(A New Distortion begins to take shape. Let us see where this new distortion takes us shall we?)

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Distortion 16

Previously On Canon Distortion,

Makoto Nanaya had decided she needed to return back to Otsu, not only to be able to reach her goal but also to try and convince her friend of the grim fate that awaits her. In order to achieve this in her mind, she had figured that silence was the best answer and thus tried to sneak out of the hierarchical city. Unfortunately that did not happen and she has now found herself face to face against Noel Vermillion, a friend that she currently has mixed opinions about for reasons that are beyond her control, yet face her she must if she hoped to reach her goal and thus, Makoto Nanaya fights…

And now, the continuation of Canon Distortion

The 6th Hierarchical City of Yabiko is like any normal Hierarchical city that has the sounds of people being busy. However, just for today, the 6th Hierarchical City of Yabiko has another set of sounds that are currently ringing away the crowded cities and the people walking through it. It was the sounds of gunshots and rubble crumbling as Makoto Nanaya dodged another shot fired from the barrel of Noel's Nox Nyctores, Bolverk.

The Nox Nyctores Bolverk. On the surface, it seemed to be just your normal set of oversized handguns that were too big for a little girl like Noel. In actual truth, they were able to take the form of any type of gun that Noel pictured in her mind as she fired another shot right next to Makoto's head to make her flinch. Another thing about the Bolverk was that it didn't fire the normal set of bullets that a gun would but a special Ars magus seal that only Bolverk could create.

Makoto was quick to realize what Noel had just fired as she raised her prosthetic arm to block the ars magus seal as it began to compress violently before exploding in equally violent manner. That was the special property of Bolverk as Noel used that as her chance to charge at Makoto, jumping into the air as she held the trigger and fired several tiny volleys of fire right at Makoto's guard, forcing Makoto to keep her guard up as Noel let loose a barrage of bullets and bolverk's ars magus seals.

Noel herself was not going to let Makoto have a chance to fight back. Ever since watching her fight in the academy, Noel has always known how much of an aggressive powerhouse Makoto Nanaya has been, relying on her close range and fists to constantly pressure her opponents before creating distance to force things back to a more neutral state. Makoto Nanaya followed the basic ebb and flow of a boxing match, where the fighters would trade some blows before creating distance with each other to try and think about their next move.

Makoto, realizing that she was getting pressured tried to quickly jump away but Noel's eyes were sharp to the opportunity presented to her. Without even hesitating, Makoto saw Noel jump right for her as she felt Noel's crotch smack her in the face. Then using the basic principle of weight distribution, the much smaller girl tossed Makoto right into the sky with a simple yet very aggressive forward motion of her hips to shift her weight in the process.

Soon Makoto found herself flying into the air as this prompted Makoto to immediately grab the Rev Blade behind her back and put it in front of her as Noel began to fire several shots right at her, causing her to get pushed in the air violently. The power of the bullets Noel was firing to cause this kind of effect in the first place told Makoto that if even a few of this bullets were to land on her, she might not last long especially if one struck her at the head.

'I've got to break line of sight from Noel! Fast!' Makoto thought as she saw that she was about to crash right into a building. Realizing that this was her chance, she allowed Noel to fire a few more times before using the momentum she gained from Noel's supressing fire to launch herself right through a glass window with pure speed, glass shattering around her and giving her a few minor cuts as she ran down the room into the building's hallway to try and take a deep breath.

"Dammit." Noel muttered as she charged right into the building. The building seemed to be occupied as Makoto realized she had decided to crash right into an office building. This gave Makoto time to breathe as she checked her phone for any updates the Otsu four would have given her by now. The fact that nothing was there told her she still had some time as she now wondered how she was going to move from here.

Makoto thought about using the way she came from to try and bait Noel as she figured Noel might have charged right in the building. But if she did that, how many floors was she going to have to grind down to reach the safety of the floor and what if Hunter was waiting for her outside, ready to intercept her. As much as she would have liked to take that option, the stairs were probably the safer yet risker option in this case.

