"Has anything changed between you and Jin?"
Celica's voice had echoed in his head all night. Ragna jogged through the park, an exercise he neglected for weeks because of his poor sleep schedule, but the mix of aggravation and dejection woke him up earlier than the birds. At least he could do something productive with the emotions stirring inside him rather than lay in bed in idle wonder. Ragna accepted that things were better this way, that keeping his distance was the right thing to do and kept drama to a minimum. But no matter how many times he reiterated it in his head, verbalizing that thought proved impossible. Of course, he knew why.
"Woah!" A flash of orange and brown zoomed by, startling him; all he glimpsed of the speed demon was their stripes. Ragna stopped dead in his tracks. "Damn," was all he could say.
Classes progressed more slowly than yesterday. Ragna lost track of the number of times he checked the clock only to see that five or ten minutes had passed, and heading to the bathroom didn't accelerate the hands, either. When Ragna met up with Celica at her classroom for lunch, he didn't have much of an appetite despite his growling stomach. Glancing up from his phone, he noticed her bento lacked yesterday's extravagance. "Didn't have any time to cook today?"
Celica shook her head. "U-um, no."
"Everything okay? You seem off." She lacked her usual cheery demeanor, which he had refrained from commenting about on the way to school since he assumed she simply had a sluggish morning.
"I was... up late last night." Celica popped off the cover and sighed. "I drank warm milk—"
"You know that doesn't actually make you sleepy, right?"
"It doesn't? Well, even without the milk, I did a bunch of light exercises and listened to an audiobook. By the time you texted me you were outside, I think I only got four hours of sleep. Not to mention... another one happened last night."
"Another…?" Ragna paused, seeing how firmly she gripped her chopsticks. "They found another body, huh?"
Celica gulped and nodded, tense. "It happened a few houses down."
"Oh shit." Perhaps the killer really had encroached on their doorsteps. It made perfect sense that sleeping under those kinds of circumstances would be uncomfortable.
Celica clasped her hand over his and her lips pressed into a thin line. "If you hadn't come, I don't think I could've left my house." Ragna didn't mention that he happened to pick a good day to wake up early. He gave her reassurance, so who cared? "Speaking of, how come you were up so early?" She pushed a finger into his cheek with a sly grin, as if she weren't shaking two seconds ago. "Did you want to raid my room that badly?"
"Like hell. I just went out for a jog. Thought it'd be a good way to clear my head."
"Is something wrong?" Celica asked, a concerned look on her face.
Ragna waved a dismissive hand. "Nothing too serious."
"It must be. You never commented on how cute I looked in my pajamas."
Ragna blanched at the absurdity. "The hell? That's what made you suspicious?"
"I wore my cute baby blue ones, too!" she pouted.
Ragna couldn't recall any instance when he'd complimented her choice of sleepwear. "For what it's worth, they looked fine."
"Too late."
"Anyway!" He rubbed his temples, choosing not to fan the flame of her nonsense. "I just had some stuff on my mind. Thought sweating it out would clear it."
"Is it stuff you can tell me?" Ragna remained silent and veered away. She would only feel guilty if he told her, and he wanted to avoid a pity party. "Okay!" Celica's sudden enthusiasm startled him. She pushed her modest chest out and pounded on it with a light fist. "It doesn't matter what happens, I'm going to always be there to protect you, Ragna!"
"Huh?" He slouched, unsure where that abrupt declaration came from. She appeared dead serious.
Celica flexed her arm and tapped her muscles. "Yep! So you don't have to worry about a thing."
Ragna stared at her in befuddlement, then… "Heh. Haha!" His shoulders shuddered and he broke into a fit, but Celica didn't appreciate her heartfelt proclamation being mocked.
"Hey! I'm being serious! What's so funny?"
Ragna couldn't stop laughing long enough to tell her that he knew she meant it with all her heart. His fit wasn't directed at her but at himself; the irritation burbling beneath his skin all day evaporated with that single, impromptu statement. He didn't even notice Celica battering him with light fists as she told him to quit laughing. No matter how hard he tried it just kept coming.
