"Is no one thinking how sketchy it is that a little girl is in the middle of this battlefield?" The Buddhist asked.

"Quite." Agreed the Magician.

The little girl turned to them, met them eye to eye, and smiled. "I'm here because… I need to be."

Sadie took a moment to realize what it was in that smile. Because for a child, that smile was just so… sad. But they needed to push through and get to the bottom of this. "Now what?" The assemble group conducted a meeting. The host of the [Goddess of Magic] knew how to get to the point.

Nurahiyon, who appeared to be a short man using a cane to keep himself upright, twitched slightly like an old person. Like standing took effort for him. "I am merely here to check up on Minato-sama."

That name again. "Who?"

"Ah, yes… The rumored Exalted One." The Moon god summoned a fan. With a graceful yet exaggerated motion, he unfurled it and hid half of his face. "I didn't think he'd be in the middle of all this." With a wave of his fan, his entire being started to glow. True to the heavenly body he represented. It was as if he were casting-

Sadie, didn't take heed to what the god was doing, turned to Zia and mouthed 'Exalted One?' which the other female shrugged.

"Don't you suppose he could be the cause of all this?" The Buddhist said.

That earned a reproachful look from the more simplier Yokai, but it was the Priestess that spoke on their behalf. "While we cannot be certain until we ask him ourselves, I do believe that he has proven himself to be rather…" she searched for the proper word, "pacifistic."

The Buddhist looked pensive, "Well, I suppose you're right. I've met him a few times and he doesn't seem to be the type to cause trouble."

He turned around and saw that barrier the Moon god placed on the field. It was a simple field that let them be untouched – the Moon's sacredness made everything within it repel hostile intent. Which translated to being safe from the battle outside. "Now that I think about it. It was more like trouble found him." He turned to the Priestess, "How do you know him?"

The Priestess tilted her head, "I found him."

There was a lull in the conversation until the lone kid spoke up.

"Minato-niichan is over there!" The kid pointed at something afar.

"Of course, he'll be at the most obvious and most dangerous-looking building." Sadie said to herself.

"How do you know Minato-sama?" Asked one of the nearby Yokai. They weren't asking why she knew that Minato was there, but these were Yokai, human logic left them – just as much as Yokai-logic was vastly different from a human.

The girl smiled. Making sure that her randoseru, her school bag, was secure, that smile turned into a grin. Toothy and full of innocence, "He's… he's my most special nii-chan."

A few Yokai nodded, as if they understood.

The wind was howling. And due to the air pressure, it was also getting harder to breathe.

Drew felt Kenta's arm wrapped around her waist, his torso pressing her down, keeping her rooted on the ground.

Not good. They were exposed like this. That non-Japanese boy named Bebe had some wind-based powers, but that power proved to be indiscriminately causing damage to anything nearby.

She should-

Eek! She felt a hand grab her ankle. And she immediately looked down. A boy of similar age was looking at her. He was mouthing something: "One moment!"

And then she was pulled.

Farther away from the battle happening between the black blob and the boy Bebe.

She took her chances on this guy pulling her leg over the powerlessness of being under the onslaught of such strong winds. She wrapped her arms around Kenta and let him get dragged too.

When on a safe distance from the battle. She turned to their rescuers.

"Sensei! Bebe needs our help." A girl wearing glasses summarized, adjusting it using a hand. With long hair, she fit a certain shy, nerdy girl archetype. But the student council band on her uniform signified that she was more than that.

"Don't call me sensei," Drew heard from the person. She had this no-nonsense air around her, but Drew knew better. High-strung-looking women like her tended to have a lot of emotional baggage. "Yes, but we need to get these people to safety first."

He sported an easy smile, that was the only thing that made him stand out, on top of his ridiculous school uniform. She didn't get to see his face because he was currently leading her away from the battle, but there was an air that she recognized from him. The leader-like senpai type, the type that stayed true to their principles to a fault.

