Academy Blues

By: Daishi Prime

- Chapter 31 – Resolutions -

Author's Explanations: 'MP' is short for Military Police – specially trained enlisted personnel and officers responsible for enforcing law and order on military bases and camps. Leavenworth is the name of a famous US Federal and military prison.

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The first attempt on his life came on his own base, at the hands of one of his own personnel, tough fortunately not one of his friends. He stopped in at one of the labs to discuss scheduling experiments with the lab's various users, and one of the interns, a Harold Dargrave, tried to shove a knife in his back. Hughes was distracted at the time, talking to one of the other scientists, and was just as surprised as everyone else when there was a flash of darkness, a thunderclap of noise, and Harold was sent flying across the room, crashing into the wall with bone-breaking force. Hughes reached him first, to find him unconscious but alive, and holding a short, heavy hunting knife that, to his trained eyes, glowed with magical energy.

A shiver of power drew his attention up even as the others began to crowd around, and he held up a hand. "Back up," he ordered, "give me room. Thomas, call the medics."

As the scientists backed up, and his aide trotted over to the phone on the wall, the source of that shiver stepped through the encircling men without paying them the least attention. Akira strolled over, giving the collapsed Dargrave a curious once-over, even going so far as to nudge the man's foot absently. "Well now, he was certainly an idiot."

Hughes put it together in a moment, and frowned as he rose to his feet, "What did you do?"

Akira quirked an eyebrow at him, "Nothing. My Lord, however, placed a simple ward on you to make sure that no one other than he ends your life. Your continued existence is important to his daughter's safety, therefore he will keep you alive. Will you be able to handle this one, or should I bring him to my Lord?"

Hughes glared a moment longer, then ordered, "get off my base. Good as you are, you're liable to get shot by one of my guards, especially after this stunt." Akira just smiled at him, and wavered a moment before vanishing just as the MPs piled in the door.

The second, and far more worrisome, attempt came a month later, though it turned out to be as much a blessing as a threat. Called to the Pentagon to explain Hayate's announcement – and the evidence of his own involvement – to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, whom the Circles had always remained out of to avoid publicity, he was walking from the Metro to the underground entrance of the colossal building when a massive bolt of power slammed to a halt mere centimeters from him, launched from the escalator leading to the street overhead.

Part of him had been annoyed, after Dargraves, to be indebted to Takashi and Akira, given how much he despised the pair of them. But he was not above taking advantage of their interference, and while Takashi's automatic defenses took care of the incoming attack, Hughes merely stood still and focused on finding the attacker. It was not hard, the woman was now airborne, flying towards him slowly, raining bolt after bolt on him, face twisted into a snarl of anger and determination. It was obvious she was the focus of a wolf-pack, and he just shook his head as Pentagon security responded.

"You picked a bad time, child," he called out, "assassinations are better performed in less public and less well defended places."

"Shut up and die, traitor!"

"Oh, yes, such a mature argument," he countered, "but you know, the wolf-pack's a bad idea against me." He gathered his own energies, part of him marveling at the unwavering strength of Takashi's shield. The spell he built was complicated, and he was somewhat surprised Takashi and Akira did not arrive to interrupt while he was building it. The woman attacking him just floated closer while he built it, but she stopped her direct attacks, in favor of building her own stronger spell. He paid her no attention, until his own was finished. He looked up to find her still working, smiled, and released his spell, "EMP."

The pulse was instant, a twisting warping sensation that very nearly made him sick to his stomach, even prepared as he was. Its effect on his attacker was worse, tearing apart the spell she was building, her shields, and her connection to the supporting circle. She screamed, in fear and pain, as she plummeted to the concrete floor of the Metro station, landing with a sickening crunch. She was surrounded in a heart-beat, and by the time Hughes made it over to her, Sergeant Maunders had already melted out of the crowd and begun building a binding on her.

"That's a nasty, nasty, spell, sir," Maunders commented absently.

"That it is," he agreed, "too bad it's not strong enough to overcome a device."

"You sure about that?"

