Chapter 23
What Hides in the Mirror

In the town of Nean, Toby sat idly in one of the coffee shops the town had to offer. He had decided to go for a two-seat table outside, watching the orange sky emotionlessly as the sun was setting. He glanced down at the table, eyeing his cup of black coffee.

"Are you ready to order, sir?" A waitress came to his side, offering a kind smile that he did not reciprocate.

"Yes. I'll have three slices of lemon pie. And separate cup of coffee, seven sugars, and a lot of cream."

"Got it." The waitress jot down his order."Should I put the third slice of pie on your plate or the other one for the person you're waiting for?"

"Put it on a third plate. And if you would, grab another chair." He tossed some Yul on the table, surprising the young woman.

"Ah, sir. No need for that. If you are waiting for another person, I can see if there's a table that could acco-"

"This is fine. Just get to it." Toby's eyes darted from the table to her, causing her to shriek.

"R-right away!"

Once she went back to submit his order, Toby resumed staring at the sky, enjoying the quiet atmosphere. Not many people were walking by, which was fine by him. He prefered to eat in silence, alone. For him, it was a pain enough that Sekke would often follow him wherever he went to eat at their base with his incessant chattering. However, due to the occasion, he was forced to come out to a restaurant willingly.

"Sorry I'm late." Mia landed on the street, fixing her hair and rushing to her brother. Much to his chagrin, his sister would always force him into a hug whenever they met. He didn't particularly mind, since he offered no resistance, or so Mia thought."Did you order already?"

"Yeah...I got your coffee too...if this excuse of a town has a decent coffee, you would be satisfied..."

"I don't mind much about the coffee, really. As long as it has a lot of sugar and cream to give it flavor." Mia flicked his cup, causing the contents of it ripple."I don't know how you always drink this stuff as it comes."

"I'm not a fan of sweets, that's all." He responded, leaning back."My appetite is not what it used to."

Mia smiled sadly, knowing exactly what he meant."Well, I'm still glad you accepted to come here, knowing how much you don't like the food in this place. But I'm sure they will have some great lemon pie."

"It will never be like hers..." Toby's eyes shifted to the empty seat the waitress had placed next to theirs.

"Yeah..." Mia frowned, biting the inside of her cheek."Barby always baked the best pies. I know that you loved everything she baked, but-"

"We have to keep the tradition." He grabbed his cup, twirling it around."Like every year, we have to enjoy a slice of lemon pie. No matter the circumstance, I will never break that tradition."

"You really miss her, huh?" Mia grabbed his hand, causing him to stop twirling the cup."I miss her too. Every day. She was like a sister much like you are my brother. What I wouldn't give to see her at least one more time...alive...I can't believe I wasn't there..." Mia covered her eyes, refusing to shed tears."At least...she's in a better place now. No doubt."

"She's better off that way," Toby said plainly, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to say. Mia removed her hands off her eyes, staring at him incredulously."She was the kindest person on earth. Always aspired to protect those in need without wanting compensation. She knew what needed to be done for justice to be served. She was a real hero...something I aspired to be. She was too pure for this world, which is why she's better off dead, don't you think?"

The waitress came out with three plates of lemon pie, giving Mia and Toby one and leaving the third one where the empty seat was. Once she went to serve another customer, Toby continued, his gaze shifting over the third piece of pie."This world is filled with evil. Filled with nothing but filth that corrupts one's own soul. If she was alive today...she too would have been corrupted. And all her purity...everything she stood for and everything she represented would have been for nothing. She died with the purity of her eyes still present. She never had to know what this world hides in its shadows. She was spared."

"How can you say that, Toby?!" Mia slammed her hands on the table, startling a few people walking by but she didn't care."Barbara...Barbara was always with you. She stood up for you and always kept you companied. I noticed how close you two were. There was no mistake. So how can you just...just say that she's better off dead?! Without the opportunity to enjoy the beauties of life? Without ever realizing her dreams? Don't you care about how she must have fe-"

Mia suddenly stopped, watching in shock as fresh tears streamed down her brother's face. Although his face remained stoic, his eyes didn't lie. His tears were real."Toby...?"

"It's because how much she meant to be...that I say that. After she died...everything else died for me. I no longer feel anything. But what I do feel is that in order to save this world, I must become a hero like Barby was. A hero that represents the masses and purges evil for the sake of a pure world. One that is ready to make sacrifices needed. Kill one to save a hundred. Kill a hundred to save a thousand. Kill a thousand to save a million."

"Do you truly believe everything Lilith told you?" Mia scowled at what she had just heard."Is that why you've been doing all of those things? Do you really think that by killing people you're saving others?"