How Drew was able to discern that was a mystery, but she liked to think as a daughter of [Beauty] there was some certain level of affinity she had in people, because self-confidence was a beautiful thing, and this boy was that. Self-confident, probably to a fault, but only because he was sure that he was the real deal and that he was capable.

"What's going on?" Kenta asked.

The procession continued. Something that was so out-of-place in the middle of this battlefield. But the Moon and the Nurahiyon employed such mysteries that damage felt foreign to them, like the procession was happening in an entirely different dimension.

A goddess from afar hurled down hail and sleet like it was nothing, reducing shadow-like creatures into nothing. An angel summoned weaponized light that vaporized the foes on the spot. A demon used darkness to cancel out the shadows – something that should have been inconceivable.

Zia wanted nothing more than to study them. Magicks and techniques lost through time were used in this battle. That if she would just stop what she was doing and just observe-

"Zia, c'mon."

That was the deal, that for Nurahiyon's power to be at its peak, everyone participating in the procession must be in it – body and mind.

That if those under him cast any doubt, the whole façade would fall apart.

Not that Zia participated in the festivities by having fun, but she participated to get from 'Point A' to 'Point B'. Any distraction would ruin this strange power Nurahiyon was able to employ.

Do you have any idea what's going on?

Despite rejecting the goddess that tried to use her body as a host, her affinity with Nephthys was undeniable. So much so that despite rejecting her, the connection was never truly severed.

Mourning. The goddess spoke. It feels like mourning.

"I wish I could help Minato-niichan…"

The young elementary girl said solemnly.

Zia liked to think she was a good judge of character, and this kid, while suspicious, did not give her any bad signals. "You sound like he's important to you."

The young kid looked up, meeting her gaze, "Of course, he and I were meant to be, you know!" She giggled. "But he's too old for me so I guess he's just gonna be my big brother."

Good. Because if the kid was dead serious, then this teen named Minato agreeing to marry this kid was messed in the head. Because child grooming – a concept Carter taught to her.

"Uh," Zia shook her thoughts, "I don't think we've introduced ourselves. My name is Zia."

The girl nodded. "Zia, that's a cool name. My name is…

[Attis]

Zia didn't hear it properly, there was a voice that spoke directly into her mind. "I'm sorry, what?"

The girl tilted her head, "Just call me-"

0-0-0

The Exalted One is a title given to [ ▃▂▄▅▂▃▄ ]. Isis' voice came into Sadie's mind.

Huh? What was that? I didn't get what you said.

[ ▃▂▄▅▂▃▄ ] Isis repeated.

Please use words that I can understand.

Isis was quiet for a moment before: There is more nuance to this but the closest word your race could comprehend to what [ ▃▂▄▅▂▃▄ ] means is that… this Minato person… He's the Mes-

There was a beat. Like something within Sadie stirred.

It was Isis. Or something within Isis. What she felt, Sadie felt too. What she saw, Isis saw too. So, when a foreign… memory(?) flashed through Isis, Sadie saw it too.

They were running. Her hand grabbing someone else's. There were going up, as far as Sadie could tell. Yes, going up a floor on their dorm. The memory(?), she could remember that she was saying something, but what it was, Sadie couldn't recall.

Then she looked back. In the memory, she saw a black-haired youth. He was confused but also…

Huh?

"Hey, I think I'm gonna go with gerberas, but which color should I get?"

They were in a flower shop.

Her and that black-haired boy. What surprised Sadie was, despite looking apathetic and uncaring, he busts out the most surprising reply:

"Pink's cute."

"You think so too? I love pink."

The memory's reply was amused. Then she remembered laughing. That underneath that aloof and nonchalant exterior, the guy is-

The scene shifted.

They were at the rooftop. That same boy. She was facing him.

"Sorry, I got mad at you. I don't like having to depend on other people. I wanted to be able to take care of it myself."

"But I ended up needing your help."

The memory, it felt like she smiled at him.

"I don't think I could say this to anyone else, [ ▃▂▄▅▂▃▄ ]: thanks for your help back then. I really appreciate it."

