Disclaimer: I do not own Persona or Fate or anything in the nasuverse, any resemblance to any other Persona 4/Fate fan fiction is coincidental and plagiarism is not intended. No flames please, constructive criticism only.
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[October 7th, Inaba Hospital, Inaba]
Three weeks had passed since the battle Naoto's Shadow, and after she had recovered from the battle Naoto had insisted they get a check-up.
"Everyone's tests came back normal," Naoto stated sitting down with the team in the cafeteria.
"Yeah, and what about Teddie, there's no way he's normal…" Yosuke said pointing at the bear.
"The tests weren't a complete waste," Naoto told them taking a seat by the window. "And it's that our medical instruments couldn't really tell us anything."
Naoto withdrew an X-ray of Teddie.
"This was what we found after taking an X-ray" She showed them the X-ray image. It showed that Teddie's insides were empty…nothing was able to be seen inside.
"That's freaky!" Chie cried
"There are no bones," Yukiko exclaimed.
"Tah-dah!" Teddie said, holding up some papers. "Sorry to keep you waiting! I have the results of everyone's physical exams."
"What?!" Everyone yelled seeing the papers in the bear's hands.
"I mean it would be beary em-bear-assing if I were the only one fully exposed. Are you ready?!" Teddie said. "I have some major reveals!"
"Nice!" Yosuke said. "Ok Teddie, you can tell us what all of the girls' measurements are."
"Damn you Yosuke you damn pervert!" Chie yelled.
"I don't want my stats to be broadcast!" Yukiko said.
"Let's see what you've got!" Rise said leaning towards the bear before pausing as she saw something on the results. " Naoto, it says here you're stacked. Are you sure they didn't get the measurement wrong?"
"Look, the only thing important here is that the doctors could find nothing physically wrong with Teddie!" Naoto cried getting flustered and snatching the papers from Teddie's hand, "The results of everyone else is irrelevant! We're all healthy!"
"Hey! At least let me have a peek!" Yosuke cried, chasing after her.
"Give those back!" Teddie yelled also giving chase.
"No!" Yukiko shouted, chasing after the boys with Chie and Rise close behind.
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[October 8th, Front Gates, Yasogami High, Inaba]
"Man I can't believe Midterms are next week." Yosuke groaned.
"Don't talk about it, it bums me out." Chie groaned also not liking the thought of more exams.
"Good Morning," a familiar voice said.
As they were reaching the gate they turned and saw….
"Naoto?" Chie greeted the newest persona user with surprise.
"Have you recovered?" Yukiko asked.
"I have, thank you so much for all the help you gave me."
"Don't mention it, but what's going on with your uniform…" Yosuke said.
Yu noticed that she dressed the same way she was before the kidnapping.
"I decided to dress with what seemed most comfortable to me…" Naoto answered.
Any reply from Naoto was cut off by two boys walking past spoke to each other.
"Hey, it's the Detective Prince!"
"That's no Prince that's a Princess… " The second one said.
"No way really?" The first guy said. "Holy crap."
"The cat's outta the bag, news sure travels fast," Naoto said with a nervous laugh.
"Try your best to ignore them," Yu advised.
"Don't worry about me, I was hoping we could all go over the case together," Naoto said. "I think whoever is behind all these kidnapping and murders, is hiding out in plain sight."
Suddenly the bell rung signalling the start of homeroom.
"Let's talk later at the lab," Yu suggested.
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[October 8th, Junes Food Court, Junes, Inaba]
All right," Naoto said. "First, I heard the doorbell ring. But when I opened the front door, I saw no one there… Just as alarm bells sounded in my mind, someone grabbed me roughly from behind and covered my mouth with something."
"Wow, how could you remember all that?" Rise asked, her eyes wide with wonder.
"The culprit seems to have used a chemical to incapacitate me, but luckily I wasn't completely unconscious. I had been expecting a trick along those lines, so I was somewhat prepared. And of course, I was desperate to gather as much information as I could."
"No wonder you're an ace detective!" Teddie said wearing his mascot outfit.
"That ain't something to be proud of you're too damn calm about all this…" Kanji commented.
Naoto chose to ignore that. "Judging by their actions and body type, I'd say the culprit is definitely a man," she said.
