There are many kinds of encounters. Some can lead to friendship, or even potential allies, or something deeper.
Not too long after Tiriel's ultimatum, at lunchtime, Kazumi presented Yuji with a lunchbox wrapped in pink cloth. She was blushing mildly, but she pushed herself on.
"Here you go Sakai-kun, I made you this if you want something different," she said.
"That's for me?" Yuji asked.
"Yeah, because all you eat at lunch are riceballs."
"Uh," he pondered before Ike, who sat across him and Hecate, lightly kicked Yuji's leg. "Oh sure, I appreciate it," Yuji accepted.
Others could lead to disagreement…
"Mmmm! What a feast!" Sorath said with glee as he consumed the existence of a multitude of people by a café where his sister Tiriel watched him. Rather than the plain blue sky or a deep crimson veil above, the area was bathed in a sickly yellow.
"That's it dear brother, eat as much as you like," Tiriel said. "Even if the Supreme Throne becomes our enemy, we have nothing to worry. No matter how powerful they are, as long as we're in our Cradle Garden we're invincible."
…and even hostility.
"The Manipulator of Objects is closing in on them fast," Margery said as she leaned on the rails of a balcony.
"When she gets close, we'll have to mess them up then, my guardian of the grim, Margery Daw!" Marcosias said.
"Those perverted twins seem to have finally separated from the Supreme Throne though," said the Flame Haze. "We'll watch and wait. If either of them come close to them again though, then we act."
And other encounters can awaken deeper feelings hiding within.
As Yuji happily ate the lunch Kazumi made for him, Hecate glared daggers at its maker, but by now the human girl was starting to get used to it, although she still felt chills running down her spine. However, beside Kazumi herself, her closest friend Yukari Hirai looked upon her and the Mystes darkly, before glancing at Ike, then back at the two with a grim face.
She was always more outspoken than Kazumi, yet why was she so timid now? Why was Kazumi moving so far ahead of her now? Why was she getting so close to her own happiness? Why not her too?
Where would it all lead? One thing was for certain, these encounters were the start of a new change.
A Midsummer Night's Dream
It was still half an hour before midnight when Yuji met with Hecate on the roof of his house. The Supreme Throne was in her true form, the teal-haired, white-robed Priestess.
"It's been a while since I've last seen that nice hat of yours," he said with a smile. Although Hecate did not do the same, she tilted her head inquisitively. The Mystes shrugged, it was a better response than seeming indifferent at least.
"You said you wanted to show me something?" Yuji said.
The Priestess nodded and opened her arms wide. "Hold me."
Yuji blushed. "U-Uhm, e-excuse me?" he flustered. "Are you—are you feeling cold?"
Hecate frowned. "Hold me," she repeated.
"Uhm o-okay," Yuji said, still puzzled, as he approached the girl and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her head to his chest.
"I cannot see, and you will slip off," Hecate told him with a deadpan tone.
"What?" Yuji said, even more puzzled.
"Kneel down and hold me tightly," Hecate said, this time being specific.
Yuji did as she said, wrapping his arms tightly around her soft and thin belly. "Okay, but what are yo—?"
Before he could even finish his question, the Priestess ascended from the platform towards the sky. Although Yuji was already holding onto her, she held him as well, not wanting him to fall accidentally. Before he knew it, Yuji was being taken high into the air with Hecate.
"Hecate?" Yuji asked as his legs felt no solid ground.
Hecate ascended higher and faster, taking off into the dark sky.
"Hecate? W-w-whaaaaaaa!"
As the Priestess flew, Yuji held onto her for dear life, shutting his eyes, flailing his legs and screaming loudly. As she flew at a more horizontal angle, Hecate spoke, her tone as soft and expressionless as ever.
"Calm down and look below."
Yuji didn't want to of course. He'd pee in his pants if he saw how long it would take until he would splatter into the ground. But Hecate's voice was soothing in its own way, and he did as she said. His eyes widened and he gasped with awe at what lay below him.
