"Let us be together…forever."
Mio was slowly approaching Shidou, who was immobile a few meters above the crater created by his devastating attacks.
Still wearing his casual clothes, Shidou was unrecognizable because of the dark aura enveloping him. He did not maintain his stature and his head was hunging.
His chin almost touching his chest, his eyes not to be seen.
When Mio had destroyed DEM flagships, the Bandersnatch units had all stopped to function, leaving Shidou alone.
Amidst the ruins of this Tenguu City's neighborhood, with DEM and Ratatoskr's fleet wrecks all around them were Shidou and Mio Takamiya, the First Spirit, alias Murasame Reine.
As she had destroyed DEM, Mio only had now to give Shin the last Sephira Crystal, Binah, the very one she had recovered minutes earlier by killing Tokisaki Kurumi.
And afterwards… she would just have to erase Shidou's existence and memories to be with Shin once again.
Forever always with Shin.
So they could see that place again.
Shidou could not tell if he was alive.
He was "seeing", but his vision was so blurred, as well as his hearing, that they did not seem real.
The concept of "being alive" in his state was questionable. As if, his eyes were functioning independently from his brain.
He was seeing but not understanding the images in front of him.
So, it all felt like a distant dream. A realm where the "reality" had no meaning. His mind could not grasp the concept of "existing" neither.
Shidou's eyes widened as he came back to his senses with a deep breath.
It was a figure of speech, since he didn't even know where he was and if this was reality.
Shidou was on a shore, with no memories of what happened before.
The white sand, the inexhaustible horizon and the sunlight sparkling against the watery surface that seemed to slowly breathe because of the peaceful tide.
The delicate yet powerful aroma of the sea, the familiar sound of the ocean.
This place seemed familiar to him. Shidou was sure that he had never visited that beach and yet…
It really was strange. All of this scenery and details that made him feel a place were clear to him, but he could not even tell if he was alive, what kind of clothes he was wearing.
Here, "Shidou" existed and that was barely all.
Then, he saw this boy.
A few meters away from him, walking in the sand.
Dressed with a cool summer attire, as if he was here on vacation… or a date.
"…me?"
The boy had the exact face Shidou saw each morning in the mirror. His.
As weird as it was, it was like he faced himself.
"Are you… me?..." he muttered.
The boy smirked, looking embarrassed.
"I suppose so… which means, you are also me."
His expression was also the same Shidou would make in this situation.
Shidou suddenly understood what it all meant, as if a key suddenly unlocked the mystery.
After all, he could only be…
"… Shin…ji? Takamiya… Shinji?"
"Right on the mark… Itsuka Shidou. We finally meet, at least."
Both of them looked at each other for several seconds. It was a weird experience for both of them, after all.
"Why do we meet here?..." Shidou eventually asked.
"Even if I, Takamiya Shinji, exist, this is your body. Your soul, as to speak. So… I think, we are inside one of your memories."
He scratched his head.
"Of course, it cannot last forever. It's not like I live here or something like this, haha. In fact, it will end, soon."
Shidou sat in the sand in order to properly think as Shinji did the same, gazing at the ocean.
It truly was a beautiful, peaceful sight.
However, Shinji's explanations confused him.
All of it… was in Shidou's mind, his mind.
Eventually, he frowned.
"But… I don't recall this place… so… if this is part of my memories, why?..."
"You forget that I am you too. You share my memories. I went to this place, which is why you can picture it. My memories… are yours, but yours aren't mine."
"It's… complicated."
"I agree" Shinji laughed.
After a few moments, Shidou suddenly shot a question.
"…how does it feel?"
"Hm?"
"To die… how does it feel?" Shidou asked again.
It was a futile question… but he could not help.
"Ah, even though you've been close to death, you never really…died."
"Well, sorry about that."
"Haha, don't mind it."
Shinji smiled wryly but his face expression became somewhat sad and lonely.
"How to say… I can only speak for myself. But… at first, it hurts a lot. It's hot, it's cold and the pain is so unbearable you can't even talk."
Shidou shivered. He knew this part.
"Then, you start to lose your sensations… first, the pain vanishes, but it is replaced by a feeling of emptiness that tightens your heart. You have the feeling that… it will be the end."
Shinji's lips trembled.
"Before you notice it, you're crying, desperately praying not to die. Your vision is blurred, by your tears but also by something else. Despite the fact that you know your eyes are wide open, you don't see anymore. Next is the hearing. You're blind and deaf to everything happening around you, to you."
Shinji paused.
"And finally… you cease to exist. This last part is really hard to describe, we don't have words for this. It's beyond human concepts… This is just… over."
Shinji whispered the end of the sentence.
"… Sorry, I just killed the atmosphere…"
"Poor choice of words but yes" Shidou said with a grin. "I asked first so it's okay..."
For a moment, only the distant noise caused by the waves could be heard.
"I am sorry you died… and sorry I couldn't let you take over my body" Shidou suddenly said. "Since you are me… in the first place, it should be only be normal for you to come back, but…"
Shidou had troubles to find the correct words. He felt genuinely sorry, not to be able to give Shinji a second chance… a second life.
He felt egoistic.
"…"
"I am sorry. I… didn't want to disappear. I have people I love too here… even if I'm a fake… even if I'm just an illusion…"
"No, I am sorry too."
Shinji's words took Shidou aback.
"At first… I was overwhelmed by despair. When you…awakened me, I thought… I deserved to see Mio again. I wanted to see her again, I had to be with her again. Since without me, you wouldn't have existed at all, I thought it was my right. But… It was a mistake."
Shinji picked a handful of sand, opened his hand, and looked at the white dust falling down.
"I realized it. Even if I have people I care about… you do too… and I should not destroy that."
"But… It means… you will disappear..." Shidou muttered.
Shinji shook his head. He was smiling, but his smile was painful, lonely.
"No, I will not."
"But you told me…"
"That it would end soon. In fact, the ending has already been decided. There is only one possible route, in this story."
Shinji was now looking at Shidou in the eyes.
It was a very strange experience to look at yourself like this. It truly was like a mirror.
"I think it was Mio's doing. For me… for us to be born again. I'm very happy she wanted to be with me, to see me again…but in the end, she made a mistake."
"I don't understand…"
"It's simple."
Shinji's eyes were sparkling, much to Shidou's surprise.
"I am already gone."
Shidou was stunned.
"What do you mean… already gone? You are here… you are talking to me… even the other times, you… you took control of my body…"
"I never did. It was you, at that time."
"What?"
"You acted in accordance with Takamiya Shinji's memories because you were confused and did not even know which memories you should trust. Me… I am no longer here."
"But you are here! With me! Inside of me! You told me that!" Shidou flared.
He didn't understand at all. What was going on?
"I told you this place… all of it… were memories. My, your memories. But since this is all your doing…"
Shinji's voice was slightly trembling.
"I, also am a memory. I am no longer human. I am just… the souvenir of the boy once named Takamiya Shinji. If you, Shidou, are the counterfeit of the original Shinji… I am the counterfeit of a counterfeit. If I can take form and speak as I do, it is because your own mind arranged it this way so it could be easier to handle. I am the sum of Takamiya Shinhi's memories. Nothing less but nothing more."
"What…"
Shidou struggled but eventually understood the meaning of Shinji's words.
That was right. Shinji had told him before.
Everything here was built up from Shidou's memories. Of course, it included Shinji… since he was himself the memory of a memory.
"But… my time here is over. Your body has been unstable because you created me. You created another personality, built from memories in order not to become mad and clearly separate Shidou and Shinji's lives, as you believed at first that you were sharing your body with someone else. That solution had its bright sides, but it also brought you a lot of pain."
Shinji closed his eyes.
"However… now that you really are conscious that I'm not another you but only memories… I'll disappear. I'll lose my actual form, and return to nothing but scattered souvenirs. You will be able to live in peace."
It was only at this moment that Shidou realized how Shinji was feeling.
Even if he was not a complete being, he still had emotions, he still behaved like his old self.
And he knew… he knew that his old self, Takamiya Shinji, was definitely gone, that the last remnants of him would also disappear.
