Welcome back everyone! I'm glad how positive reception to the first chapter was, since it was great motivation for me to know you enjoyed the start of the story and the idea behind it. The title itself was well accepted, which for those who've yet to figure it out, is both a reference to Shido's role and a pun. The term spiritual successor is often tied to video games, so the name was perfect due to the Spirits of DAL.
So, now that we've started Ch 2? Here's some important yet non-spoiler info for the story I need to share. Mayuri and all of the game Spirits (except Rio, since she's linked to Rinne) are all tied to the Sephirot just like the canon ones are, but how they are I can't reveal just yet. While it isn't exactly a spoiler in itself, it is something that will be said in a later reveal, and may reduce its impact if I mentioned it now.
The only details about them that I can mention are they won't be using their canon Angels, considering that Ain Soph resembles Eden based on V18, while Kerubiel is... well considering what it took to beat it in the movie? That apparently sentient Angel is way too OP to keep around. Likewise, this also means Maria and Marina have official Angels of their own, though Rio herself will lack one due to her eventual role.
The two positions I can mention are Mio and Shido's, due to them not being the same as canon. For Mio, represents Ain Soph, due to how her Angels are often defined as "0 - Ain Soph Aur", "00 - Ain Soph", and "000 - Ain", with Ain Soph's two zeroes also working to represent Infinity, which links to how Ain Soph is related to God's power. For Shido, he represents the Abyss, a mysterious part of the Sephirot you can't directly see.
Also, for anyone that's worried about Mio's strength making things to one-sided for most of the story? I've made sure to take care of that so she won't be. This is both initially for reasons you'll see in this chapter, and other reasons that will apply for most of the story, both in regards to Mio's use of her powers and how the villainous group receives any attacks tied to her Reiryoku and/or Angels.
Now with all of that out of the way, let the chapter begin!
«» - Character Information
「」 - Insert Song Beginning or Ending
【】 - Voice made by an Announcement or through an Announcer
『』 - Electrical Voice or Machine Speaking
Chapter 2 - To You, 30 Years from Now
Mio's eyes slowly began to open, making Shido see her beautiful blue orbs. To his shock, she had the same whitened pupils that the kids of his generation did.
"Hey, are you alright?" Shido asked.
"Hmm?" Mio mumbled.
Trying to focus her vision, Shido's blurry form began clearing up... making Mio gasp.
"Shin... is that you?" She asked quietly.
And with that, Mio blacked out once again.
'My god, that was dad's nickname back when he was my age... this is the same girl.' Shido realized.
With this knowledge in mind, Shido immediately decided he wouldn't leave her here and quickly picked Mio up before positioning her on his back... then blushing as he felt her giant oppai pressing against it, struggling to contain his male hormones.
'Real in your attractions Shido! If your parents really do know this girl, then this girl looks younger than her 40's, possibly 30's like they do!' He told himself.
He slightly sunk his teeth on his tongue, letting the mildly painful sensation distract him from Mio's huge breasts.
"OK... now that I've got this done, let's get back to finding Kotori." Shido stated.
Shido quickly ran off, heading towards the location of Danny's as he failed to notice the signs of the second Spacequake ripple behind him. As he fled, the sight of Ellen and DEM's Elite wizards, better known as the Adeptus Security Team (or AST for short) was seen flying into view.
The group of wizards slowly began to hover into the area, trying to locate Mio's position as they looked around. As they did, Ellen could be fully seen, showing her to be a beautiful young woman with light Nordic blonde hair, purple-colored eyes with black pupils, pale skin, and a slender body.
Ellen furrowed her brows slightly, noticing no signs of Mio, which quickly confused her.
"I don't see her anywhere in this area. There's no way she could have fled or teleported from here, especially with how we timed our arrival... so why isn't she here?" She thought aloud.
«Ellen Mira Mathers»
Age: 47
Height: 160 cm
B/W/H: 100/60/87
Blood Type: O+
One of her fellow wizards flew by, having black hair styled in a ponytail with black eyes, having a similar appearance to Mana, but with a slightly more mature face.
"Captain Maters, are we sure that the system didn't get a false alarm?" She asked.
"I'm sure of it Ryouko, because a white Spacequake is only possible if it's purely made of Reiryoku, and Mio is the only Spirit who's capable of causing that result." Ellen replied, confirming the legitimacy of the missing Spirit.
Ryouko rubbed her chin slightly, wondering how Mio could have disappeared so suddenly.
«Ryouko Kusakabe»
Age: 27
Height: 157 cm
B/W/H: 82/59/88
Blood Type: A-
However, seeing the incoming ripple of the second Spacequake, Ryouko gasped as an idea hit her.
"Captain, recall how the white Spacequake was second to be detected? What if that's caused some kind of dimensional warping that's keeping her from our world until the original one goes off?" She suggested.
"In other words, you think Mio may have not appeared in her Spacequake because the distortions of the first caught her and left her energy to release her Spacequake without her? Unusual... but maybe not impossible." Ellen thought aloud, contemplating the possibility.
"Let's see if we can verify this then." Ryouko decided.
Ellen nodded before taping one of the wrist bands of her armor, opening contact with Westcott.
『"I have a feeling while you're calling. Couldn't find where Mio was?"』 He guessed.
"Yeah, and Ryouko things that-" Ellen answered.
『"No need to worry about any theories you might have, our satellites are clearly giving us the marker tied to Deus. She's definitely here. As for why you can't find her? Well, I think you'll need to see it to believe it."』 Westcott explained.
Ellen and Ryouko looked confused by that, but the Wizard duo decided to trust in Westcott's words as Ellen formed an interactive screen from her Realizer.
Seeing the dot registering as [Deus] moving around, she tapped it to zoom in and reveal Shido carrying Mio on his back.
"Wait... isn't that Shin's son I'm seeing right now? Why is he even outside during a Spacequake alert, much less carrying Mio on his back?" Ellen questioned, justifiably confused.
『"It seems that Deus' arrival was detected much earlier than our systems picked it up by Salamandra and Angel, causing both to collapse right after the first alarm went off. I think you can tell why he came out here if you check the other readings."』 Westcott explained.
Pausing a bit, Ellen undid the zoom on Deus' location before noticing it nearing another dot that said [Salamandra] over it... which was frozen in front of Danny's.
"Of course, she never got to the shelters! He was out here because he was trying to save her." Ellen realized.
"If that's the case, then I think we can ignore Deus for now. His son will most likely bring her to his house." Ryouko stated.
"Right, let's focus on the Spirit that's about to arrive." Ellen agreed.
Ryouko nodded and tapped her wrist, making her CR-Unit begin reading the signals before immediately blinking as it let her detect the spatial distortions.
"I'm confirming a high Maryoku reading a few yards from our location, right in the epicenter of the first Spacequake. The estimated time of its arrival is 2 minutes!" She warned.
"Alright AST, relocate to a safe distance and ready your territories!" Ellen ordered.
All 10 Wizards flew away until they were registered at a safe distance by their Realizers, then immediately set up barriers made from translucent green hexagons. It was right then that two minutes passed.
Just as predicted, the Spacequake ripple spiked into the ground, causing the usual black-colored Spacequakes to go off.
