BlazBlue:Phase Shift 3 Chapter 3

Chapter III: The Red-Eyed Cat Girls

Part 1

The distorted landscape changed in the blink of an eye. With a light feeling of dizziness, Celica and her friends were surrounded by a plain with thin blades of grass, and trees growing in a chaotic manner.

It looked like it used to be a field; there were signs that it had been cleared and touched by human hands. A total of ten people, Celica included, stood in the middle of this facsimile of a field.

— “What is this place...?” — Celica asked, bewildered at this place that she had never seen before.

There was not a soul around these people — not even the Ten Sages or the Orbus Librarius Norma. It was such a quiet place; someone swore they could hear a bird chirping, or something like it

This area had probably been destroyed by the Black Beast. At least, it was nothing you would see in Ishana.

— “Well, I have no idea. But it looks like we went to the right place.” — Nine answered languidly and brushed her hair with a long, heavy sweep.

It was a hasty teleport that not only carried a large group of people, but also crossed the boundaries of the island. The wear and tear on the body was extraordinary, but not as much as it took to teleport into Ishana from the outside.

Since there were so many people here, maybe they had been pulled in by someone's mental image — but a mental image was not enough of a clue to specifically reveal where this place was.

A barren field and mountains could be seen in the horizon. Valkenhayn and Jubei looked around and observed the scene, so full with nature.

The wind was dry, and the air smelled of land.

— “This place is brimming with seithr...”

— “It is. A protective spell, just in case?”

In response to Valkenhayn's disdained muttering, Trinity cast a protective spell on everyone. Feeling the warmth of the spell on her skin for a few seconds, Nine turned her exhausted face to Hakumen, who stood in silence next to Nirvana.

— “So? How long are you keeping Celica in your arms?”

— “........”

— “Say something! Better yet, put her down!”

In his silence, Hakumen looked somewhat astonished. While in his arms, Celica turned her eyes from Hakumen to Nine and back, sporting a wry smile.

— “BARK, BARK, BARK! That’s a real dog in heat… here, Nine! Shake!”

— “Shut your mouth!” Nine rushed in, and with light movements, she delivered a flying kick to Terumi’s head.

— “Agh…!”

With a sound as dull as his cry, Terumi turned over and fell into the thick bushes.

Valkenhayn just stared and shook his head; unlike Hakumen, he was not having any of this.

— “Oh, uh… I have a question!”

Just as everyone’s exasperation made the air so thick it could be cut with a knife, Celica slipped from Hakumen’s arms and raised her hand with vigor. She immediately felt dizzy. Celica slumped backward, only to be effortlessly held up by Nirvana and Hakumen. After giving a shy word of thanks for their generous assistance, she began her question.

— “Are those… your friends?” — She asked, staring at two smiling shadows standing to either side of Jubei.

These were the unexpected reinforcements who helped them escape from Ishana.

The taller one had the stature of a normal girl, with a toned body exposed by her rough attire. The shorter, however, was small enough to look like a human child. Coupled with a garb that covered her entire body, she looked as adorable as a stuffed animal.

Both of them wore hoods that covered their entire heads, with triangular ears protruding from the top. Long tails hung down from their waists, flapping and swaying, wild and free. They looked similar enough to Jubei, a feline beastkin, but there was one striking difference:

Their faces.

They looked black as night, buried in the shadows created by their hoods; even the color of their skin was impossible to tell. Their faces looked drenched in darkness; their eyes and mouths, which looked like they had been drawn onto their heads, seemed to float within the hood.

When Celica spoke, Jubei looked back at the eccentric duo. — “Oh, that's right. I forgot to introduce them.”

Standing at Jubei's side, the taller one put her large hands on her supple hips, and the mouth on her face smiled into the shape of a crescent moon. The red hair sprouting from her forehead caught the eye.

— “The name's Suzukaka; and the little one here's Totokaka. Look at that skull brooch on her hood, ain't it the cutest thing?!” Suzukaka, the red-haired girl, picked up the smaller one and bowed towards Celica. — “...nice to meet you.” — The childlike girl, introduced as Totokaka, spoke in a hushed voice, seeming a little nervous.

— “Whoa... so cute~!” Seeing that Totokaka looked like a talking, walking stuffed animal, Celica reflexively relaxed her cheeks and lowered her voice.

Totokaka had bluish-silver hair sprouting from her hood and, as Suzukaka had said, a skull ornament between her ears. She did love that brooch, but when Suzukaka called it "the cutest thing", she couldn't help but be bewildered. Though her face was like red circles floating on a dark void, Celica liked the eccentric look of it. — “So cute... nice to meet you, Toto!”

