Epilogue 2: Special Edition – Dark Mirror: REversI Part 1-
Free! Cosmos World Chronicle
~Dark Mirror: Reversi~
Note: This is a fanfic that detail more about the Era of the Shadow Mafia Empire Universe as well as a handful of characters that will appear in Gen 3.0. It is mostly a prequel to the original "Dark Mirror" aside from a few flashbacks.
Plot: With only six months into the Shadow Mafia Empire, each day brings more angst and pain to the heroes whom they were once filled with hope. Discover the untold stories of the Mikoshiba siblings, Nitori, Gou, Sousuke, and Chigusa as they try to unravel the past while confronting new enemies hidden behind the scenes of the Shadow Mafia's Evil Empire!
Part 1: 前編
Down beneath the mountains of Italy, about 10 miles north of the Caserta Palace and its neighboring prison camp were a series of coal mines for the workers to collect and exploit. Several workers would rotate here with other duties such as tree-cutting, cotton picking, blacksmith, and other harsh-conditions that would bring exhaustion and illnesses. Many, if not all the workers were not allowed to take breaks of any shape or form.
Several slaves begged to have their souls devoured and become new full-fledge hunters with one instruction: to snuff the light out. By doing so, they had more freedom to roam the world and had better conditions. A few of them became elite members and worked with the core team or other satellite regions throughout the planet.
Back in the mines, Gou Matsuoka picked at a wall with her pickaxe to collect some coal dust. Her hair was total sweat and frizzed with her body was full of aches. She panted heavily with almost no breaths due to the damp and decreased oxygenation. Chigusa Hanamura turned to see her struggle and went to assist her on lifting the tool back up.
"Just…how…did this mission ended up so disastrous?" Aiichirou Nitori asked as he watched Seijuurou Mikoshiba trying to chuck out a few more coal pieces. It was clear that the ex-captain was beyond frustrated but also speechless.
"I-I don't know," he muttered.
"I want to go help the girls but even at our slightest movement…" Nitori began.
"Those bastards never take their eyes off anything, do they? Do they ever sleep?" Sei growled before turning to see Gou crying out in pain, "Dammit…"
Gou finally dropped her pickaxe and collapsed down, resting her back against the wall.
"Hang on! I got you!" Chigusa took out a small flask of water (whatever it was left from the world).
I want to use my vampire abilities, but could they know about it, Nitori thought.
"Dammit! Screw this nonsense, I'm going over!" Sei replied.
"Wait! What about…" Nitori protested but the red-haired man walked his way over in no time. Gou tuned her head to see him.
"P-Please…I'll be okay!" Gou answered.
"No, you're not okay! I saw you struggling just now! You are in no condition for this!" he replied.
"I guess I can't lie to ya," Gou sighed deeply, "But those beasts will be here if they know we are not doing our work…"
"To be honest, I haven't heard any alarms yet…nor did we had one today," Chigusa commented.
"Hmmm, you're right Chi, that is strange," Sei answered, "Did something happened back outside?"
Gou started to tear up as she feared for her brother's life since that horrific day, "O-onii-chan…what did they do to him? Is he even still alive!? W-what if he's…"
"Gou, no! Don't think that! There's no way he is! Rin's stronger than that. He's not going to let those guys take him down that easily," Seijuurou answered as he wiped her tears with a cloth of his ripped shirt.
"I-I'm sorry… It just that...everyone...was dying before us," Gou said as she could envision the past all over again, "And Rei...oh how could he have done this to us?! What happened between him and the others?!"
"Whatever it was, I have a feeling it was something deeper," Chigusa suggested.
Nitori had enough and walked over to join the group, "Are you alright Matsuoka-san?"
"Just call me Kou…or Gou…whatever…better than being called a number," she replied.
"Those bastards have a lot of nerve using a numeric system on us!" Sei scoffed.
Just seconds later, the alarms that sound like a wild cat screeching goes off, alerting the miners throughout the network. Nitori, Gou and Chigusa gasped and feared that they were caught for not working.
"Of all times…" Seijuurou was ready for whatever would come next, "Let them give us more scars and I'll show them…"
They turned to see one of them appearing gripping chains with two prisoners. While it was hard to see through the shadows, it was clear that they were added to this area of the mines.
"NOW GET TO WORK YOU TWO!" the Shadow Mafia pushed two young-adult red-hairs to the scene.
"WAAAAAAAAAHHH!" the female stumbled down.
"UAAAAHHHH!" the male fell on his face of the hard dirt. He got up and shouted back, "HEY, WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE PAL!?"
But the Shadow Mafia vanished into the shadows before he could finish, "Dark…ugly…trash."
"More prisoners I assume?" Nitori looked at Seijuurou.
"Quite loud if you asked me," the red-hair nodded.
The two got up on their feet and approached to them. Gou and Chigusa gasped at their hair colors and their facial features.
"W-who are they?" Gou looked fascinated.
"First, dat guy tells us to get to work and doesn't explain what it us…not how I volunteered for a summer job," the man grumbled.
Seijuurou's eyes narrowed at first but the gasped as he recognized the woman but never thought he'd see her again.
"O-onii-chan!?" Isuzu gasped.
"Oh my god…" Seijuurou gasped before rushing over to hug her, "I-It's really you!?"
"Oof-f of course it's me!" Isuzu answered back.
"E-eh? What's going on?!" Momotarou asked, "What's with you saying onii-chan?"
Isuzu turned to him and said, "Do you remember what I told you back in Hokkaido?"
"Y-yes but…" Momo answered as he stared at his newly revealed older brother.
