The Child's Fate[Noir/Soushui]

Evening settled in around the mansion Noir and Lady Soushui now occupied outside the magician's city of magnostadt. Magoi powered sconces lit the mansions halls as the sun set and dinner was prepared. The dining hall had a small feast spread out across circular table covered in small dishes of various delicacies. It was over the fine scents and tastes of the appetizers and entrees that the rumbling of distant thunder could be heard. Rain began to pour outside the dining room window as the already dark skies turned into an inky black.

The magic sconces flickered and then dimmed, the room turning very dark for a moment. Then, suddenly, lightning flashed outside and a figure could be seen standing not far from Noir and Soushui. The lights flickered back on and a young boy stood before them. He looked to be about 10 years old and had blue hair styled in a somewhat familiar way, long bangs arcing upwards akin to how Yakuroro's once did. Embedded in the child's forehead was a metallic orb with a magic circle carved into it.

A smile played across the boy's lips as he nodded to Noir briefly before turning to Lady Sousui. "Hello, mother. It has been a long time." The child said with a calm and polite voice. As if this reunion were merely a casual get together.

It was a slow day, there was no class for Noir to help teach or to attend as one of the students. So she stayed at the mansion where her companion would be staying just outside the city of magic. All the food on the table was the result of the young magician's cooking, something that she came to like doing when she had free time. "This is good, Noir. Perhaps the best." The older woman complimented her cooking before stuffing more food into her mouth. "Thank you, Lady Shousui. I am sure you've eaten grander food before though."

The older magician chuckled, amused to witness Noir's modesty. "I might have, yes. But I do still love your cooking." Shousui rested her chin on the palm of her hand before giving a suggestion, "Perhaps I should cook some time?" Noir nodded enthusiastically, it was not that often for Shousui to cook. But when she cooked, the taste was out of the world.

The moment lights went out, Noir would be ready to create a ball of light made of magic. However, when she noticed there was another person in the room, Noir would be on her guard.

"Yakutetsu?" The magician muttered a name upon seeing the figure turned out to be the little boy she met several times before... Shousui's child. She quickly turn her gaze towards the older woman, wanting to see her reaction. Noir didn't know if Shousui might remember him or not, especially when she lost her past memories. But perhaps meeting Yakutetsu would help her to regain it... And the young magician couldn't even foresee what would happen if the lady got her memories back.

Lady Shousui could only stare at the little boy as if she saw a ghost. No words escaped her lips as if she was waiting for something...

An awkward silence held between the parent and child as they stared at one another. Soushui's lip began to tremble and his knuckles went white from how tightly she clenched the fabric of her robes. Yakutetsu just stood with polite posture and smiled at the woman. "My...my child?" Confusion washed over Soushui and her eyes turned hazy as she slowly reached out a timid hand. Yakutetsu did not move and yet Soushui still hesitated like a child afraid to pet an animal for the first time. But then her fingers touched his warm face and a dam of emotion broke within the woman. Her eyes became clouded as tears streamed forth and she pulled the child into her bosom embracing him with a wail of relief.

"Aaaaah! How could I have forgotten!? I've been a terrible mother, o'child, please forgive me!"

The noble bearing of the beautiful Soushui was nowhere to be seen in her now. She felt immeasurable guilt towards Yakutetsu. All this time she should have been searching for him. It was impossible to know what trials and dangers a child would face on their own in this world. Yakutetsu did not seem to hold a grudge however. He reached up to pat his mother's back and continued to smile as he accepted her feelings. "It was my choice to leave as well as my choice for you to forget. I am the one who should apologize for tricking you, mother. In fact, I don't even have the right to call you that." His tone became solemn as he gently pushed himself out of Soushui's hug leaving the woman distraught.

"W-What are you talking about? How could you say such a thing? You will always be my child."

