Voices filled the empty air around Mizaki. The world in front of her settles in a dark void. Mizaki tried to lift her arm, though nothing happened. She wasn't able to do anything; she couldn't even see her own body underneath her.
"Miss? Miss?" A man's urgent voice rang out in the darkness, his breathing heavy. "Get her some water!"
"Sir!" Another man, this time a lot more obedient. Footsteps tapped along the empty, black hole. Mizaki didn't understand where the voices were coming from, nor did she remember what had just happened.
"Could someone please explain the obvious?" A woman asked, her voice frantic and edging on irritated. Mizaki exhaled loudly, causing the talking to cease.
Light flooded into her vision as her eye lids cracked open, just barely a squint. The blurred silhouettes took shape, each voice matching an owner. Mizaki slowly opened her eyes, black dots spotting her vision, the world spinning for a few moments. Her fingers twitched against the rough, cracked cement. She groaned, only loud enough for it to vibrate in her throbbing chest. She rolled her head to the side, moisture suddenly matted into her hair. She finally collected her thoughts, the numbness her body had felt dispersing. She let out a flurry of coughing fits, toppling over to her side and clutching her gut. Her head pounded in pain, an unknown, thick liquid running down her neck.
The dust settled. Mizaki's lungs filled with ashes as she coughed violently into her cut up fist. The shadows around her took action, squatting beside the injured girl and placing their hands on her head and back. Mizaki continued to cough, ignoring the reassuring tones the strangers gave her. Mizaki felt a subtle burning on her back, right where her fire insignia lay. One woman rubbed the area, causing Mizaki to let out a hoarse scream.
"Don't touch her there!" Tamaki's panicked cry sounded a few feet from Mizaki. She tilted her head upwards, cringing at the scraping noise against the cement. Her eyes settled on Tamaki, running towards her, pushing away a few strangers in uniform.
"Sir, please don't interfere." The first man from before demanded, standing up straight and holding out his arm to block Tamaki. Tamaki growled at the older man, taking out his wallet and flashing him a shiny piece of metal. The man nodded, still looking a tad concerned as he let Tamaki through.
Mizaki continued to cough, now finally taking in the scene before her. Barricades lined the sidewalk, flashing light blinding her vision. Urgent yelling continued to ring out from every direction, men and woman in uniform obeying the demands. Crowds stood staring at Mizaki behind the restraints, a few people holding their children close. Broken glass, ash and giant chunks of cement littered the street around Mizaki, as well as splattered blood against the concrete. Mizaki tightened her grip on her stomach, her throat suddenly dry. Flashes of her friend's dead bodies sprawled on her old home's charred ground made her stomach flip. She remembers it all, the gruesome chants, Ignis sprinkling her beautiful flames around the forest, and...The first clue.
"Mizaki! Thank god you're okay! I was worried sick!" Tamaki cried, propping Mizaki up against his lap. Mizaki lay tired and motionless in the young man's lap, her legs twitching against the rubble. Tamaki gasped, tapping the back of her head, where her hair seemed to be wet and matted. His hands tapped the cold substance, whilst his other rubbed Mizaki's arm reassuringly. "What happened, Mizaki?"
Mizaki coughed into her fist. "It..." She began her voice cracked and quiet. She cleared her throat, trying her best to speak. "I-I should be asking you the same question..."
Tamaki squeezed the girl's arm, muttering under his breath. He glared at the uniformed people rushing around, backing away the public and moving the boulders. A few people in silver uniforms used their magic to clean up the large bits of cement, a green glow surrounding the object and dissolving it. "Why won't any of you help her?!" Tamaki yelled, gritting his teeth. Mizaki coughed, swaying back and forth dizzily.
A woman removed her tinted mask, her large, fluorescent yellow coat catching Mizaki's attention. She squatted next to the Elemental mage, smudges of dirt smeared across her tan cheeks. "We have already checked on her before you came." The woman informed to Tamaki, her gaze now falling onto Mizaki, still terrified and confused. "She will be okay, but we can help you bring her upstairs."
"What the hell do you mean 'okay'?! She is obviously hurt! The back of her head is bleeding!" Tamaki yelled. The woman ignored him; instead, she flashed a warming smile at Mizaki. A sudden rush of heat ran through Mizaki's bones, the pain in her head ceasing. The woman's amber eyes shined in a beautiful sparkle, her complexion clear and perfect even with the ash and mud smudged against her skin. Mizaki felt a flutter erupt in the pit of her stomach, her eyes widening as the woman winked at her. She pressed her finger to her pink lips, telling Mizaki to be quiet.