Misaki City in its entirety lay before him. The lights from various houses and buildings shone like the stars above, and the Mana River that ran through the city sparkled in reflection of these lights as well as the moon and stars above.
"I never realized how beautiful this city would look at night, and from this high up," Yuji said with amazement.
"I did not either, when I first came here," Hecate told him honestly. "But as I stayed longer, it came to me, and I wanted to show it to you."
Yuji smiled. "Thanks."
"I wondered what it must be like for you, being trapped on the ground."
Yuji recalled the time he had tried in vain to reach for the ladder on the side of one of the massive bridge arches. "It's a very helpless feeling, like, I couldn't do anything compared to you."
Hecate did not respond to that, but they continued to fly above the brightly lit city. After a while, she spoke.
"Fly with me."
"Huh?" Yuji said, looking up at her.
"Hold only my hand."
But then I'd fall! That was the first thing that came to the boy's mind, but he trusted Hecate, and he knew she would not let that happen. Slowly, cautiously, he released his hold on her but held her hand tightly. The Priestess spread both her arms wide, letting Yuji's body soar in the wind along with her.
The air felt chilly, and her hand felt just as cold, but at the same time, he felt warm inside. As he and Hecate flew through a cloud, boring a hole through it, it felt wet, and yet, refreshing. On a whole, it was an exhilarating feeling.
"So this… is flying," Yuji said.
Hecate turned to him with a tiny smile on her lips.
"I hope one day you can truly fly with me, and that I may swim with you."
Meanwhile, as they flew through the night sky like a shooting star, Kazumi Yoshida walked her dog along the riverbank. She had trouble sleeping, as she had been constantly bothered by the relationship between Hecate and Yuji, and how close they were.
Little to her knowledge and easily out of sight behind a ridge in the darkness as she passed by her, Yukari Hirai sat closer to the riverbank, gazing at the reflection of the twinkling city in the river with melancholy eyes. She loved the way the city looked at night from this spot, but it was little comfort for her.
She had been up the whole night, completely unable to sleep. That event from the previous afternoon, burned into her mind like a branding from iron, played back in her mind.
The day before, as school ended, Yukari approached Ike. She had always admired him, he was always so reliable, so cool, so smart, he was great, what wasn't there to like about him? That was what she had told herself.
She had caught him in the corridor and brought him to a secluded place, bathing themselves in the orange rays of the setting sun. The girl had had enough of watching Kazumi walk ahead of her, leaving her behind and alone, and coming closer to her happiness. She wanted it too, after that feeling had awoken itself within her so mysteriously the other day, she so desperately wanted it too; she envied her friend.
"Ike-kun, I can't take it anymore," she said. She was not sure what to say, whether to confess to him right then and there, she was still afraid, but she knew she had to push somehow. As she searched for the words and mustered her courage, Ike went ahead of her.
The bespectacled boy smiled sullenly and averted his eyes. "I think now I really know how Sakai feels. It really isn't easy," he said.
Yukari watched his expression intently, her hands fidgeting as she awaited a response. Finally, Ike sighed.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't realize it until today, but it turns out… I think I like Yoshida-san."
Yukari's eyes widened at the revelation, and she stepped back in shock. "W-why?" she said.
Ike couldn't bear to look at her in the eye. Why indeed? He always saw Kazumi as a kind, sweet, gentle and pure girl, a perfect woman. She was also so very devoted, something he admired whenever she attended to Sakai.
Sakai… now that he thought about it, he had repressed that ugly feeling whenever the girl he liked approached him. If it were him she would approach instead, how he would have liked that. But instead, his friend would accept her attention so casually, while still staying so close to the girl he recognized as Konoe Fumina. He found it… disgusting.
He turned around, disgusted at himself as well. "I'm sorry."
Before he could escape, however, Yukari grabbed his arm.
"Of all people, why her?" she said. "She's already after Sakai-kun, she's already going to find her happiness with him! She can't be yours! But… But I can be your happiness too!"
