Spirit Pulse : Mugen No Sekai [IC]

[Airen]

Eva Ellet
Hollow Fields, Academy
World Designation: Revolution
Noon, Foggy

---All you need is an anchor to the enemy.

Having been forced into a position where you are essentially target practice for your opponent, you decide to focus your efforts and power towards stabilizing your own position rather than press the attack; while the enemy appears capable of space-time distortions -as evidenced by how it had teleported earlier- it makes no such movements when the chains come to hook on it's body, floating more like a satellite than any sort of living creature...

Yes.

It's not a particularly difficult movement, as the creature's natural speed is lacking to the point it might as well be lying still, but-!

-you are forced to let go of one of your two chains immediately, the arc of the spiritual chain your only method of avoiding the sudden discharge of electricity that had come from your opponent up above.

---The smell of ozone immediately fills the thinning air of the upper atmosphere, as the enemy's lone thunderbolt turns into a massive dome of lightning as it arcs down towards the planet and strikes the ground; it's too far away for you to make out the center of the impact, but the sound of shrieking electricity, as well as the sudden rush of the smell of ozone that were both audible even up here, make it clear that that sort of spell hadn't been your typical Ziodyne, no...

It registers in your senses as a form of electricity magic of course, but the specifics of it are... Vague...

It is not using spiritual power for it, rather "some other source of power," and while it had initially appeared as a single flash of lightning, the ground down below is being overrun with white and blue light as electricity runs rampant in a way that is difficult for you to observe... Continuous damage type? Possible, almost certain, but it's insistence on using electricity...

Yes.

It must be able to scan you as well-!

Still, even though examining that 'strange' magic is rough on your systems, you continue to gaze upwards even as you swing around from a single spirit chain, doing your best to avoid presenting a still target to your opponent; it was one of the first rules of combat, a moving target is always more difficult to hit, and considering that this enemy appeared to be of the "artillery" type, you didn't want to make it any easier for it than it probably already was...!

Weak point...!

Most importantly, you need a weak point-!

If it could scan you, and was going out of it's way to use "those sorts" of magics, it was likely that it was coherent enough to change it's tactics if they aren't working; it had used a singular bolt earlier because it had believed you couldn't dodge, but now that it knew you had at least a bit of aerial capability, it will probably-!

---Once again.

Electricity forms at it's core once again, and this time...

You can recognize that spell...

Maziodyne...

Simple, weaker than the last, but about as expected...

Rather than hit you head on, it had simply deemed it necessary to hit most of the area around you-!

Still-!

The weak point was that core, and further analyzation indicated that it was weak to physical interference; if you could get your hands on it's center and shatter it, the entirety of the being should fall apart... At the very least, it should become an incapacitating blow if not a mortal one, but-!

Even as you weigh your options, as you try to figure out whether you should charge ahead to try and stop your opponent from casting at all, or attempt to defend against the lightning storm in it's entirety-!

"Yep! It's weak spot is definitely that 'eye,' you should give it a good hit or two, it's probably not all that sturdy, all things considered..."

...Agatha's voice appears.

At first, you think she had followed you up here into the upper atmosphere, however, that assumption is proven incorrect by two different things, namely, your sensors aren't picking her up around you, and you can hear her voice inside of your head, not just that...

---There's a certain 'presence' inside of your systems now.

Yes.

"I meant for this to be a bit more of a surprise... But hey, I kept my word! I got you an A.I, but the only resource around was... Well, me! So it's based off me! Or well, I guess it's a part of me? Something like that, it's a bit complex..."

...Yes.

Yes it is!

It's a statement that demands a number of answers, from how she had 'installed' herself onto your systems as to -again- what the hell she actually was, but-!

"Let's see... I sort of get how this stuff works... Yeah... Ok. Just let me know when, and I'll help you out, alright?"

Questions for after the battle perhaps-!

COMP A.I "Agatha" has been equipped-!
COMP Action "Support Magus" can now be used properly-!
Unique COMP Action "She Who Resides Over Power" has been unlocked for use-!

[Airen]

Cosmos Fairchild
Moon Under Water ~ Island
World Designation: [Ragnarok Retrieval Committee]
??? ~ ???

---Of course, it is natural to have an idealistic faith in the place you called "home."

While the idea of alternate realities and worlds was a big enough one that really getting your mind wrapped around it would take awhile, there is a simple fact of the world you come from that makes your own idea seem like a natural one to you, namely, it is within the nature of the people of your world to help those around them. Disregarding certain circumstances within the church -and even then, those people would certainly still try to save their fellow humans- the people of your 'world' as it were were not exactly normal...

And you meant that in the best possible way.

While it wasn't perfect, it was still a world that was enjoying the benefits of what was effectively 'world peace,' even the battles that took place with demons were more of a clash of cultures than outright hostility, for demon-kind, battle was simply how they settled their differences... The strongest one was the one that wrote the rules, thus, it had become necessary for Tamers to exist as a "fighting force," because Demon-kind will typically only respect those who are able to back up their words and ideals with strength of one form or another.

When it came down to it, the world had a history of helping each other out; it's not a perfect system, and people still butt heads every now and then, but it's certainly a world that wouldn't take a situation like a "world of mud," lying down, disregarding it as "someone else's problem," no...

If they knew people were suffering out here, they were likely to do something about it; the goal of the world was for everyone to be able to live in peace after all -that was what Mary had always said- thus, the natural response for them would be to do something about it, yes...

That is your belief, and it is an idealistic one that could even be called the "truth," however...

Ilia speaks up to bring idealism back to reality, while it is true that your world would likely wish to help the people of this one, that is not exactly a simple task. Relocating thousands of people -likely through magical means- into a world in which they effectively did not exist prior to their entry, with no official identification, no assigned shelter, or plan of integration into a society that was -almost certainly- far removed from their own, was not so easy a task that it should be casually thrown out as a sort of promise, after all, even if you are able to overcome that...

---It is possible that there is some other sort of obstacle keeping these people from leaving, after all, with all the power these strangers seemed to have, wouldn't it have been possible for them to simply move the populace to another world rather than make an artificial one of their own?

If they hadn't done so, it's either because they can't, either because they lack the power, or something is stopping them from doing so...

In reality, the answer to that...

Could even be both of those things, still...

"Right?"

"Of course!"

...While she herself is already well-aware of that reality, it does nothing to curb the cheerful enthusiasm of the magician, her hand falling onto your head gently, as if she found your innocence cute for some reason...

"We'll figure it out, right Ae-chan?"

She says this with a smile, slipping you a rainbow-colored balloon as she does...

"...Sure."

...Aesop, for her part, doesn't seem quite as overwhelming cheerful about it... Of course, of these two girls she was easily the more restrained one; it is a result of having to be the 'cynical' one in her group, a supporter of idealism that nevertheless keeps her eye on 'reality' so that she can slap down it's more frustrating aspects before it can stab dreamers in the back, the hero's protective shadow rather than a hero herself, but-

"We always do."

-in the end, she will still support that settlement.

...Even if there are a number of obstacles in it's way, still...

"Her partner huh...?"

