She'd lost count of the times she'd looked up, hoping to catch a glimpse of the sky she loved. Yet, as always, it remained beyond her reach. No matter where she turned, all she saw was the bleak darkness of the never-ending cave system.
For the first couple of days, she hadn't found it all that bothersome. Claustrophobia wasn't her thing, and the idea of being underground held a certain thrill, reminding her of the adventures beneath Baumgarten. However, as days stretched into weeks and weeks into months, resentment began to simmer.
With a sigh, Viola lowered her gaze. There was no sky, no breeze, no sunlight. For a Wind Mage like her, it was incredibly stifling. She hated this place, hated it with a passion. And her dislike didn't just stem from the fact that she was confined underground. If this had been all, she would have been able to deal with it somehow. No, it was everything else that made this place unbearable — the people, the atmosphere, their mission, everything.
Viola let out another sigh. How long had she been here? She had lost count. It was strange how fast the concept of time lost its meaning once the natural day cycle was removed from the equation. Without the sun or moon, there was no night or day. But Viola was sure that it had been months, at least.
Why had Gramps sent her here? Of all the assignments she could have undertaken during her third year, this had been her last choice. Or rather, it would have been if she had known of this place.
Viola peeked down from the giant boulder she had perched herself on. Below lay the fortified camp she was a part of. The Earth Mages must have worked tirelessly to excavate these caves, and the camp was still expanding. Hundreds were working at any given time. This was the Arkanheim military at its finest.
The Earth Mages expanded the tunnels, the Fire Mages provided warmth, the Water Mages supplied water, and the Wind Mages guaranteed fresh air. Like a well-oiled machine, the entire battalion worked in perfect sync.
Viola looked back at the tunnel they had come from. There, she could see the smiths and Metal Mages hard at work. They were installing flat metal bars, fastening them to the ground — tracks, they had called them.
Of course, Viola knew the purpose of their work. She had seen the train of carriages that drove on those tracks. Weekly, the heavily armored monstrosity arrived to deliver food and other goods. Even though she hated this place, she was still impressed with the ingenuity of the design. How could something so large move without being pushed or pulled? It had to be a dwarven design if she had to guess.
SCREEEEEE!!
Just then, her musings were interrupted by the arrival of the very object of her thoughts. While being relatively silent during its travel, the same could not be said for its brakes. The screech the train of carriages produced while decelerating was truly unpleasant. It sounded like nails on a chalkboard.
Despite the grating sound, a smile emerged on her face. She had waited up here for the arrival of the supplies. Of course, Viola wasn't excited about the foodstuffs or liquor, as many of the others were. No, she cared about something entirely different.
With cat-like grace, Viola lept off the bolder and floated down to the arriving supply train. With unerring accuracy, she approached the second to last carriage in the convoy. Just before she alighted, the door swung open.
A fat man stepped out of the carriage and took out a rolled cigar from his jacket. With a delighted look on his face, he sniffed it, inhaling the scent of the dried leaves. Clearly, he had anticipated the moment he could finally light it.
Viola smirked, speeding up as much as she could. She circled the man, snatching the cigar from his hand. Immediately, he noticed the absence of the pleasant smell and opened his eyes. When he found the cigar missing, his face turned red in an instant.
"VIOLA!"
Viola snickered as she lazily flew in circles, just out of reach. Of course, as a Grand Mage, the man would be able to restrain her. But that came with its own set of problems. With his Earth affinity, capturing her was no easy feat without risking injuring her severely. And Viola knew the man well enough to be confident he wouldn't go that far over a prank.
Seeing her teasing expression, his face got even redder. But then, all of a sudden, he calmed down and smirked right back at her. "How about we trade, you little brat?"
From the bag he had slung across his back, the man fished out something and tantalizingly dangled it in front of Viola. Her eyes followed the object as if hypnotized. It was exactly what she had been hoping for — a letter.
However, Viola caught herself in time. She looked dubiously at the fat man. "How do I know it is even for me? You can't trick me this easily, Bernard."
Bernard scoffed. "And when do you reckon I had time to prepare a fake? Or do you think I would just give you a random letter? That could get me fired, you know."
His words sounded reasonable, but Viola was still dubious. She had not received a single letter in all the time she had been here. Despite sending one every week, neither Sophia nor Zeke had ever responded to her. In her darkest moments, she imagined them enjoying their time together, laughing and bathing in the warm sunlight while completely forgetting about her.
However, she tried not to indulge in such negative thoughts. Her friends weren't that sort. Especially Zeke would never do that, considering the hardships he experienced during his first year. There was nobody who would understand her current feelings better than him.
Refocusing on the letter, Viola decided that she had no choice but to trust Bernard on this. Reluctantly, she tossed him the cigar, which was deftly snatched up by the colossal man. He was immediately reabsorbed in his treasure, tossing out her letter like a piece of trash. Viola dove for it and snatched up her price as well.
Delighted, she found that it was truly addressed to her.
