A Bell Requiem and a Rhapsody of Fate [Closed]

"... Thank you..."

Sylvian responses to Vixen's kindness with a very faint answer. The confusion is still shadowing her mind, but thanks to Vixen she has found a way to reach her resolve.

Two hours to go until the airship arrive at the Fares' flying fortress. And Sylvian needs to prepare something, something off the plan she has told others.

"I'll go find Rory and give a final check on the Scrolls. Oh, and where is the Dust supply? I think I'd be needing more, just to be sure."

"Just go to the room on the left," Vixen nodded. "I have plenty of Dust in stock. I'm sure Rory would be glad to hear from you. She was looking a bit lonesome when she got on board."

Before Sylvian left, Vixen said one last thing. "She could use a friend at the moment."

Sylvian gives Vixen a thankful glance as she leaves the cockpit. Then she heads to the Supply Storage, and looks for some specific Dust with some crafting tools. A serious look appears on her face.

"Maybe this much should work..."

After finishing her preparation, Sylvian goes back to the main deck to look for Rory and Chesire. They are still there, trying to relax their mind and body before the fight.

"Rory, can I have a minute of you?" She asked. "I need to give a a final check on our Scrolls system. We better prepare for the worst case scenario, don't you think so too, Chesire?"

She puts her left hand on Chesire's shoulder, secretly giving him something, with her right hand pointing at the crack on her chest plate. It's a small note and a button, and a well-hidden Dust bomb inside the crack, only Chesire could see.

"C'mon, we have no time to waste." Then she quickly pushes Rory away, leaving Chesire behind.

Taking the note discreetly, Cheshire waits for when Sylvian and Rory leave before he quickly opened the note and read it silently in his head.

"Stay on alert all the time, and avoid any direct touch from me when we got into the fortress. You will know what this button is for when time has come."

Cheshire folded the note and remained passively silent. He did not quiet understand what Sylvian meant but whatever it was they won't need it. He had a plan himself and he was ready to take Zan down himself no matter what.

"U-uh, sure, okay," Rory said hesitantly as Sylvian dragged her off. She wondered what the note could have been about, but she had no time to look at it. She turned to Sylvian and took out her Scroll. "Okay, how does this work?" she asked.


From the ship's speaker's Vixen's voice came.

"Just a couple more hours until we get there," she said calmly. "But I'm picking up that there are some enemy ships in the air fifty miles away from here. We're gonna try to keep things quiet, but brace yourselves just in case a fight starts. Oh, and Cheshire, please come to the cockpit. There's something I need to give you."

Cheshire paused for a moment when the announcement came but eventually he got up and grabbed the case. He slowly made his way to the cockpit and walked in. "Is something the matter?"

"Well aside from the fact that either you or Liseran are potentially going to die, no, not really," Vixen said as she reached into her pocket. "But I thought you'd want to have this back."

From Vixen's pocket came out a ring. It was a golden one with bells gilded on it and a topaz in the center. The topaz had the tiniest crack, but otherwise it still glimmered.

"True love conquers all," Vixen said addressing him. "That is what fairy tales say and it was something I taught my son when he was still a small boy. He loved his wife and Liseran very much and despite all odds of what the future showed him, he did everything he could to stop it from harming his family. In one way or another, you kind of remind me of him."

She closed the ring into Cheshire's hands.

"It is one of my wishes that someone will always be there to take care of Liseran and love her," she said. "And I wanted to ask that, say, no visions held true, that if it were sure that'd you live on, that if you could do that for her."

Cheshire clenched his fist around the ring, his eyes cast downward, covered by the shadows of his bangs. His expression was solemn as he listened carefully to Vixen's words. As she concluded he already had his reply ready.

"I do," he said simply.

"Thank you," Vixen said. She placed a hand over Cheshire's head, just ever so lightly stroking it. "You have my blessing in regards to that."

She let go and then stretched out, as if something serious just hadn't happened. She sat back down. "Well, that's all I have to say. Rest up now. There's a lot coming up ahead. If Aeden and Lucina are awake, tell them I want to see them, too. Yes, I'm giving tiny speeches to everyone. Oh, and while you're at it, please give this envelope. It's the one Zephyr addressed to Liseran. You can read it if you want, just make sure you put it back."

Cheshire did as he was asked and told Aeden and Lucina that Vixen wanted to see them. As they left, Cheshire carefully opened the envelope and took out the letter, carefully reading the contents silently to himself.

It was years old. Five years, to be precise, and it smelled of old books and gunpowder. The paper used had been thin parchment and the words were written with such urgency and intensity that the pen that had been used could've torn the back. The ink had faded a bit now, but the words were still readable.

