Prologue
When the dust settled over the dreamworld campus of the Occidental College, Clover Gosling found herself in a bind.
Literally.
Beneath the great, old willow tree of the Old Quadrangle, the haughty, corrupted Guardian Spirit of Civilization struggled fruitlessly against the constricting vines of Fauna Ceres and the gravitic magic of Sana Tsukumo. No matter how hard Clover tried, the vines wouldn't break and the intensified gravity wouldn't let up.
Neither Boros nor Yatagarasu, the beasts she summoned to turn the tides for her, continued to serve her. Moreover, the white wisps of magic that Clover wielded had dissipated, taking all of the relentless fanatics of the Disciplinary Committee along with them.
And so, accosted by the mighty beasts, Sana and Fauna watched their squirming captive mischievously - sweet, sweet payback her back for all the times that Clover played them like fiddles.
"The tables have turned, haven't they?" Sana poked at Clover's cheeks, "I think I can get used to messing around with you. You've got a lot to answer for, y'know?"
Clover tried to bite Sana's finger, but Sana intensified the gravity instead. It forced Clover's jaw to drop, reducing the talkative girl to unintelligible grunts and groans.
"You've been a naughty girl, Clover Gosling." Fauna chimed in, looming over the trapped Clover with a devilish smirk. She poked at Clover's arm with her battlestaff and asked, "How about I give you a blood test this time? I'd like to get samples of you under a microscope." She shrugged, "Though, getting rid of you once and for all would be nice too."
"As much as I'd like to, we can't get rid of her just yet." Kronii's voice interrupted their conversation, "Irys and Bae have other plans for her." She waved to Sana, "Let her speak. The… happy couple want a word with her."
Sana frowned, but she lowered the intensity of her gravity well. That let Clover close her mouth and regain her speech.
"You crazy bi-"
Before Clover could say a word, Sana kicked her in the face with her bare feet.
"Foot-in-the-face!" Sana roared.
Kronii smirked, almost as if Sana saved her the trouble of doing that herself. Moments later, Irys and Bae, went out of the main school building and marched towards the captive Clover.
"So here's the deal, theater girl." Bae spoke firmly, "We're gonna cut you loose from the influence of the Manipulator and reverse her corruption. Then, we're gonna have you do a few things for us." She folded her arms and frowned, "Right now, beyond the dream, Cover Corp is fighting for their lives in Yekaterinburg against that Apocalypse Bird."
"Rightly so." Clover hissed.
This time, Bae herself kicked the theater girl.
"Gah!" Clover recoiled in pain.
"Shut up and listen." Bae lashed, "First, you're gonna free Yatagarasu here. It's not like he's planning to follow your commands anymore anyways - not when Sana's right here."
The space worm nodded solemnly.
"You're lucky his corruption was just in the early stages." Clover pouted.
Bae snorted and continued.
"Next. You're gonna call off Apocalypse Bird's attack and have Sparrowhawk believe that Cover's forces were annihilated." She raised her brow and asked, "You're the right hand of General Sparrowhawk aren't ya? These few things should be a walk in the park for you."
Clover looked up to Bae and growled.
"You're working on a lot of assumptions there, rat-girl. You really think you can actually cut me loose from The Manipulator? What a joke." Clover argued, "This may be the Nephilim's Dream, but the world beyond it plays by different rules. It's not that simple." Her blue eyes shimmered with rare sorrow, "Lady Knowledge had to find that out the hard way."
"We've already learned from Lady Knowledge's mistakes." Bae countered, "We have everything we need to cut your strings - and we know that it works." She remembered her conversation with Calli and Kiara and managed to wear a small smile, "I know people who've done it before - with much less magical firepower than what we have now."
Clover looked Bae in the eye, searching for any sign of fear or reservation - but there was none. Bae truly believed her own words, but Clover continued to be a skeptic.
"Be that as it may, the mere fact that we're having this conversation means that you're giving up your secrets to Sparrowhawk." Clover warned, "She could get curious and tap in through my mental link. Hell - she could be listening right now."
"That's why I've used my dreamworld to weaken your bonds to The Manipulator already." Irys interjected this time, "She won't be able to listen in to this conversation."