He nodded, listening to her but also not putting too much thought into it. The memory liked that about him.

"Anytime."

She felt herself smiling.

"Tryin' to play it cool, eh?"

But then again, she wouldn't have it any other way.

A tap on her shoulder broker her reverie. "Sadie? Is everything okay?"

Zia looked at her with concern in her eyes.

"Yes." Her voice was unsure, a hand massaging her temples. "What're we talking about, again?"

She introduced herself as Maiko, an elementary student. "Minato-niichan's future wife!" She declared matter-of-factly, puffing her chest and placing her hands on her hips.

A thought ran through her head, which made her deflate, "But then if I become his wife, then he'll no longer be my big brother…"

She shook her head. "Nah, don't want him as my husband. Like mom and dad, married people don't always end up together."

Zia merely nodded. "I guess."

Maiko turned to Zia, "What about you, Zia? What do you want to be when you grow up?"

It was a simple question. Really. It should have been a simple question, but why did it trouble Zia so much? "I… I want to be-"

It was something that she used to tell him when she was little. Her modest roots just weren't the proper environment for fostering ambition. Her village placed more emphasis on humility and communal loyalty more than self-worth and personal success.

She, at once, wanted to become just like her mother: warm, inviting and adept at the hearth. Not that there was a problem with women and their personal aspirations for domesticity – because a simple life was always much better than a life of strife, but…

But then the accident happened, and her simple life was destroyed like the fire that burned down her village.

As such, when he found her, Zia was nothing more than a husk of what she originally was. With her innocence taken from her, with her family beyond unrecognizable and the only thing she could call her home was in shambles, there was nothing more to life that she looked forward to.

With hollowed eyes, a thousand-yard stare and an existence that could only be described as 'not there despite being there', he took pity on the girl and took her in.

He showed her magic. That there is still beauty in life. And that there was more to life than living in that bubble she called her village – the only world she knew back then. That while, her memories with her family was something precious to her, it should not drag her down and stop her from whatever it is that she wanted in life.

Slowly, the shine returned to her eyes. Her mornings were viewed with a day of possibilities. And she looked forward to her days with priests and scribes and lectors…

When she turned 10, with him (despite his busy schedule) sharing a meal with her, she whispered to herself, with bright eyes and a hopeful plea, "I want to be just like you."

Someone who could have been so bright, he was like the sun itself.

Zia smiled sadly at the kid, "I want to be-"

She stopped because the procession stopped.

"Kaichou!" Mayu looked surprised. Īsan was here too, but…

Īsan… she knew a guy with that name. In fact, she just met a guy with that name today…? Huh?

Kaichou? Who is this person…?

There was a third guy too. But he was entirely new.

"Whe-where am I?" She was having lunch. Yes she was. But then the floor caved? Yes that happened too-

"C'mon, Mayu, we need to get you someplace safe." Īsan said, extending a hand for her to stand upright.

Yes. Safety. There was an earthquake earlier, and who know what could have happened with her schoolmates – wait, her schoolmates? All around, there were coffins everywhere. And a hospital? What was she doing inside a hospital?

It was getting harder to breath. Besides, does she know this kaichou? Like what was his first name? What year was he in? If they were acquainted, then she should know something about him. Especially if he was a year older than her.

"Okay, Īsan, just give me a moment."

But the third guy, the guy in green jacket shook his head, "No can do missy. We're got monsters right around every corner. This whole place has turned into a shitshow, and the more time we spend exposed like this, the harder it is for us to get you out of this hellhole."

Mayu knew he was making sense, but this headache – wait, it doesn't hurt physically but…

"Aw shit, they're here." The crass guy in the green jacket cursed as he saw them from afar.

Mayu turned to see where he was looking but-what is that?

"Mazio!" A group of shadows evaporated into the air.

The fairy (probably the same one from earlier) tried to lead Shuhei to safety. But seeing as communication between them were difficult, progress was slow. They communicated – if you considered hand waving and pointing as valid sound communication.

"I don't know where you're leading me, but it's not like I have a choice, right?"

