum. He sat up properly and finally saw everyone else that had come through the door. Desmond was looking at him with pride enough for three people while-
"I see I came at an inopportune time Madam Lafaire. I can come back at a later date if you so wish."
Micheal glanced at Jeanne and she nodded pulling on her necklace to show she was wearing the mystic code before he looked back at the old man wearing plain church robes standing just outside the doorway and narrowed his eyes. He didn't need to have his saint origin or to activate his eyes for him to know he needed to get as far away from the man as fast as possible. He caught Amelias eye and she subtly nodded,
"Come on Sakura," He said standing up, "I'm sure Jeanne and I both want to hear how you've been doing."
He gave Jeanne a look and she quickly understood what he was doing,
"How about we all go to the kitchen. I've learned to cook quite a bit since you last saw us."
Sakura blinked and looked at Jeanne before breaking into another smile and running over to her at a normal speed. Jeanne bent down and picked up the girl as Micheal looked at his mom and noticed she was bouncing the heel of her shoe in what seemed to be a random pattern. Immediately understanding the message he turned around and followed Jeanne down the hallway to the kitchen.
####
"And thats what I've been learning in school!" Sakura said happily as she put everything away into her backpack, "Amelia's been trying to teach me your families super secret magic stuff as well but it just… doesn't make any sense…."
Micheal smiled and nodded knowingly,
"Let me guess: She has you memorizing music notation and magical theory at the same time?"
"YES." Sakura said exasperated.
Micheal tried his best not to laugh as he remembered the crash course he had gone through coming out of his coma. Instead he had an idea,
"How about this: Next time we're both free I'll take you down to the sound studio and show you what it looks like when someones gotten really good at it."
Sakura tilted her head at him confused,
"But how can you do that when you don't have magic circuits?"
Micheal froze as Jeanne choked on her drink,
"Sakura how-"
"You…. have a different feeling to be around…. I think…." She said scrunching up her face as she tried to explain, "Before you were super bright and shiny and your mana felt like a super warm and comfy blanket…. but now you're more… like… a forest. You know how I helped you with your super gun?"
Micheal nodded making sure to memorize everything that she was saying,
"I did that by… borrowing some of your bright and shiny stuff and moving it through me into the super gun. I don't know how I knew how to do it though…."
Silence for a few beats and then,
"Sakura?" Micheal turned to look at Jeanne at the same time Sakura did. She smiled and knelt down to Sakuras eye level, "How did you know that Micheal lost his circuits and what did you mean when you said he was a 'forest'? What kind of forest does he feel like?"
Micheal's eyes widened but he stayed quiet as Sakura thought.
Whatever origin and attribute this kid has it has to be something absurd for her to be able to notice all of this by just looking at me
He refocused as Sakura looked at him and tilted her head while frowning a little,
"Well he's less bright and shiny now…. and the feeling his mana had is gone too…. whats replaced it feels like… standing at the edge of a massive forest thats super old with lots of light and dark patches in it…. it doesn't feel… mean but it also doesn't… feel kind either. I'm sorry I can't explain better. Amelia's been helping me learn English and I've been learning super quick but a lot of the bigger words are tough and I don't know how to use them…."
Micheal shook his head and smiled at her reaching out to rub the top of her head,
"Its more than fine Sakura. Don't worry about it. Whatever happens I'll always be the same Micheal you know, okay?"
Sakura nodded and smiled at him when they heard Desmond calling for her. She waved bye to both of them and ran off. As the door closed behind her Micheals leg finally gave out as he swore and tried to catch himself on something. Jeanne jumped to catch him and carried him over to a chair,
"Its not broken is it?"
"No… just really fucking bruised…" Micheal growled out as he gently touched the area, "That level of mana control at her age is fucking absurd…."
"That wasn't a specialized type of magic was it?" Jeanne asked as she went to get some crushed ice at his direction, "I managed to track her but I'm pretty sure neither you or Amelia could."
She came back with crushed ice in a bag and handed it to him. He gingerly raised his leg onto the table sitting in front of the chairs and placed the bag of ice over his knee hissing as he did so,
"That was just simple reinforcement magic…. and she nearly blew out my knee using it."
"You can tell?"
