Ward of Mystery

[Reiko Souma]

*This is part of my contribution to the storyline where the Ward of Gondar is experiencing fluctuations, starting for me on 12 April.

This segment was played out in the Arena with Ebon, PrlUnicorn, and several others with honourable mention of Anubis Karos.

Ebon sat upon the Caller’s Couch, looking down at the rings with a contemplative expression. Anyone passing through the Arena on their way further down to the Arcade was greeted with a silent nod, but his attention remained primarily focused on the dueling rings.

Or, perhaps, on something about them.

Taking nightly walks around the city has been a habit of Reiko's as of late, with or without her daughter in tow. After spending a good amount of time stargazing with Mizuki last night, and rewarding her for her early control on the use of her kinesis with a spin of the Wheel of Goods (which had landed on a lunch at a restaurant of the child's choice), Reiko had started to think about something which correlated with the concept of control.

Her daughter was with her father for the night, which freed the Albino up to go wherever her beating heart desired. Tonight, it was the Arena. Would she be itching to clear the rust off of her swordsmanship, demonstrate her having overcome her adversity towards magic, or try her hand at bare fists?

Her decision was put on the back burner when she stepped inside of the Arena from outside and, after lifting her arm to wave excitedly at Ebon, glanced towards the duelling rings. What exactly…was she looking at, though?

Looking away from the rings, he nodded to her. "Good evening, Reiko. Have you been strolling the city, or did something draw you here tonight?"

"A little bit of both this time," was her decisive response. Clearing the rust off of her swordsmanship wasn't an option since she had left her heirloom Souma Katana at home, locked away out of her daughter's view and reach. That left the other two sports. "My daughter's with her father for the night, so I thought I'd take a walk by here and see what was going on."

The woman then motioned towards the duelling arenas. "I wasn't expecting to see what you appeared to be focused on, though…is there something wrong with the rings?" A moment of nostalgia passed briefly through the front of her mind. The man she spoke with, he had been her teacher a few years ago. To Reiko, Ebon would always be seen as her mentor.

"It's the Ward of Gondar...the mystic field, for lack of a better term, that heals combatants within the Arena rings and prevents fatalities. At least, that's how the wards are meant to work, and for most duelists they have, Until recently, that is." Ebon rose from the couch and stepped down to the largest ring. "Of late, it's been fluctuating wildly. Sometimes it doesn't heal at all, leaving wounds open and bleeding, and yet the same life's blood vanishes as if soaked up by a sponge. On other occasions it works far better than ever."

As she listened to the given explanation, azalean pink eyes shifted from mentor to the rings. She remembered the Ward well from her numerous duels and, perhaps, she may have been under the impression that it was impervious to any kind of abnormality - much to her ignorance. Those same eyes then looked from the rings as a whole, to the largest ring that Ebon now stood by.

Perhaps now was the time to come closer. Enough of standing just a couple of metres from the entryway she had come in through. Stepping forward, Reiko moved closer to the ring that Ebon was at. She lifted her left hand, pointer finger extended, to see whether anything would happen if she was to move said hand into the ring itself.

[Reiko Souma]

"Is there a way to fix it?"

"That, my dear Reiko, is a very good question, and one I've been seeking to answer." He looked over at her and sighed. "According to prevailing theory, the Ward is empowered by some sort of entity, possibly more than one, from beyond this plane." Shoulders rose and fell briefly in an idle shrug. "It was before my time as a duelist, but assuming it's accurate, I've been trying to telepathically reach out to see if I can contact said entity. Or entities."

"Huh." It was an initial response of processing in thought that came after a moment. When her hand passed through the threshold into the ring before her, and nothing seemed to happen for better or for worse, she withdrew her hand. "Unless it's just a one-time thing I just encountered, it doesn't appear to have the opposite effect of adding to one's injuries either." Reiko turned slightly and held up her left hand for Ebon to see, turning it slowly. As she did this, she decided to try a more sudden movement with her right hand to see if the same result would occur.

She remained in some thought. A slight thoughtful frown crossed her features. "Recently…perhaps before my return, even…maybe a recent event that took place here, or anything in the city, to correlate..?" Yes, Reiko retained her telepathic abilities. However, she had greatly improved her control and her restraint. That meant not resorting to using it unless she felt it absolutely necessary.

"No, that hasn't been reported so far, but when it's down, as it were, wounds that would normally heal in moments continue to bleed. Even when it's accelerated, that has caused its own issues."

At this point, all the Albino was doing was speculating. Seeing that nothing seemed to happen to her right hand, she pulled it back and lowered her left hand. "How truly odd…" Reiko looked back to Ebon then, as she saw Colleen make her entrance through a different doorway.

She had come from one of the subterranean levels below the Arcade. Having been a bartender in the Red Dragon once upon a time, she still remembered where the old stock was kept and carried a dusty bottle in her hand. "Evenin'."

"Good evening, Colleen." Ebon gave her a jaunty salute, two fingers to the temple.

She took note of the attention toward the rings then looked to Reiko at her question. "That I know of...this is the third time the Ward o' Gondor has gone ... bonkers."

"Hiya, Colleen!" She raised her left hand to wave to the woman she considered an old friend of hers. Then she gave the ring before her another glance. "What if multiple telepaths joined together to establish a link with the entity…or entities, that empower this Ward?" Reiko was willing to help in whatever way possible.

"That would be worth a try, Reiko. Do you think you're up for it?" Then he glanced over at Colleen. "Only the second of which I'm aware, but you have been dueling far longer than I. When were the first two occasions?"

"There were thirteen rings when Shakira took up the title and less when she was dead. Each remainin' ring was attached ta part o' the city. Best person ta ask would be Jake, he's got a better memory than I do."