"Of course. I have no reason to doubt her. She is God's messenger, after all. WHy would an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-good being be capable of being incorrect about something? If I must become a hero to get my wish...I will gladly do so. I've already killed 348 people in total since I started my crusade. I have more than half to reach my goal, but I will persevere so I can become a hero. A hero that will clean this world from evil. Only then, once this world is clean, it will be fit for Barby. That's why I do not despair upon her death. Because once our mission is over...all of this? All of these deaths and the this suffering...it will all go away. Everything will be as it should be. That's why I have no remorse to dirty my hands for the sake of justice and God. You know this better than I do."

"But what if you get caught?"

"I thought about it and came up with a solution. If all I did was kill criminals, they'd eventually figure out that it was a Magic Knight doing it during their missions. That, or a vigilante. For that, I also pick people at random and just kill them to keep my cover. They are dying for a good reason, if that's what you're worried about. They'll suspect there's a serial killer going around murdering people, but the last thing they'd think is that one of their own is behind it."

"But involving all those innocent people..." Mia clenched her fists."Barby...would never want you to do something like that. No matter if you thought it was for the best of her...She wouldn't have wanted you to become this..."

Toby wiped his tears away, looking at his hand in thought."I know. That is why I could never be the type of hero she was. My hero...But someone has to do this. Someone has to stand up for humanity and carry that cross. And that person is a true hero. A hero who seeks no praise nor adoration. A hero does not need to feel. He only thinks of the better of his people. For the greater good. That's the type of hero I want to become. For the greater number of people to succeed and survive, some might need to be sacrificed in their place. Life is all about balance, is it not, Sister? People die and are born every day in order to keep a balance. Wouldn't it be correct to kill the people that mean nothing to you in order to preserve the lives of the people you care about?"

"Again, this is nothing short of genocide." Mia did not deter."This isn't what we planned. At all. You're way to out of line and you're just believing everything they tell you! Barby would be so ashamed if she were to look at you no-"

Mia gasped when he felt the cold edge of the fork that Toby had slammed near her hand."Do not go there. Stop bringing her up just to get to me. These people are insignificant to us. All we need is to carry on the Lord's will and never question it. This is just what needs to be done for a better world. A necessary evil. That is the duty of a hero." With that, he stood up from his chair, turning his back."I will reach a thousand one day. And when I do, I'll become a true hero who will save this world. You just wait and see, Sister."

The albino proceeded to walk away, hands in his pockets as he mixed in with the crowd, getting out of sight. Mia sighed, rubbing her forehead."I never wanted this for him. Gosh, I'm such a failure of a sister...if only I had been stronger back then, I would have protected him and Barbara. But now all I can do is make sure he's happy. For his sake and mine..." With a sigh, she grabbed her fork and took a bite out of her slice of pie."It's...okay..."


Earlier the same day, Karina and Fragil stood in front of the art gallery that was set up in Kikka. Everyone was welcome to display their work to be admired or criticized. From paintings to sculptures to pottery. While Fragil marveled at the sight, Karina wasn't having nearly as much of a good time.

"Who could ever call this art?" She said with venom in her voice as she glared the drawing of a cat sleeping."The colors are all over the place and have no meaning. Not to mention they probably used a cat to attract people's attention."

"Or...maybe the author just loves their cat so much they wanted to immortalize them?" Fragil offered her opinion, receiving a glare from the smaller girl."You don't have to look at things so negatively all the time. It'll just stress you out."

"Trust me, I wish. But when you're a true artist such as Karina, you tend to develop high levels of attention of detail that you just cannot turn off."

"Speaking of that, are you going to participate as well? I heard they're still taking guests that want their work to be shown."

"Maybe." She grinned, hands on her hips."But I figured I'd give these losers so more time to enjoy the spotlight before I take it from them. Karina is really nice like that!"

"You've barely started looking, though." Fragil tried to reason with her."Why don't we take a look at the other works of art?"

"Fine. I guess that's fine." Karina conceited, pouting as she followed Fragil along the corridor. They eventually reached a crowd of people, watching someone work on a pot making machine, using his hands to mold the clay at will.

"Hey, look. That looks similar to one of your creations." Fragil pointed at the nearby table next to the old man, displaying his previous works. They ranged from simple flow pots to vases and more.

"What? Are you implying that my art is anywhere near that ugly?" Karina pouted, stomping her feet."Besides, what I do is not pottery. All my sculptures are molded by hand, except the ones that are too big, which are done by my Grimoire."

"Really? But you must have some knowledge on how to use that kind of machine at least, right?"

"Well, yes. But Karina prefers not to use it as she gets too excited and makes a mess." She hit her head playfully, sticking her tongue out."Besides, those kind of things have no meaning. Sure, you can make a pretty flow pot, but then what? Once it breaks, it has no meaning. Art like that only lasts but a moment and is gone without you noticing, leaving no real impact. If I blew this building up, it'll leave a change that will be remembered, but eventually, it will be rebuilt. And eventually what brought it down will be lost in time, sadly."