"This is the man; our oldest brother…Seijuurou," Isuzu introduced him, "This is our family...I became a student of Hidaka U. High School while your brother was at Samezuka Academy, which is an all boy's school by the way. Mom and dad never told us about you but...after I found out you were adopted and lived in Hokkaido...that's when I knew that I had to reach out to you before they took over the planet. I kept in touch with Onii-chan for a time before things got hectic in Iwatobi."
"So that makes you three?" Gou asked as Chigusa stared in confusion.
Momotarou turned to look at Gou as his eyes began to sparkle up at this young beauty before him. However, he didn't notice that Isuzu was also attracted to Gou likewise. Nitori was already facepalming at this as he knew how much Seijuurou was head over heels for her.
"Hey um…" Momo began to speak, "Y-you…you look…"
The alarms go off again, knocking Momo's concentration from Gou as he yelped at the horrific cat screeching noise. Isuzu covered her ears likewise at this unpleasant sound echoing throughout the cavern.
Chigusa and Nitori grabbed their axes while Gou follows suit, telling the siblings, "Hey we have to work before they come back to inspect us!"
Seijuurou grabbed a spare pickaxe, handing it to Momo, "Go dig out some coal."
"T-They want us to do what?! Are you kidding me!?" Momo cried out.
Isuzu sighed while grabbing hers, "I hate this…I knew we were fucked the moment we were caught."
"First, I get snatched up while minding my own business, then I'm forced to dig up coal with such primitive tools... Ugh! This sucks! This sucks!" Momo muttered.
"Shhhhh, it's gonna get worse if you don't comply," Seijuurou replied as he started to dig again with Isuzu. Momo sighed before pitching in
"Have mercy on us," Chigusa prayed as they could all hear footsteps of another Shadow Mafia servant arriving on scene.
"Greetings fellow miners. We have two new additions today that will help contribute an increase in coal supply. Don't forget that the Tri-City Central Pre-exam will be conducted by the end of the month that will determine your eligibility to work or die," the figure spoke.
"Whhaaa…" Momo felt uneasy before his mouth was slapped over by Sei's hand.
"However, we have also learned that one of the members in a nearby mining division escaped. And so we ask if anyone who is willing for a better reward...is to tell us who left and where they fled to," the Shadow Mafia added.
No one answered in response, just continuing to do their digging.
"Very well then, consider this your warning," the hooded figure answered, revealing an unlucky miner that was randomly selected from the next division before using dark magic to snap its spinal cord and killing the victim in front of the group."
Momo almost nearly threw up at the sight as Isuzu turned away from this disturbing scene.
"You'll be picked up in the hour and return to your camp homes," the Shadow Mafia concluded before vanishing into the shadows.
Everyone remained silent but Momo muttered, "I wanna go home…"
"I'm afraid home is no longer here," Seijuurou said in response.
For the first time in his memory, Momo's eyes began to tear up, "I…what did we do to deserve all this horror? How did this all started?!"
Seijuurou and Isuzu hugged him in response as the former said, "It's a very long story. But it's one that we cannot give up…I don't know how but something will come."
"We can try to share what we experienced," Gou answered.
"Like they said, we got an hour before they pick us up. Shall we?" Seijuurou suggested.
"I'll try to make it look like we are working so the alarms don't go off again," Chigusa answered.
Sei, Gou, and Nitori each contributed a piece of the Legend of the Suiei Gods...starting with their own existences as Nikon, Acacius and Erastos from the past before being reincarnated to the present and carrying on the mission to support the Suiei Gods whom were the Magic Six...
Isuzu nodded as she recalled a few bits and pieces of the legend while Momo was strangely fascinated despite not having stag beetles involved.
More importantly, the heroes that they were inspired Momo as he too wanted to be one of those heroes with a very colorful personality.
"Okay then," Gou sighed, "Who wants to share the betrayal in Italy?"
"W-wait, you mean there's a betrayal?!" Momo gasped.
Nitori and Sei remained silent about this as Gou answered, "Fine, I'll share it."
"No…I'll do it," Sei replied as he took a deep breath to remember all of what happened that horrific day, "What started out as a mission to Italy, while meeting friends and family along the way, soon took a turn for the worst. That fateful day. The day when Rei Ryugazaki betrayed the team. First, by doing away with Alex, then selling the rest of the gang out to the Shadow Mafia. One-by-one, Haruka, Makoto, and Nagisa were the first among the slaughtered. Whatever became of Rin was unknown. Why Rei betrayed them was a mystery on its own. As for us, we became prisoners at their base for a while before they set us up for endless labor."
Isuzu lowered her head down about this despite never meeting these people. She had heard some tales about them through the internet and gossip but to think that they were real people with magic. It was a pity that she wasn't available on schedule to be of some help to the team whether it was for swimming or being a hero.
"Well if you said no one knew what happened to Rin, could this mean that he's alive?" Momo asked.
"O-onii-chan…" Gou's face teared up.
"W-wait…you and Rin are siblings!?" Momo asked.
"That's enough!" Sei replied, "Yes…they are siblings…one of which they were from a loving family but their father past away when they were very young."
"I- I'm so sorry," Momo said, "But really though?! Rin could be somewhere biding his time! He could be rebuilding his strength to swoop in and save all of us…WHOOSH AND BAM AND…"
Seijuurou leaped over to cover his mouth before adding, "Even if that was the case…the power of the Suiei Gods are not how they work exactly."
"Eh?" Momo asked as he struggled to breathe over Sei's hand.
"Without the Suiei Gods…our world's supply of water depletes," Gou added.
"W-what?!" Momo asked, "H-how is that possible?!"
"The legend always says there must be a minimum of five to maintain the order. Without those numbers, well...you can see what the world is becoming of," Seijuurou explained, "Both the land and sea are decaying, replaced by blood and darkness."
