Chapter 17: White Feather Mercedes

A few days later:

After defeating Terri, Noah thought that something in Soula would change, that he wouldn't be in the same routine every day, as his accomplishment triggered the whole town to change. But, that wasn't the case. Soula remained immovable through his victory, people still buzzing around in their carriages, the Academics fighting against the Bounty Hunters and Lucy beating him into a bloody pulp every day. Even with Tera and Soul Crash, fighting against her didn't become any easier, especially with the tolls it brought with it. Using Tera required surprisingly careful planning,for it wasn't as simple as it looked like. It wasn't just blindly creating pillars and fists at random, just because the conditions to use that Element were incredibly easy. Noah had to consider the spot of ground where his concentration should go to, the angle the attacks should go like and optimize their length, so that he wouldn't waste needless energy on making a pillar or a spring too big for the situation at hand. And Soul Crash was another story. He hadn't realized before because the adrenaline of the fight with Teri made it less noticeable, but using Soul Crash required intense concentration and getting used to the sudden rush of energy threw him off at times, which hindered his footwork and the swinging of his Blade. Not to mention the stamina it took from him. After a few seconds, he'd feel incredibly heavy as the punishment for using Soul Crash would literally crash down on his body, making it difficult to move or even breathe. But, the more he practiced, he could see little improvements here and there. But that didn't change the fact that Lucy was still way too tough. It was like she expected every evolution from him and adapted her fighting to it. Well, if stuff weren't meant to change, at least they didn't change for the worst.

But there were some new twists to his routine: after the fight between Zeke and Merceny, Guy appeared the next day with a whole new attitude and a much more confident...and hungry. He told the guys this really crazy story about meeting Pyre at his temple and that he was tested and gifted by the god. At first, needless to say, the group was skeptical (Axel even burst out laughing when Guy reached the part where he ate a fireball), but when Guy summoned his new and sparkling Dragonic Blade, there was no room for doubt. From there, Guy worked hard at the Fencing and Elements classes, his power seeming to boost incredibly, being able to eat every fire-based attack thrown at him and being able to dish it back out with twice the power. Upon Lucy noticing his change (while spying the class over the grass wall) she smirked when she found Noah:

-Well, well, a gift from Pyre, huh? With a little more finesse, he might become much more powerful than you, Noah dear~- she taunted while ruffling his hair.

Well, it seemed that Guy hadn't been the only one that had gotten divine intervention. Eldus called them shortly after and showed them the results of his research. Firstly, the Warrior's Heart was a special Blade the Gods had awarded the most valiant warriors with during the wars at the genesis of Gaia. The Blade was meant to carve the path to further developments of the Soul, so Noah's Blade was bound to evolve someday again. Secondly, the Gaia's Blade was a legendary Ultima Soul that very few Tera users had unlocked years ago, by fusing their Blades with their Element. It was said that that Ultima Soul would only be achievable if the user would have been blessed by Tera, the goddess of the earth, by getting his or her heart to be recognized as worthy.

-Wow, wow, kiddo! Recognized by a sweet goddess, huh? Must be nice getting noticed by a sexy ol' cougar, and even getting a gift from her~ Aww, when is she going to take you on a date?- Lucy muffled her laughs with her hand - Oh, I can't wait to reach that age when I can use my mature and experienced charms on men and make them fall to my knees...

Eldus coughed.

-Well, Tera is said to be the God most linked to love (both platonic and romantic) and if she really is a "cougar", as you describe her (sacrilege, by the way), she must have been through quite the romantic escapades, something you quite lack, dear Lucy.

Lucy lifted her eyebrow, suspicious.

-Just exactly are you getting at, Eldus?

-Emphasis on experienced, Lucy. From what I've heard from the female mercenaries, including young Mercedes, you're actually quite the innocent flow---

Lucy jumped over at Eldus and covered his mouth.

-No need to sign your death warrant just yet, old man~ What I do during my private life is up to me~- she said, with a scary smile on her face.

-More like what you've never done before...- he mumbled.

