ã€ŠYoung Magic Knightã€‹


 Chapter 1 (Azul)

    Is it normal to dream of death?

    I do. I have every night, for a few years, now.

    I open my eyes, and I''m in my classroom on the third floor of a school at night. The building is completely empty, as everyone has gone home...

    ...or so I thought. As I step into the hallway, I feel a sharp pain near my ribs... unable to keep my balance, I fall onto the cold floor, and eventually become colored crimson with my own blood. I try to turn and look at my assailant, and then I''m violently kicked over, flipped on my back. Then I see them.

    A girl, around my age, black hair hiding her eyes, wearing a uniform from a different school... what? I look more closely... There''s a knife in her hand! It''s covered in blood... my blood... she then holds me down as if she were a hunter and I were her prey.

    A stab. In my stomach.

    Another in my chest.

    My ribs again...

    It hurts...

    It hurts...

    It hurts...

    ...Then I wake up.

    I look around in panic, only to realize I am safe in my room. The pain is gone, and the morning sun has vanquished the horrible night... I guess it''s time to start my day.

    So I hop into the shower, trying to forget it all, and think about something more positive. I start attending Lost Angel High today. My old school had closed, and grandpa decided I should go here. It''s going to be strange, learning a whole new school, with different teachers, different students, different everything.

    Out of the shower and into my uniform. Now I go to the dining room where Gramps and my little sister Miko are already enjoying breakfast. They greet me with a ¡°good morning¡±, as always.

    ¡°How are you?¡± I respond with my usual morning smile. Miko then says,

    ¡°I feel great! I''m so happy to be starting middle school!¡± She''s in 6th grade, now... time sure flies... ¡°Hey, Azul, what was it like?¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± I''m unsure what she was asking.

    She clarifies: ¡°Middle school. Do you remember what it was like for you?¡± It''s funny she asks, because I can''t...

    ¡°...It was okay.¡± A lie... My middle school years are a blur. I can only assume nothing happened. Nothing good, nothing bad.

    ¡°Oh... okay.¡± Not sure if she''s disappointed with my answer or just not really concerned. I look at my watch. 6:30. Maybe it''d be good if I headed towards the bus stop now. I finish up breakfast, pancakes and bacon, made by grandpa, and head out the door, saying:

    ¡°Thanks, Gramps! See you later!¡± He and Miko wave good bye as I shut the door.

    I suddenly think to myself that grandpa didn''t say much this morning... Was something else on his mind? Never mind. Gramps is getting old, but he can still take care of himself.

    I walk down the street and wait for my bus. Not a school bus, mind you, but public transit. It''s been a while since I got on a public bus... Grandpa usually would just drive us everywhere, but I decided I was okay with this. I wait. It''s nice and quiet... I feel that not-too-cold-but-not-too-hot September air, and signs of autumn are starting to creep in.

    The bus finally comes. Nothing out the ordinary on this ride. I get on, pay, and get some empty seat near the middle. Not many people on this bus. Makes sense, though. It is early morning, and no students have gotten on yet, after all.

    During this time, I get lost in my thoughts. I''m going to a completely new school... Will I be lonely? How long will it take for me to get used to the change in environment? Will I make new friends there? Would it be possible if I met someone I once knew all over again?

    Time passes... I see someone getting on the bus. A student wearing the same uniform... must be going to my school. A girl, around my age, with black hair. She''s not looking in a direction I can see her face clearly... She heads to the back of the bus, looking at me briefly. She has blue eyes... bright, beautiful, sky blue eyes.

    The bus takes off. At the next stop, more students got on. One that stands out to me was another girl, wearing the same uniform.

    Around the same age and size as the other, from what I can tell. She has... pink hair and red eyes...? I assume she dyes her hair and is wearing contacts. Did she smile at me? Why? She goes to the back of the bus where that other girl was. She smiles and greets her. They must be friends.

    Time passes as I watch unfamiliar scenery fly by from my window. Anyway, The bus stops a few more times, more people get on, it''s been kind of a long ride, I feel. We''re now close enough to the school. It''s time to get off...

    As I walk inside, an announcement is made asking all the students to head to homeroom. Anyone without a schedule was to report to the office. Luckily, I was smart enough to have kept my schedule that came in the mail and bring it with me today. Room 3-3... alright. It must be on the third floor. So, up the stairs, just passed the second floor. Up again... now I look around the third floor. 3-3... Here it is.

    I open the door and the teacher notices me immediately. He gestures for me to come where he''s standing.

    ¡°This is our new student. He just came in from... Victorica High?¡± He looks at me, and I nod. ¡°Hopefully he''ll fit in with us just fine.¡± he then turns to me. ¡°What''s your name, young man?¡±

    I am feeling a little nervous... ¡°My name is... Azul Ryukawa. I''m a senior... nice to meet you all. I hope we get along well.¡± I must look like a wimp while I''m saying this... I think everyone can tell how uncomfortable I am.

    Well, I then take my seat, which is two rows behind those two girls I saw on the bus, who sit next to each other.

    Why do I keep noticing these two...? The rest of these students are just people to me, but them... their faces, their bodies stick out to me. Is something wrong with me? It''s not that they''re girls, I wasn''t even paying attention to any of the girls, here, except these two. I just...

    I hear a voice... who is it? The voice fades away. I can''t even pay attention to what''s going on around me anymore... I... I feel pain...! I feel... like I''m being stabbed!!! Pain... Blood... What''s happening to me!? My head... hurts... I can''t... focus... then I hit the floor. I hear something, some screaming, maybe... I can''t even hear or see straight, right now... I can feel my consciousness fading away...

    Then I open my eyes. A good deal of the class is standing over me... ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    "Wh... what?"

    The teacher comes over and comes to see what''s wrong. He makes a worried face, then turns to that black haired girl. ¡°Ms. Prince, can you help him to the nurse''s office?¡±

    ¡°But... Why me?¡± she says.

    Another female voice says, ¡°Because you''re right there. Just help him.¡±

    Prince, or... whatever her name is, lets out a sigh and pulls me up. ¡°Damn, you''re heavy... Come on...!¡± Now I''m on my feet. Barely. ¡°Okay? Come on, this way.¡± She pulls me out of the classroom, with a smile, maybe to make it seem like everything''s okay.

    She keeps pulling my arm... ¡°I''m okay. I can walk.¡± I pull away from her. She seems a bit surprised. It must have looked pretty bad when I fell. I just follow her to the nurse''s office.

    ¡°Geez, what''s the matter with you, passing out like that?¡± I don''t know why, but something about the way she just said that pisses me off a little.

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    ¡°Well, what? Do you want me to apologize?¡±

    After making a confused face, she says, ¡°No, it''s okay, just... what happened? Are you sick?¡±

    No... I wasn''t sick, far from it. Why did I suddenly feel so bad? ¡°I can''t be sick, I felt fine this morning. It just came out of nowhere.¡± Silence.

    ¡°Ah well, that''s nurse''s problem, not mine. She''s pretty smart about stuff like this, so don''t worry... Blue?¡±

    Funny. She called me Blue. Because of my blue hair, perhaps? ¡°My name is Azul, but Blue''s fine, Prince...¡±

    ¡°Trace.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Trace Prince. That''s my name, ''kay?¡± Oh... What a strange name. Then again, my name is rather weird, too... That silence has crept back in as we walk the halls and descend the stairs. I fumble around for a topic...

    ¡°Who''s that girl you hang out with?¡±

    She seems surprised I even took interest in her. ¡°Her name is Cleo Arkald. Why?¡±

    ¡°Oh, nothing, I just... noticed it looked like you two are pretty good friends...¡±

    She stops walking. Now she speaks with a softer voice than before. ¡°Yeah, we are. Cleo is probably my best friend in the whole world. It''s just that we understand each other so well... I felt... something special from her the first day we met, know what I mean?¡±

    Actually, I don''t think I do...

    ¡°Sounds nice. How did you meet such a nice friend? Just curious.¡±

    Trace turned to face me as I said this. She smiles. ¡°Well... It''s kind of a long story.¡± She must really like this Cleo girl... ¡°Okay, the nurse''s office is right there. You know your way back, right? See ya later.¡± I, uh... don''t know my way back, but before I can protest, I notice she had already walked away. Oh well... I go into the nurse''s office.

    ...

    ¡°Well, I don''t see anything physically wrong, so nothing in the school should be making you sick... You seem to be fine.¡± The nurse says this after doing a quick check. She looked very young, couldn''t be much over 20. She had long, bright, purple hair that reached all the way down to her waist, and a gentle face with equally purple eyes.

    ¡°You said you fainted. Did you sleep well?¡± she asks.

    ¡°Yeah, I slept fine. I wasn''t tired, I don''t think,¡± I say. She seems just as confused as I am...

    ¡°...and this has never happened before? Well, how do you feel? Your mind, I mean. Are you having any nightmares or seeing strange things?¡±

    This got me thinking... The nightmares, the things I saw before I passed out... ¡°Yeah, I have been, lately... is that why I fell unconscious?¡±

    She looks at the floor, thinking, and then says, ¡°It''s possible. You said your head still feels strange, right?¡±

    I nod. ¡°I heard something. Someone kept asking if I could hear them. I have no idea where the voice came from, though...¡± She sighs.

    Nope, she can''t help me. ¡°Look, I want you to come back tomorrow if it doesn''t get better, okay? I''ll write you a note back to class so you don''t get in trouble.¡±

    Great... Not even the nurse knows what to do with me. Well, good for me that the rest of the school day went pretty well. Got introduced to my teachers and got to know some of the people that would be in my class for the rest of the year. I kind of wonder how this year is going to play out... Anyway, before I knew it, the dismissal bell had rung, and it was time to go home. I gather my things and head out from the main gate, to go wait for the bus. Wait a second...

    ...Is that my bus over there? Oh, crap!

    ¡°Wait!¡± I run. Everyone else gets on and I don''t think anyone can hear me. ¡°Wait!¡±

    No luck. The bus takes off without me and I''m left there looking stupid...

    With a sigh, I flop down on the nearby bench and just watch the ground in irritation.

    ...It''s quiet. It''s really quiet. Worryingly so. Suddenly... I hear footsteps. I look over to my left. Some dark haired pretty boy with medium length hair concealing most of his face... he''s walking towards me. What does he want?

    ¡°Have they contacted you yet?¡± What...? He must have seen the puzzled look on my face, as he then says, ¡°I guess that''s a no...¡± He sort of shakes his head, then looks around, seeing no one. I don''t think I like where this is going...

    Then, from thin air, a dark ¡°mist¡± appears around him... and from it he brings out a great-sword. What the hell!? Am I losing my mind or something!? I just saw this happen... This is crazy... but what I should be more worried about is why he drew this blade!

    ¡°So if it hasn''t gotten to you... It''d be best to just kill you right here, right now...¡± I can tell from the cold look in his eyes... he''s dead serious. I... I have to run from him!

    As I start to run, all of the sudden, I feel a force that knocks me over. Was that... just from the swinging of his sword? I''m so confused, and scared... He then comes to stand over me. I''m frozen. I''m just so freaked out I couldn''t even try to run. He points his blade at me. ¡°I''m just doing my job. Don''t take it personally.¡± He brings the sword down...!

    Then from nowhere, a bolt of light hits him in the chest. As he falls backwards, someone comes near me. A girl, asking ¡°You alright?¡±

    What is this girl wearing...? She''s wearing a skin-tight suit of armor with a breastplate... Does she think she''s some kind of superhero? That guy must have knocked me out, and now I''m dreaming. No... maybe I fell asleep waiting for another bus? I have no clue...

    Wait a second. This girl has pink hair and red eyes... Oh my God, don''t tell me...

    Before I have time to gather my thoughts, I realize another super-powered girl is fighting that weird guy from before. Wielding what looks like a kodachi, she unleashes a flurry so fast that my eyes can¡¯t follow it all. This is crazy. They''re moving so fast... Dodging each others attacks, moving at such a high speed... It''s like I''m right in the middle of some action anime... The mystery boy then jumps over her, and towards me.

    ¡°Cleo!¡± she shouts.

    Oh God, don''t tell me I was right... The girl next to me, Cleo, then says, ¡°Okay!¡± She pulls a bow and arrow from nowhere, much like the boy with his sword, nocks, draws, and looses.

    The arrow flies. It hits him square in the chest, and tears through his body like paper. He falls to the ground with a thud, and it becomes silent again. The other girl now goes over to high-five Cleo, and now I can see her face... She was wearing sunglasses, but they were transparent enough that I could see her blue eyes¡ªreally?

    ¡°Trace... Cleo... is that you!?¡± They both look at me as I say this. We stare at each other in dead silence. What the heck is going on...?

    The defeated stranger now stands up, as if ready to continue fighting, but he seems seriously hurt. ¡°This isn''t worth dying over... Even if I do beat them, the Magic Knight''s Force might reach him... Damn!¡± He runs.

    More silence. I''m just so confused by what was going on in front of me, that I''m not sure how to react. Trace lets out a groan and scratches her head, walking over to me. ¡°I guess... you''ve figured out our secret, huh...?¡±

 Chapter 2 (Trace)

    After seeing all this, Blue passes out... What kind of guy keeps fainting like this, anyway? After removing my Mystic Coat, I pick him up and sit him on the bench near the bus stop, and Cleo sits with me as we wait for him to wake up. After some time passes, he finally opens his eyes...

    ¡°Trace... is that you...?¡±

    I remove my new sunglasses so he can see my face a bit better.

    ¡°Yeah, it''s me. Don''t worry, you''re fine. You didn''t get too badly hurt.¡± He looks at himself, maybe he''s checking for any serious wounds, like he doesn''t believe me, or something. Now he looks at me... I''m sure he''s got so many questions...

    Blue takes a deep breath, then brings his hand to his chin, thinking. ¡°I''ll start with my first question. What were the powers you three just used?¡±

    I sigh, thinking of a way to explain it to him without over-complicating it. ¡°Listen. Me, Cleo, and that guy... We were contacted by spirits called Magic Knight Forces...¡± He raises an eyebrow, skeptical of what I was saying. ¡°From what I understand, they''re the undead souls of certain great warriors from times long past. What happens is they die, and then they can synchronize their souls with people who are born under the same Birth Star... I think? At least, that''s how Grey explained it to me. All that matters is that they can grant magical power to someone with the same birthday as them.¡±

    Blue still seems to not believe me, but at least he''s listening and letting me explain it all. ¡°Who''s Grey?¡± he eventually asks.

    I pull out my cell phone. ¡°He is the Magic Knight Force that protects me... Whenever I don''t need him, Grey turns into this app on my cell, see?¡±

    Grey ¡°possesses¡± my phone when I''m not using his power, and I show this ¡°app¡± to Blue, who seems to be starting to understand and believing I''m telling him the truth. ¡°Okay... I think I get it. So, who was that guy?¡±

    ¡°I know some stuff about him,¡± I say. ¡°The Phoenix Shade. A pretty strange Magic Knight whose powers are very similar to another''s, the Phoenix. However, all of its magic is Dark instead of Fire, and while it bestows some limited form of immortality, like its user could survive being shot in the chest like you saw earlier, if his entire body is destroyed, or if he runs out of mana trying to come back, he''ll really die...¡± I look at Cleo after saying all of this. ¡°Right?¡±

    ¡°Mm-hm.¡± She nods.

    ¡°I see.¡± Blue still looks very gloomy. ¡°Do you know why he was trying to kill me?¡±

    ¡°I''d like to know as much as you do, Blue. Only thing I know is that he wanted to kill you...¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    I can''t answer his question. I don''t know why... Cleo chimes in with an answer of her own: ¡°Based on what he said, a nearby Knight Force is trying to contact you... He probably wanted to stop that from happening.¡± Blue''s face turns to one of shock and fear. He looks like he''s going to panic, so I try and calm him down.

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    ¡°Take it easy. If what Cleo says is true, then I guess the Magic Knight''s going to reach you soon, and ask for you to host it. All you have to do is make a choice... If you want that power, then--¡±

    ¡°No!¡± He spits out the words immediately. ¡°If I refuse to take this ''force''... then that guy won''t try to kill me again, right? I mean, what if he attacks my house or something while my family''s around? I believe you, but as interesting as all this sounds... that power will just bring me trouble. Sorry...¡±

    For some reason, I can''t help laughing out loud.

    Making that same puzzled face, Blue says, ¡°W-what¡¯s so funny!?¡±

    ¡°What are you sorry for?¡± Blue looks at the ground after I say this.

    ¡°Trace... Cleo... what do you do with your powers?¡±

    Cleo now says: ¡°We beat up bad guys! Didn''t you see?¡±

    ¡°...and we just saved you, didn''t we?¡± I add.

    Now he looks even more depressed... ¡°It... it must be hard work, huh?¡± Actually, I can''t deny that it is. He goes on: ¡°You realize this is dangerous, right...? What are you going to do if you die--¡±

    ¡°Well, I''ll be dead, duh!¡± I barely let the last word pass through his lips before I shout this. ¡°Blue, look... I''ve known about all this from the moment I agreed to host Grey! I knew it wouldn''t be easy, I knew I was in danger, I knew I could end up getting killed...¡± Great. Now he''s making me depressed... ¡°...but Azul, Blue, what does that have to do with you?¡±

    He looks like he doesn''t know what to say... It got quiet real fast, and it''s bothering me... I put my hand on his left shoulder. Azul is shaking... ¡°Trace, I... I want to help you. The way I see it, I can make it so you and Cleo don''t have to fight as much... I''d feel terrible if something bad happened to one of you...¡± Ah, so he''s one of those kinds of people. I see now.

    ¡°You want to protect people?¡± I say, hoping I understand him a bit better. Azul nodded.

    ¡°Yeah. I could try to protect my family and stuff, too. But... what if I mess up? What if I...¡± ...he''s not gonna start crying or something, is he...? ¡°I''m scared. I can''t do it! All I can do is hope you''ll be alright... I''m sorry...¡± Now he turns away from me, and... I think he''s really starting to cry. I''m no good with this stuff. Why does he have to be so dramatic!?

    ¡°Hey! Look, Blue, it''s okay! I''m gonna be fine!¡± I fake a smile. He can tell, though. I know it... ¡°Don''t worry about me. If you''re worried about your family, you can take care of them if you think you need to. You don''t have to make a choice now. I''m sure when it makes contact... you''ll have your answer. I think I can trust you to make the right choice.¡± I look up and see the bus approaching. ¡°It''s getting late... Come on. Let''s go home.¡±

 Chapter 3 (Cleo)

    Time flies as I watch the city pass by on the bus. Trace is off in the back of the bus snoring, and I''m sitting near Blue. I think to myself. About school, the boy using Phoenix Shade, the boy we just saved...

    ¡°Hey.¡± Blue sits on the other side of the bus, right across from me. He looks up in response to my calling him. ¡°How do you feel?¡±

    He smiles. Maybe he''s just happy that I care. ¡°I''ll be fine. Thank you.¡± It''s quiet again. I usually don''t like it when it gets quiet like this... Blue seems to see this and speaks. ¡°Oh, we haven''t really been properly introduced yet, have we? In case you didn''t hear me in the classroom, I''m--¡±

    ¡°Azul ''Blue'' Ryukawa. Of course I know your name, silly.¡± Blue just stares at me, confused. ¡°...oh. You''ve forgotten about me, haven''t you?¡±

    He suddenly seems a little embarrassed. ¡°I guess I did. I''m sorry.¡± He stops looking at me, as if to hide from my eyes. I kind of feel bad for him, but how did he just forget? Did he hit his head or something? I haven''t changed that much... have I?

    ¡°Blue, listen... it''s me, Cleo Arkald. We went to the same middle school, remember? We had the same class and everything...¡± I lean over, hoping he responds.

    ¡°Um, were we friends?¡±

    I don''t know what to say. ¡°Kind of. like, we knew each others names and stuff.¡± A lie. ¡°I don''t blame you for forgetting. Nothing great happened between you and me, nothing you need to worry about happened during those times...¡± Another lie. A bigger one. I probably look sad, saying this.

    Then, all of a sudden, Blue laughs. He''s not laughing at me, though. It seems more like he''s laughing at himself. ¡°Come on, you''re making me feel bad.¡± He starts smiling again. I like to see him smile... When he smiles, I feel like I can forget whatever bad things are happening. Back then, Blue would worry a lot, and it seems like he still does. Even if everything was fine, Blue would find something to get upset about, and he would end up obsessing over it, so he was almost never happy when I talked to him.

    When he smiles, I just feel like things are right, you know what I mean? I kind of wish he could keep smiling like this... ¡°Wait a second...¡± Blue''s face changes. He seems to be in thought... ¡°Oh! Yeah, I remember you now! The girl I was with at the park... you used to be adorable back then." He grins. "You still are.¡±

    This made me smile. ¡°How have you been, Blue?¡±

    ¡°Everything''s fine. Little Miko started middle school today, Gramps is okay as always... Everything''s fine.¡±

    I''m glad to hear that. ¡°That''s good. I''ve been doing well, myself.¡±

    He looks over, seeming a little confused. ¡°You had brown hair back then... Did you change it?¡±

    I guess he''s worried about the pink color I decided to dye my hair. ¡°Yeah,¡± I answer. ¡°No real reason, I just thought it would look nice. It''s not bad, is it?¡± I ask, again, hiding the full truth.

    Blue shakes his head, saying, ¡°No, it''s fine. It looks good on you.¡± We just sort of talked like this for a while...

    Maybe I have changed since then, but I can tell Blue has changed a lot, himself... He used to be so shy and depressed, and I always thought he looked and acted kind of like a girl. But now here he is, smiling and enjoying life, he''s shed his girly looks and he''s grown to be so handsome in such a short amount of time... I ask him if he''s remembered anything else, and we talk more about things like the field trip they took us on near the end of our last year of middle school.

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    We went to an amusement park that day, and this was the last time I''d see Blue before he was sent to the hospital after...

    ...anyway, he was alone when I saw him there, and he had no one to go around the park with. It just so happened that I got separated from my friends, so I went over to him. We spent the rest of the day together... I don''t think I had ever been happier.

    After a while, Blue, who has since moved out of his seat to sit right next to me, decides to change the subject. ¡°I remembered something else. Remember those murders around the school back in eighth grade?¡± This is an unpleasant surprise. Of all the things to suddenly remember... ¡°Do you think... Do you think they ever caught them?¡±

    I hesitate. What should I say to something like that? ¡°The murders did stop, so I assume that they did...¡±

    Blue goes on, talking about the killings some more. ¡°I mean, I was afraid to go outside then. It was like being in a nightmare... They said that this killer would come out at night and drain victims of their blood for some reason... The whole thing felt like something out of a vampire horror story...¡± Now I''m just feeling depressed... ¡°In fact, I''ve never believed the vampire stories, but maybe... Cleo, do you think it was a vamp--¡± He looks at my face for a second. ¡°...I''m sorry.¡±

    ¡°No, don''t worry, Blue. It''s not like anything was your fault. I''m okay, see?¡±

    He goes back to smiling at me. ¡°I was worried. Back then, I thought they might have come after my family, after me, after you... but we''re all okay... I feel terrible for those who lost their loved ones, but we''re okay... I''m so happy to see you safe...¡± Blue puts his hand on my shoulder and gives me a warm smile. I''m so happy that he can be close to me, and yet so sad... because soon, he might remember ¡°that¡±...

    ¡°Uh, come on, Blue. Let''s not...¡± I feel embarrassed as I say this. Unable to come up with a real excuse, I just clumsily push him away... but he still lets me go and goes back to his seat.

    "O-okay, my bad," he says, laughing at himself a bit.

    Blue now sits silently, then he asks one more question... ¡°Just about an hour ago, I had thought it was either help you and Trace or keep me and my family safe...¡± I look over. Blue is looking at his hands. ¡°...but Cleo, do you think I might be able to do both?¡±

    ¡°I dunno,¡± I say, softly. ¡°I''d say it''s worth a try.¡± Blue seems a little surprised that I answered.

    ¡°Hm? Oh, you didn''t have to answer me. Sorry.¡± He raises his hand up. ¡°Still, maybe I can''t, but what if I can? I feel like I should try... but what if I screw up? I can''t take it back...¡± He forms a fist, looking determined.

    ¡°Well, Blue, the decision is yours. Trace trusts you to make the right choice, and so do I,¡± I say, smiling. "Just know that, whatever you decide to do, I''ll support you, like I''ve always wanted to." I look out the window and see that the bus is going through my familiar neighborhood. ¡°Okay, this is my stop, Blue. I gotta go.¡± As I walk away, I say to him, ¡°Take care of yourself, at least until tomorrow, okay?¡± He smiles and nods. I wave goodbye to him, get off the bus, walk home, and go to sleep, thinking of when I''ll see my friend again...

 Chapter 4 (Trace)

    I open my eyes. Wait, where am I? Looking out the window... I slept past my stop. Ah, crap... Why didn''t they wake me up? I can feel the bus stopping, and now Blue''s about to get off.

    ¡°Trace? You slept past--¡±

    ¡°I know...¡± I mumble, wiping my tired eyes. I get off with him. I''ll catch a bus going the other way later. While I''m here, maybe I should make sure of something... I need to follow Blue home.

    I watch Blue as he walks down the street and I try to keep from being noticed by him, so that he doesn''t think I''m a stalker or something... It''s late, however, and we''re the only two people around, so I''ll be more surprised if he doesn''t notice me. I see him walk inside his house, and I hear some voices, which I assume are his family. Then, I wait...

    Hours pass, and it is now 19:30. Just as I think about leaving, my wait finally pays off... I look behind me, take aim with my handgun, and fire, making the strange figure I aimed at react by blocking it with his sword. It''s him. The Phoenix Shade Knight.

    ¡°So it''s you... Who are you!?¡±

    He ignores my question. ¡°You just had to be here, making my job harder... How do you walk around with so many weapons and no one notices, anyway?¡± He says, scratching his head through his medium-length black hair.

    ¡°It''s part of the power my Knight Force gives me. I thought you''d have been able to tell,¡± I say, pointing my gun at him again. ¡°Now let''s hear it. Who are you? Why do you want to kill Blue? Who are you working for?¡±

    ¡°Do you think I''ll honestly answer--¡±

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    I run towards him, firing, before he can finish his sentence. I manage to get a hit in on him before he put up his guard. I pull out the kodachi I was using earlier and go for his legs. He jumps, then swings underhand. Too slow. It''s probably the heavy sword he uses, but compared to me, he''s like a sloth, and with no one for me to protect, he''s easy prey...

    A step to the side, a slash to his right arm. I watch the fountain of blood spray from the wound, and can''t resist getting excited by the sight...

    Wham!

    Sudden impact. I fly to the left, into a street pole that gets knocked over. He had kicked me in the side, throwing me off long enough for him to get away. Should''ve paid more attention.

    ¡°Mystic Coat!¡± Now he''s covered in heavy black armor, his Mystic Coat. Great... now I''m gonna have trouble hitting him.

    ¡°Grey, the spell!¡± I allow my Magic Knight Force to hear my thoughts... ¡°O plain blade of steel, reject your nature as a mere mortal''s weapon and make me the lord of the battlefield! WarMaster!¡± Now my weapons glow with a faint grey light. I can hurt him now.

    I shoot him as many times as I can, but not enough that the bullets can get through. He closes in. Right hook...! Still too slow. I stab for his chest, but his Mystic Coat is pretty thick. I can''t get through it. He brings his blade back out, and brings it down with an overhead swing.

    BAM!

    I barely dodge it, but I notice it left a huge crater in the ground... Holy shit... If I get hit by that and I''m like this, I''ll die for sure. I call on Grey again.

    ¡°Mystic Coat!¡± The suit of all grey armor covers my body. Light and easy to move in, but still pretty durable. This is much better.

    I should try and finish this as quickly as possible. I move at full speed and try to get behind him. He tries to sweep my leg, but luckily I see it coming. Jump over... A bladed weapon probably won''t do anything to him, so I send it away, and summon some knuckles.

    With all my might, I punch at his back. He''s stunned, but I''m not done with him. I punch again, and punch some more. As many times as I can. I hear cracking sounds, and see that damage is being done. I''m starting to get through the Coat!

    ¡°Screw this!!!¡± He rolls away and runs... where is he going?

    Wait a second... He''s headed towards Blue''s house! Ah, crap! I shoot at him, trying to slow him down. I manage to get him in the spot where I broke his Coat.

    ¡°Agh!¡± He falls to one knee.

    ¡°So you are after Blue...¡± It should be obvious by now, but whatever... ¡°Tell me! Why are you trying to kill him? I won''t ask again!¡± I take aim.

    Suddenly, a black glow surrounds his sword and he swings it at me! I should have seen it coming... but before I know it, I''ve been hit by the dark energy and thrown backwards...

    ¡°Now, stay out of my way. You''re not my target. I''m just doing my job. Don''t take it personally...¡±

    Suddenly, a blue light flies into the house. That must have been his Magic Knight''s Force! Azul Ryukawa... make your choice. What are you going to choose to do?

    All of the sudden, the boy in black is thrown backwards by a figure covered in blue flames... I take a closer look... It''s Blue... He has chosen to fight! He stands confidently, and I can tell he''s not afraid of this guy. I''m impressed... He''s adapted pretty quickly, it seems.

    ¡°Get up. If you''re going to try and hurt me, my family, and my friends, you''d best be prepared to get hurt back.¡±

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    Blue rushes towards the guy and hits him so many times... With all those punches and kicks, I eventually lost count. He hits him so hard, so fast, and with so strong a flame that he set the guy on fire. Then Blue gives him a rising, flaming uppercut and our enemy falls to the ground, still burning with a blue flame.

    Now, it is silent. Blue stands over him, and rises his flaming fist...

    ¡°Wait.¡± The user of Phoenix Shade suddenly speaks. He gets up slowly, sends away his Magic Knight Force, and raises his hands. ¡°I lose.¡±

    Blue''s either angry, confused, or some combination of the two... ¡°What!?¡±

    ¡°You beat me. There''s no point in my fighting you guys anymore. My mission is a failure. I was supposed to keep you from getting that power, like you probably already thought. I''ll... just have to not get paid for this one.¡± He starts to walk off. ¡°Sorry for all the trouble. If we ever see each other again, hopefully it''s on more friendly terms.¡±

    Blue probably doesn''t buy it. ¡°Wait--¡±

    ¡°Adios.¡± He disappears into the darkness...

    Probably worn out by the power he just used, Blue falls to his knees, breathing heavily.

    ¡°Blue!¡± I go running over to him. ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    He looks up at me. ¡°I''ll be fine.¡± He gets up and dusts himself off. Blue seems proud of himself. He should be. What he just did was amazing. ¡°So that''s why you followed me home,¡± he says, with a smile.

    ¡°What!? How the... you noticed me!? Why didn''t you say anything!?¡±

    He makes a big goofy grin, as if he was trying to keep from laughing at me. ¡°I had a feeling I shouldn''t have bothered you. At least everything turned out okay, right?¡±

    ¡°Whatevs...¡± I shrug, then look at my wristwatch. ¡°Would you look at the time... I gotta get home, Blue. My folks are probably worried sick... Take care, man.¡± Blue goes back inside, and I get on a bus headed home...

    The bus comes pretty quickly... It''s getting kinda dark out. What time is it, now? 19:50... Good lord, I''ve been out later than I expected. Oh, well. I pay, sit in the back, and just close my eyes...

    Blue... I wonder, does he remember me? I didn''t bother asking. Cleo seems happy to see him again... Maybe I could ask her what he remembers. She went home already, so I''ll have to ask her later.

    Whatever. I fought twice today. Tired as hell... I might as well take a quick nap.

    ¡°It seems like you''re getting better at this, Trace.¡± A voice speaks into my mind... It''s Grey. What does he want?

    ¡°What do you want, man? I''m freaking tired, can''t you bother me later?¡± I "say" back.

    ¡°You know, you''re usually nicer when we''re linked like this...¡± Yeah, he can hear my thoughts when he makes the link... Guess he won''t shut up until I talk to him. I''ve got nothing against Grey, he''s cool. It''s just... he talks more than I expected, y''know? It doesn''t help that he tends to start a conversation with me when I''m sleeping or whatever. Anyway...

    ¡°Of course I got better. I''ve been doing this for a second, now.¡±

    It''s kind of weird, having a conversation like this... I mean, people are here on the bus with me, of course, but no one can see or hear Grey right now but me. I feel like I''ve been somehow separated from the rest of the world, and us two are the only ones here... I figured I''d be used to it by now, but it''s still pretty weird to me.

    Grey ¡°speaks¡± again: ¡°You''ve changed.¡±

    ¡°Huh? What makes you say that?¡±

    ¡°You''re different from when we first met. You''ve become... more heroic.¡±

    I feel like laughing. ¡°It''s not like I''m some big hero, I just happened to be there. But then... nothing wrong with helping him out since I was there, right?¡±

    Somehow, Grey seems disappointed with that. ¡°You think too little of yourself. You did a great thing, especially compared to how it used to be... You can be proud of yourself.¡±

    I smile. ¡°I understand... but you''re the one who really is great. I wouldn''t even be doing this if not for you. Grey, you changed my life... Thank you.¡±

    He laughs. ¡°Haha, Stop that... you''re embarrassing me...¡±

    I smile again. ¡°Alright, Grey. Just let me sleep.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright. Just make sure you don''t miss your stop this time.¡±

    Grey cuts our link for now, and I close my eyes, trying to rest...

 Chapter 5 (Azul)

    I have that same dream again... I''m in school at night, and I try to go home... then I get stabbed from behind by that same girl. I wake up covered in sweat, breathing heavily and trying to separate myself from the dream... trying to claw my way out of the darkness and remember that I''m alive...

    ¡°Azul! What''s wrong!?¡± A voice.... it''s her. My Magic Knight''s Force, the Azure Dragon. She must have seen me and woke me up when it seemed like something was wrong with me. ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    Huh?

    ¡°I''m sorry. I should have explained the link before I just started talking to you like this.¡±

    ¡°Please, do explain.¡± I believe I just ¡°said¡± this to Azure.

    ¡°Look. As long as were connected, we can speak telepathically, like this. No one can hear or see me but you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± I start sending things without really thinking about it, odd as that may sound. It''s a lot more different from talking than it probably seems...

    I sit there, in my bed, trying to regain myself. ¡°Well... I''ll be fine. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Are you still going to school today? You could just tell your family you''re sick if--¡±

    I interrupt her. ¡°It''s okay. I''ve been having that same nightmare for years, now... and I''m well rested after the fight from yesterday. I don''t really have an excuse to stay here...¡±

    Azure seems surprised at this. ¡°Every night is like this for you...?¡±

    I nod. An awkward silence starts to creep in, and both of us are getting uncomfortable...

    ¡°Listen. I''m gonna shower right now. Shouldn''t take too long, alright?¡±

    ...

    So after all that, I put on my uniform and talk to my family in the dining room. ¡°Did everyone sleep well?¡± Normal morning, normal greeting, normal smile. Gramps nods.