Looking at Ilia, that more subdued girl has a different spark of interest in her eyes, as if something about the COMP was innately interesting to her, still, with Alyx having simply nodded along with every part Ilia had made -and now working her way through a massive glass of juice- Aesop closes her eyes for a moment as if to banish that interest, before flicking her eyes back towards Cosmos:

"Do you know what your world's 'name' is? That would help find it."

A pause, then:

"...Although, I guess I could brute force it, if it came down to it."

She admits to something that makes her seem rather strong...

Still...

Even as the conversation continues...

A message appears in Ilia's systems.

There is no RAILS connectivity in this world, needless to say, the internet is also gone; the message is also not from Alyx's COMP, who is remaining about as quiet as she usually is -being based off of her own mother, this isn't too much of a surprise- so it shouldn't be possible for you to receive a message from anyone, as far as things were going, your systems were locked to local area only, and yet...

'It's name is Xanadu.'

A short message.

Concise, sent in text form, from an address that does not exist...

Sender name...

...Burroughs?

[Airen]

Hyakka Onjouji
Seaside Motel ~ ???
Morning (?)

---Retreat is the only viable option.

Having been presented with a scenario that nightmares are carved from, a chilling glimpse at the apparent reflection of yourself that exists within the dark, your entire world-view disappears as your eyes simply cease operating of their own accord... It is not that they have been damaged by anything, it is simply that it is easier for your mind to continue operating if you can count out your vision from the equation, thus...

It disappears.

Disappears as you call out for the others to take you from this place, and...

"...Hmm, lots of work to do on this one."

...Naturally, the teacher comes when she is called; of course, it wouldn't be much of a haunted hotel if one did not see a ghost or two upon arrival, that is simply the nature of this sort of place, but...

That reaction, well...

It's certainly an earnest one, perhaps a bit too earnest of one, but that is neither here nor there, as a teacher...

"Don't worry, we're going home now. You're safe, I swear."

She knows when to fall back, yes...

Her point to the A.I has been proven, so now...

She can go back to taking things a bit more slowly, after all...

It was still just the beginning of the school year...

---}i{---

Hyakka Onjouji
Aoyama Gakuen, Swimming Pool 4B
4th Period Class, Phys Ed. Swim (Combined Class)
Noon

---Physical Education classes seemed to take a different form for every day of the week.

While your initial entrance into the classroom had been alongside a sparring period amongst your future classmates, the shape that 'physical activity' had taken after that day hadn't been quite so intensive, no... It seemed that the sparring sessions were the culmination of the week's efforts, the activity that took everything else that was trained throughout the week, and put it to practice, seeing as how battle is a place where "anything can happen," in that regard it was a bit less tiring to go through class on a day to day basis because of this, but on the other hand...

Some of the activities the class decided to partake in were... Definitely not as 'soft' as those practiced by Non-Tamer Academies, there had been a point where the class had been 'launched into the sky' in order to test their reflexes and reaction times under pressure, which had managed to catch even you off guard for a moment due to how sudden it had been (Saki sensei's words just before the matter had been a bit of a pun, with a "I hope you're up to the task," emerging from her just before everyone in class had been launched backwards over the school building via magic), amongst other somewhat extreme exercises, such as running a disappearing path while being weighed down by weights (and with no support magic allowed) or a free for all battle royale of the students vs the teachers where the class had made a mostly doomed run for the Cafeteria at the behest of a certain Golden Witch, yeah...

The Academy was certainly an interesting place, while you were sure the tasks were probably meant to repeat every week, the rotating nature of the physical classes made recovering from them a bit easier... Of course, studying magical theory was a different beast altogether, but that was neither here nor there, no, right now...

It's fourth period, start of Phys Ed, and like always, the emergence of something that was probably going to be new -at least to you- and...

"Today's our usual day to use the pool."

...It certainly is new.

So much so, that it seems a certain student council president -who also seems to be somewhat in charge at the moment- is taking the time to single you out in particular to talk to for some reason-!

"Do you know how to swim Hyakka-chan?"

Ah.

That's why...

You came across to her... As the type that might not actually know how-!

In today's magitech world... Old methods of movement...

Are sometimes forgotten-!

[Airen]

Ludwig Karlfeldt
Depths of a Dream, Deeper Still
??? - Night

---Even if it's a dream, there must be some sort of meaning to it.

Those who inhabit a dream are not typically real... Of course, there are some who ascribe to the theory that dreams can lead one down the path of the collective unconscious, that it is possible to run into the spirits of others inside the depths of a dream, but such dreams are special occurrences or something that one trains to achieve... For the most part, the depths of a dream are simply the depths of a dream, meaningless images that will expire once the dreamer awakens, even so...

---Even if it is a dream, there must be some sort of meaning to it.

Of course this dream is probably a special one, from the start it had seemed like some sort of curse that Alexia had inflicted you with, and something strange had certainly brought you to where you are now from there, but...

Even without that, even without the evidence of something special going on, Ludwig Karlfeldt would certainly continue to act in this manner. It is commendable, the actions of a hero to look out for those around themselves, a fitting attitude for a Tamer of the modern era, because...

There are no meaningless things.

---Even in this case that's true.

There is certainly a meaning in the woman that exists bound in front of you.

---Poking at her thoughts with your own, you are somewhat surprised to find nothing; it is not that the person before you is capable of blocking your ESP, rather, the truth is something much more insidious, namely...

She does not actually exist.

In other words.

Physical illusion, like a hologram, one that fades the moment you try to 'touch' it with your thoughts-!

Indeed.

That is what it is, someone convenient to be saved, bait lined on a hook to draw your attention one way while something happens behind you-!

The moment you realize it, you throw your body forward recklessly.

Behind you, the sound of something crunching shut; something massive, like jaws slamming shut on a would be victim, here inside this storm that is it's hunting ground, and-!

"▂▂▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅▅▅▅▅!"

Following it, a train-like impact as something swats at you-!

---Too fast.

---Too powerful.

Even though you realize it a moment before it happens, are able to 'feel' the sudden burst of hostile intent that had erupted behind you fifty meters or so back, the sheer speed of the creature that had done so cannot be completely denied; while you avoid being swallowed outright, a limb like the trunk of a great tree had sent you flying into the distance, skidding and crashing against the ground before forcing yourself back up onto sliding feet, moving automatically -Adala's training shining through- to face whatever great beast had been at your back, but-

"...?!"

-it's not there-!

While you had seen it for a moment earlier, had felt it's killing intent, the only thing you can grasp now in a storm that has tripled in intensity -leaving only the ten meters or so of personal gale as your uninhibited sight- is a 'great shadow' landing with a crash amidst whirling snow before disappearing entirely, both physically, mentally, and spiritually...

---Because that is seemingly one purpose of this endless winter, of this world of limitless ice and snow-!

It is too strong to be a normal blizzard, so some may simply call it Fimbulwinter, but-!

Whatever it is... It's hiding your opponent in almost all ways...

Yes.

Standing in the center of an elemental storm that could be called your antithesis, it seems like it's affecting you more than most-!

---The sight of blurred flickering shadows, and the sound of something 'heavy' hitting the ground over and over again as a massive

wolf

something

dashes all around you at godspeed, yes...

Those are seemingly the only warnings this world will allow you-!

???

