~DS II - Majula~

"Where did I end up this time...?"

Maybe if you actually scanned your environment instead of looking at the ground, you'd be able to answer your own question. Now look around you. There's nothing but familiar, white death... And something else...

"Ship wreckage."

Scattered throughout this field of white with leave-less trees were the remains of their ship. It was almost comical that at one point, these remains were braving through mother nature and the next moment, has fully surrendered itself to mother nature.

"I don't see the ocean. We must've been launched pretty high up... I wonder if they all died?"

Quite the launch indeed. That whale of a monster had belly flopped on the ship and launching everything under it as far away as a few miles. That ship stood no chance and neither did its crew. But the odds are beaten and Hyoma remains "alive". That aside, how can you possibly "wonder if they're dead" in such a nonchalant manner? Were they that temporary of an amusement for you?

"I think I had a nibble. I get a bite right before tragedy strikes. It felt like a big one too..."

Utter disappointment...

Hyoma was sat on the snow. His arms wrapped around his bent knee while the other leg was kept straight. He rested his chin on his bent knee, arms covering up the bottom half of his face as he looked at the ground, the perfect spot to look at when in deep thought and it helps that he's in a bodily position he does the most. Whenever he assumed this position, he had no intention of getting up anytime soon. And from there, a solemn mask descends upon his face. There was so much thinking to be done...

"…" An audible exhalation. "Give me a break..." Nothing but exhaustion and a tinge of melancholy coated his words. "Of all the places I end up in, it had to be a snow-filled forest..." Hyoma reaches into his coat's inner pockets for his journal and in a flash, manages to flip to the right page. There were no bookmarks and the journal was about 700 pages long, so the only way he could've navigated through the paper chaos is if he's visited that certain page countless times before.

-Day 7, Year? Amnesia?

"Cold and snowy days. It says 7 days... but it feels like 77 days... This is home, yes? Where all is hostile? It feels like home..."

Hyoma could've kept reading, but it was only just recently that he had reminded himself of those moments. No... not reminded, actually experienced it again. Those dreadful 7 days. He had witnessed someone else experience exactly what he went through. Hyoma of all people should've known the power "that world" possessed. It felt so innocent at the time when Hyoma began to alter history in his mind, where he wished that the same ill fate that befell him would not befall onto anyone else. It was innocent, and Hyoma had no intention of going beyond that wish, but his sincerity was enough for "that world" to transform that wish into reality.

"...More like an eternal distortion." His right hand clutched his head, his palm on his glabella. It was a common means to convey pain, but for Hyoma, it allowed a forceful means into the mind. All of his mental workings were in overdrive. "Hazama is indiscriminate. That world serves neither heaven nor hell, yet held the traits of both. My wish became both a gift and a punishment." Again, a long audible exhalation ended his line of thought.

"You experienced it for yourself. That fractalic, fluctuating, fragment of reality. I don't want to go on... Not in that arrow of time..."

"...That was... me?"

And footsteps in the snow ended his contemplation and exhalation.

A rhythmic pace, one of normality. It was neither aggressive nor languid in its steps. It neither rushed to the future nor hindered by the past. This was a pace meant for wanderlust travelers, a pace Hyoma was all too familiar with.

Hyoma kept himself on the snow, still unwilling to move. Whoever they are, it was none of his concern... But he would wish them safe travels nonetheless, as fellow travelers would do for each other.

From his right, the source of the footsteps emerged. A figure veiled in an aura of tranquil majesty. She was shrouded in a black overcoat, overwhelmingly grand in its size as the twin coat tails trail far behind her in the snow, and its overall design, an enigma to Hyoma. Its sleeves possess an astronomical amount of space, akin to a uchikake kimono and single columns of small green circles and a simple white line encompass the cuffs as well as both sides of the coat's front hem. The yoke of the overcoat was embroidered with several strange yellow symbols and shapes that extended to the turtleneck. An overcoat indeed as it easily dwarfed Hyoma's red and black twintail trench coat, which used to hold the title as one of the largest pieces of clothing throughout his travels.

It follows that under the overcoat, the woman would be wearing a matching black body coat, a frock coat to be exact, equally as large as the overcoat, Victorian in style, fitting close and hugging her body, from the neck all the way below the knees, where the buttons are absent, leaving some leg room. And... are those black greaves? A warrior? That would explain her helmet. Orange was the color of her chest-length hair slightly covered by a black winged helmet that naturally has large white wings on the side extending to the back.

