"Did we not, though?" - Speech
'We met before…' - Thoughts
"You don't know him." - Flashback / Emphasis
*Vrr!* *Pow!* - Sound effects
{] Chapter 3: È tempo di combattere. [}
Flashback—Years Ago
"He's growing up to be a pretty fine boy, huh?" A female with braided white hair chuckled, watching as her blue-haired son shape flowers into a crown.
"You're right about that," her husband, possessing the hair of blue, smiled alongside her. "You know… Since there's no more war or anything, do you think we should teach him how to fight?"
"Oh, you. Always thinking about war," the wife rolled her eyes.
"W-Well, it could be for self-defense, in case he'd ever get attacked," he chuckled.
"Oh, hush. He doesn't need that," she chided. "If there are no more dangers in this world, why learn to fight? Don't worry so much, he'll do fine."
"Hhaa… If you say so," he sighed.
But the two smiled when they saw their son being approached by his sister, before he offered her the crown of flowers. Another girl, with white hair however, came up to the boy, kissing him on his forehead. The husband and wife smiled warmly at that. Subconsciously, the mother brushed her hand against her stomach.
"You're getting a new sister soon… Make sure to take good care of her," she whispered to no one in particular.
Present
"Yes, well, you see—" Before Lux even managed to complete his sentence, he caught sight of something happening in the air. "What in the world…"
"Hmm?" Tohka, curious as to what elicited such a reaction from him, turned to look at the source of his surprise, only to see—
*Khh!*
Light particles seemed to suddenly gather into an orb, shaping itself like play dough. Multiple times it contracted and relaxed, before it suddenly dispersed, blinding them. When they opened their eyes once more, strings of characters revolved around a 'mouth', before it opened up into a circular hole, with shards protruding from everywhere on its edge.
Edge, because a circle does not have edges.
"W-What is that..?" Lux paled, taking a step back. He had left his bag behind, and thus, his weapon, the knife. "Tohka," he took her hand, pulling her with him, softly. "We should probably get out of here…"
But the object held no agreements with his suggestion, promptly forcing out two creatures out of the mouth.
These muscular beings, lacking any human characteristics beside the body, had no sense of life in it. Its breath a dark black, staining the air with such toxic filth as it limply dropped to the ground, forcing themselves up after a while.
Lux wouldn't have minded taking them on, but these things were brandishing axes. And they were wearing freaking armour. What are they?
*RrhaUAAA!*
Without any warning, one of them rushed towards the couple, wielding its axe in its right before leaping into the air, bringing down the iron weapon in one fell swoop.
*Chung!*
The metal made contact with just the ground, missing its targets.
"We need to get out of here…" Lux gulped, lucky that he managed to get him and Tohka out of harm's way. "Come on, let's go!"
"R-Right!" Those followed the boy, allowing him to drag her away.
Aboard the Fraxinus
"What are those things?" Kotori couldn't believe what was happening.
She had been monitoring Lux and Tohka this entire time. The date her brother and the Spirit were on was going so well, until a portal literally just opened up in the air, and summoned two creatures to kill them both.
What she was seeing were two disgusting humanoid-like beings that had no life in them, yet had the will to kill anything on sight. Brandishing axes with armour worn by typical barbarians, she couldn't put a finger on what had just been seen.
Luckily, Lux managed to flee the area with Tohka. But those things were still there, and they posed a threat to humanity.
"I want those things exterminated, no matter what," the redhead spoke in a sense of seriousness, responded with a nod from her blueberry-haired sister.
"You got it," Mana nodded, racing off to round up her team and fight off these creatures. They dare try to hurt her brother, and now they were going to get it.
"Be careful, Lux…" Kotori muttered to no one in particular.
In the City
"H-Holy cow…" The bluenette panted, clutching his stomach. "I should run more… Tohka, are you alright..?"
"I-I'm fine," she nodded. "But, what were those things..?"
"I don't know… And I'd rather not know," he breathed out one last time, before standing to full height. "In any case… My sisters should probably be handling this by now. Let's leave them to it, alright?"
"Can they truly do it?" She asked in slight worry.
"Trust them, Tohka," he offered her a simple smile. "My sisters are both a commander of some ship, and a soldier who can fight respectively. If anyone can handle these sort of situations, I bet it's them."
"Hmm… Okay, I'll believe you then," she finally smiled.
"Good. Now come on, and let's—" His words were ended on a short note, when he noticed that he was being approached by a girl with pink hair. "Hang up… Inori?"
"Lux," she nodded, as if he were greeting her.
"W-Wha, how and when'd you… Hhhaa…" He sighed, tired of the way his normal life was anything but normal now. "Where did you go when you and my sisters went to the shelter?"
"I'm part of a group, so I returned to it," she answered. "In any case, you're being attacked. You need protection."
"Yes, well, I could protect myself, but as you can see," he gestured at himself. "I don't have a weapon. And unlike you, who's pretty good with her fist, I doubt I can do much."
"Then come with me," she told him, gaining an eyebrow raise from him. "Trust me."
"Well, if I'm coming with you, Tohka here has to come as well," he gestured at the purplette standing beside him.