The fairy floated in a pace that was good for a human to catch up to by running, but the halls were a destroyed mess. There were coffins all around too. It was eerie. I hope Kenta and the others are okay.

Then he heard an explosion.

"Mayu, keep close to me, do you understand?" Īsan, with his bandage eye, had a serious look on his face.

Mayu nodded, not understanding what was happening. These black blob things were everywhere. With grotesque looking masks on them.

"Jin, I need you to clear a path for us." The guy in a green jacket nodded. He then plucked up something from his jacket. A…

"…is that a grenade?"

Curiosity got the better of Shuhei and the fairy. Not that they needed to communicate it with each other, because they were running towards the explosion after all.

"Mayu?" He found her with three guys, surrounded by shadows.

The girl in question looked up. But the shadow enemies started their onslaught again, and the guy guarding her had to drag her away.

From the looks of the place, this used to be the reception area of the hospital they were in… before…?

That can't be right. Just earlier, he, Kenta and Mayu was in class. Lunch was about a couple of minutes ago. What is this hospital? There were no nearby hospitals in their school.

"Patra!"

The fairy surrounding him chanted.

Its effect was instantaneous. The haze that muddled his mind was lifted. Yes they were at school earlier, but before that, there was Kenta and that girl Drew. Yes. And then the monsters – no, shadows.

Fact of the matter now is, Mayu and the people protecting her needed to break free from the lock the shadows seemed to have them on.

He turned to the fairy and pointed. "Can you help them?"

He didn't know if he was understood or not, but the fairy seemed to get what he was saying and nodded vehemently.

The fairy shone brightly for a second before saying, "Mazionga!" and summoning a lightning storm.

"We need to wake up Arisato-san." The group of mysterious students and adult nodded when Drew said that.

"Yes. This whole thing is spiraling out of control because he's asleep." Said the girl with glasses.

"What is Minato-san, anyway?" Kenta asked.

They smiled sadly. "He's… just a boy." Said the rotund boy.

That earned the ire of Drew, "Just a boy… but he's in the middle of this. I at least have the right to know. That Pharos guy was being awfully vague too."

The procession stopped because there was a blockade that appeared in their way. Not an object. A… something.

It was full of black scales, towering in figure, and had the nastiest of expressions. Fortunately, it wasn't directed at any of the procession participants. No. It's hate was directed towards what can only be described as an automaton chimera.

The figured opened its jaw and blew flames ate the enemy.

Something nagged in Zia. A sense of familiarity, like she knew that, but that couldn't be.

The figure's flames didn't reach the procession – possibly thanks to the Moon and the Nurahiyon, but Zia couldn't be sure. When it's enemy evaporated into black mist, it turned its head and made eye-contact with her.

Zia felt something stir within her. No, not Zia.

Nephthys?

A second of tense silence before the being, something whose loosest description could be comparable to a dragon, extended it's wings and flapped once. The dragon launched into the air.

It's nothing…

But the tone in the goddess in Zia said otherwise.

And thus, the procession continued.

True to Zia's gut, throughout the procession, the dragon kept a watchful eye of their journey. Quite a few times, when one of those shadow-like creatures was spotted, the dragon breathed fire on them before they could get too close.

"You guys need to get Kenta to safety first." The group was already discussing what to do with the next step, Drew's question left hanging in the air. Well, the sooner this is over the sooner we leave all this behind.

"Wait," Kenta shook his head, "I don't agree to this-"

"Kenta, listen to me."

There was a moment, before Kenta nodded. "Okay."

Drew ignored the looks of the people gave to her after she used her charmspeak on Kenta, but it's not like they knew, right? Before they could proceed with the discussion, there commotion – or rather, festive music.

It was a pincer attack that the shadows did not have the intelligence to overcome. Sure, they had the numbers, but it proved ineffective when strategy was employed.

With the last shadow gone, the group let out a sigh of relief.

Before anyone could say anything, the saw something amazing happening from afar.

It was a procession. But of creatures.