Alitia: Welcome to Millenia

XXXVIII: Keeper of Moonlight

There was about an hour left until the group was expected to meet up as a collected unit of eleven, and S.M. was running about in Millennium City.

On something of an impulse decision, she decided to head into the town to buy welcoming gifts for Nebula, Anneliese, and Cessair. None of them had enjoyed the company of the full group before aside from Nebula, and S.M. wanted to give the two new arrivals something. As for Nebula, S.M. thought she deserved something positive related to the group after the attack at the hands of the Possession Master.

S.M. was on the side of Millennium City nearest to Sacred Heart, looking in store windows for the best gifts to buy. A fashionista, a princess, and a fish were rather diverse people to be buying gifts for, but S.M. at least wanted to make an effort.

She walked into a store that sold colored water lamps. There was a light at the center of a column of water within a glass container. The bottom of the lamp was decorated with what appeared to be a map of Rivergold, the land Cessair was from. It was the home of all people who were partially fish and could breathe underwater.

S.M. had never been one to appreciate maps or diagrams, but the detail in the decoration at the bottom of the lamp was enough to catch her attention. She picked it up and examined the lamp in full. It was heavy, but not too much so. It was surely something a history fan like Cessair would enjoy.

S.M. purchased the lamp, watching as the cashier wrapped it in paper before tucking it into a box and then into a bag. S.M. thanked the woman working the counter on her way out, the bell above the door ringing as she left.

She hadn't realized how close she was to Sacred Heart until she left the store. She looked up at the towering school. The only time she had been inside was when the Possession Master sent Myra and Chester to invade it before the break. It had been the place where she unlocked her Isolis, but she still didn't really associate it with positive memories.

S.M. paused before she could walk away from the school. There was a familiar figure walking towards the woods that surrounded the school. She frowned. "Is that Jesper?" she murmured. "What is he doing here?"

Jesper followed Anneliese around no matter what, and if he was here, she was bound to be nearby... But why would she be in Sacred Heart? She was supposed to come to Alitia before they went to Sacred Heart as a group to pick up Nebula. Jesper wasn't even meant to be with them for the afternoon, so what in the world was he doing so far from Loduke, and alone at that?

He was walking slowly through the streets before entering the woods. S.M. frowned to herself further as she realized how unnatural his movements seemed. It was as if he didn't have control over his body.

S.M. swore under her breath. He was under the control of the Possession Master.

Part of her wanted to fight him then and there, snap him out of the possession, but a larger segment of her brain reminded her what this would lead to. If he was under the influence of the Possession Master, he had a reason to go to Sacred Heart. What if the hint to finding the Possession Master all revolved around Jesper going to Sacred Heart?

She decided to keep quiet as she followed him away from Millennium City and into the woods. She had never been a fan of nature hikes or anything similar. The bugs found within trees were far from her friends, and while she could tolerate it, nothing could make her enjoy a walk through the woods. Unfortunately, she didn't have much of a choice now.

Jesper wound up outside the doors of Sacred Heart soon after. He didn't walk inside immediately, instead standing outside the entrance, still as could be. S.M. couldn't even tell if he was breathing. She watched him from a distance as he left the entrance behind to circle around the outside of the school.