And with that thought finished, Makoto wasted no time descending down the flight of stairs in front of her. If she had to fight Noel in such a tight corner sure Makoto wouldn't have to worry about getting shot but at the same time she wouldn't have the room needed to swing the haymakers she would need to land to try and knock Noel unconscious. The only hope Makoto had was that Noel decided to take the elevator instead of the stairs as she quickly descended down 3 floors.

"Please don't be…" Before Makoto could finish voicing out her thought, a gunshot rang through her ears as she immediately hugged the wall. "There Noel." Makoto said, finishing her sentence as Noel had managed to catch up, deducing that Makoto would use the stairs. Looking at the gap that was in the middle of the stairs, Makoto took a bit of a deep breath as it must have been the adrenaline rushing through her head but Makoto decided to take a risky plan and jump through the gap.

Noel couldn't believe what she had seen as her friend went zooming past her. Makoto couldn't believe she was doing something this risky. She tucked herself in tightly to prevent her limbs from hitting any of the stair's railings as that might cause her to either break her bones or painfully sever the connection of her prosthetic arm from her body. As she felt the ground get closer to her, Makoto grabbed the Rev blade and used it to start trying to slow down by using it to dig itself deep into the wall behind her.

'Oh god please stop please stop please stop!' Makoto thought as she could only beg for her hellish ride to stop as Noel did not waste time and quickly began to rush down the stairs by quickly hopping down the stairs, her agility not just limited to her fancy shooting style. Makoto eventually felt her feet touch the ground at a speed that wouldn't instantly snap her legs in half as she felt her chest pump hard and the adrenaline helping her from actually fainting as she charged out of the stairway door and just ran ahead finding the exit.

As she stormed out of the building, Makoto could feel her senses leave her. Why did she do something as reckless as she did? Why did she even consider something like that just for something as simple as running away. Why did she seem to have faith that plan would have somehow work? These thoughts and more rushed through Makoto's mind as she decided to use the gap she had gained to just run towards the airport instead of facing Noel as her feet did not stop running.

'Was...Was that really just adrenaline? Or blind faith at that moment?' Makoto wondered as she placed her hand on her chest, feeling her heart beat simply racing at that moment as she dived into a dark alleyway to start trying to catch not just her breath but her mind as well as she panted along with the rhythm of her increased heartbeat. She needed to calm down at that moment otherwise her own heart would be the thing killing her and not the gods or people of the world trying to kill her right now… or maybe the gods are trying to induce a heart attack in the squirrel girl right now to easily kill her off.

Regardless of the current circumstances, she needed to focus on the goal in front of her and after she managed to calm herself, she began to make her way towards the airport once again. With the craziness she did, she had hoped that Noel would have been thrown off enough to enable her to just leave quietly without getting into a further fight with her. As much as Noel wants to stop her, Makoto just couldn't feel the urge to put in all of her weight with her punches.

"Noel…" Makoto said softly as her mind couldn't help but think about how much Noel had grown compared to her shy self in the academy yet here she was, feeling like she was struggling to keep on moving with the obstacles placed in front of her. Despite that, Makoto was determined to keep on moving and moving on she shall do, both physically and emotionally as she focused on her objective.

'Right… If I just keep heading down here, then I should be approaching the airport right about…' Makoto had to stop her train of thought at that moment as she took a deep breath by what she had seen. Right in front of her was her ticket out, the airport that had the plane leading back to Otsu parked and waiting for her. In front of her besides that was Noel Vermillion, having managed to cut her off as Makoto couldn't help but curse a little at how the small break she took to try and compose herself had somehow come to bite her in the ass.

"Enough running Makoto. Tell me right now. Why are you so determined to go back to Otsu!" Noel shouted, hoping to get a word from Makoto as before she could take a single step, Noel was quick to fire a warning shot right at Makoto's feet, surprising her as Noel tightened her grip on Bolverk in the process. "What do you hope to gain from going back there! Didn't we promise to try and save Tsubaki together!?" Noel shouted as Makoto took a deep breath, composing herself as she understood the range of emotions Noel was going through.

