Chapter 2: Tower of Babel

Shido clutched his head in pain as he continued to wander the streets. There was no wind in the city and the electric billboard that broadcasted news and advertisements had ceased to work. The pitter-patter of businessmen that filled each corner was gone, not even a single filthy rat that scurried along the pavement. It was as if the whole world was locked in motion by a magical key.

"Where is everybody?", muttered to himself, as he stumbled along the now desolate city.

He already tried to call his sister, Reine, Tohka, and just about anybody who was in his contacts. However, all his attempts were in vain, so he continued to walk. He walked until he saw something peculiar in the distance. Smog and smoke were what he saw, it was the only sign he had left, and so he went to it.

Shido trudged along, with each step as his head burned in pain. His breathes got ragged, and his eyesight blurry, but that did not stop him as he noticed the scenery starting to change.

The streets started to be filled with smoke, and he finally heard people as they rushed out on to the pavement. They covered their noses and mouths as they ran towards Shido. He tried to stop them, to ask for help and about what had happened. However, they phased through him as if he was a ghost.

He decided it would be best to investigate further, so the young boy went on ahead. More and more people ran out on the streets. At the same time, more and more flames rampaged and burned the neighborhood. Finally, after he walked for what felt like hours, he found a sight he was familiar with, which was his little sister. She was just there, in the middle of the street, so he called out to her.

"K-Kotori? What are you doing-", his sentence was cut off as flames jettisoned from the young girl with red eyes that matched her long hair. Although what she wore surprised him more. White horns slightly curved with their base covered with a black ribbon appears on both sides of her head. One would look down to notice she wore what seemed to be a flaming yukata with a black sash around her waist.

Shido knew what it was, an astral dress, the proverbial suit of armor that defends a spirit from attacks, an almost impermeable shield.

"K-Koto-", before he spoke his sister's name once more, he realized a few key features: how young she looked, how she cried, and the familiarity of the situation…

He realized then, he has seen this before. A few days before the water park assault, Shido found a video clip of a disaster that happened 5 years ago, a disaster that happened in Tengu city where it lit up like a Christmas tree.

It was the incident that cost the lives of Origami's parents. The incident that originated from the little girl that cried in front of Shido.

The scene in front of him was from 5 years ago, but why was he here? He then ran to Kotori but the pain in his head roared as if drums were being played right at his temples, and images were burned into his very core as if he were being branded.

The images that burned within were vivid - images of himself.

They were of him as he faced a woman with blond Nordic hair and purple eyes. She wore a strange dress which can be classified much more as an armor-like exo-suit that would be seen in a video game. At her side was what seemed to be a sword made from yellow-orange light, with a rectangular hilt.

On the other hand, Shido stood in his school uniform, but instead of a blazer, he wore a simple brown coat with blood that dripped down from his left where his arm should be.

The girl said in a cold voice, "What shall it be then? Princess isn't with you this time, you are undefended, and you face the world's strongest wizard with only one arm, no backup and not even an angel at your side."

"That doesn't matter, even if you cut off both my arms then I would hold this sword with my teeth and fight you."

Shido cried out as he drew a long, silver sword, the intricate markings engraved on it rusted.

"I don't care who you are or what I have left."

He breathed in and out, his whole body trembled and stood still in place as he glared down the woman in front of him.

"I will never let you hurt anyone again. No matter the cost."

His vision blurred by the second as if lights were being flashed into his retinas by a high-powered flashlight.

He began to feel as if he could not move, his feet solidified, and his arms were forced by his sides by magnetic clamps.

He tried to shake around, but to no avail; it would not budge.

Trapped in this feeling he stopped struggling as his consciousness fluttered, much like the flames that burned all around him until he closed his eyes and,

"Shin."

A voice rang out to him as he opened his eyes in shock and to find himself safe and secure on a bed.

There were no more fires.

There were no more images.

There was no more pain.

He looked up to find himself in the school physics examination room, it was dimly lit for the only lights found in the room were from computer screens off to his right.

