Author: I'm not good with endings. XD

Isolde's back hits the earth. She doesn't move, or react to the fall. But most of her body, still made of ice, cracked heavily.

"Isolde!" Lilian screams out through Mikoto's mouth. She rushes over as fast as she can.

She runs past Admiral Gates, and past Touma whom was getting up, to the girl whose body is mostly made of ice. Lilian kneels down right next to Isolde but doesn't touch her, afraid of what would happen if she did.

"Isolde!" Lilian yells out towards Isolde's face.

Isolde's face twitches, (Mmmm... mom...?)

"Isolde!" Lilian yells out some more.

Isolde can feel a strange, painful sensation whenever she tried to move. Most of the ice had become sold with very little malleability, everywhere that she was made of ice cracked loudly, several chips broke off and flew.

"Isolde don't move!" Lilian warns hastily. "You're breaking yourself!"

"Li-Lilian...?" Isolde's head turned towards Mikoto.

"I'm here Isolde!" Lilian crawls closer to her face. "I'm here..."

"Heh..." Isolde smirks. "Hehehe... so you've gotten tired of me... and found another body to possess, eh?"

"Isolde!" Lilian screamed in protest.

"Hehehe..." Isolde giggles while her body breaks up some more.

"Stop laughing Isolde! This is serious!" Lilian's voice trembled.

"Heheh, sorry," Isolde smiled, one of her hands broke apart completely. "Looks like I wasn't strong enough after all. The Admiral was right."

"Isolde! Don't think about that now! We need to find a way to turn you back!"

"It's too late," Isolde tells her. "I've been living in Academy City for too long. I can't think fantastically anymore... heheh... thinking logically is really restricting." The bottom half of one of legs shattered apart.

"No no no! Isolde stay with me! Please!"

"It's funny..." Isolde never stops smiling. "I can't feel my arms or legs... But I can still feel my heart beating."

Lilian tries to cover Isolde's ice parts with her own ice, but the other leg broke apart despite her best efforts. "Why? Why can't I help you? Why can't I do anything?" Lilian breaks down crying over Isolde's body.

Isolde moves her arm, ignoring the cracking noises and breaking ice, to put the back of her hand on Lilian's cheek. "Hey, hey, don't cry. You know I hate it when you cry."

"What am I supposed to do?" Lilian's tears keeps coming as she gently grabs the breaking hand.

"You've always wanted to see me smile right?" Isolde's face never changed. "Well, I'm smiling now. So now it's your turn..."

Lilian wipes her tears with her other arm, and forces a smile on her face. Isolde smiles back and they share a silent moment with each other.

Then Isolde's hand shatters right next to Lilian's face. The rest of her arm crumbles away. Lilian's eyes widened, her expression changed to shock. But Isolde kept on smiling, even while her eyes felt heavy and began to close.

"Isolde? Isolde!" Lilian panics as the rest of ice that formed Isolde's body cracked, crumbled and shatters.

Isolde's eyes shut completely. Her head rested on the ground, whatever was left of Isolde's body began turning to ice.

"Isolde..." Lilian's eyes tear up quickly until she's unable to hold it all in anymore.

(Lilian...) Mikoto mumbles inside her head.

Then a faint rumbling is heard, it gets louder and louder, until the ground shakes. Touma turns to see the Admiral picking up his fist from the ground. A large chunk of earth rose up in front of Lilian, and the rumbling stops. A spray of water shoots out from the block of earth, hitting Lilian in the face. The girl tries to shield herself from the spray, eventually getting up and getting away, completely soaked.

"What was that for?!" Mikoto yells angrily at the old man.

"Look," the Admiral pointed at Isolde's body.

As the water sprayed on Isolde, ice began to reform her broken limbs. Some of the reformed ice began to return to their original, organic color.

"She's... healing?" Mikoto stares on.

"Isolde!" Lilian tries to run towards Isolde's body.

"Hold it!" Mikoto stops her. "There's still a lot of water coming down, and... we should find out why this is happening." Mikoto turns to glare at the Admiral.

"The Leviathan is a being... a deity of the sea," The Admiral answers. "I have heard many, many tales of its power, contribution and protection of our history."

"'Our' history," Mikoto places a finger over her mouth to think. "Whose history is that?"

"..." The old man thought in silence. "I cannot tell you."

"Don't you start with me!" Mikoto sparks up. "Do you know what we went through tonight?! Lilian and Isolde probably had the worst of it all!"

"Misaka," Touma tries to calm her down by putting his right hand on her shoulder. "Don't." He then turns to the Admiral. "You won't tell us, fine. But the Sterling inside Misaka deserves to know."

