Ga Rei: Exodus Nine (IC)

[Airen]

Jonathan R. Black
SLEIPNIR - Star's Cradle
Final Rest

"I feel... About the same as usual."

Cool as always, Michio stands guard outside the room with hands in his pockets and his back against the wall; just like usual he doesn't particularly seem to mind being dragged from place to place by Akane, and even though the both of you are standing in what can only be described as a star-ship from some sort of fantasy video game, he...

"It's the usual odds. We run into something way out of our league, and now we have to deal with it... Really, this is just a bigger incomprehensible problem than normal."

A shake of his head and a light, almost cocky smile.

"They're working on some tech in the other room, hashing out a rough plan with special equipment, but when it comes down to it even with that plan... I'm pretty sure we're gonna have to fight it head on, that's how these things tend to work."

Another shake of his head.

"So I'm fine. I've gotten used to punching things above my weight class. How about you?"

[Airen]

Medrod Pendragon
Aoyama Ruins

"Oh? Is that all you wanted to know?"

You had expected many responses, most of which would probably involve a return to the needless use of medical supplies while a much less painful supernatural solution was in her grasp, but instead of that, she tears right through your attempt at a distraction by completely ignoring it -and coughing awkwardly into a clenched fist with a flushed face- and immediately tackles the more serious of the problems with her usual brute force.

"There is certainly a difference. I can guarantee it. I was just eavesdropping on you guys in the shop, but I know there's a difference, you can call this woman's intuition-! I'm never wrong-!"

"But you were just wron-"

A youth dodging a sudden -but halfhearted- grab attempt, and then a single finger, waving back and forth at you as if this was some sort of lecture:

"She doesn't want to fight this Zerah guy, that's not what it's about, she wants to one-sidedly beat him up. You can see it in her eyes, and she's wrong for that, and we will be having a lecture about it soon~"

In the distance, Red shivers for some reason, and a vague feeling of horror once again shoots down your spine.

"I'm assuming you don't want to just get beat up, so I don't think there's much you need to be jealous about, or, you know... Get into bloody sword-fights about."

A sigh, then:

"Not that I can stop you... Teenagers and dragons nowadays..."

...She sounds a bit too casual saying that sort of thing.

[Verg Avesta]

Medrod Pendragon
Aoyama Ruins

No need to get jealous about?

Yuka wasn't the first person to tell him that... But it did make Medrod pause for a moment, and think about actual source of the problem; the reason he wanted to fight Red in the first place. The dragon had become something much more to him than what she was when they first met. First she had been an enemy, then a strange source of mercy, then an unwanted companion, then a trustworthy ally, then... Then she had taken a pity on him, giving his miserable life a new direction; something he had not expected in the least.

And then... Something more. On that sky, fighting Aoyama's enemies together, it was like they had been one and the same: a single existence in one body.

It was from there that all these confusing feelings stemmed from, or so it felt.

For some reason, Yuka seemed exasperated, though Medrod couldn't figure out why. Still, her words caused an answer bubble up within Medrod.

"No. I don't wanna get beat up. I... I don't know what I want," he admitted. "It just... In that moment, it seemed like we were on a same wavelength. No words, just instincts. I dunno why, but I can't forget it. It was... I have no idea what it was, only that it felt right. Yet when she acts indifferent about it, it makes me feel... stupid."

It was not easy to admit, but to Yuka and Kazuya, Medrod felt like he could say it. He trusted them. If there was anyone who wouldn't laugh at his situation or confusion towards his own feelings, it would be them.

A... A family that he never deserved.

"And I know there's no logical reason to get jealous about it, but... I can't help it. It happens even if I try not to feel it," Medrod continued. "And the worst thing is, I have no idea why I'm jealous. It's like I'm not on charge of my own feelings. It's weird. It's scary."

Everything was laid to bare. Medrod heaved a heavy sigh.

"For some reason... She makes me act ridiculous. And I can't figure out why."

[Spinach]

Saki Ryuumonbuchi
Aoyama Ruins

"Questions?" Peeking through her fingers, Saki began to slowly widen the gaps to reveal more of her face. "For me?"

Though, the young ESPer still kept her guard up. Her hands in place. It hadn't slipped past her notice, that flash of... interest, the Goddess had in her response. It was almost predatory, in a harmless way. Yet in another way, it was more dangerous than being merely harmful. The sort of look that the older girls gave to the kohai in the changing room, or even worse, that the boys gave the girls at the pool.

Saki had never considered it, but might the Goddess be inclined to indulge in...

Fingers tightening up again, the teenager shook her head side to side. Surely not, she assured herself, shaking the thought out of her head. The Goddess was likely just... awestruck by her beauty. Her natural Ryuumonbuchi charm, her illustrious form inherited from her Mother that could smite even a Goddess.

"If there are questions one such as you has for me," fingers sliding down to reveal her face from the forehead to the tip of her nose, the girl cast her eyes up to the Goddess, delivering a response that contained more dignity than her appearance let on, "then I would gladly answer."

[Frantic Author]

Hitoshira Nagi
Battleship S.L.E.I.P.N.I.R ~ Star's Cradle
Top of the Ship

"Is that really all you have to say, Ryota?" It's a smile teasing across my face as I stare out at an infinite sky. "After all, wasn't it you who told me that there wasn't a single way to win?"

