Mairimashita! Iruma-kun: Shadows of the Past, part 41
Sullivan sat across from Nene, each staring at the other in his office. It was time to end her wicked cycle. Normally, it would be allowed to play itself out over time, but that was the one commodity they didn't have right then - time. Victoria's attack was coming fast and they may need the healer on standby.
"Nene-chan, I think you've had quite enough fun. It's time to come back. Everyone is waiting for you", he said. She grinned at his words. "Sa-chan, are you asking me to stay with you? You lied to me last time", she said, a menacing look appearing in her eyes.
Sullivan stiffened, but he had to hold his ground. At least Opera had hidden her katana. "You know as well as I do that was an unfortunate misunderstanding... Nene, it may not be the exact type of affection that you truly desire from me, but you do know that I love you. So does Opera. You're very dear to us both, so stop making us worry and come back to your senses already."
She stared as she pondered his words. He started to sweat, convinced all she had heard was, "I love you", but she seemed mildly shaken. Had he actually gotten through to her?
"I'm causing you trouble again, aren't I?...I'm sorry, Sa-chan. I'm not as young as I used to be; I can't break down these curses any faster." She looked sad, but sounded astoundingly lucid at that moment. He grinned, glad she was still in there and knew she had responsibilities.
Sullivan gently grasped her hand from across his desk as he leaned forward. "I can help you, but you have to put in the work, too", he offered. Nene nodded, knowing just how much was on the line against Victoria. A valued teacher and his entire class were in danger. "All right, Sa-chan, bring me home", she smiled.
Rising from his seat, he went around his desk and knelt in front of his old friend. "I will do what I can." Kissing her hand softly in gratitude for her cooperation and understanding, his aura enveloped them both. The sheer power he emanated began to rip apart some of the trapped dark mana coursing through her body. The feathers in her wings shimmered as Ai's lower level curses were torn asunder.
Sullivan was no healer or purifier. All he could do was annihilate the foreign magic within Nene's wings by sheer, overwhelming force. It wasn't without its risks, but with Victoria due on his doorstep at any hour, he accepted the possibility of a recoil. If his venture to help backfired, he would gladly look after his friend.
As his swirling aura slowly calmed and returned to normal, he watched her closely to see if it had worked. Nene dropped her head as her body twitched in adjustment. Her wings shifted back to a mixed pattern of silver and black. Looking up, she smiled serenely at his worried face, prompting him to grin with hope.
A quick, unexpected movement dragged his face into a thankful kiss. Breaking loose in a panic, he quickly scrambled back, afraid his endeavor to help had failed. Nene chuckled as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand in shock. Yet her laughter was no longer creepily off key. Playfully sticking out her tongue with a wink, she taunted, "Got you."
Sullivan sighed heavily in relief. She was finally back to herself. Forgiving her antics, he got to his feet before offering his hand to help her up from her seat. "Feeling better?", he asked. Smiling in earnest, she nodded. "Thanks to you."
She stretched deeply as she stood, glad to have her mind back. Once her head had properly cleared, Sullivan told her about the morning's events. Her green eyes stared grimly into the distance. Her children were in pain. She would not allow it to continue.
Seeing her plan ahead, he tensed as she called him by his actual name. "Sullivan?". It was rather unusual for her to do so. Whatever was on her mind had to be serious.
"When this is over, let's take Opera-chan and Iruma-kun on vacation, just the four of us", she ventured with a grin. Returning her smile, he nodded in agreement. Everyone would certainly need a recovery period after their final face off with Ai and some family time truly did sound wonderful.
Elsewhere, in isolation, Kalego sat in gloom filled silence. His soul had been shredded with intense guilt, the same way he'd torn out Persephone's throat in his seeded memories. He'd been left alone for some time after Opera's initial visit, trapped with his dark thoughts. Choosing to join her in the afterlife to beg her forgiveness directly or try to earn it through redemption for his perceived sins - it was agonizing.
The door carefully opened and Balam peered worriedly inside. Kalego neither moved nor acknowledged his presence, simply staring into the crushing abyss that surrounded him. With a grim expression, Shichiro entered and silently sat beside him. Slowly, Kalego glanced over in question. Balam looked torn, lost to his thoughts and, assumedly, internal battling loyalties.