" And if she does, she'll just hear the battle from earlier raging on." Bae added, showing a tape recorder in her hands, "Whatever happens here, Sparrowhawk will be none the wiser."
Kronii rested against the floating white serpent Boros and mused, "I'll be using Boros' temporal venom to restore you back to before the Manipulator corrupted you."
Fauna snickered and teased, "After the number you did on me and Nemu, we know a thing or two about dealing with the Corruption."
"The Infinite Library taught me a lot about that stuff too." Sana beamed.
Clover watched Irys and the Council speaking wholeheartedly. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"You've really thought this through, huh?" Clover hummed.
"We're the underdogs in this fight - and we've got a lot of catching up to do." Kronii shrugged, "We need every advantage we can get to win."
Irys nodded. Then, she continued her spiel.
"When this dream world collapses, Bae, Sana and Fauna will reawaken in Yekaterinburg - while you, me and Kronii will return to wherever Sparrowhawk is planning to take us." Irys gave her theory, "Does that sound right to you?"
"I would think so, yes." Clover confirmed.
"In that case, I have one last request for you." Irys started.
The captive theater girl looked at Irys blankly, waiting for her to speak."
"I want you to formally offer your services to Mumei as her Guardian Spirit." Irys urged. She paused and took a deep breath, "Then, you're gonna help us foil Sparrowhawk's plan - and to kill Sparrowhawk herself."
When Irys said this, Clover's haughty eyes shimmered with earnest emotion once more - emotions that she had been hiding behind her maniacal mask for as long as she could remember. And yet, she clenched her fists and held her ground.
"So that's what you're after." Clover hummed, feigning indifference.
"Isn't that what the Tenth Council set out to do in the beginning?" Irys asked, her two-colored eyes burned with a passionate flame, "I'm offering you a chance to fulfill the mission that you failed, Clover Gosling."
"And if I refuse?" Clover asked.
"Then I will end you." Irys answered without hesitation.
A chill ran up Clover's spine. This was the first time she heard Irys speak with that much resolve.
Irys promptly approached Clover and waved her hand, casting a spell with her magic. A ring of magic formed around Clover's neck and coalesced like a maroon choker.
"You said that whatever happens here in my dream has consequences in the real world." Irys recounted, "Well, in that case, that collar will let me blow your mind. Literally." The Nephilim brought her face close to Clover's and declared, "You will cooperate with us, Clover Gosling."
"Do I have a choice?" Clover raised her brow.
"No. You don't." Bae smirked, "Try any funny business and you can kiss your existence goodbye."
Irys wore a sly smile.
"You never truly believed in Sparrowhawk's plan to begin with, did you?" The Nephilim asked.
Clover heaved a sigh.
She faced Irys from where she knelt and surrendered, "Alright. If you can really cut me loose from The Manipulator's web, then I'll buy into your plan."
"We already have." Fauna chuckled, She pointed to the crimson choker on Clover's neck, "You were a guardian spirit, weren't you? Surely you know what went into your new jewelry."
Clover felt the maroon choker wrapped around her neck and the myriad of magic imbued within it: elements of Time, Space, Nature and Chaos magic bound together by the Nephilim's voice. That united front of magic weakened the strings of the Manipulator that had bound her for so long.
Then, those strings snapped.
Clover's jaw dropped - this time, without the 'help' of Sana's gravitic well.
"So…?" Irys folded her arms and smiled, "Do we have a deal?"
Yatagarasu, Nemu, Boros and Mr. Squeaks watched over her. She felt their gazes filled with anger, disappointment and frustration - but not hate. Every single one of them had volumes of things to say to Clover and chew her out for decades on end, but none of them spoke a hurtful word. After all, beneath that storm of emotion brewing up in the hearts of the guardian spirits, all of them were relieved to see Clover free.
Clover lowered her head, completely and utterly defeated.
"I swear - empaths like you are gonna be the end of me, orchestrating something like this." Clover groaned. She turned to Irys and gave her promise, "You have saved me from damnation. I will do everything you ask."
"Good." Irys nodded, "Welcome to the team, Clover Gosling - or should I say 'Friend'?."
