Chapter 29: Repercussions: Part Two
But I sputtered, mind reeling at the implications. I thought the Anathema werent intelligent like that? That they were like the weather, unpredictable and just a part of life?
That is a complicated subject, Everglaive sighed. The Anathema are a blight, a malice that seeks to cause the most destruction possible. This malice may be best described as a vague and nebulous hive mind, showing at least so coordination in order to effectively accomplish its goal. While weve never seen a worldwide invasion like this before, there are instances of Usurpation Zones or large scale attacks working in sync to accomplish the most damage. Comparing the Anathema to the weather is apt, but only if you modify the definition into saying the weather sotis decides to try causing the most chaos possible.
Everglaive paused, then nodded to herself as if making a decision.
So higher level Anathema are capable of commanding and coordinating others of their kind, but weve never seen one capable of operating on this scale. Theoretically, it isnt impossible, but we have yet to discover any real leadership or command network behind the Anathemas actions.
So of the tension left
as I nodded. I suppose it made sense that so Anathema could get strong enough to command others, but even from what I knew, it didnt seem likely they were organized. If they were, I doubted they would be opening Usurpations at seemingly random locations and intervals, attacking places where they knew they were going to be repelled.
Regardless, the goal of the worldwide attack has co into sharp focus the past few days, Everglaive continued. Taking down the Sanctuary Cities was never going to happen with the level of forces they used, but between the number of Usurpations and Anathema they sent, reality around the Sanctuaries has been drastically weakened. Our early warning system has fallen from being able to predict Usurpations up to an hour in advance to only fifteen minutes. Even worse, weve been experiencing multiple daily Usurpations. All of them have been low level and fairly small in size, but it is clear they are attempting to keep reality weak around the cities with constant attacks.
How bad is that? I asked, clenching my mug tighter.
Well, its actually quite good for Guardians, Everglaive responded. The Zenith recruit new Guardians in giant waves, so right now, there are a lot of new Guardians who can potentially make use of this for easy levels and points. The Usurpations are also weak and small enough that the Magical Soldiers can take care of them on their own if needed. While it has caused more disruptions in the city, most of the Zones are limited to only a building or two in size with maybe two or three dozen Anathema appearing at the most. In the long run, it will be quite beneficial for the growth of new Guardians like yourself.
For now, more experienced Guardians are taking care of it, Naiad said. Just until the academy starts up and the new wave has enough training to actually fight.
Theres an academy for Guardians? I asked, vaguely rembering Error Machina ntioning sothing about that.
Everglaive and Naiad both paused, looking at each other and then back to . I felt myself curling up further into myself as Everglaive tilted her head at
curiously.
Excuse
for asking, Everglaive began slowly, but you are in high school, yes?
Um yes? I answered, nervously shifting around.
I see Its just, most people know about the Guardian Academy. Its sowhat of a cultural phenonon, especially with the annual festival they hold. Theres a few high school classes that also teach about Guardian culture and events if Im not mistaken.
A blush creeped up onto my cheeks. Of course Id heard of the festival they held every sumr. It was a huge, city-wide event with days of gas, events, and even tournants. Id just never actually watched it more than stopping on the street to see so of it being broadcast on a TV. I had so much else to worry about and do, Magical Girl things had never really seed that important.
Oh I didnt realize there was an Academy involved. I, um I havent paid much attention to Magical Girl stuff. Im only a first year in high school, and we havent really gotten into Magical Girl things yet
The last part was a blatant lie. We had talked about various things, but Id mostly used the ti to either study other subjects or work on howork. That, or I was resting my eyes for a few minutes
Ah, Everglaive said, nodding. Apologies, sotis I forget there are people out there who arent as interested in Magical Girls as I was before becoming a Guardian. Going back to your question, yes, there is an academy. One in each Sanctuary City, in fact. While it isnt mandatory that you go, I would highly recomnd it. Classes there are taught by either experienced Guardians, Familiars, or subject matter experts. There, youll learn things like proper fighting technique, the lore behind magic, the common types of Anathema and how to recognize them, marketing yourself as a Guardian, working in teams of Guardians, and a variety of other things. The academy is starting up soon, and the knowledge you can learn there is invaluable.
[It is highly recomnded that all Magical Girls go through at least one year of the academy, preferably all three,] Selene added. [The survival and growth rate of a Guardian increases dramatically for each year you attend. Additionally, there are many special opportunities that can only be attained by attending.]