Not willing to let him go entirely, Soushui reached out and grasped her son by the wrist. It was as if she feared he would disappear in a puff of smoke should she let him out of her sight. Yakutetsu did not answet and just shook his head while maintaining that same smile. "I've troubled you in taking care of my mother for longer than I planned. But thank you for keeping her safe." Yakutestu suddenly turned towards Noir and bowed his head slightly. It was then that his voice and face began to change slightly. They took on the sound an appearance of a certain familiar dead magician. The resemblance to Yakuroro turned into an exact likeness as Yakutestu spoke. "I am unable to reward you...but with this, one could say that the karma of killing my former master is resolved."

In a blink, Yakutetsu's voice and face returned to normal and he continued to stare at Noir to see how she would respond. Meanwhile, Soushui at the side seemed to have once again had her mental state shattered. The sight of Yakutetsu mimicking Yakuroro had rendered the woman speechless. The tears ceased flowing and her eyes began to wander as though she were searching for lost memories. Unable to grasp them, she simply sat there in silence trying to grasp the source of a deep pain hidden within.

The black-haired magician could only stay still as she witnessed the dramatic moment of mother and child reunion, this was, of course, an exaggeration in Noir's opinion to call it dramatic. It seemed the older woman recognized her own son after all, but Noir questioned if Shousui's memory loss was real... or maybe it was just a ploy? It could've been a partial memory loss, but perhaps the young magician was only overthinking it...

When Yakutetsu expressed his gratitude, Noir wasn't really sure how to respond. She almost killed his mother when the latter tried to kill her during the Kou Civil War before and as much as she didn't want to take the credit, Noir saved Shousui by healing her and actually taking care of her. But the scene she was seeing justified her inability to respond, as the young child turned into someone Noir knew very well before turning back again.

Noir put her guard up, Yakutetsu could notice how the magician clenched her jaw, making her look tense. "Are you here to reunite with your mother? Or is there anything you plan to do?"

Faced with Noir's questions the blue haired youth looked back to Soushui and shook his head with a sigh. The teary eyed magician looked to him with an expression that pleaded for answers. Responding to Noir, "You could say that I am here to end a deception. For the sake of my former master I violated this woman's memories so she would not be lost to her despair. But she is no longer alone. I have faith that with you by her side, my mother will be just fine now." The boy then reached out and tapped Lady Soushui's forehead. Her eyes widened and a fog that had lingered around her repressed memories was lifted all at once. A flood of thoughts hit the woman one after another causing a sharp pain in her mind and her heart.

Tears streamed anew and the way Soushui looked at the boy changed. Blind motherly affection had turned into a complicated frown. She was all at once grateful and spiteful towards him with a small trace of fear in her eyes as well. Yakutetsu just smiled at her innocently. "There, you should remember what happened that day now. As well as how I came to be..." The words received a nod from Soushui who closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. The former Kou Noblewoman who had been raised as an assassin remembered her training and in just a few short breaths the woman had her emotions under control. The tears stopped and the cold face of acceptance came over her.

Lady Soushui glanced between the strange child and Noir before finally opening her mouth. For Noir's benefit and to get the story off her own chest, Soushui began to tell the tale of how Yakuroro had fallen into depravity after killing Akatetsu and mortally wounding Soushui by his own hand. From the way she spoke, there was deep sorrow but no blame towards her former friend. She knew full well that Yakuroro had not been in control when he had attacked them.

Once the fallen king had left, Soushui regained consciousness and barely managed to stabilize her wounds. She mourned the death of Akatetsu and preserved his body before going to seek out Yakuroro. But just a few weeks later and her clairvoyance magic told her that he was dead. Soushui had placed all her faith in him that he would change the world. His death was hard for her to accept on top of Akatetsu's loss. So Soushui used the samples of Yakuroro's rukh that she still had in her lab along with that of Akatetsu's and used her own womb to gestate a new chimera. One that was more human than anything else. The artificial life form born from that was Yakutetsu. Soushui had aged the body quickly with her magic and intended to raise him as a replacement for Yakuroro on the stage of fate. But fate laughed at her plans.

The lingering rukh of Yakuroro within the body attracted Marax, the djinn Yaku had once conquered, which came to settle in the crystal at his forehead which served as magoi storage for the chimera to sustain itself with. The body became a vessel for Marax, but as it was empty the djinn took command over its magoi and manifested its will through simple illusions. Marax used this power to alter Soushui's memories. But this was the extent of what Soushui knew. As for where Yakutetsu went after he left her? The woman could only turn to that strangely smiling youth.