It's quiet here. The world, the memories, and everything.

"I don't think that everyone is screaming for a happy ending. It's just... Does anyone want to go through all this trouble, all this pain and suffering, to have an ending where everyone is perfectly unhappy?"

I turn to him, eyes shining with flame and fire; for all that I am an ordinary girl, I am also one of the few people on this planet who could withstand the full might of the Kyuubi without utterly falling to the darkness.

"I won't allow that. If I have to choose an ending where nobody is happy, but everyone is perfectly unhappy, I'd rather burn creation to cinders, wouldn't you? Nobody here is fighting for a happy ending; because this will be a happy ending. They're fighting for that future tomorrow, where people can make the choice to be unhappy if they desire, and where demons would be free to walk amongst us."

Lilith moves in my sea of souls, and my heart aches at what I have to do to her, so soon after we've met.

"A world where demons and humans lived together in harmony... what a wonderful world that would be. But to right the wrongs of countless eons, there needs to be more then a single person begging for forgiveness, you know." I tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear, as I idly flick silver fire into the air, spinning it in a circle. "It's a cycle, after all. And even if I was once the vessel of all the worlds' evils, I couldn't hold it for long enough. Maybe... in another life, in another time, I did manage to hold all the worlds' evils for long enough to lead most of the demons' in existence to their demise in a battle that was unwinnable."

The fire collapses into itself, turning into a mist-like smoke. A bitter smile crosses my lips.

"That does sound like something that I would do. But I don't think I'll ever stop being a hopeless idealist, and an undying romantic. That's just the sort of person that I am, in the end - even when I walked next to you side by side, I'm sure that 'Hitoshira Nagi' did it because she truly believed there was no possible ending but one where the world had to be destroyed."

Chronos thinks the same way.

Amatsu thinks the same way.

It's unfair.

This whole chain of events --- all these memories I've lost ---

I can't stand it. If I walk among demons as a human and among humans as a demon, then how can a God deign itself to tear my memories from me?

"The only difference between her and I is the choices we made. From the worst of the vessels to humanity's avatar, I'm a real social climber now, aren't I?"

But it doesn't matter.

Because the only time that matters is now, and here.

"If it needs be done, I'll break the Great Devourer under my heel and rip out his throat."

Yagami and I both need to be reminded of one thing --

The reason we're so alike is because we're entirely different.

Hitoshira Nagi, the girl, and Hitoshira Nagi, the demon, are two sides of the same coin. And during Ananta, I'd dragged one of them to the forefront and drowned in it, with pleasure and ecstasy rushing through my veins. The reason I'm a terrible host for the Kyuubi's curse is because I can empathize far too well with the Kyuubi to properly bear the despair of millions. And, as such, I had to never utilize it because it was far too easy for me to fall into it.

"Crush the world beneath your heel. Tear down creation just to see if you can. Desecrate everything."

I used to live by those words.

The silver fire jumps from a mist and forms lines. Individually, they're meaningless, just dashes and carvings that might have been found anywhere; on a wall, on concrete, even in the clearest skies.

"I don't think I can keep those words in my soul any longer, do you?"

They form together, because what they were all along was my name.

Hitoshira Nagi.

The weakest Esper.

The one with Gathered Starlight.

The Demon Queen.

Names all have meaning, have purpose, and belief --

-- So I have to believe that we'll definitely win.

[Airen]

Saki Ryuumonbuchi
Aoyama Ruins

"It's nothing too serious."

Yes.

While the original She-Who-Reigns-Sovereign-Over-the-Pitrs had been almost unnervingly polite, this one talks in such a way that if you didn't know she was a Goddess, if her looks weren't that bizarre sort of perfect, you would have simply assumed she was another human, and yet-

"But if you are willing to humor me, I would appreciate it."

She sets you down on some rubble -allowing you to recompose yourself as best as you know how- before sitting down on it herself, leaning her back against the cold concrete, arms resting on a bent knee.

"I believe I told you I would ask you this the next time we met," a sudden chuckle, "Of course, I am not exactly the same person as the one from back then, even so, I feel it is still my duty to ask."

A turned head and a gentle smile:

"About the color of your world... Is it still simply crimson?"

Of course, she is the type to already know the answer; her aura is that of a 'Messiah,' even if she herself is not aware of it, and yet...

It seems she wishes to hear it from you directly.

How 'Saki Ryuumonbuchi' has changed from back then...

[Airen]

Hitoshira Nagi
Battleship S.L.E.I.P.N.I.R ~ Star's Cradle
Top of the Ship

"...Hmph."

It's a question that doesn't need an answer, that thirst for destruction for the sake of destruction had led the world to ruin again and again, and thus, to maintain the distance from the selves who had failed, or rather, to honor the hopes of those that had fallen...

"Of course not. Those words belong to the past."

They should be left behind; in the end he will remain a sinner regardless, but...

If he can help win this battle, if he can save that girl on the island far away; if others can find the happy ending he had planned to deny them to save still others...

Then there could be some form of redemption in this life.

"The future doesn't need those sorts of things."

Yes...

It's ironic to hear himself say it, but yes...

"This is our last chance. One way or another it'll come to an end, so..."

Walking away, towards the depths of the ship, intent on healing the rest of his wounds...