"Mostly," he shrugged. "I'm not about to test it without permission."

"Smart of you," Takashi commented from overhead. "It would work, in a basic sense, against typical device users. That would be why I'm here, actually. You managed to damage Akira with that little stunt. Why didn't you use traditional methods?"

Hughes looked up, and frowned at finding both Takashi and Hayate there, "Because I'm not a fighter, I'm a scientist."

"One of the few reasons I have to trust you," Hayate commented. She set down next to the still-unidentified woman, held out one hand, and wrapped her ribbons of white energy. When the glow faded, there was a faint pattern of white lines on the woman's skin, and she was completely unconscious. "She will no longer be able to utilize magic," Hayate informed him, "so your superiors should be able to question her easily." The young woman turned to face Hughes, frowning slightly. "I am concerned, Colonel. This makes the second attempt on your life in as many weeks. I realize Takashi has taken steps to protect you, but would you like us to provide you a permanent body-guard? I should be able to arrange something through the Bureau."

Hughes had to struggle not to glare at her. Here she was, the very reason his own people were now trying to kill him, and she had the gall to offer to protect him? "I have no interest in any protection offered by you and yours, Miss Yagami. I would prefer, in fact, if Takashi removed his spells."

She shook her head, "No, Colonel, not anytime soon. You are too important to our hope for peace to risk you. I will not force a permanent guard on you, but if you change your mind, you know how to reach me."

She and Takashi teleported away, and he just shook his head and turned his attention back to the woman now being checked over by an Air Force paramedic from the Pentagon's duty staff. "Corporal, once you're done with that, I think she should probably be held here in the Pentagon, until arrangements can be made to transport her to secure observation elsewhere. She had a number of accomplices, who will probably attempt to free her immediately, or worse."

A brief conversation between a couple Metro cops, the duty MPs, and a Virginia State Trooper agreed, and the still unconscious woman was carried to the Pentagon first-aid station to await secure transport. Hughes followed her in, having arranged to give his statements after meeting the Joint Chiefs, Maunders and the rest of her team at his heels. At least he now had a concrete incident he could use to prove his loyalty to the US – arguing she had only attacked him to keep him from explaining to the secular leaders of the nation what the Circles were.

"She had a point, sir," Maunders commented. "My troops and I can handle it right now, but you and I both know the attempts so far have been individuals, personal initiative. The hold-outs are disorganized right now, reacting. Once they get their act together..."

"By the time they do," Hughes answered, "I'll either be a non-entity in Leavenworth, or have an organized structure of my own to rely on for protection. No, I'll rely on my fellows for protection, not some foreigner I could never really trust."

Still, as he and his entourage wended their way through the maze of corridors and stairs into the brain of the United States military, he could not help feeling depressed. Two times now, people who just weeks before were friends, or at least allies, had tried to kill him. Just the fact that someone was trying to kill him was depressing and frightening, but that it was fellow Circle mages made it infinitely worse. Even the slew of calls he had received from all over the world looking to join his endeavor, enough to force him to re-route his old phone to an answering line, could not remove that sense of sadness and loss. In attempting to save the Circles, he was destroying them, and he had little to no idea what would emerge from the chaos.

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The remainder of the school year passed in relative quiet. The Circles made no further attempts on the school, not even probes of the newly reinforced wards. The media attention died down to almost nothing, though it never quite disappeared. Governmental attention also faded, though contacts from other nations for information were frequent. Even the students seemed to give up their wilder antics, all of them seemingly exhausted by the excitement of Operation Nimrod.

The Circles lack of activity was easy enough to explain. While for a month or so the attacks on Hughes were the only signs of trouble, in late March a series of incidents occurred that could only have been magically enacted. Two were simple terrorist incidents, explosions targeting organizations that had, in the wake of Hayate's revelation, publicly revealed themselves as belonging to the Circles. Several more were drawn out magical battles, in three cases ending only when Signum or Vita arrived in response to requests for assistance from putatively uninvolved governments. Who was attacking who was always up for debate, and there even appeared to be fighting within each faction. Whatever was going on, wherever it was, it was quite obvious to anyone who paid attention that the Circles were quite thoroughly occupied tearing themselves apart.