Shido's eyes turned in response, sighing in relief as he confirmed it was also too far away from Danny's to harm Kotori.
"OK, going to hurry... like right now!" He reminded himself.
Pushing his leg muscles once again, Shido rushed towards the diner to save his childhood friend before anything worse could happen to either of them.
Within the Spacequake Shelter that was exclusive to Shinji and Mana, the two were respectively working on his Laptop and reading one of her cooking magazines to pass the time.
After a few more minutes, a light went off that got the duo's attention.
【"Attention! The Spacequake has passed and the Spirit has been confirmed to be far enough away, you may all return to your homes until the Spirit is Lost or nears the area. I repeat!"】
Gathering everything in his bag, Shinji stood up.
"Guess that's our cue." He stated.
"I wonder how long we'll have to wait before everyone else can leave the shelters? The Spacequake did happen as Shido and Kotori were leaving school." Mana mentioned.
"Yeah... things like that always remind me of the secret we have to keep." Shinji replied, followed by a sigh.
Mana went silent at that.
"We really need to work on not depressing ourselves so easily..." She remarked.
Shinji nodded at that.
After running for a while, Shido stopped to catch his breath as he finally made it to the area where Danny's was located, partially due to the weight Mio added to his back... which was ironically much lighter than Kotori's.
'How is that possible? This girl seems to be about... 50 kg heavy?' He thought, unaware that was exactly right.
Shido eventually reclaimed enough air to remove the weight he felt on his lungs, using the moment to skim through the area for his childhood friend. After a minute or two, he finally gazed his eyes on what he was looking for.
Laying unconscious across the ground with her phone in hand, which had stayed on since she passed out, was the sight of Kotori with a flush face... and emitting steam?
"Huh?" Shido blinked, wondering what the steam was about.
"G-Gevu..." Kotori panted, still unconscious.
Raising an eye, Shido walked over to touch her... only to yelp in pain as a burning sensation struck his hand.
"What the hell!?" He loudly winced, blowing on his hand.
Shaking the brief pain out, Shido looked at Kotori, now completely unsure of how to help her with what was going on. He didn't even notice that Kotori was in a very similar position to what Origami's had looked like when she collapsed.
It was as if both had the same experience, with Kotori barely having enough time to call him before she ended up collapsing.
"Think Shido, how are you going to carry her home?" Shido asked himself.
After saying that, the sound of crickets chirping followed as he realized something important about carrying Kotori back home.
How was he going to carry two people?
"I really didn't think that through, did I?" Shido admitted, scratching his cheek.
Deciding to look around for an answer, he found an empty cart near Danny's, most likely having been meant to carry a food delivery from a track, but was left behind by whoever had been using it when the alarm went off.
"Ah, that works." He smiled.
Wincing painfully as he dragged Kotori into the cart, then waving his hand to help cool them off afterwards, Shido began pushing it towards home.
"Oh yeah... you're definitely heavier Kotori!" He grunted, struggling to move it.
As he worked to get everyone back to his house, Shido failed to notice Mio instinctively hugging him closer and Kotori's hand twitch as it briefly emitted a weak flame.
Back inside Rindouji High's Spacequake shelter, Tamae was looking over Origami as she released slow, heavy breaths from her mouth. Placing a wet cloth over her head, she noticed Origami didn't look any better than before.
"I can't even tell how bad she really feels, it just looks like she's fatigued or something close to narcoleptic." Hiroto remarked.
"Well, while doesn't seem serious, it does seem like she's suffering." Tamae replied.
Whimpering a bit, Origami's head turned to the side before something strange happened. Everyone gasped as they saw her emit a weak aura of light from her body, but not like the kind that the people of her era normally used.
"Has anyone ever seen a Seirei Ability like this?" Ai questioned, finally naming the term used by such people.
"I don't think anyone from the Seirei Era has shown something like this." Mai mentioned, similarly confused.
"Yeah, it seems more like... photons maybe?" Mii guessed.
As this was going on, Hiroto looked towards Saya... only to notice her face had been frozen with shock.
"Saya, is something wrong?" Hiroto asked.
"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry, what were you asking me?" Saya replied, regaining her focus.
"Are you OK?" Hiroto asked.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. Just feeling a little distracted by Origami's aura." She answered.
Hiroto shrugged as he accepted the answer, going back to his phone's Dating Sim.
After pushing the kart for he knew how long, Shido finally made it back to his house, giving a tired and awkward smile at the small achievement.
"Yes... I made it!" He panted, struggling to breathe.
Luckily, by this point of pushing Kotori, it seems her steaming had vanished, showing that her burning temperature was now only hot enough to make Shido feel a bit uncomfortable in the already warm Spring temperatures.
Picking her up, Shido winced (this time due to the weight) as he walked himself to the large L-shaped couch in the area linking the living room and kitchen. He put Kotori down on one side and then Mio on the other.
"OK, no longer holding anyone... let's check on why she's so unbearably warm." Shido panted, looking at Kotori.
He got a blanket and put it over Kotori, helping her tuck in, then got a towelette he ran under the sink water. Placing it on her head, Kotori's face smiled lightly as she felt some relief.
Grabbing a thermometer and holding it over her forehead, he checked her temperature and saw it was...
"Weird, she feels hot yet she's at usual normal 37°C on the thermometer." Shido noticed, scratching his head.
"G-Gevu..." Kotori breathed.
He was confused, though at that moment, he noticed his phone ringing with Ai's number. Taking it out, Shido answered it.
"Shido speaking, what's up Ai?" He answered.
『"Thank goodness, did you get to Kotori before the Spacequake went off?"』 Ai replied.
"Well, no... but the Spacequake didn't go off near Danny's, so I still got to Kotori." He admitted.
『"Glad to hear that, so where are you right now?"』 Ai questioned.
"My house, since there wasn't any way for me to get back into the shelters. How's everyone doing in there?" Shido answered.
『"Origami's collapsing took a weird turn, she glowed like a light bulb for a while."』 Ai revealed.
Shido briefly paused at that, which Ai noticed.
『"Is... there something wrong?"』 She questioned.
"Oh, sorry. That just sounds a lot like what happened when I found Kotori. Well, in her case she was burning like a tea pot, but it seems like that's why she was unconscious. The weirdest thing is I checked her temperature and it showed the usual 37°C on the thermometer." Shido explained.
『"Really? That's weird not just weird, it sounds like... sorry, I've gotta go!"』 Ai replied.
"Wait... Ai, don't tell me you're-" He realized.
The sound of the phone beeping followed as she hung up, leaving Shido to just stand there before he closed his phone.
"Really should have seen that coming..." Shido admitted.
He sat himself on the couch by Mio, trying to think to himself about what Ai had just told him.
'Ai does have a point... why did Origami and Kotori collapse in such a similar manner? I'd say it was the Tenguu Fire, but I was fine, so that can't be the reason.' Shido thought, trying to come to figure out an answer.
He had little time to think before Mio suddenly whimpered, making him look at her as she saw her eyes try to open up... which quickly made him blush as her outfit faded.
'Oh no, I can't see her naked! Think Shido!" He panicked.