Dearest daughter,

  It has been the deepest of pains for me to have left you all alone in the world. At the young age of five I had to leave you and since your birth I had put down the burden of the Sight on you. I foresaw long ago that you would be scorned by your fellow family in the Vale Archives. I saw you try to stop the seemingly inevitable futures only to have triggered them. I watched helpless as I walked, ate, went to bed, the loneliness I placed you in. If it had not been to protect your own life, I would've stayed, please know that. But now I must tell you something else.

  The futures you see...have always been inevitable. That is what's been told to you. That is what you've learned. But it is a lie. It is the biggest lie of our lives and only because we do one thing: we believe it is inevitable. Yes, we try to stop it, but the smallest parts of our mind has become used to submitting into fate's hands. Things can change. You can change your future and it all lies within your will to create the best future. The Sight is only there to be of your advantage. It was never there as a curse. It tells you what can happen...but it also tells you what you can do to change that. By the time you are twenty, you will experience a crossroad. Where two futures are possible, you go for the best one. But I tell you now. Again, it is the trick of our eyes. The real future...is what your heart decides and what your heart desires. Break from from fate's thread and sew your own tapestry. This is my final blessing for you. I love you, my daughter.

Your Father

P.S. To the young man who's going to read this before she does, take care of her.


"Everyone remain quiet," Vixen's voice said from the speakers. "I spy a plane. Get back into your seats until further instructions. All except Lucina and Aeden. They can meet me in the cockpit."

Cheshire read the letter word for word carefully. As he read it, he felt the weight on his shoulders were slowly lightening. As he read the final statement, Cheshire was taken back, slightly in shock. Then for the first time in a long while, a small smile appeared on Cheshire's face.

I will sir, Cheshire thought in his mind, a light chuckle escaping his lips. And thank you. Though this letter was meant for Liseran, it feels as though it was also meant for me...

Cheshire re-folded the letter and placed it back in the envelope carefully. He slipped the envelope into his coat pocket and vowed in his mind, I will save Liseran... and I will show her this letter myself. I promise...

As Vixen waited for Aeden and Lucina, she gently activated the camouflage of the airship. After all these years, she was still thankful she had married a man who was good with building aircrafts. The ship past by without a problem and she was glad.

Let's hope those bogeys a few miles ahead do the same...

***

"We shall begin the tests now..." one of the men in lab coats said. "Is the subject ready?"
"Subject is in place," a woman near a bunch of computers were said. "Vital statistics stable, aura levels full."
"Good, we can proceed then," the man said. "Senator Fares, just give your signal."

From a high window, Senator Fares was watching the girl sitting in the room below. She had been given an outfit that would allow the probes and such access to necessary areas such as her spine. Her hair had been tied up differently in order to keep it out of the way and in the room's colored light, it looked aquamarine instead of violet. She sat in an almost empty room save for a dozen screens and the largest one from behind.  The girl's eyes were closed now, but she was yet to be put into a deep sleep. When asked to do a trial, she had submissively nodded, not even asking about what it would be like, what would happen. It was if it didn't matter anymore.

There's nothing more admirable than a girl who's spirit's been broken, the Senator smiled to himself.

He looked to the men the coats and nodded.

"Proceed."

The men in the coats nodded.

"Trial procedure on subject Liseran Dormirse is a go."

"Last testing, commence."

Sylvian activates some kind of a program on her Scroll's screen, the Scroll then starts to scan the surroundings with blueish rays, and send them to Rory's. It's pretty much like a broadcasting, nothing is lost from the scanning process, the view is clear as if you were there and saw it with your eyes.

"This should be working, though the signal might not be as good as this, due to distance and the enemies' force field. Hope Chesire will make good use of this..."

Then she notices Rory's weird expression on her face.

"What's wrong? You found something not alright?"

Rory's forehead was creased with worry and her eyebrows were furrowed. She couldn't forget what Cheshire had said. Holding her scroll, she looked at the screen blankly.

"Sylvian..." Rory said softly. "I don't want anyone to die."

She thought about things. How she had just found Liseran. How after she had been so cruel and judgmental of Cheshire, he had forgiven her and entrusted her to fulfill his last wishes. She hated how things had been so short. How things were turning for the worst even if they were trying.

"How are we gonna stop something that's been foretold?"

After hearing Vixen call him Aeden finally woke up from his nap. He rubbed his eyes trying to gain some more focus and stood up. He began to walk toward the cockpit stopping only to nudge Lucina awake. "Come on Lucina we're needed in the cockpit." Without waiting for Lucina's response Aeden walked into the cockpit and faced Vixen. "You called?"

Sylvian stares at Rory for a while, then put both hands on her shoulders.

"We're not gonna stop it. No one can stop the flow of fate and time, no matter how hard we try. It's the truth that we will never be able to deny..."

