CH.66 The Mind of The Inversed PT.1.

Hiro flies towards the mass of corpses conjured by Saori, and Mana gets back up, looking injured but puts on a look of concern when she sees the fight continually getting aggressive seeing Haru and Aki's intense clashing.

But, as they clash for a moment, Haru looks into Aki's eyes and then she gasps for a moment , but he immediately takes this chance to punch her in the stomach and sends her backwards. He Then smiles for a moment and turns his sights back to Mana.

"Aki, come on, stop acting like freaking psycho." Mana yells at him.

He simply swings his sword and unleashes a beam shaped like his blade towards her, but she jumps up and dodges it quickly enough. He then charges forward as Mana puts up her guard, but he pushes her forward while he smiles at her struggling. They then crash into another building as Aki stands before a newly created hole and Mana finds herself back on the ground. He looks as if he's about to make another attack, when a force propels him forward as he spins and slides on the ground by his feet. He then lets out a yell as he jumps through the roof area and flies back. Suddenly, Haru appears in the building and embeds her sword into the ground, creating a field around them.

She looks around for a moment, looks at Mana, and she conveys "I don't have much time, but I think I know what's going up with that friend of yours."

Trying to stay composed Mana quickly stands up "Yeah, what do you think?" She says with hope in her tone.

"I think something's wrong with his mind. I think something is blocking his consciousness, something that's telling him not to think." She explains.

"How can that be? He's talking and acting like a real prick." She questions.

But Haru just says "I don't know what's going on, but I saw something in his eyes. I think he's possessed or brainwashed."

Shrugging a bit, Mana looks up and sees Aki descending from the sky as he strikes the field, shaking the building in the process.

" Yeah, and how do we fix him?" She bluntly asks.

"Haru looks at her sword and just asks "Are you willing to trust me. Because I'm not sure that is going to go well." To which Mana's expression just turns to a confident smile.

Moments later, Aki strikes the field again as it cracks this time, and he flies back up again, but before he can begin to descend, the field suddenly and Haru quickly emerges from the hole and strikes towards Aki, who puts up his guard, but the tides turn on him as Haru forces him back and she spins while their blades are connected as the blunt end of her blade smacks Aki's head and leaves a small mark.

"Got him…" She says quietly as she looks below and sees Mana on the ground, unresponsive and barely breathing. "I hope I can keep you safe for now, Mana."

?

In a dark abyss, Mana opens her eyes as she feels as though she is floating and her attire has slightly changed to be a full-bodied black and white wiresuit and she looks at her weapons, greatly resembling her original realizer from DEM industries and she feels a bit stronger.

"I guess Haru must've given me some power." She feels as though she softly lands on a solid surface, but she looks around and nothing but abyss. "Jeez, this place is so empty." She says as she takes a few steps forward, but then feels a sinking sensation as she falls into what feels like she falling into quicksand as she falls through a dark mass. She feels like she's being suffocated and helpless to stop it as she struggles in the dark mass.

Then, she feels something as she manages to make her hand steady as she pulls herself out of the mass. With her eyes closed, she coughs a bit and gets some deep breathes of air. She then pulls herself completely out and takes a new sight in. She sees what looks like the Itsuka residence.

"Hey, this is where my big brother lives…." She then runs over to the building and opens the door and the area entrance hall is completely dark without any lights and a ghostly silence. "Okay, so I just got to find Aki's consciousness, and wake it up." While saying this, she sees a dark figure walking through the shadow, who radiates with negative power.

This figure walks down the hall and Mana immediately follows this person and she now finds herself in a hallway, much to large to be part of the real residence and she sees no figure, but a faint light down the hallway and she looks around. She goes towards the light and now stands before a door and hears the sound of a woman's voice and she immediately opens the door and sees an image that seemingly takes place at night as the window shows a dark sky and the room is dimly lit. But it appears to be the bedroom of a small child because there are toys all over the floor, there are decorations of trains and planes.