Ike wrenched his arm away from her grip. "Can't be mine? Sakai's so indifferent about it anyway!" he yelled back at her. "I'll be there for Yoshida-san."
At that, Yukari finally broke down in tears. As for Ike, as soon as he had retaliated, he instantly regretted it, and felt even more guilty as the first few tears fell from Yukari's face. He turned away again.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that," he said. "Hey Hirai-san, tomorrow… let's act like nothing happened between us."
With that, he left her, alone and in sorrow.
When Hecate and Yuji arrived home, they found Tiriel and Sorath waiting for them on the rooftop. The latter held a massive sword on his shoulder.
"I see you've taken your pet Mystes out for a sort of walk," Tiriel teased them on arrival.
"Pet Mystes?" Yuji muttered. Was every semi-hostile Denizen they encountered going to call him that?
"He seems quite submissive to you, like my dear Sorath to me," Tiriel said as she rubbed her brother's chin with her dainty hand.
"Hi~!" Sorath said to Yuji while waving with his free arm, fully outstretched. The Mystes sheepishly waved back.
"I'll keep it simple: have you decided to be our bodyguard?" Tiriel said, boldly facing the Priestess.
Yuji glanced at Hecate, but she did not need to return the favor. "It is not even worth considering," she answered.
Tiriel smirked. "Are you sure about that? You remember what we've talked about last night."
"You mean how you're going to use my friends as hostages?" Yuji said.
Tiriel looked at Hecate straight in the eyes. "So you've told him, at least half of it," she said.
Yuji turned to Hecate again. "Half of it?"
Hecate reached out with her hand towards Tiriel, summoning her staff at the same time. At same moment, however, Sorath jumped forward with surprising speed and hacked at her with his sword. Hecate, although surprised, barely managed to parry his strike and step back to a minimum range to cast her spell.
They were at a stalemate right now. Hecate could blast both of the twins with her beams of light, particularly Tiriel, but at the same time, Sorath could close in on her quickly enough to strike her or Yuji; taking to the air was not an option either, for the same reason, and there was still Yuji's mother sleeping soundly below.
"Did I do well Tiriel? I stopped her like you said," Sorath said to his sister over his shoulder enthusiastically.
"Well done, dear brother," Tiriel said. "As I was saying before we were so rudely interrupted: I offered her a deal. If I eliminated a certain rival or two of hers, a certain short-haired girl and perhaps even the one with pigtails…"
Yuji's eyes widened. "Yoshida-san and Hirai-san?"
"If those were their names," Tiriel said. "If I got them out of the way, and Hecate here could have you all to herself, then she and you would keep us a little safer as we travelled for a while. She seemed to consider the idea pretty thoughtfully."
"Is this true, Hecate?"
The Priestess turned to Yuji now, her usual composure gone and replaced with an expression of worry. But she did not answer, but Yuji knew she would not even if he asked. After a while, he spoke again.
"I trust Hecate," he said, smiling. "Maybe she did think about it, and there's a lot about her I don't know, but one thing I trust her not to do is harm anyone I care about."
Tiriel frowned and gritted her teeth. She did not expect him to react so calmly. "Fine," she said. "But this isn't the last time we'll see each other." She turned to Sorath. "Come big brother, we have much to prepare."
"Okay~" Sorath said as he rejoined his sister before vanishing along with her in a veil of glowing yellow leaves. Even as they faded away, Tiriel and Hecate glared at each other sharply.
When the twins were gone, Hecate turned to Yuji again. "Did you really mean that?"
Yuji scratched his cheek and smiled. "Honestly, I don't really have any idea what's going on between you and Yoshida-san and Hirai-san, but I did mean what I said," he replied. He checked his watch. "Seems like midnight's passed while we were busy talking to them, but we still have to get some rest. It looks like it's going to be a rough day tomorrow."
As he climbed down the ladder to his room, Hecate watched him, her face slightly pink, and she smiled.
"Thank you," she muttered.
