The next week, following Nia and Shidou's date.
Undergoing a radical transformation, Nia seemed to have fully accepted her feelings toward Shidou.
Their epic fight at the Komiket and their after party spent to read manga and exchange about the 2D world showed her that she was truly alone before meeting him.
She had realized that Shidou was the only one with whom she could talk freely, be it about trivial matters or her passion… because Shidou would accept her no matter what.
Thus.
Nia had sealed all of her Tokiya's goods (Tokiya being her previous waifu even though he's a guy) in a coffin and proclaimed that Shidou was her new 3D waifu.
Having accepted her love and passion, Nia put in application all her otome heart to win Shidou's heart, using all the techniques she had seen in games or shoujo mangas.
As for example, she sneaked in the Itsuka household one morning and, disguised as a maid only wearing a naked apron, prepared breakfast for him, insisting on feeding him herself.
She hid her underwear in his closet, made him bentos, "accidentally tripped" to embrace him, ambushed him when he would get home, and wait for him at Raizen High's main gates.
Nia also ran into him one morning at the corner of a street, with a slice of bread in her mouth, wearing a student uniform.
She also tried to get hired as a teacher in his school, to trigger the "older teacher" route by her own words, not to avail.
This sudden "rabu rabu" behavior –especially coming from Nia– surprised all the Spirits (excepted Kotori) and of course, pissed off Shidou's male friends.
They were used to see girls around him at school but Nia's appearance was too much.
It was because she fitted most of their fetishes/ideals:
She was older yet sexy.
She had glasses.
She had blue eyes and silver hair.
And she shared their otaku tastes.
Of course her breasts were small but small breasts was also a fetish on its own, so Nia pretty much represented perfection to them.
And seeing a perfect girl clinging to this Shidou guy who already had a harem…
It made Shidou the public enemy at Raizen High.
At some point, Shidou could not enter a room in Raizen High without seeing people cursing dolls at his image, nailing them against the walls, or stabbing pictures of him with sadistic laughter.
He witnessed photos of him slashed with a cutter, or people seemingly doing weird rituals around bonfires while chanting his name.
Shidou was so scared by his comrades behavior that he considered disguising himself with Haniel in order to avoid troubles.
But the most incomprehensible thing in all of this was that Shidou was actually running away from Nia.
It was not his usual secret technique of running away, like, when he would escape a dire or embarrassing situation.
Something as Origami trying to get him to a love hotel, or Mukuro asking him to teach him the way to love.
No, he was running away and avoiding her with a pained expression, as if he was restraining his feelings.
It was not Shidou-like at all.
Of course, his apparent cold behavior hurt Nia who, despite all her efforts, was not making any progress –much to the other Spirits' relief as sad as it was to say–.
Only one person, aside from Nia, was unhappy about how the things were going: Kotori.
Nia had somehow overcame her sudden depression and stabilized her emotions. No, it was more correct to say that Nia had found a new reason to move on.
Even if their bond was still perturbed for an unknown reason, Kotori knew they had to prevent Nia from going depressed again.
If the problem was not coming from her, it only meant Shidou was the source.
One way or another, they had to solve this matter before something bad could happen.
Kotori could only groan when she thought she was basically helping again a rival in love…
"Nushi-sama?"
"Yes?"
"Muku doth not understand. Why is that being an evil ruler is … cool?"
As Mukuro was talking in quite an archaic dialect, the word "cool" coming from her mouth made Shidou's heart throb for an unknown reason.
"Ermm, you know, it's just that… how to say… the justice is cool, but to be against the law, against the gods is way better, don't you think?"
Shidou was trying to convert Mukuro to the otaku culture. They were in his room at the Itsuka household.
To do so, he had dug up and shown her the very books (light novels) that had contaminated him with the chuunibyou when he was younger.
"Hueh... Muku thinks the main character doth resemble Nushi-sama."
"A-re? What do you mean?"
"Nushi-sama is did surround by beauteous girls holding powers."