So, it's happened before. Thirteen rings to start, even! With each answer to her questions only brought more questions, such as any events to correlate with the past occurrences of the Ward's fluctuations. "I know I've been asking quite a few questions, but that's because this type of behaviour with the Ward interests me. Looking for any correlating events or those who might have been in these rings when each fluctuation began." It seemed like the woman was thinking aloud, or even talking to herself, but she was actually speaking with both Ebon and Colleen.

At the inquiry of her being up for an attempt of using her telepathy, Reiko's face softened. A small, but warm, smile now graced her. "I thought you'd never ask, Sensei," she answered with a quick wink.

[Reiko Souma]

"I do remember reading about Shakira when I was revieswing the histories...I will have to go back and look at them in more detail, and check with Jake as well. Thank you, Colleen!"

"Fellah called Goon disappeared around that time wit' the ring in 'is care. Others ... the story I 'eard is the rings were taken inta rift."

"Yes, that's what the records confirm…though details of what was beyond that rift are sketchy." Ebon scratched his bearded chin a moment. "As I was telling Reiko, the prevailing theory is that some entity or entities unknown empowered the Ward of Gondar…or rather strentherned it if the Ward predated the loss of those rings."

"It was afore my arrival in Rhydin, but there's a story about a woman who died and her sacrifice either created 'r strengthened the Ward o' Gondor."

Just for good measure, the Albino moved her right hand into the ring once more. Then she withdrew it and turned to face the two again, making sure she gave them her attention. Her train of thought has been on the same track since she set foot into this place. "Twenty years in and out of Rhy'din, and I'm still learning so much about its history…" She listened to the insight that was given. Her eyes gave a very brief flash of pink, as if silently communicating that she was ready to give the telepathic communication a go if Ebon was. "…anything we need to do before we start linking?"

Hot…really hot? Hearing the arrival (of Tara), Reiko tried not to look confused. She hadn't noticed any unusual temperature spike and wondered if the comment about the "heat" might simply be a tolerance variation between each one present. Reiko wasn't sweating, so maybe she was just standing in a good spot.

"Sorry, Tara. The air conditioning is down. The fans are circulating the air but its not cooling, and the Arena lights can get pretty hot." Ebon gave her an apologetic look, then went back up to the caller couch and turned on the armrest controls. "One sec." A few buttons later, the high intensity Arena lights shut off. "Hopefully that will help." With a set of lights that were now turned off, however, Reiko did finally notice a slight difference. She had to admit to it being a slight, but welcome, relief.

She was also surprised to have heard about confetti cannons. What? "Yes, Reiko! The Arena used to have loud klaxons and flashing alarms that we could set off with a 4-4 sccore meaning Sudden Death. However, I know several folks complained about the cacophony, so when I joined the Arena staff I took out the alarms and lights, replacing them with a fireworks display on the scoreboard and air cannons that launce barrages of colorful confetti." Beat. "Sometimes they're loaded with glitter, especially when Kruger is involved. Because flash is his style."

Now it came to her. "How could I possibly forget about the flashing alarms of the Sudden Death? Some of my swordsmanship duels have led to such a result." And, the flashing alarms used to make her cringe every single time. But, there was no need for her to mention that. "I hope to see the new Sudden Death signal sometime." It sounded rather exciting, actually! Well, except for maybe the glitter. Glitter was of the devil to get off once it landed on someone, especially their clothing. It surely was a janitor's nightmare to deal with, even.

[Reiko Souma]

One more idea came to Reiko. She had a random coin in one of her pockets, which she took out. Then, positioning it on her right hand in the direction of the ring, she flicked her thumb to launch the coin into the ring. There was a purpose for this!

Ebon gave Trinity a smile and nod of greeting, not wanting to interrupt her conversation, then took a seat at a ringside table and motioned for Reiko to join him there.

Plink! Plink plink..! The coin gave a couple of small bounces before landing on a flat side. Nothing. Apart from it plinking and landing, nothing special transpired. Reiko raised her right hand, her palm facing the inside of the ring, and the coin seemed to launch itself from the floor back to her at rapid speed. Now back in her possession, it was returned to her pocket just in time to nod and approach the table, sitting across from Ebon.

Then he looked back to Reiko and set both hands upon the table, palms up. Reiko mirrored this from where she was sat, both of her hands on the table opposite Ebon with the palms facing upwards. She looked to him, following all indicated cues. He chuckled and placed his hands over Reiko's. "The link works better this way."

With a light chuckle, the woman nodded. "It’s all right. I understand," she told Ebon. As she's learnt, some processes and rituals required a form of physical contact - joined hands or linked arms being two examples of such - in order to be effective. Or, like now, it strengthened the effectiveness thereof. Hands clasped thus with Reiko's, Ebon took a deep breath and closed his eyes, nodding for her to do likewise.

The Albino shut her eyes. Her breathing was even, her focus on establishing a telepathic link. There it was…

"Mind to mind. You feel it?"

Reiko was starting to feel it. "I do," she answered.

"Let my mind guide yours as we approach the Ward. It reach into it beyond it. Feel for the presence." Another breath. "When I was trying alone, I caught flashes of sensation. Sometimes pleading, sometimes enraged, or hungry, or...betrayed."

In this moment, her focus had to be uninterrupted. For that to happen, Reiko listened only to what Ebon was telling her. Everything, and everybody else, was tuned out. As this was the woman's first time embarking on this telepathic journey to the Ward, she had no choice but to be guided by his mind. She might not possess the strong empathy that her best friend had, but she could still feel, and she was gently seeking whilst her mind was being guided closer. Perhaps it was something she could relate to, or maybe even gain some kind of knowledge from…but she had to have approached first.

[Reiko Souma]

Suddenly, Ebon gave a shout and broke the clasp with Reiko, jet black eyes flying open as he straightened in his chair. He looked across the table to meet Reiko's own gaze, checking to make sure she came out okay as well.