Momo recalled back in Hokkaido when one of the students went to the beach but came back all oily and gross. Another scene took place when there was no water at the school pool and scarcity was on the rise there.
"So then what? What are we going to do?" Momo asked.
"We must pray and hope for some miracle," Nitori replied.
"T-that's it!?" he looked disappointed, "From what it sounds like we're waiting for doom's day!"
"It's better to keep the faith alive. Pray each day and maintain hope that we make it to another day. Another week. Hell, another year," Seijuurou crossed his arms over.
"First time for anything," Momo sighed.
"The Shadow Mafia have expectations to keep all humans working in these horrible job conditions. Otherwise...it's either death or selling your soul to them," Nitori explained.
"S-say what!?" the orange-haired gasped at the last part but the alarms blared off again.
"It's time isn't it," Gou sighed.
"WAAAAH! I CAN'T STAND IT!" Momo shouted, covering his ears.
Caserta Palace, Main Throne Room
Rei sat on his throne as two Shadow Mafia servants came back with reports about today's work in the mines.
"Sir, we picked up a couple of stragglers to increase the supply. One's a little high strung. Probably won't last the week. The other one looks like she could hold her own," the first servant reported.
"Interesting, what are their names?" Rei asked
"Siblings sir – Isuzu and Momotarou Mikoshiba," the second servant answered.
Rei waved out his hand to call forth several shadow butterflies to fly around his aura, "Mikoshiba…didn't think the red-hair captain had siblings, huh?"
"We found it interesting, too, sir. The reports never listed any known alive family members," the first servant agreed.
With a gesture, the dark megane summoned a set of microchips and instructed, "I want them carefully monitored. Sneak into their rooms with these chips embedded in their skin so I can watch them more closely."
"At once my liege," the second servant said.
"This will be interesting indeed, but without the Suiei Gods, they will have no means to be a threat to us. However, I do not like to let things go amiss. Go!" he ordered.
The two bowed before disappearing into the shadowy clouds. Rei sensed someone else in this room and beckoned them to come out.
"I am impressed," Taylor smiled, "You sure have learned quickly."
"Indeed...it wasn't much but I must thank you for all your support and resources. I never felt this happier," Rei replied.
"I am glad you made the right decision too. This empire will be an important legacy for us...for our home of Mayfield will finally have its place it deserves...people who are dedicated…people who are toughed-skinned…no more crybabies, weakness, or rebels," the leader answered, "Only those on top will rule the world."
"I have seen the city…quite a town of its own despite in ruins but you are right. It fell because it was too much weaknesses there," Rei agreed.
"Well now that I have my prize...I can just use it as a trophy to scare the workers should they ever try to show any form of emotion," Taylor smiled wickedly.
"Do whatever you want with your town, I am just here to keep my space of ruling," Rei sat back down.
"I am interested to know what you will do with your hometown," the other man replied.
"That's something I still have to decide," the megane said, "For now, I will leave Iwatobi into the wilderness."
After being separated from the ladies, Nitori, Momo and Sei were brought over to their rooms in a place known as the Shack where several other workers resided in numerous rooms. The building was once a museum outside of Rome, but it was now another piece of property for the Shadow Mafia to crowd its workers/slaves. All artifacts in there were removed, replaced with sleep mats, sleeping bags, old and torn pillows, and dust.
The trio managed to find some decent sleeping bags in a corner of one of the rooms.
"I'm surprised we found these," Sei muttered as he analyzed how recent they were.
"These won't last long if they were just fresh," Nitori added.
"You mean even this stuff is limited? I hate to see the food supply, if that's still a thing," Momo grumbled.
"Take whatever you can and stay quiet, Momo," Sei replied.
They lied down together in the corner, exhausted from today. Now that they were somewhat in a peaceful area, Nitori turned to the youngest Mikoshiba and asked, "What's your story before they brought you in?"
Momo's facial expression heighted up and replied, "Well, I was raised in Hokkaido and in my younger days, I was a champ amongst champs! Momotarou Mikoshiba the backstroke extraordinaire! My favorite pass time is collecting stag beetle! My title was Japan's Legendary Sea Otter! My favorite dish is the triple cheeseburger! My best dish to cook is "fried eggs" and the first place I wash in the shower is…"
"Ah…hahaha, I think that's quite a little much," Sei cut in as he finally smiled for the first time in a while.
Nitori shared a sweat drop of nervousness moment as Momo continued, "But you didn't even let me tell you the type of girls I like! That red head girl back there, she was cute! I wonder if she'd like stag beetles too. I once had me a nice, big one back home named Pyunsuke. She'd totally go crazy for him if he's still out there!
Sei's expression went silent again as he could only wonder why his two younger siblings were crazy for her.
"Eh? Why is everyone quiet?! Silence is the enemy here!" Momo commented.
"Momo…about Gou…" Sei began
"Yeah! TOTALLY CUTE, RIGHT?!" Momo fluttered, "IS SHE SINGLE?!"
"…he's her boyfriend," Nitori answered before Sei glanced at a semi-deadly yet tired look at letting this cat out of the bag.
"Wh-what?!" Momo gasped before he could feel himself fired up, "But she...she...me...you...her..."
"Well…he was her boyfriend before the takeover," Nitori explained, "But now this happened, it is forbidden to fall in love."
"W-WHAAAAA!?" Momo gasped.
"I know, awful isn't it?" Sei grumbled.
"I had a girlfriend myself but…" Nitori began.
"Ohhhh do tell Nitori-senpai!" Momo smiled again as he disregarded Gou and Sei's situation.
"Take it easy Momo, let him speak," Sei reminded him, "Go on, Ai."
"Well…she isn't quite exactly a human…she's a vampire. After our relationship bonded, I was given some of its traits with me."