Rory shows a deep depression after hearing Sylvian's words. Then Sylvian gives her a soft petting on the head.

"But we can change it. Fate is not something that sets in stone, Rory. Even if it does, I'll break it with these fists and rewrite everything. We cannot do the impossibles, but we still have our choices to do the unbelievables if we try hard enough."

Then she lifts Rory's chin up and look deep into her eyes.

"And don't worry, it's gonna be alright, none of you are gonna die from this. I swear."

"Yeah, none of you..." Sylvian mocks herself in her mind...

Rory smiled warmly at Sylvian and for some reason she was reminded of Liseran. Instinctively, she hugged her tightly, not really feeling the poky armor or Sylvian's flinch.

"You're right," Rory said. "You're absolutely right. Thanks."

Rory smiles and meddles around with her Scroll.

"Okay, I think this is good," Rory said as she tested her device. "I think we're good to go."

***

"Ah, good, you're here," Vixen said as Aeden and Lucina entered the cockpit. "I need to speak to both of you regarding how things are going to go down."

She spun around in her chair to face them, her hands on her lap and her eyes looking at them gravely.

"From what I know, you two are engaged, am I correct?" she said without waiting for their answer. "And I'm sure that as much as ever, you two are both concerned for each other's safety. I don't want to do this, but as much as I want you two to stay together, I need to split you two up. Cheshire, Rory and Sylvian all have their roles and that leaves two more roles available. It's important that someone stays with the ship at all times, ready to get it flying the minute we can retrieve Liseran. I also need another person to stay with me at all times as I try to access the inside to find a map..and hopefully the possible locations Liseran is in.

"It's no easy task, when you're loved one is in as much danger as you are, I want to know if you two are okay with the setup."

Without a moment of hesitation Aeden spoke up, "I'll go with you. As much as it pains me to have Lucina or Rory out of my sight I know that this is how things will work. At least in this case Lucina is somewhere safer than the other places." Aeden kept his eyes forward looking only at Vixen afraid of what look Lucina was possibly giving him at the time. "Just tell me what I would need to do and I shall do it."

"Good," Vixen said. "Basically you'll be aiding me get past the guards and infiltrating the inside. We need to be able to spread out as far as possible. Lucina keep safe with the ship."

She waved at them dismissively to go back to their seats. The two air ships were approaching and she worried if they were going to sense them. She spoke into the speakers.

"Hold on tight, kids," she muttered.

Everyone felt the air ship suddenly drop vertically for a full 15 seconds before it halted and hovered just above the water. The sound of the ships passed by them and the ship hovered back into the air.
They continued to fly without problems for the next two hours until Vixen spoke again.

"We're fifteen minutes to the Fares Fortress," she said.

Up ahead, if one gazed out the window, they could see the floating castle. Though it was out in pure daylight, its dark stone walls made it look like it was being shaded by a storm cloud. There was a light faint glow around it suggesting the force field Vixen had told them about. Rory went over to the windows in the room she and Sylvian were in.

"Lise is inside there somewhere..." she told Sylvian. "And we're just about to save her. Let's gather everyone up so you can go over the plan one more time before we take action."

After a simple call from Vixen, everyone has gathered onto the main deck.

Sylvian was a bit later, as she was carrying a long thick metal cable. She engages her Impala Gracia into boomerang mode, then she attaches one end of the cable to it and the other end to her armor. She's gonna launch herself into the middle of enemy's base with these.

"Everyone ready?" She asked, and got a positive responses from them. "Good, then step aside from the door. I'll be going."

She's still worried about Chesire though, but it's not the thing that matters now. Sylvian takes a few steps backward, then rapidly charges her aura, Dust energy and semblance into the boomerang, which makes it overflowed with power and becomes darker and shinier.

"I'll leave my back in your care then, Rory. Here goes!!"

She throws her fully-charged boomerang with all her might toward the Fares' flying fortress, which also carries her along through the metal cable. It's like a missile has been launched, the boomerang flies with great speed and such force that almost cannot be stopped.

Hours before Vixen's ship ever came into plain sight of the Fares Fortress, Zan had already seen them coming. Liseran as a semblance source for The Oracle had brought astounding results in the smallest of time. Comparing with Zephyr Veiller's Sight, Liseran's was far more detailed, up to the point of conversations and she was able to generate several visions at a fast rate. In one screen, a candidate for senator for the next elections was going to have tea heavily guarded. In another, it showed what the servants were serving for lunch. In another, Zan had seen the airship through its camouflage and a girl propelling through the air towards the fortress, mysteriously penetrating it unscathed.

"Make sure she's welcome," Zan said. "And get some flyers in the air. I want that ship sunk down into the water."

Through the glass, he looked at Liseran attached to The Oracle and in deep sleep, a smirk coming across his face. "You belong here now. So don't hope any rescue's going to take into effect."