"Might as well believe in our victory, too many sacrifices have been made... For us to fail right at the end."

That is his duty.

If nothing else, he must assure this story has a happy ending...

"So don't lose sight of your light."

Then he can turn himself in without regret, in pursuit of his own form of peace.

--}i{--

[Frantic Author]

Hitoshira Nagi
Battleship S.L.E.I.P.N.I.R ~ Star's Cradle
Top of the Ship

In the end, there's nothing but companionable silence between Yagami Ryota and Hitoshira Nagi, as I stand up, shivering, and walk back towards the inside of the ship.

There's no need to look back, after all, I'll see him again anyways.

>>>Elizabeth

[Airen]

Medrod Pendragon
Aoyama Ruins

"It sounds like you like her... A crush, to use more modern terms."

In this particular instance the pair speak in unison with one another, it is a natural result of a bond that has existed for longer than most humans have been alive, and indeed, their little bursts of play-fighting with each other seem to come to an end as a heart is poured out to them, of a recurring problem that none of the people you had met up until now had truly been able to solve, but indeed...

While many had beat around the bush in an attempt to get you to see it for yourself, it seems these two feel comfortable enough to simply say it in a much more point-blank light, perhaps because your previous conversation about Kazuya with this sort of thing...

Had revealed your ultimate lack of experience with it.

"Explains most of it I think... Feelings of reoccurring jealousy, wanting to be acknowledged and feeling hurt when it seems like she's just brushing you off or it's not important to her, doing reckless things in an attempt to impress her, swearing loyalty like a knight would do for a queen back in the Arthurian days... Chivalric romance? It makes sense."

Indeed, he's the one that picks up where Yuka leaves off, carrying the conversation further in his own way:

"Emotions are finicky and hard to control bu their own nature... So being unable to shake off the jealousy is just a human thing, the harder you try to suppress something, the more it fights back to be heard... It's kinda like that, you know?"

A hand raises to rub at the back of his head, a sudden awkwardness overcoming it as he realizes exactly what kind of conversation this ultimately might turn into...

"Talking to her about it and telling her how you feel might help, might not help -she kinda strikes me as the type who acts stoic in general- but feelings are feelings and they aren't so easy to lose, gotta learn to live with them as best as you can... Both the highs and the lows."

[I3uster]

Suzume AOGAMI
Original Aoyama - Streets

She felt it grip her entire body. The lightning, the pain that overloaded what passed for nerves in her new shape. It seemed that sowing discord among an existence like hers caused a rather violent reaction in it...to be deprived of the vessel would certainly spell catastrophe for the curse that inhibited the shrine maiden. And so, even as pain washed over her entire body, Suzume realized that she had definitely hurt it.

And if that was the case, so did her own power eclipse that of her previous state.

This new form had given a shape to the desires the girl had carried with her for so long but could not realize. To finally catch up. To not be a burden on others. To stand alone, pulling her own weight.

Even if she had to borrow some of the girls.

The vicious attacks continued, clearly displaying the fury of the entity. What had just barely a minute ago played out like a mercy killing was now a struggle. Perhaps still not evenly matched but...a struggle nonetheless. As the concrete broke under the repeated smashing and grappling, Suzume waited for an opening. A single moment of unattentiveness in its fury-clouded attack was enough to allow her to free herself with a well placed kick.

The blood in her mouth tasted different...sweeter than she was used to...

And to complement the new taste, Joanna served a visual compliment. Suzume tried her hardest to not focus on it, instead rapidly falling forward. However, her tensed fingers hit it before her face could, now striking an animalistic pose.

"You want to play? Then let's play catch."

Like a spring she immediately released the tension in her slightly uncomfortable looking pose, dragging the human-bound demon into the flames that Joanna prepared.

[Verg Avesta]

Medrod Pendragon
Aoyama Ruins

Words can be easy, words can be easily misunderstood and words are the easiest to pass up as just an invalid truth...

... However, there are times when words of truth are something one absolutely cannot deny.

After a long moment of silent soul-searching, Medrod Pendragon realized that this moment had dawned upon him for the first time.

With their words spoken in unison, compounded by Kazuya's further analysis of the situation, revealed the harsh truth that the young man had not prepared for. Still, it did explain just about everything, even for someone like Medrod who had never really had time to think about stuff like that. Sure enough, he had been too young to even consider it when he had become mired in his path of revenge... and now that he was free, he was just as clueless and as inexperienced as he had been back then. His body might have been that of an 18-year old young adult but his mind was far from catching up. Even normal emotions, such as desire to protect others and concern about well-being of people other than you, working for something loftier than what your own personal desires dictated... it all was so very new to him. Therefore when something like this was thrust upon his lap, he found himself with no knowledge of how to retort, no set pattern he could fall upon to re-enact.

None of his measly worldly knowledge helped.

None of the handful of books he had read had any answers.

None of his parents' wisdom had prepare him for anything like that.

In other words, Medrod froze up completely, like a deer in the proverbial headlights, when faced with this undeniable fact. He liked Red. He fancied her. He had a crush on her. It immediately gave answers to the stuff that his mind had been paining over to find answers. Why she made him feel this conflicted, why information about Zerah made him feel jealous, why he wanted to fight her again. And worst of all... it made him realize why he felt such an immediate need to swear a knight's oath to her, like he had been an Arthurian paladin finally meeting his Lady-Queen. This last part... that might have been the worst of them, because it made Medrod realize his own naivete, his own inexperience when it came to all this. So he had a crush on someone? What was the first thing he did? Set the whole thing up on a pedestal like it had been a moment from one of his precious memories of tales of yore, dress it all up in a chivalric countenance and make it a scene straight out a storybook.