Even the news that Kriegsen was on the loose, and apparently had been within days of his arrest, could not put a damper on her spirits. Chrono was beyond furious, as was the entirety of Investigations. The being who had stood trial and served Kriegsen's sentence was a holographic AI, constructed with Deva magic, and the object held in Secure Archives labeled as his device was a clever fake that possessed just enough magical energies to fool basic scanners. But while Kriegsen himself was nowhere to be found, only the testimony of Doctor Al Huri said he was interested in Earth. Hayate found she could not worry about him, as she knew far more about Deva magic than the last time she had met him, and Takashi was on hand this time, making far too strong a position for Kriegsen to attack, now that she was aware of him. The fact that she managed to built a structure of Deva wards that Takashi had trouble finding helped greatly.

The fading media attention was somewhat easier to explain. Hayate began by simply denying anyone permission to use the overlook, which was part of the campus property. A few enterprising types attempted to use the shoulder of the road, until police forces sent them on their way. A few die-hards settled for hiking in, usually setting up on the far side of the highway from the overlook, but that was complicated by the fact that the local landowners did not allow them to remain after finding them. Most reporters, however, settled for sending in inquiries by phone or email. Hayate, similarly to Hughes, had hire an answering service, and refused any and all requests for interviews or access to the school, though she did agree to answer prepared questions sent via email, which responses were inevitably portrayed as major news events.

In a way, it was the public reaction which Hayate found most disturbing. For the most part, it amounted to little more than a collective shrug. The vast majority of people seemed to regard her announcement as a cross between a hoax, and a non-event. There was outrage over the kidnapping attempts, outrage over her people's responses to the kidnappings, but that was mostly about their actions, not their methods. Most of the world's population did not seem concerned beyond making sure this newly revealed aspect of the world would not interfere with their lives, and it soon became apparent that far more than one press conference was required to overcome centuries of denial and skepticism.

Despite the majority reaction, a significant number of people, especially as Circle mages began coming forward publicly, seemed to be genuinely interested and even ecstatic that magic was real. There were some 'crazies', as Laura termed them, who had some very strange theories about how it all worked, but they were far less common than Hayate had feared, and definitely outnumbered, at least in the public eye, by those who either knew enough of magic to explain it, or were seriously interested in finding out. That tide of serious interest gave her hope for her home-world, and she found she needed it quite often, as the Circles' self-destruction became more public and more violent.

Much more disturbing, and the major cause she needed that sense of hope was the large number of what Laura termed 'stupid crazies'. Ranging from those who thought magic could somehow miraculously fix whatever problem they had (and even a few who, to her embarrassment, tried to declare Hayate a deity), to those who decried magic as utterly vile and without redeeming facet (including those who attempted to declare Hayate the devil incarnate). Either extreme made all of them, teachers and students alike, distinctly uncomfortable, especially given how the extremists all focused on Hayate as their respective icon. Only Japan's traditionally reserved culture, the school's remote location, and some questionable assistance from various Japanese police agencies kept those extremists away from the school, but nothing could keep them from media attention.

With the students, it was quite clear that the excitement, fear, and general energy level of Operation Nimrod and the resultant rescue attempts had simply worn them out. For days afterwards, none of them had the energy to do more than go to class and study. Even Laura's return did not raise the students' energy levels appreciably, as she immediately took to disappearing again whenever she could, usually in company with Signum. Still, Hayate did not worry about that, knowing it would take time for her students to bounce back from the stress and drain of those few days. Sure enough, her children were mostly back to their inquisitive rambunctious selves by the middle of April.

Which was not to say they had no adverse reactions to the attack, they would have had to be more than human for that. There were nightmares, moments of stress and fear, and a definite increase in interest in magic's more combative uses. Shamal managed to handle the psychological problems, though Noriko found herself pressed time and again to approach Hayate privately, as her fellow students took to approaching her for guidance and reassurance. Still, none of that was any worse than what Hayate had expected, though she was very happy as such incidents slowly faded as June approached.