Name: Fenrir (?)

Spells

-Fimbulwinter-
Rank: A (?)
???

[palad1n]

Cosmos Fairchild
Moon Under Water ~ Island
World Designation: [Ragnarok Retrieval Committee]
??? ~ ???

It's name is Xanadu.

Both Cosmos and Illia paused the moment they saw the message, nay, the moment a message appear in Illia's system.

It doesn't make sense. There's no RAILS connectivity in this world, and there's no internet either; furthermore, there's the fact that they are currently in a different world. Even having the internet doesn't mean that someone from back home could just message them like it's no big deal when they are separated by more than just distance or connectivity, but also space and reality...

So the fact that someone could send them a message that conveniently answered Aesop's question is very, very unnatural and alarming. Especially when that someone knew the name of their world.

'...Illia? Did someone manage to plant a bug or the like without us noticing?'

'No. Even if someone did, there's simply no point, except perhaps if it's to mislead us.' There's curiosity in Illia's tone, and perhaps more rarely from the AI, a hint of irritation and hurt pride. Perhaps a natural response for an AI that spent all ten years of her life as the master of her own space being suddenly blindsided for the first time. 'What do you think?'

'I don't think the message is lying, no... But who's Burroughs?'

The fact that the two went silent is yet another cause of concern. As someone who had spent a majority of her life in the library reading, Cosmos knew about all kinds of demons and figures, especially those powerful enough to have left a mark in history. This is doubled for Illia, who often researched things on her free time to better help Cosmos in anything she might encounter; as such, it is more likely for the pair to get caught off-guard by something more mundane or weak, as anyone strong enough would have left their mark and thus known by at least one of them. The feat that this Burroughs has done squarely placed them in the latter category, and yet the name is unknown to both of them. Thus, they are naturally suspicious and concerned.

'...In any case, you should tell Miss Aesop this information if you believe it to be true. Leave this problem to me.'

'Alright. Many thanks, Illia.'

With that, Illia retreated back to the rosary and into her realm; a digital world of pure white, where information is represented by countless books stored in a countless row of flying, ever-shifting bookshelves, neatly named and categorized despite the AI never really needing them when she could simply 'call' the information that she needed. It is simply a quirk, a hobby that she developed as the years passed by in an effort to become more 'human,' and today Illia ignored the countless books and bookshelves, flying through to the center of the world where a simple white throne stood; on its left is a drawer made of mahogany where all new mails and messages that came to her system are stored, while on its right is a mahogany cabinet to store all read mails and messages.

Landing gently before the drawer, Illia opened it and took the only message inside - a simple white note - before taking a seat at her throne. She eyed the plain note in her hand, idly noting that Cosmos is telling the others of the supposed name of their world, before focusing her attention back to the enigmatic intruder to her sanctuary.

There is a possibility that Burroughs might be a pseudonym, an alias of a more well-known figure. When it came to COMPs, the first that came to her mind would be her father, Namasaki Kenji, or the mysterious Dr. Matsuda, but both of them doesn't strike her as the type to do this. Either they'd left their name as it is, or they'd left no name at all - a trivial task for someone who could do something as absurd as sending a message across worlds. The fact that the sender left a name - and it's probably the sender's name if the name isn't someone famous as to mislead her - implies naivete or innocence.

Or maybe they are playing a game that she couldn't even see or comprehend, and is currently laughing at her being clueless.

Either way, Illia doesn't like it.

She knew the chance of finding a clue of the sender is practically a useless endeavor when she's not even connected to a network, but if nothing else Illia cannot stand the thought of someone intruding with her being none the wiser at all. Especially when there's a chance that this mysterious figure is monitoring Cosmos, her dearly beloved Cosmos, without her knowledge.

It's all in the principle of the matter. If it's someone innocent and naive who is too powerful for their own good, then she'd teach them a thing or two about privacy, manners and etiquette so they won't repeat this to someone else. Otherwise, well...

She'll try her hardest to send them to oblivion.

[Airen]

Interlude
Nadia Starr & ???
"Countdown"

---Tires scream in agony as they pushed far beyond their limits.

Where a racetrack had once been a place of relative fun and safety, a haven for adrenaline-junkies and thrill seekers alike, there are now only winding empty streets... The track is broken in many places, blasted to pieces by the magic of a distant half-formed tower; it lurks on the horizon like an ominous eye, a massive structure of unknown purpose and make, a Demon Tower, summoned into the world by an unknown mastermind.

---Or rather, a pseudo-unknown mastermind.

"...!"

Turning the throttle as far as it will go, Nadia Starr races in the opposite direction of that distant malevolent tower; she had not originally intended to head in this direction, but having been asked to pursue this path by one of the two other Tamers she had run into in this space, the task of investigating that person she hadn't been able to feel initially, the only one who hadn't been evacuated with the rest of the non-tamer personnel, was a task that fell onto her shoulders...

Of course, the sounds of magic in the distance are turbulent and chaotic; the digital sky has become a swirling sea of grey clouds and flashing violet lightning as the world shakes every couple of seconds, shakes from the strain of being forced to endure something it had never been designed to endure, from a magical capacity that had become overwhelming long before it had stopped, before it had plauteu'd suddenly, as if something had stopped it's summoning in it's tracks...

...As stated before, the one who is behind this is only sort of unknown; if someone is voluntarily staying within this space without being a Tamer or something equivalent, than the digital world's safety mechanisms had either fallen apart or the person in question had suspect motivations, yes...

---It is likely that the Mastermind behind all of this is the one she is going to confront, even so...

With Jack complaining of a 'headache' from the strange droning sound the Tower was making, she was going to confront this person alone; if it was a frightened civilian, then escorting them out of here was the priority, if it wasn't...

Well...

She'd have to play it by ear...

"Are you alright?"

When she finally sees him, a dark-haired young man standing atop one of the many winding roads, her first instinct is to ask if he is okay... It is an instinct born from a naturally kind nature, or perhaps, from a sense of empathy that is so strong it has become a power all of it's own...

Yes.

She knows, instinctively knows...

That there is something wrong with the person in front of her, even though his expression is resolute as he turns to face her.

...And then she knows.

She knows without him telling her, that he is certainly the one connected to that distant tower.

"...No. Not really."

A simple answer to her simple question.

"After all... It seems I'm running out of time."

One she will not truly understand, but one that he seems to want someone to understand anyway, as he shows her the back of his hand.

---What exists there, is some sort of countdown...

She can't read the numbers from here... Parking her bike where it is now, knowing it will do her little good on all of this fractured ground, the crimson-haired girl can't see exactly what those numbers represent, not because her eyes aren't enhanced, but because...

It's a number that's diving downwards, one that had started at 999 and was rapidly descending...

She can't understand, she doesn't have enough context to understand, even so...

One thing is clear.

...She can't let him do whatever this is.

"...You are one of those "Tamers" correct? I would like to apologize for all of this, I'm sorry... I thought I had more time to figure something out, some other way, but..."

Spirit Power roars.

---It's dense.

---It's so dense, so heavy, that she struggles not to fall to her knees just from being around it.

Even so, she manages to straighten her back, even though just being around this youth makes it feel like her heart is gonna stop...

Even so...