"I've had similar happen during my training after coming out of my coma. I basically lived in the infirmary for those two and a half years." He said gingerly moving the bag to ice another spot. Several minutes later the door opened and Amelia came in looking thoroughly pissed,
"You're not mad at me I hope." Micheal said warily only for her to shake her head and grab a bottle of wine from the rack mounted to the ceiling. She grabbed a glass as well and stared at it before groaning and just popping the cork off the bottle. She took a long drink from the bottle as she moved to sit down next to him but opposite Jeanne.
"Mad at you? No. Not in the slightest. You held up with that injury remarkably well." She said gesturing at his knee with the bottom of the bottle. She took another small drink and then set the bottle down onto the table before leaning back into her chair. There was silence for a few seconds,
"That god damned mother fucking syphilitic CUNT OF A RAT."
Micheal and Jeanne both jumped at Amelias yelling. She glanced at both of them and her face paled,
"Okay I know I've been cursing a lot around the two of you but please understand I've been under a lot of stress worrying about both of you and the grail war on top of my normal Brand duties. I still do not condone cursing."
Micheal smiled dryly and arched an eyebrow,
"Honestly its been a nice change of pace to hear you offer your full unfiltered opinion. So feel free to keep doing so. I've learned a lot so far."
Jeanne snorted a single laugh and then busied herself with a magazine as Amelia turned her head to glare at her silently.
"...Micheal no one else knows Jeanne didn't go back to the Throne correct? No one else survived right?"
Micheal thought back,
"Waver Velvet… may have survived. When I was in the grail I was able to detect when Rider died because the inside changed… at least I think but I… don't remember hearing anything about him dying. He's the only one who would know."
"Can we trust him?"
"We can." Jeanne said firmly, putting down the magazine as Micheal and Amelia looked at her, "Waver Velvet is a man we can trust."
Amelia blew out her cheeks,
"The reason why I ask is because you've been summoned for questioning Micheal. In front of the Entirety of the Lords of the Clocktower. That…. individual-"
"Oh please tell me what you actually want to say. You know there was a study recently that showed suppressing stuff like this was bad for your health?" he teased. Amelia's lip twitched but she continued as he clicked his tongue in disappointment,
"The individual that was here was Merem Solomon, or rather it was the stinking rat he uses in public."
Micheals eyebrows shot up,
"What the hell does the Burial agency want with me? I already met with one of their trainees when we were still in Japan."
"Normally nothing good. However this time he came by to ask to meet you specifically given that you are the victor of the grail war and he wanted to meet you given a report that the trainee you met gave. I still don't advise meeting him."
Micheal noticed Jeanne looking between them confused,
"The Burial Agency is the part of the church that hunts mages, Dead Apostles, and the like. Remember Ciel? That church chick with the blue hair who tried to recruit me? She was one of their apprentices or trainees or whatever. They are notoriously all jackasses and their leader has a stick up their ass the size of Germany and an attitude to match."
He quickly explained before turning back to look at Amelia,
"What else happened?"
She blew out her cheeks and leaned back into her chair to stare at the ceiling,
"The church and one of the mage families, the Tohsakas, formed an alliance to conspire to win the war however the head, Tokiyomi Tohsaka, was killed and the church executor who was overseeing the war was found crucified to the wall of the church building itself with black keys put through his face, shins, wrists, and shoulders. His son was a master in the war but remains unaccounted for. Given this incredible breach of at least thirteen treaties between the Church and the Mages Association someone somewhere is going to get turned inside out."
She said all in one breath.
"….You don't mean literally turned inside out do you Amelia?"
Micheal glanced at Jeanne but stayed silent as Amelia did the same. Jeanne's face paled and she leaned back into her chair to glare at the table,
"Nice to see the Church hasn't fucking changed in the past 500 years."
Micheal offered her a small smile as she glanced up to look at him. He tried his best to offer some level of comfort with it and he saw her eyes soften before she looked away.
"Okay getting back on topic," Amelia said getting both of their attentions, "You need to be prepared to meet the Clocktower Lords. I don't mean looking nice although a full suit and tie is expected by default. No I mean you need to be mentally prepared to withstand up to fourteen or more mental suggestions at a time from every Lord in there."