"Hmm..." the old man pondered. "Yes, she does." He turns to Lilian. "If you are what I think you are, then it is very important that you know. About yourself, about your... sister, and about her past. Especially for her sake."

"You know what I am?" Lilian asks. "Tell me!"

"I will tell only you," the Admiral demands. "You will need to create your own body."

"Make my own body? I can't do that. Not the... 'living' one that I was in before. I don't even know how that one was made."

"You have lived in the world of science for a long time."

"All my life... if you can even call it that."

"Doesn't magic have its own rules?" Touma interrupts. "We don't have the time for Sterling to learn them."

"It depends on the magic," the Admiral answered. "The only major limit to Glacies' ice magic her mind and mana."

"Am I... supposed to understand that?" Lilian asks.

"It's not important right now, for the time being just concentrate on create a new body for yourself."

"Alright... um... how do I get out of here?" Lilian looked all over the body she's possessing.

"..." The Admiral stays silent.

"You have no idea do you?" Touma asks.

"Do you?"

"Wait," Mikoto speaks up. "If she doesn't figure out how to get out of me, then we're stuck together forever?"

"Why did you have to make that sound like a bad thing?" Lilian pouts.

"S-sorry..." Mikoto apologizes.

"Is it really impossible?" Lilian asks out loud.

"Sterling wait," Touma starts. "You said that when you first entered Misaka's body that you were trying to get us to listen to you. But you went in too far when... this guy..." Touma points his thumb at the Admiral.

"I know," Lilian answers. "But what do I do now?"

"Use your mind," Touma answers.

"That... doesn't help."

"I think that the reason that you managed to posses Misaka was because that you really wanted to stop him from hurting the other Sterling."

"Yeah, that's probably it."

"So you just need to concentrate, you should be able to get out of Misaka's body and create your own. Like he said, you need to put your mind to it."

"You make it sound so easy," Lilian sighs.

"Stuff and lines like that always sounds easier," Mikoto comments and sighs. "There's nothing we can do about it though."

"Ok, I'm going to try it," Lilian closes Mikoto's eyes.

"Don't freeze her brain," Touma smugly tells her.

"Not, helping," Mikoto spoke through her teeth before breathing deeply.

Touma and Gates watch on as Mikoto stands as still as she can. Mikoto took another deep breath but her exhale was extended... and foggy.

At the end of it Mikoto opened her eyes and looked around. "Lilian?"

The blue mist that Mikoto breathed out flew to an open spot and circled around. Ice began to form on the ground in the shape of shoes, then legs, until it became a person whom had her eyes closed.

Lilian slowly opened her eyes and looked at her body, "It... it worked! I don't... this is... wow!"

"Umm... Lilian?" Mikoto tries to get her attention.

"Huh? UWAAA!" Lilian jumped in surprise. She was only half as tall as she should be! "Oh no... I got so focused on making living ice I didn't really think about my size. L-let me try again." Lilian's ice body shatters, leaving a small cloud of mist at its core.

"While she's doing that," the Admiral tosses his glaive in an arc, stabbing the ground several feet away. "The two of you will stay there. That should be far enough for you to still see us while not being able to hear us."

"Let's go," Touma mentions to Mikoto and leads the walk to the glaive.

The two of them make it to the glaive. Mikoto looks back to see Lilian's new ice body, it's correctly sized this time, and moving. She sees Lilian listen intently to whatever it is that the Admiral is telling her.

"Something wrong?" Touma asks.

"It's Lilian," Mikoto answers. "After that gang incident a while back, I did a background check on her."

"A... background check? Isn't that privacy invasion?"

"... I was looking up her split personality condition, it didn't sound scientifically feasible. So I was curious, checking her medical records and other documents."

"What did you find out?"

"Nothing, they're very good at keeping it a secret. But there was something else in the records that didn't make any sense until now." Mikoto turns to look Touma in the face. "Her AIM records are non-existent."

"Of course there'd be no AIM on a magic user."

"Even still, they believe that she was born with her powers, like a Gemstone, so she didn't need to go through the power curriculum like we did, and was kept away from the program by order of a well respected doctor and someone extremely high up in both the City and the Underground."

"Do they know that her powers are magic?"

Mikoto looks back at Lilian, it appears that Isolde had began to wake up. "I doubt it, but they're definitely keeping an eye on her. So I'm worried. If the City's darkness falls down on her..."

Touma places a hand on Mikoto's shoulder to cut her short. "She'll be alright. She's got us, as well as her own friends."