There was a woman who sat in front of the computers, the most notable feature of her face being the thick dark circles that were decorated around her eyes.

Shido clutched his head as he concluded;

"It was just a dream...", but he last remembered that he was bringing Tohka to school, did he fall asleep on the streets?

"Ah, Shin, you're finally up.", the lady said as she stood up, her messy pale lilac hair in the form of a side ponytail sweeping along with her.

"R-Reine, why am I here?", D-did I fall asleep on my way to school and where's Tohka?" he asked questions as quickly as he tried to get up.

"Shin, lie down for a while. Tohka is fine, she's currently doing the test. Apparently from what she said, you passed out on the street after walking away from her and she carried you all the way here before I told her to go to her classes."

Shido sighed, it was just a dream. They were alright. Then he processed that the test is going on right now.

"Don't worry, I told them that you fainted from heat exhaustion to have your test rescheduled.", she answered his question before he even asked.

Reine got closer as she turned on a penlight and shined it into one of his eyes.

Shido squinted at first as the light reminded him of the bright fires, however over time his pupils adapted to the light.

"...Uhhh...", was all he could muster as his thoughts began to settle down.

He looked below as he saw that same small blue stitched-up teddy bear by her pocket.

She then switched to his other eye and after a while of examination, she retreated.

"I've run the tests numerous times by now, even now they come up the same, you are perfectly healthy. It's probably just stress and you should get some more sleep, Shin.", said the one with giant eye bags on her eyes.

Although maybe that was just the case.

Maybe he should get some more rest.

Maybe some alone time is needed, just so that he could steady his mind.

He rubbed his arm as he felt a small sting in his shoulder but nothing more as he stood up.

"Homeroom is starting in a while and you don't want to keep Tohka's emotional level down, so I suggest you head off to see her through."

"...Thanks, Reine."

With that, Shido got off the bed and proceed to walk outside of the room with a sigh.

A strange dream, but they can be surreal at times. Well after everything that has been happening in the past months the weirdness should be expected.

However, that dream did not feel normal; was sleep and relaxation really the answer?

It was the only answer available to him, so maybe it was time to expand his search, and Shido did not have to expand far ahead to find someone who can offer an alternative.

And this someone is a top-level genius; someone Shido would call a wizard.

"Origami."

The girl he would think would have answers for him stood with her signature doll-like face and short white hair.

"Shido, I was going to check up on you.", she responded with her usual soft and accent-less voice.

He wondered why, but he was a little relieved as he looked at her state.

He was about to ask his questions, but he needed a secluded area so that people would not find the two together. A few places came into his mind as if choices from a game.

①. Her house.

②. The school bathroom.

③. The school rooftop.

Of course, he chose,

"I need to speak with you Origami, on the rooftop."

With that, Shido led her to the school rooftop for a small talk regarding the things that happened in the last few weeks.

When they arrived, he looked around to see if anyone else was there, and when he concluded that they were the only ones on the roof, he opened up.

"Origami, I want to talk about the matter regarding last month."

"Aah, the results of the interrogation, I have been sentenced to 2 months of house arrest."

"House arrest...which means, you didn't have to quit the AST?!", Shido spoke, shocked.

Origami took note of this as she tilted her head to the front in silence.

"I see, you didn't get fired huh."

He looked on to the distance and sighed in relief as he leaned on a railing. Origami rocked her eyebrows at his action.

"Why did you react like that?"

"Ah.. I wonder why too.", Shido said as he scratched his head, troubled.

Shido did not want Origami to fight the Spirits. If it were possible, he wished that she would pull out from the AST, but even so.

For some reason, the moment he heard those words from Origami's mouth, he was a little relieved.

"However, it's not like I have come to terms with it."

As Shido heard that, he blinked and grew uneasy.

He knew immediately what she was going to say, and she delivered.

"The fire Spirit, Efreet. You said that she was not the Spirit that killed both my parents."

Shido nodded as he looked straight at her while she continued.

