elapt1c/ElapticAI-512 · Datasets at Hugging Face

text stringlengths 0 149M
You must have misheard. They are not, he said.
I know they are. I have some business with them, so oh, just open the damned door already. Lilly s voice turned cold and harsh, a far cry from her usual bouts of involuntary swearing.
Ngh Forgive me, Ms. Rae, Ms. Claire. It would appear I was too late, Mr. Torrid said.
Wh-what do you mean? Claire asked. We couldn t hide our confusion as to what was going on.
Mr. Torrid reluctantly walked over and unlocked the door.
Good afternoon, Rae, Miss Claire. The one who walked in was unmistakably Lilly but something was off about her. You need to quit being so stubborn, Torrid. We re always watching you. There s no point in trying to trick us.
I beg you, leave them out of this! he pleaded.
Oh, stop it You re making me look like the bad guy here. Far from it, I m here to help these two. Lilly smiled coldly. The sense of unease I felt heightened.
You re not Lilly, are you? Claire asked, her magic wand already at the ready.
Very astute, Miss Claire. I figured you d be the first to realize. You re correct, I am not Lilly. But that doesn t matter right now. I ll free her once we re done.
It couldn t be Salas?! I exclaimed, thinking he had used his hypnosis magic on Lilly.
No, that man has nothing to do with this, Mr. Torrid said. She is an apostle.
Lilly rather, the apostle smiled broadly at Mr. Torrid s words.

