Megumi with her books in hand, glanced around corner after corner along with cider, who followed close behind. She then turned her gaze to the sky, seeing it was becoming dark.
It didn't take long for Megumi to conclude their circumstance... They were lost.
Megumi turned back to Cider, awkwardly, pointing in down a random street. "I-it was this way, right?"
Cider shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know…"
A cold sweat ran down Megumi's face. "Crap…"
"Are we lost?" Cider asked.
"Megumi jumped, starting to stutter. "N-n-n–n-no… I-I just-"
"Oh right!" Right then she remembered the tablet given to her by K. She dug in her pocket excitedly.
She found nothing.
She stopped and became pale. She could only question herself on how she could lose something so important. However, just as she was about to lose hope, Cider pointed out something strange sticking out of her waist.
She glanced down, and to her utter shock, she found that the tablet was somehow embedded into her very being. It was sticking out from her stripped magenta shirt, just under her short coat, like a thumb drive.
"HOW IS THIS INSIDE ME!!?"
Panicked, she tried pulling it from her, but strangely enough, it wouldn't budge one bit.
After a while of struggling to pull it out, she stopped, noting the lack of pain she felt. She poked it, unsure what to make of the situation at hand.
"O-okay…"
She grabbed it again, trying to pull it from herself.
It wouldn't budge. An awkward silence then hung in the air as Megumi continued to try to pull the tablet from her body with no success.
She stopped again and chuckled nervously, knowing she was getting nowhere.
"L-let keep on looking around until it glows. The brighter it glows the closer we get to that invisible building."
"Oh. I think I saw it glowing a little when we were over there." Cider pointed down the road they just came from.
"A-alright." Megumi, taking his word, started to lead the way past the other pedestrians and demons walking to destinations unknown. Some of them began to snicker and giggle upon seeing Megumi's tablet sticking out.
Cider glared at them. But despite hearing them, Megumi ignored them. she was used to being laughed at behind her back. This was no different for her.
Her thoughts quickly flashed back to that waiter that laughed straight in her face, she couldn't understand why he annoyed her so much. She quickly put that thought aside, putting her focus back into finding the reaper's hideout.
A woman voice came from behind.
"How the hell did ya get that thing in you?"
They both turned to find a woman that was Megumi's age with dark caramel skin, luscious brown hair that curled at the tips, and deep blue eyes with the color of the sky.
She wore a long sleeve turtleneck shirt that pressed on her chest but kept her stomach in the open. Along with her shirt she had some loose jeans and sneakers to match her dark blue attire.
The woman before them crossed her arms and looked at them with drooped yet serious eyes, as if scrutinizing them with her unreadable expression.
"O-oh. Hello." Megumi was going to wave, but quickly brought her hand down nervously. "Do you know how I can get this out of me?"
The woman sighed, waving her off. "Don't ask me, girlie. You're the one who put that in ya." she said in a blunt tone.
"But I don't know how it got to me." Megumi retorted.
The women stared at her blankly, as if assessing Megumi's intelligence. "Rightttt…. Anyways, if you're looking for that Reaper base, they're over in that direction."
Using her thumbs, she pointed to her left. "Just keep going that way and I'm sure you'll bump into the place you're looking for."
With those last words the woman tacked her hands into her pocket and took her leave.
"H-hey wait!? W-what's your name?" Megumi asked.
The woman waved nonchalantly. "None of your business girlie. Good luck~."
"That was… A little rude…" Megumi turned back to the path she was heading down, along with Cider.
The woman departing, glanced back with a raised brow and spoke quietly. "Wasn't that boy a demon…? Whatever. My master has to be around somewhere…I'll check to south gate..."
The woman continued going her separate way as Cider and Megumi marched on to find their destination. While traversing the streets of Gondola, Megumi turned it into a game of finding the treasure as they went down random paths they were directed towards. The continued their search until the tablet grew much brighter, eventually finding their destination.
Megumi could only give a sigh of relief, finally making it back to the secret reaper hideout that K wanted them to stay in.
With her books in one hand and ciders grasp in the other, they entered into the tall glass like skyscraper, phasing through its walls.
"You're finally back."