Yakutetsu did not seem to plan on explaining and just quietly stood there for a moment allowing Noir to absorb the information. At last he spoke, "Good, you remember everything. I can leave with peace of mind now." The youth nodded satisfied and turned away but stopped when Soushui called out to him. "Wait! Where will you go? Can't...can't you at least hug your mother goodbye?" Soushui felt a knot in her heart watching the boy leave. She knew that was not her son, and yet she had carried it in her own womb. She could not help feeling a connection to him. Yakutetsu didn't turn back. He was serious as he calmly stated, "The magoi I draw from this body is too great. It doesn't have much time left and neither do I. Fate is moving quickly and a new king of mischief must be found. Farewell, mother. Farefwell, Noir. We likely won't meet again." The lights suddenly cut out and then back on again. The boy was gone.

Noir wondered what did she do to be caught in this spiral of insanity. All the things she just heard sounded crazy, although she believed it all happened for real. The black-haired magician wasn't as tense as before, but she kept silent to respect the moment between the mother and the son. She had no right to say anything, knowing well it wasn't her business to snoop in and say what was in her mind. Not that she knew what to say either.

After Yakutetsu left, Noir would give Shousui a moment. She would just stand at her spot, eyes staring at the miserable mother. She wondered how Marax will look for another King Candidate... Not only that, judging from the last word Yakutetsu said, the boy might die soon because the magoi that was being taken by the djinn to keep on existing was too great. It was all too complicated and Noir didn't have any answer to ease the burden of Yakutetsu and Marax.

After a minute of thinking, Noir would finally approach Shousui. "Lady Shousui." She stood in front of her, calling her name softly. "I can't offer you any consolation about this matter, nor that I know what to say to you to ease your burden." Noir paused for a second, wanting to see the woman's reaction. "We have been spending time together and I do feel close to you, perhaps like a member of a family...even though I didn't remember how it was supposed to feel like before I lost my memories." The black-haired magician looked down for a second but she would look back at Shousui, asking her an important question. "What do you want to do now?"

Noir would respect any decision that Lady Shousui would take. She knew the older woman hated her, but Noir came to like having the presence of the former assassin at her side. But if she chose to leave and decided that she didn't want to have anything to do with the younger magician anymore, then Noir would respect her wish.

With Marax's departure Soushui stopped reaching for him and returned her hands to her lap where they folded neatly. The woman's eyes were closed softly and if there were not still tear stains on her face one might mistake her appearance of calm as being real. Her body shuddered in rebellion and she felt the tightness in her chest and the heat at her eyes return but a deep breath beat them both back down into a tightly sealed bottle. Another breath and Lady Soushui fluttered open her jewel-like eyes. "Forgive my outburst, Ms. Ecryola." The raven haired woman said politely. If Noir was perceptive she would notice the change in address. The wall of formality now between them made clear not only in her words but the polite tone in which it was spoken.

Noir came to speak to Soushui and was met with a calm stare accompanied by a polite smile. Noir paused for reaction and Soushui's eyelids fluttered as if to say, "go on" without saying it aloud. The mention of family finally got the grieving noblewoman to react, her eyes casting sideways as if afraid to meet Noir's eyes as he parroted, "Family, huh?" Soushui did not sound impressed by the idea. It would almost seem as if regaining her memories came at the cost of all those she had shared with Noir. Then at last, Noir asked her that very important question. What did she want to do?

Lady Soushui stood and circled Noir away from the table. Her steps were swift and silent, her years of assassin training returned to her and now second nature. But this maneuver wasn't to try and back stab Noir. It was to get some room in order to do what came next. The woman abruptly knelt down onto both knees in front of Noir, placed both of her hands forward and then gave a bow of fealty towards Noir. "Fate brought us together, so I will heed its guidance and serve you as my new champion on the stage of the world. As I did for Yakuroro before, I will impart unto you all my magical knowledge and I shall support your endeavors so long as you do not fall." Lady Soushui was solemn as she made her pledge and chose her words carefully hinting that should Noir ever fully lose herself to black rukh for good then Soushui might just really leave.