Damnit! The Albino let out a gasp that was louder than usual as her eyes suddenly shot open. Sitting straight up, it was almost as if she had been shoved in the stomach. Though there was no actual injury, a pit had started to take form within her gut. They had been so close, even..! Alas, it could likely be seen as a sign of progress that a reaction had been triggered, and she nodded to Ebon as she tried to steady her breathing. "Well…that…sucks," she said.

"You felt it, though? There was a presence beyond the Ward...complex, almost alien, but definitely not happy." Ebon motioned for Reginald, behind the bar, to send a server over. He needed a drink. "It thought of us as intruders."

Reiko nodded. "Yes…I felt it," she confirmed. After that, she needed either water or a non-alcoholic fruit cocktail. Her hands turned over so that they were palms down now, her posture relaxing some. "Not only did it think we were intruders, I felt some of its anger." After a brief glance down at her stomach, which was also calming down, Reiko looked back up at Ebon. "Before we were booted, I was able to pick up on two words: liars…and betrayal." But, who was it referring to? Them, or many others?

"This requires more history-diving...and it wouldn't hurt to get a few added perspectives." Ebon looked over at Tara, a somber expression on his face, as she was discussing her paramour. "I had to say it, but a word with Anubis might not be amiss. He was sorely affected by the Ward going made during his Overlord challenge with Salvador. Given his nature, he may have picked up on something amid all of that mess."

Trinity overheard Ebon, and her head turned toward him and Reiko a little bit. Oh, they're trying to figure out stuff regarding the Ward of Gondar. Hmm. I wonder what they were doing before. She returned her full attention to Tara.

Another dive into history. Hooray, there would probably be another history lesson for Reiko! At the same time, depending on how far back into Rhy'din's history the dive would go, it might prove time-consuming. Based on what Reiko actually knew, time wasn't exactly on their side. Not if this fluctuation was to find a solution.

"Unfortunately, Anubis and I have never exactly been each other's biggest fans, although I'm not sure that he thinks of me as anything other than a nuisance, to be honest." Despite himself, Ebon gave a little chuckle. Then the server arrived and he ordered a Tequila Sunset, plus a non-alcoholic fruit juice cocktail consisting of berry-flavoured juices and apple juice.

With thanks to the server, her thoughts shifted to Anubis. "I've only had a couple of interactions with Anubis, myself, and those were in duels…I don't know if he'd be willing to open up to me any if I was to suddenly ask him about recent duels." Unless Ebon had a better idea?

"No, there are others who would be better suited to approach him. My son Doran, for one...they get along surprisingly well."

It was then that Colleen added, "Anubis gets along well wit' Maggie, too. Interestin' how those what knew him as children see 'im in a different light than those who met 'im as adults."

"Do they?" Reiko's eyes lit up. It was safe to say that she had recovered from the earlier feeling of being shoved in the stomach. "Anyone who he wouldn't mind talking to about his recent experiences, it should certainly help." She nodded with the sudden boost of newfound confidence. Then she remembered something from much earlier. "If there are any additional telepaths who might be willing to help, then at least three or four others might provide a strong enough link to be able to approach the Ward…maybe without being considered intruders and kicked out a second time?"

[Reiko Souma]

It was learnt that Ebon had a reason for his particular attitude towards Anubis. The black-eyed man had once been enslaved, and Anubis kept slaves now. Though credit could be given to the latter for not doing what Ebon's captors had done to him and his sister, still, hearing of it had both Trinity's and Reiko's attention: Trinity's because she was learning about Ebon's history, and Reiko's because she had lost both of her parents as a child and once been a slave of the monster who had once manipulated her through that of charm and a mask a few years ago. Reiko could see why her teacher would be reluctant to approach Anubis.

All of the Serenity Prayers would be needed there.

As Ebon idly sipped his drink, Tara crying was almost a welcome distraction from Reiko's start down Memory Lane. She wasn't the best at offering comfort to those she didn't exactly know, and she admittedly hadn't been paying much attention to what had brought on the tears. All she knew was that there was a common factor, and it involved Anubis…who currently wasn't even present to defend himself or offer any insight of his own.

Though, she also couldn't hold back a quiet sigh as she wondered about Tara's current state. Because of that near-trip down a branch of Memory Lane that Reiko wouldn't have wanted to continue with, that train in her mind had deviated to a different track entirely. This mental cue was a sign of her being at all stressed-out, but at a manageable level. "Is Anubis the only one who recently had an experience with the Ward's fluctuation, Ebon?" Reiko suddenly asked. She welcomed any kind of conversation to keep the train in her mind on its new track and not drifting back to the previous one.

"There have been others, though Anubis was the most notable incident. I think people have been wary about dueling in the Arena since then, without the Ward's certain protection. Those who have tend to use less lethal weapons."

Collie looked to Ebon. "Some 're are likely usin' amulets 'n' other protections." Such was very understandable to Reiko.

Unfortunately, with no disrespect intended to Tara, Reiko had to stop listening to what was being said. Not only was she starting to feel mildly uncomfortable with what she was hearing, she was starting to get the slightest bit tired. She hoped that others would be willing to share their experiences about the Ward, should they wish to. This would also give the Albino a good reason, and the right kind of push, to be more social with others less known to her again. At least now, with what she'd been able to learn tonight, she too would have to exercise some caution with any duels she chose to engage in. Even though she no longer had anaemia, she still had a certain phobia of blood by sight.

It was time to return home and try looking at this with fresh eyes, but one thing was clear: they all had their work cut out for them.

[Reiko Souma]

This was unusual, the Albino being out and about at this hour. It was far too early for the woman who normally went back to sleep once she'd seen her daughter off to the all-day kindergarten programme that she had found late last year. Yet it was something about this place that was bothering her.

