Opening Song: Hunter by Jesper Kyd

Rutur opens the carriage door and lets us out. I take a suppression pill out of my side satchel and swallow it. The capsule dissolves the moment it touches my stomach acid and releases the compound that absorbs the power inside me. The driver rides off and reality sows itself back together. All four of us are in a field that's in between Gessen Academy, and the city.

I attach a reanimator molar into the back of my mouth and roll my tongue of it. Once Mr. K arrives, and I get my hands on a cardboard box, we can proceed to the actual infiltration of Gessen and thwart Paladin's unoriginal concept.

Raesetsu digs a hole into the snow and covers herself up as Rutur jumps into a nearby tree. Daemogina walks about the open field and looks around. She pulls her family portrait out and studies it with sodden eyes.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah…It's just…I'm worried." Daemogina answers.

"About what?"

"Fubuki. What if she doesn't love me anymore?"

"I don't think it's possible for a child to hate their mother."

"What about you? How do you feel about your mother?"

"Well, that's different. You see, that woman, and her family were pretending to be something to me. Which it all amounted to nothing anyway, so it's okay if I hate them." I say with a reluctant attitude. "But you? You gave an actual blood birth to Fubuki."

Daemogina lets out a deep sigh, "You're right. Despite what my husband and I forced on her, that's still my baby, and I believe she's old enough to understand."

"What happened exactly?" I ask.

"Years before Fubuki was born, I was exiled from my home for not becoming the next matriarch. Despite my vast knowledge of magic and miracles, I was denied because I used my power to help those in need. Even if they weren't born from the same blood as me. To my kind, power is something that should be used to hurt and oppress, but I believed that magic and miracles were given to us to help the less fortunate, and that violence should always be reserved for those that can't be reasoned with."

"One day, Raesetsu and I found the remnants of a battle between two warring shinobi clans. It was nothing more than a grave less slough. Out of the hundreds of bodies, there was only one survivor."

"Your husband?"

"We weren't married yet, but I took the man in and nursed him back to health. Despite our differences, we fell in love. Probably much like you and your bride." Daemogina smiles.

"What was it like?" I redirect the conversation away from why she's called Grim Scripture and alleviate the pressure of talking about something that might be a sensitive topic.

"I couldn't have asked for a better man. I still have some of his poems he wrote me. Granted none of them were good, but his sincerity and dedication always made me laugh, and that's what I loved about him. That day I found out I was pregnant with Fubuki was the greatest thing that ever happened to me."

"There are days I wish I could have a family of my own, but then the realization that half bloods and humans can't have children sits in."

"How did you end up with your bride?"

"I was given orders from a concerned grandfather to protect his granddaughter. At the time, it was just a simple job. I was still hung up on my old flame from the past. Well, that's until she rammed a fucking chainsaw into my chest and turned me into a pin cushion. Before that though, I actually started to develop feelings for Asuka. She had an innocent, yet fierce demeanor about her, and even though there were many times I lost all hope, she never lost hope in me, and she wasn't afraid to let me hear about it."

"It always warms my heart hearing those kinds of stories. I know that's not the popular thing, but it gives me something to hope for in this failing world."

Daemogina holds the portrait out and urges me to look at it. Aged white lines sparsely streak through the Polaroid sheet of film paper. Daemogina's orange dress is still vivid despite years of weathering. Pure joy highlights her face as she cradles a newborn child. Around Daemogina's neck are the arms of the man she calls her husband. His hands help her caress the child while his lips are firmly planted on the side of Daemogina's pale face.

"What a beautiful little family." I complement. "Is that Fubuki?"

"Yes. This was taken when she was seven days old. I wonder what she looks like now."

"I'm sure she is nothing shy of a blooming daphodil. Pure in appearance and unable to truly be admired to her fullest." I politely state with a true, yet insulting botanical fact.

"I can't wait to see my little girl again. Yet, I'm still doubtful about her accepting me again."

"I'm sure a mother's love is stronger than the trance she's been living in."

"What trance?"

