Chapter 22: Chapter 22

Hitori landed about a half hour ago with Reaper and Virgil. They flew out from Nova very early this morning, and arrived at the Rusted Pass around zero eight hundred local time. The pass ran through the isthmus connecting the Northwest and Southwest continents. The Umbra mountains lay to the north, separated more by culture than geography from the Yingshan mountains to the south.

Gods… this place again. Why am I always coming back here?

Some of Reaper’s spies spotted Dr. Magnus nearby a few days ago. The mysterious woman, back to wearing her hood and mask, was vague about her source of intelligence, but Hitori had a feeling she meant the birds. She’d been approached by one near as big as she was when they landed, and had a brief conversation with it in a strange language. Supposedly it was a common tongue amongst metafauna, similar to Mairtalan for humans.

Right now they were awaiting the Templar agents who would do the majority of work on this mission. All Hitori had to do was keep the Ex Stone out of Dr. Magnus’s hands, but never so far away the doctor might retreat to his hideout. They had no idea where the man was holed up, and the last thing they wanted was to risk a protracted search while he prepared his defenses.

His base isn’t that far from here. Kind of a strange place, though hunting it down is going to be the least of your worries.

Hitori practiced his newly discovered ability—which he named the FlashPoint Arte—while they waited, not that he needed to, but to pass the time. It literally does the opposite, but okay. He already picked out the techs he had most suited for it, though eventually he would need to rework his entire library.

As for FlashPoint, there weren’t many restrictions. He wouldn’t get tired or hungry, no matter how long he waited, and it was possible to fire off techs from that frozen moment. It was even possible to control how quickly time seemed to pass, thankfully.

The only side effect he noticed was a mild headache after spending too much time in there. It didn’t seem to get any worse no matter how much longer he stayed in, though he didn’t think he’d ever passed even a whole day. It did get very boring rather quickly.

On the subject of boring, Hitori turned to Reaper. “How much longer are your Templar going to take?”

Reaper looked at him and shrugged. “Depends on the weather. There’s a wind blowing east from here, and since our base is so far they can’t push the engine too hard or they might deplete the reserve. I don’t want us stuck on the ground with a dead helicopter while the Ex Stone is exposed.”

That was probably wise, he had to admit. Still it didn’t do much to relieve his boredom. He started to regret not bringing a teammate along, or even Bridget. He almost brought it up a few times, but kept getting a bad feeling about the suggestion. Eventually he ended up boarding the aircraft alone with Reaper and Virgil. They didn’t even take a Nova pilot.

Hitori surveyed the horizon. Nothing. He might as well satisfy a bit of curiosity. “What exactly is a Templar anyway?”

Reaper gave him a long look.

“What I mean is, you and Virgil are in the Templar, but neither of you look like Templar.”

“Ah, yeah, it is rather confusing,” Virgil said. His boss cut her eyes over to him. “Reaper is basically the leader, and his title’s been passed down through generations.” Virgil laughed. “Don’t rightly know how he’s supposed to pick a successor, given how small the operation is, but I guess that’s never been a problem. Now, me, I’m kind of a consultant, you could say. Reaper picked me up a while back because of M—“he coughed. “Cause of my experience.”

“In Tag Hunting?” Hitori asked.

“Ah, not exactly. I used to be a, uh, researcher.”

Hitori eyed him skeptically. That is sort of true, though I think he was more like a lab tech. “And the rest of the Templar.”

“Well, we’ve got lots of contacts here and there, and some staff at the base, but there’s actually only t—“

“There’s a small but reasonably sized number of true Templar.” Reaper said. She had a very hard glare for Virgil, who winced under the pressure. “Anyway, the Templar, asides from myself, consist of a group of people with a specially developed Vital Network. You could say it’s a direct upgrade from a Paladin Net.”

“The girls really are something else,” Virgil said. “A bit stuffy though.”

I’d wager they just find you annoying.

“On the subject,” Reaper said. “I’ve been informed they should arrive shortly.”

Hitori scanned the skies once more, this time finding a small black dot a few degrees above due east. It was approaching at a rapid pace, transforming into the distinct shape of a helicopter in only a few minutes. Not long after, they touched down in a large clearing a short distance away.

