Chapter 21.

"PULL! MITIS SICARIUS!"

The air around Septimus seemed to quiver. Something was changing, he could feel it. He focused his awareness. Worry played no part of it. He simply needed to figure out what he had to defend against. I do not sense any concentration of magic energy, so it must not be a ranged attack. Close combat then. How trivial.

"Come at me, if you're going to." Septimus said, "I'll even put the girl aside so you can attack with full strength—although in the end it will not matter." With a quick hit to the back of the neck he knocked the girl named Natsumi unconscious. He then carried her limp body to the tree on the hill and placed her upright against the trunk. It very nearly took Septimus effort not to shake his head at the foolish girl. "As I said before, you cannot touch me. Your fancy abilities have not changed that fact." Septimus returned to his place across from the hanyou girl and placed one hand at shoulder level. "I'm ready. Come."

The charcoal-haired hanyou placed her black sword in front of her body and held the white hilt with both hands. At first, her stare was concentrated with a touch of anger. Then it was gone, replaced with a serene calm. An image flashed around the girl's body: a raven, white as snow, but with a beak black as night, unfurling its wings for flight. At the apex of their span the wings came crashing down. The girl vanished as the sound of flight echoed through the night.

Septimus's eyes widened slightly before he caught sight of her again. An unusual technique. Using the wings to boost fleet of foot. Ingenious, but ineffective. Instantly, she was approaching from the right. From her trajectory, her sword will come down at 35O east of vertical. To counter: cut one meter of threads at 65O west of vertical. In the fraction of a second before she started to swing her sword, Septimus concentrated his magic at the tip of his index finger, creating the scalpel he used to tear the threads of space-time.

Now.

His hand descended at an angle to counter her swing. The counter was perfectly planned: the threads of space-time would unravel along the middle of the cut, creating a connection to deep space large enough to cover his body. Her sword would slice harmlessly into the void. He would remain untouched and the poor hanyou would know her resistance was meaningless.

Time seemed to slow for Septimus as he began to cut the threads holding together the air in front of him. More accurately, time actually did slow. That was one of the effects of his attacks: when threads were cut, time acted different from space. Where space parted and unraveled, time at the spot of the cut ground to a near halt. Evaporated might be a better word to describe the phenomenon. That was the one part of his own magic that Septimus didn't understand. He probably never would.

Whether he would understand it or not did not matter to him. As long as it works, it means little to me. It did mean though that every time he cut space-time, every second the cut lasted seemed to extend, each one slower than the last. It really was tiresome. The worst part was that his movements did not catch up with his perception of time slowing. Only his sight and his thoughts remained in real time, which made battling all the more boring.

Threads snapped and time slowed. The familiar ripping sound followed each cut. With a mental yawn he watched the black bladed sword tear slowly through the night air toward his rip. In a few long seconds it would intersect the edge of the rip and would fall harmlessly through into deep space. Too easy, he thought.

Then something caught his eye. The blade appeared different than when he had seen it from a distance. It was almost…less solid. The cutting edge appeared as sharp as ever, but the spine of the blade seemed to fade into the night sky around it. Curious. But no matter, whatever metamorphosis it has undergone is inconsequential. Useless.

The blade was near to touching the edge of the rip. Septimus let his mind wander as his hand completed the meter-long cut. I wonder what I am going to have for breakfast tomorrow morning. I certainly hope that dreadful cook we hired isn't going to make eggs…I loathe eggs. Hopefully it will be those marvelous little pastries that I asked him to make the other day. What are the names of those things again…? Croissants. That was it. Fantastic things. I would love to have one right this minute. Instead, I'm stuck here watching this sword.

The blade touched the edge of the rip about half way down its length. The half closer to the hilt was lost behind the rip. The top half of the sword will join it soon enough, he thought.