"I wish I can tell you… I really do. But things aren't as simple as they should be right now Noel." Makoto said as she wanted to tell her so many things like how everything in this world is so messed up right now. She should say something like that and maybe Noel would back down and allow her to do so. Yet she couldn't find the voice to do so as the words hung on her lips, not letting her actually say what she needed to say in the first place.

Noel could see the pain on her friend's face, the secrecy she was trying to keep from her. As if what she would say may shake her to her core. Noel couldn't help but think to what she saw when her hands touched Makoto's while she was unconscious. The visions of a past she was present in yet couldn't remember and a person who was primarily in Makoto's mind yet she didn't recognize the person despite having apparently seen that person multiple times.

"Does...Does this involve someone from your past?" Noel questioned as this made Makoto look at Noel with a questioned look as Makoto was unsure how to proceed with what Noel had just said. Noel knew she had somehow struck a nerve and decided to continue from there. "Is… Does it involve someone I… everyone should know?" Noel said as Makoto couldn't help but freeze up hearing that as she clenched her fist, biting her lips hearing Noel say that.

Makoto: I am sorry… I really wish I can elaborate further but…

Noel: But what?! What's stopping you from just saying it!?

Makoto: Noel… I…

Noel: I don't get it! Why are you trying to shut yourself away from me! Away from Hunter!? Why do you seem so distant despite having not seen us for the past few months! I don't want the same thing that happened to Tsubaki to happen to you too! I want to help you with what you're going through!

Makoto: What I am going through?… Noel… I don't need… want your help with what I am going through. Don't think I am being selfish and denying your aid here. I really need to do what I have to do alone. By myself. If… If I don't… Then I don't know if I can face any of you guys right now as I am.

Noel herself felt a frustration grow within her. Why was Makoto being so cryptic right now? All she had to do was just say the reason why. Noel would understand why her friend was being so stubborn if only a few words were echoed at that very moment. But Makoto found those very words to say difficult. 'It's because you are the reason. You are the one who got the one I love killed. You selfishly took him away from me.'

These words rang in Makoto's mind as while that may be the truth, Makoto did not want them to be her reality. She wanted to be better than the hatred that was inside her heart, but she cannot deny that what she felt deep within was the truth. She wanted to say it all, bare it out on her chest but the fact that Noel would not understand such words in the first place was all that she needed to simply feel like words would mean nothing at the end of the day. She cannot… couldn't afford to hate her friend for something that felt so childish in the first place.

Yet at the same time… she did. She couldn't explain why she felt such raw emotions in the first place. Makoto herself was struggling to just not yell out things that would make her seem like a lunatic to her friends, her head spinning round and round trying to reason with herself in the process what has happened to her. She wanted to focus on what was in front of her yet at the same time if she left Noel and Hunter with feelings unresolved, she felt like she would be damaging their friendship in the process.

"So if you are feeling frustrated with me right now, Then hit me!" Makoto yelled, cutting through the tense air in the process as this surprised Noel. "If you are angry over the fact that I have remained this silent this entire time then just shoot me!" Makoto continued, yelling out in a way that expressed her frustration, her anger, her feelings in a way words couldn't let her express at that moment. Noel herself was simply caught off guard by her friend's provocation with her fists,

"I AM RIGHT HERE NOELLIE! I CAN TAKE IT! YOU KNOW! I KNOW IT! SO LET'S GO!" Makoto yelled, letting out a war cry to pump herself up as she charged for Noel. Noel herself caught off guard with this gesture pointed her gun to try and fire a shot right at Makoto. Makoto in return replied by dashing in much quicker than she did before as she swung her fist right for Noel's head, making her dodge as she felt the attack graze her nose, the sheer power felt through that made her shiver.