    Miko then says something that surprised me... ¡°I heard something outside last night and saw some lights. Was it the police?¡± She must be talking about... oh, okay.

    ¡°Don''t worry about it.¡± I look out a nearby window. ¡°I don''t see any police cars, or officers, so it must be okay.¡± After that, I finish up breakfast, and run out the door. I still have a little time before the bus comes, but it doesn''t hurt to leave early. On my way to the bus stop...

    ¡°Your family seems like some really nice people, Azul.¡±

    I smile. ¡°Yeah. Grandpa is one of the most friendly people I know. Miko''s a nice kid, too.¡±

    ¡°Say, Azul.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡± What is she going to ask, I wonder?

    ¡°So that''s your Grandfather?¡± I nod, wondering where Azure''s going with this. ¡°I see... sorry. Forget I asked about it.¡± Silence. She must have cut the link for now... Ah... that''s okay. Anymore, and the conversation may have gotten awkward, probably for both of us. I continue walking slowly towards the bus stop...

    It comes on time, I get on, and the ride to school begins. A little later, Trace gets on. Today, she''s sitting directly behind me.

    ¡°Hey, man. What''s up?¡±

    I just sorta smile. I tell her about my Knight Force, her name and other things. Azure is really polite and she seems to like talking.

    ¡°So Trace, what''s Grey like?¡±

    She rolls her eyes. ¡°Grey likes to play the hero... It''s thanks to him that I fight. Not that I have a problem with doing that. Grey''s pretty chill, so I can do this for him.¡± Trace kind of laughs as she says this.

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    This makes me happy. I had friends back at my old school, but to see that I''m making new ones so quickly is encouraging.

    Time passes, and Cleo gets on. Today she has blonde hair and blue eyes... does she dye her hair a different color everyday? She comes and sits next to me. ¡°Um, hey, Blue...¡±

    ¡°Hehehe...¡± Trace starts giggling. What''s so funny?

    ¡°How are you, Cleo?¡± I ask.

    ¡°I''m... okay, but I felt unusually cold last night... It was nothing, though.¡± Trace starts laughing out loud.

    I have to ask her... ¡°Trace, what in the world is so funny!?¡±

    She shakes her head. ¡°Ah, it''s nothing... Just... you two...¡± She goes back to watching us.

    Trace... you''re weird. Anyway, I enjoy talking with Cleo. It seems like she remembers me well, but aside from that she''s just fun to be around. She just smiles and speaks, then she listens when I say something to her. I can''t help but wonder if there was something really important that I''d forgotten about her, but I''m okay, just talking about stuff like this...

    More laughter from Trace... ¡°Haha! Oh man, I''m glad I decided to sit here.¡±

    Cleo frowns a little. ¡°Oh, come on, Trace, don''t be like that...¡±

    ¡°Ah, it''s okay, I''m only playing around... I won''t bother you two anymore.¡± She gave Cleo a funny look, and continues to chuckle.

    ¡°What!? Trace, stop that!¡± Cleo starts to blush, then she flicks Trace on the forehead.

    ¡°I was just joking...¡± We all start to laugh.

    Lunchtime. It''s been a pretty plain day of school. Nothing really happened today, so far. Well, I did decide to go see the nurse again after school, just so she could know I was okay. ¡°So the headaches and voices have stopped?¡±

    I nod. ¡°I guess I was just adjusting to this new school.¡± I''ve gotta stop lying like this... or at least get better at it. At least she seems relieved.

    ¡°That''s good. So, what about your nightmares? Are you still... having those nightmares?¡± I hesitate. If I tell her the truth, she''ll probably think I''m sick...

    ¡°It''s all good.¡± She doesn''t believe me... I can tell.

    The young nurse sighs, then says, ¡°Okay, I want you to come back if you think something''s wrong. Don''t be shy, you can come talk to me, alright?¡± She smiles and lets me go home.

    So I got on the bus with Trace and Cleo. I ended up asking about their Knight''s Forces, so we talked about that a little.

    ¡°Azure''s power is strong, blue flames. Each one has unique powers, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Trace answers. ¡°Grey has the ability to make weapons stronger and easier to use. It''s called WarMaster.¡±

    Cleo speaks about her''s, now. ¡°Mine''s name is Fl¨¨che. She calls herself a Blade Archer. That bow we use turns into two blades. Fl¨¨che has wind magic, too.¡±

    Interesting... ¡°Hey, Cleo, what do you mean by magic? I thought all Magic Knights used, well, magic.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Well, it''s like this. Based on what I know, a Magic Knight Force is like one very complicated spell. Fl¨¨che was a Magic Knight who could cast wind spells as part of the power she got from her Birth Star, while other Knights have more special, unique abilities, instead of spells.¡±

    ¡°Sounds kinda... complicated, but I think I get the gist.¡±

    She laughs. ¡°It''s no big deal, just a bit of useless information, pretty much.¡±

    We just talk and laugh some more after that. If I''m with these two, this year is gonna be great. I just know it.

 Chapter 6 (Cleo)

    Eventually my stop comes up and I walk home, saying good-bye to Trace and Blue as I get off the bus. I just walk, hearing the sounds of playing children, barking dogs and other ambient sounds of the neighborhood.

    I live away from all that. I live in a small house on a hill, by myself, closer to the woods nearby. Sometimes I get lonely, as it''s just me and Fl¨¨che here, but sometimes Trace comes to visit, so it''s pretty nice.

    Now, what to do with the rest of my day?

    I wasn''t given any homework to do... it is only the second day of school, after all. Maybe it''d be a good idea to just relax for now. I turn on the TV. The news is on. They''re talking about a crater and some strange lights seen in town. Where is that? I think Blue lives around there. They say it happened last night, so he must be okay.

    Eh... other stuff... I don''t care much for the news. I know, it''s important, but nothing else is really happening.

    Click. Click. Click.

    There''s nothing on... I turn the TV off. Might as well work on getting dinner done.

    Let''s see... I had spaghetti yesterday, and that was okay, but I think I''ll try something else tonight... I think some beef and vegetable soup will be good. It''s only 3:45 pm, so I can take my time. Actually, since I''m home, I might as well take these contacts out, and get all this make-up off me...

    ...

    I look into the mirror. I look at the pale, white haired, red eyed girl, who stares back at me...

    ¡°Cleo, is something wrong?¡± Fl¨¨che ¡°says¡±, into my mind.

    ¡°It''s nothing.¡± A lie. She can tell.

    ¡°Oh... forget about it. It''s alright. We don''t have to talk about it if you don''t want to...¡±

    ¡°You can just look into my thoughts, if you want.¡±

    Oops. She doesn''t like it when I say that...

    ¡°I already talked to you about this. There''s a reason people have secrets. Some things are better left unknown. You''ve got secrets that you don''t wanna talk about, and so do I. It''s fine.¡±

    Silence...

    ¡°It''s not much of a secret if someone already knows.¡± Fl¨¨che seems confused. ¡°Listen, Fl¨¨che... I think Blue knows. Trace already knows... I wouldn''t be surprised if Blue can see it, too...¡±

    ¡°Well, I say worry about that when the time comes. Getting stressed out like this is bad for you. Come on, let''s go on with our day.¡±

    I nod. ¡°Okay.¡±

    I think I might as well get to cooking dinner. I get everything ready, prepare my tools and ingredients, and start cooking. My mind starts to wander...

    Did I give Blue my phone number? Did I get his? I don''t think so... Maybe Trace has it. I''ll call her about it in a second. Tomorrow is Saturday, so it would be nice if Trace, Blue, and I could go hang out somewhere. Maybe we''ll go see a movie? I heard that Precious Blue Child got a sequel. Maybe we could go see that. I haven''t read or watched the first one, but maybe I could still follow this one. I just hope Trace doesn''t know that it''s based on a book... If I told her about it, she''d refuse to see it until she''s read the book, then go see the movie, pick it apart, and call it crap, ruining what could be a perfectly acceptable film for me. She did that with Outsider, too.

    Ah, it''s no big deal. I''ll just call her and make plans to see it. Just... please don''t let her know about the books... If she has Blue''s number, we could invite him along, too. For the longest time, it''s just been me, Trace, and our Magic Knight Forces. It''ll be fun to add a new person to our group, especially if it''s Blue. At least I''m pretty sure Blue won''t complain about a movie being a bad adaption of a book that almost nobody our age even really read.

    And now, dinner''s done. I must admit that I feel kind of funny, just sitting here and eating by myself. It just sort of seems like I should eat with other people. Ah, it doesn''t matter. Bon appetit!

    ...

    The next morning. As I wake up, I hear someone outside, ringing the doorbell. I quickly throw something on and I go to the door.

    ¡°...hey!¡± It''s the Shade Phoenix Knight! What is he doing here!?

    ¡°Whoa whoa whoa! One second!¡± What does he want? ¡°I''m not here to hurt you. See? I don''t even have my Force with me.¡± He seems to be unarmed, and I don''t sense his Magic Knight Force.

    ¡°Okay, what do you want?¡±

    ¡°Listen. I was just supposed to bring you this...¡±

    He hands me a piece of paper, which I cautiously take. It reads:

    Magic Knight, I see you have great power. I''d like to ask you to come help me with something that may be of assistance to you. Can you come to this address tomorrow morning? I''ll be waiting. Strife.

    ¡°...what does this mean--¡±

    When I look up, he is already gone. I don''t see anything suspicious about the paper aside from the message on it... Is this some sort of joke?

    I decide to call Trace about it.

    ¡°...Oh, so you got that message, too?¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding me? I called Blue, and he got that, too!¡±

    So they did exchange numbers at some point... but seriously. What''s going on? ¡°What in the world? Who sent this? Who''s this Strife person? Ugh...¡± This is going to turn into a big pain in the butt... I can already feel it...

    ¡°I wouldn''t think too hard about it. Come on, let''s just go to the address tomorrow, Cleo.¡±

    ¡°What!? This could be some kinda trap!¡±

    ¡°I know that,¡± Trace replies, as if there''s not a thing in the world to worry about. ¡°I just... I think it might be okay. Look, on Thursday, that guy showed up at Blue''s house and tried to kill him, but when Blue''s Magic Knight Force made contact, he backed off. I think he was doing a job for someone, at least that''s what he said...¡±

    ¡°Trace, I don''t like this...¡±

    ¡°I know, I know... but listen. This Strife person must know where we live, otherwise that guy wouldn''t have found us.¡± I''m getting worried... ¡°Cleo? You still there? Look, we''re gonna figure out what''s going on if we just go there. Just keep your guard up. We''ll be okay.¡±

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    ¡°Okay...¡±

    ¡°Well, see you.¡±

    ¡°Wait, Trace! I, uh... You wanna go see a movie today? We could get tickets for the new Precious Blue Child.¡±

    ¡°Huh!? Uh...¡± She seems to be thinking about it. I did bring it up out of nowhere, so I can''t blame her. ¡°...ah, whatever. I''m cool with that. We can go see it. I''ll call Blue up and he can come, too." I I can feel her silly grin through the phone... "You''d like that, right?¡±

    I hesitate. ¡°Uh-huh.¡±

    ¡°Hehehe... Of course you would. Ha ha ha¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh, shut up, Trace! Quit it!¡± Why does she have to embarrass and tease me like this?

    ¡°Aw, what''s the matter, Cleo? Don''t you want Blue to be close to you? Don''t you want Blue inside of you--¡±

    I hang up. Sheesh... Yeah, Trace and I are friends, but sometimes she just acts like a goofy kid and I can''t stand it. I guess it''s okay, since she''s only messing around, though. Welp, let''s get ready to go to the theater...

    So I throw something on and walk down the hill towards the bus stop.

    ...

    After about 10 minutes, it comes. Trace and Blue are already there when I get on.

    ¡°Hey, girl!¡± Trace waves to me, and us three sit together in pretty much the same place as last time.

    ¡°What''s up Cleo?¡± Blue asks.

    ¡°Nothing much. There''s that weird message we all got, but I''ll worry about that tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Cleo''s right. Right now let''s enjoy ourselves. We''re gonna see... what again?¡±

    I face Blue, and say: ¡°We''re going to see the sequel to Precious Blue Child. What''s it called, Trace?¡±

    She shrugs. ¡°I don''t know, I''m just coming to see it with you two. I don''t know anything about it aside from the whole sequel thing.¡± So she doesn''t know... That''s good.

    ¡°Oh, it is Abandoned Blue Child,¡± Blue says eventually. ¡°I should know¡ªhey, wait... Cleo, what''s up with your hair... and your skin?¡±

    Whoops! I forgot to dye my hair today and it''s still white! Skin''s still pale as a ghost''s, too. This is not good. ¡°Wha¡ªI, uh... I was just trying something different... You don''t like it?¡±

    Blue just sort of stares. ¡°It''s nice, just... kinda different. You usually go for something really colorful, it seems, so white hair makes you seem sick, or... ''dead''...¡± Why did he have to notice it? at least it doesn''t seem like he knows this is the real color of my hair.

    ...

    So we rode the bus, arrived at the theater, and got our seats. Abandoned Blue Child was a really good movie. It was about a world where the gods decided they could leave the humans to live as they wished after a hero proved that humanity would be fine without them, but centuries later, something happens and the conflict of the plot becomes if the humans can save their world without the gods'' help... After the movie, we all stand outside the theater, talking about it.

    ¡°That was some good stuff, huh, Trace?¡±

    ¡°Uh...¡± Oh boy. ¡°Well, I liked it... but what was up with the ending? I mean, the gods came out and solved everything... what a lazy and obvious goddamn cop out.¡±

    Blue jumps in. ¡°That was the whole point. The gods are spending the whole time debating if they should help or not. You''d see that some of the gods were dead at the end, if you watched closely. There was a whole big fight over if they should interfere, and how.¡±

    Oh, crap! I shoot Blue a threatening look, but he either doesn''t see it or is ignoring me...

    ¡°There was nothing in the movie like that!¡± Trace blurts out. Blue starts to speak again... I put my fingers to my lips, to tell Blue that he needs to shut up, but he still isn''t paying attention! Oh, whatever gods and deities there might be out there, make him stop!

    ¡°I know, Trace. They had to cut it due to time constraints.¡±

    ¡°Blue, stop! Don''t say it!¡±

    ¡°It would have been cool to see that scene on the big screen. I really liked that part when I read the no¡ªoof!!!¡±

    The only thing that I could have done to stop him was to quickly reach over and punch him in the stomach, and I did just that.

    ¡°Aaaah! Why did you hit me!?¡±

    ¡°Why didn''t you listen to me?!¡± Blue makes this puzzled face. He really doesn''t get it... ¡°Darn it, Blue! Trace hasn''t read the novel yet!¡±

    Trace looks up at both of us. ¡°So... there was a novel... for this movie...?¡±

    We both nod.

    ¡°And... NEITHER OF YOU TOLD ME.¡±

    Silence...

    ¡°...FU¡ª

    ...

    As we ride the bus away from the crowd gathering around us, Blue and Trace are still arguing...

    ¡°Oh, come on, Trace, don''t make such a big deal out of it... it''s nothing--¡±

    ¡°It''s not nothing!¡± Trace hasn''t been this angry in a while. She''s impossible to talk to when she''s like this. ¡°Blue, I missed a whole half of the goddamn plot! You said that! That''s not freaking nothing!¡± People are starting to stare at us...

    I turn back towards the two. ¡°Sssssh!!! You two are drawing attention! Calm down!¡±

    Trace just gets louder. Somehow. ¡°Don''t give me that! You''re just as guilty as he Blue is! You knew about the book, just like he did!¡±

    ¡°Uh... if it makes you feel better... I didn''t actually read the book, Trace...¡±

    She ignores my saying that... ¡°Aaaaaaaargh!¡± Trace points at Blue. ¡°I am never going to see a movie with you again!¡±

    ¡°...well... Fine!¡± Blue gets up, and sits next to me. ¡°My God! How was I supposed to know she took it so freaking seriously!?¡±

    Oh great, he''s gonna start complaining about it... ¡°C-calm down Blue, she''ll be her normal self tomorrow.¡±

    Today''s outing didn''t go as planned... We all go home tired and irritated...

 Chapter 7 (Azul)

    I wake up from that same dream... I feel the pain of being stabbed nearly to death, and wake from my horrible nightmare... but this time... this time something was different. The black haired girl who stabbed me had blue eyes. Bright, beautiful, sky blue eyes... Why? This was just a minor detail, but why did I remember it so vividly? Why is it so important to me? Then as she kept stabbing me... those beautiful blue eyes turned red... A horrible, violent, bloody red...

    ¡°Azul!? What''s wrong? Did you have a nightmare again...?¡± Azure bursts into my thoughts, catching me off guard. ¡°Azul!!! Azul, calm down! You''re fine! It was just a dream! Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°I''m sorry, Azure Dragon.¡± I look over my body. Shaking... sweating... terrified. ¡°I''m so pathetic...¡±

    ¡°Azul...¡±

    ¡°What? I-I, uh... Forget it. Look, I''m gonna throw something on and go meet the others. You are coming, aren''t you?¡±

    ¡°Don''t change the subject, just... never mind! Whatever, go on, get ready.¡± The mental link is cut, for now.

    That''s fine by me. I don''t feel like talking to her if it''s going to be like this. I''ll take care of what I have to today and if Azure insists, we can talk about it later. After all, it was just a nightmare... a nightmare that I''ve learned to put up with for years. It''s not that important right now.

    So I pick up a short-sleeved, blue-colored button-down shirt and put it on over a white t-shirt. Pull on some blue jeans, slip on some socks, and put my sneakers on. Did I shower? Ah, what does it matter. I''m probably going to be late for whatever they wanted. It''s already about 10 a.m.

    Well, I need to take a different bus than the one I take to school, so I''ll meet those two there. After a short wait, my bus arrives and I get on...

    It''s a little surprising how boring these bus rides are when I''m not talking to anybody. Trace and Cleo got on different buses, and Azure doesn''t want to talk to me. I hope I didn''t hurt Azure''s feelings somehow... I just look out the window the whole time.

    Anyway, I''m getting close to the address on the paper I was given, so I should get off.

    So, after walking around the unfamiliar neighborhood confused for a while, I hear a voice. ¡°Blue! Over here!¡± It''s Cleo, shouting and waving at me. I run over to greet her. Trace is there, too.

    ¡°...who''s that?¡± I look at the guy sitting there. Some dark haired pretty boy with medium length hair, concealing most of his face... Wait a second, it''s the Shade Phoenix guy!

    He brushes the hair away from his face and just looks up, casually smiling at all of us like we''re meeting for the first time and he wants to make a good impression... I let out a sigh and try not to show that I''m getting irritated and a bit uncomfortable.

    Time passes...

    It''s now 11 a.m and nothing is happening.

    "..."

    "..."

    ¡°...well, what brings you here?¡± I eventually say to him, who now sits next to me on a bench, watching the clouds...

    ¡°Same thing as you. This Strife person asked me to come.¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡± Oh... so he must be just as confused as I am.

    ¡°Sorry about that whole trying-to-kill-you thing, by the way. My old boss wanted you dead, but when I screwed up, he wanted me dead, too! What a douchebag, huh?¡±

    ¡°What!?¡± What kind of person was he working for?

    ¡°Yeah, that''s the kind of danger I end up with in my ''line of work''. I''m sort of a... Magic Knight for hire, y''know?¡±

    "Oh. It''s starting to make sense."

    ¡°Yeah, my job was to keep the Azure Dragon from making contact with her person so my boss could do his job a little easier. He didn''t know where you lived, but he was sure you were around here, so he hired me to gather info and get to you, and maybe kill those two as well...

    ¡°...but I effed up on that, so I called him and told him the job is off. He basically said: ''You know too much to run away from this.'' to which I basically said I don''t give a shit and I just hung up.¡±

    ¡°That... doesn''t sound like it was a smart move.¡±

    He shakes his head. ¡°So anyway... I got home, and someone called me again. It was Strife. They basically said that he tracked my call and was gonna come get me and, well, I just sorta...¡±

    ¡°You brushed it off.¡±

    ¡°Mm-hm.¡± ...I am trying so hard not to facepalm. This guy doesn''t seem bad... but something about him is kinda stupid.

    ¡°Anyways, I went to sleep, and when I woke up there were guys in suits layin'' all around my house and a message like you got, with some money attached to it.¡±

    ¡°You got money!?¡±

    He laughs. ¡°Don''t worry. Strife is probably gonna pay you, too.¡± He continues to explain how he was given five of those papers, and sent them to the addresses assigned. Three of them were mine, Trace''s, and Cleo''s. One was his, and he gave the last to some other girl.

    ¡°What girl--¡±

    ¡°So there''s that.¡± He stretches. ¡°I''m Baek Hanson. Pleased to meet you.¡± He extends his hand and I shake it.

    ¡°Azul Ryukawa. Over there''s Trace Prince and Cleo Arkald.¡±

    Cleo quickly waves at us.

    While she''s doing that, I notice someone else approaching us. A girl, with green hair and matching green eyes, wearing a white blouse and black skirt. This is probably the girl Baek was talking about.

    ¡°...you!?¡± She shouts this, looking at Trace, who seems just as shocked to see her.

    ¡°What? Emerald... what are you doing here?¡±

    This girl that Trace is calling Emerald holds up a piece of paper, in all likelihood the same paper we all got. ¡°If I have to work with you on this, I''m out! I refuse to work with someone like you!¡±

    ¡°Emerald, don''t,¡± Trace says, calmly. "Not now."

    ¡°You--¡±

    ¡°Don''t.¡±

    Everyone goes uncomfortably silent... What kind of history do these two have? It''s possible that I don''t even want to know...

    I hear a noise. The door to the house we''re standing in front of has opened. Another boy who looks around our age walks out of there. A white haired pretty boy with one red eye and one blue eye, wearing a nice white button-down shirt with a black tie and dress pants.

    ¡°Ah, so you''ve come. Please, Magic Knights. Come inside...¡±

    What seems like a completely normal house turns out to be much bigger on the inside... Not only does the place look nearly fit for royalty, but there''s all kinds of weird symbols and other things all about that I don''t understand... Before I have time to give it any serious thought, however...

    ¡°Wait,¡± Trace says, suddenly. We all stop, the strange boy included. ¡°What are you up to?¡±

    He smiles. It''s a calm, serene kind of smile. One that doesn''t fit the tension in the room at all... ¡°You don''t need to worry about it, Ms. Prince. I am a trustworthy person.¡±

    ¡°That''s not good enough for me!¡± Trace whips out a handgun... Ah, crap. ¡°How should I know you''re not leading all of us right into a trap? You''ve had us come here under such weird circumstances, you know all of us, but we know absolutely nothing about you, and you want us to come into this house for a reason we don''t know yet...¡±

    That calm smile does not leave the young man''s face. ¡°Oh, I am not one to use such underhanded tactics, especially since I''m the strongest one in this room.¡±

    ¡°What!?¡± Trace is just getting more upset.

    ¡°Sorry, I meant no disrespect. I was merely trying to say that if I wanted to hurt you...¡±

    Suddenly, I feel a force. Before I can react and comprehend what''s happening, I''m watching the ceiling dance above my head, feeling a dull pain in my stomach... As I start to regain myself, I see that Cleo, Baek, and Emerald also spread out on the floor. The boy stands in front of Trace, who looks like she''s seen a ghost...

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°...I would have done it already...¡± Trace reluctantly puts away her gun. ¡°You all can trust me for now, okay?¡±

    The tense atmosphere leaves the room, sort of, but...

    ¡°Wh-who are you? Are you Strife?¡± I ask, still picking myself up.

    He puts his hand to his chin, thinking... ¡°Oh, some confusion. I''m sorry, Ms. Echo Strife is too busy to meet you directly, Mr. Ryukawa. For that reason, she woke me.¡±

    Uh... okay... ¡°Woke you? Okay, yeah, but... who are you, then--¡± He raises a finger in my direction.

    ¡°I will explain it in time, but first...¡± He reveals a secret door behind a bookcase and steps aside.  ¡°I would like you to come further in.¡± Not willing to protest, I just sorta walk on with everyone else, wondering what he wants to show us...

    As we go further into the odd looking house, it starts to look less like a home and more like a... lab of some sort... I hope I''m not the only one getting confused.

    ¡°I see things resembling lab equipment in here,¡± Cleo eventually says.

    ¡°Good eye, Ms. Arkald. This is where Ms. Strife does most of her work.¡±

    Cleo continues to look around. ¡°Is that a book of magic?¡± She points her finger at a large book with a big star symbol on it.

    ¡°Ah, yes.¡± The young man picks it up and allows us to see it. ¡°Do you see the character within the star? This is a book on the Creation spell, which allows the user to create things purely out of mana.¡±

    ¡°Let me get this straight,¡± I say, holding my hand up slightly for his attention. ¡°Is Ms. Strife... Is Ms. Strife a Magic Knight?¡±

    He kind of smiles at my question for some reason. ¡°That''s... close, I guess,¡± he says, putting the book back. ¡°But no, Ms. Strife is not a Magic Knight.¡± Confused. So confused. ¡°You see, Strife is a Real Magus.¡± The meaning of this passes me by completely.

    ¡°Oh!¡± Cleo suddenly says. ¡°You mean, she''s capable of using her own life force as mana? Conversion!?¡± How does Cleo know this stuff? ¡°That''s become such a rare ability that I thought I''d never find someone who could do that!¡±

    The boy smiles and nods. ¡°Yes, yes. You''re quite knowledgeable about these things, Ms. Arkald.¡±

    ¡°Now that you mention it... Cleo, how do you know about all this?¡± Strangely, It''s Trace, of all people, sharing in my confusion at Cleo''s magical knowledge.

    After a short, yet awkward silence, Cleo says, ¡°Oh, my Knight Force has spells in the place of some powers that you guys get, remember? Has to do with her learning magic in life. She just lets me know a few things about it from time to time.¡± For some reason, I can''t help but think there''s more to it than that.

    The white haired boy gets our attention once again. ¡°Anyway... It''s time for what you were called here about. We are going to see the results of Ms. Strife''s Creation work...¡± This is getting me really excited. So this Strife can create things with magic, and she uses her own mana to do it. What lies beyond this door that she wants us to see?

    As we walk into this room, we saw thirteen tubes with what appeared to be people inside of them. Actually, the first tube is empty. Is this some kind of human experiment?

    The strange young man stops in the center of the room, in front of the largest glass(?)tube, which had something inside that appears to be growing wings... ¡°You all... do you know of the Tredecim Armis et Salvator?¡±

    ¡°Thirteen Swordsmen and Savior...¡± I say it aloud, in our common tongue, thinking to myself what it had to do with all this. The Thirteen Swordsmen and Savior... They''re the most powerful angels of La Salvato, one of the most widespread religions in the world.

    I turn my attention back to the boy. ¡°What does this have to do with that stuff?¡±

    He gestures his hand in the direction of the largest tube. ¡°This project is inspired by the miracles from the scriptures they''re based on.¡±

    ¡°Strife''s going to make angels!?¡±

    He nods. ¡°Something like that. This big one behind me is Salvator.¡± He starts to identify the ¡°people¡± in the tubes. Otro Armis... Tercero, Quarto... all the way to Tertiadecimo, the thirteenth.

    ¡°...Where''s the first?¡± I eventually ask.

    He smiles. ¡°The Primo Armis is standing right in front of you.¡± What!? This boy... he''s one of these artificial angels!? Looking at everyone''s faces, I can tell I''m not the only one who''s shocked at this. Everyone is feeling the same amount of surprise.

    He keeps speaking. ¡°In the case of something bad happening here, Strife wanted someone to protect this city. This world... That''s what this project is about.¡± Makes sense. ¡°Also, if you hadn''t noticed, a dangerous criminal has shown up here... The one Mr. Hanson was working for.¡±

    ¡°Wha?¡± Baek is just as surprised as I am.

    ¡°He, like Ms. Strife, is a Real Magus, and a good one, at that. What she wanted to do was have this project done and get this man arrested... That way you five wouldn''t have to fight him...¡±

    ¡°So if this works out, we won''t have to fight? That''s good, I think,¡± I say.

    Cleo, after remaining silent for a while, now says, ¡°But what about the message we all got? It seemed kinda like Ms. Echo Strife wanted our help. What for?¡±

    Something seems to bother Primo as she asks this. ¡°Well, once the project is complete, we can fight him, but even then...¡± He lets out a sigh and tries to let us know he''s being as serious as possible. ¡°Ms. Strife doesn''t fully trust us.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± I say, voicing my confusion.

    ¡°The Tredecim Armis et Salvator have free will. When released, they are just as likely to do good as they are to bring ruin...¡±

    Worry shoots through me. ¡°Wh... Why is it like that!? Couldn''t she just program them to keep doing what they''re supposed to!?¡±

    ¡°It''s not that easy,¡± Primo says. ¡°We''re not robots, we''re ''powered'' by the ''Pseudo-souls'' given to us by Ms. Strife, herself, so we can think and act on our own. Still, even if Strife decided to control all of them, she would likely have to issue every command. She says it''s easier this way, since she''s also busy with other important things. Now... this is what she wants you to do...¡± The mood keeps getting heavier and heavier... ¡°I turned out okay. I''m allowed to walk around like this because I don''t want to do anything bad... but these others... their characters haven''t been tested... so...¡±

    "You don''t mean..."

    ¡°If any of the Tredecim Armis et Salvator turn out evil, me and Ms. Strife want you all to kill them...¡± No one says anything... ¡°Don''t worry, we''re not humans... in a way, we have no right to be walking around alive in the first place, so ending us if something goes wrong would be the right thing to do." I can tell that saying this has made him sad. "So, will you do this for us?"

    ¡°...yes.¡± I look over. Emerald answers before anyone else. How can she answer something like this so easily...?  I know Primo said they''re not exactly human, but killing them still wouldn''t feel right to me...

    Cleo puts her hand on my shoulder. ¡°Blue, are you alright?¡±

    "Y-yeah."

    ¡°It bothers me, too, but for now... I''m going to go ahead to do this for them, Blue. Okay?¡±

    ¡°I got it... I''m with you. I''m in.¡± After a moment, I''m able to say that... well, maybe nothing bad will happen, right? It''s either that, or...

    After I say that, Baek also goes along with it. ¡°I''ve already been paid... Might as well go all the way.¡±

    Primo now speaks to Trace, who hasn''t said anything. ¡°Ms. Prince?¡±

    ¡°...I''ll do it.¡±

    ¡°Thank you all.¡± A smile returns to Primo''s face. ¡°Now, if you want, we can relax in the living room for a second. I''ll make us some tea.¡± ...and just like that, the mood has lifted...

 Chapter 8 (Cleo)

    We now go to the living room, where Primo had tea prepared for all of us. We all sit and drink for a second.

    ...the tea''s pretty good.

    ¡°This is delicious, Primo.¡± I make sure to compliment him.

    ¡°Thank you. I''ve been learning how to cook and prepare food for a while, now. It puts my mind at ease to know that at least my tea is satisfactory.¡± I look around. This... really is a pretty fancy house... I''ve only once seen something like it. A bunch of teenagers like us usually wouldn''t be allowed to set foot in such a place...

    Primo comes to sit with us, which I find a little surprising. He watches all of our faces as if he wants to say something... ¡°So... Ms. Arkald, do you mind telling me a little about yourself?¡±

    What? I thought he knew everything about us already...

    Trace seems to be thinking the same thing, as she says, ¡°Don''t you already know us? I mean, you have all that info and stuff, right?¡±

    Primo tries to explain... ¡°That''s true, Ms. Prince, but... I can''t say I know you...¡± I see Trace''s eyes narrow, and she looks a bit confused. ¡°Ms. Prince. Yes, I know your name. I know some of your hobbies and maybe a few of your darkest secrets... but I want to know you all as people. Like, look at me. You know my name, where I live, what I am, what I do, but I''m still pretty much a stranger, to you, right? I''d like to not just know some information, but I want to know ''you''. That... does make sense, doesn''t it? Sorry...¡± Primo doesn''t seem sure about what he just said...

    ¡°Oh, it''s okay. I get it,¡± Blue says. ¡°Well, it''d be easiest to get to know us through some casual conversation, so let''s just talk. I''m Azul ''Blue'' Ryukawa. You know, you don''t have to call me ''Mr. Ryukawa''. I''ll just be ''Blue'', alright?¡±

    Primo nods. ¡°Mr... sorry, Blue, I noticed your last name is Ryukawa... but you don''t look even vaguely Moonfallen.¡± That''s... a good question, actually. Looking at Trace, Emerald, and Baek''s faces, they seem to be wondering the same thing.

    ¡°Oh. I''m not from the East, I''m adopted. My birth father is from Lumi¨¨re, the North, and my mother is actually from here, the Central Continent,¡± he says, before taking another sip of his tea. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Ah, just curious. I hope you don''t mind.¡±

    ¡°Nah,¡± Blue says, shaking his head. ¡°But, yeah... you might know this already, but I like to read. My grandfather has all these books, and I could just sit there and read... how about you, Primo? Do you read anything?¡±

    He thinks. ¡°I once got a comic book called Magitech... Does that count?¡± Blue makes a strange face... ¡°What?¡±

    Blue replies to Primo with: ¡°Magitech sucks...¡±

    Trace objects. ¡°What do you mean? It''s got lots of cool fight scenes and everything!¡±

    Blue rolls his eyes. ¡°Yeah, sure... I''ll give you the fights, but the plot is a mess...¡±

    Trace looks like she can''t believe what she''s hearing... ¡°You''re not supposed to read that comic for the plot...¡±

    Blue quickly shoots back, ¡°This coming from someone who reads... MajitsuShiro for the plot.¡±

    Primo interrupts them both. ¡°I''ve heard of that. You read it, Ms. Prince?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I do¡ªoh, you can just call me Trace. No need to be formal.¡± Primo smiles and nods. Trace kept talking about this comic... ¡°Yeah, it''s great. Shiro is probably my favorite hero ever!¡±

    Blue interrupts her gushing. ¡°I don''t understand. He seems like any other hero.¡±

    ¡°Ah, you just don''t get it. He''s more complicated than that. Look at the ordeals he''s put through. The examination given to his code of justice. The reasons he stands up to help people... It''s amazing! I wish I could be like that!¡± Huh. This feels very familiar, hearing Trace say that...

    ¡°You understand, don''t you, Blue? You''ve had a hero or someone you wanted to imitate, right?¡± Trace sits there, watching Blue.

    Blue scratches his head. ¡°No, not really. I guess I kinda look up to Gramps, but he''s... he''s an old man.¡±

    ¡°Don''t worry about it,¡± Trace says. ¡°You''re fine as you are. I guess I''m the crazy one who wants to be like a fictional character, huh? Hahaha!¡±

    She starts laughing at herself. It''s starting to get quiet, so maybe it''d be good to introduce myself to Primo, now...