Takamiya Shinji's last living incarnation was well aware of his disappearance.
And yet, he explained Shidou everything. Even with sadness overcoming him, he still…
Shidou could not resist the tears in his eyes.
His body moved by itself and he embraced the boy who was and was not him.
"I am sorry… Shinji… I am… so sorry…" he sobbed.
"Hey, hey, don't cry. I should be the one crying" he joked, slowly tapping Shidou's back.
"If only… I could reunite you with Mio…"
"You can't. But… I'm glad I could see her again, through your eyes, even as a memory."
The two boys supported each other for some minutes, and parted when Shidou wiped his tears.
"Say, Shidou. I don't know what's going out there, but I am certain someone will come for you."
"… yeah, I don't quite recall what happened… I'm not even sure this is real…"
"Yes, I get that. So… will you wait with me? It would be… less lonely if you could accompany me till the very end."
"… of course. I will remain by you side. This… is the least I can do."
"Haha. Thank you. And please… do not let suffer anyone because of me, or you, right?"
Shinji offered him his pinky finger.
Shidou smiled and shook Shinji's finger with his own. Just like that, they sealed their promise.
"Yes. That's a promise."
"Thank you, Shidou."
"No…thank you, Shinji."
Slowly, steadily, a bright light invaded this place out of space and time, as the two boys were still holding each other's pinky.
Then Shinji started to slowly become transparent, his body turning and dissolving into tiny particles of pure light, like fireflies.
The existence once known as Takamiya Shinji disappeared with a last smile engraved in Itsuka Shidou's mind.
Shidou probably expected to awake in another place after that strange dream.
But the world where he was now was monochrome.
It was dark.
Only darkness welcomed him.
Shidou felt himself sinking in a bottomless abyss.
Mio was contemplating Shidou.
Contemplating and examining him at the same time.
It was not in her plan for Shidou to Inverse. Of course, she knew it was in theory possible but given Shidou's iron will, she thought it would not be possible for him to feel an emotion such as bottomless despair.
For some reason, it bothered her.
It meant Shidou loved Nia so much he would feel lost without her.
She smiled to herself. Was it jealousy?
It was totally uncalled for. Shidou was not Shinji. If Shinji had loved someone else, it would have been justified, but since it was Shidou…
Yes, it should not matter.
Shidou, not Shinji. That was all.
Since Shidou, in the end, was only a counterfeit born from Shinji's memories and re-creation… it was still surprising.
However, to be honest, no one could have recognized the always kind and caring Shidou right now.
His aura and expression were beyond frightening, not mentioning the dark reiryoku surrounding him.
Shidou was now an avatar of overwhelming destruction. In his state, he was only obsessed with only one objective: destroy.
To destroy everything, every being he would meet. That was the effect of the Inverse phenomena.
It was said to awake the "true" personalities of the Spirits.
On the other hands, these very personalities were, depending of the context and the degree of control of their host would likely resemble beasts only driven by rage and destruction.
Shidou had been busy dealing with the Bandersnatch units until now, but he would soon move out again.
However, this matter did not worry Mio. Another factor was to take in consideration.
Shidou was now a time bomb. When a Spirit would Inverse, they would attack everything around them.
But Shidou held right now the reiryoku of ten Spirits. Nobody – excepted Mio – could hold that much power.
Worse, Shidou had no control over his strength and was unleashing his reiryoku without any consideration; it was only a matter of time before he would simply explode… his body was still a human one after all.
He could not bear that amount of energy and would suffer irremediable wounds if things kept going like this.
Mio still needed to transfer Binah to him. She tapped her chest, where her own Sephira Crystal and Binah lied.
She would later have to find Westcott corpse and retrieve the remnants of Chokmah to also give them to Shinji.
Tracking her other children to also take back the remnants of their Sephira Crystals would have made Shinji perfect, but she was tired of shedding blood and it was enough.
But first, she needed to narrow down the pathway between Shidou and the other Spirits. It would reduce the amount of reiryoku he had access to.
The same thing she had done during the Itsuka Disaster to save him.
After that…
After that, her long awaited dream would come true.
She would be with Shinji forever and always.
She could tell Shinji once again she loved him.
She could show him the stuffed bear he gave her that day, how much she treasured it like a talisman giving her courage.
She could bear Shinji's children, eventually.
They would go together, far away, to live in peace for eternity. Perhaps they would travel to that shore once again.
They would do everything they wanted to; thanks to their mutual powers and love, nothing would be impossible.
They would make such a strange couple: a former human, resurrected, and her, an entity created by magic holding supreme powers.
Crossing the Boundary of mortality.
An eternal paradise, together.
An Eternal Love shared.
Being so close to the goal she had chased during thirty years, Mio could not help but to let her mind wander a few seconds.
Because of that, she did not notice Shidou approaching her.
To be exact, she noticed it a heartbeat too late.
"?..."
Mio wanted to speak but she could not voice whatever she desired to say.
Maybe because of the sensation she was feeling.
With her almost divine status, Mio was immune to cold, hunger, fatigue and all these human weaknesses.
She barely knew the meaning of "pain" as the only pain she had ever felt was caused by Shinji's death, thirty years earlier.
And yet she was so cold right now. Since it was probably the first time Mio felt that, she doubted her own senses.
Was it due to Shidou's harmful reiryoku?
No, her Astral Dress was protecting her.
So…why?
Something moved inside her chest, giving her nausea.
Mio's eyes widened when she saw that…
… Shidou's hand was plunged in her chest, crawling inside her flesh.
If Mio was nearly invulnerable because of her Astral Dress, something or someone with a great reiryoku could still hurt her.
And Shidou, by holding nine out of the ten Sephira Crystal that represented Mio's power, was able to pierce through her armor and body alike.
Why did he act like this?
Perhaps because, this Shidou understood that reiryoku alone could not kill Mio.
… Ahh, that was right. This Shidou could not care less about her.
He only wanted to destroy everything and kill everyone. Including her.
Fear of death had never seized Mio before, as she could not be killed through normal means.
Only this time, she could feel her body shaking.
Because, Shidou's finger eventually found what they were looking for.
Mio could feel his hand grabbing, inside of her, the two Sephira Crystals she kept: Kurumi's and hers.
She could not move. She could not speak.
Her mind, usually so quick to understand and solve situations, was somehow frozen. She could not think of a way to get out of here.
Perhaps… Shidou wanted to take possession of her Sephira Crystal?
Perhaps… Shidou wanted to use Zafkiel ability to manipulate time, in order to change history once again?
If it was so, there was nothing to fea––
"!"
Mio understood she was wrong when she felt Shidou's grasp tightening.
Yes.
That beast, that demon in front of him was not interested by such things.
He only wanted her death and the world to be gone.
Mio did not have the time to regret her naivety nor the loss of the dream she had been chasing for thirty years.
The being once known as Itsuka Shidou, as Takamiya Shinji, pulled out the two Sephira Crystals inside Mio with the very hand that offered her a stuffed bear one day.
If Binah was only a fragment of her power, Mio was dependent of her own Sephira Crystal. It was her core, her heart. Without it, she would not even exist.
Because of that, the instant Shidou took it.
Mio vanished from the world.
Her body and consciousness dissolved in the air, similarly to dust carried away by the wind.
It took an instant of carelessness, to annihilate all of her efforts, all the lives she had taken, all of her love.
In her last flash of consciousness, Mio felt that in the end, she only received her fair retribution for her sins.
Even though…
She wished, she could have seen Shin one last time.
The Spirits aboard Fraxinus had been shaken by the revelation of Phantom being Reine, aka Takamiya Mio.
But the scene they had just witnessed was worse.
"Oi, are you kidding me…" Nia murmured, cold sweat running down her forehead.
As she was now the strategist and analyst officer in place of Reine, Nia was analyzing several screens displaying data, numbers and Shidou's actions.
Kotori's jaw dropped when she saw Shidou literally killing Takamiya Mio, the First Spirit, the one that loved him and gave birth to him again, going through thirty years of hell only to see him again.