"Oh…It's just a little expression we use on this side. It means… she's been an emotional wreck." I try and cover my slip up.

"Is there something I need to know?" Daemogina asks.

"Remember when I said I knew about Fubuki? Well, she was going through a rough patch at that time."

"What kind of rough patch!?"

"She wouldn't tell me, and I didn't ask."

"Fubuki isn't hurt is she!?"

"No…or…at least I don't think she is…"

"So you lied to me? Why? What's going on with Fubuki!?"

I scour my mind and try to think of some way to tell Daemogina the truth in a way that won't escalate the situation any more than it already is. "Okay…I lied to you about Fubuki. The truth is…Fubuki may or may not have gotten involved with some unsavory individuals, and let's just say these unsavory individuals may or may not be trying to do some unsavory things."

"And you didn't do anything!?"

"I did! But when I tried to help her, she wouldn't listen!" I raise my voice.

A betraying tear leaks from Daemogina's left eye and rolls down her crushed face. Several lone drops follow the watery streams and drip off her jaw. She shoves the photo into her pocket and takes off running into the woods.

"Daemogina! Wait!"

A gnarled hand catches me by the shoulder and stops me from pursuing her. Rutur shakes his head no and points back at Gessen Academy. I clench my fist and try to clear my head. Hopefully this doesn't come back and start causing problems at Cainhurst.

Raesetsu crawls out of the snow and rests up against a tree with her arms crossed. Rutur escorts me towards the direction of Gessen and points at a specific tower in the middle of the academy.

"You're right. My purpose is to stop Paladin and put an end to the horsemen. I'll patch things up with Daemogina later." I say.

Rutur pats my shoulder in admiration and steps forward. He sticks his rapier and sword breaker into the ground and stares up at the sky with open arms. Raesetsu walks over and sits down in front of him.

"Come on Alan. Join us." Raesetsu pats the ground beside her.

"What exactly is going on?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but Rutur does this when he's upset. It's like his way of coping, and an indirect way of assuring us everything will be okay. Or that's the way I interrupt it." She states.

I sit down beside Raesetsu and try to come up with another theory on what this bizarre act is. He's staring at the moon in complete silence, and we're sitting in between his weapons. Nothing is really coming to mind. Other than maybe this is just a time of self-reflection.

Raesetsu sticks her finger into the ground and drills out a series of dots, "Daemogina will be back. She just needs some time to simmer down."

"You don't think this will cause a problem?"

"Nah. Daemogina just fears for her child is all."

"Raesetsu? Can I tell you something about Fubuki?" I ask.

"Go ahead."

"Fubuki and I have been fighting since the day we met. I'm ashamed that I lied to someone as sweet as Daemogina, but what was I supposed to do? Tell her that her kid wants to exterminate the shinobi? How do you explain something like that to a mother?"

You know. I have something to be ashamed of too."

"What would that be?"

Raesetsu connects one dot to the next and insinuates that we are playing holes and squares. I branch off her line and connect another dot.

"I was supposed to instill the values Daemogina set for Fubuki and protect her from the bad ones, but after what the shinobi did to Fubuki, I ended up falling victim to my hatred. Out of every person I have devoured, only four actually deserved what they got. When my time came to face judgement, the priest told me that walking atrocities like me weren't worth the sword. That I deserved to rot within my own husk. He then carved symbols on me that would be a permanent reminder of what I did before sealing me away."

"Catholic?" I ask.

"Pentecostal."

"That was my next guess."

"He made me hate humanity more than I already did. Especially when I found out that I have to live with the fact I'll always be a monster. Whereas I wouldn't have to endure that crippling guilt if I were dead. Those years in Cainhurst changed my outlook though. That time Annalise told me I deserved way more than I got is something that will always stick with me."

"Has Annalise ever said why she was sent there?"

Raesetsu completes a box and claims it, "What I have read from those books in her study, she's always been there. Why? I don't know, and I don't want to ask. The ruined castle tells a story, but it's one I'm afraid to ask about. Rutur probably knows what happened, but I don't want to make him relive those moments if he doesn't have too."

