Emi had always read the stories as a kid with her sister. Ancient fables of the supernatural creatures who exist at the summit of human imagination. She had always wondered where the Fairies resided, but this was something she could never have imagined no matter how vast of an imagination she had.
"C'mon, I'm gonna leave you behind if you don't keep up," Celeste Clearwater waved her hand as she sped up her pace.
The Fairy Court was located in a parallel pocket dimension, according to Celeste. In this world, there resided a single gargantuan tree that towered as high as Emi could possibly see. It seemed ancient, with a staircase leading up to a massive pair of doors guarded by two men in armor. Surrounding the tree were numerous amounts of huts and tents that must have been a quasi city or capitol of the Fairies. The sky was clear as marble and the ground was so green. Emi was having a hard time believing she was actually here.
"Lady Celeste," One of the guards said as the two approached the door. "Welcome home. Shall I inform the Queen?"
"Yes please," Celeste smiled. "And this is my friend, Himegami Emi. She shall be treated like royalty for the time being so give her anything she needs whenever she needs it."
The two guards slammed their spears on the ground. "Yes, my lady." The both exclaimed at once.
Emi cowered behind Celeste as the doors opened. "You didn't have to do that, Celeste. I'm not royalty."
"It's a favor for you," Celeste said. "Trust me."
The inside of the tree defied every law of physics and common sense that Emi had ever known. While on the outside it was a round, albeit incredibly large tree, the inside the doors was an incredibly long and vast hallway with numerous doors on either side. Outside every few rooms hung a grand chandelier from the high and arched ceiling that illuminated the path. The walls were tree barks with an infinitely long red carpet trimmed with gold.
"What…in…the…" Emi's jaw metaphorically dropped.
"Impressive right?" Celeste smirked. "C'mon, say it. You know you want to."
Emi gulped. "It's…bigger on the inside. It's actually bigger on the inside."
Celeste burst out laughing. "My father really loves the old Doctor Who show so he incorporated Fairy magic into the castle to expand the space inside. Every visitor has the same reaction."
"This place is amazing," Emi said, still having a hard time comprehending it all.
"The throne room should be up ahead, stay near me okay?" Celeste held out her hand as a magic circle formed.
Emi watched in awe as the single hallway split into two and diverged into two turns right in front of them. Parting from space was another pair of doors that looked like it was made of pure gold. Walking forward, the gates opened by themselves as the two made their way inside.
She thought the outside was impressive, however walking inside, Emi felt her head explode. It was a vast and bright room with enough space between the doors and the actual thrones to throw and entire football part. On either side of the pathway were two extremely long tables that were mostly empty however there were a few people sitting around with tons of children playing and flying about. The floors were grand marble with the walls and ceiling painted a mix of sky blue and snow white. The ceiling had a large dome that was made of glass that gave view to the beautiful sky.
"Mother! Father!" Celeste waved as the two walked forward.
"Celeste!" A beautiful woman who looked to be in her twenties walked forward with her arms open. She had beautiful silky white hair and blue eyes. She wore a simply black and white dress with her top being white and her bottom a long and lacy combination of stripes. It was simple and not a lot of people would say it looked pretty, however this woman was truly beautiful wearing such a simple outside. Her skin was pale, yet glossy. Emi couldn't take her eyes off of her.
"Where's Minerva? Is she still here?" Celeste asked.
The woman shook her head. "She took her squad out on a recon mission just before you came back." The woman noticed Emi. "Who is this? A friend?"
Emi stiffened with nervousness. "H-Hello! It's nice to meet you. My name is Himegami Emi." She bowed.
"Please, there's no need to be so formal," The woman walked over and helped Emi up from her bow. "You're always welcome here if you are a friend of my daughters." Her eyes widened. "Oh? You're human?"
"Y-Yes, I'm afraid," Emi felt a wave of shame wash over her.
"Mother, that's quite rude," Celeste frowned.
"My deepest apologies Emi, I meant no disrespect by my comment," The woman smiled. "We don't usually get human visitors in our Court. I was just surprised, please don't take it to heart."