Makoto herself threw as hard as she could as a way to let herself vent out. She didn't want to let any feelings be left behind as she was determined to keep on moving but try to leave as much baggage as she could in the process as she arched her back before throwing a punch down Noel's head using her prosthetic. She had charged it with her drive to instantly blast her punch down as fast as it could go, prompting Noel to weave away as she tried to fire another shot in the process pointing the barrel right at Makoto's head.

"SEIYA!" Makoto yelled as she did not care about the gun pointed at her head, swatting it away much to Noel's shock as Makoto threw a hard punch right into Noel's gut, causing her to hurl in the process as her eyes widened in shock. Noel could feel the full weight of Makoto's fist shake her down to her core as Noel wanted to puke at that moment, mustering up the willpower to not do that as Noel staggered a bit, raising Bolverk just in time to block Makoto's next strike aimed for her as she swung with reckless abandon.

Noel could feel the weight of every blow just make her move and sway in ways she didn't know it was possible to do so in the first place. Yet at the same time, like the friend she knew, her friend's punches and fist were honest in a way as well. The words that she wanted to say, the emotions welling up inside of her, Makoto Nanaya was letting everything out at that moment, the hesitation gone, her fists telling Noel all she wanted.

'Alright Makoto… I will respond to your feelings… but I will still find my answers, NO MATTER WHAT!' Noel thought as seithr quickly flowed into Noel, allowing her to burst as Makoto recovered immediately as soon as her back touched the ground. Soon the two friends were staring at each other, face to face. Not as enemies or rivals even. But as simply put two friends who are just throwing a small fit in the process.

Do friends really start shooting at each other when they are fighting each other? Of course not anybody with common sense could tell you that is never the case yet it doesn't matter in this context. Makoto wanted to vent her feelings about how she felt about Noel here and now and Noel wanted to reach a sense of understanding with Makoto without risking their friendship in the process. If this was the only way the two could keep their friendship with each other intact, then the only thing they can do is try to convey their respective feelings for each other in the next set of blows they threw.

"MAKOTO!" Noel yelled as she began to fire several shots right at Makoto with the distance she had managed to create thanks to her burst. The relentless hail of bullets and ars magus seals in the air would have made Makoto think she was facing a turret and not a petite small girl who was capable of such high volley of fire in the first place. Makoto gritted her teeth as she used another feature built into her prosthetic arm to form an ars magus barrier to block the barrage of bullets while charging forwards.

"NOEL!" Makoto yelled as she released the barrier quickly, blasting Noel with a flash of blinding ars magus light that allowed Makoto to get close to Noel. Noel quickly tried to fire a shot but due to being blinded it was a shot in the dark as Makoto had actually gotten down to her feet and swept Noel of her feet, causing her to drop to the ground as Makoto's fist slammed right into Bolverk when she tried to do a quick punch right for Noel's face.

Noel immediately responded with more blind fire, using her honed senses to fire at will the shots that if Makoto was not paying attention to would easily strike her at the head while throwing her punches back at Noel, forcing Noel to bob and weave her head as the two girls began to tumble around as the ground and pound continued for a bit before Noel managed to land a shot right at Makoto's chest by first slamming her guns right into Makoto's stomach and channeling a non lethal shotgun blast right into Makoto's sternum.

Makoto let out a loud cry of pain as she slid on the ground a bit, the rev blade sliding on the ground as she held her stomach in pain while trying to get herself up. Makoto wanted to lie down on the ground and let the pain subside for a bit but she knew that if she allowed it to continue, Noel would just take advantage of her weakness and try and finish it there. She couldn't give up now, not when Noel was starting to be more serious against her in the first place.

Noel herself knew she couldn't let the fight continue for too long. Not only was being outside here where people could report her and Makoto to NOL officers that are not under Kagura's command was dangerous. It also could prompt Kagura himself to try and come out and convince Makoto himself to go back, which could make things even more complicated than they need to be. Noel needed to know why and decide from there but she needed the gap to do so.

