EPISODE FIVE: THE DRAGONS ROAR.

 

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Yukihito was walking on a street in Downtown when he stopped short in front of an empty alley. Its ground was littered with empty soda cans, its walls with dirty graffiti... and what seemed to be stains of blood. Under the crimson light of the setting sun, this little alley, a typical gathering place for shady people, looked so ominous that all who had an ounce of sense would depart immediately and never look back. Still, the façade was deceptive. Yukihito doubted anyone would suspect that within those walls and empty space stood elaborate Wards and Barriers made to conceal whatever happened inside and scare away uninvited guests? Yukihito truly had to comment the person who laid those spells. Such an immensely powerful Spirit Field, yet its presence was cloaked so deftly that even a God would have little chance in noticing its existence. He would have applauded that person, too, had both of his hands not occupied by the books that the Shingetsu High Priest asked him to fetch from a nearby bookstore.

But was it not strange that something like this was here, of all the places? Spells of this caliber were certainly not woven by a mortal. Yukihito did not even think that half of the Gods and Goddesses in Izumo knew how to set those up, let alone combining them together to such degree of perfection. Puzzling, quite puzzling indeed. Yukihito cocked an eyebrow at the alley in sheer curiosity. This had to be the work of an ancient being of enormous powers, most likely from the Underworld. In that case.... Yukihito’s eyes went wide. Could it be her? His fists clenched at the thought.

It very bloody well could.

All of a sudden, two shadowy figures emerged from the alley and bumped into his front. Pretending to lose his balance, he dropped the two plastic bags he was carrying in his hands. As a result, books spilled on to the ground while he himself landed on his bottom.

“Ouch,” Yukihito groaned in feigned agony.

“Our deepest apologies. Are you alright, sir?” Two girls, outwardly identical, were standing there, peering down at him, blank faces betraying no emotion whatsoever. With a look their long raven-haired framing their more than pretty faces and at the expensive one piece dress elegantly gracing each of their bodies, most people would be certain they were Ojou-sama from a noble House... but Yukihito knew better than that. The twins were Immortals, each possessing such an abundance of celestial powers that they could make a God from Izumo seem weak as an insect. Their strengths were only one step below that of Tsukiyomi the Goddess of the Moon herself!

“No, I am the one who must apologize.” Yukihito collected the books with the help of the two and rose awkwardly to his feet. “It was my fault for standing in a daze. But who could have thought such graceful ladies like yourselves would come out of a dirty alley?”

“Why, you are most kind, sir,” spoke the Immortals-in-disguise in unison. Even their voices were the same. “But please excuse us. We have matters to attend to.” They gave him a slight bow.

“Then have a good day.” Yukihito inclined his head.

Yukihito turned and walked away. As soon as he could get to somewhere alone, he would notify Heaven and the Holy Messengers. He needed to know what the damned woman planned to do with the Human World. Yukihito hated surprises, and she was specialized in delivering most unpleasant ones when least expected. But this time, he was prepared. This time, she would never be able to catch him unguarded. Wait and see, woman, he thought angrily, what you dealt me once, I shall return ten-fold!

 

***

 

“Your thoughts, Fuyura?” Tsukazaki Haruhi said once they got out of the young man’s earshot. If someone laid eyes upon the sisters at the moment, all they were going to see would be two young women walking upon the rowdy streets of Mahoroba, leisurely and without a care in the world. They would never know that the twins were deploying all of their powers of perception, which in turn formed an undetectable field of external vision about themselves. As soon as someone with the tiniest spark of power got within two hundred feet of the twins, they would know it immediately. It might seem overkill to do such a thing in Onogoro, where the number of magisters had been dwindling over the centuries, but after the unexpected encounter with the intriguing young man, Haruhi believed extra caution was by no means needless.

“He’s suspicious, Haruhi,” her sister answered, her powers resonating with Haruhi’s in a faint but endless rhythm. As long as they were at each other’s side, joined in heart and strength, very few people in the Three Worlds could harm a strand of hair on either’s head.

“Yes, he said dirty alley, did he not?” Haruhi nodded. “A slip of the tongue, undoubtedly. A mortal is not supposed to even see the alley itself. Definitely suspicious.”

“A spy from Izumo?” Fuyura said.

“I would think so,” Haruhi agreed.

“Then I shall find out what he is up to,” the other woman murmured. She would have spun on her heel and walked in the opposite direction, too, had Haruhi not taken her hand and dragged her along by force. Her sister’s lips thinned in irritation.

“Do not be reckless, Fuyura,” Haruhi told her little sister. “Whatever he may be, the man is strong. He could see through the warding, and he concealed his powers so well that I sensed nothing from him at all. Pursuing a foe whose strength we cannot fathom is a disaster waiting to happen, why can you not see that?”

 “Then we are going to let him slip away just like that?” Fuyura muttered impatiently. “You do realize we must not let Izumo get a whiff of this, do you not, Haruhi?”

“I never said that I would leave that man run free in Onogoro, unchecked,” Haruhi answered in a wry tone.

“Then why did you stop me?”

“Because there are people more suitable for the job, dummy.” She knuckled her sister playfully on her forehead. “Do you claim to possess more talent in spying on people than the personnel of the Intelligence Service?”

“Oh,” was Fuyura’s only reply, accompanied by a few surprised blinks and an embarrassed gust of laughter. It would seem that she never remembered the existence of the Service, which, supposedly, was one of the departments under her jurisdiction. Haruhi only shook her head and sighed.

“So, will you ask your people to do something about that young man, now?”

“You need not tell me that.” Fuyura’s hand rose and pulled a PDA out of thin air. She then started to use her electronic pen, created in the same fashion, to scribble hurriedly on the LCD, meanwhile oblivious to the grimace Haruhi sent her way. Why did her twin sister not realize that they were walking upon a street full of people, who could have noticed what she had done and raised a fuss about it?

 “Done,” announced a pleased-looking Fuyura, who just let the PDA and the pen melt back into thin air. “What, why are you staring at me?” They both had stopped in front of a bakery shop, the storefront of which displayed a multitude of cakes of various colors and shapes and sizes. Near the entrance, behind a table, stood a teenaged girl who was calling and handing out samples to passers-by, who were swarming around her in a rapidly growing crowd. The cakes might actually be tasty, but Haruhi was willing to wager that it was the girl’s voluptuous body that drew in the customers, most of which were men whose eyes were fixing at her scantily covered curves. The manager of the shop knew how to do business, Haruhi supposed.

“Will you just tell me what has been going with you already, Fuyura?” Haruhi said in a soft voice. “I cannot help you if you refuse to speak up, you know.”

“What do you mean?” Fuyura seemed interested in the pavement all of a sudden. Still, she could not hide the fact that her face had gotten quite flushed. Haruhi frowned.

Haruhi and Fuyura were identical twins, and as such, they had almost everything in common. Their personalities, their tastes in food, their habits, and even the way they schemed were but the same. That was why it was effortless for Haruhi to notice when her sister started acting strange. Fuyura, the acclaimed precision machine in the Underworld, had been making numerous mistakes during the last few weeks. She was constantly in such a sour, short-tempered mood that she could barely focus her attention on matters at hand. As a result, the young lady mixed up documents, misallocated budgets, and even fell down the same stairs... twice... in a row.

Haruhi really did not get it. Her sister was in prime condition three weeks ago, before Haruhi left for Onogoro alone on a secret mission. Upon Haruhi’s return a day later, she found Fuyura already a mess. Her office, once clean and tidy enough to please any janitor, was buried in mountains of unfinished paperwork. Her raven hair, always falling in a straight stream all the way to her waist, looked unwashed and was tangled in what seemed like a bird’s nest. Haruhi had had to clean up the office and drag her sister to the bathroom herself.

Once done with that unpleasant task – Fuyura fought every step of the way – Haruhi had attempted to learn what had happened during her absence from the Underworld. She failed miserably. Her colleagues either did not know, or decided not to tell her. Even Haruhi’s liege lady changed the topic when asked, due to reasons that Haruhi failed to comprehend. And as if that was not bad enough, Fuyura kept being tight-mouthed as a mussel when Haruhi confronted her. She exasperated Haruhi no end.

“You know what I mean, Fuyura, you....”

“Look, Haruhi, do you not think they have really tasty-looking cakes over there?” her sister clamored all of a sudden while gesturing excitedly at the bakery shop. “Wait here, I will get some.” Not waiting for Haruhi’s assent, Fuyura walked hurriedly toward the girl who was handing out samples. Haruhi could only groaned in frustration at her sister’s blatant attempt of avoiding the question. Maybe Haruhi would have to tie her down first....

Bored and somewhat irritated, Haruhi watched in silence as the crowd of customers slowly parted ways to allow Fuyura’s access to the sale assistant in the middle. The men, who were speaking excitedly to the scantily clad girl a second before, now gawked openly at Haruhi’s twin sister as their mouths clamped shut in what seemed to be amazement. Some of them even had the nerve to call out to the young woman and would have attempted to touch her shoulder had she not given them a stare that would turn their internal organs to ice. Haruhi chuckled quietly to herself. The men’s behavior did not surprise her. They had never been famous for their ability to resist pretty women, anyway. She was amused, however, because the sale assistant, with the virtue of being also a girl, was not faring better than her customers, at all.

Leaning her back against a lamppost, Haruhi could not help but grin at the scandalously dressed sale assistant, who was blushing furiously at the raven-haired young woman who had just unexpectedly shown up at her table. The teenager, who had been quite professional in her job the way she juggled the people in the crowd without letting an inch of her body be touched, now could not seem to find her voice while her eyes glued dead at Fuyura’s pretty face. The other people surrounding the two might as well never exist. Only until Haruhi’s twin sister asked for a sample on the table did the girl snap out of her day dream. She then hurriedly looked at the remaining pieces on the table and finally gave Fuyura what Haruhi thought to be the most delicious-looking sample. When Fuyura’s fingertips accidentally brushed over the girl’s palm, she turned a deep shade of scarlet. Even after the raven-haired woman had walked into the shop – Haruhi’s sister liked what she tasted, undoubtedly – the teenager still peered through the glass door and watched as though unable to take her eyes away. Luckily, her customers were busy doing the same thing, too, so they did not notice.

Then the truth slapped Haruhi across her face. When Fuyura came back, holding a beautifully decorated box in her hands, she found her elder sister overwhelmed by an uncontrollable fit of laughter. How could Haruhi not be, really, when she finally understood the cause to Fuyura’s recent unusual behaviors? She could not believe she had been so blind. The signs had been there ever since the beginning, when the twins sought employment in the Underworld! She laughed even harder. Finally, she had found one thing that she did not share with her sister. Who could have believed this...?

“What is so funny?” Fuyura eyed Haruhi curiously.

“It is a secret, little sister,” she answered while her hand wiped a tear from the corners of her eyes.

“Tell me,” Fuyura demanded.

“Only if you do the same and tell me what has been bugging you lately.”

That shut Haruhi’s little sister up. The young woman, whose lips thinned into a straight line in indignation, decided to ignore her elder sister and stride forward. Chuckling softly, Haruhi caught up to the younger woman and walked arm in arm with her on the road that she knew to be leading toward Mahoroba City Amusement Park.

“What is it, Fuyura?” Haruhi asked when her sister suddenly stopped in her track.

“Did you see that black limousine that just rushed by?”

“Yes, what of it?”

“Himemiya Chikane was inside.”

“That is not exactly surprising, is it?” Haruhi observed. “This world is pretty small.”

“But she looked so anxious and worried,” insisted her little sister. “I wonder why.”

Haruhi glanced at the black limousine that was speeding into the distance and said nothing. Had Fuyura been paying attention to the live video feed that the Intelligence Service had been sending to the Underworld, she would have known why the Priestess of the Moon was currently not in the best of moods. Besides, considering her situation and what was coming to pass, who would not get depressed? Haruhi sighed. Much as she wanted to help the girl, though, she could not. Himemiya Chikane had better learn to take care of her self... at least for the time being.

 

***

 

“Tsubasa-nii-san?” Oogami Souma said, still unable to believe his eyes.

“You look well, Souma,” said the man in white, who was his long lost older brother.

“Tsubasa-nii-san.... Where have you been all this time?” Souma said with a sob and let go of the Lightning Blade. Raien left his hand and plunged its blade half way into the paved ground. Souma’s eyes began to sting and moisten.

“Before I answer that, let’s find ourselves a quiet place to talk.” Tsubasa-nii-san glanced at the surrounding. Passers-by, eyes glowing with curiosity, were gathering around them into a rapidly growing crowd, which didn’t seem to be disbanded any time soon. Overwhelmed with emotions as he was, Souma couldn’t help but chuckle. Of course, his blood brother was still suspending in mid-air, for crying out loud. Of course they would be curious.

“Anywhere you want, Tsubasa-nii-san. Would my house be okay?” Souma invited cheerfully. “Kazuki-nii-san would be overjoyed to see you again.”

“That would be too far away, and I am too lazy to walk,” Tsubasa-nii-san smiled. Shivers rippled down Souma’s spine. It was a very cruel smile, one that did not touch his eyes, and one more than capable of giving people nightmares.