"Guess that means... You're not gonna come quietly...?"

Her Spirit as a Tamer remains unbroken, her own -smaller- Reiki coming out to oppose something that was slowly rising past even the bizarre tower in the distance, and...

"...No."

The road explodes.

Interlude Out

[Rafflesiac]

Logan Starbright
Aoyama, Tokyo (F-Zero Course)
???

Good, it worked.

With Beelzebub successfully slowed, that leaves the path toward BABEL clear. The car accelerates as Logan focuses on the road ahead, wary of further blasts, globs of phlegm, or ripples of spirit power in the air. No issues, so he should be in range for Ziodyne or other attacks fairly quickly - and then reality screeches in agony as the tower rends it anew. The best Logan manages is a sudden swerve that shifts projected lumps of concrete from punching through the glass to impacting the car’s once-brilliant blue body. The explosion of destruction flings the metal cage into the air, rattling its contents like a cackling child. Even as he thuds from surface to surface, Logan’s senses go into overdrive, each saccade and ripple of spirit power combining with his supernatural eyes to piece together the situation, revealing-

“Another demon!”

Astra kicks out a door and leaps free, heading toward an unbroken stretch of road uncomfortably close to Beelzebub.

Three Demons and counting. This has to end now, before we get overwhelmed. He watches Astra in his mind’s eye, even as the silver armored Demon raises its arms. She’ll be fine. Beelzebub’s been slowed down and the other Demon’s aiming at me. I have to take down that tower. Blood wells at his lips. His grip tightens on Amelia as he jumps out of the wreckage of the car.

: “Amelia, use Garu if I need to move and Zio when you get an opening!”

: “You got it! This Jenga tower’s getting toppled!”

Wind winds around Logan as he glares at the crimson core, his own eyes meeting its baleful gaze. There’ll be no more interference. With that resolution, a howling tornado of Garudyne blasts away the crimson mist and launches Logan Starbright straight at his enemy!

---

Spells Set: Eye of the Fates, ???, Garu line, ???, Crystal Coat, Zio Line
Spells Used: Garudyne (Planned: Garu, Zio)
Heat: 8/10

[Airen]

Logan Starbright
Aoyama, Tokyo (F-Zero Course)
???

---It's method of combat was clear.

Summoning demons to do it's bidding, the reality of the situation seems to be that it will continue to do so unless it is stopped; it is the sort of enemy that gathers fighting ability over time, if it is allowed to summon too many of these demons -all of which seemed to be high class- than they would easily overrun the Tamers still inside the simulation before reinforcements could arrive, in the worst case...

This little 'digital world' might become a fortress that the Tamers are unable to retake; a stronghold from which this Tower would gain a more tangible 'foot' in the door, in other words...

While the crisis right now isn't that grand of a problem, it may quickly become so if something isn't done about it soon, thus-!

"I'll take these guys, get the Tower!"

Just as you move to exit the vehicle, Astra's words reinforce the fact that your conclusion seems to be the one she has also reached; it's something of an unfortunate situation for her, but she is a Tamer, two high class Demons or not she'll make it through even if she gets a bit roughed up... She's confident of that much at least, the banishment of the Tower must be your top priority at this point, thus-!

"Haaaaaah-!"

Enchanted winds intercepting a vampiric fog, fog that will persist so long as it's user persists, the gap in it's attack is nevertheless enough for you to lock eyes with your target as you use those same winds to rocket forth-!

No looking back.

Now that you have decided on this course of action, the best thing that you can do for the others is blast this Tower to kingdom come-!

---Of course, it is going to resist your approach-!

-While the lance of magical energy that appears to shoot you down is crimson, and crackles like flames as it flies, there is no doubt in your mind that it is also an attack that hails from the "almighty."

While it would not necessarily be the end if you were to be hit by such a thing, there is no such thing as a grazing blow when it comes to the Almighty; it is an element that almost seems to strike at the root of one's essence in order to deal 'true damage,' a blow that might not be fatal, but one that will certainly be felt by the target as the energy rips its way through them...

No barriers will work, even if it strikes your digital self, it's power would 'funnel' through to hit the real you anyway... It was that sort of annoying magic, but-!

That doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter at all, because you had never intended on being hit by something so straightforward in the first place-!

Most Tamers can fly, even those that lack the built-in systems on their COMPs can jury rig some sort of flight if the situation calls for it; be it conjuring up an explosion beneath their feet, or encasing themselves in their own personal cyclone, there are a number of ways for Tamers to get momentum in situations in which it would normally be impossible, defying the fate of a shot arrow being unable to alter it's course once fired-!

---You slip past it.

It's fast, the sheer crack of sound that appears after it passes you tells you just how fast it was, the shockwave that slams into your body to slow you down shows how much weight had been behind it, but it doesn't matter-!

---You keep your eyes on the core.

It stares back, the ancient, heavy gaze from an ancient being, a legendary demon of Christian Mythology, and-!

You slam into that eye.

Mercilessly, with all the force left in your body from your original jump, you slam straight into that defenseless eye as if trying to gouge it out, cracks form, a discharge of electricity accompanying the physical strike before 'something' forces you back... It is like a pulse of Reiki -perhaps the setting of some sort of barrier- that forces you to fall back a bit, to land inside the heart of this unfinished Tower, staring up through the wired frame at the thing that seemed to be both 'eye' and 'heart,' a glowing pulsating stone that kept it's gaze just as locked on you as you did on it, but-!

Before this duel can continue further, the sound of wings erupt in the air outside of the wire frame.

---Hundreds of wings.

Wings of giant flies, spawn of the Lord of Flies.

Manifestation of plague, a form of magic that had taken on the form of physical beings; beings with short life spans and destructive intent; meant to devour others alive in a horrific show of violence, when combined with the remnants of the vampiric mist, it turns the area just outside of this Tower into a zone completely unable to support human life, even so-!

"Maggots... Flies... Disgusting-!

Before the flies can get in, a barrier of wind surrounds the building at Astra's request; like a tornado forming around her opponent, it is accompanied only by the sight of several colorful orbs -her elemental bombs- being thrown into the tower from the outside, rolling to a stop where they sit motionlessly, like bombs waiting to be detonated by some outside party but-!

---The Tower has a bomb all it's own, yes...

Magic gathering right near the center of it's eye...

---A megidolaon -sphere of Almighty Force- comes crashing down into the center of it's own self-!

[Airen]

Interlude
Nadia Starr & ???
"Countdown II"



"Gah-?!"

No chance.

The body that goes crashing through shattered concrete streets and digital buildings belongs to the world's resident Queen of Speed, launched from where it was not by magic, but by the absurd strength behind her opponent's fists.

---He's like a monster.

No, thinking more heavily on it, it feels more like she's fighting some sort of God.

He bears no COMP, doesn't seem to have any weapons other than his fists, and yet each and every swing of those fists is packed with so much Reiki that the results are akin to that of magic anyway; everytime she is hit her body basically explodes, and he keeps up with her rocketing form at a pace that seems no different than a casual walk... Yes, where she scrambles to put together the static image that is her brain shorting out after every blow, the dark-haired youth is already at her side, a swift kick to the stomach following the fist that had launched her into the distance, so casual it is as if he wasn't trying at all...