"Why did you come here?", asked Kalego. Shichiro carefully met his gaze, unsure how to word his reasons without potentially leaking Persephone's deception to Victoria too early. Finally, he replied, "I came to check on you." Kalego smirked in self deprecation. Shichiro was truly hopeless, too kind for his own good, worrying about a murderer.
As Kalego's expression grew dark again, he stared into the floor, unable to face his loyal friend, loyalty he didn't feel he deserved. Tense silence drifted in as Balam stared uncomfortably. He really had come to check on Kalego, both deeply concerned himself and encouraged by Pandora. Both demons were genuinely worried about their friend's state of mind; His psyche had certainly taken a heavy blow.
"You should be with Pandora… She just lost the last of her family", stated Kalego, sounding near hollow. He looked like Hell worn over. The usually irritable demon had clearly been grieving deeply. His swollen eyes were proof of that.
"She's why I'm here", said Shichiro carefully. Kalego didn't visibly react, but he figured that likely meant she had sent a message telling him to never speak to her again. He didn't blame her for hating him. At that point, he hated himself.
"She's upset, but -...", trailed Balam. Kalego hung on that word. But what? By 'upset', it was obviously summing up angry, betrayed, sad, and desolate, yet Balam was cautiously minding his words. Why?
"But she's also really worried about you. We both are." Kalego slowly looked over in moderate shock. He knew his friends were soft, but how could they possibly forgive Persephone's murderer so easily? Sternly and without warning, Kalego angrily said, "Leave." Balam blinked in surprise. "What?"
Turning away, Kalego repeated himself. "I said leave; Get out of here. I don't deserve your pity, let alone that warped ideal of loyalty that's flitting about in that empty head of yours." Rather darkly, he added, "I never understood either of you... Just accept that I'm already dead and move on. Leave me here to rot."
"Kalego-kun…", uttered Shichiro in genuine concern. His best friend had completely shut down and the dour demon refused to acknowledge any further attempts at communicating. After a few unsuccessful tries, Shichiro sighed in defeat.
As he left, he glanced back in sympathy, desperate to console his friend's broken heart somehow, without forsaking the plan. It was really hard on him, but he understood why he couldn't undo the hypnotic spell just yet and he knew this was even harder on Persephone.
"No one is truly gone so long as their memory is still cherished", he ventured. Then he left Kalego alone to digest those words, unable to tell him the truth. He prayed Kalego would be set free from his guilt soon, even if it did mean facing Victoria. With any luck, the word 'memory' would at least offer him a clue.
Alone again, fresh tears welled up in Kalego's eyes. Shichiro was a fool to offer him any kindness at that point. It hurt. He had to know that...And just what was Pandora thinking? Was she so desperate not to lose anyone else that she was seriously considering forgiving him? Unwilling to accept that, Kalego grit his teeth, pained by just how much they cared. He didn't deserve their love. Why couldn't they just leave him for dead? It was what he deserved.
Hours later, Sullivan nervously watched the time. It was one o'clock. Ai would attack at any minute. As a precaution, the misfits had been told to expect her as a combat test.
They could try to hide the teens away, but they knew Ai would find a way to accomplish whatever it was she wanted with them anyway, and the abnormal class had argued they would rather be in the open for the 'training exercise', more easily able to move around freely and watch each other's backs. Begrudgingly, the adults agreed.
As the teens lined up in groups for the obstacle course, an intense aura radiated off of a lone figure nearby. Most recognized her by the photos in their dossiers; Three looked upon her in horrid recognition. Victoria Ai was finally showing herself. "Hello, abnormal class. Your teachers call you misfits. Embrace that title and come work for me", she grinned, reaching out her hand in invitation.
Everyone stared anxiously as Balam, Henri, Opera, Sullivan, and even Nene took their places between the invading villain and their precious students. "No takers?", she uttered, annoyed, dropping her arm to her side.
Azazel made sure to keep his daughter behind him with the other teens. Sure, she could handle herself in a fight, but he wasn't willing to take any chances with Victoria. The last time had been too close of a call already.
The color drained from Iruma's face as Azz also used himself as a shield, flames upon his fingertips as he glared ahead. Glancing across his friends' confident grins, Iruma had vivid flashbacks to his nightmare. He wanted to shout out a warning not to fight her, but it would have been useless. They all thought this was their final exam; They were ready to prove their worth.