"Judging by their actions and body type, I'd say the culprit is definitely a man. I heard no conversations or voices, so I believe he is acting alone.
"What is it?" Yu asked.
"Well, it's after that that things get murky…" She said. "I felt a single impact, which I assume that was when I was thrown into the TV… Judging from how long it took from my kidnapping to ending inside the TV World, I'd say it was all done in a matter of minutes."
"So you were immediately thrown inside the TV after being kidnapped…" Chie summarized and yet was thinking about something. "Oh! Could there have been a TV on the side of the road?"
….
"What?"
"I think we'd know if someone kept lugging a TV around town Chie." Yukiko said to her friend who sweatdropped.
"Regrettably, my memory from there on is a blur…" Naoto said.
The question remains, though, as to how Kubo learned of that world," Naoto said, looking deeply troubled.
"He probably didn't learn of it." Yu said.
"What do mean?" Naoto asked.
"This town is small and news travels fast." Yu explained "It wouldn't take long for people to find out he'd gone to the police station right after the murder of Mr Morooka. Kubo is an attention seeker and everyone knows it, he's admitted to the crimes freely. He wanted the attention, he's taking the credit for crimes he didn't commit. I'm willing to bet that when news got out that the police had a suspect, the real killer might have gone to the police station in disguise and shoved him into the TV."
"That's quite a theory, it's probably not too far from the truth. As it is, much of our speculation could be tested if we could ask Kubo in person. However," Naoto looked downcast. "I've unfortunately been taken off of the investigation."
"The police wouldn't admit that it wasn't Mitsuo outside in the first place," Rise said. "Once you've said something on TV, it's not easy to admit you were wrong."
" I believe the primary cause of my dismissal was because I raised that possibility to them. The police won't readily concede that they made false charges...All the more so if the accused is a juvenile. In fact, the overwhelming sentiment with the police force is to end this case with his arrest." Naoto sighed.
"Even if there's another killer?!" Chie asked.
"Those dickheads… I had a feeling that would be the case. Not that I trusted 'em in the first place," Kanji growled with annoyance.
"With that in mind, I have no doubt that the culprit will continue with his attacks." Naoto stated. "We can only watch and wait for him to make the next move...But this is no longer a mere job, or someone else's affair. I want to know the truth of why we were targeted. Please allow me to join your effort."
"Of course." Yu agreed.
"Thank you very much." Naoto said "I'll do my best, Leader."
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[October 9th, The hill overlooking town, Inaba]
Yu had met Rise and was sitting with her alone on the bench near the picnic table.
"I've been thinking about what happened with Inoue for a while now. Why my mind went blank thinking about Kanami. I mean, I ran away from showbiz because I was tired being an idol. And yet, I felt so angry about it. Why do you think that is?"
"Because Risette was Rise too." Yu answered simply
"I had a feeling you'd know. I'm just upset it took me this long to realize it. Risette's name in lights, idolized by the masses...that was me too. I was afraid of losing that me. There's no way to become someone else. I ran away from my plain, gloomy self. Then I ran away from my idol self..."
"So then which you do you think you are now?" Yu asked.
"I guess I'm the homicide detective self. I would've run away from that too if I hadn't realized that I'm trying to become who I wanted to be." Rise smiled self-consciously. "I pick a role. When I'm through with it I continue chasing the real me by picking another role. But in the end, all those roles are me."
"I don't want to run away anymore. I don't want to search somewhere else for myself. So I'll hang in there as the complete me." Rise paused looking at Yu. "You know, I'm so glad I came to this town. It's where I met you."
Yu smiled as he felt their bond deepen. Rise suddenly stood up and ran to the railing overlooking the town and peered out at it.
"Look! That line over there is the shopping district. That's... us. Haha, we're so small..." Rise trailed off "I need to remember that... Senpai... You're leaving in the spring, right?"
"I've made up my mind about something. You see..." Rise seemed to hesitate before gathering her courage "I'm thinking of going back into showbiz this spring. I am Risette, after all...And when I consider it that way, I think I can have more fun working. I know how hard it is for a star to make a comeback after an entire year's absence...but even then, I want to start over from the beginning."
"Perhaps a restart is what you needed from the beginning?" Yu suggested "Time to just take a breath and start over."