"N-No, it's okay. I understand," Emi mustered a smile.
"Emi," Celeste smiled. "This is my mother, Titania. She's the Queen of the Fairy Court."
"A pleasure," Titania curtsied and smiled.
"What have we here?" A man in his middle twenties walked over and wrapped an arm around Titania. He was a handsome and confident man with short purple hair much like Celeste's. He wore a black T-shirt with a long and decorated gold and black coat.
"Dear, this is Himegami Emi. She's a friend of Celeste's." Titania introduced her.
Emi bowed once again. "It's an honor…your highness."
"Oh don't get all formal on me," The man laughed. "I am called Oberon. Welcome to the illustrious Castle Oberon!" The man extended his arms out with a confident smirk.
Titania elbowed Oberon in the side with a seriously scary and maniacal look in her eye. "We are not calling it Castle Oberon." A simple yet dangerously serious sentence backed up with a hostile tone. It was a quick 180 flip of personalities from the kind and gentle person she had spoken too just seconds ago.
Oberon held his side in pain. "R-Right. Sorry, dear."
Emi suddenly understood the relationship and hierarchy of this family. Oberon may have been king, but Titania was one hundred percent the person in charge. She had a strong aura about her that demanded everyone's attention and had the subtle confidence to back it all up. It was incredible…Titania might be the most amazing woman Emi had ever met.
Celeste sighed. "I'm going to show Emi to an empty room near mine. She'll be staying here for awhile."
"Very well honey," Titania smiled. "Please let the the maids know if you need anything Emi. Welcome to our home, please make yourself at home."
"T-Thank you," Emi bowed before being escorted back out by Celeste.
Celeste sighed once they closed the doors behind them. "Sorry about that. My family is kind of…eccentric."
"Your parents are very interesting," Emi giggled. "I'm glad I got to meet them."
"Are you sure you don't need to go home first?" Celeste asked. "Won't your parents be worried?"
"My…" Emi forced herself to speak. "My mother committed suicide when my sister disappeared on a plane accident, and my father's lost his mind trying to find her. He won't notice if I'm away."
Celeste was quiet. Was she just conflicted on what to say? Either way, Emi felt relieved that she didn't press for any information or gave her any sentimental nonsense like everyone else.
"We're here," Celeste said as she stopped in front of adjacent rooms. "You can take this room. I'll be across the hall if you need anything. Get some rest tonight, tomorrow we're gonna begin your training."
Celeste was about to open her door however she stopped before touching the knob. "Emi, if you need to talk or ask me anything, don't be afraid to ask okay?"
Emi was wide eyed with shock. She never pinned Celeste as someone so kind. She came off cold and distant, however around her parents she was more friendly and kind. But this was something else…
"Y-Yeah," Emi smiled. "Thank you, Celeste."
Without saying anything, Celeste entered her room and closed the door. Emi did the same and felt the energy leave her body as she closed the door behind her.
Her room was rather large, with a single bed in the middle of a wall with night stands on either side. To the back wall was a window that nearly took over the whole wall. Across from the bed was a desk with a book case next to it filled with fiction and history books. After walking past the hallway, there were two drawers next to the bed for clothes and a closet.
Emi jumped into bed and dived into her thoughts. What a day. She saw something incredibly terrifying yet awe inspiring in Ryusei's ice dragon transformation. She witnessed as people from an organization she had been tracking for years finally showed themselves, and instead of killing Ryusei like they were ordered to, helped save him. She met two exorcists who were after Ryusei as well, and now she was laying in bed in a massive castle in a gargantuan tree in a different dimension. Could her life get any weirder?
Ryusei. If Emi's guess was right, that means he was the linchpin in all of this. Everything that's happened since he came back, it was all because of him. Thanks to Kamiya-Sensei, she. Ryusei, and even Hiro were given breaks from school to focus on their training. But she wondered if they could ever return to their normal lives after this is all over…will it ever be over? She felt like she was drawn into an entirely new world that both terrified her and intrigued her. Could she ever go back? Does she even want to go back?