"…"
The light novel Shidou had lent to Mukuro was about a boy in a literature club where all the members were girls with superpowers.
Their daily life had suddenly turned into a war with other users, and of course, the main character was dense as hell and had built himself a harem without even noticing it.
In a certain way, it indeed resembled Shidou in the context as Shidou himself was surrounded by girls with Angels…
And the boy was a pure chuuni, creating poems, incantations, odes to the darkness and the dark flames and claiming proudly his passion as an otaku.
(It does… resemble, the past me…)
Shidou laughed it off nervously and kept answering Muku's questions about the universe of the light novel.
Mukuro had never read such a book before and was in a certain way very innocent when it came to modern culture.
However, she was an enthusiastic and curious student and it was a real pleasure for Shidou to explain her and teach her his passion.
Forcing their culture onto someone else was an otaku privilege, after all.
Not to mention that Mukuro was loving her private moment with him. If it was with Shidou, she would enjoy anything.
Suddenly, the door of the bedroom opened and Kotori, wearing her commander's outfit, entered.
"Mukuro. I'm sorry, but I have to speak my Shidou."
Her tone was calm yet firm.
Shidou understood that he had nowhere to run.
"Mukuro…I'm sorry, but…"
Mukuro smiled and shook her head, swinging her adorable hair at the same time.
"Nay. Muku is fine. Prythee, Nushi-sama, take thy time."
Mukuro then graciously left the bedroom, holding against her chest the book Shidou had showed her like it was a treasure and humming a song.
When Mukuro's footsteps in the stairs faded, Kotori gave Shidou a strange gaze.
It was if she was pitying him and angry at the same time. However, she did not beat around the bush.
"Shidou. What are you doing with Nia?"
"…"
Shidou remained silent.
"You know what your role in Ratatoskr is. We don't… I don't ask you to love everyone, that would make you a despicable gigolo. But since you made the girls fall for you, you have to take care of them too and show them affection. Not to run away from them."
Kotori looked at him in the eyes.
"Shidou, why are you running away from Nia? No, why did you run away from her apartment the other night?"
"…"
"You know what will happen if she feels betrayed or abandoned by you… you know the risks better than anyone. So why?"
"I'm afraid."
Shidou's words surprised Kotori.
Shidou always did his best to overcome dire situations no matter hopeless they were. He had his weaknesses, but even so, he tried not to show them.
He found the courage to brave trials that any normal human would've ran away from. He did fear death, but was willing to put his own life on the line for people he barely knew.
So… what was frightening him so much?
"Shidou… do you fear that by deepening your bond with one of us, the others would feel bad? If that's the case, rest assured, we–"
"That's not it!"
Shidou cut her mid-sentence.
His sharp tone, the powerlessness contained in his voice shocked Kotori.
She quietly observed her brother conflicted with his own emotions, not knowing if he was willing to talk.
Shidou clenched his fists so hard he was trembling.
But eventually, he seemed to give up. Kotori took advantage of this to push her questioning further.
"Shidou. Nia and you…seem to get along. Why don't you just…date her? I mean, date her for good. Or rather, why don't you date anybody? It's not that you couldn't…"
Kotori couldn't know if the question was from the Fraxinus commander, or the woman in love with her brother.
However, she wanted to know.
It was weird, after all.
"You're wrong, Kotori. I can't."
"What?"
Shidou's face was sad and serious at the same time.
"Kotori, you know that your Onii-chan is a male with human needs and desires."
"Saying it like that is gross, but yeah…"
"The other night… I found out that doujin under Nia's pillow. For her to hold something that close… I was shocked, so… I ran away because I didn't know what to do."
He paused.
"And then next days, the way she start to behave… I thought that probably… no, surely, Nia loved me sincerely. She had never shown such emotions before. So… when I realized that she held these feeling toward me… I was happy."
Kotori frowned. It was not what she expected.
"So why…"
"But I would never engage myself with Nia or one of you."
"Why?!"
