I sighed, staring at the open door of my refrigerator.

It was morning. A full day had passed since the storm and the power outage, and I still didn't have power.

I'd just gone grocery shopping last weekend, so I still had some fresh produce in the fridge that I needed to cook up. But the fridge wasn't exactly cold, so there was no way the food inside was going to stay good much longer. Thankfully, I'd had some ice in the freezer, which I'd used to try and mitigate the damage overnight. But it wasn't going to last much longer. I had no idea how much longer the outage would go on.

"Rai-chan, I don't suppose we could, I don't know, zap the stove to get it running?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at the open freezer drawer.

"Ikki, are you asking me to cause an explosion?" The holographic AI girl appeared on top of my counter, staring at me disapprovingly.

"Well, not if you put it that way."

She sighed. "I work best on digital technology, anyway. The stove's all mechanical. I mean if it had a battery I could fill or something we could use mana to charge it in theory, but it doesn't work that way."

I grumbled. "Alright. That's fair. I guess we're doing this the hard way."

"What do you have in mind?"

I closed the fridge and grabbed my backpack off of the counter. I pulled out the more perishable items I could take — two bags of stir fry vegetable mix, frozen ground beef from the freezer that had thawed, the remaining eggs in a Terran-style cage thing. I poured the still-cold coconut milk I put into a thermos, and then stuffed them in my backpack.

"I've got access to the Magitech Pavilion's upper floors now, might as well make use of it. Let's cook up this food for lunch and dinner and hope the power's back on when we get back later today. I think I could even call over a friend or to share."

"Sounds like a plan," Rai-chan said.

I slung my backpack on, then took another quick tour of the apartment, making sure that everything was secure. It never hurt to be too careful.

"You know, I think I should probably pack the suite they gave me keys to," I mused. "I might as well take advantage of it when I've got a chance. Maybe we'll head back here tonight."

"You think the power will be back?"

"I have to assume that'll be the case." I shrugged. "Worst case, we sleep there. But the bed there is way too soft. I'll need to bring my old futon over or something."

"Probably not a bad idea, all things considered. Especially with all the work you'll be doing with them." Rai-chan agreed.

"Think you can keep track of the state of the power in this apartment while I'm on campus? It'll be a lot more efficient if you tell me when it comes back instead of me just assuming it will at the end of the day."

"Easy enough to set an alert for the grid status through your phone," The AI bobbed up and down. "I'll make it happen, boss."

I chuckled, locking up. "Thanks. Alright, let's go."

I put on my school uniform and packed some extra clothes and hygienic supplies in my luggage. It had been a long, cold shower the night before with the lack of power, but the apartment complex did have running water at least. Even if it was icy cold.

Once I was ready to go, I headed out.

The door clicked shut, and I locked the handle and deadbolt.

The streets of Greenhaven were still quiet and peaceful, and there wasn't a trace of the damage from the other night left anywhere that I could see. There had probably been a clean-up crew overnight in addition to whatever Bishop and the other volunteers had done.

The morning air was crisp, and the sky was clear. It was going to be a nice day.

I made it to the train station without any problems, and as the doors closed behind me I leaned back against the wall of the car, letting my thoughts drift. I felt myself sinking into a daze. It was almost too easy. My eyes drifted closed.

...

"Now arriving at: St. Antonia's Island."

I jerked up as I realized that the train was already at my stop.

"What the hell?" I grumbled.

"You fell asleep," Rai-chan's voice whispered audibly in my ear.

"What?" I asked groggily. "I guess I did... Crap!"

I scrambled out of the train just as the doors closed, stumbling as I barely yanked my luggage bag through the doors. I watched the train disappear down the tracks.

"Well," I muttered to myself. "At least I didn't miss the stop."

Rai-chan's laughter echoed through my head. "At least classes are canceled today, so you don't have to worry about missing those!"

"Yeah," I replied. "That's the bright side, at least." I shook my head. "Let's get to school, shall we?"