“Alright you two,” Virgil said. “Now that the girls are here I’ll go ahead and return Nova’s bird.”

Aw, is the little baby scurrying away before things get interesting? Probably for the best. Not sure I could resist the opportunity to pop your stupid head off.

“You’re not fighting with us?” Hitori said.

“Ah, you see,” Virgil said. He awkwardly scratched the back of his head. “I’m… not really the best at that kind of stuff, get in the way, usually.” He shrugged, then walked to the helicopter nearby. Before he jumped in he turned to Hitori and said, “G-good luck, kid.”

Hitori reluctantly returned his wave then faced Reaper. “He brings up a decent point, by means of running away.”

“Oh?” Reaper said.

“You said the Templar are some kind of enhanced Paladins, right? But I’ve seen them fight and never been super impressed. Do these Templar all have that death glare thing you mentioned?”

“No, and anyway, you’ve only seen Paladins neutered by long years under their dubious treaty,” Reaper said. She continued in a pleased voice, “Now, if you’ll allow me to demonstrate, a true Paladin fought a little something like this—”

Reaper disappeared with a thunderous crack, followed almost instantly by another off to the side. Hitori turned in time to see the top launch clean off a nearby boulder. As it toppled through the air, Reaper aimed her right arm at it. She flashed white, and a beam of light shot from her outstretched hand to the chunk of stone, blasting it apart.

Remind me to keep an eye on that one!

Hitori clapped. “Alright! That was totally badass! Are you saying the Templar are even stronger than that?”

“Ah, not exactly,” Reaper said as she walked back to him. “I… uh, they were improved more in non-combat matters, though a few centuries of refinement to offensive sigils improved their finesse and efficiency.”

“Still, I had no idea Paladins could be anywhere near that cool.” He laughed. “I should see if I can get E— ah, Chandra to take up that beam thing.” He smiled. “You can never have enough ranged attacks.”

“When this is done I can get you the token for it, though you might get Nova in trouble with the Temple if you use it too much.”

Hitori heard footsteps approaching, and turned in time to see a white haired woman enter the clearing. There were several more behind her.

“Showing off for the kid?” she said.

“Proving we can do our part,” Reaper said, she turned to Hitori and motioned toward the new fighter. “This is Satiah, she’ll be commanding the others.”

Hitori counted six Templar in total, with the one he met earlier, Ieset, absent from their ranks. The Templar didn’t wear much in the way of armor, though if they were as tough as Paladins it probably didn’t matter. Satiah had a strange silver case, like a cylinder with a handle. She passed it to Reaper.

The other Templar spent a minute introducing themselves, then left to take up positions nearby. They were going to ambush Dr. Magnus when he approached, and if possible Reaper was going to use a special ability she had to paralyze him, what Hitori called the death glare. After that they wouldn’t have any trouble getting back the Reaping Stone. That’s the plan, at least. Let’s see if we can’t make it more interesting.

 

---

 

Kimi had to admit, of all the things that happened since her first meeting with Morgan, this was the most surreal. It was also strangely beautiful. If anything would make… things worthwhile, it might very well be this.

She was sitting in a clear dome submerged underwater, waiting on a rocky outcropping above the sea floor. Morgan was attending to work of some kind, as evidenced by the glow of the crystal in her hands. It was the thing she decided to call the Keystone after one of Morgan’s long, rambley explanations. Apparently, according to their stalker Mihari, it was actually known as the Reaping Stone.

She liked her name better.

Well, whatever, wasn’t her problem. In fact, there was a good chance she’d seen the end of those. Her last task was making the plan they were about to execute. They were tipped off about an ambush from some mystery group called the Templar—an offshoot of the White Temple—and were going to turn it back on them. They were waiting for a signal from Morgan’s Shaping Stone, what Mihari called the Ex Stone.

Meanwhile, Kimi was free to enjoy the view. She turned about, taking in the scene. They weren’t far from the surface, so plenty of light filtered in from above. There wasn’t a great deal to see, as they were resting on the side of a steep undersea cliff, but there was a vast swarm of strange creatures darting to and fro about her. They had large, sleek bodies covered in silver scales. Morgan said they were called tuna, and people used to hunt them in vast quantities from the ocean.

She had never seen so much as a picture of one, or any fish really, but she enjoyed watching them.

