FGO Specter of Glass

Xiatian la Vue Ch1

"So, I was thinking about our next performance, and it might be fun to do a duet. Shelo, you can sing, right?" A girl with dark blue hair that had sparkles in it tapped on the door with her foot. "Guy? I'm carrying a heavy bag. Can you let me in?"

She balanced the box on her knee and opened the door enough for her to catch the box and push open the door fully. What she saw made her drop everything. The mangled corpses of her friends were spread on the floor, and their blood was splattered on the wall. She went to one whose face was covered in claw marks and disfigured to the point of being unrecognizable. When she turned to call for help, a ball hit her head, and she found that a crowd had gathered. They stood horrified, believing that she was the one who did it. They called for justice, praying to the god of crystals to summon enforcers to catch her.

A figure rose from the ground, it was covered in a white cloak, missing a face, and had long arms that went to grab her. She fell backward and noticed the orb around her neck turned black, meaning she was branded a criminal. The enforcer was agitated. Those who resisted capture were to be chased down and, if need be, killed. She ran past the people who were screaming for her arrest and pushed through the doors to avoid capture. Other enforcers appeared to catch her, and she had no choice but to head to the forest, a place known to be difficult for them to traverse due to its density, and since it was outside the town, the power that controlled them was weaker.

She leaned against a tree, waiting for the enforcers to pass by before she snuck into a small cave. Her blue dress was covered in dirt as she slowly walked down the corridor, and she eventually had to bring out a grey jacket with golden decor to protect herself from the cold. Though it was a gift from one of her friends, she had to use it. She sat when she felt like she was far enough inside that the enforcers wouldn't find her and curled up into a ball, hugging her legs. She never imagined she'd be branded as a criminal. She tried so hard to be good, to follow the rules, and to be perfect. She wished she were there to help her friends, maybe save them, but she wasn't.

She pulled out a small music box and held it. It was a gift from one of her friends who carved their names in it and had a song they made inside. She turned it to see the name "Shelo" and buried her head in her legs. She made a promise that they'd be together forever. They grew up together in a small town and have been musicians since they were young. They started the band when they got older and hoped they'd play all over the world. They got popular enough to perform for the royal family a few times and had the request to play for the eldest prince's coronation. But it had been years since then, and they never got the chance.

"Welcome to Xiatian la Vue," Laurine kicked up some dirt. "My stomping grounds."

"Speaking of which," Yu got behind her and shoved her. "Aren't you going to tell us about this whole thing about your family being exiled, yet somehow you're still allowed in?"

"I made a deal with the king... I'm not proud of it, okay?" Laurine sighed. "Since my husband worked for him, he let me do international business to keep me out of the realm while technically still being part of it."

"Is that all?"

"It is. I don't have any other connections to him, and you're free to ask any of the council members once we meet them. And didn't I tell you to stay in the shadows? The enforcers can't know you exist."

"Because of this little thing?" Yu held her blackened orb. "Fine."

Yu fled the shadows as Helena readjusted her hair, "I think we should check out the bookstore once we're done with our meeting. I need to replace the book Beryl took from me."

"You changed back?" Carmen noticed Helena's appearance was the same as her caster form.

"Oh, yeah, K'baa is gone, so I'm a caster again. But check this out," she summoned snakes around her. "He let me keep some skills."