It seemed that Mio was well aware of her sins and accepted this weight. But for her to die so suddenly…
Kotori could not help but to feel sorry for her.
All of them were afraid that Mio would erase Shidou's personality when the latter pierced Mio and took the two Sephira Crystals she possessed.
If they were relieved that Shidou was still "alive", the situation was not better than before. It was actually worse…
Basically, Shidou now held all the Sephira Crystals, even Mio's one. His power truly made him the equal of the former First Spirit.
However, Shidou was still in his Inverse Form, yearning for destruction.
Nia was trying to remain calm and collected.
"Alright… I guess we're facing the final boss. He may seem invincible but he has a weakness" she said.
"Which one?" Kotori asked.
"He is still Boy. I am certain… he will answer to our feelings. I am sure it's the key. Even if he holds Miocchi Sephira Crystal, there is still a pass between him and all of us. Though, we need to immobilize him. Let me think about it. I beat Advance Wars and Valkyria Chronicles on expert modes."
Nia loved otome games but she also played a lot of RTS (ranked Grand Master on StarCraft II) and Strategy RPGs.
To attain her objective, she first needed to guess her opponent's intentions.
By knowing one's next move, you would be able either to counter him or lead him where you wanted him to be.
It was the easiest part in this situation.
An Inverse Spirit would likely attack everyone and everything in their sight.
Nia quickly overlooked the multiple surveillance screens. Below Shidou were the rests of DEM's fleet, destroyed by Mio.
Among the wrecks of airships, several Wizards could be seen looking out for survivors.
And Shidou was–
Not here anymore.
"… don't tell me…"
Nia blinked and called out the other Spirits.
"Everyon–"
Nia gasped, not even finishing her sentence.
It was said a Qlipha Crystal, that everyone believed to be the "evil" counterpart of a Sephira Crystal, was in truth the original form of the latter.
As apparently, Inverse Tohka was a particular case, it was unknown if the Qlipha Crystals had their own personality and thus transmitted them to their host when they would Inverse.
Most likely, when under the influence of a Qlipha Crystal, they would feel a negative emotion at a bottomless level: despair, anger, grief… that would lead them to want to destroy the entire world.
It was also true for humans, after all. If one suffered an ordeal, he would likely curse the world, curse the responsible, or curse himself.
When we suffer, we hurt either the others or ourselves.
Since the Inverse Spirits, in their state, did not have the control and reasoning it took to overcome such emotions, they would simply use their power to hurt the others.
Shidou had been under the nefarious influence of ten Qlipha Crystals because of his Inversion.
But the instant he took possession of Mio's Sephira Crystal, his consciousness surfaced.
At the same moment, the aura of rage surrounding him disappeared, replaced by a white one, at least as powerful.
Shidou's eyes were now wide open, his breathing hard.
"?!"
(Where am…I?...)
His body was hot, very hot, his vision and hearing enhanced, but a cloud was troubling his mind.
(It's… I am like… a Spirit?... But why…)
All of sudden, memories flowed through him.
His own memories… and Mio's.
Within a few seconds, Shidou remembered everything.
But above all…
Nia was gone.
Nia, whom Shidou loved, was gone.
And.
Mio, whom Shinji loved, was also gone… killed with his own hand.
The two persons the human being known as "Shidou" had loved were dead. Dead and gone.
The double loss of his loved ones, brutal and definitive, should have plunged Shidou in an even deeper abyss of despair.
But… instead of that.
He only felt hatred.
A feeling he was not used to was now brimming in his entire being.
Hatred. Hate. Bottomless rage.
All of it directed towards the only one responsible.
DEM.
DEM.
DEM.
DEM!
It was all DEM's fault.
Yes. Yes. Yes. It was entirely DEM's fault.
More exactly, it was surely that man, Isaac Westcott's fault. He was the source of all of their suffering.
He was the one who killed Shinji.
The one who tortured Nia, the one constantly trying to kill him.
Shidou was now conscious. He could think, talk and act. But that was all.
The Qlipha Crystals inside of him still influenced him.
Shidou's body, after all, was still a human's one, and over a human body, Qlipha Crystals would have that effect.
Thanks to Mio's Sephira Crystal, Shidou's instincts would not drive him. But, if even his consciousness succumbed to his primal rage…
"Ahh…aaaAAAAHhhAAaaAAAAHHHHHHHHHHhhhHHH!"
Shidou's bestial roar made the earth shake.
Once again, dark colored, nefarious reiryoku was surrounding him, more frightening than the first time.
"DEM… WESTCOOOOOOOOTT!"
By seeing Shidou turning back to – almost – normal, Nia had thought that everything was solved.
But his sudden change and howl confirmed her that the worse was still to come.
"Imouto-chan! We need to go to there, NOW!"
"Where?"
"Where DEM's fleet crashed! Didn't you hear Boy? I don't think he screamed their name for the pleasure! I don't know what his state is right now, but we know he found his target!"
The place where DEM's fleet had crashed now resembled a battlefield, with craters, wreckages and junk scattered all around.
Most of the airships hit by Mio's attack had hit the ground without protection, killing most of their passengers but some of them had managed to active self-Realizer devices.
The rare survivors, wounded for the majority, were being extracted from the ships by DEM's wizards.
One of them, a middle-aged woman wearing a CR-Unit, was giving a hand to a technician who had miraculously survived the crash when she felt a presence behind her.
She turned back, only to see…
A boy? Yes, it was a boy, a high school student but his aura was… oppressing, more oppressing than the chief Mathers when she was angry.
"DEM…"
"Hey, young man, you shouldn't–"
She wanted to tell him to go away but something prevented her from finishing her sentence.
"Ain Soph Aur."
A flower blossomed and bright particles of light harvested the wizard's life before she could understand what was happening.
She collapsed, her body hitting the ground with a thud.
Behind her, the technician who had just been saved was trembling with fear.
The boy looked at him.
"DEM… too."
"Ah… I'm–"
The man did not have the chance to defend himself or to beg for mercy.
The same bright particles of light took his life.
And Shidou moved on.
Killing every DEM's underling he would find. Men, women, wizards, technician, crewmembers, pilots, even cooks.
It did not matter.
If they worked for DEM, they would just die.
Because DEM was responsible of everything.
Shidou only left a track of corpses behind him.
Westcott was lying down in the dirt, his eyes contemplating the blue sky. His body was covered with wounds, both of his arms seemingly broken.
It looked truly like a miracle for him to be still alive. His Demon King was nowhere to be found.
"Ahh… Ahh… so even with Belzeebub, I lost… again. You truly are the strongest… Elliot."
A few steps from him, a young man in his prime, wearing a partially destroyed golden armor was sitting on a rock. A rifle looking like a cannon was lying at his feet.
"You underestimated Gungnir, Ike. I do recognize that your progress with the Realizer is impressing, but we are still ahead of you in terms of technology."
Elliot Woodman, wearing his personal CR-Unit, spoke with a composed tone.
He did not look like someone who were to die in a few minutes.
After an intense battle, both Woodman and Westcott had found themselves falling along with Ulmus airship. It did not stop them from fighting, not even their brutal landing.
But eventually, it came to an end, as Woodman proved to be the best in terms of strength and skill.
However, one could call it a draw.
Westcott would die from his wounds, with no medical care available, and having burned all of his remaining lifespan because of his use of Wodan, Woodman would also succumb in a few minutes.
Even if their opinions diverged, now that death was closing in, they were but two friends peacefully discussing.
"By the way… where is Karen? I thought she would fight by your side…" Westcott said.
"Hum. Yes, she wanted to. However, for her own sake, I had her evacuated with the rest of the crewmembers. They should be safe."
Woodman answered while thinking about the white light that had caused both Ratatoskr's and DEM's fleet to crash. Without a doubt – and it was certain Westcott had sensed it too –, it was the First Spirit's power.
"And with Itsuka Shidou in this state…" he muttered for himself.
He did not sense the harmful aura anymore in his state of weakness and the fights seemed to be over.
