A-15
Prerequisite: Unlock A-14
Requirements: Relieve Sophia's first dream (Hint: Not a song. Will be revealed all its' related chapters is out) (Seen as: Relieve a Dream) (How: Tap the correct paragraph from A-9) + FR/PM Axium Crisis/Grievous Lady Anomaly using Fracture Hikari (Auto Fail if miss) (Unlocks when the anomaly completed while first condition is met)


(Background Music: Grievous Lady -nothing is but what is not- by Team Grimoire & Laur)

Tairitsu still remembered this place too well. This disgusting place caused her hurt. But she knew she must bear with it. She must tolerate this for the sake for Hikari, Alexandar and herself.

For Hikari, she was heartbroken. She remembered some that she saw from the shards in the church of happiness. Their stories continued, only to have their tragic endings.

The two brothers (A/N: The same brothers that was mentioned in 1-5) who embraced each other. Years later, they were no longer the same brothers that she knew. One looked down on the other while the other envied on the former. They kept fighting against each other, all for their own selfishness. In the end, one killed the other. Instead of feeling guilty, he felt relived, for he no longer had to bother with his brother. He no longer cared for his brother anyway.

A couple that she thought to have a happy ending, had a tragic ending. A husband has recently been working overnight and came back home at very late timings. His wife grew overly paranoid and increasingly suspicious of her husband. Time and time again, she kept thinking that he had been cheating on her, especially when he has made a new business deal with his business partner who so happened to be a female. Eventually, she took matters to her own hands as she took a knife to hurt both him and the 'third party', with him never having the opportunity to prove his innocence to his wife.

It's quite sickening. The betrayal and anger she felt for some people in these memories, its starting to get familiar. She felt this before, more than when she fought against Tairitsu. Happy endings were a lie after all. Especially what happened to her. Yes, she died because she was betrayed by her own expectations. She must-

No… She must not get carried away with these feelings. She must focus.

As they ventured further into the labyrinth, she frowned. Having expected to see these conflict memories, she should have expected it. However, a particular shard caught her attention. It looked exactly like what she saw back then, an amethyst shard. Maybe, just maybe, that was what she and the rest were looking for, a future shard. As she grabbed it, her mind leaves this reality.

Another terrible day. A girl was sent to a colosseum to fight. She was thrown into a wall. She was tired, tired of this fight. But she knew she had to live. But what for? Even with her motivation to live, how would she survive this battle? A man with a knife approached her slowly. However, the man's intentions do not align with her thoughts. He intends to install fear into the girl.

As the girl looked up, Hikari realized that she saw this from her perspective. She (Pandora) painted, as the next thing she saw was a knife pointed at her throat. He laughed, at how pathetic she really is. The audience were cheering for her defeat. A weak girl who didn't live up to her name. As the man bragged about his victory, time slowed down for her as she heard a voice.

"This world is in hell. The people around you and everyone used you for their amusement. They don't appreciate you. They hurt you for their amusement. Once you are done, they will throw you away, like a trash that they think you are. However, on the inside, you hate this feeling. You want to destroy everyone who has treated you this way. Yes… let it out… your anger, your hate, your cry for vengeance. Let out everything. With all your strength, KILL HIM!"

She swiped the knife away from the man. Expressionless, she punched the man's face and kicked him as he fell. With the knife he had used to hurt her, she stabbed him endlessly until she was done with him. This new feeling, it finally blew some steam off her. However, she wasn't done. She wants more and more… until she was knocked unconscious.

The memory stopped here, however for Hikari it was not. She has no words to describe this memory. It was too real… She wanted to burn everything. She wanted to hurt everyone who has hurt her. When Alexandar noticed that Hikari was spacing out, he approached her.

"Hikari! Are you alright? What happened?" Alexandar shacked her. She seemed to be out of her mind. Fortunately, Hikari returned to her senses.