“If you like it here,” Morgan said. “Then I bet you’d really love to go swimming in a coral reef.”

“You mean, like, out naked in the ocean?” Kimi said.

“You’d probably wear a suit of some kind, but yes. Once I’ve finished the whole world will be free to explore and settle again. This really is going to be for the best.”

“Not sure everyone’s going to agree.”

“Not at first,” Morgan said. “But, still. I hope you’ll, uh…” He felt Kimi glaring at him. “I know you’ll do well.”

Kim huffed, then settled into a cross legged position to wait. “Let me know when the fun’s about to start.” It didn’t take long before she sensed a stir from Morgan.

“It’s time,” he said.

“Alright.” Kimi rolled to her knees, pulling the Reaping Stone to a point in front of her eyes. She never used an arte like this before, one requiring a mental link, but since joining with Morgan she developed an intuitive sense for it. After a moment of focus she connected to the crystal.

A bounty of interesting options swam through her mind, and she selected one called “Vital Network Administrator Override.” The stone began to glow, and Kimi touched it to the ground beneath her.

“Wakey wakey, my friend,” she said.

 

---

 

On the bright side, Hitori wasn’t bored any more. He slipped around a tendril of grasping vines and cut it down at the source. Well, maybe he was a little bored. It turned out being able to stop time was pretty helpful. You haven’t even begun to see the potential.

Still, in the conventional sense, things were a lot more exciting. A minute or two after they broke the seal—something the Templar made to shield it from ambient malhahons—on the Ex Stone, the earth erupted in a wave of metaflora. It was at least as bad as the last moments of Monte Aldé.

The Templar were disrupted and scattered, though still able to communicate. It must have been through something other than the WebLine Arte, as Hitori himself was cut off from the world.

“Magnus knew we were coming,” Reaper said. She made a point to stick with Hitori during the chaos, and so far had managed to stay right on his tail. Which is rather annoying. For such a noodlely chick she’s surprisingly tenacious. I’m going to have to do something.

“Maybe he set up an alarm?” Hitori said.

Reaper shook her head. “It would take at least a day to prepare this, possibly more.”

Hitori shrugged. “In any case, we have to retreat. Did you reach Virgil?” They needed him, as the Templar helicopter was destroyed when the attack started.

“He’s ten minutes out. My agents will try to rendezvous down south, but if it comes down to it I want you to take the Ex Stone and get out of here.”

Okay, I hope they’re too distracted to notice a little glow coming out of the boy’s pocket.

Hitori laughed. “Honestly, I think I’m the one in the least amount of danger.”

Hey, Morgan!

“What’s with that look?” Reaper said

There’s a complication. That Reaper woman I warned you about is still with the boy, and the stone.

“Ah, you know, got a weird feeling, is all,” Hitori said. “Like my malhahons are draining faster than normal.”

The sea? Yeah, I think I can.

“Could that arte of yours be doing it?”

Hitori and Reaper skirted around a whipping tendril. Before Hitori could answer her question he found himself launched forward by his Dash Tech. Reaper snapped next to him a moment later as they both continued to run.

“Why’d you turn east?” Reaper said.

Hitori frowned. “It… uh, seemed like a good idea at the time? It’ll get us a little closer to the helicopter, at least.”

Reaper gave him a dubious look, but continued to follow. They reached the sea a few seconds later, near where the land fell sharply into the water. Hitori stopped, and took a moment to inspect their surroundings.

“Hey, it looks like the vines haven’t made it here,” Hitori said. He quickly double checked. “Yeah, I bet the Templar—“

Hitori was interrupted by a deafening crash of ocean waves. He turned in time to see a massive form rise from the sea, buried under a torrent of water. A small black figure emerged from the deluge, followed quickly by the scaled head of a Leviathan.

A-aren’t you overdoing it a little?

The titanic beast surged from the water, mounting the cliff wall with massive claws. It was easily the biggest creature Hitori had ever seen. Even the Sandworm paled in comparison, barely longer than its tail, and not quite as thick. Its hind legs were buried underwater, propping it up as the giant peered over the land.

When it spotted Hitori and Reaper, it opened its maw, rows of jagged teeth glistened in the sun. Even from this great distance he could hear the rush of wind down its throat. Then it roared. Or perhaps it would be better to say it exploded a sound out of its mouth. The force slammed the pair into the rock behind them.

