BlazBlue:Phase Shift 3 Chapter 4

Chapter IV: Silvery Visions

Part 1

A blank, white void.

An ephemeral dream.

She floated in the bright void, standing before a mirror.

There it is again... Celica thought, her consciousness as dulled as the white void around her. In the mirror, she saw her face, her hair, her eyes — but she wondered if this was truly her own reflection.

She had to know.

She swore that she'd had this dream before. What was it about? What was it trying to tell her? What should she remember? What was she to feel from it?

She reached out to the square mirror. If she touched it, she could just wake up from her dream — as she always did.

The image she saw in the looking glass was not a reflection, so much as it was an inverted image from the other side of a window.

She wondered what went on over there. What did she look like on the other side?

Too many questions roamed in her mind today, but there was no way she could figure out their meaning. Thus, Celica caved and touched the mirror. Her hand sank into the looking glass — first her fingertips, then her palm — just before the dream and her consciousness faded to white.

Part 2

So many walls, and so many nights.

The night came again, and the moon rose high.

Hakumen had left the Kaka Village for a rocky area outside the woods. From a distance, it just looked like rocky terrain with unstable footing — but there was debris all over the ground, leaving no room to actually step on.

There was no way to know how long ago this had happened, but this place was the wreckage of a cityscape; trampled, broken, and kicked to pieces, with some faded grass growing out of the crevices. The land would have been stable with a gentle slope to it, but now, anyone who wanted to walk through it had no choice but to walk on unstable footing.

Not far from this rocky forest of rubble, Hakumen stood alone in front of the wide field. If he looked up, he could see the moon above him. As the pale light reflected on his white mask, Hakumen remained silent until he turned to look at a shimmering presence nearby.

— “Hey... over here.”

First he saw a small white hand, then a lock of brown hair tied in a tall bun. She called out to him he pulled herself up with a jerk of her hand.

Then she noticed Hakumen's feet facing her and she looked up, like a child who'd just been caught playing a prank.

— “Ahaha.... you found me! I wanted to surprise you.”

It was Celica. Nirvana was with her, picking up Celica by the waist and placing her atop the pile of debris where Hakumen stood.

He had noticed something approaching ever since Celica left the forest with Nirvana. He wondered what was going on, since she had followed a rather unusual route, but she had just planned it that way.

Hakumen picked up Celica without a word, dangling her by the arms like a kitten.

— “Wow...! Thank you!”

Her leather-soled feet landed right next to Hakumen.

Nirvana slithered up and stood perfectly still next to Hakumen and Celica.

After a brief wait, Hakumen turned back to look at his surroundings.

— “What can I do for you?”

Taking in the cool night air, Celica's cheeks loosened into a soft smile.

— “I woke up from this weird dream... and I couldn't go back to sleep. So I went for a walk, then I saw you, Mister Hakumen!”

— “And then... you just 'saw me'?”

Letting the words sink in, Hakumen took a brief glance at Celica.

The night sky was clear, and he could clearly see the moon as a thin crescent. Its light was too dim to let anyone recognize a face from a distance. He would have understood if it was Valkenhayn or Jubei, but Celica had no additional senses and was abysmal with directions; he just did not believe that she would have “seen him” in a dark forest with poor visibility.

Celica realized she had been caught in another lie. She leaned back and gave a little awkward smile, folding her hands behind her back and looking down at her feet.

— “I kind of...” Celica answered, “...had a feeling you were here.”

Who?

Not Hakumen, surely.

— “Again?”

This was the second time Celica had a “feeling” he was nearby. It wasn't Hakumen she had been looking for, before.

— “Maybe you're looking for Ragna the Bloodedge...?”

It was funny, to hear him say that name like he shared it with someone else.

Celica’s eyebrows could only sink as she looked up at Hakumen, having heard his simple question.

— “Now that you mention it… I really don’t know. I never got to know his real name.”

— “...I believe it.”

Maybe she had heard this before — Hakumen and Celica did talk about Ragna's name in the past. But no matter how many times Celica asked, and no matter how many times Hakumen gave her the same answer, that question was still a thorn that he could not pull out of his mind.

Who was this “Ragna” that Celica A. Mercury claimed to have met? If the man Celica described was the same one that Hakumen knew, who was the “Ragna” he remembered?

Facing the devastated landscape before him, Hakumen plunged his hand into the muddy waters of his own memories.

Hakumen remembered Ragna melancholically.

A tall man with white hair, green eyes and a red coat.

“He was stabbed by a red-eyed woman with a giant sword, and they both fell into the searing lava within the Cauldron.

And then...

they both transformed into a single black mass, soon a terrifying monster.”

That monster came to exist as the “Black Beast”.

So the Black Beast was Ragna transformed — but how could another Ragna exist at the same time as the Beast?

Maybe Hakumen remembered wrong? Was it possible that he'd confused that with something else, or everything he thought he remembered was a weightless delusion?

Was Ragna, as Celica called him, truly “Ragna the Bloodedge”?