"Senpai, this..." Rise's eyes were shining as she held something in her hands. "I want you to have it, Senpai."
She thrust a signed photo of herself out to him, he gently took it.
"It's one we took at school. I look really normal, don't I?" Rise said "But even then, I signed it Risette. A Risette without a fake smile… Senpai... I won't make the same mistake. I won't run away... I won't try to be someone I'm not. The many Rises inside of me... I want to cherish them. I quit thinking about such stupid things! I mean, in reality, there's no such thing as a real me or a fake me. As long as you know what you really want to do, no matter how hard it is, you'll be okay. ...I can do it!
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[October 10th, North Shopping District, Inaba]
Yu had decided to spend the morning with Chie, they were currently in front of Chinese diner Aiya... after finishing today's training.
"Today is steak bowl day! Just you wait!" Chie said enthusiastically at the prospect of meat.
"I-I don't have any more..." The voice of a crying child sniffed.
"Don't tell me they're at it again!?" Chie cried apparently familiar with the situation. "Let's go!"
Chie quickly ran up to three punks who were surrounding another younger kid who was sitting on the ground crying.
"What are you up to!?" Chie demanded.
"Huh? Aw, not her again."
"You know these three?"
"They're a bunch of cowards who were hassling an old friend of mine." Chie explained.
"Hehe, I know how to handle this bitch." The leader chuckled
"Huhuhuh! You look like you have something planned!" Another punk said.
"H-Help..." The crying kid pleaded.
"Hear that, Chie? He wants help."
"How do you know my name...?" Chie asked.
"We ran into the guy you saved last time... Had a friendly conversation." The Punk leader said with a smirk "He told us all kinds of stuff. Like where you live, and about that precious "Yukiko-chan" of yours."
"What are you trying to pull!?" Chie demanded getting annoyed.
"Oh, I'm just gonna have a little chat with this kid. Stay put, okay? Cause who knows what'll happen to "Yukiko-san" if you get in our way...?" The Punk leader threatened.
"And got it." Yu said loudly pressed a button on his phone.
"What the hell are talking about?" One of the punks demanded of Yu.
"Oh don't mind me please go on, I was just recording everything you said on my phone." Yu stated holding the phone and showing that it had indeed been recording for the last few minutes.
"He was recording!" The three punks stiffened at the knowledge.
"I wonder what my detective uncle would think if I showed him this." Yu wondered in a false pondering tone "Hmmm…. I think you three would be spending the night in a cell at the very least."
"G-gimmie that pho-AGHHH!" The punk cried out as his hand was gripped by Tamamo-Chan.
"I think you should just back off, don't you?" Tamamo-chan asked with a dark smile, causing the punks to all gulp fearfully before retreating.
" M-Miss and Mr... Thank you..." The Crying kid said stopping his tears and standing up.
"Huh? Oh, no, don't worry about it!" Chie said
"My heart's still pounding, was that stupid of me?" Chie asked.
"I don't think so, you protected that kid." Yu replied.
"Hey thanks for the help." Chie said with a gentle smile. "It might've been stupid, but I wanted to save them...That kid, Yukiko...How I feel about this isn't fake. I really want to protect them..."
There was a deep pause, Yu waited because he could sense that Chie wanted to say more.
"Um, well…I also want to protect you...I might be a little flaky... And maybe you don't even need protecting...But... I...I want to protect you..." Chie stammered.
"I'm counting on you." Yu said to her with a smile.
"Yep. I'm counting on you! So, let's have some steak!" Chie smiled and became livelier at the thought of steak.
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After eating with Chie they had gone to the riverbank. She had been quick to want to go back to training. Yu was surprised she could keep her food down, exercising so soon after eating.
"Okay! I think that's enough for today!" Chie said seeming a bit more enthusiastic than usual.
"Yeah... I feel like I haven't been on-form in a while. Hey, uh... there's something I want to tell you. Something I've been thinking about all this time. I still don't have a clue what my good points are. But... I thought I could just keep on searching. I just want to protect people. And to do it, I'll stand up and fight. I'm going to fight alongside you till the very end. I mean... we'll always be friends!"
"Of course, we will." Yu nodded agreeing with the sentiment.
"Here this is from me to you." Chie said handing Yu a wristband.