Sana's gravity well dissipated and Fauna's constricting vines let Clover loose. Irys approached her old foe fearlessly and extended her hand.
Then, Irys and Clover set their many, many differences aside and shook hands.
Eleven
Sink Again, Rise Again
Hundred And Second Scene - One For The Road
As the sun set over the Occidental College, the entire dreamscape around it started to dissolve into wisps of maroon magic. Almost everything beyond the campus walls glitched out and the sky itself looked like it was falling. Irys and her companions, however, were unfazed by the literal end of that world.
Within the driveway of the campus, two London double decker buses rolled in and opened their doors. One bore a sign that read 'Yekaterinburg, Russia', while the other simply had question marks - destined for the unknown. Seeing those buses, the group started bidding each other farewell.
From that point on, they were going their separate ways.
Sana, Fauna and the miniaturized Nemu, boarded the Yekaterinburg-bound bus. Kronii, Boros, Yatagarasu and Clover Gosling, meanwhile, boarded the mystery bus. Bae and Irys, however, stayed at the campus driveway and watched the crumbling world together a little while longer.
The rat-girl and the Nephilim held hands and looked up to the falling sky.
"Interdimensional public transit in dreamworld London, 1970." Bae chuckled and squeezed Irys' hand, "You've got quite an imagination., huh?"
"Ehehe~" Irys smiled, squeezing Bae's hand back, "Did you like it?"
"It's a bit rich…" Bae rubbed her chin with her free hand, "But then again, you did come from the Victorian Era. My world probably seems like a Jules Verne novel to you or something."
Irys broke out into laughter.
A bead of sweat formed on Bae's brow.
"Did I just guess correctly?" Bae mumbled.
"Honestly, I was afraid of this strange world that I was thrust into - but I managed to make it through because of everyone's help." Irys started. She turned to Bae happily and emphasized, "Because I met you… doing that handstand upside down in your Australian Army tank top. Hrgh! I should have manifested that when you first appeared here!"
"Oy…" Bae furrowed her brow, "You thirsty Nephilim."
"Sorry, I couldn't help it." Irys blushed and insisted, "But I really am thankful for you." She stood closer to Bae and brought the rat-girl's hands to her heart, "I don't want to let you go."
"We'll see each other again." Bae promised, wearing a confident smile for Irys, "We've got a plan. We just have to see it through."
"I know, but…" Irys started.
"I don't want to let you go either, Irys." Bae finally admitted.
"Bae…" Irys swooned.
"When you call for help, I promised you that I'd come running." Bae reminded, "I did that here in your dream. I'll do it in the real world too."
"I'd like that very much." Irys beamed.
The rat-girl and the Nephilim savored their moment, but the buses started honking their horns. Sana, Fauna and Bae also looked out the windows, wondering what was taking the two.
"I guess this is goodbye for now." Bae started.
A crafty grin broke out on her lips, "In that case…"
Bae tilted her head innocently. Then, Irys pecked her lovingly on the cheek.
"... huh!?" Bae was startled. She laid her hand on her cheek, completely unprepared for the Nephilim's attack.
"One for the road." Irys smiled, "Until we meet again."
With that, Irys let go of Bae's hand and trotted over to the bus bound for the unknown and waved goodbye. Bae returned the gesture until the doors of Irys' bus closed with a hydraulic hiss. Then, she watched the bus drive off into the distorting edges of the collapsing dream.
Bae heaved a sigh and marched into her own bus bound for Yekaterinburg. The doors of Bae's bus closed too and they began their journey back from their tiring slumber. The rat-girl walked dejectedly to the back of the bus while the scene of the distorting London faded away into cosmic nothingness.
Instead, she felt the stares of Sana and Fauna fixed on her.
"Did you two have fun?" They spoke at the same time with perfect sync.
"Shut up and go to sleep." Bae jabbed the both of them gently.
Bae then found herself a seat and closed her eyes. Then, a deep sleep went over her and she was whisked away from the dream - back to reality.
Hundred and Third Scene - From One Chief To Another
Down in the underground bunker beneath the Yekaterinburg Train Station, Bae, Sana and Fauna stirred from their makeshift sleeping bags. Nemu and Mr. Squeaks followed suit and helped the Council members regain their bearings. While they did so, the ceiling above them rumbled and muffled noises.