Reaper turned to Hitori. “Go! Get inland!” She picked him up. “I’ll hold it off as long as I can!” Then tossed him over the stone barrier.

Follow the boy, I’ll meet you there.

Hitori hit the ground and rolled directly into his Dash Tech. He felt an earth shattering roar, dodged a few tumbling stones, then heard a great rending of earth. The cacophony of battle soared as he increased his distance. His only reassurance was the periodic crack he recognized from Reaper’s beam attack. It sounded now more like a pop from a toy gun, but at least meant Reaper still lived.

Hitori slipped between a pair of boulders into a level clearing. He was about to fire off a Dash Tech when a small Seitojin girl dropped in front of him. She watched him with keen eyes.

Morgan! You are… much cuter than I expected.

For some reason the young girl blushed and turned away.

Yes, we have business to attend to. But first, I need you to… give the boy a bit of a fright.

“What are you doing here?” Hitori yelled. “You have… to….” Ah, he figured it out.

Hitori activated FlashPoint, prepared to fire off a tech to counter whatever attack the possessed girl would make. His goal was to slip by and evade long enough for Reaper and the Templar to regroup. Morgan was greatly weakened by the Curse Arte, but one percent of godlike was still overwhelming.

Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he doesn’t fight back.

A change came over the girl, her face relaxed and she turned back to face him. Her eyes looked on with detached interest, more analytical than cunning. She waved an arm towards him, a trail of black mist billowing from her fingertips.

Hitori felt a spike of panic. The world didn’t slow down. He tried to activate his FlashPoint again, but got no response. He would do it the old fashioned way then, by turning aside and pushing into his Dash Tech. Sorry kid, but I got work to do and you’re in the way. Nothing. His Vital Net complained about interference in their connection, and would he please wait a minute for it to diagnose the problem.

He didn’t have a minute. A cloud of spikes materialized around him, aimed at his heart. They shot forward.

He felt a pull on his hand.

 

---

 

“Sorry little one,” she said. “Eve and her brother won’t be able to keep you company today.”

I looked up at her and pouted. “Why not?”

You are reading story Nova: Omega at novel35.com

She smiled and patted me on the head. “They are with Lord Taira at the other estate.”

“Why?”

“Aren’t you awful curious?” She chuckled and pinched my cheek. “But I don’t know.” She shrugged. “It’s not our place to question Taira-Kaicho. Anyway, you shouldn’t have to stay long today. Your father—assuming he didn’t get lost in his workshop again—will be along to pick you up shortly.”

I slumped my shoulders. “Alright.”

“That’s my girl. For now, why don’t you work on that story you were telling me.” She grinned. “I’m excited to hear the next adventure of Ghost-Mom.”

A ripple of confusion.

I was kneeling at a low table in front of a few loose sheets of paper. Mom left a while ago to do her rounds, and Dad, of course, was already an hour late. Before I could pen my next few lines, I was interrupted by a popping in the distance. I sat up and canted my head.

The noise grew louder, and was joined by a jumble of other sounds, including a great deal of shouting and panicked screams. A woman burst into the room and slammed the door behind her. A ring of bright red surrounded a gash in her dress, growing ever wider as blood seeped into the fabric.

She locked eyes with me and cried, “Maia! You have to—“

She was cut off by a sword piercing the doorway. It cleaved through her arm and torso, scattering blood and limb across the room.

Confusion. Panic. The scene splintered into a maelstrom of images then faded into shadow.

“Wait here kid,” someone said. “It’s… you’ll… be alright.”

The voice was indistinct, echoing in the strange darkness I found myself. How long had I been out? The last thing I remember… was going to see Virgil, for some stupid reason. I was going to tell him I decided to name the boy—

“Hitori!”

A vision of a dim room flashed in my mind. A middle aged man stood before me, obscuring a high table. A woman in white, a Paladin, was working on something laid on top. Or someone.

“Mama!”

A surge of emotions washed over me—terror, anxiety, dread—like an electric current. Something from outside my own heart. Suddenly, the world came into focus. I was struggling to break free from someone’s grip, frantically trying to reach the woman on the table.

