Moonless Nights

Silvio dutifully shoveled the last bites of the tuna steak in his mouth. For the past week, three times a day, Eleora unceremoniously chucked a hunk of raw fish at him. She called it "sashimi," and even though Silvio never traveled outside of Gesmaura in his life, he was pretty sure this wasn't it. As he swallowed and pushed the plate aside, Eleora rose from the corner of the secret room where she stared at him, unflinching.

Eleora was an odd duck, he thought. In general, she had a reputation as a reclusive Goddess who spent the warmer months of the year down at the South Pole, but Silvio wondered if she bothered learning any social skills at all. She had a small figure and wore girly, cutesy dresses, so most people at first glance thought she was childish. But Eleora definitely wasn't. She was the most robotic, practical being in the world, nice but in the superficial way she was putting in the minimal amount of effort to be a decent person. It's not like she was exactly shy, though; Eleora told everything like it was, without a hint of drama or embellishment, and tolerated no nonsense. But she wasn't a bad person. She was his only helper, after all, and he learned as long as he didn't pry into her personal business, she treated him well.

But man, was she creepy.

Having someone watch you eat was in the top five most uncomfortable experiences, Silvio decided, kind of in the vein of forgetting someone's name the moment after they introduced themselves.

Eleora didn't care.

"Are you ready?" she asked. "The others are asleep now."

Silvio nodded. Using her staff, Eleora teleported them into the forest, where a rudimentary obstacle course was set up. He walked up to a tree hollow and peeked in. There were plenty of tools and crude weapons stashed in it, all made by him. Three days after arriving at Eleora's palace, she brought him to this place to train, and he ran and jumped and climbed for hours. It was easier now than in the beginning, thanks in part to the diet of fatty fish she put him on, but she made it her personal mission to throw a wrench in the gears whenever she could.

"Twenty l.a.p.s," said Eleora.

"P-Pardon?" asked Silvio.

"Twenty l.a.p.s across the field. Do them as fast as you can."

Silvio balked. The snow piled up to his knees.

"Are you nuts?" he stammered. "There's no way I can run in snow this deep!"

"Figure it out," was Eleora's reply. She crossed her arms. "You're very small for your age, and have one of the worst immune systems I've ever seen. Your heart is tender and you cry at everything. I don't know how you managed to make it this far. So, physically, you have little aptitude. I could train you for months, and you'd get in shape, but you'll never be any juggernaut of strength."

"Ah… I have little aptitude in a lot of things." Silvio gave her a lopsided smile. (Did he really cry at everything?)

"But you've got one thing going for you. Two things, actually." Using her magic, she called forth a storm cloud from the sky, dumping another few centimeters on the field.

"And those would be?"

"One, charisma." She didn't bat an eye. "You're honestly adorable. You're like a puppy. But that quality is little help in a survival situation. You might be able to beguile someone into giving you food, but your second quality is more important. You're intelligent. You figured out how to make a lean-to and a fire without using magic."

"W-Wait!" Silvio stopped her. "Are you saying you watched me all that time? And you didn't help me?"

"I wanted to see what would happen," she said.

"Actually." He paused and pursed his lips. "Couldn't you have just made it… not snow?"

"Out of the question," she replied. She sounded almost offended. Silvio didn't press her further. "This training is for mental resilience. You have the willpower to find Rirasiru, but not to make hard decisions. You need to think fast and commit to your actions. Now. Enough talking. Twenty l.a.p.s. Figure out how to make it through the snow."

Silvio knew she was right. In this past month, he found out the hard way this world wasn't as nice and pure as it seemed when he was little. It was still frustrating, though. He'd do the exercises just fine, but why couldn't he bring himself to hunt? Why did he have to be so nice all the time?

Wrapping his arms around his waist to keep out the cold, he stared into the tree line, and got an idea.

--

Zagiha picked up one of his dogs and plopped the unfortunate creature between him and Hana, creating a barrier between the two. He s.u.c.k.e.d in a glut of air and twiddled his thumbs, deliberating how he should proceed.

"Well?" asked Hana. "You've proven you're able to tell a lie. How do I know Isaana isn't right? Is the False One even real?"