“What... do you mean?”

“Why must we leave when we can simply wipe out the source of distraction?” The older man raised his crooked sword overhead. “Shine, Hokuto.”

At Tsubasa-nii-san’s command, countless beams of white light emerged from the seven gems encrusted on the sword. Everything happened so fast that Souma could only stand there, watching those beams thunder down like the heaviest rain he had ever seen. The ground exploded in chains, people were blasted into the sky just to be slammed down merciless afterwards. They never stood up again. Souma resisted the urge to buckle down and empty his stomach. Those people were still lucky to die in one piece. Some others were hit head on. What remained of them was nothing more than a few speck of dust, soon swept away from the face of the Earth by the evening winds of October.

The survivors got the picture. They screamed and tried to run in every direction at once. Alarms resounded endlessly in the air. From the speakers around the amusement park, the operators tried to calm the people down and asked them to evacuate in an orderly manner, yet their voices were soon drowned by the panicking cries of the people. Amidst all the chaos and destruction engineered by his own hands, Tsubasa-nii-san laughed and laughed and laughed.

“Is this not nice, Souma?” Tsubasa-nii-san landed quietly like a leaf falling to the ground. Dead bodies littered around his feet but he paid them as much attention as he would some fallen leaves.

Trembling from lava-hot anger, Souma roared, “Tsubasa-nii-san! What do you THINK you’re doing?!”

“I thought I told you we need a quiet place to talk,” replied an idle and seemingly bored Tsubasa-nii-san.

“And this is your idea of a quiet place? It’s a slaughterhouse, for pity’s sake!” yelled Souma with all of his furies, his hand gesturing at the dead bodies littering across the ground. When he realized that his brother’s expression hadn’t changed a hair, he grabbed the man’s collar and shouted, “Did you here me?”

“Let go of me, Souma.” Tsubasa-nii-san looked at him calmly.

“That’s all you can say? Tsubasa-nii-san!” If anything, Souma only gripped harder.

“What is this? You get mad at me, your blood brother, because of complete strangers?” Tsubasa-nii-san shook his head. “I am disappointed, Souma.” Faster than what Souma’s eyes could follow, the older man’s right hand positioned itself inches away from Souma’s chest. “And I said, let go!”

White light flashed. As if hit head on by a speeding car, Souma was hurled away from Tsubasa-nii-san and landed on his back upon the earth. Then he began to cough off blood over and over again. When he could stop, the entire front of his shirt was red.

“Why... Tsubasa-nii-san?” Souma mumbled weakly.

“Because I am an Orochi. Would that suffice?” Tsubasa-nii-san drew Raien from the ground with his free hand and threw it next to Souma. “Little brother, I was proud of you, proud of the fact that you defeated my comrades so easily. But how come you are so pitiful now?” He loomed over Souma, his voice grating like nails scratching the surface of a wall.

“What do you... want with me?” Souma tried to stand up. He couldn’t, for Tsubasa-nii-san had already pressed him down with a foot on Souma’s chest. Pain seized him once more.

“What else? As the Commander of the Orochi Followers, I have my duties.” Tsubasa-nii-san drew a cigarette from his pocket and lit it with a flame that burned at the tip of his sword. “I will give you two choices now, Souma. You can come with me willingly to the Temple of the Dragons, where the Lord resides. There you shall ask for his forgiveness and pledge your allegiance to him for all eternity. Worry not, little brother, for he will welcome you back to the Orochi ranks with open arms. I doubt he would even say a hard word to you, let alone dealing out punishment.”

“What’s the other choice?” Souma scoffed. “Death?”

“Naïve, Souma,” Tsubasa-nii-san said. “You will still come with me all the same. Know what, my little brother, if you refuse my offer, I shall invoke the darkness from your Sword and let it devour your soul. You still remember, do you not, the old friend that awakened you less than two weeks ago and made you attack the Priestesses?”

Chills rippled down Souma’s spines. He guessed his countenance must have mirrored what he was feeling inside his heart, for Tsubasa-nii-san suddenly seemed extremely pleased after he glanced at Souma’s face.

“So, my brother, what say you?” The older man gave Souma the same smile that had curved his lips before he proceeded to slaughter the people around him with his Hokuto the Star Blade. Souma decided that it was an extremely disgusting smile. “Will you return to my side and enjoy sweet immortality together?”

Gathering his resolve, Souma spat a fierce “Never” at his brother’s face.

“Is that a no?” the man asked quietly.

“You heard me! Nothing will control me ever again, Tsubasa-nii-san!” Souma glared at his brother. That earned him a hard stamp on the chest. Blood rushed painfully to his throat and spilled out from the corners of his mouth.

“Come see me here at midnight, Souma,” Tsubasa-nii-san turned around, “and I shall convince you otherwise.”

The older man swung his sword. From the encrusted gems on his blade, white light flooded out and enveloped him completely. When the light was gone, so was Souma’s brother. Souma put a hand over his face but he was too late to stop the tears that had already been rolling down his cheeks. For a moment there, he had thought he could reunite with Tsubasa-nii-san, for a moment there he had thought he would have a warm family again. Why.... Why did this have to happen to him? Why did the Gods make Souma’s blood brother his enemy? Why?

 

***

 

Kurusugawa Himeko had an inkling she had fled from one kind of trouble just to run into a different one when she almost stumbled into one person who was standing very still when everybody around her either was rushing toward the exit or finding shelters. That person was a girl roughly of Himeko’s age, whose pretty face was emotionless, whose platinum air was not moving in the night winds, and whose gray eyes were as dull as those of the dead. Yet, Himeko guessed the strangest thing about the girl was that the stream of panicking people parted before they could reach her, forking to flow past her slender frame on either side. It was as if they were a river, and she was an immovable rock standing in its way. Only in this case... the river didn’t touch the rock... at all.

“Fancy meeting you here, Priestess of the Sun,” said the stranger, who was standing but a few feet in front of Himeko, who was oblivious to the chaos around them. Her voice was soft, perfectly neutral, and bland as pure water, but it startled Himeko the same way the sound of a gunshot would.

“How do you know I’m a Priestess?” she asked apprehensively, her body instinctively taking a step backward. People were all around her... yet she had never felt more unsafe and alone in her life....

“Because I have been monitoring you since you moved to Mahoroba,” answered the other girl.

“What do you want with me?” Himeko took another step. She was afraid. No, she was terrified. This girl, frail and powerless as she might seem, scared Himeko even more than any Orochi Follower she had met did.

“Nothing harmful to you.” The platinum-haired girl’s hand rose. “You see, Priestess, the fact that you have not regained your powers is an obstacle in my plan, one I mean to see removed.” Colorful sparks jumped around her fingertips. “Worry not, child. You will thank me later, after I have restored your strength to what it once was.” Light that changed color every second or so started to gather around her hand in a growing orb. Before Himeko could turn around and flee, a shining pillar of light leapt forward and enveloped her.

The heat that flared up in the middle of her chest was the last thing Himeko felt before she passed out unconscious.

 

***

 

The platinum-haired aggressor knew that she had made a terrible miscalculation when the spell she cast bounced off the golden sphere of light surrounding Kurusugawa Himeko and struck down a man who happened to stand in its way. She knew she was in deep trouble when the golden sphere expanded as if it wanted to push her and all other people away from the Priestess of the Sun as far as possible. She knew she had to leave immediately when the heat of the protection sphere started to invade her ethereal self, threatening to overwhelm her... and also when she sensed a very familiar presence of power high in the starry sky.

Looking up, the aggressor widened her eyes upon seeing a figure clad in a snow-white hagoromo robe in Izumo’s fashion. It was a young woman whose long silver hair fell all the way to her feet, whose beautiful face was brimming with anger, and whose raised hands were blazing with silver light. Tsukiyomi-sama! she thought in horror. When did the Goddess of the Moon arrive? The aggressor tsk'ed in utmost irritation before she opened a Dimensional Portal and departed immediately from the scene. It was so close, she thought. It was so close!

 

***

 

Himemiya Chikane, on the edge of the back seat of the limousine, wanted to tear her hair out in frustration. She had once thought that her patience was inexhaustible but ten minutes of watching the traffic around her car advance at the speed of the turtle proved that she was dead wrong. Right now, she was but a hair’s breadth away from being driven insane with worries. At this moment, Himeko might have been in grave danger... yet Chikane could do naught but sit inside this almost unmoving car, feel her heart beat wildly and urgently within her chest, and listen to the sirens blaring in the distance. The knowledge only worsened the lethal mood that had been plaguing Chikane ever since her beloved little angel left for the Amusement Park this afternoon.

 

...

 

“Have fun, Himeko,” she said to the golden-haired girl.

They were standing at the entrance to the Himemiya Mansion, Chikane at the top of the short flight of stairs, Himeko at the bottom, near the black limousine arranged to take her to the amusement park. The girl, beautiful in the dress chosen for her by Chikane’s own hand, was not looking particularly happy. Chikane was puzzled. She knew perfectly why she was feeling terrible inside, but why would Himeko, who was about to go on a date with her long lost childhood friend, her knight in shining armor, seem so upset?

“Do you have anything else to say to me, Chikane-chan?” the little angel said quietly, her beautiful amethyst eyes locking at Chikane’s sapphire. The girl seemed expectant, hopeful, and despaired at the same time. Chikane did not get it.

“Take care of yourself,” was all Chikane could come up with. As far as she was concerned, it was not what Himeko had wanted to hear, for the girls face had taken on a shade of dejection as soon as Chikane was done. The Priestess of the Sun let out a quiet, disappointed sigh, too. Chikane but wondered what her secret crush was thinking in her head.

“You too, Chikane-chan,” Himeko said as she climbed the short stone flight of stair. When she reached Chikane, the little angel gave her a warm hug before she climbed down and got into the limousine. Her waving hand from the window was the last thing Chikane saw before the car made a right turn at the gate to the Mansion and vanished. She sighed as she turned around and went back inside with a heart that was as light as a boulder of rock.

She tried to play the piano in the music room at the far corner of the West wing. It did not work out. Somehow, the notes she played sounded so... hollow that she felt no joy in playing her favorite pieces like she used to in the little angels presence. Perhaps that was the key. After all, in the golden-haired girls absence, this Mansion had grown infinitely quieter despite the fact that the servants were still there, busy with their tasks all over the place. Without Himeko, this place could have been as lively as a churchyard at midnight, she thought. She even started considering whether she should call the MBA team His Mightiness Himemiya Kyou had hired to relieve some of her boredom... and sadness.

Chikane decided that she would not. Studying business while feeling so depressed probably would turn the rest of the day into a nightmare. That she had had enough. Maybe she should retire to her room and have some rest instead. The Gods knew all too well how hard those four men and three women in the MBA team had tried their best to stuff knowledge into her brain and exhausted Chikane in the process. Yes, a little nap would be a good idea indeed. She rose from the piano seat and walked out of the music room.

 

...

 

She never managed to get a nap. It was somewhat similar to what had happened in the music room, she supposed. Chikane had been in such a restless state that she could not stop herself from tossing and turning on the bed, or even keep her eyes closed. In the end, she gave up and decided to stand by the sill of her window and watch the sun sinking into the horizon, something she always did whenever she was in a bad mood. It was there that she was seized by such a feeling of urgency and danger she had summoned her chauffer immediately and ordered him to take her to the amusement park.

Chikane’s anger rocketed sky-high the moment her attention returned to the flow of vehicles around her. Every car, including her own, had pulled to a stop. Peering through the windshield at the front of the limousine, she felt as if she was going to erupt like a volcano. The car was practically sitting atop a very low hill, near the junction of the Tenth Avenue and the Eighth, so it was possible for Chikane to see what kind of traffic lay ahead. What she did was a seemingly endless road mounted by countless unmoving red tail lights. She did not believe she could ever reach Mahoroba City Amusement Park unless she abandoned the car right at this moment. Yet, even if she did, there was still no guarantee she could arrive on time, seeing that there was still a long way from here to where Himeko was stranded. A lava-hot flame roared from the pit of her stomach and soared all the way to her brain.

The heat of a thousand suns flared on her back, where the Moon Crest was, at the same time a disc of silver light emerged beneath her feet and filled the space within the confinement of the car with its glorious luminescence. The light was so brilliant that Chikane’s eyes instinctively drew shut. When they opened up again, she was no longer sitting on the back seat of the black limousine. She was on her feet now, standing in a large and empty square where deafening sirens were blaring over her head. She did not need to look at the Ferris Wheel looming over the distance to her left, or the Merry-go-round platform to her right, both of which was not moving, to know that she had arrived at her desired destination. No, she did not need to, not when in front of her, under the starry sky, was blazing a large golden sphere of light... in the dead center of which floated Kurusugawa Himeko, the girl she loved.

As if guided by divine will, Chikane’s hands automatically darted forward before she had an idea of what she was doing. Winds howled and silver light raged at the same time the golden sphere shattered into a million sparkling pieces and allowed gravity to pull Himeko toward the cement-paved ground. Standing very still, Chikane only reached out her hands once more and commanded the silver light gathering around her body to extend upward and swathe Himeko’s slender frame. Once it had broken the golden-haired girl’s fall, the silver light put her into Chikane’s arms as carefully and gently as a man would handle a fragile egg.