"Of course. Now come," she began moving towards the mall, and he followed her.
He was so lost at what to do, what to think, what to say… He was just some student who had grades better than most, and had two adorable sisters. He never thought that he'd get tangled up in all of this weird stuff.
He was so praying to God that he wasn't going to die so early. He had so many things to do…
Arriving at the mall, the couple followed the pink-haired girl to the parking space. They were standing at an open space, wondering what was to come—
*Brrr!*
Until one of the parking lots opened up, just like how shelters typically functioned. But instead of some elevator, it proved to be stairs, leading down into some unknown location—in Lux's and Tohka's case, that is.
"…This better not be a trap," he gulped.
"It isn't," she reassured him.
"Well, here we go, I suppose…" And he descended the flight of stairs, holding Tohka's hand, just in case. Inori followed the two of them from behind.
After what seemed to be an hour of doing nothing but going down these steps, which was in actuality a mere three minutes, they arrived at a door. Lux twisted the knob, walking through.
He was in what he considered to be a room filled to the brim with advanced technology. There were computers here and there, with all sorts of things being done. He had thought himself wondering why he was here of all places, until he remembered that his friend brought him here.
"Inori, what is this?" He asked.
"The group that I mentioned before," she answered.
"The… Wait, are you telling me that Egoist is a military organisation?" He asked her.
"Not truly," a new voice permeated into the air, ringing loud and clear. "But we do protect the country and its people."
"That's… good to hear, but…" Getting a closer inspection on the man before him, he couldn't help but feel somewhat familiar of him. "Kannazuki? I didn't know you were working with Inori all this time. And why do you seem so much more… mature?"
"Hmm? Kannazuki? Oh, I get it," this 'Kannazuki' chuckled, not sounding like the usual clown he always was. Rather, his own voice spoke truly like a gentleman. "Forgive me, but it seems that you've mistaken me for my cousin."
In a split of a second, that lasted for what felt like centuries to come, Lux could only stand fixed to his spot, staring up and down at this man that stood before him. The long blond hair was the same, but the eyes, rather than light brown, shone a bright blue. And how he looked so much older made a fairly well contrast.
"Huh?" Was all that the lad managed to blurt out, blinking as he scanned the man before him once again, mind unable to believe what his eyes were seeing. "Wait, you're not Kannazuki?"
"Not at all. He's actually my cousin on my father's side," he answered. "As such, I suppose I should introduce myself, lest you mistake us again. Ahem. I am Gai Tsutsugami. A pleasure to meet you."
"A-Aha…" He was dumbly shaking this man's hand, not knowing what to really say. He's started to think whether he's the protagonist of some cheesy story, but decided not to think hard about it. "S-So… Who are you?"
"Hmm? I seem to recall that I have just introduced myself?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Ahh, sorry. Let me rephrase that…" He paused for a bit. "Who are all of you?"
"Ahh, now I understand. We are a group working alongside Ratatoskr. An ally of your sister's group," at the mention of his sister, the boy perked up.
"You know who my sister is?" He asked, somewhat taken aback.
"Of course. Who wouldn't know their own allies?" He chuckled. "And of course, I know who you are, Lux von' Halcyon. I had hoped we'd be able to meet on different circumstances, but it seems that the world has had other plans for us."
"Yeah, no kidding," the boy sighed. "Umm… Tsutsugami?"
"Please, just call me Gai," the blonde insisted.
"Okay… Gai, why did you bring me here? I'm confused," the bluenette scratched the back of his head, displaying a look of the same emotion he aforementioned.
"Well, I am aware of your sister's plan to save all the Spirits, and I very much agree with her," he began. "I brought you here to protect you in her stead. Your other sister, Mana, is out there hunting those vile creatures you encountered as we speak."
"Will Mana be okay? I don't want to bury her at the end of the day…" It sounded casual to some, but the massive traces of fear in his eyes meant much.
"Don't worry, she'll be fine. She's an expert fighter," he reassured the lad, who sighed in relief. "In any case, I ask that you wait here until further notice. Inori, please watch over him and Princess while I'm away."
"Understood," she nodded.
"Wait, where are you going?" He asked.
"I'd like to be excused to the bathroom," he answered, resulting in Lux sweat-dropping.
Park
*Boom!*
"Was that really necessary..?" Mana gulped, realising that she and Origami dealt more damage than fixing anything.
"There are no civilians in the area, so it should be fine," Origami fired back, kicking one of the creatures into the air before firing at it with a rifle.
"You make it seem as if this is going to happen on a daily basis," the bluenette grunted as she slammed her fist into the creature's lower jaw, before slicing it in half with a plasma sword, watching as it dissipated into black particles. "Jeez… What are these things anyways?"
"The questions," the silver-haired girl paused to deliver a powerful kick to a creature's gut, sending it into the air. "Won't be answered. Let us focus on our task for now."
"Fine," she nodded back.
Somewhere Else, Beyond the Touches of Space and Time
"A fruit for thought, but, do you suppose we are being quite too nosy?" The man who sat upon the throne asked.