Megumi turned, finding K still reading his book. His gaze immediately turned to the tablet stuck in her waist and sighed.
All the other reapers and demons took note of this as well with a few chuckling at the scene. Megumi could only smile awkwardly.
"U-uhh… Could you help get this out of me"
"K! Your room is ready!" the receptionist suddenly called.
"Looks like you two came back just in time." K noted. He got up from the chair, moving to get the key from the lady. He then gestured both Megumi and Cider to follow. "Come, I'll help you in our room."
Following K through the white halls of the building, they entered corridor after corridor. As they did, they noticed that many of the reaper's in the building were rushing out in a hurry.
K ignored this, focusing on leading the way for both Megumi and Cider.
"And here it is…"
K opened the door to the room. Entering inside, it was like a full-blown house with a living room, a kitchen and a hall that led to other possible rooms. Megumi couldn't help but be astonished as Cider rushed in to jump onto the couch.
"This place is so big!" He exclaimed.
He looked back up seeing the large window that gave a grand view of the city.
"Wait? Aren't we still on the first floor?" Megumi asked.
"It's a bit complicated to explain. But the long, short of it is no… anyways, turn around and let me see it."
K closed the door behind him, examining and seeing that the tablet he gave was indeed stuck inside. He sighed.
"Set those books down."
Megumi did as she was told. "O-okay."
"Alright. Now close your eyes and hold out your hands."
Megumi looked a little unsure. With a little bit of reluctance she followed his instructions.
"Alright. Now imagine that you're holding the tablet in your hand."
"Are you sure about this?" she asked, a little unsure.
"I've lived here in purgatory for many millennia. So yes."
"A-alright… If you're sure…"
After a few seconds of concentration Megumi could feel something in her grasp, she raised a brow, curious.
"I thought so…" K stated
"Hmm…?"
"Open your eyes."
Opening her eyes she found that the tablet was somehow, now in her grasp. "Wait. What? How did I-?"
K took the tablet from Megumi, and like magic, he made it disappear in front of her.
"W-wait, how did you do that!?"
"The tablet I lent you was simply a memory, or what others would call an 'echo'. They can come in the form of everyday items or objects. Once you have it, you can store it within yourself."
K glanced over to the books on the floor.
"Try it with those. All you have to do is imagine not carrying them anymore."
Although a little reluctant she listened to what he said as Cider watched intently, mildly entertained by Megumi learning.
Just as K said. The books disappeared from her grasp like thin air.
"W-whoa!"
"It's the same concept with talking off and putting on new clothes here in purgatory."
Megumi continued to look at her hands, a little stunned.
"That's amazing." She noted.
"Yes, well I would say you're lucky. Like I said before with the clothes. Most people take weeks to learn and get used to… But you learned it all today."
Suddenly a bright light appeared before K, surprising him and Megumi. His demeanor quickly shifted with him becoming more serious.
"What is that…?"
"I'm sorry Megumi but it looks like an emergency has come up."
Megumi was dumbstruck. "What happened?"
K quickly turned to leave the room. "I don't have time to explain. Just stay here and rest. The TV can play any past movies or shows you watched so entertain yourselves with that."
Without letting her say another word he closed the door behind.
"What was… that about?"
Cider could only cocked his head, curious himself. "Yeah…"
Megumi then turned to a nearby chair. "I wonder if I could do the same with this?"
Touching the chair she tried the same thing. Only it ended up sticking outside her like the tablet.
"N-not again!!"
Cider could only laugh on seeing this and fell off the couch.
********
"What the hell is going on?"
The woman Megumi and CIder had met earlier was now watching chaos break out in the streets of the city.
Savage looking demons were flooding the front gates attacking everyone and anyone in sight, including other demons that were simply living in the city.
"Where are the reapers!!!!???" A pedestrian called.
As if on cue, a several horrific looking demons was killed, and turned to ash. Another hooded reaper from the Reaper Corp slashed into more demons coming his way, along with another who followed up with a strange looking gun. They attempted to push back the hordes of demons flooding the streets the best they could.
Eventually even more reapers followed suit, turning the streets of Gondola into absolute chaos.