Suzukaka shot her a teasing look, and Celica folded both hands under her chin while her eyes glimmered. Totokaka just looked on and scowled. A little behind Celica, someone staggered to their feet, looking more ecstatic than jubilant.

— “Gah... I love them so much! Tiny Totokaka looks so cute with the bushy tail, but Suzukaka looks nice too...!”

Trinity softly smiled at Nine and Celica, who were completely captivated by the look of Suzukaka, Totokaka, and Jubei.

— “We have met them before. While investigating the place of the battle against the Black Beast, they showed up suddenly with quite a lot of friends.” There was no telling if Nine and Celica actually heard that explanation.

Nine asked Jubei, her eyes still moist — “Hey, these girls aren’t beastkin, right? What are they…?”

Jubei’s face twisted bitterly. He did not want to be asked that much, but he didn’t know how to say how he felt without it feeling rude, so he replied in a muffled tone:

— “Simply put, they’re my ‘daughters’.”

— “Wait… daughters? ‘Daughters’?” Nine spoke again, the words slipping out of her lips.

The captivated smile on her face froze up, and soon her eyes glowed with an intense, fiery color — like that of boiling lava. The smile disappeared, like it was sucked back into her face, and instead, light appeared in her outstretched hands.

— “What was that? WHOSE DAUGHTERS—?!”

Immediately after Nine’s angry shouts, the light released by her rage caused an explosion that shook the entire area.

For the first time in a long time, Celica walked on her own two feet in an unknown land, in an unknown world. Nirvana walked right at her side; she actually walked at a much faster pace, but she felt sorry for following Celica’s pace exactly. And yet, even if Celica thanked her for her concern, she probably would not understand, and her only answer would be a blank stare. Imagining Nirvana like that made the dependable bodyguard seem even cuter, causing Celica to chuckle quietly.

Next to Celica walked Trinity, followed by Terumi and Valkenhayn. Hakumen was farthest behind. Having offered to guide the group, Suzukaka and Totokaka led the way — right behind them was Nine, who could not stop apologizing after sending their hairs on end with her attack spell.

— “Sorry, sorry, really sorry…!!!” Nine rarely apologized to anyone without Jubei around. “I didn’t mean to attack you! I got inflamed, and then…!!”

— “Oh, no.... well.... don't worry about it. I talked too soon.” — A dry, weak laugh spilled out of Suzukaka's crayon-esque lips. The catkin's rounded shoulders, which normally were hunched over, looked more slumped than usual.

The band led by Suzukaka was now headed west. They went to the forest beyond the mountains, which awaited them at the end of a roadless path occupied by grass and trees. Apparently, there lay an entire village of people like Suzukaka. Neither the Mage’s Guild or the Orbis Librarius Norma knew about it, so it was the perfect place to take shelter. It was fortunate that the group was able to teleport somewhere near that village, although the teleportation spell had been definitely influenced by the mental images of Suzukaka and Totokaka.

As they walked, Trinity began to briefly explain the eccentricity of their new guests to Celica and Nine, who still didn’t know anything about Suzukaka or her tribe.

— “They’re not actually beastkin; they’re bio-weapons created from Jubei’s genes. So, it’s not wrong to call them ‘daughters’…”

— “A bioweapon...?” Celica gave a curious tilt of her head. She could never have imagined that, from Suzukaka's charming appearance.

Jubei nodded with a snarl, answering before Trinity could.

— “It was when the Black Beast had just appeared. The country that sheltered me asked me to donate my genes for some reason... and I agreed.”

— “So they're your...” As she was about to answer, Nine trailed off. She wondered if it was appropriate to say those words in front of the triangular-eared girls.

But Suzukaka picked up on the question anyway.

— “A clone, right? At least, I think that was the word." Suzukaka chirped and continued, — "But you can see clearly that I'm not a clone. We don't look alike, I'm not as strong as Mitsuyoshi... I'm the biggest hardass in the village, but compared to the Big M? Not even close!”

Suzukaka did not seem to know what a bio-weapon or a clone was, not did she seem to care about the ethical and moral issues that people had with those. Whether or not it was a good thing, it’s hard to tell.

Jubei, for his part, did not think it was good, and his face showed deep regret.

— “At the time, I thought it was fair to do anything necessary to defeat the Black Beast. But shortly after these children were born, the country raising them was destroyed by the Black Beast... and the children were all that remained. They had nothing left, but their mission to fight the Black Beast.”

The countries that treated them as a military force disappeared, as did the people who were meant to oversee them.

— “Every country was in chaos at the time. You were not the only one without say in the matter.” Valkenhayn said sternly, more as a rebuke than a comfort.

In truth, given the world's situation at the time, Jubei's choice might have been even more humane: the first countermeasure taken against the Black Beast was to wipe out a country with nuclear weapons.

