Continuing from last time!

So, after this chapter, we'll probably be taking a short break from the Underworld crew. Either starting with this chapter or the one after. I'll have to see which order I want to post them in. I'm leaning towards the next chapter also being an Underworld chapter, but we'll see.

Anyways, enjoy!

Seira felt a thick lump in her throat but when she swallowed, it stayed. The cold sweat dripping down her neck did nothing to ease her shock. Out of everything that could have come her way, this was the last thing she expected. Honoka had spoken fondly of Kotori in the past during her training, naming her as one of her two best friends along with Sonoda Umi. But now… all this time… time?

"You… How long?" Seira took a step forward, feeling anger replace her confusion, threatening to burst forth in the form of a strike to kill the girl. The only thing that held her back was the knowledge that Honoka considered this girl a friend.

"Hm?" Kotori tilted her head with a sickeningly innocent look of confusion.

"How long have you been lying to Honoka? How long have you pretended to be a human?"

"Pretended? Ahaha." Kotori let out a laugh, a little too genuine for Seira to consider it some evil masterminds. "I think you're misunderstanding something here, Four Seasons. I am, in almost every way, a perfectly ordinary human. Honestly, I thought I wouldn't even be able to survive in the Underworld, but it turns out that the Underworld… remembers me." Kotori holds up her hand and examines it as if something's wrong with it. "Strange, isn't it? Even my soul is truly human now… well, for the most part. I guess there are some abnormal things with it, but hey, nobody's perfect, right?"

The smile she gives Seira makes her want to puke. Seira still has no idea what's going on and she doesn't have time to waste here. If she can't make it to Honoka before she encounters the First Demon Lord… Well, she doesn't really want to think about that. And yet, out of everything that could happen, Pestilence shows up in front of her, acting all cutesy and innocent. And to top it off, she's one of her heir's best friends.

"Ah, I guess I didn't really answer you though, right? Since I'm a human now, I don't think I lied. I've genuinely enjoyed being Honoka-chan's friend for years. Of course… I had to lie a little. I had to pretend like I didn't know about any of this demon business, even when she became a demon slayer. I had to play the role of the innocent, ignorant friend, crying on her shoulder in both relief and worry. I don't like lying to Honoka-chan, but it was necessary. What would she say if I told her who I am? Would she accept me? Would she try to kill me? Would I even fight back if she did?"

Kotori shook her head and for a second, Seira actually felt a small tinge of sympathy. If what she was saying was true, then she was probably the most troubled of their group when Honoka became a demon slayer. And, if this girl really is Pestilence, then she knows the history of the Four Seasons which would give her all the more reason to worry. It's no wonder she showed up in the Underworld when Honoka was down there.

"I'll believe that for now. What are you doing here then?"

"Well, waiting for you two to come to my dinner party would have been boring if you both died here in the Underworld." Another sickeningly sweet smile. "Besides, like I said, Honoka-chan is my friend. And you're her Master, so you care about her, right? Why else would you be down here?"

Of course Seira cared. Of course she did but she'll be damned if she was going to spill her feelings to some ancient demon that takes on the form of a young girl and tricks her heir.

"Well, I had planned on revealing everything when you two came, but it looks like things don't always work out, huh? So, this is plan B. This would inevitably have been our destination anyways so it's fine. Afterall, you want to kill First, right? You don't want to worry about your precious heir any longer, right? About what would happen if First reclaimed the line of the Four Seasons…"

Seira frowned but Kotori continued, starting to pace around her in a slow circle.

"Honoka-chan definitely surrounded herself with interesting people, huh? Ah, maybe you don't know yet? Hmmm, should I spoil it? Ah, I just won't tell you who's who, that's fair right?" Kotori asked with a giggle and just bursts into laughter when Seira just snorts in response. "Come on, Four Seasons, lighten up. Let's see, who is around Honoka-chan? She brought us together after all, so it's only fair to call it her group. We have yours truly," she gave a mocking bow. "the Prince of Blades," Seira raised her eyebrows at that one. "the Oracle, the Witness, the heir to the Moon and…" Kotori paused as a smirk came to her. "You don't know the current situation with Umi-chan, so it would be oh so rude of me to spoil it."

"You piece of…" Seira started… or tried to. Nothing came out. No, it's not that nothing came out, it's that she couldn't speak.

Kotori slowly walked over to her and she tried to draw her sword, but her body wouldn't obey her. A lighthearted giggle from the girl reaches her ears as she moves behind her, out of her vision and a hand gently lands on her shoulder. A small voice whispered into her ear.