"I'd think not, but… Why do you ask?" The massive dragon breathed a spectre of flames into the air, warming up this slowly-cooling place.
"It seems that we've been involving ourselves in multiple of world, other than the ones we originated from. Is that considered wrong?" He asked once more, sounding quite concerned. The throne of which he sat upon, as if responding to his emotions, cracked a little.
"Hmm… A fitting question for only a situation were we to have interfered with the natural course of the world," the dragon answered, adjusting his wings so to feel more comfortable. "Remember, we have done not much to begin with. In Robin's world, he wound up in our world by the will of our writer. He is the one who decides the story."
"Hmm… I suppose you're right about that," the man allowed himself a short sense of relief, smiling after a while. "In any case, I suppose we should watch what is happening in the world?"
"Of course," and the wyvern chanted a simple string of words, in a dialect unknown to the human tongue, willing mana into the air before they shaped themselves into a large screen, displaying a gigantic being that was fast approaching the location of which Lux was at. "Oh dear…"
"Mmm… This is the point where Young-ae accidentally met him, isn't it?" He received a nod from the great winged beast. "Where he delivers words to awaken the blue blood in this Protagonist?"
"Indeed. And I daresay, how will the story go? I am admittedly curious about it," the dragon chuckled, allowing his head to lie on the ground, a soft groan escaping him. "And what do you think? Should we tip our hands to his favour?"
"I'd say not. Man must achieve what they dream by their own hands, lest they be drowned in the sin of Sloth," the man shook his head, smiling. "Let us stand by the side, and watch."
Funeral Parlor, this group that Inori was part of. In all honesty, it was such a grand name, that he had mistaken it for some form of wedding company.
Though the funeral part did give him the impression that they dealt with burials and funeral ceremonies.
He hadn't the time to even think about speaking with the others, before the screens blared, displaying red with large white texts, written in Japanese kanji.
"What's going on?" He asked Gai, who just appeared from the bathroom.
"It appears that we have a bigger threat on our hands than we initially thought," he spoke, sounding serious. "Lux, I need you to stay here, no matter what."
"What? What's going on? What's coming?" His endless questions were ignored, but it seemed that even Tohka wanted to know.
"Lux," the boy looked to his Spirit friend. "I'm scared…"
"Don't be. I… I trust Gai, and I trust my sisters. Let's just put our faith in them," he managed to calm her down. "So for now, let's just do as the man says and not do anything crazy."
"O-Okay," she nodded, still sounding uncertain.
"What?" Both turned to a distraught-sounding Gai, and they could clearly tell that whatever he heard was dreadful news, shown by how his face contorted into a look of fear. The way he was biting his lower lip was clear too. "I see… Very well. No, your brother is safe."
He disconnected the call, now staring into Lux's mismatching eyes.
"Kotori called you?" He asked.
"Indeed. She was calling to make sure that you were safe," he informed the younger male, before raising his voice. "Very well. Everyone! We are to aid the Fraxinus in slaying the beast that is coming at us! We must not allow it to get in close vicinity with the city at all cost!"
"Hai!" Everyone yelled back, returning to their jobs, but with more vigour than before.
"Lux, Princess, please remain here. Leave everything to us," was the last thing he said before he left the area, climbing up the stairs.
The boy knew he had no saying in this, but he felt… He knew that he had to do something. Just sitting around and shaking his legs didn't feel right to him. He knew that he's probably tied to all of this, and he has to help end everything.
It was a couple of minutes later, that he noticed a strange signal on the large screens up front.
"Wait… What is that?" He pointed at the blinking dot on the screen, which was slowly approaching the city.
"That," one of the girls, who was wearing some form of cat hairband, spoke with a tone of dread. "Is the creature that Gai spoke of, and the very same thing that is about to wreak this city."
*Shing!*
"Finally…" Mana let out a huge breath of relief, thankful that she didn't need to do any more fighting. It was tiring enough to deal with wave after wave of these things. "At least they weren't expert fighters."
Seriously though, all they did was rush forwards and swing their axe in mad circles. Obviously they wouldn't be able to land a hit on them.
*Bring..!*
"Hmm?" Mana touched the earpiece in her left ear. "Yeah, Kotori?"
"We need you to get back to the Fraxinus. A kaiju's fast approaching the city," the redhead's words made her eyes go wide, before they returned to their original size.
"Got it," she nodded, before tapping on the earpiece once more, ending the communication.
"You're not actually part of the AST, are you?" Origami crossed her arms over herself.
"Yup. I'm working for Ratatoskr," she answered without a trace of hesitation. "Besides, what you guys are doing is basically killing Spirits, which is something Nii-sama doesn't like. So yeah. What, planning to tell the others?"
"Hmm… No, not really," the silver-haired girl shook her head. "I'd rather not lose his trust."
"Mmm, okay then. Thanks," the bluenette offered a short smile, before propelling herself into the air. "Don't die now!"
Origami gave a shake of the head.
"…This is bad," his leg had been shaking this whole time, tapping against the floor nonstop. His chin had been on his hands this whole time as he sat on a chair. "What is going on..?"
