CH. 58 Finding the Truth
Inverse Tohka Timeline
After some time of explaining the origin of her powers, Haruhime goes on to explain what she knows of Mio Takamiya. She sits down while holding her key and prepares to explain the details of this as well.
Haru takes a breath, waits for everyone to sit down and readies herself "The first thing you should all know is that Mio Takamiya was somebody that you'll need to meet if you're doing what you say you're doing. Meeting her was…like gazing into the void itself. I was just asleep when I met her, but I don't think I could have seen her in any other realm…"
Haruhime has a flashback of her encounter with Mio and recalls looking into a cloudy sky with a woman wearing a white cloak with a white hood up which only gives a base look of her face and eyes. Looking at her like she's the sun itself and she illuminates the field but the first thing she does is summon a flock of flower petals that feel otherworldly. As the petals rain over Haru's body, she can't help but feel overwhelmed by them, like just being in contact with them is dangerous.
Haru summons her mother's Nehemah sword, something she could already do at this time and swings her sword to blow away the petals. Haru looks and sees the ground below as nothing but a circular platform. She can't run away from this woman despite feeling eh looming dangers. Instead, she readies for a fight and leaps into the air and swings her sword at the woman, but she teleports out of the way.
The woman then appears next to Haru and then kicks her at her side and sends her away a little but Haru counters by firing a purple beam out of her sword that the woman simply moves out of the way to dodge. Haru then moves over a little to land on her feet and begins to sweat a bit.
The woman smiles warmly at her and then, almost out of nowhere, Haru's fear and worries suddenly disappear. But then the woman frowns and Haru's fear instantly returns. The woman then creates a light that envelops Haru's body.
"Tell me, why did he choose her?" she asks with a slightly sad tone as the light makes the cloudy sky resemble a sunset.
Haru can feel herself getting weaker and she even drops her sword as she falls to her knees while her energy is being drained. She can't move as the woman looks into Haru's eyes and an image appears on the platform.
"I see, that's why…" the woman states as the platform now creates a warm image of Shido and lovingly holding a child in their arms.
The light then disappears as Haru grabs her sword again, but the woman summons a sword of her own, Sandalphon, along with what appears to be a key-like staff with a star on it. The woman swiftly appears before Haru and knocks her sword out of her hands and pins it to the ground with her key. The woman then holds her sword towards Haru's face. Haru tries to make the sword appear in her hand but it appears to be sealed under the key.
Despite feeling defeated, Haru feels like she has one last ace up her sleeve as she then hears a voice calling to her "Use Sandalphon!" it shouts as Haru's eyes widen and she uses her power to get the Sandalphon in the woman's hand and causes her to become stunned as Haru now uses the sword for an instant and quickly slices the woman across her body.
The sword disappears along with the key the woman is holding and she begins walking forward with a smile which causes Haru's worries to fade again. Her hood comes off to reveal long pale blue hair and blue eyes. Haru can only stand still while the woman walks.
Despite not meeting this woman before, Haru utters a name "Mio Takamiya…am I right?" she wonders with a fast pulse.
Much to her surprise, the woman named Mio Takamiya hugs Haru from behind in a warm way. Haru's normal inversed spirit armor then creates a vision of a light purple dress and then the key that Haruhime wields today, Malkuth, appears in her hand along with her Nehemah.
Haru's mind is suddenly filled with revelations, truths of the spirits, memories of a different time, and a new sense of identity.
"Take care of him." Is all Mio says with a loving smile as the feeling of being embraced fades away and she disappears in a light as the cloudy sky and platform fade away.
"When I woke up, I was holding my key sword and I remembered everything so clearly. Mio was so…majestic but at the same time angry. I couldn't really process everything that happened, but I was sure that it was Mio. That name just rang in my head like a massive heartbeat. I think she wanted me to use my powers to protect this world. I don't really know what she wanted in the end, but I think that I'm just not meant to know."
Haru finishes her story and everyone is just surprised by it, even Vivian despite her already knowing about this story. Hiro thinks about the woman he saw and wonders if she was Mio as well but then things were so different for him. Ellen knows of Mio but what Haru told them is hard to process and even drives some guilt into her. Mana can't truly understand it either but she feels like she understands the sentiment.
Akane has been scratching her arms through the whole story because she isn't happy about having her powers sealed by Haru. She stands back up with anger in her body "GIVE ME BACK MY POWERS!" she screams.
She walks up to Haru again and tries to punch her but is stopped by Vivian who pushes her aside to protect her friend. Akane stands back up and tries to take the sword from Haru to unseal her powers, but when she makes contact with the sword, her hand goes right through it, like a mirage.