Yet, Woodman was worried. A feeling that could not be explained…
However, he trusted Itsuka Kotori and the rest of Ratatoskr personnel. He knew they were more capable than he was and sincerely believed they would find a happy ending for all of them.
His body was becoming heavier, and a torpor was slowly taking over his consciousness. It was similar to falling asleep but Woodman knew it would be an eternal rest.
"And Ellen? I was persuaded she would come here…" he casually asked.
"She was to deal with Nightmare along with Artemisia. I trusted them to achieve their part quickly but obviously, something went wrong" Westcott replied with a weaker voice.
"Dead."
"Hm?"
Woodman could not help but to be surprised by this sudden interjection.
Westcott and him turned their head in the direction of the newcomer.
Itsuka Shidou, clad in a frightening dark aura of reiryoku, was standing there. Woodman truly realized his state of exhaustion; he would normally have detected such a nefarious aura from miles.
Westcott, still lying on the ground, was observing Itsuka Shidou with an interested gaze.
"Ohhh... it seems he still is in his Inverse Form, and yet, I somehow know he is still conscious…how is it?"
Woodman ignored his old comrade commentaries.
"Itsuka Shidou… you just said…"
"They dead."
His voice was so cold it literally froze Woodman ears. It had nothing to do with the kind boy he met before…
"And how would you know that?"
"Mio killed them. I know. I remember."
Mio was referring to the First Spirit. Shocked by this announcement, however, Woodman frowned at the end of Itsuka Shidou's sentence.
But his way of speaking was strange, primitive in a certain way.
"Remember?..."
Suddenly, by realizing that the First Spirit was not by his side, he had a terrible suspicion.
Westcott burst into laughter.
"Hahahahahaha! This is incredible! Truly incredible! You took her Sephira Crystal, didn't you? And you managed to… haaaa, this is wonderful!"
Westcott was chuckling like a child, despite his mortal wounds.
Itsuka Shidou remained silent and walked to his side.
"It's you. It's you. It's you."
His voice was trembling with a bottomless hate.
"You. You. You. You."
Woodman heard it all. Not only the same word repeated again and again, but the whole signification behind them.
Westcott was responsible of all of Itsuka Shidou's trials.
By his total absence of empathy, by his schemes to take possession of the Spirits' powers, by all of his evil doings.
He was even the one who had killed Takamiya Shinji, thirty years ago. If there were someone Itsuka Shidou could and would hate, it would be for sure Isaac Ray Pelham Westcott.
Westcott smirked.
"So, what will you do, Itsuka Shidou? I am to die in a few minutes, so…"
"Begone."
Westcott slightly raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth to reply. However, Itsuka Shidou was faster.
"Ain."
Light filled the world.
Woodman had the reflex of closing his eyes, but when he opened them, he was surprised to see that the landscape was still the same.
Yes, it was all the same… excepted one thing.
Westcott was gone.
"Itsuka Shidou… what did you…"
"Gone."
The sentence was easy to understand, short, and terrible at the same time.
It was not a murder. It was more…
Where Westcott body was a few seconds before now lied a gem like grey object, shining.
It was without a doubt, the Sephira Crystal Chokmah. When Westcott had absorbed it, it was in its Inverse Forme, as a Qlipha Crystal.
However, it seemed that his journey inside Westcott's body had somehow refined him. Now that it had been extracted out of the latter, it had returned to its Sephira form.
Shidou did not even glance at it.
His gaze was now on Woodman.
"You are… DEM too."
In a sense, it was true. Woodman was one of DEM's founders.
Faced with so much hate and sorrow, Woodman, still in his young form, sighed. If his body was in his prime, his eyes reflected his age and wisdom.
"Itsuka Shidou. I do not know if you can understand me, but… I am terribly sorry for pushing you in such trials. You are right; I am as responsible as my old friend of all the torments you suffered."
"Sorry?"
Shidou tilted his head.
"Yes, sorry. My regrets will not resurrect Takamiya Shinji. They will not erase your suffering. A man can only admit his mistakes and ask for forgiveness."
Woodman's words were honest. He was not trying to save his life with pretty words, as he would also die in a few moments.
He was just asking the boy whom he had troubled the life twice to forgive him.
Shidou and Woodman looked at each other in the eyes, not bulging.
Eventually, Shidou opened his mouth.
"Ain Soph Aur: Henet."
A flower bloomed. A beam hit Woodman, taking his life, turning him back to his old self.
The last thing he saw with his eyes was the figure of a beautiful girl at the center of the blooming flower.
As Elliot Baldwin Woodman's lifeless corpse touched the ground, Shidou said:
"I forgive."
Shidou stood there, amidst the ruins, the corpses and the wreckages.
The last bits of reason he possessed were shattered, slowly disappearing because of the whirlwind of negative emotions building inside him.
He did not have anything to live for now.
Most of DEM's forces were destroyed.
The people who had caused all of his misfortunes were dead, killed with his own hand.
And the one he loved… was gone too.
So.
Perhaps…
It was better for the world to disappear as well.
However, suddenly.
Eleven silhouettes appeared behind him, probably teleported.
Shidou turned his head.
He heard several people calling him, people whom he knew.
And then.
"Boy!"
That simple word brought him back.
Shidou's heart was beating hard, as he was holding his breath.
One of the silhouettes stepped forth.
A thin body, with almost no curves and yet charming.
Ash grey hair, blue, icy eyes. The face of a young woman, no more than twenty, with red square framed glasses.
"…Nia?"
But she was…
He had seen her…
She was coming closer and closer to him but suddenly stopped. Shidou realized that his own reiryoku was preventing her from coming closer.
His power was a harmful storm that repelled her.
Nia was a few steps away from him. He could clearly see her now.
It was not an illusion. It was truly…
"Nia."
Shidou could only pronounce her name, trying to tell her everything he was now feeling through her name.
Nia smiled.
"Yes, Boy… No. Shidou."
Nia was a bit afraid, but relieved at the same time.
When they were still aboard Fraxinus, the other Spirits and she had seen Shidou mercilessly killing DEM's survivors, as well as Westcott and Woodman, much to their horror.
It was nowhere near of Shidou's kind personality to do that.
Seeing him committing murders had shocked them, and they feared that it would be too late to recover him.
Despite Maria's warning and the situation, Nia and the Spirits, along with Mana clad in her armor, had insisted to be teleported near Shidou.
So, when Nia heard Shidou calling her by her name, she felt her heart melting, submerged by relief, joy… and love.
Shidou recognized her. Shidou knew her.
So, there was still a chance to bring him back. Despite the harmful reiryoku surrounding him, despite the murders he had committed… Ellen, Artemisia, Mio, DEM's personnel, Westcott, Woodman… because, it was not of his doing, right?
It was because of his state, of his Inverse Form. The real Shidou would never do such things. They all knew it.
Nia knew what she had to do, too.
Since the reason of Shidou's Inversion was her death, she just had to prove him that she was still alive.
No… more than that.
She was still alive and would live for him, with him.
And as stupid as it sounded, the only way of doing so was by kissing him.
Exchanging a new kiss with Shidou would definitely prove him that Nia was alive (and of course, this solution, proposed by Maria, had raised many objections among the other Spirits).
For that, she would have to cross Shidou's Inverse reiryoku.
From what Tohka had explained her, it was extremely painful to cross one's reiryoku without the protection of an Astral Dress.
She could do it. She would do it.
For Shidou had done it before so many times, braving the Spirits' fury only to save them.
Nia breathed in and out and took one step.
"Nia?…"
Nia stopped, aghast.
Shidou was crying.
But his tears were red. They were tears of blood.
"Nia..aah..ha,ha,ha…HaaAAAAAaaaaaaaAAAAAaaAAAGGgHHHhHHH!"
A wave of negative reiryoku broke out of Shidou's body and pushed back Nia along with the other Spirits.
When they get back on their feet, the sight in front of them made them shudder.
"GuUUUUaaAaa…."
Shidou, bloody tears overflowing from the eyes, was on his knees. His moans were inhuman and expressed an intense suffering.
Worse, his reiryoku was now spreading out of his body uncontrollably, forming a sort of force field that was dangerously expanding.
