The young cowboy wandered the wilderness, his coat draped over several bandages wrapped around his wounds. Most noticeably, his lost right eye was now masked by several white cloth wraps.
The wind blew, sending dust into his remaining ocular organ, and he lowered the brim of his hat in response.
As he kept going, he felt his stomach rumble. How long had he last eaten? He had forgotten the length of time it had been since devouring that fried lizard. Perhaps it was time he had to hunt for more nourishment.
He unholstered the pistol strapped to his waist and inspected his ammunition. Two bullets left. It wasn't much, and out here, all alone, every scrap of a weapon was essential to survival.
He grit his teeth. He would need more than just this piece of garbage if he wanted to exact revenge on his village's murderers. That same drive for vengeance is what kept him going; the anger and sorrow festering in his heart allowed him to push forward with purpose.
But the energy of emotion could only last for so long, and soon he collapsed on his face in the middle of the harsh wildlands.
Was it going to end here? He was not sure. He would have preferred not, for he still had his home to avenge. Yes, it's because of those people that he had lost everything; those people were to blame.
"Damn... Flame Haze..." he uttered with a parched tongue in frustration.
"Master, I think he's waking up," a female voice with an unusually high pitch said.
"So it seems he is, my dearest Marianne," a smooth male voice replied.
The boy opened his eyes slowly to find a man dressed in white. What was quick to notice about him was his unusually pale complexion, in spite of his lack of a hat, and his azure blue hair. A moment later, he noticed the little doll cradled in his arm. In his other hand, the man held an open canteen.
"U-ugh..." the boy groaned as he tried to get up, but found himself still too weak to do so.
"Don't push yourself young man," the bluenette said, bringing the canteen towards the boy's mouth. "Drink."
The water was cool, and life slowly returned to the boy. The liquid was cleaner than what was usually found around these parts, likely drawn from a spring.
After a while of letting the boy drink from his canteen, the stranger withdrew his container.
"Thank... you," the boy said with a low voice, finally getting some of his ability to speak back.
The blue haired man nodded back. "Might as well travel together kid, seeing as we're both after the same thing."
The boy's eyes widened as much as they could in his current state. He opened his mouth to speak, but ended up croaking hoarsely.
"Easy there, I can answer all your questions later," the man reassured him.
"Who... are... you?" the boy insisted on asking at the very least.
"A fellow enemy of the Flame Hazes. You can call me Friagne, the Hunter. And your name, my boy?"
The boy didn't hesitate for his newfound ally. "Billy Hawken."
Episode 16: Unfettered Walk
Yuji woke to the sound of his own rumbling stomach. He was basically still a human shell, and that fact caught up to him.
Rubbing his eyes, he wondered to himself just when was the last time he had eaten. He was still on the train, unfortunately, so there wasn't much chance to get anything while it was still in transit that late night.
As if answering his subconscious wishes, a boxed lunch wrapped in a white cloth was shoved right at his face.
"Go ahead and eat once we get off," Keisaku said, holding up the bento.
The Mystes blinked and received the meal into his hands. He raised an eyebrow at his male friend.
"Don't look at me. Hecate told me she threw it together this morning after you dropped off your mom. And since you never came back to her hideout..."
Yuji smiled graciously. "Thanks Satou."
The young human couldn't help but feel a bit creeped out. To think this humble person was that very same guy who beat down his own ally just so none of the others would follow him. Or maybe it was because he was that kind of unfettered person that he did it.
But really, who was he to understand what was really going on? He had a tough time as it was figuring out just what was going on with this war; Bal Masque's several tactics aside, why on Earth would a Flame Haze let the military get involved or take a Flame Haze killing weapon? He had to be realistic about this; Trigger Happy was the only reason he came along, not the guy next to him. It was a threat to Margery, and once it was out of the way, then he'd be done.
"I hope you have a plan," Keisaku muttered.
"Huh?" Yuji obliviously responded.
"What I'm saying is do you really think you can take on an Outlaw branch by yourself?" Keisaku asked seriously.
The Mystes shook his head. "Even Sydonay would have to have an army backing him up."
"Then what the hell is with this lone wolf stuff?"
The Mystes gazed out of the window. "There's more to this upcoming battle than just a straight up fight Satou, I can feel it. There's something just wrong, and I have to stop it. I can't let any more and more people get hurt over this, especially not the ones I care about."
Keisaku let out a sigh. He really was one of those people. "You're unexpectedly really hard headed, you know that?"
Yuji shrugged. "I guess."
"So, what are you planning to do once we get there?"
The Mystes tapped the top of his boxed lunch as he explained his initial idea of approach.
"First thing's first, we need a place to hide out at. Tokyo's a big place, so it shouldn't be that hard. We'll also have to locate Outlaw's current headquarters. Flying around isn't an option given how many Flame Hazes might be there, so think you can help us navigate the city?"
Keisaku nodded. "I've been around the city a few times when I was a kid. How do you plan on finding the headquarters?"
"Capturing and interrogating a Flame Haze is an option," Yuji answered casually, and the very idea chilled his companion. "Or I can try to triangulate its location by sensing the movements of various Flame Hazes, if they're not already congregated in one place."
"Then what? Nuke it with your powers?"
Margery had told him about that explosion the Mystes had caused to demolish a huge chunk of Sereiden, back when he was still essentially a talented amateur.
"Powerful Flame Hazes like Southvalley would survive collateral damage even of that scale. I'd have to hit him directly. It'll just give us away and get us swarmed by Flame Hazes."
"We disrupt Outlaw's operations," Yuji said, continuing to explain his current strategy, "starting with their hold over the military and removing their presence in Misaki City. Whatever I do, Outlaw would be aware of our presence, but we might be able to use that to advantage in some way as well. If we're lucky, they might even panic, and we'll see more of their hand than they intend. However, it's vital that we stay flexible; this plan right now is more of a guideline."
Keisaku shook his head. "Basically, we're winging it. At least try to sound a little worried."
Yuji looked out of the window again. "I can't afford to risk the thought getting to me, or we'll definitely lose."
That late night, back in Misaki City, a woman's fist pounded against the door of an apartment furiously.
"Open up or I'll blast the door down!"