-Ok, Eldus, my dear little sweettums, why don't we have a nice and peaceful chat in the other room? Toodles, Noah~ - she waved as she dragged Eldus to the other room, while Noah was left confused.

Adults are weird...

*

Finally, Terri had been discharged from the hospital. With this, she officially joined the Valiant and Fabulous Anti-Order Brigade ("That is an awful name, Lucy. It literally chipped years of my life" "Not like you have that many left, old man..."). Although some of the Angel's Crow staff didn't really like having the enemy parading around their base, Lucy assured that she could be trusted.

While Noah, Eldus, the twins and the Masters reunited in the base's main (and only) table, Lucy happily entered the room with Teri by the hand and showed her around, with an excited grin on her face.

-For gods' sake, she sounds like a pre-teen showing off her room to her friend...- Mercedes mumbled.

After she was done with the guided tour, Lucy sat Terri on a chair next to hers.

-So, so...what do you think, Terri?

-Can I be completely honest with you, Lucy?- she asked, her eyes filled with such wonder, that they might as well cry glitter.

-Yes~?

-Your base is a shitshow.

After five minutes of Eldus having the world's greatest laughing fit, Lucy replied, her cheeks puffed.

-Well, you really don't mince your words, huh?

-Hey, how about I build you a bigger base with my Element?-she asked.

Lucy pressed her forehead against the table.

-You can't...we're already within Academy space. One more millimeter and we're going to get sued...

Terri chuckled.

-Honestly, the Order always thought your base was more...more , than this. The mighty Angel's Crow are just a handful or soldiers working on poor conditions, under the Academy's heel and lead by an even poorer leader, after all. Makes me wonder how you guys made it this far.

-Maybe because we all respect our individual strengths and weaknesses and make the most out of them on our missions. Soldiers aren't just toys who you can just stir against others. They're people too and it's because our hearts are united as one towards a common goal, that we're so powerful. Hadn't the Order possessed that power as well, at some point?-she asked.

Terri gave her a guilty smile.

-Oh, are you asking me that because I'm the infantry commander? The Order's objectives got bigger and bigger so we needed more soldiers aside from the Elites, that's all. And the more people you need to work with, the easier it gets to see them all as one entity: the troops. We're not a ragtag group like yours, Lucy. We're an army and this is the reality we face. But, make no mistake: the Elites' hearts are united with a common goal: kill you and, I guess, now Noah too.- she directed her look to Noah- Hey, kiddo! Why are you not wearing them?

Noah snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Teri, confused.

-Wearing what?

Terri pointed towards her forehead.

-The goggles, dummy! I gave them to you as a gift and you don't wear them? And here I thought they'd look good on you.- she gave him a stern look, which even after her defeat, was still pretty scary.

Noah gave Lucy a panicked look.

-Lucy, where are the goggles anyways? After we got here from the desert, I never saw them again.

Lucy tilted her head in confusion but suddenly snapped her fingers.

-Oh no, I forgot I left them with Albus! He was to fix them and I never went back to pick them up! Oh, we're going there right now, Noah! I hate leaving anyone in the retail business waiting!- with this she climbed over the table, jumped besides Noah, grabbed him by the back of his shirt and started dragging him out of the shack.

-Lucy.

Lucy turned back. Terri was giving her a worried look.

-What is it, Terri?

-After all I did... all the people I killed, the armies of destruction I led, the suffering I instilled on people's heart...why did you save me?

Lucy shook her head.

-Everyone has done things they aren't proud of. Some of those things, unfortunately, can never be forgiven. The world and me will never forgive you for the lives you've taken, Teri. But, on the other hand, I've killed many people and brought sadness to even more too. I'm not an angel, but I can at least reach out a friendly hand to someone who already went through much suffering, so we can achieve a good goal and a better life than this cycle of battling and killing. So, let's...work so the world can thankful to us both someday, ok?- she grinned.

Terri sighed and grinned back, has Lucy bolted out of the shack and into the city.

-The Grim Reaper expects the world to thank her? Well, if Gaia has turned so crazy, maybe it can also thank the Titan...-she mumbled to herself as she saw them both disappear.