    ¡°I''m Cleo.¡± I reach over to shake his hand. ¡°I''m something of a cook, myself, y''know? Maybe we could teach each other a few things.¡± Primo starts staring at my hair and eyes, which, today, are pink and red, respectively. ¡°Oh. I like to experiment with different colors and see what people think. I like this, so I''m going to stick with it for a while.¡± Trace gives me an odd look, and I know what it''s about, but I look back, as if to say, ¡°Not now...¡±

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    ¡°I like it,¡± Primo says, getting my attention again. ¡°It looks... special. I like that.¡±

    I smile. ¡°Thank you. How about sometime, I show you some more of my stuff?¡± He laughs.

    Now, that guy speaks... ¡°Call me Baek.¡± So that''s his name. ¡°Better known as the Phoenix Shade Knight. I''m a Magic Knight for hire.¡±

    Primo seems interested. ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°Well, I take jobs from people who either call my cell, or send me an e-mail. Finding lost cats, protecting someone who''s in danger... stuff like that. The last job I took... Yeah...¡±

    ¡°Baek, what made you want to live like this...?¡±

    He sighs. ¡°Well, my family''s pretty poor...¡± I''m surprised, and I feel kind of bad for Baek... ¡°Dad can''t find a job, mom works so hard for such little pay... I felt like should do something. When Phoenix Shade made contact, I felt that''s what I should do. Best way to put that power to use, considering those two had gotten started being heroes by the time I got my powers. I think we''ve even ran into each other a couple times before.¡± He''s talking about Trace and I. How long has it been?

    ¡°Yeah, Trace... we''ve been a team for quite a while, now.¡± She nods. ¡°It''s been... about three years, right?¡± Blue seems a little surprised to know we''ve been working together for that long.

    ¡°I guess that makes me the least experienced Magic Knight here,¡± Blue says, discouraged.

    ¡°Ah, don''t get down about it, Blue,¡± Trace says, trying to cheer him up. ¡°You''re learning fast. It''s okay, you won''t get left behind or anything like that. We can teach you whatever if we need to.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay...¡± Blue says, smiling again. Watching Trace and Blue they sort of seem like a brother and his older sister... It''s kinda funny seeing them interact that way even though they''re both seventeen.

    There''s silence in the room. Our attention drifts to Ms. Crux, the green haired girl... About a minute passes like this.

    Trace eventually says, ¡°Y''know, you don''t have to introduce yourself if you don''t want--¡±

    ¡°It''s okay, I got it.¡± There''s irritation in her voice... This girl knows Trace... and she doesn''t like her. What was it that happened between these two...? ¡°My name is Emerald Crux... I''m sorry if I was being rude earlier.¡±

    ¡°...actually, I have to ask, are you a Magic Knight, Emerald? I don''t sense a Force coming from you.¡± Primo stares at her with curiosity in his eyes.

    ¡°Your senses are good,¡± she says, ¡°I''m no Magic Knight. I actually don''t have any powers at all. I can still fight, though, so don''t go expecting me to fall behind, alright?¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Primo says, nodding. ¡°Emerald, you came here by yourself today, didn''t you?¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Emerald says. ¡°I don''t really have any friends.¡±

    ¡°Primo, I don''t think--¡± Trace starts.

    ¡°I did have one friend back in middle school, though. Rude, and quite the troublemaker, to be sure, but we knew each other since we were little, so we always got along. It''s not the most interesting story in the world, I just reached out my hand, and she took it.¡± She smiles, probably for the first time today. ¡°Pretty simple, right?¡±

    ¡°That''s nice,¡± Primo says.

    ¡°She''s... dead, now, though...¡± The mood changes. I don''t think any of us expected her to finish her story that way. Any of us, except for...

    ¡°...I''m sorry.¡±

    Trace.

    ¡°Wha...¡± Emerald looks at Trace, confused, but I can see a hint of anger in her eyes. This is really starting to bother me, now. I think I remember who this girl is supposed to be. For her to show up right now, with all this other stuff going on...

    ¡°Trace, are you okay?¡± Understandably, Blue seems worried about Trace and watches her. I see Trace''s face.

    ¡°Don''t worry, I''m okay, Blue.¡± Her face changes back to normal. Just a second ago, however, Trace was making one of the most painful faces I''ve ever seen... The face she made... I haven''t seen her like that in years. It''s hard to watch...

    ¡°I''m sorry to hear that, Emerald. I hope your friend is resting in piece, right now,¡± Primo says, trying to make her feel better, most likely. ¡°Still, though, you''re not alone.¡± He smiles gently. ¡°We can be your new friends, right?¡±

    ¡°I appreciate that, Primo, but... making friends is a little harder for me, you know? Maybe we''ll see what the future brings...¡± Emerald stands up. ¡°I''m sorry for ruining the mood, everyone. I''ve got somewhere to be, so I should probably go. Thanks for having me.¡± With that, she runs out.

    ¡°Thank you for having us, Primo.¡± I bow. ¡°We''ll be going.¡± I gesture towards Blue and Trace, and they leave with me.

 Chapter 9 (Trace)

    Blue, Cleo, and I walk to the bus stop and wait quietly. No one says anything... The mood is so awkward and uncomfortable you can almost ¡°taste¡± it, and I know it''s kind of my fault... I feel like I had to say something. Anything. Maybe I should try and change the subject and get it out of our minds.

    ¡°What buses are you waiting for?¡±

    They look at me. Blue''s the first to answer. ¡°I was just going to take a bus home. Same bus I came on.¡±

    ¡°Me, too. What, Trace? Are you going somewhere?¡± I can see the curious look on Cleo''s face.

    ¡°I was gonna go shopping Downtown. You coming?¡±

    Blue seems a little nervous... ¡°I dunno, I don''t think my family even knows where I''ve gone... they''re probably worried. I should go back.¡±

    ¡°I''ll come.¡± I look at Cleo after she says that. ¡°I''ll come with you, Trace.¡±

    ¡°You sure you''re not comin'', Blue?¡± I ask just to be sure.

    ¡°Nah, it''s alright. Just... don''t have too much fun without me, okay?¡± He smiles.

    ¡°We won''t. I''ll make sure you''re not missing anything, Blue.¡± Cleo smiles back at him. I''m happy seeing them like this. Blue likes Cleo a lot, and I can tell Cleo likes him back, although she''s trying to hide it. I wonder why she''s hiding that... Nah, it''s none of my business. I think can be content with the two of them being happy together.

    Time passes and Blue''s bus comes. ¡°See you both tomorrow.¡± He gets on and the bus drives away, leaving just me and Cleo. It''s getting quiet again...

    ¡°Cleo.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    How do I say this... ¡°Sorry about what happened a while ago.¡±

    ¡°Why? It wasn''t your fault.¡± I really don''t know what to say to that...

    ¡°Well, not entirely. I did upset her, though.¡±

    ¡°Don''t worry about it. It''s not like you did it on purpose, right? You didn''t know it''d get weird like that, did you?¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡± Not the full truth, but not exactly a lie, either.

    ¡°Well, come on, Trace forget about it. Our bus is right there. Let''s get on.¡±

    ¡°Trace... where exactly are you shopping, anyway?¡± Cleo asks as we ride the bus. I shrug. ¡°...Oh, come on, you can tell me. It''s not like you have some big surprise waiting for me, after all.¡±

    ¡°I''m not hiding it. I''m just in thought.¡± Actually, I am kind of hiding it... As soon as Cleo sees where I''m shopping and what I want to buy, she''ll probably mock me for it. Eventually, the bus arrived close enough to my destination, and we got off.

    As soon as my feet hit the concrete pavement, I walk towards Page''s, the Books and Literature store nearby. ¡°Trace, wait up. Where are you going?¡± Can''t she walk any faster?

    ¡°Don''t worry about it. Come on, Cleo, if you don''t pick up the pace I''m gonna leave you.¡± After walking for a second, we were there. I go to the Young Adults section which was to my right...

    ¡°Tr-Trace, don''t tell me...¡± I try to block Cleo''s voice from my mind as I scan the shelves...

    ¡°Here it is!¡± I see the book I want, and pick it from the top of the first shelf. Abandoned Blue Child.

    ¡°Trace, we just saw the movie of that--¡±

    ¡°All the more reason for me to pick it up. so I can see the parts of the story I missed out on. I can read the parts I know a little easier if the film is fresh in my head.¡±

    Yep. I''m still pissed about that. I always try to experience the source material of any movie, cartoon, or whatever. It''s the only way to grasp the true form of the work. I don''t care what anybody says... ABC was the first time in a while I ended up breaking this little rule of mine, and I don''t think I''ll get over it until I read the book. It really is Blue''s fault... Y''know, I should have dragged his sorry ass over here with me and Cleo so he could pay for this for me. He wouldn''t have said ''no''... Or maybe that''s really why he left. He must have seen it in my eyes.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Oh, for the love of¡ªTrace, you''re being silly! I know exactly what''s going through your head right now!¡± I ignore Cleo and head toward the register.

    ¡°Wait. What book is this a sequel to?¡± I ask her, pointing to the book in my other hand.

    ...

    that took longer than expected. Anyway, I left Page''s with two books. Abandoned Blue Child, and Precious Blue Child, its prequel. I know what I''m doing tonight... Screw sleeping, sleep is for the weak. It''s not like we''re going to be doing anything important at school tomorrow, anyway. So, me and Cleo ride the bus home without really saying anything...

    After a while, I arrive home. My parents aren''t here, as usual. I guess I might as well sit down with my books... I opened up Precious Blue Child first.

    Time passes... and before I know it, I can barely keep my eyes open... It''s probably midnight.

    ¡°Trace, you look terrible. You should sleep...¡± It''s Grey.

    ¡°I''m not tired.¡±

    ¡°You know you''re bad at lying to me, right?¡±

    ¡°Did you just come out to tell me to go to bed?¡±

    ¡°Actually, I think I should ask you something, right now... Trace, is something bothering you? You didn''t seem like yourself earlier.¡±

    ¡°...I was just thinking.¡±

    ¡°Thinking about what?¡±

    I don''t know what to say... ¡°Grey, remember what I was like when you found me? You said I should try to make up for what I''d done, but... You know what I''m trying to tell you, right?¡±

    ¡°Trace, what does that have to do with right now?¡±

    ¡°...I didn''t take Strife''s request because it was the right thing to do. I took it because... because I wanted to be forgiven.¡± I stop to think for a second. ¡°Grey, you''ve helped me become a better person, but I feel like I''m going to end up disappointing you.¡± I can feel Grey''s worry... ¡°If I do kill one of those people... I just feel like I''m going to turn back into who I was three years ago. I just... don''t want you to see me like that...¡±

    ¡°Trace, that is not going to happen.¡± For the first time in a while, I almost feel like crying...

    ¡°If it does, can I ask that you forgive me...?¡±

    Grey is silent.

    ¡°Grey?¡±

    ¡°Trace, you''re just tired. You''ll be fine, just... just go to sleep...¡±

    He cuts the link, and I start to feel even more tired. I crawl into my blankets and try to sleep. I''m worried, and scared, but at the same time, curious... Is this how I should feel? It''s finally starting to sink in...

    I wonder. Will I be able to kill again?

 Chapter 10 (Cleo)

    I wake up to a beautiful morning. The skies are clear, and the sun is rising... that''s what I see from my window.

    ¡°Good morning,¡± I "hear" Fl¨¨che say.

    ¡°How are you today, Fl¨¨che?¡±

    ¡°I''m well. You might want to start getting ready for school. It''s almost 6:30.¡±

    I look at the clock and realize I''d slept a little longer than usual. ¡°Thank you.¡± I shower, get dressed, and leave, skipping breakfast today. I don''t have the time. As I wait for the bus, I take some time to think about yesterday...

    ''The Tredecim Armis et Salvator have free will. When released, they are just as likely to do good as they are to bring ruin... If any of the Tredecim Armis et Salvator turn out to be evil, me and Ms. Strife want you all to kill them...''

    I''m worried. Will I really have to kill them? Will I be able to, or will they be too strong for me? Will Trace suffer from having to do this? Will Blue survive...

    Suddenly, the loud sound of the bus interrupts my thinking. As the doors open, I decide I''ll worry about it all later. I get on, pay, and go to sit with Blue and Trace.

    ¡°So, it''s not good to just let Azure float around me freely?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, man, that''s a terrible idea! Concealing your Magic Knight Force by having them possess an object you carry around makes them harder to sense. If they''re out in the open, a good Magic Knight can probably feel them from miles away! You gotta hide your power level!¡±

    I interrupt. ¡°What are you two talking about?¡±

    Trace looks at me, then points at Blue. ¡°I was just explaining to him that having his Force out in the open air without knowing how to suppress mana is dangerous.¡±

    I nod. ¡°Yeah, she''s right, Blue. I can feel Azure''s mana filling up this whole bus right now.¡±

    He starts scratching his head... ¡°Uh... alright, I got it. I''ll think of something.¡±

    We ride the bus to school, and to my surprise, Primo, Baek, and Crux were there.

    I raise an eyebrow. ¡°I didn''t know you went to this school!¡±

    Primo smiles. ¡°This is my first day. I wanted to stay with you guys in case something bad happens. Plus, I thought it''d be nice to see what your school is like. Ms. Strife said it was okay.¡±

    ¡°Okay... and you two?¡± I say, referring to Baek and Crux.

    They answer, at the same time, ¡°I''ve always gone to this school.¡± How did I not notice...

    The day passes by like lightning. Aside from the little surprise earlier, school has been pretty unremarkable today. Just more ¡°getting started¡±. We didn''t really do much. Now, we''re all in downtown.

    As soon as we get there...

    "!!!"

    I can hear fighting, and feel mana being used. ¡°E-everyone, come this way!¡±

    Blue seems confused. ¡°What''s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Don''t you feel that, Blue? Two sources of mana... I think it''s a fight!¡± We run... sure enough, there''s two people fighting. One of them is wearing a dark Mystic Coat. The other is a tall man in white, who looks similar to Primo...

    ¡°Otro!?¡± I hear Primo shout from behind me.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, he was just released from lab, today.¡± Most likely not even noticing us, Primo''s ¡°brother¡± continues to fight...

    His hands start to glow... from them a beam of light is shot. The man in black barely dodges it and rushed in for close ranged combat. He pulls out a blade and swings it at Otro, who quickly draws his sword, blocking the strike. Surprised, the man backs off and looks for an opportunity to strike again, but he isn''t given the chance.

    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    Otro moves in fast and starts attacking. I see that the other person is barely defending against him...

    ...then I hear a loud bang. That person... he has a gun! The shot is strong enough to knock the blade out of Otro''s hands. While he is trying to regain himself, Otro''s foe gave him vicious haymaker, knocking him to the ground.

    ¡°Fl¨¨che!¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡± Primo holds me back.

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°He can handle this. Trust me.¡±

    The person in black stands over Otro... not expecting to have the gun kicked out of his hand. Otro starts spinning as if he were break dancing, kicking the guy several times in the process. He''s back on his feet, and has his sword back. His opponent readies his blade, but it''s not enough. Bringing the blade down with all his force, Otro breaks the blade with a loud CRASH!

    Then with his right hand, he punches him so hard you could clearly hear the impact from here. He is knocked out.

    ¡°See? I told you he could handle it.¡± Primo goes over to Otro, and greets him. ¡°Otro!¡±

    ¡°Good afternoon, Primo.¡±

    ¡°What just happened?¡±

    ¡°I chased this man who was hiding... he seems suspicious.¡±

    ¡°Suspicious, huh?¡±

    Otro picks the man up, then he asks a question. ¡°Who are they? Are those your friends?¡±

    ¡°Oh. This is Cleo, Trace, Blue, Baek, and Crux,¡± Primo says, pointing to us. ¡°They, uh...¡±

    ¡°We''re his friends, yes.¡± Trace speaks up when she sees him hesitating.

    ¡°Well, good afternoon to all of you, too.¡±

    ¡°We''re going home to interrogate this man. You guys can do what you want. We''ll handle this.¡±

    With that, Primo and Otro walk away...

    After that, we just sort of hung out... Me, Blue, and Trace are now on a bus home. Trace falls asleep in the back of the bus, which doesn''t surprise me, since she didn''t get much sleep.

    ¡°Something the matter, Blue?¡± It seems like something''s bothering him.

    ¡°Cleo... nah, forget it.¡±

    ¡°No. Tell me what it is.¡±

    An awkward silence starts to creep in. ¡°This is gonna sound silly, but... have you ever seen Trace''s eyes change colors?¡±

    "Wh-what...? No, Blue, I''m sure you''re imagining things."

    He shakes his head. ¡°No, I wouldn''t dream this up. I know I''ve seen her red eyes before. It''s bothering me...¡±

    ¡°Red eyes!?¡± Wait a second. Could that mean... "J-just forget about it. There''s nothing to worry about."

    ¡°What scares me most is that I don''t know what I should or shouldn''t be afraid of. You''re not hiding something from me, are you? I mean, can''t you just tell me what it is? I''d feel fine if I knew you weren''t keeping secrets. What is it about Trace that you can''t tell me?¡±

    ¡°I keep telling you it''s nothing to worry about, dammit! Just... forget it, Blue.¡±

    After I shout, he becomes quiet, but I can tell he isn''t satisfied... If he''s on to what I think he is, the Swordsmen and Savior project going wrong might end up being the least of our problems... I can''t let you know what it is. I''m sorry, Blue...

 Chapter 11 (Azul)

    Am I doing something wrong? Am I the only one who could see it? Is it just my imagination? No. I''m sure of it. Trace and Cleo are hiding something. I don''t know what, but they''re hiding something, but what? Why? We''re friends, aren''t we? It''s true that even friends don''t tell each other everything, and I myself have my secrets, but what''s going on here isn''t normal. Whatever it is that they''re trying to hide, it''s scaring me... I have even more reason to believe it, now...

    Trace is the girl I was dreaming about.

    I ride the bus home without saying anything else to either Trace or Cleo. For the first time since I befriended them, there is doubt in my heart... I don''t feel like I can trust them anymore... If the red eyes I saw have anything to do with the secrets they''re hiding, I just feel like I''d been betrayed. So, I''ll fight alongside them, and try to at least act friendly, for now. As I walk home, this is all I have on my mind.

    ¡°Hi, Azul! How was... school?¡± I walk past Miko without even looking at her, too lost in my own thoughts to respond. ¡°What''s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Azul? Is something the matter?¡± Gramps says from the kitchen. I start walking to my room. He follows me. ¡°Have you gone deaf, my boy?¡±

    I look at him. ¡°I''m sorry. I... I just need to be alone...¡± I open the door to my room, go inside, and close it behind me.

    ¡°Azul? Azul, can I talk to you?¡±

    Azure? ¡°I don''t want to talk.¡±

    ¡°Azul, you can''t keep these things bottled up inside you. I''m trying to help.¡±

    ¡°...alright, fine." I just can''t help but feel this conversation is going to get really uncomfortable, but I''ll just go along with it. After all, Azure''s only trying to help.

    ¡°Look, there''s something I don''t really tell you. It''s about the contents of my dreams...¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Well... It''s nighttime, and I''m on the third floor of a school... probably my middle school. When I start to leave, I get stabbed from behind... After I fall to the ground, I look up at who stabbed me. It''s a black haired girl with sky blue eyes. Then, her eyes turn red... and she kills me.¡± There''s silence over the link. Azure has not ¡°said¡± anything for a while, now.

    ¡°I know what it is that you''re thinking.¡± Azure dives right into the issue that disturbs me. ¡°You think the girl is Trace.¡±

    ¡°...yes.¡±

    ¡°...and you''ve been having this nightmare even before you''d met her?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I have heard of people having prophetic dreams, but it doesn''t seem like one... you don''t seem to have that kind of power.¡±

    ¡°So is it just a dream?¡±

    ¡°I hope so. I say go on living normally unless it comes up again. If you see this happen again, the red eyes... confront her about it. I get the feeling she''ll talk to you.¡± I''m not sure how to feel about that...

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°The telepathic link must be stressful for you. I''m going to cut the link and let you rest.¡±

    With that, it''s completely quiet. I can''t even hear Azure''s voice anymore...

    I go through the rest of the day trying not to think about it. I eat dinner, then preoccupy myself with one of Gramps'' books. It''s about a ¡°Dragon River¡±, where a weapon blessed by the dragon spirits could be found... The strange thing is that this Dragon River isn''t ¡°real¡±, but it exists only in the ¡°spirit realm¡±, which can only be accessed with a secret, forbidden technique... Seems like the kind of thing Gramps would be interested in. For what feels like hours I just sort of look through that book... Now I''m feeling sleepy, so I''ll go to bed early.

    ...I hear the ringing of a phone. I''m too tired to get up. Let the answering machine get it...

    ¡°Um, hello? Is this the Ryukawa Residence?¡± Wait a second... That''s Primo! ¡°I, uh... I''m one of Azul''s friends from school...¡± I run down the stairs and into the living room, where the phone is. ¡°I just wanted to talk to him about--¡±

    ¡°Yes, what is it?¡± I pick up the phone and answer.

    ¡°Oh, Blue! How are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Primo, it''s like 9:30, I was trying to sleep...¡± For a short while, there''s silence over the phone.

    ¡°Oh, sorry. Geez, you go to bed pretty early for a teenager.¡± He''s going off topic.

    ¡°I was tired today...¡±

    ¡°Well, when do you usually hit the hay? Around ten?¡±

    ¡°What did you call me for?¡± I say, rubbing my forehead.

    ¡°Wh¡ªO-oh, you mean that! Yeah, the interrogation was a partial success. The person we captured called himself the Knight of Shadowhand.¡±

    Shadowhand... ¡°I guess that''s the name of the criminal group we''re dealing with?¡±

    ¡°I think so. Unfortunately, that''s all we can get out of him so far.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± More silence.

    ¡°So, I''ll see you at school tomorrow.¡± Primo hangs up.

    This makes me feel a lot more comfortable and relived. With Primo and the other Armis helping to fight those guys, the whole Magic Knight thing won''t be as hard as I''d thought it would be. Otro handled that guy well enough, not to mention he seems stable and trustworthy. Once the rest of them have finished creation and evaluation, this city will be a whole lot safer. It''s a good feeling, knowing you have more people that will help you lift such a weight. I go to sleep...

    A great deal of time passes...

    It is now the middle of December, but not much has happened. The rest of the Tredecim had been awakened around the beginning of the month. We hadn''t found more of Shadowhand during that time, we just spent time training and searching for more clues, only to really find nothing. I kept having that same nightmare, but not once after that day in September did Trace''s eyes turn red again. About three months passed without incident...

    The dismissal bell rings, and we start heading towards the bus stop.

    ¡°I''m headed Downtown.¡± I look toward the direction I heard the voice from. It''s Trace. ¡°The newest volume of MajitsuShiro came out today. I''m gonna buy it.¡±

    ¡°I''ll come with you,¡± I say, immediately. I''ve been doing this for a while, waiting for the day I''ll see it happen... Emerald looks at me, and I notice that it''s if she had read my mind. I''m willing to bet we were thinking the same thing.

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°I''ll come, too. Alright?¡±

    Trace laughs when Emerald says this. ¡°Since when do you feel like hanging with me? Feeling friendly?¡±

    ¡°Oh, shut up.¡± After all this time, Trace and Emerald''s relationship hasn''t improved. Maybe it''s even gotten a little worse...

    ¡°Oh, calm down, you two,¡± Cleo says, interrupting.

    Primo says, ¡°Come on, let''s all go.¡±

    The mood got a little less heavy and all of us got on the bus Downtown. However, the entire time I didn''t really let myself relax. It was nice to hang out and all that, but I was there to watch Trace. I tried to keep my eyes on her, but without letting on that I was trying to see if her eyes would change again.

    Right now, we head towards Page''s, I feel a burst of mana, and I swear I heard an explosion right after.

    ¡°Everyone! It came from this direction! Let''s go!¡±

    I shout, then run. I ran as fast as my feet can carry me, neglecting to call on Azure to give me some kind of boost. When I arrive on the scene in the alley... I''m not happy with what I see... Two of the Armis are fighting.

    ¡°What''s going on!?¡± I scream, in my shock. Upon closer inspection, I see a woman.

    This person, dressed similarly to the person Primo called the Knight... is lying on the ground... the walls of the building are splattered with blood, and she has wounds all over her body... Her chest doesn''t rise and fall, and I sense nothing from her.

    The woman I''m looking at is dead...

    I fall to my knees and start to panic... ¡°What''s going on!?!?¡± The smell of blood is in the air... I feel sick... ¡°WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?!?!?¡± I think I''m going to throw up...

    ¡°Blue! A-are you alright!?¡± Cleo comes over to me, I can hear her worry in her voice... ¡°Blue, stay with us! Blue!¡± I try to regain myself... I''ve never seen a dead body before... but I can''t freak out. I''ve got to pull it together...

    ¡°I''ll tell you what happened,¡± says the sixth, Sesto, who I think is supposed to be a woman.  ¡°Septimo killed the person I was chasing!¡±

    Septimo, who also appears to be female, now says: ¡°Don''t get mad at me! What was I supposed to do!?¡±

    ¡°You killed the only lead we had!¡± Large amounts of mana is in the air... I don''t like where this was going...

    ¡°Both of you stop!¡± Primo shouts, stepping in front of the rest of us. ¡°Septimo, you''re in the wrong. We need to gather information from these people and now we''re stuck back where we were.¡± I can see Septimo was getting angrier...

    Primo scratches his head, saying, ¡°It''s...it''s okay, everyone calm down.¡±

    ¡°But--¡±

    Primo raises his hand in Sesto''s direction, and she is silent. ¡°Septimo, return home. I don''t trust you to act on your own anymore.¡±

    ¡°...no.¡±

    ¡°What!?¡±

    ¡°NO! I refuse to listen to you! Who are you to order me!?¡±

    ¡°Back down, Septimo. Don''t do this...¡± Primo is holding it in, but he''s getting irritated... I can tell.

    Suddenly, I hear a loud bang from behind me. Septimo falls backwards, bleeding... Trace then runs forward without saying a word. As she runs past me... I feel the intent to kill.

    ¡°Trace, stop!!!¡±

    It''s me who shouts that. Those bad feelings I''ve had are getting worse...

    ¡°Don''t stop me, Blue. This is what Strife wants,¡± Trace says, sounding calm, but there''s a hidden... disgusting feeling behind her words. It''s making me feel even more sick...

    ¡°Trace, that''s enough!¡± Emerald comes from behind me, saying this. ¡°Do you really think there''s a point in hurting them, anymore!? Or do you just want to!?¡±

    ¡°I''d think someone who''s already killed a ton for the church would have less reservations about this...¡± I don''t know what they''re talking about at this point, but I can tell Trace is trying to upset Emerald, right now...

    ...and it seems to have worked.

    Bang! I look in the direction of the sound of gunfire... Emerald was carrying a gun, as well?

    ¡°Strife asked us to kill the angels if they turn out to be dangerous, but I don''t see the problem with doing the same thing with a dangerous Magic Knight.¡±

    I now look at Trace, who is bleeding from being shot in the shoulder. ¡°...heh, so that''s what this is all about.¡± She grins, despite herself. A grin, with hints of malice and bloodlust hidden behind it. ¡°Is it me? Is this all about killing me, for you?¡± She walks away from the angel, which is still lying there, towards Emerald, who continues to aim her pistol at her. ¡°Then, don''t make up excuses. Don''t try to justify it with words. If you think I deserve to die, then make it happen!¡± Trace runs. ¡°That''s what you were taught to do, anyway, right!?¡±

    Faster than my eye can follow, Emerald draws a short sword to parry the oncoming attack from Trace''s kodachi, which appeared just as quickly. Trace being the superhuman here, clearly has the advantage, though, as she quickly recovers and tries to slash Emerald in the ribs. Emerald almost dodges it completely, but is caught by the edge of the blade, and she starts to bleed.

    Hey, hey, this isn''t a joke, you know? Why are you two trying to kill each other? We''re supposed to be on the same side, right? Why are two fighting each other? I don''t understand...

    However, these words do not escape my lips. While my mind screams out, my body remains confused and frozen, while they go on trying to kill each other. Stabbing, slashing, fighting...

    Stabbing... pain... blood... I feel sick... Trace... is enjoying this... This Trace... this isn''t my friend, Trace. It can''t be... this Trace''s eyes... are red.

    No...

    I can''t believe it...

    I feel like it''s a dream, but I know it''s real.

    NO!

    It''s just a bad dream!

    It''s just a bad dream... It''s just a bad dream... It''s just a bad dream... It''s just a bad dream... It''s just...!

    ¡°STOP IIIIIIIIIT!!!¡± Darkness. I must have finally passed out...

    ¡°Blue?¡± I wake up to Cleo''s face hanging over me. She''s sitting on a bench, and I''m laying there, my head resting on her lap. I sit up and see Trace, standing there. She''s covered in blood...

    ¡°Trace... it''s okay.¡±

    ¡°Fine...¡± she sighs. ¡°I''m sorry, Blue. This...¡± She stood in front of me, arms out, like she was showing me something. ¡°...is the secret I was hiding...¡±

    I remain silent. She walks over and sits on the bench with us. ¡°I might as well tell you everything. Alright, Blue. I''ll tell you the whole truth about me...¡± She looked over at Cleo... ¡°...about us...¡±

 Chapter 12 (Trace: Three Years Ago)

    This all started when I was in middle school... Let''s go back to that time, back to the early Summer of 2014. I was in the 8th grade, and it was a year I would remember forever...

    The dismissal bell rang, and it was time to go home. Then suddenly, I heard something. I heard some people fighting. When I got close enough, I could tell it was no fight. It was one person completely dominating another. ¡°Give me my money back!¡± A small girl, maybe in 7th grade, said this, as a girl my age held her just out of reach while she laughed at her.

    Oh. It''s Karen... Things never change... She''s nothing but a fucking bully, this bitch... I hate her. All she does is pick on people that are weaker than her... it makes me sick...

    ¡°Karen, stop it!¡± I stepped up closer to her, and pushed the younger girl away. She looked at me, surprised. I had fought Karen numerous times for picking on people like this. I was the kind of person who did this, who would fight a bully like her and make her stop what she''s doing, but this keeps happening...

    ¡°Go away, Prince.¡± I don''t say anything in return. ¡°What''s the matter?¡± She said, as she made that disgusting smirk she always did.

    I facepalmed... ¡°Look, if I see you picking on anyone again, I''m gonna kick your ass.¡±

    ¡°You don''t want to kick my ass.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You''d rather grab it with your hands, huh, Prince?¡±

    Here she goes...

    ¡°You''d want to touch my ass, wouldn''t you?¡±

    ¡°Oh, fuck you.¡±

    ¡°I know you want to, Prince...¡±

    ¡°Stop throwing insults like a child! When I send you to the hospital you won''t be saying anything!¡± I heard gasping and saw most of the crowd starting to back away because they could tell there would be a fight. ¡°Now, get lost. I''m tired of looking at your face.¡± I started to walk away, being stupid enough to think Karen would actually listen to me... I could hear her footsteps coming after me...

    I whirled around, left arm outstretched, and backhanded her with a loud SMACK. Karen fell. However, I wasn''t done with her... I pulled Karen from the ground with my right hand, and started pummeling her with my other. It probably would have been enough to just knock her over, but she really pissed me off, and I wanted to hurt her that badly...

    What is this feeling?

    She fell to the ground, but then I picked her up by the collar of her uniform and kept punching her, giving her more pain and enjoying giving it to her... I punched, punched, and kept punching... as tears started to well up in her eyes and she started to bleed... I just continued to feel better and better about everything. I kept hitting her and she could do nothing... My fists were starting to hurt, the skin on my knuckles had torn open, but I didn''t care. I''d keep hitting her forever as long as I could enjoy it this much...

    ¡°Trace, stop!¡± I heard a girl''s voice, but quickly brushed it off. ¡°STOP IT!¡± I am pushed off of Karen, and now I saw someone else standing here. I recognized this girl... Her name was Emerald Crux. ¡°Karen, come on, let''s go home.¡± They walked away, and most of the crowd was gone, too. The girl who was being picked on was still there...

    ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°I... I''m fine.¡±

    I kind of felt a little embarrassed... ¡°Sorry about all that. I usually get here before that happens.¡±

    I faked a smile. At least she seemed to believe it.

    She smiled back, and said: ¡°I don''t want to make trouble for you. I should be the one apologizing.¡±

    ¡°It''s not your fault,¡± I said, as I tried to keep calm. ¡°You did nothing wrong. You have a right to walk around here and what Karen just did... it''s sad, and the adults don''t do shit about it.¡±

    Silence.

    ¡°I''m gonna walk home, now, okay?¡± She left, and so did I.

    I missed the school bus, so I had to take a public bus home. I got off the first bus in a neighborhood, surrounded by the sounds of small children, barking dogs, other noises like that. There was also a small house on a hill, closer to the woods than any of the other houses here. I waited for my bus, and then I saw a girl around my age walking in this direction...

    She really was a normal looking girl. She had brown, shoulder length hair and blue eyes... She wore a black uniform, as opposed to my school''s brown, and she seemed a bit bigger than me. Not really taller, or fatter, just... ¡°bigger¡±, y''know? She stood there, staring at me, once she got close enough...

    ¡°...is something the matter?¡±

    That''s a weird way to start a conversation... ¡°Well, I don''t really like waiting for the bus--¡±

    ¡°No, I mean something else.¡± She looked at my hands, which I tried to stuff into my pockets. ¡°Your hands... did you get into a fight?¡±

    Ah geez...

    ¡°Here, let me see your hands.¡± I tried to pull away from her but she was stronger than I expected, so I just let her see. ¡°This is pretty bad... I can fix it, though. Want to see something?¡± Suddenly, she started mumbling something, and her hands started to glow! She touched my hands, and the pain was gone.

    ¡°What did you just do?!¡±

    She smiled and winked. ¡°It''s a secret.¡±

    I looked at my hands, and they were healed. I didn''t see anything wrong with them. ¡°Amazing... Thanks.¡±

    She didn''t say anything for a second, just sort of sat on the bench next to me, still touching my hands. ¡°You''re so warm...¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Awkward silence...

    ¡°Oh, I''m sorry, I said something weird, didn''t I?¡±

    I laughed it off, and said, ¡°Ah, it''s alright.¡± She smiled back at me and we just sort of sat there for a second.

    ¡°Are you waiting for a bus, too?¡± I said, addressing the girl once again.

    ¡°No. I just thought it would be okay if I sat here with you.¡±

    "..."

    ¡°Is it a problem?¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°It''s fine with me.¡± We sat there, not really saying much to each other. ¡°Just make sure you get home soon, okay?¡± She looked up at me, confused. ¡°Do you watch the news? You know they''ve been talking about this killer who comes out at night, right?¡± She made... a face... I was unsure if it was shock, worry, or something else. ¡°They found that the corpses were drained of blood... whoever it is doing this, they seem to have started around here.¡±

    She seemed a little nervous. ¡°It''s okay, I''ll head home before it gets dark. I''ll just see you off.¡± After a few minutes, my next bus showed up. ¡°Goodbye.¡± She waved and started to leave.