It sounded incredible. Id been stopping to ask Selene for explanations constantly, and I was still learning things. Sitting down and actually getting a chance to absorb the information would be a blessing. It already felt like Id forgotten half the rushed answers Selene had given .
The only problem was
Um. How does it work with regular school? Would I stop attending my normal classes or?
There are a few options, Everglaive nodded expectantly. One is to go to only the academy and receive private tutoring on the normal school subjects. This is sothing I wouldnt recomnd. Imrsing yourself with only Magical Girls can be incredibly insulating and skew your perspective negatively. It also robs you of any chance of normalcy, sothing we as Guardians need to balance out the stressful, combat filled lives we live. No, the normal route is to go to a normal school on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and then attend the academy on Thursday, Friday, Saturday.
Wait, I frowned. Isnt that the schedule for the special offering students?
The SO students were a sort of unique phenonon in Sanctuary Cities. They only went to a normal school half the week before heading to a specialized school the second part. Mostly, it was for students who both already decided what profession they wanted to pursue and had so sort of special circumstance. Things like surviving a brutal Usurpation, losing family, or having the highest level of grades for the school entrance exams were ways to get offered a spot. Supposedly, it helped the brightest of students excel in their field and also gave the misfortunate ones a chance to thrive.
SO schools were known for producing so of the most experienced graduates and were highly coveted. My brother had gotten into one designed around magitech engineering due to his grades, and he was already working at a company as a paid intern with a promise of employnt upon graduation.
It is the sa schedule, Everglaive confird. SO schools help as a sort of smoke screen for Magical Girls, allowing those who wish to keep their private identities secret a legitimate way of hiding what they are. The unique blend of a normal school environnt combined with specialized learning helps produce well-rounded individuals for both SO students and Guardians.
I let out a quiet sigh of relief, feeling myself relaxing. My school situation was not great. But it was manageable, and I wasnt willing to lose my friendship with Lily just to escape so annoying bullies. Id handled it just fine since middle school, even if they had gotten more aggressive lately
I shivered, rembering my current predicant with Katie. I still had no idea how I was going to deal with that
Speaking of private identities, I never asked you if you wanted to be a public Magical Girl or keep your personal identity secret, Everglaive said. Not many choose to be public, but so enjoy the fa.
Um. What would you recomnd? I asked, already fairly certain what I wanted.
Keep your identities separate unless you want to be recognized every ti you go out in public, Everglaive said seriously. Once you go public, theres no going back. Everyti you go out to eat, to buy groceries, or even just walk down the street, theres a good chance youll be recognized. Considering your deeds and the fact that youre a Dark, I would say theres almost zero chance of you ever going outside unnoticed. Linking your two lives together takes any chance you have at normal interactions with non-Guardians.
So people love the attention, Naiad sighed, shaking her head. They like the full celebrity treatnt. Honestly, though? We get enough of that while we patrol around in our outfits. Never having a chance to just be a normal person, to just go outside and not worry about being the symbol of hope Guardians are made out to be Look, unless you are a serious extrovert, I seriously dont recomnd it either.
I shivered, shaking my head. That literally sounded like my version of hell. I already got enough looks and stares because of my stature and eyepatch. It was a good day when I got to take the train to school and nobody bothered
about it. The last thing I wanted was more attention.
How does having a secret identity work exactly? I asked. Sorry, I dont know much about the specifics.
Part of your astral shift has enchantnt magic weaved into it, Everglaive explained. It affects the part of the brain that recognizes faces for anybody who looks at you. While you may not look any different from your normal self, the magic tricks people into associating your appearance with a completely separate identity. It works through pictures and video, and is potent enough that even if sobody had an image of you in both forms and compared them, they would still think that the pictures didnt match.
The only way to break it is if you directly tell sobody you are a Magical Girl or what your personal identity is, Naiad added. Although, it isnt complete protection. Just because they wont ever see a Magical Girl that looks like you, they can still believe your personal identity is one if you leave enough hints. Going out every night without a good alibi, disappearing whenever sothing dangerous happens only for a Magical Girl to appear at the scene, and other stuff like that can lead people to suspecting the truth.
With how strict laws are regarding the revealing of a Magical Girls personal identity, its more or less a moot point, Everglaive said. The Zenith technology we have access to also makes it possible to constantly monitor for people trying to expose a Magical Girl. Not once in twenty-one years has an identity been revealed to the public. The biggest part you have to worry about is sobody close to you finding out the truth.