But it didn't. Somehow, the rip seemed to bisect the blade and the top half stayed on trajectory. It was as if the sword were cutting right through the rip. Septimus's eyes widened in astonishment. Impossible! He watched the black blade continue to descend on him and his pupils shook as he considered the implications.

Any matter should get sucked into the rip—even magic! How is this possible! What kind of technique is this! Another thought occurred to Septimus as the blade swung closer. There isn't time to dodge the blade because my reflexes are slowed. The blow will land. My chest will be sliced open. There is nothing I can do to stop it.

The next few fractions of a second seemed an eternity to Septimus as the blade bit into his flesh, tearing a gaping wound across his chest. A burst of intense pain exploded in his brain every time the blade severed a nerve connection. Blood flooded out of his body. He felt cold. And dark. Very dark.

The night was quiet. Only the sound of Setsuna softly touching down behind Septimus broke the silence. Blood ran down the length of her blade and dripped onto the ground, staining the grass red. She heard the opening in space snap shut, and a moment later the sound of Septimus falling to his knees. She didn't turn to look—she knew he would no longer be a problem. He wasn't dead, but he wouldn't be fighting back anytime soon.

"Impossible." His voice sounded weak, but there was still a cutting edge to it. "It is impossible! No matter can escape my technique!"

Setsuna bent over to wipe the blade clean on the soft grass. She didn't know if the blade could rust, but she didn't want to take any chances. Once she finished, she sheathed its length. She could hear Sicarius in her head. Very nice work, my dear.

"You are right Septimus. No matter could ever hope to get past your defense. That is exactly why I chose to stay and fight. Mitis Sicarius is not merely a sword. It has power beyond just cutting. Its first release alters the composition of the blade. The power that cut you was not steel. It was shadow."

Setsuna heard a ripping sound, but in his weakened state Septimus was too slow. She could sense him lunging at her. With wings unfurled she turned to dodge him. As Septimus flew past her she held out a foot, just catching his in the process. His trajectory changed and he slammed into the ground, digging a channel in the lawn with his shoulder as he skidded to a stop. Blood continued to seep unabated out of his chest. He struggled to prop himself up on one hand, then tore off his ruined shirt sleeves. Setsuna stood over him, with one hand on her sword hilt just in case he tried something else. However unlikely that is…

"Damn you, you hanyou bitch!" He was staring at her with hate in his eyes while fumbling to bandage up his wound with his sleeves. "What sorcery is this that you can cut me? Tell me. Now!" Setsuna could tell that speaking was becoming difficult for him. Soon he would no longer be a problem.

"You need to open your ears. A good soldier should always be attentive, this I have learned. You are not so, apparently, Septimus-san. As I have already stated, you were not cut by a blade of steel, but by a Shadowblade. And shadow is not matter, but a trick of light. Normally, shadow requires something to create it by blocking a source of light. Mitis Sicarius does not. It generates its own shadow which replaces the blade of steel. That is why it was able to cut through your defense: my blade defies the natural order of this world."

Just like me, she thought.

Septimus was gritting his teeth. He stood weakly and levelled a glare at her. She hadn't expected him to be able to stand already. He must be stronger than I had guessed. She heightened her guard in anticipation, but he never attacked.

"I see. Your sword ignores physical laws. Hear this: you can only hope to be so lucky next time. However, rest assured that you have not begun to see the power that I possess." He took a step towards her and held his hand up to the level of her chest with fingers pointed at her. "You see, even now, you are no match for me. I could tear you in half where you stand you arrogant bitch." His voice was becoming more aggressive—filled with a maniacal excitement. "You would feel…feel the tendons holding your muscles to your bones snap as they were separated. You would scream in agony as the chemical bonds keeping you together broke apart. You would die a worse death than any that have died before you!" Black eyes tore into Setsuna's body. She had never met anyone whose mind was this truly frightening. His eyes never left hers, but the intensity faded as he began to look past her, almost through her. Suddenly, he lowered his arm and turned to the side.