Hecate opened the door and the Chanter of Elegies stormed in, smacking the wall next to the unflinching Hecate and demanding for an answer with a loud growl.
"Where. Is. Keisaku?!"
The Priestess simply blinked and remained silent. But deep under that stoic face, the girl could not help but sympathize with the Flame Haze; indeed, most of the people in the room had been separated by the one they cared for the closest due to different circumstances.
"We thought he'd return about a couple of hours ago before the military's curfew, but he never even called," Marchosias explained. "My smitten enchantress Margery Daw here figured the military might have caught him for some reason, but it turns out they didn't have him."
"I won't ask again," Margery said with a snarl as her nails dug into the wall, forming cracks into the concrete.
With a mask of calmness hiding her true emotions, Hecate turned around and started walking. "Come in," she told her in her usual lack of tone.
The Chanter of Elegies narrowed her eyes and grit her teeth, but followed her anyway. Her nails scraped against the wall as she slid them loose, leaving a foot-long gash Freddy Kruger would be proud of.
What met her eyes after taking several steps into the apartment was the Judge of Paradoxes with her head in her hands uncharacteristically, the simple dining table supporting her elbows. A ways across her, on a cheap couch, the Thousand Changes lay, covered in spell insignias meant for speeding recovery, his body wrapped in bandages; but there was no hiding the fact that his entire black and blue body was completely sore. The man could hardly turn his head towards her without pain assaulting his nerves.
"Wow, you guys really sunk low this quick? The times we live in, huh?" Marchosias said with a tone friendlier than necessary.
"Stuff it Marco," Margery said through her teeth.
Bel Peol smirked unamusedly and sat up straight for their guest. "Looking for your human mate?" she said provocatively.
Margery snarled and flipped the table effortlessly. "Don't play games with me bitch! Where is he?!"
Bel Peol boldly crossed her arms. "You didn't try to contact him yourself?"
"She tried calling him through his bookmark, but we didn't get any response on the other end, apart from background sound," Marchosias once again decided to be the composed one of the two. "But he's definitely still alive, I can sense that much, we just don't know where he is."
Bel Peol sighed. What was it with these kids and keeping their girlfriends out of their mission?
"You know where he is. Tell me!" Margery demanded again. She marched forward, not caring whether or not the Trinity moved to act against her, and indeed, the three Crimson Lords willingly remained motionless, as they felt no real killing intent, for now at least.
The Chanter of Elegies was not the only Flame Haze present. Shana had let herself in, having followed after the blonde when she sensed her approach. As with Margery, the Trinity did not mind her presence, even as she leaned against the wall behind Hecate.
When she had arrived, the Flaming-Haired Blazing-Eyed Hunter walked in a scene where Margery, getting angrier by the second, now had her hands wrapped around Bel Peol's throat. The Strategist was certainly uncomfortable and in pain, and it showed on her face, but the Trinity remained composed.
"STOP FUCKING STALLING!" the blonde woman roared as she tightened her fingers, but didn't go in for the kill.
She was smarter than that, the moment she revealed any form of real killing intent, Hecate could obliterate her. But more importantly, they knew that in reality she was here for only one thing, and that one thing was enough to put aside even her hatred of Crimson Denizens.
Instead of the Strategist answering, to their mild surprise, it was the injured Sydonay who spoke first.
"Your boyfriend went to Tokyo, with the Mystes of the Reiji Maigo, to fight Outlaw."
Margery's pupils shrank, the misunderstanding going right over her head as she took in the more important issue. "No, that can't be... Don't lie to me."
Had it been the Margery of the past, her quivering voice may have been filled with frustration over her obsession, the Silver, once again going out of reach. But now, what shook her was the feeling of worry and fear for Keisaku flooding throughout her being. This did not go unnoticed.
"He's... not lying," Shana said, her dark bangs covering her eyes as she lowered her head with mixed feelings. She thought back to her last conversation with the Mystes. "Keisaku probably went with him because Outlaw might have the Trigger Happy."
"He did," Hecate added in confirmation. "He's worried they'd use it to kill you when you inevitably go against them."
Margery's already trrmbling hands loosened their hold on Bel Peol's neck. "And none of you stopped him?"
"I don't think anyone could have, my blooming damsel," Marchosias gently convinced his contracted Flame Haze. "You know how determined the kid gets when it comes to you."
Normally, this would have been him teasing her, with her reacting violently, but now, even Margery had to admit that he wasn't really wrong. She let go of the Strategist of Bal Masque, though none too gently, and shoved her away.
As the Judge of Paradoxes straightened herself out and righted the table, Margery Daw turned her back to her without a word of apology. Not that anyone really expected one from her.
From behind his sunglasses, Sydonay observed the Chanter of Elegies, who appeared to be lost in thought. Did she know? Was she aware that the Silver had now been unleashed and made a weapon? No, she would have gone to the crimson battlefield with the metallic flame where he had been served a healthy dose of humiliation and physical pain post haste. Her passion ran deep, and she definitely would not have missed her chance now that the Tyrant was complete.
Maybe it was for the best that she didn't get involved somehow. Sure, they were enemies, but at the very least, she had earned his respect when she had cast all common sense aside and aided them during the last assault on Sereiden.
The blonde Flame Haze made to leave, the Thousand Changes spoke up.
"You aren't thinking of following after them, are you?"
Margery paused and turned her head oh so slightly towards him, her eyes frosty. "What's it to you?"
"The moment word gets there that you're on the way, they'll be ready for you, probably with Trigger Happy. That kid won't be too happy when he finds out he risked his neck for nothing."
Margery pursed her lips. Of course she had realized that, but what else could she do? She was not about to leave Keisaku in a pit of wolves. She was embarrassed to admit it still, but she did like the guy. No, she had to go, even if she died, at least then, he'd be able to live on, and abandon that mission of his. That was how the current Margery thought.
"What of your revenge as well?" Bel Peol said tauntingly. "Are you really that willing to give up your shot at proving your meaning as a Flame Haze?"
Margery Daw hammered her fist into the wall, leaving a crack. "Shut it!" she growled.
But deep down, she admitted that both points were right, especially the latter. She lived for revenge, and this quest of vengeance was what she felt defined her, and drove her on. As much as she wanted to just go and let her passion drive her, the turmoil in her heart proved enough to at least keep her restrained, for the time being.
