"Kanda!? Lenalee!?"
"No way!" Kuri says. "New Exorcists!? I didn't know."
"There was no reason for you to know," says Kanda
"I can't get any sense from those two...!" Miranda thinks.
Allen looks at the mirror Lenalee is holding. "This is called a talisman." "That hand mirror!" he says. "A talisman!"
"Talisman!?" the others think.
"We meet again, Allen," says Lenalee.
"Lenalee!" he thinks.
"The hand mirror is a talisman!?" Kuri says. "In my ominous dream, someone said to gather the talismans. So you... Who on earth are you!?"
"A dream?" Kanda says. "So, you sense it too. The dreadful premonition. The crisis of ruin."
"If you know something, tell us!" Kuri says. "What's going to happen from now on!?"
"Make no mistake. We have no intention of fighting together with you." Kanda said.
"Then you're not... allies?" Allen asks.
"I don't remember saying we were allies." Kanda said.
"Wait!" Lavi says. "Are you chasing after this Queen Bandiane too!? What does she want!?"
"We've never spoken," Lenalee says. She begins to play her violin.
"Lenalee!?" Allen thinks. Music fills the air.
"My head is splitting..." Lavi says.
"These two soldiers carry talismans..." thinks Miranda. "Oh no...! Could these two bring about our ruin!?"
"Wait!" Allen calls. "Are you going to lead us to ruin!? Answer me!"
They were all knocked to the ground by Mugen and Dark Boots attacks.
"The exorcists..." Kuri thinks. "Attacked us...!?"
Xxx
"I don't know if I should talk about them," Lavi says. "Originally, those exorcists weren't supposed to be here. Like the Avatar, they have a different duty and jurisdiction. They're supposed to be far away. We weren't supposed to run into them."
"More exorcists besides Allen...!?" Kuri thinks.
"They're said to defend the world from a distance. They are exorcists of legend, veiled in mystery. But it seems that they really exist. I don't believe it. They've appeared. There must be some state of emergency..."
"State of emergency..." Miranda says. "The invasion? Or is it something else...!?"
"If that's true... Why did they attack us?"
"They aren't enemies!" Kuri says. "They're allies!"
"You have no reason to say that," says Lavi. "They attacked us. Just like enemies do."
"That's some greeting," says Miranda.
"For whatever reason," Lavi says, "they made it clear they're not allies. If they come to attack us again, we'll have to fight them."
Allen lies in bed. Kuri was asleep next to him. He holds Kuri's hand. "What do those two want!?" he thinks. He sees a ruined city around him. A wave of water looms overhead.
"A tidal wave!? What happened here!?" A shadowed figure stands atop a devastated pillar. "Who are you?" Allen says. "Are you the god of ruin?"
Allen and Kuri open their eyes. "A dream!?"
"Allen..." Kuri says. "Did we just have the same dream!?"
"That dream..." Allen says. "The god of ruin..."
Xxx
Lavi sits in thought. "The mirror Lenalee carries is a talisman...!" He thinks. "The three talismans that will cause the ruin. Then where are the other two?"
Xxx
Kuri sits in the park. "Allen's late," she says. "Looks like rain. Bad weather. Since then I haven't seen them. Lenalee and Kanda..." Two hands cover her eyes. She turns around. "Allen?" She sees Kanda behind her.
"I was taking a detour from my route home," he says. "You drew me here." He turns and runs away in a gust of wind.
"Wait!" Kuri calls. "Kanda!" He stops. "Are you our ally? Another exorcist like Allen? Why won't you tell us anything?"
"I wanted to meet you while you knew nothing," Kanda says. "Kuri..."
"Kanda..."
He holds her face.
"Kuri!" Allen says.
"The exorcist appears," says Kanda. He ran away..
"Kuri," Allen says. He holds her. "What's happened? Did he do anything to you?" (he's jealous and protective)
"No... It's not that. It's not that..." She rests her head on Allen's chest, her eyes watering. "Why am I crying..." she thinks. "It's hard..."