Rutur grabs his weapons and puts them away. Raesetsu perks up at the sound of crunching snow and snaps her head in the direction of the individual approaching us. I seize the moment and rewrite her Rs into As. Raesetsu sinks back down as she realizes that the person approaching us isn't a threat.

"You know, I could have sworn you didn't have any squares a couple seconds ago."

"I scored when we were having that deep conversation."

Raesetsu runs her hand across the snow and erases the game entirely, "scored when I wasn't looking you bastard."

A big box covers the man down to his waist as he approaches us. The cardboard swallows the bottom half of the person, and he completely disappears underneath the brown box. I motion for Rutur and Raesetsu to back off so the old man can have his fun.

I walk over and poke the box a couple times. No response. I walk around to the left side of the box and carefully work my boot underneath the brim. "This is quite the gift. Did you decide to give me your collection of Hustler and Playboy magazines for Christmas?"

An imminent force lifts the box off the ground, and an explosion causes my face to ripple back from the sheer force of a concussive blast. What feels like someone throwing salt in my eyes causes me to stagger back and cough. My lungs catch fire, and the air becomes heavy as the smoke prevents me from breathing. Pepper, magnesium and fulminated mercury cause my mouth to rapidly salivate to the point that it flows out of my nose. I step back and try to get out of the cloud.

"How do you know about my special collection of Hustler magazines?"

"There's a lot you don't know about me old man." I cough and gag. The air gets easier to breathe, and I spit out a huge wad of conglomerated saliva mixed with everything else that was in that grenade. "God….fucking DAMNIT! What the hell was that?"

"Shinobi pepper bomb. I went the extra mile just for you." The corners of Mr. K's mouth fold up and move his metal gas mask.

"Pepper bomb my ass. White phosphorus and agent orange is what that was."

Mr. K laughs as he takes his mask off and holds out a beltful of tiny crude pipe bombs loaded with gunpowder and whatever else he could find in a kitchen and chemistry lab. I take five off his belt and stick them in my side satchel. Mr. K slings the belt back around his waist and buckles up.

"So what was this incredible plan you were telling me about?"

I pull out my wallet in a flashy way and remove all of the money.

"I'm not following."

"Just wait."

I put the money in the box, close it up and hand it to Mr. K. "Now this is the most important part. You drive up to the front gate and say that this is a charitable donation addressed to Gessen Academy, but nobody is allowed to look in the box. Tell them your employer said so, and when it appears things are about to escalate out of control, play it cool and show them."

"That's it? That's your plan?"

"Well what was you expecting? Me to storm the place guns blazing? An extremely clever and original way to undermine Gessen Academy? Perhaps use my super sneaky shinobi skills to infiltrate the place with hundred percent stealth? No. All I need is a distraction, and if you draw enough attention in a suspicious, yet normal way, I slip in unnoticed, and you walk in like nothing ever happened."

"This is so stupid." Mr. K sighs.

"Stupidly simple." I rub my hands together. "Raesetsu? Rutur? You two stay back until the signal."

"What's the signal? Raesetsu asks.

"When you see some questionable individuals chasing me. Once you two are in, feel free to humble as many people to your hearts content, but don't kill anyone. We don't need that kind of image yet."

Raesetsu cracks her knuckles, "sounds fun."

"As you wish." Rutur states.

"Mr. K? Let's go."

"God this is the dumbest idea ever executed."

"You know I take that as a complement because that means I have the number one spot in your heart somewhere." I tease.

"I can't believe I'm aiding and abetting Hornfist and whatever the council is going to call that thing. Not to mention a pervert terrorist trying to infiltrate an academy full of female shinobi. What a joke."

"An alleged terrorist trying to stop an actual terrorist." I correct Mr. K.

"This isn't going to work Alan! It's too simple!"

"You know what Sayuri used to tell me when she was training me? Those days she'd beat me to the point almost every bone in my body was broken, and I could barely breathe? Only to have her call me a pathetic excuse of life, and to get back up? KISS. Keep it simple stupid, and those are words I live by. Periodically."