Her only other belongings beside her clothes was an impractically large hand lantern decorated with skulls. A seemingly otherworldly smoke was emanating from the lantern. That was not... normal. But she had such a serene expression on her, an aura of serenity that easily enveloped and overwrote her ominous image. Eyes softly shut and an eternal but faint smile gave the feeling that she trusted the world not to impose itself upon her. And for those reasons, Hyoma couldn't help but keep his eyes fixed on the woman. He who was a complete opposite, welcoming the world's hostility.

"Is she a valkyrie...?"

Hyoma quietly said to himself, quiet enough not to induce a visible, icy breath. He didn't care if the woman noticed him, but he preferred to keep such assumptions to himself until proof has been established.

…

"Demon? Hero? What does it do?" The crow asked.

…

Still, the "valkyrie" continues on her set path until abruptly stopping in front of Hyoma a few yards away and promptly turning to him. It was then that Hyoma finally lifted his chin from his knee, albeit slightly, and looked upwards at the figure's eyes. Ah... Black eyes. Unremarkable in pattern and unremarkable in color scheme. Now then, was it dangerous to assume that? Unremarkable in Hyoma's eyes, yes, but what about the history and the mystery behind her eyes?

…

"In those days, life often battled against each other. -- not only brought about a tempest which kept raging for 70 days but also kept scattering hailstones from above...All life has died...deprived of breath. In the end, -- murdered none other than itself. Shortly after, this place turned into nothingness."

…

The valkyrie kept a respectable distance between her and Hyoma as she descended on one knee, lantern still kept in her hand. Her serenity and tranquil majesty truly were otherworldly, for very few, very, very few can possess such qualities and in all situations where Hyoma was met with such an overwhelming aura, he was always very much at ease, as if, for once in a long while, felt that he was protected, rather than him protecting others. That special feeling of being protected was so rare a moment that Hyoma never learned how to react to such feelings. His assumptions regarding unremarkability proved wrong in the end as Hyoma's eyes were kept in a trance by the valkyrie's eyes, even as she spoke...

"What troubles you, oh liberated Soul?"

Ahh... Even her voice was angelic. She may have said her own words, but to Hyoma, she may as well have said, "you're safe now, child". But keeping a calm composure was one of Hyoma's talents as he finally collects himself from the trance, but not before fumbling for filler words.

"You needn't concern yourself with a rogue star in the vast sea of Souls. Your aura, too, is one of wanderlust. Please, do not look behind you as you march onward." A careful choice of words. Hyoma detested engaging in conversations, but by no means does that imply that he was inarticulate. He who can change the tide with words alone, that is but one advantage to mastering the art of multiple personalities. His own smile, though, was instilled with an obvious display of bittersweetness. His inferiority complex was seeping through his mask.

The valkyrie moved a tad bit closer so she can get a better look at the traveler's eyes.

Soit's true for him too...

She moved closer still until Hyoma was within arm's reach. And from there, extended her free hand to caress his cheek.

"Ten million years... A long journey marked by Chaos, Cosmos, Neutrality, Moderation, and Amalgamation. Veiled in iridescence, you saw the world from the Skyline Views. Liberated, you transcended to Ad Infinitum as Souly.

…

Eh...? How did she...

...know all of this?

…

"Yet your story still continues."

The valkyrie rose from the ground, returning to her own path, leaving Hyoma with much needed parting words.

"A black crow with its wings of black sheath shall bring forth the winds of revitalization...and thus, heralding ruin upon itself... I am Rosegris, here to wish you, from one traveler to another, a safe journey through the tempest, you, Hyoma, the Shooting Star, Hokulei, of the Star-Wreath.

...

"It was an evil being, wasn't it?" the crow asked the dove.

"Nay," the dove answered, as if he was uncertain himself. He exhaled and took a deep breath. "This story still continues."

…

Hyoma was left well and truly speechless, but as always, he was good at hiding vulnerable emotions. Deep thoughts and a gloomy concentration became his masks. Rather than a single leg, both legs were now bent and he was hugging them, arms acting as a scarf to his face. Even so, he was more surprised at himself. After hearing all she had to say, Hyoma had expected to react much more violently or perhaps even turn eternally paralyzed.

"It's not every day you have a passerby come up to you and perfectly summarize your life in 7 sentences or less. And... she even knew my name's meaning... Maybe that's why she gave me her name first as a fair exchange. Rosegris, huh... "Grey rose"... Haha... Could the fairy tale be true? The story still continues, the dove said."