    ...I wondered if I would ever see her again. It didn''t matter all that much though. I just rode home.

    After I arrived home, no one was there.

    My parents must be at work, as they usually are... No homework to do, I don''t think, so I''ll open up Outsider and read for a while. Whatever they wanted me to eat for dinner should be in the fridge, so I''ll heat it up whenever I get hungry.

    Hours later, I found myself watching the news.

    The killer strikes again... it''s crazy how this person hasn''t been caught yet. It''s like the police don''t give a damn how many people get butchered like this... I wonder if they''re even looking for this person at all. I can''t stop thinking about these murders... Why are they doing this? All these victims seem random, and there''s no way of telling if there''s a connection to the killer... The police don''t care, the killer won''t ever be caught¡ªWait. Now that I think about it, when was the last time anyone was caught for anything? Even I could get away with a murder if I wanted to...

    ...I wonder, could I really? Wait, no! I shouldn''t even think about things like that. I''m getting hungry. Maybe I should just eat dinner now. Help me take my mind off these things. It''s 20:00. Guess they won''t be home until morning... Why do mom and dad work so much? Would they even know if something bad had happened to me or if I had done something bad with how often they''re away from home? Ah, whatever. I''ll read for a few more hours and go to bed.

    The next morning. I woke up, got dressed, but I didn''t leave for the bus stop. Not yet. I went through Dad''s drawers, found a pocket knife, stuffed it in my pocket, and left.

    ...I''m such an idiot. What am I thinking? Do I really hate Karen that much? I know it''s wrong, but I can''t stop entertaining the thought... As I rode the school bus, I tried to keep calm, and not let anyone see what I would try to do...

    ¡°Trace? Something wrong?¡± It was Emerald. She was sitting across from me, and could see something was up with me.

    ¡°I''m alright. I just feel a little sick...¡± What a crappy lie... I just hope she buys it.

    Most of that school day passed without incident. Although, at lunchtime, I did go speak to Karen, who was sitting with Emerald.

    ¡°What do you want, Prince?¡±

    ¡°I just... wanted to say sorry for what went down yesterday, you know?¡± I said, trying to seem as friendly as possible. ¡°See, I don''t really like fighting, so I was hoping we could get along a bit better.¡±

    ¡°Don''t fuck with me, Prince,¡± Karen said. ¡°Do you think I''m really going to fall for that bullshit after--¡±

    ¡°Look, I just want us to talk things out. We''re not going to be kids forever, so we ought to stop acting like them, eh?¡± Damn, I know I''m losing her with that... ¡°I''m gonna make it up you. I can treat you to dinner if you want. You''d like that, right?¡±

    I had a decent idea of what she would say next.

    ¡°Psh... of all the girls in the school, you come after me... You fucking dykes must be even weirder than I thought.¡± Trying to hide my discomfort from her using that word to describe me, I just went on listening. ¡°Fine, I''ll humor you. We can go out. Maybe we could even have a romantic walk in the park afterwords, huh?¡± Karen laughed at me, then stood up. ¡°I''ll meet you Downtown later tonight. See ya.¡± She walked away.

    After a moment, I noticed that Emerald was still sitting there. She had been watching the entire time. That must have been weird to watch...

    ¡°...what in the world was that all about?¡± She eventually asked me. I couldn''t blame her.

    ¡°Weren''t you listening? I felt sorry for Karen, so I''m making it up to her. Simple, eh?¡±

    ¡°You hate Karen, though...¡± That much was true.

    ¡°I know, I know, but... sometimes, you''ve just got to try and bury the hatchet, y''know?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I understand,¡± she said, seemingly still not buying it, ¡°but why are you taking her out on a date? I thought you said you weren''t--¡±

    ¡°I''m really not,¡± I said, trying to spend too long talking about this. ¡°I''m just not interested in boys, but I don''t like girls that way, either. Karen never listened when I tried to explain that to her, though...¡±

    ¡°Trace, has puberty even started for you, yet?¡± As she said this, I could see her eyes were fixed right on my chest. My flat, undeveloped chest... ¡°After all, you still...¡±

    ¡°Oh, shut up!¡± I said, standing up to leave. ¡°This stays between us, you hear? I don''t need people spreading weird rumors about me.¡±

    ¡°Your secret''s safe with me.¡±

    I left.

    The rest of the school day went by normally. When we were dismissed, I thought to walk to where the buses were going to stop, but...

    "...?"

    I smelled something awful... I had no idea what it was, at the time, but I noticed other people were complaining of the stink, as well, so it wasn''t just me.

    For some reason, curiosity got the better of me, and I found myself going closer to the source of it. I walked forward, approaching a bush that was near the wall of the school... I decide to look behind it, and when I saw what was back there, I immediately wished I hadn''t.

    So that''s what a dead body looks like...

    When the police arrived, they said that person must have been dead since last night. It seemed to be another one of the ¡°vampire murders¡±, they told me. After asking a few questions, they let me go.

    While I was in the school with the police, the rest of the buses took everyone else home.

    Such misfortune... So, I was paying for another public bus ride, then.

    Blah, blah, blah, I rode the bus, got off in that same neighborhood, all that good stuff. The important part is that I saw that girl, again, and she spoke to me.

    ¡°...is something the matter?¡±

    ¡°You must be able to read my mind,¡± I said, trying to be casual. ¡°Last night, the killer struck again. Someone had died right outside the school. It wasn''t until this afternoon that the body was found.¡±

    ¡°Ah, that''s dreadful...¡± She said, remaining calm.

    ¡°Yeah... I... I saw the body.¡±

    ¡°Oh, how horrible... I feel awful for you.¡± It seemed she was actually really sad to hear that.

    After a minute of silence, she reached out and touched my face.

    ¡°You look sick...¡±

    I was so surprised at her touch, I couldn''t speak. It was then that I noticed how cold her hands were...

    ¡°...are you hungry? You look like you haven''t eaten...¡± I just shook my head. I skipped breakfast that day. Lunch, too. Understanding that I hadn''t eaten at all, she smiled at me and took my hand. ¡°How about... I share some food with you?¡±

    ¡°Wh--¡±

    ¡°It''s okay, I live in that house right there, near the woods.¡± She pointed to the small house on the hill I saw yesterday.

    ¡°You sure you wanna let a stranger like me into your house? I dunno...¡±

    ¡°Oh, come on, I won''t bite you...¡± She just pulled me along to her house.

    What a strange girl...

    When we got there, she made two bowls of soup. I just stared at it... ¡°...Is it okay?¡± I had to hide the fact that I was feeling paranoid...

    She isn''t trying to poison me or anything is she...? ¡°Hmm... Hey, can I switch bowls with you?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Y''know, it''s just that, uh... yours looks better for some reason.¡±

    She looked at both bowls. ¡°I... think it''s your imagination, but if you insist...¡±

    She switched, and I assumed it was okay. I took a spoonful into my mouth... ¡°Hey, this isn''t bad. Where''d you learned how to cook?¡±

    ¡°Um... The Cooking Academy of Trial and Error?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I taught myself how to cook. It wasn''t easy though... I taught myself pretty much everything...¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? You didn''t have anyone teach you anything? What about your--¡± I stopped. In this house, I saw no sign of anyone else living here. No parents, no siblings, nobody. ¡°Never mind...¡±

    ¡°Don''t worry about it. Yes, I live alone.¡± A bittersweet smile... ¡°It''s not bad... I just get a little lonely sometimes...¡±

    ¡°Well... I, uh...¡± Oh boy, this is getting awkward...

    ¡°Hey, what''s your name?¡±

    ¡°Wha?¡±

    ¡°I never got your name, bus stop stranger girl.¡±

    Oh... Is it okay? I think so... ¡°My name is Trace Prince. Nice to meet you, friendly stranger.¡±

    She took my hand. ¡°Cleo Arkald. The pleasure is mine.¡±

    For what felt like quite a while, we just sat there, smiling... ¡°So, Trace.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°How about you... come visit again sometime? I''d be happy to have you here.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Sure. Whenever I can.¡± She just smiled. ¡°Ah, I''m gonna miss my bus. I gotta go. See you tomorrow, Cleo.¡± I waved good bye and left.

    ¡°See you.¡±

    Time passed, and I began thinking about my ¡°date¡± with Karen. At about 18:00, I took a bus Downtown, and met Karen there, like we agreed. I let her have a choice of where we were going to eat at, which was probably a bad idea, since she chose Ambrosia, which is probably the fanciest restaurant you can find around here.

    So we ate, and we talked. It was strange. There was no bullying, no insults, none of that. She just ate, occasionally speaking with me normally, about stuff like school and TV. As the night went on, she even started to ask about my hobbies and stuff, like she was really interested in me. It was strange...

    And yes, we even did the ¡°romantic walk in the park¡± after we were done. We were alone, as the park was pretty much empty at the time. Even still, Karen didn''t try to mess with me. She just walked alongside me, speaking to me, listening to me.

    ¡°So Trace, I gotta know,¡± she started. I think that was the first time she didn''t just call me  ''Prince'', now that I''m looking back.

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°Just... are you actually... y''know...¡±

    ¡°Oh... that.¡± I rolled my eyes.

    ¡°No, no! I''m not... listen, okay?¡± She tried to calm me down.

    ¡°Don''t worry about it.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°It''s not really important,¡± I said. ¡°All that matters is... we had fun tonight... right?¡±

    Karen laughed at that. Maybe it was too much... ¡°Ha, well, I just want you to know I don''t swing that way, girl, sorry. Still, though, you can be alright, y''know? Whoever you end up with is gonna be real happy, I''ll bet... you know what, Trace? You''re right, let''s put that childish shit behind us. We''re gonna be adults, soon,¡± she said, reminding me of my own words from earlier. ¡°We can be cool from now on. Come on, give us a hug!¡±

    ¡°...Karen, thank you for that, really, thank you,¡± I started walking into her embrace, ¡°but...¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ...but I''ve already made my decision.

    I quickly took out the pocket knife and jabbed it into Karen''s gut. I looked into her eyes as I did it... She was shocked. She was surprised. More than anything else, though, she was hurt. Obvious pain from being stabbed aside, she seemed to have been hurt by the fact that I would do such a thing. Me, who she was finally saying she''d learned to accept... In that one moment, part of me would have given everything in the world to take it back...

    ...so why didn''t I stop...?

    Did you really think being nice to me for one night would have undone it all!?

    Not feeling content with just one, I pulled the knife from her flesh, and jammed it in again.

    You''ve had this coming for a long time, bitch!

    I stabbed her again.

    This is what you deserve for fucking with me,

    another stab,

    and everyone else!

    Stab.

    Die, bitch!

    Stab.

    Go to Hell!

    Stab.

    Don''t ever let me see your face again!!!

    I rammed the knife in one last time, then watched as she toppled backwards. She was just... lying there, despite being so full of life mere moments ago... Her life was gone... I took it from her. Karen was dead.

    ...she''s dead... It took until that moment to truly realize it. Realize what I had done... She''s dead, and I killed her... I... I killed someone... I killed someone... I''m a murderer...

    Suddenly, I felt extremely sick... I felt something traveling up to my throat... the bitter taste hit my tongue, and it came spilling out of my mouth...

    Just then, I felt eyes on me. I looked in the direction where I thought someone''s gaze was coming from, thought I saw someone''s blue eyes for a moment in the darkness, but...

    It must have been my imagination.

    I thought to myself that I couldn''t just sit there forever. I had to do away with the body, get away from the scene, and make myself not look suspicious. I was covered in Karen''s blood... I would probably have to get rid of this outfit, too. At least me running around in my underwear would be easier to explain and justify than that...

    So went down to the river near the park to do just that.

    ¡°Fancy meeting you here, Trace.¡± I looked up, slightly panicked. Who would it be other than Cleo Arkald... smiling down at me, while I knelt near the river.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Well, I, uh, I just came back from a... pretty crazy party, that''s all.¡± I felt bad, lying to her... Cleo was my friend, and the fact that I wasn''t being honest with her hurt pretty badly, but I had to...

    ¡°Trace, you do know it''s not proper to walk around town dressed like that, right?¡±

    ¡°Well--¡±

    ¡°Trace, you do know there''s a killer running around, right...?¡± Cleo asked this, still smiling...

    "..."

    ¡°Come now, Trace... it''s mistakes like this that make people too dumb to live.¡± For some reason, this kind of made me smile... then the sadness I felt from lying returned...

    ¡°Cleo...¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± She seemed to be so energetic, and in such a good mood tonight... even more than normal.

    ¡°You''re my friend, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± She said this, still smiling at me... somehow, making me feel even worse...

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    ¡°What if... what if I did something horrible... What if I did something so bad, that if anyone found out, they''d hate me...?¡±

    ¡°I don''t know,¡± she said. ¡°...but I''d probably forgive you. We''re friends... right?¡± I had a hard time holding back my tears... As if my body was moving on its own, I stood up and embraced Cleo in my arms...

    There''s no way she''d forgive me... I don''t want to ruin this...

    ¡°Trace, why are you being so depressing?¡± There was a hint of worry in her voice. ¡°Let''s talk about something else.¡± We walked around in the park, just talking... ¡°There''s this really cute boy at my school, Trace. His name is Azul Ryukawa.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Uh... that''s nice, I guess.¡±

    Awkward silence...

    ¡°D-do you have any advice...? You seem like... you''d be pretty popular with boys, to me.¡±

    ¡°Popular? Yeah, I guess... but no, I don''t have any advice for something like this.¡±

    An expression of confusion and disbelief appeared on Cleo''s face. ¡°Nothing? How do you catch a boy''s attention, Trace?¡±

    Wow... what do I say? ¡°I don''t. In my whole life, I''ve never had a boyfriend.¡±

    ¡°You''re lying, Trace. A good looking girl like you I''d imagine would have been through plenty of boys!¡±

    More awkward silence. I raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°I''m sorry, I said something weird, didn''t I...¡±

    ¡°Haha, no, it''s okay...¡± The awkwardness disappeared for a moment, and Cleo started to speak some more.

    ¡°Seriously, though, Trace. You look great. I think you''re beautiful.¡±

    I blushed. No one had ever said this about me and meant it, except my parents, of course. As this conversation went on, I started to feel more embarrassed than I should have...

    ¡°A-anyway, Trace, why? Why don''t you have a boyfriend?¡±

    I shrugged... how should I have answered that? I wasn''t completely sure, myself... ¡°I don''t know. I guess I''m just... not interested...¡± She stared... Suddenly, I felt a frown forming on my face. ¡°I''m not gay!¡±

    Cleo laughed out loud at me and how defensive I suddenly became. ¡°It''s okay, Trace... hahaha!¡± I kind of felt like laughing, myself, but I kept silent, as Cleo was about to say something else. ¡°I didn''t think you were. If you were a lesbian, I''d assume you might have made a move on me by now.¡± She was probably right. I did like Cleo, still do, but I''ve never felt... that way about her.

    ¡°We''ve gotten so far off topic,¡± I pointed out. How did we get from Cleo''s crush to this!?

    ¡°Oh!? Y-yeah, you''re right...¡± She clumsily returned to talking about Azul, who she started calling Blue, because of his blue-colored eyes and hair...

    ¡°You do know that Azul is just ''blue'' in a different language, don''t you...?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but... Oh, come on, Trace, Blue''s easier to remember for me.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Okay, okay...¡±

    ¡°Anyway... Yeah, I like Blue. He''s kind of shy and girly, but when I talk to him, he''s really nice to me, I feel like he''d understand me, and he''s so cute... I want to be close to him, but he won''t let me in...¡±

    ¡°You''ll think of something.¡±

    ¡°I hope so. The school year will be over, soon...¡± She was right. It was the beginning of June. ¡°We''re going on a field trip this month. I hope he comes...¡±

    I took a look at my watch. It was 23:00. Holy crap, I''ve been out for a second. ¡°Cleo... I think I ought to head home.¡±

    She seemed sad to see me go... ¡°I enjoy talking like this, Trace... Are you really that tired?¡±

    ¡°Yeah... you''re not? It''s okay, I''ll visit you tomorrow, okay?¡± I waved goodbye...

    ¡°Trace!¡± I looked over at Cleo again. ¡°Don''t worry about your sin. If you truly feel guilty and sorrowful over such a thing, I''ll forgive you, unconditionally.¡± I didn''t answer, I just smiled and left. I knew she said she''d forgive me for what I did, but I was sure that if I told her the truth, we couldn''t be friends anymore...

    A few days went by and I let life go on like nothing happened. I''d show up at school, go to visit Cleo everyday, and go home. Oddly, every once and a while, I''d watch the news.

    Apparently, the other killer is still on the loose... Nothing has changed. The only thing that''s different outside is Karen is gone. It sucks...

    Anyway, after school, I took a public bus to where I would hope to meet Cleo. She showed up after a minute or two.

    ¡°What''s up, Trace?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Helloooo... Trace?¡± I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Cleo, smiling like always... ¡°You okay?¡±

    ¡°Y-yeah...¡± I said, looking up at her.

    ¡°Well, Trace, today I hung out with Blue! You see...¡±

    ¡°...you know what, Trace? You''re right, let''s put that childish shit behind us. We''re gonna be adults, soon...¡±

    ¡°...and he was sitting there all by himself, see? So...¡±

    ¡°We can be cool from now on. Come on, give us a hug!¡±

    ¡°...and the whole day was like that. It was wonderful...¡±

    I''m such an idiot...

    ¡°So, Trace.¡±

    ¡°Wha¡ªhuh?¡±

    ¡°You were listening to me, right? I want you to come and meet Blue.¡± She pointed up the hill. ¡°If we hurry we can catch him. He said he was helping a teacher with some stuff.¡±

    ¡°Cleo, I dunno...¡±

    ¡°Come on, Trace,¡± Cleo said, feigning sadness, ¡°I already told him you''d come. He''s really eager to meet you!¡± Looking back, this might have been a lie, but...

    ¡°...okay.¡±

    With doubt in my mind as to if this was the best option, I followed Cleo up to the school. I went inside. The building was mostly empty right now, but I could clearly hear footsteps...

    Someone approached us. Long blue hair, gentle blue eyes. So this is the boy Cleo''s been talking about. I might have been confused if she didn''t tell me--

    ...wait. Those blue eyes... I know I''ve seen them before. Those eyes... they''ve looked at me. Seen me. Is it...

    Blue looked into my eyes just as I looked into his, and he showed me fear. It was at that moment that I knew... and then he knew, as well.

    So he ran.

    Blue ran from me, into the school, and without saying anything, I gave chase.

    ¡°What? Trace, what are you doing!? What''s wrong!?¡±

    Sorry, Cleo. He saw what I did. He''s the only one that knows. I have to do something about it...

    Blue went running up the stairs, and I followed, and once on the third floor, I hid in a classroom. While I was hiding, I saw him in the hallway...

    I moved from my spot, pulled out the knife, and thrust it into him...

    He fell over after I stabbed them in the ribs. Blood poured from the wound... Kicking him over, I then held him down and continued to stab. The stomach. The chest. The ribs again. Die... Die... Die...!

    ...a presence. Behind me. I turned around to see who it was.

    It was Cleo.

    I looked into her eyes...

    She was shocked.

    She was surprised.

    More than anything else, though, she was hurt...

    Don''t look at me like that...

    ¡°Trace... what are you doing...?¡± She looked like she was going to cry... I made Cleo cry...

    Don''t look at me with those eyes...

    ¡°Trace... what the hell is this!?¡± Tears started running down her face as she shouted.

    Stop it! Don''t you think I already feel guilty enough!? Stop!! Stop looking at me!!!

    ¡°Ugh...¡± All of the sudden, Cleo doubled over, clutching her heart... ¡°Trace... r-run...¡±

    ¡°Wha...?¡±

    ¡°Trace... get away from me...¡±

    I was scared, and confused. I didn''t think to move from where I was. I just watched in horror as my friend screamed out, shook, changed...

    And then, that girl that was my friend was gone. The thing that took her place dove at me at a speed that I couldn''t comprehend. While she was on top of me, for a moment, I saw her eyes again.

    Is this really Cleo...? It can''t be. My Cleo... doesn''t have such red, hateful eyes...

    ¡°I''m sorry, Trace,¡± she said, looking at me, ¡°I have my secrets, too. I''ve committed horrible sins, too... I...¡± Again, tears welled up in her eyes, and they dropped onto my face. ¡°I''m a murderer, just like you!¡±

    ¡°Wh--¡±

    I didn''t get to finish that sentence. Before I knew it, Cleo''s face disappeared from my view. I felt sharp pain in my neck... cutting into it like little daggers...

    ¡°Ah, Trace, you''re so warm...¡± Cleo showed me her face again, blood spilling from between her lips... my blood... ¡°I''m so sorry...¡± She kept crying, but now she was smiling... her face had the look of someone who was somewhere completely different... a place much happier than here. ¡°I''m so sorry we can''t be friends, anymore... but... but...! Now you get to be a part of me...!¡± Her cold hands touched my face. I could barely feel it. ¡°You get to live on inside me forever and ever... We''ll still be together, y''know...?¡± It was like she was trying to make me feel better as she murdered me... As she consumed me... ¡°Isn''t that beautiful!? Aren''t you happy!?¡±

    Again, Cleo bit down on my neck, continuing to drink my blood...

    I feel... so cold. Everything''s blurry. Ah, that''s it. I... I...

    I was dying...

    I''m dying... Of course. It would be fitting for my fate to turn this way, wouldn''t it? Someone like me doesn''t deserve to go on living happily. To be eaten and killed by someone I was able to accept is perfect, so go ahead, Cleo. Take me. Take me away from this shameful, disgusting life...

    Suddenly, a light blinded my vision. I felt safe, and protected, as if I had been taken somewhere else...

    ¡°Are you alive?¡±

    A voice? From where? Who is it? ¡°Who are you?¡± I shouted back, not knowing if they could hear me or not...

    ¡°So you can hear me... I was right to think we live under the same Birth Star...¡±

    What...?

    ¡°You don''t know what that is?¡±

    I shook my head.

    ¡°...never mind. Do you want to live?¡±

    ¡°I don''t... know. I don''t know what I''m supposed to do... Can you fix it?¡±

    ¡°Look, I¡ªOh, don''t worry about that! If I don''t do something now, you''re gonna die!¡±

    "..."

    ¡°Do you wanna live or not...?¡±

    No.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You seem mixed up... Don''t worry, though. We''ll find out the answers as we go. Alright?¡±

    Not sure where this is going, but... ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. I am the Magic Knight''s Force Grey. Allow me to lend you my powers!¡±

    Weird... This is all so weird...

    ¡°You are definitely going to need some protection, so will lend you my... Mystic Coat!¡±

    All of the sudden, I was returned to the school... but something was different... I felt more powerful than ever before!

    My vitality has returned... With this much strength... I can... push Cleo off of me...!

    And so I did it. With one shove, Cleo went flying back... right through the window that was behind her.

    I looked down and saw that girl who may have been my friend lying on the ground, having fallen hard enough to make cracks in the concrete. I hoped to myself that I didn''t kill her, too...

    ¡°She''ll be fine. We must see to the boy!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± I "said", accidentally. I hadn''t quite gotten a grip on how we were ¡°speaking¡±, back then.

    ¡°If we do nothing, this boy will die. You must call for help. Call an ambulance, or something!¡± He spoke again... Why was I doing this? Something still didn''t feel right.

    I did this. This is the outcome that I''ve created with my choices. My actions. It''s too late to regret any of it. So why... why do I feel so guilty...?

    Unexpectedly, someone came flying through the window, into the school. ¡°Is something wrong? I saw that girl fall from here, and...¡± She was an older girl, maybe a high school student. She was blonde and had green eyes, and she walked over to see what was going on... ¡°Oh my! What''s happened? She''s so badly hurt...¡±

    Hey, Blue is a boy, I thought, but I didn''t bother saying this out loud.

    ¡°You''ve called for an ambulance, right?¡±

    ¡°Y-yes.¡±

    ¡°She won''t make it... I¡ªI''ve gotta do something. Wanna see something cool?¡±

    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°What are you gonna do?¡± She raised her hand in the direction of Blue, and it started to glow...

    ¡°Huh!?¡± I watched as the once fatal wounds started to disappear from his body...

    The girl muttered something to herself and stood up. ¡°She''ll live. You should still have her taken to the hospital, anyway.¡±

    I nodded, then remembered Cleo... ¡°Also, the other girl. Did you...¡±

    ¡°It won''t be necessary.¡± Cleo also came back in through that window, despite her wounds, and walked over to pick up Blue. ¡°I can hear the ambulance...¡± Sure enough, they showed up. She started to leave through the window...

    ¡°Cleo, wait! I''m sorry...¡±

    ¡°Trace, don''t worry about it... right now, I want to make sure he''s safe.¡± I felt pathetic... Even now, I still do. ¡°Trace... I still want us to be friends... I want to give you another chance, but... for now, goodbye.¡± She left.

    ¡°...what just happened?¡± The older girl hadn''t left...

    ¡°It''s a long story...¡±

    ¡°Eh... well, my name''s Mu?eca.¡± She reached out and shook my hand. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± She was another strange girl... ¡°Hey, I need directions. Where''s the western airport from here?¡±

    Oh... she must be a visitor from somewhere else... Lumi¨¨re, maybe?

    Anyway, I just gave her directions and she started to leave.

    ¡°Thanks so much! Goodbye!¡± I just waved back without saying anything... So Blue was saved by a weird girl who came out of nowhere and healed his wounds... how convenient. Never saw her again after that.

    Then I remembered... the voice from before... ¡°Hey! Grey, or whatever your name is! Where are you!?¡±

    ¡°Calm down. I''m right here, inside you.¡±

    ¡°What!? Is he a ghost?¡±

    ¡°Not exactly. Let me explain...¡±

    ¡°Holy¡ªHe can read my mind! Does he know what I''ve done? Oh, crap...¡±

    ¡°I said calm down! Listen...¡± Grey explained to me that he made a telepathic link with me, and was speaking into my mind using his...

    ¡°Oh, I see. Well... Thank you, Grey.¡±

    ¡°No big deal, Trace.¡± I couldn''t help smiling. He seemed like a nice... person...

    ¡°Hey, Grey, what exactly are you...?¡±

    ¡°I''m a Magic Knight''s Force. A hero who was chosen to gain power from a Birth Star.¡±

    ¡°...what''s a Birth Star?¡±

    ¡°Hm... okay, as you know, there are many stars in the sky. 366 of them, however, are special. Powerful magicians called Stargazers used their power to allow us, Magic Knights, to use the magic connected to these special stars...¡± Grey directed my attention to a star in the sky, which, probably thanks to him, I could see clearly.

    ¡°That''s our Birth Star, isn''t it?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Anyway, you''ve heard the story of a hero named Grey in History class or something, right? That''s me. Like any other mortal body, mine grew old and died... but I, well, my ¡°soul¡±, lives on, and I can share my existence with someone living under the same star. You.¡±

    ¡°Well, surely there are millions of other people you could have contacted. Why me?¡±

    ¡°...you seemed familiar to me.¡±

    I was confused. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°You remind me of an old friend... someone I knew back when I was alive.¡±

    ¡°Was this person a Magic Knight, too?¡±

    ¡°No. This friend, she lived as a normal woman and moved on when she died. Her name was L¨¢ng Sh¨ªs¨¡n, the Blood Splattered Wolf.¡±

    Blood Splattered Wolf? I remembered her from history class. She was a talented swordswoman, and some say she was a rare human who could use the Thirteen Blades supposedly left on this planet by the Tredecim Armis et Salvator. ¡°I''m pretty sure some of that is just a legend, though.¡±

    ¡°Actually, it''s the truth.¡±

    ¡°Oh, come on...¡±

    Grey laughed. ¡°Seriously? You''ve seen your share of weird things, right? This is just one more unbelievable thing. Come on, I won''t lie to you.¡± Not willing to argue, I just went along with it. ¡°So, Trace... that girl was your friend?¡±

    ¡°Yeah... I had something nice, there, too. Looks like I ruined it...¡± There was silence between the two of us...

    ¡°Well, I think it''ll be alright if you try to fix it.¡±

    ¡°But--¡±

    ¡°Look... She''s your friend, right? Trust me. I don''t know all the details, but I think you can get her to forgive you if you atone for it...¡±

    ¡°I can''t... not for this.¡±

    ¡°Eh... well, try anyway. I''m giving you a chance, so why wouldn''t she? It''s better than giving up, right?¡±

    ¡°I don''t know. I can''t think of a way to make up for what I''ve done. Maybe it''d be better if I just got killed, after all.¡±

    ¡°No. You shouldn''t say things like that,¡±  Grey ¡°said¡±, gently. ¡°Come, now, didn''t you say something like ''Take me away from this shameful, disgusting life...''?¡±

    ¡°What? Wait, that wasn''t--¡±

    ¡°I''ve decided to do just that. That ''shameful, disgusting life'' is in the past, now, but if you''re still confused, we''ll just find the answers as we go, like I said earlier, okay?¡±

    ¡°Well...¡±

    Such a strange feeling... to have been pulled out of the pits of despair by this knightly ''ghost'' fellow who seemed to care for me so much. At the time, I truly did wonder what kind of bond him and that woman had all those years ago.

    ¡°No matter what I have to do, I won''t ever let you be that miserable again, so please don''t say such things...¡± I could feel Grey emotions reaching through... He was being sincere. It was hard for me to keep thinking the way I was with someone who wanted me to live so badly. Someone who I was so important to...

    ¡°...I guess you''re right...¡±

    Grey seemed happy with that. ¡°That''s the spirit. Well then, let''s go after her...¡±

 Chapter 13 (Cleo: Three Years Ago)

    After that, I returned to my little house on the hill to rest. To be alone. Even back then, I was more resilient than I looked, and I would be able to heal pretty quickly on my own, so there was no need to stay at the hospital once I knew Blue was going to be okay. When I woke up in the morning, the wounds on my body would be healed...

    ...but what about the wounds on my heart?

    As I laid there, awake, I could do nothing but lament my mistakes. My sins...

    It''s ruined. Everything is ruined. Trace... why did you have to find out about me? Why did I have to find out about you? Why did I have to have such a horrible secret? Why would you go on to do a horrible thing, like I did? Not fair... It''s not fair! Am I really cursed to never find any real happiness? Am I really not allowed to have even one friend in this world?

    ¡°What''s the matter?¡±

    A feminine voice spoke into my head. I had a decent idea of what this was.

    ¡°Who''s there?¡± That''s what I ended up ¡°saying¡± back.

    ¡°So, you can hear me? Good. I was right to think that we share a Birth Star.¡±

    I had heard of that before. That this invisible spirit would come to me, saying that... ¡°You''re a Magic Knight Force, aren''t you?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± she ¡°said¡±, ¡°specifically, I''m Fl¨¨che, the Blade Archer. Nice to meet you.¡±

    ¡°I assume you want to join up?¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°I don''t know...¡±

    ¡°Ah, that''s not good... I was going to offer to heal your wounds, but it seems you don''t need my help with that. Still, though, you seem to be ''hurt''... Can I help?¡±

    ¡°It''s kind of hard to explain. The gist of it is, I lost a friend, today.¡±

    ¡°Sorry to hear that,¡± Fl¨¨che ¡°said¡±, sincere. ¡°Did you get into a fight?¡±

    ¡°Something like that.¡±

    ¡°I see. Well, if you smooth things out as soon as possible, everything will be fine.¡±

    ¡°But it''s not that simple!¡±

    ¡°Er...¡± For the first time since our conversation started, she seemed confused. ¡°You have to make it simple, then. She''s your only friend, isn''t she?¡±

    ¡°Well, I--¡±

    ¡°If you don''t do something now, you''re going to regret it for the rest of your life. You reached out, and she took your hand, right? Why make it any more complicated than that?¡±

    She was right. It really didn''t matter if I didn''t think I deserved to be Trace''s friend anymore. What was important was that I needed her... Was I really going to just let her slip away? ¡°You... You''re right. I get it.¡±

    Somehow, I could feel Fl¨¨che''s spirit lift. ¡°There we go! Come, let''s go now. Let''s find her.¡±

    And so, without a second thought, I pulled my shoes on to find Trace. However, just as I opened the door to leave...

    ¡°Cleo...¡± She was standing right there.

    ¡°Trace...¡±

    ¡°Cleo, can we talk?¡± She asked me.

    ¡°Right now, there''s nothing else I''d like more.¡± I invited her into my house.

    We both sat on the floor for a second, saying nothing. We just stared for a moment in complete silence. I think, in that moment, I realized how truly awkward this was.

    ¡°...Trace, I''m a vampire.¡±

    I just blurted it out, suddenly.

    ¡°It makes sense,¡± she said, just as unexpectedly.

    ¡°You believe me!?¡± It would have been troublesome to explain if she were more skeptical, but still!

    ¡°I''ve experienced it first hand,¡± Trace said, pointing to her neck, ¡°remember?¡± I could still see where I bit her.

    ¡°Trace, I''m so sorry I put you through that...¡± Knowing that there would be nothing wrong with it, with there just being us here, I just let the tears flow. ¡°I''m so sorry you had to experience that... I should have been able to stay in control, I just waited too long to feed, and... and...¡± By this point I had taken Trace in my arms, hugging her tight, sobbing like a little child... ¡°I''m sorry... I''m sorry... I''m sorry...¡±

    ¡°I forgive you.¡± In response, all Trace said was that.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Like you said, you lost control because you weren''t drinking enough blood, right? You can''t help that,¡± she said, with a bittersweet smile. ¡°I have to be able to forgive you, otherwise it''d make me a hypocrite.¡±

    "So that girl in the park really was... oh my God... Trace, why?¡±

    ¡°Even I don''t know why, now.¡± She looked away. ¡°I remember, I used to hate that girl. Hated her so much I wanted to kill her, but that night... that night, she seemed like she was trying to apologize to me, Cleo. To fix things. I don''t know if she was just messing with me some more, or if she was really trying to be friendly. Even if only so that I could know for sure, I would do anything to take it back...¡± Trace held her head in her hands. ¡°but I can''t turn back time... I can never make what I did better, ever. I killed someone for no reason...¡± A tear ran down from one of Trace''s eyes. ¡°Cleo, what am I supposed to do?¡±

    Again, I embraced her. ¡°Trace, don''t cry. Even if no one else forgives you, I will.¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°It''s twisted, you know?¡± I said, cutting her off. ¡°I have to forgive you, and you have to forgive me. We''re like sisters in sin. It''s just another part of the bond that unites us.¡±

    ¡°Cleo...¡± I did tell her not to cry... I guess it couldn''t have been helped.

    ¡°Come on, Trace,¡± I said, wiping her tears away, ¡°I forgive you. I always will. If it''s not enough, then I will forgive you more and more... for anything and everything. Always.¡± I smiled at her, holding her face in my hands. ¡°So, please. Don''t cry.¡±

    Without saying anything, she allowed herself to be held by me. We only stayed that way for a moment, but it felt like an eternity, to me...