"I need to go for a walk," she declared.
"Good idea, best to cool off for now and kick ass later; clear your head," Marchosias said.
"...by myself," the woman said as she unslung the Grimoire and tossed it over to the seat next to the incapacitated Sydonay. Not that she trusted the Trinity in the slightest, but she knew that if there was trouble for either of them, the book could always make its way back to her in the blink of an eye. Besides, if he didn't have any company, he would just insist on tagging along with her.
Without anything more to say, Margery left out the front door, shutting it normally behind her. No one had noticed it, but on her face was the most conflicted expression she had ever made, looking as though she was on the verge of tears, while her brow was furrowed with great anger, as she chewed on her bottom lip, her teeth scratching at her lipstick.
Back inside the apartment, Shana and Hecate had stood watching while the rest resumed their business, or lack thereof.
As if compelled by a need for an understanding of their own, they turned to each other, and their eyes met briefly. As it was many times between them, neither of them spoke, but Shana could see it now, there was emotion in those eyes, surrounded by unmoving features. Those eyes reflected the very same emotion in her own eyes, though she knew not why.
"I need to go for some air too, Alastor, let's go," she told her contractor. Hecate's empathetic eyes followed her on the way out without a hint of hostility. What she wasn't aware of was the Corpse Collector having observed the while event subtly to one side of the room.
Meanwhile, the Claw and Fangs of Violation decided to pass the time by talking with the one who was once the nemesis of the Chanter of Elegies.
"So, what happened to you? I don't think I've ever seen you in such a sorry state before, not even after that time my passionate petunia Margery Daw caught you with your pants down.
Sydonay exhaled deeply. "The Mystes happened. I don't want to talk about it," he said. And indeed, apart from a large chunk of his being, his pride had taken a toll harder than ever before. To think he was bested by that brat of a Mystes so quickly when not too long ago he could hardly touch him.
The memory of the time he had been run through by the gigantic sword replayed in his mind. He saw it then, eyes so cold they would send chills down your spine, yet also burning with a passion hot enough to burn through anything. They had been eyes of determination, the likes of which he had never seen before. They were eyes that faced the true reality before him, scorching away any delusions that hindered him. They were the eyes of one who was willing to tear apart the world, and he would be able to do it too. But he would not do it for a selfish motive like many conquerors of the past, no, his path for the sake of someone important to him, for the sake of a cause that was anything but selfless. He had seen those same eyes in someone else, someone to whom he answered to loyally.
Then he understood, and an ironic grin formed on his face at the reality presented to him. So that is the one you've chosen to be your vessel, Master? He is as terrifying as you are.
No, even he wasn't so willing to harm his own, at least not a close ally. He chuckled bitterly. Maybe he's even a little scarier than that, and he's like, what, fifteen?
Having booked into a cheap, two-bed room for the night, the two boys in Tokyo finally sat down to eat. Yuji Sakai, for all his seriousness that day and the night before, wolfed down his girlfriend's handmade meal with gusto, enjoying every morsel of it. But really, who could blame him?
Keisaku meanwhile contented himself with some rice balls he had bought from a convenience store on the way over. The small television in front of him displayed the late night news.
"Hey Sakai," he addressed his companion once he had finished his meal, even while the human boy was chewing on his second and last riceball for the night, "What's your reading on the city so far?"
The Mystes neatly put away the empty food container. "I've been feeling about six or seven familiar Flame Haze presences ever since we got here, as well as a lot of other Flame Hazes we've never met."
"So we're in the thick of what might as well be an army and a bunch of legit badasses," Keisaku simplified dryly. "What could possibly go wrong?"
"We don't have to fight them all if we can, and I'd rather we retreat as soon as we're done here," Yuji replied. "We'll stick to our original goal of dealing with the Trigger Happy, and disrupting whatever Southvalley has planned. Ideally, I'd rather take him out while we were at it."
He said it without a hint of anger in his voice. Was he that in-control of his emotions, or did he really see the trip here as just a mission passed on by his father, rather than a quest for vengeance. Keisaku couldn't really tell, for the other male's eyes expressed little other than cold logic.
Not even a minute after the Mystes had finished his only meal of that day did Yuji put the map of Tokyo he had bought to use. Spreading the sheet over his bed, he took out a marker and began encircled a few buildings, before taking a moment to think and use his senses again, and continue making other markings on the map.
Keisaku was tempted to ask what sort of deductive method his ally was using, but decided against it, figuring that there was no real point to it.
What did nag at him for a while now though was what he had felt through his bookmark earlier that day. He didn't understand why, but he was sure he felt something about the Fuzetsu when Yuji had set it up to beat down Sydonay. It was familiar, in a hateful way, and silver came to mind quickly, through the feeling he got in the slip of paper. He supposed now was as good a time to ask as any.
"Sakai?"
"Hm?"
"Earlier, when you kicked Sydonay's ass, you unleashed the Silver, didn't you?"
Yuji never took his eyes away from his work. He replied while drawing a line from one part of Tokyo to another. "Yeah," he answered honestly, but in a way that were as if he was simply telling the time. "But more like, I drew on its power."
It must be completed then, Keisaku surmised. He figured there must have been something that gave the Mystes confidence to take on the forces of Outlaw, even if it was a stretch. But what would that mean for Margery? Once she found out, she would surely take her shot at it, and if Yuji had managed to take down Sydonay, her equal when deprived of his weapon, with only a portion of its power, she would surely fail. If he was going to dig more into it, he had to find out something more important about it. He wasn't expecting an answer from the other boy, but there was no harm done in doing so.
"What exactly is the Silver?"
For the first time, Yuji looked away from the map right into his eyes, his gaze serious but clear of any emotion. "Do you really need to know?"
Keisaku blinked, and frankly, felt more reluctant than intimidated in that moment. But he had to try.
"Yes."
Yuji Sakai sighed as he put down the marker. "I suppose this'll be a favor for her too," he said to himself, his expression now a bit more conflicted, as if weighing the consequences with logic and moral values. It was an expression that was more familiar than of late on his face, it was a reflection of what Keisaku had seen when Yuji was contemplating whether to fight to reach Hecate back when Sereiden was falling apart.
"The Silver, the Tyrant, is not a Crimson Denizen at all."