"E-eh?!" Momo tilted his head.
"Yeah, I found it a little strange at first, too, but she kinda grew on us," Sei added.
"W-well…did she bite you? Was it painful!? Oh don't tell me you're hungry for blood from us, are you!?" Momo asked.
"Relax, he's not going anywhere," Sei sighed.
"However…" Nitori continued, "After the four members of the Magic Six were killed, she and her group were also assassinated instantly for assisting the team."
"W-what the fuck is wrong with these psychos?! You can't fall in love. You can't be free. You can't even breathe, according to what he said…" Momo began.
"I was kidding on the last part," Sei tried hard not to laugh.
"This is ridiculous! Ugggghhhh!" Momo gripped hard on his bedding.
"Just calm down, we are in a room of other people. Not that they plan to eavesdrop on us anytime soon, but everyone is desperate here too," Sei added, "Nitori, how are you holding up?"
"Oh, I'm fine…for now. But if there's any blood I want to taste," he narrowed his eyes, "Those bastards will pay for all of this."
"I'll help too! They won't get away with this world domination!" Momo agreed.
Sei lowered his head as he prayed mentally for Gou, Chigusa and Isuzu to be alright with their camp group.
Meanwhile the girls were in their own camp area as Isuzu tried to get some more insight with Gou and Chigusa. Isuzu watched two random girls fighting over for a sleeping bag with fists and kicks like street fighters.
"This happens almost every night," Chigusa said, "Someone doesn't get a sleeping bag and a fight happens. No one else bothers to assist them because we are all desperate for sleep."
"That's awful," Isuzu answered as she saw the conclusion of the fight where the blonde girl performed a K.O attack to the red-haired and claiming the sleeping bag.
"Thank god we are not in their segment of work," Gou muttered, "They'd certainly kill us if the Shadow Mafia doesn't."
"But I don't understand…this exam…if the workers are proved to be incompetent…are they…" Isuzu feared the response.
"Yes…death is about 99.9% of the time," Chigusa answered, "Unless…"
"I think that red-hair who got knocked out may sell her soul to them," Gou speculated.
"Don't say that!" Chigusa replied.
"What do you mean by selling their soul?" Isuzu asked, terrified to find out.
"Sometimes…if feasible, a worker decides to join the membership of the Shadow Mafia and take on more serious missions around the world. Their identity is further stripped and their inner-light is drained. All of their feelings and emotions are gone," Chigusa explained, "In is place, they are dwellers that continue to spread evil and despair."
Isuzu looked at Gou, noticing that some parts of her well being were torn to shreds. She had never seen someone who lost so much hope.
"Hey…by chance, were you in a relationship with my older brother?" Isuzu asked.
"Um I…I...was. He had the muscles that I could dream of every night," Gou answered.
"Well then, it appears you're not the only one. However, I was also a swimmer too...from Hidaka High in Tokyo...well that's before everything fell to ashes," Isuzu explained.
"How do you know about Momo exactly?" Gou asked.
"Well…the longer story is more complicated but, while I was in Tokyo in Hidaka U. High School, I read an article about a Mikoshiba from Hokkaido. When Sei and I were kids, mother told us a secret about a third child in our family, but the doctors ended up losing Momo to another family completely. She sued them and used the money for our futures…well…at least that is what it was. But anyway, I fond Momo in that article so I used some of the money plus our funds from my swim team to go on a little field trip up north to meet with his swim team.
"I was also shocked to see that Momo was also a captain too and his bright and colorful personality was like Seijuurou. At that time, Sei was in Italy with your guys' mission. We had playful competition races and did some charity events too…but then…"
Chigusa remained silent about this as Gou replied, "So I see…they too, invaded there."
"Our teams were taken hostage…I lost all my members and Momo's team were slaughtered. Realizing that we were siblings, they shipped us here," Isuzu lowered her head while barely spilling a tear drop.
"We're very sorry," Chigusa said.
"Gou…you cried about your brother – what as he like?" Isuzu asked.
"Well um…He was very strong...both in spirit and his physique. After our father died when we were kids, Rin wanted to do whatever he could to keep our family alive. He helped a lot of people that he cared for..." she explained.
"Including you," Isuzu added.
"Yes," Gou nodded, "He was tied to a powerful deity who watched over him and the others on their quests to preserve our world both its water supply and in peace."
"Sounds like he was truly a good man," Isuzu answered.
Chigusa returned from her moment as she got a copy of the week's schedule, "According to this, we're gonna be out in the woods for tree cutting?"
"Ugh, but better than the mines at least," Gou crossed her arms.
"The mines were definitely unpleasant," Isuzu agreed.
Next Day:
The group with Gou and Sei were assigned to head out to the Forest of Massimina and cut down several trees. Normally supplies were hardly provided but for once the Shadow Mafia sent some extra gear as Rei ordered them to (mostly to keep a close eye on the Mikoshiba trio as there were senors that tied to the microchips).
"I am somewhat surprised with the extra lumberjack materials they gave us," Chigusa looked a bit surprised.
"How generous of them," Seijuurou said it flatly.
"Does it not happen like this often? Let me guess, they expect us to use our teeth?" Momo asked.
"Hardly…" Sei answered.
"It's more like they give us tools and head-gear...and that's it…I don't see anything else…" Gou analyzed.
"I can't believe we are forced to cut down trees…hurting nature like this," Isuzu sighed.
"Just be careful with what you're doing. These guys won't hesitate to leave you begging for your life if you get injured," Sei replied.
After they arrived, the truck dropped them off with all the supplies as they went to work, heading towards a small clearing to start out with before making way. However, something felt a bit off about this place. One of the trees tumbled downwards and crashed, causing several birds and other forest creatures to flee.