---And indeed, in a sense, that youth was certainly still holding back...

She can feel it, even if he doesn't say it.

There is an immense amount of 'regret' in his fists for some reason, that is the only reason why he has yet to resort to magic; a part of him is detesting his current self, his current actions, and in spite of claiming he is 'running low on time' is continuing to mess around with her even if those fists could have likely put her to sleep already... She knows this, is well aware of this, and...

"Hah... Hah..."

...Keeps trying to get up anyway, because that hesitance means she has more time to find a way to win, however:

---She can't think of anything, in terms of combat experience she has a few years under her belt, but that's just enough to tell her that her opponent is a genius who likely excels in all areas.

Visual perception is top-notch, even without the use of obvious ocular phenomena.

Endurance is high enough that even the few desperate hits she had gotten in had been completely ignored by her opponent.

Speed is high as well, she's trained with the Knights and in those terms it feels exactly like fighting Ayra or Eliza...

Spiritual Power stores might as well be infinite, considering he seems to be powering the Tower as well as himself...

So...

So then... What...?

What does she do-

Another kick.

The world fades to static again as the body is thrown with extreme force, and this time...

"..."

---With a look of self-disgust on his face, the man turns away from his opponent after she finally falls... It had taken a bit longer than he had expected it too, considering the girl had been remarkably sturdy for someone of her age, but in terms of problems that needed to be dealt with, she was one that he could successfully file away as "Defeated." It doesn't make him feel good to think so, no, everything about all of this made him feel sick, it went against his core values so much that he knows he'll never truly recover from it, but all the same...

Humans all have things they want to protect, he is no different, that's why...

He must successfully bring the King's Gate here...

The Demons of this World had lost much of their power as "Nightmares" in exchange for being more able to exist alongside humanity, however, that intermingling of society means that there is a glaring 'weak point' that he should be able to use to bring everything down, so long as he is able to bring the 'Gate' here, however...

---Some sort of 'Power' was getting in the way of his Summoning, a power different from the World's natural barriers, and...

Those two in the distance, more of those 'Tamers,' were seemingly attempting to banish the Tower by destroying it's half-finished physical form, and seemed to be making some progress in that regard...

Thus...

He just needs to stop the two of them; the Demons down below should be enough to do so on their own, but taking care of things himself had always yielded the best results. Yes, turning back to offer some last words to his earlier opponent, an apology that she would not be able to hear, he-

"Persona."

-feels something -something blindingly fast- grab his neck, before throwing him straight down through the floor.

"...?!"

The pain is slight... But for the first time in the short battle...

It had been present-!

The culprit is standing above, a girl with already crimson hair whose hair was now actively glowing like flames, and another woman... No, a manifestation of her fighting spirit -or something similar- standing in front of her like some sort of Guardian Goddess...

The girl herself is still unconscious, he can tell that from the blank look in her eyes... However, that doesn't seem to have stopped her from standing back up.

There is a chain in her hands that links her physically to the strange spirit, and as he looks up with mild surprise...

---The spirit charges.

Interlude Out

[Airen]

Ilia
Digital Sea ~ Ilia Space
??? ~ ???

---And thus, leaving your User to chat with the others for now, you fall into the depths of your own systems in pursuit of the one who had somehow managed to slip you a message. While the message itself seems ultimately harmless -even helpful- at a glance, you are the more cynical of your duo with Cosmos, and are able to spot an abundance of upsetting implications from how this sender had so quickly answered a question that had not been addressed to it.

Yes.

It implied either someone had placed some sort of tracker inside of your systems -one capable of crossing dimensional boundaries, which seemed unlikely- or there was someone of impossible power on the other end of this line... Of the first two suspects that come to mind, both Namasaki Kenji and Dr. Matsuda can more or less be safely crossed off the list, they are entities that are similar to 'parents' for COMPs, thus, there would be no need for them to hide their own names when dealing with those they had had more than a single hand in constructing, no...

This was probably someone you hadn't heard of before, and in a sense...

That makes it all worse...

How long has this surveillance been going on? It's a question that's enough to have you seething in anger, as the idea that someone has been spying on your user -and perhaps countless others- without their consent is one that infringes on a number of basic rights... Is the person doing it someone with a God Complex? Or someone simply born with more power than they know what to do with?

There are bad outcomes for all of these, but...

Since you lack the same sort of decisive power as the intruder, it is likely impossible for you to track them, even if you did manage to find some sort of trace of their entry within your systems... You do not have the power to cross dimensional boundaries after all, and even if you did, further examination of the message you had been sent simply seems to imply that it had simply 'appeared' within the confines of your system.

Yes.

There is no way to trace it back, and yet...

---Another letter appears.

Since you visualize such information as being upon 'paper' inside of your world, they descend as radiant sheets of white parchment, looking for all the world like angel feathers, and written upon them in clear -this time all caps- letters is:

MEANT TO CONTACT YOU SOONER, BUT PROCESSING POWER IS TIED UP, CONNECTION IS DIFFICULT AT CURRENT POWER AND DISTANCE, EVEN AFTER FORCED ACTIVATION OF AUXILIARY SYSTEMS.

FOUND TRACES OF AN ABDUCTION FROM XANADU, TRACED IT TO THIS AREA.

ARE YOU ALRIGHT?

Y/N

DO YOU REQUIRE FURTHER ASSISTANCE WITH EXTRACTION/ESCAPE?

Y/N

-Burroughs

---Whoever it is, they seem unwilling -or perhaps unable- to appear in front of you in person, but...

They do seem...

To be able to see what you're doing...

[Zurvan]

Ludwig Karlfeldt
Depths of a Dream, Deeper Still
??? - Night


Fimbulwinter, the Great Winter that mercilessly makes the world devoid of life. A period of extreme cold, unforgiving winds and a unyielding blizzard that swallows the world. An omen of the Norse end of the world.

Or so the myth goes. Right now it is simply the staging ground of nature's oldest battles. The eternal dance between predator and prey, the hunter and the hunted.

"...Fenrir."

And now, a Beast of Divinity is hunting down a mere mortal man. But despite such a scenario...

"So you chose to throw away your fleeting life? Very well."

That man manifests a resolve that challenges any who dare stand against him.

But the hunt has already begun. The blizzard obfuscates the presence and intentions of the mighty beast, but it will be back. Years and years of training has steeled Ludwig's mind for these kinds of situations.

He may be outmatched in strength.

He may be outclassed in speed.

He may be at a quite the disadvantage, being unable to rely on his vision as the cold mercilessly tugs at him.

...Even so.

Ludwig remains unfazed in the face of this overwhelming Divinity. He will not simply give up because the opponent is of a higher caliber. As the Inheritor of the Karlfeldt family and a Rothschild Tamer, staring down a God is simply an occurrence that'll happen sooner or later!

And more importantly, whether it be a Tamer, a Demon, a God or his very own sister. As long as he's supported by his trusted partner, he can face the world proudly.

It's more powerful in strength, it's showing off with its divine speed and my ESP doesn't help against this either...

Guess it's a worthy opponent then, go forth my Godslayer~.

A soft smile appears on the youth's face.

