Aviantei

By: Aviantei

Part Thirty-Four: Knight

Issebella Vargas had seen firsthand the cruelty that people could unleash on those with shamanic ability. Her parents had abandoned her on the streets once they realized she could see the dead. In reality, Vargas wasn't even her real family name; it was just one she had chosen at random after she realized her parents weren't going to take her back. It eventually became the name that she'd pass on to other street kids like her.

They were a real family, one that blood relations had nothing on.

Thanks to the abilities that her parents had called cursed, she'd met Militaresco. He'd taught her how to survive on the streets. It was thanks to him that she'd survived, that she'd been able to protect other kids tossed out for whatever reasons. Those children didn't care that she could see the dead or had strange powers. They considered her a blessing, instead.

It wasn't an idyllic life by any means. The winters in Sicily may have been mild compared to other parts of the world, but they were still cold. Sometimes, there wasn't enough food, and hunger pained her as she gave up meals to the ones who were too sick or weak to go without any. Adults would be cruel to them on the premise that they were street rats, so it didn't matter. Issebella had stumbled across a broken and cold body of someone she knew too many times to count. Sometimes she was there and had to watch the moment their souls separated from their body. Sometimes the soul separating was one that she'd caused herself.

Still—

Still, Issebella found happiness in those times. She did love her friends—her family very much. She was determined never to break in the face of challenges, but she did think sometimes:

None of these kids deserve a life like this.

If there was something I could do to change these awful circumstances for them all, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

And then, one day, the person arrived that changed everything.

On that day, a cloaked boy younger than her and a brown-haired girl with dead eyes arrived.

The wind whipped through Issebella's hair as Kaede's Over Soul took a free fall through the air. Issebella let out a shout of delight that wouldn't have sounded out of place on a roller coaster. Evening had already started to fall, and the first pieces of stars had started to flash in the blue-black expanse of the sky. Issebella let herself enjoy it a bit more, then brandished her soul and braced for the impact.

Kaede's Soul of the Forest lowered its antlered head and rammed straight into Tecolote's Phantasma Grande, the massive skeleton starting to leak mana at a dangerous rate. Issebella dismounted, launching herself in Tecolote's direction and swinging her longsword, Cavaliere's Creed, in a misleadingly graceful motion. Though he was without any calavera dolls to protect him, the Shamanic Oracle made dodging a simple matter. Issebella didn't mind.

The whole point of this is to separate him from Turbine and Xang Ching, anyways.

"You!" Tecolote hissed. He was angry, yes, but the fear was obvious in his voice and in the way his eyes darted around, no doubt looking for the Principessa. "You'd dare to stop us from attacking an enemy? If you've chosen to betray Hao-sama, you know you'll never get away with it. He'll destroy you in a second."

"Yeah, no, you've got this all wrong." Kaede landed another blow on Phantasma Grande as Ryu's Yamata no Orochi Go did its best to provide protection for the others in mid retreat. Issebella paced closer to Tecolote, pursuing the man even as he continued to back up. "You see, Kaede and I were just thinking that the Principessa let you off too easy. Plus the Ren-chan she got all worked up about was in that building, too. Can you imagine what would have happened if you hurt him again?"

Tecolote kept his face covered by a bandanna, but there was still enough skin visible to watch as the color drained from it. Issebella grinned, glad that they were starting to get on the same page.

If Tecolote was foolish enough to hurt Ren again, even if it didn't kill him, Ivy would doubtless retaliate in kind. Add injury to Lyserg to that equation and—well, Issebella didn't think the Principessa would be able to keep her cool. On top of that, Issebella and Kaede had also formed their own bonds, though they were still in the early phases.

Harm brought onto Chocolove? Issebella had stepped through the blood spilt from Soul of the Forest's destruction.

Horo getting injured even more than he already was? Retaliating against those who had hurt people she cared about had been part of Issebella's very being ever since she'd learned to survive on the cruel streets of Sicily.

Just like Yoh had said: If you hurt people, they'll hurt you back.

And do I know how to hurt people.

"We're doing you a favor, really," Issebella said, hefting up her sword in a clear telegraph of the incoming strike. "So it's up to you, Tecolote? You wanna fight us or the Principessa?"

Tecolote had enough gall to glare as he directed Phantasma Grande to attack, the Shamanic Oracle making it clear that he was aiming for Issebella. She didn't move, not to dodge, not to defend herself. Those sorts of wasted moves only made sense if you were fighting alone.