"Thank you...Lucy."

*

Noah looked around the busy town plaza as Lucy grabbed his arm with a little too much force as she dragged him into the shopping district. Noah hadn't gone to that place very often in the few days he had spent in Soula, so he wasn't too comfortable with the waves of people running around the small wooden stands that sold various products like food, clothing, books and small electronic devices. Soula, despite being the center of scholar activity, hadn't made many few advances of technology, that privilege going to the more war- based countries around the world, so Noah wasn't too familiar with commodities like a te-le-vi-si-on, or com-pu-ters. Very few people had access to them around Soula as they were quite expensive, due to its rarity. He knew that the Bounty Hunters managed to scrounge enough parts from their missions to put together a really rickety TV that was placed on a high shelf in the base, so they were up to date with the Order's movements around the country. And he also knew that Lucy gave herself the luxury of using 100% of the money she gained from her missions (instead of taking only 25% for herself and giving the rest to improve the Angel's Crow's base and the Bounty Hunters' life support, such was the policy of the company) to buy a top-of-the-line plasma all to herself. Needless to say, that decision wasn't very well accepted by her employees, and despite Lucy's attempts at excusing herself, it didn't stop her room from being flooded with people that very night, wanting to watch some shows with her...and quickly fleeing after realizing Lucy only watched cheesy soap operas and threatened anyone that tried to change the channel by making the poor sucker's skin as her new jacket.

Soon, they reached a large building, the so-called "Soula's Shopping Mall", where the fancier stuff was at. Were his goggles really there? Lucy took him through the various halls and es-ca-la-tors until they reached a shady shop at the end of a dark hallway. Light came from the windows, which had show plates filled with various works of metal, like pieces of armor and jewels. The tablet at the side of the shop's door read "Albus' Metalworks". Lucy dragged Noah in, a bell above the door tingling as they came in.

The store as filled with more stands with more objects and in the back of the store a forge shone brightly, as the fire within it warmed the whole building. A curved figure stood on a table in front of the forge, pounding an object on an anvil with a big hammer and turned around when the bell ringed. The man didn't seem to be much younger than Eldus, his short gray hair flickering in the fire light. He had a calm expression on his face, which contained a short gray beard and round metal goggles over his eyes. He removed them, his hands covered by a pair of heavy shoulder-lenght black gloves and spoke, his voice rough.

-Ah, Lucy Crow. Glad to see you here, welcome to my store. What can I do for you?- he said, walking closer to them.

Lucy smiled.

-I'm here to check on the pair of goggles I brought in for repair.

Albus nodded.

-Ah, those ones! I have to say, those are very exotic goggles. I believe only Terri T. from that confounded Order, used them, to get around in the desert. Where did you get them, again?

-From the "Titan" herself! She offered them as a gift to Noah here after he defeated her!- she grabbed Noah's shoulder and pushed him closer to the man, who offered his hand. Noah shook it, a little nervous about if he was still doing it right.

-Ah, so this is the boy who I've been hearing about! Noah Eon, correct? Now, how did someone as young as you manage to defeat someone as mighty as Terri T. ?

-W-well, I'm not much sure, myself...- he laughed nervously.

Albus laughed as well in response.

-Ah, it's OK, I'm sure you'll get the handle of it. I may not be a BladeMaster but many of my clients are, so I've seen them going from young and scared to mature and brave. You'll get there one day. And these...- he reached for a drawer and took out Terri's goggles, sparkling new- ...will be the mark of the beginning of your journey to become a great BladeMaster!

He let out a shining smile, handing them over to Noah.

-I've done some improvements on the lenses for ya. Besides allowing you to see your way through sandstorms without having a whole desert in your eyes, I've reinforced the lenses using Enchant Stones, so it'll take alot more than some rubble to give them the tiniest crack. And I also adjusted the buckle so that it fits most heads, so you'll be able to keep using it when you grow up. C'mon, try them!

Noah nodded and put the goggles around his head and over his eyes. The orange lenses made the dim store seem even darker, but everything around him was crisp clear.