Everglaive suddenly stopped talking, her head tilting slightly to the side. She let out a long sigh a mont later.
I apologize, it seems weve strayed from the core topics I wanted to cover. While all of this is good information, I would like to finish up going over the repercussions of recent events before we discuss more Guardian information.
Oh, right, I blushed. Sorry I get carried away with my questions sotis.
Its no problem! Naiad cheerily assured . Its a little out of order, but this is all stuff wed be covering with you eventually.
But back to the topic at hand, Everglaive said. To summarize: Your Death Wish achieved much more than just saving the shelter, it also helped Guardians clear out Arcadia quickly. As a result, youve gathered quite a bit of fa for your heroics. Weve kept your identity secret and intend to at least until the award ceremony in December unless you decide otherwise. Are we on the sa page about everything so far?
Yes maam, I replied, and she froze for a second.
Just Everglaive is fine, she said gently. Guardians can always refer to each other by their codena. So might try to be pushy if they are a higher level, but those that do so are generally considered
Pricks, Naiad interjected, nodding sagely.
Not incorrect, Everglaive rolled her eyes. But perhaps not the most eloquent way of putting it. Moving on, the next thing I wanted to discuss was the first cause of your Death Wish, the illegal activation of the shelters ergency shield. In the malls third floor shelter, only inexperienced mall guards with no ergency training were present, and an Anathema specializing in psychological combat showed up.
Im not sure what that ans, I admitted as Everglaive paused.
It could speak, she clarified. Which is exceptionally rare at the lower levels. While not very strong, its strength lies in putting its opponent off balance with its words.
I shuddered at the thought. Anathema already looked like things out of nightmares, and I could only imagine how much more horrifying they would be if they spoke.
When it spoke, one of the guards panicked, Everglaive continued. He tried to activate the ergency shield. A student attempted to stop him and succeeded with so help, however-
Excuse , I interrupted, my heart lurching in my chest. Um. Was that student nad Lily Parker?
They were, Everglaive confird with a nod, and I felt a wave of relief and joy washed through .
Id told myself over and over again that Lily didnt give up on , but I hadnt been able to completely ignore the whispers deep down inside. That shed abandoned . That she hadnt cared enough to try keeping her promise. I knew doubting her made
an awful person, that I didnt deserve her as a friend.
But I was glad she was anyway. Knowing that shed tried to keep her word made
feel warm inside. I didnt even care that the shield had still sohow gone up. Just knowing she tried was everything.
Are you alright? Naiad asked, and I looked up in surprise.
I was shaking a little, and my next shuddering breath ca in with a sniffle. Cursing myself for letting my mask slip, I quickly nodded my head at her.
Yes, I just She promised
she wouldnt let anybody activate the shield when I went to save Brian and Oh, do you know about all of that, or?
We were inford of your actions by Error, Everglaive gave a deep nod. As we already discovered your personal identity, it was deed beneficial for us to understand the full scope of your actions for the purpose of developing a cover story for you. But back on topic, your friend did manage to stop the guard. However, one of your teachers, Mr. Toujou, activated it during the commotion.
I froze, staring at Everglaive. Mr. Toujou. My horoom teacher. He was the one who set all this into motion?
A mixture of emotions swirled inside . It was mostly exhaustion mixed with bitterness, anger only vaguely coloring the edges into sothing sharper. I knew there was no point in getting angry, so I quickly smothered that part, leaving
feeling just tired. And cold.
People. It was always people.
Oh, I replied simply, taking a sip of my drink, hoping the warmth would fill the empty feeling inside .
Everglaive tilted her head curiously, but Naiads eyebrows practically raised off her head.
Oh? Naiad asked. Just oh?
It makes sense, I shrugged. Hes my horoom teacher and-
Hes your horoom teacher?! Naiad shouted, shooting up out of her seat.
I flinched away at the outburst, folding into myself as fear flashed through . I tried to co up with an excuse even though I didnt know why she was so upset at . I opened my mouth a few tis but couldnt find any words that felt right.
Naiad, Everglaive murmured calmly. Please, sit down.
Naiad blinked, looking from Everglaive to
before her eyes widened. She quickly took her seat again, raising both hands in a pacifying gesture.