***

Apostle? Claire said, puzzled.
Even I, with my knowledge from having played Revolution, didn t know what Mr. Torrid meant.
Why don t we sit down and talk? Oh, no tea for me, thank you, the apostle with Lilly s face said.
Mr. Torrid, Claire, and I looked warily at each other, but we ultimately concluded it would be best to do as this entity said.
We sat around the four sides of the table, with the apostle sitting nearest the entrance and Mr. Torrid sitting furthest. Claire and I took the remaining sides.
Why don t I start by introducing myself? Oh, I already know all about you three, so don t worry about introducing yourselves, the apostle teased. I nodded, seeing no reason to object. The apostle smiled, satisfied, before continuing. We are known as the apostles. We carry out the will of the Spiritual Church by intervening behind the scenes to maintain the balance of the world.
What s your connection to Lilly? Are you her split personality? Claire asked. There were a lot of questions dying to be asked, but this seemed the most pressing. No matter how you looked at it, Lilly wasn t herself right now. I hoped she was all right.
Lilly Lilium is indeed asleep at the moment, but I am not some split personality of hers. That personality is a product of Salas Lilium s meddling, and he is already a part of her, the apostle answered.
What did she mean by that? Had Lilly s split personality already been synthesized into her or something? But there were more pressing questions.
Just what in the world are you, then? Claire asked.
Like I said, an apostle. An individual who borrows the bodies of Spiritual Church members to maintain the balance of the world. We re the fixers, if you will.
I felt out of my depth all of a sudden. What was she talking about?
You mentioned you intervene with the world, but what exactly does that entail? Claire asked.
I can t quite tell you our secrets, but it involves warning and monitoring any humans who come too close to learning the inner workings of the world.
Essentially what had happened to Mr. Torrid, then. Did that mean the inner workings of the world had something to do with magic?
So you re here to issue us a warning? Claire asked. That seemed like the obvious assumption, with how things were going, but to my surprise, the apostle shook her head.
No. I m here today to make sure you get the strength you seek.
Huh? I murmured, perplexed. Why would a group focused on manipulating the world behind the scenes want to help us?
You are both too weak to fight the demons. I thought granting you blessed weapons would be enough, but apparently not, the apostle said.
Wait were you Lilly at that time? Claire asked.
No, that was the true Lilly Lilium. However, the one who granted her the weapons to offer was us, the will of the Church. So she claimed. She was the spitting image of Lilly, though. If the apostle had been imitating her speech and conduct, I would have had no way to tell them apart.
Let s get back on topic, the apostle continued. I want Torrid Magic to teach the two of you the basics of true magic.
Enough! Don t involve them any further! Mr. Torrid exclaimed.
The apostle smiled thinly. You misunderstand, Torrid Magic.
How so?
These two aren t involved in anything due to your actions. The Spiritual Church simply needs them alive, and you just so happen to be useful for that purpose.
I took a quick glance at Claire. She looked back at me and nodded, having arrived at the same conclusion as me: The apostle s manner of speaking resembled that of the demons we d met. We didn t yet know the significance of that, but it was clear they both regarded Claire and me as special in some way.
What do you mean? Mr. Torrid asked.
That is not for you to know, Torrid Magic. Rae Taylor and Claire Fran ois, on the other hand, will be told when the time comes. The apostle coldly brushed off Mr. Torrid s question before turning to Claire and me. You must increase your proficiency in magic at least to the point where you can do tandem casting.
Tandem casting? Claire asked.
The apostle nodded. Common spells are performed by a single individual, and these fall under the category of solo casting. The opposite, tandem casting, involves multiple casters performing one spell.
Is such a thing even possible? Claire asked.
It is. You can ask Torrid Magic for the details. He s already figured out the underlying theory.
Wait! Mr. Torrid cried. Tandem casting is too risky! The conditions are exceptionally difficult, and if you fail
Right, right. The casters will experience backlash, the apostle said nonchalantly.
Judging by Mr. Torrid s reaction, said backlash was something to be feared.
There s no need to worry, though, the apostle said. I guarantee these two girls won t experience any backlash.
How can you be so sure?
Again, that is not for you to know, Torrid Magic. All you need to do is teach these two how to perform tandem casting.
Mr. Torrid wore a vexed look. The apostle s attitude toward him had been awful so far as though she considered him nothing more than a tool, meant to be used.
How rude! Claire exclaimed. If you re going to ask someone for something, the least you can do is show some courtesy!
The apostle looked bewildered for a moment, before bursting into laughter. Hee hee aha ha ha ha!
Wh-what s so funny? Claire asked.
Oh, forgive me. I couldn t help but laugh at the absurdity of your statement. It s as though you think we apostles are human.
Huh?! Are you not?!
No, we are not.
I felt like the more I heard, the less I understood. The ones controlling this world from the wings weren t even human? Then just what were they?
And what was this world?
The apostle continued. We Yes, for now, you can think of us as someone with ties to the Spirit God.
Huh? Claire frowned.
There s a more fitting term, but I doubt you would be familiar with it, Claire Fran ois. Although The apostle paused and looked toward me. I suppose Rae Taylor might be.
I hadn t a clue what the apostle could be alluding to or much else of what she had been saying, for that matter.
Anyway. Rae Taylor, Claire Fran ois, please learn the basics of tandem casting from Torrid Magic and master it as best you can.
And if we refuse? Claire asked.
You won t.
What makes you say that?
I know you won t pass up the opportunity to obtain the strength needed to defend your family.
Humph. Claire huffed. The apostle was right on the money. Claire and I would do anything to better protect our family.
I shall take my leave, then. This girl s about to wake up soon, anyway. The apostle vacated her seat. She moved toward the door, then stopped and turned. Oh, right, one last thing. Keep this a secret or something just might happen to May and Aleah.
Claire shot the apostle a fierce stare, but she simply left, showing no indication of caring.
That was our first contact with the apostle no, the truth of the world.

