*Note* - While this chapter is mostly original, the wiki does detail Akio, Mira, and Lieselotte heading to America to investigate a Breakdown Phenomenon. As to which city and state they went to, it doesn't say. So, for this chapter, I had to take some creative liberties. Am I assuming that they went to the state I picked? No, but for the story I wanted to portray, this is the one I ended up with.

In any case, I hope you all enjoy.

---

"Ow!" Alphonse yelped, the boy currently lying in a hospital bed. "Could you warn me when you're going to prick my arm with a needle?"

An older woman, looking to be in her mid to late twenties, only raised her eyebrow and sneered. "Huh? At your age, you should be used to having needles pricked into your skin by now."

"The least you could do is warn me!" He was silenced by a fist to his face, which just so happened to be engulfed in a bright green aura. "Gyah...!"

"Pipe down already, brat. You may be the only kid here in my office, but that doesn't mean I'll have you blabbering all over the place, understood?"

"...Yes, ma'am."

She sighed and shook her head, "You're lucky I'm not supposed to use my other methods."

Alphonse perked up and looked perplexed. "Huh? What other methods?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" The nurse grinned widely.

Soon after she said this, the door to the nurse's office opened. Walking in was Alphonse's mentor, Cecilia Lucifage. An unamused expression on her face as she placed one of her silky, black-laced gloved hands onto her hips. Her fiery orange colored eyes burning with admonishment.

"I suggest you don't lay a hand on my student, Adami," Cecilia said, her tone brisk and slightly hostile. "As you're a part of the academy's faculty, and the head nurse, you are responsible for the well being of each and every student here."

"I know. Why do you think my method of treatment administers the use of healing magic?"

"Because it involves punching them in the face? Or anywhere else on the body?"

"...I'm sorry, what?" Alphonse looked between the two of them in disbelief. This lady punches people in order to heal them? And she literally just did that moments ago.

"You're exaggerating things, Lucifage," the nurse, who's surname is Adami, shrugs in reply. "It's not that bad compared to what they experience out in the field."

'Hey, hey, hey, what the hell does she mean by that?' The black-haired boy thought, beginning to sweat profusely. In fact, the green-haired woman was acting rather casual about it.

Cecilia sighed and crossed her arms. "Shut up with that nonsense already and get out of here. I need to have a word with Euclidus."

"Come on, at least let me get one punch in." Adami had already begun charging up her healing magic in her fist, the green aura surrounding her hand as she had a grin that itched for her to do her thing.

"...Just get out of here."

"Tch. You're no fun."

The nurse soon left. Cecilia watched her receding figure leave the office, sighing whilst she shook her head, facepalming at how the woman was.

Lucrezia Adami, an Italian woman who specialized in healing magic. Although her Thema and Archive were a mystery to a lot of people, even among a majority of the academy's faculty, they couldn't deny the fact that Lucrezia was the authoritarian figure when it came to healing magic. In fact, some people have heard rumors that her magic belongs to the Superbia Archive, and her Thema lies within Amore, due to her lack of showing compassion to others. Well, to a majority of people, at the very least.

Very few people have earned compassion and kindness from the dark green-haired woman. Cecilia is one of those rare few.

"Sorry about her behavior and the things she said," Alphonse's mentor apologizes. "Adami has... Always been a complex person."

"...If punching people in order to heal them is her go-to way of administering first-aid, I'll say. You're making it sound like she's got a screw loose somewhere."

"You could say that. Before coming to this school as the head nurse, she lived a different life."

"Different? Like what?" Alphonse asked.

She shook her head. "That's something you'll have to ask her yourself. Its not my place to say."

"I see..."

"Anyway, how are you feeling? Especially considering you're now a fully fledged Magus?" Cecilia smirked. "Wouldn't say you're a first-rate one just yet, but it's a start."

The young man looked down, removing his newly healed hand from under the hospital sheets. The very same hand that was literally charred like a barbecue that had been stuck on the grill a little bit too long. Gripping and flexing the hand a few times, he furrowed his brow and let out a heavy sigh, recounting on the events of the test.

He eventually spoke up, "I'm happy that I passed, don't get me wrong... But I won't lie... I was afraid during the majority of the time there. I think what blocked out that feeling was adrenaline."

"Not surprised. You were quite literally in a life or death situation, up against that behemoth," she said. "This the first time you've ever felt this kind of fear?"

"...Yeah. It really was," he admitted. "Back in England, there were tons of situations I've been in that could be considered a life or death situation. But this... This was different. Part of me felt like that... If I didn't try at all... I really wouldn't be sitting here... So seeing as I've made it out, albeit not unscathed, makes me really glad to be alive. And grateful for your tutelage."

Cecilia smirked. "Don't thank me just yet, kid. Your training is far from over and those assignments will only get difficult from now on. At the very least, since you've survived, you better prepare yourself. Because the next session, I'm going to make sure I really hammer what else I know into that nitwit brain of yours. Understood?"

"Understood, professor." Alphonse couldn't help but laugh. He found it a bit odd. Perhaps a bit strange.

For the first time in forever, this was the most he's been happy. A situation of sitting in a hospital bed after a near-death experience yesterday evening. However, the life he was living before prevented him from ever having such an experience because of the event that happened before.

But now... Having a teacher he could look up to, that being Cecilia, and companions to think of, that being Akio, and despite a brief encounter, that girl, Lieselotte Sherlock.

Life had changed so much. Though whether it was for the better or for the worst was something that remained to be seen.

The path of a Magus is one riddled with uncertainties and unknown possibilities. However, there were still underlying secrets and mysteries that were still left to be told, many answers he still seeked to find. But it was up to him whether those answers would be considered satisfactory or not.

---

Spending what seemed like years in the nurse's office, Alphonse was eventually let go in a couple of weeks (ensuring that his nerves had fully healed and were responsive) and escaped from Lucrezia's wanton desire to sucker punch him into oblivion with her healing magic. It seemed that the woman got off from the satisfaction of administering both first-aid and pain onto the students that visited her office.

Quite strange, to say the least. He would've suffered more of these arduous sessions from the green-haired nurse had Cecilia not come in many times to give him a private seminar. Having him read textbooks and tomes regarding more about magic control, details regarding mana fluctuations; more so how they can prove to be a bane than a boon, and another extended lesson on magic circles; including homework from Lilith's basic alchemic classes regarding transmutation and the like.

Alphonse found it a little bit strange that he was put into the alchemic classes, even though that section of magic was part of a completely different Archive and Thema, but it was simply part of the courses he was supposed to take from the Headmaster. Lilith herself found it a bit strange that the young man was in her class despite the difference in magic research, but even more so surprised when she found out that he had a natural aptitude for alchemy. More specifically, conjuration magic. Fundamentally, these forms of magic were vastly different, conjuration falling more under the definition of summoning magic rather than alchemy, but the black-haired boy's magic was unique.

Likewise with the way of understanding alchemy, the likes of understanding the Law of Equivalent Exchange, so long as Alphonse knew the materials of the weapon and what it looked like, he could create whatever weapon he liked. But of course, like his own magic of destruction, how much mana required to even create the weapons depended on how powerful they were. Something like a simple sword made of steel or iron were relatively easy to make, the structure behind it and how it was composed wasn't very difficult. But it was a different matter when it came to weapons like a wyrmslayer, a sword specially designed to slay dragons. Due to the magical properties of the ore it was made from and wyrmslayers come in varying forms, to even make one proved to be difficult for him. But even still, the boy continued to improve at a rather steady rate.

Fast forward to a few months later, Alphonse began to progress through his classes at a moderate rate. Because of the success of his first test, he felt a surge of energy and confidence brimming through him. Probably the most confident he's ever been in life, actually. It even got to the point that others in the entire school could feel that confident aura from him as soon as they were in a two feet radius. Even Akio found it to be a welcoming change.

Because of this burst of confidence, he felt more adamant and urge to learn even more and further his studies. The fruits of his labor and knowledge began to increase with each passing lecture from his professors and his seminars with Cecilia, beginning to expand his repertoire of spells in his arsenal to use. It was by now, his ease of getting through the tests of might and ability really began to show how much he was really accelerating his learning and his seriousness of finding answers. It was admirable, really. Not even discouraged by the fact that other students didn't particularly want to be near him, that didn't stop his determination; it was the most determined he'd ever been in his life.

It all led up to that penultimate question he's had ever since he started his time here.

Who is he? What is he?

However, such thoughts and questions were pushed out of his mind as the young man let out a tired sigh from his mouth as he trudged down the hallway, making way for Headmaster Biblia's office. It seemed another test was on the rise.