Sorry! Naiad quickly said. It was just a surprise, thats all. We only knew the basics of your situation and that your class was on a field trip, but we didnt realize he was your horoom teacher.
Yes Everglaive quietly intoned, a slight frost seeping into her voice. Correct
if Im wrong, but most schools in Arcadia still follow a more Eastern style where horoom teachers are the, for lack of better word, school parent of the class? Their responsibilities do still include counseling the students in their class, helping them plan for the future, and looking out for their wellbeing if Im not mistaken?
Um yes maa- I an, um, yes. But hes new, and hasnt really been good with students.
I tried my best to pacify them. I wasnt about to tell them how bad he really was, that Id tried to tell him about Katie and the other bullies and been shrugged off. Hed suggested they were probably just trying to be friends by teasing , and I should try harder to get along because I was the loner in the class.
Katie poured a can of cranberry juice on
the next day.
It had been really hard trying not to cry when I realized I was going to have to replace so of my clothes because I couldnt get the stains out.
I see Everglaive replied, her voice still cold. Well. There is a levy of possible charges he could be tried with. Criminal negligence for turning the shield on when he knew people were still outside is possible, but his lawyers might argue he acted with reasonable care to protect the students in the shelter due to the rarity of the Anathema he encountered. Involuntary manslaughter is a possibility for the deaths of the police officers who went to turn on the mana generator, but his lawyers would argue the true fault lies with the mall owners.
Everglaive gave a tired sigh, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face.
What he will be charged and convicted of is felony shelter operation for activating the ergency shield against the automated systems recomndation, resulting in civilians or rescue personnel being put into danger, injured, or killed. It more or less covers the previous two charges, and there is no doubt he violated that particular law. With all the facts of the case, I would guess he gets a maximum of ten years in jail and a fine he will be paying off the rest of his life. Its possible he takes a plea deal down to just the fine and parole depending how much his lawyers can leverage the extenuating circumstances including the fight that broke out, but well see.
I felt my brain wrapping itself in knots as Everglaive gave her legal analysis, and Naiad let out a giggle as she saw my expression.
Evers been a Guardian for six years now, she explained. You get to know the specifics of ergency shelter laws when youve been a Guardian as long as we have.
Right Id forgotten that Guardians tended to keep their youthful appearances. Even so of the first Guardians from twenty-one years ago looked like they were in their late teens or early twenties. I wasnt clear if they just stopped aging or how it worked, but I made a note to ask Selene later.
Anyway, Everglaive shrugged. Your teacher will be punished, though not as much as he should be. Because both you and Brian survived, the cri is less severe. It also doesnt help that a lot of the fault of the situation lies with the mall owners for tampering with the mana generator. Well get to that in a mont, but first
She gestured to the second file folder in front of .
Inside, you will find everything weve set up for your personal identitys cover story. The police officers you interacted with helped us set it up. Officially, you snuck with Brian to the third floor shelter after encountering a hound that you dispatched without injury. Upon learning the ergency shield was activated, you went to the first floor, finding so Anathema patrolling outside the shelters entrance. You lured those into a store and set them on fire, freeing the way for you and Brian to make your way in. Unfortunately, an Anathema swiped your leg when you set off the trap, causing severe damage to your calf muscles. Because the damage would take weeks to heal and months of physical therapy, weve been keeping you in a hospital to be instantly healed by a Magical Guardian due to your heroics.
Its fairly close to what actually happened, Naiad said, which makes it more believable. Weve taken out any ntion of you using a gun, though. One thing that helps your cover story is that people in the first floor shelter saw you walking in the hallway. It will lead them to believe you werent the new Magical Girl who went on the Death Wish.
I must have looked confused because Everglaive interjected a mont later.
They saw you injured. A Magical Girl wouldnt be injured and would be in their outfit. As for whats in the folder, we have dical logs corroborating the story, an initial police report regarding the incident that youll have to finalize later, a damages report for you to fill out on what personal belongings were damaged or lost, and a letter.
A letter? I tilted my head.
Yes. Im going to leave that one as a surprise for now, and I recomnd looking through that folder on your own ti to familiarize yourself with the details of the cover story. Speaking of which, we need to discuss the dias reaction to your story and how theyve been reporting it the past few days.
My mind went blank, the bottom of my stomach dropping as horror flooded my veins.
What? I whispered, my eyes widening in panic.
Its alright, Naiad quickly assured . I promise, its not as bad as you think.