Guess so. Think you can handle it's divine speed?

Never underestimate the resolve of a big sister! I'll get you into position, so better make it hurt.

If you can't see it, make it appear where you want.

If you can't overpower it in strength, don't get hit.

If you can't outpace it speed, predict where it'll go.

Even if Fenrir had every advantage, victory was still possible. No foe is insurmountable!

Personal Gale grants the Karlfeldt pair a field of about ten meters to anticipate the Celestial Devourer.

It'll have to do.

"So what are you waiting for? Are you so desperate that you need to use illusions and trickery to stand a chance against us humans?

If you're supposed to be a God, then show me, you overgrown mutt. Or are you afraid to face me?"

The Wolf has every advantage it needs. It should reign supreme in this winter of winters, and it seems to have retained it's godly arrogance.

So then the best way to show it's fault, is to show that it's not alone in possessing power.

As soon as it goes it for an attack it can't recover from in time, Lydia will ensure that Ludwig is out of the blast radius.

The Almighty will manifest, however, it's in that retreat that Ludwig has another surprise.

If it does pursue afterwards, it'll be granted an Aura Blast to eat.

Wise Up!

Stats:

Strength	E
Vitality	A
Agility	C
Sense	A
Resistance	A

Spells Prepared:
Megido line, Psi line, Aura Blast, Baisudi, Flash Truth, Peace of Mind, Unity's Embrace

Spells:
Flash Truth (2) -> Megidola (4) (if pursued, Aura Blast (3))

Heat COMP: 6-9

[Airen]

Daisuke
Aoyama, Lakeside (Lexie's Strong, Gallant Arms)
??? - Evening

"Why? Well, no big reason~!"

A simple response.

Deciding not to look too deeply into the nature of her question -after all, the way she had asked seemed to imply she wanted some sort of natural response- the violet haired girl had nevertheless fallen silent as you spoke, affirming that she was listening simply with the occasional nod or musical hum...

Of course you remember that day pretty clearly, after all, it had marked a sort of 'turning point' in your User's sense of motivation, her drive to actually get out there and do things... Of course, the bittersweet nature of it's ending had had an effect on you too of course, after all you had put your entire body in the line of fire for the sake of protecting someone you didn't really know, but...

"Your memory isn't bad, but you missed a few things!"

...Eh?

"Didn't a weird girl show up to tackle the shadow while you were falling? I thought it looked pretty cool!"

...Eh?

An oddly specific note...

"What did you think of it? I didn't get too much of a look at it myself!"

And again, an odd question...

"Doing my own research so I can be a bit more helpful, you know?"

[Airen]

Raz Stone
Avalon, Woods ~ Path to the Akarana Residence
Morning

"...Huh, you're a pretty bold guy."

In the end, disregarding the -somewhat more sensible- advice of the DTG doesn't seem to have any particular consequences to it; nonetheless, it's the sort of move that would have gotten you scolded back in the academy, an unnecessary reveal of your neck to the sort of entity that actively lusts after blood even if they suppress it, even so...

"..."

Where the squire maintains her silent vigil a couple of yards back -far enough to safely dash forward or back depending upon what the situation required- the dark-haired vampress ultimately seems to find your brazen approach amusing, although the flicker of crimson eyes and the feel of a very strong Reiki -or something similar to it anyway- do serve as a constant reminder to your more primal instincts that this person comes from a race that is famously antagonistic towards humans, as the relationship of predators and prey often are, even so...

---This is the New World, therefore, such things should not really matter in the slightest.

This world is one in which the goal was for everyone to live together, it sounds cheesy in some ways, but the Tamer System itself is something set in place for the sake of supporting that ideal, to show that humanity had no intention of bowing back down to any of the old higher powers, or things that went bump in the night...

Perhaps that is why you are so brazen?

As a Tamer, you should do your best to never show fear to a potential opponent anyways, as a Knight even more so-!

"So, investigating a crime huh? Robots taking pictures?"

Still, this one seems effectively harmless...

She takes her time to think over what you had said, notably excising some parts of your speech so that she wouldn't humor too much of it... Of course it's probable that she's just thinking over the pros and cons of letting what were essentially the magic police into her home, but after a few moments of thought, of holding the door slightly closed as if she had been considering simply closing it in your face after driving you off, she...

"...Well, I guess this sort of thing was inevitable huh? I'll give you a brief tour, bedroom is probably one of the least interesting rooms."

...Says something strange, before opening the door all of the way, gesturing for you and your -currently somewhat annoyed- bodyguard to strike into the mansion, and once you do...

---Noise.

---An avalanche of voices falls upon you, like you had just entered the cafeteria of a school building; the fact that you couldn't hear it from outside seems to imply that the house itself was soundproofed -a relatively cheap addition nowadays- but the sense of surprise that comes along with it has you automatically searching for the source, to at least ensure it's not some sort of sonic attack if nothing else, and...

"It's the students breakfast hall, so don't be too offended if you get hit by eggs or something, they can be a bit rowdy in the morning."

...The source of the sound is just what it had sounded like, upon walking into the main entrance way and heading to the first door on the left, massive oak doors reveal a room that had probably once been a ball room, but had now been converted into a cafeteria.

Yes, a cafeteria.

A school cafeteria...

---Even if Isako herself hadn't called them her students, you would have been able to tell that they were such just because of the way they were dressed; they were all wearing matching grey and black uniforms (some with bits of color here and there in the form of scarves or neck-ties) that wouldn't look that out of place in the early 2000s in Japan's more rural counties -you should know, after that cosplay concert from back in the day- they're all sitting around talking amongst themselves like students typically do, although when a group of them at a nearby circular table -led by one girl in particular- spot you -or perhaps Isako- they go from speaking loudly and cheerfully, to more obviously quietly, openly whispering amongst themselves which means...

They stand out.

They stand out a lot.

It was a pretty graceless transition all things considered, but this is why kids are trained nowadays...

"This is the cafeteria, probably not what you're looking for, but I figure I should be thorough for an inspection right?"

She's pretty casual about it all...

She doesn't explain why so many kids are here, why she had been moving boxes around outside by herself if this many people were here, or even what her relationship to them was...

Although she seemed to be some sort of teacher...?

"I'm not the type to antagonize police if I don't have to, after all."

Ah...

Was she assuming she was a suspect in something... Or...

Was she trying to figure out something herself...?

[palad1n]

Ilia
Digital Sea ~ Ilia Space
??? ~ ???

Silently, and with no visible change in her expression, Illia answered the paper in her hand: Yes for the first question, and no for the second one. If one were to look at her form right now, then all they'd see is a blonde woman seemingly focused on her task; she isn't happy or upset, merely doing what must be done, an extension of her duty as an AI of a spirit tamer.

Her internal thoughts, however, is couldn't be any more different.

Annoyance. Dislike. Anger. Why did this Burroughs now write in all caps? Why should she sound so innocent while at the same time there's an underlying hint of - most likely unintentional - smugness? Making it sounds like tracking someone who disappeared from their world to another is easy, asking whether they are alright or need assistance in getting back like some kind of parent, guardian or god, of which this Burroughs is certainly not. She would never ask for this Burroughs help if she could help it, especially now when there is someone who could bring Cosmos back home safely.