In other words... he made a mockery of it, in his own way, via his naivete.

Without even meaning to he made the whole thing into something much bigger than it really was, something his brain, who only knew to seek advice from fairy tale books of old, could comprehend. It became something almost 'holy' and that's why he didn't have to think about it, because he translated something as mundane and realistic as that into an untouchable, unrealistic concept such as a knightly love - a chivalric romance. And at the same time... he made sure he wouldn't have to think about it too hard. After all, what was more unattainable, more unrealistic than a knightly romance? Nothing. Because it didn't exist in reality. His brain could not comprehend it so he made it into something he didn't have to comprehend, didn't have to think... and at the same time, insulted Red in the worst way.

He didn't even have the balls to speak the truth to her.

"...!" Medrod sucked in air through his teeth, realizing the extent of his folly.

After all, did it really stop with Red? For example, take Noriko. Hadn't she been an archetypal damsel-in-distress, a maiden besieged by a fierce monster that only a knight could stop? And what had Medrod done? Charged in like a paladin on a white steed, attempting to rescue her. That whole mental image, even if not consciously realized, had colored his interactions with her. Deep down, even then, he had wanted to be that white knight who would save the maiden. Could that also be... some sort of love that had sprung up within him? Channeling his own unknown emotions through the only channel he knew: a chivalric tale. Save the maiden, earn her love, be a an example to your code of honor... in other words, live like a true knight. His ultimate wish-fulfillment, one that he tried to live right now.

No, it didn't stop even with Noriko. It was ridiculous, after all, a mindset of a child who had never actually fallen in love. Even the damn vampire, Tsukiko, had she not, in some way, represented an evil witch corrupted by powers of darkness in his mind, one that he might save if he tried hard enough? Wasn't the power he acquired just that? Be strong enough to save anybody he wished to, even if the one he wanted to save was the very enemy he fought? How could someone call a wish to save even a monster like Tsukiko nothing but height that only a naive fool could achieve?

Love... his mind could not handle it.

Growing to love, falling in love, feeling a pang of love... whether it was by learning to appreciate someone more than he ever thought he could, adoring someone who you could be a savior to or even feeling a love-at-first-sight for someone's dark, horrible beauty... No matter what the origin or reason, he didn't know how to process it. The man now known as Medrod had no experience to draw upon.

And that, if anything, made him feel sick.

It made him feel ashamed of himself.

It made him want to hide his face for just how naive, how idealistic, how stupid he could be.

There was a clear border that told where knightly romance became just a thing of fairy tales, and that was reality. Yet his simple mind had refused to acknowledge that fact. Only now, having been told straight to his face what his emotions were, could Medrod understand that.

It was that realization, that embarrassment, that made Medrod's face grow deep red in shade.

Not the embarrassment of a young man in love, as one might have initially thought.

But understanding just how stupid he was and learning just how disgusted he could be with himself upon learning that.

"... I'm the worst, aren't I?" Medrod whispered after his long period of silence, burying his face in his hands. "If nothing, I should apologize to them. All of them. Of what... what a selfish, naive moron I am."

Just listening to his words, it would have seemed like a total 180-turn; a surrealistic change that happened in just few introspective moments and had no rhyme or reason to. But when Medrod's pained expression looked upon Kazuya and Yuka, and when his red eye seemed to be filled with self-loathing... it really couldn't have been a clearer sign of what had happened inside his mind. In these few days, Medrod's body language would have become unmistakable for a duo that had seeing him battle with all sorts of emotional demons and traumas. For people who had fought together with him, the whole cavalcade of feelings and clear map of the journey his thoughts had undertaken would have been blatant.

In other words, Medrod didn't even try to hide from the two how he had arrived to this conclusion.

After all, while he had been but an enigma back in the day... to the Soba Shop Crew, Medrod was an open book, thoughts and all.

"I'm such a scum..." Medrod whispered hopelessly.

[Airen]

Suzume AOGAMI
Original Aoyama - Streets

It was a very specific sort of flame.

Dragging your opponent into the coup-de-grace of someone else without a hint of hesitation in your movements, a part of your consciousness accepts the fact that you will be struck with it as well, and yet it does not matter to you.

Why?

There are a number of reasons, the reckless of a hybrid, or perhaps knowledge of a simple truth behind the character of Joanna Cross; she was a Knight of the Church, someone sworn to protect the lives of others, and who had always seemed to place a special inherent value on the lives of her family and friends. Killing off Aya, possessed or not, does not seem like an action the girl would willingly take of her own accord -it is counter productive- and when one realizes that you are in the line of fire as well, it becomes even more clear that this is not an attack that will kill.

Yes.

Filled with hope, it is an attack that the senses feel they can entrust themselves in, and in that regard-

"...!"

-You are unsurprised when the shadow inside of Aya starts screeching, and yet the flames do nothing to the surface of your skin.

...It is her "Soulfire," a special flame -or rather a special form of spirit power- that only burns those things that the girl desires to burn; in that sense, it is a flame that does little to the body of Tsukino Aya as well, rather...