While determination can get one far, energy and sleep were another matter entirely. Because of how much he desired to progress through his studies and research as fast as possible, there were some weeks he'd spend as much time in the library researching his Archive and any sort of history books he could his hands on. The history books he was combing through were texts that had evidence of magic that were the same, or even remotely, similar to his. But unfortunately, like combing through any ancestry records of his, anything he tried to find was all for naught. In just a week, he had gone through the entire shelf of a series that carried the history and legacy of various known destruction magic users. But with each book he went through, the more he felt the answers he was desperately searching for were beginning to grow farther and farther away. He found it peculiar, strange being the more correct word. Why was it that there was no historical evidence of any users that used the same type of destruction magic he had.

Unless, and there was only one possible solution, their name and crest had been wiped from history, like the lesson Cecilia had taught him. But if that was the case, how did he have access to this magic in the first place? If the crest was truly lost to time, then the access to the magic should be something impossible to even learn. And yet, the very path of magic he was learning from wasn't coming from the textbooks provided by the academy, but rather, his very own teacher. Such topics of different users and crests of magic were a very headaching and somewhat confusing thing to deal with, and as someone who isn't the most seasoned Magus there was, it proved difficult to remember everything there was he's read. So despite all that he's learned so far, his knowledge has only provided him with more questions than answers.

Never once has he felt suspicious of his teacher and the headmaster, but he won't lie, he does feel like that they are letting on more than they know toward him. Especially since Alphonse had joined the academy at a rather alarming time, so to speak. When most people look at this young man who had suddenly appeared at this esteemed academy one day by recommendation of the Headmaster, someone who didn't need to take the entrance exam and was given lodging, funds, and resources, albeit with some strings attached. Those who don't know what those strings were to the deal, they would most obviously think it was some sort of favoritism and an unfair advantage. Especially considering when the young man's background didn't seem to come from an esteemed family with a magical legacy or didn't seem to display any sort of aptitude. Many considered him dead on arrival, hearing the stories of how things would randomly blow up in his face, which would happen out of his control. They felt that Alphonse was a stain on the academy's reputation.

And while Alphonse was one who didn't really care what others thought, to say that he never earned his place here was something a bit he wanted to prove them wrong. If Headmaster Biblia, and now his teacher, Cecilia, had seen the potential within him, then he has a right to enroll into this school... Right?

A repeated event soon occurs, another person bumping into him as soon as he went to turn the corner. This was getting old (although it really only happened twice now). However, instead of him being the one to remain standing, Alphonse was knocked onto his rear with the other standing tall. The black-haired boy grunted, falling to the floor with a pretty hefty blow to the ground. It didn't cause damage but his ass sure was going to ache for a little.

"Dammit..." He grunted, shaking his head. "Sorry about—"

"Hey, who the hell are you supposed to be, shrimp?"

"...Huh?"

A bit of a dumbfounded expression found itself on his face. Trailing his eyes up, all he found was a young man, perhaps a couple years older than him; or maybe even around the same age as him. He had long blue, aquamarine hair, tufts of hair that sort of poofed up a bit. Compared to most people he's seen, the aquamarine, blue hair was a strange sight to his eyes... Something he's never seen before on someone. And with the young man's expression looking down at him like he was staring at an ant. 

Now that Alphonse was in this situation, he wasn't sure how to respond. The most common response he got from people was either someone telling him to piss off or he was just blatantly ignored whenever he tried to apologize. Or if it was someone who was afraid of him, merely because his neutral expression looked to be that of a rather scary one apparently, they'd screech and run off. So to see that someone had asked him a question, holding an expression of disinterest (or rather looking down on him) did make the black-haired boy confused a little. He tries to muster up an answer to give, but the words he wanted to say kept getting choked up in his throat.

"Uh..."

"Oi. I'm talking to you, shrimp. Who the hell are you?"

"Uh... I-I'm..." The boy awkwardly stammers for a bit before he pushes himself onto his legs and extends a hand out. "Alphonse Euclidus. Pleasure to meet you...I guess?"

The aquamarine-haired gentleman took a brief moment to stare at Alphonse's outstretched hand. He soon gained a bit of a smirk, an audible grunt leaving his lips, Alphonse only staring at the man with a bit of confusion. Though, that look of confusion soon faded when felt a bit of force being inflicted upon him on his upper chest, causing the black-haired boy to stumble back a bit. The aquamarine-haired fellow had pushed him a little, a slight nudge with a little bit of a kick to it. But it wasn't enough to knock Alphonse onto his rear again.

"Hey—What's your problem?"

"So you're Biblia's new little toy, huh?"

"'Biblia's Toy'? What are you going on about?" Alphonse furrowed his brow. What did he mean by that?

The slightly older boy, however, didn't respond, continuing to scan Alphonse up and down a bit whilst keeping his smirk. Pacing around him a little in a circle, only adding much more to Alphonse's confusion, he stopped right in front of him again. He then gave Alphonse another push, a little bit more force put into it. This time, however, the older boy's smirk soon dropped, his lips curling downward into a frown.

"Is that really all there is to you? You're not even going to do anything?"

Alphonse raised his voice a little, "What is it that you want me to do, anyway? As far as I'm concerned, I've done nothing wrong against you. And frankly, I don't even know you."

The older boy clicked his tongue, "That old man spoke highly about you to a degree and that caught my interest. Especially since I'm not one to make time for a lot of people."

"Right... Look, mate, whatever the Headmaster said about me, I doubt all of it is true," Alphonse said, sighing a little. "All I'm trying to do here is just improve my skills in magic and hopefully control whatever abilities are out of my control. Now, if you'll excuse me."

Alphonse goes to step past the older boy, but he was only met with another push to his chest. Stumbling back a bit, the black-haired boy growled to himself a little, but ultimately took a deep breath and calmed down. Whoever this person was, they were simply trying to get under his skin and annoy him. And he's met people who are much more annoying and irritating than him right now.

Though the more he kept trying to ignore the aquamarine-haired boy, the more the other kept responding with the push, the increments of strength and force beginning to increase. Now this was becoming more of a nuisance the more this kept going on. And it wouldn't bode well if he was late for his next meeting with Headmaster Biblia, which was about to happen in the next five minutes or so. Well, even if the Headmaster was quite lax and dismissive of a majority of the important things, such as the paperwork and other documents that sat on his desk, he was still a reasonable man and did appreciate a certain level of things.

With another push to his chest, Alphonse raised his voice a little. "Look, mate, what the hell is your problem?"

"Nothing, really. Just trying to test something out. Is that so hard to do?"

"Well, if you don't mind me saying this," Alphonse began, adjusting his tie, "how about you test whatever you plan to do on someone else? I'm kind of late for something."

"Heh. I'm not done having fun yet."

The aquamarine-haired boy goes for another push, only for Alphonse to push the hand to the side and this time retaliates with his own push. Trying to mirror an equal amount of force he had been thrusted upon him before, Alphonse pushes the man back, something the aquamarine-haired boy whistled in approval. A bit of a skid to his loafers, he returns his hands into his pockets.

"Oh? Seems like you've got some bite, after all," the aquamarine-haired boy mused. "Then how about... This!"

"Kuh...!" The black-haired boy grunted, a kick being sent his way. Stumbled backwards, nearly falling back, he steadied himself, only to see the aquamarine-haired boy rushing at him with a wide grin. "Are you crazy...!?"

"So what if I am!?" He cackled.

Each blow and impact sent to his chest and upper stomach sent wave upon wave of pain, each kick beginning to progressively get stronger. The more Alphonse thought about it, he realized that this young man that kept up his onslaught of attacks was far more powerful than the many beasts and monsters he had taken on for his tests. And that was saying something, considering a majority of them were considered A-Rank, with only few of the ones he's gone on were classified as an S-Rank foe. But so far, he was doing a pretty good job with his defense, those minor defensive spells that Lorenz had them study were coming in handy. However, he still felt the brunt of the force being inflicted upon him, the minor defensive spells only reducing the damage being inflicted upon him slightly.

It wouldn't be long until the strength of the young man's attacks began to overtake his spells, leading his defense to crumble and have him land flat on his back. He made a considerable loud impact sound, Alphonse bumping his head against the marble flooring in a rather harsh and hard manner. The black-haired boy attempts to get up, only to be met with a penny loafer sitting on his chest and the slightly menacing, but unimpressed expression of the aquamarine-haired boy.

"Is that really all you've got?" He questioned. "I honestly expected more. Perhaps the old man was mistaken about you."

"You don't know anything about me," Alphonse spoke with gritted teeth.

"Hoh? Then, go ahead and prove it to me. Show me what made the old man so interested in you."

"Gladly." Replying with a simple grin, the black-haired boy grasped the ankle of the aquamarine-haired boy's leg.