"I'm… alright. I'm fine. Thanks for the concern" Hikari responded. She wanted to destroy this shard. That shard felt traumatizing. As she went to smash the shard, she stopped. She remembered something. This was her. This was Pandora's chapter of life. Her life was nothing but pain, suffering and torment. As much as she wants to discard it away, it was what made her meet him, the person who have taught her peace and happiness, free from the hate and pain she felt.

Was this why she was in the church of happiness when she awoke into Arcaea? To forget all the painful moments of her life she felt, to forget everything that awful life that she had? But, if she forgot that part of her, then, what makes Hikari?

"My name... shall now do away from everything I have suffered. Shall now become the very me that have experienced over months since you brought me away from the 'world' of darkness which brings me suffering that drags me to hate. I will now live in the 'world' of happiness, the 'world' of light. I am... Hikari"

But was it what made her? To do away with Pandora's life. It felt so wrong to just… dismiss it whatever that she could. She knows that it well enough.

Back then, she wandered in the church of happiness, looking for satisfaction. She found it delightful and played with the shards. Thinking about it, this is not what made Hikari. She was someone else. What is it?

All this pain, as she welcomed that happiness and joy, what is it for? Did she let it go?

(Music ends)

When Alexandar called her again, she realized that she has spent to long wondering about her life. As much as she detested this shard, she has decided to keep it.

Tairitsu was near at the end of the Labyrinth. As she wondered to find the shards, she knew that these shards we attracted to her. She knew that those shards are not those that she needed to find and dismissed them. However, there was a very shard that caught her curiosity, a shard that looked identical to the shard that Hikari had. As she touched it, she looked at these memories.


(A/N: This is from VS-7 canon and hence skippable. But if you want to read, feel free.)

The illusion of an even match shatters, and with its destruction Hikari's hope finally begins to waver. As Tairitsu fought against Hikari, she kept telling herself the same words continuously:

"I'm a good person"
"
I am not these dark clothes I was born with. I am not these dark memories I am tormented by."
"I am not a person who is 'evil', I am an ordinary person tortured by an evil world."
"Without reason, without sense."
"A completely, horribly, cruel and merciless world."
"A nightmare one can't wake from."
"And the ending, for me, is a pathetic death."

Hikari was slowly becoming more exhausted as Tairitsu becomes stronger. Hikari has little to noting to fight what will come. At least, that's how it feels, but…

No… The girl in black does not have everything. This can be survived. It can! Hikari takes twenty memories as the window to the heavens breaks.

As before Hikari shields herself from Tairitsu's attacks. However, a single piece flew to the middle of her chest, it's delivery interpretable only as a message: "Enough games. And enough wasting time. Give up-and die."

As Hikari stares into Tairitsu's eyes, fear overwhelmed her. So petrified, she stands fast and watches the memories of a filthy world. Memories of pain, betrayal, envy, death, suffering and decay. Dark, they are only dark! This was what Tairitsu described to Hikari.

For the first time, Hikari felt conflicted with her emotions. She felt fear, terrified, desperate, and hopeful. She doesn't know what to feel in her imminent death.

There is no control over glass for her here. Something, anything-an anomaly-a miracle. If it happens, she could make it out. She could escape and live. If there was ever a time, it is now and here. Now! A shard will come and save her! She prays with all her being for the will of the world to fly to her side and spare her! For some mechanism of fate, for the wheel of fortune itself, something or someone will grant her the power to escape. Beg for it. Hope for it. Hold that piece that once brought you salvation close to your bleeding chest once again. That symbol of rescue, of redemption… it will surely-!

"No."

The almost lethal blade in Hikari's breast holds the memory of a vast and all-consuming fire. So close to death, her heart thumps, reminding her she's alive. Like that memory of flame, her body burns. Her breath has gone as well, and so her thoughts too, begun to vanish.


Was that what Hikari saw? Was that what made her fight back so aggressively like her? Now thinking about it, it wasn't like her. As far as she could remember, she had a happy-go-lucky personality. But that was her behaving like this on her past life.

Regardless, Tairitsu had a feeling that this would be the 'future' shard she was looking for, she continued to see its memories.