Micheal felt the blood drain out of his face,
"So calling this "questioning" is disguising what it actually is: an interrogation."
Micheal noticed that Jeanne looked up sharply at this. He wondered why she looked so angry but focused back on Amelia,
"How long do I have to prepare?"
Amelia glanced at the clock,
"...The entire thing starts at 4pm UK time so a little under four hours from now… and no. They didn't tell me ahead of time that you would be required to attend. I only learned from the rat."
"Why the fuck are they interrogating Micheal?! What did he do wrong!? IS IT WRONG HE SURVIVED!?!" Jeanne suddenly started yelling as she stood up clearly furious, "I will take down that entire fucking building on my own if they so much as lay a finger-"
"Jeanne. I'll be fine."
He said confidently as Jeanne turned to look at him clearly worried. He guessed she was flashing back to the memories of the real Jeanne D'Arc and whatever the Inquisition did to her. He leaned forward and got her attention as she tried to look away. He offered her his best smile,
"Hey. I'll be fine and if I'm not then you can come save me. Okay?"
"You- You won't try to stop me?" Jeanne asked haltingly only for him to scoff.
"Jeanne you are running off the entirety of a Holy Grails magical energy right now. Whatever you could do when it was just me supplying you with mana is a drop compared to what I'm sure you could do now."
He watched as Jeanne closed her eyes and took a few shaky breaths before looking at him, "I want to come with you at least to outside the tower itself. If possible I'd like to be outside the room but I'm positive that the lords would see through the mystic code you made me. Just… let me know somehow that you're okay when you get out… please."
He nodded and took the ice pack off his leg. He raised his eyebrows and stood up easily. He balanced and hopped on it a few times,
"I don't think I've ever healed that fast…"
"You probably heal the same way I do in that you absorb mana to accelerate the process. Now come on! I at least want to see you in a monkey suit before you go off to this crap."
Micheal tried to protest as Jeanne pushed him out of the door and into the hallway. He turned around in time to see her closing the door behind him as a bounded field popped up that was clearly meant to give her and his mom some space.
"Alright then… time to go see if my old suit still fits…."
He said after a few seconds as he turned around and made his way to his old room.
#####
"Well…. I guess it works…." Micheal trailed off looking at his reflection in the mirror in his room. The suit in question was one that Desmond, along with Arneheart, had gotten him when he had turned eighteen since they both had said he needed a suit since he was an adult. He adjusted the cuffs of the white button up making sure that they were fastened and then went to put the rest of the suit on before coming back to stand in front of the mirror. He frowned and briefly channeled some mana through it causing the fabric to shimmer for a few seconds before he felt lightheaded and stopped.
Immediately the lightheadedness faded away and he felt his body drawing in mana from his surroundings. Even when he was still blind he had noticed the feeling of a body wide warmth seeping into him that eventually slowed on the few times he had attempted to use a spell and bottomed out his tank. He knew now that it was his faerie blood drawing in mana but the issue remained of his natural capacity.
"I'll have to rethink how I fight from the ground up… Assuming I can't overcap my tank that is." He said tugging the cuffs of the black suit jacket into position and then fastening them. He looked at himself in the mirror and frowned,
"...I should probably wear a tie with it instead of a bowtie."
He went to his dresser and found his ties pausing as one in particular caught his eye. At first glance it was just a simple purple silk tie but as he pulled it out and unrolled it to see it fully, he smiled. Where the tie began to widen the bright purple deepened in color to an almost black color going down while a collection of golden motes trailed their way back up eventually vanishing into the purple.
Not even having to think about it he quickly slid the tie on and tied it in place. Finally satisfied with his appearance he left his bedroom only to find Desmond standing in the hallway clearly waiting for him. The butler gave him a once over and his hawk like eyes seemed to linger on the tie as a small smile broke through his stern look,
"Trying to impress anyone in particular?"
Micheal rolled his eyes as Desmonds light teasing,
"No idea what you mean."
Micheal said as he walked past Desmond who simply hummed clearly not believing him. The two of them walked down into the entrance hall where Amelia and Jeanne were talking quietly. Jeannes back was to him as him came down the stairs but Amelia glanced past her, smiled, and tapped her shoulder to point at him. Jeanne looked over her shoulder and then turned around fully as her mouth fell open,
"Now that I think about it," Micheal said thoughtfully, "This is the first time you've seen me in a suit isn't it Jeanne?"