He was confused by what he meant. Especially the action Alphonse did. Though that changed when he noticed this sort of bright orange with a reddish tint to it beginning to illuminate around the black-haired boy's hand. Another sort of smirk elicited itself on his face, looking rather excited as to what this boy was going to pull off. No sort of defense was being put up for that matter, the aquamarine-haired boy actually welcoming whatever Alphonse was going to set off.

Though at the same time, Alphonse's pale grey eyes stared up at the boy on top of him with a bit of fear. He wasn't sure if the boy on top of him was actively doing this, but there was this sort of aura that surrounded him, a looming and unnatural presence that formulated around him. While he was confident, that unsettling and unnatural feeling that he felt was something so prevalent as he stared up, seeing this aura take form. Large and wide jaws with sharp and serrated teeth, the clear visage of a shark. Alphonse wasn't necessarily terrified of the particular aquatic creature, but with how the aura loomed over him with such a daunting presence, he couldn't help but feel fear in the situation.

However, he was confident. Part of his magic did require him to be confident in order for it to work. Was it possible that he could survive this encounter? Yes, very possible. But it was also possible for him to suffer very severe injuries from this man alone. The equations of survival whirring through his mind didn't help much, but he had to very much try.

Before anything could actually happen, the two felt some sort of hold on them. Stagnated in time, or something like that, no amount of command their brain sent toward their limbs could beckon for them to move. A slightly agitated expression on the aquamarine-haired boy's face was present, trying to force his foot down even deeper into Alphonse's chest, but because of the force of nature that was somehow restricting their movements, he couldn't do so. And if anything, the black-haired boy couldn't help but let out a sigh in relief, knowing that things didn't have to escalate even further.

A brief echo of a clapping noise echoed throughout the hallway. The only thing the two boys could move were their heads, turning in the direction of where the sound was coming from, spotting two familiar figures. The prim and proper female uniform of Royal Biblia Academy, the only difference was the pristine white cloak and cape that accompanied her outfit, a beautiful blonde color to her hair with bright purple eyes that showed an expression of disdain to their conduct. The other was that same tall girl with coffee brown eyes and sleek black hair that went all the way down to her middle back, perhaps longer. A wide grin on her face, her apparel far different from those of the academy, and she was clapping her heads in a rather amused manner. Mira Yamana and Akio Fudou.

"As much as I'm enjoying the show, ladies," Akio grinned, rather widely, "I'm afraid such actions are to be refrained from doing so on school grounds."

"Tch." The aquamarine-haired boy clicked his tongue. "Stop ruining this for me, Amazon."

Mira, holding some sort of crystal ball in her hand, raised it up a bit. It began to glow a glittering white sheen. "I advise you to respond to Akio in a respectful manner, Tiburon. Unless you're warranting a punishment."

"Shut it, Dwarf."

"Are you asking to get yourself obliterated?"

"If it means I'll get in a good fight with ya, maybe." He flashes her a toothy grin, a bit of a menacing look to it. Though Mira looked unamused by it and began charging up her crystal ball.

But that halted when Akio put a hand on Mira's shoulder. The moment she did so, Mira calmed down with a sigh and relinquished her charge up.

Mira let out another sigh, "Hurry up, you two. You both have been requested by the Headmaster. Let's move. Now. I won't tolerate any excuses."

Dispelling her magic on the two, releasing her hold on the two, she gracefully turned around and began walking away. The aquamarine-haired boy, now known as Tiburon, took his foot off Alphonse's chest, whom got up and began dusting himself off. His pale grey eyes watching Tiburon rather carefully, the aquamarine-haired boy fishing out a box of cigarettes from his pocket and propping it out of his mouth.

Flicking a lighter out of his other pocket, Tiburon lit the cigarette with finesse, exhaling a puff of smoke before giving Alphonse one last look. A look of disappointment, to say the least.

"I really was expecting a lot more from this encounter," the older boy said. "But to be saved by both an Amazon and a dwarf? You're fucking pathetic."

Alphonse growled, but took a deep breath and did all he could to keep his composure. Tiburon was doing all he could to dig under his skin, and so far he was doing a pretty damn good job about it, but if he continued on anymore, Alphonse knew he was just going to get his ass handed to him again. As much as he hated to admit it, the aquamarine-haired boy was far stronger than him. Far stronger than any opponent he's ever encountered. Then again, when it came to dueling his teacher, he knew that Cecilia was only scratching the surface of her raw power, and while Tiburon was holding back as well, he was fierce in how he subtly used his abilities.

Despite his growth, if there was one thing Alphonse knew now, he was still a long way to getting anywhere when it came to the likes of Tiburon and his teacher. Tiburon noticed Alphonse clenching his fists tightly, the young man smirking, puffing out another cloud of smoke from his mouth before walking off.

"You've got guts, I'll admit that. But your dead ass is gonna falter if you really think this is the best you can do." His loafers clicked along the hallway as he walked toward Biblia's office, "Especially at the stage you're at, you won't beat me. Because... The only one who can beat me, is me."

Alphonse growled a little bit more, taking a few steps to march up to the boy, only to be stopped by Akio. When he looked at her, she only shook her head. She acknowledged how much of a pain in the ass Tiburon can be, but what he said was simply but the truth. Had Alphonse grown immensely in the months he was here? Yes, he had. But not enough to stand up to the titans of powerful Magus' that currently plagued the school.

Cecilia, Mira, Akio, Headmaster Bibilia, and now Tiburon were just a taste of that.

Once Tiburon had disappeared from sight, Alphonse slumped his shoulders. Letting them sag a little, he let out a tired groan and soon looked up at Akio with an appreciative gaze.

"Thanks for the save. I was... A little over my head, I guess."

"Don't worry about it, Al," Akio laughed, patting him on the back. "Tibur can be an ass, but he means well."

He looked at her with a deadpan expression. "Does kicking people's asses mean he means well?"

She smirked, "You could say that. But do take his advice to heart, Al. You've gotten better the more you've studied here. In time, you'll be making waves."

"...I... Thank you, Akio." Alphonse smiled warmly at her. "Means a lot to me. You have no idea."

"Don't worry about it too much," she said whilst patting his shoulder. "Come on. The Headmaster called out to ya, right? As much as he is lax, he would prefer if we made it to his meetings on time."

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you," Alphonse chuckled.

---

"Liese, you're going to suffocate him," Akio said, sweat dropping.

"I can't help, Akio!" Lieselotte replied with a wide grin. "I haven't seen Alphonse here since he was stuck in the infirmary! And it's not my fault we're not in the same classes!"

"That doesn't give you an excuse to kill him," Akio quips. She couldn't help but feel sorry for the boy, "At this rate, you might as well squeeze the life out of old Al, here."

Liese tilted her head. "Eh?" Then glances up at the grey-eyed teen, "Am I hurting you, Alphonse?"

"I'm... Doing...just fine...!" The young man's voice was strained, evident by the lack of air in his lungs. He honestly didn't expect for Liese to have this tight of a grip when hugging him.

Although she soon let go of him, allowing him to get a big gulp of air. Though instead of acting concerned for him, Lieselotte squinted and brought herself closer to him, to which he backed up in confusion. She hummed to herself, scanning him up and down before clasping her hands with his own.

"Hey, Alphonse, did you get bigger last time I saw you? You 'feel' different, too." The black-haired teen merely let out a hanging "uuhh" as he looked down at her. "Hey, hey, what's with that look? It's a genuine question!"

"Well... Mira is kind of staring at us..."

"Hmm? So what?"

"I think she means for us to knock it off."

"Precisely," said girl speaks up, Mira staring at them with an unamused expression, her arms at her side. "We're currently in a meeting of importance, so professional conduct is necessary. And I expected more of that from you of all people, Lieselotte."

Liese pouted at the other blonde. "Boo! You're no fun at all, Mira!"

Mira sighed, "Since when was our work fun? And you, Tiburon, get that cigarette out of your mouth. I've explicitly told you before that I do not tolerate smoking on school grounds."

"Oh, can it already, dwarf," Tiburon groans, waving his hand dismissively. "Tryin' to get a piece of mind here. You're disturbing me."

"You all..." Mira growled in annoyance.

By now, the ones enjoying the show were Akio and Headmaster Biblia. The headmaster of the academy merely let out a lighthearted chuckle, causing the five of them to look at the grey-haired man. Biblia pushed up his glasses, after he was done letting his laugh get out of his system, his usual coy, cheshire grin plastered on his face as he leaned forward.

"You five seem to be having fun. Not many are making this much of a commotion when they're in my office," he chortles with delight. "The most they're ever doing in here is either shitting their pants or shaking in their boots."

"Headmaster, as you can see, we're all here," Mira says, getting straight to the point. "Might you get on with your explanation?"