"Fine…"

"Excellent!"

"And what am I supposed to say when it starts to get out of hand?"

"Ask for who's in charge, 'promise not to tell' and give everyone what they want."

Mr. K heads off into the woods, and I ease up to what would be considered the outskirts of the academy. The front entrance is heavily guarded by some of Gallowglass members, and there are some shinobi fools posted around on the rooftops. Nothing out of the ordinary.

I dig into the snow and cover myself up. The fiercely cold powder causes condensation to collect on my armor plating, and everything collectively works together to sap the heat from me. Muscles shrivel up and sends shivers down my spine. It won't be long until I am completely invisible.

The headlights of a car approach the front gate of the academy and come to a stop. The guards make their way to the car and start their inspection. Mr. K steps out and allows the Gallowglass members to conduct a search. They open the car's trunk and check underneath to make sure there are no surprise packages or stowaways. Mr. K keeps the box close at hand and converses back and forth with the Gallowglass member. He shows the package off but makes a motion that he is not allowed to open it.

One member gives some kind of hand signal, and it diverts attention to the front gate. I take off running on all fours and stick close to the ground. Mr. K politely declines a search, but he pulls his phone out. All the attention is on him. The front, the rooftop patrols, and if there are any, people running any kind of surveillance since they are too focused on trying to ping his phone and find out who's he's trying to call. Mr. K puts his phone away and makes a devious face as he opens the box.

I hop the wall and dive into a bundle of shadows. Mr. K is still standing outside the academy, but the people shaking him down realize that it's just a giant cash donation. The front gate opens, and the Gallowglass guards allow him to enter. It seems the people on the roofs are still fixated on him. There's one thing a shinobi can't resist, and that's their natural curiosity and desire to know about every secret ever contrived.

I ease from shadow to shadow and proceed through the campus. Other than some people on patrol, the academy is lifeless. The casual footsteps of someone walking ahead causes me to sink down behind some bushes. A pink ribbon flutters in the wind as this girl dressed in a Gessen Academy uniform struts down the cobblestone path in a very sensual way. Typical. She's just looking for trouble at this point.

"Sugar tits, wave those hips!" I whisper.

The girl turns around like she heard my comment. She takes a couple moments to process the information and comes to a realization. I use the bush as concealment and get as close as possible to a nearby bench. She carefully scans the area and sits down.

"Has little Alan finally come to make me a woman out of me?" Haruka asks.

"Not a fucking chance. What are you doing here?"

"Curiosity for the most part. I was also tasked with finding out what this tournament is all about for a particular person."

"Are they here?"

"Somewhere. They're keeping distance though. What about you?"

"Looking to cause some trouble. Have you found anything out?" I reply.

"Mirai and Yomi signed up to actually be in the tournament while I posed as their manager and nurse. It's down to Yumi and some other girl."

"Anything else?"

"I don't know, but this tournament thing feels so strange. Almost like it shouldn't be happening. Ever since this whole ordeal started, I've just had a bad feeling." Haruka states.

"What's the prize?"

"Cash, but what got my attention was it came with the promise of attaining real power, a chance to challenge the sponsor CV, and an opportunity in the future to carry out a big job. What it is? I don't know yet."

"So Paladin is offering the talilbasha."

"What?"

"It's a long story, but I have to find the man running this whole thing and stop him before it's too late."

Haruka rummages around her leather purse and pulls out a collapsible apothecary mask, "well, I could use a temporary consort, and you are maidenless. Without the aid of a pure soul like me, it seems you are trapped."

"The only time pure soul and Haruka belong in the same sentence is when the contraction 'isn't' is present."

"Oh come on! Don't be so cruel!"

She pours a vial full of pink liquid into the mask and hands it to me. Expensive perfume and crushed flower pedals line the porous metal beak and give off an extremely fragrant scent that helps me stay calm.

"Tell me Alan. Would Asuka be up for a little three's company after this is over?"