Hyoma casted his gaze upon the skies, a different beast now that it exhaled snow. A small, knowing smile washed away all traces of the bittersweet expression from before, a thank-you gift from Rosegris.

"So you chose to play the song, "Majula", this time. Always with the perfect timing, oh sea of Souls."

The remains of a bird and an oversized wolf lay on the snow, lifeless. Demon or not, death comes for them all the same. For Velvet, death would have to wait. She emerged victorious over them, she, the victor, and to the victor go the spoils. They would become dinner for her courtesy of her demon claw, just as Seres, her enemies, and the demons were. And I'd imagine victory would be a trend from now on, as the path of revenge can only tolerate the winners.

"Truly you are beyond hope. Feasting upon your enemies? Have you no tact? Regressed into a barbarian, have you?"

So the whole party was there. Body count 1, 2, 3, Velvet, Magilou, Rokurou. It makes some sense that they were alive, considering how fast they fled from the sea monster without any regards or concerns for each other, and especially not for Hyoma. Oh no, they ran for their lives. Still, the ocean churned and regurgitated, though not as powerfully for them, managed to land them near the coast. Though if fortune did favor them, something tells me that their "self-steering" ship would've turned into a disaster either way and they would still eat snow.

"Trust me when I say I would quit this line of work if I could. If I could, I would throw this life away...just as long as...he... Sigh... Never mind."

"You have a heavy baggage. Well, you count on me to carry some of that weight, at least until my debt is repaid."

Rokurou was pointing at himself via thumb, but it still doesn't look convincing... I wonder why? Maybe because he wasn't looking exhausted?

"Yes, it would help if you actually fought in that battle, but something tells me you're dangerously more stubborn than I am, considering that weapon has yet to see use."

"It's a long-"

"I don't care for stories." A quick turning of the head has Velvet looking straight at Rokurou, clearly ready to blow at the slightest agitation and the samurai himself wasn't helping to alleviate the ticking time bomb. "This is my fight and those on my path are subjected to collateral damage. I suggest we part ways before that happens." And with that, the snow successfully cools her down as she begins to walk to wherever the path would take her, a convenient map in hand. Now where did that come from?

"I intend on paying my debt, no matter what. If you would listen to my story, then you would know that returning this sword to me practically saved my life."

"And me! Don't forget me! That map is a godsend for all of us, and if not for that, where would we scamper off to?"

See, Velvet? The moment you three converged, all of your fates would lead down to the same road. Whether you like it or not, all of you are controlled by the thread spun by Clotho, your lifespan determined by Lachesis, and the time of your death determined by Atropos. In this path of yours, you have no means of escape.

Rokurou manages to speed walk in time to catch up to Velvet, a reassuring hand on her shoulder and gently swiping the map from her. Surprisingly, Velvet reacted to neither of his actions, not to the shoulder contact nor her most valuable possession at the moment being taken away. Was this her way of accepting them into her circle? If so, it's pretty subtle, but it show's you're willing to grow. Nice going, Velvet. A gold star for you.

"Hm. Considering that Northgand is the only place with snow and judging from the location of the prison island, I'd say we're near Hellawes or Beardsley."

Velvet and Magilou took their places on Rokurou's sides, one with eyes possessing intense focus on the map, and the other with sleepy, skimming eyes.

"Titania huh... So that's the name of the prison. Never mind that. Loegres is right there, so we need a ship up and running."

She located one, single place and zeroed in on that one specific place and Velvet removed her gaze from the map, as if that was the one place ever worth going to and all others are mere stepping stones to get there.

"Right into the heart of the Eastern Hemisphere. Something tells me you have business there. Something very much worth breaking out of prison for-Achoooo!" And as the big bad wolf sneezes, the whole map comes flying right out of the hands of an inattentive Rokurou, germs and bacteria coming in hot towards the general direction. Rokurou, Velvet, and the map were all fair game. Poor them.

"Oh! Goddammit, Magilou!"

The snow is really starting to pick up. In a few minutes, it'll be a blizzard.

And then, a whiteout.

And then, the trees will be hidden in plain sight.

And then, all reference points and orientation are out the window.

And then, a fully buried Hyoma.

Oh the joys of snow season. Not only is snow almost always present in the worst parts of his history, but it was damn cold. Hyoma initially wore that giant of a red and black coat hoping it would stave off frigid weather, but it all came down to physique, and poor, senile Hyoma just wasn't built athletically or muscularly. The snow would be a bitingly cold reminder of his drifting past and his below-average physique and Hyoma hated all of it... The wind was no joke either. Strong winds became the bane of this 117 lbs Hyoma's balance, though I suppose this time... it's far worse for a 40 lbs Hyoma. It's the damn hair... He doesn't want his precious hair getting messed up, so says the one who would be walking on the sidewalk and if the wind permits, gets pushed out into the road.