"Of course, of course." The grey-haired headmaster clears his throat. "For you ladies of the Grimoire Security, I have another assignment for you all."

'Grimoire Security?' Alphonse wondered. The first he's ever heard about this group now. And it seemed Mira, Lieselotte, and Akio were a part of it. 

"A couple days ago, it was reported that a rural city in mid-west America has turned into an absolute ghost town. Not a single sign of life was spotted. From what went to a population of thousands to nothing in a single day," Biblia explained. Although his tone was serious, that same smirk remained on his face. "We believe that a Breakdown Phenomenon in the works is behind it."

Another term of interest was soon heard. Breakdown Phenomenon.

By the looks of it from what he's hearing, such a thing was quite serious and dangerous. Especially since such a thing is what caused a populated city to be reduced to nothing but a ghost town. Alphonse took a glance at the three girls' faces. Their expressions were neutral, which seemed like this isn't exactly the first time this has ever happened.

Mira furrows her brow in response, "I see... Then I assume our assignment is to investigate it?"

"Precisely."

"Very well. We shall leave at once."

The three girls go to turn around and proceed out the door, only for Headmaster Biblia to speak up again.

"Hold on one moment, you three. There's two more people I'm sending along with you."

"Hmm?" Mira hummed in curiosity. Though that curiosity faded when she realized that the two boys that were standing in the room with her and the others is what Biblia was referring to. "Them!?"

"Correct," he nodded. "I want you three to take them along. This won't be the first time they will be doing assignments like this."

In a fit, Mira marches up to the headmaster's desk and slams her hands on them. "Headmaster, I must protest. The three of us are already enough to handle an important task such as this. I—We don't need..." She made a subtle glance at the two boys, "Problem children to take care of."

"I'm standing right here..." Alphonse mutters.

"Heh. Think you can put a leash on me, dwarf?" Tiburon let out a stifled laugh.

She growled, her gaze returning to Biblia. "Please reconsider, Headmaster."

Headmaster Biblia only chuckled, "Come now, Mira, it won't be too bad. Besides, it is around that time they are to be tested again. In fact, I will leave it to you to report back to me if they produce satisfactory results or not."

"Eh?" Both Tiburon and Alphonse perk up.

"If they prove to give satisfactory results in what you report to me, they will stay. Simple as that. But if they prove to produce unsatisfactory results in your report, then I will have no choice but to have them leave the school. Does that sound fair to you?" A rather devious and enticing glint was spotted in the grey-haired man's red eyes.

"I see... Very well," Mira sighed, nodding her head.

Tiburon sneered, "Hey, old man? You sure you of all people want to be leaving that decision to her?"

"I don't see what the harm will be, Tibur," Biblia replied. "There's a reason why Mira is the head of the Grimoire Security in the first place. Besides, like I've assured you before, this assignment will give plenty of opportunities to vanquish powerful opponents."

"Fine." Tiburon took the cigarette out of his mouth and flicked to the floor, grinding his loafers on top of it to extinguish it. "As long as I get a good fight out of this."

Alphonse raised his hand. "Uh..."

"Yes, Mr. Euclidus?"

"So this investigation will be counting as my test...?"

"Correct. There is more to a Magus' duty than monster extermination, young man. And you needn't worry about your safety because you will have Tibur and the Grimoire Security on your side. Not that I will be worried about your safety. I know very well that you can take care of yourself. After all, Professor Lucifage's teachings have proven well for you, haven't they?" He sees Alphonse nod. "There you go, then! You have nothing to worry about, dear boy!"

"Right... Your vote of confidence really assures me..." The young man said sarcastically.

"Heh. You feelin' scared, pretty boy?" Tiburon taunted with a smirk. "If you're getting cold feet, maybe it's best if ya sit this one out."

"Well, aren't you encouraging."

Biblia chuckled. "In any case, there is no time limit for this assignment. While you are to investigate the Breakdown Phenomenon, I would urge you to do it as fast as possible. The longer the Phenomenon remains, the more dire the consequences."

"Understood, Headmaster." As always, Mira was vigilant and headstrong regarding the subject.

"Dismissed."

With that, the five of them were soon pushed out the doors of Biblia's office. Already, Mira was the first to depart, despite Akio's protest to stay behind and discuss the whole plan, the coffee-eyed girl ended up following suit. Tiburon took his chance to leave as well, shoving his hands into his dress pants as he walked down the hall to who knows where. Most likely to look for a strong opponent to fight.

His mouth hung agape for a moment, Alphonse turned his head toward Lieselotte, who only looked at him with such a big smile.

"Uh..."

"Hey, hey, Alphonse. Are you feeling excited?"

"I don't see why I should be," he said with a shrug. "Something called a 'Breakdown Phenomenon' is something new to me."

She looked surprised. "Really? I figured you'd know about it by now, considering you've been here for a few months now."

He shrugs again. "Learning about that isn't something part of my syllabus. And I had other pressing matters to attend to."

"Ah, right. How have your classes been?" She asked, the two beginning to walk down the hall. "The last time we really got to talk properly was when you were in the infirmary."

"They've been good. Trying my best to learn as much as possible. People say I've grown, yeah, but I know I've only scratched the surface of what I can do."

"That's for sure," she agreed with a hum. "Since I first met you, I've always sensed a pretty strong presence within you."

"Is that so? You sure it isn't something lurking within me?" He joked.

"Who knows.~ But call it a girl's intuition, Alphonse.~"

"If you say so."

"Anyway, we should probably pick up the pace. Knowing Mira, she's quite a stickler when it comes to assignments like these. She'd want to finish these as quickly, but professionally, as possible."

"Oh, yeah. It seems like you three are kind of used to these kinds of things."

Lieselotte nodded. "Yep! You could say they are fairly similar to yours. A majority of the time, investigating these Breakdown Phenomenons ends with us eliminating some type of monster."

"I see. What are these Breakdown Phenomenons, anyway?"

"Ah, that? They are a rather interesting field to study in. But the topic itself is very complicated." Liese put a finger to her chin. "The best way I can say is that a Breakdown Phenomenon is essentially a disaster powered by magic that can have various effects on the world."

Alphonse furrowed his brow. "They're that serious?"

"Yeah. A Breakdown Phenomenon has varying effects, so it is necessary to study and investigate them in order to prevent them from happening any further."

The black-haired boy nodded his head. Trying to wrap his head around all of this was very much new to him, which very much so meant that it was confusing, fascinating, and even more wondrous about this world of magic.

Breakdown Phenomenons sounded rather terrifying upon hearing what they can do first hand. Considering they have varying effects of what they could do on the world, it seemed like the amount of damage they could inflict upon them was impressive, to say the least.

Whether they caused impending doom, vaporization of an entire population, or even more catastrophic events was tantalizing. A recipe for diabolical exploitation that the most insane of Magus' craved.

This was a different assignment, but at the same time, similar. But even so. With something so serious on the horizon. Alphonse was nervous.

---

A couple or so hours passed and the five of them met at the front gates of Royal Biblia Academy.

Having prepared for the journey ahead, taking a flight all the way to America, they touched down somewhere in the midwest. Though before heading out toward the objective, they had to wait a couple of moments.

Considering it was Alphonse's first time riding a plane, the feeling of the turbulence and rumbling all around the air shuttle did terrify him a little. So much so that he was even shaking a little as they disembarked. But as soon as he recovered, they took a bus that would take them fifteen miles northwest, up to the state of Michigan. More specifically, the city of Grand Haven.

Despite the city being a ghost town, the bus dropped them off at the bus stop before it ended up speeding away and turning the corner. Having arrived in the designated city they were assigned to investigate the Breakdown Phenomenon, they took a look around. The aesthetic and vibe of the city befitted that of a "ghost town". Dilapidated and crumbling infrastructure, wrecked and totaled cars slammed up against street corners, some having been driven through the large windows of establishments and annihilated store booths and what not. And then the more disturbing sight, whatever remnant was left of what was once life. Ripped and tattered clothes, spoiled and rotting food that had clearly been sitting on the asphalt for what seemed like days on end, and the ominous sight of dried up blood stains on the pavement.

Alphonse had seen some abhorrent sights before, but the mere sign of what was once a civilization that has now been reduced to nothingness still affected him deeply. While a majority of his life, people had treated him like absolute garbage, not everyone was the same. What did these people do that warranted for them to lose their lives? To be swallowed up by some unknown, abnormal wave of magical presence or energy? He didn't know, his eyes continuing to scan the lingering atmosphere of dread and loneliness, his gaze soon catching sight of a lone doll that sat upon the broken remains of what was once a minivan. The skeletons of its inhabitants lay there, seemingly going about their everyday life before it suddenly ended abruptly. In fact, the bony fingers of what seemed to be a child had been carefully wrapped around the doll's torso, done so in a manner to keep it secured as the child had been holding it out the window to act like it was some superhero of sorts.

