‘Power level has dropped back to 1.5 million points…’
If a stranger were to look at Yuuno Scrya right now, they would assume that all of his concentration was being used to maintain the barrier while the trial went on below. However, only a portion of his mind was staying focused on the barrier while the rest of his mental capacity was aimed at analyzing the data feedback.
‘Her power spikes only when she goes on the attack. She’s got good control over her body processes to maximize energy usage and efficiency.’ He paused for a moment. ‘Or perhaps it’s her device that’s doing that for her?’
It was just another question to add to the list. Honestly, there were way too many mysteries that surrounded this woman. Until he got a few things cleared up and a proper blood test to confirm her genetic identity, it was going to be difficult to answer the one question that burned on his mind… that probably burned on everyone’s mind.
Was this woman the genuine Sankt Kaiser? Is she truly Olivie Segbrecht?
The immediate answer that would pop up in anyone’s mind is a definite no. She was reported to have died during the end of the Unification Wars almost a century ago. So the most likely explanation, based on the fact that she’s dead, was that she’s one of the earlier clones born out of Project F. Given that the experiment had spanned for decades, it was the only explanation that made sense to allow her to grow up to this age naturally, master her abilities and her device, an actual authentic and unusual one from the time of Belka. But there was a problem with that theory.
When the Unification War ended, the Church’s predecessor took possession of Olivie’s personal items that survived the last climactic battle that claimed the Hegemon’s home and most of his world. They had intended to look after the trinkets for safe keeping but somehow, those trinkets ended up playing a key part in forming the Church.
The essays that dictated how she perceived life and acceptable behaviour had served as their scriptures. An old garment with a sample of her blood served as a revered holy artifact until it was stolen in 0065. If one wanted to get a genetic sample of the last Kaiser, getting that shroud would be the only way to do it aside from looking through the Saint’s Cradle itself (which would be a long and tedious task). When the Cradle had been destroyed in September of 0075 that meant that no more clones of the Kaiser’s bloodline can be created as Vivio was safe in the care of the Bureau and the Church.
So the clone theory had a few holes. He accepted that and filed that away for further study while considering a new theory, based on the fact that she somehow survived the end of the War.
The last known witness to her whereabouts was Ingvalt if the memoirs were correct. He had tried to stop her from sacrificing herself to end the Cradle’s rampage across worlds. Apparently, someone else had managed to put an end to things while something happened to Olivie that allowed her to live in this time, only a few years older than her last recorded appearance.
‘Perhaps she had fought a battle and ended up in some sort of temporal suspension as a side effect of the magic used by her enemies?’ It seemed a very plausible explanation although he would have thought that she would have been stuck on Shutra and lost forever in her frozen state.
“Hi, Yuuno-kun!”
“Hi, Nanoha,” replied the Librarian automatically before going back to his theorizing and shielding tasks. ‘Did someone move her frozen body to Vaizen where she eventually became free, found that orphan boy and became his guar-’
Time out for a second. Stop with the theorizing and direct your sight towards your love interest/childhood friend who’s pressing her face against the observation window.
Yuuno’s subconscious finally got him out of his deep academic state of mind and back to reality. “Nanoha, what are you doing here?”
“Heard about this combat test going on from Subaru and Touma-kun and we all came here together to observe!” She hummed in delight as she felt the light vibrations on her skin from the glass. “They must be giving it maximum effort in there and having a lot of fun!”
‘Hayate, when was she allowed in? And are you sure this is something she should know about immediately? She’s going to want answers that we can’t give right now!’
‘I know that,’ was the tired telepathic answer that came from the Lieutenant Colonel. ‘But considering who’s really in there and how gossip can spread like wildfire on the base, I figure it’s best to get her in the loop now.’
‘I guess you have a point…’ He could only imagine what kind of insanity could have come up all due to misunderstandings on Nanoha’s part.
Speaking of Nanoha, she turned around to face Hayate. “So where is this person who’s fighting Signum? And can I get next fight afterwards?”
“You’re gonna get your butt kicked. Nothing personal though,” said Touma.
“Touma, don’t say stuff like that!” Subaru laughed nervously as all other eyes turned towards him for a moment.
Nanoha’s smile still remained on her face. “Well, I won’t lose easily! I have a few tricks up my sleeve too. Now, can I get a turn in later?”
“O-oi! Just what are you thinking, you dummy?!” exclaimed Vita.
“Ah, I see. You saw that fighter first so you want dibs. Am I right, Vita-chan?”
The Knight of the Iron Hammer just twitched at the other woman’s behaviour. “Good grief, you’re such a kid! Stop getting the wrong idea!”
“Nyahaha…” The vibrations on the glass stopped as the combatants down below broke apart after their latest clash. It also allowed for Nanoha to get a good look at who was facing Signum while there was a lull in the fighting.
The Knight herself was on the left side, the shoulder sections of her outer Knight’s clothing rather tattered. She was breathing a bit harder than usual, most likely due to just how strong her opponent was.
And on the right… was a blue clad woman in an armour set and blue garments. The blue fabric was singed, probably a result of this warrior blocking Signum’s flames earlier. She took her time in catching her breath as well while her mismatched eyes kept focused on the enemy ahead.
Those mismatched eyes that were very familiar to Nanoha by now as she felt herself go pale. “That’s…!”
“Before you jump to any conclusions Nanoha-san, please make sure you understand this key fact,” said Carim calmly. “That is not your daughter down there. Otto had contacted me earlier, confirming that she has picked up your child and is on her way here.”
“Then what…?”
Hayate struggled for a quick explanation of the woman’s identity. “If anything, I guess we can call her Vivio’s biological mom?”
Nanoha just stared. “… …”
“It is technically true,” said Yuuno to break the awkward silence. “Honestly, with the feedback of combat data I’ve been getting, it feels like the theory of her being the original Olivie Segbrecht is gaining a bit more weight. Speed, reaction time, attack pattern strategy… all that could only be developed through many years of training.”
While that sank into the heads of the others, Touma voiced a different question. “Wait a sec… now I have a sister too?”
“If you’re the son of Her Majesty, then I guess she would count as your sister.” Carim paused for a moment. “Or would she be like an Aunt?”
“Huh?”
“It’s… complicated. But we’ll explain everything to you and your mother once Vivio gets here,” promised the Saint Church Director. Hopefully by the time they were ready for that conversation, she could figure out just where those three stood in the Belkan Imperial Family Hierarchy and explain things accordingly.
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(Posted Fri, 01 Jul 2011 16:24)
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