"I'm still a little confused on what you mean by that. So, your ultimate goal is to make your art eternal?"

"That's not quite right. What Karina wants is for her and her art to be remembered through all of time. And the only way to do that is to leave a scar on this very earth. Karina is only human, so she only lives so long. And once I die...what's there to do, right? Don't you feel the same? Don't you ever worry what will become of you and your legacy when you're no longer in this world?"

Fragil hummed in thought, her index finger touching her cheek."I guess I never thought about that. It's kind of scary to think about."

"See, you get it. Imagine you suddenly die right here and now. Don't mind the reason. You're what, 16 or something? You're just a kid like I am. We're nowhere near our primer. We're still newbies. And you die, without ever achieving your dreams or what you wanted. Furthermore, you leave no mark behind. No impact. No reason for people to remember your name or face. That's the scariest thing you ever happen to a person. And sadly, it happens every day. People die before they do what they want. And in time, they are just a whisper in the air. That's why I blow things up. To give them meaning. Sadly, most things aren't worthy anything, even if they're destroyed. Nothing I've seen so far can be considered beautiful."

"Is that...why you're so insistent in your art leaving an everlasting effect? Because you're afraid of being forgotten."

Karina used her hat to cover her face."Why do you have to say it like that?"

"Say it who?" She asked, softly.

"Like that! So sentimental! It's so cringy and embarrassing. Of course Karina isn't worried! Not worried at all! Because my art is obliteration and perfection! In fact, I'll blow this stupid gallery out of the water."

"Don't blow it up!"

"I meant it figuratively, idiot!" Karina stormed away, going to one of the empty pottery machines and taking a seat. Noticing she was a bit too short, she grumbled under her breath and grabbed a nearby book to be able to reach. She glanced at the clay in front of her."I wonder what I can make...Ah, I know!"

Immediately, with an idea in mind, she stepped on the pedal as the machine came to life, rotating the clay. She worked diligently and swiftly, her hands moving and giving the clay shape. She stepped on the pedal, increasing the speed to the maximum. She bit her tongue, concentrating on her work and not wasting a single movement.

People began gathering around her, watching in fascination as the girl was finishing up.

"Where did that kid come from?" Ask one of the people watching.

"A kid? But she's wearing a Aqua Deer robe. She's a Magic Knight."

"Look at her go. What exactly is she making though?"

"It's...A PUMPKIN!" She announced, stopping the machine and standing up with her hands splayed out."But not just any pumpkin! This is what I call the Giga Pumpkin!"

"A what now?" Fragil asked, earning a laugh in response.

"Fufufu! See?" She pointed at the pumpkin's face. It had the shape of a bomb, being circular entirely and it had an evil-looking smile, eyebrows, and what looked to be a mustache added with extra clay."This is no ordinary pumpkin. It's Karina's most trusted weapon of mass destruction!"

"Wait, you can create that with your magic?"

"Yup. But I would never show it to you or use it in combat carelessly." Karina puffed out her chest with pride."An artist doesn't go around exposing their greatest work all the time. They must save it for very special occasions, otherwise, they lose value. Well, time to blow it up."

"W-w-wait!" Fragil shrieked, grabbing Karina by the shoulders."Why would you want to blow it up? Not to mention here of all places?"

"Huh? Well, it's just clay. The fuck am I supposed to do with this? It has no meaning because once it breaks that's it. I don't want it."

Karina infused some of her mana in the pumpkin, prepared to blow it to pieces.

"Woah! Look at that, Sally!" A small girl gasped in excitement, holding her friend's hand and dragging her along."It's so cool! No wonder there was such a big crowd here!"

"It's really detailed..." Her timid friend admitted."It's hollowed out as well. You could make a pretty lantern with this, Philia."

"Right?! Imagine something like that in my room! Everyone would be so jealous! Plus, look at its face! It's like it's laughing at you."

Karina slowly lowered her hand, watching the children intently. Fragil was flabergasted at Karina's sudden mood shift. It was extremely rare to get Karina to lower her hand when she decided to blow something up.

"You like it?" Karina tilted her head, receiving an enthusiastic nod.

"Yeah! It's great and original. Most of the art here is bland and boring. People can be so basic. I came here looking for inspiration but I was disappointed."

"You're an artist?" Fragil asked.

"Sort of. I'm trying to find my inspiration. I want to find something that I can do and makes me happy. But there are so many types of art that I just don't know what to do, so I do a little bit of everything. I'm really good at coloring, though."

"She is." Sally nodded in agreement."She can't draw but she can sure paint. She mixes colors really well. My parents paid her to pain my room."