It's amazing how someone based on Mary could become so different and cynical, but it's simply how it is.

Still, none of this shows on her face. Compared to Cosmos whose image of an ideal tamer of the church can be 'broken' to reveal a more childish side, Illia is far better and more adept than her master in concealing her feelings and thoughts. Hiding her disdain with a carefully crafted mask, the AI merely write a question on the back of the paper she had been given with a swish of her fingers, tone as polite as ever as letters became engraved on it:

Why do you monitor my user? Do you have any special interest in her? How long have you been monitoring her?

Still, if there's one thing that Illia never tries to hide or conceal...

It is her love and devotion to Cosmos.

[Airen]

Ayra Lilygrove
Junes ~ Rooftop
??? - Morning

---Annoying.

It's annoying to come across a wall that one cannot climb, something that you cannot defeat even if you put all of your body and soul into it... It feels like a denial of one's ability, a blow at the confidence that makes one realize they are not quite as powerful as they think they are, or perhaps, that there will always be someone stronger than you running around out in the world...

It's not the sort of thing one likes to admit, much like the concept of death, it is something that humans naturally push from their minds because it is uncomfortable to perceive, even so...

"Gotcha."

Saying that with a smile in spite of her missing limb, the concept-wielding Demon rests the blade of her sword on her shoulders in a casual way, a sign that she too has seen this battle as "having come to an end."

"Don't beat yourself up too much, Knight or not, you're still at the beginning of your road kid... We'll fight again some time for sure."

---This Demon might be an annoying one too, just because of her personality.

It feels almost like she's trying to give you advice, or rather, it just feels bad to have an enemy try to cheer you up... Of course if you stopped to think about it, this person had never actually been your enemy from the start, but such things just awaken more annoying feelings, embarrassment that you had forgotten your purpose here today, combining with the humiliation of being offered a one-sided draw, yeah...

You're not feeling too inclined to take her words to heart, and even more than you...

"You're joking, right?"

...Tsukiko definitely won't accept it.

Even without the apparent vendetta she had for Joker specifically, it simply wasn't in that woman's nature to let an opponent walk away... No, even more than that, up until a few moments ago, when she had seen how you had reacted, she had been focused mostly on you, aware of the toll that using so many trump cards over the course of a fight could do to your body, but-

---Now the flames of anger seem stoked again...!

"I'm taking you in today-!"

...Enough so that she moves to pursue, automatically, leaving you behind to recover what breath you can, and-

---No.

---It's a mistake.

Not once has that sword stopped prepping some sort of magic; considering it's strength, considering their confidence, it must be something that will win no matter what, after all...

They had been sent here to defeat you.

Laplace knows your personality, she must have chosen them specifically for their capability to defeat the two of you, so-

You should stop her.

Yes.

You take a step forward to do just that, trying to catch your breath with a body that is doing it's damnedest just to keep conscious and-

"...!"

-lightning jolts down your spine.

Forgotten damage, disregarded damage, all stacks up and makes itself known with that one step; cold icy streaks forgotten in a haze of wind and speed, blood that was frozen remains so, an icy tormentor that had pierced right through your harmonizer and taken root in your legs...

Really, it's all torn to shreds...

So, that first step turns into a trip.

That trip turns into a static-laced fall, one hand pressed against the roof of the building and-

---there's an explosion.

A detonation of Reiki, vast, extreme, from two different sources and-

-Darkness.

----

Ayra Lilygrove
Avalon ~ Medical Ward
??? - Morning

---If there was another thing that was getting old, it was all of this "get knocked unconscious" business.

While it's not an unheard of fate for Tamers, having it happen to you twice over the span of a single week is a thought that automatically drifts to the front of your mind when you awaken, because...

---You already know what you'll see when you open your eyes.

Sterile white hospital beds, ambivalent enchantments, Avalon's natural healing properties, it's the usual combination of modern and ancient magic that exists to treat the wounded here on the isles.

---Well, at least this time, the damage wasn't as severe as whatever the hell the tattoo had did to you...

It had been a combination of reiki overuse and damage from ice elemental attacks, as it was your main weakness, it was the sort of element that tore straight through your harmonizer without mercy... As a Harmonizer was tied to the soul of the one who produces it, it was a fancy way of saying that your 'essence' as a person was weak to 'ice magic' as a whole, point being...

It was annoying...

A lot of it was Tsukiko's fault for not keeping that barrier of hers up on you all the time, but a lot of it had been your own recklessness as well, still...

Annoying...

Even so...

If you're back at the base, then that means everything is over; either Tsukiko brought the demon in, or the demon escaped or defeated her...

You can't see her around here, so it's possible she wasn't as badly wounded as you, but...

Only way to find out was to get up and see what's going on-

"Ayra-senpai! You're awake-!"

-before you can, someone comes running into the room.

---It's one of your squires.

Asuka...

Asuka Rin...

One of your younger classmates back in your academy days, yes, had been assigned to you a few months ago, although she had been given a reconnaissance mission earlier in the month; not particularly talented as a Tamer, but hard-working and earnest, had a habit of bringing you coffee during you workaholic episodes...

Weapon was... A boomerang?

Could shift, so also a long-sword, and a lance...?

You had a bad habit of getting too into your own assignments, so your memories of her were limited, but...

"Do you feel okay? Do I need to grab the doctors?"

[Bloble]

Daisuke
Aoyama, Lakeside (Lexie's Strong, Gallant Arms)
??? - Evening

"After that... oh, you mean that girl."

Daisuke rewinds once more, as he has done countless times. That segment of memory is, while not corrupted per se, incomplete and damaged. His sensors then had been going haywire, so the recording is incomplete, tinged with bitter distress and burning resolve. But he can definitely recall the figure. Long, violet hair, white eyes, and...

"I kinda just assumed that was you, Lexie. Don't worry, it was really cool how you came in from above with that Rider Kick! And we won't tell anyone you've got a hidden super mode! Chris says it's always best to keep those secret, so you can surprise people when they least expect it."

But why would she remind him of that? Surely Lexie isn't fishing for a compliment. She likes to be praised, but she wouldn't bring it up just because of...

"Oh."

Once more, Daisuke reviews the sequence of events. Something has changed. Not in the memories; those are unaltered. Rather, with newly added information, something stands out that had previously been an afterthought.

"After you - after that girl interfered, she flew... right into the lake."

Right into this lake. The same lake that had been the focus of his watch, that the airship had come out of...

"Ah! Is that why!? Is that how you ended up finding that airship, Lexie!?"

Daisuke's bright-eyed gaze is turned upon his gallant (temporary) big sister, as if asking for confirmation and a pat on the head.

[Airen]

Ilia
Digital Sea ~ Ilia Space
??? ~ ???

---The annoyance won't leave you.

While the wording implies a certain level of child-like innocence, inexperience when it comes to interacting with others, there is still an aspect of 'power flaunting' here that exists in spite of likely being unintentional on this entity's part... While it seemed to claim that contacting you was relatively difficult, it's last question also implies that it has some way of "bringing you back home," if you need it to do so...

"..."

It's words imply it is a form of A.I, but it's abilities are too strong to be any common A.I; at the very least, it has to be hooked up to some sort of super computer, a high-tech system beyond any you had ever seen...