As soon as she caught Himeko, Chikane immediately scanned the surrounding for a way out. She saw many paths leading in different directions, each seemed as likely to be the true exit as the next. Chikane did not want to choose, for she was well aware that any of them could lead her deeper into the park, or worse, straight toward an Orochi. She had to find a quicker and safer way to bring Himeko out of this place. She found it the moment she realized that silver light was still whirling around her like the strongest tornado she had ever seen, that torrential currents of lava and ice were coursing madly inside her body. Holding Himeko more tightly in her arms, Chikane called forth the powers that had brought her here and helped her save Himeko. And they came.

A flash of silver light took Chikane and an unconscious Himeko out of the amusement park and delivered them back to Himeko’s room in the Himemiya Mansion, just as Chikane had willed it to.

Thanks to the silver light still wreathing around her, Chikane could see where the large king-sized bed was. The light, however, winked out the moment she laid the little angel upon the bed and returned the room to the pitch black darkness that had reigned in here until it was banished by Chikane’s luminous arrival. Quietly, Chikane flipped a switch and turned on the two bed lamps sitting atop the small tables located on either side of the bed. She then gave the sleeping beauty, who did seem to be immersed in a deep slumber more than a comma, a light, lingering kiss on the forehead before she pushed a button over the headboard and summoned the maid currently on duty to this room immediately. Giving her sweetheart one last look, Chikane walked out of the room.

“Ojou-sama!” exclaimed a young woman in Himemiya livery, who arrived moments after Chikane had closed Himeko’s door quietly behind her. “When did you return?”

“Will you tend to Kurusugawa-san inside and help her dress for bed?” Chikane ignored the maid’s question and said. “Try not to wake her up.”

“As you wished, Ojou-sama.” The servant, whose name Chikane did not know, gave her a solemn bow as befits Chikane’s high station before she went inside.

Arms folded beneath her chest, Chikane leaned her back against the wall opposite Himeko’s door and waited. Under the light of the crystal chandeliers hanging in the spacious hallway, she started to wonder what had happened inside the amusement park that could have lead to Himeko’s being encapsulated by that sphere of golden light. It was then that anger rose in her heart and hissed like a viper. And where was Oogami Souma? she thought. She had entrusted the girl she loved to the boy, thinking that he would somehow keep Himeko safe. The Orochi Follower, regardless of whether he had overcome his innate darkness or not, had proved to be most unreliable tonight. Chikane doubted she would trust him ever again....

“What are you doing?!” Himeko’s voice cried out from beyond the closed door. She sounded on the verge of panic.

“Please calm down, Kurusugawa-sama,” replied the maid in a polite and patient tone. “I’m helping you get dressed for bed, as Ojou-sama has instructed me to.”

“Chikane-chan’s home?! Where is she?” A strangely joyous note entered the angel’s voice.

“Right outside your door, I believe. Now if you would just let me....”

Thundering footfalls were all Chikane heard before the mahogany door swung open and admitted a half-dressed Himeko. Chikane’s breath caught. The only pieces of clothing that the little angel had on herself right at this moment were her bra, her panties, and an unbuttoned pajama shirt hanging loosely on her slender shoulders, all of which left a fair amount of skin on her body bare. Chikane felt a blush creeping onto her cheeks. Although the sight of her sweetheart in her undergarments or even naked was nothing new to her, she could not help but feel... dizzy as if she had gulped down a glassful of alcohol.

Giving herself a mental shake, Chikane focused her attention on the face of the one she loved. Only then did she notice that the other girl’s visage was being contorted with fear. Chikane frowned. Why?

“Chikane-chan, please, call Oogami-sensei for me!” the angel said urgently, her hands gripping Chikane’s sleeves.

“Why?” Chikane asked quietly. She had the feeling she was not going to like what Himeko was about to tell her.

“Sou-chan’s in danger! He’s fighting an Orochi right now!” Each of those words was a hammer’s blow to Chikane’s heart. “Call the sensei, let him know!”

“Oogami-san is a powerful Orochi himself, Himeko. He may not need reinforcement,” Chikane said, still trying to recover from the shock.

“Please, Chikane-chan!” Himeko pleaded. “I’m worried about Sou-chan. He stayed to buy time for my escape. If anything happened to him....” Tears welled up in her eyes and made Chikane felt as if someone had run a sword through her chest. The girl’s panic, her urgency, and her concern toward the boy had confirmed Chikane’s greatest fear. Oogami Souma’s position had risen very high in Himeko’s heart. And whether his was higher than Chikane’s own or not... she did not think she would like to find out.

“I see.” Chikane gave the angel an assuring nod. “I shall call Shingetsu immediately.”

“Thank you so much, Chikane-chan.” Himeko literally jumped into Chikane’s arms and gave her a warm, tight hug. Sighing inwardly, Chikane returned the hug and let her hand brush the other girl’s glorious stream of golden hair while trains of thoughts crisscrossed madly in her mind. Five minutes later, she realized that her secret crush had not let go of her. In fact, Chikane was under the impression that the girl had done nothing but tighten her arms around Chikane’s body and rested her face against Chikane’s neck.

Chikane sighed. She would have preferred to hold the girl this way forever... but she could not. Not when she still needed to call the Grand Shrine per the angel’s request, not when her servant was peering at them from inside Himeko’s room, her face painted with stark curiosity. Perhaps the young woman was wondering why the mistress of the Himemiya Mansion was holding her best friend in her arms so intimately, with such a blissful expression on her face.

“Ne, Himeko,” Chikane called softly as her hand moved to the small of Himeko’s back and stroked it gently. “Why don’t you get dressed properly and go to bed early today? You must have been exhausted.”

“Get dressed? What do you mean? I am...” the little angel pulled back and asked in a wondering tone. She stopped talking altogether the moment she realized she was only half-dressed. The angel immediately pulled the front of her pajama shirt together and walked back into her room with a complexion red enough to shame a sunset. The maid inside gave Chikane another bow and closed the mahogany door.

Pulling her cell phone out from her coat pocket, she dialed the number of Shingetsu Grand Shrine. She now had realized that when she gave the room for Himeko to live in, she had forgotten to furnish it with a phone. Maybe I should get her a cell phone, too, she thought.

 

***

 

Sitting at a round table placed just outside a coffee shop near Mahoroba City Amusement Park, Yui the Goddess of the Sun took the last sip from the cup of Cappuccino she ordered. It was by no means as exquisite as the coffee she was often served in the Holy City – the Immortals had grown fond of the black, bitter liquid over the years, so coffee shops rose in Heaven one after another to satisfy their need – but it was good enough to please her, she supposed. Besides, she had heard that no shop in the area brewed better coffee. The incredible amount of customers it attracted – every other seat was taken, every table was filled – surely justified that claim. She had never seen a more crowded shop during the entire time she spent in Mahoroba.

Yui looked up at the night sky. There was no moon today, only the twinkling stars decorated the darkness of the heavens. She wondered what little Himeko and Chikane were doing now. She sighed. Those children were just clueless, and hopeless, too. They loved one another so dearly, there was nothing that could not be more obvious, yet unless they told one another how they felt outright, they would never know how much they were worth in each other’s hearts. Well, that couldn’t be helped in any case. Little Himeko was extremely dense in that area and Chikane... was just worrying too much.

Only one word could describe their situation. Sad.

Yui was about to wave for a waiter and order another cup when she noticed the presence of the Tsukazaki sisters. The twins, more beautiful and richly dressed than most people in this city, were walking toward her while their graceful and elegant flowing movements drew the eyes of other customers in the shop, men’s and women’s alike. Upon arrival at Yui’s table, Tsukazaki Haruhi and Tsukazaki Fuyura gave her a deep bow before speaking up in unison, in the same voice, with the same pitch, “We apologize for being late, Yui-sama.”

“Never mind that and have a seat, Haru-chan, Fuyu-chan.” Yui smiled warmly at the Tsukazaki siblings. Only after they had settled in front of her did she notice that they brought along a small box, the sweet fragrance emanating from which was distinct even amidst that of the coffee permeating the night air. Fuyura, who had the box in her hands, held it the way someone would a family heirloom. Whenever the younger Tsukazaki glanced at the box, which she did every ten seconds or so, her usually snowy complexion would grow a little bit redder and her fingertips would brush against one of its six sides in a most affectionate manner. Yui smiled. She believed she knew the one who would receive that box from the girl later, once she had returned to the Underworld.

Yui suddenly noticed that the elder Tsukazaki was looking straight at her with a strange smile on her lips. When the girl’s gaze flickered toward the box in her little sister’s hands, then came back to Yui’s face a heartbeat later, she knew that Haruhi had finally realized that her sister had been harboring some sort of secret. Yui chuckled softly to herself. Well, well, well, wasn’t this interesting?

“How are you feeling, Yui-sama?” inquired the elder Tsukazaki. “We and the Lady have been very worried about your health. Had it not been for urgent matters that requires her immediate attention, she would have come here herself.”

“I’m well.” Yui smiled warmly at each of the twins. “Thank you for your concern. Please tell the Lady that she doesn’t have to worry. It’s highly unlikely that I will drop dead any time soon.” She chuckled quietly at that.

“How can you be well?” Fuyura frowned, evidently not finding Yui’s joke funny. “The weekly health reports you sent us surely indicated that there had been more seizures and violent outbursts than the last three millennia combined. You are the mighty Goddess of the Sun, but even your body cannot take all of that without suffering severe internal injuries.”

“My little sister is right.” Haruhi nodded agreement. “I believe it was time for you to come to the Underworld for a thorough checkup, Yui-sama. If you wish, I can make the necessary arrangements right now.”

“I don’t have time for that, Haru-chan.” Yui smiled softly. “There are still too many things I must take care of. Besides, it’s too risky for me to go to Reiha.”

“It is even riskier if you leave your body unchecked like this, Yui-sama,” Haruhi insisted. “What if it breaks down?”

“Well, I still have the Suishou no Bara no Hagoromo to keep me safe, don’t I?” Yui said with her chin propped on her interlaced hands. “I did bring it with me at all times in case of emergency, you know.”

“Still!” said the Tsukazaki siblings at the same time. Yui decided to forestall them. She raised a hand, which made them fall silent.

“Shall we discuss what we come here for, Haru-chan, Fuyu-chan?” Yui was still smiling, but her firm tone made it clear that she didn’t want to come to the Underworld no matter what they might say to convince her. The girls realized that, so they only sighed deeply and glanced at each other in sheer exasperation.

“So, how is everything going down there?” Yui asked.

“Well according to plan, Yui-sama,” said Haruhi in resignation. “I daresay that we will have everything you require before the deadline. Let us give you a more detailed report.”

When the twins were done, an hour had already passed.

“I’m very pleased, Haru-chan, Fuyu-chan,” Yui said, smiling brightly at the Tsukazaki siblings. “Will you convey my message to everyone involved in the Operation that I truly appreciate their efforts?”

“We will, Yui-sama,” answered the twins in unison. “Is there any other instruction for us before we leave?”

“No... actually, yes. Haru-chan, may I have a word in private with your sister?” Tsukazaki Haruhi smiled as if she had expected it. Fuyura, on the other hand, frowned at Yui suspiciously.

“So what is it, Yui-sama?” Fuyura said once her elder sister had left them alone. The younger Tsukazaki was still holding the box in her hands in such a way that she gave Yui the impression she was going to die before she let go of it. She made Yui smile.

“How much did you pay for that strawberry cheesecake, Fuyu-chan?” Yui asked offhandedly.

“A couple of thousand yen for six slices,” Fuyura answered, her dark eyes flickering at the box in her hand while her cheeks reddened once more. “I know it was rather costly but the sample I tasted was very good, so....” She gave a start. “How did you know I bought a strawberry cheesecake? Did you probe the box with your powers?” the raven-haired girl demanded heatedly. Over the years, little by little, Yui had managed to earn the twins’ love, but that little detail had never made Fuyura mince words with her if the girl didn’t want to. In fact, of all the people in the Underworld, Fuyura was the one most likely to tell Yui to her face that she was being an idiot... which the girl did... a few times.

“I can swear on my honor as a Goddess that I did no such thing.” Yui laughed quietly. “I just happen to know someone in Reiha who was extremely fond of that kind of cake, that’s all.” Fuyura’s usually snowy complexion went beet-red.

“Since when did you know?” the girl asked after a while.

“Pretty much the beginning, Fuyu-chan.” Yui chuckled. “I only needed a glance at you to notice that you were madly in love. After all, I once behaved the very same way.”

“I see....”

“Have you made your confession?”

“Yes....”

“How did it go?” Yui knew the answer to her own question before the younger Tsukazaki opened her mouth and spoke. It couldn’t have been more obvious, really, when the girl had seemed so agonized the moment she heard what Yui asked.

“I was rejected,” Fuyura mumbled in a bitter voice.

“I’m very sorry, Fuyu-chan.” Yui moved to the chair next to that of the younger Tsukazaki, where she gently ran her fingers through the girl’s stream of glossy raven hair.