I stretched, emerging from the train station.

It was early. Very early.

The sun had just risen above the horizon, and it cast an orange glow on everything around me, giving the world an eerie quality. The school towered over St. Antonia's Village, and in the distance I could see the skyscrapers of downtown Shorewood. Beyond them, across the bay, was Greenhaven.

I sighed and started walking.

The village had been spared from the damage that Greenhaven had taken during the chaos event, and everything looked like it always did. The streets were clean and the houses were tidy. People walked around, enjoying their morning routine. Then again, the revelation that it was basically an excuse to connect unique talent like Magical Girls with powerful and wealthy Terran elites made the village and island make sense. It was nice and quaint, but it was probably the most secure location in the entire metropolitan area, and the residents could afford the best security systems and services.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

I mean, the school had a freaking space telescope on the Occult Research club's building.

Once I crossed the bridge, I walked onto the school's sprawling campus.

The campus of the Academy was beautiful, even more so in the early morning light. The sun had only just started to peek above the horizon and it was already warm and sunny. The gothic architecture was impressive, and I couldn't help but marvel at how different it was from the concrete and metal of the urban sprawl of Shoreline City. The trees swayed gently in the cool morning breeze, and the dew on the grass sparkled like diamonds. It was peaceful and calm.

I walked across the grass, and made my way up the path leading towards the part of campus with all the club buildings and the Magitech lab.

The school seemed so quiet and serene. It was like I was walking through a painting, or maybe a movie set.

I continued to walk, enjoying the peace of the moment.

And then, a distant, brief whistling sound broke the silence, and my whole body tensed out of reflex. The sound of something cutting through air wasn't one I particularly enjoyed.

The whistling noise stopped as quickly as it began — a dull thunking noise sounded in the distance.

Curiosity getting the better of me, I walked in the direction of the sound, towards the back of the school grounds towards the training fields reserved for athletes.

I was surprised to see someone already there this early.

She had her back turned to me, a tall brown-skinned girl wearing a traditional red-and-gold Indian-style robe of some sort. The back of her hair was tied in a low ponytail, the color of a deep, vibrant crimson.

The front was braided into several braids on both sides, falling over her chest.

Her arms were toned and well muscled. She was holding a bow in her left hand, an arrow nocked on the string and her other hand grasping it tightly.

In front of her, a number of target dummies moved across a pulley system. The closest was still smoldering from an arrow shot right through the center, the shaft still lodged in the dummy. I was fairly sure it wasn't an actual wooden arrow.

Her movements were fluid and precise as she drew the string of her bow back to her cheek, aiming for one of the furthest dummies. She held it there for only a second, her arm shaking slightly from the tension before she loosed the arrow.

And then another, in quick succession. And then another.

It was almost as if she wasn't even looking at her targets, she just knew where to aim and how hard to pull. She drew arrow after arrow from a hip quiver strapped to her waist and fired them with ease.

The girl drew them so quickly that I could hardly stop to admire her technique.

She fired three more arrows before I had a chance to blink, and all of them struck the furthest targets with a satisfying thunk. Each arrow landed dead center on moving targets a hundred yards away.

She lowered her bow, letting the string go slack. The breeze rustled the long sleeves of her robes. Her shoulders rose and fell as she took a few deep, calming breaths.

"You're up early," she said, her voice calm and smooth, almost melodic in tone. "Are you here to use the training field too?"

The girl still had her back turned to me, and yet, she somehow knew that I was there. She had a faint British accent of some kind, with a strange cadence to it that I had trouble describing.

"Oh, uh," I stammered. "I just heard a noise, and then I saw you practicing and wanted to see what was going on."

The girl nodded. "Ah, I see."

I stood there awkwardly for a few seconds, feeling out of place in the quiet stillness of the early morning.

Her hair fluttered in the breeze. "It's the only time I have to myself," she continued, finally turning around to look at me.