"Everyone! Evacuate to the safehouses immediately!" One of the reapers shouted. They repeated this phrase over and over again as pedestrians and other demon residents fled.
Soon Dove and Chime arrived on the scene, also killing many of the savage looking demons, using their powers to the fullest.
Chime sent sonic waving through the horde of demons trying to enter the gate as Dove punched the demons aiming for her with his shadow fists.
A demon attempting to kill him slashed his long rusted sword. To its shock however, it passed through him. It then dispersed into a plethora of doves and without warning, Dove punched the demon from above!
"Damn it! Where'd all these demons come from!!?" Dove complained.
Less complaining and more collecting." Chime echoed.
Chime collected several of the black cloudy spheres from the ashes of the demons. And from her hand, they all disappeared without a trace.
"Right!" Dove went straight back into battle.
Meanwhile the women with caramel skin watch from atop a tall building. "There she is…" She tightened her fists realizing that she shouldn't linger in the unfolding chaos. "I should get back. I shouldn't be here…"
She growled at the unfortunate circumstance, leaving to get to safety herself. She brought forth a tablet similar to what Megumi had before.
Unknown to her however, a hooded man was watching from afar. he smiles, seeing her.
********
Elsewhere even more of the savage horrific demons were being slaughtered by cartoons and other hand drawn creations. Bone tentacles began to ripple through the earth alongside these cartoon creations, killing demon after demon. Meanwhile some of the other reapers sped through the chaotic streets, picking up the cores of the defeated demons.
"Now where did you come from?" Arnold asked. Seeing that the K had just arrived.
K ignored the child, opting to focus on killing the demons in front of them.
Demons suddenly attack through both from behind.
They were all killed in an instant with the Reapers bone tentacle purchasing each and everyone.
"Not bad for a fossil." Arnold quipped.
"What a lame joke."
"Urk!" Veins instantly bulged from Arnold's head as he glanced back indignantly.
********
Megumi comes back to the living room. She found Cider glued to the window, watching as chaos reigned the streets of the city. Fires erupted, and buildings were being demolished. It looked like a full on war was going on.
Megumi's eyes widened, completely surprised at now seeing this chaos herself. She started to get a sinking feeling in her gut, as if something worse was yet to happen.
"W-what's going on??? Is this… normal??"
"No… It's not…" Cider watched intently. "That's not normal."
"This is probably why he had to leave…"
"A-alright. Why don't we watch something interesting? Maybe we can watch something fun."
Cider turned back to Megumi seeing her forcing a calm smile. "Do you know any good shows we could watch?" she asked.
Understanding Megumi's intentions, Cider went along with her, racing over to the TV with a smile.
"Yeah! I know a super cool show!"
Megumi followed. But suddenly she felt a presence from behind her, along with a strong and overwhelming sense of danger.
She glanced back and to her utter shock she saw a blonde-haired man standing affixed to the window as if it were the floor itself. He wore a brown hood and looked at her with his blue eyes.
He aimed his palm at the window, and in a mere second, a crystal shot from his palm and shattered the window!
The man entered the room with his hood falling from his head, revealing his face. He looked to be a handsome man a little older than Megumi. His short hair was a little messy and had a gemmed earring on his left ear. He also wore a strange collar around his neck, that was somewhat similar to Cider's.
This man was, Dino Briar.
He was now face to face with Megumi. A quickly scanned the area with his serious gaze as if looking for something.
In an instant he blocked Cider's arm blade with his crystallized arm!
"There you are." Dino said.
He deflected Cider's attack, sending him through the wall.
Megumi stumbled back, seeing this. She looked dumbfounded, unsure what to do.
As she shook, Dino glanced at her and raised his palm to her.
"Go to sleep."
Cider quickly changed the trajectory of the crystal shot at her!
"STAY AWAY FROM MY FRIEND!"
Cider went on the attack once again. Cider pushed him back to the other side of the room, clashing a few times before being grabbed by the neck.
Dino turned and crushed Cider into the wall as Megumi could only watch on in horror. He glared harshly at Cider with his deadly gaze.
"I could care less about that woman, Cider Lynch."
His arms crystalized and hardened around Cider's neck. "I'm here for you."