"Hey, that part about me not knowing how to draw is completely uncalled for!" Philia pouted, crossing her arms."But I accept the compliment."

"Tell you what." Karina jumped off her chair, slightly annoyed that the kids were almost her height despite being older."Keep it. Just heat it up in one of the ovens and paint it. Pursue the art you want. It comes naturally. Be proud of every little thing you do, no matter how insignificant it seems. And most importantly, make it last for eternity. Make it shine, brighter than any star. Only then you'll be a true artist."

After saying goodbye to the children, Karina and Fragil exited the art gallery, stepping outside to meet the almost dark sky."We were in there for a while."

"Yeah." Karina trailed off, uncharacteristically quiet as they continued walking around town.

"That was very nice of you, Karina. What made you do that?"

"You make me sound like I'm so selfish and incapable of doing good things." Karina rolled her eyes."I'm just a bit complicated and enjoy making fun of people. But if you must know...they reminded me of my friend and I."

"Friend?"

"Yeah. She's waiting for me back home. She is a complete wuss and spineless. And yet, she always stuck around someone like me. Never doubted my art either. And thanks to her, I was never alone growing up."

"I see." Fragil smiled, happy to know Karina had more friends."I'm glad you have someone you really care about. I hope one day you can think of me as a friend as well. I'm happy I got to know you better today."

"We'll see." Karina shrugged with a bashful expression."Maybe you'll even see my greatest art yet."


"Phew. That was tough." Cain yawned, sitting on top of a barrel in front of a stand."I can't believe selling vegetables was this rough. You guys must get a lot of customers."

Jimmy was dismantling the stand, getting it ready to place everything back in their wagon."We got double the amount of customers today, actually."

"No way. Really?"

"Markets around here compete and do their best to promote their products." Yudachi's mom, Brenda, supplied."I guess having someone from the Magic Knight helping us brought more people over today."

"I see. Yeah, I suppose it would grab people's attentions." Cain nodded in understanding."I guess you never asked Yudachi to come along?"

"We tried but you probably already know the answer." Jimmy responded, frowning."We...we're an embarrassment to him. But I know he's a good boy. But he has all this pressure on him because he comes from a peasant family. I imagine he's discriminated for it."

Cain bit his lower lip, realizing that he and Yudachi were in somewhat similar situations."I get it. I'm an orphan, so I have no noble name or anything like that. A squadmate of mine, Yuno, is also in the same shoes as your son and me. Normally I don't care about such comments. But Yudachi...he lets them get to him. Not to mention he goes around proclaiming he's a noble, which further gets him in bad situations."

"Sounds like our son, alright." Brenda smiled sadly."He's always wanted to be something more. Aspiring to be something than just a commoner. At first, we encouraged his idea and supported him. But unfortunately, the world is not that simple, is it? You can't just change your status like that. And I'm afraid one day he'll lose hope."

"We thought that when he joined the Golden Dawn, he'd see everything with a new light." Jimmy finishing packing the wagon, wiping sweat off his forehead."We figured it'd give him a boost in confidence."

"Joining the Golden Dawn is no small feat. And being a commoner makes it all the more impressive." Cain said, folding his arms."So why did Cain..."

"He wasn't satisfied. He said he couldn't be happy finding a new bottom." Brenda said, grimacing as if she was recalling a distant memory."Yudachi's always been upset with always being at the bottom. That's how he sees things. No matter how high he rises up, he just sees it as the place where he'll be stuck at."

"But still, to take it out on his family." Cain scowled, remembering how Yudachi had lashed out at his parents before."It's wrong. I myself don't have parents but I know that you have to respect and love them. Well...so I say. But I really don't treat my brother fairly."

"You have a brother?"

"All the children of the orphanage are my siblings. But I do have a biological brother. His name is Abel. Never met our mom but I'm the older one. Don't know by how long, but I am." Cain rushed to help Jimmy push the wagon, Brenda following close behind.

"Why is it you don't get along with your brother?" Brenda asked, curious.

"It's hard to explain..." Cain rubbed his head at the sudden but brief pain in his head."I...We were close, from what I remember. But we...well, I drifted apart. It's just...I couldn't be near him. Something inside me told me to stay away, even though he never did anything wrong. So one day I left the orphanage, as soon as I turned 15 without looking back, never giving anyone a word. I was way over my head. If it wasn't for Vice Captain Langris and your son, I wouldn't be here right now. Once I became a Magic Knight, I started seeing Abel more and he would always just...talk to me normally. Like nothing ever happened. He tried to keep our bond together and yet I requested my Captain to keep me away from him when it came to missions."

"Judging by your tone..." Jimmy rubbed his chin."Sounds like you regret doing it."

