"Urgh..." Christina groans as she wakes from her long slumber.
Her body feels heavy, and she can't quite get a grip on reality. The last thing she remembers is heading down into that dungeon.
"Where am I...?"
Her arms and legs are fastened to the wall.
She tries to break free, but she can't muster any strength. Her magic is sealed.
"Ah, you're up. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised."
Christina looks over to where the voice came from and sees Isaac. "Why...why am I all bound up?"
"Because I bound you."
"Ah."
"You don't seem surprised."
"I always knew you were a shallow man. People who are hiding something usually are."
"I'll be sure to make a note of that."
"Where are the others?"
"Claire and the princess are with my master."
"Your master?"
"That's right. My master." All he does is parrot the same phrase back at Christina. Apparently, he doesn't intend to give her any more details than that. Then he points at the far wall. "And Suzuki is sleeping over there."
On the other side of the room, Suzuki is bound the same way Christina is.
Christina breathes a sigh of relief. "Suzuki..."
"Unfortunately, he might never wake up again."
"Wh-what do you mean?"
"The gas I used to put you all to sleep is especially potent on people with little magic. It's not uncommon for them to fall into a slumber from which they never wake."
"Suzuki..."
"Whatever's come over you? He's just a low-class aristocrat from a petty branch family. It's not like you to mourn for some nobody."
"I mean, you're not wrong..."
Once Isaac points it out, Christina realizes just how shaken up she is.
Just as Isaac says, Suzuki is just a low-class aristocrat from a petty branch family. For a duke's daughter like Christina, he should have been utterly replaceable.
"I thought his talents would prove useful to the Hope family. That's all there is to it," she says.
"Ah, I see. Well, to be honest, I couldn't care less whether he lives or dies."
Christina glares at Isaac. "You're saying that his life means nothing to you?!"
"Not a thing. All I care about is finishing my job."
"What are you plotting?"
"Your body has a lot of potential. My organization intends to use it to its fullest."
"And what organization is that? Are you talking about the Shadow Garden?"
"The Shadow Garden? Please. Don't lump us together with those greenhorns. We've been ruling this world for countless — But I'm forgetting myself. Telling you this won't accomplish anything. After all, it won't be long before you become a soulless puppet."
Isaac pulls out a syringe filled with red liquid.
"Now, let's get this over with. If I waste too much time, I'm liable to miss the arm's momentous unsealing. With talent like yours, I imagine you'll become a Second Child. Though poor Suzuki wouldn't even make it as a Third."
With a sneer, Isaac presses the syringe up to Christina's arm.
"Don't...! Here's a question: Where did Nina get off to?!"
Isaac grimaces. "She vanished."
"She what?"
"That gas should have put all of you to sleep, but before I knew it, she was nowhere to be seen. It's not like she could have made it out of the Sanctuary alive, but ugh. It just means more cleanup for me."
Isaac presses more force into the syringe.
"No!"
"Good-bye, Christina."
Then something moves in the corner of Isaac's vision.
"Why are you making so much noise? I was having such a nice nap..."
The voice belongs to Suzuki, who by all rights should be fast asleep.
"S-Suzuki...," Christina stammers.
"Wha—?! You woke up?!"
Suzuki lets out a listless yawn. "Yeah, obviously. Is that really so weird?"
"W-well, no matter. You waking up won't change anything. You're an eyesore, so I'll get rid of you first."
Isaac takes the syringe and heads over to the spot where Suzuki lies tied up.
"Get rid of me?"
"Hmph. Maybe once you're a puppet, you'll finally shut up," Isaac says, then stabs the syringe at Suzuki's neck.
"You're gonna get rid of me?" Suzuki's lips curl into a smirk. "Yeah, that's not happening."
The next moment, Isaac's body jolts. The syringe of red liquid tumbles from his hand and rolls across the ground.
"What..?! Rgh... Gurk…"
Suzuki plants his right hand directly in Isaac's gut.
That there is a palm strike—and a brutal one, launched straight at Isaac's abdomen.
Isaac clutches at his chest and reels backward. Bloody froth dribbles from his lips. "That's impossible... How did you get out of those restraints...? Your magic was supposed to be sealed!"
"It was easy. I just dislocated my joints," Suzuki replies as he undoes the restraint on his left hand.
After folding his joint in a way no human should be able to do, he slips free from the manacle and returns his hand to normal so quickly, it's like watching a video in reverse. Next, he neutralizes the restraints on his ankles in much the same way.
"That's not normal..."
"So, what now? Weren't you going to get rid of me?"
"Ich... Don't go getting cocky, loser." Isaac's eyes flash with rage. "You have no right to look down on me!" He draws his sword.
Suzuki reaches for the weapon at his waist as well, then tilts his head. "Where's my sword...?"
It turns out his sheath is empty.
"Bad news for you," Isaac tells him. "I got rid of your sword."
"Ah." Suzuki reaches into his pocket and pulls out a fountain pen. He uncaps it and levels its tip at Isaac. "Well... this is all I need."
"A-a fountain pen? Don't make me laugh!!"
Isaac's magic surges.
After bearing down on Suzuki in the blink of an eye, he gives his sword a big horizontal swing. The arc it's tracing will take it right through Suzuki's midsection and slice him in half.
Or it would, if a little pen hadn't gotten in the way.
Suzuki blocks the sword with the tip of his pen, and with a sound like glass shattering, Isaac's sword explodes into tiny pieces.
Without missing a beat, Suzuki thrusts his pen forward.
"Wh—hlurk!"
Its pointy tip pierces Isaac's flesh.
