With piles of demons that was clamoring on this rooftop has been cleaned up by Izzy and Fitz. Rika, Mei and I returned to the library as we began to take a rest after all that has happened recently. Mei had already prepared us a nice warm cup of coffee.
Mei was the one who started the conversation, "What happened there, Zenith?
Rika was also wondering the same thing, "Yeah, you seemed a bit different in your demeanor."
I did my best to explain to them, "It's a complicated mess but...I had like two different personality before this. One of them I assumed to have been gone away."
"But it didn't and it haunted you all this time?" guessed Mei.
I nodded, "Yes and another problem with this is that we don't share the same memories as each other. Which means that I only able to remember my past partially."
"That is until now, right?" suggested Rika.
I took a sip from the coffee and then told them, "In order for me to finally accept my past suppressed personality was to do my best to recall about the past. Even if it was a memory that I don't want to recall at all. Painful memories."
"Even the painful past shapes who you are now." Rika was trying to be considerate. "It's not just simply turning a blind eye on the past."
"And that's how she did it..." Mei was smiling.
Rika took a sip from her cup of coffee and asked me something else, "So tell me. Have you always had those two elemental magic before? Or do you learn it from someone?"
I shake my head, "Not really. I feel like it has something to do with the dragon that is inside of me. Apparently she might be a dragon that could conjure up both snow magic as well as fire magic."
"Well...both of those are pretty standard level elemental magic that everyone can learn." Mei was wondering. "But I think there's probably more than that. Let's not forget that you still have that Magic Tune ability of yours. Do you think you might have improved yourself through that somehow?"
"I haven't tried yet." I tilted my head. "I didn't even bother into trying to tune up myself because all these times when I was tuning someone else, it felt like surgeon. So I am afraid if I might end up hurting myself..." I sighed.
"You'll find the time soon enough." Rika reassures me.
With most of the question regarding myself have been answered, we finally decided to move on and talk about something else. I've been wondering one particular thing and that was the appearance of the demons. How it came to be. And it looks like it was summoned by Yumiko. But I feel like there was more than just that according to the girls.
"So what's up with the Seven Month War thing, anyway?" I asked. "From what I understand, you guys have faced these demons before..."
Mei then began to explain the essentials concerning the specific event that happened during their tenure in Soul Power High School.
It all started way around 2-3 years ago. It was when everyone was during their 3rd year in their high school. It was quite a normal day until all of a sudden, the sky turned red and a strange rift was ripped apart, creating a hole in the space. From the rift, demonic creatures began to come out of it. One becomes double, double becomes quadruple. They kept on coming until the entire school compound was filled with them. Some of the students and teachers fought them back and was able to get out of the campus. There were however unfortunate students who didn't get the memo and they ended up being stuck inside the compound. Before we know it, the school as well as its surrounding area has been in a lockdown mode by the Military Force. No one can get in or out.
While it does sounds like the Military Force don't want the demon to spread even further. Some would theorize that the higher ups in military was conspiring. Saying things like they need a purpose to enact a war against an enemy country by blaming the events on them. But that wasn't the case. What was the case however was the military didn't make this 'war' public knowledge. Everyone involved were forced to silenced themselves. Now that does sounds suspicious. Conveniently enough, Rika also mentioned that the current invasion were also being controlled by the Military Force. Why do I feel like Nova has some kind of leverage with the government...Or maybe it has something to do with The Order of Stardust. Heck, it could even be those from The Lemniscate Society. I can't believe it...The more we learn something the more mysteries begins to shroud us. It's like an eternal struggle.
In any case, several students got stuck inside the school compound. White was one of them. While it was a messy experience, White and the others was able to pull it through. Long story short, White worked together with seven other students who would later on be known as The Top Seven Students of Soul Power High. They were promised that they might be leading the next generation for another golden age of wizardry. With all of them banding together, they put a stop against the demonic forces by attacking them strategically.
"There was one moment where White had a near death experience." Mei told me.
Rika asked, "Is it during the fortress raid?"
She nodded and continued, "He protected me from a falling chandelier. He was crushed and stabbed by the chandelier...We almost lost him because of clumsy old me. But..."
"But?" I was anticipating for an answer.
She finishes, "I used my unique ability, Forbidden Knowledge to look for a spell. A spell that is definitely forbidden. A life revived...but in return, his memories about meeting me will be wiped out completely."
"Memories..." I looked down feeling sad.
"But you guys did made new memories later on, right?" Rika clarified.
"New memories?" I raised my eyebrows, feeling a little bit suspicious and jealous.
Mei then reassured me, "No, no, no. It doesn't mean like that Zenith. White was a good friend. He just helped me end my suffering against Chaos Champion Escher. That was the time when the 2nd demon invasion happened..."