Looking around for an answer, he recalled he was still wearing his school uniform and immediately took it off, using the fact boys often had their shirts off when swimming to his advantage.
When it came off, Shido showed he was fairly lean and fit, having a noticeable six-pack on him.
Immediately throwing his arms out, he got his School uniform onto Mio, not even bothering to button it up (due to her gifted chest making it too small for her) due to it covering all the important parts.
As her outfit of light finally disappeared, she turned to face him, with her eyes starting to flutter open.
"Hey, are you OK?" Shido asked.
Mio squinted a bit as she looked at him, her hazy vision staying for a moment until it began to clear. Once it did? She froze in place, making her eyes tear up as she covered her mouth.
"Shin..." She cried, giving a happy sniffle.
"Hmm?" Shido inquired, blinking slightly.
Mio immediately jumped on him, making Shido scream as he fell onto the floor with a slight thud. While he was about to say something, he quickly felt Mio hugging him.
"Shin! I can't believe it, I'm still here... I kept my promise!" Mio cried.
"Uh... really hate to do this, but-" Shido replied.
At that moment, Mio finally registered the sound of his voice, opening her eyes as she saw where she was.
While it was similar, it wasn't the same home she recognized.
To be specific, it looked to be a more modern version of the home she once knew, with a majority of the things inside of it not existing over 30 years ago.
"Huh? Wait, this isn't home... why are we in here?" Mio questioned.
She lowered her head, about to ask why Shido's voice was different... which is when she finally noticed his eyes.
"Those eyes are... but Shin doesn't have..." Mio realized, shaking slightly.
"Yeah, I think you've mistaken me for someone else." Shido confirmed.
"But... why do you look so much like Shin?" She questioned, holding her head as she began whimpering.
Shido panicked before hugging her close.
"Just take a deep breath, I'll try to help you figure things out. Just... breathe." He promised, trying to comfort her.
Mio's whimpering continued before she managed to breathe.
"OK, I've got a good feeling on how to answer this with one question. Is this Shin you're referring to a nickname?" Shido asked.
"Eh... sort of? I actually can't say his full name, and I don't know why." Mio confessed.
"Weird, but I won't question it... do you at least know if its short for Shinji?" Shido remarked, soon continuing his inquiry.
"It is." Mio nodded.
Shido briefly glanced behind him, knowing only one more question would give him 100% confirmation.
"OK, last question... is his last name Takamiya?" He asked.
Mio's eyes widened at that, which was all the answer he needed.
"All my suspicions have been confirmed." Shido remarked.
"H-How could you... know all of that?" Mio asked, shaking a bit as she took a few steps back.
"Because... Shinji Takamiya is my father." Shido revealed.
Mio froze at that, causing him to wait about three minutes for something to happen. It's only when nothing did that Shido coughed to make her flinch back into reality.
"That can't be... Shin and Mana were..." She stuttered, her mind still in denial.
"You might want to see these if your mind still can't accept it." Shido suggested.
Mio didn't hear it as she closed her eyes, starting to near a hyperventilation as it felt like she was suffering from a nightmare she begged her mind to release herself from... until she felt Shido placed in each of her hands.
"Huh?" She blinked her eyes open, looking at what she was now holding.
On the left, she saw the picture of herself, Shinji, and Mana where the latter were both teenagers. However, on the right?
It was a family picture from 10 years ago, making her eyes widen as she recognized the adult Shinji.
"That... that really is him, that's... Shin." Mio confirmed.
Taking a moment to catch her breath, Mio looked towards Shido, breathing slowly to try staying calm.
"How... how old is this picture, and the one I recognize?" She asked.
"10 years and 30 years respectively." He answered.
Mio immediately went silent, feeling her body wobble before Shido caught her, helping her sit on the couch.
"Do you... want anything?" Shido asked.
"Vanilla Milk would be lovely." Mio whimpered.
He briefly looked at her huge chest upon hearing that, then coughed into his arm before walking into the kitchen, getting a full cup. Walking back to her, Shido heard the door open up.
"Excuse me for a moment, and here's your milk." Shido stated.
Giving Mio her drink, Shido walked to the door as the stress made her down it all in only three seconds.
Shido soon found his mother at the door, taking off her shoes as she switched into her house slippers.
"Mom?" Shido said, surprised she was home already.
Mana immediately raised her head, seeing Shido was in the house instead of a Spacequake shelter... and completely shirtless.
"Shido? Why are home when we had a Spacequake alert?" She questioned.
"Ignore that for now, because I'll explain later." Shido promised.
"And why should I trust this?" Mana questioned, furrowing her brow and tapping her feet suspiciously.
"Because... I think there's something more important you need to see." He answered.
Confused by what her son meant, Shido sighed before immediately grabbing her hand, making Mana shout as he pulled her into the living room. Once she did, Mio immediately turned her head.
Upon laying eyes on her, Mana felt them shake before covering her mouth, feeling the tears start to flood in.
"I... I don't believe it..." Mana breathed, her voice trembling.
She took a few steps near her old friend, only for Mio to immediately rush at her seconds after.
"Mana!" Mio exclaimed, hugging her tightly.
"Mio!" Mana shouted back, returning the hug.
Looking at the sight, Shido felt himself sniffle a bit before turning around, crying in the other direction to be respectful to the reunited friends.
"You've become such a beautiful woman, and you don't day over 20!" Mio sniffled, praising her beauty.
"Thanks, but I can't take all the credit there when technological advancements have slowed down aging to a third. In a sense, I am 20." Mana chuckled, mostly at her own joke.
"Don't care, you're still a beauty now." Momo replied.
Mana shrugged and hugged Mio closer. Second after that, the door opened once more, signaling Shinji's entrance into the house.
"Honey, get over here right now!" Mana exclaimed.
"Why, did something happen!?" Shinji questioned.
"No, it's the very opposite! Just get into the living room already!" Mana answered.
While confused by his wife's words, he shrugged his shoulders, and quickly walked into the room with everyone... where he instantly dropped his briefcase in shock.
"M-Mio!?" He gasped.
"Shin!" Mio exclaimed.
Feeling more tears flood into her eyes, Shinji rushed over and pulled the three of them into a group hug. The last time Mio had seen the two, the Day of the Black Earth had made them certain they would never meet again, but as of this moment they were sharing?
She was here... she was alive... they were here... and they were alive. As he watched this, Shido wiped his eyes with his arm, sniffling at the fuzzy warmth spreading to him.
"Mio... you don't know how happy we are right now, we're glad you're alive!" Mana cried.
"Welcome home." Shinji sniffled.
She gave no reply besides nodding her head, unable to vocalize anything other than an even louder cry due to the tempest of emotions surging through her body.
Once the storm of her feelings settled down, Mana looked to her son, not even noticing Kotori was on the couch.
"With that out of the way, I can say that I won't punish you for being outside during the Spacequake... but I may still get angry depending on your reason for running out like you did." She stated, tapping her foot.
"Eh... I'm assuming you've ignored the other side of the couch?" Shido guessed, briefly glancing that way.
Turning around, the sight of Kotori lying unconscious on the couch finally reached her attention.