Isaac takes one agonizingly slow step back, then another. With a look of utter disbelief in his eyes, he reaches up and touches the fountain pen embedded in his throat.
"Koff... With...a puny fountain pen..."
Drip.
A drop of red ink trickles down the pen.
"I'm gonna need that back, by the way. I can't do my diary entries without it."
Suzuki grabs the pen sticking out of Isaac's throat.
"Wait... Don't... No, NOOOOOOOOOO!"
When Suzuki wrenches it out, it's accompanied by a gushing burst of blood.
The bloody ink sprays across the floor.
"Ah... Agh..."
Isaac crumples to his knees in a daze.
Then, when he looks up at Suzuki, his eyes go wide. Suzuki's collar has just entered his gaze, and the number on its display represents a truly unbelievable amount of mana.
"Where did you get...all that mana...? Hurgh..."
He coughs up a mouthful of blood and collapses.
"I can't...go out...like this... Hungh...nnng..."
Blood spills unceasingly from his neck, and it doesn't take long before his breathing grows shallow, then stops altogether.
Suzuki gives his blood-soaked fountain pen an unimpressed glance. "Ugh, it's all gross now. I guess I didn't need it that bad after all."
He dumps it on top of Isaac's corpse. Then he turns and walks over to Christina.
There's an ominous look in Suzuki's eyes, and Christina loses her composure when he looks down at her.
"I...um...," she stammers.
Despite herself, her heart is pounding. Still unsure of what to say, she looks up at Suzuki without moving an inch.
"All that matters is that you're okay."
Suzuki undoes her restraints.
"Th-thank you, Suzuki...," she says in a mortifyingly frail voice.
"I just did what anyone would. Now, let's get a move on. I'm worried about the others."
"Um, Suzuki, wait!"
Right when he's about to walk off, she stops him.
"I...I can see now that I misjudged you. I thought you were just a hopeless underachiever, but.. that's clearly not true." She hangs her head in embarrassment. "If you'd be willing, I'd be more than happy to bring you into the main house once this is all—"
"Your judgment was right on the money," Suzuki replies, his back still toward her. "Suzuki was an underachiever."
"What? But...that doesn't..."
"You weren't wrong. You weren't wrong about a thing."
There's a cold rationality to Suzuki's voice that Christina has never heard before.
"Oh... I'm sorry. I must have said something that offended you."
"Not at all. It's just..you should stay away from me. The path that lies before me is stained with blood. I'm a man who can't live in a world warmed by the sun's light."
Suzuki steadfastly refuses to turn around. The way he's talking with his back to her, it's like he's rejecting the entire world.
"Just what kind of burden are you carrying...?"
"I have a duty. A duty I must carry out, even if it means shouldering all the sins of the world. Getting involved with me will get you hurt, and it'll stain your hands with blood."
Then Suzuki finally turns.
Upon seeing his eyes, Christina gasps. They're as inhuman as glass beads. All the emotion has been stripped from them.
No, that's not it. Deep, deep within those glass beads, there's a black flame of emotion, smoldering.
Suzuki quietly reaches for Christina's neck.
After tilting up her slender jaw, he brings his face in close.
Christina exhales his name. "Suzuki..."
Lost in the depths of his eyes, she closes her own.
Then a sharp crack rings out.
"Huh…?"
She opens her eyes and finds that her collar is gone.
"Wait, my collar... But how?"
Suzuki offers no answer to her question. She notices that his collar is gone, too.
"There's no time," Suzuki insists. "We need to hurry."
He turns and walks off. There's something very solitary about his retreating figure.
"S-Suzuki...wait up!"
Not wanting to get left behind, Christina rushes after him.
<<•>>
"You might want to wake up. The situation's a little dicey."
Claire feels like she's hearing a voice in her head, and she opens her eyes. "Where am I...?"
She's surrounded by white fog and tied to what appears to be a shady-looking examination table. Beside her, Alexia is tied up as well.
"Alexia, are you okay?! Wake up!"
"Unh... What is this place?"
Alexia opens her eyes. The two of them look around, then gasp.
"What the...?"
"What are those things?!"
The first things they see are four cylindrical capsules. There are human beings inside them, suspended in red liquid.
"Could those be the missing students?"
"It's them, I'm sure of it. Those are the people from the missing persons reports."
"But what are they doing here?"
"They're being drained of magic...in order to revive Diablos. We need to get out of here fast. We're about to find ourselves in the same boat."
Alexia tries to undo her bindings, but they refuse to yield. Claire does the same, but is similarly unsuccessful.
"Looks like our magic is sealed," Claire remarks.
"Isaac, you bastard... I'll get you for this," Alexia says, her voice full of venom.
Suddenly, the capsules begin moving. Two of them emit a dull mechanical sound as the liquid drains from them.
"Wh-what just happened?"
"I don't know..."
Then they hear a voice from behind them. "You're up? Perfect timing. The capsules just finished priming. We've only got ten percent left to go."
With that, a silver-haired boy appears. He's so beautiful, it's like he just stepped straight out of a fairy tale, and for a moment, the two girls are struck speechless.
"Who are you..." Alexia eventually asks.
"I'm Fenrir, fifth member of the Rounds."
"Yo...you're Fenrir?!"
The boy who's just introduced himself as Fenrir looks young enough to be Alexia's and Claire's age, if not younger.
"With the power of eternal life, the age one appears is of little import," Fenrir says as he stands before the two capsules now empty of their red liquid.
"What are you planning on doing to us?"