Keisaku unconsciously moved towards the edge of where he sat, listening intently. Uninterrupted, the Mystes continued.
"It's a vessel designed to contain the Snake of the Festival, a Crimson God, like Alastor," Yuji said, not afraid to share the information now that he had revealed what he could do with it. "But more importantly, it's a physical manifestation of fragments of human emotions, given form. It only appears before those with strong emotions. It has no will of its own, but its actions reflect what it has taken in from the one who had summoned it."
Keisaku Satou sat there, dumbstruck. "No fucking way, so all this time, Margery-san's..."
Yuji nodded sadly, and sympathized with his friend. "Already had her revenge."
The Priestess in white stood alone on the roof deck of the apartment complex, taking in the refreshing breeze of the night wind and gazing at the stars high above in the heavens. They were little comfort to her, as she continued to worry for the one she loved. While she did trust him with her life, she could not help but feel that way. But more than that; there was stirring in her being, an awful one.
That day, Yuji Sakai, whom she had lived with for her happiest of times in eons, and whom she had learned to love again from, demonstrated that he had possessed the power to utilize the Silver. It shouldn't have been possible with her training of utilizing Power of Existence, in fact, Bal Masque had been monitoring the Tyrant for any anomalies, but none had surfaced until now. He should have been able to only use the azure flame that was a part of his own being, which she had helped him draw out just before the battle for Sereiden.
It took her a while to realize it, and even then, she had a difficult time admitting it, but she soon figured out the truth. There could only be one other person who had both the ability and the right to grant access to the Tyrant, while it was now locked away from making any further appearances in the physical world. For an unknown length of time, Yuji Sakai must have been able to communicate with the Snake of the Festival, and he had given him the power of his intended vessel.
Hecate knew not why her Master would allow it. Of late, his actions had been beyond what she had expected of her lord, even if they had turned out to be for the better in the end. It had begun with him stopping her from destroying the Mystes the first time they had met, and then chose to cease communicating with her. Because of that, she had fallen in love with Yuji, and never did she regret it, even now.
It didn't matter to her if the Snake of the Festival was testing them both, or providing them with a greater unseen path. She trusted him, and she believed he had his reasons for what he did.
But that did not mean she was neither sad nor angry at the moment, but not because Yuji was now the one communicating to the Snake of the Festival. No, that was hardly it. She spoke her frustration out loud in a soft, breathy voice.
"Why didn't he just tell me?"
Even if she said it, she already knew the answer. Until now, she understood Yuji Sakai better than anyone else, having become one with him in mind and spirit in a moment of consensual intimacy, during their time Synchronized.
Yuji Sakai feared that she would be devastated if she ever learned that he was now the one communicating with the one she had missed so much, whom she saw as her father as well as her Master. Did he really have to worry so much? She had Yuji now, and that was enough for her. Did the Mystes really belittle his own value in her heart, or did he simply underestimate love that much? Even though she understood, it was surprising, yet it was not unlike him.
The Priestess of the Snake of the Festival was not the only one deep in thought that night. The Flaming-Haired Blazing-Eyed Hunter, meanwhile, stood in her apartment with the lights off, and gazed out of her window, her reflection staring back at her. Over the glass was the image of a girl with dark hair with a troubled expression she had never seen on herself before.
"I don't believe I've ever seen the Chanter of Elegies like that before," Alastor said, interrupting her silent pondering.
"Yeah," Shana replied somewhat listlessly. "Why would she go that far?"
As soon as she had asked that, she recalled the story Wilhelmina had shared to her, of the tale between the first Mystes of the Reiji Maigo and the Beautiful Whim. That same Beautiful Whim was captive just in the other room, a result of her risking everything just to see the man she loved again.
Love was a powerful thing indeed. But what did that mean in regards to her? She never understood what that felt like, and was unsure if it was even related to the worried girl staring back at her.
For a long time, she had hardly understood the importance of strong bonds, least until she had met Yuji and Hecate. Ever since fighting them in Sereiden, she had slowly begun to see the strength in their bond with each other. Over time, as the two of them became closer, her initial antagonism turned into something else. She would never admit it, but she was envious of the two of them, and yet, somehow could not hate them for the feeling. Sure, she and Hecate butted heads with each other, but the more she got to know her, the more she did see some of herself in her, like Yuji had told her. Damn that idiot for being right about them not being so different.
Yuji, he was certainly something else. The first time she had encountered him, she had cut him down, but she would never forget that unwavering look in his eyes, the same ones on his face just before he had left for Tokyo. But they were eyes that had also acknowledged her as an existence that meant more than just a tool of hunting. He was the first boy she had ever met to actually look at her as a girl, and more than just a Flame Haze. Even now, he was fighting a difficult fight passed onto him by his father, for the sake of the one he loved, as well as for the sake of his friends, which he had admitted to include her. She would be lying if she said that thinking about him didn't make her heart skip a beat, even if she still could not understand why.
And that lack of understanding is what had caused her to become more and more confused as the days went by, taking her days in the city with him for granted. It wasn't long until Alastor had convinced her that it would be best for all of them if the young man had committed to a person he would deem the most important to him. She agreed with him, and in fact thought the same, especially when she got irritated over how much of a fuss he was making about it. She had thought she would be relieved now that the two of them had confessed their love for each other, but after seeing them part ways, even temporarily, so soon triggered new feelings of frustration and worry.
"It's strange, here I was scolding Yuji about how indecisive he's been, and now that everyone's decided on what they have to do, I'm the only one still wondering what I should do now, as a Flame Haze."
"You don't believe we should regroup with the others for the coming war?" her wise contractor asked.
"We should, that much is inevitable, but I feel that there's something missing."
"You are waiting for the Mystes to return before then?" Alastor asked. "That is unlike you, especially after how you had treated him as an enemy not too long ago."
Shana put her hand on her reflection. "Sophie once told me to try to learn as much as I can about someone before judging them, and if something about them strikes me as odd, that I shouldn't run away, even if they were a human or a Denizen, and that if they made me happy, that I should hold onto them."
"You still remember her words after all this time?"
The girl nodded once. "Sophie was a special person to me herself, so even while I didn't get it at the time, I still listened to her. I think I'm starting to get what she meant."