"I guess I've been noticing...as stupid as it sounds, I began noticing just now, when I'm 16, how important family is. I've come across many people who cherished those bonds. In fact, Yuno considers Asta, an orphan that grew up with him, his brother. Despite them not being related at all, they get along better than I could with Abel. Raiden and Johan...Funny, it seems that people who aren't related at all get along better than those who have siblings of our own."

"We all make mistake, Cain. Nobody is perfect." Brenda cooed, rubbing his back."What's important is that we recognize such mistakes and correct them. You still have your brother. You can still make up with him."

"But...would he want to, though? I treated him like dirt. And this feeling..." Cain grabbed his chest."It feels weird. Every time I lay eyes on him I feel uneasy. But why...?"

"Ultimately, it's up to you to decide what to do." Jimmy forged on."But family is something precious. Despite how Yudachi sees us, we love him dearly. In the end, family is what brings us joy and a reason to move forward. It's not something that can be easily severed. I say give it a go. From how you described him, seems to me like he won't ever get tired of waiting for you."

Cain pondered over this and what everyone had told him before. He didn't know what to think or feel. It had been a year and a half since he left home and joined the Golden Dawn after giving his back to everyone. He wasn't sure whether he'd be forgiven, but his mind was set."I'll give it a go."

"That's great. We'll be cheering for you." Jimmy grinned from ear to ear, ruffling his hair playfully. Cain chuckled at the gesture, grabbing his head."Why don't you come over for dinner sometime? We'd love to have you. The house is so empty now days without Yu."

"Well...if it's okay with you..."

"Of course, it is, sunny!" Brenda hugged his arm."You were of great help to us. The least we can do is have you over for dinner. Gosh, I wish I had prepared something for today."

"It's okay. I'll go over another day." Cain waved his hand, easing the woman's worries. The brown-haired young man continued pushing the wagon, but this time, he had a small smile on his face.


Somewhere in Kiten, Yudachi was kicking a rock down the road, hands in his pockets. He had spent a good amount of time walking around, trying to get his emotions in check. Keeping his head low, and his bangs covering his eyes, he avoided meeting anyone's gaze.

"Stupid rules and stupid system." He kicked the rock hard, sending it crashing against a wall."Why does it have to be this way? I don't deserve this. I'm way better than that to be disrespect and humiliated like they did. I deserve to be more than just...a damn peon. Sure, I'm in the strongest squad, but that doesn't mean jackshit when I'm at the bottom of the ladder because I'm a commoner. Not to mention those other guys...Cain, Yuno, and Johan. I can't let them get ahead of me."

He leaned against the wall of a building, frustrated."I should be the only commoner in the Golden Dawn. Why were they chosen as well? Does that mean...they're just as special as me? B-but in the grand scheme of things, that doesn't mean much, right? But...then again, Yuno does have a four-leaf Grimoire. Shit...I can't. I can't let them be better than me. As long as I still breathe, I can be better."

Hyping himself up, Yudachi continued on his walk, but due to how fast he was going, he bumped into someone, knocking each other to the ground.

"Owie..."

Yudachi gritted his teeth, finding himself on the floor for the second time that day."Listen here, you, why don't you wa-"

His words died in his throat once he saw the young girl in front of him, rubbing her rear in pain."I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention. I was too busy reading my book that I didn't notice."

"No, no. It's fine." Yudachi quickly pulled himself up, still awestruck at her sight. He held his hand out, which she gladly accept, and pulled her up."I was going to fast I didn't see if anyone was coming around. So...you're a Magic Knight too, huh? Coral Peacock. Nice."

"That's right. My name is Luna. Just Luna is fine." Luna introduced herself, picking her book up."You are Golden Dawn."

"Right." He put his fists on his hips."My name is Yudachi-" He froze in place, realizing what he was about to do."Just Yudachi. My last name isn't important. That book...I read it before. It's about an epic adventure, right? Combined with some fiction to give it a nice touch."

"Oh. You like these types of books? I always thought I was the only one." Luna hugged the book closer to her."Sometimes I get tired of our reality and like to submerge myself in stories like this. It's fascinating how different things are compared to real life."

"I get what you mean. I get fed up with the way life is as well." Yudachi glanced at the ground."Not everyone can be happy with how they are. And they can't change it because it's out of their control. Once you're born...that's it. Oh, I apologize. I didn't mean to ramble like that."

"No, no. I think it's okay for people to talk openly about how they feel." Luna shook her head, offering a radiating smile that he swore was sparkling."I understand your sentiment. It would be more ideal if we could all live the life we want how we want it." Taking a glance at her wristwatch, she jolted in panic."Oh, no! I have to return this book before the library closes in 2 minutes! Well, it was nice meeting you. I hope we get to see each other again. Bye!"