Without warning, Ai smiled wickedly as she threw a flask of strange liquid at her feet. An eerie green mist flooded the field as her attack begun.
Inside, Pandora bursted into Kalego's makeshift holding cell. He looked up in surprise at the intrusion. She frantically tried to untie him without explanation.
"Pandora? What are you doing?...Hey! Stop! Leave me here!", he argued. She was ignoring his frantic words. "Damn it, Kalego, shut up! I can't concentrate!", she spat, annoyed with the entire situation. He stared at her in stunned silence. She never spoke to anyone like that.
She looked worried, annoyed, and ready to scream, cry, or both. Quickly explaining herself, she said, "Victoria is here. Those kids need you, so I'm setting you free." She hurriedly went to work on the knots around his wrists.
"You can't do that", he said darkly. She glared at the back of his head in irritation. "Didn't you hear me? You have to protect your class!" He met her bewilderment without emotion. "I've taught them all I can...They have Shichiro and Opera to keep them safe."
She was deeply annoyed by his defeatist attitude. There was no way he'd truly thought that; He was just so far gone in self pity that he didn't care anymore. Taking a breath to calm herself, she tried to act rationally.
She began to recite the incantation that would free him from his hypnotic guilt, but a massive surge of energy knocked off her feet. As Pandora fell forward, she hit her head against the back of his chair, knocking her out cold.
Feeling how loose his bonds now were, Kalego squirmed free and immediately checked on her in concern. She'd have a headache when she came to, but she'd be alright. "I hope that one day I will deserve your forgiveness", he uttered sincerely.
Then, he carefully propped her up against the wall. "Thank you for believing in me." She had relit the fire in his soul to keep his pact as a teacher of Babylus and with the abnormal class. He had to protect them at all costs. Annoyed with himself, he took off. He could always beat himself up once his students were safe. Persephone would understand.
Making his way outside, he came across Vincente running to do the same. "Welcome back", grinned Valiant. The look on Kalego's face hit him hard. He was ridden with guilt, obviously still under Persephone's spell. Valiant wondered why, but was thoroughly impressed that Kalego was still rushing to protect the ones he affectionately referred to as "brats'' despite that fact. He really was a good guy. Persephone had chosen well, but where was she?
At that time, Kalego brushed off Vincente's strange comment and behavior. He didn't have the time or patience to think about it. Valiant's cordial greeting was truly bizarre given what he had done, but they could talk about it later.
In Kalego's room, Persephone stiffly glared across her shoulder in annoyance. Someone held a knife to her throat and a syringe pressed against her side. She hadn't even seen them enter the room.
A man smirked at the distaste evident in her expression. He tauntingly traced the blade's tip along her choker. He obviously knew that she had a deep scar hidden below it from years past.
"You don't remember me, but I'm the one that did this last time, and I will gladly reopen that wound if you don't cooperate", he warned. "What do you want?", asked Persephone, annoyed to have been caught off guard in her self pity.
"Victoria-sama thinks you're dead. That makes you a valuable chess piece in the grand game - the enemy queen, very useful against toppling the king", he grinned. She curled her lip in a mild snarl. She knew she had to get to Kalego, then they could protect their students together.
Ai's agent already knew what she had planned. He'd been watching and listening for quite some time. Persephone's thoughts were written all over her face.
"Don't bear your fangs at me, missy. Naberius is no longer your concern. Let my queen have him. After all, he's already dead inside; You made sure of that yourself."
Persephone's determination faltered at those words. Somehow this demon knew just how to cut the deepest. Just how long had he been in the mansion? How did he know so much and how had he remained undiscovered with so many high ranking demons on watch? It didn't make any sense.
"Why are you working for Victoria?", she asked, keeping her emotions in check. The man's amused grin fell as he ran the knife down the side of her face, eliciting a trickle of blood to drip down. "It suits me. We lower ranked demons flock to the strong for protection, but you wouldn't know anything about that, would you Miss Cheth?"
"Whatever it is you want from me, forget it. You might as well kill me where I stand", she retorted. He smiled lightly, entertained by her bravado. "I figured you'd say that", he said, a little disappointed. Then, without warning, he readied to inject the syringes contents into her side.
