The door creaked open and Bell strode into the murky chamber. A brilliant orb of light materialized from his hand, casting a warm glow and dispelling the darkness. The once grand bedchamber was now decrepit, its walls draped in cobwebs and its floor cluttered with debris. With a quick survey, Bell found nothing of interest. He then turned towards the previous door and made his way down the curved passage, his pace quickening as he felt the urgency of the moment press upon him.
Bell stepped into a grand chamber, awash in the radiant glow of a massive, ivory orb that hung suspended in the center of the circular room. The bookshelves, curving around the edges of the chamber, were filled to bursting with ancient tomes and dusty scrolls. Bell felt a sense of familiarity as he gazed around the hall, for he had traversed this room many times before.
In the midst of the room lounged a woman with cascading, emerald tresses. She was leisurely perusing a tome and sipping from a bottle of spirits. Bell approached her, his footsteps echoing through the chamber.
"Goddess of Wind, Aeria," Bell spoke, "I request the final Northern Kirrh Elf." The woman set down her book and turned to Bell with a surprised look.
"Ehhhh? I never expected you to arrive so soon. Do you dare to challenge me? If you win, then I shall grant your request," she declared with a mischievous grin and offered him a bottle of wine. Her voice was as light as the breeze, belying a wild and untamed spirit.
Bell had only ventured to this grand mystical place once before, a hundred years or more ago. He never thought he would return. The shelves, arranged in concentric circles around a central point, caught his eye with their shimmering light. As he approached the midpoint, memories of his old friend who once sat there, engrossed in a tome flooded his mind. Yet, at the very center, he found a peculiar volume resting upon the table.
A voice echoed in his mind, "Master! Pardon the intrusion. I have reached her," it was the voice of Terry. But Bell was lost in the discovery of the book, his hand lightly caressing its cover. "This must be ..." he whispered in reverence. Bell's eyes narrowed as black particles swarmed around him, razing the grand chamber to dust. When the destruction subsided, only a shower of unscathed pages fluttered to the floor. Bell gazed around, the room now littered with blank sheets of parchment. "Have all its contents vanished into the void?" he wondered in disbelief.
A multitude of guards roamed the grounds, their presence felt in every corner, but two intruders managed to sneak up to the roof of a house near the Morgue. Perched atop the roof, they surveyed the scene below, taken aback by the sheer number of guards. "Boring," grumbled the friend, his voice ringing with impatience. "We just need to defeat them all, don't we?" His noisy words were met with silence from his companion, her focus fixed on their surroundings.
Her sharp eyes caught sight of two figures, carrying an unconscious form, entering the building. Upon arriving in the city of Antemur, her mission was to locate the whereabouts of Rod and fulfill her duty of protection. Yet, instead, she discovered remnants of Mana, tinged with the hue of Inietta. With a steely expression, she turned to her friend Korito who lay nearby, boredom etched upon his features. "Hey Korito," she spoke coolly, "Do you have a thirst for battle? I have a task for you."
Mité observed Kisaki from a distance, her still form lying on the ground. He approached, holding a steaming cup of tea, and took a seat in a chair. Blowing gently upon the surface, he took a slow sip. "Can you hear me, Sazasaki?" he spoke softly. Upon hearing her name, Kisaki's eyes snapped open, and she rose quickly from the floor. It appeared that the anesthesia had not taken effect upon her. Her gaze locked onto the figure before her and her eyes narrowed in disbelief. "Is that you...Mite?" she asked in a hushed tone.
Kisaki was astounded by the metamorphosis that had befallen her old acquaintance, Mité. The Mité she had once known was a figure of seriousness and steadfastness, but now his eyes had grown tired and weary, with dark circles that seemed to resemble the markings of a panda. His hair, once a midnight hue, had turned as white as the driven snow. He was no longer the Mité that Kisaki had known. Bound by ropes that held fast her arms and legs, Kisaki found herself rooted to the spot, unable to break free from the strange vision before her.
"What the f this world did to you, Mité?"
Mité set the chalice upon the slender tabletop and crossed his legs, his palms coming to rest upon his knees. "That's not important, Sazasaki," he declared with a soft sigh. "Even in the past we always went to school together, thinking everything was just another normal happy day as high school students. How many centuries have we roamed this realm? To me, it has been a fleeting moment. And so, I remain unchanged."
Kisaki mused that, despite the alteration in Mité's appearance, his manner of speech was as unchanging as the tide. "Don't mince words, we've already lost years," Mité spoke with a firm voice, his gaze locking onto Kisaki's countenance. "You didn't come all the way here just to complain and blame me about … " he trailed off, pausing briefly before continuing. Kisaki met Mité's gaze in silence, their eyes locked in a wordless confrontation. Mité's lips quivered as he struggled to force the words forth. " ... that soulless marionette, right??" he finally spat, his voice tinged with bitterness.
Mité's barbed words caused Kisaki to clench her jaw tight, her anger rising. "A doll?! You piece of crap! I can never forgive you for what you did to Anna! Was her disappearance a few weeks ago all because of you too?" she exclaimed, her body trembling with rage as she attempted to break free from her constraints.
Mité reached for his cup, lifting it to his lips with measured care. He took a sip and let out a soft, mirthful laugh. "Hahaha," he chortled.