The battle in the real world was still ongoing.
A frown formed on Bae's lips. She brought out Mr. Squeaks from her pocket and turned him into his warhammer form once more.
"Time to face the music." Bae sighed. She turned to her friends and urged, "Prepare for battle."
Bae, Sana and Fauna coalesced their magics, summoned their weapons and rushed upstairs to the lobby of the train station. They found the structure of the train station a smoldering wreck, littered with the debris of collapsed roofs and walls and strewn with bullets of all sorts of calibers. The vaunted armored train billowed with smoke and its array of anti-aircraft guns were silent - almost as if it had been through the hell Battle of Stalingrad.
Seeing all this made the Council members fear the worst.
However, the smokey battlefield suddenly filled with cheers and victorious roars.
Bae looked up to the late afternoon sky. There, she saw the fearsome figure of Apocalypse Bird flying away from Yekaterinburg. Soldiers and civilians of the makeshift Yekaterinburg militia emerged from the wreckage, happy to learn that they might get to live to see another day.
In the distance, Bae also saw the fiery, winged figure of Kiara Takanashi trailing Apocalypse Bird about a rifle-shot away. Despite this, Apocalypse Bird never looked back. Kiara stopped chasing the beast and flew back to the ruined train station - straight into the waiting Calliope Mori's arms.
Seeing the happy couple brought a small smile to Bae's lips. Irys' gambit worked.
Bae closed her eyes and heaved a sigh of relief.
How many lives were we able to save today?
While Bae was lost in her thoughts, she heard Sana gasp.
Bae turned to the Speaker of Space and saw her standing face to face with a peculiar figure: the younger version of one of the prominent alumni photographed in the Occidental College for Young Ladies from the Class of 1904. What stuck out for Bae, however, was the myriad of tentacles that sprung out from behind her back. A strange purple-covered book also hovered near her, following her closely as if it had a mind of its own.
"An enemy…?" Bae furrowed her brow and gripped her warhammer tightly.
However, before Bae could do anything, Fauna laid her hand on her warhammer and lowered it. Fauna turned to Bae and shook her head.
Then, Sana cried out at the top of her lungs, "Ina!"
"Sana!" The alumni called 'Ina' called back.
Through the soot and the debris, Sana and Ina ran towards each other at full sprint and embraced each other.
"Oh my gosh, Ina! You're here!" Sana exclaimed, picking up the smaller lady from the floor, "I thought I'd never see you again!"
"Urk…" Ina croaked. Her tentacles tapped Sana's shoulders, urging her to let go "Too tight, Sana…!"
"Oh, sorry!" Sana apologized innocently.
The Speaker of Space set Ina down and scratched the back of her head with embarrassment. Moments later, another figure popped in - this one armed with a sparkly blue trident and a lively shark's tail wagging rhythmically behind her.
The shark-girl grinned happily at Sana. Then, the two of them shared a joyful high-five.
"Oh goodness me!" Sana cheered, "Have I got a hell of a story to tell you!"
Bae and Fauna watched Sana shower the strangers with so much big-hearted love that the many questions popping up in their hearts answered themselves. Sana was smiling brightly, so Bae and Fauna smiled for her too.
"Let's let her have her time in the sun." Bae whispered to Fauna.
The Keeper of Nature agreed. With that, Bae and Fauna carried on through the ruins of the Yekaterinburg train station. They didn't get to walk far before a familiar voice called out to them.
"Impeccable timing." Colonel Omega praised them. She marched out of the barely functioning armored train. Her face was covered in soot and she smelled of coal and gunpowder, but she still wore an earnest smile, "I assume that Apocalypse Bird retreating has something to do with the Nephilim's Dream."
"You'd be right, madam Colonel." Fauna confirmed happily, "I'd share with you the details, but you look worse for wear."
"I'm alive - and so are most of the people we awakened in Yekaterinburg. That's all that matters." Omega reassured, "We've earned this respite. We can catch our breaths and patch up our wounds, but we can't rest on our laurels for too long." Her gemlike eyes turned to Bae now, "I assume you already have a plan in mind for rescuing Irys and the others, Miss Hakos?"