    ¡°Thank you, Cleo.¡±

    ¡°You, too.¡±

    ¡°...and of course, this stays between us.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    So, we continued sitting in silence for a while.

    She''s so warm... wait. Wait, what?

    ¡°...wait, Trace, why didn''t you turn!?¡± I couldn''t believe that that had slipped my mind! It was probably the thing I should have noticed first, but I got caught up in everything else.

    ¡°O-oh...¡± Trace was just as confused as I was, it seemed. ¡°W-well... why didn''t the murder victims all turn?¡±

    ¡°I sucked them all completely dry. If there''s nothing left, they won''t turn into a vampire no matter how much venom there is!¡± I wondered if I should be telling her this at the time, but at the same time, I felt she had a right to know. ¡°I only bit you and drank some blood, but you were still alive when I left you, and you''re still alive, now! Not only should you have died from the venom, you should be a vampire, right now!¡±

    ¡°Wha... wow, that''s... hm.¡± Trace brought her hand to her chin, thinking.

    She really doesn''t know!?

    ¡°Hmm... wait, what? What did you say?¡± All of the sudden, Trace started to speak, but...

    ¡°I didn''t say anything.¡±

    ¡°No, not you, Cleo.¡± I was confused. Who else could she have been talking to? At the time, I had no clue.

    ¡°Trace, what are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Grey says that our link is keeping the venom from killing me. As long as we stay in contact, his mana can keep me from dying and turning... right?¡± She went on listening to a voice I couldn''t hear.

    ¡°Who''s...¡±

    ¡°Wait... she has Grey!?¡±

    ¡°Fl¨¨che, what? I don''t understand.¡±

    ¡°Cleo, use your senses. I''m sure you can feel it.¡±

    I sent a small amount of mana out around me, far enough to touch Trace''s aura. It was very easy with Fl¨¨che helping me. I didn''t even need to Convert. ¡°I do feel something.¡±

    ¡°Another Magic Knight Force, Cleo!¡±

    ¡°Interesting.¡±

    ¡°Lucky... I know Grey, Cleo! This is great!¡±

    ¡°Oh, wow. That''s wonderful. So, are you two, like--¡±

    ¡°Oh, you too, Cleo?¡± Trace eventually asked me.

    ¡°You can tell?¡±

    ¡°Kind of,¡± she said, laughing. ¡°So you''re like Grey and me. This is so cool!¡±

    ¡°Even better,¡± I said, ¡°if you can use your Magic Knight Force to stave off the effects of the venom, then maybe I can, too! Right?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± This was probably one of the best things that could have ever happened to me! ¡°I don''t have to be a bloodsucker anymore!¡±

    ¡°Awesome!¡±

    And so, the rest of the night was like that. Trace and I were friends again, brought back together as if by a miracle, and everything was good...

    ...

    When I woke up the next morning, Trace was knocking at my door. When I let her in, she seemed to be in a much better mood than yesterday, or ever before.

    ¡°Mornin''!¡± As she walked into the house, I noticed she was carrying two books. One of them looked like some kind of comic.

    ¡°What are you reading?¡±

    Trace seemed to have been trying to read both of them at once... ¡°Oh? This is Outsider.¡±

    ¡°Oh...¡± I''d heard of the book before. It''s about time travel. I turned the TV on while we just sat around. I just sort of talked about random things, while she spoke back, looking at her book. After an hour, she put Outsider down.

    ¡°Done. This is the best book I''ve ever read. You should read it, Cleo.¡±

    ¡°I dunno, I''m not much of a reader...¡±

    ¡°Come on, Cleo. I''ll let you borrow mine.¡±

    As we started to talk about it, Something on the TV caught my interest... A commercial. Scenes from a movie showed on screen.

    ¡°I dreamt about a girl... Who is she...?¡± ¡°Gacht... I''ll protect you...¡± ¡°I''m sorry, you must be mistaken. We don''t have a son...¡± ¡°Outsider... you do not belong here...¡± After that fancy advertisement, the screen read: ¡°Now Playing¡±.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    ¡°...I could just go see the movie, right?¡±

    Trace smiled. ¡°Actually, that sounds like a lot of fun! I was gonna go see that, now we can go together. It''s gonna be awesome, Cleo! I swear...¡± She went on and on...

    ¡°Okay, okay, Trace... Let''s go see it.¡±

    ¡°Let''s go right now!¡± She grabbed the comic she had, then pulled me out of my seat...

    ¡°W-wait, Trace! Let me get dressed...¡± It was funny to watch Trace get so psyched over this. She usually seemed a bit more reserved. Anyway, within an hour, we were out the door and on the bus to the closest theater... The whole time, Trace was reading that comic she had...

    ¡°You''re still reading?¡±

    ¡°Uh... Yeah. This is MajitsuShiro. The first volume came out today, so decided to pick it up. I like it.¡±

    ¡°...what''s it about?¡± I asked, having never heard of this comic before...

    ¡°Well, so far, Shiro, the main character has learned magic from his adoptive father, and he wants to become a hero of justice... It''s off to a good start.¡±

    ¡°Sounds cool,¡± I replied. That did sound like something fun to read.

    ¡°Mm-hm. A hero of justice...¡± She mumbled to herself. Trace seemed to be deep in thought all of the sudden, so I decided not to bother her. A few minutes later, we arrived at the theater.

    So we watch the movie. Outsider was about a girl from the future who went back in time to protect a man named Gacht, who was part of a mysterious person''s master plan. I enjoyed it... or I would have, if Trace wasn''t complaining about every. Single. Thing.

    ¡°That''s not what''s supposed to happen! Why would they change that?!¡± She kept whispering these things the whole time, making it hard for me to enjoy the film as it was... After the movie, we talked about it a little.

    ¡°Well... I liked it well enough...¡±

    ¡°That was terrible,¡± Trace said, frowning.

    ¡°Oh, come on, Trace...¡±

    ¡°I''m serious! Characters weren''t acting like they should have, plot details were missing, they ruined a perfectly good story!¡±

    I sighed... If we stayed on the subject of this movie much longer, the day would be ruined. ¡°I''m sorry Trace.¡±

    ¡°Ah, what are you apologizing for?¡±

    ¡°I''m the one who suggested we see this.¡±

    ¡°Look, it''s just... Oh, forget about it, Cleo. Let''s go do something else.¡±

    I was okay with that. ¡°Headed Downtown?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°It''s about lunchtime. Let''s find somewhere to eat.¡±

    So we got on a bus to Downtown. Trace was still reading MajitsuShiro... Guess she really liked it.

    Anyway, when we got off the bus, something odd happened...

    ¡°That''s my purse!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°What was that?¡±

    Someone screaming somewhere nearby... ¡°I don''t know you!¡± Trace ran.

    Wait, where is she going? ¡°What are you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Come on! It came from this direction!¡±

    So... was she going to see what''s happening?

    ¡°Someone''s getting robbed! We can help!¡±

    She''s going to try and stop the robber!? ¡°Are you sure, Trace? It''s dangerous! Wouldn''t you rather leave it to the police!?¡±

    She smacked her forehead with her palm... ¡°NO! Goddammit, the cops aren''t going to do anything! Where were the cops when all those murders were going on!? Where were the cops when... anything happened!? Forget them, they can''t get anything done!¡±

    She was right, but... ¡°I''m still not sure if we should get involved.¡±

    ¡°...fine. If you''re not going to help me, I''ll deal with it myself.¡± She ran off...

    ¡°Freaking... Trace, wait up!¡± We ran towards the direction of the scream, and arrived just in time to see the robber get kicked in the groin...

    He fell down in pain. ¡°Ugh, you stupid bitch... You asked for it!¡± He started glowing...

    You''ve gotta be kidding me.

    ¡°Mystic Coat!¡± The robber would be a Magic Knight like us. Of course. He was soon covered in magic armor...

    ¡°That''s his Mystic Coat.¡± I heard Fl¨¨che speak into my mind.

    ¡°What''s that?¡±

    ¡°It makes the user stronger and faster, but most of all, more durable. It''s the armor the Magic Knights wore long ago.¡±

    As I listened to this explanation, Trace had already shouted, ¡°Mystic Coat!¡± and begun to fight. The crowd forming around us was shocked and amazed to see all this going on.

    ¡°Can I use yours?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Mystic Coat!¡± I was covered in a beautiful suit of magical armor that gave off an otherworldly glow. A light suit of armor, with a breastplate. There was also suddenly a bow and arrow in my hands.

    ¡°I hope you know how to use it.¡±

    I smiled nervously.

    ¡°Me, too...¡± I drew the bow, and an arrow magically manifested in its proper place. I took aim, and let the arrow fly. I got the robber right in the back. His Coat faded and he fell to the ground...

    A cop finally showed up much later. Trace was right. There was no way the cops could have dealt with this. He handcuffed the robber and read him his rights.

    The robber started shouting something... ¡°What else am I supposed to do!? This is all your fault! Ever since CORE was brought down, I''ve had nowhere to go!¡± As he was pulled away, he continued to shout at the officer. ¡°I blame YOU! I blame you, this country, and everyone in it!!!¡±

    What is he talking about... While I thought, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

    ¡°Let''s get outta here before they start asking us questions.¡± Trace, now back to normal, said this and started to walk off, gesturing for me to come with her. As we walked, I asked:

    ¡°Trace, what was he talking about...?¡±

    She thought, then answered, ¡°You weren''t told about when CORE took over Central City?¡± I shook my head. ¡°I wouldn''t be surprised if you don''t remember. We were babies when it happened.¡± My school hadn''t taught this, at the time. Maybe Trace learned about it from her parents...

    ¡°So what happened?¡±

    ¡°Hm, where to start... Do you know about a novel called Kingdom of Fear?¡±

    ¡°I''ve heard of it, but...¡± I actually didn''t know much, back then. It was pretty hard to get any real information on it in The Center back in those days, and I wasn''t really all that interested.

    ¡°Oh, well,¡± Trace said, shrugging, ¡°the details aren''t all that important. Just know that a popular interpretation of the book was that it was Anti-Central propaganda. In 1985, some time after Kingdom of Fear was published, Charles Freeman, the author of that book, was lynched in the city streets by a paranoid mob, while the enforcement just looked on...

    "Tensions between the citizens who were happy to see him gone, the ones angered by his horrible fate, and the officials that sat back and watched it happen rose. The government managed to bring this to a stop, but an organization called CORE took advantage of the flames created by the anger, fanning them, getting disillusioned people to work in the shadows. Eventually, they took over Central City, aiming to control the entire world. In 2000, they were finally brought down by a group of heroes that stood against them...¡±

    ¡°Oh... sounds kinda scary.¡±

    ¡°It probably was. Anyway, CORE was brought down, and pretty much everyone who was a part of this little incident in any way has been treated like a criminal. I guess that guy was one of the people who got suckered in...¡±

    "I see." Knowing this, I kinda felt bad for him.

    ¡°Come on, let''s not talk about this stuff,¡± Trace said, grinning at me. ¡°We just did something awesome. Let''s celebrate!¡± I started to smile, myself. We looked around for somewhere to eat...

    ...

    We ended up at Mario''s Oven, a pizza joint. Trace told me she rarely eats here and was excited that I chose it.

    ¡°So they have different powers...¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± Trace spoke, but I couldn''t reply because my mouth was full at the moment.

    ¡°You used a bow, I''ve got something called WarMaster that makes me better at using weapons. It''s kinda cool, isn''t it?¡± I nodded.

    Later, while waiting for the bus, I said, ¡°We make a good team, y''know?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Trace?¡±

    She stared at me, and let me know she was serious. ¡°Hey, Cleo... I''ve got an idea.¡±

    ¡°I''m listening.¡±

    ¡°I know how I''m gonna make up for my sins... I''m gonna be a hero of justice.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    ¡°I''m serious! Listen... I can''t bring back the dead, but with my powers, I can save people from death, right? I''m gonna save people''s lives... to make up for the one I''ve taken.¡±

    I didn''t know what to say to this... ¡°Trace, I don''t know. Sure, we stopped a robber, but what if something more dangerous appears? Are you afraid of... getting hurt or dying?¡±

    ¡°Of course I am!¡± Trace shouted. ¡°I know it will be hard and dangerous, and I know I might die... but if I can''t be a hero who atones for what I''ve done, I wouldn''t be able to live with myself, anyway...¡±

    ¡°Trace...¡±

    She looked at me again. ¡°Cleo. I need to ask something of you.¡± I nodded. ¡°Will you help me do this?¡± I knew she was going to ask me that.

    ¡°Of course.¡± I said it without thinking. Trace is right... I''ve hurt people, and I hurt her, too... The least I could do is help her. Besides... ¡°We''re friends, right?¡±

    That day, we became heroes. From tomorrow onward, Trace would show up at my place, bringing different weapons with her (still don''t know how she gets them). We''d hang out in different places in the city, while at the same time patrolling around for any criminal activity.

    We did this until summer''s end, when I made sure to start attending Lost Angel High along with Trace. We would attend school whenever possible. After school, we would continue to do our usual patrol. We did this for three years, and our effort has payed off... The crime rate in Dreamer''s City has decreased dramatically.

    I hadn''t seen Blue once during those three years... We ended up going to different schools, and I hadn''t heard from him once. As time passed, I came to the conclusion that Blue had forgotten about me and I would never see him again. I decided to push him to the back of my mind and give being a Magic Knight everything I had. It seemed like Trace had already started to forget about Blue, and over time, so did I.

    At the beginning of this school year, I woke up, got dressed, and went outside. I was expecting everything to go just as it always had. When I got on the bus, however, a huge surprise came my way. He was older, and a little different looking, but I saw him again.

    You... Azul Ryukawa...

 Chapter 14 (Azul)

    I''m speechless... I know I had forgotten a lot, and that they were keeping secrets from me, but something like this? There was no way I could predict it. The dreams, the red eyes, the way they were acting... It all makes sense now... I''m speechless...

    ¡°Kind of a long story, ain''t it,¡± Trace says, yawning. I just nod. I had to have been sitting there listening to them for about a half hour, at least... ¡°Blue.¡± Trace speaks again, not facing me. ¡°Are you scared of me?¡±

    Of course I am... should I lie? Spare her feelings? No. At this point, that''d be far worse than just being honest. ¡°...yes.¡± Trace looks at me, not showing the slightest bit of surprise. ¡°Trace, I understand that you''re not a murderer anymore, but it seems like those violent urges are starting to come back. If you revert all the way back to that same person...¡±

    A heavy silence falls between us. I''m having a hard time even looking at Trace... She hates me... surely, she does. I''m supposed to be her friend, and I just said I''m scared of her. Somehow, watching her expression... I can tell she''s thinking something similar. That I''m the one who hates her.

    ¡°...hey!¡± I shout at Trace, which seems to shock her a little. ¡°There''s no point in getting all depressed. You''ve made it clear that you want to change, right? That you want to be a hero... I can help you do it!¡± I continue to speak after taking a deep breath. ¡°It''s true. I am scared as hell of you... I''m scared of you, the things you''ve done, and what you might do... but you''re my friend... I wouldn''t give up on you like that!¡± I embrace her... ¡°Me and Cleo... we''re not gonna leave you. It''s true that I don''t have to help you, but I want to... I''m your friend. I''m here for you.¡± Trace looks like she''s holding back tears...

    ¡°Thank you, Blue... that means a lot to me...¡± She starts to smile... I feel as if the doubt and suspicion I felt earlier has just been washed away...

    ...

    It''s nighttime. We''ve been out for a while...

    Cleo stands up. ¡°You guys wanna go do something?¡±

    ¡°I''m kinda tired, Cleo. I''m a little surprised you''re not tired, either.¡±

    ¡°You''ll get used to that, Blue,¡± Trace says. ¡°Cleo''s still a vampire, remember? She doesn''t get tired that easily, especially at night.¡± Oh. Does she ever really need to sleep at all, I wonder... ¡°Well, I''m getting on a bus home. We''re all getting on the same bus, right?¡±

    As we ride the bus, I fall silent and just think about everything that had happened. Trace was a killer... Cleo was not only a killer, but a vampire as well... Trace was, in fact, the girl in my dream... It''s a lot to take in, y''know? So much that I had nearly forgotten about the whole thing with Shadowhand and the Swordsmen. ¡°Hey, Cleo.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°What happened with Sesto and Septimo?¡±

    Cleo, who sits next to me, says, ¡°They''re back at their home. I don''t know what Primo''s gonna do with Septimo, though...¡±

    "Me neither...¡± This whole thing is getting way more complicated than I ever would want it to be... it''s become clear to me that I''ll have enemies within the Tredecim Armis et Salvator, and I''ll have to stain my hands with their blood. What am I supposed to do if the strongest, Salvator, turns out to be evil? I should try and prepare myself for this moment...

    ¡°Blue... try not to worry about it. Even if we do end up fighting the Armis, I''m sure it''ll all work out.¡± Cleo smiles, as if to assure me that everything was going to be okay.

    ¡°I hope you''re right.¡±

    Later, I arrive home. When I go in, I see Miko and Gramps are worried I came home so late... I explain that I had been out with my friends and lost track of time. For some reason, it feels like grandpa knows I''m not telling the whole truth, but he seems relieved that I''m okay, regardless. Looking at my watch, I see it''s way past when I usually go to sleep. I''m going to sleep kind of late, but I feel I''ll sleep better than I had in years, because I know I won''t have that awful nightmare...

    ...

    It is now the next morning. I awaken refreshed and in a good mood. Shower, breakfast, out the door, like always. It''s a rather cold morning, being winter and all that, but I don''t mind. I sit and wait for the bus to arrive. As I sit waiting, I sense the familiar feeling of telepathic communication. Azure, who had fallen silent for quite a while, has come to talk to me again.

    ¡°Good morning, Azul.¡± It''s nice to ¡°hear¡± Azure''s voice again. I can''t really see her... but I can kind of sense her smiling face as she makes her friendly greeting.

    ¡°Long time no see.¡±

    ¡°It hasn''t been that long...¡±

    ¡°Just kidding. Seriously, though, I''m happy to see you again.¡±

    ¡°Sorry I haven''t spoken to you. I''ve been in thought...¡± After a moment of silence, Azure asks me a question. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Of everything they told me yesterday?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°It was shocking. It was just so surprising, learning Trace was a killer. Also, Cleo''s really a vampire! I wasn''t even sure they existed until now.¡±

    ¡°Okay... so are you fine with these things?¡±

    ¡°Of course. They''re my friends. It''d be silly if I couldn''t accept them because of that.¡±

    ¡°You''re a funny person, Azul.¡±

    I chuckle, then ¡°say¡±: ¡°What makes you say that?¡±

    ¡°Most humans are terrified of vampires, and murder isn''t something easily forgiven...¡±

    ¡°Well, the murders were all in the past... Trace feels bad about it, so why would I try to make her feel worse? Might as well help her, keep her from doing something else she''ll regret... It worries me to think about what would have happened if she never made friends with me and Cleo, and if she loses us, it''ll probably be even worse... I want to try and trust her, give her the second chance that I think everyone deserves. As for Cleo being a vampire, if it becomes a problem, maybe we can find a cure, or something. Everything''s gonna be fine...¡± It makes me feel at piece, thinking like this... Yes, what happened was horrible, but I feel like I can trust them again. I hope those who died can rest in peace... and I hope those of us still living can move forward with our lives.

    ¡°Your bus is coming.¡± I hear the bus moving closer, and I look up to see it approaching as I stand up from the bench.

    ¡°Well, we can talk later, okay?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± I get on the bus, pay, and go to my normal seat.

    "...?"

    Is that a different bus driver than usual?

    "Tch..."

    Now that I think about it, something doesn''t feel right.

    A little later, Trace gets on. ¡°What''s up, Blue?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Something wrong, man? You look real focused...¡± It must show on my face that I''m concerned with that bus driver. That bad feeling must be coming from him.

    ¡°Hey, Trace,¡± I whisper, ¡°Do you think I could pass a telepathic message from Azure, to Grey, to you?¡±

    Trace nods. ¡°Me and Cleo have done that before. When''re you gonna try it out?¡±

    ¡°I dunno, just keep your ''channel'' open... I''m waiting for Cleo.¡± The tension''s biting at me. If I listen closely, I can hear a beeping sound from somewhere...

    In some time, Cleo gets on the bus. ¡°Good morning, Blue.¡±

    ¡°Hi.¡±

    After that, I try to reach Azure with telepathy... I''ve never started one of these mental links, but luckily it''s about as easy as thinking something like ¡°I want to talk to you.¡± I reach her and began to send my thoughts. ¡°Azure.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°I need you to speak with Grey and Fl¨¨che. I need Grey and Trace to search for a bomb. I''m sure there''s a bomb on this bus somewhere...¡±

    ¡°Are... you sure?¡± Azure seems a little surprised that I suggested this bus might be in danger...

    ¡°I''d rather be safe than sorry. I''m going to confirm my suspicions on the bus driver. Tell Fl¨¨che and Cleo to keep everyone calm if a fight breaks out.¡±

    ¡°I got it. I''ll be with you ASAP.¡±

    The link is cut, and movement begins... Trace soon begins her search for the bomb, and Cleo is alerted to danger, ready to keep the passengers from panicking or getting in the way. I approach the front of the bus... ¡°Hey, are you a new bus driver?¡± He nods. Somehow, he seems nervous that I had approached... standing this close I can definitely feel a ton of mana within him, too. A Magic Knight''s Force, I''ll bet. ¡°Does the word Shadowhand mean anything to you?¡± I look at his mirror, and can vaguely see that Trace is holding a blinking object... His eyes grow wide... I can''t help but smirk at him...

    With all the speed I can muster, I grab him, lunge forward, and send both of us flying out of the window. While in midair, I go fishing in his pockets for a remote control or something, but to no avail. Within a few moments, I stand to face him. ¡°Got you, Baronet of Shadowhand.¡± I can see the anger and shock on his face... It takes everything in me to not laugh out loud.

    ¡°How did you know!?¡±

    ¡°How could I not know!? You put the bomb in a place I could hear it, you didn''t even bother to hide your Magic Knight''s Force!¡± With that, I put my hands on my hips and let out one of those corny laughs that you''d expect from a superhero capturing a felon in a comicbook. ¡°Forget being a Baronet, you seem more like the King''s Fool.¡±

    ¡°You snot-nosed brat. Trying to piss me off with childish insults isn''t going to fix anything.¡± Without saying a word, his Mystic Coat covers him. While likely to be durable, it doesn''t seem too thick, so he shouldn''t be that hard to hurt.

    ¡°Hey, can I ask a question?¡± I ask.

    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°I didn''t notice a detonator on your person, so how were you going to blow up the bus?¡± I continue to speak, still not seeing Trace anywhere. I assume that Cleo is handling the situation inside the bus itself. ¡°Don''t tell me that thing is timed. You weren''t planning on going down with it, were you?"

    ¡°I guess I can humor you. Yes, it was timed. Should be going off in a few seconds, now...¡± he says, chuckling. ¡°Boy, do I feel sorry for...¡±

    He looks up, and so do I. The bomb is in midair, still ticking... I assume Trace threw it up there, and will shoot it, where it will explode harmlessly. However...

    I go running towards the Baronet, who is still looking up. Closing the distance in less than a second, my fists burn with beautiful blue flames, and from my knees, I rise, sending my fist right into his jaw. Sending him right into the sky.

    He goes flying right into the bomb...

    Which should go off... right... about...

    NOW!

    BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

    Pretty big explosion... Big enough to take the bus if it was still on it, that''s for sure.

    ¡°Ugh...¡±

    I go over to where he finally falls, seeing that he is still alive. This is good.

    I pull out my phone a dial Primo''s number. ¡°Primo.¡±

    ¡°What''s up, Blue? I''m on my way to school.¡±

    ¡°Can you come here? I''ve got one of the Shadowhand, here.¡±

    ¡°Really!? Awesome!¡± It''s rare to hear him say a word like ¡°awesome¡±, but eh... ¡°I''ll send Tercio down there. Where are you guys?¡±

    I tell him where we were and let him know the details. ¡°I''ll see you at school, right, Primo?¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh. See ya.¡± He hangs up.

    Trace, Cleo, and I decide to walk the rest of the way. ¡°Pretty exciting, don''t you think?¡±

    Trace laughs. ¡°You''re a funny person, Blue. I didn''t expect you to be that calm and brave about it.¡±

    I think about how I laughed and smiled through the whole thing, then answer, ¡°Haha, yeah, well, I wanted to look strong and let the people know everything was alright, y''know?¡±

    ¡°Hey, Blue,¡± Cleo says, pulling me aside for a moment. ¡°I think he knew that we were on this bus because you won''t have your Knight Force possess something...¡±

    ...yeah. She''s absolutely right. I remember that conversation from a few months ago. ¡°Hilariously enough, he made a similar mistake.¡±

    ¡°Ugh...¡±

    ¡°Come on, Cleo, it''s because of these silly mistakes that we caught the guy!¡± I say, smiling like that''s a good thing.

    ¡°Blue, that''s not really something you should be proud of...¡±

    We just talk like this for a while on the way to school...

    ...

    ¡°Cleo, you look cold,¡± I say, after some time.

    ¡°Hm? No, I''m f-f-fine...¡±

    Liar. You''re clearly shivering... ¡°You sure feel cold,¡± I say, grabbing her hand. Cleo starts to blush...

    ¡°Um... I, uh...¡±

    ¡°It''s okay. Look, do you want my jacket?¡± She shakes her head. ¡°Come on, Cleo, You''re gonna catch a cold acting like this.¡± We''re silent. It''s as if the only two people standing here are Cleo, and me. I start to look into her eyes... Ah, That''s right... how could I have ever thought these were contacts? Looking into those red eyes, I can tell that those eyes are her''s...

    ¡°You two? We''re gonna be late. You can make puppy dog eyes at each other later. Come on.¡±

    I''m brought back to reality by Trace, who is walking up ahead (but probably watching and listening in on us). I quickly pull off my jacket and give it to Cleo, looking like the cold isn''t going to bother me... As I start to walk, I realize it doesn''t have to. I can always ask Azure to...

    ¡°Blue?¡± I feel a soft hand in mine. ¡°Let''s stay really close, alright?¡±

    ¡°Uh...¡±

    ¡°That way we won''t be so cold, okay?¡±

    ¡°I... O-okay. Let''s go. Trace is waiting for us.¡± We walk the rest of the way like this...

    ¡°You three sure took your time getting here.¡± When we get to school, finally, Baek says this to us.

    ¡°They''re here. Is it okay, Primo?¡± Emerald asks, walking away. ¡°I''m going inside.¡±

    I then ask, ¡°You guys waited for us?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I wanted to make sure you were alright.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Primo, We should go in now,¡± Baek says heading inside.

    ¡°Okay. Come on, Blue, Cleo, Trace. Homeroom is going to start in a few minutes.¡± So we go to class. Aside from the incident on the bus, this morning turns out to be a pretty boring one.

    ...

    Lunchtime. I suddenly come to the realization that I don''t often talk with my friends during lunch. Me, Trace, and Cleo do all the talking we need to on the bus to and from school. However, I still haven''t said much to Baek, or Emerald... I think, knowing what I now know, I should try and speak to Emerald, because her relationship with Trace bothers me... I stand up from my usual seat and start to walk.

    ¡°Where are you going, Blue?¡± Cleo says, understandably confused by my unexpected action.

    ¡°I want to talk to Emerald.¡± Cleo seems surprised. Trace, from the seat across, says...

    ¡°Blue, are you sure that''s okay? She knows about¡ª¡±

    ¡°I know... that''s why. We''re supposed to be allies, right? We can''t work together if we''re too busy treating each other like enemies, y''know?¡± Saying this, I walk towards Emerald.

    I sit next to her, at first saying nothing. Emerald stares for a second, confused about what I''ve just done. ¡°What''s up?¡± She eventually says.

    ¡°Listen closely. I don''t want to have someone else hear what we''re talking about.¡±

    Emerald raises an eyebrow.

    ¡°Come on, I''m not going to say something dirty or anything like that.¡± I almost chuckle, but I hold it back, trying to be serious. ¡°Emerald. Do you hate Trace?¡±

    After a moment, she tries to wave away the question. ¡°Haha, what are you talking about?¡± She says, trying to smile. ¡°Me and Trace are just¡ª¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Emerald, I know about ''that''. Just tell me, from your point of view, what happened with you two.¡± She seems shocked that I had even brought it up...

    ¡°...look, remember the friend I told you about?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°My best friend''s name was Karen. I met her in my family''s church when I was little.¡±

    ¡°You go to church!?¡± How rude of me. On the Central continent, there aren''t many religious people. Not even La Salvato, the followers of the biggest religion in the world, are all that common, so to have one talking to me right now is a bit of a shock.

    ¡°Yeah. I even have a Savior''s Blade. Wanna see?¡± She shows me the charm, shaped like a small sword, that hangs around her neck. People of La Salvato wear these things, believed to be blessed with holy spirit. It''s meant to symbolize that the Savior''s blade is always protecting you...

    ¡°Hmm... so Karen was one of the followers of your religion?¡± I say, getting back on topic.

    ¡°Kind of... You see, Karen was really rebellious, even as a kid, and she didn''t listen to anyone. She would steal from people, sneak drugs, money, boys... into her room, she''d get into fights...¡±

    ¡°...was she still your friend?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± she replies. ¡°A lot changed as we grew up, but the one thing that remained was our friendship...¡± Emerald starts to look sad... ¡°Then Trace killed her.¡±

    I remain silent, as there''s nothing I can say about that.

    ¡°Do you understand my point of view, Azul? Yes, Karen did a lot of bad stuff, but nothing worth killing her over... Trace just killed her because she''s twisted.¡±

    ¡°That''s not--¡± I pause. Yes, Trace is my friend, but honestly, even Trace admits that killing her was pointless. I don''t have it in me to say it isn''t true, and telling Emerald that she regrets it isn''t going to fix anything.

    ¡°Think about it, Azul. Didn''t she get really excited to kill Septimo? Didn''t you watch her try to kill me? Do you really feel comfortable fighting alongside someone like that?¡±

    ¡°Ugh...¡±

    Emerald sighs, then says this: ¡°I don''t know what Trace told you, but she''s not a hero. She just acts like one so she can have an excuse to hurt people. The way she sees it, as long as no one cares about her victim, she can butcher and slaughter them as she pleases. It''s sickening... It''s only a matter of time before she relapses, and she has yet to truly pay for her sins. I''m sorry, Azul, but this story ends with Trace facing my justice...¡±

    ¡°I...¡± Before I can say anything else, Emerald looks at her watch.

    ¡°I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to eat up all your time. The bell''s about to ring, so I should get ready for afternoon classes. See you.¡± She walks away...

    "Dammit...!"

    This is depressing. What was I supposed to say to her? I don''t want to think about it, but it won''t go away... I have to deal with the fact that my friend was/is a criminal, and one of the few people who know the truth about the murders from back then is supposed to be on our side...

    I can''t seem to catch a break. After I pull myself over one mountain, I realize that I''ll have to deal with this. I intend to find a solution in time, but for now, I''ll try to go about the rest of the school day normally...

    ---

    Sincere apologies for the immense delay in-between the release of the last chapter and this one. Was distracted by work and other stuff, and didn''t think to update until now. Even though I don''t have many readers, I''m thankful to the few of you who will see this.

    Also, I am aware that this story is going pretty slowly right now, and there hasn''t been much action for a story that''s been tagged as such. Don''t worry, though, I intend to have more exciting events on the way very soon...

 Chapter 15 (Cleo)

    We''ll begin the interrogation of the Baronet of Shadowhand at 3:30 pm Today. Come directly to the Strife House after school. I''ll be waiting for you there.

    This is the text that Primo sent me. After giving it one last look, I turn my phone off and place it in my pocket. Waiting silently at the bus stop with Blue and Trace, I stare into the grey sky, speckled with cold bits of white that fall to the earth and cover the ground. The wait is starting to feel like an eternity...

    Ah, it''s so cold. I don''t like the cold... I have to remember to dress warmer tomorrow.

    ¡°It''s beautiful,¡± Blue says, killing the silence. ¡°I always like it when winter rolls around. Somehow, the snow always makes me feel peaceful...¡±

    ¡°I don''t like winter very much.¡±

    He gives me a look of disbelief after I say this. ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°I just don''t like being cold.¡±

    He nods, understanding. ¡°Yeah, I kind of get the feeling you''re the kinda person who would enjoy watching the season from your window, though.¡±

    ¡°Hmm... maybe. I can imagine it...¡± I start to picture the scene. ¡°I can imagine waking up on a Saturday morning, staying warm and cozy in my warm, cozy house, pouring myself a mug of hot cocoa and just watching the snow...¡± I smile just thinking about it.

    ¡°Bus sure is taking a second...¡±

    ¡°I wouldn''t be surprised if the buses ran late today,¡± Trace says, after being silent for all that time. ¡°It starting to snow a lot... Some of the roads are probably already pretty bad.¡± I find it odd that Trace would make that observation... but she might be right. Quite a bit of snow is falling. ¡°Welp,¡± she says, standing up.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°What does it look like? I''m gonna walk.¡±

    That''s a surprise. Primo''s house is pretty far from here. ¡°It seems like a long walk, Trace. Are you gonna be okay? Do you even know where the place is?¡±

    ¡°It''ll be fine... I''ve got Grey with me to help me out. It''s okay if you guys wanna wait for the bus. I''ll meet you there.¡± Trace smiles, and runs off, slowly disappearing...

    ...

    How much time has passed? It''s 3:00 and still no bus. We''re going to be late...

    As I get lost in my thoughts, Blue turns to me, wanting to say something. ¡°Cleo... can I ask you something more about Trace before I met her... again?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± I don''t feel uncomfortable talking with him about it anymore, which is good. It matters a lot to me that we can trust each other with the subject... ¡°So, what is it?¡±

    ¡°Well, how do I ask this... When was the last time Trace killed anybody?¡±

    ¡°It''s been years, Blue. She hasn''t killed a single person since she decided to be a hero.¡±

    Hearing that, Blue seems very relived. ¡°Oh, that''s good to hear.¡±

    ¡°What''s wrong? Why bring this up, Blue?¡±

    ¡°Look, Emerald knew Trace, remember? She was a friend of Karen''s.¡± Right. Now, I remember who she is. I believe Trace did run into her a few other times before, over these last three years. ¡°Emerald told me that Trace just wants to hurt people, and the whole hero of justice thing is just so she can hide behind her sadistic desires. That''s not true, is it?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. Trace hasn''t gone into crazy killer mode again until just recently. Don''t worry, I''m sure she''ll keep it under control. You can trust Trace.¡±

    Blue shakes his head. ¡°I do. The problem is that Emerald doesn''t. Remember what happened yesterday? The only way I can see this ending is with one of them dead.¡±

    ¡°Blue, that''s ridiculous--¡±

    ¡°Just listen, okay!? Emerald... she said Trace was a criminal! She said she was going to bring her justice! If we let things stay like this, it''s gonna get ugly!¡±

    ¡°Calm down, Blue. You don''t need to shout.¡±

    ¡°But--¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°Look, I''ll help you. What are we going to do about it?¡±

    Blue turns away from me, pinching the bridge of his nose. ¡°I don''t know yet. I don''t know what to do.¡±

    I give Blue a pat on his shoulder. ¡°Look, I know we can figure something out in time. Just relax. It''ll come to you.¡±

    ¡°Well... okay. For now.¡± With that conversation over, I look up at the sky again.