"Haruka? You're a freak."

"Ah come on! It will be fun! Besides…more is better!" Haruka puts her arms underneath her boobs and holds them out in a flashy manner.

I step out of the darkness and stay close to Haruka's side, "I'm not a huge harem enthusiast, or a fan of NTR."

Haruka giggles and leads the way to where the main event is happening, "That stuff in your mask is an experimental serum that will soothe anyone who gets too close. Those pores on the mask emit the smell that prevents someone from getting violent at minor offenses."

"Does that include trespassing?"

"Depends if they recognize you, and how much they hate you."

"What if the whole world hates you?" I ask.

"Don't be that way! You'll always have a special place in my heart, and my bed!"

I take a deep breath and try to avoid giving her any attention, but she manages to make me laugh, "Oh Haruka. You always find a way to cheer me up with jokes about your lustful desires."

She sticks her tongue out of her smug face and gives me a sinister look, "Anything to make little ole Alan feel better."

The shinobi on the roof look at us briefly and divert their attention back to their normal patrol. It might be that none of these people recognize me with the mask on. They haven't seen me in my full setup before. Good. The only ones that are going to be an actual threat are ones like Ange, and her army of goons.

Haruka pulls out some glittery lipstick and rolls her tongue around in an extremely sexual way as she puts it on. All the men turn their attention to her as she unbuttons the top half of her Gessen uniform. I tilt my head down and blend in with a huge incoming group. Nobody notices me walking in as Haruka works her magic at the entrance. I ease away from the crowd and look down at the main court.

Yumi is currently engaged in a fight with some girl I've never seen. The mat under their feet has been blanched to the point that there is no color left. Cheerful chants and blistering boos erupt all around as Yumi encases her hand in ice and spikes it into her opponent's face. The girl spins out of control and flies off the mat. Red drips from Yumi's busted knuckles as she rips the bandages off and rewraps her hand.

On the other side of the gym sits the authoritative body of Gessen Academy. A row below them are Shokudo and Fubuki. Since there is a good chance Paladin isn't wearing his armor, it will be difficult to find him because I haven't really seen him outside his armor. Being suppressed doesn't help either, but he shouldn't be too hard to find.

Haruka walks up to my side and leans on the railing, "Shall we head down?"

"Any idea what this CV man looks like?"

"Red hair. Extremely good looking." Haruka licks her lips.

"Any idea where he usually is?" I state.

"CV sits over there with the council."

There is an empty chair among the high-ranking staff of Gessen. Which means he's on the prowl or scheming in private. I clench my fist and hope that Asuka, and her family are okay. The fact Paladin's plans are obvious doesn't make any sense. There's so much going on that it's hard to predict what he's going to do. He wants to trigger Armageddon, but how does a tournament at Gessen get him any closer to Yumi's scroll? What about Homura's? Couldn't he just hold the girls down and forcefully pry the scrolls out of their chests?

I gnash my teeth at the thought of what could have happened to Asuka. He could have forcefully taken it from her, but he chose not to. I'm going to kill Paladin regardless for putting Asuka on Caligula Island, but I'll butcher him if he ever put his hand on her chest.

Then there is the fourth scroll, but I'm not sure who has that one. Asuka, Homura and Yumi are the obvious ones, but the fourth one is kind of obscure to me. I want to say it might be Yuyaki because there's something about her that doesn't seem right. Compared to all the other shinobi girls who still retain that particular aura of humanity, Yuyaki seems to be something much more. Is it possible the fourth scroll is the most powerful of them all?

On the ground level of the arena is a series of rooms that are reserved for the different contestants. Haruka presses her badge between her chest and urges me to stay behind her. There are several Gessen students patrolling the area as well as a couple Gallowglass members. One of which I definitely seen that one night in Tenalbrum. Which means Ange is probably skulking around here somewhere.

Haruka approaches a checkpoint and hands the male student her papers, "Here you go. I just had to step out for some fresh air."

"Who is this?" A male student checks Haruka's badge.