Oh, and it's new, so it's clean! It makes a matching pair with mine. Hahaha..." Chie paused ..I think this "power" of mine is what I wanted all along. The power to protect everyone. I understand now. I'm not supposed to use it to become more self-reliant...I'm supposed to use this power to protect people... Yukiko, my friends, my family, this town... and you."
"Alright then, my body and mind are all worn out! Let's go get some meat, and I mean the good stuff!" Chie cheered.
With that Yu went on a meat-eater's tour of Inaba with Chie.
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[October 10th, Dojima residence, Inaba]
After finishing his tour with Chie Yu had gone home to relax a bit until the afternoon had rolled around and he decided to visit Kanji. The Emperor had insisted on coming to Yu's room for some reason. He saw no reason to refuse the request and so he agreed.
"Sorry for bargin' in like this... I thought it'd be a good place..." Kanji said apologetically looking around "Oh, first though…There's one more thing I figured out. Rise stopped by our store the other day...Kanji: She said the dolls were cute, so I told her I made 'em. Then she said that was creepy...
Yu felt a pang of annoyance, that was completely unfair, he'd have to reprimand Rise later. His thoughts must have shown his face however because Kanji interrupted his chain of thought.
"Hold on sempai, it did kinda sting, but I kept on showing her the other stuff I made and in the end, she said, "Maybe you're an amazing guy after all.' It pissed me off the way she said it, but that aside. I get it now... This is what he was talking about. I've just been throwin' in the towel all this time. Of course no one could understand me... I have been keepin' my distance outta fear. So I decided that I'd do things my way, no matter how tough, but it ain't just about hanging out with guys who understand you and telling the rest to get bent. You gotta make an effort if you want people to understand you. I wasn't even trying."
Kanji paused before resuming his speech.
"Not just about my hobby. But like, when the police suspected me, about hassling that kid, It didn't even cross my mind to try and tell 'em my story. I let 'em think whatever they want and because of that, you, Ma, and that kid all got dragged into it. I didn't put in the slightest effort to try and make 'em understand, it's easier for me to act tough..." Kanji said with a wry smile. So from now on I got two rules: Rule one! Be myself. Rule two! Get people to understand me. I want you to have this, Senpai."
Kanji handed over a cute looking strap.
"This thing's me being me. Now I can say it straight out... That "other me" is me." Kanji declared.
"This... For reals...!?" Kanji asked surprised at the new power awakened within him "I get it... So I've become a little "stronger," huh...? You're my hero, dude... And my best bud!"
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[October 10th, Inaba Park, Inaba]
The team gathered on a peaceful spot on a hill in the park which overlooked the town. The sun was beginning to set now and the team had brought drinks and snacks with them, setting them on the nearby picnic table.
"So tell me something." Archer spoke up materialising on the roof with the team causing all of them to look at him. "Which one of you will get their wish granted by the Holy Grail? We Heroic Spirits have been promised our wishes granted as long as we are your persona's for as long as needed. But only one of you can have that wish from the Holy Grail. So who will it be?"
"Wish...what are you talking about?" Yosuke asked confused.
"I thought your personas would have told you." Archer said seeing the other Heroic spirits had fallen silent. "When this mystery is solved and you have defeated the culprit one of you will have the right to make a wish...anything they want to be granted."
"Anything?" Chie said quietly.
"Absolutely anything." Archer confirmed.
"Is this true?" Yukiko asked of Francis Drake who pulled her hat down over her eyes.
"Aye, its true." the pirate responded.
"Why keep this a secret?" Yosuke asked.
"Because you guys had a good thing going." Avenger spoke up. "We knew that only one of you could have their wish granted But you all had such fun together and were great friends. We didn't want to risk tearing your bonds apart so..."
"...We made a pact with each other." Diarmuid continued "Forgive my impertinence my lord, but we knew the Grail would materialise when this journey was over so we agreed not to speak of the Grail at least, until we had our Archer."
"That way, you could all keep being friends and we figured by the time the Holy Grail appeared you'd be able to resolve the issue and agree by then." Tamamo finished. "So we were planning to tell you but this guy beat us to the punch."