    ...

    As time passes, snow continues to fall, and it''s starting to cover the ground...

    ¡°...there''s not gonna be any bus coming, Cleo...¡±

    ¡°Trace was right about it getting bad out here.¡± I sigh... then suddenly, a light bulb goes off in my head. ¡°Hey, Blue!¡±

    He responds to my smile and sudden shout with incredulity.

    ¡°Grab on,¡± I say, reaching my hands out to grab him. ¡°We''re gonna fly to Primo''s place.¡±

    ¡°Wh¡ªare you sure?¡±

    ¡°Not really. This would be the first time I flew someone else in a while.¡±

    ¡°Uuuuuuuh...¡±

    ¡°Come on, Blue. I won''t drop you.¡± I take hold of Blue, then link to Fl¨¨che.

    ¡°Ventus.¡± In a few seconds, I feel wind, and we''re floating above the ground. ¡°Okay, Fl¨¨che. Fly!¡± We go higher... then start to flying forward.

    I look down and see Dreamers City below. While it''s beautiful as always, it seems to be getting covered in snow rather quickly. Feels unnatural.

    Still, traveling this way is great. Not having to follow the laws of the road, not having to stop for passengers... This is much faster than traveling by bus.

    The look on Blue''s face is priceless.¡°Wow. We''re really flying! This is amazing!¡± It makes me smile.

    ¡°Okay, do you know where it is from here?¡± After having Blue point me in the proper direction, We fly to Primo''s house...

    ...

    ¡°Oh. You guys made it.¡± Primo is there to greet us when we arrive. ¡°I was thinking about holding the interrogation because I didn''t think you''d get here.¡±

    ¡°Are the roads all really that bad?¡± Blue asks.

    ¡°Yes. I had to go get Baek myself, and I don''t know how Ms. Crux got here...¡± I can''t help but think this snow isn''t normal... winter is never this bad here.

    ¡°Well, here we are,¡± I say to Primo, after a moment of silence.

    ¡°Let''s go,¡± Primo says, ¡°it''s time to interrogate the Baronet of Shadowhand.¡± We all go further into the house.

    The interrogation room, like Strife''s lab, is hidden somewhere in the house that normal people wouldn''t be able to access without permission, hidden by some sort of illusion magic, it seems. As we enter the room, we see Trace, Baek, and Emerald standing in here, with the Baronet in the center, laying on a table, with cuffs on his hands and feet to keep him from getting away. I take a close look at his face for the first time... wait. He looks familiar.

    ¡°What else am I supposed to do!? This is the law''s fault! Ever since CORE was brought down, I''ve had nowhere to go!¡±

    Are you kidding me... It''s that guy from all that time ago! What''s he doing with Shadowhand...?

    ¡°You!¡±

    He looks at me when I say this. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°You were arrested about three years ago, right? After you were defeated by two other Magic Knights?¡±

    The Baronet expresses confusion. ¡°Yeah... Wait, don''t tell me...¡±

    ¡°Yes, it''s me. I''m one of the Magic Knights that fought you that day.¡± Suddenly, an expression of fear covers his face.

    ¡°W¡ªWait! Don''t you understand!? I''ve given up! I don''t want to topple the ''Kingdom of Fear'' anymore! I just--¡±

    ¡°Just answer our questions and we won''t hurt you.¡± Trace steps in and says this. ¡°So... you used to be part of CORE, right? Does Shadowhand have anything to do with CORE? Are the other members also people who had something to do with them?¡±

    ¡°I... I''m not going to sell them out! Just let me go free!¡±

    Trace facepalms. ¡°Do you realize the situation you''re in?¡± She pulls out a knife... I do hope she''s doesn''t intend to torture this guy. ¡°Look, we''re not gonna kill you. We just want you to cooperate.¡±

    ¡°So that''s how it is... things really haven''t changed. King was right! Do whatever you want! I don''t care anymore! You probably don''t have it in you to actually kill me, anyway...¡±

    She raises her arm... ¡°Trace, don''t do it!¡± I shout just before she stabs him. Emerald pushes Trace out of the way.

    ¡°Leave it to me.¡± She looks down on the criminal. In more ways then one, it seems... ¡°We can make you talk without killing you.¡± She takes hold of his right hand... ¡°Tell us what we want to know. You can make this easy for all of this...¡±

    He whispers, ¡°I refuse.¡± Then...

    I hear something. I hear the painful sound of ripping flesh, the cruel noise of small bones and joints cracking and popping...

    ¡°AAAAAAAH!¡± My eyes go wide. I stare at Emerald''s hand... Emerald is holding a bloody index finger, leaving a red stump where the man''s finger once was...

    No one says anything. The only sound in this room is the screams from the person on the table, which soon turned into uncontrollable sobbing... ¡°I will take your thumb next.¡±

    He just groans in pain.

    ¡°Who''s running Shadowhand? Where is your base of operations? I''m starting to lose my patience!¡±

    Again, he groans.

    Emerald reaches out again... only to be stopped by Primo.

    ¡°That''s enough,¡± he says, grabbing Emerald''s arm. ¡°We can''t interrogate him like this.¡±

    ¡°Tch.¡± Emerald pulls away.

    After a moment of silence, Primo speaks up. ¡°Alright, let''s get out. The other Armis are going to treat him. We''ll turn him in to the police tomorrow.¡± As the other Armis come in, Primo guides us back to the living room.

    So, we''ve gotten nothing out of the man we took captive. What a waste of time...

 Chapter 16 (Trace)

    We are all in the living room, relaxing. Like last time, the Armis bring us some tea as we sit. No one says anything... I look at Blue, who doesn''t seem to want to talk, Cleo, who seems bothered by the failed interrogation not too long ago, Baek, who''s most likely concerned for his family, and Emerald, who... well, y''know.

    I find myself staring at her. She eventually looks up to meet my gaze. Still not saying much, as always.

    ¡°...hmph.¡± She looks away. I know what I did to her was horrible. Like, really, truly horrible, but I can''t help getting upset when she acts like this. Really, what am I supposed to do?

    ¡°Ms. Prince, would you like more tea?¡± I look back to see one of the Armis standing behind me. Tercero, I think this one is.

    ¡°Nah, I''m good.¡±

    ¡°If you say so.¡± They leave me, going on to ask Cleo the same question.

    The snow really isn''t letting up out there. Cleo did say her and Blue''s bus never came... The hell''s going on...

    ¡°Hey, Trace.¡± Primo comes and sits next to me, carrying a very large book. ¡°So, who''s God?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± He asks me, of all people? Ask Emerald about that crap, man...

    ¡°I was reading this book... and it talks about this guy called God. Who is He?¡±

    I scratch my head, unsure of how to answer him. ¡°I... I dunno, He created the universe and stuff.¡± How does an angel, even a fake one, not know stuff like this? Dammit, I''m not good with this God stuff... I can''t say I''ve ever been a very religious person, although I''m not an Atheist, either.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Primo says, as if satisfied with my answer. ¡°Is He dead?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°The universe is a very old place, isn''t it, Trace? Isn''t it possible that He may have died during all that time?¡±

    I feel pretty stupid, trying to answer his questions like this... It''s kind of funny, how he still sits there, listening to me. ¡°I can''t say, Primo. It''s possible that the heavens are empty. I mean, some people think He never existed to begin with.¡±

    Primo brings his hand to his chin, as if in thought. ¡°Well, if there was never a God, then how did the universe get here--¡±

    ¡°Look, it''s complicated... Come on, let''s not talk about this, man.¡±

    ¡°Well... alright.¡± He seems kinda disappointed. It''s cute, in a strange way. ¡°So, when are you going home, Trace?¡±

    I look to the nearby window. Suddenly, I feel as if time stopped. I come to a realization. Outside the window... is all white. ¡°What the hell kinda sick joke is this?¡± I mumble as I stare in bewilderment... This isn''t normal. This weather... this snow... it can''t be natural.

    ¡°Trace, you think...?¡± I hear Cleo''s voice.

    ¡°A Shadowhand? Most likely.¡±

    Blue stands up. ¡°I''m gonna check it out.¡±

    ¡°Wait. It might be dangerous.¡± Cleo grabs Blue''s hand before he can walk any further.

    ¡°We have to do something.¡±

    ¡°We know, just take it easy, man,¡± I say, patting him on the shoulder. ¡°We''ll be right behind you. Just be careful.¡±

    He nods. ¡°I got it.¡±

    Blue approaches the door... ¡°Azure.¡± He opens it, letting snow flow into the room... ¡°Dragon''s Blue Fire.¡± and it starts to melt away. Blue flames cover his body. As he walks forward, outside and into the yard, the snow starts to disappear. ¡°You guys? Come on.¡± I stand up and walk toward Blue, staying directly behind him as he melts a path through this winter wonderland...

    ¡°Yeah, this has to be magic,¡± Cleo says from behind me.

    ¡°Trace, Cleo, will all this go away if we beat the caster?¡±

    ¡°I think so,¡± Cleo says, nodding.

    ¡°You can leave the Magus to me. I''ll take care of them.¡±

    ¡°Can''t let you do that, Trace.¡± Blue stops and looks back. ¡°We need them alive, remember? Plus, I don''t want...¡±

    ¡°I''m sorry, Blue. If it looks like I''m going to kill them, stop me.¡±

    Looking confident again, he says: ¡°I got it.¡± and moves forward.

    As we walk, I see something. Snowmen and ice sculptures... but who would come out here and make them? ¡°Don''t get any closer!¡± Cleo shouts. ¡°Something''s not quite right about these...¡± Suddenly, the snowman in front of me starts to move...

    ¡°Look out!¡± Something shoots out of its mouth. I dive into Cleo, getting us both out of the way just in time to dodge it, and a nearby tree behind us is completely frozen... ¡°Ice familiars...¡±

    ¡°Ha!¡± Blue punches, sending a flaming fist the snowman''s way. It''s reduced to a puddle of water in an instant. Just as quickly, one of the sculptures approach... this one is shaped like a wolf. It''s going for Blue...

    ¡°Grey. WarMaster.¡± He doesn''t see it coming... let me make it in time! With all the speed I can muster, I dash and thrust the kodachi out in front of me, tearing through the wolf. ¡°Cleo! We need to find the caster! Can you feel their mana!?¡±

    ¡°Just a second!¡± Cleo takes a second to search for the enemy by feeling their mana being used. She was always more sensitive to magic. Maybe it''s just because she''s a vampire... I dunno. ¡°There! On top of that building! In the distance... looks like an apartment complex.¡±

    It''s there? ¡°Okay! Let''s go, guys!¡±

    ¡°We''re right behind you!¡± I hear a voice from behind me... It''s Baek, who has Emerald and Primo with him.

    ¡°Good!¡± I smile. ¡°I''m counting on you guys!¡± With that, we move forward...

    As we run, more familiars start to show up. This one... is a penguin. ¡°I got this! Mystic Coat!¡± Baek transforms. ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll be fine. Go after the boss!¡± We keep running... Now a buffalo made of ice stands in our way...

    ¡°Leave it to me.¡± Primo stays behind.

    We''re approaching the building... Suddenly, I hear something stomping after us. Looks like some kind of walrus... Emerald turns back. ¡°...can I trust you three?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Blue says. ¡°Just don''t get yourself killed or anything. Guys, Let''s keep moving!¡±

    ...

    Here we are. Our target should be at the top of the building... ¡°Door''s frozen shut. I guess we won''t be using the elevator.¡±

    ¡°Not to mention the power seems to be out, so even if we open the door...¡±

    Blue, having not said anything, looks as if he disconnected from the rest of the world... ¡°Okay, guys. We''ll try this,¡± he says. ¡°Stay behind me. I''m going to run up the building.¡± I''m a bit surprised. Can he do that? ¡°Are you ready? Here I go!¡± In a burst of speed and fire, he shoots forward. Then, to my surprise, he starts to travel vertically, melting the ice on the complex...

    ¡°Come on!¡± Me and Cleo follow. Running up like this is no easy feat... I have to move my feet as fast as they''ll go, and I''m sure there''s some magic involved on Grey''s part, too... as we go up, more familiars appear. More wolves... I pull out my gun, and taking very careful aim not to shoot Blue, who was right in front of me, I pull the trigger.

    BANG BANG BANG! The sculpture shatters like glass. We shoot, slash, and burn our way through these ice creatures, until we reach the top, where the Magus responsible is waiting...

    ¡°Hello, there.¡± The person in front of us, a pale woman, holding a parasol, wearing a hooded fur coat, speaks to us, her expression revealing nothing.

    I ask my question first. ¡°Are you with Shadowhand?¡±

    ¡°Indeed I am. What of it?¡± At least she''s honest...

    ¡°I take it you are the... Baronetess of Shadowhand?¡±

    ¡°That''s correct.¡± Well, there''s that. Now, how do I approach this...

    ¡°Can you cancel this spell of ice and snow and come with us? We need to ask you a few questions.¡±

    She let out a sigh, as if she knew I would ask these things. ¡°I''m sorry, but I can''t do that. I have a mission to complete.¡± She starts to glow. It''s getting colder up here...Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    ¡°Trace! Cleo! Look!¡± Blue points it out. From the ice atop this freezing building... emerges two fully armored knights of ice.

    ¡°I''d rather not resort to violence, but if you insist...¡±

    Welp... ¡°Okay, guys, here we go! Blue, take the knights! Cleo, come with me! Mystic Coat!¡± I call upon Grey''s power, and let his armor cover my body. Cleo does the same with Fl¨¨che. ¡°Good luck, Blue!¡± Saying that, I run forward. Just as I begin to approach... spears of ice start flying in my direction. There''s no time to dodge...

    ¡°Trace, look out!¡± Just as Cleo shouts that, I feel my feet leaving the ground. ¡°Ventus!¡± Before I realize what''s going on, I''m flying in the sky alongside Cleo.

    ¡°Trace, be careful. She doesn''t need to Convert, so you can''t rush her.¡± I forgot some of the rules of magic, but casting a spell by yourself requires some time to charge it. However, if you have another mana source, you don''t need to worry about ¡°casting time¡±. At least, that''s how I remember it...

    ¡°I don''t think she''s a Magic Knight, though. She''s not wearing a Mystic Coat.¡± Indeed, If she had one, she''d have put it on by now. She must have another source of mana.

    ¡°You really shouldn''t spend too much time talking during a fight.¡± Just as I turn back to face the direction from which that voice came... another spear, long and large enough to tear right through me, is so close to my head that I can feel the cold air coming off it chilling my face. Just barely having time to move my head, I dodge, still getting grazed by it, and my left cheek starts to bleed...

    ¡°Trace! We can''t sit here!¡± Cleo grabs me and starts to fly, trying to dodge these annoying things...

    ¡°Cleo! I need you to find the source! I''ll try to distract her!¡±

    After hesitating for a second, Cleo replies, ¡°Okay. Don''t do anything stupid!¡± She lets go.

    As I fall from the sky... ¡°WarMaster!¡± If I can''t get close... then I''ll shoot. BANG BANG BANG! Almost as if she expected me to do that, the Baronetess encases herself in ice too thick for even these bullets to get through. After that... Ice Needles... this is getting crazy. What should I do? I shoot as many as I can, and break the ones I can''t shoot with my blade. The rest of them get through and start damaging my Mystic Coat... I roll away from the hail of ice blades... only to find I''m heading towards something even worse.

    The roof I''m standing on... a new coat of ice is forming over it. I assume if the ice reaches me, I''ll start to freeze, as well. Get outta the way, get outta the way! Damn! Why didn''t I have Blue fight her!?

    "Dammit..."

    My feet stop moving, but not by my own will... My legs are starting to be frozen. Soon, the rest of my body will be frozen with it. Man, I screwed up...

    Just then, I hear another voice. One I hadn''t heard since the fighting started.

    ¡°Trace!¡±

    "Blue!"

    As I look past the Baronetess, Blue seems to be done with his fight. With a flaming hand to the ground, he starts to melt the ice... Now I can move my feet again... and I send my left foot flying into my opponent''s face. WHACK!

    ¡°Hey, Cleo! What''s the source!? I need to know if we''re gonna win!¡± Coming down from where she was floating, Cleo makes an odd face, and I can tell that I won''t understand what she says next.

    ¡°You''re probably not going to believe this, but there is no other mana pool or anything here. She herself is the source!¡±

    ¡°What!? That doesn''t make any sense! I thought...¡±

    While I''m unable to finish my sentence, Blue interrupts. ¡°We can worry about the details later! I''ll distract her! Her magic can''t hurt me easily. You two deal the finishing blow!¡± Interesting how he uses telepathy to tell us this. I just nod, understanding what to do. Blue, Cleo, and I start to circle the Baronetess, waiting for a chance to make our move.

    ¡°Azure Fist!!!¡± After a minute of almost complete silence, Blue breaks it with his first attack. She starts to attack him and no one else... Perfect.

    ¡°Now! Grey, Let''s put as much power into this bullet as possible!¡±

    Cleo now draws her bow.

    I pull the trigger, and together with Cleo''s arrow, my bullet flies...

    BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

    The mana in both those attacks was enough to cause an explosion.The girl in the middle of it falls to the ground. Now that she''s been knocked out, the snow and ice begins to melt...

    ¡°Nice...¡±

    ¡°I''m gonna call Primo, let him know we''ve wrapped things up here.¡± Blue pulls out his cell phone and makes the call. ¡°Primo? Yeah, we got her.¡± He waits for a response. ¡°Oh... Is it okay if we just carry her?¡± I assume Primo wants us to drag the Baronetess back. ¡°Gotcha. See you in a sec.¡± Blue hangs up. ¡°Okay, we''re gonna carry her back.¡±

    So, we bring her back to the Strife House.

    ...

    ¡°Oh, my. Looks like I''ve been caught.¡±

    ¡°So... Baronetess of Shadowhand. We''ve got questions for you,¡± I say. Hopefully, she''ll be cooperative. ¡°Um, so what was the trick you used?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You... your magic. You cast spells immediately. You had no Magic Knight Force or mana pool near you. I don''t know a lot about magic, but I''m sure that''s impossible.¡± I can tell she sees my confusion.

    ¡°It is impossible... for a human. You see, Miss Magic Knight... I am a Doll.¡±

    A Doll...? ¡°Okay... clearly you don''t mean a plastic toy figure. Do you mean...¡±

    She answers, ¡°I meant: an imitation of the human body made by magic.¡±

    ¡°Wait, that''s impossible!¡± Cleo shouts after hearing this. ¡°The closest thing in existence to a Doll is the Armis, and those were created by Strife, who is not only an abnormally powerful Magus, but also has most likely copied the original souls using her own mana! A perfectly stable Original Doll... there''s no way!¡±

    What??? ¡°Um... Cleo? Completely lost over here.¡±

    She looks at me. ¡°Oh? S-sorry Trace. Let me explain a little.¡± I sit, expecting to have to listen for a good long while. ¡°I''ll try to keep it simple. A Doll is made using creation magic. To be honest, it''s fairly easy to create a human body, as long as you know what it''s made of and have the mana to pull it off.¡±

    I nod. ¡°So why is this...¡± I pointed at Baronetess. ¡°...impossible?¡±

    ¡°Well, Trace... Yeah, you can create a human body, but that''s it. The only way you can actually give a Doll life... is to give it a soul.¡±

    ¡°So, let me get this straight. Dolls can''t live because Magi cannot create souls.¡± She nods. ¡°But Cleo... I heard rumors of a real, living Doll that was in Eagland. How did that happen?¡±

    ¡°You''re talking about what happened in Noches City.¡± I think back on the rumor I heard, then nod. Cleo falls silent, and looks as if she''s in serious thought. ¡°Based on what I know, that Doll had a human''s soul. The Magus probably attached the soul to a finished Doll''s body not long after the human died. It''s similar to a Necromancy technique where... I''m sorry, you don''t know much about Necromancy, either, do you?¡±

    ¡°Uuuuuuh...¡±

    ¡°You see--¡±

    ¡°Cleo, didn''t you say: ''I''ll try to keep it simple''?¡± When I say this, Cleo seems to realize what kind of complicated explanation she was about to throw at us.

    ¡°Oh! I''m so sorry!¡± She looks like she''s going to laugh, but stops herself. ¡°Basically, Strife''s magic simply breaks most of the rules I know. I can''t explain it. For someone else to be able to pull that off...¡±

    ¡°They must have a similar level of power, in addition to their magic being of a like nature?¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡±

    "Well, shit. What the hell does this mean...?"

    ¡°I say we try not to worry about it too much,¡± Baek says. ¡°We should ask another question, now. Baronetess, tell us a little more about the King of Shadowhand.¡±

    Looking downwards, she says: ¡°I don''t know much.¡± That''s bothersome, to say the least. Not even his own allies know about him? There is the possibility that she''s lying, but given how cooperative she''s been, I wouldn''t suspect her of that.

    ¡°It''s okay, even a bit of information is fine.¡± When she hears that, the Baronetess began to speak.

    ¡°You know how ever since the events of 2000, the Center continent has expressed great fear of the organization, CORE, and anything having to do with it. You know about that, right?¡± I nod. ¡°The King is a former member of CORE.¡± Oh... That makes perfect sense.

    ¡°Baronetess, what''s King going to do? What''s his plan?¡±

    ¡°Do you know of the Delphinus Virus?¡±

    What? I''ve never heard of this...

    ¡°No. Go ahead, explain it to us,¡± Baek says.

    ¡°Back when King was working for CORE, he created that virus. It''s a ''magical'' virus that attacks the brain. It''s like a ''hate plague''.¡±

    Ah, now it''s coming together. I do remember hearing about a ¡°rage virus¡± of some sort. However, when putting the picture together myself, I suddenly see a terrible image in my mind.

    ¡°The King of Shadowhand... plans to get revenge on Center by spreading this through the air.¡± Just as I had thought, the Doll confirms my fears. If he spreads that...

    ¡°Anything else?¡± I ask.

    ¡°That''s all I know.¡±

    I let out a sigh. ¡°So, what do we do? Are we going to turn the Baronetess in to the cops?¡±

    ¡°I don''t think we should,¡± Primo says. ¡°Remember, she isn''t a human, and under the law, doesn''t have the same rights. If we turned her in, I have no doubt that she''d be treated unjustly... We''ll keep her here.¡± Not willing to argue, I just nod.

    We all start heading home after that.

    ...

    "What''s eating you, Blue?" I ask him, standing outside at the bus stop. "Did something they said in there upset you?"

    "Sorry, Trace. I was just thinking," he says, still frowning, "thinking about all this stuff... Kingdom of Fear, CORE, Shadowhand... it''s so messed up."

    "Well, yeah, but..."

    "I mean, really think about it, Trace. These people who make up the ''Kingdom of Fear'' are... well, they''re just scared. Still, though, the people who got mad at them, CORE and all those others... it''s all because somebody got killed over what should have been nothing."

    "..."

    "It''s not fair... this whole mess isn''t fair to anyone at all."

    "Blue..."

    "...forget it. I probably shouldn''t be talking about this stuff when we''re already doing our best." Blue runs a hand down his face. "Just... what kind of ending is waiting for us after all this? I just have to wonder."

    By this point, our bus has come. I get on, pay, and find my seat.

    ...

    ¡°Hey, Grey, what do you think?¡±

    "Of what?"he asks.

    "Blue didn''t want to say it, but I know what he was getting at: this fight of ours... I can only see it ending in violent, ugly, pointless bloodshed."

    "..."

    "You know what the ''Kingdom of Fear'' symbolizes, right? They''re right to be afraid of criminals like Shadowhand, but them, the guys who managed to bring CORE back, those ''flames'' inside them are burning too strong to just tell them to settle down and understand... and I can''t say I completely disagree with those feelings."

    "Look, Trace. You''re not turning into a Corist or anything, so stop getting worked up about this."

    "You think I''m not?"I ask, suddenly feeling completely lost. "It''s just... I kinda understand how the ''Kingdom'' feels, right? But at the same time, I''m worried... worried that one day, they''ll wanna put my ''flame'' out, too."

    "That won''t happen, Trace,"Grey says, stern. "You''re not gonna let it happen, and neither will I. Trust me, you''re gonna find the right path for you. It might take some time, but you will. I believe in you."

    "...okay. I''ll keep trying. Sorry for worrying you."

    "It''s not a problem at all. I''m happy to help,"he says. "And, Trace?"

    "Yeah?"

    "Don''t forget, no matter what choice you end up making, I''ll be supporting you. Like I said before, we''ll just figure out the answers as we go, right?"

    "Right. I understand."I close my eyes and start drifting off into sleep. "Thanks again, Grey."

 Chapter 17 (Azul)

    I wake up to a beautiful, yet cloudy morning. It''s Saturday, so I don''t need to go to school, but I''ve been invited to Primo''s House, so I gotta go out, anyway. Not really worrying about why, I just get dressed and leave. I look out the window as I ride the bus, and see that all the snow is gone. It makes me happy... I''d hate to think of what would happen if we did nothing.

    I eventually arrive. Trace, Cleo, and everyone else are already here. ¡°Come in, Blue,¡± I hear Primo say from further inside. ¡°I have something important to say.¡± I take a seat near Cleo. ¡°Everyone, I have good news. Soon, your part in this will most likely come to an end. Salvator will be awakened today.¡±

    What!? I don''t know how to feel about this... If things work out, we can trust Savior to defeat Shadowhand, yes, but if something goes wrong, oh, are we in it deep...

    ¡°Uh... Primo?¡± I hear Trace say, probably concerned with the same thing I am.

    ¡°Yeah, Trace?¡±

    ¡°Are you sure we can trust Salvator? Like, he''s not gonna come out and see us as the enemies, go all ''Kill ''em all! *pewpewpew*'' on us, is he?¡±

    Primo takes a long time to respond... as if he isn''t sure what to say. ¡°N... no, I''m sure that won''t happen. With some exceptions, the others have turned out fine.¡±

    ¡°But Primo,¡± This time, it''s my turn to speak. ¡°my question is, what are we gonna do if that happens? Savior''s supposed to be the strongest, right? If he does turn evil, we''ll probably get slaughtered. Did you have some kind of backup plan for something like this?¡± Primo looks down... Dammit, he has no plan for something like that. I knew I should have prepared for this...

    Suddenly, I hear something outside. I look out the front window. I see some sort of flame. Wait... ¡°Primo, there''s fire out there! Someone might be trying to burn the house down!¡± At this, we all run outside, and we''re surprised by what we saw next...

    Shadowhand. From what I can tell, there are about 14 of them. Ooh, boy, we''re in deep... ¡°How are you, ladies and gentlemen!¡± One of them says. ¡°I regret to inform you that you are all pests.¡± The one saying this, a man, starts to glow. ¡°...and all pests must be exterminated!¡±

    He jumps, and his whole body seems to be on fire. From his hands, he shoots a fireball. Ah, so his powers are similar to mine. The flame approaches, but I quickly swat it away, like some troublesome fly. ¡°I see. I was right to bring the whole team with me, I guess.¡± He doesn''t seem all that surprised, in fact, maybe he expected me to do that. ¡°You guys! I want that one! Nobody interfere!¡± He wants a one-on-one fight with me? He''s so cocky... he smirks as I look at him. Arrogant creep. I''m going to enjoy wiping that look off his face!

    ¡°Everyone, let''s go!¡± We charge. This is quite a chaotic fight. The sounds of combat can be heard all around me. Even the other Armis show up, aiding us in the battle. I, myself, take on the guy with the flames...

    ¡°I''m surprised you have the balls to take on my challenge and seemingly be serious about it. You really think you can take me, the Count of Shadowhand? Come! Let''s see who''s flame burns brigh--¡±

    WHAM!

    I throw my fist into his big mouth as hard as I can, leaving him shocked and on the ground. ¡°You talk too much.¡± Looks like I struck a nerve... ¡°Come on!¡± He gets up and the fists begin to fly.

    POW POW POW! POW POW POW!

    Punches, kicks, blocks, dodges, and parries... Our fistfight happens so fast the human eye would probably be unable to keep up. I start to mix things up and add fire to my attacks. After I start to burn him, he does the same.

    Then, while he''s so preoccupied with punching me, I slide my left foot behind his right leg, then quickly pull it away. As he falls, the look on his face is priceless. It sends the message of his shock that he''s about to get destroyed better than any words can... ¡°AZURE FIST!!!¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    POWPOWPOWPOWPOWPOWPOWPOW!

    I think that did it... With that, I''m off to help the others¡ª

    BAM!

    I''m suddenly sent flying, and end up crashing right through the walls of the Strife House. ¡°Azul! Are you alright!?¡± Before I''m able to respond, another fist flies into my face... and now I go through the other side. He''s going to do it again. Stay calm...

    WHOOSH!

    ...nothing. He was smart enough to not be right in front of me when he attacked again. To my left, there he is, ready to throw a punch. I see it and roll just in time.

    ¡°Azure. We''ve never worn the Mystic Coat, right?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°So let''s try it right now. Mystic Coat!¡± In an instant, I''m covered in very light magic armor, and I feel even stronger and faster than usual. When I do this, I watch my opponent do the same thing.

    We just stare at each other, waiting for one of us to make a move the other could exploit. Tired of this inactivity, I get an idea. At that moment, I take a deep breath... ¡°What are you doin¡ªwait... Ah, I see.¡± Azure''s got the idea, so I go ahead and do it. A burst of fire from my mouth. He dodges, heads to the right, and comes toward me. I can barely see him, but I don''t think he can see me very well, either. Gambling on this, I stick my whole arm out, run, and thrust it forward. WHAM! A clothesline. It connects.

    He starts to get up... man, he''s persistent. Although part of me doesn''t like it, I decide to kick him while he''s down. Well, actually, it''s more like a punt. BAM! He goes flying a good 50 yards, at least.

    Now that he''s hanging in midair, helpless, I pursue. With one huge jump, I''m able to meet him in the sky, and set my fists and feet on as strong a fire my powers would let me...

    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAH...!¡± Faster than my eyes... faster than thought... my fists fly. In a instant, I just throw every punch my arms will let me at him, then finish off with a fierce kick, sending him crashing into the ground like a flaming meteor, leaving a crater the size of a small house.

    CRASH!

    The dust clears... and yet he still stands. I shouldn''t be surprised, though. He''s supposed to be one of the strongest of them, after all. Still, that last attack took a lot out of me. I don''t know if I can keep this up...

    For an instant, I see only a white blur. I would have looked over, to see what it was, but then... the Count''s head falls off, and his neck produces a spray of blood as he falls to the ground... While I don''t have the same crippling reaction as the last time I saw a dead body, I still feel sick looking at it... I now look over, to see what had caused that. It''s Tercero.

    ¡°T-Tercero... Why?¡±

    ¡°What would you have done?¡± They say, as if this was something they''ve done a million times before. ¡°Where you just going to keep knocking him down, so he could keep getting back up?¡±

    ¡°I...¡±

    ¡°He would have outlasted you.¡±

    ¡°You don''t know what you''re talking about.¡±

    ¡°Don''t act cool.¡± I don''t know why, but I feel as if this sentence stabbed through me, as if it were a sword. ¡°You''re starting to breathe heavily already.¡± I do feel extremely tired. Damn, Tercero''s right...

    ¡°Hey! Is Blue alright?¡± It''s Baek who comes to check on me. Tercero turns their attention away from me, and talks to him.

    ¡°All done?¡±

    ¡°Most of them have been captured, but...¡± Baek hesitates. ¡°...the Prince and Princess have escaped. Are we going to go after them?¡±

    Tercero shakes their head. ¡°No need. Salvator is going to awaken soon, and we''ll be done.¡± Suddenly, I feel even more sick... What was supposed to be relieving somehow feels more stressful than anything that''s happened so far. I just have the worst feeling, somehow...

    ...

    After we round up the captured Shadowhand, we all return to the lab, where the Savior would awaken. We just stand there, around the tube he was in. Waiting to see what happens. Then, he opens his eyes. I feel my heart speed up. It almost feels like it''s going to burst. He breaks through the tube, spilling liquid and glass(?)all over the floor. He lands on his feet, and slowly stands upright. He looks at all of our faces with those same blue and red eyes that Primo has. When he looks at me, I somehow feel so scared, and at the same time, so safe...

    So this is him. This terrifying, lifesaving power... This is the power of the Savior... Salvator.

 Chapter 18 (Cleo)

    ¡°Salvator?¡± Primo is the first to speak.

    ¡°Primo?¡± Salvator says, recognizing him.

    Primo smiles and answers, ¡°Yes. It''s nice to meet you. Unfortunately, we don''t have time to talk. We need your help.¡±

    ¡°Of course. You need me to help defeat Shadowhand, correct?¡± Salvator seems to understand what''s going on.

    ¡°I see you''ve received all the information successfully. Well, then, this will be quick. We are looking for the ''Prince'' and ''Princess'' of Shadowhand. They should send fairly strong mana signals, and be fleeing from this direction. Can you scan for them?¡±

    Salvator nods. Suddenly, a glow fills the room. Is this the mana that Savior gives off just from scanning? It''s so strong... the range he''s scanning must be incredible. ¡°I''ve found them.¡± With that, he runs off. As he runs, something starts to materialize on his body... an all white suit of armor, worthy of a swordsman who is meant to save us all. The moment he gets outside, white wings, like an angel''s, sprout from his back, and he takes off into the sky. We are left standing there, in Strife''s yard.

    ¡°We should follow him,¡± Blue says, breaking the silence.

    ¡°Why?¡± Primo replies. ¡°He can take care of himself. He''ll handle this just fine.¡±

    ¡°That''s not what I''m worried about.¡± I understand exactly what''s bothering him.

    ¡°Primo, let''s just go. I think it''s better than just standing here.¡± Baek, who usually stays silent, says this.

    ¡°I don''t see the problem, guys.¡± Primo shrugs. ¡°If he beats the last four Shadowhand, which he can do, why don''t we just let him handle it?¡±

    ¡°Because if we let him go, he''ll kill all four of them,¡± Trace says, having just listened for longer than I had expected. ¡°Primo, I don''t think we should kill the Shadowhand.¡±

    ¡°Why do you care if he kills them or not?¡± Emerald says, with an irritated tone.

    ¡°Shut up, Emerald! We don''t have time for this!¡± A spiral of insults and swear words follow. They start to bicker...