It was like a broken dam with the contained water forcing its way out.
Nia quickly recovered her mind and called out Kotori, who was in communication with Maria, Fraxinus AI, through the Incam she was wearing.
"What on Earth is going on with Boy? Why is he like this?!"
Kotori was so pale she looked like she would faint.
"…No…"
"What, no?!"
Kotori bowed her head. All the Spirits were listening, as time seemed to slow down.
"We were blinded by Shidou's Inverse Form, all this time..."
"What do you mean?"
"Before leaving Fraxinus, Reine… no, Mio told us that, Shinji would disappear if she were not to recover him now. At first, I thought she was talking about the fact that Shinji would be erased of Shidou's being, but…"
She clenched her fist.
"We knew it. We knew it, we even received a grim reminder during the Itsuka Disaster– that human body cannot withstand spiritual power. Even if Shidou absorbed Mio's Crystal… He's not a wizard like Westcott or Woodman-sama. Using his powers always taxed him heavily…"
Nia blinked. She had heard, of course, of this incident, when Shidou had gone berserk (and freed her) because of an accumulation and overcharge of spiritual power.
Of course, they had solved the problem back then by widening the pass, through kisses.
But.
Since then, Shidou had sealed Nia and Mukuro.
And, above all…
Shidou had Inversed and taken possession of the First Spirit's Sephira Crystal.
There was no way that his human body, even adapted a bit to Sephira Crystals, would be able to withstand that.
"Kotori."
The voice was Origami's.
"What can we do? Is it possible to widen the pass again, as we did last time?"
Her voice was calm but her anxiety was clearly palpable.
"…no. The problem does not come from us…"
"Can we not… put him to sleep? Reduce his power, one way or another? Stall for time?"
"…"
Origami also asked Maria for her opinion, but even the AI was clueless. As Nia was also wearing an Incam, she heard her answer.
"It is only a matter of time before Shidou completely loses control of all of his reiryoku. And when it happens… even I cannot calculate the radius of the explosion."
Hearing that harsh statement was the finishing blow.
"No… Nii-sama is…"
"Nushi-sama... Muku, shan't,…"
"Shidou-san can't… disappear… right?..."
"What are you saying… that Shidou will… Die?..."
Despair was taking over the girls gathered here. They could almost turn Inverse too.
Shidou was literally a time bomb. They could not approach him, let alone save him.
They were condemned to see the one they loved die in front of them, and his death would mean theirs too.
It resembled the worst end they could find in a visual novel.
Even the always brave Tohka was lost. However.
"So what."
Nia, in her Ratatoskr's military officer uniform, was standing in front of them.
"Boy is about to explode like an overcharged kamikaze. So what?"
Her voice and conviction were firm.
"We've faced worse… no, okay, our previous struggles didn't look that bad. But, game master, if you think this is enough for me to give up!" she yelled.
Nia's behavior looked like she had lost it.
"I don't care about Boy's condition. I don't care about our chances of success. I will complete that damn stage and get the true happy end, you hear me?!"
Nia turned back and looked at everyone.
"Muku-chan. Origamin. Natsumin. Miku. Yuzuru-chan, Kaguyacchi. Manatee. Imouto-chan. Yoshinon, Yoshino. Tohka."
She called them one by one.
"As my friends and rivals… will you help me to reach that true end?"
Her pose, her speech, her attitude lit the fire of hope inside them.
What if it was possible? was the idea they all had now, thanks to Nia.
"… we should not give up, but how do you propose to save Shidou?" asked Origami.
"I will give him a passionate, adult kiss."
"….."
Everyone went silent, excepted for Origami (I see) and Miku (Kyaa, approved!).
"I was kidding. I will call him. I will bring him back. Even if I have to kick his ass!"
Nia's plan was not very convincing in the end. However, they did not have a choice.
They could try this madness, or simply wait for Shidou to explode and wipe them out along with the entire Japan.
"I need you to give me an opening. Right now, if I were to get close to Boy, I would be reduced to smithereens. I need you to open me a path. Can you do that?"
"Umu! You can count on me!"
"Yes…"
"Kakaka! Piece of cake!"
"Consent. We will save Shidou."
"Tis but a humble request, hueh?"
The Spirits expressed their approval one by one.
"Alright. I know this is Imouto-chan catchphrase, but…– let's begin our war (date)!"
Shidou's reiryoku was literally forming a rampart all around him, growing bigger and stronger; by its consistence, it looked like an amoeba.
For Nia, who was barehanded and with no Spiritual power to protect her, they would have to create a breach in this condensed mass of reiryoku.
They would even have to hurt Shidou a bit, as otherwise, he would immediately regenerate the barrier surrounding him.
One by one, the Spirits summoned their Angels and Limited Astral Dresses, let alone Nia and Kotori ; the first because she was still missing most of her strength, the second because Shidou had absorbed too much of her power.
"Metatron!"
"Michael!"
"Raphael!"
"Zadkiel!"
"Haniel!"
"Gabriel!"
"Sandalphon!"
Eight Spirits with limited powers against a berserk high school student holding the power of a god.
And yet, they still moved on.
Origami was the first one to strike.
"Metatron: Sun Shemesh!"
Several energy blasts were released, colliding and exploding when entering in contact with the energy surrounding Shidou.
However, it was not enough to create a breach.
Origami bit her lip but did not give up.
Concentrating herself, she invoked her Angel once again.
"Metatron: Crown Cannon Artelif!"
The pillars floating around her took the form of a cannon and fired a giant beam of light.
Normally, she would not be able to use this ability with only her Limited Astral Dress without collapsing.
But behind her, Miku was using her Voice with Gabriel to raise her mental power, and Natsumi, imitating Gabriel with Haniel, was doing the same.
The shockwave of the impact created a curtain of dust, but at least, Origami had managed to somehow pierce Shidou's defense, even a bit.
Seeing the opportunity, a shadow flied to Shidou.
Tohka, riding the Yamai Sisters' wind at an incredible speed, raising her sword Angel, Sandalphon.
Kaguya and Yuzuru were to stay behind, and, taking advantage of the opening created by their friends, use their wind to project Nia on Shidou when the time would come.
"Forgive me-Shidou!"
Tohka apologized while swinging her sword. She intended to knock him out by striking with only the flat side of the blade.
However, with a blank gaze, troubled only by the red colour of his tears, Shidou blocked her attack with one hand.
"Aa,a,a,ahh…"
Even in this state, he still possessed reflexes. He would still defend himself and attack those hostile to him.
Immobilized, Tohka was in quite a predicament, but at this moment.
"Raphael: El Re'em!"
"Raphael: El Na'ash!"
The Yamai Sisters summoned their respective Angel weapons.
"Confirmation. Kaguya!"
"Yes, Yuzuru!"
The twins combined their Angels and strength; Yuzuru's pendulum becoming a bow and Kaguya's lance the arrow.
"Come on, let me say it!" implored Kaguya.
"Sigh. Approbation", Yuzuru said with a mixed face.
Kaguya displayed a broad smile and spoke with a passionate voice:
"Kakaka! Reveal yourself! The Black Wind Spear that destroys everything. Show them! Sturm Lanze: El Kanaph!"
Kaguya's dark spear was released.
Shidou let go of Tohka's Sandalphon, and his hand released a stream of energy. When it collided with the Yamai Sisters' attack, a tremendous shockwave shook the ground.
However, Shidou's attack was stronger and was about to devour Tohka, Yuzuru and Kaguya.
"Michael: Rātaibu."
Mukuro opened a giant hole, absorbing the reiryoku and releasing it toward the sky, resulting in a formidable firework.
Then, at this moment, where all the combatants were exhausted and distracted, a silhouette with a rabbit shape moved behind Shidou, whose reiryoku barrier was temporarily gone.
"Zafkiel!"
Yoshino and Yoshinon froze Shidou's lower body, preventing any movement from him; as Zafkiel was capable of freezing inconsistent things like spiritual energy and Territory, it would block Shidou's reiryoku even for five seconds.