Kaede divebombed Tecolote's Over Soul, her mana-formed hooves stomping straight through the candy skull. Caught between the force of the attack and the ground, Phantasma Grande splintered once more, its massive knife not so much as grazing Issebella's hair. Tecolote had enough sense of mind to reform his Over Soul closer to him as a form of defense, but it only had so much effect in that form.

Its real purpose was providing cover. Tecolote let out a curse as he tried to retreat, then shouted, "Turbine—"

"Maple Prison."

The dullness of Kaede's voice bellied the threat of the technique she unleashed, branches of mana overtaking the view of the night sky above. With Kaede as the central point, a wooden dome formed, the edge closing Tecolote in before he could make a successful escape, and glowing red maple leaves provided an ominous light to the arena she'd tapped into.

"Fia's a Serei-class nature spirit," Kaede said, her voice echoing without her deer-shaped mouth moving. "You don't have the ammunition or the mana to break out of this." She shifted, disconnecting the root of the dome from her antlers. "Sorry. When we asked who you'd rather fight, you weren't actually getting a choice in the matter."

"But making you fight two-on-one is kinda unfair," Issebella said. "So we'll do a one-on-one." She shifted her grip, both hands clasped around the hilt of her sword. "I'll be your opponent, and Kaede will keep our little arena safe for the time being. You beat me, this prison goes down, and you can go cry to Dio or whoever you want." It wasn't like victory over Issebella was a guarantee that Ivy would spare Tecolote if she ever caught wind of what was going on.

Tecolote deliberated a moment but ultimately decided on what was the better deal. "Fine. I will accept your challenge. Just don't expect any mercy from me, Issebella. I'll kill you for Hao-sama, and I'll take your little teammate down, too."

"Big words for someone who only killed a target because he wanted to die!"

Not having any more patience for talking when she could be fighting, Issebella launched herself forward and swung at Tecolote. The interference of Phantasma Grande was immediate, and the manifested forms of metal let out massive clangs as they collided with each other. Issebella didn't falter, pushing more mana into her blade to increase its size and sharpness. At first, the two weapons stayed in a stalemate, and then Issebella's long sword started to make headway, carving through Phantasma Grande's weapon. Still grinning, she pushed the advantage even further.

Fighting someone else who could use the Shamanic Oracle was generally a pain in the ass. Sure, they had to be physically capable of dodging a blow they could sense, but all of Hao's followers could at least do that much. In a fight with multiple participants, you could corner one of them somewhere where they couldn't escape. But since Issebella had chosen a fairer fight, that approach wasn't an option, and she didn't have the patience to come up with a strategy that was too complicated.

"Just countering your attacks and making your Over Soul burst enough to run out your mana is fine with me!"

Her sword sliced through Phantasma Grande's massive knife, as well as the next one coming in for another attack, and the Over Soul collapsed in on itself. The next few rounds of exchanged blows went much the same way. If Phantasma Grande didn't fully collapse, then it at least failed to hit her. Discouragement ultimately caused Tecolote's attacks to weaken, but Issebella met then all with the same vigor regardless.

"Rule number one," Militaresco had said back when he'd first started to teach her, "Always act with consideration for who you're protecting as a knight."

Horo and the others are good people. I don't feel like letting Tecolote play around with them any more than he already has—and Principessa wouldn't like that, either, even if she'd never admit it.

Losing wasn't an option, in that case. If this one act of defiance against Dio would uphold that ideal, then it was fine. With the years she'd served Hao, though, even Issebella could guess that he'd just brush it off as amusing. Followers or not, when all was said and done, they were all a means to an end.

Giving Tecolote a semi-fair fight was chivalrous.

Going easy on him just because he was weak was stupid.

Not one ounce of hesitation in her, Issebella fought Tecolote with her resolve in mind, never once wavering as she countered his attacks. For her, it was nothing more than glorified target practice, but she threw her whole body into it, glad for the opportunity to fight someone that wasn't the Principessa and consequently guaranteed to kick her ass.

Phantasma Grande seemed to have gotten smaller, and Tecolote was sweating from the repeated exertion. It was a bit disappointing of a fight, all things considered, but enjoyment wasn't her main priority here. Teaching a lesson was the point. All she had to do was wait for his mana to trickle down and then land a finishing blow.

Cutting off the skeleton's arm for the nth time, Issebella let out a sigh and started looking for an opening. When Phantasma Grande didn't reform, she charged straight for Tecolote, preparing to bring the blow swinging straight down. Tecolote raised his head, tensing at the blow—or at least Issebella thought, until a chuckle slipped out of his lips.

