Author's Note: Welcome back! Sheesh, last week was almost a chapter every single day for this story! But as you know, I tend to do that to set things up quickly. It's funny, it's my usual word length but people say it's shorter, guess that means you'll enjoying it. Also, the Persona 5 R trailer came out! Too bad we have to wait until 2020!
I DO NOT REPLY TO 'GUEST', Please Leave a Nickname!
P.S. Really enjoying the FGO/CCC Event! But Hakuno could have probably solved the whole issue faster than Ritsuka though.
Impstar: Yes, this is Post-Extra Hakuno. And she wouldn't let him, but there are other circumstances at work that she's figuring out. It's explained why she hadn't done anything yet multiples times.
simple405: Interesting thoughts.
ChimaTigon: No, she won't.
achen5041: Thanks for the compliment! Who knows? We'll figure it out as Hakuno does.
unnoticed reader: Wow, it's been a while since I've heard from you, friend! You and Student are both correct in your assumptions about the doors. As for the Social Links between Joker and Hakuno for either side, I've got it planned out. Nice to hear from you again!
kitburner: It's been explained through Hakuno why she's doing this. She's trying to figure everything out so far, and she barely knows why Wakasa is doing this.
FM Tomomi: Two Thousand Words is the average chapter length for all my Digital Human Stories.
Daemon of Crawling Tentacles: Beware Hakuno's stare!
vetyking14: I do not do honorifics in my Digital Human Series. So apologies, but Hakuno is not going to say 'senpai' anytime soon.
Wicken25: Thank you very much! I'm glad you're enjoying this and Supreme One!
What lies in the body, the heart, and the soul? Are they but physical and metaphysical? The flame caused by her actions now seeks to devour her, but the road to her deletion is yet to be paved. Can this Digital Human change her path?
Digital/Culmination
Chapter 7: Shadow Gone Berserk
Hakuno Kishinami stood just outside the doorway into her room, or at least, the bedroom that was provided to her by Miss Yuyi. Now that she thought about it, the name wasn't Japanese in origin, despite her appearance that it was the case. Perhaps her parents preferred foreign names?
The magus shook her head, it didn't matter.
She brought up the Private Terminal, the notification from yesterday had appeared once more.
Do you wish to change Private Room Location?
However, this time, as promised to Saber, Hakuno choose to accept the option.
Her doorway lit up in a brief bright light before it dimmed back down to normal, only it was decorated in what looked like painted replications of the familiar purple cracks indicating a Private Room. Hakuno sighed in relief at the change, she didn't know how one would explain a glowing door without any attached power supply.
Hakuno breathed deeply then opened the door, surprisingly, it looked just as it did beforehand. A young teenage girl's room colored and decorated in a pleasant hue, a dresser and large mirror, which below was a couple of perfumes and ointments that the magus girl hadn't even touched.
Well, aside from the brush, it wasn't simple to keep her hair well-maintained without daily tending.
She stepped inside and closed the door behind her, "Um… Hello?" She said aloud, wondering if her Servant had appeared or not.
But, alas, it was quiet.
The Digital Human was disappointed, seems it would not be so simple to bring the Heroic Spirit into the real world. She would have to make a dedicated effort to visit Saber from time to time, not only for the Servant's sake but also for Hakuno's own comfort.
"What's that?" Hakuno questioned.
She hadn't noticed it before, but there was an additional object in the room that wasn't here prior. Hakuno Kishinami approached what appeared to be a tablet on her work desk, similar to the Portable Terminal but larger in scale. She pulled up a chair and sat down, it's screen lit up at her touch.
Hakuno narrowed her eyes, it was related to the Moon Cell, it seemed to present her a list of Mystic Codes and other options, though a majority of it was grayed out and barely decipherable. It also seemed to have currency labels on the side, indicating that this may perhaps be a method to obtain these magic equipment through purchases.
It would incredibly helpful if that were the case, these Mystic Codes would provide her with additional Code Casts to use in battle as well as any set bonuses.