Kotori almost yelled at this declaration. Could it be, Shidou was homo–
"It's not that I don't like girls, in case you wonder" Shidou bitterly laughed. "In fact… I really like... I… no, I'm almost sure I love Nia."
"Shidou…"
That sudden and honest declaration took Kotori aback and pained her at the same time.
(So he loves her…)
Of course Shidou would fall in love with someone, one day.
It was just how life was. Kotori rational side understood and accepted this.
But since she loved him as well… it was hard to accept for this part of her.
However, if Shidou's feelings were genuine, she would not get in the way.
"I under—"
"But I would never date a Spirit for good, even the one I'd love."
Shidou's interjection confused her at first but quickly angered her.
Her feelings entwined with the reason of her visit. She didn't understand him at all.
"What do you mean…."
Kotori's voice was low, filled with pain and frustration.
"Kotori…"
But before Shidou could explain himself, Kotori lost it.
"What do you mean! You like us, but you don't want to get with us? You love Nia, and yet you avoid her? What is that? Are you running away from your responsibilities? Is it that you are still afraid of us? We may be Spirits, but we are humans too! You should know that better than anyone, baka Shidou!"
Shidou did not bulge faced with Kotori's words.
He withstood her anger and feelings without saying a word.
When Kotori eventually calmed down, breathing hard, he simply bowed his head.
"…I know all of this. But if I'm afraid…"
In contrast with Kotori's voice, his was quiet and… scared.
Shidou shook his head slowly.
"Think about it, Kotori. If I were to engage myself in serious relationship with Nia… Yes, I'm sure we would be happy. I'm sure it would be wonderful."
Shidou's expression brightened only for a second. A bitter smile soon appeared on his face.
"But I am not a Spirit. I merely hold their powers, that's all. You girls… live way longer than humans. You age also slower… But not me. Which means…if I were to live at Nia's side… I would die long before her, and I would leave her alone way too soon. She'd spend years… decades… maybe eternity, alone, suffering because of me who left her."
"…"
Kotori was at loss for words.
"Kotori. I know how it feels to love and be loved in return…and then to be abandoned. I know that pain better than anyone…and that's why, I don't want to inflict it to Nia or to anyone. That's why I'm running away from her… I don't want to make a mistake that would cause her grief one day…"
Kotori bit her lip.
"But, Nia…could have the possibility to find someone else, don't you think? Even if you… died… she could live on. Why don't you enjoy your time?..."
As she pronounced these words, Kotori knew that she was wrong.
"Really, Kotori? Do you really think Nia would find someone else? Someone who would accept that she'd live way longer, someone who wouldn't be afraid?..."
"…"
Shidou was right, again.
Getting older, but seeing your partner remaining young was abnormal. Even if they were humans, these girls remained Spirits…
And this was not the only issue.
People are afraid of the unknown. If they meet something or someone different, their instinct will make them reject it.
This was not a bad reaction but a primal one.
If someone were to learn that he was dating a Spirit, learn that they were responsible for the spacequakes… they would surely reject them out of fear.
That was what happened with the AST.
On the other hand, Shidou… Shidou met, discussed, fought, cried, rejoiced with the Spirits. He was probably one of the few humans who could accept them… live with them.
The chances of encountering another person like him… were thin, to say the least.
"… you're right… But, it's the same for us..."
Kotori looked dejected. Because the same logic applied to them.
"I know…this is why, I cannot engage myself with any Spirit. Do you understand, now, Kotori?"
(Of course, Shidou would think that way…)
When Kotori thought about it, it was so understandable.
Shidou was her adopted brother because he had been abandoned by his mother when he was a kid.
His mother, whom he loved more than anybody on Earth, had just left him. Abandoned him, all of sudden.
Even when Kotori's parents welcomed him in their family, Shidou was going through very dark times. It seemed to Kotori that he was about to suicide in order to put an end to his suffering.
His heart was broken, and it took him a long time to eventually recover.