'I guess I have no choice but to use it.' Noel thought as the adrenaline rushing through Makoto's body finally kicked in, prompting her to stand up and ignore the pain she was feeling once more as Makoto held her head in pain, feeling a light headed sensation come over her as Noel saw that as her chance to move in. Makoto herself was left wide open as Noel combined the dual pistol form of Bolverk with each other, forming a brand new weapon in the process.

"ZERO GUN! FENRIR!" Noel yelled as she transformed the dual pistols into a gigantic minigun that was easily her size and slammed it hard once again into Makoto's stomach, causing air to leave Makoto's chest as Noel let rip several bullets that easily lifted Makoto off the ground and flying into the air. Anybody would be torn to shreds at that range had Noel not held back and instead used non lethal bullets to achieve this as when Makoto was sufficiently in the air, Noel immediately transformed the minigun back into Bolverk's dual pistols.

"NEMESIS STABILIZER!" Noel yelled as she took aim right at Makoto, a hunter aiming for the clay pigeon as her finger was on the trigger. Makoto herself felt her vision barely hanging on as the shots she took would have knocked her out immediately. Yet something inside her told her to not go out just yet, to hang on for just a bit longer as she felt a sensation take over her as suddenly her body moved on it's own. Her actions were not her own but a singular thought dominated her mind.

'I...I need to block this next attack. Otherwise I will lose.' Makoto thought as she felt her muscles move quicker than she had ever thought was possible as she heard the click of the trigger followed by a high pitched cry from Bolverk as in milliseconds the final blow would have landed but something bizarre happened in front of Noel. For one moment, one millisecond, Noel saw Makoto Nanaya was in perfect position to take the Nemesis Stabilizer.

One millisecond later, Makoto blocked the shot with the rev blade, flying away in the process as this made Noel blink her eyes. Makoto herself was unaware of what she had done as she simply reacted to the simple thought of not wanting to lose at that moment, grabbed the Rev Blade in what seemed to be an instant and blocked the shot that would have made her lose consciousness as she found herself smashing through a couple of cardboard boxes in the process that barely softened her landing in the process.

Makoto struggled out of the cardboard boxes as she felt her phone vibrate along with the pain she felt all throughout her body. She wanted to check her phone to confirm what she was thinking but decided against it as she simply stood up and looked around to see the Otsunian aircraft waiting for her to go. She knew that Noel would be trying to stopping her so she needs to unleash one singular attack that would create enough distance to force Noel away from her.

Makoto quickly scanned to see where Noel was and saw that Noel had dived into the air to try and unleash another hail of bullets right at her direction. Makoto formed a barrier to block the shots but Makoto felt the sensation hit her again as she felt like she needed to act now rather than delay for any longer as she looked at Noel's direction, biting her lip as she cocked a fist and began to pool in as much Seithr she could.

"I WON'T LET YOU!" Noel shouted as she quickly shifted Bolverk into a rocket launcher, quickly pointing it towards Makoto as she fired it immediately to smash through her barrier, causing an explosion as Makoto flew away once again. This time she recovered quicker by stabbing on the ground with the Rev blade as she slid, clutching it tightly as she remembered reading some notes about how the Rev Blade worked.

Makoto herself was always horrible in the usage of Ars Magus, she could muster up a basic barrier to protect herself but in terms of actual Ars Magus capabilities she lacked it all. However there was one way to substitute for such a lack of ability and it was to use Ars Magus in denser areas of Seithr, where the Seithr was more plentiful and thus easier for a person to access readily. The Rev system takes advantage of this concept by pulling loose particles of Seithr close to it.

"If I want to move on… I want to live… I must risk it all. Even my own life!" Makoto yelled as she tightly gripped the Rev Blade and revved the handle for the first time. She felt the air around her change as Seithr pulled around her and surrounded the Rev Blade. "ENHANCED GEAR!" The Rev Blade shouted as Makoto revved it once again, collecting even more Seithr as she could feel the sheer density of the magical element that lived around her start to wrap around her like a cloak.