It merely ignites the essence of the Dark God that has crawled within that body, whose mud pumps through her veins; an ultimate form of attack that disregards the concept of human shields entirely, it is a warm flame that only defeats evil, something perfect for a church knight, something that would seem to exist as an anti-thesis to the God of Black Fire and Misery, and indeed...

It would be...

...If their powers were anywhere close to equal.

"Guh-!"

Who's surprised now?

While the sudden burst of damage to it's true form had proved shocking enough to imbalance it, that moment of pain also unlocks a deep reservoir of power it had been holding back, a glimpse of the true strength of that flame of despair, as the inferno roars ever higher and an entity simply 'teleports' to the location of the church knight, gripping her throat and holding her up in the air, not squeezing for the purpose of choking the life out of her, but rather...

---Personally setting her body alight in retribution, a twisted sense of karma against 'heroes.'

Black flames overpower Gold Ones, and now someone else is screaming as their fate is sealed; in the end these flames specialize against humans because they themselves are a form of humanity made manifest, the black fire is a river of souls and emotions that seek only the world's destruction, things as simple as illusions are not enough to deter their gaze from their goal, and anyone that uses their body is just as much a target of their wrath as anyone else...

It is a force of destruction, something that should crush the willpower of any singular human being; Eclipse Users can resist it due to being of a 'similar but opposing nature' but for this solitary girl, a normal human with only her own soul to rely on, now that she's been struck directly...

The collective will burn her to ash easily.

Her 'hope' is overcome, and her body burns to ash...

"uh...ha...HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"

Or at least...

That is what should have happened, instead-

A demon appears on the other end of those black flames; it is sudden and shocking to many, a seal that had been in place -weakening- for the entire length of her life simply crumbling away at the end of it, and yet here it is, another factor that the God of Darkness could have noticed if it wasn't splitting it's attention in so many different directions, or perhaps something it had realized and had simply forgotten about in it's blood-lust, namely:

---Joanna Cross is not a normal human being; she may think that she is, indeed, she was raised to believe so as was her sister, but the truth...

Was that the soul was cursed, bearing a singular grudge that should not exist; something that had festered in the Sea of Souls for so long it had simply become a Demon of it's own accord, yes-!

Her name was no accident.

The source of Liane's ability to use Demonic Magic, and the 'Demon' that Blues had noticed but had never quite ratted out until the joining of your souls...

Was that so called holy knight of the church, a reborn "Jeanne D'Arc," in her own right.

---The mass of will that appears with that awakening is immense, and awakening under the stress of the black flames, as a direct result of being exposed to them so severely, a horrendously powerful demon exerts her will in the holy flames, and a crashing fist hurls the possessed Aya back and onto the ground, a shadow without name, face, or true identity forced from the body from the sheer strength behind the blow.

Where Aya lies still -sinking into black mud- the faceless shadow stands tall-

"Interesting... Well then, how long will your heart hold out I wonder...?"

And turns to walk away as if it no longer cared about the battle, seemingly pacified -or perhaps had simply found something it personally found more entertaining- as the holy woman that had struck him last, who had a strange black flame of her own resting on her chest above her heart...

Slowly sinks down into a crouch, clutching at her head as an otherworldly panic and confusion slowly settle in...

Along with all sorts of memories from another life that wasn't her own.

Name: Joanna Cross; Joan Cross
Gender: Female
Age: 20
Class: Exorcist, Demon (Hero)

-Demon (Hero)-
The destined state of human souls revered by humanity, they are often the main figures of mythology and legends, and are perhaps the race of 'Demon' most closely associated with humanity, as they themselves are, more often than not, still human in and of themselves in spite of their often overwhelming power.

Major Skills

-Joanna Cross ~ Reborn Grudge of the Maiden of Heaven-
The true form of the power that in theory should enable Joanna Cross to directly tap into a certain aspect of the sea of souls despite being a "normal human," and a power that was both feared and sought after by others from the very moment she was born into this world.

Jeanne D'arc, the Holy Maiden of France, was a human who was able to transcend the limits of humanity, and become an existence equal in power to a demon over the course of her life. Led onward by the will of humanity, which she believed to be God, she became the most famous heroine of France, but was eventually burned at the stake as a heretic. Ultimately a human, even if one with a good heart, the death she had faced with peace gradually became one through which her spirit birthed a grudge when she became aware of the "truth" of her life. A grudge which would persist even when her essence was eventually fractured through the cycle of reincarnation.

Bearing a piece of that malice, it is unclear if Joanna herself could be considered an actual reincarnation of Joan of Arc who was unfortunate enough to be possessed by her past self, or if she is simply someone similar enough that she can serve as a vessel, regardless...

To awaken to this power is to awaken to a singular grudge that has grown over hundreds of years. While power greater than that of most demons can be gained...

How she would react to such a thing... Is difficult to predict.


-Soulfire: The Clear Sacred Flame-
A special type of supernatural force Joan is able to manifest through use of a special type of ring she wears; a dangerous power that risks the user’s life, it turns the user’s spiritual power into a holy flame, one with properties unique to the user, but that universally serve as a force that “defeats evil.” In Joan’s case, the flame is particularly vivid, almost alive, and only harms those things that she seeks to burn away... In essence, a warm flame of protection.