"And that also took seven months apparently." Rika remembered.
The 2nd invasion was a bit different as Escher placed down a spell that prevents anyone inside the school compound from leaving the area. The area of 'lockdown' was more smaller than the first one. And the demons was fewer than before. But Escher brought along some other monsters as well during the invasion. One of it was a hydra. Long story short, Team Stardust was able to defeat The Chaos Illusionist, Escher. But there was also a slight mishap that happened just like what happened during the 1st invasion.
This time was a lot more crazy because Escher was preparing for a huge world-ending magic spell. In order to prevent that from happening, Mei had to use a forbidden spell where it will sacrifice the memories of all Team Stardust about Mei.
"Wait..." Rika was trying to understand. "So they don't know you anymore? How are you guys acquainted after that then?"
Mei explained, "I did acquainted with them for a 2nd time. That was when we began our hunt on the four pillars. The only one who seems to have vague memory about me was White and Hosuke."
Then I concluded, "It probably has to do with the dragon power that they have."
"It certainly is." She agreed.
"So basically..." I summarized, "You are the most powerful wizard in the world but you have certain rules before going through a spell."
"Exactly..." She nodded.
Rika added, "But she will also suffer herself in return. An equivalent exchange, I guess..."
"Just like alchemy." Mei tried to laugh. "But yeah, while I do have an infinite amount of knowledge. Some of them are still locked inside my head. I haven't been able to look deeper into it."
"Then what have you been doing besides focusing on helping Team Stardust?" I asked.
She told me, "I remembered something from White. He told me that if we feel like we will forget something. Why not write it down. And that's what I did. I decided to write down as many of the knowledge I have that is kept inside my brain."
"How many so far?" I wondered.
She laughed and said, "A whole bookcase. That's quite a lot of writing actually."
Rika was impressed, "Wow, that's quite a lot. Even I would give up halfway through writing my first book. And I haven't even done that yet."
The three of us continued to casually talk with each other, opening up other topics than aren't too serious. It does however goes to an awkward point where Rika asked me about what was my relationship with Yumiko.
"That's a bit complicated..." I smiled sadly.
Rika was being considerate, "It's okay if you don't want to share it, Zenith. You've been through a lot..."
Indeed. I've been through quite a lot for the past few days. I found out that White has been keeping an enemy that we have been searching for all this time. Then, Yumiko turns out to be a traitor as she took not one but three lives. While Hariken Shiro may not be a close friend of mine. He was a friend of White and he did help us throughout our journey. I couldn't bring myself to remember the very moment where Yumiko shot my best friend, Rose Lindow. We promised to eat that creamy chocolate cake together. But it was all a fleeting dream. Fleeting the same way as my beloved Recordia. While she was technically White's guardian spirit. The two of us felt like an extended family of her especially after she calls us Mama and Papa...I won't be able to hear that soothing voice anymore...
Any other normal person would definitely have fallen into a coma already with all of this suffering. But after the dreams I had, recalling back all of my past memories as well as those fake memories being intertwined with White's own memory. I started to feel a bit determined in what I should do next. And I believe I finally know what I must do. While some would like for me to avenge for the death of my loved ones, I don't think I will be doing that. Instead...I will save Yumiko.
Then suddenly, the library front door was blasted open. Fitz, Izzy and Blanc was there.
Izzy shouted at us, "Zenith! We know where Yumiko is now!"
"We better hurry before she decides to use another of her teleportation bullet." Blanc told us.
I confidently stood up and calmly explained to them, "She won't be going anywhere. She has already ran out of her teleportation bullet. I know because I made it for her after Eveiht stopped supplying for her."
"Are you sure? Won't she have backups from her Dimensional Inventory?" Fitz was unsure.
I continued, "Don't worry. The least she can do in terms of moving around is only a short burst of transmission. She can't travel far with the other bullets she has left. She still needs me..."
"So what's the plan, Zenith?" Mei wondered.
I simply told them, "We don't really need a plan. Just make sure no other students are caught in the crossfire. Take out any demons nearby. And secure the students. Tell them that the 'war' on demons is coming to an end."
We walked outside of the library and followed Fitz to where they last saw Yumiko. And there she was, floating above proudly at the middle of the parking lot as she watches her demons wrecking havoc all over the campus.
I told everyone to take their position and I gently walked toward her alone.
"Yumiko Ileana Pavlova!"
Yumiko took notice of me as she slowly glides down to the ground.
"Where's Violet?" I asked.
Violet then appears, standing right beside Yumiko.
"What is it twerp?" Yumiko was not taking it seriously. "And why Violet is involved?
"I'm trying to save both of you. Not just you alone. Oh and one more thing about that..." I cheerfully smiled and told her, "You won't be able to capture me on your own. You're going to need her for this."
TO BE CONTINUED