— “I guess you're right,” Jubei answered, “but I still don't get to pat myself on the back for it.” With his answer came a grimace. Of course, his old friend would give him brute advice instead of cheap sympathy.

Suzukaka turned to Jubei gracefully. She continued walking backwards, sporting her crescent-moon grin.

— “We're still living it up in the Kaka Tribe... why the long face, Lord Mitsuyoshi?” When Suzukaka said this, with little concern for comforting him, Jubei's eyes briefly widened in surprise and he smiled.

— “You're right... I'm sorry I sounded so bitter.” It was not like Jubei regretted the existence of those girls to begin with.

Suzukaka happily wagged her tail at Jubei's calmer tone, before it immediately stretched.

— “Oh yeah, I forgot to tell ya'; Munefuyu was in the village earlier.”

— “Seriously?” Jubei said, his tail stretched out in surprise while he gleamed wide-eyed at Suzukaka.

— “Munefuyu?” Nine asked, tucking her hair behind her ears.

— “My brother.” Jubei answered calmly. The short answer and the look on Jubei's face revealed the brotherly tenderness he still felt. Then, remembering his earlier slip of the tongue, Jubei gave a warped smile and twitched his beard.

— “As in, my actual younger brother.”

Nine and Trinity giggled at Jubei's clarification. Suzukaka, on the other hand, didn’t understand a word.

— “He told me to tell you he’s still alive and well…” Suzukaka said, “and to not go too hard.”

She turned around again, her steps no longer reminding him of his dark past. Noticing this, Nine looked at Suzukaka's dancing tail and secretly whispered into Jubei's ear.

— “She's a great daughter, right, Dad?”

— “Oh, come on... don't say that.” Although his smile was dismissive, Jubei knew Nine's smile was not remotely meant to tease. He just could not take being called "dad", so he looked up at her bright eyes and put his hands on his head, like he'd been caught red-handed.

During Nine and Jubei's exchange, a curious Celica walked alongside Suzukaka and Totokaka, who led the way. But she had already walked so much she was getting dizzy, so Nirvana wasted no time before picking her up. Her long ponytail bounced with every step from Nirvana.

— “So... Suzukaka's tribe is called 'Kaka'?” While Celica asked, still sitting in Nirvana's arms, Suzukaka proudly puffed out her chest.

— “Eeyup! We thought it up. We're neither human nor beastkin, so we came up with a nice name for ourselves. Pretty cool, ain't it?”

At her feet, Totokaka mimicked the puff of Suzukaka's chest. Celica practically gushed with excitement at Totokaka's adorable gesture.

— “Yeah!” Celica nodded, “it's like a big secret club! So cool...!”

— “So cool...!” Totokaka repeated Celica's words.

Then, Celica decided to mimic her as well.

— “The Kaka Tribe is so groovy—!!”

— “The Kaka Tribe...!!”

Everything Celica said, Totokaka repeated. It went on and on, over and over again, while the cheerful leader passed through the mountain roads. Before anyone knew it, the sun had long since set, and night was starting to fall. Soon, the group would be unable to walk without a light.

— “Hey! Pass through this forest and you'll get to my village.”

After pointing to the deep woods at the end of the mountain path, Suzukaka raised her arms and stretched her body, all too happy to be closer to home.

Part 2

The night was dark, and the moon grew bright. The treetops rustled while a bonfire crackled. Water poured and streamed, causing steam to rise up. Celica squealed with delight at what she saw at the end of the narrow path, cut through the bushes in the secluded forest.

The village of the Kaka, under the guidance of Suzukaka, went around the rocky mountains and the forest. When the group arrived, the forest and the night sky were pitch black, and several bonfires burned between the little huts of stone and clay.

Celica's group, resting in one of the huts amidst the flickering red flames, had come here after being promised a trip to a special place before their meal was ready. It was a long way from the center of the village, and the rugged surface of the rocky mountains could be seen nearby. A few trees had been cut down, and in the center was a pond surrounded by rocks of various sizes.

It was more than just a pond: it was a hot spring.

— “That's so cool...!! Look, Sis! There's a bath outside!” — Celica squealed. She wasted no time before taking her clothes off and hid her chest with a towel while she ran off toward the steaming rock bath. Nine and Trinity followed suit, covering themselves with thin cloths; their long hair, which usually slid down their backs, was now tied up. Their skin, from the shoulders to the nape of neck, reflected the color of the bonfires.

— “Hey, don't rush in or you'll fall!”

— “Ufufu...” Trinity chuckled, “but this is so nice... it's the first time I've stargazed in a hot bath!”

And she wiped the fog off her glasses with the tip of a towel. She only didn't take her glasses off because she wanted to cherish every passing moment and still be able to see her surroundings.