Despite the assault on the school and its attendant disruptions, Hayate was happy to find that, by the time June rolled around, they had regained all the lost time from their planned schedule, and managed to get almost as far ahead as they had been at the end of January. The progress, and her student's precocious capability, was not enough to convince her to revise the curriculum for next year's new students, but it did give her a beginning baseline to start reconsidering the assumptions on which that curriculum was built. Just the fact that, despite what had happened, her children were dedicated and skilled enough to catch up warmed her heart.

Time continued its inexorable march, however, and the second week of June rolled around with depressing certainty. Hayate became ridiculously nervous as her children sat their final exams, just as she had before the winter break, but managed to hide that from most of them. Noriko apparently figured it out, enough to be amused, and Cidela certainly did though she was too polite to mention it. Once again, as their exams wound down, Hayate refused to reveal their results, only promising, "They'll be available before next semester." The universal consternation that woke was too funny for words.

The last day of the school year rolled around, and once again her children were packing to return home, but Hayate was mostly content with that. She had provided each of them with an improved version of the beacons distributed in December, and they had all learned a great deal, more than enough to protect themselves until help could arrive. They all planned to return the next year, and she had solid confirmation of that from most of their parents.

Hayate herself spent most of the day in the dormitory's dining hall, talking with those who wanted to, helping locate missing items, and mostly just enjoying the serene chaos of sixteen teenagers preparing to move. Despite the occasional floating object – and floating student – it looked like everyone would be ready to go on time the next day, unlike the first day of winter break when everyone had been scrambling to find that last minute item they swore had already been packed but was nowhere to be found. This time it appeared everyone was going to be ready on time.

Noriko was the worst of the students about pestering her, trying to trick her into revealing something – anything – about the student's final grades. But Hayate enjoyed teasing the princess, and managed both to avoid revealing anything, and avoid teasing her too far. Most of the other students seemed to be torn between excitement at going home, and sorrow at going home, but happy enough on balance.

The worst problem among the students, however, proved to be Laura. Since her return after China, she had been relatively quiet – not withdrawn, but not as hyperactive and extroverted as she had been. The absence of pranks had been worrisomely easy to adapt to – until the very last day. Laura seemed to be determined to make up for the past three and a half months of quiet in a single day, and so far had been doing an exemplary job. Waking the entire valley with a stirring rendition of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, accompanied by fireworks, would have been amusing, had it not begun precisely at dawn. Over the rest of the day she had set off innumerable other pranks – exploding drawers, missing luggage, more musical numbers, and of all the students only Noriko and Yussef were going home with their original hair color. 'Trying' did not begin to describe Laura's antics, but Hayate did not really have the heart to chastise the girl as she probably should have. Just seeing her laughing hysterically again, or cackling maniacally as she flitted from one prank to the next, was too wonderful a site to complain. Most of Laura's classmates agreed, though Yussef and Vita were both straight-forward in their reactions to the general tricks. Whenever they did though, Laura would just smile enigmatically and reply, "Wait your turn." The fact that, throughout the day, she never targeted either of them with any pranks had Yussef and Vita both on edge and very jumpy by the time dinner rolled around.

Dinner was, as before winter break, an 'all school' affair in the dining hall, and as before winter break, everyone took the near ends of two neighboring tables. There was a little more division this time than there had been in winter, with most of the boys clustered together, but the conversations were still free-flowing and all-encompassing. This time there was no surprise, however, when Hayate rose after the desserts had been cleaned up, just polite watchful silence.