"Never mind, I'm not going to get angry either. Though I would like some context to help me understand what happened." Mana decided.
"Same here." Shinji mentioned.
*"GROWL!"*
Right at that moment, an embarrassed blush went over Mio's face as she pulled on the ends of Shido's school uniform, specifically covering her stomach with her hands.
"Let's do that over a quick meal, because I'm a little hungry. That... and Mio needs better clothes." Shido suggested.
Mio kept blushing for a different reason, looking to the side in a bashful manner due to how Shido just covered for her own sound of hunger.
Back in DEM Industries, the sight of Westcott and his analysts looking over the data tied to Mio could be seen.
"Keep looking everyone, we need to verify everything here to make sure that we're not falling for some kind of trap. If it really is Mio..." He ordered, more serious than usual.
"Right, we're bringing up the readings Mio showed from 30 years ago." A male worker answered.
Typing on his keyboard slightly, the data on her readings from the Day of the Black Earth appeared.
Looking at the readings, Westcott waited a bit, sweating a little as he tried not to be too hopeful, yet not too cynical about what the comparisons would show them.
"Hmm?" The same worker raised an eye.
"Kawagoe, what's wrong?" Westcott asked.
"Nothing's wrong per say, but it looks like we have a registered reading for some kind of particle... only its one that's said to be hypothetical." Kawagoe answered.
Westcott waited for him to say what it was.
"Sorry, I don't know which one it is. Mikimoto?" He replied, looking at him.
The man with glasses shook his head.
"Uh... Nakatsugawa?" Kawagoe asked.
"Not me." He answered.
Shiizaki sighed and started looking through it herself.
"Uh... Minowa?" Kawagoe whimpered, looking nervous.
"Eh..." She trailed off.
He could only groan and then slam his head onto the side of the keyboard, around the same time Shiizaki found the answer.
"Tachyon particles, the theoretical time-based energy that's believed to faster than light and allow time travel." She explained.
Westcott paused in response, holding up a finger as his head registered it.
"Wait, so you're saying, if the system is accurately detecting these as Tachyon particles... that Mio moved through time!?" He questioned, realizing what may have happened.
"I can't be certain since these particles have always been hypothetical before now, but it might explain why Mio's readings registered a sudden disappearing instead of fading." Shiizaki answered.
Hearing that, Westcott took a moment to think before he looked at everyone.
"Do we see any differences in her readings?" He asked.
"There's one difference, but this seems to be showing that her power is at the same level, but weak. Like she just overexerted herself." Nakatsugawa answered.
"Like as if she just... saved the world!" Westcott exclaimed.
With that, all the pieces that were needed to quell all doubts it was the real Mio had faded. It truly was the Spirit of Origin that he, Ellen, and Elliot had created 30 years ago.
Meaning that Shido had helped speed up a reunion that had been delayed for way too long.
Gathered at the table, everyone in the Takamiya House began eating a quick salad and cup of yogurt, with Mio now wearing a pair of Mana's panties with one of Shinji's shirts, which was luckily able to cover her body better than Shido's uniform did.
However, it was also this outfit that made her finally see a pattern she had noticed between their clothing and Kotori's.
"Uh... this might be a weird time to ask, but why are all the clothes I've seen short-sleeved or sleeveless for tops, and shorts or small skirts for bottoms? Not to mention the fact they're seemingly fully or partially made with light just like my Astral Dress?" Mio questioned.
"That's a whole different thing we'll need to give you a book to understand, but the climate's been too warm for pants or long sleeves since you saved the world." Mana answered.
"As for the latter... also requires a book, but the other reason that the public isn't aware of? It was out of respect for you." Shinji answered.
Mio blushed at that, smiling at the gesture.
Shido soon cleared his throat, getting his parents' attention as he began his explanation.
"OK, so what happened was as I went to the nurse to help a classmate who collapsed right after the alarm went off? Kotori called me on my phone. She had collapsed and it seemed like everyone had already fled, leaving no one to help her, which gave me no choice but to run out and save her. However, then the Spacequake happened... only it was white." He began.
His parents briefly paused, both sipping their mugs in response.
"That wasn't the only odd thing about it, as it left no damage, which I had to verify as it passed me. When I looked back at the source, that's when I saw her and recognized her from the one picture you had. By that point I was pretty certain it was her, so I decided to carry her back after getting Kotori, and then she confirmed everything afterwards... then you both came home." Shido finished.
Shinji immediately downed the rest of his drink, then exhaled a large breath afterwards.
"I'm... well, I don't know how to describe my reaction to that, but for you to run into Mio while simply running out into danger for Kotori's sake? I wouldn't believe it had I not seen Mio with my own eyes." Shinji remarked.
"That was very reckless of you, but I'll let it slide since we have always told you to never abandon the people you care about." Mana replied.
Hugging her son close, Shido blushed a bit.
"Just promise me that you'll never do something this crazy again... if you're by yourself." She begged him.
"O...K?" He awkwardly replied.
Mio blinked a bit, looking at the two before she turned to Shinji.
"Did you... clone yourself?" Mio asked.
"Everyone asks that, but Mana has the sonograms to prove she carried him. Same reasoning behind why Kotori looks like Haruko." Shinji answered, holding his hands up.
Mio looked at her, raising an eye before shaking her head in disagreement.
"Sweetie, that was only when Kotori was 5 to 8 years old." Mana reminded him.
"Oh..." Shinji recalled, rubbing his neck awkwardly.
"Putting that aside, why did you name him Shido? That's way too similar to your name." Mio questioned.
Hearing that, Shinji blushed slightly.
"Well, since we thought you died and we had all of that... you know, I thought I should name him after a child we could have had together. Due to that, I started his name the same way, then made sure it also had two syllables... but ended with an O." He admitted, smiling.
Shido's jaw dropped at the reveal of how he was named.
However, for Mio? She blushed briefly as this news caused her to feel touch, quickly evident by the smile that quickly formed on her face.
"OK, enough about our side. How did you survive?" Mana inquired.
Upon hearing that, Mio briefly paused upon hearing the question, getting Shinji and Mana's attention. However, it didn't take long for Shido to figure out the answer.
"You don't know, do you?" He realized.
"I don't. When I woke up, I didn't know 30 years had gone by. In fact? From what I can still clearly remember, I had been rushing towards the flood of Maryoku destroying the world from the inside out, but I couldn't stop it from the surface. The only thing I could do was... dive towards the Earth's core, then send you my teddy bear as my way of saying that I wouldn't be coming back." Mio confirmed, sharing her story.
That made Shido go silent, while Shinji and Mana went silent from the shock of what she revealed.
"After that, I was pretty sure I'd be dead..." She finished.
Shido walked by her side, rubbing her back to comfort her.
"I don't think any of us could truly understand that feeling, learning that what you felt had been a few minutes, maybe a couple of hours at best... was actually 30 years in reality." He said, feeling it was better to make it clear.
Shinji lowered his head, feeling his fists shaking.
"That's right Shido... could anyone truly understand the pain we had to bear? Just how many times we said that after Mio saved the world, but at the apparent price of her own life?" He remarked.