Suzukaka stood naked on the rocks surrounding the hot springs, wearing nothing but the hood that covered her head. She beckoned Celica and the others with a flutter of her hand.

— “You'll get cold if you keep gawking. Come on, don't be shy! Get in!”

Totokaka was one step ahead of her, already in the bath. She was dressed for a bath — or rather, covered in cloth from head to toe, floating in the water like a stuffed animal.

— “I'm coming in...!” With excitement and anticipation, Celica rearranged her ponytail into a bun, like she was rolling up her sleeves. Then she slowly dipped her toes into the hot water. “Haaa.... it's so warm!”

The water's warmth spread all over her body, eliciting a deep breath; her face naturally relaxed. The hot water was as soft as it was moist, gently soaking up the skin. Chest-deep in the water, she was completely captivated.

— “Hehehe... this feels great.” Leaning her milky white skin against the rocks, Trinity took a deep breath as well. Nine sat next to her and stretched out her long legs.

— “Mm.... never thought I'd get to soak up a hot spring like this.” Nine said while her notoriously tense face loosened into a relaxed, feminine visage.

Celica, too, stretched out in the tub, letting the steaming water wash away the fatigue that had plagued her the whole trip. In fact, it was just before noon today when she had woken up from a five-day coma. She recalled the doctor saying, “you must rest,” as the steam faded to white.

— “I found this place while digging for stones to build a house... so I decided to make it a rock bath for everyone to chill out in. Take your time and soak it in!” — Suzukaka said and sat on a rock. She dipped her knees into the water and sipped vigorously, from a rugged ceramic teacup filled with cloudy white sake. There was plenty more in a ceramic jug by her side. Nine, Trinity and Celica were offered some of her drink, but all three declined due to fatigue and age — not only that, but Nine and Trinity had just graduated from the Academy, so they could not drink alcohol under Ishana law.

— “So... where's Jubei? And the rest?” Suzukaka asked. Totokaka, who had been drifting innocently in the water until then, slid closer to Celica with only her head sticking out of the water. Celica mimicked her by holding her knees until she was neck-deep in the spring, then she nodded at Totokaka.

— “Jubei doesn't like getting wet... and the others are resting indoors, so maybe they'll get in after us.”

— “Can't imagine them taking a bath…” Nine grumbled, tucking some hair behind her ear.

Meanwhile, Trinity gave a wry shrug.

— “True... but even without Jubei, there's still Valkenhayn, Terumi, and Hakumen to go.” Celica immediately imagined Valkenhayn, Terumi and Hakumen soaking in the steaming water — the mere thought of it made her burst out laughing.

— “Pfffffttttt — I'm sorry for laughing, but that sounds so funny!! I bet they wouldn't even bother chatting!”

— “Please don't say that, Celica. Just thinking about it gives me the chills.” — Nine said, and she felt a chill run down her spine that made her hold herself. Suzukaka cackled while sitting on the rocks, and even Trinity held back her grin with a lightly-clenched hand. Totokaka was the only one who didn't get why everyone was laughing, looking around curiously while she spun around in the water.

Suddenly Celica stopped laughing, as if she'd seen something floating in front of her. And she had seen something: a ripple on the warm surface of the water every time she leaned forward or laughed. Nine and Trinity’s…

— “...........hey Sis, hey Trinity — you're full of style, aren't you?”

— “Huh? What's the matter?”

— “Don't look at me like that, it's embarrassing.”

— “The 'style' I mean is... your chest.”

With wrinkles between her eyebrows, Celica glared at the voluptuous mass floating before her. Maybe it was her top-tier athleticism, but Nine's taut, smooth curves made her breasts look perfectly solid. On the other hand, Trinity's were so soft they could melt to the touch. Celica looked down once more; dissatisfied, she covered her chest with her own hands. Though she was not homely in any way, she couldn't help but compare herself to the stunning beauties around her.

— “You’re my sister, but you’re Trinity’s pal, so… I wish I was more like you.” Celica said. Totokaka tilted her head at Celica's gestures, looking curious as usual.

— “Don’t worry about it. This has nothing to do with our friendship.” — Nine said, causing Celica’s lips to twitch at the thought. She immediately gave Celica a look of worry.

Trinity then smiled at the sisters’ exchange, while Suzukaka moved to the rock right above her. Holding a ceramic jug and a teacup in her hands, Suzukaka looked right at Celica’s chest with bright red eyes.

— “It feels great to have big boobs, don’t it…? If you eat some more, you’ll get bigger!”

— “But that’s not enough! Come on… can’t you share some of yours? Sis? Trinity?!”

Celica jumped out of the hot water and lunged at Nine. Grabbing her toned waist, she tickled her sides as hard as she could. Unable to resist, Nine wriggled and lashed out at her sister.