"I know the school's a little young for traditions," Hayate began, as Signum and Vita began walking down the tables, handling out small boxes, "but there's no reason we can't establish some as we go, for the hopefully many students to follow in your footsteps. Signum and Vita are now providing the first of them. All of you have demonstrated remarkable growth in control and strength, and these will help you go further. You can open them, now." There was a flurry of motion as twelve of the sixteen opened their 'presents', to find discrete silver necklaces with small clear-gemmed pendants. "Those are, like Cid-chan's, training devices. You'll find detailed instructions underneath, and they are easily adjustable if you prefer not to wear it as she does. Using them is simple enough. Wear it for a few days, you should begin to have a feel for it trying to draw power from your linker core. Allow it, and when you want to cast a spell, use that sense of draw to channel the energy. The rules from winter break are still in effect, but somewhat relaxed. Just remember, be careful. Don't try anything too exciting with the training devices, just get used to them. Next year, we will begin teaching you how to get the most out of them, and begin constructing devices for those of you who followed the rules.

"The other tradition I'd like to establish is how well you have all done. Despite the unpleasantness in February, you have all done extremely well, in your studies and in your relationships, and you have made us all proud. Especially proud of how well you came together and how well you performed during the crisis in February. You performed brilliantly under dangerous and frightening conditions, and it was much thanks to you as to us that the crisis was resolved as well as it was. You all need to be cautious at home, aware that elements of the Circles may try to capture or harm you again, but we will keep a close eye on you, and you are all skilled enough to protect yourselves until we can arrive. Your emergency gems have been improved, so our response times will be quicker and more discerning.

"Despite that, I doubt you will have much trouble from the Circles or from anyone other than possibly the television crews." Everyone chuckled at that, remembering how exasperated they had all become with any and all reporters since February. "Just be polite to them," Hayate continued, "and let your parents get rid of them. You are all minors by your nations' laws, so no one can press too hard without risking serious penalties. You have a few weeks off, I suggest you relax and enjoy yourselves. Next year will be worse, I promise."

As Hayate went to pick up her drink for the toast, however, Laura stood up from the far end. When she had everyone's attention, she looked about, fidgeting with unaccustomed nerves. When she was obviously contemplating sitting back down, Hayate said, "Go ahead, Laura, what is it?"

Laura twitched, then nodded and stiffened her spine. "Right. You all know I've had trouble since China, and you all pretty much know why. Suffice it to say, my magical control's excellent, but my temper's not. To put it bluntly, I don't and can't trust myself, Yussef's little display for our families aside. It would be too easy for me to go too far again in similar circumstances. I can't trust my control over my temper." She paused to take a deep breath, then continued in a slow, surprisingly formal tone, "Thus I call upon all of you present here today to witness my oath. Upon my honor, upon my soul, upon my magic and my hope for redemption, I swear today that I will never again kill a thinking being."

There was a moment of stunned silence, as no one – except possibly Signum – had expected anything like this out of her. Even Hayate was uncertain what to say to such a fundamental and sweeping oath. Yussef was the first to reply, rumbling back, "So witnessed." Seconds later, the same reply issued forth from everyone else at the tables, including Hayate.

Signum stood up as soon as it was over, walking around to stand next to Laura, staring at her over crossed arms. Laura just looked back, and shook her head, "I know we talked about it, sensei, and I know you think I shouldn't have done that, but I had to. I can't trust my temper, but I can trust my word, and I trust all of you to hold me to it."

Signum just nodded, and continued to stare at her for a minute, and silence reigned as Hayate waited, wondering what her Sword Knight was thinking. Finally, Signum spoke, in the same tone Laura had used in her oath, "Do you, Laura Sims, swear to preserve the Mistress of the Night Sky against all threats, even at the cost of your own honor and life?"

Hayate almost fell into her chair at that, her heart freezing in her chest as she choked out, "Signum! What are you doing?!"

"Swearing in a new Wolkenritter," Vita commented easily.

"She can't do that!"

"Um, yes she can," Vita said, and had the gall to grin at her. "You're the Mistress of the Night Sky, Hayate-sama, but you're not Wolkenritter. Only a Wolkenritter can extend or challenge an offer of membership, and we all agreed a few days ago to offer Laura a place, when Signum felt she was ready."

Before Hayate could formulate a response to that idiocy, Signum said, "Well, Laura?"

Laura visibly swallowed, then dropped her head, and shook it slightly, "I'm sorry, Signum-san, but I can't. I'm not ready yet. Thank you for the honor, but... I can't."