"But I have wasted too much time." Septimus looked over at an unconscious Natsumi with disgust in his eyes. "Keep the girl, she was of no use anyway."

Septimus raised a hand and with one swipe to his right, tore a hole in the air. The tear widened into an oval the size of a door and strange light began streaming through the rip. It looked to Setsuna as if the light was being filtered through something before hitting her eyes. Septimus stepped halfway into the rip before stopping and turning his head back to her. His lips turned up into something closer to a snarl than a smile.

"Goodbye little hanyou. I hope to see you again. Stay alive. So I can kill you."

Chills ran down Setsuna's back as he stepped through and the rip snapped shut behind him. A cool breeze swept past her, rustling the hair in her ponytail. She suddenly felt very cold. For a while she could only stand there in the field.

Septimus… Even after my attack he was able to stand and continue to fight. His power is immense. To be able to control the bonds of the universe—it's a truly frightening power. I can't imagine what he would have done to Konoka if she was here. I must protect her from him, no matter what. She means too much to me to lose her. Her thoughts drifted to her friend before a voice in her head shocked her out of her thoughts. She still wasn't used to Sicarius's voice in her mind.

You fought well, girl. Very well. But don't let your thoughts cloud the present…

Setsuna jumped to attention. That's right! She thought. Natsumi-san!

Hastily she folded her wings into her body and ran over to Natsumi's unconscious body. She shook her to see if she would wake, but the freckled girl was out cold. Carefully, Setsuna lifted the girl in her arms and turned to head back to the dormitory. Just then, she heard a familiar voice shout out through the night.

"Natsumi! Natsumi where are you!"

In the dim moonlight of midnight Setsuna could just make out the features of Kotaro, running across the field. I see, Negi-sensei must have found him and told him about Natsumi-san.

"Kotaro-san, over here!" Setsuna called out to him, but before she could take two steps, he was right in front of her. She had to stop abruptly so she didn't run into him—she still wasn't used to how fast his Shundo was now. She looked to his face, but his eyes were trained on Natsumi. There was no recognition on his face. It was as if he didn't realize she was unconscious. Then, his lip started to quiver and Setsuna could see tears starting to well up in his eyes.

"…Natsumi…"

He held up a quivering hand to stroke her hair and cradle her face. There was pain in his eyes, more than she had ever seen before, even considering he was over-emotional most times. For Setsuna there was no doubt: even as young as he was, he still had feelings for the girl in her arms. She could tell he feared losing her. Setsuna knew comforting others wasn't really her strong suit, but Kotaro looked like he needed it.

"Natsumi-san is alright." Setsuna said softly. "She just needs to rest. She'll wake up soon, and then she'll be good as new." He only nodded, still staring at Natsumi's freckled face in the still moonlight. Setsuna knew what he wanted—and she knew Natsumi would be safe with him.

"Kotaro-san. Here, take Natsumi-san back to her room." She extended her arms to offer the unconscious girl to him. "Keep her safe. We don't know if that boy will come back for her."

Kotaro took Natsumi from her tentatively, holding her tenderly—lovingly, against his chest. He gazed into her sleeping face for a moment more before his expression changed. He looked up at Setsuna with fire in his eyes.

"I will protect her with my life. And if whoever hurt her comes back again, I'll kill him!" The last he barked with near uncontrolled zeal, but it took only a moment for his gaze to return to Natsumi's face. He almost looked ready to kiss her before he shook out his head and locked eyes with Setsuna with his classic smirk on. "Thank you nee-san." Before she could respond, he turned and was gone.

He has so much energy, it's a little overwhelming… At least I can trust him to protect her. Setsuna sighed deeply and slipped her sheathed sword out of its loop. Slowly, she walked back to the solitary tree on the small hill and sat against its trunk with the sheathed sword planted upright on the ground in front of her. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the hilt. A clear vision of Sicarius in his black dress shirt, tie, and white pants appeared in her thoughts. He didn't speak though, he only gave her an unreadable look. He would know exactly why she was worried, but she still felt a need to tell him. She sighed again and spoke into the night.