"Now, there's no need to get so aggressive, is there? I planned on helping Honoka-chan from the beginning, so why be so mean to me? It really hurts, you know." The mock pain in her voice would have set Seira off if she could move. "You're so tense. You know, I could take care of that for you. You don't want to be like this, right? What if I tear the demon blood out of you? What if I told you that you could go back to living like an ordinary human? Like I have been for so long. Hm?"

Human…? After all this time… go back to being human? Abandon the Four Seasons? Abandon… Honoka?

"No…" She's surprised to find her mouth able to move but all she can do is stare ahead as she speaks. "I won't abandon Honoka. No matter what. And I never said I have the desire to live normally anymore. I let go of that long ago."

"Ahaha! That's what I wanted to hear!" Kotori jumped out in front of her and Seira fell forward a bit as whatever was holding her body in place was released. She immediately drew her sword and slashed out, an incredibly quick strike but Kotori just lifted her hand and the blade stopped as soon as it touched the back of her hand.

"That doesn't look like something a human should be able to do, Pestilence." Seira drew her sword back but dove straight back in. "Four Seasons, summer style, 1st blade, Lammas." As her blade drew near, time slowed, just briefly, and she watched as Kotori moved away and around her, but she couldn't adjust her blade and missed completely. "Four Seasons, spring style, 4th blade." Instead of correcting her blade and striking out behind her, Seira continued forward, turning her blade so that the flat was parallel with the ground and swung it in a slow arc before guiding it back to the sheath. "Akitum."

She turned her head to see the surprised look on Kotori's face as her head slowly tilted before falling off her neck, her body collapsing next to it. Seira was a little surprised to see red blood spewing out, as opposed to the disgusting black blood of demons that she was used to. This girl had claimed to be a human though… But, as she had expected, the girl was far from dead and the blood slowly seeped back into the neck before the head moved closer, reattaching itself, the surprised look once again replaced with the calm smile.

"That was mean, Seira-chan…" Kotori said with that same mock pain that pissed her off so much, the girl getting back on her feet and dusting herself off. "I'll admit though, that was quite an impressive blade. You even managed to catch me off guard. Go on, celebrate!"

"Four seasons, summer style, 2nd blade." Seira turned around, bringing her sword back in close before launching dozens of strikes out at the girl. "Perse—" Before she can even get the name of the blade out, Kotori, who had dodged many of the individual strikes, reached out and grabbed the sword mid-strike. She yanked the sword and Seira forward, grabbing the girl's free hand when she was close and holding it in the air. Seira struggled to free her hand, but Kotori's grip was far too strong, stronger than even a demon should possess. Kotori leaned in close, too close, and smiled gently. "We have the same goal, right? Protecting Honoka-chan. If you're mean to me, I might just have to cut you out of this plan." Seira started to feel an unnatural cold seeping into her hands, travelling down her arms, collecting around her chest but not quite reaching her heart. "You know, I really don't like being called 'Pestilence' after all. I'd like you to call me 'Kotori.'"

"You damn… Ugh!" Seira's cut off as the grip tightens and she felt that cold crawling towards her heart, her chest seizing in pain. She looked up into the blank eyes of the girl holding her. Those blank eyes, that smile that seemed so inappropriate given the situation, the cold hands that spread a deeper cold through her body, all of it together with the soft, much too soft, voice that reached out sent a shiver down Seira's spine.

"Ko. To. Ri."

A swirling nausea began in Seira's stomach and the pain in her chest worsened. Her head suddenly felt hot, then cold, then hot again. She felt her vision blurring, she felt like she was on the verge of blacking out. She opened her now dry mouth and reluctantly spoke.

"… Kotori…"

"Ah, that's better!" Kotori released her and let her fall back. Everything in Seira's body immediately returned to normal, her head, her vision, her chest, it happened so quickly she wasn't so sure she hadn't just imagined it. She quickly stood and moved into a defensive position. "Don't bother. I'm not afraid of you, Four Seasons. I have survived countless years alone, defending myself from both Demon Lords and demon slayers alike. I may be a human now, but I can still defend myself just fine." She tilted her head when Seira didn't relax. "Don't worry. Don't worry. I removed all of those pathogens I was putting in your body. You're fine!"