While Gou was cleaning up the area with Chigusa, Nitori's nose twitched.
"N-Nitori?" Isuzu asked.
"You doing alright there?" Momo added.
Nitori's eyes narrowed, "We're being watched."
"Of course, no surprise," Seijuurou remarked.
"No…this is different," Nitori muttered before leaping his way out of the working area as the other protested him to come back.
"What the hell is he thinking!?" Chigusa replied.
"He's totally crazy!" Momo agreed.
Seijuurou narrowed his eyes and wondered about Nitori's behavior. Could it really be someone else besides the Shadow Mafia?
The vampire-man rushed through the grassy fields as he saw someone in the distance with its back turned. He pounced on him like a lion ready to eat his prey.
"OOFFF!" the man grunted as Nitori's hands pushed on the man's chest before him. However, after a split second, he moved out to let him breathe as he gasped on the facial features.
"W-wait a minute…y-you…the black hair…the torquoise eyes…Rin told me about you but…" Nitori began.
"And Rin told me about you too…" Sousuke Yamazaki concluded, narrowing his eyes a little.
"EEEHHHHH!? Rin's alive!?" Nitori cried out, moving to the side.
Sousuke lowered his head as he got up on his bottom while sitting, "I don't know. I came here as part of a spy team for my organization that I am with. I take it you've been captive with them?"
"As much as I want to escape…I got a group of others working on tree-cutting," Nitori said.
"I'll come on over," he replied.
"Eh?! But won't they find you!?" the vampire-man asked.
"As long as I learn to stay in the shadows, I'll be fine," Sousuke answered.
The silver haired-man led Sousuke back to the others as some of them were in deep shock to see him alive and well and having survived the reign of the Shadow Mafia so far...
Gou teared up a little, "S-Sousuke…!?"
"You know him, Gou-kun?" Sei asked.
"Rin was close friends to him back in elementary school!" she replied, "I haven't seen him since then! It was like...he disappeared..."
Sousuke approached to the others after Gou hugged him and answered, "Rin is a friend of mine, yet we were also rivals at the pool too. I've heard what happened 6 months ago, but I was not allowed to take a spy trip out here till we saved a chunk of the human population from the Shadow Mafia."
"Wait a sec, so you mean there are other survivors out there?!" Momo's jaw dropped.
"Sush!" Sei answered.
"There are several underground cities...literately beneath the earth. People now live in caves with underground fountains and springs," Sousuke continued.
"Sounds like you and the other survivors have a lot on the plate," Chigusa answered.
Isuzu wanted to say something, but she had not seen another set of muscles before her and this time her eyes turned to heart-shaped. Sei noticed this moment with a sigh before continuing, "How is it you were able to locate us? Were you searching for us specifically, or was this mere coincidence?"
"Oh I did plan to come here yes...I have some hidden supplies of food and drink for you all to use while you are here. I'll bring some stuff over," he said.
The girls thanked him while Momo cried out a yahoo. As they resumed their work, Sousuke brought over a large sack of non-perishable food items and several water bottles, Gatorade, and other protein and regular snacks.
"So are you really safe to be here? We do have a lot of secured things around…" Seijuurou asked.
"I'm under some magic to keep my undetected from the monsters but it won't last for too much longer," Sousuke said.
"What do you plan to do then?" the red-hair questioned.
"I don't know. I've been locating Rin for the last 2 months and still can't get his radiation on our radar. If he is alive, then there may be some hope to bring back the Suiei Gods...well...partially," he shrugged.
"Wait a sec, back up, how do you know about the Suiei Gods? I don't remember anyone of us bringing this up," Seijuurou answered as his eyes narrowed.
Realizing that he slipped, Sousuke added, "My supervisor has their connections from those in Japan. But there are other things beyond my understanding as to why I know about them. What matters is that if we can find Rin, all it takes is a new fellowship to link to his powers and…"
"Yeah, yeah a likely story. Tell us why you are interested in this legend?" Seijuurou crossed his arms.
"Sei, please…I'm sure he has his reasons," Gou begged him to relax.
"You have to admit, we haven't had the best of luck with people who know the legend," he answered.
Sousuke frowned for a moment before taking the courage to answer, "It's because I owe Rin. But more so…I owe myself to believe in him that I should've had years ago..."
"W-what did you do?" Momo asked.
The stronger man lowered his head as he recounts his story, "Back in Sano Elementary, we had our own swim team. Rin and I raced each other but then one day, he wanted to do a medley relay. We tried it out and we didn't win first place. While he was motivated to make our team stronger…I disagreed with him and hurt his feelings. We fought and separated ourselves. I wanted to apologize to him, but he already transferred to Iwatobi and never saw him again. And now this world…"
He gripped his fists while trying hard not to cry, "I wish I could've stayed by his side! Had I done so…"
"We may have had a chance if the numbers game wasn't stacked against us. Results could very well have been the same, but we could have had a chance," Seijuurou replied.
"So then...what now? What do you plan to do?" Nitori asked.
With a sigh, Sousuke dug into his bag before revealing something shocking to the group; the five Suiei necklaces that belonged to Rin, Makoto, Nagisa, Haruka and Rei.
"S-Sousuke, is that…!?" Gou gasped.
"Wait, one is missing," Nitori said.
"Good point, how did you get these in the first place!?" Seijuurou interrogated, "And what happened to Alex's?"
"A friend of mine managed to snag them before the Shadow Mafia could. He entrusted me to keep them for safekeeping. As for Alex's, all I know that it was hidden away in a world where time doesn't flow," Sousuke revealed.
"Where time doesn't flow?" Sei muttered before realizing that it was witch boy's help.