Sergeant Viola Windtänzer
Excavation station 169
Ehrenlegion btln
Viola ripped open the envelope and peered inside. There was a single piece of paper. Slightly disappointing, considering the many pages she had written for every one of her letters, but any contact was better than nothing.
She carefully took out the letter and began reading. Immediately, her expression crumbled. There was only a single paragraph on that piece of paper.
Sergeant Viola Windtänzer,
We deeply regret to report that none of the addresses you provided were valid. Due to high delivery costs, we had to dispose of your letters instead of returning them.
Sincerely, Imperial Postal Service
Viola crumpled the paper in her hand. How was this possible? With a burning rage rising from deep within her chest, she threw the balled-up paper at Bernard.
"What is the meaning of this!?" she demanded to know.
Bernard was startled out of his reverie. He even flinched at the unexpected rage he saw on Viola's face. Viola glared as the man picked up the letter and scanned its contents.
His face grew puzzled as he faced her again. "What's the problem? It just says that your letters couldn't be delivered. That's standard procedure if the postal service can't find the recipient."
Viola's glare intensified. "There aren't many people with the last name Geistreich, you know? Tell me, how likely is it that they couldn't find her."
Bernard rubbed his chin. "That is indeed strange. Maybe she released a notice stating she doesn't want to receive mail from unapproved senders? It is quite common in some circles."
Viola thought about it for a moment before shaking her head. "Then, what about Zeke? He is not royalty and attends the Elementium. Surely, he can't be that hard to find."
Bernard frowned. "Maybe he dropped out?"
Viola scoffed. "He ranked first in the yearly tournament, same as me. Do you think it's possible for someone like that to drop out?"
Upon hearing her words, Bernard's expression changed. "By Zeke… could it be that you are referring to Ezekiel von Hohenheim?"
Viola nodded, her mood lifting slightly upon hearing how famous Zeke had become. Even this random officer knew about him. "See? You knew immediately who I was talking about by just hearing his nickname. How hard could it be to find him?"
However, contrary to her expectations, Bernard didn't agree with her this time. Instead, his gaze had become somber. A silence fell between them, as Viola didn't understand the meaning of the man's change. The longer the quiet lasted, the more unsettled she became.
"Bernard?"
The usually jovial officer met her eyes and Viola flinched at the intensity in his gaze. She had never seen him like this.
"I suggest you give up on trying to contact him in the future," Bernard said. He spoke at a slow pace as if weighing each word carefully.
"Fat chance," Viola snapped.
Zeke was one of the only people she felt truly comfortable around. There was no way she would break off contact. But the fact that Bernard even suggested this course of action meant something must have happened — something very public.
Did the Von Hohenheim house get in trouble with one of the great families? If so, it was most likely the Feuerkranz family, they had it out for Zeke ever since it was revealed that he had a perfect Blood affinity. The fools couldn't even let go of their hatred when it clearly would have benefited them.
She returned her attention to Bernard, her gaze pleading. "What happened to Zeke?"
The man shook his head. "I am forbidden from distributing unapproved information. Even the letters I deliver are screened beforehand."
Viola's heart dropped. Bernard knew something, and judging by his expression, it was something major. However, he refused to tell her anything. Furthermore, if all letters were really being screened, it was likely nobody here knew anything either.
Tears formed at the corners of her eyes. She was stuck here, underground, in this dreadful place. And now, she even learned that something had happened to one of her friends. But there was nothing she could do.
"Bernard, please…"
The man averted his gaze.
Without saying another word, Viola turned and left. She floated back to the boulder she had occupied earlier. On top of her lofty perch, Viola cried silently. Only when the last of her tears had dried did she manage to compose herself.
Now that her mind was clear again, Viola realized a few things. For one, her grandfather must have known what would happen to Zeke. It was the only reason that made sense, the only reason to send her here. Only in such a place would it be impossible for her to learn about what was happening.
Victor had wanted to keep her from getting involved. And he had succeeded in doing that. The day she arrived, she learned that nobody would be allowed to leave until their mission was completed. It didn't take her long to find out that there was no way out of this.
Her new command, the Ehrenlegion, was a force she had never even heard about. And as a high-ranking member of the four great families, that was saying something. This was a hidden force among hidden forces. Even now, months later, she knew essentially nothing about their purpose.
She had no idea for how much longer this mission would continue, nor did she know what the true purpose of their assignment was. The only thing she was certain about was that they were building a tunnel and that they would continue doing so until they reached their destination.
Looking out into the endless darkness, Viola gnashed her teeth. Her own grandfather had stuffed her in this hole the moment she had become inconvenient. He had robbed her of the chance to stand alongside her friends. He had played with her like a toy.
From the pocket of her uniform, Viola retrieved an Essence crystal. Staring deeply into the gem, she made a decision in her heart. She would not be weak again! She would not be pushed around. No more distractions. No more letters.
Her remaining time down here would solely be devoted to gaining strength.