Kisaki's ears rang with the maddening cackle. "Ha! You almost had me heated, Mité. You're one hell of an actor, man. It's like there's no way you coulda done away with 'em all. I know how tight you two were. All the times you spent together, her smile and laughter ... damn."
Once, Anna's laughter echoed through the halls, and her smile graced all those around her. Kisaki remembered the gentle curves of her lips and the warmth they brought to those she touched. But for Mité, the memories of her weighed heavy upon his heart, so much so that he oft struggled to distinguish between his recollections and those of others. He had sought to reclaim all of his lost memories, but it seemed a fruitless endeavor. The guilt he bore for his role in Anna's current state, as well as the transgressions committed by his own hands, weighed heavily upon Mité, causing him to shoulder it all alone.
Mité hurled the chalice with fury, its shattered remains came to rest near Kisaki. "Shut up!" he snarled. His breath came in ragged gasps as his chest heaved with anger. He turned a sinister grin upon Kisaki, his eyes alight with an inner fire. "Well well, ain't you just a bundle of ignorance, Sazasaki?" he spat. Kisaki was befuddled by his words, wondering what dark deeds Mité had planned. "Anna! Hither come!" The unexpected utterance of her name caused Kisaki to reel in surprise.
Kisaki scarce believed the evidence of her ears, but now her eyes were also awash in disbelief. The outline and the tread of that figure ... 'twas Anna who had come to stand by Mité's side. "Anna?" Kisaki wondered, bewildered, why the fair maid still lingered here when the others had vanished into the mists but a moon past.
"Descend, Anna," Mité commanded. With utmost obedience, Anna bent her knees before her master, her countenance a mask of emotionless stillness, her eyes void of expression as she faced Kisaki.
"What are you going to do?! Mite!!" Kisaki bellowed in fury, his voice echoing throughout the chamber. Despite his fervent desire to act, the knot that bound him prevented any movement, leaving him struggling upon the floor like a worm. Her gaze darted around her surroundings as if searching for something.
"You never saw it before, did you? Let me show it to you directly in front of your eyes this time."
Mite raised his hand, his palm as broad as a mountaintop, and placed it upon Anna's head. With a mere touch, he unlocked the secrets hidden within her mind. As he had done to Rod, Mité peered into Anna's memories, unraveling the mysteries that lay within.
For Mité, the moments stretched on like the tendrils of time itself. But to those observing, only the briefest of moments had passed. A crimson tide flowed from Anna's eyes and nose as if her mind had been broken. Her pupils turned skyward, vanishing from sight, and with a thud, she crumpled to the ground, her life force extinguished in an instant.
Kisaki's head hung low, her rage boiling within her like a tempest. She closed her eyes, taking a moment to steady her resolve. In those quiet moments, a stillness descended upon her, as if the world itself was holding its breath. Meanwhile, Mité's mind was in turmoil, his thoughts a whirlwind of chaos. He struggled to maintain his composure, his head pounding with the force of a hundred drums. At last, Kisaki steeled herself, her mind made up. The weight of her decision pressed upon her, heavy as stone. She nibbled nervously at her lip, hesitating one last time before speaking the words.
"Mité! Sarah has vanished into this city and I need to know where she is! Speak now, what's your take on this and why?" Mité tottered forward, his steps unsteady as he sought to find his balance. "Sarah? I don't get a clue. I reckon if she's gone missing in this here city, it might have something to do with the God of War. You see, Sayzneva tangled with him, and it wasn't pretty."
Mite was seized by a moment of stillness. The realization of what he had revealed struck him like a bolt of lightning. His features contorted with fury, his voice a growl. "Kisaki! You've got some nerve, using your damn abilities on me!" With a mighty crash, he slammed his hand against the tabletop, while the other clutched at his unsteady head. "So ... he doesn't know," Kisaki muttered to herself, disappointment lacing her tone. It seemed that the knowledge she sought was beyond Mite's grasp.
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With a fierce determination, Kisaki snatched the jagged shards of the cup that Mité had shattered and, with quick precision, severed the ropes that bound her feet. She took off at a run, her hands still tied, and crashed into Mité with a head-first impact that sent him reeling into the nearby pillar. Seizing the opportunity, Kisaki straddled Mité, pinning him down with her weight. With deft hands, she sliced through the knots that held her captive, casting aside the fragments of the cup. And then, she unleashed a barrage of furious punches upon Mité's face, each blow fueled by righteous rage. "You erased Anna's memories, and now you're after each of them too? Can't you even grasp the agony she must've gone through, dying repeatedly?! Mité, you piece of shit!"
Kisaki pounded Mité's face with all of the pent-up furies she could muster until the bruises bloomed with blood. Yet, Mité remained still, offering no resistance. At last, exhausted and sweating, Kisaki's blows began to flag, her breath coming in ragged gasps. "Are you done?" With a swift grip, Mité's hand closed around Kisaki's throat, halting her in mid-strike. His headache vanished in an instant, his physical strength surpassing her own. She struggled against his iron grasp, but to no avail, as his hand tightened like a vice.
Spit out his loose teeth mixed with blood. "You're always full of surprises, that's what you're good at. Are you seriously still holding a candle for Sarah even after witnessing Anna bite the dust right in front of you? I mean, seriously? So, Sarah vanished in this city, huh? Wow, she's still playing hide and seek like a boss, ain't she?"
"Kisaki! Looks like you're still living under a rock!" Mité's grasp tightened, fueled by an unyielding determination to bring an end to Kisaki.