***

I don t quite understand what s going on, but I cannot defy the apostle s orders. I ll teach you everything I know.
As soon as the apostle left, Mr. Torrid agreed to teach us the basics of a new form of magic. We moved to a vacant lot to the rear of the Bauer dorm. I thought it was a little narrow for practicing magic, but he said it would do fine.
Claire and I withdrew our wands and waited for his instruction.
The apostle already said as much, but I ll reiterate just in case: I ll be teaching you a technique called tandem casting. Think of it as multiple people working together to cast a single spell.
Is such a thing even possible? Claire asked.
Yes. Well, in theory it is, Mr. Torrid replied. It sounded like it was tricky to put the theory into practice. Are you familiar with the fact that there are different types of human blood?
I ve heard of it. Something about certain types not being compatible with others, Claire answered.
They were talking about blood types. This world lacked my world s level of medical knowledge, but it seemed they had still somehow managed to work out blood had a variety of compositions.
It s as you say, Ms. Claire. Magic, like blood, can be compatible or incompatible as well. Tandem casting requires the casters to mix their magic, but if their magic is not compatible, there will be a rejection. At worst, this can lead to death.
He paused for a moment.
Using this theory as a basis, I made that ring I sealed away in the Box of the Forbidden. The ring amplifies a certain type of magic but causes those incompatible with it to go berserk. I ve sacrificed countless people, including my own daughter. And yet my research has accomplished next to nothing, he said, voice laden with self-derision.
Oh, Mr. Torrid Claire tried to comfort him.
Ah, forgive me. Now s not the time for me to wallow in self-pity, is it? Let s continue. The mixing of magic is a requirement for tandem casting. Let s start by having you two practice overlapping your power.
I was suddenly reminded of my time as a student at the Royal Academy. Claire and I had received our first lesson with Mr. Torrid in a moment quite like this, not long before I encountered Ralaire. It hadn t been more than two years, but it felt like an eternity ago perhaps a testament to just how fulfilling my time with Claire had been.
Please start by holding hands, he said.
Like this? Claire asked as she held my hand. If this were the old Claire, she would have complained about having to touch a filthy commoner s fingers. Oh, how she had changed
Tighter, please. Interlace your fingers one by one, he said.
Oh, like lovers? I said.
L-L-L-L-Lo-Lovers?! Claire exclaimed. Despite her shock, she obeyed his instruction. We d long been close enough to share nights in each other s embrace, yet there were still times when she acted like a child experiencing her first love. Oh, how adorable she was.
I understand your hesitation, Ms. Claire, but this is a necessary step. Now, please focus on each other s presence, he said.

You must have misheard. They are not, he said.

I know they are. I have some business with them, so oh, just open the damned door already. Lilly s voice turned cold and harsh, a far cry from her usual bouts of involuntary swearing.

Ngh Forgive me, Ms. Rae, Ms. Claire. It would appear I was too late, Mr. Torrid said.

Wh-what do you mean? Claire asked. We couldn t hide our confusion as to what was going on.

Mr. Torrid reluctantly walked over and unlocked the door.

Good afternoon, Rae, Miss Claire. The one who walked in was unmistakably Lilly but something was off about her. You need to quit being so stubborn, Torrid. We re always watching you. There s no point in trying to trick us.

I beg you, leave them out of this! he pleaded.

Oh, stop it You re making me look like the bad guy here. Far from it, I m here to help these two. Lilly smiled coldly. The sense of unease I felt heightened.

You re not Lilly, are you? Claire asked, her magic wand already at the ready.

Very astute, Miss Claire. I figured you d be the first to realize. You re correct, I am not Lilly. But that doesn t matter right now. I ll free her once we re done.

It couldn t be Salas?! I exclaimed, thinking he had used his hypnosis magic on Lilly.

No, that man has nothing to do with this, Mr. Torrid said. She is an apostle.

Lilly rather, the apostle smiled broadly at Mr. Torrid s words.

***

Apostle? Claire said, puzzled.

Even I, with my knowledge from having played Revolution, didn t know what Mr. Torrid meant.

Why don t we sit down and talk? Oh, no tea for me, thank you, the apostle with Lilly s face said.

Mr. Torrid, Claire, and I looked warily at each other, but we ultimately concluded it would be best to do as this entity said.

We sat around the four sides of the table, with the apostle sitting nearest the entrance and Mr. Torrid sitting furthest. Claire and I took the remaining sides.