***

As Sylvian shot into the air, Rory stood at the open entrance, her Scroll ready for broadcasting near her and Fusilier in her hands. Sylvian broke through as expected but as she shot through the barrier something came out from it.

"Wh-what is that?" Rory squinted as she activated her semblance. Her eyes widened and she deactivated it within a second. Before she could even say what was there, Vixen had the door closed and the airship dived into the side.

"We've been targeted by a missile. Hold on tightly. As I try to shake it off. Rory Cheshire, keep an eye on what you're supposed to do. The faster Cheshire can shut down that field, the faster I can land."

***

As Sylvian landed, as expected, she was greeted by a long line of men in armor and holding guns.

"Don't move!" they yelled.

The boomerang easily penetrates the force field, then draws a circle line on the air before coming back to Sylvian's hand after she lands. As expected, the force field immediately recovers, trapping her inside with dozens of well-armed guards, which are commanding her not to move.

"Don't move, you say... How about this?!"

Sylvian doesn't even care how well-armed or well-trained they are, as long as she still has her Impala Gracia. She charges, then slams her boomerang onto the ground and hides within the sandsmoke created from the impact. Her moves are too swift for the guards to catch up within the sandsmoke, and they're being taken down one by one.

"Damn it!! Find her, you maggots!! Take her down wi... Urg!"

Sylvian suddenly appears behind the yelling captain and grabs his neck. Her eyes are now full with killing intent.

"Where did you hide her...?" She asked him with anger while tightening her grip. "Where is Liseran you bastards?!!"

The captain raises his hand in fear, pointing at a big gate far away from where they're standing, and it's slowly closing down. Sylvian quickly charges her aura and tries to get in before it's completely closed, but the gate is too far away and she's not fast enough to reach it in time.

"God Dammit!!"

She throws her boomerang to stop the gate from closing for a brief moment. And it's just enough time for her to slip the Scroll in before the gate completely closed and crushed one side of her boomerang.

"Mission accomplished. Now all I gotta do is dealing with them until he finished his job..."

Sylvian disengages her weapon to retrive the remaining shield and turns around. The sandsmoke is fading. There are still dozens of guards standing in front of her. And she only has one shield left.

"Please make it quick, Chesire..."

Cheshire looks at the screen as it broadcasts the view of the inside of the fortress. He tried remotely getting the camera to view the area in different angles to get a better picture of the place. In moments, Cheshire's image flickered and he disappeared in violet vapor, teleporting to right where the scroll is.

As the guards chased after Sylvian, they neglected Cheshire appearing just behind the gates. The cat faunus found himself in a long hallway with a white-tile floor and a metal walls. It looked nothing like the interior of a castle. A laboratory would have been more like it.

There was no surefire way for Cheshire to know where the room with the means to turn off the force field would be. He’d have to cough it out of someone. As he went through the halls he met with two armored men with large rifles.

“Freeze!” one of them yelled. “Move and we’ll shoot.”

***

Sylvian was cornered but before the men could attack, a voice came from the distance.

“Stop,” Zan said.

The young man was now wearing a white noble’s coat with black trimming. As his eyes fell on Sylvian he smiled.

“Sylvian Silverhorn,” he said. “That’s what Liseran’s visions said your name would be. It seems you’re here for my fiancée, am I correct? Tell me, what in Remnant did you think you could accomplish with a two-bit team of students?”

He was circling around her and the group of guards that surrounded her.

***
Rory clung onto the nearby railing as the airship jolted and turned practically sideways, missing the missile by a small angle. From the speakers, Rory could hear the woman swearing. The ship continued to sway back and forth as it sped up and down, left and right, dodging each missile, but now three were on their tail. From the window she used her semblance and could see Sylvian surrounded and Zan present. She gritted her teeth in worry, hoping Cheshire would get the force field down in time.

"Fiancée..." Sylvian raises her remaining right shield and points it toward Zan.

"You are the cowardly bastard that has captured her aren't you? Where is Liseran now? What did you do to her?!"

Her voice is filled with anger. Her body is overflowed with enraging aura. If not because Liseran was still in his hand,, she would definitely launch and kill him right away.

Cheshire did not waste time. The moment he managed to get inside he scanned the area. As the two guards presented themselves Cheshire used his semblance against and appeared directly behind them. He swung the suitcase against the back of one of their heads to knock him out and used the momentum to knock the other one in the back to make him fall over.

If successful, Cheshire plans on stepping on the man's back and hang the suitcase on a holder behind his back and unsheathing Vladimir and Elizabeth, leaning down and hooking the curved ends around the pinned down man's neck.

"All I have to do is twitch and it's off with your head," Cheshire would growl, "Tell me how to disengage the force field."