Mikoto is reminded of when Academy City's darkness engulfed her, despite her tremendous power. Images of her friends and Touma flashed into her head.

The earth rumbles slowly as all the misshapen ground starts to return to normal thanks to the Admiral. Mikoto and Touma see Isolde, Lilian and the Admiral discussing something amongst themselves.

"It looks like everything's going to be okay," Touma mutters.

"But it won't be the same for Lilian," Mikoto replies.

"She's stronger than you think, you've got to stop underestimating your friends."

"And you've got to stop trying to protect everyone when they're completely capable of protecting themselves."

"Er..." Touma scratches his hair and shyly turns his head away. "Hmm...?"

"What is it?"

"Don't you hear that?"

Mikoto tries to hear what Touma is hearing. There was a gushing of wind through the shrubbery, and it was getting louder, closer. A blast of wind blows out of the woods and flies towards Touma and Mikoto as they brace themselves. The wind dissipated as soon as it reached Touma's right hand, scattering the debris it was carrying which included

"Paper?" Mikoto mutters to herself, nothing the torn strips floating around them.

"And that wind was magic," Touma added.

One body flew out of the forest backwards, but lands on her feet and skids on the ground a bit, using her staff to stop faster.

"[Kanon!]" the girl screams.

A young woman jumps backwards from the forest, making big hops to reach where the girl was. The woman stays ready in a battle position.

"[I'm fine, but that-]"

Something extremely fast rushed out of the bushes towards the two. Kanon shot out several paper knives at it, it dodged side to side so fast it seemed to disappear between steps. Sienna shoots a powerful wind blast. The shadow jumped over the blast, Kanon shot paper knives upwards. The knives flew past nothing, whatever it was completely vanished from the air.

Sienna quickly noticed movement back on the ground. She crosses her arms in time to block palm coming to her face. Sienna stumbles back, Kanon tries to counter the attacker. The fighter deflects Kanon's attacks, and counters with a high left kick, steps in with a right fist, and a spinning straight jump kick. Kanon is knocked down to the ground.

Sienna rushes in to help. Her and the attacker exchange and counter quick fist strikes. Sienna seems to have the advantage, forcing the attacker to step back, Sienna tries to push further, her arm is caught by the fighter, pulled in and her mid torso was hit with a hard palm. Sienna crumbles over onto the ground.

Touma and Mikoto try to make out who was attacking the two, but the lack of light and distance make it difficult. Mikoto could swear she saw it wear a Tokiwadai uniform, and a large bushy tail.

The attacker notices something coming down from the sky, a very large man. It jumps back just as he landed. The Admiral recovers inhumanly fast and already has a fist flying towards the attacker. The attacker braced for impact with both arms out. The attacker caught the large man's fist, but the power spread to the air and ground, creating a shockwave that cracks up the earth, knocking Touma and Mikoto down.

"I didn't think your kind still existed," The Admiral speaks to the attacker, putting more power into his fist, breaking up the ground even further.

"You know about us, really?" The attacker holds firm, not budging despite the ground cracking up around their feet.

"'Really?' That voice, Ms. Sopheria?" Touma gets up as quick as he could, focusing his eyes.

"Mr. Kamijou? And this static, Ms. Misaka?" She loosened her grip on the Admiral's fist.

Feeling this, the Admiral relaxed his arm and stood straight. "You know each other?"

"We're friends, really!" Rutile answers as Touma and Mikoto came over, they're now able to see each other better. "What are you two doing here?"

"I was about to ask you!" Mikoto yells back. "What could possibly make you come here?" Though she was asking that, she was checking out behind Rutile, to double check on the 'tail' that she saw. There wasn't one.

"I felt Lilian's wind-wait, Lilian! Where is she?"

(Lilian's wind?) Mikoto tought to herself.

"I'm right here, Rutile." Came Lilian's voice from behind the cat like girl.

"LiliAAAH!" Rutile jumped in shock when she saw Lilian, or rather Lilian's ice body. "Li-Li-Lilian? Wh-wha-what happened to you? Really?"

"It's... very, very complicated. Huh?"

Rutile is pouncing all around Lilian's ice body, poking, glaring, sniffing, touching. The cat like girl then grabs a hand to inspect it more closely.

"Ru-Rutile?" Lilian doesn't know how to react to the curious Rutile, even while her finger is taken into the girl's mouth. "Wh-what are you doing?" Lilian tries to pull back her finger but she ended up jerking Rutile's whole head with it.

"Mmins nnungn!"

"It's stuck? Are you serious?" Touma asks.

"You understood that?" Mikoto directs a question to Touma.