"However, there is no definitive evidence that proves it."

She still held a grudge. Maybe she always will. Vengeance is a powerful motivator, and - like love - it will make you do the wildest of things.

Shido clutched his head as the memories of the fire that burned the city seared into his mind.

"Shido are you alright?", she asked but Shido nodded,

"Yes. It's true that might be the case, but I want you to believe me. I would never lie to you!"

"It's not that I don't want to believe your words, Shido."

"If possible, I also don't want to kill your sister."

After Shido stood up straight at that exclamation, she gripped his fist hard, making him lower his head a little.

"Thank you, Origami."

"I should be the one saying that to you."

Origami once again averted her eyes as she said that. Not knowing her intentions, Shido gave a faint frown.

Origami slowly adjusted her gaze back to him as she said,

"I'm thankful for you talking to me normally."

He was about to say something, but she persisted.

"I'm the human that tried to kill your sister... 3 months ago, I almost killed even you."

Shido clutched his temple once more, as the image of a sunset tainted with red specks of blood came to his mind.

"I can't say something like 'don't worry about it', but even so, Origami, is the thought of me talking to you like this - like how I normally talk to you - bad?", for a moment after Shido had asked that, Origami showed hesitation before she swung her head from side to side.

"Well, Origami I-.", however he was interrupted before he could ask his question.

"Wait, there is one last thing that I want to confirm with you."

"Oh, what is it?"

"Shido, are you human?"

Shido blinked. He expected this question at some point, but he didn't have a plan to deal with said query.

"From before, there was no mistake that I shot you, however, after a few days, you came to school without even a single scratch. That incident in the amusement park as well."

He remembered it as if it were yesterday. When she attacked his little sister on that day, he also sealed Kotori's Reiryoku, and with that, he showed Origami his regenerative abilities as he said,

-" Kotori now is human, and Efreet's power is within me."

-" That's why; if you are going to kill someone, kill me instead."

As he reflected on that moment, Shido realized he was quite reckless back then.

There was no other way to persuade her at that time, but he just exposed his secret to her, a member of the AST, a group that opposes spirits.

Origami could guess what he was thinking, so she seized the moment to calm him down.

"Relax, I did not report that to the higher-ups."

"Huh? Wait really?"

Origami nodded in confirmation.

"But... why would-"

"I can't just leak uncertain information and confuse my team members. Plus, if you are confirmed to be a Spirit, there is a chance that there will be a suppression order against you."

"Huh..."

A suppression order. The only meaning that could be derived from that word in that context is that the AST, full of people called Wizards, covered in high-tech mechanical armor, will come and snuff out Shido's life as if it were a candle.

"I am human. At the very least, I believe that I am."

Shido on his part unintentionally expressed what Kotori usually said, but there was no other way to say it.

"I see."

"Oh, you don't doubt it?"

"As I have stated before, I wish to believe the words you say. Someday, if the time comes where you feel like telling me the truth, I hope you would tell me in better detail."

"Sorry and thanks..."

Shido sighed as he closed his eyes, now came the second reason he was here for.

"Origami, there is a truth I can share with you."

"What is it, Shido?"

"It was not because of the heat that I collapsed. In fact, the reason I came to you was to help find out why I even collapsed in the first place."

Origami looked up at Shido, who stared her dead in the face.

"Shido, you don't know why you collapsed?"

"No, not in the slightest."

"Any symptoms to start with?"

"That's the strangest part, no matter who I ask, they always say there aren't any symptoms other than nightmares and headaches. Brain scans, blood tests, full-body examination, the results are all the same."

He looked back up to the sky with a sigh,

"I'm a perfectly healthy boy and should just get some rest."

Origami swayed her head side to side as Shido once more set his eyes on her.

"How long has this been going on Shido?"

"The fainting is only recent, but the headaches and dreams have been going on since the aftermath of the incident last month."

Origami got closer as if to examine him.

"Nightmares? What kind of nightmares?"