He couldn't help but walk up to the wreckage, gingerly unwrapping the bony fingers and taking the doll into his hands. Alphonse couldn't help but stare down at the doll with a solemn expression.

"Who... Who could've done such a thing?" He said to himself, asking no one in particular. It was a mere stray thought of his.

"Who knows who could've done such a thing," a voice spoke out, it belonged to Akio's. Her expression mirrored his own. "That's why we're here. To figure out who caused it, and also try to prevent another outbreak like this from ever happening again."

Alphonse stared at her for a moment before looking down at the doll again. "...No matter how detestable, disgusting, and vile humans can be... This is just... Wrong. What kind of sick fucking joke is this...?"

He received no answer. Really, no one knows why people can do such a thing. For monsters and beasts, it's a bit simple. Some say that it boils down to instinct and design, the monsters that kill other beings are simply doing what they were made to do. In fact, some could say that humans are also acting on that basic instinct.

Like any creature, if backed up into a corner, they are at their most dangerous, reacting and attacking for survival. Sure, both monsters and humans have the ability to think for themselves, but it can mostly be concocted that the alpha behemoths out there kill and eat to live. The same can't be said for humans. What they do is still a mystery to philosophers and scientists to this day. Whether they do unspeakable and abhorrent acts out of pleasure or curiosity, or to fulfill one's thoughts, no one simply knows. Each human being has a different drive and desire that impulses them to do things.

Making them all the more dangerous to be around and with.

Turning on her heel, Mira began to walk away, a stern expression on her face as usual. "Let's go. We're wasting time the more we sit around and talk. We can discuss our plan of action as we move."

"She's right. Come on, Al." Akio agreed with Mira, giving Alphonse a reassuring grip on his shoulder. "We shouldn't linger any longer here. Like I said, if we want to prevent more of these... We have to figure out what happened here in the first place."

"...Right." And so, they began to walk away. But the young man couldn't help but feel hollow.

He knew the magical world would be a strange one once he stepped into it, that being clear when Headmaster Biblia had first offered him this proposition in the first place.

But while the world of magic can be filled with wonders and possibilities to be seeked out for... It is also filled with dangers unimaginable, a world of deceit, horrors, pain, atrocities... And the unknown.

---

They left no stone unturned, no corners and crevices peeled, anything that could give them a clue. But so far, they couldn't seem to find anything.

Going from building to building, they checked every nook and cranny. Even the smallest of items, checking for any sort of magic residuals. Anything that looked suspicious as well. But it was strange. They couldn't find anything at all.

In the many areas they investigated, they found no traces of individuals being in the area or sensing no traces of magic. But nothing. Simply nothing.

No matter where they went, their investigation yielded no results. It was frustrating to the four of them, finding nothing at all to help them find out what caused this Breakdown Phenomenon. Though it didn't really bother Tiburon. Only one thing bothered him, and that was the fact that there was no opponent for him to fight from the get-go. So while the other four were off investigating, looking for clues and what not, Tiburon would either find a nice little corner to lean against or a bench to sit upon and smoke a cigarette. Aside from fighting, the dopamine factors from the item were one of the few pleasures in life he enjoyed.

However, with their investigation leading to no beneficial results at the moment, they noticed the sun beginning to go down. The evening had already quickly arrived, casting an orange light upon them all.

"Ah.~ I'm so tired,~" Lieselotte moaned, stretching her arms behind her back. "Hey, hey, where are we going to stay for the night?"

"We passed by an empty hotel on the way. We could stay there," Akio suggested. "We've got apartments, houses, and flats, but..."

"It doesn't feel comfortable staying in what was someone's home, right?" Alphonse spoke up. Akio nodded. "Yeah... I get it."

The thought of sleeping in a home that once belonged to someone, merely disappearing a few days from now. But essentially, they are now dead, the many bodies and skeletal remains that lingered here were proof of that. Just thinking about it made it feel like a cold chill was crawling up his spine. Alphonse even shivered slightly.

The sight can be something you can get used to, or even desensitized to a degree, the sight in itself can still be horrifying. He never forgot that horrifying scene of his family members being charred to the bone, that scene in his eyes being forever etched onto his memory.

"Hey, Mira, is that okay with you?" Akio asked.

"So long as it suits our needs." As usual, Mira's reply was blunt.

"Then, if I remember correctly... It should be this way."

The black-haired girl began to lead the way, the other four following behind as they turned the corner to the next street. A brief walk down the block, they ended up coming across the hotel that had passed by before.

Pushing the doors open, a loud bell above letting out a jingling noise, they stepped toward the front desk. Like many of the buildings they stepped inside for their investigations, the lobby area was quite messy. Papers and all sorts of pins and bobs littered the floor, spoiled and rotting food from the people having breakfast the morning the phenomenon occurred, and the flickering lights above gave the ambient atmosphere a more sinister and dark tone to it.

"Well, this certainly isn't creepy at all," Alphonse muttered.

Liese heard him and began nudging him with her elbow, a teasing grin on her face. "Eh? Don't tell me you're scared of dark places, Alphonse.~"

"I wouldn't say that. I'm just not fond of them, is all."

"Hmm..."

"...Why are you giving me that look? I don't like it." He looked at her suspiciously.

Lieselotte only giggled. "Nothing.~"

Something told him that he should be prepared for tonight.

Aside from that fact, Akio walked up to the front desk and went below it. She did a bit of rummaging around, evident by the coming noise of moving things from down under, she came back up and tossed them all keycards for the second floor. Coincidentally, the keycards corresponded to rooms that were right next to one another.

Tired for the day, they decided to retire in the hopes they would wake up early tomorrow and continue their investigation. Entering his own room, Alphonse shut the door behind him and instantly plopped himself down on the bed, allowing his body to just sink into the mattress. He felt tired, although they didn't really do much. But even still, they expended quite a lot of energy, so naturally, rest would be needed in order to recuperate it.

Despite his body feeling heavy and numb, he couldn't close his eyes and fell into a slumber. It didn't help that the lights couldn't be turned off, flickering on and off by themselves. Whether it was due to the phenomenon that occurred here, he wasn't sure. The nature of such things and events were still very much unknown to him. Although he was mentally drained from trying to wrap his head around this situation, no matter what he did, he couldn't fall asleep to rest. His body was tense, the mattress of the bed wasn't the most comfortable there is, and his muscles felt strained. In fact, the entire time they were in this city, the whole atmosphere and feeling itself just felt off. Something felt wrong to him. No matter how hard he tried to sleep in order to get some rest, shifting his body into all sorts of positions, getting onto his side or laying on his front, he couldn't fall asleep at all. There was some sort of ominous feeling that he couldn't shake.

Because of this feeling, he eventually stood up from his bed and went for the door. Perhaps a walk would clear his mind, even though the atmosphere of the city itself made it seem like it was a bad idea.

"Damn... I'm so tired yet I can't even fall asleep... I should—"

Though as soon as he opened the door, he was greeted with a surprising sight. Not expecting for Lieselotte to suddenly be standing behind the door making some sort of goofy or somewhat scary expression. However, with how sudden her appearance was, it certainly got a bit of a jump out of the black-haired teen.

"Wah—Gah—!" He fell to the floor with a pretty loud thud.

Liese only held her stomach as she burst out laughing, "Bwahahaha! I can't believe you get so scared easily, Alphonse! The look on your face...! Hahaha!"

He growls, "Liese, that wasn't funny!"

"But it was! The look on your face when you just... Hahahaha!"

She was clearly having the time of her life as she kept laughing hysterically. He frowned at her, but Alphonse couldn't help but soften a little, clearly enjoying the fact that someone is actually enjoying a bit of time with him rather than running away in fear. Even if it seems a bit one sided right now, he was appreciative that Liese was going to lengths of being an overall friendly person.

However, before he could speak up, he noticed a figure creeping up behind her. Lieselotte hadn't seemed to notice yet, wiping away some tears after he laughter began to die down. He was about to ask the person behind her a question before his eyes widened, hearing a low groan coming from the figure and raspy looking hands beginning to hover over the blonde, an agape mouth as it looked ready to bite into her head. Noticing his fearful expression, Liese looked hurt at the boy.

"H-Huh? Alphonse, did I really—"

"Get down!"

"Eh? Kyah—!" Liese yelped as Alphonse pushed her out of the way, being pushed behind him. "What are you—!?"