Was Hakumen in mourning for someone else...?

(.....can't be.)

If so, those were just the whispers of a weak and spoiled heart. His memories were terribly hazy, but with the memory of that loss lost, there was nothing false about the feelings he had.

Flowers were torn apart; his brother was taken from him. All he could do then was lose himself in rage, hatred, and revenge.

— “...Hakumen?” Celica asked, popping into Hakumen’s sight while he looked downward.

Celica looked like she could slip on the rubble and fall at any minute. Just the sight sent chills down Hakumen’s spine; so he seized her by the shoulders and put her back in the narrow space inside.

— “You’re going to fall!” Hakumen grunted. — “Ah— thank you!”

Only then, did Celica realize where she had been standing, scratching her head with an embarrassed chuckle. Celica could only sigh; it was like taking care of a small pet.

Then Celica jumped up like a small pet, her eyes grew wide, and she stared at Hakumen. He sighed, with a tone of surprise.

— “What happened?” Hakumen did not understand. But when he asked that, Celica smiled happily for some reason.

— “You’re sighing too…!” Celica answered.

— “What are you even talking about?”

— “Ahaha… I’ve never heard you do it before!” She gave an innocent smile and a giddy laugh.

His memory flickered. Maybe it was not a memory, but a feeling — or an emotion.

He swore he could remember hearing a girl's laugh, like Celica's. Soon he envisioned a long corridor, with a lush green view from the windows. There was a girl named after a flower, and another friend of hers. He talked to them about something... everything felt so warm and peaceful.

— “Hey, Mr. Hakumen!”

Soon Hakumen was called awake again, released from his trance. His chin was raised slightly, and he turned to look back at Celica. Her face was not nearly as bright as it was a moment ago, having lost her smile; her earth-colored eyes looked straight up at Hakumen.

— “What’s under the mask…?”

Her question was sincere, not teasing or innocent.

Hakumen could only ease his breath.

— “Do you want to see it?”

Why he asked, nobody knows. The words just came spilling out.

It must have been a shocking answer, regardless; Celica’s cheeks blushed a bright pink while she nodded repeatedly.

— “Yes, I do! Can I see?!”

— “No.”

— “Hey, that’s not fair! Why can’t I see it?!”

Celica pouted and furrowed her brows in dissatisfaction. She was quite expressive, much like her sister Nine. Amused and impressed, Hakumen raised a hand to his mask.

The mask could never come off. It hid myriad sins, mistakes, and stains of the past. He could hardly remember who he was, what life he led, or what he thought and felt back then. But even if the sins were forgotten, their weight would never be.

Thus, the mask would hide his sins.

Otherwise, he would never be able to fight.

Thus, the mask worked as an escape — to hide his past, while claiming to break away from it. The armor was meant to bury his past self. Only then could he become the man called Hakumen, get on his feet, and hold his sword firmly.

If the mask came off, he would no longer be Hakumen, but the man with a name long forsaken.

Hakumen let go of his mask. Celica looked up at his expressionless face, still regretful, but with unyielding interest.

What did she expect to find under that mask?

Hakumen turned his head away, so she would not see through him.

— “...even if I take this mask off, you won't see the face you want to see.”

— “Huh?” Celica's eyes widened, then narrowed softly like she was smiling. “Oh, no. I said you look alike, but I have no way of telling. It's just...”

Forgetting what was said before, Celica walked once more along the edge of the rubble and turned around to face Hakumen, who had turned away from her. Then, she looked straight up.

— “I just think... you probably look great. It'd be a shame to hide it!”

— “...”

Hakumen had no idea how to answer.

(Is she saying I’m handsome, or…?)

The muttered words disappeared into his bitter heart. If only he had been kind; maybe it all would have been different.

And so... unknowingly, fragments of lost memories rattle around in his head.

Hakumen languidly pondered while looking up at the sky.

A thin moon could be seen in the sky.

— “I don't like the moon... in fact, I hate it.” — so he remembered someone saying.

He could not remember who, but every time he saw the moon, he remembered those words. The feeling brought back so many memories... but he was tormented by a terrible discomfort.

— “The moon looks so beautiful!” Like clear water, the girl's voice washed Hakumen's consciousness.

The hazy memories; the unbearable weight of guilt; and the vivid sense of loss... all faded.

Just for this moment, for some reason, everything seemed calm and peaceful.

Celica turned around and stood next to Hakumen, looking at the horizon with a light stretch of her body and a long, heaving, relaxed sigh. — “This breeze... it feels nice.”

Her lackadaisical words put Hakumen on edge.

— “It does...”

But she was right. The air was clear, and the crescent moon in the sky looked much smoother than he'd previously thought.

How come he hadn't noticed it before? The air was too clear.

Hakumen looked at Celica.

He was amazed at her power — to seemingly suppress the seithr around her.

But he was still baffled. Hakumen could not believe that Celica was able to do that all by herself, and that there had to be something else in play. Even when they were at the Kaka Village, he felt the place brimming with seithr.

(If that’s how it works, what is with this air…?)