"Put you in these capsules. That way, I can revive Diablos's right arm. I was planning on draining your magic via the collars, but if you're going to serve yourselves up on silver platters, I'm certainly not complaining." Fenrir lets out a cold laugh. "You've saved me quite a bit of effort."
"The academy's in an uproar right now," Claire shoots back at him. "Do you really think you'll get away with this?"
"And who's going to punish us, exactly? The Knight Order? You people?"
"Th-that's, uh—"
"We live in the world's underbelly. Those who walk in the light can never reach us."
"There's still the Shadow Garden…," Alexia says quietly.
Fenrir stops in his tracks. "Oh, the Shadow Garden's going to punish us?" He gives a little chuckle. "Heh-heh."
"What's so funny?"
"I never thought I'd see the princess of a nation go clinging to the skirts of a group that shady. I feel sorry for you."
"...…"
Alexia's face goes bright red. Everyone can hear her clench her jaw.
"And besides, is the Shadow Garden going to punish us? You people have no idea what kind of group they truly are." As he talks, Fenrir drags the fleshy masses that used to be students out of the capsules and discards them. "They live in the underworld just as much as we do. They're in no position to judge us. Even if one group does end up vanquishing the other, it'll just leave the victor to resume control of the underworld. Nothing will actually change."
He turns around. His eyes are bright red.
"Now, the preparations are all sorted. The time for resurrection is upon us."
The first person he turns to is Claire.
"Claire Kagenou. I've gotten reports about you using a strange power."
He walks over to the side of the examination table and tilts up her chin.
"Rgh... Get your hands off me!"
"The blood runs thick in you, but not abnormally so. Well, I suppose all will become clear in time."
With that, he holds a syringe of red liquid up to Claire's neck.
She tries to shake her head to fight him off, but Fenrir is too strong. "It's no use," he says.
The syringe pierces her skin.
Then...
"I swear, just how long does he plan on keeping me waiting?"
Aurora's voice echoes through Claire's head, and rich mana surges up within Claire.
The syringe shatters, and the restraints burst open.
Fenrir backs off. "Wh-what is that magic?!"
"Here. I'll let you borrow a little of my strength."
"Thank you, Aurora."
Claire draws her swords and slices through Alexia's restraints.
"Good going, Claire," Alexia says as she brandishes her sword.
Fenrir fixes his gaze straight on Claire. "Aurora? Did you just say 'Aurora,' Claire Kagenou?"
"Yeah, so what? You know her or something?"
"Heh-heh... I see. Guess I'll have to see if she's the real thing. Bloodfang...heed my call!"
Fenrir draws a sword out of thin air. It's longer than he is tall, and its blade is as red as stagnant blood.
"Bloodfang...," Alexia murmurs. The sword has such a powerful presence, it sends a shiver down her spine. "That's the magic sword that was once used by the man hailed as the greatest knight ever. Is that truly the real Bloodfang?"
"Be careful, Claire."
"You don't have to tell me twice. Are you not going to fight, Aurora?"
"You don't have much mana left, right? When I use your body, it puts a heavy strain on you. Besides, it might not be a bad idea to get you used to handling the power yourself."
"…Fair enough."
Claire marshals the magic in her body. Little by little, she's getting used to the sensation of the two distinct types of mana commingling within her.
Then, in the space of a breath, she closes in on Fenrir.
However, he parries her blow with ease.
"Is that really all you've—? What?"
There are red tendrils wrapping around Bloodfang. They're extending from Claire's right hand, and they wind around Bloodfang on her command.
"With this power, I can—!"
"Oh, please."
Fenrir gives Bloodfang a swing. That motion alone is enough to shred through the tendrils.
Claire moves on to her next maneuver.
When Fenrir swings Bloodfang at her, she dodges by stepping in too close for him to effectively hit her, then swings an attack of her own at his flank.
[+]
A dull clang rings out. Fenrir just blocked Claire's attack with Bloodfang's hilt.
"W-with the handle?!"
"It's no wonder you were able to win a Bushin Festival...but at the end of the day, your swordplay is still that of a child's."
Fenrir spins Bloodfang to swat Claire's sword away, then spins its pommel directly into her jaw.
"Hurgh!"
The blow itself is light. By immediately leaping backward, Claire is able to blunt its impact. However, it still leaves her with a cut on the inside of her mouth that dyes her lips red. Her stance crumples, and Fenrir moves in to follow up on the blow.
Then, out of nowhere, he freezes.
It's unclear why, but there's a sword lodged in his left shoulder.
"Dang, you're good. If you hadn't stopped there, I would've nailed you right in the heart."
It's Alexia.
"I knew you were looking for an opening," Fenrir replies, "but when did you get there…?"
He lowers Bloodfang and backs away a step. There's blood gushing from his shoulder, but he doesn't seem bothered by that in the slightest.
"Hrah!"
With a sharp exhale, Fenrir lashes out with his blade. The blow is cutting, and it packs a tremendous amount of force.
Alexia braces herself to parry the blow. Her movement isn't fast by any definition of the word, and there's barely any mana imbued in her sword.
There's no way she'll be able to block the incoming attack.
Bloodfang is poised to pulverize Alexia's sword to bits. The moment before it can, though, Alexia pulls half a step back. By changing her sword's angle, she's able to redirect the force from Fenrir's attack.
"Impressive," he comments.
From there, she shifts directly into her counter.
Using the smallest movements necessary and as little mana as possible, she thrusts straight at Fenrir's vitals.
Fenrir's position is unsalvageable. He's already committed to his swing, and by all accounts, there's nothing he can do but wait for Alexia to run him through.