Signum stared at her for a moment longer, then nodded slowly and reached out one hand to squeeze Laura's shoulder. "An honest response, if not the one I was looking for. You do have what it takes to join the Wolkenritter, you just don't recognize it yet. You have taken the last and most difficult of our three oaths on your own, which tells me you are ready. So, I will withdraw the offer for now, and reconsider again in the future. My patience is not infinite, however. Refuse too often, Laura, and I will stop offering."

Laura looked up again, and nodded, "I know, Signum-san. I'll do my best, but if I'm never ready, I'll just have to deal with that. But I'm not ready now."

Signum nodded again, then frowned slightly, "Since when do you not call me 'sensei'?"

"Um, since just now?" Laura blinked, then chuckled a little, "I, ah, wasn't sure you wouldn't be angry when I said no."

While Signum reassured her apprentice, Hayate reached out mentally, Signum? I am not certain that was wise. Laura is a student, not a knight.

Signum glanced at her with a raised eyebrow, it was wise enough, Mistress. As I told her, she has already taken the most difficult of our three oaths. As for her not being a knight... consider her device, and how she uses it. Laura is Wolkenritter in all but name. She reminds me of Nanoha and Fate – magic is everything to her, and she will never give it up. If Lee's death did not dissuade her, nothing will, and she is too much the warrior to ever be anything else. She has the honor, the drive, the will, and the natural aptitude. All she lacks is the skills and experience. Even her refusal shows she is coming into that experience. Just think of her as a less-experienced version of Vita.

Hayate found herself uncomfortable with the idea, but also unable to argue with Signum's reasons. Laura was everything Signum said she was, but she was also a child. I know Nanoha, Fate and I were younger when we joined the Bureau, she countered, but I did not want to put any of my kids in such a position, either. She's too young.

Laura is never going to stop being a child, you know, Shamal commented, somewhat primly. Only standing defenses and fast reactions had kept the healer's hair blond that day, but the same had not sufficed to save her from the mundane water-balloons that had accompanied Laura's signature prank-spell. She is too wild, too hyperactive. I agree she has the requisite qualities to be one of us, but she has shown today that, whatever else happens, she will always have that childishness. Besides, as you heard her, she has refused, feeling herself unready.

I believe Hayate-sama is discomfited not by who we offered a place to, Zafira interrupted, but by the fact that we offered a place to anyone at all.

Signum actually had the gumption to look confused by that, even as Hayate felt herself blush in embarrassed confirmation. Is he right, Mistress? Why? I would think what happened in Egypt would prove that we need more Wolkenritter, though not with any serious urgency. I almost died, Mistress. Had I fallen, if one of us is to fall in battle, who will be there to take up our duties? Laura is not the only student I would consider for the Wolkeritter, just the only one to earn a place this soon.

Hayate shook her head, I... I just don't like it. The four of you are my knights, my friends and companions. I don't want anymore knights.

I am sorry, Mistress, Signum told her, I thought you understood when we discussed it in May. With the Circles and our usual responsibilities, we need more members. New members would not replace us, Mistress, and the children already follow you as loyally as we do.

But you are more than just my knights, Signum, you are my family, and I do not like others intruding on that.

They will not, Signum promised, any more than they already do as our students. You already refer to them as 'your children'.

And you have already accepted Cid-chan, even if the paperwork is not finished, Shamal reminded her.

I am sorry, Signum repeated, I had thought you were ready for this, Mistress. I will not ask her again until you are both ready, I guess. Though, as a Wolkenritter, I must remind you that who we induct into our Order is our business, Mistress. The slight smile took the sting out of it, but it was still a surprise to hear.

I'll try to work it out, Hayate promised, I'm just... not comfortable with my kids doing this so soon.