Although, things would be different this time around. It began years ago and it ended just months ago, but Hyoma was "changed" enough to the point that the worst a blizzard has to offer is nothing but a summer's light breeze. Inversely, a summer's heat wave is nothing but fall's light breeze. Well, temperature wasn't a problem, but the wind continued to prove relentless. This super lightweight Hyoma had to assume all sorts of balancing acts just to survive the wind, and him walking opposite of the wind's direction helped somewhat, what with him walking with a nearly 45-degree stance. Every step was a battle in itself. There was one time Hyoma was just a tad too late in completing a step and in that one moment, lost his balance and fell face-first, hands and feet digging into the snow just to stop himself from becoming a lethal projectile.

Such is the life of a nature traveler.

Facing the wind, Hyoma had no choice but to shield his face with his arm, hoping no snow makes it to his eyes. A terrible sensation. Though this does make it doubly hard to scan some landmarks or something of the like.

"You are...trying to claim me once again?" He was talking to the snow. Now he's just as hopeless as Velvet, what with the insanity in their minds. "It's tempting, though. So very tempting... I will accept your offer of a peaceful sleep, but...just give me a little more time... Please..." This wasn't a plea for help. This was a mutual deal. Both sides would benefit, as one side would reclaim what should've been theirs, and the other side would rest easy, the burdens of time and reality finally lifted.

No... this was wrong. This was simply Hyoma's inferiority complex at work. This mutual deal is just a fabrication to ease unnecessary pain. What will it take to change you, Hyoma...?

Will change come in the form of a kid just as lightweight as you, coming towards you at 20 something miles per hour with the help of the wind? Oh dearie...it's a kid. Not good with kids, are you. He was good with two of them, but they were abnormally mature for their age so they don't count. So like every other kid, Hyoma has no idea how to react, or if his reactions are even appropriate. Including sticking his foot out in the kid's path, effectively turning snow into a full course meal. How generous of him.

"Hey. You're eating a mouthful of snow there. The snow isn't going anywhere, you know."

Is that a small smirk on your face? Are you actually entertained from tripping a potentially lost kid? Well, it was slightly funny... I mean, thanks to the wind, tripping him made him go at least triple the distance, sliding in the snow and whatnot.

The kid was slow to recover, but upon seeing his precious compass separated from him, he was hit with a jolt of energy and lunged straight for it.

"That compass... Hey, where did you get that?"

Ever heard of instant karma, Hyoma? It's paying for your sins immediately after committing them. Do you need proof? It's underneath you. A magical circle lights up on the very ground Hyoma is standing on, its victim slow to react, first as dumbfounded, then the realization literally hits him.

*Booosh!*

And that fire spell, though muffled in sound, was nonetheless intense, unhindered even from the wind and snow. A magnificent pillar of fire, plus the reverberation causes a deluge of snow around it, as if a bomb had gone off underneath. The trees in the vicinity were completely coated in snow, not a trunk or leaf in sight

"Pfftt... Pleh!"

And somehow, Hyoma still lives. You just cannot kill this man. Not from gravity, from a whale thing, from severe weather, and from powerful magic. No burn injuries, no singed clothes or hair, no ashes. Such bold and monstrous efforts from a nervous child only serves as a slight inconvenience to Hyoma via snow in his mouth. Still, an inconvenience nonetheless and Hyoma was less than happy with the conclusion and the kid earns a small smirk worth a million malevolences rivaling that of Pandora's Box. But it was just malevolence, not evil, not malice. It was a trickster's smile, hellbent on making other people's lives worse, but never to the point of fatality.

"Now you've done it."

Geez, Hyoma... Who would've thought that you can still sink lower and lower, taking pleasure from a child's pained expression. He is absolutely traumatized.

"H-Heeelp!"

"Don't worry. You'll live."

"By the way Velvet, you familiar with that kid? I seem to recall you calling him by his name. Laphicet, was it?"

On their merry way home. Hellawes was their destination, cold was their path, and casual was their conversation. The occasional hostiles were routed quickly, all thanks to Velvet and no thanks to the freeloaders currently walking at her sides. Velvet stood in the middle, the leader, as it should be considering how hard she's "carrying" them. Her party members were oh so lucky that the monsters are cakewalk, else they become prey too.