He was just some student with favourable grades, living with two sisters. And then, he met Tohka, a Spirit who are the supposed causes of spatial quakes. Add to the fact that he learns that his sisters are part of an organisation tasked with saving these special beings, and that now, there's a freaking kaiju coming at them.
How could life get so weird in such a short time?
Nonetheless, the more he waited, the more he knew something bad was just begging to happen. The more he sat in this room, waiting for the results to come, the higher the chances of it being negative.
"There's no way I could just sit around doing nothing," he muttered to himself, standing up. Tohka eyed him curiously. "Tohka, I'm going out. Do you want to come with, or remain here? I won't force you either way."
"I'm coming with you. I'd feel more safer with you around," she informed him, standing up as well.
"Right, so let's—" Suddenly, he found himself lacking the ability to speak. Trying to do so only resulted in wheezing sounds.
"Boy, can you hear us?"
"It's working! We can actually speak to him now!"
"Aah, perfect! Very well, I'll make this very short! Lux, my boy, you must absolutely make way towards the creature that Gai has instructed you not to approach! Now, do not take me as sending you off to your death this way, but it is absolutely necessary!"
"Indeed! You must awaken the true you! He who ruled—Oh no, the connection's cutting!"
"What?! No! Not yet, we—"
"Hyaha..?" He finally managed to speak, realising that the voices he's heard resulted in no migraine as earlier. "Wha, huh..?"
Strange. Whoever those two beings were, they were clearly telling him to encounter this kaiju. But what for? Unless…
'Awaken the true me..?' That phrase had basically enticed him to make this choice, and he knew better.
He had to go. This was his cue to leave. To see what was going to happen. To take matters into his hands. He had to go.
"Tohka," the girl looked to him. "Come on. We've got ourselves a kaiju to see."
The Fraxinus, ever in the air as usual, was hovering directly above the Kantō region, overlooking the beast that was fast approaching the city. In just a few more kilometers, possibly a thousand more, and it would soon make its presence known to the public.
As such, Ratatoskr initiated a spatial quake warning, just to get the masses to cover. In truth, they were about to face something that could possibly be something much, much worse.
"Alright everyone, we're about to launch a rapid fire attack on the kaiju. Hey, get me a target on that thing!" The redhead yelled. In response to her command, the screens up front shifted to an image of a massive creature, swimming through the massive stretch of sea like it's paper. "Alright, aim the turrets on the Fraxinus at that thing. Do not let it get to the island!"
"You heard the commander! Do not let the kaiju reach the island, at all costs!" Kannazuki yelled, earning a multitude of responses from the crew.
The titan-sized creature was far too large to be captured, with a body that could be described as that of a serpent's. With sturdy tusks protruding from either sides of its head, they were enough to break towers, barriers and any other hard objects. The creature swam through the sea, its body a dirty brown.
"Wasn't that creature an inhabitant of a desert before?" Kotori asked, recognising the creature by its tusks.
"Indeed. Although, it seems to currently be in a sort of rampage, and is currently going for the island," the blonde spoke with a tone of worry. "We're still not sure what triggered it in the first place. Why it targeted the island too is another mystery we're still unable to uncover."
"Well… No matter. Let's just get rid of it," she sighed, before standing up. "Everyone! Let's take it down!"
Arriving at the park of which they were last attacked at, Lux and Tohka could see how there was indeed a massive body in the water, moving towards them at a fast rate.
The boy felt his eyes bulge out of their sockets, shock washing over him as he laid his gaze upon this massive creation.
"D-Damn… That thing is huge…" He gasped, unable to believe what he was seeing. "Tohka, I've seen what you were capable of in a fight. Do you think you can take that thing on with you Angel?"
"What? No! Unlike the 'Mecha-Mecha Squad' that I've been fighting against this whole time, this is way too much!" Her face paled at such a thought, unable to bear it.
She was unbelievably powerful, no doubt. How many had failed in capturing her only fortified that fact. However, she knew this was only because she was in a battle with men, beings who possess infinite knowledge, but lack in power itself.
In comparison to such a being she sees before her, this was an immediate death wish. There was no way she could even think of facing against that thing.
It was, to put it simply, a battle of an ant against a god.
"Damn it… Kotori, what are you planning..?" He muttered to himself, wondering what she had up her sleeve.
And yet, the answer came much too quickly.
He could feel how energy seemed to pick up in the air, flowing like threads of energy. He could sense it, not see them, but he knew they were there. Looking up, he could barely see the translucent outlining of the otherwise invisible aircraft, hovering high above the island as it charged what seemed to be a turret.
'Wait, is she planning to fire at that thing with that?' He gulped, wondering if it could truly worked.
On one end, it could, which was something he was truly hoping for to happen. It would save everyone the trouble of hunting that thing. On the other, if it failed…
Then they could only pray to God.
"Uh-oh…" He saw the brief flash from the turret, displaying a short circle of green. "Tohka! Get down!"
Tackling her to the ground, he was just in the nick of time before the orb that materialised at the mouth of the turret shot forth, pulsating in bright green and white and taking the shape of a straight line, travelling towards the creature.
And the great fire of plasma burst against it!