Mio looked at him, tearing up as he heard him sniffling, with Mana already wiping a few tears from her eyes.
"That fateful day we met and the days we spent together. Then, as the entire world began going to Hell, she realized the only way to save it was to go to the source of the chaos, followed by us seeing you succeeded... only for us to see all that was left of you was your most treasured item! Mana and myself? Haruko and Tatsuo? Westcott, Elliot, and Ellen? All of us cried over losing you, for every day in the next 30 years, which was more than 10,000!" Shinji screamed.
"Oh boy..." Shido breathed, covering his ears.
Mana and Mio quickly did the same, knowing he was only going to get even louder as he finished his sulking.
"Worst of all? Even though we knew you saved the world, no one else did... and we couldn't tell anyone! We had to remember your heroism alone! All we could leave behind as proof you lived was a mere picture, which didn't say a thing about your noble act! One that made even my own son believe you were just a friend, or member of my family that died in the Spacequakes, all because we could do nothing but watch!" He screamed.
Finally having nothing left to scream, Shinji covered his eyes as he cried, with Mio sniffling a bit as she watched her old friend's breakdown come to an end.
"For you, time never moved forward because you were displaced from it... but for all of us? It was because it was too much to endure, we couldn't stop living in the past, all because it seemed like you had been cursed to a short life, all because of how you were born and what created you..." Shinji sobbed.
Mio sniffled a bit more before she shed a few more tears, going into her own, much quiet sob.
"I'm... confused over 90% of what was just said." Shido confessed, gently rubbing his forehead.
Hearing her son's words, Mana sighed a bit.
"Should have figured we'd have to tell you about this one day, but never like this. I guess the first thing to explain? This girl is a friend we met and thought died 30 years ago... Mio Takamiya." She revealed.
Shido's eyes widened at that, looking at the Spirit who chose to nervously wave at him in response.
«Mio Takamiya»
Age: 0 (Chronologically), 16 (Biologically)
Height: 170 cm
B/W/H: 115/60/90
Blood Type: AB+
"Wait, if she's a friend... then why is her surname Takamiya?" Shido questioned.
"Because when your father first met Mio, she didn't have a name of her own, so he decided to share his with her." Mana explained.
"Oh yeah, that is a thing." He recalled.
Going back to his thoughts and thinking of other questions he should ask? Shido recalled her eyes.
"Then what about the fact she has the same glowing pupils the Seirei Era has?" He questioned.
Mana gave an awkward chuckle at that.
"Oh boy, I hoped that question wouldn't show up until later... you may wanna sit down." She stated.
He did just that, preparing to listen.
"Mio isn't exactly... Human, well she is, but more in the sense of what they will be." Mana began.
"You mean like she's... something further down the evolutionary tree, one or more branches after Homo Sapiens?" Shido asked.
"That's... actually pretty accurate." She confirmed.
Realizing she was about to go off track, she coughed and put herself back onto it.
"OK, basically? To best explain what I just said? Mio's a human that had incredible power at birth, which was only 6 months ago when you look at the fact she time traveled." Mana stated.
Shido's eyes widened at that, looking at her and then blinking as she looked back at his mother.
"And yet she looks as old as me? Whoa... although that explains why she felt lighter than Kotori despite she's younger." He said, releasing a huge breath.
"OK, 1? Never say that bit about her weight in front of Kotori. Then 2? You aren't wrong about how old she looks, as she's 16 biologically." Mana answered.
She cleared her throat, continuing on.
"Back to where I was? This human evolution is, based on the knowledge she had of her own birth, called a Spirit." She stated.
Shido's eyes widened slightly.
"The Japanese translation for that word is... Seirei! Mio is why the Seirei Era and the Seirei Abilities exist, isn't she!?" He realized.
"You've got it. Now, to explain how this is the case? 30 years ago, she was born when a massive amount of energy suddenly gathered in one area, causing a certain phenomenon that changed the future of our world." She stated, closing her eyes.
"Wait, an event from 30 years ago? Massive energy gathered together? Are you saying she was born from..." Shido asked.
Mana nodded her head, making his eyes shake.
"That's right, she was born from the Eurasian Sky Disaster... otherwise known as the first Spacequake. That's the best I can tell you out of respect for Mio's backstory. If you want to know the rest, then you'll have to ask her and hope she's willing to talk about it." She replied.
Shido took a deep breath, lightly hitting his chest.
"This one girl... she managed to save the entire planet on her own by re-stabilizing it? Is she really that powerful?" He asked.
"She is. When we first met her, she had the mentality of a baby due to her recent birth, but learned fluent Japanese in just a few hours by simply watching media, video games, and books. If she tried something, then she'd pick it up and master it easily, and... well, her powers can somewhat bend reality." Shinji explained.
"And now I think you're making things up!" Shido exclaimed, unable to believe it.
Motioning to Mio, she closed her eyes, and then... Shido gasped as he saw her clothing change in particles of light, changing into the black blazer that was Mana's school uniform back when she was in Middle School.
"That light... it's just like the clothes we make today." Shido realized.
"So, do you believe your... parents..." Mio replied.
At moment, she suddenly felt her eyes get hazy before she promptly fell over, making the trio panic.
"Mio!?" Shinji exclaimed.
Mana put her palm against Mio's forehead as she felt it was pretty warm, only supported by hearing Mio starting to pant a few seconds after.
"It looks like a combination of muscular fever and overheating... but why?" Mana questioned.
"Hold on, this didn't happen until right after she used her powers. Could something be wrong with them?" Shido suggested.
"Maybe, but before that, let's make sure she'll be OK." Shinji replied.
Shido nodded and helped his parents move Mio onto the couch, leaving Shinji to gather their medical supplies, with Shido holding her hand to help keep her comforted.
Kotori yawned as she finally woke up, getting Shido's attention.
"Glad to see you're awake." Shido smiled.
"Just to be sure I'm seeing where I actually am... we're in your house, right?" Kotori asked, rubbing her eyes as she looked around.
At that moment, he saw Shido's parents tending to Mio, causing her to blink at the girl she had yet to meet.
"Who's that?" Kotori asked.
"Let me summarize this best I can." Shido replied, giving an awkward chuckle.
Kotori felt him lean by her ear, and she quickly felt her mouth go flat in shock from what she was hearing, and right as she was about to say something along the lines of him being crazy?
"Look at this before you reply in any manner." Shido suggested, cutting her off.
He held up the infamous picture and made sure she saw it and Mio at the same time. Kotori's eyes immediately widened as she looked back and forth a few times.
"They're the same person... but why does she look like she hasn't aged a day?" Kotori questioned.
"If I answered that question? Then you would definitely think I'm being crazy, so I won't." Shido replied, holding his hands out in response.
He immediately winced as Kotori grabbed one of his hands, giving a scary smile towards him.
"Are you sure you won't tell me? It sounds like you're just trying to make an excuse not to, so why don't you change your mind and tell me?" Kotori demanded, a shadow over her eyes.
Shido gave a nervous look, knowing that while Kotori was fairly sweet and smiling most of the time, the moment she got angry? She was like a raging wildfire that was near impossible to calm down.
He compared her to oil lantern, which would instantly ignite the area it was in should it break apart.