— “Hey, STOP THAT!” Nine yelled, but fell into a giggling fit as fast as Celica grabbed her.

Then Totokaka joined in, causing Nine to struggle even harder and practically hack up a lung with laughter while the water splashed farther. One splash went so high that it hit Suzukaka in the face, causing her to lose her grip on her ceramic jug. Her superhuman Kaka reflexes made sure she reached for the jug as fast as she could…

but she ended up grabbing the bottom of the jug.

The frothy liquor within was poured down on Trinity, who sat right below.

The outdoor rock bath, which had been lively with the girls' voices just before, was now cold with silence. Suzukaka and Totokaka could sense the air between Celica and Nine, so they were too stunned to even move.

While everyone stared at her in shock, Trinity saw that her glasses had gotten stained with sake.

She slowly took them off and glared with a massive, twisted grin...

Part 3

The moon rose high in the night sky, and the forest had sunk into a deep silence. The night kept getting darker; Nine, Jubei, Hakumen, Valkenhayn and Terumi gathered in a hut at the Kaka Village. Several ceramic cups were placed for the guests on a rustic table; Valkenhayn's cup had tea in it, steaming white. Nine sat on a small chair, apparently made out of logs, and took a sip from her cup. The tea, a favorite among the Kaka Tribe, had a color and scent like those of green tea — but its taste was far stronger than it was pleasant. Nevertheless, it relaxed tired bodies quite well. Even after borrowing some power from Valkenhayn and Terumi, Nine could barely stand after putting a protective barrier on the village; she had spent too much mana on teleporting here.

— “Are you okay? You look so pale...” — Jubei's nose wrinkled while he looked at Nine.

Nine shook her head lightly. Her face was so exhausted, it looked theatrical.

— “I'm not okay... I'm wrecked. I just want to snuggle a big cat and take a long nap.”

— “I get that you're tired, but can you not make that kind of joke?” Jubei frowned and sank his face into his large hands. Nine, however, took no offense; she smiled happily in spite of her visible fatigue.

Out of the corner of Nine's eye, Terumi — who sat with his legs thrown up on the table behind Jubei — made a face like he'd swallowed a bug.

— “Whooooa... a witch and a cat in love?! That’s the greatest fairy tale ever told!” He sneered sarcastically. Terumi spat at the floor in disgust, and Nine glared at him as fast as his spit hit the ground.

— “Don't butt into people's conversations. I've already had it rough; can you just not talk unless you absolutely have to?”

— “That would be fine by me... but I wonder what your pals and your sis will think?” Terumi cackled, “you'd look like a wooden doll next to me! Imagine the looks on their fucking faces!”

— “You want to talk about Trinity and Celica again...?” Nine placed her cup on the table and slowly stood up, before Jubei broke his firm stance and quickly got up from his chair to intervene.

— “Hey, hey! Calm down! This isn't the time. And Nine, no sorcery for now.” Jubei said.

It was a large barrier to a mass teleportation. It took quite a while to recover, due to Nine's vast amounts of mana.

Nine, now calm, threw a sharp glance at Terumi, but reluctantly sat back on her chair and turned her eyes away from his unpleasant grin. Jubei just scratched his head. He sighed and turned to see Valkenhayn and Hakumen sitting, looking like they wanted no part of the situation.

…and Jubei sighed again. He realized this crew was not very cooperative; while he had a younger brother he had never been on good terms with, in retrospect he thought their relationship was reasonably close. But that brother had already passed…

As usual, a well-timed, leisurely knock broke the tense air between Nine and Terumi.

— “Sorry I’m late~!” Trinity said as she opened the door. She stepped in with a soft, wry smile — just from looking at Nine’s face, she could tell what had happened while she was gone.

Trinity waved her cotton-like platinum hair and sat down in the empty seat between Jubei and Terumi.

— “Madam Trinity, how is Celica?” — Valkenhayn asked, offering Trinity a cup of freshly brewed tea.

— “She is doing fine,” Trinity answered, “but she seems exhausted. I made her some tea to help with her condition, burned some incense to refill her mana, and just in case, I put a magical ward on her room.”

— “That is… good to hear. Thank you.”

Nine breathed in deep enough for everyone to hear and rested her forehead on one hand. She relaxed her shoulders calmly, a fresh change from her row with Terumi. The sight of her made Trinity’s cheeks relax.

— “No, no — Celica is an important friend to me too.”

Trinity always thought that, because there was so little she could do for herself, she should at least do what she could for her friends and loved ones; so had she always believed.

Heavy footsteps could be heard from Hakumen, who had been silent and motionless. The tall man in white walked up beside the table and turned towards Nine.

— “That makes all Six… let’s get down to business.”