These five seconds were all the time the Yamai Sisters needed to use their wind on Nia, throwing her like a Pokéball on Shidou.
Nia somehow manage not to lose her balance and embraced Shidou as soon as she was in range.
"Gotcha!"
Shidou still looked in pain, not reacting at Nia's contact. No, in fact it was as if he did not see her.
His eyes were empty.
Maybe, he was, already…
Nia shook her head with vigor to chase this idea away.
"No! I know you're still here… Shidou!"
However, Yoshino's ice melted at the same time. Shidou once again released a tempest of negative reiryoku, forcing the other Spirits to retreat.
"Nia is… We need to save–ah…"
Tohka was ready to get back in the fight, but she had eventually reached her limit, out of Spiritual power.
Her Astral Dress vanished, as well as the others', leaving them powerless to witness the terrible fate of Shidou and Nia.
Much to their surprise, Nia was still clinging to Shidou.
"She…but without her Astral Dress…" Kotori gasped.
She knew better than anyone that confronting a field of Spiritual energy without an Astral Dress or a Realizer was almost suicidal.
From their point of view, Shidou had also reached his limits. Drowned in a cyclone of reiryoku, even they could feel it was a question of minutes before he would "explode".
"Ughh, ughh…"
Nia was entwined with Shidou, holding him as tightly as she could. She would not let go. She would never let go of him.
But the pain was unbearable. She could not even scream.
Shidou's negative energy was penetrating her, submitting every nerve of her body to torture.
It felt like her body was pierced with tens of thousands of burning needles, her skin plunged in acid, her flesh torn apart.
In comparison, DEM's torture she had endured was child play.
Nia closed her eyes.
She was trying, only through physical contact, to reach Shidou's heart and bring him back.
Deep inside her, she knew he was still there, somewhere.
But she needed him to respond her request, her feelings.
"Boy…" Nia articulated.
When she called Shidou by the nickname she was usually using, his body twitched a bit.
His murderous energy was still overflowing, but at least, his body reacted.
"If you hear me…stop this… and… come back!"
Shidou' was now trembling, but Nia could not tell if it was thanks to her or because he was about to reach the point of non-return.
(No. I know he hears me. I just need to push him further… I just need him to react…)
She had saved her trump card for this moment. It was now or never.
In every anime she had watched, every game she had played, there was an ultimate ace to use only when the situation of a loved one seemed desperate.
The legendary trap card known as—
"Boy…we made a promise, remember? So… keep it!"
—A promise.
-The day following Nia and Shidou's date, in Nia's room-
After several anime marathons, Nia and Shidou were playing the last Super Smash Bros Melee together.
Shidou had picked Ridley to test him, however, Nia had chosen her favorite play, the Ice Climbers.
She was literally crushing Shidou, not even offering him the slightest chance of victory.
"Nnggg… I can…"
Shidou was about to try a frontal attack when Nia unleashed her final smash, popping an ice mountain on the middle of the screen.
"Nooo!"
Shidou desperately tried to avoid it, but as soon as she did, Nia unleashed furry of hits on his poor character.
"Mudamudamudamudamuda!" Nia yelled, possessed as she hit her controller.
Eventually, Shidou's suffering came to an end with his defeat.
After that, the two of them sighed of contentment.
"Ah… I give up. You are too strong for me, Nia-sensei."
"Umu. Know your place, Boy!"
They laughed together.
They were sitting on the carpet, their back against Nia's bed, in front of Nia's television screen; it was already late in the night, and bit by bit, fatigue was taking over.
Especially for Shidou, who had used Angels to get copies of books the same day…
But they were happy to share such moments. Sharing a passion with someone was wonderful.
And they were secretly happy to be together.
Nia yawned, stretched her arms, and let her neck rest on her bed, looking at the ceiling. She was smirking.
"Thank you for playing with me, Boy. It's been decades since I had so much fun playing with someone. No… I never really invited someone to pay with me to begin with…"
Shidou was flattered but felt uneasy at Nia's self-depressive words.
"Do you want something to drink?" Shidou proposed, getting up, changing the subject.
"A beer for me. Take one if you want."
"… I'm still a minor, you know…"
"Aw, no fun."
Shidou smiled and went to the fridge to get Nia a can of beer.
When he came back in the bedroom, Nia had closed her eyes. Her breathe was regular, and, half sleeping like this, she was terribly cute with her glasses still on.
Shidou admired this sight for a few seconds and quietly let the can at her feet.
He then started to tidy up the room, also putting in order the books by series and throwing in a bag the empty packages.
All of sudden, Nia's voice called him.
"Hey, Boy."
He turned his head. Nia's eyes were still closed, but she was indeed awake.
"Yes?"
"…do you believe in being born again?"
Shidou frowned at Nia's unexpected question.
"Being born again? Like, reincarnation?"
"Yup. You're born again as someone else."
"Huh..."
Shidou, like everyone, had gave thought to this idea. It seemed unrealistic to him, but he liked the concept.
Living a different life each time one died looked better than to rot for eternity in a coffin...
"Well… not really…" he admitted.
Nia's voice was a soft whisper.
"You see, even if I were to die, I would absolutely, positively be born again and come to see you again."
Shidou's heartbeat suddenly increased.
"So, let's play together at that time, okay?"
There was only one answer he could, would give in that situation.
"Yes."
"That's a promise, then? Even if one of us die… We'll come back and play that revenge match, okay?"
"… do you really think I have this overpowered ability?.. But yes. If I were to reincarnate… to be born again… I would."
"Me too!"
They exchanged a smile.
-Present Time-
A miracle happened.
A few seconds after Nia ordered Shidou to keep his promise, a miracle happened.
Did he remember that promise, was it Nia's voice, her contact, or simply everyone prayers who brought him back?
No one knew and no one cared.
Shidou's negative reiryoku was gone, replaced by a bright, white light emanating from his entire body.
They did not even need Maria's analysis to know that Shidou was no longer in his Inverse Form.
He looked like bathed with a divine light.
Nia, who was still holding him tightly, was still in pain because of the amount of pure negative power she had endured.
Yet, she was somehow feeling fine and warm. All of her internal wounds seemed…cured.
Then.
Nia realized that… Shidou was also embracing her, and his energy was healing her.
His voice, his normal, gentle voice, resounded in her ear.
"Sorry… Nia" he apologized.
Nia's heart skipped a beat but she soon recovered from the shock. It was like a dream. She was… happy. Relieved, all her tension and fears going away.
Shidou was here with her. Only that mattered.
"Boy…I–" she began.
But words were stuck.
Because, the instant she wanted to take a step back to look at Shidou in the eyes, Shidou collapsed on the ground.
"Ah…"
Nia heard footsteps and exclamations. The other Spirits were now all with them, kneeling at Shidou's feet, all around him.
None of them could utter a single word.
Nia's eyes eventually fell on Shidou.
His body was still bathed with a strong, bright light, but… something was off. The tears of blood on his cheeks were now dry.
There was no wound, no mark at all on his body. Shidou was not hurt, not in away way, and yet… somehow, it gave the feeling that his body was dying.
Yes. Shidou looked perfectly fine. So why…
"From the scan's data… Shidou…"
Even Maria, who was an AI, had trouble to form her sentences. All the Spirits were waiting for her analysis.
"Shidou's body… despite its adaptation to the Sephira Crystals, did not sustain the shock caused by his Inverse Form. As you know… pure Qlipha Crystals have nefarious effects if absorbed by someone who is not a wizard. The fact that your Sephira Crystals were transferred to Shidou is unnatural itself, but, when the nines turned back into their Qlipha form…"
Nia was starting to understand.
"It caused tremendous damages to Shidou's body. However, because of the amount of reiryoku he absorbed when he took Mio's Sephira Crystal, he automatically healed his wounds. But the reiryoku he unconsciously uses to heal himself is the same that hurts him.
"It's a vicious circle. Shidou is healing and hurting at the same time… and now, his body cannot endure it anymore. Despite his almost divine capabilities, Shidou is still a human. When his body dies… no matter the amount of reiryoku he possesses…"
Maria left the rest unsaid.