Of course, she was broke.
The magus thought back to Wakasa, his behavior may seem threatening, but there was desperation. If his shadow self was indeed his cognitive counterpart, as she theorized, then she would try getting answers out of him through the shadow.
Sure, Hakuno could just call the police, but what if Wakasa was just actually serving as a wall between her and some bigger snake?
If that were the case, then him getting arrested would just invite even worse trouble. Hakuno had little experience in the real world, barely enough to even know how to call the police let alone face something akin to a mob boss without resorting to outright violence.
Thankfully, it's a free day tomorrow. There wouldn't be any school due to the holiday known as Showa Day. Some celebratory event about a dead Emperor, her Japanese History wasn't top notch to know exactly everything.
Oddly enough… Miss Yuyi seemed very allowing in what her 'granddaughter' did in her free time. Hakuno assumed it was because of the false backstory, but might be something more to it than that.
Hakuno sighed and turned off the tablet, there was so much to do. She should get some sleep for now.
As the morning light beamed through the windows, Hakuno Kishinami took a full look at herself by using the mirror above a stand. It was rather refreshing to change out of her academy uniform, even if altered to Shujin Academy's design, it still felt similar to the original brown attire. Now, however, the casual cloth adorned on her body made it feel quite bearing in freedom, a plain white sailor shirt in a blue neckline ribbon with a deep aquamarine-hued skirt and black boots.
It looked nice and simple, nothing fancy appearing.
Knock, Knock.
Hakuno glanced towards the door, grasping the brush in one hand, "Come in," She said while beginning to stroke gently through her hair.
"Good morning, dear," Miss Yuyi appeared, despite her elderly age, she had a strength in her that kept her from acting slow to act. "Are you interested in joining me for coffee? Oh, do you drink coffee?" She asked curiously.
"I'm willing to try it," Hakuno replied. "I didn't think you had a coffee maker?"
"I do not, but I did mention Leblanc nearby," She replied.
The magus girl nodded, "Sure."
Hakuno Kishinami placed down the brush and slipped the Portable Terminal into her skirt's forward pocket, she was used to having it on her person at all times within the Moon Cell and that wasn't going to stop soon. After that, she followed Miss Yuyi patiently down the stairs and outside the household. It took a few minutes to walk into the backstreets of Yongen, but her parental guardian knew exactly the path to take in order to reach Leblanc.
As they approached the cafe, Hakuno's gaze examined its entrance, simplistic and casual, a basic border with a door tied to a bell chime.
Upon entering, she noted the rather pleasant atmosphere the place felt like. The only comparable experience she had was Caster preparing tea in the early morning within her Master's Private Room.
Wait… Wasn't it Archer? How come she has these strange recollections of different Servants?
She pushed the thought aside, a possible side-effect of delving into the Moon Cell Core most likely. Her Servant was Saber, at least, currently… Ah, the distinct smell of coffee was rather pleasant, and was that curry?
Hakuno craved some good curry now.
"Good morning," An older man spoke from behind the wooden counter bar that stretched for most of one half in the cafe. His goatee matched well with his wizened face, his eyes gave a look of care and appreciation, but it was slightly burdened.
"Morning, Sojiro," Miss Yuyi spoke. "Today I've brought my granddaughter with me, I hope your special dish of curry will open her up."
"Special?" Hakuno inquired.
"Haha," Sojiro chuckled. "There's a free booth, grab a seat. The usual blend, right?" He asked.
"Yes, and a second cup for her," Yuyi replied as she and Hakuno sat at a comfortable booth.
The Digital Human examined her surroundings in more detail, behind Sojiro were multiple rows of jars filled with coffee beans and a small kitchen stood at the corner, constantly cooking the renowned dish of this eatery. There was a stairway next to the restroom leading to what Hakuno presumed was an attic, but it was labeled off-limits to customers. Furthermore, there were a few other booths, in which only half had other guests seated in, while the wooden bar had no patronage yet.
