In the dimly lit room, Osoi stirred from his sleep at the sound of a knock on the door.
"What, who is it?" he called out, his voice groggy with sleep.
"It's me, Arasu. That guy wants you," came the reply from the other side of the door.
"Oh, Arasu!" Osoi exclaimed, recognizing his friend's voice. With a sense of urgency, he leaped out of bed, still clad in his underwear, and made his way to the door.
As Osoi swung the door open, Arasu stood before him, looking visibly miserable.
"Are you gonna..." Arasu trailed off, prompting Osoi to realize his lack of clothing.
"Oh yeah, right! I should—" Osoi began, but he was interrupted by a familiar voice.
"Don't worry about clothing right now."
Arasu's reaction was immediate. "GAH, IT'S YOU!"
Behind Arasu stood a man wearing a golden blindfold and a silver metallic jacket, his features obscured by the darkness of the room. It was Subiru.
"We have—" Subiru began, tossing a black kimono at Osoi.
"A kimono for you," Subiru continued, his voice calm and composed. "Feel free to do anything you want to it. It's made out of very tough fabric, so it's very resistant to things such as fire and cutting. Walk with me, you two, we need to talk."
Quickly slipping on the kimono, Osoi joined Arasu and Subiru as they made their way down a long hallway. The corridor was bustling with activity, with people clad in black kimonos moving purposefully in various directions.
"I didn't at all want to bring you here by force," Subiru explained, his tone apologetic. "But we really had no choice. You guys don't really share our common goal yet. And sorry for Anat killing one of your friends and turning the other to stone. She's a wild card."
"I... don't want to be here," Osoi admitted, his voice filled with uncertainty.
"But soon you will come to love it here," Subiru assured him, his tone confident. "And you'll understand why we do the things we do."
Arasu spoke up, his voice tinged with suspicion. "From what I understand, you guys want to resurrect some evil god!"
"But do you know why?" Subiru countered, his tone cryptic.
"Uh..." Arasu faltered, unable to formulate a response.
"No, you don't," Subiru continued, his voice carrying a note of finality. "So that'll be what we will be going over."
"Where are we going?" Osoi asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Arasu, you and your friend will be getting your dark carnations," Subiru explained, his tone matter-of-fact. "And you will also receive your Kagho. Arasu, we have an extra kimono just waiting for you in the room down this hallway."
"What are Kagho's?" Osoi inquired, his interest piqued.
"The Kagho were fragments of the founder of our organization's power," Subiru explained. "Nogasu Seizen. Well, he didn't actually found our organization, but he is the spiritual founder of it. I am the leader, of course, but he is the one we all follow."
"But... why follow him?" Osoi pressed, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"I'll explain that with the other 11 Kagho users," Subiru replied, his tone enigmatic.
"11?" Osoi echoed, his surprise evident in his voice.
"Excluding me, you, and that damn winter season, there are eleven others who are Kagho users," Subiru confirmed.
"Where will I go?" Arasu interjected, his attention turning to his own fate.
"You'll hang out outside of the room, with your friend," Subiru answered, his gaze shifting to the end of the hallway where a large black door loomed.
As they approached the door, Subiru's voice took on a note of anticipation. "Ah, I'm not sure if everyone would be here yet, but they could just show up a second before the meeting. Behind this door holds the equip room, where all of our equipment including the dark carnations lie. Let's go in!"
Pushing open the door, Subiru ushered Osoi and Arasu into a large room filled with piles of black kimonos. Sitting in a chair nearby was Estel, wearing a black kimono and staring at minions trying on clothes with a pessimistic expression.
"Why do I have to go through this? I don't want to be here or be an enemy of the Negative Point," Estel muttered to himself, his eye twitching with irritation.
"Hey you! Estel was your name right?" Subiru called out, catching Estel's attention.
"Indeed, I go by Estel," Estel replied, standing up and facing Subiru.
"I got your friends! Now we can get you a dark carnation," Subiru announced, his tone brimming with satisfaction.
Estel's inquiry hung in the air, his voice laced with curiosity and a hint of apprehension. "What is the true purpose of a dark carnation? How are they even obtained?"
Subiru's response was immediate, his tone reverberating with power. "Physical Glyph: Tandre."
As Subiru uttered the words, the floor before him began to glow with red glyphic symbols, casting an eerie light in the room. Suddenly, a large hooded and horned creature materialized before them, its presence looming like a dark shadow over the room.