Velvet flinched at the sound of the supposed name of the "kid". Mhm, it could only mean "this and that". The comb, her sorrow-coated whisper at the name "Laphi". She was so easy to read. And yet Velvet tries her hand at subtlety regardless.

"I'm not involved with any malakhim, nor do I intend to know them. At least, not anymore."

She clutches a certain object within her hands, a connection between the words she just said and the object itself. It could only be the ring left by Seres, a malak. Former malak. Formerly alive. Such a tragedy...

"Something tells me you'll get involved with one soon. That kid, specifically. Not only is he a servile malakhim, but he also used healing artes on a demon. I mean, helping out a demon isn't normal in the first place, but still..."

Whoa, calm down there Mr. Samurai. You're the only one with their thinking caps on. You'll leave all of us in the dust. What do you mean servile? And who are you calling Velvet a demon for? She isn't that bad.

"And and and! There's that compass too! To think he would pickpocket from a graceless lady demon!"

"Go on!~ I'd like to hear more from you!~"

And with lightning speed, this seasoned prisoner revealed her left arm's true form, and Magilou's neck was the bull's eye. Her whole body was also fair game too. Works for the maliciously smiling Velvet.

"Ehehe..."

While Magilou is over there feebly defending her well-being using her hat, Rokurou keeps pushing forward, map in hand. At least there's one mature person in this group of escaped convicts. Though, this is the perfect time to take a stab at Magilou too.

"Graceless lady demon seems far better than the...thing you're trying to be, what with your appearance and way of speaking. Alliterations, a flair for the dramatic, an age-old, perhaps outdated appearance? I mean, come on. Gah!"

And down you go, Rokurou. A stealthy Magilou with inhuman speeds catches up to the samurai, promptly kicking his shin with all her might, as if she was making a field goal. And despite her fragile stature, it sounded like there was a bone cracking. You really should remain vigilant, Rokurou. You're quickly losing the ability to maintain your appearance as a samurai. Unlike Magilou here, who's image she's properly maintaining.

"I. Am. A. Witch! A witch that projects the appropriate age, proper poise, and condign character!"

Magilou had her finger raised in the air. So she went from a witch, to a trickster, to a teacher. She had the right bodily gestures and all to be teaching a lecture, but there were no students, unless you count Velvet who's making off with the map and going her merry way, and Rokurou, lying face first on the snow, grasping his injured leg.

"Dammit! You're no witch! You're a damn jester!"

Then from a witch, to a trickster, to a teacher, now she became a dominatrix, a foot attempting to dig into Rokurou's back, producing more music to the jester's ears.

"Keep going, Mr. Samurai!~ Such euphoric pleasure can only be achieved from the dysphoric displeasure of others!~ Goodness, now she's hugging herself, a small drool on the side of her lips. What...in the world... Even Velvet had to do a double take to make sure that what she's seeing is reality. It was pretty hilarious. She turned around for just mere moments and uninterested, she focuses on the map again, and then, a voice drowned in euphoria causes her to look again, raising an eyebrow after a delayed reaction.

"All right, that's enough. Do you really want to make that much noise in unknown territory?"

"Hmph. I will heed your advice. Don't be slacking off, you down there."

And with that, Rokurou is allowed sweet freedom again, slowly getting up from his open burial and catches up to his party. Do you consider yourself lucky, samurai? You have two beautiful women in your group.

"I can only sense misfortune in my future."

I agree.

And all is returned to normal. The group actually manages to walk for quite some time without childish bickering. And for that, they are rewarded with a few, uneventful miles. There was no conversation. But it wasn't because they loathed each other, but they were actually helping each other out. All of them had such uncharacteristic characters when they sought each other out for help with the map and their current location. Velvet would scout ahead and around the group to verify the validity of their map, Magilou would point out potential landmarks in case they got lost, and Rokurou would be interpreting the map. They had such genuine seriousness in their face that one would wonder if they had the potential to truly work together as one, cohesive group.

"Brrr...! The wind and snow are starting to pick up again. How is it even possible to confront white death herself with such a... meager constitution?"

You sure are one to talk. You really are one to talk. To put it simply, you are as if a court jester has 70 percent of her clothes torn off and we're left with what you're wearing, modest Magilou. Anyway...will her words be the start of another childish chaos? I don't think so. All three seem exhausted, and surprisingly enough, Magilou meant no harm in her words. It was honest, genuine curiosity.

"Who said I was human? Being a demon has its advantages."

"Speaking of humans and demons, what do you think about Hyoma?"

