Author's Note: There's a reason Hecate's Faux Vessel has been with Yuji from the beginning, it will just be revealed later on. Considering how quiet and kuudere our heroine is, it will be much later on, until she's more willing to open up. It's something I've already thought through, but if I made Hecate explain it all too soon, it would be out of character for her (considering how she barely talks to even Sydonay prior to the Snake of the Festival's return).

On another note, this series will also be a trilogy, as it will reflect the three seasons of canon, albeit with the changes brought about by Hecate being with Yuji instead of Shana.

It was there, he could see it, a bluish ball of flame burning brightly within him. No matter what he thought or how he felt, it wasn't a dream, this was reality, a reality hidden from the eyes of the normal world.

He did not exist.

The day that he had met the girl full of silent mystery, his whole life changed forever. The one who could change the fate of the world awakened, and soon, he would begin his destiny, starting with the girl who was a fragment of someone else.

A Shadow of Herself

"We both don't exist, and we'll disappear," Yuji said sadly. He glanced at Konoe's chest. Unlike himself and everyone else around him, there was no lit flame within her. "Wait, you don't even have one of those fireball things inside you. You can still disappear even if you aren't a Torch like me then?"

Konoe gave a single small nod. "I am a Faux Vessel," she answered plainly, still in monotone.

Yuji expected more of an answer as they walked, but even as they crossed the bridge over the river flowing through the city, she said no more. The sun was already setting, painting the sky in a deep, moody orange. Yuji finally understood that he would have to press for more specific answers if he wanted more out of this quiet girl.

"So, what's a Faux Vessel?" he asked.

"A fragment," Konoe said, again, in simple and brief monotone, despite her cute yet soft voice.

"Of what?"

"Of myself."

"And, who would you be then?"

"Nobody."

Yuji scratched his head. This certainly was going nowhere fast. He tried to think of a better way to get her to talk, but the horrific events of today were still weighing heavily on his mind, added to the fact that he was merely a replacement for himself that would soon die out. Come to think of it, he never got around to finding out what the purpose of the replacements was. He decided to change his string of questions.

"So, why are there Torches anyway?" he asked first.

"Less damage," Konoe answered him. Before continuing, Yuji tried to gauge her temperament. She did not seem the type to get angry, but he felt that if it were someone else, he would probably be seen as annoying. Thankfully, she did not seem to mind.

"To what?" he asked.

"Distortions."

Yuji tried to figure out what she had meant. Asking more before he caught up with her own pace would just result in her giving more fragmented answers that would leave him confused.

"Distortions," he said, then recalled what had happened to the little boy and the mother who did not seem to care that he had just vanished. "Does everyone forget about them when they get eaten or something?"

Konoe nodded. "Yes," she answered.

It seemed he was on the right track, so Yuji continued. "So, when you said they didn't exist, then, they didn't just die then? They die in everyone's memory."

"They never existed," Konoe clarified.

Yuji blinked. To die was one thing, but to have your entire existence, from your birth to the day you died, to be taken away, it was something else. "It makes sense then," he said. He continued to deduce what exactly this new truth of the world meant. "So, people never existed, but then, what about all that time they spent interacting with people and objects? Perhaps that's what you meant by distortions, some twists in time and space or something like that."

"Yes," Konoe said.

"So, Torches reduce the damage the distortions cause," Yuji said. "How so?"

"They fade away."

"Fade away?" Yuji repeated, and tried to piece together what she had meant by that. Distortions from people suddenly never existing would certainly leave an impact. But it seems that Torches, even if they were replacements, were still residue left of people who had been consumed. He continued to rack his brain, knowing asking for another answer would just add to his confusion.

The sun had fully set now, and the two still walked together. "Come to think of it, do you live this way, Konoe-san?" Yuji asked her.

"Yes," Konoe replied.

"I see," he said, then went back to his thoughts. After thinking about things from his own perspective, he tried another angle. In something like a horror movie, when something would appear suddenly, like a jumpscare, it could completely give him a heart attack; this could be comparable with the damage caused by the distortions. But if a creature was to slowly appear, he would not notice it so much, and even though he would still notice it eventually, he would still be frightened, but not to the point that he would get a heart attack. He shared his thoughts to the Faux Vessel.

"So, Torches are shock absorbers so that distortions won't cause too much chaos," he concluded. Konoe confirmed what he said with a simple word.

"Yes."

Yuji smiled to himself a little, even if it was a little grim, he was glad that he finally came to Konoe's level of thinking. But now something else came back to bother him, among other thoughts.