Surprisedly, she spotted her fellow transfer student with jet black hair come down the stairs, dressed in casual attire. He began walking towards the entrance to leave, giving a passing nod to Sojiro.
"Morning, Amamiya," Hakuno said.
He halted for a moment before her booth, "Morning, Kishinami."
She expressed a small smile, "Good morning, Morgana," Hakuno continued, spotting the feline critter at the edge of her vision hiding within the bag Ren carried.
"Hakuno can see me? She's a sharp one," Morgana commented.
"He says good morning," Ren replied for the cat.
Miss Yuyi spoke, "Oh, is this your school friend, dear?"
Hakuno shook her head with a monotone expression, "Fellow student," She clarified.
Ren Amamiya wasn't a friend, just something she briefly talked too.
"Hey," Morgana spoke. "Don't we have to meet with Ryuji?"
Ren nodded, "See you later," He spoke.
"Alright," Hakuno replied.
It was another brief conversation to an end, Ren left Leblanc Cafe, Sojiro arrived at the table and set down two cups filled with coffee, the distinct aroma relaxed Hakuno's mind.
Miss Yuyi took a slip, then sighed in relief, her face looking outward in nostalgic reminiscent. "I used to drink coffee with your mother like this…" She trailed off.
"You did?" Hakuno inquired curiously, wondering if perhaps there was more to this relationship than hypnotism by a third party.
"Mhm, your mother was a shy girl, something you share with her," The elderly woman began. "But every weekend since she was twelve, before she married your father, we would get together and have coffee at a cafe. It wasn't Leblanc all the time, but this was one of her favorite spots."
Hakuno stared at her cup, "Sorry…"
Miss Yuyi's eyes opened wide, she grasped one of Hakuno's hand with a tender gentleness. "Hakuno, do not fault yourself for your parents' death. The fire was an accident."
Hakuno blinked.
A fire..?
It was a scorching blaze engulfing the entirety of the city, intense heat brought ruin to buildings, people, and animals alike as a consequence signaling war. She was a survivor of this hell, the unfortunate living victim plagued by a syndrome that decayed the mind.
A purged individual scarred by ash and death, flame and water, the aftermath of rain washing away the remaining remnants of the elderly, adults, and children without care or reason.
Never forget; she was born through perdition.
Hakuno Kishinami grimaced, it seems like there was no escaping the past haunting her original counterpart.
"I'm sorry, Hakuno, I didn't mean to bring up terrible memories," Yuyi apologized.
The brown-haired girl recovered, "It's fine, it is all in the past," She said. "I think I enjoy having coffee with you on my days off."
"Really? That…" Yuyi smiled. "I would appreciate that."
"In return, will you tell me about my mother?" Hakuno asked.
"Of course," She replied. "I promised to myself that would raise you well in her place."
Hakuno's vision was engulfed in a sea of flames, a strange sensation tugged at her heart.
I am thou, thou art I
Thou hast acquired a new vow
It shall become the circuit of hope that empowers thy will to survive
With the birth of the LANCER Class, I have obtained the pool of mana that shall douse the flames of deletion to reveal new mysteries
The flames dimmed as the unknown feminine voice faded away, returning her vision to normality.
Hakuno took a long sip of the coffee, it was a bit bitter, could've used more sugar cubes for her liking. But it was admittedly, rather nice.
Still, now a 'Lancer' Confidant?
She had 'Rider' Confidant but still hadn't summoned any Heroic Spirit with that class to possibly benefit from it. Now there was an additional link, perhaps she should ask about it next time in the Velvet Room.
Speaking of which, she remembered that she was going to explore the metaverse further today.
She'll check out Wakasa's counterpart again, it was high time to get some answers.
After all, this cafe trip isn't going to take until evening.
"Here you go," Sojiro placed down a plate of steaming, hot curry.
It smelled delicious.