Subiru's revelation hung heavy in the air, his words resonating with gravity as he addressed the group. "After a mission that three of our main members did, they helped me capture a rune keeper."
"How did you—" Estel began, his voice trailing off as he struggled to comprehend the enormity of Subiru's statement.
Arasu's curiosity was piqued. "What's a rune keeper?"
Subiru's explanation was thorough, his words painting a vivid picture of the world's mysteries. "This world is full of many mysteries, and one of those mysteries are rune temples. Rune temples hold things called runes, and runes can be absorbed into the body to give the owner a special unique ability that nobody else in the world can have! Some offensive, some defensive, and some are just used for utility, but within those rune temples are rune keepers who guard the runes and fight whoever are after runes."
As Subiru walked up to the pile of kimonos, he grabbed one and tossed it to Arasu, who caught it and began to put it on.
"The strength of the rune keeper strictly depends on how dangerous the rune is," Subiru continued, his voice filled with authority. "And we, using the rune temple map composed by one of our main members, found one of the most dangerous runes to ever exist: the dark carnation rune. The rune was guarded by a demon created purely from dark magic, his name is Tandre. And what the rune did was give the user the ability to conjure a magical infection on anyone the user wishes. This infection gives the owner of the infection one of the thousands of black magic abilities that demons usually only have access to. The only downsides to this are that only demons can use this rune, and that due to the infection being of dark magic, only races that don't passively always have dark mana in their system can have the infection. If it were to be on a pure demon, it would be absorbed into their power mass."
Subiru gestured towards Tandre, a look of pride evident in his eyes. "So not only did those three get me the rune, they managed to use the capture card spell to take over this keeper for me, and I transferred it over to my glyph space! Now line up, kids. I'm assuming all of you are human, right?"
"Will Kurai be a problem?" Osoi interjected, his concern palpable.
"Kurai only makes you a partial demon, so all of your mana isn't passively dark mana," Subiru reassured him.
Arasu's apprehension was evident as he voiced his concern. "Will it hurt?"
"The infection isn't a bad one!" Subiru assured them. "You'll feel nothing once you get it, but it does create its own bubble of dark magic when you get it. So it has dark magic to pull from, but I'm sure two of the three of you already have dark magic, so it'll just give you a bit more mana."
"I don't know about this," Estel admitted, his uncertainty coloring his words.
"Trust me," Subiru urged, his voice firm. "We are the good guys."
"I—" Estel began, but Subiru cut him off with a wave of his hand.
"Enough! Tandre shall now bestow the power of the dark carnation among you all!" Subiru declared, his tone final.
Osoi's protest died on his lips as Tandre extended his hand, enveloping them all in a glowing shade. With a final flourish, Tandre vanished, leaving the floor to return to its normal state. And as the dust settled, Osoi found a dark carnation on the palm of his hand, Estel on his neck, and Arasu on his right cheek.
Subiru's instructions hung in the air, his words a directive to the newly endowed trio. "Now. I have NO IDEA what your dark carnations can do, but they are activated after asking for its power, mentally and/or physically."
Osoi's curiosity got the better of him as he tentatively reached out, attempting to harness the power of his dark carnation. Slowly, a faint black aura enveloped him, its presence barely perceptible.
"So, as I can see from your aura," Subiru observed, his tone analytical, "you don't have an offensive ability. And based on the mana I sense off of it, this aura only increases your power by two times. Show me what you can do."
"What are these things?" Osoi exclaimed suddenly, his voice tinged with alarm.
"What are you talking about, Osoi?" Arasu asked, perplexed.
"They are ghosts... but not ghosts," Osoi continued, his voice rising with urgency. "They have very big hands though, and they're floating... and they're big... AND THERE ARE A LOT OF THEM! How are you guys NOT seeing this!? They are all practically touching you!"
Quickly consulting a red book, Subiru flipped through the pages until he found the relevant information.
"You have the ability: Apocalypse Parade," Subiru explained, his tone matter-of-fact. "When activated, you summon inter-dimensional beings who exist in a whole other dimension but can interact with this dimension. They can do many things, and only you can see and control them! There are hundreds of them too. Now turn your ability off before you get too curious."
As Osoi's aura faded away, Subiru's attention turned to the next task at hand.
"Time's ticking," Subiru declared, his tone urgent. "Osoi, come with me to the room. You two can figure out your abilities on your own, but I have to make sure Osoi becomes the person I want him to become."
Before Osoi could protest, Subiru grabbed his arm and dragged him across the room and through a door, leaving Arasu and Estel behind.