Hikari did not expect herself to survive another day as she woke up. As she pushed herself up, she laughed, the torment finally went through her. She realizes the hopelessness from her uselessness to save herself. For all the enmity evident in Tairitsu's assault, she has taken too much pleasure inflicting torture on her, rather than dealing any fatal blow.

Hikari fell once again, injured from her battle. She could no longer stand up. She could do almost nothing. She was far too weak to continue her fight or anything she had planned to do.

As the world shakes within Tairitsu's command, Hikari watches everything unfold. The sky starts to change its colours rapidly and soon, it cracks open. As Tairitsu ascends to the sky, the ground starts to break. With it, Hikari closed her eyes as she muttered a word to describe everything.

"Delightful"

And so, the ground breaks and she fell to her death.


The memory ends here. Everything, it was what Alexandar has described. This shard was what she was looking for. So, she smashed the shard onto the ground as she called Hikari and Alexandar that she found it. Now, with that shard gone… there was only one more left…

Yes, it was that shard that Tairitsu saw before her fight with Hikari. To her dismay, they couldn't find the remaining shard. Alexandar then told the girls they should leave the Labyrinth of Despair to discuss the next route.

As they left the labyrinth, Alexandar suddenly fell. Alarmed, Hikari and Tairitsu quickly went to him, not sure what happened to him.

"Argh, it seems that even I cannot hold this pain for much long…"

"What happened to you? How did you get this injury?" Hikari asked. It was rather strange that Alexandar was alright during this journey. Did the Labyrinth's shards hurt him?

"The god's attack, finally made me succumb to my injuries… When both of you fell, I… blocked that attack… I thought I could take it for both of you…Because of me… I had to make it up for you…"

"Don't say anymore! We'll find a way to heal you!" Tairitsu panicked.

"It's okay…I'm fine… I'll be fine…"

"You are not fine! You clearly need help!"

"Don't! We don't have much time… Use that time to find the last shard. It should be at the sky, at 'the end' of the Arcaea would most likely await the shard, but… beware of the god… you will find her there and she will use that opportunity to kill you… Beware of that shard that she uses… she called it "The Beyond". That shard grants not only godhood of this world… it gives the truth of this world that you seek to find for so long… and to grant wishes and dreams of its wielder…" He raised his hand as a beam of light travelled from his hand to Hikari and Tairitsu.

"Alexandar…"

"I have used too much energy to continue living… Continue finding the shards on my behalf… I'm sorry I couldn't be with you too much… but at least… this is what he would have wanted me to do…" As 'Alexandar' said those words, he closed his eyes and vanished.

"Alexandar, please, come back to me… come back to us! Please! Come back, we need you…" Tairitsu screamed in despair. First the tower took everything away from her. It took her awhile for her to remember her identity and her friends. Now, he disappeared in the labyrinth…

Reward: You can now awaken Fracture Hikari and Grievous Lady Tairitsu.
Awakened Fracture Hikari (Hidden new passive): Award double frags if you achieve a PM/FR on a character. (This is applied even if Fracture Hikari is not the selected partner)
Awakened Grievous Lady Tairitsu (Hidden new passive): Increases all partners' STEP stat based on this partner's level (1:1 ratio. If GL Tairitsu is level 30= +30 step stat to all partners' STEP).

Next chapter: B-4: Alexandar


A/N: And this marks the end of this chapter. I have foreshadowed (or did I spoil it?) that Alexandar is going to die at some point in this story. And that happens here.

In the canon, Hikari did not die. Lowrio made it clear quite a few times. In this fic however, Hikari did die before the "Time Travel" Anomaly happened.

Next chapter will be B-4. But I'll just like to say that it may take about a month or so to write this chapter. Reasons behind this is that it will be a long chapter (most likely longer than B-3/A-9) to write along with that fact that starting next month, I will be very busy. Don't worry too much, there is a few chapters left in this fic and I intend to finish this fic at least by the end of this year.