"Even if you still can't stand either Yuji Sakai or Hecate?" Alastor asked her, purposely using the names they chose to go by.
"To be honest, I still don't think I'll accept what she said completely anytime soon," Shana admitted. "I really wanted to be a perfect Flame Haze, but can a perfect Flame Haze really have any kind of bonds, let alone with someone who's supposed to be an enemy of Flame Haze?"
"If you really want to become a perfect Flame Haze, you won't make it if you continue to be just a Flame Haze."
The reply didn't come from Alastor, but rather from the elderly man walking through her front door. It appears, with her mind as clouded as it was, she had forgotten to lock up; not that it really mattered to begin with.
"What would you know about this, Corpse Collector?" Shana asked, but not as rudely as she would normally to a Denizen, knowing of his value to the cause of the Flame Haze.
Lamies made a small smile as he stood next to her. "I was friends with your predecessor; she helped in my escape in a war so many ages ago. She was something more than just a Flame Haze, and that made her perfect in my eyes." He cast a knowing gaze towards Alastor for a brief moment, and had the Crimson God possessed a means for it to show, he may as well have been blushing.
"What? What was she then?" Shana asked, oblivious to the silent communication between the two ancients.
To the surprise of the Flame Haze, in a shroud of white feathers, the Corpse Collector transformed into a young girl of her height with milky white smooth skin and short lavender hair, wearing a white dress. After completing her quick transformation, she told her the answer.
"A woman," she said with a cheerfully serene smile.
Shana just stood there, processing the information. The Denizen's appearance aside, what puzzled her greatly was what she had meant.
"A... woman?"
"Or a girl. Really, it doesn't matter which word you use. But that was what made her a truly powerful Flame Haze."
Shana's brow furrowed. "I don't understand."
"Girls have a strong capacity to love, do you know that? But it's love that also makes them strong. Am I not correct, Flame of Heaven?" Leanan-sidhe said teasingly to the Crimson God.
A low grumble came from the Cocytus hanging from Shana's neck, but turned to a voice with a hint of resignation. "Indeed, your predecessor had the strongest heart I have ever seen before."
"But how can love make someone so strong?" Shana asked. "I know I saw what that did for the Beautiful Whim and the Supreme Throne, but can caring for a single person really make you that powerful?"
The sweet and musical sound of laughter came from the girl next to her. Shana couldn't help but to frown in response. "W-What's so funny?!"
"Whoever told you love only had to be for one person?" Leanan-sidhe said, and the Flame Haze found herself unable to answer that. Indeed, upon scratching the surface of what she had meant, she could only blink in silence.
Leanan-sidhe smiled again and laid out the truth of the heart for her. "There are many kinds of love in this world, not all of them being the same. What Yuji and Hecate share is something special, that is true, but it is not the same he shares with his mother, or with his father, or with the Chanter of Elegies, or with Bel Peol, or with you. How about you? Are there any people whom you deem important, and worth protecting, and seeing happy?"
As much as she would try to deny it, deep down, Shana possessed her own list. She loved Alastor as a father, and Wilhelmina as a guardian and friend, and Sophie was as close to a kindly grandmother as she could get, and there was Shiro, a Denizen, whom she had come to care for even when he had fought her for a reason she was only slowly beginning to comprehend; but the list did not stop there. Kazumi and Ogata were at least two other additions to the enumerated people who made her feel glad, and only now did she realize that the reason she now worried about Yuji and Hecate was because, while they were technically her enemies, she had come to understand them, and she acknowledged them, and in some shape or form she was not sure of, they had somehow taken up a space in her heart. Really, when did things become like this? She would ask herself that, but she already knew the answer when she remembered her time competing with the Priestess, or talking with Yuji, or the time when they would bring food to her home, among a few other memories.
"Spiral Organ..." Alastor muttered, thoroughly impressed by the reasoning of the female Denizen to the young girl.
Leanan-sidhe, the girl who had abandoned the way of most Denizens, smiled at the Flaming-Haired Blazing-Eyed Hunter, whose expression displayed a look of clarity never before seen on her face.
Keisaku Satou slouched on the edge of the bed, still taking in the weight of what he had learned in a single day. The television set was off now, and the boy clutched a small object in his tightened fist, his only means of protection at the moment.
"Oh, before I forget," the Mystes of the Reiji Maigo had said as he took off the chain encircling his neck and dropped it onto Keisaku's palm. Attached to the metal thread was a single, intricately designed ring. "Here, it's the Anti-Flame Ring Azure we got from Friagne."
Keisaku looked down at the object in his hand, and tried to refuse. "Wait, don't you think you'll need this when things start going to shit?"
But Yuji didn't budge from his decision. "We'll never know if you'll end up in the middle of the crossfire somehow, but this should be plenty of protection for you. The way I am now, I probably won't need it as much as you might."
"Aren't you overconfident," Keisaku snarked. His comrade merely shrugged before rushing out the door. Left behind in the room, the boy's fingers wrapped around the Treasure Tool.
With a deep sigh, the young man hung the chain around his neck and lay down on the mattress. With his other hand, he took out a bookmark from Marchosias. It had been a long time since Margery's last attempt to contact him, so maybe she had finally figured out the purpose of his sudden trip.
"I can't let her find out, ever," he told himself fearfully. There was no way he could let Margery Daw find out what the Silver she had been hunting her whole life truly was, or she would lose the will to fight, or even freak out and totally break down.
He felt like he was betraying her, yet also felt that it was a necessary action to protect her. Was this how it was for Sakai when he had decided to face Outlaw on his own, to the point that he had to beat down the General? Perhaps they weren't so different after all.
No, screw that. He would have to let her know the truth eventually, so that she could finally relent in her mad quest for a nonexistent vengeance, and live. But what would she live for then? Deep down, he hoped she would stay and live at the very least to continue to be with him. The truth was that he loved her, and there was no denying that, but did she feel the same way? He couldn't get conceited about it and just assume so.
But well, at least this much, going on a mission to help protect her from a very real threat, was a step forward.
That's right, he needed to focus on the mission. He turned to the map on the empty bed next to him, the Mystes of the Reiji Maigo nowhere in sight now; he had gone out to initiate the next phase.