He looked around, behind his pale white mask. How could the air be so clear with all this rubble?

— “A… CHOO!”

Those thoughts were interrupted by a sudden sneeze.

Celica made a pitiful face as she hunched over and sneezed again.

— “Ugh... that came out of nowhere...”

— “Do you feel cold?”

It was late at night. Hakumen did not feel cold, but maybe the night air was affecting Celica.

— “Go back. Sure, you've recovered your magic, but don't overdo it. You should recover too.”

— “Yeah... what about you, Hakumen?”

Aware of the cold and her physical strain, Celica's reply came out slow, but straightforward. She tilted her head, but Hakumen did not shake his head in response. He let go of his mask with a huff.

— “I'm going to stay here a little longer.”

He needed some more time to think.

— “Okay. Good night, see you tomorrow.”

Celica gave a polite nod and a small wave, before heading back to the Kaka Village woods with Nirvana.

As Nirvana picked her up and moved, the girl quickly faded into the shadows of the forest.

Then, without even stopping to breathe, Hakumen waited for her to leave. The air around him felt heavy and uncomfortable.

Part 3

— “You’re a real goody-two-shoes, o’ mighty hero!”

The source of the voice had been there for some time, standing on the rubble, next to Hakumen.

Under the dim moonlight, a slender man in a long coat suddenly came out. Under the hood pulled down over his eyes, he showed his mouth like that of a reptile.

— “All those years with the Susano’o Unit made you a pussy, huh, Jin Kisaragi?!”

Terumi laughed, his voice as unpleasant as the soundless presence of a crawling snake. He'd snarled out a name that Hakumen had long left in the past. A name that should only be known by a select few, and cannot exist now.

Immediately, a chill came down Hakumen's spine.

— “...you scumbag.”

— “Eh, don’t get me wrong! I don’t know any more than that. It ain’t like I’m predicting the future!”

Terumi hurriedly waved both hands at the intimidating Hakumen, mocking his tone of voice. He then tucked back his chin, and his smile grew even wider while his red tongue poked out.

— “You get me? I'm here, and you're over there... we're standing in slightly different places. I don't know how things will end this time... you're from the other side of this world, so I bet you know a lot more than I do.”

— “This time—?”

The use of his old name and the odd invocation of an “other side” put Hakumen on edge.

He held his head down, feeling his mind overrun with noise, like he had seen something he should not have. The feeling seeped into Hakumen's memories like a drug being pushed through a syringe.

None of this was memories, or Hakumen's experiences... but information. Fragments of data, recorded and managed by something other than Hakumen's brain.

Numerous scenes grazed his head like noise, showing tens of thousands of images in rapid-fire.

Building burnings…

Freezing rooms…

Someone's face…

He did not recognize any of it.

Even though he should have.

— “Hehehehe... hey, buddy, tell me something. How many times have you been here? Huh? How many fuckin' loops does that make?”

Terumi's voice and words sent noise into Hakumen's mind. The scene within the noise seemed to overlap with the hooded man in front of Hakumen: the same height, same build, same expression... and the same black clothes and black hat.

— “Ha…”

Inside his mask, Hakumen’s mouth moved on its own, sending out noise.

He'd spent so much time with the girl named after a flower, only to never know her ultimate fate.

— “Hazama—!!”

Exhaling a low, heated breath, Hakumen reached for the nodachi on his back. The rising bloodlust within swayed his long silver hair, and his steps sent cracks into the rubble beneath his feet. An ordinary person would be immediately frozen into fear by such a sight.

But Terumi just stood and watched.

— “You’re out for blood… that’s what I wanna see!”

Terumi smirked at every reaction from Hakumen. He pulled both hands out of his pockets and spread his arms lightly, trying to provoke him with a sarcastic invitation for a hug.

— “Gonna kill me or no?”

If Hakumen kicked off the scaffolding and swung down the nodachi with all his strength, the blade would easily cleave Terumi in two. All this could end in only ten seconds.

— “C'mon, do it already. The way I am right now, I don't stand a chance! I know you've got this in the bag, so take the shot and fucking kill me!”

Terumi sneered behind his hood.

Hakumen looked from a position where he could finish him off with a single slash. Terumi was telling the truth; he could easily kill him now.

The whole time, Terumi did not move once. With his hands lightly open, he waited for Hakumen to make his move.

The bloodlust was like a flame erupting from his body. Hakumen gripped the hilt of his nodachi tightly so he could pull it out at any moment, and after putting all his weight into his legs for a massive leap...

he stood up, sheathed his blade and turned his back on Terumi.

— “That’s it? No killing?” Terumi asked, audibly disappointed.

Hakumen, with his back turned to the voice that had just tried to irritate him, replied with a low swing in the air.

— “If ‘what I know’ is correct... you're essential to defeating the Black Beast.”

— “Heh... guess I don't have to worry about you killing me for a while.”

— “Wait until this is all over.”

— “Huuuuh? Don't say that, Hakumen! We're on the same siiiide!”