To his surprise, she easily caught his wrist. Swinging his arm over her body, she twisted it behind his back, reversing their roles. With another swift motion, she took out her anger by using the mystery injection against its wielder. With a shocked look, he uttered, "Damn you", as his eyes rolled back and he went under in seconds. She smirked smugly as he fell. She had successfully captured the enemy agent.
Back outside, the entire misfit army was in disarray. The massive pulse of mana minutes before was Victoria casting her magical reversal. Each demon now struggled against their own mana.
Balam was tangled in his vines as they continued to tighten around his body, ceasing all movement; He could barely breathe. Nearby, Lied was blind and deaf, feeling his way along the ground in panic. Azz was deftly putting out the flames upon his clothing while Clara's pockets seemed to be trying to drag her in.
Gaap's windblade only injured its master and Camui and Kerori were slowly backing away from the impressive beasts they usually commanded. They had gone feral. Even Purson couldn't predict where he was phasing to next. His body was acting like a cyclone, twisting, phasing, and stumbling without control.
Not far from them, the Azazels huddled together, unnaturally afraid. Their buffer magic had backfired and made them too scared to move as each of the misfits was fighting their own nightmares.
Nene was busy tending to the fallen with basic first aid. She knew that if she tried to cast healing magic, the spell would tear her patient apart instead. She was trying to get Jazz's fingers back into place. They'd curled so tightly into his palms, that he'd dislocated several of them. The poor boy was clearly in pain. He'd likely tried to catch the vial as it shattered.
Relying on sheer strength, Opera alone was holding their own against Ai while Sullivan moved those worst affected further away, wisely withholding his mana.
Iruma pleadingly yelled at Sabnock, managing to stop him from creating a weapon just in time. Undoubtedly, it would have manifested inside his body, causing untold damage. Seeing the state their friends were in, Sabro nodded in thanks before rushing to help unbury Agares.
Seconds later, Kalego and Valiant burst onto the scene from inside. There was little time to form a plan in response to the surrounding chaos. "We need to get closer", shouted Kalego. Vincente followed the order without argument. "Right."
As he opened a portal to bypass the chaos and carnage, Ai sent them a sadistic smile. They had perfectly fallen into her trap. The duo stepped into the hole in physical space, but it didn't take them to her. Instead, they vanished from the battlefield.
"Got you", she grinned, pleased as she artfully dodged Opera's next kick. Nimbly backflipping out of their range, she winked at the annoyed security demon. "It's been fun, senpai, but I got what I came for. Make sure you throw a rose on Lamya's pyre for the boys. They won't be coming back", she taunted, then she vanished.
The main threat now gone, Opera had a choice to make. Chase after her or help their allies. Quickly changing gears, they rushed to help the others. Thankfully, they easily ripped the entwined, strangling vines from their kouhai's body.
Balam glared in irritation at where Victoria had stood as he pulled the last of the choking plants from around his throat. He was wheezing from the effort it had taken to keep breathing before his rescue, but he was clearly livid at both Ai and her damned reversal.
He looked across the faces present. A few were notably missing. Going into teacher mode, he helped Sullivan ensure all of their students were accounted for before moving onto the adults. As he helped Sabnock get Agares back on his feet, a panicked look struck him. Where was Pandora?
His phone rang at the next second. Persephone had found her unconscious cousin and was asking for updates outside. It had suddenly gotten quiet, so she knew the first firefight was over. Otherwise, she would have joined the fray after securing Pandora.
Elsewhere, Valiant's portal opened near a high ceiling. Kalego was the first one out, almost landing gracefully. It wouldn't have been so bad if Vincente hadn't landed on top of him on a heap of confused limbs. Now squished against the floor with Valiant's knee over his head, Kalego grumbled, "Get off of me, idiot." Some portal master; He couldn't even adjust for an unplanned exit.
Valiant was admittedly more guarded as a group of cursed demons surrounded them. Most would have asked where they were, but it was fairly obvious to both of them that this was Victoria's mansion or at least a dedicated dungeon. Slowly getting to his feet, he kept his open palms displayed in the face of a sharp spear very near his jugular.
A voice called out from behind the advancing guards as Kalego begrudgingly did the same. He grit his teeth in annoyance as he realized he'd fallen into Ai's trap. "These are the two Victoria-sama told us to watch for. Seal their mana and lock them up separately. Don't take your eyes off either for a second. If they get away, we're all dead."