"Thank you for the meal," Hakuno said and scooped up some of the curry and white rice with the silverware given. She put it in her mouth and chewed.
Her eyes widened.
This was so good! Nothing so far in this world's food culture compared to this culinary masterpiece! It might have well become her favorite dish now. Just what had been put into this meal for it to taste like this?
"Another soul captured by your curry, Sojiro," Miss Yuyi commented.
He smiled, "Now that's a pleasant expression to see," The man remarked on Hakuno.
Hakuno blissfully ate the meal away…
The Digital Human walked deeper down to the first floor of the metaverse, the crimson reds and onyx black colors coming into view as she left the safety of the upper echelon. Here, just below a shorter set of stairs, the shadows can attack her and Saber. Still, it was quite a massive place, the metaverse floor alone had nearly the same scale as an Arena Floor, though with larger tunnels than narrow passageways.
"Shall we begin exploring, Praetor?" Saber said.
"I'll rather avoid the shadows," Hakuno said.
There was no merit to fighting them, they gave too little an award and were below her skill level to gain any noteworthy battle experience. In the deeper floors, if the shadows became stronger than that's another story. Right now, Hakuno wanted to find the entry point leading into Wakasa's counterpart domain, so she could ask a few questions to clarify her thoughts and assumptions about the metaverse.
"Umu, I follow your lead," The Servant replied.
Hakuno Kishinami stepped forward, only to stop abruptly from heading further down. In the corner, there was another glowing blue door, but unlike the same entrance near Shujin Academy, one of the residential twins stood near to it in quiet patience.
"Hold on, Saber," The magus said, changing direction and walking to the child.
It was Justine, garbed in her teacher outfit, a billboard held under her right arm. She glanced up at Hakuno and said, "Good afternoon, student. Seeing that you have entered Mementos, we have placed a door here for access into the parallel Velvet Room."
"Mementos…?" Hakuno said.
So that was the actual name for this place? Did that mean that the metaverse was larger in scale than anticipated?
"Do you wish to attend class?" Justine questioned.
Hakuno shook her head, "Not now."
"Very well," The mysterious child replied and continued her patient wait.
Hakuno Kishinami turned to Saber, "Let's go."
It barely took them any time.
The Master and Servant hadn't need to avoid all the shadows, as the strange monsters had fled at the sight of Saber. It was a new sight for Hakuno Kishinami, even when she was stronger than the enemy programs in the Moon Cell the digital effigies hadn't fled, rather remained passive until close encounter.
Still, this made it easier to travel through Mementos.
Her vision swirled for a moment as they entered the vortex of energy, coming out on the other side to see the familiar sight from before.
Only, there was a notable change.
"Be careful, Master," Saber warned. "This individual looks encased in madness."
Hakuno narrowed her eyes at Wakasa's counterpart.
It looked insane, likened to a particular clown back in the Holy Grail War. This sharply contrasted his appearance and mannerism from before, his entire body even took on a different tint, a darker shade.
Something was off.
She stepped forward, "Wakasa?" She said
"I should just kill them…" His voice sounded radically different than when she met him briefly yesterday.
A cold feeling entered her heart.
"Are you… Okay?" Hakuno asked; Saber was close by.
"Ugh…" Wakasa's counterpart collapsed on his knees as he gripped his head. "Mask… Black… Aghh!l
Hakuno took a step back, "What's happening?"
Wakasa's form melted into a puddle of crimson and black liquid before exploding outward and taking a new form of a devilish creature, the entire body still tinted that darker shade. "Raaaaagh!"
Saber positioned herself in front of her Master, barring her blade at the newly transformed shadow, "It seems he won't be one for words, this berserk fool shall be cut down then!"
Hakuno didn't wish to kill Wakasa, but was it still his cognition at this point? What if leaving it like this would cause him to act dangerously in the real world? That was something she couldn't have, there were likely other people besides her that Wakasa tried to extort. There was some reason as to why none of them called the police, but at this point, the shadow wouldn't answer.