Even without turning to look, Hakumen could see the smirk on his face. How could he make ‘being on the same side’ sound so trivial? He could not wait to leave Terumi’s “side”.

Just as Hakumen was about to jump off the rubble-covered heights, Terumi’s voice rang out behind him.

― “It's the future, ain't it?” His voice was sharp, like a knife to the throat.

Hakumen did not feel fear; only disgust. He clenched his fist tightly.

— “My mission is to defeat the Black Beast. Nothing more.”

— “...I get it.”

Terumi no longer smiled. Hakumen looked over at his unsightly gait and dismissed him with a bored demeanor. Through his eyeless mask, he stared at Terumi.

— “But I’d rather not let ‘that thing’ decide my future.”

The man who once saved him was branded a god with neverending "dreams of destiny" — and he wanted no part of those dreams. Thus, Hakumen kicked the debris beneath his feet and left. The ground remained dimly lit by the crescent moon's distant light.

Like a pale white shadow, he disappeared into the forest.

With an aside glance, Terumi carved a smug grin onto his mouth again. He shoved his hands into his pants' pockets and shot a shady glare at the moon.

— “You know what…? You got a point, Hakumen-chan.”

Terumi also crossed the pile of rubble and made a quick exit.

Part 4

The next day, Celica was in a crumbling cityscape littered with debris. This time, it was not in a lonely moonlit night, but an early afternoon under the sun. It wasn’t just Hakumen and Nirvana that were there, but a full entourage with Nine, Trinity, Jubei, Valkenhayn, Terumi, Suzukaka, and Totokaka.

— “Yup— hup!” Celica crossed the unstable foothold, gasping out with every step. Nirvana followed closely behind, occasionally extending her arms to help with her perilous steps.

— “Slow down, Celica. You’ll be in danger if you overdo it.” Nine warned behind her, looking on with great exasperation.

Celica turned around on the rocky grounds where she’d just landed.

— “I’ll be fine! I was here last night!”

— “WHAT? You came to a place like this, at night, all by yourself?! That’s dangerous!”

— “Oh… I didn’t tell you, did I? Nirvana was with me, and Mister Hakumen too!”

Celica raised a finger to reassure her there was no problem. Nirvana then lifted her up with no issue and moved her onward. Nine followed them both, jumping over the rocks with great dexterity… even while wearing high heels.

— “Okay, but why was Hakumen with you late at night, in a deserted place like this?! There’s gotta be something I’m missing. If he did anything weird…!”

— “He’d never do that! Mister Hakumen is a nice guy.” As Celica pouted, Nine forced a smile; like a switch had been flipped, small sparks gathered around her.

— “…yup. Just like that guy, Hakumen’s playing you…”

As Nine held up her hand with a twisted smile, Jubei, who had been walking beside Nine until then, chased after her in a hurry and pushed her hand away.

— “Calm down, calm down! If she was with Hakumen, there’s no way it could’ve turned out how you think.”

— “I don’t care! Even if he’s wearing armor like that, I can’t trust her with some random man!”

Standing on a narrow rocky ledge, Nine pointed her finger at Hakumen while he led the way. Regardless, Hakumen ignored her words — if he’d heard her at all. Meanwhile, Valkenhayn let out a bitter sigh of exasperation.

— “I appreciate your energy, but would you pipe down a little? You are making too much noise.”

— “And I know you have good reflexes, but if you let down your guard too much, you might slip…”

— “AAAAAAH!”

As Jubei added to Valkenhain's quip, a cracking scream came out, away from their current spot.

Everyone stopped and looked back to see Trinity, far behind the group, losing her balance and almost falling from the tall rubble. Of all the people to grab her by the arm and help her up, it was Terumi.

— “Hey, Four-Eyes. Don’t slip.”

— “Ah… sorry!”

As fast as he could, Terumi pulled Trinity up with just one arm. She landed safely on the foothold, but she was so embarrassed even her ears were bright red.

— “Seriously… I’m so sorry for all the trouble!”

— “Hehe! You can apologize for all the trouble later. Now get up and go!”

— “Okay!”

Exhausted, Terumi patted Trinity on the back and urged her to move on. As she stepped on the debris — more recklessly than anyone else — Terumi followed. Celica watched the scene unfold, pressing a finger to her lips and tilting her head.

— “Hey, Sis… Terumi and Trinity really get along, right? They never fight…”

— “That’s not a good sign.” She answered, disinterested.

When Celica turned around in wonder, Nine wrinkled her eyebrows and looked away from Trinity and Terumi.

— “So, Hakumen… where the hell are you going? You said you wanted to check out the rocks, but there’s just rubble and grime here!” Her words were sharper than usual, due to her unquenchable dismay.

But Hakumen did not care too much. He landed on the side of a relatively intact building.

— “I didn’t ask you to come along.”

Meanwhile, Valkenhayn rested his feet on the wide footing, following those cold words. Next to catch up was Nine, followed closely by Celica. As they approached Hakumen, loud clacks sounded from their high heels.