"Ye- Yeah…. it is…." He saw her eyes narrow as she looked at his chest where his tie was situated. She frowned and walked forwards towards him to pull it out of his suit. She stared at the tie as her face turned pensive before she sighed and let go, taking a step back,
"Well… congrats on making me feel underdressed Micheal." She said folding her arms and giving him a look that he couldn't quite figure out. He reset his tie as Amelia leaned forward to whisper into Jeannes ear and immediately the servant blushed crimson, looked at Amelia, glanced at him, and stormed off.
"What did you say to her to make her like that?" Micheal asked more curious than concerned. Amelia chuckled dryly
"Just reminded her of something is all. Anyway," She clapped her hands together and got his attention, "I know you won't do anything but I feel the need to say this anyway: Your job is to get to the Lords Hall, answer their questions, and come home. It is not to pick any fights, respond to any provocations, or anything else. The less people are able to discover what you are, or rather what and who you have been this entire time, the better for all of us. The less the Moonlit world knows the better. Understood?"
"Yes." Micheal said without his usual snark which made Amelia blink and then nod. She turned to Desmond who bowed his head respectfully,
"Get him there and get him back in one piece Desmond. Jeanne will be coming along shortly but-"
"I am aware. No one will be the wiser."
Silence and then,
"Desmond. If anyone tries to stop any of you, you are permitted to exercise your abilities fully to get them home."
Micheal blinked and looked at his Mom while Desmond raised his eyebrows,
"I take it that you mean-"
"Your servant is still melded with you, yes? Since he no longer has to keep the curses held back I'd assumed that he'd been teaching you what he could."
Silence followed by a low chuckle,
"It seems I can't slip anything by you Madam Lafaire," came a voice that Micheal didn't recognize as Desmond's posture slipped into one that spoke of barely contained strength while emitting an entirely different presence that sent a shiver down his spine,
"Desmond is still acclimating to my… skillset but while I am still within his body I will do my utmost to protect them alongside him. You have my word."
Amelia nodded as Desmond shook himself out and grimaced,
"Its still bizarre knowing he's been able to do that this entire time…. Alright. How is Jeanne going to get there since we all know she won't stay here?"
"I'm going into London on my own personal business and she will be coming with me at least to the outside of the Clocktower walls."
Silence and then,
"Please exercise restraint Madame Lafaire but good hunting to you." Desmond finally said as he turned to Micheal, "The car is running, Lets get going."
Micheal nodded and followed Desmond out of the Lafaire Manor to see a classic Rolls Royce softly purring in the turnaround. He whistled as he got closer,
"Never thought I'd see this thing actually running." He said as Desmond held open the door and he slid into the backseat. Desmond climbed into the drivers seat and adjusted the rearview mirror so Micheal could see him,
"You are the sole victor of a Grand Ritual that taps into the very essence of Magecraft as we know it. Amelia and I agreed that you should be afforded the opportunity to….display your success." he said grinning, "So be sure to let those snobs at the Clocktower know that you won't be pushed around by them."
Micheal raised his eyebrows as the car accelerated with a low purr,
"Did you and my mother forget that I am meeting with the Clocktower Lords?"
Desmond chuckled darkly,
"We haven't forgotten in the slightest."
The car drifted into comfortable silence until they got to the channel crossing. They slid into the line for the ferry and Micheal noticed Desmond looking at him in the rearview mirror,
"...Do I look bad?"
Desmond shook his head and smiled,
"I think she liked your tie." was all he said and then chuckled when Micheal gave him a flat look.
"Okay then. Explain something to me."
Micheal said as Desmond offered a hum in response while the ferries horn flew over the dock,
"Mom is hunting Zouken. Isn't she."
Silence and then,
"When you two stormed the Matou manor, and I had a feeling you both would, the head managed to escape. She has spent the past few months trying to track him down to kill him in addition to worrying about both of you and her Brand duties."
Micheal blinked,
"But- I know she's a Brand but wouldn't she get in major trouble for killing a mage family head? Even one as disgusting as Zouken?"