My body seemed to be in thrall to an overriding impulse as it turned up to look up at the man holding me. “Let me go!”

That… that wasn’t my voice.

And this… wasn’t my body. I felt panic well up, this time my own. I had somehow become… connected to a small child, around three or four. We could share senses, but I seemed to be utterly incapable of affecting his actions. It was hard to process, and even though he moved by his own will, it felt very much like I shared his actions.

The man holding us back was familiar. Foster? He was much older than I remembered. What in the hells happened to me?

The boy managed to wiggle free, and scrambled to the side of the table. I could see now it was a kind of bed, like could be found in a Temple clinic. The woman on top was badly mauled. Even now, blood trickled from her open wounds. The Paladin was desperately working to stem the flow.

“Mama…”

The Paladin looked at me with sad eyes, then glanced at Foster. “He should… be with her.”

A few seconds later, I felt myself pulled up and held beside the injured woman’s head. I looked down at her and a jolt of alarm struck my heart.

It was… I was…

“Maia,” Foster said softly. He tapped her shoulder with his free hand. “Y-your son…”

I drew my knees onto the table and pulled her hand into my own. She looked at me, skin pale and clammy, eyes vague and unfocused. “Hey… little… bird…” She gave me a weak smile, and reached for me. Her fingers brushed my face before slipping away and falling to the table.

“M-mom?”

I touched her cheek. The last of its warmth and color gone. She… I…

The boy wailed in pain. I could feel tears run from his eyes.

An echo of sorrow. Long forgotten despair brought to light. The scene fell apart, dissolving into a blur of sight, sound, and sensation. It slowly reconstituted into a vision of a dark tunnel.

I was descending deep into the cave. The men broke though that morning, and after taking a quick survey, they cleared it for the research team. I was dangling below Alcubierre, a Southerner we hired once we discovered this facility was connected to his enigmatic people. He didn’t speak much, but was hardy and thoughtful.

I was not the best at rappelling, but I didn’t want to wait until we finished the scaffolding to get inside. It took several minutes before reaching the bottom, and when we did, my heart pounded from a mixture of exertion and excitement.

This was it, this was the source of the strange phenomenon I discovered, and we were finally about to make it inside. What we found today could change the course of the whole planet, or more. I couldn’t help but tremble in anticipation.

“Doing alright, boss?” Alcubierre said to me with a playful grin.

I nodded, but was unable to articulate a response. He chuckled, then lead us deeper in. I followed the light of his torch a half hour, before the tunnel opened into a colossal chamber. Inside was the front entrance to the vast facility we discovered months ago. The rear entrance proved impossible to breach, and we’d been forced to dig around for another way in.

The towering edifice before me was built with something that appeared to be glass, but initial testing—and the pile of stones leaning against it in some places—revealed it to be some extraordinary material similar to what we found on the other side.

Alcubierre pointed at a cluster of symbols arranged above the door. “It says this is called the ‘Eternal Archive’”—he shrugged—“more or less.”

We continued into the facility, thankful this entrance wasn’t locked. To our surprise the lights came on as soon as we entered. I didn’t have time to wonder, however, as I was here on a mission. I pulled out the malhahon detector I developed, and followed the signal deeper into the complex.

Alcubierre stuck close, reading off various signs and placards as we passed. This place was some manner of museum, although the exhibits were of items well beyond our level of technology. Historians were going to have a field day when they found out about it.

The trail of malhahons lead me through a large room, containing, amongst other things, a full sized mirror. Curiosity drew me in, wondering why such a plain looking item was on display. Also it had been months since I lived out of something other than a ratty tent, and I worried I looked too haggard for such a momentous day.

I took a moment to examine myself. My dark hair was indeed as sorry as I feared, in desperate need of both a trim and a wash. My skin was covered in a fine layer of reddish dust, but at least gained a healthy tan from long days at the dig site. I’m sure the dark circles under my eyes weren’t doing my plain face any favors.

“Dr. Magnus?” Alcubierre said. I turned to look at him.

Shock. Bewilderment. The scene fractured. Time slipped forward. A pair of concentric rings stood on a raised platform, a dark haze bound within. The vision blurred, resolving into the backdrop of a cloudy Seitojin day.