Her knights sent her their assent, but a fifth voice chimed in at the last moment in a surprisingly sarcastic tone, Thank you, Mother. It took Hayate a moment to realize it was Laura, giving her a pixie-grin. Hayate shook an admonishing finger, but let the joke slide, impressed that Laura had managed to eavesdrop on the telepathic conversation. When she picked up her glass this time, no one interrupted her. "A toast," she reminded them, and every glass was raised, "To magic, to knowledge, and to the exploration of both for the betterment of our world."

"To magic!"

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Author's Notes

Here ends Academy Blues, the second story of the Deva Magic Stories. It's been a longer and wilder ride than I planned, but I've had fun, and apparently so have all of you who've stuck with me. For sticking with me, you all have my thanks. Those of you who reviewed, even just once, have my thanks again. I learned a lot before and during writing this, and I think it shows markedly, though I can still see weaknesses. Not the least, I need a better handle on my planning, and 'wrapping up' took longer than it should have. It would be going even longer, except I now have plans for a sequel, so I've left a few loose-ends for that.

To those eagerly awaiting the sequel, all I can say is... hold your breath. Go on, I dare you:). Seriously, it's going to be a while. I'm working my way through character-sheets to help me keep all the students, teachers, allies, antagonists, and not-so-innocent bystanders straight, and I have a general idea of the plot, but I have yet to start actually outlining it. I'm going to try and have a solid outline before I start writing & posting the sequel, to try and avoid the surprises that caught me out in this story, and the long stretches where chapters gave me trouble. Please be patient, and I'll try to make it worth the wait.

Thanks again!

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Kell Shock: Yeah, Hayate's got some issues where threats to her family are concerned, comes from being an orphan, I think. Her ability to deal with all mages on Earth is pretty scary, but it's also complicated. Her threat, and the debate over responses to it, is a large part of what is fueling the Circles' civil war. As for 'fanboys' and would-be students, Hayate's school really is 'invitation only', and despite her revelation, the only information publicly available on it is a single phone number and the general location – which is entirely private property in the middle of a preserve belonging to the Imperial Family. So anyone attempting to bother her is going to have trouble doing so. But you're right, I would be interested in studying at her school.

SpaceBrotha: Sorry to hear you weren't (hopefully weren't) feeling well. It was not so much Hayate's terms that shocked Hughes, as her complete unwillingness to negotiate and Takashi's news. He went in expecting to talk about terms, and instead received an ultimatum, then had half his world torn apart in a matter of seconds. There's a difference between planning for he worst, and getting smacked with it – I'd say he did react quickly and well, given the scope and speed of shocks he got hit with. When discussing power, remember, it takes far more skill and strength to build and heal than to destroy. Had Takashi and Sarah ever seriously fought, he might have won because he was the better warrior, but Sarah simply knew more about magic in general and Deva magic in particular. As for how strong he is compared to Hayate... it's a debatable point. Hayate has access to all of Sarah's knowledge, but she only has experience with a small fraction of it, while Takashi has all of it. Yet Hayate has more recent experience in fighting an equal opponent. It would be a toss-up as to who won. I'm familiar with the tzarbomb, though like the MOAB it imitates, it makes me laugh (for the same reasons Laura laughed at the Hellblade), and Kriegsen's escape is not being ignored, but Takashi is not Akira – he's willing to wait patiently for Kriegsen to make a mistake, rather than go hunting him and possibly leave Hayate vulnerable. As for a nuke not working, you're right about how large the area of effect is, but unless it landed within a quarter-mile or so, a strong enough shield could withstand the blast and thermal effects, long enough to teleport out at least. Still wouldn't be fun, and it would require some sort of warning, but it would be possible – at least for Hayate and Takashi working together.