If the user runs out of spiritual force, the life energy of the user starts to burn away as the fuel instead; because of this, overuse of this ability can be fatal, however, the flame made from life burns brighter than that of the flame made from spirit... Whatever that means.

So long as the user does not burn themselves to nothing, recovery is possible. Because Joan herself is an abnormal human, she can almost completely recover over the course of a day or two, although most users would be down for weeks.

[I3uster]

Suzume AOGAMI
Original Aoyama - Streets

It seems Suzume had not been the only one full of surprises. Sure, this was information she had obtained just seconds before, but there was something different between knowing and seeing, and the display of the incredible inferno beyond her that drove the darkness away was a sight to behold. The holy fire that now surrounded her was not simply a technique or spell, it was the very essence of what made up Joan Cross.

It was what most would call a demon, though many would argue it was the exact opposite of that.

Human classification of their species was kind of limited in its vocabulary, but knowing what it was like to be one of them at least filled her with some understanding of her situation.

An amalgamation, a human becoming a concept, the regular ascension of one beyond the scope of what was considered a human. Not a hybrid like hers, but a true change of essence.

Jeanne d'Arc, the Maiden of Orleans. As if to recall the pyre upon which the girl sacrificed herself, all was now wrapped in her flames, pushing back the darkness. And in it, Suzume felt the girls suffering.

This was no time to give in to chase. Not yet. The shadow clearly could be more effectively fought with her power than with Suzume's. As such, she reached out to the girl, not just in the flesh but also in mind. Wrapping her arms around the woman clutching her head, the girl sent out a strong spiritual impulse, a non-verbal message with a verbal complement.

"Pshhh...it'll be alright."

The tumultous thoughts in Joanna Cross' head were pacified to the best of her abilities.

[Used: Love and Peace]

[Airen]

Suzume AOGAMI
Original Aoyama - Streets

It's a garbled mass of memories.

While you are not quite able to see them yourself, the flashes of emotion that wrack the girl's body do so with a despair and slowly building rage that is not inherent to her own life; it is a storm that makes her quite a viable target for the black flames -not as a victim but rather as a wielder and vessel- but her desperation and shock keeps the holy flames going strong...

Because of that, as well as your own assistance in the matter, the girl that could have easily burst out into a berserker rage all of her own, becoming an unwitting pawn of the God of Human Darkness...

Slowly manages to get herself back under control; she shakes for some time afterwards, fighting off emotions that are both relentlessly foreign and incomprehensibly familiar; there is a voice that sounds like her own echoing near the back of her thoughts, a part of her 'self' that has awakened and yet maintains it's distance, but-

"...I'm... Alright."

-When she finally speaks up again, the opponent has disappeared completely; it is not like you stopped paying attention to it, no, the Dark God had been present in your senses for the length of your support in the girl's fight with her own demons, but when the two of you stand to confront it, it simply melts away with an echoing laugh, leaving behind the inferno of despair to wreak havoc in it's place.

...It is bizarre.

It had picked this fight itself in the first place, and yet, just like that it allows itself to disappear from the battlefield while taking Aya along with it; perhaps it simply assumed that the great power Joan had awoken too would eventually drive her to insanity -a fate that you had helped divert- or perhaps it had managed to accomplish or plot out some other sort of goal here that you couldn't quite figure out right now, but...

The only thing you can be sure of, is that it had never been frightened a single time; it had been shocked at times yes, but never afraid, full of a far too human arrogance that refused to relent even in the face of taking damage to it's form. Of course, the possibility that this is merely the setup for an ambush does reach you, but your senses do not hint at any approach from the chaotic flames other the flames itself, and seeing as how it was a walking incarnation of malice that it never bothered to hide...

It is safe to say that it's retreat was legitimate, and when it truly fails to show itself after a few more moments...

"...Should we keep on going?"

The girl that has mostly regained her composure...

Asks a question that you yourself are unsure of the answer not, not just if you should keep going with something like that God potentially stalking you, but if you do keep going...

Where to go?

[I3uster]

Suzume AOGAMI
Original Aoyama - Streets

"You...you should have really told me. I think. I mean, this would have been useful to know about, you know? Not that I don't know about it...kind of...so you kind of told me...sorry this is all a bit confusing." The girls second set of ears seem to punctuate each of her statements with erratic twitching. "I take it your sister does...wait..."

It was a lot to take in at once. The display of power from the god certainly seemed to begged a lot more questions than it answered. What exactly was it going to do with Aya? The girl felt the support of hers weakening as her focus switched to Joanna. It seems that she was headed somewhere else entirely. At the very least, this meant she had been repelled for now.

"...Should we keep on going?"

"We need to find your sister still...it's Halloween out here...any suggestions to track her down?"

[Airen]

Suzume AOGAMI
Original Aoyama - Streets

"...She'll be wherever the explosions are, gets in trouble that way..."

Tired.

"I apologize for making you worry... It is unbecoming of me, I was caught off guard... I am supposed to be a knight. Regardless of this power... I should have controlled myself better."

The struggle seems to have left that girl tired; while her presence is notably more powerful than it had been before -and thus some sort of change in her soul had occured- even the girl herself doesn't exactly seem to completely understand what it is that's wrong with her...