The next day, Yuji and Hecate were highly alert for any action from the twins, however, their presence seemed to be far away from them or where they knew anyone important to Yuji would be. Hecate was able to track their movements by touching the Haridan's vessel apparently, without having to project the large map of the city, for although the twins themselves could not be tracked, they seemed to be consuming a large number of existences that quickly vanished in certain areas.
Even at lunchtime, the twins had not yet made their move. Oblivious to the potential peril, Kazumi and Yukari approached Yuji, Hecate, and Ike as they moved their desks together. As with the past couple of days before, Kazumi offered Yuji a boxed lunch, which he accepted gratefully.
While Hecate glanced at them, with eyes inclined more on concern than envy, Yukari also watched them. The girl with pigtails glanced at Ike, and their eyes met before he averted them as casually as possible. Yukari's face fell, and she continued to watch Yuji happily eat the lunch Kazumi made. Kazumi seemed to be quite satisfied as well. Before, Yukari would have been glad for Kazumi's newfound cheer from her efforts, but not today. The two of them, they seemed so happy.
"It's not fair…" Yukari muttered.
Those around her except for Ike turned to her. "Yukari-chan?" Kazumi said, concern all over her face.
Yukari shook her head violently. "It doesn't matter anymore!" she said before standing up and running out with her head still bowed.
"Hirai-san?"
"Yukari-chan!"
Yuji and Kazumi only watched as the girl left them. Hecate, at least, spared her a glance, but Ike completely and purposely ignored her, a fact Yuji noted.
"Ike, do you know what's going on with her?" Yuji asked him.
"No idea," Ike said as he continued to eat his lunch.
"How could you be so casual Ike?" Yuji pressed. "You know something, don't you?"
"Sakai-kun," Kazumi addressed him. Her expression had gone from concern to worry. "Let's find Yukari-chan first. I've never seen her like that."
Yuji thought about what she meant, then nodded. "Alright," he said before standing up. Hecate, watching him, stood up as well. She couldn't call herself a friend of Yukari just yet, but the last thing she wanted is for her to be isolated and vulnerable while the twins were a hostile force.
"The three of us will split up," Yuji said. "Hecate, could you please check if she's on the roof? And if not, maybe you could scan the grounds for her since you have the best eyesight."
Hecate nodded once.
"Yoshida-san, please check the building from the ground up, I'll start from the ground floor and work my way out around the grounds before coming back in."
"Alright Sakai-kun," said Kazumi, and the trio headed out.
Back in the room, left by himself, Ike put down his chopsticks and lowered his eyes. After all was said and done, he felt even more disgusted with himself. He had thought that someday, he would tell Sakai that giving Kazumi false hope put him in the wrong, but it seemed that now he had no right to say any such thing.
Yukari crouched under a tree, just within view of the school, sobbing uncontrollably. Although she felt so envious of Kazumi, she did not want it to end that way. But it was just so hard to hold it back, she couldn't take it. And now, she was certain, her friendship with Kazumi was finished, and Ike hated her, it was all over.
"Hirai-san?" said a gentle male voice nearby. Rubbing her eyes, Yukari turned to see Yuji standing next to her. The young man sat down under the tree with her.
"I feel so stupid," Yukari told him. "The past few days, I've been so envious of her. She's been moving forward on her own, while I was too timid to do anything. And when I've finally mustered the courage to talk to him, I find out that all this time, he's loved Kazumi-chan."
Yuji listened to her closely, and when she did not speak for a while after that, he spoke. "You were in love with Ike, weren't you?"
Yukari nodded, she could not deny it. There was nothing left for her to lose anymore anyway.
Yuji carefully picked his words. "Are you afraid that things can't go back to how they were then?"
Yukari turned to him and nodded slowly. "Yeah, I don't know what to think now. I don't know what to do."
She felt a gentle hand on her head. It was warm, and it caught her by surprise, but somehow it comforted her. Yuji rubbed her head softly before he spoke again.