    ¡°Both of you, be quiet! Calm the hell down!¡± It''s Blue, of all people, who shouts that. ¡°Listen. We can''t be fighting amongst ourselves. You guys wanna stop Savior? By the time you''re finished arguing, he''ll have killed them all! Just be calm and think for a second!¡± It''s dead silent. All eyes are on him. ¡°It''s true that Shadowhand are the bad guys, and they''ll do something terrible if we don''t stop them. Still, we shouldn''t kill them because I''m sure they can still be reasoned with. If we can just get King to stop what he''s doing, then nobody else has to die.¡±

    Emerald, a little calmer than before, asks Blue a rather sensible question. ¡°Azul, even then, we can''t be sure we can just talk him out of it. Wouldn''t it be best if we just focused on trying to stop him, even if it means killing him, instead of hoping he''ll just change his mind, or something like that?¡±

    ¡°I know what you mean.¡± Blue, while disagreeing with her, seems to understand what Emerald is saying. ¡°If King dies, he won''t be able to hurt anyone ever again, but at the same time, he might disappear from this world without us having been able to try and help him... or any of the others of Shadowhand.¡±

    ¡°Help him!? Azul, where are you going with this?¡±

    ¡°Just give me a second.¡± He seems to still be sorting out what he''s trying to say. ¡°King is a criminal, but... do you remember the Charles Freeman incident? Remember how Central silenced a cry for help simply by killing the person who uttered that cry? What if we''re doing the same thing? Getting rid of an opportunity for change? That''s what I meant by helping him. This could just be King''s cry for help. We shouldn''t kill someone like that. We''re the heroes, so we should save people, shouldn''t we? I think we should try to save King... from Savior... from himself. I know what you mean. It''s risky, naive, to assume something like this, but I''d rather give him a chance than kill him and not be able to take it back. Too many people have died already...¡± It''s completely silent... Nobody knows what to say.

    ¡°You know what, I think Blue''s right,¡± Trace says. ¡°Criminals like King don''t act for nothing. Even if his desire is different from the rest of what society wants, it''s still a desire that deserves to be heard. Somewhere inside, I don''t think Savior will be able to understand that. He''ll kill him and the others without even thinking about it. We need to get to them before it''s too late. We need to give them the second chance that everyone deserves...¡± I know too well why Trace would be the one to say that.

    ¡°Cleo?¡± Blue looks at me. ¡°Will you help me?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± I say, without thinking. ¡°You''re right, Blue. Besides, I''ll always be with you and Trace. After all, we''re friends, right?¡± I can feel the strong connection between us three as I say that. With all that we''ve been through, we''ve forged a bond that won''t be broken, no matter what...

    ¡°Alright, let''s go! The rest of you are coming, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± Baek smiles. ¡°There''s no way I could just sit here after you said all that.¡±

    ¡°I still think it''d be easier to just have him killed, but okay. I''ll believe in you,¡± Emerald says.

    ¡°Okay, I get it. I feel kind of stupid for not looking at it that way earlier.¡± Primo seems to laugh at himself as he says this. ¡°Alright! We''re the heroes, so let''s be heroes! Let''s save some lives! Armis, Magic Knights, let''s move!¡± We go chasing after the Savior, to keep him from making the mistake we can''t take back...

    In some time, we catch up with Savior, in front of an abandoned building, a rather tall structure, with a neon sign reading ¡°CORE¡± at the top. However, this sign no longer works. I assume this was CORE''s Dreamers City base of operations, from back in 2000... When we get there, we''re treated to a rather horrible sight. The spilled blood and Savior standing over the mangled bodies makes it clear enough. We''re too late to save the Prince and Princess.

    ¡°No!¡± Blue runs over to them, maybe to check if they were really dead, maybe because he couldn''t believe it. Regardless, his fears are confirmed.

    ¡°Salvator.¡± Primo steps forward, and starts to speak. ¡°I ask of you, do not kill anymore.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Primo is just as surprised as I am. ¡°Why should I not kill them? I was created to get rid of Shadowhand, am I right? I''m doing exactly what I was meant to do.¡± Primo seems to have difficulty thinking of what to say next.

    ¡°I understand that, but you don''t have to kill them. We''re not...¡±

    ¡°But why?¡± Again, Savior asks. ¡°Why should I not kill them? These people were criminals, and they still are... That is why I''ll kill them all.¡±

    ¡°That''s ridiculous!¡± Trace, who had remained silent for a while, shouts. ¡°What are talking about? ''These people were criminals, and they still are''... How can you say crap like that!? Is this all some attempt to quail the fears of the people of Central!?¡± It''s weird, hearing Trace say these words, but they sound familiar, somehow. ¡°It''s that kind of attitude that put us in this situation to begin with!¡±

    ¡°Silence, Trace Prince!¡± All the color drains from Trace''s face, as if she wasn''t expecting Savior to know who she is. ¡°Yes. I know you. I know everything about you. The only reason you feel the need to forgive these people is because you''re a criminal yourself!¡± Trace looks as if Savior had stabbed her in the heart. ¡°I know about the girl you killed. All of this is so you can push away your own guilt.¡±

    ¡°Shut up...¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    Savior keeps speaking. ¡°You just can''t face the truth! You can''t accept the fact that you are nothing but a murderer. You play at being a ''superhero'', but it''s nothing but a childish delusion!¡±

    ¡°SHUT UP!!!¡± She runs. She runs right at that thing that''s supposed to save us. Intending to kill. With a wave of Savior''s hand, however, Trace is sent flying back... She crashes into a nearby car on the street.

    ¡°Even now, you are nothing but a killer... I was right. Your thinking is disgusting, just like CORE''s. People like you are what the masses fear, and so I will kill you, too, if I have to...¡±

    ¡°That''s enough!¡± I''ve had enough of him talking to Trace that way. ¡°How dare you say things like that! It''s true that Trace killed someone, but she''s not the same person she was before! She wants to be a better person! She trying as hard as she can!¡±

    Savior looks even more disgusted. ¡°You, of all people, would be the one to try and defend her... You''ve killed even more than she has!¡± It was my turn to feel the pain of his words...

    ¡°''It wasn''t my fault'', ''I did what I had to do''... That means nothing to those who suffered! Who''s to say nothing will happen that will make you need to start killing again!?¡± I feel sick, hearing these words, because I can''t deny it...

    ¡°Salvator, stop it!¡± It is Blue speaks this time. ¡°Why are you arguing with us!? We want the same thing, to stop the bad guys! We just can''t do it this way! Don''t you realize what kind of circus this''ll turn into if you kill all of them!? Don''t you even care!?¡±

    ¡°To be honest, Azul Ryukawa, I do not.¡± Blue looks as if he does not know what to say. ¡°Things like that don''t matter. What''s important is that these are the same criminals that Ms. Strife and others have fought in the past. Why should they be granted pardon when they''ve had a chance to change already!?¡±

    Blue is frozen for a moment. ¡°It''s not that simple...¡±

    ¡°This conversation is pointless.¡± It is clear that Savior''s done talking. ¡°I''ve had enough of this. I will kill the King and Queen of Shadowhand.¡±

    ¡°I won''t let you do it.¡±

    Primo steps toward Savior, and stretches his arm out, making a sword materialize from nowhere. This is a magnificent sword, and I feel a power from it that is unfamiliar to me. This must be the ¡°I¡± Sword from the legend of the Swordsmen... ¡°Salvator... submit to my will, or be struck down!¡±

    Savior seems somewhat surprised. ¡°You would draw your blade, with the intent to kill your own brother?¡±

    Primo doesn''t budge. ¡°Not just me.¡± He points his blade forward. ¡°Armis. Attack the Savior.¡±

    With that, some of the figures in white fly forward, their swords all aimed at the Savior. Blades clash and blood spills. However, try as they might, it becomes apparent that they are fighting a losing battle. With his next slash, Savior carves the Second Swordsman in two, and in that instant, he is gone from this world.

    ¡°Otro!¡± Savior doesn''t stop there, however. He thrusts his hand forward, towards the Fourth and Fifth, and suddenly, there is a bright light. My eyes cannot take it, and I look away... The moment I look back at the scene, they''re gone. It''s as if they were never there...

    ¡°No!¡± This must be painful for Primo. The closest thing he has to family is being completely destroyed by what is supposed to be his brother... ¡°DAMN YOU!!!¡± For the first time, I hear real anger in Primo''s voice. I''ve never seen him this upset before. Primo and Savior clash. Primo attacks him again and again. His rage is keeping him going, but he isn''t getting anywhere...

    ¡°No! Everyone stop fighting, please!¡± The one who says this is the Eighth. ¡°It won''t solve anything!¡±

    The Third, standing behind them, shakes their head. ¡°No. Our views are too different. This isn''t something we can fix with just words.¡± They start walking toward Savior, but I sense no killing intent... ¡°Primo, Magic Knights, sorry, but I''m on Salvator''s side. It''s not that I want to be your enemy, but your view of things is a childish one... If you''re willing to fight us so that you don''t have to kill these criminals, then there''s only one thing I can do.¡±

    They look at the other Swordsmen, and say: ¡°Well?¡±

    This time, the Seventh, Septimo, stepped forward. ¡°Come on, the rest of you, if you don''t wanna die...¡± With that, more of them go over to Savior. The Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, Twelfth, Thirteenth... In just a couple seconds, they suddenly become our enemies.

    ¡°So, this is how it has to be...¡± Blue stands up and says this. ¡°If you go up there to kill them, you''ll have to kill me, too. I don''t care if I have to fight you all by myself!¡±

    ¡°Blue...¡± I stand at his side. ¡°You don''t have to fight alone. I''m here with you.¡±

    ¡°Me too.¡± This time, Baek speaks.

    ¡°Alright. Even if we lose, I guess we''ll all go down together.¡± Emerald now stands with us.

    ¡°Yeah. We won''t let you do this, Armis.¡± Trace gets up and stands next to me.

    ¡°You guys...¡± Primo seems shocked that we would stand and fight in a situation like this. He seems to smile. ¡°Alright, everyone! Let''s get ''em!¡± We charge forward.

    ¡°Bow. Divide!¡± Fl¨¨che''s bow splits in two, and becomes a pair of blades. I dash at the Seventh, who sees my strike coming and blocks it.

    ¡°This is a pointless battle! Destroying Shadowhand is the only way to make this city peaceful again. Don''t you want that!?¡±

    I kick, sending them a few yards back. ¡°You don''t understand! It''s possible that King himself hasn''t killed anyone, yet! I''ll bet... that the entire reason this is even happening is because he was treated unfairly because of his past!¡±

    ¡°Ventus.¡± The spell is cast, and I shoot the wind forward. It cuts through Septimo''s arm like a blade, producing a spray of blood.

    ¡°You childish fool... CORE was a criminal organization! They took over Central City... They were going to take over the Center Continent, they were going to take over the entire world! Are you defending something like that?!¡±

    ¡°Hell no!¡± Septimo flies forward and slashes at me. I move, just in time, to guard against it. ¡°I don''t know much about CORE, but from what I''ve learned, they were going to do something bad. That may be true of CORE, itself, but what about the people within?¡±

    ¡°I don''t know what you''re talking about.¡±

    I take some time to think about what to say next. As I think, I am able to push the Armis away. ¡°Ordinary people are easily influenced. Especially by huge displays of power. Don''t you think some of those ordinary people could have gotten swept up in it all? Don''t you think it''s possible that King might not be a criminal without CORE''s influence?¡±

    A ray of light shoots out in my direction. I just barely move in time. ¡°You really are a fool. King is much too powerful to be one of your ''ordinary people''. His level of power is not unlike Strife''s. Are you seriously going to argue that King was just a person that was cowed by a display of CORE''s power!? Are you trying to make me laugh?!¡±

    More beams. I think this is the Lux spell. If I get hit by that element, it''ll be bad, but if I get closer, I can get a hit in while they''re shooting and win. Septimo shouldn''t be too tough. After all, Trace managed to knock them out with a single bullet. I step from side to side, moving forward a little every time... ¡°Fl¨¨che, we must put a lot of power behind this strike.¡± I slash at the Armis''s midsection, and they fall in half. I go right past them, and don''t see the violent death I''ve just given them.

    ¡°Septimo...¡± I hear grunting behind me. Perhaps they haven''t expired just yet. ¡°Even a lion can be swept away by the stream.¡±

    ¡°Do you think you''re doing the right thing?¡±

    ¡°I will not kill the King or Queen. This city will be peaceful. There will just be more people around to enjoy it...¡± I still can''t turn back... Can''t watch something... someone, that looks so human, die like this.

    ¡°You better be right about all this you''ve said. All I want is peace. Do it for me, Miss Arkald. Make this city peaceful again... If you''ve killed me for nothing, I''ll never forgive you...¡± Silence...

    I look around to see that some of the other Armis have been either disabled or killed. I assume everyone else won their fights. ¡°Give it up, Salvator!¡± Primo says, pointing his blade at the Savior. ¡°It''s over!¡±

    ¡°Tch.¡± Then, Savior jumps. He must have gone thousands of feet into the air. He lands on top of the CORE Building. The building we believe the King and Queen to be hiding in...

    ¡°He''s going to try and reach them before us!¡±

    ¡°It''s okay.¡± Primo starts planning on how to deal with this. ¡°Cleo, I want you to take Trace and Emerald, fly up there, and distract Salvator.¡±

    Somehow, the use of the word ¡°distract¡± worries me more than it should. ¡°Distract?¡±

    Avoiding looking into our eyes, Primo nods. ¡°The rest of us will go for King and Queen. Are you guys okay with that?¡± Blue and Baek nod. ¡°Alright, we don''t have much time. Let''s put this plan into action!¡± Primo picks up his brothers'' swords, maybe hoping to get use out of them...

    ¡°Ventus.¡± The wind starts blowing around me, Trace, and Emerald, and it starts raising us above the ground. Blue takes one last look at us before we take off. I smile at him reassuringly. When I see him smile back, I think to myself, I have to survive, no matter what...

    ¡°Good luck, you guys!¡± Baek says this and runs inside the front door of the building.

    ¡°See you later.¡± Primo runs forward.

    ¡°Don''t you dare die, you hear me? I won''t let you hear the end of it, especially if we all end up in Hell!¡± Now Blue leaves, saying that.

    Now it''s time for us to act. ¡°Okay. Fly!¡± We went shooting up into the air at high speed. We reach the top of the building in less than a minute. We land on the rooftop, and see Savior, standing there. We all draw our weapons and approach the angel-like creation waiting for us...

    ¡°Let''s bring this to an end...¡±

 Chapter 19 (Azul)

    ¡°Hey, so, uh... Blue?¡±

    Baek decides to talk to me as we run though the building. It''s understandable that he has some questions, especially considering all that stuff that went down right in front of him. He''s kinda been outta the loop, now that I think about it... Me, Cleo, Trace, and Emerald are all connected to each other in one way, or another. Primo probably knew all this for a long time, now.

    As far as I know, Baek doesn''t really have that connection we do, and he didn''t learn the truth about them when Primo did. I''ll try to answer any questions he has. Before I can answer him, however, I notice that more guards have come for us. There sure is a large number of them... As soon as we''re in range, they fire, raining a hail of bullets on us, which I dodge and Baek blocks.

    ¡°What is it you wanted to talk about, Baek?¡± I say, dodging the bullets in midair whist preparing a fireball to counterattack with. Shadowhand is smart enough to have given them armor that could endure our attacks. They were definitely prepared for us to show up. This is fine for me, though. If it''s like this, the fireball shouldn''t kill them.

    ¡°What''s this about Trace and Cleo being killers?¡± he says, charging at the guards. I throw the fireball, taking a few of them out. A large sweeping kick from Baek knocks down even more.

    ¡°Baek, remember those murders from the summer of 2014?¡± I say as I run toward the guards and punch one of them.

    ¡°Vaguely,¡± he says, hitting a guard with his elbow. ¡°What, you''re not gonna tell me one of them is the killer, are you?¡±

    I think about how to answer his question. As I do this, I snap my fingers, creating an explosion that blows a good deal of guards away. ¡°You see...¡± I say, heading toward the elevator. ¡°There were two killers.¡±

    ¡°Two killers?¡± he says, bowling over a few guards that stood in his way.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I say as I watch more guards come out of the now open elevator. ¡°To make a long story short...¡± I jump in the air, and extend my leg, kicking the guard in front of me. ¡°...one killer was Cleo...¡± Uppercut. ¡°...and the other was Trace.¡± Backhand for the guard behind me.

    ¡°Are you shittin'' me!?¡±

    ¡°Duck.¡± As soon as he does, I send an Azure Fist at the guards behind him.

    ¡°So that''s what Savior was talking about!¡± he says, offhandedly blasting a guard with what I can only describe as a Shadow Ball.

    ¡°Yeah, and that''s another reason I feel that we need to stop him. Not only will he kill the King and Queen of Shadowhand, he''ll probably kill Trace and Cleo, too.¡± I step inside the elevator. ¡°Hm... how much do you know about the novel Kingdom of Fear?¡± I say, throwing the last guard out and pressing the ¡°Close¡± button.

    ¡°Not much,¡± Baek says, waiting patiently.

    ¡°Well, a popular interpretation of the book is that it''s about how weak and afraid of everything the people of this continent have become. Savior reminds me of the tragic villain who decided to try and defend the kingdom to the end, even as it rotted around him...¡±

    ¡°What a shame... I hope things don''t turn out that way.¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Me, too.¡±

    My phone rings... it''s Primo. ¡°Go to the 6<sup>th</sup> floor.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Why?¡±

    ¡°I checked the 7<sup>th</sup> floor. There''s nothing here but a trap. They expected us to come to the top floor... I''ll meet you in front of the elevator, okay?¡± He hangs up.

    ¡°We''re supposed to go to floor 6,¡± I say, pressing the button.

    ¡°Anyway, Baek... Cleo''s a vampire, and she had to kill people and drink their blood. Trace just hated a girl so much that she wanted to kill her. Those events have a good deal to do with why they decided to be superheroes. The guilt...¡± We talk some more as the elevator went up.

    ¡°I see. Well, what''s Emerald''s deal?¡±

    ¡°The girl Trace killed was her best friend, and from what I remember Trace telling me, she died pretty pointlessly, too. Emerald told me that she thinks Trace is nothing more than a killer, and that she''s only acting like a hero so that she can hurt people and get away with it. She told me that once this was over, she would bring Trace justice...¡±

    ¡°...seems like I missed a lot.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you did,¡± I say, looking at the monitor, which shows that we had just passed the 5<sup>th</sup> floor.

    ¡°How did I not learn all this earlier?¡± Baek scratches his head.

    ¡°You should have hung out with us more, man.¡± I smile at him.

    ¡°Heh heh, hopefully it''s not too late.¡±

    I nod. "Yeah. Let''s do something fun after this crap is all over."

    "I''ll consider it... if we live."

    Ding.

    The elevator opens. We''ve reached the 6<sup>th</sup> floor.

    ¡°And we will. Don''t jinx us, Baek. It''ll be fine.¡± We step out. Of course, there are guards waiting for us... or there would be, had Primo not taken them out.

    As we run over to him, I notice that he had all thirteen swords with him. They must be making him extremely powerful. Now there''s no way I''m worried about dying. We''ll live for sure. Primo touches the large door in front of him and speaks. ¡°I sense a large amount of mana behind this door. It must be them! Are you guys ready?¡± Suddenly, another phone rings. Primo''s phone... ¡°Hello? Trace? ¡­Huh!?¡± He seems worried. What did Trace say to him? ¡°But... okay. I''ll be there as soon as possible. Don''t die on me...¡±

    He hangs up. We stare at Primo for some time. ¡°I underestimated Salvator. They''ll die if I don''t do something, quickly...¡±

    ¡°Go.¡± I put my hand on his shoulder. ¡°You have to go. We can handle this.¡± I smile at him, trying to hide how worried I really am.

    ¡°Okay, Blue. You be careful, too, okay?¡± With that, he runs off. Be careful, Primo...

    ¡°You care about them a lot...¡± I look at Baek as he says this. ¡°Trace and Cleo, I mean.¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah. The thing is... I''m not too sure how we got to be such good friends. A lot happened, but...¡±

    He smiles. ¡°They reached their hand out, and you took it.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°That''s a good enough reason, don''t you think?¡±

    I think about it, then I nod just as he does. Yeah, that''s a good enough reason for me. ¡°Well, are you ready, Baek? Let''s go fight for our friends.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± He smiles and extends his fist toward me. ¡°There''s no gettin'' off this train we''re on.¡± I look at the fist, and bump it with my own.

    ¡°Come on, let''s go.¡± We open the door to the final battle...

 Chapter 20 (Trace)

    I stand in the crater created by the last spell he had cast... I''ve been hit so hard and so many times I can barely even stand. All my weapons are broken, I''m out of ammo, and I''ve used as much as I could of Grey''s mana. Emerald is dying, and I have no clue what state Cleo is in, right now... Dammit! If Primo doesn''t get here soon, we''re all doomed...

    ¡°Trace! Cleo! Emerald!¡± That voice... It must be Primo. I can hear him breathing heavily. He''s probably out of breath from speeding over here. I turned in the direction of the voice to face him. ¡°Trace!¡± He slides down, into the crater, and comes towards me. ¡°You''re alive...!¡±

    ¡°Primo... you made it.¡± I try to smile. I was sort of doubting if I''d live long enough for him to save us.

    ¡°Take them and run,¡± he says, looking up at Savior, hovering up above. ¡°I''ll face him.¡±

    ¡°But--¡±

    ¡°Go!¡± He draws two of the Thirteen Swords. ¡°If it''s like this, I can win. Please...¡±

    Not willing to argue, I just nod. I gather what strength I had left, and go looking for Emerald and Cleo. Emerald''s just outside the crater, still in pretty bad shape. If she doesn''t get medical attention immediately...

    ¡°Trace!¡± It''s Cleo who calls out to me, injured, but still able to move properly.

    ¡°We should get out of the way.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure, Trace?¡±

    Looking back at Primo, I say, ¡°We need to trust him. If we stay here, we will die.¡± I try to keep calm while saying this, but the truth is that I am afraid of dying. I hadn''t felt this scared since...

    ¡°Come on! We need to treat her!¡± I shout, trying to snap out of it. Come on, Trace. You''ve been in danger before... get it together...!

    ¡°Okay, let''s go.¡± We run. We get as far away from the fight as we can. After getting about 200 yards away, I can''t run anymore. ¡°Trace, I''ll heal you both, now.¡± After a few minutes, I am fully healed.

    I think for a second about Primo and Savior. How is the fight going, I wonder...

    I look back at where we ran from. Lots of destruction and explosions. Was Primo winning? Or... ¡°Cleo, heal Emerald, for now.¡± I start to run. I run back there...

    ¡°Trace, wait!¡±

    ¡°I can''t!¡±

    Cleo stands up and grabs my arm. ¡°Trace, don''t go! You''ll just get...¡±

    I pull away from her. ¡°Don''t panic! Listen... I, uh, I''ve got a plan!¡± I lie. It''s more like a feeling, but it''s something I can''t deny. ¡°I got this. It''ll all go just as planned. But you gotta stay here with her, okay? I''ll make it back... and Primo will be with me.¡± I smile and run off. I just hope this feeling I have is right...

    I arrive back at the scene of the fight. Primo and Salvator are still goin'' at it... I decide to observe them for a second. For the longest time, I had wondered why Primo had brought all thirteen swords with him, but now it makes sense. First, carrying all of them seems to have given him a power up. He couldn''t touch Salvator before, now he''s on equal footing with him. Second, Primo seems to be using all thirteen swords at the same time...

    I go in closer to get a better look. That is, in fact, what Primo is doing! I see him swing the ¡°I¡± Sword, now ¡°II¡±... he grabs the ¡°III¡± Sword out of midair, then slashes. As Salvator backs up, Primo throws ¡°IV¡± and ¡°V¡±, then comes charging at him with the ¡°VI¡± Sword.

    Salvator manages to block that, but then Primo slashes with ¡°VII¡±, catching him off guard and getting a hit in. He throws ¡°VIII¡± and ¡°IX¡± into the sky, throws ¡°X¡± straight at his target, and dashes forward with ¡°XI¡± and ¡°XII¡±. A flurry of blades before ¡°X¡± reaches Salvator. Primo dodges the blades coming at him, allowing Salvator to be hit by all three of them. He now pulls out his last blade, ¡°XIII¡±, and brings it down with an overhead swing. If Salvator wasn''t as god-like in power as I think he is, he''d be dead.

    Freaking hell... This is impossible! The speed of his hands, the concentration necessary to pull all of these moves successfully... I can''t believe my eyes! I know he''s not human, but how can he do all this? It must have taken an extreme amount of training and discipline to pull it off... Impossible... but somehow, it seems familiar to me...

    ¡°You remind me of an old friend... Her name was L¨¢ng Sh¨ªs¨¡n, the Bloody Prince...¡± Why am I remembering this right now? ¡°This is just one more unbelievable thing. Come on, I won''t lie to you.¡± Bloody Prince. Master swordswoman. Thirteen Blades. Xu¨¨ ¡°L¨¢ng¡± Sh¨ªs¨¡n. These are not my memories...The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll tell you when the time is right. Until then... don''t die, okay?¡±

    So confusing... it''s like information is spilling into me out of nowhere...!

    ¡°Until I can keep our promise, I won''t die, but don''t you go dying either, got it?¡±

    What? Where is all this coming from? Why am I able to hear these things?

    ¡°Don''t worry, Grey. I won''t die.¡±

    Is it possible that Grey is sending memories to me? I don''t know... Grey should be resting, shouldn''t he?

    ¡°...and Grey... Thank you.¡±

    ...it stops. The flood of information stops. Still, I feel that there''s something I can use in there...

    While I''m sitting here, thinking about all of this, I notice that Primo has gone flying away from where Savior was standing. He probably got unlucky and took a hit. It seems like Primo''s getting tired. Savior''s hurt, but he''ll outlast Primo easily if this keeps up. Again, Primo grabs the swords and uses them, getting a few more lucky hits in. He is doing a decent job of surviving, but he''s slowing down and the amount of power behind his blows is getting weaker...

    Finally, he falls to his knees and drops the swords. I immediately start running over there. Savior stands in front of him, and raises his sword.

    It''s as if time has stopped. What should I do? I can''t hit Savior. My attacks aren''t strong enough. If I stand in-between him and Primo, I''ll just get sliced open, wasting my life. Grey doesn''t have enough mana to generate a Mystic Coat for me, and even if he did, there''s no point in taking the hit, because I''ll still at least get badly hurt, or probably just die, anyway... What should I do!?

    Ah, yes. The swords. I''ll use them. Seeing one of them nearby, I grab it and continue to run forward. Just as Savior swings down, I slide, getting between the blade and Primo. Replacing the sound of splattering blood and flesh, and the image of both our mangled bodies on the ground, is the sound of clashing swords, and me standing there, having successfully blocked Savior''s strike.

    ¡°Trace...?¡± Primo whispers this, probably upset that I didn''t run like he said I should.

    Yeah... the sword feels familiar. After struggling for a while, I manage to push Savior back. As he stands there, I go and grab one of the other swords scattered about. This is the ¡°I¡± Sword. While I do this, Savior rushes over and attacks me, but I turn around and parry it with less trouble than I expected. The blades are making me stronger and faster... if I wasn''t holding them, that strike would have torn me in half before I''d even noticed him. Seeing how much Primo has weakened him, I know that I can stop the Savior, now.

    Earlier, I couldn''t keep up with Savior''s movements. In fact, it seemed as if he could stand perfectly still one moment, then be somewhere else, like directly behind me, the next. Now, it''s as if he''s moving in slow motion. Seeing that he''s much slower, and I''ve gotten faster, I swing the ¡°I¡± Sword at him, hitting Savior in the ribs. He doesn''t fall, however, and he starts the motion of a diagonal slash. Before he can finish it, I stab him with ¡°II¡±. Savior still doesn''t stop, and I move just before he finishes the swinging motion. If I moved any later, I would have lost my eye.

    Thinking quickly, I throw both swords at him, which he manages to block, then I run toward the ¡°III¡± sword. He fires something at me, probably some kind of magic, which I barely manage to dodge. I keep running, grab ¡°III¡±, and swing it. An arc of light, one shaped like the swing I just did, goes flying in Savior''s direction, cutting him in the chest. Somehow, I knew this would happen.

    ¡°Hey, Savior.¡± The wounded angel looks at me, surprised that I even wanted to speak. ¡°Let''s not do this.¡± As I speak, I walk around, looking for ¡°IV¡±, while at the same time, making sure I keep an eye on Savior. During all this, I wonder where Primo is... He seems to have disappeared.

    ¡°Why did you choose to fight me in the first place, Trace Prince?¡±

    "It''s obvious, isn''t it? I just don''t want anymore people to die."

    "I know that," he says, growing irritated. "What''s the realreason?"

    I take a deep breath, and answer: ¡°Because you are propping up a rotting kingdom.¡±

    ¡°That''s not true!¡±

    ¡°THE HELL IT ISN''T!¡± I can''t take this garbage anymore. ¡°The reason Shadowhand exists, the reason CORE rose again in the first place was because people predicted things like you! In your effort to protect the weak and innocent, you have become a source of fear and hatred for a different group of people!¡± How silly. I''m starting to sound like a Corist, myself... ¡°Are you okay with that!? ARE YOU!?¡±

    ¡°I am meant to protect this city! I will do what I must for it!¡±

    After shouting that, Savior charges at me again. ¡°You, and Shadowhand''s very existence, are dangerous!¡± He swings his blade, and I dodge it. ¡°How am I supposed to quiet the fears of the people with criminals running loose?! People like you are what they were afraid of to begin with!¡± Another beam. I am able to block it.

    ¡°It''s a cycle, Savior! If you just try to force your will by killing people that you think are bad, that won''t stop other people from doing bad things, and it won''t save good people from being hurt! All it does is breed the hatred that''s right in front of you!¡± As I say this, I run and grab ¡°I¡± and ¡°II¡± from where they had landed.

    ¡°What you''re saying makes no sense... If I kill all the bad people, only good people will be left! Isn''t it obvious!?¡± Savior swings at me again, and I block it.

    ¡°If you really did ''kill all the bad people'', almost everyone would be dead.¡± We both stand there, silent. He looks like he honestly doesn''t understand what I''m saying...

    ¡°SHUT UP!!!¡± Suddenly, I''m blown away.

    ¡°If that''s what needs to happen, so be it! In order to create a peaceful world, I will kill all of you humans if I must!¡± Looking at Savior, now, I can see that his sanity is slipping... ¡°I don''t care if they hate me for it! Who are they to judge!? They, who even God cannot bring Himself to love!¡± With that, he flies into the sky and begins to glow. I don''t know what he''s doing, but I''d rather not stand around and find out...

    ¡°Trace!¡± Just as I decide to run towards Savior, Primo throws the other swords to me. Concentrating as much as I can, I grab one out of the air, and fling it at the Savior. I repeat this eleven times, sending them flying into Savior''s body.

    I hold ¡°XIII¡± tightly in my hands, then jump towards the light. ¡°Listen, Savior. I don''t know much about La Salvato, but I know they believe that the human race is only alive because Salvator convinced God not to destroy us, and that we were worthy of living. They believe it was Salvator who gave us another chance, and it''s because of him that God pities us.¡± As I get closer, I see the surprised look on his face. ¡°You are no Savior... you are just an imitation gone wrong.¡±

    ...and I stab.

 Chapter 21 (Cleo)

    After resting for a moment, I open my eyes. Emerald is sitting next to me, behind a building far away from the fight. Neither Trace nor Savior have come back, yet. I''m beginning to worry.

    ¡°You like her...¡± Emerald, who had remained silent up to this point, says this.

    ¡°Wha?¡± I''m so thrown off by this that I didn''t know what to say. What made her suddenly say this?

    ¡°You really care about Trace a lot, don''t you?¡±

    ¡°Of course. She''s my friend.¡± She just nods, as if she didn''t understand before. ¡°Why? Is there a reason you''ve decided to start talking about her?¡±

    ¡°Not really...¡± Rather than let the conversation end, I urge her to keep talking.

    ¡°...it''s about Summer of 2014, isn''t it?¡±

    She seems shocked that I even brought it up, but she seems more shocked that I know what she wants to talk about. ¡°How can you forgive her...?¡± I can hear anger in Emerald''s voice. I think carefully about how to answer her question...

    ¡°Trace is my friend, so I gave her a chance. Isn''t that enough? Emerald, listen. Trace hasn''t killed a single person since then... I won''t ask you to forgive her... you lost your friend, after all. Still... I want you to understand that Trace won''t ever kill someone again. Are you listening?¡±

    ¡°I just need time to think about it.¡± Saying this, she stands up.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    Looking at me as if it''s obvious, Emerald says:¡°The explosions and stuff stopped a long time ago. Don''t you wanna see if they''re alright?¡± I hadn''t payed it too much attention, actually. So we walk toward the scene of the fight, but to both of our surprise, we meet Trace and Primo halfway there.

    ¡°Cleo?¡± I just stare at Trace for a moment. She doesn''t have a scratch on her... How did she fight Savior without getting hurt? ¡°You''re wondering how we won,¡± Trace says, smiling. ¡°It''s thanks to these!¡± She points to the swords on Primo''s back. The Thirteen Blades... I guess that even Savior''s Blade isn''t powerful enough to stand up to all of them.

    Before I get distracted, I remember that there''s a question that''s been bugging me. ¡°Trace, did you...¡±

    ¡°Savior''s alive. She spared him.¡± Primo interrupts me and says this.

    ¡°Yeah, I dealt a final blow, but it didn''t kill ''im. In the state he''s in, he can''t hurt anyone, anyway. Besides, I felt kinda sorry for him,¡± Trace says, hiding her sadness behind a smile. ¡°He didn''t understand that what he was going to do was wrong. He''s not like the Savior the religious folks believe in. Just an imitation gone wrong... makes me a little sad.¡± She looks up to the sky.

    ¡°So yeah, I called Miss Strife, and she''ll come and collect him later. Don''t worry about it.¡± Primo gives us a thumbs up. He''s smiling. We all are... We did it. Everything''s alright¡ªwait, no, it''s not!

    ¡°Blue!¡± Everyone looks at me when I suddenly say this. ¡°Everyone! We gotta go help Blue and Baek!¡± After that, everyone understands and we run back to the CORE Building.

    ...

    We go to the 6<sup>th</sup> floor, where Primo says they should be. Beyond the large door, a fight is in progress against who I assume is Queen. Blue... is standing on Baek''s shoulders. What''s going on? ¡°Blue!?¡± I shout, starting to walk to him.

    ¡°Stop!¡± He stretches his arm out, pointing at the ground. As I look where he''s pointing, I notice there''s a Magic Circle on the ground. ¡°That circle drains the mana of whoever steps into it!¡± I almost walked right into it... I see Queen in the center of the room.

    ¡°Fl¨¨che, do you think we can shoot her?¡±

    ¡°I don''t know. I''m already low on mana and I''m not sure if the arrow will be able to reach her.¡±

    I hadn''t thought about that. Even if I don''t have to take the Magic Circle into account... ¡°We need to try.¡± Fl¨¨che materializes the bow, and I fire. The arrow flies...!