"I had this awesome theory but this one sounded way cooler," Momo rocked back and forth on the ground.
Sousuke packed up as he realized that time was running out. He thanked them for their cooperation and both parties agreed to end this reign when the opportunity finally arrives.
"He's such a ninja!" Momo smiled.
"We should get back to work," Chigusa answered.
As they resumed their work, no one didn't notice that something else was already here that witnessed this moment of hope...
Rei looked through the events that took place in the forest through a crystal ball as his Shadow Butterflies departed the area. Two other servants stood on standby for his upcoming commands.
"So, it appears that someone outside our parameters has tried to give our slaves some hope. And I see he has managed to keep our relics alive..." he grumbled quietly
"What do you want us to do with them?" the first servant asked.
Rei got up and walked in a circle for a moment before replying, "We have to find out more about this Sousuke...to ensure that he will not be a threat to our cause. You have chipped the three siblings, right?"
"Yes, my liege, they suspect nothing," the second servant reported.
"Then let us focus on this Sousuke…I have managed to read through that he has some close connections to him. I think it's time I see him for the first time since that day," he replied.
"We can track this man down if you wish," the first servant offered.
"Do not bother with him. Bring me my prized prisoner," Rei ordered.
"At once," they replied before vanishing to the shadows. Rei sat back down on his throne as he summoned another servant to remove the crystal ball out of the area.
A few moments later, the doors open with the two servants bringing Rin in chains and a brown papered-bag over his head. Normally the red-hair brother would be fired up and trying to beat them down, but it was no use to fight back. His magic was also gone and couldn't summon his Suiei God.
When they reveal his face, Rei smiled before stepping down but keeping his distance...
"Six months…six months later huh?" Rin stared at his former partner now filled with darkness and chaos.
"Indeed, it has been. I was totally right to have kept you safe from the outside world," Rei replied.
"You…you CALL THIS SAFE?!" Rin shouted as he struggled on the chains bonded to his wrists. The servants yanked him down to the floor to make a bow before lifting him back up.
"I did warn you back then that I wasn't going to forgive anyone who would take you away me, remember?" Rei asked.
"Rei…when does this stop? How long are you going to do this?" Rin asked.
"Until there is nothing left in this world," he replied.
"You may have lost Haruka when he bonded with Alex...and I totally get it. But they along with Makoto and Nagi..."
Rei twirled his hand to mute Rin's voice as the red-haired tried to shout back but it was all silence.
"There is one reason why I have you here...and it's a simple question...or rather a series of questions. Answer them truthfully and you will live," Rei continued before returning Rin's voice.
"Who is Sousuke and how important he is to you? Does he love you too?"
Rin gasped at the name as he remembered him from long ago back in Sano Elementary School along with Kisumi. Could it be possible that Sousuke is alive and somewhere out in the world?
"Answer the question you lowly wretch!" the first servant yanked the chain, prompting Rin to stumble and gag for breath.
After a moment Rin answered, "He was someone I knew from school but he was different than me."
"Different huh? How so?" Rei pushed up his glasses in fascination.
Rin didn't want to go back to memory lane about this, "What business do you have of him? He never met you so…"
"Answer his question!" the second servant snapped as he gently tugged the chain before doing it again more violently, "NOW!"
"I never saw him again after I went to Australia!" Rin answered.
"Well I can see that is true. You didn't see him again. But if he was alive right now...how would you react?" Rei asked.
"I don't know…how are you telling me the truth here?" Rin replied.
"INSOLENT WRETCH!" the first servant snapped.
"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK OUT OF LINE!" as they both yanked the chains again.
"That's enough now," Rei calmed down the servants, approaching to Rin, "I must say that you've kept some form of your body after 6 months. However, your muscles are indeed devolving slowly... degenerating..."
Rin could only keep on trying to talk him out, "Rei, please...you don't have to keep going like this. I get it that you were upset about Alex...but destroying everything will only leave you a hole in your heart...one that if you cross the line completely...won't ever be filled."
His face teared up a single drop, prompting Rei to collect it in a small flask as the megane smiled, "Perfect…"
Rin gasped, "W-what did you do!?"
"You see...love is weakness. I only asked of you about Sousuke as a ruse to collect some magic left in you. If you had answered it without any emotion, perhaps I wouldn't have got what I needed," Rei explained.
The red-haired trembled, "You...don't do this. Whatever it is you are planning...you can still turn back! I SWEAR IF I HAVE TO BREAK YOUR SPELL TO DO SO…"
"Hehe, try all you might," the two servants spoke in union, "But you will never break him from our kind!"
Rin could feel the darkness lurking on his body as he realized he was being taken back to his cell. With a final desperation, he screamed, "BUTTTERRRRRRRFFFLLLLLLYYYYY!"
Once the echoes died down, Taylor (known as Furtiue as his public persona) walked into the scene, "A teardrop huh? I should've done that when Sandro was alive. He must have had so much magic in his tears that would've been of great aid into taking the entire world."
Rei turned to him, "The magic in this tear drop is going to be used for something else."
Before Taylor could ask, they heard a soft rumble followed by a loud series of hyenas screeching. The other Shadow Mafia members appeared to the throne room as they could hear it too.
"Oh yes Rei, do get yourself an audience here…" a group of female voices appeared.
"WHO'S THERE!?" Taylor shouted.
At the rumble of thunder, a group of seven cloaked figures stood in the middle of the throne room. One of them stepped out from the crowd and unveiled her face.
"Y-you!" Rei recognized her as Taylor kept a straight look. Alex P, Anatoily, and Anthony were confused at this strange arrival.
"Yes it's us," Verrado replied, "It appears that you've done really well taking over this planet but I suppose the better question is…can you maintain it?"