Specifically, it was what had transpired a couple of nights ago that bothered her still. The wards malfunctioning with the fluctuations, the telepathic link with Ebon that had ended abruptly with the pair being seen as intruders and subsequently evicted by force. Reiko picking up on the feelings of lies and betrayal, but with no specific target of such feelings.

Reiko was coming back to consider another angle.

She expected to be entirely alone (sort of) upon entry and made her way to the same ring that she'd previously tested the boundary of with a single finger first, and then an entire hand, and finally the flick of a coin with a rapid telekinetic return. Nothing had happened then, but what if she was in the ring itself?

This, she admitted, might not be one of her better ideas to do alone. Stepping into the ring, otherwise unarmed, she made her way to the very middle. And sat. Cross-legged, she rested her hands on her knees with the palms facing up and shut her eyes. A solo attempt of a telekinetic connection? No. Reiko had experienced the effects of this firsthand, and there had been two psychics involved.

She was meditating.

"Sanctum Fati," she spoke lowly. Then, she raised her voice some. "Sanctum Fati." It was a connection to the faith that she had improved her devotion to, one that was entirely based on the entity of Fate in lieu of an actual being that so many considered divine and "human" of sorts. Following the death of her priest, whom she had been so close to on Terra, his successor had required very little convincing to relocate to Rhy'din. Through a series of circumstances, Reiko had been imbued with the title of Mater Sanctum Fati (Mother of Sacred Fate).

"Sanctum Fati, est Mater Sanctum Fati."

And then, Reiko extended her senses to the entirety of the ring itself. Now levitating a few inches from the ground, the woman's aura matched the colour of her azalean eyes as it became visible.

Suddenly, she grimaced. Moments later, a few tiny cuts began to appear on her arms. "Ugh…" Her eyes squeezed shut tighter as she, attempting to maintain focus, continued in her meditation.

When seconds passed and a few more small cuts appeared on her arms, Reiko groaned before returning to the ground. Her aura vanished from visibility. Her eyes opened, and she looked at her arms. "As I thought…either my meditation has displeased the entity of the Ward somehow, or they recognised my energy from the telepathic link and still consider me an intruder. Either way…"

Reiko rose. Exiting the ring, she searched for a first-aid kit to cover up the cuts that were actively bleeding. Good thing for her sunglasses! It was the last thing she would do before taking leave to return home. I need to tell Sensei and Collie this.

[Reiko Souma]

The cuts that had populated Reiko's arms three days ago were just about faded to scars. Bandages and band-aids had long since come off, each fading reminder of her having been attacked mid-meditation by the Wards barely visible. Her phone was to her left as she stepped through the door from outside, her attention not quite distracted by the person she was speaking with.

"Yes, I've actually just arrived," the Albino said before pausing for a moment, assumedly to listen. She continued in moving forward, but not to the rings. Rather, she was making her way to the bar for some water. It was bloody hot out! "The rings? No. After what happened to me the other day, I'm not taking that risk again. Especially not without others present to see for themselves. What if something worse was to happen to me? Not that I want it to…" Reiko was quiet once more as she resumed listening. Then, "I'm just getting a bottle of water at the bar whilst I wait to see who else is showing up. If anyone, that is…I'll be home in a bit, Salemji. Ja ne." Hanging up, the woman accepted the sealed cold bottle of water. "Arigatō gozaimasu." Break the seal, open, and enjoy.

As long as she was sat at the bar with her bottle of water, Reiko should be fine. Right? After all, it had been inside a ring that the Ward had decided to mark up her arms with little cuts. Sigh… Eyes glanced in the direction of said rings. Perhaps she'd been cut as an act of revenge for her "intrusion" with Ebon. "So, who are the liars and betrayers..?" she muttered. It was something that she was currently getting nowhere with. She sure did hope that Ebon and Collie were having better success…

In the meantime, she decided on watching a duel between Maggie and Gillette. Although she had fallen asleep at the bar when the duel first started, she woke up to see Gillette using water and Maggie with a polar bear beside her. Maybe she was going to see a snow globe next? That maybe turned out to be a definite, as the ring became encased in one right after. Her guard was up, even after just awaking from her little nap, for any signs of abnormalities.

Reiko was catching up with Maggie whilst vigilant for signs of abnormalities. Upon learning that the other was an empath, she couldn't help but ask for advice with managing empathy for her daughter's sake. Doran, however, gave the same kind of advice for Mizuki that Ebon had given Reiko about herself. It was certainly worth considering.

In hearing of her telepathic link with Ebon for the Ward and getting kicked out, Maggie was reminded of Opals exploding. That was a thing? This was more of the history that the Albino was learning, like a sponge soaking up everything in its reach. In fact, something that Maggie said resonated with Reiko: "Sentient beings, even their essences, don't like being treated as slaves of some kind. Maybe it's something similar with the Ward." It resonated with her because, as she tried to put herself in the shoes of the Ward and the sentient beings who had been responsible for the Opals exploding, she recalled having been treated as a slave by Joseph. The leader of the death cult that Reiko had been rescued from had since gone missing, and the woman couldn't be happier for it. Even so, she would hate to be treated like one ever again.

"If the Ward feels similarly, then it might explain why it reacted the way it did that night," she added.

Then there was the Black Diamond. According to Maggie, it was the current prize in a tournament. Damn, would Reiko love to see it sometime. She was a sucker for gems that were black (or pink)!

Alas, she couldn't help but let her mind wander back to future telepathic links. What if more telepaths were to try establishing a link? "And what if it's rejecting people, locking them out, from being harmed by things it has no control over?" Maggie countered with her own question. It required a different approach, which didn't seem to be given any argument from the others. They were all tired, and Reiko was of no exception, though that didn't stop her from sharing her experience of being cut all over her arms by the Ward during her recent meditation. She still didn't understand why that happened, and that was why she was being more careful from now on. When Maggie suggested that the Albino have someone with her, she could only agree. She had her daughter to think about, after all.