"I don't think it's impossible to fix," he said with a smile. "You two are pretty close. Even if she found out, I don't think she'd hate you for it. As for Ike, I'll have a talk with him sometime."
Yukari looked at his face closely. That smile of his, it was so bright and warm, like the sun before an icy moon.
The more she looked at him, the more she finally understood why Kazumi loved him so much. He wasn't just smart, kind, and reliable - all those things Ike could be too, if not more – but he had something that no one else had: his presence was very comforting. Even at this dark time for her, she realized, she had no trouble talking to him about her feelings. He was so warm, and now that warmness was flowing through her, and before she knew it, she was feeling a lot better just by being with him.
Then she remembered, he would always be there for her, even when he was always there for Kazumi and Konoe, and all his other friends, he was there for her. Somehow, she even had the feeling he had protected her in some way, and would do his best for her sake, besides everyone's sake.
"Thank you," Yukari said, smiling a little. "I feel better now."
She gasped as a new thought came to mind. Before she even realized it, she had fallen in love with him. It was a happy, blissful feeling even better than the feelings of admiration she had for Ike, yet at the same time, she felt like she had betrayed Kazumi, to whom she'd vowed to support. But right now, it did not bother her too much or for too long, and she smiled again, and continued to enjoy his sole company.
Hecate had been watching them from the rooftop the whole time until Kazumi came up as well.
"Did you see her yet, Konoe-san?" she asked, but the Supreme Throne had already about faced and headed for the stairs.
Kazumi watched her leave, then continued towards the edge of the rooftop. There, she saw what Hecate had seen, the boy and the girl sitting alone together under a tree. Suddenly, she felt her heart wrench as she watched her best friend so close to the one she loved.
Suddenly, the sky turned a sickly yellow. Yuji jumped to his feet. The girl next to him was frozen and gray, a familiar sight to him, and for a brief moment he remembered the time he had saved her from being consumed by Friagne's Rinne, and today, he and Hecate would have to protect her once more, along with the rest of their friends.
Just as he was about to enter the school building to look for Hecate, the Priestess, already in her true form with Trigon in hand, descended to him from the roof.
"The twins have begun to act," she told him, her voice as expressionless as usual.
"Right," Yuji said. He glanced over his shoulder towards the frozen Yukari. "They might come after them. I better take them to a safe place. You'll go ahead and make a preemptive attack like we talked about?" Attacking first would be the best defense they had.
Hecate stared at him. She had agreed to that plan when he told her about it earlier that morning, since it was the wisest thing to do for now, but it still made her feel uneasy. Either way, she nodded in reply.
"But what is this, it's different from the usual crimson sky," Yuji noted.
"It's Tiriel's personal Unrestricted Method," Hecate informed him. "But it seems to be covering the whole city. Even with the amount of Power of Existence they've consumed while I was tracking them, it should not be enough to maintain it."
"So you mean there might be some sort of device?" As Yuji said that, he recalled the twins' first visit to his home. "That music box!"
"Right, the Orgel," Hecate said. "It's the key to the Unrestricted Method, but they must have hidden it somewhere."
"Alright, when I'm done taking care of Yoshida-san and Hirai-san, I'll go and look for it."
"No, you will stay here where it's safe."
"Hecate?"
"There will likely be Rinne out there, as you are now, you cannot get past them," Hecate told him coldly. "I could handle both Sorath and Tiriel as well as the Orgel."
"But what about the Flame Haze?"
"I can handle her as well," Hecate said as she lifted herself from the ground. "You just stay safe." She thought for a while, then tossed Yuji a small bronze mirror, the vessel of the Haridan. Following that, she removed one of her earrings: a little brass stud with a narrow stick of the same material hanging from it.
"What's this for?" Yuji said, looking at the two objects curiously.
"If you really want to help, channel your Power of Existence into the Haridan. It will not generate a very large map like it normally would, but you should be able to project a smaller one. Use the earring to communicate with me and tell me if you find anything."
Yuji clutched the two objects in his hand. He couldn't go out and fight like she could, but he was happy to help nonetheless. "Alright, take care Hecate."