There were a lot of civilians involved in this, Everglaive explained. The security guards, your classmates, and the people in the first floor shelter it was inevitable soone would tell the press, and your classmates speculating on social dia forced us to run with the cover story. A high school girl who risked her life to save a young boy, killing an Anathema and being injured in the process because of an ergency shield activation? The story was too sensational for the dia not to jump on it. Thankfully, due to the strict privacy laws of Arcadia, your na and Brians havent been publicized, nor any potentially identifying details. They reached out to your father for comnt and permission to interview you, but both were denied. Brians family, anwhile, said they werent comfortable talking to anybody so long as you wished to remain anonymous.
Nausea bubbled in my stomach like acid, and I found myself clenching my teeth tight as I looked to the ground.
So.
Father knew.
I swallowed down the bitterness in my mouth. I should have realized it, that at least
risking my life to save Brian would get out there. The fact that I also fought and defeated Anathema was just icing on the cake. I had no idea how he was going to react to that, but the first part
And then there were my classmates. God, how was that going to turn out? I knew most of the people in my class didnt think much of . I was just the weird loner girl with creepy eyes to them thanks to Katie. The rest of my grade I wasnt so sure about. I was sure Katies rumors had spread to them as well, but I wasnt sure how much they believed them. I wasnt in any clubs and didnt really interact with anybody else besides Lily.
I felt a headache building up while the nausea increased, and I looked back up to see Everglaive and Naiad watching
closely. I quickly forced a weak smile, clearing my throat.
So how many, um how bad is this?
The story itself garnered quite a reaction from the public, Everglaive responded slowly, gauging my reaction. Your classmates were quite talkative about the fact you got locked out of the shelter, which we believe is how the dia discovered it was you. To prevent any other people from learning your identity, Error Machina has gone and lowered the visibility and reach of any post ntioning your na. In other words, while your classmates will still see posts about you, strangers wont be able to find them. This should prevent anybody else from discovering the truth, and Error Machina is on the lookout for any potential problems just to be sure.
I felt myself relax a little bit at that. If it was just limited to my school and a few reporters who knew, I could deal with it. So long as people werent recognizing
on the street Otherwise, what was the point of having a personal identity separate from my Magical Girl one? I didnt want fa or attention.
Sorry, Naiad gave
a sympathetic smile. Its kind of damage control at this point, but on the bright side, youre going to be pretty popular at school from all this! I bet your friends are going to go wild when you tell them the story.
I forced a smile, trying to keep my face relaxed as I gave her a nod, hoping it looked like I was agreeing with her. Internally, I was torn between wanting to cry and just going back to sleep. I could imagine the chaos of the first few days back at school, and I was looking forward to it about as much as I was dealing with Fathers reaction.
Rember to read the cover story weve prepared, Everglaive said seriously. Its imperative to keep the details straight. Your heroics combined with a new Magical Girl popping up in the mall is very suspicious. Keeping to the story and stressing your injured leg kept you sedated in the shelter are imperative to prevent anyone from making a connection.
I gave her a deep nod, taking her advice to heart. The only way this got worse was if people started suspecting I was a Magical Girl and making a big deal out of it. I couldnt deal with the added pressure, and if Father found out I couldnt let that happen.
With that out of the way, Everglaive continued, the last thing we need to go over is the device you found attached to the mana generator. The investigation is ongoing, and due to the possibility of a Guardian being responsible for supplying the generator, so specialized investigators are involved. As this matter is quite sensitive, there isnt much more Im allowed to say other than warn you to keep this matter to yourself for now. If youd like updates, you can contact Error Machina or
directly. Understood?
I nodded, fidgeting with my cup. I wasnt sure how bad it really was, but the fact that a Guardian might be the cause of what happened was clearly a pretty big deal. I imagined if it beca public knowledge, there would be a sharp dive in trust with Guardians as a whole. That would cause fear, and that would just invite more Anathema in
Excellent. Now that weve covered the after effects of your Death Wish, we can begin the true and proper tutorial that you never received. Theres a few administrative things we need to take care of such as getting you registered at Guardian Command, deciding on your academy attendance style, officially choosing whether you are going to be a public or private Guardian, giving you your starting gift bag, and all that. Before anything else, I need to ask you one important question.
She leaned forward, and I felt her stare intensify as she studied my face.
Do you even want to be a Magical Girl?
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