*Boom!*
Such force behind the attack was enough to send a ripple throughout the ocean, causing an irreplaceable amount of damage to the seabed. The waves that formed travelled miles, crashing into the island and it's shores.
Luckily, Ratatoskr had initiated the defensive systems, erecting barriers around the city to protect it from the waves. Thankfully, it was enough to stop everything.
The creature, however…
*RHGGHAAAA!*
"N-No way…" Lux could feel as if the end of the world was near.
The beast, though attacked by such a powerful beam head-on, still continued to live. Masses of its flesh was vaporized, leaving bright red insides to be displayed clearly now. And yet, the thing was still alive. Breathing, living, and still swimming towards the island.
"I-It didn't die?" Tohka gulped, sharing an equal amount of fear with her friend.
"Onii-chan!" The boy, snapped out of his stupor, snapped his head around, only to be confronted by a distraught-looking Kotori and Mana, both of whom were in their general's garments and armour respectively. "What are you doing here?!"
"How'd you know I was here?" He asked. He was sure they were up in the Fraxinus.
"We saw your signal down below, and came here to pick you up," Mana informed, before her frown turned ever more sour. "But that aside, why did you come here? Kanna—Gai specifically told you to stay put in their headquarters!"
"There was no way I could just sit and watch. It didn't feel right to me," he frowned back. "I know there's nothing I can really do right now, but—"
"Listen, we need to get you out of here! It's definitely not safe for you to be out here in the open!" The redhead huffed, before perking up at the sight of a hooded character moving towards them. "Lux, behind you!"
"Huh?" Turning around, he was met with the point-blank edge of a knife. He sidestepped the attack, leaping backwards. "What the..?"
The figure that appeared from out of nowhere was wearing black robes, with the hood obscuring his face. In his hand was a short blade of iron.
"I have trespassed into this world to rid it of its 'Protagonist'," he spoke in a cryptic manner, flicking the knife in his hands between his fingers, before finally pointing it at the lad, who adopted a battle-ready stance. "And you are my target. Stand down now, and I shall give you a quick and painless death."
"You really think I'm going to keel over and accept death? I'll only accept it when I say I will," the lad spat.
"Very well. Do not say that I didn't warn you," and in a blink of an eye, the being rushed forth, thrusting his dagger forwards.
*Fwoo!*
"Kuh..!" Barely dodging the blade, he threw his fist at the mysterious man's face, a satisfying smack resounding throughout the area.
The attack was supposed to be strong, considering that he was facing against an opponent who was out for his head. And yet, he was taken aback at how he managed to resist the attack, cracking his neck as his face remained hidden.
Mentally cursing, the lad raised his fists once more, bared teeth to accompany it all.
The man lunged himself at the boy once again, stabbing air. This time, however, he was fully prepared, flicking the knife around him before slicing at the boy's face, leaving a small cut on his cheek.
The blood that leaked out was not much, but it was still blood nonetheless.
"Nii-sama!" Mana, clicking her tongue once, jetted towards the mysterious figure, ready to pound him into the ground.
*Bam!*
"What the..?!" The girl's eyes grew wide, jaws unhinged as she realised that her fist was not colliding with the figure from before, but rather a jet black dragon with massive wings, of which were being used to block her fist. Returned to reality, Mana jumped back, avoiding the flames from the beast. "Where did you come from?!"
"Mana! Stay back!" The brother shouted from the other side.
"I should be saying that to you! You're the one that can't fight!" She retorted, blocking the tail slam with the side of her arm, before launching missiles from the back of her armour. They scattered into the air, before finally destructing in contact with the wyvern.
And yet, it was much to her chagrin when she saw how it blocked the missiles with its wings, leaving no damage on it whatsoever.
On Lux's end, it was seemingly bad than he would have thought it to be.
This mysterious person was far better of a fighter than he was. He handled the dagger far too easily, leaving scars everywhere on his face. Three cuts now, he noted, and that meant something. Against brutes from earlier, he was hands down the winner. But against such an experienced assassin such as he, added with the fact that he doesn't have a weapon on hand, Lux didn't have much options.
"You're not bad," he snickered, failing a roundhouse kick to the side. He tsk-ed, backflipping to dodge the knife from piercing his eye.
Knowing that being on the defensive wouldn't keep him alive for long, he took to a more offensive stance. He rushed after the man, feigning a blow. When his opponent tried to block him, he immediately went in for the leg, giving a firm to the side of the kneecap, ultimately downing him onto one leg.
With a fist clenched and ready to strike, he aimed his attack straight for his face—
"Ghagh!" Until the sound of his sister's cry reached his ears. Snapping his head to her position, he could very well see that the dragon she had been fending off had laid gashes across her body, blood spewing out like fountains.
His heart stopped for a moment.
With him frozen to his spot, the figure managed to distance himself from the lad.
"M-Mana..!" He breathed out, running towards his sister.
But he was going to be too late.
"…aiqtalahum," the mysterious figure spoke.
Any normal person would have taken minutes, hours even to just imagine what he said. But they boy, for some strange reason he himself knew not of, recognised his words as Arabic.