At the sound of his name, both Velvet and Magilou raised their ears. The action was not voluntarily, it was on instinct, their curiosity unwilling to be sated until all is known about the lonely boy.

"Ah yes. Our friendly neighborhood wanderer. What ever became of our precious property?~"

Sigh... Will her words ever fail to provoke a reaction? As with the masochist and sadist scenario, Velvet had put on her best, disgusted expression. Mouth slightly left open and a single brow raised. Just a generally contorted mask. Although...was it disgust? There was always the possibility that the mask hid another meaning.

"Since when did you stake your claim on him?"

"Hm hm hm...~ Beats me.~ Such a nervous wreck, that he is. I find that shy, quiet mask of his endearing if you ask me. Ultimately, who knows?~" She says that with such a singy tone, finding the whole situation amusing.

"Shy and quiet huh... I didn't really feel a bad vibe from him, aside from just unusual. Why did they take him in as a prisoner, I wonder...?"

That's right. Rokurou and Magilou witnessed the boy being dragged towards Velvet's cell. He was unconscious at the time, and Rokurou wonders how that could've been. Was he beaten into unconsciousness or something? Beating up a harmless traveler, that's pretty low even for exorcists.

"That's right. You were in the cell block with me. What, oh what could our boy have done to deserve such cruel and unusual punishment?"

At the words "cruel and unusual punishment", Magilou showed her ever-present smirk to Velvet. Let that be a lesson in beginner level subtlety, one that even Velvet can detect. But exhaustion wins in the end, allowing Velvet to stay on the line of rational thought. She was appropriately rewarded with a specific memory that wouldn't have been invoked if not for her cool head.

"If you two are telling the truth, then he was escorted straight to my cell. No detours, no distractions."

"Mhm. Aaand?"

If Magilou's deduction is that correct, that Hyoma was also that strange being the prison bore witness to, then it wouldn't be strange to think that Hyoma was attacked by Velvet in her cell and survived. No one that entered her domain managed to escape from the anguish. It was a prison within a prison. So how did Hyoma escape the depths of despair?

"I attacked him, as I did for all the prisoners before him. And... he didn't die..."

Velvet closed her eyes, allowing easy access into that certain memory. After attempting to eat him up, Velvet slowly lowers Hyoma to the ground. There was no point in being cruel or violent if it means that Hyoma refuses to die. It was just a waste of rage and on the wrong person.

"Not only that, but when I picked him up, it was akin to picking up a feather."

"Didn't you say a moment ago that you were a demon? With a claw like that, why would you struggle picking anything up in the first place?"

"Even so, he was definitely light. At least all the other victims had some weight to them, but he was abnormally light."

"Interesting..." A finger was on Magilou's chin, who looked up at the sky for answers to this impossible dilemma. "Well I would vote for extreme malnourishment but he didn't seem THAT bad. He looked quite normal to me." A sinister smile once again made its way to Magilou's mask. "You missed your chance to sneak a peek under his clothes.~ Now we'll never find all the pieces for the puzzle!"

"Shut it. I wouldn't do that even if it meant solving the mystery. Let him have his privacy." Aw...what a disappointing reaction. Wait, wait! Was that a tinge of red on her face? Was she blushing?! Well, I mean, anyone would blush if they are met with those words and that hypothetical scenario. A boy would blush at the scenario of undressing a girl and vice versa. Though it seems at certain occasions, Velvet is becoming less and less demonic.

"Oh, so invasion of privacy is off-limits but murdering the potentially innocent is acceptable. You sure have a skewed sense of the world."

Talking to Magilou was painful. And pain of this kind can only be alleviated by pinching the bridge of her nose, shaking her head, eyes closed to disconnect herself from a reality that had Magilou in it even for just a short while.

"Let's hope he's ok then. It doesn't feel right that we dragged an innocent, human or demon or not, into our problem group and potentially killed him off indirectly." The voice of "reason" brings the other two back to a level ground.

"Oh don't worry. Something tells me he's not easy to chain down. Nor is he the innocent boy you claim him to be, Mr. Samurai.~"

A certain golden brown haired malak was lying on the snow on his back. He wasn't soaking in the sun. There was no sun to begin with. He wasn't catching the snow with his tongue. He would have a better chance standing up and actively moving. Plus the blizzard just ended. And he wasn't making snow angels either. For he was confined in a coffin of snow. But the perpetrator wasn't so cruel that he would fully enclose the coffin, so he left the child malak's head exposed, allowing for some breathing room.