"That Septimus boy. He is dangerous. I don't want him to hurt ojousama."

Sicarius was quiet for several long moments, then his voice resounded through her mind. Your words sound light, but resolved. You are right: that boy is dangerous. But so are we. Shadowblade, the form of my first release that you used: it creates a blade of shadow that can pass through anything. It is not bound by such things as the laws of physics, nor by disruptions in it, yet it slices even solid metal like butter. Its only limitation is that, unlike a shadow cast from an object, Shadowblade cannot extend beyond the length of the original blade. Nevertheless, it can render that boy's time-space rip technique useless. And remember, that is only the first release. You have not the ability to achieve the next release, yet. But it will come in time. Fear not, silly girl. As long as you are determined, you will have strength enough to protect Kono-chan.

Setsuna, who had been listening along to Sicarius patiently, suddenly snapped open her eyes. "Hey! You don't get to call her that!"

His distinctive laugh fill her head. Another thing she was still not used to. I am part of you now, my dear. I only address her according to how you truly feel about her. Don't forget that I am not just your sword, I am a second soul in your body, and in your consciousness. I feel what you feel… Love who you love. Hahahahaha!

The laughter did not stop, even as Setsuna rose and started walking back toward the girls' dormitory. She tried to block out his incessant laughing as she made her way down the small hillside, but it was hard. He had to be doing it on purpose. It was really quite irritating. You know Sicarius? You are really annoying.

Black ribbons snaked through the hall like vines of bramble, nearly blocking out the hanging chandeliers of light-orbs. There was a sour tinge to the air. A rasping laugh like the sound of crinkling dead leaves diffused through the room. Septimus hated being in the same room as the cloaked figure, but what he hated most was that laugh. It made him shudder as he walked closer toward the sound's origin. Even worse, he had to admit defeat. He stopped and kneeled, with significant difficulty because of his injuries, a small distance back from the hooded being who was, luckily, not facing him. He tried to control his sporadic breathing before speaking.

"Master, I failed to apprehend the one called Murakami Natsumi. There was…interference. A hanyou…" Septimus had tried to hide his anger, but he wasn't sure he was successful.

A voice like the crunching of gravel filled the room. "Your mission was full of import, and yet meaningless. Natsumi Murakami was not the objective. In a way she was, but also not. Failure was not achieved, yet victory eluded you." A rope of darkness shot out of the form's black cloak, headed for Septimus's chest. It hit his body with a soft glomping sound and Septimus could feel his wound being healed. It almost felt like a tainted slime was oozing over the slice and resurfacing his flesh.

The cloaked figure went on. "The hanyou has been seen. Her ability is known. Her power though, remains hidden. Septimus, your next objective will be revealed."

Septimus could never make heads or tails of what the man said. The hanyou certainly seemed like a problem, but he didn't seem concerned. In the end, it didn't matter. He was glad though when the healing was done and the vine of blackness retracted into the billowing cloak. He always felt dirty after a healing. He rose easily and bowed to the man's back.

"Yes master. The work of Cosmo Entelecheia cannot be stopped." He turned and walked out of the dim hall to a grim chorus of crumbling leaves.

End Chapter 21.

Author's Note: Chapter 21 ladies and gentlemen! As for this chapter, I hope you at least found it interesting, if not fun to read. I felt like I might have oversold Mitis Sicarius's first release to some of you. I hope it wasn't too disappointing! And if it was, you're stuck with it. HA!

If you would like to contact me about this chapter or anything related to or unrelated to Barriers, feel free to write a review or send me a PM. I regularly check my mail and typically respond promptly. I would love to hear from you! Thanks as always for reading, and in the slightly annoying, but lovable words of Glyph, "Have a pleasant day."

-Grimbt