Hecate nodded in acknowledgement and flew in the direction where she sensed the twins.
Meanwhile, the Flame Haze known as the Manipulator of Objects stopped her urban trek as soon as the Unrestricted Method had engulfed the city.
"They are making their move ~de arimasu."
"Easy to track, trap probable, proceed with caution," said the robotic voice from her headband.
"Understood ~de arimasu," the Flame Haze said as she dropped her bag on the ground. From her back, a multitude of ribbons spread out and merged together to form wings and a propeller, and with these, she took to the air.
Descending from the sky with her staff raised, Hecate faced Sorath and Tiriel.
"It seems you've come to us first," the latter said. "I see you haven't brought your pet Mystes with you."
The Priestess only responded with a volley of energy rays. The clustered explosions from them completely tore up the twins and everything around them. However, even from the shattered earth, thick vines grew and wrapped around where the twins had been standing. Hecate fired again, but this time, two blonde-haired figures emerged from the vines and leapt away together before they were blown apart.
When they landed some distance away from where the barrage had fallen, Hecate saw that their bodies were whole; more than that, they seemed as if they had escaped completely unharmed.
"So typical of the Supreme Throne," said Tiriel with an exaggerated shrug. "You mercilessly eliminate your enemies without so much as a howdy-do, even when this Cradle Garden I set up wasn't meant for you just yet. In a way, you're no better than the Flame Haze."
Hecate opened fire once more. In response, Tiriel raised her hand against the oncoming attack, sending vines to intercept them. The beams tore through them easily without exploding, and continued on their path, but Tiriel was not done yet. At the same time as she had sent the vines, a giant flower bloomed before her and absorbed the energy before it hit.
Before Hecate could fire off one more Aster, a vine suddenly sprang from below her and latched onto her leg before yanking her down. The Priestess kicked and smashed it with her staff while attempting to pull herself back upwards, to little success. By the time she had finally managed to break free by shooting at the vine's base, she was low enough for Tiriel's brother to come at her.
"We got you now Hecate~!" Sorath said as he chopped with his massive sword.
Hecate performed a two-handed block with her staff and the two metals clashed with a mighty ring. Following through with a concentrated force, Hecate threw back the male Denizen and sending him slamming right into a wall. At the same time, however, Sorath had managed to channel Power of Existence into his blade, and even as he was flung away, and wounds suddenly ravaged Hecate's body beneath her white robe. The Priestess winced in pain and surprise.
"As high as you were in Bal Masque, I doubt you'd remember everything about every Denizen," Tiriel said mockingly as she stood atop the giant flower. "That was the power of my brother's sword, Blutsauger. No matter what you have, it could wound whoever it touches blades with - or in your case that staff of yours."
As she spoke, a multitude of vines crept towards Hecate, even climbing upwards, and effectively surrounded the Priestess. As Sorath climbed off the wall and got back to his feet he raised his sword.
"She's so strong! Let's play with her more Tiriel!" Sorath said excitedly.
Tiriel's face twitched, but she had to admit, fighting and beating one of the most feared Crimson Lords would be fun. Across them, undaunted by the approaching vines, Hecate glared at them darkly.
oooooooooo
As the battle went on, Yuji, after hiding Yukari's frozen body in one of the closets which housed cleaning supplies, headed up to fetch Kazumi when two figures came running towards him: Eita Tanaka and Keisaku Satou.
"Sakai," Eita said as he caught up to him. "What are you doing here?"
Yuji gestured towards the locker he had hidden Yukari in. "There are two Denizens in the city," he began.
"We already know that," said Keisaku. "Figures you'd be involved, but what are you doing."
"They might come after Yoshida-san and Hirai-san out of revenge on Hecate," Yuji continued.
Keisaku sighed exasperatedly. "You two are going to keep being the center of every trouble we face, aren't you," he said. "Fine, we'll help out just this once."
Yuji's eyes widened, but he smiled. "Thank-!"