“Not your fault, it’s mine,” Fuyura muttered. “I was too hasty. I should have been more patient. I... should have asked Haruhi for advice before I confessed.”

“Will you be okay?”

“I will.” Fuyura nodded and smiled. “I am just feeling a little depressed at the moment. I will get better soon.” She hesitated. “Yui-sama, do you think I should keep on trying? I mean, my feelings may never get across....”

“Why do you ask me that when you have never intended on giving up?” Yui smiled tenderly at the lovesick girl next to her while tapping her forefinger softly upon the top of the cake box. “If you have, you wouldn’t have bought this, would you?”

“Well, yes,” the younger Tsukazaki muttered shyly. “After all, time changes all of creation, and I have all the time in the world. I guess being an Immortal does have its perks.” Fuyura laughed softly at that. The girl sounded cheerful again.

“That’s a good way of thinking.” Yui gave the girl a hug. “I wish you luck, Fuyu-chan.” Then Yui caught sight of another girl in casual shirt and trousers standing half a dozen yards away, whose back was leaning against a wall near the entrance to the coffee shop, whose platinum long hair was deathly still even in the night winds, whose gray eyes, lightless and void of emotion, were fixed at Yui herself.

“I have company,” Yui said to the younger Tsukazaki as she pulled away, “so I guess I’ll see you later ne, Fuyu-chan.”

“As you wished, Yui-sama. And do take care of yourself.” Fuyura rose gracefully to her feet, offered Yui a deep bow, then walked away.

As soon as the younger Tsukazaki was gone, the platinum-haired girl immediately took her seat. No one in the vicinity except Yui noticed that the newcomer had crossed the distance separating her initial position and what was once Fuyura’s chair in less than a heartbeat. Well, mortals couldn’t see what lay right in front of their eyes most of the times anyway....

“I’m impressed that you found me, Rinne-chan,” Yui said with a smile. “Mind telling me how you managed that?”

“I was in the neighborhood, nee-sama,” replied the stone-faced girl. “I was about to go home when I saw you. Just a coincidence.” Her quiet and monotonous voice made her face seem lively. How long had it been since the girl last smiled, Yui wondered?

“In the neighborhood? Up to no good again, perhaps?” Yui chuckled quietly. “Please don’t tell me those sirens that have been blaring for a while now have something to do with you.”

Rinne shook her head. “No, that was not my doing.” She glanced toward the direction of the amusement park. Not just sirens, Yui had heard explosions, too. She would have gone to check it out, of course, had she not had to stay here and wait for the Tsukazaki siblings. What could have been going on over there, really?

“Well then, Rinne-chan, what business have you with me today?” Rinne had never been the type who came to someone just because she wanted to say hi, that much Yui could still remember after all these years.

“Have you been visiting him of late, nee-sama?” Rinne asked, her voice growing affectionate, her face soft. It was moments like this that people could see how beautiful the girl was. Too bad she hid this side of her as vigorously as any man would his treasure.

“Almost every day,” Yui said quietly.

“Is he well?” Concern and love shone in the girl’s gray eyes.

“There’s no danger to Akira’s health, Rinne-chan.” Yui sighed. “He’s rather haggard, but his Immortality is as strong as ever.” She hesitated. “I... can’t tell you how I know, my dear one, but Akira has always been grieving for you. He misses you a lot.” A tear rolled down the cheek of Yui’s companion as the girl’s expression turned mournful. Quietly, Yui reached out with her hand and wiped the tear off Rinne’s pretty face. “Don’t cry.”

“I am eternally grateful to you, nee-sama.” Rinne bowed to Yui where she sat. “Thank you, for having taken care of him for me during my absence.” When she straightened up again, she used the sleeve of her shirt to dab at her eyes.

“You don’t have to say that,” Yui whispered as her hand gently stroked the girl’s head. “He’s my blood brother. It’s natural that I watch over him as best I could.” Rinne murmured something in response, but Yui couldn’t tell what. Silence followed and stretched rather uncomfortably until Rinne seemed to have suddenly remembered something and pounded a fist upon her palm.

“I almost forgot, nee-sama,” the platinum-haired girl said. “I saw Tsukiyomi-sama on my way here. She was floating somewhere above the Amusement Park.” For some reason, her lips thinned and eyes narrowed as if in irritation. Yui wondered why. Sure, unlike Yui, Yue had never been close to Rinne to begin with, but they never did anything to offend each other... did they?

“Oh, were Chikane and Himeko there?” Yui asked. Those children should be the only reason why Yue would come to a place in which she had never been interested. The Goddess of the Moon did nothing except for staying close to the Priestesses and silently protecting them from the shadows these days.... Yui sighed. In a way, the girls were all that Yue lived for. Should the former perish.... Yui shivered.

“Kurusugawa Himeko was,” Rinne corrected.

“So she was.... Hey wait a minute. Did she have anything to do with those explosions I heard?”

“She didn’t.” Rinne shook her head. “The commotion was caused by the Orochi First Head, who came for Seventh, who happened to be in there at the same time,” she said matter-of-factly.

“Then do tell, Rinne-chan, why were you there?” Yui peered at the platinum-haired in sheer curiosity.

“The Priestess of the Sun herself, obviously, nee-sama,” Rinne answered in a flat voice. Maybe she was truly grateful to Yui... but that never stopped Rinne from talking to her the way she did to almost everybody else, of course.

“I see....” For a moment there, Yui considered letting Rinne in on the plans she herself was hatching just so the girl would leave the Priestesses alone... and rejected it. It would be much wiser to observe the situation for a little bit more before making a decision, she believed.... Less dangerous and risky, too.

“How is your relationship with Tsukiyomi-sama going these days?” Rinne asked.

“Bad as ever,” replied Yui with a sigh. “Whenever we met, she either mocked me or gave me the cold shoulder. I tried to ask what I have done to offend her many times, but she just wouldn’t answer me.”

“You did not do anything, nee-sama,” the platinum-haired girl said quietly. “It has never been your fault.”

“It’s not? How so?” Yui blinked at Rinne in shock. She didn’t doubt the girl, though, for Rinne never lied without good cause, and she had no cause to lie to Yui about such a personal matter.

Rinne peered back at Yui for a good five minutes as if she was pondering something in her head before she spoke in a surprisingly guarded voice, “She treated you the way she did because she thought she had to hate you to live on. Tsukiyomi-sama is that kind of person, she really is, you know.” To Yui’s surprise, Rinne smiled softly before she rose to her feet.

“Hey, don’t leave yet!” Yui said hurriedly. “What do you mean by that?”

“That is not for me to reveal, but for you to discover on your own, Amaterasu-nee-sama,” Rinne answered with a bow, her slender body fading away like smoke. “Fare you well.” The platinum-haired girl vanished without being noticed amidst a sea of people. Yui could only tsk in exasperation. It was one thing to speak in riddles to toy with people but it was another thing to be at the receiving end. Yui had had no idea that Rinne could do something like that, being the straightforward and simpleminded girl she was. Yui scratched her head. And why does Yue have to hate me to live on, my dear Rinne-chan?

 

***

 

“The warm towel is here, sensei,” Yukihito handed the Shingetsu High Priest what he had requested, which he placed upon his forehead of his brother. Oogami Souma, usually energetic and invulnerable to common diseases, now lay weakly upon his bed, his chest and torso heavily bandaged, his countenance twisted by pain even in sleep. Worse, he seemed to have been struck down by a fever so terrible heat came off from the boy’s body in waves. Any mortal who was in here, Souma’s own room, would probably feel as if they were standing under the midday sun of summer. The young master of Shingetsu Grand Shrine, unconscious as he was, was discharging all the energy he had taken in from the Priests. Oogami Kazuki obviously was aware of that fact the way he kept grimacing at his adopted little brother. Probably the man was wishing that he had never asked his fellow Priests to work their Healing upon the boy.

It was a brutal business, in any case. Yukihito could still recall how thirteen Priests, the most skilled Healers under Kazuki’s command, had sweated within an inch of their lives trying to heal a dozen of broken bones and internal juries in Oogami Souma’s body. Yukihito would not have attempted that. The High Priest, worried about his brother’s life, had not stopped to consider before he screamed at his subordinates to help the boy. Kazuki should have realized that Oogami Souma, regardless of whether he had disavowed his ties to the Sinner or not, was still an Orochi Follower whose powers stemmed from the Darkness of humanity. As such, there was no point in trying to make the power of the Light heal him, was there?

 Too bad, the Healers did not know, and Yukihito did not dare reveal that, so he could only watch thirteen elderly men trying to do the impossible by pitching their holy powers against the Orochi darkness within Souma’s soul. They lost, of course, but they never noticed that they had until all of them collapsed from fatigue. Result? No bone and no injury in Souma’s body were healed. They would have had all on their own had the Priests left Souma to the care of his own self-healing powers, in fact. The only thing that the Priests had succeeded in was delaying Souma’s recovery. Even now, a considerable portion of Souma’s strength was being used to expel the alien energies that the Healers had forced into him. Yukihito shook his head and thought, Ignorant mortals.

“Do we know who attacked Souma-san, sensei?” he asked. When Yukihito, Oogami Kazuki, and another bunch of Protectors of the Swords arrived at the amusement park, they only found the boy lying in his own blood, breathing very weakly, and no perpetrators at all. Well, he could have contacted the Holy Messengers to get the information himself, of course, but that would involve enormous risk that he did not exactly need at this moment.

Yukihito’s eyes flickered toward the open window in Oogami Souma’s room. There, he spotted many traces of powers. They were extremely faint, but to someone like Yukihito, they were unmistakable. Yukihito did not have to guess to know that he had been tailed by spies from the Underworld. He noticed them ten minutes after he ran into the twins in Downtown Mahoroba, which told him that it was they who sent the infuriating pests to shadow him. Yukihito must have slipped something to make them suspicious then... he just did not know what. Worst of all, he could not kill the spies, for that would certainly confirm the Underworld’s suspicion. But well, once the Holy Messengers dealt with those sneaky creatures, Yukihito would be free.

“I know who did, Yukihito-kun,” Oogami Kazuki, sitting on a chair by his brother’s bed, answered quietly. “It was Tsubasa-kun.”

“And that would be...?” Yukihito prompted. He had the feeling he had seen this name once before, probably mentioned in one of the numerous reports archived in the Messenger Division’s computer, but he had not had the time to read it. The best he could recall was that Tsubasa was the name of an Orochi and that was it. It did not explain why Kazuki seemed to be quite intimate with the man, who should be the High Priest’s sworn enemy as well as that of humankind.

“Souma’s blood brother himself,” the High Priest said in a pained voice. Yukihito blinked. “I saw Tsubasa-kun earlier today, he paid me a two-second visit, you see, but I never imagined in my wildest dream that he would attack Souma.”

“Were the brothers close, sensei?” Yukihito asked.

“As close as they could be.” Kazuki let out a long sigh. “They were inseparable as kids. Souma looked up to Tsubasa-kun the way he would his idol.”

“If so, why has Souma-san never mentioned his brother before?”

“It was only natural that he hasn’t,” answered the High Priest. “Sit down, Yukihito-kun,” the other man gestured at the second chair in the room, “and I’ll tell you all about the entire story.”

“Are you sure you want to, sensei?” Yukihito-said levelly, unmoving where he stood. “It is, after all, a family matter.”

“Souma and I see you as family now, my young friend.” Kazuki smiled. “In fact, Souma himself has been trying to tell you everything. He just never found the chance.” The High Priest’s hand once more gestured at the chair. Yukihito took it, meanwhile thinking how ironic it was that those mortals considered him family while his very own daughter only warmed up to him because she was afraid of what he might do to the one she loved.

“You see, Yukihito-kun,” Oogami Kazuki began, “Souma’s life was both a blessing and a curse. It was a blessing in that he had an angel for an elder brother. It was a curse in that his father was a demon from the depth of hell.” The High Priest took a deep breath, his visage roiling with anger. “Having lost their mother quite early in life, the children grew up in fear and suffering. The only things their father, a man with less humanity than a beast, were good at was consuming alcohol before he returned home every single day and then beating the brothers to a pulp.” Kazuki’s fists, clenched atop his lap, started to quiver.

 “You must have noticed it already, Yukihito-kun, that Souma did everything he could to avoid being seen without clothes. It wasn’t that he was shy. It was that he didn’t want anyone to see the scars on his skin, the result of the terrible tortures he had undergone as a kid. Not just that, even his mind was scarred, for life. Even now, the boy would tremble whenever someone uttered a name that resembled that of his father.”

The High Priest paused for a moment, then continued, “As you are probably aware, Souma is in love with Kurusugawa Himeko, the Priestess of the Sun. Although he had recognized her as soon as he saw her one year ago, he never told her once that he was once her childhood friend. He was afraid that she would learn the secrets of his dark, painful past, so when he realized that Kurusugawa-san didn’t recognize him, he decided to start their relationship anew. For many people, the past is a fond memory. For Souma, it’s something that is best forgotten.”

“How was it that he was adopted into your family in the end, sensei?” Yukihito asked.

