This time, the caravan landed in the forest, where they woke up after they were saved last time. They explained the details to Kurama, who wasn't with them during Holy Road, and Taiyou and Kinako, who weren't in Raimon when it happened. Tenma, Shindou, Tsurugi, Shinsuke, Nishiki, and the managers also explained what had happened while most of them were brainwashed.
"So now, we're here to see this Shuu person again?" Taiyou asked.
"That's the plan, or so she said." Tsurugi replied, eying the still-sleeping blonde.
"I wonder what kind of person he is..." Kinako said.
"You'll see soon enough." Tenma hopped out of the caravan, and looked around. "Shuu! Are you here? We're back!"
Kurama frowned as he and the rest followed. "Does anyone really live here? It looks pretty deserted."
"Well, whenever we see Shuu, it's always either here, by the waterfall, or at the stadium..." Shinsuke pointed out. Then he turned around at the sound of slow and heavy steps. "Um... Tsurugi, are you alright with carrying Kimiko around all day?"
The boy had somehow managed to get her on his back on his own. "It's fine. She'll be an even more pain to deal with if we leave her behind."
"What, is she going to complain until our ears fall off?"
"Precisely."
Midori sweatdropped. "I was being sarcastic..."
"Tenma! Everyone!"
A familiar voice came, turning their attention into the foliage. Out of the bushes, the black haired boy they were looking for appeared. He wore his usual black uniform.
"Shuu!" The brunette grinned as he ran up to him. "Good to see you again!"
And it was returned. "You too! Though, I wasn't expecting you to visit so soon."
"Ahaha... Yeah, a lot of things happened."
"I can see that. I can also feel a new kind of power coming from some of you." Then, his gaze turned to the three he hadn't met. "Hello. My name is Shuu."
They took turns taking his outstretched hand.
"Me first! Me first! I'm Nanobana Kinako! Hiya!"
"Kurama Norihito. Second-year in Raimon."
"Amemiya Taiyou. I'm from Arakumo Academy, but right now, I'm helping Raimon to bring soccer back."
"I see. In any case, welcome to God Eden." His eyes then landed at their sleeping friend before widening. "Is that...?"
"She's the whole reason we came here." Tsurugi immediately went straight to the point. "She just lost control of her keshin and it burnt her out completely. Still, she insisted on coming here, saying she had to talk to you."
That was when his smile dropped. "Alright. Lay her down. We can continue the discussion once she's comfortable."
He nodded and followed him to the large tree. With some help, he set her down before turning back to the black haired boy, who kneeled beside her and placed a hand on her forehead.
"Was she playing in a match?" He suddenly asked.
"No. She was on the sidelines the whole time."
"Then, was there anything off about it? Did she act strangely while she was watching?"
"There were times when it looked like she was in pain." Aoi said. "But they come and go so fast. It didn't seem to affect her in any way..."
"Hmm..." His hand finally lifted off her and he stood up, facing them with a serious expression. "I'll need you all to explain everything that happened in detail."
So they did. They told him about the time traveling, Daisuke the stone, MixiMax, Zanark Domain, their most recent match, as well as what happened in the bamboo forest right after it. The more they got into it, the more his eyes narrowed.
That didn't feel like a good sign.
"I can draw several conclusions from this... But I'll just state what matters right now." He started. "The Acheri no Megami that attacked you is most definitely Kimiko's completed keshin, but she wasn't ready to use its power yet, so it overtook her. Moreover, it attacked anyone and everyone it saw... It's almost as if it's some kind of survival instinct."
"Survival instinct...?"
"Without recognizing friend or foe, it attacks with the purpose of self-preservation. Destroy the enemy before they can destroy her..." He trailed off when he heard movement from behind him.
"Ugh..."
"Kimiko!"
The blonde was trying to push herself up. Tsurugi was first back to her side and helped propped her up against the tree.
"Thanks... Can't believe I still have zero stamina..." She rubbed her eyes with a sigh. When they opened again, they landed on the black haired boy, who still had a serious look on his face. "Shuu!"
He nodded. "They've all told me everything. I didn't expect your power to be so unstable even outside the field."
"Yeah... Neither did I..."
The boy walked over and went down on one knee in front of her. "Hey... I know this is a tall order for you right now, but... Can I see your keshin?"
Her eyes widened, and so did everyone else's behind him.
"S-Shuu, wait! Shouldn't we let her rest until she's completely normal?" Tenma asked.
"That's right!" Aoi joined in the protest. "She's in bad enough shape already. Strain her body anymore and―"
"What do you need to see?" Tsurugi asked. The rest were surprised to see him so calm.
"Its condition... as well as hers." He replied. "It won't take long. Five seconds is enough."
"Five, huh... Alright, I think I can manage that."
"Kimiko!" Taiyou knew better than anyone the pain of a broken body. He wanted to scold her, tell her to stop, but she gave him a smile.
"It's alright, sunshine. It won't do much."
"But still...!" He turned to the navy haired boy beside her. "Tsurugi! Are you really alright with this?!"
"Not even a little bit." He said, crossing his arms before eying her. "But you'll do it anyway, right?"
The shadows appearing out of her back was her answer. The team took a step back and prioritized shielding the managers in case it went berserk again, but when the giant took shape, it was no longer wearing the armor it had before.
"Back to its tame and incomplete form..." Shuu muttered as it disappeared again. "Kimiko, how did you feel while you're summoning it?"
"Normal."
"And how was it compared to the other version?"
Her lips zipped shut at that. They exchanged worried glances with one another before turning back to her. But before they could say anything, she let out a bitter laugh.
"It was like... everything inside me was ripping itself apart... and everything on the outside was burning... It hurt... And it kept on hurting... until Kyousuke cut it down." She didn't realize she was shaking until she felt her friend's hand on her back. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "As for when it came out... It felt like an explosion coming out of my back."