The first thing that caught my attention were her eyes, a bright, vivid, sparkling sapphire. Her eyes were the kind that seemed to see right through you. She looked like she was around seventeen or eighteen, maybe a little older. But I instantly felt like I was looking at an old soul.

"Uh..." I was at a loss for words, caught off guard by her appraising gaze.

I wasn't sure how else to describe it, but there was something in those eyes that made me think she was much wiser than she looked. Like she had seen things and done things I couldn't imagine.

It took me a moment to recognize her as the girl that had put on the exhibition fencing match with Midori a week ago.

"You're... Ranjika, right? I saw your fencing match with Midori last week. You do archery too?"

"Archery was my first sport. I've done it ever since I was young. It's very therapeutic," the dark-skinned girl explained. "But yes. I am Ranjika. It is a pleasure to meet you, Ikazuchi."

She said my name as if we had met before, but I was positive I'd never seen her prior to that exhibition fencing match.

"Oh," I said. "Do I know you? How do you know my name?"

Her eyes narrowed, as if I had offended her in some way.

"I make it a point to learn the name and the faces of those who earn the favor of the Princess."

"The... Princess?"

"Midori Tanaka. The Princess... of Blades. You have earned her favor, so naturally I must learn about you. It would be remiss of me otherwise."

"Wait. So... what, you stalked me?"

Ranjika raised an eyebrow, giving me an exasperated look.

"That is a rather uncivilized thing to say. But, in short... no. We merely had a conversation."

"Oh," I said.

"She did mention you to me, yes," the mysterious archer replied.

I frowned, feeling a bit unsettled. "She did?"

The girl nodded. "She has spoken highly of your skills and your intellect, Ikazuchi. She said that you have the potential to become a true master of your craft. That is high praise from someone as gifted and as accomplished as she."

I tilted my head. "Huh. Wonder what would make her say that. We've had like, all of two or three interactions. And one of them was the night when you two sparred."

She smiled, as if amused by my reaction. "Well, it's a compliment nonetheless. She may seem like a hellion, but she is an astute judge of people."

I wasn't entirely convinced. "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

Ranjika smirked. "She has a knack for finding the right people for the right job at the right time. She has an innate sense for who can be trusted and who can be relied on to do the right thing."

"Is that so?"

She gave a curt nod. "I am quite sure of it."

I shrugged. "I dunno. I mean, we're all pretty young. That's a lot of weight to put into someone's judgment."

Ranjika's smile faded slightly, her eyes taking on a distant look. She turned and stared off towards the horizon, as if watching for something in the distance.

"I suppose," she finally said, her voice sounding tired. "But there are some people that just have a knack for it. Midori is one of them."

"Ah, I see."

The girl shook her head, and her gaze returned to me.

"Anyway, it is nice to finally meet you, Ikazuchi," she said. "I am sure we will get along well. You seem like an earnest fellow."

"Er, yeah." I scratched my head. "Thanks. It's a pleasure to meet you too, I guess. Uh, Ranjika."

She chuckled, a sound that was rich and pleasant.

"Well," she said. "I'm going to get back to my practice. You'd best get to the pavilion before the ingredients in your bag get too warm."

I blinked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Wait. How did you—"

She cut me off, winking and raising a finger to her lips. "Shh."

Her other arm drew an arrow from the quiver on her side in one fluid motion.

And then, she fired.

It happened in the blink of an eye. She didn't even seem to aim, but the arrow struck its target with precision and force, embedding itself into the chest of a target a hundred yards away.

"See you around, Ikazuchi. I am here almost every morning if you need me."

Ranjika turned her attention back to the rest of her training and left me there, standing in stunned silence.

Well, she's a weird one. Not in a bad way, but... what the heck?!

I turned and headed to the pavilion.

I'd never get used to Terrans and their weird mumbo jumbo.

I mean, I was assuming some magic was at play here. Maybe.

Speaking of magic...

Maybe Dior was around and up for brunch? Spencer maybe?

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.