She stopped and faltered a bit, gaining a concerned and slightly horrified look. The mysterious figure that attempted to attack the blonde teen jutted backwards, a kick to his stomach as he was flung back and ricocheted into the door behind him. Alphonse stared down at him with a heaving gaze, watching as the figure slowly got up, bones cracking and joints that were disfigured snapping back into place, limbs twitching and recoiling as the body straightened. The figure soon looked at them, the two teenagers soon getting a clear look at the decaying and rotting face of the man.

It was a literal zombie. Something often seen in the thriller or horror genre of movies, he obviously knew that something like these creatures should exist in the world of magic. But to be standing face-to-face with one was still something terrifying and shocking to see. 

His voice quivered, his hands hovered behind him in a protective manner over Lieselotte. The undead creature groaned, slowly outstretching its arms out and began lumbering over. Alphonse only responded with another kick to the creature's stomach, slamming the door shut and locking the door. Before they could discuss what to plan next, a loud bang and thump was heard behind the shut door. First was one thump, then another, and then another, and another. The thumping and banging noises only began to multiply as it seemed even more of the undead creatures had been attracted to their position.

Liese looked at Alphonse with worry, "What are we going to do, Alphonse?"

"Judging by the loud noises coming from the door, it's safe to say that there's too many of them," the young man muttered. He then looked toward the balcony window. "There. We can try and head to a few rooms to our right and bypass them."

"Is that even safe? You have destruction magic, right? Why don't you just blast them away?"

"And risk having the entire hotel infrastructure collapse around us? Yeah, I don't think so. As powerful as my magic is, it still has a tendency to blow things out of proportion," he said thoughtfully. "Our best chance of survival and escape is through the balconies. Hopefully we'll be able to regroup with everyone else soon."

With their plan underway, they carefully made their way to the sliding door that led to the balcony. They wanted to keep as quiet as possible so the undead creatures outside the door couldn't hear them shifting in the back. While they may be dead and stupid, some of their senses, like hearing and sight, were still operational. Just the slightest noise of movement or anything of the like could attract them, easily.

Moving the sliding glass door carefully, and slowly, Alphonse motions for Lieselotte to step through first. Following after her, he gently shuts it closed and they look to their right. The stone railing of their balcony was slightly ruined, evidently showing a slightly large gap in between the two balconies. Taking a deep breath, Alphonse did a bit of a running start before he leapt over, almost not making it over as he nearly slipped upon grabbing the stone wall. Clambering up the wall and hoisting himself over, he looked back over and extended his hand. Lieselotte would do the same as he did, although she had a bit of help doing so.

The two would rinse and repeat, crossing a couple more balconies before arriving at a safe distance they thought was good enough. Opening the sliding door, carefully and quietly again, they crept into the room. They shuddered upon entering, noticing that a decaying body was there, lying on the bed. Looking to the nearby nightstand, Alphonse grabbed the broken and rusted lamp that was there, concentrating as he rearranged the molecules of the materials, having the broken lamp now be reconstructed into a small knife. A single, clean plunge to the head, he had checked to see if the body was truly dead on the bed. You could never be too careful in a situation like this.

They soon moved to the door that was in the small foyer, slightly cracking it open without trying to make as much noise as possible. Both of them peered outside, poking their heads out to gaze back down to the room they were previously in. As expected, a pile of undead creatures were still clambering on top of one another, all of them trying to rush and barge into the room door they were previously in. As expected, a pile of undead creatures were still clambering on top of one another, all of them trying to rush and barge into the room door they were previously in. Alphonse looked to her, putting a finger to his lips, making a quieting noise before slowly gesturing to the door, signaling that they were going to get out, quietly as possible.

She nodded back. Propping the door open, quietly as possible, the two slowly began creeping out. Allowing for Lieselotte to go first, he gently shut the door behind them and the two began to sneak away. Though if it were that easy, they could get away unscathed, but it seemed that luck wasn't on their side today. Just a few steps forward, the carpet flooring having been built upon a wooden foundation, the floorboards underneath the carpet creaked. The two of them held their breaths, slowly turning their heads around, mouths agape as shivers were sent down their spines. In an instant, the vivid sound of bones cracking, the undead creatures snapping their heads over in the two's direction.

And soon enough, with loud groans, it was as if their muscles had returned to normal, they began charging down the hall at full speed. A tsunami of people were soon barreling toward them, almost like they were an unconventional stampede of bulls. Upon thinking about it, it was a terrifying thing to see. To see a horde of undead monsters, creatures that were once human beings now reduced to savages that could no longer think for themselves and only act upon the bloodthirsty and hungry stimulus that was somehow coursing through them, stampeding down toward them in order to devour them into nothingness. The only thing that kept them running away from the wave of the undead was their pounding hearts and thumping adrenaline that compelled them to run as fast as they could, nearly stumbling and tripping over any sort of small obstacles that got in their way.

Bashing through the stairwell doors with his shoulder, Alphonse and Lieselotte bolted down the stairs, doing so with caution so they wouldn't trip. Unlike them, the zombies that were chasing after them had no sense of caution for their own safety, instead tumbling down the stairs and face planting onto the floor that would be before the next flight. Some would fall onto their necks on the edges of the stairs, snapping them and rendering them motionless, with the further stampede repeatedly stomping on their already lifeless bodies and turning them into a blood red paste. It got to the point that the blood began to trickle down the steps, slowly but surely, creating more hazards for the undead creatures to slip and fall, repeating the cycle over and over again. The noises of the splattering and thundering footsteps were getting so close that the two decided to throw caution out the window and leap down each flight, eventually arriving on the ground floor.

Using his shoulder to bash through the door like he did previously, both Lieselotte and Alphonse dashed once more, their life depending on it as they exited out of the main doorway, the horde of undead slowly clambering behind them. Running across the street and darting into the nearby alleyway, the two hopped, jumped, and clumsily vaulted over the many trash bags and litter that was in between the small corridor. Panting and huffing, they immediately spotted an open store, the two making a beeline for it. At this point, any small bit of recuperation would do them some good.

Once inside, they immediately shut the glass doors behind them, beginning to push whatever they thought was heavy to barricade the doorway. The smacking of their decaying hands and faces were prevalent, the undead attempting their failed gnawing on the glass many times, groaning and snarling as if they were examining the two living beings in the store, desperate to survive as they just continued moving things to barricade themselves in here. Once done, the two heaved a heavy sigh as they leaned themselves against the massive cabinet of materials they had moved over.

Having relaxed enough, Alphonse looked over at the blonde-haired girl. "You okay?" Liese only gave a tired nod. "Good. We should rest while we can... We'll eventually have to get out of here..."

"...What's the point...?"

"Huh?"

"What's the point in even trying? There's a lot of them out there, and I doubt whatever magic we can do can get us out of here alive."

"Don't say that. You can't give up hope yet," he spoke, glancing at her with a reassuring gaze. "You've got a sister, right? You have to get back to her alive. And this isn't the first time you've been in a Breakdown Phenomenon, right? If you've gotten out of one before, then you can—"

She interrupts him, "That's not the point, Alphonse. Each Breakdown Phenomenon event is different. They have varying effects on the world. Hence why they're so dangerous to begin with."

"..." He couldn't say anything, Lieselotte taking that as a sign to continue.

"You're right. This isn't the first one I've been in, but there's a reason why. Truthfully, I'm not as powerful when it comes to someone like Akio or Mira. Even if Akio is in a position below me. But when it comes down to pure magical power, those two have always reached heights I've never could get myself. When I joined the Grimoire Security, I was hoping to find something that could further my research in the Archive I took. I mean, ever since I was a young girl, I had been talented with magic. But this... This is something different. And because of that...I don't think we'll make it out of this alive..."

Alphonse stared at her silently, then looking away, staring up at the ceiling as he was now in deep thought.

However, Lieselotte was letting on more than she had described about her prowess. But she also wasn't lying to a point that these undead creatures were different. A similar event to this was when her home city had been invaded by vampires and turned the residents into the undead themselves. The only ones left alive were individuals, especially children, that had magical talent. Meaning herself and her sister, Selina.

But it was this event that led to her unlocking her magic and powers, figuring out her Thema and Archive with ease, allowing her to successfully triumph over them. That feeling of power, such euphoria that coursed through her veins, Lieselotte desired more of it. One of the reasons why she came to Royal Biblia Academy in the first place. But when she tried her magic on the undead creatures now, they halted for a moment, but in millisecond, they were instantly free and continued their onslaught. Something powerful was reinforcing them, and due to the nature and properties of the Breakdown Phenomenon, it wasn't surprising if the force of it was further amplifying the magic that was powering them. 

So to say that she was losing all hope because of a powerful nature such as this wasn't surprising at all.

However, she was only factoring in on past experiences. What she didn't factor in was both an unknown and new factor. Alphonse Euclidus.