"I do." Bae dissolved her warhammer and restored Mr. Squeaks to his rat form. She let the rat back into the pocket of her winter coat and revealed, "We flipped Clover Gosling, madam Colonel. She spilled the beans."
"She did?" Omega raised her brow.
Bae proceeded to tell Omega about what happened in the Nephilim's Dream and relayed every bit of information that Clover surrendered to them.
"They're taking her East." Bae ended her spiel and folded her arms, "That's all she knew. Even Clover Gosling doesn't know the whole picture."
"East, huh." Omega rubbed her chin, "Looks like we're gonna need to do a bit of sleuthing." She cupped her hands over her mouth and called out, "Watson! Get over here!"
At Omega's call, Bae heard a shuffle of footsteps approaching them. She and Fauna turned towards the newcomer.
Bae and Fauna turned towards the newcomer.
Down the platform of the station, a pretty lady with blond hair, bright blue eyes approached them with confidence. She wore a deerstalker hat, a smart brown trench coat and a plaid skirt that made her look like a certain British detective. A polished Webley Mk. I revolver sat holstered by her hip and a golden timepiece swayed by her side.
Beside her, a small, brown hunting terrier with a matching deerstalker hat trotted along.
"What can I do for ya, Miss Omega?" The detective asked.
"I've got two vics, a perp and a snitch heading East, but we don't know how far East or where exactly they're heading." Omega spoke, channeling her impression of a detective noir police chief, "I'd like you to help the Eleventh Council find out where they're going so we can get this show on the road too."
Before the detective could answer, the small dog broke rank with the lady and rushed towards Bae and Fauna, throwing the conversation into disarray. It barked happily and wagged its tail while it ran circles around the Council members.
"Bubba!" The detective chastised the dog and apologized to the two, "Sorry about that! I had a leash, but I sort of lost it when Apocalypse Bird was trying to level this place - frantic battle and all."
"It's alright. I love animals." Fauna reassured the detective, embracing the distraction wholeheartedly, "Bubba's a good boy, isn't he?"
Fauna squatted down and patted the dog's head, much to Bubba's delight. However, when Fauna tried to pick Bubba up, she found that the tiny dog was much, much heavier than it seemed.
"Oh, that Bubba's actually an Underworld Cerberus. He used to belong to the Lord of Death of my world, but he likes me a lot more, apparently." The detective grinned, "He's pretty chonky. Weighs a lot too!"
Bae and Fauna's faces went pale and laughed uncomfortably. Never did they think that they'd live to see a mythical Cerberus in such a cute form. Mr. Squeaks and Nemu, on the other hand, fawned over Bubba and started to play with him.
"What the hell, Bubba?" The detective frowned, "You seeing ghosts now?"
"We have our own 'pets' with us too." Fauna explained, "You can't see them though. They seem to like him quite a bit."
"Is that so?" The detective hummed, as amused as she was intrigued. Then, she beamed at the two, "Either way, I never got your names, members of the Council."
"Fauna Ceres." Fauna introduced herself, "I'm the Keeper of Nature."
"Baelz Hakos." Bae followed suit, "Representative of Chaos and leader of the Eleventh Council." She chuckled, "We'll introduce you to Sana Tsukumo, our Speaker of Space, later."
The detective smiled and adjusted her deerstalker cap happily.
"I'm Amelia H. Watson, Hololive's number one detective - and the leader of its HoloMyth unit - at your service!"
"Amelia Watson…" Bae and Fauna said at the same time, recalling that name well.
"Watson here once was the Priestess of the Ancient Ones. She inherited half of Lady Janus' time magic - and was also chosen by Lady Knowledge to destroy KW08." Omega spoke candidly, "But she defeated Lady Knowledge and saved KW08. A real hero - in every sense of the word."
"I didn't do it on my own, Miss Omega." Amelia shook her head, "I wouldn't have been able to do that with without the rest of Myth."
"Be that as it may," Omega continued, "Amelia's one of the best and most reliable talents of the Cover Corporation. It was her resourcefulness and determination that saved her world." She turned to Bae this time, "Now I hope that she can help you save yours, Baelz."