It was time to continue the meeting that had to be interrupted that day. The matter of the Nox Nyctores, Take-Mikazuchi, was still up in the air. Hakumen’s white mask, featureless and reticent, appealed to Nine to start talking about their situation then and there.

Nine picked up the cup and tilted it. The unique scent of tea stimulated her senses. She no longer hesitated to speak — if she could even stop herself from doing it. With her eyelids heavy, Nine summarized the contents of her lecture.

— “I’m sure we’ve talked about the Sealed Weapon Izayoi.” She put down her cup and left her seat. “This might be a bit off-topic, but… you ever wonder how sorcery works on Black Beasts, and normal weapons don’t?”

Nine laid out the elements of nature one after another, like she was spreading cards on the table. She demonstrated each element with small magical constructs: a tiny flame for fire; a water orb; a stone; and a pocket-sized whirlwind.

— “These are the Four Elements. Fire, water, earth, and wind… and the Two Origins: light and darkness.” In the middle of the Four Elements, a bright light and a shadowy orb appeared. Nine continued, "there's not a lot of difference between the capabilities of sorcery and science. Whether it's man-made or magical, all fire burns just the same — we call that Logic. The thing is... even nuclear bombs, the ultimate man-made weapon, can't damage a Black Beast."

Nine's hand flicked across the table, sweeping out the elements in a single motion. She stared at the remnants of light that she'd scattered.

— “That's because the Black Beast exists outside of Logic, and what's bound by Logic can't harm what isn't. But sorcery also exists outside of Logic, so it can hurt a Black Beast.”

— “Outside of Logic…? What do you mean?” Jubei asked, frowning visibly. He had no experience with sorcery, so he could barely grasp all that — but the thought of it made Nine smile. Her tone softened just a bit.

— “Sorcery is powered by a person’s willpower and soul. I believe it has some effect on Seithr…” Nine could not say for sure — but she knew magic arts could be easily influenced by the user's mental state. She believed the relationship between this and Seithr would become clear soon. “But it's not a coincidence that Sorcery can affect Black Beasts, because it was created to fight beings outside of Logic.”

Nine went back to her lecturing tone, and Trinity briefly interjected.

— “Are you talking about the war from the Age of Origin?”

It was an event in the distant past, erased not only from the history of the world, but also from Ishana's. Nine understood Trinity's uncertainty and nodded, certain that the war had happened.

— “The 'thing' that mankind fought back then is what we now call a Black Beast. It exists outside of Logic, and magic was created to defeat it. So, I put that into practice and created a new power source: Ars Magus.” Nine made it sound so simple, but even Jubei and Hakumen, who didn't know the details, could see how far beyond common sense this Art was.

Nine brushed a lock of hair from her shoulder.

— “The Sealed Weapon I found, Izayoi, was also created during past wars to fight against beings outside of Logic. So I analyzed its mechanisms, and I created...”

— “...the Nox Nyctores.” Hakumen continued; his tone stern, heavy, and labored.

He knew exactly what Nine was going to talk about: the Nox Nyctores, Gigant: Take-Mikazuchi.

Valkenhayn folded his thick arms in front of his chest, and snarled like a wolf.

— “So, Take-Mikazuchi was based on a weapon used in ancient wars against enemies 'outside of Logic'. Does that mean it exists outside of Logic as well...?” He summarized precisely, but Jubei scratched his head, wrinkling the bridge of his nose while he did his best to soak it all in. Nine nodded — “that's right. By the way, Sealed Weapons and Nox Nyctores are man-made weapons, not Arts, so they still have limited power against Sorcery and Ars Magus.”

The difference between weapons and Arts was palpable, and Nine reminded herself of it. Arts could be put to practical use; just as science enriched human life while weapons were created, if the direction of light changed, so did its role and what was required of it. Weapons, however, were still weapons — they rarely had more meaning than what was assigned to them at creation.

With a bitter feeling in her heart, Nine picked up her cup and drank what remained of her tea until the bitterness turned strangely sweet.

— “Nine... can I ask you something?” Trinity raised her hand like she was at a school lecture.

Nine looked disturbed for a moment. She did not hate it when Trinity asked her questions; but it still got under her skin, because she always saw through Nine so clearly that she could reveal her secrets in the blink of an eye.

— “Why did Celica, specifically, have to control Take-Mikazuchi? If you built it, you would never have used her for it.”

Trinity and Nine were both reminded of the Lynchpin, activated by Celica's power.

Nine put her cup down and blew a quiet sigh. Trinity really could see right through her. Though she was a bit paranoid, she didn't want to tell Trinity unless asked to. She had to think about what she was doing, or else she would suspect that everything about her was being aired to the world.