And the basic of translations for his words, was that he commanded the dragon to 'kill them'.
"No!" Outstretching his arm as he ran towards his sisters and friend, he could watch as their faces contorted into looks of fear.
The looks on their faces… It was one that displayed defeat. It was one that he could feel a strong sense of déjà vu from. As if he's seen this before. And he knew it. Those were the looks of those who kept holding onto the thought that the end was coming, and there was nothing that they could do.
They had lost.
'No..!' He shouted from the deepest pit in his heart, not willing to accept such sick twist of fate. 'If they can't stop it… I can!'
He was expendable, he believed himself to be. If anything, his sisters and his friend were the key to victory here. He was just a mere student who had no power or skill whatsoever. And yet, if this was the moment for him to truly make a difference…
He was willing to give his life to save theirs.
Mind now cleared of any dark convictions, and heart steeled for what was to transpire, he moved in front of the three girls, outstretching his arms to his sides.
The dragon charged black-red fire in its throat, before finally snapping its head towards the boy, letting loose a torrent of fire.
Closing in on him…
"Onii-chan!" This was it?
"Nii-sama, no!" He was going to die so early?
"LUX!" Ah well. Maybe this was his destiny after all?
The flames touched him, and the heat was enough to render him unconscious.
Somewhere Else
"…Where… Huh?" Slowly waking up, the boy found himself in an endless sea of black. Even so, he noticed himself capable of seeing, and he supposed this was not either Heaven or Hell, but maybe the in-between?
Feeling himself so exhausted, he willed himself to move forwards.
*Chink! Chink!*
He almost lost his balance, but he found himself tugged backwards once again.
Blinking, scared as to what was binding him here, he looked to where there was the sensation of cold steel against wrapped around his wrists.
Shackles, locked around his wrists and attached to chains that seemed to spiral up into the endless above. There was nothing there at all.
Looking at what was in front of him, he could now perceive the object of which that rested inside a glass container.
'What is that..?' He asked himself that. What was that strange, glowing cylinder in the box? Why did he feel so… attracted to it?
But it mattered not. He was going to die here. In fact, wasn't he already dead? The moment he stepped in front of his sisters to stop them from dying pointless deaths was enough to mean something.
Chuckling a rueful tune to himself, he finally slumped, giving up on any hope for his survival and, of what he wanted so much, his reunion with his loved ones.
*Tk… Tk… Tk.*
Footsteps rung in this supposed vacuum of a dimension. The boy, having lost all colour and will in his eyes alone, barely looked behind him to see a handsome lad with black hair and a few streaks of white running down from the centre of his head.
'Who is he..?' He would have pondered on the question, but he gave up on it the moment he asked himself that.
He ignored the stranger, who walked to the container, taking out the cylinder and eyeing it in a questioning manner.
"Boy, you must speak to the other 'Protagonist' before you if you wish for salvation! If you wish to be met with your sisters once more!"
"Indeed! Giving up is, and I dare say it out loud, a trait you have never taken into consideration! Speak with him!"
"But you are not alone in this. Speak my words…"
Lux could barely hear what these beings were whispering in his head, but he supposed that he could entertain them for a while, if it would keep them shut.
"Void Genome…" Subconsciously, his eyes widened in horror. He had just talked! And to some stranger, no less!
"What is it?" He could hear the other boy ask, sounding stern. "And look at me."
"U-Uurgh…" The student groaned, staring up.
The boy before him saw black eyes, just like his. However, it was because he lost the spirit to fight that his blue orb was cursed with an indefinite hatred, burnt by the flame of sloth that it turned dull.
"Tell me, what is this?" The black-haired boy asked, gently giving the cylinder a few shakes.
Lux didn't know what to say. He hadn't seen such an object in his life before. And yet, the whispers he was gaining in his head seemed to help him.
"I-It's the Void Genome…" He forced himself to speak, noticing how his throat sounded dry. "An object that bestows an ability to a selected person."
The thought interested the student. If such a thing truly exists, which it is currently doing in front of him, then it could potentially be a dangerous weapon in the wrong hands.
Cliché, he thought, but true nonetheless.
"I see…" The lad who stood nodded his head, before looking at the shackled boy once more. "What are you doing here?"
"I-I don't know…" Lux's head bobbed left and right. "I, died, I think."
Just admitting it felt so troublesome, so terrifying. And yet, he couldn't help but feel a weight lift off of his shoulders. Maybe the people were right? That death was far more relaxing than to suffer?
"Died, you say? That sucks…" The boy frowned, something Lux didn't miss. "But this isn't Limbo, so what are you doing here?"
"I really don't know…" Lux's teeth gritted, feeling anguish wash over him. Slowly, emotion began to settle in once more. "I remembered… My friend, my sisters… They were in trouble. I didn't have a choice, I..!"
"You did what any good friend and brother would do," the lad sighed.
In fact, he knew not what had happened with this kid—he may just refer to him as such, but he knew that they were in the same age. And for some strange reason, he felt a connection with the boy. Why? Because he's a prisoner as well? Just as he was? He couldn't bear to see him like this.