Shido usually forgot about them other than brief flashes, but he still remembered a scene he just witnessed in his mind.

"Well, I dreamt of the fire today, that fire."

He waited to see her reaction, and when she said nothing he continued.

"Then I saw something within the dream: I was fighting someone with a sword - a normal sword, against their laser sword. The one I was fighting was blonde, with purple eyes. She seemed to be like one of the AST; she had an exosuit and referred to the Spirits by their codenames."

"Oh, and she called herself the world's strongest wizard."

No visible reaction from Origami. Of course, that was to be expected, but this time she had to consciously hold back a flinch.

What Shido just said could be dismissed as an ordinary nightmare, but with spirits involved things were never normal.

That dream happened when he passed out and with no symptoms. What if it was telling of his true nature, a new ability of a spirit.

Surely, it is not such a farfetched idea that, if he could have Efreet in him and gain such powerful regeneration, he could have another Spirit within him and gain another ability.

Maybe the ability to see the future.

Why that conclusion? Well, there was already a spirit that could control time, and such powers would probably be commonplace with their kind.

There was also a factor that the world's strongest wizard was the one he was fighting and with a sword.

One that he has never seen before.

One of the only reasons a wizard would ever be in a fight with him.. is if he himself was a spirit.

A sword he has never seen before. Maybe an angel, the weapon and tool of a spirit. Princess's Sandalphon itself was a sword, so there's no reason to say that if Shido could be a spirit, that his angel couldn't be a sword.

No symptoms, no other signs than this. It was a long shot, but her thoughts pointed towards that like a toddler that pointed at a cute stuffed animal.

However, Shido did not deserve to be a monster such as the spirits. Maybe there was a way to save him, to make sure he didn't have to be hunted down by her or even the world's strongest.

With this mindset, she of course chose the most reasonable option available to her.

①. Take a blood test.

②. Take him back home.

③. Take his chastity on the school roof.

"Shido."

The boy in question stood up a little.

"Take off your shirt."

"H-huh?"

"Take it off."

"O-origami what are you trying to do."

"Blood sample, others may have taken it but there's a chance I can use AST technology to aid you."

She said as she casually brought out a syringe.

Shido would ask where she got it from, but after he visited her house, he really doesn't want to know the answer to his question.

"Can't you just take it from my arm?"

"I see, sure then."

Shido sighed in relief as he removed his blazer and rolled up his left sleeve up to his shoulder.

Origami came closer as she brought out a cotton ball doused in alcohol and meticulously rubbed Shido's shoulder for an uncomfortable amount of time.

"O-Origami I think that's enough."

"Of course."

She responded as she started to massage the area where she rubbed the alcohol.

"Origami what are you doing?"

"I am simply massaging your muscles to prepare them for the needle."

Truly as she "massaged" him, her slender fingers started to caress his forearm and underarm.

Shido grew a little red as he was about to retract his arm, but Origami held it in place.

"I-I think this enough touching-heh where do you think you're touching?", he asked as he yelped.

The cause for his yelp were Origami's hands as somehow, they found their way through the sleeve and onto his chest.

Origami slowly and sensually took her hands away from his chest as she once more took up the syringe and with a quick stab, took some of his blood.

"Here you go, Shido.", she said as she placed a bandage engraved with a pink heart with the word "Mine" written on it.

Shido smiled as he rolled down his sleeve and once more donned his blazer.

"Thank you, Origami."

"Thank you as well, Shido, for giving me a chance."

She carefully inserted his blood into a small vial and with that, they both left the rooftop to get back to class.

Meanwhile, Tohka looked for Shido immediately after the test had ended. She asked Reine where he was, but she said that he just left. She asked Tonomachi, his friend, about where he was, but he was just as stumped as her. He told her that wherever he was, he was fine and that he probably went somewhere to rest.

She continued her search, slowly encompassing the entire school, from the gym to the cafeteria to even the bathrooms, but it was fruitless, as if he were kidnapped by a witch on a broomstick and placed inside a mirror for some nefarious game. That is, until she walked up to the school rooftop and came face to face with two figures.