Thus, Shidou knew more than anyone the feeling of being loved and to be deprived of that love.
Loneliness. Deep sadness. Bottomless despair.
All these emotions that would have Inversed any Spirit and conducted anyone to suicide had been experienced by Shidou.
His choice was stupid.
He was ready to throw away a life of happiness and pleasure… not to cause suffering to the one he actually loved.
If it was "just" a normal relationship, or a normal girl… maybe Shidou wouldn't mind it.
After all, loving someone included the risk of being separated one day or another, by death or other factors.
It was only natural and it was called "life".
However… inflicting that pain to someone who would live way longer, who would likely never find another partner, was impossible for him.
But that was Shidou. That was just like him.
Kotori wanted to scream at him, to insult him and try to bring him back to reason.
He just had to accept his feelings like Nia had done. Shidou didn't even have to date her but to return her the favor, in order to stabilize their bond…
No. That would be a lie. That would be painful for him and for Nia.
Faking their relation…
Even if it was for the sake of humanity…
If Kotori was willing to do that and sacrifice Shidou's happiness in order to save millions of people, in the end, she would not be better than DEM.
That kind of thing was simply not Ratatoskr's style.
But still… how were they going to go through that?
Kotori's conflicted thoughts were interrupted by a ringtone. She immediately recognized it as being a call from Elliot Woodman, the chairman of Ratatoskr's round table.
She fished out a miniature terminal from her breast pocket and turned on the screen.
Woodman's serious yet kind face appeared.
"Commander Itsuka."
"Woodman-sama!" Kotori immediately saluted.
Shidou, as surprised as his sister, tilted his head.
"Is Itsuka Shidou with you at this moment?" Woodman asked.
"Yes?..."
"Right. I need both of you to come back to Fraxinus as soon as possible. I will be waiting for you there."
"What? Woodman-sama, what…"
"Nightmare…no, Tokisaki Kurumi contacted us."
"?!"
This time, both Kotori and Shidou gasped.
The Worst Spirit, Tokisaki Kurumi, who held Zafkiel, the Angel capable of manipulating time itself.
She wanted to devour Shidou for his mana and use it to kill the entity known as Phantom.
For her to contact them…
"She said that DEM was about to use all the possible means to kill Itsuka Shidou. In other words… we're preparing for an all-out war."
It was quite a scene to see.
All the Spirits sheltered by Ratatoskr were gathered in Fraxinus main control room, as well as the crewmembers and of course, Shidou, Elliot Baldwin Woodman and his aid, Karen Nora Mathers, the sister of the famous Ellen Mira Mathers.
Even Takamiya Mana, Shidou's "official" self proclaimed sister, was here.
They did not have the occasion to reunite like this since the destruction of Ratatoskr's secret base by DEM, weeks ago.
Even so, the atmosphere was heavy.
Sat in his wheelchair, Woodman harbored a skeptical expression, unusual of his usual kind and reassuring face.
He eventually sighed.
"Thank you to all of you for coming here. I did not plan for our reunion to be so worrying, but I can assure you that I would not have convoked you without serious reasons."
He paused and bowed his head toward all the attendants. Woodman always respected his subordinates and people in general, which was why he was well liked in return.
"As I told you, several Ratatoskr facilities have been contacted by Tokisaki Kurumi… or rather her clones. Even Fraxinus, if I am not mistaking."
"Yes, that's correct. I believe she shared the same message with all of us" Reine said.
Woodman nodded slowly and looked Shidou in the eyes. His gaze carried all of his strength.
"I'll be frank. Tokisaki Kurumi informed us that DEM was planning to kill you… in order to Inverse everyone present here."
"!..."
Inverse Form.
When a Spirit was pressured by extremely negative emotions, such as despair, anger and sadness, they would Inverse.
That phenomenon would cause them a radical change in both their powers and personality.
Basically, it was a dark facet, the other side of the coin; any Inversed Spirit would become an entity with a terrible thirst of destruction, rampaging and causing unimaginable damages.