-Thanks a lot, Mr. Albus!- he smiled, pulling the goggles up, resting them on his hair.

-How much is this going to cost, Albus?- Lucy asked.

Albus shook his head.

-No need for payment, Miss Lucy. It was the least I could do after this here boy rid us of T.'s menace. Consider it a gift.

Lucy's eyes shone.

-Eep~ It's free?! Yay, thank you so much, Albus! You're officially my favorite old person!- she grinned.

-Heh...ok, I guess I'll take that as a compliment...- he sighed.

-Oh, by the way, are you done with the second pair?- she asked. Second pair ?

He nodded.

-Oh, yes, here they are.- he handed over an identical pair of goggles.- The alterations are the same as Mr. Noah's ones, but why do you need a second pair of... "T-Goggles"? Are you considering using them yourself?

-Pftt, no way. They're for a friend of mine.- she answered, slightly sticking her tongue out at the idea of wearing them.

-Ah, oh. Well, if you need something else, Miss Lucy or Mr. Noah, please feel free to stop by!- he nodded enthusiastically.

-OK, thank you very much! Let's go Noah.- she said as she grabbed his arm and led him out of the store, the little bell ringing again when they crossed the door.

*

A few minutes later, the goggle's lenses shone in the sunlight as Noah and Lucy ventured deeper into the mall.

-Hey, Lucy, where are we going? I thought we were supposed to get the goggles and then get back to base.- Noah asked.

Lucy looked back at him.

-Yeah, but I still have some people to meet real quick. It's essential for our battle against the Order.

Noah walked beside her, looking up at her with curiosity.

-More people to help us? Like what? More sages like Eldus? Or more helpful stores like Albus'? Maybe some more information about the Elites?

Lucy shook her head, a confident smirk on her face.

-No, something that'll help me finally unleash my true power...

-Your true power?! What kind of thing could that be?!- Noah's eyes shone with excitement.

"Fabulous!!!"

Noah jumped and looked back. A group of four people, two guys and two girls stood peeking over a corner to them. They were all dressed with the same white shirt with a brown suit on top of it, black pants for the two guys and black frilly skirts for the girls. With their suits, they also wore red ties and looked fascinated at Noah and Lucy. Suddenly, Noah felt himself being pushed to the side as Lucy skipped over to the group.

-My babies!!! I've missed you so!- she said, with the purest delight on her voice, as she pressed the strange individuals in a tight hug.

-We thought you'd never come back to us, Mistress Lucy!- they all said at the same time, almost chanting.

"Mistress?"

Lucy let them go as she placed the back of her right hand against her lifted chin and held her right arm out as she let out this completely fake and haughty laugh.

-Hohoho! My pretties, you thought that I, your Mistress, wouldn't come back from such a mundane task? Please, I didn't even dirty my nails fighting Terri T. !

-And your hair remains ever gorgeous, Mistress~!- the girls said.

-And your garments completely spotless,Mistress~!- the guys said.

Lucy nodded, with a cocky smirk on her lips.

-You could say that I remain ever so...

-Perfectly fabulous!!!- they exclaimed, practically swooning over her.

-Hohohoho! -she kept letting out that weird laugh and then she turned to Noah- Noah, Noah, let me introduce you to my widdle babies~! These are the Moru siblings! They run a clothing parlor here at the mall. The girls are Kanny and Pekim and the boys are Subal and Rashid. And you might have noticed already, they are quadruplets!

"Qua-dru-plets"? That means that they were all born in the same day, right? Now that Noah noticed, they looked very much alike and they even wore the same kind of clothes and said alot of things at the same time! Did all twins have that habit? The thought of Mercedes and Merceni chanting things at the same time gave him shivers.

-Mistress Lucy, you simply must see the new clothes we have in store!- Kanny and Pekim asked.

-Oh, Mistress Lucy, you simply must try our new nail varnish colors!- Subal and Rashid pleaded.