"As I said the Grail can you give you anything you desire." Archer said "The revival of someone you love." Yosuke's fist clenched. "The ability to protect the weak." Chie looked to the ground. "Control over your destiny." Yukiko's face became hidden behind her bangs. "Answers about the nature of your true self." Neither Rise nor Teddie said anything. "Acceptance from everyone for who you truly are. "Kanji said nothing. "Or perhaps a world where justice always prevails no matter what." Naoto adjusted her hat uncomfortably. "These wishes can be granted however there is an obstacle standing in the way...him." Archer projected Kanshou and Bakuya and pointed the former in the direction of Yu.
"Him...but."
"Think about it." Archer cut Yosuke off "As he establishes more bonds he only grows stronger, gaining more Heroic Spirits to command and with them even more dangerous Noble Phantasms. He is the biggest threat to your wishes, even if you do get to the Grail, he knows you all better than you know yourselves add to that his army of Heroic Spirits and he'll be nigh unstoppable. Your best hope is to eliminate him now while his potential remains unrealised."
"I..."
"If friendship is your worry, then don't. You can just beat each other into submission for the wish." Archer continued "But how much do you know about him anyway? Think about it, he'll leave next year so what are you really loosing anyway compared to what you stand to gain."
The team was silent, Gawain did not speak nor did any of Yu's Persona's seem ready to protect him.
"Fine I'll make it easy on you." Archer locked his eyes with Yu's own unwavering ones "I'll do it for you."
Archer made to attack but was blocked by Avenger who materialised and locked Kanshou with Tawrich.
"What are you doing?" Archer asked.
"Masters orders ya dick." Avenger replied with a smirk.
"You think I should turn my back on sensei...just to ask a magic cup who I am?" Teddie demanded quivering with anger. "If getting those answers with a shortcut means betraying him then I don't want them. Maybe I'll find out myself someday, maybe I won't but I will not turn my back on Sensei or my friends."
Archer was surprised as a yellow spear was held to his throat its owner Diarmuid who had a fierce look on his face.
"Its true I could use that wish to get Saki and the other victims back." Yosuke said "But even though I lost her, I gained awesome friends that I wouldn't have met if not for him. I admit I'm jealous of his ability and yes he probably could kick my ass, but I won't betray my partner. Not for some stupid wish."
A hand came close to Archer's throat, its owner Li Shuwen ready to kill.
"It's true that I want the power to protect the weak and the helpless." Chie explained glaring at Archer "But I don't want it so badly that I'm willing to take a shortcut to it. The road I take may be long and I'll sweat and bleed a lot. But my friends are by my side, so I know I can keep standing up no matter what. So I don't need the Holy Grail, I can just work hard and I'll get what I want." Li Shuwen's smirk grew in response to his student's declaration.
A pistol was pressed to Archer's temple courtesy of Francis Drake.
"I don't need a wish to control my destiny." Yukiko stated "I have what I need to control my future already. What I want now is to protect him and solve this mystery, nothing more, nothing less."
A massive enveloped Archer's entire right arm, Berserker held it tight ready to tear it off if need be.
"Could I still call myself a real man if I killed the guy who helped to accept myself for who I am?" Kanji asked "No matter how weird things got he was always there when I needed him. So if you're sayin that if I want everyone to accept me then I need to kill my best friend then SCREW THAT!"
A paper talisman lowing ready to go off was held right near Archer's head, Tamamo glaring fiercely at him.
"I don't need to explain myself to the likes of you." Rise said "But I'll never betray him, no matter what kind of offer I'm throwing away. Even if it means my life is ruined, I have what I need right here."
A copy of Bakuya was pressed to Archers' throat by Naoto who cut off his supply of Prana.
"My ideal world where justice prevails, that's something I do want." Naoto confessed "But getting it means I have spill the blood of an innocent and a friend to get it, then I'd rather just keep living in this world where sometimes justice doesn't win. I refuse to cross that line and become a criminal myself."
"Absurd, but if that's your decision." Archer banished his projected sword and held his hands up in surrender "I'll help out, but you might wind up regretting this later."
"I doubt that." Kanji remarked.
"We'll be fine." Rise agreed, the rest the team all speaking up in support.
"You're a strange kid." Archer said looking at Yu "To think someone in the modern era is capable of inspiring loyalty like this...I think I'll see you at the Throne of Heroes one day Yu Narukami."