A young girl pulled me along by the hand. She had a pleasantly round face, with well defined cheeks and a button nose. She was also well built for a child, although given she was hunting Slinkers down in the waterway when she found me, that wasn’t much of a surprise.

“How long have you been living down there?” she asked.

“Long as I can remember,” I said.

“Oh…. Was that lonely?”

I shrugged.

We neared a ten story building. Nothing about it stood out from its neighbors, but the girl dragged on with confidence so I supposed this was our destination. We went up three floors and down a short hall then stopped in front of a door.

Before she could take me inside, I wiggled my hand free and asked, “Why?”

She looked at me quizzically.

“A-are you really….” I motioned to myself.

She canted her head. “Taking you home?” I nodded, and she answered, “Well, you’re hungry, right?”

“I- I… can’t—“

“Of course you can.” She grabbed me by the arm, and led me into her house. “Momma taught me how to make sandwiches, so we can have some of those. Do you like ham?” Before I could reply she started walking again and said, “But before that, you look like you could use a warm bath. Let me start one for you.”

She pulled me into a smaller room, with a large basin on one side, and several stone articles arranged around the edges. Mounted on the wall above the tallest one was a reflective plane. I’d never seen anything like it, except perhaps in an especially still pool of water outside.

The girl parked me in the middle of this room and moved to a set of metal faucets. While she worked on them I was mesmerized by the reflection. The image cast through it was so clear, I felt I could almost jump through into another world. I approached it, using a handy stool to prop myself up high enough to see inside.

I saw a young girl looking back at me with dark green eyes. Her features were unremarkable, wholly unlike those of the girl who brought me here. I supposed this was myself.

Hitori was struck by a jolt of alarm, and he became aware of himself. This was the girl who dropped in front of him at the Rusted Pass, if somewhat younger. Why he was looking out from her eyes was a mystery. In fact, what he was doing and where he was were both equally bewildering.

Something happened to him. He only hoped he had enough time to figure it out.

 

---

 

The small body of the girl toppled to the ground at her feet. Was it more like Morgan’s body? Mihari wasn’t entirely sure. It seemed Kimi, the young woman, was more alive than expected. No matter, she had what she needed, and if a few sacrifices had to be made, so be it.

With Morgan’s mostly involuntary assistance, Mihari finally found a way to her freedom. She could even maintain the special power her sister squandered. That wasn’t all she found, however. While she was plundering the old ghost’s memories she discovered a device he created, the Unity Crystal.

With it, her wild ambition wouldn’t be so implausible. In fact, it might even be too easy.

Though before she could attend to that, she first had to deal with the dark cloaked woman who dropped in. It seemed Reaper managed to break away from the Leviathan. Judging by the sounds in the distance Mihari assumed other Templar agents leapt into the fray in her stead.

As Mihari looked at the Duroterran woman, she was struck by a memory, an old one from the doctor. “Alvina?” she said. She laughed, giggled even. “Ah, I’d forgotten what it felt like to speak, to hear my own voice. Not that the sound is quite right…”

Reaper stepped back. “Morgan! What have you done?”

“No, no, I’m not your old colleague. Though I must say I’m surprised on his behalf to see you alive. However did you manage that? Something to do with your nanotechnology?”

Reaper drew a folded spear from her back, swinging it so it clicked into shape. A light rippled over the joint. “What are you? And what have you done to Hitori?”

“Straight to business? Well, before we get to that, there is one final piece I need.” Mihari kneeled over Kimi’s body. The already small girl was withered even further, now little more than a bag of fragile bones. A deathly pallor hung over her skin. She was not quite so wasted a few minutes ago, but Morgan’s battle with Mihari sapped the last of her strength.

Mihari plucked a crystal from a pouch on the girl’s waist, tucking it away into the satchel on her back.

“Now, I know you’re here looking for that,” Mihari said. “But I have need of it myself, you see. Perhaps I’ll return it when I’m finished.”

Reaper launched forward, the half moon blade of her spear slicing through the space Mihari’s head had been a millisecond earlier. Mihari herself was now by the edge of the clearing.

She laughed. “Alvina, you really are a feisty one, aren’t you? Impulsive too. It seems you still haven’t learned your lesson. Perhaps I can offer additional instruction.” Mihari moved her left hand to the hilt of her blade.