Hyoma dusted off the snow from his red gloves and refitted them. A job well done, he thought. And judging from that, it would seem he's only just finished restraining the malak. He was a feisty one all right, bobbing and weaving and sometimes just taking in the full brunt of his spells. It was the case of David and the Goliath. A very pacifistic Goliath. It was just a matter of chasing and keeping the child chained. Hyoma wished no ill will nor harm upon the boy.

"Now then. You need only say yes or no, or if you're not the talkative type, shake your head up and down for yes and side to side for no to my questions. That's not so bad, right?"

Hyoma took his place on a small snow hill, a makeshift chair, but it will do. Turning around to sit, he was met with quite a glare from the little boy. He didn't seem like the rebellious type, so he must've held a personal grudge towards Hyoma. I wonder why?

"Or you can choose not to respond at all. Whatever is convenient for you. All I need to see is your mask."

And promptly, he returned the glare with a smirk.

"First question. Do you know a certain, black haired, poorly dressed, emotionally charged, and potentially insane woman?"

No.

"(No, huh... What a strange turn of events then... If my thinking is correct, this boy supposedly stole the compass from Velvet. Portraying all the traits of a novice thief as he went into a full sprint, looking back every so often for his pursuers. But Velvet isn't known for mercy. The most likely reason this boy managed to escape was probably because Velvet was distracted. It could've been monsters, sure, but she could've easily hunted down the boy as well.)"

He curled his index finger and placed it on his mouth, the thinking arm supported at the elbow by the other arm. Glancing at the ground was perfect for thinking, as there were no outstanding features to distract him. Aside from the squirming child. Let's forget about him for a second.

"(Which means Velvet let him escape. Now the only question left is why. Could it have something to do with "Laphi"? If it does, then something about this boy reminds her of this "Laphi" person. I wager it's the appearance, seeing as how these two shouldn't have known each other for long. And if it is this boy's appearance that distracted Velvet, then it's likely that "Laphi" is her little brother and not a lover. I'm tempted to say that this boy in particular has no connection to our graceless lady demon thanks to his answer... Heh. I doubt it.)"

And with that closing statement, Hyoma gently closes his eyes, perhaps as a way to reminisce all the times when he wrongly thought of ordinary solutions, only to quickly find himself amidst a sea of anomalies. But maybe Occam's Razor will find some use in this journey.

Hyoma would love to stand up, but something else caught his attention. He peered above and beyond the trees and there stood an imposing mountain. A long "Ahhhh..." escapes from Hyoma's mouth, signaling him to look around for more. Even without standing up, the naked trees allow enough visibility to know that more mountains dotted this environment. It seems for the near future, nature will collaborate with Hyoma once more, as it has over the eons.

When he was done, Hyoma stood up, placing his hands in his coat pockets, and hovered over the boy. The interrogation, if you can even call it that, wasn't all that scary. Far scarier was Hyoma's innocent, smiling mask up close. Even without the coffin, the child malak would remain paralyzed. A hint of malice seeped from that innocent mask. The poor malak can only imagine what would happen if that mask were to reveal its owner's true form.

"That wasn't so bad, now was it? It was only one question.~ Alrighty then."

Closer...! He's closer now...! His piercing red and black eyes seem even more insane than before and his smile became so much bigger...! Despite him inching closer and closer, this wasn't a matter of perspective... His smile really did grow...!

"Would you like to participate in a social experiment?~"

"Look guys, I'm getting a really bad feeling from all of this."

"Why? Because of a little blizzard?"

"Yea. And guess what we're surrounded by."

The party of three scanned their surroundings. Mountains encircled the landscape, some towering way above the trees from a ground perspective.

"Giant piles of rocks."

"Oh Velvet... Has the prison regressed your common sense as well? Big winds plus big snow equals down the sleeping mountains go!" A contrast between the ability to still make jokes and the ominous foreshadowing was Magilou's specialty.

"You mean an avalanche?! I wouldn't know about them because I don't live anywhere near such environments, but I heard they're dangerous."

"Dangerous is an understatement. You can't outrun it, and good luck trying to get out once you're buried in snow. It's like being buried in cement."

"And even if you could move, you wouldn't be able to tell up from down. Digging a way out could lead you further into the snow. And then, you're truly trapped."

Not even Velvet is immune to the powers nature is capable of. Fear was beginning to spread throughout her body and her party's storytelling wasn't helping. Fear is a good motivator in this case, as Velvet can feel her feet getting lighter and energy was injected, all in preparation to make a break for it.

"Then what're we standing here for? Let's hurry it up."