---

Note:

The dark-haired magician gave the grieving mother time to think of how to answer her question. Noir knew it wasn't easy to answer it, but Shousui could take as much time as she wanted. However, when the older woman knelt down in front of her, the younger girl was taken aback. The scene in front of her caught her off guard. Lady Shousui, the former noble of Kou, the epitome of elegance, was kneeling down right in front of her eyes. This didn't make Noir feel superior or anything, instead, she felt pity... She didn't feel right letting Shousui lower herself like that, so she decided to kneel right in front of the older woman as well.

"Look at me.", said the magician firmly to the other woman. "I am happy to hear what you want and I am glad you will still be by my side after all the hardships you've been through." Noir touched Shousui's hands while she stared deeply at the former assassin. "But you have to know about the other me, the entity inside me that might come out without warning. I would love to promise you, but we never know what is going to happen. However, I will do my best to not lose myself to the black rukh." Shousui would feel Noir's grip on her hands become a little bit tighter, "I hope you can trust my words... And there is one more thing you have to know..." Noir paused for a second, gathering some courage before finally saying, "I trust you with my life."

The noblewoman raised her head with calmly determined eyes and directed them into Noir's own. Her expression softened slightly as the younger magician spoke. She seemed somewhat older now, a certain tiredness in her eyes, but also the patience to listen to Noir's worries without interrupting or rushing her. Soushui's long black hair shifted as she cocked her head to the side somewhat upon seeing Noir become emotional. The woman could feel her fear that she lacked the strength to live up to Soushui's standards. "Oh child, I'm not asking you to be perfect. I've fallen into that path. So did Yakuroro..." Lady Soushui cast her gaze aside and paused. One glance and anyone could see that her pain lingered. Perhaps it always would. But it did not rule her as she turned her eyes back to Noir's and continued.

"...But it is like I said, even with your latent temptation towards black rukh, fate still brought us together and I put my faith in its wisdom. As long as there is a chance to bring you back into the light, this old woman won't go abandoning you."

Lady Soushui placed her other hand over Noir's so the two women held each other. The raven haired noblewoman closed her eyes as she took in the moment. It felt good to have this bonding with Noir. Hatred was mostly gone now. What replaced it was care and respect. At that moment Dantilion's magic circle lit up and a lone bird of rukh emerged to flutter over to the silent Soushui. A voice spoke to her in her mind. The spirit of Dantilion's household offered her power in exchange for swearing herself to Noir. A smirk played on the woman's face. She accepted without hesitation. Her wand became the household spirit's new home and gained a magic circle carved into its handle. Lady Soushui had officially entered Noir's household as of that momvent.

The woman stood up and inspected he wand curiously, "Fascinating, though I've heard of the metal vessel's households, I never expected my first time seeing one would be my very own. But I will have time to research what it is capable of later. For now, you should follow me. There is a very special kind of magic I'd like to show you." She said with a smile as she moved her hand smoothly and that wand of hers seemingly vanished into the woman's cleavage. Her footsteps carried her off to somewhere they could use or set up a lab and to gather samples. She was going to teach Noir the same magic Soushui had used to create the chimera Akatetsu and the homunculus Yakutestu. She was going to teach her Creation Magic.

It felt like Shousui's tone was different from before. For Noir, now it sounded like she was calmer and perhaps wiser. But Noir's golden-colored eyes widened as she saw the magic circle suddenly appear. It was a familiar circle, Dantalion's circle! Noir observed Shousui's expression, giving her the idea that right now she was communicating with someone, possibly Dantalion herself. As the magic circle was carved into the handle of the older magician's staff, that was when Noir knew the conversation between the Djinn and the former noble had ended.

"Thank you for willing to stay by my side." Noir felt immense gratitude over Shousui's decision, especially when the older woman decided to swear loyalty to Noir by becoming her household... Although, when Shousui mentioned a very special kind of magic, Noir's eyes sparkled although her expression remained stoic. "Alright." She said, letting Shousui lead her.

[EXIT]