“I do, Lady Astrea! The factory may have been severely damaged in the blaze, but I’m pleased to report there were no casualties! That’s including us, of course!”
Alize proceeded to direct the meeting while the other familia members each stood up and gave their own reports and voiced their opinions on the matters under discussion.
“We’re dealing with riffraff,” said Kaguya, annoyed but nonetheless keeping up her polite persona. “An organized riffraff, but a riffraff nonetheless.”
“Yeah, someone’s clearly in command,” said Lyra. “Quantity over quality isn’t really up to snuff these days.”
“Even so, the attacks keep coming,” said Lyu, visibly frustrated. “Whoever’s behind this is laughing at us while we run around putting out their fires.”
“I understand where you’re coming from, Lyu,” said Astrea, “but we mustn’t rush into danger. Don’t forget that members of the Evils have been hiding in the city ever since the days of the two titans.”
“Zeus Familia and Hera Familia…”
Lyu intoned the names with a sense of reverence and awe.
“They epitomized the Age of Gods, and they were what every familia aspired to be,” said Alize, uncharacteristically serious. “Zeus and Hera ruled over Orario for a thousand years without a single threat to their existence.”
“Even the Evils were too afraid to make a move during their reign,” added Lyra, slouching messily in her seat. “So they must have been pretty strong, huh.”
“They were the most powerful familias ever to exist since ancient times,” said Astrea, causing Celty, the youngest of the troop, to gasp. Lyu’s face stiffened as she picked up the remainder of the tale.
“But the Black Dragon defeated them both…”
The Three Great Quests.
Orario’s duty, placed on its shoulders by the rest of the world. The slaying of three powerful beasts that predated the Age of Gods. Together, Zeus and Hera defeated the first two of these monsters—Behemoth and Leviathan—but they failed to vanquish the third, a dragon so mighty it was known as the apocalypse incarnate.
What kind of force could have been responsible for the fall of not one, but two of history’s greatest familias? Other gods and their followers could only dream of coming close to matching their splendor. A hush fell over Lyu and the others as they contemplated it.
After a few moments, it was Neze who said what was on everyone else’s mind.
“If they couldn’t beat it, who will? No one’s ever gonna put an end to the King of Dragons…”
This time, the room fell deathly silent. It was a fear shared not just by her fellow familia members but all of Orario and quite possibly the entire world. The Black Dragon was a living symbol of death and destruction, a harbinger of demise that slept at the northern tip of the world. Lyu and the others could not help but feel a sense of primal dread at the mere mention of its name.
A gloom had fallen over the late-night meeting. Of course, the one to attempt a return to form was none other than Alize.
“We’ve strayed far enough, I think. Let’s get back on topic! Ignite your righteous hearts, everyone! Burning justice!!”
Everyone looked up at their hotheaded captain. “Remember, nobody died today, and that’s thanks to all of you!” she went on. “And we figured out another step in the Evils’ plan! As long as we keep making progress like this, we’ll get there in the end! Let’s celebrate the small victories, people!”
She put on a beaming smile as though sheer enthusiasm could banish the gloom from her comrades’ hearts. “And every step we take brings us that much closer to the golden days of Orario when Zeus and Hera ruled the city!”
“Alize…” muttered Lyu, wide-eyed.
“So don’t lose faith!” said Alize, beating her right hand to her chest. “Remember, the fastest way forward is through! Our persistence will force the Evils to crack! And once they’re dealt with, we move on to defeating the Black Dragon! Mm-hmm, we can’t fail!”
Her huge leaps of logic, if such reckless optimism could be called that, left something to be desired. The rest of Astrea Familia just stared at her, mouths agape. Even Astrea simply blinked a few times in mild-mannered surprise. The room fell silent once again, though for a completely different reason than before. It was Lyra who spoke up first.
“‘We can’t fail,’ she says. There’s bein’ optimistic, and then there’s this.”