As the night stretched on, the Mystes of the Reiji Maigo arrived in Shinjuku, specifically, the headquarters of Japan's Ministry of Defense. Here, he would hope to find some answers, and he suspected they would be in the office of the Minister of Defense himself.
Just as he had suspected, the place was being watched. There a Flame Haze keeping the headquarters under watch from the top of a nearby structure. The Mystes could feel his presence even from the street below, and he could tell that this one was nowhere near as strong as the familiar presences scattered around, or the condensed mass of presences occupying a single building much farther away.
While he had arrived by foot and commute, with some navigational support from Satou back at base, Yuji ascended the building from where he judged the Flame Haze's blindside would be.
When he peeked from the ledge, he very nearly got himself caught while a brunette male with a short beard and a long sword on his back stood about making some coffee for himself. As he ducked back down, the Mystes confirmed for himself that this was definitely worth the risk infiltrating. If the haughtiness of Shana or Margery Daw was any indication, Flame Hazes would not be the type to do guard duty.
He would have to act quickly, on the off chance that one of the Flame Hazes would sense the sudden lack of a comrade. Thankfully, however, there were so many in Tokyo at the moment that it would be difficult to tell; he himself hadn't sensed him until he was in closer proximity.
As soon as the Flame Haze turned his back to the ledge, Yuji leaped over the railing and drew Blutsauger. Before the Flame Haze could react to the killing intent or his contractor warn him, he was split diagonally by the massive sword, which happened to also shatter the longsword that was presumably the Flame Haze contractor's vessel.
With a dry death rattle accompanied by the sound of a mug being shattered on the floor, the two halves of the Flame Haze began to dematerialize into thin air along with the shards of his Crimson Lord's vessel. Yuji quickly realized that it was the first time he had killed a real person, one who may not have even been a bad guy for all he knew, and he would certainly not be the last. A sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach threatened to hinder him with regret, but he could not allow that to take over. He had to stifle that feeling before it even emerged. This was war; if he could not get used to doing something like this, then more of his friends would die, and both humans and Denizens would continue to suffer.
Without looking back, Yuji put away his weapon and strode on towards the edge of the building and surveyed the area calmly. This late at night, there would be little to no witnesses on the streets or in nearby buildings, and under cover of darkness, he should be able to risk a quick leap to the top of the Ministry of Defense headquarters even if some of Outlaw's human agents would be watching, which he figured would have been redundant and unlikely if a Flame Haze had already on watch duty.
In a single bound, the Mystes launched off the first platform and let his flying abilities quickly take him over to the top of the headquarters. The security here would be state of the art, he was sure. The slightest touch on the wrong surface could sound an alarm, and cameras would probably be everywhere. Of course, using a Fuzetsu was also out of the question. Just as bad, he had no idea at the moment where the office he needed to be in was, and he was too pressed for time to gather more information.
But that did not mean he just came here without a plan. He thought back to when he had repaired the immense damage Hecate and Pheles' duel had caused in a relatively short amount of time using an Unrestricted Method he had come up with on the spot. It had actually been something he had based on both the mechanics of a Fuzetsu, along with what he had observed from how a Tuner repaired anomalies in the world, tied together with the concepts of 'memory' and 'past existence', to restore what had been broken. He figured he was ready for this.
"Power of Existence can be used to break or bend the boundaries of the mundane world, so long as causality and reason match up with the possibilities," Yuji reminded himself of what he had learned in his time training in the spellcraft of Unrestricted Methods.
He placed a hand on the concrete surface of the roof and recalled the rules and principles of the true reality surrounding him. What he needed was information, and information was based on perception. The Haridan, which had been returned to Sereiden, was one such object that allowed one to perceive the layout of an entire city, but he needed only to map out a single structure. As long as an object existed, it bore information, and one aspect of the general-use Unrestricted Method, Tatsui no Gen, was transforming language into universal information. But language is not always speech and text. No, the essence of language was its nature as a medium of information for the surrounding world, and Tatsui no Gen was the means for understanding what could not be understood. First, he would have to extend his perception beyond its human restraints, and then use what he could draw from that.
Thus, with the his hand on the concrete, surrounded by a circle of bright azure symbols, his sense of touch spread all throughout the building, tracing every nook and cranny, and projecting the most important details into his mind.
"Right there," he whispered to himself, having located his target. "But to think that person would be there too." He withdrew his hand, deactivating his improvised spell. Now to actually get in.
Stepping off the edge, he slowly descended until he had reached the proper floor. Besides the trouble that came with alarms should he break the window in front of him, there was also the fact that if what he had in mind was going to work, there needed to be no trace of a break in.
It's already worked twice now, so this should work too, Yuji mentally told himself.
He thought back to when he and Hecate had first fought Margery Daw. Using a focal point, in her case, a bookmark, she had been able to transport herself through a short distance. Objects or people that existed had to be present in the physical realm, in a single spot, at a time. But what if that existence were manipulated, and made as if they had actually been somewhere else from where they currently were? Essentially, it may be possible to trick reality so that his existence had always been where he wanted to be. Right now, that place was located to the three dimensional point in space that he observed before him, the dark hallway at a blind spot behind a security camera.
"Here goes nothing."
The Mystes vanished in a swift blur, while at the same time materializing at his desired location. He smiled to himself; the Silver was one thing, but he wss really glad he had been studying hoe to manipulate Power of Existence for a good while now, long enough for him to invent his own uses for it. Just wait until Hecate heard of what he could do after such a successful field test.
Evading patrolling guards was easy so long as he hovered above their heads with his back to the ceiling, provided they had not been far enough to catch him in their field of view. Eventually, he made his way to the office of the Minister of Defense.
The locked door was yet another obstacle, one he chose not to go through using instant teleportation. Instead, he opted to utilize his power again, and by this point, he was beginning to feel as though the spells he wove were not separate Unrestriced Methods, but the same one given different form so long as his logic molded it to fit with what he desired. He would question that later, but for now, it was the time to apply it.
He examined the locked door. It was well secured with a retinal scanner and a keypad. Certainly, he lacked the mundane means of unlocking the portal, so for the third time that night, he used his improvised power.
Tatsui no Gen's role was twofold: translate language into what amounted to meaningful thought, and transform intended thought into universal language. What the console required was the information necessary to unlock the door.