    ...and doesn''t reach her. She looks in my direction. ¡°Ha!¡±

    While she''s looking over here, Blue says something to Baek that I didn''t hear. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I said ''throw me'', Baek!¡± With that, Blue drops from his shoulders and Baek throws him, sending him flying toward the Queen. Although she''s no longer distracted, she is nearly hit by Blue''s fist, which she rolls away from. But then... Ah, I see. That''s what Blue wanted. With his fist, he smashes the floor, breaking the circle.

    The three of them go falling down to the 5<sup>th</sup> floor. Without thinking, I follow them. ¡°Cleo!¡± By the time Trace shouts, it''s too late. I''ve already jumped down there.

    ¡°Give up, Queen.¡± Once he finishes falling, Blue says this. ¡°You''re outnumbered, and you''ve exhausted the mana of your Magic Knight Force.¡±

    The woman, Queen, just laughs. ¡°You''ve missed a vital detail, boy! You''re still feeling the effects of the Magic Circle, are you not? What did you think was happening to your mana as I stood in the middle of it?¡±

    When she says this, Baek says, ¡°Oh...¡±, and looks to Blue for some kind of plan.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°I see. Your Circle drains the mana of whoever stands in it and sends it to the caster, who stands in the center of it where the stolen mana is goes. I''m not sure how I didn''t see that earlier.¡± Blue seems to smile at what Queen had done, despite the situation he''s in. ¡°In other words, you''re almost at full power, while we''re both tired. It should be an easy curb-stomp in your favor, right?¡± She seems surprised and confused at this question. ¡°It''s a good thing that I decided to stand on Baek''s shoulders. That way, the Circle couldn''t reach me...¡± Blue smirks.

    ¡°So you still have most of your mana left. Interesting tactics, boy... but it won''t save you. You don''t stand a chance against the second strongest in all of Shadowhand. Even if you do beat me, King is waiting for you and he''ll wipe you all out, drained of power or otherwise. Either way, prepare to die...¡±

    Queen forms a Mystic Coat around herself, and takes a fighting stance. Blue does the same, but he seems to do so using less mana than Queen. The first thing Queen does is throw a fireball, which Blue, as I expected, just stands and takes.

    He emerges undamaged. ¡°Your element is fire, I see.¡± Now, Blue runs forward. If Queen is only good at fire magic, then Blue can win this easily, but... as Blue runs forward, I notice that Queen is just standing there, as if she expected Blue to run at her... ¡°Blue! Be careful!¡±

    By the time I say this, it''s too late. Blue is right in front of her, then... ¡°Glacies.¡± A spear of ice appears right in front of her... and Blue is stabbed by it.

    ¡°Dammit...¡± He''s bleeding from the wound on his stomach. If he hadn''t had the Mystic Coat on, it would have gone all the way through. This is bad... I don''t think Fl¨¨che can heal him with the mana she has left.

    ¡°Dumbass kid! What would make you think that a person can only be good at one element? My Magic Knight Force allows me to use almost all elemental spells...¡± An evil grin. ¡°You can see now that there''s no way you can win. I can counter anything you throw at me with a spell of my own! I don''t even have to let you touch me! Struggle and die like the dog you are! Ah ha ha ha ha!¡±

    Lux. The beam goes out, and Blue blocks it with his left hand, taking a little damage. ¡°Azure Fist!¡± The blue flame shoots forward...

    ¡°Ventus.¡± ...but it''s blown away like nothing by the strong wind. ¡°Terra.¡± Queen smashes the ground with her fist, turning some of it into dangerous objects to hurl at Blue. He dodges, moving around as fast as he can, which I''m surprised he''s doing with that stab wound he''s got. The assault stops... Then the floor Blue stands on crumbles right under him.

    He falls down yet another floor, and Queen chases him immediately. I run after her. Right now, Blue is powerless... I need to do something to help him! When I get down there, it''s even worse. Blue''s at the mercy of a multi-elemental storm, with little he can do to defend against it. I need to try something. Conversion...

    Fl¨¨che is low on mana, but I can still use my own. If I convert my life force into mana, I can cast a spell. Conversion takes time, but with Queen focusing on Blue, I should have plenty of it.

    ...alright, that''s good. Shoot forward, wind! ¡°Ventus!¡± The razor sharp wind blows in Queen''s direction, cutting her. While only sustaining minor injuries, she''s still disoriented enough for Blue to act. Seeing this opportunity, he sends an Azure Fist flying into Queen''s face.

    She goes flying back, but quickly recovers and fires off more spells. I run in front of her target, Blue. Convert... ¡°Scutum!¡± A magic shield appears in front of us, taking all the damage. Queen keeps firing, eventually breaking it. The impact of the last spell she fires sends me flying backwards. However, when she begins to cast a spell to hit us both...

    ¡°What...?¡±

    ¡°Burned yourself out, I assume.¡± Blue gets up and starts walking toward her, saying this. ¡°I was waiting for you to run out of mana, firing those spells all over the place.¡± All of the sudden, Queen seems terrified. Blue stands right in front of her. ¡°I feel like I should have something badass to say, here, but I don''t...¡± Then Blue throws one last punch. WHAM! ¡°All I have to do is this.¡±

    Queen seems to be trying to get up, which doesn''t surprise me. ¡°Is this really happening? Did I...¡±

    ¡°You''ve lost.¡± When Blue says this, Queen looks as if she''d been hit by a truck.

    ¡°NO.¡± It seems as if she really cannot believe it... ¡°No...! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!!!¡± I can see Queen falling apart... It''s hard to watch, and kind of sad. ¡°Why did I lose!? I can''t lose! I had to win!!!¡± Tears start rushing from her eyes. ¡°If I don''t beat you... If I lose, nothing will change! I HAD TO WIN! WHY DID I LOSE!?¡± She throws herself on the ground to starts crying like a child. Looking over at Blue, he seems just as uncomfortable watching her freak out as I am.

    ¡°Come on, guys. Let''s leave her...¡± Baek says this and starts to walk away.

    Just as we begin to turn away, however, Queen sits up, silently. No screaming, no crying, nothing. She then says this:

    ¡°Kill me.¡±

    We''re all shocked. How are we supposed to react to something like that? Blue is the first one to say something. ¡°Why would you want us to do such a thing?¡±

    ¡°It''s... everything is worthless,¡± the Queen says. ¡°Do you know who I am? My name is Sharice Freeman...¡±

    ¡°What the...!?¡± Trace reacts, suddenly.

    ¡°That''s right. Charles Freeman, the man who wrote Kingdom of Fear, was my family...¡±

    I gasp. The others seem very surprised as well. Indeed, this is very unexpected.

    ¡°My father told me about how Uncle Charles got killed because the people were afraid of what he believed. When CORE rose, I joined up, but only to work with the scientists in getting the Dive Network to work. I didn''t want to hurt anyone... but this rotten land kept on pushing me and pushing me... until I turned into this...

    ¡°Why... why do I have to suffer with this injustice!? No one will help me because of my history. No one will respect me because I was one of the ''bad guys''. I, along with everyone else who lived through it, are treated like lower class citizens. Why didn''t they just keep us in prison!?¡± No one knows what to say. Even Blue is at a loss for words, it seems.

    ¡°All I had left to look forward to was a chance at revenge, but I won''t get it. I have nothing to live for, now... so kill me.¡±

    After listening to all this, Blue says one word... ¡°No.¡± Queen seems surprised. Blue goes on. ¡°If I killed you, nothing really would change. Former CORE members would continue to be mistreated, and no one would have even noticed.¡± He kneels down, so his face is level with her''s. ¡°You wanted things to change, and there''s nothing wrong with that. I can''t kill you for fighting against what you think is unfair. I... we want you to live so we can see you change this. Work for the change you want... just don''t do this... and don''t throw your life away.¡±

    Queen looks at Blue''s face, which turns into a reassuring smile. ¡°I know you can do it. Now, we''re off to stop King from ruining everything, including your second chance.¡± He stands up, or rather, he tries to... the wounds are finally getting to him.

    ¡°Blue!¡± I pick him up off of the floor.

    ¡°Tch. It''s no good. I can''t go on like this.¡±

    ¡°It''s okay, Blue. Stay there,¡± Trace says, with Emerald and Primo already heading back up to the 6<sup>th</sup> floor. ¡°We''ll take care of it from here.¡± She smiles and starts to walk away.

    ¡°Wait!¡± I shout, before she leaves.

    ¡°What? We can''t take Baek with us, so...¡±

    ¡°But, what about me?¡±

    Trace seems to avert meeting my gaze. ¡°You two look so cute together...¡± She says, smiling nervously.

    I blush.

    ¡°Pfff... ha ha ha! Seriously, though, take care of him. When Blue can walk, come meet us. We should be done by then.¡±

    I nod. ¡°Good luck.¡±

    They run off to the final battle. After this, everything will be alright. We can go on with our lives, knowing things have changed for the better...

    ...right?

 Chapter 22 (Trace)

    The door to the King''s room now stands in front of me, Primo, and Emerald. Not exactly who I pictured coming into this final battle with me, but I can''t complain. I open the door with no fear. It''s three against one, and we have the Thirteen Blades on our side. I think I''m ready for whatever the King can throw at me.

    ¡°...of course, the heroes of the people arrive just in time to make trouble for me.¡± The black-haired, purple-eyed man wearing a lab coat and facing away from us, turns around and says this.

    ¡°Stop what you''re doing, King!¡± I point ¡°XIII¡± at him. ¡°You''re the last one standing. Don''t think you can take all three of us.¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± I look at where he''s standing... The ground he''s standing on is rising. There''s a large machine with him, too. Wait a sec...

    ¡°Everyone! He''s going to the rooftop to launch that weapon! The Delphinus Virus is probably in that machine!¡± Primo''s words alert me to action. I can''t let him launch it... I jump, then Emerald and Primo jump with me. We board the rising elevator and charge toward the weapon, but somehow... I''m being forced back...

    King stands there, smiling as if he is amused at our being pushed away by him. ¡°You three don''t know, do you?¡± He lets out a sigh, then continues: ¡°Okay, I''ll tell you. As you may be able to tell, King is only a code name. My real name... is Alexander Strife.¡±

    Shock. For a second, I can''t even believe what I just heard, but suddenly, it makes sense... Yet another puzzle piece falls into place.

    I remember some things I have learned. ¡°''He, like Ms. Strife, is a Real Magus, and a good one, at that...''¡±

    ...

    ¡°''Pretty much, Strife''s magic simply breaks most of the rules I know. I can''t explain it. For someone else to be able to pull that off...'' ''They must have a similar level of power, in addition to their magic being of a like nature?'' ''Exactly.''¡±

    It makes sense. He''s so powerful... he can create Dolls... it all makes sense. ¡°You see, I''m the one with the advantage, here. All I have to do is hold you off until it''s ready to launch. Even if you do beat me, I''ll have distracted you long enough for the Delphinus Virus to spread.¡± He starts to laugh... ¡°Hahahahahahaha! Revenge will be mine!¡±

    Now, we''ve reached the roof. It''s time to end this! I rush forward, but at the very last second, notice that he has thrown some kind of dark sphere at me. Can''t react. This is bad... ¡°Trace!¡± I feel a shove. Emerald pushes me out of the way. She''s the one who is hit... ¡°You need to pay better attention...¡± Emerald collapses. She''s a bloody mess. I''ve never seen this spell before...

    I don''t have time to think about that. ¡°Primo, I''ll fight him! Try to get to the machine!¡± I run forward again, this time, making sure I dodge whatever comes at me. He keeps using magic attacks. More spheres... bigger, this time. I should be careful with this spell. As I dodge, I feel the power in those spheres... I get the feeling that the Thirteen Blades are the only thing keeping me alive, right now. I did dodge it, but the amount of power I felt... My body, in a weaker state, would be torn to pieces just by being nearby. I started swinging the swords, sending blade shaped lights in his direction, which he dodges.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    I see that he notices Primo getting near the weapon, and he throws another one of those spheres. ¡°Primo, watch out!¡± He hears my voice and dodges immediately, taking little damage. Primo keeps running, but King takes his attention off me completely, moves at amazing speed to block Primo''s path and kick him away from the machine. I move over there, but just as quickly find a fist waiting for me. A fist that sends me flying upwards.

    I get up as fast as I can. ¡°Primo, catch!¡± I throw ¡°I¡±, ¡°III¡±, ¡°V¡±, ¡°VII¡±, ¡°IX¡±, and ¡°XI¡± his way. It''d probably be best if we both used them. With that done, I throw ¡°IV¡±, ¡°VI¡±, ¡°VIII¡±, and ¡°X¡± at King. Seeing and dancing past all of them, he reaches out to block my next strike.

    I come down from the sky, ¡°II¡± and ¡°XIII¡± in my hands. I smash them into King, sending both of us falling into the ceiling, down to the floor below... and the floor below that... and the floor below that...

    As we fall, I start shouting at King... or rather, Alexander Strife. ¡°Tell me! Why are you doing this!? Are you really going to endanger all these innocent people just to get back at the ones who buried CORE!? Are you willing to be so extreme over such a petty thing!?¡± I force more power into the slash, until we finally reach the ground. It takes me a moment to recover from the fall, but when I do, King is already standing there in front of me. He sends his foot flying into my face, and I go flying backwards, falling onto the floor.

    ¡°Who cares about how petty it is!? Everything I ever had was taken away from me! They kicked me out... I joined CORE to gain the power I deserve! I don''t give a shit about ''Kingdoms of Fear'' or ''Flames of Passion'' or whatever the hell they''re on about... I''m a Strife! We''re supposed to be the most powerful humans in existence! For someone like me to be stepped on by the people of Center... All I want is to make them suffer!¡± His power seems to be going out of control...

    ¡°You said the Strife family kicked you out?¡±

    ¡°Yes...¡± I''m starting to understand what made him so upset. ¡°They said I was too weak... that I couldn''t control the power of the Abyss that rests within me.¡±

    ¡°Power of the Abyss--¡±

    ¡°But I can,¡± he says, ignoring me. ¡°I''ll use its full power against you...¡±

    A sinister grin forms on Alex''s face. He becomes surrounded by a dark, menacing aura... I feel like I am in serious danger. There is a power far beyond this mortal man, here... Suddenly, I see something flying toward him from above, stabbing him in the back. It''s the ¡°I¡± Sword. Another one comes flying. ¡°III¡±. Then ¡°V¡±, then ¡°VII¡±, then ¡°IX¡±. Lastly, a light comes down, approaching King fast. As it comes closer, I could see a figure inside of it. Primo.

    He comes down and slashes Alex in the back. With a look of shock, as if everything had come crumbling down before him, he falls to the floor. ¡°You should pay attention, King. Trace has succeeded in distracting you.¡±

    ¡°What...¡±

    ¡°I''ve deactivated the weapon. It won''t be hurting anyone. You lose.¡± Alex just lies there, motionless. ¡°Trace, let''s go get Emerald.¡± I nod and go back to the top with him.

    ...

    Once we get up there... ¡°Emerald, what''s wrong? Are you alright?¡±She looks like she''s seen a ghost...

    ¡°...T-Trace! Behind you! Watch out!¡±

    I turn around, and I see King standing there. Wait... no, something''s different about him. He seems less like the man I just fought and more like some kind of terrible beast. His eyes glow, his voice and his language are replaced with incoherent roaring. He bears his fangs at us. The dark aura starts to expand, reaching even me.

    ¡°!!!¡±

    ¡°Something¡± happens to my body. I double over, trying as hard as I can not to throw up and/or pass out. I notice him charging toward us, none of us ready for what''s happening. This sudden feeling of sickness... It must be coming from this infinite nothingness, this abyss...

 Chapter 23 (Azul)

    ¡°Alright, Cleo. I can walk.¡±

    Cleo just finished fixing me up. I believe she used her own mana to do so. I can''t help wondering how she got so good at ¡°Real Magic¡±, but I won''t dwell on it too much. ¡°Come on. Let''s go see...¡±

    I hear footsteps. Primo. He runs over here and he seems panicked. ¡°What''s wrong. Primo?¡±

    ¡°You guys! You have to... you have to hurry!¡±

    I repeat: ¡°What''s wrong--¡±

    ¡°It''s Trace and Emerald. They''re in trouble! The King''s... got some kind of trick!¡±

    When I hear this, of course I feel worried. We make our way to the elevator to the roof. When we finally get up there, I can''t believe what I''m seeing. Trace and Emerald, are both on the ground... and King is standing there.

    My mind freezes. I try to form words, but I can''t speak. King... this guy is...

    Is he even human...?

    The dark energy surrounding him changes the world around us. It becomes like the night, and it feels as if there''s some kind of weight pushing down on us. The very air around us hurts... If a normal person were to wander too close to King as he is right now, they certainly would have died horribly.

    ¡°Trace, Emerald, what''s going on!?¡± No response. They are just as scared as the rest of us. No one says anything... I am losing the ability to think and see straight, myself... and still, the air is changing. Becoming corrupted. Twisted. I feel an even more hideous aura approaching... King is powering up, using a power other than mana... Wait, is this King? For me to have only just noticed this presence, it''s as if he''s been replaced by someone, or something else. I have no idea what it is... but I know I should be scared. The feeling is comparable to being stared down by a dragon...

    Then, out of nowhere, a blur passes my vision, ramming into ¡°King¡±. Coming to a stop, I can see this blur is a woman. A young looking woman with black bobbed hair and purple eyes, wearing a brown pea coat. She turns her head, looking back at us. ¡°Stand back.¡± She begins to chant.

    There is a strong feeling in the air that I can''t describe, but it feels a little familiar... Symbols start to appear on and around the woman and ¡°King¡± seems to be in some sort of pain. Then, she shouts: ¡°Hateful creature of the Abyss that should not be! Return to that from whence you came!¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    A painful sound comes from ¡°King¡±. It resembles the cry of a dragon. The aura disappears, and King collapses.

    Yes, in an instant, without me doing anything about it or even understanding it, the world returns to the way it was.

    ...what the hell just happened?

    Pulling me out of my thoughts, the woman approaches us.

    She looks at all of us, seemingly puzzled. She then points her finger at me. ¡°Azul Ryukawa?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Is it you?¡± I was confused at first, but now, I understand what she''s asking.

    ¡°Uh, yeah,¡± I respond. She nods.

    ¡°Baek Hanson?¡±

    ¡°Uh huh.¡±

    ¡°Cleo Arkald?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Trace Prince?¡±

    ¡°Yo.¡±

    ¡°Emerald Crux?¡±

    ¡°Here I am.¡±

    Suddenly, she seems a little disappointed. ¡°I take it they were failures. The Armis, I mean.¡±

    Primo shakes his head. ¡°No, not all of them. Only the Third, Seventh, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, Twelfth, Thirteenth, and Savior...¡±

    She looks sad. ¡°Are they all dead?¡±

    ¡°No. The Eighth is still alive, and so is the Savior.¡±

    ¡°I guess that''s good.¡± She now speaks to the rest of us. ¡°I''m sorry I didn''t explain it before. Me and Alex aren''t exactly Real Magi... we do have magical talent, and are capable of Conversion, but our immense power comes from somewhere else. I put you in danger without thinking about that.¡± What is she talking about?

    ¡°Uh, excuse me, but who are you?¡± I think it was a perfectly legitimate question, but she spun around to face me, looking slightly offended.

    ¡°I thought it was obvious.¡± The woman puts on a smile. ¡°I''m the one who set all this up. I found the Thirteen Blades, created the Armis, brought you together to fight Shadowhand. It''s me, Echo Strife.¡±

 Chapter 24 (Echo)

    "Sorry I''m late. I had some business in the Phoenix Empire to finish up."

    Azul seems surprised to finally see me in person. They all seem pretty surprised, actually. ¡°Anyway, I''ll go collect Savior and Eighth. The cops will get Alex... King, later. You guys, head back to my house.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Baek voices confusion at my request.

    ¡°Come on, don''t just stand there. Go rest up and get healed. I''ll catch up.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay...¡± After hearing me say that, they stand up and leave immediately. I''ll think about what happens when I get back. So he was able to call out the Dragon of the Abyss this early... This just became a lot more complicated. Why was I unable to predict this?

    After collecting Savior and Eighth, I put them in new tubes so I could work on regenerating them and the others later. Forging more pseudo-souls is gonna be a pain... By now, Alex has been arrested. I make tea for all of us, and we sit down to talk about everything that had happened.

    ¡°...I see. Maybe I should have been a little more careful about all this.¡± I just think to myself quietly for a moment. I nearly got these kids killed, and without thinking about what kind of burdens they were already carrying... I know I can only do so much, but some of this mess is definitely my fault.

    ¡°I''m willing to assume Alexander talked a lot about things that happened in the past.¡±

    ¡°Who''s? Alexander, again?¡± Cleo says, puzzled.

    ¡°The one you know as the King of Shadowhand.¡± It''s Primo who answers the question.

    ¡°Did you know the King was your brother?¡± Trace asks.

    ¡°I knew Alex was up to something, since I hadn''t heard from him since we defeated CORE all the way back in 2000.¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°We?¡± Blue asks.

    ¡°Me, Rey, Indie, and Murasaki.¡± Shock and surprise can be seen on all their faces, almost as if to say, ''Oh my God, she''s famous!''

    Cleo is the first to say anything. ¡°Cool! You have to tell us! Tell us about--¡±

    I hold my hand up for silence. ¡°Maybe some other time. We''re getting off track. So, did Alex talk about CORE? About the DotA?¡±

    ¡°Dota?¡± Trace asks.

    ¡°The Dragon of the Abyss,¡± Emerald says. ¡°The criminal God banished. So, he''s real...¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± I say. ¡°You all know the story about the Dragon, don''t you?¡±

    ¡°Refresh my memory, please...¡± Baek says, raising his hand.

    ¡°Hmm... okay, listen up. In the beginning, on this planet, there were no humans. God''s plan was to watch and see if life would grow naturally, without any interference. However, two angels made physical bodies for themselves, came here, fell in love, and had twins. These angels are named V¨ªctima and Lapsis in the holy texts.When God saw what had happened in the physical realm, He was enraged. V¨ªctima and Lapsis were both banished. One to Hell, the other to the Abyss. Lapsis drifted in the endless darkness, feeding his hatred for God. The darkness, along with his hate, has turned him into The Dragon of the Abyss.

    ¡°I can tell you that that''s not just a myth or fairy tale. Everything in the original religious texts is true.¡± I let out a sigh and start to rub my head. This is such a pain... ¡°We Strifes are meant to keep him from gaining power by sealing fragments of him in our souls, but we lost the ability to do that in 2000. The fact that DotA appeared through my brother proves that he''ll have enough power to come into the real world, soon, and I won''t be able to send him back with my magic.¡±

    ¡°Does this mean...¡± Baek starts to ask a question, but I know what to say before he finishes the sentence.

    ¡°Yes. The Dragon will arrive in our world, fully restored, and destroy it...¡± Everyone gasps. Maybe I should have found a less scary way to say it, but it''s a little late to be thinking of that.

    ¡°We can''t let that happen!¡± Emerald shouts.

    ¡°Alright, alright. Listen, everyone. I believe DotA will reawaken in 2020, when the master seal in Dragon''s Cradle breaks... You can live normally until then, but when the time comes, I will need your help... I''m sorry, but will you fight alongside me and my comrades against the Dragon?¡±

    Everyone seems uncertain.

    ¡°It''s okay if you don''t have an answer right now, just keep it in mind.¡± I finish my tea. ¡°Alright, thanks for listening. I''m done with you guys for now, so ahead and live your lives. Good job. All of you.¡±

    And then, they leave, Primo goes to sleep, and I sit here in this house. Thinking to myself...

 Final Chapter (Emerald)

    So we go outside, all of us headed toward the bus stop. ¡°So, uh...¡± Azul starts to speak. ¡°We did it, I guess.¡± I didn''t really think about it until he said that, but he''s right. I was starting to feel like we didn''t accomplish much, but our efforts did save the city, for now. I can be happy about that.

    ¡°Guys, what are we going to do about what Strife just told us about, though? The Dragon... Should we be worried about that?¡± Cleo asks. She does have a point. 2020 isn''t that far away. Although I think we''re pretty powerful when we work together, DotA is no joke... I will prepare myself to confront him. Hopefully the others will do the same.

    ¡°Come on, let''s not talk about this stuff,¡± Trace says, grinning. ¡°We just did something awesome. Let''s celebrate!¡±

    ¡°So, what are we gonna do, Trace?¡± Baek asks. ¡°Are we going out to eat? Gonna see a movie?¡±

    ¡°I was thinking about inviting you all to my place, but I don''t know if my parents will come back early or not.¡± She shrugs. ¡°Sometimes they surprise me like that.¡±

    ¡°We could go over to my house,¡± Cleo says.

    ¡°We go to your house all the time...¡±

    ¡°I haven''t been to Cleo''s house. Neither have Baek, or Emerald,¡± Azul says.

    ¡°Oh, whatever. Let''s just go do something.¡±

    The bus finally arrives. As we get on and find seats, those three keep talking about what to do and where to go to celebrate. ¡°If we''re going to someone''s house,¡± Azul says, ¡°we should grab some snacks. Rent a movie or something.¡±

    ¡°I''m cool with that. What are we seeing?¡±

    ¡°Have you seen the movie for Precious Blue Child yet, Trace?¡± Azul asks.

    ¡°No, and I wasn''t really planning to.¡±

    ¡°Aw... come on, Trace, reconsider! I swear this one''s much better than the Abandoned Blue Child adaption.¡±

    Trace sighs, and admits defeat. ¡°Alright, alright. You pick it up from Video Hawk while we''re out. Don''t be surprised if I complain through the whole thing.¡±

    ¡°It''ll be good, Trace. You can bet on that,¡± Azul says, with confidence.

    ¡°Okay, then. I''ll pay you back for the rental if I enjoy it. Deal?¡± She extends her hand.

    ¡°Deal.¡± He takes her hand and shakes it. ¡°Alright,¡± Azul says, ¡°Let''s go to my place. I''ll ask Gramps if it''s okay. You guys haven''t met him and Miko yet, have you?¡± Trace and Cleo shake their heads. Azul starts to call his home.

    ¡°Hello? Gramps?¡± Azul has a short conversation with the person he calls ''Gramps''. ¡°Gramps is okay with it. You''re coming, right, Baek?¡± He nods. ¡°Emerald?¡±

    I''m surprised he''s inviting me. ¡°Oh... is it okay?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Why would it not be?¡± Azul says, smiling.

    I''m taken aback. What do I say? Has he forgotten what I said about getting revenge on Trace? ¡°It''s just that... I thought all of you hated me.¡±

    They all seem surprised, but Azul most of all. ¡°Hate you? Why? You haven''t done anything to wrong me, have you?¡±

    ¡°Well, no, but...¡±

    ¡°Then it''s okay, right?¡± he says, as if he truly has forgotten. No, it''s more like he''s chosen to disregard it. ¡°You guys know what I''m saying, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I get it,¡± Baek says.

    ¡°Yeah, it''s okay, Emerald,¡± Cleo says.

    ¡°Um, it''s alright, Emerald. Don''t worry about it.¡± It''s Trace, of all people, who says this.

    I feel a tear roll down my cheek. ¡°What''s wrong, Emerald?¡±

    ¡°Oh... ah, it''s nothing.¡± I quickly wipe it away. ¡°Thank you... so much. Forgive me for being overly dramatic.¡±

    With that, I decide to spend the night with these four. We buy nachos and popcorn, and watch the movie Azul rented. After watching it (Azul lost that bet, by the way), I somehow find myself talking to Trace.

    ¡°Trace, I found the movie surprisingly good.¡±

    ¡°That''s because you don''t know, man. They didn''t show the part where Mikal and his party bust out of Hell. That scene was badass, and important. Real stupid of them to cut it.¡±

    ¡°Oh, this is based on a book? I ought to read it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, man. Do you... oh, you can borrow mine.¡±

    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    ¡°What? Um, I, uh...¡±

    ¡°Come on, don''t be like that. I''ve read mine. Just come to my house with me later.¡±

    ¡°Trace, is it okay?¡±

    ¡°What? I just said--¡±

    ¡°No, that''s not what I mean!¡± I''m starting to blush... ¡°You trust me. You''ve started treating me like a friend, although you know that...¡±

    ¡°Well, Emerald, I was hoping we could put that behind us. I mean, don''t you?¡±

    I can''t form the words I want to say.

    ¡°So, yeah, Emerald. If you still want to kill me, come home with me and you''ll get your chance. It''ll just be you and me. No one even has to know it was you...¡±

    After some time, Trace goes home, and I follow her. We go to her room, and she gives me her book and everything, then, she sits and waits...

    There she is.

    There''s the girl who killed my friend.

    Who''s averted being found out by the police and everything.

    Here she is, looking at me. Offering her life as if it was nothing.

    And yet...

    ¡°...I can''t. I can''t do it.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Trace says, more dead serious than I''ve ever seen her.

    ¡°I''ve tried... I''ve tried so hard...¡± More tears. Why am I crying so much, today? ¡°I''ve tried to convince myself that you were a monster... I wanted so badly for you to just be another monster I could slay, but I can''t...¡±

    ¡°Ah, so you can''t do it. I''m... disappointed and relieved at the same time. It''s just that... I would have let you do it. Somewhere inside, I''ve felt I deserve to suffer and die for what I''ve done. Part of me still does. Wouldn''t it be fitting for the one who I''ve hurt the most to answer the dead''s cry for justice?¡±

    ¡°I''m done with this shit!¡± I shout. ¡°This craziness has gone on too long... I can''t take it anymore...¡± I start walking out of the room. ¡°Forget it, Trace. I will not kill you.¡±

    ...

    ...It''s now June. School will be ending, soon. I think about what I''ll do over vacation. While I had hung out with Trace and her friends over the year, I kept a bubble of sorts around myself, mostly hoping to keep from bringing up anything that would destroy these nice moments...

    On this last day of school, during lunch, I stand on the rooftop and look out over the city. It''s pretty quiet up here... but the silence doesn''t last long.

    ¡°Something told me you''d be up here.¡± It''s Trace. She followed me up here.

    ¡°What is it?¡± I try to sound as neutral as possible. I''m actually a bit irritated that Trace came to talk to me, but I can''t show her that.

    ¡°Nothin'' much. Just wanted to talk.¡± She comes closer and looks at my face. ¡°...but if you don''t want to, then--¡±

    ¡°It''s okay,¡± I say, quickly, before she starts to leave. With that, she smiles and walks toward me, looking down at the city below.

    ¡°It''s been one hell of a year, hasn''t it?¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh.¡± I hadn''t really thought about it until now, but yeah... she''s right about that.

    ¡°Have you been preparing? For... y''know.¡±

    ¡°In my own way, yes,¡± I say. ¡°What about you? You''ve been training, I assume?¡±

    She nods. ¡°Whenever I can. My initial plan was to just do nothing but train and research the Dragon over summer break, but... I don''t know.¡± She scratches her head.

    ¡°That''s what you''re going to do? All summer break? Just prepare for a fight that''s coming in two years? Surely, there must be something else.¡±

    ¡°Well, what are you going to do? Over summer break, I mean.¡±

    ¡°I was thinking of going toLumi¨¨re.¡± I look over at Trace and see her expression light up. There are a lotof people who thinkLumi¨¨reis a beautiful place, and I would always hear about people going tovisit. Although, not as much, nowadays... I heard something had happened, but... ¡°The original Chiesa del Salvato is there. Since I''m one of ''The Saved'', I figure I should visit it at least once. I''m sure it''s amazing, and I might even learn something.¡±

    Now, Trace''s expression is changing. I can see curiosity, but there''s also a bit of nervousness to it... a face you wouldn''t expect from her, of all people. ¡°...can I come with you?¡±

    I was half expecting it, but... ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I want to go toLumi¨¨rewith you. Is that okay?¡±

    I don''t know what to say. Should I just tell her ''no''? ¡°I don''t get it, Trace. Why do you want to come? Wouldn''t you be happier if you just stayed here with your friends? I''m not taking them with me, I can only afford one ticket toLumi¨¨re.¡±

    ¡°I can pay for my own ticket, so don''t worry about that. As for them, they''ll be okay without me, but you--¡± She stops.

    ¡°You''re worried about me?¡± I say, trying to be sincere. What''s going on with Trace that she would start worrying about me? Even if only for a second, I would like to peer into her mind and truly understand her.

    She shakes her head and starts to chuckle. ¡°It''s kinda hard to explain, sorry.¡± She smiles. ¡°Still, I think it would be good for me if I went... good for us.¡±

    Awkward silence. I try to figure out what she''s trying to tell me. She thinks it would be good for us? Does she just want to get closer to me? Suddenly, I come to this conclusion... ¡°You want me to forgive you. You know that''s not going to happen.¡±

    ¡°No, it''s not it.¡± She looks into my eyes. ¡°I just want to try and understand you, Emerald, and you to understand me. If I go on this journey with you, I feel like we might get that. No one has to forgive me for what I did, least of all, you, but...¡±

    I think I get it. She really is serious about this. She doesn''t need... doesn''t want to be forgiven, she just wants to move forward. I feel that I understand Trace a bit better, now. ¡°I see.¡± Seeing this, I reach my hand out towards Trace, and she takes it... ¡°Come with me, Trace.¡±

    A week passes as we make preparations for our trip. I made arrangements for where we''d be staying, the plane we''d be getting on, what we''d do there, what to bring with us, and other such things. The day has finally came for us to go. Trace''s friends are here to see us off. Primo isn''t here, though... I guess he could be busy. It''s too bad.

    ¡°Don''t worry, guys, I''m not leaving forever,¡± Trace says, with a smile.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Blue says, nodding. ¡°Just come back soon, okay?¡± He smiles back at her.

    ¡°...and be safe. Take care of yourselves,¡± Cleo says.

    ¡°See ya, Trace, Emerald, and bring us back something!¡± Baek says, grinning.

    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± I say, starting to smile, myself. ¡°Goodbye.¡± I start to board the plane.

    I look back one more time. They''re all shouting, ¡°Goodbye!¡± and waving at me and Trace.

    ¡°Bye! See you all later!¡± Trace shouts back, and waves.

    It brings a smile to my face. She''s been blessed with such good friends... and I guess they''re my friends too, now. ¡°Goodbye!¡± I wave back at them, holding back tears of joy, smiling brighter than I have in a long, long time...

    ¡°Come on, let''s go.¡± With that, we start to get on the plane that will take us toLumi¨¨re, and truly beginmoving forward...

 Some Thoughts

    So, well, there''s that. The first book, Young Magic Knight,now finished. If you''ve read it, thanks for sticking with it the whole way through, I

    You know, even after touching it up a bit, I still have... bittersweet feelings about it. You can still see where I was getting bored writing and just wrote stuff down, where I forced the story forward, where I didn''t know how I wanted to describe something or where I couldn''t think of a way for a character to speak a

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.