"What do I do now?" he asked himself. "I never existed, and I'm not really me. So who am I then?"

He did not get a reply from Konoe, nor did he expect one. However, her silence was louder than any yell, and he remembered what she had said earlier, that she never existed either, but in a different way, and that she was also going to vanish. To his regret, he realized what he had said was selfish.

"Sorry, Konoe-san," he said, and still received no reply.

As they passed through the suburban area, Konoe stopped and watched as a tiny bird flew above. Fluttering its little wings, it landed on its nest, precariously set up on the edge of a rooftop. Yuji followed her gaze, and couldn't help but notice that her face betrayed a little interest in the creature.

"Do you like birds, Konoe-san?" Yuji asked her.

The girl looked at the boy, then continued on her way without another word. Yuji shrugged and continued alongside her.

"I guess I'll take that as a 'maybe'," he said to himself.

Observing the city from high above, the pale man with blue hair stood. In his hand was the doll Rinne Marianne.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he said. "Very soon, it will all be ours, and you will become a true existence living in this world, forever with me, my darling Marianne."

"Master," the Rinne said, moved by his words. "But what of the Mystes, and that person protecting him?"

"Shhh, let me take care of that," the man said, kissing the dolls lips, at least, where there should be. "If it truly is her, then she should be an even greater threat than any of those pitiful Flame Hazes would ever be. But she might not even have a reason to fight us, other than to protect that Mystes. But if it ever came to a fight, I want you to stay where it's safe, and I will deal with her personally."

He embraced her closely, then a thought came to him. "I have to admit, though, that I am curious about that Treasure he has," he said softly, "if it's so important that someone as high as herself has to guard it."

Konoe Fumina watched as the light in Yuji's room went out. The girl sat on a rooftop across his house, unnoticed by him. A chilling breeze blew over her.

The Mystes has become aware of his own situation, and the Treasure is threatened by the power of another Crimson Lord. It was time for her true self to appear to protect it from any and all who wanted it for themselves. It was vital to the Master's plan.

But, she wished that she could at least live for one more day until she had to disappear.

Yuji awoke with a groggy feeling. He had a hard time falling asleep the night before. Too many things clouded his mind: What was he going to do with the residue that was what remained of his existence? Would people still see him as Yuji Sakai? What was inside of him? And what was going to happen to his new friend, Konoe Fumina?

He sat up from his bed and looked down at his chest. To no surprise, the bluish flame was still there. He dressed and made his way downstairs. To his relief, his mother did not carry a flame within her, although it was unlikely. As she served him his breakfast, she greeted her son.

"Good morning sleepyhead," she said. Her name was Chigusa Sakai.

"Good morning mom," he replied, then began to eat. At least, even if he disappeared she would not notice and worry about it, and that comforted him.

Then another thought came. He tossed his mother a question.

"Hey mom, if one of your friends said they were going to die very soon, what would you do?"

His mother sat and thought about what he had asked. It was a question she should have expected, considering her son was at an age when he wanted to know more about things. Sure of her answer, she replied.

"I would give her the best last days of her life," she said. "The least I can do is make sure she can die happy."

Yuji smiled. He was sure he'd do the same, but he was glad to know someone would do the same. "Thanks mom," he told her before finishing his meal and leaving the house.

As he emerged from his home, he found Konoe Fumina waiting for him at the front door, in a fresh uniform and with her bag held in both hands.

Yuji smiled at her and gave his best smile. "Good morning Konoe-san," he greeted her.

"Good morning," Konoe replied, in her usual monotone. Yuji accepted that this was how she would be, even if she was going to disappear. In a way, her coolness was admirable.

"How are you feeling today?" Yuji asked. It was a simple and very typical question, but it was a start.

"Fine," Konoe answered.

Yuji scratched his head. "Did you get a good sleep?"

"No."

"Oh? So, something was troubling you too?"

Konoe didn't answer. Yuji spoke as gently as he could.

"Konoe-san, yesterday you said you would disappear too. If you won't burn away like a Torch would, then how would it happen?"

Still no answer, and Konoe's face did not betray any sort of expression either.

"Alright, if you won't tell me that, then why did you mention it in the first place?"

The girl was still silent. It seemed that she would be mute about it forever, and Yuji was just about to abandon any hope of a response when she finally responded.

"…I… don't know…"

Her face was the same as ever, but Yuji can tell that she was just as confused as he was, if not more.

As the two stood together, the girl named Yukari Hirai walked by and looked at them with interest.