Such a thing occurred only four times, to the respective Spirits: Tohka, Origami and Nia.
Each time, thanks to everyone and especially Shidou's tenacity, they managed to stop them.
But now…
Nobody in the room asked for further details as everyone understood the meaning of Woodman's explanation.
They all had been saved by Shidou, one way or another.
The fact that they were living an almost normal human life was thanks to Shidou.
It was not an exaggeration to say that Shidou was their most precious being, the one they cared for more than anything.
Shidou was not only their savior, he was also a gentle person, always caring for them. He was part of their life, of their identity, of their world.
He was an existence that linked them all together.
Shidou was just Shidou.
So, to imagine him being killed by DEM, they looked at Shidou all had the same thought at the same moment.
A world without you in it…
…wouldn't be worth anything.
If Shidou were to die…
If Shidou were to disappear...
They all shivered at this possibility.
Woodman raised a hand to ease them.
"Of course, we will definitely not allow it. Ratatoskr will do everything to defend Itsuka Shidou."
Mana shook her head, her ponytail swinging.
"But can we really trust Nightmare? If I remember correctly, she just wants to eat Nii-sama…"
"Oooh, but I totally get her! I too would like to taste Darling, especially in his Shiori's form!" Miku spoke enthusiastically.
"Miku, STOP DROOLING!" Natsumi ordered.
"But Manacchi is right… can we believe Kurumin?" Nia asked, ignoring Miku who was hugging Natsumi to contain her lust.
Woodman readjusted his position on his wheelchair.
"It is true that Tokisaki Kurumi has always been unpredictable. But I do think that she is telling the truth here. Since she wants to devour Itsuka Shidou, having him dying at DEM's hands would be a waste. We have to consider the entire picture. Warning us against DEM's eventual plan would only have one consequence, which is having us on the edge and maximum alert. What would Tokisaki Kurumi gain from that, especially if her plan is to subdue Itsuka Shidou?"
"…nothing." Kotori eventually concluded.
"Exactly."
"But… I have a question" Kotori pursued. "DEM's goal is clear as crystal now. They want to Inverse us to take our Qlipha Crystals… Our goal too is clear, we just want the Spirits to have normal lives. Amidst all of this… what is Phantom's goal?"
Phantom was the codename given to the First Spirit whom had been distributing Sephira Crystals to everyone during the last thirty years.
She was apparently a girl, but her doing has been changing and influencing the world in secret.
On top of that, she seemed to be greatly interested in Shidou, as she had protected her once from Ratatoskr's weapon, Dainslaif.
In other words, she was a mystery.
"I know we asked ourselves this question quite a lot of times… but I have the feeling that it is really important now. We will probably lead our ultimate battle against DEM. The last stage, the last boss… and yet, we still don't know the why and the how of the story. It is highly probable that knowing Phantom's intentions would bring us a great deal of information… Also, if our goals were to converge, perhaps she could… help us."
These last words were almost spat.
"Kotori…you desire the help of Phantom?" Origami coldly asked. "After what happened… I thought you would be the last one to consider such a thing."
Origami, who had become a Spirit indirectly because of Phantom's doing and accidentally killed her parents on another timeline, was perhaps the one who had the most difficulties to accept being a Spirit.
That aside from the fact she had spent years in the AST trying to kill the very same Spirits.
"If it's to save Onii-ch…I mean, Shidou's life, I'm ready to do it" Kotori replied.
"That sisterly devotion! I love it!" Nia breathed.
"Why are we surrounded by perverts…" Natsumi murmured.
"Muku shall protect Nushi-sama" Mukuro declared with passion, hugging Shidou and startling him.
"If they dare to lift a finger on the Yamai Sisters' property, I will bring down upon them the lightning of judgment!"
"Approbation. But Kaguya can't use lightning."
Woodman suddenly cleared his throat, bringing an end to the Spirits' tsukkomi.
"Pardon me, but I have other informations to share" he said. "In fact…these are concerning Phantom itself, or to be exact, the First Spirit."