Mizaki felt dizzy in Tamaki's arms, clutching his leg for dear life. She felt consciences slip away slowly, no matter how hard Mizaki tried to fight it. "I-Ignis..." She trailed off, the familiar darkness soon returning.
"Yes, but the fire never went out. I'll definitely discuss it with her when she wakes up." Tamaki's voice was the first thing Mizaki heard as she opened her eyes. She squinted at the dim lamp on her bedside table, slightly confused at the time of day. It appeared to be night time, the curtains shadowing darkness, defining the white lace. The small lamp was the only light that illuminated the clean room, except the low glow of her alarm clock.
Mizaki grabbed the alarm clock, her eyes widening. "Three fourteen am?!" She cried out, coughing suddenly. Her head surprisingly didn't hurt, which was odd from the usual pounding she woke up with every morning.
"Yes, Felix, I understand." Tamaki sighed, talking into his phone. Mizaki directed her attention over to the young man pacing back and forth in front of her door. Mizaki ripped the covers from her legs, sneaking across the floor.
She crept behind Tamaki, tapping him on the shoulder. He went silent, turning around and facing Mizaki with a tired expression. His green eyes were toned down ten notches, a dull glow omitting from them. He gave her a weak smile, before quickly hanging up his phone. Tamaki then wrapped her arms around Mizaki, squeezing her tightly. She froze in his arms once again, still not fully comfortable with the other boy. Once he pulled away, he wiped the gorgeous smile from his face and struck her a more serious emotion, his tone low and concerned. "You scared the absolute shit out of me, you know that? You were passed out for at least an hour, and we still don't even know why!" He sighed; his big hands still perched on her sides. He turned her around, lifting up the back of her pajama shirt.
Mizaki felt cool air rushing against her back as he lifted her shirt, causing her face to go red. She whipped around, slapping his hand away with great force. Tamaki hissed, holding his pulsing fist. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" Mizaki screamed her voice cracking. She suddenly felt woozy, stumbling back a few steps and clutching her head. Another rush of heat raced through her body, dispersing and collecting back together on her Ignis Insignia.
"Mizaki, please relax. I noticed strange activity with your fire tattoo, and I need to connect the dots to what had happened. Your corporation would be very helpful." Tamaki reassured, his hands held up in defense.
Mizaki relaxed, uncurling her fists. She pushed passed the male, snarling under her breath as she stumbled into the beige living room. Her socked feet slid around on the hard wood floor, the scent of daisies filling her nose. She fell onto the couch, sinking into the comfortable cushions. She closed her eyes, wanting to fall asleep again, though every time she tried, images of her friend's dead bodies filled her mind. Mizaki curled up in the corner of the couch, hugging a pillow up to her chest. "I want to talk. I don't care about what you have discovered, let me speak first." Mizaki demanded, her sentenced shortly followed by a fit of coughs.
Tamaki only nodded, silently making his way over the couch and softly sitting down. He turned to look at Mizaki, leaning in intently. "I promise I will listen, as long as afterwards I may tell you about my discoveries."
Mizaki shrugged, not caring in the least about Tamaki. Mizaki had seen horrid things while her soul had been separated from her body, at least that's what she assumed. Nightmares seemed to break her every thought, even when awake. Mizaki had been in this vision only a few hours ago, but it was still vivid and very real inside her mind. She had to put it into words; somehow, it would make it better. "I saw things, Tamaki, things I really hope I will forget." Mizaki paused, giving him time to respond.
"Go on, I'm listening." Tamaki placed his hand on her knee, giving her a sense of safety.
Mizaki sighed, biting her lip. "After that explosion happened, I saw a floating woman. The woman sent me to some...place. When I got to this 'place' all I could see were bodies, most were strangers, but dead none the less." Mizaki began, a lump in her throat forming. "A-And, my friends, they were all telling me that I killed them. I don't remember killing anyone, yet they seemed so sure. My friends have never lied to me, especially not Kallen."
Mizaki was about to continue, until Tamaki interrupted. "Kallen?"