Having been in deep thought for many minutes now, Alphonse let out a deep sigh. Lieselotte took note of this and looked up at him questionably.

"Wh-What's wrong?"

"You know... I came to this school to find out who I am, but most importantly, control whatever powers I have from going out of control. These... Abilities... They're the literal source of my misfortune. I lost everything that night." He held his breath for a moment, a chunk of wind caught in his throat. "But if there's one thing I do know about this... Curse of mine. It's to never lose hope. I've already met so many great people that have inspired me. They've shown me the way to get through things. Sometimes it's the "by the books" way or doing something unnatural and thinking things outside the box. Even if you've got to get a little bit out of control. And maybe... Maybe getting out of control is exactly what we need."

He stood up, only adding more to Liese's confusion. "Alphonse?"

Grabbing Lieselotte by the hands, which made her yelp a little, he set her aside from the barricade. Stepping a few steps away from it, he clasped his hands together before rubbing them, allowing heat and friction to be emitted from both his palms. He took two deep breaths, calm and steady, pointing them out in the direction of the barricade.

"Lieselotte, can you start moving some of the barricades? Enough so that when you remove whatever is remaining, it should open instantly?"

"I can but—That's insane! Are you asking me to—"

"Don't worry." He cuts her off with a small grin on his face. "I've got a plan. But I need you to work with me if it's going to work."

She continued to look at him, unsure of his plan, but to see that face brimming with confidence couldn't help but have her be brimming with confidence as well. Nodding to herself and standing up, she does as she was instructed, removing as much of the barricade as possible except for leaving a little bit that could keep the door blocked but also be easily removed.

Once down to the last bit, she looked at him and waited for his signal. Taking another deep breath, he began his incantation.

"I am he who slays gods / I am the one who knows the end and the founder of genesis / Return thyself to the cycle of providence / The five elements to elements / And sever the links woven between images and truth / Now all of creation shall perish here / At the distant ends of the void."

Nearly finished with his incantation, Alphonse sent a gaze Lieselotte's way. She instantly got the message and pushed the remaining barricades aside before jumping out of the way. As soon as she was out and the obstructions were cleared, the glass doors burst open, the undead horde pouring in with specks of blood and roaring groans.

It was as if time had slowed down, Alphonse exhaling one last time before he shouted out the last commanding sentence of the incantation.

"Extinction Ray!"

A loud, piercing roar shook the establishment, akin to that of a lion's thundering roar of authority as a magma-colored magic circle formed. The main sigil in the middle looked like a dragon's head, the piercing fangs of the image emitting two small orbs before they formed a singular, large beam that shot forward from the circle. A torrential pillar of bright, orange light, combining the destructive forces of the elements of fire, ice, and lightning.

Exploding into a stream of colors, the beam decimated whatever is in its path. The undead horde had now been reduced to atoms, now leaving a curved crater in the ground from where the beam had been emitted from his magic circle. Heavy pants left his mouth, the spell itself having taken a toll on his body.

Extinction Ray, as the spell was called, did exactly what it did. But the cost to such a taxing spell was a heavy burden, a large usage of mana being consumed in order to activate it. In fact, Lieselotte noticed that the young man's skin was fairly pale, much more pale than it usually was. She ran up to him, placing an arm around him to support him as he looked like he was about to collapse in his spot. A worried gaze was held as they began to walk out of the store.

"Are you okay? What was that?"

"Extinction Ray," he voiced, his tone laced with weariness. "As you saw, it decimated everything in its path. Powerful spell that I learned from Professor Lucifage."

"Do you think you can continue?" Lieselotte asked.

He coughed, a weak smile on his face. "Y-Yeah. Sure can. While I may have burned through a majority of my magic reserves, I can still put up a fight."

"Okay, then." Lieselotte nodded. "But don't push yourself."

"I know. Come on. We've got to regroup with the others."

---

"Haah!" Akio yelled, easily kicking a zombie's head off. Her and Mira had been fighting for about half an hour now and they were barely breaking a sweat.

Though it seemed they had an increase to magic resistance, they were still decaying flesh and bones at the end of the day. When it came to being in contact with Akio's enhanced magic kicks and punches, her raw strength already being powerful enough, they didn't necessarily stand a chance.

Whipping around, she does a powerful roundhouse kick and ends another, the head flying off with very little resistance. Another two came her way, lumbering over with great speed, Akio reacted with ease as she first landed a strong palm strike into the first one's chest, knocking it into its back. The second one lunges, the coffee-eyed girl dodging and retaliates with a jumping side kick, enhanced by her magic, Mantra Enchant. A confident grin on her face as she lands the attack, causing the head to explode into a bloody mess, adding more onto the mess as she stomps the previous undead's head in, grinding her shoe against the asphalt briefly to drag off the guts. And with a light, but powerful sweep, the blood on her leg was flung off. The light blue glowing of the enchant, the holo-like rings around her leg beginning to dissipate as she finished off the spell.

"Phew! And that was barely a light workout," she chortles. She turns to Mira, "How are you holding up over there, Mira?"

"...Fine." While her tone was blunt, Akio noticed the slight hesitance in it. They faced monsters in the past, but it was clear to her that fighting the undead still affected her greatly.

After all, these were once people.

Though she knew that she couldn't dwindle on that matter for long, "Well, we should probably start looking for the others. That ambush really separated us, and it'd be pretty bad if we went back to the Headmaster without his two students he lent us."

Mira sighed, disgruntled. "The three of us would've been just fine to handle this. We didn't need them."

"Whether you like it or not Mira, he is the Headmaster of our school. Therefore he can assign whoever he likes on our missions."

"I know..." She muttered, her white cloak flapping in the wind.

"...You know, I've been wondering. Why do you always give Al the stink eye? He's not a bad guy at all."

"I should be asking why you're friendly with that impure man," Mira retorts, sneering a little. "I can understand that you're friendly, Akio, but that doesn't mean you need to befriend every person you meet."

"That's exactly what I did with you, didn't I?" Akio questioned. She put a hand on her hip, "What do you feel about Al that you call him 'impure'?"

Mira was quiet for a moment. Then she looked away. "...Something impure lurks within him. That's all."

Akio sweat drops. "You're making it sound like he was looking at lecherous intent or something like that..." She soon smiled and noticed two figures in the distance walking toward them. "Hey! Al! Liese! You two alright?"

Though, by the time they arrived, Akio recoiled slightly as she noticed Alphonse's skin was a lot paler than usual.

"Whoa, shit. You okay, Al? You don't look so good."

He coughed, "Yeah. Doing just fine."

Liese was still supporting him. "He's currently suffering from magic deficiency. He cast quite the powerful spell to repel a horde coming to us."

"Yeah, but don't worry about me. I'll be fine, given some time to rest." He coughs again. "Anyway, what about you two and that other guy? You guys okay?"

"Yep! We're doing pretty good!" Akio beamed a smile, flexing one of her arms. "It was nothing we couldn't handle at all, right, Mira?"

She didn't face them. "...Yes. But we have far more pressing matters to attend to. Don't you all feel it?"

Alphonse looked perplexed. "Hmm? Feel what?"

Before anyone could answer him, they soon felt the presence Mira was referring to. Their gazes were soon sent skyward, noticing an eerie looking, purple pillar of light being illuminated in the sky. Dark clouds had begun forming around, crackling thunder beginning to erupt, and the streaks of light appearing in the sky due to lightning striking the ground. Such a powerful magical presence and signal was radiating off of it.

So much so that a dim purple light was beginning to be illuminated inside the nearby buildings. It wouldn't be long before they started to hear the familiar groaning inside. The group immediately grew tense and scowled.

"Tch. Looks like it isn't the end of them," Akio lamented. As much as she loved a good brawl, the longer this prolonged, the chances they would leave unscathed was highly unlikely.

"Where's that pillar of light coming from?" The young man asked the obvious. "Is it the source of this Breakdown Phenomenon?"

"Highly likely," Mira replied. "Let's go. The faster we can eliminate the source, the quicker we can leave."

"Hey, Al. Think you can walk properly now?"

"Should be able to. But if you need to leave me behind, then—"

Lieselotte elbowed him harshly. "Don't say that. Leaving you behind is the last thing we'll do."

As much as he tried to give a good defense regarding it, he was quickly shut down and had to comply anyway. But with no time to waste, the four of them quickly set off for the glowing pillar of light.

---

At least twenty minutes or so went by.

From dodging the numerous undead creatures that littered the streets and avoiding the many debris that was all over the ground, all while having to take care of a magic deficient Alphonse, they were able to make it to the destination without any relative problem. Somehow, anyway.