With that Archer disappeared returning to Naoto's mind. The other Persona's followed one by one. But even so, the Counter Guardian was satisfied. A smile crossed his face as he stared at the smog chocked sky of the Blade Works. It seemed that, no matter the world, just like the bad ones, the small good things were still the same.
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A few minutes later the other Persona's had finished explaining what they knew of the situation. The IT had sat down and were currently absorbing the information.
"Ok….so to summarize we're in the middle of a Holy Grail War?" Yosuke asked a hand on his face.
"And the killer is basically his own team and wants the wish too?" Yukiko continued.
"And to get it, he has to power up the Grail by sacrificing the eight of us?" Naoto finished.
"Yes." Gawain said with a nod of confirmation. "In a normal Holy Grail War, master's summon Heroic Spirits as Servants to fight in the Grail War, when Six Servants have died they are sacrificed to the Grail and the winning Master and Servant gets their wish, but that's not the case here."
"Yes, here as long as we help you triumph over the killer then all we Persona's will have our wishes granted." Diarmuid stated. "But if we fail we will not have them granted."
"So does that mean we have to sacrifice the killer to get this one wish?"
"No." Li Shuwen said. "The information we have from the Grail is that our team will have an alternate method of powering the Holy Grail. All we know is that it will be revealed when the mystery reaches its final stage."
"Oh man, we have more questions than answers." Yosuke groaned.
"I have a question, did the killer know we would be Persona users and is that why we were targeted because we're the only ones who could be sacrificed to the Grail?" Naoto inquired.
"Unlikely." Archer said appearing before them. "I know for a fact that there is no magecraft in existence which can tell unawakened Persona users from regular humans. Even if it did exist at some point, I can guarantee that the knowledge is destroyed and the one who invented it is dead along with anyone who knew it as well."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that any Magus along with pretty much anyone else in Moonlight world who approaches a Persona user without permission is signing their own death warrant." Archer said bluntly "All I can tell you is that whatever protects you Persona users, it's not Counter Guardian. It's something far more powerful."
"Like what?"
"If I knew that I'd tell you."
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[October 10th, Aiya, South Shopping district, Inaba]
"Look We're here with the authority of the Mages Association, now tell us what we want to know, where are they?" A man demanded.
He and his partner were glaring Aika Nakamura who simply stared back at them from the restaurant.
"The Wizard Marshal warned everyone to stay away from here." Aika replied.
"For the last time our mission super secedes even his authority now tell us what we want to know." The other demanded.
"You're going to die, you shouldn't have come here." With that Aika quickly slide the door shut in the faces.
"Why you-" The First man began to yell before he was cut off by his partner putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Enough we don't need her help, and she can't stop us we'll just search the town it's not large, so we'll find our two targets eventually."
"All we know is that one of them was in the hospital until recently when they were discharged, the other has been spotted around town."
"Alright lets-" he stopped talking, as both clearly heard the chiming of a church bell as if a funeral was occurring.
All of a sudden a sandstorm kicked up completely obscuring their view of the street they were on.
"What the hell?"
"A sandstorm?"
"Magus." A deep yet bone-chilling voice echoed despite the how loud the billowing sand was. "Thou hath trespassed where thou ought not."
"W-who the hell are you?!"
"In accordance with the contract with he who flies upon blue wings, thy heads are forfeit." The voice told them is a matter-of-fact manner.
There was a shink, the sound of metal cutting through the air.
"W-wait-" The first mage barely had time to speak before his head fell from his shoulders. His partner cried out in fear before his head too was separated from its shoulders.
"Tis done. Know this young mage, so long as thou doest not trespass, though has nothing to fear from me. For now I depart."
With that the chiming of the bell stopped, and with it the sound of billowing sand. Aika, who had her back to the door released a breath she hadn't known she had been holding. She looked up and surveyed the empty restaurant. She felt something on her face and wiped it away, tears, born not of sorrow but sheer terror of what she had just experienced.
Eventually she found the courage to open the door. There was nothing, not a corpse, nor a drop of blood or a grain of sand. Nothing to indicate anyone had been there at all. Aika let out another breath, she'd contact the Wizard Marshal if he didn't know already, maybe now the Association would be smart enough to stay away.