Thinking about everything, Emi took off her hair tie and let her hair free. She began to think on her friends and her life, until she eventually fell asleep and slipped into her dreams.
…
Asia stood in the middle of a massive and beautiful meadow somewhere in Europe. All around her was a vast expanse of green, numerous amounts of trees circled her with a mountain range off in the distance. The sky was a clear sea void of any clouds and the sun beamed on her. It was a beautiful sight that she engraved into her memory. She immediately wished Issei and Ryusei were with her to share this view with her.
"How are you feeling?" Kamiya-Sensei appeared behind her.
Kamiya-Sensei was a complete mystery to Asia. She was a beauty dressed in a typical teacher's outfit. She wore a partially button white top tucked into a tight black skirt with stockings and garters. She had short cut jet black hair and mesmerizing black eyes. She carried herself with such confidence and an all-knowing personality, backed with an unknown power and ominous past that drew Asia deeper into the mystery that was Kamiya Mizuki.
"Where are we sensei?" Asia asked.
"Greece," Sensei pointed into the mountain range, at the tallest peak far in the distance. "That's Mount Olympus, or at least that's what most people think. Isn't it beautiful?"
"It is," Asia smiled. "I wish every day could be as peaceful and beautiful as this."
"That's a nice wish to strive for," Sensei smiled. "Before we start, would you like to know more about your Sacred Gear?"
"Y-Yes," Asia said. "I know that Twilight Healing has the power to heal people, but I don't know the extent of it."
"You're right that Twilight Healing is a healing type Sacred Gear," Sensei crossed her arms. "However as of right now, the extent of your healing is limited to physical injuries and even then, it cannot heal lost limps or poison. In addition, you cannot heal people from a distance."
Asia felt a wave of shame and worthlessness wash over her. She knew she was rather weak, with a frail body, and was next to worthless in a fight. But that's why she was here. She wanted to grow stronger, to be useful to Issei or Ryusei. Now that she was a Stray Devil, she had to grow stronger.
"I want to get stronger, sensei," Asia balled her fists. "Please, teach me."
A smirk came on her face. "We'll start with adding distance to your Twilight Healing. There's a lot of room for improvement so I hope you're prepared."
Asia nodded.
Sensei held out her hand as a white magic circle appeared. Behind Asia, the ground began to crumble and crack as several golems pulled themselves up. They were around 6 feet with bodies made entirely of rocks and rubble. They were large and looked scary, yet they didn't move as soon as they were up. There were around six or seven of them, all lined up next to each other.
"We'll start with golems before moving onto humans," Sensei said. That one sentence gave Asia quite a scare. "My magic will automatically rebuild their bodies, so I'll disable that for now. Get close to one of them after I damage them and use Twilight Healing. Each time, you'll back up a certain amount and try it again."
"Understood," Asia nodded.
Kamiya-Sensei shot a blast of white magic that blew a hole right through the middle golem. Asia ran over and used Twilight Healing. At this range, with her making direct contact, the golem's body began to rebuild itself. It was working…wait, it was working?
"Did you notice?' Sensei asked, walking towards her. "Before, Twilight Healing only works with humans, Angels, Fallen Angels, or Devils. However you're using it on a being with no live."
"How is that possible?" Asia asked.
"Simplest explanation is that your magic is beginning to evolve simply by being exposed to Ryusei," Sensei smiled. "I bet even he doesn't know, but he possesses a certain gift for drawing out people's hidden potentials. Your magic is already evolving and growing, so we're going to draw out as much potential as we can. First was the healing of living beings, now the healing of magical beings, then we'll focus on distance healing."
Asia nodded, her determination growing. Ryusei was truly amazing. When she was around him, Asia felt the urge to push herself. Issei had put himself in danger fighting Momo, knowing full well that he might die, yet he did it anyway. He did it simply because he wanted to protect what was precious to him…and yet she couldn't do a thing. She couldn't do anything to help Issei or Ryusei, she'd never felt so useless in her life. She had to catch up to them if she wanted to stand by them in the future.