"This is the apothecary I used to intern for. I was his WET nurse." Haruka snickers at my silent disappointment.

I cover Haruka's ear with my hand, "A wet nurse takes care of a dead mother's child."

"The apothecary has informed me that he is in a hurry."

"Does he have papers?"

"Well you see, one of my girls suffered an injury, and he just happened to be in the area, so I just wanted a second opinion from my old mentor." Haruka runs the badge between her chest and plays with it.

The teenage boy struggles to focus on the task at hand. Haruka continues to pour on the lustful charm and keep him distracted from what protocol is. The boy wipes his face, "Alright. I'll give you five minutes, but he better be gone in that time."

"You got it sweetheart." Haruka teases.

The student turns a blind eye and allows me to pass with Haruka. I constantly scan around to make sure we still have our cover. Nobody is paying us any attention. Nor do they seem to care now that Haruka has smuggled me past the checkpoint.

"You still got it." I say.

"Just like old times."

The patrols spread out over the staging area, and the mat is visible from where we are walking. Standing at the corner of the mat is a guy that's intently watching Yumi take on several people at once. The participants aren't giving it all due to varying injuries, but they aren't making it easy. Every dodge puts Yumi in a bad position and prevents her from retaliating with a counterattack. Despite these odds, Yumi is avoiding everything they are throwing at her with little effort.

"What kind of tournament is this?! Why is she having to fight all the participates at once!?" Haruka angrily bellows.

The man watching looks down at both of us. Rage fills me as I step forward in front of Haruka and lock eyes with him. The image of my maskless face etches itself in his eyes as we stare each other down. He may see through the disguise, but I'm not running. Paladin puts his thumb behind the top row of his teeth and flicks his hand at me. I spread my arms out and take a couple steps toward him.

"You'll walk over, but you're limp back." I say aloud.

"Come on Alan. Let's go." Haruka calmly pats my shoulder.

"You go check on the girls. I'll catch up."

Haruka nods and makes a hasty retreat. Yumi weaves in between the incoming blows and folds her fan out. A wave of frost knocks most of the attackers back and forces the others to retreat. The guy holds his hand up and everything comes to a stop.

"I think I've found the one I've been looking for." The guy puts himself between Yumi and her opponents. "You show the most promise and are the most qualified. Yumi of Gessen Academy, I hereby grant you the title of victor."

Everyone that participated bow as Paladin puts his hand on Yumi's shoulder, "Go and clean yourself. I have an award, and a proposition to bestow upon you. When you are ready, meet me in the lord's chamber."

Paladin escorts Yumi off the mat and disappears into the crowd. The lord's chamber? Is Paladin seriously taking her to Kurokage's old room? Paladin actually has the audacity to try and take Yumi's scroll in the room of her old man. As twisted as that really is, Paladin wasn't being as cryptic as he thought. Now it's time to go end this.

An extremely creepy air comes over me, and the atmosphere goes from anger to suspense. I walk up a nearby set of stairs and exit the building. Out of the corner of my eye is a black-haired witch following me. Accompanying her is some simpleton wearing an emerald-colored mask. I avoid mixing in with crowds just in case something happens.

"Excuse me sir, but have you seen either of these people?" The man with the mask holds out a poorly drawn sketch of me and Asuka.

"Hmm…Alan Hellwalker and Asuka Hanzo? I haven't heard of this Alan person, but I have heard his girl is smoking hot."

"Oh really? Because according to the reports, the guy has reportedly been wearing a black duster. Much similar to what you are wearing." Fubuki states.

"Coincidence. I bought this at the local super mart." I play along.

Both Fubuki and Shokudo step in front of me and block the way forward.

"I think you're lying to us." Shokudo states.

"And I'm telling the truth. Now take a walk."

Shokudo grabs the beak of my mask and lifts it up. A cloud of pink dust sprays out and hits Fubuki and Shokudo in the face. The both of them shake their heads and try to force themselves back into an aggressive mindset, but the scented dust is preventing them from going beyond slightly irritated. I quickly pull the mask back down. Shokudo laughs as he pulls it back up, and I push it back down.