On Lux's part, he couldn't help but feel safe in the presence of this stranger. It was as if he knew him, like this was him, yet someone completely different. The blue grew stronger in his eye once again.
"Don't give up," the boy suddenly spoke, earning Lux's attention.
"W-What? What do you mean?" He gave up a long time ago, the moment he stepped foot into this strange world. But what was about this stranger's words that was compelling him to return to the battle?
"You may have lost in that fight of yours, but I'm not going to watch you mope about losing and whatnot," the stranger added a sigh at the end of his sentence, shaking his head left and right. "Any good soldier would steel themselves and return to the battlefield, and I know you're better than this."
"Well… what good can I do..?" Lux felt himself incompetent in comparison to the people around him.
Kotori was a freakin' commander of a ship, meaning that she must have had a lot of experiences in dealing with these sort of things. Mana was already a skilled fighter, even more skilful than he could ever dream of being. Tohka was naturally powerful, and made for a better swords-woman than he could ever see him become.
Inori was good even without a weapon, Origami was a strong soldier, and everyone else were normal. He… What could he really do? Against a living god, he was nothing. He had lost to a simple dagger-wielding stranger too.
But the other boy's actions lit a flame in his heart.
"This," he held up the cylinder, holding it up in a vertical manner. Lux couldn't hold back the gasp from being released.
"B-But, you found it…" He muttered. This was way too good to be true. Why was he being given such a power, when he couldn't even protect his sisters the proper way?
"So? Doesn't mean it's mine. It was obviously yours from the very beginning, just out of reach," the stranger kneeled to one leg, gently closing the boy's hand around the cylinder. "Wield it. I don't know what it'll do, but trust in its power. Use it to protect those you love."
*Khh!*
The shackles around his wrist began to glow a bright white, so too did his body, as flickering lights filled the air, giving the otherwise black space a bit of colour.
And as the void burst with life, so too could Lux feel himself… change.
Who was he now? Who would he become? He didn't care.
"I'm Young-ae Cross," the person smiled, his body beginning to fade. "What about you?"
"I-I…" Determined to finish the game, he shouted. "Lux von' Halcyon!"
Park
"…It seems that we've successfully eliminated the 'Protagonist'," the cloaked man muttered to himself, watching with boredom as two little girls cry over the dead body of their once-was brother, while the other was staring at the corpse with wide, purple, shaking eyes, making no movement whatsoever. "Well, I suppose our mission here is—"
*Khh..!*
"Hmm..?!" He was ready to summon a portal and leave the area, until he witnessed the corpse beginning to illuminate, blinding him and the others who looked at him, before the luminescence died down.
...
"Hyahh!" The boy suddenly screamed as he rose from his lying position, clutching his stomach. "Ow!"
"O-O-Onii-chan..!" Kotori, for once, found herself thankful to the Lord above, tackling her brother with a powerful hug.
"Nii-sama, you're okay..!" Mana too joined the hugging activity, sobbing fresh tears into her brother's shirt.
"H-Hey! Tears off the merchandise!" He jested, immediately scowling when he saw the hooded figure. "You're still here…"
"And you're still alive," the figure sighed, the dragon from earlier standing beside him. "No matter. We had removed you once. Now we shall get rid of you once more."
"No! We won't let you!" The redhead, eyes bloodshot and puffy, glared back at her brother's murderer.
And yet, she found herself losing grip over her brother, whom she was earlier holding in place.
"O-Onii-chan..?" She couldn't help but notice how he seemed less afraid now, staring at the figure without so much a twitch of a finger.
"…Tohka," he turned heels, staring at the girl. "Are you alright?"
"H-Huh? Oh…" She rubbed off the water from her eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"I'm glad then…" He sighed with a thankful smile, before looking serious. "Tohka, I have a request for you, and I believe that you are the only one of which I can ask this from."
"Hmm? What is it?" She asked back, but noticed the way he was increasingly gaining closer to her.
"Tohka," he stopped just a few inches away from her. "I want to kiss you."
"Pffft!" Kotori did a spit take, eyes wide with shock that was parallel to his sister's.
The hell did he gain the courage to ask a girl to kiss him?!
"Kiss?" The Spirit repeated the word in questioning. "What is a kiss?"
"It is an action to convey one's love towards the other," he explained briefly. "I love you Tohka, and I hope that you can find it in your heart to do so towards me as well."
"H-Huh?" The Spirit finally blushed a bright red, seemingly growing frantic. "W-W-Wha?! Of course I—I mean..!"
"You don't need to rush yourself, but I need to kiss you/ Right here, right now," he spoke once again, missing how his sisters were basically gawking at him.
"O-Okay… And how do we do that?" She asked, the burning colour on her face still present.
"We place our lips on one another," he informed her, moving towards her. He took her face with his left, gripping her waist with his right.
And with a soft pull towards him—
"Mmff..!" He captured her plush velvet with his own lips, a slow kiss that displayed every love he felt for her in that single instant.
And in that single instant, her world and heart stopped, and her mind could only think about just him. How her eyes only saw him, and how her lips yearned for more of his own.