Zagiha looked around wildly, but settled back in bed, defeated. "Fine," he said. "I'll talk. But just you and me." He glanced at Crowe, hammering away. "Can you get your hot uncle out of here?"

"What?"

"Just do it!"

"Uncle Crowe!" The professor stopped and turned around. Hana coughed. "Why don't you help Fru Astrid out in my kitchen?"

"But I'm not finished boarding the windows!" he said. "And I'm not a very good cook, either. Do you really want…?"

"Look, Ignatius," said Zagiha. "You want to help and that's great. But this is my apartment, and basically, you need to get lost. C'mon. Up and at 'em. Scooch that tight little b.u.t.t to Hana's place." He waved him away.

"Uh… I'm… I'm taken…" Crowe stammered. He gave Zagiha a flabbergasted look, but did as he was told, if only just to process what he just heard. He shut the bathroom door behind him.

"There, that was easy, wasn't it?" asked Zagiha to Hana. "You need to be more assertive."

Zagiha really had no social awareness, did he? Hana didn't think making uncomfortable comments counted as assertiveness, but Zagiha was only ever assertive one hundred percent of the time, so maybe it did.

"All right, so…" He clearly didn't want to talk, but he relented under the burning intensity of Hana's glare. "That was the accusation Isaana made against me at the last gathering. She thinks I'm the False One."

"She said the False One is a liar. When we were going to the Archives and you were stopped by the press, you told the worst lie I've ever heard, and somehow, they believed it. You have a power you haven't told me about, don't you?"

Zagiha grumbled. "… I can't believe you remembered that minute detail. Maybe you were actually deserving of that internship, after all. You'd be great in policy making."

"Just talk, will you?"

"Fine! Ugh! No patience! Okay, so you know how I can tell when someone is lying? I can also make anybody believe any lie I tell."

Hana nodded. "I thought so."

"But! Here's the thing!" He sat up suddenly, glowering at her. "Back then, I wasn't altering it in any way to make you the exception. Somehow, I couldn't use my mental manipulation on you. I've been thinking about it ever since! I mean, you're a human. No Blessing or anything. Just a mediocre egg girl. There's no way you could've resisted the power of a God. I get to ask a question now. What did YOU do to protect yourself?"

"Nothing! I thought you were doing it on purpose… now that you mention it, you seemed surprised when I called you out on the lie. Am I special or something?"

"Uh, no." Zagiha rolled his eyes. "You're egg girl. You can't do anything other Sorcerers can't. There's no prophecy, no Chosen One, none of that nonsense. You've got magical talent, but that doesn't protect you from my divine influence."

"It really was a terrible lie, though." Hana thought for a second. If Zagiha was so bad at lying, and he couldn't deceive without using magic that didn't work on her, then he couldn't be pulling the wool over her eyes. Or maybe he was pulling the long con, and his deception ran deeper? She studied him. Zagiha had no poker face. He wore his emotions on his sleeve and spoke without hesitation. The Zagiha she knew took forever to think and stumbled over his words whenever he told a falsehood. And he didn't seem like the sort of person who would want to destroy the world, anyway. When he fought with Isaana, he made his intentions clear in the panicked frenzy of battle: he liked humans, and he wanted to help them. Plus, he enjoyed his creature comforts so much, he'd probably throw a fit if he found himself without them. He just wasn't a good fit for the harbinger of punishment, which returned her to her other question.

"Is the False One actually real?" she asked.

Zagiha broke eye contact and stared down at his wrists, avoiding her as he gathered his words. A stormy expression ran over his brow, but it wasn't his usual sour crabbiness. It was a much deeper expression than that. "Yes," he answered after much hesitation. His voice was tinged with fear, awe, and perhaps a little sadness. "That person exists."

He spoke quietly, as if the False One was actually listening in. Hana gave him time to gather his thoughts.

"It's been so long since the Continental War, the False One turned into a bit of a folkloric bogeyman. Or maybe a morality tale. After all, there hasn't been a war in five hundred years, so nobody's really had any reason to fear them. But the Outer One did appoint somebody, and they're one of the Gesmauran eight."