[Reiko Souma]

Tonight, Reiko wasn't returning to the Arena alone. She'd come prepared with her own reinforcement, her guardian Shourim. Some might remember him, though others definitely would not. With introductions done, the pair joined Ebon at a ringside table. Reiko's purpose was to get a closer view of any signs of disturbances with the Ward.

What she didn't quite know was whether either of the fighters had any kind of resistance to the Ward's healing properties or not. In the meantime, Shourim had ordered a large amount of chicken wings. Some wings! They were hot wings! Reiko had to down a lot of water just to rid her mouth of the kicking flavour she'd tasted. She was also learning quite a bit from Trinity, who was calling the Overlord match. Each fun fact was filed away.

What else the Albino filed away was the single cut she'd taken to her finger. How?! She had no idea, not even when Shourim handed her one band-aid, and then a second, "just in case."

The sudden temperature change she felt, even, had Shourim pointing out that her face was turning pink. A trip to the restroom to splash cold water on her face was a must at that point.

A ripple in the air seemed to emerge in response to Ebon's call for action.

Sometime after the conclusion of the match and Salvador being announced as the new Overlord, the Arena gradually emptied out. This was good for Reiko, who made an impromptu decision to stand just outside of the ring with her hands raised to search for the types of energies used.

For this, she envisioned threads in different colours. She needed absolute concentration for this, however, something she didn't have right away. Not only was it her first time attempting this, the chatter was an unintended disruption. She paused for a moment before trying again, her guardian's hands covering her ears to help her focus.

Once she located the threads of Droet's and Salvador's energy, she was able to separate them from the rest of the threads.

White. Stained with different colours. One colour per thread. This is what she was looking for. Fingers began to latch onto some of these threads like hooks with every intent of studying them. Looking for potential correlations between any emotion that the entity behind the Ward was experiencing and the various effects that Reiko and some others were experiencing.

There was resistance, a pull, that the Albino was having a difficult time of maintaining her hold of. Not only that, but she didn't want to piss the entity off anymore than she might have already.

And, Shourim seemed to agree. He'd long since moved his hands from her ears, but remained close by to observe. Seeing the look of discomfort on his daughter's face, evident by her squeezing her eyes shut tighter and groaning quietly, the eyepatch-wearing man placed his hand on her shoulder firmly with a squeeze. It was time for her to wake up.

"Reiko. You saw something, didn't you?" the doctor asked. Reiko nodded.

"I was trying to take hold of the white threads…to evaluate." It was getting late. Reiko was starting to get tired. "The white threads…they’re fused with light stains of other colours. One colour per series of white threads…but that was as far as I could get." She yawned. "I need to return home…I'll end up sleeping here otherwise." If it helped anybody else with coming any closer to solving this matter of the Wards, then she was leaving the Arena with her guardian happy.

[Reiko Souma]

This was played out with A Ripple in Time, Doran Ilharen, Ebon Ilharen, and Mairead Harker in the Arcade on 18 April 2026.

Through the doors of the Arcade stepped Reiko. The Albino wasn't alone in coming down the stairs, though. Her guardian was accompanying her again. She hoped to clear some more rust off of her duelling and carried her heirloom Katana with her, strapped to her. But, who might she be able to duel tonight?

Having taken a look around, the duo found themselves largely alone. Well, it looked like Doran was around. With a smile, Reiko waved in return to his greeting. "Hiya, Doran! I thought Shourim and I would end up checking out some of the games here…but I wouldn't mind a duel instead if you're interested!"

A minute later, much to Shourim's dismay, both Reiko and Doran were making their way to the ring for a duel of blades. How interesting, the latter noted, that the name of the ring was Gondar. Damn. He hoped that wouldn't be some kind of an ill omen. At least for now, the duel seemed to proceed without incident. Shourim stood watch outside the ring, just in case.

Having a pacifist as a doctor, healer, and guardian could sometimes make for a buzzkill moment. Shourim wasn't entirely at fault for this, seeing as how he had plenty of reasons for his concern. Reiko's health, even though surgery had drastically improved her anaemia to where she just had to eat iron-rich foods daily. This Ward ordeal going on that had resulted in her arms being cut up. It was just a matter of time before the other shoe would drop.

Meanwhile, some funny banter was taking place in the ring itself. For light fun, Reiko gently poked Doran's left foot with her Katana. "Tag…you're it," she told him.

"You can't be serious…" Shourim said, facepalming. His eyepatch-covered eye was concealed from view by both his shaggy dark navy hair and his hand.

"Pffft. He sounds like a little duel-game of tag might irritate some things…" Reiko couldn't help rolling her eyes some as she lightly poked Doran's left foot with her Katana.

"A hit! A palpable hit!" he exclaimed. Then, look! Reiko just violated the Gospel of G'nort! She took advantage of Doran ducking down to lightly tap his shoulder upon slashing downwards. Dropping low to the floor, he wasn't quite low enough to avoid that katana. "See, what did I tell you? A slashing strike has its place!"

"Maybe it does, eh?" This entire time, Reiko's eyes had been peeled for signs of abnormalities. So far, there had been none. She hoped there would be no "yet."

A sudden urge rose within Doran's mind, a voice hissing, "Enough play! Strike!" As she lunged forward once more, the unfamiliar voice she heard in her mind caused her eyes went wide. She also noticed that the blade of her Katana had also turned once more so that it was no longer reversed, and she saw her Katana drive right at Doran. At the same time, as if of its own volition, his body surged forward and his hands aimed the spear to strike at Reiko's thigh...not a gentle slap on the side, but rather a stab towards the meat, right at the main artery. Before he could land the blow, though, he felt cold steel pierce his gut, stabbing through skin and flesh to cut deep inside.