"How dare you ask us like that?!" Anatoily growled but one of the other witches flung him back with magic towards the wall.
"Why are you here?" Rei asked, feeling a bit annoyed.
"You may have gotten your revenge, but I have come to remind you that this world has the potential of undoing itself. More so...that tear you have is something very powerful...something that my family has been waiting for to happen," Verrado explained.
"I do not wish to give you it. I've worked hard to get it!" the megane snapped..
"Yes, you did. However...to ensure that your world does not undo itself...I propose a trade. The tear drop...in exchange for this…" she summoned a small glass vial of some black substance.
"What the heck is that?" Alex P. asked.
"And what good would a vial of ink do?" Rei questioned.
"This is no ordinary ink…it is magical thanks to one of our previous rituals. In fact, this is the very same ink that allowed your story…this world…to take its course," Verrado continued.
"And who in the hell will be able to work with this?" Rei replied.
"Someone of a pure heart...someone who is untainted by the darkness. Find that person...and your empire will be guaranteed," the witch answered.
After a long second, the megane answered, "Fine. Release my allies!"
"Of course," she smiled as she released them before exchanging the products.
"I suppose I owe you for allowing us to take over this world," Rei recalled, "Our campaigns couldn't take root without your help."
"Maybe someday I will teach you more of what my family can do," Verrado answered before they disappeared.
"W-what the hell where they!?" Anatoily growled.
"None of your business," Taylor said before turning to Rei, "Let's go then."
8 Months Later: About 1 year and 2 months into the empire
As time passed, several workers died off from starvation, others from over labor, and some committed suicide. A few others have turned themselves in and became newly initiated Shadow Mafia. For the remaining survivors, dinner was served with the usual mish-mash of hash and ham and drinks were barely even a cup of water if any were to remain.
Isuzu looked at her portion and was ready to just throw up. She admired at how brave Gou was eating while not making a single gag. Chigusa sighed and pushed her plate to the side.
"These guys must have failed home econ," Momo muttered, wanting to flip his plate over.
"God, I hope we can see Sousuke again soon," Nitori looked at Sei.
"Anything from him would be great than eating this shitty slop," the red-haired agreed.
"Maybe if they allowed us to use spices, this wouldn't so bad. Maybe they used too many spices and it turned into this..." Momo continued to analyze the mush.
"God, how does he keep up with some energy like that?" Sei looked at Nitori.
"Maybe he hasn't accepted the fact that we…" Nitori began but stopped as they heard someone gagging. Everyone turned to see a random man choking up on his food.
"Is he okay?!" Isuzu looked up.
"Someone give him the Heimlich remover?!" Chigusa panicked.
Nitori sniffed something familiar yet it was impossible that he could sense it. Sei looked at him, "What's wrong?"
"I smell blood…they put it in his food," he muttered.
"Ugh, that's creepy and disgusting!" Momo gasped.
"I'm afraid the worse is yet to come," Nitori replied as the victim continued to choke and gag before crying out in pain of agony followed by a vomit of blood. The victim's skin started to twist and crack as every bone in his body could be heard snapping through cartilage.
It can't be, Sei thought, we gotta go now!
"We have to get out!" he gasped, "I didn't realize it was HIS blood!"
"W-wait what's going on!?" Isuzu gasped.
Seijuurou grabbed both of his siblings, "Let's go if you wish to live!"
The group along with other attendants fled the lunch room in panic as the victim transformed into some heteromorphic Elder Bairn with gigantic feet and arms like an orc with claws of a vampire. Its head was on the torso and it started to grab a few stragglers before feasting on them. Momo turned his head briefly but nearly passed out at the sight of the newly formed monster ripping the stragglers apart as blood spewed around.
A couple of the Shadow Mafia arrived on scene to subdue the monster out before taking it with them.
They fled back to their dorms but decided to regroup at the men's area as most of them were already away on work schedule. Gou and the others made sure that the monster wasn't heading this way before settling in.
"W-what in the hell was that?!" Isuzu shook.
Gou lowered down her head as Chigusa remained silent about this. Momo shook his head back to reality as he tried to clear away the horror that he saw.
"Call them what you will. Monsters. Demons. Vengeance spirits. Either way, they all have the same trait: insatiable bloodlust and gluttony," Sei answered.
"B-bu-but it came from that poor person and they were human! How is that possible!?" Momo cried out.
"It's because that's not ordinary blood. The blood belongs from monstrous demons called Elder Bairns," Nitori revealed.
"Huh!? E-Elder Barns?" Momo tilt his head.
"Bairns…with an 'I', Momotarou. Pay attention," Sei said.
"Elder Bairns, Furukimono...Old Ones; they eat humans without a second thought. No questions, no hesitation, just pure carnage," Nitori added.
"You should be glad we got you all out of there when we did. If it had set its sights on you, that would have been the end of you. Once an Elder Bairn spots its next prey, it will stalk it until it feasts upon its flesh and blood. And no matter what, an Elder Bairn's belly is never full," Sei continued, "No matter how dear someone may have been or how loved, it meant nothing to the Elder Bairn as they devoured any and every human being unfortunate to fall into their sight."
"WAAAAHHH! So wait a second…is N-Nitori-senpai…" Momo began as he recalled him being also inhuman, "I-is he one of them too?!"
"I am not related to them exactly because the woman I fell in love with doesn't feast on humans that violently. Plus, she wasn't native to this world," the silver-hair replied.
Momo tilted his head again in confusion.
"However…one person from the Magic Six is half-breed of both human and Elder Bairn," Nitori concluded.
Isuzu lowered her head as she could only guess who it may be but Momo was already freaking out as Seijuurou tried to hold him back, but the younger brother broke off.