— “You think I’ll just let you take Celica anywhere? No way in hell I’m letting her hang out with the first man she sees!” — “This is going to be a long day…” Jubei grumbled, scratching his head.

Celica had no choice but to raise her shoulders and chuckle sheepishly. Hakumen was the only one she had asked to come investigate the rocky grounds with him. Of course, Nirvana had come along; as soon as Nine heard about it, she assumed something far worse. Valkenhayn came along, believing that if Hakumen was this concerned, there had to be something up; Trinity shared his concerns, and Jubei followed because he was worried about Nine. Terumi would not let himself be alone in a village full of cats, so he came along as well… and Suzukaka and Totokaka just figured the trip would be fun. As a result, this simple investigation had snowballed out of Hakumen’s control.

At the end of this building, which may as well have been a hangout spot now, Trinity slipped again, and Terumi caught her again.

The air here was extremely clean, with a fresh scent of greenery. Valkenhayn and Jubei’s faces crooked; they found it too strange.

— “The seithr in here… it’s too weak.”

Suzukaka nodded proudly.

— “Damn right! This place has been a real sight since the village got built… but Toto and the others say it’s too beautiful to stay here forever.”

Compared to Suzukaka, Totokaka seemed less familiar with this place, and her tail wagged at the scent of the wind with a curious look.

— “Kaka kids adapt to their surroundings really easy. They get too used to living somewhere without seithr, they’ll have a bad time living with it.” Then, Suzukaka stroked Totokaka’s forehead — “When you grow up…” She continued — “So what’s next? What are you lookin’ for, Lord Hakumen?”

Valkenhayn walked up beside Hakumen, who was looking out from the edge of the ruined building. The place was so clean, it was difficult to believe; but all anyone could see was an endless expanse of debris of all sizes. Thinking about the people who used to live here, and the ruthlessness of the dark disaster befalling the world, sent chills down his spine.

Glancing at the ruined city, Hakumen spoke.

— “This place…”

— “What about it?” Valkenhayn’s eyebrows furrowed, unaware of what Hakumen meant.

Still, Hakumen turned to Celica, his long hair flowing in the wind. He invited her closer with a tuck of his chin. He pointed to himself and asked Celica a question.

— “Do you feel anything?”

— “What do you mean?” Celica asked, visibly puzzled.

Hakumen turned his head, like he was looking for something invisible. His long silver hair, swaying in the wind, looked more mysterious than usual.

— “It’s the center of the air. I think you can feel it.”

— “The center…?” Celica did not quite follow, but she looked around anyway.

The air really was clean. She felt it last night when she met Hakumen; it was clearer than in Ishana.

(Feels great…)

She took a long, full-chested breath and tried to let her feelings dissolve into the air.

Celica felt happy. She felt like Hakumen, so strong and always there for her, was counting on her — even for just a minute.

He had always helped her so much, it was time to give back a little. So she closed her eyes and listened to the wind and air. Maybe she did not feel all that in her ears, but in her skin.

Her eyelids lifted naturally, and she pointed to what she saw in her line of sight.

— “I think… there’s an entrance over there.”

She stretched out her arms and pointed to a large pile of rubble. In the shadows, there was an entrance to a staircase leading somewhere underground.

— “…do we go there?” Hakumen whispered into the wind, leaning forward next to Celica to tell where her finger was pointed.

Celica looked uneasy.

— “I'm just curious... I just felt like something could be there. I don't really know, sorry.”

She could not sense seithr like Nine or Trinity; all she had to count on was her gut feeling.

Celica felt sorry for going to the trouble of asking for Hakumen's help. But it was not trouble for Hakumen, who immediately picked her up in his arms.

— “It’ll do. Come on, let’s check it out.”

— “No wait, I can go— aaaah!!”

Hakumen had no intention of refusing; he ran off with Celica in his arms before she could say a word. He rushed forward with no hesitation or care for the footing under him, which was too bumpy to even walk straight. They were going so fast, it was like the wind was carrying them.

— “HEY! Why are you holding Celica like that?! PUT HER DOWN!!!”

Noticing Hakumen's sudden dash, Nine jumped out, her eyes blazing with rage. Holding her large hat in hand, she magically manipulated the wind and ran after the white-armored man.

Nirvana also ran after them, with her protegé ahead of her.

— “Hey, wait…!!” Behind her was Jubei, who did not want Nine to lose control; followed by Valkenhayn. Suzukaka carried Totokaka on her back, unaware that they were even following a goal, running with beastly reflexes and leg strength to much. And then there was Trinity.

— “Wait for me, pleeeeease!!”

Trinity peeked over the edge and found the path was even rougher than she'd imagined. She could not even jump off; the only way was to slide down.

Still moving slowly and sluggishly, she walked up close and crouched all the way down, while Terumi looked down with a smirk.

— “Want me to take you there?” Terumi asked.

— “Not now… I’ll catch up later.”

— “Yeah, no. When you catch up, it’ll be past sunset.”