"You know. I'd normally be looking forward to killing this bastard, but this is oddly satisfying." Fubuki crosses her arms.

"Yeah? You know what else is hilarious?" I laugh.

"What?"

"This."

I slam one of Mr. K's smoke bombs into Shokudo's face. The pipe explodes and rattles every bone in my arm. Shokudo flies above the cloud of white pepper gas. Fubuki staggers back and violently coughs as Shokudo lands in a nearby trashcan.

"That was for hitting my bride asshole!" I yell as I pull out a second bomb and throw it down.

The sounds of people gasping and screaming in horror barely grate against my ringing ear drums. I stick low to the ground and avoid rushing directly into the nearby shadows.

"After…hi…" Fubuki gags.

I scale up the abandoned archive building and dive through a third-floor window. Glass scatters all over the floor and crunches under my boots as I sling the apothecary mask off in the hallway.

Nobody seems to be in pursuit. Mr. K wasn't lying about his bombs. Other than what he makes them out of. If it's enough to put Fubuki on the ground and send Shokudo flying up into the air, then it's safe to assume there's more than just gunpowder and pepper inside those little pipes.

I drop out the Archives' back window and rush across the porch that stretches over the nearby lake. The outer rim of the water is almost frozen, but the middle hasn't solidified yet. I leap over the railing and pinch my nose shut. The frigid cold swallows me in one swift gulp and pulls me down towards the bottom of the lake. Every nerve in my body freezes to the point that my heart is the only thing capable of retaining heat. I swim up and try to surface, but it seems that I am endlessly swimming. There is still one thing left to do the moment I touch bottom.

The weight of the water flips me upside down and gravity lets go. My feet hit the ground, and the water's immense pressure vanishes. Winter disappears, and a hot atmosphere filled with humidity warms me to the point of sweating.

I open my eyes and see that I am standing on charred land covered in black soot. Overhead is the calm surface of the lake. The moon gleams with innocent light and causes the little waves rippling across the water to glow bright silver.

Up ahead are hundreds of buildings that have been reduced to rubble. Walkways and ramps of black soot spill out of windows and form a series of dunes that bury most of the smaller buildings. This place looks a lot like Gessen Academy if it had been torched.

I step over the metal spikes of a gated area and push onward. The black soot slopes down and at the bottom of the dune is a dead tree. Giant teeth marks from where something clamped its jaws around the base has uprooted the tree. Broken fangs and molars that are imbedded deep in the heartwood hold patches of decaying bark to the core. Used syringes, empty vials, and mercury-stained glass shards litter the black ground along with tons of withering blooms from the tree.

I press on and look for a way out. If worst comes to worst, I'll just try and fly up. It will give my position away, but there's a good chance there might not be any other way. Nobody has chased me down here yet, but somebody knows this place exists.

A terrible thought comes to my mind, and I lock up from fear. Is this what's going to happen to Gessen if I can't stop Paladin tonight?

"No. You can do this. I'm not only doing this for Yumi, and the Gessen girls. I'm doing this for Asuka. If I can defeat Cataphract, then Paladin shouldn't be much different." I assure myself.

The sound of something diving into the water trickles down from above, and the rhythmic waves of the lake develop white caps and turn violent. I crawl into the hollowed-out section of the tree and peek out a knothole.

"I'm not questioning your sound judgment, but out of all the places he could have ran, I doubt it would be here. For all we know. He could be long gone." Shokudo states as he spins his pistol around.

"Doubtful." Fubuki replies as she violently rubs her watering eyes.

"How would Alan even know about this place?"

"That boy that's been sleeping with the blonde first year."

"You mean Octavian and Shiki? How would he know about this place?"

"Because he is the one that killed the beast down here." Fubuki gags and spits out a huge wad of pepper infused saliva. I'm going to kill that son of a bitch for that!"

It's tempting to just pop the reanimation molar and fight, but that is a dumb idea. Even if I won, there's safe no way of actually getting back. Not to mention Gallowglass would drown my ass before I could even break the surface of the lake.