"Te atrapé."

He's not out of mana at all!

And the small form of one of Tecolote's calavera dolls dove straight at Issebella's back with a knife aiming for blood.

Militaresco obviously wasn't his real name, but the spirit of the knight didn't know what his real name was. He'd lost all memories of his life, down to the very cores of his existence. "Militaresco" had been the epithet that Issebella had given to him, a young child's silly instinct. The fact that he'd accepted it was more surprising, given his somewhat difficult attitude.

"Considering that the only memories I've remembered are the ones about how to fight, I'd say that suits me just fine," he said. Issebella around age seven or eight—keeping track of her age in those days was an estimated range at best—tilted her head. She didn't have the wherewithal to understand his words then, but she didn't need to. "Now, let's make use of that knowledge so I can teach you how to survive."

It would have been possible with a little time and research to at least learn the era Militaresco had lived in through the designs of his armor and weapons, but he'd brushed off the idea. From the moment they'd met, he'd put himself into the role of a guardian and trainer, focused on keeping Issebella safe. So she nodded at the offer and started to absorb the rules.

"Rule number one: Always act with consideration for who you're protecting as a knight."

That one took some time for Issebella to get. At first, she'd only been fighting to protect herself. "I want to be a knight because they're strong enough to always win!" she'd said, fueled by ideas of fairy tales. But, as the years went on and she gathered up other kids like her, she would come to understand who she was protecting, but that was still a ways away.

"Rule number two: Do whatever you must to survive."

That rule was much easier for her to embrace. He may have been a knight, but Militaresco had no qualms against fighting dirty, if and when it was necessary. A dead knight couldn't protect anyone—or at least, most dead knights that didn't have a child with shamanic abilities to look over. When push came to shove, hesitating wouldn't let you protect anyone.

So Issebella fought dirty. She scratched and bit and flung dirt in her opponents' eyes and always made sure she and the kids she would eventually have trailing after her made it out safe. She ended up covered in bruises and scratches a lot of the time, but she was alive. Eventually she accidentally stumbled on how to integrate a spirit, and Militaresco skillfully navigated her child's body into victory. She picked up more and more how to fight via muscle memory, sometimes barehanded, sometimes swinging around a pipe as an impromptu sword.

If anyone wants to underestimate me, I'll take advantage of that, too!

And, lastly, "Rule number three—"

Where there should have been the sound of blade piercing flesh, there was only the sound of metal striking metal. Only the vibrations of the impact met Issebella's skin, and even that felt like a pleasant hum.

Tecolote let out a spluttering sound. "That's… Impossible!"

"What, did you seriously think all I had going for me was a sword?" Issebella adjusted to seeing through the newly formed visor over her face. "What kind of knight do you think I am?"

Though the longsword was still in her hand, Issebella had expanded her Over Soul's range to manifest further. She stood, encased in a full set of armor that weighed far less than the real thing. Aside from the adjustment for her body shape, it matched Militaresco's in every way, all the way to the bull-like horns extending from the helmet.

Cavaliere's Creed, Level Two.

Turning only the necessary amount, Issebella batted away the calavera doll, sending it rattling as it smacked against the walls of Maple Prison. Judging from the crushing sounds behind her, Kaede had stomped out the other two pieces of Tecolote's medium as they tried to land a sneak attack on her as well.

"Whoops! You can't go ahead and form an Over Soul anymore without a medium, huh?" Issebella said, her cheerful voice echoing against her helmet. "Guess that's game over for you. Too bad!"

"Rule number three: Do whatever you must to survive, but don't forget that you're human."

That was why she could laugh. It didn't matter what you put yourself through to live, what atrocities you committed—it didn't stop the fact that you were a human being. You could still smile and enjoy life. Ivy and Kaede might have considered her cheerfulness obnoxious, but it was really just a show of Issebella's resolve to accept the things that she did and move on.

"So it's time for you to go to sleep, Tecolote," she sang to a melody that had no set rules.

To give Tecolote some credit, he'd stopped trying to run away. Even he couldn't get out of Maple Prison without an Over Soul. He did, however, start to shout without any sense of decorum left in him. "Why are you doing this? Didn't you two swear yourselves to Hao-sama's cause? You shouldn't be interfering with our soul hunts!"

Issebella didn't even pause as she finished closing the gap between them. Though Kaede didn't give an answer, Issebella knew that their responses were the same. "Well, yeah, I swore myself to Dio's cause, because I do believe in that. There are plenty of people that the world would do better without."