"Do you think he's gonna be okay?" Arasu asked, his concern evident in his voice.
"I hope they don't get through to him," Estel replied, his expression grim. "Because I believe they won't harm him and will try to persuade him."
Meanwhile, in the depths of the building, Subiru and Osoi navigated a long and narrow hallway.
"So, uh... tell me again, what exactly does a Kagho do?" Osoi inquired, his voice tinged with uncertainty.
"I'll explain that later~" Subiru replied coyly, evading Osoi's question.
"How do I get one?" Osoi pressed, his persistence unwavering.
"You'll see," Subiru replied cryptically, his tone suggestive of hidden knowledge.
"Why aren't you answering me!?" Osoi demanded, frustration creeping into his voice.
"Do I have to?" Subiru countered, his tone teasing.
"I—" Osoi began, but his protest died on his lips as they reached the door at the end of the hallway.
"Hm?" Subiru prompted, his gaze fixed on Osoi.
"N-nothing..." Osoi muttered, his unease palpable.
"Alright, act normal," Subiru instructed, opening the door to reveal a large room illuminated by only blue and green lamps, with a sizable body of water at its center.
Osoi glanced around the room, noting the absence of seating.
"No chairs or anything?" he remarked, his tone tinged with incredulity.
"We bring our own chairs..." Subiru replied casually, unfazed by the lack of furnishings.
"And nobody's here," Osoi added, a hint of disappointment creeping into his voice.
"Hope I wasn't late," a voice interjected from behind them, drawing their attention.
Turning around, Osoi and Subiru were met with the sight of a dark-skinned, shirtless man wearing a white blindfold. Bandages adorned his hands, arms, and jaw, and he sported jeans and a black durag.
"Well, you were late. Where are the others?" Subiru queried, his tone tinged with annoyance.
"I have no idea, sir. Is this boy the new member?" the man replied, his voice steady.
"He sure is..." Subiru confirmed, his tone affirmative.
"Picking them young now, huh?" the man remarked, a note of skepticism in his voice.
"He'll be the second youngest, yes, but he'll also be the last member," Subiru explained, his tone carrying a sense of finality.
"Hey kid, my name is Joint L'accord. I advise you to get strong," the man addressed Osoi directly.
"Noted," Osoi replied, taking in the man's words.
"Oh, here they come! I can sense them," Subiru announced, anticipation evident in his voice.
Creating a throne out of rock, Joint settled himself upon it, his posture commanding respect.
"Remember, sir, they don't have any excuse for being late," Joint reminded Subiru.
"I know, I know," Subiru responded, his tone impatient.
Soon after, Medusa entered the room, followed closely by Ijoto and Sonora.
"What's up with the non-blindfold guy?" Ijoto questioned, his curiosity piqued.
"He's the newbie," Sonora explained, his tone matter-of-fact.
"I guess that's the youngest member..." Osoi murmured to himself, his observation going unnoticed by the others.
"Will I finally get to see someone get... kaghotized?" Ijoto inquired eagerly, his anticipation palpable.
"Hopefully!" Subiru responded, his tone brimming with excitement.
As Sonora conjured two chairs out of magic, Ijoto eagerly hopped onto the larger one, settling himself comfortably.
"My chair!" Ijoto exclaimed, dismay evident in his voice.
"Uh, as you please..." Sonora acquiesced, squatting and settling himself into the smaller chair.
"I at least expected you to be in here tied up or something, Osoi! I'm proud of you for not rampaging through the building. At least you, of all people, have a sensible mind," Medusa remarked, a hint of begrudging admiration in her voice.
"Thanks?" Osoi responded, his uncertainty evident.
Creating a throne made out of snakes, Medusa took her seat upon it with a satisfied smile.
"Yay! All the annoying ones aren't here," she declared triumphantly.
However, her optimism was short-lived as Haneru and Yoraki entered the room shortly after.
"I spoke too soon," Medusa muttered under her breath.
"Am I annoying?" Yoraki inquired, a hint of insecurity coloring his tone.
"Yoraki, you aren't annoying! I was talking about all the annoying people minus two tolerable ones, one of those being you," Medusa clarified, attempting to assuage his concerns.
"Who's the other?" Yoraki pressed, his curiosity piqued.
"Ishen," Medusa replied simply.
"Wow, Anat! Real nice..." Haneru remarked, his tone tinged with sarcasm.
"You're childish!" Medusa shot back, her patience wearing thin.
Just then, Reiniku burst into the room.
"I'm not tardy today!" he announced proudly.