“It was a tragic business, Yukihito-kun.” Oogami Kazuki massaged his forehead. “It happened quite a few years ago, back when I still knew nothing about the two children’s living condition. One night, I received a phone call from an officer in a Tokyo police station in the middle of the night. He told me that Souma and Tsubasa-kun’s father had been murdered, and as the children’s only living relative, I had a right to know.

“Panicking, I immediately arranged for a flight to the capital, where I was finally informed of one detail the officer had left out during the phone call. The perpetrator in this murder... was none other than Tsubasa-kun himself. It was only after that was I allowed to meet the child. Yukihito-kun, Tsubasa-kun was only twelve then, but when I saw him in the police’s station, he seemed to have aged at least a few years. I have a favor to ask of you, sensei. Please take Souma with you when you leave, the boy had said without preamble. I can still remember the desperation in his voice, the deep sadness in his eyes, and the tears that never stopped flowing down his cheeks while he told me what he and his brother had been going through since their mother’s death. I was horrified.

“That monster was trying to kill Souma, Tsubasa-kun told me in a broken voice. He came home and he saw Souma doing homework. Somehow, he got angry and started beating him. I... I didn’t know what to do. Souma was bleeding, and he looked like he was in so much pain. I... I... only wanted to help him so I took up the knife in the kitchen and told the monster to leave my brother alone. I didn’t expect him to leap at me. The next thing I know, the knife was already in his heart. The boy looked at his hands in horror, then, as though unable to believe what he had done to his father.”

Yukihito glanced at the unconscious boy lying on his bed. If he recalled correctly, the other Orochi Followers were in no better condition. Each and every single one of them had encountered tragedies in their life, either in their early childhood or just a few years before the Orochi powers in their bodies became activated. He but wondered if it was just a coincidence... or a cruel stroke of fate.

“Yukihito-kun, I had been shocked at that time, so much so that all I could do was listen to that frightened child’s story,” the High Priest said mournfully. “In the end, Tsubasa-kun repeated that he wished Souma to be taken to Mahoroba with me when I left. Deliver him out of this pit of hell, sensei, he begged me. I only wanted to save him from the monster, but I’m not going to get away with it. Souma only has you to rely on now, sensei. Please, grant my one final wish, raise him as your child, give him the happiness that I can never give. As soon as he was done talking, Tsubasa-kun had fallen to his knees and bowed to me repeatedly, his forehead pounding against the concrete floor. Horrified, I tried to stop him. He never let me, even though his head was bleeding, until I agreed to adopt Souma into my family. He had wept so happily in my arms then, before he gave in to the stress and fatigue that had been plaguing his young body.”

“He was a very kind brother, sensei,” Yukihito said quietly.

“Nothing could be closer to the truth.” Oogami Kazuki gave him a sad smile. “So I hadn’t been able to believe it when I heard from Souma’s mouth that Tsubasa-kun had attacked him.”

 Yukihito glanced at Oogami Souma again, feeling a familiar emotion fastening around his heart. He had only spent one year in the Human World but during that one year, he had been taught one thing that a few thousand years in Heaven could not. Yukihito grimaced. Feelings of guilt could be so disquieting sometimes.

 

***

 

“I don’t really understand what the First Head’s thinking,” Korona declared after she had taken a sip from the cup of Earl Grey tea she was holding in her hand. “He could have finished that traitor.”

“You are an only child, are you not, Fourth Head?” Without taking her eyes off of the leather-bound book on her lap, Oota Reiko took her own cup of tea from atop the table and brought it to her lips, where she enjoyed the black liquid’s tangy aroma before she drank it. Boyish she might appear, the young woman was preternaturally graceful. Compared to her, the other Heads, including Korona herself, seemed at best savages.

“Yeah. So?” Korona raised an eyebrow at the other woman.

“So you cannot possibly know what an elder brother’s way of thinking, evidently.”

“And you do?”

“I never claimed to,” answered the Fifth Head in her usually quiet and monotonous voice. “But why do you care anyway? Leave the First Head’s business to himself.” Reiko lifted her head and gave Korona a meaningful glance. “Besides, putting your nose in the wrong place may invite someone to cut it off.”

Korona tsk’ed. The someone the Fifth Head referred to was none other than Girochi Miyako, the Second Head. The woman was so obsessed over her beloved Tsubasa-sama that she would do her best to kill any woman who got within two feet of the man, regardless of the fact that he willed it or not. Korona had always thought Miyako as a disgrace to the Orochi team the way she kept mooning over a man who obviously didn’t want her for a lover. It was pathetic.

“Fourth Head,” Oota Reiko said. The woman was gazing toward the sky over the garden of the Temple of the Dragons. “Do you know that girl?” Her face was troubled.

Follow Reiko’s line of sight, Korona’s Orochi-enhanced eyes found two figures, one carried in the other’s arms, approaching the highest level of the Temple, where the Lord dwelled. One of the two, the one who did the carrying, was the Sixth Head Hibiki Shizuku, self-styled Nekoko and known to her comrades as a cat-fanatic. The other one, surprisingly, was a girl with short brown hair, a pair of large emerald eyes, and a cute face most men would find very appealing. Still... why would an Orochi Follower bring a mortal into the lair of the people who were supposed to devastate mankind?

“I don’t know, Reiko.” Korona shook her head.

“I cannot be sure,” the mangaka said quietly, “but I think that girl is the roommate of the Priestess of the Sun.”

Korona frowned. That would be even stranger, still. What was the cat-fanatic trying to achieve by inviting a friend of their greatest foe here, she wondered?

 

***

 

“Enter, dear Saotome-san,” Hibiki Shizuku, who requested to be called Nekoko, said as she held the door open. “The Lord is waiting.”

Not saying a word, Saotome Makoto walked in. She had never been able to feel at ease around the woman no matter what Nekoko claimed to be, or what the woman had done for Makoto. Sure, the Follower had restored Makoto’s leg to its uninjured state and returned her ability to walk like a normal person... but the woman could never erase the impression she had given Makoto. Grateful toward the Orochi as Makoto was, she could not help but feel that Nekoko was one woman who would slaughter her own family should doing so gain her an inch of advantage. Regardless of what might happen here, Makoto was going to keep an eye on her just to be safe.

Beyond the door was a large wooden chamber that was empty except for the huge crystal sphere that floated at its center. The thing, glowing with a different color after every blink of an eye, gave Makoto the creeps.

“Welcome home, Saotome Makoto.” A male voice, booming from out of nowhere, made Makoto jump. She had never heard one that was more powerful, or more malicious. The voice could make the best villain in any movie she watched seem innocent as a lamb. Perhaps this was what it meant by the embodiment of evil, Makoto thought. “Welcome home, Eighth Head of the Orochi.”

“Are you inside that... thing?” Makoto asked, eyes peering at the sole object in this wooden room.

“In the Crystal Orb, yes, my child,” the voice of the Dark God answered. He sounded almost fond.

“Why are you in there?”

“Let’s just say I am still trying to recover from the injuries sustained in the battle with Ame no Murakumo three thousand years ago. Child, you know who he is, do you not?”

“Your nemesis,” Makoto answered. “Nekoko told me the gist of the story on the way here.” Makoto had had a hard time believing the Orochi Sixth Head’s words... but when the woman showed her this Temple of the Dragons, she couldn’t help but swallow her own doubts. After all, if they could build a grand structure – with a large garden! – that surfed upon the highest clouds like a ship would waves... the things they said could bloody well be the truth. Well... could be. Makoto wasn’t so naïve that she would buy any story without suspicion.

“I sensed that you still have much to ask me, child. What is it?”

“I was told I’m one of you, like Oogami Souma,” Makoto said. “If so, why am I so powerless? Nekoko claimed an Orochi could detect another’s presence from afar... but I felt nothing from her, or from you, whom she claimed to be my liege lord. Why’s that?”

“Nekoko never explained the reasons to you?” The Dark God’s quiet voice gave Makoto the impression that had he a face, he would be frowning.

“She said that she herself isn’t sure she can answer all my questions,” Makoto said in a voice that was equally quiet.

“That is true enough.” The Orochi Lord chuckled. He sounded like a boulder of rock that was rolling down a steep slope of a hill. “Very well then, I shall address each and every one of your concerns.” His voice grew serious. “My sweet child, you were powerless even in the day I awakened your brothers and sisters because I could not find you.”

“You couldn’t find me?” Makoto said in incredulity. “I was practically under your nose!”

“True, like every other Orochi, you are within my reach,” the Dark God said patiently, “yet someone had been barring my way to you and concealing your existence from me. I have been trying desperately to look for you from day one, sweet daughter... yet thanks to that someone, I never succeeded.”

“Who’s that?” Makoto asked curiously.

“Your roommate, the Priestess of the Sun herself.”

“She’s just a teenaged girl, and you a God. It’s impossible that she could hide me from you,” Makoto said skeptically. “Besides, Nekoko told me she hasn’t been awakened yet. What could she do?”

“You will be surprised what she can manage even when she cannot draw a hundredth of her powers, child,” replied Yamata no Orochi. “Makoto, your encounter with Kurusugawa Himeko was simply a terrible stroke of misfortune. Had it been any other Orochi Head in your place, they would still awaken when I called out to them and kill the Priestess on the spot. You, however, are a special case, for you are my Eighth Head, one born to wield the power of the Shadows. You must know that either of the Priestesses is the very personification of the Sacred Light, which makes her your natural enemy. Ever since she was put in the same room as you, she had unknowingly been drowning you in her holy light.

“The major difference between the girl and you is that her powers have been active from the start, although she could not control them, while yours lay dormant within your body. It was, in short, a losing battle from the very start. You cannot imagine how one year of bunking in with her has changed you, my child. During that one year, her powers never stopped flowing out of the Priestess’s body, and seeping into you, sealing you, mutating you. As a result, your nature as an Orochi was lost forever, the very reason I could not locate you, why your brothers and sisters never realized you were one of us.”

“Then how did Nekoko find me?” Makoto demanded.

“Pure luck, child,” the Dark God answered. “It was pure luck that Nekoko was assigned to be your doctor. Else, she would never have had the chance to get close to you and notice your transcending strength.”

“What strength?” Makoto blinked.

“The strength that the Priestess had helped you grow, sweet child of mine.” The legendary Dragon God chuckled again. “I do believe I owe her a thank-you for that. Dear Makoto, yours powers, despite having fought a losing battle during the last year, never stopped resisted the Priestess’s own, so they ended up being pushed and pushed toward the limits. As a result, you have grown so powerful you can easily match the Priestess herself. It was not very difficult for Nekoko to notice that once she had gotten within two feet of you.”

Quietly, Makoto looked at her two hands. The Dark God claimed she was as powerful as Himeko, who, supposedly, was the strongest human on Earth... but Makoto certainly didn’t seem that way. Suddenly, a thought struck her.

“You know why I came here, don’t you?” she demanded of the God that was hiding within the Crystal Orb.

“Yes,” Yamata no Orochi admitted. “You sought me out because you thought I could give you what you desired most.” His thundering voice dropped to a quiet whisper that reeked of triumph and amusement. “The Priestess of the Sun! You want her love!”

“I do,” Makoto said. “Nekoko assured me that you, an omnipotent deity, could make Himeko change her mind and fall in love with me instead of....” Himemiya Chikane’s name was stuck in Makoto’s throat. She had never been able to utter that name without feeling herself overwhelmed by despair and bitterness.

“I can do that,” the Dark God agreed. “Altering the heart of a mortal is but a simple task for a God like myself.”

 “Can you, now?” Makoto demanded. “She’s one of the Summoners of your nemesis. It’s unthinkable that you’re going to spare her life!”

“Had I wanted to kill her, she would have been able to stay alive past her birthday, Makoto,” the Orochi Lord declared. “Believe me, there are ways to achieve what we both desire. I can swear on my honor as a God.”

Makoto took her time weighing the Dark God’s words in her mind before she fell to one knee and said, “Then my powers, if you can make them work, are yours.”

The Dark God laughed. It seemed as if he was laughing into a microphone connected with a pair of speakers that were blaring at full capacity. Makoto’s ears hurt from the sounds so much she thought they were going to bleed.

“Behold, child of the mighty Orochi,” the voice of Yamata no Orochi said once his mirth had subsided, “the means I will employ to restore your powers!” The Crystal Orb was glowing more brightly than ever, dying everything within the spacious chamber in its ever changing light, but for some reason a small... pond of pitch darkness right in front of the thing, which Makoto never noticed, managed to survive unscathed. Then, all of a sudden, a sword leapt upward from the darkness and suspended itself in thin air. The weapon’s blade, unlike that of any sword Makoto had seen in museums or western movies, was so black it seemed to be sucking in the light radiating from the Orb.

“Tasogare the Twilight Blade,” the Dark God announced in a soft, satisfied voice, “the Sealed Sword you were meant to have, Makoto. I have been letting the other Heads tap into its powers just so they could protect themselves... but now you have returned to us, it is yours once more. Take it and reign as the strongest of the Followers. Take it and let your souls be united as one!” he urged.

Makoto put her hands on the hilt of the sword... and screamed at the powers that exploded within her while the Dark God unleashed his awful gust of laughter once more.

 

***

 

The teacup fell from Korona’s hand and shattered to pieces upon touching the table. Unconsciously she hugged herself tightly and shivered as though she had just jumped head first into a winter pond.