It was a cemetery. Sitting right next to a rather old looking, gothic-like chapel. If it was America, Alphonse would've probably thought they were in Britain by this lone structure alone. But besides that, the atmosphere alone in this area certainly fits the vibe of this ghost town of a city well. Crippled looking crops were all over the dead looking grass, a low grey mist sitting upon the ground. A bit of moss on some of the cracked tombstones, the engravings on the stone showing signs of weathering that the writing was hardly legible. And to top it all off, with the old looking chapel giving off a dark exterior, the thundering noises and the crackling lightning being fired off in the sky, it was truly an ominous and eerie sight.

Hurrying along the dirt path, crossing the metal picket fence that led deeper into the cemetery, they eventually arrived at a central-like point. A stone pathway that led to the top of the hill, there was almost a bit of a stone slab on it, displaying a sacrificial altar or something along the lines of that. But the key feature that they could clearly notice was the distinct source of the entire Breakdown Phenomenon in the first place. Sitting behind the altar, the ragged clothes and robes, a decrepit, rotten, and decaying-looking old Sister of the chapel. Letting out wheezes and groans, magic emitting from her boney fingers as a rotting body lay upon the altar. She was murmuring a chant, but due to the distance they were standing away from them, the chant was very incoherent to them.

The two battle ready Magus' prepare to engage the undead Sister, only to be drawn to a prolonged grunt and battlecry. Over to their right, sprinting at full speed was Tiburon, his previously well kept suit now a bit ripped and trashed, dirt and grime on his white dress shirt and his tie completely missing. A wicked grin on his face, his fists bloodied, most presumably having to fight a massive horde of undead to get here. His gaze dead set on the Sister, he cackled in excitement.

"You sure got the jump on me with your ambush, you old hag! But you won't escape me this time! Hahahaha! Now... Show me what you've fucking got—!"

And comically, as soon as he leapt into the air and brought his fist back, the undead Sister only gave him a single glance before conjuring up a barrier. Once his fist made contact with the barrier, he was instantly knocked back and set plummeting to the ground. Additionally, Tiburon got up in a cartoonish manner, rushing forward again while yelling all sorts of profanities and prepared to attack once more...

Only for him to be knocked back again, crashing through a couple of tombstones. He didn't seem to get back up after that.

Both Lieselotte and Alphonse sweat dropped at him. "What an idiot..."

"Tibur aside..." Akio trailed off, returning her gaze back to the undead Sister. "Looks like it'll just have to be just you and me, Mira. Hey, Al. You and Liese will have to take a backseat, yeah?"

"Do I have a choice?" The boy asked sarcastically. Although, he was currently in good hands with Liese by his side.

With a chuckle, Akio only cracked her knuckles. Mira, however, was quivering a little, most likely still a bit shaken up from this whole debacle in the first place. Up until now, Breakdown Phenomenon had involved putting down monsters or investigating the source of it, which is usually the result of an item or something else. Previously explained before, the avid nature of the Breakdown Phenomenon was a mystery, fickle and random. Because of such a nature, anything was possible.

To find out that this mission involved them having to eliminate the previous residents, having been transformed into the undead by this undead Sister of the chapel, was very disturbing. So much so that it took a bit of a toll on her own morality and mental state. But she was soon shaken out of it, a reassuring and comforting hand being placed on her shoulder by Akio, whom only held a confident expression as she stared at the imminent danger in front of them.

"It'll be alright, Mira. You're not taking this thing on by yourself. You've got me, don't you? And besides, these things may have been people before, but they aren't people now. The only thing we can do now is to put them to rest."

"...Yeah. Yeah, you're right." Regaining her confidence, her cape brazenly blowing with a sudden wind, Mira had her usual stern expression on her face. "Let's go, Akio!"

"Yeah! You've got it, boss!" Grinning widely, the two set off.

Having taken notice of their presence, the undead Sister groaned and raised her hands. The graves in front of her began to glow a deep purple, hands sprouting and erupting from the ground as the freshly raised undead screeched and roared with a terrifying tone. But that didn't deter the two, Akio charging forward like an angry bull, her legs being enhanced with her magic and plowing the dead bodies like they were nothing. Powerful kicks that caused blood and limbs to be sent flying through the sky, carving a path through so Mira could easily get to the Sister without any problem.

Even though the Sister was an undead creature, it seemed that it still retained a conscience and emotions. Seeing as its creations were immediately falling like flies caused it to tense, its shoulders rising up a little, fear slowly welling up within it while also angrily firing off spells in the hopes it would slow them down. But that didn't really do anything, Mira had her orb in hand and with superb concentration, she reflected the magic away from her like they were little peashooters. But the undead Sister was still feeling like it was still in a state of comfortment, having its little barrier around it to protect itself from any sort of harm that was thrown its way.

However, all of it was shattered when Akio appeared right in front of him, the undead Sister taken aback as one charged, and magically infused kick was enough to have it be cracked and destroyed. Akio jumps away, the undead Sister snarling angrily before looking up, fear having once overtaken it's dead looking eyes as it stared up at Mira, levitating gracefully, orb in front of her, eyes closed and muttering a chant. The young blonde's visage was obscured by the moon behind her, casting a great big shadow over the altar and the undead Sister. Despite the fearful look in its eyes, it also looked as if the Sister was looking up at Mira in a mesmerized way, looking up at the blonde girl with awe.

Once Mira's light purple eyes open up, her crystal ball illuminated brightly.

"White Universe!"

In a flash, a bright wave of white light erupts from her crystal ball. The undead Sister had no time to respond, merely caught in awe of the attack as it was vaporized instantly.

Despite standing from afar, Alphonse could still see the range of the attack and he, himself, was mesmerized by it as well. In a mere moment, it was like an aria of cascading light had descended upon the sky before it revealed itself to be a great beam of white light. An unmatched prowess of presence and power, he watched as the undead Sister and sacrificial altar disappeared entirely, leaving nothing but a smoldering and smoking crater. And in that moment, the ominous and eerie sky suddenly shifted to a peaceful night sky, the thundering grey clouds disappearing and the lightning no more. Any remaining undead creature that was still lumbering about soon flopped to the ground and turned into dust, almost as if the entire incident never happened.

Mira soon descended down onto the ground, her cloak and crystal ball dissipating into crystalline sparks. The young girl nearly collapsed, a multitude of emotions plaguing her as she let out a sigh of relief, Akio soon catching her and allowing Mira to lean against her for support. The coffee-eyed girl only smiled down at the blonde.

"You did it, boss. There was nothing to worry about at all."

"Yes," Mira said, reciprocating the smile. "Thank you, Akio."

"Always, chief. Always."

Though this scenery of brief respite ended. A figure had dashed up the hill, half of his upper body being shown as his suit was pretty much smithereens at this point, Tiburon looked around. His wide grin having been replaced by a confused frown as he scanned the entirety of the cemetery for the undead Sister. Tiburon then looked to the two girls.

"Oi, midget, Amazon! Where the fuck's the old hag!?"

"Dead." Akio responded in a nonchalant manner. "Mira killed it."

"What the fuck..." He looked at Mira in disbelief. Then rushed up to her, "Are you fucking kidding me!? I was waiting for a long ass time and you just had to fucking ruin it! You stupid, Dwarf!"

Mira sighed and sneered. "Get away from me, Tiburon. You reek of blood and dirt."

"Like I give a shit about my smell right now! You took away my opponent, god dammit! I was just getting started by allowing her to get a few good hits on me! But that shit was nothing!"

"Exactly. If it was nothing, then it meant that you didn't have to go out at all," Akio replied, soon carrying Mira down the hill, bridal style. "Now come on, Tibur. Quit complaining. The job's done and we can finally go home."

"I'm not fucking done with you two, Amazon! I'm not fucking leaving until I get a goddamn good fight! Get the fuck back over here!"

"Aaahh.~ That's too much of a pain. Besides, if it's no sweat, I can give you a good brawl when we get back."

Tiburon only gritted his teeth and followed behind. "Arrgh, fine! But this isn't over, Amazon! Mark my words!"

"...I just told you I'd give you a brawl when we got back, didn't I?"

The two that had stayed behind watching the scuttle only looked on with bright expressions. That wasn't until Lieselotte spoke up.

"Mira's amazing, isn't she?"

"Yeah. She sure is. I thought Akio was joking, but she sure is powerful."

Liese was quiet for a moment. "Hey, Al... Is it okay if I call you that too?"

"Hmm? Uh, sure, I guess so..."

"Then, Al... Do you think you can... Help me be amazing like that too?"

He was about to respond, looking at Lieselotte with uncertainty. But that expression faltered, and for the first time ever, he blushed upon seeing such a soft and warm smile on her face. He wasn't sure how to respond, his pale grey eyes staring at her for quite a while before he looked away. And he could only utter one thing.

"...Yeah."