"K-Kotori, settle down!" Shido begged.
"No, I will not settle down! You're gonna know how angry I feel at how you always-" Kotori continued screaming.
"Stop it." Mana warned, chopping her head.
Kotori yelped as she felt a large swelling on her head, rubbing the spot where Mana hit her.
"Ow..." She sniffled, rubbing it.
Good news? Like an oil lantern, the fire could be contained if you acted fast enough. The moment her metaphorical flames burned out, Kotori ended up in quite the defenseless position, showing a very sensitive side to herself.
And at that same moment, Mio's eyes finally fluttered open again, making Shinji smile at her in relief.
"Thank goodness, seeing you faint like that was terrifying." Shinji smiled.
"I'm not sure what happened. I was simply using my powers at first, but then... it was like my entire body was being swallowed from within by a bunch of magma." Mio answered.
Mana paused for a moment before snapped her fingers.
"I think what you said gave me an explanation." Mana replied.
"Really?" Mio replied in surprise.
"Yeah. To elaborate a bit more? You're aware of how sometimes when a machine gets too hot, they start to overheat and possibly automatically turn themselves off until they've cooled off and become safe enough to use again." Mana clarified.
Mio's eyes widened as she realized it.
"Of course! I used all that power to save the world, but its barely been around an hour from my perception. My body must have knocked me out because it knew it wasn't safe for me to use my Reiryoku right now." Mio realized.
Kotori looked confused, which is when Shinji moved to her and whispered everything, making her eyes widen and give a look of disbelief.
"Shinji, get the old DVDs." Mana requested.
"Will do." He replied, walking to the nearby cabinet and pulling a secret box out.
Opening it to show a DVD inside, he placed it into the player, making a video play.
"What am I looking-" Kotori asked.
At that moment, she was silenced by the sight of Mio changing her outfit as she missed earlier. With that, the redhead was promptly shut up.
"Fine, I believe... though you all just told me Mio's powers can bend reality, right? If she can do that, then how could she overheat from using all that power?" She questioned.
"Because Mio was born from all the world's power, which means even she has a limit. It's just that limit is just incredibly high. For Mio to overheat, that means she had to use even more power than Earth had when crated, or rather..." Mana explained.
Looking at Mio, she chuckled slightly.
"Well, I had tried to save the world from a safe spot to no avail, so I had to dive into the planet's core when I used all that power. Basically, I only used as much power as the Earth's outer layer and had to exceed that due to the geothermal energy inside its inner layer." Mio clarified.
Kotori's eyes went white from the shock of that answer.
"You went into the Earth's Core... and survived concentrated plasma!?" Kotori exclaimed in disbelief.
"Hmm... actually, that might explain how she time travelled. I bet all the energy from the heat and Earth's magnetic field, maybe even the theorized warping of physics under intense gravity, might have caused Mio's powers to open a gate into the future. Why did she get sent 30 years into the future? Well, maybe Mio's thoughts influenced it?" Shido theorized.
Mio blinked a bit, and then suddenly blushed.
"Shin... why'd you have to name me after the day of the month we met?" Mio whimpered.
At that moment, Shido and Kotori stared at the former's father, who began sweating.
"Dad, what does she mean?" Shido questioned.
"Uh... well, I may have first met her on the April 30th and decided to name her after it being the day we met?" Shinji nervously answered.
The two kept staring at him, making chuckle nervously.
Mana sighed at her husband's antics, scrolling through her phone's contacts until she found a saved number under Westcott's name.
Back with the AST, the intensity of the second Spacequake had pushed them into the ground, surprising them all.
"Anyone get the pulse on that Spacequake?" Ryouko asked, her eyes spinning.
"I've never seen a Spacequake stress our territories like that... just how powerful is this Spirit, much less who is it?" Ellen questioned, getting back on her feet.
Tapping her wrist, she tried to see which Spirit it was.
The reading that came up was [Princess], which made her eyes briefly widen in surprise.
"Wait... Princess is the Spirit who made that Spacequake? But how?" Ellen questioned.
In mere moments, the sight of the Spirit named Princess came into view, standing within the crater her Spacequake had left behind as the rest of the AST readied themselves.
Turning to look at them with soft eyes that were a mix of indigo, pink, and pale gold was a teenage girl with long violet hair that was tied back with a ribbon resembling an evil butterfly with pointy edges and a violet coloration, leaving the rest of her massive hair to flow out from underneath it.
Her outfit was a very revealing dress with a dark violet, black, and magenta color scheme; resembling a mix between knight armor, and a princess' ballgown.
"Wait a second, is... is that really Princess?" Ryouko questioned, a confused look on her face.
"It can't be..." Ellen gasped.
Hearing their words, the Spirit raised a hand and glared her eyes at the AST, emitting pure Maryoku from her body.
"Nahemah!"
Right as those words escaped her mouth, a dark sword with an odd shape and red glowing lines materialized into her hands, making Ellen flinch in response.
'That's pure Maryoku! I'm not sure what happened, but Princess isn't emitting any Reiryoku anymore!' She realized.
"C-Captain?" One of the other AST members asked.
"Don't drop your guards for even a moment! I don't know why, but... the Princess we're looking at has changed!" Ellen warned.
Before they could even ask, Princess swung her sword and unleashed a huge energy slash at them, forcing them all to dodge.
From the air, they all saw the mile-long gash she cut through the city with.
"She's gotten stronger... but how? Just what's happened to her since she last appeared?" Ryouko questioned.
"I'm not sure, but it's clear she's the opposite of Mio..." Ellen replied.
She whistled loudly.
"AST, get into Beta Formation!" Ellen ordered.
Moving out into a certain pattern, the Spirit known as Princess responded by levitating into the air, her figure outlined by the setting sun.
"Know your limits!" She screamed.
Swinging her Demon King towards the ground, she unleashed a dangerous attack that immediately knocked the AST out of formation, while Ellen's eyes shrunk as she moved her weapon up to defend.
"Caledfwlch!"
Their swords struck against each other before creating a powerful flash.
Back inside of DEM Industries, the sight of Westcott calling Mana's phone could be seen.
『"So, you verified it too?"』 She asked.
"That's right, we even made sure this wasn't some kind of trick just to be safe. It also worked in our favor because her Spacequake was registered after the first. Basically, your son got her out of the danger zone and left the AST without anything to worry on as they focus on-" He confirmed.
A sudden alert got his attention, which Mana saw as he briefly turned.
"Sorry, I'm going to have to call you back. Something serious just came up..." Westcott apologized, sighing a little.
『"OK, talk to you later."』 Mana nodded in understanding.
He ended the call before releasing a loud groan, slumping into his chair as he covered his eyes.
"Ike, what are you going to do?"
Stopping his slump and turning his chair around, he saw Elliot come into view, driving an electronic wheelchair due to having weakened leg muscles.
"For now? We don't say anything... just let Mio catch up with them." He answered.
"This is a bad idea, you have to tell her." Elliot warned.
"Believe me Elliot, had things be different, I wouldn't have lied to Mana about needing to call her back... but they're not. If Mio were to learn the truth right now, we'd simply be putting her in danger." Westcott replied, a hand covering part of his face.