“What... what was that just now, Reiko?” she asked the Fifth Head, whose eyes had gone as wide as they could behind her glasses. The young woman never noticed that her thick book had dropped onto the ground the way she gazed intently toward the Audience Chamber of the Lord.

“I do not know, Fourth Head,” the mangaka said after a while. She took her glasses off and cleaned the lenses with a handkerchief she pulled from her coat pocket. Korona wondered if it was fear that she had caught a glimpse of in the other woman’s face.

“I do, my comrades,” Nekoko said, calmly walking toward them. “The Eighth Head has returned.”

“Eighth Head? You mean... the Priestess’s roommate?” Korona mumbled.

“Oh, you recognized her.” Nekoko smiled. “Yes, she is the one.”

“Then the shockwave of powers we felt was hers?” Reiko said, her eyebrows furrowing together in a deep frown. “I never expected that someone other than First Head can be so....”

“Strong?” Nekoko cut Reiko off and laughed. Korona never liked the woman’s laughter. Now, she decided that she hated it more than anything in the world. “You have no idea, comrades.”

Korona said nothing and looked up at the highest level of the Temple, directly under the Dark Sun. The powers spreading from within it now had subsided... yet Korona didn’t think she was able to forget how terrible the thing was, ever. Although the First Head was the strongest she knew, the man himself was still a step lower compared to the Eighth Head. With this sudden addition to their forces, what would become of them now?

 

***

 

Makoto glanced at the black sword in her hand and quietly marveled at the powers with which it had gifted her. She had never felt more alive. She had never been so aware of the fabric of reality woven all around her the way she was now. With the preternatural strength coursing inside her veins now, she could just reach out her hand... and make the world tremble in her grasp. Even her mind, once dull as a rock, now was equipped with the ability to sense presences of power... across the globe. There were four of them within the vicinity of the Temple, the strongest of them was pulsing like a human heart inside the Crystal Orb while the other three were somewhere in the garden Makoto had seen before she came into this Chamber. She glanced at the Orb.... Why would the Dark God prophesized to wreak havoc upon the land seem barely stronger than her at the moment?

“Makoto,” Yamata Orochi called softly. “Now that you have been properly awakened. I have a mission for you.”

“What is it, Lord?” still on her knees, Makoto asked.

“In Izumo, where the Immortals dwell, there is something I need. You shall bring it to me.”

Then, the Dark God, by means of telepathic communication, whispered into Makoto’s mind what she needed to enter the World of the Gods.

 

***

 

“How are you feeling, Souma?” Oogami Kazuki asked his younger brother, who had just woken up from his slumber, who was now sitting dejectedly upon his bed.

“If you mean my health, I’m fine, nii-san,” answered the boy, his hand gingerly touching the bandages around his chest and torso. Kazuki grimaced. Even without the Priests’ intervention, those ribs that Tsubasa-kun broke had healed all on their own, which meant that all their efforts paid in the beginning were practically in vain. Kazuki only wished he had stayed calm instead of panicking and driving his fellow Priests to exhaustion just to realize that they had accomplished nothing but delaying the boy’s own recovery process.

“You told me Tsubasa-kun attacked you when we found you in the amusement park,” Kazuki decided to be direct. There was no point in wasting time now. “What did he want from you?”

“He wanted me to join the Orochi,” Souma muttered in bitterness.

“You refused,” Kazuki observed.

The boy nodded. “Tsubasa-nii-san didn’t like to hear that,” his voice was ominous, his face twisted in agony, “He wanted me to reconsider and gave him the final answer at midnight. He threatened to use the darkness in Raien to control me should I say no to him again.” The boy turned to Kazuki. “What should I do?”

Kazuki studied his adopted little brother for a while, weighing words in his head, before he sighed and said, “What can you do? You can’t win against Tsubasa-kun, you can’t accept his offer, and you can’t outrun him. What can you do?” It might hurt as much as rubbing salt against an open wound... but it was still the truth. Kazuki didn’t believe the boy needed anything else at the moment.

“You really think I can’t win?” Souma asked.

“Yes.” Kazuki gave him a sad nod.

“Why? You, who have had Raien in your possession since forever, know as well as I do how powerful it is, don’t you, nii-san?”

“Raien is almost as tough as Hokuto the Star Blade, what your brother wields, that much is granted,” Kazuki agreed. “But Souma, the difference in the Sealed Sword’s powers has never been the deciding factor.”

“It’s not?”

“You have fought, and won, against three other Orochi Followers, Souma. What do you think of their strength?”

“Relatively weak,” the kid answered. “Even though one of them was very skilled with his Sword, that was pretty much all he could do. Tsubasa-nii-san was light-years ahead of them in term of firepower.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” Kazuki heaved a deep sigh. “The Eight Elemental Blades, despite having their own respective weaknesses, are very close to each other in term of strength. Those three Orochi should possess almost as much firepower as you do, Souma.” He fixed his eyes on the kid to make sure his words were driven home. “The only reason why the Followers couldn’t demonstrate the might of their Elemental Blades was that they had been suppressed by Raien’s special gift, the Voice of Sorrow, which nullified any and all magical weapons within its range.”

“But if that was the case, how could Tsubasa-nii-san use his Sealed Sword?” Souma made a choking sound in his throat. “Raien was right by my side! It should have had some effect on Hokuto, shouldn’t it?”

“And yet it didn’t,” Kazuki said softly. “That can only mean that Hokuto was immune to Raien’s power-suppressing ability. And it is, for the Star Blade also possesses the same unearthly voice that Raien has.”

“That doesn’t change anything, nii-san,” Souma countered.

“On contrary, it changes everything. Having lost the advantage granted to you by the Voice of Sorrow, all that matters now is the difference in strength between you and Tsubasa-kun, not the Swords.” Kazuki sighed. “Although I can’t be sure whether you’re stronger than him or he you, I know that he can defeat you easily.”

“Why?” Souma demanded.

“Don’t you see, little brother?” Kazuki asked. “Unlike you, your blood brother’s a Follower at heart. Like his comrades, he embraces his dark destiny and accepts his Orochi powers as a part of himself... while you, on the other hand, do your best to reject them. Do you think you can win against him in such a disadvantageous condition?”

“I don’t reject my powers,” his little brother muttered sullenly.

“You don’t? Souma, I have been watching you whenever you practiced with the Lightning Blade in the back garden. It didn’t take me long to realize that you could only manage to draw out half of Raien’s powers.” Kazuki looked into his brother’s eyes. “You were afraid, weren’t you? Of the possibility that your sanity could be devoured by the darkness lurking within the sword. Of the possibility that you would once again bare your Blade against the one you love. I know you too well, my little brother.”

The boy kept silent and stared at the wooden floor.

“In a way, I’m very happy that you’re aware of the dangers. The more of Raien’s powers you draw, the closer your soul would become to that of the sword, and the easier it would be for the Dark God to exert his influence on you.” Kazuki shook his head in desperation. “Yet, unless you could utilize the Lightning Blade to the fullest, Tsubasa-kun would defeat you again. It’s a no-win situation, Souma.”

“How do you know all this, nii-san?”

“The Sealed Swords have been in the care of the Council of Priests for the last three thousand years, Souma,” Kazuki answered. “We know almost everything there is to know about them.” He grimaced. Almost was the keyword there. Try as the Council might, they had never been able to dig a scrap of information out of one of the Elemental Blades, which was supposedly the most dangerous of them all.

“You stay here, Souma.” Kazuki rose from his chair. “I will convene an emergency meeting with the Protectors in the Shrine to find a method to deal with the current situation.”

“Nii-san,” Souma called out to him when he was about to open the door and leave.

“Yes?”

“Why is it that only Hokuto and Raien possess the Voice of Sorrow? Wouldn’t it be better for the Orochi if all the Swords have it?”

“My colleagues and I wondered about that too, kiddo. Unfortunately, we never learned the reason before the Swords were taken away from us.”

“I see.”

Kazuki closed the door to Souma’s room behind him and walked toward the Great Hall of the Grand Shrine. There was a way to avert the disaster that was about to descend upon their heads... but it was one option Kazuki had prepared for the final battle that decided the fate of mankind.... He only hoped the upcoming meeting could help discover another way to keep his little brother safe.

 

***

 

As soon as Oogami Souma sensed the High Priest’s presence fading away, he rose from the bed and walked to his closet, from which he picked out a casual shirt and a pair of trousers to replace the pajama he currently wore. When he was done, he quietly summoned Raien into his hand and used it to open a Dimensional Portal. Grimacing at the Sealed Sword, he walked into the silvery surface and let it close behind him. He absolutely was not going to sit in his room and waited until the problem solved itself. Perhaps he never had a chance to win against Tsubasa-nii-san... but surely he wasn’t going to let it stop him from doing his best. After all, there was still someone he wanted to protect. For that person, he was going to defeat Tsubasa-nii-san tonight, or die trying.

 

***

 

“Rare of you to visit us in the dead of night so, Oogami-san,” Himemiya Chikane observed. Under the light spreading out from the grand crystal chandelier hung below the ceiling of the Main Hall, Oogami Souma appeared decidedly haggard and plagued by anxiety. He looked almost an entirely different person from the normally cool and proud Jin-sama whom many a student of Ototachibana Academy were ever fond of. The injuries he had taken earlier today must have contributed something to this change of façade, Chikane supposed. “Would you like some tea?” she offered. Regardless of what she felt toward him, he had arrived at her house as a guest. As such, he was entitled to the courtesy she would have shown anybody else. Besides... he deserved it.

“No, thank you, Himemiya,” Oogami answered quietly.

“Well then, how may I help you?”

“Himemiya...” the boy hesitated. No, he did not seem his usual self at all. “Will you... let me see Kurusugawa?”

Chikane gave the young master of Shingetsu Grand Shrine a searching look before she answered, “She is asleep right now, Oogami-san. Come back in the morning, and I am sure Kurusugawa-san will be delighted to meet with you.” Bitterness soured her stomach.

“I can’t wait that long,” Oogami insisted. “I’m not going to wake her. I’ll just take a look at her before I go. I beg of you.” Chikane peered at the boy, slightly taken aback by his words. Ever since Chikane first met Oogami Souma upon enrollment in Ototachibana Academy, she had realized at once that pride was all that embodied his existence. Never before had she seen him act so humble. Never before had she heard him beg.

“Will you tell me why?” Chikane asked softly.

Oogami stared at her for a good minute, probably considering her question in his mind, before he gave his head a firm shake. “I’m sorry, Himemiya. It’s a... family affair.”

“Very well,” Chikane said as she rose from the couch. “Follow me, Oogami-san.”

Oogami Souma appeared to have swallowed his own tongue.

Together, they climbed the marble flight of stairs leading to the second floor of the Himemiya Mansion, then walked in silence in the spacious hallway in the West Wing, with Oogami Souma trailing a few feet behind Chikane. She could almost feel his wondering eyes upon her back, she could almost hear the question hanging at the tip of his tongue. Were Chikane to guess, she would say that the boy was still unable to believe that she had just agreed to his request so easily, so quickly, and so unconditionally. After all, he was well aware of the hostility with which she had always treated him. After all, he probably knew that she had not found it in herself to forgive his attempt to murder Himeko on her birthday.

Chikane sighed inwardly. She only allowed Oogami Souma to see Himeko because she could not refuse him. Indeed, she had been very angry at him earlier this evening because she thought he had not fulfilled his duty of protecting Himeko. However, when she learned that he had sustained grievous injuries to buy time for the golden-haired girl’s escape, that anger immediately melted away. Chikane allowed herself another sigh. Moreover, Oogami Souma had saved Himeko’s life once when the woman of Orochi used her Sword to part the skin on the little angel’s back. That debt she had yet to repay. That was the only reason Chikane would permit an Orochi to venture this far into the Himemiya Mansion.

“Please wait here for a moment,” Chikane said upon their arrival at the door to Himeko’s room. The boy nodded, uncertainty still lingering upon his handsome face.

Chikane knocked softly on the door, wait a few seconds, then opened it. The golden-haired girl – lying on her side upon the soft mattress of her bed, inside a room illuminated by the dim bed lamps – seemed immersed in a deep yet peaceful slumber. After Chikane called the Shingetsu High Priest earlier in the evening per Himeko’s request, she had come back to this very room to ask what had gone wrong in the amusement park of Mahoroba. The little angel did her best to tell Chikane the whole story but toward the end, fatigue had caught up with her and put her to sleep.

“Enter, Oogami-san,” Chikane said as she held the door open. “Please do not wake her.”

Not wasting any time, Oogami Souma walked in, crossed the room with the grace and quietness of a cat, and arrived at Himeko’s bedside. There, he fell to one knee and started to study Himeko’s sleeping face with an expression so tender even a blind person would notice that the boy was looking at the one he loved. Still standing at the door step, Chikane allowed herself a second inward sigh. She was about to leave to give the boy some time alone with the little angel when he rose back to his feet and exited the room.

“That was quick, Oogami-san,” Chikane commented as she closed the door softly behind her.