Seaotter: I'm afraid that this is the end, no more batteries, but there is a sequel. Haven't read Dan Brown, but most 'secret societies' that want to realistically stay that way follow a similar structure. I'm not even sure Hughes has a daughter, though he's had better luck in his career than poor Maes Hughes (from FMA, I assume you were referencing?). All the offices are in the Library building, I mentioned it in one of the first couple chapters, though I forget which. Allison was providing translations into American English, while the other students provided translations into their own language. Brian's just a big brother, protective of his younger sister, though I think he would get along well with Yussef (at least as long as Laura wasn't around). As for the Major, I just thought that would be a funny twist, and a way to show that the Circles are wide-spread and all-pervasive, much as the descriptions of their post-Nimrod activities above were. As for the zip-file request, apologies, but no. This is pretty much the closest I've got to a 'website', and provides a modicum of control that I don't think a mass-download site would allow. As for saving copies of my stories: go to "File", "Save As", change "save as type" to 'plain text'. Repeat for chapters, attaching a numerical designator to the end of each save file name to keep them in order. That's what I do for stories I download. Though, like every story on FFN, I retain the copy-right and while I give permission for you to download and read, I refuse permission to repost or edit – not trying to say you would or be mean or anything, just trying to avoid future confusion, and I've lost a couple writers I liked on here to folks stealing their stories, so I'm a touch paranoid about it. Sorry about not answering your PM, also, I was going to but lost track of it amidst my e-mails.

CrimsonDX: The apocalypse Hayate threatened Hughes with is actually three spells – a scrying spell to locate the targets, a specialized cross of scrying and communications magics to create a link to all those cores, and a third spell to draw power from those cores to the point of burn-out. Sufficient shields (i.e. – a non-device mage would have to do nothing but shield) could hold it off, and it would take her several days to truly carry it out, mostly to accomplish the detailed scrying, though once she has a link to a target core it would be almost impossible to break that connection. It would be difficult for Hayate to pull off, but utterly devastating if she did, even if she did not get all the Circle mages.

Sheo Darren: Yes, Hayate was pretty impressive-scary last chapter – it's probably the whole 'ultimatum with force behind it' thing. Cidela and Shamal do fit well together, but that's because I designed Cidela around Shamal, so yeah, it's cute. Unfortunately, here's the last chapter until the sequel.

A Cannon: As I explained to CrimsonDX, Hayate could do it, she was not making an idle threat. What makes it a borderline bluff is, she might not be truly willing to carry through, given the high probability of crippling or killing innocents. I honestly am not certain, give the high probability of collateral damage, but Hughes certainly believed her, as did the Circles in general, probably because they would be willing to do it, if they had the capability.

Marine Brother Shran: Yup, I knew about the languages used in the series, and probably should have had Paradox use German. But I don't speak it at all (not even at the 'handful of words' level I can manage in Japanese), so I decided to cheat. I think what varies the styles is more outlook than language. Mid-childan magic is flexible and (relatively) peaceful, a 'jack of all trades' magic, concerned with safety and stability and proven methods. Velka magic is combat oriented and willing to take risks with unstable magic – Chrono said something at one point in A's about the original Velka being Mid-childans who were simply more aggressive and less risk-averse. As for Deva magic, it's about manipulation of the underlying fabric of reality (whatever that happens to be) rather than direct applications of power – a lot of it's power comes from it's unique nature rather than inherent strength. As for languages, I tend to think they reflect user attitudes rather than hard-and-fast laws: English for the high-tech common Mid-childan types, German for the militaristic Velka, and I never came up with one for Deva magic (though it would probably be English again, since that was Sarah's native tongue).

stormturmoil: Hayate was probably bluffing, but would have been stopped by her morals rather than ability or will. Akira could not manage the spells – he's actually created & powered by the Hellblade, which relies on Takashi's old Mid-childan linker-core, not Deva magic. As for Takashi being able to manage the combo – maybe, but it's not his style. He would have to learn a couple of complicated spells (the scrying & linking spells) that are outside his usual area, first off. Second, even the original Akira went for mass-murder only when he thought he could not get at Kriegsen directly, while Takashi's more of a personal combat/precision assassination type. Takashi would definitely have the will, but probably does not have the spells (more from lack of interest than lack of ability). As a comparison, Nanoha can't call down lightning and plasma effects – not because Fate's a terribly stronger or more skilled mage, but because it's not her style. Hayate definitely has the capability, though. It's just a question of if she could handle the casualties and collateral damage.

shinseieikyu: Thanks for the compliment, & you're welcome.