"Who is it?" asked Hana. She felt a pit in her stomach.

Zagiha shook his head, solemn as a tomb. "That's all the information I have. I don't have any idea who it is. None of us do. But one of us is the traitor, and they're playing their cards well."

"Wouldn't it be Isaana?" asked Hana. "She could've accused you to get the others off her back."

He shook his head again. "I actually don't think it's her. I listened to her heart, and she genuinely believes I'm the False One."

"Hmm." Hana picked her brain for everything she knew about the Gods. "Rirasiru? He hasn't been active, so he might be planning something."

Zagiha snorted, poo-pooing the idea immediately. "Rirasiru isn't even two hundred years old yet. He's practically a neonate! No God that young could wield such a power. And if he couldn't stand up against his own followers, what makes you think he could stand to bring harm?"

"Nimhr? He's the God of Melancholy. "I don't think he'd have any qualms with destroying."

"Yes, yes, that's a good guess, but if you knew him, you'd realize he's too lazy to put in the effort required to end the world. The man only hates himself; he has nothing against anyone else."

"Well, master detective," said Hana brusquely, "who do you think it is?"

Zagiha motioned for her to come close, and whispered in her ear: "Eleora."

"What?" She wrinkled up her nose. In her opinion, Eleora was the least likely to be the False One. After all, she wasn't much older than Rirasiru herself. She never met the winter Goddess, but her impression of the woman was someone who did her job and that was about it.

"She's so weird!" Zagiha ranted. "She's reclusive, is friends with no one, and her power brings death. Even though she's young, she got the hang of her powers faster than all of us combined, so I bet she could use Despair Inversion."

"Pardon?"

Zagiha shut up, his eyes growing wide with terror. "Oh no, I said it…" he muttered.

"Said what? What kind of stupid name is that?"

"Ugh." He crossed his arms. "Mock it all you want, but it's the power made by the False One to bring about the apocalypse. No, I don't know how it works, so don't ask." He grit his teeth. "Don't tell anybody I spilled the beans about it. Humans aren't supposed to know. It's for your own protection."

Hana had a lot to think about. Most people in the world didn't believe in the False One. Until now, she didn't, either. What sort of God destroyed its own creation? But with his frightened reaction and general lack of humor, she didn't think he was joking. But then, something occurred to her.

"If the Outer One was serious about humanity never having a war again, wouldn't the Unforgivables' siege of the city count as an act of war? And what about sending up troops from the south?"

Zagiha twiddled his thumbs. "If we can't negotiate with them peacefully, then fighting will break out. These days, we only keep militaries around for disaster relief and humanitarian work… they have no idea what they're going up against. They don't have the equipment to counter the guns."

"And if people don't believe in the False One, that's another guarantee for violence. There's no way we can win."

Zagiha nodded.

"We absolutely must solve this diplomatically tomorrow. Otherwise, we're toast."

"Ah… can't I do anything to help?"

He frowned. "Don't throw your life away. Leave the negotiations to the a.d.u.l.ts, and the False One to the Gods."

"But we were able to talk to them earlier today! We were nice to each other! If we find Silvio, we can prove the three castes can live together peacefully. I want to learn to resolve things."

Zagiha looked at her out the corner of his eye. "So you want to learn the art of diplomacy, huh?"

"Yes. I want to help."

"Even if you could be killed trying to reach out to them?"

"I don't want to be separated from my brother anymore!"

He sighed. "All right. Diplomacy is a case-by-case basis, but there's a few things you can keep in mind when negotiating. I'll teach you everything I know."

"Thank you! And…" She fidgeted.

"What now?"

"I was just wondering…" Hana summoned a wet cloth from the bathroom and dabbed his bloody forehead. "Have we met before?"

--

This woman was insane!

Silvio narrowly dodged a swing from Eleora's wooden sword, slipping about on the icy surface of the big log that served as their battlefield. Rapid, frigid waters rushed below. She came at him again, and he blocked her blow with his own practice sword. He hit it with such force it vibrated right down to his arm, and he winced. How was she so strong? Why did she have to be fast, too? She couldn't weigh over 50 kilos, so how was she kicking his butt?