"But you are," Subiru countered matter-of-factly.
"Dammit," Reiniku muttered, his frustration palpable.
"He's hard-headed," Medusa remarked with a hint of amusement.
Finally, Itazura floated into the room, holding a paper bag in hand.
"He eats too much," Medusa remarked with a shake of her head.
"Not on good days!" Itazura retorted, his mouth full of fries as he reached into his bag for more.
"And I don't know about the demon child yet," Medusa mused, her gaze lingering on Osoi.
"I'm right here..." Osoi interjected, feeling slightly uncomfortable under Medusa's scrutiny.
"And?" Medusa prompted, her tone expectant.
"I'm Itazura!" Itazura chimed in cheerfully, attempting to lighten the mood.
"I'm Haneru!" Haneru announced proudly.
"Yoraki..." Yoraki added, his voice subdued.
"Why the low tone?" Haneru questioned, curiosity evident in his tone.
Creating a chair of ice, Yoraki settled into it with a nonchalant shrug.
"Eh," he muttered dismissively.
"Kagho," Haneru declared triumphantly, conjuring a chair made out of the floor and settling into it with a grin.
"I love doing that!" he exclaimed with a hint of pride.
Crossing his legs while floating, Itazura observed, "You have a convenient Kagho!"
"You do too," Haneru replied with a grin.
"Should I be—" Osoi began, but Subiru cut him off.
"No, you shall be standing for today!" Subiru declared firmly.
"Oh... oh," Osoi replied, understanding dawning on him.
As a man with dark red hair entered the room, Medusa couldn't help but remark, "He's creepy."
"Nuh uh," the man, Dareen Nasasho, retorted, his tone defensive.
"Oh, sorry, new person. My name is Ijoto!" Ijoto introduced himself, attempting to diffuse the tension.
"And I'm Sonora," Sonora added with a nod.
"And I'm Dareen Nasasho," Dareen introduced himself, his tone slightly defensive.
"Heh, weirdo," Haneru remarked with a smirk.
"No, I'm not! Don't listen to them, I'm not weird," Dareen insisted, creating a seat out of black smoke and settling into it.
As Anata entered the room followed by a half-naked bald man with a white blindfold adorned with a red eye, the atmosphere grew tense with anticipation.
Osoi attempted to interject, but before he could, Anata spoke up.
"What a pleasant surprise! The demon of Negative Point," Anata remarked with a smirk.
"I'm—" Osoi tried to explain, only to be interrupted again, this time by Reiniku.
"Demon? Can you power up into a demon lord mode or something? My name is Reiniku, by the way," Reiniku interjected eagerly.
"Well—" Osoi attempted once more, but Dareen cut in.
"Could I perhaps see a little bit of that demon rage?" Dareen inquired, his interest piqued.
"Shaddup! He's trying to say something," Haneru snapped, coming to Osoi's defense.
As everyone turned their attention to Osoi, he finally managed to speak.
"...Hello, my name is Osoi Tsuki," he introduced himself quietly.
"Hi Osoi Tsuki!" Itazura greeted cheerfully.
"Tsuki? Like—" Medusa began, but Yoraki interrupted her.
"Aki Tsuki. The Autumn Season, and his mother," Yoraki explained matter-of-factly.
"I never knew witches could... give birth," Medusa mused, her curiosity evident.
"Would that make him a half-witch, half whatever his father is, or a warlock?" Ijoto pondered aloud.
"He's adopted. He isn't the true descendant of a witch," Yoraki clarified.
"How disappointing. He could have been a lot stronger if he was a witch, or something," Reiniku remarked, his disappointment palpable.
Just then, Ishen appeared in the room, drawing everyone's attention.
"Ishen! Glad to see you made it!" Subiru greeted him warmly.
"I'll be gone again in a bit. I'm just here for the meeting," Ishen explained.
"Where are you going after this?" Medusa inquired, curiosity coloring her tone.
"I'm going to hit up a rune temple somewhere far east from here before we go," Ishen replied, taking a seat on the ground.
"Before we go? Where?" Osoi questioned, his curiosity piqued.
"I'll explain that once our last member arrives," Subiru responded cryptically.
"He's late again..." Sonora remarked with a hint of annoyance.
"For what— the fifth time in a row? What keeps taking him so long to get here?!" Haneru exclaimed, his frustration evident.
"He's been distracted by those earth humans recently. He seems happy," Yoraki explained, his tone tinged with amusement.