Yes.
Dead could not be brought back to life.
That was the reason why Mio had started her quest, thirty years ago. And no matter what happened, you could not resurrect someone.
Nia looked at her friends, seeking for help, anything. However, it seemed that they were still trying to understand Maria's words.
Despite all of their efforts.
Despite their hopes.
Shidou was…
Nia was trying to find an idea. Every second counted.
No human way could save Shidou. She had to think about the possibilities offered by the Spirits.
But in this situation, most of them were useless.
Camael, Michael, Gabriel, Zadkiel, Haniel, Metatron, Raphael, Sandalphon… none of them could used to save Shidou.
Plus, all of the Spirits able to summon theirs were exhausted.
Nia thought of Kurumi. Apparently, she had been killed by Mio, Mio had taken her Sephira Crystal, and Shidou…
Yes. Shidou still possessed Zafkiel, and with it, the time travel ability.
If only they could…
But, one glance at Shidou was enough to tell Nia that he was not in position to execute an action requiring a lot of concentration.
Shidou did not even know how to wield Zafkiel. Asking him to send one of them through time in this situation was suicide.
They would only make things worse.
It could not be.
It could not be the end of it.
Their story.
Shidou's.
It could not end like this…
Long ago, Nia had felt so powerful when summoning Rasiel.
She was not drunk of power, but there was something exciting in the fact that by saying one word, she could have access to an absurd amount of information.
With only one word, she could learn things that could destroy people and relations alike.
Words taught her so many things.
But now, words were useless.
"If words have the power to dictate our lives…I want to change this world into one where we never lose anyone so suddenly…" Nia whispered to herself.
Her eyes were attracted by a shiny ray, a few steps away from Shidou.
Amidst the ruins and the debris.
A gem shaped object, emitting a silver glow.
Nia's eyes widened.
On her four, she crawled to the emplacement of the object.
"This, is…"
Nia's Sephira Crystal was lying there.
Of course, she could not know that it had rolled here after Shidou had killed Westcott.
(Rasielmon…)
Nia came up with a plan within a second. Without giving it a second thought, she touched her Sephira Crystal.
A storm of sensations invaded her entire being. However, she remained conscious during this short time.
"Nia, what is…" Kotori choked on her own words, seeing Nia in her Astral Dress, Rasiel in hand.
"But how…"
"Everyone, move. I need to…" Nia began. "I will save Boy."
She opened Rasiel on a blank page and took the pen that was attached on the veil on her head.
If Tohka, Yoshino, Kaguya and Mukuro were looking at her with round eyes, the others seemed to understand.
"Future describing…" Natsumi murmured.
Yes. Aside from absolute knowledge, the future describing was one of Rasiel's abilities.
Put it shortly, anything written in Rasiel would happen.
Nia liked to draw scenes instead of simply writing them. But in this situation, she needed a precise script, like the one she would draw for her manga, [SILVER BULLET].
With a trembling hand, Nia started to write, with no nicknames, as it could affect the future.
"Shidou heals and feels better. He laughs, smiles wryly as he always does, and apologizes for causing so much troubles.
After that, every girl he seduced jumps on him. Kotori scolds him and cries at the same time. Miku and Origami try to take advantage of the situation and strip him, while Natsumi makes a disgusted yet relieved face.
Yoshino hugs him tightly, as Mukuro and Mana do. Tohka pats his head, Kaguya and Yuzuru pressure him from both sides.
And, in the end, Shidou pronounces the name of the one whom he loves."
Nia dropped her pen.
She was not used to use her future describing ability with words but, she had injected all of her will into them.
Nia smiled. Usually, it took at least a few seconds for the "prediction" to happen.
She looked at Shidou.
And.
Shidou was smiling, looking at her.
Her heart ready to explode, Nia came closer. She was ready to retreat, as, within a few seconds, the other Spirits would jump on him as predicted.
"I'm sorry."
Nia's heart stopped.
What. Did. Shidou. Say.
He was supposed to laugh. He was supposed to laugh. Laugh, smile, apologize. So why…
Shidou's eyelids seemed heavy.
His voice was a whisper.
"I know what you tried, Nia. I would have done the same thing. But… it's too late."
"Shut up!" Nia exclaimed.
She did not realize that she was crying, again.
As was everyone else.
Kotori, Yoshino, Mukuro, Kaguya, Yuzuru, Origami, Tohka, Natsumi, Mana, Miku.
None of them could resist the overflowing tears.
For Shidou himself told them that it was too late.
"Shut up!" Nia repeated. "You'll be fine, okay?! Rasielmon is… just… jammed… I'll rewrite it… and you'll be fine!"
Nia took her pen again.
She wrote the same paragraph and waited.
Nothing.
She made a drawing of Shidou smiling, feeling better and waited.
Nothing.
"Why…Why?!:"
Then, she remembered.
Because of all the Sephira Crystals Shidou had absorbed… he was probably immune to Rasiel's effects.
It did not matter if they were positive or negative. They would simply not affect him.
"Ah…Ahh…"
Nia's sorrow was enough for her to turn Inverse, and yet, she did not.
Because, if she did, she could not stay with Shidou.
At the contrary, Shidou looked calm, at ease.
The Spirits were not.
"Ah… Nushi-sama, nay…Nay… Muku wishes… Nushi-sama to… live… love Muku… Muku shall always…"
"Shidou-san… you will… feel better… right?... Right?..."
"Come on… this is, not… funny… I promise… I will change, I will stop believing that everything will end in a bad way… so… Shidou… stop…"
"Incomprehension. Why… Shidou... cannot…"
"You are our property, remember?... The hurricane child's property… we will not allow you to…"
"Darling… I always knew you had wonderful talent for drama… I know I told you that it didn't bother me if we were to die together… But… that was a joke… I don't… I don't want you to… You can stop now…"
"Nee… Shi..dou… why do you… stay here?... Get up… I want to go on a date with you… I… You said you'd accept me even more…"
"Nii-sama. Nii-sama…"
Only Kotori and Origami remained silent.
Origami, as her two personalities were devastated, had an empty gaze, tears dripping on the ground.
Kotori was gritting her teeth and clenching her fist so hard she was trembling.
"Onii-chan… forgive me… I failed as a commander… as a little sister… because of me…"
Kotori had always felt responsible of Shidou's condition. After all, she was the first Spirit sealed by him.
"If only I did not… If only I…"
"You're wrong."
Shidou interrupted her. Kotori, bewildered, listened to him.
"It's not because of you. My very existence is but an abnormality. Dead… should not be brought back to life. In the first place… Had I not existed, had Shinji Takamiya not existed, none of you would have being turned into a Spirit. Without Mio… Without me… You would all have lived normal lives. Even, if you had pitiful lives before… I'm the one responsible for this…"
Even if most of the Spirits had accepted Mio's offer of power to obtain something in return or because of problems, in the end, they had lived years in solitude because of that.
"That's why… it was my very duty to save you. All of you. I would make the same choice, again and gain. I would never, could never blame you."
He sighed and everyone realized how pale he was. Shidou, usually so lively, so cool, looked so fragile.
"I will just… destroy the Sephira Crystals before I go. Unlike Mio, I am human, so, I can do that."
Mio, who was the First Spirit, could not suicide, nor decide to destroy herself. She was a part of the Crystal, a living entity of reiryoku. Self-destruction was not possible to her.
But Shidou…
"By doing so… you will be able to live normal lives."
"IDIOT!"
Nia shouted.
"Do you really think… we will live normal lives…after losing you?! My life… our lives, only have meaning because you reached us!"
She raised her fist, as to hit Shidou, but contained herself.
"Do you really think… we can go on… and forget you?..."
This time, Shidou did not smile.
"… you will forget me."
"Denial. Impossible" Yuzuru immediately replied in a soft whisper, as the other Spirits did the same.
"No… you will forget I even existed… Because, if you remember me, you'll be sad. And I promised Shinji, I would never make someone sad again."
"What are you…" Nia gasped.
Shidou began to shine so much he almost blinded them.