Haru sighs "You can't use my sword. It's connected to me, and me alone." She says casually.
Akane pounds the ground in frustration while the others watch her make a fool of herself over this situation. She can't stand not having her powers and it is very clear that she is not going to let it go.
"I don't want to be useless…" Akane just says in a scared tone. She begins pounding her fist into the ground in frustration again and again until her fist begins to bleed and it doesn't heal from her powers being gone.
Mana has had enough of this and grabs Akane's bleeding fist with a firm grasp and says to her "Stop it, Akane. Making your fist bleed isn't going to change anything, and frankly, I think your powers being gone is a good thing."
Akane tries to free her hand and stands up with a frustrated look "I can't fight, I can't pilot the ship, and I can't even heal my hand. So tell me what good I am without my powers!" she rebukes.
Hiro interjects his words "Akane, you were going to attack us, your allies, and you lost control too quickly. I think Haru did the right thing in stopping you."
Akane pulls her hand away from Mana and begins walking away. She needs time to cool off. It isn't like when her powers were making her constantly angry.
When Akane is out of sight, Haru assures her new friends "I'll unseal her powers soon. I just think she needs time away from the fire is all."
Mana, Ellen, and Hiro think it's a good idea as well since Akane is dangerous when her powers go berserk like that. But for now, they decide to go to Haru's place for Tohka and Kotori since they've lost contact with the ship thinking that their earpieces got damaged in the fight or someone isn't at the station right now.
Bifrost
Kenji is trying to figure out how to close off everything else and has killed communications for the moment in trying to seal away the intruder. He isn't savvy with the controls but is doing his best.
Shiori is trying to catch up with Ryouko to help her in any way that she can. Freki is still at the center point with Ryouko right below her. She'd just attack now but is at risk with Shiori following them. Shiori is a wild card in this fight because Freki hasn't actually aware of what she can do yet. But then, something begins creeping up on Freki as she waits, a layer of frost is approaching her fingers. She instantly has the idea of what is happening.
Because elsewhere on the ship, Miyuki is transformed and wearing her astral dress and Yoshinon even has a small cape around her made of frost "Hehehehehe, that bad lady isn't getting away from the heroes." Yoshinon gleefully exclaims as Miyuki's power over ice is spreading across the ship.
Freki perseveres until the frost nearly reaches her fingers and the tips of her fingers can feel the sting from the cold on her fingertips. At this moment, she has to drop herself or lose some fingers and Ryouko doesn't let this go unnoticed as she hears the sound sees her enemy above her. Ryouko readies her sword and swings it at Freki but the clone grabs the frost-covered pipes with her feet and avoids the swing slightly, then uses her soles to propel herself forward a little to get some distance between her and Ryouko. This prompts the chase to resume until they finally get to the one area that can't be sealed off completely, the roof of the ship as Freki makes it to the entrance to the roof and runs as far as she can.
Now trapped, Freki turns and sees Ryouko and Shiori facing her on the roof with their weapons ready, Shiori still being new is still better than nobody. Freki readies herself for a fight.
Ryouko points her sword at her and asks "Why did pretend to be Tobiichi? It pisses me off knowing that you look like her, so what's your game?" She appears very threatening while preparing to engage her foe.
Freki grips her hands into fists, then oddly smiles, and calms down to reply "I didn't do it because I wanted to. Truth is, I hate looking like Origami Tobiichi. I hate having her hair, I hate having her features, I hate having her body, and I especially hate knowing who she was. She was a self-loathing, isolating, brutish, arrogant, selfish worm, and I hate everything about her."
Ryouko attacks by slashing at Freki with decent speed, but the clone jumps out of the way. Ryouko looks back at her and rebukes "Don't act like you know my friend. Tobiichi was a fine wizard and a fine woman." Ryouko attacks again but Freki continually dodges.
Shiori would like to do something, but she can't risk hurting Ryouko due to lack of control. Freki hasn't made a real effort to attack just yet but seems to be biting her time, like she's waiting for something. Shiori nervously backs up now realizing that she is in over her head.
She turns a bit and runs away, leaving Ryouko and Freki alone on top of the ship. Ryouko sees her run away and sighs with disappointment. Shiori retreats back into the ship and waits for it to end.
Freki smiles a bit and says "Okay, now we can really get started." And Ryouko agrees as they charge at each other with Freki's hands glowing blue. Their fight has only really begun.
Itsuka Residence
Kotori nervously thinks about the gunshots she heard from the ship and looks back at Saori, who is still sitting on the bed with a content smile on her face. She looks at Tohka, whose focus is entirely on Saori since she still demands answers to why she made Aki inverse and force Shido to do something so horrible.