"Bye..." Yudachi waved, awkwardly. His heart was beating fast, and his jaw was so open he thought a fly was going to get inside his throat but he didn't care." She understands me...Luna. I think I just found my motivation..."


The sun had set, giving space for the darkness to overtake the sky. It was a cloudless night, allowing the countless stars in the sky to illuminate the ground below. Raiden was making his way down a dirt path that was supposed to lead to the last house on Rose's list. It had been a total of 3 houses, counting this one. And in each one, he would collect the money owed and give one of those weird packages Rose had requested to give her associates. While he was curious to know what was inside the bag, he did thought it would be inappropriate, not to mention weird, for him to check people's gifts.

"And yet here I am wearing this weird-ass mask." He muttered dryly, noticing that this house was far apart from the road. But despite that, the house looked surprisingly big. Two stories in height with a lot of windows and a front garden. Raiden slowly made his way towards the house, feeling tense. It was quiet. Too quiet. He could see the light coming from inside the house. But was stood out was the silhouette watching from the window. Raiden didn't move, unsure of what to do. He slowly waved his hand at the figure, but the person moved away from the window.

"Well, that's not creepy at all." Raiden scoffed, walking up to the porch and heading for the door. As his hand made contact with the door, he noticed the door was opened. He found this strange, but perhaps they had opened the door for him. Regardless, he was tired. And the sooner he finished with this task, he could get the answers he wanted from Rose. Taking a deep breath, Raiden opened the door, entering into the dark living room of the house.

He blinked a few times, baffled at what had happened. No way he missed the lights being turned off. The whole house was dark. Not a sound to be heard anywhere."Hello? Anyone there! Rose sent me! She said you owe here some money?"

Raiden, hesitantly, entered the house, his hands unconsciously going towards his blades, ready to strike if needed. As he scanned the area, he noticed the number of mirrors in the house. They were everywhere. Of all shapes and colors and sizes."What the fuck is-"

A loud thud from upstairs alerted Raiden, causing him to pulled one of his blades out."Is there anyone there?! Come out! I'm not going to hurt you, but this is some creepy shit! I'm going upstairs slowly, okay?!"

Cursing at himself for being so loud, the young man headed for the staircase, grabbing the handles and slowly going up. He cringed at the loud sound the wood made under his feet, creaking with every step. The stairs seemed endless and the silence became more suffocating. He could hardly breathe with the mask once, so he decided to toss it down on the floor. As he finished reaching the second floor, he noted there were three different rooms, with one of them being opened. But what really sealed the deal that something was very wrong was the blood splattered on the walls. Mustering all the courage he could, he made his way towards the opened door, going inside what he assumed was a child's room.

The room was painted pink and various stuffed animals were scattered across the room. Still, no sight of anyone. Raiden squatted down, blade igniting with inferno as he looked under the bed.

"Please don't h-"

Raiden instantly covered the child's mouth, bringing his finger to his own mouth, signaling her to be quiet. She had bobbed dark-black hair with long bangs that were covering one of her eyes. She had brown eyes and a mole on the right side of her nose. She was wearing pajamas, Raiden assumed it was her bedtime.

"Chris!"

Raiden nearly yelped himself at the sudden scream from downstairs. He was about to way something when the girl in question jumped out of her hiding spot and covered his mouth.

"T-t-that's...not...Mommy..."

Raiden cocked his head to the side, flabbergasted."Chris?!"

"Mommy...Mommy hid me..." She whispered, her voice as faint as a gentle wind in the air."I was sleeping...but my Mommy hid me under the bed...I heard a lot of yelling and...and I've been so scared...to leave my room..."

"I see. If that was your mom, she'd knew where'd she left you." Raiden surmised."So who is that? Maybe a relative? A friend checking up on your parents?"

Chris shook her head, shaking like a leaf."That's Mommy's voice...I heard her before I heard the door being opened. T-t-the lights were on and...and..."

"CHRIS!"

Chris buried her head in Raiden's chest. And he had to admit, the sudden rose in pitch and how loud it was making the hairs on his nape stand up. He quickly stood up, slamming the door shut and grabbing Chris' drawer to use it to hold the door. Whatever was on the other side began banging on the floor.

"Let me in, Chris. I have a gift for you-you-you~!" The voice said in an attempt to lure her out."I have a present! I have a surprise!"

Raiden clicked his tongue, starting to freak out at the situation. While the person or thing kept repeating itself, the door continued being knocked on rapidly. The voice turned into a shriek and then a loud, hellish scream echoed through the whole house. Chris covered her ears and closed her eyes, scared beyond words. The knocking changed to banging as the thing kept on screaming in bloody murder."OPEN THE DOOR!"