Everything seemed to move in slow-motion as contact led to impact…which, it also had to mean blood. A weakness of Reiko's. "No!!!" she cried out, both verbally and telepathically.

Doran looked up as he heard Reiko cry out, his expression matching the horror in her eyes. A cough of blood welled up, and then he slid backwards off the blade and crumpled to the mat.

Shourim had seen the entire thing and was now worried. This was exactly what he'd feared for. "Reiko!!!" the man of two metres tall shouted, reaching out at nothing particular. Through his one eye that he could see from, he saw blood. Healing was now on the table.

[Reiko Souma]

Hearing the raised voice coming from the rings, Maggie quickly used sign language to tell 3PO to take Lena and Gale home. "Driving lesson is over for now, ladies!" After hugs were exchanged, the girls were taken home through a portal. Whatever was going on, it was better they didn't see it. She hotfooted to the rings. "What the ever-loving..." Her words came out in multiple languages.

Reiko immediately let go of her Katana, letting it hit the ground with a clang. She fell to the ground next to her blood-stained heirloom and Doran, crying out from the pain that invaded her from her thigh outwards. Her eyes were still wide as she tried not to react from the sight of the blood, which was easier said than done.

"Doran!!! Oh no!!!" Reiko spun her head right at her guardian. "Shourim!!! Come quickly! He's really hurting, please help him!!!" Yes, Reiko was in tears. "I didn't mean it!!!" She was fighting the pain in her thigh, which she didn't have to look at to know that it had to be bleeding a good deal.

Shourim had already started to run without needing to be told to come. Not only was his daughter injured, so was the young man that she had been engaged in the duel with. Since he appeared to have the worse of the injuries from the duel, the doctor and healer hurried over to Doran first. "Nobody's going to die on my watch if I have anything to say about this," he said, and knelt down to look the rough-looking man.

Doran's breath came in ragged gasps, but there was no death rattle...not yet. There was the faintest of whispers coming from his lips as they moved, but he didn't seem to be speaking to anyone present.

Maggie's eyes narrowed. She was sure who or whatever Doran was speaking to was on the other side. "Oh, hell, no, he is not crossing the Styx today."

"Hey. Hey. Don't you dare. Words and sentences that I can hear." Without Reiko's Katana still in Doran, there was nothing to stop the bleeding. Shourim hovered his hands over the other male, his hands glowing an intense shade of green.

Doran's eyes went wide and he looked up, locking onto Maggie. "Connection...fraying. It needs...more."

Maggie's hands became translucent. She was ready to punch out a ghost. "Give me your hand." She crouched near Doran's side. "Remember when we were kids and I was able to redirect your pain?" Old Temple...long time ago. "Let me do that now. Shourim can tend to your wounds."

What Doran said sunk in. "Will we need more help?" One hand was still translucent, the one offered to Doran was solid. One hand clasped Maggie's. The other reached out to rest on Shourim's arm in silent permission.

"Connection fraying…" Shourim repeated. With the weak nod, he immediately got to work on the healing. The intense shade of green quickly transitioned into an intense shade of blue, which meant the doctor was using his highest level of his healing ability to close the gaping deep wound that Reiko's Katana had left. "…I don't know what he means by that, or the need for more, but the help would be appreciated if we want to close his wound and heal it."

Who needed more of what?

Meanwhile, Doran's gaze met Reiko's. There was no blame there, only concern for her state of mind. Reiko was still crying, seriously upset by what had happened. She really hadn't intended to pierce so deeply, but it had been something she had heard just before that. "I'm so sorry, Doran…I really am."

Shourim nodded at Doran to rest his other hand on his arm, the healing not stopping. "Her Katana stabbed him quite deep. He's lost quite a bit of blood because of it, though there was no malicious intent from my daughter." A very guilty daughter.

"Reiko, where are you wounded?" Her eyes were closed as she redirected Doran's pain away from him, but the bear within could smell blood that wasn't Doran's.

The Albino was holding onto her thigh with both of her hands whilst watching the trio at work. She wasn’t even going to try standing yet, just in case something had been severed. "My left thigh…quite deep, too. I'm not sure if I can even move it right now," the visibly upset woman answered Maggie.

It was followed by a call for Reginald to bring out the extra medical kits and a call to MisfitHQ to send for the medical and supernatural paramedics to come to the Arcade under the Red Dragon. One crew was coming from the Dockside; the other would be coming from Old Market. Because the soonest the crew would arrive was from Old Market in five minutes, Shourim made sure to use the maximum level of his healing power to stop the bleeding at the source itself.

To make sure Doran wasn't about to try resting easy just yet, the doctor looked to him. "Hey. Doran, right? You still with us, right? Don't make me resort to the awful puns that Reiko cringes over."

Reiko had to look away again. The sight of the blood had gotten to her, and she was coughing because of it. "No…anything but those freaking puns…" she groaned.

"...still with you...yes." He glanced to Maggie. "...can you hear?"

Two nose pokes on the keypad. It left the channel on standby. "Yes, I can, but it's always had a voice of sorts. Just not...angry. Maybe...not angry, maybe hurt. Disappointment."

"Good…so what do you call a fake noodle?" There was a brief pause. Shourim wasn't actually going to give anyone a chance to answer before he decided to just tell them. "An impasta."

Groan. There it was, the start of the terrible puns! "You can't be fucking serious right now…" Reiko moaned in pained protest.

He nodded weakly, then chuckled hearing Shourim, which turned into another cough. There was just a spittle of blood now, like leftover drops. The healing seemed to be working. The puns, not so much. Using a shirt sleeve from the now solidified hand and arm, Maggie wiped the blood from Doran's mouth.