"So then—"

"But," Issebella said, hefting her sword over her shoulder, "as much as I believe in Dio—"

Asakura Hao was a force like no other. Even in a child's body, he commanded an undeniable power and charisma. Whenever he'd offered to make Issebella stronger in exchange for helping him build a world where those with shamanic ability would never have to face the cruelty of humans again, she'd agreed in a heartbeat. Anything she could do to ease the suffering of others like her, she would do.

But that wasn't what ended up compelling her the most to stick around. It was the girl beside Hao, the one with the deadest eyes Issebella had ever seen. She recognized the despair that came from disconnecting oneself from their body. At some point, Lon Ivy had stopped viewing herself as a person, and instead as a vessel. Issebella didn't know exactly what for, but she knew that no one deserved to feel that way, especially not a young child.

Do whatever you must to survive, but don't forget that you're human.

"Come on, Ivy let's go hang out. All you ever do is train!"

"Everyone needs friends, you know!"

"I got it! You're Principessa!"

"I don't think I've ever seen you smile before. You can do it!"

Issebella knew she was pushing Ivy's boundaries with every single time she bothered her. Her efforts never earned her a smile, but instead frustration and indignation, especially during the times when Ivy was stuck helping Issebella get a grip on English. Even after Issebella became fluent enough to stop having constant errors in conversation, Ivy still snapped at her on the regular.

But that was fine.

It was still a display of emotion, something other than that profound deadness in her soul.

You may have forgotten that you're human, Principessa, but I haven't. So until you remember, I'll be here, pulling those moments of life out of you. So yell all you want. Get mad, get embarrassed. At some point, you'll stumble across what it feels like to be happy again.

So the knight vowed—

"—my first priority has always and always been the Principessa."

And without leaving any room for argument, Issebella swung her sword.

Ivy had taken her time making her way to the beach, so, by the time she got there, there weren't any bodies lying around. It only took a short divination to realize there were two forms headed back towards their camp, and the presence of hundreds of tiny Over Souls easily indicated that Blocken was among them. Since he wasn't in an incredible rush, whoever had gotten attacked must have only sustained major injuries, but nothing fatal. Ivy followed in their wake, the sting of her freshly closed wound not yet fully faded from the side of her palm.

She caught up to them a bit before they settled into camp, and Blocken stabilized Big Guy Bill's form without needing to be instructed. The x-shaped cut across Bill's broad chest was massive, but he'd had enough mana in him to at least start the self-healing process so he didn't bleed out. Ivy added to that by healing the major wound, the progressing cell regeneration reminding her of how it had felt to reassemble the severed form of Ren's body.

She healed this wound so it wouldn't leave a scar and left him to recover the rest of the way on his own .

Blocken was more mentally defeated than physically, and he'd suffered a bit of frostbite from some attack or another. Ivy cleared out the traces of that, too, before deciding that she'd done enough. She still had some mana to do more, but leaving herself tapped out whenever an enemy could decide to use the break between tournament matches to strike was foolish.

Not that there'd be much to attack right now here, anyways.

Their camp was abandoned, the whole building empty. Even the normally present fires were down to just red patches of embers and ashen coated kindling. The Star Festival wasn't set to happen yet, so that couldn't be it. More than likely, Hao had gone out for a walk and the others—either by choice or request—had decided to join him.

For once, Ivy didn't particularly feel like talking to Hao, and even less so if the others were there.

Then again, the alternative was to sit around in the empty camp with nothing but the company of two injured people she didn't get along with particularly well and her thoughts.

Issebella and Kaede aren't here yet. If nothing else, I should make sure they get back so we're all rested for the match tomorrow.

With that decided, Ivy pulled herself to her feet and zipped up her jacket as she walked, watching the bright pinpricks of stars in the sky above.

[Author's Notes]

It's the Issebella chapter! This was definitely a case of "I fleshed out the original backstory idea that my friend came up with," but I like the results, so *shrug*?

Thanks to LyriaHart for the review on the previous chapter! I'm enjoying seeing your theories for what's going on with Ander. We're getting closer and closer to unraveling the secrets on that front!

Again, I mostly wanted to establish Issebella a bit more this chapter. 'Cause, yeah, she does a lot of comic relief bits, but that's not her only purpose in the story. Kaede will get some time in the spotlight as we move long, too, so know that's definitely on the horizon.

Next time - Part Thirty-Five: "Prologue." Please look forward to it!

-Avi

[08.03.2020]