Kotori decides there and then "Tohka, I need to get to the ship, I heard something really bad and I can't stay here." She says with a slight worry in her tone.
Tohka doesn't avert her gaze but stubbornly replies "Fine, but I'm not leaving until she says why she did those cruel things to Shido." Tohka's resolve in this matter won't be shaken, but Kotori figured this anyway and leaves as soon as she can.
The building begins moving upwards and that is the signal that Kotori is leaving and Saori only has to deal with Tohka, but her powers are mostly back. Still injured Saori has limited options, but then mouths "Come, Throne…" and her guardian appears immediately and a territory appears around Saori's body that she uses to conjure a shadow to leave.
Tohka tries to stop this, but she looks and sees the corpse of Artemisia who is holding up her hand as the territory prevents Tohka from stopping Saori's escape again. Tohka becomes enraged at this and then in her frustration, shouts and punches at the wall and blows part of the building away with this rage-fueled punch.
In a different part of the city, Saori appears from the shadow and falls to her knees from the pain of her wound. She begins panting and sweating while thinking of another move. But going inside her head, there is a different conflict.
In the darkness of her consciousness, Saori argues with her innocent self. "I told you, we can't just let Shinra do whatever he wants!" the aggressive one states.
Her innocent self, her true self, is on the ground sitting with her knees covering her cowering face while she replies "But we…we can't just force Shido with Kurumi. That's not how mom and dad fell for each other."
Frustrated, the aggressive Saori picks up her timid self by the collar and rebukes "Listen, you little priss, I'll do all the work, and all you have to do is stay here and shut your mouth like the tool you are. I was put in charge for a reason, and frankly, I'm getting really sick of you constantly questioning my actions when you won't lift a finger to do anything about our little problem."
The timid Saori doesn't stand but just resumes her cowardly silence and her disgusted aggressive self just utters "That's what expected from you. I think now I should let loose and show them what they need to see from me."
Back to reality, she is struggling to move out of the area she is in, which is a dark building interior. She uses Throne to conjure Ashcroft's body again to use as a way to move around again. She needs more time but now Shinra has marked her a traitor. But she has to do something about her wounds and quick. She walks outside of the shadow and checks around to make sure she's safe to move.
Around the corner of the area, Akane wanders around aimlessly thinking about her situation without her powers. "I can't do anything without them…I'm just a nobody now. Just like everywhere else." She says to herself. She thinks about her home life before her powers. She thinks about how Ratatoskr is just a monitor now and about her crew. In school she has friends, but nothing really special about that. She has decent grades but nothing exceptional. Her life was just plain and ordinary with a position she got mostly as a favor from her family. But when her powers awakened, that changed everything for her.
Thinking and walking around helps steady her mind, but the repeating thought of her powers being gone is still eating at Akane like someone is poking the back of her brain with a fork when she tries to forget. It frustrates her to no end and she gets angry again.
From her view, Saori sees Akane and tries to move away a little, but her control over Ashcroft's corpse begins loosening and she stumbles over a little and falls from the sudden loss of her aid. This alerts Akane who walks over to see what the noise was.
Much to her surprise, Akane spots Saori and gets a look at her back, which is being exposed as her bandages are loosening and reveals her burns. Akane, seeing these as bad injuries, formulates a plan there and then.
Saori looks at Akane and stands immediately back up, and jump back, despite the extreme amount of pain she's in from doing that. But Akane can recognize that Saori is forcing herself to be tough right now.
Despite her plan, Akane is still angered by Saori's past actions and asks "So, come back for another date with me and my fist, Psycho?" she cracks her knuckles while asking this to seem tough.
Saori smiles smugly to hide her pain and replies "I don't know. I have a nasty tendency to "play the field" if you catch my drift." Saori's smile goes weak and her knees begin to wobble.
Akane keeps her serious composure but her thoughts are swaying "I just to press a little more, and I might get her to leave. I can't fight her without my powers." But then says "Don't care how many people you "play" with. But when you screw with my team, you pay the tab for it."
Seeing what is going on, Saori replies with a smile "Oh, and why are we being so aggressive without our little usual dance of fire and shadow? Is the little bitch out of her spark today?
Akane suspects that Saori is slowly catching on, but isn't there yet. She then pulls out her katana and holds it like how she does while not using her fists since she still has skill with it. Akane then struggles a bit and her forces herself with everything she has, just for anything "Please, just a little should be enough…please…" she thinks while she begins sweating and then her jackets get a blue line pattern at the edges and some flames appear, but just small embers at the most. Akane takes a breath at this since she can access a tiny portion of her power.