Not so long ago, Woodman had told Shidou and the others that he was originally part of DEM, having contributed to give life to the First Spirit.
He had fell in love with her and following this, had left DEM to found Ratatoskr, followed by Karen.
"You already know that I played a role in the birth of the First Spirit. Itsuka Shidou."
His solemn tone made Shidou gulp.
"Last time we saw each other, I had my doubts, but I am now certain that I must tell you everything that happened since the day we created the First Spirit. No… to be precise, I must tell you how I came to leave DEM and my friends."
Woodman then told them the story behind the creation of the First Spirit and how, in front of their eyes, the splendid being suddenly vanished.
Westcott and him quickly understood that the First Spirit had no control over her powers and would randomly appear in their world and the Spirits' world, causing what would be later called spacequakes.
Simply put, she was like a baby, not aware of her own powers.
Of course, DEM put all of its efforts to find her; the leaders of the organization, Westcott, Woodman, Ellen and Karen were even leading the searches.
At that time, Woodman had already fallen in love with the First Spirit and was participating the searches only to find her first and protect her, while Westcott was obsessed by the power she could provide them.
Since she had been created in a certain city, it was highly probable that she would come back sooner or later there, which was why they put the place under a strict watch.
That surveillance proved to be efficient as some time later, a strong spacequake occurred there.
DEM immediately began its searches but it appeared that the First Spirit had disappeared. However, they quickly noticed that their target had not left the world and was hiding somewhere.
It took them some time, but DEM eventually found out that the First Spirit, with her appearance of simple young girl, had been sheltered by a young boy and his sister.
Westcott immediately took in charge the operation. While Ellen and Karen were in charge of subduing the sister in order to pressure the boy, Woodman and himself would go and capture the First Spirit.
Although Karen was reluctant to kidnap a girl, Ellen obeyed the orders without asking any question.
The plan worked perfectly, but the First Spirit and the boy ran away together.
Woodman planned at this time to take the First Spirit with him and hide, away from Westcott deranged mind.
However, when he saw her with the boy, he had the feeling that the first would be able to protect her better than he would ever do.
Woodman quickly made up his mind and decided to let the boy and the First Spirit run away, fighting and delaying his own men to allow them to escape.
– Around thirty years earlier –
Elliott Baldwin Woodman had just betrayed the organization he supported for years, Deux Ex Machina Industries.
For him, one of the last Wizards to betray his companions just for his selfish desire…
He had just knocked out several of his own underlings to allow the young boy and Mio, the First Spirit, to escape.
"Mio, heh…that really is a good name. I have the feeling this boy is talented about giving names…" Woodman smiled.
He then immediately started to think about his situation.
His first plan of taking the First Spirit away from DEM was now a mess, he needed another strategy.
An idea popped up in his head as he immediately started to develop it.
But before he could come to a conclusion.
A tremendous reiryoku explosion occurred, not far away from him.
As an experienced Wizard, Woodman immediately felt the burst of pure energy released.
It was without a doubt Mio, the First Spirit.
Woodman gasped with anguish, and made his way towards the explosion.
Less than an hour later, Woodman reunited with Westcott and the rest of his squad, all harmed at different degrees.
"What happened, Isaac?!" Woodman questioned.
Westcott was strangely smiling, despite his broken arm.
"We found her, accompanied by the boy. I tried to persuade the boy to trade the Spirit for her sister, but he refused, so I had no other choice…"
"…What did you do, Isaac?"
Woodman's calm tone was hiding his true emotions.
Westcott shrugged.
"Well, I shot him. I would've done that anyway. But for some reason, it looked like the Spirit cared a lot about this boy and unleashed her reiryoku… hahaha, such a power… we had no choice but to retreat."
Westcott was half laughing while telling the story, his eyes shining like a boy in front of his new toys the morning of Christmas.
"You shot him? Is he dead, or did he escape with the Spirit?" Woodman questioned, horrified at the thought of his best friend killing a child.