The doctor sometimes used the puns as a test of his patient's progress. From Doran's reaction, he was definitely improving. Good. "The worst of the bleeding has stopped, which was what I was looking for with your reaction. Just a little bit more, and you'll be able to laugh without the blood wanting to betray you."

"Those dad jokes don't work on everyone, Shourim..!" Reiko protested. She decided to test her leg by attempting to turn onto her stomach and start dragging herself towards Doran and the others. A big thread of pain shot right over to her thigh in response. "Shit..!" No go. Reiko had to wait for help and decided to shred her button-up shirt to use as a tourniquet. She wore a black t-shirt beneath.

[Reiko Souma]

A figure dressed in black descended alongside the pole leading down from the Arena. "What happened?" asked Ebon, his voice sharply edged with concern, but fortunately not anger.

The crew from the Urgent Care in Old Market had arrived at the same time. A gurney was brought down in elevator. Two paramedics and the Lady of Autumn arrived.

"Ebon..! It's the Ward!" immediately spilt from Reiko as she waited for her turn at getting help. To her, Doran was more important due to his wound.

"Ebon." Autumn gave the man a quick nod. She expected it was enough to announce her presence without distracting him from his son.

"Geeze...talk about timing," Maggie managed a smile.

"...don't kill her, pa...she wasn't at fault..." Doran pleaded.

Reiko felt incredibly guilty enough about Doran being wounded as it was. The last thing she wanted was to face the wrath of her Sensei for something that she'd been trying to prevent.

The paramedics were setting up equipment. One, a tall woman, approached Reiko. "Mind if I look over your injuries?"

Seeing as how Shourim had a full handle on healing Doran, Reiko nodded. She pointed at her left thigh. "Got a tourniquet…had to try slowing the bleed," she said. In reality, the woman was trying not to vomit from all of the blood.

Meanwhile, Shourim didn't stop with the healing. He watched as the blood flow continued to lessen as the source of the bleed continued to shrink until, finally, it closed up completely. However, he wasn't gonna to stop there. A moment later, he increased the radius of his healing to include any risk of internal bleeding that might have initially gone undetected.

"I'm Sarah." The paramedic gestured to a chair. She opened the medkit. "Any allergies including to magic?" Autumn moved toward the ring as the second paramedic was making notes and assessing whether or not a second unit would be needed.

Reiko shook her head no to the question. "I'm only allergic to roses…" she told them. The plant itself seemed to hate the woman big time, but she wasn't thinking about that right now. Rather, she was thinking more about what had happened. The train in her mind was going berserk with repeatedly switching tracks that, when she would eventually become aware of this, was going to have to really focus on finding a station to halt that train at. "Sensei…I heard it too. I felt my hand being forced to stab him. It turned my Katana so that the blade side was no longer reversed..!" A still-upset Reiko was trying to make sense of telling Ebon.

Sarah was using a couple of topical medications that were meant to ease Reiko's pain and prevent infection. If all went well, there would be something of an itching sensation going from the inside of her wound to the outside. It was to make sure that her wound was healing under the skin, rather than closing the skin too soon and risking an infection. Shourim, who possessed no other ability outside of his healing ability, could only hear the vocally spoken word. He was visibly relieved by what he heard the paramedics tending to Reiko say, and the excellent progress that was made with healing Doran did as well. With the expedited radius of his healing aura, the doctor was able to detect no internal bleeding or any other concerning symptoms. Good. Now he could finish the job, which would take another few minutes for good measure.

[Reiko Souma]

As she addressed Ebon, Maggie still had hold of Doran's hand. "Doran's pain level is under control. Not how I would like to help him, but it's how I can help him."

"Something urged me to strike deeper at Reiko…than I had intended." Not wanting to disturb the medics as they tended to injuries Doran had spoken telepathically to those who could hear, though his "voice" was slightly scrambled. "It needed my pain to…break through…from the other side. I don't think…it realised…how that had made it…to concentrate. Not Reiko's…fault."

"I see," Ebon said with a blink. He looked down at Reiko's Katana where it lay, still wet with Doran's blood, and then at Doran's spear, the head of which was similarly blooded. "If it could affect the two of you, given your training – to which I can personally attest – then it might influence just about anyone duelling in these rings. Perhaps even me." Beat. "Our new Overlord may be the only one beyond its voice."

"Its voice, possibly, but not physically." Maggie frowned.

Autumn heard Doran perfectly well. "I must wonder, Doran, what it might have said if you were around when it…broke…in the past." She looked between Maggie and Doran, then gestures to each in turn. "It's much like how spirits react when learning someone can see them. I'm sure both of you remember the first time that happened."

Reiko could also hear Doran, being a telepath. She blinked away more tears, still trying to do her best with contending with the blood as she inquired about her ability to walk. Fortunately, that should remain unaffected once she had rested for a few days with help for the cooking and such around the house. Even with Maggie offering to send someone from the city's Social Services department to help with Mizuki, Reiko was grateful for her daughter's father having her for the night and would ask him to keep her for a few days whilst she recovered. It was one thing about co-parenting that she appreciated.

As for the cooking? Reiko might as well be screwed. She was the one person in her home who excelled at culinary, unless Ryzlen felt like putting some of his own culinary skills to good use. Fortunately, Maggie would also be able to send some food over each day. Nevertheless, it was going to be a pain in the ass to be stuck at home for those few days. It looked like Reiko was going to be sleeping on the couch this week.

"So, doc…give it to me straight." Doran looked up at Shourim, who was now finished with his healing and letting the energy fade gradually. "Am I going to do the limbo ever again?"