Saori gets angry at this since she thought Akane was bluffing but isn't. A little desperate, Saori summons a gun from a shadow and calls out "Zafkiel!" as her mother's angel appears behind her and she tries to point the gun in the direction of the desired bullet but she can't lift her arms to do it and falls down. Now on her hands and knees, Saori looks at Akane with frustration.
Akane is ready to just end this now and get Saori out of the way, but the daughter of Kurumi has another idea. She actually begins laughing a bit on the ground and states "You think I'm done? You think I'm bluffing? Well…I don't think you've really understood who you've been dealing with."
Akane holds her sword while telling Saori "I think I know who I'm dealing with. I'm dealing with a psycho who's in over her head." Akane begins walking over to Saori to just knock her over.
Saori then pounds the ground and a shadow flickers over her and gives a new form to her and she shouts "Don't you look down on me! You piece of flaming garbage." The shadow subsides, Saori calms down and stands up. She smiles again and adds "I heard…that you have a little fetish for inversion. Does it make you tingle when you're near an inverted spirit?"
Akane stands her ground and then notices that Zafkiel hasn't faded away yet. Saori uses the nearby wall as a way keeping herself up. Saori chuckles again "You really want to know who I am. Do you want the raw details? Fine! I don't mind exposing myself to you." She says to Akane, who backs up a little.
Saori then stands up straight as a red aura appears around her while her eyes widen "Take a look…at who I really am….COME! LUCIFUGE!" she cries out as Zafkiel is consumed by an inverted light that causes it to crack while Saori's body is covered with negative mana that erupts around her.
Akane is instantly shocked and surprised by this "This whole time…she's had the ability to inverse!?"
Saori's dress is torn from her body and the shadows form a new outfit on her consisting of a long black skirt that covers the left half of her waist and is torn all over at the right that is patched by multiple belts that cover her right leg, a new top that consists of a leather-like sleeveless dress shirt with black torn ribbons run across her right arm and a black gothic arm band on her left arm, her shoes take the form of black sharp boots with razor-like edges, her face glows and she bends backwards while laughing madly.
Akane's fear is apparent and Saori can sense it while declaring "You and Shido…all of you just piss me off! What the hell do you understand!?"
She straightens and reveals the right half of her face now has a mark like a black rose and her left clock eye is now neon blue and has all twelve numbers lit up. Her hair has also gone through a change as her hair is flipped back with some strands of hair forward, in addition, her hair fades into a gray color. Zafkiel cracks open to reveal a new clock with a neon blue face with white glowing numbers and the hands take the form of a single gun that resembles a dark revolver and a long-jagged sword that Saori holds as her burn marks fade away.
"Now then, let's see the pure, unadulterated terror in your eyes, as I rip apart piece by piece." She says with sadistic glee. Akane braces herself as Saori shouts "NOW DIIIIIEEEEEE!" as she lunges at sealed Spirit Child.
?
Shido and his new team arrive in a new timeline now. But this timeline is different from the others in many ways. As soon as they arrive, they see something peculiar, a giant golden glow in the sky that resembles a kingdom. Their ship is nearly in front of it, and the spirit activity is off the scale from just looking at it.
Shido can sense something in there, something old and familiar. Kurumi can feel it as well, and so can Origami.
Karen flies slowly around and tells Origami and Lucius "Find out what you can about this timeline, our computers should find us some news, dates, and other information." And Lucius already works on it while Origami gets out of her seat and walks to a small station on the ship with a screen and a keyboard. But as soon as Kurumi tries making a move on Shido, Origami gives them the evil eye, but Kurumi just giggles a little.
Shido stands as well and walks closer to the image of the kingdom with his heart racing inside his chest. It is like he is being drawn to it out of pure desire to see what is beyond it. Kurumi has the same reaction to it because she stands and walks alongside Shido. Curiously, Origami almost feels compelled to do the same but refrains out of focus for her research.
After some minutes, Lucius declares "BUGGER!" when finds something curious and then says in a much calmer manner "I think I found something interesting. Take a look at this." He then puts an article on the screen for everyone to see.
It reads "Today, March 3 3084, Prime Minister Shinji Itsuka celebrates his 37th birthday by being inducted into office for the second time….." The rest is just basic stuff about the future and economy of Japan, but the date is what catches everyone attention along with the Prime Ministers appearance, he looks just like Shido but has blonde hair with amber eyes and is older looking, being 37 like the paper says. But by the look of things, they've arrived in a future that is well over a thousand years apart from the base timeline.