Allen hugs her.
Xxx
Miranda has to make something out of clay, something important, and give it to someone she cares for. She shows the others what she is doing, and they ask if it's a coffee cup.
"No!" Miranda says. "It's the chalice."
"chalice? What's that?" Kuri said.
"That's the name of a legendary object that is supposed to be the secret to reincarnation," Miranda says. "When a crisis calls for it, wondrous power flows from the chalice. It gives power to the innocence, and saves the people."
"I only asked Lavi a little," says Kuri. "We'll get Allen to help us."
Xxx
"Want some coffee?" Allen asks.
"Sure," says Kuri.
They drink their coffee in silence.
"I wonder what Allen thinking about," Kuri thinks. "Is he mad about me and Kanda being together...? But I couldn't help it. Kanda as the enemy again..."
"Allen!" she says. "Umm. I..."
"H-Hey Allen!" Miranda calls as she bursts into the room. "I was going to meet you at the door, but you're already here!"
Kuri and Allen are silent.
"Have you been fighting?" Miranda asks.
"N- No!" Kuri says.
"Allen looks angry, Kuri.", Miranda remarks.
"Huh?"
"What did you do, cheat on him?"
"Cheat on him..." Kuri thinks. "Is that what he's thinking? That I cheated on him..."
"Miranda," Allen says. "What did you come here for?"
"Well, I wanted you to help me with my project."
Miranda pulls on Kuri. "Don't go. You need to help me too. 'Kay?" She unwraps her cup-shaped piece of clay on the table.
"What are you trying to make with the clay!?"
"The holy chalice."
"Holy chalice?" Allen says. "Master told me about that. How are you going to make that, from this..."
"We'll need lots of supplies! Go to the store, Kuri!"
Kuri leaves the store grumbling. "So why did it have to be me...?"
She enters Allen apartment. "I'm back! I brought some ice cream too."
She smiles as she sees Allen working with Miranda on the clay.
"Wow! Miranda! Look, look! It's great!"
"Yep, we finally finished it," says Allen.
"Miranda..."
They see her asleep on the floor. They smile.
Kuri puts her arms around Allen. "Allen... I'm sorry. For being like that with Kanda..."
"I believe you, Kuri."
"When you were together with Lenalee, I got really jealous. It was stupid."
"I was full of jealousy too," Allen says. "Jealous of that guy. But I'm sure there was a reason for it. He always looks at you in that way. I think those two have hard circumstances."
"Yeah," says Kuri. "Yeah, I guess, Allen."
"Kanda's painful sorrow spread..." she thinks. "I'm crying for no reason."
Allen holds her. "We don't need to wake Miranda up. If you want to stay here, that's okay." He holds her and kisses her.
Miranda peeks out from under her blanket. "Looks like they've made up." She had been pretending to be asleep so as to give Allen and Kuri a chance to talk and clear things up.
Xxx
Miranda, Allen and Kuri are talking. It's been raining a lot that spring and it is depressing Miranda. Midterm scholarship tests are coming up and Miranda moaned that THEY are what is depressing. Miranda, though, has received excellent marks again, first place! She urges Miranda to join her to go to the Fire Nation Academy and prepare for the exams. There is a ranking book Lavi shows them and it says that one person is above Miranda, a woman named Bidou Yui. Miranda says she shall go visit the girl.
When she goes to visit the school, Bidou Yui is condescending but urges Miranda to join. When she returns to her friends, Lavi warns her that it might be an enemy trap. Miranda insists she won't be caught that easily and assures Lavi that if anything happens, she will contact her. Miranda leaves to return to the Mugen Academy.
"Bad rain clouds..." Miranda thinks. "Like they're coming out from this building." She enters the Infinity building.
"You're the visiting student, Miranda, right? Junior high is on the 13th floor. Please go to the 9th grade science class."