And before Noah could even have an say in it, the Moru siblings took Lucy with them into their store, so he was forced to follow them all. The next few hours were spent with Lucy and the siblings as she tried nearly every item in their extensive store. Lucy kept pilling on the boxes of clothing and makeup and poor Noah had to carry it all. As she went on with her shopping frenzy, she told Noah that the Moru siblings had come from a kingdom faraway from Karash called "Sharem", a very fashionable kingdom, and that they left their parent's humble business in pursuit of truly and perfectly fabulous people. They eventually arrived at Soula with no money and only a handful of handmade clothes that they planned to sell. Lucy met them as they were trying to sell said clothes in the streets and found both the produce and the siblings simply adorable and helped their business, by buying their clothes and services like manicure and hair dressing and that eventually they had amassed enough money to build a proper small store. The people of Soula started to notice them and business grew until they opened their very clothing/beauty parlor at the Soula Shopping Mall.

Noah was glad that Lucy had been so generous to needing people but the weight of the boxes was threatening to smash him, so he couldn't think of alot of nice things to call Lucy at the moment. When her wallet became empty, she had to reluctantly leave the parlor and after many hugs, kisses and laughs, Noah and Lucy said goodbye to the Moru siblings for the day and returned to base.

The sun was already setting when they got there. Noah put down the boxes at a corner of the shack, panting with exhaustion.

Lucy grinned.

-See? Wasn't that good exercise? You can thank me later! Hohohoho!- she laughed.

Merceny, Eldus Master Rye were nowhere to be seen in the base. Master Gee told them that Rye had returned to tending to their dojo, Eldus got fed up with waiting for Lucy and returned to his research and that Merceny had simply vanished.

Upon seeing the tired Noah, Mercedes sighed.

-I see that Lucy took you to see the Moru siblings, huh? Yeah, whenever they see her, it takes awhile for her to move on to something else, but when she has money, you can kiss any plans you had for the next few hours goodbye.

-I can...see that.- Noah managed to say.

-Hey, Noah! The goggles look snazzy on ya!- Terri complimented from across the table.

Noah smiled.

-Yeah, I think so too. Why are you still here, Terri? An Elite, I mean, former Elite like you must have alot of stuff on her plate, right?

Terri shrugged.

-Meh, I just shared everything I knew about the Order Elites with Eldus but it seems that very little was new to him, unsurprisingly. Aside from that, Lucy told me she'd bring a gift for me, after picking up your goggles, so I was a nice girl and waited just like you told me~- she said, smiling at her.

Lucy nodded, smiling.

-That's a good titan. Here.- she said, throwing her the second pair of goggles- Your look is not really the same without those. I mean, it's still trashy, but your goggles are your trademark.

Terri caught the goggles and, surprisingly, blushed slightly before putting them on.

-Heh...thanks, Lucy. It seems that we now match, Noah.- she smiled at him.

Noah nodded and smiled. The group made some more small talk about Terri joining the group and eventually Lucy was yawning.

-Man, my babies sure wore me out today. I'm going to clock in for today. Ready to go back, Terri?- Lucy asked and Terri nodded, although she didn't seem sleepy at all. The two women made their way out of the shack.

-Wait, wait, WAIT!- Master Gee jumped off his chair and followed them.- The way you're talking, it looks like you two live together now or something.

Lucy tilted her head.

-Oh yeah, I forgot to tell y'all. As the dorm has no spare room for Terri, she and I are sharing the same room.

-You what ?!- Gee asked, sounding pretty surprised.

Terri nodded.

-Yeah, and Lucy's room is not exactly a presidential suite, so we even have to share the same bed, Gee~- she winked at him.

-You WHAT?!- he exclaimed, sounding like he just won the lottery, his eyes shining.

-Yeah, same bunk-bed, Terri!- Lucy corrected her, blushing deeply- Please don't put those thoughts into his head, it only makes it worse. Next thing you know, your underwear is gone.

-Hmph, good thing I don't wear any.- Terri shrugged.

Next thing he knew, Noah was carrying a unconscious and suffering of a massive nosebleed Master Gee to the dorm infirmary. After he left him there, he returned to the group.