However, he smashes his foreleg into the ground.
The ground splinters from the incredible force of his stomp, and he rights his posture in a way no normal person could have ever pulled off.
Alexia's thrust slices through the air, leaving merely a thin slash across Fenrir's cheek.
Fenrir takes the opportunity to put a good bit of distance between them.
"So... this is the swordplay of the mediocre," he says. "The fighting style they mock you for when they compare you to Princess Iris..."
"Hey, us mediocre dark knights are nothing to sneeze at."
"I would love to see what you could amount to in a hundred years. Swordsmanship is built on one's accumulated experience. But that's precisely why the gulf between you and me is so vast..."
Fenrir closes his eyes.
"Perhaps I'd best get serious for a moment here..."
The air itself shifts.
Unfathomable amounts of magic begin welling up within Fenrir. As it does, his hair goes white, his face grows deep wrinkles, and his limbs grow slender and withered.
Finally, he opens his eyes back up.
The cherubic boy has been replaced by an old man.
"So that's your true form, huh?" says Alexia.
He looks like a feeble dotard, the kind who would blow away in the faintest breeze.
However, Alexia and Claire know better than to underestimate him. Despite his feeble appearance, the raw pressure he's exuding has just gone up considerably.
Cold sweat trickles down their brows.
"I remember now... The Devil of Midgar."
Claire picks up on Aurora's quiet murmur. "The Devil of Midgar?"
"Long ago, there was an assassin feared across all Midgar. He killed unceasingly in an avaricious quest to further his own strength. But he should have died of old age years ago..."
"I had no idea anyone still remembered that name. You're Aurora?" Fenrir asks, his voice now noticeably hoarser. "It would seem your Calamity Witch is the genuine article... Planning on using that girl as your vessel, are we?"
"Aurora, what's he talking about?"
"Focus. He specializes in getting people distracted like that."
"But—"
"Claire!!"
"Huh?"
Fenrir's Bloodfang extends, stretching out long like a whip as it lashes at Claire's neck.
Claire stares dumbfounded at her onrushing death.
A moment later, however, her pupils go violet. Over a hundred tendrils shoot out, swatting Bloodfang away before bearing down on Fenrir.
"Heh-heh….. That's it—that's the power I'm looking for."
Fenrir sways like a willow to dodge the ceaseless onslaught of red tendrils. They graze him time and time again, shredding his clothes to tatters but never managing to leave a scratch on his body. Then, out of nowhere, the bloody tendrils all burst and vanish.
"Gah... My mana..."
Claire drops to one knee, her eyes still violet and her breathing ragged. She's down to just 36 mana left.
"You've grown weak, Aurora. Or have I just grown strong?"
"…It's this body that's weak, that's all."
Bloodfang comes cleaving toward Claire.
"Rrgh..."
She manages to avoid taking a fatal wound, but what she doesn't manage is to catch her fall. She goes tumbling across the ground.
Her eyes fade from violet back to red.
"How dare you do that to Claire!!"
Alexia launches into an attack.
Her movements are sharp and efficient. However, Fenrir is so much more than that.
All Alexia sees is a red afterimage before her sword shatters to pieces.
"No, no..."
"Swordsmanship is built on one's accumulated experience. It took me over a millennium to reach the pinnacle, and you haven't even begun your journey."
Fenrir raises his sword overhead.
"My…sword..."
Seeing the broken shards of her sword brings back all those humiliating memories. She trained so, so hard so she never has to feel like that again—but no matter how much she practiced, that pinnacle of swordsmanship remained forever out of her grasp.
Tears well up in her eyes.
"It's over."
Fenrir swings Bloodfang down.
Then a sharp whizzing noise cuts through the air. Fenrir stops midswing and quickly backs away.
With a shunk, a fountain pen buries itself in the ground.
"Who are you?" Fenrir barks.
"It's you...," Alexia manages.
There stands Suzuki, looking just as shady and forgettable as ever.
"Are you okay?" he asks her as he slowly strides over and plucks his pen back out of the ground.
"Princess Alexia, over here!" Christina says as she urges Alexia to safety.
"B-but I can still fight—"
"Not with that amount of mana, you can't."
At some point, Alexia's readout has dropped below 100. She bites her lip and looks over at Suzuki. "Fenrir is too strong. He won't stand a chance on his own."
"I don't think Suzuki is going to go down easy."
There's a serene look in Christina's eyes as Suzuki faces off one-on-one against Fenrir.
Fenrir stares Suzuki down. "I'll ask you again. Who are you?"
"I'm Suzuki, a first-year from the Midgar Academy for Dark Knights," Suzuki replies, spinning his pen around in his palm.
"Just a student, huh?"
Out of nowhere, Fenrir swings Bloodfang. Its red blade extends like a whip and shaves a few hairs off Suzuki's bangs.
"You sure know a lot about spacing for a student."
"Spacing? What's that?" Suzuki replies nonchalantly, then takes a step forward.
That puts him squarely in Fenrir's range. Fenrir narrows his eyes.
Thoom. Suzuki's footsteps echo with unnatural volume.
Another footstep thunders out.
A moment later, Bloodfang's onslaught begins.
With blistering speed, red afterimages rain down on Suzuki from every direction. Each stroke is elegant, and they culminate into a sort of dance that transfixes all who behold it.
At the center of it all, Suzuki stands with his pens at the ready. He holds four in each hand, clutched between his fingers like claws. Their golden tips flash.
Then the red sword dances, and the golden glints collide.