"And why is that?" Elliot questioned.
Westcott sighed as he clasped his hands together, lowering his head.
"Something Mana told me during her call was... right now, Mio can't use her Reiryoku due to how much power she used to save us." He revealed.
Elliot's eyes widened.
"As in she can't use her powers? Are you serious!?" He exclaimed.
"I am... she just altered her outfit and it was enough that was knocked unconscious. Mana states she's basically overheated right now. That's why I can't let her find out the truth, because if she does... what do you think she'd do, despite that fact?" Westcott answered, closing his eyes.
Elliot sighed, knowing what kind of person Mio was.
"She's as pure as the light she was born from... of course she'd ignore the risks to try and protect everyone, regardless of how little she could do." He answered sadly.
"And that's why for now, we can't let her know. She needs to recover before we can let her risk her life for us." Westcott replied.
"Yes, as much as I hate it... I have to agree. Let's just hope that Ellen can buy her enough time to do that." Elliot agreed.
Westcott tightened the grip on his hands.
'Before, we couldn't do anything... this time let's do something to protect and save her, otherwise... we could lose her again, possibly for good.' Westcott thought.
Right at that moment, both of them heard the alarms go off.
"Well, looks like my reason for hanging off isn't a completely a lie now..." He said to himself, gritting his teeth slightly.
Ellen and Princess stood across from each other, the former panting slightly.
"Damn it... everyone, stay back! I'll deal with Princess myself!" Ellen ordered.
All of them flew back as Ellen brought out her other weapon.
"It seems you're not all talk, but that doesn't stop your strength from being futile. If only you'd be wise enough to accept this reality." She mocked.
"I knew someone a lot stronger than you 30 years ago, you're nothing compared to her." Ellen retorted.
Princess' eyes suddenly shot open before a look of pure rage appeared on her face, causing Ellen to gasp as she saw the rising power on her CR-Unit's readings.
"Don't you dare mention that bitch in my presence!" Princess roared, truly angry.
Ellen didn't have any time to react as she was struck into the ground, barely keeping herself on her feet as she slid across it.
'Wait, those words... does she know who Mio is? This is bad, then that might mean she's trying to go after her!' She realized.
She immediately put her sword away and grabbed her other weapon, a gun that materialized a spearhead. Princess rushed down to attack her again, immediately putting her in range of her weapon, which she quickly took.
"I won't let you!" Ellen shouted.
"Rhongomiant!"
She fired a powerful cross-shaped blast at Princess, who simply held a hand up as he grabbed the attack, only briefly being pushed back as the force blew her violet hair around like a strong wind.
Ellen's eyes widened at how easily she countered her other weapon.
"I'm sorry, but what is it you won't let me do?" Princess questioned.
She immediately began pouring all of her power into her Demon King, with the pressure pushing the Strongest Wizard into the ground. As a look of shock formed on Ellen's face as the Spirit rushed towards her.
Ellen quickly formed a Territory in response... only for her to scream as Princess smashed it apart, making her scream as she slashed through her side.
"Captain!" One of the AST Wizards called out.
Placing her hand on her wound as it bled slightly, Ellen gritted her teeth to control her pain threshold and stop it.
"Damn..." She grunted.
"Now, it's time for me to finish you-" Princess announced.
She paused before turning her eyes shifted to the side.
The other Wizards soon saw what had caught her attention as they saw some kind of black machine with a red light flying through the air, creating a loud beeping sound as its sensors locked onto the Spirit before it.
'No, this is horrible timing!' Ellen thought.
The machine instantly fired a beam at her, but Princess simply pointed her finger out to form a small energy sphere... which then blasted the machine out of the sky! As the mechanical enigma lowered to the ground, she rose her throne using her free hand.
"Nahemah: Paverschlev!"
Her silver throne shattered apart, making its shards combine with Nahemah to create an even larger blade that was three times her size.
"Everyone, move!" Ellen warned.
"It's time to die!" She screamed, swinging it down.
She instantly swung it down, completely vaporizing the machine and everything within a 10-kilometer radius of her attack. The AST all stared at this even greater power she had held back until this moment.
The sight alone was enough to unnerve even Ellen, making it clear how outmatched they were.
"You bastards are-" Princess stated, turning at them.
However, right as she did? Princess noticed her body start to ripple as it became translucent. Looking at all of them, she gritted her teeth as a warning before she disappeared completely.
"Wow, for her to become Lost at that moment... I can't believe how lucky we were." Ryouko sighed in relief.
"I'm not sure that was luck..." Ellen replied worriedly.
Looking at where the machine was, she sweated at the thought of what kind of signs it and Princess' new form and the powers tied to it were warning them of.
Mana was seen coming down the stairs from her call with Westcott, holding a box in her hand.
"Mio, this is for you." She smiled.
She blinked at the box that Mana had just offered to her.
"What is it?" Mio asked.
"Consider it a welcome home gift from all seven of us." Mana smiled.
Kotori rubbed her forehead at that.
"Still can't believe both of you, my parents, and the three founders of DEM Industries all know her..." She sighed.
After a few more seconds of looking, Mio took the box and placed it on the ground to open it.
When she saw what was inside, she gave a loud gasp, followed by her eyes sparkling. Shido and Kotori were confused by what could get her to react in such a manner.
"I don't believe it!" Mio exclaimed.
She quickly pulled out a set of clothes that were quickly revealed to be a combination of a strapless dress shirt, plaid-style shorts, and a hair ribbon. While the one difference was the hoodie had short-sleeves, all of them made the outfit she wore 30 years ago.
"You remade my favorite clothes!" Mio sniffled, hugging them close.
"It wouldn't be a proper reunion if you didn't have them." Mana smiled.
Mio quickly nodded in agreement, though she soon made everyone's eyes widen as she immediately pulled her shirt off, causing Shinji to close his eyes and Kotori to slap her hand over Shido's.
"Ow!" He winced.
After Mio had fully dressed herself in her remade clothes, Kotori removed her hand, causing Shido to see her happily spinning across the room with a bright smile on her face.
'Her smile, it's so cute!' He thought.
Kotori suddenly felt her left eye twitch for some reason, making her blink in confusion.
'What just happened?' She thought.
"I guess... that's the best I could ask you to save." Mio sighed, a sad smile on her face.
Giggling a bit, Mio turned around to see Shinji walk towards her before pulling something into view, causing her eyes to widen before they quickly filled with tears. He wasn't holding anything special, but to her? It was one of the most important things in the world.
Despite it had fought wear and tear over 30 years, leaving it to have been patched up in a few areas, it was the same teddy bear from the picture of her and Shido's parents.
Mio and Shinji were seen in an arcade together, with the former's eyes sparkling as she looked at all of the gaming machines.
"Shin, what is this place? Are we inside some robot's stomach!?" Mio asked.
"Uh... no, this is an arcade." Shinji corrected, giving an awkward chuckle.
And in those few seconds he replied? He instantly lost her, making him panic as he looked around. Luckily, he soon found the hyper Spirit standing in front of a crane game full of teddy bears, making him smile as he read her thoughts.
"You want one, don't you?" He asked.
