A certain exhausted young Time Guardian trudged out of the half-wrecked Divine Order castle, eyes stinging from the fact that he was dripping wet from a tsunami wave from earlier, trying to wring out his shirt of excess saltwater as he did so. Slowly he surveyed the damage, the number of heroes requiring medical attention, and the sight of a couple of Pokemon trainers sending out their water types to help fish out Kaneki (as well as Akira) out of the shriveling ‘Kraken’ remains sinking beneath the tide.
Spade couldn’t help but groan. “ What a mess.” He muttered more to himself than for anyone else in his vicinity. Considering that his magic reserves were already running as fumes earlier, he needed some form of a fast recharge as soon as possible if he wanted to sort it all out before-
“Yes... It is.”
A pair of figures had appeared just beside the grumbling apprentice, apparently just in time to overhear; for better or worse, the Seer had finally made her return to the Order with Oko in tow. Admittedly, Spade startled in fright at her abrupt reappearance and then dread sank into his bones as she leveled what was clearly a disappointed gaze at the scene unfolded before her.
Oko was the only one who had a completely different reaction to everything from everybody else, his frown also looked disappointed, but for the wrong reasons. “You guys had a water balloon fight without us?”
The Seer shifted her focus toward Spade before she finally continued, her expression holding that same air of ambiguity that was no doubt quite familiar by now. “...I should have left better, more thorough countermeasures for you to use, making sure you were more prepared.” Then the goddess bowed her head, a solemn and often heard sorrow falling into her tone. “It was foolish and unjust of me to leave the potential for such an immense catastrophe on your shoulders. I should have known it would be too much.”
Considering what his expectations were, the words left her very first apprentice stunned for a moment. “What?” he blurted out after a moment of waiting for the Seer to continue speaking and getting none else. “You think this is all just… your own fault?”
“There is a reason why my work here requires constant, personal attention.” A hint of tired bitterness entered her tone, eyes narrowed. “Even after training for eons, I still make errors, sometimes quite grievous ones. I should not have expected such a short time of apprenticeship to prepare you for this level of… Volatility.”
“But!” And with a conviction that surprised even himself- “...You wanna know what did at least happen thanks to Kaneki? Catching the bad guy who started this whole mess! So I made a mistake and he went a bit berserk because of it, but that’s my bad, not yours!” Spade went, his tone on the verge of shouting.
Then the young Guardian hastily pulled his arms back down at his side, realizing way too late that he was wildly gesturing with them during the heated spiel.
Fortunately, the Seer seemed unphased by the outburst and maintained her calm demeanor. "And what did this victory cost?" she simply asked, the straightforward inquiry cutting deep into the tension.
Which was more than enough to defuse and deflate Spade, since even he didn’t think there was any sense of pride to be had about his performance as acting leader. “I’ll… gather up and get a count on who’s hurt.”
“Actually,” the goddess cut in before turning her attention to her other apprentice, “Oko, I would like for you to put your training into good use and tend to the injured. Spade will be showing me what has become of Kaneki; on the way, we can discuss the details of that ‘bad guy’ he mentioned. I suspect there is quite a bit to catch me up on.”
"Okay, Ms. Seer," Oko replied, tilting his head curiously at the request before wandering off to attempt his very best at completing the task given to him. (But luckily, he wouldn’t be unsupervised while doing so.)
---
“Attention everyone!” called out the Seer once each member of the Order had been attended to and Kaneki both stabilized and properly secured. “I do have a bit of an announcement, so please gather around!” Under normal circumstances, just shouting that out would never have been enough to garner attention-- but without any walls or, in fact, any manner of standing structure to obstruct the sound, her voice carried quite well across the flooded ruins. Gradually the weary lot grouped around her, some more reluctantly than others.
“Due to the current… Circumstances,” she explained with a vague gesture at the castle’s remains, “There will need to be substantial repairs-- physical and magical-- before the base here is safe and habitable again. In the meantime, our residence will be temporarily shifted to our alternate headquarters in Raeth. This is not expected to be an especially long process, but due to the risk of attack while the area is… Compromised… It will be safer to take refuge elsewhere until we can deem the structure suitable and secure.”
Some grumbling and whispering could be heard; clearly this was not a usual course of action. Someone even used the term ‘unprecedented.’ Clearly this was about a bit more than just making sure the castle was architecturally sound.
“Rooms, belongings, mission boards, and all other necessities will be available over there as well, along with the usual dining arrangements, training rooms, and lounges. I doubt it will be much different, in the long run,” she quietly assured the group. Some didn’t seem so easily convinced.
“But what about the BEACH?” demanded Selia furiously. “The Raeth HQ is so… Grungy, and in the mainland, too! No water for miles and the forest is filled with, you know… Werewolves and stuff!” There was some murmur of agreement.
“Man I sure hope I can bring my lab over there,” Sylvia muttered. “They’re really weird about science over there, and magic. And especially about magic and science together. How’m I supposed to work on an anti-gravity grenade in peace with folks claiming it’s witchcraft?”
“I know the move won’t be ideal, but I assure you it is very, very temporary,” the Seer insisted. “The HQ is quite secure there, we will not have to worry about any… Unexpected visitors.” So that was what this was about… The leak. The arrival, the troublemaker who had somehow slipped through the barrier… The group quieted a bit, perhaps not everyone was happy about it, but they’d just have to make do.