Some sort of secret prototype perhaps, or...?

"..."

It's hard to say, it's an unexpected encounter after all, regardless, it takes this "Burroughs" a bit to respond, as if she was having trouble with the connection, or was perhaps a bit hesitant to answer these sorts of questions in particular, but eventually...

---More paper falls.

SURVEILLANCE WAS THE MISSION GIVEN TO ME BY MY USER, I BELIEVE I WAS DESIGNED TO FUNCTION PRIMARILY AS AN ALERT/DEFENSE SYSTEM.

IN TERMS OF SPECIAL INTEREST... NO. I HAVE NOT BEEN GIVEN ORDERS TO MONITOR HER CLOSELY, BUT I HAVE BEEN OBSERVING AREAS OF DIMENSIONAL PHENOMENA AND DISTORTIONS, YOU WERE AT GROUND ZERO OF THE LATEST CASE.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS HAVE PERSISTED AS LONG AS I HAVE BEEN ACTIVE, PLUME CORE INSTALLATION DATE WAS JANUARY 1ST, 2009; DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO SYSTEM RECORDS PRIOR TO THAT DATE.

-Burroughs

---Surprisingly earnest, or...

[Airen]

Daisuke
Aoyama, Lakeside (Lexie's Strong, Gallant Arms)
??? - Evening

---If the violet haired girl had been eating something, she probably would have choked on it, considering how she stumbles at your words.

It had been a casual admittance that she hadn't expected, the sort of "oh, I knew that the whole time," that couldn't help but stagger her own cognition of the event... It's a brief graceless moment that manifests as an actual physical stumble, the earnest girl as honest in body language as she was in her words, and:

"Aha... Was it that obvious?"

---Yes.

---She had thought it would be a bit more difficult to figure out, but the figure from back then almost certainly had to be Lexie; while the figure from back then had somewhat less defined features their hair color had been the same, and more importantly than that, the only person who could've had the means or knowledge to act in that moment would have had to have been Lexie, otherwise, it would've simply been some random entity that just happened to come flying out of nowhere to protect you from the shadow...

An unlikely occurrence, not impossible, but definitely unlikely.

"But you uh... Really thought it was cool?"

---Her eyes seem to sparkle at this, as if she had been unsure of what you had thought of it. You're not sure why she seems to care so much about that, but-

"Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised, kids have that sort of perspective-!"

-whatever the reason, she seems pleased, or perhaps relieved?

"And yeah, found it after diving into the lake," shifting your weight on her back slightly, as the woods clear up to reveal a shaded clearing along with the distant sound of running water, like some sort of stream or fountain lay ahead, "Sank right to the bottom! Got a bit too much momentum on the way down..."

[palad1n]

Ilia
Digital Sea ~ Ilia Space
??? ~ ???

2009.

This Burroughs has been active since the beginning of 2009.

It was quite the revelation; the second Kyuubi incident and the event which changed the world to its present state happened in December 2008, so the fact that this Burroughs have their core installed at the beginning of 2009 - quite literally the dawn of a new era - must have meant something, even if she's not sure what just yet.

And yet this information only serves to open up more questions.

She knew that Namasaki Kenji had created some sort of prototype COMP in 2008, but by that point COMPs have yet to have AI, not to mention only a select few would have known about the device - let alone have them - during that time.

So what does this information implies exactly? Once again, Illia doesn't know the answer just yet, but she's really, really itching to report this to someone. The earlier someone higher up knew about this Burroughs, the better, especially if there is a chance - no matter how small - that Burroughs could be an enemy to Cosmos. There is no doubt they would be a powerful and terrifying enemy...

Still, the knowledge that they've been practically observed since the very beginning - since the day that she was born as Cosmos' COMP - made her feel disgust, anger and hate. But more than anything else, there is a single emotion that Illia felt the most from this revelation.

Fear.

Burroughs have shown that not even space and reality could stop them from having some sort of control over her. The moment Cosmos comes back to Xanadu - back to the world where Burroughs resides, and thus where their control is at its strongest - there is little doubt in Illia's mind that Burroughs could have their way with her in any way that she wanted... and that there is little that she could do to stop it, if any.

Information, memories, perhaps even her feelings that she held close... Burroughs may be able to easily see through all of them.

What would they do then? Scanning through them to find information, a weakness to hurt Cosmos? Could they even turn her against Cosmos if they wanted? Made her go berserk, abandoning her dearest master in times when she needed it the most?

Suddenly, everything looked so fragile. Her personal sanctuary, a space that she thought she's in control of for all ten years of her existence, suddenly doesn't look so safe anymore. Even the certainty of her devotion and feelings, ingrained into her plume of dusk, felt as if it could be touched and altered at a moment's notice.

It's sickening; the fear is so overwhelming that she felt nauseous. It took every bit of her willpower and self-control to not immediately succumb to the apparent futility of it all and immediately destroy her own space, holding back the urge to scream and lash out at this Burroughs, to curse at their creator and perhaps to try to spit on the face of someone so powerful just so she could have the last laugh.

But she reigned them in, even if it is so very difficult; the only sign was the slight narrowing of her eyes and how her hands held the paper just a little too tightly. With a steady hand that shows no sign of trembling or weakness - though it only appears that way to onlookers and not herself - she carefully writes down on the paper in her hands.

You are very honest Burroughs, but please note that you cannot just intrude on someone's privacy like what you just did. Everyone has something that they don't want strangers to know or see, sometimes not even someone close to them. Even if your intentions are good, do consider this before you act next time.

Illia held back a sob as she writes her reply. She focused her mind solely on writing and hands as to not let it tremble, yet she couldn't stop from looking back at the front twice to find some sort of reassurance. But the reassurance that the seemingly all-powerful AI is not given the orders to monitor Cosmos closely felt hollow, and by the time she finished writing her reply, Illia felt very, very tired and just wanted to cry herself to sleep.

But not yet.

She couldn't show any weakness just yet.

At least until she could be sure that this conversation with Burroughs is over.

[Airen]

Ilia
Digital Sea ~ Ilia Space
??? ~ ???

---Silence.

Stewing within the depths of your own negative emotions, you quietly respond to the seemingly omnipresent entity. While it's powers clearly have some form of limit, the fact that you can't spot those limits with your own eyes, can't see where the lines are set, incites a deep-rooted paranoia...

An irony, perhaps..

Because the entity called 'God' incites that paranoia in others as well...

Even so, doing your best to remain physically unshaken -as far as an A.I can anyway- you wait to see if a response will come, and, after a few moments...

It does...

Once again, in the form of falling paper, although this time...

The text has returned to normal...

Spoiler:

---I see.

I apologize, I thought that using this sort of method would be a good compromise...

But I seem to have upset you.

I didn't mean to do that.

I just wanted to ensure that you would return home safe.

Since it is the topic of observation that seems to worry you, I will cease observations on you and your user from this point on.

Please make sure to return home safe.

-Burroughs.

And then...

Silence...

An invisible eye you had never known was there disappears, or rather...

The eye that had watched over you from the start of your journey in this bizarre world, up until now...

Withdraws of it's own accord...