A woman stepped close, staring eerily into Kalego's eyes as she pressed a single finger to his forehead. He could feel his mana slipping away. Whoever she was, she was sealing off his magic. Without a word, she did the same to Valiant before retreating. Then both men were accosted and dragged away in opposite directions.
Kalego was still under the influence of Persephone's magic. He looked almost relieved as he was taken away as if he had accepted that he was about to get what he deserved for killing her. Unfortunately, Valiant hadn't had enough time to speak the passphrase in the chaos.
It wasn't that he liked seeing his rival in pain; It was simply poor timing. He wondered if Victoria had figured it out yet. If she had, would she bother to tell Kalego and would he even believe her? No, both were unlikely. As Vincente was cuffed, he silently apologized to his beloved Lamya-sama. He'd failed her.
At Sullivan's estate, time seemed to fly as each member of the abnormal class was brought inside and assessed. Nene explicitly instructed everyone not to use any magic until she declared it safe. Leaving the stabilized teens under Opera's keen watch, she searched outside for the source of the quantum entanglement. She had a feeling that if she could find it, she could fix it.
Meanwhile, Balam gratefully hugged Pandora, who dragged Persephone into the shared affection. His beloved Pan-chan was relatively unharmed, though dazed. Persephone, however, still looked pretty shook up. After a moment of mutual reassurance that no one was seriously hurt, he broke the news.
"Kalego-kun is gone?", uttered Pandora in shock. She looked terrified for their friend, well aware of what Ai was capable of. "Vincente, too. I didn't see what happened myself, but reports say they tried to jump through one of his portals to get to Victoria. We don't know where Valiant's magic took them under her influence and neither is answering their phone. They could be anywhere - …"
He trailed his words, not wanting to paint too grim of an image. "You mean they could be trapped somewhere in null space?", ventured Pandora, covering her mouth in horror. Persephone's tense form caught her eye.
"Most likely, Victoria redirected the exit portal to where she wanted them to go. They're probably alive. Valiant would make a valuable ally if turned to her side and she's waited too long to get her hands on Kalego-kun to kill him that fast...She'll make sure they both suffer first", she stated darkly. Deep down, she knew the most she could possibly hope for was that they were together. At least then, Valiant could free Kalego's mind before Ai's torture began.
Hours passed as the misfits recovered. Eventually, it had been deemed safe to use magic again, so Nene and Persephone healed those in need. Meanwhile, Balam had thoroughly inspected the remnants of Victoria's shattered flask. Henri and Sullivan stared at him in anticipation, awaiting his report.
Shichiro grimly met their worried eyes. "It's just as I expected. The fluid inside has traces of all of the stolen ingredients. Whoever concocted this for Ai is a master herbalist. It's the only way she could have boosted her magic reversal so much."
Sullivan recalled the strange incident at school before it's premature closure. Victoria had muttered some arcane spell over the intercom, an incantation that had distorted the magic of everyone who had heard it. The effects then were mild and temporary, but apparently she had found a way to take it to the next level. While the spell's effects had dissipated, the reversal had hit much harder. Several students were still recovering.
Kerori was applying ice to Jazz's hands while Lied was happily getting fussed over by Elizabetta. He couldn't see her face yet, but he could feel her soft hands placing a compress across his swollen eyes. At least his hearing had returned and he could enjoy her sweet words of reassurance.
Nearby, Purson stared darkly out the window. He naturally recognized the magic Victoria had used to escape. Tensing as he put it together, a friendly voice called out to him. Iruma looked worried. They had a lot to talk about.
Across the room, Henri glanced beside Balam's testing equipment as another matter needed attention. A tiny demon had been trapped inside of a corked, glass bottle. He angrily glared at his captors. Azazel took a closer look.
"So this is how he managed to stay hidden", he uttered in thought. "Lamya-chan did well to catch him. She told me they've met before, but didn't go into detail. Do you know anything about that, Balam-kun?", ventured the principal.
Shichiro wasn't certain, but from Persephone's mannerisms, he gathered that this was most likely the assassin from her past. With luck, they could get him to talk.
"An old adversary, I assume. If he cooperates with us, he might lead us to Victoria's hideout", he said. The tiny demon was busy making mocking faces at them. He didn't seem keen to help, at least not until Persephone, herself, lifted his bottle in her hand.