-You really had to say that, didn't you, Terri?- Lucy asked, puffing her cheeks.

Terri laughed.

-C'mon, Lucy, it's fun to tease that little guy! Did you see his face when I mentioned the underwear part? Oh and by the way, I was lying!- she quickly said to Noah.

Lucy smiled and sighed, patting Noah's head.

-The good thing about our amnesic friend here, is that our teases go completely over his head and I'd like to keep things like that for a little while, sister. Well, speaking of clothing, Mercedes?- she directed her attention to the mercenary, who didn't say a word during that wonderful exchange.- Your next batch should be ready by now, so you can start working at your earliest convenience.

Mercedes nodded. Batch?

-What do you mean, "batch", Lucy?- Noah asked.

-Well, working at Angel's Crow is not very good for you wardrobe, like you most certainly noticed by now. Many times, we have to stitch things up or make new clothes altogether. Mercedes is very good at seaming, so she offered herself to patch our clothes up whenever we need it.

-"Offered" is a strong word, Lucy. More like, you dumped the job on me and because everyone else is a bunch of butter-fingers, I'm stuck with patching up dirty clothes. I could use my nights to study or train but noooo, housewife tasks are so much better!- she said, giving Lucy an irate look.

Lucy thought to herself and then she snapped her fingers.

-Why, you could teach Noah here, and then you'd have some help. Whattdya think?

Noah was not expecting that.

-Wait...me?!

-Yeah, you'll be fine! If you can wield a Blade, you can use a needle. Same principles. Ok, Cidy, your job is to teach Noah your craft tonight. Ta-ta!- and then she dragged a confused Terri into the dorm with her.

Mercedes sighed.

-Gods, always avoiding the things that inconvenience her... Image of maturity, right there. Look Noah, you don't have to do what she says, just leave it to me.- with this, she stepped onto the dorm door.

-Actually I spend most of my nights staring at walls, trying to remember stuff from my past. Having a past-time could do me good.- he said.

-Believe me, it is not a past-time, it's boring.- she said.

-I don't really care, as long as it keeps my head busy.

Mercedes huffed

-Stupid...OK, fine. Follow me.

The pair made their way to Mercedes room and went in.

-Be grateful that you're the first boy outside of my brother to actually come into my room. If you pull a Gee on me, you're dead.- she warned, in her usual unfriendly tone.

Noah nodded and looked around. Her room wasn't much different from his. It was very clean and her walls had shelves filled with various books. Her work desk was filled with textbooks and notes, her bed with a white frilly outer cover and a white frilly pillow. Her nightstand had some small bottles, all containing a transparent liquid, probably perfume, and various small frames containing pictures. One of them featured herself, Merceny and Lucy, all much younger and smiling together. Noah didn't even know that Merceny could smile.

The sound of a dragging box reached Noah's ears and he turned back to see Mercedes dragging a basked filled with torn up clothes (including the ones he used in the battle with Teri) to her work table. Then she picked up a large box, opening it to reveal various fabrics like wool and silk. She took two pieces of torn up clothing and two pairs of needles. She pointed with her head to a pair of chairs near the table. Noah sat on one of them and the next hours were filled with Mercedes teaching him how to seam the clothing. It required nimble fingers and Noah pricked himself many times but he quickly got the hang of it and, although still a little clumsy, he seamed alongside Mercedes, in silence.

-You were looking at my pictures, weren't you?- Mercedes asked.

-Did I do bad?- Noah asked.

-Nah. I bet you're curious about some things. Maybe you only offered to help because you had questions. So, shoot.

Noah thought for a few seconds. There was something that had been bugging him since he met Merceny.

-Was your brother always like this?

She shook her head.

-Not at all. Until a few years ago, he was a pretty nice guy, always supporting and protecting me. And I did the same to him. We needed to.

-Why so?

She sighed.

-We're...orphans, Noah. We never met our parents and lived most of our lives in Soula, alone. We always depended on each other, especially when the other kids thought we were weird for not having parents and bullied us, calling us "monsters".