"I'm used to talking to talking to someone with a full mouth."

Lilian tries pulling her finger out of Rutile's mouth again.

"Nnimg! Nnimg!" Rutile waves her arms frantically.

"Stop, stop." Touma translates.

Lilian's ice hand is broken off by an unknown attack. Both Lilian and Rutile fell back on their rears.

"What the hell are you two doing?" whomever cut Lilian's arm spoke.

"Mnuuugn?" Rutile still had a good chunk of ice hand in her mouth.

"Huuuuh?" Touma interprets.

"You didn't need to translate that," Mikoto gives him a look.

Rutile looked up at Lilian...'s original body. Holding a large ice axe.

"Isolde!" Lilian cried out, holding her broken arm.

"What?" Isolde responds nonchalantly. "You don't feel anything in that body, it's all in your head, right?"

"That may be, but-!"

"Look, it's been a long day as it is," Isolde closed her eyes and holds her head, starting to topple over.

"Isolde!" Lilian gets up quickly to catch her.

"Sorry, I'm always... causing trouble for you." Isolde could barely speak.

"Don't worry about that now," Lilian comforts her.

"She needs rest," the Admiral spoke. "Her mind, body and soul have been ravaged all night."

"Admiral..." Isolde starts to say something.

"I will keep my word," the large man answers before being asked.

"Admiral?" Kanon wonders what they're talking about.

"We are falling back," the Admiral answers. "This mission is over. There is no need to stay here."

"But sir!" Kanon protests. "Are you certain about this?"

"I am fully aware of the consequences, and I am ready to face them."

"Are we..." Sienna almost hesitates to ask. "Are we betraying the royal family?"

"No," Admiral Gates answers bluntly. "Our loyalty is still to the throne, not the council. Just like Glacies' was."

A moment of silence befell among the two.

"I have nowhere to return to now," the Admiral begins to walk. "You are free to choose your paths from here on out."

"Sir!" Kanon and Sienna rush to his side.

"Where are you going?" Kanon asks worriedly.

"I will investigate the council's plan, while trying to protect the royal family, but it will have to be from the shadows."

"Then, let us come with you!" Sienna pleads. "We can't leave you alone, it... it wouldn't feel right!"

"Sir, I have been with you since I joined the military," Kanon adds. "I will not change my loyalty now."

"You two..." The Admiral stops momentarily to look at the determination in their eyes.

"Let's go," Touma places a hand on Mikoto's shoulder.

"Are you sure?" She ponders. "They came here to kill you didn't they?"

"It's okay..." Isolde speaks weakly. "You can trust them..."

"I can second that," Lilian tells them. "They're not enemies anymore."

"Let me help," Rutile takes Isolde's body from Lilian and carries the girl on her back.

"Are you sure about this?" Lilian asks.

"I'm stronger than I look," Rutile smiles. "Plus I have gravity on my side. Really."

"I forgot about that," Lilian mutters.

Hearing them, the Admiral turns back to see the group of friends. Rutile senses this and returns his stare.

"The outside world has become an interesting place when a dragon and a demon can become friends..."

"Huh?" Lilian hears the Admiral, but not what he said.

"Good luck to you all," the Admiral tells them. "A massive outburst of magical power like that will surely attract a lot of attention."

"Oh great," Mikoto facepalmed.

"But I know, that you will be alright," The Admiral smiles, looking at Lilian and Isolde specifically, before turning around again and walking away, followed by the two girls.

"What do you think he meant by that?" Lilian wonders.

"Hehe," Isolde chuckles lightly.

"Isolde?"

"Let's just... get back..."

XXX

"How is it?" Mikoto asks Touma, whom was scouting ahead.

"All clear over here as well," he replies.

"That's good," the electomaster let out a sigh of relief. "But this is as far as I go."

"Huh? Why?" Rutile asks.

"I'm with the other section remember? I can't stay with you guys."

"Aw... but you guys looked like you had a lot of fuuun..."

Touma, Rutile and Mikoto turned their heads to see the owner of the voice. It was Sachya, from the top of a power pole.

"Sachya?" Rutile is the first to recognize her.

"Hup," Sachya hops down from the pole in front of the group.

"What are you doing here?" Mikoto questions her.

"I was on my way back when I saw you guys scurrying around," Sachya answers. "What in the world did you do to her?" Sachya pointed at Lilian's body, while directing the question at Touma. "Daaamn man, last night wasn't enough? And now there's two more? You sir, are dangerous!"

"W-What?" Touma can't think of anything else to say.