Clang, clang, clang, they go, ringing out ad infinitum as the battle rages on. There in the fog, the red afterimages and golden glints are dancing as one.
"That's incredible...!" Alexia gasps.
Fenrir has mastered the art of swordplay—no question of that. And the fact that Suzuki can keep up with him with nothing more than fountain pens means that she can't even begin to fathom his strength, either.
Those two could hold their own against the Midgar Kingdom Imperial Guard or the Velgalta Empire's Seven Blades. They might even be stronger...
"They're too strong...," Christina whispers.
She's right. Suzuki is far more powerful than a student has any right to be.
"Just who is he?" Alexia asks. It's a fair question.
"I don't know. But I can tell that he's carrying a huge burden. He told me that he has a duty...one that he has to carry out, no matter what."
Alexia clenches her fists. "A duty... And the power to carry it out..."
While she's doing that, Christina goes over and helps Claire to her feet. "Are you okay?"
"I-I'm not sure how, but yeah. And now Suzuki's fighting," she replies, her voice strained.
"In a fight like that, we'd just be in the way. All we can do is watch him."
"I know..." Claire squeezes down tight on the magic circle on her right hand.
Meanwhile, Fenrir and Suzuki's duel in the fog rages on.
Little by little, the tides of battle begin to shift. The red afterimages are starting to push the golden glints back, gradually forcing the flashing fountain pen tips back into the fog.
The reason lies in the two combatants' ranges. Not only is Fenrir's Bloodfang far longer than the average sword, but Suzuki's fountain pens are much shorter. As a result, Fenrir is able to attack without fear of reprisal, whereas Suzuki has to spend the whole time on the defensive.
Fenrir's voice echoes out amid their furious clash. "The fight's decided. As a devotee of martial perfection, you should know that you'll never be able to close that gap."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that."
Suzuki plants his feet firmly, then leaps into the air. Once he does, he takes his fountain pens and hurls them straight at Fenrir.
The eight pens become streaks of light as they zoom toward their target.
"Your efforts are futile," Fenrir spits. He falls back and uses Bloodfang to swat away the pens.
A couple of them manage to nick him, but that's the extent of the damage. Now that Suzuki's thrown away his weapons, he's helpless to fight back.
Or so one would think.
"What?"
Up in the air, Suzuki brandishes another eight fountain pens.
"Special Move: Golden Downpour."
Suzuki begins firing off one wave of pens after another. There are so many little streaks of light that they look like raindrops, and they all pour down directly on Fenrir.
"You think you're real clever, don't you?"
However, Fenrir's talents are no less impressive. He dodges the pens with flowing movements, only using Bloodfang to parry the ones he knows he can't evade.
The golden rain falls to the floor without landing a single hit on Fenrir.
Finally, the rain stops entirely. An unthinkably large number of pens lie embedded in the ground.
Standing in the middle of it all is Fenrir. He's not moving-or rather, he can't move.
"That's checkmate."
Suzuki is standing right behind him.
"The fountain pens were a decoy?" Fenrir asks.
"They do say that the pen's mightier than the sword."
Suzuki is holding a single pen to Fenrir's throat.
"You've got me there. I guess I screwed around a bit too much. It's been so long since I had someone to play with, I just couldn't help myself. Call it an old man's bad habit if you—"
"You go ahead and tell yourself that."
Uninterested in hearing Fenrir's speech through to its end, Suzuki stabs the pen into him. It pierces Fenrir's throat clean through and sends blood gushing everywhere.
"Glagh... You youngsters are so impa-tient. Don't you to know to listen when your elders are talking?"
Fenrir's eyes go wide, then flash red.
A massive surge of magic bursts out, sending Suzuki flying. Fenrir's neck wound knits itself back up like it was never there.
"Playtime is over. Let's start by dealing with the forgettable one..."
Fenrir turns to look at Alexia and the others. There, he finds his first target— Christina.
"Ah..."
A shiver runs down her spine when faced with those scarlet eyes. The sheer weight of his glare is like nothing she's ever felt before, and it feels like it's going to crush her.
"Good-bye, little lady."
A red slash comes carving down on her. That there is her death, and there's nothing she can do but stare blankly at it.
The moment before Bloodfang cleaves her in twain, however, another figure cuts in, hugging her tight and taking the blow in her place.
Blood goes flying.
"Suzuki... You—!"
That figure is Suzuki.
"All that matters is that you're okay...Hurk!"
He coughs up a tremendous amount of blood.
"Suzuki! Suzuki, are you all right?! Why did you do that?"
"I have something I need to apologize to you for..."
Every word he says leaves his mouth redder.
"You don't have to apologize for anything. Right now, you need to focus on—"
"No, it has to be now. Because the thing is..."
"Huh?"
"…I am not Suzuki."
Suzuki's voice changes, growing so deep, it seems to rumble up from the depths of the abyss, and his pupils turn red.
"He died. Now behold my true form..."
The array of pens embedded in the ground all melt. After transforming into black slime, they envelop Suzuki's body.
"S-Suzuki..."
Christina and the others shrink back at the bizarre sight.
The black slime engulfing Suzuki undulates unnaturally as it peels back to reveal him.
"My name is Shadow. I lurk in the darkness and hunt down shadows."
Dressed in a jet-black longcoat and a low-hanging hood, the man draws his ebony blade.
"Shadow?!" Alexia cries in shock.
"Shadow..."
Christina is surprised as well, but when she looks up at Shadow, she can feel her heartbeat quicken.