Hell, he couldn't even stop long enough to thank her.
"Zeiya!" A yell and a powerful impact reverberated through the kendo dojo. Tsubaki slid the door open. Jin stood in the center wearing a white robe, bamboo sword clutched in his hands, sweat dripping off his brow. His narrow, sharp eyes only saw his target. Tsubaki didn't want to break his concentration, but dusk had fallen. She called his name and he stopped as if on command, glancing outside. "Have I taken so long?"
"Most of the students have already left," Tsubaki relayed.
Jin picked his towel up off the floor and wiped his face. "You should have gone home. What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing. You looked so absorbed, more than usual. Club activities ended half an hour ago, right?"
He wrapped the towel around his neck. "I was letting off a bit of steam."
Tsubaki understood his ire. Other members of the student council neglected their responsibilities, dumping most of the work on her and Jin. One major reason students attended their school was to form connections, build bonds, and network with families of renown. Tsubaki recognized the importance of setting up a future foundation, but far too many students allowed their family's politics to dictate how they lived their lives. Saying a hierarchy among the student body had not been established would be a complete oversight as a member of the student council, but since other members took part in it, there wasn't much she could do. Plenty of students had reached out to her in the two days since school started. Frankly, it was all a bit overwhelming.
"Sorry to be here so long." Jin had a lot on his mind. Sure, the nigh-incompetence of his fellow council members made his eyebrow twitch, but there were other factors that brought his bamboo sword down onto the training dummy with a whack. He was good at hiding his emotions beneath a stoic facade.
"It's okay. I'll wait for you," Tsubaki said.
"You don't have to," he insisted.
She smiled softly. "I want to."
Jin gave no protest and headed into the changing room. He tried not to take too long but lost himself in thought a few times. The Kisaragi's politics concerned him little but there wasn't much he could do to wriggle away from them, and it was those thoughts that made his sword fall with such ferocity. Suggestions from other students to be "friendlier" had already become frequent, especially by seniors who were getting ready to graduate. He knew people were trying to dig their claws into Tsubaki as well.
A bang snapped him from his musings. Throwing his clothes on, he didn't know what to say when he stepped back into the dojo. "Finally, I have found you, villain!" Tsubaki pointed her kendo stick at the ground as if someone were there. She quickly knelt down in that spot, cowering.
"S-shogun!?" Villain Tsubaki gasped. "No, you cannot be thy excellency! A trick, it must be!"
"Call it whatever you wish, scoundrel! For all the atrocities you committed…" Tsubaki readied herself with the sword, "you will face due punishment!"
"Punishment?" Villain Tsubaki snorted, a sinister glint in her eyes. "I will not fall to you! Guards, take care of this worthless Shogun!"
She looked around at her invisible enemies. Steeling herself, Tsubaki lunged into battle, swinging the bamboo sword with surprising efficiency. Last Jin checked, Tsubaki didn't study any kind of martial arts, so seeing her gracefully wield his kendo stick intrigued him. One person could only imitate so much from a scene but it felt authentic watching her cut down every foe foolhardy enough to cross her path. Tsubaki hummed while she fought, probably the theme song from whatever show she was reenacting. Once the final enemy had been vanquished, Tsubaki stood tall and slid her weapon into its non-existent sheathe. "Justice has been served." Confidence oozed from every pore, but the moment she noticed Jin, her entire character melted away into a shocked schoolgirl. "J-Jin, you're finished!"
"Yes."
She hid the sword behind her back even though it was pointless. Her eyes darted all over the place, cursing the reflective surfaces of the ceiling and floor. "Did you… see?"
A beat of silence passed before Jin headed for the exit and said, "I will not judge." He genuinely didn't care what Tsubaki was into and her solo play wasn't the strangest thing he'd ever bore witness to. However, that provided no comfort to Tsubaki, who felt her entire world crumble around her. Tears formed in her eyes as she shoved her face into her hands.