The fact that there even were pathogens that needed removing made Seira tense up. That must have been related to that strange cold feeling in her chest. Well, she is Pestilence after all, Seira figured. She finally loosened her stance. If Pestilence really wanted to kill her, she would have already. Which meant that she's most likely telling the truth about wanting to help Honoka. Did this ancient demon really think of Honoka as a friend?

Seira took a deep breath and shook her head, clearing her thoughts, trying to push this situation further finally. "So? What, exactly, is your plan? I imagine it's changed from whatever it was, but you were planning on bringing us down here eventually anyways, right?"

"Mm! Mm! You're much cuter when you're obedient, Seira-chan! Now, let's talk about Honoka-chan."

Honoka opened her eyes slowly. She should probably be used to the feeling of waking up in some strange space, but it always felt strange, as if she shouldn't be there. She felt that in the Void and still felt it even in this space, this pure white space, the exact opposite of how the Void looked to her. But it felt just as empty as the Void, the emptiness seemed to stretch on forever.

"Hello? Is anybody there?" She called out and her voice echoed off nothing, bouncing around and disappearing into the distance.

"Hm? Hmhmhm?" A soft voice, very familiar, reached her ears and she turned around slowly to see that blonde hair, but… it was different. Even though she recognized it, she knew that it was different. Different than what? She thought about this for a second but she knew what she was looking at. "Honoka!"

A figure… no, Honoka recognized her. She both recognized who she looked like and who she knew the girl really was. But the name of her friend still slipped out of her mouth.

"Eli-chan…?"

The girl pulled away, her hands still resting on Honoka's shoulders and she tilted her head, the kind smile of her old senpai looking at her, blue eyes questioning. But she smirked and shook her head.

"Come on, don't mess with me like that, Honoka! You know me, right? You can feel it. You should be able to feel me."

Honoka nodded slowly. She definitely knew who this girl was despite her appearance. "Autumn… right?" An energetic nod from the girl. "Um… why do you look like Eli-chan?" The girl laughed and finally separated from the ginger.

"That's right! I'm Autumn! Your precious season!" She spun around on one foot, landing back in place facing Honoka. "Ah, appearance. Your heart just gave me this appearance! I can't really say why, but your friend is cute, so I don't mind! I'm sorry to say, but I don't really have an actual look… I'm just Autumn. Nothing less. Nothing more. Just Autumn." She tapped one foot on the ground and Honoka heard a crunch. She looked down and noticed red and orange leaves had appeared under their feet and all around them.

"This…"

"It should help you relax. You've accepted it after all, right? Accepted me…" Eli… or Autumn, rather, held out her hand, a kind smile on that felt new even though Honoka had seen it on her senpai countless times. "You wanted to come here, right? Really, you… shouldn't be able to. We're not the Void, we don't um… directly contact our heirs or masters usually. But…" Autumn walked up to her and gently lifted one end of the red scarf. "Really… just what did Ryoma-chan make? That man was always full of surprises."

The red fabric suddenly felt like it was vibrating around her neck and it moved on its own out of Autumn's hand. She stared at it in confusion for a second but just shrugged.

"Well, don't take that off while you're here. I'm not exactly sure how Ryoma-chan did it, but he was able to connect you to me. I'm sure you won't be able to come back here if you take it off. But even so…" Her eyes drifted to the scarf again. "I don't think we have a lot of time. So," She snapped her fingers and a plain white circular table appeared between them with a chair on both sides. Autumn sat down in one and motioned to the other. "have a seat, Honoka. Let's talk."

Honoka found herself taking the seat without hesitation and when she thought about it, she knew that she wasn't feeling uneasy in the least about the situation. She had wanted to see the Four Seasons, after all. And, just like before when she had struck the Void, she felt trust. But it wasn't trust born from years of partnership, it was like that trust was a fundamental part of who Honoka was. Even if she wanted to hate this girl or distrust her, it was impossible.

"That's good. That's good." Autumn said, nodding.

"Eh?" Honoka puffed out her cheeks in mock pout. "You can hear my thoughts, can't you?"

"Who knows~?"

Honoka smiled. Playing around with this girl felt so natural, so right. Maybe it was because she looked like Eli, but Honoka didn't think so. She knew it was something more than that, it was something deeper, a deeper relationship than she could ever hope to form with anybody else. She relaxed. It was like she knew everything she needed to already, like there were no doubts she had to harbor in this place. And there probably weren't any.

"So, let's talk quickly. Unfortunately, I can already feel the connection wavering. Though it's amazing that Ryoma-chan could make something like this, this will be the only chance we have. So let's make sure we make it worth your while, Honoka. Ah, there's a lot going on now, isn't there?"