Mio blushed at that, looking at him with an embarrassed face as she waved her hands out.
"N-No, I'm not interested in..." Mio replied, trying to deny it.
Her words came too late, as he already placed a coin inside.
After 10 grueling minutes, which completely devoured most of the money Shinji had on hand, he finally managed to win one of the stuffed bears resting in the machine. Once he realized this, he rose his hand.
"Yes! Take that stupid crane, I just took your inventory!" He shouted, a bit delirious from the fatigue.
The nearby patrons began to snicker at his comment, making him turn red as he remembered where he was. Shinji quickly grabbed the bear out of the crane machine and held it in front of Mio.
"Shin?" She questioned in confusion.
"Well... you were looking at it, so I thought you wanted it. Do you not like it?" Shinji answered.
After a few seconds, Mio's cheeks turned a bit red from the second to last word he said.
"Like..." Mio said softly.
Hugging the toy bear to her incredibly gifted chest, she gave Shinji the biggest smile he ever saw her make.
"Like... feelings of affection... being strongly interested in something." Mio said quietly, feeling herself smile.
"Uh... Mio?" Shinji blinked, raising an eye.
"Thank you Shin." Mio replied.
The image focused on the bear in her hands, showing the cute smile permanently plastered on her face.
A smile that it somehow gave to its new owner.
As her trip down memory lane ended, the bear as it looked now replaced its original form as Mio reached out to it, giving a tearful smile as she hugged it.
"You... kept it safe, all these years..." Mio smiled, crying happy tears.
"Of course we did. It was all that was left of you when we thought you died, it was the one thing we refused to lose." Shinji smiled back.
Mio sniffled more, rubbing her eyes.
"Thank you... thank you so much Shin." She cried, hugging her precious bear closer.
Seeing that, Kotori reached up to her ribbons, smiling as she felt them for a moment.
"It's something holding precious memories, isn't it?" She realized.
"Shinji won that for her the first time we let her see the world she could finally understand. She's treasured it ever since." Mana confirmed.
Sniffling a bit more, Mio wiped her eyes before turning towards Shinji.
"I'm... I'm finally home!" She exclaimed.
And with that, everyone was brought into a group hug, though Kotori gave a deadpan look to show she didn't enjoy it.
Walking into a certain room of the DEM, a loud heaving could be heard from Ellen, who had been winded from just climbing two flights of steps. Taking a moment to catch her breath from the fatigue it gave her, she held onto part of the railings.
"What the hell... is wrong with me outside... of a CR-Unit!?" She coughed, feeling like her lungs shrunk.
Taking a deep breath, she held the spot she had been injured, which was a bit tender because it had just been healed by a medical Realizer. Upon coming in, Elliot and Westcott looked at her, and both struggled to hold their laughter.
"Stop laughing!" Ellen demanded.
"Ellen, how is it the stairs are mightier than the Spirits?" Elliot joked, accidentally letting a chuckle get out.
"SHUT UP!" Ellen screamed angrily.
Westcott kept laughing, soon waving her hand as he advised Elliot to stop laughing, with Ellen still fuming at their innocent teasing.
"Alright, we got the reading about the machine and the damages. But can you actually tell us what happened out there?" He asked.
Ellen sighed at that.
"Princess appeared, only this time... she didn't come through Maryoku using Reiryoku. It seemed like she induced the Spacequake using Maryoku she was using herself." She sighed, closing her eyes.
Hearing that, both men in the room gave a serious look.
"Shiizaki, can we get an in-depth reading based on the energy traces Princess left in the area?" Westcott inquired.
"Already have Isaac, the readings state her Spirit powers was... negative." She confirmed.
Westcott's eyes widened in surprise.
"A negative reading? Then that would mean... Kawagoe, forward these readings to the higher ups in the JGSDF and tell them to create a Category-E for any negative Spirit readings we get in the future." He requested.
"On it." He replied.
Sighing a bit, he rubbed his temple before looking at Ellen.
"That's not all of the bad news either. During the battle, a black machine appeared to attack Princess... and I mean one of those machines." She continued, the fear in her voice apparent.
"What!?" Elliot exclaimed in shock.
Hearing that, Westcott went entirely white as his hands dropped to the ground.
"Damn it, why now?" He questioned.
"Ike, what's wrong?" Ellen asked, confused to why he reacted with such a petrified reaction.
It took a few moments before he sighed, turning around.
"Ellen, come closer." Westcott replied.
She kneeled by his ear, right as he whispered everything that he just learned from Mana, causing her eyes to widen as she felt her own skin pale slightly.
"We're in really deep shit right now..." She breathed.
And right at that moment, she fell backwards and fainted, making her two friends stare at the sight.
In the shadows of some unknown location, the sight of an unknown figure was seen in the shadows of a darkened room, their gender ambiguous as only the sleeve of a business suit they wore confirmed they were even Human.
The person in question turned as they saw someone walked in, who could only be identified by a scar they had on their face.
"Boss, it seems the scout failed as expected." They stated.
Hearing what they said, the enigmatic figure grabbed a cigar before releasing a large puff of smoke.
"So, that proves it. Empress has succumbed to the Maryoku's great power. Now that we've confirmed this, this operation has been proven as a success." The boss replied.
"Oh, we also have other news we didn't expect." The subordinate mentioned.
This caught the boss' attention, right as they were handed a file on Mio Takamiya, the one known as Genesis to their organization. However, upon seeing her current condition...
"Hmm... sorry, but this matters little for now. Your report says she doesn't have the same power anymore. For now, we'll focus on the fruits that will reward our labor, not outdated relics of the past." The boss replied.
Nodding their head, the subordinate saluted.
"Understood, so what should we do next?" They asked.
"Prepare a Bandersnatch squadron for deployment. I'm fairly certain that soon enough, not only will we have Empress to capture... but Efreet and Devil as well." The boss answered.
Opening their mouth, the boss of the unknown group gave a toothy smile, revealing the sharp fangs that were their teeth.
And that's it for the second chapter, where Mio's finally learned of what happened as she takes in the fact she disappeared for 30 years, along with how everyone had to deal with her absence. Not only that, but she's come into a world where everything's changed not world map wise, but technology wise and even style wise. The only solace she's been given is her friends are still alive, and her beloved bear made it through.
We also got our first glimpse of the villains in the present day, who sent a machine after Tohka just to prove something, intentionally letting it be destroyed by her. Whoever this organization's leader is, he or she wants something that relates to the Hermetic Trio's origins and the Inverse Form, enough that they're labeling the weakened Mio as outdated technology.
Both this group and the DEM use different code names to identify the Spirits as individuals. As you can see, I split up the canon code names between them to help paint each group's views on them, and while the DEM's names are more humane? Their enemies use terms to reference the Spirits being powerful, villainous, dangerous, or just to be derogatory.
Finally, now that we have Mio in the story, and since this is a vital question you might be wondering due to Shido having no Spirit parent like in canon? I think it's time I answer about how sealing works in this story. The answer, because sealing won't be in this story, because Shido and Mio will be dealing with the Spirits in a different manner. Romance will still be involved, but the kiss isn't the vital clincher this time.
Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^