Why don t I start by introducing myself? Oh, I already know all about you three, so don t worry about introducing yourselves, the apostle teased. I nodded, seeing no reason to object. The apostle smiled, satisfied, before continuing. We are known as the apostles. We carry out the will of the Spiritual Church by intervening behind the scenes to maintain the balance of the world.

What s your connection to Lilly? Are you her split personality? Claire asked. There were a lot of questions dying to be asked, but this seemed the most pressing. No matter how you looked at it, Lilly wasn t herself right now. I hoped she was all right.

Lilly Lilium is indeed asleep at the moment, but I am not some split personality of hers. That personality is a product of Salas Lilium s meddling, and he is already a part of her, the apostle answered.

What did she mean by that? Had Lilly s split personality already been synthesized into her or something? But there were more pressing questions.

Just what in the world are you, then? Claire asked.

Like I said, an apostle. An individual who borrows the bodies of Spiritual Church members to maintain the balance of the world. We re the fixers, if you will.

I felt out of my depth all of a sudden. What was she talking about?

You mentioned you intervene with the world, but what exactly does that entail? Claire asked.

I can t quite tell you our secrets, but it involves warning and monitoring any humans who come too close to learning the inner workings of the world.

Essentially what had happened to Mr. Torrid, then. Did that mean the inner workings of the world had something to do with magic?

So you re here to issue us a warning? Claire asked. That seemed like the obvious assumption, with how things were going, but to my surprise, the apostle shook her head.

No. I m here today to make sure you get the strength you seek.

Huh? I murmured, perplexed. Why would a group focused on manipulating the world behind the scenes want to help us?

You are both too weak to fight the demons. I thought granting you blessed weapons would be enough, but apparently not, the apostle said.

Wait were you Lilly at that time? Claire asked.

No, that was the true Lilly Lilium. However, the one who granted her the weapons to offer was us, the will of the Church. So she claimed. She was the spitting image of Lilly, though. If the apostle had been imitating her speech and conduct, I would have had no way to tell them apart.

Let s get back on topic, the apostle continued. I want Torrid Magic to teach the two of you the basics of true magic.

Enough! Don t involve them any further! Mr. Torrid exclaimed.

The apostle smiled thinly. You misunderstand, Torrid Magic.

How so?

These two aren t involved in anything due to your actions. The Spiritual Church simply needs them alive, and you just so happen to be useful for that purpose.

I took a quick glance at Claire. She looked back at me and nodded, having arrived at the same conclusion as me: The apostle s manner of speaking resembled that of the demons we d met. We didn t yet know the significance of that, but it was clear they both regarded Claire and me as special in some way.

What do you mean? Mr. Torrid asked.

That is not for you to know, Torrid Magic. Rae Taylor and Claire Fran ois, on the other hand, will be told when the time comes. The apostle coldly brushed off Mr. Torrid s question before turning to Claire and me. You must increase your proficiency in magic at least to the point where you can do tandem casting.

Tandem casting? Claire asked.

The apostle nodded. Common spells are performed by a single individual, and these fall under the category of solo casting. The opposite, tandem casting, involves multiple casters performing one spell.

Is such a thing even possible? Claire asked.

It is. You can ask Torrid Magic for the details. He s already figured out the underlying theory.

Wait! Mr. Torrid cried. Tandem casting is too risky! The conditions are exceptionally difficult, and if you fail

Right, right. The casters will experience backlash, the apostle said nonchalantly.

Judging by Mr. Torrid s reaction, said backlash was something to be feared.

There s no need to worry, though, the apostle said. I guarantee these two girls won t experience any backlash.

How can you be so sure?

Again, that is not for you to know, Torrid Magic. All you need to do is teach these two how to perform tandem casting.

Mr. Torrid wore a vexed look. The apostle s attitude toward him had been awful so far as though she considered him nothing more than a tool, meant to be used.

How rude! Claire exclaimed. If you re going to ask someone for something, the least you can do is show some courtesy!

The apostle looked bewildered for a moment, before bursting into laughter. Hee hee aha ha ha ha!

Wh-what s so funny? Claire asked.