"… I'm sorry, Nia. I'm sorry… but our promise will-'
Nia never heard the rest of Shidou's words.
She only understood one word.
"Ain."
The world disappeared in a white light.
Thanks to Mio's memories, Shidou knew that the void Angel Ain would eradicate, erase the target from the reality.
He also knew that, as long as the Spirits would remember him, they would grieve and regret.
So, he had to disappear. Disappear not only from their lives, but also from their memories.
Shidou gathered all of his will and called Ain with only one wish: erase him, from the world, and from everyone's minds.
In the end, it was a very simple wish.
He just wanted to completely disappear, so nobody would even remember him. Remember was not the right word.
Nobody would know that a human called Itsuka Shidou ever existed.
It was different from locking memories like Mukuro's Michael ability.
He would simply erase them. Erase all trace of him. It would not have consequences on the timeline, like using Zafkiel; only that he would not be part of the world anymore.
The world was remade with the following rule: Itsuka Shidou did not exist anymore.
Shidou disappeared from all the photo albums of his adoptive parents and all the pictures taken by friends, from the school's albums too.
He disappeared from every register. He disappeared from the memories of his family, his relatives, every person whom ever met him, be it the cashier at his usual konbini, or his teachers.
Shidou's secret diaries, his books, everything that once belonged to him disappeared. Even the saves of his video games.
However.
Shidou, in his last instant of consciousness, spared one thing.
And after that.
Itsuka Shidou left this world, never to be remembered.
-Six months later-
Human brain can sometimes, when confronted to a blank, re-create memories from scratch to explain events we do not remember.
Because of that, none of the Spirits felt that something was off after the incident.
Just because Shidou was gone did not mean Ratatoskr did not exist, nor the Spirits.
Shidou did not change history; he simply erased his existence; everything that happened thanks to him really happened, but for all the protagonists, they simply happened differently.
Thanks to that, all of the Spirits had been saved and DEM had been destroyed.
However, all the events involving Shidou had been replaced with new memories in everyone's mind.
Ratatoskr was still an organization with the objective of protecting Spirits.
The version of the events they all remembered was that when the Spirits appeared, one by one, Ratatoskr sheltered them by offering them protection, instead of chasing them like DEM and the AST.
Mana Takamiya had been rescued from DEM's clutches, as she was before that a test subject to create powerful wizards. To repay her debt to Ratatoskr, she had become her main combat asset.
Many fights with Deus Ex Machina Industries ensued, but Ratatoskr always beat them one way or another.
And, two months ago, DEM went all in against Ratatoskr in a furious and devastating battle.
During the fight, the First Spirit, who was all this time Reine, had revealed herself and destroyed the two organizations' fleets.
During this disaster, Ellen Mathers, Isaac Westcott as well as Elliot Woodman and Artemisia Ashcroft died.
However, after a fierce and final battle against Reine, they managed to triumph and the First Spirit returned to nothingness.
In the end, they did not even discover the objective of Reine and why she had been distributing Sephira Crystals all this time.
That being said, as she was the origin of all the other Spirits powers, her death and disappearing caused them to turn into normal humans again.
The girls were still living near the Itsuka household, under Ratatoskr observation –with Karen Mathers as chairwoman of the organization- to make sure they was no sign of Spirit reiryoku emergence.
Strange fact, no matter how hard they tried, Kotori's parents never remembered why they had picked a house with three bedrooms, since Kotori was their only child.
Nia had resumed her daily life as an otaku mangaka in her apartment.
Sleepless nights to make it for the deadline, or to play and read. Of course, she would still spend time with the other Spirits, especially Natsumi, or hang out in Akihabara with Kaguya.
She was living her life as she desired, and yet, she felt that she missed something.
The publication of her manga, [SILVER BULLET], was coming to its end and she was still searching a new idea for her next manga.
Nia, in her bedroom and in underwear (her favorite "outfit" when she was alone), was searching for her Nintendo Switch when she found, amidst the books and otaku stuff, an unknown doujin.
Intrigued, she looked at the book, trying to remember its origin.
Nothing came to her mind, which was weird; despite the absurd amount of merch Nia's apartment contained, she remembered every one of the books she had bought or obtained.
"Curious…"
What as curious was the book's cover. There was no title, no author's signature, not even the doujin circle's name, which was necessary when selling one's labor.
On the front cover, there was a character who was apparently a high school student, wearing a uniform, with blue hair and bands down to his neck.
He was displaying a serious face, in a cool pose, rolling up one of his sleeves.
Intrigued, Nia opened the book.
Again, there was no trace of the author or the circle's names; not even the printer's watermark nor a website url.
The story began with a girl holding superpowers.
Because of this mighty power, the humans denied the girl. The girl was feeling lonelier, day after day.
She only knew the feeling of solitude.
But, one day, she encountered a unnamed boy. The boy, was kind, brave and altruist. He saved the girl, accepted her. He gave her shelter, affection and attention.
After that, he met many other girl holding the same powers as the first one, and those girls opened their hearts to him due to his honest will.
"Really, strange…" Nia murmured.
The story itself reminded her the Spirits' one. Girls in solitude, possessing powers, and saved by someone else.
Excepted that, they were saved by Ratatoskr, not by a boy. It seemed very unrealistic. There was no way a boy would be this cool in real life.
On top of that, the art of the drawings seemed different from page to page. It was not bothering, but still, it looked like several skilled people worked at the same time on this book.
When Nia achieved the book, an unknown feeling was dwelling up inside of her.
Yes. This book was far from being a masterpiece.
The drawings were okay, and so was the art, but it was nothing extraordinary.
The main character was too cool to exist, the girls looked naïve to be seduced by such a guy.
In addition, the number of pages was not enough to properly develop the main character's feelings and history.
And, even more frustrating, it looked like the book had been created by ghosts. No name, no url, no Twitter, no nothing… how were the readers supposed to find them?
Because of that, even if there was a next book, Nia could not find it.
"Seriously… have they been erased of reality by some kind of super tier magic?..." Nia mumbled.
And despite all of that… Nia liked the book.
It was a inextricable feeling, she could not define. It was not joy nor happiness… more like… nostalgia? Grief?
The kind of thing she would only feel when watching a sad anime or visual novel. So… why?...
Nia closed the book and looked at the front cover, to the nameless main character.
Drop.
"…eh?..."
Drop. Drop.
Water was falling on the face of the high school Boy.
"What… is it?..." Nia complained, placing the book away from her, and wiping her eyes.
However, she could not help it.
Nia was crying, with a terrible feeling tearing her heart apart.
She had only read a book, and yet, it felt like she had lost her most precious treasure.
The overflowing tears would not stop.
Formless things turned colour.
She saw someone, like in a dream.
And, in a finite time.
Her heart and his connected.
- THE END -
Author's note
"Why a bad end?" Or bad... well, this is not a "they had many children and lived happily" end for sure.
Maybe, because, sometimes things do not end well? I don't really know myself. I just felt, when writing the story, that it could not, would not end well.
Sadness is not beautiful, but there is beauty in sadness. Because you feel sad sometimes, you enjoy other things better.
And, here, I also wanted Shidou to portray the hero until the end.
A hero is not necessarily someone who will be thanked and glorified by everyone.
A hero protects the others, including from himself, even if it costs him everything. That's what a true hero does.
So, the way I see him, if it was not to make other people suffer, especially because of him, Shidou would gladly give his life, his existence, to protect the ones he loves.
Even if he is not to be remembered, a true hero will do necessary things to protect the others. That's at least my point of view.
Again, thank you for reading me. Even if you do not review, I truly hope you had a good time reading this short story.
It's really strange. When I tell friends I write fanfics, they ask me if I get paid. Of course not. I invest so much time like everyone writing fics, but I know that people from all around the world read me and eventually get touched by the words I put together.
That is really something I can be proud. Even if I were to die tomorrow, and ask myself "what meaning did my life had?" I'd at least know I made some people smile. That sounds cliché but I assure you this is how I feel.
So, again, thank you.
I will probably publish a short note later for my next projects.
Until then, please take care of you all.