"DISTORTION GEAR!" The rev blade shouted as Makoto clicked the brake handle to activate the Rev Blade for the first time in months, causing the Seithr it had collected to roar out as the Ars Magus Seal that Makoto was trying to form suddenly became bigger in front of Noel's eyes. "DISTORTION FINISH!" The Rev Blade screamed as Makoto arched her back, ready to unleash this punch right at Noel's direction. Noel had to react immediately otherwise she would be hurt really bad.

Noel immediately formed a massive barrier in front of her, knowing that she simply needed to brace for impact as she decided the safe play was to form a barrier to protect from Makoto's next attack. Makoto herself felt the surge of Seithr coming around her as she arched her back ready to deliver her attack. "BIG BANG SMASH!" Makoto yelled as a massive fist manifested out of the ars magus circle, digging into the ground as Noel braced herself for the attack coming her way.

As soon as the gigantic astral fist manifested, Noel could see the fist drag itself across the ground before connecting with her barrier. She had managed to form the strongest barrier she could and braced herself for the impact that was to come but the moment the Astral fist connected with her barrier, Noel could immediately feel something was different about the normal astral fist Makoto would use. It felt… denser if that was a thing she could say, the sensation to her was something she had never felt before.

"GRRRRAAAHHH!" Makoto yelled as she pushed her fist along with the astral fist. The gesture meant little but in truth, flooding with willpower, Makoto finally managed to send her fist through, all of the feelings she felt deep within poured into one strike as Noel felt the barrier immediately break upon impact, causing her to fly off the ground as she went sliding across the ground, barely able to keep herself from falling off as she smashed hard into a guard railing, protecting her head from smacking the rail into unconsciousness.

It did little to actually negate the damage she suffered but Noel did not care about the pain she felt. It was the fact that Makoto managed to use what seemed to be a higher level of Ars Magus that was supposedly impossible for her. But that was soon answered as she saw Makoto holding her hand, her prosthetic hand holding her trembling hand still as Makoto panted greatly. Makoto ignored the pain she felt as she reached out to grab the Rev Blade and place it on her back as she began to run for the direction of the Otsunian Airship.

"M-MAKOTO W-WAIT!" Noel yelled as she gave chase to Makoto once more, trying to not lost Makoto at this point as there was still so many things she wanted to ask yet that was not why she gave chase to her. She simply just wanted to stop Makoto from leaving so soon as her friend seemed to be marching towards what felt like death to her. Makoto managed to reach the door of the airship as it opened for her, ready to accept her once again as Noel tried to reach out towards her friend in one last desperate attempt to try and talk to her.

As Makoto managed to board in on the ship, Noel's hand only managed to graze Makoto's normal hand. As soon as she did, Noel immediately felt a great sensation striking her mind as Makoto herself was unaware of Noel doing such a thing as the door closed between the two friends, prompting the pilot to immediately take off as Hunter soon reached the destination, realizing the ship was going to take off as he got ready to try and take down the ship before it fully ascended.

Noel stopped him by just catching him, grabbing him with both of her arms as this caught Hunter by surprise. He tried to ask her what she was doing but the look of shock that was on her face prompted him to just stop as he knelt down and looked at her. Noel didn't say a word at first but the comfort Hunter gave her was enough for at that moment. "Hunter… Tell me… Do...Do you remember our days back at the academy?" Noel asked innocently as Hunter looked at her with a curious look on his face.

"I do… did something come up on your mind?" Hunter questioned as Noel simply looked at her hand, seeing it tremble as she didn't know how to express herself at that moment. "I...I don't know what to say right now but… I guess I feel a bit tired right now." Noel confessed as Hunter felt his breast pocket vibrate as Professor Kokonoe contacted him once more. "Tell me that you managed to apprehend Makoto Nanaya?" Kokonoe questioned as Hunter simply had to shake his head for the good professor to start swearing which Hunter simply ended the call before Noel could hear such profanity come out of her mouth.