— “...of course, it wasn't part of the plan. It wasn't Seven or Eight's idea either — it was something beyond my control.”

Looking at the tea left in her unfinished cup, Nine tried to find more to say. As expected, the tone of her lecture was not calm.

— “Celica passively cancels Seithr activity around her, so she isn't affected by the Ars Magus... and because the Nox Nyctores run on Seithr, she can control Take-Mikazuchi with no problem. That's why Seven and Eight are looking for Celica; they own Take-Mikazuchi, and they want her to control it.” When she finished her lecture, Nine sat on a chair. She took off her hat and brushed her long hair back — then the hat was back on, and she pulled herself away from the table.

— “That's all I can tell you about Take-Mikazuchi... I'm sorry, but I'm almost at my limit. Let's call it a night.” Her words were practically spat out, with how exhausted she was. Concerned, Jubei perked up and stood ahead of Nine.

— “That's right. We'll talk our future and the investigation tomorrow. We don't want Nine to work herself sore.”

— “Yes. It's too late.” Valkenhayn nodded and stood up to follow suit. It was too easy to forget that, for all her genius and prowess, Nine was still human. Valkenhayn and Jubei, both beastkin, knew it was a mistake to think Nine was as physically strong as they were.

— “I'm going first... good night.” Aching to get out of this place, Nine dragged her heels and grasped at the hut's door.

— “Should I take you to another hut?” Jubei asked, calling out behind her.

— “I'll be right there... it's just around the corner. You don't want to see me when I'm this tired.”

— “Oh... okay.” Jubei sighed as his shoulders dropped. He knew Nine would say that.

Nine just shrugged her shoulders and smiled apologetically.

— “Take it from here, Trinity. We'll think about the rest tomorrow.”

That said, Nine left the hut by herself, letting her long hair flow loosely over her shoulders.

Part 4

In the dead of night, a bonfire in an iron cage burst open. The wood splintered with a crackle, and golden sparks scattered across the night sky while a faint burning smell mixed with the wind. With a soft smoky breeze blowing through her platinum hair, Trinity walked down the road, her locks shining under the firelight. Then, she spotted a figure making haste for a hut behind her, but Trinity was faster to call out to it.

— “Wait, Nine—!”

In a night this quiet, even the softest voice could still ripple through the silence with enough intent. Trinity’s voice made Nine stop in her tracks, and after a short beat, she turned around until Trinity could only see half of her.

— “Trinity… what happened?’

Nine’s long hair and large hat cast a shadow over her face, so dark it even cast shade over her heart. Trinity could sense her discomfort, too.

— “I was looking for you… I have something to ask.”

Trinity and Nine stood far apart from each other — so far, yet so close.

— “Is there something you won’t tell us...?” Trinity asked, gently placing her question in front of Nine rather than confronting her with it.

Nine stared somewhere between her and Trinity, as if to stare at the question itself, before she grimaced.

— “Why are you asking me this?”

— “It’s not for no reason. I’ve been thinking about this for a while… you talk so much, but don’t say a lot.”

Nine answered questions and elaborated, but little by little, she preferred to hide information between the lines. The things she refused to talk about were always buried under other subjects. This was not the first time Nine kept a secret. She had a tendency to keep several at once, and then never talk about them unless asked. Was it because they were so close? Trinity remembered the look on Nine's face in those times. It set her on edge that she couldn't see into her most important secrets.

— “If it helps you or it makes you feel better,” Trinity continued, “I'd like to hear about it... but I don't mind if you tell me. But right now, you look so...” Trinity could not come up with kind enough words. But it was too late to keep quiet here.

— “It's like you think talking about it will hurt you.” It was like putting a noose around the neck and pulling it to avoid leaking anything. Secrets were like self-inflicted wounds.

— “I don't care how shocking it is, I won't judge. If the secret is dragging you down, let me hold the weight with you, even if it's just a little!” There was little she could do. No powers or Arts would help her here. But they could lean on each other, have each other's backs, and stay friends. On the other hand, there was nothing else she could do — she just wanted to do what she could, no matter how trivial.

Nine remained silent, staring off into space for a while. There was no telling if Trinity's words had even reached her. The crackling of the bonfire made the silence around her deafening, until Nine opened her mouth under the flamelight.

— “Look, I can't talk about it. And I don't want to... especially not to you.”

Nine turned her back on Trinity. The colors of the secrets she'd acknowledged were hidden by the dark shadow over her. Trinity held her breath and clasped both hands over her chest. Her words were now caught in her throat, and she could not swallow them.

— “I'm tired... sorry. Let me sleep.” Nine answered calmly, then went right back to pacing away.

— “Wait, Nine...!”

Even while appealing to Nine, Trinity's voice remained soft and gentle. That seemed to show the differences between the two — Nine only saw and felt different things from Trinity.