"I want to disappear…"
"Done!" The misery and annoyance of a thousand old men filled Ragna's baritone groan as he finished the last chore his teacher assigned him before everyone was dismissed. It shouldn't have taken over an hour and a half to complete but somehow the sun had fallen. Taking a ten minute nap in class did not warrant being made into some errand boy. He hoped Celica had gotten home safely.
Hoisting his book bag over his shoulders, Ragna made his way downstairs. The whole school sounded vacant, almost like a– Nope! Ragna tried to prevent his mind from comparing it to a ghost town but the thought already sunk in and his pace quickened. He rounded a corner and felt something bump into his chest, finding a whimpering blonde girl on the ground rubbing her butt. "Whoops, my bad." Ragna extended a hand to help her up but when she looked at him her entire body stiffened and she retreated a few steps. Then, he recognized her. "You're that chick who sits next to me, Noel."
She stood and bowed several times, her hair becoming slightly disheveled. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to run into you like that!"
"It's fine. Nobody got hurt, so you can stop bowing now." Ragna became a little nauseous watching her animated movements.
Noel's entire body stiffened. "Y-yes. I'm sorry."
Sensing this might be the start of a stupid new routine, Ragna made for the staircase. "Better head home. Don't want to get caught lurking around here." They took the same route to the exit with Noel trailing a few paces behind. Ragna glanced back at her every so often; each time, her gaze immediately fell to the ground. Am I that frightening? Ragna jokingly wondered, but it seemed like Noel was that shy around everyone.
Right then a chilling, powerful ring assaulted his ears. His legs failed him and he went crashing to the ground. It felt like an external force siphoned all his strength, right down to his very soul. He heard Noel crumple behind him, finding her in a similar pained position. Suddenly the world around them began to fade and recolor, shifting and warping. Ragna shut his eyes as the pain grew too much to bear. Then, just as abruptly, his headache ceased and strength returned to his limbs. He opened his eyes and glanced at Noel who wore the same expression of fear and confusion; neither of them could make heads or tails of their surroundings. The landscape had been ravaged by destruction, and above them hung a massive black sphere pulsing with red veins in the midst of a crimson sky.
Noel was the first to muster the courage to speak. "W-what is this?" She knew neither of them could answer that question at the moment, but she posed it nonetheless. It was hard to breathe with some overbearing, toxic substance in the air.
"So we're both really seeing this…" Ragna didn't spot any other people among the ruins. This scenario was straight out of a nightmare, a post-apocalyptic fever dream. He knew it was futile, but he took out his phone and checked for a connection. No bars, and he couldn't even take a picture. Noel stood up and started walking in a random direction. "Hey, where are you going?" he called.
She flinched. "W-well, staying here won't do us any good, will it? Isn't the best thing to do in situations like this to find some food? At least that's what I see in movies."
Despite not being able to apply the majority of movie plots to real-life scenarios, she did have a point. At the very least they could try finding someplace to hole up instead of standing around like slack-jawed tourists. Ragna followed her, but after a few steps, an animalistic cry reached their ears. They both froze, skin pale, hoping what they heard was just fear overriding their senses.
"Raagh!"
There it was again, that howl.
Lupine creatures emerged from the debris. A black substance coated them, oozing a purple miasma with red veins running along their bodies, saliva dripping from their fangs. Ragna and Noel counted five pairs of glowing crimson eyes sizing them up before they took off running, the monsters giving chase. It sounded like a few more joined the hunt but they didn't dare look back. Taking a sharp left down a haggard street, two more beasts jumped out of a wrecked building. They both lunged at Ragna, and with his current momentum and inability to properly process what was going on he didn't react in time. However, before their fangs bit into him, Noel tackled him out of the way. Ragna took deep breaths and looked at his savior. "T-thanks." One of the otherworldly abominations pounced. Adrenaline pumping through his veins, Ragna felt for something to use as a weapon. His hand landed on a brick and he smashed it against the creature's jaw. It yelped but did not stay dazed for long. Ragna and Noel used that incredibly short window to escape before other creatures answered their brethren's wail.