The boy never learned the secret of this weapon, but she remembered it well. In a smooth motion she split her sword into its twin, the second made of glowing silver. A string of grey light joined them together.

Reaper attacked again, although this time she found herself tangled in hundreds of needle thin strands of a shimmering metal. Most of them shattered on impact, though a few were driven a short depth into her skin. Mihari once again slipped out of reach. Reaper wrested herself from the nest of spines with little effort and the material dissolved in a glimmering wave.

“Half the secret to my success, really,” Mihari said, gesturing to her swords. “My father made them, and they’re quite suited to me.” She smiled. “Now, as for your questions. First, it’s rude to ask a woman ‘what’ they are, rather than who. Taira Hitori-Gensui, by the way. And second, it’s not what have I done to Hitori, it’s what am I going to do for him. And the answer to that is, ‘What I should have a long time ago.’”

Mihari bowed, then whipped away. A rain of daggers blocked the path behind her.

Alright Aunt Mihari, I have to admit, that was pretty cool. Now give me back my body.

Mihari frowned. “You have got to be kidding me.”

 

---

 

Alvina watched Hitori disappear behind a shower of silver blades. Or rather she watched the body of Hitori disappear, the fate of the boy himself was in question. Whoever that was knew Alvina’s secret, but Alvina herself had no insight into the strange character.

Part of her felt she needed to go after him, to prevent the woman from possessing both the Ex Stone and the Reaping Stone. There were a lot of great and terrible things that could be done with them. On the other hand, her mysterious enemy made a good point. She had far too often let short sighted impulse guide her actions, to disastrous result.

For now, at least, she would regroup, and gather what intelligence she could. She looked to the emaciated body of the young Seitojin girl. Perhaps Virgil could get something.

She turned her head, taking in sounds from the distance. There was a great splash of water, and a rhythmic beat in the air. She tapped behind her jaw, opening a channel with her Templar.

“Satiah,” Alvina said. “What’s the situation?”

“Whatever impetus drove the Leviathan is gone.” The voice carried no further than her ear. “It has returned to the sea. The team is mostly intact, asides from Isesu’s missing arm. Virgil just passed overhead, flying high, and should arrive shortly. We will rendezvous at your location in five.”

Alvina looked to the sky. Sure enough, she spotted a helicopter approaching from above. He’d gone far out of the way to avoid potential attacks from the monstrous sea creature. The aircraft descended slowly, eventually taking a position above. There wasn’t enough room in the clearing to land, so they’d have to get in and out by jumping.

“Virgil, I’m going to send Satiah up to take the controls,” Alvina said. “I need you down here to check on something.”

A short time later the Templar were assembled. Alvina quickly described her recent experience.

“What happened to Hitori!” Virgil said.

“I am unsure, but we can discuss that later, for now there’s something I want you to do.” Alvina motioned to the Seitojin woman on the ground. “Can you get any information from her. Yes, I know, normally you can’t get memories, but she died only recently so a few might be intact. We need to know as much as possible before our next move.”

Virgil gave her an apprehensive look, but nevertheless took a knee next to the girl. He pinched a spot near his neck, as though plucking an invisible needle off a translucent string. A faint glow shimmered in his fingers as he brought his hand to the base of her skull. He closed his eyes and canted his head as though in thought.

After a few seconds he turned to Alvina, a puzzled look in his eyes. “She’s not dead.”

“What do you mean?” Alvina said. “Her Vital Net is completely gone.”

Virgil leaned his ear down to the girls chest. “Her heart’s still beating, just barely.” He sat back up. “As for her head, well, there’s something going on in there, but I couldn’t tell you what.”

Alvina frowned, studying the young Seitojin woman with a mix of concern and curiosity.

“Do you think we can save her?” Virgil said.

“I doubt it. This girl needs intensive care to survive long enough for her Vital Net to reform. I doubt anyone has the necessary supplies and equipment, except maybe the White Temple.”

Virgil glanced to the side, then back. “Nova has decent facilities, or at least they did twenty years ago.”

Alvina looked around. Whatever force captured the Nova Mercenary could be taking him, and the stones, almost anywhere. She was worried what the mysterious woman might be up to, but it would take time to figure out how to use the stolen artes to any great effect. She sighed. “Very well. We’ll probably need their help anyway.”

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