“I told you I only wanted to look at her, didn’t I?” Oogami gave her a quiet smile. It had been the first time that he smiled to her ever since they met. Then his visage grew solemn as he offered her a deep, respectful bow. “You have my gratitude, Himemiya.”

“And you mine,” Chikane answered and gave him a bow of her own. “I thank you for all you have done for Himeko’s sake.” Shock and incredulity were visible in Oogami’s eyes as he stared unblinking at her. Then after a few minutes, as if he had realized that he was staring, the boy gave his head a few shakes before his face grew red with embarrassment... and what Chikane knew to be shame. She wondered why.

“Is there anything else I can help you with, Oogami-san?”

“No.” The boy shook his head, then snapped his fingers and summoned a Dimensional Portal that hovered vertically by his side. It was only then did Chikane realize that her vision was no longer the same. She had seen Oogami do this once before, when he took Himeko from her arms after the beach incident, but at that time, she only perceived the Portal as a silvery surface. Now, for reasons she could not comprehend, she was able to see the threads of power from which the Portal was woven and how they all laced together in an extremely intricate pattern. And strangest of them all, Chikane believed that should she choose to do so, she could weave a Portal with less than half the effort.

“Well then, I’ll excuse myself.” Oogami Souma gave her one last bewildered look before he stepped into the silvery surface and vanished along with the thing.

Her head filled with thoughts, Chikane went back inside Himeko’s room and sat on Himeko’s bed, her back leaning against the headboard. There, she studied the sleeping form of the little angel in silence. Your knight in shining armor came to visit you just now, Himeko, she thought, You know ne, I used to be disgusted by his very presence, yet since I learned that he was your childhood friend... he unsettled me more than anyone ever did. He made me feel so insecure at times I even started to fear that one day he was going to take you away from me... forever.

Chikane took one of Himeko’s hands into hers and held it gently. I used to be very confident that it would be I whom you would choose in the end. Now, I am not so sure anymore. Tell me please, Himeko, what am I to you? Someone who lives under the same roof? Someone who goes to the same school? Someone who is your only comrade? Or something more than that? Tell me, Himeko, how do I square with your childhood friend in your heart? Is there any way for me to continue loving you without seeing you leave in the end?

 

***

 

Stepping out from the Dimensional Portal that he created in the hallway of the Himemiya Mansion, the first thing Oogami Souma saw in the deserted square near the coffee shop in Mahoroba City’s Amusement Park was his brother’s blade-slender frame. Under the starry skies, swathed in the light of the lamp posts, standing upon a ground cratered by Hokuto’s fearsome attacks, Tsubasa-nii-san was idly puffing his cigarette. From the relaxing expression on the man’s face, he did not seem to register the fact that he was standing amid the destruction he himself had crafted, or that the stench of death was in every breath of air he inhaled.

“Your punctuality is laudable, Souma,” commented the older man. “I am happy that you came.”

“If I didn’t, you would raze my home to the ground. Do I have a choice?”

“You are indeed my little brother, Souma.” Tsubasa-nii-san smiled. “You know me well.”

“Not really,” Souma said in a cold voice, “I’m just familiar with how an Orochi would think.”

“Same thing,” the older man replied absent-mindedly. “More importantly, though, what is your answer, Souma?” Dark, glittering eyes regarded Souma calmly.

Not saying a word, Souma raised his arm horizontally to the ground and channeled his powers until the air around his hand shimmered in heat. Tsubasa-nii-san only watched with an expressionless face while lightning forked from Souma’s fingertips and wove themselves into a shaft of blinding purple light. It only took another second for Raien the Sealed Sword to materialize into Souma’s grasp. The other man’s face hardened, his eyes grew cold, and his mouth twisted in distaste. He did not appear pleased.

“Same answer as before, huh?” Tsubasa-nii-san took the cigarette from his lips and tossed it away. A flame coming out of nowhere reduced the thing to cinders before it could reach the apex of its climb. “Well then, do not ask me later why I do not show mercy to you, Souma.” The older man raised his hand overhead, his palm facing the starlit heavens. “Descend, Lord of the Hallowed Stars, Hokuto!” his voice rang coldly across the night.

At Tsubasa-nii-san’s call, winds screeched and howled as an amazingly powerful aura swept across the earth, hurling the small pebbles away from him. Even Souma felt threatened by the amount of energy welling up like the strongest tides within his brother’s body. The ground shook, the trees swayed and the air trembled in the wake of the Star Blade, termed strongest of the Sealed Swords. Cold white light poured out of the man’s hand and solidified into the crooked sword which gleamed dangerously under the moonless skies.

Fully aware that the man in front of him would be the toughest opponent he had ever faced, Souma released his powers into the Lightning Blade. Purple lightning dancing from Raien’s edge struck the earth and drew ragged lines across the ground. He lunged at Tsubasa-nii-san then, throwing everything he got at the Orochi Follower, hoping he could defeat the man before he himself was defeated.

His legs unmoved, Tsubasa-nii-san swung Hokuto in a horizontal arc. The two blades met in a thunderous roar and a shower of sparks.

“I will not give in, Tsubasa-nii-san!” Souma snarled at the other man.

“Believe me, you will, Souma!” Tsubasa-nii-san roared back.

 

***

 

“You are awake, Himeko,” Himemiya Chikane observed, slightly surprised. A moment ago, the Priestess of the Sun was still soundly asleep when Chikane opened the door and received a cup of coffee from the on-duty maid. When Chikane closed it and turned around, she found the golden-haired girl sitting on the bed, her amethyst eyes gazing into the distance beyond one of her room’s windows. Most notably, a golden light was shining beneath the fabric of the little angel’s pajama shirt, right where Chikane knew the Sun Crest should be. She wondered why.

“Did I disturb your rest?” putting the billowing cup of coffee on the table, she sat down by Himeko’s side on the bed and asked.

“No.” The other girl shook her head. When she turned to look Chikane in the eye afterwards, her face was painted with worries. “Do you see that, Chikane-chan?” The little angel gestured at the window, beyond the darkness of which light, sometimes purple, sometimes white, was dancing madly between the heavens and earth. Chikane glanced at the Sun Crest hidden beneath Himeko’s clothes. That light in the distance... it seemed to flash in resonance with that of the source of illumination in the middle of Himeko’s chest. Was that what had roused her from her sleep? Chikane wondered.

“Yes, Himeko, what of it?”

“It’s a battle,” the little angel answered with a voice that matched her facial expression. “Sou-chan’s fighting someone out there.” She put a hand on Chikane’s shoulder. It was sweaty, and it was trembling. “I don’t know why, but I can feel what’s in their hearts. Anger, pain, and so many other scary things....” Her voice shook, and her amethyst eyes were emblazoned with fear.

Chikane once again glanced at the window. A battle, Himeko had said, one that involved her childhood friend Oogami Souma. Was that why the boy came here earlier to visit the golden-haired girl? Come to think of it, he did seem like someone who was on his deathbed, who wanted to have his final wish fulfilled before he could depart this world in peace. Perhaps that was the reason he suddenly treated Chikane humility and respect instead of flaring his overblown pride at Chikane as he used to. Well, the prospect of death changed a person’s behavior drastically, she supposed.

“Chikane-chan,” Himeko called to her, the girl’s voice anxious. “Will you take me to where Sou-chan is?” She had both hands on Chikane’s shoulders now.

“Why, Himeko?” she asked, feeling her heart clench. “If we can see the signs of battle here, it must be very fierce. We will run the risk of losing our lives should we get near them. Besides, what can we do?” There were a few things Chikane could do, actually, but she was not sure whether they were enough to let her meddle in the fight of two powerful Orochi and survive unscathed.

“I know that, but I have to do something, Chikane-chan,” the little angel insisted. “Sou-chan’s an important person to me. I don’t want to lose him. Please, Chikane-chan!” she pleaded. The sincerity and the urgency in her voice shook Chikane to the core of her existence. She had the feeling that something within her just broke.

“Well then, let us go together, Himeko,” Chikane said as she pulled her sweet little angel into a tight hug. “You should change into something warm. It is really cold out there.” Her heart ached so terribly she was almost unable to feel the soft body of the one she loved.

 

***

 

“Why, Tsubasa-nii-san, why do you have to be an Orochi?” Oogami Souma screamed, his hands slashing Raien fiercely at the older man.

“Simple, it is the Followers’ destiny to become servants of the Lord,” meeting blade with blade, strokes after strokes, Souma’s brother answered. His voice was calm as a frozen pond even when both he and Souma were aware that should Raien touch the man’s flesh, his life would be forfeited in less than a heartbeat. Yet, Souma had a feeling Tsubasa-nii-san was confident that such a thing wasn’t going to happen. Souma agreed, however reluctantly. Although his brother’s swordsmanship was not as good as the Orochi with the Water Blade, it was more than enough to deflect any attack Souma threw at him. Besides, it was not as if he could bring himself to hurt his blood brother anyway. All he ever wanted... was to find a way so that both of them could survive afterwards.

“Destiny? Then how do you explain why I am fighting you right now?” Souma leaped up and brought Raien down with his full weight. The only way to solve this problem right now was to blast the Star Blade away from Tsubasa-nii-san and deprived him of his powers. Once Souma accomplished that, restraining his brother wouldn’t be impossible anymore. Then... then... Souma trembled at the thought in his mind, perhaps we can be a family again.

“Would you stop raising your voice, Souma? It is unseemly.” Tsubasa-nii-san raised his Hokuto upward and caught Raien in one of its crooks. Then just like what happened earlier, his hand placed itself an inch away from Souma’s chest, preparing to unleash his devastatingly light. However, this time Souma was prepared. Twisting his wrist, he separated Raien from Hokuto and moved the blade between Tsubasa-nii-san’s hand and his body.

White and purple light burst out at the same time as a deafening explosion threw Souma and Tsubasa-nii-san apart. Even when Souma had had to stagger a few steps backward before he regained his balance, his brother stood exactly where he was before the impact, face unperturbed, eyes glowing with joy. The man’s full-mouth smile was decidedly disturbing.

“The same trick won’t work twice, nii-san,” Souma said coolly.

“What have we here?” Tsubasa-nii-san chuckled. “You did not possess nearly as much power earlier today, Souma. Does that mean you have finally loosened your grip on Raien’s own soul?”

“So what, nii-san?” Souma said.

“I am just curious, little brother. Say, do you know the consequences of what you are doing?”

“I do,” he admitted gruffly.

“And you are fine with it? Tell me, how are you feeling right now?”

“None of your businesses, Tsubasa-nii-san.” The truth was... Souma had never felt any better. His strength was rising with an alarming rate, his body brimming with enough energy to level this whole park to the ground. Yet, the signs of danger had already begun to surface. Along with the boundless powers came a dark shadow weighing on his mind. Somewhere deep within his soul, something was urging him to release it completely, raving Kill! Kill! Kill! inside his head all the while. Souma could feel his own eyes burn with the flame of hate, his heart swell with murderous intents. In his hand, Raien, the greatest danger of all, pulsed viciously. He had to end this quickly, or the sword was going to swallow his sanity whole.

“Is that so?” Tsubasa-nii-san laughed.

“Nii-san, I am an Orochi Follower, too, but unlike you, I am fighting to save this world. If it is not my destiny to destroy, then it’s not yours either!” Souma decided to try talking to his brother. The difference in their power was too great. Souma’s plan of defeating Tsubasa-nii-san was obviously not going well.

“Nonsense, Souma,” the older man scoffed.

“You know it’s not, Tsubasa-nii-san!” Souma pleaded. “Please think about it, nii-san! Come back to the light and help me save everything before it’s too late.”

“Save everything? Why should I?” Tsubasa-nii-san slashed his Hokuto at the ground. Like huge shark fins parting the water surface, hundreds of triangular blades of cold white light emerged from where the Star Blade touched the earth and rushed toward Souma.

Once again, he jumped high up into the sky. The blades did not stop their pursuit, though. They sprang up from the ground and became deadly rays which targeted him from all sides. Undaunted by the relentless attacks, Souma swirled Raien around himself. The lightning bolts emerged from the sword and together, they wove a spinning barrier about Souma’s body. As the white blades crashed upon his defense, they were forced to change directions and had no other places to go but thundering downward. Another series of explosions broke out. Deserted booths and trees alike were burnt to ashes in an instant.

Out of nowhere, Tsubasa-nii-san appeared, inches away from Souma, sword slashing downward.

Oh no! Souma thought. The lightning barrier had begun to fade and there was just no time to construct a new one. Having no other choice, Souma hurled Raien against Hokuto, knowing that he was behind in both timing and strength. The aftershocks sent him flying toward the earth like a rock boulder and slammed Souma’s back upon the hard, paved ground. Blood spilled out from his mouth in nozzles. Yet, Souma had no time to wait for the pain to subside. Using Raien as leverage, Souma leapt up again just in time to escape Hokuto’s crooked blade, which drove itself into the earth where Souma lay one heartbeat ago.

Terrified, Souma stood there and gasped for breath while his elder brother pulled Hokuto off the ground and walked toward him with a face that spoke volumes of fury and anguish. “Souma, why should I save a world that I do not love?!” he roared as his hand brought down his blazing sword.