After what felt like an eternity of dashing past street corners, they found refuge in a dilapidated apartment complex. While catching their breaths, the adrenaline of their near-death experience leaving their systems, pain gripped their hearts. It didn't feel like respiratory strain; for a moment their entire bodies pulsated, almost as if they were burning up, though the sensation left as quickly as it came. A hiss from Noel drew Ragna's attention to the blood running down her leg. It must have happened when she saved his life.
"I'll be f-fine. It isn't as deep as it looks," Noel said in an attempt to assuage him. But even he knew that leaving that much blood to flow freely wasn't a good thing. Her injury was his fault and could have been avoided had he not acted like a deer in headlights.
"One sec." Ragna gripped his sleeve and ripped off a section of cloth. Noel flinched as he tried to tie it around her wound.
"S-sorry but… I can do it." He proffered the fabric. Noel snatched it as if dreading any kind of physical contact. Grimacing, she secured it herself.
"Hope it doesn't get infected. You can use that leg, right?" Ragna questioned.
Noel stood up and hopped a few times in confirmation. "It hurts a little, but I'm fine." She broke eye contact with him and gripped her arm. "I'm sorry."
"What're you apologizing for?" What was her deal?
"I'm… not very good with people. But I just wanted to make sure that you know I, um, don't hate you!"
Ragna wasn't concerned with the animosity she did or did not harbor for him, but knowing Noel wasn't praying for his downfall or anything set him at ease. He looked out the window, watching the monster wolves sniff about. Their noses didn't seem to be as keen as a real dog or wolf, unable to track them by scent. "Once they leave, we leave," Ragna decided.
"And go where?"
"I don't fucking know! But staying in the same place for too long is bound to get us in trouble." Ragna didn't even entertain the idea of seeking out any kind of authority figure. If the destroyed cityscape told him anything, it was that this world lacked order.
Waiting until the coast cleared, Ragna and Noel snuck out of the complex and proceeded through the alleyways. Although they couldn't tell if the metro had been decimated by the creatures or some other phenomena, it actually seemed somewhat familiar. Fearing the answer but resolved to test their theory, they followed the roads to the remnants of Kushinada High School. Along with questions, bile rose in Ragna's throat at the thought that perhaps the ruined hellscape before them might be real. Since his brother was nowhere to be found, along with the rest of the population… No! No time for that. Ragna shook his head, cursing his own fear for getting to him. Like hell this could be reality.
Noel wiped the sweat off her forehead. Ragna hadn't said a word, but she knew they shared the same terrible notions. At that moment Noel clutched her chest and buckled to her knees as her entire body palpitated, stronger this time. Ragna rushed to her side, carefully putting a hand on her shoulder so as not to startle her. "Hey, are you okay?"
Noel felt something welling up inside her. She couldn't begin to fathom what it was, but it scared her. A few more deep breaths and the palpitations left as quickly as they came. "I… yes. I'm fine."
"What was that?" he inquired as she righted herself, wobbling.
"I don't know. I felt something… inside me." She tensed under his scrutinizing gaze. "I-it's gone now! I'm better. It already happened, but it's probably—"
"This isn't the first time?" Ragna thought for a moment. "Did you feel some weird heart palpitation?"
Noel nodded. "Y-yeah. Did you?"
"It only happened to me for a second when we were holed up in that apartment," Ragna explained.
"Same thing with me!"
He clicked his teeth. "Maybe this place is starting to get to us. Gives us more of a reason to get the hell outta here."
"I, um… have an idea." Noel pointed at the destroyed school. "I know that this might sound dumb…"
Ragna spread his arms to indicate their surroundings and let out a sardonic chuckle. "Right now, nothing can be as stupid or crazy as all this shit. Shoot."
A smile danced on her lips. "I was thinking maybe if we go to the place where we disappeared, we can find the way back?" The idea was sound enough for Ragna to agree with. He and Noel picked their way through the rubble and into the building. Although Ragna had no fondness for the institution, an empty feeling washed over him at seeing a staple in his normal life in such disarray. It was a sentiment Noel shared as they made their way up a flight of broken stairs.