But what catches Mana's attention is the sight of Tohka facing the wall while lying on a bed. Concerned she runs up "Tohka, do you know where…" She then attempts to touch her, but her hand phases through Tohka's body when she tries to get her attention. Instead, she looks to the side of where Tohka is lying down, and sees a small child snuggled next to her, crying.

"it's okay, I'm right here, Akihiko. Momma won't let anything hurt you." She lovingly says to the child as she gently strokes his head.

Looking around a bit more, Mana wonders "Wait, am I in his memories? Man, I'm probably way off of where I'm supposed to be." She looks around and then spots something covered in shadow as Mana immediately readies her weapon, but the shadow is reflected in a mirror in the room, so Mana turns around with her weapon ready, but she simply sees Tohka and young Aki as she sits up, rubs his head, and quietly leaves the room.

Then Mana looks back as the shadowy figure becomes visible, and she resembles Inverse Tohka who simply stares down at a now sleeping Aki.

"What's going here? Is this a memory or not?" She wonders as she turns around and feels a grip suddenly tighten around her throat and is lifted up by someone who suddenly appears from a dark shadow. Unable to breath, Mana can look and sees Aki in his inverse outfit choking her with a smile on his face.

"Now who said you could dance around my mind?" He asks with a grin and tightens his grip further. Mana's vision goes blurry, but she moves her arm and fires her weapon at Aki's abdomen, which blows him back to the wall and puts a hole in his stomach.

Being dropped instantly, she gasps for air again "Can….I please…..Be able to breathe….for two minutes…." She says sarcastically. Standing up, Mana watches as memory of young Aki and the inverse Tohka fades away.

Aki recovers quickly and stares back at Mana with that smile again "Asking to breathe here is like asking for water in the desert as far as I'm concerned."

Putting up her guard, Mana stares at the young man before her "I refuse to believe you're the real Aki. There's no way my brother could ever raise a creep like you."

But this makes him laugh a bit "Like that wimp could raise a warrior like me. Master Shinra brought me up, gave me power, and got rid that useless sentimentalism."

Mana readies her weapons and assumes a stance "That's it, I've heard it from you. You're going down, and I'm dragging you away from Aki's head."

Mana charges in with her dual blades blades out as she spins , but Aki blocks it and pushes her back to the wall and she crashes through the residence. Activating her realizer, Mana floats and remembers "I can't beat him out there, no wonder I can't do it in here." She takes a breath and looks at Aki in residence, smiling like he was outside, and she shakes her head "But that doesn't mean I'm not going to try."

Readying for round 2, Mana readies herself as Aki charges in and spins a bit to get momentum for his swing but while they are at the halfway point between each other, Aki freezes in place for a moment as a beam of light shoots from the pillar and strikes his chest as he soars backwards and then his body vanishes as a sphere of light opens behind him and he disappears into it.

Confused, mana sees a figure forming in the light, holding what appears to be a key, similar to the one Haru uses, but with a more angelic form, but she cannot make out the colors very well due to the light being bright. The figure appears to wear a cloak with long sleeves and a hood over their face with and they finally emerge from the pillar as it fades revealing the cloak to be a pearl white with lavender, floral-like pattern on the both sides of the torso, and white gloves, boots, and pants. The sword she's holding has a gold blade with silver trim, a purple gem embedded in the hilt, which is black with a gold tip and the teeth of the key looks like a typical old key. And there is a keychain with a distinct star-like design within a circle. This person approaches Mana, who calmly keeps her guard up.

"Hold It. Don't get too close." She says sternly as the person ceases moving, but she does get a glimpse under the hood as this person appears feminine with seemingly long pale blue hair with blue eyes and a sad look on her face.

She looks towards Mana, saying "I guess you don't remember me…" her voice distinctly female.

Dropping her guard, she replies "Wait, should I know you?" She looks at the young lady closely and she says "I feel like…" Her head suddenly hurting as she falls to her knees clenching her head.