"For this," Sensei said. "Imagine your healing as a projectile. You're going to have to imagine it like a shot that can be blasted from any distance. Concentrate Twilight Healing into a ball, shape it and form it until you feel like it's right," She held out her hand as a white flame combusted. Slowly, it swirled and formed into a smooth and fluid ball. "Shooting it will depend on your own strength. Just try shooting it as far as you can for now."
Asia nodded. Sensei blasted another hole in the golem after she had healed it. Asia backed up a few feet and closed her eyes. She imagined Twilight Healing like a flame on her hand. She saw what Momo had done with the attack that launched Issei in the air. Shaping and forming it…until it became a ball.
The green magic from Twilight Healing shinned, and did as she commanded. It shaped itself into a small orb in the palm of her hands. She overlapped her hands and centered the ball. Using her magic, she shot the ball forward and barely hit the golem. The green magic enveloped the golem before it's body rebuilt itself.
"I-I did it!" Asia smiled with excitement.
Sensei put a hand on her shoulder. "Well done. To be honest I didn't think you'd make progress so early on. Keep this up, but it'll only get harder from here on out."
"Yes, sensei," Asia declared with determination.
…
Hiro sat outside a cafe with Hina, Ryusei, and the two girls he was with. He didn't expect to run into them in this time of day, but it was a good chance for them to catch up. Hiro still hadn't properly thanked Ryusei for saving Hina. For some reason, Hina seemed infatuated with Ryusei. Even as they were eating and drinking outside, she sipped her milkshake happily as she smiled and laughed with Ryusei.
"Hina-Chan," Ryusei said. "Are you sure you're feeling okay? Have you shown any signs of magic?"
"Well…I can't really say if I've noticed anything magical," Hina said. "But at this morning I noticed I was moving fast. Everything felt really slow…"
"It might be your body being enhanced," The girl with reddish white hair said. "You were infected with Vampire venom right? Your body may still be going through the process of vampirication. You're gonna notice a lot more soon."
"Don't scare her Lieutenant," The girl with long dark purple hair sighed. "You'll be fine Hina-Chan. If anything comes up, just call Captain."
"Captain?" Hiro raised an eyebrow.
"M-Me," Ryusei said with an annoyed look. "How many times must I tell you to not call me that anymore Reina? I'm not your Captain anymore remember?"
"Don't sweat the details Captain," Reina wrapped an arm around Ryusei. "Plus we're all friends here aren't we?"
"Who are you guys anyway?" Hiro asked, coming off a lot harsher than he wanted. "I-I mean, sorry…I didn't mean it to sound so mean."
"It's okay," The red haired girl said. "My name is Momo, the girl over there is Reina. We're from…"
"Hmm?" Hiro asked.
"They're from an organization I belonged to years ago," Ryusei smiled. "I was their leader for awhile and it seems like they still think so too."
"You're way nicer than Captain Kurogane," Reina sipped her drink. "I wish you would have told me you were leaving though Captain, I would have tagged along."
"Your world…" Hiro said. "Is pretty interesting, isn't it?"
Ryusei sighed and rested his cheek on his palm. "I'm not sure interesting is the right word, even though it's extremely accurate. Things are getting kind of rough out here Hiro. Are you sure you want to be involved?"
"We've made up our minds, Ryusei," Hiro said. "We're going to help you. The debt that I owe you will never be repaid enough…but this is a start."
"Hiro," Ryusei said. "I didn't save Hina because she was your sister. I didn't even know she was your sister. I did it because…Because I…"
"Because you're that type of person, senpai," Hina smiled. "I know the type of man you are. You'll save anybody whenever they need your help, regardless of how much it would trouble you. That's the type of man you are."
Hiro looked at Ryusei and could have sworn he blushed, before tossing his head to the side and avoided eye contact with Hina. Momo was frowning and looking at Ryusei with beady eyes while Reina tried to hide her laughter. Why did Hiro suddenly feel like he was the only person here who was unwanted?
"Oh by the way," Hiro said. "Have you seen Emi anywhere? I haven't seen her in awhile."