Hearing familiar growls made their blood run cold. Carefully peeking past the corner of the stairwell, they saw two wolf-like creatures along with a lanky humanoid figure. "These assholes have variations? Great," Ragna grumbled. So now they had more to look out for, and it was safe to bet these variations came with their own unique set of skills.
"Should we find an alternate route?" Noel suggested.
"That might be for the best." Ragna and Noel crept back down the stairs, and upon seeing a few four-legged silhouettes, they retreated. "Scratch that."
"We're trapped," she gulped.
"Then nowhere to go but up." Ragna cast his gaze about in search of a weapon, noticing rusty pipes at their feet. They each grabbed one and stalked back up the stairs. Waiting until the monsters faced away, the duo bolted up the second floor. In their haste, they did not stop fast enough, emerging onto the floor in the sightline of one of the humanoid creatures. Acting before it could, Ragna swung the rusty pipe at its jaw with all his might. Following up, Noel bashed her pipe into the malformation's skull. Knocking it down, at least for now, the two made a beeline for where they were when they disappeared. Doing their best to evade any hostiles, they arrived at their destination, dispirited, finding nothing waiting for them.
"No…" Noel fell to her knees.
"Dammit!" Ragna punched the wall, ignoring the pain in his fist.
"How are we supposed to…" Noel started panting as her chest burned again. She felt something rising in her, like her flesh would split open.
"Noel?!" Ragna rushed to her aid as she struggled to get up, using the wall for balance. "Is it that pulse again?"
"Something is… coming," she panted, her vision growing hazy.
This was the last thing they needed right now, and one of those monsters could strut up at any time. As if his thoughts had broadcasted themselves on fate, one of the humanoid-type creatures rounded the corner of the hallway. Ragna charged it and broke the pipe over its skull. When that failed to bring it to its knees he punched it square in the stomach and followed up with a powerful uppercut that swept it off its feet. He put way too much force into those two blows for any person to remain standing, but sadly he wasn't fighting a human.
It remained standing as purple miasma concentrated around its hand, and Ragna and Noel watched in horror as the appendage morphed into an axe, its glowing red eyes transfixed on the two. "Let's go, Noel!" Ragna grabbed her hand and dashed downstairs, caring little to mind their steps and alerting every monster within the school premises. No plan of escape, no plan of attack; no matter what they threw at the creatures, they weren't fazed. All they could do was run for their lives, hoping that some miracle would save them. But after three whole blocks and no sign of help or divine intervention they gave up on that, too.
"Kyah!" Noel didn't lift her foot high enough and tripped, rolling a few times on the ground before coming to a stop. Ragna ran several more paces before realizing Noel had collapsed behind him and their pursuers stalked toward her.
"Noel, get up!" he shouted.
She tried to stand, begging her legs to find the strength to move. Her eyes grew watery, helpless as the monsters encroached on her. "I don't want to die…" Time seemed to slow as if torturing her, prolonging the inevitable. Noel started to hyperventilate and gripped her chest, that eerie feeling within her body returning stronger than ever. Her skin flamed, unable to contain whatever festered within her.
"What the fuck?" Ragna halted, less mystified by the monsters' uncharacteristic reluctance to pounce than the odd episode Noel endured. She quivered violently as she clutched her arms, slowly rising off her feet. Suddenly a strange symbol appeared beneath her, and as if possessed, her arms flung out.
"Bol...verk." Noel spoke an odd name. A gust of wind pushed Ragna back as two small sigils appeared before her hands. His eyes widened dramatically as what appeared to be two large guns materialized from the circles. Grabbing both handles, Noel tore them free and immediately began firing. The creatures could do nothing but cry and wail as she mowed each and every one of them down. Ragna couldn't believe his eyes, and once they had all been vanquished, dispersing into purple mist, a sense of relief washed over him.