"Whatever plan you've got in store, I'll help you see it through." Amelia promised happily, getting the conversation back on track. A tinge of emotion bled into her tone and her smile mellowed, "After all, I still owe an apology to this 'Irys' you speak of."
"You're the one who shot her eye out back then." Bae recognized.
"Guilty as charged." Amelia admitted, "We're on the same side of the fence this time, I believe - but I still hope that she'll forgive me."
"Approach Irys with an honest heart and she'll treat you right." Bae reassured her with a smile, "She's a lot more forgiving than you think."
When Bae said this, Amelia suddenly looked at Bae with keen interest. She even brought out a magnifying glass and started to look at Bae's expression closely.
"The way you spoke about her just now…" Amelia assessed, "You wouldn't be in lo-…"
Bae's eyes widened and she started to panic.
"Let's… get back to business shall we!?" Bae suddenly urged, waving her hands around like a madwoman.
Amelia burst into laughter.
"Hololive Council, huh?" The detective hummed and smiled, "I think we're gonna get along just fine." She adjusted her deerstalker cap and beamed, "Let's find where this Nephilim is going, shall we?"
Epilogue
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away from Yekaterinburg, Irys stirred and winced from her unnaturally long slumber. When she did, her body felt unusually light and her ears were filled with the constant drone of jet engines. She blinked twice and forced her two-colored eyes to observe her surroundings.
After much effort, Irys found herself inside some sort of jet plane. Her first guess was the American Air Force one jet that she had the opportunity to ride on once en route to Moscow. If Irys didn't know any better, she would have thought that she was in the actual presidential plane - the real deal. However, Irys' eyes and her innate magical potential revealed what the untrained eye couldn't see: the unnatural flow of magical energy coursing through every inch of the plane.
This was a false airplane, Irys determined. It was a near-perfect replica made entirely from the black grime of The Manipulator.
Knowing this made Irys frown. Her skin bristled with goosebumps, but she forced herself to stay quiet and to keep observing in silence.
She dared to open the window shade of the false plane and looked outside. True enough, she saw that they were flying high up in the sky and that it was already evening. When Irys tried to look down to see where in the world they were, however, the thick layers of clouds blocked her vision.
Instead, she caught a glimpse of the fearsome beast - the eleven-eyed Apocalypse Bird - flying alongside the false Air Force One.
"Oh right, the deal…" Irys muttered to herself.
She looked around the airplane once more. Across the aisle from her, she saw Kronii Ouro seated alone. The Warden of Time was slouched forward and looked like the brain-dead zombie that Bae described to her in the dreamworld. However, for a brief moment, Kronii glanced at Irys and winked slyly at her.
Irys wore a small smile. Then, Kronii returned to her brain-dead act.
After a short while, Irys heard the squeak of the wheels of a refreshment trolley going down the aisle. Irys turned her eyes to the aisle and saw Clover Gosling who was still wearing her Occidental College winter uniform. The theater-obsessed girl pushed the trolley along and stopped by Irys' seat. Then, she spoke with a playful timbre.
Clover stopped the trolley by Irys' seat and she asked playfully, "Coffee or tea?"
Irys blinked nervously. Her eyes turned to the theater-girl's neck and found the maroon-colored choker still wrapped around it.
"Don't ogle me, you horny Nephilim." Clover chastised, "You're gonna make me self conscious."
Irys scoffed. Then, she mouthed out the phrase, ' The deal still stands? '
Clover watched Irys' lips, but she didn't say a word. Instead, wrote something on a piece of paper, served Irys a paper cup of coffee and slipped the note beneath the cup. She then gave a peace-sign to Irys.
"V. For Victory."
Without another word, Clover continued pushing the trolley along.
Irys lifted her coffee cup and read the note.
' Use telepathy from here on out. The walls - and literally everything here has ears. '
"Right…" Irys mumbled. Then, she noticed ink on the other side of the paper.
She turned the note around and read the back.
' Also, fuck yes. Let's murder this bitch. :) '
A wicked smirk formed on Irys' lips.
Then, she sipped her coffee.
It was the best damn coffee she's ever had.
To Be Continued