…

"...Someone...!"

...

A scream? Forget the avalanche, Velvet was already in a full sprint, leaving a large gap between her and the others in the blink of an eye. It took a whole 7 seconds just for Rokurou and Magilou to respond accordingly before they took off as well.

"This is bad. If they keep shouting, the mountains might come crashing down on us."

"You worrywart. Noise that insignificant is hardly worthy of waking up the sleeping giants."

*KRRRrrrggh*

"Uh oh. You heard that crack?"

"Not just one." Magilou perked her ears, turning and twisting her head in various directions, hoping to hear for more, all the while running to Velvet. It was rare to see her on high alert, heck, even displaying physical signs of caution. I'm sure she can still utter out jokes in such do-or-die situations. "Multiple cracks... And then...comes the thunder."

*KRRRrrsshhggg*

"Oh not good...! Not good at all! Not a good day at all! Nothing good happened today at all!"

"Velvet!"

The comedic duo managed to reach Velvet, who was on her knees. What? Was she praying and hoping she won't die in the crash landing of snow? That's not going to work here...! It's useless and uncharacteristic of her!

"H-Help me out here! The kid's stuck!"

Velvet turned to the party for a brief moment before returning her attention to the kid buried in snow. It was just a brief moment, but the two saw the look of true panic on her face. The blood on her face was drained, a pale expression. It wasn't even her that was in mortal peril, but the kid. She can simply run now to safety and be done with this and yet her face spells the fear of death, no, much worse.

The fear of loss.

Forget praying. This was uncharacteristic of her. Rokurou joined in to free the kid from his snowy prison while Magilou kept a lookout on the avalanche. She, too, can make a break for it and leave these people behind. In fact, she's just about ready to do so.

It's so very tempting.

~Journey – First Confluence~

What is mercy and discrimination to nature other than nonexistent concepts? The many mountains and their avalanches descend upon the earth, unwilling to reduce their speed to give life below a fighting chance. Those in their path, humans, demons, monsters. All fair game, all killed. All were equal before the white death and all were judged by the black death.

From afar, from atop a mountain sat a certain traveler, content with watching the carnage in the lower world. Hyoma's lived for a long time, but views from a summit never gets old. The physical view is not only beautiful, but for Hyoma, perspective formed at the "summit view" is the foundation of his life. The summit held meaning to him. And because the "summit view" unravels reality from all directions, it makes sense that such a view serves important purposes. One such purpose involved a certain demon and her pseudo-brother. Hyoma saw it all, including Velvet's face, the mask that feared loss. Could one call it a mask though? Hyoma disagrees. That face was without a mask, revealing some truth to Velvet's nature.

"On an ordinary day, Velvet would never reveal a part of her true self. It would take something as dreadful as death to invoke one's true self, but Velvet doesn't fear death. It's something equally as dreadful. This white, thanatotic avalanche became the harbinger of loss, and loss is what Velvet fears the most."

Hyoma frantically searches for his journal and a pen, hoping his planned words don't escape him. He looks to the sky for words to write, and shortly after, finds them.

"From these Skyline Views, I can see them. Do you see it? The colors? I'm so glad that there's so many colors even in this world. So glad... that life continues to live..."

...

"She is the first person I met in this world. Velvet. She lives among the other colors. Her color... Hm... I'd say... "The Red of Anger". She's only one color for now. But I know for sure she'll gain more colors. That's what journeys are for."

...

"I wish for her colors to shine brightly."

Day 1

...

Hyoma looked around him, journal still in one hand, pen spinning dexterously in the other hand. Tiny, white shooting stars conquered the sky and the earth, either blazing a path or traveling with leisure. These are Souls, lifeforms visible only by other Souls.

"The "First Confluence" huh... So I take it you all will be watching too? ..."Ascendant's Domain?" Is that what we'll call this world? Oh, this universe's name? That's the name? The official name? Really now? Yes, I'm new here. Not all is new? The "black crow"?"

The Souls flew in a frenzy in Hyoma's vicinity and Hyoma in turn took one last look at Velvet. They knew something, didn't they?

...

"...I've never seen her before...right...?"

A/N - I want to say something important and it's not considered spoilers since it's vaguely mentioned in this chapter. When you see a piece of "music" displayed, it is actually playing in the story. As in, people will hear that music. Of course, like I said, despite not being spoilers, this is still a very important thing to keep in mind. There may be times when my brain isn't working and I'll be posting a chapter without music added because I've yet to find the appropriate music. In those cases, I'll just update them later on.