"Good morning," she greeted them with an upbeat tone.

"Oh, good morning Hirai-san," Yuji replied in kind. Despite that nightmare of an attack yesterday, he was glad that he was able to save her. He didn't mind if she did not know what had happened, he actually preferred that she didn't.

"You two seem awfully close this early in the morning," she said suddenly. "Are the two of you going out?"

Yuji, caught completely off guard, blushed and faced her. He stuttered to find an appropriate answer, unsure of his own feelings himself. Yukari stifled a giggle.

"No," Konoe answered her in a deadpan monotone. For some reason, Yuji felt a little depressed at that one word. She didn't have to say it so calmly, he thought.

"I see," Yukari said, then continued on with a smile. "If you were, it would have made my choice so much easier," she muttered.

Yuji blinked. "What was that?" he said after her.

She turned around and stuck her tongue at him cutely. It was a familiar scene, but not one Yuji would get tired of.

"It's nothing," she said cheerfully. "Oop! Look at the time, we're going to be late. I'll see you there!" Then she took off.

Yuji checked the time on his own cell phone. "She's right!" he said. "Come on Konoe-san," he said, then took her hand as he ran behind Yukari.

"Good morning you guys," Ike greeted his friend as Yuji, Konoe and Yukari arrived at the school's shoe lockers.

"Good morning Ike," Yuji replied.

"Good morning," Yukari said cheerfully.

Konoe, however, said nothing.

The two girls separated from the boy to go to their respective lockers. When the two young men were alone, Ike spoke again.

"You seem awfully close," he said.

Yuji changed his shoes as he responded. "With whom?"

"Konoe Fumina," Ike said. "It seems she won't talk to anyone, and she's always been alone since anyone knew her. But she's following you of all people today."

"Is it that big of a deal?"

"Yes it is. Seriously, tell me. Have you ever spoken to her?"

"Yeah, we talk quite a bit, and I mean that literally."

"She actually talks to you?" Ike said, surprised. He grinned and shook his head. "That's even more than I expected. Well, besides being a guy who can figure out a way to get whatever he wants, it seems you have some other special ability a lot of guys would envy."

"What are you talking about?" Yuji said with a confused look.

Ike glanced at him and shook his head again. "Apparently it's an ability you're completely clueless about," he said. "By the way, did you know that Hirai-san and Yoshida-san approached me yesterday?"

"I think I saw the three of you together," Yuji replied, although, compared to the more major event of the day before, it was something he had pushed to the back of his mind.

"They were asking me what yo-,"

"I-Ike-kun!" said a sweet sounding female voice nearby. The two boys turned to see the girl with short light brown hair, Kazumi Yoshida. She softly pulled the bespectacled young man aside.

"That's supposed to be a secret from Sakai-kun, remember?" she whispered to him.

"Don't you think he'd be a bit more interested if he knew you were asking about him?" Ike whispered back. Kazumi shook her head.

"Please be quiet about it? Please?" she pleaded. Ike smiled a little and complied.

"Alright," he said, then turned back to Yuji.

"What was that all about?" Yuji asked.

"Oh, it's nothing," Ike said. "Back to what I was saying earlier, they were just asking me for help with their homework."

"Oh, I see," Yuji said. He saw Kazumi wave at him from beside Ike.

"Good morning Sakai-kun," she said softly.

"Good morning, Yoshida-san," Yuji said back with a smile.

Yukari and Konoe rejoined the three friends, and they went to class together. The whole while, Konoe stayed close to Yuji alone.

Just like the day before, Yuji and Konoe ate lunch on the roof together, with no one else around. This time, however, it was on purpose. Konoe took small bites in the bread Yuji had bought for her.

"Hey, Konoe-san," Yuji said after finishing his own meal, "how about we go somewhere after school?"

Konoe looked at him with the same expression as she normally did, but to Yuji, it was obviously a questioning look.

"It'll be fun, I promise," Yuji told her, and smiled.

Konoe tilted her head up toward the sky. After a while of watching the clouds drift overhead, she answered.

"Alright."

The first place the two went to was a pet shop. Judging by how the girl had reacted toward the bird the day before, Yuji felt that this would be a good place to start. The decision was right it seemed.

Konoe approached each little animal with wide sparkling eyes, pulling Yuji by the hand as she moved from one cage to another, to pet cats, hug dogs, and feed birds. The boy had never seen the girl so happy before. Their time together had only just begun.