"I am quite certain I aimed well… even though, it's not that easy to shoot a moving target, you know?"
Westcott sighed.
He could have been talking about the weather but no, he was casually explaining how he had just shot a boy.
An innocent boy.
Westcott had only known the boy for a few moments. He didn't even know his name, yet… he felt nauseous.
"Whatever. We have this boy's sister, and the Spirit looked very caring about her too, so I guess we still have the upper hand. Hahaha… who knew the weakness of such a splendid and powerful being would be some kids?..."
Woodman was deeply shocked by the merciless side his childhood friend and rival was showing.
He knew that Westcott was different in a certain way. He knew he would do unreasonable things.
But going this far…
Yes, at first, he too wanted power.
The power to defend themselves, the power to avenge their close ones.
However, if the price of power was them murdering children… were they better than the humans that ravaged their hometown?
On that grim day, Woodman definitely made his choice.
Weeks later, he eventually left DEM.
He of course tried to recover Mana Takamiya, the sister of the boy, but failed and had to escape in extremis, with the help of Karen Mathers.
The organization he founded a short time after the events would be known as Ratatoskr, with the mission of protecting any Spirit that would show up in the world.
– Present Time, Fraxinus' main control room –
"You know now the whole story" Woodman said.
Shidou and everyone in the room were astonished by these revelations.
If Woodman was telling the truth, and they knew he was…
Thirty years ago, a boy strongly resembling Shidou and his sister, Mana Takamiya, had been in contact with the First Spirit.
The dates corresponded too with the first Spirit-like activities recorded.
The First Spirit, Mio, was the one behind Phantom's mystery.
Which meant, this boy and Shidou were… the same.
So…what was Mio's goal?
Why was Shidou alive?
Why was Mana the same age as thirty years ago?
Before anyone could ask one of these questions, Woodman spoke again.
"I still wonder today if I should have escorted Mio and you instead of letting you go…and yet, I do not find an answer" he said. "Because of me, your sister and you have been through terrible trials. That is why… I sincerely apologize for everything, Itsuka Shidou."
He paused, and slowly shook his head.
"No... Takamiya Shinji."
When Shidou heard that name, "something" unlocked inside of him.
He began to tremble, unnoticed by the others.
All of sudden, memories flowed inside his head, playing in front of his eyes.
"Ah…."
It was a stream of information, sensations, memories.
Shidou remembered everything that happened in his "previous" life as Takamiya Shinji.
His parents.
His childhood.
His sister, Mana, always teasing him.
His meeting with Mio.
His first date with her.
The attack by DEM.
And finally, his own death.
The cold and dark embrace of death, followed by another sensation of being aspired and sheltered.
But it didn't stop there.
Shidou and Shinji's memories conflicted with each other, as if two distinct persons were trying to take possession of the same body.
Shidou's memories of his mother interweaved with Shinji's memories of his parents.
Their respective souvenirs battled, writing over themselves, erasing, replacing, entwining, to the point that the boy known as "Shidou" did not even know who he was anymore.
"I… Ghh…"
Shidou felt dizzy. No… not dizzy.
His head was hurting. His thoughts were so confused he couldn't speak.
Woodman frowned, and everyone's gaze turned to Shidou.
"Nee, Boy… are you okay? Your nose is bleeding…" Nia noticed.
"Shidou" did not, could not answer, though he indeed felt something warm on his lips, the iron taste of his own blood invading his mouth.
His eyes were shivering as images and souvenirs played in front of him.
"My sister is…Kotori… no, Mana… I live in… where… I'm… I'm… who?..."
Desperately trying to get a hold on his own identity, "Shidou" began to stutter.
"Boy?!"
"Shidou?!"
"Nushi-sama?"
"Shidou-san?!"
"Darling?!
As he heard the voices of the Spirits, "Shidou" powerlessly collapsed.
His body helplessly convulsing, "Shidou" had a last thought.
(Who, am I?...)