 

***

 

“Are you ready, Himeko?” Himemiya Chikane asked softly. In front of her stood Kurusugawa Himeko, the love of her life, properly dressed in the red and white colors of Ototachibana Academy’s uniform, face more determined than Chikane had ever seen.

“I am,” answered the little angel.

“Then shall we go?” Chikane said, her right hand, palm facing skyward, slowly rose up. Powers exploded at the core of her soul and coursed along ever of her fibers of existence. On the ground beneath her feet, a disc of silver light, bearing the shape of the Moon Crest, emerged and flooded Himeko’s room with its glorious luminescence. The night winds of October, as if summoned by the light, streamed into the room through the open windows, bringing along the fragrance of the flowers planted in back garden of Chikane’s house.

“What is this...?” the golden-haired girl said in a wondering voice, her amethyst eyes glued at Chikane in amazement.

“Something that can take you to your childhood friend immediately, Himeko,” Chikane replied. “Now, come here.” She waved at the girl she loved. Not hesitating, Himeko walked to her and did not stop until she stood on the spinning Moon Crest. The other girl only looked up at Chikane and smiled, then, seemingly satisfied by Chikane’s vague answer.

“Are you not afraid, Himeko?” she asked curiously. “For all I know, this may just transport us to somewhere on the other side of the world.”

The little angel shook her head. “I believe in you, Chikane-chan,” she said softly. “As long as you’re with me, I know everything will be alright.” She took Chikane’s vacant hand into both of hers and squeezed it in a most affectionate way, her confident smile never wavered on her lips.

“Thank you, Himeko....” Chikane overturned her palm. Silver light erased the world. For trusting me....

Silver light erased the world.

 

***

 

“What do you know about this world, Souma? What do you know?!” Tsubasa snarled between the clashing sounds of the blades. Although his little brother could only retreat step after step, blow after blow, seemingly tired to death, the boy refused never let go of his own Sealed Sword and submitted to Tsubasa’s will. That made him grow even angrier. Souma was not going to join him in the ranks of the glorious Orochi, was he? Was he?

“Have you ever eaten out of a trashcan, Souma? Have you ever slept somewhere on the street under the falling rain?” Lashing Hokuto from left to right in a wide arc, Tsubasa struck Raien with every ounce of strength he possessed. To his satisfaction, the Lightning Blade left Souma’s hand and went flying out of sight. “Have you ever knelt down in front of someone to beg for your life when you hate him so much you want to kill him?” Still, Tsubasa’s fury refused to recede. With his free hand, he drove his fist against Souma’s stomach with as much force as his physical prowess allowed. The boy fell to the ground in a loud and painful cry, his mouth gushing out sprays of blood.

Tsubasa thought that his little brother would give in after he had demonstrated how far his powers were above the boy’s. Tsubasa thought that once he had disabused the boy’s hope that he could be defeated, Souma would surrender and accept Tsubasa’s invitation to come back to the Dark God’s ranks. Tsubasa was wrong. However badly beaten he was, Souma still tried to stand up and look for Raien even when Tsubasa was not sure the boy could even pick it up. Seeing his little brother so was just like pouring oil into the already raging fire.

“You have been babied long enough.” Tsubasa kicked Souma and stamped harshly on his back over and over. “Because of my weakness, you become ignorant of how reality works!

“I was happy that both of us are servants to the Lord Orochi, I was happy that we could be family again but you disappointed me,” Tsubasa said, trying to calm himself down. “To tell you the truth, Souma, I wanted you to lead a peaceful life where you can live under the sunshine without worrying where tomorrow may lead. That was why I left you to the High Priests care in the first place. But then when humanity failed me, I realized that I have made a terrible mistake. This is a corrupted world, one that was defiled beyond imagination. And I, as well as my comrades the Followers, am the only cure it has. I will not allow you to be lead astray any longer, Souma. By hook or by crook, I shall make you kneel and swear allegiance to the Lord!”

Tsubasa grabbed Souma’s throat with his left hand and pulled his little brother so that Souma’s feet dangling a few inches off the ground. Then Tsubasa unleashed his Orochi powers into the boy. Eyes trying to bulge out of his sockets, Souma began to scream at the top of his lungs while his arms and legs flailed in a most violent manner.

“You have not opened yourself to Raien’s soul far enough, Souma. Do you really think you can defeat me in such a pathetic state? Please, do not make me laugh.” Under Tsubasa’s will, Souma’s right hand rose up. Out of the five trembling fingers, purple lightning jagged outward and materialized into Raien the Lightning Blade, the one sword beside Hokuto that possessed the powerful Voice of Sorrow. “As your elder brother, Souma, allow me to help.”

“What... are you going... to do, Tsubasa-nii-san....?” Souma managed between full-throated cries.

“I cannot believe my little brother is such a simpleton.” Tsubasa sighed. “Of course I am going to remove every restraint you have put on your Sealed Sword. Then Raien’s darkness will flow into your soul and make you see the only path to this world’s salvation.”

“No!” The boy’s scream was part fear and part agonized.

“Oh yes!” Laughing in satisfaction, Tsubasa reached deep into Souma’s soul and shattered all the barricades that the kid had put up to prevent Raien’s inevitable invasion. Now that they were gone, there was nothing that could stop the hatred that the Lightning Blade harbored, the anger of the Orochi’s heart!

“Get away from Oogami-san,” a cold voice of a girl said quietly at the same time a bar of liquid silver light streaked at Tsubasa from his right-hand side. Without taking his eyes off the thrashing Souma, Tsubasa calmly lifted Hokuto up to parry the attack. The bar of light, upon touching the crooked edge of the Star Blade, shattered into a million sparkling pieces. The power of the Moon, he thought.

Tsubasa turned his head and looked for the people who dared stick their nose into his business. To his right, at least ten feet away from him, stood two beautiful girls who were encompassed by glorious auras of silver and gold. They were, without a doubt, the Priestesses of the Sun and Moon. The Priestess of the Sun, whose golden aura was most brilliant under the starlit skies, was standing next to the other girl, the raised hand of whom was still glowing silver in the dark.

“Let go of him, please!” the golden-haired girl pleaded. Ever as she spoke, her aura began to pulse powerfully, filling the air between them with as much warmth and illumination as a thousand light bulbs could provide. Tsubasa could even smell his hand at Souma’s throat burn in that aura. Gradually, the hatred with Raien fled from Souma’s soul back into its hiding place within the sword. The girl’s holy powers were interfering with his, Tsubasa realized. At this rate, it was no longer possible for Tsubasa to turn Souma to the dark side. Fury hissed in him like a viper whose territories had just been trespassed.

“You!” Tsubasa roared, tossing Souma on the ground like a sack of meat. “How dare you meddle in my business? You shall pay!”

Tsubasa directed Hokuto toward the intruders. Quickly, the Moon Priestess stationed herself in front of the other girl and formed a barrier made entirely from silver aura in front of her raised hand. Foolish, Tsubasa thought. There was no barrier strong enough to block an Elemental Blade, which she should have learned that from Nekoko already. Tsubasa found himself smiling a vicious smile. The Lord Orochi forbade the Followers to kill the two Kannazuki Priestesses but He did not mention anything about not hurting them, did he?

“Stop that, Tsubasa-nii-san!” Winds rushed at Tsubasa from behind. He leapt upward and suspended his body in the air just in time to evade Raien’s deadly slash. “If you make one scratch on Himeko, I’ll...” threatened his little brother, who had somehow managed to recover the Lightning Blade.

“You will do what, Souma? Kill me, perhaps?” Tsubasa laughed bitterly. “Ever since the beginning of this fight, you have never thrown any fatal blows at me and now you threatened me because of some girl? Do you even see me as your family, Souma? Well, do you?” he demanded.

“I do, nii-san. But whoever you are, I won’t let you lay one finger on Himeko!” The boy looked at the Priestess of the Sun, smiling an awkward smile that was returned with a blank look and a flushed face. “You said you had no reason to protect this world, but I do. Because this is where the girl I love lives. For her, I will fight with my life to keep it safe!”

“You ungrateful child, I saved you from that abyss just for this?” Tsubasa snarled. “There is no reason for you to live anymore, Souma. I will kill you myself!” He levitated himself even higher up into the sky, from where the two girls and his little brother looked as a rock pebble.

“Heavenly Seven – Rain of the Shining Flames!” Tsubasa raised Hokuto overhead and focused his full power into the Star Blade. The night clouds began to move inward in circles, drawing seven whirlpools of clouds that were arranged the shape of the great guiding stars, Hokuto Shichisei. From the center of each, white light flooded out as if there was a sun hidden within. Soon, seven destructive pillars of light would rain down upon the earth and destroy his little brother.

Down on the ground, something... inexplicable was happening. Raien, vibrating strongly in the hands of Tsubasa’s brother, was shining as brightly as noonday. Not only that, the Lightning Blade was brimming with so much power it was now on the same level with Hokuto, strongest of the Elemental Blades. Incredulity seized him and rendered him speechless. How in the Lord’s name did Souma gain complete control over his sword even though he had never accepted Raien’s soul into his own? The explanation came to Tsubasa when his eyes found Himemiya Chikane and Kurusugawa Himeko, both of whom were still enveloped in their sacred light. The Light of the Priestess earlier! he thought.

Souma gave a violent start as the purple sun in his hand suddenly exploded. Blinding light overwhelmed the world. In spite of himself, Tsubasa had to cover his eyes with his hands. However, even when he could not see a thing, he was able to sense a great power being born, one that surpassed what Tsubasa possessed.

Several seconds later, the light faded away... and Tsubasa’s returning vision gave birth to gut0wrenching terror. Around him now slithered a gigantic dragon in its monstrous serpentine form, which appeared to be made purely out of lightning. The creature had four limbs and two wings with lightning bolts for feathers, which seemed to stretch to the furthest corners of the earth. Its head, large as any truck Tsubasa had ever seen was not that far away from him at all. The dragon was opening its toothy mouth, within which a huge sphere of light was being generated. The Lord Orochi once revealed to Tsubasa that the highest level of power a Follower could obtain from the Sealed Swords was to summon their True Forms. So this was what the Dark God meant. If Tsubasa recalled correctly, the name of this creature... was Raien no Ryuu. The Lightning Dragon itself.

“Tsubasa-nii-san! Leave or else!” Souma bellowed. The look of confidence on the boy’s ace told Tsubasa that his little brother had realized he could control the True Form of his Sword.

Tsubasa said nothing has he pointed his Hokuto once more at the Priestesses. He had no intention of leaving here with tail behind his legs. In his hand, The Star Blade glowed, ready to unleash ‘Rain of the Shining Flames upon the two girls who had spoiled his planned.

“Fire!” Souma shouted, and the Lightning Dragon roared. The huge sphere in its mouth became a pillar of liquid light that rushed straight toward Tsubasa. He simply stared at his impending doom, thinking to himself how it had come to this. However, moments before the pillar could consume his body, a slender figure of a young girl appeared right in front of him. The girl, clad in a long black cape took his hand into hers and said quietly, “I believe this is the first time we meet, First Head. I am Saotome Makoto, the Eighth Head. Glad to make your acquaintance.”

The blinding light engulfed them.

 

***

 

With all of his strength consumed by the dragon that Raien had morphed into, Oogami Souma collapsed onto the ground and started to gasp for breaths. In one last flash of purple light and a thunderous roar over his head, the dragon reverted into the shape of the Lightning Blade, which then melted into the light of the dawning sun. Souma allowed himself a quiet smile. He had come here, knowing that he was fighting at best a losing battle. He had thought that a very slim chance was all he had against his blood brother, the wielder of the Star Blade. But who could have guessed Raien, claimed to be weaker than Hokuto itself, would provide him with the means to conclude the fight in his favor? Souma sighed. He only hoped Tsubasa-nii-san was okay. Although he had ordered Raien’s monstrous manifestation to attack the older man, he had secretly held back most of its power. The best the dragon could have done to Souma’s brother would be burning the man in a few places and that was it.

As his eyes were drawing shut, Souma could still hear Himeko’s voice calling out to him frantically. He allowed himself another smile. Even though I had to fight my own brother, it did not matter much. As long as I can keep you safe and sound, Himeko, there’s no price I’m not going to pay, was the last thought he had before the peaceful darkness swallowed his consciousness whole.

 

***

 

Holding her childhood friend in her arms, Kurusugawa Himeko only shed her tears in silence. She didn’t know that the boy loved her so much. She didn’t know that he was willing to give up everything for her. But... but.... What should I do?

“I’m so sorry, Sou-chan,” Himeko cried.

 

***

 

Himemiya Chikane decided to turn away from her sweetheart Himeko, who was cradling her knight in shining armor in her arms and weeping softly. She could not bear to watch this any longer. Her heart... it hurt so much.... Her hands clenched into fists. At least the most important question she had, had been answered. So I do have to let you go in the end, Himeko, she thought. But if you are happy, I am fine with it. Far beyond the horizon, the sun was rearing its head, heralding the arrival of a brand new day. Yet, all Chikane could see was the harbinger of a bleak future where all she would be able to do was watch her beloved spend time beside someone else while Chikane herself faded unnoticed into the pitiless desert of time.