Hacking up a laugh, Terumi grabbed Trinity by her neck right as she was about to climb down from the scaffolding, pulled her up, and held her in his arms.

Firmly pulling his hood down, Terumi jumped low and far while he held Trinity.

Part 5

Walking down the stairs she had found, Celica soon discovered they led to an old subway station.

There were still vestiges of the station platform, long decayed — except for the train tracks, which were well-preserved.

She could only think about how this place used to be: thriving with people. The thought brought an eerie sadness to her mind.

Meanwhile, no light from the surface would reach them.

Nine had a white light glowing from her hand to illuminate the front, while she walked with Hakumen; Celica was between them both.

In the middle was Trinity, who conjured an orange light to light their surroundings. Jubei, Suzukaka, and Totokaka went behind Nine; and Terumi behind Trinity. Valkenhayn stayed far behind.

The tracks were unbroken and almost spotless. With a little repair, they could be used right away. Here and there, were scorched remnants of human life from only a few years ago, now extinct.

Before they could even pass the arch in the underground passageway, everyone noticed something unusual.

Jubei was the first to speak up.

— “There’s no seithr here at all…!”

The rubble-covered surface was unusually pure, with little seithr — the subway wasn’t empty of it, but somehow had even less than on the surface.

Meanwhile, Suzukaka spun around in place with Totokaka on her head.

— “It’s real thin with that… it’s kinda creepy.”

The Kaka always lived directly exposed to seithr, so they were not used to this chilly feeling.

With her light floating over her head, Trinity put up her hands like dishes and summoned a small magic circle above her. The sigil rotated loosely in response to the surrounding seithr, like a measuring instrument.

— “The deeper we go, the weaker it gets… maybe there’s something neutralizing it?”

Other than Celica?

Celica herself, Nirvana and the Kaka girls were the only ones able to think of that question — but no one had a good answer.

Countless footsteps turned a gentle curve, traveling further down the rail tracks.

Before they could go any further, there was a gaping hole in the road, and it did not look like a train tunnel.

The track continued to curve in the wrong direction, with no other tracks in the “tunnel”. There were no concrete or brick pavements; it looked more like an uneven side-road built to dig out something in the depths.

— “Here…” Celica widened her eyes, looking into the tunnel.

She saw something like a hollow room in the back. The air from there was pure, even relaxing, with no traces of seithr in the air. It was so pure, she wondered if this was how the world breathed before the Black Beast came.

— “Can I go in there?” Celica asked.

— “Of course.” Hakumen answered with a nod, “it’s what we’re here for.”

— “Time out! TIME OUT!!” — Just as the crew started walking in the direction of the clear air, Terumi interrupted them in a panic. “Sorry… I’m gonna stay here and wait. Just bear with me a bit. Damn, I’m beat…!” Terumi grimaced and slowly backed away, while Nine looked on with suspicion.

— “Are you trying to set me up?” Nine spat at him.

— “I don’t joke about this shit. I mean it!” Terumi answered, sighing out.

He shook his head with a bitter expression. Before Terumi knew it, a bead of sweat was on his neck. Trinity noticed this, and her face grew pale.

— “He looks really sick…” Trinity said, “Nine! I’ll watch him!”

— “Yeah, yeah.” Terumi huffed out, “You can go on without me. I need some rest.” He waved Nine away, then sat back on the ground, resting against the subway wall. — “I’m serious… I’m gonna stay put.”

Nine could not take Terumi seriously, seeing him so suddenly leaned against the wall. She didn't believe that was he was in poor health — but there was no point in thinking about his condition then.

— “Okay, then. Stay right where you are.”

— “Got it, boss…” Terumi weakly waved Nine and Hakumen away.

Still looking at them suspiciously, Jubei and Valkenhayn followed, with Suzukaka and Totokaka behind. Finally, the concerned Trinity and Celica stepped into the hole, feeling like they were being pulled back.

— “If anything happens, call me right away, Mr. Terumi!” Celica waved in the air as she left, but Terumi did not respond while everyone disappeared into the back.

Then Terumi bent over and spat out all the tea he had drunk along the way.

The side passage was short; it wasn't long before the crew reached the end.

At the end of the dark, uneven pass was a breathtakingly tall, spacious hall in a slightly crooked circular shape. Straight walls led upward to what most drew everyone's eyes: while the floor, walls, and ceiling were all bare dirt, the ceiling had been carved into a domed shape, studded with sparkling pale blue lights.

— “So pretty…!” Celica spoke first, utterly enchanted by the sight; like a starry sky.

— Anyone looking closer could see the light came from small crystals protruding from the soil. But that didn't deter the wonder that came from this hall, a spectacle that could touch into the soul.

— “What is this?” Valkenhayn gasped, more stunned than amazed.

— “It’s gorgeous!”

While on Suzukaka's shoulders, Totokaka looked up and opened her mouth in awe.

Trinity also conjured a small measuring circle from her palm; the circle had a weak response.

— “There’s almost no seithr here. I don’t think I’ve been anywhere this clean — not even in Ishana!”