Smiling darkly, she said, "I could easily snuff this fool from existence. He deserves as much... Shichiro, have you ever experimented on a living being so small? He could yield some interesting data."
Of course Balam would never hurt anything outside of a fight, but he knew she was trying to scare their prisoner. Playing along, he sent the man an eerie look as if excited to dissect him. With two rank eight demons evilly staring him down, the miniscule demon cracked. He fell on his knees, making a gesture that pleaded for mercy. Henri smirked in approval at their ploy. They had just gained an informant.
Meanwhile, somewhere far away, Vincente glared at his guards. Three demons had been assigned to watch him closely. He was tightly chained where he sat and his mana had been completely sealed upon his arrival earlier.
Some time after that, Victoria had come and taunted him briefly as she drained every ounce of magic and physical strength from his body, but she had inevitably gone off to play with her new favorite toy, promising to make a deal upon her return.
Valiant worried about his colleague. When they arrived, he and Kalego had tumbled out of the ceiling into a disheveled pile. It was pretty obvious that Victoria had somehow tampered with his portals, but how? Had Valiant paused to observe the chaos during her attack, he would have seen everyone's magic distorted at the time.
That aside, it had been hours and Valiant's guards were ignoring both his questions and his threats. Annoyed, he stared grimly at the door. Finally, Victoria stepped back into the room. She was absolutely covered in fresh blood from her lips to her knees. There was no doubt in his mind who it belonged to as she sadistically smiled, pleased with herself.
"What have you done with Naberius?", he asked, scowling. Victoria grinned in amusement as she dismissed his guards. A single servant stood silent by the door as they spoke.
Leaning to eye level, she tauntingly grasped his chin. "Do you really want to know?", she smirked. The angry look in Valiant's eyes only made her laugh as she let go of him. "Relax, Kalego-kun is still alive...for now, but I'm here to talk about you, dear cousin."
He sneered in disgust. They were distant relatives at best and that alone was enough to nauseate him. "Don't count me as your kin", he said defiantly. Annoyed, yet entertained, she let it slide for the price of his peace. "So feisty", she teased, "Just like your sister." Valiant's eyes opened wide in shock. "But she was easier to get along with", she added.
"What did you say?", he uttered, brimming with anger. Grinning, Victoria irritatingly sat on his lap as she playfully pinched his cheek. "They never told you how she really died, did they? Those rotten dogs, so loyal to the missing king, were afraid you'd get off your own leash that they told you she perished in action - Just another Vincente going down in a blaze of glory. All very regal, am I right?...But they lied. She got too close to changing sides, so they had her disposed of...See? Your bosses and I aren't so different."
His aura seethed pure hatred despite his sealed mana, a piercing glare on his face. "You're lying. You killed her yourself, didn't you? I know your kind; You're just trying to mess with my head. It won't work."
"I knew you wouldn't believe me, so here. I got ahold of her personnel file. See for yourself", grinned Ai. She got up, grabbed a folder from a nearby table, and held it open for him to see. Across his sister's photo was a stamped word in bold letters, "Terminated". His eyes quivered at the possibility, but he wouldn't be so easily swayed.
"You altered that. I've seen her real file", he retorted. Unimpressed by his bravado, Ai set the folder aside. "You saw what they wanted you to see", she shrugged. Smirking at her attempts to mess with him, he replied, "And now I'm hearing what you want me to hear."
Victoria's twisted smile met his simmering rage. He was surprisingly calm on the outside, but she had anticipated as much with his training. After all, he'd be well taught how to survive interrogation and torture. She knew that look in his eyes. Even if he was defiantly smiling, his hate was still there just below the surface.
Playfully tapping his nose, she winked. "Don't worry, little spymaster. Your training won't go to waste. I intend to test it well, to break your body and spirit. You'll beg for death soon enough, but for now, I'll leave you with your doubts. Go ahead and reconsider your loyalties... I can't bring Lulu back, but I can avenge her unjust death. Just think it over."
With that, she confidently left the room, replaced with the guards from before, as she headed off to further torment Kalego. Valiant grit his teeth in irritation. He wasn't surprised that Ai had found out about his little sister who had died in the line of duty years before, but it still stung that her memory was being tarnished and used against him. He glared at the open file nearby. It had to be a fake, right?
to be continued...