Oh, forgive me. I couldn t help but laugh at the absurdity of your statement. It s as though you think we apostles are human.

Huh?! Are you not?!

No, we are not.

I felt like the more I heard, the less I understood. The ones controlling this world from the wings weren t even human? Then just what were they?

And what was this world?

The apostle continued. We Yes, for now, you can think of us as someone with ties to the Spirit God.

Huh? Claire frowned.

There s a more fitting term, but I doubt you would be familiar with it, Claire Fran ois. Although The apostle paused and looked toward me. I suppose Rae Taylor might be.

I hadn t a clue what the apostle could be alluding to or much else of what she had been saying, for that matter.

Anyway. Rae Taylor, Claire Fran ois, please learn the basics of tandem casting from Torrid Magic and master it as best you can.

And if we refuse? Claire asked.

You won t.

What makes you say that?

I know you won t pass up the opportunity to obtain the strength needed to defend your family.

Humph. Claire huffed. The apostle was right on the money. Claire and I would do anything to better protect our family.

I shall take my leave, then. This girl s about to wake up soon, anyway. The apostle vacated her seat. She moved toward the door, then stopped and turned. Oh, right, one last thing. Keep this a secret or something just might happen to May and Aleah.

Claire shot the apostle a fierce stare, but she simply left, showing no indication of caring.

That was our first contact with the apostle no, the truth of the world.

***

I don t quite understand what s going on, but I cannot defy the apostle s orders. I ll teach you everything I know.

As soon as the apostle left, Mr. Torrid agreed to teach us the basics of a new form of magic. We moved to a vacant lot to the rear of the Bauer dorm. I thought it was a little narrow for practicing magic, but he said it would do fine.

Claire and I withdrew our wands and waited for his instruction.

The apostle already said as much, but I ll reiterate just in case: I ll be teaching you a technique called tandem casting. Think of it as multiple people working together to cast a single spell.

Is such a thing even possible? Claire asked.

Yes. Well, in theory it is, Mr. Torrid replied. It sounded like it was tricky to put the theory into practice. Are you familiar with the fact that there are different types of human blood?

I ve heard of it. Something about certain types not being compatible with others, Claire answered.

They were talking about blood types. This world lacked my world s level of medical knowledge, but it seemed they had still somehow managed to work out blood had a variety of compositions.

It s as you say, Ms. Claire. Magic, like blood, can be compatible or incompatible as well. Tandem casting requires the casters to mix their magic, but if their magic is not compatible, there will be a rejection. At worst, this can lead to death.

He paused for a moment.

Using this theory as a basis, I made that ring I sealed away in the Box of the Forbidden. The ring amplifies a certain type of magic but causes those incompatible with it to go berserk. I ve sacrificed countless people, including my own daughter. And yet my research has accomplished next to nothing, he said, voice laden with self-derision.

Oh, Mr. Torrid Claire tried to comfort him.

Ah, forgive me. Now s not the time for me to wallow in self-pity, is it? Let s continue. The mixing of magic is a requirement for tandem casting. Let s start by having you two practice overlapping your power.

I was suddenly reminded of my time as a student at the Royal Academy. Claire and I had received our first lesson with Mr. Torrid in a moment quite like this, not long before I encountered Ralaire. It hadn t been more than two years, but it felt like an eternity ago perhaps a testament to just how fulfilling my time with Claire had been.

Please start by holding hands, he said.

Like this? Claire asked as she held my hand. If this were the old Claire, she would have complained about having to touch a filthy commoner s fingers. Oh, how she had changed

Tighter, please. Interlace your fingers one by one, he said.

Oh, like lovers? I said.

L-L-L-L-Lo-Lovers?! Claire exclaimed. Despite her shock, she obeyed his instruction. We d long been close enough to share nights in each other s embrace, yet there were still times when she acted like a child experiencing her first love. Oh, how adorable she was.

I understand your hesitation, Ms. Claire, but this is a necessary step. Now, please focus on each other s presence, he said.