Next, they went to a dress store. Yuji could not afford to buy any of them, but he thought she would like to try wearing cute clothes at least once. He picked out a clear blue dress that he thought would suit her. Meanwhile, Konoe picked some shows and a ribbon.

The young man, of course, waited in front of the dressing room, imagining how she would look with the dress. What emerged was better than what he had been thinking.

The girl emerged, and when she met his expectant eyes, she blushed a faint red in the face. The dress suited her very well, it seemed. The blue ribbon tied around her milk-like neck, with a bow at the back, was very cute, feminine, and sexy in its own way. Her shoes, with ribbons crossing over each other a short way above her ankles, matched her outfit very well too.

"You look beautiful, Konoe-san," Yuji said, a light blush on his face as well.

Konoe's face reddened, and she smiled at him. To his surprise, she did not hesitate to pay for the dress with her own money.

The two walked together. The whole time, Konoe held Yuji's sleeve, not wanting to let go for anything. Then, something caught her eye, and she took the boy by the hand, startling him a little. With more enthusiasm than before, she pulled Yuji with her into a store filled with musical instruments.

Tugging on the buy's sleeve, she pointed at a flute that was on display in front of the window. Even without any spoken words, Yuji understood what she meant, and asked the shopkeeper if they could try it out.

Konoe took the flute up to her lips and began to play a slow, sad tune. It was beautiful, smooth and melodic, and in the minds of those who listened, it painted a deep, dark, empty abyss, and a girl floating through it for what seemed like ages. As Yuji listened to her play, he wondered if this was an expression of what she was feeling inside.

Finally, the two took a stroll through a park. They didn't notice it at first, but the sun had already set. Even up until now, Konoe held onto Yuji's sleeve. It surprised him when her hand suddenly let go, and she stopped walking.

"Konoe-san, what's wrong?" Yuji asked as he turned back to her. Then he noticed a new expression on Konoe's face he had never seen before.

A tear trickled down her face, yet at the same time, she was smiling a truly happy and sincere smile.

"Konoe-san?" he said.

"I have never felt anything like this before," she told him. Like her expression now, she was not in complete monotone, but spoke with a tone that expressed what she truly felt. "Thank you."

Yuji smiled at her. Another tear trickled down the girl's cheek as she closed her eyes. She continued.

"If only I had been born a real existence," she said, with a tone full of regret. "It would have been nice. But I am just a fragment, a shadow of who I really am."

"You're wrong," Yuji said. Konoe opened her eyes, and met his. His eyes were sharp and determined, unyielding and full of conviction, as he spoke back to her. "Konoe-san, you did exist. To me, you did exist. It doesn't matter what you are, to me, you are Konoe Fumina. Just like I'm not just a replacement for my real self, I am still me, I am still Yuji Sakai, you are still who you are, no less, not even if you call yourself a shadow."

Konoe smiled and shook her head, wiping another tear. "You're half wrong," she said. "You will understand soon. My time is up."

It was then that Yuji realized that the reason she was finally opening up was not just because of what he did for her, but mainly because this was her final farewell, and she had nothing left to lose. He was about to step towards her when, without warning, the two were transported into a space of clear aqua blue. They floated in an endless space full of nothingness. As Yuji tried to comprehend what had just happened, another figure appeared.

She looked exactly like Konoe, however, her hair was teal, and she wore black stockings, white robes lined with gold, and an unusual white hat with two red balls hanging from it. But what was most striking was her face. Unlike Konoe, who had been pouring her whole heart out to the boy before her, the other girl was even more emotionless than she had when he had first met her. Her gaze was cold, and Yuji felt a chill in his heart as he looked into her eyes.

The Priestess and Konoe faced each other and began to hum a tune. They were in perfect sync, and their rising vocal hum resonated as they clasped hands together. In a bright light, Konoe began to fade away, merging with the one who looked like herself.

"Konoe-san!" Yuji yelled after her, reaching out in vain as he floated powerlessly.

In the last few moments of Konoe Fumina, she turned her head to meet Yuji's eyes one last time.

"Yuji, meet the real me," she said with a sad smile, then introduced herself.

Then it all stopped, and Yuji found himself where he had been moments before, still standing in the park in front of Konoe Fumina.

But the girl before him was anything but her. She wore the same dress, same ribbon, same shoes, the hair was the same too, but it was most certainly not her. Her expression was cold as ice, her gaze was a piercing chill, and there was not a trace of warmth or emotion in her.

As he looked upon the Priestess, he recalled the last words Konoe had spoken to him.

"Yuji Sakai, meet the real me, the Supreme Throne, Hecate."