"Amelia is more than qualified to do it and she knows how to hide her tracks. This isn't the first time she's had to do something like this."
He stared, trying and failing to imagine his mother doing anything remotely related to magecraft combat when a realization hit him like a brick to the face,
"Are you saying- Mom used to be an Enforcer? I thought she- what?!"
Desmond smirked in the mirror as the ferry pulled up and the gangway was lowered. He slowly drove forward onto it and then put the car in park.
"You mother has many titles but two in particular are what led her to obtain the Brand Title from its previous holder. I'll let her explain why she is the 'Modern Asclepius' but her other title 'The Queen of Unbroken Stone' is what more directly led her to becoming a Brand. How much do you know about Dead Apostles?"
"Not…. much. Mom mentioned them in my retraining and said that they are 'people who are both living and dead' noting that they were different than undead but didn't explain beyond that. Why?"
"Because your mother and your uncle teamed up to take down 37 Superior apostles in the span of five weeks. This was before you were born but your mother was one of the single best enforcers the Association had at the time. This was also after she obtained the title of "Modern Asclepius" but before she met Jarod. As you know her level of finesse with her earth spellcraft is to the point where she is able to deform and manipulate metal by manipulating the minerals within said metal. You remember what Arnehearte specialized in?"
"Fire and gem magic."
"Correct. Their combined magic quite literally reduced the undead bastards to ash and then sealed them into stone prisons that remain unbroken to this day."
The ferry began to move as Micheal reconciled this with what he knew of both Arnehearte and his mother,
"When you say 'reduced to ash' you mean literally don't you."
Desmond huffed a single laugh with no humor behind it,
"Almost thirty years ago it came to light that roughly 40 Superior Apostles, along with three members of the 27 Apostle Ancestors, were going to perform a ritual that would have created a container for the Crimson Moon. Your Mother and Shear heard about this and decided to storm the gathering with the intent of disrupting the ritual in its entirety."
Micheal stared as Desmond looked at him in the rearview mirror,
"They both leveled the entire complex that the ritual was going to take place in and over the course of the next month or so thirty-seven of the Superior Apostles were confirmed to have been killed outright either by being shredded by your mothers "Razor Steel Cloud" spell and then reduced to ash by Shears "Lowland Sunrise" spell. The three members of the 27 got away. The thirty seven apostles were then sealed by your mother. You know what both spells are correct?"
Micheal nodded,
"Moms 'Razor Steel Cloud' takes any and all minerals in the surroundings and turns them into polygonal multi-edged particles that she then controls and manipulates as a single mass. Apparently if she has any tungsten in the cloud it can carve into and cut through just about anything which is why she always has something made of tungsten on her at all times."
Desmond nodded and Micheal continued,
"Arneheartes 'Lowland Sunrise' is a spell that manipulates Thermodynamics, Nuclear science, and the focusing effects gems have on both light and mana to cause a miniature fusion reaction at any point within his line of sight. He literally summons the sun."
"An apt description for both."
They fell into silence,
"So….. wait. I still don't see how this prevents her from getting into trouble with the Association. Surely they'd recognize that it was her by any magic she uses. Even more so if she uses Razor Steel Cloud. You can't mistake the effect that that spell has on the environment given what it does."
"That I don't know but I have faith that your Mother has accounted for that."
Micheal frowned but decided to let the subject drop for now.
####
Micheal checked his watch as he entered the Clocktower and saw he had a solid hour before he was supposed to show up to the…. questioning. Deciding to wander a bit he eventually found himself outside Arneheartes office and hesitated before reaching up to knock only to stop himself. He slowly lowered his hand and walked away but not before glancing back at the door remembering what he saw while inside the Grail,
I wonder if he'd still be proud of me?
He thought to himself as he wandered the halls. He thought about everything that had happened since his command seals had appeared on his hand and looked at the back of that same hand. Where the triple flames had been was nothing more than a bit of off color skin which he gently rubbed, smiling to himself a bit, before putting his hands into his pockets and continuing on his walk whistling a song as he did so.