Her exasperated tone failed to hide the smile forming on her lips. Next to speak was Kaguya. She wasn’t as easily swayed by her captain’s words.
“I find it hard to accept such idealistic platitudes,” she said. “It’s fine to speak of the future, but we can’t look away from reality in the meanwhile.”
Once again, Kaguya had discarded any pretenses of humility to speak her mind outright. She wasn’t quite the wide-eyed maniac she was when making fun of Lyu, but her pragmatic and stern words were still a departure from her usual composure.
But Alize only turned and gave the far-eastern girl a curious look. “I don’t know what you mean, Kaguya. I’m not being idealistic at all. We won’t fail. We can’t afford to. That means all there’s left to do is get it done!”
Then she smiled. A clear, almost blinding smile, as though what she was saying was the most obvious thing in the world.
Kaguya was lost for words. She froze, an astonished look on her face. Then she smiled as well.
“…I never can win against you, can I? I’m starting to think this is a bad matchup for me.”
Kaguya conceded and allowed Alize’s soothing words to wash over her. Even Lyu, unwise as she was to the subtleties of the heart, could see in the girl’s face that this was one debate she didn’t mind losing.
“Hey, it’s not like we’ve never seen Alize be optimistic before,” said Noin, smiling fondly.
“That’s right! We never would have joined her if it weren’t for that unbeatable enthusiasm!” added Maryu.
“All right, we’re gonna beat the Black Dragon!” cheered the Amazon, Iska, raising a fist above her head. “I dunno when or how, but we’re gonna do it!”
The place erupted into smiles, banishing the girls’ fears in an instant.
“.….…. ”
It was looking at this scene that made Lyu think.
You’re amazing, Alize.
When they look into your eyes, everyone finds the courage to believe. From cynical Lyra to pig-headed Kaguya. Noin and Neze, Asta and Lyana, Celty and Iska, and Maryu, too.
And me.
You reached out and took my hand and earned my unending respect. You are my hope. My inspiration.
So long as we have you and Astrea leading us, we will never lose sight of what’s right.
Lyu thought back to the day the two first met. She could not quite explain why she felt so proud.
However, in an apparent screw you to Lyu’s introspection, Alize puffed out her modest chest and displayed her smuggest face yet. “Once again, everyone kneels before my overwhelming justice!” she declared. “He-hem! I’m so great!”
“““““““““Grr!”””””””””
Everyone save Lyu and Astrea looked ready to blow a fuse.
Her only flaw is that she doesn’t know when to stop talking…, thought Lyu, burying her face in her hands.
“Anyway! Our mission is to wipe away people’s tears and bring back their smiles! That’s why we fight!”
Astrea nodded sagely at her captain’s commendable words. “That’s right,” she said. “There are as many struggles for justice as there are stars in the sky. Have no doubt that our cause is one of them.”
“See? Lady Astrea agrees!” Alize grinned. “Now then, let’s do our usual, and then we can all get some rest!”
At the mention of this “usual,” a few of the members grew weary looks.
“Do we have to?” moaned Lyra. “I find it a little embarrassing, to be honest…”
“You’re not alone,” agreed Kaguya.
“Be serious, you two!” reprimanded Lyu. “I—I don’t find it embarrassing at all! Not one bit!”
So she claimed, but Lyu’s cheeks had already begun to redden at the thought of what was to come.
First, Alize beckoned the whole group to rise. The eleven girls stood in a circle while their fiery-haired leader extended one hand into the center.
“We do our duty! We balance the scales! Until the day we join the stars!”
She recited the words all in attendance had sworn by. This oath was their proof and pride that they were followers of Astrea.
“Like comets racing across the sky, we leave our starry trails on this earth wherever we go! This I swear, by the sword and wings of justice!”
“By the sword and wings of justice!!”
Lyu and the other girls repeated the oath, and before their smiling goddess, they renewed the vows that had brought them together.
Ten days until the Great Conflict…