— “Is it that light…?” Jubei asked.

— “Pretty sure it is.” Nine answered, “that light… might have the same power as Celica.”

The power to neutralize seithr.

— “Is this what you were looking for, Lord Hakumen…?” Valkenhayn asked, but instead of answering, Hakumen looked on at the ceiling.

The lights of the crystals began glowing and dimming in a rhythm; expanding and contracting, like they were breathing. In response to those “breaths”, Celica became enveloped in a pale light.

— “Huh…? What’s going on?”

While Nine immediately braced herself, Nirvana showed no reaction. She seemed to know this was not harmful to Celica.

The light surrounding Celica slowly synchronized to the rhythm of the lights on the ceiling, breathing in the same cadence. She looked at her own hands wide-eyed, while the light covered her body down to the fingertips. It made her feel at ease.

— “Hakumen, what’s going on?” Nine stepped closer, asking impatiently. “What’s that light doing?”

— “It’s… an antibody.”

— “Antibody?” Celica said, tilting her head while still wreathed in light.

— “This power was created by the planet, to counter the seithr eroding it… just like yours, Celica A. Mercury.” Hakumen explained, turning towards the glowing Celica. — “This entire planet has the same power as you do, naturally.” — He sounded unusually distant and soft-spoken. It wasn’t a tone anyone would expect from Hakumen. — “It’s called… the Power of Order.”

Even if no one else understood what Hakumen meant, he said it with so much conviction behind his expressionless mask that they still found it intriguing. It was how the lights on the ceiling resonated and synchronized with Celica.

And then…

From the end of the railroad tracks, footsteps approached with enough force to suck the air out of the place. It was one from the Kaka Clan, who’d followed their scent and trail.

— “LORD MITSUYOSHI!!”

Covered in dust, she rushed into the crystalline hall, stopping right in front of Jubei. She soon raised her face with an impatient look, rare among the Kaka Clan.

— “It’s an emergency! The OLN... and the Ten Sages of Ishana… are planning a secret operation!”

— “The Ten Sages…” Soon, it dawned on Jubei. “Oh, no! Seven and Eight!”

— “What’s going on?” Nine stepped closer and asked.

Seeing the sharp look on Nine’s face, the Kaka liaison’s tail twitched briefly. But she immediately spoke up, flapping her hands at Jubei.

— “I heard they moved a brickload of refugees somewhere… tens of thousands of them!”

— “Understood. We’ll look into this hall another day. Right, Hakumen?” Jubei nodded sternly and turned to Hakumen.

Hakumen then took one look at Celica, who was still bathed in light; he nodded with urgency and followed Jubei out.

Part 6

As soon as they returned to the Kaka village, Celica, Nine, Trinity, Jubei, Hakumen, Valkenhain, and Terumi, plus Suzukaka and several other Kaka, gathered around a table with a large map spread over it, surprisingly authentic and detailed; the Kaka used it during strategic meetings.

They found out that the refugees had been given a new home in a city within Asia, fortunately out of the Black Beast's reach for the moment. The city's location and name, given by the Kaka messenger, made Nine's already grim face stiffen even more.

— “You sure about this?”

— “Absolutely! I heard earlier that the refugees have already been relocated.”

The leadership of the OLN could also determine where the countless refugees, who lost their homes to the Black Beast, would go. But that meant tens of thousands of refugees; too many at once... and counting.

— “Never thought something like this could happen…” Nine bit her lip in frustration. It was too easy to imagine what could happen with so many people rounded up in one place, in a world full of beasts of seithr that could literally sniff out the lives of people.

— “Are they trying to use the refugees… to lure out the Black Beast?” Jubei grimaced in disbelief and snarled.

— “That’s so horrible…!” Trinity's hands trembled in fear. Those people were being treated like bait for capturing game; dozens of thousands of lives hanging in a net, waiting for black fangs to bite into them. And waiting in the wings were people who knew exactly how disposable they were: the Orbis Librarius Norma.

— “Would they really…?” — Hakumen muttered, his voice rumbling through the air, and turned to the group. — “There’s no guarantee that it will work, gathering so many people. The Black Beast could show up somewhere else, for all they know. Are they really going to ignore that and wait for the Beast to take the bait there?”

Hakumen wondered if they were truly that foolish. One wrong move, and only the bait they'd prepared would be saved. Just gathering refugees was not enough; this trap was not thought out well.

Terumi immediately brushed those doubts aside, putting his feet up on the table with a careless look — like nothing had happened to him on the way to the cave.

— “No, no, no, buddy, look. With so much tasty bait right next to the den, even that Beast is gonna follow a smell that strong… with a Cauldron right next to it.”

A Cauldron...

Only then, it dawned on Hakumen. Celica was still confused, however.

— “Wait. Black Beasts usually show up near places with Cauldrons in them, right? If the Black Beast comes out of that Cauldron, won’t it reach the city before we can stop it?”

— “That’s most likely.” Nine answered, clearly and calmly, but with audible resentment.