Sure, it was his idea to ask her to teach him how to fight. He thought it would help him get tougher. But he was convinced that although she said they were practicing "safely," practicing with actual blades was probably less dangerous than this.

His lungs burned in the cold, dry air, but this was the longest he was able to keep up yet. Normally, he'd be splayed out on the ground by now, gasping for breath.

"Watch me, not the sword," Eleora instructed. She wasn't tired at all.

Silvio's legs grew heavy. How long was this match? He felt like they were fighting since forever. He glanced down at the rapids below. They sprayed him in the face, and Eleora used his brief distraction to catch him in the stomach. He stumbled to the ground, catching himself on all fours like a terrified dog.

He was pretty convinced she was going to kill him. Even if not intentionally, Eleora seemed to lack a metric on what "safe" was. This was bad. He looked at the end of the log bridge, where the ground was flat and solid. He had to get over there.

Eleora attacked him again, but this time, he was ready. He swiped at her ankles, causing her to stagger. Silvio rolled up into a standing position and retreated to his side of the bridge. Hah! He finally managed to get a hit in! But he didn't have much time to celebrate.

He jumped out of the way. Eleora wasn't letting up. Their sparring matches consisted of her attacking, and him trying vainly to guard, and this time wasn't any different. He did NOT want to get the crap beaten out of him with a stick again.

Follow her, not the sword, follow her, not the sword…

He saw an opening!

As Eleora lifted her sword to strike at him from above, he jabbed her in the ribs.

"Ow," she said, but she didn't actually sound like it hurt. And as if to mock him, she swung once more, disarming him and sending him to the ground in one swoop. She held the stick at his neck.

"Ugh…" Silvio saw stars. "That was terrible."

"You were tired, so let yourself be wide open. Don't celebrate victories prem.a.t.u.r.ely. Blessing of the Borealis." A small version of the Aurora Borealis wrapped around him, healing his wounds. "Still, I think that's the first time you've ever landed a hit on me." Eleora helped him up.

"It was still pretty awful! I thought, since I've been working out so much, I'd be able to keep up with you by now…"

"Oh." She blinked. "I'm a God. If we don't use our magic, we have infinite stamina. Even the world fencing champion wouldn't have a chance against us."

"O-Oh. What? So I can't beat you?"

"Correct." She sheathed her practice sword. "But against a human, I'd estimate that with your skills as they are right now, you'd best them forty percent of the time."

"A failing grade…" He chuckled nervously. "Can we get that up to one hundred percent?"

Eleora shrugged. "No. Someone will always be better than you. The important thing in a fight is knowing when and how to get away. The log was too dangerous, so you got onto flat ground, which gave you more of an advantage. But, I still have things to teach you. You'll improve."

"All right!" Silvio pumped his fist.

"… So I'll start fighting more seriously now."

"… E-Eh?"

She was… going… easy… on him?

"Let's move onto target practice for now."

He nodded, following her to the archery field. Silvio picked up his bow and notched an arrow, and looked up at the target. Oh… they were moving today.

"Hit the target," she instructed. "It's for hunting practice."

"How am I supposed to hit a target that won't stay still?"

Eleora shrugged. "Figure it out."

Silvio stared at the target, and remembered some formulas from his maths class. That was the only one he ever did well in, after all. And he got an idea.

--

"What are you going on about this time?" Zagiha rolled his eyes, returning to his usual prickly demeanor.

"Have we met before? It's an easy question."

"Why are you so sassy?" he grumbled.

"I learned from the best." Hana repeated herself. "Have we met before? Like, when I was younger?"

Zagiha laughed. "Of course not. Why do you think that?"

"It just seems like you know things about me. Like my favorite food, and where I live… it can't be just a coincidence. And you're so eager to help me. That goes way beyond just being grateful for my help. And…"

"And?"

"Isaana said something that implied you know me?"

Zagiha was silent. "… Nothing so outlandish," he mumbled.

"Then who's 'your' Hana? What are you hiding?"