After 45 minutes of walking he was in the elevator and going up to the floor the meeting hall was on. The elevator dinged and he stepped out only to blink in surprise while his mouth fell open upon seeing someone he recognized. He smiled openly and walked up to him,
"Waver Velvet. Glad to see you made it out of there!"
Waver jumped about a foot and whirled around only for his own eyes to widen,
"Micheal!? You- You're- Oh my god…."
Micheal stared as Waver broke down,
"Waver, what the hell happened to you? Why are you even here?"
His grabbed Wavers shoulder and shook him a bit as his eyes flicked to the giant doors at the end of the hall,
"I- I had to return Lord El- The late Lord El Mellois mystic code and crest to the new head. ….He was the Master of Lancer."
He explained seeing Micheals confused expression. Micheal mentally went back until he remembered seeing a blonde man with what seemed to be living quicksilver leading Lancer away during the fight at the docks. He also distinctly remembered how he was about to blow off the mans head with his railgun mystic code.
Pursing his lips he focused back on Waver,
"Okay… so you gave it back and that was the end of it right?"
"No!" Waver wailed, "I was then questioned myself and-" He froze as he noticed what Micheal was wearing and looked him in the eye. Micheals eyebrows raised as Waver suddenly seemed to have steel in his spine and a level of determination in his gaze that he had never seen before,
"Micheal… A word of warning before you go in there. Don't let them know about Jeanne. I kept my mouth shut about her being what she was but right now they are looking for anyone to pin the blame of how the war ended on. Everything they say is layered in at least five layers of double speak not even mentioning the suggestion spells flying around. Watch yourself."
Michea firmed his jaw and nodded as the doors opened and a small girl that couldn't have been older than Sakura with black hair styled into twintails walked out with what he assumed was her mother. The mother looked shellshocked but the girl's eyes were red as if she was holding back tears. He looked away as they walked past and his eyes landed on the open doors.
He took a deep breath and walked forward.
______
What immediately struck him as he entered the meeting room and the doors closed behind him was how dark it was. He frowned and glanced around noticing that there was a wooden dais to his left. As he looked up his eyebrows raised as he saw 14 chairs floating in the air and every single one was filled. He couldn't quite see all of them but he recognized one of the people on sight,
So even the Director is here….
He held his hands behind his back and waited until one of the lords deigned to notice him,
"Ah. The heir apparent to the Lafaires. Maybe now we'll be able to get some answers."
Micheal looked towards the speaker, noting it was a man in blue robes that he didn't recognise, as the chairs went from a circle to a formation that allowed them all to look at him. He remained silent but lowered his head respectfully. Someone else scoffed,
"Cut from the same cloth as his mother it seems when it comes to respect. Take the stand Lafaire."
Micheal quickly buried his retort and moved to stand on the dais. As he did so he felt a light sense of pressure envelope him. He frowned and looked down at the dark wood before looking back up at the Lords,
"I honestly don't see the need for an embedded suggestion spell. I have nothing to hide."
Pindrop silence followed by laughter. Micheal looked towards the one laughing and noticed it was a man with a long beard and top hat who he did recognise.
Thats Lord Bartholemoi...
He stared back at Micheal as if gauging him for something,
"….Alright then, Lafaire. Try and break the spell on your own if you think its not needed."
Suddenly there was muttering from everyone else only to be brought into silence as Director Brishisan raised his hand and looked at Micheal. He looked back and stared into the mans pitch black eyes firming his jaw. Eventually the Director of the Clocktower lowered his hand,
"Micheal Lafaire," He said, his voice a deep rumble as he narrowed his eyes, "Can you break it?"
Immediately Micheal felt the suggestion spell as he almost responded that he couldn't. He caught himself and closed his eyes to focus. He knew he didn't have the mana inside him to break it by force but he also knew a challenge when he heard one.
So he decided to try something.
His normal internal mana was a fraction of what it was but it also almost instantly replenished itself by drawing in mana from outside of his body. He decided to try and consciously pull in the mana sustaining the suggestion spell that was embedded into the platform. He activated his mana sense and paused noting that it was different but usable now. Making a mental note to examine what was different later, he directed his attention to the circle and found the mana source of the spell.
He frowned and opened his eyes,
"….You really don't mind if I just break it?"