Nine did not stop, walking away from the light that bathed the blonde. She stepped into the cabin she'd rented to sleep in, before she finally closed the door.

Trinity could only stare without even stepping forward.

That closed door looked terribly heavy.

There was no light in Nine's rented hut, and the bonfire's light streamed in through the wood-framed windows. In the back room of this dark hut, Celica slept off her exhaustion. Just a little more consciousness, and she could feel Nirvana waiting by her side.

It was quiet. The silence was calming, thanks to the barrier Trinity had put up for Celica. In that soft calmness, Nine leaned against the closed door and bit her lip. There were wrinkles between her eyebrows. She could not use magic to light the place up and merely walking was a Herculean task; not because of excessive use of sorcery or physical exhaustion, but because of guilt.

It was always guilt.

Nine blamed herself internally. The feeling tormented her, but she was already used to it.

— “....I'm sorry, Trinity. I wronged you.”

She went to the bedroom in the back, sat down on the bed next to Celica and muttered faintly. The tears in her eyes were not of remorse, but coated with determination, with a hint of emotion swaying in the drops. She closed her eyes to keep them from flowing.

— “...but I can’t turn back anymore.”

With determination long settled in her heart, Nine laid down on the bed.

When Nine disappeared behind the door, Trinity unwittingly sighed. Nine had been acting strangely for a long time now. It had been only a few months before the return of the Black Beast when she'd noticed something strange about her best friend. The doubts and anxieties were not much to fret over then, but they had only grown over the years, and now they cast a dark shadow over Trinity's heart.

Nine had a serious secret, and she had to keep it all by herself.

Lately, she seemed to be pushing forward into something only she could see, like she was in a rush. Trinity wondered if this would one day blind Nine to the point of making her lose something precious. So she thought, but she was not worried.

— “It's just like... that time.”

She whispered; her lips murmuring on their own, like the words were spilling out. Trinity sighed in surprise at herself.

Maybe the sheer rush of the situation made her unexpectedly vulnerable — she could not believe she was thinking about "that time" at a time like this.

— “Ayyyyy? What's with the happy face? Had a fight with your buddy?”

Trinity felt her heart at the sound of that voice. She looked up in shock, to see the source of the words: a slender man wearing a long coat and a hood that hid his appearance. It was Terumi.

So many questions crossed her mind. How long had he been here? Why was he here? Did he hear her conversation with Nine? She did not even think of asking, though, because of her surprise; not because she had suddenly been spoken to, but because she swore Terumi looked — and sounded — like a friend she was not likely to see again. Who was he again...?

Maybe it was just nostalgia clouding her mind.

— “No... it wasn't a fight. Nine just looked tired, so I'm worried.”

— “Worry this, concern that... is that all you do?” Terumi mocked her. “You've got so much time on your hands, don't waste it worrying about other people!” Nine hated this tone of his, but it didn't get to Trinity that badly. Maybe it was his voice that jogged her memory...

But Trinity's discomfort quickly fell into sadness. Her friend sounded so much like this man, and she could not stop him from changing. The sheer regret weighed on her heart. He was never a stranger, yet he had been so close to her. She watched him be corrupted by his ambition, and then he disappeared... and there was nothing she could do about it. She felt strongly that it would ruin him.

(Him...)

Did he get what he'd been looking for? Where was he? What was he up to? If he was doing well... Trinity could not help but think.

— “...the hell are you looking at?” Terumi asked. “Something on my face?”

Terumi's grin twisted into discomfort.

Trinity's lips clamped shut at his change of expression, visible under the flamelight. She shook her head lightly, trying to brush that aside. There was no point in keeping Terumi in the shadow of her friend.

— “You're helping Nine, aren't you?” Trinity asked softly, putting her remorse aside. She had gone to investigate on behalf of Nine, who'd had trouble leaving Ishana, and had been entrusted with work on sorcery while Nine was busy with the Mage's Guild. But Trinity didn't know the details. — “What are you doing to help?”

She wondered if Nine had been hiding something. It was hard not to think so, but Trinity asked that more as small talk. She tilted her head and smiled, but Terumi unexpectedly went quiet. His twisted grin was gone, and he turned toward Trinity like his hood obscured a stern look.

— “Terumi...?”

— “...can't answer that~.” His sarcastic grin returned as he answered.

He shot a weird look at Celica and Nine’s hut, then walked away, like he didn’t care for it anymore.

His steps were light, to the point of silence. Terumi went back the way he came, until he blended into the shadows and disappeared without a trace.

Trinity stared at him, somewhat stunned, like she’d been nailed to her spot. Like a dark cloud gathering, she felt a bad omen coming. Her heart was racing, and there was nothing she could do about it.

...

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