"Ah, Shadow. I was expecting you might show your face." Fenrir looks completely unshaken. Magic swells within him as he squares off against Shadow. "So you disguised yourself as a student in hopes of catching me off guard, did you? You're a dastardly one, I'll give you that."
"Am I? I just wanted to put on a little show."
"Your lies ring hollow. No one would go to the lengths you did for a mere lark. If you think I'm senile enough to misread your intentions, then think again."
"…Oh?"
"People lie when they have something to hide. But behind every lie lurks the truth."
"You're not wrong."
"You went out of your way to disguise yourself as a student, to look for an opening, and to avoid fighting me head-on. What I see there is caution. You lied about doing it for fun to hide just how scared of me you are."
"Heh... Don't make me laugh, old man."
"And if that's the case, then it really is a shame. I've been wondering just how strong you are. An eternity of striving has led me to the pinnacle of martial prowess, and I must admit...I was looking forward to seeing if you could exceed my expectations."
Fenrir holds Bloodfang at the ready.
Shadow nimbly raises his obsidian sword. "Care to try me, then?"
"That was always the plan." Fenrir brings his center of gravity down low, drawing Bloodfang all the way back and assuming a combat stance. "Don't disappoint me, Shadow."
The white fog swirls, and Fenrir vanishes.
"Ancient Hidden Sword Technique: Locust Shell."
Then he appears behind Shadow.
He's already followed through on his attack and has shifted to preparing himself for the inevitable counter.
"So you evaded my blow," he remarks with amusement.
There's a single slash running through Shadow's longcoat—the aftermath of Fenrir's slash.
"I've faced quick swordplay more times than I can count," Shadow says. He repairs his longcoat as he turns toward his foe. "But your swordplay…..your swordplay is slow."
"You noticed after just one exchange, did you?" Fog swirls around Fenrir once more. "How fascinating."
Shadow quietly fixes his gaze on the flow of mana.
Once again, Fenrir reappears after a moment, and once again, he cleaves a slice out of Shadow's longcoat. This cut is deeper than the first.
Fenrir assumes a defensive position behind Shadow's back. "Again, you dodged it."
Shadow runs his hand over the gash in his coat to mend it. "You really are slow."
"Were you about to see through my Locust Shell?"
"No. And I watched until the very last moment, too."
"Then how were you able to protect yourself?"
"Simple. I pulled away the moment your sword hit me."
"Ah, the soft style. I've heard of this—this stance where one renders attacks against themselves powerless, much the way a willow tree does."
"I can't say I ever learned it."
"What are you, then, a natural?"
"Oh, nothing so pretentious as that."
"Then how?"
"Practice."
"Ah... And therein lies the truth of the blade."
Fenrir stoops down low again and readies Bloodfang. "Then it's time this old wolf taught you a lesson."
The fog swirls.
"…I see."
Shadow swings his sword at a spot with no one in it.
"Excellent work."
Then Fenrir vanishes.
A moment later, he reappears behind Shadow. Blood trickles from Fenrir's shoulder.
He clutches at the fresh wound. "So you can see me."
"Nope. I just followed the flow of magic."
"Ah... Have you figured it out, then?"
"Locust Shell is a magically formed afterimage. Then you pair that with a slow slash where you mute your presence to the absolute utmost."
"Right you are. By the time you see the Shell, I've already swung my sword. I'm impressed you were able to see through it. It would appear your talent is genuine."
Fenrir turns around and reassumes his stance.
"We're still going, then?" Shadow asks.
"But of course. I've been waiting so, so long for this day. No pleasure compares to that of putting one's practice to the test. Man cannot sword fight alone." He extends Bloodfang. "Now bear witness, Shadow, to Locust Shell's perfected form."
Fenrir swings his sword.
However, Shadow dodges well before then.
The white fog parts, and a deep gash runs across the ground. Then, a beat later, Bloodfang races across it, supple as a whip. Cause and effect seem to be reversed, and Fenrir's talent causes the whole process to accelerate even more.
That's when Bloodfang multiplies.
First one, then two, then three... Each time Fenrir swings his blade, another appears, until finally there are nine Bloodfangs in all.
Fenrir laughs as he brandishes all nine. "This is the pinnacle of swordplay—Bloodfang Locust Shell."
The swords bear down on Shadow from every direction at once.
"Intriguing..." Shadow exhales. "So every sword I see is an afterimage."
Then he closes his eyes like he's given up.
A moment later, the nine furious slashes send him flying every whichway.
He gets tossed to the right, then the left, then up, then down...and at the end of it all, he gets brutally cast aside like a mutilated rag doll.
"Shadow!"
"Shadow, no!"
Alexia and Christina scream. It's a testament to just how savage the beating was.
Fenrir lords over Shadow as the latter falls limp to the ground. One of Shadow's fingers twitches.
"…Had enough yet?"
The question comes from Shadow.
"So I couldn't land even a single hit on you?" Fenrir replies.
Their exchange makes no sense. It's like they have the vanquished and the vanquisher reversed.
Fenrir brings Bloodfang down on Shadow's prone form. It slices him in half with ease, leaving a heavy scar on the ground. However, no blood spills from Shadow's body.
To the contrary, it fades away entirely.
Fenrir heaves a defeated sigh. "An afterimage..."
A voice comes from the fog. "I appreciate you letting me see your technique."
Thmp, thmp, thmp. Nine sets of footsteps ring out as nine Shadows stride forth.
Fenrir gasps. "After just a single exchange..."
Nine black swords extend outward, dragons dancing in the fog.
"Excellent work." There are notes of delight in Fenrir's voice.
"Hidden Technique: Atomic Locust Shell."