A white-haired girl with a doll-like face, Tobiichi Origami, and a blue-haired boy.

"..Shido?"

He was just about to go to class to find her, but instead she came to him.

"T-Tohka"

With terrible timing as she found him with Origami. The two of them have a rivalry between them, and tensions were high in the last few months.

She continued to talk with a grim face.

"Why did Shido and Tobiichi Origami come up to the rooftop?"

In an instant, he nervously gulped. He had to explain fast before Tohka got the wrong idea.

While he thought of what to say, Origami nodded as she thought of a plan.

"What was that just now?! What on earth did you both do!?"

"Not telling. This is a secret between the two of us." Origami's reply was akin to lighting a powder keg with them all in its blast radius.

"What did you say!?"

Origami just stood there with Shido whose mind raced to find out ways to figure out how to defuse said powder keg.

The one who metaphorically lit it brought out her index finger and held it in front of her nose in a shush gesture.

Usually, such comical acts would be beneath Origami, but she used every advantage she could take.

Tohka looked at Shido sharply,

"Shido! What were you both doing?"

Shido could not afford for her to get angry, he knew what would happen if he did. And so, with a sigh, he did what all men must eventually do to the women they are close with.

Tell the truth on why they were seen next to a female. He had to be smart about this, as homeroom was about to begin. He walked down to her and held her shoulders.

"Tohka, Origami is going to help me. I talked to her because I believe she can find out what's wrong with me."

"R-really? Nothing else?"

He smiled down at her with all the confidence that he could muster.

"Really. I trust her enough to do this. I know it's a lot to ask but can you trust her, at least for now, please?"

The young girl looked past Shido and towards her own rival. Could she really trust her?

She tried to kill Kotori, she even nearly killed Shido and before that, she tried to kill her on a regular basis.

"S-Shido, are you sure you can trust her?"

"100%."

He had to be confident.

He had to be sure.

Even if he was not.

Tohka took a deep breath and pointed her finger towards Origami.

"Tobiichi Origami. I'm watching you so you better help him."

"I do not need any reason you might give to help him; I shall already be helping him."

"Tobiichiiiii."

"Aghh!"

Both the girls stopped their tension as they both placed their views upon the man in pain.

Shido's head once again burned as they both talked, he felt his heartbeat over and over as it banged in his skull.

"S-Shido are you alright? Should I bring you back to Reine?"

"Shido, I shall bring you to the nurse's office."

They both gripped one of his arms as they tried to lead him to two different places. Somehow Shido removed himself from their grasp as he looked back. He tried to smile through the pain as he walked backwards.

"I-I'm fine, you two head on back to class. I'll have this checked out. I'm sorry to cut this short, see you two soon."

He ran down the stairs before they could say anything else.

The two tried to run after him but he already got himself back into the physics room and laid himself on the bed.

Reine swiveled in her chair as she drank coffee.

"Shin, you're back. Did something happen?"

"N-no... yes? I just... everything is a little woozy."

He looked up at the ceiling. He was in pain, a lot of pain. He did not want the others to worry but he couldn't hold it in forever.

Tohka might panic and her reiryoku might backflow", which may lead Origami to attack her.

All he could do was rest and be alone, but for some reason, he could not sleep. No matter how long he stared at those walls with dim lights, a comfortable bed on his back, he just could not.

The seconds turned into minutes as Reine got out of the room and he was left alone, but not for long as she returned with new knowledge.

"The class school trip destination has been moved from Okinawa to Arubi Island. The groupings separated the boys and the girls, I grouped you in before Tohka and Origami fought."

She sat down and continued her work as Shido sighed. He hoped to go to Okinawa, see the white sandy beaches, swim in the blue seas and gaze upon the paradise's coral reefs.

At this point though, as long as he can have some fun, and just relax without worrying about anything, it doesn't matter where he goes.

And maybe...

Hopefully...

He can rest easy there.