While Aogami had been able to sense it after becoming a Demon itself, it seems she really thought she had just been your average human; it is a different sort of transformation than the one you had went through, an awakening of what she was supposed to be rather than a transformation into a more unique being -a Demi-Fiend- of sorts, she's not lying when she tells you she's just as confused as you are, which could mean a number of things, from having her memory wiped to simply being put in the hands of the kind of people who would try to raise her as someone normal, but...

What's also clear...

Is that Liane herself likely doesn't know either, or if she does...

She didn't deem it necessary to talk about it, but considering her personality...

It wasn't the sort of thing she would hide, at least not now.

Still...

Heading out into the world, or rather out to the 'real world' in search of the 'explosions' as Joan seemed to put it...

What appears before your eyes is a city that is just as aflame as the false one you had left the God is certainly assaulting a number of people at once; a number of massive television screens -that strangely remain active in spite of the current crisis and likely downed power lines- show video feeds of the black fire taking root in other cities all around the world, and to make matters worse, while you certainly agree that 'explosions' is a good method for tracking Liane...

There are a number of spiritual signals flaring all over the place. The fire itself is continuing to radiate malice, and while more positive emotions like determination and hope keep bursting into existence all around the city, the sheer number of signals is disorienting, as if every person in the city was going through an emotional episode of one sort or another, but...

Stuck with no plan other than to help out as best as you can, you head for the nearest of the signals in spite of knowing the chance it is Liane herself is low as the signal is relatively weak; Joan follows you, footsteps somewhat more unsure than her usual, and as expected, when you arrive at the location -a burning down shrine- it is not Liane, but...

"You..."

It is someone you know, even if only vaguely.

He recognizes you too.

"Devourer... It's... Out..."

A certain God of Time masquerading as a police officer, leaning along the wall as he pulls himself along...

Looking the complete opposite of a God, a desperate, barely standing man that seems determined to make his way to some other portion of the city.

Unfortunately...

...He seems to collapse after but a few more steps, eyes open, but body seemingly unable to respond to his commands.

"...A friend of yours?"

Watching him fall...

The church knight seems unsure of whether or not she should approach him, or hell...

Whether she should even let you do so.

[Katie]

Mikagura Mika
Aoyama Ruins

Seeing the air of vulnerability about her… it’s a far cry from what either of the two goddesses that now compose this one would have shown me in the weeks before. Even if the tone of this is rather melancholy… it’s comforting to know that the goddess that represents humanity truly has a human range of emotions, as would be befitting. And while it is nice to know that my own goals have succeeded, seeing the almost lifeless bodies strewn about the room is a much more mixed feeling.

After all, I didn’t enter the Kyuubi to save them. I came there to save Nami and their release was entirely accidental. And even then, all that was left is this, bodies yet to be given souls as they drift throughout the soul sea. Perhaps if I tried to put their wellbeing in mind, reasoned with the Nami that wasn’t herself, there could have been a better ending…

“That’s true of Nami even now,” I say, acknowledging the elephant in the room. The blue-haired girl in this room might as well be a corpse. Even if… Even if she did wish to return to being whomever she was before, I think my pull is too strong. I mercilessly crushed that former existence to get the girl I wanted back. And no matter the regret on this goddess’s face, I’m certain I could muster the will to do it as many times as it takes.

Even so…

I owe Yamuna an apology.

For claiming something I’m not meant to be.

“I’m sure a real knight of yours could have solved this in a better fashion.”

That claim I made to Yami back then is an affront to their existence. To hold myself to their lofty heights—that’s too arrogant, even for me. The very thought makes my insides wretch. How could I have said such ridiculous things?

“I’m sorry.”

[Airen]

Mikagura Mika
Aoyama Ruins

"...There's no need for apologies."

Yamuna's emotions seem to be far more complex than that of either Yami or Tamamo, and thus, it is hard to tell with one hundred percent certainty that she truly feels that way about this scenario, but turning towards you with a sad smile-

"You managed far more than I ever did... You were a fine enough knight... Perhaps a bit rebellious, but..."

-She turns away soon afterwards.

...It was guilt. It hadn't been your own personal efforts that had completely finished the Kyuubi, it had been a combination of everyone's efforts from all around the world -including those of the Goddess herself- that had managed to perform that miracle, and yet, in spite of that...

She continues to blame herself -at least a little bit- for failing to save them earlier.

It is a complicated feeling that she will ultimately have to deal with on her own, and one that is a bit too self-judgemental for it's own good considering what the circumstances had been, but...

"Besides...Even this much is a miracle."

A gentle, but still ultimately bittersweet smile.

"I simply wanted them free from that darkness... We were destined to part ways at some point... But as long as they are happy, at peace, enjoying the world... Then I'd be fine even if they all forgot me... I'm happy that she managed to move on and find some happiness of her own."

It's not a lie.

A feeling of wanting her loved ones to be happy certainly exists, one could even say that it was the dominant feeling, but just like any human...

She has conflicting feelings about the matter, still...

"If she is happy, then I am happy."

That feeling extends to all of them, no, not just to them...

"That goes for you too... When this is over... Try to enjoy life to the fullest... That would make things easiest for me."

She is particularly concerned about your fate as well...

For a number of reasons.

---

Makoto Fujioka
Aoyama Ruins

Claire only smoked when her nerves were shot.