"You must have a heck of a technique to knock a girl out like that," Sachya continues taunting. "Then again she does seem preeetty fragile."

"Will you please be quiet now?" Mikoto smacks her fist into her hand, sparking up on impact, while displaying an irritated scowl.

"Heh," Sachya isn't intimidated. "Let a girl have her fun. Although... Shame on you, playboy!"

"Wait, what?" Touma can't keep up. "What'd I do now?"

"They're all middle schoolers," Sachya then points at Rutile. "Though I swear that she's even younger."

"Hey!" Rutile cries in protest.

"That's it!" Mikoto takes a step forward, and is suddenly launched away. "UUWAAAAaaa-!?"

"See you again never!" Sachya waves goodbye the flying Mikoto. "Gravity mines, gotta love'em."

"Miss Misaka!" Rutile cries out.

"Oh don't worry, she'll be alright." Sachya reassures her. "She's headed in the direction of the other hotel."

"B-but what about landing?" Rutile asks.

"I'm sure she'll figure something out," Sachya shrugs. "Anyway, we should get back to our hotel, that nasty wind storm and light earthquake really scared everyone around here."

"That explains the lack of people wondering around," Touma looks down every street he could to find it practically barren.

"Well, it seems like it stopped," Sachya notes. "Still, it is pretty late in the night as it is. Plus, we got packing to do early in the morning."

XXX

The rest of the night went by uneventfully. Rutile lay Lilian's body down on one of the beds before saying good night and returning to her own room with Sachya. Touma just crashes on top of his bed. Both were motionless, though Lilian's mind was racing with various thoughts. Especially on the revelation of what she really is.

She had decided to keep her true identity from Isolde as best as she could, the shock and confusion of a reveal might not be good for Isolde's turbulent mind right now. Or ever, considering how touchy the subject of her mother is to her.

XXX

"Are you okay?" Touma asks Lilian on the bus ride back.

"A lot things did happen last night." Lilian answers.

"Don't dwell on it," he tells her. "Remember, you're not alone."

"I'm never alone," Lilian closed her eyes. "Right?"

...

"Huh?" Touma tilts his head confused.

"She's... still sleeping," Lilian sounds disappointed. "We will definitely need to talk, especially after what had happened last night."

"What are you planning on doing?"

"Who knows?" Lilian ponders. "But, I do want to use this new ability I learned." Lilian shows Touma her hand and creates a growing, blooming flower.

"Living ice," Touma mutters. "I think you should be careful with that."

"Why?"

"Living ice isn't scientifically feasible."

"And a city full of superpowered people are?"

"Er... that's kind of different," Touma scratches his head.

"Don't worry," Lilian lightens up. "I know what you were talking about."

"Hey, hey!" Rutile's head pops over Lilian's back seat. "So, what are you doing with that pendant? Are you going to keep it? Really?"

"I'm giving it to a friend of mine," Lilian answers. "She already has a hair ornament in the shape of a wing. I thought that the pendant would match with her perfectly."

"Really? Can I meet her?"

"Um..." Lilian and Touma look at each other, confused.

"I can't? Really?" Rutile drops her chin on the seat, pouting.

"You have gravity," Sachya gives her thoughts. "Sneak around, cling on walls, be a ninja."

"I don't want to be a ninja, really," Rutile protests. "My clan has Stalkers, but to become one is really, really hard."

"What?" Sachya.

"They're like ninjas, really."

"What kind of Romanian town has ninjas?"

"AH! I said too much again, really."

"The hell?" Sachya raises an eyebrow.

Touma gives Rutile a confused look. (What is up with her?)

"Hehehe..." Lilian giggles.

"Heh, that's better," Rutile smiles. "You look better smiling. I was kinda worried you wouldn't smile again."

"What the hell did you do to her last night?" Sachya asks Touma out loud, catching the attention of everyone else on the bus.

"I told you nothing happened!" Touma nervously protests.

Lilian can't help but laugh. (Isolde, I don't know what's going to happen now, but I feel like we've gotten closer together. Despite who... what I am, what WE are. All I want now is to stay with you for as long as possible.)

XXX

Author: And their story continues, with more revelations and mysteries to come. I've already written a bunch of stories with these two in them, but this is still only their second chapter. I have every intention of finishing up my personal Indexverse series with the last chapter of their story. I just need to work out all the kinks of their backstory. Also, I want to finish up Rutile and Angel's stories before that, so it'll be a couple more stories before the finale (not counting side stories if I decide to make those). No need to worry though, they'll still star significantly, I mean I kinda want to show off what they're capable of with their new upgrades. Till the next tale!