Asuka's advice and knowledge she passed to me about evasion circulate around my mind. Fubuki and Shokudo may be able to faintly track me, but neither of them will be able to truly pinpoint my location.

I carefully crawl through the hollowed-out log while keeping an eye on Fubuki. Both of them are more focused on the overcast shadows given off from the buildings rather than the faintly lit areas. I stick low to the ground and use the black soot to help my duster blend in with the environment. Tiny gaps that hold rock and rubble inches over the ground help me observe Fubuki and move accordingly.

I crawl underneath the cracked foundation of a broken tower and watch. Fubuki heads to where the log is and bends down. I vault out the tower and carefully move to the nearby ruins of a classroom. Shokudo points at the soot and has Fubuki follow one trail that takes her further away. Shokudo follows his own path and approaches the broken tower.

I pick up a briquet of charred wood and throw it up. The wood bounces off the razed rafters and brings both Fubuki and Shokudo to the classroom. I dive out the window and move back to where the broken tower was. The both of them exit the front door of the classroom and head in the opposite direction. The waves above turn violent, and the sound of falling water echoes through the trapped space. Hopefully that means they've given up.

"You were right Fubuki. He's here, but he's a lot smarter than we anticipated." Shokudo states as he rolls the burnt briquet around his hands and tosses it back at the broken tower. "But not smart enough."

Fuck. I pull out my guns and prepare for an engagement. It was a long shot, but one worth taking. Fubuki grabs her black feathered fan as Shokudo twirls his massive pistol around like it's a toy.

"You know, I never took you for the stealthy kind of person. Tell me, was it the little Hanzo kitten that taught you these tactics?"

I keep quiet and switch to another hiding place.

"No? Was it little Yumi-chan? Or perhaps the little sister."

My ears perk up and hatred fills my heart. I bite my tongue and fight the rage swelling within. Now is not the time to buy into his bullshit. I transition to another piece of cover further back and take aim.

"What was her name? Miyabi? No. That's the big sister that never loved you. It starts with an M. That I do know." Shokudo continues to tease. Anger forces me to pull the hammer back on both the revolver and lever action pistol.

"Be a pal and help me out Alan? What was her name?" Shokudo takes aim at the pile of rubble I am currently hiding behind. The barrel of my revolver traces Fubuki's movement as she swings wide and prepares to flush me out.

"Was it…Mitori? No…it was…"

A gunshot interrupts Shokudo, and a spark takes the place of where his pistol is. His gun flies across the black soot as he swears and dives into the tower. Fubuki dodges the incoming rounds and takes cover behind a dune.

Blistering smoke rolls out the barrels of two top break revolvers, "None of your fucking business." Octavian states as he forces Fubuki and Shokudo to behave.

"You alright Alan?" Gekko asks.

"Yeah! I'm fine!"

"Good! Now get your ass to the surface! We'll deal with these two!" Senko yells.

"I don't know why you're here, but there's nothing to be afraid of! Hikage and Yuyaki are keeping Gallowglass occupied for the time being!" Octavian states.

"Well, if you say so!"

I pop the fake molar out and bite down. The reanimation fluid restores all my demonic power and erases the helpless human nature from me. Gekko and Senko hold a scroll over their heads and crushes them. Fire burns their clothes off and replaces them with the decadent armor of their ascended shinobi state. The three of them drop down and keep me covered. I sprout my wings and fly up. A geyser of cold water launches me back onto the Archive's wooden porch.

I don't know what the plan is, but Octavian said Hikage and Yuyaki are dealing with Gallowglass. If so, what are Haruka, and the others doing? What about Raesetsu and Rutur? It's probably a good thing I told them not to kill anyone. Yet what is Daemogina doing since she ran away? Since there is no coordination, there are some possibilities. Possibilities I don't want to think about. For the time being though, I have to stop Paladin no matter the cost…

Ending Song: Yamiyo Wa Otome o Hana Ni Suru BGM version by Ruka Kawada