*Khh!*
Light pulsated from the Spirit, before her clothes began to dissipate, soon revealing her untainted snow-like skin to the world.
Only when the boy broke the kiss from her, this girl, did he finally wrap his white jacket around her.
"Thank you, for putting your faith in me," he smiled at the blushing girl, looking at his sisters next. "And thank you for waiting for me. Now, it's my turn to play."
"Hmph. You're incapable of doing anything, yet you wave your ego like it's a magic wand," the hooded figure spat. "You may have survived Sūtaḫ's attack earlier, and you've managed to hold your own against me, but you truly think you can win? Don't make me laugh."
"Indeed. I doubt that you would believe me capable of winning against you, considering that I just died at your hands," the memory no longer brought him cold feet. It seems that he's come to accept it, apparently. "But I must do what is right, both as a brother, and as your opponent."
He brushed his hand through his hair, smiling.
"I am ready to defeat you, no matter what it takes," he sighed.
And with his words said, heart screaming for him to fight, his hair turned.
*Persona 4—Reach Out to the Truth (Play Song)*
"Hmm?" The hooded figure noticed the way the lad's black hair now shifted into purple crystals, spiking down to his chin. "What is this?"
"I've come to accept that I have to do this, even if it means shedding my old life," the boy pulled out a cylinder from his pocket, before quickly injecting himself in the wrist, feeling a surge of power.
The threads of silver light that emanated from him were enough to set off everyone's alarms, wondering why this was happening. Even then, he didn't need to explain himself.
Outstretching his hand in front of him, before finally digging his hand deep into himself, light dancing around him as he pulled out a gun.
In one quick motion, he aimed the gun at himself—
*Bang!*
The bullet pierced his head, but the way his blue eye shone brighter, burning like a demon's flame, it was enough to tell that he wasn't dead.
In fact, it was from that simple action that a large blade formed in his left hand, heavy and powerful. The blade itself took everyone, mostly Tohka, by surprise.
"T-That's [Sandalphon]!" The Spirit pointed out, surprised that he was able of summoning her weapon.
"Indeed it is. I'll be borrowing it for a while, if you don't mind," he dropped the gun, allowing it to turn into light particles and retreat into his heart. He aimed the sword straight at the monster and its tamer. "Let's go."
Without a word, the jet-black dragon flew towards him, maws wide and open and ready to tear limb from its target. Understanding its attack pattern, he leapt to the side, before rushing the dragon, dealing a cross slash. Blocking a tail slam, he quickly retaliated with another sword swing, effectively ridding it of its tail.
*RrHgaaA!*
"With pleasure," he knew not what it meant, but ignored it nonetheless.
The wyvern charged fire, spewing it everywhere around it. Lux, holding his sword to the side of his hip in a 'Sha no Kamae' stance, drew it in one quick motion, letting loose an arc-shaped compression of energy that travelled towards the dragon, killing it in one hit.
Turning his attention to the figure next, he left him no room to devise a tactic, instantly going in to deal the blow.
Lux charged up the sword, sensing the spike of energy in the blade. Letting loose a battle cry, he slashed the sword in front of him, watching it form an arc of energy that stretched wide and forwards, cutting into the hooded person's torso. The energy rendered his body apart, leaving him slammed into a wall, before he slumped forwards, standing on shaky legs.
"Ughh…" He made not much of a response, grunting as a hissing sound made its way in his head. The blood seeped out of his wound, seemingly endless. He chuckled a moment later. "Funny… You managed to best me..?"
"Humans were never pathetic. You never gave them the chance to shine," the lad chided, raising [Sandalphon] towards the figure. "Do you have any last words to speak? This is your last chance, after all."
"Really..? I see…" The being chuckled, holding himself in the chest. He stood on shaky legs, a weak grin on his face. "Show them what you are capable of… princeling…"
"If that is all," and the boy dug his blade deep into the man's body, before slicing upwards, halving it. The body dropped to the ground, blood fountaining without restraint.
Staring at the body for a while, he sighed, before staring at the massive kaiju that was swimming towards them. He had almost forgotten that it was still there.
Willing energy into [Sandalphon], causing bright streaks of light to permeate around the sword, he aimed it directly at the massive entity, blue eye displaying its mark proudly.
"Time to put you to sleep," he muttered. And, to his mental command—
*PIUUUU!*
A powerful ray of energy shot forth from the sword, travelling forwards as it exerted pressure on its surroundings. The sky weeped under its presence, the clouds parting to make way for it, and the sky turning a bloody crimson, as if it were being killed by the beam itself.
*Boom!*
No roar resounded from the creature, as the sound of powerful waves that shook the world due to the pressure exerted from the attack making contact with the creature. Added with how the waters rose to painstakingly dangerous heights had acted as curtains for the creature, blocking sight of it.
And when the waters finally dropped to join their brethren in the sea, all that was left of the creature was its body, head missing. Now replaced with a bloody hole, insides out for display, it dropped into the sea, not surfacing for any time to come.
"Well, that's that," he allowed a smile to be put up, before he lost all energy.
The last thing he felt, was the hard ground against his head.
*Persona 4—Reach Out to the Truth (End Song)*