"Oh she's with a friend of ours," Ryusei said. "She wants to learn magic so they're off…somewhere. To be honest I have no idea where. The Fairies hide their home so no one besides members of the Court know where."
"F-Fairies!" Hina's eyes lit up. "There are really Fairies out there?"
"They're very beautiful and angelic, Hina-Chan," Momo broke her cold character and showed a bright and warm smile. "Maybe you'll meet them someday."
"Me too!" Hina cried with excitement and anticipation. It brought a smile to his face to see Hina so full of life again. When she came home, she seemed so distant and broken, but she casually returned to her old self.
"Hiro," Ryusei said. "I'm going to ask a friend of mine to stay with you for awhile. Until we figure things out, I don't think you two should be unprotected."
"W-Who?" Hiro asked.
"She's friendly, don't worry," He smiled.
"What's going on exactly, Ryusei?" Hiro asked. "I need you to explain to me everything."
Ryusei looked conflicted.
"You can tell us, senpai," Hina said. "We're your friends too, aren't we?"
"That's not why the Captain is hesitant, Hina-Chan," Momo said.
"He's just afraid of drawing you deeper into this messed up world of ours," Reina explained. "He just wants you to stay safe and in the dark so you won't be targeted."
"Don't treat us like kids, Ryusei," Hiro balled his fists. "Please…we just want to help you."
Ryusei took his arm off the table, and looked at Hiro in the eye. He then proceeded to unload a lot of information on Hiro and Hina. Ryusei and his group were being targeted by several groups all out for blood. Devils, exorcists, assassins. It was all incredibly hard to comprehend, but he began to understand slowly. On top of that, there was also something known as the Reaper headed towards Kuoh. Everyone was off training while Ryusei, Momo, and Reina had the task of talking to the different Shadow World clans around the city.
As Momo explained, the Shadow World was the term given to the supernatural community of creatures living in the shadows of humans. Creatures from myth and folklore like vampires, werewolves, fairies, etc. Hiro felt like he was being hit in the face with a brick with each load of information.
"I…I don't know what to say," Hiro gulped.
"This seems kind of dangerous, doesn't it?" Hina was beginning to shake.
"We don't know who will be after you so we're gonna ask our exorcist friends to stay with you." Ryusei said. "Irina is friendly so you guys will get along. Xenovia may be a bit cold and distant, but she means well."
"Are we going to be okay?" Hina asked, holding her hands.
"You'll be okay," Ryusei said instantly. "I give you my word Hina-Chan. I'll protect you both with my life."
Hiro fully knew that he meant that. He was the type of person who protected people. Hiro knew that he would actually give up his life to protect them. He balled his fists with frustration. Why did he feel so useless? He thought he could help, but what could he do in this situation? He was the one being protected…
"We'd better get going," Ryusei stood up and stretched. "We have a few more clans to visit today. You guys should get home and just rest. I'll tell Irina and Xenovia to come later."
"See you later Hiro-Kun, Hina-Chan," Momo smiled.
"See you soon," Reina waved before joining up with the other two.
Watching the three of them walking away, Hiro knew he was going to get used to this sight. Looking at the backs of these titans, always being in the back and being useless. He balled his fists out of frustration.
"N-Nii-San?"Hina asked. "What's wrong?"
Before he knew it, his eyes were welling up. "I hate this, Hina. Being protected, feeling so useless, I hate it so much."
Hina placed a hand on his. "I understand how you feel, Nii-San."
Hiro looked to his sister with confusion.
"I don't like this either," Hina said, her hand shaking. "Looking at them and being around them feels so overwhelming. It feels like we're among gods aren't we?" She giggled. "But whatever it is we can do, however little, we have to do it. It feels like…they're so far from humanity now. I can't believe someone so kind hearted and gentle can be so void of humanity. So we'll just have to that anchor that keeps him tethered to it, don't we?"