“In the meantime,” she added, “Please feel free to let me know if you would like to help with the repairs here as well; while the area will not be fully secure, we can use as many sets of hands as we can get. There is a great deal to be done, and the more sets of eyes we have, the less likely anything crucial will be missed. Perhaps we can even make it better than it was before.”
“Everyone else…” The Seer’s strain was showing slightly, though she brushed it away swiftly. “Just try to keep calm, and stay at ease. The Raeth HQ has many allies of ours, and I’m certain if everyone comes together, there will be plenty of ways to pass the time. We’ll be back to our normal operations before you know it.”
---
With a quick snap of his fingers after his magic was back to full capacity, Spade presented to the goddess a jar as they walked through the halls of the much more Victorian-styled castle, though its contents were impossible to examine through the glass with the naked eye.
“And here it is, our culprit,” said Spade. “I know it’s not much to look at like this, but as I’m sure you already know- keeping something that’s physically like the Ether involves blocking out everything from light, sound, air… Not a single atom of anything goes in or out.”
The Seer examined the jar contemplatively, giving a nod of understanding; it was hard to believe that there was such a small version of the Ether that it could be trapped within just this small jar, but she could tell her apprentice’s words were quite sincere. “The Ether itself was a shock when I first learned of it, and now there are even more branches of this being. This... For all that I can see, this was not something I was able to anticipate, as though blocked from my vision somehow.” Two fingers rubbed at her temples in frustration. “I cannot fathom what this means. It could be multiplying, or growing to such immense size that portions break off, or perhaps they are small enough fragments to slip under our radar all this time…”
She sighed. “I suppose there is no use in overthinking it for the time being. We will have to worry about that after more pressing matters are settled.” The pair had reached a staircase leading deep underneath the castle, lit by flickering torches. The whole area felt incredibly eerie; it was just what one would expect from some creepy dungeon.
“You’re right, but I think you might be interested in a couple of other details that Erwick can confirm.” her apprentice added. “Attacks like from his flames worked perfectly fine as usual, but there was also this shiny weak spot on it. Literally. Some kind of scar maybe?”
“A… scar?”
“Yeah. White and glowing. Like… Ganondorf’s, all the way back in Twilight Princess. And then they were hamming it up about trying to prove their worth to the rest of the Ether.”
If not for how serious the entire situation was, the sight would’ve been almost comedic. Spade continued on, “Honestly with how its plan went horribly right on trying to piss off Kaneki, I could see why this thing might actually be a bit of a bumbling idiot in the Ether’s view.”
“Interesting.” The Seer made a mental note of this; perhaps there was a bit more to her initial impression than she’d thought. “That behavior is rather unusual as well, the Ether does not seem to have much ambition aside from its… Destructive nature. Hm. I suppose we will have to keep on the lookout for other, similar phenomena.”
It was about then that the cell came into view… The bars looked like exactly the sort of solid steel that one would expect in some classic old dungeon, though they were nothing compared to the unseen energy field that would block any unsanctioned passage in or out. Inside, however, it was at least clean and tidy; there was also a bed and a bathroom for now. The Seer would have to check its occupant’s mental condition before deciding if any other furniture was safe to place inside…
“It seems he’s still out cold,” she commented quietly. “With the RC suppressants administered, at least his awakening won’t shake the foundations. I imagine I will still know nonetheless.” Considering the effect his aura had on her, there was no question of what she meant there.
“With luck… Hopefully, Kaneki will recover soon.”
The Seer wasn’t sure she believed her own words.
---
The sea breeze was so much stronger with most of the island demolished, rushing across the debris with a ragged howl. There was nothing to hold it back now, just like any of the countless fiendish creatures that could have launched their attacks on the rubble. But aside from that wind, it was quiet, most of those who’d come to make repairs working in relative silence. The atmosphere was heavy indeed, and none seemed daring enough to try and cut through it.
The Seer meanwhile was occupied by her own thoughts, and they were no gentler than the roaring tides.
She was certain the barrier had to be compromised in some way. That thing had gotten in somehow, after all; normally the field was able to protect against even the full might of the Ether pounding on its walls. It had rebuffed countless beasts, many much stronger than the little spectral scoundrel now in their custody.
So how had it gotten inside when so many others couldn’t?
Checking the magic was bearing no fruit, nor were the wards or, in fact, any of the other enchantments of varying types that were supposed to keep this place safe.
None of it made any sense.
Her initial guess was that Spade had accidentally changed a setting or altered the composition of the energy, or… Something. But whatever had caused the breach, it seemed to be back in place now-- even if the field itself was still temporarily down. The whole thing was making the Seer’s head spin… She was a being with visions of the future, knowledge of the unknown, all the multiverse crammed into what was once a mortal skull.
So why couldn’t she understand what was happening here?
Why hadn’t she been able to predict any of this?
How had she not even known about that tiny Ether’s existence?
There were too many questions and not enough answers. So, for the time being, she set herself back to the task of repairing the castle-- rebuilding walls, fixing tapestries, and retrieving broken tech. It wasn’t perfect, but at least keeping her mind busy would prevent any further over-thinking.
Everything would be back to normal soon. It had to be.