It was a habit that she shared with Megumi, another 'similarity' between the two of them that had sparked their original friendship into something more akin to best friends, but while Megumi took advantage of her body's immortality to smoke nicotine without regret the more human -and health minded even though you were pretty sure she could make a philosopher's stone- Claire...

Always went for herbal cigarettes.

Still, it was a rather rare event; and seeing her exit the airship as you wander around lost in your own thoughts...

It's clear that she's stressing out hard about one thing or another, she had been brought inside of the ship along with Megumi and a few other people you didn't recognize for the purpose of 'weapon development,' so it seemed some serious alchemy or spiritual programming was going on inside of the ship for purposes of preparation against the Devourer, but whatever the weapons in question were...

...It clearly wasn't going as well -or perhaps simply not as fast- as she would have liked...

A waxing moon has taken over the sky, and where many have already made casual campfires, the red-haired woman stands at a distance from those on the outside, at the edge of the ship's boarding ramp, clearly only on some sort of break for her nerves.

She'll disappear inside again soon enough, so...

[Vritra]

Makoto Fujioka
Aoyama Ruins

Red, red, red… The pull towards a sensation of cutting that needed deepening, the division of turmoil, dip, focus, drop, pulsing hunger, love, the sensation of strings pulled tight winding its way through a body, Chiaoko-nee, a grasp of haze and the teeth of frustration, Sensei…

And Ane-san…

?

Lost in thought and wandering aimlessly I notice a red that catches my eye.

Ane-san…

Stumbling as my course switches I slowly make my way over to her. Everything felt hazy and muted but…

“Smoking bad…” she only did it when she unable to do anything else after all, something that always hurt.

“Hug.”

Despite strained breathing that left my voice hollow I begin to fight through it with a glimmer of will all so that I can wrap my arms around her.

“Hug …hug.”

A final effort as my energy bottoms out and the embrace becomes the only reason I’m able to avoid collapsing completely.

[Airen]

Makoto Fujioka
Aoyama Ruins

...Is it your body that is giving out, or simply just your willpower?

It is a question with many different answers, but ultimately, your foster mother does what can only be expected of a parent; while the embrace is somewhat surprising, your condition is the much more alarming of all the factors, thus...

She carts you into the ship in spite of any protests, and you find yourself inside what can only be called a 'healing pod,' the same sort of bizarre tech that you remember seeing in Megumi's laboratory on a few of your visits, but something that you had never been personally placed inside up until now.

It fills with a sparkling liquid; while ordinarily you would perhaps instinctively fear drowning, the clearly supernatural fluid also seems to be completely breathable by your body. It is a bizarre feeling nonetheless, drawing in a tasteless liquid that nevertheless acts as oxygen and healing agent alike for your wounded body, and yet the moment you enter it all of your physical pains melt away and cease to exist. Of course, it is not exactly a miracle cure, you will have to spend some time inside of this before your body is anywhere close to full power again, but the fact that it seems to numb everything it touches is a relief all it's own, even though it implies it is something close to a sedative...

Still...

It doesn't do much for your twisting mentality nevertheless, but in the end...

That sword will only beat you if let it.

Still...

Claire is outside of the pod. Seemingly taking an extension on her break, you can see her face directly on the other side of the machine; she doesn't look worried -at least not now that she has confirmed you will be healed- but does seem to be deep in thought, whether it be thoughts about what had happened to you, or what she has to accomplish in the next few hours or lose everything important to her to an omnipotent god...

Is anyone's guess.

"Makoto."

Still...

You can hear her even through the gentle hum of the healing magi-tech, and...

"...Are you still awake?"

It seems that if you speak, she expects to be able to somehow hear you as well...

---

Hitoshira Nagi
Aoyama Ruins

She is not a hard person to find, at least not in this scenario.

While a number of incredibly powerful people have made their way here, and have agreed -or been conscripted- into a battle with an 'Absolute God,' you were familiar with the feeling of Elizabeth's spiritual power, and as she rarely bothered to hide it...

It is a simple matter of simply following your sixth sense in order to find her.

...She is sitting outside of a medical tent. Back to one of the walls of white canvas, and one sleeve rolled up farther than you had ever managed to glimpse yourself, the strange sight of strikingly familiar crimson lines running from the base of her shoulder to her covered chest are visible; they are scars, lines that you yourself had borne until just a few hours ago, but while yours have faded with the advent of the starlight, it seems like her own...

"...Gonna have to keep it as a reminder, huh?"

Aren't quite so easy to completely remove...

It's a self-inspection with some cause, the Kyuubi had been weakened severely in the aftermath of humanity's battle with it, and thus, the curse it had left behind in many people seems to have simply vanished; having waited until she was mostly alone to check for herself however, the teacher that had calmly and subtly bore the same curse that had driven both you and Yagami varying forms of insane-

"Well... Guess it doesn't matter."

-Just accepts that she'll never quite be completely free from it.

Unlike the others, the darkness wants to keep it's eye on her, or rather...

"...Hmm? Nagi?"

She pauses as she hears you approach, and in the same movement, automatically rolls the sleeve of her shirt back up to her elbows with a smile.

"Ready for tomorrow?"

Her spirit is unshakeable, but whether it's an act she's putting on for your sake, or simply her true feelings of confidence made manifest as usual...

Is difficult to say.