Silence and then an old woman in green robes spoke like he was stupid,
"I'd be surprised if you could Lafaire. That spell has withstood Brand-"
Snap.
Micheal smiled evilly as he sucked the mana out of the circle powering the spell causing the spell to audibly snap in half only to blink and look down as he noticed that he had split the wood under him as well. Immediately shouting erupted from the assembled lords and Micheal suddenly felt a chill down his spine as 8 spells were pointed at him only for Brishisan to say a word in a language that he didn't know causing every spell in the room to shatter. He looked at Micheal clearly calculating,
"...Intriguing but irrelevant. Back on topic: We have questions regarding what happened in Fuyuki, Japan..."
What followed was the single most exhausting and mentally draining two hours of Micheals life so far. He spent most of it talking about why he was there in the first place and even more time speculating on why Waver Velvet was even chosen as a Master.
Eventually they all got tired of asking the same questions fifty different ways and the questioning ended. The doors to Micheals right opened as the Clocktower Lords slowly left on their own. He stepped out of the room and immediately sagged against the wall after the doors had closed behind him. He rubbed some fingers on his temple as he tried to ease the headache he knew was forming. He eventually stood up and made it halfway down the hall when someone stepped out into his path from a passageway he hadn't noticed before. Slowing his pace he did a double take at the blonde haired woman standing mere meters away from him. Her hand was on the sword on her hip while her emerald green eyes were staring at him as if they could fix him in place through her willpower alone,
"Now that that farce is over, I thought I'd asked you some questions Micheal Lafaire."
Micheal quickly straightened up and looked Eleanor Pendragon in the eyes. He swallowed nervously.
Out of all the Lords I didn't want to meet 1-on-1 this one was at the very top of my list.
"How… may I help you Lady Pendragon?"
She seemed to narrow her eyes at him and he noticed that her grip tightened on her sword. He knew he didn't have the mana in him to get away and she'd cut him to ribbons before he could pull in mana like he did to break the suggestion spell either.
"You said you participated and won the war correct?"
He nodded deciding it was better to remain silent,
"Did you ever recognize any of the other servants summoned by their masters? Did any of them tell you their true names?"
Micheal blinked, unsure how to answer, but decided to hedge his bets,
"I… didn't have any chance to directly interact with Servants other than my own."
"and yet… I don't believe you."
He swallowed nervously as the woman narrowed her eyes further at him. She was giving off a murderous intent almost identical to Artorias and it was taking all his willpower to ignore his combat instinct.
"I assure you Lady Pendra-"
Micheal's body pulled in a truly massive amount of mana as he instinctively reinforced himself and shot backwards, summoning Blessed Hellfire as Eleanor Pendragon shot forward cracking the tiles under her as she drew and slashed with her sword. The tip just barely missed his chest before he landed several meters away and aimed at her as he noticed his body was actively drawing in mana to keep his reinforcement active which explained why he was able to reinforce his body at all. He refocused on Eleanor,
"There. You did it again." She said lowering her sword but still holding it ready, "You absorbed mana externally in order to perform a spell instead of relying on your internal mana. Not only that, but you managed to dodge one of the techniques I had drilled into me as a child by my parent as had theirs before them as if you had seen it before. A technique that no one should know about outside of the immediate Pendragon family…. To say nothing of the Divine Construct in your hand."
Micheal evened out his breathing as he edged away from the line that separated him from his combat instinct. He lowered Blessed Hellfire slightly but still held it in a steady hand,
"What do you want."
He finally stated, glaring at the woman opposite to him who matched his look with a smirk,
"Now thats the look of a man who's won a Grail War." Eleanor finally said after a few seconds. She sheathed her sword and folded her arms looking at him. He lowered Blessed Hellfire and returned it to wherever it went when it wasn't summoned. She opened her mouth to speak and hesitated before she spoke,
"Please…. go back to Amelia and tell her…." She began and then trailed off, "..Tell her I'd like to apologize… and that I want to borrow you for something."
"Borrow me for what?" He asked narrowing his eyes at the woman opposite him, "And how do you know my mom?"
Eleanor blinked and tilted her head at him clearly confused,
"Did- Did she never tell you? She's my distant cousin and we grew up together as sisters. Her name originally was Amelia Mayric."