"What do you mean by earth humans? Aren't we on earth? Aren't some of you human?" Osoi inquired, feeling confused.
"That's another thing that I'll explain to you later!" Subiru promised, his tone reassuring.
"You don't have a chair, Osoi! Do you need one?" Itazura offered, his tone helpful.
"That'd be nice—" Osoi began, but before he could finish, a sofa chair materialized behind him, courtesy of Itazura's magic.
Osoi hesitated for a moment before responding to Itazura's kindness.
"Uh... thanks?" Osoi muttered, feeling a bit overwhelmed.
"Whatever you need," Itazura replied casually.
Taking a seat in the offered chair, Osoi couldn't help but feel surprised by the unexpected kindness of his newfound companions.
They're... a lot nicer than I expected. I thought they would be chaotic psychopaths, but I guess I was wrong... Osoi thought to himself, feeling a mix of relief and confusion.
Meanwhile, Ishen and Subiru engaged in a conversation about Ishen's progress.
"Subiru, I'm getting real close to being able to take my blindfold off," Ishen mentioned confidently.
"So you've been using it a lot," Subiru noted.
"Yep. Mastery makes perfect!" Ishen affirmed.
Dareen chimed in with a curious remark, drawing attention to Subiru's statement.
"Thats... something to say," Dareen commented, his tone contemplative.
As the discussions continued, Anata shifted the focus to Osoi, addressing him directly.
"I assume that you already know who I am... Osoi," Anata stated, his tone dripping with authority.
"Of course I do. I was sent to—" Osoi began, only to be interrupted by Anata.
"You were sent to stop me and my plans, but you had no idea that we were after you. Us capturing you probably will throw the Negative Point through a loop," Anata interjected, cutting Osoi off.
"Well, they will... save me..." Osoi countered, his voice trailing off uncertainly.
"If you think that you're going to get saved, then think again—" Anata started to retort, but Osoi's attention was drawn to the mysterious figure with eyes carved all over his body.
"Who is that!?" Osoi exclaimed, pointing at the man.
"My name is Tekemisi Panth," the man introduced himself, exuding an air of mystery.
"He's an infamous cult leader who also has one of his underlings working under Anata!" Dareen explained, providing some context.
Observing the room's dynamics, Osoi couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.
"Ok really though, where is he!?" Haneru demanded impatiently, conveniently promoting the arrival of the person in question. The newcomer with silver hair and a distinct fashion sense exuded an air of individuality and style. His long, silky silver hair was meticulously braided into a single thick braid that cascaded neatly down to his collarbone. Over his eyes, he wore a sleek black metallic eye visor, adding a futuristic touch to his appearance. His attire was equally striking, featuring a solid black half-high collar sleeveless tank top that accentuated his muscular physique. Paired with this top were grey cargo trousers adorned with a metal chain across one of its pockets, adding an edgy flair to his ensemble. On his feet, he sported black BRANDED sneakers that complemented his overall look. Additionally, he accessorized with a white headband bearing the word "flat" in bold red graffiti font across his forehead. A light blue ear pod adorned his left ear, adding a modern touch to his attire. Notably, he held a small Bible in his left hand while carrying a folded lawn chair in his right.
"Where were you?" Haneru questioned the newcomer, who seemed unfazed by the interrogation.
"I'm changing the song," the man responded calmly, manipulating his phone.
"Changing the song? What does that mean?" Osoi whispered to himself, feeling perplexed by the exchange.
Once the newcomer finished his task, he finally addressed the others.
"Who is this?" he inquired, prompting Subiru to introduce Osoi.
"He's the newest and last member of our group," Subiru explained, trying to ease the tension.
"The... demon or the child?" the newcomer asked, his tone laced with disdain.
"The very same," Subiru replied cryptically, before introducing Osoi as the subject of their discussion.
With tears streaming down his cheeks, the newcomer expressed his discomfort at being in Osoi's presence.
"I want to leave. I don't want to be in the same room as a demon, especially one that has taken possession of a child," the man pleaded, dropping to his knees in a prayer-like position.
Feeling bewildered by the man's reaction, Osoi could only offer a hesitant apology.
"I'm sorry?" Osoi muttered, unsure of what else to say.
As Subiru attempted to justify the newcomer's presence, Medusa shared her own reservations about him.
"Osoi, that's Seinaro Ilgda. You can see why I don't like him, right?" Medusa remarked, her tone tinged with disdain.
Amidst the tensions in the room, Subiru steered the conversation back to the meeting at hand, signaling the start of their discussion.