"Y-You mean to tell me that one of those guys was one of them this whole time!? W-what the hell happened to that team?!" Momo panicked.
"Shousha ni wa…houbi wo…haisha ni wa…batsu," Gou muttered, recalling that phrase.
"Huh? Gou-kun?" Isuzu looked at her.
"It's a phrase that Alex used to say when he first arrived in our town... 'A Prize for the Winner...and A Penalty...for the Loser'," Gou looked back.
"What does that even mean? And who is this Alex that you just mentioned?" Momo asked.
"You sure ask a lot…but I guess it is time we tell you who Alex really is and his role during the Magic Six," Seijuurou sighed.
Everyone looked at the red-hair as he coughed up the courage to tell the story, "The final member of the Magic Six team…Alex…he is the reincarnate of Alexander the Great. When he lived his life during the Ancient Greeks, something manifested his birth to become a half-breed of both human and Elder Bairn."
"Eh?" Momo looked at his brother, "Was he really born as a half-breed?"
"We don't know who was the full Elder Bairn…either his father or mother of that era," Sei answered while crossing his arms, "But in the present day…before coming to our country…his life was constantly in a turmoil. Always being made fun of for being 'different' than his classmates of his hometown school. Because of that, he constantly fluctuated between right and wrong, good and evil. All he ever wanted to do was help the ones he loved, but all that anger inside him warped his perspective on how to perceive a valid solution. Logic and reasoning could only do so much for him."
"What did he do?" Momo asked.
"He killed one source of his anger…a celebrity who happened to write a song that resulted people to make fun of his Italian heritage, thinking that he was Latino or some Spanish descent…" Sei revealed.
Momo gasped as he almost wanted to crawl back in fear. Isuzu lowered her head as she never thought that someone so dark would be a part of the team. Why did they allow him to fulfill his revenge?
"As it turned out, that person was allegedly an illusion to his mind and with that, he obtained his Suiei God to release his revenge…" Sei concluded.
"I remember hearing tales of Alexander the Great...he was not just a conqueror...he was a slayer...was said to fought dangerous monsters while going through various lands," Isuzu added.
"I must have missed that in history class," Momo shrugged.
"Some events are best left expunged from history books," the older brother replied.
"But how does Alexander the Great fit into all of this? I thought Alex was part of these Suiei Gods, or whatever they were called," Momo questioned.
"We don't know why he was chosen, but we do know that any remnants of the goodness of his heart called out to them," Gou explained, "Until R-Rei..."
"But if Alex had more potential for evil than Rei...why didn't he turn dark if he 'quote-on-quote' fulfilled his revenge?" Isuzu looked confused.
"Because since that person was an illusion to his mind and the fact that he overcame his fear…his heart didn't turn completely dark as we thought. If he did, he probably would've never obtained his Suiei God nor the necklace," Sei continued, "As for Rei…well…it's a whole another issue."
Both Seijuurou and Gou continued to chronicle the story of the Magic Six in more details; from some of them visiting Alex in America to their return to Tokyo and discovering Ama-chan behind some horrible scandal and up to the loss of Sergi, Alex's younger brother who was captured by the Shadow Mafia.
"God…he started off so much trouble," Sei reflected, "It was to the point he would've been irredeemable but Haru and the others helped him. Rei helped initially but changed drastically out of the blue when we began our quest to Italy. We never knew why but I think it's obvious why not; as Alex ws drawn closer to happiness…Rei drew closer to pain."
"O-Onii-chan?" Momo looked at him as the oldest brother punched the ground. Isuzu noticed his eyes began to mist slowly as she could never imagine him being so sad for something in his entire life.
"Looking back on it, we should have seen this coming. But we didn't. We were so wrapped up in trying to stop the Shadow Mafia, we didn't even take to account that something may have been wrong with one of our own!" he regretted, "We were right there. We could have saved them! All of them! If we had done this, maybe finish up the mission, we could have done so much more. Relays, training, forming one big team - all of it and more - but that's just pipe dreaming, isn't it? That's never going to happen."
"Onii-chan…" Isuzu breathed.
Fed up by all of this, Nitori got up on his feet as his eyes started to glow blue, "That does it. I'm gonna go."
The girls looked at him sharply as Momo gasped, "W-what did you say?!"
The human-vampire hybrid looked at the group ad said, "I'll do what I can to break in and find anything...even if it's a clue to whatever happened to that team. I'm tired of living like this!"
Seijuurou got up on his feet while wiping his eyes, "Are you sure about this Nitori-kun? You do realize there may not be any coming back."
"I can only try…" he smiled sadly, "I'm sure the Magic Six team…both dead and Rin…will want us to keep trying."
The red-haired pat him on the shoulder, "Then go. Be safe…and hurry back before they do anything to you."
"You're joking! Right?!" Momo gasped.
"We'll keep our fingers crossed for you, Nitori," Gou agreed.
"Go…use those fangs to fight adversity like any good Samezuka swimmer! Be both the shark and the vampire!" Sei blessed him this mission.
With a turn, Nitori jumped out the window as he called upon his vampire traits to lead him to the main Shadow Mafia Palace at the Caserta region of Italy. The group watched him disappear into the forest as a new countdown finally begins.
"We must act that we don't know anything," Seijuurou turned to them, "If they ask, we tell him he's dead."
"I don't like this though…" Momo muttered, "They could kill us if they find out we are lying, would they?"
"It's a risk we will have to take. Maybe if Nitori is fortunate enough, Sousuke may be out there too," he replied.
Isuzu looked at Gou who smiled a bit with some hope as Chigusa looked out at the moonlight…
-Dark Mirror: REversI Part 1 END-
To be Continued in Part 2 which will be released after Book 2's completion