But the young lady runs towards her concern in her voice "Mana, are you okay?" she places her arms around Mana's body and a glow forms around them as Mana stops her clenching and looks at the young woman again.

"I feel like I know you, but I can't place it." Mana replies weakly.

The two stand for a second as the young woman gently explains "Let's just say I'm someone who shouldn't be, but am." She walks back a few steps and further says "I just want to make things right for him. Let me help you, Mana, please."

She looks deep into the young woman's eyes and compulsively says "Sure, I'm going to need help with this, I guess." Then she asks "But what's your name?"

The young puts her hand to her chin and simply answers "How about you just call me Origin for now. I shouldn't force your memories, if you have any of me that is."

Mana extends her arm with a smile "Alright, I'll give this a shot. I don't know who you are, but if you help fix Aki, I'll work with you, Origin."

At first, Origin looks a bit confused, but she calmly says "Oh, I think that you…never mind" She then does the same as she and Mana shake hands and seal their deal. After this, she holds her weapon and a sphere of light forms at the tip and it shoots a beam of light that opens a circle in the air that leads to a white hallway, which Mana and Origin both swiftly enter.

Once inside this new hallway, the two young ladies take a moment to gaze at the scenery, Mana taking a breath "Well, at least this a pleasant site for once. But where are we now?"

Origin looks around for a second and simply answers "If I had to guess, we must be in this young man's conscience. We were in his memories until a second ago. But here, I think we can go to specific areas of his memories."

Mana looks around and notices there are several doors with different signs on them. She walks around and sees one that reads "Dad" and curious, she opens the door and pokes her head inside and sees a swirl of random images that flash like a streak of swarming lights until a scene begins forming.

In it, she sees just an image of Shido, but he's visibly older and wearing a suit, but he looks a bit guilty as he hears Aki yelling "What about mom!? She's been raising us for the last decade, and you can't even take time off to help her with Aiko's birthday!? I thought you were better than that, dad!"

Another scene appears rapidly, but this one shows Shido with a look of concern and Aki appears to be in a hospital, by the scenery of a room with an IV and a doctor talking with who appears to be his mother. "What were you thinking, Akihiko? Why'd you do something so stupid? Why would you…"

but the scene flashes to another image again, but this time appears to be further back as Aki seemingly makes baby noises and Shido's face is very close "Wow, he looks like you, Tohka. But, you know, just a like a boy."

"Shido, if he's a boy, he should look like you." Tohka says, but is unseen, and Shido simply smiles a bit at her remarks.

But Mana closes the door before any more memories can play, and she shakes her head "Wow, that was a bit of a ride." Saying a bit taken back by the flashing imagery.

But Origin continues forward, saying "Memories are sometimes like an explosion, they're spontaneous, erratic, and they seem to vanish with the moment."

"….This place is not for the likes of trespassers." A voice echoes through the hall. The two look around all over and see nothing, but they can clearly hear "But this warning will not be extended further. Continue now, and I will be forced to consider you both threats to my child."

Upon hearing this, Origin raises her blade and her body glows with power for a moment "I won't let a phantom impede my mission to the Spirit Children. Go ahead and attempt to stop us, but we will awaken the Spirit Child."

Mana steps forward, declaring "Hey, if you want to be my round 2, then you better show up and quit making me wait."

Origin then swings her weapon and it travels down the hallway until it suddenly stops and creates a large cloud in the center of the hallway. It disperses quickly revealing a large hole to a dark room which Mana and Origin immediately run towards.

While moving, Mana looks at Origin, asking "Hey, if we can see Aki's memories like this, is it possible for us to see into the memories of the other Spirit Children?"

Moving still, she simply asks "Are you asking about the one called Hiro?"

"No, I want to find out about…." She is about to finish, but the two arrive in the new dark area, and inside, they see a large sphere in getting clearer as they approach. Inside, they see the image of a woman holding a child, and she has a soft smile on her face.