"Then let's head back to the professor. You got to rest up after going one v one against Makoto after all." Hunter said, being considerate to her as Noel simply softened to a soft smile as she nodded her head at that, agreeing with that statement. "Agreed. Let's head back and let her know what happened." Noel said as both her and Hunter began to make their way back towards the base. As they did so however, Noel's mind couldn't help but wonder back towards the sky where the airship took off, a simple thought crossing her mind.

…. Just why did things have to be the way they are right now?…

As Makoto saw the 6th Hierarchical city of Yabiko fade away from her right, She couldn't help but lean on the door of the airship as she took a couple of deep breathes. She had done it somehow, she had managed to get out of the sticky situation she was in and could only hope that Noel would not be mad at her for bailing the way she did. "Is everything alright back there?" The pilot questioned as Makoto cleared her throat before approaching the comms to directly talk with the pilot.

Makoto: Yeah… everything's alright here. Don't worry about me.

Pilot: You sure? You sound like shit from what I can tell.

Makoto: Well excuse me for trying to bail out of a city while fighting everything that is trying to keep me back.

Pilot: Fair enough. Just sit tight back there and try to catch your breath. A trip back to Otsu's not exactly a smooth ride right now. You know. With all the NOL forces in the air right now.

Makoto: Right… we got to stay down at the radar right?

"Good to see you understand at least. In any case, like I said before, just a break and take it easy from here." The pilot continued as he ended the call, causing Makoto to finally relieve herself of exhaustion as she felt the exhaustion finally kick in, making her weak. She managed to bring herself to an airplane seat to buckle herself in as she wondered what was the exhaustion she was feeling at that moment.

What was going on with her? The exhaustion she was feeling was clearly off in a way that was not human for anybody to experience. She had been pushing herself mentally yes but the exhaustion she was currently experiencing is something that shouldn't be happening in the first place. She had just been through a fight and also the battle she had gone through would have been mentally draining but to the point of near collapse? Makoto had to suspect something was going on with her as she was in the peak of physical fitness… not bragging of course.

"What is going on with me?.." Makoto wondered as she stared at her normal hand, realizing it was trembling as she looked at the Rev Blade which she had resting beside her. Her hand reached out to touch the weapon as she stroked it gently before feeling a sensation strike her as her hand trembled a bit. A numbness briefly came over her hand before vanishing as quickly as it did. This was her first time using the Rev Blade's rev feature and now understood why it was specifically tuned to be used by Sora himself.

"So this is the weight that you carried yourself huh…" Makoto said to herself. She knew she only experienced a portion of that power but regardless of what she felt, the fact that she was even able to reach as far as she did was more than enough for her. She didn't need to rush it but understanding the feeling was more than enough for her. "Form the contract… Make us whole…" An all too familiar voice spoke as Makoto clutched her hand in shock as the numbness returned at that moment.

"What the… What do you mean by that?!" Makoto said out loud, surprised by the sensation that had just hit her as she tried to make herself comfortable on her seat, deciding the tiredness have gotten to her and that she needed to rest right now before her mind started hallucinating other things she should be. As her eyes closed, Makoto could feel the newly gained exhaustion leave her as Makoto began to feel a deep slumber come back to her as once again the words rung in her mind.

"… Make us whole… Form the contract…"

GREETINGS LOST SHEEP OF FANFICTION! HOW IS EVERYONE DOING!? Well, the world is going crazy again with events that I don't need to mention that are currently happening around us, making things even more uncertain at how stable things will be in the future. Regardless, this story has no room for such things so take solace in the comfort of being able to read a story that takes you away from reality even if it's for a short time.

SO WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT!? WHAT WILL THE THREADS OF FATE BRING TO MAKOTO NANAYA!? IS WHAT AWAITS HER PARADISE OR HELL!? WHAT ABOUT HER BONDS WITH HER FRIENDS?! WILL THEY REMAIN OR WILL THEY FRACTURE!? AND FINALLY, IS SHE MAKING THE CHOICES THAT WILL LEAD TO HER SALVATION OR HER RUIN? The only way we all shall know is to await the next chapter to spin it's tale.