Part :7 "Shadows That Don’t Go Far, But Take Your Memories With Them!"
Introductory Note:
Some days start with a siren... and some start with a scream, "Alan! Stop licking the milk from Kira's bowl!"
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Title:
Chapter Seven – Dawn Chaos at the Academy
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The morning was peaceful, birds singing above the academy's trees, the sun gently rising over the stone pathways. Everyone was preparing for a new school day… until the familiar sound arrived:
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Alan (running across the courtyard with a box over his head):
"Breakfast is served, feline majesty!"
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Kira (from behind her door, shouting):
"GET OUT OF MY ROOM!!"
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The door slams open, and a pillow is thrown at Alan's face, knocking him down, but he never loses his enthusiasm.
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Alan (getting up, covered in feathers):
"She's playing hard to cuddle..."
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Meanwhile, the rest of the team gathers in the training hall. Rodrick, Merry, Demus, and even Eldara, who had been staring at the hourglass, awaited everyone… with an unsettling calm.
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Eldara (coldly):
"Where is he?"
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Rodrick (raising his hand):
"Do you want the honest or funny version?"
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Eldara:
"...Both."
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Rodrick:
"He's in a cat costume chasing Kira through the dormitory... with a saucer of milk."
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Eldara (closing her eyes and taking a deep breath):
"May the gods erase this morning from my memory..."
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In a moment, Alan enters the hall, his head covered, with a fabric tail behind him, jumping like a cat… and speaking in a soft voice.
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Alan:
"Ready for combat training, nya~!"
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Eldara (drawing her sword calmly):
"...One more sound like that, and I will personally erase you."
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Kira (entering behind him, panting):
"PLEASE kill him."
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But despite the chaos... training began. To everyone's surprise, Alan – despite his strange movements and meowing – began to demonstrate incredible combat skills.
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Demus (watching in amazement):
"...He dodged that arrow while licking his hand like a paw."
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Merry:
"Is he... evolving?"
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Eldara (raising an eyebrow):
"...Or just unstable in a useful way."
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By the end of the session, amidst the strikes, sweat, and Eldara's yelling, Alan stood victorious over the training dummy… waving his fabric tail like a flag.
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Alan:
"I have achieved ultimate form! I am… CAT-ALAN!"
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Then… he collapsed unconscious from exhaustion.
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Eldara (sighing):
"...At least he's quiet now."
While Alan stood proudly on top of the training dummy, waving his fabric tail in front of everyone...
...Demus noticed an arrow stuck in his backside.
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Demus (focusing his gaze):
"Wait... is that... an arrow in his butt?"
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Kira (standing, staring):
"...Oh my gods. It is."
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Merry (holding her mouth to suppress laughter):
"He's not screaming… impressive."
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Rodrick (bending on one knee from laughter):
"I can't believe this—he took an arrow to the butt... and stood like a proud feline!"
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But Alan, despite the sweat on his forehead and the trembling of his lips, held onto his deadly silence.
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Alan (thinking to himself, sweating):
"Don't scream... don't you dare scream... Kira is watching... BE A MAN, BE A CAT-MAN!"
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Then, barely audible as he slowly collapsed to the ground:
Alan:
"I... I just need... a little nap..."
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He finally falls, face in the dirt, the arrow still in place, his fabric tail fluttering gently above him.
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Kira (speaking with half interest, looking down at him):
"...He's lucky I'm a healer. But not today."
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Eldara (turning her back):
"Let him suffer. It builds character."
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In the end, Alan was dragged out of the training hall, still trying to maintain his dignity like a cat that took a proper beating... but he never screamed. Never.
It was supposed to be an easy task:
Deliver a small package to a nearby village, no monsters, no ambushes, no problems.
But…
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Kira (walking ahead of Alan, her tail swishing):
"Keep up, slowpoke. You're supposed to guard me, not sightsee!"
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Alan (walking behind her, staring at her tail):
"I am guarding. I'm guarding your tail. With my life."
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Suddenly, they heard the sound of an arrow slicing through the air!
Whoosh!!
Alan jumped in front of Kira immediately, taking the arrow in his shoulder.
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Alan (shuddering):
"AGAIN?! Is this a hobby for the universe now?!"
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Kira (looking at him coldly):
"You're regenerating, so keep tanking. I like having a mobile meat shield."
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Alan (looking at her with a teary eye):
"That's the most romantic thing anyone's ever said to me..."
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As time passed…
Alan became a living shield, moving in front of Kira every moment, taking:
An arrow to the head
A trap to the knee
A punch from an unknown thief
Even an egg from an angry chicken!
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Alan (covered in dirt and blood):
"Tell me this is at least a bonding experience."
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Kira (with a faint, rare smile):
"It is. You're bonding with pain."
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By the end of the mission, Alan resembled a walking corpse.
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Kira (speaking to the clerk at the mission office):
"Delivery complete. The idiot took all the damage. Five stars service."
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Alan (giving a thumbs up from the ground):
"Protecting cute girls... is my calling."
The night had begun to descend its curtain, and the quiet enveloped the path leading to the academy.
Alan limped silently, struggling to carry himself after the "simple" mission, while Kira walked beside him as if nothing had happened.
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Alan (in an exhausted voice):
"If I die from blood loss, bury me with a pillow… and Kira's tail."
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Kira (blinking slowly):
"Noted. I'll make sure you get the cheapest coffin."
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But suddenly...
The shadows around them began to move in a strange way. The trees swayed without wind, and the darkness grew denser.
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Alan (stopping suddenly):
"Uhhh… is the night usually… this alive?"
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From the shadows emerged a woman… with massive black wings, horns glinting in the moonlight, and eyes as red as embers.
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Lithia (in a soft, whisper-like voice):
"My, my… What a cute little couple we have here."
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Alan (freezing):
"Okay. I take it back. Night is evil. Night is a trap!"
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Kira (calm and alert):
"She's not human."
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Lithia (smiling mischievously as she steps closer):
"I'm everything you fear… and maybe everything you desire."
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Suddenly, Lithia played with her fingers in the air, causing the moonlight around them to extinguish, and the shadows swallowed them for a few seconds.
In that moment, Alan felt a strange chill pass through his mind… and old memories being pulled from him.
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Alan (placing his hand on his head):
"Wait—wha—why am I remembering… my childhood hamster dying?!"
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Lithia (laughing):
"I like your memories. They taste... funny."
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Kira (standing in front of Alan):
"Stay away from him."
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Lithia (laughing lightly):
"Oh don't worry. I just wanted to introduce myself. I'll be around… in your heads… in your dreams."
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Then, she vanished into the shadows as she had appeared, leaving only the scent of cold smoke and an internal feeling that they had encountered something that wouldn't leave easily.
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Alan (looking at Kira):
"So… on a scale from one to cursed, how doomed are we?"
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Kira (turning her face away):
"Let's just get back before the sky tries to kill us too."
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But behind the trees…
Lithia watched them from the shadows, smiling silently, and whispered:
"This one... is fun."
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To be continued...