Dragonfire II: The Twilight Invasion

Chapter 19: Times Gone By

Asami was sitting at a table in the library. It hadn't changed a bit since the first time she stepped foot in it. It maintained the solid white structure of Celestia, with aisles of books all around and a U-shaped desk in the back against the wall. The desk belonged to the Grand Librarian - a prestigious position to which a rather unqualified individual was assigned. The desk was in front of a door leading to the forbidden section. The forbidden section was where classified knowledge was kept. It was often believed to be an endless hall, via the use of magic. The truth was unknown, however, as very few were allowed inside. Even fewer decided to brave the deep parts of the forbidden section, as it was said to house more than documents and books. Returning to the library itself, a mezzanine area housed more aisles of books above. The area was well-lit via the use of torches, as well as floating candles. There were tables in both the primary part of the library and the mezzanine area above. These tables allowed people to sample books and the like prior to checking them out. Some even returned often to read books without taking them home. The library was, after all, within the castle. And most of its visitors lived just a few hallways down from it. Asami wasn't planning to take any books back to her chambers, so she was sitting at a table. It was only six o'clock, though the sun had since departed. It was early November, and the days got darker earlier. It reminded her of a time just a couple of years prior, when she was investigating the lab with Chichi-Chichi. Funnily enough, he was sitting right across from her. He still had big blue eyes, with an effeminate appearance. His hair had grown out a bit, to around shoulder length. It was still black, albeit with a blueish tint to it. His hair was somewhat odd in that manner, especially when compared to Albedo and Asami's signature blond hair. 

His attire had hardly changed, alongside his height. He wore his usual black academic robe, with red lining. Beneath this, he wore black pants and matching black sneakers. Curiously, he was wearing the purple headband from his old hat, though the hat itself was nowhere to be found. This wasn't Asami's focus, however. Chichi-Chichi had just set a few books down on the table, getting her attention. "According to Full-Metal, these are the books my teacher recommended when we were supposed to study ancient heroes, including Maverick Redmane." He said. His voice was still of a medium pitch, with a friendly, lovable tone. "So this is according to Dark...and not to you...?" Asami asked, "Well, yeah. I mean...I was asleep for most of those classes..." Chichi-Chichi answered. Dark, also known by his nickname "Full Metal," had returned since his strange disappearance two years prior. He appeared one year after the incident. According to him, taking over Chichi-Chichi's body and fighting had caused him to lose consciousness for an entire year. Though he said it wouldn't be like that for any future endeavors, Chichi-Chichi still wanted to exercise caution and only use the ability if necessary. Though that didn't stop Chichi-Chichi from relying on him to pass his schooling, apparently. Asami gave him a dirty look, though she didn't press the matter further. He was helping her, after all. "You're certain that the man in my visions is this...'Maverick Redmane?'" She asked, "Ehehe...no..." Chichi-Chichi answered, "Well...I guess it's better than nothing." Asami said. She did not wish to ask anyone else about her visions, though she trusted Chichi-Chichi. He was their cousin, after all. 

"I mean...I'm like fifty percent sure. Full Metal once mentioned that he wore a belt buckle with his name on it. And the belt you found has the initials 'MR' on it. Plus a lot of the details line up. Both of them have one arm, both of them have red hair, and both of them sailed the seas." Chichi-Chichi responded, "And you can't just call Dark? I'm sure he would know." Asami asked, "Sadly...no. Typically our connection is perfect, and I can talk to him whenever. But recently it's been...hazy. Like something is somehow interfering." Chichi-Chichi answered, "Is that even possible? Isn't he a part of you? It should be impossible to interfere with that..." Asami asked, "Well, he is a part of me, but he isn't attached to me if that makes sense. He exists in a sort of spiritual world and is connected directly to me. Neither of us knows why or how, but it's been that way since I was a baby. But since he exists in a spiritual world, I guess some sort of...spirit magic is interfering? I have no idea how...but that's the only explanation I could come up with." Chichi-Chichi answered, "So basically...some sort of bigger, more powerful spirit is causing interference between your connection? That seems...strange." Asami said, "Well, we're connected by magic. If the same type of magic is nearby, only more powerful, then it can absorb that magic. Like if you shoot a fireball into a larger fireball, the smaller one will just be absorbed. It's like something is somehow absorbing the magic connecting us." Chichi-Chichi responded, "Huh...do you think it could be Maverick Redmane?" Asami asked, "Ehh...maybe? I mean, if he is a spirit, then his magic could be breaking my connection to Full Metal. It's possible that his magic is so strong that he's passively breaking our connection. But if that's the case, then why is it happening now? Where has he been all this time?" Chichi-Chichi answered.