Yuji's hand glowed with an azure light as another spell insignia appeared over his palm. Raising the spell over the console, the Mystes absorbed the data expected by the piece of technology, and converted his Power of Existence to answer that same need.
The door unlocked itself and automatically swung open. There, right behind his desk, sat the stunned Minister of Defense. And right in front of him was a tall American male, one who bore more hostile intent than shock towards the Mystes. Yuji had the feeling this person was an agent of Outlaw; why else would the Minister be in a secure location this late at night than for a secret meeting?
The Mystes had to act quickly and decisively. Swinging the door shut as he rushed in, he took advantage of the surprise of the two humans. Before the Minister could press the alarm button under his desk, Yuji kicked it upwards, crushing his hand and pinning him against the wall behind him. Meanwhile, the Outlaw agent drew a magnum from his coat and aimed at the unexpected intruder. In a flash of silver fire, the firearm disintegrated into nothingness, and the Mystes unhesitatingly reached up to clutch his neck with a single hand before crushing it coldly and brutally.
But a corpse would still leave a trace, one that would attract attention should anyone discover it. More importantly, Yuji needed to make sure that whatever this person had spread to the Japanese military was nothing more than rumors and myth. Shoving down his emotions yet again for his cause, he did what he never once thought he would ever do.
He consumed his entire existence. The Outlaw agent turned into flame, Power of Existence in raw form, before being absorbed into the arm of the Mystes. All that remained now was a deceased Torch with a little wisp of a flame left. It would be gone completely by sunrise.
Yuji now turned to the Minister of Defense, who remained petrified at what he had just witnessed.
"S-Stay back, you monster!" the Minister said weakly.
As Yuji approached him slowly, extending the hand that had just murdered, his chilling expression changed into one of genuine sorrow and regret.
"I'm sorry that I have to do this," he said.
Morning came, and with it, sunrise. Two figures now stood atop the apartment complex. With her mind clear, the Flaming-Haired Blazing-Eyed Hunter mentally reviewed what she herself had learned of the situation surrounding Outlaw.
First, there was something Wilhelmina had told her on the phone, just before narrating to her the tale of Johan and Pheles:
"No doubt the seeds had been planted when the Chanter of Elegies had defected to the side of Bal Masque. So, when you had entered Misaki City later on, and reached a truce with them, they began to suspect ~de arimasu."
"But the Flame of Heaven is right, that alone should not be enough for the society of Flame Haze to suspect you, since the Flame Haze contracted to the Flame of Heaven and God of Atonement is entitled to observe any group and pass judgement. There is something else happening that we cannot see ~de arimasu."
And then there was the hint Chiara Toscana had dropped when they had parted:
"If it's all the same, Sale and I don't have any idea why we're really here either."
While she had taken Yuji's conclusion that Southvalley had taken the Trigger Happy with a grain of salt, she was sure now that he was definitely up to no good. She needed to find this out herself, so she resolved to face him and get sone answers, and judge the worth of his plan as was her duty as the Flame Haze of the Flame of Heaven, the one who decided whose actions were benign and bore compassion for others, and whose actions were cruel and meant for self-gain.
And besides, Yuji, Hecate, Pheles, Kantaro Sakai, Sydonay, even Bel Peol, they all acted the way they did recently because of the people they care about. Now it was her turn. Before taking her side in the war, there was one last thing she had to do. It didn't make sense, not to a Flame Haze, but she finally understood that she was more than just a tool of hunting.
Nearby, Hecate observed her. The Priestess couldn't help but notice that there was something different about her nemesis. She carried herself more confidently, it seemed, and, for some reason, felt a little more passionate than normal. It would not be long now until the strength of the girl with flaming hair and blazing eyes would truly rival her own.
"Just so you know, we'll definitely fight against each other in this war, as enemies," Shana said without sparing the Crimson Lord a glance. "But I really can't stand it when that idiot decides to do something stupid, so I'm just going over there to give him a nice, hard punch in the face." She pumped her fist with an amused smile.
"Hey, don't leave me out of the action," a third person said as she approached them.
With Marchosias slung at her side, Margery Daw smiled at her fellow Flame Haze. "I'm done sitting around while Keisaku is the one out there risking his neck. It wasn't even worth thinking about."
"What she means is, she's totally lonely without-bffdghlglgh!" the Grimoire let out before suffering a punch to its hard cover.
"I don't care what those boys are thinking, leaving us out, but I'm definitely going, and you're definitely gonna need a ride there anyway."
To their side, Hecate clasped her hands together, eager to go as well. But even now, she did as Yuji wanted, and remained, as much ad her heart ached to be by his side.
He had had enough of this, of all the secrecy surrounding Outlaw in Tokyo revolving around the Evoker of the Demon Horde. Sure, he was a sneaky person himself, but let it not be said that Ernest Flieder was an illogical person. He could tell when trouble was brewing, and their leader was definitely at the root of it. The gathering forces in the city had obvious reasons, but the contact with a few key Japanese officials as well as Southvalley's trip to Misaki City, and coming back seemingly empty handed, were not as such.
Steeling himself, the Transposer of Corpses and bodies marched to what was an improvised war room. The arm he had once been relieved of by the hands of a certain Mystes had finally been restored on his person, after a long time in intensive care with some Flame Hazes skilled in healing. He paused before coming into contact with the door, his trembling hand mere inches away from the doorknob.
"Y-You can do this, Flieder-san!" Brigid encouraged from her rose corsage.
"Th-That's right, someone has to do this," the Flame Haze convinced himself. With an audible gulp, he turned the knob and entered the door to find the Evoker of the Demon Horde sharpening one of his tomahawks with a whetstone while reclining on a chair.
"Hm? Oh, well isn't this a surprise," Southvalley said nonchalantly as he set down the objects in his hands on the conference table.
No time to turn back now. "If I may be so blunt," Flieder said bravely. "When you went to Misaki City, you weren't after the Reiji Maigo at all, were you?"
"Very perceptive," Southvalley said with a grin and eyed the other Flame Haze devilishly. There was no hiding it from this one, not when his plan would soon come to fruition. Reaching into his poncho, he whipped out an intricately designed revolver from his poncho.
Flieder's eyes went wide in horror. "Th-the Trigger Happy? But why?"