Shourim looked to Doran with a smile. "You'll be limboing again quite soon. Though, I do recommend you spend a couple of days resting without any vigorous exercise or activity – duelling especially – even more so with what just happens tonight."

"I get to stay home…and lie in bed?" One hand lifted slightly, thumb sticking up. "Excellent."

[Reiko Souma]

Finally, Reiko was able to bring herself to look in Ebon's direction. She still felt guilty as all get out, but not so much that she couldn't make eye contact with him. She hadn't forgotten about her Katana lying nearby, still stained with Doran's blood. "Sensei…" Familiar telepaths might be able to pick up on that poor train in her mind still being sent from track to track every few seconds. It was still searching for that station to rest at and calm down.

Ebon smiled and rested a hand gently against the side of Reiko's head. It was a gesture that he had often used during their training, a sign of forgiveness when she accidentally overstepped whilst learning, and her eyes slid shut. She wasn't falling asleep, nor was she going to pass out. She felt slightly better in knowing that she had her Sensei's forgiveness. It had truly been an accident. "…thank you." Her eyes being shut also meant she was finally able to start focusing on that poor out-of-control train. It was a wonder that none of the cars attached to it had derailed by now, but it was finally slowing down a tiny bit. At the same time, Reiko was putting in some extra conscious effort for a station to come into view. The train needed to rest at that station, and so did she.

Meanwhile, Autumn had knelt near the ring with one hand flat on the sands. The sand seemed to flow and dance around her hand. Suddenly, she chuckled. "Did she, now?" She eyes Maggie like a school teacher peering over the rim of a pair of eyeglasses. "My Lady, did you really threaten to feed it to The Stew?"

"No, I didn't! I threatened to feed some of The Stew to it!" A single index finger lifted. "Big difference. … Which might be why I'm not hearing or feeling anger in its voice. More like sadness or disappointment."

Autumn allowed Maggie's words to process for a bit. "I believe that is what is called displacement by those in the psychiatry field. Masking pain and hurt with anger."

As business cards were given out, and chilled water and a bottle of medication given to Reiko with directions, the Albino continued to focus on building the station within her mind and guiding the train to it for pause. Rest. Relax the mind. As she did this, she felt some of the weight of duty and responsibility that came with her title as Sacra Mater Fati (Sacred Mother of Fate). Had Reiko gone another step with her faith, her title would have been shortened to the Mesopotamian name of Mamitu, for destiny declared. But, she didn't like not being able to choose her devout name and halted anymore preparations there.

Once the train was finally at rest, her eyes opened once more, but tiredly. It was on time for transport arrangements to be made to get her home.

This would be a great time for the Albino to start hitting the books - and the Internet.

[Arla Carna]

(The following took place at the Arena on Monday and is written from Arla's point of view.)

When it comes to duels, I have always preferred to use my wands. The twins are my babies, if I may. They've been an integral part of my life ever since I was a real small girl. Grandpa had made them for me for my birthday and showed me the basics first. Sleight of hand, pick a card. Shuffle the deck, hide the card, but remember where it is. There's more, much more, but a good magician never reveals their tricks. Before he died, Grandpa made me swear to never reveal any of the tricks he taught me.

All the same, I was five when I made my first trick. Grandpa had been surprised to see little purple bubbles floating about and watched me tap the tips of my wands together again to make more bubbles appear. When he touched one of them, and it popped on contact, he realised then that I wasn't going to be an everyday magician. "My dear Arla, you're going to change a bunch of lives with this gift of yours. Make them smile the same way you smile." Those words would forever resonate with me after his passing. He had lived to a magnificent age of ninety-three years. Those bubbles, which were much like the kitty-shaped bubbles that I liked to use in my magic duels in Rhy'din, had been the last trick of mine that Grandpa had ever seen.

I was in a duel with a young lady who looked a little like Reiko. Gillette, I think her name is, and clearly someone who's been around awhile. She was good; she was very good. Yet somehow, I was doing better than I expected. We both had points on the board, and we were having fun! I was using vivid illusions of kitties, butterflies, and pool noodles as the bases for each of my moves. I think we had no wider a gap in our score than a single point.

Then I heard it. Near the end of our duel, I heard some kind of voice I've never heard before. I had just taken advantage of the thick, liquorice-smelling fog to summon more wand-shaped blades when, suddenly:

"Hunger..! This is not enough!" That hadn't come from me! I'm pretty sure it hadn't come from Gillette either!

"What the? Who's there?" Arla asked as the black smelly fog slowly dissipated. She saw her wand-shaped blades wanting to do more than try piercing the water shield and immediately put a stop to the move with a loud TAP! That single loud tap of my wands was only to be used for situations that I deemed some kind of emergency. My illusory-based wand blades wanting to permeate the water-based shield that my opponent had erected qualified as an emergency that required my intervention. No way was anybody getting hurt by my magic! As a magician who worked a full-time job as a licensed psychotherapist during the day, five days a week with weekend on-call availability, I swore to live by the oath of, "First, do no harm."

Even the blue-haired woman, who introduced herself to me as Hailey Winters, looked like she was a bit unnerved. After my duel victory over Gillette, my question about whether the duel rings usually talked like that had been given the answer of no. Great. Now I was going to feel different moods for the rest of the night, especially uneasiness. That emotion spoke to me loudest of all. Between Hailey and myself, we both thought that both the Arena and the Arcade should be closed down until whatever this problem is, has been solved. Boy, it was a very good thing that Reiko was stuck at home for the week. She might not like it — no, make that she hated it — but it was a necessary evil. She had a laptop, and she had the Internet. She had books. She could keep herself busy with those alone.

Reiko had recommended that I speak with either Doran or Ebon. Would I actually get to speak with them? Probably not, not unless I picked a day to close my office and block off hours from scheduling appointments. Should I try speaking to one of them? Yes, absolutely yes.