"Do you always pry into peoples' social lives or is it just a casual hobby?" he hissed.

"I already know way more about you than I want to! Just say it."

"Ugh." He massaged his temples. "Ughhhhh. Fine. I know you're full of yourself, but your name isn't exactly uncommon. She was just talking about a… friend from a long time ago."

"Were you close?"

Zagiha couldn't keep up his coldness and false bravado. "… Very," he said, and the sadness in his voice returned, more prominent than ever. "But that was a long time ago. She was the first person I ever truly loved. She changed my life, convinced me to come out of my shell and better myself. But she's gone now."

"I'm sorry…"

"Oh, don't be. That's just how it is with humans. Things change and people die, but I'll always be 'me'. But what sort of existence would it be if I never loved anyone? I grieve for her every day, but at least I knew her." He folded his hands. "You're like her."

"Am I really a replacement for her?"

"No." Hana barely heard him. "You're your own person. But when Isaana said that… it was such a low blow. That hurt more than the actual injuries. Nobody is a replacement. I loved her, and I love Molly, Celia, and Astrid. In different ways, but… fully. My heart is full."

"Well, maybe when she's reincarnated, you'll get to meet her again," said Hana.

"No. You don't understand. I can't ever meet her again." A tear rolled down his cheek.

"Zagiha…? Are you okay…?"

"Of course I am!" he snapped, and furiously rubbed it away. "I'm used to losing people. Gods know I can't even keep them around while they're still alive! But I don't regret it, if that's what you're thinking. You're not my replacement goldfish. I mean, you're too young, anyway. But as a friend… maybe I…" He crumpled into himself and mumbled. "… Maybe I like you just a little bit."

"Do you have any bay leaves?" Astrid poked her head through the door, interrupting them.

Zagiha regained his composure, pointedly looking away from her.

"Yes, there should be some," said Hana. "Where did Uncle Crowe go?"

"He said he was going to meet up with Isaana-sa and left."

"Of course he did. I'll show you where to find them."

"I suddenly feel weak again." Zagiha buried himself beneath the covers. "Must be Astrid's presence, s.u.c.k.i.n.g the life out of me. I'm going back into hibernation. Bye." And he was out like a light once more.

"So imm.a.t.u.r.e!" Astrid snarled.

Hana still had things she wanted to ask him, but they could wait.

--

"I'm sorry, Herr Rabbit." Silvio aimed his arrow at the unsuspecting creature. "Please don't be sad…"

It had been three months since he came to Eleora's palace. He was dead tired, but no longer starving or sick. He was faster, stronger, and cleverer, too. All that was left was his final test—hunt the rabbit.

He grit his teeth and took a deep breath. He wanted to back out, but if he quit now, he could never continue on with his journey. Closing his eyes, he released the arrow.

The arrow pierced the rabbit right in the heart. It screamed and thrashed around, but mercifully, it was over quickly. Silvio opened his eyes, trembling. He did it. He didn't like it, but he did it. He was tougher now.

"Well done," said Eleora. She picked up its corpse, and unceremoniously began skinning it. Insane! She was definitely insane! Silvio hid his disgust, watching how she did it. "These parts are most nutritious," she continued. "I'll smoke the meat and let you have it, and I'll keep the pelt."

"Th-Thank you." Silvio already practiced skinning animals. And no matter what, he didn't like it, but at least he could get through it without hurling now.

"I don't have much else to teach you," said Eleora.

"I'm really grateful!" said Silvio. "Thank you so much! You really saved my life!"

"Use your new skills responsibly. What do you plan to do now?"

Silvio closed his eyes and smiled. "I'm going to continue on now. I'll be out by tomorrow."

"All right. I'll provide you with some things to help you on your journey. I'm not going to intervene anymore."

"Why?"

Eleora frowned. "I've already done too much. I was never supposed to do this in the first place." She started picking up the equipment around the field, putting them back in their proper places. "Don't die, Silvio, and be wise."

"Got it."

The days were growing longer now, and for the first time in a while, he watched the sunrise peak brightly overhead wrapped in hues of pink and orange. A new day, a new hope. The future looked bright.