"You're smart, so I'm sure you'll agree," Southvalley began to explain, lowering the gun. "When four of the strongest Flame Hazes we know came back defeated from Misaki City, I realized it: the way we are right now, us Flame Hazes and all of humanity will not win this war."
Flieder tried to rebutt that, but stopped himself. Deep down, he could feel it as well. As well as Outlaw's own efforts to gather an army all around the world was going, Bal Masque had been hindering troops from joining up, and even when they weren't, the Flame Hazes were their own worst enemy when it came to unity. But what else could you do when it came to amassing a group of various independents? Even if they took ruthless actions to bring them together, it wasn't enough.
"Someone has to do the unthinkable if we are to win and protect humanity from the invading menace that are Crimson Denizens," Southvalley continued, then abruptly pointed the barrel of the Trigger Happy at his ally.
"BANG!"
The Evoker of the Demon Horde laughed when Flieder flinched so hard he practically jumped.
"Th-that wasn't funny!" the blonde's contracted Crimson Lord spoke for him from the rose corsage while he caught his breath.
"Sorry, sorry," Southvalley said, still chuckling heartily even as he put away the weapon. "I really mean it though. If we're going to defeat Bal Masque, we can't let trivial things stop us. Someone has to get their hands dirty."
Just then, one of the human analysts working for Outlaw burst into the room. There was a look of indescribable terror on her face.
"You really have to see this."
Bel Peol could only watch, trembling, at the figure speaking on the television before her. Sure, she had expected him to pull off something bold, but this was beyond what she had thought the young man was capable of doing.
A live emergency press conference was being held in Shinjuku, where the Minister of Defense was making a public announcement. The thing was, he looked nothing like the actual Minister of Defense.
The truth hidden under the mundane reality of the world was that Yuji Sakai had taken over the existence of the Minister of Defense, wearing his Torch, not unlike what Shana had done for Yukari Hirai.
Next to the Strategist, the General of Bal Masque stood, having recovered his strength halfway now. Behind his dark glasses were eyes bearing mixed feelings. He bore the lad little ill will for defeating him, for he had proven his strength to a warrior of his great caliber, and on top of that, he demonstrated, even now, why the Snake of the Festival had chosen him, who was willing to sully his hands to protect those he cared about. But he would not forgive the Mystes for leaving Hecate behind so soon after openly declaring their love for each other. His eyes strayed towards the girl with dark green hair standing next to him, but could not decipher how she felt right now by himself.
The Minister of Defense, absorbed by Yuji Sakai for the meantime, made his quick speech.
"We all err, we all stray from a path we thought we would walk, but sometimes circumstances change things. Recently, Misaki City had been put under a state of emergency, fearing a terrorist attack. But I say to you now the truth: what we believed to have been terrorists have been innocent people, scapegoats for a more domestic hostile agenda. What had really caused the deaths of the many men and women who had composed the first strike force in Misaki City were the machinations of local saboteurs, who themselves had perished from a miscalculation of their own handiwork. We have yet to discover whose orders they follow, but I assure the public..."
"He's a natural," Sydonay admitted. His skill at manipulation was definitely on par with Bel Peol's.
Keisaku dropped his coffee mug as he too, witnessed the news unfolding on the television hanging from the wall. That morning, with his roommate still away for obvious reasons, he had gone to get some breakfast at a local café,
"D-Dammit Sakai!" he said in a low growl as his fist slammed on the table, not caring that it had gotten wet by the spilled remains of the hot beverage.
Seated not too far behind him, with a half-eaten waffle on her plate, a female Flame Haze with dark wild hair and a brown leather jacket turned away from the TV screen towards the boy with his back turned to her. While she had been stupefied herself, no regular human should have been able to see through the guise of the Mystes while he wore the existence of the Minister of Defense. From how he had reacted too, it didn't seem as though he was one of Outlaw's people.
But she was never one for thinking too much. Trusting her gut, for her next action, the girl stood up. The gold chain on her right wrist rattled against the table as she set down her fork.
Hecate stared at the screen with little emotion, like usual, but her eyes were a little glazed. To the girl, she was unsure of what she was seeing now. There was the man she loved and continued to love, proving the lengths he would go for her and his friends. But at the same time, he also proved that he was willing to do what she had resolved to cease: to murder a human being.
Ever since the day they had defeated Friagne, it was thanks to Yuji that she had gradually learned to see the value in every life, even those whom she had once deemed insignificant. But now, that same person had just murdered at least one of his own kind, a human being, for the sake of this goal. And more than that, he had done so with the purpose of taking over his existence, even for a while.
Surely he did not forget what he had taught her; his morals were stronger than that. Could it then be that his actions were a result of ruthless prioritizing, and inside, he was tearing himself up about the blood on his hands, and the defilement of another's existence?
She wanted to go now, to Tokyo, just to be with him, and walk through this new trial that had arisen together. His mission was not done yet, but her feelings overcame her reason. Even if it would endanger her, she could not leave him by himself to face everything on his own.
"I'm going." Her voice was soft as ever, but full of resolve.
Those in the Outlaw headquarters witnessed it as well. And all were rendered speechless, save for one.
"Hahahah! Splendid! Here I was worried that with their farce of 'coexisting' in Misaki City, Bal Masque had gotten soft," Southvalley said with a pleased grin. "But this kid, he gets it," His grin morphed into a fierce sneer. "I'm looking forward to meeting you, Mystes of the Reiji Maigo—no, Yuji Sakai!"
He would not be the only person in Tokyo who was gladdened by what they saw either. Watching the news in the lobby of a bathhouse, a petite young lady with short wavy blonde hair and another girl dressed in gothic lolita attire could not help but smile at this new opportunity that had arisen for them.
Meanwhile, oblivious to what was happening in Shinjuku, the Flaming-Haired Blazing-Eyed Hunter rode atop the flying Marchosias with the Chanter of Elegies, holding onto her waist. They were still many hours away from Tokyo, since they would have to evade public zones and cities as well as sites where they suspected Outlaw's watchmen to be, but they would get there within the day.
Their faces each bore a look of determination, their eyes facing forward, towards their goal. Long dark hair and that of blonde flowed in the wind as they pressed on to join in the upcoming battle.