"Inferno Magic: Scorching Impaler!" Raiden shouted, releasing inferno spikes from his body and piercing through the door and whoever was behind it. The screaming died immediately, followed by a loud thud on the other side."Shit...shit, shit! What the fuck did I just do?!"

"S-sir...?" Chris opened her eyes, hiding in her blanket.

Raiden ran a hand through his hair, but this wasn't the time for this. He went for Chris, but something made him halt. Something he saw in her closet."Chris...I'm going to need you to listen and listen only. Come to me...slowly. Don't turn around. Whatever you do..." He started advancing towards her, his eyes widened in horror. The little girl was more afraid than confused. She felt someone was staring at her from behind. She didn't know this person in front of her, but he was the only one who could save her. Giving a leap of fate, Chris carefully got out of bed, holding her stuffed toy bunny in her hands.

Raiden was completely terrified at this point. Two corpses hung from her closet, blood dripping down from them. They were mangled and cut beyond recognition. Raiden put two and two together and realized those were her parents. But how did he not see them before? If so, who was the person behind the door?

"Sir, behind you!"

Raiden immediately gave a roundhouse kick, hearing glass shatter upon impact."What the hell?! What did I hit?" Deciding he had wasted enough time, Raiden grabbed Chris in his arms, wrapping her in her covers and kicking down her door. To his dismay, the house had caught on fire somehow, making the scene even more hell-like. The doors to the others rooms suddenly busted open, revealing mirrors everywhere inside. Raiden began running down the hallway, keeping Chris's body protected with her sheets. All the mirrors began breaking as he ran, shooting shards of glass at him. The boy winced in pain as he felt the sharp glass prick his skin. He jumped back, avoiding a piece of the ceiling that fell down thanks to the fire.

"Shit." Raiden glanced ahead, noticing the stairs were already full of flames."Chris, whatever you do, don't inhale the smoke! Stay in there! Inferno Magic: Blaze Control - Black Arms!" Two arms of inferno formed around Raiden's waist, raising them up and slamming them on the ground, causing the floor to give in and making him land back on the first floor.

Raiden panted, his body feeling the effects of inhaling too much smoke as he did.

"Why don't you let that child die?"

He gasped, scanning around the burning area, only to find nothing but the mirrors."Who are you?! Why are you doing this?!"

"That child lost both of her parents. And she's only seven years old. A child like that will have no future without her parents. So why don't you do the right thing and spare her of the suffering ahead of her? Just drop her and leave her. It won't be inhumane if that's what you're concerned about. She won't suffer."

"Shut up!" Raiden gritted his teeth, but he considered her words. It was true. The girl would become an orphan, and no doubt this experience would haunt her for the rest of her plentiful life. But if she were to die here...she'll at least be spared of having to live in a world without her parents by her side. Without needing to be alone, fending for herself. And yet, Raiden refused to let her go. In fact, his grip tightened in a protective matter. What was right or what was wrong, that didn't matter right now. What mattered was that he had to save the girl from this hell. Manipulating his inferno to his back, he created a pair of wings that helped him get fast enough to go through the main door into the outside.

Once he was outside, he took a long, deep breath of fresh air. He fell to his knees, letting the precious oxygen circle through his body. He removed the covers off Chris, his eyes shooting wide open when he noticed she had her eyes closed. Quickly checking her pulse, the young man realized she had merely passed out, but she will need medical attention as soon as possible. Unfortunately, there was one obstacle.

"You went out of your way to save her even though she's already doomed." A silhouetted emerged from the flames, holding a severed arm and a foot, presumable from Chris's parents. Raiden immediately recognize the cloak they were wearing."The Children of Sceva..."

"Not just any children." The woman dropped the limbs on the floor, grabbing her pig-like mask."We fought before."

"Mary...Why are you here?!" Raiden bit his lower lip in rage.

"Same reason as you, I suppose. But this is great. You fell right into my trap. I knew you were looking for answers, but to think you'd lower your guard this much?"

"What do you...wait, you don't mea-"

Mary swiftly removed her mask, tossing it to the side, revealing her short, dark hair with red highlights combed to the side."Have you figured it out yet, hun?"

"Rose!" Raiden gaped, taken back by the current turn of events."I...I knew there was something off about you. But to think you were Mary all along! You even gave me a fake name!"

"Actually, Rose is my name. Rosemary, but I prefer if people call me Mary." Mary said, picking up an object from the ground, revealing it to be her ax."There's someone with a similar name to mine in our group, and as the eldest sister, I decided to make things less confusing. You understand, no?"

"I don't get it...what the hell was the point of all this?! Why did you get me to do these favors to you if you were just going to try to kill me!"

"Well, that's because I used you, of course." Mary nonchalantly replied, showing him her palm and her Brand of the Beast."Those people you visited? I wanted them all dead. And you killed them, essentially."