"You did it…" Ragna didn't buy his own words until a minute passed without sight or sound of more monsters. Now he could safely say that Noel just saved his ass. "Nice one, Noel…" He jogged up to congratulate her, only for Noel to point her weapon right at his head. She looked absolutely terrified, moments away from tears. "Easy, easy! It's me!"
"Ragna…" Noel calmed down enough to distinguish him. She lowered her weapons and took a long look at them.
"You wanna tell me what those are and when you were gonna bust 'em out?"
"I…" Noel shouldn't know what they were, but she did. "Bolverk. They're my... Drive."
"Drive?" Just when Ragna was about to ask for clarification, a second wave of black beasts happened upon them. "Do you think you could kick their asses again?!"
Flustered, Noel exclaimed, "I-I don't know how to use these!"
Ragna blanched. "Didn't you just use them?!"
"I did, but I-I don't know how!" She looked it over and felt its trigger. "I think I pushed this?"
"Hold up, point it away!" Ragna drove to the ground, avoiding having his head blown off. He looked where the shot went and almost pissed himself seeing a sign with a big hole in it. That could've been me...
"O-oops."
Ragna shot to his feet, enraged. "Don't fucking 'oops' me, you idiot! You coulda killed me!"
Noel made fists at her sides and stomped. "Don't call me an idiot!"
"The hell else should I call you when another second later my brains would've been all over the damn concrete?!" Ragna retorted.
"I told you I didn't know how to use these! So I'm not the dummy, you're the dummy, dummy!" Noel defended, her cheeks red.
The growls and groans of the approaching creatures reminded them of the situation at hand and Ragna exclaimed, "Well now you do, so freaking shoot!"
"O-okay!" Noel pointed her guns at the creatures and fired another volley. It took one shot each to take them down as they all dissolved into dark mist. Before Ragna could applaud her, yet another horde encroached. Preparing herself to eradicate them, Noel unexpectedly felt her energy drain away and she collapsed to her knees.
Ragna knelt beside her. "Hey, what's wrong!?" Beads of sweat trickled down her face, and he placed a hand on her forehead. "Holy shit, you're on fire!" Ragna picked up her fallen weapons but they refused to fire. Soon after, they vanished in motes of light, a rather beautiful display contrasting their dire situation. "Are you fucking kidding me?!" Seeing no other option than retreat, he scooped Noel into his arms and took off.
Gaining some distance between them and the monsters, he barged into an abandoned store and kicked the door shut. Ragna gently laid Noel down before barricading the door with whatever he could find. He doubted some frail wood would last long, but anything was better than nothing. Turning his attention back to Noel, her flushed face regained its normal color. She seemed oddly bashful when Ragna approached her.
"Still hot?" Noel shook her head. "Anywhere hurt?" Again, she shook her head. "Good. Worried me for a sec there."
"Sorry. I don't know what came over me. But, um, thank you for carrying me." Noel pushed her index fingers into each other. "I've, um, never been held like that before so I'm having a bit of a hard time processing it."
"After all that, you're flustered over a little princess carry?" Ragna chuckled and she hugged her knees, whimpering. "The only thing I'm having trouble processing is what the hell those guns were and why they disappeared on me when I tried to use them. You called them a Drive, right? Wanna elaborate?"
"I don't really know how to describe it. I know what it is, but I don't know how to put it into words."
He heaved a sigh. "For now I guess that can go on the back burner. All that matters is that we now have a way to fend off assholes. But I guess we can't go in guns blazing if you're gonna collapse after using them." Noel's brow furrowed at his pun and Ragna scratched his head. "What, too corny?"
"A little," Noel giggled.
Thanks for all who reached the end; the next chapter will release earlier due to its rather short length, so there won't be a month wait. Though that Tales of Arise DLC looking mighty time-consuming...
Guest: Back from the beginning, and yes, they are siblings.
Beta-read by Wild Blue Sonder. Check her out because she's an amazing writer! The work she puts into making my diction better goes above and beyond.