-Oh...sorry to hear that...- now Noah felt like a jerk.

Mercedes chuckled.

-It's ok, they were just kids, they didn't know any better. And it's not like we're still called that. The images we have now were forged by our own conscious actions. But, at that time, we were going through alot of bad things. We even considered fleeing from Soula, to somewhere we were accepted. That's when...she came in to our lives.

-"Her"...who?

-Lucy Crow. She had just arrived at this town, eight years ago. At the time, me and Merceni were being bullied again and she then came to our rescue. She said that no one should be judged by their past, by things they couldn't control. She took us in and since she was gathering members for her bounty hunter group, she took us in as her pupils. She taught us on how to use our Elements and then we got stronger. Not only that, we saw in Angel's Crow a much needed home, something we had been looking for a long time, and in Lucy, not much of a mother, but more of an older sister. I started being curious about the Academy and decided to enroll. Lucy accepted my decision and Merceny was happy that I was pursuing my passion. But...then, as the Order started to expand, his view on the world changed. Now all he sees is the need to be stronger, to rid of everything that threatens the peace we worked so hard to achieve. The horrible actions of the Order he saw on his missions made him bitter and made him think that everyone around him needed to be strong, and himself, stronger than everyone else, even Lucy. That's why we were fighting the other day, when you two fought. He was trying to get me to quit the Academy and become "strong" like himself. I resisted and, as you saw, he wasn't happy...

Mercedes didn't say anything for a couple of minutes, but worked up the courage to continue.

-It's unfair. No one should be judged by their past and everybody should choose the way they see fit to become stronger, to pursue the "good goal", to change the world for the better. But my brother doesn't accept that. To him, only his way will bring true strength and true salvation. But..violence only begets more violence. Revenge only begets more revenge. That's why I approve Lucy's plan. By saving the Order Elites, we're giving the lost ones a second chance and not going down to their level. We can...truly change the world into a big family, just like the Angel's Crow... That...is what I truly want...

A small smile peeked out on her lips as she looked over at Noah.

-You have no memories, Noah, and I feel like we're on the same book. We both lost something that makes our role in society vital but we still keep fighting to find replacements. I found a family in Angel's Crow, the Academy and in Soula, and you found new memories there too. So, we're like...um...-she stuttered, struggling on what word to use.

-Kindred spirits...?- Noah suggested.

Mercedes blushed furiously and punched him in the shoulder.

-Stupid...! Don't say things like that! Just because I opened up to you, it doesn't mean you can go and think we're "kindred spirits"! It makes it sound like we're lovers or something! Hell no!

-Sorry, sorry...- Noah flinched at the pain, but was happy at the same time for seeing a side of Mercedes that wasn't so cold.

-Oh, I've got another question.- he said.

-If it's my cup size, I'm sorry to inform you that you're not the first to ask.

Noah huffed.

-No, no...! I just wanted to know what Element you and Merceny are. I have never seen you two fight nor use it and Lucy won't tell me, so I was curious.

Mercedes gave him a sad look and sighed. She then went over to the window above her desk and opened it.

-Follow me.- she said as she climbed over her desk and out the window.

Noah tilted his head but quickly followed her. He saw her climbing the tubes and gutter of the building before jumping to the dorm's roof. Noah stuck himself to the wall and used Tera to produce platforms that helped him climb to beside her. She sat on the angled roof tiles and he sat beside her. He looked up, and saw a huge full moon in a sky filled with stars. He had never seen a scenery like that.

-Maybe it's the relief of telling you my past getting way over my head or maybe we're really kindred spirits or whatever the fuck, but I'll tell you. But, you're not to tell anybody else, OK?- she warned him, giving him a stern look.

Noah nodded quickly, half excited and half scared.

Mercedes sighed, looking up at the scenery before them.

-The night sky...piercing dark and endless, threatening to swallow you whole. That is my brother's Element...He is power...

"He is Darkus."

-And me...I'm what completes it, the twinkling stars and the full Moon, keeping the night sky from consuming everything...I am grace...

"I am Lightus."