"W-what?" Raiden tilted his head, not following."What do you mean?"

"Well, seeing as how you did the favors I asked you, I'll answer three of your questions. This is the first one. Ever wondered what those gifts were?" Mary wagged her finger."They were mirrors. Once you gave them those mirrors, I gained access to the mirrors in their house. You can figure out what I did after."

"N-n-no way..." Raiden grabbed his head."That means...while I was running those errands and give them those packed gifts...you..."

"I killed them all." She jabbed her thumb behind her."Just like I killed the kid's parents. Totally delicious, too, and made for fine sacrifices. But it's more than setting up my meals that I called you specifically. You...are just like me."

"Like you?"

"That's right. I knew when I laid eyes on you in that cave that you would be my ultimate opponent. The person who would give meaning to my existence, other than my main mission. That person is you, Raiden Zareth. That's why I don't care about revealing my identity to you and risk my cover. I just find you fascinating in every way. So full of mysteries to uncover. For instance, I've been living surrounded by blood since I was a little girl. So much in fact that I've developed a quirk of my own. I can smell...no, sense the blood in people's hands. And you...you have so much blood in your hands, I can't even tell them apart. You reek. Blood that's not yours, and so much, in fact. So unfitting of a Magic Knight. Who are you, Raiden Zareth?"

Raiden took a step back, cold sweat pouring down his face.

"And what secrets are you hiding? I'll find out soon enough as I tear you apart." Mary rose her ax, her eyes gleamed with bloodlust."Let's get to know each other."


"Thank you for accompanying me, Abel." Caroline gave her gratitude to the Black Bull."I hadn't intended for my stay to be that long."

"It's fine, Ms. Valenstein." Abel waved her concerns off."I'm glad to be of service. Besides, you took care of my siblings and made sure they were healthy. The least I can do is take you back."

"What a nice young man." She noted, much to his chagrin."Things are dangerous nowadays. I heard of those cultists you mentioned before. I had tended to someone who escaped from their grasp. It was..." The young nurse took a deep breath."Horrible. They were going to skin him alive to sacrifice him to whatever God it is they worship."

"That's the Order of the First." Abel nodded solemnly."They're psychotic and insane. And it's hard for the Magic Knights to track them down because they're everywhere and blend into society like they were normal people. It's scary, really."

"Scary times. I know the feeling all too well." Caroline closed her eyes, handing the reigns of the stagecoach to Abel."Mind taking over for a bit?"

"No problem. I've always wanted to ride one of these things."

"Never rode a horse or a coach before?"

"Nah. Never really had a reason to." Abel confessed, trying to mimic the moves the young lady did before."I usually just move around with my broom or have Finral transport me to where I need to go."

"I see. Well, learning how to ride a horse it's important." She pointed out."You never know when you'll need that skill."

"Right. Like medical skills on the battlefield." Abel paraphrased what she had said earlier."You mention that word a lot. You must be knowledgeable in combat."

"Not necessarily. As I have said, I have no offensive spells whatsoever. All I can do is be a healer. But I was part of the army for a bit and picked up some skills there."

"Army, huh? I guess you guys don't have squads as we do?"

The blonde shook her head."We have a powerful army that serves to protect the kingdom as a whole. It's the whole reason why they've stayed isolated for so long. But I guess there's also the police. But they take care of petty crimes and things like that. Also-"

"Look!" Abel pointed towards the sky, watching a cloud of smoke rise above the tree line."That must be...maybe a campfire?"

"No campfire is that big!" Caroline grabbed the reigns, forcing the horses to stop.


Raiden unsheathed his blades again, cladding them with inferno."Inferno Magic: Dark Hollow!"

"You know, for a natural killer like you, you certainly are soft. When you used those spikes of yours to stab one of my mirror clones...you were panicking, believing you killed someone. And then you did your hardest to protect that child. If you were a mindless killer as your scenes give you away as you wouldn't have done those things."

"What are you getting at?!" Raiden barked, sparing a glance to Chris, who he had left leaning against a tree.

Mary's smirk widened."You haven't asked your second question."

"If you're so generous to tell me...what are you trying to do? What God are you even trying to revive?!"

"Those are to questions, but seeing as how the second one kind of answers the first one, I'll let it slide." Mary's brand began shining, seeming almost like it was branded onto her skins."Our objective is to start the end of the world, Armageddon. As for your last question... we are trying to revive...No, I guess that's the wrong word. We want to bring back the Antichrist."


Finally, I'm done with my midterms and my projects for my programming class. All I have left is the final exam but for now, I can relax for the time being so I decided to drop this chapter. I'll try to get another one by next week if possible. I did this chapter on my laptop so it might have some grammar errors here and there. Don't hesitate to point them out to me. Always appreciated.