Miranda goes into the science room, where Yui is waiting. She stands next to a glass case with a black swirl of matter inside.
"You're here," Yui says. "Miranda."
"What's that?"
"Isn't it pretty? This is a miniature replica of the cosmos. I made it for a science experiment. It's the Black Dream Hole. Lotto-san?"
"I feel like I'm being sucked in..." Miranda thinks.
Miranda looks at the case. "I wonder if that's a hologram," she thinks. "This black hole... I've never heard of it." Yui leaves to go do something while a camera mounted on the ceiling focuses on Kata.
Queen Bandiane looks at the image of Miranda in the pool of water. "I feel extraordinary power coming from the surface of the water," she says. "That power... Could it be... A carrier of a spirit's protection? Another spirit!? She came by herself."
"Queen. I am the leader of the science class, Bidou Yui. Leave it to me, Water Warrior. It was clear from the beginning that the Snow Princess and the Fire Dancer would fail. By my system, the Water Warrior, I will obtain the souls of the Spirit World. The master will certainly be pleased."
"The souls of the Spirit World..." says Queen Bandiane. "It must have such strong energy." She gasps as the image in the pool vanishes.
The camera lens is shattered as Miranda throws a pen into it. She runs out into the hallway. A sign by a stairway reads, "Underground Laboratory. No entry." Miranda rushes down the stairs.
"Kanda!" Lenalee calls, as she sees him running.
Miranda opens the door that reads, "No entry." Eyes shine in cages all around the room. "An animal research lab!?" she says. "Another door!?" She reads the sign on the second door. "Danger!?" She looks through the window on the door. "I don't believe it! Those are... the monsters that attacked us!? Then this must be the enemies'..."
A hand grabs her shoulder. "Going to class, Miranda-san?" Yui asks.
"Oh no!"
Other students surround her. "In this class, I will take your soul. We'll start the utilization."
"What!?" Miranda thinks. "What's she talking about!?"
"We're also interested in that utilization," Kanda says.
"Kanda!? Lenalee!?"
"Seize them!" Yui says to the students. "Take all three of them to my class!" They're dragged upstairs to the science classroom. "The operation has just begun!" Yui says. "The nanorobots in my program will go forth from human bodies into their souls. Through my system, I will sacrifice the souls to our master Queen Bandiane! I will sacrifice the empty bodies as vessels to our compatriots! It will be glorious!"
Miranda knocks the students around her away.
"You fool!" Yui says. "This is the 13th floor!"
Miranda jumped and lands in the swimming pool outside.
Kanda and Lenalee jump out after her.
"Don't let them escape!" Yui says. "Go after them!"
"What's the big commotion!?" Queen Bandiane says. "Don't let the valuable vessels escape!" she says. "The spirits are together! Get them!"
Kanda and Lenalee hide in a tree.
"We can't stay in the Fire Nation anymore," Kanda says.
"You're right," says Kuri.
Yui jumps to the ground. "Where are they!? Find them!"
"You're doing needless things!" Miranda says.
"A water bender is no match for a water warrior!" Yui snapped and the two began to fight.
Miranda gasps. "My body's..."
"Heh heh. Does it hurt? The nanomachines extracted from my program cut into your body and dissolve it! All that will be left is the soul of your beautiful spirit!"
"My body won't move...!" Miranda thinks. "No..."
"Now, to our master!" Yui says. "Sacrifice the strong, beautiful spirit!"
"Miranda!" Allen calls. Kuri followed.
Allen stops as she sees two figures before her. "Kanda!? Lenalee!?"
Kanda lifted his sword. "My talisman!"
He used it to attack and defeat Yui.
Miranda falls to the ground.
"Miranda!" Allen ran over.
"Kanda's sword!?" Miranda thinks. "Is that... the second talisman!?"
Kanda and Lenalee ran away in a blaze of heat.
"Wait!" Miranda calls. "Kanda! Lenalee! They came to save us...?"