"An explosion...?" Tsurugi's eyes narrowed at that. "You told me that exact same thing the first time we came here... So, this isn't the first time this happened?"
She shook her head. "No... it happened exactly once before..."
"Once...? Is it when―"
"Sorry, Tsurugi. I'll have to cut you off now." Shuu suddenly said. He still had a serious look on him, but there was something different about it. "Kimiko. Sorry, but can you show me your back?"
"W-Wh― Shuu?!"
"I-Is that really needed?!"
While the managers and team made a commotion, the blonde shrugged and turned around. "It's just my back, guys. There's nothing to see."
"S-Still!"
Ignoring them, she lifted her shirt halfway up her back. Most of them were flustered by her actions, but those expressions were quickly replaced by wide eyes of horror.
"What..."
"Kimiko..."
Tsurugi's eyes narrowed. "I knew it. It was from your time at Teikoku."
The bottom half of a large scar was visible to them. It looked like something had torn out of her back.
"Your keshin was forced out, wasn't it?" Shuu earned a nod as she let her shirt drop before facing him again. "Under what circumstances?"
She pressed her lips together again, not wanting to relive the memory. But she also knew she had to in order to get the answers she needed.
"...I was told to win against eleven players by myself."
"By yourself...?"
"If I couldn't score a single goal within 15 minutes, I wouldn't be allowed to leave." That was as much as she's willing to say.
"Then, that explains your keshin's behavior." Shuu said, sighing.
"Behavior?"
"I was explaining it to everyone right before you woke up. It seems your keshin is attacking anyone it sees as a survival instinct. And it's because of that experience."
"What do you mean?"
"Kimiko. You were pushed into a corner in every meaning of the word. Your panic and frustration kept growing and growing until you couldn't take it anymore and thought 'I have to get out no matter what'. Your power forced out an ability that was sleeping deep inside you. That scar on your back is the result of it."
She shivered at the memory, wrapping her hands around herself. She hated the feeling.
"However, because you weren't ready to control it, it controlled you. And without you realizing, you were trying to resist it."
"The power that released it was the same power trying to tame it, is that what you mean?" Seeing him nod, she sighed. "So it was trying to rip itself apart..."
"Then... Kimiko's power is what's hurting her?" Kinako asked. She could've sworn the worry in all of their faces increased by tenfold.
"Is there any way to stop it from happening again?" Fei asked.
"The only way is to master it properly." He replied. "Gain full control over it and your powers so that rather than clashing, they can work together towards a single purpose."
She frowned. "That's easier said than done. I can't even summon it on my own will. The reason it came out this time was... I think it's because Zanark's powers somehow triggered mine..."
"Zanark's?" Shinsuke blinked. "You mean when he also lost control?"
She nodded. "Yeah... I can't explain it, but I'm sure there's a connection there somewhere."
"Outside influences can't be helped." Shuu said. "But to properly master it, you can only rely on what you have inside of you."
"How?"
He pursed his lips before standing up, staring at the setting sun as he thought of how to answer. "... Your keshin is an extension of your very being. To overcome yourself, you must understand yourself first. Understand why you have that power."
"Understand why...?"
He turned back to her, his smile finally returning. "Think back to the first time you called it out. You were fighting for something, weren't you? Something you wanted to protect more than yourself..." His head tilted slightly. "Do you know what you're fighting for now?"
Her frown returned. "Soccer, of course... Like everyone else."
He shook his head, earning even more wide eyes. "If that were the case, you would've controlled it long ago... Kimiko, just because that's something everyone is fighting for, doesn't mean that that's what you're personally fighting for. There's something else you want to protect, more than anything else in the world."
"Something... else...?"
"Once you've understood what that is, call it by its name."
"Name?"
"As of right now, Acheri no Megami doesn't have a name, right? Not like my Dark Exodus, Tenma's Pegasus, Lancelot, Maestro, Musashi, Titanias, Brynhildr, or Apollo." He stated. "'Goddess of Archery' is its title. I suppose the appropriate term is that... your keshin doesn't quite trust you with its name just yet. To gain that trust..."
"I need to dig deeper in myself, is that it?"
"Yup! You sure catch on quick!" As expected of a Second Stage Child!
You even know that much... Well, as expected of a guardian spirit. She gave a small smile. "Thanks, Shuu. Surprisingly, I ended up with more answers than I thought I'd get. I mean, I still have a few questions, but none are for you."
"Glad I can be of help." He then spread his arms out. "Alright, everyone. It's getting late. Why don't you all stay the night? I'll help with dinner."
Before Tenma could agree, Midori stepped in. "Sorry, Shuu, but we can't do that."
Aoi nodded from beside her. "Right. We need to get back... mainly for Kimiko's sake."
"Yeah, she needs a proper bed to rest on if we want her to recover quickly."
The blonde sweatdropped at that. "Ironic coming from the guy who tries to escape the hospital every two days." The orange haired boy ignored her, earning even more sweatdrops from the others.
But she knew they were right.
She turned back to the black haired boy. "Thanks again for everything, Shuu."
"You're welcome. And feel free to return anytime!" Then his eyes widened, suddenly remembering something. "Oh! And if possible, next time, can you bring Hakuryuu and the rest of Zero? I kind of miss them."
She chuckled. "Well, I don't see why not. They might even choose to stay for a while since the soccer ban doesn't reach here. We'll be sure to give them a call."
"I'll look forward to that then."
"Bye, Shuu!"
"Goodbye, Shuu!"
"See you!"
"Bye, everyone! See you!"
Hope you can have a peaceful rest until then.
And I hope you'll find all that you're looking for.
As they all headed back to the caravan, purple eyes began to lose their previous cheer.
Only a single person noticed.