Only one solution.
"Go, Saber!" Hakuno shouted.
"Perish!" Wakasa's shadow roared as he summoned forth a shard of ice in the crude shape of a snowflake and sent it flying at Saber.
It looked small, Hakuno wasn't concerned, there was a reason for that.
"Attack!" Hakuno ordered.
Saber charged forward at the malformed Wakasa, the shard of ice came at her but was broken apart like fragile glass upon reaching the Servant. It was due to the Servant Class skill, Magic Resistance, although weaker than average for a Saber, the Heroic Spirit still had a decent rank of it.
So unless the shadow had a stronger variant of its attack, it wouldn't bypass Saber's defenses.
The Heroic Spirit slashed at the shadow, Wakasa had the shape of a devil, pitchfork and pointy tail and all, Saber's blow had struck harshly against its weapon and shattered it in half. In retaliation, Wakasa's hand glowed with red and the ground below glowed with the same color before erupting upward in a spiral from a dangerous curse.
"Ack!" Saber groaned a bit in pain, stunned by the strange curse.
"Hahaha!" Wakasa laughed it raised a claw to attack the Roman Empress.
Hakuno's magic circuits surged with od.
She raised her arm, directed an open palm at Wakasa, and shouted, "Code Cast: Hack!"
A blast of electrical data imploded from seemingly within the devilish shadow, stunning its action and allowed Saber a few precious seconds to follow up with a blade blazing with flame. She swung it, both steel and fire injuring the creature before her, then the Servant retreated back to her Master.
"Praetor, it seems to have some resistance to fire, while my blade damaged the creature, the flames had little effect," Saber stated.
Hakuno nodded, that was unfortunate, many of Saber's skills had flame attributes, they will have to rely on physical force and her limited Code Cast repertoire.
She noticed the same curse ability was channeling through the shadow again, was it planning to use it on Saber again?
"Wait," Hakuno glanced down to see the glow under her feet. Quickly, Hakuno jumped to the right just as it exploded outward in a dark display of energy, she skid across the ground, glazing her skin through her clothing from the sudden movement.
It targeted her!
The shadow had targeted her!
She mentally reprimanded herself for her foolish belief that this couldn't be the case here. In the Moon Cell, normally the case was Masters couldn't target other Masters, but Servants could, even then most Heroic Spirits didn't bother with that. Likewise, the enemy programs never targeted the Masters, that small comfort was thought to carry over to shadows here.
But, she was not in the Moon Cell, these shadows were not enemy programs, they would not behave the same way.
Hakuno should have realized that from the start.
"Offensive skill! No Flame!" Hakuno ordered her contracted Heroic Spirit, standing back up.
"Umu, the curtain shall fall on our opponent!" Saber shouted as she raised her blade, charged forward with her grip firm tight...
...And proceeded to cut down Wakasa in a single swing.
Hakuno froze.
"No!" Hakuno shouted, but she knew it was too late.
Saber turned around, a bit of confusion on her face, her blade lowered as the devil-like shadow twisted back into the human counterpart of Wakasa, a fatal slash across his chest, his eyes widened in shock and the pigment of darker hues faded back into normality. Then, black liquid poured out of his mouth and he burst into dust and particles.
She killed him, Hakuno and her Servant had destroyed Wakasa's counterpart.
What… What will happen to his real self now?
"What is it, Praetor?" Saber said. "Did you not mean to eliminate him?"
"I… I didn't…" Hakuno trailed off.
She should have had better control of her Servant, why didn't she tell Saber?
It was because there hadn't been any disagreements between them, there was always this sense of understanding of what they wanted in the Moon Cell. But, it was because of the Holy Grail War's style of a tournament that perhaps she wasn't experienced in controlling her Servant?
"We're heading back," Hakuno stated.
Hakuno hoped that nothing bad had occurred.
But, she couldn't shake the feeling that once again, another death pressed on her conscious.