With that, the nine dragons devour Fenrir.
[+]
The first tears through his right arm, the second his left.
The third crunches through his right leg, the fourth his left.
The fifth and sixth rip his torso apart, the seventh impales his chest, and the eighth tears through his neck.
Finally, the ninth takes his head in its mouth.
"Still alive, are we?" Shadow asks.
"Hurk... At last...I got to witness the pinnacle of swordplay...," Fenrir replies, his voice hoarse. "Thank you..for the demonstration..."
Shadow seems unimpressed. "The pinnacle doesn't exist."
"What are you talking about? You've clearly reached—"
"Above the pinnacle lies yet another pinnacle. That's all that is there."
"What...?"
"Thinking they've reached the pinnacle is when people stop climbing."
"I see... So that's why I lost..."
A look of regret flits across Fenrir's face.
"...I have yet to glimpse the pinnacle."
The ninth dragon snaps its jaw shut.
Fenrir's head shatters. Shadow's longcoat flows out behind him as he strides deeper into the fog.
"Sh...Shadow, wait!!" Alexia shouts.
Shadow stops.
"Please, you have to tell me! Who are you? What are you fighting for?!"
Alexia waits for his answer.
However, he keeps his back to her and says nothing.
"I want to protect my country! I want to keep sad things from happening to the people I care about! That's why I fight! But what about you?! How am I supposed to know if I can trust you?!"
"I told you...you'd be best served avoiding me."
"Don't give me that! Not now!! We're fighting for our lives out here! That might not seem like much to someone as powerful as you. You might think we're beneath you. But what you need to understand. is that weaklings like us work just as hard to live as you do!!"
Shadow slowly turns around. He fixes his bloodred eyes straight on Alexia.
"We remove those who stand in the way of our goal. Nothing more," he tells her, his voice low and booming like it's echoing up from the very depths of the abyss.
"What goal…? Just what do you intend on doing with this world?!"
Alexia's question is the first thing that earns a proper reaction out of Shadow. His mouth curls into the smallest of smiles.
Then he swings his jet-black blade. His target is a strange device sitting in the fog.
A metallic noise rings out as the device splits in two.
"My collar..."
Alexia and Claire look down and discover that their collars are broken.
"Shadow!"
When they look back up, Shadow is gone. Try as they might, they can't spot any traces of him.
Alexia clenches her fists. "If only I was stronger..."
"Claire...are you all right?" Christina asks as she helps Claire stay on her feet.
"I-I'm okay...," Claire replies, clutching at her chest. She might very well need surgery.
"Princess Alexia, the sooner we get out of here the better," says Christina. "Do you have any idea where the exit is?"
Suddenly, they hear footsteps in the fog.
"Heya there! I finally found you!"
A short girl appears from within—Nina.
Despite the pain she's in, Claire's whole face lights up. "Nina... Oh, thank goodness. Where were you?"
"Hey, yeah, sorry 'bout that. I just barely managed to get away from Isaac, but then I got totally lost. I did find a way out, though."
Nina laughs in embarrassment and points to the exit.
"You're a lifesaver," Alexia says. "Let's get a move on."
The moment she turns her back on Nina, Nina swiftly makes her move.
Alexia is the first to fall. Then Claire and Christina collapse in unison.
The knife hand strikes are terrifyingly quick.
"Man, I always get stuck with the dirty work," Nina mutters as she looks down at the unconscious trio. She lets out a small sigh, then turns and calls over to the fog. "The preparations are all finished...Zeta."
A golden-haired therianthrope and a strawberry blond girl emerge.
"Excellent work. Are you sure you don't want to join the Shadow Garden?" Victora asks Nina.
"I'm sure I could become a member of the Numbers with ease, but...," Nina replies haltingly, then looks over at Zeta to gauge her reaction.
"It's better to have Nina outside the Shadow Garden," Zeta says. "Her ability to act solo is what lets us outwit them."
"Then I'll continue operating as I have been."
"Uh-huh. Keep on acting as Claire's friend...until the time comes."
"Understood."
Nina conjures a white robe out of slime and pulls its hood down low over her face. Then she hoists up Claire's unconscious body and carries her over to the door at the back of the Sanctuary. Zeta gives the order, and she secures Claire to a pedestal covered in ancient writing.
When she channels mana into the pedestal, the sconces on either side of the door light up.
"Once we do this, there's no turning back," Nina reminds Zeta.
"Uh-huh."
"But Alpha's plan—"
"Alpha is too soft. If she had her way, evil would rise once more, and the world would repeat its mistakes. That's why we need to rule the world—to make sure mistakes never happen again."
Zeta gazes at the fire from the pedestal, like the myriad flickering flames are painting some sort of picture for her.
"With eternal life, Master Shadow will become a god," Victoria says, her eyes gleaming with rapture. "This world doesn't need Holy Teachings. We're going to be preaching a new doctrine."
"...Are you're sure we're making the right decision?" Nina asks.
"It's our duty."
With that, Zeta funnels mana into the pedestal. Its ancient writing dances across it and links up to the chains sealing the door shut.
The chains flash and loudly creak.
"Rrigh! Gah!"
Claire's body shudders atop the pedestal. Her red eyes snap open, and her face contorts in agony as she screams.
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
"Claire!" Nina rushes to her side. "Zeta, just look at her!"
"It's a rejection response. It'll pass."
"But—"
"If we want to control Diablos after we've revived it, we'll need her body."
Slowly but surely, the chains begin snapping.
More and more sinister magic circles begin welling up on Claire's hand.
"АHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
As she screams, the chains shatter into dust, and the door at the deepest part of the Sanctuary swings open.
There's nothing beyond it. Just darkness that goes on forever.
The magic circles on Claire's hand burn bright.
A bewitching smile spreads across Victoria's face. "It worked."
"We've assembled the right and left arms."
Zeta inspects Claire's new circles with keen interest. "Stay close by and observe her, Nina."
Nina wipes the sweat off Claire's unconscious brow. "So you've really... you've really made your choice," she mumbles.
"Me and Alpha... Someday, we'll know which of us made the right call." Zeta turns her back on Nina and walks off. "Until then, we lurk in the shadows..."
With that, she vanishes into the deep darkness.
<<•>>
I'm standing in a white space.
It's been a while since I had a decent fight or a decent chance to role-play, and I gotta say, that totally hit the spot. The terrorist geezer's swordplay was really something else. I guess it's true what they say about old people being wise.
His technique was so cool, I even decided to steal it for myself, and as a result, I was able to wrap up the battle with the perfect finale. Figuring out your opponent's special move mid-fight, then turning it back against them... That right there is the stuff that dreams are made of.
Plus, the Suzuki part was awesome, too.
By disguising myself as him, I bet I was able to make Shadow's character seem even more profound. Being able to show up anywhere and casting a shadow wherever light exists is exactly what being an eminence in shadow is all about.
While I was reminiscing fondly on everything that just happened, I ended up here before I knew it.
I take in my surroundings.
"This looks familiar..."
I know this place. It's where I met kid Violet last time.
"Hey, we meet again."
A small girl is clutching her knees smack-dab in the middle of the white space. She's battered and bruised from head to toe.
"…Are you okay?" I ask, channeling mana into her to heal her wounds.
"Snff..." She lifts her head. Her face is stained red from where she's been crying tears of blood. "Thank you."
"Happy to help. What happened?"
"Nothing. Just the usual."
"The usual, huh?"
"Yeah." She looks up at me and smiles. "I'm glad we could finally meet, mister."
"What do you mean, finally?"
"Well, I'm stronger near the core."
"Huh. Oh yeah, I have something for you." I fish the red jewel out of my pocket. "It's really important to you, right?"
"...Are you sure?"
"I'll trade it to you for a hundred million zeni. Don't worry, though—you can wait to pay me back until after you've hit it big."
"Thank you." The girl takes the jewel. "I've been waiting for this."
"Well, now you've got it. Can I ask what it is?"
"Oh, sure..." The girl smirks, the corners of her mouth curling upward into the shape of a crescent. "This right here...This is..."
Her face contorts like a horrible monster's as sinister magic begins flowing out. The once-white space gets painted over with black.
The girl's tiny lips whisper two words:
"…my malice."
I can't hear her voice, but that's definitely what she's saying.
Then a torrent of ugly emotions wells up.
Men, women, children, and the elderly appear one after another to stare at the girl with contempt. A moment after each one appears, though, they get torn to pulpy shreds by some mysterious monster.
I watch the process repeat for hundreds and hundreds and thousands and thousands of years, and before I know it, I'm back on the academy rooftop.
It's the very first place I met the younger Violet.
Off in the distance, I can see the sun setting.
Things are normal here at the academy, just like they always are.
I cock my head.
"Huh. In retrospect, maybe I wasn't supposed to give her that."
<<•>>
The silver-haired girl casts her scarlet gaze out over the academy grounds.
"All the Knight Order was able to get from their investigation was some testimonies from the students. They didn't find a single piece of hard evidence..."
She leans against the windowsill of the empty classroom.
In addition to the silver-haired girl, there's also an unremarkable dark-haired boy. "I don't get what that has to do with you wanting to talk to me," he says.
[+]
"Because you're one of the involved parties."
"I already told you I was asleep in my dorm. I dunno anything about what happened."
"Claire hasn't woken up since then. The Knight Order wants to talk to you about her."
"Ohhh, the thing with my sister. Yeah, I have nothing to tell them. It's not like I know anything about that, either."
"I don't doubt it. You don't know anything. Not about what's happening to the world, or about how deep its darkness runs..."
A smile plays on the silver-haired girl's face.
"Yeah, so I dunno why they wanna talk to me."
"They aren't expecting anything to come from it. They're just checking off boxes."
"Eh, I guess that's fair," the dark-haired boy says, sounding a little irked.
A cold wintry breeze blows through the window, sending the girl's beautiful hair aflutter.
"Can you shut that?" the boy asks. "It's freezing in here."
"You know, Fido," the girl starts, ignoring the boy's request, "I really am jealous of how simple your life is."
"You make that sound like an insult."
"No, I mean it. I hope it can always stay that way."
"I don't follow," the boy replies. The girl smiles.
Then the boy hears his name being called from outside the classroom.
"Anyways, I'll see you later. Those guys from Knight Order wanna chat with me."
He reaches for the door.
"…Tell me, Fido," the girl calls after him. "Have you ever wanted to live forever?"
The boy whips his head around so fast, it seems liable to fly off. "More than anything."
"R-really?"
"I'd let the whole world burn, if that's what it took."
"I can see that you were the wrong person to ask."
"If you find a way to pull it off, let me know," the dark-haired boy says, looking dead serious as he leaves the classroom.
Now alone, the silver-haired girl lets out a sigh. "Eternal life... Shadow's not some materialist like Fido. If Shadow's after eternal life, then what's going to become of the world?"
She looks up at the sky.
The stagnant gray heavens seem to continue forever.