"Hina…" Was she always this wise? Has she really changed this much? It was like she was entirely new person. She seemed confident, despite her shaking, she was putting on a brave face and smiling. Was it because of Ryusei? Hiro never imagined someone could have such an affect on their lives…
…
Suzuki Satsuki stood in Lady Emi's room. It was empty and Lady Emi hadn't been home in a few hours. She was beginning to worry, but she knew that Lady Emi must have come across something important. Master Joshiro shouldn't be home until next week so it should be okay if she doesn't come home tonight.
Satsuki went ahead and cleaned her room, putting together the stacks of research and books into piles and pushed them back. As she was cleaning, Satsuki's sleeve pushed back to reveal her tattoos. How long had it been since she abandoned that life? Two…three years now? Even though she didn't miss the fighting and politics, she missed the people.
After cleaning, Satsuki sat on Lady Emi's bed and pushed back her bright pink hair. She wished she could have told Lady Emi the truth, the fact that she knew where Lady Airi had been and where she had gone. The fact that she herself had a hand in causing it, and the fact that she was a horrible excuse for a human being.
"I'm sorry…Lady Emi…"
"Sulking by yourself again I see."
Satsuki sighed. She recognized that voice, and this magic presence…
"Why are you here Rin?" Satsuki asked.
Standing in the corner of the room, shrouded in darkness as usual, was her younger sister. Suzuki Rin is currently the second strongest exorcist in the Holy Church and the second hand to the Paladin herself. Satsuki had already left the life behind, but it seems Rin is still a part of it.
Her sister was dressed in a typical exorcist's combat attire, with a white cloak covering her body. Her pink hair was cut short and she had a cocky smile on her face.
"Just came to check up on my darling older sister," Rin skipped across the room and stopped by Lady Emi's desk. "Is this the girl you've been serving?"
"Yes," Satsuki said with no shred of kindness in her voice.
"She's researching the Assassin's Order I see," Rin said. "That could be quite dangerous, don't you think?"
"I'll protect her," Satsuki said.
"I doubt that big sister," Rin said with a giggle. "How many years have you gone without picking up a sword? At your current state, I doubt you could even-"
Satsuki made her move in a fraction of a second. She vanished from her seated position and appeared behind Rin, holding a steak knife on her little sister's throat with a hand on Rin's wrist.
Rin was frozen in fear, her eyes wide and her arms trembling. "If you lay a hand on Lady Emi or any member of this household, I won't hesitate to kill you…little sister."
"As cold as always, huh?" Rin scoffed. "I come here with a warning, sister."
"From who?"
"From Lady Karisma," Rin said. "The Holy Church will act soon. Irina and Xenovia haven't reported back in over a day, despite having orders to do so every few hours. I was sent here to check up on them, however with the current state of affairs with the Devil King Lucifer and Azazel's sudden lack of activity, Lady Karsima has no choice but to take out the cause of this power struggle. Lady Karisma and the Knights will mobilize in three days time. I hope your Lady Emi isn't drawn into all of this, because even you would have a hard time fighting seven exorcists at once."
Was this true? If Karisma of all people was willing to mobilize, it could be a lot of trouble if they come to Kuoh.
Satsuki pulled back her knife and dropped Rin's wrist. "Leave. Your presence isn't welcome here."
"I've missed you too," Rin smiled. "I'll see you soon big sis."
Rin disappeared with a gust of wind, and left Satsuki panicking about what to do. What should she do? Rin was one thing, but fighting Karisma and the other Knights would be a task she couldn't handle alone. Satsuki balled her fists in frustration. She didn't have a choice now…she had to ask Hyoudou Ryusei for help. There was no one else she could turn to.
Satsuki drew a paper from Lady Emi's desk and wrote a letter to Ryusei. She used magic to transform the paper into a bird shikigami. It wasn't as effective as an actual shikigami paper, but it'll do the trick. She opened the door and tossed it out, watching as it flew into the city.
"I hope you're safe, Lady Emi," Satsuki balled her fist.
Author's Note - Next chapter I'll be introducing some Avatar the Last Airbender inspired characters. This chapter was kind of slow and focused more on side characters so I hope you guys aren't too upset. I hope you guys enjoyed it anyways and I'll see you soon :)