"Yeah...She is probably my best friend, my first friend. She's a Poison Dragon Slayer and I barely knew anything about Dragon Slaying magic until I met her. She's pretty short, way too nice, can be kinda weak – you know – emotionally. She's such a great person though; I still don't understand why she puts up with me." Mizaki had admitted more than she wanted to, but the words seemed to just come out. Mizaki took a deep breath, suddenly smiling to herself as she thought of all the BP members.
"There is also this other Dragon Slayer I know; he has a similar element, Acid. His name is Leon, we are sorta a team. He is probably the most innocent guy you will ever meet; he doesn't even know what sex is! I tried to teach him once, but it was sorta useless. You can't really stay mad at him either. Kallen and I act like his parents, he's our little boy." She laughed, smiling to herself as she thought of all the memories with Acidic Element. Tamaki chuckled along with her seeming intrigued.
"I know it's off subject, but tell me more about your friends." Tamaki asked, scooting closer to Mizaki.
Mizaki had no problem, though she was never the kind of person to talk about people other than herself. She bit her lip, deciding to continue. "Also this other girl, Lucia, she is kinda stupid and I hate her." Mizaki laughed, a pang suddenly starting in her heart. "She can be annoying, and hates it when I call her little girl. But she is so is short! It's really fun to push her buttons, even more so than the other members."
"The first thing I ever said to this one boy, Trinity, was that his name was girly. I still think that now, and I think that's why he doesn't talk to me much. Along with Shizeru, who evaluated me before I got into the guild. I meant to fight him before I left but I never got around to it. I forgot to do a lot of things..." Mizaki trailed off, tears falling from her face. She didn't understand why her feelings were suddenly getting the best of her, but she knew she couldn't keep it up much longer.
"Tristan and Mathias were one of the first friends I made other than Kallen. Mathias is really nice; he gave me my room rent-free for a few months, and bought me a whole new wardrobe. Tristan is also really nice, but in an old-fashioned polite way, it kinda pisses me off sometimes." Mizaki covered her mouth, giggling into it. "I would never tell him, but when I first met him, I thought he was pretty cute." Mizaki's face went slightly red as she thought of it, thinking of how ridiculous the two of them would be together. "I was stupid then, he is almost like a brother to me, I could never think of him like that."
Tamaki chuckled, squeezing her knee. "Sounds like you have a crazy bunch. Do you miss them?" Tamaki asked, tilting his head in wonder.
Mizaki was hurt and confused, still unsure of reality and fantasy. She loves all her friends so much, yet they accused her of killing them, right there, while she sobbed like a child. Mizaki shook her head slowly, wiping a few stray tears from her cheek. "No, if I missed them then I wouldn't be able to think of my ultimate goal, now would I?"
"That's a good way of thinking, Mizaki." Tamaki agreed, nodding his head.
"I don't think I want to talk about that...place anymore. Tell me what you had found." Mizaki demanded her voice shaky and high. Tamaki only nodded, turning away and taking his hand off her knee, placing his palms in front of him. A golden glow omitted from his palms, a sudden hologram appeared in front of him as the glow grew brighter. One pad with golden buttons lay pointed at him, with a screen in his view. Mizaki watched in awe as he tapped his fingers against the screen, and the odd panel underneath. The Elemental mage had never seen anything like it before, and was completely amazed at how fast he could type. His traced his finger along the screen, a colourful box suddenly opening up, with black letters sliding across it.
Tamaki look over the black text, the golden light shading his eyes. "I suspect that was the Goddess of Fire, Ignis, which took your soul to a different location. She must have of had a purpose, in which to give you the first clue. I studied up on the Fifth Element journey; the first clue is always given to you, and then they work their way through your tattoos. I noticed that your tattoo is now red, instead of black like the other three; it was glowing when the fire fighters found you. Now if we can decipher which direction the clues are going in, this will be easy. Make sure you pay attention to your surroundings, like some kind of strong feeling of the other three elements. Also, wherever you find the next elemental clue, the clue before that is tied in, so watch out for that."
Mizaki listened intently, though Tamaki had barely taken any breaths and it was hard to keep up. "So what you're saying is I need to watch out for any strong magical feelings? Easy enough." Mizaki smirked, crawling over and roughly punching Tamaki in the arm. He flinched, the golden screen disappearing. "You're an awesome partner, you know that? I wouldn't be able to figure this shit out without you!"
"Thanks, Mizaki. I also have something else to say." Tamaki spoke with a serious tone.
"That is?"
"I think I found someone you can speak with, someone to help with the first clue."