Before he could thank him, however, Keisaku shut his mouth with his hand. "We're not doing it for you, okay? The only reason we'd cooperate is because Margery-san wants to keep you and by extension, your friends, safe."
Yuji stepped back. "Aren't they your friends too?"
Keisaku scoffed, but Eita seemed to ponder what he said. The former spoke again.
"Whatever, where did you last see Yoshida? We'll take her and Hirai to my place, where those other Denizens wouldn't expect to find them." He eyed the items Yuji was carrying. "You have something else to do after all, don't you?"
The Mystess glanced at the earring and the mirror in his hand and nodded. "Yeah," he said before running off in search for a suitable area to set up the map. "Thanks!"
"I said don't thank us!" Keisaku yelled after him.
"Technically, we didn't though," Eita remarked. Keisaku just put a hand to his face.
Elsewhere, atop a building, Margery scanned the city.
"Looks like they're all going to rumble after all," she said. "The Manipulator of Objects is already on top of them."
"Let's crash the party, my raging inferno, Margery Daw!" Marcosias bellowed.
The Chanter of Elegies spread the grimoire open and stepped on its covers before flying in the direction of the fray.
Before the vines could come any closer, Hecate released beams of light every which way and blew them apart. Quickly following through, she sent more beams in Tiriel and Sorath's direction, only for them to be absorbed by the gargantuan flower.
"It's pointless, we're invincible here!" Tiriel proclaimed.
Hecate observed the flower. Much of the vines had come from it, and it absorbed her energy beams as raw Power of Existence. It was probably the key piece of the Unrestricted Method called the Cradle Garden.
The Supreme Throne aimed her staff at the flower itself this time. As she did, Tiriel smiled wickedly. She knew that as soon as the flower was destroyed, it would reform, sucking her enemy into it and binding her securely. However, rather than unleashing another volley of energy beams, Hecate chimed her staff, and the ringing echoed around the flower.
A glowing, intangible ring lined with eldritch runes encircled the flower before closing up on it and binding the petals back together so that it deformed into a bud. Tiriel watched with eyes widened in shock. Even as it shut, the spell ring still bound it shut.
"What did you just do?" she said, starting to panic.
The truth was that, whatever the flower was doing, its effects were now effectively isolated with a spell of Hecate's own. The Priestess aimed her staff once more and cast her spell.
"Aster."
Beams of light rained all over the entire area before her, tearing apart and razing every vine and structure before her. Sorath and Tiriel also found themselves engulfed in the cruel hail, and were blasted into pieces along with the massive flower.
For a brief moment, Hecate turned away, believing she had effectively finished them, but she suddenly sensed their presence again. They were still alive. Turning to where she remembered they had stood, she found vines slowly regenerating from the crater and wrapping the air like cocoons.
Hecate raised her staff again when she suddenly sensed a new presence. As she dodged aside, several long white ribbons came from above and embedded themselves into the ground like blades. Hecate turned her eyes to the newcomer: a maid with magenta hair, a Flame Haze.
"Surprising, that we would find the Supreme Throne herself in this place ~de arimasu."
"Ridiculous threat level," her contractor told her.
"Finally, our other guest shows up," Tiriel said as she emerged from the vines, whole again, along with Sorath. "Allow me to introduce you to the pest whose proved quite difficult for us, the Manipulator of Objects, Wilhelmina Carmel."
"Hey, she smells odd," Sorath said, sniffing the air. "She smells like… she's been with the one with the Nietono Shana!"
At that, Wilhelmina gasped. To think that his so-called "olfactory sense of desire" would be so great that it could sense even traces of those who have been close to who he was looking for.
"Oh?" Tiriel said with interest as she looked back and forth between the Crimson Lord and the Flame Haze. "It looks like we get to kill more than two birds with one stone, dear brother."
Author's Note: I really appreciate the reviews. Although, if you want a reply, please use your account. I've had a number of times that I've wanted to make a reply, but I don't want to post any of them on the story pages themselves. Thank you.