— “But what would they gain from luring it out? Do they even stand a chance?” Valkenhayn crossed his arms and leaned his chin on one fist.

Though the OLN had complete jurisdiction over Ars Magus, it was hard to imagine that that technology had made any exponential progress since the last battle. Jubei frowned roughly and shook his head.

— “They should know from the last battle that Ars Magus won’t be enough to destroy the Black Beast. They could probably use Take-Mikazuchi… but that can’t be used without Celica, can it?”

— “It can.” Nine answered tersely. She shook her head, long hair sliding off her shoulders. Amid many puzzled gazes, Nine stood out, like she was trying to squeeze in another word. — “Take-Mikazuchi can be summoned without Celica, but it’ll be impossible to control.”

— “…and what happens after that?” Hakumen asked, rising from his seat.

A quiet silence filled the place, and Nine balled her hand up into a fist.

— “Tens of thousands of souls… will be consumed on the spot.”

The tension in Nine’s words cut the air like a knife.

Trinity gasped and clutched her trembling hands to her chest, about to burst into tears.

— “Wait… they’re rounding up those refugees to lure out the Black Beast… and summon Take-Mikazuchi?!”

Nobody nodded, but their affirmation was obvious.

Celica kicked over a chair and stood up, then slammed her hands on the table with a loud bang.

— “Then let’s hurry! We have to be there for the refugees, before the worst happens!”

— “Of course. Let’s go!” Nine brushed a stray strand of hair off her back and rose to her feet. She crossed her arms over her chest and continued, looking sharply at Celica — “...except you. You’ll stay in the village.”

— “No!!” Celica answered in indignation.

A deep wrinkle formed in Nine’s brows. Her fingers tapped against her crossed arms, visibly irritated.

— “Don’t ‘no’ me! We’re going to a city with a dozens of thousands of refugees, and our numbers are only a fraction of that. Even if this wasn’t about the Black Beast, it’d be too dangerous for you.”

— “Then what’s Nirvana good for?!”

— “What—” Nine was at a loss for words. Celica rushed over to her side…

— “It’s not like I can’t use magic! I can still protect myself from normal people that aren’t mages or soldiers!”

Hands firmly held together, Celica did not waver even slightly; the light in her eyes never faded.

— “If I go there, I might even draw out the Black Beast! I can even prevent Take-Mikazuchi’s summoning from killing all those people—!”

— “No way I’ll let you do that…” Nine’s voice suddenly trembled, clearly about to cry. Celica lost that bravado and became confused.

But Nine looked at Celica sternly enough to hold back her tears, digging her fingers into tightly folded arms.

— “…look, I get it. You want to see him again. So, stop putting yourself in harm’s way, ‘cause if you die… you’ll never get to do that.”

Now Celica was the one lost for words.

Maybe it was a glimpse of the feelings Nine had been hiding. She bit down tightly to hold back the torrent of feelings that threatened to spill out, and swallowed them down — even if some of them had already slipped.

She had been protecting Celica so tightly to make her wish come true — to see him again.

Only then, did it dawn on Celica. She was not sad or hurt; Nine’s words had touched her too deeply.

— “I do want to see him… that’s why I want to go.”

Celica hurriedly wiped the corners of her eyes and lifted her face, trying not to cry. She set her back straight, and without hesitation, cast her gaze straight ahead.

— “During the last battle, just like Miss Rachel said… I felt like he was within the Beast. I’m still not sure, but I can only know if I go.”

She aired her feelings with her hands over her chest. Whatever Nine had to say, Celica still had a firm goal to reach…

— “I want to see the Black Beast, just this once.”

It was not a plea or a demand; Celica just had her mind made up.

Nine’s brows dropped down in clear anguish. In the last battle, the Black Beast was the only threat anticipated — but this time, there were many more parties to keep in mind: the Black Beast; Seven; Nine; the Ten Sages; the Orbis Librarius Norma…

Before she knew it, Hakumen stepped forward and placed his hand on Celica’s shoulder, as if to push the hesitation out of Nine.

— “I’ll stay with you. Let’s go.”

Celica’s face lit up, hearing his voice from that blank white mask. Seeing that, Nine let out a heavy, suffocated sigh. She should have expected this of Celica. Now Nine could no longer refuse. At the very least, she wanted Celica to see the person she wanted to see, with no smoke or mirrors. If the only way there was to take her to a dangerous war zone, she would take responsibility for any risk that came to Celica. Not as the team leader, but as Celica's older sister.

— “Hey, Hakumen.” Nine growled, “If I see even one scratch on Celica, you’ll pay for it.”

She tossed her hair and walked out of the hut, with everyone else following — plus ten Kaka natives who offered to help in the battle. They all stood together on a massive magic circle conjured by Nine.

While listening to Nine chanting her spell, in the deep purple light of the magic sigil, Celica prayed with her hands over her chest — that these people would come back home safe and sound and never be alone again; maybe every last one of them.

...

Back to Chapter 3

Return to Main Page

Forward to Chapter 5