I have so many questions… but something that Autumn can tell me… something that the Four Seasons know.

"I… need you to tell me what really happened." Honoka finally spoke up again. "I need to know what my Master hasn't told me. I… need to know if what the Void said is true." Autumn was already nodding before she even finished.

"That's a good starting spot. Well… I'll start from the beginning then. Long, long ago…"

"Eh, um… you said we don't have much time, so I'm not sure that's…"

"Ahaha! You're right, you're right. Let's talk a bit of history still though. It's something you should know, regardless of if Seira-chan decides to tell you. Do you know why you can use us?"

"You mean, why we use the styles? It's because of Sixth, right?"

"Mm… yes. Kind of. Sixth was the one who truly brought us out in the form of sword styles, who let us be harnessed by humans. However, it was First himself that allowed it. Ground zero… is what demon slayers call it, right? The birthplace of First? Of course he wasn't actually 'born' there, it's simply the spot he appeared when he first came to our world from the Underworld. The amount of mana he released into the world when he came… was unlike anything the world could have foreseen. Sixth had a similar burst of mana, but not on the same scale. You've surely heard it yourself, right? Or maybe not. Sixth 'created' the styles, in part to sustain his own life in our world by killing humans. That's why Void and Autumn take your life force. If you were killing humans with them… then you would take much more than you would use.

Anyways, I'm getting a little sidetracked. The mana released by Sixth entering our world cracked the barrier than made it possible for us to… contact with you. But when First appeared, he shattered that barrier. That resulted in the birth of all of the styles across the world. It allowed Sixth to fully give his 'gift' to humans, the ability to produce Demonbrands, to harness styles without his direct influence.

Ah, we really are running short on time. To keep this next part short, we don't decide what our masters and heirs do. Yes, many masters of the Four Seasons worked under the Demon Lords, against humans. And yes, Kyo… Ryoma-chan's master and Ryoma-chan himself broke our line from that. But… Seira-chan was upset with that. Seira-chan has potent demon blood in her, the blood of Sixth, just as Void told you. She sought to end everything... and so she returned to the Underworld to face First but failed to kill him. She wanted to permanently sever the link between him and the F-Four… Seasons."

Autumn started to shift and vanished for a second before returning. Honoka looked down at her hands and saw that she too was fading in and out, slowly, but it was happening. That meant…

"Looks l-like our time is c-coming to an end. I-I must… tell you, H-Honoka."

"Autumn! I…!" Honoka struggled to think of something to say, anything, but she realized maybe there was nothing. What had she come there in the first place for? Why did she wanted to meet with the Four Seasons? What did she want to find out? She thought back to what the Void had told her and she swallowed. "I… Do I really have a role to play in this? Is this all just some game that somebody thought up? What… What am I supposed to do!?"

Autumn laughed lightly, a laugh that faded and came back with vigor before fading again.

"Honoka… T-There are man beings who h-have orchestrated this g-game. Though I would never b-bet your life on… o-on a game. This is life… and this is y-your time… to shine." The image of Eli slowly began to fade until Honoka could see right through her. "I-I must tell you… I need you to tell… Void. To tell the Prince… To tell… Pestilence."

Honoka's eyes widened at that last name and she stood.

"P-Pestilence!? What…?"

"You… w-will know soon." Autumn's voice began distorting, rising in volume before drastically lowering, cracking and changing constantly. "B-But… there is something… o-only we know. Y-You must… tell them… tell Seira-chan. H-Honoka, you w-will be… the harbinger o-of the end… the e-end of an era… the e-end of demons. Tell them… t-tell them clearly…"

A static started to fill the air, to fill Honoka's ears and she wanted to cover them but she knew she had to hear Autumn. She saw her mouth moving, but nothing was coming out and Autumn looked concerned. But a small smile broke out on her face and she nodded. And Honoka understood. They had run out of time. She felt the scarf vibrating frantically around her neck as if the fabric itself was warning her that it was time. She looked up into the blue eyes of Eli… of Autumn one more time. She saw her lips moving and swallowed. This time… this time, she heard her words clear as day. Just as everything burst into a bright light and she felt herself being dragged out of there, she heard the voice of her senpai, the voice of Autumn.

"The First Demon Lord… is dead."

Hope you guys enjoyed!

Like I said, either starting with next chapter or the one after, we'll be taking a short break from the Underworld crew.

Till next time. Be seeing you.