Noctis Noir

"Epsilon! I challenge you to a duel!" Magnus declared.

"This again? It's been three months already, you know?" Epsilon lazily leaned back on a couch in the Jupiter Headquarters lobby while eating a bowl of noodles. "So persistent. You should just give up and accept that I'm a better mage than you."

Frisk entered the room and approached them. "Epsilon, Magnus. You're being summoned by the guildmaster."

Magnus and Epsilon both stared at Frisk. "The guildmaster?"

"You got in trouble didn't you?" Epsilon looked at Magnus suspiciously.

"Of course not! I abide by the rules of this guild."

Epsilon and Magnus entered the guildmaster's office. While they were expecting a scolding, the guildmaster appeared delighted to see the both of them. He had some news to tell.

"Ah. You came."

"I'm thinking of resigning as guildmaster. I'm needed in the real world, so I have to leave my post for a long time. I won't be able to run the guild this way."

"But you're coming back right? Why not assign a temporary guildmaster to fill your place or have the second-in-command run it?" Magnus was taken aback by the sudden news.

"I'm not certain how long I will be away. I'd hate to keep others waiting. Besides, I think it's about time to pass the torch, which brings us to the reason why I called the both of you here." He paused. "You two are my candidates for the next guildmaster. All the other officers declined and would rather stay in their positions, so I looked through the other members who fit the following criteria: a player nearly as powerful as I am, with good leadership or strategizing skills, and who earned the respect of all the other members."

Epsilon tilted her head. "I'm still pretty new though. Are you sure it's ok for me to be a guildmaster?"

"You may be new, Epsilon, but you already hold the respect of the other mages in this guild. Do they not call you Lady Epsilon and allow you to command them? That, I believe, is an indication of leadership potential."

A drop of sweat trickled down Magnus' cheek. That's probably because she has a dominating attitude and the mages in the guild are m.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.ts, he thought.

The guildmaster continued, "I've witnessed your power through Magnus' consistent defeats in your duels. Most mages wouldn't dare challenge you to a duel, fearing they would humiliate themselves for losing to a new recruit."

The guildmaster's words were like a heavy boulder that landed on Magnus and crushed his poor mage soul.

"Anyway, I just wanted to let you know this ahead so you can think about accepting or declining once I make a decision. Hopefully, at least one of you will accept the position."

Magnus and Epsilon left the guildmaster's office once they were dismissed.

"Well that was unexpected," Epsilon spoke as soon as they were both out.

Magnus was quiet for a moment. "Are you thinking of accepting?"

"I still have to think about it. Are you?"

"It's always been my dream to be the guildmaster of Jupiter. Ever since I joined this guild, the Jupiter mages have been like my family. Sometimes I wonder if I have what it takes to run a guild this big and powerful. I'm still not as strong as the current guildmaster yet. What if I'll fail them?"

"You're like a strict hot-headed father who constantly scolds his kids. I'm sure you'll do fine."

Magnus wasn't sure how to react to her words. "Uhh... Thanks. I suppose?"

"You're welcome." She turned around to leave. "Oh yeah. If I do become guildmaster, I'll give everyone discount coupons to my family's noodle shop, so drop by and bring your friends, ok? See ya!"

Magnus didn't want to imagine how life would've been like if Epsilon became the guildmaster. She would probably make him her slave.

"I have to become the guildmaster no matter what!" he was determined. For the sake of his guild. For the sake of not becoming Epsilon's slave!

About a week passed before Epsilon and Magnus were called back to the guildmaster's office again. During that week, Magnus behaved as best as he could, performing exceptionally well at every task. Surely the guildmaster would see his potential instead of lazy Epsilon who spent her free time like usual eating noodles and reading comics! He was confident that he had the upper hand and would be chosen as the next guildmaster of Jupiter.

"I've decided! Epsilon will be the next guildmaster," announced the guildmaster.

"What!?" Magnus exclaimed. His plan failed.

Epsilon stayed silent for a moment. She glanced at Magnus who was too deep in shock to say anything. He was frozen like a statue. He would've made a good decoration for the fountain at the courtyard.

"I refuse," she calmly said.

The guildmaster was surprised. "But why?"

"Too much responsibility." She shrugged. "I think Magnus will do a better job than me."

She calmly walked out of the room as the guildmaster offered Magnus the position instead. Without hesitation, Magnus accepted the offer

"Razette!" Magnus chased after her in the hallway.

Epsilon looked annoyed after being called by her first name. "Are you trying to pick a fight?"

"What happened back there... Did you do that for me?"

"For you?" She raised a brow. "Don't get the wrong idea. Being guildmaster is too troublesome. I came here to relax, not to be weighed down by responsibility."

He struggled to get the words out. "Well, thanks anyway."

"You owe me one." She smirked and slapped discount coupons on his face before turning around to walk away.

Magnus stood in fear. What is she going to make me do?

Although Epsilon denied it, Magnus still believed that she was being considerate of him when she declined the position. Ever since then, he was a little softer on Epsilon.

***

"And that's all I know about Magnus." Epsilon reached for another bowl of noodles.

The girls moved to her bedroom for an impromptu sleepover to hear the rest of her narration. So far, they barely got any clue out of Epsilon's memories of Magnus. One thing they did learn, however, was that Magnus really cared about his guild. It didn't make sense to them why he would allow his guild to be harmed.

Luna was already asleep on the floor. Astrid was busy drawing whiskers on the sleeping knight's face with a marker.

"Anyway, it's almost three in the morning. If we're not going to watch horror movies or talk about something else, we might as well sleep."

Lyria sighed as she pulled her blanket. "In the end, we couldn't find a clue."

Astrid paused to think. "Maybe this lack of a clue is also a clue in itself."

"What do you mean?"

"Maybe we're missing something." She went to her makeshift bed made of pillows and a blanket from Epsilon's closet. "In the meantime, we should get some rest. We'll focus on getting information on Lyngvi tomorrow."

Lyngvi.

Lyria wondered what he was doing at the moment. Did he ever regret the things he did?

For the first time in a while, Lyria peacefully drifted off into a dreamless sleep.